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Five First Round Surprises

In a Swiss-system tournament, the highest-rated player meet the lowest-rated player in the first round.  Usually the highest-rated win the games – of course, but  in the 3rd ACT Amsterdam tournament the first round produced many surprises.  Please see the differences in the rating of the players, in the next five games.

The first example is an excellent game of Mr. Yochanan Afek – the outcome certainly added some rating points to him:

Nijboer,F (2598) - Afek,Y (2316)
B29: Sicilian: 2 Nf3 Nf6 (Nimzowitsch Variation)
3rd ACT Amsterdam NED (1), 15.07.2006

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qxd5 d6 9.exd6 Qb6 10.Qe4+ Be6 11.Qh4 Bxd6 12.Be2 Bf5

White could play 0-0 as in the game between Alberto David – Thomas Luther (7.5.2003) or Qg5 and the position is equal.

13.Bd1

Yochanan always likes to play actively and this enhances his chances.

13...0–0 14.0–0 Rfe8 15.b3 Bg6 16.Bb2 Rad8

Black dominates the center and his pieces are more active.  I think that he is already better.

17.Qh3 Bc5 18.a3 a5

In order to protect b4.

19.Bc3 Qc7 20.Nh4 b5 21.Nxg6 hxg6 22.Bf3 b4 23.Bxc6 Qxc6 24.axb4 axb4 25.Bb2?

White should have played Be1.

Now Black stands much better.

25...Rd2–+ 26.Qf3 Qxf3 27.gxf3 Ree2 28.Ra8+ Kh7 29.Bc1 Rxc2

30.Bf4 Bxf2+ 31.Kh1 g5 32.Bd6 Be3

32...Bc5! seems an even stronger move. 33.Bg3 f5 34.Raa1–+

33.Ra5 Kg6

...Red2

34.Bg3 f5 35.Ra6+ Kh7 36.Re1    0–1

 

The second game:

Schoorl,R (2289) - Tukmakov,V (2560)
C07: French Tarrasch: 3...c5, 4 Ngf3
3rd ACT Amsterdam NED (1), 15.07.2006

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.Qe2 Nf6 8.Nb3 Nc6 9.Bg5 a6 10.0–0–0 b5 11.Bd3 Bd7 12.Kb1 Be7 13.Rhe1 Rc8 14.h3

I have only one game that reached this position : Sverre Heim – Hans Olav Lahlum (5.8.2001) the game continued 14. Bh4 Qd5.  White won also this game.

14...Nd5

Maybe h6?

15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Be4

After the opening is over, White's position seems better.

16...Nf6 17.Nfxd4 0–0 18.Bf3 Nxd4 19.Nxd4 Rc5 20.g4 Rfc8 21.Rd2 Qf8 22.h4

Another plan could start with Red1.

22...Be8

This is really a passive move.  Black needs to play more energetically – maybe Nd5.

23.g5 Nd7

Again a choice of a passive move.  23...Nd5 24.Bh1

24.Be4 Nb6 25.f4 Nc4 26.Rdd1

Here Black could play ...Nd6 trying to get some initiative.  The move he chooses gives White a chance to advance the attack on the kingside.

26...R5c7 27.h5 Rd8 28.g6 Rcd7?

This is a mistake!  White could have played now 29.gxh7+ Kh8 30.c3 Black should have played either ...h6 or ...h:g6

29.c3? Rd6?

29...fxg6 30.hxg6 Bxg6 31.Bxg6 hxg6 and the position is almost equal.

30.gxh7++- Kh8 31.Rg1 f5 32.Bd3

32.h6 g6 33.Bd3 Qf6

32...Qf6 33.Bxc4 bxc4

White has a nice advantage.

34.Rde1

34.Rg5 Kxh7 35.Rdg1 R8d7 36.Qxc4 Re7

34...Bf7 35.Qxc4

35.Rg2 R8d7+-

35...Kxh7

35...e5 36.fxe5 Bxc4 37.exf6 Rxf6 38.Rg6+- Kxh7 39.Rxf6 gxf6

36.Qe2 R8d7 37.Rg5 Rxd4 38.cxd4 Qxd4 39.Reg1

39.Qxa6?! e5 40.Rc1 exf4] 39...e5?? Black's position is very bad , but  Be8 should be played.

