David Koenig (2241) - Andrew Keleman (2212)

Bergen County Closed 3/4/02

[Notes by David Koenig]

This was by far my best fight of the tournament, and also my most inaccurately played game. There is good reason for that: it is difficult to find the best moves when the opponent is putting pressure on you! Despite the inaccuracies on both sides, it was a very fun game to play and attracted a lot of spectators. These notes are based on my analysis with FM Aviv Friedman.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 ed 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qd2 bc

This move is inferior to 6. ... dc, which gives black quick development by Be6, Rd8.

7. Nc3 Bb4?!

This is a waste of a move as black can never really afford to break up white's pawns at the cost of the two bishops. At c5 the bishop is also better placed to put pressure on f2 and slow down white's plan of f2-f4 after castling.

8. Bd3 Ne7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Qf4?!

Not a bad move, but not the best way to play for the advantage. This is often a good plan if black has played dxc6, because the c7 pawn can be weak, but here black can play d6. Better is 10. Kh1 with the idea of f2-f4 (Then if 10. ... d5 11. Qf4! is more annoying.) or even 10. Qe2!? offering a pawn for two bishops and a slight lead in development.

10. ... Qxf4 11. Bxf4 d6 12. Na4?!

A good idea in spirit, to win the two bishops by a3, b4, Nxb6, but it is too slow in this position.

12. ... Ng6?!

12. ... f5! would break up white's pawn center and gain time on white's bishop on f4, giving black equal chances. After 13. Bg5 Ng6 for instance, white has to worry about f5-f4 trapping the bishop.

13. Be3 Ne5 14. Be2 Be6

Superficially black's plan looks good, as he has developed his pieces to the center, and in case of a3, b4 they are well placed to target the c4 square. However, they are targets for the advance of the f pawn, and he has taken the sting out of his own f7-f5 break, as now it can be met by f2-f4 followed by Bf3, when white gets a lot of pressure on the f3-a8 diagonal. Black is in danger of falling into a passive position where white's greater central control can leave him without much to do.

15. a3 Ba5 16. b3

Not hurrying to win the bishop, but taking the c4 square away from his other minor pieces, so I can push them back. But 15. c3 first may be better, as white will likely want to push the c pawn to c4 eventually anyway, and the a-pawn may be better at a2 to protect b3.

16. ... Bb6?

This move is incomprehensible to me. Keleman gives me exactly what I want, the two bishops, without having to weaken the c4 square. 16. ... c5 is a much better move, when both the bishop on a5 and the knight on a4 are stuck on the edge of the board, but at least the bishop has a little more influence, controlling d2 and e1. After 17. h3! with ideas of both c2-c4 and f2-f4, I would still be a little better, but it was his best option in this position.

17. Nxb6 ab 18. h3!

Immediately threatening to win a piece by f2-f4-f5.

18. ... c5 19. f4 Nc6 20. Bb5?

I couldn't resist the opportunity to drive his knight back to a7, but this is the wrong plan. Correct is 20. Bf3! Rad8 21. c4! when black is in big trouble. White has the two bishops and undisputed control of all sides of the board. Black has no active counterplay, as white will soon play g2-g4 denying black his only pawn break.

20. ... Na7 21. Bd3 Rfe8 22. Rfd1?!

22. Rfe1 was better, but it would not have stopped black's plan in the next note.

22. ... Bf5?

The correct plan is 22. ... Bc8!, when after Bb7, Re7, Rae8, black will have a lot of pressure on the e4 pawn and he may even be better. The Bf3 plan would have taken control of the long diagonal and prevented this maneuver.

The move played in the game leads to an unusual bishop vs. knight endgame where white has a crippled kingside pawn majority, just the reverse of the usual dxc6 Scotch lines where black has a crippled queenside majority. Even after the game my opponent thought he was better in this endgame, but this is a serious positional misjudgment. The bishop is much stronger than the knight in this sort of position with pawns on both sides of the board. Although with better defense he might have prevented white's winning plan, I find it very hard to believe that white could lose this position with careful play. At best it is a draw for black.

23. ef Rxe3 24. Kf2 Rae8 25. Re1 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Rxe1 27. Kxe1 f6

Black must play his pawn to f6 before white does, as gxf6 would break up his pawns, and g7-g6 would allow f4-f5 undoubling the pawns.

28. a4 Kf7?

The losing move. There is no reason to leave the king on a white square. 28. ... Kf8 was much better or, as my opponent suggested after the game, 28. ... d5, though then after 29. ... Ba6! my bishop will harass the pawns and the knight. Also, black must avoid 28. ... Nc6 29. Be4 Nd4?? 30. c3! trapping the knight.

29. Bc4 Ke7 30. Bd5!

Trapping the knight at a7.

30. ... c6 31. Bg8! h6 32. Be6

Now white has induced a weakness on the kingside, and the time it takes for black to resuscitate the knight on a7 allows a winning breakthrough on the kingside.

32. ... d5 33. Ke2 Kd8 34. Kf3 Nc8 35. Kg4 Nd6?!

35. ... Ne7 would have prevented the king's entry, but would leave black too passively placed to support a pawn advance on the kingside. White would continue with Kh5, g4, h4, g5, forcing black to trade and eventually give white a passed pawn. Now, however, white has a forced win.

36. Kh5 c4

If 36. ... Ke8 37. Kg6 Kf8 38. Bd7 wins a pawn, and eventually the game.



37. bc!

Of course I don't want to allow 37. Kg6 cb 38. cb d4, when I must lose time with b4 to bring the bishop back. By now, I had already calculated to the end of the game. It may seem far away, 10 moves, but all the moves are forced. Before reading the rest of the moves, see if you can calculate it to the finish, or at least try to visualize the sequence without moving the pieces.

37. ... Nxc4 38. Kg6 Ne3 39. g4 Nxc2 40. Kxg7 d4 41. g5!

There is no need to stop the d-pawn, as this wins by force. Keleman saw the end here, but played it out for the benefit of the spectators.

41. ... hg 42. fg d3 43. gf d2 44. f7 d1Q 45. f8Q Kc7 46. Qc8 Kd6 47. Qd7 1-0

A cute finish to a hard fought game.