[Event "Margate v Sandwich (Millar Cup)"]
[Site "Union Church Hall"]
[Date "2024.02.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Michael Micklethwaite"]
[Black "Richard Davies"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1675"]
[BlackElo "1857"]
[EventDate "2024.02.15"]
[ECO "B20"]
[PlyCount "92"]
{We feature four fine wins, all from our Millar Cup match away at Margate. Third, on Board 2 Richard Davies reminds us why we're so happy he's going to be spending more time with us from now on!} 1.e4 c5 2.b4 $5 {Whoopee! This is the Sicilian Wing Gambit.} 2...b6 ( {Richard immediately ducks the main line, and who can blame him when it goes like this...?} 2...cxb4 $1 3.a3 e5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.Qe2 Bc5 7.axb4 Nxb4 $1 8.Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 9.Qc4+ d5 10.Qxc5 a5 11.Nxe5+ Ke6 12.O-O {and now Black might take either the knight on e5 or pawn on e4! After} 12...Nxe4 13.Qd4 Nxc2 14.Qb2 Nxa1 15.Qxa1 d4 {the engine reads 0.0, but my head is spinning. Black has rook and pawn for knight, and the position is all over the place.} ) 3.Bc4 $5 {This must be a pet system of Michael's, since on move 3 he has defeated the HIARCS H-Reference database. It has never seen this position before!} 3...e6 4.bxc5 Bxc5 5.d4 Bb4+ 6.c3 Be7 ( {A tasty alternative for Black is} 6...Qc7 $5 {counterattacking White's loose bishop, which White can choose to sac, e.g.} 7.Bxe6 $1 fxe6 8.cxb4 Nf6 9.f3 {(bearing in mind that White can't play Nc3 here)} 9...Nc6 10.Nc3 $1 {and I'm reeling from the way this wild attacking game can develop after this:} 10...Nxb4 11.Nge2 Ba6 12.O-O Qc4 13.Ba3 Rc8 14.Qc1 Kf7 $1 15.Rd1 Rhd8 16.Qb1 Nc6 $14 {White can argue that his centre is better and his king safer.} ) 7.Ne2 Bb7 8.Ng3 Nf6 9.Qe2 O-O 10.O-O {Certainly, the position is much calmer than it might have been after 6...Qc7!?.} 10...d5 $1 $15 11.Bd3 dxe4 $1 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Bxe4 Bxe4 14.Qxe4 {White's undeveloped queenside is the issue.} 14...Nd7 15.Nd2 Rc8 $1 16.Bb2 Nf6 ( {Perhaps Black should launch his queenside pawns at White right away, before he can arrange himself better:} 16...b5 $5 17.Qe2 a6 18.a4 $1 b4 19.c4 $1 a5 20.c5 e5 $5 {The engine havers over this decision. It's certainly the move if Black can get this continuation:} 21.Rfe1 Bf6 22.Ne4 exd4 23.Qb5 d3 $1 24.Rad1 Bxb2 25.Rxd3 $17 ) 17.Qf3 b5 $5 {Black starts his advance on the queenside.} 18.Qb7 $2 {A leap of faith...in which White should not trust!} 18...Qc7 ( {The white queen is in a pickle after} 18...Nd5 $1 {e.g.} 19.Qxb5 $2 ( 19.Qxa7 $2 Ra8 20.Qb7 Rb8 21.Qa6 Qc7 22.a4 Rb6 23.Qa5 Qb7 24.axb5 Rxb5 25.Qa7 Qxa7 26.Rxa7 Rxb2 $19 ) ( {More realistic is} 19.Qa6 {but} 19...Nxc3 $1 20.Bxc3 Rxc3 21.Qxa7 ( 21.Qxb5 Qxd4 $17 ) 21...Rc7 22.Qa5 Rc2 23.Qxd8 Rxd8 24.Nb3 Ra8 25.Rfc1 Rb2 26.Kf1 Bf6 $17 ) 19...Rb8 20.Qd3 Rxb2 ) 19.Qxc7 Rxc7 20.a4 b4 21.c4 {We see the pawn structure which White could have forced earlier.} 21...Rfc8 22.Rfe1 Bd6 23.g3 Be7 24.a5 $1 {While the black bishop fiddles, the white pawn decides to make some progress.