Scottish Centenary Tournament

Last updated 22 February 2004

Webb,S (2550) - Vukcevic,B (2495) [A25]
SCCA-100, 1984
[Notes by John Hawkes]

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.e3 d6 6.Nge2 Nge7 [In the 10th World Championships, Engel-Morado went: 6...h5!? 7.0-0 Nh6 8.Nd5 Bg4 9.d3 Qd7 10.b4 Kf8 11.h4 Re8 and Black's original concept brought a win in 32 moves.]

7.0-0 0-0 8.d3 Be6 9.Nd5 Qd7 10.Rb1 Rab8 11.b3 Rfc8 Interesting. Black stays compact, ready to neutralise any White q-side play, prepares Bh3 and holds back f5. Better was 11... f5 (Webb).

12.e4! Bh3? [12...Rf8 followed by f5 was correct.]

13.Nxe7+ Nxe7 14.Be3 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 f5 Inconsistent. One suspects it's possible to undertake something positive on the q-side instead.

16.a4 a6 17.f3 Ra8 Not surprisingly, White now nets a small positional advantage.

18.b4 Nc6 19.Qb3 Qe6 20.Nc3 fxe4 21.fxe4 Ne7 22.c5 Qxb3 23.Rxb3 Rf8 24.b5 Rxf1 25.Kxf1 a5 Now 26.b6 or 26.c6 are unclear, but the simple exchange fixes the pawns. White's good bishop, together with the weaknesses a5, b7 and d6, give him a probable winning advantage (Webb).

26.cxd6! cxd6 27.Ke2 Kf7 28.Rb1 Ke6 29.Rf1 Rc8 30.Kd2 Bf6 31.g4! h5 White threatened Rf3-h3.

32.g5 Bh8 33.Bb6 d5! Trying to liberate his bishop.

34.Rc1 Ra8 35.Nd1 dxe4 36.dxe4 Nc8 37.Bc5! Nd6 38.Bxd6 Kxd6 39.Ne3 Bg7 40.Nd5 Rd8 41.Kd3 Bf8 42.Rc7 Rd7 43.Rc8 Rf7 44.b6 Kd7 45.Rc7+ Ke6 46.Rxf7 Kxf7 It's good knight versus not-so-bad bishop.

47.Kc4 Ba3 [Webb gives: 47...Ke6 48.Kb5 Kd6 49.Ne3! (49.Kxa5? Kc5)]

48.Kb5 Bc1 49.Kxa5 Bxg5 50.Kb5 Bh4 51.a5 Bf2 52.a6 bxa6+ 53.Kxa6 Bc5 [53...Bxb6 54.Kxb6 and White's king gets across the board in time.]

54.b7 Bd6 55.Kb6 Bb8 56.Nc7 g5 57.Na6 A very fine endgame judgement. 1-0