I recently won the March U2100 tournament in a rare visit to the Marshall Chess Club. I withdrew last year in a Fischer like protest after I was forfeited a game when my cell phone went off. The cell phone policy has since been replaced by the standard penalty of the lost of half of your time.
Joseph, Paul (1880) - Kopiecki, Ed (2045)
Marshall March U2100, Round 3
[Annotator ",Paul Joseph"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
The Anti Marshall
Bb7 9. d3 d5
Black proceeds to gambit the pawn in Marshall like fashion
10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 Nd4 12. c3 Nxb3 13. Qxb3 Bg5
Here is the venom in this side line of the Marshall gambit, Black threatens to bring his Queen to the King side after exchanging the black Bishop with a strong attack.
14. Nd2 f6 15. Nef3 Kh8 16. Nxg5 fxg5 17. Ne4 h6 18. axb5 Nf4 19. Bxf4 gxf4 20. f3 axb5 21. Rxa8 Bxa8 22. Qxb5 Qh4 23. Ra1 Rd8 24. Nf2 Bd5 25. d4 c6 26. Qd3 Re8 27. Qd2 Qe7 28. Ng4 Qg5 29. Ne5 Qf6 30. Qxf4 Qe6 31. Ra7 c5 32. Qg3 Qf6 33. Kf2 cxd4 34. cxd4 Rc8 35. Qg6 Qh4
36. Ke2 Rg8
Here I came up with the plan to land the Knight on f6 but Qd3 threatening Ng6+ or Rd7 may be more direct.
37. Ng4 Bc4+ 38. Kd2 h5
39. g3?
I continued with the original plan to deflect the Queen from f6 missing winning the Queen or mate. after 39. Ra5.
39... Qh3 40. Nf6 Qg2+
The King is faced with the proverbial tree of variation. Should he flee to the East or to the West? I decided to run over the Bishop keeping vigil on the East gate and seek shelter on the a-file guarded by the rook.
41. Kc3 Qxf3+ 42. Kxc4 Rc8+ 43. Kb4 Rb8+ 44. Ka5
The King is still running but at this point I am only checking that my cell phone is turned off.
44. ... Rb5+ 45. Kxb5 Qf1+ 46. Kc5 Qc1+ 47. Kd6 1-0
