2008-05-10 - Mordue, Tyson 1-0 Bicknell, Carl
Tyson - Tyson's best impression of Tal. Black makes an inaccuracy whilst playing a Sicilian Najdorf and the refutation is spectacular.
[Event "FROME OPEN"] [Site "?"] [Date "2008.05.10"] [Round 2] [White "Mordue, Tyson"] [Black "Bicknell, Carl"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B98"] [Annotator "Doe,John"] [PlyCount "45"] {A violent game where Black never gets his pieces properly developed or co-ordinated, and pays a high price. This was published in British Chess Magazine later that year without notes.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. O-O-O Nc6 {A less common line than the much-analysed 9...Nbd7. Black keeps the d7 square free for the Bishop and could castle Queenside. He can swap Knights on d4 and pick up a tempo on the loose Rook on d4 with ...Qb6 or...Qc5 or place the Bishop on c6 via d7. I have met this line very occasionally and found it best to be prepared to play Rhd1 in the event of the possible swap on d4. In the game none of the afore-mentioned events happens.} 10. Be2 h6 {Similar to the Browne variation which was introduced by the several times US champion Walter Browne. However, that features ...Nbd7 rather than ...Nc6 but that difference sometimes doesn't matter. The point of the Browne variation is after ...h6. Bh4 g5. fxg5 to utilise the e5 square with ...Ne5. Depending on the specific position Black may be sacrificing a Pawn permanently, but he usually gets it back because the g5 Pawn is pinned by the Black Bishop on e7 to the White one on h4. Black's Knights control a lot of squares too and that hinders the scope of the White Queen} 11. Bh4 {White rarely takes on f6 after ...h7-h6. He has the chance to now advance g2-g4-g5 opening up lines and for that reason Black rarely castles Kingside after pushing his h-Pawn. However, there are exceptions as well as adherents to the rules of standard play. With the text White also has the option of redeploying the Bishop to f2 with the option of recapturing on d4 or eyeing the weak b6 square with an idea of a later Na4.} g5 {Consistent with the Browne variation. Deep Rybka suggests 11...Bd7 which is fine, and also 11.. .0-0 which is dubious for the reason given in the last note.} 12. fxg5 {At first Deep Rybka suggested 12 Nxc6 was stronger. It give lines such as 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.fxg5 Nh7 14.Rhf1 Nxg5 (Not 14...Bxg5+ 15.Bxg5 hxg5 16.Rxd6 or here 15.. .Nxg5 16 Qf6!) 15.Qh5 e5 16 Kb1 Be6 before coming to an evaluation of roughly +1.3 for White. As that is similar to the evaluation as in the game line then I must disagree with its choice. In the Sicilian Defence most White players usually choose not to swap Knights on c6 while Black can improve his central control, and have an open b-file as well, with ...bxc6.} Nh7 $2 {This turns out badly but only due to White's imaginative play. The usual move in this sort of position is 12...Ne5 which why Deep Rybka wanted to swap Knights first and so cut it out completely. After 13.Qe3 Nfg4 14.Qd2 Rg8 15.Bxg4 Nxg4 16.Nf3 White seems to be holding on to the extra Pawn. An improvement that regains the Pawn is 14...Qd8 15 Bg3 hxg5 16 h3 Nf6 which is still analogous to Browne variation lines. However, White's Bishops and Queen are arguably on better squares whilst Black's Queen has retreated to its home square so the evaluation must be in White's favour. Nevertheless this must be an improvement on what happens in the game. This is the first time (August 2019) that I've ever written notes to this game and I'm delighted to see that Deep Rybka agrees with all my move choices until the end of the game. However, if I played this game today I would probably be scrutinised because of such perfect play. It should be borne in mind that I have 30-40 years of experience on both sides of the Sicilian Najdorf and am very familiar with the tactical themes that arise. In this case there is a slightly new ingredient involved - the g7-Pawn's control of the f8 square. Simply put, despite having had Browne variation scenarios from both sides many times, I've never had anyone play ... Nf6-h7 after f4xg5 so I was on the alert. My next move was played after a long think.} 13. g6 $1 {Deep Rybka evaluates this as +1.62 in White's favour so that's the computer's endorsement.