[Event "Garden State Chess League 2014-15"]
[Site "West Orange, NJ"]
[Date "2015.04.21"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Moldovan, John"]
[Black "Klemm, Vince"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A35"]
[WhiteElo "1797"]
[BlackElo "2059"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2014.10.02"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[Source "John Moldovan"]
[SourceDate "2007.09.12"]
[WhiteTeam "Kenilworth"]
[BlackTeam "Summit"]

{Board 1  G/75+5 (delay)  A35 English Opening  Symmetrical 4 Knights    After
sitting on board 3 or the bench for most of the season, I am suddenly thrust
into the top slot.} 1. Nf3 c5 {You want a Sicilian? Well... I might've allowed
one but you refused to play on my purple board! So...} 2. c4 (2. e3 {is my
usual response but, with a formidable foe (a NM whose peak rating was at least
2273) & teammates to consider, I didn't want to get cute.}) 2... Nc6 3. Nc3 g6
{?! MCO 13, Uhlmann, Bucic} ({I half-expected something unusual, like} 3... e5)
({or} 3... Nd4) 4. e3 {! Gligoric, Uhlmann, Kosten, Bartholomew, Bucic} Nf6 {
?! Carsten Hansen} (4... Bg7 5. d4 d6 {is the main line but the text is fine.
The critique of Black's 3rd & 4th moves is ridiculous. They've been played on
a regular basis for more than half a century.}) 5. d4 ({For} 5. a3 {see}) 5...
cxd4 6. exd4 d5 {Diagram [#] This position can be reached via 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5
3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Nf3 Nc6 & classified as a B14 Caro-Kann.
However, I would only list it as such if I was on the Black side.} 7. cxd5 {!
Velimirovic} (7. Bg5 {! MCO 13, Carsten Hansen; !? Ribli, P. Wells} Ne4 $140 8.
cxd5 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Qxd5 10. Qb3 {+/- Emms} Qxb3 11. axb3 Bg7 12. Be2 O-O 13. O-O
{, transposing into my 1991 draw vs. Tom McKenna, was an option. That game,
which was also played in West Orange!,  continued} h6 14. Be3 Bg4 15. h3 $14
Bxf3 $6 16. Bxf3 $16) 7... Nxd5 8. Bc4 {Unknowingly mixing-up the move-order} (
{I have varied from my draw against Alan Gu (Westfield Quads, 11/25/2012)
which went} 8. Qb3 e6 9. Bc4 {! P. Wells} Na5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Qa4 Nc6 12. Nxd5
exd5 13. O-O a6 14. Re1+ Be7 15. Bxc6 Bxc6 16. Qa3 f6 17. Bd2 $6 $146 (17. Ng5
$142 $1) 17... Kf7 18. Bb4 Re8 $11) 8... Nxc3 (8... Nb6 $142 9. Bb5 Bg7 10. O-O
O-O 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. h3 Qc7 13. Re1 Be6 14. Be3 Rad8 15. Qc1 {Johner - Krause
: Copenhagen 1916} Rfe8 $146 16. Bh6 Bf6 17. Ne4 Nd7) 9. Qb3 {! Karsten
Mueller, Kosten} Nd5 {!? P. Wells, ?! Istratescu} (9... e6 10. bxc3 Bg7 11. Ba3
Bf8 {, as in game 4 of the 1963 Botvinnink-Petrosian match, was anticipated.
Now I'm out of book.}) 10. Bxd5 e6 {Diagram [#]} 11. Bxc6+ {Be4 was considered.
} ({RR} 11. Be4 Bb4+ (11... Bg7 12. Be3 O-O 13. O-O Na5 14. Qb4 f5 15. Bg5 Qb6
16. Qxb6 axb6 17. Bc2 Nc6 18. Rfd1 h6 19. Bf4 g5 20. Bc7 {O. Rodriguez -
Castellet : Catalunya 2013} Rf7 $146 21. Be5 g4 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Ne5 Nxe5 24.
dxe5 $11) 12. Kf1 Be7 {Hietala - Toivola : correspondence, Finland 1978} 13.
