Bill Wall Tires Me Out
I noticed that Bill Wall posted a comment on my first blog entry. In return, I posted a rather detailed comment to his article on Marcel Duchamp.
Bill Wall tires me out!
I don't mean personally. In fact, as a person, Mr. Wall has always been extremely helpful and accomodating (though with a terminally corny sense of humor). I refer to the weight, the sheer mass, of his chess contributions, particularly on the internet. Whatever facet of chess that captures my interest for any particular moment, I find that Mr. Wall has "been there, done that." And did it in astonishing detail. Back when the world wide web was in its infancy, Bill Wall was there writing, as Maj. William D. Wall, for Lisa Powell's International Email Chess Club (IECC) newsletter (beginning with the April 1995 edition - see below).
The late Lisa Powell
IECC CHESS BITS & PIECES
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Published by the International Email Chess Club
Devoted solely to E-Mail Correspondence Chess
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Volume 1, Issue 4 April 1995 Published SemiMonthly
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IECC Featured Game
Analysis By Major William D. Wall
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THE CARO-KANN PANOV ATTACK THAT SHOULD HAVE WON FOR BLACK by Bill Wall
Paul Green - Juha Kivijarvi, IECC Pyramid 1995, Caro Kann, Panov Attack
1.e4 c6
[The Caro-Kann Defense]
2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4
[the Panov Attack. White usually gets an isolated center pawn]
4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e6
[5...g6 - Bronstein Variation; another idea is 5...Nc6]
6.Nf3
[The most common move. Other lines are 6.c5 and 6.Bg5]
6...Bb4
[This variation resembles the Nimzo-Indian defense. Also
playable are 6...Nc6 and 6...Be7]
7.cxd5
[7.Bd3 is the most common alternative and is usually followed by
7...dxc4 8.Bxc4. Other moves are 7.Bd2, 7.Bg5, 7.Be3, 7.Qb3,
7.Qc2, 7.Qa4+, 7.a3; 7.cxd5]
7...Nxd5
[Less common is 7...exd5 8.Qa4+ Nc6 9.Bb5]
8.Qb3
[Favored by Judit Polgar. 8.Bd2 or 8.Qc2 are also playable and
more common ways to protect the pinned knight]
8...Nc6
[8...O-O can be played as well]
9.Bd2
[9.Bd3 may be better, allowing White to castle on the kingside early]
9...Qb6
[Threatening the d4 pawn. 9...O-O 10.Bd3 and 11.O-O looks
like the most natural moves.]
10.Nxd5
[Not 10.a3?? Bxc3 11.Qxb6 Bxd2+ and 12...Nxb6. Interesting is
10.Bd3!? 10...Ba5 (10...Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Qxd4 12.Bb5+) 11.O-O Qxb3
12.axb3 Bb6 13.Bc4 Nde7 J. Polgar - V. Smyslov, Aruba 1992]
10...Bxd2+
[10...exd5 11.Bxb4 or 11.Qxd5]
11.Nxd2
[White can head for the endgame with 11.Kxd2 Qxb3 12.Nc7+ Kd8
13.axb3 Kxc7 14.Bb5, but has a worse pawn structure]
11...exd5
[11...Qxb3 12.Nxb3 exd5 13.Bb5 O-O 14.O-O looks equal and drawish]
12.Qe3+?!
[This helps Black develop another piece and leaves White's pawns
under attack. 12.Qxb6 axb6 13.Nf3 or 13.Nb3 leaves Black with
doubled pawns]
12...Be6 13.Nb3 O-O 14.Bd3 Qb4+ 15.Qd2 Rfe8
[Black might want to try 15...Bg4, and if 16.Qxb4 Nxb4
17.Bb1 Rfe8+ 18.Kf1 Be2+ 19.Kg1 Bc4 looks good for Black]
16.Qxb4
[If 16.O-O? (16.O-O-O) 16...Qxd2 17.Nxd2 Nxd4]
16...Nxb4 17.Kd2
[Not 17.Nc1? (17.Bb1) Nxd3+ 18.Nxd3 Bg4+ 19.Kd2 Re2+ 20.Kc3 Rc8+
21.Kb3 Rd2 and Black should win a pawn]
17...Nxd3
[In the endgame, bishops are better than knights as long as the bishop
has mobility and targets to attack.
