[Event "Southend Easter Chess Congress U1600"]
[Site "Southend Adult Community College"]
[Date "2024.03.31"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Jon Hunt"]
[Black "Keven Lamb"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1490"]
[BlackElo "1351"]
[EventDate "2024.03.31"]
[ECO "A04"]
[PlyCount "128"]
{I did win a game in Round 1, but it seems my losses are more entertaining... Kev and I are acquaintances from the Southampton League some 15 years ago (or more), but we don't think we had ever faced each other over the board until this game. I can't wait for a rematch.} 1.Nf3 Nc6 2.g3 e5 3.d3 Bc5 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.Bg5 $6 ( {I've forgotten an important line in this opening:} 5.Nxe5 $1 Nxe5 6.d4 Bb6 7.dxe5 Ng4 8.O-O Nxe5 $10 ) 5...a5 $6 ( 5...e4 $1 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.dxe4 Qxb2 8.Nbd2 d6 $15 ) 6.a4 $6 d6 $6 7.O-O Nd4 $5 8.Be3 $6 ( 8.Nxd4 exd4 $10 ) 8...Ng4 $6 ( 8...Nxf3+ 9.exf3 Bxe3 10.fxe3 $15 ) 9.Bxd4 Bxd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 $14 {Somehow I have survived the early exchanges intact.} 11.h3 Ne5 12.f4 $5 {Two nights earlier I annotated this move from my Round 2 KIA game in this same tournament as follows: "This idea is going in the bin after another failed outing. It's too risky." Some people never learn...} 12...Ng6 13.Nd2 c6 14.Kh2 $6 {This silly move was the start of the trouble.} ( {I feared ...Qb6 and ideas of pins against the king. Feinting at ghosts again, Jon!} 14.Qe1 ) 14...h5 $5 {This move gets at least an "interesting", considering how the engine declares with confidence that it's a poor move but just can't settle on the right response! Kev means to rip open the h-file and mate me.} 15.Nf3 $6 {An unnecessary flinch} ( {HIARCS would, for instance, insouciantly carry on with 'Plan A':} 15.Nb3 h4 16.g4 $14 ) 15...h4 16.Nxd4 $4 {You might well ask what the point of playing the knight to f3 instead of b3 was, if I was going to take on d4 anyway. This capture was scornfully impatient.} ( 16.g4 {solves the problem, simply:} 16...Nxf4 17.Nxd4 $10 ) 16...Qf6 ( {And not, thank goodness,} 16...hxg3+ $1 17.Kxg3 Qh4+ 18.Kh2 ( 18.Kf3 Qxf4# ) 18...Nxf4 19.Qe1 Nxg2 20.Qxh4 ( 20.Kxg2 $2 Bxh3+ 21.Kf3 {Only move to avoid mate} 21...Qxd4 $19 ) 20...Nxh4 $19 ) 17.f5 $2 ( {I'm wrong, but I'm not a million miles off, as the f-pawn does advance in HIARCS' best shot:} 17.e3 hxg3+ 18.Kxg3 Nh4 19.f5 $17 ) 17...Ne5 $2 ( 17...hxg3+ 18.Kxg3 Qe5+ 19.Kf2 {Only move to avoid mate} 19...Qxd4+ 20.e3 Qf6 $1 $19 ) 18.g4 $6 Nxg4+ $1 {I was afraid of that!} 19.hxg4 Qxd4 20.e4 {At this point, I was thoroughly resigned to ...Qxb2 and defending a miserable position a pawn down. Little did I know that this would be the story of the following round's three-and-a-half hour torture instead!} ( 20.Kh3 $1 {keeps Black's edge in the position to a slither.} ) 20...Qe5+ 21.Kg1 $6 ( {I appreciated soon enough that I should have been able to see far enough ahead to play} 21.Kh1 {at once.} ) 21...h3 $1 22.Bf3 Qg3+ $6 ( 22...Qxb2 $1 {Now was the time for Kev to cash in his advantage. Pressing for mate was going to bring out my one strength in this weekend's tournament - my defensive play!} ) 23.Kh1 Bd7 24.Rg1 Qf4 $1 {Well, that didn't work, so back we go.