} Bxh4 {Black has plenty to think about. Throwing in 13...Nxd4 is equivalent to throwing in the towel after 14 Qxf7+. If 13...Ne5 14 gxf7+ Nxf7 15 Bxe7+ Qxe7 16 Rdf1 and White is having all the fun with a extra Pawn to boot. If 13...fxg6 14 Bxe7 Nxd4 (14...Qxe7 15 Nxc6 bxc6 16 Qg3 forks g6 and d6 anyway) 15 Rxd4 Qxe7 16 Qg3 with the same fork. Instead 13...fxg6 14 Bxe7 Nxd4 15 Rxd4 Kxe7 avoids the loss of a Pawn but cedes castling rights. Deep Rybka rates this as plus 2.2 to White and recommends 16 e5! as 16...d5 is met by 17 Rxd5! A recurrent theme is the weakness of d6 once the Black Bishop is exchanged. After the text said Bishop has moved from e7 voluntarily. Yes, it has taken a Bishop and Carl probably expected 14 gxh7 Rxh7. If then 15 Qg4 hitting the h4 Bishop and threatening to win the Rook 16 Qg8+ Carl has 15...Bg5+ and time to regroup. A surprise awaits him.} 14. Ndb5 $1 {After this move my conception got my opponent's endorsement when he muttered "Jesus Christ!" White invests one Knight to force the penetration of the other one to d6. The move g6-g7 is deferred so as to keep the Black Queen tied to the defence of f7. I had foreseen that I would be able to win Black's Queen with a continuing initiative and that Black's pieces would be unable to form a cohesive defensive unit. The g7 Pawn, when it gets there, will be a menace that ties Black down. Most of the action takes place on dark squares, control of which has been abandoned by the Black Bishop on h4. It is worth noting that the other Bishop does nothing except disconnect the Black Rooks.} axb5 15. g7 {The timing is important. If 15 Nxb5? Qe7 16 g7 is refuted by 16...Qg5+ and 17...Qxg7.} Rg8 {Forced. If 15...Bf6, to defend h8 and hope to emerge with two pieces for a Rook, then White sacrifices again with 16.Qxf6! Nxf6 17.gxh8Q+ and emerges with a material advantage and an attack.} 16. Nxb5 Bg5+ {A necessary zwischenzug to ensure the defence of the Bishop - see note to Black's 19th - but White gets to defend a2 so that ... Rxa2 is not on the agenda.} 17. Kb1 Qe7 {Black can threaten mate himself with 17...Qa5 but he will lose his Queen anyway after 18.Nxd6+. If 18...Ke7?? mate follows immediately after 19 Qxf7+ Kd8 20 Nxb7. So instead 18...Kd8 or d7 19. Nxb7+ (19 Nc4 also wins the Queen but it is useful to eliminate the b7 Pawn) 19...Ke8 (If 19...Kc7 20.Nxa5 Rxa5 21.Qxf7+ Ne7 22.Rhf1 with Queen and five Pawns for three uncoordinated pieces. Deep Rybka is scoring this in the 10s.) 20.Nxa5 Rxa5 21.Qc3 - forking the a5 Rook and the now-undefended knight on c6 - 21...Bd7 or b7 22 Rhf1 and by preventing 22...Bf6 White maintains his pull. If 17...Qb8 18 Nd6+ Kd8 19 Qxf7 threatens 20 Nxb7 mate and 20 Qxg8+.} 18. Nxd6+ Kd8 {It was simpler to play 18...Qxd6 19.Rxd6 Be7 20.Rd2 Rxg7 although White is still doing well after 21.Bb5 Bd7 22.Rhd1. With the sequence in the game Black gets a Rook and two pieces for his Queen instead of a scattered three pieces, but he leaves the dangerous Knight and soon regrets it.} 19. Nf5+ Qd7 { Note that without the interpolation of 16...Bg5+ 17 Kb1 Black's Bishop would now have been en prise to the White Knight. An alternative here is 19...Ke8 20 Nxe7 Bxe7 but White has 21 Bb5 amongst other moves keeping the initiative.} 20. Rxd7+ Kxd7 $2 {It's true that after 20...Bxd7 21 Nd6 White forks b7 and f7 but this must be a better try. Currently Black has only one piece - the c6 Knight - on a sensible square.} 21. Rd1+ Kc7 {If 21...Ke8 22 Nd6+ and 23 Qxf7 wins immediately. Once again note that without the interpolation of 16...Bg5+ 17 Kb1 the text would have lost the Bishop to the fork Qf4+, a point that both sides had to pick up on at least five moves ago.} 22. Nd6 {The Knight continues to haunt Black. Now 22...Rxg7 is met by 23 Ne8+, a scenario that would not have been possible after 20...Bxd7, while 22...Ne5 fails to another fork 23 Qc3+.} Nf6 $2 {Black collapses completely. I was expecting 22...Bf6 when after 23 Qf4 e5 24 Qxh6 I thought White was winning more material. Deep Rybka goes a bit further with 24...Be6 - ruling out Ne8+ after ...Rxg7 - 25 Nb5+ Kb6 26 Qxh7 Bxa2+ 27 Kc1 Bg5+ 28 Rd2 Rad8 29 Bd3 and White is now only +2. Instead 23 e5! Nxe5 (if 23...Bxe5 24 Qxf7+) 24 Qc3+ Kb8 25 Nxc8 Rxc8?? 26 Qxc8+! Kxc8 27 g8=Q+ wins the house. Of course 25...Rxg7 is an improvement but White has won a piece. Instead 22...Bf6 23 e5 Nxe5 24 Qc3+ Nc6 25 Qd3! Ng5 26 Nb5+ and Deep Rybka claims mate in 7.} (22... Bf6 23. e5 Bxe5 24. Qxf7+) 23. Nxf7 {White threatens 24 Nxg5 hxg5 25 Qxf6 and if Black moves the f6 Knight 24 Nxg5 hxg5 25 Qf7 with or without check wins.} 1-0
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