A Great Drawn Game With Probable Won Ending Position

Post date: Jun 23, 2010 2:12:57 AM

On Thursday night at the Waco Chess Club meeting, Ken Henkelman and I struggled to a draw after 72 moves. Any result besides a loss is a great boost for me, since Ken usually wins 3/4 to 4/5 of our games. Weeks ago, Ken would play the Scicilian Defense as a response to my -1- e4. (-1- e4 c5) Recently, Ken has switched to the French Defense, and our French Defense games sometimes involve into a Blackmar Gambit for White.

The Waco Chess Club is awakening! The last couple of meetings have drawn 7+ people, and we have hopes for a similar turnout on June 24th. Rex Burke and Jeff Spyrison are conducting some intensive chess tutoring with a couple of middle school students that were connected to organized chess activity at University Middle School and Brazos Middle School in the spring. I try to play chess three or four times a week (usually with Ken), although I lost a game to Jeff Spyrison on Saturday (Jeff concluded the game with a beautiful queen sacrifice and a smothered checkmate with his knight - I seem to have misplaced the scoresheet - I hope I can locate it, because I want to put in the Waco Chess Club website. My level of play was somewhat mediocre, but Jeff's play was stellar.

In any case, here is the lengthy draw with Ken Henkelman....

JOHN DEVRIES vs KEN HENKELMAN

Casual Chess Game - Waco Chess Club

June 17, 2010

WHITE (DeVries) BLACK (Henkelman)

-1- e4 e6

-2- d4 d5

-3- Nc3 Bb4

I have tried -4- a3 which leads to -4- ...B x N, and the game often

evolves into a Blackmar/Ryder Gambit. I decide to try something different.

-4- Be2 B x N

-5- P x B P x P

Ken gains the extra pawn

-6- f3 Nf6

-7- Bg5 P x P

-8- B x P h6

I delay the development of my knight to give the bishop a possibly strong diagonal.

-9- Bf4 Nd5

-10- Ne2 Qf6

-11- Be5 Qg6

-12- 0 - 0 Nc6

-13- B x N N x B

-14- Bb3 Ng4

-15- Qd3 Q x Q

-16- P x Q 0 - 0

-17- Rf3 Bd7

-18- d5 P x P

-19- B x P c6

My 18th move temporarily stopped Black from Bc6

-20- Bb3 QRe8

-21- Ng3 Re3

-22- R x R N x R

-23- Ne4 Bf5

-24- Nd6 B x P

-25- N x P at b7 Bc4

-26- Nd6 B x B

-27- P x B Ra8

-28- c4 Nc2

-29- Ra6 Nd4

-30- b4 Rd8

-31- c5 Rd7

-32- Ra5 Rc7

-33- h3 Nb3

-34- Ra6 Nd4

-35- Ra5 Ne2 check

-36- Kf2 Nf4

-37- Kg3 Nd3

-38- Ra4 f6

-39- h4 Ne5

-40- Ra6 Nd7

-41- h5 Nb8

-42- Ra5 a6

-43- Kf3 Re7

I have an inactive rook - Ken has an inactive defensive knight

Ken has active rook - my knight is important.

-44- Kf2 Re5

-45- g4 Rd5

-46- Ke3 Rd1

-47- Ra4 Re1 check

-48- Kf4 Re5

-49- Ra5 Rd5

-50- Ke4 Rd1

-51- Ra4 Re1 check

-52- Kf4 Rf1 check

-53- Ke4 Kf8

-54- Nf5 Re1 check

-55- Kf4 Kg8

-56- Ra2 Rb1

-57- Ra4 Kh7

-58- Ne7 Rf1 check

-59- Kg3 Re1

-60- Ng6 Rd1

-61- Kf3 Rd5

-62- Kf4 Rg5

-63- Nf8 check Kg8

-64- Ng6 Kf7

-65- Ra2 Rd5

-66- Ra4 Rg5

-67- Ra2 f5

-68- P x P R x RP at h5

-69- Rd2 Rh1

-70- Rd8 Rf1 check

White's 70th move threatens mate with Rf8

-71- Ke4 Re1 check

-72- Kf4 Rf1 check

****DRAW****

White should have refused the draw...

(73 Kg3 R x P

74 Rf8 check K x N

75 R x R)

OR

(73 Kg3 Rg1

74 Rh2 wins for White!)

I have my excuses - we were playing with a borrowed chess board.

The owner of the board was ready to go home. I was exhausted.

I didn't look for winning opportunities. I was thankful for a draw.