Auckland Chess Centre

[Event "ACC Summer Cup 2010 B-Grade"]
[Site "ACC"]
[Date "2010.03.22"]
[Round "7.3"]
[White "Tseung, John"]
[Black "Li, William"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[JsCom "startply 0"]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Bb4 {One of the
less popular defences to the Morra-Smith gambit, but not at all a bad one.
About 1 in 10 games goes this way, and the overall score is almost even. White
plays rather passively now and Black is under no immediate pressure. However,
there is a long-term question mark over the Bb4's absence from the kingside.}
7. Bd2 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 Ba5 {This is new...and not at all bad. All
earlier games have seen Black capture on c3, when it is hard to believe any
claim that the gambit has been refuted.} 10. Qe2 Re8 ({Immediately} 10... d5 $5
{is better - when Black can recapture with his e6-pawn safely if White plays
exd5.}) 11. Rfd1 $1 d5 {Rather unusually for this gambit, Black gets his
central break in early ( or at all ).} 12. exd5 Nxd5 {Now White has some
pressure on the c-and d-files, thanks to his better development and the
blocked-in Bc8, so chances are about equal. The other possibility -  ...exd5 -
was more in line with breaking out, but there is a tactical problem which
gives White the better chances, namely the unexpected Nxd5!} 13. b4 Bb6 14. Be1
$5 Bd7 15. Qd2 Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Qc7 17. Rac1 Rac8 18. Qb2 $1 {Another clever
strategic retreat, lining up the Qc7, while preparing a battery aimed at
Black's kingside ( Bc3 ).} e5 $2 {This attempt at fixing the Bd7's problems
leaves her majesty on c7 completely in the lurch. Both b5 and Ng5 are now
winning material for White. Black needed to contain the threat of b5 with ...
a6.} 19. Ng5 Nd8 20. Bxf7+ Nxf7 21. Rxc7 Rxc7 22. Qb3 {Black resigns} 1-0

[Event "ACC Summer Cup 2010 C-Grade"]
[Site "ACC"]
[Date "2010.03.22"]
[Round "7.3"]
[White "Chin-Foo, Moktar"]
[Black "Fan, Cathy"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B86"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[JsCom "startply 0"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {The Najdorf} 6. Bc4 {The
Fischer-Sozin Variation - life on the razor's edge.} e6 7. Bb3 Be7 8. O-O O-O
9. Qe1 {Very unusual...the queen is no doubt expecting to go to g3 later. This
manoeuvre is usually seen in the Scheveningen.} b5 10. f4 Bb7 11. Bxe6 $6 {A
very typical "sacrifice" of B+N for R+2P in this variation. Material is very
unbalanced but about equal if Black accepts this offer - but it is not usually
a happy proposition for White if Black's king is castled, though there are
always practical chances.} Nc6 $2 {This loses an important central pawn for
almost nothing. Black should capture on e6 and make White prove his point.} 12.
Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Bd5 Qb6+ 14. Be3 Qb7 15. Bxc6 Qxc6 16. Bd4 Rfe8 {Black is doing
well to make the most of her missing pawn - White's centre is under pressure.
However, this weakens the defence of the f7-pawn and is the wrong rook to be
using - the difference will be seen shortly.} 17. e5 $2 {Pushing forward -
into trouble.} (17. Qg3 $1 {pins the Nf6 and leaves Black in trouble.}) 17...
dxe5 18. fxe5 Nd5 $6 (18... Bc5 $1 {pins everything within sight, and wins the
e5-pawn with a very good position.}) 19. Qg3 $6 (19. Qf2 $1 {stops all Black's
threats and creates some of his own, leaving time to bring the Ra1 into the
game to protect his extra pawn.}) 19... Nxc3 20. bxc3 Bc5 21. Rac1 $6 {Too
passive - once again Qf2! saves/protects everything and allows the Ra1 to be
used actively. White has one more pawn than Black, to be sure - but he also
has four more isolated pawns! That is a lot of potential weaknesses, and more
or less requires active pieces to ( indirectly ) protect them.} Bxd4+ $6 {This
repairs White's pawn structure.} (21... Qd5 $1 {regains the pawn with a good
position - and Black even has some advantage.}) 22. cxd4 Rad8 23. Rf4 Re7 24.
Qg5 Ree8 25. Rf6 Qd5 26. c3 Qxa2 {Black regains her lost pawn and should be
okay now. White's kingside threats can be managed.} 27. Rcf1 Rd7 28. Qg4 Re6
29. Qxe6 $6 {A queen sacrifice - hard to resist. This nice-looking tactical
shot unfortunately only simplifies the position and removes all danger to
Black, provided that she...} Qxe6 $1 {counter-sacrifices her own queen rather
than allowing mate in one.} 30. Rxe6 fxe6 31. Ra1 Ra7 32. Kf2 Kf7 33. h4 $6 {
Moving pawns on the kingside is hardly a priority.} Ke7 $6 34. Ke3 Kd7 35. g4
Kc6 36. Kd3 Kd5 37. Ra5 Kc6 38. c4 $5 bxc4+ $6 {Allowing White's king and rook
a little more activity than they should achieve.  Black should play ...Kb6
here.} 39. Kxc4 Kb6 40. Ra1 $6 {With the WK near enough to control the a-pawn,
White actually has a chance for a slight advantage with Rc5, intending to
attack the e6-pawn. It is knife-edged in many lines though.} Rc7+ 41. Kd3 a5
42. Ke4 Kb5 43. Rb1+ Kc6 44. Rc1+ Kd7 45. Ra1 Ra7 46. d5 $6 exd5+ 47. Kxd5 Ke7
$6 (47... a4 $5 {allows Black's rook to attack the e-pawn from the side.}) 48.
Ra4 g6 {White seems to think he is caught in a very curious form of zugzwang(!)
- but did he really resign just here? The position is still drawn.} 0-1

