Games, analysis and discussion

Four early 2014 Ottawa games

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[Event "RA CC Ch."]
[Site "Ottawa, CAN"]
[Date "2014.01.09"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vlasenko, Ko."]
[Black "Pacey, K"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5!? {The famous Wilkes-Barre Variation.} 5.Nxf7 {5.Bxf7+ is safer and may give White an edge, according to most books.} Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 {6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Kg1 (7.Ke3!?) Qh4 could be considered the main line here.} Qe7 7.Qf3? {The only move in theory or my databases is 7.Nxh8, when the game is supposed to be about = after 7...d5.} Bb6!? {A cleaner refutation is 7...Rf8 8.Qxf2 Nxe4 9.Qe3 Nd6 when Black wins back his piece and goes ahead a pawn, and is winning overall. My chosen move plays for a quick, devastating attack.} 8.Nxh8 Nd4 9.Qd3 {9.Qd1 d5 looks winning, for example 10.c3 Bg4 11.Qa4+ Bd7 12.Qd1 dxc4 13.cxd4 Bxd4 and Black has a winning attack.} d5 10.Nc3 {This is fairly hopeless, but 10.exd5 should also lose.} dxc4 {-+} 11.Qxc4 Be6 {Or 11...Qf8} 12.Nd5? {Here or even next move Qa4+ is (only) relatively better.} Nxd5 13.exd5 Qf6+ {Black should now mate in 8 moves.} 14.Ke1 Qh4+ 15.g3 {After 15.Kf1 Qf4+ 16.Ke1 Nxc2+! mate is inevitable.} Qe4+ 0-1



[Event "RA Winter Open"]
[Site "Ottawa, CAN"]
[Date "2014.01.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Lebrun, R"]
[Black "Pacey, K"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 {The Steinitz Deferred Ruy Lopez. It's thought to improve on the Steinitz Lopez (3...d6) by giving Black the option of breaking the pin on the N/c6 in one move with ...b5 at some point, if Black wishes.} 5.c3 {One of a number of interesting alternatives here for White. White also has such alternatives available on his next two moves.} Bd7 {5...f5!? is the Siesta Variation.} 6.0-0 Nge7 {6...g6 or 6...Nf6 also were possible.} 7.Re1 Ng6 8.d4 Be7 9.Nbd2 0-0 10.Nf1 Nh4 {A useful exchanging maneuver in this position.} 11.Nxh4 Bxh4 12.Bb3 {A novelty? 12.Ne3 or 12.g3 are normal.} Qf6 {=} 13.g3 Qg6 14.Be3 {14.Ne3!?} Bh3 15.Qb1 {15.Qd3 looks better.} Kh8 {15...Na5 =/+.} 16.Bc2 Rae8 17.a4 {17.f4 =.} exd4 {=/+} 18.Bxd4 Ne5 19.Bxe5 {19.Nd2!?} dxe5 20.Ne3 Rd8 21.Rd1 Bg5 22.Nf5? {Better was 22.Rxd8 Rxd8 23.Qe1.} Qh5 {-+} 23.Rd3 {Or 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.Bd1 Qg6.} Rxd3 24.Bxd3 g6 25.Ne3 Bxe3 {White resigns. After 26.fxe3 Qf3 White loses two pawns after 27.Bf1 (best).} 0-1



[Event "RA CC Ch."]
[Site "Ottawa, CAN"]
[Date "2014.02.06"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Pacey, K"]
[Black "Upper, J"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Ngf3 Nc6 7.Bb5!? {I thought about playing this move on my previous turn as well, in my pre-game preparation. It's not so dangerous, but it takes my opponent out of his 'book'. Naturally Bd3 on either turn would be more normal.} Qb6 8.Qa4 a6 9.Bd3 {9.Bxc6 is all Psakhis gives here, in this uncommon variation, which he considers as ultimately = after Black recaptures with the pawn.} cxd4 10.cxd4 Qb4+ {Black makes the safe but dull queen exchange. In my home preparation I was hoping he'd try to refute my play with 10...Qa7!? 11.0-0 b5, when I was going to gambit a pawn with 12.Qd1 (even 12.Qc2 comes into consideration).} 11.Qxb4 Nxb4 12.Bb1 Nb6 {Even 12...a5 intending ...b6 followed by ...Ba6 is also just about dead equal.} 13.a3 Nc6 14.Bd3 Bd7 15.b3 Be7 16.Bb2 0-0 17.0-0 {If White's king stays in the centre with 17.Ke2, Black gets the initiative after playing ...f6.} Rac8 18.Rac1 Na7 19.Rxc8 Rxc8 20.Rc1 Rxc1+ 21.Bxc1 Bb5 {Black offered a draw here and I accepted. Both players might have a faint hope of winning here, but only after many moves, barring a blunder.} 1/2-1/2



