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[Event "Mountain Man First Invitational"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.04.03"] [Round "-"] [White "lord_shiva"] [Black "bevcol"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1381"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1748"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Bc5 { Pawn sacrifice. } 3. Nxe5 { I kind of expected blackto play Qf6, to which I would respond Nd3. 4. Ng4 might be better, pushthe queen around. } 3... Bd4 { White counters with Nf3. } 4. Nf3 Nf6 { Pawn forbishop? Pc5 would work, with c3 answered by Bf6. But that is moving thebishop a lot, at the expense of development. Still, black would gain bettercontrol over the center. } 5. Nxd4 Qe7 { Nxe4 might have been better. Blackis now down four points. } 6. Nc3 c5 { A good move, develop and push. } 7. Nf5 { White pushes back. } 7... Qf8 { Black counters Nxg7+. } 8. e5 { The knighthas no decent place to go. } 8... Ng8 9. Nd5 { Black responds to Nc7+, which wouldfork Ra8. } 9... Kd8 10. Nd6 g6 { While this releases the queen, I like f6 better. } 11. d3 Qg7 { Black's queen risks being pinned against the rook here. } 12. Bg5+ f6 13. exf6 { Qf8 would threaten Nd6. But f7+ (discovered check) wouldcost black a knight. } 13... Nxf6 14. Bxf6+ { Black is forced to trade queen forbishop. } 14... Qxf6 15. Nxf6 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "12-Mar-07"] [Round "-"] [White "belacqua17"] [Black "boyko"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1305"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1273"] 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 { my favorite line against what I thought would be the french... } 2... f6 { ?? } 3. d4 { staking a claim to the center } 3... d6 { ?? } 4. e5 { maybe notthe best move, but an aggressive one nonetheless } 4... dxe5 5. dxe5 Qxd1+ { eliminatesthe option of castling } 6. Kxd1 f5 7. Bc4 Be7 8. Bf4 h6 9. Nc3 c6 10. Ke2 { brings the king into the game, connects the rooks } 10... b5 11. Bb3 Bb4 12. Nd4 Bxc3 { opens the b file for later attacks... } 13. bxc3 g5 14. Bd2 Ke7 15. c4 { clearing out the b file completely } 15... bxc4 16. Bxc4 a5 17. Rhb1 { threatensRxb8 followed by Rxb8 and Nxb8 , forking the king and rook } 17... f4 { he missesthe attack and... } 18. Rxb8 { boom! } 18... Rxb8 19. Nxc6+ Kf7 20. Nxb8 { all ofa sudden the game has been busted wide open } 20... Bb7 21. Bxa5 Bxg2 22. Rd1 f3+ { last ditch checking attempt inadvertently traps his bishop } 23. Ke3 Ne7 { attacks my knight prepares for a last ditch check } 24. Na6 Nf5+ 25. Ke4 Rc8 26. Bb3 Ne7 27. Rd7 { pins the knight } 27... Ke8 { bad way to remove thepin, allows me to take e6 } 28. Bxe6 Nc6 { attacks the bishop on a5 } 29. Nc7+ Kf8 { moves his king away from his other pieces } 30. Rf7+ { continuesthe attack } 30... Kg8 31. Rf6+ { gets rid of his rook and moves his knight awayif he takes the bishop back } 31... Kg7 32. Bxc8 Nxa5 33. Ne6+ { sets up quickmating possibilites } 33... Kg8 34. Rxh6 { removes the defender of g5 so my knightcan go there after Rg6 if he goes Kh8, then Nf7 , if Kf7 then Rg7 Ke8and then Bd7 } 34... g4 { no other good moves } 35. Rg6+ Kf7 36. Rg7+ Ke8 37. Bd7# { checkmate! } 1-0
[Event "Chess Coaches and Mentors (Game 1 vs. redfox17)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.04.02"] [Round "-"] [White "joveyboy1"] [Black "redfox17"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1320"] [TimeControl "3d+5d<15d"] [WhiteElo "1127"] { (The ratings of the two players were their ratings when this game wasstarted) This would be the first of two games I played against redfox17in the mini-tournament 'Chess Coaches and Mentors', a learners tournament.This game had a strong beginning but ended way too soon. I hope you enjoythis short annotation, and feel free to comment and rate about it. I willannotate game two when complete, and hopefully it will last more than 17moves lol } 1. e4 { This is my traditional opening, the King's Pawn Opening,the most popular opening. } 1... Nc6 { Interesting response, the King's Pawn Nimzovichdefence, a response I've hardly ever seen in my games. } 2. Nc3 { This issurprisingly not a chess opening in the book, so the book ends quick. } 2... e5 3. Nf3 { I put pressure on the e5 pawn. I hope to take it here shortly. } 3... Nf6 4. Bb5 { A customary move by white. I take the knight so I can takethe pawn. } 4... Nd4 { Black instead protects his knight, which is now protectedby the e5 pawn, and attacks white's f3 Knight and b5 Bishop, which areboth protected though. } 5. Nxe5 { I continue with my plans to take thepawn. Interesting to see all 4 knights lined up like that. Black's knightis no longer protected, but also currently not under attack. } 5... c6 { Blackattacks white's bishop more with his c pawn. This move is viewed by thecomputer analysis as an inaccuracy and that Qe7 was the best move. Yesindeed, for then white would have to move his knight or protect it withthe f pawn. Likely this sequence would of occurred: 5. ... Qe7 6. Nf3 Nxf37. gxf3 Nxe4 8. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 9. Qe2 Qxe2+ 10. Kxe2. This would of left blackwith a bit of an advantage in position, but as you can see, c6 was themove made. } 6. Bd3 Qe7 { Now black plays Qe7. Thus I must protect andretreat my knight. } 7. Nf3 Nxf3+ { I was expecting Nxe4, but it was thismove instead. } 8. gxf3 { This move definitely not the best. Computer analysisviews this move as a mistake and that Qxf3 was the best. Very true, forthis move has a 2-in-1 damage. First, the pawn structure for white is thrownoff now. It's a 2-in-1 damage because with the pawn structure the way itis now, if white castles king-side, his king is wide open and vulnerableto attack, so this move is definitely a mistake. } 8... d5 9. Ne2 { I retreatthe knight, but this is viewed by the computer analysis as an inaccuracy.It says O-O was best? I question that. As I said in the previous comment,it would leave the king open for an attack. True it can be defended, butin my view, it is not the best move right now, but that's my view. } 9... dxe4 { A lot of pieces on e4. 10. fxe4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Qxe4 would put the materialadvantage at a tie for both sides, so it may help black slightly, but thiswill not be the sequence of events that will take place right off the bat. } 10. fxe4 Bg4 { Black now attack's white's knight, and he's starting toworry white, for black is starting to control the game more. } 11. h3 { Itry to swing things back some by driving back the bishop. } 11... Bh5 12. c3 { Nothingfrom the computer analysis. It even knows that castling is not the bestnow. } 12... Rd8 { Computer analysis views this move as an inaccuracy and that,as I mentioned earlier, Nxe4 was the best move, for it gives a piece backto black. } 13. Bc4 { Bad move by white, a blunder from the computer analysis.This move gives 0 protection to the e4 pawn, thus, when black takes itwith his queen, much more pressure is put on the knight, and unless whitecan find a counter, checkmate is imminent... (Bc2 was the best move) } 13... b5 { ...but black instead attacks the bishop. Not Qxe4??? No surprise thecomputer analysis also sees this as a blunder. Qxe4 was the best move ofcourse. } 14. Bb3 { I do retreat the bishop, but Bd3 was definitely betterthan Bb3... } 14... Qxe4 { ...for now black saw the opportunity to take the pawn.Another thing though, now white's h1 rook is completely exposed. If whitedoes nothing to protect it, Qh1# is inevitable, so now castling, well,castling was still an option, but in this position, it was not the bestidea. It is best to move the rook. } 15. Rg1 Bc5 { Black is certainly controllingthe game right now. This move though is seen by the computer analysis asa inaccuracy and that Qh4 was best. So true for it threatens the h3 pawnand threatens mate in 1 on f2 with Qxf2#. } 16. Bc2 { I go and attack thequeen. This is seen by the computer analysis as a mistake though and thatd4 was the best. Very true, for it prevents the c5 bishop from interfering,at least for a time. This would prove to be a costly mistake for white. } 16... Qf3 { Black goes in deeper. Computer analysis sees this as a mistake andthat Bxe2+ was the best move. True for then white would have to take itwith his king and then black could attack again. (16. ... Bxf2# 17. Kxf2Qf3+ 18. Ke1. Mate would not be immediately imminent, but the positionwould be bad for white. What I failed to spot in this move though was themajor pressure on f2... } 17. Ng3 { ...I go and attack the h5 Bishop andhope for a queen's exchange. Computer analysis views this as a blunderand that d4 was again the best move. This is so very true. Why? Becauseof the next move... } 17... Qxf2# { ...which is Qxf2#! The last move is a blunderbecause this move makes checkmate. The bishop protects the queen so theking cannot take it, and with no other white piece on f2, black has won.I still do not know how I missed a move as obvious as this one! Well, althoughtoo short, it was a well-fought and enjoyable battle. I hope you enjoyedthis annotation, and feel free to rate and comment about it. I will havegame 2 annotated as soon as it is complete. } 0-1
[Event "London, festival minor pieces 'en prise'"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "13-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "aramis"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1648"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1644"] 1. d4 { This is a beautiful variation of the London Attack, with a position requiring enough brainpower. } 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 Nc6 4. h3 g6 5. Nbd2 Bg7 6. c3 O-O 7. e3 Bd7 8. Be2 { This attack is based on the fact that it may be a waste of time, better to go directly to the base. Attention, this is always a bit less easy. } 8... a6 { He too is not running very much... } 9. Ne5 Kh8 { Questa mi sembra un errore. } 10. g4 Rc8 { Here too, I don't see the advantage of making this move, given the approaching white attack. } 11. g5 { Cominciano i fuochi artificiali. } 11... Ne4 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Bg4 e6 14. h4 Qe7 { Se f3, CxC pensavo a RxC, guadagnando un tempo nel comunicarele torri e on sviando la donna dalla diagonale bianca. Se per� Cd6, nonvedevo il vantaggio di otturare f3. } 15. Nxe4 f5 { Oh oh, sorpresa... } 16. h5 { I am the one who surprises. It is fundamental to open the door. } 16... gxh5 { This pleased him. The situation had become 'absurd': two pieces were in check from three pawns. And it became very difficult to analyze separately. But for him it was better NOT to open the h-file. } 17. Bxf5 { Give priority to open the possibility of Dxh5, with the threat of checkmate. } 17... exf5 18. Qxh5 Bxd4 { Fantastic. Here I won't gain a piece by eating the knight, instead, I'll leave openings for'strange' things with the woman in b4, or f4... in short, it's better to keep going. The other choice was g5. So, I thought. But after f5xC, I didn't see a clear victory. For example: g5, f5xCe4. Dxh7, Dxh7, Txh7, Rg8, c3xAd4. And the victory? } 19. Nf6 Bxf6 20. gxf6 Qf7 { Clearly, this would be Ag5 and lose the quality. With this, which surprised me, I admit, I thought I had solved all his problems, but... I have an ace up my sleeve! } 21. Bh6 Qxh5 22. Bg7+ { Hehe, altra sorpresa che do io... } 22... Kg8 23. Rxh5 Rf7 24. O-O-O { Now he realizes with horror that he is mad, for he has moved imprudently the knight to f7, putting everything in danger. } 24... Rxg7 25. fxg7 Kxg7 26. Rdh1 { My mistake, it was better to take the pawn h, which anyway is the only element that could potentially represent a danger. However, I still win. } 26... Rh8 27. Rxf5 Ne7 28. Rg1+ Ng6 29. Rxd5 { E questa posizione � vinta, potrebbe abbandonare. } 29... Rf8 30. f4 Kf6 31. Rd7 Rf7 32. Rgd1 h5 33. Rxf7+ Kxf7 34. Rh1 h4 35. f5 Ne5 36. Rxh4 Kf6 37. e4 c5 38. Rh6+ Kg7 39. Rb6 Nd3+ 40. Kd2 c4 41. Rxb7+ Kf6 42. Rb6+ Ke7 43. b3 cxb3 { The last mistake, fatal, but the position had already been lost... } 44. Kxd3 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "15-Jan-08"] [Round "-"] [White "insanevillian"] [Black "mario1965"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1420"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1414"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Bb4+ { 4. ... , Bb4 .Expected was Qf6 defending the knight on c6. Bb4 loses a tempo since thebishop has moved already. } 6. c3 Bd6 { blocks the d-pawn. Ba5 or Be7 werebetter. } 7. Nxc6 dxc6 8. Bd3 { Not the strongest move the bishop blocksthe queen and is blocked by e4, e2 or c4 were better fields for the bishop. } 8... Nf6 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd4 Ng4 11. h3 Qh4 12. Qf3 Nh2 { nice } 13. Qe3 Nxf1 14. Kxf1 Be6 15. Nd2 c5 { b6 might have tricked him... with the idea of c5... } 16. Bxc5 Bxc5 17. Qxc5 c6 18. Nf3 Rfd8 { ?? Blunders a queen } 19. Nxh4 Rxd3 20. Qe7 Bc4 { creative mate :-) } 21. Kg1 { good move } 21... Rad8 22. f3 { ? Nf3would have been better, defending the 2nd row against invasion } 22... h6 23. Nf5 { good move... activating the knight, eyeing d4 to disrupt the rooks } 23... R8d7 24. Qe8+ { :-) } 24... Kh7 25. Nd4 Rd6 26. Qe7 Rf6 27. Qxb7 Rg6 28. Qxa7 Rd2 29. Qc5 { Blunders; forced mate. g4, defending the king was an easy winfor white. } 29... Rgxg2+ 30. Kh1 Rh2+ 31. Kg1 Rdg2# 0-1
[Event "A long midgame - blocking enemy's movements"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.01.30"] [Round "-"] [White "jarrod_lee"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] { My opponent was over 1600, something unusual on blitz game. It has tobe said that elo is not so important when playing blitz: many ones playunrated games only, and are very strong, even if elo is low. } 1. e4 d5 { My usual. } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qe5+ { My usual, again. } 4. Nge2 { Theydon't play it anymore, normally. It is not bad, since it supports an earlybishop outcome to f4, occupying the good diagonal for white's dsb. } 4... c6 5. d3 { The normal white move is e4, then Qa5, and the games proceeds asusual. Black is uneasy, but holds. Now, the played move makes things quieterand easier for black. } 5... Bf5 { g5 is an alternative, maybe better, just tofight against black's Bf4. } 6. h3 { This is ugly. White could have takenat once Bf4. Maybe he is letting it for later, knowing that it will alwaysbe there. } 6... e6 { I have no choice but to go on developing. Now g5 is notpossilble anymore. } 7. a3 { Another loss of tempo, even if white is notin a hurry. Since I plan to castle queenside, Bb4 is not a wise move forme, and there is no need for white to prevent it. } 7... Bd6 { This is the rightspot for the bishop. But in this moment, it is a huge mistake: Bf4 now,Qc5, b4, and I have to lose the bishop. } 8. d4 { Now it is bad: it couldhave been played before. } 8... Qa5 9. Bd2 Qc7 { Black loses tempoes relocatinghis queen. But this is now in the right square. } 10. g4 { Foreseen, andno problem. } 10... Bg6 11. f4 { This time white's attack is ok. } 11... Ne7 { Not thebest. I have to shield the king queenside ASAP, so Nd7 was indicated. Thismove doesn't prevent white to break the black center with f5. Now, if hedoes, black has countergame with Bg3+, NxB, QxN+, Ke7, exf56. } 12. Bg2 { This doesn't change too much the situation. By now, white's lsb bitesgranite. } 12... Nd7 { Fixed: now I can castle wherever I want. But I'll delaycastling the more I can, since white has ready-made pawns' storm on bothsides. } 13. h4 { Here he goes. } 13... h5 { The recommended defence (if a6, h5,Bh7, g5 provides white with attack). } 14. g5 { As spine in my chest, butit blocks white's attack. I can even think about castling behind white'spawns. } 14... Bf5 { I considered Nf5, but I'm not in a hurry, and maybe Bg4- Ng6 etc. provides me with better perspective. Note white's pieces arestuck to the defence of f4, and white can't use his queen at all, nor castlingqueenside. } 15. Bf3 { Good. } 15... Ng6 { Attacking again f4 and h4, preventingo-o and blocking the rook from moving from the h column. White allowedme an even game, and I don't feel inferior by any mean. } 16. Qc1 { Onlyone to save f4. now the problem is mine: how to go on? } 16... Nb6 { Trying toreach Bd2, but of course... } 17. b3 Nd5 { Not other choice to progress. } 18. Nxd5 { If cxd, c4 would be good for white. And now it is very doubiousto castle kingside due to Bxh5. } 18... exd5 { I am a move ahead in occupyingthe e column. He cannot move the knight! } 19. Be3 { Qa5+ doesn't give meanything after c3. } 19... Bg4 { A blunder, since I thought the h pawn would beexposed after the exchange. I know, just a blunder. But if I want to castle,I have to do someting about the bishop looking at d4. I have to preventc4 at any cost. } 20. Bxg4 hxg4 21. h5 { Ouch! } 21... Ne7 { The knight cannot goelsewhere... } 22. Ng3 { ...and whites finally can move his knight. I startsweating. } 22... O-O-O 23. O-O { ! white feels secure after this... the midgameis becoming very interesting and long. } 23... g6 { I have to support f5, evenat the cost of... } 24. h6 { White can't play f5... still. } 24... Nf5 25. Nxf5 gxf5 { Now this is interesting. My g4 pawn is now strongly supported, andcan be a tactical resource to strangle white's king at any time. } 26. c4 { Of course. I have to survive this, now. } 26... Kb8 { Time was running out,so I had to play the more logical one, without thinking too much aboutconsecuences. I saw that Be7 was good: Bxg5, and if fxB, Qg3+ was lethalfor white. But I had to be really sure before playing this, and I had notime. If the queens are exchanged, the Bxg5 plan falls, and my bishop staysin a bad square. } 27. cxd5 cxd5 { QxQ is not bad for me. My bishop wouldbe better on c7, in fact. } 28. Qd2 { Now the Be7-Bxg4 plan is whorthless.I have to think about Rc1 by white... Qe7 was a logical plan, but afterRe1, I don't make any progress. Bxa3 is just a poisoned pawn, that openswhite's lines to my king. } 28... Qb6 29. b4 { Affordable. The pawns are threatening,but I have time before they become a real danger. } 29... Rde8 { Rc8, and exchanges,are not good for me. White has a bad bishop, and I have to exploit it.With an eye on the threatening h white's pawn. } 30. Rab1 { Maybe it wasbetter to use the other rook for this square. } 30... Re4 { Just to make somepressure, but nothing serious. } 31. a4 { Here they come. } 31... Rhe8 { I am notreally threatening the bishop if white plays h7... but I am not compelledto take it. } 32. Rfe1 { White loses a tempo defending the bishop. } 32... Qd8 { This prevents the h7 threat, and again white has to defend the bishopto free his queen. } 33. Rb3 { ...which he does. } 33... Qe7 { Renewing the threats,if white wants to move any of his pieces from defence of the dsb. } 34. Qh2 { Preparing h's advance. Of course I cannot take the bishop. } 34... Bxb4 { But I can take this. It opens the files against my king, so it is risky. } 35. Re2 a5 { ...and with this one, the threats are covered for the moment.White cannot move the bishop, again... this is very interesting. } 36. h7 Rh8 37. Qh6 { oh oh, I didn't see it. But be calm. } 37... Qf8 { Since white'sdsb is bad, I can afford a queen's exchange and the fight for the h8 spot. } 38. Qf6 { If I have to choose, I prefer f7 than f4 to be taken. You'llsee why. } 38... Qc8 { I free him the way for the lethal g6, but I have some threaton c1, too... } 39. Qxf7 Rxe3 { The end of the midgame, the crisis... wasit good? } 40. Rbxe3 Qc1+ { No, it wasnt. If white goes Kg2, I just losta tempo, and I will lose (or near to) after g6. But it white's turn toblunder. } 41. Re1 Bxe1 { Re8+, RxR, QxR+, Ka7, h8=Q but I win with Bh4+,and subsequent mate (or I guessed so!) } 42. Qg8+ { No point in losing therook now or later... apparently. But I had the feeling the tempo used bywhite in taking the rook would be decisive. And it was. } 42... Ka7 { Now, thegood thing is if Qxd5, I can win with the checks helped with Rxh7!, evenif I am under a perpetual threat... } 43. Qxh8 { A losing move, but whatelse? } 43... Qxe3+ { White cannot give check inmediately, so I'm pretty sure I'llwin. Even if mate cannot be given right now, I have the g3 threat waiting... } 44. Kh1 Qf3+ { he resigned here. After Kg1, Qf2+, Kh1, g3, white can'tstop the mate in h2. } 45. Kg1 Qf2+ 46. Kh1 0-1
[Event "QGD Orthodox Exchange Variation mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.01.13"] [Round "-"] [White "last_archimedean"] [Black "russ20124"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1224"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1341"] { Another new mini. Reuben Fine says of the Exchange Variation in the OrthodoxDefense to the Queen's Gambit Declined, 'Despite its simplifying character,the Exchange Variation very often strengthens White's bind.' So... I thoughtI'd put Mr. Fine's evaluation to a practical test. QGD Exchange Variationmini, it is! } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. Nf3 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bxe7 Nxe7 { All the games start here. } 9. Bd3 { The naturalmove to complete development and enable castling. } 9... Nd5 { Black wishes tosimplify further... } 10. Nxd5 { ...and I'm amenable. } 10... exd5 { The skirmishis complete, and the position still even. } 11. O-O { May as well go throughwith my plan and castle. } 11... Nf6 { Placing the Knight on the natural squareto protect his own K-side. } 12. Ne5 { I centralize my Knight. } 12... Ne4 { Blackfollows suit. } 13. f3 { I force him back. } 13... Nf6 { Returning to home base. } 14. Rc1 { Taking the half-open file. If the Exchange Variation is not playedon move 7, this is a popular 7th move for White. It is still strong here. } 14... c6 { Instead of P-QB4 freeing himself completely, Black has to settle forthis move that strengthens his Pawn chain. Although with two minor pieceson each side already gone it may be said that Black has already relieveda good deal of the normal cramp in the Orthodox. } 15. Bb1 { With the Rookfree, I can retire this B without interfering with my other pieces. } 15... Qc7 { Preparing to clear the first rank. } 16. Qc2 { I clear my own, connectingmy Rooks. } 16... Be6 { Black likewise connects his Rooks. The position is stillapproximately even. } 17. h3 { With this move I begin to prepare a Pawn stormagainst the White King. I realize this will leave my own King exposed,but you can't be a scared chess player. Every attack involves a certainamount of risk. } 17... Nh5 { What had been a slow, strategical game [typical ofQP openings] ends suddenly... } 18. Qxh7# { ...on this lightning-bolt! } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from charleshiggie"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.03.25"] [Round "-"] [White "dramy"] [Black "charleshiggie"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2025"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1585"] 1. e4 { This is a very short game, with white rather surprisingly gettingmated! } 1... c5 { So it starts as a Sicilian Defence. } 2. Nc3 { This seems toindicate the closed variations. } 2... Nc6 { I reply in kind. } 3. Nf3 { White developsher other knight. } 3... d6 { I keep my options open. } 4. d4 { And white transposesnow into the Open Sicilian. } 4... cxd4 { So I take. } 5. Nxd4 { She takes back. } 5... Nf6 { I continue to develop, with the main line. } 6. Bg5 { She continueswith the Richter-Rauzer Attack, probably the strongest line for white. } 6... e6 { And this is the most common reply, although other moves are quite playable. } 7. Bb5 { This is a bit unusual. 7. Qd2 and 8. 0-0-0 is more common. } 7... Bd7 { I have to defend against the double attack on Nc6 } 8. O-O { She castlesto safety. } 8... Be7 { I develop. All this has been seen before. } 9. Re1 { Normaldevelopment. } 9... O-O { I castle too. } 10. Nxc6 { Although it has been playedbefore, I don't like this move for white. It is not the sort of move Iwould ever play as white. After the recapture with the pawn, Black's pawncentre is strengthened. } 10... bxc6 { Not only that I am now attacking the bishop. } 11. Bd3 { Which drops back. } 11... e5 { This seems a sensible move, stopping e4-e5.Normally in the Open Sicilian, this moves leaves a weakness on the d5 square,but here, thanks to white exchanging on c6, there is no weakness, and blackcan plan to play d6-d5 with a very strong centre. } 12. f4 { This is thefirst move that has not been in either of the databases. It is a normalattacking move for white in the Open Sicilian, but here there are problems.OK stop and consider what you would play as black? } 12... Ng4 { Is that the moveyou would play? Initially I looked at 12. Qb6+ forking the king on g1 andthe pawn on b2, but then I wondered if this was even strong. There aremany threats for white to deal with. } 13. Bxe7 { White doesn't seem to understandthe threat. } 13... Qb6+ { Black is now mating white. http://gameknot.com/chess-puzzle.pl?pz=167004 Many thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this. Please rate this withthe star system, and leave a comment or two to let me know how I am doingwith my annotations! Until next time dear reader! } 0-1
