[Event "European Club Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.10.23"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ilya Khmelniker"]
[Black "Malcolm Armstrong"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteELO "2498"]
[BlackELO "2098"]
%Created by Caissa's Web PGN Editor
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 {My opponent had played both this and 4.
Nc3 previously so I was reasonably well prepared for both.} 4... Bf5 5. Nc3
e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd2 {Quite a popular move at GM level, but not
one that I had done much preparation for. White proceeds slowly, looking for
his Bishop pair to count at a later stage.} 8... Nbd7 9. Qc2 Bd6 10. Be2 O-O
11. Rc1 dxc4 {With the intention of following up with the standard freeing
break of 12....e5.} 12. Bxc4 {However, I now realised that 12...e5 would
allow 13. Qxg6. Actually, Black is probably ok here with 13....exd4 14. exd4
Nb6, but my approach was to keep things solid,so:} 12... Rc8 13. Qb3 Nb6 14.
Be2 e5 {The computer agrees with my thoughts at the time that this move
equalises.} 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Rd1 Re8 17. O-O Qc7 18. Bf3 Rcd8 19. Bc1 Rxd1
20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Qxd8 22. g3 Qd6 23. Be2 Qd7 24. f3 Nbd5 25. Nd1 b5
{Although I had some concerns that this might be slightly weakening, I felt it
right to try to do something with my main asset, ie: the Queenside majority,
before my opponent expanded on the Kingside.} 26. Kg2 a6 27. Qa3 Nc7 28. Qd3
Ne6 29. Qa3 Nc7 {We were both down to around 5 minutes, plus the 30 second
increment, to reach move 40, so play continued cagily.} 30. Nf2 Bd6 31. Qd3
Be7 32. e4 Ne6 33. f4 Qxd3 34. Bxd3 Nc5 35. Bc2 Kf8 36. f5 {This is rather
committal though, exchanging my doubled Pawn and allowing my Knight access to
d5.} 36... gxf5 37. exf5 Bd6 38. Kf3 Ke7 39. Bg5 Be5 40. b4 {Another
committal move from my opponent, fixing his Pawn on a dark square where it may
become vulnerable to my Bishop.} 40... Ncd7 {With the time control reached,
and another 30 minutes on the clock, it was time to take stock - not least of
the match position. Fine wins from David Howell and Alex Colovic had put
Cheddleton into a 2-1 lead and, with the other two games both looking good and
my prospects of holding a draw looking promising, the match situation was very
clearly in our favour. I knew that I should not be thinking about the
possibility of a last round encounter as high as board 3 against a team of 6 x
2700 GM's, but it was hard not to.} 41. Nd3 Bc3 42. Bb3 a5 {Looking to make
the most of my Queenside majority, but Ne5+ is a simpler path to a draw,
Perhaps it was wrong to start thinking that I might have some winning chances
if I can get to advance my c Pawn.} 43. bxa5 Bxa5 44. a4 Bc3 45. axb5 cxb5
46. Bf4 Nh5 {Another step in the wrong direction. 46.....Nb6 is better,
heading to c4 and then a5 in an attempt to push the b Pawn. Even if the Knight
is captured on c4 and the Pawn subsequently rounded up, the drawing prospects
should be excellent.} 47. Bc7 Nhf6 48. g4 Ne8 49. Bg3 f6 {49.....Nd6 50.
Bxd6+ Kxd6 51. Bxf7 Ne5+ 52. Nxe5 Kxe5 is just a draw as my King and Bishop
can blockade the white Pawns on the dark squares. I saw this, but didn't think
I needed to lose a Pawn. However, 49.....f6 may be the losing move as now the
Knight has some useful checks on white squares and the two Bishops finally
come to life.} 50. Nf4 Be5 {50......Kd6 is much better as there is no useful
discovered check, and 51. Ng6 can be met with 51....Ne5+. Now things get
difficult.} 51. Ng6+ Kd6 52. Nxe5 fxe5 {52.....Nxe5+ 53. Ke4 is very awkward
as the Knights have no squares and the g and h Pawns will advance.} 53. g5
Nc5 54. Bf7 Nc7 55. Bf2 e4+ {55.....N7a6 is a better try, but probably still
losing.} 56. Ke2 Nd5 57. Bxd5 Kxd5 58. Bxc5 Kxc5 59. f6 {59......gxf6 is met
by 60.g6, Queening. Meanwhile, the other two games had also swung against us
and the match went on to finish 2.5 - 3.5. A shattering loss for both me and
the team, and one that even a few 'Beer-Shevas' that evening could not even
begin to soften. Chess is indeed a tough game. 1-0.} 1-0
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.10.23"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ilya Khmelniker"]
[Black "Malcolm Armstrong"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteELO "2498"]
[BlackELO "2098"]
%Created by Caissa's Web PGN Editor
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 {My opponent had played both this and 4.
