[Event "Land of the Sky Open"]
[Site "Asheville NC USA"]
[Date "2003.01.31"]
[Round "1"]
[White "FM 2300"]
[Black "Hathaway"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A43"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. a4 O-O
8. h3 Na6 9. O-O Nc7 10. Bc4 a6 11. e5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 b5 13. axb5 Bxb5
14. Bxb5 Nxb5 15. Nc6 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Qd6 17. Qf3 Rfe8 18. Rd1 e5
19. c4 Nd7 20. Rb1 e4 21. Bf4 Be5 22. Bxe5 Nxe5 23. Qc3 Nxc6
24. dxc6 Qxc6 25. Rd5 Rad8 26. Rbd1 Rxd5 27. cxd5 Qd6 28. Qe3 f5
29. g3 Rb8 30. c4 Rb4 31. g4 Rb7 32. gxf5 gxf5 33. Kh1 Rg7 34. Ra1 Qg6
35. Qg3 Qxg3 36. fxg3 Rxg3 37. Rxa6 Rxh3+ 38. Kg2 Rc3 39. Rf6 Rxc4
40. Rxf5 Rd4 41. Kf2 Kg7 42. Ke3 Kg6 43. Re5 Kf6 44. Re6+ Kf5
45. Rh6 Rd3+ 46. Ke2 Rxd5 47. Rh5+ Ke6 48. Rxh7 Ke5 49. Re7+ Kd4
50. Kd2 c4 51. Re8 Rd6 52. Re7 Rd8 53. Re6 c3+ 54. Kc2 Rc8 55. Re7 Ke3
56. Re6 Kf3 57. Rf6+ Ke2 58. Re6 e3 59. Re7 Kf2 60. Rf7+ Ke2 61. Re7 Rc4
62. Re8 Rc5 63. Re7 Kf3 64. Rf7+ Ke4 65. Rf1 e2 66. Rh1 Ke3
0-1

Antonio Torrecillas wrote:
En/na Mark Hathaway ha escrit:

[Event "Land of the Sky Open"]
[Site "Asheville NC USA"]
[Date "2003.01.31"]
[Round "1"]
[White "FM 2300"]
[Black "Hathaway"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A43"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. a4 O-O
8. h3 Na6 9. O-O Nc7 10. Bc4 a6 11. e5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 b5

I'm a little disappointed you didn't say something, anything,
about 12...b5. It's not the usual. :-(

13. axb5 Bxb5

And, this move is something different too.

14. Bxb5 Nxb5 15. Nc6 Nxc3

I think this was my most difficult move of the game.

16. bxc3 Qd6 17. Qf3 Rfe8 18. Rd1 e5

{I prefer white: has better pieces and an strong passed pawn in d5.}

He does have open lines, but Black has a solid structure
and passed Pa6 and potential for his king-side to 'unwind'
to become active. At least that's what I thought at the time.

19. c4 Nd7 20. Rb1

(20. Ra5 $5 f5 21. Ba3)

This was what I had to anticipate and consider when thinking
about 15...Nxc3. That's what made it a difficult choice:
knowing it gave White Bc1-a3 to pressure Pc5.

20... e4 21. Bf4 $6
{Enter in bad tactics.} ({I prefer:} 21. Qf4 $1 $14 {with initiative for
white.})

21. Qf5 might be met by ...Nd7-e5, threatening ...Nxc4 or ...Nxc6.
In any event it does appear to be better than Bf4.

21... Be5 22. Bxe5 Nxe5 23. Qc3 $2
{Bad move, loses a pawn without compensation.} ({ The best defence is:}
23. Qg3 $1 Nxc4 24. Qc3 Ne5 25. Nxe5 Rxe5 (25... Qxe5 26.Qxc5 Rac8 27.
Qd4 Qxd4 28. Rxd4 Rxc2 29. Ra1 $11) 26. Rb6 Qe7 27. d6 {with
compensation.} (27. Qe3 $5))

He spent rather a lot of time on this move.
Your variation looks better, but it's all very complicated.

23... Nxc6 24. dxc6 Qxc6 25. Rd5 Rad8 26.Rbd1 Rxd5 27. cxd5 Qd6 28. Qe3
f5 29. g3 Rb8 30. c4 Rb4 31. g4 Rb7
({It's no possible:} 31... Rxc4 $6 32. gxf5 gxf5 33. Qg5+ Qg6 $4 (33...
Kh8 $13) 34. Qxg6+ hxg6 35. d6 $18)

32. gxf5 gxf5 33. Kh1 Rg7 34. Ra1 $2
{Suicide, after open a line white gives it to black.} (34. Rg1 Rxg1+ 35.
Kxg1 $17)

Time control was at move 35. He had less time than me,
but we were both moving pretty quickly the last few turns.

