2nd DATCC League result

Storm Warriors 1 Nusa Mahkota3

EON Bank 3.5 Tan and Tan 0.5

Xfactor 2 PWC 2DATCC 0 Team AU 4

17 chess club 0.5- Caviaga 3.5

Top 4 spot

Team AU 23.5 points

Caviaga 22 points

Price Water House 15 points

Nusa Mahkota 15 points

My team (NUSA MAHKOTA) had a modest, but very significant achievement last night. NM Kamal Arifin, Muhd Izz and myself chalked 3 points from the talented Storm Warriors players. However, Razali Ng6 had to concede a point after misplayed the middlegame.

As usual, my preparation was to read (7 days) Beating The Sicilian 2 (John Nunn)

After seeing my opponent employed the Sicilian Dragon (despite through wrong move order) in his last week's game, I decided to concentrate on the Dragon chapter. However, to my dismayed, it turned out to be not a dragon, but instead the move order had put me into a dilemma, whether to play my old beloved Sozin attack and punish him swiftly if he followed up by 6...g6? or to play my new opening system which I am experimenting in this tournament for the first time. At the end, I decided to give the Richter Rautzer attack another chance (after it failed me during my encounter with the super strong FM Ooi Chern Ee). Co-incidentally, the Richter-Rautzer is also a form of anti dragon. It does not stop the dragon fully, but it does forcing the player who employs Lee Boon Why's (my last night opponent) move order.

White: Rizal A Kamal (NUSA MAHKOTA)
Black: Lee Boon Why (STORM WARRIORS)
B60 Sicilian Classical; Richter Rautzer attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6!?

"I actually wanted to play the dragon" [Lee boon Why]. However, Lee Boon Why's move order does not speak so. The correct move order is the straightforwarg 5...g6 followed by 6...Bg7 and 7.O-O

6.Bg5

I was in dilemma whether to play my old beloved 6.Bc4 (Sozin attack) and punish him after 6...g6?! or giving the Richter Rautzer another shot. In the end I decided to try my new opening once more

6...a6!?

At this point, I could only recall game number 4 of the PCA 1993 World Championship Match between Nigel Short and Kasparov which had reached this similar position albeit with different move order

7Qd2

The book "The Complete Richter Rautzer (Peter Wells)" recommended the immediate 7.Bxf6 followed by 8.Be2, reserving a tempo for the recapture possibility (Qxd4)

7...h6

I was puzzled, is it worthy for black to spend a tempo just to force the capture? 7..e6 transposed to a normal position and I would had continued with 8.O-O-O

8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.0-0-0 h5!? 10.Kb1 Bh6 11.Qe1 Nxd4 12.Rxd4 Be6

It turned out that black, in having the double Bishops, is having a quite menacing position. Therefore, I decided to eliminate one of the Bishops

13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.exd5

This recapture curbs most of black's central pawns and gives white an open file along the e-file

14.. Rc8 15.Bd3 Rc7?!

After the game, Hairulov, and later on joint by Abdullah Che Hassan, kamaludin Yusof, Abdul haq and many others prefered 15...Rc5

16.Qe2 Bg7 17.Bf5!

Not allowing the dark square Bishop to threat white's King from a far after the possible f6-f5 release

17...b5 18.Re1 Qa8 19 c4?!

The circumspect 19.a4 may be better

19...Qb7 20.cxb5 axb5 21.Rb4?

I wanted to win the b5 pawn but at the same time did not wish to lose the d5 pawn. However, the alternative 21.Bd3 is also not an ideal soultion as the releasing 21..f5 may be played. Nevertheless, this should be prefered.

21...Qxd5! 22.Rxb5 Qa8 23.Qf3 0-0!!

I must confess that, I thought this is impossible. The truth is I had no mate on h7.

24.Qxh5 Rb8 25.Be4!?

A little trick, but my opponent did not fall for it.

25...Qa7! 26.f4 e6 27.Rxb8+ Qxb8 28.f5

What else. The dark square Bishop must be kept at bay at all cost

28.. d5! 29.Bc2 Qb4 30.Qe2 e5 31.a3 Qc5 32.Qd2 Bh6?!

What's this? My opponent offered an indirect exchange of opposite colour Bishops. This my be not an outright the losing move, but it open some chances for me to deliver a mate or at least some menacing checks which may be fatal.

33.Qxh6 Qxc2 34.Ka2 Qxf5??

Just what I had expected. The point behind 34.Ka2 is that there is no saving check on white's King after my next move.

35.Re3! Rc4

I was considering the immediate 35.Rb3 but did not see any way to infiltrate after noticing that, The Rook can still retreat to c8 safely as it is still guarded by the Queen on f5. Then, came 35.Rh3. But I saw the possible 35...Qxh3. White is still winning but I did not wish to play for some more time. Then, combining with the ideas Rg3+ and Rh3, a little finesse came into my mind which I executed it.

36.Rg3+!! Rg4

My opponent may had thought that, my attack had been repulsed. But, to his surprise I played..

37.Rh3!

..and to his horror, he could only prolong the game by giving up his Queen on h7. Not wishing to prolong the torture (he was suffering a flu) my opponent extended his hand resigning the game. What a relieve!

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