[Event "Thornaby International \"Chess\" Festival"] [Site "?"] [Date "1973.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Pritchett, C.W"] [Black "Donnelly, M.J"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B03"] [Annotator "Donnelly,MJ"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "1973.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.10"] {[%evp 0,102,25,16,67,66,85,51,29,21,31,24,6,4,38,36,37,37,43,39,79,30,114,138,69,94,242,236,276,312,324,342,326,326,469,71,75,75,79,88,117,118,126,85,88,95,96,82,135,81,86,76,84,81,89,71,131,138,127,116,107,57,75,72,103,87,99,95,98,98,92,93,92,91,97,91,104,108,129,95,93,93,88,71,72,59,75,75,75,75,75,71,93,97,98,75,98,56,89,51,53,51,55,55,55]} {My opponent in this game finished an unbeaten third equal on 8 points in this strong open event just half a point behind the Hungarian winner GM Adorjan. There were several IMs, and players close to this level playing at Thornaby and Craig Pritchett also achieved this title just a few years later. (I finished 15th equal with the British Champion Brian Eley on 6.5 points.).} 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 {The 4-pawns attack, the most emphatic reply to the Alekhine Defence, where White tries to dominate the centre.} dxe5 6. fxe5 Bf5 {A move, rather than the more standard Nc6, that awaits which piece development White will adopt and can allow Black to attack White's centre pawns with a later c5. Instead playing} (6... c5 {immediately leads to a very wild game after} 7. d5 e6 8. Nc3 exd5 9. cxd5 c4 {often played some years ago by Shabalov and last year in Donnelly-Pink, Training game with clocks, Kenilworth 2023.}) (6... g6 {is a rarely played line but the following game shows an interesting idea} 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. Nf3 Bg4 9. c5 Nc8 $5 {An inventive move that indicates how much there reamains to be properly explored in the Alekhine Defence.} 10. Be3 O-O 11. Be2 e6 12. Qd2 Nc6 13. O-O N8e7 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Nf5 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Rad1 {and Black is fiine as in Donnelly-Ireland, Coventry League Div. 1, 2004.}) 7. Nc3 e6 8. Nf3 Bb4 {Here rather than the more typical e7 square that is featured in the accompanying game this month. 8...Bb4 was a line briefly analysed in the excellent theory magazine "Chessman Quarterly" I believe in the early seventies and interestingly very few games can be traced in the databases from this time period. The move is hardly covered at all in more recent opening texts but has been extensively played by the highly rated Alexandr Bortnyk in the last year or two and even World Champion Carlsen has employed the line recently.} 9. Be2 ({After inversion of the bishop and knight development by White another game went} 9. Be3 c5 10. a3 {play is now akin to the Saemisch variation of the Nimzo-Indian where Black pressures the doubled pawns and White seeks compensation in an attack on Black's king.} Bxc3+ (10... cxd4 {is also playable as considered by GM Davies in his book on the Alekhine.}) 11. bxc3 Nc6 12. Be2 O-O 13. O-O Rc8 ({Carlsen played} 13... Na5 {against Nakamura (Carlsen Tour Chess24.com rapid 2020) and also achieved decent play for Black after} 14. Nd2 Bg6 15. Qe1 Na4 16. Nf3 Nb2 17. Bg5 Qd7 18. Qh4) 14. Rc1 Na5 15. Nd2 cxd4 ({A more recent top player game shows Black again has other options in this position eg} 15... Qd7 16. h4 h6 17. Qe1 Qa4 18. Qg3 Kh8 {Caruana-Bortnyk, Chess.com wk6 Swiss rapid 2022.}) 16. cxd4 Bg6 17. Rf3 Qd7 18. Qf1 Nc6 19. Rf4 Qe7 20. Ra1 Nd7 21. Bd3 Bxd3 22. Qxd3 f6 23. exf6 Nxf6 24. Ne4 Rcd8 25. Nxf6+ Rxf6 26. Rxf6 {agreed drawn in Carleton-Donnelly NCCU Individual Correspondence Ch 1980. At that time John was (and still is) a very strong otb player who also played correspondence chess and later achieved the IM and SIM titles and even played in the finals of the World Championship.}) ({White has tried many other moves here such as} 9. c5 Nd5 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. Bb5 O-O 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. O-O Qb8 {Hromadka-Gruenfeld, Bad Pistyan Breyer Memorial 1922 (one of the earliest games featuring Bb4).