[Event "An Opening Disaster"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2003/03/09"] [Round "-"] [White "Bob Jacobs"] [Black "Graham Chapman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1938"] [TimeControl "All in 90"] [WhiteElo "1592"] 1. e4 e6 { The French, to which White's automatic reply is 2. d4 } 2. Nf3 { but for some reason I improvised with this... } 2... d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. d4 Bd6 { A good aggressive posting for Black's B. } 5. c4 Qe7+ 6. Be3 { Seems toavoid over-burdening the KB } 6... Nf6 { threatens to attack the pinned B } 7. h3 { ? prevents ...Ng4 but creates a hole at g3. The pawn on f2 can't protectboth g3 and e3 at the same time. } 7... O-O 8. Qd2 { ? failing to notice Black'sobvious response } 8... Ne4 9. Qe2 dxc4 10. Qxc4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Nxf2 { and in disgustI resigned. I'd spent ages obsessing about g3 and missed the danger tof2. If 12. Kxf2 Qxe3# 12. Ne5 is probably best but leaves White's positionlooking ruined after 12... Bxe5 13. dxe5 Qxe5 with both Be3 and Rh1 stillthreatened, the Be3 pinned and mate threatened if I allow the Be3 to becaptured. } 0-1
[Event "37th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-Jul-07"] [Round "-"] [White "jamesxc"] [Black "pion8"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1340"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1457"] 1. d4 { This is a game that shows how minor errors in the opening can costa great deal later on. It ends on a fairly major blunder, but that isn'tthe goal of this annotation. } 1... e6 2. c4 { Offering to transpose into theQueen's Indian } 2... Nf6 3. Nc3 { And we are in the main line of the Queen'sIndian, ... } 3... Bb4 { Though not played at the highest levels, this move isacceptable as long as it played correctly } 4. Bd2 Bxc3 5. Bxc3 O-O 6. Nf3 c6 { Here is a mistake by Black. Instead of developing a piece, as wouldseem natural, Black pushes a pawn. To further cramp his position, Blackhas also occupied the natural square for the b8 knight. } 7. e3 { This pawnmove, on the other hand, works well. It reinforces the center and givesthe f1 bishop a developing move, clearing the way for 0-0. } 7... d5 { Tryingto open space for the cramped knight on b8. White will not capture becauseof 8. cxd5 cxd5, and then the knight has regained his natural square onc6. Also, Black should not capture on c4 because that will allow the bishopto develop while capturing, and gaining a tempo for White. } 8. Ne5 { 7...d5also means that White is able to centralize his Knight, while Black hasno easy means of dislodging him. } 8... dxc4 { As previously noted, this is amistake because... } 9. Bxc4 Ne4 { Black is trying to simultaneously createan outpost for his knight and open a space to move his pawn to drive awaythe knight on e5,... } 10. O-O { which White ignores, castling to an easilydefensible King position } 10... Nxc3 { ? Another mistake from Black. He tradeshis centralized Knight for a nonactive bishop, while allowing white tostrengthen his center again by placing another pawn on c3. } 11. bxc3 b5 { Trying to drive the light-squared bishop onto a less threatening square } 12. Bb3 { though White is able to maintain control of the powerful diagonal. } 12... a5 { Black continues to try and harass White's light-squared bishop, butwith disastrous results. } 13. Qd3 { White seizes the tempo, and predicting13...a4, White sets up a mate threat after 14. Bc2. Also, look at thedifference in development. White has castled safely, connected his rooks,and is already forming mate threats. Conversely, Black has 3 pieces ontheir home squares and has made 5 pawn moves in the first 12 moves of thegame. You tell me who you think is winning... } 13... a4 { As White was hopingfor } 14. Bc2 f6 { And as I noted at the beginning, this is the blunder thatfinishes the game. Black tries to drive the knight off of it's powerfulcentral square, but neglects the mate } 15. Qxh7# { and that's it. I amconvinced that barring major blunder, White should win this game in theend anyway, simply because Black is so far behind in development and hispawn structure is far to over-exposed. PM me if you want to tell me whatI did right, wrong or otherwise, or you can leave comments, which I alwaysread. Thanks, JamesXC } 1-0
[Event "A Tough Match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.06.26"] [Round "-"] [White "eaglei"] [Black "vincent7387"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1867"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1843"] { This is my 2nd game against Vincent. My first one ended not so well soI felt the need to redeem myself... } 1. c4 { My typical opening style. Ifind this to accomplish the same goals as a e4 or d4 opening, and it hasbeen quite successful for me. } 1... Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 { Probablynot best but I choose to develop rather than protect the pawn. Besidesit is not like I cannot win the pawn back. } 4... dxc4 5. Qa4+ { Again, I beentold it is bad practice to bring the queen out this early, but I deemedthe risk worth it. } 5... c6 6. Qxc4 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. d4 b6 9. Qc2 h6 10. Nc3 Nbd7 { By this point, I feel White is slightly more developed and betterprotected. My pawn structure is stable, I have pieces influencing the center,and the King is protected. Very important points heading to the next gamephase. } 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. e4 e5 { e5 is the only playable option I think toavoid the fork. Be7 does not really work because White can force more ofBlack's pieces from the center. } 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. f4 { Weakeningmy king defense to make the bishop retreat } 15... Bd6 16. h3 Bc5+ 17. Kh2 Nh7 { GK says this is a mistake and says Rd8 was better. I guess Black was stillthinking about the threat of e5. } 18. Be3 { GK says b4 is better here, butI felt like I could win this exchange with a nice combination. } 18... Bxe3 { Qe7is a playable option for Black as well. } 19. Nd5 { Notice that Black cannottake the knight without losing the queen. } 19... Qb8 20. Nxe3 Bb7 { I was expectinga c5 response here to open the line for the bishop and extend the chainon the queens side. } 21. Nf5 Nf6 22. e5 Nd5 23. Bxd5 { I been told thatbishops are stronger than knights. However I feel as though this is a situationwhere the trade would benefit White more so than Black. } 23... cxd5 24. Rac1 { Fully controlling the c-file. Notice that c8 cannot be used as a defensesquare due to the threat of a fork. } 24... Qd8 25. Nd6 Qd7 26. Qc7 { At the timeI felt the queen trade was necessary, but now I am not so sure. } 26... Qxc7 27. Rxc7 Bc8 28. Rxd5 { GK says advancing the f-pawn is better. I thoughtabout both options and had a hard time deciding which one was truly better.I did unnecessarily give up a pawn possibly explaining why I got a drawinstead of a win. } 28... Be6 29. Rd2 Bxa2 30. Nb5 a6 31. Nd6 g6 32. g4 a5 33. f5 Rad8 34. f6 Be6 35. Kg3 Ra8 36. Rb7 Rfb8 37. Re7 Rd8 38. Rc2 { A drawis a fine result for such a strong player. I did not see a way to pullout the win so I agreed to a draw. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Prophylaxis!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "01-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "easy19"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1762"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2232"] 1. e3 { Hi everyone! It can really be quite deflating when you think youhave a plan. You carry it out but your opponent crosses you with a surprisemove, sometimes one that will really put a spanner in the works or maycause you to lose at least a tempo to deal with the surprise move. Butyou could have prevented that surprise move by taking preventative measurescalled Prophylaxis. In this game, shortly after getting out of the databaseI was planning to exchange heavy pieces on the open e file and end up witha perfectly reasonable and tenable game. Alas! Many a slip twixt cupand lip and here is how it all unfolds. Here is where the prophylacticmove a6 is certainly appropriate! If I had played it I would have keptFreddy's knight out of b5 (the surprise move!). That error was compoundedby me failing to eject Freddy's knight out of d6 by playing Glenda backto c7. Instead I played my bishop to c6 trying to screen out the c filefirst. This wasted tempo proved fatal and I then lost my f pawn. In thisgame I let Freddy walk all over me and got what I deserved - being Freddied(Jospeak for getting checkmated by Freddy)! He starts off with 1. e3 whichis Van Krujts Opening. } 1... g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 { 2. ....... Bg7 - according to thedatabase it seems that kingside flank operations are the order of the day! } 3. d4 Nf6 4. Be2 O-O { 4. ....... 0-0 - still in the database - with thekingside fully developed castling seems to be the reasonable option. } 5. c4 d6 6. Nc3 Nbd7 { 6. ........ Nbd7 - a suggested move in the databasebut it does have its downside, shutting in Fou Leblanc which means I mayhave to develop him by playing b6 followed by Bb7. } 7. O-O e5 8. b3 Re8 9. Bb2 exd4 10. exd4 c6 { 10. ........ c6 - preparing d5 pawn break whichwill turn out to be double edged later on. } 11. Re1 d5 12. a3 b6 13. Qd2 Bb7 { 13. ....... Bb7 - so far so good, but ........ } 14. Bd3 Qc7 { 14. .......Qc7 - (to the tune of the song If I knew you were coming I would bake acake) if I knew what was coming I would play a6, play a6, play a6 ......- why, well just read on ....... } 15. cxd5 cxd5 { 15. ......... cxd5 - thispawn trade now allows that 'Surprise Move' 16. Nb5! } 16. Nb5 Rxe1+ 17. Rxe1 { 17. Rxe1 - got rid of one pair of heavies all right but there isstill the Wicked Witch of the West, one castle, two clergy and two horsesto contend with. } 17... Qd8 18. Nd6 Bc6 { 18. ........ Bc6?? - how many more questionmarks would you like to give this move Freddy? You suggested Qc7 whichwould have gained me a tempo to a. chase away that nasty horsie on d6 andb. I might have been able to have contested the e file and tried to getrid of another set of heavies. } 19. Ng5 { 19. Ng5!! - this move well andtruly punishes my last move. There is no way of defending the f pawn andit drops. Worse it allows two white horsies in my area. } 19... Bh6 20. Ndxf7 Bxg5 21. Nxg5 { 21. Nxg5 - one of those horsies goes at the expense of FouLenoir but there is still the Witch, one castle, two clergy, one horseand a pawn deficit to contend with! } 21... Nf8 22. Qf4 { 22. Qf4 - the Witch iscoming ever closer. } 22... Kg7 23. a4 h6 24. Nf3 { 24. Nf3 - the knight is drivenback but not for long! } 24... N8d7 { 24. .......... Nf8d7 - trying to preventNe5 but Freddy plays it 3 moves later anyway. } 25. Qd6 { 25. Qd6 - thatWitch gets in closer still, only a hair's breath away from Henry. Nowin order to avoid getting Freddied I must lose material. My bishop isen prise so I defend it with Rc8. } 25... Rc8 26. Re7+ Kh8 27. Ne5 { 27. Ne5 -here in order to save Henry I must now give up Glenda for the rook, somehowI cannot bear to do it and Freddy wants some satisfaction and he deservesit after such a pathetic display from me, so the sad answer is is to allowa swift end as follows. After 27........ Nxe5 Freddy announces #2, infact before I played Nxe5 he said there was a # in 17 which would haveinvolved me giving up all my pieces. } 27... Nxe5 28. Qxf6+ Kg8 { 28. ........Kg8 - here a strange calmness comes over me. I suddenly recall a coupleof phrases that my late mother used to say to me. One was 'If at firstyou don't succeed my girl, try, try again!' Another one was from a songwhich goes like 'I take a deep breath, pick myself up, dust myself offand start all over again.' In this mood I play my king to g8 and go downstairsand make myself a nice cup of Rosie Lee and bring it upstairs to my PC. As soon as I got to the PC I got the message that I had lost. So I takea deep breath, with one sip of my tea - dust myself off - then hit the'challenge easy19 to a game button' and start all over again! } 29. Qg7# 1-0
[Event "Where there's a will, there's a way!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.02.12"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "pennsylvaniadan"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1531"] [TimeControl "7d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1852"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! After conceding that Low Draw against Dan in thatK & P ending, in my return match against him I find myself in a rook endinga pawn up. Dan ended up losing a pawn in the middlegame in order to beatoff Old Matey who was loitering with intent on his kingside. I found itreally hard to make my advantage work and I had to watch out that Henrydid not get stalemated on a8! So, did I get out of that one? Well, thereis only one way to find out, my friends, READ ON! } 1... e6 { 1. .... e6 - theFrench Defense. } 2. d4 d6 { 2...... d6 - unusual. As Alice in Wonderlandwould say, 'Curiouser ...... } 3. Nc3 a6 { 3. ..... a6 - and curiouser! } 4. Nf3 h6 { 4. ..... h6 - hmm, maybe he is trying to take a leaf out ofthe Master Mater's book and play a few wacky openings and try and suckerme mid game! } 5. Bd3 Nc6 { 5. ..... Nc6 - at last, he develops a knight! } 6. O-O Nge7 { 6. ..... Nge7 - and the other! } 7. a3 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 { 9. ..... Qxd5 - after this plethora of exchanges, the Wicked Witchof the West occupies a strong central vantage point. I will pull out allthe stops to eject her from there! } 10. c3 Be7 11. Re1 { 11. Re1 - patience. } 11... Qd8 { 11. ...... Qd8 - aha, a retreat! } 12. Bf4 Bf6 13. Qc2 { 13. Qc2 - waitingfor King Dan to land on g8. } 13... Ne7 14. Rad1 { 14. Rad1 - as Ion said in aprevious match 'Always put rook on same file as enemy queen no matter howmany pieces are in the way'. It is amazing how many players can be hitby tactical shots this way. } 14... c6 15. Be5 Bxe5 16. Nxe5 { 16. Nxe5 - bishoptrade. } 16... O-O 17. Bc4 Nd5 18. Rd3 { 18. Rd3 - I start to plan my mating attack. } 18... Qc7 19. Rg3 { 19. Rg3 - with a rook lift. } 19... b5 20. Ba2 Bb7 21. Re4 { 21. Re4- and another! } 21... f5 22. Rh4 Rf6 { 22. ..... Rf6 - organising his defense. } 23. Bxd5 cxd5 { 23. ..... cxd5 - B for N trade. } 24. Qd2 Kh7 25. f4 Raf8 26. Qe2 { 26. Qe2 - edging toward King Dan. } 26... Bc6 27. Rgh3 Be8 28. Nf3 { 28.Nf3 - can't seem to find enough pieces for that killer blow. } 28... Kg8 29. Nd2 Bg6 30. Nb3 { 30. Nb3 - I hit on plan B! } 30... Qc4 31. Qxc4 bxc4 { 31. ......bxc4 - Stage 1, queen trade ..... } 32. Nc5 { 32. Nc5 - Stage 2 - one knightfork threatens another. I am threatening either Nd7 forking the rookson the f column and the black pawn on a6. Dan defends with Be8 but abandonsthe pawn on a6. The knight captures it and that poor little p(r)awn findsitself on Henry and Glenda's belated Valentine's Day menu! } 32... Be8 33. Nxa6 Rg6 34. Nc5 Rff6 35. Re3 { 35. Re3 - pressure on e6. } 35... Kf7 36. Rhh3 Rg4 37. Rhf3 { 37. Rhf3 - defending f4. } 37... Ke7 38. a4 { 38. a4 - I think it is timeto push my outside passer. } 38... Kd6 39. a5 { 39. a5 - onwards and upwards. } 39... Rgg6 40. Rg3 Rxg3 41. Rxg3 { 41. Rxg3 - rook trade. } 41... g6 42. Re3 Bc6 43. Kf2 { 43. Kf2 - Henry is heading towards the queenside to try and facilitatea tearful reunion with Glenda. } 43... h5 44. h4 Ba8 45. Ke2 Bc6 { 45. ..... Bc6- at the moment, Dan is scratching around. Good. Meanwhile, Henry keepson heading east. } 46. Kd2 Bd7 47. Kc2 Rf8 { 47. ...... Rf8 - now the blackrook finally threatens to spoil Henry and Glenda's Valentine's Party. } 48. Nxd7 Kxd7 { 48. ..... Kxd7 - now for a N for B trade. Can Henry getto the a pawn in time? We shall see! } 49. Rg3 Rg8 50. b4 cxb3+ 51. Kxb3 { 51. Kxb3 - yes he can! } 51... Ke7 52. Ka4 Kf7 { 52. .... Kf7 - keeping guardover the g6 pawn. } 53. a6 { 53. a6 - just two squares away from Glendadom. } 53... Rb8 54. Ka5 Rb1 { 54. ..... Rb1 - Oh dear - Henry is confined to the a column- can he escape? We shall see! } 55. Rd3 Ra1+ 56. Kb6 Rb1+ 57. Ka7 { 57.Ka7 - Henry takes refuge behind the passed pawn but he is well and truly...... stoooock! } 57... Ke7 58. Rd2 Rb3 59. Rc2 Kd7 60. c4 { 60. c4 - trying toopen the c file to cut off King Dan from it! } 60... dxc4 61. Rxc4 { 61. Rxc4 -pawn trade. } 61... Rb2 62. Rc3 Rb5 63. Rg3 Ke7 64. Rxg6 { 64. Rxg6 - finally theg6 pawn falls and so does the rest of black's kingside. } 64... Kf7 65. Rg5 Rb4 66. Rxh5 { 66. Rxh5 - another p(r)awn for the table! } 66... Kg7 67. Rg5+ { 67.Rg5+ - now I have another passer, this time on the h column. This is gonnabe mega useful. } 67... Kf7 68. h5 { 68. h5 - yup, Glenda is now threatening toappear on h8! } 68... Rxd4 69. h6 { 69. h6 - said the a6 pawn to the h6 pawn, 'I'llrace ya!' } 69... Rd7+ 70. Kb8 Rd8+ 71. Kc7 { 71. Kc7 - stops all checks - dead! } 71... Re8 72. Rg7+ Kf6 { 72. ..... Kf6 - with Henry shielded from rook checksalong the 7th rank, it is now curtains for Dan. } 73. a7 { 73. a7 - thismove now prompts Dan to hit the resign button. Dan will have to give uphis rook for the pawn to stop Glenda making her appearance on a8. However,once the rook and the pawn have been traded off, Henry will head towardsthe kingside to protect his rook and to allow Glenda to appear on h8 andproceed to m8. That's all for now folks but I will be back! Anyhow -have a nice evening everyone! Bye for now - Joanne } 1-0
[Event "?, ?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "A N Other"] [Black "calyspo"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1122"] [TimeControl "1"] [WhiteElo "1759"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Bc5 { not a bad move but a little premature. Dev Ns 1st } 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bc4 d6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Bg5 Qe8 { would have beenbetter to dev the other N 1st Nc6 } 8. Bxf6 Nd7 { you have to recapturewith gxf6 otherwise you give away a N } 9. Bg5 Qe5 { another unnecessaryQ move. better was h6 } 10. Nf3 Nb6 { you cant leave your Q en prise } 11. Nxe5 Be6 { again you must recapture or you are giving away pieces for free } 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Nf3 Nc4 { achieves nothing. Again better was h6 } 14. b3 Nb2 15. Qb1 1-0
[Event "So exposed. So cold. So lonely."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "09-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "johnkeen"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1509"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1504"] 1. e4 { Team match. For my white game, I open with the King's Pawn. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { Philidor's Defense, an irregular defense where black'squeen's pawn push to d6 defends his KP and frees his QB, though blockinghis KB and allowing white some ground in the centre. I respond with themain line, staking my claim on the center. } 3... Nd7 4. Bc4 { Nd7 is a traditionalHanham move, marking this as the Hanham variation of the Philidor. Theadvantage is defense of e5 while ensuring that trading pawns in the centerdoesn't give white an opportunity to exchange queens.. } 4... Nb6 5. Bb3 { Theexperts recommend 4. ... c6 to prepare 5. ... b5 or 5. ... Qa5 . Alternatively,4. Be7 is also recommended, though generally accepted as inferior to 4.... c6. As played, black's 4th move strayed from my limited opening library,so it's off to uncharted territory I go. Well, at least I don't have thechart... } 5... Qe7 6. O-O { Black's 5th move baffled me. I don't know what hethought to gain, other than maybe security against a queen exchange ifthe pawns trade off in the center. And he blocks in his king's bishop.Or maybe he had is eye on taking the e4 pawn after he plays 6. ... exd4,though that is foiled easily enough, and the simple expedience of castlinghandles this rather effortlessly, and develops the king's rook in the process. } 6... f5 7. dxe5 { Now black is attacking the center. I am agreeable. Perhapschopping up the center will open an avenue for my rook to skewer his queenon e7. Besides, I'm fairly certain to at least win a pawn here. } 7... fxe4 8. exd6 cxd6 9. Nc3 { It seems black's center pawns have overextended theirreach, and the e-pawn is sure to fall, leaving the lonely d-pawn isolatedand faced with inevitable doom. } 9... Nf6 10. Bg5 { The obvious pin, eliminatingone of the pawn's defenders by pinning the knight on f6 to the queen. Theother defender, the queen herself, is only an illusory defender - if shesticks her neck out by capturing on e4, then white skewers her and winsher with Re1. } 10... Qd8 11. Nxe4 { Black's 10th move spared him any worries aboutbeing skewered by the rook, but it maintains the white pin on his knightat f6. Hence the e4 pawn is ripe for the plucking, and in the nick of time,too, since it's poised to bring swift demise to the white knight on f3. } 11... Be7 12. Bxf6 { A pawn ahead, I am more than willing to liquidate pieces.I expect black to recapture with his bishop, then another exchange willfollow with 13. Nxf6. } 12... gxf6 13. Re1 { Black spared himself a second exchange,at the expense of his kingside pawn structure. 13. Re1 indirectly pinsthe black bishop to his king, leaving the pawn on f6 undefended if I captureit with the knight at e4. } 13... Kf8 14. Nd4 { The knight was in the way, he hadto go somewhere, might as well threaten a fork on e6, though that spaceis sufficiently defended at the moment. } 14... d5 15. Qh5 { Threatens mate in1 if black is foolish enough to play 15. ... dxe4. I suppose black is feelingthe pressure of being attacked by 5 pieces while he only has 1 defenderdeveloped (the distant knight on b6 is little help at the moment). } 15... Nc4 16. Nc3 { If 16. ... Nxb2, then 17. Bxd5 threatens mate in 1. Black cannotreply 17. ... Qf8 because of 18. Qh6 . On 17. ... Kg7 black crates anescape hatch and white cannot immediately force checkmate, but after 18.Qf7 Kh6 19. Rxe7 black's goose is properly cooked. White is threateningmultiple checkmates and multiple pawns will fall if black can find someway to avoid mate. } 16... Bb4 17. Nxd5 { Black evidently felt that counterattackingwas the best defense. He probably thought his move pinned the knight atc3. If nothing else, he seems to have created an escape hatch for his kingat f7 - which I promptly close for him, as well as capturing a pawn andthreatening the bishop on b4 - all of which is obvious and none of whichis the main reason behind the move. } 17... Bxe1 18. Qh6+ { Black took the bait.Time to justify the sacrifice. Black could run with 18. ... Ke8 but thatallows white to cpature the bishop on e1 with check and a tempo, bringinganother piece to bear on the fleeing king. One such continuation mightbe: 19. Rxe1 Kd7 20. Nxf6 Kd6 21. Ne8 Kd7 22. Ba4 b5 23. Bxb5# } 18... Kf7 19. Bxc4 { Black chose to huddle up and try to weather the storm. After19. Bxc4 black can try to save his bishop, say with Ba5??? but then mateis forced with 20. Nxf6 Ke7 21. Qg7 Kd6 22. Ne4# (black can sacrificehis queen and bishop to stall, in which case it takes a bit longer, butmate is equally inevitable). } 19... Bxf2+ 20. Kxf2 { Black stalls, but nothingis changed. } 20... Be6 21. Nxe6 { Black stopped the immediate mate, but he isstill exposed and attacked from all sides, with his only defenders stillon their starting squares. This can only end one way. } 21... Kxe6 22. Nxf6+ { Nowthe exposed king has nowhere to hide. White has a significant materiallead, so black dare not step onto the d-file with his king, for Rd1 willskewer and win the black queen, and while black may eventually flee totemporary safety on the queenside, his material shortcoming would ensurea hopeless endgame. } 22... Kf5 23. Bd3+ { So exposed. So cold. So lonely. Thethree pieces closest to the black king all want his head. } 23... Qxd3 24. cxd3 { Black's move was desperate, and it staves off immediate mate, but it appearshe still had some running room, though just about any line I try ends incheckmate or winning black's queen. Or both. } 24... Raf8 25. Re1 { Black's kingneeded to flee. Now he is trapped between a queen and a hard place. Hisonly escape from imminent mate is (either)Rg8, but then he loses both rooksand immediately after loses the game, for example, 25. ... Rhg8 26. Nxg8Rxg8 27. Qe6 Kf4 28. Re4 Kg5 29. Rg4 Kh5 30. Qxg8 h6 31. Qg6#. 25. ...Re8 is no better, for white checkmates even faster, and with a pawn: 26.Nxe8 Rxe8 27. Rxe8 a5 28. Kf3 b5 29. g4#. } 25... Rxf6 26. Qh5+ { Black took thebait, and now it's mate in two. } 26... Kf4 27. Re4# { Final position. } 1-0
