ODT140805

=**North Island Championship to McLaren**=




 * Problem:** Black to play and mate in 2.

The 2014 North Island Championship was held in Auckland during the school holidays last month. The entry numbers were affected by the lack of many of New Zealand's top players, who were travelling to the Olympiad currently taking place in Norway. Top seed and clear favourite was former two-time champion Leonard McLaren of Auckland, though the upper half of the field of 20 was stacked with fast-improving juniors. McLaren's experience proved just enough to hold off their challenge over the nine rounds. After establishing a 1½ point lead, he was able to coast home with three draws, finishing unbeaten on 7/9. Second place on 6½ went to Alphaeus Ang (Auckland), who had recently earned the bronze medal and Candidate Master title in the under-12 section of the ASEAN Age Group Championships in Macau. Third was 10-year-old Alex Huang (Auckland) on 6 points. Today's game is from the second round. McLaren, playing Black, takes advantage of the weaknesses created by Leighton Nicholls of Dunedin. media type="custom" key="26403532" **1.e4 c5** **2.c3 d5** **3.exd5 Qxd5** **4.d4 Nf6** **5.Nf3 Bg4** **6.Be2 e6** **7.O-O Nc6** **8.Be3 cxd4** **9.cxd4 Bb4!?** White has chosen a safe variation of the c3 Sicilian – one which poses Black few opening problems. The most common move here is 9... Be7, but the text intends to develop the bishop more actively and ease congestion after the queen retreats to d6. **10.Nc3 Qd6** Not 10... Bxc3?! 11. bxc3 strengthening White's isolated d-pawn. McLaren has vast experience playing these types of position, and brings his pieces to bear down on the weak pawn. **11.a3 Ba5** **12.b4** Chasing the bishop to where is wants to go, after which White will find it hard to defend d4. An alternative was 12. Nb5 chasing the queen from its good square and defending d4 long enough for 12... Qd8 13.Ne5!? Bxe2 14. Qxe2 a6 15.Nxc6 bxc6 16.Nc3 when the weak pawns on both sides make for a level position. **12... Bb6** **13.Qd2 O-O** **14.Rfd1 Rfd8** **15.h3 Bh5** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**16.g4!?** Creating long term weaknesses in his kingside in an attempt to rid himself of the problem pawn on d4. Patient development by 16.Rac1 was an alternative, or the attempt to alter the nature of the position by exchanging his d-pawn: 16.Bg5!? Bxf3 (16... Qe7 17.d5 also exchanges the pawn) 17.Bxf3 Nxd4 18.Bxb7 Rab8 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Ne4! Nf3+ 21.gxf3 Qxd2 22.Rxd2 Rxd2 23.Nxd2 Rxb7 24.Rc1 with a defensible ending. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**16...Bg6** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**17.Rac1 Rac8** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**18.Na4! Nd5!** Parting with the bishop and keeping d4 as a target rather than allow 18... Ne4 19.Qe1 Bc7 20.Nc5 Nxc5 (20... Rb8 21.Bc4 and White is getting very active) 21.dxc5 resolving White's pawn structure. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**19.Nxb6 Nxb6** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**20.Bd3?!** Exchanging the bishop for its inferior counterpart. Instead pushing forward by 20.Bf4 Qe7 21.b5 Nb8 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Rc1 Rxc1+ 24.Qxc1 N8d7 25.Ne5 Be4 26.Qc7 activates the White pieces and the exchange of rooks makes d4 easier to defend. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**20... Nd5** The immediate 20... Bxd3! would have eliminated White's chance to rethink by retreating to f1 to cover his kingside. But White perseveres and suffers the consequences. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**21.Bxg6 hxg6** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**22.b5?** The last chance was to hold up Black's attack by 22.Ng5! Nf6 (else 23.Ne4 and 24.Nc5) 23.Rc2 preparing to double rooks on the c-file. After 23... Nce7 24.Rdc1 Rxc2 25.Qxc2 Ned5 26.Bd2 White has much better chances than in the game. Apart from the lost time, this move helps Black by leaving the queenside pawns vulnerable in any ending if all the rooks are exchanged. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**22... Nce7** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**23.a4 f6!** The beginning of a nice maneouvre of the e7 knight to h4, against which White is defenceless. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**24.Kg2 Kf7!** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**25.Ne1 g5** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**26.Nd3 Ng6** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**27.Rh1** Necessary to defend h3 – e.g. 27.Kg1? Rxc1 28.Qxc1 Rh8 29.Qc5 (29.Kg2 Nh4+ 30.Kg1 Nf3+ 31.Kg2 Nxe3 32.fxe3 Qh2+ 33.Kxf3? Rxh3+ 34. Ke4 Qg2#) 29... Qb8! 30.Kg2 Rc8 31.Qa3 Nxe3 32.fxe3 Rc2+ mating. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**27... Nh4+** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**28.Kf1 Nxe3+!** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**29.fxe3** No better is 29.Qxe3 Rxc1+ 30.Qxc1 Qxd4 31.Ne1 Qe4 32.Rh2 Qxa4 33. Qc7+ Ke8 with a hopeless position for White. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**29... Qd5** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**30.Nf2** Or 31. Rg1 Nf3 winning the exchange. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**30... Qg2+** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**31.Ke2 Qf3+** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**32.Kd3** Setting up a mate in mid-board that is today's diagram. But after 32.Kf1 Ng2 White must lose material as 33. e4 fails to 33... Rxd4! winning. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**32... Rxd4+!** White resigns as 33.Kxd4 Qd5 is mate.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**0-1**


 * Solution:** 1... Rxd4+! 2. Kxd4 Qd5#.