[Event "ACC Summer Cup 2010 C-Grade"]
[Site "ACC"]
[Date "2010.03.22"]
[Round "7.6"]
[White "Steiner, Mike"]
[Black "Chen, Johnson"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C30"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2010.02.09"]
[SourceDate "2010.02.09"]
[JsCom "startply 0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 Nc6 ? {There is only one good move for Black here -
3...d5.} 4. Nf3 ?! {fxe5 is even better...White will take over the centre.} d6
5. Bc4 !? {Good - but Bb5 is even better.} Bg4 6. h3 Bh5 ? 7. g4 Nxg4 8. hxg4
Bxg4 {Yes, White is winning easily. Now he gets too clever...} 9. Bxf7+ ? Kd7
? (9... Kxf7 ! 10. Ng5+ Qxg5 ! {and Black slightly better(!!)}) 10. d3 Be7
11. Be3 ? {And now White gets too lazy, thinking he has only to develop and
prevent ...Nd4 ( which is NOT a threat - White would play Nxe5+ ), while
missing Black's other threat, which really is a threat.} exf4 12. Bxf4 Rf8 {
And Black has three insufficiently protected white minor pieces lined up on
the f-file, so he will regain his lost piece. But despite being a pawn down,
White is better.} 13. Rg1 ! Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Rxf7 15. Qg4+ Ke8 16. O-O-O Qd7 {
Around here, White should remember that Black is NOT allowed to castle (
queenside ), as he has already moved his king. Keeping the big pieces on the
board with, say, Qg3 ensures some advantage for White, with the Ra8 out of
play.} 17. Nd5 ? Kd8 ? (17... Qxg4 18. Rxg4 Kd7 {saves everything and allows
the Ra8 to be developed - Black has big advantage then.}) 18. Nxe7 ? Nxe7 ?!
19. Bg5 Qxg4 20. Rxg4 Kd7 21. Bxe7 ?! Kxe7 22. Rdg1 g6 23. Rh1 Raf8 24. Rgh4
Rh8 $6 25. Rg1 (25. Rh6 !? {should be tried - jamming Black's kingside pawns.})
25... Rhf8 26. Rgh1 Rf1+ {Black gets it right at the second opportunity...} 27.
Kd2 Rxh1 28. Rxh1 h5 29. Ke3 Ke6 30. d4 c6 31. c4 Kf6 32. Rf1+ Ke7 33. Rxf8 ?
{No rook on the board means no chance for White.} Kxf8 34. Kf4 Kf7 35. Kg5 Kg7
36. e5 dxe5 37. dxe5 Kf7 38. b4 Ke6 39. Kf4 h4 40. Kg4 {Johnson is about to
collect a big scalp!} g5 {White resigns} 0-1