Rd3 Spanish Tch
You can follow the Spanish Tch HERE. As well, LIVE game can be seen HERE.
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CROSS TABLE AFTER 3 ROUNDS
The rules are that 2 teams descend the division, and for this reason my team MUST win today! Though one of the lower ranked teams, EEB is a compact group of–for the most part– under-rated players. In the first round we were winning at one point, and should have not done less than a draw (but we lost!), and in the second round we also had a drawn match but failed to realize it.
YESTERDAY the match should have also been a draw, but I screwed up a TOTALLY winning game when short of time. Infact, it was–up to the point that my opponent could have resigned with a clear conscience–one of my best efforts ever:
Navara,D (2715) –Spraggett,K
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 Nf6 7.O-O Be7 8.Be3 O-O 9.f4 d6 10.a4 Bd7 !? ( 10…Rd8 ) 11.Ndb5 Qb8 12.g4 a6 13.Na3 Be8!? ( 13…d5!? 14.e5 ( 14.exd5 Nb4 15.dxe6 Bxe6 16.f5 Rd8 ) Ne8 15.Nc4 Qc7! ) 14.Nc4 Nd7 15.a5 Qc7 16.Na4Rd8 17.g5 Nc5 18.Qe1?! d5!? ( 18…Nxa4! gives a clear advantage:19.Rxa4Nd4 20.Bxd4 Bxa4 21.Bb6 ( 21.b3 d5 ) Qc6 22.Bxd8 Rxd8 23.b3 Qxe424.bxa4 d5 ) 19.Bxc5 Bxc5+ 20.Nxc5 dxc4 ( 20…Nd4!? might be stronger ) 21.Bxc4Nd4!? ( more precise is 21…Ne5! 22.Nxb7 Qxb7 23.fxe5 Bb5 24.Bxb5 Qxb5 and White has a horrible position ) 22.b4 Nxc2 23.Qc3! Nd4! (Taking the Rook loses to Nxe6!) 24.Rad1 e5! Black is only slightly better 25.Kh1 Bc6 26.f5 Kh8 27.f6 g6 28.Rd3 Nb5 29.Rxd8 Rxd8 30.Qh3?! White did not see that he is simply hanging the pawn! 30…Bxe4+! 31.Kg1 Bc6 ( Good enough, but 31…Nd4 is stronger: 32.Qh6 Rg8 and White has no good move)
gm Spraggett
gm Navara
White is a pawn down for nothing with a much worse position. His King is open and all I need do is get my Queen into play and give a check on d4. If now 32.Qh6 Rg8 33.Bxb5 Bxb5 34.Rf3 Be2 etc or if instead 33.Ne6 Qd6! and it is all over. Resigning is a good alternative, but some clever fellow once pointed out that you can not win if you do that…COMPLETELY DESPERATE, my youthful opponent shocked me with a really weak move:
32.Ne6 ??!!
Here I had about 3 minutes on the clock but understood that my opponent was bluffing. I also realized that I could win with 32…fxe6! and White has nothing, for instance, 33.Qh6 ( 33.Qxe6 Nd4 34.Qe7 Qd7 ) ( or if 33.f7 Qd6 ) Nd6 and now simply 33…Qf7.
But chess is more than just moves…it is also a game between two humans who, when short of time and under great pressure, can do crazy things that even they can not fully explain afterwards! Even though I knew I could win by taking the Knight, I suppose I fooled myself into believing that I had an even stronger move (Lasker’s axiom) I played
32…Qd7?? 33.Nxd8!!
Now it is only a draw!
33…Qxh3 34.Nxf7+ Kg8 35.Nd8+ Kf8 36.Ne6+ Ke8 37.f7+ Kd7 38.Nf8+
Now ofcourse 38…Kc7 39.Ne6+ Kd7 =, but my mind tricked me and I thought I could win with the next move, completely overlooking White’s reply! Even so, the game should still be a draw!! However, after reaching time control I suppose I was so shell shocked that I just could not think properly and even lost! After the game my opponent apologized for winning…but I told him that was not necessary: we both played equally badly!
38…Kd6 39.Rf6+! Kc7 40.Ne6+ Kd7 41.Nc5+ Kc7 42.Rxc6+ Kxc6 43.f8=Q Qg4+ 44.Kf2 ( 44.Kh1 {!} Qxc4 45.Qc8+Kd5 46.Qxb7+ Kd4 47.Qe4+ Kc3 48.Qxc4+ Kxc4 49.Nxa6 e4 { probably drawn}) Qd4+ ( 44…Nd6= ) 45.Kf3 Qd1+ {?} ( 45…e4+ 46.Nxe4( 46.Kg2 {!} Qxc4 47.Qc8+ Kd5 48.Qxb7+ Ke5 49.Qe7+ Kf4 ) Qxc4 = 46.Kg3 Qg1+ {?} 47.Kh3 Nd6 {?} 48.Qf3+ Kc7 49.Bf1 e4 {?}50.Qf4 1-0 Finally
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My team mate Viktor Moskalenko (right) also had an incredibly chaotic game against the Spanish superstar Paco Vallejo, but he managed to win it!
Moskalenko, Viktor–Vallejo Pons, F (2706)
1.b3 d5 2.e3 e5 3.Bb2 Bd6 4.f4 exf4 5.Bxg7
gm Vallejo
gm Moskalenko
This looks like a game between two amateurs who have no idea what they are doing!
5…Qh4+ 6.g3 fxg3 7.Bg2 gxh2+ 8.Kf1 Bg4!!
Viktor told me earlier today that this strong move is new and actually refutes the line! Viktor has promised to send me the analysis of this game when the tournament is over, and I will publish it here for my readers to get even more insight into this incredible encounter. Apparently around move 14 Black missed a killing move.
9.Nf3 Qh5 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.Bxh8 Nd7 12.e4 O-O-O 13.Bd4 Rg8 14.Qe2 Ng6 15.Qf2 Bh3 16.Bxh3 Nf4 17.Bxd7+ Kxd7 18.Rxh2 Nh3 19.Nxd5 Rg6 20.e5 Qf5 21.Ne3 Rg1+ 22.Nxg1 1-0——————————————-
AND last but not least, Eric lost yesterday from a complicated game where I thought he stood better. But it made little difference to the team result, as Eric’s team got crushed. Eric has been playing well so far, but it is difficult to play for hours on end when you are suffering from poor health. Apparently Eric’s nose started to bleed when he ran short of time…HOPEFULLY, Eric will quickly recover.
As a note, I also learned yesterday that Aman got robbed in Valencia. The thieves got away with Aman’s expensive phone. Fortunately, Aman is well and was not harmed.
