Speelman's Agony: Facing "quite a strong player"

by Jonathan Speelman
4/5/2020 – The protagonist of this week's column was defeated by "quite a strong player". JON SPEELMAN finds out who was the mysterious opponent and annotates the game in detail. | Send in your own games! | Jon welcomes submissions 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!
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Agony & Ecstasy #119

This week's pair of games are by James Coleman, an Englishman in his early forties rated round about 2200. He sent me this note with them: 

I just thought I'd submit a couple of games for your column. The first (Agony) was against quite a strong player in the London League. He really worked me over big time. For the life of me, I can't remember his name but I do remember his post game comment in the bar: "You didn't really oppose any of my moves", he chastised. He was right as well. A couple of years later, I'd learned from this experience and played quite a decent game in a vaguely similar setup (Ecstasy), against the well-known Serbian trainer IM Slobodan Mirkovic.

James is on the left

When I looked to see if I'd ever played James myself, I discovered that said forgettable strong player was me. I hope I wasn't too bombastic in the bar and at least paid for the drinks. I always make some notes after London League games, and so I've slightly modified what I did for myself and added some written notes as explanation.

All the notes in both games are mine.

 
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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 This is a line which I sometimes play. It's a bit different from the normal approach and can ideally lead to positions in which White's c1-bishop is very powerful. 0-0 5.Be2 b6 6.0-0 Bb7 7.Qc2 d6 7...d5 8.a3 8.cxd5 exd5 9.a3 8...Bxc3 9.bxc3 Ba6 8.b3
8.Nb5 a6 9.Nxc7 Qxc7 10.a3 Bxd2! Fritz 8...Bxc3 This doesn't have to be played immedaitely, but if he doesn't then Black has to be ready to cope with the c3-knight moving. 8...Nbd7 9.Bb2 Qe7 10.Nb5 c6 11.a3 Bc5 12.Nc7 Rac8 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.d4 e5 15.dxc5 Nxc5 is a game I had in Copenhagen in 2003. I got the advantage but later drew: 16.b4 1/2-1/2 (67) Speelman,J-Tallaksen,G/Copenhagen DEN 2003/The Week in Chess 454 (67) 9.Qxc3 e5 9...Ne4 10.Qc2 Ng5 11.Ne1 Nh3+ 11...f5 12.gxh3 Qg5+ 13.Bg4 f5 14.f4 Qg6 15.Kf2! 10.Bb2 Nbd7 11.d4 e4?! This softens the long black diagonal. 11...Ne4 12.Qc2 Ng5 13.Qf5!? Fritz 12.Nd2 Qe7 If 12...d5 13.f3 attacking the centre. 13.d5 Rfe8 14.Rae1 c6 15.dxc6 Bxc6
16.f4 exf3 If 16...d5 I'd probably have played g4-5 17.g4 Red8 18.g5 Ne8 17.Bxf3 Bxf3 17...Ne5 18.Bxc6 Nxc6 19.Nf3 18.Nxf3 Nc5?! 18...Qf8 defends g7 and frees the f6-knight. 19.Nd4 Nce4 20.Qc2 Qd7 21.Rf4 d5 22.Nf5 Re6 Round about here, I imagine i felt that I ought to be able to blat Black on the black squares with some sort of detonation involving Nxg7, but it diodn't quite work out. 22...Nh5 23.Rff1 Nhf6 23...dxc4 24.Qxc4 Qe6 25.Qe2 Nhf6 26.Rf4 23.Rd1 Qc8 24.Bd4
I always play very quickly in the London League, and not seeing a knockout I improved a piece and gave him the move. 24.Qb1 dxc4 25.bxc4 Qf8 24...Qc6 24...dxc4 This is what Black wants to play but with the bishop anchored - so that c3 won't be a big nuisace in some circumstances - the sacrifice would work: 25.Nxg7 Kxg7 26.Rxe4 cxb3 27.Qd3 Qc2 28.Rxe6 Qxd3 28...fxe6 29.Bxf6+ Kxf6 30.Qd4+ Kg6 31.Rf1 29.Bxf6+! and White wins a piece. 24...b5 is the best Black can do. 25.Bxf6! This is hard to see becuase White gives up his beautiful bishop, but since it wins a whole exchange it wins. Nxf6 26.Nd4 Qc5 27.b4! When you've hit the opponent once, you should look for the most efficient way to cash in. Qxc4 28.Qxc4 dxc4 29.Nxe6 fxe6 30.Rxc4+- With the rooks both having open files, this is totally hopeless. Nd5 31.Rd3 Kf7 32.e4 Nf6 33.Rc7+
Not a especially wonderful game by "A strong player", but competent. The main difference between the players was that he (I) knew what he wanted to achieve. James defended well and made it hard for me, but after the quiet but unpleasant Bd4 he was under huge pressure and blundered missing a tactic, given that the sequence was initiated by an anti-positional exchange. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
A Strong Player-Coleman,J-1–02012A17London League
Coleman,J2214Mirkovic,S23321–02014A14Kecskemet IM8

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Every pawn structure has its typical plans and to know these plans helps you to find your way in these positions. On this DVD Mikhalchishin presents and explains the most common central structures: The Hedgehog, the Maroczy, Hanging pawns and the Isolani.

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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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