As the generals say, there’s a lot to be learned from a little war.
Take, for example, today’s first game from the recent 29th NATO Chess Championship, held in Lubbock, Texas. The U.S. team finished a very credible fourth in the event, behind Poland, Germany and Greece. Expert Lt. Chase Watters, a U.S. Navy Medicine researcher, anchored the U.S. squad and picked up an eventful but impactful point in his game against German Class A player Karl Koopmeiners, a wild back-and-forth Queen’s Gambit packed into just 26 moves.
Both sides come out with artillery blazing in one of this opening’s sharper lines, as after Watters’ 5. f4 e6!?, White could already go for the crazy with 6. fxe5!? Qh4+ 7. Kd2 Qf4+ 8. Kc3 Qxe5+ 9. Kxc4 Qxe4+ 10. Kb3 Bd7, with both sides trying to hang on.
This is a game in which the standard advice to castle your king to safety backfires for both sides. White’s 11. 0-0-0?! puts his king right in the firing line, when 11. d6! Qxd6 12. Qxd6 13. e5 Ng4 14. Bd4 Be7 15. Nf3 offered a pleasantly playable game, while Watters’ 13. exd5 0-0?! is inferior to 13…exd5 14. Qa3 Bg4 15. Re1 Qe7 16. Qxe7+ Kxe7 17. Bd4+ Ne4, with an edge for Black.
A brave White advance scout puts Black’s game in mortal danger after 14. dxe6 Nd5? (missing White’s next; Black can fight on with 14…Qe8 15. Bc5 Bxe6 16. Bxf8 Rc8 17. Bc5 b6 18. Kb1 Rxc5 19. Qb4) 15. e7! (exf7+, which Black may have been banking on, opens the game to Black’s advantage in lines like 15…Rxf7 16. Qb3 Be6 17. Nf3 Rd7 18. Bd4 Rc8+ 19. Kb1 [Bc3 Qf6 20. Rxd5 Qxf4+ 21. Kb1 Bxd5] Nc3+ 20. Qxc3 Rxc3 21. bxc3 Qa5) Qxe7 16. Rxd5, and Black finds himself down a piece for a pawn.
It doesn’t take a Clausewitz to know that, when the numbers are against you, the best strategy is to throw dust in the other guy’s eyes. Fortunately for Black, the open lines on the board and White’s lagging development are ideal for a desperate counterattack.
Thus: 16…Be6!? (also sharp was 16…Qe4!? 17. Qd4 [Rg5 f6 18. Rg3? Bf5 19. Kd2 Rac8 20. Qb3+ Be6 21. Qa3 Qc2+ 22. Ke1 Rcd8 and wins] Qxg2 18. Rg5 Qf1+ 19. Kd2 f6 20. Qd5+ Be6! — the piece is worth far less than the open files for Black’s rooks — 21. Qxe6+ Kh8 22. Rd5 Qg2+ 23. Ne2 Qxh1, with one of those dreaded “chances for both sides” positions) 17. Bc5! (again finding the right move, as 17. Rg5? f6 18. Rc5 Rfc8! leaves White with major pin troubles; e.g. 19. Kb1 b6 20. Rxc8+ Rxc8 21. Qe1 Bf5+ 22. Ka1 Re8, winning back the piece) Qc7.
Black’s aggression is rewarded on 18. Rg5? (threatening mate on the move is always tempting, but the safer 18. Re5! Rfc8 19. Nf3 b6 20. Ng5! Qxe5! 21. Qxe5 Rxc5+ 22. Qxc5 bxc5 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Rd1 hands White a much better endgame) Qxf5+ 19. Qe3 Qc4+ 20. Kd2 (one wild variation lurking in the weeds here is 20. Qc3+ Qf1+ 21. Kd2 f6! 22. Bxf8 Rxf8 23. Rg3 Rd8+ 24. Rd3 Rc8 25. Qa5 b6 26. Qxa7? Qc1+ 27. Ke2 Rc2+ 28. Kf3 Qf1+ 29. Ke3 Qf2+ 30. Ke4 Bf5+ 31. Kd5 Qc5 mate) Rfd8+ 21. Ke1, when the prudent 21…h6 would have stopped a lot of kingside tricks and tempted White with 22. Rg3 Rac8 23. Qxh6? Rd1+!! 24. Kxd1 Qf1+ 25. Kd2 (Kc2 Rxc5+ 26. Rc3 Rxc3+ 27. bxc3 gxh6) Rd8+ 26. Kc2 Qc4+ 27. Kb1 Rd1+ 28. Qc1 Rxc1 mate.
Instead, White gets a break on the game’s 21…Rd3? 22. Qe5 (the brave choice, since White has a draw with 22. Rxg7+! Kxg7 [Kh8 !!? 23. Qh6 Rd1+ 24. Kxd1 Qf1+ 25. Kc2 Bf5+ 26. Kd2 Rd8 27. BNd6 Qd3+ 28. Ke1 Rxd6 29. Qxd6 Qxd6 30. Rg3, and it’s hard to say what just happened] 23. Qg5+, with a perpetual.
Defense, though, is always harder in these position, and Koopmeiner’s 23. Ne2 Rad8 24. Be7? (see diagram; White’s move drives the Black rook to the square where it wants to go, while 24. b3! Qc2 26. Kf2 — having castled queenside, castling kingside is unfortunately not an option here — R3d5 26. Qe3 is still a game) Re8!, and now the pins catch up with White.
The finale: 25. Qf6 (Ba3 Rd5 26. Qg3 Bd7 27. Qf3 Bb5 and wins) Rd7 (Re3 was also strong) 26. Ba3 Bf5, and the pin on e2 is deadly. Black resigned.
29th NATO Chess Championship, Lubbock, Texas, June 2018
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 Nc6 4. d5 Ne5 5. f4 e6 6. Qd4 Nd3+ 7. Bxd3 cxd3 8. Qxd3 c6 9. Nc3 Nf6 10. Be3 Bb4 11. O-O-O Bxc3 12. Qxc3 cxd5 13. exd5 O-O 14. dxe6 Nd5 15. e7 Qxe7 16. Rxd5 Be6 17. Bc5 Qc7 18. Rg5 Qxf4+ 19. Qe3 Qc4+ 20. Kd2 Rfd8+ 21. Ke1 Rd3 22. Qe5 g6 23. Ne2 Rad8 24. Be7 Re8 25. Qf6 Rd7 26. Ba3 Bf5 White resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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