African Championship 2016

Alain Dingombe Bukasa from Congo ended on the 2nd/3rd place with 22 points, together with Jean Marc Ndjofang from Cameroon.

Alain Dingombe Bukasa
Alain Dingombe Bukasa

Abdoulaye Ouedraogo - Alain Dingombe Bukasa 0-2 (round 4)

diagram 1

38.38-33(?)

It was safer to play something like 38.39-34 3-8 39.47-41 21-26 40.41-37 24-29 41.28-22 29x40 42.35x44

3-8 39.43-38 23-29!

Using a strong Ghestem attack black increases the pressure on the white position.

40.28-22* 18-23 41.22-17? 21-26 42.27-21 16x27 43.32x21 13-18 44.21-16 12x21 45.16x27 18-22?

Here 8-12! was more accurate. For example 46.49-43 4-10 47.47-41 10-15 48.41-37 12-17 49.27-21 15-20 50.21x12 18x7 51.37-32 7-12 52.32-27 12-18 B+ or 46.38-32 29x38 47.32x43 12-17 48.27-21 26-31 49.21x12 18x7 B+

46.27x18 23x12 47.33-28! 12-17 48.49-44 26-31 49.44-40 4-10 50.38-32! 10-15 51.39-34?

The decisive mistake. A draw was still possible after 51.47-41! 31-36 ( 31-37? 52.39-33 29x27 53.41x3 W+) 52.41-37 17-21 53.28-22! 21-26 54.22-17 etc.

29-33 52.28x39 24-29 53.34x23 19x37 54.39-33 31-36 55.40-34 37-41 56.34-29 41-46 57.29-23 46x19 58.30-24 19x30 59.25x34 17-22 60.34-29 14-19 61.35-30 15-20 62.47-42 36-41 63.42-38 19-24 64.30x19 41-46

Alain Dingombe Bukasa - Jean Marc Ndjofang 1-1 (round 5)

diagram 2

38.27-21 16x27 39.31x22!

Since 39.32x21? would lose after 6-11 40.21-16 30-34 41.39x30 25x34 42.31-27 11-17 43.36-31 12-18 etc.

12-18 40.22-17! 7-11 41.26-21 11x22 42.32-27 22x31 43.36x27

Using an original piece sacrifice Bukasa secures a draw. The main idea behind it is 6-11(?) 44.33-28 23x32 45.21-16 32x21 46.16x7 etc.

30-34 44.39x30 25x34 45.21-16 23-28 46.33x22 19-23 47.22-17 23-28 48.16-11 28-33 49.11-7 33x42 50.7-2 6-11 51.2x39 11x31

Adama Kone - Alain Dingombe Bukasa 0-2 (round 6)

diagram 3

43.32-27(?)

In an already passive position, Kone decides to develop the piece on 32 towards 21. This makes the white task to defend the position significantly harder.

14-20 44.25x14 19x10 45.48-42 10-15 46.27-21 15-20 47.44-40 20-25 48.40-35 24-29! 49.39-34?

Only with the hard to find 49.39-33! 29-34 50.21-16 white could make a draw.

29x40 50.35x44 23-29 51.42-37 25-30 52.37-32 30-35?

This is inaccurate. After 53.49-43! 29-34 (here 13-19 54.43-39 also doesn't win for black) 54.43-39 34x43 55.38x49 18-23 56.44-40! 35x44 57.49x40 white escapes with a draw.

Black should have avoided this variant by playing 29-34! 53.49-43 13-19! instead. Now the backward exchange 54.43-39 34x43 55.38x49 loses after 19-23! And when white plays 54.21-16 then 30-35 55.16x7 2x11 56.43-39 34x43 57.38x49 the same move 19-23! is winning for black.

53.44-40?

The decisive mistake.

35x44 54.49x40 18-23 55.32-27 13-18 56.38-32 29-33 57.32-28 33x22 58.40-34 2-8 59.34-30 8-13 60.21-16 13-19 61.16x7 12x1 62.27-21 22-28 63.21x12 18x7

Alpha Youla - Alain Dingombe Bukasa 0-2 (round 8)

diagram 4

White is under some pressure. For example 36.40-34 29x40 37.35x44 8-12 38.43-39 12-17 clearly would be better for black. A possible solution for white would be 36.40-34 29x40 37.45x34 18-22 38.28x17 11x22 39.32-27! 22-28 40.37-32 26x37 41.32x41 10-14 42.27-21.

36.48-42(?) 8-12 37.35-30?

This is a mistake. Still everything was OK for white after 37.31-27 12-17 38.28-22! 17x28 39.40-34 29x40 40.45x34 28-33 41.38x29 11-17 42.35-30! 10-14 43.27-21 17-22 44.21-16.

10-14 38.40-34 29x40 39.45x34 15-20 40.34-29 23x34 41.30x39 20-24 42.31-27 11-16! 43.39-33 6-11(?)

An alternative plan was 18-23 44.43-39 23-29! (since after 12-18 45.28-22 6-11 46.33-28 11-17 47.22x11 16x7 48.38-33 23-29 white can make a draw with 49.25-20 29x47 50.20x9 13x4 51.39-33 47x29 52.28-23 19x28 53.32x1 =) 45.28-22 19-23 46.33-28 13-19 47.39-33 16-21 (or 12-17 48.22x11 6x17 49.27-21 16x27 50.32x12 23x43 51.25-20 29x47 52.20x9 with a draw) 48.27x16 12-17 49.22x11 6x17 50.28-22 17x39 51.16-11 39-44 52.11-7 44-50 53.7-1. Analytically it is still a draw now, but in practice black has good chances to win.

44.28-22?

Now it is completely lost for white. It was necessary to play 44.43-39 18-23 45.28-22! (without fearing 23-28 46.32x23 19x17 47.39-34 12-18 48.37-32 17-22 49.27-21! 26x17 50.33-28 22x33 51.38x9 13x4 52.32-28 and white escapes) 11-17 46.22x11 16x7 47.33-28 etc.

19-23 45.43-39 12-17 46.33-28 23-29 47.39-33 14-19 48.27-21 18x27 49.21x12 29-34 50.32x21 26x8 51.28-22 11-17 52.22x11 16x7 53.37-31 8-12 54.31-27 7-11 55.27-22 13-18 56.22x13 19x8 57.38-32 8-13 58.32-27 13-19 59.27-22 34-40 60.33-29 24x33 61.25-20 19-24 62.20x38 40-44

Ngolo Coulibaly - Alain Dingombe Bukasa 0-2 (round 10)

diagram 5

45.39-34* 4-10 46.38-33?

Probably Coulibaly has seen the next action of black, but he missed the move 19-23. After 46.28-22 10-15 47.36-31 24-29 48.22-18 29x40 49.18x20 15x24 50.35x44 24x35 51.25-20 the game would have ended in a draw.

23-29! 47.34x23 13-18 48.25-20 18x38 49.32x43

After 49.20x9 black also wins using 19-23.

21x41 50.20x9 12-18 51.36x47 19-23! 52.30x19 23x3 53.35-30 16-21 54.30-24 18-22 55.28x17 21x12 56.43-39 10-14 57.39-33 26-31 58.33-28 12-18 59.47-42 3-8 60.42-38 31-37 61.38-32 37-42 62.32-27 42-48 63.28-22 8-13 64.22-17 48-39

Youssou NDiaye - Alain Dingombe Bukasa 0-2 (round 12)

diagram 6

33.33-28(?)

This move is not quite as innocent as it may look.

18-22! 34.38-33?

This is absolutely wrong. After 34.28-23! 19x28 35.32x23 the position would be balanced.

13-18!

This brings the threat 25-30 35.35x13 22-27 36.32x23 9x49 into play.

35.34-30 25x34 36.40x29 19-24! 37.29x20 15x24 38.45-40 2-8?

This is too slow. After 9-13! black has a winning advantage. The main idea is 39.36-31 13-19 40.32-27 and now the beautiful double sacrifice 19-23!! 41.28x30 17-21 42.37-32 21-26 43.32-28 26x37 44.28x17 37-41 45.27-21 16x27 46.17-11 41-46 with a hopeless endgame for white.

39.36-31 8-13 40.43-38 24-29 41.33x24 22x42 42.37x48 17-21 43.31-26 21-27 44.32x21 16x27 45.40-34 18-23 46.48-42?

White collapses under the pressure. After 46.24-20! 13-18 47.35-30 18-22 48.48-42 a draw is still possible.

13-19 47.24x13 9x18 48.35-30 18-22 49.30-24 3-9?

The position is very subtle. It turns out that the position after 3-9 50.34-30 23-28 51.30-25! 28-32 (diagram 7a) is a draw, while the position after 23-28 50.24-20 3-9 51.34-30 28-32 (diagram 7b) is winning for black.

diagram 7a: white to move makes a draw

Here white can play 52.39-33! 9-14 53.33-29 22-28 (also not winning is 32-37 54.42x31 27x36 55.26-21 36-41 56.21-16 41-47 57.25-20 14x25 58.16-11 etc.) 54.24-20 14-19 55.29-23 with a draw.

diagram 7b: white to move loses

Here white has no chance for a draw. The main problem is that the opposition is always wrong, for example 52.20-15 22-28 53.30-25 9-14 etc.

50.24-20?

Now everything is alright again for black.

23-28 51.42-38 9-14 52.20x9 4x13 53.26-21 27x16 54.34-29 16-21 55.29-24 21-27 56.24-20 28-32 57.20-14 32x34 58.14-10 34-39 59.10-5 39-44 60.5-23 44-50 61.23-37 50-45 62.37-48 45-1 63.48-37 13-18 64.37-26 27-32 65.26-42 22-28 66.42-31 18-23 67.31-26 28-33 68.26-3 32-38 69.3-14 23-29 70.14-3 38-42

Alain Dingombe Bukasa - Adonis Joachim Ano 0-2 (round 17)

diagram 8

Until now everything was going alright for Bukasa. White has the initiative, but in a few moves it will turn around.

37.43-39 9-13 38.48-43 14-19 39.34-29?

The right plan for white was 39.37-32 13-18 or? 40.32-28! 23x21 41.34-29 and it is black who needs to make a draw.

23x34 40.39x30 13-18 41.43-39?

White becomes the victim of a simple trap. An easy draw was possible after 41.33-29 24x33 42.30-24 19x30 43.35x24 etc.

19-23 42.30x28 17-22 43.28x17 11x42 44.25-20 42-47 45.20-15 47x36 46.15-10 36-41 47.10-5 41-47 48.33-28 47-15 49.39-34 16-21 50.34-30 21-26 51.5-14 26-31 52.30-25 31-36 53.14-5 6-11 54.5-14 11-16 55.14-5 15-42 56.5-14 42-26 57.14-5?

Finally Bukasa collapses in the difficult endgame. He should have made a second king with 57.28-22! 18x27 58.25-20 etc.

26-17 58.28-23 18x29 59.25-20 17-22

Now it is too late for white to make a second king, while he cannot stop the black piece on 29.

60.35-30 29-33! 61.5-23 33-38 62.20-14 22-4 63.30-25 38-43 64.23-37 43-48 65.37-23 16-21 66.23-46