Personalities / Maurice Ashley
is often the pawn structure and here White has none to speak of.
21. Rhc1 Be6 22. Kf1
Getting rid of the annoying knight. For 10. ... Qxg2 I had planned 11. 0-0-0! when my intuition (and some calculation) told me that I would be OK. 11. ... Nxc3 (11. ... Qxf3 12. Be2 [The alternative 12. Nxd5 Nxf2 13. Nxc7+ Ke7 14. Nxa8 Qc6 15. Bc4 b5 16. Nc7 Qxc4 17. Qxc4 bxc4 18. Nd5+ Kd7 19. Nxb4 Nc6 20. Nxc6 Kxc6 is equal] 12. ... Qh3 [12. ... Qxf2 13. Nxd5] 13. Nxd5 with more than enough com- pensation for the piece) 12. bxc3 Ba3+ (12. ... Qxf3 13. cxb4 Nc6 14. Rhg1! Nxb4 15. Qa4+ Nc6 16. Rxg7 is horrible for Black) 13. Kb1 Qxf3 (13. ... Bg4 14. h3! Bxf3 15. Rh2!! Bxd1 16. Qxd1 Qxh2 17. Bxh2 Bd6 18. Bxd6 cxd6 19. Qb3 is great for White.) 14. Qa4+ Nc6 15. Qxa3 is the definition of unclear.
ing bullets for many moves to come. The good news is that while the open c-file suggests a place for the rooks, but the other pieces are fairly clueless as to their future outposts. Black also has to be care- ful that the one weakness in his position, the d5-pawn does not turn into a liability. The players still have a lot to prove.
18. a3 Be7 19. Ke2?!
It’s not in my nature to be greedy, but chasing the d-pawn might have been the best way to maintain the balance. In posi- tions with queen against three pieces, passed pawns count doubly so. 19. Qb5 Nh4 (19. ... a6 20. Qxd5 Be6 21. Qh5 Rfc8 22. Bb6 Bc4+ 23. Kg1) 20. Qxd5 Be6 21. Qh5 (21. Qb5 Rfc8 22. Bg3) 21. ... Rac8 22. Bg3 Rfd8 23. Bxh4 Rd5 24. Qd1 Bxh4 and White should be OK, though not my kind of OK!
22. ... Nxg3+
Black decides to go on the direct offen- sive, but this trade is strictly not necessary. Simpler was 22. ... Rfc8 with ... a6 and ... b5 to follow.
23. hxg3 Rfb8
Seeking to play 24. ... b5. 24. Qd1 Na5 25. b3 Rc8?
Finally Black errs and allows us to spout a platitude. The side with the three pieces normally does best to keep rooks on the board. (25. ... a6 would have kept the pieces and play alive.)
26. Rxc8+ Rxc8 27. Rc1! Bxa3?
And this is virtually a losing move. Bet- ter was 27. ... Re8.
28. Rxc8+ Bxc8 29. Qa1! Bb4 30. Qa4 Nc6 31. Qb5
11. Kf1 The only move. (11. bxc3 Qxg2 wins.)
11. ... Bb4 12. Qa4+ Nc6 13. Ne5 Nd2+! 14. Kg1! Nf3+! 15. Kf1! Nxe5!
My opponent is known as a tremendous chess fighter, and here stays true to his rep- utation. While I had no choice in the matter, he decides to continue the battle into the dark woods. (15. ... Nd2+ 16. Kg1=).
16. Bxg6 Nxg6 17. Bxc7 0 -0
(see diagram top of next column) Only 17 moves have passed, but some- how this game already has seen as much action as a complex middlegame. Now it’s time to assess the new setting that has emerged. Black has three pieces for a queen and pawn. This should favor White in a strict material sense, but Black hasso many pieces that White might be dodg-
19. ... Nh4!
Refusing to allow White to consolidate. 19. ... Bg4+ 20. f3 Be6 was more solid.
20. Bg3 Nf5 20. ... Nxg2 was also interesting. Knights on
g2 are normally asking to be trapped, but in this position where “2+2=5” the word normally has no place. 21. h4 Keeping the knight in. 21. ... f5! 22. f4 Re8 23. Bf2 Nxf4+ (24. Kf3 was finally threatened.) 24. exf4 Bxh4+ 25. Kf3 (25. Be3 Bf6 26. Kf3 Re4) 25. ... Bxf2 26. Kxf2 Re4 when it’s anybody’s guess what’s actually going on here. The material balance clearly favors White for now, but Black looks solid and is threatening to unravel quickly. These types of positions are little explored in chess liter- ature because the queen is an impressive enough piece to scare folks away from play- ing with the two pieces. But the critical point
White now wins a critical pawn and the queen creates havoc in the Black camp.
31. ... Bf8
31. ... a5 32. Qxd5 Be6 33. Qb5 Bxb3 34. d5 Ne7 35. e4! (35. d6 Bxd6 36. Qxb3 Bb4 37. Qd3 Ng6 38. Qb5 is not the kind of win worth chasing.)
32. Qxd5 Nb4 33. Qa5 a6 34. e4! Bd7 35. Qb6 Bb5+ 36. Kg1 Bd3 37. f3 Bc2 38. Qxb7 Bxb3 39. Qa8! Ba4 40. g4 Bb5 41. d5 Nd3 42. d6 Nf4 43. g3 Ne6 44. f4 Nc5 45. e5 Nd7 46. Qd5 Be2? 47. e6 Nf6 48. exf7+ Kh8 49. d7, Black resigned.
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