[Event "The July Challenge"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.12"] [Round "-"] [White "thundergirl001"] [Black "koekje666"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1538"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1438"] 1. d4 { Yes! I always play d4 too! } 1... d6 2. Nc3 d5 { Black appears to havejust wasted a move. I would play 3. e4 now } 3. h3 { This a non-developingmove. As well as e4, I would say Bf4 or Nf3 were both better } 3... Nf6 4. Nf3 { Good move! } 4... e6 { I'm not sure why black blocks in the Bc8. I would preferBf5 } 5. a3 { Now, in contrast to h3, this is part of a decent plan. Whiteplans Qd3 and e4 and doesn't want this foiled by Bb4 } 5... Be7 6. Qd3 O-O 7. e4 { The position in some ways looks a bit like a French defence now } 7... b6 8. e5 { I like this move, gaining space } 8... Nfd7 9. h4 { and this move couldbe part of a king's side attack. White threatens Ng5 and Qxh7 mate andif black takes the knight on g5 white can recapture with the pawn, openingup the h file for her rook, so again threatening mate on h7. } 9... Ba6 { so blackwisely cuts across this idea. } 10. Qe3 Bxf1 11. Kxf1 { white has to takewith the king otherwise the h pawn falls. Although unable to castle, thisshouldn't be too much of a problem with the centre blocked. } 11... c5 12. g4 { I think this move is a mistake. Although the correct plan is a king'sside attack, as black hasn't advanced the f, g or h pawns, it will be hardto open a file there. I think best was to secure the d pawn with Ne2, mayfollowed by B-d2-c3 and Rd1, and then use the Nf3 to go back to the oldplan of attacking h7 with the Ng5 and queen on d3 or h5 } 12... Nc6 { Black correctlypiles on the pressure on the d pawn } 13. g5 { and white continues with herplan. Ne2 was still best } 13... cxd4 14. Nxd4 { Now white's e pawn falls, andwithout a solid centre her king is vunerable } 14... Ndxe5 15. Rg1 Nxd4 16. Qxe5 Nf3 { ouch! black forks the queen e5 and Rg1 to win the exchange } 17. Qe2 Nxg1 18. Kxg1 Rc8 { black correctly mobilises reserves } 19. Nd1 { A strangeretreat! White needed to develop her bishop to f4. Not to d2 when d4 winsthe c pawn for black, or even worse e3 when d4 forks knight and bishop } 19... Rc4 20. f4 { f4 is the only way to prevent the loss of a pawn, but now theBc1 has less squares to go to } 20... Qc7 { Piling up on c2. White needs to playc3 } 21. Qf3 Bc5+ 22. Kh1 { White misses yet another chance to develop herBc1 - to e3 } 22... Rxc2 23. Ne3 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 { and now, no doubt white didn'twant her b2 pawn to drop } 24... d4 { An excellent move by black! } 25. Qxd4 Qb7+ 26. Kg1 Qg2# { Apart from 3. h3? white plays the opening well, follows agood plan to enforce e4 and correctly follows up with e5 and a king's sideattack. White loses by not developing pieces quickly enough and not securingthe centre before going in for the king's side attack. Black plays wellafter making mistakes in the opening. } 0-1
[Event "Passivity then Massacre!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2008.01.21"] [Round "-"] [White "The Dentist"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1537"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1275"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! I decided to take another trip down memory lane. This game ended on 21.08.08, over a year ago. Somehow I get struck downby passivitis yet again, but as you will see, that passive position concealsa coiled serpent in the grass. After a normal double king pawn start myopponent plays the Patzer's Opening, although, I have to say, that MasterFreddy is not averse to playing the white side of it! The move is 2. Qh5trying for that evergreen famous Scholar's Mate. } 1... e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. c3 { 3. c3 - sometimes the follow up is the standard Bc4. Now I chase thatWicked Witch of the West away with a good developing move such as Nf6. } 3... Nf6 4. Qf3 Bc5 5. b4 Bb6 { 5. ...... Bb6 - the first sign of passivitis,Fou Lenoir is driven from c5. I am however, ready to castle and I do sonext move. } 6. Bc4 O-O 7. Ne2 a6 { 7. ....... a6- creating a bolt-hole ona7 for Fou Lenoir. Once white castles kingside the f2 pawn will be pinnedagainst his king. } 8. Ba3 Re8 { 8. ...... Re8 - I see the exchange winningdiscovery (b5) and take evasive action. } 9. h3 d6 { 9. ...... d6 - opensline for Fou Leblanc. } 10. g4 Be6 11. d3 Bxc4 12. dxc4 { 12. dxc4 - bishoptrade. } 12... Na7 13. Nd2 c6 14. h4 { 14. h4 - the beginnings of a pawn stormperhaps. } 14... c5 15. g5 Nd7 { 15. ...... Nd7 - a forced retreat. } 16. Ng3 Nf8 17. Qg4 { 17. Qg4 - now the Witch is bearing down the g file and Henry ison it! So, Glenda makes her only move in the game, Qd7. The Dentist decidedto trade queens. I am so relieved because it will be very difficult forhim to get Henry without the witch. } 17... Qd7 18. Qxd7 Nxd7 19. Rf1 Nc8 { 19....... Nc8 - some subtle manoeuvres, Fou Lenoir is gonna be moved lateron. } 20. f4 exf4 21. Rxf4 { 21. Rxf4 - You would never believe that whitecould lose from here now, would you? } 21... Ne5 { 21. ...... Ne5 - suddenly Imake my first really active move of the game. } 22. Ke2 Ba7 23. Rd1 b6 24. h5 Bb8 { 24. ..... Bb8 - a seemingly passive square for Fou Lenoir, butjust look at the white pieces lined up on that h2-b8 diagonal. } 25. Rdf1 Ra7 { 25. ....... Ra7 - the start of an escape from the corner for my QR. } 26. h6 g6 { 26. ...... g6 - With white's 2 rooks still on the board I donot wish to open up that g file. } 27. Ke3 Rae7 28. Ne2 Nd7 { 28. .......Nd7 - a retreat but suddenly the e4 pawn is pinned. } 29. Bb2 d5 { 29. ......d5 - remember what I said about that h2-b8 diagonal earlier, my friends? } 30. Rg4 dxe4 31. Rxe4 Rxe4+ 32. Nxe4 { 32. Nxe4 - this pawn + rook tradenow results in the e4 knight being pinned. Now that passive knight onc6 comes into action by piling up on that white steed. The Dentist nowbacks it up with Ne2g3. } 32... Nd6 33. Ng3 Nxc4+ { 33. ........ Nxc4+ - firstblood to me! The c4 pawn drops, but look, can you spot a knight fork? } 34. Ke2 Nxb2 { 34. ..... Nxb2 - I can and now the black dsb drops off. } 35. a3 Bxg3 { 35. ..... Bxg3 - now another victim, the knight on g3 as thee4 knight is still pinned. } 36. Kf3 Be5 37. Kg4 Nc4 38. bxc5 Nxc5 { 38........ Nxc5 - pawn trade. } 39. Nxc5 bxc5 { 39. .... bxc5 - knight trade. My pawns are split but look at that material plus! } 40. Re1 Kf8 { 40. ......Kf8 - Henry unpins Fou Lenoir by backing up my rook on e8. } 41. a4 Bh8 42. Rc1 f6 43. Rb1 fxg5 44. Kxg5 { 44. Kxg5 - pawn trade. Now the c3 pawndrops off. White can play Rc1 skewering Fou Lenoir and my c4 knight butFou Lenoir can move out of the skewer with a bishop fork on d2 winningthe rook and no doubt that if I was white I would certainly wave the whiteflag! } 44... Bxc3 45. Rb7 Kg8 46. Rc7 Bd2+ { 46. ..... Bd2+ - to separate theWK from the h6 pawn. } 47. Kg4 Nb2 48. Rxc5 Nxa4 { 48. ....... Nxa4 - pawntrade. } 49. Rc2 Bxh6 50. Ra2 Nc5 { 50. ...... Nc5 - now white only has hisrook. } 51. Ra5 Bf8 52. Kg5 Ra8 { 52. ...... Ra8 - get behind the passedpawn! } 53. Kf6 Nb7 54. Rd5 a5 55. Rd7 Nd8 { 55. ....... Nd8 - solidification! } 56. Ke5 a4 57. Rd2 a3 58. Ra2 Nc6+ { 58. ..... Nc6+ - heading for b5 whenthe WR will have to give way to my a3 pawn, clearing the way to Glendadom. } 59. Kd5 Nb4+ { 59. ...... Nb4+ - now the WR is toast and The Dentist dulywaves the white flag as he will be left with only bare king. Whew, thatwas amazing! } 0-1
[Event "Game 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "thedessertfox"] [Black "Friend"] [Result "1-0"] { This is the 1st game in a 5 game series against my friend. } 1. e4 c5 { TheSicilian. An opening I love and had use to beat him on multiple occasions } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { The Najdorf which is my favouriteSicilian variation. I have used it to beat him a lot. No wonder he wantedto use it } 6. Bg5 { Probably the most popular line } 6... e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. h4 { I deviate from the book. Not 9. O-O-O } 9... b5 { He starts his Q-Sidepawn storm } 10. g4 Bb7 11. O-O-O h6 { Forcing an exchange } 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Bd3 { Developing the last minor } 13... Nd7 14. g5 { Trying to force an exchangedown the h-file } 14... Be7 15. Kb1 { Stops 15... d5 16... Ba3 17. bxa3 Qxc3 } 15... e5 { attacking the strong e-h pawn island and d4 Knight } 16. Nb3 exf4 17. Qxf4 f6 { Trying to end the k-side attack } 18. Nd5 { I had thought of the dubious18. e5 exchange sac but after ...Bxh1 19. Bg6+ Kd8 20. Rxh1 dxe5 21. Qd2hxg5 22. Be3 Rc8 23. Nd5 Qd6 24. Nxe7 Qxe7 25. Bb7 Rc7 26 Bxa6 which sacsthe exchange but loses a pawn as well and after 26... Rxh4 27. Rxh4 gxh4Black has 4 passed pawns and these out weigh blacks king being stuck inthe center. } 18... Bxd5 19. exd5 hxg5 20. hxg5 { allows the rook exchange downthe h-file } 20... Rxh1 21. Rxh1 O-O-O { Removes the chance of an attack on h8 } 22. g6 { The only way to save the pawn } 22... Nc5 { Wanting exchange knights andtry and tie the rook to the back rank } 23. Bf5+ { This means the king mustmove closer to the corner and is not as well defended } 23... Kb7 { Moves towardthe d-pawn } 24. Nxc5+ Qxc5 25. Rh7 { Tries to tie the bishop to the backran and stop the rook's movement } 25... Bf8 { Qfg1+ falls to Qc1 when if Q's areexchanged white bishop and 3 on 2 pawn Q-side pawn majority wins } 26. b3 { Provides and escape route for a back rank attack } 26... a5 { pawn storm continues } 27. a3 a4 28. b4 Qc4 { offers to exchange Q's and free White b-pawn } 29. Qxc4 bxc4 30. Kb2 Kb6 31. Kc3 Kb5 32. Rh8 Be7 { Offers to exchange rooksand free the Bishop } 33. Rxd8 Bxd8 34. Kd4 Kb6 { ?? Gives up the c-pawnand means White can win through pawn majority. Better was Bb6+ were blackcan force draw by three fold or make white lose d-pawn } 35. Kxc4 Ka6 36. Kd4 { Freeing the c-pawn's advance } 36... Bc7 { A time-wasting move } 37. c4 Bb6+ 38. c5 dxc5+ 39. bxc5 Bd8 { Black is lost with passed c and d pawns whitewill win } 40. d6 { Beginning the advance } 40... Kb7 41. Kd5 Ka7 42. c6 Kb8 43. c7+ { Now Queen on d8 } 43... Kb7 44. cxd8=Q { Black resigns after losing a gamein a drawn position } 1-0
[Event "My Most Tight Blitz Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "14-02-2011"] [Round "-"] [White "chrishan43168"] [Black "trashtalk"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1432"] [TimeControl "3 min + 5 sec"] [WhiteElo "1445"] 1. e4 c5 2. a3 { It seems unusual, which I usually do in my rapid games.Actually, I do not prefer the Sicilian Defense, because it will becomequite complex to me in these games. } 2... Nc6 3. c3 g6 4. d4 { I need to catchup the center, I did not know about my opponent's attitude. } 4... cxd4 5. cxd4 Bg7 6. d5 { Another favorite thing is to make the knights uncomfortableby the center pawns. } 6... Nd4 7. Ne2 Nxe2 8. Bxe2 Nf6 9. Nc3 a6 10. f3 d6 11. Qb3 b5 12. Be3 O-O 13. O-O e6 14. dxe6 Bxe6 { I hoped 14...fxe6 insteadof that move which makes a glance towards the white queen. } 15. Qc2 Rc8 16. b4 { To prevent from a future attack with the queen-side pawns whichmay happen in a sudden. } 16... Nd5 17. exd5 { I found nothing else to do to sustainthe game... See whether you can locate any other move,, } 17... Rxc3 18. Qd2 Bc8 19. Bd4 { I intended to avoid the menace from the hidden bishop. } 19... Rc7 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Qd4+ Kg8 22. Rac1 Bb7 23. Rxc7 Qxc7 24. Rd1 Re8 25. Kf2 Qe7 26. Bd3 Qe5 27. Qxe5 { Good chance to get rid of the queens, 'DestroyingThem' } 27... Rxe5 28. Re1 Bxd5 { Ouch!! It made me really cold. Am I going tolose? I was feeling it. } 29. Rxe5 dxe5 30. Ke3 f5 31. f4 e4 32. Be2 Kf7 33. Kd4 { My king has to play a big role here, isn't it? } 33... Ke6 34. Kc5 Bc4 { Hmmmm..... A chance to get a draw, what do you say? } 35. Bxc4+ bxc4 36. Kxc4 Kd6 37. a4 { Finally, he agreed to my draw offer. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Man vs Computer, Arabica Coffeeshop"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.16"] [Round "-"] [White "Chessknave"] [Black "Computer - FH001"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 { I am playing the Bishop Opening against the computer ona higher level where this is my first good result. I evaluated variousalternatives and found a few good moves which produce a sound opening.Symbols I use: ^ with the idea of, --> target, tactical significance, -/->refutes or counters an oppoent idea, and then the usual ! ? + - = symbols. } 2... Nf6 { ^ ...Nxe4 } 3. d3 { I have reviewed a Kasparov game where he playedd3, and even though my game deviates for black because the computer playsthe reasonably strong ...Nc6, I do like this move. } 3... Nc6 { ^ ...Nd4 } 4. Nf3 { -/-> ...Nd4 } 4... Be7 { The computer wastes no time in castling. } 5. Nc3 { My strategy is to attack kingside because that is where black is assumedto be castling. I want to obtain 0-0-0 so I can play a kingside pawn storm. } 5... O-O 6. d4 { !? The idea is to weaken any central strong points for blackand to open up some lines that I hope to use to advantage. } 6... Nxd4 7. Nxd4 exd4 8. Qxd4 { Now material is cleared and there is only a single blackknight, which I consider to reduce good counterplay by black. But the computerdoes try to generate some threats over the next few moves, but it is notconsidering the position that deeply. } 8... c5 { A strong move where black fightsto gain better control of the center while gaining some tempo. I saw Qd1as a reply, but was considering playing the queen on the kingside and didnot want to risk an early queen trade. } 9. Qe5 { !? An unusual lookingmove with the idea of Qg3 after ...d6 } 9... d6 10. Qg3 Bg4 { ?! The computermakes a positionally unsound move which allows good counterplay by white. } 11. f3 Be6 12. Be2 { ! Not trading bishops and so not opening up a halfopen file for the rook. } 12... Nh5 { The computer continues to play with aggressiveattacking kingside play, but it seems like it should be playing more onthe queenside. ...Nf4 attacking the bishop is a consideration after thequeen moves away. } 13. Qf2 Bh4 { ? Missing the better ...Nf4, this moveis weak and is refuted easily. } 14. g3 Bg5 { ? Another unsound move whichprobably hopes for the weak reply of Bxg5 followed by ...Qxg5 and a goodgame for black. } 15. f4 Nxg3 { ?? The computer attempts to swindle andtries a cheap tactic. If Qxg3 ?? then ...Bh4 ! wins for black. } 16. hxg3 { This is the much better reply which simply gains white material. +/- } 16... Bf6 17. Bd2 { Now looked like a good time to castle because the d file couldbe opened up and I did not want my king to be caught in the center. Thismove enables 0-0-0. } 17... Bd4 { A cheap shot. } 18. Qh2 { ! Trading psychologicalpunches. Of course the computer does not let it show on its silicon face. } 18... h6 { Essential, but creates a little weakness in the castle. } 19. f5 { ! Shuts out the bishop and pushes a pawn further into the kingside attack. } 19... Bd7 20. g4 { ? I miss a better move 20.Bxh6 ! where mate could followafter (20...gxh6 21.Qxh6 Qf6 22.Qh7#) The text move is a slow attack onh6 and creates a weakness that black finds readily. } 20... Be5 { The arguementagainst 19.g4 } 21. Qh3 Bc6 { Attacking a future weakness. The e4 pawn isonly safe for the moment. } 22. g5 { !? Taking a chance and launching ablunt attack on the castle. Hoping my sense of timing and position makethis move good. } 22... Bxc3 23. Bxc3 { --> g7, The text move is better than 23.bxc3because of ...Qb6+, a pawn is sacrificed in the process to be able to obtaina good attack. } 23... Qxg5 24. Bd2 { ! Not played in retribution, but to allow0-0-0. } 24... Qf6 25. O-O-O { Essential because b2 was hanging. } 25... Bxe4 { Blackobtains another pawn, which seems bad, and normally may be, but in thisposition white has an additional piece which if played well will make upfor lost pawns. Black has equalized materially to a degree. } 26. Rh2 { Preservingthe rook. } 26... Bxf5 27. Qh5 { This seemed best to maintain positional pressure.Rf1 is planned. } 27... Rfd8 { I do not like this move so much. Seems like ...Re8is better. } 28. Rf1 { Asserting a pin on the queen. Black does have a refutationby means of a counter attack, but I like the manuever because it bringthe rook into play on a half open near the king. } 28... Bg6 { ! A nice move whichis more than a simple threat. With this move black offers a queen trade,but the resulting outcome is an endgame pawn structure that favors black.It would still be a good fight after a trade, but it seems like black wouldhave better chances than with the queens on the board. } 29. Qg4 { Decliningthe queens trade. } 29... Qe5 { ^ ...Re8, --> Qxe2 } 30. Rfh1 { ^ Bxh6 gxh6 Rxh6and threat of mate. } 30... Be4 { --> Bxh1 } 31. Bf3 { Counters the threat BxR. } 31... Bxf3 { This move may not be so good for black because of the piece deficit.If the queens go off the board then white has the extra piece which maymake the difference. The result is still somewhat uncertain, but this moveseems to favor white. } 32. Qxf3 d5 33. Qg2 { Enables Bxh6 } 33... Kf8 { Savingthe h6 pawn. } 34. Re1 { !? Switching to a new line of attack, the rookseizes an open file. } 34... Qd6 35. Re3 { !? A rook lift. But why you may ask?The idea is Rg3 where it attacks g7 and prevents ...Qg6 in an attempt totrade queens. Now black will have to make a positional concession to savethe pawn. } 35... Kg8 { ? The computer senses the danger, but makes an incorrectmove. The bishop is still watching h6 from behind the rook, and after therook moves there will be increased threats. } 36. Rg3 { ! Forces a positionalconcession. } 36... g5 37. Rxg5+ { !? Creating a nice attack, white gives backsome material. } 37... hxg5 38. Bxg5 { A strong move which can not be refutedby (38...Qg6 because of 39.Bf6 Qxg2 40.Rh8#) or (38...Qg6 39.Bf6 Kf8 40.Rh8+ Qg8 41.Rxg8#), but can be avoided by ...Kf8 } 38... Qxh2 { ?? The computermakes a critical error and loses the game. Alternative variation: 38...Qg6 39. Bf6 Qxg2 (39... Kf8 40. Rh8+ Qg8 41. Rxg8#) 40. Rh8# Alternativevariation: 38... Kf8 39. Rh8+ Kg7 40. Bf6+ Kxf6 41. Rh6+ Ke7 42. Rxd6 Rxd6 } 39. Qxh2 Re8 { No moves can save the game for black now. } 40. Bf6 Re1+ 41. Kd2 Rh1 42. Qxh1 Kf8 43. Qh8# { Finally I get my revenge on the computer,after many games where it hacked me to pieces... ow. I have been playingthe Bishop Opening exclusively against the computer because it providesfor a difficult game where white really has to work hard to obtain a winningstrategy. I have been theorizing some ideas for this opening, some gambit,some not. This opening plan seems good to me so far. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2021.05.21"] [Round "-"] [White "anjum160"] [Black "midnight_skulker"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1816"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1808"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 b6 { Black: “This was a mistake. I routinelyplay the Nimzo-Indian Defense against 3.Nc6 and the Queen’s Indian Defenseagainst 3.Nf3. Having just made moves as White in several other games(where the c-file is on my left) and with other games waiting for my moveI played in haste without even looking at the board, believing my opponenthad developed his other knight.” } 4. e4 d6 5. h3 Bb7 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. Nf3 e5 8. d5 Be7 { 9.Be3 now seems like a natural continuation after which Blackintended to take over the queen side with 9.... a5, but White does not cooperate,making a case for playing that move now instead of the text. } 9. b4 O-O 10. Be3 a5 11. b5 Nc5 12. O-O h6 13. Qd2 Bc8 14. Nh2 Bd7 15. f4 Be8 { Blackrealizes that any chance either side has for a full point lies on the kingside, but he plays it safe instead of taking the initiative there with15.... exf4 16.Rxf4 Nh5 17.Rf3 Bh4. } 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Nf3 Bd6 18. Bc2 { Insuch a closed position knights are more mobile than bishops, hence Whiteshould actually have wanted Black to play 18.... Nxd3. Moreover, the previousnote suggests taking the initiative on the king side, with 18.g4 for example. } 18... Nh7 19. Ne2 g5 { [?] The losing move for it creates a hole on f5 that Whitecan exploit with his knights. Having committed to playing defense it wouldhave been better to accept the embarrassment of 19.... Bd7, which he hasto do next move anyway. NB. GameKnot does not have a function for addingmove evaluation marks to a game score, hence I have adopted a standardof enclosing them in brackets in the note proper. } 20. Ng3 Bd7 21. Nh5 f6 22. Rf2 Be8 23. Ng3 Bg6 24. Nh2 h5 25. Nf5 Bxf5 26. Rxf5 Kg7 27. Raf1 Qe8 28. h4 { [!] } 28... Qg6 { The natural push-by, 28.... g4?, loses the exchangeto 29.Bh6+. } 29. hxg5 Be7 30. Nf3 { [!] 29.... fxg5 would also have failedagainst this move, just not as badly as it turns out. } 30... Nxg5 31. Bxg5 fxg5 32. Nxg5 Rxf5 33. Rxf5 { Correctly rejecting 33.exf5 Qxg5 34.f6+ Bxf6. } 33... Bf6 34. Qe3 Rh8 35. Bd1 Kf8 36. Be2 Ke7 37. Nf3 Kd6 38. Kf2 Rg8 39. Bf1 Rg7 40. Nd4 { [?!] Given his pawn plus perhaps White should have taken amore conservative approach and brought his king into play on e1 or e2. It is difficult to argue with results, however, given Black’s rejectionof 40.... exd4 41.e5+ Kd7 (and not 41.... Ke7 42.exf6+). } 40... Bh4+ 41. Kg1 { Inferioralternatives are • 41.Kf3 Qg3+ 42.Ke2 Qxe3+ 43.Kxe3 exd4+ 44.Kxd4 Re745.Rxh5 Rxe4+ 46.Kc3 Bf6+ • 41.g3 Bxg3+ 42.Ke2 Qg4+ 43.Nf3 Nxe4 • 41.Ke2 exd4 42.e5+ Ke7 43.d6+ cxd6 44.exd6+ Kxd6 45.Rd5+ Kc7 } 41... exd4 { Blackcan level the position with 41.... Nxe4 42.Qxe4 exd4 43.Qf4+ Kd7 44.d6 Bg345.Qxd4 Bxd6. The text also works until ... } 42. Qf4+ Kd7 43. Qxh4 Rh7 { [?]... Black fails to recognize the power of his passed pawn with 43.... d3. Now ♪ it won’t be long before it’s crying time. ♪ } 44. Rf8 Nb7 45. e5 Qg7 46. Rf7+ { [!] } 46... Qxf7 47. e6+ Qxe6 48. dxe6+ Kxe6 49. Qe4+ 1-0
[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Nezhmetdinov"] [Black "Amateur"] [Result "1-0"] 1. d4 Nf6 { Rashid Nezhmetdinov is without doubt the greatest chess playerever to come from Central Asia. This game was part of a simultaneous exhibition. } 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Bb5+ Nc6 8. d5 { Until this game was played, the usual response to this aggressive movewas the one played in this game. } 8... Qa5 9. Qa4 Qxc3+ 10. Ke2 Bd7 11. dxc6 bxc6 12. Bxc6 Rd8 { At the time this game was played, this position wasthought to be in Black's favor. If White plays 13 R-QN1, Black plays 13...Q-Q6ch!!! and after 14 KxQ BxB dis ch, Black follows up with 15 BxQ andis up a Pawn. } 13. Qb3 { Nezhmetdinov has other ideas. } 13... Qxa1 14. Bb2 Qb1 15. Nf3 Qxh1 { Now Black's Queen has been forced out of play. } 16. Ne5 e6 17. Bxd7+ Rxd7 18. Qb8+ { White avoids 18 Q-R4??? Q-Q8ch!!!, which wouldlet Black steal victory from the jaws of defeat. } 18... Rd8 19. Qb5+ Ke7 20. Qb7+ Kf6 { Now the King-hunt is on. } 21. Qxf7+ Kg5 22. Nf3+ Kh5 23. g4+ Kxg4 24. Qxe6+ Kf4 25. Be5+ Kxe4 26. Ng5# { A brilliant final attack. } 1-0
