News - Newton Abbot Chess Club

[Event "Rated Classical game"] [Date "2020.11.05"] [White "Paul Brooks"] [Black "Piotr Ruszelak"] [Result "1-0"] [Opening "Slav Defence"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6.b3 Bg4 7.Bd3 e6 8.c5 {A committal decision. White closes the queenside and makes it more likely that the battle will take place on opposite wings.} 8...Nbd7 9.Be2 Qc7 10. Bb2 Bxf3 {Peter wants to push through e5 and gives up the two bishops to achieve this.} 11.Bxf3 e5 12.g3 {I created a hole for the bishop to drop back into. } 12...exd4 {Perhaps 12...e4 was better.} 13.exd4 O-O-O $2 {Peter definitely 'castles into it.' It is much easier for white's pieces to get into attacking positions than black's.} 14.O-O h5 15.Bc1 $1 {The inactive bishop is rerouted to a stong diagonal. } 15...Kb7 16.Bf4 Qc8 ( 16...Qa5 {looks more promising but } 17.Qc2 b4 18. a3 bxc3 19.b4 Qb5 20.Be2 {traps the queen. } ) 17.b4 Be7 18.a4 {White's attack rolls easily while Black is struggling to get any counterplay.} 18...Rde8 19.axb5 axb5 20.Ra5 Bd8 {Here I thought for 2 or 3 minutes about sacrificing the rook 21.Rxb5 cxb5 22.Nxb5 threatening a family fork on d6, but it seemed unclear to me. (Analysing later this still wins, but 22.Nxd5 is even better in this line.) Then I remembered reading somewhere that if a tactic doesn't work try reversing the order of moves, so after a bit of thought I played...} 21.Nxb5 $1 cxb5 ( 21...Bxa5 22.Nd6+ Kb8 23.Nxc8+ Kxc8 24.bxa5 {wins easily. } ) 22.Rxb5+ Kc6 ( 22...Bb6 23.cxb6 Qc4 {might look as though it allows black to struggle on for a bit, but} 24.Qa1 $1 Nxb6 ( 24...Ra8 25.Ra5 Rxa5 26.bxa5 Rc8 27.Rc1 Qa6 28.Bc7 {is also hopeless. } ) 25.Ra5 Ra8 26.Rc1 {either wins the queen or checkmates.} ) 23.Qa4 { It's mate in a few moves. 23...Nxc5 24.Rxc5+ Kb7 25.Rxc8 Kxc8 26.Qc6+ Bc7 27.Qxc7 mate.} 1-0 {Annotations by Paul Brooks.}