2023 Colorado State Chess Senior Open
My "once a year" tournament these days. the CSCA finally got it right with alternating tournaments the past couple of years. So, last year it was the Class Championships in the Springs, the year before that it was the Senior Open that I played in in Manitou, and this year we are back to the Senior Open (and next year it will be the Class championships down here again - Colorado Springs alternates with Loveland for these tournaments.
The biggest question for most of us seniors (being in my mid fifties these days) is how will our physical shape be after long layoffs, how will our bodies react to the pressure of a tournament.
I was feeling or using a lot of nervous energy in Round 1, as a I was not used to the gruelling battle of a long tournament game, particularly with how it feels in time-pressure, and it shows in how shaky my endgame play was in time-pressure. I was blundering plenty in the end-game, being under two minutes for most of the way.
Of course, I should have kept his king out with 40...Ke6, and then blundered my pawn some moves later. I thought that it had become a draw for more than one move, but apparently not. The last few moves are my recreation, but not exact. He played on against my two queens for a few moves beyond the final position given here.
[Event "Senior Open"]
[Site "Hyatt"]
[Date "2023.06.03"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Dierrick Davis Unr"]
[Black "Brian John Rountree 1854"]
[Result "0-1"]
[BlackElo "1854"]
[ECO "C44"]
[EventDate "2023.06.03"]
[TimeControl "G/90 Inc 30"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d3 Be7 6. Be2 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8.
Nbd2 Bf5 9. Qb3 Rfd8 10. Ne1 Rab8 11. Nc4 h6 12. Ne3 Qxb3 13. axb3 Bg6 14. Bd2
a6 15. h3 Bc5 16. b4 Ba7 17. Kh2 Re8 18. b3 Rbd8 19. Ra2 Nd5 20. g3 Nxe3 21.
fxe3 Nb8 22. b5 Bb6 23. bxa6 Nxa6 24. e4 Nc5 25. Rb2 f6 26. Be3 Nxd3 27. Nxd3
Bxe3 28. Nf2 Bxf2 29. Rxf2 Bxe4 30. Bf3 Bxf3 31. Rxf3 Rd1 32. Kg2 Red8 33. Rff2
b6 34. Rfe2 Kf7 35. Kf3 R8d7 36. g4 R7d3+ 37. Re3 Rxe3+ 38. Kxe3 Rh1 39. Ke4
Rxh3 40. c4 Rg3 41. Kd5 Rxg4 42. Kc6 h5 43. Kxc7 h4 44. Kxb6 h3 45. Rh2 Rg3 46.
b4 Ke7 47. c5 Kd7 48. Kb7 Rb3 49. c6+ Ke6 50. Rc2 Rxb4+ 51. Kc7 h2 52. Rxh2 Rc4
53. Rd2 Kf5 54. Kd7 e4 55. c7 e3 56. Rd5+ Ke4 57. Rd6 Rxc7+ 58. Kxc7 g5 59.
Rxf6 g4 60. Rg6 Kf3 61. Rf6+ Kg2 62. Kd6 e2 63. Re6 Kf2 64. Rf6+ Ke3 65. Re6+
Kd2 66. Kd5 g3 67. Rg6 e1=Q 0-1
Facing the Alekhine Defense, I usually play the exchange variation, but that variation is never a draw whenever I play it. I wanted to play something a bit sounder, and slower. I considered playing the Four Knights, and even the Belgrade Gambit, but opted on the Modern Variation as I don't believe that I've ever played it OTB in a long tournament game more than maybe once - or this could be the first time I've played it as White. I think a good way to learn these infrequent openings is to play them as Black! (in blitz or rapid, of course).
[Event "Senior Open"]
[Site "Hyatt"]
[Date "2023.06.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Keith Jay Oxman"]
[Black "Brian John Rountree"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[BlackElo "1854"]
[ECO "B05"]
[EventDate "2023.06.03"]
[TimeControl "G/90 Inc 30"]
[WhiteElo "1953"]
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 e6 6. O-O Be7 7. h3 Bh5 8. c4 Nb6
9. b3 dxe5 10. Nxe5 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 O-O 12. Bb2 N8d7 13. Rd1 c6 14. Nc3 Qc7 15.
Rd3 Rad8 16. Rad1 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Rxd3 18. Rxd3 Rd8 19. Ne4 Rxd3 20. Qxd3 Qd7 21.
Qxd7 Nxd7 22. f4 Kf8 23. Bd4 c5 24. Bc3 b6 25. Kf2 1/2-1/2
I offered the draw, and my opponent accepted, as I didn't see much reason to play on. I had already messed up by playing f4 instead of Bd4, but then I got another chance to play the move. I could feel my mental energy sapping, even though I had the position's chances fairly well summed up to a reasonable extent. I had about 24 minutes remaining to his 47 minutes.
Game 1. The opening White played without pretension to get an opening advantage. On move 15 you could play 15… Ne4 with an idea of 16. Nc4 Nc5 17. b4 Nxd3. Of course his 26. Be3 was a tactical mistake.
ReplyDeleteComputer confirmed my impression that you could prevent his counterplay on the queenside by 40… Ke6. If you would play 45… Rh4 it would let you to hold his pawns on the queenside.
The move 47… Kd7 could cost you a game, but he didn’t play the right moves.
After move 54 you had a win again, but 58… g5 was leading to a draw, instead 58… e2 was winning. His 62. Kd6 was a decisive mistake.
Game 2. It looks like an equal game. Your 22. f4 was not worse than Bd4, he could play same c5 as in the game later. I ran two shootouts and they both ended up with an draw.
ReplyDeleteRegarding game 1, I missed your comment about 40... Ke6, we came to the same conclusion.
ReplyDelete