Dutch Championship 2017 Urk round 8

Waldo Aliar - Wouter Sipma 1-1

1.32-28 18-23 2.38-32 12-18 3.31-27 7-12 4.43-38 20-24 5.49-43 14-20 6.37-31 24-29 7.33x24 20x29 8.41-37 17-21 9.35-30 10-14 10.30-25 21-26 11.39-33 5-10 12.33x24 19x39 13.28x19 14x23 14.44x33 10-14 15.27-22 18x27 16.31x22 1-7 17.33-29 23x34 18.40x29 12-18 19.32-27 7-12 20.37-31 26x37 21.42x31 14-20 22.25x14 9x20

diagram 1

Sipma clearly emerged as the winner of the openings battle. But during this tournament Aliar has shown multiple times that he is a tough defender.

23.43-39 3-9 24.48-43 9-14 25.50-44 14-19 26.46-41 20-25 27.41-37 15-20 28.39-34 20-24 29.29x20 25x14 30.47-42 14-20 31.45-40 19-23 32.31-26 23-29 33.34x23 18x29 34.43-39 20-24 35.40-35 4-9 36.37-32 9-14 37.42-37 14-20 38.44-40 20-25 39.36-31!

A very alert move. Black cannot play 12-18? or 13-19? so he is force to exchange the piece on 22.

13-18 40.22x13 8x19 41.38-33

It was also possible to play 41.27-22, to bring the piece on 31 into play.

29x38 42.32x43 11-17 43.40-34 2-8 44.37-32 8-13 45.34-30 25x34 46.39x30 12-18 47.43-39 18-23 48.39-33 13-18 49.33-28 6-11 50.30-25 23-29 51.35-30 24x35 52.25-20 35-40 53.20-15 40-45 54.15-10 29-34

diagram 2

55.26-21?

Here it was necessary to play 55.10-4 34-39 56.4x22 39-43 57.22-4 .

17x37 56.32x41 11-17?

Black could obtain a winning position after 18-23 57.27-22 23x32 58.22-18 (not 58.10-5? 11-17 59.5x37 17x28 60.37x40 45x34 B+) 32-38 59.10-5 19-24 60.18-13 38-43.

57.10-5 18-23 58.27-21 17x26 59.41-36 23x32 60.5x46 34-40

Hein Meijer - Marino Barkel 1-1

1.33-28 20-25 2.39-33 15-20 3.44-39 10-15 4.31-27 5-10 5.37-31 19-23 6.28x19 14x23 7.41-37 13-19 8.33-28 17-22 9.28x17 11x22 10.38-33 10-14 11.42-38 6-11 12.47-42 11-17 13.49-44 9-13 14.33-28 22x33 15.39x28 17-22 16.28x17 12x21 17.31-26 23-28 18.32x12 21x41 19.46x37 7x18 20.44-39 8-12 21.39-33 2-7 22.50-44 4-9 23.44-39 20-24 24.34-30 25x34 25.40x20 14x25 26.45-40 18-23 27.40-34 15-20 28.37-32 7-11 29.36-31 11-17 30.31-27 13-18 31.33-28 20-24 32.38-33 3-8 33.34-30 25x34 34.39x30

diagram 3

9-13?

This is very dangerous.

35.42-38 17-21? 36.26x17 12x21 37.43-39?

White would get far better practical chances after 37.30-25 1-7 38.48-42! 7-12 39.42-37 12-17 40.43-39 8-12* 41.35-30 24x35 42.39-34 17-22* 43.28x8 13x2 44.25-20 35-40 45.34x45 19-24 46.20x29 23x34 47.33-28 2-7* 48.38-33 7-11 49.33-29 34x23 50.28x19 11-17 etc.

21-26 38.39-34 1-6 39.48-42 8-12 40.42-37 6-11?

Here the players agreed to a draw. But white wins after 41.30-25 11-17 42.35-30 24x35 43.25-20 etc. There were rumours that the draw had been negotiated a couple of moves before the 40th move. But in any case Barkel was playing with fire by failing to check the last moves.

Ron Heusdens - Auke Scholma 0-2

1.32-28 17-22 2.28x17 12x21 3.37-32 7-12 4.41-37 19-23 5.31-26 14-19 6.26x17 12x21 7.36-31 10-14 8.46-41 21-26 9.31-27 2-7 10.33-28 20-24 11.34-30 7-12 12.39-33 14-20 13.30-25 11-17 14.25x14 9x20 15.44-39 4-9 16.40-34 17-22 17.28x17 12x21 18.45-40 5-10 19.49-44 10-14 20.33-29 24x33 21.39x28 20-24 22.44-39 6-11 23.39-33 1-6 24.41-36 14-20 25.50-45 8-12 26.37-31 26x37 27.42x31 3-8 28.34-30 24-29 29.33x24 20x29 30.47-42 9-14 31.40-34 29x40 32.35x44 14-20 33.42-37 23-29 34.30-25 18-23 35.25x14 19x10 36.28x19 13x24 37.43-39 8-13 38.48-42 21-26 39.32-28 15-20!

diagram 4

40.45-40?

This weakens the white right wing too much. The correct continuation was 40.38-32 24-30 41.42-38 without fearing 30-34 42.39x30 20-24 43.30x17 11x42 44.37x48 26x28.

20-25! 41.38-32

After 41.39-33 black will blow up the white defense using 13-19. And 41.39-34 13-18 42.34x23 18x29 doesn't help to improve the situation for white either.

24-30 42.28-23 29x18 43.32-28 13-19 44.27-22 18x27 45.31x22 11-17 46.22x11 6x17 47.36-31 16-21 48.42-38 12-18 49.38-32 17-22 50.28x17 21x12 51.31-27 18-23 52.39-33 12-18 53.33-28 30-35 54.40-34 10-15 55.44-39 35-40 56.34x45 19-24 57.28x30 25x43 58.32-28 43-48

Anton van Berkel - Martijn van IJzendoorn 0-2

1.32-28 17-21 2.37-32 21-26 3.41-37 11-17 4.34-29 17-21 5.40-34 6-11 6.45-40 11-17!

This hasn't been played on a high level before. The main purpose of this move was probably to get out of the theory, and in that sense it will turn out to be very successful.

7.29-23 18x29 8.34x23 20-24 9.40-34 15-20

diagram 5

10.34-30??

In many similar positions this move is possible. But in this situation it simply loses a piece.

20-25! 11.31-27 25x34 12.39x30 17-22 13.28x17 19x39 14.30x19 14x23 15.44x33 12-18

Alexander Baliakin - Nico Knoops 2-0

1.32-28 18-23 2.38-32 17-21 3.34-30 21-26 4.30-25 11-17 5.40-34 17-21 6.31-27 12-18 7.43-38 20-24 8.49-43 14-20 9.25x14 9x20 10.44-40 4-9 11.37-31 26x37 12.42x31 21-26 13.47-42 26x37 14.42x31 7-12 15.41-37 2-7 16.31-26 7-11 17.37-31 10-14 18.46-41 20-25 19.41-37 5-10 20.50-44

diagram 6

24-30? 21.35x24 19x30 22.28x19 14x23 23.33-29!

It seems that Knoops completely overlooked this reply. White threatens to win a piece with both 24.40-35 and with 24.27-22 .

11-17?

The best chance for survival was 1-7 24.40-35 10-14 25.35x24 14-19 26.45-40 19x30 27.40-35 11-17 28.35x24 23-28 29.32x23 17-21 30.26x17 12x41 31.23x1 41-46.

24.27-22