18.Kxd3 Rac8
[Black does not want to allow White in playing Rc1 first and gaining
control of the open file. Slightly better may be 18...Bf5+, then
19...Rc8 to give Black a tempo move with more space and mobility]
19.Rac1
[Black was threatening 19...Bf5+ 20.Kd2 Rc2+ 21.Kd1 Rxf2, winning]
19...Rc4
[Other ideas are 19...Bg4, 19...Bf5+, and 19...b6]
20.h3
[Not 20.Rxc4?? (20.Kd2 or 20.Rhe1) 20...dxc4+ and 21...cxb3; Also
bad is 20.Na5? (or 20.Nc5) Bf5+ 21.Kd2 Rxd4+]
20...h5
[20...Ra4 or 20...Bf5+ or 20...Rec8]
21.f3
[Trying to expand on the king-side with 22.g4. White can also
try 21.Kd2 or 21.Rhe1]
Bf5+
[21...h4; 21...Ra4; 21...Rec8]
22.Kd2 h4
[22...b6; 22...b5; 22...Rec8]
23.Rhe1
[23.Rxc4 dxc4 24.Na5 b5 25.Nc6 may be slightly better for White]
23...Rxe1
[23...Rec8 24.Rc3, threatening 25.Re7 or 25.Re5]
24.Kxe1
[Not 24.Rxe1? Rc2+ and 25...Rxg2]
24...b6
[Preventing 25.Rxc4 dxc4 26.Na5]
25.Rxc4 dxc4 26.Nd2 b5
[or 26...Be6]
27.Ne4
[Another idea is 27.f4 and 28.Nf3]
27...Kf8
[27...b4; 27...Be6; 27...Bxe4 28.fxe4 Kf8 29.e5 slightly favors White]
28.Kd2
[28.Nd6 Bd7; 28.d5 Ke7]
28...Ke7
[28...Bxe4? (28...Be6) 29.fxe4 Ke7 30.Kc3 a5?? (30...Kd6) 31.a4
wins for White]
29.Ke3
[29.Kc3 or 29.d5 look stronger]
29...Bxe4
[29...Be6 and 30...Bd5 equalizes]
30.Kxe4?
[30.fxe4 Ke6 31.a3 is best for White]
30...b4!
[Black should break through with a Queen-side majority]
31.d5
[31.Kd5?? c3 32.bxc3 bxc3 wins for Black]
Kd6
draw agreed 1/2-1/2 But is it a draw?!
32.a3?? fails to 32...c3 33.Kd3 cxb2 34.Kc2 bxa3.
32.a4 Kc5 looks strong for Black.
32.b3?? fails to 32...c3 33.Kd3 Kxd5 or 33...g5 first.
32.f4?? fails to 32...c3 33.bxc3 bxc3 34.Kd3 Kxd5 35.Kxc3 Ke4 and 36...Kxf4.
Best for White is 32.Kd4 c3 33.bxc3 bxc3 34.Kxc3 Kxd5, threatening
35...Ke5, 36...Kf4, 37...Kg3, and 38...Kxg2. White has to choose
between A) 35.Kd3 and B) 35.Kb4
A) 35.Kd3 a5 36.a4 g5 37.Ke3 (37.Kc3 Kc5 38.Kd3 Kb4 39.Kd4 Kxa4
40.Kc4 Ka3 41.Kc3 a4 42.Kc2 Kb4 43.Kb2 a3+ 44.Ka2 Ka4 45.Kb1 Kb3 wins)
37...Kc5 38.f4 f6 39.f5 Kb4 40.Kd3 Kxa4 41.Kc3 Kb5 42.Kb3 Kc5
and Black can go after the White f-pawn and win.
B) 35.Kb4 Ke5 36.Ka5 Kf4 37.Ka6 Kg3 38.Kxa7 Kxg2 39.a4 Kxh3
40.a5 Kg2 41.a6 h3 42.Kb6 h2 43.a7 h1=Q 44.a8=Q Qh6 45.Kc5 Qe3+
46.Kd6 Qxf3 and Black should win.
Bill Wall is an icon. He was coaching chess in my hometown when I was only 3 and thirty years later he still runs rings around me. He tires me out.
