(4) Moldovan,John (1801) - Demetrick,Joe (1661) [D41]
Kenilworth Summer Tournament - open Kenilworth, NJ (8.2), 28.07.2011
[Moldovan & Houdini 1.5a]

#2 of 2 simultaneous games G/55+5 (delay) D41 Queen's Gambit Semi-Tarrasch Defense

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 c5 [For 6...Be7 see my 2009 KST loss to Tomkovich.]

7.Nf3 Be7!? This is supposed to be inferior but I'm not so sure that it is. [The main linefavors White & Black's d.s. B is more valuable than its counterpart. 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ (Spassky - Fischer's (m/9, 1972) is also +/= 8...Nc6 9.Bc4 b5 ) 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 0-0 favors White & Black's d.s. B is more valuable than its counterpart.]

8.Bb5+ [For 8.Bd3 0-0 see my 2007 loss to Minkov (Checkmate Ch.).]

8...Bd7 9.Bd3! [�9.Qe2 a6 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Re1 Nf6 13.Bf4= Moldovan - Renna : casual game, Kenilworth 05/27/2010]

9...0-0 10.0-0 Diagram

White has a space advantage but his game isn't so easy to play. To quote GM Leonid Yudasin of Chess Mates "Big Center... Big responsibility!"

10...Bc6N [This improves upon the 10...Nc6?! of Benes - Rebicek : Plazen 1996 & Khurtsidze - Kuzmin : Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2002 which is refuted by 11.d5+/- N]

11.Qe2 [The engine suggests 11.Rb1 b6 12.Qe2 Nd7 13.Bf4+/= , which may be an accurate assessment, but what exactly are the b-Rook & cleric accomplishing?]

11...Re8 12.Re1 Nd7 13.Bb2 [>=13.Bf4 ]

13...Nf6 [>=13...Rc8 or a Q move.]

14.Rad1 [>=14.Qc2+/= threatening to win the h7P.]

14...Qb6 15.Rd2 This may not be the best or most harmonious move but, on the plus side, it frees the Q from B-guarding duties and prepares possible doubling.

15...cxd4 16.Nxd4 [Of course, 16.cxd4? drops material to 16...Bb4=/+ ]

16...a6 As my opponent explained, this was played so he could answer 17.Nxc6 with ...Qxc6. Without ...a6, he'd have to take with the b-pawn.

17.e5 Nd5 [�17...Nd7 18.Rb1+/= ]

18.Qh5 h6 Diagram

[Demetrick regretted this, saying it gave me too much play compared to 18...g6 19.Qh6 Bf8 ]

19.Qg4!? This absent-mindedly gives Black the f4 square and soon forces me to sac a P. [19.g3 was safer and more simul-suited. ]

19...Bg5 20.Rc2 [20.Bc1!? /\Bxd2 21.Bxd2 Kf8 22.c4� Ne7 (not 22...Nb4?? 23.c5!+- Qxc5? 24.Nxe6+! Rxe6 25.Bxb4 ) 23.Nxe6+! fxe6[] 24.Bxh6! [] 24...gxh6 25.Qf4+[] Kg8 26.Bh7+ Kxh7 27.Qf7+ Kh8 28.Qf6+ Kg8 29.Qxe6+ , and a forced draw, was an inhuman option.]

20...Ba4 [>=20...Nf4 21.Be4 Bxe4 22.Rxe4 Nd5 threatening to win an Exchange with ...f5.]

21.Nb3! [I rejected 21.Qe4 due to 21...f5 but the computer says that after 22.Nxf5! (�22.exf6?! Nxf6 23.Qe2 Bxc2 24.Bxc2 e5=/+ (not 24...Qxb2?? 25.Bh7+ Nxh7 26.Qxb2+- ) ) 22...Bxc2 23.Bxc2 /\Qxb2 (23...exf5 24.Qxd5+� ) 24.Rb1 Qxc3 25.Nd6� White has full compensation for the R.]

21...Bxb3 22.axb3 Qxb3 23.Qe4 g6? [>=23...f5 24.exf6 Nxf6 25.Qe2+/= ]

24.h4 Bd8[] Black has to leave e7 open for the N.

25.h5 Ne7 Diagram



26.hxg6? [According to Houdini, 26.Rd2 threat: 30.Qg4 followed by 31.hxg6 & Bxg6 26...Qb6 27.Qg4 Kh8 28.Rb1 Rc8 29.hxg6 Nxg6 30.Ba3 Qc7 31.Bxg6 fxg6 32.Qxg6 Rg8 33.Qxh6+ Qh7 34.Qxh7+ Kxh7 35.Rxb7+ Rg7 36.Rxg7+ Kxg7 37.Rd6 Rxc3 38.Bb2 Rc2 39.Bd4 is winning for White. 1.56/22 ]

26...fxg6? [>=26...Nxg6[]+/= ]

27.Qg4?! [Again, Houdini claims a victory, this time via 27.Re3 Nf5 28.g4 Nh4 29.Rh3 Qd5 30.Qxd5 exd5 31.c4 d4 32.Bxd4 Rb8 33.Be4 g5 34.Bd5+ Kf8 35.Rb3 a5 36.Ra2 Ng6 37.e6 Re7 38.Bc5 Ne5 39.Kg2 Ke8 40.Bxe7 Kxe7 41.Rxb7+ Rxb7 42.Bxb7 Nxc4 43.Bd5 Ne5 1.66/22 ]

27...Kh7 28.Bc1! /\ 29.Qh5! +-

28...Nf5[] 29.Qe4? [29.Qh3 threatening 30.Bxf5 +- 29...Kg8[] 30.Bxh6+/- was best.]

29...Qd5 30.Qxd5? [>=30.Qe2=/+ ]

30...exd5 31.Bxf5 gxf5 32.Rd2 Ba5 33.Bb2?! [>=33.Rxd5 Bxc3 34.Re3� ]

33...Rad8 34.f4?? Diagram

This natural-looking move is a blunder and it should have lost. [34.Ree2=/+ was right.]

34...Re6?? [As Joe pointed-out in the post-mortem, 34...d4! 35.Red1 dxc3 36.Rxd8 Rxd8 37.Rxd8 Bxd8 38.Bxc3 would have won.]

35.Kh2 Rc6 36.Red1 Instead of trying to hold the weak c-pawn, I want to swap it for the d5P and trade-down.

36...Bxc3 Short of time, my foe is of the same mind.

37.Bxc3 Rxc3 38.Rxd5 Rxd5 39.Rxd5 Re3 [>=39...Kg6 40.Rd6+ Kh5 41.Rb6 Kg4 42.Rxb7 Kxf4 43.e6 Re3 44.Rb6 a5 45.Ra6 Re5 46.e7 Rxe7 47.Rxa5 h5=/+ ]

40.Rd7+ Kg6 41.Rxb7= Diagram

Drawn by agreement Time left - Moldovan 5:17, Demetrick 1:51 Estimated time used - Moldovan 53:08, Demetrick 56:29 Longest think by White - 8 minutes for 21.Nb3! Longest think by Black - 5 minutes at turns 9, 10, 14 & 15 1/2-1/2