Dutch Championship 2017 Urk round 1

Hein Meijer - Anton van Berkel 0-2

1.33-29 18-22 2.31-26 20-24 3.29x20 15x24 4.34-30 13-18 5.36-31 18-23 6.32-27 12-18 7.37-32 8-13 8.41-37 7-12 9.40-34 1-7 10.44-40 14-20 11.30-25 10-15 12.25x14 9x20 13.34-30 4-9 14.46-41 5-10 15.30-25 10-14 16.41-36 2-8 17.47-41

diagram 1

This attractive position occurred before in Luteijn - de Hardt 2-0 (1993). In that game the black player chose for the risky move 23-29!? 18.39-33 24-30 19.25x23 19x39 20.43x34 22-28 21.32x23 18x29 22.34x23 17-21 23.26x17 12x43 24.48x39 20-24 25.39-34 7-12 26.34-30 14-20 27.30x19 13x24 28.40-34 9-13 29.50-44 24-29 30.44-39 29x18 The position is equal now, but white managed to win the game later.

23-28 18.32x23 19x28 19.39-34?

This move is very inaccurate. Now black has a combination with 17-21 20.26x17 12x32 21.38x27 16-21 22.27x16 22-27 23.31x33 24-30 24.35x24 20x47. Of course white can capture the black king using 25.40-35, but the remaining position is significantly better for black.

13-19? 20.34-30 17-21 21.26x17 12x32 22.38x27 11-17 23.43-38 17-21 24.49-43 21x32 25.38x27 6-11 26.40-34 11-17 27.43-39 8-12

diagram 2

28.39-33(?)

After this move black will grab the initiative. With 28.31-26 22x31 29.36x27 3-8 30.39-33 28x39 31.34x43 white could have kept more pressure on the black position.

28x39 29.34x43 24-29!

Of course Van Berkel takes the opportunity to remove the lock on his left wing. After the next exchange he has a tempo advantage of 10, which guarantees him a long term advantage.

30.30-24 19x30 31.25x23 18x29 32.27x18 12x23 33.37-32 9-13 34.31-26 13-18 35.42-38 29-33 36.38x29 23x34 37.50-44 20-24 38.41-37 14-19 39.43-38 15-20 40.44-39 34x43 41.48x39 3-8 42.45-40 7-12

diagram 3

Black still has a small advantage, since it is not immediately clear how white should develop the pieces on 36 and 37. For example after 43.37-31 18-23 44.31-27? is not possible due to 23-28 45.32x25 17-21 46.26x17 12x45. But under normal circumstances this would be insufficient against an experienced grandmaster like Meijer.

43.40-34 20-25 44.39-33 8-13 45.34-29 17-22 46.29x20 25x14 47.32-28!? 12-17 48.37-31 19-24!

The situation is getting tricky for white.

49.31-27 22x31 50.26x37?

This is already lost. It was necessary to make a draw using 50.36x27 13-19 51.26-21! 17x26 52.28-22 14-20 53.22x13 19x8 54.38-32, but that was far from obvious.

14-19?

The correct plan was 16-21 51.37-31 ( 51.36-31? 13-19 also loses) 13-19 52.38-32 18-23 53.32-27 21x32 54.28x37 17-22 etc.

51.38-32? 17-21 52.37-31 21-27 53.32x21 16x27 54.31x22 18x27 55.35-30 24x35 56.33-29 27-32 57.28x37 35-40 58.37-32 40-44

Martijn van IJzendoorn - Nico Knoops 2-0

1.34-30 20-25 2.30-24 19x30 3.35x24 18-22 4.31-26 22-27 5.32x21 16x27 6.37-31 14-19 7.31x22 17x28 8.33x22 19x30 9.40-35 10-14 10.35x24 14-19 11.41-37 19x30

diagram 4

The players have chosen for a very romantic game type.

12.37-32 5-10 13.46-41 10-14 14.41-37 13-19 15.45-40 8-13 16.38-33 12-18

It doesn't seem logical to allow white to get rid of the piece on 22. But it was not easy for black to find a more constructive plan.

17.32-28 18x27 18.28-23 19x28 19.33x31 14-19 20.42-38 7-12 21.37-32 12-18 22.47-42 9-14 23.38-33 4-9 24.42-38 2-8 25.32-27 19-23 26.38-32 14-19 27.40-34 15-20 28.43-38 20-24 29.27-21 8-12 30.21-16 1-7 31.33-28 3-8 32.31-27 11-17

diagram 5

33.27-21!?

Objectively the plan 33.44-40 30-35 34.49-44 was a bit better here. But probably Van IJzendoorn already anticipated the tactical possibilities in the next couple of moves.

30-35?

It's hard to believe that this is already the decisive mistake. The right move was 9-14! and black has no problems, for example 34.36-31 30-35 35.31-27 24-29 etc.

34.48-42!

Now 18-22? is not possible due to 35.36-31 22x33 36.38x18 13x22 37.32-28! 22x33 38.39x28 8-13 39.31-27 13-18 40.50-45! and 24-30 fails due to 41.27-22 30x50 42.22x4 50x22 43.4x36 W+.

9-14 35.42-37!

This not only neutralizes 23-29? but also 24-29? due to the combination 36.37-31 29x40 37.39-34 40x29 38.38-33 29x27 39.31x2 23x32 40.21-17 12x21 41.16x38

6-11 36.39-33!

