William Napier vs Adolf Albin (1902)

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William Napier vs Adolf Albin
Monte Carlo (1902), Monte Carlo MNC, rd 4, Feb-07
Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation (B45) · 1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Aug-02-21		KEG: Albin bungled the opening badly and was almost certainly lost by move 10 (and probably by move 7). But Napier, though coming out of the opening a pawn up was unable to finish off the game despite some endgame errors by Albin that gave him chances. By drawing this game, Napier was in the unhappy position of being the only competitor at Monte Carlo 1902 to have two games to replay after four rounds. He wound up losing both of these replays ending up with 1.5 points for his first four games (though the replay with Albin took place only after he had beaten last-place Mortimer in Round 5 and then lost to von Popiel in Round 6). The commentary on the opening in the Tournament Book was awful, praising as it did what probably should have been a losing blunder by Albin on move 7. 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 So despite 2. Nc3, we have an open Sicilian. 4... cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Ndb5 A position that is much better known today than it was in 1092. click for larger view 6... d6 "?"--(Tournament Book) In fact this move is normal and best. 7. Bf4 "!" This move is too well-known to earn an "!" today. The position was now: click for larger view 7... Ne5? "Better than 7...e5, Tarrasch--Janowski, Vienna 1898." (Tournament Book) Actually, 7...e5 is normal and best, whereas the text should almost certainly lose. 8. Qd4! "!"--Tournament Book) This refutes 7...Ne5. 8... a6 8...Be7 is perhaps slightly better, but White stlll ends up a pawn to the good with 9. Nxd6+ QxN 10. BxN. The position after 8...a6 was: click for larger view 9. Nxd6+ This wins a pawn, but stronger were 9. 0-0-0 or 9. Rd1 9... BxN 10. Rd1 click for larger view 10... Ke7? 10...Be7 or 10...Bc7 were much better. 11. BxN BxB 12. QxB click for larger view 12... Qb6 "With the intention of playing 13...Qxf2+ 14. KxQ Ng4+." (Tournament Book) click for larger view

Aug-02-21		KEG: Post II 13. Be2 "!"--(Tournament Book) Very tentative play by Napier (the Tournament Bookj notwithstanding). With 13. Qg3! (or maybe 13. Qg5) he would seem to have the game in hand. After the text, Albin had at least a fighting chance. 13... Bd7 14. 0-0 click for larger view 14... Rhc8? Hard to understand why Albin misplaced his Rooks this way. The seemingly obvious 14...Rhd8. 15. Rd2? 15. Qg3! would have put Napier back in the cat-bird seat. 15. Qf4 was also much better than the text. Now, the position gave Albin renewed chances. 15... Kf8 Given some new life, Albin manages to get his King to a safer venue. 16. Qd6+ QxQ 17. RxQ Bc6 click for larger view Napier was still up a pawn, and perhaps thought he would win in a walk. The good news was that he maintained his extra pawn until the end of the game. The bad news is that he let Albin drum up drawing chances. 18. Bf3? "18. f3 was better." (Tournament Book) So true. Even 18. e5 was superior to the text. White's King-side formation is now awkward. 18... Ke7 18...e5 was the way to exploit 18. Bf3. 19. Rfd1 Nd7 20. Be2 click for larger view 20... g5?! 20...b5 was probably more prudent. But Albin, a pawn down, preferred a more aggressive defense. He certainly inserted significant tension into the game. 21. f3 Napier's last two moves at least partially undid the damage of his weak 18th move. 21... Ne5 22. Kf2 h5 Going all in on his King-side advance. As will be seen, this eventually resulted in a locked pawn position that allowed Albin to fight his way to a draw. 23. R6d2 h4 No half-measures for Albin here: click for larger view This position may or not be a theoretical win for White (the evaluations of Fritz and Stockfish put White at 0.95 and 1.05 respectively). Over the board, the result is definitely uncertain.

Aug-04-21		KEG: Post III 24. h3 "This move gives his opponent good drawing chances." (Tournament Book) I'm not sure that this move was the difference between winning and drawing, but 24. Rd4 does look best. The text helps Black lock down the king-side pawns. 24... Rf8 Albin might alternatively tried to take charge on the Queen-side with 24...b5. 25. Bd3 Not a blunder, but Napier (perhaps because of time pressure given the 30-move time limit) seems to have lost the thread here. 25. Rd4 or 25. Nb1 (intending na3 and Nc4) look like better efforts. 25... Rac8 26. Ne2 Ba4 27. b3 Be8 28. Nd4 f6 click for larger view 29. c4! The best winning try. 29... Bg6 30. Bb1 Rfd8 31. Ke3 Bh5 click for larger view 32. Nc2 Deciding to allow a trade of a pair of Rooks. A difficult choice. 32. Bd3 or 32. a4 or 32. Bc2 are also possibilities. 32... RxR 33. RxR click for larger view 33... b5 Electing to simplify the Queen-side. A close choice compared to 33...a5 or 33...Be8. 34. cxb5 axb5 35. Nd4 Rc3+ 36. Ke2 click for larger view 36... Rc1? Albin had to play 36...Be8. Now Napier could have won. 37. Bd3 NxB 38. KxN Be8 click for larger view This was one of several times that Napier had a chance for victory. 39. Rc2? 39. Nc2! would have placed Albin's Rook in a position in which it could not have prevented a clinching assault by White. After the text, Albin was again back in the running. But even after the text, Napier probably had a theoretical win. 39... Rd1+ 40. Kc3 Kd6 41. Ne2 41. Rd2 would probably lead to the draw, though the Tournament Book's line is not convincing, i..e, 41. Rd2 RxR [41...b4+ 42. Kd3 RxR+ 43. KxR e5 looks like a better route to the draw for Black) 42. KxR Ke5? (42...b4 is definitely better here) 43. Ke3 f5? (another weak suggestion by the Tournament Book, 43...Kd6 is better) 44. Ne2? (awful analysis by the Tournament Book. White wins here with 44. a3) Bc6? (this should lose, while 44...fxe4 probably would be sufficient for a draw) 45. Nc3? (45. exf5 wins)]/ 41... Kc5 click for larger view This might have still been a theoretical win for Napier, but beginning here play became extremely spotty (perhaps because of the move 45 time control). For better or worse, the game still had a long way to go.

