The 3rd Law Society of Scotland
Secondary Schools Allegro Team Chess Championships
and introducing the
1st National Secondary Championships
The 2010 winners were: -
Team - DOLLAR ACADEMY
Individual - SEAMUS HERRON
Jamie Hookham, Dollar Academy -- Ian McDonald, Aberdeen Grammar
Law Society Schools Team Allegro 2010.03.14 1-0 C42
Annotated by IM Craig Pritchett
| In this game, White plays with icy technical precision to gain the full point in a complex, modern opening variation. After initially neutralising White's light early opening initiative, Black makes a poor choice with his pawns on his 15th move. White pounces at once and never looks back from that moment. | ||
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nf6 |
| 3. | Nxe5 | d6 |
| 4. | Nf3 | Nxe4 |
| 5. | Nc3 | |
| This somewhat unusual line has been favoured by many world top 10-20 players in recent years. White allows Black to double his c-pawns, but gains time and sufficient manoeuvring space to make Black's equalising task remain just on the right side of being not entirely trivial. That said, it's not at all a straightforward line for White to play, requiring a superb feel for the slightest opportunity to edge forward in the centre and on the kingside, without oversimplifying play and allowing Black's potentially longer-term, pawn structural advantages to count in an eventual endgame. | ||
| 5. | ... | Nxc3 |
| 6. | dxc3 | Nc6 |
| 7. | Be3 | Be6 |
| 8. | Qd2 | Be7 |
| 9. | O-O-O | O-O |
| 10. | Bd3 | Ne5 |
| 11. | Nxe5 | dxe5 |
| 12. | Qe2 | Qe8 |
| 13. | Qh5 | f5 |
| 14. | Qxe8 | Raxe8 |
| 15. | c4 | f4? |
| This is a very instructive moment. Objectively, White hasn't actually achieved very much from the opening and by playing his pawns more subtly in the centre, say, for example, after something like | ||
| ( 15...e4 16.Be2 f4 17.Bd4 c5 18.Be5 Rf5 Black appears to have little or no cause for any complaints. But the text move is the wrong way to mobilise Black's centre pawns in this position. It badly weakens e4 and potentially leaves Black's backward pawn on e5 as a long-term target. Black may be able to defend better in the next few moves, but, over the board, he fails completely to find a defence against a determined White, who directly plays to consolidate his two key e-file positional advantages. ) | ||
| 16. | Bd2 | Bc5 |
| 17. | f3 | Bd6 |
| 18. | Bc3 | Bf5 |
| 19. | Rhe1 | Bxd3 |
| 20. | Rxd3 | Rf5 |
| 21. | Rd5 | Rg5 |
| 22. | Re2 | h6 |
| 23. | c5 | |
| Black's e-pawn now drops and he is objectively lost. Note how White has used his front, doubled c-pawn to put indirect pressure on e5, by advancing it to c5 and forcing Black's bishop to move from the critical d6 square. Doubled pawns are only a clear weakness when they are static and vulnerable to attack. Here, they can be put to dynamic effect by aiding White's overall plan to atttack and undermine Black's (in this position truly) weak and vulnerable backward e-pawn. | ||
| 23. | ... | Bf8 |
| 24. | Rdxe5 | Rexe5 |
| 25. | Bxe5 | Rf5 |
| 26. | b4 | b6 |
| 27. | cxb6 | cxb6 |
| 28. | c3 | a5 |
| 29. | a3 | axb4 |
| 30. | axb4 | Rf7 |
| 31. | Bd4 | Rc7 |
| 32. | Kb2 | Rc4 |
| 33. | Kb3 | b5 |
| 34. | Re5 | |
| White now wins a second pawn and the game soon follows, as Black is completely without any hint of serious counterplay. | ||
| 34. | ... | Bxb4 |
| 35. | Rxb5 | Rxd4 |
| 36. | cxd4 | Be7 |
| 37. | Kc4 | Kf7 |
| 38. | Rb7 | Ke6 |
| 39. | Kd3 | |
1-0
A full report and results will appear here shortly.
