The Rip Off and the 11 Year Old Champion.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ {I wonder if the open Sicilian (3.d4) will ever come back in fashion.} 3... Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 {Correct, the b8 Knight goes to c6 to cover d4 and e5. There are of course line with 4..Nxd7 (none yet with 4...Kxd7) but the text is deemed best.} 5. O-O Nc6 6. c3 {Preparing d4 so White does not go 2-1 down in the centre pawn count. (this is easy to note up. It's what I've played dozens of times.)} 6... g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bg7 9. Nc3 e5 {Not liking this. It has been played before by a few 2200 hundreds but it sowing the seeds of a ready made plan.} 10. Be3 exd4 {Black hands White his plan. The backward d6 pawn on an open file. I’m wondering if this was played possibly with a view of having a strong g7 Bishop to compensate for the d6 pawn. Remember all Black needs is a draw.} 11. Nxd4 Nge7 12. Qd2 O-O 13. Ndb5 {The assault on d6 begins.} 13... Rfd8 14. Rfd1 Nc8 {And the cramped defence begins. Black is now at the White can only blow this stage and is playing a position a seasoned adult would struggle to defend.} 15. Nd5 {Using the square in front of the backward isolated pawn. Although it blocks the attack (the pawn won't run away) it puts further creases on to the young brow of his opponent.} 15... a6 {This chases the Knight to were it wants to go. It's OK as far as moves in a tough position go, Black did not overlook the next move he was thinking that the Knights might over stretch and a coming Ne7 would forces exchanges.} 16. Nbc7 Rb8 17. Bg5 {But this is a killer of a move and should have led to quicker and brilliant win.} 17... N6e7 18. Nxe7+ {He's missed it. (see the supplementary game ) But he has not chucked it. He is playing for his clean win. He knows what he is doing.} 18... Nxe7 19. Nd5 f6 {Black sheds a pawn to save the exchange.} 20. Bxf6 Bf8 21. Nxe7+ Bxe7 22. Qd5+ Kf8 {Now I'm liking 23.Bc3 with Rd3-f3 ideas.} 23. Qg5 {But White will not be side tracked. He has seen his winning plan. This is going to be a cold hearted well controlled almost tacticless game.} 23... Kf7 24. e5 Qe6 25. Bxe7 {White is winning another pawn. He will uses this pawn as simplification bait. The lad has a simple King and pawn ending in mind, I’m admitting It's not the way I would have gone and I'm impressed. This is a young Karpov.} 25... Qxe7 26. Qf4+ {That is the one I never saw coming. It wins the simplification pawn.} 26... Kg7 27. exd6 Qf6 28. Qxf6+ Kxf6 29. Rd2 Rd7 30. Kf1 Rbd8 {This is wrong. 30...Rc8 and 31....Rc6 hitting the d6 pawn from the side and having an active Rook. Black can dig in and make the win technically hard for White.} 31. Rad1 Ke5 32. Ke2 Rxd6 {And this is the clear losing move. Black cannot set up a defence without using that pawn as a barrier.} 33. Rxd6 Rxd6 {The star move now is 34.f4+ (it could also have been played on the previous move). It's gains a whole tempo. I’m sure the coach will point it out to him and I bet the lad will be more disappointed at missing that than the tactical win.} 34. Rxd6 Kxd6 35. Kd3 Kd5 {White is only one pawn up but he knows his endgame technique.} 36. f4 {That is the one. The potential passed pawn advances.} 36... b5 37. g4 a5 38. h4 a4 39. Ke3 Kc4 40. f5 gxf5 41. gxf5 a3 {Trying his best to confuse and plant seeds of doubt but White will not be flustered.} 42. bxa3 Kd5 43. Kf4 Kd6 44. Kg5 Ke5 45. h5 Kd6 46. Kf6 h6 47. Kg7 {That's it. Black is not giving up. It's stalemate attempt time. And why not? Look at all the stalemates in clear won positions I have shown on here over the past two years.} 47... b4 48. axb4 Ke5 49. f6 Ke6 50. f7 Kd5 51. f8=Q Ke4 52. b5 Kd3 53. b6 Kd4 54. b7 Kd5 55. b8=Q Kc6 56. Qfd6{An excellent OTB game from an 11 year old playing what was in effect the final for the U-11 Championship.}

[FEN "1rnr2k1/1pNqnpbp/p2p2p1/3N2B1/4P3/8/PP1Q1PPP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1"]

1. Nf6+ {That was the move, it forces....} 1... Bxf6 2. Bxf6 {And Black cannot take the c7 Knight due to Qh6 and mate on g7. Now the only way for Black to avoid mate is sac a Knight with...} 2... Nf5 3. exf5 Ne7 {This looks the best try but it still loses. It does prevent 4.Qg6 Nxf5 hitting the Queen and protecting g7. But...} 4. Bxe7 {The simplest way.} 4... Qxe7 5. Nd5 {White is a mighty Knight up and the attack on the dark squares around the Black King is still not over. A pity, that wrap up would have been a real classic.}

[FEN "8/pp1RBrkp/2p2b2/8/1P5P/8/P1P3P1/6K1 w - - 0 29"]

29. Bxf6+ Kxf6 30. Rxf7+ Kxf7 {The winning plan is fairly easy. White uses his extra Kingside pawn to create a passed pawn. The Black King will have to deal with it giving the White King enough time to get across to the Queenside and play Pac Man with the Black pawns.} 31. g4 {Correct. The well timed g4-g5 will give White his time gaining passed pawn.} 31... h6 32. Kf2 {White brings up the King ready for Pac Man.} 32... Kf6 33. g5+ {Too soon. The King had to get closer to the Queenside pawns for the deflecting idea to work.} 33... hxg5 34. hxg5+ Kxg5 {This is a draw and it was agreed drawn a few moves later.}

