The Winawer Report (TWR), Issue 03 January 29, 2002 Entire contents Copyright © 2002 by John C. Knudsen, all rights reserved. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* To subscribe: http://www.correspondencechess.com/knudsen/ To unsubscribe: http://www.yourmailinglistprovider.com/unsubscribe.php?Winawer Public archive: http://www.yourmailinglistprovider.com/pubarchive.php?Winawer *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Contacts Editor/Publisher: ICCF IM John C. Knudsen knudsenjohnc@hotmail.com Assistant Editor/Publicity: Rick Massimo mahlesh@home.com Book Review Editor: John Pugh John.Pugh2@btinternet.com WebWatch Editor: Paul J. Comeau xshakespearessonx@hotmail.com *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Submissions: Reader submissions are always encouraged! TWR welcomes articles and games submitted free of charge, and proper credit will be given on all accepted submissions. For articles, plain text (with a margin of 40-50 characters) is preferred. For the games contained therein, PGN or Chessbase format is preferred. For articles, please submit in English. Email submissions to the editor, who will respond promptly. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Advertisements: Small text advertisements with URL or email address are welcomed - contact the editor for rates. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* SPAM Policy: You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to it - TWR does not practice SPAM. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Table of Contents Annotated Games Recent Games in PGN WebWatch In Future Issues *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Annotated Games By John C. Knudsen Here is a nice game in the 7. a4 line that Dr. Jason Bokar sent in... Scacco,M (2198) - Bokar,J (2400) [C19] CM-1999-0-00094, IECG Email, 31.07.2000 [Jason Bokar] When I began this event, I took a moment to search the IECG game database (games are available from the IECG Web site). I am not a full time Winawer player - only an occasional one. But I noticed that my opponent played this variation regularly against the Winawer. After careful evaluation of the moves, and consultation with Watson's "Play the French," I decided to give it a go! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 6. ... Qc7 is the other option, but once again I noticed my opponent always played this 7. a4 variation. 7.a4 Nbc6 8.Nf3 Qa5 9.Qd2 Bd7 10.Bd3 c4 The other game in the IECG database from this position, given below, continued 10...f6. Watson appears to suggest it as the most promising line, based on the amount of analysis provided. However, I looked at the game fragment Carli- Hawkes, corr. 1993, and I liked the idea of closing down the Queenside and attacking the pawn chain with f6 later. [10...f6 11.0-0 fxe5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 0-0 14.f4 Bxa4 15.Ba3 Rac8 16.g4 Ng6 17.h4 Nxh4 18. f5 Rf7 19.Qf2 Ng6 20.Qe3 Nf8 21.c4 d4 22.Qh3 Re8 23.f6 gxf6 24.Rxf6 Ree7 25.Raf1 Rxf6 26. exf6 Rf7 27.Bc1 Qc7 28.Bf4 e5 29.Bg3 Ng6 30. Qh6 Nf4 31.g5 Nxd3 32.cxd3 1-0 Scacco,M-Hage,H/ IECG 1999 (32)] 11.Bf1?!N 11. Be2 was played in the Carli-Hawkes game above. Bf1 is played with the idea of g3 and then Bg2. But this is too slow and gives Black a target on the Kingside. (Editor's note: I found a few other games with 11.Bf1: Gutierrez-Garcia Bogota Telecom (8) 1997 1-0 (45); Wahono-Ostenstad World Cities (8) 1997 1-0 (50); Scacco-Horvat, 3 ECT A 1999 1-0 (29) - JCK) 11...f6 12.Ba3 0-0-0 Following the plan layed out by Hawkes: Castle Queenside and then attack the pawn chain. 13.g3?! As I said above, I think this is a mistake - it was probably better to play Be2 and then consolidate. Even though it loses some tempi, Black won't have this target on the Kingside. 13...Ng6 14.Bd6 Rde8! The idea of this variation: Protect e6, give space to the Nc6 to go to d8 and then to f7 so that e5 comes under strong pressure and it will kick out the Bd6. 