Positions from My Youth II-A
03 Apr '22 16:29Here is another tournament position I reached as a youngster and where I did not find the best continuation. It's from a game where I was rated 1270 USCF and was Black against Pat Regan (1291) in the Edison (New Jersey, USA) First Sunday of the Month Quad on 7 April 1974.
The following position was reached after 12. Qe3.
Black has to decide how to defend the g5-pawn, which is attacked twice and defended only once.
The sound course seems to be 12...h6, followed by 13...a5 (so that the knight can then enter c5 without being harassed by b4...) and 14...Nc5. However, it wouldn't be easy for Black to exploit his extra pawn, being that it's doubled. I therefore rejected 12...h6 and instead played 12...Bh6, setting up the potential discovery by ...g4.
This reasoning was flawed in several respects. First, the "threat" to dissolve the doubled pawn by 13...g4 14. Qxh6 gxf3 15. gxf3 Rxf3 would have left White with considerable attacking chances after 16. O-O-O followed shortly by the advance of White's h-pawn. Second, 13. g4 would fix the g5-pawn, where it would remain pinned and would soon be further attacked by h4... (White would prepare h4... by protecting the f3-knight, so that h4... couldn't be answered by ...gxh4; Qxh6 Rxf3.) If Black played 13...Kg7, the bishop would be defended but would have no escape after 14. h4 gxh4 15. g5 (15...Rxf3 would lose to 16. gxh6+.).
White in fact replied 13. g4.
The direct attempt to break the pin by 13...Rf4 might lead to the following sequence (depicted as starting with 13. g4).
Returning to the position after 13. g4,
another idea is 13...Nf6, so that 14. h4 or 14. Nxg5 could be answered by 14...Nxg4 (14. Nxg5 Nxg4 15. hxg4 Bxg5 16. Qh3 Rf7, and White's minor pieces will be hard-pressed to find useful squares, and her a-rook won't be easy to mobilize).
However, Black hastened to break the pin by direct tactics.
13...Qf6 14. Be2 Qf4 15. Qxf4
How should Black recapture?
To be continued...
(A list of the threads I've initiated at this forum is available at http://www.davidlevinchess.com/chess/RHP_my_threads.htm .)
The following position was reached after 12. Qe3.
Black has to decide how to defend the g5-pawn, which is attacked twice and defended only once.
The sound course seems to be 12...h6, followed by 13...a5 (so that the knight can then enter c5 without being harassed by b4...) and 14...Nc5. However, it wouldn't be easy for Black to exploit his extra pawn, being that it's doubled. I therefore rejected 12...h6 and instead played 12...Bh6, setting up the potential discovery by ...g4.
This reasoning was flawed in several respects. First, the "threat" to dissolve the doubled pawn by 13...g4 14. Qxh6 gxf3 15. gxf3 Rxf3 would have left White with considerable attacking chances after 16. O-O-O followed shortly by the advance of White's h-pawn. Second, 13. g4 would fix the g5-pawn, where it would remain pinned and would soon be further attacked by h4... (White would prepare h4... by protecting the f3-knight, so that h4... couldn't be answered by ...gxh4; Qxh6 Rxf3.) If Black played 13...Kg7, the bishop would be defended but would have no escape after 14. h4 gxh4 15. g5 (15...Rxf3 would lose to 16. gxh6+.).
White in fact replied 13. g4.
The direct attempt to break the pin by 13...Rf4 might lead to the following sequence (depicted as starting with 13. g4).
Returning to the position after 13. g4,
another idea is 13...Nf6, so that 14. h4 or 14. Nxg5 could be answered by 14...Nxg4 (14. Nxg5 Nxg4 15. hxg4 Bxg5 16. Qh3 Rf7, and White's minor pieces will be hard-pressed to find useful squares, and her a-rook won't be easy to mobilize).
However, Black hastened to break the pin by direct tactics.
13...Qf6 14. Be2 Qf4 15. Qxf4
How should Black recapture?
To be continued...
(A list of the threads I've initiated at this forum is available at http://www.davidlevinchess.com/chess/RHP_my_threads.htm .)
