Skype coaching session, 01 December 2019.
2 Forthcoming coaching sessions in December will be on Sundays: 08, 15, at
14:00 UTC, which is 14:00 GMT.
The game discussed (33 moves) is given below with annotations and without
annotations.
Re-structuring of the sessions now offers the option for guests to bring their
own games for group discussion.
Recordings of some previous coaching sessions can be found at:
http://www.open-aurec.com/Skype/PaulBenson/PaulBenson.htm
Paul Benson.
* * *
Annotated Game.
White: R. Bellin, 2355.
Black: J. Penrose, 2450.
Event: British Championship Clacton-on-Sea 1974.
Result: 1-0 in 33 moves.
Opening: Veresov Opening, D00.
| Editorial.
All opposite wing attacks are equal, but some opposite wing attacks are more
equal than others, right?
In such middlegames whoever gets in the first punch must be better, right?
Perhaps it is not so much the first punch that matters, but the strength of it.
||
1. d4 d5
2. Nc3
| White chooses a system where pressuring the black centre with, pawn c4, is
rejected.
This also rules out most of the sharp counter-attacking lines black can throw
against the Queen's Gambit pawn formation.
Black cannot play any of the Benko, Benoni, Budapest systems.
So why is this not the most popular, 1. d4, system for white?
Probably because it does not place any immediate pressure on black, instead
offering a wide range of acceptable systems to reach the middlegame.
And there you have the answer as to why some players adopt the Veresov Opening.
It is designed in most variations to arrive at the middlegame without any
serious complications, once the middlegame begins then the fisticuffs can
begin.
||
2. ... Nf6
| Well-known avoidance choices here for black are, 2. ... e6, offering a French
Defence to white, or, 2. ... c6, offering a Caro-Kann Defence, both arise by
transposition should white play, 3. e4.
||
3. Bg5
| Now it is mainline Veresov, white will happily play, Bxf6, giving black
doubled f-pawns if permitted.
||
3. ... h6
| Very challenging.
If black wishes to avoid kingside pawn formation damage there is either, 3. ...
Nbd7, or, 3. ... e6, available.
Other choices for black are, 3. ... Bf5, 3. ... c6, and the sharper, 3. ... c5,
this last option should only be tried after careful study.
||
4. Bxf6
| The point of the Veresov system.
White is prepared to give up the bishop pair in order to give black a doubled
f-pawn.
Or is it, black is prepared to receive a doubled f-pawn to gain the bishop
pair?
Either way, both players are happy to give something to receive something -
"Imbalance At A Small Cost".
||
4. ... exf6
| Despite appearances, this pawn structure still permits black to castle
kingside.
||
5. e3
| Opening up the centre is not particularly popular, though a high-class
encounter shows the bishop pair in an open game do not always flourish.
B. Spassky (2610) - V. Korchnoi (2645), Candidates Final Belgrade 1977-78,
went:
5. e4 Bb4 6. exd5 Qxd5 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be2 Qa5 9. Qd2 Nd7
10. a3 Nb6 11. Rb1 Bxc3 12. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 13. bxc3 Nd5 14. Kd2 Nf4
15. Bf1 b6 16. g3 Nh3 17. Bxh3 Bxh3 18. Ne1 Rfd8 19. Nd3 Rac8
20. Rhe1 Kf8 21. Rb5 c6 22. Rb4 c5 23. Ra4 cxd4 24. Rxd4 Rd7
25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. Re4 g5 27. c4 Be6 28. Kc3 Ke7 29. Rd4 b5
30. Nb2 bxc4 31. Nxc4 Rc5 32. Kb4 Rf5 33. f4 gxf4 34. Rxf4 Rh5
35. Rf2 Rd5 36. Na5 Rd6 37. a4 Rb6+ 38. Kc5 Bd7 39. Rf4 Re6
40. c3 f5 41. Nb3 Re5+ 42. Kb4 Re2 43. Nc5 Be6 44. Rh4 Rb2+
45. Ka5 Rc2 46. Kb4 Rb2+ 47. Ka5 Rc2 1/2-1/2.
||
5. ... c6
| A tripler.
Firstly, the d5 pawn is given support from a unit of equal value.
Secondly, the d8 queen is now free to move.
