[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.01.10"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Gordon, Stephen"]
[Black "Sygnowski, Tomasz"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E91"]
[Annotator "Stephen Gordon"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.10"]

{I was paired with Tomasz Sygnowski in the last round. He had already 
played two Grandmaster's in the tournament. He missed some winning chances
against Keith Arkell in round two, after which the game ended in a draw 
and then defended a tough rook ending a pawn down against against Mark 
Hebden in the fourth round to hold.} 
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d6 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 {Diagram [#] So 
we get a classical Kings Indian. In the next couple of moves Black has to 
decide which system to commit to.} 6. ... Bg4 {This is an interesting 
sideline. Black will part with the light squared Bishop, normally hoping 
to get some dark squared control in the centre or some counterplay on the 
queenside going} ( 6. ... e5 {Is the main line} ) 7. Be3 {It's normal that
White adds a bit of extra control to the d4 square} ( 7. h3 {This kind of 
thing gives Black some nice play in the centre, for example} 7. ... Bxf3 
8. Bxf3 Nfd7 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 e5 11. d5 Nd4 {Should be absolutely fine 
for Black} ) 7. ... c6 {This however is quite passive and not really in 
the spirit of the variation. White already has a clear edge out of the 
opening, with two bishops, extra space and no pressure against the White 
centre} 8. O-O Nbd7 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 a6 {Preparing to possible play 
...b5 at some moment. It's not really possible just yet as the f3 Bishop 
will do some damage, but after some preparation it will become viable...} 
11. Rb1 {Preparing an advance on the queenside but probably this was 
unnecessary} ( 11. b4 a5 12. a3 {Would have been a more direct and 
probably better way to proceed} ) 11. ... Qc7 12. Qc2 {Played to prevent 
...b5} 12. ... Rfc8 {Diagram [#]} ( 12. ... b5? 13. cxb5 cxb5 ( 13. ... 
axb5 14. Nxb5 ) 14. e5 {picks up material} ) 13. c5 {This seemed like the 
correct way to go against Black's cagey play. White takes more space and 
hopes to make the c8 rook misplaced} 13. ... b6 {looks passive but at 
least I'm not being asked some questions} 14. cxd6 ( 14. cxb6 {Would have 
been possible also. I was burning quite a lot of time at this stage as I 
struggled to assess which capture was better.} 14. ... Nxb6 15. b3 a5 16. 
Rfc1 {Is keeping an advantage for White} ) 14. ... exd6 15. Rfc1 Re8 {
Diagram [#]} 16. b4 ( 16. Nd5 {looks tempting but I felt that Black would 
be getting a fair share of the play after something like} 16. ... Nxd5 17.
 exd5 c5 18. b4 Qa7 19. dxc5 bxc5 {. It's true that it's still 
uncomfortble for Black but I did feel as though more was deserved from the
position at move 16.} ) 16. ... Rac8 17. Qd3 Qa7 {By this point I started 
to become a little frustrated. It's clear that White should be better, but
I found it very difficult to see clear paths to prove it.} 18. Bf4 ( 18. 
Be2 {Was another move that I really wanted to make work but I couldn't 
judge how well I was doing after} 18. ... b5 19. e5 Nd5 20. Nxd5 cxd5 {The
computer suggests this is still clearly better for White, it's top move 
being} 21. Rxc8 ( 21. exd6 Nb6 22. Rc5 Qd7 23. Bg4 f5 24. Bf3 Qxd6 ) 
21. ... Rxc8 22. exd6 Nb6 23. Bf4 {When you look at this kind of thing 
with the machine it's easy to be convinced, but over the board it was too 
difficult for me.} ) ( {In hindsight I think} 18. a4 {Would have been 
best. Now Black will find it difficult to make a pawn break} 18. ... c5 
19. bxc5 ( 19. Qd2 {Is a nice move, getting the queen out of the way of a 
potential ...Ne5 or ...Nc5} ) 19. ... bxc5 20. dxc5 Ne5 {Is an interesting
attempt to make things difficult for White} 21. Qxd6 ( 21. Qd1 Nxf3+ 22. 