40.Rxg7+ Kh8  41.h6

41.Qxa6 is even better 41...Qd6 42.Qxd6 Rxd6 43.Rxf7+-

41...Qxf4 42.Qxa6 Qe4+ 43.Ka1 Qd5  44.Rg8+! 1–0

44...Bxg8 45.Qf6+ Kh7 46.Rg7+ Rxg7 47.Qxg7#

 

The third game:

Tan,Mat (2288) - Li Shilong (2540) [C06]
3rd ACT Amsterdam NED (1), 15.07.2006

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nb6 9.0–0 Bd7 10.a3 a5 11.Nf3 h6 12.Nc3

This position was reached in the game Rogelio Antionio – Bario Nadera (30.4.2002) White won.  In that game Black continued 12...Na7.

12...a4 13.Be3 Na5 14.Nd2 Bc6 15.Qe2 Qd7 16.Rad1 g6 17.h4 0–0–0 18.Rb1 Kb8 19.b4 axb3 20.Nxb3 Nac4 21.Na5 Be7

22.Rxb6=

White could play 22.Nxc4 Nxc4 23.Bxc4 dxc4 24.Qxc4 Rc8 25.Qa6 Bxg2 26.d5 Bc5 27.Bxc5 Rxc5 28.Rxb7+ Qxb7 29. Rb1 and White wins.

22...Nxb6 23.Rb1 Qc7 24.Bb5 Ka7

24...Bd7 seems a better option.

25.Bxc6 bxc6 26.Qc2

26...Rd7?+-

26...Rc8 27.Na4 Nd7 28.Bd2 Bxh4 29.Nc5 Nxc5 30.Qxc5+ Ka8 31.Rb6 Qa7 32.Nxc6 Bd8 33.Nxa7=  Now White should win the game.

27.Na4 Rb8+- 28.Nxc6+ Ka8 29.Nxb6+

Qc3 is another option to finish the game in style.

29...Rxb6 30.Qa4+ Qa7 31.Qxa7+ 1–0  Rxb6 also mates.

 

The fourth game:

Strating,S (2279) - Cuijpers,F (2510)
3rd ACT Amsterdam NED (1), 15.07.2006

After 94 moves the game reached this position where Black could reach a draw (try to find the way – the solution appears in the end.)

94... Kc5?? 95.Nd2+- b2 96.g6 Kd4 97.g7 Kd3 98.Nb1 Kc2 99.g8Q  1–0   {94... Kd7}
 

The fifth game:

Burg,T (2268) - Spoelman,W (2461) [C45]
3rd ACT Amsterdam NED (1), 15.07.2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Ba6 9.Qe4 Nf6 10.Qe2 Nd5 11.Qe4 Nb6 12.Nc3 Qe6 13.b3 Bb4 14.Bd2 Bxc3 15.Bxc3 d5 16.Qh4 dxc4 17.Rc1 Qg6

I have three games in my DB that reached this position; in all three White won and all three continued 17... 0-0 (Macieja-Kortschnoj, Radjabov-Karjakin, Kolev-Van der Veen.)

18.bxc4 0–0 19.Be2 Qxg2

20.Kd2

This is certainly a brave move. Bd3 could be an alternative.

20...Rad8+ 21.Ke3 Qg6 22.Rcd1 Rxd1

22...f6 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.Rc1 Qf7 25.exf6 Bxc4 26.Bxc4 Nxc4+ 27.Kf3 Qd5+

23.Rxd1 Qc2? +-

This is a serious mistake that gets Black into deep trouble much better would be 23...f6 24.Bd3 f5 25.Bb4 Re8 26.Qf4 Qf7 27.Rc1 Qe6 ...

24.Bd3 Nxc4+? +-

...and this move is a suicide; the same knight could give a check at d5: 24...Nd5+ 25.cxd5 Bxd3 26.Rxd3 cxd5 27.Qd4 Qxa2.

Back to the game continuation:

25.Kf4? +-

White could play a better move, but it is very difficult to find such a move during a live game and certainly with time pressure.  25.Kd4 Qxd3+ 26.Rxd3 f6 27.Kc5 Nxe5 28.Rh3 Nd7+ 29.Kxc6 Nb8+

25...h6 26.Bxc2 g5+ 27.Kf5 Bc8+ 28.Kf6 gxh4 29.Rg1+ Kh8 30.Ke7 1–0