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