4NCL - The Four Nations League - www.4ncl.co.uk/pre2010

Jack Rudd annotates

Garrett,Theresa (1820) - Bentley,Emma (1605)
4NCL/Div2/PP1–BRI1 Sunningdale (9.8), 03.05.2008
[Rudd,Jack]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d5 3.Nc3 [3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.Nf3 is more accurate here, allowing White to build up a big centre quickly afterwards.] 3...Bf5 4.Bg5 c6 5.e3 [5.Bxf6 exf6 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Qb3 Nc6 8.e3 Bd6 9.Qxd5 Qd7 10.Bb5 0–0 11.Nge2 Rfe8 12.0–0 a6 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Qa5 Rec8 15.Ng3 Bg6 16.Nce4 Be7 17.Nc5 Qd5 18.Rac1 Rcb8 19.b3 Rb5 Rahman,T (2244)-Rehberg,R (2075)/Dortmund 2004/1–0 (55)] 5...e6 6.c5 [6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nf3 h6 8.Bh4 Nc6 9.a3 Be7 10.Bb5 0–0 11.0–0 Ne4 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Ne5 Nxc3 15.Nxc6 Qd6 16.bxc3 Qxc6 17.Qd2 Rab8 18.f4 Rfc8 19.Rac1 Rb3 20.Rf3 Rxc3 Eltigani,A (1564)-Porat,M (1856)/Balatonlelle op 2006/0–1 (48)] 6...Be7 [6...b6 7.b4 Be7 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3 a5 10.b5 bxc5 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Nge2 0–0 14.0–0 cxb5 15.Nxb5 Nd7 16.f4 Qb6 17.Nbd4 Bb4 18.Rf3 Nc5 19.Qd1 Ne4 20.Rh3 Bd2 21.Qb3 Forlot,D (1499)-Blanchard,S (1930)/Morbihan 2004] 7.Nf3 Nbd7

board

8.Bxf6? Pointless. This unnecessarily gives Black a very powerful dark-squared bishop, ideally situated to help the thematic ...e5 break. 8...Bxf6 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 b6 11.b4 bxc5?! [11...a5! would undermine the entire structure on the queenside.] 12.bxc5 e5 13.0–0

board

13...e4? This hasty move throws away Black's advantage. Although it does technically win a piece, it does so for three very strong pawns. [13...0–0-/+] 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Qxe4+ Qe7 16.Qxc6 0–0 17.Rab1 Rfc8 18.Qd5 Nxc5 [18...Rab8 looks like a better move, challenging White to prove the three pawns really are better than the piece. The text just leaves Black a pawn down.] 19.dxc5 Qxc5 20.Rfd1 Qxd5 21.Rxd5 Rc7 22.Nd4

board

22...Bxd4?! The active bishop should be kept on; it is worth more than a knight that has no outposts to aim at. 23.exd4 An interesting decision, this: White chooses to make a passed, but isolated, pawn. Objectively, this is probably the inferior capture, but it worked out well in practice. 23...h6 24.g3 Rac8 25.Rbb5 Kf8 26.Ra5 f6 27.Kg2 Kf7 28.Kf3 Re8 29.Rdc5 Rec8

board

30.Rxc7+ [30.Rxa7! Rxa7 31.Rxc8 Rxa2 32.Rc7+ is better than it appears at first glance: the point is that the black king is tied to the g-pawn. 32...Kf8 33.h4 and Black has to deal with White's twin plans of pushing the d-pawn and advancing the king to g6.] 30...Rxc7 31.Ke4 Rd7 32.f4 g6 33.d5 Ke7 34.Ra6 Kf7 35.f5? [35.Kd4 immediately is better - the text gives Black counter-chances with her extra kingside pawn.] 35...gxf5+ 36.Kd4 Ke7 37.Kc5 h5 38.Re6+ Kf7 39.Kc6 Rd8 40.Rd6?! [40.Re2 seems to be a safer way of playing for the win: 40...Rc8+ 41.Kb7 Rd8 42.Rd2 Ke7 43.Kc7 and the pawn will advance.] 40...Rc8+ 41.Kb7 Rc2 With a black rook on the seventh, suddenly things are not so easy for White. 42.a4 Rxh2 43.Rc6 Ke7 44.Kc7 Rd2

board

45.Re6+? [45.d6+ Ke6 46.Rc1! looks like it should win immediately, but 46...a5 47.Re1+ Kf7 is not so easy to crack. The winning line seems to be 48.Re7+ Kf8 49.Rh7 Rc2+ 50.Kd7 with Ke6 and d7 to come.] 45...Kf7 46.Kd6 Rd4 47.a5 Ra4 48.Re7+ Kg6 49.Rxa7 f4 50.gxf4 Rxf4 51.a6 [51.Kc5 looks like the best move here, threatening d6-d7-d8 and so gaining what are, with black's passed h-pawn, now vital tempi.] 51...h4 52.Ra8 Ra4 53.Kc7 h3 54.Kb7 [54.Rh8 Rxa6 55.Rxh3 f5 will just be a draw - the white king will be too far away when the black rook is eventually swapped for the d-pawn.] 54...Kg7 55.Rc8 [55.Re8 is a somewhat better move here, cutting off the black king.] 55...f5 56.Rc1 Kf6 57.Re1 h2 58.a7 Rb4+ 59.Kc6 Ra4 60.Kb7 Rb4+ 61.Ka6 Ra4+ 62.Kb6 f4 [62...Rb4+ 63.Ka5 Rb2 64.Ra1 h1Q 65.Rxh1 Ra2+ 66.Kb6 Rb2+ 67.Kc5 Ra2 68.Rh7 and White will win, because there is no way to prevent the advance of the d-pawn.] 63.d6 Rb4+ 64.Ka5 Rb2

board

65.Ra1?? [65.d7 Rd2 66.Kb5+- (66.a8Q?? Ra2+=) ] 65...Ra2+ 66.Kb6 [66.Rxa2 may give White some practical drawing chances. 66...h1Q 67.d7 Ke7 68.Rd2 Kd8 69.Kb6 Qb1+ 70.Kc6 Qe4+ 71.Kb6 f3 will win for Black, though - there is no good response for White in this position.] 66...Rxa1 67.d7 Ke7 68.Kc7 Rxa7+ 0–1