Scottish Centenary Tournament

Last updated 22 February 2004

Bryson,D (2575) - Webb,S (2550) [B69]
SCCA-100, 1984
[Notes by Douglas Bryson]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 Bd7 9.f4 Be7 10.Nf3 b5 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.f5 Qb6 13.Kb1 0-0-0 14.g3 Ne5!? [I had intended to follow Matulovic-Mednis, Informator 32/275, but Black varies first with this move, which gets a ! in "Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer" by Harding and Markland. Mednis played: 14...Kb8 ]

15.Nd4 h5 16.Bh3 Ng4 17.fxe6 fxe6 18.Bxg4 hxg4 19.Nf5! The book ended with Black's 16th, but White's 19th suggests that he has won the opening.

19...Bf8 [19...exf5 20.Nd5 and White recovers the piece with a fine position.]

20.Nxd6+ Bxd6 21.Qxd6 Qxd6 22.Rxd6 Kc7 23.Rhd1! Much better than retreating the Rd6. Now when Black recovers his pawn on h2, he will have the Bd7 pinned.

23...b4! 24.Ne2 e5 Stops the knight coming to f4. White now has to spend a lot of time to get this piece to a good square.

25.Nc1 Rxh2?! [Simon thought the move played was too risky and that he should have tried: 25...Bc6 26.Rxd8 Rxd8 27.Rxd8 Kxd8 28.Nd3 a5 29.Nf2 Bd7 which he thought might be drawn with best play.]

26.b3! [A difficult decision to take away the obvious square for the knight, but 26.Nb3 Rhh8 27.Nc5 Bc8 leads nowhere.; 26.Rxa6 Ba4!! ]

26...Rh3 27.R1d5 Rxg3 28.Nd3 Rf3 [28...Rg1+ was the only move I considered when: 29.Kb2 g3 30.Nxb4 g2 31.Nxa6+ Kc8? (31...Kb7 32.Rxd7+ Kxa6 33.Rxd8 Rb1+ 34.Kxb1 g1Q+ 35.Kb2 and the two rooks are better than the queen.) 32.Rb6 Rb1+ 33.Ka3 g1Q 34.Rb8# ]

29.Nxb4 a5 30.Na6+ Kb7 31.Rc5! [31.Rc5 g3 32.Rc7+ Ka8 33.Nc5 and White wins because of the threat of: 33...g2 34.Ra6+ Kb8 35.Rb7+ Kc8 36.Ra8# ] 1-0