15.Bh3 Nd8 16.0-0 Nf7 17.Bb4 Qc7 18.Qe3 h5 Now the attack on the King begins. White's Bh3 was another misstep as now he cannot block the h pawn so easily. 19.a5 h4 20.Bg2 Kb8 Here I felt it was better to give the King a little support since White's a-pawn will be coming fast. The idea here is to give room to the Bd7 to fall back to c8 if needed and to protect entry to the castled position while still helping on e6. 21.Bc5 Rc8 White's Bc5 looks secure, but it is only protected once, by the pawn on d4. Since e5 is weak, then all kinds of tempory sacrifices on e5 lend themselves. 22.Rfb1 22. Nxh4 was probably too risky as after the exchange of Knights on h4 and pawns on e5, the Rooks will come hunting down the h- and g- (or f-) files. 22...Ngxe5 23.Bxa7+ Kxa7 24.dxe5+ Qc5 25.Qd4 25. Qxc5 does not help as Black's center will be too strong. 25...hxg3 26.hxg3 Nxe5 The proper move order. First take with the Knight, then remove the Queens! 27.Nxe5 Qxd4 28.cxd4 fxe5 29.dxe5 g5 30.f3 Rhf8 31.Kf2 Bc6 32.c3 Rcd8 Preparing to push ...d4, when the game would be over since white's weakness on f3 is well targeted. 33. Rb2 d4 34.cxd4 Rxd4 35.Ra3 Rf5 36.Re3 Bd5 37.Bf1 Rd1 38.Be2 Rc1 39.g4 Rf8 40.Rb5 Rc8 41.a6 b6 The last point to be careful on. Don't open the King's position! 42.f4 c3 43.Rh3 c2 0-1 David Flude, whose Web site (the Winckelmann- Reimer Gambit Home Page, http://home.mira.net/~fludy/) was reviewed in TWR-02, sent in a couple of interesting WRG games: Flude,D (2100) - Sveinsson,J (2000) [C15] WRG 2 Thematic (2) SEMI, 15.07.2000 [David Flude] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 dxe4 6.f3 c5 7.Bb5 I consider that the following game refutes 7. Bb5. The game was being played at the same time as my game and I only saw it later. Sveinsson,J (2000) - Viola,M (2258) [C15] WRG 2 Thematic (2) SEMI, 15.07.2000 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 dxe4 6.f3 c5 7.Bb5+ Bd7 8.Qe2 Qa5 9.Rb1 Qxc3+ 10.Bd2 Qxc2 11.Rc1 Qb2 12.Rxc5 Nc6 13.fxe4 Qxd4 14.Rc4 Qb2 15.a4 a6 16.Bxc6 Bxc6 17.Nf3 Qa1+ 18.Bc1 Bxa4 19.Qb2 Qxb2 20.Bxb2 Bb5 21.Rc7 Nf6 22.e5 Nd5 23.Rxb7 0-0-0 24.Ra7 Kb8 25.Rxf7 Nb4 0-1 7...Bd7 8.Qe2 cxd4 9.fxe4 Qa5 10.Rb1 Qxc3+ 11.Bd2 Qxa3 12.Nf3 Nc6 13.Bd3 Trying to gain a tempo compared to the normal line with 13. e5. 13.0-0 Qc5 14.Bd3 may be even better. 13...b6 14.e5 Nge7 15.0-0 Ng6 16.Rb3 Qe7 17.Bc1 f5 18.exf6 gxf6 19.c3 dxc3 20.Rxc3 Rc8 21.Ba6 Rd8 22.Ba3 Qg7 23.Bb5 Nf4 24.Qd2 Rg8 25.Ne1 It's also possible to play 25.g3 Nd5 26.Rxc6 Bxc6 27.Bxc6+ Rd7 28.Bxd7+ Qxd7. 25...Nd5 26.Rxc6 Bxc6 27.Bxc6+ Kf7 28.Nf3 f5 Both players saw the trap 28...Nf4 29.Ne5+ fxe5 30.Rxf4+ exf4 31.Qxf4+ Qf6 32.Qc7+ Kg6 33.Be4+ Qf5 34.Bxf5+ exf5; on the other hand, 28...Qxg2+ 29.Qxg2 Rxg2+ 30.Kxg2 Ne3+ 31.Kf2 Nxf1 32.Kxf1 is very messy. 29.g3 Qc3 30.Qxc3 Nxc3 31.Ne5+ Kf6 32.Nd7+ Kg6 33.Ne5+ Kg7 34.Bb2 Nd5 35.Bd7 Kf6 36.Nc6+ Kf7 37.Nxd8+ Rxd8 38.Bb5 Rc8 39.Bd4 Ke7 40.Bb2 a5 41.Ba3+ Kf6 42.Bb2+ Ke7 43.Ba3+ Kf7 44.Re1 Nf6 45.Re2 Rc3 46.Bb2 Rc5 47.Re5 Rc2 48.Re2 Rc7 49.Kg2 Nd5 50.Bd4 Ke7 51.Bd3 Kf7 52.Bb5 ½-½ Flude,D (2100) - Viola,M (2258) [C15] WRG 2 Thematic (2) SEMI, 15.07.2000 [David Flude] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 dxe4 6.f3 c5 7.Nh3 Little did I know when I played this move that my opponent invented this line and knew far more about it than me. 7...Nf6 8.Nf2 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10.0-0 is an alternative but I think Black is winning. 8...Nc6 8...Qd5 must be the critical test. 9.fxe4 cxd4 10.Bd3 Qa5 11.0-0 Qxc3 12.Rb1 Qc5 12...0-0 13.Rb5 and White wins the Black Queen. 13.Rb5 Qf8 14.Bf4 e5 Black cannot allow e5, when the White Knight will reach d6. 15.Rxe5+ Nxe5 16.Bxe5 Bd7 Excellent defence, forcing White to make a choice. 17.Qc1 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.e5 fxe5 19.Qh5 0-0-0 20.Qxe5 leads nowhere; 17.Bxd4 regaining the pawn, with the threat of e5, the two Bishops and a big lead in development, is probably the best move but it is very complicated. The following are typical lines, but be warned: I have not spent the time examining them that I would normally spend on a correspondence game, so errors are possible. 