The MCO and the Brain Cell + RHP Ch Rd 2 Games

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. c4 c6 4. b3 dxc4 5. bxc4 e5 6. Bb2 e4 7. Nd4 Bd6 8. Bg2 {Now doubt expecting 8...0-0 or 8...c5 9.Nb4. So he makes a move and onto the next game. The last thing he expected was Black to make another Bishop move.} 8... Be5 {OOPS! White is losing material here, he tries to confuse Black but just succeeds in getting tangled up in a tactical web.} 9. e3 c5 10. Ne6 Qd6 {Something has to go. Material wise White's best appears to be Nxg7+ and Nc3. But White spots the e5 Bishop is short of squares.} 11. d4 exd3 12. Nd4 cxd4 13. f4 {Not a bad wriggle. Is White winning back the piece?} 13... Qb6 {No! The Black Queen now chomps both fianchettoed Bishops.} 14. fxe5 Qxb2 15. exf6 Qxg2 16. Rf1 Bh3 {That kills it. In the event of 17.Qf3 Black whacks twice on f1 and emerges a Rook up.} 17. Rf4 Qg1+ {White resigned.}

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Bc5 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. a3 a6 8. b4 Ba7 {A nice sensible opening by Black. GP has had that position before a few times v the English results have gone to who played the better game on the day. (GP has won a few, lost a few.)} 9. d3 Be6 10. Nd2 Qd7 11. Rb1 Bg4 12. a4 Bd4 13. Nce4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 h6 {That is a wee cunning move.} 15. Qc2 {White should have looked at Black's last move. It ruled out Ng5 after...} 15... f5 {Now Nc3 (bxc3) or Nd2 drop the e-pawn. So White sets of a chain re-action much like the one we saw in the last game.} 16. b5 fxe4 17. bxc6 exd3 18. cxd7 dxc2 19. Rxb7 Bxe2 {And Black is coming out of this affray ahead but White fights on.} 20. Bd5+ Kh8 21. Rxc7 Rad8 22. Be6 {f2 is going anyway with a check. White puts all his faith in the d7 pawn.} 22... Bxf1 23. Kxf1 Rxf2+ 24. Ke1 Rdf8 {Now 25.Bh3 which perhaps moves ago White was depending losses instantly to 25...Bc3 mate.} 25. Bf5 {To interfere with the Rooks protecting each other.} 25... R2xf5 26. Rc8 e4 {Another cunning pawn move. This one robs the White King of the square d3 and places him in a tight mating net.} 27. d8=Q Rf1+ 28. Kd2 Rf2+ {White resigned. He has to play.....} 29. Ke1 Bc3+ {Checkmate.}

[FEN "1k6/1p1b1rp1/4p3/3pP2N/3P2R1/4Bn1p/7P/7K b - - 0 42"]
42... Bb5 {Black has spotted a mating pattern.} 43. Rxg7 {White has not seen the mating pattern. Here he is possibly thinking after Nxg7 the Knight will be on the e6 pawn.} 43... Rxg7 44. Nxg7 Bf1 {Now White sees it. Bg2 mate cannot be prevents. White resigned.}

[FEN "8/3P2k1/1P4p1/7p/7K/3r4/1R6/8 b - - 0 1"]

1... Kh6 {The answer is he cannot stop the pawn. But 1…Kh6 is threatening g5 mate.} 2. Rb5 {This looks a good attempt at stopping it because after.....} 2... g5+ 3. Rxg5 Rd4+ 4. Kg3 Kxg5 5. b7 {One of those pawn will promote. However....} 5... Rg4+ {And the White King must stay on the g and h-file to be continually checked by the Rook because if strays onto the f-file he loses this...} 6. Kf3 Rf4+ 7. Ke3 Rf8 8. Kd4 h4 9. Kd5 h3 10. Kc6 h2 11. Kc7 h1=Q {And Black wins.}

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {The Najdorf. This heavily analysed opening more than other has produced some of the most sparkling combinations in the game. A true fighting defence to 1.e4 but you have to be a good player to handle it as Black.} 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Qb6 9. O-O-O O-O 10. e5 {Black castles into a ready made attack. Often in the Najdorf Black delays castling until the right moment. The timing of which is critical. Better was 9...Nc6 or 9...Nd7 catching up with development and waiting to see where White will strike.} 10... dxe5 11. fxe5 Bc5 {This is a sly defensive move. First glance tells you it fails, but first glances in the Najdorf often mislead you. 11...Nd5 which brings it's own set of problems was possibly better (hindsight.) I'm wondering if Black went for a defensive trap.} 12. Bxf6 {Now 12...gxf6 13.exf6 Kh8 13.Bd3 or even 13.Na4 and White has a very strong attack.} 12... Bxd4 {But this just loses to 13.Qg4 g6 14.Rxd4 and the White Queen mates on g7 or h7 after Rh4...Yes?....No! 13.Qg4 Be3+ (the point) 14.Kb1 Bh6 holding g7. This was the defensive trap I mentioned.} 13. Rxd4 {White saw that defensive trick coming so whacked the Bishop. Good chess and game on.} 13... Qxd4 14. Qg3 g6 {There is now a race on to see who gets control of the f6 square. Black has Nd7 (if only he had played that instead of castling) then Nxf6, exf6 and Qxf6 = end of threats.} 15. Bd3 {This move is designed to hold f6.} (15. Qg5 Nd7 16. Qh6) 15... Re8 {I prefer Nd7 but can see the point of the Rook move. It is to give the square f8 to Black Queen to hold g7.} 16. Ne4 {That is f6 being fully covered.} 16... Nd7 17. Qg5 Qb4 {That is the Queen heading for f8 to hold g7.} 18. h4 {Up come the reserves.} 18... Qf8 {Back go the defenders.} 19. h5 b5 {What else? The is nothing to do but wait and hope the attacker does something silly like hang his Queen.} 20. hxg6 fxg6 21. Qxg6+ {He has hung his Queen!} 21... hxg6 22. Rh8+ Kf7 23. Ng5 {Checkmate. Good Game.}