Enclosed is my first round game from the Fall Team Chess Classic in Woodbury. I had White in a Sicilian position where I felt I was equal or better, going into my 20th move. At that point, I was not sure where to move the attacked knight. My opponent Eric Wilkins (USCF 1741) and I (USCF 1431) looked at the position after the game. And he was not sure either; or he was not going to tell me. From move 20 on, things went downhill for me. I would like to know your idea of the best continuation for White. Was I wrong in thinking that White had a small edge? I would appreciate your opinion.
Anthony Bowden
Williamstown NJ
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The diagram occurs one move prior to the position you described, after 18...e6. Your move 19.g5 was not White's best, since after 19...Ng8 you probably had nothing better than 20.Nc3 Rfd8, with perhaps the small edge for White that you mentioned. You actually played 20.Nf6, but following 20...Nxf6 21.gxf6+ Kxf6 you could hardly play 22.Qxd6 and allow 22...Rfd8 23.e5+ Kg7 24.Qa3 Qe3. So you remained a pawn down and eventually lost.
Much sharper would have been 19.f5. Now 19...exd5 20.f6+ Kh8 21.Qxh6 Rg8 22.exd5 leaves White a pawn up after 22...Ne5. If instead Black tries to regain the pawn with 22...Nb4, he runs into trouble after 23.Qd2 Nxc2 24.Rac1 Ne3 25.Rxc8 Rxc8 (25...Nxf1 26.Rxg8+ Kxg8 27.Qh6 Ng3+ 28.Kg2 Nf5 29.gxf5) 26.Re1. Here, Black must lose material. For example, 26...Nc2 27.Qxc2. Or 26...Re8 27.Nd4. Finally, 26...Nc4 saves the knight but allows mate after 27.Qh6 Rg8 28.Re8.
After 19.f5, Black can decline the white knight and retreat his knight instead with 19...Ng8. But White wins material here, as well, following 20.fxe6 fxe6 21.Nf4 attacking both center pawns at once. And if Black tries 21...Nd8 hoping for 22.Qxd6 Rxc2, he gets crushed immediately by 22.Nh5+ gxh5 23.Qg5+ Kh8 24.Rxf8.
{This article originally appeared in Atlantic Chess News in 1990}
