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[Event "1994 Alabama State Correspondence Chess"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.02.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hayes, David"]
[Black "Morash, John"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "2020"]
[ECO "E87"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "1975"]
{ This game is also from Alabama's first Correspondence Chess Championship.
The 1994 ASCCC was a double round robin, USCF rated event. I ultimately tied
with my opponent in this game, Master John Morash, for First Place honors. } 1. d4 { E87: King's Indian: Samisch: 6...e5 7 d5 } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 Bg7 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Ne8 8. Qd2 f5 9. exf5 gxf5 10. O-O-O { This move
defines the coming battle. Each side will attack the king with a pawn storm.
The only question now is whose attack will get there first. } 10... Na6 11. Bd3 Nc5 12. Bc2 a6 13. g4 b5 { The dogs are set lose. The tempting 13... f4 to lock up
the kingside pawns will cause white to find fertile grounds in another area
of the board. 13... f4?! 14. Bxc5! dxc5 where white has the advantage. The
c7-bishop has no post. The g7-bishop has no scope. Whereas, the white knights
will pounce on the e4 hole. } 14. gxf5 bxc4 { Clearing lines of attack against
the enemy king. } 15. Nge2 Nd3+ 16. Bxd3 cxd3 17. Ng3 { The pawn on d3 is not
going anywhere, so its capture can be postponed. The knight will find good
hunting on g3. } 17... Bxf5 18. Nxf5 Rxf5 19. Qg2 Qh4 20. Rxd3 Qc4 21. Kc2 c6 22. b3 Qh4 23. dxc6 Rc8 24. Nd5 { A strong post for the knight. It blockades black's
strong central pawns while using them as a shield against black's angry
rooks. } 24... Rxc6+ 25. Kb1 Kf8 { The king would be less exposed on h8, and will
eventually be driven back by the heat of the coming attack. } 26. Rg1 Rf7 27. f4 Qh5 28. fxe5 dxe5 29. Nb4 Rg6 30. Bc5+ { Another interesting and risky line
is 30. Bg5 Bf6 31. h4 Bxg5 32. hxg5 opening the h-file. } 30... Kg8 { Now 31. Rg3
allows an interesting sacrifice 31... e4?! 32. Qxe4 Qxc5 33. Qxe8+ Rf8 gives
black the strong bishop for a weak knight and a pawn. The line would continue
by force, 34. Rxg6 Rxe8 35. Rxg7+ Kh8 36. Nc2 where white's exposed king
would have to struggle to survive, and the extra pawn is not long for this
world. } 31. Qd5 { Now the greedy 31... Qxh2 32. Rxg6 hxg6 33. Qe6! attacks
everything. Something must fall in white's favor. For example, 33... Qh1+ 34.
Kc2 Qa8 35. Nc6 Bf6 36. Rd7 is crushing. } 31... Rxg1+ 32. Bxg1 Qe2 { 32... Qg6 is a
little stronger, but black has a plan. } 33. Bc5 e4 34. Rd2 Qe1+ 35. Kc2 e3 36. Rg2 { A nice move that threatens Rxg7+ Kxg7 (Nxg7? Qd8+) Qg5+ Kh8 Bd4+ Rg7
Bxg7+ Nxg7 Qd8+ winning. } 36... Qc3+ 37. Kd1 h6 { This move allows the knight on the
rim to join the party. The immediate 37... Nf6 is punished by the simple 38.
Qd8+ winning material. } 38. Nd3 Kh8 { The fiend offers his rook for a forced
draw. After 39. Qxf7? Qxd3+ 40. Kc1 (40. Ke1?? Bc3 is mate) 40... Qc3+ 41.
Kd1 etc. Black manages to break all pins and threatens to enter the game like
a lion. White must struggle to regain the initiative. However, the message is
clear, black would be satisfied to get out of this game with only a draw. } 39. Qe4 Qa1+ 40. Ke2 Qf1+ 41. Kxe3 { The King is a fighter in its own right.
Here it captures what amounts to be the winning resource. } 41... Nf6 42. Qa8+ Kh7 43. Qf3 { This maneuver is carefully calculated to force the exchange of
queens leading to a won endgame. I spent no less than 16 hours of study time
on this line and all variations. } 43... Qxf3+ 44. Kxf3 Nd7+ 45. Ke4 Nxc5+ 46. Nxc5 a5 47. a3 Bf8 48. b4 axb4 49. axb4 { The situation has become much clearer
now. White will use his outside passed pawn and centralized King to win while
black can only delay the inevitable. } 49... Rf1 50. Rb2 h5 51. Kd5 Kh6 52. Rb3 { This move is designed to get both my rook and h-Pawn on white squares away
from the reach of black's dark-squared bishop. Thus, the bishop becomes
virtually useless. } 52... h4 53. Na6 Rh1 54. h3 Bxb4 { This capture is not
immediately forced, but will be eventually. The end is near. After Nxb4 the
remainder of the game is a simple demonstration of winning technique. White
plays to win the black pawn, and queen his own pawn. Black can only harass
white with checks, and hope for a mistake. } 55. Nxb4 Rd1+ 56. Ke4 Kg5 57. Nd5 Re1+ 58. Ne3 Ra1 59. Rb5+ Kg6 60. Kf3 Ra3 61. Re5 Rb3 62. Kf4 Ra3 63. Rg5+ Kf6 64. Rg4 Ra4+ 65. Kf3 Ra3 66. Rxh4 Kg5 67. Re4 Kh5 68. h4 Ra1 69. Kg3 Rg1+ 70. Ng2 Kh6 71. Re5 Ra1 72. Nf4 Ra3+ 73. Kg4 Ra1 74. Re6+ Kh7 75. h5 Rg1+ 76. Kh4 Ra1 77. Rd6 Rb1 78. h6 Ra1 79. Nh3 Ra8 80. Ng5+ Kh8 81. Kh5 { Black
finally resigned in light of a forced mate. Can you find it? } 81... Re8 82. h7 Kg7 83. Rg6+ Kh8 84. Kh6 Rf8 85. Nf7+ Rxf7 86. Rg8# 1-0