Chess Improvement

Chess Tactics: Eyewitness To a Train Wreck

April 14th, 2009

I sat next to this game Tuesday Night.

J.C. MacNeil only knows two Chess strategies. Forget pins, forks, skewers, pawn promotion. Forget isolated d-pawns, Queenside majorities, switchbacks, Benoni Hop, sealer sweepers, dark square weaknesses.

What J.C CAN do is sac a d-pawn or push a b-pawn. Therefore J.C. is only allowed to play a Danish Gambit, a Smith-Morra Gambit, the Polish or the Birmingham.

1 e4 e5 2 d4 ed 3 c3

1 e4 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3

1 b4

1 e4 a6 2 d4 b5

1 d4 b5

That’s it. End of repertoire.

J.C. has blind faith in his two rock solid strategies.

Louie Berman believes in cold, harsh reality.
White pawns, those he can see.
Development, activity, faith, that is so much rubbish and poppycock.
A pawn in the bank can become a Queen. Wild talk of good squares is just hot air that will soon blow over.

What happens when these two philosophies collide?

—————————————————————–
[Event: DCC G/85 5 second delay]
[Site: Denver Chess Club]
[Date: 2009.04.07]
[Round 1]
[White: J.C. MacNeil]
[Black: Louie Berman]
[Result: 1-0]
[ICCResult Black resigns]
[WhiteElo 1700]
[BlackElo 1400]
[Opening Sicilian: Smith-Morra gambit]
[ECO B21]
[NIC SI.48]
[Time 22:00:32]
[TimeControl G/85 5 second delay]

Denver Chess Club
First Presbyterian Church
1st and Acoma, Denver, CO
Round 1
Game/85 minutes
5 second delay
Weather – windy
7 PM
April 7, 2009
White – J. C. MacNeil 1700
Black – Louie Berman 1400

1. e4 c5 2. d4

MacNeil Strategy #1

2 … cxd4 3. c3 Qa5

Played 74 times by Skembris and others.

4. Bd2

Played 5 times

A silly question deserves a silly reply.

4 … dxc3 TN

Theoretical Novelty by Louie Berman

5. Nxc3!!

5 B:c3! is fun too

5 … Qe5 6. Nf3

I wondered why J.C. didn’t just keep developing with 4 Nf3! but he was waiting to do it with tempo.

6 … Qc7! 7. Rc1!! Qd8

A memorable position, a living monument to materialism.
If you stumbled onto this position fresh, you would have to wonder how Black spent his time.

8. Nd5

White could develop first with Bc4 and 0-0
but J.C. launches his attack right away.

8 … Nc6!

Second piece developed.

9. b4

MacNeil’s Other Strategy.

Having saced his d-pawn J.C. has no choice but to launch a b-pawn.
His quiver is empty now, he has no ballast to cast.

9 … e6!!

Driving that horrible Smith-Morra knight away.

10. Qe2!?

J.C. can’t retreat, he’s Scotch-Irish.

10 … exd5!

Louie could insist that knight retreat with
10 … a6!! but he adds another log to the fire.

11. exd5+! Qe7

On 11 … Nce7 12 d6! wins back the piece but
12 Nd4!! is even stronger, inducing 12 … a6
to prevent Nb5 and then d6 is even more crushing

12. dxc6! Qxe2+

Louie insists on moving Her Majesty every other move
but a little patience with 12 … dc!! is better with a decent game.

13. Bxe2! dxc6! 14. b5!!

MacNeil’s Other Strategy.

14 … c5

trying to keep lines closed.

15. O-O b6

I saw Louie play this instantly, showing his deep fear of leaving the nest on the 8th rank. The family is home watching television, don’t answer the doorbell.

16. Bc4!!

I once had a litter of German Shepherds and one puppy was fearless, always leading the pack to new adventures outside.

16 … Nf6

Fly, little bird, fly!

17. Rfe1+ Be6!

17 … Be7 18 Ng5 Rf8 19 Bf4 is very awkward for Louie.

18. Ng5! Ke7??

No price is too high to cling to a pawn.

19. Bxe6

I liked maintaining the tension with
19 Bf4 but Fritz 9 likes J.C.’s move better.
Fritz does prefer the waiting move
19 Rcd1!!! best of all with 19 N:e6!! coming second.

19 … fxe6! 20. Rxe6+!

Check-captures are the first moves you should examine.

20 … Kd7!

No need to wind up the Kingside.

21. Bf4!! Re8 22. Rd1+!! Kc8 23. Rc6+!

When I asked J.C. why he didn’t play
23 Nf7!! gaining a tempo since he was headed for d8 anyway,
MacNeil replied, “Oh, that’s Master stuff.”

23 … Kb7! 24. Ne6

24 Nf7!!! is three times as forceful

24 … Rc8?? 25. Nd8+!!!

Now I see J.C.’s wisdom, he was saving up his best move for Checkmate.

1-0 Louie resigns

Mate in 2<
—————————————————————
[Event DCC G/85 5 second delay]
[Site Denver Chess Club]
[Date 2009.04.07]
[Round 1]
[White J.C. MacNeil]
[Black Louie Berman]
[Result 1-0]
[ICCResult Black resigns]
[WhiteElo 1700]
[BlackElo 1400]
[Opening Sicilian: Smith-Morra gambit]
[ECO B21]
[NIC SI.48]
[Time 22:00:32]
[TimeControl G/85 5 second delay]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 Qa5 4. Bd2 dxc3 5. Nxc3 Qe5 6. Nf3 Qc7 7. Rc1 Qd8
8. Nd5 Nc6 9. b4 e6 10. Qe2 exd5 11. exd5+ Qe7 12. dxc6 Qxe2+ 13. Bxe2 dxc6
14. b5 c5 15. O-O b6 16. Bc4 Nf6 17. Rfe1+ Be6 18. Ng5 Ke7 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20.Rxe6+ Kd7
21. Bf4 Re8 22. Rd1+ Kc8 23. Rc6+ Kb7 24. Ne6 Rc8 25. Nd8+

1-0 Louie resigns

MacNeil-Berman.pgn
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