[Event "Consultation Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.06.12"] [Round "-"] [White "ynwa77"] [Black "jkarp"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1304"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1292"] { This was an interesting game between me and Mikko. Our first game wasjust a coaching game. As I took time to coach him. However, it had beena while since I had been involved in a consultation game. That was, whethervoting or playing it. And, without going into details because of GK rules,there was a little envy. That's because this game started before the consultationgame began in the Chess Problems Lovers Club. As the club was consultingagainst brigadecommander. Aside from that, there was only one club doing,and I am banned from that club since the founder has me on ignore. However,wouldn't have joined that club anyway since it's more about politics andreligion when all I care about is becoming a better chess player. Theonly thing is that they're doing several consultation games, and I knowthat players in my club also like Consultation games. In addition, I wasalso hoping to get penguin_ back in our club. And, I knew that he'd doit with a consultation game. My plan worked, but the bad news is thathe left towards the end of this game. So, before the ongoing consultationgame against KOH, people were consulting against me. The other differencebetween me and ynwa77 is that last time, during the coaching game, he wasblack and I was white. So, I played as black. The reason I made it againstme was to give him the handicap because of the checkmate that I had inour last game. It was interesting, and I knew that I'd lose. But, winsor losses don't matter, just as long as you learn from your mistakes. And, I played better then I expected since in the beginning, I had an advantageby winning a pawn and pinning the N. But, later on, I made mistakes thatlost the game. What's interesting is that I will post the game chats againstme, followed by why I made my moves. With that being said, how did itall go down? } 1. d4 { It was hard to know and how much participation wewere going to get. But, Mikko decided on 1.d4 It's a common move. } 1... d5 { And, I stick with what I know. } 2. Nd2 { ynwa77: E3, then c4? Anyone? knightrider62: C4 straight away e3 blocks the bishop in. easy-win: Myvote is for knight d2 ynwa77: Why Nd2? That sounds interesting. easy-win:Nd2 Is actually the prelude to an opening I am quite familiar with. Howeverthe preceding moves must be precise, due to the nature of the opening.Any variation will absolutely diminish the possibility of success. ynwa77:Then I also vote Nd2 knightrider62: I will join you Nd2 sounds intriguing I made my move Nd2. } 2... g6 { I played this. Although not a KID. I am usedto the variations which involves a very early fianchetto by black. I'mnot used to seeing 2.Nd2 being played, and as we know, openings can bevery intense. So, the idea is to adjust to what you're not used to byaccepting it for what it is, just like how it is in Yoga. That's why Iexpect the unexpected. } 3. f4 { easy-win: Vote 3.f4 A move that needs tobe supported eventually but not immediately ynwa77: I'm happy to stealth'sidea. I want to see how this opening works. knightrider62: Will followstealth, likewise f4 ynwa77: I made the move. } 3... Bg7 { Of course, my ideaof a good time is being able to complete fianchetto. I enjoy having thelongest diagonal for, at least, one of my Bishops. In addition, I do havea threat against their d4 pawn. } 4. b3 { ynwa77: I vote b3 or e3. knightrider62:My vote is b3 easy-win: I concur 4.b3 Time to protect the pawns in front. ynwa77: B3 it is then. } 4... Bxd4 { And, this was played to win the pawn thatI mentioned on my last move. } 5. Rb1 { ynwa77: I can think only Rb1. Westill gonna lose our change to castle but at least rook is safe. Any otherthoughts? easy-win: 5.Rb1 Of course, what I cannot understand is why yousuggested b3 to begin with. In doing that you went off the stonewallopening, and offered that free pawn on d4. Also, you did not give enoughtime for others to offer suggestions, and thus allow for us to changeour vote, if we were confused with the move b3. I thought you had somedevious plan by suggesting that move, but now I see that there was nological thought behind it. If we are to win this game, please give othersand myself plenty of time to reconsider, in case of a typo, or some otherreason. ynwa77: I apologise. It was my fault. In future please notice,that I'll only make my suggest and if I have plan I will share it withyou. I want to be positive. We will not be down in material and if wehave to change wN to bB, our position is not too bad. Of course it wouldbe nice to have castle, but we can manage without it. My intention isnever hurry other players. You can take all the time you want. We needto just learn how we each other think and things will get smoother. Iwant to think I made my blunder now and I make better moves later. Andif you two think it is better to sacrifice R and keep castle still available,it's fine to me. And I know this is just trying to explain things better,but we will have f,g and h pawns free to move them forward and that waywe can make position unorthodox and unfamiliar for jkarp. But that issomething we need to talk later ynwa77: And of course there is still c3available if we want to go pawn down but keep queen side castle open. knightrider62: Rb1 is the only move. penguin_: Late entry I agree withRb1 ynwa77: I will move Rb1 } 5... Nf6 { ynwa77: Basic rules for this kind ofgame Shall we have open discussion of this game or do we just talk aboutnext move and why it is done? I think it would benefit us all if we cantoss ideas and possible future moves and positions even if opponent cansee it. penguin_: I agree the major objective in these type of games isto learn winning is secondary. knightrider62: Nd-f3 bringing the knightto a better square and attacking the bishop twice. easy-win: Nd-f3 isnot recommended by instructors The point being is that if you move thesame piece twice in the opening you lose tempo since you could move anotherpiece for advantage, in this case, the knight on g 1 has not been movedand will serve the same purpose as moving that d knight. Also, it makesmore room for castling on the king side, if that is what we need to dolater. In the opening, it is always good to place your pieces in sucha way that they will have more control like future attacks, and to defendif possible. Also we should place the number in front of the suggestedmove, so we can keep track of the number of moves we have made, and whento make the next move. In this case, it is premature to suggest a movebefore the opponent moves so that we can know what would be the best moveafter that move is made. ?! On a separate note: This was played to developmy N and prepare to castle. But, better was 5...Bc3 to pin the N rightaway. Once pinned, it would be difficult for them to break it. I canonly hope that white does not move their Nd2. If they do, this opportunityis gone. } 6. h3 { easy-win: Vote Ng-f3 In making this move, we are controllingthe way the opponent moves, by attacking. The opponent will either movethe DS bishop, or might want to protect the it with a pawn or a knight. It is always good to try to figure out what we think the opponent willreact to what we do. If we can accurately figure that out, we have an advantage. But in order to do this, we have to consider the response/sas close as possible, which is not simple, especially when the opponent has a much higher rating than we have. knightrider62: Ok I agree as ithas the same purpose as my suggested move nf3 it is. ynwa77: Do we haveplan if black moves next Bc5 or Bb6? Because if we miss next move it isgoing to be Ng4. I think we should also consider h3. If we have to exchangeN to B, we have strong B. Just thinking possibilities. easy-win: Thequestion is if Bc5 or Bb6 We need to keep developing, but let us wait whatour opponent does first. On that move of h3, again we have to wait fora move, to counter the move. The blunder b3 has put us at a disadvantagewhich will be like waiting for a wound to heal ynwa77: So is right wayto play Ng-f3 and then, if black makes Bc5 or Bb6, h3? easy-win: I thinkfor now that is the best we can do, but let's see if anyone else can makea better suggestion. On h3 the knight can capture that pawn. B-b5 orc5 and we should fianchetto out BSB. Still we should wait for others. By the way, how many are participating in the group? penguin_: h3 Whitehas gotten itself into a bit of a hole, however it can recover. I voteh3 to keep the B and N away. easy-win: Votes Stealth-invader 6.Ng-f3 knight rider 6.Ng-f3 penguin 6.h3 flatus77: not yet but to answer thequestion, h3, after Ng-f6, yes. ynwa77: I prefer h3 first, but I can livewith Ng-f6' then h3 if necessary too. I don't see any instant danger there. penguin_: Take a look if Black plays Ng4 followed by Ne3. See what youthink? ynwa77: Ou! I saw only fork Nf2, not Ne3. So I vote H3. knightrider62:I change my vote to h3 for the above reason } 6... Bc3 { penguin_: Question ?So who is playing for black? knightrider62: Joe Karp is. It was his idea. jkarp: Yes, I am black. penguin_: OK I am with it now. Be it note that,for the most part, I wasn't reading their posts. But, as I was about topost this move with the fen this question came out. Whenever somethinglike that happens, I clarify it to avoid confusion. On a seperate note,as implied, after I forgot about the opportunity, when playing 5...Nf6I could've pinned at once. I was just hoping that the opportunity wasn'tgone. But, with 6.h3 being played it was around, and I took advantagebefore that opportunity was gone. } 7. Nf3 { easy-win: Vote 7.Nf3 This movewill connect the knights, knightrider62: A very good idea, I agree penguin_:Bb2 I would like to see us play Bb2 and force blacks play with his B. Otherwisehe may advance to Ne4 and then to Nf2. easy-win: If we move our bishopto b2 Then white will trade bishops in all likelihood, Since we are alreadyat a disadvantage by losing our b pawn without compensation I believewhat we should strive for is to maintain a positional balance until we can find a point in the game when we might be able to find it possibleto gain an advantage. ynwa77: E3 If we move Bb2, then black d4 and hestill control tempo. With e3 we can next move Ne2 and give pressure toblack's B. Or we can after e3 move Bb5+ and if black c6 we then Nf2 andI think we have better position. I'm not sure about this, but like toget your comments. knightrider62: I still like Nf3 it is a developingmove we need right now I mean the N on g1 penguin_: Ngf3 I will go alongwith Ngf3 ynwa77: Correction I meant e3, then Ne2, not Nf2. Sorry. Istill think that is best option. I think trading our N to blacks B wouldbenefit us. easy-win: votes Ngf3 3 Stealth-invader--penguin--knightrider62 e3 1 flautus77 } 7... Qd6 { Just before making this move, there was somequestions. As it took me a while to make moves. In fact, I postponedmy games. And, with the question came clarification. knightrider62: Whatis happening about this game? jkarp: Up until today, it was white's turn.But, now it is black's turn, Sue. I am going to take some time, but itis worth noting that what delayed this game was my decision to postpone.The final decision came as a result of the Blizzard which wasn't as bad.But, even without, I was considering postponing, anyway, because of howbusy it got. It was mainly work related, but there were other things to.What's important to note is that this is why the game took a pause. WhenI said as bad, I meant as bad as I thought. What happened is that a BlizzardWarning was issued for my area. And, the forecast called for 18-24 inchesof snow with 50+ mph winds. Power outage was a potential. However, thewind wasn't as bad, and sleet mixed in. Thus, all in all, I got abouta foot of snow, and no power was loss. Yet, a lot was going on, and postponing,by my books, was the right call. On a separate note: The idea behind thismove is that I am now threatening to win another pawn. } 8. e3 { easy-win:vote 8.e3 pawn f4 is attacked by the queen knightrider62: I agree withyou stealth. penguin_: I agree e3 is the correct move ynwa77: What dowe do next if black Ne4? I see there only instant problems. If we havecounter for that move, I agree e3 easy-win: ynw Ne4 does not present aserious problem that I am able to discern. Among other moves which canbe made next is the possible Bb5+. I have found that extensive analysisinto the possibilities that exist, are only as effective as the analyzer. For this reason, we have several opinions from which to decide on eachmove. At the present position, if anyone can identify a danger on thesuggested move, I ask that it can be discussed before we decide to proceed. ynwa77, could you expound on the detrimental positional disadvantage that you find in the suggested move, e3? ynwa77: Stealth, I trust youranalysis I am concerned the fact that black is connecting his pieces andis locking our pieces. I also don't like the idea that black is dictatingtempo and therefore would like to try Ne5, then exchange bishops and attackto Q with both Ns. I don't have clear plan, so I don't want to ruin everybodysgame because my gutfeeling. Here is way better players than me so I'mwith e3. easy-win: Not at all I always welcome other options, and am alwaysopen to receive other views which may be refreshing, such as yours. Do not ever hold back on your opinions, maybe no one else might be ableto see something you can see. In your suggestion of Ne5, neither oneof our N's can move there, (to e5), and at this time, our pawn at f4 isin danger of being taken by the queen on the next move which will alsoenable it to move to g3, checkmate! However, you are correct in thatblack has the advantage. With e3 we may be able to free our WSB thusopening the back rank for king side castle. At present, our N's areconnected, giving our king more security. ynwa77: Why can't we move Nfrom f3 to e5? I withdraw my previous question As I see now that we willlose N that way. } 8... Ne4 { The logic behind pinning their Nd2 was to allowthis move. As now, I have a plan against them. } 9. Bd3 { knightrider62:We are in a bit of trouble due to that earlier move of b3. Looks like ouronly move is Bd3 . 1. Bd3 BxN+, 2. BxB NxN. 3.QxN. The exchanges are equalbut black is a pawn up from earlier and I'm not sure who benefits fromthe trades.but at least we develop two pieces. easy-win: VOTE 9.Bd3 Thebest move in my opinion. It develops our WSB and clears the f1 and g1. Knightrider62, It would be preferable if you could submit your vote withyou explanation. Because this way we can accumulate the votes necessaryfor our next move. ynwa77: Vote Bd3 It opens chance to castle. I liketo think situation positionally, and that Bc3 is disturbing me way toomuch. It is something I need to work with inside my own head, but rightnow I'm just scared that B is getting as big trouble. As I said, it's justa feeling. easy-win: ynwa77 It is not good to worry. When we see a positionwhere the opponent has placed a piece or pawn in a threatening square,what we should do is to check how many of our own pieces are defending,and if our defense is adequate, the next step is to see if it is possiblefor the opponent to bring additional pressure to the piece, and if so,is there a way to increase the defense, or parry with an attack of ourown.. In the present diagram, our d2 knight is defended 4 times, thethreat consists only of a knight, or knight bishop exchange because wehave four defenders to the knight. The move that might force the bishopaway could be B-b2 if the bishop moves to the edge a file, then the rookfalls. But for now, I believe Bd3 is a safe enough move that favorsour development. But I am always open to suggestions and/or discussion. The bottom line is, not to worry, but to study the position and decidethe best course to follow. penguin_: Vote Bd3 Bd3 is the best we haveat the moment. Then we may be able to castle and start to bring some pressureon black. White got into trouble early but we can recover. } 9... Ng3 { knightrider62:Newa to me it's the first I have heard of it. easy-win: OKAY On with thegame. We shall wait for Joe to make his move, the go from there. Thanksto all, for being attentive of the game. And, I have played as this wasthe plan behind 6...Bc3 followed by 8...Ne4 As now, white is forced togive up their right to castle. } 10. Rh2 { knightrider62: My vote castleI vote we castle out of this threat by black easy-win: Vote 10.Rh2 knightrider62,it is not possible to castle, since the black knight controls a squarethe king must cross. Our Rook at h1 is being threatened by that knight,therefore it is imperative to move it away from h1. ynwa77: Vote 10.Rh2I agree Stealths point of view penguin_: vote 10 Rh2 Sounds good to me } 10... O-O { ynwa77: Suggestion I think we should decide do we want to play thisgame orthodox or unorthodox way. Considering the situation and natureof this game, it might be good idea to try something we don't do in normalgames. I still want to win this game and play as good as I can, but maybewe can expand our game a bit. For example in current position I normallywouldn't consider moving Kf2 but that's only because it looks risky. Butis there some benefits in that move if we can use K active piece insteadthinking it as something that must be just protected? Any thoughts anyone? knightrider62: There are always exceptions to the rules. So it is thedemands of the situation that we should meet. Not Wether it is orthodoxor not. Trading a rook for a knight is not a. Good idea so cannot be consideredas a worthy counter attack. On a separate note: although white's opportunityto castle is gone, black's is not. So, I took advantage of that opportunitywhile it was still there. In addition, to avoid confusion, since I postponed,I notified everyone that I'm taking a break from my games. redfoxrising:Jkarp has paused Joe has a day vacation set, Now is a good time for whiteto discuss their next move. } 11. Bb2 { penguin_: Discussion play Kf2 Ifwe play Kf2 I don't think we will see Ne4+ , because the following wouldlikely be the play out. 2.Nxe4dxe4 3.Bxe4and we get back a pawn.So I like Kf2. ynwa77: But isn't next move Qxd1? Or am I missing now (again)something? penguin_: Good point Yes it is if you look at one more move. knightrider62: i am confused why would black move Nh5 after Bb2 Bxb2,Rxb2? ynwa77: How about Nd4? If black dont make exchange Bxd4...exd4 wecan Nb5 easy-win: Vote 11.Nd4 ynwa77 I like your suggestion, please votefor that if you still like it. knight rider62 I liked your suggestiontoo, but I voted for Nd4 as ynwa77 because I like it a little better. penguin_: vote 11 Bb2 My vote is for Bb2 ynwa77: Vote 11.Nd4 I thinkblack needs to play very well to maintain it's pressure after this move. knightrider62: Vote Bb2 My vote is with penguin's suggestion Bb2 ynwa77:If we move Bb2 And black responses Qc5 what do we do next? If we try exchange,then 12. Bxc3...Qxe3+ 13. Be2....Qxc3 knightrider62: I change my voteto Nd4 I change my vote to Nd4. penguin_: Look at this if we play Bb2& Black plays Qc5 1.Bb2Qc5 2.Nd4Ba5 We gain some control of thecenter and open it up Could even follow with Qf3 Could even think aboutfollowing with Qf3 and consider driving the N away. ynwa77: Penguin, Bb2looks actually pretty good way you explained it, but I still like Nd4 more penguin_: Here is an Nd4 senario Nd4Bxd4 exd4Qxf4 now we are down2 pawns and the K is exposed to their Q easy-win: penguin 1.Nd4Bxd4 2.exd4Qxf4 3.Nf3 And the black queen is exposed to our BSB. penguin_:Stealth Agreed but we are still down another pawn and black can take theQ to a number of safe positions including Qd6. Don't see how we come outahead on this or even even. Vote Bb2 I still prefer Bb2 my vote is Bb2 falcon67: My vote is Bb2.I also looked at Moving the king to f2.It isan idea .Something to think about though. knightrider62: Why is it goodto trade in this position where we are a pawn down or does it only matternot to trade when we are a piece down. I like Bb2 though and also Kf2 can'tmake up my mind which to vote for. falcon67: It would be good to hopefullytrade off queens at some point .Yes we shouldnt just trade off a bunchof pieces sorry my bad lol.My vote is still Bb2 for now. knightrider62:I vote to change move I change my vote back to Bb2 along with penguin andfalcon67. redfoxrising: I'll take part and sggest Bb2 I will also suggestthe Bb2 move } 11... Qb4 { In this position, I didn't want to be the firstone to exchange. As I had considered 11...Bxb2. But, after that exchange,their Nd2 would no longer be pinned. My idea was to keep it pinned. However,I think that better might have been 11...Bb4 or 11...Ba5 to try to avoidthe exchange. As my B was more active. On the other hand, when all issaid and done, the pin will remain. } 12. Bxc3 { knightrider62: if we playa3 the queen will either go to a5 where it still AIDS the bishop on c3or to b6 where it threatens to take the pawn on e3 and give check lookslike a trade of bishops is inevitable. redfoxrising: my suggestion mightbe to use the king as an attacker Kf2 easy-win: Vote 12. BXB Moving ourking away from our d2 bishop is a blunder. We lose the bishop withoutrecompense. penguin_: Vote 12 BxB I like the BxB best right now. knightrider62:Vote BxB I also think BxB is best. falcon67: I vote for BxB too. ynwa77:Vote a3 A3...Qc5 Nd4...Bxb2 E4...Qc3 And this is only worse optionI discovered. easy-win: Ynwa77 I cannot see too much harm in a3, it isjust that if we allow a build up around our king, it may be dangerousby allowing black to increase tension. We need to allow more time fortwo more votes, before making a determining continuation. penguin_: Playinga3 I must be missing something somewhere, but when I play the moves assuggested by ynwa77 and play blacks it's best moves as shown below we endup down 7 instead of down 1? 1. a3Qc5 2.Nd4 Bxb2 3.e4Bxd4 easy-win:Penquin You are correct if we follow that sequence. I only considereda3 to move the queen away, but did not care to analyze further becauseof my voting preference for BXB. Thanks for your input } 12... Qxc3 { ynwa77:Penguin If we play way you post starting a3, we would take black's Q nextmove and then be +2. easy-win: May I humbly suggest Let's put the a3 movebehind us for now, and just wait to see what Joe moves. Okay? Meanwhile,this move was forced to prevent the loss of material. I think that I probablywould've been better off to retreat, as noted on my last move. But, I'mhappy at where I am given that white's N is still pinned. } 13. Kf2 { ynwa77:Vote Kf2 Seems logical and I dont see any instant danger there. falcon67:I vote for Kf2 as well force the knight to move. redfoxrising: kf2 ismine also easy-win: Vote 13.Kf2 The only logical move at this time. Ourd2 knight no longer needs 2 guards, and we will rid ourselves of the peskyknight threat. penguin_: Vote 13. Kf2 I am good with this, white is breakingBlacks momentum. knightrider62: Vote Kf2 I agree with this majority vote. } 13... Nh5 { This is what I had overlooked. I was thinking that I'd allow theexchange and keep the pin, but similar to a loss against Joann, followedby, the loss with Jack Stockel, I forgot that the K could move. So, Ireally should've retreated earlier. As now, I don't know where to go fromhere. } 14. Nd4 { easy-win: Vote 14.Nf-d4 The pawn at c7 will probablythreaten that knight on the next move, however, we can find an excellentsquare for it, if that happens. redfoxrising: my vote is same 14. Nfd4 ynwa77: Vote 14. Nd4 Seems logical and we start to dictate the tempo. falcon67: Yes my vote is for Nfd4 as well. knightrider62: Vote Nfd4 Myvote also is for Nfd4. } 14... c6 { I gave this move a lot of thought. In otherwords, I trying to figure out what to do and was struggling. For one thing,I don't like blocking squares for one of my minor pieces. But, white isthreatening 15.Nb5. With which, they'd be guaranteed to win a R and pawnfor free, given that it can capture on c7. So, I thought that this movewas my only option. 14...a6 was also an option. But, I didn't think itthrough well enough, as there was another option that I forgot. Best would'vebeen 14...Bd7. It was a case of Tunnel Vision as I focused too much onthe threat but forgot that my LSB could've covered the same diagonal asthe b5 square. And, it would've developed another piece. } 15. Ne2 { ynwa77:Vote 15. b4 Black has only one move to escape and if he makes that we stillcan put pressure other side of board. easy-win: Vote 15.N-e2 Upon movingthe last suggested move, 15.b4 the queen will move to a3, and since itwill threaten the b2 pawn, I do not see the advantage. BTW My user namewill be easy-win in the near future. ynwa77: If we b4 And black Qa3, wecan g4 and put pressure to black and try to make him make mistake. If heplays right he can escape, but isn't that case in every move? easy-win:ynwa77 I went to the analysis and followed the moves which ended withthe knight all the way to the 7th rank, and still cannot see a good benefit. ynwa77: Steath-invader There is quite many different possibilities andif Joe plays everything correct there will not be advantage in pieces tous. My point is that there are many moves where we can put pressure toblack and that way he could make wrong move. If you think time is notright yet then we need to wait for better position, but I like my moveno matter how much I think of it. Wouldn't be first time I'm wrong tough. easy-win: ynwa77 Upon analyzing for the third time, here is my take onyour suggested move. Please note we will have lost another pawn on a 3in this sequence.. Please send me your analysis, and perhaps I may beable to consider the advantage. 1.b4Qa3 2.g4Nf6 3.g5Nh5 4.Be2Qxa2 5.N2b3Qa4 6.Nc5Qa3 7.Rb3Qa falcon67: My vote is forNe2 as well. penguin_: Vote Ne2 I'll go along with Ne2. redfoxrising:same 4 me Ne2 } 15... Qf6 { I thought about where to move my Q. But, after somethinglike 15...Qa5, they have 16.b4 And, if I played 15...Qb4, they hit itagain with 16.c3 So, I didn't want to lose further tempo, and therefore,played this. As now, there's also better mobility with my Q. } 16. Nf3 { easy-win: Vote 16.Nd-f3 The idea here, is to keep the queen from comingto h4 with a check. As it is now, moving our knight to g3 would enticeblack to exchange knights, when we would then put our king at a morevulnerable square, where it could be attacked by a king side pawn storm,backed by the queen and the white bishop at c8. Also that pawn on e3is providing necessary protection to our center pawn at f4, If the blacke pawn jumps two squares to e5, we can not move it, because it is pinnedat this time by the queen, but with a knight on f3 we can capture thatpawn if it moves there if he were to move it. When it is our time tovote, we should analyze by pressing anywhere on the board with our cursor. redfoxrising: Same as Stealth I Vote 16.Nd-f3 falcon67: I vote for Nd-f3as well. penguin_: Vote 16.Nd-f3 I am good with this. ynwa77: Vote 16.Nd-f3 Seems logical move. knightrider62: Vote Nd-f3 I agree., also. } 16... Bf5 { The reason behind this move is that it develops. But, I am now readyto exchange. I felt that my B was less active then theirs. } 17. Bxf5 { redfoxrising:I vote for Bxf5, this takes our LSB's off the board (there is no otherplace to put or LSB) I't better than playing c3 or c4 as it would pin ourBishop easy-win: I vote 17.BxB Black will take bishop with the queen orthe g pawn It will be to our advantage either way, after 18.p-g4 However,as always, I invite you to please examine the whole board carefully tosee if you may be able to discover something better. If you do, pleaseexplain in detail why another move might be better. falcon67: Im goodwith the move BxB as well. knightrider62: VOTE BxB I vote for the sameBxB penguin_: VOTE BxB I vote for the same BxB. VOTE BxB I vote for thesame BxB. ynwa77: Vote BxB. Don't see any other option. } 17... Qxf5 { ?? I tookback this way. As I thought that taking back with the g pawn would exposethe K. The idea is not to open it too much, unless it's absolutely necessary,or it's the endgame. But, this is one of those times where it was necessary. So, 17...gxf5 because of what's about to unfold. Believe it or not, Ihave overlooked these kinds of things before, so there was something forme to learn. } 18. g4 { easy-win: Vote 18.g4 What I see, is two advantages, 1.To fork the queen and the knight 2.To clear the g file for possiblefuture aggression falcon67: Yes g4 is my vote as well .Yes forking queenand knight resulting in opening g file .Good analysis stealth. redfoxrising:g4 for me also. ynwa77: Vote g4 Seems very good. knightrider62: Voteg4 I agree attacks queen and knight winning the knight. redfoxrising:g4 is good for me. } 18... Qe4 { I also could've retreated to e6 or d7, but seeingthat they're now going to get the advantage, I'm doing the best that Ican to work around it. My idea is trying to put pressure on both of theirN's. But, this move is exactly why 17...gxf5 was essential. An importantlesson is to be aware of these forks by trying to figure if there is somethinglike a pawn or a piece, with which they can attack two pieces. It seemsbasic, but for me, it isn't. It's also about asking myself if a pieceis going into an attack which is what allows the fork. In addition, penguin_left my club because of that mistake. } 19. gxh5 { easy-win: Vote 19..gxNAs planned we can take a knight and lose our g pawn, which will open theg file for further aggression. ynwa77: Vote 19.gxN I agree with Stealth-invader knightrider62: Vote g xN I agree gxN stealth is right falcon67: Yes ivote for gxK as well. redfoxrising: 19.gxN for my vote. } 19... gxh5 { With themistake that I made, I had to capture to get a pawn as compensation. Asotherwise, I would've wound up being down a piece for a pawn. By playingthis, I have two pawns, in return. } 20. Ng3 { easy-win: Vote 20.Ne-g3 Thismove is prelude to the attack on the king which is now exposed at the gfile. ynwa77: Vote 20.Ne-g3 I was first thinking Ne-c3, but easy-win'sidea is better. knightrider62: My vote Ne-g3 My vote is Ne-g3 falcon67:My vote is for Ne-g3 as well. redfoxrising: my Vote Neg3 } 20... Qg6 { The ideabehind retreating here, as opposed to, e6 was an attempt to put pressureon their Ng3. What I'm keeping in mind is that they can't play 21.Kg2without walking into a pin. Not surprisingly, there's no pressure, butI'm doing what I can being that my advantage has been gone for a while. } 21. Rg2 { easy-win: Vote 21.Rh2-g2 In my opinion, it has become apparent,that Black's last move has entirely changed the the complexity of thegame to the point that instead of another normal knight move, may be slightlymore advantageous to resort to a different response in an attempt to abbreviateour efforts. redfoxrising: Vote 21. Nfe5 put pressure on the Q for nowwith Nfe5. I also support easy's suggestion as my 2nd choice, NOT 1/2 Voteon each... easy-win: redfoxrising The vote Nf3-e5 is also viable. 