(1) Kernighan,Mark (2200) - Moldovan,John (1806) [E33]
Garden State Chess League Maplewood, NJ (1.1), 05.03.2009
[Moldovan & Rybka 2.3]

G/75 + :05 delay E33 Nimzo-Indian Defense Milner-Barry Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bd2 [This is given an "!" in MCO-15 but I doubt it's significantly better than the 6.Bg5 ; 6.e4 ; & 6.e3 we've seen before. Look in my PGN or CBV archives for games.]

6...e5 [6...0-0 7.a3 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 is more common. The only possible drawback to the chosen order would be giving White the chance to play an early b4 (move 9 or 10).]

7.a3 [7.d5 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Ne7 9.e4 Ng6 looks fine for Black & HIARCS 11 says it's equal; along with 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.0-0-0 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Qe7 10.e3 a5 11.h3 0-0 12.g4 Dao Thien Hai - F. Unzicker : Budapest 1993 12...Nd7 ]

7...Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Qe7 Supporting e5 is thematic and akin to the 4...Qe7 Bogo-Indian. [Rybka thinks giving up the center with 8...exd4 is best but can't tell me why it has been played just twice in 21 chances. For comparison's sake, let's look at those examples : 9.Nxd4 0-0 (‹9...Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Bd7 11.e3 Bc6 12.Bd3 Qe7 13.f3 h6 14.0-0 0-0 15.e4 Rfe8+/= Van den Bosch - Alexander : Cambridge 1932; Rybka suggests 9...Bd7= N) 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.g3 c5 12.Bg2 Rb8 13.b4 Nd7 14.Be4 Huebner - Unzicker : German Team Ch. 1990 14...g6= ; RR ‹8...e4 9.d5 exf3 10.dxc6 fxe2 11.Qxe2++/= Van Doesburgh - Kmoch : Baarn 1941]

9.dxe5 [Rybka recommends >=9.d5 Nb8 10.g3+/= but 10...a5! 11.Bg2 (or 11.b3N Nbd7 12.Bg2 Nc5= ) 11...a4 12.0-0 Nbd7 13.e4 Nc5 14.Nh4 0-0 15.Nf5 Bxf5 16.exf5 Nfd7 17.Rae1 Qg5 G. Morrison - Davis : Edinburgh Open 1989 is in fact =.]

9...dxe5 10.e3 [RR10.b4 Bg4 (‹10...e4 11.b5 (11.Nd4 e3! 12.fxe3 Ne5 13.Nf5 Bxf5 14.Qxf5 Barsov - Bolduc : Montreal 2004 14...Neg4=/+ ) 11...exf3 12.bxc6 fxe2 13.Bxe2 Gerusel - Langeweg : Krefeld 1967 13...0-0 14.0-0 bxc6 15.Bf3 Rb8 16.Rfe1 Be6 17.Qa4+/= ) 11.b5 (11.Qb2 e4 12.Bxf6? gxf6=/+ ) 11...Bxf3 12.gxf3 Nd4 13.Qb2 c5 14.Bg2 Sassen - Ackermann : correspondence, ICCF 1996 14...Nd7 ]

10...a5 11.b3! This stops the desired ...a4 & prepares to put additional pressure against e5.

11...Bg4 Diagram

[11...0-0 , allowing Black to protect e5 with the f-R & keep the KN actively placed, was a good alternative. For example : 12.Be2 (12.h3 , preventing ...Bg4, doesn't seem any better : 12...Rd8 13.Be2 e4 14.Nd2 Bf5 15.Qb2 Pedersen - Plasman : Amsterdam 2002 15...h6 16.g4 Bd7= ) 12...Bg4 13.0-0 Rfe8 14.h3 Bh5 15.b4 axb4 16.axb4 Rxa1 17.Rxa1 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 e4 19.Be2 Nxb4 20.Qb2 c5 21.Rb1 b6 22.Bxb4 cxb4 23.Qxb4 Qxb4 24.Rxb4 Re6 25.f3 g6 26.fxe4 Nxe4 27.Bf3 Kg7= 1/2-1/2 Ragozin - Botvinnik : Leningrad 1940]

12.h3N [>=12.Nd2 Bh5 13.Bd3 Bg6 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Qc5 16.Bb2 0-0 17.Bxg6 hxg6 18.0-0 Rad8 19.Rfd1 Rfe8 20.h3= Palliser - Scannell : Scarborough 1999]

12...Bh5 [12...Bxf3! 13.gxf3 Nd4! would have given me an advantage.]

