Keverel Chess

Posts Tagged ‘Andrew Greet’

Michael Adams may have been the outstanding player for England at the recent Olympiad, but he was not the only Cornishman involved. St. Austell-born Andrew Greet was playing for Scotland, where he works as an editor for the Glasgow-based publisher Quality Chess. He excelled on Board 2 and narrowly missed achieving a Grandmaster norm. In this game from Round 5 he surprises a strong GM.

White: Emir Dizdarevic (Bosnia-Herzogovina - 2522). Black: A. Greet (Scotland - 2431).

Reti Opening [A06]

1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.b3 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Be2 Nc6 7.0–0 Bd6 8.d4 The game started as a Reti, but has transposed into the Tarrasch Defence to the Queen’s Pawn opening. 8…cxd4 9.Nxd4 Qe7 10.Nf3 Making a second unnecessary move with the same piece while other pieces remain undeveloped must lose tempo. 10…Be6 11.Bb2 0–0 12.Nc3 a6 13.Rc1 Rfd8 It might be better to develop the other rook first, then bring the other one to e8 13…Rad8. 14.Qc2 Rac8 15.Qb1 Bb8! Preparing …Qd6 and opening the centre with …d4. 16.Rfd1 Ng4 Black’s pieces are lined up against the enemy king. 17.h3 Now is not the moment to retreat. 17…Nxf2! 18.Kxf2 Qc7 threatening …Qg3+ and if Kg1 then Bxh6. 19.Bf1? White is so disconcerted by the sacrifice that he blunders and Greet extracts maximum advantage. 19…Qg3+ 20.Kg1 Having committed to attack, Black must bring every available piece into action – this is no time for vacillation. Ne5 21.Nd4 Bxh3 22.Rd3 Ng4 23.Nf3 Qf2+ 24.Kh1 Bxg2+ 25.Bxg2 Rc6 0–1. The distant rook suddenly joins the fray and 26…Rh6 mate cannot be prevented.

The death was announced last week of John G. Gorodi, aged 88, a regular and venerable figure on the south west congress circuit. With his brother and 200,000 others he fled his native Hungary after the collapse of the Hungarian uprising against the Russians in 1956, eventually settling in Newton Abbot. He kept in contact with some of his former chess colleagues and put me in touch with a Hungarian problemist, whose work subsequently appeared in this column. Only last year he became the British U-150 Champion at Torquay, probably the oldest title-holder in British chess history. That was after he crashed his car on the way home after round 3, discharging himself from hospital so that he could compete in Rounds 4 & 5, both of which he won.

Last week’s problem by Lt. Col. George Ansell was solved by 1.Ne6! threatening 2.Nd4 mate, and 1…BxN allows the White queen to do the honours.

From a recent game Black is faced with losing his rook with check. What’s his best response?

Black to play and win.

As reported earlier, Andrew Greet obtained his final GM norm in the 4 Nations Chess League. It was perhaps fitting that one of his opponents should be his fellow Cornishman, Michael Adams, much the stronger player, of course, but the game itself shows there was no collusion between the two to help Andrew on his way. This was no quick grandmaster draw - it was a hard fought marathon played to the bitter end.

White: A. N. Greet (2429). Black: M. Adams (2704).

Queen’s Indian Defence [A46]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 b6 4.Bg5 Bb7 5.Nbd2 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e4 g6 8.Bd3 Bg7 9.Nf1 c5 10.Ne3 cxd4 11.cxd4 0–0 12.0–0 d6 13.Rc1 grabbing the open file, as all good rooks should. 13…Qd8 Preventing the rook getting established on the 7^th rank. 14.Qd2 Nd7 15.d5 Nc5 16.b4 Nxd3 17.Qxd3 Re8 18.Rfd1 exd5 19.exd5 a6 20.Nd4 b5 21.Nc6 Black can eliminate the strong knight but at a cost…. e.g. 21…Qg5