[Event "RA CC Ch."]
[Site "Ottawa, CAN"]
[Date "2014.02.13"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Khachidze, V"]
[Black "Pacey, K"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 {[edit: if 7.Be2 Nc6 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 Qb6 reaches O'Lena-Pacey Internet 2018 by transposition from a Pirc, which continued 10.Na4 Qb4 11.c3 Qa5 12.b4 Qc7 13.Nb5 and here I played the novelty 13...Qd8, which looks like the best move.]} 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 {[edit: In case of the possibly more troublesome 9.0-0-0, IMHO I've failed to save my favourite 9...Be6 due to 10.Nxe6 fxe6 and then 11.Kb1 alone, and 9...Nxd4 also looks dismal to me after much study. If there is a somewhat viable way to avoid playing the 'reliable' 9...d5, IMHO it may lie in 9...Bd7 and if 10.g4 (after 10.Kb1 Ne5!?/Qa5!? are possibilities) Black can try 10...Ne5!? 11.h4 Qa5!? or maybe even 10...Nxd4!?, besides the 'more usual 10...Rc8' that's under something of a cloud, but might barely be tenable for Black all the same.]} Bd7 10.0-0-0 Qc7 {I am not sure whether this move is altogether sound, but it cuts down on the homework involved with studying the Yugoslav Attack (7.f3) against the Sicilian Dragon, at least. [edit: Chess Assistant 16 and Houdini3 see multiple issues with this move. It appears to me Black can't avoid playing the main lines of the 9.Bc4 Dragon without paying a serious price if White knows what to do.]} 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 Nc4 13.Bxc4 Qxc4 14.h5 b5 15.b3 {ECO first gives 15.hxg6 fxg6 16.b3 instead, but at this point it may not matter much, as transposition is still easily possible.} Qc7 {In case of 15...Qb4 16.hxg6 fxg6 we've transposed to a position in ECO that I agree is better for White after 17.Ncxb5 Qxd2+ 18.Rxd2 e5 19.Ne6!} 16.Ncxb5 {After 16.hxg6 fxg6 we've transposed to a position that is evaluated as winning for White in ECO after 17.Ncxb5 Qb7 18.c4, but it's hard for me to believe that Black doesn't have at least some compensation for the pawn here.} Qb7 17.a4 {It was also possible to transpose to the previous note after 17.hxg6, as my machine easily assures me that taking on b5 is fatal for Black.} a6 {Probably better was 17...Nxh5 with approximate equality, perhaps.} 18.Na3 {18.Nc3 +/=.} Rfc8 {18...Nxh5 =.} 19.Nc4 {19.hxg6 +/=.} Rxc4!? {19...Nxh5 or 19...Rab8 are also almost equal.} 20.bxc4 Rc8 {20...Nxh5 +/= was still possible, and preferable.} 21.hxg6 fxg6 22.Qd3 {My machine thinks 22.a5 gives White a big edge.} Bxa4 23.Kd2 Qb4+ {23...Nd7 +/=.} 24.Ke2 {24.Qc3 +/=.} Nd7 25.Nf5?! {Better was 25.Ra1 +/=.} gxf5 26.Qd5+ Kf8 {Not 26...Kh8 27.Rxh7+!} 27.Qxf5+ Ke8 28.Rxh7 Qxc4+ 29.Kf2 Qxc2+? {After 29...Qf7 or even 29...Bf6 Black is slightly better.} 30.Rd2 Qc3 31.Qg6+ {Black resigns. If 31...Kf8 32.Rxg7 Qxg7 33.Bh6 wins, and so Black must lose the B/g7 and end up down an Exchange for nothing.} 1-0

Updated 02-28-2021 at 12:19 AM by Kevin Pacey

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