tal – Edward T. Dean

This is a game from several years ago that I played against local NM Franklin Chen. From the black side, I got myself into a cramped and delicate position. At one point, I had to find a defensive move that left 3 of my own pieces en prise, which solves all the problems I’d otherwise be facing on the board. It felt like the defensive flip side to Tal’s quip when launching attacks that involved offering multiple piece sacrifices, “They can only take them one at a time.”

After that point in the game, the tables turned a bit, and I was likely winning eventually. But I didn’t make the most of my chances, and things reached a peaceful end.

   [Event "Fred Sorensen Memorial"]  [Site "Pittsburgh Chess Club"]  [Date "2012.10.09"]  [Round "6"]  [White "Franklin Chen"]  [Black "Edward Dean"]  [Result "1/2-1/2"]  [WhiteUSCF "2110"]  [BlackUSCF "2083"]  [ECO "C41x"]  [EventDate "2012.10.09"]   1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.a4 c6 8.Re1 exd4 9.Nxd4      ( 9.Qxd4 {I actually think this would've been the more testing recapture, but during the game I figured it was a coin flip as to which way Franklin would go.} )  9...Ne5 10.Ba2 Ne8?!      ( 10...Bg4 {This was the move I intended in this line when I played ...exd4. I think I decided not to because I started envisioning the bishop getting kicked and maybe losing its sight of f5. I didn't want the white knight jumping in there of course. But looking at it now, this ...Bg4 seems like it should've been the move.} )  11.f4 Ng6 12.Be3 Nc7 13.Qh5 Bf6 14.Rad1 Bxd4 15.Rxd4 Be6      ( 15...Ne6 16.Bxe6 fxe6 {I considered this way of proceeding instead, but I was worried I would end up getting steamrolled. Perhaps it's not so bad though.} 17.Qd1 d5 18.f5 exf5 19.exd5 )  16.Red1      ( 16.Bb1! {I know it looks ugly, but during the game I actually thought that this (or perhaps b3) should be the move. Sure enough, my engine really likes this. It does make sense: the point is just not to let me exchange the bishops, leaving me to do something about the threat of f5.} 16...f5 17.Qd1 {Things are not so easy for Black here.} )  16...Bxa2 17.Rxd6?!      ( 17.Nxa2 Qe7 18.Nc3 Rfd8 {I think Franklin wanted to get more than this, but Black has good resources in his chosen line.} )  17...Qe8 18.f5 {A few moves back, I had considered this possibility and assumed ...Ne5 should be the response. Fortunately, I realized in time what White's strong rejoinder would be.}      ( 18.Nxa2? Qxe4 {This is obviously no fun for White, so Franklin made a push for a direct attack instead.} )      ( 18.Qe2 {Probably White's best, keeping the bishop out of c4.} 18...Be6 19.f5 Ne5 20.fxe6 Nxe6 {Things are level here.} )  18...Nd5! {I was very happy to find, and to play, this move. It's not often that I have two pieces en prise and the strongest move is to place a third one under attack as well. Even though I was in the midst of defense rather than a sacrificial attack, when I made this move, Tal's expression "They can only take them one at a time!" came to my mind.}      ( 18...Ne5? 19.f6! gxf6 20.Rxf6 Ng6 21.Nxa2 Qxe4 22.Rf3 {White's play against the exposed king would make Black's life very unpleasant here.} )  19.Nxd5 Bxd5      ( 19...Qxe4 {I considered this, but I felt that my move was about equally strong, and I was somewhat wary of Nf6+ ideas cropping up here. Objectively, this might be a bit better than my choice.} )  20.fxg6 hxg6 21.Qf3 Bxe4 22.Qf2 Qe5      ( 22...Bxc2 {Very natural, but despite the extra pawns, I think this line isn't as promising for Black as my choice.} 23.Qxc2          ( 23.Re1 {This possibility is ultimately why I rejected ...Bxc2.} 23...Bxa4 24.Bc5 {Black no longer has any advantage. So objectively, I was right to avoid ...Bxc2. But in hindsight, since Franklin would've exchanged into the 2-pawns-down endgame, I wish I'd gone that way.} )      23...Qxe3+ 24.Qf2 Qb3 {After the game Franklin said he would've gone for these exchanges, relying on his activity to see him through this major piece ending. I also thought that might work out for him, but if I could've known he would go for this exact line, I would've taken this.} )  23.R6d2 Qxb2 24.Bxa7 Bf5 25.h3 Qa2 26.Qd4 Rfe8? {Franklin had had to use up a great deal of time, and he finally presented me with a golden opportunity to realize my advantage. But I second-guessed myself, and missed my best chance for a win here.}      ( 26...Bxc2! {I considered this of course, and from what I could tell it worked out well for me. But for whatever reason, I didn't trust myself not to have overlooked something, and I didn't want to blunder into a loss. C'est la vie.} 27.Rc1          ( 27.Qf2 Qxa4 28.Rxc2 Rxa7 )      27...Qxa4 28.Bc5 Rfd8 )  27.Ra1 Qe6 28.Bb6 {Franklin offered a draw here, despite being down a pawn and about 30 minutes on the clock. I believed a draw was the most likely outcome, but I honestly didn't consider his offer at all. Black has absolutely nothing to fear, and is free to poke and prod White's position free of charge. There were ways Franklin could've gone wrong, and I tried to lead him there, but ultimately the defense seems to be pretty straightforward here.} 28...Qe4 29.c3 Qe7 30.a5 Qg5 31.Kh2 Re4 32.Qf2 Be6 33.Rd4 Re5? {I was starting to get low on time myself at this point, and I missed the last decent shot I had to get the full point. The resulting positions are likely sitll defensible, but Black's chances would be better than in the game.}      ( 33...Qe5+ 34.Kg1          ( 34.Qg3 Qxg3+ 35.Kxg3 Re3+ 36.Kf2 Rxc3 37.Rad1 Bd5 )      34...Re2 )  34.Rad1 Re8 35.R1d2 Bd5 36.Qh4 Qxh4 37.Rxh4 Re2 38.Rxe2 Rxe2 39.Rg4 Be4 40.Kg1 Bd3 41.Rd4 Ba6 42.c4 Rc2 43.c5 Re2 44.Kh2 Rc2 45.Kg1 f6 46.h4 Re2 47.Kh2 Re3 48.Rd7 Kh7 49.g3 Re2+ 50.Kg1 {Here we were in a sudden death time scramble, and the opposite-color bishops just hinder any progress I can try to make, though I did try for several unrecorded moves more.} 1/2-1/2

Tag: tal

“They can only take them one at a time” — Mikhail Tal