Scottish Annotated Games

Last updated 21 March 2002

Kilgour, D A - Lecroq, M [B78]
ICCF World XVI 3/4 Final, 1995
[Notes by David Kilgour]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 [I still remember saying, "not another Dragon!". My loss to Bauer in the SCCA Magazine event was fresh in my mind.]

6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 h5 [This is all the same as my game against Bauer, and I think he published that game somewhere.]

13.Bh6 [The main lines include 13.Bg5 and 13.Kb1; both seem to give interesting games with chances for both sides. My move followed the Bauer game mentioned above.]

13...Qa5 [Black's last move is not recommended in the books, but I think that it is quite good. In the Bauer game, play continued: 13... Bxh6 14.Qxh6 Rxc3 15.bxc3 Qc7 16.Kb1 Rc8 with about equal chances.]

14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Kb1 Rc5 [The Black position is more active, but it is difficult for him to find a good plan.]

16.Nde2 Rfc8 17.Rhe1 b5 18.Nf4 [I decided to bore him into making a mistake by just playing solid waiting moves. The position is about equal, but Black is trying to win and White is positionally better as the d5 square is weak, and a knight planted there by White will help slow the Black queen-side attack, and aid the White king-side play.]

18...Qd8 19.Nd3 [I like this move as it gets rid of the Black knight and allows the d-pawn to cause Black some difficulties. The open c-file can be used by White later after the Black rooks have been deflected.]

19...Nxd3 20.cxd3 b4 [Black's last is perhaps bad as it gives me control over the white squares on the queenside, and delays the Black attack on that side of the board.]

21.Ne2 Qb6 22.d4 Ra5 [The rook is badly misplaced here as will become clear later on.]

23.Rc1 Rxc1+ [The exchange of rooks is almost forced as Rc4 by White would cause problems.]

24.Nxc1 [Planning Nd3-f4-d5.]

24...Qb8 [25.e5 was threatened.]

25.Nd3 Rb5 26.Ka1 e5 [The threat was worse than the execution as Black prevents e5.]

27.Bc4 Rb6 28.dxe5 dxe5 29.Rc1 Bc6 30.Qg5 [My first direct threat!]

30...Nd7 31.g4 f6 32.Qe3 hxg4 33.fxg4 Qd6 34.g5 Bb7 35.h5 gxh5 36.Rf1 Kf8 37.gxf6 Nxf6 38.Qg5 Bxe4 39.Nxe5 Ke8 40.Bb3 [I like this move as there are now a number of threats which Black cannot defend against, but the main problem for Black is to defend against Nc4.] 1-0