Thursday, June 05, 2008

White:Rizal Ahmad Kamal UKM (FIDE rtg 2022)

Black: Liong Wei Li UM [C45]

MASUM (men) UMS (Round 6.Board3), 23.05.2008

The Scotch Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4!

No doubt that this move had thrown my opponent off balance here as in Round 2 I had played 3.Bb5 against another UM player, Kenneth. The reason was simply because I did not have anything special preparation against the Schliemann Defence 3...f5!? which had been played by Liong Wei Li in the earlier round

3...exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6 dxc6?

This gives me a simple slight ending advantage due to the majority kingside pawns [5...Qf6 6.Qd2 dxc6 is the normally played line in our local tournament scene(6...dxc6 is correct and better theoretically) ]

6.Qxd8+ Kxd8 7.Bc4 Ke7 8.0–0 Be6 9.Bxe6 Kxe6 10.Bf4 Bd6 11.Be3 Nf6 12.f3 Nd7 13.Nd2 Bc5 14.Kf2!

The more exchanges, the nearer the game to reach the ending, and the King must be centralized

14...Bxe3+ 15.Kxe3 b6 16.Rfd1 Rad8 17.Nc4 Ne5 18.Nxe5 Kxe5 19.f4+ Ke6 20.Ke2 f6 21.Rxd8 Rxd8 22.Rd1 Rd6 23.Rd3 c5 24.c3 c4 25.Rd2

[25.Rd4 is less clear, for instant 25...Rxd4 26.cxd4 b5 27.Kd2 b4 unclear]

25...Rxd2+ 26.Kxd2 g5 27.Ke3!

After the game, my opponent told me that he exchanged all the pieces and did not expect that my King could enter the game like this

27...c5 28.Kf3 h5

This allows white to create a pass pawn

29.fxg5 fxg5 30.h4! Kf6 31.hxg5+ Kxg5 32.Kg3 b5 33.a3! Diagram

This should frustrates black as the Queenside pawns cannot pass through and thus whatever happen at the kingside should determine the result of the game

33...a5 34.Kf3 h4

35.g4!

The UM's coach, Ng Siew Cheok: "Rizal! Why did you move that pawn?! It's just so cruel!!" , after the game at the canteen

35...h3

[35...hxg3 36.Kxg3 simply wins; 35...b4 36.e5 a4 37.Kg2! bxc3 38.bxc3 Kg6 39.Kh2 Kf7 40.g5! Ke6 41.g6 Kxe5 42.g7 Ke4 43.g8=Q Kd3 44.Qg7 Kc2 45.Qe5 Kb3 46.Qxc5 Kxc3 47.Qb4+ Kd3 48.Qxa4 c3 49.Qd1+ Kc4 50.Qc2+-]

36.e5!

This was the actual idea behind 34.g4

36...h2 37.Kg2

After the game finished Ahmad Fadzil Nayan from UIA asked, "How did you create the 2 pass pawns on the Kingside?" I replied jokingly "I used the black magic (sihir)" and he burst into a laugh

37...b4 38.Kxh2 Kxg4 39.e6 Kf4 40.e7 1–0