Exeter Chess Club: ECC\simul\SteveH.html

Lane,G (IM) - Steve Homer

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bg2 Nf6 6. d3 Be7 7. Nge2 d4 8. Ne4 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Nf4 Bf5 11. Nxf6+ Bxf6 12. Nd5

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White has a good Knight post on d5, but Black has made a firm stand in the centre and there is nothing for White on the long White diagonal.

12... Be5 13. Re1 Qd7 14. Bg5 f6 15. Bf4 Rae8 16. Qd2 Re6 17. a3

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Optically Black is better-placed, and while you need to translate that into a concrete plan, I think that is the correct assessment of the position, and that Steve has outplayed his opponent.

17... Rd6 18. Bxe5 fxe5 19. c4 dxc3 20. Nxc3 Rxd3

  White has been careless; Black is clearly winning.

21. Qg5 h6 22. Qh4 Qd4 23. Qxd4 cxd4 24. Na4 Rd2 25. b4 Bc2 26. Nc5 Rfxf2 27. Bd5+ Kh7 28. h4 Rfe2 29. Rf1 Ne7 30. Bf3 Re3 31. Ra2 Kg8

[31...b6.]

  Eye off the ball, I think; GL was coming around very quickly now.

32. Rf2

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I think Black is winning, but less clearly: White's pieces now start coming out because of the loose b7 and second rank targets. Perhaps Steve over-reached, but I don't know where.

32... Re1+ 33. Kg2 Rxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Rc1 35. Ke2 Bg6 36. h5 Bf7 37. Rb2 Bd5 38. Nd3 Bxf3+ 39. Kxf3 Rc3

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The Black pawns, which have for so long been immobile, are revealed as targets.

40. Ke4 Rxa3 41. Nxe5 Rxg3 42. Kxd4 Rh3 43. Rc2 Rxh5 44. Rc7 Nf5+ 45. Ke4 (...)

  Steve allowed White to capture both Q-side pawns, and sacrifice the wN to queen the b-pawn; GL then won a tricky KQ/KNPP ending ...

...1-0

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The sacrifice went something like...

(...) 1. Rc8+ Kh7 2. Rh8+ Kxh8 3. Ng6+ Kh7 4. Nxh4 Ne4 5. b6

  Then GL let Steve waste moves with the K to capture the N while the pawn Queened...

  (...near the end...)

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GL was having trouble approaching with the K; there were several nasty forks with the Q on g2. I wrote this position down, (after Qg3+ Kd7) and now White played Qg2+. I think GL mistakenly assumed he couldn't capture the N, while my faithful companion Fritz took one electronic look and crashed out:

1. Qxg4+ Kf2 2. Qh3 Kg1 3. Qg3+ Kh1

  usually a drawing resource...

4. Qf2 g4 5. Qf1# 1-0

  In the event White approached with his King and ate the King's-side... 1-0.

 

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This document (ECC\simul\SteveH.html) was last modified on 13 Aug 2005 by [cool blue cat]

Dr. Dave