May Grand Prix

CS - JD
May Grand Prix Owen Sound, ON (1), 28.05.2006
D31 - QGD : Semi-Slav

First round of the Grand Prix. An interesting setup by Bev. Your top 3 tournaments (out of 5) count towards the Grand Prix title, and they have round robins. Top 6, next 6 etc. and the Grand Prix winner is based on top 3 performances, regardless of division. Kinda neat. 1.d4 I wasn't sure what to play. I remember he was looking at the Queen's Indian previously so I was hoping he'd play a Nimzo. Unfortunately he played the Queen's Gambit (still my bane after all these years) 1...d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 b6? [I figured either the Noteboom 4...dxc4 ;
the Semi-Slav 4...Nf6 ;
or the Dutch 4...f5 . I asked him after the game what his idea was and he wanted to play ...Bd6 without allowing c5] 5.Bf4 I stop that 5...Nf6 6.e3 Bb4 [6...Bd6 was still playable] 7.Bd3 Ne4 8.Bxe4 dxe4 9.Nd2 c5? [9...f5 was pretty much forced 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qh6 looks pretty tough though] 10.Ndxe4 Bb7? Dropping a piece? or a deep sacrifice 11.Nd6+ Ke7 12.Nxb7 Qd7 13.Nd6? [13.Qf3 was stronger] 13...cxd4 14.Qxd4 Bxd6 15.Bxd6+? [15.Qxg7 was better as 15...Rd8 (15...Bxf4 16.Qxh8) 16.Bg5+ I didn't calculate at all. This should be a lesson for the near future] 15...Qxd6 16.Qxg7 Rd8 17.0-0 Rd7 18.Rad1 [18.Ne4 Qd3 19.Qxh7] 18...Qb4 19.Rxd7+ [19.Qg5+ f6 20.Qg8 Qxb2 21.Qxh7+ Ke8 22.Qg8+ Ke7 23.Nb5] 19...Nxd7 20.Rd1 Qxc4 21.Qxh7 Rd8 22.Qd3 Qc6 23.Qe4 Qc5 24.h3 Maybe I had better but I was up two pawns so I'd get rid of his one threat (back rank) 24...Nf6 25.Qb7+ Rd7 26.Rxd7+ Nxd7 27.Qxa7 Qb4 28.Qa3 1-0

VR - CS
May Grand Prix Owen Sound, ON (2), 28.05.2006
B12 - Caro-Kann : Advanced Variation

1.e4 c6 The inevitable return of the Caro! How long before I retire it again 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Bd3 An old favourite. I love the Advanced Variation when White has no clue how to proceed 4...Bxd3 5.Qxd3 e6 6.f4 Qa5+! Nimzowitsch's suggestion. 7.Bd2 [Courtney-C.Sadler, Barrie 2003 went 7.c3 Qa6 8.Qxa6 Nxa6 9.Nf3 c5 and I ended up drawing] 7...Qa6 8.Qxa6 Nxa6 I'm more than happy with my position. His good bishop is off, the queens are off and he has weakened his position with f4 9.Nf3 Ne7 10.Nc3 c5 [I got impatient. I should've seen where his king was going before deciding whether pushing c5 was good at this time or not. and whether the knight on e7 belongs on g6 or c5 or f5 potentially 10...h6 ] 11.Nb5! An excellent square for his knight. 11...Nc6 Now my knight is not as good on a6 as i thought he was 5 moves ago 12.c3 [12.Be3;
12.a3 was another prophylactic try] 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Kd7 14.Ng5 [Again 14.a3 might be okay] 14...f6 15.Nf3?! [15.Nf7 was much better] 15...Nab4 16.Ke2 a6 17.Nc3 [17.Na3 was better, this drops a pawn] 17...Nc2 18.Rab1 N2xd4+ 19.Nxd4 Nxd4+ 20.Kd3 fxe5 21.fxe5 Nc6 22.Bf4 Bc5 [22...g5 was trickier but being up material simpler was better 23.Bxg5 Nxe5+ although the g-pawn hangs after 24.Ke3 (24.Ke2 Rg8 25.Bf4 Nc4 (25...Rxg2+ 26.Kf1 is good for White 26...Nd3 27.Kxg2 Nxf4+ 28.Kf3 Bd6) ; 24...Rg8 25.Bf4 Bc5+ 26.Kd2 Rxg2+] 23.Na4 Ba7 24.Be3? Nxe5+ [24...d4 25.Bf4 b5] 25.Ke2 Bxe3 26.Kxe3 Kd6 27.Rhf1 b5 28.Nc3 Nc4+ [28...b4 29.Na4 Rac8 30.Rbc1] 29.Kd3 Rhf8 30.b3 Rxf1 31.Rxf1 Ne5+ 32.Kd4 Ra7 33.Rf8 Rf7 34.Rd8+ Nd7 35.Ra8 e5+ 36.Kd3 Nc5+ 37.Ke2 Kc6 38.Rc8+ Rc7 39.Rf8 b4 0-1

- AB
May Grand Prix Owen Sound, ON (3), 28.05.2006
D34 - QGD: Tarrasch, Prague variation, 9.Bg5

