[Event "ECF Major Open (Torquay)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.08.06"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Matthew Dignam"]
[Black "Jeremy Menadue"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D11"]
[Annotator "Jeremy Menadue"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
{At the 2013 British Championship congress held at Torquay Jeremy Menadue
qualified for the 2014 British Championship with an unbeaten score of 7½/11
in the Major Open. Here is his 8th round game against the tournament winner
from Ireland} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 (3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 (4. Nc3 e6)) 3... Nf6
4. e3 Bg4 (4... Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 (6. b3) 6... Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6) 5. Be2 {
[quiet move but White was clear in the tournament]} e6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qb3 Rb8 {
[usually Qb3 - Qb6 or Qc7 is automatic, here White's queen ties down the black
rook!]} 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd2 a5 {[stops Bb4]} 10. Nc3 Bd6 11. e4 $5 {[if white
allows 0-0 and Re8 black is better]} dxe4 12. Ng5 O-O $1 (12... Qe7 {asking
for trouble} 13. Rae1) 13. Bxg4 Nxg4 14. h3 e3 {[retreating the knight isn't
just a draw]} (14... Ngf6 15. Ngxe4 Nxe4 16. Nxe4 Bc7 17. d5 cxd5 18. Qxd5 $16)
15. Nxf7 Rxf7 16. fxe3 Ngf6 17. Ne4 {[big surprise - Ng5 to follow]} ({
expexcted positional} 17. e4) 17... a4 ({or simpler} 17... Nxe4 18. Qxf7+ Kh8)
18. Qc4 (18. Qe6 Qe7) 18... b5 19. Qxc6 Nxe4 ({better} 19... Rb6 20. Qc2) 20.
Rxf7 Kxf7 21. Qd5+ {[white's played some very clever moves too!]} Kf8 22. Rf1+
Ndf6 (22... Nef6 23. Qxd6+ Kg8 (23... Qe7 $4 24. Bb4)) ({also crazy} 22... Qf6
23. Rxf6+ Ndxf6 24. Qc6) 23. Qxe4 Kg8 24. Qe6+ Kh8 {[black's weathered the
storm but running out of time]} 25. Qf5 (25. Rc1) 25... Qe7 26. Rc1 g6 27. Qf3
Ne4 28. Be1 Rf8 29. Qg4 Ng3 30. Bf2 h5 {ok} ({diabolical} 30... Nh1 31. Kxh1
Rxf2 {won but Nh1[!] - empty square sacrifices very hard to see}) 31. Qd1 Ne4
32. Be1 Qg5 33. Qd3 (33. Qe2 Ng3) 33... Qf5 (33... Ng3 34. Bf2 Nf5 35. Qxb5)
34. Rc6 Kh7 (34... Rf6) 35. Rb6 Bg3 $4 {[black was just trying to hang on
until move 40 then get 50 more minutes to win the position]} (35... b4 {
stays in control}) 36. Rxb5 Bf2+ $2 37. Kh2 Bxe1 {[not good but better than
losing on time]} ({still just ahead} 37... Qd7 38. Bxf2 Rxf2 39. Re5 {saw this
but not the computer continuation} Nd6 40. Rxh5+ Kg7 $17 41. Re5 Nf7 42. Rc5
Qd6+ 43. Kg1 Qg3) 38. Rxf5 gxf5 {[strange echo of the queen sacrifice in note
to move 22]} (38... Bg3+ 39. Kg1 gxf5) 39. g4 hxg4 40. hxg4 Nf2 {[time control]
} 41. Qa3 {[=] draw agreed - both players exhausted. Dignam stayed ahead and
won the event unbeaten on 8 1/2 out of 11, JM 3rd = on 7 1/2. Most tiring
event for many years,even so roll on Aberystwyth!} Nxg4+ 42. Kg2 Re8 43. Qxa4
Rxe3 {would probably be drawn, game suggests more time means more interesting
games..} 1/2-1/2
