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LLoyd Retallick ½ - ½ Ian George County Shield 2019/20                       |
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LLoyd Retallick ½ - ½ Ian George County Shield 2019/20 |
Notes by Ian George (Fritz assisted)
A tense game with an unusual finish
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5 Bc5 6.d3 h6 7.Bg2 d6 8.0-0 0-0 9.a3 a5 10.Rb1 Nxd5 11.cxd5 Ne7 12.d4 Bf5 13.Ra1 exd4 14.Nxd4 Bg4 15.Be3 Qd7 16.Qd2 Bxd4
A quieter way of playing this is 16...Rfe8 17.Rac1 a4. Black chooses a more aggressive method which carries an element of risk.
18...Qxh3 19.e4 f5 20.f3 Ng6 21.Rac1 Rac8
21...Rf7 gives a level position but black seeks activity against white's king by deflecting the queen to the queen's side at the cost of a pawn.
22.Bc3 b6 23.exf5 Qxf5 24.Rce1+/= but white is also playing for the win
22...fxe4 23.Rxc7 Rxc7 24.Qxc7 Rf7 25.Qc2?
25.Qxd6 exf3 (With the the e6-square available to the queen the idea played in the game 25...Rxf3? fails to 26.Rxf3 exf3 27.Qe6+).26.Rf2 Qg4 27.Be3 (27.Bc3? Nf4-+ ) 27...Qe4
A) 28.Qc5 Best. Black has no more than a draw
B) 28.Qe6? Ne5 29.Bf4 (29.Bc5 Kh7! 30.Rf1 Rf6-+ ) 29...Qe1+ 30.Rf1 Qe2 31.Rf2 Qd1+ 32.Rf1 Qd4+ 33.Rf2 Ng4 34.Qe8+ (34.Qxg4 Qd1+ 35.Rf1 f2+ wins the queen) 34...Kh7 35.Qe1 Re7 36.Qd2 Qxd2 37.Bxd2 (37.Rxd2 Re1# ) 37...Nxf2 38.Kxf2 Re2+
A cont.)28...Ne5 29.Qd4 Qb1+ 30.Rf1 Qc2 31.Rf2=
Allows white to equalise. 25...exf3 is better
26.Re1 is more challenging. Black has to negotiate his way through some tricky play, which I probably wouldn't have had the time, or the ability, to analyse properly 26...Rxg3+ 27.hxg3 Qxg3+ 28.Kf1 Qh3+
(29.Qg2 (A) Qd3+ 30.Kf2 (30.Qe2 Qh3+ 31.Kf2 Qh2+ 32.Kf1 (32.Ke3?? Qf4# ) 32...Qh3+ repeats moves; 30.Re2 Qd1+ 31.Re1 (31.Kf2?? Qxd4+ ) 31...Qd3+ repeats moves 30.Kg1 Qxd4+ 31.Kh1 Ne5 32.Rxe4 or 32.Qxe4 Qxb2) 32...Qxd5 with 2 pawns for the exchange) 30...Qxd4+ 31.Kf1 Qd3+ 32.Qe2 Qh3+ repeats moves
29.Ke2 (B) Nf4+ 30.Kd1 (30.Kd2 (B1) Qh2+ 31.Kc3 (31.Kc1 Nd3+ 32.Kb1 Qxc2+ 33.Kxc2 Nxe1+-+ ; 31.Kd1 Qh5+ 32.Re2 (32.Kc1 Nd3+ 33.Kd2 Nxe1 34.Kxe1 Qxd5 with 3 pawns for the piece) 32...Nxe2 33.Qxe2 Qxd5 with 3 pawns for the piece) 31...Qg3+ 32.Re3 (32.Kd2 Qh2+ repeats moves) 32...Nxd5+ 33.Kd2 Qf2+ 34.Kc1 Qxc2+ 35.Kxc2 Nxe3+ 36.Bxe3 with 3 pawns for the piece. It's not clear who would have won but no doubt it would have have produced an undignified mutual time sgramble in the rapid play finish. Not the sort of thing you want to evaluate with 4 moves to play in 5 minutes.) 30...Qh5+ 31.Re2 (31.Kc1 Nd3+ 32.Kd2 Nxe1 33.Kxe1 Qxd5 transposes to B1; 31.Kd2 Qh2+ tranposes to B1) 31...Nxe2 32.Qxe2 Qxd5 tranposes to B1) 29...Qg3+= ; 26.Rc1 Rd3 27.Qc8+ Qxc8 28.Rxc8+ Kh7 29.Bc3 Ne7 30.Rc7 Nxd5 31.Rxg7+ Kh8 32.Rxb7+ Nxc3 33.bxc3 Rxc3 Difficult to commit to these complications as a drawing method with 5 minutes to time control; 26.Rxf3 exf3 Black has nothing to fear
27.Qxf2 Qg4 White is on the back foot
27...Qg4 28.h3 Qf5 29.Qb3 Qxh3 30.Bd4 Qg4??
Lack of time is no excuse, of course. Two minutes is plenty of time to find 30...Nh4-+ which forces immediate resignation.
31.Kf2 Qd7 32.Ke1 Ne7 33.g4 b5 34.Kd2 Kh7 35.Qg3 Nxd5 36.g5 Qe6 37.gxh6 Qxh6+ 38.Kd1
At this point Lloyd offered a draw. In a position in which Black is two pawns up with a won position and plenty of time left, he was saved by a Deus ex Machina in the form of the caretaker. We were running about 15 minutes late mainly because of problems with the clock. It was clear that the caretaker was understandably reluctant to work more unpaid overtime. In the circumstances I decided that the wisest course was to accept the draw offer; after all we want to use the excellent venue several times more in the season and getting on the wrong side of the caretaker is no way to go about it.. Of course it is by no means certain that I would have won in the rapid play finish, even with a big advantage.
½ - ½