Thirdly, now that the d5 pawn is protected the d6 square is available for the
f8 bishop.
||
6. Bd3 Bd6
| Instead, 6. ... f5, clamping down on the e4 square is another approach which
also vacates the f6 square for the b8 knight.
||
7. Qf3
| Indicating intentions of castling queenside, the anticipated opposite wing
middlegame attack is a step nearer.
||
7. ... O-O
8. Nge2 Re8
| A tripler.
Firstly, some fight is made for control of the semi-open e-file, though as it
happens in this type of system white is rarely thinking of trying to hit with,
pawn e4.
Secondly, the f8 square is vacated for a defender if required, either a knight
or bishop can retreat there to strengthen the kingside.
Thirdly, the f8 square is vacated for the black king to sprint queenside should
action on the kingside become too hot.
||
9. O-O-O b5
10. g4
| The reason for the white queen sitting on f3 is revealed, she must support
the start of the attack.
||
10. ... Nd7
| With options of heading to either side of the board, kingside to restrain the
white attack, or queenside to assist the black attack.
||
11. h4
| Instead, 11. Ng3, would vacate the e2 square for the c3 knight, so that a
defensive shuffle of, Nce2, Kb1, Nc1, would be possible.
||
11. ... b4
| Black gets in the first punch of the opposite wing attack.
||
12. Na4
| Forced.
Instead, 12. Nb1 Qa5, and white can either leave the a2 pawn to be captured by
the black queen, or send it to doom with, 13. a3 bxa3 14. bxa3 Bxa3+ 15. Nxa3
Qxa3+, when white has lost a pawn and the queenside has opened up.
||
12. ... g6
| Fischerism: "In chess it is important to know when to punch and when to
duck."
Black cannot prevent the kingside from opening up, he can however slow down the
process.
Instead playing on the queenside has happened before.
M. Tal - E. Geller, Candidates Curacao 1962, continued:
12. h4 Nb6 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. g5 fxg5 15. hxg5 Rxa2 16. gxh6 Ra1+
17. Kd2 Rxd1+ 18. Kxd1 g6 19. Rg1 Be6 20. Nf4 Bxf4 21. Qxf4 Kh7
22. Kd2 Qe7 23. Qe5 Rg8 24. f4 f6 25. Qh5 Bf7 26. Qh4 c5
27. c3 c4 28. Bc2 b5 29. Ke2 b3 30. Bb1 Qd6 31. Qh5 Qd7
32. Qh4 f5 33. Rg5 Be6 34. Qg3 Kxh6 35. Qg2 Qf7 36. e4 fxe4
37. Qg3 Bf5 38. Ke3 Kg7 39. Rh5 Rh8 40. Rxh8 Kxh8 41. Qh4+ Kg7
42. Qd8 0-1.
||
13. Rdg1
| White prepares the, pawn g5, break.
Instead, 13. g5 fxg5 14. hxg5 h5, white must then think about a sacrifice on
the black h5 pawn, a couple of ideas run:
(A). If, 13. g5 fxg5 14. hxg5 h5 15. Rxh5 gxh5 16. Qxh5 Bf8 16. Rh1 Bg7, the
white attack will not find mate, black has Kf8 - Ke7.
(B). Or if, 13. g5 fxg5 14. hxg5 h5 15. Ng3 Kg7 16. Nxh5+ gxh5 17. Qxh5 Rh8,
white cannot invade up the h-file, black is safe.
||
13. ... Be7
| Black strengthens the defensive cover to the all-important g5 square.
||
14. g5
| This is the correct way to attack, but it is the next white move which needs
to have been found before this natural advance is played.
Instead, 14. h5 g5, and though the b1 - h7 diagonal looks weak, inviting white
to play, 15. Qf5, black defends the mate on h7 with, 15. ... Nf8, which also
releases an attack on the white f5 queen from the c8 bishop, white is pushed
back and the black kingside looks very firm.
||
14. ... fxg5
15. h5
| A standard response, white must try to open lines, even at the cost of a
pawn.
Instead, 15. hxg5 Bxg5, seems to hold, white dare not go crazy with, 16. Rxg5
hxg5 17. Qh3 Kf8, and the black king escapes onto the e7 square.
