Game of the Week

In honor of our newly elected president (Will Engel) and treasurer (Steve McWhirter) . . .

W.Engel–S.McWhirter

Route 20 Chess Club

Freeport, Ill., April 12, 2011

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e6 4.Bxc4 a6 5.a4

Steve might play ...b5, but that's nothing to worry about; it's easy enough for Will to step away with Bd3. 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Nc3 takes a commanding lead in development.

5...Bb4+ 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.f3

7.e5 deals with the threat of ...Nxe4 just as well, and gives Will a slight advantage.

7...0-0 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 g5

That bishop is not going to get trapped. If Steve picks a fight with 9...c5!? 10.dxc5 Nbd7, then even though he's a pawn down, e5 is no longer a threat, while ...Qa5 is.

10.Bg3 Nc6 11.Nge2 Na5 12.Bd3

Deactivates Will's light-square bishop by tucking it back behind the pawn chain. 12.Ba2 keeps it powered up.

12...c6?

12...c5 now possesses added menace, as after 13.dxc5, Will's light-square bishop is pinned.

13.0-0

Except for that bishop on d3, it's looking good for Will so far. Not so much for Steve: his pawn structure and piece placement are haphazard, and he's behind in development.

13...b5 14.Bb1 Nc4?

It should be a good move, but it treads perilously close to a hidden bomb: 15.e5 Bxc3 16.exf6 Bxd4+ 17.Qxd4 Qxd4 18.Nxd4 Bd7, and Steve's surviving bishop is looking forlorn, consigned to pawn protection duty.

15.b3 Na5??

Tragically missing 15...Ne3, forking rook and queen -- Steve's last chance to keep a lid on Will's game.

16.Qc2

Good, but 16.e5 is still better.

16...Nd7 17.e5 (at last!) f5 18.exf6

18...Nxf6

It's got to be 18...Rxf6, because of what happens next.

19.Qg6+! Kh8 20.Qxh6+ Kg8 21.Qxg5+

21.Qg6+ Kh8 22.Ne4 Ra7 23.Nxf6 Qxf6 24.Be5!! Qxe5 25.dxe5 is even better.

21...Kf7 22.axb5

22.Bg6+ is even more powerful.

22...axb5

22...Rg8, driving back the queen, gives Steve a little more room to breathe.

23.Ne4

Even better is 23.Qg6+ Ke7 24.Bh4.

23...Nxe4 24.Qh5+ Ke7 25.Bxe4

25.Bh4+! demolishes what's left of Steve's defenses: 25...Nf6 26.Qh7+ Rf7 27.Bxf6+! Kxf6 28.Qh4+ Kg7 29.Qxd8.

25...Kd7 26.Bh4 Be7 27.Qh7 Bb7 28.b4 Nb3 29.Rxa8 Rxa8 30.Nc3 Nd2 31.Re1 Nc4

32.Nxb5!

A crafty tactic, but in fact, Will has a quiet move that's downright devastating. Can you find it? (Highlight to reveal answer.)

After 32.Ra1!! Bb7 33.Ra7 (threatening 34.Bxe7!) Kc8 34.Qxe7 Qxe7 35.Bxe7 Rf7 36.Bc5 Rg8 37.Bxc6 Rxg2+ 38.Kxg2 Bxc6, white is up a rook and two pawns, and black is bereft of options.

32...cxb5 33.Bxa8 Nd6

If 33...Re8 then 34.Bc6+! Kxc6 35.Rxe6+ Kc7 36.Bg3+ Nd6 37.Bxd6+ Qxd6+ 38.Rxd6 Kxd6 39.Qg6+ Kd7 40.Qf5+ Kd8 41.Qd5+ Kc8 42.Qa8+ Kd7 43.Qb7+ Kd8 44.Qb8+ Kd7 45.Qxb5+. Where did all black's cover go?

Will has one more unpleasant surprise for Steve. Think you know what it is? (Highlight to reveal answer.)

34.Bd5! Rf7 (34...exd5 35.Rxe7+) 35.Bxe6+ 1-0

Checkmate is just over the horizon after 35...Kc6 36.Bd5+ Kxd5 37.Qc2.

Three Spring Events! THREE!

Northwest Illinois $5 Open

Saturday, April 16, Community Services Center (Building R), Highland Community College, 2998 W. Pearl City Road, Freeport, Ill. (park in Lot B -- map). 4/SS, G/45. Entry fee: $5. Prizes: Every entrant will receive a free doughnut. Registration: 9–9:45 AM or online (select "$5 Open" and click "Register" button at right). Rounds: 10 AM, 12:15, 2, 3:45 PM. U.S. Chess Federation membership required; one-day tournament memberships available. In two sections if 24 or more entrants. Nonsmoking, wheelchair-accessible, sets provided, bring clocks.