1.Ne5Qh6 2.Nxh5Qe6 3.Rg2+Kh8 4.Qd4Qxh3 5.Nd7+f6 6.Nxf8Na6 7.Nxf6exf6 8.Qxf6# CHECKMATE I believe we now have a won gameeither way, however as I mentioned in my last post, moving R-g2 may abbreviate(shorten) the game, and we can move on to another. Other suggestionsare welcome 1.Rg2Qh6 2.Nxh5+Kh8 3.Qd4+Qg7 4.Qxg7# CHECKMATE. falcon67: I vote for Rg2 knightrider62: I vote for Ne5 as Black's queenwould probably move to f6 if we moved the rook to g2. easy-win: Knightrider62,I would like to point out that if the black queen moves to f6 after themove Rg2, as you note, we will take the pawn on h5 with the knight ong3, discovering a check on the black king, after the king is forced tomove out of check, we can take the queen, and black will probably resign. ynwa77: Vore 21. Rg2 Sorry. I tought I already voted. } 21... Nd7 { ?? The ideabehind this move was to complete my development. But, it is the finalblunder. As I overlooked what's about to happen. Instead, I had to getmy Queen out of harm's way. } 22. Nxh5 { easy-win: Vote 22.Nxh5 You willnotice that the queen cannot recapture the knight because of the rook pinning the queen to the king. Also that no other piece can be placed between the rook and the queen to break the pin. When/if the queen capturesour rook, the king will capture the queen. ynwa77: Vote 22. Nxh5 I agreewith easy-win. redfoxrising: SAME I vote for the same Nxh5 as it is protecteddue to the pin it is on the rim but in this case that is the best outpostfor our N. falcon67: I vote for Nxh5 as well. knightider62: My vote Nxh5Nxh5 is my vote also. jkarp: I resign with the following note. I playedquite well in the very beginning. But, I made some terrible oversights.One was a pawn being on the same line as the N and Queen which allowedthe winning back of material. And, just as important is what I just overlookedgiven that my Queen is on the same line as the K and your R. That was probablyGhost Vision as I thought that the Queen was on a different line. But,you guys played very well after these terrible moves. GG. } 1-0
[Event "Closed Sicilian -- Endgame ...like Big Anaconda!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "bmorris101"] [Black "Avocet"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "game in 3:00 / 10' increment"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 { White looks like he's setting up for a Closed Variation.I play the Closed as White myself, sometimes; but I much prefer playingagainst it. } 2... Nc6 { Believe it or not, after 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3, Black willinevitably end up with a very difficult game (assuming good play on bothsides) if he doesn't play the 'book move' 2. ...Nc6, at least in my experience. } 3. d3 g6 4. Be3 d6 5. Qc1 Bg7 6. Nge2 Nf6 7. g3 O-O 8. Bg2 Ne8 9. Bh6 Nb4 { Threatening, of course, 10. ...Bh6 11. Qh6 Nc2 winning at least the Exchange. } 10. Bxg7 Kxg7 11. a3 Nc6 { What's changed? Well, the dark Bishops are offthe board, and White has created a small weakness in his pawns, at b3.Other than that nothing has changed. } 12. Qf4 Nc7 13. O-O Ne6 { Gainingtempo on White's Lady. Black now gets a Knight on d4 - nice post! } 14. Qe3 Ned4 { Black gains another tempo - either now or a move from now, itmatters little. White must guard the weakness at c2 somehow, whether heexchanges a Knight-pair or not on the next move. } 15. Qd2 Rb8 { A circumspectmove. White's position is unassailable at this point: his pieces are well-posted- ready to spring into action at the drop of a hat. Black cannot affordto be careless, so he adheres to traditional (i.e. 'stereotypical,' moreor less) theory which says that in the Sicilian White plays to win on theKingside and Black counterplays for advantage on the Queenside. The Rook-nudgeprepares his Q-side pawn expansion. } 16. h3 { White seeks to limit the scopeof Black's Q-Bishop, preparatory to his own plans for K-side expansion.Probably better, however, was the immediate space-grabber of 16. f4. } 16... b5 17. Rab1 { Still no push to f4? I'm waiting for it so I can play ...Bd7in response. ...Since White seems hesitant to do anything on the K-side,I keep expanding on the Q-side. } 17... a5 18. Nd5 Nxe2+ 19. Qxe2 b4 20. axb4 axb4 21. b3 { Exchanging a minor weakness at b3 for gaping holes at c3 andd4. White's Q-side pawn structure is just about fixed at this point - andnot to his advantage because the holes Black will occupy are of the oppositecolor of White's remaining Bishop, meaning the only piece he can use todislodge a posted piece (without losing material) is his Knight, whichBlack will exchange in a heartbeat for his Bishop, if he can. } 21... Nd4 22. Qd2 e6 23. Nf4 Bd7 24. Kh1 Qc7 25. Rbc1 Nb5 { Black will have none of this'pawn-break on c3' stuff! } 26. Ne2 e5 { Opening e6 for his Bishop. } 27. Kh2 Be6 28. Ra1 f5 29. exf5 gxf5 30. Qg5+ Kh8 { Suddenly Black has playon both sides of the board. } 31. Qh6 Bg8 32. Qg5 Qg7 33. Qxg7+ Kxg7 34. Bc6 Na3 35. Rac1 { White could have played 35. c3 without the prepatorymove: Black has no way to stop the c-file from opening. } 35... Rb6 36. Bg2 Be6 37. Ng1 Nb5 38. Nf3 Nc3 39. Ng5 Bd7 40. Rfe1 h6 41. Nf3 Bc6 42. Nd2 Bxg2 { I would have preferred the Knight, but this will do. } 43. Kxg2 Ra6 44. Nc4 Nb5 45. Ra1 Rfa8 46. Rxa6 Rxa6 47. Ne3 Nd4 48. Rd1 Kf6 { Black has nowcovered all his weaknesses, while White steps all over his own toes. Black'sRook owns the only open file, his Knight dominates the Q-side, and hisKing holds the center. Now the only thing left to accomplish is the hardestthing in all of chess to do ...win a won game! } 49. Rc1 h5 { Black prepares...Ke6 followed by ...f4, driving the White Knight back to the first rank. } 50. h4 Ke6 51. Nc4 Ra2 { Slamming the door } 52. Ne3 d5 53. Kf1 { The fatalerror. White can still play 53. f4 with counterplay. The text simply drivesthe final nail in White's coffin. } 53... f4 54. gxf4 exf4 55. Ng2 Kf5 56. Ne1 Kg4 57. Kg2 f3+ { Burying White's Knight. } 58. Kh2 Kxh4 59. Kh1 Kg4 60. Kh2 Ne2 { From about here until the end of this critical part of the endgame,and probably for several moves prior, I was in deep time-trouble, withmy clock's countdown diving into the red on almost every move as I onlybarely stayed ahead elimination thanks to the Fischer increments. } 61. Rb1 d4 62. Rd1 Nc3 63. Rc1 Nb5 64. Rb1 Ra6 { At last Black can move hisRook to the K-side! } 65. Rc1 Re6 66. Kg1 Kf4 67. Ra1 Na3 { Slamming thatdoor for a second time! White is dead lost now. } 68. Rc1 Rg6+ 69. Kh1 Re6 70. Kg1 Re2 71. Kf1 h4 72. Kg1 h3 73. Kh2 Rxf2+ 74. Kxh3 Re2 { White isparalyzed. It was at about this point my opponent noticed - apparentlyfor the first time - that I was gaining time on my moves (because of theapplication of the Fischer increments): he accused me of cheating, probablyin an effort to distract me. } 75. Kh4 Rh2# { Brings the quietus. } 0-1
[Event "Lodz, 1907"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Georg Rotlewi"] [Black "Akiba Rubinstein"] [Result "0-1"] 1. d4 { Notes by Carl Schlechter and Dr. Savielly Tartakower. } 1... d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 c5 4. c4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. dxc5 { Tartakower: Less consistent than6.a3 or 6.Bd3, maintaining as long as possible the tension in the center. } 6... Bxc5 7. a3 a6 8. b4 Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Qd2 { 10.Qd2? Schlechter: A verybad place for the queen. The best continuation is 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Be2 followedby 0-0.*Tartakower: Loss of time. The queen will soon have to seek abetter square (14.Qe2). The most useful move is 10.Qc2. } 10... Qe7 { 10... Qe7!Schlechter: A fine sacrifice of a pawn. If 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nxd5? Nxd5 13.Qxd5Rd8! and Black has a strong attack. } 11. Bd3 { Schlechter: Better was 11.cxd5exd5 12.Be2. } 11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 b5 13. Bd3 Rd8 14. Qe2 Bb7 15. O-O Ne5 { 15...Ne5! Schlechter: Introduced by Marshall and Schlechter in a similar positionwith opposite colors, but here with the extra move Rd8. } 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 { Tartakower: Threatening to win a pawn by 17... Bxh2+ 18.Kxh2 Qd6+. White'snext move provides against this, but loosens the kingside defenses. } 17. f4 Bc7 18. e4 Rac8 19. e5 Bb6+ 20. Kh1 Ng4 { 20... Ng4! } 21. Be4 { Schlechter:There is no defense; e.g. 21.Bxh7+ Kxh7 22.Qxg4 Rd2, etc. or 21.h3 Qh422.Qxg4 Qxg4 23.hxg4 Rxd3, threatening ...Rh3# and ...Rxc3 or 21.Qxg4 Rxd322.Ne2 Rc2 23.Bc1 g6! threatening ...h5 or 21.Ne4 Qh4 22.h3 (if 22.g3 Qxh223.Qxh2 Nxh2 and wins) 22... Rxd3 23.Qxd3 Bxe4 24.Qxe4 Qg3 25.hxg4 Qh4#. } 21... Qh4 22. g3 { Schlechter: Or 22.h3 Rxc3! 23.Bxc3 Bxe4 24.Qxg4 Qxg4 25.hxg4Rd3 wins.*Tartakower: The alternative 22.h3, parrying the mate, wouldlead to the following brilliant lines of play: 22... Rxc3! (an eliminatingsacrifice, getting rid of the knight, which overprotects the bishop one4) 23.Bxc3 (or 23.Qxg4 Rxh3+ 24.Qxh3 Qxh3+ 25.gxh3 Bxe4+ 26.Kh2 Rd2+ 27.Kg3Rg2+ 28.Kh4 Bd8+ 29.Kh5 Bg6#) 23... Bxe4 24.Qxg4 (if 24.Qxe4 Qg3 25.hxg4Qh4#) 24... Qxg4 25.hxg4 Rd3 with the double threat of 26... Rh3# and Rxc3,and Black wins. Beautiful as are these variations, the continuation inthe text is still more splendid. } 22... Rxc3 { 22... Rxc3!! } 23. gxh4 Rd2 { 23...Rd2!! } 24. Qxd2 Bxe4+ 25. Qg2 Rh3 { 25... Rh3! } 0-1
[Event "117th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.06.18"] [Round "-"] [White "chrisevelyn"] [Black "capa1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1658"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1791"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { The Sicilian najdorf. } 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. f3 O-O 9. Qd2 b5 10. g4 Nc6 11. g5 Nd7 12. O-O-O Bb7 13. Nd5 Re8 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 { A PAWN IS LOST.!! } 15. Qxd6 Qxd6 16. Rxd6 Nf8 17. Nc5 Nd8 18. Nxb7 Nxb7 19. Rd5 Rad8 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. h4 Ne6 22. Bh3 Nd4 23. Bxd4 Rxd4 24. Rd1 { White is a pawn up and therefore very happyto accept and encourage exchanges. } 24... Rxd1+ 25. Kxd1 { An endgame occurs.Bishop v knight and white is a pawn up. } 25... Nd6 26. b3 Kf8 27. Kd2 b4 28. Bf1 a5 29. c3 bxc3+ 30. Kxc3 Ke7 31. a4 Kd7 32. b4 axb4+ 33. Kxb4 Kc6 34. a5 f6 35. gxf6 gxf6 36. a6 Kb6 37. Bc4 f5 38. a7 Kxa7 39. Kc5 { The ideaof this sacrifice is that if the black king gets in the corner it willbe a draw. The position looks bad for black anyway. } 39... fxe4 40. Kxd6 exf3 41. Kxe5 Kb7 42. Kf6 Kc7 43. h5 Kd7 44. Kg7 h6 45. Kxh6 Ke7 46. Kg7 { Thelost pawn queens. I suspect all lines were lost after my king was decoyedaway from the centre but my continuation wasn't the best attempt to savethe half point. } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from penelope80"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.10.20"] [Round "-"] [White "penelope80"] [Black "charleshiggie"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2037"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1648"] 1. e4 { So this was another game against one of the lovely ladies from theSixth Sense Gameknot team. } 1... c5 { So it starts conventionally } 2. Nf3 { Shecontinues with the main line. } 2... Nc6 { I develop too. } 3. Bb5 { Playing theSicilian a bit like a Spanish Opening - it is not a bad plan. } 3... e6 { I prepareto support Nc6 with Ng-e7 } 4. O-O { She castles } 4... Nge7 { I continue with myplan. } 5. Re1 { She move her rook to a more active square. } 5... a6 { I hit thebishop. } 6. Bxc6 { She takes. } 6... Nxc6 { I take back, opening up the squarese7 and maybe even d6 for my Bf8. } 7. d4 { She opens the centre. } 7... cxd4 { Itake. } 8. Nxd4 { She takes back. } 8... d6 { I have a slight weakness on d6, buton the other hand I have good control over f5, e5, d5 and c5. Chances areabout equal. } 9. Nc3 { She continues to develop. } 9... Be7 { I prepare to castle. } 10. Nxc6 { She takes. } 10... bxc6 { I take back. } 11. Qg4 { This is her reason forexchanging - she couldn't play this move before as otherwise her Nd4 wouldbe hanging. Protecting g7 is a bit of a problem. } 11... Bf8 { This anti-developingmove is a mistake. Kf8 was probably best. } 12. b3 { We are both followingBertholee, Rob (2340) vs. Amesz, Jaap (2185) which ended in a draw. Whitethreatens to place her bishop on b2, adding to the pressure on g7 } 12... e5 { SoI block the long diagonal, and open up an attack on her queen. } 13. Qg3 { She retreats to the best square, maintaining the pressure on g7. Laurais playing this very well so far. } 13... Be6 { With no easy way of developingmy King side I decide to develop my Bc8. } 14. Bb2 { Now in Bertholee, Rob(2340) vs. Amesz, Jaap (2185) the Bishop came out to a3, so I was now thinkingfor myself. } 14... Qf6 { Played with the idea of playing Bf8-e7, without leavingmy g7 pawn hanging. } 15. Rad1 { She continues to mobilize. Laura continuesto play well, and has a slight edge here. } 15... Be7 { I continue with my plan. } 16. Ba3 { Laura finally puts her bishop on its best square, adding to thepressure on d6. } 16... Rd8 { So I protect d6 again. } 17. Rd3 { She prepares toswing a rook over to the King side. } 17... O-O { I castle. } 18. Bc1 { She preparesto redevelop her bishop. The post match computer analysis (PMCA) doesn'tlike this, and prefers 18. Qe3 Qh4 19. Qb6 c5 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. exd5 Rb822. Qa7 Ra8 23. Qd7 Rad8 24. Qf5 Qg5 25. Qxg5 Bxg5 as best for both sides. } 18... Rfe8 { PMCA doesn't like this move either, and prefers ... Rd7 19. Red1 Rfd820. Be3 Rb7 21. a3 a5 22. Kh1 h5 23. h4 Qxh4+ 24. Qxh4 Bxh4 25. Rxd6 Rbd726. Rxd7 Rxd7 27. Rxd7 Bxd7 } 19. h4 { This is a bit of a wild thrust. PMCAstill likes 19. Qe3 with Rb8 20. Ba3 c5 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5 Qg6 23. Qd3Rb6 24. Rd1 Qg4 25. Qc4 Kh8 26. Bb2 Bh4 to follow. } 19... Bc8 { This is a mistaketoo - I should have just taken on h4. } 20. Rf3 { Now she forces me to take! } 20... Qxh4 { White is just a clear pawn down now. } 21. Qxh4 { She takes. } 21... Bxh4 { I take back. } 22. Na4 { She very cleverly now starts probing my weaknesseson the queen side. } 22... Be7 { I move my bishop back to a safer square. } 23. Be3 { She redirects her bishop, also at my weak black squares on the queenside. } 23... f6 { My plan is to advance d6-d5, but I want to make sure e5 is firmlyprotected first. } 24. Bb6 { So she hits my rook. } 24... Rd7 { This is the onlysquare it can go to. } 25. c4 { She makes d6-d5 harde - this is an excellentmove! } 25... d5 { But I decide to play it anyway. } 26. Nc5 { Her knight comes in. } 26... Rd6 { My rook shuffles up the board again. } 27. b4 { Since dropping the pawn,the lovely Laura has played really well, but this just drops another pawn. } 27... dxc4 { Which I snatch off, opening up the d file for my rook too. } 28. Rc1 { She goes after my c pawn. } 28... Bd8 { I decide I can't protect that pawn, soI try to exchange her active bishop. } 29. Na4 { This is a mistake too -far better to exchange bishops and take on c4. } 29... Be6 { Sp now I protect c4and I am just two pawns up. } 30. Bc5 { This is a good move attacking myrook. } 30... Rd2 { So I advance it, threatening a2. } 31. Nc3 { She protects a2,but PMCA prefers 31. Ra3 a5 32. bxa5 Bxa5 33. Nc3 Bxc3 34. Rcxc3 Rb8 35.Ra6 Rd3 36. Rc2 Rc8 37. Rb6 Kf7 38. a4 Rd1+ 39. Kh2 Rcd8 40. a5 } 31... Be7 { SoI try again to exchange that powerful bishop of hers. } 32. Na4 { This isanother mistake dropping the a pawn for no compensation. } 32... Rxa2 { So I take. } 33. Bxe7 { She takes. } 33... Rxe7 { I take back. } 34. Nc5 { Her knight comes in. } 34... Bf7 { and my bishop drops back. With three pawns down and no compensation,she resigned. Many thanks for reading, please rate this on the star systemand leave a comment or two! Until next time dear reader! } 0-1
[Event "Short blitz game... too short"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "Dec 27 2018"] [Round "-"] [White "eric2jin"] [Black "melrose689"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "black"] [TimeControl "5+10 blitz"] [WhiteElo "white"] { This is the shortest blitz game I have had so far... my shortest actualgame was my 1st team match against archangel_777. The link is below inthe comment section. } 1. e4 { Regular KPO. } 1... e5 { Yup, symmetrical right now. } 2. Nf3 { The g1 knight moves out } 2... d6 { Philldors defence, not that black-favouredopening } 3. d4 { Standard } 3... Qf6 { ?! } 4. Bg5 { Hahahahahaha } 4... Qg6 { ? } 5. dxe5 { Yum! } 5... dxe5 { ??????? } 6. Qd8# { Checkmate I win. } 1-0
[Event "fiercequuen, getting off in the morning (part 2)..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "31-aug-18"] [Round "-"] [White "fiercequeen"] [Black "arongary"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "UR"] [TimeControl "3+10 blitz"] [WhiteElo "2059"] { is it my period? do I need to get layed? who knows... } 1. e4 d5 { alwaysa bloodfest... } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qc5 { or Qa5... } 4. d4 { always this... } 4... Qd6 5. Nf3 h6 6. g3 { preparing Bg2... } 6... Bg4 7. Bf4 { why not? } 7... Qc6 8. Bg2 { putting the Black Queen at risk again... } 8... g5 9. Be3 e6 10. O-O Bb4 11. h3 { relentless... } 11... Bf5 12. Ne5 { thematic... } 12... Qd6 13. Nb5 Qe7 14. a3 { controllingthe board... } 14... Bd6 15. Bxb7 { Black, had this coming... } 15... Bxe5 16. dxe5 Bxc2 { in panic, already... } 17. Qxc2 Nd7 18. Bxa8 Nxe5 { Black is getting delusional... } 19. Nxc7+ Kf8 { after Kd8, Rd1+... } 20. Bc5 { claiming Blacks' Queen... } 20... Qxc5 21. Qxc5+ Ne7 { totally lost... } 22. Qxe5 Rg8 23. Kh2 Nd5 24. Bxd5 { no rocket science involved, here... } 24... g4 25. Nxe6+ fxe6 26. Qxe6 { I seedead people... } 26... gxh3 { brave: to say the least... } 27. Qf7# 1-0
[Event "95th GK tournament (My Highest Rated Win!)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.20"] [Round "-"] [White "alleyb"] [Black "strepsil999"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1460"] [WhiteElo "1705"] { This is one of the games from the first time I ever joined a GrandmasterGK tournament. This game was my highest rated win. The 1st round is stillgoing, and somehow, I'm coming 3rd in my group with 1/4. Hope you enjoythe Annotation! } 1. d4 { My opponent plays Queen Pawn. } 1... d5 2. c4 { Queen'sGambit. } 2... Nf6 { According to Game DB, this is QGD (D06), Marshall defence.Most people defend with the e6, I prefer with the knight, as it doesn'tblock in my bishop on the second move, and if I need to, I can just protectwith e6 later. } 3. Nc3 e6 { What did I say? } 4. a3 { I guess this move isplayed to stop black from playing Bb4, pinning the knight, but I wouldprefer Bg5, continuing with the Gambit, or Nf3. } 4... c5 5. dxc5 { Takes?? Now,I have two centre pawns to one. Better: e3 or Nf3. } 5... Bxc5 { I have developedtwo pieces to white's one. } 6. Bg5 { Pinning my knight to my queen. } 6... O-O 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nxd5 { (?) Loses a knight for a pawn. } 8... Qxd5 9. Bxf6 Qxd1+ { I love swapping queens. } 10. Rxd1 gxf6 { I am now up +2 with my bishopdeveloped, and my king safely castled (Except now open to the g-file). } 11. e3 { Wanting to develop his Bishop. } 11... Nc6 12. Bc4 Be6 { Not wanting doubledpawns, I offer a swap. } 13. Be2 { Awww. } 13... Rfd8 { The white rook no longerowns this file. } 14. Nf3 Rxd1+ { I happily swap rooks. } 15. Bxd1 Rd8 { NowI own the file. } 16. O-O Ne5 { Again, I offer a swap to un-double my pawns(If that's a word). } 17. b4 Be7 18. Nd4 Bc4 { Threatening the rook. I alsosee a possibility of: 19. Re1 a4 20. bxa4 Bxa3. Threatening Bb4, trappingthe rook. } 19. Re1 a5 20. Nf5 { Threatening my bishop. Unless I want toswap (I don't) my only option is Bf8. } 20... Bf8 21. Bh5 axb4 { Wins pawn. } 22. axb4 Bxb4 23. Rb1 { Okay move. } 23... Ra8 { (!) Now, if Rxb4, then: 24. Ra1+ 25.Rb1 Rxb1 26. Bd1 Rxd1# } 24. g3 { Better is h3. } 24... Bc5 { (!) After Rxb7: 25.Ra1+ 26. Kg2 Bd5+! } 25. h4 Bd3 { I'm tired of pressing shift+1. A fork. } 26. Nh6+ { Still doesn't work. } 26... Kg7 27. Rc1 Be4 { Now, after Rxc5: Ra1+ wins. } 28. Nxf7 { At least he gets a pawn. } 28... Nxf7 29. Bxf7 Kxf7 30. Rxc5 { (???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)Loses in 3 moves. } 30... Ra1+ 31. Kh2 Rh1# { Phew! Finally the game is over, andas I look at my profile, I have a new highest rated player won against.Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. I'm about to start annotating somegames from a recent tournament, good luck with all your games! } 0-1
[Event "Malpas & Oswestry 1 v Colwyn Bay 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "3-10-2017"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles L Higgie"] [Black "Imogen Camp"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1798"] [TimeControl "35 in 1 hour 15 minutes"] [WhiteElo "1918 "] 1. d4 { It has been a while since I lost two serious matches in a row, andeven longer since I lost a serious match to a female player. But if I haveto lose - well Imogen Camp http://www.colwynbaychess.org.uk/icamp.htmlis a Woman Candidate Master, and perhaps losing to her is no disgrace,although I do have a slightly higher FIDE and ECF ratings than her. } 1... d5 2. c4 { Anyway, it started off as a Queens Gambit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Gambit } 2... e6 { Which she declines } 3. Nc3 { I follow the main line. } 3... Nf6 { As does she. } 4. Bg5 { This is considered 'main line' although the exchange variation4. cxd5 and 4. Nf3 are both more popular. } 4... Be7 { The usual reply. } 5. e3 { Played so that if she takes on c4 I can take back with the bishop. } 5... Nbd7 { The usual continuation. } 6. Nf3 { The normal square for this knight. } 6... c6 { Of course, this structure has also come about via the Slav Defence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slav_Defense } 7. Qc2 { We had rattled out the first moves very quickly. We began to slowdown a bit. } 7... O-O { Black's set-up is very normal. } 8. O-O-O { But this abit unusual } 8... dxc4 { She takes. } 9. Bxc4 { I take back. } 9... b5 { She hits my bishop. } 10. Bd3 { Bishop drops back. } 10... h6 { She hits the other bishop. } 11. h4 { AndI protect it. She thought for a long time here. If she takes the bishop,I take back withe pawn, and she can't then move the Nf6 or she gets mated,for instance hxg5 12.hxg5Nd5 13.Bh7+Kh8 14.Bg8+Kxg8 15.Qh7# } 11... a5 { So she plays this instead. I can't see this move on my opening databases,I can only see Qa5 and Bb7 here. } 12. Ne5 { So I advance. } 12... Bb7 { She continuesto develop. } 13. f4 { Supporting the knight, but with the added advantageof protecting g2 with my queen on c2 if ever she plays c6-c5. } 13... Re8 { Shecontinues to develop. } 14. Rh3 { Protecting e3 but also with attacking ideasin mind, such as Rd-h1 and Rh3-g3 or Rd-g1 and g2-g4. } 14... Nxe5 { She takes- which way would you recapture dear reader? } 15. fxe5 { I finally decidedto take this way. } 15... Nd5 { The usual follow up. } 16. Bxe7 { Getting rid ofher good bishop. } 16... Qxe7 { She takes back. } 17. Ne4 { My knight takes up astring central position. } 17... Nb4 { She forks my queen and rook. } 18. Qb1 { Queendrops back. Now, would you take on d3 or not dear reader? } 18... Rf8 { She didn't,and I think she is right not to. I think she is perparing to chip awayat my centre with f7-f6. } 19. Rf1 { So I put a stop to that. Now f6 20.exf6gxf6 21.Rg3+ and black is in trouble. If the king goes to f7 thef6 pawn falls, and if the king goes to h8 then 22. Rg6 forks h6 and f6and f6-f5 is met with 23. Nc5 and e6 is now attacked as well as h6 andRf6? is met by exchanging on f6 and then I take the bishop on b7. } 19... c5 { Butnow she has this move, so maybe my last move was a mistake? (perhaps bettera3)? The Bb7 comes to life and the tide starts to turn against me. } 20. Bxb5 { I take this pawn. Find black's next move. } 20... Nxa2+ { A brilliant pseudosacrifice by my young opponent. Of course, if I take her knight, she takesmy knight and is threatening g2, with advantage to black. } 21. Kd1 { SoI leave it. } 21... cxd4 { She takes. Black's game hangs by a thread! 22. Nf6 nearlywins. If 22.Nf6+gxf6 23.Rg3+Kh8 24.exf6Qb4 25.Rg7Nc3+ wins forblack. } 22. exd4 { So I take back. } 22... Qb4 { Forking b5 and d4. } 23. Bd3 { Bishopdrops back. } 23... Qxd4 { She takes the pawn. } 24. Qxa2 { I take the knight. } 24... Bxe4 { She takes mine. } 25. Rf4 { I pin her bishop. } 25... Qg1+ { She trhows in a check. } 26. Bf1 { Bishop drops back. } 26... Bxg2 { She takes anyway. } 27. Rg3 { I pin thebishop again. OK find black's next move. } 27... Qh2 { The only move. But one isenough! } 28. Qa3 { I protect my rook. } 28... Bxf1 { She takes. } 29. Rxf1 { I takeback. } 29... Rfd8+ { She checks. } 30. Kc1 { Rd3 was probably a better defence,but white is lost now. } 30... Rac8+ { Another check. } 31. Kb1 { Again maybe Rc3is better, but lost eventually. } 31... Qc2+ { Another check. } 32. Ka2 { I was expectingRc4 or Rd4 forcing resignation, but she found another win. } 32... Qc4+ { Forkingking and rook. I resigned. Many thanks for reading, please rate this annotationwith the star system, and leave a comment or tow to let me know how I amgetting on, until next time dear reader! } 0-1
