Chess Games of Rhal Sol Cruz: February 2012

Sunday, February 19, 2012

R4 Ople vs Sol Cruz

Valentine Cup

MERALCO, Pasig City, PHL

Related Games:

Geller vs Keres 1949

Bisguier vs Reshevsky 1956

Pilnik vs Smyslov 1966

Christiansen vs Larsen 1981

Hellers vs Shirov 1990

Danailov vs Topalov 1992

Anand vs Kamsky 1994

Morovic vs Adams 1997

Tiviakov vs Ponomariov 2001

Hamdouchi vs Carlsen 2006

Carlsen vs Aronian 2007

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5
The Exchange Variation of the Caro Kann Defense.

3... cxd5 4. Bd3
Lasker vs Tartakower in 1923
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1264562
Fischer vs Czerniak in Nathania 1968
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044279
Fischer vs Petrosian in Beograd 1970

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044326

Kasparov vs Morgulev in USSR 1977
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1069681
Morozevich vs Grischuk in Prague 2002
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1250539
Yifan vs Mkrtchian in World Ch 2008
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1504423
Svidler vs Motylev in Bundesliga 2012
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1643385

The most popular move though is 4. c4 - Panov-Botvinnik Attack.

4... Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Ne2

The main line is 6. Bf4.

6... e6 7. O-O Bd6 8. Bf4 O-O 9. Nd2 Re8 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. Ng3
Rybka offers 11. f4 then 12. Nf3, to prevent the opening of the e-file which Black controls by Re8.

11... e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Bf5 Qb6 14. Nb3 a5 15. Qd4 Qc7 16. Rfe1 Bxf5 17. Nxf5 Nc6 18. Qd3 Qf4 19. Nbd4 Ng4 20. Qg3 Qxg3 21. Nxg3 Nxd4 22. cxd4 Kf8 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Rc1 Nf6 25. Kf1 Ne4 26. f3
In this minor piece ending where White has control of the c-file, simplification through 26. Nxe4 is the key to winning; if Black captures with 26... dxe4, then White has a passed pawn on the d-file which is the goal of endgame play, and if Black captures with 26... Rxe4, White activates the R via 27. Rc5 and the rest is a matter of technique.

26... Nd2+ 27. Kf2 b6?? 28. b3 a4 29. Rd1 Nxb3 30. axb3 +- a3 31. Ra1 Ra8 32. Ra2
The correct strategy is to make use of the extra piece; 32. Nf5 or 32. Nf1.

32... b5 33. Nf5
Fix the weakness by 33. b4.

33... b4 34. Ne3 Rd8 35. Nc2 Rb8 36. Ne3 Rd8 37. Nc2 Rb8 38. Ke2 Ke7 39. Kd3 Kd6 40. Nxb4?
Rhal blundered in time trouble, but is still winning with his new passed b-pawn.

40... Rxb4 41. Rxa3 Rb6 42. Kc3 h5 43. Ra5 h4 44. b4

44... Kc6 45. Rc5+ Kd6 46. b5 +-

46... g5 47. g3 hxg3 48. hxg3 Rb8 49. Rc6+ Kd7 50. Kb4 Ra8 51. Kc5 Ra3 52. Rd6+ Kc7 53. Rxd5 Rxf3 54. Rxg5 Rf1 55. Rg7 Rc1+ 0-1

R1 Sanguan vs Sol Cruz

Valentine Cup
MERALCO, Pasig City, PHL

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. Re1 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4
Everything is book line:
Fischer vs Stein in Sousse IZT 1967
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044022

Kasparov vs Karpov in WCh 1986 G16 where Kasparov sacrificed a N on move 33
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1067209

Kasparov vs Karpov in WCh 1990 G20 where Kasparov sacrificed a B on move 27
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/nph-chesspgn?text=1&gid=1067283

Anand vs Adams in WCh 2005 R3 where Anand sacrificed a R on move 25
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1361575

10... h6
Usual is 10... Re8.