Whether you’re interested in a low-cost, low-risk introduction to chess or just a wallet-friendly way to get your game on, you won’t find a better bargain in the region than this four-round fracas. Bring a friend!

Pecatonic Octads

Saturday, May 21, Room H201D, Student/Conference Center, Highland Community College, 2998 W. Pearl City Road, Freeport, Ill. (park in Lot A East -- map). 3/SS, G/65 (bottom section 4/SS, G/45). Eight players per section; bottom section may include 6 to 13 players, depending on entries. Entry fee: $10 ($6 for club members). Prizes: $40 first place, $20 second place in each octad; $20 first place in bottom section. Registration: 9–9:45 AM or online (select "Octads (nonmember)" or "Octads (member)" and click "Register" button at right). Rounds: 10 AM, 12:45, 3 PM (bottom section 10 AM, 12:15, 2, 3:45 PM). USCF membership required; one-day tournament memberships available. Nonsmoking, wheelchair-accessible, sets provided, bring clocks.

Octads combine the leisurely time control and close competition of quads with the variety of a Swiss. Come on out and try it!

PWNED! III Youth Chess Tournament

Saturday, May 28, Freeport Public Library, 100 E. Douglas St., Freeport, Ill. (map). 4/SS, G/30, FREE! In three sections: K–3 (USCF-rated), 4–6 (unrated), 7–12 (unrated). Prizes: first-, second- and third-place trophies in each section. Registration: 9–9:45 AM or in advance at library Youth Services desk. Rounds: first round at 10 AM, later rounds ASAP. USCF membership not required in upper sections; one-day tournament memberships are free in K–3 section. Lunch break between rounds 2 and 3. Sets provided, bring clocks.

Our third totally free, all-scholastic tournament, presented in cooperation with the Freeport Public Library. If you're a young player who's been wondering how your skills measure up, this is your chance to find out.

Game of the Week

Gary's tenure at the top of the ladder didn't last long -- I knocked him off it at the beginning of last night's meeting. After which I was challenged by Will, and the rightful order of the cosmos was restored.

K.Ammann–W.Engel

Route 20 Chess Club

Freeport, Ill., March 15, 2011

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.e3 b6?! 7.Bd3?! Bb7 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Qc2 h6

11.Nb5 Na6 12.a3 c6 13.Nc3 Nc7 14.b4 Ne6

So far, I've been able to preserve my dignity, but now paranoia gets the better of me. For some reason, I'm apprehensive about castling short, afraid that a kingside attack will come flooding in and I'll end up helpless in the face of it. Castling queenside, of course, makes little sense in this position. So I get creative. Wrongly.

15.Kd2??

Castling kingside maintains equality, and is in fact the best course of action as far as my dignity is concerned.

15...Rc8

In fact, this preparatory move is unnecessary -- Will can, if he chooses, play 15...c5 right away.

16.Rab1 Qc7

16...Qe7 is slightly better: it still adds fuel to the fire on c5, but in addition, it maintains the implied threat of rook against queen down the c-file.

17.Bf5

This is the move that I suspected of being my big failure; it's actually not as bad as 15.Kd2. But after 16...Qc7, I have some hope of trimming Will's lead with 17.Ke1!? c5 18.Ne2 Qe7.

17...Ba6

Fritz prefers 17...Qe7, and yet I have a hard time finding fault with Will's choice. His bad bishop has suddenly become very, very active, and my threat detection system does not recognize the severity of the danger. Can it really be said that Will is significantly better off continuing to batter his way down the c-file instead?

18.Rhc1 Bc4

Again, Fritz prefers 18...Qe7 19.Ne2 c5 20.dxc5. The only drawback I see to 18...bc4 is that it practically commands me to trade the bishop off. Yet, for some incomprehensible reason, I don't. Instead, I get the idea of bringing my c3-knight to c5 (via Ne2-f4-c3) in order to park it in the hole that will be created after an exchange of pawns. I didn't say it was a good idea.

19.Ne2

Instead of 19.Bh7!? Kg8 20.Bd3.

19...c5 20.bxc5

20.dxc5 bxc5 Ke1 is better.

20...bxc5 21.Nf4 Nxf4

I thought Will wouldn't capture, because of 22.Bxc8. But as it turns out, taking out a rook doesn't do much to blunt his attack.

22.Bxc8 Nd3

Will doesn't need to get fancy like this; 22...Rxc8 is plenty solid (23.exf4 Qxf4+ 24.Kd1 Qg4).

23.Rf1

Evacuating the bishop with 23.Bf5 Nxc1 24.Kxc1 cxd4 25.exd4 Qf4+ 26.Kd1 lets me maintain material parity, though I'm still coming under heavy fire.

23...Rxc8 24.Ne1 Nxe1 25.Rfxe1 cxd4 26.e4??

26...Bg5+! 0-1

I have nowhere to run from the bishop pair. It's over.