1. e4 c5 2. d4 {Recent RHP opponents will recognize this, as I have been trying to absorb the lessons from Philip Corbin's Calypso Chess and Marc Esserman's Mayhem in the Morra} cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O {I considered a4 here as in some Corbin games, but eventually went for Esserman's recommendation} b5 {so he plays the move a4 would have prevented. Nge7 is more common} 8. Bb3 Be7 9. Qe2 {At each move around here I considered e5 to prevent Nf6 and hinder Black's development further} Bb7 10. Bf4 {Freeing c1} d6 11. Rfd1 {prevents e5} Qc7 12. Rac1 {I have now achieved my ideal setup} Nf6 {I was surprised by this as I didn't think he could play it, because of my next move} 13. e5 {Played as planned however I realised that Black now has some mileage in Nh5 threatening Nxf4 hitting my Queen. After the game Silicon screamed Nd5! "Why?" said I. "Because you pick up the knight on c6" said my opponent and here is a sample line 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 exd5 15.Bxd5 Rc8 16.Bxc6+ Bxc6 17.Bxd6} 13. ...dxe5 {now the game goes crazy} 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxb5 {discovering on the Q} Nf3+ {Ignoring all that and allowing a further discovery on his own Queen!} 16.Qxf3 {Well if you can put your Queen en prise so can I!} axb5 17. Rxc7 Bxf3 18. gxf3 {and here I was thinking "Have I done all this work just for the two bishops?} b4 {I believe this to be the losing move. After the game my opponent said he had analyzed the game continuation as far as move 22 but had only seen Bxb8 Rxb8} 19. Ba4+ {With one ply less I could see the Bd6+ that wins the piece} Kf8 {Rxa4 fails to 20.Rc8+ Bd8 21. Rdd8+ Ke7 21. Bd6 mate}20. Bc6 Rb8 21. Rxe7 Kxe7 22. Bd6+ {The King is forced to the eighth rank} Kd8 23. Bxb8+ Kc8 24. Bg3 {I was planning things like Rd7-b7-b8} Nh5 25. Rd7 Nxg3 26. fxg3 {Black resigned. A piece down and the rook still in bed it's hopeless} 1-0
I didn't play in Kidlington myself but I went to watch for a while during round 5. The top section looked very tough and I was quite relieved that I didn't enter.
I will probably be playing the winner of the U180 section, User 261214, in a few weeks time when his team, Didcot, meet mine in the semi-final of the Oxfordshire league handicapped knock-out tournament. My team is in division 1, so we shall have to beat Didcot 4-2 to progress to the final, even though we will be heavily outgraded on all except the top board!
RHP at Kidlington Congress 2014
07 Feb '14 11:171 edit
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