Sunday, February 20, 2022

Half note

Stockfish – Pedone
Top Chess Engine Championship Season 19 — FRC2 Semileague 1; tcec-chess.com, November 19, 2020
rkqnbnrb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RKQNBNRB w GAga - 0 1

Position #715

1. d4 d5 2. g4 g5 3. e3 e6. Holding on to the symmetry as long as possible, but 3. ... Bc6 also came into consideration, in order to reply to 4. c4 with 4. ... dxc4 5. Bxc6 Nxc6 6. Qxc4 Qe8 followed by a-side castling (... 0-0-0). 4. c4 f6 (4. ... dxc4!? 5. Qxc4 Nd7) 5. a3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 h5?! The immediate ... Nf8-d7-b6 seems more to the point. 7. h3 hxg4 8. hxg4


8. ... Nf7? 8. ... Nd7 was still Black’s best play and probably the last opportunity of coordinating its development plans; after 9. Nc3 Nb6 10. Qb3 a5 11. Ng3 Bg7 12. 0-0-0 Bf8 13. Kb1 Nc6 White stands better but Black has its fighting chances (14. d5 Nb4!?). 9. Ba5! Nd6 10. Qb3! Nd7 11. Nc3 Nb6 12. Bb4 Qd7?!


13. Bxd6! cxd6 14. a4 Bg6+ 15. e4 0-0-0. 15. ... d5 is equally met by 16. Ne3 with a crushing bind — moreover, White can still castle on both wings. 16. Ne3 Kb8 17. a5 Na8. 17. ... Nc8 does not make much difference as after 18. Ra4 d5 19. Ka2 White’s attack develops easily and smoothly. 18. Ra4 Nc7 19. a6 b6 20. Nc4 Na8. After 20. ... Nd5 21. Nxd5 exd5 22. Nxb6! everything falls apart. 21. d5! Rc8 22. Rd1 e5 23. Na5 Bf7 24. Bf3 Nc7 25. Be2 Ka8 26. Rc1 Be8 27. Rb4 Qd8 28. Na4. Threatening to take on b6 either with the Rook or with the Knight. 28. ... Bxa4 29. Qxa4 Qe8


30. Qb3! Rg7. Or 30. ... bxa5 31. Rb7+− with the threat of 32. Rxa7+ Kxa7 33. Qb7# 31. Rbc4 Rh7 32. R4c3 Kb8 33. Bb5 Nxa6. Desperation, but if 33. ... Qf7 then 34. Qc4 forcing mate in a few moves. 34. Bxa6 Rc5 35. Rxc5 dxc5 36. d6 Rc7 37. Qd5 Qd7 38. Rd1 Rc8 39. Bxc8 Qxc8 40. d7 Qxd7 41. Qxd7 bxa5 42. Qe7 a4 43. Rd8# 1 : 0.

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