Irish Chess Union All Play All 2020: Game 7

Written July 2021

This game comes from the first ever over-the-board tournament I played, in January 2020. It was game seven of nine in a five-day all-play-all, two games a day with one bye. Time control was 75 minutes plus 30 seconds a move, and this one lasted almost three hours.

Step through the moves on the board above, or open the game on Lichess. For blindfold practice, paste that link into PGN Speak and listen to it instead.

White: Damian Evans · Black: Ciaran O’Reilly · Result: 1–0 · Caro-Kann Defence, Two Knights Attack

I now play 1. d4, but at the time it was 1. e4 every game. My theory was next to nothing, but I like to think I could avoid most early traps in the Italian and Spanish.

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4 4. d3 I had no idea how to play against the Caro-Kann, and d3 certainly isn’t an aggressive response. My plan was just to support e4 and get a solid centre.

4… e6 5. a3 To avoid an annoying Bb4.

5… Nf6 6. Be2 Be7 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Qc7 9. O-O O-O 10. Ne2 From here on, the position had never been seen on Lichess.

10… Nbd7 11. b3 Rfd8 12. Bb2?! Ne5 Bb2 looks fine, but it allows 12… dxe4, winning a pawn (13. dxe4 Nc5 14. Qc1 Nfxe4).

13. Bxe5 Qxe5 14. d4 Qc7 15. e5 Nd7 The engine says the game is even, but it feels comfortable for White, to me at least.

16. Qd3 c5 17. c3 Rdc8 18. Bg4 c4 19. bxc4 Qxc4 20. Qg3 Rc6 21. Rfc1 Attacking straight away with f4 would have been better than defending.

21… f6? 22. Nf4 At this point I was choosing between Nf4 and exf6. After maybe ten minutes I decided on exf6, and my hand promptly came out and played Nf4. I couldn’t believe it. I muttered some frustrated words and left the room for a minute to swear, thinking I’d thrown it away. When I came back Black hadn’t moved, and when I looked again I realised everything was still fine. Going through the game with an engine that night, this was where I got the advantage: exf6 Bxf6 wouldn’t have given me anything, while after Nf4 the engine gives White over +2, though it’s a complicated position.

22… f5? My unintended display of frustration may have put my opponent off. He told me afterwards that while I was out of the room he spent a while looking for the blunder I seemed to think I’d made. Either way, f5 is a mistake, because it allows Be2. Black’s queen then has nowhere to go but a4, which sets up a possible Bb5 forking queen and rook. Otherwise Black has to allow Rb7 and complete penetration into his position.

23. Be2 Qa4 24. Rcb1 a6 Apparently 24… Rb6 is best, but after 25. Nxe6 (threatening mate on g7) Rxe6 26. Bb5 Qa5 27. Bxd7 White wins a piece.

25. Rxb7 Rd8 26. Rc7 Bf8 Protecting g7, since 26… Rxc7 loses to 27. Nxe6.

27. Rb7 Qa5 Black’s position is falling apart. g7 is under heavy pressure, the light-squared bishop is eyeing the a2-g8 diagonal, and almost every Black move seems to weaken something.

28. c4 Nxe5 Black gives up the knight to try to push the attack back. 28… Rb6 would have held better.

29. cxd5 dxe5 would have been better, because of Rc3.

29… exd5 30. dxe5 g6 31. Qh4 h5 32. Bxh5 Everyone loves a bishop sacrifice, right?

32… gxh5 And it’s mate in seven.

33. Qg5+ Kh8 34. Ng6+ Kg8 35. Ne7+ Kf7 Black resigned here, but it could have finished 36. Qxh5+ Kg7 37. Nxf5+ Kg8 38. Qh7#.

My coach Marko Makaj called this (especially after Nf4) at least a 2100 game. I got lucky with my hand playing a different move from the one I’d chosen, but I converted the advantage well and was really pleased with it. Ciaran and I had a great post-mortem too. My best over-the-board game up to that date.