[Event "Case of the Double Rook fork!!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.10.21"] [Round "-"] [White "freeman8201"] [Black "burt65"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1776"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1785"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 c6 4. e3 b5 5. a4 Bb7 6. axb5 cxb5 7. b3 cxb3 8. Qxb3 { Not the best move for White as Bxb5 scores better. } 8... a6 9. Ne5 { I believe simple developing moves lose here. Ne5 threatens mate so Blackhas to respond. } 9... Qd5 10. Qxd5 Bxd5 11. Nc3 Bb7 12. Nxb5 { ! } 12... Nh6 { ?! Idon't think this is a bad move. but.... } 13. Nc7+ Kd8 14. Nxa8 Bxa8 15. e4 { Another gambit! } 15... Bxe4 { And he takes the bait! } 16. Bxh6 gxh6 17. Nxf7+ { aahahahahaa } 1-0
[Event "Burninators Training Match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.15"] [Round "-"] [White "evilgm"] [Black "esegromal"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1295"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1740"] 1. e4 { I am annotating this game for the benefit of my team, the Burninators,and especially for my teammate, esegromal. } 1... c5 { In the Sicilian defense,per Kasparov, one of the biggest challenges for white is to deal with thetwo center pawns for black. White's challenge is to neutralize those pawnsand black's challenge is to not trade them away cheaply. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 { Fairly standard progression so far. Nothing out ofthe ordinary. } 5. Nc3 e5 { This move has good instinct, in that it is designedto stake a claim to the center and force me to move my knight. Any piecethat has reach into your side of the board should be viewed with extremecaution. If you allow pieces to stick around, they can have long-termconsequences to your game play. } 6. Ndb5 { Instead of retreating I decideto invade a little deeper into Black's territory. A pair of mutually protectedknights is a good thing. } 6... d5 { A wrong move here can spell some problemsfor my side if I'm not careful. If I choose not to take the d5 pawn, thenhe can advance the pawn one space and force me to move my knight aroundwhile staking a strong claim to the center. However, I have three optionsat this point. I can take with the knight, take with the pawn, or movemy bishop to g5 to pin his knight against his queen, allowing me to movemy knight to the d5 square (provided he doesn't pin my own knight witha reciprocal Bb4). To avoid all of those pin issue, I prefer to take withthe e pawn. } 7. exd5 Nb4 { If black had decided to immediately retake withhis f6 knight instead, I would have won a knight in the process. Thisis an interesting response and I think is worthy of discussion. As thisnow stand black has three attackers and I have 2 defenders. I could potentiallymove my bishop to c4 to protect, but I see problems down that road. Withproper analysis though, black is potentially in trouble if I give a littlenudge. } 8. a3 { Now black has some poor options, and ultimately he movesthe b knight to retake the d pawn. If black had instead decided to moveto a6 I would have gotten a decent amount of advantage in development andcould have added more pressure to his exposed king, BUT it would have beenbetter than this move, which I will categorize as a mistake. } 8... Nbxd5 { ifinstead Na6... 9.Qe2Bd6 (to allow castle) 10.Nxd6+Qxd6 (to set up pressureand force an eventual queen trade) 11.f4Nd7 (bringing pressure and forcinga knight move to prevent a pawn fork) 12.fxe5Qxe5 13.Bf4Qxe2+ 14.Bxe2O-O 15.Bxa6bxa6 16.O-O And now black is only down a pawn, but I wouldhave three connected, passed pawns down the center of the board. } 9. Nxd5 { Black appears to have an advantage here and can regain his knight, however,my b5 knight has a nasty surprise waiting. } 9... Nxd5 10. Qxd5 { I believe thatthis move is not necessarily one that you would naturally see. Takingwith a queen and leaving it hanging begs it to be taken. } 10... Qxd5 11. Nc7+ { However the follow through to allow a queen/king split is damning. Notonly has black lost the ability to castle with a very exposed king, butnow he is down a knight as well. Not a good place to be if you're black. } 11... Kd8 12. Nxd5 Bf5 { Perhaps it might have been better to move the bishopto e6 and force me to move my knight? Moving the bishop to f5 invitesme to move my knight to the e3 square, protecting the c2 pawn and attackingthe bishop. } 13. Ne3 Bd7 { Again, I think that e6 would have been a betterspot for the bishop, then black could ahve moved Rc1 to put some pressureon my queenside. The other downside at this point is that I can potentiallypin his bishop against his king. } 14. Bd2 { Preparing for a queenside castle. } 14... f6 { Better to get rooks and bishops into play. } 15. O-O-O f5 16. Bc3 { Pinningthe bishop } 16... e4 { First priority should be to move the king away from thebishop pin to prevent my next move. } 17. Bb5 Kc7 18. Be5+ { Often timesplayers are keen to grab advantages where they can and will immediatelyretake or take the prize. Bringing additional pieces into the fray isoften of greater strategic value and should not be neglected. Do not throwaway the chance to grab a piece or retake just to gain position, but donot immediately retake or take because you can. Analyze the board andsee where you can smartly develop an attack. } 18... Kb6 { Not many good choicesleft. } 19. Bxd7 { Now the king is in a dangerous location, since I havefour pieces bearing down on his position, including two bishops. } 19... h5 { Abelated desire to get his rook into the game. Instead of moving pawnsin the early middle game, bring your pieces into the battle and try andconnect your rooks if possible. Now when Black's king is alone and nearlydefenseless, it is too late to try and build your defenses. } 20. Nd5+ Kc5 21. b4+ Kc4 22. Ne3# { Overall black started out well, but perhaps did notsee the value of the exchange. The big mistake was moving the pawn tod5. With proper play, the best response forward would have been 6.Ndb5d5 7.exd5a6 8.dxc6Qxd1+ 9.Nxd1axb5 10.cxb7Bxb7 11.Bxb5+ and nowblack is down 2 pawns, cannot castle, and has a very exposed king. Stillnot good, but better than the alternative I think. } 1-0
[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.09"] [Round "-"] [White "darkforce65"] [Black "maximusxmeridio"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1632"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1508"] 1. e4 { hello everyone, and today I will annotate a french exchange between2 C-B level players on GK. } 1... e6 { the french defence. In this opening,black will usually have strong central point on d5 that can last very long,but he will usually have trouble activating his light squared bishop. However,the exchange variation gives a symmetrical and very drawish position. } 2. d4 { THIS IS white's most common 2nd move choice. } 2... d5 3. exd5 { the exchangevariation. This is a great choice if one wishes to get a draw. White israted lower than his opponent, so this is a perfectly reasonable choice. } 3... exd5 4. Bd3 { Okay, but the best line by the book is 4.Nf3 Bg4! 5.Qe2ch!Qe7 6.Be3! when a draw is the most common result. I have played a thisline in a short game which followed 6...Qb4ch?! 7.Nc3 Qxb2?? 8.Bc1ch 1-0 U14 tournament, Me vs. D class player 2007. This is the most common beginner'strap in the exchange, and although I played this a long time ago, I rememberthis because it was so short and simple. } 4... Nf6 5. c3 { this is just likea rubenstein exchange variation in the caro-kann, except black's e pawnis gone in exchange for a c pawn. } 5... Bd6 { preparing castling } 6. Bg5 O-O 7. h3 { This is move has a purpose, denying black use of the g4 square forhis bishop, which he may try and play: Bg4-h5-g6, exchanging white's goodbishop. } 7... Re8+ { Black, who is ahead in development, may try c5 at somepoint before playing Nc6, trying to break down the opponent's pawn structure.However, this is just an idea to be implemented later maybe. } 8. Ne2 c6 { I don't like this because it impedes the black development. Black mayhave had a setup Be6, Nd7,Rc8,c5, but I don't see what c6 really does,as it denies the black knight a good square, and the d pawn can be wellprotected } 9. Qd2 Nbd7 { followed maybe by Nb6 } 10. O-O Qc7 { if black wantsa kingside attack, he will need more pieces. } 11. g3 { black had no immediatethreats. It is unnecessary and even bad to weaken the king like this, withoutdeveloping. } 11... b5 { I don't see black's plan, if he has one. Can someone tellme what they see? All I see is maybe a4, then b4, attacking the pawn chain. } 12. b4 { this leaves a c4 hole. } 12... a5 { black is going to get an open a filefor the rook. } 13. a4 axb4 14. cxb4 { now black can win a pawn. } 14... bxa4 15. Na3 { the knight really doesn't have prospects here, but I don't think whitewanted to lose another pawn with Nc3. } 15... Ne4 { the knight is excellently placedhere. } 16. Qe3 Ndf6 17. Bxe4 { now white gives up his good bishop to takeoff the e4 knight just to find that the f6 knight takes it's place. } 17... Nxe4 18. f3 { a really disgusting move, in my opinion, because of black's nextmove. } 18... Bxh3 { now black wins more material, and his position will stillbe better. } 19. fxe4 Rxe4 { black has 3 pawns for the piece, and white'skingside is shattered. } 20. Qf2 Bxf1 { now black will easily win. Whitegives up. } 0-1
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.11.24"] [Round "-"] [White "edude4"] [Black "setinight"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1170"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1157"] 1. e4 { I thought I'd annotate this short, aggressive game. Enjoy and pleaseleave comments! Thanks } 1... e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qd1 Nf6 5. Nc3 Qe7 { That move of Black's proves to be bad for him later on... } 6. f3 { I almostalways feel unsure about moving my bishop pawns but it was better than6. Bd3 } 6... d5 7. Nxd5 { At this point I expected an open game with a Queenexchange coming soon by ...Nxd5, 8. Qxd5 } 7... Qe5 8. Bf4 { I love playing aggressivelylike this } 8... Qxb2 { That was pointless } 9. Nxc7+ Ke7 10. Nxa8 Nd4 11. Bd3 b6 { he wants to continue pushing the attack on the queen side with Ba6, } 12. Ne2 { but I won't allow that... I'm going to force his knight out ofthe way to prevent him from taking the c pawn and taking my rook } 12... Nxe2 13. Bxe2 g6 { ??? } 14. Qd6+ { Hi!!! } 14... Ke8 15. Nc7# { # } 1-0
[Event "fiercequeen, crashing his nutz..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "3-sep-18"] [Round "-"] [White "fiercequeen"] [Black "eechezznut"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1312"] [TimeControl "3+10 blitz"] [WhiteElo "2059"] { some people, are just asking for it... } 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 { never a healthy idea... } 4. c4 Qd8 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. a3 { againstNb4... } 7... h6 { against nothing... } 8. Be2 a6 { the start, of a very wrong idea... } 9. O-O Be7 10. b4 b5 { here we go... } 11. cxb5 axb5 12. Bxb5 Qd7 { what? } 13. Ne5 { boink... } 1-0
[Event "Pen-y-ffordd2 v Pensby1 Board2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "09-03-2011"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles Higgie"] [Black "Dave Ashton"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "35in1h15m then15minsfinish"] 1. d4 { So I start with my usual } 1... Nf6 2. c4 { Still very normal } 2... c5 3. d5 { So into the Benoni-Benko systems. White has a slight space advantage.But will play his Bf8 to g7 and try to build up pressure along the longblack diagonal, combined with play on the Queen's side. White may try fora large break through in the centre and/or a king side attack. It is quiteunbalanced, which is why it is popular. According to the stats, 2.....c5leads to less draws and more wins for both White and Black. } 3... b5 4. cxb5 { So Dave goes for what the English-speaking world call the Benko Gambit,after Pal Benko, a Hungarian-American Grandmaster who provided many ofthe ideas. In other countries it is known as the Volga Gambit. Black givesup a pawn on the Queen side. The idea is to get open a and b files, whichcombined with the Bg7 can give overwhelming pressure on the Queen side.The advanatages of this system is that Black's initiative and pressurecan last well into the endgames and can continue even if a number of pieceshave been exchanged. It is also a relatively easy system to play for Black. } 4... a6 5. Nc3 { I prefer this to just falling in with Black's idea by takingthe second pawn. There are some interesting lines here, such as 5. Nc3axb5 6. e4 b4 7. Nb5 Nxe4 8. Qe2 (if Black moves the knight White has Nd6mate!) f5 9. f3 Ra5 10. fxe4 Ba6 11. exf5 Bxb5 12. Qh5+ g6 13. fxg6 Bg714. gxh7+ Kf8 with advantage to white. Zontakh, Andrey (2545) vs. Milanovic,Dani... (2420) and Sauleda Roig, J... (2152) vs. Fiol Company, J... (2189). Whitewon both games. } 5... d6 6. e4 { So I grab the centre, and give further protectionto my pawn on b5. } 6... g6 7. f4 { Hoping at some stage to be able to get ine5 and cause disruption to the Black set-up. } 7... Bb7 8. Nf3 { I find Bb7 abit odd. Bg7 looks so natural, and indeed, is the only move on the GameknotWorld Database. Nf3 is played to support an eventual e5. } 8... Bg7 9. Bd3 { Computerprefers bxa6 or Bc4 here. I did conside Bc4. I was a bit afraid of thebishop being hit by Nb8-d7-b6. } 9... O-O 10. O-O { Computer agrees with thesemoves and already thinks White has the upper hand. I was quite confidenttoo, but mindful of my previous 2 games, I was being careful not to getover-confident. } 10... axb5 11. Bxb5 { Computer agrees these are the best movesfor both sides. } 11... Qb6 12. Qe2 { Computer prefers Na6 for him and a4 for me.What we both missed was that Black can in fact play Nxe4 here. If Whitetakes the knight with the Queen, Black can exchange on c3 and then pickup the Bishop on b5, and if White recaptures the knight on e4 with hisknight then Black plays c4 which puts White in Check and then he can playQueen takes bishop next move. } 12... e6 13. dxe6 { Instead he tries to open thecentre, but he misses a tactic. } 13... fxe6 14. Ng5 { This is it! the Black epawn is hard to defend. } 14... d5 15. e5 { 14...d5 of course defends the e pawnwith his Queen, but this moves allows me to cut his Bg7 out of the game,gains a space advantage, and it is still hard for him to prevent losinga pawn. Computer actually likes 15. exd5. What do you think dear reader? } 15... Ne4 16. Ncxe4 { Rather than go into defensive mode, Dave decides to giveup a pawn. } 16... dxe4 17. Bc4 { This time I did see that if I took the pawn immediately,c4 would lose a bishop } 17... Bd5 18. Nxe4 { Computer actually prefers Rd1, butboth moves seem good to me. } 18... Nd7 19. Nd6 { Computer prefers Nc6 to Nd7 andstill likes Rd1. Certainly the knight on d7 doesn't seem to have many prospectsand comes under fire down the d file. I wanted to make sure that therewere no sacrifices on e5 - he may well have been loking at giving up apiece for 2 pawns on e5 to free his position. } 19... Qb4 20. Bxd5 { Now if hetakes back with the pawn, which is probably best, I was going to play Qg4hitting the knight on d7 and also with ideas of playing Qe6 check followedby Nf7 check, picking up the exchange. Computer actually prefers to followup with 21. Rd1 and thinks White has a decisive advantage, because after21. Qg4 Black has Qd4 check and if Kh1 Black can then take the pawn one5 with either knight or Queen, as there is a pin on the f4 pawn, and ifWhite captures on e5 there is Rf8xRf1 mate! Or if instead Rf2 Black hasNxe5 and there is still a pin on the f4 pawn. However Black decides tothrow in the Queen check immediately. } 20... Qd4+ 21. Be3 { He is getting hisbishop back, but helping my development. } 21... Qxd5 22. Rfd1 { Computer agreeswith these moves and says White has a decisive advantage. } 22... Qc6 23. Qc4 { I was originally going to play Qg4 with similar threats, but I thoughtthat this move kept more central control. I was wrong, Qg4 would have beenbetter, as now he finds a way of staying in the game. } 23... h6 24. Qxe6+ { Withthe Queen on g4 I would have been able to play Qxg6, but White is winningeasily. For the record, computer prefers 24. b4. What do you think dearreader? } 24... Kh7 25. Rac1 { Mobilising my reserves....computer actually prefersQe7 } 25... Rae8 26. Qh3 { Dave takes advantage of a pin on my knight, so if 26.NxR?? QxQ. Once again I have the chance to win two rooks for the Queenwith 26. QxR, RxQ 27. NxR, but I decided this was better. } 26... Ra8 27. Nc4 { Computer actually prefers e6 and afterwards I was thinking that b4 mayhave been better. I think they all win! } 27... Rxa2 28. Rxd7 { After the gameDave confessed he just didn't see this move. Computer prefers the Queencapture. } 28... Rf5 29. Rd6 { Rf45 threatened my rook of course. } 29... Qa4 30. Rxg6 { A nice move to play! } 30... Kxg6 31. Qg4+ { Regaining the rook. } 31... Kh7 32. Qxf5+ { White is winning easily. Computer wants to resign this position. } 32... Kg8 33. Nd6 { Computer prefers e6 and is probably right. } 33... Ra1 34. Qf7+ { Blackis making one last bid.... } 34... Kh8 35. Nf5 { Threatening mate! } 35... Rxc1+ 36. Bxc1 { Black has just a few spite checks. } 36... Qd1+ 37. Kf2 { Black could resign here. } 37... Qc2+ 38. Kg3 Qd3+ 39. Be3 Bxe5 40. fxe5 { and Black finally resigns. Thanksfor reading my annotation. Don't forget to leave comments and to rate myannotation, to let me know how I am doing! Until next time..... } 1-0
[Event "More final analysis on Two Knights..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "june 2012"] [Round "-"] [White "vonbonkagain"] [Black "marjan36"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1863"] [TimeControl "blitz 5m+10s"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { I have been accused a lot, of only taking on weaker players... This mightbe true; this one is dwelling around 1900... Maybe I should take on somebody,better suiting my own size... Mind you, this is blitz... So no nifty comments,on how this could have been better; I already covered that... Just gazein awe... You know, what I mean... } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 { As always, the Blackburnevariation... } 8... Bd7 { Not too strong... Better 8. ... Qd5 9. Qxd5 Nxd5 10.Be2 h6 11. Ne4... } 9. Be2 Be7 { Slightly better, is 9. ... Bd6, to hinderwhite's next move... } 10. Qg3 e4 { This might well be the losing move...The position is screaming for 10. ... 0-0 11. d3 c5 12. 0-0 Nc6 13. c3... } 11. Nc3 Bf5 12. Qe5 { Gross loss of tempo, for black, but probably forced...After 12. ... Bg6 13. Ngxe4 0-0 14. d3 Re8 15. Qg3, matters are bad enoughas it is... After 15. ... Nxe4 16. Nxe4 Nc4 17. 0-0 Nd6 18. Bf3, whitewins the opening... } 12... Qd7 { I have to apologize for black... He (or she,in this game) did not find the right move... Did this game really happen?Ask my opponent... } 13. Qxa5 { A clean execution... Black resigns... Anddo not dare mock my opponent, for being weak... I am simply stronger... } 1-0
[Event "Maybe the Taimanov Sicilian isn't for me"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.10.12"] [Round "-"] [White "rollingpawn"] [Black "chuckbo"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "2004"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2055"] 1. d4 e6 { I'm practicing playing e6 against the Queen's Gambit, planningto move into the Dutch without having to deal with the Staunton Gambitor the Bg5 opening. } 2. e4 { And so far, White usually is willing to transposeto a French opening. } 2... c5 { But I don't know the French, except for the first3 or 4 moves that I learned from a PBS show on the Spassky-Fischer matchback in the early 70s (and I went to my first tournament ready to playBlack with that information). So I'm investigating the Sicilian in thisposition -- probably the Taimanov variation since that uses e6 insteadof d6. } 3. d5 { And d5 is what I've prepared for as the most difficult drawbackto the plan. } 3... exd5 4. exd5 d6 { I can't afford to let him play d6 and lockin my bishop. } 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 { But this doesn't feel totally unplayable,either. I'll have to deal with a dark-colored bishop that has limited scopeat first, but I don't feel at risk. } 7. a4 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. h3 { UsuallyI hate to play a3 or h3 before the knight or bishop come to g4 (or b4),but that's probably a good move here. I was planning Ng4 to let my bishopout, and I would've looked at moving the knight to e5 if he chased it awaywith h3 (and my bishop would still be unblocked). } 9... Na6 { So he's not goingto trade on d7 and let my knight recapture. I decided that I'm not soworried about Bxa6 and doubling my pawns. They won't be that easy to attack,and I'll use the b-file for my rook. } 10. Bf4 Nb4 { But no sense in justletting the knight sit on the edge forever. So will he use Nc3 to get theknight out and protect the pawn, or will he retreat the bishop to c4? Thegood thing about Nc3 for me is that my knight becomes safe from pawns.I'm looking at Bf5 to put more pressure on his c-pawn and it gives my pawnon d6 more protection. If he plays Nc3, I wonder if I can risk a6 and cutoff my knight's retreat and then b5. I haven't looked at that in depthyet, but it looks like to win the pawn on b5 (attacked by the pawn on a4,a knight, and a bishop), I would get the pawn on d5. Lots of possibilities. } 11. Bc4 Bf5 12. c3 Na6 { I figured he'd have to retreat eventually. Next,he'll probably head for c7 if i'm willing to cut off my queen from b6. } 13. Na3 Nc7 14. Bb3 a6 { I think he's moving the bishop out of the way sohe can play c4 to protect that pawn better. I'm making plans to challengethe pawn on c4 by playing b5. } 15. c4 Qd7 { He sure has clamped down onb5. I play Qd7 to support b5 if I want to use that at some time. It alsolets me sacrifice on h3 if that looks helpful. I have to remember thatthe Q is guarding the B on e7 if he plays Re1. I recognize this as a verydefensive position for both of us. I want to start playing to prevent himfrom getting an edge (more than expecting to find a wonderful tactic).I'll use IMPLODES+K to assess this position. I (initiative) - I've gota little initiative if either of us do, but I don't think I have an edge.M (material) - even P (Pawn structure) - probably even. We both have abackward pawn to protect. L (Lines) - even. Our bishops on f4 and f5 controlsome lines, and my Q is a little more useful in this regard than his. ButI expect to see Rc2 eventually. Whichever of us ends up controlling thee-file gets the big advantage here. I can imagine Re8 being my next move.O (Officers - knights & bishops) - looks even. We both have a knight anda bishop that are out of play, but I think his knight can get into thegame easier than mine. De (Development) - even S (Space) - White's gotthe advantage here. King Safety - even Looks like White has a slightedge with more opportunities to improve his position than I do. } 16. Re1 Rfe8 { There are really two moves I'd like to make. This is one of them,because I can't move my queen otherwise (I keep looking at Bxh3). The othermove is b6. In fact, I messed up -- must be getting too late. I had plannedon Re8, then I started worrying about him playing a5. As it stands, hecan't move his knight from a3 because I'm ready to play b5, but if he playsa5 first, then I've got to deal with the en passant threat. That's whatI'd decided to move on the analysis board, then I returned to the realboard and made the other move. So now I just have to wait and hope he doesn'tplay a5. } 17. a5 Qc8 { I thought of playing b6 last move (to stop a5), butI'd underestimated how dangerous it is. He threatens Ba4 to win the exchange,and if I try to block with b5, he takes it en passant with an attack onthe knight. And looking at Bxh3, it doesn't seem to go anywhere becausehe can block with Bg3 } 18. Nc2 { I was worried that he was going to playRxe7, followed by Bxd6 and Bxc5. Maybe I'll have to play Ne5 to block it. } 18... Ne4 19. Ba4 { That's a strong move. The only options I think I have areBd7 (which loses the knight), Bxh3 (and I can't get that to work), andRd8 (which I really don't like, but I don't see another choice). } 19... Rd8 20. Ne3 { Again, nothing looks good here. I've got to give up the idea of Bxh3and retreat it to g6. White still has a better position, though, way betterplaced pieces. } 20... Bg6 21. Bc2 Re8 { I've sure got lots of pieces under attack... or about to be under attack. } 22. Nf1 Nf6 23. Ba4 Nd7 { Looks forcedto me. } 24. Qd2 Rb8 25. Rxe7 Rxe7 26. Bxd6 Re4 27. Ne3 f6 { Not thrilledwith this move but I don't want him to get a knight into the attack ong5 and make my rook retreat, too. (It's not as if my rook has all thatmany squares to sit on.) } 28. Bxd7 Qxd7 29. Bxc5 { Gameknot says we're even,but I know that I'm really behind (but not by much). Knights and bishopsare really worth 3.25 pawns, and a rook is worth 5 pawns. But, positionally,I'm worried about that passed pawn. If I want to blockade it, I'm lookingat Ne8 and then Nd6, except he can play Qb4 to prevent it. Another moveI'm looking at is Bf7 so it can have an effect on the center, but I reallylike that it's protecting the rook for now. My rook on e4 doesn't havea better square to go to, and it threatens to get behind his pawns at somepoint, and I've got nowhere better at all to put that queen. Then there'sthat rook at b8 which really isn't doing anything there. So let's moveit to a better square, either d8 or c8. } 29... Rc8 30. b4 Rce8 31. Rc1 Bf7 32. Nd4 Bg6 { So I have to worry about Re1 or d6. Let's evaluate: Initiative- White's ahead Material - White's ahead Pawn structure - even (orWhite's ahead) Lines - White's ahead (because of his control ofthe c5-f8 diagonal) Officers - White's ahead ('officers' refers to whoseknights & bishops are better placed) DEvelopment - even Space -White's ahead King Safety - even } 33. Rc3 f5 34. Nf1 { So the knight'sgoing to g3 next to fork the rook and the pawn. I can put the rook on e4,but it's not a good position for me, especially after he plays d6. Thesegames are making me feel so tired; I feel like I'm on the wrong end ofevery game I'm playing. } 34... Nxd5 { I want to play Re1, but after d6, my knight'sgoing to have to go to a8 and never be heard from again. I might as welluse it to take out two pawns instead of just banishing it. } 35. cxd5 Qxd5 36. Nf3 Qxd2 37. N1xd2 Rd8 38. Nxe4 { What? I know I'm playing lots of gamesall of a sudden, but I just gave away my rook? I said that I got a highrating, for a large part, because I never timed out or made ridiculouslystupid moves — and now I've thrown away pieces in two games in a row. Sorry,team. }
