2013 Championship

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

My Senior Open Moment

Here is my last round game against Johnny in the E-town Senior Open. I forgot to reset to the starting position so please click on the extreme left double arrow to begin. This is a very instructive game and I tried to put in detailed commentary after the moves, but when I did the game wouldn't post correctly. So I will add some brief comments here and below the game. The opening is The London System which allows the White side to develope without having to memorize extensive tabia. It can be met in various ways, I decided to deviate from my usual defense and exchange the white bishops early. I had only tried this once previously and lost because I left my knight enprise.
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I can only try to explain my "senior moment" this way. After 36.h3 if you removed the d&e pawns, all things being equal, we have an end game win for black after 37.hxg4 f4 which has been "hard wired" into my brain for 45 years. Hopefully this game is as instructive to the reader as it was for the players.

3 comments:

Ernie said...

22.d5 looks wrong and probably equalizes after 22...exd5 23.exd5 Rd8. 23...e5 gives white a protected passer (long-term advantage). I have to agree with the computer on that one.

Yeah, 32...f5 allows the exchange of bishops which is very bad when white has a protected passer. 32...Bc1 fights on and if 33.Bb4+ Kd7 34.Bf8 Ba5 35.Bg7 Bd8. Or perhaps the direct 32...Ba5 is better.

I like the counter-play at the end!

Ernie said...

I must be tired... 32...Ba5 would be great, except it isn't legal! So 32...Bb7 33.Bb4+ Kd7 34.Bf8 f5 looks interesting. White may play 33.g4 first. But that's all guess work.

Jerry said...

My comments after moves 36 & 37 are incorrect. With best play the game is a draw. - A tip of the hat to Earnie Weaver for pointing this out.