Tactics: Trapped, Not Trapped
This week's Canadian Tactic comes from the 99th BC Closed Championship.
The Black Queen is short of safe squares. Can White take advantage of this?
Not this way...
Spoiler: Highlight to view
22.Ra1?
Defending the escape square on a4 is perfectly reasonable, but it actually gives up most of White's advantage.
Can you find Black's saving move after 22.Ra1? Answer at the end.
White has two strong continuations:
Second best:
22.Qc1 is good, but not nearly as simple: 22...Qxa4? 23.Ra1 Qb3 24.Ra3+-Spoiler: Highlight to view
22...Bd7 23.c4 Qxa4 24.Ra1 Qc6 25.Be4 Qd6 26.Bb7+/-.
The best move is:
Spoiler: Highlight to view
22.Qb2!+-:
22...Qxa4 23.Ra1+- and it turns out a4 isn't really an escape square.
22... Bxa4 23.c4 Qg5 24.Nxg6 Qd8 25.Ne5+- The Queen got away, but at the cost of a shattered kingside and minor pieces that have no way to get across to help.
The game continued:
22.Ra1? Nb8? 23.c4+- Qa6 24.d5! Nxd5 25.c5 Qb7 26.c6 Nxc6 27.dxc6 Qxc6 28.Qxc6 Bxc6. 25.cxd5 Bxd5 26.Bxa6 (26.Nxd5 transposes.) 26...Rxc2 27.Nxd5 White has three pieces hanging, but Black can take only one at a time. 27...exd5 28.Bb5 (only move) Re6 29.Bf4 Nc6 30.Rac1 Rc5 31.Rxc5 Simplest, White trades pieces before blockading the pawns. Black resigned on move 50. So how could Black have saved himself after 22.Ra1? Breaking in the center would save the game: 22...e5 (only move) 23.c4 Nb4 (Only move, saving the Qa5 with a gain of tempo on White's Queen. Avoiding this tempo is the reason moving the Q before playing c4 was best.) 24.Qb1 and Black is fine after ...exf4 or ...Nca6. Spoiler: Highlight to view
24...Bd7 25.c5 Qb7 26.c6 and Black has to give up a piece for two pawns.
24...Ba8 is another way to give a piece for two pawns,
The game John Doknjas - Butch Villavieja, 99th BC Closed, Victoria, 2014.10.12, and others from the BC Closed will be featured in the next issue of Chess Canada, the CFC's online newsletter.