Main
Date: 02 Dec 2004 14:39:28
From: Mark S. Hathaway
Subject: recent interesting game
[Event ""]
[Site "USA"]
[Date "2004.11.12"]
[Round ""]
[White ""]
[Black "Hathaway, k"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. c4 g6 6. Nf3 Bg7
7. O-O d6 8. h3 Qb6 9. Nc3 Bxc3 10. bxc3 Nf6 11. Bh6 Nd7
12. Kh1 f6 13. Be3 Qc7 14. Nd4 Nc5 15. f4 Bd7 16. Nb5 Qc8
17. e5 Nxd3 18. exd6 Bf5 19. Nc7+ Kf7 20. Nxa8 exd6 21. Qf3 Re8
22. Kg1 Qxa8 23. g4 Be4 24. Qg3 Qd8 25. Qh4 Kg7 26. g5 Bf5
27. Rf3 Re4 28. Rb1 b6 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. Rd1 Rxc4 31. Bf2 fxg5
32. fxg5 Nce5 33. Rxf5 gxf5 34. Qe6+ Kg7 35. Qh6+ Kh8
36. Bd4 Rxd4 37. cxd4 Nf7 38. Qf6+ Qxf6 39. gxf6 Nf4 40. Re1 h6
41. Re7 Kg8 42. Rxa7 Ng5 43. Rb7 Nd5 44. Kg2 Ne4 45. f7+ Kf8
46. Kf3 Ng5+ 47. Kg3 Nxf7 48. h4 Kg7 49. Ra7 Kf6 50. a4 Ke6
51. a5 bxa5 52. Rxa5 Nd8 53. Ra8 Nc6 54. Rh8 f4+ 55. Kf2 Nxd4
56. Rxh6+ Nf6 57. Rh8 Ng4+ 58. Kf1 f3 59. Rg8 Nf5 60. Rxg4 Ne3+
61. Kf2 Nxg4+ 62. Kxf3 Kf5 63. Ke2 Kf4 64. Kd3 Nf6 65. Kd4 Kg4
0-1




 
Date: 03 Dec 2004 22:30:54
From: Dc Gentle
Subject: Re: recent interesting game
k S. Hathaway wrote:

> [Event ""]
> [Site "USA"]
> [Date "2004.11.12"]
> [Round ""]
> [White ""]
> [Black "Hathaway, k"]
> [Result "0-1"]
>
> 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. c4 g6 6. Nf3 Bg7
> 7. O-O d6 8. h3 Qb6 9. Nc3 Bxc3 10. bxc3 Nf6 11. Bh6 Nd7
> 12. Kh1 f6 13. Be3 Qc7 14. Nd4 Nc5 15. f4 Bd7 16. Nb5 Qc8
> 17. e5 Nxd3 18. exd6 Bf5 19. Nc7+ Kf7 20. Nxa8 exd6 21. Qf3 Re8
> 22. Kg1 Qxa8 23. g4 Be4 24. Qg3 Qd8 25. Qh4 Kg7 26. g5 Bf5
> 27. Rf3 Re4 28. Rb1 b6 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. Rd1 Rxc4 31. Bf2 fxg5
> 32. fxg5 Nce5 33. Rxf5 gxf5 34. Qe6+ Kg7 35. Qh6+ Kh8
> 36. Bd4 Rxd4 37. cxd4 Nf7 38. Qf6+ Qxf6 39. gxf6 Nf4 40. Re1 h6
> 41. Re7 Kg8 42. Rxa7 Ng5 43. Rb7 Nd5 44. Kg2 Ne4 45. f7+ Kf8
> 46. Kf3 Ng5+ 47. Kg3 Nxf7 48. h4 Kg7 49. Ra7 Kf6 50. a4 Ke6
> 51. a5 bxa5 52. Rxa5 Nd8 53. Ra8 Nc6 54. Rh8 f4+ 55. Kf2 Nxd4
> 56. Rxh6+ Nf6 57. Rh8 Ng4+ 58. Kf1 f3 59. Rg8 Nf5 60. Rxg4 Ne3+
> 61. Kf2 Nxg4+ 62. Kxf3 Kf5 63. Ke2 Kf4 64. Kd3 Nf6 65. Kd4 Kg4
> 0-1

17. e5 was too optimistic and from there it went
downhill for White. But even before this mistake
the white position didn't look very promising.
The game with 3... d3 that was discussed in
Jozsef Palkovi's book about the Morra gambit also
ended in a draw. The deeper reason for this is
the white strategy starting with 5. c4 clearing the
square for the knight that will appear on c3 later.
By taking this knight Black creates a nasty double pawn
and in fact ruins White's pawn structure. I didn't like
White's setup from the beginning.

So I looked for an improvement and found the following:

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5.Na3

Na3 was played by Bobby Fischer in a Morra gambit
game, where Black also declined the gambit by 3... d3.
But this move was played later in the game, not as the
fifth move as it is my proposal. Unfortunately I lost this
game, can someone dig it out somewhere?

5. Na3 looks odd at first, but makes sense at once
if you consider the possible travel route of this
knight: c2 (c4) and then e3 where it has an
excellent position. And White needn't move c4 as
in the main line. Now White's pawn structure
doesn't invite the black kingside fianchetto anymore.