} 25.Rf1 O-O-O $10 {Kev was getting very frustrated. He couldn't see how to press his advantage. The engine explains why - it says he doesn't have one. That's outrageous really, considering that's he put a passed pawn on h3 in just over twenty moves.} 26.Qc1 {Clearly, I'd be very relieved to get an exchange of queens here. However, I already had another idea in mind if Kev declined.} 26...Qg3 27.Qg5 $5 g6 28.fxg6 $2 {It's disappointing to find that HIARCS pours scorn on my masterplan in this game. Kev and I were both very impressed with it!} 28...fxg6 $1 ( {I believed at the time that Black should let the kingside pawns go and hold the queenside ones, but no:} 28...b6 $2 29.gxf7 $1 Rdf8 30.Qg6 $1 Kc7 31.e5 dxe5 32.Rae1 Qf4 33.Be4 Qxg4 34.Rf6 $3 $16 ) 29.Qxa5 $2 Rdf8 $1 {Kev foils my plan to force a draw by perpetual check.} ( {My plan was rubbish, but apparently this might have worked:} 29...Bxg4 $4 30.Bxg4+ Qxg4 31.Qa8+ Kc7 32.Rf7+ Rd7 33.Rxd7+ Kxd7 34.Qxb7+ Ke6 35.Rg1 Qf3+ 36.Kh2 Qf2+ 37.Kh1 g5 38.Qg7 h2 39.Qg6+ Kd7 40.Qg7+ Ke6 41.Qg6+ Kd7 42.Qg7+ Ke6 43.Qg6+ $10 ) 30.Qa8+ Kc7 31.Qa5+ b6 $4 ( 31...Kb8 $1 {I'm afraid it looks like we both missed this. Well, we are only playing in the U1600 section!} ) 32.Qa7+ Kd8 $6 33.Qxb6+ Ke7 34.Qe3 $6 ( 34.Qf2 $1 $16 {is forcing:} 34...Qxf2 35.Rxf2 ) 34...Bxg4 $4 35.Qg5+ $1 $18 {This was why I chose e3 over f2.} 35...Rf6 36.Qxg4 Qe5 $5 {It makes more sense for Black to keep the queens on this way and let the piece go.} 37.c3 c5 38.a5 $1 {Passed pawns should be pushed!} 38...g5 $1 {Ditto!} 39.Be2 Rh4 40.Qg1 {A big moment - my choice is fine, but the braver choice wins faster!} ( {Oh, I wish I was this brave (though I did take a look at it):} 40.Qc8 $3 Qg3 41.Rg1 Qf4 42.a6 $1 h2 43.Qc7+ Ke6 44.Rgf1 Qe3 45.Rxf6+ Kxf6 46.a7 $1 Qxe2 47.Qxd6+ Kg7 48.Qf8+ $3 {HIARCS comes up with a gloriously showy queen sac.} 48...Kxf8 49.a8=Q+ Kg7 50.Ra7+ Kh6 51.Qh8+ Kg6 52.Ra6+ Kf7 53.Rf6+ Ke7 54.Qg7+ Kd8 55.Rf8# ) 40...Rhf4 41.a6 $1 h2 $1 42.Qe3 ( {I wrongly turned down this showy queen sac (and I really wish I hadn't):} 42.Qxh2 $3 Rh4 43.Qxh4 gxh4 44.a7 $1 Qg3 45.Rxf6 Kxf6 46.a8=Q Qh3+ 47.Kg1 Qg3+ 48.Kf1 Qf4+ 49.Ke1 h3 50.Qh8+ Kg5 51.Qh5+ Kf6 52.Kd1 h2 53.Ra7 h1=Q+ 54.Qxh1 Qg5 55.Qh8+ Ke6 56.Qe8+ Kf6 57.Qe7+ Kg6 58.Qg7# ) 42...g4 43.Rxf4 Rxf4 44.Rf1 ( 44.a7 $1 g3 45.a8=Q g2+ 46.Kxg2 Qg5+ 47.Kh1 $1 $18 ) 44...Rxf1+ 45.Bxf1 Qf6 46.Be2 Qh4 47.Bxg4 $6 {Another moment where Kev and I both thought the same thing. We reckoned this move was a winner - well, it still should be. White gives up the bishop Black conceded earlier in order to be rid of Black's passed pawns once and for all.} ( 47.a7 $1 g3 48.Qf3 g2+ 49.Qxg2 Qe1+ 50.Qf1 $18 ) 47...Qxg4 48.Kxh2 Qh4+ 49.Kg2 Qg4+ 50.Kf2 Qh4+ 51.Ke2 Qh2+ 52.Qf2 Qh5+ 53.Kd2 Qg5+ 54.Kc2 Qg8 55.b4 $4 {After all the care I took to get the king to this square, how could I be so careless?} 55...Qa2+ $1 56.Kc1 Qxf2 57.a7 ( 57.b5 {doesn't cut it either:} 57...Qe1+ 58.Kc2 Qe2+ 59.Kb3 Qxd3 60.a7 ( 60.b6 Qxa6 $19 ) 60...Qxb5+ 61.Kc2 Qa4+ $19 ) 57...Qe1+ 58.Kb2 Qd2+ 59.Kb3 Qd1+ 60.Kb2 Qa4 61.b5 Qxa7 62.c4 Kf6 63.Kc2 Ke5 64.Kd2 Kd4 {White resigns. I can take some comfort from the fact that, buoyed by this rollercoaster victory, Kev went on to take down the first seed in the next round and go into Easter Monday's final round just half a point behind the leaders.} 0-1
