Scarborough Chess Congress (Intermediate)

[Event "Scarborough Intermediate"] [Site "?"] [Date "2019.10.25"] [Round "1"] [White "Woollard, John"] [Black "Tomlinson, Zak"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A20"] [PlyCount "42"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 {Keres system, with the intention of pushing d5} 4. d4 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Qe7 {? If I wanted to play d5 I should have played Bxd2+ and follow up with d5 but I decided against it} 6. d5 {I was not expecting White to play d5 himself, however I'm also unsure if this is any good as the e5 pawn becomes a little stronger} Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 d6 {d6 for White would have been strong, so this was important, also to help Black's development} 8. Nc3 Bd7 { To watch c6, allowing the Knight to develop} 9. Nf3 cxd5 10. cxd5 Na6 11. O-O O-O 12. Ng5 {I thought this move was strange at first, then thought maybe he was preparing to push f4 in some lines} h6 {Now I expected this Knight to go to e4} 13. Nh3 {? This is oddly placed} e4 {?! I believed this to be good over the board, as now d5 can be won more easily, however White can just play f3} 14. e3 {? This is the wrong way to neutralise, Black can just naturally improve the position whilst attacking d5} Nc7 15. Nf4 Qe5 {With the threat of g5... White should now play something like Qc2, looking to give one pawn to gain another} 16. Qd4 {? This move drops a pawn, because of the g5 threat} Qxd4 17. exd4 Rfe8 {g5 immediately was also playable} 18. Rfe1 g5 19. Nfe2 Ncxd5 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Rac1 Nb4 {Black is threatening to win the exchange or at least another pawn... White actually resigned here} 0-1

[Event "Scarborough Intermediate"] [Site "?"] [Date "2019.10.26"] [Round "2"] [White "Tomlinson, Zak"] [Black "Colledge, Dave"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B02"] [PlyCount "56"] 1. e4 d5 {Scandinavian (or centre counter)} 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bg4 {? Black usually takes the pawn, but here decided on an intermezzo which doesn't really accomplish anything} 4. Be2 Bxe2 5. Ngxe2 {? Qxe2 was better, it firstly allows the Knight to go to the more natural f3 square, but it also comes with the threat of Qb5+ which is also playable if Black plays Nxd5} Nxd5 {Now the game is about even} 6. d4 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. Ne4 {Improves the Knight's position and enables c4} O-O 9. c4 Nf6 {I considered f3 here, with the point being Nxe4 would help strengthen my centre, but I figured he would not play this and my dark squares become a little exposed} 10. Nxf6+ {? In principle, this move does not achieve much in way of building a plan} Bxf6 11. Be3 c6 {? The Knight wanted to go on this square} 12. Qb3 Qb6 {Black says "give me an opened a-file" } 13. Qxb6 {I say "OK"} axb6 14. Rfd1 Nd7 15. Nc3 Rfd8 16. Ne4 {An equal looking position, but I dare say White is slightly better purely based on both Knights' positions} Be7 17. a4 h6 18. Bf4 {Looking to exploit some holes in Black's position} Nf6 19. Nxf6+ {? Fritz doesn't seem to like this, partially due to White's weak Queenside pawns (b2 and a4)} Bxf6 20. Bc7 {? Almost a knee-jerk move, completely missing that Black can just play Rxd4, as 21.Bxb6 Rxd1+ 22.Rxd1 Bxb2 is winning for Black} Rxd4 {I thought to myself "if the pawn was on b3 I wouldn't be in this mess"} 21. b3 {So I played b3, but I'm now a full pawn down} b5 {My opponent offered a draw here... I should have taken it, but thought my Bishop was still fairly strong and there might be winning chances still, so I played on a bit} 22. Rxd4 Bxd4 23. Rd1 {?? This is actually lost after bxa4, White cannot take the Bishop due to the weak back rank and a strong passed pawn} e5 {?? Black returns the favour, not seeing how strong bxa4 was} 24. cxb5 cxb5 25. a5 Rc8 26. Rc1 {?? White had to be careful, Bb6 may have been ugly but at least it doesn't drop a piece} e4 {?? Yet another favour, Black is threatening Be5 but the correct technique was actually playing Bb2 first, hitting the Rook, then playing Ba3 en route to d6 and Black wins at least the exchange and has a comfortable endgame} 27. Bf4 { Only move} Rxc1+ 28. Bxc1 Bc3 {Black generously offers a draw again, this time I accept immediately but Black should have won this game} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Scarborough Intermediate"] [Site "?"] [Date "2019.10.26"] [Round "3"] [White "Tomlinson, Zak"] [Black "White, Gary"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B05"] [PlyCount "108"] 1. e4 Nf6 {Alekhine's defense} 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 {This is the modern variation, something I have played before but rare} Bg4 5. Bc4 {Usually c4 is played to kick the Knight to b6 but I opted for piece development instead hoping to invite sharp play} dxe5 6. dxe5 e6 7. Bd2 Bc5 8. h3 Bxf2+ {?? This seemed to come from nowhere and surprised me.. I wasn't sure what he was planning so just shrugged and took the piece} 9. Kxf2 Bxf3 {Now I realise, he was seeing Qxf3 followed by Qh4+ and then he gets his piece back after Qxc4} 10. Kxf3 {So instead, I take with the King and now Qh4 doesn't come with check} Nd7 11. Qe2 Qh4 12. Bxd5 exd5 13. g4 {This was to limit what squares his Queen has, then my focus was to try and get the Queens off} O-O-O {Now Nc3 and my Rooks are connected, then my King can drop back to g2 and White should be comfortable} 14. Qe3 {? Instead, my eagerness to try and get the Queens off ASAP begins unecessary problems for me} h5 {Threatens hxg4+} 15. Qg5 {? Again Nc3 was still the best move, now Black gets another pawn and increased piece activity} hxg4+ 16. Qxg4 Qxg4+ 17. Kxg4 Nxe5+ 18. Kg3 Rd6 {Now I wanted to play Nc3 but thought OTB that Nc4 would be annoying to deal with} 19. Na3 {? So I developed the Knight to a square which guards c4... but this is the dimmest of dim knights} Rg6+ 20. Kf2 Rh5 21. Raf1 Rf5+ 22. Ke2 Rg2+ 23. Kd1 Nf3 {This is all looking unpleasant for White, but technically White is still better if he can just consolidate} 24. Be3 d4 25. Bf2 {?? The Rook needed to go to f2 instead, I missed Black's next move} Nh2 {Now White must give up the exchange and try survive with a draw} 26. Rxh2 {Rhg1 instead of taking the Knight was also a try, giving the piece back but taking g7} Rxh2 27. Ke1 Rf4 28. h4 a6 29. Nc4 b5 30. Nd2 c5 31. b3 Kb7 32. Ke2 Rg2 33. Nf3 f6 34. Rg1 {I offered a draw in vain here, which was rightly refused} Rxg1 35. Bxg1 {Black slowly improves and eventually gets the win... White spent the next two days thinking about what could have been} Kc6 36. Bh2 Re4+ 37. Kd2 Re3 38. Ng1 Kd5 39. Ne2 a5 40. Nf4+ Ke4 41. Ng2 Rh3 42. Bd6 c4 43. bxc4 bxc4 44. a4 Kf3 45. Ne1+ Kf2 46. c3 d3 47. Bc5+ Kf1 48. Bd6 Rxh4 49. Nf3 Re4 50. Kd1 Kg2 51. Nd2 Rh4 52. Kc1 Kf2 53. Kb2 Ke2 54. Bg3 Kxd2 {My opponent went on to win both games on Sunday and claimed 375 pounds prize money} 0-1

