2025-12-04 - Savory, Richard 1-0 Buckley, David E

[Event "BRISTOL LEAGUE DIV 1 "] [Site "?"] [Date "2013.12.04"] [Round "?"] [White "SAVORY, R.."] [Black "BUCKLEY, DE.."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B25"] [Annotator "Tyson,Mordue"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] 1. e4 e6 2. d3 c5 3. g3 {This is the signature move of the King's Indian Attack. This can be played against a variety of Black Defences including both the French and Sicilian Defences. This is a favourite opening of Richard's and is not one to be underestimated. After all White is playing a King's Indian Defence with an extra tempo. It should be borne in mind that David's choice of opening could be either a French or Sicilian Defence. It is yet to be clearly defined.} Nc6 4. Bg2 g6 {Kingside fianchettos in the French are rare, and usually not very good because of the weakening of the dark squares. Hence the text move defines the opening as a sort of Sicilian Defence.} 5. Nc3 {This Knight move takes us away from the King's Indian Attack and into the realms of the Closed Sicilian. In the former opening this steed is developed on d2, and often heads via f1 to h2 or, if g3-g4 has been played, to g3. Sometimes it can get to e3 as well, but not if Black has played ...d7-d5-d4.} Bg7 6. f4 { In my own experience on the Black side of Closed Sicilians I find that White's position has more flexibility and potency with a Pawn on f4 instead of on f2 behind a White Knight. By the same token if one reverses the colours in this position and says that White is playing an English Opening, then Black's formation is better with the Pawn on f5 than on f7. I adjusted my own response to the English opening accordingly and had better results because of it.} d6 { This move is not a mistake but I prefer the immediate 6...Nge7 with a view to playing ...d7-d5 in one go. It is a matter of taste and both moves feature in a lot of games on the database.} 7. Nf3 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. Be3 Nd4 {This is a position that is often reached in the Closed Sicilian. The critical move here is 10. e5 which scores well if Black doesn't know what he's doing, but if he does then any White initiative can quickly fizzle out. Richard prefers a quieter approach that is aimed at ousting the d4-Knight.} 10. Qd2 Rb8 11. Nd1 { This is the quieter approach referred to in the previous note. It is okay but there is merit in developing the Queen's Rook first with 11. Rae1. In the game it is a while before this tower gets into play, but due to the closed nature of the position Black does not manage to exploit this.} b6 $6 {This move is recognised theory and there are 57 games on the database with it. However, there are exactly twice as many, 114, with the more ambitious 11...b5 intending to connect with White's intended c2-c3 by a subsequent ...b5-b4, and trying to open up the game for the b8-Rook and, far more importantly, the g7-Bishop. Once again in my own experience the text is too restrained. However, there is a clear rationale behind it as David demonstrates in the game. By defending the c5-Pawn then after the swap of Knights Black can play the advance ...d6-d5 gaining space in the centre. Then again I feel this plan doesn't go with activating the Black pieces on b8 and g7.} 12. c3 {[An alternative is 12. Nh4 intending 13. c3 pushing the Black Knight back without allowing the swap on f3. However, the database says that after the necessary 12...f5 (before White plays f4-f5 even as a Pawn sacrifice.) Black has a decent plus score.]} Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 d5 14. e5 d4 {Otherwise White plays d3-d4 himself and Black has nothing in the way of effective counterplay.