Sunday, April 29, 2018

Chess Game of the Week, by Alan Lasser

It’s probably happened hundreds of times;  well-meaning, devoted parents are taken in by that old canard, “chess makes you smarter”.  Science does not support that, any brain activity is good for children, solving jigsaw puzzles would be just as neurologically stimulating.  
But the pressure to be a good parent and make your kid smart results in chess classes for four and five year olds.  Unfortunately, it’s only natural for children to hate anything that their parents make them do, so as soon as they have the chance, they abandon our game.  Every once in a while, after they grow up, they stop by their college chess club to make a few moves, just to see if they are any good.
Thus began the legend of Yixin Li.  The nineteen year old has the potential to be a titled player, but he only played in one tournament, where he landed a 2461 rating and had his name engraved on that huge rotating trophy for the Western Massachusetts/Pioneer Valley Champion.
He’s returning to China for the summer break and is unsure if he will be back to attend UMass next semester.  He says it’s possible that he’ll never play tournament chess again.  His all too brief career has been a mere 22 recorded games, including the five at the tournament and thirteen against me.  This is the last one. 
 
Yixin Li-Alan Lasser
4/26/18
UMass Chess Club
game/15
1.e4 d6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[Event "game/15"]
[Site "UMass Chess Club"]
[Date "2018.04.26"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Yixin Li"]
[Black "Alan Lasser"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B00"]
 
