[Event "Chessable English Seniors Championships"] [Site "Holiday Inn Kenilworth"] [Date "2022.05.06"] [Round "4.9"] [White "Goodwin, Ed H"] [Black "Tucker, David S"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A68"] [WhiteElo "1832"] [BlackElo "1908"] [Annotator "MJDonnelly"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2022.05.04"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.10"] {[%evp 0,115,45,34,65,66,59,37,26,33,33,40,45,44,44,23,29,31,5,28,24,52,43,38, 45,42,36,19,36,31,60,24,19,-1,24,11,2,4,2,-72,-35,-96,-17,-78,-83,-111,-76, -108,-129,-130,-109,-123,-128,-157,-138,-173,-172,-205,-116,-143,-153,-139, -138,-204,-159,-186,-193,-199,-194,-190,-191,-177,-160,-166,-71,-23,-22,-112, -106,-173,-189,-209,-187,-401,-408,-438,-438,-366,-226,-272,-234,-233,-190, -137,-51,-19,0,0,0,0,9,1,1,1,112,112,316,2,26,0,0,0,104,0,0,0,144,0]} 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. c4 {White plays a regular queen's pawn opening as opposed to the other main idea in this position of playing 3. Nc3. In this latter case White attempts to establish a knight on the square c4 rather than it being occupied by a pawn.} g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 O-O 7. f4 e6 {Play now transposes to the Four Pawn attack against the Modern Benoni (a position that may also arise via the Kings Indian Defence).} (7... b5 {would yield a variation of the Benko Gambit as played in, for example, Behm-Bischoff, Bad Wiessee 2005 which continued} 8. cxb5 a6 9. bxa6 Qa5 {with good play for the sacrificed material.} ) 8. Nf3 exd5 9. cxd5 Bg4 (9... Nbd7 {may also be considered, with enormous complications, as recently recommended by Ivan Ivanisevic in his book "The Modernized Delayed Benoni".}) 10. O-O Nbd7 11. h3 {The most frequently played move in this position which varies from an earlier game where another characteristic plan of} (11. Nd2 {was played. Now following} Bxe2 12. Qxe2 Ne8 13. Nc4 a6 14. a4 Nb6 15. Nd2 Qe7 16. Qf3 Rb8 17. a5 Nc8 $6 {with the idea of playing the knight to d4 failed in Goodwin-Donnelly, Coventry Chess Summer Cup 2017 following} 18. Nc4 Na7 19. Bd2 Nb5 20. e5 Nd4 21. Qe4 {and White had an overwhelming advantage.}) 11... Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Ne8 {as favoured by strong GMs such as, for instance, Nataf, Glek and Hebden. The position is, however, rich in possible plans for both sides. Examples from other top players include:} ( 12... Re8 13. g4 {Ding-Rapport, Beil Breisacker Memorial 2013.}) (12... a6 13. a4 Re8 14. Re1 {Lautier-Sutovsky, Tilberg Fontys 1996.}) (12... c4 13. Be3 Qa5 {Kouatly-Nunn, Cannes Teams 1992.}) (12... Qa5 13. Qe2 Rfe8 {Jones-Hebden, 4NCL teams Rapid Newport Pagnell 2010.}) 13. Qe1 $5 {A very interesting idea where White retains the possibiity of the key pawn break e5 supported from this square or when the queen transferred to g3. In addition, should Black counter this idea with a typical Benoni move of Qc7 then the White queen could take up an attacking position on h4.} Rb8 {This seems better than the only other game that can be traced in the databases (which it is pretty certain neither player was aware of) and which continued} (13... Nc7 14. a4 Re8 15. Qg3 c4 16. Be3 Na6 17. Rad1 Nac5 18. Bd4 Bxd4+ 19. Rxd4 Qb6 20. a5 Qxb2 {with a very murky game, Fors-Akesson, Rilton Cup Stockholm 1990.}) 14. a4 a6 15. a5 { Clamping down on the queens-side and making b5 difficult due to the weak a6 pawn that would result.} Nc7 16. Qg3 Nb5 17. Nxb5 {The knight must not be allowed to reach d4 but in White exchanging it Black has achieved b5 in a different manner.} axb5 {Usually if b5 is achieved then tempo can be gained by playing b4 hitting a knight on c3. In this case, though, this is not relevant and it would take extra time for Black to play b4/c4/c3 activating the pawns.