Ok, this is not the greatest game ever, but it is one free of major mistakes, and an opportunity to take a look at the Cambridge Springs Defense.
2007 Hauptturnier -- Round 5
October 8, 2007
2007 Hauptturnier -- Round 5
October 8, 2007
Edward Chisam (2063) vs. David Glickman (2027)
1. c4
[In my last Hauptturnier (2000), I relied solely on 1. e4 in order to minimize the number of likely adjournments in a long tournament. But adjourned games are a thing of the past now.]
1.... c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5
[There was a time when the development of the queen's bishop early in the Queen pawn openings was frowned upon, because of black's possible counterplay on the queenside with the bishop absent for defensive purposes. Boylston chess club member Harry Pillsbury was among the first to demonstrate the strength of this bishop move in Queen pawn games.]
5.... Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5
Glickman chooses the Cambridge Springs Defense.
7. cxd5
[I was aware that 7. Nd2 is the most popular move here, but this would not surprise Glickman, who would be well versed in those lines.]
7...... Nxd5 8. Qd2 N7b6
[This surprised me. I remembered that ...Bb4 was a system here, but did not consider this move, remembering that Tarrasch said that a knight on b6 is always misplaced. ]
9. e4!?
[A sign of ambition. Of course, I could play 9. Nxd5 Qxd2+ 10. Nxd2 exd5 11. Bd3 and shake hands a few moves from now. However, this would have the drawback of me being greeted by FM Chris Chase in the tournament room, chastising me for yet another boring game in this tournament. After due deliberation, I decided that it was critical not to allow this to occur.]
9...... Nxc3 10. bxc3 Na4!
[After this move, I knew that Glickman had outwitted me. Black would not be playing this way, so quickly, without a reason. Sure enough, after 11. Rc1? Black plays ....Nxc3 anyway and white is in serious trouble. Still, staying calm, one realizes that White does have a development lead, so he can just gambit this pawn and get the king into safety, with reasonable compensation.]
11. Bd3! Qxc3!
[After 11..... Nxc3 12. 0-0 Black has some problems. Aside from white's development lead, black is in an inconvenient pin, and has to deal with ideas like Ne5 and Nc4.]
12. Qxc3 Nxc3 13. a4
[Black is confronted with the problem of how to rescue his knight.]
13....... b5
[The alternative 13.....f5 lead to a draw in the game Johner-Becker, Carlsbad 1929, with 14. exf5 exf5 15. 0-0 Bd6 16. Rfe1+ Kf7 17. Ne5+ Bxe5 18. Rxe5 19. Bd2 Nd5 20. Bxf5 Bxf5 21. Rxf5+]
14. axb5 Nxb5
[The alternative is 14....cxb5 15. Bd2 b4 16. Bxc3 bxc3 17. Ke2, and analysis shows that black cannot prevent white from winning back the pawn.]
15. 0-0! Be7
[White is a pawn down, but black needs several moves to complete his development, while white is already mobilized. White must do something in the next few moves to address his pawn deficit.]
16. d5
[This is ok, but stronger was 16. Be3 avoiding the exchange and eying a7.]
16...... Bxg5
17. dxc6
[White does not recapture his piece right away, but takes advantage of the opportunity to remove one of the two black queenside pawns that in the long run could win the game for black. With two pieces attacked, black cannot hang onto both.]
17...... Be7
[More natural is 17..... Bf6 18. e5 Nc7 19. exf6 gxf6, and black is an extra doubled pawn ahead on the kingside, and slightly better. This would be punishment for white's failure to play 16. Be3.]
18. Bxb5 0-0 19. Ba6
[This is OK because black is prevented from running his a pawn down the board. The drawback is that black can exchange off the c8 bishop which has no scope. 19. Rfd1 is an alternative.]
19..... Bc5 20. Rfc1 Bb6 21. Kf1 Bxa6+ 22. Rxa6 f6!
[The last few moves have been good play by both sides. With ....f6, Glickman keeps white's knight out of e5.]
23. Nd2
[Here 23. Ra4 is more flexible, because white is going to have to double rooks on the c file soon anyway, to preserve the c6 pawn.]
23....... Rac8! 24. Ra4 Rfd8 25. Nb3 e5
[After 25...... Rd3 26. Rb4 is OK for white.]
26. Ke2 Rd6 27. Rac4 Kf7 28. f3 Ke7 29. Nd2
[White dreams of putting this knight on d5, but Black makes sure this doesn't happen.]