[Event "Scarborough Intermediate"] [Site "?"] [Date "2019.10.27"] [Round "4"] [White "Robson, Owen"] [Black "Tomlinson, Zak"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C24"] [PlyCount "49"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 {This has a few names, but in principle it is a Scotch Gambit} exd4 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 Bc5 {d5! is a known move in many lines of this opening, giving the pawn back but shutting White's light-squared Bishop down} 7. e5 Qe7 {? Even here, d5 was still playable, but now Black has to make concessions} 8. O-O Ne4 9. Qd5 Nxf2 {? 9...c6 10.Qxe4 d5 was the best way to maintain equality} 10. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 11. Kxf2 h6 {At the board I was probably still thinking I'd just develop eventually and be OK} 12. Ba3 {But honestly, this could not be much worse for Black after only 12 moves} Qe6 13. Qd3 Qb6+ 14. Kf1 c5 {? To close the dark-square diagonal and allow castling, but completely missing White's next move} 15. Qd5 {A better player would already have resigned by now, White has four active pieces compared to Black's one... and even that is debatable} Qg6 16. Qxc5 Nc6 17. Nd4 b6 18. Qd5 Bb7 19. Nb5 O-O-O {Now I'm kinda developed and my King is kinda safe, also I have a kinda threat on g2} 20. Nd6+ Kb8 21. Nxb7 Kxb7 22. Bd6 {I'm not sure what it is with Knight's being stuck on b1 these last two games} Rhe8 23. Qb5 { ?? Nd2 was the best move, now Black can actually grab the e5 pawn immediately with Nxe5, when if Bxe5 then Qf5+ equalises} Qf5+ {? Black gets the move order wrong} 24. Kg1 Nxe5 {?? VERY wrong} 25. Qd5+ {Earlier, the Knight could just go back to c6, but now the Queen on f5 is hanging... Black resigned} 1-0