I had kept the cutting because I got a mention in it as contributing to readers' analysis of a game Wood had published a little while before
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| More than 44 years old, but still in relatively good condition |
Notes in italics are Wood's original annotations, which I have algebraicised for convenience.
WE INVITED readers to criticise a game from the recent British Universities Championship at Southampton which we felt might qualify, if sound, for a brilliant [sic] prize. Amusingly, both the players entered the lists.
M D Burt - D Ashcroft
English Symmetrical
1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Nxc6!?
*****
*****
*****
Condemned by many as unnecessarily strengthening Black's centre. Better 10.Nc3 or 10.e4.
8...bxc6 9.Qc2 Rb8 10.Bf4
R. C. Noel-Johnson, who at 75, is still mowing down first-class opposition in Worthing, justifiably criticises this (see White's 12th).
The engines like the text, although they reckon the position is equal.
10...d6
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| How should White continue? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
11.Bxc6?!
Safer, and almost certainly better, is 11.Nc3.
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| How can Black exploit the slight looseness in White's position |
*****
*****
*****
*****
11...Nh5
Black has good compensation for a pawn after this, but the engines point out the strength of 11...Bf5!, and if 12.e4 then 12...Bh3 13.Rd1 Qb6. Probably better is 12.Qc1, but then 12...Nh5 is strong. The engines suggest 12.Qa4!?, but reckon 12...Rxb2 13.Qxa7 Rb6 14.Bg2 Ng4 is winning for Black, so instead of 13.Qxa7 they recommend 13.Nd2, but after, for example, 13...a5, Black is much better coordinated.
12.Bc1 Bh3 13.Bg2 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 Qb6
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| What should White play? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
15.Nc3
Here comes the first of two real discoveries by readers. We asked "Can White hold his extra pawn?" Curiously, the players thought not but L. H. R. Maltby (Swanage), T. Spanton (Doncaster) and K. F. Stewart (Lowestoft) find the convincing 15.g4, eg 15...Nf6 16.f3 or 15...Nf4+ 16.Bxf4 Bxb2 17.Nd2 or 15...Bxb2 16.Bxb2 Nf4+ 17.Kg3.
I do not recall how much of this analysis was mine, but the engines reckon it leaves a lot to be desired (apart from the last variation, which is trivially lost for Black).
After 15.g4 Nf6 16.f3 the engines consider Black to have the upper hand, a sample line running 16...Rfc8 17.Na3 d5 18.Qd3 Qc5 19.b3!? Nxg4!
White is indeed better after 15...Nf4+? 16.Bxf4 Bxb2 but only if White continues with 17.Nc3 rather than 17.Nd2?? The problem with the latter is that 17...Bxa1 18.Rxa1 loses to 18...Qd4.
15...Qc6+ 16.f3
We wrote not "16.Qe4* Rfc8." K. F. S. thinks 17.Nd5 sinks Black but 17...Rb7 sees to that.
The engines like 17.Nd5, meeting 17...Rb7 with 18.Bg5, claiming at least a slight edge for White.
16...Qxc4 17.Bd2 Rfc8 18.Rfc1
"The wrong rook" confesses Mr Burt. Indeed 18.Rac1 would meet the threat of 18...Qxe2+ but it would also, by removing the rook from the black bishop's diagonal, enable White to continue with b3.
The engines reckon there is practically nothing to choose between the two rook moves.
18...d5 19.e3?!
The engines strongly dislike this, claiming 19.b3 leaves the game equal.
19...e5 20.Qd1
More or less forced as the threatened 20...d4 was so strong.
20...Qd3 21.Rab1 e4 22.f4?!
The engines reckon White keeps his disadvantage to a minimum with 22.Be1!? or 22.Kf2!?
22...d4
Mr Ashcroft says he looked hard at 22...Bxc3, but felt it gained no advantage. We agree though the play becomes very involved.
The engines also agree.
23.Nd5?!
The engines' 23.exd4 seems less catastrophic but they give Black a winning advantage after 23...Bxd4.
23...Rxc1 24.Qxc1 dxe3 25.Ne7+
Much better: 25.Nxe3. K. F. S. noticed it but mentions it somewhat casually.
Komodo14.1 agrees Nxe3 is an improvement, but only a small one; Stockfish16 is even less sure.
25...Kh8 26.Bxe3 Nf6 27.Bxa7!?
This is Komodo14.1's top choice for a while, although the engines come to agree 27.Qc7 is a little better.
27...Ng4 28.Qg1 Qf3+ 29.Kh3 Rb5
K. F. S., M. Parr (W4) and B. G. E. Halliwell (Pulborough) find 29...e3 which wins for Black very quickly: 30.Bxe3 Nxe3 or 30.Bxb8 Nf2+ or 30.Rf1 Nb2+ all mate or demand ruinous sacrifices.
Wood gives ...Rb5 a question mark - the only annotation-by-symbol in the column - but the engines reckon it is the better move, albeit Stockfish16 is less sure than Komodo14.1.
The game ended with
30.f5 e3 31.Rc1 h5 32.fxg6 fxg6 33.Nxg6+ Kh7 34.Nf8+!? Bxf8 35.Rc7+ Kg8 36.Bxe3 Nxe3 37.Rc4 Qg4+!? 38.Rxg4 hxg4+ 0-1
K. F. Stewart scored the two essential "bulls" and wins our main analysis book prize. Runner-up: B. G. E. Halliwell.
We feel that Mr Ashcroft in view of the flaws in a game undoubtedly delightful in the main, will have to split his prize in the university contest.
*The column has 16.Q-R4 but 16.Q-K4 must be intended.
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