12-08-2014, 02:37 PM
Mon Aug 11 – Round 9 – King walks and equal endings
Bo. 48 Ecuador (ECU) Rtg - 52 Scotland (SCO) Rtg 1½:2½
33.1 WGM Heredia Serrano, Carla 2168 - GM Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan 2394 0 - 1
33.2 WFM Bosch Garcia, Jacqueline 2173 - WFM Bamber, Elaine 2077 0 - 1
33.3 WFM Romero Echeverria, Abigail 2098 - Roy, Ali 1913 ½ - ½
33.4 WIM Moncayo Romero, Evelyn 2119 - WFM Durno, Joy 1862 1 - 0
Two matches losses in a row and we meet another team seeded above us. It is a reflection of how well the team is doing and is providing the strength of opposition which isn’t possible for round after round back in Scotland. Joy’s experienced WIM uses a Budapest Gambit (no previous games on the database) to nullify White preparation and goes straight for the jugular on the kingside. Having missed a tactic, Joy pragmatically decides to shed pawns and run with her king to the queenside. The cover there isn’t sufficient and a piece is lost in the crossfire. For a long time Ali looks as if she will win. The idea ...g5 to weaken White’s pawn formation is excellent and Ali’s pressure gains her a pawn. In time trouble Ali returns the pawn and there is nothing to play for in the bishop ending. At 0.5-1.5 down it is ominous: Keti and Elaine have both given back all or part of their advantage. Could it be Italy all over again?
Elaine’s Bishop opening generates another tactical melee with destroyed pawn formations. Pushing her g-pawn to g7 is a good plan especially when her king joins the action and wanders all the way up to e8 in the middlegame. Black sacrifices the exchange to head for a drawn B + a-pawn v R + a-pawn. The key point for Black is to ensure that the king can run back to c8 in time when the rook is returned to win the a5-pawn...and with ...Kf7 she blunders into a position where she can’t.
It is a familiar story with Keti deciding the team’s fate. Black is wearing her (lucky?) pork pie hat with an Ecuador badge and is clearly an excellent blitz player. Time and again she lets her clock run down to the last few seconds before making her move. However Keti tortures White for 6 hours: first in a better Q+R+B v Q+R+N middlegame then a better Q+R v Q+R ending. However White went for a drawn R+3 v R+2 (all on the same side) then a drawn R+2 v R+1 before spontaneously combusting on move 134 in a R+2 v R ending which the tablebases demonstrate is a draw.
Last in the hall once more I check the scoresheet carefully and sign for our match win. One of the team's best characteristics is fighting spirit and that really showed today. I’m amused later by Jon Speelman’s tale from one of the lower matches. The match arbiter is clearing up after the game is finished, counts the pieces and notices that the side that has lost is a piece up. He can’t believe his eyes or the signed scoresheets so he unilaterally changes the game result! A little while later he realises/is shown the error of his ways and has to frantically trot round to the technical panel to save his bacon...
Bo. 48 Ecuador (ECU) Rtg - 52 Scotland (SCO) Rtg 1½:2½
33.1 WGM Heredia Serrano, Carla 2168 - GM Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan 2394 0 - 1
33.2 WFM Bosch Garcia, Jacqueline 2173 - WFM Bamber, Elaine 2077 0 - 1
33.3 WFM Romero Echeverria, Abigail 2098 - Roy, Ali 1913 ½ - ½
33.4 WIM Moncayo Romero, Evelyn 2119 - WFM Durno, Joy 1862 1 - 0
Two matches losses in a row and we meet another team seeded above us. It is a reflection of how well the team is doing and is providing the strength of opposition which isn’t possible for round after round back in Scotland. Joy’s experienced WIM uses a Budapest Gambit (no previous games on the database) to nullify White preparation and goes straight for the jugular on the kingside. Having missed a tactic, Joy pragmatically decides to shed pawns and run with her king to the queenside. The cover there isn’t sufficient and a piece is lost in the crossfire. For a long time Ali looks as if she will win. The idea ...g5 to weaken White’s pawn formation is excellent and Ali’s pressure gains her a pawn. In time trouble Ali returns the pawn and there is nothing to play for in the bishop ending. At 0.5-1.5 down it is ominous: Keti and Elaine have both given back all or part of their advantage. Could it be Italy all over again?
Elaine’s Bishop opening generates another tactical melee with destroyed pawn formations. Pushing her g-pawn to g7 is a good plan especially when her king joins the action and wanders all the way up to e8 in the middlegame. Black sacrifices the exchange to head for a drawn B + a-pawn v R + a-pawn. The key point for Black is to ensure that the king can run back to c8 in time when the rook is returned to win the a5-pawn...and with ...Kf7 she blunders into a position where she can’t.
It is a familiar story with Keti deciding the team’s fate. Black is wearing her (lucky?) pork pie hat with an Ecuador badge and is clearly an excellent blitz player. Time and again she lets her clock run down to the last few seconds before making her move. However Keti tortures White for 6 hours: first in a better Q+R+B v Q+R+N middlegame then a better Q+R v Q+R ending. However White went for a drawn R+3 v R+2 (all on the same side) then a drawn R+2 v R+1 before spontaneously combusting on move 134 in a R+2 v R ending which the tablebases demonstrate is a draw.
Last in the hall once more I check the scoresheet carefully and sign for our match win. One of the team's best characteristics is fighting spirit and that really showed today. I’m amused later by Jon Speelman’s tale from one of the lower matches. The match arbiter is clearing up after the game is finished, counts the pieces and notices that the side that has lost is a piece up. He can’t believe his eyes or the signed scoresheets so he unilaterally changes the game result! A little while later he realises/is shown the error of his ways and has to frantically trot round to the technical panel to save his bacon...