ODT100615

=**Logan Park defend School Teams Championship**=




 * Problem:** Black to play and mate in 5.

The 2010 Otago Secondary School teams championship was held at Dunedin North Intermediate on 29 May. The event was very successful despite the awful weather with 13 teams from seven schools braving the floods to compete, including four teams from Central Otago. The Logan Park HS A team, fielding the same four players that won this event last year, again proved too good for the opposition. They finished on 23/24, dropping just two draws to OBHS A in the third round. OBHS, while not managing to regain the trophy, had a result that augured well for future years: OBHS A finished 2nd on 19½, OBHS B 3rd on 16½ and OBHS C 4th on 16 points. The four teams travelling from Wakatipu HS and Cromwell College performed creditably despite their inexperience in this competition and made it a truly representative event. Another newcomer, St Hilda's Collegiate also did well despite a largely inexperienced team, managing to win their final match with a great team effort. The unluckiest team was former two-time champion, Kings HS, who were just good enough this year to avoid the bye and meet the LPHS A team in the final round, thus finishing on a score that didn't reflect their true strength.

Today's game is from board 1 of the final sixth round match between Logan Park HS A and Kings HS. Patrick Dawson (LPHS A) is playing White against Sven Rissler (Kings). media type="custom" key="26239918" An unusual move in the Slav Defence, but by no means bad. White's reply overlooks a hidden sting. Missing the idea 7...Qa5! 8 Qc2 Ne4 winning the c3 pawn. White now exchanges his doubled pawn and is left with the advantages of the two bishops and a predominance of central pawns. While this is not bad, 12...e5 would make more sense of Black's rook move and eventually allow the bishop to develop along the c8-h3 diagonal. This capture gives White a bind on the position. Black could have freed himself with the immediate 13...Ne4 when 14 Bf4 can be met by 14 ... e5! and after 14 Bxe4 dxe4 Black has pressure against the white c-pawn. Of course 15...e5? meets with 16 Bxf7+ winning, but this is a bad square for the queen, despite the attraction of the long white diagonal – 15...Qd8 was preferable. Blocking the veiled threat on g2 and breaking open the centre for the bishops. Black reacts badly and miscalculates, losing two pieces. But even after the better 17 ... exd5 18 Bxd5 Qc8 19 Bxf7+ White wins material. After the forced sequence of the last few moves, Black is dead lost on the board. But by now clocks with five minutes each to end the game had been introduced, so there was still a chance of a swindle in time pressure. Foiling the last hope of 28 Rxc5?? Rd1 mate. There wasn't time left on the clock to record the remaining moves, but White was not further troubled in converting his big advantage to a win.
 * 1.d4 d5**
 * 2.c4 c6**
 * 3.Nc3 Nf6**
 * 4.Bg5 e6**
 * 5.e3 Bb4!?**
 * 6.a3?! Bxc3+**
 * 7.bxc3 O-O?!**
 * 8.cxd5 cxd5**
 * 9.Bd3 Nbd7**
 * 10.Ne2 Qc7**
 * 11.Qb3 Re8**
 * 12.O-O b6**
 * 13.c4 dxc4?!**
 * 14.Bxc4 Ne4**
 * 15.Bf4 Qc6?!**
 * 16.Rfd1 Bb7**
 * 17.d5! ---**
 * 17.--- Ndc5?**
 * 18.dxc6 Nxb3**
 * 19.cxb7 Nxa1**
 * 20.bxa8=Q Rxa8**
 * 21.Rxa1 Rc8**
 * 22.Bd3 Nc5**
 * 23.Rc1 Rd8**
 * 24.Bb5 f6**
 * 25.Bc7 Rc8**
 * 26.Bd6 Rd8**
 * 27.Bxc5 bxc5**
 * 28.f4 ---**
 * 29.--- f5**
 * 29.Kf2 Kf7**
 * 30.Rxc5 Ke7**
 * 31.Nd4 and White won.**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 ... Rxf2+! 2 Bxf2 (2 Kg1/h1 Qg3/h3+ and 3...Qg2#) e3+ 3 Rc6 Qxf2+ 4 Kh1 Bxc6+ 5 Qd5 Bxd5#.