Dona Strauss lived in Hull for many years before she came to Brighton. In 1996 Michael Adams, who is one of the best players in the world, came to the Yorkshire city to give a simultaneous. Out of forty one games he lost only three, one of which was against an inspired Dona. We must make allowance for the fact that the grandmaster was taking on so many players at the same time, but Dona deserves credit for enterprising play. The game was published in the Hull Chess Club magazine (November/December 1996 issue) with annotations by club champion, Stuart Brown, but computer analysis has come a long way since 1996. I have tried therefore to update his comments. Please contact me, if you want a game published on the club website.
[Event "41 board simul at Hull"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "04-11-1996"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Michael Adams"]
[Black "Dona Strauss"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]
[B01]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. c4 e6 {The Icelandic Gambit, in which the Black player hopes that good piece development and pressure on the d4 square will provide compensation for the pawn sacrificed.} 4. dxe6 Bxe6 5. Be2 {A cautious move, which does not contest Black's pressure on the d4 square. 5 d4 or Nf3 are more normal.} Bc5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d3 O-O {A sound move. Also to be considered was 7...Qe7 followed by 0-0-0.} 8.
O-O Nd4 {8...Re8 may have been more accurate to meet 9 Be3 with Bxe3 10 fxe3 Bg4 with approximate equality. After 8...Nd4 White could probably have gained an advantage.} 9. Nxd4 Bxd4 10. Nc3 {Better was 10 Nd2 followed by 11 Nb3 or f3 challenging the d4 square.} c6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Qd2 {We do not know if Michael deliberately sacrificed the pawn back to gain development. White is struggling to gain an advantage because of Black's occupation of the d4 square. He could have tried 12 Qb3 b5 13 Bf3 Rc8, but Black's position was solid.} Bxe3 13. fxe3 Bxc4 14.
Kh1 {A cautious move. 14 Rf3 was a little better.} Be6 15. Rf4 Qe7 16. Raf1 Nd5 {16...Rad8 looks better. The knight on d5 might become a catalyst in allowing White to advance his central pawns - as actually happened in the game.} 17. R4f3 Rad8 18. d4 {White naturally tried to advance his central pawns, though they soon came under attack. 18 Rg3 might have been a little better.} c5 19. e4 Nf6 {The clearest path to equality seems to have been by playing 19...cxd4 20 Nxd5 Bxd5 21 exd5 Qxe2 22 Qxd4 f6. In this line 21 Bb5 can be met with 21...Bc6 with complex play, which is in Black's favour.} 20. d5
Nxe4 {The crucial point in the game. 20..Bd7 was playable with perhaps a slight advantage for White. Instead Dona plays a bold and imaginative move, which probably came as a great surprise to her illustrious opponent. The complex variations might have been in White's favour, but Michael would not have had the time to enter into complicated calculations.} 21. Nxe4 {A losing move. Stuart Brown in the Hull CC magazine gives as his main line 21 Qf4 Bxd5 22 Nxd5 Rxd5 23 Bc4 Nf6 24 Bxd5 Nxd5 25 Qxf7+ Qxf7 26 Rxf7 Ne3 with a draw as White has no good move for his rook on f1. Stuart does not consider other queen moves for White. 21 Qd3 loses against 21..Nxc3 and 21 Qe3 is met by 21...Bg4 22 Rxf7 Qg5 with the better game for Black, but more challenging is 21 Qc2. Black's best reply would seem to be 21..Bg4 when 22 Rxf7 Qh4 23 Nxe4 Bxe2 24 Qxe2 Qxe4 25 Qxe4 Rxe4 26 Rxb7 h5 27 Rxa7 Rxd5 28 h3 Re2 is more or less equal. More dangerous for Black is 24 Rxg7+ Kxg7 25 Qc3+ Kg6 26 Rf6+ Kh5, but amazingly Black's king cannot be mated!} Bxd5 {White is now lost in all variations and Dona mops up in convincing style.} 22. Nf6+ Qxf6 23. Rxf6 Bxg2+ 24. Kxg2 Rxd2 25. Rxf7 Rexe2+
26. Kg3 Rg2+ 27. Kh4 Rxh2+ 28. Kg4 Rdg2+ 0-1
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