} 24...Kf8 $6 {This adds protection to the bishop, but isn't it too early for the king to appraoch the centre like this? The conventional wisdom is that the king should stay safe in the corner until the middlegame is played out.} 25.Ra4 Rc6 26.Re5 $6 a6 $6 ( 26...Nd5 $1 {This is how to frustrate a rook lift.} 27.c5 $1 ( 27.cxd5 $6 Rc2 ) ) 27.c5 {If this is White's best now (and the engine says it is), then it calls into question the idea of the rook lift.} 27...Nd5 ( 27...Nd7 {may be more effective, being a forcing move, e.g.} 28.Re1 e5 $1 29.Rxb4 exd4 30.Bxd4 Bxc5 31.Rc4 Bxd4 32.Rxd4 Rc1 33.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 34.Kg2 Ke7 $10 ) 28.Nc4 $1 $14 Bf6 $1 29.Re4 $6 ( 29.Re1 {is cleaner and safer.} ) ( 29.Rh5 $1 {may in fact be best, in view of Black's earlier dubious move Kf8?!, e.g.} 29...g6 ( 29...h6 $2 {Richard suggested at Age Concern the following week that he would have defended like this, but pushing the h-pawn allows} 30.Nb6 $1 R8c7 ( 30...Nxb6 $6 31.axb6 {gives White a winning protected passed pawn.} ) 31.Nxd5 exd5 32.Rxb4 Bg5 33.g4 $16 ) ( 29...Kg8 30.Nb6 Rd8 {transposes to the trick.} 31.Nxd5 ) 30.Rxh7 Rd8 31.Nb6 Kg8 {Back he goes!} 32.Rh3 $1 Nc3 33.Rxb4 Rxd4 34.Rxd4 Bxd4 35.Na4 Ne2+ 36.Kf1 Bxb2 37.Nxb2 Rxc5 38.Nd3 Rc2 39.Nb4 Rc4 40.Nxa6 Nd4 41.Rh4 e5 42.Re4 f6 43.f4 exf4 44.Rxf4 f5 45.h4 Kf7 46.Nb8 Ra4 47.a6 Ke6 48.Kg2 Ra2+ 49.Kh3 Ke5 50.a7 Kd5 $10 ( 50...Rxa7 $4 51.Rxd4 $1 Kxd4 $4 52.Nc6+ Kd5 53.Nxa7 $18 ) ) 29...Rd8 30.Ne5 $6 Bxe5 $1 31.Rxe5 $15 {Richard's judgment that his knight will prove better than Michael's bishop in the ensuing play is a good one.} 31...Rb8 32.Re1 Rb5 33.f4 f5 34.Raa1 {Michael offers a draw. Unsurprisingly, Richard chooses to play on.} 34...Kf7 35.Kf2 Ne7 {The knight leaves its best square, as it must, headed for c6.} 36.Ra4 Rc8 $1 37.Ke3 Nc6 {This appears to force the passive defence Rea1, but perhaps White would do better to let the a5-pawn go...} 38.Rea1 ( 38.Rh1 $5 Nxa5 $6 {The trouble is the knight is now pinned against Black's own a6-pawn.} 39.Rb1 $1 Ra8 40.Kd3 $1 Nc6 41.Kc4 Rb7 ( 41...Na5+ 42.Kd3 {is a repetition.} ) 42.Rd1 $1 a5 43.d5 $1 exd5+ 44.Rxd5 Re8 45.Rxf5+ Kg8 $1 46.Rd5 Re2 47.Kb3 Rxh2 48.Rd6 Rc7 49.Rxc6 $3 Rxc6 50.Rxa5 $15 {White argues that he has decent compensation for the exchange.} ) 38...Rd8 39.R4a2 Rd7 {I didn't understand this move at first sight. It's prophylactic, making sure that g7 is defended in the event of d4-d5 from White.} 40.Ra4 Kg6 $1 {Having secured g7, Black can walk the king forward on the kingside with confidence.} 41.h3 ( {Was there another way to meet this incursion?} 41.h4 Kh5 42.Kf2 Kg4 43.Re1 Rd5 $1 44.Rxe6 $6 Nxd4 45.Bxd4 Rxd4 46.Rxa6 Rxc5 47.Re6 Rd2+ $1 48.Re2 Rxe2+ 49.Kxe2 b3 50.a6 Rc2+ 51.Kd1 Ra2 52.Rb4 b2 53.Kc2 Rxa6 54.Rxb2 Kxg3 $19 {So that's a no, then.} ) 41...Kh5 42.R4a2 h6 43.Ra4 g5 44.fxg5 $6 ( 44.g4+ fxg4 45.hxg4+ Kxg4 46.fxg5 hxg5 {still seems to give Black his breakthrough.} ) 44...hxg5 45.R4a2 Kg6 46.Ra4 Rh7 {White resigns. If Rh1, then ...Rxa5 or stronger still is advancing in the centre with ...e6-e5.} 0-1
