An away match this time, with a funny destination in that I work out near Blanchardstown, so it wasn’t worth trying to drive round the M50 home and then back to the same neck of the woods, so I just went from work to chess. Naomh Barróg chess club operate out of the Naomh Barróg GAA club in Kilbarrack, and after a few minutes getting confused about which turn the GPS was trying to get me to take, I arrived five minutes after everyone else from Benildus but still well in time for the match.
For a change, my opponent was old enough to shave (this is a rare treat in the Bodley it seems) and maybe I’ve not shook off the “they’re only kids” mindset as much as I’d thought because I was more comfortable in this match then the preceeding ones. Or maybe I was just getting used to it by this point, I’m not sure. Either way, this was not a horrible game and my first win in the Bodley, so I was happy with it. Here’s the game with annotations:
[pgn eo=t autoplayMode=none pieceFont=alpha ss=64 ps=64 h=800 commentsDisplay=newline]
[Event “Bodley 2013”]
[Site “Naomh Barrog Chess Club”]
[Date “2013.11.26”]
[Round “3”]
[White “Conor McDonald”]
[Black “Mark Dennehy”]
[Result “0-1”]
[WhiteElo “977”]
[ECO “A07”]
[EventDate “2013.11.26”]
1. Nf3
{+0.20
Oh poop. A reti opening. What’s he going for, e4, d4, c4?}
1. … c6
{+0.64
Betting on e4 and answering with a caro kann…}
2. g3
{+0.00}
2. … d5
{+0.00}
3. Bg2
{+0.16}
3. … Bf5
{+0.16}
4. O-O
{+0.28
I swear, if he plays d4, John is going to laugh his head off.}
4. … e6
{+0.16}
5. d3
{+0.20
Well, I wasn’t expecting that… Waitaminute….}
5. … Be7
{+0.12}
6. c4
{+0.16
Aha! Where have I seen that before? :D}
6. … Nf6
{+0.08
Well, I’m not going to capture away from the center so if he wants the pawn exchange, let him be the one to give away the g file. Also, development.}
7. h3
{-0.20
Eh? Okay, so g4 to kick the bishop? But I just retreat to g6, why would you break up your king’s defences so early like that? Is there a tactic I don’t know here?}
7. … O-O
{-0.12
In the absence of knowing what the heck to do, develop…}
8. g4
{-0.36
Hm. Okay, that seemed obvious, but what does he do after I retreat?}
8. … Bg6 $201
{-0.32}
9. h4 $2 $17
{-2.42 / -0.32
Okay, now he’s confusing me. That move doesn’t seem right at all. Is he making a mistake? Stockfish says it’s a blunder, and suggests Bf4 instead which seems better.}
( 9.Bf4 Nbd7 10.Nbd2 Qb6 11.Qb3 Qa6 12.Rfc1 Rac8 13.Bg3 h6 14.d4 Rfe8 15.Rd1 Ne4 16.Nxe4 Bxe4 17.Rac1 dxc4 18.Rxc4 Bd5 $10 )
9. … Nxg4
{-2.50
Why not? It’s a free pawn as far as I could see. Sure there’s a knight fork against N&B, but that just gives you NXN…}
10. Bg5 $201
{-2.86
Okay, didn’t see that coming, but I suppose he thought the pawn support better than the f4 square.}
10. … Bh5 $6 $17
{-1.81 / -2.86
I don’t want to swap off the dark bishop, but I want to reinforce the knight’s outpost before moving my queen, and I’d like that b8-h2 diagonal please. Also this stops a h5 push, which might get awkward. Bf5 also considered, but it seemed more expose and didn’t stop h5.}
( 10…f6 11.Bf4 e5 12.Bg3 dxc4 13.dxc4 Nd7 14.Nc3 Qc8 15.e4 Nb6 16.Nd2 Bf7 17.Bf3 Be6 18.Na4 Rd8 19.Nxb6 $17 )
11. Qb3
{-1.73
Going after b7 and the rook?}
11. … Qc7 $201
{-1.61
Defending B7 and the dark bishop. Qd7 would work as well but this gives me the diagonal I wanted earlier and now I’m thinking that Qh2 would be nasty if that knight wasn’t on f3.}
12. Rc1 $6 $17
{-2.86 / -1.61
Leading to cxd, exd, Qxd?}
( 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Nbd2 Na6 14.d4 Rad8 15.Rac1 Bg6 16.Rfe1 Bf5 17.Qc3 Qc7 18.Kf1 f6 19.e3 e5 20.cxd5 e4 21.dxc6 exf3 $17 )
12. … f6
{-2.78
