Buggy-Samb game 6, 18-8-2001

Buggy - N.Samb 1-1
1.32-28 20-25 2.37-32 14-20 3.41-37 10-14 4.46-41 5-10 5.31-27 17-21 6.37-31 21-26 7.41-37 18-23 8.27-22 20-24 9.33-29 24x33 10.38x18 12x23 11.39-33 15-20 12.42-38 16-21

diagram 1

13.34-30!? Through this move white wins a piece temporarily, but the net result of the action is that all tension in the position disappears. A more interesting alternative was 13.31-27 8-12 [the position after 11-16 looks better for white] 14.27x16 12-18 15.47-41 18x27 16.32x21 26x17 17.44-39 23x32 18.37x28.

13.34-30 25x34 14.40x18 21-27 15.32x21 26x17 16.44-39 8-12

diagram 2

White has no other possibility than to simplify the position: 17.28-23 17x28 18.23x32 12x23. A quiet position results, with perhaps a tiny advantage for black because of the clearance of field 16. Capturing with 17... 19x28 wouldn't have been a better option for black, since white can react with 18.49-44 12x23 19.33-29 23x34 20.22x33.

17.28-23 17x28 18.23x32 12x23 19.45-40 7-12 20.40-34 13-18 21.34-29 23x34 22.39x30 19-23 23.47-41 11-17 24.50-44 3-8 25.44-39 1-7 26.32-28 23x32 27.37x28 17-22 28.28x17 12x21

diagram 3

The diagram marks a curious moment in the game. The normal continuation for white would be 29.31-27 21x32 30.38x27, with a dynamical equilibrium. Black has a nicer position, and white compensates for this with an advantage of +7 in development of his pieces. Instead of this, Buggy makes a positional mistake: 29.41-37? 21-26! Under the given circumstances (white doesn't have control over the fields 42/48) it's absolutely wrong to let black take possession of field 26. It creates an inactive white piece on 36, and it is not obvious how white can change this in the near future.

29.41-37 21-26 30.49-44 18-23 31.30-25 20-24 32.39-34

diagram 4

There's a big contrast between the black and the white position. Blacks pieces are perfectly developed, whereas white has weaknesses on both the left and the right wing. Since the perspectives for white in a closed classical position are very bad, white has no other choice than to try to find a way to expel black from the strategic fields 23 and 24.

9-13 33.43-39 13-19 34.48-42 8-12 35.33-29 24x33 36.38x18 12x23 37.42-38 19-24 38.38-33 14-19

diagram 5

The white position looks worrisome, but Buggy has anticipated this. With the original sacrifice 39.25-20! 24x15 40.33-29 he takes the last opportunity to distort the black position. White will be left with an isolated front piece on 18, but Buggy has computed well that black has no serious opportunities to threaten this piece.

39.25-20 24x15 40.33-29 6-11 41.29x18 11-17 42.39-33 15-20 43.34-30 20-24 44.44-39 17-21 45.33-28 4-9 46.37-32 26x37 47.32x41 2-8 48.28-23 19x28 49.30x19 21-27 50.41-37

diagram 6

The position looks quite unusual with the two white front pieces on 18 and 19. In reality there's not much excitement left: none of the players has any chance to win the game.

10-15 51.35-30 7-11 52.30-24 11-16 53.18-13 9x18 54.19-14 8-13 55.24-19 13x24 56.14-9 24-29 57.9-3 28-33 58.39x28 15-20 59.3x25 29-34 60.25x21 16x27 61.28-22