[FEN "8/8/6p1/3k1p1p/1p3P1P/4K1P1/PP6/8 w - - 0 1"]

1. Kd3 Kc5 {All White need do here is 2.a3 to create the passed pawn. The Black King has to chase it and the White King has a feast on the Kingside.} 2. b3 {But this makes things awkward. Now to create a passed pawn the White King will have stay on the Queenside to keep an eye on the Black b-pawn.} 2... Kd5 3. Ke3 Kc5 4. Kd3 Kd5 5. Ke3 Kc5 6. Kd3 Kd5 {White saw no way of getting in a draw was agreed here. But....} 7. Kc2 {If Black tries to get into the White pawns with 7...Ke4 White will Queen before Black can get his pawns rolling.} 7... Kc5 8. Kb2 {This is the key square. White will be able to create his passed deflecting pawn.} 8... Kb5 9. a4+ bxa3+ 10. Kxa3 Ka5 11. b4+ Kb5 12. Kb3 Kb6 13. Kc4 Kc6 14. b5+ Kb6 15. Kb4 Kb7 16. Kc5 Kc7 17. b6+ Kb7 {White can now let the b-pawn go with 18.Kd5 and get amongst the Black pawns. However that diamond shape of pawns should help you store another idea.} 18. Kb5 Kb8 19. Kc6 Kc8 20. b7+ Kb8 21. Kb6 {First you stalemate the Black King.} 21... g5 22. hxg5 h4 23. g6 h3 24. g7 h2 25. g8=R

1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bd3 O-O 5. h3 {Waste of time in the opening or a gain of time in the Middle Game. (more about this move later.)} 5... d6 6. Be3 b6 {The Duck argues that White wasted 5.h3 has forced Black to spend two moves to get this Bishop into the game.} 7. Nc3 Bb7 8. Qd2 Re8 9. O-O-O a5 {I see the idea behind this one. It's Na6 and Nb4. White cannot touch the Knight when it lands on b4 because the open a-file will give Black loads of good tricks.} 10. Nh2 {Was this all part of the 5.h3 idea. The Knight comes to g4 and perhaps allows the f-pawn to join in on the fun. If so then you must let 5.h3 pass. It was not a thoughtless pawn move there was a solid reason behind it.} 10... c5 {I like the Na6-b4 idea. Perhaps Black saw f4 coming so decided to sort out the centre.} 11. d5 e6 {I know what is coming so in hindsight how about 11....Ba6 and swap some pieces.} 12. Bb5 Re7 13. Rhe1 {Centralisation. Much better and easier to understand than Triangulation which slug features Ernie was going to start harping on about.} 13... exd5 14. exd5 Ne4 {That's a bad loose move. Philidor’s Uncle said don't move a Knight twice in the opening until the other Knight is developed.14...Na6 get the boys off the back rank.} 15. Nxe4 Rxe4 {We now have a unprotected piece on e4 open to a discovered attack. 16.Bg5 and Black is losing a whole Rook. But.....} 16. Bd3 {....White missed it.} 16... Re5 17. c4 Qd7 {Another loose move and this one is the key losing move. 17...Na6 get the pieces out. You cannot create problems to be solved and traps to be spotted with the pieces undeveloped.} 18. Ng4 {Of course. White spots the King & Queen forking pattern so the Knight re-enters the game with tempo.} 18... Re8 19. Bg5 {The surface threat is Rxe8+ Re1 and Re7. Surface are the first threats we see and react to them, however sometimes the top threat hides something more sinister and finding them can get very depressing. Often it's good not to know how trouble you are really in.} 19... Na6 {Not to develop a piece and start doing things, but to defend against an invasion on e7. The game is up the creek now. } 20. Nf6+ {The idea the 11 year old missed or possibly saw but decided to go the clearer way.} 20... Bxf6 21. Bxf6 {If you can stop Qh6 and mate on g7 without giving up a truck load of material then you are better Duck than I am. Black resigned.}

[FEN "rn1q2k1/1b3pbp/1p1p2p1/pBpP4/4r3/4B2P/PPPQ1PPN/2KRR3 w - - 0 1"]

1. Bg5 Rb4 {And if White thinks all Black is after is the b5 Bishop then...} 2. Bxd8 Bxb2+ 3. Kb1 Bc3+ 4. Kc1 Bb2+ 5. Kb1 Bc3+ 6. Kc1 Bb2+ 7. Kb1 Bc3+ {A draw. OK you lot can go now. I'm going to see if I can wear a hole in the monitor.} 8. Kc1 Bb2+ 9. Kb1 Bc3+ 10. Kc1 Bb2+ 11. Kb1 Bc3+ 12. Kc1 Bb2+ 13. Kb1 Bc3+ 14. Kc1 Bb2+ 15. Kb1 Bc3+ 16. Kc1 Bb2+ 17. Kb1 Bc3+ 18. Kc1 Bb2+ 19. Kb1 Bc3+ 20. Kc1 Bb2+ {Stop it Duck If I end up with a hole in my monitor electrons will start leaking out and I'll get blamed for global electron warming.} 21. Kb1 Bc3+ 22. Kc1 Bb2+ {Duck! Stop it.} 23. Kb1 Bc3+ 24. Kc1 Bb2+ 25. Kb1 {Duck why don't you play Ba3+, it's the same thing.} 25... Ba3+ {OK.} 26. Qxb4 {Ha! You lose.}