} 15. Bf2 f6 {This is the point at which we diverge from theory. The game Keeling (2073) vs. Rasmussen, 22nd Politiken Cup, Copenhagen 2000, continued 15...dxc3, 16. Nxc3 Nf5 17. Rfd1 Nd4 18. Bxd4 Qxd4+ 19. Qf2 Qxf2+ 20. Kxf2 f6 21. exf6 and a draw was agreed. There are a few questionable moves in this sequence and I think Black stands better at the end. I think that it is important for White not to concede the d4 square to Black here. That means either he should go 15. cxd4 cxd4 16. Bf2 and then play to get his Knight to e4, or after 15. Bf2 dxc3 he should recapture with 16. bxc3. I don't think Black has to rush with the text move. Deep Rybka suggests a couple of alternatives that I like. One is 15... Bb7. A trade of Bishops on b7 gives the Black Rook some options along Black's second rank, but the swap of these prelates favours Black regardless of where the trade takes place. The other option is the startling 15...g5, a move I have played myself in similar Pawn structures. The point is to either undermine the e5-Pawn - 16. fxg5?! Bxe5 achieves that object immediately - or after ...g5xf4, g3xf4 Black has secured the f5 square for his Knight. The text does create an obvious weakness on e6, but that is an occupational hazard of Black's chosen system. I've had to do it myself in analogous positions. The question is does he have enough active piece play to compensate for that weakness?} 16. exf6 {White needs to be careful here. The obvious 16. Qe2? is well met by 16...fxf5 17. fxe5 Rxf3! 18. Qxf3 Bb7 19. Qe2 Qd5 20. Qe4 Qd7 21. Qe2 Nc6 and once the Knight takes on e5 a check on f3 is highly troublesome. In the above line White's Bishop on f2 is worse than a Pawn. It has no scope and it can't advance to f3 to block the h1-a8 diagonal!} Bxf6 17. c4 {I'd give some consideration to 17. cxd4 cxd4 18. Rc1 letting this Rook breathe. If instead 17. cxd4 Bxd4 I'm not convinced that White's d3-Pawn is any worse that Black's on e6. The text denies Black the chance to play ... d4xc3, and it takes away the d5 square from the Black Knight.} Nf5 $6 {This is okay but the follow-up proves to be wrong. Moreover David declines the chance to play 17... e5 dissolving his only weakness. In the resulting structure Black surely stands better.} 18. g4 $1 {Regardless of whether this move exposes the White King or not Richard needs the space and options for his awful DSB.} Nh4 $6 { After this Black loses co-ordination because of the need to defend this offside Knight. Instead the retreat to d6 blocks the h2-b8 diagonal for White's DSB and denies the other one the e4 square.} 19. Be4 Be7 {There was a threat of 20. g5 when Black has two pieces en prise. However, this Bishop really wants to retreat back to g7, but if 19...Bg7 then 20. Qe1 forces 20... g5. Now if 21. fxg5 Nf3+ is good for Black, but instead 21. Bg3! Threatens 22. fxg5 when both b8 and h4 are en prise. If Black had his Knight on d6 in these lines he wouldn't be suffering.} 20. Bg3 {Now Richard has the option of f4-f5. Suddenly White has the initiative.} e5 {The engine suggestion here is 21...Bg5 but this doesn't seem logical. The reply is either 22. Qe1 (Fritz) or 22. Qe2 (Deep Rybka) which means that whatever move Black plays to cover e5 is answered by 23. Bd5+ followed by 24. Bxe5 because it is now supported by the Queen. The engines try to say that 21...Bg5 is necessary to stop White's next move, but this could be a case of the cure is worse than the illness. Nevertheless it is clear that 20...e5 was an error that didn't answer the problem David was trying to solve, but actually made it worse.} 21. f5 { This is good enough to maintain an advantage, but even better is 21. Bd5+ Kh8 22. Qe1! Bxg4 23. Qxe5+ Bf6 24. Bxh4 Bxe5 25. Bxd8 Bxf4 26. Rxf4 Rxf4 27. Bc7 Rbf8 28.Bxf4 Rxf4 29. Nf2 according to Fritz and White is a piece up. Deep Rybka wants to vary with 22. Qe2 in the above line, presumably to defend g4, but it makes little difference. Black's basic problem is that when Qxe5+ arrives he has no good interposition that doesn't lose the stranded Knight on h4, and if he plays ...Bf6 then g4-g5 cuts off the defence anyway. After the text Richard threatens both Bd5+ and Bxe5 either way around, which still gives David big problems to solve.