Hello Chess lovers, I would like to share with you the theoretical highlights of the August edition of the Sunningdale Congress. Before I get into the openings I would like to say that these tournaments organised by Sean Hewitt give hundreds of players an opportunity to earn norms and simply advance their ratings. Its a quiet venue in Windsor, England and hotel rates are ultra reasonable.The atmosphere is friendly and the playing conditions excellent.
Onto the first theoretical highlight featuring the really creative, out-of-comfort zone play by GM Simon Williams.
McClement v Williams Sunningdale Congress
1.e4c5 2.Nf3d6 giving the invitation to white.... 3.d4cd4 4.Nd4Nf6 5.Nc3g6 ...so it looks like we will see a straight Dragon....
6.Be3a6 !? -This is not a new concept. GM Williams wrote a book on this line. Black does not just routinely play Bg7 and 0-0 allowing white to know the fixed address of the king. Instead he plays for an attack on e4 and to develop on the queenside. It is also an information gathering sequence. Imagine a young player booked up for the Dragon and ending up playing such a move order. All of a sudden new questions emerge about tempi lost and gained and where white should put his pieces.
7.f3(7.Qd2Ng4 was Ivanchuk v Ljubojevic 1992)b5!? Square denial. The c4 square is taken away from white's bishop.
8.Qd2Bb7
And now black's design are clearer. Black anticipates that white will castle long and so clears c8 for a rook.This means that it is black who will be poised for an attack. Pyschologically this is really hard for white. Generally he has a bishop on b3 in normal Dragon lines. Now white is having to adjust to black's ideas.
9.Bd3Nbd7 10.0-0-0e5!? 11.Nb3
All of a sudden the big picture changes. The problem for white is that his pieces are in the path of black's pawns. between moves 11 and 17 the board changes irrevocably with pawn advances by black.
11....b4 12.Ne2a5 13.Kb1Qc7 14.g4a4! 15.Nbc1a3 16.b3d5! black has more than equalized. He has shifted white from an offensive mindset to a defensive mindset.
17.g5d4 18.Bf2Nh5!? contesting f4 and physically delaying h4-h5 ideas.
19.h4Be7 20.Rdf10-0 - an interesting decision.GM Williams realized that the move 17.g5 prevents Bh6.
Therefore the danger of a mate on the dark squares is remote.
21.Ng3Nf4 22.Nce2Ne2 23.Ne2Rfc8 24.h5Ba6 25.Rfg1Nc5 26.hg6hg6 27.Rg2Ne6 28.Rhg1 and here we can see that the game is simply in black's favour. Black's pieces are poised on key squares and lines.The g5 pawn is a key concern and other points will soon receive GM William's treatments.
28...Bd3 29.cd3Ra6!? 30.Rc1Rc6! 31.Rc6Qc6 32.f4Nc5 black continues to improve his position.In this phase of the game, no concrete tactical variations need to be calculated. The simple aim is piece optimization.
33.Qc2Qa6 34.Qc4?! -The lower rated player often does this.Seeking the refuge of a simpler position he exchanges a valuable piece. The problem is that pawn structure changes radically in favour of black.
34...Qc4 35.dc4d3! 36.Ng3ef4 Things fall apart. 37.Bc5Rc5 38.Nf1Bg5 and black has a massive edge.White puts up symbolic resistance. 39.Nd2Bf6 40.Nf3Rh5 41.Kc1Bc3 and white had enough.
so ...0-1 In this game GM Williams did not play a single move novelty but rather developed an entire concept of playing. Some of the key phases came early.
1) 7....b5 took away c4 and prepared Bb7.
2) 10...e5!? fixed the e4 pawn and also contested f4.
3) Moves 11 -17 radically altered the pawn structure in black's favour.
4) It was uncomfortable for white to shift from offence to defense.
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