Enough with the reacting to his moves. Kick the bishop back to d2. Then push for space with e5? Need some prep work first, maybe Na6, Nc5, Rad8?}
13. Be3
{-2.90
Eh? I didn’t think he’d do that, because now the exchange gives me the dark squared bishop and the bishop pair.}
13. … Nxe3
{-2.94}
14. fxe3
{-2.86}
14. … Nd7
{-2.86
Took way too long to finish development I think. That queenside knight always seems to be the last out of the starting gate when I play this opening. But right now I’m thinking Qg3 looks lovely but I need more pieces into the attack first, so move up the knight, maybe get a rook more into the game and coordinate the bishops better.}
15. cxd5 $201
{-2.94
Okay, so exd? Or push the knight and the attack? If he pushes the pawn, I can just take it, I can recapture if he takes the c pawn and if he takes the e pawn, he’s stuck in front of that bishop threatening nothing.}
15. … Ne5 $2 $201
{-0.56 / -2.94
Screw it. Sorry little pawn!}
( 15…Nc5 16.Rxc5 Bxc5 17.d4 Bb6 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.Nbd2 Bf7 20.Qc3 e5 21.dxe5 fxe5 22.Ng5 Rad8 23.Nxf7 Qxf7 24.Rf1 Qe6 25.Rxf8+ Rxf8 26.Nf3 Qh6 27.Kh1 e4 28.Qc4+ Rf7 29.Qxe4 Qxe3 $17 )
16. dxe6 $4 $19 $201
{-3.95 / -0.56}
( 16.Nxe5 Qxe5 17.d4 Qg3 18.dxc6 Bg4 19.e4 Qc7 20.Qxb7 Qf4 21.Nd2 Bd6 22.Nf1 Bxe2 23.Qb3 Bxf1 24.Rxf1 Qh2+ 25.Kf2 Rab8 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Rfb1 Qf4+ 28.Ke2 Rbe8 )
16. … Nxf3+ $2
{-1.37 / -3.95
And there goes another defender. Recapture with the pawn and the d file is looking weak, recapture with the bishop and the king is in for a chase.}
( 16…Bxf3 17.exf3 Nxf3+ 18.Kf2 Ne5 19.Nd2 Ng4+ 20.Kf3 f5 21.Nf1 Rad8 22.d4 h5 23.Bh3 f4 24.Bxg4 hxg4+ 25.Kg2 f3+ 26.Kf2 Rf5 27.Kg1 Rh5 28.Qc2 Rf8 29.Qh2 $19 )
17. exf3 $201
{-1.69}
17. … Rad8 $2 $10 $201
{+0.00 / -1.69
Let’s get the rooks into the game so they can earn their keep.}
( 17…Bxf3 18.Nd2 Bg4 19.d4 Rae8 20.Rc3 f5 21.Rf1 f4 22.Nf3 fxe3 23.Rxe3 Rd8 24.Kh1 Rf4 $17 )
18. Rc5 $4 $19
{-6.46 / +0.00
Hm. That rook’s active, his other one isn’t, I can cover the pawn with the queen and plug the gap to the king with the white bishop…}
( 18.Nd2 Qg3 19.Rc2 Qxh4 20.Qxb7 f5 21.f4 Rxd3 22.Nf1 c5 23.Bd5 Rd8 24.Rh2 Qg4+ 25.Rg2 Qh4 26.Bc4 R3d6 27.Rh2 Qg4+ 28.Rg2 Qh4 $10 )
18. … Bxc5
{-7.08}
19. e7+
{-13.05}
19. … Bf7
{-13.29
I have no idea why but in the game here my brain farted and I captured the pawn with the dark bishop. I mean, I’d seen the light bishop move earlier, I have no idea what my head was thinking. Anyway, transpose the bishop, doesn’t matter which rook he retakes, I either take with the other rook or with the king so as not to give up the d-file.}
20. exd8=Q
{-16.28}
20. … Rxd8
{-16.44}
21. Qd1
{-327.41
Not sure what threat he was looking at there, or if he was just thinking he needed more defence around the king. Doesn’t matter, his e pawn is still hanging. Stockfish thinks this move is game over actually, but I couldn’t see it.}
21. … Bxe3+
{-327.42}
22. Kf1 $201
{-327.42}
22. … Qg3 $19
{-10.46 / -327.42
And there we go, only took half the game… Stockfish thinks its a horrible blunder though – it’s saying Qh2 leads to mate in seven, but I didn’t see it. I did think Qh2, but I just thought it wasn’t direct enough and I didn’t see the looping round the bishop that stockfish is pointing out. Rats.}
( 22…Qh2 23.Qe1 Qg1+ 24.Ke2 Qxg2+ 25.Kxe3 Re8+ 26.Kd4 Qxb2+ 27.Kc5 Qb6+ 28.Kd6 c5+ 29.Kd7 Qc6# $19 )
23. Qe1 $201
{-10.91}
23. … Bf2 $4 $14
{+0.72 / -10.91
Didn’t want to swap off the queens, but why on earth I didn’t think the king could recapture on f2 after QxB, QxQ, I don’t know. And stockfish is very disappointed in me as well, though the alternative I thought of at the board was Qf4 not Qe5.}
