Scottish Centenary Tournament

Last updated 22 February 2004

Vukcevic,B (2495) - Povah,N (2475) [B33]
SCCA-100, 1984
[Notes by John Hawkes]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 [Weak now is: 8.Be3 a6 9.Na3 Rb8! 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Ne7= ]

8...a6 9.Na3 b5 10.Bxf6 [Sorensen played: 10.Nd5 Be7 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.c3 and came out with a preferable position after: 12...0-0 13.Nc2 Rb8 14.Be2 Bg5 15.0-0 g6 16.Kh1 f5 17.exf5 gxf5 18.f4 Bh6 19.g3 Bg7 20.Bf3 e4 21.Bg2 soon getting in the thematic loosener g3-g4.]

10...gxf6 11.Nd5 f5 12.Bxb5!? axb5 13.Nxb5 Qa5+ Black chooses a move well known to him, having played it against Berg at Wijk an Zee back in 1979. [In the theoretical dustbin, one can find: 13...Qg5 ; plus 13...Ra7 ; and 13...Ra4 where the Hungarian Szilagyi has been especially hard: 14.c4 Qa5+ 15.b4 Rxb4 16.0-0 Rxb5 17.cxb5 Nd4 18.Qh5 Be6 19.Nf6+ Kd8 20.b6 Szilagyi-Sergyan, CC, 1980.]

14.c3 Qa4 The first subtlety. [14...Kd8 15.a4! threatening 16.b4]

15.Nbc7+!? Following an ECO sub-note. [The Wijk game had gone: 15.Ndc7+ Kd8 16.Qd5 Rb8 17.Qxc6 Bd7 18.Ne6+ fxe6 19.Qc7+ Ke7 20.Qxd6+ Kf6 21.Qxb8 Qxe4+ 22.Kf1 Qd3+ 23.Kg1 Bxb5-+ ]

15...Kd8 16.Nxa8 Qxa8 17.Nb6 [Another OTB experience, Knoppert-Povah, Ramsgate, 1984, went: 17.0-0 fxe4 18.Nb6 Qb7 19.Nxc8 Qxc8 20.Qd5 f5 21.a4! with a coherent game for White, who won in 31.]

17...Qa6 18.Nxc8 Kxc8 19.Qd5 ECO stops here, giving unclear.

19...Ne7 20.Qxf7 Qd3 Stops 0-0-0.

21.Qe8+ Kc7 22.Qa4 Bh6 23.Rd1 Qxe4+ 24.Qxe4 fxe4 An interesting proposition. White: pawns in good shape but lacking development; Black: mobile central pawn mass and all his pieces active.

25.Ke2 Ra8 26.Ra1 Rb8 27.Rab1 Nd5 28.Rhe1 Nb6 29.b3[] Nd5 30.Kf1 White has sorted himself out, but the rooks are passive and Black has the initiative.

30...e3 31.Rb2 Rf8 32.c4 Nb4 33.Rd1 e4 Forcing White to shed a pawn.

34.f3 exf3 35.gxf3 Rxf3+ 36.Kg2 Rf6 37.a3 Nc6 38.b4 Rg6+ 39.Kf1 Ne5 40.c5 After this, the White pawns lose their menace, as White, unfortunately for him, cannot pin.

40...dxc5 41.bxc5 Nc4 42.Rb4 Rf6+ 43.Ke1 Nd2 44.Ke2 Rf2+ 45.Kd3 Rxh2 46.c6 Nf3 47.Re4 Bg5 And White must give up more material.

48.Rxe3 Bxe3 49.Kxe3 Ne5 50.Kf4 Rh5 51.Rc1 Nd3+ 52.Kg4 Rc5 53.Rf1 [White cannot exchange because of: 53.Rxc5 Nxc5 54.Kh5 Ne6 55.Kh6 Nf8 and the knight is untouchable.]

53...Kxc6 54.Kh4 Kd5 55.Kg5 Rc6 56.a4 Ke4 57.Rb1 Rg6+ 58.Kh4 Rg2 59.a5 Kf4 60.Kh3 Ra2 61.Rb7 Nf2+ 62.Kh4 Ne4 63.Rf7+ Ke5 64.Rb7 Kf5! 65.Rf7+ Nf6 66.Ra7 Ra4+ 67.Kh3 h5 68.a6 Ra3+ 69.Kh4 Kf4 70.Ra8 Ra2 71.Kh3 Nh7! Threatening mate and covering f8. This was Black's last game to finish, and with it he secured his last GM norm. 0-1