Exploited positional weakness
TODAY’S game is from the 2016 New Zealand Open, held in Auckland. The tournament was very strong, boasting six players above 2500, and many other masters and 2000+ players. Some of you may remember, former chess prodigy and World Chess Championship challenger Nigel Short (2684) even made an appearance at this event. The game we are looking at is the roundsix miniature between French GM Matthieu Cornette (2591) and English GM Gawain Jones (2625), which displays an impressively quick and calm dismantling of an incredibly strong player who forgot his chess basics. Cornette had the White pieces.
1 d4g6
2 e4 Bg7
3 Nc3 d6
Cornette chooses to reply with the standard line, 3 Nc3, to Jones’ Modern defence (B06). Adopting this hypermodern opening, Black takes a step back from the centre, temporarily surrendering it to White. Black will work to undermine and weaken White’s centre without trying to occupy it himself.
4 Be3 a6
5 a4 Nc6
6 h3e5
7 d5 Nce7
White takes his large centre with 7 d5 and Black immediately prepares the f5 break to undermine it with 7 — Nce7.
8 g4f5
White understandably doesn’t want Black to get away with this and plays g4, trying to weaken Black’s king position with 8 — f5, 9 gxf5 gxf5, 10 Qh5+, but fearlessly, Black plays it anyway, seeing that he is well positioned after 10 — Kf8.
9 f3c5
Cornette plays slowly here with 9 f3 and we feel the initiative start to shift to Black. Better was going with the above line 9 gxf5 gxf5, 10 Qh5+ Kf8, and keeping some pressure with 11 Qf3. Jones whips c5 on the board, and if White isn’t careful, he’ll soon be sinking in quicksand.
10 a5 Nf6
Black would have done well to find 10 dxc6 bxc6, 11 Bc4, cutting through White’s kingside light squares. Black would be under pressure to find a good way to develop his pieces here. The game move 10 a5 is good to prevent
Black playing b5, keeping his queenside pawns connected. 11 Qd2 OO
12 Bc4 Rb8
13 Nge2 Bd7
14 g5? Nh5
This is where things really start to go wrong for White. For no good reason White gives Black’s knight a way forward. Black is all too happy to begin the infiltration. Better was something less committal such as 14 Rg1 or 14 b3, patiently optimising his pieces before opening the position on more favourable terms.
15 Na4?! Nc8
16 exf5?! Rxf5
17 Rf1?! Bxa4!
The last three of White’s moves have been moving away from the centre, inviting Black’s piece forward, and responding to his opponent’s move, respectively. These things promote positional weakness and increase his opponent’s ability to exploit them. Jones’ keen eye spots a cute combination to swiftly finish the game.
18 Rxa4 b5
19 axb6 Nxb6
20 Bb3 Nxa4
21 Bxa4 Nf4
He resigns in recognition of his helplessness in the position. Black now threatens to break through with Rxb2 and Qxg5 and White can’t stop both. As the centre is all locked up, he has no counterplay to justify continuing the game.
01
Solution: 1 Nd6+ Qxd6 (1 — Kd8, 2 Qc7#), 2 Qf7+ Kd8, 3 Qxg8+ Qf8, 4 Qxf8#.