Pelling, T. - Aijala, J.
European Seniors Team Championship, 02/19/2008
[A02]

1.f4 Playing a Dutch Defence with a move in hand cannot be a bad idea, yet there is a stubborn antipathy towards it at club level. It is less rare (although still unusual) at international level. 1...e5 The old From Gambit is still essayed as a direct attempt to refute White's opening. Although White's resources appear to be adequate, the gambit can lead to wild play where either player can easily go wrong. 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 4.Nf3 g5 The stem game is Bird v Lasker, 1896. Lasker's win ensured that this attacking plan became popular, and it remains so to this day. Nevertheless, the equally wild 4...Ng4 (the Mestel Gambit - threatening cheapos on h2) has been seen recently (WebEd: in Pelling v Toon, 2007) and could be at least as good. 5.d4 There's nowt wrong with 5.g3, but White has to wend his way through a host of tricks and traps. 5...g4 6.Ng5!? Refuted, according to my book, but I remain unconvinced. 6.Ne5 was Bird's choice, and is well-motivated: his loss to Lasker was not the fault of the opening, but due to Lasker's wizardry in the endgame. Although this line has been revived recently, the text is much more exciting! 6...f5 7.e4 h6 The knight is trapped, so, surprisingly, it is White (not Black) who is gambitting. 8.e5 Qe7?! Totally new. The critical line - and test of the soundness of White's play - runs 8...Be7 9.Nh3 gxh3 10.Qh5+ Kf8 11.Bc4 Rh7 12. Qg6 Rg7 13.Bh6 Bb4+! (preparing ...Qh4+). In the cold light of day, Fritz considers 8...Qe7 inferior: after 9.Ne4 Bxe5 10.dxe5 Qxe5 11.Nc3, Black is a pawn up but has holes everywhere. At the time this wasn't so obvious to me, so I played another line. 9.Qe2 Bb4+ 10.c3 Ba5 So Black after all wins the knight. Clearly there is no point sacrificing it on h3 as in the previous line. 11.Ne4 fxe4 12.Qxe4 For his piece, White enjoys a space advantage and a good pawn centre, while Black has an offside bishop and weaknesses on the kingside. 12...c6 This move, providing an escape route for the bishop and hindering White's d5, had the approval of Finland's GM Westerinen. Yet the move I was worried about during the game was 12...Qh7. I still wonder if White really has enough after this. Unlike after the text, when White has full compensation. 13.Bc4 Kd8 13...Be6 would be met by 14.Qg6+ Bf7 15.Bxf7+ Qxf7 16.Qxg4 garnering a third pawn for the piece while retaining attacking chances. Now, if 14.0-0 Black has some defensive potential with ...Be6. 14.Qg6! Qe8 15.Bf7 Qf8 16.O-O White's compensation for the piece is now obvious, and it continues to grow as there is very little that Black can undertake. 16...Bd7 17.Bb3 It was a pleasant choice between this and 17.e6. 17...Qe8 18.Qg7 Ne7 19.e6 "Back to your coffin" - David Anderton. 19...Bc8 20.Rf7 Rg8 21.Qxh6 Taken not so much for the pawn but because the bishop can now go to g5. 21...Bc7 22.Bg5 Bd6 23.Nd2 Rh8 24.Qg7 This is even better than 24.Qf6. Now Black has no more than to hope that White will repeat moves. 24...Rg8 25.Rxe7! Rather hoping that Black would play ...Rxg7, allowing the neat 26.Rd7 mate! Although he saw that, he is left with the dismal choice of losing after 25... Bxe7 26.Bxe7+ Qxe7 27.Qxg8+, or allowing a mate in three. 25...Bxe7 26.Bxe7+ Kc7 27.Qe5+ Kb6 28.Nc4+ 28...Ka6 29. 28...Ka6 29.Qa5 is mate. 1-0