MCC Holiday Swiss – Round 3

Eddins,S (1574) – Thompson,E (1709) [B23]
MCC Holiday Swiss Natick, MA (3), 19.12.2006

This game was only my second victory ever against a 1700-rated player in USCF tournament play. It leaves me 3-0 in this month’s club tournament in the U1850 section with one round still to play. I’m very happy with the win, of course, but my play was pretty ragged in spots. I inadvertently tried to give away a pawn on move 5, but Black didn’t bite. Even so, I spent a big chunk of the early part of the game defending threats against an amazing number of weak squares: pawns on c2, c4, f4, and g2; fork threat on f2, plus possible pins and discovered attacks on the b-file and two different diagonals. I think the only thing that saved me was that I was using all of my pieces to defend, whereas Black left his king bishop and rook out of play for a long time.

Later on I missed a basic tactical shot that would have put the game away completely.

All the heavy artillery was exchanged away while both players were short on time, transitioning into an endgame in which I suddenly found myself with a big advantage: an outside passer that could only be stopped by sacrificing a bishop.

That left King + Bishop + 3 pawns versus K + 5 pawns. I think Black may have been able to draw by basically doing nothing. If I attempted to go get Black’s b pawn to win the game, Black’s kingside pawns would have broken through. But Black kept advancing his king and pawns, eventually landing in zugszwang.

The final position of interest was Black’s attempt to set a stalemate trap.

My homework for this game: Figure out what to do differently next time in this opening line.

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.f4 Nc6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bb5 Nd4 6.0-0?

After 6.0-0?

At this point I believed, mistakenly, that we were still in a line I was familiar with, in which could I respond to 6… Nxb5 with 7.Nxb5. But Black’s f6 knight changes things, since it can just take the e4 pawn. My opponent, however, didn’t see this either.

a6 7.Be2 b5 8.d3 Qb6 9.Kh1 Bb7 10.a4 b4 11.Nxd4 bxc3 12.Nb3 c4 13.dxc4 Nxe4 14.Bf3 cxb2 15.Bxb2 Rb8 16.Bd4 Qc7 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.c5 Qb7 19.Qe2 Be7 20.Rac1 0-0 21.Nd2 Bf5 22.Rb1 Qc6

After 22… Qc6

This is like a level 20 CT-ART problem: White to move and win. Do you see it? I didn’t.

23.Qc4 Rfc8 24.Rxb8 Rxb8 25.Qc3 f6 26.a5 Rb5 27.Rb1 Kf7 28.Rxb5 axb5 29.Nb3 d6 30.cxd6 Qxc3 31.Bxc3 Bxd6 32.Nd4 Bxf4 33.Nxf5 exf5 34.Bd4

After 34.Bd4

With this move, White controls the key diagonal. Black will now have to give up his bishop to stop the advancing a-pawn.

Bb8 35.a6 Ke6 36.a7 Bxa7 37.Bxa7 g6 38.Bc5 f4 39.Kg1 g5 40.Kf2 g4 41.Bd4 f5 42.c3 Kd5 43.Ke2

After 34.Ke2

Can Black hold this position by shuttling his king around? I thought maybe he could. I thought if I moved my king over to the queenside, then Black would have a good chance of breaking through on the kingside.

Ke4 44.Bf6 h5 45.Bg7 f3+ 46.gxf3+ gxf3+ 47.Kf2 Kf4 48.Bf8 h4 49.Bd6+ Kg4 50.Be5

After 50.Be5

Zugszwang. Black’s remaining pawns are doomed.

Kh3 51.Kxf3 f4

After 51… f4

Watch out for the stalemate trap: 52.Bxf4 b4 53.cxb4.

52.Bf6 Kxh2 53.Bxh4 Kh3 54.Kxf4 Kxh4 55.Ke4 Kg5 56.Kd5 Kf6 57.Kc5 b4 58.cxb4 Ke7 59.Kb6 1-0

[Event "MCC Holiday Swiss"]
[Site "Natick, MA"]
[Date "2006.12.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Eddins, Steven"]
[Black "Thompson, Ethan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "1574"]
[BlackElo "1709"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bb5 Nd4 6. O-O a6 7. Be2 b5 8. d3
Qb6 9. Kh1 Bb7 10. a4 b4 11. Nxd4 bxc3 12. Nb3 c4 13. dxc4 Nxe4 14. Bf3 cxb2
15. Bxb2 Rb8 16. Bd4 Qc7 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. c5 Qb7 19. Qe2 Be7 20. Rac1 O-O 21.
Nd2 Bf5 22. Rb1 Qc6 23. Qc4 Rfc8 24. Rxb8 Rxb8 25. Qc3 f6 26. a5 Rb5 27. Rb1
Kf7 28. Rxb5 axb5 29. Nb3 d6 30. cxd6 Qxc3 31. Bxc3 Bxd6 32. Nd4 Bxf4 33. Nxf5
exf5 34. Bd4 Bb8 35. a6 Ke6 36. a7 Bxa7 37. Bxa7 g6 38. Bc5 f4 39. Kg1 g5 40.
Kf2 g4 41. Bd4 f5 42. c3 Kd5 43. Ke2 Ke4 44. Bf6 h5 45. Bg7 f3+ 46. gxf3+ gxf3+
47. Kf2 Kf4 48. Bf8 h4 49. Bd6+ Kg4 50. Be5 Kh3 51. Kxf3 f4 52. Bf6 Kxh2 53.
Bxh4 Kh3 54. Kxf4 Kxh4 55. Ke4 Kg5 56. Kd5 Kf6 57. Kc5 b4 58. cxb4 Ke7 59. Kb6
1-0