Irish Championship 2018

cdeb

Checkmate on board 1 - Lopez beats Moran.

Not a finish which was expected, I'd say.

namenotavailablE

Is there an official result yet for Li-O'Gorman, board 8? Clocks appear to have stopped and Black has a won game.

cdeb

Carroll picks up another pawn against Daly; three pawns and a rook for two pieces now. Surely Peter just needs to avoid any knight forks/bishop pins to win now?

namenotavailablE

Agreed. He's looking very good in that game.
I think White's 39th move was probably an error- he seemed to get very tied up after the K-side pawns advanced 'for free' to h4/g5.

namenotavailablE

Any status on board 9 (Brady-Cafolla) after Black played 24..Nf7? The clocks on my screen have stopped.

namenotavailablE

Board 5- Sam Collins beats Gordon Freeman

cdeb

Similar problem on 10, but I presume white has won, having just won a piece.

I wonder are the players just not putting their kings on the required centre squares to indicate the end of the game?

cdeb

I think Carroll might have lost an exchange now; his rook has nowhere safe to go.

Can he nab the fourth pawn and try win with R+4 v R+B?

cdeb

Actually, if 57. ... RdxP 58. BxR RxB, it's R+4 v R+N, which is an improvement.

Is there better for black?

namenotavailablE

Yes- I missed the Nc4 possibility in my intended Rd2 line so it looks like he has to take the exchange sac.

None of this would have happened if instead of Kd6 he had played Kb8

cdeb

He's gone for the ending with the bishop instead anyway.

Even 56. ... Kd7 looked fine; just keep the king off the opposite colour as the knight to avoid forks.

He'll be nervous now!

namenotavailablE

Round 9- at the time of this post, just 3 boards remain in play: Board 2 (Collins-O'Donnell), Board 3 (Baburin-Jessel) and Board 9 (Fox-Li)

I'm curious about the following positions in each of the above:

Board 2, move 42 White to play- why not Rxf5? Surely there is nothing for White to worry about with the black pawn on a3 e.g. 42. ..a2; 43. Ra5 and then what can Black play? It seems absolutely advantageous for white- anyone enlighten me as to the line of play?

Board 3- I'd assume that at move 55 this is a draw? Baburin might want to probe a bit but is there anything?

Board 9, move 55, Black to play- was 55..Rb1 not pretty much decisive? The threat is Rxf1+ Kxf1 d2 + and a queen results. White can try 56. Qd2 but 56 ..e3! seems to win again- if 57. fxe3 Qf7; 58. Qf2/g2 and the rook sacrifice on f1 (if necessary after playing Qxf2) again wins. if capturing the e3 pawn with the Queen the first line follows.

By the way- credit to Colm Daly for 'The Great Escape' yesterday although I suspect he'd need to acknowledge the assistance of some rather dubious moves by his opponent (around moves 56, 66 and 69). No such luck for him today though.

eclipsechaser

IM norm for David Murray. Fantastic result.

macelligott

The second year in succession where an IM Norm has been achieved. An excellent championship - congratulations to Alex Lopez on a splendid result. I hope that next year the ICU can again run a great championship.

Retd.LoyolaCpt

macelligott wrote: »

The second year in succession where an IM Norm has been achieved. An excellent championship - congratulations to Alex Lopez on a splendid result. I hope that next year the ICU can again run a great championship.

Was hoping for two If I’m around, I’d be disappointed not to surpass this year. 40 is achievable in the championship

ComDubh

Absolutely fabulous result for Lopez. It's funny -- traditionally 7/9 wins the Irish, and it would have sufficed for Lopez this year as well. But scoring 8/9 is phenomenal in such a strong field. I'm guessing that his TPR of 2641 is the highest ever in an Irish? Delighted also to see Dave Murray achieving an IM norm. He's been improving steadily the last few years.