And now 23-29? 37.34x23 18x29 still fails due to the effective combination 38.44-39 29-34 or? 39.39x30 25x34 40.28-22! 17x39 41.21-17 11x22 42.49-43 39x48 43.38-33 48x31 44.36x40 35x44 45.50x39 W+

18-22 37.34-30! 25x34 38.33-29 24x31 39.36x20 23-29 40.20-15

Auke Scholma - Wouter Sipma 0-2

1.33-29 19-23 2.35-30 13-19 3.30-24 19x30 4.34x25 23x34 5.40x29 8-13 6.38-33 20-24 7.29x20 15x24 8.42-38 2-8 9.45-40 17-21 10.47-42 21-26 11.31-27 18-23 12.40-34 12-18 13.34-29 23x34 14.39x19 14x23 15.25-20 7-12 16.20-15 10-14 17.44-39 11-17

diagram 6

18.49-44(?)

It was probably more realistic to deny black to gain control of square 24 using 18.39-34. Of course this allows black to simplify the position with 14-20 19.15x24 23-29 20.34x23 18x20 21.27-21 (what else?) 16x27 22.32x21, which is probably why Scholma chose a different move.

14-19 19.39-34 19-24 20.44-40 17-21 21.40-35 23-29! 22.34x23 18x29 23.43-39 5-10 24.27-22 10-14

diagram 7

25.33-28?

The white position can not handle this. It was necessary to develop the pieces of the white left wing starting with something like 25.32-28 14-20 26.37-31 26x37 27.41x32.

6-11 26.50-45 13-19! 27.45-40 8-13! 28.39-34 13-18 29.22x13 9x18 30.34x23 18x29 31.36-31 14-20 32.40-34 29x40 33.35x44 12-18 34.31-27 20-25 35.38-33 18-23!

The black moves are both logical and strong. The white position is already completely lost.

36.48-43 25-30 37.27-22 3-9 38.42-38 9-13 39.41-36 1-6 40.43-39 23-29 41.37-31 26x37 42.32x41 11-17 43.22x11 16x7 44.36-31 30-34 45.39x30 24x35 46.33x24 19x30 47.28-23 30-34

Ben Provoost - Marino Barkel 0-2

1.32-28 17-22 2.28x17 11x22 3.37-32 6-11 4.41-37 12-17 5.34-30 7-12 6.30-25 1-6 7.46-41 22-27 8.31x22 18x27 9.32x21 17x26 10.38-32 13-18 11.43-38 9-13 12.36-31 4-9 13.31-27 11-17 14.41-36 17-21 15.49-43 2-7 16.33-28 19-23 17.28x19 14x23 18.25x14 10x19 19.47-41 19-24 20.39-33 13-19

diagram 8

21.35-30??

A rare case of short circuit for the white player.

24x35 22.44-39 35x44 23.37-31 26x28

This is good enough to win the game, but there was nothing wrong with 26x46.

24.33x11 21x32 25.38x27 16x7 26.43-38 44x33 27.38x18 12x23 28.41-37 5-10 29.42-38 15-20 30.37-32 20-24 31.48-43 10-14 32.43-39 9-13 33.45-40 3-8 34.36-31 8-12 35.50-45 6-11 36.40-35 11-17 37.31-26 13-18 38.27-21 24-29 39.21-16 19-24 40.45-40 14-20 41.40-34 29x40 42.35x44 23-29 43.44-40 24-30 44.40-35 20-24 45.32-28 18-22 46.16-11 22x42 47.11x2 42-48 48.2-16 48x34 49.16-32 34-39 50.32-14 30-34 51.14-37 39-50

Waldo Aliar - Alexander Baliakin 1-1

1.32-28 17-21 2.37-32 11-17 3.31-26 18-22 4.41-37 7-11 5.34-29 1-7 6.46-41 20-25 7.40-34 14-20 8.32-27 21x23 9.29x27 13-18 10.44-40 10-14 11.38-32 19-23 12.43-38 5-10 13.49-43 14-19 14.36-31 9-13 15.41-36 17-22 16.50-44 10-14 17.33-28 22x33 18.39x28 4-9 19.44-39 20-24 20.47-41 14-20 21.27-21 16x27 22.31x22 18x27 23.32x21 23x32 24.37x28 12-18 25.21-16 11-17 26.34-30 25x34 27.39x30

diagram 9

20-25

This is of course good for black. But there was also much to say for the logical 7-11 28.16x7 2x11 29.30-25 9-14 30.38-33 24-29 31.33x24 20x29 32.40-34 29x40 33.35x44 15-20 34.45-40 20-24 and white faces a tough defense.

28.38-33 25x34 29.40x20 15x24 30.45-40 9-14 31.40-34 14-20 32.43-39 8-12 33.34-30 20-25 34.48-43 25x34 35.39x30 18-23 36.42-37 23x32 37.37x28 12-18 38.41-37 7-11 39.16x7 2x11

diagram 10

40.37-31!

The white position looks absolutely hopeless due to the threat 18-23 37-32 23-29 43-38 29-34 30x39 24-29 33x24 19x30 35x24 17-21 45.26x17 11x42. But Aliar finds a miraculous escape.

18-23 41.43-39 23x32 42.39-34 32-38 43.33x42 13-18 44.31-27 11-16 45.42-37 6-11 46.30-25 3-9 47.35-30!

A second piece sacrifice is needed to secure the draw.

24x35 48.25-20 19-23 49.37-32 35-40 50.34x45 23-29 51.45-40 17-22 52.20-15 22x31 53.36x27 9-14 54.32-28 11-17 55.28-23