ODT070731

=**Going for Gold**=


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

After three rounds of the 2007 Otago Chess Club championship, the A grade has a surprise co-leader in Hamish Gold. With three straight wins the bottom ranked Gold shares the lead with second seed John Sutherland. The B grade lead is also shared, between Chris Lydiate and Anthony Ritchie on 2½/3.

Today's game is Gold's third win over third seed Duncan Watts. It features the type of forthright attacking play with white pieces that has won many points for Hamish over the years. media type="custom" key="26821664" So far we have had a Taimanov Sicilian leading to a fairly typical 'hedgehog' position. The usual strategy for White here would be restrain Black's freeing pawn moves ...b5 and ...d5 with a move like 11 Rc1 or 11 Bf3 and slowly trying to turn his space advantage into an attack. Gold opts for the more direct attacking route, exposing his own king. Unnecessarily defensive. Black should be activating his queenside by either 13...Rb8 & 14..b6, or exchanging knights on d4 followed by Bd7-c6. Though stopping the perennial threat of f4-f5-f6, this move creates new weaknesses on the a2-g8 diagonal. Not 19...Bxc4? 20 b3 and the bishop cannot move without losing Black's queen to a pin on d5. Now c4 is threatened but Black's last chance for counterplay lay in 19...Nc7! bolstering d5 & e6 and activating his pieces after 20 Bxb7 Rab8 21 Bg2 Bxc4 22 b3 Be6. Gold's feel for this type of position shows in that he ignores several opportunities to take the b7 pawn, encroaching on the kingside instead. But here he misses a chance to end the game with 25 Bh5! Qg8! (25 ... Qxc4 26 Bg6 Qg8 27 Rh3 forces mate) 26 Bg6 and Black can only temporarily prevent the mating plan of 27 Rh3, 28 Bxh7 Q moves 29 Bg6+ etc by giving up his knight with 26 ... Ne6. Instead 25 ... Kg8! allowing 26 Rh3 to be met by g6 was better. The only way to prolong the game was the pawn sac 26...d5! 27 cxd5 Bc5+ 28 Kf1 Nf8 freeing the queen from defending h7. With the black royalty bottled up in the corner, White calmly brings up his reserves. Black is helpless.
 * 1. e4 c5**
 * 2. Nf3 e6**
 * 3. d4 cxd4**
 * 4. Nxd4 Nc6**
 * 5. c4 Qc7**
 * 6. Nc3 a6**
 * 7. Be2 Nf6**
 * 8. O-O Be7**
 * 9. Be3 d6**
 * 10. f4 O-O**
 * 11. g4!? Rd8**
 * 12. g5 Ne8**
 * 13. Qe1 Bf8?!**
 * 14. Rf3 Nxd4**
 * 15. Bxd4 f5**
 * 16. Qf2 Qf7**
 * 17. exf5 exf5**
 * 18. Re3 Be6**
 * 19. Bf3! Kh8?!**
 * 20. Nd5 Bxd5**
 * 21. Bxd5 Qh5**
 * 22. Bf3! Qf7**
 * 23. Qh4! Nc7**
 * 24. Be2?! ---**
 * 25. --- Ne6?!**
 * 25. Rh3 Qg8**
 * 26. Bc3 Be7?**
 * 27. Bf3 Nc7**
 * 28. Re1 Re8**
 * 29. Bh5 h6**
 * 30. Bxe8 Rxe8**
 * 31. Qxh6+**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 Re8+ Bf8 2 Bh6! Qxd5 (or any) 3 Rxf8#.