Guildford Internal Rapidplay 2023/24, Round 65.
This was the first encounter between experienced club pro James Toon and new guy Beau Darrer. Beau has not been playing chess long and most of his experience is online. On the evidence of this game and the post-game analysis, his Provisional rating of 1750 under-estimates his actual playing strength.
The opening was a King's Indian Defence Fianchetto Variation. In typical King's Indian fashion, White is attacking on the queenside while Black is working towards a kingside breakthrough. We join the game at the critical point.
1…Bxg4!
This thematic sacrifice is justified because White's forces are mostly in the wrong half of the board.
2.fxg4 Qxg4 3.Qf2
White starts to shore up the kingside.
3…f3?
An obvious attacking move, but it makes White's task considerably easier. Instead Black could have won with 3...Qh5! 4.Kg1 g4 when there is no defence to the advance of the kingside pawns.
4.Bh3 Qh5
And here, 4…Qxe4 would have picked up a third pawn while keeping the attack going. The queen retreat to h5 looks logical, but in fact White is now in control of the kingside and the evaluation has swung in his favour.
5.Nce3 Ng6 6.Ng4
A stronger continuation was 6.Qg3 when the plan is to put the rooks on h1 and f1 and the king on g1, freeing the bishop on h3. If Black continues to play actively, eg 6…Nf4 7.Rf1 f2 8.Bc1 Nf6 9.Nxf6+ Bxf6 10.Ng4, the pawn on f2 will drop.
6…Nf4 7.Nxf4 Rxf4
And not 7…exf4 8.Ra2 when Black's pawns get in the way of the attack, and the pawn on f3 will drop.
8.Rg1 Kf7?
Black wants to follow up with …Nf6 and bring the other rook across to h8, but this move brings the king towards the danger zone and offers White a tactical solution to his problems. Instead Black should keep up the pressure with 8...Nf6 9.Nxf6+ Bxf6 10.Rg3 Kg7 11.Rf1 Rh8 when White's best course is to return the sacrificed material to reach a level rook and bishop ending with 12.Bc1 g4 13.Bxf4 exf4 14.Rxg4+ Qxg4 15.Qxf3 Qxf3 16.Rxf3 Rb8 17.Rb3.
9.Bc1 Rxe4 10.Qxf3+ Nf6
The only move to stay in the game. This blocks the check and defends the rook on e4.
11.Bxg5
Continuing in tactical mode, but it would have been clearer to play 11.Ra3 (defending the queen on f3, so allowing the knight on g4 to move) Rh8 12.Nxf6 with a simple win, eg
A: 12...Bxf6 13.Qxe4
B: 12...Re2+ 13.Rg2 Rxg2+ 14.Kxg2 Bxf6 15.Qxh5+ Rxh5 16.b5
C: 12…Qxf3 13.Rxf3 Bxf6 14.Bxg5.
11...Rh8
Bringing the other rook into the attack, but this is insufficient. Black had to play 11...Qxg5 when 12.Nxf6 Qf4+ 13.Qxf4 Re2+ 14.Kh1 exf4 15.Rxg7+ Kxg7 16.Nh5+ Kf7 17.Nxf4 Rc2 18.Bg2 Rh8+ 19.Kg1 Rg8 20.Re1 is likely to end in a draw. Instead the engine found the long forcing line 12.Qb3+ Kf8 13.Raf1 Rf4 14.b5 axb5 15.axb5 Nxg4+ 16.Rxg4 Qh6 17.Rfxf4+ exf4 18.b6 Be5 19.b7 f3+ 20.Kg1 Rb8 21.Qg8+ Ke7 22.Qg5+ Qxg5 23.Rxg5 Bd4+ 24.Kf1 Rh8 25.Rh5 Rg8 26.Ke1 d5 27.Rxd5 Bb6 28.Kd2 Rh8 29.Bc8 f2 30.Ke2 Rf8 31.Bh3 Rg8 32.Rd7+ Kf6 33.Rd3 Ke5 34.Ra3 Kd6 35.Ra8 Kxc6 36.Rxg8 Kxb7 reaching a tablebase ending which is won for White with optimal play. The bishop will guard f1 from the g2 square and the king and rook will invade the queenside.
12.Bxf6
Now Black's attack is finished and it's just a matter of clearing up.
12…Rf4
Blocking the f-file but White has another way in to the position and now mate is inevitable.
13.Qb3+ Kg6 14.Nxe5+ Kxf6 15.Qe6# 1-0