We don't deserve to play chess!

IV round

 

Is it post-covid or post-mortem? My chess capacities are obviously deteriorating from one tournament to another. Why do I ever play this game of chess? It’s like pursuing a girl („of my life“) who is treating me as a Conchita treats Mathieu in last Luis Buñuel's film „That Obscure Object of Desire“ (and I was wondering if the director had read Buzzati's Un amour, but no, Buñuel's film was based on a novel from XIX century), I am Fernando Ray (Mathieu) and Chessess(es) aka Conchita, ah Conchita, are Carole Bouquet & Ángela Molina. This yesterday game was tragedy of comedies, comedy of tragedies and misconceptions; immediately after the game I thought it was similar to that I played against Dragoljub Savić (Belgrade Trophy ’23): first struggling, then my opponent blundered, and then I ruined winning position. Only now after 24 hours I collected strength to analyze the game. My heart is bleeding, my soul aches.

I vs Arends, Herman

 

1. e4 d6 2. g3

Pirc Defense

I had no idea what my opponent usually plays. I prepared only fleetingly for 1. ...e5: Ponziani Opening and Russian Game, few lines of each. But I was met with Pirc Defense. The line 4. Bg5 I could do here, but alas, I didn’t refresh my memory and tried to find some traps. So, I decided to play timid game, waiting for his hyperactivity. Before I played 2. g3, I calculated what if 2. ...e5 – I planned 3. d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qd3 and then hope to prevail in this lively open position.

2. ...g6 3. Bg2 Bg7

I was waiting for 3. ...e5 again, and I was ready for early queen exchange: 4. d4 exd4 5. Qxd4 Qf6 6. Nf3. Now I decided I shouldn’t allow ...e5, so I played 4. d4

 4. d4 c6 5. Ne2 Nf6 6. Nbc3 (Public engine recommends 6. c4. I was tempted to play so /Nge2 is in fact advantage in such positions as showed by famous Peruvian GM Julio Granda/ 6. c4 O-O 7. Nbc3 Nbd7 8. O-O e5 and now 9. d5! And after 9. ...cxd5 10 Nxd5!

This is type of position which was played hundred of times by Petrosian. And that I should study in the future preparations.

6. ... O-O 7. Bg5

7. a4 was a necessity. But I wanted to provoke black ballooning on queen flank. I had a feeling I would be better in such complications.  

7. ...Nbd7 8. Qd2?! Qc7?!

Black as my previous opponent prefers waiting moves. Here he had 8. ...b5 and counterattack on queen flank. In fact, my 8. Qd2 was too slow. I was fantasizing about 9. Bh6 bxh6 10. Qxh6 and quick attack on black king. I calculated: 10. ...Ng4? and ...h5 as „impenetrable fortress“(??), although it was winning for me, and 10. ...b5 11. a3 Bb7 12. h4 and hoping to utilitize Rook on h1. 12. ...c5 13. h5 etc. Wooly brain again. Instead of 11. ...Bb7 better is 11. ...a5 and if I play 12. h4 Ba6 13. h5 black can defend, says engine. Or cannot??! Look at it:

Cowardly I played next move „in order to prevent ...Ng4“. A pensionist’s move in a park on a bench.

   

9. h3? b5 10. a3 e5?!

 

Here I have already begun to hate myself and my play. I didn’t have guts for c4, and for Bh6 and attack with h4 and h5, and now I felt I am slowly going into trouble. I played exactly like GMs play against me: waiting for mistake. I was counting on my opponents chablons. I also noticed that several of my pieces are in awkward positions and predicted that I will soon have to move my queen on a safer place. In fact, black had a significant advantage here. He should have advanced with pawns on a queen flank 10. ...a5 and after 11. O-O Bb7 12. b3 and We3 I will have to withdraw Knight on b1 and be happy if I survive ...c5 in convenient moment for black.

 11. O-O Nb6?

That allows rests of advantage to evaporate.

12. b3 Bb7 13. Rfd1 Rad8 14. Qe3 a5

I thought I was lost. Again, Polugaevsky: „My most difficult opponent is myself. When I am playing I often involuntarily make a world champion out of a candidate master!“  I was thinking of 15. d5 (recommended by engine in fact) and after 15. ...cxd5 I was convinced that I have to play 16. exd5, since „I wouldn’t have time for 16. Nxb5 because of 16. ...Qc6" and I was afraid I would lose the Knight if I played 17. Na7.

15. dxe5?! dxe5 16. Qc5?!

I was proud of that move, but in fact 16. Rf1 was better and would give me equal position. Who would have played this except Hal 900? Petrosian perhaps. Here 16. ...Nbd7! gives black advantage. I then must play 17. Qd6 and black doesn’t have to exchange queens. My queen is in offside. I would have to try with h4, Bh3 etc.

16. ...Ba6? 17. Nd5!

 

I am proud of this move. Not the sacrifice of the century, in fact not sacrifice at all, but cute tactical idea. Now I knew I won a pawn.   