(21…Bxc6 22.Rxc6 followed by a doubling of the rooks). 22.g3 Bc8 23.Kg2 Qh5 24.h4 Bd7 25.Rd2 f5 Both queens are limited for scope so… 26.Qe2 Qxe2 27.Rxe2 g5 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.Rce1 Bc3 30.Rc1 Bf6 31.Rce1 Rac8 32.f4 Bc3 33.Rd1 g4 34.Kf2 Kf7 35.Rd3 Bf6 36.Ra3 Ra8 37.Nc2 Bxc6 38.dxc6 Rec8 39.Ne3 Rxc6 40.Nxf5 Rh8 41.Kg2 d5 42.Rd3 progress of Black’s extra pawn must be blocked 42…d4 43.Red2 Rc3 44.Nd6+ Ke6 45.Ne4 Rxd3 46.Rxd3 Rd8 The game is only half over and there now follows much cat and mouse manoeuvring, both sides probing for a mistake. 47.Kf1 Be7 48.a3 Kf5 49.Nf2 Bf6 50.Ke2 Rc8 51.Kd2 Rc4 52.Rb3 Bd8 53.Nd3 Be7 54.Nf2 Bf6 55.Nd1 Rc8 56.Nf2 Rc7 57.Rd3 Rc8 58.Rb3 Bd8 59.Nd3 Rc7 60.Nf2 Rc6 61.Rd3 Bb6 62.Nd1 a5 63.Nf2 Rc4 64.Ke2 axb4 65.axb4 Rxb4 66.Rd2 Rb3 67.Nd3 b4 68.Ra2 Ke4 69.Ra8 Rc3 (Black is invited to take the knight, after which… 69…Rxd3 70.Re8+ Kd5 71.Kxd3) 70.Re8+ Kd5 71.Rb8 Kc4 72.Nxb4 Kxb4 73.Rxb6+ Kc5 74.Rb8 Rxg3 75.f5 d3+ 76.Kd2 Kd4 77.f6 Rg2+ 78.Kd1 Rf2 79.Rd8+ Ke5 80.Re8+ Kd5 (Another “gift” is offered, but if 80…Kxf6 81.Rf8+ wins the rook.) 81.Rg8 Rf4 82.f7 Rxf7 83.Rxg4 Rf2 84.Rh4 Kc5 85.Rg4 Rc2 86.Rh4 Rc4 87.Rxc4+ Kxc4 It’s a book draw, of course, but the last rites are administered. 88.Kd2 Kd4 89.Kd1 Ke3 90.Ke1 d2+ 91.Kd1 Kd3 stalemate. ½–½

The solution to last week’s 3-mover was 1.Nbd3!

Michael Adams won the Gibraltar tournament earlier this year. This was the end of one of his games from Gibraltar 2007. He is a piece up, but Black managed to secure a draw after 3 moves. How so?

d2+ 91.Kd1 Kd3 stalemate. ½–½

The solution to last week’s 3-mover was 1.Nbd3!

Michael Adams won the Gibraltar tournament earlier this year. This was the end of one of his games from Gibraltar 2007. He is a piece up, but Black managed to secure a draw after 3 moves. How so?

Black to play and draw.

Ref: 562. Date: Sat. 9^th Jan. 2010.

Just before Christmas, St. Austell’s International Master, Andrew Greet, put on a simultaneous display at the Exeter Club. He faced 12 opponents of various abilities, beating all but two. Club President Simon Waters secured a creditable draw, while Keith Atkins profited from an oversight in the following game.

White: A. N. Greet (221). Black: K. Atkins (145).

Dutch Defence [A81].

1.d4 f5 2.g3 The Dutch Indian Variation. Nf6 3.Bg2 d6 4.c4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Nh3 Nc6 7.d5 Ne5 8.Nf4 0–0 9.Qb3 Rb8 10.0–0 Bd7 11.Re1 a6 12.Be3 g5 bravely advancing his protective pawn shield. 13.Nd3 Nxd3 14.exd3 h6 15.Bd4 Qe8 16.Re2 Qh5 17.Rxe7 Rbd8 18.Qxb7 f4 19.Qxc7 fxg3 20.fxg3 Rde8 White spots a neat plan to snaffle both bishops at the cost of a rook. 21.Rxg7+ Kxg7 22.Qxd7+ Kg8 Materially, White now has, all other things being equal, a pair of bishops and two pawns for a rook and is well set for a win - except that he forgets Black’s knight is no longer pinned. 23.Rf1?? Nxd7 Resigns. Even IMs can blunder occasionally.

After Christmas, Greet proceeded to Hastings where he took part in the 85^th International Masters Tournament. There was a multiple tie for 1^st place and of the 108 players taking part Greet and Paignton resident Keith Arkell did best of our local players, coming 7^th= on 6/9 points, while Bideford’s Jack Rudd was 26^th= on 5.

Since April Greet has worked full-time for the new chess book publishers, Quality Chess, based in Glasgow by Danish-born GM Jacob Aagaard and John Shaw, where he works as an editor and typesetter.

Six-times winner previously, he is not playing in this year’s Cornish Championships this weekend – and nor will anyone else as it’s been cancelled due to the weather.

Looking further ahead, the next large event in the area is the East Devon Congress at the Cornhall, Exeter on the weekend starting Friday 26^th February. For further details contact Alan Maynard on 01363-773313 or e-mail: [email protected] .

Following that is the WECU Congress at the Royal Beacon Hotel, Exmouth over the Easter weekend, starting on Friday 2nd April. Details available from Andrew Footner on 01935-8735610 or e-mail: [email protected].