10: Ming-Honkela9: Linnemann-Kowalczyk8: Pfeiffer-Ming7: Linnemann-Kivijarvi6: Tilkin-Hyatt5: Vargiu-Sicker4: Pfeiffer-Boniface3: Prentos-Yang2: Jendras-Hyatt1: Sicker-Bombek
Complete game scores for the preliminary round
Crosstables for the preliminary round
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10: Ming-Honkela
9: Linnemann-Kowalczyk
8: Pfeiffer-Ming
7: Linnemann-Kivijarvi
6: Tilkin-Hyatt
5: Vargiu-Sicker
4: Pfeiffer-Boniface
3: Prentos-Yang
2: Jendras-Hyatt
1: Sicker-Bombek
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This continuation has not proven as popular as 3. Na3 e4 e5 or 3. f4 e4 e5. Neither of the above two lines is convincing for white, as 3. Na3 e4 e5 4. e6 Qg5 Qxc1 Qxd1+ looks winning for black, and 3. f4 e4 e5 4. e6 d3 dxc2 cxd1Q, while difficult, ought to be able to draw.
4. e6 Qg5 Qxc1 Qxd1+
5. Kxd1 f4 h4 c4 c5
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While it is unclear what the evaluation of this line is, it is certainly much better than Ming-Hyatt, Skittles Game 1998, which continued 5. Kxd1 f4 g4 c4 c5 6. a6 axb5 Rxa2 Rxa1 Bxc5 Bb6!, and black went on to win. The g4 series is given in Battista, but h4! is much stronger. For this interesting novelty, I have included this game. Honkela blunders here and the game ends early.
6. Bxc5 g5 gxf4 f5 Kf7 Nh6
7. a4 Ra3 Rg3 Rg8 Rh3 Rhg3 R3g7#
Ming also won his game against Tanti with this novelty, which ran 6. g5 gxf4 f3 fxg2 gxh1Q Qxg1+ 7. Kd2 c6 cxb7 Nc3 Nd5 bxc8Q#.
A dubious line, which only seems to be played because of a 4 from Battista that has scored well for black.
3. Qf3 Qxf6 Qxd8+
4. Kxd8 b5 b4 c5
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The pawns can only prove dangerous if white tries to ignore them and eat material elsewhere. Since black didn't eat any material, white doesn't have to eat much either. Linnemann finds a simple novelty that refutes this idea.
5. d4 Bd2 Bxb4 Kd2 Ba5+ !
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Black's king is in a box, which is the dominating characteristic of the position. Kowalczyk finds an extremely disruptive, strong-looking 6, but white finds a devastating reply!
6. Ke7 Ba6 Bxf1 Nc6 Nxa5 Nc4+
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7. Kc3 dxc5 c6 Kb4 Na3 Rd1 Rxd7+ !
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8. Resigns
Black will be mated after the forced 8. Ke8+ or 8. Kf6+.
1. e4
2. e5 Nh6
3. d4 Bg5 Bxd8
4. d5 Bg4 Bxd1 Kxd8
5. Ba6 Bxb7 Bxa8 Kxd1 Kd2
6. Ba3 Bxb2 Bxa1 Na6 Kd7 Rxa8
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A rare occurrence for the preliminary round: both sides have actually played reasonable series for three series in a row!! Now Pfeiffer demonstrates why white wins a straight material race in progressive chess.
7. c3 g4 g5 gxh6 hxg7 g8Q Qxa8 !
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Not only has white reduced black to 2 pieces (the usual prereqisite for a winning 7), but he has made a new queen in the process! This is an improvement over a series in Battista which went 7. g4 g5 gxh6 hxg7 g8Q Qxa8 Qxd5+?
8. c6 Nc7 Nxa8 Bb2 Ba3 Bc5 Bxd4 Bxf2
9. exd5 Nf3 Nd4 Nxc6 Na3 Nb5 Rg1 Rg8 Rd8#
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This 4 has been played 5 times according to Battista, with white winning 3 games and black 2. This series is completely losing. Linnemann's 5 is like a wrecking ball that demolishes the condemned black position.
5. Kxd1 a3 axb4 Rxa7 Rxa8 !
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This is one of those series that must be refuted by mate or ghost. If not, it is a sufficient material advantage to win quickly. Black does not even succeed in equalizing material by the end of his 6, and what follows is only natural...
6. Nc6 Kd7 Rxd8 Rxa8 dxe4 exd4
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7. Nf3 Nxd4 Ba6 Bxb7 Bxa8 Kd2 Bxc6+
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8. Ke7 Nf5 Nxd4 Nxc6 Nxb4 Nd3 Nxb2 Nc4+
A futile gesture. Black is down way too much material.
9. Kc3 Na3 Nxc4 Kd4 Ke5 Rd1 Rd8 Na5 Nc6#
For some reason, this is not played as often as 3. Bf4 Bxc7 Bxd8, although it seems just as good. Black still cannot respond with KxB BxQ, as he loses in elementary fashion in a material race. And he cannot try the queen sac line 4. Nh6 e5 Kd8 Bb4+, as he doesn't have an e-pawn left (a difference which paradoxically seems to favor white). Both 3's are probably sufficient to win for white.
4. Kxd8 Bf5 Bxc2 Bxd1
A reasonable try, gambling that the slight difference of taking white's c-pawn versus his taking the e-pawn should be sufficient to hold, but this turns out not to be the case.
