Scottish Centenary Tournament

Last updated 22 February 2004

Sterud,E (2425) - Berta,M (2430) [D34]
SCCA-100, 1984
[Notes by John Hawkes]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 [6.Bg5 is tried from time to time, and Black is best with 6...Be7 (‹6...f6? ) 7.Bxe7 Ngxe7 8.e3 c4 ]

6...Nf6 7.Bg2 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.dxc5 Bxc5 [The celebrated Tarrasch Defences played by Dr Dyckhoff in the IFSB era were with the gambit: 9...d4 eg. Batik-Dyckhoff, 1930, which continued: 10.Na4 Bf5 11.Nh4 Be4 12.f3 Bd5 13.Nf5 Be6! 14.Nxe7+ Qxe7 15.Bg5 Bc4! 16.Re1 h6 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.b3 Ba6 19.Qd2 Rfe8 20.Nb2 Re3 21.Rac1 Rae8 22.Bf1 Ne5 23.f4 Ng4 24.Nc4 Bxc4 25.Rxc4 Qg6!! 26.Bg2 Nxh2! 27.Kxh2 Qxg3+ 28.Kg1 d3 29.Rc3 R8e6! 0-1.]

10.Bg5 d4 11.Ne4 [11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.Ne4 Qe7 13.Nxc5 Qxc5 14.Qd2 Bg4 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Rfe8 17.Rac1 Qb5! 18.b3 Rad8 19.Rc4 d3!= Vogele-Goldenberg, CC, 1984.]

11...Be7 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Rc1 Re8 14.Ne1 Be7 15.Nd3 Bf8 Black's undeveloped pieces are quite active where they stand. [15...Qb6 16.a3 Bg4 17.Re1 Rac8= (ECO)]

16.Qd2 a5 17.a3 a4 [ Berta eschews 17...Qb6 18.Nec5 Ne5~~ (ECO)]

18.Nec5 Qb6 19.Qc2 Qb5 [19...Ra5? 20.Nxa4+/- Nikolic-Gligoric, Niksic, 1983.]

20.Rfe1 [If now 20.Nxa4 Bf5 looks good, as does: (20...Rxa4! )]

20...Ne5 21.Nf4 Bxc5 22.Qxc5 Qxc5 23.Rxc5 d3! 24.Kf1 dxe2+ 25.Rxe2 f6 26.Rc7 Despite having rid himself of the runt q-pawn, Black still has problems, and needs to defend with extreme accuracy.

26...Rb8 27.Bd5+ Kf8 28.Be4 b6 29.Kg2 Ng6 30.Bxg6 Rxe2 31.Nxe2 hxg6 32.Nf4 Bf5 33.g4 With this, White tries hard to win.

33...Bxg4 34.Nxg6+ Kg8 35.Ne7+ Kh7 36.Rc4 This nets a pawn.

36...Bh5 [36...Bd7 37.Rh4# ]

37.Rxa4 Rb7 38.Nc8 Rb8 39.Rc4 Be2 40.Rc7 Ba6 41.Nd6 Bd3 42.Kf3 Kg6 43.Ke3 Bf1 44.f4 Bh3 45.Rc1 Kh5! 46.Rc3 g5 47.fxg5 fxg5 48.Kd4 Bd7 49.Rc7 Ba4 The normal bad boy of the QGD is certainly getting around in this particular game. But now White can exchange rooks, and things look desperate for Black.

50.Rc8 Rxc8 51.Nxc8 b5 52.Nd6 Kh4 53.Ke3 Bd1! 54.Nxb5 Kh3 55.Kd2 Bb3 56.Nd4 Bd5 57.b4 Kxh2 A choice example for Yuri's next update of "Bishop Endings".

58.b5 g4 59.Nf5 g3 60.Nxg3 Kxg3 61.Ke3 Bg2! 62.a4 Kg4 63.Kd4 Kf5 64.Kc5 Ke6 65.Kb6 And here White conceded the draw - a most instructive game. [65.Kb6 Kd6 66.Ka7 Kc5 67.Ka6 Kb4 68.a5 Bf1 completes the superb defensive play by the Yugoslav.] ½-½