Fortune favours the brave

by Jonathan Speelman
8/18/2019 – There once was a pensioner from Wetzikon, who played at the chess club Pfäffikon. You'll forget those names, but enjoy his games — for Speelman that's sine qua non | Send in your own games! Jon can always use more material from readers. If your games are selected for the Agony column, not only will you get free detailed commentary of your games by one of chess’s great authors and instructors, and former world no. 4 player, but you also win a free three-month ChessBase Premium Account!
In the Dutch Stonewall Black from the very first move fights for the initiative. Let Erwin l'Ami take you on a fascinating journey to the depth and attractions of this unique opening. At the end you will be rewarded with a new repertoire against 1.d4!

Speelman's Agony #104

This week's pair of games are by Kurt Utzinger who lives in Wetzikon, a small city near Zurich and writes:

Kurt MegiI am a pensioner aged 69 and have two daughters aged 39 and 41. Until March 2015 I worked in the city administration of Wetzikon as deputy of the chief executive.

I'm interested in both chess and chess chess computers, am an active member of various chess forums and since 2006 have been president of the chess club Pfäffikon ZH.

I'm also interested in dogs, am a board member of the dog club SKG ZO and spend several mornings a week walking and training my dogs.

I love to read books and of course to spend time with my children and grandchildren.

Kurt sent me two excellent fighting games which he annotated in detail and to which I've added my notes as JS. We start with the very disappointing loss.