sodacat11

Congratulations to Alex Lopez and David Murray for two really remarkable results. I don't know which is the more praiseworthy, a smooth classy grandmasterly canter to the title by Alex or the Leicester City type achievement by David to get an I.M norm off a modest 2149 rating in what was probably the strongest ever Irish Championship.
Overall the Championship was a resounding success. The venue was excellent even allowing for the wedding reception right outside the window on the Saturday afternoon and the occasional noisy keep fit class going on nearby. The sight of numerous scantily dressed young women parading around more than made up for the inconvenience. Having the tournament in August rather than the traditional second week of July has also been a hugely successful switch. And the ICU procuring some elite players and advertising their participation so well in advance was also a big factor in attracting such a healthy and strong field. I enjoyed the tournament so much that my bugbear about unqualified participants (although still perfectly correct) was soon forgotten. I am glad though that I didn't have to play any of them, particularly Peter Carroll whose 2253 RP was a remarkable performance for a 1794 rated player. I'm sure though that the big guns who lost a stack of rating points against him will be supporting my motion at the AGM to restrict the tournament to 1900s in the future.
Ivan Baburin is an excellent Controller. He goes about his business quietly and efficiently and always with a smile. (The fact that he supplied me with free toffees during the tournament has in no way influenced me to say this). The one occasion where perhaps Ivan should have intervened though was when the dastardly Eamon Keogh stole my water bottle during our ninth round game and proceeded to empty its contents into his plastic cup claiming that I had emptied the water cooler in the first place and caused a drought. I shall of course be reporting the whole incident to FIDE and possibly the Gardai in due course.
Last but not least we must acknowledge the outstanding performance by Retd.Loyola Capt in winning the tipster competition against stern, and often hostile, opposition . I'm not sure if the Retd stands for retired or retarded but either way it was a masterly performance and one that will be rewarded with a trophy in due course.I am not sure yet who will be getting the wooden spoon (possibly Tim) but no doubt Cdeb will publish the final league table soon.
Irish chess is probably in the healthiest state it has ever been. I am already looking forward to the new season.

namenotavailablE

This is the position on board 1, round 9 after Alex Lopez played 27..Rc4.



Conor Murphy declined the exchange sacrifice by opting for 28. Rxc4 rather than 28. Nxc4. Alex went on to win.

While 28. Nxc4 would allow 28..Qxg4+, it isn't evident how the Black attack would continue (the b6 Bishop would be en-prise and there doesn't seem to be anything decisive after 29. Kf1).

Anyone with a chess program willing to analyse the position?

ComDubh

Not bothering with a computer, but 28..Qxg4+ 29. Kf1 Bd3+ 30. Ke1 dxc4 and the Bb6 is safe because of ...Qe2 mate. It looks awful for White, no counterplay and horrifically weak white squares and a King with no safe home. I agree this could be analysed further though!

namenotavailablE

But continuing that (admittedly unpleasant) position:

31. Kd2!? and there seems to be a possibility of a dash to safety. For example, if 31..Qe2+; 32. Kc3 and if Queens are exchanged it looks holdable for white? Definitely worth computer analysis, however.

ComDubh

Qe2+ looks pointless. No way Black is leaving Queens come off. My first thought is to try to reroute the dark-squared bishop to b4.

namenotavailablE

Agreed that Qe2+ does nothing so something else is sensible. The question is: what works?

Re-routing the bishop seems to give White the 'time factor' bonus- this may eliminate the ability of the bishop to reach b4. For example, 31.. Bc7; 32. Qxb7 Bd6; is met with 33.Qa8+ and Qxa5. White seems OK.

I can't see returning the black Queen to defend the bishop working either- 31..Qe6; 32. d5! Bxe3+; 32. Kxe3 Qxd5; 33. Qd4 Qg5+ (no point exchanging Queens); 34. f4 and white is probably still OK. EDIT: 32. d5 is nonsense....

Silicon monsters would solve it in nano-seconds!

ComDubh

OK, so Fritz goes 31.. Bd8! (Bc7 allows White perp.) 32. Qxb7 Qe2+ 33. Kc3 Qa2 34. Qb2 (if 31... Bc7, Qc8+ would be a draw) Qxa4 and Fritz prefers Black (-0.5). I certainly prefer to be Black here!

namenotavailablE

That seems good for Black and I'd also prefer the Black side of the deal. White would even lose if trying Qd6+

33..Qa2 is a hard move to visualise.

Thanks for the analysis!

