ODT061010

=**Sutton defends title**=


 * Problem:** White to play and mate in 3.

FM Richard Sutton had a more anxious tournament than usual this year in successfully defending his Otago Club Championship title. An early loss to the second seed meant that victory depended upon results beyond his control. However, while Sutton managed to win all his other games, your correspondent eventually succumbed to Luke Lambert in the penultimate round to hand back the lead. The leading final scores were Sutton 1st 7/8; Johnson 2nd 6½; Lambert & Geoff Aimers 3rd= 5.

The two representative teams from Dunedin at the national school teams chess finals in Hamilton last month, Kings High School and Dunedin North Intermediate, finished 9th and 8th in their respective grades. This represents the teams' relative lack of experience against such strong opposition, though DNI top board Patrick Dawson (13) achieved an outstanding personal score of 7/9. The prizewinners in each grade were Secondary: 1st= Auckland Grammar, Palmerston North Boys High School & St Paul's Collegiate (Hamilton). Intermediate: 1st Cobham Intermediate (Christchurch); 2nd Palmerston North Normal School; 3rd Raroa Intermediate (Wellington). Primary: Epsom Normal School (Auckland); 2nd Peterhead School (Hastings); 3rd Windsor Primary School (Christchurch).

Today's game features Richard Sutton playing White against Luke Lambert from the Otago club championship. The annotations were kindly provided by the winner. media type="custom" key="27039008" More active was 21 ... g6 or 21 ... Qg5.
 * 1.d4 Nf6**
 * 2.c4 e6**
 * 3.Nf3 Bb4+**
 * 4.Bd2 Qe7**
 * 5.Qc2 O-O**
 * 6.e4 d5**
 * 7.e5 Ne4**
 * 8.Bxb4 Qxb4+**
 * 9.Nc3 Nxc3**
 * 10.bxc3 Qe7**
 * 11.Bd3 h6**
 * 12.O-O ---**
 * A relatively tame opening for White. But the onus is now on Black to get his Queen's bishop into play and neutralise White's superior centre.**
 * 12. --- b6**
 * 13.Rfe1 Bb7**
 * 14.cxd5 Bxd5**
 * 15.Re3 Nd7**
 * 16.Rae1 c5**
 * 17.Be4 cxd4**
 * 18.Nxd4 ---**
 * Black has made good progress in his aims, but White's strong e-pawn remains. At the expense of a ragged Q-side pawn structure, White plans to threaten the Kingside, while at the same time getting his Knight to the weak d6 square.**
 * 18. --- Bxe4**
 * 19.Qxe4 Rfc8**
 * 20.Rg3 Nc5**
 * 21.Qg4 Qf8**
 * 22.f4 Kh8**
 * 23.f5 exf5**
 * 24.Nxf5 Ne6**
 * 25.Nd6 Rc7**
 * 26.h4 Rd8**
 * 27.Rd1 ---**
 * Preventing the exchange sacrifice ..Rxd6, when Black would have a pawn and a strong Knight in return for his rook.**
 * 27. --- Rdd7**
 * 28.Rf3 Nc5**
 * 29.Rdf1 ---**
 * White has achieved his ideal position, but has no specific threat. Black has defended logically with his rook formation. He continues with another logical move, to get rid of the powerful Knight at d6. But it fails tactically.**
 * 29. --- Nb7**
 * 30.Nxb7 Rxb7**
 * 31.e6 Qc5+**
 * 32.Kh1 fxe6**
 * 33.Rf8+ Kh7**
 * 34.Qe4+ g6**
 * 35.Qxe6 Rg7**
 * 36.Qe8 g5**
 * 37.Rh8#**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:**1 Qxh7+!! Kxh7 2 hxg6+ Kxg6 (2 ... Kg8 3 Rh8#) 3 Be4#.