Bh6 $146 Qb6 $11) 11... bxc6 {+/= Kosten} 12. O-O {Qa4 was weighed.} ({RR} 12.
Qa4 Bg7 13. O-O O-O 14. Qxc6 Rb8 15. Bg5 Bb7 {Vaganian - Chellstorp : Teeside
1974} 16. Qxb7 $146 Rxb7 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. b3 Bxd4 19. Nxd4 Rxd4 20. Rad1 $11)
12... Qd5 {(! P. Wells) When our game ended, Vince revealed that he drew
Mikhail Tal from this position.  He probably did so in a blitz game at Toms
River (1988) or NY (1990), as database searches came-up empty.} 13. Qxd5 {This
has the benefit of plugging Black's half-open d-file & shielding my IDP but
isn't the best move.} (13. Qc3 {(! Bagirov) is the most common reply}) ({& the
engine prefers} 13. Bg5 Qxb3 14. axb3 {.}) (13. Bf4 {(! P. Wells, !? Ribli) &
Be3 are also recommended or seen here.}) ({RR} 13. Be3 f6 14. Rfc1 Bd6 15. Nd2
Kf7 16. Qc2 Bd7 $146 17. Ne4 Rhb8 18. f3 Be7 19. Qf2 Kg7 20. b3 Be8 $11 {
Nepomniachtchi - Vidit : Aeroflot Open, Moscow 3/3/2015}) 13... cxd5 (13...
exd5 $143 $6 14. Re1+ $14) 14. Bf4 {Diagram [#] /\ of stopping ...Rb8. My
opponent now sank into a 12 minute think, got some coffee and downed 2
Entemann's donuts. I grabbed a chocolate-covered one here & later opted for a
Swiss Roll.} f6 $1 {I thought this was odd at the time but its underlying plan
is quite neat.} ({For the unenlighted reader I present 2 suitable alternatives:
-} 14... Be7 $146 15. Rfc1 f6 16. Rc7 (16. h4 $142) 16... g5 (16... Bd8 $142)
17. Rac1 Bd7 18. Bg3 Bd8 19. Rb7 Bb6 $11 {L. Christiansen - Short : Hastings
1981}) ({-} 14... Bg7 15. Bd6 (15. Rfc1 $142) 15... Kd7 16. Bc5 h6 (16... Ba6
$142) 17. Rfe1 {Varga - Dankhazi : Zalakaros 2012} a5 $146 {+ ...Ba6 =.}) 15.
h4 (15. Rfc1 {was rejected because I didn't want my pieces pushed around.} {
However,} g5 (15... h5 $146 16. h4 Rh7 17. Ne1 Rb7 18. Nd3 Bd7 (18... a5 19. b3
Bd7 20. Rab1 Be7 $11 {Pavlov - Panarin : Moscow 2013}) 19. Rc2 a5 $11 {Kraai -
Kacheishvili : U.S. Chess League, ICC 2012}) 16. Bg3 g4 $140 $6 (16... h5 17.
h4 gxh4 18. Bxh4 Be7 19. Rc3 Rg8 20. Rac1 Bd7 21. Rc7 Bd8 22. Rb7 Rg7 23. Bg3
Rf7 $11 {El Debs - Bologan : Caleta 2012}) (16... Be7 17. Ne1 (17. Rc3 Kf7 18.
h4 gxh4 {Szabo - Ivkov : Medina del Campo 1980} 19. Bxh4 Ba6 $11) 17... h5 18.