Tim Harding

I looked at this with Stockfish9 (which is not only free but one of the strongest engines around) and it comes up with the same line based on ...Bd8 and ...Qxa2. Black is running no risk and if he's also the stronger reply he will most likely win in the end. White has to grovel and sometimes find "only" moves: 28 Nxc4 Qg4+ 29 Kf1 Bd3+ (or dxc4 first as above, making White use more time instead of forcing the reply) 30 Ke1 Bd3 31 Kd2 (31 Rd1 Kh7 is maybe not quite as bad for White as your line.) 31...Bd8! 32 Qxb7 Qe2+ 33 Kc3 Qa2 (not hard to see: wins a pawn) 34 Qb2 Qxa4+ (threatening ...Be7-b4+) 35 Ra1 (forced) 35...Qd7 and now it's time to form a new plan after pocketing the second passed pawn.

It's not clear that Murphy's 28 Rxc4 was any worse than Nxc4; he probably judged that his centralised knight was better than the rook. It was his follow-up 29 Qb5 which lost by force. After a better move, Black has an edge with the better practical chances and of course to be outright first Alex Lopez did not actually need to win this game anyway.

In general, I don't think this type of public discussion with long variations serves any great purpose. I suggest namenotavailabl follows commentary on the Sinquefield Cup online at chess24 from this weekend; even the Saint Louis blitz tonight and tomorrow (starting 7pm) could be fun and instructive.

mikhail

Tim Harding wrote: »

In general, I don't think this type of public discussion with long variations serves any great purpose.

We're discussing the national championships of a backwater in a modestly popular passtime. None of this serves any purpose beyond mild diversion.

Tim Harding

mikhail wrote: »

We're discussing the national championships of a backwater in a modestly popular passtime. None of this serves any purpose beyond mild diversion.

What I meant was that it serves little purpose for a (presumably) relatively low-rated player to ask somewhat more experienced players to turn on their computers for him.
A couple of us did it out of mild curiosity but really the position in question wasn't extraordinary enough to justify the time and effort and there is more to be learned from watching top GM games.

namenotavailablE

I have to respectfully suggest that there was zero obligation on any experienced player to actually turn on their computer. I'd like to acknowledge the contributions by the respondents. I hope that they gained something from their posts.

As for the assertion that publicly discussing variations serves any great purpose- I'd guess it's a matter of opinion. I reckon it facilitates an extension of ones knowledge or understanding of a position or series of moves. Certainly, I'd subscribe to the study of variations/ tactical positions/ motifs as a rather useful activity. Watching top GM games certainly has a value but I'd hold that playing through them afterwards and questioning the 'what ifs' is extremely valuable from a learning perspective.

Regarding my playing strength- certainly, I haven't played in many years so am not in any particular ranking. However, as a demonstration of what I spotted, I refer to my post #263 and the comment regarding Round 9, Board 9, move 55. I don't see a refutation to my proposed move (..Rb1) which wasn't played by the black side in the game and which seems to win rapidly. Perhaps my tactical ability is not entirely on the floor.

Anyway- I'll bow out from any further discussion of variations from games from the 2018 Irish Championship.

cdeb

I should just add as a moderator here that I don't see any value in suggesting that certain things can or can't be discussed on the forum

ComDubh

namenotavailabl wrote: »

Anyway- I'll bow out from any further discussion of variations from games from the 2018 Irish Championship.

Only if you want to! I mean, most of the discussion here is wasted hot air, and though I count as a strong player (in an Irish context) I certainly enjoyed engaging with the position you posted and had some further comments on it.

sodacat11

While discovering the absolute "truth" in any position is undoubtedly useful it should not be forgotten that sometimes the "best" move in any position is not the computer recommendation. In a live game between two humans many other factors come into play and sometimes the move a computer gives is only useful if you are able to follow it up with a lot more computer moves.

