Boris Privman (USCF 2253) - Jim West (USCF 2201), Manhattan Chess Club 2/27/00
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 a5 6.Nf3 b6 7.O-O Bb7 8.Nc3 O-O 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 a4 11.b4 axb3 12.Qxb3 Ne4 13.Nd2 Nxd2 14.Bxd2 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Nc6 16.d5 Na5 17.Qd3 Qe7 18.Bb4 d6 19.e4 fxe 20.Qxe4 e5 21.f4 Nb3 22.Rae1 Nc5 23.Bxc5 bxc5
24.Re3 Qf6 25.Ref3 Qf5 26.Qxf5 Rxf5 27.fxe5 Rxf3 28.Rxf3 dxe5 29.Kf2 Ra4 30.Rc3 Kf7 31.Ke3 Ke7 32.Ke4 Kd6 33.g4 Ra8 34.h4 Rf8 35.Rf3 Ra8 36.h5 Ra4 37.Rc3 Ra6 38.g5 Ra4 39.Kf5 Ra8 40.Rf3 Ra4 41.Rc3 Ra8 42.h6 Rf8+ 43.Kg4 Rf4+ 44.Kg3 gxh6 45.gxh6 Rf6 46.a4 Rxh6 47.a5 Rg6+ 48.Kf3 Rf6+ 49.Ke3 c6 50.a6 cxd5 51.Ra3 d4+ 52.Ke2 Rf8 53.a7 Ra8 54.Ra6+ Kc7 55.Rh6 Rxa7 56.Rxh7+ Kb6 57.Rh6+ Ka5 58.Rh5 Kb4 59.Kd3 e4+ 60.Kxe4 Kxc4 61.Rh1 Re7+ 62.Kf3 Re3+ 63.Kf2 Kd3 64.Rd1+ Ke4 65.Rc1 Rc3 66.Re1+ Kd3 67.Rd1+ Kc4 68.Ke2 d3+ 69.Ke3 d2+ 70.Kxd2 Rd3+ 71.Ke2 Rxd1 72.Kxd1 Kb3 73.Kc1 Kc3 74.Kd1 Kb2 75.Kd2 c4 76.Kd1 c3 77.Ke2 c2 78.Kd3 c1=Q and wins.
Another plan is to allow the fianchetto of Black's queen bishop where it will "bite on granite" after White plays f3. In the following game, White's queenside castling looks too ambitious. Unfortunately, the game is decided by a time-pressure blunder.
Sam Barsky (USCF 2117) - Jim West (USCF 2210), Manhattan Chess Club 1/13/01
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Qc2 Bb4 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 Bb7 8.f3 O-O 9.e3 h6 10.Bh4 d6 11.Bd3 Nbd7 12.Bf2 a5 13.h4 a4 14.Ne2 Qe8 15.O-O-O Ne4 16.Qe1 Nxf2 17.Qxf2 e5
18.Nc3 Qf7 19.Qc2 f4 20.Nb5 fxe3 21.Nxc7 exd4 22.Bh7+ Kh8 23.Rxd4 Nc5 24.Nb5 Nb3+ 25.Kb1 Nxd4 26.Nxd4 Rfc8 27.Nb5 Qxc4 28.Nxd6 Qe6 29.Nxc8 Rxc8 30.Qd3 Bd5 31.Bf5 Bc4 32.Qe4 Qxe4+ 33.Bxe4 e2 34.g4 Rd8 35.Bc2 b5 36.Kc1 Bd3 37.Kb1 Kg8 38.Re1 Bc4 39.Kc1 Rf8 40.Be4 Rd8 41.g5 hxg5 42.hxg5 Rd6 43.Bc2 Kf7 44.f4 g6 45.Rh1 Ke7 46.Rh7+ Kf8 47.Rh1 Kg7 48.f5 gxf5 49.Bxf5 Bb3 50.Bc2 Rc6 51.Kd2 Rxc2+ 52.Ke3 Rxb2 and wins.
