From: sloan@cis.uab.edu (Kenneth Sloan)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: the French saga continues
Date: 13 Aug 92 04:57:44 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: CIS, University of Alabama at Birmingham

The "computers aren't people" flame war has erupted again, so I thouhgt
it would be nice to inject some actual chess...

This game involves an unsound sac that wins anyway.  It's also my first
win over a Master.  So, "Tal, I salute you".

Played in the Boaz State Warm Up Open - 1 August 1992
40/1 SD/30

Kyle Therrell 2211   -    Kenneth Sloan 1805

1 e4 e6

This is my third OTB French.  My previous efforts were a loss and a draw
against 2000 competition.  Looks like the derivative has the right sign.
But, as the moves below demonstrate, I don't quite have the hang of it,
yet.  Advice and analysis from French afficianados is welcome.

The good news is that Kyle walks into the *one* line that I looked at
the week before the tournament.  So, I was semi-prepared.

2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 Bd3 c5 5 e5 Nfd7
6 c3 Nc6 7 Ngf3 cxd4 8 cxd4 f5 9 exf6 Nxf6 10 0-0 Bd6
11 b3 0-0 12 Bb2 Bd7 13 a3 Rc8 14 Qe2 Ng5 

I've bolluxed the move order a bit, I think (I haven't hit the books to
see where).  Now, I'm hallucinating about an exchange sac on f3 - I
don't notice until just in time that White has another N ready to spring
into action).  This is typical of the kind of hallucination that keeps
me a lowly A player.

15 h3 Nh6

Avoiding the blunder 15 ... Rxf3 - but refusing to admit the mistake.

16 Ne5 Ne7 17 Ndg3 Nef5 18 Nxd7 Qxd7 19 g4 Rf6 !?

White is very short on time (less than 10 minutes to reach move 40 -
perhaps less).  I'm losing a P, and am beginning to feel squeezed, so I
decide to throw a monkey wrench into the plan he's taken almost an hour
to devise - hoping that he won't be able to defend accurately, or fast
enough. 

This is probably Kyle's weakness - he habitually spends 90% of his time
on the first 20 moves, and then blitzes the rest of the way.  Most of
the time, it works against us fishies.  

20 gxf5 Nxf5
21 Ne5 Bxe5 22 dxe5 Rg6+ 23 Kh2 Qf7 24 Rac1 Rf8 25 Bxf5 Qxf5

Queenside?  We're not going to play on the Queenside.  White now has
much less than 5 minutes.

26 f4 Rh6 27 Rc3 g5 !

Banzai!

28 Rg3 Kh8 29 fxg5 Rxh3+ 30 Rxh3 Qxf1

I'll be down a B for a P - but up a K.  And...Kyle's flag is hanging
I'm running my own clock down a bit, too, trying to find trappy moves.
But, I'm also trying to resist the temptation to blitz back.  I
concentrate on keeping a nice, neat scoresheet, and thinking calmly.
Kyle starts to look worried.

31 Qxf1 Rxf1 32 Rg3 Kg7 33 Bd4 b6 34 a4 Rd1 35 Bb2 Kg6

Stay on those White squares, and maybe the K can do something

36 Rg2 Kf5 37 Bc3 Rc1 38 Bd2 Rc2 39 Rf2+ Ke4 40 B...

Be1, I think - but as I was writing down the move I glanced at the clock
and saw the fallen flag.  I'm pretty sure it actually fell *after* he
made the move on the board, but before he hit the clock.  Kyle was very
gracious about it.  Score the point.

The final position still looks interesting.  If Black can pick up the e
pawn while keeping the R, then perhaps the two center pawns can hold
their own against the B.  What do you think?

Two open questions: 1) how should Black avoid getting into the mess I
found myself in, and 2) what do you think of the N sac?  

We end with a quote from the dearly departed Dennis "The initiative is
everything, except when it isn't!"

-- 
Kenneth Sloan                   Computer and Information Sciences
sloan@cis.uab.edu               University of Alabama at Birmingham
(205) 934-2213                  115A Campbell Hall, UAB Station 
(205) 934-5473 FAX              Birmingham, AL 35294-1170
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess