Dutch Championship 2017 Urk round 5

Jitse Slump - Alexander Baliakin 0-2

1.32-28 19-23 2.28x19 14x23 3.37-32 10-14 4.34-30 13-19 5.33-28 20-24 6.31-27 14-20 7.39-33 8-13 8.30-25 2-8 9.25x14 9x20 10.41-37 4-9 11.44-39 5-10 12.40-34 17-22 13.28x17 11x31 14.36x27 10-14 15.46-41 12-17 16.50-44 24-29 17.33x24 20x40 18.45x34 7-12 19.34-30 15-20 20.39-33 6-11 21.44-39 20-24

diagram 1

22.33-28? 17-21?

In a quiet position Baliakin misses the unexpected opportunity to immediately finish the game using the combination 16-21 23.27x7 18-22 24.7x20 22x44 25.49x40 14x45 B+

23.38-33 21-26 24.42-38 11-17 25.47-42 1-6 26.49-44 17-22 27.28x17 12x21 28.30-25 6-11 29.44-40 11-17 30.33-28 14-20! 31.25x14 9x20

Black take control of both wings.

32.39-33 20-25

diagram 2

33.40-34?

This seemingly innocent move is losing. White should have played 33.43-39 17-22 34.28x17 21x12 35.48-43! and the black advantage is minimal.

8-12!! 34.43-39 3-8!

The idea behind the black moves is 35.48-43? 17-22 36.28x17 24-29 37.33x24 19x30 38.35x24 23-28 39.32x23 18x40 B+. Therefore Slump has to sacrifice a piece.

35.35-30 24x35 36.48-43 25-30 37.34x25 35-40?

A logical move, but this allows white to escape. After the extra sacrifice 17-22! 38.28x17 35-40 the game would be over.

38.39-34! 40x29 39.33x24 19x30 40.28x19 13x24 41.25x34 17-22!

diagram 3

42.41-36?

Under pressure of the clock Slump doesn't find the draw that was possible after 42.38-33! 22x31 43.41-36 etc.

22x31 43.36x27 24-29 44.34x23 18x29 45.27-22 12-17 46.22x11 16x7 47.43-39 8-13 48.32-28 21-27 49.28-23 29x18 50.38-33 13-19 51.39-34 18-22 52.34-30 27-31?

The correct continuation was 19-23 53.30-25 23-28 54.33-29 27-32.

53.33-29? 7-12? 54.37-32 12-18 55.30-25 19-23 56.25-20 23x34 57.20-14 31-36 58.14-10 34-40 59.32-28?

Both players made some mistakes in this complicated endgame, and this is the final one. After 59.42-37! a draw was still possible. There is no doubt that the modern time controls contribute to this phenomenon, since in a normal game the players will be only a few minutes left.

22x33 60.10-4 18-22 61.4x27 33-39 62.42-38 40-45

Ron Heusdens - Hein Meijer 1-1

1.32-28 19-23 2.28x19 14x23 3.37-32 10-14 4.41-37 5-10 5.34-30 14-19 6.30-25 10-14 7.46-41 17-21 8.31-26 21-27 9.32x21 16x27 10.40-34 11-17 11.33-29 20-24 12.29x20 15x24 13.38-33 6-11 14.34-29 23x34 15.39x30 18-23 16.44-39 12-18 17.50-44 7-12 18.44-40 4-10

diagram 4

19.39-34 23-29! 20.34x23 19x39 21.43x34 17-22 22.30x19 13x24

The white strategy has failed, and the only question is whether Heusdens will manage to survive. But Heusdens is very skilled in surviving positions like this, so probably he didn't worry too much at this stage of the game.

23.37-32 27x38 24.42x33 8-13 25.41-37 22-28 26.33x22 18x27 27.49-43 14-19 28.43-39 9-14 29.34-30 13-18 30.48-42 2-8 31.42-38 1-7 32.39-33

diagram 5

18-23

After this move white manages to demantle the black attack. But even after the more precise 8-13 33.47-42 3-9 34.37-32 11-16 35.32x21 16x27 36.42-37 a win for black is an illusion, for example 7-11 37.25-20! 14x34 38.40x20 9-14 39.20x9 13x4 40.33-28! 18-23 41.38-32 27x38 42.37-31 23x32 43.31-27 32x21 44.26x8.

33.47-42 11-17 34.37-31 27-32! 35.38x27 23-29

Meijer finds a creative plan to keep the advantage, but it will not be enough.

36.42-37 29x38 37.27-22 17x28 38.37-32 28x37 39.31x33 10-15 40.40-34 12-18 41.34-29 3-9 42.29x20 15x24 43.36-31 8-12 44.45-40 12-17 45.40-34 18-23 46.31-27 9-13 47.34-29 23x34 48.30x39 13-18 49.33-28 7-11

Anton van Berkel - Waldo Aliar 1-1

1.32-28 17-22 2.28x17 12x21 3.34-29 7-12 4.40-34 21-26 5.45-40 11-17 6.38-32 20-24 7.29x20 15x24 8.43-38 1-7 9.49-43 17-21 10.32-27 21x32 11.37x28 26x37 12.41x32 10-15 13.46-41 7-11 14.41-37 11-17 15.36-31 18-23 16.31-27 17-21 17.47-41 12-18 18.37-31 21-26 19.41-36 26x37 20.42x31 15-20 21.31-26 5-10 22.48-42 10-15 23.42-37 8-12 24.37-31 2-7 25.50-45 3-8 26.34-29 23x34 27.40x29 20-25 28.29x20 15x24 29.27-21 16x27 30.31x22 18x27 31.32x21 12-18 32.36-31 18-23 33.28-22

diagram 6

The crucial phase of the game.

7-11(?)

In itself this is a clever move, and Aliar will be successful with it. But this gives white the possibility to play 34.31-27! 11-16 35.22-17! with a significant advantage. Therefore 6-11! would have been preferable. The idea behind this move is 34.21-17? 25-30! 35.17x6 30-34 36.39x30 24-29 37.33x24 7-11 38.6x17 8-12 39.17x8 13x2 40.24x13 9x36 B+

34.21-16? 24-29! 35.33x24 19x30 36.35x24 8-12 37.16x29 13-19 38.24x13 9x36

The endgame is a draw now.

39.26-21 6-11 40.38-32 36-41 41.32-28 14-19 42.43-38 19-24 43.29x20 25x14 44.39-33 41-47 45.21-17 11x22 46.28x17 14-19 47.44-40 19-23 48.40-34 47-36 49.38-32 36-9

Martijn van IJzendoorn - Marino Barkel 2-0

1.32-28 17-22 2.28x17 11x22 3.37-32 6-11 4.41-37 12-17 5.46-41 7-12 6.31-26 2-7 7.37-31 22-27 8.32x21 16x27 9.31x22 18x27 10.41-37 13-18 11.34-29 9-13 12.40-34 4-9 13.45-40 20-24 14.29x20 15x24 15.34-30 18-23 16.40-34 10-15 17.37-32 11-16 18.32x21 16x27 19.47-41 13-18 20.42-37 17-22

diagram 7

The black attack looks healthy, despite the ugly piece on 5. So first of all Van IJzendoorn needs to make sure he can neutralize the attack. He does that successfully.

21.37-31 8-13 22.41-37 1-6 23.37-32 7-11 24.32x21 22-28 25.33x22 18x16 26.30-25 12-17 27.48-42 17-21 28.26x17 11x22 29.31-26 6-11 30.35-30 24x35 31.44-40 35x33 32.38x27

diagram 8

A tricky position is left. Black suffers from an unbalanced position, and an inactive piece on 5. White has an unpleasant structure with the pieces on 34 and 25. But it safe to assume that black is in more danger to lose than white.

15-20 33.42-37 20-24 34.43-38 3-8 35.37-31 8-12 36.49-43 12-17 37.43-39 19-23 38.38-33 13-19 39.50-44 9-13 40.44-40

diagram 9

13-18!?

In this position the problem for black is not that he cannot make a draw. Most of the moves lead to a draw, although none of them look very attractive. The one that Barkel chooses is by far the most dangerous.

41.40-35 17-22 42.26-21! 5-10 43.34-30 10-15?

This is losing. Black could only make a draw using the problematic 23-29 44.21-17 29x38 45.17x6 14-20! 46.25x12 38-42 47.27x18 42-48 48.30x19 48x37 etc.

44.39-34 23-28 45.34-29 28x39 46.29x9 39-44 47.9-4 44-50 48.31-26 22x31 49.4x6 16x27 50.26x37 50-45 51.6-33 45-1 52.33-24 27-31 53.37x26 15-20 54.25x23 1x20 55.26-21 20-33 56.30-25 33-11 57.25-20 11-16 58.21-17 16-38 59.20-15 38-24

Nico Knoops - Auke Scholma 1-1

1.33-28 17-21 2.39-33 21-26 3.44-39 11-17 4.50-44 17-21 5.33-29 20-25 6.38-33 14-20 7.42-38 9-14 8.47-42 6-11 9.29-24 20x29 10.33x24 19x30 11.35x24 11-17 12.34-29 3-9 13.28-23 7-11 14.31-27 1-6 15.40-34 14-20

diagram 10

16.34-30

Another possibility was 16.45-40! 17-22 (since 9-14(?) 17.23-19 14x23 18.37-31 26x28 19.27-22 18x27 20.29x7 20x29 21.34x32 etc) 17.40-35 22x31 18.36x27 9-14 19.32-28 21x32 20.38x27 11-17 21.42-38 with a pleasant position for white.

