These games were played by Bob Cairone (1840) at our January 2005 Swiss tournament. Bob was happy to return to competition after several months of directing tournaments instead of playing. Bob finished with three points, losing only to first place finished Jim Marshall in the third round.
To play the games, just click on the moves in the score in the right hand side. Moves in black are the ones actually played in the game, and moves in color are variations and analysis. You can also click on these moves to see the position on the board. Or you can use the control panel under the board to step through each move manually, or the game can be played automatically. In autoplay mode, you have the option of stepping into the analysis variations or bypassing them completely.
Select games by scrolling in the right hand panel, or use the drop down list under the board. The interface is quite natural and easy to get used to. We hope you find it useful and enjoyable.
Bob Cairone - Jeremy Crouse [C65]
McHenry Area Chess January Swiss (1) 2005
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 The Cordel
Defense of the Ruy Lopez. The idea here is that the White Bishop is more exposed on b5 than it is on a4
4. O-O Nge7 4... Qf6 is the move of choice in MCO-14. The continuation goes 5. c3 Nge7 6. Re1 O-O 7. d4 exd4 8. e5 Qg6 9. Bd3 f5 10. exf6 Qxf6 11. Bg5 Qf7
While
4... Nf6 transposes into the Berlin Defense.
5. c3 White considered 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 c6 7. Be2 Bd6 8. dxe5 Bxe5 and not having much potential for tactical play in the middlegame since 9. f4 fails against 9... Qb6+ 10. Kh1 Bxb2
5... a6 Now the game takes on more the appearance of a main line Lopez where Black mishandled the knights. Since Black eschewed this move before, more consistent and better would have been 5... d5
or 5... O-O
6. Ba4 d6 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 b5? Strategically and tactically terrible, this move costs Black a pawn and leaves his other pawns weakened. White's only concern is that the bishops are of opposite colors, so simplifications that could lead to a draw will have to be avoided.
9. dxc5 bxa4 10. Qxa4 Bd7 11. cxd6 cxd6 12. Bf4 Ne5 13. Qa3 Nxf3+ 14. Qxf3 Qb6 15. b3 O-O 16. Nd2 It would have been better to hit the Black d pawn with an immediate 16. Rd1 or at least keep the d file open with
16. Nc3
16... Be6 17. Rfc1 Was this the right rook? White was more concerned about the a pawn becoming a target than suffering a kingside attack, especially since the bishop can support f2.
17... Rfd8 18. Nc4 Bxc4 This was best for Black, but now White is no longer concerned about endgame draws despite the material advantage.
19. Rxc4 Ng6 20. Qe3 Qb7 21. Rac1 Rd7 Black cannot allow White to get a rook to the seventh, and white will try very hard to accomplish that, or use it as a distraction to gain access to the last rank or to attack the split pawns on the sixth rank.
22. h3 Rad8 23. Bg3 White wants to preserve the bishop because it supports the c7 square, thereby keeping the d pawn immobilized. This also frees the queen so she can add to the mass of force on the c file.
23... Nf8 24. Rc6 Ne6 This sufficiently protects the seventh, so White shifts attention to the sixth.
25. Qd3 d5 26. exd5 Rxd5 27. Qxa6 Qd7 28. Rc8 Careful calculation was needed before committing to this move, as it gives Black a bit of initiative. White had to decide allowing Black the check on d1 was not to Black's advantage. That done, simplifying to an endgame can begin.
28... Rd1+ 29. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 30. Kh2 h6 31. Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. Qd6 Qa5 33. a4 Nc5? Black's game is already lost, but this makes it very easy for White.
34. Qb8+ Kh7 35. b4 Nd7 36. bxa5 Nxb8 37. Bxb8 1-0
Abdulah Prijic - Bob Cairone [C53]
McHenry Area Chess January Swiss (2) 2005
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 An aggressive and dangerous line that gives both sides opportunities for tactical play.
6... d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Bg5? 8. fxg7 Rg8 9. cxd4 Bxd4 is the normal continuation. The move played is a significant inaccuracy, giving Black the initiative.
8... gxf6 9. Bh6 9. cxd4 is better.
9... Qe7+ 10. Kd2 Jumping into the fire. The White king stuck in the center is a big target. White intended to trap the Black king in the center, but finds the situation reversed. It would have been much better to avoid this result, or, if it is inevitable, to remove as many pieces from the board before it happens.
10... Be6 11. Re1 11. cxd4 was necessary, though it's not enough to fix White's problems. The move as played drops at least the exchange. From this point, Black's game almost plays itself.
11... dxc3+ 12. Nxc3 O-O-O+ 13. Kc2 Nb4+ 14. Kc1 Rxd1+ 15. Rxd1 Nd3+ 16. Kb1 Bxf2 16... Nxb2 is even better, since 17. Kxb2 Ba3+! 18. Kc2 Bf5+ forces 19. Rd3 to avoid mate.