Nc3 previously so I was reasonably well prepared for both.} 4... Bf5 5. Nc3
e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd2 {Quite a popular move at GM level, but not
one that I had done much preparation for. White proceeds slowly, looking for
his Bishop pair to count at a later stage.} 8... Nbd7 9. Qc2 Bd6 10. Be2 O-O
11. Rc1 dxc4 {With the intention of following up with the standard freeing
break of 12....e5.} 12. Bxc4 {However, I now realised that 12...e5 would
allow 13. Qxg6. Actually, Black is probably ok here with 13....exd4 14. exd4
Nb6, but my approach was to keep things solid,so:} 12... Rc8 13. Qb3 Nb6 14.
Be2 e5 {The computer agrees with my thoughts at the time that this move
equalises.} 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Rd1 Re8 17. O-O Qc7 18. Bf3 Rcd8 19. Bc1 Rxd1
20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Qxd8 22. g3 Qd6 23. Be2 Qd7 24. f3 Nbd5 25. Nd1 b5
{Although I had some concerns that this might be slightly weakening, I felt it
right to try to do something with my main asset, ie: the Queenside majority,
before my opponent expanded on the Kingside.} 26. Kg2 a6 27. Qa3 Nc7 28. Qd3
Ne6 29. Qa3 Nc7 {We were both down to around 5 minutes, plus the 30 second
increment, to reach move 40, so play continued cagily.} 30. Nf2 Bd6 31. Qd3
Be7 32. e4 Ne6 33. f4 Qxd3 34. Bxd3 Nc5 35. Bc2 Kf8 36. f5 {This is rather
committal though, exchanging my doubled Pawn and allowing my Knight access to
d5.} 36... gxf5 37. exf5 Bd6 38. Kf3 Ke7 39. Bg5 Be5 40. b4 {Another
committal move from my opponent, fixing his Pawn on a dark square where it may
become vulnerable to my Bishop.} 40... Ncd7 {With the time control reached,
and another 30 minutes on the clock, it was time to take stock - not least of
the match position. Fine wins from David Howell and Alex Colovic had put
Cheddleton into a 2-1 lead and, with the other two games both looking good and
my prospects of holding a draw looking promising, the match situation was very
clearly in our favour. I knew that I should not be thinking about the
possibility of a last round encounter as high as board 3 against a team of 6 x
2700 GM's, but it was hard not to.} 41. Nd3 Bc3 42. Bb3 a5 {Looking to make
the most of my Queenside majority, but Ne5+ is a simpler path to a draw,
Perhaps it was wrong to start thinking that I might have some winning chances
if I can get to advance my c Pawn.} 43. bxa5 Bxa5 44. a4 Bc3 45. axb5 cxb5
46. Bf4 Nh5 {Another step in the wrong direction. 46.....Nb6 is better,
heading to c4 and then a5 in an attempt to push the b Pawn. Even if the Knight
is captured on c4 and the Pawn subsequently rounded up, the drawing prospects
should be excellent.} 47. Bc7 Nhf6 48. g4 Ne8 49. Bg3 f6 {49.....Nd6 50.
Bxd6+ Kxd6 51. Bxf7 Ne5+ 52. Nxe5 Kxe5 is just a draw as my King and Bishop
can blockade the white Pawns on the dark squares. I saw this, but didn't think
I needed to lose a Pawn. However, 49.....f6 may be the losing move as now the
Knight has some useful checks on white squares and the two Bishops finally
come to life.} 50. Nf4 Be5 {50......Kd6 is much better as there is no useful
discovered check, and 51. Ng6 can be met with 51....Ne5+. Now things get
difficult.} 51. Ng6+ Kd6 52. Nxe5 fxe5 {52.....Nxe5+ 53. Ke4 is very awkward
as the Knights have no squares and the g and h Pawns will advance.} 53. g5
Nc5 54. Bf7 Nc7 55. Bf2 e4+ {55.....N7a6 is a better try, but probably still
losing.} 56. Ke2 Nd5 57. Bxd5 Kxd5 58. Bxc5 Kxc5 59. f6 {59......gxf6 is met
by 60.g6, Queening. Meanwhile, the other two games had also swung against us
and the match went on to finish 2.5 - 3.5. A shattering loss for both me and
the team, and one that even a few 'Beer-Shevas' that evening could not even
begin to soften. Chess is indeed a tough game. 1-0.} 1-0