17...Qxa3 18.e5 Qa4 19.Bc5 Ng4 (19...Qc6 20.Ba3 Nd5 21.Ne4 Ne3 22.Qc1 Nxf1 23.Nd6+ Kd8 24.Nxf7+) 20.Ne4 Nxe5 21.Nd6+ Kd8. 17...Qe7 18.Bxd4 0-0 19.Qe3 19.Qg5 Rfc8 20.Ng4 (20.e5 Nd5) Bxg4 21.Bxf6 (21.Rxf6 Rd8 22.Bb2 Bh5) Qc5+. 19...Qe6 20.h3 Bc6 21.Qg5 h6 22.Qg3 Nh5 23.Qf3 A mistake. Now the wheels come off. The following move and analysis was suggested by Tom Winckelmann: 23.Qh4 Qd6 24.c3 Nf4 25.Ng4 Rfd8 (25...Nxd3 26.Rf6; 25...Bxe4 26.Nf6+; 25...Rfe8 26.Nf6+ gxf6 27.Rxf4; 25...g5 26.Nxh6+ Kh7 27.Qxg5 Qxh6 28.Qxf4 Qxf4 29.Rxf4) 26.Nf6+ gxf6 27.Rxf4 f5 28.e5. 23...Qd6 24.c3 Ng3 25.Re1 f5 26.Qe3 Qg6 27.Bc5 Rfe8 28.e5 b6 29.Bb4 Rad8 0-1 Recent Games In PGN Here is the main database update, which contains recent higher-level Winawer games in PGN format, ECO codes C15-C19: http://www.correspondencechess.com/knudsen/twr/twr03db.zip Here are the annotated games and other referenced games from this issue in PGN: http://www.correspondencechess.com/knudsen/twr/twr03a.zip ----------------------------------- ***Please visit our advertisers*** ----------------------------------- Correspondence Chess News (CCN): http://ccn.correspondencechess.com Subscribe to CCN-Plus: http://ccn.correspondencechess.com/ccnplus.htm The Annual Correspondence Chess Yearbook (CCYB): http://correspondencechess.com/yearbook/ The printed book, Essential Chess Quotations, from iUniverse: http://www.correspondencechess.com/knudsen/quoteb.htm Chess coaching services: http://www.correspondencechess.com/knudsen/coaching.htm ----------------------------------- WebWatch By Paul J. Comeau xshakespearessonx@hotmail.com Hull Chess Club http://www.hullchessclub.karoo.net Thanks go out to Jim Hawksley for e-mailing us this link! The Hull Chess Club’s home page has a very high-quality section devoted to the 7. Qg4 0-0 line. Jim has put together a database of 7. Qg4 0-0 games and has provided analysis for several of these lines, all of it based upon very recent games and theory. For those interested in some very fresh analysis, the unbiased play-by-play here is very good, and we see the perspective from both sides, though the Black counterattack seemed the dominant theme. Exeter Chess Club Chess Coaching Pages: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~dregis/DR/Openings/frencheg.html#RTFToC23 The Exeter Chess Club maintains a huge set of pages for coaches and trainers offering much material for anyone’s training program. They have a small page on the French Defense, including the Winawer, but the site is too general for serious Winawer players. If you are an intermediate player looking to develop a course of self-study, this is the site to start with. For more advanced players, the Hull Chess Club’s Winawer page, or the other more in-depth pages that I have discussed in previous issues, would be a safer bet. 4-Player Chess http://www.4playerchess.com/main.html This site doesn’t have anything to do with the Winawer, but for casual players looking for a more social game of chess, without the confusion of OTB bughouse, 4-player chess of any kind is a very fun alternative. This site offers one of many multi-player chess variants available on the market today. Pick one up just for a weekend, or as a change of pace for a night at the local club. As a change of pace I will be reviewing such light-hearted sites at least once each article. These will each have a chess element of some type, but they will deal with the lighter side of chess, and include anything from stories and anecdotes to quotes by famous players, chess puzzles or chess variations. I’m open to all ideas and suggestions, and all feedback will help play a part in shaping this column. As always, I can be reached at xshakespearessonx@hotmail.com and I welcome all email. In Future Issues o A Tait variation article and games from Bernard Hanison o Jonathan O'Connor with some games in the 7. Qg4 0-0 line o Tom Winckelmann takes John to task...