Scottish Annotated Games

Last updated 11 July 2001

Mackintosh, I (2170) - Livie, D M (2305) [B75]
SCCA Championship, 1997-98
[Notes by Iain Mackintosh]

[This game comes from the SCCA Championship of 1997-98, which was characterised by an evenly matched set of players and many keenly fought games.]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 [Up to here, I'd been following Karpov-Korchnoi from 1974. Douglas now surprises me with his reply - i'd expected 0-0 or Bd7.]

8...h5 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Bc4 Qc7 11.0-0 [With Douglas seemingly intent on not castling, I thought I'd be a touch perverse and invite a further K-side advance.]

11...h4 12.h3 Bd7 13.Rad1 Nh5 14.Bd4 [Trying to be consistent with one of the original objectives of the opening - removal of the fianchettoed bishop.]

14...Bxd4+ 15.Qxd4 Rf8 16.Ne2 Rd8 17.Kh1 [To keep the queens on.]

17...Nf6 18.e5 [Here, I felt White had the better position.]

18...dxe5 19.Qxh4 Bf5 20.c3 Nd5 21.Ng3 Ne3 22.Rxd8+ Qxd8 23.Re1 Qd2 [But now Black recovers lost ground with some energetic play.]

24.Re2 Qc1+ 25.Kh2 Kd7 26.Ba6 Rb8 27.Qa4 Rxb2 28.Qa3 [Reactivating White's queen and stirring up some tactical play was more important than the b2 pawn.]

28...Nc2 [This seems a natural response to break the pin, but it is probably the losing move. The Knight is now dangerously marginalised. Nd1 looks better.]

29.Qc5 Rb6 [1 defender gone.]

30.Nxf5 gxf5 [2 defenders gone.]

31.Bd3 Qf4+ [3 defenders gone.]

32.Kg1 Rb1+ 33.Kf2 Qh4+ [Douglas decides to give up the Knight and flushes out the White King.]

34.g3 Qxh3 35.Bxc2 [Qxa7+ looks more efficient with hindsight.]

35...Rf1+ 36.Ke3 Qh6+ 37.Kd3 Rxf3+ 38.Kc4 Qe6+ 39.Kb4 Qd6 [The White King has survived his cross-country trek, and although bishop for 3 pawns looks equal, White's superior mobility gives the edge.]

40.Rxe5 e6 41.Qxd6+ Kxd6 42.Ra5 f6 43.Rxa7 Rxg3 44.Rf7 c5+ [Rg2 or Rg6 might be improvements here.]

45.Kc4 Rg4+ 46.Kb5 Rg3 47.c4 Rg8 [If instead ... Rg6, then 48.Rb7 and the Black c-pawn goes.]

48.Rxf6 Rb8+ 49.Ka4 [The a-pawn needs to stay on.]

49...Rb4+ 50.Ka5 Ke7 [If 50... Rxc4, 51.Bxf5.]

51.Rh6 f4 52.a3 Rb8 53.Be4 Kd6 54.Bd5 Re8 55.Kb6 Rb8+ 56.Bb7 [The a-pawn can't be stopped now.]

56...Ke5 57.a4 f3 58.Rh3 f2 59.Rf3 Kd4 60.Rxf2 Kxc4 61.a5 [No brilliancy prizes, but good robust stuff!] 1-0