Amateur vs Grandmaster

by Jonathan Speelman
4/7/2019 – JON SPEELMAN returns after a week off, with a trio of simul games played by an expert against a Grandmaster. 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!
There are many cases of material imbalance in chess. In this video series, GM Dejan Bojkov of Bulgaria makes an attempt to systematise the most important ones and gives valuable advice on how to handle the resulting positions.

Speelman's Agony #95

This week's three games are from Peter Lipman (pictured) who writes:

Peter LipmanI'm 39 years old, born and currently living in Brussels. I've been an avid chess fan since I was 11 years old and peaked at around 2075 elo. Although I gave up serious chess competition around 15 years ago, I still enjoy playing chess online very much. It has always been my dream to achieve Master level, although this is now unlikely to be attainable.

I have worked for many years in the European Institutions, however due to BREXIT I am in the process of changing carreer.

Every Thursday Dejan Bojkov plays a simul on playchess for premium members in which I sometimes participate. These games are my latest against the GM.

All three were drawn and feature varying fortunes as Peter created enough difficult decisions to trouble his opponent (when giving a simul, the last thing you want to do is to have to think hard) but without ever quite breaking through.

All notes are mine.

 
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1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 c5 3.e3 3.Nf3 is inaccuarate because of f6 3...Nc6 4.Bb5 Bd7 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.0-0 e6 7.Bxc6 Bxc6 8.Ne5 Bd6 9.f4 0-0 10.d3 Nd7 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Nd2 a5 13.a4 e5
14.fxe5 This makes it fairly easy for Black. Perahps he should try 14.f5 hoping for something like Nf6 15.c4 Qe7 16.e4 14...Bxe5 15.Bxe5 Nxe5 16.Qh5 Qe7 17.e4 Rad8 18.Rae1 f6 19.Nf3 Nxf3+ 20.Qxf3 c4 Dissolving the central pawn structure, this equalises 21.exd5 Qc5+ 22.Qe3 Qxe3+ 23.Rxe3 cxd5 23...cxb3 24.dxc6 bxc2 25.Re2 25.Rc1 Rd6 26.Rxc2 Rc8 25...Rxd3 26.Rxc2 Rc8 gives White much more to play for. 24.dxc4 dxc4 25.bxc4 I'd have tried to find a way to avoid this but 25.Rf5 cxb3 26.cxb3 Rd1+ 27.Kf2 Ra8 doesn't look especially scary for Black. 25...Rd4 26.Rc3 Rc8 27.Rf5 Rdxc4 28.Rxc4 Rxc4 29.Rxa5 Rxc2 30.Ra7 30.Rb5 Ra2 31.a5 was safer when with the rook active, White is absolutely fine. This position is drawn, of course, without the a-pawn but as played, Peter starts to drift towards danger. 30...h5 31.h3 Kh7 32.a5 Ra2 33.a6 Kg6 34.Ra8 h4 35.a7
The g7 pawn is very good here because if the white rook moves then ...Rxa7 will defend it. 35...Kf5?! 35...Kg5 36.Kf1 36.Kh2? Ra1 36...f5 37.Kg1 Kf4 keeps some winning chances though of course White can bail out with 38.Kh2 Ra1 39.Rb8 Rxa7 40.Rb4+ Kg5 36.Rh8! With the exchange of pawns it's dead equal so they agreed a draw. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
GrandPatzer52026Dbojkov2650½–½2018A06Simul Game, 7m+15s
GrandPatzer52026Dbojkov2650½–½2018B10Simul Game, 7m+15s
Bojkov2650GrandPatzer52030½–½2018A14Simul Game, 7m+15s

Click or tap the second game in the list below the board to switch games

Meanwhile, 1.b3 has also found its way into the practice of today's world elite, and now finally a modern top ten player has taken on the subject for ChessBase: none other than Grandmaster Wesley So!

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Did you enjoy the column and instructive analysis by GM Jonathan Speelman? Do you wish you could have a world-renowned grandmaster analysing your play? You can!

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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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