Various games - of my Students

[A.J.G.]

A few years ago, I made my student a promise:
"Win a halfway decent game in a rated tournament ... and I would post it on my my web site."

The game was played at the New Orleans Open in December, 2013.

1.d4 Nc6!?; 2.Nf3 Nf6; 3.e3,

Sound development.

[ Sharper was: RR 3.d5 Nb4; 4.c4 g6; 5.Nc3, & White is definitely better. ]

3...d5; 4.Bd3 e5!?; 5.dxe5 Ng4; 6.Bb5 Bb4+; 7.c3 Bc5; 8.h4!?,

An interesting move ... which enables White to (later) attack the BK.

[ >/= 8.Qa4, "+/=" - Fritz 13. ]

8...0-0; 9.Qc2 Ncxe5; 10.Ng5!? Nf6!?; 11.Be2,

According to the engines ... Black stands much better.

sg_pegg-hopp_pos1.jpg, 62 KB

r1bq1rk1/ppp2ppp/5n2/2bpn1N1/7P/2P1P3/PPQ1BPP1/RNB1K2R b KQ - 0 11

Now the game takes a very strange turn.

[ RR 11.Nd2 Bd7; "/+" Black is much better. ]

Here Black must have severely misjudged the position ... as the next move is a bad mistake.

11...d4??; 12.exd4 Bb6?; 13.dxe5 h6!?;

Black is able to regain one piece ... but subjects her King to a violent attack ... due to the open h-file.

Now White sets up a mating web ... and Black is forced to play "give-away" to stop it.

14.exf6 hxg5!?; 15.hxg5 g6; 16.Qe4! Re8; 17.Qh4 Rxe2+;
18.Kxe2 Bg4+; 19.Qxg4 Qe8+; 20.Kf1 Rd8; 21.Nd2,

White avoids a trap.

[ But not: </= 21.Qh4?? Rd1#. ]

21...Qb5+; 22.Qe2,

Ahead on material, White decides to try and trade down to a won game.

[ Better was: >/= 22.c4, - Fritz 13. ]

22...Qxg5; 23.Ne4 Qf5; 24.f3 Re8; 25.Rh4 Bc5; 26.g4 Qd5;
27.Be3 Bxe3; 28.Qxe3 Qb5+; 29.Qe2!?,

Being way ahead on material, White keeps offering to swap the Queens here.

[ A better idea was: >/= 29.Kg1 Qxb2!?; 30.Rh8+! Kxh8; 31.Qh6+ Kg8; 32.Qg7#. ]

29...Qd5; 30.Rd1 Qxa2; 31.Qh2 Qb3; 32.Rh8#.

The final position.

sg_pegg-hopp_pos2.jpg, 57 KB

4r1kR/ppp2p2/5Pp1/8/4N1P1/1qP2P2/1P5Q/3R1K2 b - - 0 32

Black did not have a good way to stop the mate.

1 - 0

This page was first created in November, 2013. It was last modified or updated on: Monday, April 14, 2014 11:14 AM .