ODT080826

=** Otago Club Championship at halfway point **=


 * Problem:** White to play and win.

The Otago Chess Club championship has reached the halfway point with the first of two legs recently completed. In the A-grade the writer leads on 5/5 with defending champion John Sutherland next on 4 points. These two are two points clear of the rest of the field. John Armstrong earned promotion to the A-grade for the second leg with 4 wins from 4 games to lead the B-grade. With a number of games not completed his nearest rival was Patrick Dawson who scored 3/3.

Today's game is an interesting struggle from the B-grade between club newcomer Dale Hopkins playing White and Armstrong. Both players give and receive chances but the experience of Armstrong wins out in the end. media type="custom" key="26520654" A waste of time in the Three Knight's game. Black should play 4 ... Nf6 getting on with development. White also wastes time kicking the bishop, but Black should have exchanged on c3 to take advantage. In open games (1 e4 e5) quick development is of the essence and unnecessary pawn moves should be avoided. Taking two move to play d4 is possible because of Black's earlier 4 ... h6. White's recapturing with the bishop before the knight was not warranted here and after 10 ... 0-0 Black would have been level. Now White's queen stands unopposed in the centre and he is poised to castle queenside with a strong kingside attack. Consistently playing to attack the king rather than allow piece exchanges. Black has missed the instant win for White that is the subject of today's diagram. Instead 17 ... f5 or 17 ... g6 to defend the mate was better, though White has succeeded in further weakening the Black kingside. Not only missing an instant win of a piece with 18 Nd5! Nxe4 (else mate or loss of the queen) 19 Nxe7+ and 20 Bxe4, but the move chosen is a very instructive error: Grabbing an unimportant queenside pawn leading to a loss of time for his attack and opening a line for Black directly to the White king. The counterattack develops very rapidly. Overlooking Black's threats completely. White's attack is now too slow since the thematic 23 h5 loses to Rxb2!! 24 Kxb2 Rb8+ 25 Kc1 Qxa3+ 26 Kd1 Qa1+ 27 Ke2 Qxh1 28 hxg6 Re8! and the White king perishes. But 23 Qe3 exchanging queens would still have kept a slight advantage thanks to the extra pawn. Black needs no second chance... Tougher resistance would have been 24 Re2 making a luft for the king. Having seen an easy win by promoting his a-pawn, Black looks no further, but here 27... Qc3+ is mate in two. Club matches tend to finish late at night, which explains Black's slow but sure finish and White's playing on for several moves.
 * 1. e4 e5**
 * 2. Nf3 Nc6**
 * 3. Nc3 Bb4**
 * 4. Bc4 h6?!**
 * 5. d3 Nf6**
 * 6. a3?! Bc5?!**
 * 7. Be3 Bb6**
 * 8. d4!? ---**
 * 8. --- exd4**
 * 9. Bxd4?! Nxd4**
 * 10. Nxd4 Bxd4?**
 * 11. Qxd4 O-O**
 * 12. e5! Nh7**
 * 13. h4 d6**
 * 14. O-O-O Be6**
 * 15. Bd3! ---**
 * 15. --- dxe5**
 * 16. Qxe5 Qe7?!**
 * 17. Qe4! Nf6?**
 * 18. Qxb7? ---**
 * 18. --- Qc5**
 * 19. Rd2 Rab8**
 * 20. Qf3 a5**
 * 21. Ne4 Nxe4**
 * 22. Qxe4 g6**
 * 23. Rhd1? ---**
 * 23. --- Rxb2!!**
 * 24. Kxb2? ---**
 * 24. --- Rb8+**
 * 25. Qb4 axb4**
 * 26. Rb1 bxa3+**
 * 27. Ka1 Rxb1+**
 * 28. Kxb1 Qb4+**
 * 29. Kc1 Qb2+**
 * 30. Kd1 a2**
 * 31. c4 a1=Q+**
 * 32. Ke2 Qxd2+**
 * 33. Kxd2 Qb2+**
 * 34. Ke3 Qc3**
 * 35. f3 Bxc4**


 * 0-1**


 * Solution:** 1 Nd5! Nxe4 (otherwise mate or the queen is lost) 2 Nxe7+ Kh8 3 Bxe4 win a piece.