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Brigden 0-1 Mordue

1988-12-06 - Brigden, Michael 0-1 Mordue, Tyson

Tyson - A decisive game from the 1988 Club Championship. It's probably my best club championship game ever, but it says more about Mike Wood (yes Mike Wood, not Mike Brigden) than about me.

[Event "D&F CLUB CHAMP"] [Site "?"] [Date "1988.12.06"] [Round "8"] [White "BRIGDEN, ME."] [Black "MORDUE, AT."] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Mordue,Tyson"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "12.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 Bg4 {The Simagin variation of the King's Indian Defence, a favourite of mine and which has given me some important victories, this game among them. Even Fischer has lost to this line, but it was Johannes Fischer! The game Fischer J vs. Gerbert, German Bundesliga 1981-2 continued 7.Ng1 Bxe2 8.Ngxe2 e5 9.d5 Nh5 10.O-O - the same as tthe game but with Be3 and ...Qe7 omitted - 10...f5 11.exf5 gxf5 12.f4 Nd7 13.Qc2 Qh4 14.Nb5 Rac8 15.Nxa7 Rce8 16.Nb5 exf4 17.Nxf4 c6 18.Nxh5 Qxh5 19.Nxd6 Re2 20.Qd3 Ne5 21.Qg3 Rf6 22.Bh6 Rg6 23.Rxf5 Qxh6 24.Qa3 Rexg2+ 0-1. Pawn grabbing instead of completing development rarely succeeds.} 7. Be3 e5 8. d5 Nh5 9. Ng1 {The paradoxical 9 h3 Bd7 has featured in several of my games. The text has been played as well and is a known theoretical line.} Bxe2 10. Ngxe2 Qe7 11. O-O {The sharp advance 11 g4 is met by 11...Nf4. White can take once but not twice e.g. 12 Nxf4 exf4 13 Bxf4?? (13 Bd4 is equal.) Bxc3+ 14 bxc3 Qxe4+ winning material.} Nd7 12. f3 f5 {So now we have something akin to a Samisch variation with the light-square Bishops missing. This should favour White and Deep Rybka says that he is currently better by 0.72. However, KID players are used to having early evaluations going against them. Even after 5...0-0 the evaluation is +0.41 to White, yet how many games has Black won in the King's Indian?} 13. Qd2 Ndf6 14. b4 $6 { Deep Rybka has preferences for 14 exf5 gxf5 15 Qc2 and 14 Bg5 f4 15 g4. Both the Pawn moves here need serious consideration but neither are necessarily bad. They just fit into different plans, that's all. Mike's plan is to play on the Queenside with c4-c5, which is perfectly understandable as he has an advantage in space on that side of the board. Yet the reply to this move reveals some of the paradoxes in chess.} a5 $1 {Despite this Queenside Pawn move Black's attention is actually on the Kingside. That's where most of his pieces are and, looking at the Pawn structure there, he has a slight advantage in space. If he chose to advance ...f5-f4 that space advantage would increase and he'd be planning the advance...g6-g5-g4 with an attack on the White King. However, Black has a different approach in mind and that involves playing ... Nh5-f4. On the face of it currently 14...Nf4 simply loses a Pawn to straightforward captures. The point of ...a7-a5 is to introduce tension on the b4 square after a2-a3 and then time the following sequence appropriately: ... Nf4, Nxf4 exf4, Bxf4 axb4, axb4 Rxa1, Rxa1 fxe4, fxe4 Nxe4 and now White's Nc3ex4 is not playable because of ...Bg7xa1 winning the Exchange. If this combination were attempted right now then 14...Nf4 15 Nxf4 exf4 16 Bxf4 fxe4 - hoping for 17 fxe4? Nxe4 when White's Queen and Knight are en prise - is simply refuted by 17 Rae1 and White will keep the extra Pawn by recapturing on e4 without allowing tactics down the a1-h8 diagonal. What does White do about his attacked Pawn? If he should now advance 15 b5 then his c4-c5 break loses all potency. The possible reply 15...b6 fixes the Queenside leaving Black with the advantage on the Kingside. If White defends the b4 Pawn with any piece then Black takes it and follows up with ...b7-b6 again. Yet again White can't execute c4-c5 and would have to rely on forcing through a2-a4-a5 to avoid having split Pawns. This leaves the option that Mike plays in the game, after which it's a question of whether the extra option available to Black, ...a5xb4 followed by ...Rxa1, makes ...Nh5-f4 playable.