Chess
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Your support makes all the difference.Fresh from sharing first place in the Capablanca Memorial Tournament in Havana, Tony Miles annotates his opening win.
White: W G Garcia
Black: A J Miles
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 c6]?
I have been having a great deal of success with this unusual move. In more conventional lines, the knight often gets kicked back to b6 where it has little future. 4 . . . c6 provides a retreat on c7 and keeps more options open.
5. c4
White is already in a slight quandary. After 5. Bc4 Bg4] he would prefer his bishop on e2, while on 5. Be2 g6 the bishop would be better placed on c4.
5 . . . Nc7 6. Be2 dxe5 7. Nxe5 g6 8. Be3?]
Beginning a plan, based on an oversight, to support e5 by bringing knight via d2 to f3.
8 . . . Bg7 9. Nd2 c5 10. Ndf3 cxd4
Now he realised that the intended 11. Bxd4 would lose a piece to 11 . . . f6] 12. Nd3 e5 with e4 to follow. After 45 minutes (I was chuckling to myself at the silly trap he had created) he found the only way to avoid material loss.
11. Qa4+ b5 12. cxb5 dxe3 13. b6+ Nd7]
After 13 . . . Bd7 14. Qc4] he threatens Qxf7, bxc7 and b7. Now 14. Nc6 Nxb6] or 14. bxc7 Qxc7 are clearly good for Black.
14. b7 Bxb7 15. Rd1
He would have preferred to play 15. 0-0-0, but the king on c1 allows a neat tactic: 15 . . . Nd5] 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Bb5 Rc8+ 18. Kb1 Bc6.
15 . . . 0-0 16. Nxd7 exf2+
I had originally calculated 16 . . . Nd5 17. Nxf8 exf2+ 18. Kxf2 Qb6+ as very strong, but then saw 17. Qb5] which is considerably less clear.
17. Kxf2 e5] 18. Qb3
After this, Black develops a very powerful attack. His best chance was 18. Nxf8 Qxf8 19. Qa3.
18 . . . Bxf3] 19. Bxf3 e4 20. Nxf8 Bd4+] 21. Kf1 exf3 (see diagram) 22. gxf3
After 22. Qxf3 Qd6] he loses the knight on f8. After the game, we discovered an unlikely way for him to stay in the fight: 22. Nxh7] when Kxh7 allows Qxf7+ and 22 . . . fxg2+ 23. Kxg2 leaves White ready to bring a rook to f1. Probably best is 22 . . . Qe7 (not Rb8? which is met by Rxd4) 23. Qxf3 Re8 when all is not yet clear.
22 . . . Qh4] 23. Qc2 Nd5]
Black has built up threats that cannot be met.
24. Qd2 Ne3+
Good enough, though Re8] would be more aesthetic.
25. Ke2 Re8 26. Kd3 Nxd1 27. Rxd1 Rxf8 28. Qb4 Qf2 White resigned.
After exchanges on d4, he loses the rook to Rd8+.
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