h3 Rg8 19. f3 g4 20. hxg4 hxg4 21. Kf2 {Dietzel - Flumbort : Germany 2007} Ba6
$11) 17. Ne1 Bh6 18. Rc7 $14 {was not to be feared.}) 15... h5 {Another
non-developing move. Trading off my dark-squared B is the idea. Again, I was
thinking... Can he get away with this?} 16. Rac1 {Diagram [#] White's 3-step
lead in development, possession of the c-file & Q-side majority give him an
optical advantage but, in reality, Black's B pair, central majority, half-open
b-file & the isolonus fully compensate. They may even give him the better side
of equal.} Bh6 $6 $146 (16... Rh7 $142 17. Rc2 $11 {½-½ Smet - Ibar :
correspondence, IECG 2002.}) 17. Bxh6 Rxh6 18. Rc3 (18. Rc7 $142 $14) 18... Rh7
{/\ ...Rb7} (18... Bd7 $142 $11) 19. Rfc1 Kd8 20. g3 $2 {This wastes an
important tempo.} (20. Ne1 $142 $1 {The N isn't doing anything at f3 & must be
re-routed.} Rb8 21. Nd3 $14 {& the equine arrives in time to stop ...Rb4.})
20... Rb7 21. b3 Bd7 22. Ne1 Rc8 (22... Rb4 $142 {hitting my isolated d-pawn}
23. Nc2 {misplacing my N} Rb7) 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Nd3 Rc7 25. Rxc7 Kxc7 {
Diagram [#]} 26. f3 $1 {Not taking the bait.} (26. Nf4 $143 Kd6 27. Nxg6 $2 e5
$15) 26... g5 $2 {This lets me gain the e5 square & go into a good N vs. bad B
ending.} (26... Kd6 $142 27. f4 Ba6 $11) 27. hxg5 fxg5 28. Ne5 {Posted on an
unassailable dark square, my steed is a blockading monster.} a5 $4 (28... Kd6
$142 $16 {Houdini 4}) ({or} 28... Kd8 $16 {Komodo 8}) 29. Nf7 $18 g4 (29... h4
$6 {/\ 30.gxh4?? gxh4 31.Kh2 a4! = was a better shot but} 30. Nxg5 $6 (30. f4
$3 gxf4 31. gxh4 {is more convincing but I don't think I would've found it.})
30... hxg3 31. Kg2 {is good enough to win.}) 30. fxg4 hxg4 31. Ne5 Kb6 32. Kf2
{Grabbing on g4 can wait. Securing d4 with my K takes precedence.} Kb5 33. a3
Ba6 ({Maintaining the material balance with} 33... a4 34. bxa4+ Kxa4 35. Nxg4
Kxa3 {was of little or no help.}) 34. Ke3 Kb6 35. Nxg4 Bf1 36. Ne5 Kc7 37. g4
Kd6 38. b4 axb4 39. axb4 {With passers on both sides of the board, I'm winning
easily.} Bb5 40. Kf4 Ke7 41. Kg5 Be8 42. Kh6 Kf6 43. Kh7 $6 ({>= the
straight-forward} 43. g5+ Kf5 44. b5 $1 {Deflection theme}) 43... Kg5 44. Kg7
Ba4 45. Kf7 Kf4 46. Kxe6 Ke4 47. g5 Be8 {Diagram [#]} 48. b5 $1 Kxd4 {The
7-man tablebases say White has mate in 12.} ({Of course, if} 48... Bxb5 {then}
49. g6 {with g7 & g8Q to follow.}) 49. b6 Bc6 {He could have quit here.} 50.
Nxc6+ Kc5 51. Ne5 (51. b7 $142 Kxc6 52. b8=Q) 51... Kxb6 52. g6 {Black resigns.
Time left - Moldovan 14:07, Klemm 22:43  Estimated time used - Moldovan 65:13,
Klemm 56:37    Longest think by White - 8 minutes for 26.f3!   Longest think
by Black - 12 minutes for 14...f6    This win tied the score at 1.5. A short
time later, Greg Tomkovich (1716) pulled off an even bigger upset by beating
Simon Thomson (2067) to give Kenilworth the match & 2nd place in the McCormick
Division.    Had the last game been drawn, Summit would have tied the match &
made the playoffs over Roselle.} 1-0