 
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1.d4 This game is from the Zuercher Team Championship between Schachgesellschaft Zuerich - Pfaeffikon ZH. After a rather well played game against a stronger opponent, I suddenly collapsed in a totally won position. No surprise that I didn't sleep well that night. e6 As a French and Dutch Defence player I always choose this transposition of moves to avoid the Staunton-Gambit after 1.d4 f5 2.e4. 2.c4 2.Nf3 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 g6 5.0-0 Bg7 6.c4 0-0 7.Nc3 1-0 (27) Jakovenko,D (2709)-Williams,S (2444) Novi Sad SRB 2016 2...f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 d6 5.g3 g6 Inspired by GM Simon Williams I have changed my repertoire to the so called "Dutch Christmas Tree" which is somewhat more active than the Classical Dutch with 5...Be7. 6.Bg2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1 Ne4 9.Qc2 Nxc3 10.bxc3 e5 11.e4
I was still in my opening preparation and very surprised about my oppenent who has made his moves so far very slowly and nevertheless found the best moves. I knew the interesting continuation 11...f4!? but feared that White could play the critical variation won by GM D. Jakovenko vs GM S. Willaims at Novi Sad in 2016. Therefore, I choose another logical move in this kind of position. 11...Nc6 JS That game went: 11...f4 12.gxf4 exf4 13.Ba3 g5 14.e5 g4 15.Nd2 f3 16.Bf1 Bh6 17.Ne4 Bf5 18.Qb3 Nd7 19.c5+ Kh8 20.cxd6 g3 21.Nxg3 Qh4 22.dxc7 Rg8 23.Qxb7 Qg4 24.e6 Nf6 25.Bd6 Bf4 26.Bxf4 Qxf4 27.Qb5 1-0 (27) Jakovenko,D (2709)-Williams,S (2444) Novi Sad SRB 2016 12.Bg5 Playable alternatives are 12.dxe5 and 12.exf5. Qe8 13.d5?! A positional error giving Black the advantage. Nd8 Instantly played and neglecting the perhaps even stronger 13...Na5. JS was instant thought but White can cause too much trouble before Black stabilises matters. 13...Nb8 14.exf5 Bxf5 14...gxf5 15.Nd4 Na6 16.Ne6 15.Qb2 Qc8 16.c5! 14.Bxd8 ?! A dubious exchange making me happy. 14.exf5 JS would at least have given White some play Bxf5 15.Qe2 Qd7 15...Nf7 16.Be3 b6 16.Bxd8 Qxd8 17.Nd2 and with control of the e4 square White loks OK or at least OK-ish 14...Qxd8 15.c5 ?! This came as a real surprise to me. JS I thought he had to play this before Black could prevent it but I guess that without a knight to go to c5 I may be wrong. b6 Forcing White to put his cards on the table. Not for a second had I considered the (in my opinion) positionally unsound ...dxc5. 16.c6 Instead of opening the c-file for Black's rook, White is closing the position. But now, Black has free hands on the kingside. f4 Bringing White into an uncomfortable situation. 17.a4 a5 Giving White no chance for the break a4-a5. 18.Nd2 Bh6 ?! Having plenty of time left on my clock - not an everyday occurence in my games - I played too fast and missed the much stronger 18...g5 or 18...Qf6. 19.Qd1 Qg5 20.Nf3 20.Ra2 JS was better when he dfends f2 ergonomically. 20...Qf6 Not bad but had I taken more time I would have found the stronger 20...Qh5. 21.Nd2 ? It's often the same thing. If stronger players get under pressure against underdogs, they are not immune against errors. And 21.Nd2 should just lose the game. fxg3 22.f3 22.fxg3 Qf2+ 23.Kh1 Qxd2 -+ wins a piece 22...gxh2+ 23.Kh1 Forced in view of 23.Kxh2 Qf4+ followed by ...Qxd2. Bf4 24.Nf1 Qg5 25.Ra2 h5 Other moves win too. 26.Nxh2 Bxh2 Not the best solution but sufficient to win. After 26. ..Qh4 White would be helpless. JS Absolutely. It was a real shame to cash in such a massive bishop so early. Black just needs to take aim and fire while avoiding any trouble, and with the bishop on f4 you can always take the knight whenever you want. I'd like to complete my development and either batter White with g5-4 or get doubled on the f-file first and take aim at f3 later. 26...Qh4 27.Bf1 g5 28.Kg1 Kh7 29.Rg2 Rg8 30.Ree2 Bh3 for example wins the exchange for nothing 27.Kxh2 Rf4 28.Qd2 Qh4+ I had already written down 28...Rh4+ on my notation sheet and changed my mind at the last moment. 29.Kg1 Qg3 Black has still a won position. 30.Qf2
30...Rxf3 This is a good move but it puts a lot of strain on Black who now has to be very careful due to the coming invasion along the f-file. Instead 30...Qxf2+ 31.Kxf2 Ba6 really ought to win without risk. Black will double on the f-file to tie White down, put his king on h6 say and then arrange a breakthrough, of some sort perhaps involving g4 or Rxf3+ Not only is White weak on the kingside but his queenside is a disaster area too. In particular the a4 pawn and once he's tied down it shouldn't be possible both to defend it and the kingside. The thing is that a stronger player facing a weaker one might well settle for this, presuming that "he'd win in the end". But a weaker or rather lower rated one facing a stronger tends to want to win by force to get it over. This may involve playing a number of good perhaps even only moves rather than a string of good ones (in the longer but much safer version). And things can easily go wrong. 32.Ke3 Raf8 33.Rh1 Kg7 34.Rc2 Bc4 There's no reason at all to allow c4 and potentially c5 at some moment 35.Rcc1 Kh6 36.Rh2 g5 37.Rch1 h4 38.Rh3 Kg7 38...Kh5 39.R3h2 Bb3 40.Ra1 g4 41.fxg4+ Kg5 42.Rah1 Rxg4 would be another way 39.Rg1 Ba6 40.Rh2 Bc8 41.c4 41.Rf1 Bg4 41...Kg6 42.Rgh1 Kh5 42...h3 43.Bxh3 Rxf3+ 44.Ke2 Rxh3 45.Rxh3 Bxh3 46.Rxh3 g4 47.Rh4 Rf4 48.Ke3 is probably winning but hard work 43.Kd3 Rxf3+ 44.Bxf3+ Rxf3+ 45.Kd2 h3 31.Qxf3 Qxe1+ 32.Bf1! JS The only way to fight. If 32.Kh2? Qh4+ 33.Kg1 Bg4 Black gets the f-file and it's all over. 32...Bg4 JS 32...Qh4! was better threatening Qg4+. 33.Qe3 Kg7 34.Rf2 Bg4 35.c4 Qe7 36.Qd2 Rf8 37.Rxf8 Qxf8 38.c5! dxc5 and if 39.d6 Qxd6 40.Qxd6 cxd6 41.Ba6 or say 41.Kh2 Kf6 42.Kg3 g5 43.Ba6 Be6 44.c7 h4+ 45.Kf3 g4+ 46.Ke3 Kg5 47.c8Q Bxc8 48.Bxc8 h3 49.Kf2 Kf4 41...Kf6 42.c7 Kg5 with half a million pawns for the piece which White can take if he likes, Black is certainly winning 33.Qf6
33...Qe3+?! was much easier. Indeed JS Black does keep control after say 33...Qxe4 34.Rf2 Bf5 35.Qe7 Rc8 36.Ba6 Qe1+ 37.Bf1 Qe3 38.c4 Rf8 34.Rf2 Qxe4? ?? A horrible error instead of 34...Kh7 -+ JS Yes 34...Kh7 35.Bg2 Kh6 should be winning but Black will still have to navigate either an ending where White gets a passed c-pawn but his kingsie pawns are first or, more likely with the queens still on, he needs to find some only moves to defend himself. 36.Kh2 36.c4 Qg3 37.Qe7 h4 38.Rf7 Rh8 39.Qf6 Rh7! 36...Qg5 37.Qxg5+ Kxg5 38.Rf7 h4 39.Rxc7 h3 40.Bh1 Rf8 41.Rg7 Rf2+ 42.Kg3 Rc2 35.Qf7+ Kh8 36.Qxc7
The situation has totally changed in favour of White. 36...Qxd5 ? A further worse mistake in a very bad position. After the next move Black is going to be checkmated or to lose the queen. 37.Rf7 Black resigned JS: A horrible loss for Kurt. He outprepared his opponent in the opening and then outplayed him too to reach a clearly winning position but then first cashed in too early with Bxf2 and then chose to win a second pawn with Rxf3 when reamining just one pawn up with the queens off would have been a much simpler and safer way to play and definitely ought to win in the end. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Patzelt,N2091Utzinger,K18921–02018A87ZMM SKP-SG Zürich1
Utzinger,K1950Rexhepi,H20301–02005D40SMM Pfaeffikon-St.Gallen5

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The Torre Attack is an extremely effective way of taking your opponent into an uncomfortable situation right from move one.

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Jonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.

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