Black to play must find the next move or suffer consequences on the light
squares.
||
15. ... g4
| Black gives the pawn back in order to vacate the g5 square.
||
16. Rxg4
| White needed to be careful about entering into an ex-ray attack from the
black c8 bishop.
Instead, 16. Qxg4 Ne5, hits both the white g4 queen and the d3 bishop, when the
queen moves black has the option of, 17. ... Nxd3+, doubling the white d-pawns
with check as well as removing a strong white attacker.
||
16. ... g5
| The g-file must be kept closed for as long as possible.
Tactics are not as appealing with the white rook on g4, some ideas run:
(A). If, 16. ... Ne5 17. dxe5 Bxg4 18. Qxg4 g5 19. Qf5 Qc8 20. Qh7+ Kf8 21.
Qh8+ mate, this is only avoidable if black is prepared to give up the e7 bishop
to vacate the e7 square.
(B). Or if, 16. ... Ne5 17. dxe5 Bxg4 18. Qxg4 g5 19. Qf5 Bd6, gives the black
king a flight square, 20. Qh7+ Kf8 21. Qxh6+ Ke7 22. Qxg5+ Kf8 23. Qxd8+ Raxd8
24. exd6 Rxd6 25. Nc5, white has 3 minor pieces plus a pawn for a black rook.
(C). Or if, 16. ... Ne5 17. dxe5 Bxg4 18. Qxg4 g5 19. Qf5 Bd6 20. Qh7+ Kf8 21.
Qxh6+ Kg8 22. Bh7+ Kh8 23. Bg6+ Kg8 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Qxf7+ mate.
||
17. Rgg1
| Playing safe, there were tactricks in the air, some ideas run:
(A). If, 17. Qf5 Ne5 18. Qh7+ Kf8 19. Qh8+ mate, but black has a massive
improvement.
(B). Or if, 17. Qf5 Nf6 18. Qf3 Bxg4, black wins a rook, but white has a
similarly massive improvement.
(C). Or if, 17. ... Qf5 Nf6 18. Rxg5+ hxg5 19. Qxg5 Kh8 20. Qh6+ Kg8 21. Rg1+
Ng4 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qh8+ mate.
So what is the judgement on white, 17. Qf5, good or bad?
(D). Or if, 17. Qf5 Nf8, covers h7 such that, 18. Qf3 Bxg4 19. Qxg4 Bf6, white
is an exchange down and black finally has some good defenders around the g8
king.
Note that the white rook retreats all the way so as to keep the g2 square as a
potential flight square for the queen, who is must quit the f-file if the black
g5 pawn is to be hit with, pawn f4.
||
17. ... Qa5
| At last, black has an attacking move which forces a defensive response from
white.
||
18. b3
| Black must now make an important decision with the d7 knight - Queenside or
kingside?
||
18. ... Nf6
| Black effectively abandons the opposite wing attack and accepts the fight
will take place, for better or worse, on the kingside.
Instead, 18. ...Nb6 19. Nxb6 axb6 20. Kd2 Qxa2, not good, black now has a-file
problems, 21. Ra1 Qxa1 22. Rxa1 Rxa1, and though black has won 2 rooks plus
pawn for the queen, white will now set about kingside action, expect the black
queenside / centre pawns to become vulnerable once the white queen gets in
amongst them.
||
19. Ng3
| Another white unit joins the kingside campaign, the f5 square beckons for a
minor piece, the only problem is deciding which will establish itself there.
||
19. ... Bg4
| Gaining a development tempo against the white queen.
Fine, but surely white was going to play, Qg2, at some point in order to get in
the necessary, pawn f4, break?
||
20. Qg2 Kh8
| A wise precaution, having committed to fighting on the kingside then king
safety is all-important.
White to play and make progress must play something to f5, but what?
Note that whichever unit goes to f5 is likely to be exchanged off, so which
minor piece does white wish to keep?
||
21. Bf5
| White forces an exchange of light square bishops, when the g3 knight lands on
f5 it will dominate the black dark square bishop.
||
21. ... Bxf5
| Forced.
Instead queenside activity fails, 21. c5 22. Bxg4 Nxg4 23. Nf5 Nf6 24. Nxh6, a
vital black defensive pawn falls off.
||
22. Nxf5 Bf8
| Necessary to keep the h6 pawn, but blocks off any potential g-file
strengthening with, Rg8.
