Buggy - Samb 2-0 (13.03.03)
≡ 1.31-26 19-23 2.36-31 14-19 3.41-36 20-25 4.33-28 10-14 5.39-33 17-22 6.28x17 11x22 7.31-27 22x31 8.36x27 6-11 9.44-39 12-17 10.46-41 8-12 11.41-36 2-8 12.33-28 1-6 13.39-33
The 4th encounter started as a classical game with corner pieces for white on 26 and for black on 25. Such positions contain many tactical possibilities. Samb could settle here for a small but longterm advantage with 17-22 14.28x17 11x31 15.36x27 23-29 16.33x24 19x39 17.43x34 . But that would surely be insufficient to beat a computer program like Buggy, so Samb chooses to keep the pieces on the board.
5-10 14.37-31 17-22 15.28x17 11x22 16.32-28 23x21 17.26x28 16-21 18.50-44 15-20 19.44-39 21-26 20.38-32 26x37 21.42x31 19-23 22.28x19 14x23 23.43-38 9-14
With the original moves 24.48-43 followed by 25.32-27 Buggy finds an interesting way to take profit of the simultaneous possession of 23 and 25 by Samb. It keeps many options open for white, and it also creates the threat to attack with 27-22. On both wings black has to make decisions that can have far reaching consequences. From a tactical point of view, the next two moves from Samb (14-19 and 3-9) are not well chosen. They allow Buggy to head for a closed and very complex position, which is surely on the terrain of a computer.
Buggy has set a nice trap. After 4-9? white will play the attack 26.27-22 18x27 27.31x22. Then every black move is followed by a simple combination, for example 1) 10-15 28.22-18 13x22 29.34-30 25x34 30.40x27 or 2) ≡ 23-28 28.34-29 28x17 29.29-23 19x28 30.33x2 or 3) ≡ 12-18 28.35-30 18x27 29.38-32 27x29 30.30-24 19x30 31.40-35 29x40 32.35x4.
For the same reason as on the 25th move, In this position black can not play 10-14 27.42-37 4-10?
In this position GMI Harm Wiersma explained he preferred the white position, because it is much more flexible.
Again Buggy has found some remarkable moves, that look awkward at first sight, but are in reality very strong. Probably they are the result of a very deep computation. After Sambs next move, Buggy gains complete control over the left part of the board. This doesn't have to be catastrophic, but it certainly increases the pressure on Samb. Perhaps 9-14 30.33-28 7-11 would have been a better choice, although the situation remains unclear.
≡ 17-22 30.33-28 22x33 31.39x28 20-24 32.44-39 7-11 33.31-26 4-10 34.26-21
With the move 34.26-21 and even more so with 35.43-38 Buggy managed to surprise Samb once again. With these two moves Buggy heads for a clash of the two colors.
In this position Samb can choose between several variants. But these variants have one thing in common: they are all extremely difficult to assess. For example, after 9-14 36.37-31 [because after ≡ 36.36-31 24-29 37.21-17 12x21 38.31-26 black can force a draw with 29-33! 39.38x29 18-22 40.27x20 15x44 41.26x17 19-24 (it's not possible to make a king directly: a) ≡ 44-49 42.34-29 49x12 43.29x7 W+ or b) ≡ 44-50 42.32-27! 50x30 43.35x2 W+) ≡ 42.28x30 44-50 and black can hold the position] ≡ 24-30 37.35x24 19x30 38.28x19 14x23 39.38-33 a dynamic position results with good perspectives for white. And after ≡ 10-14 36.37-31 24-29 37.31-26 15-20 38.28-22 20-24 39.22-17 black must take a break through for two pieces with 25-30 40.34x25 29-33 41.38x20 19-24 42.20x29 23x43 that is hard to assess. After 43.32-28 14-19 a draw seems the most logical result. One can imagine that Samb, with not much time left, isn't able to calculate all of it. But the variant he chooses is still OK.
≡ 10-14 36.37-31 23-29 37.34x23 18x29 38.39-34
But now Samb definitely had to play the sacrifice 29-33 39.38x20 15x24. Then the game will most likely end in a draw, for example 40.34-30 25x34 41.40x20 14x25 42.45-40 12-18 43.40-34 19-24 44.28-22 9-14 45.32-28 14-19 46.34-29 24x33 47.28x39 25-30 48.35x24 19x30 =
≡ 15-20 39.34x23 13-18 40.31-26 18x29 41.40-34 29x40 42.35x44
With this simple backwards capture Buggy closes the defense on the right wing. The position of Samb is practically lost now, since it is unclear how to stop the white attack on the left side of the board.
12-18 43.27-22 18x27 44.21-17 9-13 45.32x21 16x27 46.17-11 24-29 47.11-6
With 20-24 Samb could have made a trap for the white king ( 48.6-1 8-12 49.1x20 25x14 ) but then Buggy would have replied with ≡ 48.38-33! 29x38 49.6-1 W+
And Samb resigned.
© Wieger Wesselink https://10x10.org