(1) Losh,G - Clark,N [C78]
Central Coast District Champ 2007 Gosford (7), 24.07.2007
[,Keith]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 6.Qe2 d6 7.h3 Be6 8.c3 Qd7 9.d4 b5 10.Bb3 exd4 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.cxd4 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Bxd4 14.Qf3 0-0! and black stands very comfortably 15.Nd2 e5 16.Nb3 Bb6 17.Be3 Nd5 18.Qe2 Nf4 19.Qd2 Rf6?? Diagram
[ >=19...Rad8] 20.Kh2?? [ 20.Bxf4! Qc6 ( since 20...exf4?? allows 21.Qd5+ Rf7 22.Qxa8+) ] 20...Rg6 21.Bxf4! exf4?? 22.Qxf4?? missing the above tactic 22...Rf8 23.Qd2 Qe7 24.f3 Qe5+ 25.Kh1 Qg3 26.Rfc1?? Diagram [ 26.Rae1 was what Gary would have had to play to avoid the fireworks 26...Rf4 27.Re2 ( or 27.Qd5+ Kf8 ( 27...Rf7?! 28.Qd2 a5 29.Re2) 28.Re2 Rh6) 27...c6 28.Qe1] 26...Rf4 [ missing the 26...Be3!! decoy sacrifice as noted by Gary in post mortem; or even 26...Bf2 27.Rg1 Rh6!! 28.Qxh6] 27.Rc2 Rh4 [ 27...Rxf3 28.Qd5+ Rf7 29.Rf1 Rgf6 30.Rcc1 Be3 31.Rxf6 gxf6 32.Nd2 c6 would leave black in a strong poaition which should be enough to go on and win, whereas now the game is evenly poised] 28.Qd5+ Kf8 29.Qf5+ Ke8? [ 29...Rf6 30.Qc8+ Kf7] 30.Qc8+ Ke7?! [ the alternative being a tough-to-find line which would have been similarly discouraging 30...Kf7 31.Qd7+ Kf8 32.Nd4 Rhh6 33.Qc8+ Kf7] 31.Nd4!! Bxd4?? [ 31...Rf6 32.Nf5+ Rxf5 33.Qxf5 Rf4 34.Qc8 Rf8 35.Rxc7+!] 32.Rxc7+ Kf6 33.Qf5# a neat middle-of-the-board mate 1-0
(2) Farrell,K - Clark,P [C80]
Gosford District Champ 2007 Gosford (7), 24.07.2007
[,Keith]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 the same moves being played by brother Neil a half-dozen moves and a different room away (we were playing in the 'smokers' room 5...Nxe4 6.Re1 d5 7.d3 Nf6 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Nxe5 Be6 10.Nxc6 Qc8 11.Bg5 Bd6 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Qf3 f5 14.Qxd5 Kf8! 15.Qd4?! inviting Peter to play in the type of position he is comfortable , and 'got' me in the past - after a ...Qb7 and ...Rg8 honing in on a threatened mate on g2 15...Rg8 Diagram
16.Ne5 [ 16.g3 Qb7 17.Rxe6 Qxc6 ( 17...fxe6 18.Qf6+ Ke8 19.Qxe6+ Kf8 20.Qf6+ Ke8 21.Nc3) ] 16...Qb7 17.f3 Rd8 [ 17...Bxe5 18.Rxe5 Re8 ( 18...Qxf3 19.Qc5+ Ke8 20.Qf2) ] 18.Qh4 Be7 19.Qxh7 Bf6 20.Qh6+ and I was finding it very heavy going - chiefly because of the weakness of the g-file , and a8-h1 diagonal , the light-squared Bishop (both Bishops too). This was intended as my way back to prop up my weak b-pawn (as well as a weak g-pawn !! according to various chess engines I had been selecting moves not even top-three choices !! 20...Rg7?? [ 20...Bg7 21.Qc1] 21.Qxf6 [ for several minutes I tried to 'make' this move work, somehow assuming Peter had played the move expected (Bg7) while it being Rg7 as well :-) until I at last saw the obvious 21.Qh8+ Ke7 22.Qh3] 21...Rd6 22.Nd2 Bc8 23.Qh4 Qxb2 24.Nec4 Qxc2 25.Nxd6 [ 25.Qe7+ Kg8 26.Qxc7 Re6 27.Qxc8+] 25...Qxd2?? 26.Qd8# [ 26.Re8#] 1-0
(3) Smerdon,D (2461) - Steiner,B (2260)
PARDUBICE OPEN 2007 CEZ arena, Pardubice (CZE) (1), 20.07.2007