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bd3 e5 4.d5 Nbd7 5.c4 Nc5 6.Nc3 Nxd3+ 7.Qxd3 Be7 8.f4 exf4
9.Bxf4 O-O 10.Nf3 Nd7 11.O-O Bf6 12.Rae1 Re8 13.b4 $6 { -0.05/23 } ( 13.Qd2
{ +0.21/21 } 13...a6
{ 13...Ne5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Nb5 Bd7 16. Nd4 f6 17. b3 Bxf4 18. Qxf4 Qe7
19. Rf2 Qe5 20. Qxe5 Rxe5   =   Stockfish } 14.a4 b6 15.Nd1 a5 ) 13...a5
14.a3 $6 { -0.64/25 } ( 14.bxa5 { -0.18/21 } 14...Rxa5 15.Qc2 Nb6
{ 15...h6 16. h3 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Nb5 Bd7 19. Qb3 b6 20. Bxe5 Rxe5 21.
Re3 Bxb5 22. cxb5 Qe8 23. Qc4 Rxb5 24. Qxc7 Rxe4 25. Rxe4 Qxe4 26. Qxf7+
Kh7 27. Qe6 Qd4+ 28. Kh2 Rxd5 29. Rf8 Qe5+ 30. Qxe5 dxe5   -0.59   Stockfish }
16.e5 dxe5 17.Nxe5 c6 18.Nf3 Rxe1 19.Rxe1 Bd7 20.Be5 Nxc4 21.Bxf6 ) 14...axb4
15.axb4 Ra3 16.Nd4 Ne5 17.Bxe5 Rxe5 $6 { -0.28/21 } ( 17...Bxe5 { -0.80/24 }
18.Ra1
{ 18. Qd2 Bd7 19. Ncb5 Bxb5 20. cxb5 Qd7 21. Rc1 g6 22. Nc2 Rc3 23. Nd4
Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Re7 25. Rc4 Qe8 26. Qd3 Bg7 27. b6 Rxe4 28. bxc7 Bxd4+ 29.
Rxd4 Rxd4 30. c8=Q Qxc8 31. Qxd4 Qf5    -1.25   Stockfish } 18...Rxa1 19.Rxa1
c6 20.Nf3 Qb6+ 21.Kh1 Qxb4 22.Nxe5 Rxe5 23.Rb1 Qa3 24.h3 f6 25.Qd4 Re8 26.Qd3
Kh8 27.Qd2 ) 18.Ra1 Rxa1 ( 18...Rxc3 19.Qxc3 Rxe4 20.Rad1 Bg4 21.Rfe1 Be2
22.Qa1 Re7 23.Rd2 Bxc4 24.Rxe7 Bxe7 25.Nf5 Bf6 26.Qc1 Bb5 27.Rc2
{ -0.51   Stockfish } ) 19.Rxa1 g6 $6 { 0.00/22 } ( 19...Bd7 { -0.28/22 }
20.Ncb5
{ 20. h3 Re8 21. Ra7 g6 22. b5 Qb8 23. Ra2 Bg7 24. Nf3 h5 25. Ne2 Bh6 26.
Nfd4 Qd8 27. Ra7 Bc8  -0.65   Stockfish } 20...Bxb5 21.cxb5 Qe8
{ 21...g6 22. Re1 Re8 23. Nf3 Qd7 24. Qc4 Ra8 25. h3 Kg7 26. Rc1 Qe7 27.
Qd3 Ra4 28. Rb1 Qd7 29. Nh2 h5   -1.12   Stockfish } 22.Nf3 Rxd5 23.Qxd5 Bxa1
24.Qxb7 Qd8 25.Qd5 Bc3 26.Qc4 Bf6 27.Qd5 Qb8 28.e5 dxe5 ) 20.Ra8 Kg7 $6
{ +0.87/24 } ( 20...Re8 { 0.00/24 } 21.Ncb5 Qe7 22.Rb8
{ 22. h3 Bd7 23. Rxe8+ Bxe8 24. Nf3 h5 25. Nbd4 Bd7 26. b5 g5 27. Ne2 g4
28. hxg4 hxg4   -0.52   Stockfish } 22...Bxd4+
{ 22... h5 23. h3 g5 24. Nc2 g4 25. hxg4 hxg4 26. Ne3 Kf8 27. g3 Qe5 28.
Kg2 Bd7 29. Rxe8+ Kxe8 30. Nxc7+ Kf8  -0.58   Stockfish } 23.Qxd4 f5 24.Nc3
Qh4 25.h3 Qe1+ ) 21.Ncb5 c6 $2 { +3.88/24 } ( 21...Re8 { +0.64/22 } 22.c5
dxc5
{ 22...Qe7 23. c6 bxc6 24. Nxc6 Qd7 25. Ra7 Qg4 26. Rxc7 Qf4 27. e5 Bxe5
28. Nxe5 Rxe5 29. g3 Qxb4 30. Rxc8 Qe1+ 31. Qf1 Qd2 32. Rc1 Re2 33. Nxd6
Qd4+ 34. Kh1 Qxd5+ 35. Kg1 Qd4+ 36. Kh1 Qd5+    =   Stockfish } 23.bxc5 Qe7
24.d6 Qe5 25.Nb3 c6 26.N5d4 Kf8 27.Nf3 Qc3 28.Qxc3 Bxc3 29.Ra4 Kg8 30.Kf2 f5
31.exf5 Bxf5 32.Nbd4 Bc8 33.g3 Bd7 ) 22.dxc6 bxc6 $6 { +5.00/24 } ( 
22...Rxb5 { +3.52/23 } 23.Nxb5 Qb6+ 24.Kf1 Qxc6 25.Nxd6
{ 25. Qd5 Be6 26. Qxc6 bxc6 27. Nxd6 Bc3 28. b5 cxb5 29. cxb5   +4.99  
Stockfish } 25...Be6 26.c5 Be5 27.Kf2 b6 28.Ra6 Qd7 29.Rxb6 Qa4 30.Qd2 Qa1
31.Rb8 h5 32.h3 Bc3 33.Ra8 Bxd2 34.Rxa1 Bxb4 35.Rc1 f6 36.Kg3 Ba3 37.Rc2 Bb3
) 23.Nxd6
{ +7.14   Stockfish  The threats are 24.Rc8 and 24.Nc6 and taking the
knight loses the queen to  23...Qd6 24.Nf5+ } 1-0
 
Alan Lasser
 
 
 

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