Good afternoon,
semifinal of the consolation cup starts with Mephisto Rebell 5 vs Saitek Turbo King II.
In the first game as White, the Rebell 5 gets its Queen out a bit early and unprudently, and fails to secure an exit path for it. The Queen will escape the Turbo King attack, but at the cost of a Knight for a Pawn. The game lasts but the Rebell can't recover, 0-1 for the Turbo King.
The next game is rather surprising: the Turbo King sets a trap from its openings library; the Rebell was already out of its book since several moves and can't resist the poisoned offer. The line is included in the Turbo King's book with still three moves available. Yet, the overall gain from this combination is only one point from a material standpoint, thus the Rebell keeps good chances, and later applies pressure leveraging a passed Pawn, and prevails. Score is now 1-1, both wins as Black player.
Here we go for two additional games, and again the Turbo King manages to win as Black, thanks to better handling of Pawns. In the final game as White, it also manages to get threatening passed Pawns, and wins. Final score: 3-1 for the Kaplan/Barnes program, and an invitation card for the final match.
[Event "The 64-cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.11.30"]
[Round "Cons_semi"]
[White "Mephisto Rebell 5 (lv 2)"]
[Black "Saitek Turbo King II (lv a4)"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1816"]
[BlackElo "1888"]
[EventDate "2023.09.26"]
[ECO "A34"]
[PlyCount "130"]
1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e4 {Out of book} 3...d6 {Out of book} 4.Be2 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.O-O e6 7.Qa4 Be7 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 O-O 10.Re1 Nd4 11.Bd1 a6 12.Bb3 $6 {Be2 would have opened a retreat path to d1 for the nearly trapped Queen} 12...b5 13.Qa3 b4 14.Qa4 bxc3 15.bxc3 Nxb3 16.axb3 Qb6 17.d3 Rfb8 18.Ra3 Rb7 19.Bf4 Nh5 20.Be3 Qc7 21.Rea1 Nf6 22.R3a2 Rab8 23.Rb2 Rb6 24.Bf4 Nh5 25.Bd2 Qb7 26.b4 Nf6 27.Rba2 cxb4 28.cxb4 e5 29.Bc3 Rc6 30.Qb3 Rbc8 31.b5 axb5 32.Ra7 Qb6 33.Rxe7 bxc4 34.Qxb6 Rxb6 35.Rc7 Rbb8 36.Rxc8+ Rxc8 37.dxc4 Nxe4 38.Be1 Kf8 39.f3 Nf6 40.Bb4 Ke7 41.Ra7+ Nd7 42.Ra6 Nc5 43.Ra3 Ke6 44.Kf2 Rb8 45.Bd2 $6 {BxN was safer} 45...Rb2 46.Ke3 Rc2 47.Rc3 Ra2 48.g3 h6 49.Ke2 e4 50.h4 Ke5 51.h5 Kd4 52.Kd1 Nd3 53.Rc2 Rxc2 54.Kxc2 exf3 55.Kd1 Kxc4 56.Be3 d5 57.Ba7 d4 58.Bb8 Nf2+ 59.Ke1 Ng4 60.Bd6 Kd3 61.Bc7 Nf6 62.Be5 Nxh5 63.g4 Nf6 64.Bxf6 gxf6 65.Kf2 Ke4 {Rebell 5 resigns} 0-1
[Event "The 64-cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.11.30"]
[Round "Cons_semi"]
[White "Saitek Turbo King II (lv a4)"]
[Black "Mephisto Rebell 5 (lv 2)"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1888"]
[BlackElo "1816"]
[EventDate "2023.09.26"]
[ECO "C85"]
