SEA Games Selection Highlights - Tiger meets Mountain

The Chinese have a saying 上得山多终遇虎 (shàng de shān duō zhōng yù hǔ). This can be translated literally as "When you go up to the mountain too often, you will eventually encounter the tiger.". In plain English, well um ... dont go up the mountain too often.

In round four of the men's selection, the tiger (IM Mok) tried his Mokdern once too often and paid dearly for it against the mountain. If you dont understand this then first read this post and then let me whisper in your ear - mountain in Chinese is pronounced "shān" or "san" (as in Fong Yit San). If you still dont get it ...forget it let's move on to the game.


Fong, Yit San - Mok, Tze Meng, Round 4
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Yee Weng played 4. e5 in the first round and came away with a draw.

d5 5. h3 Nh6 This might look unusual but it is a book move. The knight is heading for f7.

6. Bf4 f6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Nf7 9. Bh2 e6 10. Re1 Nd7 11. Bf1 f5 Its hard for me to understand this move. Black just gives up the e5 square which guarantee that he will end up with the worse position as he has no compensation in return.

12. exd5 12. e5 will be a positionally mistake, as black will immediately under-mine the pawn with 12...c5

12....exd5 13. Ne2 Yit San understands that he must take control of the e5 square. This knight is heading there via f4 and d3.

Re8 14. Nf4 Nf6 15.Nd3 Ne4 16. c3 Qb6 17. Qc2 Be6 18. Nfe5 White is too eager to occupy e5. This move allows black to exchange some pieces and relieve his cramped position. White should be thinking about the c5 square and also to eject the white knight on e4. 18. Nd2 should be the right move here.

Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 f4 ?! In order to prevent white f3 and f4 securing his strong knight outpost on e5. However the f4 pawn is weak and the knight on e4 cannot be supported and will be exchanged or forced away. Black should have played 20...c5! with space on the queen-side. He could later exchange on d4 or even push ...c4 followed by ...b5 , ...a5 etc

21. Bd3 Bf5 22. Nf3 Nd6 23. Bxf5 Nxf5 24. Ne5 Kg7 After this black will lose the f4 pawn. 24...Qd8 was the last chance to hold the f4 pawn.

25. Qd2 Re7 25...g5? 26. g3 and white wins the pawn anyway as 26...fxg3 27. Qxg5 wins the knight.

26. Qxf4 Rf8 Black cannot recapture on b2. 26...Qxb2?? 27. g4 Nd6 (or ...Nh6) 28. Nd3 Rxe1+ 29. Rxe1 followed by Re7+ mates.

27. Nd3 Rfe8 28. b3 Qa5 29. Qd2 Nxd4?? 30. b4 Ne2+ 31. Rxe2 Rxe2 32. Qxe2 Rxe2 33. bxa5 Rc2 34. Rc1 Rxa2 35. Rb1 Rxa5 36. Rxb7+ Kf6 37. Rc7 Ra6 38. Nb4 Ra1+ 39. Kh2 a5 40. Nxc6 a4 41. Nb4 Ke6 42. Rc5 a3 43. Rxd5 Rc1 44. Rc5 Kd6 45. Rc6+ Kd7

after 45...Kd7

White calculates a nice forcing sequence into a won pawn ending.



 46. Ra6!
Rxc3 47. Nd5 Rb3 48. Nb6+ Kc6 49. Nc4+ Kb5 50. Rxa3 Kxc4 51. Rxb3 Kxb3 52. Kg3 Kc4 53. Kf4 Kd3 54. g4 Ke2 55. f3 Kf2 56. h4 Kg2 57. h5 Kf2 58. hxg6 hxg6 59. g5 Ke2 60. Ke5 1-0