Michael's draw with a grandmaster in a simul

In May 2013 Ray Keene gave a ten board simul at the Hove Club in Fourth Avenue. He won eight of these games while Sue Chadwick and Michael Cain did well to obtain draws.

Ray won the British Championship in 1971 and represented England in eight olympiads. He gained the title of grandmaster in 1976 and in 1985 was made an OBE for services to chess. He also has a strong Brighton connection and is an honorary member of our club. To date he is the only grandmaster ever to have represented the club in matches. He organised the Brighton international tournaments from 1979 to 1985 and the publicity from this may have helped our club when we were trying to stay at our premises in Pavilion Buildings. Ray has been chess correspondent of The Times since 1985 and has written over a hundred books. He is also an exceptional organiser and was involved in the organisation of the 1986, 1993 and 2000 World Championships.

I know from playing Ray on a few occasions when I was a young player that he has a highly original, hypermodern style which is difficult to cope with.

I enclose the score of his game against Michael Cain in the above-mentioned simul. Ray would of course have been under pressure to move almost immediately and it would have been difficult to calculate anything complicated. On the other hand this is another example of Michael reserving his best chess for these occasions:

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[Event "10 board simul in Hove"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "3.5.2013"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Raymond D Keene"]
[Black "Michael Cain"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nc3 O-O 5. Bg5 d6 6. Qc2 Nbd7 7. e4 {This move does not seem to lead to any significant advantage for White. After 7 e3 b6 we have reached the position of the 7th game of the 2nd World Championship match between Kasparov and Karpov played at Moscow in 1985. 8 Bd3 gave White the better game.} e5 8.
d5{Black has a comfortable position after this move, though the alternatives 8 a3 and 8 dxe5 do not promise much for White.} Nc5 9. Nd2 Bxc3{9...a5 was an interesting alternative.} 10. bxc3 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 13. Be2 Nf4 14. Bxf4
exf4{14...gxf4 would have given Black a more compact pawn structure. It might seem that such a move would have weakened the king position, but, if 15 g3 Qf6 16 Rg1 Kh8, and Black is quite safe.} 15. Nb3 b6{Black might have tried 15...Nxb3 16 axb3 f5, though 17 Bd3 would have been a little better for White.} 16. Nxc5{16 g4 was better preventing Black from playing f5 and planning h4 without having to worry about the reply g4.} bxc5 17. h4{A mistake which gives Black a definite advantage. 17 g4 could be met with Rb8. 17 h3 is safe and about equal.} g4 18. f3{This move does not seem to help White, but it would be difficult to suggest a good alternative.} f5{Over elaborate. Simply 18...g3 would have given Black a very good game. Now White can gain counterplay along the b1/h7 diagonal and also eventually down the e file.} 19. Bd3{Also to be considered is the complex variation 19 fxg4 fxg4 20 e5 Bf5 21 Bd3 Bxd3 22 Qxd3 Kg7 23 e6 f3! and if 24 g3 f2+ while 24 Qe4 can be met by h5 and if 25 0-0-0 (25 e7 Re8) Qf6. In these lines White must play very carefully and Black seems to have an advantage.} Qe7{Loses a tempo as Black moves the queen to the better square of f6 three moves later.} 20. O-O-O fxe4
21. Bxe4 Bd7{21...Rb8. Qf6 and g3 were all to be considered.} 22. Rde1 Qf6 23. h5{23 fxg4 Bxg4 with a small advantage for Black was also to be considered.} g3 24. Bg6 Rab8 25. Kd2{White naturally plays his king to a safe place. However, a critical line, which indicates that White's play down the e file balances the danger of Black's rooks down the b file, goes 25 Re2 Rb6 26 Bh7+ Kh8 27 Rhe1 Rfb8 28 Re7 Rb1+ 29 Qxb1 Rxb1+ 30 Kxb1 Qxc3 31 Bc2, which seems equal.} Rb6 26. Rb1 Bf5{A mistake which gives White a definite advantage. Black was better after 26...Rfb8.} 27.
Bxf5 Qxf5 28. Qxf5 Rxf5 29. Rxb6 cxb6 30. Kd3 Re5 31. Kd2{A mistake. 31 Rh4 would have given White a substantial advantage. After 31 Kd2 Black has the equalizing move 31...b5. 1/2-1/2

