Club Championship begins

Results of round 1 of the 2008 Wellington Club Championship:

A grade
Marner 0 Dive 1
Croad 1/2 Baider 1/2
Van der Hoorn 1 Sellen 0
Nyberg 1/2 Jackson 1/2

B grade
Aldridge 1 Rabina 0
Hewson 0 Nicholls 1
Hill 1 Stracy 0
Forster 1 Kay 0

C grade
Brockway 1 Shierlaw 0
Krueger 1 Proctor 0
Bowden 1 Marney 0
Drinkwater 1 Foster 0

Here is my dreadful game against Mark van der Hoorn. If you have a weak heart, or a violent antipathy to bad chess, please stop reading now!

White: Mark van der Hoorn
Black: Ian Sellen
Opening: Sicilian Grand Prix Attack

1. e4 c5
2. Nc3 Nc6
3. f4 g6
4. Nf3 Bg7
5. Bc4
I have previously faced 5. Bb5, the great favourite of another member of the club.
5. ...... e6
6. f5
A thematic pawn sacrifice is looming.

6. ....... gxf5
Mark says that 6. .... Ne7 is correct, but I am already out of my opening book!
7. d3 Ne7
8. 0-0 0-0
9. Qe1 d5
10. exd5 Nxd5
11. Bxd5 exd5
12. Qg3
It is hard to say that White has enough compensation for the pawn.
12. ...... Kh8
13. Bf4 Rg8



14. Ng5??
White wants to get on with his attack quickly, but this is a serious mistake, which underestimates Black's defensive idea, and ends up losing material.
14. ....... Bd4+
15. Kh1 Rg7
Now White is in serious trouble. He decides, rather than retreating the Queen to break the annoying pin on the g file, to sacrifice the Knight.
16. Nb5 f6
17. Nxd4 cxd4
18. h4 fxg5
19. hxg5
Many players would have already resigned in this position, but Mark van der Hoorn is renowned for his fighting qualities in hopeless situations!
19. ..... Kg8
20. Rae1 Bd7
21. Bd2 Qf8
22. b4 a6
23. Qc7


23. ...... Qb8?
There are many ways to win this position for Black, but this is not one of them! I was hoping to exchange Queens, thinking that White would run out of squares to run away to, but I soon realised this would not happen.
24. Qb6 Qd8
25. Qc5 Qf8
26. Qxd5+ Qf7
The loss of a pawn, while not at all necessary, nevertheless has the advantage of opening lines for the somewhat useless white squared Bishop.
27. Qc5 Re8
28. a4 Qh5+
29. Kg1 R7e7
30. b5 Rxe1
30. ........Re2 may have been better, setting up lethal threats on White's 2nd rank.
31. Bxe1 axb5
32. axb5

32. ....... Ne7?
Actually, Black should probably just let White take this Knight on c6 and just play something like 32. Qxg5, as with the Bishop taking back on c6, the threats on g2 and the back rank should be enough to kill White off.
33. Qxd4 Bxb5
34. Bc3 Qg6
35. Re1

35. ....... Bc6??
The losing move. Black is still winning after 35. .... Kf7, when White has run out of tactical ideas. Now Mark wins in efficient style.
36. Re6! Qxg5
And now it's mate in 4
37. Qh8+ Kf7
38. Rf6 Black resigns