Jon Speelman's Agony Column #39

by Jonathan Speelman
2/5/2017 – Manuel Infante, an American in his early sixties. He survived childhood cancer, grew up an Air Force brat, became a mathematics teacher and coach. At the Western Heights Public Schools in Oklahoma he was the chess club sponsor, and after early retirement from teaching he renewed his chess studies and began once again to participate in chess tournaments. Manny submitted two games, an feature “agonising” loss in which he played an inventive pawn sacrifice, and a crushing win. They are analysed by our columnist Jon Speelman.
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Jon Speelman's Agony Column #39

This week's pair are games are by Manuel Infante, an American in his early sixties.

He writes: “ I was born on 18 March 1954 at Vance Air Force Base in Enid Oklahoma and grew up as an Air Force brat. I survived cancer when I was twelve years old – God gave me a second chance and I decided to dedicate myself to helping others. I became a mathematics school teacher and coach. I taught 26 years, the last 20 where at the school I graduated from, Western Heights Public Schools in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

While there, I was the chess club sponsor, and my kids won back to back state chess championships in 1996 and 1997. I took early retirement from teaching in 2002 and currently work at Tinker Air Force Base. I enjoy listening to classic rock music and reading books on military history. I started playing chess in high school and was so terrible my opponents would give me queen odds. I played over the board and postal chess in the 80s and started to show improvement but had to put my chess studies and tournaments temporarily on hold as being a parent was more important. After retirement from teaching and no young ones at home I was able to renew my chess studies and began once again to participate in chess tournaments.”

Manny's two games feature an “Agonising” loss in which he played an inventive pawn sacrifice, fought his way through to an advantageous position and then lost his way. The second game is a crushing win. We start with the former.

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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 b6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.Nc3 h6 By a strange move order (perhaps the score sheet was wrong) we've now got what is normally called the Tartakover Variation, though Russians sometimes dub it the Makagonov-Bondarevsky. 8.Rc1 Bb7
9.Bxf6 This is a common idea against the Tartakover. At the expense of the two bishops White weakens Black's defence of d5, preparing on the next move to exchange on that square and fix a pawn on d5, closing the b7 bishop's diagonal. Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Bd3 However, White normally follows up by preventing or at least hindering ... c5 with 11.b4 and indeed this is usually played with Be2 instead of Rc1, since the rook may instead go to b1 to defend b4 and further discourage ...c5, while the bishop move is always useful. c6 11...Nd7 11...c5 was possible now and for the next two moves. 12.0-0 Re8 13.a3 13.b4 13...c5 14.Bb5 cxd4?! This gives White quite a nice IQP (Isoated Queen's Pawn) position. Black has to be careful to defend the centre and 14...a6? would have been a mistake after 15.Bxd7 Qxd7 16.Na4 14...Re7 unpinned 15.Bxd7 Rxd7 16.dxc5 bxc5 17.Na4 c4 is now fine for Black 15.Nxd4 a6?
15...Rc8 defends c6 16.Ba4? Black's b7 bishop is a crucial defender of the white squares and 16.Bc6! would have exchanged it with a big advantage after Bxd4 16...Bxc6 17.Nxc6 is utterly disastrous 17.Bxb7 Bxc3 18.Rxc3 Ra7 19.Bxd5± 16...b5 17.Bc2 17.Bb3 Nb6 is a bit better for Black with the knight en route to c4. 17...Be5 17...g6 would block the bishop's diagonal. Black can then play the knight to c4 either via b6 or e5, possibly playing Rc8 first. 18.Bb3 Nf6 18...Nb6! was better 19.Nf3 Bd6 20.Qd3 Qd7 21.Rfd1 Rad8 22.Rc2 22.h3 would more or less prevent the pawn sacrifice in the game 22...d4! With the pressure on d5 mounting, Manny played a nice intuitive pawn sacrifice to activate the b7 bishop. 23.Nxd4 23.exd4 was safer, with d5 coming to block the bishop. 23...Qg4! 24.f3 Certainly not 24.Qf1? Bxh2+! 25.Kxh2 Qh4+ 26.Kg1 Ng4 27.Qd3 Qh2+ 28.Kf1 Bxg2+ with a massive attack. 24...Qh4 25.g3 Qh3 25...Bxg3? is refuted by 26.hxg3 Qxg3+ 27.Rg2 but 25...Qg5 26.Re2 Bc5 was better with strong pressure. 26.Qe2 Re5 27.Rcd2 Rg5
The last two moves are very obviously intended to prepare Bxg3. It's too crude to work, with White well coordinated, but I wouldn't want to criticise such a clear if misguided plan too much. 28.f4 Daring Black to sacrifice. Instead 28.Qf1 was also excellent. 28...Rxg3+ Having said A (Re5) and B (Rg5) you have to continue with C, even if it doesn't work. 29.hxg3 Qxg3+ 30.Kf1 Qh3+ If 30...Ng4 31.Nf5! attacks and defends Qh3+ 32.Ke1 Re8 and as long as White remains calm there are lots of wins including 33.Rxd6 Nxe3 34.Kd2 Qxf5 35.Kc1 Qxf4 36.Qd2 when Black doesn't have nearly enough for the rook. 30...Re8 31.Qh2! 31.Ke1 Qh1+ 32.Qf1 Qh4+ 33.Ke2 33.Rf2 was also strong, avoiding the march via d3. 33...Re8 34.Qf2 Qg4+ 35.Kd3 Ne4
36.Qe2?! 36.Qg1 kept more control 36...Qg3 36...Qc8 37.Kc2 It's very understandable that White wanted to get the king off d3, but the best line of all was 37.Qh5! g6 38.Qh2 The queen can't now retreat to g6, and White should win easily after Bxf4 39.Qxg3 Bxg3 40.Nxe4 Bxe4+ 41.Ke2 37...Nxd2 38.Kxd2?
Walking into a haymaker 38.Qxd2 38...Rxe3! 39.Qf1? 39.Qh5! g6 40.Qxh6 Bxf4 41.Bxf7+ Kxf7 42.Qh7+ Kf6 43.Qh8+ Kg5 44.Kc2 44.Qd8+ Kh5 45.Qh8+ Bh6 44...Qg4 and while it's still extremely messy, Black does have an extra pawn which crucially shields his king, and the two bishops control lots of squares, most important of all h1, so that if Qd8+ Kh5 there is no Rh1+. 39...Bxf4 40.Kc2
40...Be4+?? A great shame after his earlier inventive play. After 40...Bg2 41.Nf5 41.Qg1 Qg6+ 41...Rxc3+ 42.bxc3 Qh2 White is lost. 41.Nxe4 Qh2+ 42.Kb1 Rxe4 43.Nf3 Qg3 44.Rd8+ Kh7 45.Bc2 and the remaining Agony was short lived. f5 46.Bxe4 fxe4 47.Nd4 Qg5 48.Ne6 Qf6 49.Nf8+ 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anderson,M-Infante,M-1–02016D58

