Keverel Chess

Posts Tagged ‘Somerset v Middlesex’

Although Somerset narrowly lost to Middlesex recently in the Semi-Final of the Inter-County Championship, their top 8 boards did incredibly well, winning 6½-1½. This was the game from Board 2 where Rudd continued his habit of providing entertaining games.

White: Jack Rudd (214). Black: Colin Crouch (221).

Scandinavian Defence [B01].

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qe5+ Playable but an unusual move. 3…Qa5 is by far the most popular. 4.Be2 c6 5.Nf3 Qc7 6.0–0 Bf5 7.d4 e6 8.Nh4 Bg6 9.Nxg6 hxg6 Opening up the first mating threat, but compromising his own kingside safe haven for later. 10.g3 Nf6 11.Bf3 Nbd7 12.Qe2 0–0–0 The race is now on to strike first. 13.a4 Bd6 14.Bg5 Rde8 15.a5 a6 16.Rfd1 e5 17.d5 White wants to keep the centre relatively closed while chipping away at the queenside pawns to winkle open the Black king’s position. 17…c5 18.Bg2 Nh7 19.Bd2 f5 Black’s pawn centre is starting to look a bit ominous. 20.Na4 e4 21.c4 g5 22.b4 g4 22…cxb4 opens up the q-side for White’s pieces to charge through. 23.c5 Nxc5 24.Nxc5 Bxc5 25.Rdc1 Qd6 26.Bxb4. 23.b5 Ne5 24.bxa6 bxa6 Rooks love to grab an open file - and so they should. 25.Rab1 Nf3+ 26.Bxf3 gxf3 27.Qf1 Kd8 28.Rb6 f4 29.Bxf4 White cannot allow …e3 with the threat of …e2, For example 29.Rc6 e3 30.Rxc7 e2 31.Rc6 exf1=Q+ 32.Rxf1 Be5 33.Rxa6 Ng5 34.Re1 Nh3+ 35.Kf1 fxg3 36.fxg3 Rhf8 37.Nxc5 Rf5 38.Ne6+. 29…Bxf4 30.d6 Qa7 31.gxf4 Re6 32.Qh3 Attacking the rook and vacating f1 for his king. 32…Rg6+ 33.Kf1 Rh6 34.Qg3 Nf6 35.Rdb1 Rxh2 Threatening …Rh1 winning the queen, but it’s not quite quick enough. 36.Rb8+ Kd7 37.Rxh8 1-0. Black resigned because after 37…Rxh8 38.Qxg7+ wins the rook - not the queen because the rook still threatens mate. e.g. 38…Kc6 39.QxQ?? Rh1#.

Last week’s position ended after 1.Be5! both threatening mate on h8 and attacking Black’s queen which can do nothing about the mate.

This week’s highly unusual position was composed by Dr. Robert Norman in 1988. It had implications for the Laws of Chess which FIDE had to re-word slightly in the light of this problem. White to play and win, but be prepared to think the unthinkable. I’ll give a full explanation next week.

White to play and win by apparently flouting the rules.