The Other KGB Files Blog: The Zonal Summary ... Part 2

Round 4

White v FM Endre Ambrus (2375)

I was surprised to be able to win a pawn so early against a 2300-rated opponent and have a much better to winning position. I managed to keep the pressure on, and although the silicon-chip friend didn't like my plan to win an exchange, I thought it improved my position further. I came up with what I think was a good plan, trying to get the king to f2 once black had played Bh3 & g4 (blocking the retreat for the bishop), however I didn't execute it in the best manner and found myself in a position I didn't want to be in, and eventually bailed out with a repetition of position for a draw.

1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nc6 3.Be3 Nf6 4.f3 g6 5.Qd2 Bg7 6.Nc3 a6 7.Nge2 e5 8.0-0-0 exd4 9.Nxd4 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.g4 c5 12.Be3 Qa5 13.Qxd6 Nd7 14.Bg5 Bf8 15.Qd2 h6 (D1)

16.Bh4 g5 17.Bg3 0-0-0 18.Nd5 Qxd2+ 19.Rxd2 h5 20.gxh5 Rxh5 21.Be2 Rh6 22.Rhd1 Bh3 23.Ne3 Re8 24.Bc4 Rf6 25.Nd5 Rxf3 26.Be2 Rxg3 27.hxg3 Rxe4 28.Bf3 Re8 29.Nc3 Bg7 30.Ne4 Rg8 31.Nd6+ Kc7 32.Bd5 Bd4 33.Nc4 Rf8 34.c3 Bg7 35.Ne3 Nb6 36.Rh2 g4 37.Nf5 Be5 38.Re2 f6 (D2)

39.Kc2 Nc8 40.Rg1 Nd6 41.Ng7 Rh8 42.a3 b5 43.Kd2 Kb6 44.Ke3 Rd8 45.Ne6 Nf5+ 46.Ke4 Nd6+ 47.Kd3 Rd7 48.Nf8 Rd8 49.Ne6 Rd7 50.Nf8 Rd8 51.Ne6 (D3) 1/2-1/2

Round 5

Black v CM Calvin Prasad (1912)

I was very happy with this game, as it gave me a lot of confidence that I was playing well. I achieved a good position from the opening and won a pawn in the middlegame. I converted this to being an exchange up in the ending and was very happy with my technique to push this small advantage to a win.

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.c3 d5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Bd3 Bg4 6.Nbd2 e6 7.0-0 Bd6 8.h3 Bf5 9.Qc2 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 0-0 11.a3 e5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Bxe5 14.Nf3 Bc7 15.c4 Qe7 16.cxd5 (D1)

16...Rad8 17.e4 Qxe4 18.Qxe4 Nxe4 19.Re1 Rfe8 20.Be3 Rxd5 21.b4 cxb4 22.Bxa7 bxa3 23.Rxa3 Ra5 24.Rxa5 Bxa5 25.Re2 Nd6 26.Rb2 b6 27.Nd2 Ra8 28.Bxb6 Rb8 29.Bxa5 Rxb2 30.Bc3 Rc2 31.Bb4 Nb5 32.Nf3 f6 33.g4 Rc4 34.Bd2 h6 35.Kg2 Kf7 36.Kg3 Nc3 37.Kg2 Nd5 38.Kg3 Nc3 39.Kg2 Ke6 40.Bxc3 Rxc3 41.Nd4+ Kf7 42.Nf5 Kg6 43.f3 Rc5 44.Nh4+ Kf7 45.Kg3 g6 46.Ng2 Rc3 47.Nf4 Rc2 48.Ng2 Rd2 49.Nf4 Rd8 50.Ng2 Rg8 51.Ne3 Ke6 52.Kf4 Rc8 53.Ng2 Rc4+ 54.Kg3 Ke5 55.Nh4 g5 56.Ng2 Kd4 57.Kf2 Rc2+ 58.Kg3 Ra2 59.f4 Ra3+ 60.Kh2 Ke4 61.fxg5 hxg5 62.h4 (D2)

62...Kf3 63.Kh3 Kf2+ 64.Kh2 Rg3 0-1

Round 6

Black v IM Mirko Rujevic (2282)

I was very disappointed with this game as I played horribly in the opening and was never really in the game. Although I tried to keep the game alive in the most creative manner I could, it was ultimately in vain, and I lost fairly easily.

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.f4 d5 4.e5 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.dxc5 a5 8.Be3 e6 9.Nbd2 Nge7 10.h3 Nf5 11.Bf2 Bxf3 12.Nxf3 h5 13.Bd3 Bh6 14.g4 hxg4 15.hxg4 Nfe7 16.Qa4 Rc8 17.0-0-0 (D)

17...Kd7 18.Kb1 Kc7 19.g5 Bg7 20.Nd4 Kb8 21.Nb5 Nxe5 22.fxe5 Bxe5 23.Rxh8 Qxh8 24.Qxa5 Nc6 25.Qa4 Qh2 26.Bd4 Bf4 27.Rf1 Qg3 28.Bc2 e5 29.Bg1 Qxg5 30.Nd6 Rc7 31.b4 e4 32.b5 Qg2 33.Rd1 Nd8 34.b6 Bxd6 35.cxd6 Rxc3 36.Bd4 Rc4 37.Qa7+ Kc8 38.Bb3 Qe2 39.Bf6 Nc6 40.Qa8+ Kd7 41.Qxb7+ Kxd6 42.Qxf7 Nb4 43.b7 1-0

Round 7

White v Tristan Stevens (2006)

This was a very up-and-down game, with my attempts to avoid playing a BDG (and hence avoid Tristan's preparation - of which he said he spent a few hours doing) leading to a position very similar to a side-line of the Caro-Kann. The differences, however did not favour me, and I should have lost a clear exchange in the opening, were it not for Tristan's blunder (he said he picked up the wrong knight!). This lead to what should have been a winning position for me, however I missed a check Tristan had and lost a piece for a mere pawn! This put the game back to fairly even, and I managed to find a promising line, that seemed to almost be mate, with only an ingenious defence stopping me from taking the full point. Ultimately the game ended in a Queen ending, where I was able to keep checking Tristan, and draw the game as a result.

1.e4 d5 2.e5 Bf5 3.c3 c5 4.g4 Bg6 5.Ne2 Nc6 6.d4 e6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nb4 (D1)

9.Nf4 Nc2+ 10.Kd2 Bb4+ 11.Nc3 Nxa1 12.Qa4+ Kf8 13.Qxb4+ Ne7 14.Bd3 Kg8 15.Rxa1 Nc6 16.Qa4 Qh4 17.h3 Bxd3 18.Kxd3 g5 19.Nh5 Qxh3 20.Rg1 f5 21.Nf6+ Kf7 (D2)