( 23…Qe5 24.Nc3 Rxd3 25.Ne2 Bb6 26.b3 Qe3 27.Rc1 Bh5 28.Qg3 Rd2 29.Qb8+ Be8 $19 )
24. Qxf2
{+0.68
D’oh…}
24. … Qf4 $201
{+1.01
Qh2 looked useless and Qe5 looked like an invitation for f4 and a queen chase}
25. Qxa7 $4 $19
{-6.54 / +1.01
Wait, what? My queen’s up in your king’s grille and now you go chasing pawns off in the far corner?}
( 25.Nc3 Rxd3 26.Qxa7 Bc4 27.Kg1 h6 28.Re1 Rd2 29.Re8+ Kh7 30.Qe3 Qxe3+ 31.Rxe3 Rxb2 32.Bf1 Bxf1 33.Kxf1 Kg6 34.Re7 h5 35.Ne2 Rxa2 36.Rxb7 Ra4 37.f4 c5 38.Kf2 $14 )
25. … Qc1+
{-6.62
Okay, I’ll have your rook so.}
26. Kf2
{-6.82}
26. … Qxb2+
{-6.78}
27. Kg3
{-8.48
Didn’t expect that, figured he’d head back to the back rank, but no matter.}
27. … Qxa1
{-8.48}
28. Qb6
{-12.52}
28. … Qe5+
{-13.14
Escaping from the corner and defending the rook.}
29. Kf2 $201
{-12.92
That was a mistake I think – I was expecting f4 and planning Qe4 and a queen swap now that I’m up material.}
29. … Ra8 $19
{-9.69 / -12.92
Thinking Rxa2+ followed by Qb2, QxQ, RxQ. NOT thinking Qe4+ ironically enough, just didn’t see it. Not sure I’d have taken it though, I was trying to keep the queen on the board and push the attack at the time.}
( 29…Rxd3 30.Qb4 Bxa2 31.Qa4 Qb2+ 32.Kg3 Bxb1 33.Qc4+ Kh8 34.Bf1 Qe5+ 35.Qf4 $19 )
30. a3
{-11.19}
30. … Re8
{-11.39
Okay, if I can’t have the a pawn I’ll just threaten mate in one and force his queen back out of my side of the board.}
31. Qxb7
{-327.49
Oh. He missed the mate. Kinda sad really, I was enjoying this.}
31. … Qe1#
{-327.49
Fun game. Not my best game by a large margin, but fun.}
0-1[/pgn]
The opening was a bit confusing – he hid away his English opening by transposing from a Reti that had me fairly confused. I might have been sunk if he’d played 6.d4 (especially as John would have laughed his head off at my d4 opening being played back at me so soon after my commenting that nobody ever seems to use it), but 6.e4 and 6.c4 were openings the Caro-Kann could cope with. It’s not very classical, it’s out of my book by move 5 (though my book gives better odds for black by that stage), but it’s not too wild and it transposes back into the book momentarily at move 6 (goes from A04 to A11 for anyone wanting to look it up, you geeks 😀 ). The game starts to tip my way very slightly at move 7, when he broke up his defences a little, and it almost never got back to tipping his way after that (though that was more down to blind luck on move 25 than to skill) as the analysis graph shows:
I think 18.Rc5 was just board blindness on his part; certainly we both had a stonking great dose of it that night because ten minutes later we had 19…Bf7 instead of Bxe or Qxe or anything at all takes e instead of giving up a rook! And then there was 21.Qd1 which stockfish swears gives me mate in seven (but as Kevin put it, if you can see mate in seven while playing in a Bodley match, you shouldn’t be playing in the Bodley to begin with 😀 ), and the later 22…Qg3 which threw the mate away, and 23…Bf2 which only makes sense if white isn’t allowed to take pieces 😀 Yeah, this game had moments where you’d swear we were both playing blindfold chess while finishing off a bottle of bad tequila.
And ultimately that was what did him in, when he didn’t see that with 30…Re8 I was trying to get him to move his queen to defend his king from a mate in one and he snarfled a pawn instead, at which point I was able to take the mate. I felt kindof bad doing it; it was a fun game with lots of moments of evaluating things (usually incorrectly) and a fun evening, if not a great example of good chess.
The team report on the match is here on the Benildus website.
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