Horsham Club Knockout 2025-26: Mansson – Warren

   [Event "Horsham Club Knockout"]  [Site "Horsham"]  [Date "2026.01.06"]  [Round "2.1"]  [White "Mansson, James C"]  [Black "Warren, Nick"]  [Result "1-0"]  [Annotator "Mansson,James"]  [ECO "B36"]  [WhiteElo "2062"]  [BlackElo "1771"]  [WhiteFideId "-1"]  [BlackFideId "-1"]  [PlyCount "35"]  [GameId "2263447582515610"]  [EventDate "2025.09.01"]  [EventType "k.o."]  [EventRounds "5"]  [EventCountry "ENG"]   {In this video I am going to look at a game I played last Tuesday in the second round of this year's Horsham Club Knockout.  I had the White pieces and was up against Nick Warren.} {The opening of the game saw no surprises as Black chose his favourite Accelerated Dragon.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 {Black prefers this move order to reach the Accelerated Dragon, as he wants to avoid the Rossolimo Variation.} ({The traditional move order is} 2... Nc6 {But White often choses} 3. Bb5 {which is the Rossolimo Variation. This is a promising alternative to the Open Sicilian.} ({Now after} 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 {we reach the starting position of the Accelerated Dragon.})) 3. d4 ({In our previous gane, I played} 3. c3 {aiming for a good version of the Alapin, but this time I went for the main line.}) 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. c4 {We now have the Maroczy Bind, the critical test of the Accelerated Dragon. Black now has to decide on the approach he wants to adopt against it.} Nf6 6. Nc3 Nxd4 {Black decides on the early exchange on d4, which forces White to recapture with the queen. The idea is, after a subsequent ...Bg7 and O-O, to generate the threat of a discovered attack on the queen.} 7. Qxd4 d6 8. Be2 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O {Black is now threatening ...Ng4, so White must move the queen.} 10. Qd1 (10. Qd2 a5 11. O-O a4 12. Bd4 Qa5 13. f4 $2 Nxe4 $1 14. Nxe4 Qxd2 15. Nxd2 Bxd4+ $19) (10. Qd3 a6 11. O-O Bd7 12. f3 b5 $1 13. cxb5 axb5 14. Nxb5 Bxb5 15. Qxb5 Rb8 $11) {Black decided on a quick attack against the c-pawn with} 10... Qa5 11. O-O Be6 {Black will now bring one of the rooks to c8, threatening ...Bxc4. White must decide what to do about this threat.} 12. f4 $6 {This was played with the game continuation in mind, but is rather commital and risky.} (12. Rc1 {is more solid, preparing b3 in response to either rook moving to c8.} a6 $11 (12... Rfc8 13. b3 $14) (12... Rac8 13. b3 $14)) {Now Black must decide which rook to place on c8. Instead he chose} 12... Rfc8 $6 {but was surprised by my reply.} (12... Rac8 $1 $15 {looks best, as in the game the rook on a8 is out of play.}) 13. c5 $5 {White sacrifices a pawn to neutralize the pressure on c4, allowing f5 to force back the Black bishop on e6.} dxc5 14. f5 $6 {This was White's intention beginning with f4, but objectively a change of direction might have been better.} (14. Qc2 $44 {aims for long term compensation, rather than putting immediate pressure on Black by forcing matters.}) 14... Rd8 $6 {This pushes the White queen to a better square.} (14... gxf5 $1 15. exf5 Bd7 {is best, when White is slower in building an attack.} {For instance} 16. Qe1 {can be met with} Bc6 {when White no longer has the Nd5 resource, as in the game.} 17. Qg3 $6 {can be met by} Kh8 $17 {when White's hoped-for attack does not materialise.}) (14... Bd7 $2 15. e5 $18 {wins a piece.}) 15. Qe1 ({White considered the queen sacrifice} 15. fxe6 $5 {but it looked rather murky, e.g.} Rxd1 16. exf7+ Kxf7 17. Raxd1 Kg8 18. e5 Ne8 19. Rd7 $44) 15... Bc8 $2 {This allows White's pawns to advance in the centre with decisive effect.} (15... gxf5 $1 16. exf5 Bd7 {is again best, when White has to find} 17. Nd5 $1 {The point is that after} Qxe1 18. Nxe7+ Kf8 19. Raxe1 {White's knight on e7 cannot be taken.} {However, after} Re8 $1 {Black seems to have sufficient counterplay.} (19... Kxe7 $2 {leads to a quick mate after} 20. Bxc5+ Ke8 21. Bb5+ Ne4 22. Rxe4+ Be5 23. Rxe5#) 20. Bxc5 Ne4 (20... Rxe7 $6 21. g4 h6 22. h4 Rc8 23. Bxe7+ Kxe7 24. g5 hxg5 25. hxg5 $14) 21. Ba3 Bd4+ (21... Rxe7 $2 22. Bxe7+ Kxe7 23. Bf3 $18) 22. Kh1 Nf2+ (22... Rxe7 $2 23. Bxe7+ Kxe7 24. Bf3 $18) 23. Rxf2 Bxf2 24. Rd1 Ba4 $11 (24... Rxe7 $2 25. f6 $18)) 16. e5 Nd5 $2 {This allows White a simple win of material. It was better to move the knight back, although White was still winning, albeit not as clearly.} (16... Nd7 17. e6 fxe6 18. fxg6 hxg6 19. Qg3 $18) (16... Ne8 17. fxg6 hxg6 18. Bc4 $18) 17. Nxd5 {Now Black blundered with} Rxd5 $4 {He had overlooked the discovered attack on the queen.} ({However, even after the better} 17... Qxe1 {Black is still in big trouble as} 18. Nxe7+ Kf8 19. Raxe1 Kxe7 20. f6+ $18 {wins a piece.}) 18. Qxa5 {Here Black resigned as he realised that he had blundered his queen.} 1-0