Round 5: Mac Intyre-Williams 1-0

A game neither player can be proud of. Clearly the combatants reached several highly complicated positions which neither grasped over the board. All you can do is post your score, walk away and hope to forget.

[Event "BCC Championship"]
[Site "Somerville, MA USA"]
[Date "2004.10.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Mac Intyre, Paul"]
[Black "Williams, Chris”]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteUSCF "2303"]
[BlackUSCF "2053"]
[ECO "B06"]
[Opening "Modern Defense"]

1.e4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.g3 d6 4.d4 Bg4 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.c3 Nf6 7.Be3 0-0

[Is the e4 pawn hanging? 7...Nxe4!? 8.d5 Ne5 9.Qa4+ b5! 10.Qxe4 Nxf3+ 11.Bxf3 f5 12.Qd3 Bxf3 13.0-0 c6 -/+ Apparently so!]

8.h3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 e5 10.d5 Ne7 11.g4 Nd7 12.Rg1 a5 13.Nd2 Nc5 14.Nf1 Qd7 15.Ng3 Qb5 16.Qe2 Qa4 17.Kf1 Kh8 18.Kg2 Qd7 19.Kh2 b6 20.Rg2 a4 21.h4 a3 22.b3 c6 23.dxc6 Qxc6 24.Rd1 Ne6 25.Qd2 Rfd8 26.Ne2 Nc5 27.Qc2 Qc7

[Fritz prefers 27...f5!?]

28.Kh1 Rac8 29.Bc1 Qa7 30.h5 Ne6 31.h6 Bf8 32.g5 Qa5 33.Bg4 d5 34.exd5 Nxd5 35.Bxe6 fxe6



36.Rg3??

[The “blunderfest” begins. Fritz says 36.Rd2 Bd6 37.Qe4 b5 is equal]

36...Qc5?

[36...Nb4! wins immediately, e.g., 37.Rxd8 Qa8+! 38.Kg1 Nxc2 39.Rxc8 Qxc8]

37.Qe4?

[One bad move deserves another. 37.Rf1 would have been o.k. for White]

37...Nf6! 38.gxf6 Rxd1+ 39.Kh2?!

[Better is 39.Rg1 or 39.Kg2, though Black is winning in either case]

39...Qxf2+ 40.Rg2 Qf5 41.Qh4 e4 42.Rf2 Qd5??

[Fritz says it best: Black "stumbles just before the finish line." The computer prefers 42...g5 ]

43.f7

[Suddenly, it is White who is winning]

43...Bd6+ 44.Bf4??

[44.Ng3! is the winner]

44...g5

[Suddenly, it is Black who is winning]

45.Qg3 Bxf4??

[45...Rf8 is the only right move here]

46.Nxf4 1-0

[Finally it's over. I'm going to go get treated for whiplash]