(2) Mazzillo,Pat (1316) - Moldovan,John (1822) [B13]
Kenilworth Summer Tournament Kenilworth, NJ (12), 19.08.2010
[Moldovan & Firebird 1.2]

G/55+5 (increment) B13 Caro-Kann Defense Exchange Variation

1.e4 c6 [In our 2006 & 2008 KST games (which were part of simuls), I chose 1...g6 and was fortunate to gain 1.5 from 2 would-be losses.]

2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 [I recall Ari Minkov & Steve Stoyko saying Pat plays 4.c4 (the Panov Attack) but have never witnessed it. Most opponents take their chances in a Smith-Morra, Danish Gambit or a Tarrasch French.; For 4.Nf3 see my 2008 match vs. Sherry (3rd game).]

4...Nc6 5.c3 [RR5.Ne2 g6 6.0-0 Bg7 7.c3 Nf6 8.Nd2 0-0 9.h3 e5!? 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Bc2 Huaman - Moldovan : Springfield 01/13/2008 11...Re8= ]

5...Qc7 /\ preventing or slowing Bf4 [RR5...Nf6 6.Nf3 (For 6.Bf4 see Hutama - Stoyko : Westfield Quads 11/26/2006.) 6...Bg4 7.Nbd2 e6 8.0-0 Bd6 9.Qc2 Qc7 10.Re1 Rb8 11.h3 Bh5 12.a3 0-0= Bistis - Moldovan : Springfield 07/14/2002; 5...g6 6.Bf4 Bg7 7.Nf3 Bg4?! (>=7...Nf6= ) 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3+/= McAuliffe - Moldovan : G/10, Kenilworth 09/17/2009]

6.Nf3 [>=6.Ne2 e6 7.Bf4 Bd6 8.Bxd6 trading-off Black's d.s. cleric & making his l.s. B bad. ]

6...Bg4 7.Nbd2 e6 8.h3 Bh5 9.Nf1 [>=9.0-0 Nf6 10.Re1 Bd6 11.Nf1= ]

9...Bd6 Now I'm better and ideally placed.

10.Ne3 [Not 10.b3? Nxd4! J. Sanchez - Blasco : Ibercaja 1966 11.cxd4 Qc3+ 12.Bd2 Qxd3-+ ]

10...Nf6 Diagram

[‹10...Nge7= although 11.g4?! Bg6 12.Qc2 h5 13.g5 0-0-0 was =/+ in Lagousis - Simeonidis : Attica 2003.]

11.g4N Black usually doesn't get away with this in the Q's Gambit Exchange. So, in this reversed form, White shouldn't either. [>=11.Qe2 0-0 12.Ng4 Popelyshev - Buharin : Rybinsk 2009 (/\ trading h3 for h7); ‹11.g3? Bxg3!-/+ 12.fxg3? Qxg3+-+ ]

11...Bg6 12.Bxg6 [‹12.h4 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 0-0 ]

12...hxg6 13.Qe2 With the "threat" of 14.g5 Nd7? 15.Nxd5 but, of course, the steed could go to e4, instead.

13...0-0-0 [>=13...Bf4-/+ ]

14.Bd2 Ne4 15.0-0-0 Kb8 16.Kb1 Ka8 /\ of possibly playing ...Rb8, ...b5 & a minority attack on White's K. [However... >=16...g5 right away. As you will notice, for most of this game I was very tentative. The last thing I wanted to do was turn another advantage into a loss.]

17.Rdg1 [I expected 17.Bc1 ]

17...g5 18.Nf1 Unveiling the B. Now I have to do something about the attack against g5.

18...Nxd2+ [>=18...f6 but I didn't want to make e6 backward.]

19.N1xd2 Bf4 Diagram



20.h4 gxh4 21.Nxh4 [>=21.Rxh4 Rxh4 22.Nxh4 ]

21...Qe7 [>=21...Bh2! interference theme 22.Rg2 Rxh4 23.Nf3 Rdh8! 24.Nxh4 Rxh4 25.f4 Bg3 26.Rxh4 Bxh4 27.Rh2 Bd8=/+ netting 2 pieces for a R.]

22.Ng2 Bc7 23.f4 [23.Ne1= would have restored the balance.]

23...a6?! >= ...g5! =/+, hitting & weakening the f4-g4 duo, here or next.

24.Nb3 [>=24.Nf3= ]

24...Bd6 Keeping an eye on the c5 square.

25.Nc1! Heading for e5.

25...Ka7 26.Nd3 b5 27.Qe3 Rc8 28.Ne5 Na5!? Diagram



29.Ne1 [I was afraid of 29.Rxh8 Rxh8 30.b4?! but 30...Nc4 (rather than 30...Bxb4?! 31.cxb4 Qxb4+ 32.Ka1[] (32.Qb3? Nxb3 33.Nc6+ Kb7 34.Nxb4 Nxd4 ) 32...Rh3! 33.Rb1 (33.Qxh3?? Qxd4+ 34.Kb1 Qxg1+-+ ) 33...Rxe3 34.Rxb4 Rg3 35.Rb2 f6 36.Nd7 Nc6 37.Rd2 Rxg4© ) 31.Nc6+ Kb7 32.Nxe7 Nxe3 33.Nxe3 Bxe7 34.Kc2 Rh3=/+ would have been more than okay.]

29...Qc7 30.N1d3 Nc4 31.Nxc4 bxc4 32.Ne5 Rb8 /\ of an attack upon b2.

33.Rxh8 Rxh8 34.Qc1?! Threatening to gain control of the h-file. [>=34.Re1 ]

34...Rb8?!= Diagram

Black offers a draw. White immediately accepts. Time left - Mazzillo 1:34, Moldovan 6:48 Time used - Mazzillo 56:16, Moldovan 50:02 Longest think by White -5 minutes at turns 17, 25 & 30 Longest think by Black - 5 minutes for 17...g5 & 18...Nxd2 With this half-point (my 1st of the event, after 8 W & 7 L), I clinched a 4th-place tie and took a 1 point lead over Mark Kernighan (who lost to Ken Chieu) in the battle for 3rd. [34...f6 35.Ng6 Rh6 36.f5 exf5 37.gxf5 Qd7 38.Rf1 Rh5 39.Qc2 Rh2 40.Qc1 Re2=/+ ] 1/2-1/2