A game from e2e4 High Wycombe: Arkell-Holland

[Alex Holowczak]

During the e2e4 High Wycombe Congress, the game-inputter thought he'd cocked up what he was doing, but after switching on a Kibitzer, it turned out that actually, it was a brilliant move!

Keith's 29. Qd8 is probably the most eye-catching move I've ever had to input (well, that actually happened, anyway ), and felt his efforts were worthy of praise on the Forum.

[Event "e2e4.org.uk High Wycombe Open"] [Site "Uplands Park, High Wycombe, En"] [Date "2012.??.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Arkell, Keith C"] [Black "Holland, James P"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2414"] [BlackElo "2199"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2012.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Bg5 d4 11. Ne4 Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Ne1 Bf5 14. Nd3 Bxe4 15. Bxe4 Re8 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Rc1 Qd5 18. a3 Qe4 19. Re1 Rac8 20. Qa4 Rc7 21. Nc5 Qg4 22. Rc2 h5 23. Nd3 h4 24. f3 Qe6 25. g4 h3 26. Qa5 Qe3+ 27. Kf1 Bh4 28. Qxc7 Qxd3 29. Qd8 Rxd8 30. exd3 Bxe1 31. Kxe1 Re8+ 32. Re2 Rxe2+ 33. Kxe2 f5 34. f4 fxg4 35. Kf2 c5 36. b3 a5 37. a4 Kf7 38. Kg3 Ke6 39. Kxg4 Kd5 40. Kf3 Kd6 41. Kg3 Kd5 42. Kg4 Kd6 43. Kxh3 c4 44. bxc4 Kc5 45. Kg4 Kb4 46. c5 Kxc5 47. f5 Kb4 48. h4 Kc3 49. h5 Kxd3 50. h6 gxh6 51. f6 Kc2 52. f7 d3 53. f8=Q d2 54. Qc5+ Kd3 55. Qd5+ Kc2 56. Qc4+ Kb1 57. Qd3+ Kc1 58. Qc3+ 1-0

[Matt Mackenzie]

Wow, that's impressive. I wonder how far in advance Keith saw it??

[Brendan O'Gorman]

The man himself, just after his opponent had captured the white queen.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

The man himself, just after his opponent had captured the white queen.

It looks like the position after 31...Re8+, which is not immediately after the queen was captured. If only there was some way of signalling photographers to take a picture of the opponent's face after 29.Qd8!

The fact that White can take that impudent bishop on h4 is important as well, after moves like 29...Qe3 (as sadly 30.Qxh4 d3 31.exd3 Qxd3+ [31...Qxf3+ 32.Kg1 and Black has run out of tricks] 32. Ree2! [32.Rce2 leads to a very nice perpetual with the Black queen shuttling between d3-f3-h1 after 32...Qxf3+] and again Black's tricks come to an end). So there is a lot to check when going into that line! What I'd want to know is not so much how much of this Arkell saw, but how much Holland saw.

[Keith Arkell]

Haha, what a crazy game chess is I guess I found one of the more unusual ways of forking 2 undefended pieces

I saw 29 Qd8 when I was analysing 26 Qa5, but began by being skeptical. However, the more I analysed it the more I saw that all the variations worked.

I assessed the R+P ending as good for me but not without defensive resources for Black, and I dismissed the K+P as surely winning for me, athough, as I was walking around the playing hall having already played 29 Qd8, I fleetingly thought it might be a bit bumpy after 'seeing'' 33...f5. However, by the time I had returned to the board I already knew there were 2 different winning plans against the move (taking it off folowed by f4 and kf3 to g3 zugging his King out of f5; and the way I chose to do it - jettisoning a pawn with c5! for a crucial tempo).

Interrestingly I played the K+P ending extremely slowly and cautiously, tripple checking everything. I realised why afterwards: My own 29th move had slightly disturbed me, and I had an eerie feeling that there might be hidden ideas everywhere!

[Christopher Kreuzer]

It is an amazing position. Not only is the White queen forking the Black rook and bishop, but it is pinning the rook as well. This is vital, as if the Black king was on h7 (for example), it would be Black delivering mate in two with Qxf3+! Was there a post-mortem, and did your opponent say how much of the variations he had seen?

[Keith Arkell]

Yes there was a very active post-mortem in the bar. James saw a lot after I had already played my 29th move. I think he underestimated the fact that there are real saving possibilities in the R+P ending, though it is difficult for him