| PeterLalic: https://kingstonchess.com/kingston-... Peter Andrews:
"Vladimir [Li] aptly described Peter Lalić’s game on board 2 against Russell Picot as “flowing like music”. Most of Peter’s games this season have started with him allowing an early queen exchange on d8 or d1. His opponents are attracted to preventing his king from castling, and probably by the thought that with queens off they improve their chances of a draw against a highly rated player. But this can be an illusion. Queenless middle games can require precision, and Peter has far more experience of handling such positions than most of his opponents will ever have. As in Julian’s game, there was an important point at which the two players allowed a sequence of moves which they must have evaluated differently. 
click for larger viewWhite to move. Last: 15...Bd7.
Stockfish says 16.Bxb7 would have been about level. It’s an obvious move, so presumably White chose to win the pawn by playing 16.Na5, judging the position after 18.Nc5 to be favourable, whereas Peter was content with the game version. Peter was right.16 Na5 c6 17.Nxb7+ Kc7 18.Nc5 Bg4 19.f3 Bf5 20.Bd2 Nd5 21.Rac1 Bd6 22.Nb3 
click for larger viewBlack to move. Last: 22.Nb3.
White must have evaluated the position after 16…c6 17. Nxb7+ Kc7 18. Nc5 as better for him, with the knight on an apparently dominating square. Black quickly proved that it was not. White seems to have no obvious way to pursue the queenside attack, whereas the position has opened up for the black bishops, his kingside pawns are mobile, and he can plonk an octopus in the heart of the white position (I think that is the first time I have used “plonk” in a match report, but what else do you do with an octopus?). After 22...Ne3, White chose to give up the exchange rather than make a capture which would have given Black a huge supported passed pawn. (22…Ne3 23.c4 23.Bxe3 fxe3 24.Nd4 e2 25.Re1 Bf4) (23.Re1 c5 24.Bf1 Rab8 25.c4 h5 26.Ba5+ Kc6) 23…Nxd1 24.Ba5+ Kc8 25.Rxd1 Bc7 26.Bc3 a5 27.Bf1 a4 28.Nc1 Bb6+ 29.Kg2 Kb7 30.Nd3 Rad8 31.Bf6 Rd6 32.c5 Rxf6 33.cxb6 Kxb6 34.Nb4 Rh6 35.Kg1 g4 36.fxg4 Bxg4 37.Rc1 Rg8 38.h4 Bd7+ 39.Kf2 Rxh4 40.Rd1 Rh2+ 0–1 A tremendous win by Peter to complete an excellent night for Kingston. It felt like a return to the “steamroller” first team of last year and propelled Kingston to the top of Thames Valley League division 1, though Hammersmith in second place have three matches in hand and must be warm favourites to win the title. Still, we were greatly encouraged by this performance, and enter the second half of the season in good heart." | 
Kibitzing
