(;GM[9]
GN[Kok-Wikman game 1]
GC[round 1, 19-08-1997]
PB[Fred Kok (the Netherlands)]
PW[Ragnar Wikman (Finland)]
C[MIND SPORTS OLYMPICS , LoA section
London, 19 -20 august 1997

Herewith some fragments of the first Olympic Loa tournament.
The Loa section of the Mind Sports Olympic had only 4
players, who played 6 rounds with a 30 minutes limit. Strong
players from Knights Of the Square Table did not attend. 
Ragnar Wikman was favorite, being the number one player
on Richards PBEM server.

But surprisingly he lost his first game.
]
;C[]
B[c1-c3]
;W[h6-f6]
C[ Perhaps it is best to respond immediate to the threat  
against a possible clamp to the a-file. 2.a2-c2 or 
2.a5-c7 (see next game) are good alternatives.]
;C[]
B[e1-b4]
;C[]
W[a2-c2]
;C[]
B[b8-b5]
;C[]
W[a4:d1]
;B[f1-c4]
C[trying to make a flexible formation. Both b5 and c3 
are connected by two stones.]
;W[a7-c5]
C[perhaps a5-c7 is a better try. White now gets 
isolated stones.]
;C[]
B[d8-b6]
;W[a3-b2]
C[? too slow. b1 cannot be isolated]
;B[b1-a2]
C[!]
;C[]
W[b2-f2]
;C[]
B[g1-g3]
;C[]
W[h5-f7]
;C[]
B[e8-c6]
;C[]
W[a5:a2]
;C[]
B[g8-d8]
;W[h4-e7]
C[fights back!  White isolates f8 for the time being.]
;C[]
B[g3-e5]
;W[a2-e2]
C[ e7:e5 ? f8:c5 and wins!]
;C[]
B[d8-d6]
;W[c2-e4]
C[white should have blocked with f6-d8]
;C[]
B[f8-d8]
;W[h2:e5]
C[ f7-d7? b4-b7]
;B[d8-d5]
C[Black wins in one more move.  Black's record is now 1-0
This loss made the second encounter Wikman-Kok crucial
since both players kept on winning in round 2 and 3.]
)
(;C[This is the second game between the two players who
eventually finished first and second in the tournament.

]
GM[9]
PB[Ragnar Wikman (Finland)]
PW[Fred Kok (The Netherlands)]
GN[Wikman-Kok game 2]
GC[Round 4, 20-08-1997]
;C[]
B[c1-c3]
;C[]
W[a5-c7]
;C[to prevent e1-b4 or d8-b6]
;B[b1-b3]
C[a good move. In the Nost competition the encounter     
Kok-Yearout followed 3.g8-g6 4.h3-e3 5.f8-f6 6.a7-d4 ]
;C[]
W[a2-c2]
;C[]
B[e1-e3]
;C[]
W[a7-d7]
;C[]
B[c3:c7]
;C[]
W[a6-c6]
;C[]
B[d1-d4]
;C[]
W[a4:d8]
;C[]
B[d4:d7]
;C[]
W[e8-g6]
;C[]
B[g8-e6]
;C[]
W[a3-c5]
;B[b3-d5]
C[both players have to connect three stones but perhaps 
black has an advantage because he has more influence 
by the centre (d5).]
;W[c5-e7]
C[because black has g1-d4 and f8-d6]
;B[d5-f7]
C[to prevent h7xd7 but now d5 escapes.Possible alternatives
are c7-f4 or f1xh3 to scatter the connected H-file.]
;C[]
W[c6-d5]
;B[f8:h6]
C[to prevent f8xh6 but this moves deconnects h6. Now 
white has the advantage.]
;C[]
W[c2-f5]
;C[]
B[h6-g7]
;W[e7-d6]
C[White has to deal with h2 first so h2-e5 is better]
;B[g1-g4]
C[23.e6-e4? 24.d6-f6 with the threats xf7 or d5-g5 and 0-1
But black misses an oportunaty: 23.f1xh3 would have    
continue the struggle because f7xf5 is possible.
a variation: 24.h2-g2 25.f5xf7 26.d6-g3 27.d6-d4 
28.d5-e6 29.f5xh5  further investigations are necessary.
]
;W[h7-e4]
C[all stones are connected.

Kok and Wikman kept on winning and won Gold and Silver. 
The Bronze was for John Bosley from New Zealand by 
winning a playoff against Bharat from England.  Play can 
certainly be improved upon so the MSO 1998 should be a 
great fight again !

Loa strategy is still under development. These analyses
should trigger further discussion about this interesting game.
I invite the players to crash these analyses and improve the 
theory.

Fred Kok
tangram@euronet.nl 
]
)