1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 e6 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 d6 7.Bc4 Nc6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nc3 dxe5 11.dxe5 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Qa5 13.Rd1 Rd8 14.Bg5 Bxg5 15.Nxg5 h6 16.Nf3 Bd7 17.Rab1 Be8 18.Bd3 Qxc3 19.Qe3 Qa5 20.Qe4 g6 21.h4 early on in their calculations both Junior8 and Fritz9 preferred snatching the b-pawn, Junior flirted with the move chosen by David as its 2nd choice while Fritz9 had a4 as its top pick for quite a while before going back to the pawn grab - 15 ply for Fritz; 18 ply for Junior, Shredder9 also prefers the material 21...Rd5 22.h5 Nxe5 23.Nxe5 Rxe5 24.Qxb7 Qd5 25.Qe7 Rg5 26.Bf1 Diagram
26...Qxa2? while ALL mentioned engines condemn this move 27.hxg6!? a second choice (according to engines) [ 27.Qb7 Bc6 Junior and Shredder's pick while Fritz went for Rf5 or even a bold ...Kg7 28 Qxa8 and THEN ...Rf5] 27...Rxg6 28.Rb7 Kg7 29.Rd3 Qa1 30.Rf3 Rf6 31.Rg3+ Diagram time to close in [ >=31.Rb1 Qe5 32.Re1 Qg5 ( or 32...Qb2 33.Rg3+ Rg6 34.Rxg6+ Kxg6 35.Re3 Qa1 36.Rg3+ Kf5 37.Ra3 Qd1 38.Rf3+) 33.Rg3] 31...Rg6 32.Rbb3 Rc8 33.Rxg6+ Kxg6 34.Rg3+ Kf5 35.Rf3+ Kg6 36.Kh2 Qe5+ 37.Rg3+ Kh5 38.Qf6 Qxf6 39.Be2+ Kh4 40.Rg4+ Kh5 41.Rg7+ Kh4 42.g3# 1-0
(4) Ramesa,D - Smerdon,D
PARDUBICE OPEN 2007 CEZ arena, Pardubice (CZE) (2), 21.07.2007
[notes by K Farrell]
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.d4 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Nbd2 b5 8.a4 c6 9.Qc2 Nd5 10.Ne4 Na6 11.Bd2 Nab4 12.Qb1 a5 13.Rd1 Rb8 14.Nc5 bxa4 15.Ne5 Bxc5 16.dxc5 Qf6 17.Ng4 Qd4 18.Bf4 Nxf4 19.Rxd4 Nxe2+ 20.Kh1 Nxd4 21.Rxa4 Ba6 22.Ne5 Bb5 23.Rxa5 Nb3 24.Ra7 Ra8 25.Ra3 Nxc5 26.Nxc4 Bxc4 27.Qc1 Bd5 28.Qxc5 Nd3 29.Qb6 Rab8 30.Qe3 Nxb2 31.Bxd5 cxd5 32.Qd4 Rb7 33.Ra6 Nc4 34.h4 h5 35.Kg2 Rd7 36.Rc6 Nd6 37.Qd1 g6 38.g4 hxg4 39.Qxg4 Ne8 40.Qg5 Ng7 41.Kf1 Nh5 42.Qe5 Ra8 43.Rxe6?? whoops, yes it LOOKS a convincing attack but black has just enough to fend it off 43...fxe6 44.Qxe6+ Diagram
and around here is where I started observing, not understanding mind you, the computer points toward the fine and narrow path to sure victory 44...Rf7 45.Qxg6+ Ng7 46.h5 Ra1+ 47.Ke2 Re7+ 48.Kd3 Re6 49.Qg5 Kh7 50.f4 Rh1 51.f5 Rxh5 52.Qxh5+ at this point the computer sees mate-in-18 for black 52...Nxh5 53.fxe6 Kg7 54.Kd4 Nf6 55.Ke5 Kf8 56.Kxf6 d4 57.Ke5 d3 0-1
(5) Smerdon,D (2461) - Oleksienko,M (2567)
PARDUBICE OPEN 2007 (3), 22.07.2007
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.e4 d5 8.cxd5 Bxf1 9.Kxf1 exd5 10.e5 Ne4 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 c5 13.Kg2 Nc6 14.h4 Qd7 15.Rae1 Qe6 16.Ng5 Bxg5 17.hxg5 cxd4 18.f4 g6 19.cxd4 Rc8 20.Qd3 Ne7 21.Rc1 0-0 22.Bb4 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Rc8 24.Rxc8+ Nxc8 25.Qe2 Qc6 26.g4 a5 27.Ba3 Qa4 28.Qe3 Qd7 29.Qf3 Na7 30.f5 Nb5 31.e6 fxe6 32.fxe6 Qe8 33.e7 Nxa3 34.Qxd5+ Kg7 35.Qe5+ Kf7 36.Qf6+ Kg8 37.Qe6+ Kg7 38.Qf6+ Kg8 39.Qe6+ Kg7 40.d5 Nc4 41.Qf6+ Kg8 42.Qe6+ Kg7 43.a4 b5 44.axb5 a4 45.d6 Nb6 46.Qe3 Nd7 47.b6 h6 48.gxh6+ Kh7 49.g5 a3 50.Qc3 1-0
