Notable opponents in the Borders League: Gerry Johnstone
Gerry is a comparative newcomer to the League, and did not play in the Borders until the 2023-24 season. Since then, he has been a regular in the Galashiels team and in the Borders Individual Championships.
04.11.2025: BICC Round 1
D Bogle (1586) v G Johnstone (1482)
County Hotel, Selkirk
The first round of the Borders Individual. Gerry had just moved to Clovenfords, and although this was a "home" match for him, he came to the County to play - Clovenfords being a bit out of the way when (as I am) you're dependent on public transport. It was a tough game.
The notes are all Gerry's.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Na5
With 7. Qb3, White has played the strongest move. The more usual response by Black is 7 ... Qd7. (Qc8 is also sometimes played). The move played is sound (defends the pawn, attacks the queen, and poses a question to white).
8. Qa4+ Nc6
White stays active with his queen. The more usual response by Black is 8. ... Bd7. The move played looks like a passive retreat and seems to give white a free move. But, it can be argued that the white queen is not so well positioned on a4 (compared with b3) (as White’s attacking chances are mainly on the kingside) and that white will have to move the queen again (as in fact happens)
9. Nd2 e6
White maintains the pin on the c6 knight and prepares to develop the king’s knight to f3. Black, with the light-squared bishop outside the pawn chain (the reason for playing the Caro-Kann instead of the French), opens a diagonal for the dark-squared bishop.
10. Ngf3 Bd6
Black challenges white’s strong bishop.
11. Ne5 O-O
White makes an aggressive move, attacking both the bishop on g4 and the (pinned) knight on c6. Black has time to castle (as 11 Nxg4 is met with Bxf4 - 11 Nxc6 is met with 11 ... bxc6, 12. Bxd6 Qxd6).
12. Qc2 Bh5
With the pin gone, white’s queen is doing little on a4. It goes back to c2, creating a powerful queen and bishop battery against h7. Black spends a lot of time on this move (he wants to start putting some pressure on the queen along the c file) and eventually opts for Bh5, preserving the light-squared bishop. Stockfish (17.1) deems this marginally the best move (but maybe not worth spending so much time over).
13. O-O Qc7
White in turn has a long think before castling, which is the best move. Qc7 adds a third attacker to the strong knight on e5 and connects the Black rooks. Stockfish marginally prefers Rc8 (with a threat to White’s d5 pawn. Black does of course want a rook on c8; however, as Black’s counterplay will be on the queenside (the direction in which the pawns are pointing), there is a case for moving the king’s rook to c8, and keeping the queen’s rook on the queenside.
14. Rae1 Rfc8
White adds a protector to d5 and puts his rook on a semi-open file. Black puts a rook on c8 and now threatens to win a pawn with Nxd4.
15. Qb1 a6
White moves his queen to a safer square, whilst maintaining the battery. Black prepares b5.
16. Bg3 b5 17. f4
This looks threatening. But stockfish evaluates it as an inaccuracy and now regards black has having a slight edge (half a pawn ahead). The engine’s preferred move is 17. Nb3. I had not considered Nb3 and am unclear about its rationale – 17. f4 is a move I was expecting as soon white pulled the bishop back to g3
17...b4
With the aim of creating a weak/backward pawn on c3
18. Rc1 Qb6?!
Black’s move is a little inaccurate. Stockfish prefers the immediate bxc3. It also prefers Qa7 to the move played. I was going to play Qa7, but – if I remember correctly – decided to keep a second defender on c6 and also wanted to set up an exchange of queens.
19. Bf2 bxc3 20. bxc3 Qxb1
Playing to simplify the position by undermining White’s control of the b1-h7 diagonal and threat against h7, and hoping that this will enable me to exploit the backward pawn on c3. Stockfish prefers Qd8.
21. Rxb1 Bxe5
Black’s move is a mistake. The knight on e5 is annoying and, in particular, makes Black disinclined to play Bg6. But, Black overlooks the much stronger Ng4. Black’s very slight advantage is now gone and white is a little stronger.
22. fxe5 Ng4 23. Bg3?!
Preserving the bishop pair. But, the bishop does not look too useful on g3. 23. Be2 was stronger.
23...Bg6?!
Played in order to exchange off White’s strong bishop. The hope is that White will be left with a bad bishop and a backward pawn, and that Black’s knight pair will be strong with the centre closed. The chess.com commentary dislikes Black’s move because it damages his pawn structure.
24. Bxg6 hxg6
At this stage, White is slightly better – but there is little in it.
25. h3 Ne3 26. Rf3 Nf5 27. Bf2 Na5
Black puts a knight on the rim. The specific purposes are to control b7 and keep an eye on c4, so that black’s backward pawn can never dream of advancing. Placing a rook immediately on b8 might have been a little bit stronger.
28. g4 Ne7
I spent some time – too much! - contemplating Nh6 (to over-protect f7), but the idea of having both knights on the rim was too much for me!
29. Bh4 Nec6 30. Rbf1 Rc7
Both players reach the 30 move mark (White has a small time advantage). White doubles rooks, threatening f7. Black defends whilst keeping the rook active.
31. Be1?!
The bishop now seems quite passive – Stockfish recommends the more active Bg5.
31...Rb8=
Black activates the rook, with a view to penetrating into white’s slightly weak queenside, and offers a draw. White’s last move leaves Black in an ever so slightly better position. With about 16 minutes on the clock in an allegro finish, this will be very difficult to convert into anything more substantial, especially since White has played very accurately throughout. White agrees to a draw.
½-½