34... Qg6 $19 35. Qg3 Qxg3 36. fxg3 Rxg3 37. Rxa6 Rxh3+

{With this black goes for a difficult but won ending.}

(37... Rg6 $6 {seems easier (idea f4-f3-...), but it's so clear?.}

White can stop two passed pawns and White has one Black can
stop, so I didn't see a win there.

38. Rxg6+ $1
(38. Rc6 f4 39. d6 $1
(39.Rxc5 e3 40. d6 e2 41. Re5 f3 42. d7 Rd6 43. Kg1 Rxd7 44. Kf2 Rd1
$19)
39... Kf7 40. Rc7+ Kf6 41. Re7 e3 42. Re8 Rg7 43. Re4 Kf5 44. Re7
Rg6 45. d7 Rd6 46. Kg2 Rd2+ 47. Kf1 {and it's not so easy.})
38... hxg6
39.h4 f4 40.Kg2 Kf7 41. Kf2 Kf6 42. Ke2 Ke5 43. Kf2 f3 44. Ke3 Kf5
45.Kf2 Kf4 46. d6 e3+ 47. Kf1 $1 Kg3
(47... f2 $2 48. Kg2 $1)

48. d7 e2+ 49.Ke1 Kg2 50. d8=Q f2+ 51. Kxe2 f1=Q+ 52. Kd2
{is near to draw.})

({Another idea is:} 37... f4 $5 38. Rf6 f3 39. d6 Rg7 40. Rf4 h5 $19
{for example:} 41. Rf5 Rd7 42. Kg1 Rxd6 43. Re5 Rd4 44. Kf2 Rxc4)

38. Kg2 Rc3 39. Rf6 Rxc4 40. Rxf5 Rd4 41. Kf2 Kg7 42. Ke3 Kg6 43. Re5
Kf6 44. Re6+ Kf5 45. Rh6 Rd3+ 46. Ke2 Rxd5 47. Rh5+ Ke6 48. Rxh7 Ke5
49. Re7+ Kd4 50. Kd2 c4 51. Re8 Rd6 52. Re7 Rd8 53. Re6 c3+ 54. Kc2 Rc8
55. Re7 Ke3 56. Re6 Kf3 57. Rf6+ Ke2 58. Re6 e3 59. Re7 Kf2 60. Rf7+ Ke2
61. Re7 Rc4 62. Re8 Rc5 63. Re7 Kf3 64. Rf7+ Ke4 65. Rf1 e2 66. Rh1 Ke3 0-1

Well, at least you didn't find any terribly overwhelming
tactics either of us could've played; just a few stronger
move-choices (& variations). But, that's to be expected
as we're mere humans playing with a running clock.

Again, your notes and general impressions are pretty much
in line with what I thought was going on during the game.
Probably Qf4 rather than Bf4 would've kept it complicated
for 100 years. As it was Bf4 was just so natural and
obvious, he couldn't imagine it would lead to difficulties.
Chess is amazing that way sometimes.

En/na Mark Hathaway ha escrit:
Antonio Torrecillas wrote:

En/na Mark Hathaway ha escrit:

[Event "Land of the Sky Open"]
[Site "Asheville NC USA"]
[Date "2003.01.31"]
[Round "1"]
[White "FM 2300"]
[Black "Hathaway"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A43"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. a4 O-O
8. h3 Na6 9. O-O Nc7 10. Bc4 a6 11. e5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 b5
13. axb5 Bxb5 14. Bxb5 Nxb5 15. Nc6 Nxc3
16. bxc3 Qd6 17. Qf3 Rfe8 18. Rd1 e5

{I prefer white: has better pieces and an strong passed pawn in d5.}

He does have open lines, but Black has a solid structure
and passed Pa6 and potential for his king-side to 'unwind'
to become active. At least that's what I thought at the time.