25x34 17.39x30 10-14 18.30-25 13-19 19.24x22 17x19 20.43-39 8-13 21.27-22 20-24 22.29x20 15x24 23.49-43 5-10 24.32-28 11-17 25.22x11 6x17 26.37-32 13-18 27.41-37 18-22 28.45-40 22x33 29.38x20 10-15 30.40-34 15x24 31.34-29 24x33 32.39x28 12-18 33.43-38 9-13 34.36-31(?)

diagram 11

18-22!

It is instructive to see how Scholma gets the advantage now.

35.46-41

Of course not 35.38-33? 21-27 36.32x12 16-21 37.28x17 13-18 38.12x23 19x50 B+

22x33 36.38x29 17-22! 37.41-36 21-27 38.32x21 16x27 39.42-38 2-8 40.48-43!

And it is equally instructive to see how easily Knoops manages to make a draw.

8-12 41.43-39 12-18 42.39-34 19-23 43.29-24 13-19 44.24x13 18x9 45.44-39 9-13 46.34-30 4-10 47.39-34 10-15 48.34-29! 23x34 49.30x39 13-19 50.39-34 19-23 51.38-33 23-28 52.25-20 28x30 53.20x9 30-34 54.9-3 34-39 55.3-25 39-44 56.25-43 44-50 57.43x16 50-45 58.16-43 45-1 59.43-48 15-20 60.48-25 20-24 61.25-9 22-28 62.9-13 24-29 63.37-32 28x37 64.31x42 1-23 65.13-30 23-14 66.30-25 14-3 67.42-37

Wouter Sipma - Ben Provoost 1-1

1.34-29 17-21 2.40-34 21-26 3.45-40 11-17 4.50-45 6-11 5.32-28 20-25 6.37-32 26x37 7.42x31 19-23 8.28x19 14x23 9.35-30 10-14 10.40-35 5-10 11.44-40 17-22 12.41-37 12-17 13.46-41 8-12 14.32-28 23x32 15.37x28 22-27 16.31x22 18x27 17.41-37 17-21

diagram 12

18.38-32

Both players aim for an attractive game.

27x38 19.43x32 11-17 20.49-43 21-26 21.43-38 3-8 22.29-23 15-20 23.36-31 17-22 24.28x17 12x21 25.48-43 7-11 26.32-28 1-6 27.34-29 25x34 28.39x30

diagram 13

20-25(?)

This greatly helps white to develop his right wing. For that reason it might have been better to play 11-17 29.30-25 13-19 30.43-39 17-22 31.28x17 19x28 32.33x22 21x12 33.31-27 20-24 34.29x20 10-15 35.38-33 15x24 36.40-34 12-17 37.22x11 6x17 etc.

29.29-24 25x34 30.40x29 8-12 31.37-32(?)

Here Sipma could have kept more pressure on the black position using 31.45-40! 12-17 32.38-32! 17-22 33.28x17 11x22 or? 34.23-18! 22-28 35.32x23 13x22 36.33-28 22x33 37.29x38 etc.

26x37 32.32x41 21-27

diagram 14

33.45-40?

Now Provoost strikes with a hidden combination.

12-18! 34.23x12 2-8 35.12x3 16-21 36.3x26 11-17 37.26x19 14x45 38.41-37? 45-50 39.47-41 6-11?

A small oversight spoils the victory for black. After 9-13! 40.41-36 50-45 41.37-32 45-12 42.32x21 12x26 he would have won the game.

40.35-30!! 10-15

Also 10-14 doesn't work because of 41.28-23 50x19 42.24x13 9x18.

41.38-32! 27x20 42.30-25 50x22 43.25x3 22-36 44.37-32 36x47 45.32-27 47-36 46.27-21 36-18 47.3-14 18-40 48.43-39 40-45 49.39-33 45-50 50.14-28 15-20 51.28x6 50x26 52.6-33 20-25 53.33-24 26-21 54.24-19 21-17 55.19-24 17-11 56.24-2 11-16 57.2-19 16-2 58.19-23 25-30 59.23-12 2-11 60.12-40 11-6 61.40-1 30-35 62.1-7