Bunratty Masters 2012 (6)
Bunratty Masters Concludes
IM Malcolm Pein - Tuesday 21st February 2012
IM Malcolm Pein makes some comments about his own experience of the Bunratty Masters where he finished on a good score of 4/6.
Chess is a completely different game when you stop playing professionally, as I found out when I gave up active tournament play about twenty years ago. On the one hand, you forget your openings and there is a feeling of nakedness when you sit down at the board. On the other hand, there is a certain freedom that comes with the sense that it doesn't matter quite as much. I experienced both emotions when I played at Bunratty at the weekend. A full report will follow.
At the recent 4NCL weekend, two GMs who are taking a break from full time competitive chess, played very nice games with combinative finishes. Jonathan Rowson, the Scottish number one, has a full time job at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). Stephen Gordon has replaced Adam Hunt as the chess tutor at Woodbridge School in Suffolk for a year.
A Ledger - J Rowson
4NCL Sunningdale
Catalan v Queen's Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 c6 7.Qc2 0-0 8.0-0 b6 9.Bf4 Ba6 10.Ne5 Nfd7 11.Nxd7 Nxd7 12.Nd2 Rc8 13.Rfe1
(13.Qa4 Bxc4 14.Nxc4 b5!)
13...g5! 14.Be3 f5
Producing a Stonewall Dutch type of position where Black has eased his position with a knight exchange and has his bad bishop in play
15.f4 g4
(15...Nf6 16.fxg5 Ng4 17.Bf4 Bxg5 18.e3 is quite good for White)
16.Rac1 Bb4 17.cxd5 cxd5 18.Qa4 Bxd2 19.Bxd2 Nb8! 20.Rxc8 Qxc8 21.Rc1 Qb7 22.Qa3 Qd7
(22...Bxe2 23.Qe3 Bf3 24.Qxe6+)
23.Bb4 Rc8 24.Rxc8+ Qxc8 25.Bd6 Nc6 26.e3
(26.Qe3 Kf7 27.Kf2 would be hard to break down even if Black's minor pieces are more active)
Jonathan Rowson
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Andrew Ledger
Black to play and win
Answer 1 26...Nxd4!
0-1 26...Nxd4 27.exd4 Qc1+ 28.Kf2 Qd2+ 29.Kg1 Qe1+ 30.Bf1 Qxf1#
S Gordon - R Bates
Old Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 e4
(4...Nbd7 5.e4 could lead to a King's Indian with g6 or an Old Indian with Be7)
5.Ng1 h6 6.h3
(6.Bf4 g5 7.Bd2 Bg7 Bisguier-Bronstein 1961)
6...c6 7.Bf4 Bf5 8.e3 a6
(The plan of b7-b5 is quite good but Black never plays it. 8...Na6 or g5 and Bg7 were alternatives)
9.Qb3 Ra7
(9...b5 10.d5!?)
10.Nge2 Nbd7 11.Bh2 Be7 12.g4 Bh7 13.Bg2 0-0 14.Ng3 Qa5
(14...b5)
15.0-0 d5 16.cxd5 cxd5 17.f3!
(Attacking d5 17.Nh5!? Nxh5? 18.Nxd5)
17...Bd6?
(17...exf3 18.Bxf3 Nb6)
18.fxe4 dxe4 19.Ncxe4 Bxe4 20.Nxe4 Bxh2+ 21.Kxh2 h5
Black sharpens the struggle but he has an absent rook
22.Nxf6+ Nxf6 23.e4! hxg4 24.e5 gxh3?
The open 'h' file will prove fatal to Black
25.Qxh3 Nh7 26.Rf4!
Winning
26...Ng5 27.Qh5 f6 28.Rh4 b6 29.Rf1 Qb5 30.Qh8+ Kf7
Richard Bates
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Stephen Gordon
White to play and win
Answer 2 31.Rxf6+ gxf6 32.Qxf6+ Ke8 33.Bc6+ Rd7 34.Bxb5 Rxf6 35.Bxd7+ Kxd7 36.exf6 1-0