} Bf6 {The engine suggestion here is 21... Bg5 but this doesn't seem logical. The reply is either 22. Qe1 (Fritz) or 22. Qe2 (Deep Rybka) which means that whatever move Black plays to cover e5 is answered by 23. Bd5+ followed by 24. Bxe5 because it is now supported by the Queen. The engines try to say that 21...Bg5 is necessary to stop White's next move, but this could be a case of the cure is worse than the illness. Nevertheless it is clear that 20...e5 was an error that didn't answer the problem David was trying to solve, but actually made it worse.} 22. Qh6 $1 { Now g6 is under severe pressure and there is a potential battery on h7 involving the White Queen and LSB which would be a matting net. If Black plays 22...Bg5 then 23. Bd5+ Qxd5 24. Qxf8+ Kxf8 25. cxd5 and White has won an Exchange and indirectly traded Queens. Or here 22...Bg5 23. Bd5+ Kh9 24. Bxe5+ is disastrous. Instead 22...Qe8 defends both e5 and g6, but allows 23. Bxh4. Playable is 22...g5, but after 23. Bd5+ Kh8 24. Nf2 heading for e4 Black's position should collapse quite readily.} gxf5 $5 {This obvious move cedes material because of the game continuation, but it seems to give Black a fighting chance. All the alternatives mentioned in the previous note are worse. } 23. Bd5+ {Getting the Bishop 'off prise' with check, and this enables Richard to win material with his next move.} Kh8 24. g5 $1 {Finally cutting off the defence of the isolated Knight. If Black plays 24...Bxg5 then after 25. Bxe5+ the only sound interposition is the sad 25...Bf6 and then 26. Bxb8 and White is a whole Rook up. Here if 26...Bg5 27. Be5+ and I'll leave you to work out the rest. What David does here is to surrender his Bishop instead. He gets two Pawns for it and is able to retreat the Knight to a square from where it safeguards e5.} Ng6 25. gxf6 Qxf6 {So Black has two nice-looking Pawns for a Bishop. However, they are actually a fine example of hanging Pawns. Neither of them can advance. The e-Pawn is pinned to the b8-Rook, while moving the f-Pawn concedes the e4 square to the White Knight. Richard quickly proves that the Pawns are targets as well.} 26. Nf2 {Finally this regrouping move that threatens either 27. Ne4 or Ng4 depending on how Black responds.} Bb7 {The engine suggestion is the meek 26...Qg7 allowing 27. Qxg7+ Kxg7. This might make the game last longer, but it merely allows White to demonstrate his endgame technique and Black is left with no practical chances. A strong player, such as David Buckley is, would never consider such a move.} 27. Ng4 Qe7 28. Nxe5 $1 {Richard promptly demonstrates the weakness of Black's Pawns with a temporary sacrifice.} Nxe5 29. Rae1 Rg8 {This is the only way to hold on to the pinned Knight by counter-pinning the g3 Bishop, but it is only an interim reprieve.} 30. Bxb7 {Instead 30. Rxf5 is winning also. Material is level in this line, but the pinned steed can't survive the combined onslaught of all the White pieces. By trading Bishops Richard forces the Rook recapture and the tower can't subsequently come to e8 to add support to the Knight.} Rxb7 31. Qf4 {Now there is no saving the Knight. It is currently twice attacked, and while 31...Re8 adds a second defender it also unpins the Bishop and allows it to be a third attacker. Hence 32. Rxe5 wins easily.} Qe8 {Given that in the game White has the trivial 33. Qxe8 I wonder if this may actually be 31...Qd8 instead. Either way it doesn't matter. Black can do nothing constructive with his g7-Rook pinned.} 32. Qxe5+ Rbg7 33. Rxf5 Qd7 34. Rg5 Qh3 $1 {Allowing a nice finish involving a Queen sacrifice. I don't know if David actually saw the sac but he sportingly allows the checkmate.} 35. Qxg7+ Rxg7 36. Re8+ Rg8 37. Rexg8# 1-0

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