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.g3"Against Both I don't understand your opening choice. If you wanted to play positionally against him, then create the isolated pawn and develop your pieces to better squares. For example 6.Bg5 Be7 7.dxc5 " (HJ);
Hans' advice makes good sense even at a less lofty level like mine 6.Bg5 is the reason why Black plays Nc6 before Nf6] 6...Nc6 7.Bg5 Be7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 [" 9.dxc5 d4 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Ne4 with good play." (HJ)] 9...b6 10.dxc5 bxc5 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.Qxd5 [12.Nxd5 Bxb2 13.Rb1 Rb8 14.Nd2 Ba6 15.Ne4 Qa5 +- Sveshnikov-Filipenko, SSSR 1978;
"However creating the hanging pawns was not an advantage for you. Even the better 12.Nxd5 keeping the queens on which gives you more play is not clearly better. Even best case scenario if you win the isolated c-pawn this is an almost impossible position to convert" (HJ)] 12...Qxd5 13.Nxd5 Bxb2 14.Rab1 Rb8 Of course I missed this move 15.Nd2 Ba6 16.Rfe1 [16.Nc7 Bxe2 17.Bxc6 Bxf1 18.Kxf1 is an interesting try but I would never have looked for it although it does give me lots of play 18...Be5 19.Rxb8 Rxb8 20.Nd5] 16...Rfd8 17.Nb3 [17.Nc7 Rxd2 18.Nxa6 Rc8 19.Nxc5 was good as well] 17...Be5 18.Nxc5 Rxb1 19.Rxb1 Bxe2 20.Re1 Nd4 21.Rb1 ["Later on you missed 21.f4 (a nice pawn shot!) and its complicated but I like your chances after say 21...Nf3+ 22.Bxf3 Bd4+ 23.Kg2 Bxf3+ 24.Kxf3 Bxc5 25.Rd1! and you are a bit better because of your king placement but not enough to win" (HJ)] 21...Nf3+ 22.Bxf3 Bxf3 23.Ne3= g6 24.h4 Rd2 25.Nc4 Re2 26.Nxe5 Rxe5 27.Nd3 Ra5 28.Ne1 [28.Nb4 Ra4 29.Rb3 is better] 28...Bd5 29.Nd3 Kg7 30.Nb4 Be6 31.Ra1 Ra4 32.a3 Kf6 33.f4 ["You should have never lost this game. You didn't use your king until it was too late. You should have left your pawn on f2 and played 33.Kf1 -- 34.Ke1 -- 35.Kd2 and just tried to hold the position (he's better). Those half points end up costly in the long run" (HJ)] 33...Kf5 34.Kf2 Ke4 35.Nc2 Kd3 36.Nb4+ Kc3 37.Ke3 Kb2 38.Rd1 Rxa3+ 39.Nd3+ Kb3 40.Kd4 Kc2 Of course he was right. I'm paying the guy I should start listening to him :( 0-1

LR - CS
May Grand Prix Owen Sound, ON (4), 28.05.2006
B12 - Caro-Kann : Advanced Variation

1.e4 My opponent is the father of the kid I played in the second round 1...c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Like father like son 3...Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 After the game he mentioned that "after you played ...e6 it transposed into a French" ;) He must've missed the fact my bishop was outside the pawn chain 5.Nc3 [5.Be2 is mainline, keeping the option of pushing the c-pawn. again White was playing without a plan] 5...Nd7 6.Bd3 Bxd3 7.Qxd3 Ne7 8.0-0 c5 [Fritz said that 8...Nf5 might be worth a try, to put pressure on the d-pawn, but I like the tried and true ...c5 push] 9.dxc5 Nc6! I was happy with this move. It's thematic, but I'm happy nonetheless. I grab the c-pawn with my bishop then go after the e-pawn 10.a3 Bxc5 11.Bf4 a6 To stop Nb4 12.Ne2 Qc7 now I'm going for the pawn 13.c4 dxc4 14.Qxc4 Ncxe5 i have no problem grabbing either as 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Qc3 [16.Bxe5 Qxe5 is good or(16...Bxf2+ 17.Rxf2 Qxc4) ] 16...Bd6 17.Qxc7 Bxc7 18.Rfd1 Rd8 and for some reason he trades down into a lost pawn endgame 19.Bxe5? Bxe5 20.Rxd8+ Kxd8 interestingly enough I didn't castle in either Caro this tournament 21.Rd1+ Ke7 22.Nc3 Bxc3 23.bxc3 Rd8 24.Rxd8? Kxd8 and it's a walkover from here 25.Kf1 b5 26.Ke2 Kd7 27.Kd3 Kc6 28.Kd4 f6 29.f4 h5 30.h3 g6 31.c4 bxc4 32.Kxc4 Kd6 33.a4 e5 34.fxe5+ fxe5 35.a5 g5 36.Kd3 Kd5 0-1 surprising he didn't put up more of a fight...he beat Aaron Both in the previous round


CS - KVA[D01]
May Grand Prix Owen Sound, ON (5), 28.05.2006
D01 - Veresov

1.Nc3 [This game was a sign from God not to play the Veresov anymore. I didn't want to play 1.d4 against Kees because he plays 1...d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 (forgetting that I could always have played 3.Nf3 c5 4.cxd5 avoiding his line) 3...c5 4.cxd5 cxd4] 1...Nf6 2.d4 d5 3.Bg5 g6 [Secretly hoping for 3...e6 4.e4] 4.Bxf6 [A different (better if you will) idea is 4.Qd2 with castling queenside] 4...exf6 5.e4 [5.e3 may be better as well] 5...dxe4 6.Nxe4 Bg7 7.c3 [7.Nf3 0-0 8.Be2 f5 9.Nc5 b6 10.Nb3 Bb7 11.0-0 Nd7 12.c3 Nf6 13.Re1 a6 14.a4 Re8 15.a5 Nd5 16.Bf1 Alburt-Marjanovic, Bucharest 1978] 7...0-0 I came back from the bathroom and played the usual and horrifying 8.Nf3?? missing that he had a threat 8...Re8 and it's over. I was going to play on only one piece down but after 9.Bd3?? f5 10.0-0 fxe4 it's two pieces.

A sad end to a not bad day 0-1