Visiting Czech Master Oldrich Duras and current Warsaw resident Moishe Lowtzky played to a draw in the second round of the Warsaw triangular Masters' tournament, concluding peace after 36 moves in a game marked by heterogeneous material balances in both the actual play and the possible side variations.
Duras, playing White in a Queen's Gambit Declined, won his opponent's Queen for Rook and Bishop at the 15th move, although the resultant weakening of the Czech's position, combined with the increased activity of the Black forces, rendered most difficult any attempt to prove an advantage for the first player. The visiting Master then seems to have committed an oversight at his 27th turn, playing 27.Qc4 and allowing the pretty 27...Rxd4, a retort enabling Black, as he likes, either to win the White Queen -- the path chosen in the game -- or, what would perhaps have been an even stronger course, to bring about a position with Rook and two minor pieces for White's Queen and pawn, and with Black enjoying considerable attacking chances against the exposed White King. As played, Duras managed to hold the balance with 30.Rb1, a move leading to an even endgame after Lowtzky quite rightly avoided the temptation to opt for a variation in which his two Bishops would likely prove inferior to the Czech;s Rook and passed a-pawn. The reader will find this descriptive commentary illustrated by the notes embedded in the game score below.
The current standings of this smallest of all tourneys (a two-player event being a match) are thus Flamberg 1; Duras and Lowtzky 1/2, with Flamberg and Duras, each having a game in hand, set to meet in the next round.
No comments:
Post a Comment