Thanks very very much for sharing this, Paul! May God bless you?
Best Regards
J. Louis Prem
----- Original Message -----
From: <eric.che.martin@xxxxxxxxx
To: <usbca_chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date sent: Mon, 16 May 2022 12:46:13 -0500
Subject: [usbca_chess] Re: Fighting To The Last
Thanks very much for this analysis Paul.
I never talked to Steve, but now I have experienced a bit of his
mind.
Fascinating.
I feel I learned some key lessons here, especially about getting
the king
and his royal shield involved to take pressure off your attacking
units.
I ran across some of your teaching materials last year when I
jumped into
learning chess, but at the time I didn't have the experience
needed to
properly pick up what you were laying down.
Is there a repository of some of your game analyses online
anywhere? I have
found several of the Skype recordings you guys did, but I find
overall the
analysis of games to be a more efficient use of chess study time.
I particularly like your analysis, the thoughts are creative and
well
written, and to the point.
Not bad for a aging, Bio-Organic Thinking Unit.
Stay well,
Ché
-----Original Message-----
From: usbca_chess-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<usbca_chess-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of Paul Benson
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2022 2:58 AM
To: USBCA <usbca_chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [usbca_chess] Fighting To The Last
Hello all,
I went looking online for some games of Steve Thacker and found 3
events.
Tournoi Skype 21A, 22A, and 24A offer a total of 18 games.
One game just, "Jumped Off The Page", and the decision to add
some
annotations and post was immediate.
Hopefully the game below will offer a flavour of how Steve
competed, not
just on but also off the chess board.
Paul Benson.
* * *
White: S. Thacker, TS 1600.
Black: J. Sauvaget, TS 1662.
Event: Tournoi Skype 21A, Round 6, July 2017.
Opening: English Opening, A25.
| The Tournoi Skype time-control is all moves in 105 minutes.
That 1600 TS rating is an estimate, given to all newcomer to
Tournoi Skype
Group A, those entering Group B are given an estimated 1000 TS
rating.
You might have noted the result is not given in the game header,
this is
deliberate.
This time the reader must assess the position on merit as the
moves unfold.
||
1. c4 e5
2. g3 Nc6
3. Bg2 d6
4. Nc3 Bd7
5. d3 Nf6
6. e3 a6
7. Nge2 Rb8
8. b3 Be7
9. Bb2 O-O
10. Qd2 Qc8
11. O-O Bh3
| So far the choices by both players of pawn structure combined
with piece
development has been both quiet and fairly sensible.
No advisory rules on handling the opening have been transgressed,
but on the
other hand, not much to inspire the paying public to cheer.
However this, "Unspoken Mutual Pact Of Non-Interaction", cannot
go on
forever.
It is black who blinks first and judges it is time for some
tension to enter
the position.
White inn reply also feels the fight should begin.
||
12. f4 Bxg2
13. Kxg2 exf4
14. Nxf4
| "Imbalance Is The Mother Of Midddlegame Invention."
A couple of semi-open files have been created for potential
exploitation by
both players.
Also worth considering was the plan, 14. gxf3 with the idea of,
Ng3,
followed by, Kh1, then doubling rooks on the g-file.
||
14. ... Ne5
15. Ncd5 Re8
16. e4 Bd8
17. Rae1 c6
18. Nxf6+ Bxf6
19. Nh5 Be7
| Whether the chosen moves so far by both sides are the best is
not the
purpose of annotating this game.
It is sufficient to say, white has found a plan which removes an
important
defender of the black king, namely the f6 knight.
Furthermore there are opportunities for white to increase the
pressure where
the fight is going to occur, the kingside.
Of course, black can shuffle in the defensive ranks waiting for
white to
commit units to an attack.
Each player is about to pose questions to the other, someone
somewhere is
about to be out-complicated, but who?
||
20. Qf4
| Setting a trap.
Fine if it fits in with a good plan, but here it is just a
1-mover with no
sensible follow up to increase the pressure on black.
Instead re-locating the somewhat misplaced h5 knight with 20.
Nf4, was
preferable.
||
20. ... Qe6
| Avoiding the disastrous, 20. ... Nxd3, apparently winning an
exchange, but
there would then come, 21. Qxf7+ Kh8 22. Qxg7+ mate