[PlyCount "144"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6 {Out of book} 7.Qe1 Be6 8.b3 Bg4 9.Nxe5 Qd4 10.Nc4 Qxa1 $6 {Rebell 5 falls in the opening trap hidden in the Turbo King's book} 11.Bb2 Qxa2 12.Nc3 Qxb2 13.Nxb2 O-O-O 14.e5 {Out of book} 14...Nd5 15.Nxd5 Rxd5 16.Qe4 h5 17.h3 Be6 18.d4 Rhd8 19.c3 Rb5 20.b4 a5 21.Ra1 axb4 22.c4 Rb6 23.Ra8+ Kd7 24.Ra7 Kc8 25.f3 h4 26.Ra8+ Kd7 27.Ra7 Kc8 28.Ra4 g5 29.Ra8+ Kd7 30.Ra7 Kc8 31.Ra4 Kb8 32.Ra1 c5 33.d5 Bc8 34.Na4 Ra6 35.Qh7 Bd7 36.Qxf7 Bf8 37.e6 Rxa4 38.Re1 Bc8 39.e7 Bxe7 40.Qxe7 Rd6 41.Qxg5 b3 42.Qc1 Rg6 43.Qb1 Rb6 44.Re4 b2 45.Re1 Ra1 46.Qxa1 bxa1=N 47.Rxa1 Rb4 48.Rc1 b6 49.Kf2 Ba6 50.g4 hxg3+ 51.Kxg3 Rxc4 52.Rd1 Rd4 53.Rxd4 cxd4 54.Kf4 Bc4 55.d6 c5 56.h4 Kc8 57.h5 Kd7 58.h6 Bd3 59.Kg4 c4 60.f4 Kxd6 61.f5 Ke5 62.Kf3 Bxf5 63.Ke2 c3 64.Ke1 d3 65.h7 Bxh7 66.Kd1 Kd4 67.Kc1 Be4 68.Kb1 d2+ {Rebell 5 announces mate in 5} 69.Ka2 d1=Q 70.Ka3 Qc1+ 71.Kb4 Qb2+ 72.Ka4 Bc2# 0-1
[Event "The 64-cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.12.01"]
[Round "Cons_semi"]
[White "Mephisto Rebell 5 (lv 2)"]
[Black "Saitek Turbo King II (lv a4)"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1816"]
[BlackElo "1888"]
[EventDate "2023.09.26"]
[ECO "B40"]
[PlyCount "142"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bg5 {Out of book} 5...Qa5+ {Out of book} 6.Bd2 Qb6 7.Be3 Bc5 8.Qd3 Qxb2 9.Nb3 Bxe3 10.Qxe3 d5 11.Bb5+ Bd7 12.Qc5 Nc6 13.exd5 Qe5+ 14.Be2 Nxd5 15.N1d2 Rd8 16.Nc4 Qc3+ 17.Kd1 Rb8 18.Nd6+ Kf8 19.Nxb7+ Kg8 20.Ba6 Bc8 21.Qxc3 Nxc3+ 22.Kd2 Ne4+ 23.Ke3 Nxf2 24.Kxf2 Bxb7 25.Bxb7 Rxb7 26.Rhd1 h6 27.Rd6 Ne7 28.c4 Kh7 29.Rad1 Rc8 30.Rd7 Rcc7 31.Rxc7 Rxc7 32.c5 Nd5 33.Kf3 Kg6 34.Rc1 f5 35.Re1 Kf6 36.Rd1 Nc3 37.Rd2 Ke5 38.Rc2 Ne4 39.Rc1 Kd5 40.Rd1+ Kc4 41.Rc1+ Kb4 42.c6 e5 43.Rc2 Kb5 44.g4 g6 45.Ke3 Rxc6 46.a4+ Kb6 47.a5+ Kc7 48.Rxc6+ Kxc6 49.gxf5 gxf5 50.Ke2 Kb5 51.h4 Kb4 52.Na1 Kxa5 53.Nc2 Nd6 54.Ne1 Nc4 55.Kf3 Ka4 56.Ng2 a5 57.h5 Nd2+ 58.Ke2 Nb3 59.Nh4 Nd4+ 60.Kd2 f4 61.Kd3 f3 62.Ke3 e4 63.Kf2 Kb3 64.Ke3 a4 65.Kxd4 f2 66.Kxe4 a3 67.Nf3 a2 68.Nd2+ Kc2 69.Nf1 a1=Q 70.Ng3 Qg1 71.Kf4 Qg2 {Rebell 5 resigns} 0-1
[Event "The 64-cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.12.01"]
[Round "Cons_semi"]
[White "Saitek Turbo King II (lv a4)"]
[Black "Mephisto Rebell 5 (lv 2)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1888"]
[BlackElo "1816"]
[EventDate "2023.09.26"]
[ECO "B18"]
[PlyCount "131"]
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Bd3 Qxd4 6.Nf3 Qd5 {Out of book} 7.Nc3 {Out of book} 7...Qe6+ 8.Be3 Bxd3 9.cxd3 {same position already happened (after a couple of moves in different order) playing the Tiger Grenadier, third game of the quarter-final. The Grenadier played Nh6.} 9...Nf6 10.O-O b6 11.Qa4 b5 12.Qa5 h6 13.a4 bxa4 14.Bxa7 Qd7 15.Qxa4 e6 16.Ne5 Qb7 17.Nc4 Nbd7 18.d4 Be7 19.b3 Nd5 20.Nxd5 exd5 21.Ne3 O-O 22.Nf5 Bb4 23.Qa6 Qc7 24.Rfc1 Rfc8 25.Ra4 Bf8 26.Raa1 $6 {Rca1 was better, in order to release the Queen from supporting the a7 Bishop} 26...g6 27.Ne3 Bd6 28.Nxd5 Bxh2+ 29.Kh1 Qd6 30.Rxc6 Rxc6 31.Qxc6 Qxc6 32.Ne7+ Kg7 33.Nxc6 Bd6 34.d5 Re8 35.Be3 Re4 36.Ra7 Nf6 37.Ra5 Rh4+ 38.Kg1 Rh5 39.Bd4 Bh2+ 40.Kf1 Bc7 41.Ra7 Rh1+ 42.Ke2 Bb6 43.Bxb6 Rh4 44.d6 Re4+ 45.Kf1 Re6 46.Rxf7+ Kxf7 47.Nd8+ Ke8 48.Nxe6 Ne4 49.Nf8 Nxd6 50.Nxg6 Kf7 51.Ne5+ Ke6 52.Nc4 Ne4 53.Ke2 Nc3+ 54.Kf3 h5 55.Kf4 Nd5+ 56.Kg5 Nf6 57.Be3 Kf7 58.Bd4 Nd5 59.g3 Ne7 60.Bc5 Ke6 61.Bxe7 Kxe7 62.f4 Kf7 63.f5 Kf8 64.f6 Ke8 65.b4 h4 66.gxh4 {Rebell 5 resigns} 1-0
MfG,
Tibono