} 18. Re1 {White focusses on the key plan in these sorts of positions that of achieving e5. Here, however, it's probably better to play} (18. a6 bxa6 19. Rxa6 Qe7 {and follow up with what used to be thought a poor anti-Benoni move. After} 20. f5 {the loss of control of the e5 square can be compensated for by activation of the bishop on f4 or g5 and a quite unclear game.}) 18... Re8 19. h4 {Another imaginative idea that attempts to soften up the Black kings-side with a subsequent h5. The alignement of the White Q and R makes Black's next move appealing even though White does come to dominate the rook's file at the cost of a pawn.} Bf6 20. Qh3 Bxh4 21. g3 Bf6 22. Kg2 Nf8 {Black has secured the squares h8 and h7 so it is not easy for White to continue the attack.} 23. Rh1 Ra8 24. f5 Bg5 {Black drifts a little as he could have played} (24... Rxa5 25. Rxa5 Qxa5 26. Rf1 Qa2 {securing a safe 2 pawn advantage since the White Bf3 is in the way of creating serious counter-threats on the f-file.}) 25. Bf4 Qf6 (25... Rxa5 {is now poor due to} 26. Rxa5 Qxa5 27. Bxg5 {winning.}) 26. Rab1 Rxa5 27. Qg4 {White offers more material to force the exchange of Black's key attacking, and defending, piece-the black squared bishop.} Bxf4 28. Qxf4 Ra2 (28... Nd7 {is stronger with the idea of dominating the centre from e5. The rook move looks strong but allows White to stir up some trouble.}) 29. fxg6 Rxb2+ 30. Kh3 Qxf4 31. gxh7+ (31. gxf4 Rxb1 32. gxf7+ Kxf7 33. Rxb1 {could also be considered threatening the b4 pawn and Bh5+.}) 31... Nxh7 32. gxf4 Rxb1 33. Rxb1 b4 {The net result of the play over the last few moves is that Black has held his nerve and secured a two pawn advantage. However, White now keeps his pieces and king as active as possible and pulls off a remarkable save.} 34. Kg4 Nf8 35. Kf5 Nd7 36. Be2 Ra8 $2 {Black falters and lets White obtian even more activity for his pieces and keep Black occupied by advancing the central pawns} (36... Kf8 {with Ke7 to follow minimises White's activity.}) 37. Bb5 Nf8 38. Rg1+ {Also good was} (38. Kf6 {with the idea of Ke7. Having two such lines underlines how dramatically the games asessment has changed.}) 38... Ng6 39. Kf6 Kf8 40. f5 $2 ({The pendulum swings back in favour of Black. Just how difficut this position is can be shown in that after} 40. e5 Nxf4 41. exd6 Nxd5+ 42. Ke5 Nb6 43. Rh1 {White is no less than 3 pawns down but is not clearly lost.}) 40... Ne7 41. e5 Nxd5+ 42. Kg5 dxe5 43. f6 Nf4 44. Rh1 Kg8 { This should win but certainly not} (44... Ng6 {due to} 45. Rh7 {and in threatening the very strong Bc4 White obtains a good game despite being 4 pawns down!}) 45. Kf5 Ng6 $2 {Black falters again in trying to hold onto all the material gained. Some had to be given back with} (45... Ra2 {although play remains remarkably complex. For example,} 46. Kxe5 Rf2 47. Kd6 Ne6 48. Ke7 Nf8 49. Bd3 Ng6+ 50. Bxg6 Re2+ 51. Kd6 fxg6 52. Kxc5 b3 53. Kb6 Kf7 54. Kxb7 Kxf6 { and now Black wins comfortably.}) 46. Bc4 b3 $2 {Black panicks and gives back a pawn for not a lot. Instead} (46... Ra3 {should win after} 47. Bxf7+ Kxf7 48. Rh7+ Kg8 {Not} 49. Rg7+ ({or} 49. Kxg6 Rg3+ 50. Kf5 Kxh7) 49... Kf8 50. Rxg6 b3 51. Ke6 b2 {as now} 52. f7 {, even threatening mate, loses outright to} Ra6+) 47. Bxb3 Ra3 48. Bxf7+ {Well played this works very nicely for White.} Kxf7 49. Rh7+ Kf8 50. Kxg6 Rg3+ 51. Kf5 e4 $4 {Incredibly White is now winning. Best was } (51... Rb3 {guarding b7 and keeping open Rb6 and Rf3 options.}) 52. Ke6 Kg8 53. Rxb7 Rf3 54. Rb8+ {Going for the draw by repetition but this is not the optimum check. White has a very tricky win after} (54. Rg7+ Kh8 55. Rg1 e3 56. Ke7 e2 57. f7 Re3+ 58. Kf6 Rf3+ 59. Kg6 e1=Q 60. Rxe1 Rg3+ 61. Kf6 Rf3+ 62. Ke7 ) 54... Kh7 55. Rb7+ Kg8 56. Rb8+ Kh7 57. Rb7+ Kg8 58. Rb8+ {An unusually difficult game where White showed some imaginative opening play and fantastic resourcefullness in a lost ending.} 1/2-1/2