Chess Improvement

This is my other favorite game of the April Colorado Informant, Volume 36, #2. David Meliti won clear first in the 2008 December Winter Springs Open with 3.5/4, cracking 1900. It was the endgame that caught my eye. So many people trade bishops for knights without a second thought.

In a very reduced ending with just Bishop and two pawns versus Knight and two pawns David fashioned a win against Markus Petters. Let this ending be a warning to all who disrespect the mighty bishops.

[Event "2008 Winter Springs Open"]
[Site "Manitou Springs, CO"]
[Date "2009.12.06"]
[Round "2"]
[White "David Meliti"]
[Black "Markus Petters"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1935"]
[BlackElo "2025"]
[Opening "French: Tarrasch"]
[ECO "C03"]
[NIC "FR.14"]
[Time "02:42:12"]
[TimeControl "40/2 G/1"]

2008 Winter Springs Open
December 6, 2008
Weather – cool
Round 2
40/2, G/1
French Defense, Tarrasch Variation
White – David Meliti, tournament winner 1935
Black – Markus Petters, 2025

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. Bd3 c5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. O-O O-O
8. Ne4 Nd7 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Nxc5 Bxc5 11. Bc4 Nb6 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. Bd3 Nd5
14. Qe4 f5 15. Qc4 Bd7 16. Nd4 Rae8 17. Nb3 Bb6 18. Qxc7 Nxc7 19. c4 Na6
20. Be3 Nb4 21. Bxb6 axb6 22. Rfd1 e5 23. Be2 Ba4 24. Rd6 Bxb3 25. axb3 Nc6
26. b4 Rd8 27. Rad1 Rxd6 28. Rxd6 Rd8 29. Rxd8+ Nxd8 30. c5 Kf7 31. g4 g6
32. Bc4+ Kf6 33. gxf5 Kxf5 34. f3 e4 35. Kf2 Kf4 36. fxe4 Kxe4 37. Bg8 h6
38. Bh7 bxc5 39. bxc5 Kd4 40. Bxg6 Kxc5 41. Kg3 Ne6 42. Kg4 Ng7

43. Kf4 The game has been remarkably unremarkable, staying pretty close to even the whole way. There is almost nothing left, symmetrical h-pawns, symmetrical b-pawns, one bishop, one knight. I felt sure this was a dead draw playing over it. Knights like outposts but they are hard to come by with just two pawns to provide them. If Markus had activated his sidelined knight with 43 … Ne6+ 44 Ke5 Nd4 that would have been OK. Petters can also join forces with his King, Knight and h6 pawn to create a barrier covering almost the entire 5th rank with 43 … Kd6!. Instead Markus moved his King to his designated Knight Square.

43 … Kd4???? 44. Bf7!!!!
Bam! Just like that it’s over. The Knight can’t move and David’s plan is to move his King in and remove the knight from the freezer. Meliti doesn’t care if Markus runs around and wins his b-pawn, after winning the knight David will Queen his h-pawn while his long-range bishop will stop the black b-pawn from Queening. David just taps his feet until Petters moves his King and then swoops into Ke5-f6:g7. David moves his pawns one square at a time even though they can legally move two sqaures. After a while Markus has to give way with his horrified King. Very simple and elegant after you see David’s Master plan but until then, it looks like magic.

44 … b5 45. h3!!

45 b4!! wins just fine, the idea is to stop Petters’ pawns any way you can and not worry about losing your b-pawn. On principle, David avoids wasting any pawn tempi until Markus gives up and moves his King.

45 … b4 46. b3!!
b-pawn stopped, what about the h-pawn? 46 h4!! also works

46 … h5 47. h4!!
Both pawns stopped. Move your King, Markus! 47 Kg5 Ke5 48 B:h5?? N:h5 49 K:h5 Kd4 is an immediate draw. 47 Kg5 Ke5 48 B:h5?? Ne6+! 49 Kg4 Kf6!! is another easy draw. The Black King heads for h8 to stop the wrong-colored rookpawn from Queening and the Black Knight sacs itself for the b-pawn with Ne6-d4:b3 dead draw. Meliti could continue the torture by not grabbing the h5-pawn – 47 Kg5 Ke5 48 h4!! would keep the game going. David’s move is much simpler than all this. No Black pawn moves = a Black King move = dead Black Knight = free White h-pawn = new White Queen = 1-0

47 … Kd3 48. Ke5! Ke3 49. Kf6! Kf4 50. Kxg7! Kg4 51. Kh6!!
I’m the kind of jerk that would play 51 B:h5+!! for one last chance to sacrifice.