Here is a possible line:

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. Na3 e5 6. Nc2 Nf6 7.
Nf3 d5 8. exd5 Qxd5 9. Ne3 Qd6 10. Qc2 Qe7 11. Bc4 Be6 12. Nf5
Qd7 13. Bxe6 Qxe6 14. O-O O-O-O 15. Re1 e4 16. Ng3 Qd5 17. Ng5 h6
18. N5xe4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Ne5 20. Ng3 Nd3 21. Re2 f5 22. Be3 f4 23.
Rd1 fxg3 24. hxg3 Be7 25. Red2 Qc4 26. Rxd3 Rxd3 27. Qxd3 Qxd3
28. Rxd3 a6 29. Bd4 Rd8 30. Rf3 h5 31. Bxg7 Rd1+ 32. Kh2 Rd2 33.
c4 Bc5 34. Rf5 Bxf2 35. a4 h4 36. gxh4 Bxh4 37. Kh3 Be7 38. g4
and Black can't stop White's pawns.

Comments are welcome.

DC




  
Date: 13 Dec 2004 22:08:51
From: Mark S. Hathaway
Subject: Re: recent interesting game
Dc Gentle wrote:
> k S. Hathaway wrote:
>
>
>>[Event ""]
>>[Site "USA"]
>>[Date "2004.11.12"]
>>[Round ""]
>>[White ""]
>>[Black "Hathaway, k"]
>>[Result "0-1"]
>>
>>1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. c4 g6 6. Nf3 Bg7
>>7. O-O d6 8. h3 Qb6 9. Nc3 Bxc3 10. bxc3 Nf6 11. Bh6 Nd7
>>12. Kh1 f6 13. Be3 Qc7 14. Nd4 Nc5 15. f4 Bd7 16. Nb5 Qc8
>>17. e5 Nxd3 18. exd6 Bf5 19. Nc7+ Kf7 20. Nxa8 exd6 21. Qf3 Re8
>>22. Kg1 Qxa8 23. g4 Be4 24. Qg3 Qd8 25. Qh4 Kg7 26. g5 Bf5
>>27. Rf3 Re4 28. Rb1 b6 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. Rd1 Rxc4 31. Bf2 fxg5
>>32. fxg5 Nce5 33. Rxf5 gxf5 34. Qe6+ Kg7 35. Qh6+ Kh8
>>36. Bd4 Rxd4 37. cxd4 Nf7 38. Qf6+ Qxf6 39. gxf6 Nf4 40. Re1 h6
>>41. Re7 Kg8 42. Rxa7 Ng5 43. Rb7 Nd5 44. Kg2 Ne4 45. f7+ Kf8
>>46. Kf3 Ng5+ 47. Kg3 Nxf7 48. h4 Kg7 49. Ra7 Kf6 50. a4 Ke6
>>51. a5 bxa5 52. Rxa5 Nd8 53. Ra8 Nc6 54. Rh8 f4+ 55. Kf2 Nxd4
>>56. Rxh6+ Nf6 57. Rh8 Ng4+ 58. Kf1 f3 59. Rg8 Nf5 60. Rxg4 Ne3+
>>61. Kf2 Nxg4+ 62. Kxf3 Kf5 63. Ke2 Kf4 64. Kd3 Nf6 65. Kd4 Kg4
>>0-1
>
>
> 17. e5 was too optimistic and from there it went
> downhill for White. But even before this mistake
> the white position didn't look very promising.
> The game with 3... d3 that was discussed in
> Jozsef Palkovi's book about the Morra gambit also
> ended in a draw. The deeper reason for this is
> the white strategy starting with 5. c4 clearing the
> square for the knight that will appear on c3 later.
> By taking this knight Black creates a nasty double pawn
> and in fact ruins White's pawn structure. I didn't like
> White's setup from the beginning.
>
> So I looked for an improvement and found the following:
>
> 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5.Na3

Interesting!

> 5. Na3 looks odd at first, but makes sense at once
> if you consider the possible travel route of this
> knight: c2 (c4) and then e3 where it has an
> excellent position. And White needn't move c4 as
> in the main line. Now White's pawn structure
> doesn't invite the black kingside fianchetto anymore.
>
> Here is a possible line:
>
> 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 Nc6 5. Na3 e5 6. Nc2 Nf6 7.
> Nf3 d5 8. exd5 Qxd5 9. Ne3 Qd6 10. Qc2 Qe7 11. Bc4 Be6 12. Nf5
> Qd7 13. Bxe6 Qxe6 14. O-O O-O-O 15. Re1 e4 16. Ng3 Qd5 17. Ng5 h6
> 18. N5xe4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Ne5 20. Ng3 Nd3 21. Re2 f5 22. Be3 f4 23.
> Rd1 fxg3 24. hxg3 Be7 25. Red2 Qc4 26. Rxd3 Rxd3 27. Qxd3 Qxd3
> 28. Rxd3 a6 29. Bd4 Rd8 30. Rf3 h5 31. Bxg7 Rd1+ 32. Kh2 Rd2 33.
> c4 Bc5 34. Rf5 Bxf2 35. a4 h4 36. gxh4 Bxh4 37. Kh3 Be7 38. g4
> and Black can't stop White's pawns.
>
> Comments are welcome.

Your "possible line" is rather long. :-)