 

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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.c5 This is sometimes played, but it releases the pressure on d5 very early on, allowing Black quietly to develop and then prepare counterplay, often involving ...Ne4. e5!? The most "principled response" reacting in the centre immediately 5...Nc6 seems to be common, but I don't really understand why you'd put the knight on this square now when you can just fianchetto ,...g6, ...Bg7, ...0-0 and then perhaps react with ...b6 or ...Ne4. 6.Bb5 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7 5...g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Bb5+ Bd7 8.Bxd7+ Qxd7 6.Nc3?! 6.dxe5 was probably better but after Ne4 Black is extremely active. 6...exd4 7.Qxd4
In what is already a very sharp position, both the d5 and c5 pawns are potentially weak, and there will be a frantic race to complete development and seize the initiative. 7...Nc6?! 7...a6 prevents the coming pin. After 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Qa4 Houdini also mentions d4 9...Nd7 10.0-0-0 Nxc5 11.Bxc5 Bxc5 12.Rxd5 Qe7 10.0-0-0 Bxc5 11.Nf3 0-0 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 Qa5 the white king is very vulnerable 15.a3 Be6 16.Qb4 Qxb4 17.axb4 Rac8 18.Kb1 18.Rd4 Nd5 19.Kd2 18...Ng4 19.Rd2 Rfd8 7...Be7 is also strong, preparing to castle and then play Nc6. 8.Bb5 Bd7? 8...Be7 was much stronger, followed by castling next move. 9.Bxc6 Bxc6 9...bxc6 10.b4!? 10.Be3 Be7 11.Nge2 0-0 12.0-0 10...a6 11.Nf3
11...Qe7+? This doesn't disturb White and on the contrary hinders Black's development and leaves the queen exposed. 11...Be7 12.Be3 Rd8 12...Qd8 was probably least bad, but to lose two whole tempi in a position like this ought to be disastrous. 13.0-0-0 Qd7 14.Ne5 Qf5 15.f3?! Unnecessary. 15.g4! Qc8 16.g5! Nh5 16...Ne4 17.Nxe4 dxe4 18.Qxd8+ Qxd8 19.Rxd8+ Kxd8 20.Nxf7+ 17.Rhe1 Be7 18.Qh4 was winning because if g6 19.Bd4 0-0 20.Nxc6 or indeed 20.Ng4 Rfe8 21.Rxe7 Rxe7 22.Nf6+ Kf8 23.Nxh7+ Kg8 24.Nf6+ Kf8 25.Nxh5 15...Be7 16.g4 Qe6 17.Rhe1 0-0 18.Bf4
18...Ne4? Panic 18...Rfe8 19.Ng6 Qd7 20.Nxe7+ Rxe7 21.Rxe7 Qxe7 22.Bg5 is vile, but Black can still play 19.Nxc6 Bh4? 20.Nxd8 Rxd8 21.Rxe4 dxe4 22.Qxd8+ Bxd8 23.Rxd8+ Qe8 24.Rxe8# A crushing game in which Black lost much too much time in the opening and then panicked in a bad but still not entirely hopeless middlegame.. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Infante-Fleming,T-1–01990B13Oklahoma City Winter Open

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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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