it was a one section tournament. i scored 2/4 with poor play generally. i was upset that demmery played 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 v. me and i resigned prematurely in that game, and then in round 3 he played an advanced caro and ended up with an isolated pawn on d6, so i mentally resigned for him, figuring that my king would get to d6 first to help and i'd just be a pawn up. i ended up getting into a tough position and just made a horrible, terrible blunder (this was v. a 1359 kid). my two wins were non-games v. a 1220 and a 821 (!)
C - TW
Fall Open London, ON (1), 30.09.2006
E74 - King's Indian : Averbakh Variation, ...c5
First game of the London Fall Open. It was a one-section tournament. My buddy and me drove down. It was nice to have someone to talk to...once he starts to think over the board and play less stereotypically he will be strong. He wants to go to Guelph this summer and get a FIDE rating with me...i'll have to get stronger but i'm in ;) This guy was a kid who didn't play too strongly 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Qd2 c5 8.d5 Ne5? [This is all kinds of horrible. 8...a6 has been played in this position] 9.f4 [Fritz likes 9.Nf3 as well, but I think my move is just as good.] 9...Neg4? [9...Ned7 is completely playable] 10.h3 Nh6 [10...h6 11.Bh4 g5 is good for me] 11.0-0-0 [I didn't want to play forced moves, and he couldn't really get out of it so I held off on f5 but 11.g4! was even better! 11...Bd7 12.f5 gxf5 13.Bxh6 Bxh6 14.Qxh6 fxe4 is a tempo ahead] 11...Bd7 12.f5 gxf5 13.Bxh6 Bxh6 14.Qxh6 fxe4 15.g4 Kh8 16.g5 Ng8 17.Qh4 e6 18.Nxe4 exd5 19.Nf6 Nxf6 20.gxf6 Qe8 21.Bd3 Qe3+ 22.Kb1 h6 23.Nf3 dxc4 [23...Qxf3 24.Qxh6+ Kg8 25.Qg7#] 24.Rhe1 Qxd3+ 25.Rxd3 Bf5 26.Qxh6+ Bh7 27.Qg7# Not great by him, but it was nice to get a checkmate 1-0
C-SD
Fall Open London, ON (2), 30.09.2006
A51 - Budapest : Fajarowicz variation
Taking on the top seed in the tournament. Expert level is what I'm aiming for long term, so this is the level I want to be playing at. Unfortunately I got two whites in a row, it would have been nice to *waste* a black v. this guy :) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5!? Ga! There's a reason why I used to play Nf3 before d4 and this is one of them 3.dxe5 Ne4 Ga! Ga! [I had gotten 3...Ng4 semi-regularly online, so now (unfortunately) I'm on my own. I remembered that historically, Bisguier had played it but that's about it] 4.Qc2?! [Alekhine has had this played against him by Tartakower and he played 4.Nd2 and if 4...Bb4 (4...Nc5 5.Ngf3 Nc6 6.g3 Qe7 7.Bg2 g6 8.Nb1 Nxe5 9.0-0 Nxf3+ 10.exf3 Bg7 11.Re1 Ne6 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Nd5 Qd8 14.f4 c6 15.Nc3 d6 16.Be3 Qc7 17.Rc1 Bd7 18.Qd2 Rad8 19.Red1 Bc8 20.Ne4 Nc5 21.Nxd6 Na4 22.c5 Nxb2 23.Re1 b5 24.cxb6 Qxd6 25.Qxd6 Rxd6 26.bxa7 Bb7 27.Bc5 Rdd8 28.Bxf8 Kxf8 29.Bxc6 Bxc6 30.Rxc6 Ra8 31.Rb6 Rxa7 32.Rb8# Alekhine-Tartakower 1932. This is a better line than what I played, definitely ;)) 5.Ngf3 -- 6.a3 "getting the two bishops". I definitely won't be so unprepared in the future. ] 4...d5 5.exd6 Bf5 6.Qb3 [In the past I have had 6.Nc3 Ng3 played against me and the computer claims that 7.Qa4+ Bd7 8.Nb5 is better for White, but it's definitely tricky. I need to work harder over the board] 6...Nc6 7.Nf3 [I wanted to play something like 7.g4 to kick the bishop by 7...Bxg4 8.Qxb7 Bd7] 7...Bxd6 8.e3 Bb4+ 9.Nc3 a5! A strong idea that I didn't see. Even after he played it I underestimated it's strength 10.Bd2 Nxd2 11.Nxd2 a4 12.Qd1 a3 13.Qb3 axb2 14.Qxb2 Qf6 15.Nd1 [15.Rc1 Ba3 16.Qxb7 Ra7 17.Nd5 Qg6 -+] 15...Bxd2+ 16.Kxd2 0-0-0+ and I resigned, probably prematurely. It was gonna be tough though. My rook is completely out of play and it's gonna be tough to get him in. Plus I was tired from defending etc. etc. 0-1
EH - C
Fall Open London, ON (3), 30.09.2006
B12 - Caro-Kann : Advanced Variation
1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.d4 e6 5.c4 Nd7 6.Nc3 Ne7 [6...h6 7.a3 Ne7 8.c5 a5 9.Bd2 Bg4 10.Be2 Nf5 11.Bc1 b6 12.cxb6 Qxb6 13.Na4 Qa7 14.Be3 c5 15.dxc5 Nxe3 16.fxe3 Bxc5 17.Nxc5 Qxc5 18.Rc1 Qxe3 19.h3 Bxf3 20.gxf3 Qxe5 21.Rg1 0-0 22.Qd2 Rfb8 23.Rb1 d4 24.Kf2 Rb3 25.Rxg7+ Kxg7 26.Rg1+ Kf8 27.Qxh6+ Ke7 28.Qh4+ Nf6 29.Rg5 Qe3+ 30.Kf1 Rxb2 31.Rg2 Rb1+ Alne-Hersvik NOR-ch Junior 2001 0-1;
I wonder if I shouldn't have played relatively "normally" and played this 6...Bb4 7.Bd2 dxc4 8.Bxc4] 7.Be3 [7.Be2 dxc4 8.Bxc4 Nb6 9.Be2 Ned5 10.0-0 Be7 11.a4 a5 12.Re1 Nb4 13.Rf1 Nc2 14.Ra2 0-0 15.b3 Nb4 16.Rd2 N4d5 17.Bb2 Nxc3 18.Bxc3 Nd5 19.Bb2 Bb4 Nicholson-Medvegy Cork Congress 2005 0-1] 7...Qc7? [7...dxc4;
