1983: Fire and flood

Game Richards,DJ - Lee,RA, 1983

Fire and flood

Bob Lee and I played a series of tough games during the late 'seventies and early 'eighties. I even enjoyed some of my losses to him! The following encounter is typically energetic, although I suspect White's early attacking scheme was fundamentally unsound. — DJR

Modern Benoni, Mikenas Variation

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. f4 Bg7 8. Nf3 O-O

+-----------------+
|rhb1.4k+|
|0p+.+pgp|
|.+.0.hp+|
|+.0P+.+.|
|.+.+P).+|
|+.H.+N+.|
|P).+.+P)|
|$.GQIB+R|
+-----------------+

A fighting variation for both sides!

9. Bd3 Na6 10. O-O Nb4 11. Bb1 Re8 12. a3 Na6 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Ng4 15. e6

If Black finds the best defence, this must be over-ambitious, but there will be fireworks!

15...fxe6 16. Ng5 Bd4+

Black plays to win the exchange. I think 16...exd5 was safer — though less exciting. 

17. Kh1 Nf2+ 18. Rxf2 Bxf2 19. Nce4 Bd4 20. d6

Played to constrict Black as far as possible.  White's position is promising, but has he compensation for being the exchange and Pawn down? With his next move Black tries to free his Bc8, but it allows the White pieces to flood into Black's position astonishingly quickly. 

20...e5 21. Ba2+ Kg7 22. Nf7 Qh4 23. Bh6+ Kg8 24. Qf3 Be6 25. Nf6+ Kxf7 26. Nxe8+ Kxe8 27. Bxe6 Qf2 28. Qxb7 1-0

[Notes by David Richards]

Legacy nid: 

448