Qxf3 dxc5 ) 21. ... Nc4 22. Qd3 Nxe3 23. Qxe3 Qxc5 {I think Black has 
decent chances to hold in a scenario like this} ) 18. ... Bf8 19. Bg4 {I 
think this was a poor decision, mainly caused through my indecisiveness 
over the last few moves. I allow a piece exchange and gift Black some 
extra time} ( 19. a4 {again continuing with a Queenside expansion, would 
have been better} ) 19. ... Nxg4 20. hxg4 b5 {Diagram [#] My opponent 
found the best continuation after my 18th move and gives himself some 
decent chances of counterplay. The knight on d7 can potentially look 
towards jumping into the c4 square} 21. Be3 Qb7 22. a4 Nb6 {Diagram [#] I 
was actually at a loss as to how well I was doing here. I thought it was 
now around equal but as it turns out White is still in the driving seat. 
Fortunately I found a strong idea} 23. d5! {The idea is to get an outpost 
on d5 for the white knight. There's quite a lot going on with 3 captures 
available to Black but actually it's pretty much impossible to prevent the
White knight landing in the middle} 23. ... Nxa4 {My opponent grabs a pawn
but White gets very nice compensation in return.} 24. dxc6 Rxc6 25. Nd5 {
Diagram [#] It will take some time now for the Black knight to be able to 
get back into play. Meanwhile White's attacking chances have become quite 
serious} 25. ... Rec8 ( 25. ... Bg7 26. Rxc6 Qxc6 27. Rc1 Qd7 ( 27. ... 
Nb2 28. Rxc6 Nxd3 29. Rxa6 ) 28. Bd4 {is huge for White} 28. ... Qxg4? 29.
 Bxg7 Kxg7 30. Qd4+ Kh6 {The only square. I had seen up to this point in 
my mind's eye and felt it had to be good somehow. The engine finds} 31. 
Nf6 {after which} 31. ... Qf4 32. Rc7 {Black will not survive much longer}
) 26. Rxc6 Rxc6 ( 26. ... Qxc6 {I had expected this recapture. In all 
honesty I could not see how best to proceed. Obviously White has great 
compensation in a few different ways but an attractive way to force things
through would be} 27. Bh6! Qc4 28. Rc1! {Diagram [#]} ( 28. Qh3 {is also 
very strong} ) 28. ... Qxd3 ( 28. ... Qxc1+ 29. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 30. Kh2 ) 29. 
Rxc8 {and mate is inevitable} ) 27. Bd4 {This is natural and probably 
strong. However the engine finds something I think is rather unnatural but
turns out to be crushing} ( 27. Bg5! {It's probably not necessary for 
White to find this to be winning but I do find it very suprising how much 
of a killer this move is. The point is that White is able to bring the 
queen to h3 and the bishop's supporting role on g5 prevents Black from 
keeping the the White queen from penetrating. Some very nice finishes 
arise after} 27. ... h6 28. Nf6+ Kg7 ( 28. ... Kh8 29. Qh3 ) 29. Bxh6+! {
Diagram [#] Black has to take a piece but both are poisonous} 29. ... Kxf6
( 29. ... Kxh6 30. Qh3+ Kg7 ( 30. ... Kg5 31. Nh7+ Kf4 32. Qg3+ Kxe4 33. 
Rd1! {Black cannot stop a mate next move} ) 31. g5 {and mate cannot be 
prevented }) 30. Bxf8 {After which Black has to give too much material in 
order to avoid mate} 30. ... Ke6 31. Qd5+ Kd7 32. Qxf7+ Kc8 33. Qe8+ Kc7 
34. Rd1 {with an ongoing attack} ) 27. ... Be7 ( 27. ... Rc4 {I felt that 
this was putting up more resistance but in any case the Black position is 
very unplesant to handle} ) 28. Qe3 Rc4 29. Ba1 f5 {looks crazy but it's 
difficult to offer a better defensive try at this stage} 30. Qh6 ( 30. 
gxf5 {Would have been cleaner, leaving Black without hope} ) 30. ... Bd8 
31. gxf5?! {Again not the most precise} ( 31. exf5 Qf7 32. Re1 {The threat
of Re8 and Qg7 ends things} ) 31. ... Qf7 32. Rb3 Qf8 ( {We were both 
getting very short on time here. I expected} 32. ... Rxe4 {but after} 33. 
