In the 3rd Round of the Holiday Swiss Tournament, I defeated Craig Christensen, my fellow co-leader. We had been leading the field up until this point.
For the 2nd time in the tournament, I had cause to utilize the Dutch Defense. But this time, I chose the 'Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation.' I normally play the 'Stonewall Variation.' The reason I played the former and not the latter this time was because my opponent had placed his King's Knight on the 'h3' square. It would have been all to easy, for my opponent, had I played the 'Stonewall Variation' to kick my King's Knight away from the 'e4' square once it was there by White's move 'f3.' However, his King's Knight was no longer keeping an eye on the 'e5' square, so that should allow for a safer 'Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation.' I did in fact equalize early in the game.
White: Craig Christensen 1609
Black: Eric Shoemaker 1911 Dutch Defense/Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation
1. d4, f5 2. g3, Nf6 3. Bg2, e6 4. Nh3, Be7 5. 0-0, 0-0 6. Nbd2 (6. c4, d6 7. Nc3, Qe8 is usual here), d6 7. Nf4, e5 8. dxe5, dxe5 9. Nd3, Nbd7 10. Nc4, e4 11. Nf4, Nc5 12. f3, a5 13. Bd2? (going after the a-pawn meets up with indirect defense), Qd4+! 14. Ne3 (forced), Rd8! (nearly winning a piece but 14...Qxb2!? was interesting also) 15. Bc1! (practically forcing a Queenless Middle Game), Qxd1 (15...Qe5 16. Nc4!, 15...Qb4 16. Nfd5 or 16. Ned5 are okay for White) 16. Rxd1, Rxd1+ 17. Nxd1, g5! (further 'undeveloping' the White forces) 18. Nh3, h6 (Black now has a huge Space Advantage and a lead in development, but is it enough?) 19. Be3, Be6 20. Nc3, Rd8!? (to avoid losing a pawn, it was probably better for Black to exchange pawns on 'f3'first, but in the game I easily had compensation for my pawn) 21. fxe4, fxe4 22. Nf2, Bf5 23. Kf1! (now White can win a pawn, but it makes his game uncomfortable), c6! (I know that the White Bishop will soon be strong on this diagonal) 24. Bxc5, Bxc5 25. Nfxe4, Nxe4 26. Bxe4 (26. Nxe4, Be3! 27. Nf6+, Kg7 28. Ne4, Rd4 wins back the pawn or 28...Rf8 leading to more tactics), Bh3+ (threatening White's Kingside Pawns) 27. Ke1 (forced, as 27. Bg2, Rf8+ wins), Bg1! (as noted earlier, Black is threatening White's Kingside Pawns, but also Mate in Two) 28. Rd1 (now the mate threat is gone), Rf8 29. Rd7?? (a blunder, of course, Black will get his pawn back after a later ...Bxh2, but 29. Rd3 was better), Bxd7 30. White Resigns, 0-1, The Holiday Swiss Tournament, Reno, NV, 2009.
Note that in the continuation 29. Rd6, Be3 30. Rxh6, Rf1!#, White gets mated (30. Rg6+, Kh7! 31. Rf6+, Kg7 32. Rxf8, Kxf8 is probably White's best, although the Kingside Pawns will still be lost), and 29. Kd2 loses the White Kingside after the Rooks are exchanged on 'd1.' But after 29. Rd3, White seems to be okay, although he will have to give Black back the pawn on 'h2' leading to a probable draw. This is the only line I found where White doesn't end up a Pawn down in a Minor Piece Endgame or a Rook and Minor Piece Endgame himself. White has a passed pawn in the center in the form of the King Pawn, but Black has the means to create one himself on the Kingside.
Another Dutch Defense was being played by Jerry Weikel against Milo Filipas, Weikel was in firm control after the move ...f4 and later won the game. Last week, I defeated Laroy O'Doan with the Dutch Defense, he had used the 'Classical Variation.'
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