ODT071218

=**Otago club season ends**=


 * Problem:** White to play and mate in four.

The Otago Chess Club has gone into recess over the Summer break and will open again on Wednesday 30 January 2008. The final club tournament of the year was the Summer 60-60 event, which was won by Quentin Johnson with a score of 4½/5 ahead of John Sutherland in second place on 4 and David Reid third on 3 points.

Todays's game is the decisive fourth round match between Johnson, playing White, and Sutherland. Typically of the relatively fast time limit of one hour each for the game, holding the initiative was enough to eventually break down Black's resistance. media type="custom" key="26732456" Opting for a Symmetrical English setup, as after 3 d5 Black could gain easy development with the Benko Gambit 3... b5!? – well worth a pawn at a faster time control. Losing two tempi, but the alternatives 10 ... e5 or 10 ...d6 lose a pawn to 11 Nxc6 etc. Leaving a hole on d5 which will require pieces to defend, in order to free his pieces and keep the a8-h1 diagonal closed. The play now centres on whether White can occupy d5 with a piece unchallenged. Interesting is the attempt to get rid of the weak d-pawn by 16 ... d6 17 Qxc5 dxc5 18 Na4 Nd4 19 Nec3 Ne6 defending c5. Unfortunately for Black the White knights invade: 20 Nb6 Rb8 21 Ncd5 Kh8 22 Ne7 winning the exchange. The d5 square is similarly occupied by a white knight after 19 ... exf4 20 Nxf4. Both sides miss the win of a piece by White: 23 fxe5 dxe5 24 c5! Qxc5 25 Qd5+ Qxd5 26 Bxd5+ Kh8 27 Nxf5. However White retains the advantage. Or 24...Bxd5? 25 Bxd5+ Kh8 26 fxe5 and the mate threat on f8 wins two pawns. Black has held the immediate threats, so with both sides starting to get short of time, White regroups to apply pressure down the e-file. Black finally cracks – 31 ... Qa5! hitting e1 would have continued to hold out. Now the White rook attains the seventh rank and the end is shortened by further time-trouble errors. Black overstepped the time-limit here, but 39 Bd5+ wins the queen since 39 ... Rf7 40 Re8 is mate.
 * 1. d4 Nf6**
 * 2. c4 c5**
 * 3. Nf3 ---**
 * 3. --- cxd4**
 * 4. Nxd4 e6**
 * 5. Nc3 Be7**
 * 6. g3 O-O**
 * 7. Bg2 Nc6**
 * 8. O-O a6**
 * 9. b3 Rb8?**
 * 10. Bf4! Ra8**
 * 11. e4 Qa5**
 * 12. Nde2 e5!?**
 * 13. Bg5 Ne8**
 * 14. Be3 Bc5**
 * 15. Bxc5 Qxc5**
 * 16. Qd5 Qe7**
 * 17. Rad1 d6**
 * 18. Qd2 Be6**
 * 19. f4! f5**
 * 20. exf5 Bxf5**
 * 21. Nd5 Qd8**
 * 22. Ne3 Qb6?**
 * 23. Kh1? ---**
 * 23. --- Be6**
 * 24. Nd5 Qd8**
 * 25. Rfe1 b5**
 * 26. Ng1 bxc4**
 * 27. bxc4 Rc8**
 * 28. Nf3 Bg4**
 * 29. Qd3 Kh8**
 * 30. Ng5 g6**
 * 31. Rb1 Ne7?**
 * 32. Rb7 Nc7**
 * 33. Nxc7 Rxc7**
 * 34. fxe5 Rxb7**
 * 35. Bxb7 Nc6?**
 * 36. Bxc6 Qxg5**
 * 37. exd6 Qc5?**
 * 38. Qc3+ Kg8**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 Qg7+! Rxg7 2 fxg7+ Kg8 3 gxf8=Q+ Qxf8 4 Rxf8#.