19. c4 Nd7 20. Rb1 e4 21. Bf4 $6
{Enter in bad tactics.} ({I prefer:} 21. Qf4 $1 $14 {with initiative
for white.})

21. Qf4 might be met by ...Nd7-e5, threatening ...Nxc4 or ...Nxc6.
In any event it does appear to be better than Bf4.

I think that here is the moment to show why I think white is better:
After 21.Qf4 Ne5 22.Rb7! Qf8 23.Bb2 Nxc6 24.Bxg7 Qxg7 25.dxc6 white
wants to play Rdd7 and his pawn in c6 is dangereous. Black has a
difficult defensive task here.

(...)
Well, at least you didn't find any terribly overwhelming
tactics either of us could've played; just a few stronger
move-choices (& variations). But, that's to be expected
as we're mere humans playing with a running clock.

Again, your notes and general impressions are pretty much
in line with what I thought was going on during the game.
Probably Qf4 rather than Bf4 would've kept it complicated
for 100 years. As it was Bf4 was just so natural and
obvious, he couldn't imagine it would lead to difficulties.
Chess is amazing that way sometimes.

The problem of 21.Bf4 is that white calculate very few moves because
only is needed a few movew depth to see the problems.

And about overwhelming tactics, ... in all our games (at least in my
games and my friend's) there are a lot of tactical oppotunities missed.
It's needed to be an strong GM or a last version of an engine to see all
the "simple" tactics and to see all "difficult" tactics are far from
human possibilities in OTB chess.

En/na Mark Hathaway ha escrit:
Antonio Torrecillas wrote:

En/na Mark Hathaway ha escrit:

[Event "Land of the Sky Open"]
[Site "Asheville NC USA"]
[Date "2003.01.31"]
[Round "1"]
[White "FM 2300"]
[Black "Hathaway"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A43"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. a4 O-O
8. h3 Na6 9. O-O Nc7 10. Bc4 a6 11. e5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 b5

I'm a little disappointed you didn't say something, anything,
about 12...b5. It's not the usual. :-(


In that game I focused my attention in the middle game with a passed d5
pawn and did not comment the opening.

I don't know what do you refer, ... maybe to point that 12...Nfxd5?
13.Nxd7 is a win for white?

13. axb5 Bxb5
14. Bxb5 Nxb5 15. Nc6 Nxc3

I think this was my most difficult move of the game.


I see no more problems after 15...Qd6 or 15...Qc7.
I do not see much difference, but if your merit was to calculate
accurately your 15..Nxc3 to obtain a passed pawn and you anticiped well
what followed it is a great merit!

A "simple" move can be "fantastic" if to play was accompanied by a
accurate analisis or a delh judgement.

16. bxc3 Qd6 17. Qf3 Rfe8 18. Rd1 e5
19. c4 Nd7 20. Rb1 e4 21. Bf4 $6 21... Be5 22. Bxe5 Nxe5
23. Qc3 $2 23... Nxc6 24. dxc6 Qxc6 25. Rd5 Rad8 26.Rbd1 Rxd5
27. cxd5 Qd6 28.Qe3 f5 29. g3 Rb8 30. c4 Rb4 31. g4 Rb7
32. gxf5 gxf5 33. Kh1 Rg7 34. Ra1 $2
34... Qg6 $19 35. Qg3 Qxg3 36. fxg3 Rxg3 37. Rxa6 Rxh3+

{With this black goes for a difficult but won ending.}

(37... Rg6 $6 {seems easier (idea f4-f3-...), but it's so clear?.}

White can stop two passed pawns and White has one Black can
stop, so I didn't see a win there.

It's a common theme that a more active king can assure the win advancing
it at the correct moment to allow white to arrive at 8th line but with
mating themes or other advantages for black

I analized this point of the game because I feel that there are a simple
and easy way to win here. The first move I tried was this 37...Rg6 but
with no succes

38. Kg2 Rc3 39. Rf6 Rxc4 40. Rxf5 Rd4 41. Kf2 Kg7 42. Ke3 Kg6 43. Re5
Kf6 44. Re6+ Kf5 45. Rh6 Rd3+ 46. Ke2 Rxd5 47. Rh5+ Ke6 48. Rxh7 Ke5
49. Re7+ Kd4 50. Kd2 c4 51. Re8 Rd6 52. Re7 Rd8 53. Re6 c3+ 54. Kc2
Rc8 55. Re7 Ke3 56. Re6 Kf3 57. Rf6+ Ke2 58. Re6 e3 59. Re7 Kf2 60.
Rf7+ Ke2 61. Re7 Rc4 62. Re8 Rc5 63. Re7 Kf3 64. Rf7+ Ke4 65. Rf1 e2
66. Rh1 Ke3 0-1