Round 6

 

1 Baker (4 1/2) 1/2 - 1/2 Thompson (4)
2 Rudd (3 1/2) 0 - 1 Wall (4 1/2)
3 Humphries (3 1/2) 0 -1 Phillips (3 1/2)
4 Cole (3) 1 - 0 Borkowski (3)
5 Dilleigh (3) 1 - 0 Lane (3)
6 Beaumont (2 1/2) 1 - 0 George (3)
The penultimate round saw joint-leader Baker meeting Thompson, and Wall, floating down a full point, playing the rather more unpredictable Rudd. Baker was right on course for a win, having won the exchange but blew his chances with an uncharacteristic oversight letting Thompson right off the hook.

 

White: C. W. Baker.
Black: I. D. Thompson
French Defence

1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. d4 c5 6. dxc5 Nc6 7. Bf4 Bxc5 8. Bd3 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Ne5 Bd7 12. Qe2 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Qb6 14. Kh1 Rae8 15. f4 Bc6 16. Rab1 Bd4 17. b4 a6 18. b5 axb5 19. Nxb5 Bxb5

  The bishop pair put great pressure on the black rooks 20. Bxb5 Re7 21. Bd3

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|-+-+-rk+|
|+p+-r-pp|
|-q-+pn-+|
|+-+pB-+-|
|-+-b-P-+|
|+-+B+-+-|
|P+P+Q+PP|
|+R+-+R+K|
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  The Black queen is overloaded trying to protect bishop and the c file. 21...Qa7 [21...Qc6 22.Bb5 Qxb5 (22...Qc5) ]

22. Bd6 Rfe8 23. Bxe7 Rxe7 24. c4 Qc5 25. Rb5 Qd6 26. Qd1

  setting up an easily spotted trap.

 

26. ....Bc5 27. cxd5 Nxd5 28. Bxh7+

  If Kxh7 29. Qc2+ winning the bishop back.

 

28......Kf8 29. Be4? The threatened fork on c3 is no great threat as it allows white to exchange queens, but to include the bishop as well lets black off the hook.

 

29. ....Nc3 This oversight lets black off the hook.

30. Qxd6 Bxd6 31. Re5 Bxe5 32. fxe5+ Rf7 33. Bf3 Nxa2 34. Ra1 Nb4 35. Ra8+ Ke7 36. Rb8 Nd3 37. Rxb7+ Kf8 38. Rb5 Rf5 39. Rb8+ Kf7 40. Rb7+ Kf8 41. Rb8+

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|-R-+-k-+|
|+-+-+-p-|
|-+-+p+-+|
|+-+-Pr+-|
|-+-+-+-+|
|+-+n+B+-|
|-+-+-+PP|
|+-+-+-+K|
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  Draw by perpetual check. The king cannot escape to h7 or g6 because of the Be4 pin.

 

White: J. Rudd.
Black: G. Wall
Dutch Defence
1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Qe8 8. Re1 Qf7 9. b3 Ne4 10. Ng5

-------------------
|rnb+-rk+|
|ppp-pqbp|
|-+-p-+p+|
|+-+-+pN-|
|-+PPn+-+|
|+PN-+-P-|
|P+-+PPBP|
|R-BQR-K-|
-------------------

  Clearly 10. Nxe4 isn't on, but the text loses a vital central pawn.

10. ....Nxc3 11. Qd3 Qf6 12. Qxc3 Qxd4 13. Bd5+ Kh8 14. Qxd4 Bxd4 15. Rb1 c6 16. Be6 Na6 17. e4 fxe4 18. Rxe4 Bf6 19. Bxc8 Raxc8 20. Ne6 Rf7 21. Be3 c5 22. Rd1 White intends to utilise the open lines caused by his missing central pawns.

 

 

22. ....Nc7 23. Nf4 a6 24. Bd2 Bd4 25. Ba5 e5 26. Bxc7 Rcxc7 27. Nd5 Bxf2+ Another pawn dropped.

 

28. Kg2 Rcd7 29. Nb6 Rd8 30. Rxe5 and one recovered.

30. .....Bd4 31. Re2 Rdf8 32. Rdd2 g5 33. Nd5 b5 34. Ne7 Rf1 35. Nc6 Rg1+ 36. Kh3 Bf6 37. Rg2 Rf1 38. Rxd6 White has done well to fight back to material equality with good counterplay.

38. .....h5 39. g4 h4 40. Rd3 Rc8 41. cxb5 axb5 42. Na7 c4 43. Re3 Rc5 44. Rc2 c3 45. Kg2 Rd1 46. Ree2 Rd3 47. b4 Rcd5 48. Nc6 Kg7 49. a3 h3+ 50. Kf2 Kf7 51. Re3 Rd2+ 52. Re2 R5d3 53. a4 bxa4 54. b5 Rxc2 55. Rxc2 Rd5 56. b6 Rb5 57. Rxc3 Bxc3 58. b7 a3

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|-+-+-+-+|
|+P+-+k+-|
|-+N+-+-+|
|+r+-+-p-|
|-+-+-+P+|
|p-b-+-+p|
|-+-+-K-P|
|+-+-+-+-|
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  final position

 

 

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Dr. Dave