[Event "Melton Mowbray 1 v Ashby 1"] [Site "Melton Mowbray Royal British Legion"] [Date "2024.10.23"] [White "Jex, Alan"] [Black "Vann, Richard"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1769"] [BlackElo "1907"] [ECO "A50"] [Opening "Indian: Mexican Defence, 3.Nc3"] {Wednesday night, we're away to Melton Mowbray 1. In the Royal British Legion, we get a drink at the bar, thanks Patrick, and we proceed along to the chess room, ground floor. Boards are set up, we take our places. Our team, Gheorghe, me, Tom, Patrick, Andrew. All goes wrong for Patrick. Not too long after, Tom evens the score. Then I get the win. Gheorghe is in a locked position and agrees a draw. We all watch Andrew's game. Tactical, but the opponent is on 10 second increments to Andrew's 20 minutes. His opponent crumbles in the tactics. We win. Overall score 3.5 to 1.5 for the Ashby 1 team. Good result.} 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 {My first Two Knights Tango in the LRCA league. Can disorientate White.} 3.Nc3 e5 {My old opening line. 3...d5 is also OK for an equal position.} 4.d5 Ne7 5.e4 Ng6 6.Nf3 Bb4 {A bit like a Nimzo Indian defence.} 7.Qc2 O-O 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 {Typical doubled c-pawns for White. My aim is this: if the position can be blocked, then Bf1 may become a Bad Bishop.} d6 10.Be2 h6 {The idea is ...Nh7 then ...f5.} 11.O-O b6 {My dark square strategy is starting to take place. This stops the c4 to c5 move that would free White's game.} 12.a4 a5 {Again, this helps to freeze the white queen side, reducing any chance of Be2 getting some useful breathing space.} 13.h3 {In club chess, you get openly aggressive players, and also cautious players. Alan Jex seems to be the latter.} Nh7 14.Bd3 Bd7 {A waiting move. Often to wait encourages the opponent's mistake. The engine says I am fully equal already. But I have a specific plan, and am not sure White does. The action will be round f4 and f5. Both players seek to advance two spaces their f-pawn.} 15.Nh2 Qe7 {Here ...Qh4 was also considered, though it would be driven back by Nf3. My rooks are now connected, a useful feature for later.} 16.f4 {And there it is! The pawn break. Note that Black must not allow e4 to e5, for then Bd3 would be let out of jail. Obviously I cannot allow f5 by White.} Nxf4 17.Bxf4 exf4 18.Rxf4 Nf6 {I must get this knight to e5 as soon as possible, and try to swap my bishop for the white knight. That would give me a fab N versus a bad bishop. Note also I would be free to play on the dark squares. Obviously, White will try something, and it's my job to make sure it doesn't succeed.} 19.Raf1 Nh5 {Seems pointless. Soon the cunning plan will come clear.} 20.R4f3 g5! {Normally this would be a disaster for Black. But as I have the dark squares, White can do little to smash up my king side. Now the route to e5 becomes clear: Nf4 - g6 - e5! If the N gets to e5, White gets a permanent headache. And it would completely lock up White's whole position. I t's that bad.} 21.Ng4 {Expected this, but it aids my plan enormously.} Bxg4 {Zap!! No hesitation. It's now fully a good N v. a bad B situation, as my N can easily get to the ab fab square, e5.} 22.hxg4 Nf4 23.g3 Ng6 24.Qh2 {This looks like good compensation for the dark squre weakness that White suffers. But h6 is easily defended.} Ne5 25.Rf5 {Here the sac 25 Qxh6 doesn't work, as Nxf3 goes with check, then f6 solidifies g5, and my queen handily covers f7, g7, and h7.} Kg7 {Only briefly looked at 25...Nxd3. It allows 26.Qxh6. Looks way too risky.} 26.Be2 Rh8 27.Qh5 Raf8 28.Kg2 {About here he offered a draw. Refused of course.} f6 {The final steel door slams the posioton shut on the king side. Note here even if White triples on the h file, I can defend easily. Note also the queen on h5 is prevented from getting anywhere quickly. Note also that Rf5 is a bit blocked in. Note also my queen is now free to attack on the queen side. Happy days.} 29.R1f2 Qd7 30.c5 {Desperation. White starts to crumble.} Qxa4 {I refuse to allow Bb5. Machine score is now minus four, that is, Black is the equivalent of 4 pawns up.} 31.cxd6 cxd6 32.c4 Nxc4 33.Bxc4 Qxc4 {For the past few moves, and for the rest of the game, I'm checking there's never a chance of a rook sac and perpetual check by White.} 34.e5 Qxd5+ 35.Kh2 dxe5 36.Rc2 Qf7 37.Qh3 h5 {And now the h file opens for me as well!} 38.Qg2 hxg4+ 39.Kg1 Qd7 40.Rf1 Rc8 41.Qf2 {A little trick on f6. We all spotted it.} Qd4 {0-1. White resigned here. Six pawns against one is no contest. To summarise, an easy game for me to play. In club chess, my opponent often doesn't realise I'm setting up an elephant trap. Until it's too late.} {#R} 0-1