}) (9. Bd3 Bg4 10. Be3 c5 11. dxc5 Bxf3 {better than} (11... Bxc3+ {which is good for White although Black held on after} 12. bxc3 N6d7 13. Be4 Nc6 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. O-O Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Nxe5 17. Qg3 Ng6 18. Rad1 Qe7 19. Rd6 Rc8 20. Rfd1 O-O 21. h3 Qf6 {Howell-Bortnyk, Titled Tuesday intern op Chess.com blitz 2022.}) 12. gxf3 Nxc4 13. Bxc4 Qh4+ 14. Bf2 Qxc4 15. Qa4+ Nc6 16. O-O-O O-O 17. a3 Qf4+ 18. Rd2 Qxf3 19. Rg1 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Qxc3+ {with a surprising easy win for Black in Tregubov-Bortnyk, Titled Tuesday intern op Chess.com blitz 2023.}) 9... c5 10. O-O (10. Be3 Nc6 11. O-O O-O 12. Nb5 Be4 {led to enormous complications after} 13. a3 cxd4 14. Nfxd4 Bc5 15. Nd6 Nc8 16. Nxb7 Bxd4 17. Nxd8 Bxe3+ 18. Kh1 Rxd8 {and White eventually prevailed in Lakatos-Donnelly, European Team Championship VII final 2008 (ICCF e-mail).}) 10... Nc6 $6 {Not the best. The lines are complex but end up with White having the advantage.Stronger are} (10... cxd4 {for example Jones-Bortnyk, Speed Chess Q2 Chess.com blitz 2022.}) ({or} 10... O-O {Sai-Bortnyk, Titled Tuesday intern op Chess.com blitz 2023.}) 11. d5 {a powerful advance. Alternatively} (11. Be3 {would transpose to a position usually arrived at when White plays Be3 earlier but again games by Bortnyk indicate Black is fine after} cxd4 ({or simply} 11... O-O)) 11... Bxc3 12. dxc6 Bd4+ $6 {Again not best and a move that should have lost. Black obtains more play after} (12... Qxd1 {although White remains much better via} 13. Rxd1 Ba5 14. Nd2 Bc2 15. cxb7 Rd8 16. Rf1 Nd7 17. Nb3 Bb6 {Holmes-Santos, Eu-tch (men) Haifa 1989.}) 13. Nxd4 Qxd4+ 14. Qxd4 cxd4 15. cxb7 Rb8 16. c5 d3 {This counter thrust was the idea Black relied on when playing Nc6.} 17. cxb6 $6 {This seems very strong but allows Black to escape from some of the problems of the position. Instead} (17. Bf3 Nc4 18. Bf4 {preventing d2 and if} Nxb2 {restoring material equality then} 19. c6 {is a fairly straightforward win.}) 17... dxe2 ({Not} 17... Rxb7 18. bxa7 Rxa7 (18... dxe2 19. a8=Q+) 19. Bf3 {and Whie is just a piece up for nothing.}) 18. bxa7 ({Certainly not} 18. Re1 axb6 19. Rxe2 Rxb7 {with level material and position.}) 18... exf1=Q+ 19. Kxf1 Ke7 (19... Kd7 {is somewhat more accurate when the king procedes more quickly to the queen's-side to attempt to hold back the White pawns although there are dangers from checks on the d- or c-files.}) 20. axb8=Q Rxb8 21. b3 {After this or} (21. a4 Rxb7 22. b4 Kd7 23. b5 Rc7 24. Ke2 Rc2+ 25. Bd2 Rb2 {it is not so straightforward for White to exploit the extra pawn and the two passed QS pawns. Black's better development and the opposite coloured bishops also assist in Black putting up a stout defence.}) 21... Rxb7 22. Ba3+ Ke8 23. Bd6 Be4 {Attacking g2 and attempting to form a strong point on b7.} (23... f6 {with some play was another Black option to complicate the game.}) 24. Rc1 {Slightly too solid. After} (24. b4 f6 25. a4 fxe5 26. a5 {Black has more difficulties to contend with.}) 24... Kd7 25. Bf8 Ra7 26. a4 ({If} 26. Bxg7 {Black equalises cleanly after} Rxa2 27. g3 ({or} 27. h4 Bxg2+) 27... Rxh2) 26... Bd5 27. Rc3 Rb7 28. b4 f6 29. Rg3 (29. Bxg7 {aiming to rush through the f-pawn fails to} Rxb4 30. exf6 Rxa4 31. f7 Rf4+) 29... Ke8 30. Bxg7 Rxb4 31. Bxf6 Rxa4 {Now Black is relatively safe, again due to the opposite coloured bishops and active pieces, despite White having a safe extra pawn.} 32. Rg8+ Kf7 33. Rg7+ Kf8 34. Rxh7 Ra1+ 35. Kf2 Ra2+ 36. Ke3 Rxg2 {Once more recovering material and leaving White's passed h-pawn difficult to advance.} 37. h4 ({If White tries to rush the king forward to potentially assist in creating mating threats then Black defends, for example, by} 37. Kd4 Kg8 38. Rh8+ Kf7 39. Kc5 Rc2+ 40. Kd6 Be4) 37... Kg8 38. Rc7 Rg4 {Playing on the white squares so securing strong points on d3, f3 or h3 to prevent the advance of the White king or rook's pawn.} 39. Re7 ({If} 39. h5 {Black holds via} Be4 40. Rc4 ({or} 40. h6 Bh7 41. Rg7+ Rxg7 42. Bxg7 Kf7) 40... Bf5 41. Rxg4+ Bxg4 42. h6 Bf5) 39... Re4+ 40. Kf2 Rg4 41. Ke2 Rg3 42. Re8+ ({If} 42. h5 {then simply} Rh3) 42... Kf7 43. Re7+ Kg8 44. Rc7 Be4 45. Kf2 Rh3 46. Rg7+ Kf8 47. Rg4 Bf5 48. Rb4 Kg8 49. Bg5 Kf7 50. Kg2 Kg6 51. Rf4 {A last try threatening Rxf5.} Rd3 1/2-1/2