29.... Rd4 30. R4c2! Rd6 31. Nf1 Bd4 32. Ne3 Bxe3
Draw Agreed.
1/2 - 1/2
[33. Kxe3 a5 will soon lead to the trade of black's a pawn for white's c6 pawn.]
1.... c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5
[There was a time when the development of the queen's bishop early in the Queen pawn openings was frowned upon, because of black's possible counterplay on the queenside with the bishop absent for defensive purposes. Boylston chess club member Harry Pillsbury was among the first to demonstrate the strength of this bishop move in Queen pawn games.]
5.... Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5
Glickman chooses the Cambridge Springs Defense.
7. cxd5
[I was aware that 7. Nd2 is the most popular move here, but this would not surprise Glickman, who would be well versed in those lines.]
7...... Nxd5 8. Qd2 N7b6
[This surprised me. I remembered that ...Bb4 was a system here, but did not consider this move, remembering that Tarrasch said that a knight on b6 is always misplaced. ]
9. e4!?
[A sign of ambition. Of course, I could play 9. Nxd5 Qxd2+ 10. Nxd2 exd5 11. Bd3 and shake hands a few moves from now. However, this would have the drawback of me being greeted by FM Chris Chase in the tournament room, chastising me for yet another boring game in this tournament. After due deliberation, I decided that it was critical not to allow this to occur.]
9...... Nxc3 10. bxc3 Na4!
[After this move, I knew that Glickman had outwitted me. Black would not be playing this way, so quickly, without a reason. Sure enough, after 11. Rc1? Black plays ....Nxc3 anyway and white is in serious trouble. Still, staying calm, one realizes that White does have a development lead, so he can just gambit this pawn and get the king into safety, with reasonable compensation.]
11. Bd3! Qxc3!
[After 11..... Nxc3 12. 0-0 Black has some problems. Aside from white's development lead, black is in an inconvenient pin, and has to deal with ideas like Ne5 and Nc4.]
12. Qxc3 Nxc3 13. a4
[Black is confronted with the problem of how to rescue his knight.]
13....... b5
[The alternative 13.....f5 lead to a draw in the game Johner-Becker, Carlsbad 1929, with 14. exf5 exf5 15. 0-0 Bd6 16. Rfe1+ Kf7 17. Ne5+ Bxe5 18. Rxe5 19. Bd2 Nd5 20. Bxf5 Bxf5 21. Rxf5+]
14. axb5 Nxb5
[The alternative is 14....cxb5 15. Bd2 b4 16. Bxc3 bxc3 17. Ke2, and analysis shows that black cannot prevent white from winning back the pawn.]
15. 0-0! Be7
[White is a pawn down, but black needs several moves to complete his development, while white is already mobilized. White must do something in the next few moves to address his pawn deficit.]
16. d5
[This is ok, but stronger was 16. Be3 avoiding the exchange and eying a7.]
16...... Bxg5
17. dxc6
[White does not recapture his piece right away, but takes advantage of the opportunity to remove one of the two black queenside pawns that in the long run could win the game for black. With two pieces attacked, black cannot hang onto both.]
17...... Be7
[More natural is 17..... Bf6 18. e5 Nc7 19. exf6 gxf6, and black is an extra doubled pawn ahead on the kingside, and slightly better. This would be punishment for white's failure to play 16. Be3.]
18. Bxb5 0-0 19. Ba6
[This is OK because black is prevented from running his a pawn down the board. The drawback is that black can exchange off the c8 bishop which has no scope. 19. Rfd1 is an alternative.]
19..... Bc5 20. Rfc1 Bb6 21. Kf1 Bxa6+ 22. Rxa6 f6!
[The last few moves have been good play by both sides. With ....f6, Glickman keeps white's knight out of e5.]
23. Nd2
[Here 23. Ra4 is more flexible, because white is going to have to double rooks on the c file soon anyway, to preserve the c6 pawn.]
23....... Rac8! 24. Ra4 Rfd8 25. Nb3 e5
[After 25...... Rd3 26. Rb4 is OK for white.]
26. Ke2 Rd6 27. Rac4 Kf7 28. f3 Ke7 29. Nd2
[White dreams of putting this knight on d5, but Black makes sure this doesn't happen.]
29.... Rd4 30. R4c2! Rd6 31. Nf1 Bd4 32. Ne3 Bxe3
Draw Agreed.
1/2 - 1/2
[33. Kxe3 a5 will soon lead to the trade of black's a pawn for white's c6 pawn.]
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