51 … Kxh4 52. Bxh5! Kg3 53. Kg5! Kf2 54. Kf4
1-0 Markus moves away.
I’m sorry but the rest of the game didn’t do anything for me.

Meliti-Petters2009.pgn
———————————————————-

[Event "2008 Winter Springs Open"]
[Site "Manitou Springs, CO"]
[Date "2009.12.06"]
[Round "2"]
[White "David Meliti"]
[Black "Markus Petters"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1935"]
[BlackElo "2025"]
[Opening "French: Tarrasch"]
[ECO "C03"]
[NIC "FR.14"]
[Time "02:42:12"]
[TimeControl "40/2 G/1"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. Bd3 c5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. O-O O-O
8. Ne4 Nd7 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Nxc5 Bxc5 11. Bc4 Nb6 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. Bd3 Nd5
14. Qe4 f5 15. Qc4 Bd7 16. Nd4 Rae8 17. Nb3 Bb6 18. Qxc7 Nxc7 19. c4 Na6 20.
Be3 Nb4 21. Bxb6 axb6 22. Rfd1 e5 23. Be2 Ba4 24. Rd6 Bxb3 25. axb3 Nc6 26.
b4 Rd8 27. Rad1 Rxd6 28. Rxd6 Rd8 29. Rxd8+ Nxd8 30. c5 Kf7 31. g4 g6 32.
Bc4+ Kf6 33. gxf5 Kxf5 34. f3 e4 35. Kf2 Kf4 36. fxe4 Kxe4 37. Bg8 h6 38.
Bh7 bxc5 39. bxc5 Kd4 40. Bxg6 Kxc5 41. Kg3 Ne6 42. Kg4 Ng7 43. Kf4 Kd4 44.
Bf7 b5 45. h3 b4 46. b3 h5 47. h4 Kd3 48. Ke5 Ke3 49. Kf6 Kf4 50. Kxg7 Kg4
51. Kh6 Kxh4 52. Bxh5 Kg3 53. Kg5 Kf2 54. Kf4
1-0 Petters pushes off
———————————————————-

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Question: Shouldn’t black have taken the white Knight either with his king or bishop? Instead he checks the king with his rook.

This is the position after 47. Nxf7

This is the position after 47. Nxf7

———————————
Black can take the knight for sure either with King or Knight , but to demonstrate a win after that is quite a difficult task. In Chess we have this concept “Insufficiency of material’ to enforce checkmate.

Black has wisely decided that that keeping a pawn on board would
offer better material advantage (later forcing white to give up Rook for pawn) than taking the knight and giving up the pawn. Now Black cannot push the pawn as the Rook is attacked. Hence Black gained a tempo by giving check on d1 with Rook. And now the pawn is free to move.

As you may see later the rest is clearly explained in the game itself. Whether Black had to play 48…Bb3 or could play 48..Bd5+ and push the pawn is probably open for debate.

ponomarev-wall.pgn

Here is the whole game

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6
7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 c6 11. Qf3 Bd6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qxf6 gxf6 14. Ne2 Be6 15. b3 a5 16. a4 c5 17. Rad1 Rfd8 18. f4 c4 19. bxc4 dxc4 20. Be4 Bc5+ 21. Kh1 Rab8 22. f5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Bd7 24. Nc3 Be8 25. g4 Bb4 26. Nd5 Kg7 27. Rd4 Bxa4 28. Rxc4 Bb5 29. Rc7 Bd6 30. Ra7 a4 31. g5 fxg5 32. f6+ Kf8 33. Nc3 Be8 34. Bd5 Bc5 35. Ra6 Rd8 36. Bc4 Bd4 37. Ne4 Rc8 38. Bd5 Rxc2 39. Ra8 g4 40. h3 g3 41. Nxg3 Bxf6 42. Nf5 Rd2 43. Be4 Rd8 44. Ra6 Bb2 45. Nd6 Bd7 46. Bxh7 Be6 47. Nxf7 Rd1+ 48. Kg2 Bb3 49. Nd6 a3 50. Nf5 Bd5+ 51. Kg3 Be5+ 52. Kf2 a2 53. Ne3 Rd2+ 54. Ke1 Bc3 55. Nd1 Re2+ 56.
Kxe2 Bc4+ 1-0

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