or 7...Qb6 was better. My queen is exposed to harassment from the knight on c7] 8.Bd3 dxc4 [After waiting so long for him to move his bishop I didn't even look (at the strong) 8...Bxd3 9.Qxd3 dxc4 10.Qxc4 Nb6 11.Qb3 for instance 11...Ned5 and I'm better] 9.Bxc4 c5?? [9...Nb6 was better. I didn't even notice that d5 was mine for the taking;
"You were obviously affected still in your 3rd game. Instead of playing solid as you started to do - you uncorked the howler 9. ...c5? which would have allowed 10.Nb5 winning if your opponent had seen it. You had a great position with just 9...a6 preparing 10.-- c5 (or even 10...0-0-0 before playing ...c5" (HJ)) ] 10.0-0 [10.Nb5!] 10...cxd4 [you further compounded your troubled by playing cxd4 before you were properly set up. (again just 10...a6 " (HJ)] 11.Qxd4 [11.Nb5!] 11...Nc6 12.Nb5 finally, but it is not as strong now 12...Qd8 13.Qd2 a6? "You finally played a6 when it was too late goading him into Nd6+ which was great for him (all his pieces were active) Instead of finding counterplay you traded off pieces and allowed him to come in. Obviously you were not yourself in that game." (HJ) [13...Ncxe5! and I'm better 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Qc3 (15.Qxd8+ Rxd8 16.Be2 a6 17.Nc7+ Kd7) 15...Nxc4;
13...Ndxe5 14.Qxd8+ Rxd8 15.Nxe5 Nxe5] 14.Nd6+ Bxd6 15.exd6 0-0 16.Nd4 Nxd4 17.Qxd4 Rc8 18.Rac1 Nf6 [18...e5 19.Qd2 b5 20.Bb3 Qf6 (20...Rxc1 21.Rxc1 Nf6 22.Qc3) ] 19.Rfd1 Qd7 20.Bb3 Rxc1 21.Rxc1 Rc8? [21...Rd8 22.Rc7 Qxd6 23.Qxd6;
21...Nd5 22.Bxd5 exd5 23.Qxd5 Be6 24.Qd1 Rd8 25.Bb6] 22.Rxc8+ Qxc8 23.Qb6 Nd7 [23...Nd5 24.Bxd5 exd5 25.Qc7 and now my bishop is guarding that diagonal] 24.Qd4 b5 25.Qa7 h6 [25...Be4 and again making my bishop useful] 26.Qc7 Qe8 27.Bd1 e5 [27...Be4 again] 28.Qc6 Nb8?? [28...a5 29.Qxb5 Qe6 30.Qxa5 Qxd6 Not a great game at all] 1-0
DD - C
Fall Open London, ON (4), 30.09.2006
B11 - Caro-Kann : Two Knights Variation
Not much to say about this one. The guy was an elderly gentleman and he said his rating was 821 "and he earned every point of it" 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bg4 5.Be2 Nd7 6.Neg5 h6 7.d4 hxg5 8.Nxg5 Bxe2 9.Qxe2 Ngf6 10.Qc4 e6 11.0-0 Qc7 12.Bd2?? Qxh2# 0-1
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Hi Craig,
Too bad. Obviously you let Steve's opening get to you. FYI that is the Fajarowicz Gambit. Sometimes opening knowledge is critical. Steve likes the Fajarowicz but it is unsound due to a simple move - a3 which is best for you on move 4 and it stops his tactics or even at move 7. You were obviously affected still in your 3rd game. Instead of playing solid as you started to do - you uncorked the howler 9...c5?? which would have allowed 10.Nb5 winning if your opponent had seen it. You had a great position with just 9...a6 preparing c5 or even 000 before playing c5 (after a6) then after he played 10.00 you further compounded your troubled by playing cxd4 before you were properly set up. (again just a6). You finally played a6 when it was too late goading him into Nd6+ which was great for him (all his pieces were active) Instead of finding counterplay you traded off pieces and allowed him to come in. Obviously you were not yourself in that game. (sometimes its hard to recover after a bad loss). Years ago (in the 80's) I had trouble with Brian Hartman. It seemed like every tournament I played in he was there and I always played him. In almost every game he was white and for a while I thought all the tournament directors were against me. I must of lost 15 in a row against him (he was white in every one) and it affected my whole tournament as I usually lost another stupid game to a nobody because of that result. I finally studied Hartmans games and learned how to play him as Black and it got so that he was uncomfortable playing me. However that advice isnt going to help you because you dont play Steve Demmery enough to warrant that treatment. You obviously cant prepare against every unorthodox opening out there so the best I can do as advice is when you are caught by the unexpected use plenty of time to compose yourself and find solid moves. For example 4.Qc2 is not the best but having played it I would have played as you did with en passant but then Qd1 and followed by a3 keeping very solid and making him prove his position (Qb3 allowed tricks further along). Even though you are behind in development your position is impossible to crack and you are a pawn up.
Sorry the tournament did not work out for you but these things happen.
Hans
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