Many players as White will try a London system formation with bishops on f4 and d3 and with pawns on e3 and c3. Here is an example of Black's best response: a queenside fianchetto with a timely ...c5 and ...Nc6.
Ilye Figler (USCF 2331) - Jim West (USCF 2200), South Jersey Open 4/28/01
1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.Bf4 Nf6 4.e3 b6 5.Nbd2 Bb7 6.Bd3 c5 7.Qe2 Nc6 8.c3 cxd4 9.exd4 Be7 10.Nc4 O-O 11.Nd6 Qc7 12.Nxb7 Qxf4
13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.Qxe5 Qxe5 15.dxe5 Ng4 16.f4 Rab8 17.Nd6 Bxd6 18.exd6 Rbc8 19.Rd1 Ne3 20.Rd2 Nc4 21.Bxc4 Rxc4 22.Rf1 b5 23.a3 Rb8 24.Rf3 Rb6 25.g3 h5 26.Kf2 Kf7 27.h4 a5 28.Rfd3 b4 29.cxb4 axb4 30.b3 Rc5 31.a4 Ke8 32.Ke3, draw.
In the next game, White tries an early d5 and eventually reaches a slightly favorable position of better knight versus weaker bishop. But it gets ruined by kingside pawn moves that only create targets for Black.
Jay Bonin (USCF 2413) - Jim West (USCF 2210), Manhattan Chess Club 12/23/00
1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.d5 Bd6 4.e4 fxe4 5.Ng5 Nf6 6.dxe6 dxe6 7.Nc3 O-O 8.Bc4 Bb4 9.Qxd8 Rxd8 10.Bd2 Nc6 11.O-O-O h6 12.Ngxe4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Rd4 14.Bd3 Bxd2+ 15.Rxd2 Ne5 16.Nc5 b6 17.Re1 Nxd3+ 18.Nxd3 Bb7 19.f3 Re8 20.Ne5 Rxd2 21.Kxd2 g5
22.c4 Kg7 23.b4 h5 24.Kc3 Rd8 25.g3 Kf6 26.h4 gxh4 27.gxh4 Kf5 28.Nf7 Re8 29.Kd3 e5 30.Ke3 e4 31.f4 Rf8 32.Ne5 Rg8 33.c5 bxc5 34.bxc5 Rg3+ 35.Kd4 Ra3 36.c6 Ba6 37.Nd7 Kxf4 38.Nc5 e3 39.Ne6+ Kf3 40.Nxc7 e2 41.Nxa6 Rxa6 42.Kd5 Rxa2 43.Rc1 Rd2+ 44.Ke5 Rd1 45.Rc3+ Kf2 46.Rc2 Kf1 47.c7 e1=Q+ 48.Kf5 Rd5+ 49.Kf4 Qe5+, 0-1.
Finally, here is an unusual plan for White involving an early queen development and much pawn-grabbing. Black's pawn and piece sacrifices may not be sound, but they make for entertaining chess.
Fabio La Rota (USCF 2440) - Jim West (USCF 2215), New York Open 2000 5/7/00
1.d4 f5 2.Qd3 e6 3.g4 fxg4 4.h3 g3 5.Qg3 Qf6 6.Qxc7 Nc6 7.c3 d6 8.Bg2 Bd7 9.Qxb7 Rb8 10.Qa6 Nge7 11.Nd2 d5 12.e4 g6 13.Qe2 Bh6 14.exd5 exd5 15.Bxd5 Bxd2+ 16.Bxd2 Rxb2 17.Nf3 Qd6 18.Bb3 Rf8 19.Ne5 Nxd4 20.cxd4 Qxd4 21.Rd1 Rxf2
22.Bf7+ Rxf7 23.Nxf7 Qh4+ 24.Kf1 Bxh3+ 25.Rxh3 Qxh3+ 26.Kg1 Qg3+ 27.Kh1 Qh3+ 28.Kg1 Qg3+ 29.Kh1 Qh3+, draw.
{This article originally appeared in the Summer 2001 issue of Empire Chess}