The newly-established, "Knight Versus Bishop Stand-Off", favours white here.
The white knight can move if desired without loss, the black bishop can only
move, Bg7, without loss, but then places itself in the x-ray glare of the white
queen, especially with white, pawn f4, on the horizon.
||
23. f4 Ne4
| Any thoughts of queenside activity with, Nc3, should be removed, this black
e4 knight is the only kingside defence to avoid immediate loss.
Instead, 23. ... gxf4 24. Qg8+ mate.
||
24. fxg5 Nxg5
| Black is hoping the kingside will now hold itself together.
Instead, 24. ... hxg5, combined with, pawn f6, might force white to think
harder on how to exploit the static black position.
White to play needs to increase the kingside pressure somehow, someone
somewhere is not contributing, this unit must join in.
||
25. Rh4
| Black has several weaknesses, each on their own can be defended, fine, but
should the white heavy pieces get further than the 5th rank then problems will
emerge.
As the game proceeds the black isolated pawns, h6, and, f7, will be shown to be
weak, as will the backward c6 pawn.
There is a more subtle weakness yet to be exposed, the g-file.
It is for white to find a means of showing the strength of the g2 queen and g1
rook battery, so pay careful attention to the next few moves as a promising
looking position suddenly becomes over-powering.
||
25. ... Re4
| Black is finally getting a little activity, but it is not on that opposite
wing.
An indication that whatever happened between moves 9 and 18 has not gone well
for black.
||
26. Rf4
| No joy for white on the h-file or g-file, so prod and probe on the f-file
then.
||
26. ... Rae8
| And now the only white weakness is under pressure, the white f5 knight,
backwardly defending the e3 pawn, dare not move, right?
Perhaps a quick kingside, "Active Units Pawn-Count Value", might assist?
White: With a pawn = 1, has an attacking power of 22, queen, 2 rooks, knight.
Black: With a pawn = 1, has an attacking power of 13, 2 rooks, knight.
Unfortunately this is somewhat superficial.
It is not just the, "Active Units Pawn-Count Value", that matters, it is what
they can do from their active positions.
But this is also superficial.
It is activity plus coordination which makes the difference between a defence
holding and an attack breaking through.
So, it is white to play in need of some inspiration, or black will bring the
queen over to the kingside, after which all thoughts of a successful white
attack will disappear.
Clue: Fischerism: "Tactics flow from a positionally superior game."
||
27. Nxh6
| Eliminating the h6 pawn undermines the black g5 knight, making the white
queen / rook g-file battery all powerful, right?
||
27. ... Bxh6
| Oh dear, as a defender is removed another takes over, the black g5 knight
still stands firm.
Has white blundered with, 27. Nxh6, or is there more to come?
||
28. Rf6
| The same principle applies again, white is trying to undermine the black g5
knight.
While the black rooks doubled on the e-file look impressive, they are
contributing little to the defence.
The attack / defence contributing, "Active Units Pawn-Count Value", stands at,
white = 19, black = 6, quite an imbalance.
||
28. ... Qd8
| "Tactics flow from a positionally superior game", and here is the evidence
had black tried something different:
(A). If, 28. ... Kh7 29. Rxh6+ Kxh6 30. Qxg5+ Kh7 31. Qg7+ mate.
(B). Or if, 28. ... Kg7 29. Rxh6 f6 30. Rg6+ Kh7 31. Rxf6 Ne6 32. Rh6+ Kxh6 33.
Qg6+ mate.
(C). Or if, 28. ... Kg7 29. Rxh6 f6 30. Rg6+ Kh7 31. Rxf6 Rg8 32. Rf5 Kh6 33.
Rxg5, white is a piece up and will quickly mate black.
(D). Or if, 28. ... Kg7 29. Rxh6 f6 30. Rg6+ Kf7 31. Qf1 Nh7 32. Rg7+, picks
off the black h7 knight.
(E). Or if, 28. ... Kg7 29. Rxh6 f6 30. Rg6+ Kf7 31. Qf1 R8e6 32. R1xg5, white
wins the black knight.
(F). Or if, 28. ... Kg8 29. Rxh6 Kf8 30. Qxg5 Rxe3 31. Rh8+ mate.
It seems king moves do not help black much.
