[Event "New Jersey Open"] [Site "New Jersey, USA"] [Date "1997.??.??"] [Round "5"] [White "GM Alex Stripunsky"] [Black "NM Shearwood McClelland"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C02"] [WhiteElo "2563"] [BlackElo "2232"] [Annotator "McClelland,S"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "1997.??.??"] {[%evp 0,66,19,38,43,18,28,11,-4,3,4,-14,-23,-27,17,12,-12,-9,-31,-30,-35,-37, -25,-25,-23,-37,27,2,25,11,13,-1,-3,-14,-26,-19,4,39,50,6,78,78,13,-7,73,60,6, 0,39,0,0,-10,-47,-16,-7,-82,-61,-84,-77,-66,0,0,14,-483,-516,-516,-530,-841, -1543] Notes by Shearwood McClelland.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bd3 cxd4 6. O-O f6 7. Bb5 Bd7 8. Nxd4 $6 ({This move allows Black to force the trade of his bad c8 "French" bishop. The book move is} 8. Bxc6 {after which} bxc6 9. Qxd4 {after which either 9. ... f5 or 9. ... c5 leads to unclear play.} ) 8... Nxd4 9. Bxd7+ Qxd7 10. Qxd4 fxe5 11. Qxe5 Nf6 12. Re1 Kf7 13. Bf4 { Developing a piece and preventing Black from establishing his bishop on d6.} Bc5 {Threatening 14. ... Bxf2+ (after 15. Kh1 Bxe1; or 15. Kxf2 Ng4+ 16. Kf1 Nxe5).} 14. Bg3 Rhe8 $6 {[#]} ({The h-rook is not actively placed here. The correct plan, suggested after the game by FIDE Masters Greg Shahade and Aviv Friedman, was to play} 14... Rhf8 {followed by 15. ... Rae8 and 16. ... Kg8. My plan of putting the a-rook on c8 is not quite as accurate, as it leaves the king less defended (which will be seen later in the game).}) 15. Nd2 Kg8 16. Rad1 Qa4 $5 {[%eval -32767,0] [#] Actively deploying the queen in order to counter White's intended advance of 17. c4.} 17. c4 Bb4 $1 {Taking advantage of the position of White's pieces. Of course 17. Qxa2?? is out of the question, because 18. Ra1 traps the queen. The immediate threat now is 18. ... Bxd2 followed by 19. Qxc4 winning a pawn.} 18. Bh4 $1 ({The only move that doesn't immediately lose material.} 18. cxd5 {then after} Bxd2 $1 {and now if White plays} 19. Rxd2 {then after} exd5 {he will lose either the queen on e5, or the rook on e1.}) (18. b3 {allows} Qxa2 {where if White now plays} 19. Ra1 { Black can save his queen and win more material by playing} Qxd2) 18... Ne4 $1 ( {The most active move, threatening the knight on d2, and preventing 19. Bxf6. The sequence} 18... Bxd2 19. Rxd2 Qxc4 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qxf6 {would be v ery bad for Black, because Black's king would be very exposed at no material cost to White.}) 19. b3 Qxa2 20. Nxe4 Bxe1 21. Ng5 {White has chosen the best continuation, and it is now he who has the initiative. The threats of 22. Rxe1, and 22. Nxe6 followed by 23. Qxg7 mate force Black's hand. (Note how that latter threat could have been more easily dealt with if the Black rook was on f8 rather than a8).} Bb4 {[%eval -32767,0] [#] The only move which keeps Black afloat. After 21. ... Bxf2+ 22. Bxf2, Black may appear to have restored material equality and deflected some of White's attack, but this is only an illusion, as White is still threatening 23. Nxe6, as well as 23. Bd4, both of which would leave Black defenseless against a decisive assault by White on the kingside.} 22. Nxe6 Bf8 {The only way to prevent 23. Qxg7 mate without losing a lot of material.} 23. Qxd5 Kh8 24. Nc7 (24. Ng5 {can be met by} h6 {after which if} 25. Nf7+ {Black can survive with} Kh7) 24... Qxb3 {Ensuring that material will be equal after White wins back the exchange (and liberating the a7 pawn to march).} 25. Nxa8 {The decisive mistake. Although 25. Nxe8 Rxe8 looks less promising for White, it is the best way that he can win back the exchange, because it will take Black at least 2 tempi to get his a-pawn rolling. After 25. Nxa8 Rxa8 however, the rook on a8 is ideally placed to assist in the decisive march of the a-pawn down the board.} Rxa8 26. h3 a5 $1 { Immediately taking advantage of White's 25th move. White now has to scramble to create problems for Black, otherwise his position will be destroyed by the advancing a-pawn.} 27. Rd3 Qb1+ 28. Kh2 a4 29. Bd8 {Trying to create back rank threats via a future Qf7 by cutting off the a8-Rook's defense of the f8-bishop. } a3 30. Qf7 Qb4 31. Rd5 {Threatening c5 to cut off the queen's defense of the f8-bishop.} Bd6+ {Activating the bishop with check, and temporarily winning a piece.} 32. g3 Rxd8 33. c5 {It appears that Black is in trouble, as White will win the piece back with nagging back-rank mate threats. However...} Bxg3+ $1 { [%eval -32767,0] [#] White loses the d5-rook by force in all variations:} ( 33... Bxg3+ 34. Kxg3 (34. Kh1 Qe4+ {wins.}) (34. Kg2 Qe4+ {wins.}) (34. Kg1 Qe1+ 35. Kg2 Qe4+ {wins.}) (34. fxg3 Qb2+ 35. Kg1 Qa1+ 36. Kf2 (36. Qf1 Qxf1+ 37. Kxf1 Rxd5 $19) 36... Qa2+) 34... Qb3+ {wins.}) 0-1