Rg3 Rh4 34. Qe3 {The situation is untenable. All of the Black pieces are 
paralysed. It's actually impossible to suggest a constructive move} 
34. ... Rh5 ( 34. ... Rc4 35. fxg6 hxg6 36. Qh6 +- ) 35. Qd4 +- ) 33. Qd2 
Nb6 34. fxg6 hxg6 35. Rh3 {Diagram [#] and Black can no longer prevent 
losing a large amount of material} 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.01.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Gormally, D."]
[Black "Cox, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2506"]
[BlackElo "2351"]
[ECO "B23"]
[Annotator "Gormally"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.12"]

{In the end in the shropshire congress all the grandmasters finished equal
first-- all five of us. On the outside this might look like a grandmaster 
stitch up but far from it. There were many tough games along the way, and 
arguably Ameet Ghasi had the toughest pairings of all. He is grandmaster 
strength anyway and really should have drawn with Mark Hebden in the last 
round.} 
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {I played this line as it was an early morning 
game and I just wanted something simple- some line where you just get your
pieces out and don't have to think so much. Even so I was struggling not 
to fall asleep at the board- the game started at 9.30, a horrible time for
chess players.} 3. ... Nd4 4. Bc4 e6 ( {One of the reasons I like this 
line for White is because it's so trappy.} 4. ... g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Nxd4 
cxd4 7. Qf3! e6? ( 7. ... Nh6! 8. Ne2 O-O 9. d3 Ng4! {is considered the 
best way for Black- with the idea of} 10. Qxg4?! d5 {with excellent play 
for Black} ) 8. Nb5! {is awkward for Black, for example} 8. ... d6 9. Qa3!
{When Black has tricky problems to solve. I've played this line many times
at blitz and it's surprising how many times people have fallen for this.} 
) ( 4. ... Nf6! {Is possibly the best move order, which was once played by
Magnus. The idea is if White plays the normal reply} 5. Nge2 {Black can 
delay ...e6 for the moment and get on with queenside development with} 
5. ... a6 {where he intends ...b5. White has no real way of "punishing" 
this move order, as} 6. e5 {can be met by} 6. ... d5! ) 5. Nge2 Nf6 6. O-O
a6 ( {Black would like to expand in the center with the "natural"} 6. ... 
d5 {but this runs into a well-known trap:} 7. exd5 exd5 8. Nxd5! Nxd5 9. 
Nxd4 cxd4 10. Qh5! {when Black is in trouble. The only way to hang on to 
the material is with} 10. ... Ne7 {but then} ( 10. ... Be6 11. Re1! ) 11. 
Qxf7+ Kd7 12. Re1 {just gives White oodles of play.} ) 7. d3 ( {Simon 
Williams once played} 7. a4 {against me in this position in a game at 
Hastings. There was a funny story behind this game as I was staying in the
same hotel as him, and the night before we were due to play I heard 
Richard Pert loudly suggesting that he should play this line to Simon as I
passed their hotel room. Sneakily I lingered by the door absorbing this 
information so by the time I got to the board I was armed to the teeth.} 
7. ... d5! 8. exd5 exd5 9. Nxd5? Nxd5 10. Nxd4 cxd4 11. Qh5 Be6 12. Re1 {
Simon thought this was all the same, but now I responded with} 12. ... Be7
! 13. Rxe6 Nf4 {and now the difference is clear. Without the inclusion of 
the moves a4 and ...a6 White could simply play Qb5 here, but now he is 
trouble. Simon bailed out with} 14. Rxe7+ Qxe7 {But Black is close to 
winning now and I really should have wrapped the game up later.} ) 7. ... 
