Scottish Centenary Tournament

Last updated 22 February 2004

Webb,S (2550) - Sterud,E (2425) [D97]
SCCA-100, 1984
[Notes by John Hawkes]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Na6 If one is influenced by ECO, then Black cannot lose with this.

8.Be2 [Shortly before, Nesis-Sterud had gone: 8.Qa4 c5 9.d5 Qb6 10.Bxa6 bxa6 11.0-0 e6 12.Re1 Bb7 13.dxe6 Qxe6 14.Bf4 h6 (14...Rfe8 15.Nd2 Rad8 16.Qb3 Qg4 and Black played well to win in Justice-Kilgour, Olympiad Prelims.) 15.h3 Rfd8 16.Qb3 Qxb3 17.axb3 Nh5 18.Be3 Rac8 19.Nd2 Rd3 20.Rac1 Bd4 21.Nc4 Bxe3 22.Rxe3 Rxe3 23.fxe3! Rd8 24.e5 Rd3 25.Kf2 Bc6 26.Ra1 Bb5 27.Ra5! Bxc4 28.bxc4 Rd2+ 29.Kf3 Rxb2 30.Rxc5 Rb8 31.Rc7 Ng7 32.Rxa7 Ne6 33.Ne4+- 1-0 in 45.]

8...c5 9.d5 e6 10.0-0 [Bouwmeester-Staal, CC, 1978, went: 10.Bg5 with the Dutch GM trying the exciting long castling plan. Play continued: 10...exd5 11.Nxd5 Be6 12.0-0-0 Bxd5 13.Rxd5 Qc7 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.e5 Be7 16.Rhd1 Rad8 17.Qa4 Rxd5 18.Rxd5 Nb8 19.Qxa7 Nd7 20.Qa3 Nb6= ]

10...exd5 11.exd5 Bf5 [ Black also has 11...Re8 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bf4 Bf5 14.Rad1 Ne4 15.Bd3 Nd6 16.Bxd6 Bxd3 17.Rxd3 Qxd6 18.Nd2 Qd7! 19.Nde4 b5! netting two minor pieces for rook and pawn, and a satisfactory game in Itin-Kwiatkovskaya, Evrard Delannoy Cup Final.]

12.Bf4 Qb6 The specialist in this line, GM Gavrikov, prefers this logical move. [12...Re8 13.Rad1 Ne4 14.Bd3 Bxc3 15.bxc3 b5 16.Qxb5 Nxc3! 17.Qxa6 Bxd3 18.Qxd3 Ne2+ 19.Kh1 Nxf4 20.Qc4 Qd6= Itin-Laue, CC, 1975, an important reference game.]

13.Be5 Qb4 14.a3 [14.Rad1!? (ECO)]

14...Qxc4 15.Bxc4 Rfd8 [The other rook was selected in Hybl-Estrin, VI World Championship. The rare finish is good enough reason to give the whole score: 15...Rad8 16.Rfe1 Ne8 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Bxa6 bxa6 19.Re7 Nf6 20.Rxa7 Nxd5 21.Na4 Rb8 22.Rc1 Nf4 23.Rxc5 Nd3 24.Rc2 Rfc8 25.Rxc8 Rxc8 26.h3 Rc1+ 27.Kh2 Rc2 28.Ng5 Rxf2 29.Nxf7 Ne1 30.Kg1 Rc2 31.Nd6+ Kf6 32.Nxf5 gxf5 33.Rxa6+ Ke5 34.Ra5+ Kf4 35.Rc5 Rd2 36.Rc4+ Kg3 0-1. White cannot prevent mate, eg. 37.Rc3+ Nd3 38.Kf1 Kh2! ]

16.Rfe1 Ne8 17.h3 h5? [>=17...Bxe5 (Webb)]

18.Bf4 Kf8 19.Bg5! Beginning a process of harrassment which ends up with White having the bishop pair against two knights, and a clear advantage.

19...Rd7 20.Bb5 Rc7 21.Bf4 Rcc8 22.Nh4 Nac7 23.Nxf5 gxf5 24.Be2 Bxc3 25.bxc3 Nxd5 26.Bh6+ Kg8 27.Bxh5? After this inaccuracy, White has to play very energetically to avoid loss in the ending should his attack fail. [27.Bf3 wins comfortably (Webb).]

27...Nxc3 28.Re7 Nd6 29.Bf4 Nce4 30.f3 Nf6 First point. Gaining the tempo, Black can stay cohesive.

31.g4!? [White can choose to bail out with: 31.Bxd6 Nxh5 32.Rxb7 and a drawn ending.]

31...Nfe8 32.gxf5 Rc6 33.Kh1 Rd8 34.Rd1 Kf8 35.Re5 Nf6 36.Bh6+ Kg8 37.Rg1+ Kh7 38.Bg5 Nc4 39.Re7! Sacrificing the bishop secures the draw. Black still has to play accurately to avoid losing (Webb).

39...Nxh5 40.Rxf7+ Kg8 41.Rxb7 Re8 42.Be7+ Kh8 43.Rg5 Rh6! [43...Nf4? 44.f6 Nd6 45.Rd7 wins (Webb).]

44.Bxc5 Nf6 45.Bd4 Ne5 46.Kg2 Nc6 47.Bc3 Re2+ 48.Kf1 Re3 49.Rf7 White must take the draw by Rf8 and Rf7+ (Webb). ½-½