Horsham Club Championship 2025-26: Savill – Mansson

   [Event "Horsham Club Championship"]  [Site "Horsham"]  [Date "2025.10.14"]  [Round "2"]  [White "Savill, Jordy"]  [Black "Mansson, James C"]  [Result "0-1"]  [Annotator "Mansson,James"]  [ECO "A45"]  [WhiteFideId "-1"]  [WhiteFideId "-1"]  [PlyCount "112"]  [GameId "2233012507644368"]  [EventDate "2025.09.01"]  [EventType "swiss"]  [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 Championship.  I had the Black pieces and was up against Jordy Savill.  The game started with the London System, a favourite of my opponent.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 g6 {I chose the King's Indian formation against it.} 3. Nc3 {My opponent decide to transpose to the Jobava System.} d5 4. e3 Bg7 5. h4 {This aggressive thrust is the most challenging move order, as it provokes} h5 {which is now more or less forced. The point is that h5 is now a threat, looking to sacrifice the exchange should Black take. Should White delay h4 till after Nf3, then Black would not be obliged to play ...h5.} 6. Nf3 O-O {However White chose the less usual} 7. Qd2 ({Now} 7. Ne5 c5 8. Qd2 {is the main line.}) {although after my reply} 7... c5 {Instead he chose the weaker} 8. dxc5 $6 ({he could have transposes back into the main line with} 8. Ne5) {when I responded with} 8... Nbd7 {intending to recapture the pawn with the knight.} {After} 9. O-O-O Nxc5 {Instead White chose} 10. Ne5 ({White couldn't take the pawn with} 10. Nxd5 {because of} Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Qb6 {threatening to take on b2} 12. Be5 Be6 {followed - after the queen retreats - by moving a rook to d8 with a decisive attack.}) {but after} 10... Nce4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 {he had an uneviable choice.} {White decided on} 12. Qe2 ({Taking on d5 with} 12. Qxd5 {allowed} Qxd5 13. Rxd5 Nxf2) (12. Qe1 {could be met by} Qd6 {hitting the knight on e5.}) {but after} 12... Qa5 13. Kb1 Be6 {Black was building a strong attack on the queenside.} {White tried to drive the Black knight back with} 14. f3 {but Black found a tactical response.} d4 $1 {This both threatens mate in two with ...Qxa2 followed by ...Qa1# and also to take on e5. White has no defence.} {Play went} 15. fxe4 Qxa2+ 16. Kc1 Bxe5 17. Bxe5 Bg4 18. Qe1 {but decided on the simpler} Qa1+ {as he was starting to run short of time.} ({Now Black could try} 18... dxe3 $5 19. b3 Rac8) {Play continued} 19. Kd2 dxe3+ $1 {This deflection wins material.} {so White chose} 20. Kxe3 (20. Qxe3 {is met by} Qxd1+) 20... Qxd1 21. Qxd1 Bxd1 {The position has resolved into what should be a won endgame for Black, who is up the exchange and a pawn. However, the White bishop pair makes it tricky for Black to break through into his opponent's position.} 22. Bd3 Bg4 {Black's initial plan is to restrict the White light-squared bishop by covering the c4 and b5 squares with ...Be6 and ...a6 respectively. This also has the advantage of neutralising White's pressure on the a-file.} 23. Ra1 Be6 24. Bd4 a6 {Now Black is ready to play ...Rac8 followed by ...Bc4 to exchange light-squared bishops. If he achieves this, he should win easily as White will not be able to stop the Black rooks penetrating his position.} 25. Bc5 {White positions his dark-squared bishop well to prevent the planned exchange of light-squared bishops and also constrain Black by attacking the e7-pawn.} Rfe8 26. Kf4 Rac8 27. b4 {White naturally wants to keep his bishop on c5 to continue preventing the exchange of light-squared bishops. Now Black does have the idea of giving back the exchange with ...Rxc5 followed by ...Rc8 and taking on c5, which would leave him two pawns up. However, this doesn't work as well as Black would like when the White rook can be moved to the b-file, attacking the b-pawn and making it tricky for Black to pick up the second pawn. Black therefore wait for a suitable opportunity, while gradually improving his position.} f6 28. g3 Kf7 29. Rf1 Rg8 {Black now angles for a breakthrough on the kingside with ...g5+.} 30. Rf2 {This allows Black to execute his aforementioned idea.} Rxc5 $1 {Black returns the exchange but gains one more pawn, while eliminating the White bishop that was stopping him from making progress.} 31. bxc5 Rc8 32. e5 Rxc5 33. exf6 exf6 {This endgame, where Black is two pawns up, is completely winning for him.} 34. Rd2 b5 {Black starts by pushing his queenside pawns as far as he can safely advance them.} 35. Rd1 a5 36. Ke4 Bc4 {Black takes the opportunity to swap bishops.} 37. Kd4 Rd5+ {so White chose} 38. Kc3 ({Now} 38. Ke4 f5+ {forces the White king to a square where it is no longer threatening the rook on d5, therefore allowing Black to play ...Bxd3.}) 38... Bxd3 39. cxd3 {White naturally captures this way as taking with the rook would allow the liquidation into a pawn endgame that is winning for Black.} g5 {Black now advances his kingside pawns as far as they can go.} 40. Ra1 a4 {This is the best arrangement of pawns, as the White king cannot now advance up the board.} 41. Rf1 Kg6 42. Rf2 Rf5 43. Rb2 {Obviously swapping rooks would lead to a losing pawn endgame.} g4 44. Rb1 Rd5 45. Rf1 f5 46. Rf2 Kf6 {Black now looks to bring his king over to the queenside to support the advance of the passed pawns.} 47. Rf1 Ke6 48. Rf2 Kd6 49. Re2 Kc5 {Black is not worried about the rook penetrating as his passed pawns are too powerful.} {so White chose} 50. Re8 ({Now} 50. d4+ {is not a problem because of} Rxd4 51. Re5+ Rd5 $19) 50... b4+ 51. Kd2 a3 52. Ra8 Kb6 {Black threatens ...Ra5, followed by the advance of the a-pawn.} 53. Rb8+ Ka5 54. Ra8+ Kb5 55. Kc2 Rc5+ {so White chose} 56. Kd2 ({Now} 56. Kb3 Rc3+ $19 {followed by ...Rxd3 is obviously losing for White.}) 56... Rc6 {Black intended ...Ra6, followed by advancing the a-pawn. White could see no defence and so resigned. It is interesting to note that the winning technique here is the same as in the classic Lucena Position, demonstrating once more that it is one of the two fundamental positions of Rook endgame theory, along with the Philidor Position.} 0-1