b5 8. Bb3 Nxb3 9. axb3 Bb7 10. Ng3 {In the post mortem John told me that 
this wasn't considered to be the best move.} ( 10. Bg5 {I was aware was 
considered to be the main line, but it's not supposed to give White 
anything anyway. To be honest if Black knows what he's doing in this line 
(as is the case in many anti-Sicilians) then White has nothing, in fact he
may have less than nothing. It was also the case that my opponent had up 
to this point whizzed his moves out with confidence and speed and I slowly
recalled how he was good friends with Richard Palliser, who is good 
friends and studies regularly with Gawain Jones, something of an expert in
this variation, so I became wary and decided to take the game along less 
studied paths.} ) 10. ... d6 ( {The immediate} 10. ... h5! {also makes a 
lot of sense.} 11. h3 h4 12. Nge2 d5 {should be more than ok for Black.} )
11. f4 h5! {Black would like to displace the knight, while developing his 
own ideas of attacking on the kingside.} 12. f5! {when you say A you have 
to say B!} 12. ... h4 13. Nge2 e5 ( {In the post mortem we analysed all 
sorts of messy stuff like} 13. ... h3 14. fxe6 ( 14. g3 {I didn't like so 
much, as the h3-pawn creates many mating threats against the White king- 
for example if the Black queen could ever find it's way to the a8-h1 
diagonal, it could spell curtains for White} ) 14. ... hxg2 15. exf7+ Kxf7
16. Kxg2 {when both kings look rather vulnerable but arguably this is 
better for White, as he also has an extra pawn and an open f-file to 
attack down.} ) 14. Bg5 Be7?! {A step in the wrong direction.} ( 14. ... 
h3! 15. g3 d5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. exd5 Bxd5 {looked like the right way to 
go- again the pawn on h3 is a bone in White's throat.} 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. 
Rf2 c4! ) 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nd5 Bg5 ( 16. ... Bxd5 17. exd5 h3 18. g4! {
John said this was why he didn't want to play h3- as now the White knight 
can now go to g3.} ( 18. g3 b4! {and the knight is prevented from reaching
c3- although White can still play this g4 plan} ( 18. ... e4 19. Nc3 ( 19.
 dxe4 Bxb2 20. Rb1 Be5 {is excellent for Black as the bishop is superbly 
placed on e5} ) 19. ... Bd4+ 20. Kh1 e3 21. Ne4 ) ) 18. ... Qb6 19. Kh1 e4
20. Ng3 {looks rather messy, but I would prefer to be White as his king 
feels rather safer- it's not so clear where the Black king should go- 
either side has it's risks.} ) 17. Kh1 b4 18. Ng1 {Now I felt very happy- 
Black has not solved his problems with his king, while I have a clear plan
to build up an initiative with moves like Nh3 and Qg4.} 18. ... Bxd5 ( 
18. ... O-O 19. Qh5 {just looks unpalatable for Black- his king will 
surely not be long for this world.} ) 19. exd5 Qf6 20. Nh3 {played with 
ideas of Nf2-e4.} 20. ... Be3 21. Qe1 ( {perhaps} 21. c3 {first was more 
sensible.} ) 21. ... Qh6 22. Rf3 Bd2 23. Qe2 Bc1! {I had overlooked this 
idea completely and now felt that uncomfortable sensation you get when you
miss one of your opponents moves. However when I calmed down I realised 
that this can hardly be good for Black- he is only playing with his queen 
and bishop, while White has his entire army in play.} 24. f6! ( 24. Rb1? 