Aug-05-21		KEG: Post IV 42. b4+? Needlessly compromising his Queen-side pawns. With 42. a3, Napier had decent winning chances. 42... Kd6 click for larger view 43. Rd2+ 43. Rc1! was much better. After 43. Rc1 RxR+ 44. NxR Black's options would have been more limited (i.e., if 44...Ke5 as in the game 45. Nd3+ Kd6 46. e5+ fxe5 47. Nc5 Black's pawns are weak and he will soon have to return the sacrificed pawn with excellent winning chances for White. 43... RxR 44. KxR click for larger view A difficult minor piece ending, especially with the move 45 time control looming. 44... Ke5 44...f5 or 44...Bc6 were better. 45. Ke3 click for larger view White has winning chances, but the win is still tough for White. But now, with his last move before the time control, Albin erred badly: 45... f5? Albin might (or might not) have been able to hold the position with 45...Kd6 or 45...Bc6. But now, he was lost: click for larger view 46. Nc3? Napier had two ways to win: (A) 46. exf5 Kxf5 47. g4+ hxg3 48. Nxg3+ Kg6 49. Kd4 Bc6 50. Kc5 Bd5 51. a3 Bxf3 52. Kxb5 and White's two connected passed pawns on the Queen-side will decide the game; (B) 46. f4+ gxf4+ 47. Nxf4 fxe4 48. a3 Bf7 49. Ne2 Bh5 50. g4! and White should win. After the text, the win was almost certainly gone--at least at this stage. 46... Bc6 47. a3 Be8 48. Nd1 click for larger view Albin could likely have held here with 48...f4+ or 48...Bg6 or 48...Bd7. But instead he gave Albin a glimmer of hope with: 48... Bf7 With the Bishop misplaced, Napier had a final chance: click for larger view

Aug-06-21		KEG: Post V 49. Nf2? Wrong direction. If there is a way for White to win here, it begins with 49. Nb2. If then 49...f4+ (as in the game), White wins with 50. Kd3 Be8 (best) 51. a4! bxa4 52. Nc4+ Kf6 53. Kd4 and White's passed b-pawn should decide. Alternatively, if 49...fxe4 (probably best) 50. fxe4 Be8 51. Nd3+ (White must now shift plans since a4 now doesn't work) ) Kf6 (best) 52. Nc5 Ke5 53. Nb3 with a tough struggle ahead. After the text, Black was able to lock down the King-side while Napier had nothing much going on the other wing: 49... f4+ 50. Kd3 Kd6 click for larger view I see no real winning chances for White from here. In any case, Napier found none: 51. Ng4 As good a try as any. 51... e5 Forced to prevent e5 by White. 52. Ke2 Bc4+ 53. Ke1 Ke6 54. Nh2 Kd6 55. Nf1 Bd3 56. Nd2 Bc2 Preventing both Nb1 and Nb3 57. Nf1 Perhaps gaining time on the clock as the move 60 time control approached. 57... Bd3 58. Nh2 Bg4 59. Ng4 Ke6 60. Nf2 Kd6 61. Nd1 Making a final try on the Queen-side: click for larger view 61... Kc6 62. Nb2 Bb3 63. Kd2 Bf7 64. a4 ?! Everything else had failed. So Napier decided to trade pawns; it didn't work. 64... Bxa4 65. Nxa4 Kb5 click for larger view 66. Nb2 A transparent trap after which Napier didn't even wait to see if Albin would blunder into 66...Kxb4 67.nNd3+ The only winning chance lay in 66. Nc5 Bc4 (not 66...Kxb4 67. Nd3+) 67. Nd7 Bf1 68. Nxe5 Bxg2 69. Nf7 Bxh3 70. Nxg5 Bc8 71. Ke2 Kxb4 but there is no win here for White. Drawn This inability to win the minor piece ending was costly for Napier, who lost the replay against Albin five days later (the game being delayed because Napier had an earlier drawn game to replay. The upshot--Napier ended up (under the scoring system in place at Monte Carlo 1902) with 0.25 points instead of a full point,

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