Mark’s first long time control game | Rudolf Rocker Chess Club

I’ve played blitz and rapid tournament and online games and many long informal untimed games over the last 23 years but never a long time control game (an hour or more per side) online or over the board, so this was my debut.

Click on on the C8 square for the pgn and G8 for documentation.

[Event "Manitoba Chess Tuesday Night Tournament May"]  [Site "Winnipeg, MB CAN"]  [Date "2014.05.06"]  [Round "1"]  [White "James Atem"]  [Black "Mark Jenkins"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "D01"]  [Mode "OTB"]  [Time "19:00:00"]  [PlyCount "63"]  [TimeControl "6600"]   1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 e6 4. Bg5 {we've transposed to D01 Queen Pawn Game:  Veresov Attack. Classical Defense.  Also reached by 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 e6 4. Nf3}  4...c5 {made for some debate with stronger players after. I agree that this is fine, and looking at game database it seems to have been played with success by good players. Alternatives: }  (4... Nbd7 {my MCO 12th ed reaches with 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 Nbd7 4. Nf3 e6 with a game from Taimanov-Gilgoric, Copenhagen 1965 that continues} 5. e3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O b6 {which now frees up light square  bishop. Gligoric goes on to Win, but MCO 12th ed evaluates as equal after 7})  (4... Bb4 {pin the knight}) (4... Be7 {break the pin on my knight}) (4... Nc6  {I don't like as it blocks my c pawn which I think has a lot to contribute  (would like the knight behind it) Tartakower-Nimzowitsch Copenhagen (1923)  takes this to a draw}) 5. e3 (5. e4 {Post-game looks by other people and  Stockfish say this is much stronger. The support provided by the knight on c3  is fine. There's the threat of 6. e5 and } 5...dxe4 {leaves black's c pawn up for grabs.}) 5... c4 $2  {I thought long and hard and still make this mistake. Pushing this c pawn again  instead of developing pieces, or removing a central pawn with a flank pawn.}  (5... Nc6) (5... cxd4 {see Mack-Crouch Plymouth BCF-ch 1992 for one successful  continuation}) (5... Be7 {breaks pin and prepares castleing}) 6. e4 dxe4 $2  {Still spent a lot of time thinking here. This is a mistake because I leave my  c pawn isolated and unprotected and white's d pawn will be in a position to  create all kinds of trouble. I was very concerned about 7. e5 after 6 ...  because of the pin on my knight, so ruled out breaking the pin with 6... Bd7  for that reason. I may have considered and disregarded Bb4 for the same reason.  Definitely didn't consider breaking the pin on the queen by moving her 6...Qb6,  though I still wouldn't have been thrilled with 7. e5 or 7. Bxf6 weaking my  king's pawns.} (6... Be7 7. e5) (6... h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6) (6... Bb4 7. e5) (6...  Qb6 7. e5) (6... Qb6 7. Bxf6 gxf6) 7. Nxe4 b5 {I'm not sure how much I thought  about them on the last move, but now I'm definitely thinking about my king's  pawns. I reach the conclusion that there is no saving them and that I will have  to capture with my g pawn.} (7... Be7 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. Nxf6+ Qxf6 10. Bxc4 {If I  looked at this variation to save my king's pawn structure I must not have liked  it ending with my c pawn falling. I wonder if the engines are wrong to consider  this inferior just because I go a pawn down. Is retaining my g pawn well placed  for king safety perhaps worth while.}) (7... Qd5 8. Bxf6 Qxe4+ {is not a  mistake of wrong capture order you'd ever want to count on an opponent making})  (7... Qd5 8. Nxf6+ gxf6 9. Bxf6 Qe4+ {Nothing viable comes from making this  check}) 8. Nxf6+ gxf6 9. Be3 Bg7 10. c3 (10. a4 {So much for the support  provided to the b5 pawn}) 10... O-O 11. Qc2 Bb7 12. Be2 Nd7 13. O-O-O Qc7 14.  Rhg1 Rad8 15. g4 h6 16. h4 e5 17. g5 e4 {Despite using decent think time I  again miscalculate that capturing with my g pawn is going to be less trouble.  This is where the engines declare my position to have gone over the deep end.}  (17... fxg5 18. hxg5) 18. gxh6 Kh7 (18... Bd5 19. h5) (18... Bd5 19. Rxg7+ Kh8)  19. Rxg7+ Kh8 20. d5 Rde8 21. d6 Qc6 22. Kb1 {This didn't seem necessary. Some  folks thought this was a premature cover of the a pawn, anticipating Qa6  instead of responding to it with this.} 22... Rg8 23. Nd4 Qd5 {Avoiding the  following two variations} (23... Qxd6 24. Rxf7) (23... Qxd6 24. Nxb5) 24. Rdg1  (24. Bg4 {Patient stockfish variation} 24... Bc8 25. Ne6 Qd3 26. Rxd3 exd3)  24... a6 (24... Rxg7 25. hxg7+ Kg8) 25. Bf4 (25. Rxg8+ Rxg8 26. Rxg8+ Kxg8 27.  Qc1) 25... Ne5 26. Qd1 (26. Bxe5 fxe5 27. Nf5) 26... Rxg7 (26... Ng6 27. h5)  27. hxg7+ Kg8 28. h5 Kh7 $2 {Doesn't achieve anything, was I perhaps trying to  make room for my rook to get involved.} 29. Bg4 (29. g8=Q+ Rxg8 30. Rxg8 Kxg8  31. Qg1+) 29... Bc8 30. Bxe5 Bxg4 (30... fxe5 31. Bxc8 $1 exd4 32. Qg4 {leads  to forced mate}) (30... fxe5 31. Bxc8 $1 Qxd6 32. Qg4 {as does this}) (30...  Qxe5 31. Bxc8 Rxc8 {has a very long path to forced mate}) (30... f5 31. Bxf5+  Bxf5 32. Nxf5 {as is this}) 31. Qxg4 Rxe5 $4 {With only a few minutes of time  and tunnel vision I miss that promotion is still a threat. Oh well, its now a  forced mate.} (31... Kg8 32. h6 Qxe5 33. h7+ Kxh7 34. Rh1+ Qh2 35. g8=Q+ Rxg8  36. Rxh2#) 32. g8=Q+ {Surprised by this move I manage to misread this check as  checkmate, shake hands and finalize score sheet. After my opponent gets up I  exclaim "wait!" realizing this wasn't checkmate. Then I feel really stupid for  saying that as I realize I'm looking at an absurdly elementary forced mate.} *

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