Saturday, August 16, 2008

August TNT Round 2

Babb - Oberton DRAW

Both players had weak pawns, the game reduced to rooks and opposite colour
bishops. It looks like White had winning chances however with 59.Ra8 +
and c5. I will guess that time trouble was a factor.
62..Ke8 looks simply winning for Black.

Khedkar - Nikouline 0-1
White plays the very speculative 30.Bxb6; his resulting passed pawns were stopped by Black.

Mundwiler - Rutter 1-0
White sacrifices pieces for an attack with great practical chances.
16...Bxg5 returning some material apparently saves Black. So does the mysterious 18...Ng4, perhaps a move only a computer would find.

Bince - Wiebe 0-1
Black survives early pressure, but is able to simply into a winning ending.

Greenberg - Wood 1-0
It's over quickly, but instructive. The preferred move on Black's sixth is Bb7 and now we know why.

Swift - Jim Green DRAW
23. Rf2? should have been decisive. Just before the end 53...Re3 was simple and strong. but I am going to guess that Black was in time trouble and gave back the exchange to enter what he thought was a winning ending. I believe it is winning if Black plants his knight on d4 watching the f3 square. Then he marches his king to the queenside. White looks quite helpless.

Einarsson - Leah Green 1-0


Leor Wasserman - Goodman 1-0
17. Qxd5? loses a piece for 2 pawns, but Black plays differently and decides to play against White's weak pawns. 19...Nd7 should lose immediately to 20. Rad1.
In the game, 20...Qxe3+ may have given Black a chance to hang on.

Mandusic - Arie Wasserman 0-1
White hangs the e pawn with 17. d4 and soon after he can't protect his king.

Evans-Pang 1-0
Black would have a nice edge with 21...bxc3, but delays one move allowing to White to consolidate. 30...Ba1? just drops the d pawn (although White doesn't take it)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your analysis of my game Tony. I "knew" there had to be some defence of my position (otherwise I'd have to give up on the French. egad!!!). The 18. Ng4 is indeed mysterious but I see then that 19. ... e5 saves the day. Not that I'd ever see that in the game.

But I'm confused by your 16. ... fxg5 suggestion. I don't have a pawn on the f file at that point. Please clarify.

Thx, Blair

Chess Manitoba said...

18...Ng4 is mysterious, but I believe the idea in words is that buys a temp for the other knight to go to e7 and f5. The knight on g4 guards against an immediate g6 - as Nh6 would posible. So 19.Qxg4 Ne7 20. Qh5 Nf5 holds (at least for a while)

My mistake on 16...fxg5 - should Bxg5