Bxb2! {is the clever point of White's last move.} ) 24. ... Bxb2? ( 
24. ... g6 {seemed more testing.} 25. c4! bxc3 26. bxc3 Qd2? {this was 
what Cox was intending to play, but there is a refutation.} ( 26. ... Bd2 
27. d4 {is also good for White.} ) 27. Qf1! Bb2 28. Rf2 Qxc3 29. Ra2 {and 
the impudent bishop is trapped. Many might find this whole line very 
simple, but I was quite proud that I saw it, especially at 9.30 in the 
morning!!!} ) 25. fxg7 Qxg7 ( 25. ... Bxa1 26. gxh8=Q+ Qxh8 27. Qf1 {with 
a double attack is also winning for White.} ) 26. Raf1 Rf8 27. Rf5! {
preparing Ng5.} ( 27. Rf6! {was also very strong- in good positions there 
is often more than one way.} ) 27. ... O-O-O ( 27. ... f6 28. Nf4 {doesn't
help Black- the knight gets to e6.} ) 28. Ng5 Rg8 ( {Black can't defend 
f7-} 28. ... Rd7 {fails to} 29. Ne6 ) 29. d4! {There was no reason to take
f7 too quickly- such weaknesses don't run away.} 29. ... Kb8 30. dxc5 dxc5
31. Qxa6 Rd7 32. Qb6+ Rb7 ( 32. ... Ka8 33. Qc6+ Rb7 34. Rxf7 {is also a 
Whiteout.} ) 33. Qd6+ Ka8 34. Rxf7 Qg6 35. Rf8+ {This was without doubt my
best game of the tournament and gave me the platform to come equal first. 
In the last round I was playing Keith Arkell and we both had a chance to 
come outright first- a win for either would have done it. However our 
typical lack of money in the end made us very cautious and we agreed to an
early draw, allowing several to catch us up. In general the Shropshire 
congress was very well organised and in a very nice venue, and I would 
recommend it to anyone. Hopefully it's not the last time it's organised 
with decent sponsorship!! :D} 1-0

[Event "Shropshire Open 2016"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.01.10"]
[Round "5.9"]
[White "PAUL, NATHANAEL"]
[Black "COX, JOHN"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[LiveChessVersion "1.4.7"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 {A slighlty uncommon move which 
introduces either one of the oldest Sicilian variations - the Lowenthal or
La Bourdonnais (Nb5 a6) - or one of the youngest (5.Nb5 d6), so called in 
the West beause it is seen as a sort of improved (or at least amended) 
version of the Sveshnikov. Whether they use the same name in Russia I 
don't know.} 5. Nxc6 {A controversial moment. This can't be too bad - 
White can get away with a lot being White, after all, but it really isn't 
a principled move, both strenghtening Black's centre and filling the d5 
hole. Perhaps there was a pyschological element here - Black had a rating 
advantage of around 50 ECF points in this game. There are a lot of 
theories about the correct approach to this kind of contest, famously for 
instance Simon Webb's Chess for Tigers, in which he advocated seeking as 
unclear and unusual a position as possible. Somethimes the lower-rated 
player imagines that his opponent is bound to know lots of opening theory 
and feels obliged to devieate at the earliest opportunity, and perhaps 
that was the case here. My own theory, for what it is worth, is that the 
most important thing, if you can manage it, is to give yourself a clear 
active plan. Easier said than done, of course.} 5. ... bxc6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. 