(G). Or if, 28. ... Bg7 29. Qxg5 Bxf6 30. Qh6+ mate.
(H). Or if, 28. ... Bg7 29. Qxg5 Rg8 30. Qh6+ Bxh6 31. Rxh6+ mate.
(I). Or if, 28. ... Bf8 29. Qxg5 Be7 30. Qg7+ mate.
(J). Or if, 28. ... Bf8 29. Qxg5 R8e6 30. Qg8+ mate.
(K). Or if, 28. ... Ne6 29. Rxh6+ mate.
(L). Or if, 28. ... Nh7 29. Rxh6, and black has no sensible means of
preventing, 30. Qg7+ mate.
So minor piece moves are of little value.
(M). Or if, 28. ... R4e6 29. Rxh6+ Rxh6 30. Qxg5 Kh7 31. Qg7+ mate.
(N). Or if, 28. ... R4e6 29. Rxh6+ Rxh6 30. Qxg5 Rh7 31. Qf6+ Rg7 32. Qxg7+
mate.
(O). Or if, 28. ... R4e6 29. Rxh6+ Rxh6 30. Qxg5 Rg6 31. hxg6, white is a piece
up and should soon mate black.
(P). Or if, 28. ... R8e6, white has exactly the same method of winning material
beginning with, 29. Rxh6+, as just given.
(Q). Or if, 28. ... Rg8 29. Rxh6+ Kg7 30. Qxg5+ Kf8 31. Qxg8+, white is a rook
plus knight up.
By retreating, Qd8, black is strengthening the kingside dark squares at the
cost of passively returning a piece.
||
29. Rxh6+ Kg7
30. Rxc6
| White swallows another pawn ensuring a decisive endgame, though this should
not lead us to think the kingside assault is over.
White had to resist the greedy, 30. Qxg5+ Qxg5 31. Rxg5+ Kxh6, white is an
exchange down, the e3 pawn will soon fall and the h5 pawn is equally weak.
||
30. ... f6
| This should prevent any tricks on the dark squares, right?
Black is now ready to snatch the white e3 pawn, perhaps that decisive endgame
is not so clear after all?
But it is white to move, and when black played, pawn f6, something important
happened on the kingside.
White to play only has to imagine a powerful piece landing on a certain square
and the strategy of how to quickly conclude the game should spring to mind.
||
31. Qf1
| So black has blocked the dark squares, fine, but now the white queen is
thinking of invading on the light squares, in particular crunching down on g6
with check will prove very painful to black.
||
31. ... Rxe3
| With the kingside safely locked up black regains a pawn with the bonus threat
of, Re1+, skewering the white royalty.
Aggression at the first opportunity is understandable when black has been
defending since move 12.
Black should have instead recognised the white, "Active Units Pawn-Count
Value", of 19, given the kingside some tactical consideration, and probably
concluded that as unpleasant as it might seem, the best course of action was to
head for an endgame 2 pawns down.
The idea is, 31. ... R8e6 32. Rxe6 Rxe6, giving white an interesting decision
to make.
(A). Activity: Invade with, 33. Qf5, letting the e3 pawn go to invade with,
Qg6+, and try to get the g1 rook, a4 knight, h5 pawn, to combine against the
black king.
(B). Passivity: Consolidate the position, keep hold of the extra 2 pawns,
slowly re-group the pieces to challenge the black active units or perhaps try
for a delayed invasion on the black kingside light squares.
White to play proves that Fischerism which begins: "Tactics flow..."
Clue: Someone in the black camp is performing 3 tasks at once, this is an
overloading demanding exploitation.
||
32. Rxg5+
| Giving black a 6-way choice, 5 king moves or a pawn capture.
Since the capture is a material loss for white, the complete tree of variations
for this reply needed to be analysed to the death before offering the rook.
||
32. ... fxg5
| If the white concept of, Rxg5+, did not occur to you last move, then perhaps
spend time working out why the black pawn being deflected to the g5 square is
favourable to white.
Instead trying to run the black king away fails, take note how the white queen
escapes the black threat of, Re1+, in these lines:
(A). If, 32. ... Kh6 33. Rxf6+ Kxg5 34. Qf4+ Kxh5 35. Rh6+ mate.
(B). Or if, 32. ... Kh6 33. Rxf6+ Qxf6 34. Qxf6+ Kh7 35. Qg7+ mate.