17. a3 Rg8 18. Rd2 Rxg2 19. Ka2 Rg6 20. Rxf2 Nxf2 21. Be3 Nd3 22. Rf1 Rg2 23. Bc1 Qc5 24. Ka1 Nxc1 25. Rxc1 Qf2 0-1
Bob Cairone - Jim Marshall [C99]
McHenry Area Chess January Swiss (3) 2005
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. h3 O-O 9. c3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 A classic closed Ruy Lopez.
12... cxd4 13. cxd4 Rd8 14. b3 exd4 15. Nxd4? In thinking about his fifteenth move, White considered that Black's isolated queen pawn on an open file will be a liability, tempo can be gained while attacking the enemy queen on the open c file, and Black has an awkwardly placed knight. White's pawns are sound, and only the knight on d2 will take any effort to improve. So, with unbridled optimism, White blithely recaptures on d4, having failed to notice that both the d4 and a1 squares are unsupported, and that there is a gaping hole in the weak square c3 all on the same diagonal. The error could have been readily fixed had this been noticed first, by 15. Bb2 after which the pawn on d4 can be captured and White does have a fine if fairly even game.
15... Qc3 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. exf5 Qxa1 18. Rxe7 Re8 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Nf3 Nc6 21. Bg5 Qxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Ne4 23. Bf4 Nc3 24. Bc2 Ne2+ There was no opportunity for counterplay that would improve White's game. After the initial error, the loss was inevitable.
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Charles Giertz - Bob Cairone [C50]
McHenry Area Chess January Swiss (4) 2005
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 White opts for a Scotch opening, an opening that isn't seen very often in tournament play but that still comes up now and again.
3... exd4 4. Bc4 Be7 Having played against a Guicco Piano in round 2, Black tries for something different. Unfortunately, this was not the best alternative. Preferable was 4... Nf6 5. e5 d5 similar to the round 2 game
or 4... Bc5 5. O-O d5 6. c3 dxc3 7. Nxc3 again with a resemblance to the prior game
or 4... Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. Nxc3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d6
5. c3 d6 6. cxd4 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. h3 a6 8... Nxe4 9. Nxe4 d5 10. Bd3 dxe4 11. Bxe4 Bb4+ is much better for Black, since either the White king moves and gives up the right to castle, or the bishop on e4 gets pinned. Black plays the opening too passively and suffers the whole game because of it.
9. a4 Bd7 9... Nxe4 still works, but Black still doesn't see it.
10. O-O Qc8 11. Kh2 Nd8 Black's position is cramped, but maneuvering behind the lines is not the right way to correct it. Instead, black should try 11... Nb4
or 11... Na5 and although that's not very appealing it's still better than the retreat.
12. Be3 c6 13. Qe2 Be6 14. d5 White continues to develop and gain space.
14... cxd5 15. exd5 Bf5 16. Rac1 Qd7 17. Bd3 Ne8 Black hopes to push the kingside pawns and deploy the knights to his second rank.
18. Bd4 Bf6 19. Ne4 Bxd4 20. Nxd4 Bxe4 21. Qxe4 g6? 21... Nf6 is substantially better, but then it seems impossible to develop the other knight afterwards. But since White's a pawn is hanging, Black can capture it and then expand on the queen's wing, thus freeing up his position.
22. Rfe1 Ng7 Still the a pawn is free for the taking. But Black is too fixated on his prior plans to notice, at a time when flexibility is essential.
23. b3 Re8 24. Qh4 Re5 25. Rxe5 dxe5 26. Nf3 Nf5 26... Qxd5 27. Bc4 Qd6 28. Ng5 with threats on h7 and f7 just looked too scary though Black can hold the position.
27. Qf6 Qd6 Again, Black is simply afraid of 27... Qxd5 although it remains the best move.
At this point White stops keeping score due to time pressure, having less than five minutes on the clock. However, White is about to win a pawn and has a superior position with more active pieces.
28. Qxe5 Qxe5+ 29. Nxe5 Nd6 30. Rc7 The rook on the seventh is very strong and cannot be displaced.
30... Rc8 31. Rd7 Ne8 32. Bc4 b6? 33. d6? 33. Bxa6 is free.
33... Nf6 34. Rc7 Rb8 35. Nxf7 b5 36. axb5 axb5 37. Nxd8+ bxc4 38. bxc4? 38. Nc6! is winning, since 38... cxb3 fails due to 39. Nxb8 b2 40. Rb7 but in the time scramble both players mistakenly thought the b file wasn't accessible to White.
38... Rxd8 Black now also stops keeping score due to time trouble. At this point, despite Black having serious difficulty throughout the game, the position is much more equal, with White still holding an advantage due to the connected passed pawns. With excellent play, Black should be able to hold the draw, possibly sacrificing the knight for the queenside pawns and trusting White's kingside majority will come to nothing in a rook and pawn ending. In fact, that line of play cannot be prevented, though with the Black king confined to the first rank White has all the winning chances, even if a draw is the likely outcome. However, a draw was never offered, and after several more moves played very quickly (commendably without any errors by either player), White lost on time in an even rook and pawn ending.
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