Bg5 {White plays against  ...d5 just as if it were a normal Sveshnikov, 
but with the pawn on c6 all he's doing is restraining ...d5 , rather than 
trying to establish a piece on that square as he would be if he hadn't 
exchanged on c6.} 7. ... Be7 {Sound enough, but actually the best was to 
take advantage of the b-file presented to Black with ...Rb8, since if 
8.RB1 h6 9.Bh4 Qa5 White is already lost, as 10.Bxf6 succumbs to 
10...Rxb2!} 8. Bxf6 {As in the Sveshnikov, all part of the plan to fight 
for d5, though it wasn't strictly necessary to give up the bishop at this 
moment since Black doesn't have the old ...Ne4 trick yet 8.Bc4 Ne4 
(8...0-0 9.0-0 Nex4 10.Be7 Nxc3 11.Qd6 doesn't work either) 9.Nxe4 Bxg5 
10. Nd6+ Kf8 11.Nxf7 is terrible.} 8. ... Bxf6 9. Bc4 O-O 10. Qd3 Be7 {
Black isn't going to be able to get ...d5 in, so he covers the hole on d6 
and aims for ...f5 instead. One of the troubles with White's position is 
that a bishop on e7 and a pawn on d6 can keep out any number of major 
pieces down the d-file, while White doesn't have any similar antidote down
the f-file.} 11. O-O Kh8 12. Kh1 {White gets ready to meet ...f5, a 
sensible enough move but he's only defending. 12.Ba6 is proposed by the 
computer, which is probably quite sensible, reducing the firepower 
available to Black. His other bishop isn't much use in an attack; it's 
more useful to stay where it is and keep White out.} 12. ... f5 13. f3 f4 
14. Rad1 a5 {Black might well have tried 14...Bc5, but my idea was to keep
the bishop on e7, put the pawn on d6 and attack with the other pieces. The
text has two ideas; first to prevent Ba6, and second to restrain b4 - for 
instance.

14...d6 15.b4 would be a strong move, getting ready for b5 to fight for 
d5.} 15. g3 {This isn't a good move - it's seldom a good idea to move 
pawns on the side where you're being attakced. White's best approach was 
to go Na4 and gradually regroup with a view to playing Nb2-c4 one day. 
Black's space advantage on the king side looks dangerous, but he can't 
really move enough pieces over there to achieve anything.} 15. ... d6 {
Black sticks to his plan, but 15...Bc5 was better; if needs be Black can 
use a rook from f6 to defend the d-pawn.} 16. Kg2 Rf6 17. Rh1 Bd7 18. Rdf1
{The pressure is growing; somewhere around here g4 needed to be played. 
You can see why Paul wanted to shore up f3, but actually it wasn't under 
much threat, and moreover this move actually gives Black an opportunity to
beef up his attack decisively.} 18. ... h5 {A natural move directed 
against g4, but instead 18.Qc8 was winning instantly since allowing 
...Bh3+ is fatal, while 19.g4 allows 19...Bxg4, with a winning attack, for
instance 20.fxg4 Qxg4+ 21.Kf2 d5 22.exd5 f3 23.Rhg1 Bc5+ 24.Ke1 f2+} 19. 
Kf2 {Running for it, but it won't work. Paradoxically it was best to try 
and hide the king on h1 - Black's ...h5 has prevented him form using a 
major piee down the file and after say 19.RHg1 Qc8 20.Kh1 White retains 
reasonable chances to defend.} 19. ... Bh3 20. Ke1 {White sees that after 
20.Re1 f3 is creaking, and it's too late to shore it ip with the bishop in
view of 20...Qd7 21.Qd2 fxg3+ 22.hxg3 Rxf3+ 23.Kxf3 Qg4+ 24.Ke3 Qxg3+ 
25.Ke2 Bg4+, and mates.} 20. ... Qb6 21. b3 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 Raf8 23. Ke2 g5 
{Good enough; 23...Rg6 would have been another way, since White can't 
defend g3 and if 24.gxf4 Rg2+ 25.Kd1 Rxf4} 24. gxf4 Rxf4 25. h3 g4 26. 
hxg4 hxg4 27. Qd2 {Trying to get in on the open king side, but Black can 
always block the h-file with ...Bh4} 27. ... Kg7 {Looks like a careful 
refinement, although I don't know what was wrong with the obvious 
27...gxf3+ 28.Ke1 Qd4 29.Qh2+ Bh4+} 28. Rh1 gxf3+ 29. Kf1 Rh8 {Not the 
quickest, but very safe.} 30. Rg1+ Qxg1+ {30...Kf8 was winning easily as 
well, of course, but it's always nice to sacrifice a queen: 31.Kxg1 Rg4+ 
32.Kf1 Rh1+ 33.Kf2 Rg2+ 34.Ke3 Rxd2 35.Kxd2 f2 leaves Black a rook up.} 
0-1

