96th British Chess Championships 2009 (10)
David Howell beats Stewart Conquest to close in on the title
IM Malcolm Pein - Saturday 8th August 2009
David Howell seems assured of claiming his first British title as he extended his lead to a full point with just one to play at the British Championships taking place in Torquay. Howell defeated defending champion Stuart Conquest after a tense battle.
David Howell seems assured of claiming his first British title as he extended his lead to a full point with just one to play at the British Championships taking place in Torquay. Howell defeated defending champion Stuart Conquest after a tense battle in which Conquest played his usual brand of fighting chess and went all out for the win. Howell also played his part in an entertaining game and his eleventh move - see below, was an excellent idea.
Once again one of the top board games diverged from established opening theory at an early stage. The quality and creativity of the games at Torquay has been far superior to last year's tournament. Conquest entered the sharp lines of the Two Knights Defence, a romantic opening from the 19th century and ventured a sideline, 8.Bd3, first played by world title challenger Isidor Gunsberg. 8.Qf3 is another sideline and the standard plan is 8.Be2 h6 9.Nf3 or 9.Nh3!?
S Conquest - D Howell
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Nd5
(8...Bc5 Gunsberg-Chigorin 1890)
9.Ne4 f5 10.Ng3 Qf6
(10...Nf4 11.Bxf5 Nxg2+ 12.Kf1)
11.Be2 h5!?
David Howell
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Stuart Conquest
Position after 11...h5!? intending h4 harrassing the knight and possibly forcing it to h1.
12.h4
(12.Bxh5+ g6 13.Be2 Nf4 14.Bf1 c5 15.Nc3 Bb7 with excellent play. Perhaps 12.Bxh5+ g6 13.Be2 Nf4 14.Kf1!? but this is not Conquest's style. Your computer would play this way)
12...g6 13.d3 Rb8 14.Bf3 Qd8 15.Nc3 Be7 16.Qe2 Bf6 17.0-0 0-0 18.Rd1 Re8
(Black will be able to take on h4 and retain the more active pieces)
19.Qd2 Nxc3 20.bxc3 Bxh4 21.Re1 Re6 22.Ne2 Bf6 23.g3 Bd7 24.Bg2 Be8 25.Nd4 Rd6 26.Nb3 Bf7 27.Qe3 Nb7 28.Ba3 Re6 29.Rab1 Bg5
(Black becomes active on the dark squares and a file after this pawn sacrifice)
30.Qxa7 Ra8 31.Qxb7 Rxa3 32.Nc5 Re7 33.Qxc6 Rxc3 34.Qb5 Rxc2 35.Rb2 Rxb2 36.Qxb2 Bf6
(Black has some advantage. The knight is hanging and the pawns on d3 and a2 weak)
37.Qb5 Ra7 38.a4 Ra5 39.Qc6 Ra7 40.Rb1! Kg7 41.Rb6 h4 42.gxh4 e4! 43.h5
(43.dxe4 Bd4 44.e5 Qxh4 45.Qf6+ was a better try for a draw)
43...Bd4 44.Rb4 e3 45.fxe3?
(45.Ne6+ Bxe6 46.Qxe6 exf2+ 47.Kf1)
45...Bxe3+ 46.Kh1 Qe7 47.h6+
(47.Rb5 Qh4+ 48.Bh3 Qxh3#)
47...Kh7 48.Bd5 Bxd5+ 0-1
David Howell
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Stuart Conquest
Final position after 48...Bxd5+ the knight on c5 is lost
Black grabs a very hot pawn
J Hawkins - P Cumbers
Slav Defence
1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 Bb4 5.e5 Ne7 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.Qg4 Nf5 9.Bxc4 c5 10.Ne2 Nc6 11.0-0 cxd4 12.cxd4 Ncxd4 13.Nxd4 Qxd4 14.Bb5+ Ke7 15.Qe2 h6 16.Rd1 Qb6 17.Qc4 f6 18.g4 fxe5
(18...Nh4 19.Be3 Qa5 20.Qc5+ Kf7 21.Be8+ wins the queen)
19.gxf5 exf5 20.Qb4+ Kf7 21.Rd6 Qc7 22.Bc4+ Ke8 23.Qb5+ Kf8 24.Qd5 b5 25.Rd8+ Ke7 26.Rxh8 Qxc4 27.Qxc4 bxc4 28.Bb2 1-0
Round ten results: Stuart Conquest 0-1 David Howell; Richard Palliser 1-0 Aaron Summerscale; Peter Wells draw Simon Williams; Jonathan Hawkins 0-1 Gawain Jones; Paul Littlewood 0-1 Danny Gormally; Stephen Gordon draw Andrew Greet; Thomas Rendle 0-1 Mark Hebden ;
Scores with one to play: 1 Howell 8.5/10; 2-3 Williams, Hebden 7.5; 4-6 Wells, G Jones, Palliser 7; 7-12 Conquest, Lane, Gormally, Rendle, Gordon Greet 6.5