Resourceful play by Michael Cain

Ezra Kirk gave a simultaneous display at the club on 21st June and did not lose a single game. He took on eleven players and was held to a draw by Michael Cain and Arthur de Silver, but defeated everyone else. In the 2012-13 season he won against grandmasters Keith Arkell and Tony Kosten to establish himself as the highest rated player in the country for his age. More recently he has played little competitive chess as he has been taking several exams. He is already a FIDE master and plans to spend a year entering chess competitions to try to become an international master before going to university. We wish him the best of luck in his quest, though he probably has the potential to become not just an international master but also a grandmaster. I enclose the score of Ezra's game against Michael Cain in the recent simul. It is very difficult playing eleven players at the same time particularly when one is expected to make every move very quickly. However, we must also give credit to Michael for a resourceful display. Michael seems to produce his best chess in simultaneous displays as he also drew last year with grandmaster Ray Keene in this form of chess. On other such occasions he has given Nigel Short and Luke Rutherford very good games before eventually losing.

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[Event "11 board simul in Hove"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "21.6.2014"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ezra G Kirk"]
[Black "Michael Cain"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]
[A10]

1. c4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. d4 c6 4. Nc3 d5 {Sometimes called the Grunfeld-Slav Defence.}5. g3 {Not the best. If White wants to fianchetto his White-squared bishop, it is better to play 5 cxd5 first.} dxc4 {Correct, giving Black an advantage.} 6. a4 {To stop Black playing b5. If 6 Bg2 Nf6 7 0-0 0-0 8 e4 b5 or Bg4 are both better for Black.} Bg4 {The best move is probably 6...c5 attacking the White centre. If 7 dxc5 Qxd1+ 8 Nxd1 Na6 with the better game. If 7 d5 Bxc3+! 8 bxc3 Nf6 is also strong for Black. Finally if 7 e3 Nf6 8 Bxc4 0-0 9 0-0 Bg4 is still better for Black.} 7. Ne5 {Black gets a definite advantage now. Better was 7 e3.} Bxe5 8.
dxe5 Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 f6 {Better was 9...Nd7 and, if 10 Bf4, then f6. In this line 11 exf6 could be met with e5.} 10. exf6 exf6 {Better was the developing move 10...Nxf6 with an advantage.} 11. e4 {A mistake which loses a pawn for nothing. Better was 11 Bf4.} Bf3 12. Rg1 Bxe4 13. Bxc4 Nd7 14.
Nc3 Bf3 15. Bf4 {Better was probably 15 Be2.} O-O-O 16. Kf1 {Again Be2 seems to be the best chance.} Re8 {The correct move was 16...g5 and if 17 Bd6 Nh6 18 Be6 Rhe8 19 Re1 Ng4 with a strong position.} 17. g4 {Better was 17 h4 to stop Black playing g5.} Ne5 {17...g5 was very strong. Now the game is more or less level.} 18. Bxe5 {White should have played 18 Re1 so that Black would have had to lose a tempo to break the pin by moving his king. After 18...Kd7 or Kd8 White could then have played Bxe5. This might seem similar to the game but White would benefit from his rook on e1.} Rxe5 {18...fxe5 was better and would have given Black a definite advantage. The f6 square would have been vacated for the Black knight and there was the potential to play e4.} 19. Rg3 Bd5 20.
Bxd5 cxd5 21. f4 Re6 22. Nxd5 Ne7 {The game now looks drawish.} 23. Nc3 {Possibly Ezra decided against exchanging knights as he still hoped to win the game. However, it could be argued that a Black knight on c6 would have been stronger than a White knight on c3 in this type of position.} Rd8 24. Rc1 {24 Re1 would have been more or less level.} Kb8 {24...Nc6 looks better.} 25. Rc2 {Again 25 Re1 was a safe drawing line.} Rd4 26. Rf3
Nd5 {26...a6 might have given Black an edge. The exchange of knights brings about a similar position to what might have happened if White had played 23 Nxe7.} 27. Nxd5 Rxd5 28. Rfc3 {Surprisingly this move seems to give Black an advantage as White has difficulty defending his pawns. 28 b3 looks better.} a5 {Much better than 28...a6 as it establishes a bind on White's queen side pawns and gives the Black king a little more space.} 29. Rc4 {29 b3 might still have been the best move.} h5 {Not the best move. Black could have got an advantage by 29...Rd1+ 30 Kf2 Rb6 because of the weakness of the White pawn on b2.} 30. h3 {30 f5 gxf5 31 gxh5 would have taken all the pressure off White.} h4 {Black could have played 30...hxg4 31 hxg4 Rd1+ 32 Kf2 Rb6 with perhaps a slight advantage - cf. my note to Black's 29th move. 30...h4 is a bold move with the potential for Black to seize control of the third rank with his rooks. White must now play very carefully.} 31. Kg2 {This seems to be a mistake. White should play 31 Rc8+ Ka7 32 R2c5. If then 32...Rd1+ 33 Kf2 Rd2+ 34 Kf3 Rxb2 35 Rxa5+ Kb6 36 Rac5, which looks drawish.} Re3 32. Rc8+ Ka7
33. R8c5 {33 Rf8 and 33 Rg8 both lead to complex variations in Black's favour.} Rdd3 34. Rxa5+ Kb8 35. g5 f5 36. Rb5 {36 Rac5 also comes into consideration, though here also White is in difficulties.} Rxh3 37. Rc6 {This move seems to lose. White may be able to draw by 37 Rc3 Rhg3+ 38 Kh2 Rd2+ 39 Kh1 Rxb2 40 Rxb2 Rxc3 41 a5 and if 41...Rc5 42 Rb6 Rxa5 43 Rxg6 Ra4 44 Re6 Rxf4 45 Re1. As Black's king is a long way away from White's passed pawn and White has a threat of Rg1, the position may be drawn.} Rhg3+ {It appears that this move wins for Black. A rather amusing finish would be 38 Kf2 h3 39 Rxg6 h2 40 Rg8+ Kc7 41 Rg7+ Kd8 42 Rbxb7 hi=N+, which mates in a few moves. White could play 42 Rg8+ and try to keep checking, but eventually Black's king escapes from the checks and his 'h' pawn will prove to be the decisive factor e.g. 42...Kd7 43 Rg7+ Ke8 44 Rg8+ Kf7 45 Rh8 Rh3 etc. Also if 42...Kd7 43 Rxb7+ Kc6 44 Rh7 Rh3 etc. These lines were not tested in practice as a draw was agreed.} 38. ½-½
1/2-1/2

