You are here: Home Archives Ulster Chronicles 2016-2017 Season UCU Web 2016 Belfast South tournament: Two more best game prizes awarded

Belfast South tournament: Two more best game prizes awarded

There was so much great chess played in the post-Christmas portion of this season's BSCC Open that the organisers have decided to award not one but two best game prizes.

With so many great games being played at Belfast South's Monday night tournament, the club have decided to award two best game prizes for the post-Christmas period; one to Norman McFarland for his display of coolness under intense time pressure against Robert Lavery in round 13, and the other to Mikhail Pavlov for his fantastic attacking performance against the same opponent in round 16.

Robert Lavery 0-1 Norman McFarland (round 13)

(click here to play through the full game)

Lavery-McFarland

We join the action after Black's 36th move. With an advanced passed pawn and just seconds on his opponent's clock, White should win. But instead, complacency begins to creep into his play:

37 b6?

This allows a perpetual check: 37 ... Rh2 38 Re1+ Kf3 39 Rf1+ Rf2 40 Rxf2+ Kxf2 41 c3 Rd3+ 42 Kc2 Rd2+ 43 Kb1 Rd1+ 44 Kb2 Rd2+ 45 Kc1 Re2+ 46 Kb1 Re1+ 47 Kb2 Re2+, and so on. 37 Kc1 would have kept White out of trouble.

37 ... Kf3

Objectively - according to Stockfish - Black can still draw, but in practice it's prohibitively difficult; it took Stockfish about a minute to find the drawing line. (38 b7 Rd2+ 39 Kc1 Rh2+ 40 Kb2 Rxh1 41 b8=Q Rgg1 42 Qf8+ Kg2 43 Rxb4 Bd2 44 c3 Bxc3+ 45 Kxc3 Rc1+ 46 Kd3 Rhd1+ 47 Ke3 Re1+ 48 Kd3 Red1+)

38 b7 Rgg2?

Now, 39 Rh3+ is a clear win for White as 39 ... Kf4 allows the White king to escape to safety via c1. Instead:

39 Bh3??

But does Black even have enough time to capitalise on this error?

39 ... Rd2+!

He does.

40 Kc1 Rxc2+ 41 Kd1

Or 41 Kb1 Rb2+ 42 Ka1 Ra2+ 43 Kb1 Rgb2#.

41 ... Rgd2+ 42 Ke1 Bh4+!

The crucial move White missed when playing his 39th, instead expecting 42 ... Re1+ 43 Kf1 Rf2+ 44 Kg1 when Black has no good checks left.

43 Kf1 Rd1#

Black delivered mate with just eight seconds to spare.

Mikhail Pavlov 1-0 Robert Lavery (round 16)

(click here to play through the full game)

Pavlov-Lavery

White wastes no time in sacrificing material to break up Black's Kingside:

22 Bxh6 Bxf2+

Black fights fire with fire.

23 Kxf2 Ne4+ 24 Kg1 gxh6

It now looks like Black has the situation under control, but he had reckoned without another sacrifice from White:

25 Rxe4! dxe4 26 Qxe4

Black will now either be mated on h7 or suffer ruinous material loss.

26 ... Qf5 27 Qc4+ 1-0

Navigation
News
Childrens Chess continued on February 11th 2023 at Methodist College February 11th saw top young chess players gather at Methodist College to play some top chess. The afternoon consisted of... Mar 04, 2023
FIDE rating report - March 2023 15 players gained new FIDE ratings in the March 2023 list. Feb 28, 2023
Ladies Day with WIM Trisha Report A report by Karina Campbell We were lucky to get back to Greenisland FC Chess Club where it all started. On Sunday 26th... Feb 27, 2023
March and April programming at Bangor Chess Club Feb 23, 2023
Hanzharov wins FIDE-rated City of Bangor Winter Blitz "Fast Eddie" blitzes the opposition at Groomsport Parish Hall Feb 18, 2023
More news…
« March 2023 »
March
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
Upcoming Events
FIDE Rated U1800 Groomsport Classic 2023 Groomsport Classic returns with 5 rounds over 2 days, Thursday 30th March and Saturday 1st April Mar 30, 2023 - Apr 01, 2023 — Church of Ireland Groomsport Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR
Irish Junior Chess Championships 2023 Mar 31, 2023 - Apr 02, 2023 — Coláiste Éanna, Hillside Park, Ballyroan, Rathfarnham, D16E248
Children's Chess - Methody The monthly schools chess tournaments continues at Methodist College. Apr 01, 2023 12:30 AM - 05:00 PM — Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast BT9 6BY
FIDE Rated Ulster Rapidplay Championship 2023 This year's Ulster Rapidplay will be held at Bangor Chess Club on Saturday 15th April 2023. Apr 15, 2023 09:30 AM - 05:00 PM — Church of Ireland Groomsport Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR
FIDE Rated King Charles III Coronation Blitz Apr 27, 2023 07:30 PM - 10:15 PM — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR, Northern Ireland
Upcoming events…