} 15. a3 fxe4 $1 {A subtle bit of timing. Black still intends ...Nf4 in due course but he clarifies the situation in the centre first. If White now chooses 16 fxe4 then 16...Ng4 is inconvenient. For example if 17 Bf2? Nxf2 18 Rxf2 Rxf2 19 Kxf2 axb4 costs White a Pawn. Alternatively if Black plays 17...axb4 first White can't reply 18 axb4 because 18...Rxa1 19 Rxa1 leaves the f2 Bishop en prise. Of course there's the alternative 17 Bg5 which is met by 17...Bf6 and Deep Rybka says that it's equal. True enough, but if we tweak the sequence after 16 fxe4 and play first 16...axb4 17 axb4 Rxa1 18 Rxa1 and now 18...Ng4 Black has control of the f-file. So after 19 Bg5 Bf6 20 Bxf6 Qxf6 Black has a clear advantage. Of course White can simply give up his Bishop for the Black Knight but then the Black Bishop will have designs on those weakened dark squares. So the bottom line of the above is that White shouldn't play 16 fxe4 because of the possibility of ...Nf6-g4. Hence Mike chooses the other recapture with the c3 Knight. That means when Black goes ...Nh5-f4 then after any capture there the reply ...e5xf4 introduces a direct attack on the a1 Rook.} 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. fxe4 Nf4 {Acheiving the object of getting the steed to f4. If 18 Nxf4 exf4 19 Bd4 Qxe4 and Black has won an important Pawn for nothing. Deep Rybka suggests both 18 b5 and 18 bxa5, to which the reply is 18...Nxe2+ 19 Qxe2 Rxa5, which are both positional concessions as explained earlier, even more so now with some pieces exchanged. The engine also suggests 18 Nc3 which is okay and reduces some of the tension, but what does it actually do? Having said that, what else does White play? Mike decides to reduce the tension a different way, abandoning the potentially open a-file and trying to bolster his c4-c5 break.} 18. Rac1 axb4 19. axb4 Ra3 {I have very happy memories of playing this move in two Bristol League Congress games against Alex Easton and John Bennett, both of Horfield & Montpelier. In both games the a3 Rook faciliatated tactics on g3 and in the Easton game I got to sac there successfully. I won both games and they are annotated in the BCT Revisited page on the Downend & Fishponds Chess Club website.} 20. Nc3 {This looks like a sensible move and indeed Deep Rybka says that White still has a tiny advantage (+0.15) after it. However, this does introduce the possible tactic .. .Rxc3, Qxc3 Ne2+ forking if the c1 Rook moves to the wrong square. Now Deep Rybka suggests that Black should now play 20...Qh4. There's nothing wrong with it, but I wonder if White would be tempted by the obvious 21 g3? creating weaknesses? Of course the reply must be 21...Qg4 when Black stands well.} Qd7 { I'm not entirely sure why I chose this square over h4. Maybe to keep c7 defended in the event of White playing Nb5? Admittedly ...Rd3 looks like a good reply so that may not be on. Indeed upon the immediate 25 Nb5? Rd3 26 Qe1 Nh3+! 27 gxh3 Rxf1+ 28 Kxf1 Qxh3+ 29 Kf2 Bf6 is probably winning for Black. Deep Rybka says that in the event of either Queen move it suggests the consistent 21 c5. I wonder if Mike simply overlooked the reply to his next move, and I dare to suggest he wouldn't have done had I gone 20...Qh4 instead!} 21. g3 $2 Qg4 $1 {With an extremely awkward threat of 22...Rxc3 23 Rxc3 Ne2+ 24 Kg2 (24 Kh1 Rxf1+) 24...Qxe4+ 25 Kh3 Rxf1 26 Qxe2 Rf5 - threat 27...Rh5+ and White is a Pawn down with his King in danger. The threat is not difficult to see but a sensible defence is.} 22. Kh1 {Unsatisfactory alternatives are A) 22.Bxf4 exf4 leaves g3 under pressure A1) 23.Nb5 Rb3 24 Nd4 (not 24. Rxf4? Rxg3+ 25.hxg3 Qxg3+followed by taking on f4.) 24...Re3 and e4 falls. A2) 23 Ne2 f3 24 Nc3 - to defend e4 again - 24...Qh3 with threats to take on c3 twice and 25...Bh6. B) 22.Rce1 Nh3+ 23.Kg2 (if 23.Kh1 Rxf1+ 24.Rxf1 Rxc3) 23.. .Rxf1 24.Rxf1 Nf4+ B1) 25.Kg1 Rxc3 26.Bxf4 (if 26.Qxc3 Ne2+) 26...exf4 and Black has won a piece; B2) 25.Bxf4 exf4 26.Qe2 Qxe2+ 27.Nxe2 fxg3 with a very good endgame for Black, +1.3 according to Deep Rybka.