 17. ...Nbxd5 18. exd5 Rd6?!

 During the game I thought it was an ingenious defense, but engine says 18. ...h6 was better. Why? I suppose because black then either takes bishops pair or (more important) has ...e4 with tempo.

19. dxc6 Rfd8 20. Rxd6 Rxd6 21. Nc3 e4

Here I almost blundered (like I haven’t, and many times!?) calcualating which is safer and most comfortable win. (hahaha) and I „saw“: 22. Nxe4 Nxe4 23. Bxe4 and aftere 23. ...Bxa1, I thought I could play 24. Bf4 and capture black rook back. Then I „realized“ that my rook wouldn’t be any more on a1, so that black could play 24. ...Rd1+. And I congratulated to myself on good thinking, but it was all wrong. Black wouldn’t have to take my rook on a1, he had 23. ...Bd4!

22. Nxb5 Bxb5 23. Qxb5 Rxc6 24. Bf4 Qc8 25. Rd1 Rc5 26. Qb6 Rd5 27. Rxd5 Nxd5 28. Qb8 Qxb8 29. Bxb8 f5 30. Bf1 Kf7 31. Bc4 Ke6 32. Bc7 Bc3 33. Kf1 Kd7

One thing I wanted badly to avoid: oposite colored bishops (hahaha). I calculated that I can easily win if I put bishop on d2, and either force balck on bishop exchange or if he retreats his bishops move my pawns slowly c3, b4 etc. Here I had 34. Bxa5! How could I miss that? I even saw my opponent played just so to fill the score sheet until 40th move...

 

34. Bb8? Kc6 35. Ke2 Bb2 36. Bxd5+ Kxd5 37. a4 Kd4 38. Bc7?! Bc3

I am still winning here. Although I am now not so sure and beginning to panic. Somehow I „saw“ that I cannot exchange bishops or if I can, that black king would be on c3 and after I defend pawn with Kd1, I ama lost due activity od enemy’s king. Mirage. I don’t have to exchange the bishops while black king is on d4, I have a tempo move.

38. Bf4!

Or later, just look at this:  

39. Bf4 Bc3 40. Bd2 and I win.

 

 39. Bd8? Ke5 40. Bg5 Kd5 41. Be3?

 

I was afraid if I played 41. Bd2 – which was a winning method as I thought – that after 41. ...Kd4 I have no good move. But I had indeed. h4 or Kd1 and black will eventually have to accept bishop exchange under my terms. It's a zugzwang, 

Now my opponent realized that I lost the thread.

 41. ...Ke5 42. f4+??

 Here I desperately calculated 42. ...exf3 e.p. 43. Kd3?! Be1 44. Bf4+ so as I can chase black bishop from field c3. I couldn't evaluate position.

 42. ...Kd5 43. Bb6 Kc6 44. Bd8 Kd7 45. Bh4 Ke6 46. g4 Kd5

 

And now I was so angry at myself that I tried to lose on purpose! Rather than accept or offer the draw. Here I played 47. Be1?? I am still winning with 47. g5 or with some other moves. 47. g5 Bb4 48. Be1 Bxe1 49. Kxe1 Kd4 and no fear is needed now, since 50. c4!! Kc5 51. Kd1 and I get my king up, because black has no other moves but with his king. What was I thinking?? I hadn't realized that black is in zugzwang!

  

47. Be1?? Bxe1 48. Kxe1

 

It is still a draw. But I don’t know that. And neither does my opponent.

 48. ...h5??

Now I am again winning. If I only knew it... Black had a draw:

 48. ...fxg4 49. hxg4 h5 50. c4+ and in this race of pawns we will reach perpetual check. 50. ...Ke6 51. f5+! Ke7 52. gxh5 gxh5 53. c5 h4 54. Kf2 h3 55. c6 Everyone knows that in elementary chess schools...

 

49. gxh5 gxh5 50. c3 Kc5 51. Ke2 h4 52. Ke3 Kd5 53. b4 axb4??

 

Even another mistake, black gives me totally won position. How come I lost it? Hahaha.

 54. cxb4 Kc4 55. a5 Kb5?

 

Now I was sure I was winning. I calculate:

56. Kd4 Kb6 57. Kc4 Kb7 58. b5 Ka7 59. Kc5 and here my wooly brain saw I can manage to checkmate him even if he first converts pawn in a Queen.  But...

  

 56. Kd4 Kc6 57. Kc4 Kb7 58. b5 Ka7

But no, 59. Kc5 was a blunder. 59. b6+ is winning.

59. ...Ka6 60. Kb4 Kb7 61. Kb5 e3 62. a6+ Kc8 and then 63. Kc6. Point is in zugzwang, black either must gove his pawn on e3, or allow himself to be chocked by my chained pawns. So simple.

 

59. Kc5 e3 60. Kc6 e2 61. Kc7 e1=Q 62. b6+ Ka6

White resigned. Everyone around the table was surprised by the result.