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5. e4 Ba6 Bxb7 Bxa8 Bxc6 ?
Amazingly, this series is insufficient! White gets greedy and pays the price. 5. e4 exd5 dxc6 Kxd1 Nf3 should win for white.
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6. Ne7 Nxc6 Nxd4 Bc2 Bxb1 Bb4+ !!
In my opinion, this is one of the finest series of the preliminary round. From a position that appears to be completely lost, black finds the only series that doesn't lose, and, in fact, WINS. White's king is forced to remain on the back rank, and, although he can leave it there and not get mated, he can't avoid the ghost!
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7. Kd1 Nf3 Nxd4 Rxb1 exd5 d6 dxc7+ ?
8. Kxc7 f5 f4 f3 fxg2 Rf8 Rxf2 gxh1Q#
White blunders and gets mated. The two critical tries were:
| 7. Kd1 Nf3 Nxd4 Rxb1 a3 axb4 Ne2 | |
| 8. Ke7 Kf6 dxe4 e3 exf2 Re8 Rxe2 f1Q+ ! |  |
and
| 7. Kf1 Rxb1 Rd1 Rxd4 Rxb4 Ke2 exd5 | |
| 8. g5 g4 g3 gxh2 hxg1Q Qxh1 Qh4 Qxb4 ! | |
White is lost! He cannot eliminate the black queen and stop black from being able to promote on the 10. A pity this variation had to remain on the sidelines.
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This series has the distinct drawback of eating nothing but a single pawn. Clearly white has better. The way in which Sicker refutes white's 5 is particularly instructive, scattering his pieces and making it impossible for white to reduce him to two pieces on his 7.
6. Kd7 Rb8 Na5 Nh7 Nxg5 Nxe4+ !
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Fantastic play from Sicker! A series in Battista substituted e6 for Na5, thus allowing white to develop his bishop to b5 with the series 7. Kd1 Bb5 Nc3 Nxe4 Neg5 Nh7 Nxf8+.
7. Ke1 b4 bxa5 Nc3 Nxe4 f4 Be2
It is difficult to suggest an alternative. Black will retain a powerful rook on his 8. White, however, hopes to keep a rook for his 9.
8. g5 g4 gxh3 hxg2 Bg7 Bxa1 e6 gxh1Q+
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White's forces have been obliterated. Despite having two pieces left on the 9, he is unable to remove both rooks and the queen. Therefore...
9. Resigns
This series almost certainly loses, but it is nonetheless extremely popular, perhaps because most white players don't know how to play against it. Pfeiffer is the only one in the preliminary round to play a reasonable series in response (along with Taylor, who played 5. Bb5 Bxc6 Nc3 Nxe4 Nxf6 in his game with Bernath), yet even this series is not as good as some others (which will be revealed in the semifinal round games, I am sure.)
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5. Bb5 Bxc6 Nf3 Ng5 Nxf7+ !?
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Black has only one legal move! Critical is the Battista line 6. Kc8 bxc6 Kd7 Ke8 Kxf7 g6, where black has an enormous lead in development and will have an active rook on his 8. This series has scored +6 -0 for black, so one wonders what novelty Pfeiffer had planned on the 7. Regardless, white has 5's that are clearly winning, so there is little of theoretical import to debate here.
6. Kc8 bxc6 g6 Rh7 Rxf7 a5
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This series is also in Battista, and it has scored +2 -0 for black. However, Pfeiffer refutes it in fine style with one of the best series of the preliminary round:
7. a4 Ra3 Rf3 Rxf6 Rxf7 Nc3 h4 !
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The beauty of this series lies in the 3 moves a4, Nc3, and h4, each of which DEVELOPS while BLOCKING the advance of one of black's promotable pawns. A beautiful idea. We also see clearly why it was better to play Kxf7 on the 6. Black's series is a reasonable try, but it gets mated.
8. c5 Ra6 Rf6 Rxf7 Rxf2 Rxg2 Rh2 Rxh1+
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9. Kf2 Nxe4 Nxc5 d4 d5 d6 dxe7 exf8Q#
1. d4
2. d5 Nf6
3. Nc3 Bg5 Bxf6
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This 3 was not played until 1980, but it has scored relatively well for white recently (+26 -10 in Battista). This series might only be barely sufficient to win, and thus it leads to "exciting" play. Much more usual is 3. e4 e5 Bb5+, which poses black very serious problems. An interesting idea is 3. Bg5 Nd2 Bxf6, so as to avoid the line mentioned in the next note.
4. exf6 Na6 Bb4 Bxc3+
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An interesting novelty! One critical line is 4. exf6 Ba3 Bxb2 Bxc3+, where white actually has to interpose on the check instead of simply recapturing the piece. The line Yang chooses is similar to 4. Nc6 exf6 Bb4 Bxc3+.
5. bxc3 e3 Qg4 Qxc8 Qxd8+ !?
Prentos plays the most popular 5 against the 4. Nc6 exf6 Bb4 Bxc3+, with the assumption that it cannot be any worse against Na6. However, since it does not get mated, why not play the much stronger 5. bxc3 e4 Qg4 Qxc8 Qxd8+? In general, one should always move pawns forward two squares in progressive chess. There is no tactical reason not to do so here, and, in fact, the e-pawn becomes a powerful threat, one move closer to promotion. As played, we reach the following position:
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6. Rxd8 Nb8 Rd6 Ra6 Rxa2 Rxa1+
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