(C). Or if, 32. ... Kh7 33. Qf5+ Kh8 34. Rg6, white is a piece up with a strong
attack on the black king to come, the black rook invasion, Re1+, leads nowhere.
(D). Or if, 32. ... Kh8 33. Qxf6+ Qxf6 34. Rxf6, white is a piece up.
(E). Or if, 32. ... Kf7 33. Qf5, white is again a piece up with threats of
either, Qg6+, or, Qh7+, to be countered.
(F). Or if, 32. ... Kf8 33. Rxf6+ Ke7 34. Rg7+ mate.
(G). Or if, 32. ... Kf8 33. Rxf6+ Qxf6 34. Qxf6+ mate.
||
33. Rg6+
Black resigns, 1-0
| The black pawn previously on f6 was performing 3 tasks:
Firstly, protecting the g5 knight.
Secondly, restricting the activity of the white c6 rook across the white 6th
rank.
Thirdly, restricting the activity of the white f1 queen up the f-file.
When deflected to g5 both the white 6th rank and f-file opened up.
The conclusion to the game could have been any of:
(A). If, 33. ... Kh7 34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. Rh6+ mate.
(B). Or if, 33. ... Kh7 34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. Qg7+ mate.
So when the white queen invades with, Qf7, there are a couple of mates
available with, either, Qg7+, or, Rh6+.
(C). Or if, 33. ... Kh8 34. Qf7 Rg8 35. Rh6+ mate.
(D). Or if, 33. ... Kh8 34. Qf7 R3e6 35. Qg7+ mate.
(E). Or if, 33. ... Kh8 34. Qf7 R3e7 35. Rh6+ mate.
Note had black ever flicked in, Re1+, white replies, Kb2, and there is no
further useful activity for the invading black rook.
Postscript.
A few oddities need mentioning.
Recently a good piece of advice came my way - When a friendly bishop is traded
off, think of placing your queen on that colour-complex which your departed
bishop occupied.
White, soon to become an International Master, must have been aware of this
concept.
In this game the white dark square bishop departed on move 4.
The white queen made only 4 moves, Qf3 - Qg2 - Qf1 - Qf7+, all on light
squares.
Sure, the real kingside aggro took place on the dark squares, white hitting
with, pawn g5, and a later, Rxg5.
And here is why chess seems to be a set of exceptions held together by the odd
rule or so.
The white queen did not need to play on the dark squares because of the manner
in which the black bishop was handled.
Or much more likely because of the limited opportunities available to that
black bishop, with a black pawn on b4 plus a white pawn lodged on d4, how could
it have got at the white king?
It therefore found itself taking up a defensive role, firstly trying to
maintain control of the g5 square, and later forced into an inferior, "Knight
Versus Bishop Stand-Off".
Lastly, when white twice removed defending black knights, each capture took
place on a dark square, which weakened the defensive cover of the light squares
around the black king.
So, despite that good advice about a departed bishop indicating queen
placement,be aware it is just good advice and not a, "Golden Rule".
||
* * *
## Unannotated Game.
White: R. Bellin, 2355.
Black: J. Penrose, 2450.
Event: British Championship Clacton-on-Sea 1974.
Result: 1-0 in 33 moves.
Opening: Veresov Opening, D00.
1. d4 d5
2. Nc3 Nf6
3. Bg5 h6
4. Bxf6 exf6
5. e3 c6
6. Bd3 Bd6
7. Qf3 O-O
8. Nge2 Re8
9. O-O-O b5
10. g4 Nd7
11. h4 b4
12. Na4 g6
13. Rdg1 Be7
14. g5 fxg5
15. h5 g4
16. Rxg4 g5
17. Rgg1 Qa5
18. b3 Nf6
19. Ng3 Bg4
20. Qg2 Kh8
21. Bf5 Bxf5
22. Nxf5 Bf8
23. f4 Ne4
24. fxg5 Nxg5
25. Rh4 Re4
26. Rf4 Rae8
27. Nxh6 Bxh6
28. Rf6 Qd8
29. Rxh6+ Kg7
30. Rxc6 f6
31. Qf1 Rxe3
32. Rxg5+ fxg5
33. Rg6+
Black resigns, 1-0
* * *