ComDubh

@namenotavailabl, Sodacat is exactly right. The computer evaluation isn't so relevant in practical play. The position after the exchange sac looks very promising for Black, but that's not enough reason to play the move. There are tactics to be worked out as well, and I'm sure Alex saw the line with Qxa2, which looks really hard for White to play.

namenotavailablE

I agree- the psychology of a human-v-human game is never replicated by playing against a computer. A computer 'doesn't sweat, squirm or blush'. You can't hear the crack of the computer's 'spirit breaking'. We've all got away with (or been the victim of) second-and third-rate moves because our opponent (or ourselves) couldn't unravel the complexities of a particular position.

If there's no objection, I'll post a few screen grabs of particular positions from the championship which I found interesting and had alternative moves in mind or from positions in which I haven't a sure path to take. If anyone would like to comment about any such position, feel free to do so but - as per above- there is zero obligation to do so.

Also: if a mod wants to relocate the screen grabs to a separate thread, that's fine with me too.

namenotavailablE

Position 1:



White played 44. Nd5+ and went on to lose. The array of discovered check possibilities makes this 'one of those positions' that would be complex to analyse in OTB play.
I am wondering if 44. Nh5+ might draw. I tried 44. Ne8+ but think it loses. However, I suspect that Black can probably wriggle out.

If interested in further discussion, we can do so below.

namenotavailablE

Position 2:



White played 44. Ra6+ and the game was eventually drawn.

I am interested in the possibilities after 44. Rc7. The immediate threat is Ra6 with mate but there is also the possibility of doubling on the 7th rank and mating on e7. This second possibility seems to be escapable at material cost however if Black can move the pawn currently on d5.
Obviously, you'd need to evaluate the capture of the Bishop with check but I don't think Black has the time to capture- again, feel free to disabuse me of my misconception!

Some lines after 44. Rc7:

(a) ..Rxg3+; 45. Kh2 and the above mating threats seem unstoppable.
(b) ..Nf3+; 45. Kg2 Rhb8 (there isn't time for 45..Nxh4); 46. Ra7 and as far as I can see, 46..Rb2+ is met by 47. Bf2 (Kxf3 loses instantly to R8b3++) with a safe enough White king and a distinctly uncomfortable Black king. I think Black can play d4 but the K-side pawns look lost. However- the position holds many possibilities so if there's other lines, post them!

Sepp Blatter

Screen grab them by the pawns

namenotavailablE

Position 3:



White played 25. Bf1 and eventually won.

However, I was looking at the idea of 25. h5- Black would need to evaluate if he can allow:

(a) 25..gxh5; Bf5.
Alternatively, Black can try
(b) 25..dxc4; but it seems that 26. h6 is good although bxc4 is sensible. If cxd3, it looks as if the pawn will cost Black a rook in return but the position is extremely complex and cxd3 is not obligatory. The b7 bishop may have plenty to say yet, too

ChessPlayer123

In response to position 2, black can play Rxg3+ Kh2 Ra3!!! (yes triple exlam is deserved for this move) Rxa3 Rxh4+ Kg3 Rg4+ Kh3 (or anywhere else) Rxf4 then black can take e5 with his king next and black is in an easily winning endgame

namenotavailablE

Yes- ..Ra3 is a phenomenal defence. Great find!

EnPassant

namenotavailabl wrote: »

Yes- ..Ra3 is a phenomenal defence. Great find!

Ra3 is nice but does it actually achieve anything?

Doesn't Rxh4+ Kxg3 Rg4+ achieve the same end one move quicker?

namenotavailablE

Yes- Rxh4 also is winning. It seems that 44. Rc7 can be rejected and that Ra6+ as played is necessary- this could be confirmed with software.

namenotavailablE

Looking at position 1, assuming that White plays 45. Nh5 dis ch.

Clearly, if Black wants to play for a win, a king move is pointless (as a draw by repetition results) and 45..Bg7 would lose after 46. Bxg7+ Kg8; 47. Rxh6. Therefore, Black must try 45. ..f6. The question is- can white save the game:

If 46. Rxf6 (I don't think Bxf6 gets anywhere after Kg8)..Kg8, is 47. Rxf5 playable? For example, 47..Re1 seems to be bad after 48. Nf6+ and if the king tries to get out via the f-file the rook (and in some lines the Queen) can be lost, along with the game [e.g. 48. Nf6+ Kf7; 49. Nd5+ (introducing potential forks of the Queen so it seems that the Black king can't safely go queenside) ..Kg6; 50. Rf6+ Kh7; 51. Rf7+ Kg8; 52. Rd7 (threatening Nf6 with mate).. Re6; (seems pretty much forced?) 52. Nf6+ Rxf6; 57. Bxf6.

