Scottish Annotated Games

Last updated 18 April 2002

Beecham, C R - Kilgour, D A [D00]
SCCA Championship 2001-02
[Notes by Richard Beecham]

I had imagined playing David would be like Danti Alighieri's poem "The Divine Comedy" the first part of which, "The Inferno" depicts an imaginary journey through the nine circles of hell, (after all David had just completed a not unsuccessful attempt at the World Championship Final XV) but nothing becomes real until it is experienced!

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 gxf6 4.c4 dxc4 [Also if 4...c6 5.e3 e6 (5...Bf5!) 6.Nc3 f5 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.Qc2 Nd7 9.h3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qc7 11.0-0-0 b5 12.Bb3 Ba6 13.g4+/- was Hodgson - Martin BCF.CH 1992.]

5.e4 Rg8!? This came as a shock! Correspondence Chess by its nature involves introverted psychology, where only ones own consciousness is involved. Negative thoughts came flooding in. [ I had expected 5...b5 6.a4 Bb7 7.axb5 Bxe4 8.Nc3 Bb7 9.Bxc4! e6 ( 9...Bxg2 10.Bxf7+!) 10.Nf3 White is better.]

6.Nc3 c6 I remember telephoning my good friend and Games Editor Bernard round about now to ask if he had any games in his database relating to the above position. (I do not feel it is unethical to do so as any game would already be in the public domain). Sadly for me I was on my own. I did however find a game won by Black in 14 moves! between U. Ennsberger - C. Troyke from the Drelfleusse Open 1998.

7.g3! [ It went as follows 7.Bxc4 Rxg2 8.Nge2 b5 9.Bb3 ( 9.Nxb5) 9...b4 10.Na4 Qd6 11.Ng3 Qf4 12.Qc2 Bh6 13.Bc4 Qf3 14.Nf5 Rg4 (0-1). Nothing there then. At times like this its back to basics and my old chess teacher P.B.Anderson (former Scottish OTB Champion of the 1950's) would say "Richard its the discipline of thought - now analyse!". So I did.]

7...b5 8.a4 b4 9.Na2 e5 [ A good alternative was 9...f5 10.Bxc4 fxe4 11.Nxb4 e5 12.Nc2 Qf6 13.Ne2 Bg4]

10.Bxc4 exd4 [ David finds the best. I was hoping for 10...Qxd4 11.Qxd4 exd4 12.Ne2 Bc5 13.Nac1 Bg4 14.Nb3 Bf3 15.0-0 Nd7 16.Nexd4 with a good plus for White.]

11.Ne2 Bc5 12.Nac1 Nd7 13.f4 Positionally a very important move. It prevents Blacks Knight coming to e5. [ For example 13.Nb3 Ne5 14.f4 Nxc4 15.Nxc5 Ne3]

13...Qe7 [ Far weaker was 13...Nb6 14.Bd3 Bg4 15.Qc2 Bf3 16.0-0 Bxe2 17.Bxe2 Qe7 18.Nd3 when White is in total control.]

14.Qc2 Bb7 15.Nb3 0-0-0 16.Bd3 Kb8 [ David thought this was too slow and suggested 16...f5!? as being much better. Having looked at it again I found 17.e5 Bb6 18.a5 c5 19.axb6! Bxh1 20.bxa7 Kb7 21.Bxf5 Kb6 ( 21...d3 22.Qxd3 Kc7 23.Qb5 Bc6 24.Qa5+) 22.Qc4 Bb7 23.Ra5 d3 24.Bxd7 d2+ 25.Kd1 Rxd7 26.Qb5+ Kc7 27.Nxc5 when he is tied to his chair with a bar of soap in his mouth!]

17.Rc1 Bd6 18.Nexd4 c5 This is the point. [ I think David could have played better with 18...Nc5! when after a bit of head scratching I decided that 19.Nf5! was best. ( 19.Nxc5 Bxc5 20.Nxc6+ etc wins a pawn but we end up with a R=P ending which is rather difficult to work out, but even then Black does well.; After 19.Nf5 with 19...Qd7 20.0-0 Nxb3 21.Qxb3 Qe6 22.Qc2 c5 23.a5 c4 24.Nxd6 Qxd6 25.Bxc4 Qd4+ 26.Rf2 Bxe4 and the game is about level.) ]

19.Nf5 Qe6 20.0-0 Bc7 21.a5 a6 22.Kf2 Rc8 23.Rfe1 Rgd8 I had expected the type of game that English Soccer hooligans used to play in the 1980's, but instead the simple win of a couple of pawns ends the game.

24.Bc4 Qe8 25.Qe2 Ka7 26.Qh5 Qf8 27.Qxh7 Qh8 28.Qxh8 Rxh8 29.h4 Bb8 30.Bxf7 Rh7 And Black Resigns. After the game David wrote some very kind words, which were much appreciated. Instead of the expected loss and me going out and head butting a few trees in anger it was chicken chilli jalfrezi with extra hot sauce to celebrate and Danti had made it through hell, and purgatory to heaven! 1-0