11. Nbd2 Re8 12. Nf1 Bf8 13. Ng3 Bc8 14. Bc2 exd4 15. cxd4 g6 16. Bf4 Bg7 17. Qd2 Kh7 18. Bb3 Re7 19. d5 Nb8 20. Rad1 Nbd7 21. Nd4 Bb7 22. Rc1 Nc5 23. Bc2 Qe8 24. f3 a5 25. Bd3 b4 26. Bb5 Qc8 27. e5 Nxd5 28. Nc6 Bxc6 29. Bxc6 Nxf4 30. Qxf4 Bxe5 31. Rxe5 dxe5 32. Qf6 Qe6 33. Qxe6 Nxe6 34. Bxa8 c5 0-1

Thursday, February 16, 2012

FM Leonardo Carlos

White: FM Leonardo Carlos
Black: Rhal Sol Cruz
13th MERALCO Training Simul
Pasig City, PHL

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
The Ruy Lopez Opening was Rhal's baptism of fire in formal chess competition - 2007 Meralco Employees Day Simul by Asia's First GM Eugene Torre.

3... a6 4. Bxc6
The Exchange Variation was made famous by World Champion Bobby Fischer; Fischer vs Gligoric, Fischer vs Unzicker, Fischer vs Portisch, among others.

Rhal has been exchanged several times with 3 Wins (Abo, Tan and Pastor), 1 Draw (Constantius), and 2 Losses (Escutin and Corpin).

4... dxc6 5.O-O Bd6
Rhal has previously played this move vs another Leonardo - Constantius of Indonesia in the ASEAN Primary Sport Olympiad 2010 (1/2-1/2), and that game was reviewed with IM Dimakiling and NM Cabellon.

6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 f6 8. Nc3
Often played is 8. Be3, Constantius played 8. Re1 but 8. Nc3, though a logical developing move, is rare.
Bonner vs Rumens 1978
Vagle vs Ignat, Korinthos 2001

8... Ne7 9. Be3 Be6 10. Rad1 O-O
One of the most important guidelines in chess is to protect your K from harm. Watson in Mastering the Chess Openings

11. h3 Ng6 12.Qd2 Qe7 13. Nd4 f5 14. Bg5 Qd7 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. Rde1 Qe5
Rhal missed a win with 16... f4 -+ 17 Ne2 Be5 18 h4 f3 19 Ng3 Qg4 20 Re3 fxg2 21 Kxg2 h6 22 h4 Qxg5 23 hxg6 Bf4. But this is not so easy to see.

17. f4 Qc5+ 18. Kh1 h6!
Rhal has trapped the B.

19. exf5 Qxf5 20. g4 Qf7 21. Bxh6 gxh6 22. f5 Nf4??
With around 5 minutes left on his clock, Rhal blundered. 22... Ne5 is the correct move.

A common error by novices is to exchange B and N for the opponent’s R and pawn. Harding in Better Chess for Average Players

23. Rxf4 Bxf4 24. Qxf4 Rfe8

25. Rd1 Rad8
In balanced positions, when neither side has any direct threats or concrete plan, it is necessary either to relocate your worst placed piece to its best square, or to exchange it off. Beliavsky and Mikhalchishin in Secrets of Chess Intuition

25. Rxd8 Rxd8 27.Ne4 Rd4

28. Qe5
[28. Qxh6 +-]
FM Leo is also short of time, not only vs Rhal but also in other boards.

28... Rd5
[28... Qd5=]
A Q trade not only ends the prospect of middle game shocks, such as enemy counter-attacks, it considerably increases the ways of converting an edge in the endgame.

Soltis in Turning Advantage into Victory

If your position is basically passive, you must meet threats as best you can, concentrating on exchanging as much as possible. Reinfeld in The Complete Chess Player

29. Qf4 Rd4 30. Qe5 Rd5

Result: 1/2-1/2