Game and annotations courtesy of NM Ken Jones. Round 4 of the 2016 Springfield Open held at Missouri State University.

[ctpgn layout=”left” id=”PhillipsVsJones2016″]
[Event “Springfield Open”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “2016.10.23”]
[Round “4”]
[White “Phillips, Martin”]
[Black “Jones, Kenneth”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “E81”]
[WhiteElo “1837”]
[BlackElo “2199”]
[Annotator “Ken Jones”]
[PlyCount “46”]
[EventDate “2016.??.??”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]

{(One of the best things about returning to tournament play has been
reacquainting with chess friends from many years ago. Before the start of the
tournament, I got to catch up a little with Marty Phillips; as the only two
perfect scores, we met at the board in round 4.)} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7
4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 Nbd7 {(This system surged in popularity after GM
Nunn won some nice games with it in the 1980’s)} 7. Qd2 c5 8. d5 Ne5 9. h3 {
(Intending to force the Ne5 back, but it’s not so simple. Meanwhile White
spends another tempo on a pawn move and creates another hole on the K-side.)}
Nh5 10. Qf2 ({The alternative} 10. Bf2 {led to a Black brilliancy in
Belyavsky-Nunn, Wijk aan Zee 1985 after} f5 11. exf5 Rxf5!! 12. g4 Rxf3! 13.
gxh5 Qf8) 10… f5 11. O-O-O?? ({(After the better} 11. exf5 gxf5 12. f4 Ng6 {
Black has adequate counterplay)}) 11… f4 12. Bd2 Ng3 {(Now White has no play
on the K-side and can only await Black’s assault on the Q-side)} 13. Rh2 a6 14.
Kb1 ({One problem is that after the obvious} 14. Nge2?? Nd3+ {wins the Queen})
14… Bd7 ({A good alternative is to play it like a Benko Gambit with} 14… b5
15. cxb5 Nxf1 16. Qxf1 axb5 17. Nxb5 Qb6 {with powerful threats}) 15. Bc1 Rb8
16. Bd3 Nh5 {(Not allowing White to bail out with 17. Bxf4 Rxf4 18. Qxg3)} 17.
Rd2 b5 18. Nge2 Qa5 19. Rh1? Rb7?? ({(I was so focused on a methodical
buildup that I overlooked that} 19… Nxd3 20. Rxd3 bxc4 {wins a piece
immediately:} 21. Rd2 Bxc3 22. Nxc3 Qxc3) 20. Qe1 bxc4 ({(And even here, much
more thematic would be} 20… Nxd3 21. Rxd3 bxc4 22. Rd1 Ng3! {since} 23. Rg1
(23. Nxg3 Bxc3) 23… Nxe2 24. Nxe2 Qa3 25. Qd2 Rfb8 {is crushing}) 21. Bc2 Bb5
(21… Rfb8 {also wins}) 22. Ka1 Nd3 23. Bxd3 cxd3 {(And White, seeing that
his intended 24. Nxb5 Qxb5 25. Nc3 is met by Bxc3 26. bxc3 Qb1 mate, resigned.)
} 0-1[/ctpgn]