} Rxc3 $1 {The start of a long but forced continuation which leaves Black in the driving seat.} 23. Qxc3 {If 23.Rxc3 then 23...Ne2 threatening both f1 and e4. Defending the Rook with the Queen is no good because 24...Qxe4+ mates while 24 Kg2 Qxe4+ 25 Kh3 Rxf1 transposes into a line in the previous note. So 24.Rxf8+ is forced and after 24...Bxf8 Black threatens mate on both e4 and f3. After 25.Kg2 (if 25 h4 Qh3 mate is a sudden finish.) 25...Qxe4+ 26.Kf2 (26 Kh3 Nxc3 27 Qxc3 Qf3 - threat 28...Qf1+ 29 Kh4 Be7+ 30 Kg4 Qf5 mate - 28 Qe1 Qf5+ 29 Kg2 Qe4+ and 30...Qxc4.) 26...Nxc3 27.Qxc3 Qh1 28 h4 Qh2+ 29 Kf3 Bg7! threat 30...e4+ and Black is having all the fun - 30 Qd3 e4+ 31 Qxe4?? (if 31 Kxe4 Qxg3) 31...Qh1+ 32 Kf4 Bh6+ wins the Queen.} Ne2 {Threatening both the Queen and 24...Qxe4+. This time swapping Rooks leaves a mate available on f3 as well after the Bishop recaptures, so White has to immediately move his Queen and defend both e4 and e3.} 24. Qd3 Nxg3+ $1 {Hardly a surprise after earlier hints but pleasing nevertheless. White's King is stripped bare.} 25. hxg3 Qh3+ 26. Kg1 Qxg3+ 27. Kh1 {Had White chosen 24 Qc2 instead of 24 Qd3 then his Bishop would be en prise with check after 27...Qh3+ 28 Kg1 Qxe3+. After 29 Kg2 Deep Rybka says Black is +2.38 and, ironically, wins with the same 29th move as in the game.} Qh3+ 28. Kg1 Qg3+ 29. Kh1 {A deliberate repetition by Black to gain some time on the clock to check his intended winning line. If there had been any doubt then the draw by perpetual check would have been taken.} Rf4 $1 {And Black puts his other Rook en prise! A delightful concept but backed up by analysis and sound judgement. Obviously White can't take with his pinned Bishop. However, as Black threatens 30...Rh4 mate White has to capture so it must be the Rook.} 30. Rxf4 exf4 {Now the pinned Bishop will fall and Black will have two Pawns for the Exchange. What's more he will have three passed Pawns(!), one only two squares from promotion, a strong initiataive against the exposed White King, and if the attack doesn't work then the advance of the Kingside Pawns will. The more Deep Rybka looks at this for Black the more it likes it. The evaluation was +1.59 at the last glance. Not bad for a calculation that began at move 23.} 31. Qe2 {The engine has a small preference for 31 Rc2 but that shouldn't really matter. However, the fact that the Rook stays on c1 and is undefended quickly becomes relevant.} fxe3 32. Qg2 $2 {In a bad position mistakes are the easiest moves to find. Ironically although this move protects the e4 Pawn it loses it to best play! Deep Rybka suggests 32 c5 and 32 Rc2, both moves ignoring 32...Qh4+ picking up the e4 Pawn. However, the engine suggests 32 c5 Be5 so as to answer 33 cxd6 with 33...Bxd6 keeping the c-file closed, and then after 33 Rc2 Qh4+ and taking on e4 is playable. This finesse is important as Black must keep the White major pieces quiet and an open c-file would benefit White.} Qh4+ 33. Kg1 $2 {Keeping the e-Pawn but costing himself the Rook to a smart tactic. White had to play 33 Qh2 allowing 33... Qxe4+.} e2 $1 {It's bad enough that Black is threatening to promote but he also threatens 34...Bd4+ winning the Queen.} 34. Qxe2 {34 Qf2 is met by the same reply.} Qg5+ 35. Kh2 Be5+ {A little finesse to ensure that the Rook goes with check and the swap of Queens follows the move after. Time to concede. I was feeling very pleased with this win. It had secured another Downend & Fishponds Championship and it was definitely one of my best games. I had seen nearly all the lines from move 23 through to move 31 and it made a nice triple to go with the afore-mentioned wins over Bennett and Easton. Shortly after Mike Brigden resigned Mike Wood came up to me and said "I'd just like to congratulate you on a wonderfully played game. I'm only sorry that I didn't have the privilege of being on the receiving end of it!" Nowhere but at Downend & Fishponds could that remark have been made. Mike Wood: a sportsman indeed, and also a very good, very imaginative chessplayer. Takes one to know one.} 0-1

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