Tony Nichols sends a couple of games from a recent Lansing Mini-Swiss:

Ray Garrison (1841)
Todd McAuliffe (1831)
French: Alapin, C01
Lansing Mini-Swiss
Lansing, January 2005

Notes by Tony Nichols

1.e4 d5

This is a surprise. Todd normally plays the French.

2.d4 e6

There will be no Blackmar-Deimer craziness today!

3.Be3

White finds another way to offer a pawn.

3...dxe4 4.Nd2 Nf6 5.f3 Bd7

Tarrasch said the best way to refute a gambit is to accept it. 5...Nd5 6.Qe2 exf3 7.Ngxf3 Be7. The silicone monsters don't see any compensation for White.

6.fxe4 Bc6?!

Black would do better to strike in the center immediately. 6...e5 7.dxe5 Ng4 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.Ngf3 Ncxe5=

7.Bd3 Be7 8.Ngf3 0–0 9.0–0 Ng4 10.Bf4!?

White is determined to sacrifice material.

10...e5 11.Bxe5

11.dxe5 Bc5+ 12.Kh1 Nf2+ This is not the way to do it!

11...Ne3 12.Qe1 Nxf1 13.Nxf1

White has compensation based on his active pieces and strong center.

13...Bd6

13...Nd7 14.Bf4 Nf6 15.Ng3 (15.d5 Nh5 16.dxc6 Nxf4 17.cxb7 Rb8µ) 15...Re8 16.c3÷

14.Bxd6 cxd6

14...Qxd6 15.Ne3 Re8 16.Qh4 Qe7÷

15.Ne3 Bd7 16.Qg3 Bc8 17.e5 dxe5 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7

Declining the bishop does not save Black. There are a million variations but White wins in all of them. Here's just a sample: 18...Kh8 19.Be4 Kg8 (19...Qb6 20.Rf1 Qh6 21.Nxe5 Kg8 22.Bd5 Be6 23.Bxe6 Qxe6 24.Nf5 g6 (24...Qf6 25.Ng4) 25.Nh6+ Kg7 26.Nhxf7) 20.Ng5 Qxd4 (20...f6 21.Bd5++-) 21.Rf1 Nc6 (21...g6 22.Qh4 Qxe3+ 23.Kh1 Qxg5 24.Qxg5) 22.Bh7+ Kh8 23.c3 Qd6 (23...Qb6 24.Bg6+-) 24.Nxf7+ Rxf7 25.Rxf7 Qh6 26.Be4 Be6 27.Rxb7

19.Ng5+ Kh6

19...Kg8 20.Qh4 Qxg5 21.Qxg5+-. 19...Kg6 20.Ne6++-

20.Qh4+ Kg6 21.Qh7+ Kxg5

This allows a very pretty finish. Black could try to run with the king but White is still winning. 21...Kf6 22.Ne4+ Ke7 23.Qxg7 Be6 24.Qxe5 Nc6 25.Qc5+ Kd7 26.d5 Bxd5 27.Nxd5 f6 28.Rd1+- Kc8 29.Nd6+ Kb8 30.Nxb7 Kxb7 31.Qb5+ Kc8 32.Qxc6+ Kb8 33.Rd3

22.Qxg7+ Kh5 23.g4+ Bxg4 24.Qxg4+ 1–0

It's mate in 2.

Todd McAuliffe (1831)
Rick Wilson (1621)
Pirc: Two Knights (Schlechter), B08
Lansing Mini-Swiss
Lansing, January 2005

Notes by Tony Nichols

In this game Todd shows that he's also capable of winning short games.

1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Be3 c6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.h3 Qa5 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Qd2 b5

Black chooses a risky strategy. He neglects the center in order to generate queenside counterplay. More common is 8...0–0 9.0–0 e5.

9.Bh6 Bxh6

Here we see the drawback of not castling on the last move. Black must invite the White queen into his home. 9...0–0 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.e5 dxe5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 b4 14.Nxc6 bxc3 15.Nxa5 cxd2+ 16.Kxd2 White wins a clear pawn.

10.Qxh6 Bb7?!

Black probably wanted to castle queenside but the king would not be safe there either. He should have continued with his queenside expansion. 10...b4 11.Ne2 b3+ 12.c3 Ba6²

11.e5

White decides that it's worthwhile to prevent Black's idea. However his king is also not castled and so a more restrained approach was probably better. 11.0–0 b4 12.Ne2 c5 13.e5 dxe5 14.dxe5 c4 (14...Bxf3 15.exf6 Bxe2 16.Bxe2 Nxf6 17.Rfd1±) 15.Bxc4 Nxe5 16.Nxe5 Qxe5±

11...dxe5?!

Black is not prepared to fight in the center. 11...b4 12.exf6 bxc3 13.0–0 Nxf6 14.bxc3²

12.dxe5 Nd5?!

Now the Black king comes under heavy fire. Again queenside play is better. 12...b4 13.exf6 bxc3 14.b4 Qd8 15.0–0 e6 16.Ng5 Qxf6 17.Ne4 Qe5 18.Rfe1 0 0 0 19.Rad1±. White has more than enough compensation for the pawn, But Black is at least getting his pieces developed.

13.e6! fxe6

13...Nxc3 14.exd7+ Kxd7 15.Qd2!

14.Bxg6+ Kd8 15.0–0 Nxc3 16.bxc3

Missing an opportunity to activate his queen.

16...c5?!

16...Qxc3 17.Bd3±

17.Ng5 Ne5

17...Qxc3 18.Nxe6+ Kc8 19.Qf4 Qe5 20.Qxe5 Nxe5 21.Bf5+-. Black is losing a pawn and his position is a mess.

18.Rad1+

Also good is 18.Nxe6+ Kc8 19.Bf5+-

18...Bd5

18...Kc7 19.Nxe6+ Kb6 20.Qe3! Rhc8 21.Qxe5 hxg6 22.c4 b4 23.c3+-. And the attack rages on.

19.Nxe6+ Kc8 20.Bf5 Bxe6 21.Qxe6+ Kb8 22.Qxe5+ 1–0