Ezra's simul on Saturday

All members are welcome to Ezra's simul on Saturday 21st June at 2:00 pm - a sighted simul this time so no limit on numbers - £3 a head. And a chance to find out about the course Ezra will be running at the club over a week in mid-August, which is open to all, members and others, although places are limited. Ezra is currently a FIDE master and the top-rated under 18 in the country.

Ezra's Simul on Saturday 21st

Ezra has agreed to give us a simul this Saturday afternoon. It will be £3 each to paid-up members of the club (you can renew on Saturday). There will be no upper grading limit and he hopes to take on all-comers. Starting at 2:00 pm.

Eyes wide shut

Ezra, seated left, sees off round one.

"Could beat you with my eyes shut" took on a very literal meaning on Saturday 18th when Ezra Kirk took on Peter Benson, Grant Minshull, Robin Jones, Andrew Caswill and Sue Chadwick in a blindfold simul. He played a second round against Roger Berryman, Bob Davies and Anthony Stanton where a mentally misplaced pawn allowed the loss of a rook and eventually the game to Anthony. All the other games were complex and fairly swiftly winning for Ezra. Brian Denman and Luke Rutherford monitored the moves. Thanks to Ezra for a mind-blowing performance which was enjoyed by all.

Reminders

PS Please note the change of start to 3:00 pm on Saturday for the simul.

Two things: one is to phrase your beefs or inspirations about the MSCL into neat proposals for the AGM, to get to the secretary by tomorrow at the latest for the AGM on Tuesday 18th June - but as avid readers of the MSCL website I'm sure you all knew that.

Second, Ezra's blindfold simul on Saturday will start around 3:00 pm for the first batch of players. There's still room for more in the second batch but only a few - yes, blindfold simul folks - so spaces are limited. £4 a board on the day.

Grandmaster draws

Michael Cain, Andrew Caswill, Rob Counsell, Bob Davies, Robin Jones, Oli Weiss and myself all attended the opening of the new Mind Sports Club on Fourth Avenue on Friday night (see Competition on Fourth Avenue post below). As the main attraction seemed to be the poker tables we all got to play GM Raymond Keene in a ten-board simul, being distracted the while by elegant finger morsels and, possibly, the equally elegant cocktail waitresses. Some good games were played and Michael and I accepted draws - YES WE DID!! An excellent - and entirely free - evening.

Ezra's blindfold simul Sat.18th May

Ezra has kindly offered to do a double blindfold simul on Saturday 18th May. It will be open to all members below 170 grade. Places will go to the first 10 applicants who either sign up at the club or contact me via email. The two simuls will run consecutively with five boards in each and at £4 a board (to give Ezra some pocket money for the summer). This may be your only chance to beat the top FIDE English U18! Spectators also welcome.