Henkelman Grinds DeVries Into Dust - A Long Albin Gambit Game
Post date: Jul 21, 2010 5:12:23 PM
Friends-
Ken Henkelman and I continued our long standing chess competition on Monday evening. We played a remarkable "textbook" Albin Counter Gambit game (Ken had White) where I was stuck with doubled pawns and Ken used this positional advantage to slowly grind me into dust, although the game lasted 82 moves. I present this game for your consideration.
WHITE (Henkelman) BLACK (DeVries)
Casual Chess Game, 07-19-2010
Waco, Tx Barnes & Noble Bookstore
Albin Counter Gambit
-1- d4 d5
-2- c4 e5
-3- P x P d4 x e5 d4
-4- Nf3 Nc6
-5- e3 Bb4 check ?
Move 5 is an innovation by Ken - I should have moved ....Bg4
I have played this variation in many other Albin games with
Glenn Gilbert, another Waco Chess Club member.
-6- Bd2 B x B check
-7- Q x B Bg4
In previous games, Ken would usually capture with the Knight.
Capturing with the Queen is better.
-8- Be2 P x P
-9- Q x P KNe7
-10- QNd2 0-0
-11- 0-0 Re8
-12- Qg5 B x N
Ken's 12th move is good - it practically forces me to take the White
Knight, which will put the White Bishop in good position on f3.
-13- B x B Ng6
-14- Q x Q QR x Q
-15- B x N P x B
This sticks me with doubled pawns.
-16- Nf3 N x P
The material is even, but I have doubled pawns
-17- N x N R x N
-18- KRe1 QRe8
-19- R x R R x R
-20- Kf1 f6
-21- Rd1 Kf7
-22- Rd8 Ke7
-23- Ra8 a5
(....Ra5 might have been better for Black on Move 23)
-24- Rc8 Kd6
-25- b3 Kd7
-26- Rg8 g6
-27- f4 Re7
-28- Ra8 f5
I cannot save my Rook Pawn.
-29- R x P on a5 Re4
-30- g3 Rd4
-31- Ke2 Re4 check
-32- Kd3 Re1
-33- Re5 Rh1
-34- Re2 c5
Ken makes several important Re2 moves during this game
for defensive purposes.
-35- Kc3 Rc1 check
-36- Kb2 Rh1
-37- a4 Rd1
The beginning of the end for Black. White has an unobstructed Rook Pawn.
-38- Kc2 Rd6
-39- Re5 Kc6
(-39- Rd2 forces a trade of rooks, and White has queenside pawn majority,
which means endgame win is highly probable - of course, Ken won
this game, so I can't really dispute his technique)
-40- Kc3 Rd1
-41- Re6 check Kd7
-42- Re2 Rd6
-43- b4 P x P check
-44- K x P at b4 Kc6
-45- a5 Kb7
-46- Re7 h5
-47- Re2 c6
The recurring defensive maneuver by White appears again
on Move 47.
-48- Kc5 Rf6
-49- Re5 Ka6
-50- Kb4 Rd6
-51- Re2 Rf6
-52- Ra2 Re6
-53- Kc5 Rf6
-54- Kd4 Re6
-55- c5 Re8
-56- Kc4 Rd8
-57- Kc3 Rd5
-58- Kc4 Rd8
-59- Re2 K x P
Material is even again, but Black's pawn capture is
a very temporary victory.
-60- Re6 Rd2
-61- R x P at c6 R x P at h2
-62- R x P at g6 Rc2 check
Ken again has one pawn advantage, which will soon expand.
-63- Kd5 Rd2 check
-64- Kc6 Rh2
-65- Rg5 h4
White's 65th move is a decisive move. Easy to see - but decisive.
-66- P x P R x P
-67- R x P Rh6 check
White has a two pawn advantage, and a gentleman might resign,
but I still have a rook, and a draw is still remotely possible. So
I play on.
-68- Kd5 Kb5
-69- Rf7 Rh5 check
-70- f5 Rh1
Ken will eventually have two unstoppable pawns on the "C"
and "F" files.
-71- Rb7 check Ka6
-72- c6 Rd1 check
-73- Ke6 Re1 check
-74- Kd7 Rd1 check
-75- Kc8 Rf1
Black just exhaled his last gasps of breath.
-76- Rf7 Kb6
-77- c7 Ra1
-78- Rf6 check Kc5
-79- Re6 Rf1
-80- f6 Kd5
-81- Kd7 Rc1
-82- Rd6 check Ke5
-83- f7 Resigns