Is there a better line for either side? Can White construct some sort of a fortress from the resulting position?

Tim Harding

namenotavailabl wrote: »

Looking at position 1, assuming that White plays 45. Nh5 dis ch.

Clearly, if Black wants to play for a win, a king move is pointless (as a draw by repetition results) and 45..Bg7 would lose after 46. Bxg7+ Kg8; 47. Rxh6. Therefore, Black must try 45. ..f6. The question is- can white save the game:

If 46. Rxf6 (I don't think Bxf6 gets anywhere after Kg8)..Kg8, is 47. Rxf5 playable? For example, 47..Re1 seems to be bad after 48. Nf6+ and if the king tries to get out via the f-file the rook (and in some lines the Queen) can be lost, along with the game [e.g. 48. Nf6+ Kf7; 49. Nd5+ (introducing potential forks of the Queen so it seems that the Black king can't safely go queenside) ..Kg6; 50. Rf6+ Kh7; 51. Rf7+ Kg8; 52. Rd7 (threatening Nf6 with mate).. Re6; (seems pretty much forced?) 52. Nf6+ Rxf6; 57. Bxf6.

Is there a better line for either side? Can White construct some sort of a fortress from the resulting position?

All your move numbers are wrong, starting with 45 which should be 44 Nh5+. Would you care to re-post with correct renumbering please?
Actually, don't bother.

Stockfish9 says White is totally lost after three different Black replies.
Your major premise (namely that K moves lead to repetition) is just faulty because 44...Kh7 is the best reply. If White then plays 45 Nf6+(presumably what you meant?) the BK exits via g6.

namenotavailablE

OK- apologies for the wrong starting value and yes- 45. Nf6+ would be the intention but now I see how the king escapes.
So- that was an irretrievable position.

Anybody got any views on position 3 above about playing 25. h5 (instead of 25. Bf1 as actually played in the game)?

cdeb

Tim Harding wrote: »

All your move numbers are wrong, starting with 45 which should be 44 Nh5+. Would you care to re-post with correct renumbering please?
Actually, don't bother.

Mod note - Tim, if you're going to talk that way to someone who just wants to discuss chess on a chess forum, maybe it's you who shouldn't bother

sodacat11

Is there a league table or results page anywhere for that I.M norm league that is currently ongoing? I know the timeline on the ICU website has individual results but I'd like an overall view.

Retd.LoyolaCpt

sodacat11 wrote: »

Is there a league table or results page anywhere for that I.M norm league that is currently ongoing? I know the timeline on the ICU website has individual results but I'd like an overall view.

Going well for the norm hunters at the Third of the way stage: https://www.icu.ie/articles/781

Non-norm hunters are 5.5/19

prey

sc cod ave sb cd df mdv tog ab ap #
Sam E. Collins m 2445 - 0.5 0 0.5
Conor O'Donnell f 2373 - 1 0.5 1 2.5
Alvaro Valdes Escobar CHI m 2369 - 0.5 0 0.5 0 0.5 1 1 3.5
Stephen Brady f 2336 0.5 - 1 1.5
Colm Daly f 2329 1 - 1 2
David Fitzsimons f 2328 0.5 0 0.5 - 1
Michael De Verdier SWE 2298 0.5 1 - 1 2.5
Tom O'Gorman f 2280 1 0.5 0 - 1 0.5 3
Alexiei Bottino ITA 1982 0 0 0 - 0
Aleksejus Pachalov RUS 1961 0 0 0 0.5 - 0.5

Rathminor

Do Michael De V’s results in this competition push him over the threshold for an FM title?

Tim Harding

cdeb wrote: »

Mod note - Tim, if you're going to talk that way to someone who just wants to discuss chess on a chess forum, maybe it's you who shouldn't bother

Didn't mean to be rude, sorry. I wrote the first sentence about move numbers, then saw how Black K escapes. Should have deleted the first bit.