13.Qb2 Nd7 Time check no. 1 : White has 40 minutes left, Black 51. [13...Bxf3!? 14.gxf3 0-0= ; & 13...Ne4!? 14.Bxe5 (14.Nxe5?! Nxe5 15.Bxe5 0-0-0!=/+ /\16.Bxg7? Rhg8-/+ development advantage, open lines) 14...Nxe5 15.Qxe5 Bxf3 16.Qxe7+ Kxe7 17.gxf3 Nc5 18.Rb1 Rhd8© merited consideration.]

14.Be2 Bg6? [14...e4 15.Nd4 (Not 15.Bxg7? exf3 16.Bxf3 (‹16.Bxh8 fxe2 17.g4 Bg6 18.Kxe2 0-0-0-+ ) ) 15...Bxe2 16.Qxe2 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 0-0= was right. Now Black gets a difficult position.]

15.0-0 0-0 16.Rfd1 Rfe8 17.b4 axb4 [>=17...Nb6+/= ]

18.axb4 Rxa1 [>=18...e4 19.Nh4 Nce5 ]

19.Qxa1! The b4P taboo because my Q is overloaded.

19...f6 20.Nh4 Bf7 Diagram



21.b5 [>=21.Nf5 Qd8[] 22.Bg4 Be6 23.b5 Ncb8 24.Qa7 ]

21...Ncb8 Time check no. 2 : White has 20 minutes left, Black just 8:50.

22.Qb1?! [This lets me secure my Q. >=22.Nf5 Qc5 23.Qa5+/- /\ Bb4]

22...g6 23.Bb4 Nc5 24.Nf3 Be6 25.Nd2 Nbd7 26.Nb3 b6 27.Qa2 Qf7 28.Bxc5 Nxc5 29.Nxc5 bxc5 30.Kf1? [>=30.Qa7 ]

30...Kg7 31.Ke1 Re7 Thanks to some help from my foe, I'm off the hook & only slightly worse, doubled c-pawns notwithstanding.

32.Rd2 Rd7 33.Rxd7 Qxd7 Diagram



34.Qa7 Qd6 35.Qa6 Qd7 [35...Qb6 was an option.]

36.Qa3 Qd6 37.Qc3 [>=37.f3+/= ]

37...Kf7 [>=37...e4= ]

38.Bf3 Ke7 [>=38...Qb6= ]

39.Bc6 Bd7 40.Bxd7 Qxd7 41.Qa3 Qd6 42.f3 Ke6 [>=42...f5 ]

43.Ke2 f5 Draw offered

44.Qa8 Qd7?! Draw offered again. I didn't know if Mark heard me the 1st time. [>=44...Ke7+/= ]

45.Qf8 [>=45.g4+/- ]

45...Qe7 46.Qc8+ Qd7 Draw offer no. 3. Time check no. 3 - White is down to 23 seconds, Black has 3:59 left.

47.Qg8+ Qf7 48.Qa8 Qd7 49.Qa6+ Qd6 50.Qb7 Qd7 51.b6? [51.g4+/= ]

51...cxb6 52.Qxb6+ Qd6 53.Qb7 Qd7 54.Qa6+ Qd6 55.Qc8+ Diagram



55...Qd7? [This loses c5 & my next gives White a won P ending. 55...Kf7 56.Qh8 h5= would likely have split the point & match.]

56.Qxc5 Qd6?? [56...Qb7+/- ]

57.Qxd6+ Kxd6 58.Kd3+- Kc5 59.Kc3 g5 60.e4 f4 61.Kb3 h6 62.Kc3 h5 63.Kb3 Kc6 64.Kb4 Kb6 65.c5+ Kc6 66.Kc4 Kc7 67.Kd5 Black resigns Kenilworth wins the match 2.5-1.5 Time left - Kernighan 0:13, Moldovan 3:03 Time used - Kernighan 80:22, Moldovan 77:27 Longest thinks by White - 11 minutes for 7.a3 & 10 minutes for 22.Qb1?! Longest thinks by Black - 10 minutes for 19...f6 & 20...Bf7 1-0