ODT111115

=**Otago Club Championship decided**=




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

The 2011 Otago Chess Club championship is drawing to a close, but despite a few games remaining to be played, the main trophy winners are known. The Junior championship went to Otago Boys' High School pupil Tom Mottershead, whose combined score of 9½ with a game in hand eclipsed the total of 9 for his main rival Leighton Nicholls. The Intermediate championship went to a former member recently returned, Robert Mackway-Jones. His 4 points in the B grade was followed by promotion to the A grade and a solid 2/5 to finish with a combined score of 8½ ahead of Brent Southgate on 7. The Senior championship went to the writer, who started with a run of six wins to build a 2 point lead. However a return to earth meant the last game was required to earn the title. The final winning score was 8/10, ahead of Robert Wansink and John Sutherland, who are both on 6 points with a game against each other outstanding.

Today's game is the result that clinched the championship, the writer playing Black against defending champion Sutherland. media type="custom" key="25650720" Needing only a draw, Black plays the solid Bogo-Indian, aiming for quick development and no weaknesses. Black's main plan in the Bogo is to exchange off this bishop before arranging the centre pawns on dark squares to free the remaining bishop. Black is less concerned about the exchange of centre pawns than White's queenside expansion after 12...e5 13 b4. A new idea – now 14...Nc6 (or 14...Nd7) would have been met with 15 e5! dxe5 16 Qe2 and for his pawn White gets to play against the weak black centre pawns for a long time. Black chooses to avoid this and play for the superior bishop. The straightforward 15...Be6 was safer, as after 16 cxd6 cxd6 White is a long way from exploiting the backward d-pawn, and it meanwhile performs the useful function of defending e5. Falling in with Black's last move in the hope of exploiting the weakness on e5 – 16 Qd5+ Kh8 (16...Be6? 17 Qxb7 is bad because of the threat 18 cxd6) 17 cxd6 forcing 17... cxd6 because of the threat to e5 leaves the rook less active on a6. It looks like White has a bind on the position, but Black's piece activity more than holds the balance. What follows is a faulty but instructive combination followed by some inaccurate play by both sides in a position that has suddenly sprung to life. The correct defence was not the passive 19..Re8, but the active 19...Qf6! defending c6 so as to eject the white rook and free the black bishop after say 20 a3 b6 21 Rd5 Bg4 with the better game. The point is that 20 Nxe5? loses material to 20...Nd4! 21 Qc4 Be6 22 Qa4 b6. The resource Black overlooked when playing his sacrifice, failing to visualise that the knight and rook had moved so that 21... Qxc7?? 22 Qe8 is mate. Of course 21 Qd3 Rf6! wins two pieces for the rook. The right idea but wrong move order. Correct was 22...Qf8! forcing the sequence 23 Rxc8! Nh4+! 24 gxh4 Qxc8 when the queen is surprisingly well placed on c8, defending the back rank and menacing the white king via g4, h3 and the c-file. The attack against the weakened White kingside holds the balance: 25 h3! Rg6+ 26 Kh2 Rf6! 27 Qxe5 (27 f3 Qc2+ 28 Kh1 h6 29 Qxe5 Qe2 30 Rg1 Qxf3+ 31 Kh2 Rf7 is also level) Rf3 28 Kg1 h6 29 h5! Qxh3 30 Qe8+ Kh7 31 Qg6+ Kh8 32 Rd1 Qh4 33 Rd2 Rf4 forcing White to take a perpetual check with 34 Qe8+. Both sides were under the illusion that 23 gxh4! Qf8 would transpose to the line above after 24 Rxc8? but 24 Rc3! simply defends the g-file from the third rank leaving White up an exchange. Better was 23...Qf8! 24 Rxc8 (24 gxh4? Qf3+ mates) Qxc8 25 gxh4 h6 and Black is at least equal since 26 Qxe5? Qh3 wins. Again both players mistakenly believed White's next was best. Exchanging to a drawn rook ending, but 24 gxh4! Qf8 25 Qb3 defending f3 allows White to play for the win. Creating a passed e-pawn, but the active black rook assures the draw. Slightly more accurate is 28...g6! controlling f5, but activating the king is safe enough.
 * 1.d4 Nf6**
 * 2.c4 e6**
 * 3.Nf3 Bb4+**
 * 4.Bd2 Qe7**
 * 5.g3 Nc6**
 * 6.Nc3 O-O**
 * 7.Bg2 Bxc3**
 * 8.Bxc3 Ne4**
 * 9.Rc1 Nxc3**
 * 10.Rxc3 d6**
 * 11.d5 Nb8**
 * 12.O-O a5!?**
 * 13.dxe6 fxe6**
 * 14.e4! ---**
 * 15.--- e5!**
 * 15.c5 Ra6!?**
 * 16.cxd6!? ---**
 * 16.--- Rxd6**
 * 17.Qb3+ Kh8**
 * 18.Qb5 Nc6**
 * 19.Rc5 ---**
 * 19.--- Rxf3!?**
 * 20.Bxf3 Nd4**
 * 21.Rxc7! ---**
 * 21.--- Nxf3+**
 * 22.Kg2 Nh4+?**
 * 23.Kh1? ---**
 * 23.--- Bd7?**
 * 24.Rxd7? ---**
 * 24.--- Qxd7**
 * 25.Qxd7 Rxd7**
 * 26.gxh4 Rd2!**
 * 27.f4 ---**
 * 27.--- exf4**
 * 28.Rxf4 Kg8**
 * 29.Rf5 Rxb2**
 * 30.Rxa5 Kf7**
 * 31.Rd5 Draw agreed**


 * 1/2-1/2**


 * Solution:** 1 Rxc6!! Qxc6 2 Rc7+ Kb8 3 Rc8#.