[Event "expiernce vs youth "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "opponent"] [Black "thereaper1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1072"] [WhiteElo "1560"] { I'm currently playing in a club tournament but playing in the 'A grade'section which is actually full of people rated between 1500 and 1725 sowith my rating of 1072 I am expected to score a big fat 0 however I havebeen rapidly improving lately especially with my OTB play so my ratinghasn't had the chance to cacth up with me. Already I missed a draw againstthe second seed in round one and missed a win and scored a draw in roundtwo. So this was my first win so far, hopefully one of many upsets to come. } 1. c4 { The game was quite an interesting positional struggle. with anodd sort of prison occuring around my king. My opponent for this game ismeant to be a very expierenced dangerous player however he does have atendancy to play slightly to fast and is notourios for making these horrificblunders, one such won me this game however there was some intersting playbefore that. } 1... c5 { The symmetrical english, I have played this a coupleof times now from blacks perspective and am starting to really enjoy it.During this game black (myself) played something of a very hypermodernstyle by allowing my opponent to overextend and then take advantage ofthe weaknesses later. } 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 Nc6 { Normally I would just playBg7 however this time I played this instead. } 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. e3 { preparingthe thematic d pawn push. Here I decided on a whim to try something a littledifferent from the norm. } 5... Ne5 { !? This came from some of my limited expierencefrom playing white in the english system. I often found a few times thatby waiting too long for the d pawn push I began having problems when blacktook advantage of the hole created on d3. This move although it violatesthe principle that one should avoid moving a piece more than once in theopening does force whites hand. I think the loss of tempi is justifiedas it forces white to play in a way he is unfammilier with. } 6. d3 { Practicallyforced. } 6... Nf6 7. f4 { ?! very agressive. I suspect my oponent is underestimatingme in this game. I'm young and my only expierence playing this opponenttendid to be when I was still very new to chess. Now I'm starting to developsomething of an appreciation for positonal play so although far from beinggood I'm slowly learning how to take advantage of some weaker moves myopponents occasionally play. As white I think I would be considering insteadmoves like Ne2, Nf3, or maybe even b3. This move however is not that badwhen it comes down to it. } 7... Nc6 { The only other square being g4 and Ididn't like the idea of playing my knights over to the king side. blackneeds to remain flexible in this position. } 8. Nf3 b6 { I decided to playa restrained sort of game, once again as well this comes from expierenceplaying the english, I often had troubles when my opponents opposed myKing side fianchettoe as well as that I noticed that black doesn't do toobadly in some of the games I have seen in the symmetrical english. } 9. O-O Bb7 { I think it's usually best to complete a fianchetto as soon aspossible when you start one. } 10. Nh4 { The only reason white would playthis move is he intends to play the f pawn foward. It's not a plan I wouldhave chosen as white but I supose everyone has there own styles, besidesit's consistent with whites play so far, what with the f pawn thrust before.Other moves that may have been sensible were e4 since the d pawn cant makeits advance and must become backward then perhaps the e pawn will be theone to make its way foward. b3 planning to use the LSB on the a1-h8 diagonaland Re1 both seem to be potential ideas } 10... Rb8 { ?! intended to give supportto my b7 bishop and allow my knight to move should it be worthwhile, probablythis was a waste of time. Had I given some thought to the reason behindmy opponents previous move I may have have made the more logical move e6which prevents any advance my my opponents f pawn as well as preparinga potential d pawn thrust. It would also make my opponents previous movelook silly. } 11. f5 { well with Nh4 not much else would make any sense. } 11... Ne5 { Hoping to get rid of whites LSB. Perhaps 0-0 or e6 should have beenplayed instead. } 12. e4 { This was probably going to occur at some stageanyway, however now boths sides plans are becoming slightly more clear.Black intends to make use of the a1-h8 diagonal and maybe plant knightson d4 and e5 via d6-Nd7-Nde5 and the knight curently on e5 will go backto c6 to aim for d4. white it seems plans to press blacks position andsee if he can drum up some form of attack. White should be able to makegood use of the nice diagonal c1-h6 and maybe even look to trade DSB. } 12... O-O { This or else d6. possibly even Nc6. I think the move I made wascorrect. } 13. Bf4 { Since I cant move the knight this seems alright. IfI was to play d6 then Bxe5!? would be worth looking at for white the pointbeing that Bxe5 dxe5 seems to be bad for black. } 13... Nh5 { So I made thismove almost instantly. White cant trade the bishop for the knight. I neverconsidered trying to get a knight to e3. What does the reader think? wouldNg4 (either knihgt) have been worth looking into? } 14. Be3 Nc6 { playingto plant a knight on d4. } 15. g4 { ?! Very provocative, and probably alittle weakning. } 15... Nf6 16. h3 Qc7 { The b8-h2 diagonal is significanlystronger, playing this plays on that diagonal. Possibly should have playeda6 first to prevent Nb5 } 17. Qd2 { Good move by white, it threatens toexchange DSB which black cant afford. I mentioned before that this wasa good diagonal for white and this emphasise that fact. } 17... Rfe8 { in orderto keep control over the long diagonal. Now if white plays Bh6 I can justdrop my bishop back to h8. } 18. Bf4 { Black was going to play d6 anywayso perhaps this move was unwise. Instead Bh6 or maybe exchanging pawnscould have been played for this and the last few moves. } 18... d6 19. Ne2 { This move baffles me a bit. What was whites plan? Instead of this Bh6,Nf3 to give some extra control over e5 or possibly even exchanging withfxg would be better, they would actually be part of a plan at any rate. } 19... Nd7 { Puts two more pieces on e5. It also prepares to land the knightthere. } 20. Bh6 Bh8 21. Nf4 { I didn't quite know what to think at thispoint. white has a lot of pieces around my king, does he have an attack?I dont know. I chose to continue with my own plans by making use of allthese squares I have worked so hard to create. } 21... Nde5 22. g5 { At thispoint I realised that the whites king side advance had effectvly been halted.With the kingside practially shut down its time for black to swicth andstart pushing himself, but on the queen side where black seems to havebetter prospects. } 22... a6 23. a3 { ?! I'm not quite sure what this move accomplishes.white should probably make something happen on the kingside. } 23... Nd4 { Blackwas eventually going to move here anyway but now it also threatns a fork. } 24. Rab1 Bc6 { I was slightly unsure how to proceed here, I thought bydoing this I might be able to somehow find a better use for my LSB thanwhat its doing right now. } 25. Nd5 { A good square for the white knight. } 25... Qc8 { I decided upon this square by rationalisng that this was the mostpromosing diagonal for the queen. Also it prepares to push e6. My LSB isn'tgoing to be of much use this game so possibly I should have exchanged itfor the knight. } 26. f6 Bxd5 27. cxd5 { interesting choice of recaptureby white. Which one was best here? I'm not too sure. } 27... e6 { I had a goodlong think at this point in the game. I was trying to decide between exf6or this move. I thought exf plans to make a target of whites f pawn howeverit frees his DSB yet leaves mine still very uninfluential. Thus I decidedon this move. Now both players are effectivly playing without dark squarebishops. For that matter as well my king could probably have no betterprotection from any middle game attacks. Though this move has plenty ofdown sides as well which I will outline later. } 28. dxe6 Qxe6 29. Kh2 { I assume white was using his king to protect the h3 pawn. However thissquare is really a very poor square for the white king. } 29... Qb3 { targetingthe weak d pawn. Blacks position seems quite nice at the moment, certaitnlyit's easy to play since it has clear plans as well as that black has thosegreat knights in the centre, strong quuenside pawns and whites pieces seemuncordinated and kind of not doing much on the kingside. } 30. Rfd1 Ra8 { Incase the a file ever were to open. it also clears the b8 square formy other rook and allows Ra7 where I can choose to double rooks if I everchoose to. } 31. Rbc1 Qb5 32. Rc3 a5 { I probably played this to give myqueen a6. } 33. Qf2 { What was this move all about? perhaps the readerhas ideas about why white may be doing this, does it somehow prepare tostart moving the kingside pieces over to the queen side? in my opinionwhite needs to move the king in order to do that. Blacks knights are doinga really good job of keeping whites position under raps. } 33... Ra7 { gettingmy rook out of line from the LSB as well as allowing a double up at somepoint. } 34. Nf3 { ?? It's almost a shame for white to end the game so suddenlywith this blunder. When there was so much play still left in it. How doesthe reader evaluate the position had white not blundered? To me it is veryinteresting. It seems on the surface that black is much better. He hasthese strong knights much easier play especially on the queenside wherehe can slowly advance the pawns and white right now is full of weaknessesand whites pieces are uncordinated inactive and will take a very long timeto be made use of. However it seems to me that white has some good longterm prospects with some accurate play. the key being that if white canget to an endgame he will be practially won. With blacks king completelyout of play black would be effectivly a piece down since come endgame thekings become very useful attacking pieces, as well as that black will havea permanant back rank weakness. However it is difficult to achieve thisand would require some very precise moves from white to make use of thesefeatures. } 34... Nexf3+ 35. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 36. Qxf3 Qxb2+ { Well this was an interestinggame and a good result for me, I'm interested to see how the reader evaluatessome of the positions in this games especially near the end. } 0-1
[Event "Vulnerable king (just 14 moves!)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "time limited"] [Round "-"] [White "Akif"] [Black "Sarat hun"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1480"] [TimeControl "limited: 20/3"] [WhiteElo "1560"] 1. e4 { the game displays the benefits of early development and the supremacyof active pieces the game was played under time limits which resultedin some bad moves that made possible this fine attacking game :) } 1... e5 { kingspawn game(evergreen opening ), the most common opening but a good onetoo } 2. Nf3 Qf6 { greco defense the black queen aims for the f2 pawn andhis intentions become quite clear in the coming moves when the dark squarebishop is also applied to this diagonal } 3. Bc4 { i too am aiming for thesame thing, f7, the counterpart of f2 on black's king side :) } 3... Bc5 { tryingto hold an important diagonal which can be dangerous once i am castled } 4. Nc3 { developing my pieces } 4... c6 { providing a base to place the d7pawn at d5 to scare my bishop away } 5. d4 { blocking the diagonal for theblack's bishop } 5... exd4 6. Bg5 { one important point in chess is quick development,i am mobilizing my pieces and at the same time pushing black to waste hismoves by moving his queen this is one disadvantage of early queen out } 6... Qg6 7. Ne2 { the obvious retreat coz i can't take the pawn but now i'vethree forces on the pawn } 7... h6 { pushing the bishop backwards } 8. Bf4 Qxg2 { Qxg2 !? the move apparantly sounds good coz i've both my rook and theknight at f3 under black queen's attack, my king side is ruined i am aboutto lose a piece but at the same time opens a line for my rook i had tolose a piece anyway so i tried to balance it by taking a pawn and at thesame time depriving black off castling } 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 { the black king isexposed now and i can now use my active pieces and the open line for therook more affectively } 10. Ne5+ Ke6 11. Rg1 Qxe4 { capturing another pawnand taking a lead of 5 points i must attack or i'll lose in the longrun } 12. Rg6+ Kd5 { the black must be confused or probably relaxed coz itdoesn't make any sense to keep moving your king against the enemy lines the consequences are too devastative } 13. f3 Qf5 { the only square leftfor the queen i am still a piece and two pawns down but all of my piecesare active while the black's pieces are resting in their squares, so itsnot just the pieces that matter, its the ACTIVE pieces that matter! } 14. Nc3# { black checkmated :) though the game is only 14 moves but stillit could have been finished at 13th move which i missed at that time butit occured to me later, many of you might've noticed at the spot that atmove 13, instead of f3, c4 is checkmate right away! } 1-0
[Event "draw "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "3-23-12"] [Round "-"] [White "randy09"] [Black "water123"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1830"] [TimeControl "5 day"] [WhiteElo "2204"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 { i play the Orthodox } 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 c6 5. Bg2 Bd6 6. Qc2 { this guards c4 } 6... O-O 7. Nbd2 Nbd7 8. O-O e5 { ok i want to open upthe center! } 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nc4 { three hits on e5 } 10... Qe7 { its safe } 11. Nxd6 Qxd6 12. Rd1 exd4 13. Rxd4 Qe7 { he was going to go e4 winning my knight! } 14. a3 N7f6 15. e4 Nc7 16. Bf4 Ne6 17. Rc4 Nxf4 { doubled pawns! } 18. gxf4 Be6 19. Rd4 Rad8 20. Rad1 Rxd4 21. Nxd4 { he offered a draw i agreed! } 1/2-1/2
[Event "A Tight Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "16-Jul-08"] [Round "-"] [White "perovskit"] [Black "caro-kann"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1459"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1551"] 1. e4 { This is my first annotated game. I chose this game because I feltthat it really mentally exhausted me in not only trying to find the goodmoves, but also the very good ones. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. Bg5 { So far, so good (well, at least that's what I think)in this opening. } 6... d6 7. Nd5 { Darn! A mistake! If my knight on f6 is taken,no doubt I will have doubled pawns and an exposed g-file. My defences haveweakened. } 7... Be6 { At least I can try to get rid of his centre pieces as bestI can } 8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. c3 a5 { At this stage, I feel that my opponent iswinning. I still want to get rid of that Knight on d5, and also the Bishopprotecting it. } 10. a3 Ne7 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. b3 Bxc4 13. bxc4 { My short-termmission accomplished, but there's still the matter of centre control, withhis pawns advancing } 13... d5 { I feel that I can't keep holding on forever, thatI must relieve some pressure. A pawn for a pawn? } 14. cxd5 Bxa3 15. Qb3 { AhhH! Not a pawn for a pawn! A useful fork by the Queen } 15... Bc5 16. Qxb7 Rfb8 17. Qc6 Qd6 18. d4 { I must regain the pawn deficit. My focus shiftsto the pawn on b3, being undefended. } 18... Qxc6 19. dxc6 Bd6 20. d5 Rb3 { Thebeginning of my mounting pressure on the pawn } 21. c4 Rc3 22. Nd2 Bb4 { Iam now taking advantage of the fact that after the Rook moves away, theKnight will be pinned to the King. I exploit this by. . . } 23. Ke2 Rc2 { A different pin on the Knight. Of importance is also the fact that theKnight will require a Rook's help to defend it. However, this exchangeis actually what I need. Because. . . } 24. Rhd1 Bxd2 25. Rxd2 { The Knightwas the only defender of the c4 pawn. Now, I can reclaim my material disadvantage(though not my positional one) } 25... Rxc4 26. Ke3 Rc3+ 27. Rd3 Rc5 28. f4 { Wenow commence the beginning of the end - I attempt to defend what he throwsat me, he attempts to break through. } 28... Re8 { If 29. fxe5, I will play Rxe5with an aim of then f5 using the pin. } 29. g4 exf4+ 30. Kxf4 Kg7 31. h4 h6 { Here comes the charges } 32. h5 { Blocked by a wall, but for how long?That pawn formation is starting to look menacing } 32... Rc4 { A pawn for a pawn? } 33. Re3 Rc5 { Ok, then. But what now? } 34. Rea3 Ra8 { I don't want to exchangethat pawn. Although I obviously did not foresee it, it plays a large rolelater. } 35. Rd1 Rd8 36. Rad3 { Here comes the battering ram - will he crashthrough and take my kingdom? } 36... Kf8 37. d6 { His pawn is now almost through,with a Rook battery bearing down. However, he failed to realise the pawnwas protecting the c-6 pawn. } 37... Rxc6 38. Kf5 { Better not lose that pawneither, because his King on f6 means my King is stuck on the back rank. } 38... Kg7 39. dxc7 { The exchanges flow, the board clears of two Rooks. } 39... Rxd3 40. Rxd3 Rxc7 41. Rd6 { Now it is I who lose my material advantage, unlessI check with Rb5 . But I have a scheming trap in mind. } 41... Re7 { WIll he takethe bait? } 42. Rxf6 { Here goes! It's all about promoting that a-pawn. Ifmy pawn moves first, I'll promote. But also, without the Rooks, if hisKing goes onto the 6th rank, as is my aim, I also promote. } 42... Re6 43. e5 { And so, all that is left is to exchange, then walk my pawn to victory.. . } 43... Rxf6+ 44. exf6+ { CHECK??? Blast!! Now he moves first, and worse,my King is stuck for mobility. Ahhhh, my failure to see ahead clearly hascost me. } 44... Kf8 45. Ke4 { Well, if I can move my King far enough, I can takethe f-pawn, since my h-pawn will take the g-pawn if it attempts to protectit. But how to get his King away? } 45... a4 { By forcing his hand. Now, he hasto chase my Pawn, while his King moves to the opposite end of the board } 46. Kd3 a3 47. Kc2 a2 48. Kb2 a1=Q+ 49. Kxa1 Ke8 50. Kb2 Kd7 { Oh no! Ahorrible thought hits my head. What if he plays g5, I play hxg5, and hewaltzes his h-pawn to victory? Oh wait, by not exchanging, 51.g5 Ke6, Ican take the pawns. } 51. Kc3 Ke6 52. Kd3 Kxf6 53. Ke3 Kg5 { This is nowa draw, if he defends his pawn. } 54. Kf3 f5 55. gxf5 { Merely the formalitiesnow, } 55... Kxf5 56. Kg3 Kg5 { At this point a draw was agreed upon. Even withthe h-pawn, he simply moves his King to h1 and blocks my promotion. AsI wish to catch some sleep, I don't want to delay this any further. I found this game to be quite interesting, and would welcome all yourcomments. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Challenge from vkoval"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Apr-07"] [Round "-"] [White "rjastrz"] [Black "vkoval"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1771"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1783"] 1. e4 { Hello everybody :) This time I would like to present a game playedagainst my buddy vkoval, in which I will demonstrate how important it isto fully develop all of your pieces in the game. So, let's move on - hopeyou enjoy it! } 1... e6 { I usually start with an 'open' opening and this is atypical move my opponent is used to make against 1. e4. } 2. d4 { Movingon to French Defence, which is one of my most hated openings. I alwaysseem to fall into trouble in this one. } 2... d5 { Typical play by black. I usuallyplay 3. e5 to avoid the exchange variation, in which I do not see any goodattacking possibilities. } 3. e5 { As said. } 3... c5 { Again, a typical move. } 4. c3 { Secures d4. } 4... Qb6 { This move prevents white from activating it'sbishop, since b2 is under attack. } 5. Nf3 { As far, everything accordingto the book. I was expecting 5. ... Nc6, however, my opponent played differently. } 5... Ne7 { After this move I can develop my light-squared bishop. If vkoval hadplayed 5. ... Nc6, this would not be possible since the d4 pawn would beleft unguarded. } 6. Bd3 { This move also prevents 6. ... Nf5. } 6... Nec6 { What?Wasn't d8-d6 a better way to develop? I think so, and now black has losta tempo and blocked the c6 square with his other knight. } 7. Bc2 { Clearsthe path for the Queen to guard the d4 pawn. Also places the bishop strategicallyon a fully opened b1-h7 diagonal. } 7... Nd7 { Hmm... This move brings the secondknight into play, but blocks the path for the bishop as well. Morover,is there any place this knight could move on with the next move? Only toits origin square I guess. } 8. O-O { Castling brings the rook into play.My opponent is at least two moves from making a castle. } 8... Be7 { He preparesfor it nevertheless. } 9. b3 { This move unblocks white's dark squared bishop.It can now take an active spot on b2 or the c1-h6 diagonal. } 9... f6 { Purposeof this move by black is to bring the d7 knight into the game. } 10. exf6 { White takes, otherwise the center is lost. } 10... Nxf6 { Knight retakes and takesa good defensive spot. } 11. Bb2 { The bishop goes to b2 to secure the c3and d4 pawns. } 11... c4 { Hmm... again. This move doesn't bring much into black'sposition. White cannot take the pawn because of an unguarded bishop atb2. So, another piece is developed to attack the c4 pawn and force an exchange! } 12. Nbd2 { The second knight is developed. } 12... Na5 { This may look as a goodmove, but it has certain drawbacks. Notice, how poorly black's pieces aredeveloped on the queenside. Two of them are still on their starting spots,and the queen and the knight are being placed away from the center andplay a rather defensive role. } 13. Rb1 { The rook comes to the rescue, givinga safety net for the dark-squared bishop, guarding b3 and attacking thequeen. } 13... cxb3 { Black trades the pawn. } 14. axb3 { White retakes, creatinga strong pawn-chain on the queenside together with heavy guarding forcebehind it. } 14... Nc6 { Black's knight retreats. This move looses another tempoand doesn't bring any good for black's development. } 15. Re1 { The secondrook takes an active spot on the half-opened e-line. It also attacks theweakest black's pawn on e6. } 15... Nd8 { The knight increaes protection of thepawn, but look how far from the center black has to defend itself. } 16. h3 { Defensive move, preventing intrusion on g4 and leaving a safe spotfor the king. } 16... O-O { Castling at last. But on the sixteenth move! } 17. Ne5 { This move by white was easy to predict but hard to stop. The knight willbe very active and his other colleague will also rush to secure him. } 17... Nf7 { Willing to exchange knights. Of course white has no intention to do this. } 18. Ndf3 { Secures the other knight. Right now, whites's position looksquite stable and well developed, while black is making only defensive moves.Notice, that black's bishop and rook on the queenside have never moved! } 18... Qc7 { Increases preassure on e5 but leaves the e6 pawn practically unguarded. } 19. Qd3 { Now we're in for the big time. White's pieces have taken attackingpositions. If black's knight on f6 falls, white can mate black's king. } 19... Nd6 { Trying to occupy the e4 spot. This move however, leaves the g5 spotfor white's knight unguarded. } 20. Ng5 { Black is in all sorts of trouble.After 21. Nxh6 black's defense must fall. To prevent this, black triesto block the b1-h7 diagonal with his knights. } 20... Nfe4 { First knight goesinto action. } 21. Nxe4 { And falls. } 21... dxe4 { Clever move, but white has otherplans. } 22. Rxe4 { 22. Rxe4! White gives up a rook to open the diagonalfor the killer battery. Let's see how the game progresses. } 22... Nxe4 { Secondknight goes for the e4 spot. } 23. Qxe4 { And falls as well. Later afterthe game, we have discussed with vkoval that black could probably holdon (a little longer I guess, but who knows) by playing 23. ... g6 24. Nxg6Rf7 25. Ne5 Rg7. Black played something different... } 23... Rf5 { Another pieceblocks the path, however it can be easily removed. } 24. g4 { It looks likeit's curtains, however vkoval has other plans than quitting. } 24... Rxe5 { 24.... Rxe5! Nice move! It looks like black can get back into the play afterwhite kills the rook, but I have noticed that my pieces are developed reallynice and it is possible to end the game right now. I must admit, that duringthe last few moves I have encouraged vkoval (thanks!) to play on to showthat the mate is really a fact. } 25. Qxh7+ { Forces the king to f8. } 25... Kf8 { The only possible move. } 26. Bg6 { Black must now remove his bishop toprevent mate. } 26... Bc5 { It doesn't really matter if black moves his bishopalong the a3-f8 or the h4-d8 diagonal. White follows with the attack. } 27. Qh8+ { Forcing the king to e7. } 27... Ke7 { The only spot. } 28. Qxg7+ { Forcingthe king to move to the d line. Black will try to avoid moving to d6 becauseof dxe5 , leaving the queen unprotected. } 28... Kd8 { Black chooses to run tothe 8-rank. } 29. Qg8+ { White forces him back. } 29... Ke7 { Black goes back torank 7. } 30. Qe8+ { Again, black has two choices - d6 or f6 spots. Eitherone is bad. } 30... Kd6 { Black chooses d6. } 31. dxe5+ { On with the plan. } 31... Kxe5 { The rook comes into play. } 32. Re1+ { 32. c4 was also possible, but blackcould hide his king with 32. ... Bd4. } 32... Be3 { Blocks the check. } 33. c4+ { Let's check again. } 33... Kd6 { Mate is close. Hang on just a little more! } 34. Rd1+ { Another check, black decides to give up and not to block the checkwith his bishop. } 34... Kc5 { Last move made by black's king. } 35. Qb5# { The gameends with white checkmating black. All of white's pieces played a rolein this attack, while most of black's resources were left untouched andplayed a static role. So, remember to develop your pieces!!! Many thanksfor vkoval for his patience in the final stages of the game. Dzieki stary:) } 1-0
[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.02.25"] [Round "-"] [White "ravipo2016"] [Black "lake-bay"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1438"] [WhiteElo "1221"] 1. e4 e5 2. d3 { This move just blocks white's LSB } 2... Nf6 3. Bg5 Bc5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3 { I don't understand moves like this, it just robs the knightof its natural square. } 5... h6 6. Be3 Bb6 { A useful trick I learned from Fiercequeen... } 7. Bxb6 axb6 { Opening the a file... } 8. Nbd2 d6 9. Nc4 Bg4 10. h3 Bxf3 { It looks like we are heading into a cramped middle game. Knights willbe doing the action... } 11. Qxf3 O-O 12. O-O-O { ? } 12... Rxa2 { Delicious! } 13. Kc2 b5 14. Na3 b4 15. cxb4 Nxb4+ 16. Kb3 c5 { Entrenching my knight... } 17. d4 Qa5 18. Bb5 Ne8 { My knight is headed into action... } 19. Ra1 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Nc7 { Here I missed that he might play Nc2!! } 21. Qd1 { (whew!) } 21... Nxb5 22. Nxb5 Qxb5 23. Ra4 { My knight is still safe... } 23... c4+ { Pushing forward... } 24. Ka3 Nc6 25. d5 Nd4 { My knight is a powerhouse now... } 26. Rb4 { ?? } 26... Ra8+ { Bringing my rook into action with a tempo... } 27. Qa4 { This leadsto mate! } 27... Rxa4+ 28. Rxa4 Qb3# { There you have it. Until next time... } 0-1
[Event "Please Give Advice, Big comeback"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.04.22"] [Round "-"] [White "modernmisfit"] [Black "dwillv"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "889"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. g4 e5 { In this game, I am black. My Opponent isn't very good and Iknow a fair amount of chess, so I have a clear advantage in that department. I still make dumb mistakes and don't see everything though, so I am puttingthis game up so that I can get some advice. Also I make a pretty hugeblunder and come back successfully due to my opponent making many mistakes. Any pointers will help, so please comment. } 2. Bg2 Nf6 { I am going a standardopening while my weaker opponent goes a more... unorthodox route. } 3. g5 Ng4 { I overdevelop my knight here, which causes me to soon lose it. } 4. h3 d5 { I need to defend my knight somehow, and I personally thought thismove gives me more center control than f5 or h5. Also I didn't want toweaken my kingside since I was planning on castling there. } 5. hxg4 Bxg4 { This exchange was not optimal, and against a stronger player I may havebeen lost right here, but I have more central control while my opponenthas made no attempt at developing his pieces at all. } 6. f3 Bc8 7. Nc3 d4 8. Na4 b6 { in hindsight, b5 may have been better, but pawn play is oneof my weakest points in chess and I don't see how this is a bad move. } 9. c3 Bd7 10. c4 b5 11. cxb5 Bxb5 12. Nc5 Bxc5 { My opponent didn't haveto move his knight, but it sure does help me. } 13. e3 O-O { A quick analysisshows that, at this point, I am clearly winning. I have more control ofthe center and queenside and most of my minor pieces are developed. Also,My major pieces are beginning to develop as well. Hindsight tells me thatI should've played Nc6 first before castling or captured the lone pawnon g5, but I felt like playing it safe. } 14. Bh3 Qxg5 { I capture the pawnanyway since my opponent failed to defend it } 15. exd4 exd4 { His king isnow wide open. I get excited and start planning an attack. } 16. f4 Qxf4 17. a4 Bc6 18. Ne2 Bxh1 { This is my big blunder. I was completely obliviousto the knight attacking my queen. Moving the queen or playing Re8 would'vebeen so much better. However, I was still far ahead, and what good isit being a queen up if you don't have yours in an advantageous position. } 19. Nxf4 Re8+ 20. Kf1 d3 { Another mistake on my part, I don't know whatI was thinking. Advice on a better move here would help. } 21. Nxd3 Bd4 22. Nf4 Nc6 { I finally start taking advantage of my early game developmentby bringing out my major pieces sooner than he brings out his. } 23. Ra3 Bc5 24. Rc3 Bd4 25. Rc4 Re4 { I feel as if my play here wasn't optimal,more advice here please. } 26. Nd3 Rae8 { doubling my rooks to prepare foran attack, but another huge blunder ensues. } 27. Rxc6 Re1+ { ... If onlythat knight wasn't there, this move would've been so much better. My analysismissed the knight, so my plan was to capture the queen and rook for 2 rooksand end up even in material, but that isn't the case. } 28. Nxe1 Bxc6 { Evenexchanges are terrible when you're losing. I really need to pay more attentionsometimes. } 29. b4 a6 30. Nc2 Ba7 { My opponent, while up in material, isnot taking advantage of it. His queen and black bishop have not movedsince the start. This game would have been completely different otherwise. } 31. d3 Re5 32. Bf4 Re7 { I quickly lose the momentum I just got back, butmy opponents lack of development hurts him since he can't easily take advantageof it. } 33. Bc8 h6 { My opponent clearly is trying to focus on my queensidepawns, which I admit are very vulnerable. I take advantage of it by developingmy kingside pawns. Once again, my pawn game isn't the best so I don'tknow if h6 was the best move for this. } 34. Bxa6 Re6 35. Bc4 Rf6 { My opponentfalls for my pin, and I am soon going to win the bishop pair, an advantagewhich will prove decisive. } 36. Ke1 Rxf4 37. Ba6 Bxa4 38. Qa1 Bc6 { Shouldhave captured the knight. } 39. Qc3 Rf6 40. d4 g5 { Now I start pushing mypawns forward mainly to get them promoted, but even if that fails I shouldbe able to get into a more advantageous position than the one I'm in rightnow. } 41. b5 Bg2 42. Ne3 Be4 { My opponent really wants to get rid of mybishop pair. } 43. Qxc7 Bxd4 { trading away my queenside pawn, but now Ineed something else to defend against his passed pawn. However, that pawnnever comes into play because my opponent never uses it. } 44. Nd1 Kg7 { movingmy king forward to protect against any counter play with his queen. } 45. b6 Bxb6 { We can't have that pawn promoting can we? } 46. Qc4 Bg6 47. Qb4 h5 { At this point my opponent is playing cat and mouse, but he should reallybe focusing on defending against my pawns. } 48. Nc3 Bf2+ { Applying pressureand hoping for the mistake that is Kf1 since the queen would then be wonby ...Bc5. } 49. Kd1 { A better move, in my analysis, would've been Ke2 justto keep the king active. All of his pieces are placed defensively rightnow when they should be attacking or stopping my pawns. } 49... h4 50. Bb5 Bh5+ { Forcing the king even further away and preparing to defend the g pawn. } 51. Kc1 g4 52. Nd1 g3 { If he captures my bishop here my pawn promotes orhis queen is lost. Totally worth sacrificing the bishop pair. } 53. Qxh4 { My opponents best move in a while. I really had to think about what Iam going to do next, but the next move was actually pretty obvious aftershort analysis. } 53... g2 { I threaten to promote my pawn, and by now it is unstoppableas the bishop is defending the queening square. } 54. Nxf2 { Of the two capturesavailable, this is the worst. Now, not only do I promote my pawn, butit also puts his king in check. Qxh5 would still let me queen my pawn,but this move lets me get momentum as well. } 54... g1=Q+ 55. Kb2 { Nd1 would havebeen better. It is all downhill from here for my opponent. } 55... Qxf2+ { Winsthe exchange after 56. Qxf2 Rxf2+. Victory is within my grasp. } 56. Kc3 { And this just makes it easier. Even though he was already lost, thismove by white is so much worse than Qxf2. I have no idea what my opponentwas thinking. } 56... Qxh4 { And the rest is history. } 57. Bd7 Rf3+ 58. Kd2 Qh2+ 59. Ke1 Qg2 60. Bc6 Rf1# { Once again, I would like to ask for any adviceon how I could improve my game, other than the obvious 'don't lose yourqueen in the beginning' since I already know of that one. } 0-1
[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.20"] [Round "-"] [White "mokru"] [Black "esnsi"] [Result "1-0"] { Too many Queen moves. } 1. c4 { I read a little from a book called DeviousChess last night, and its claims that the less trodden paths are more funtempted me. This game is at times very unsound, but it was interesting. } 1... e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 { All standard fare. } 3... Qe7 4. Nc3 Ng4 5. d3 Qc5 6. Be3 { My first misstep. } 6... Qb4 { His greed would be better served by 6...Nxe3 7.fxe3Qxe3. White is uncomfortable but OK. } 7. Bd2 Qc5 8. e3 { It is black'smoves which prove less trodden over-all, but he seems better served bystandard fares. Black rarely can attack without consideration of materialand position unless white commits some misstep, but he continues to press,prod, and poke sniffing at white's defenses. } 8... d6 9. Nge2 Nxf2 10. Kxf2 Bg4 11. Bxb7 { The crucial capture. White gives up some control along thediagonal, but his white squares are strong. } 11... e4 { interesting. 12.Bxe4difuses much of Black's attack, but it does so at the expense of the rookcapture. } 12. Nxe4 Qf5+ 13. Nf4 { 13...g5 is easily countered, but 13...h6and 14...g5 probably not so much. } 13... Bxd1 { I wish I could claim that thiswhole process was well thought out, but the game had rather quick timecontrols. As it is, it works out. } 14. Raxd1 { And white holds a slenderbut real advantage. } 14... c6 { Understandable. Black would like the trade tobe (-2)+5+1-3=+1 and nearly a subsequent theoretical equality. The onlyproblem is white has considerable freedom on when and if to capture thec6 pawn. Additionally should black survive to material equality, he willhave fewer strong attacking pieces. Black must survive and prove his equalityin the endgame. White also eyes the d6 square and would love the f8 bishopto simply vanish. } 15. Bxa8 d5 16. Nc3 { White cannot mobilize with enoughspeed to prevent a pawn on d5. The square is not the best move for theknight; it is the only move. } 16... dxc4 { Best is 16...g5 which keeps the pressureon white. The play is interesting, but black is beginning to feel ratherunderdeveloped. There are several interesting lines for rapid play. Perhaps16.Ncxd5 cxd5 17.Bxd5? } 17. dxc4 { The rook is now given more scope. } 17... Bd6 { I still think that g5 is called for. The pin cannot last. } 18. e4 { Thewhite knight is gone should black desire, which apparently he does not,so white offers harrassment of the black queen. Black has fewer piecesin play and white likes the situation. } 18... Qc5+ { Stronger, but prone to moreimmediate harrassment is Qf6 maintaining the pin. } 19. Be3 { The pawn ispoison. It's capture looses a bishop and allows white to centralize rooks. } 19... Qxc4 20. Rxd6 O-O 21. Rhd1 { Black is losing though not lost. Black hasfew quality moves to choose from. His poor knight cannot move becausehe has committed it to preventing the bishop's escape. This may seem likeWhite is effectively down 3 more points because the Bishop lacks scope,but Black is down the knight as long as he traps the piece. } 21... Qb4 22. Bxc6 { Pawn for pawn. } 22... Qxb2+ 23. Bd2 Qb6+ { Honestly I expected 23...Nxc6 when24.Rxc6 Rd8 solves black's mobilization problems if not his equality problems. } 24. Be3 Qc7 25. Ba4 { Loses the piece, but was Nb5 viable? } 25... Qxc3 26. Bb3 { Few moves for black again. } 26... Qb2+ 27. R1d2 { Once again discouraging blackdevelopment. } 27... Qc1 28. Bxa7 Qh1 { 29.Ke3 loses the bishop and makes whitesfight difficult but not impossible as black must avoid missteps as muchas white must. And the black knight hangs owing to the back rank matethreat. } 29. Bxb8 Qxh2+ 30. Kf3 { That black queen sure has been active. } 30... Qh1+ 31. Ng2 { Deprived of the perpetual check draw. } 31... Rxb8 { And the hookhas been swallowed. White would probably win without it, but it wouldbe a batte. } 32. Rd8+ { black resigns. } 1-0
[Event "What would you do for a passed pawn?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.11"] [Round "-"] [White "rookie879"] [Black "donutley"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1423"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1554"] 1. e4 e5 { I was delighted when I saw this move.Usually,I get 1...c5 whenI play this move.I play 1...e5 myself so I know a lot from the White sidealso. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 { Also good is 2...Nf6.The petroff defense. } 3. Nc3 { Theboring four knights game. } 3... Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O Bxc3 { !? More popular(andmain line) is 5...O-O 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Qe7 9.Re1 Nd8 10.d4 Ne611.Bc1 c5. } 6. dxc3 { Probably better is 6.bxc3,capturing toward the center. } 6... d6 7. Re1 Bd7 8. Bg5 a6 { Kicking the light-squared Bishop back. } 9. Ba4 b5 { Staying true to his plan. } 10. Bb3 Na5 11. Bxf6 { Not sure why I madethis move. } 11... Qxf6 12. Qe2 { Connecting my rooks. } 12... Nxb3 13. cxb3 O-O 14. c4 { Trying to get rid of the doubled pawns on b2 and b3. } 14... c6 15. cxb5 axb5 16. a4 { Same idea as move 14. } 16... b4 { ?! This move is debateable as it givesWhite an outside passed pawn,which he uses to win the game. } 17. Red1 { Goingafter the d6 pawn and preventing 17...d5. } 17... c5 { ?! This move is also debateableas it gives White an outpost on d5 and the d6 pawn is backward. } 18. Rd2 { Ganging up on the pawn. } 18... Bg4 19. Rad1 Bxf3 { ? This move loses a pawn.Blackthought he could get the pawn back,but this allowed the a-pawn to stormdown the board. } 20. Qxf3 Qxf3 21. gxf3 f5 22. Rxd6 fxe4 23. fxe4 Rf4 { Attackingthe e4-pawn. } 24. Re1 Raf8 { This is the line where Black thought he couldwin the pawn back. } 25. Rd2 Rf3 26. Re3 { Giving White weak e-pawns.Thea-pawn is compensation for this though. } 26... Rxe3 27. fxe3 Rf3 28. a5 Rxe3 29. Kf2 { An important move,not allowing the rook to get back to catch thepawn. } 29... Rxe4 30. Rd8+ { This move is very important since 30.a6 Rf4 allowsBlack to get back. } 30... Kf7 31. a6 { The pawn is unstoppable } 31... Rd4 { Black realizesthat the pawn is unstoppable and throws in the towel. } 32. Rxd4 cxd4 33. a7 { Black resigns. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.07.24"] [Round "-"] [White "seancr"] [Black "jallen85"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "935"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1083"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nh6 { I dont remember why I played the N here, obviouslyit was a blunder however it resulted in a N for B trade. } 3. Bxh6 gxh6 4. Nf3 e5 5. dxe5 { I was ok with playing dxe5 and leaving my Q open foranother swap. } 5... dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. Nc3 Bd7 8. Nxe5 Be6 9. O-O-O+ Ke8 10. Nb5 Na6 11. Nc3 Be7 { I was ok with leaving my N exposed for anotherN for B swap. The board was open with good diagonals. I figured my B'swould be more efficient on this board and would have an advantage overhis N's. } 12. Bxa6 bxa6 13. b3 Rd8 { Again, I was playing the swap. At thispoint I was down in material but I was ok with reducing the pieces on theboard. My B's still have plenty of operating room and would carry the day. } 14. Rxd8+ Bxd8 15. Nc6 Bf6 16. Ne2 Bg4 17. f3 Bd7 18. Nxa7 { While he capturedanother piece, his N was left dead in the water. It would not be able tomove without being captured. This allowed me to divert my attention toother areas of the board. } 18... Ke7 19. Nf4 Bg5 { I think my opponent was tryingto maneuver on my K however I dont know. It left me with a solid pin againsthis K. I was able to use that to my advantage. } 20. g3 { I think a bettermove at this point should have been Rd1. He would have forced me to makea decision about my B on D2 and could have saved his N. } 20... Ra8 21. h4 Bxf4+ 22. gxf4 Rxa7 { I was ok with swapping my B for his N at this point. Theend result of the captures would leave me ahead in material. } 23. Rg1 Ra8 24. Rg7 Rh8 { I figured his only move was attacking my pawn H7. From thisposition, any movement other than retreat leaves me at a sizeable materialadvantage. } 25. f5 Kf6 26. Rg2 Ke5 27. Rd2 Rd8 28. Rf2 Bc6 29. c4 Kf4 30. Rd2 Rxd2 { I was fine with swapping R at this point. My K was in anideal location to remove his pawn structure. } 31. Kxd2 Kxf3 32. Kd3 Bxe4+ 33. Kd4 Kf4 34. a4 Kxf5 35. b4 h5 36. b5 axb5 37. cxb5 c6 { I was fine withplaying my pawn forward due to the location of my B. } 38. Kc4 cxb5+ 39. Kxb5 { From my current location I am not worried about his a file pawn advancingdue to the location of my B. It would be able to promote but would be immediatelybe captured. I was not able to focus on moving my f file pawn towards promotion. } 39... Ke5 40. a5 f5 41. Kb6 f4 42. a6 { At this point my opponent offered me adraw and I declined. I was certainly ahead in the match and their was onlyone acceptable result. } 42... f3 0-1
[Event "stuck in the middle"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "7.6.22"] [Round "-"] [White "jmd1952"] [Black "Pa Chiro"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1722"] [TimeControl "3min + 10sec"] [WhiteElo "1594"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. d4 { This allows black to be very aggressivebut I've had good results as black sometimes over reaches. } 4... Bg4 5. c3 exd4 6. cxd4 { 6. ..., Bxf3, 7. Qxf3, Qf6 leads to a game where white enjoysthe two bishops but it's basically even. } 6... Qf6 { This is more aggressivethough. White will be stuck in middle most likely. } 7. Bb5 Bxf3 8. gxf3 a6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 { Any thought of white castling queenside just went outthe window. White had to take or lose the pawn on d4. } 10. Nc3 Ne7 11. Be3 Rb8 12. Qe2 { Black is worried about his 'a' pawn but white can't reallyafford to take it since his pawn on f3 would fall with threats, however... } 12... Ra8 13. Rg1 { anticipating that at some time black will castle. } 13... Ng6 { Headed for a good post at f4. } 14. O-O-O { Why not? } 14... Nf4 15. Qc4 { It'sactually black that could get stuck in the middle! } 15... Kd7 { I want to breakopen the center. I wish I could say I saw it all but this was played onintuition. } 16. e5 Qe6 17. d5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 cxd5 19. Rxd5 c6 { Yes Whitecould play Rd4, but after Qxe5 White is lost so ... } 20. Qb4 { Puts pressureon d6 and threatens to win the rook on a8. } 20... Qxd5 { I had expected Rc8 fromblack. This is very aggressive. } 21. Qb7+ Ke6 22. Qxa8 Kxe5 { Would 22..., Qxa2 be better? } 23. f4+ Ke6 24. Qc8+ { Black might take a perpetualhere with 24. ... Ke7 but .. } 24... Kf6 25. Qd8+ { 25. ..., Ke6 playing for theperpetual is better than ... } 25... Be7 26. Qxh8 { Black can afford to push hisQueen into the corner because black can't defend the pawn on g7. } 26... Qxa2 27. Qxg7+ Ke6 28. Qg4+ f5 29. Qg8+ { Black Resigns } 1-0
[Event "slow player"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "21-Mar-07"] [Round "-"] [White "dav777"] [Black "gazdvez"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1404"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1339"] 1. e4 d5 { I played rarely this opening. } 2. f3 { I am happy about moveslike this. It weakens the kingside and gives the black squares to me. } 2... dxe4 3. fxe4 a6 { Just for security. } 4. d3 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. h3 b5 7. Be2 Nd4 8. Be3 c5 { I won territory. } 9. Bxd4 cxd4 10. Nb1 Bb7 11. Bf3 Qc7 12. Ne2 e5 { Maybe this isnot good for me. e6 would be enough for free my bishopbut not to closing my queen. I loose here some tempo. } 13. g4 g6 14. g5 Nd7 15. h4 h6 16. Bg4 hxg5 { To win a pawn. } 17. h5 { To make better thepawnstructure. } 17... gxh5 18. Rxh5 Rxh5 { Whites pieces are inactive, so I changethe active pieces. } 19. Bxh5 Nc5 20. c3 Qd6 21. Ng3 Bc8 22. Qf3 Be6 23. Nf5 Bxf5 24. Qxf5 Qe6 25. Qf3 Be7 26. b4 Nd7 { I was hoping in my g5 pawnafter the queens' exchange and a 0-0-0. } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "16-Feb-07"] [Round "-"] [White "vrychkov"] [Black "jschulte"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1577"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1635"] 1. e4 { I'm using this more to help myself think out my moves than as aneducational tool. Feel free to read if you like...you may gain some insightin how another player plays } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 { Standard opening } 3. Bb5 d6 4. c3 { I don't know hy he made this move, unless he wants to bring outthe Queen. I'll try to push his bishop away. } 4... a6 5. Ba4 { Protect the King } 5... Bd7 6. d4 { Don't want to take, just hold and protect e5. Start clearingKing's side. } 6... Nf6 7. Bg5 Be7 { Protect the Queen } 8. Nbd2 h6 9. Be3 Ng4 { His bishop is trapped unless he can spring an unseen trap } 10. O-O { Takingthe bishop messes up his pawns, but opens f. Need to work on Queenside castle quickly after. } 10... Nxe3 11. fxe3 Bf6 12. d5 { Well, I wasn't expectingthat this late in the game. His only attacking piece is the bishop. I can still castle to either side. Na5 or Ne7? Na5 may get theknight trapped. } 12... Ne7 13. c4 { I can castle to unpin the King. } 13... O-O 14. b4 { He's making room to manuever. c6 and try to break up his pawns? } 14... c6 15. Qe2 { cxd5 to break up his pawns? } 15... cxd5 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 17. cxd5 { b5 blocksQ and knight } 17... b5 18. h3 Nc8 19. Nh2 Nb6 { moving knight forward. If hemoves Ng4, Bg5 puts pressure on e3. Can can chase it but, that lets myknight forward. } 20. Rxf6 { Didn't see that coming. I'll have to get luckyto survive. If I move the pawns forward to prevent the knight, I may havea chance. } 20... gxf6 21. Qh5 f5 22. exf5 f6 23. Ng4 Qg7 24. Nxh6+ Kh8 25. Ne4 Nc4 26. Ng4+ Qh7 { Try to trade Queens, he'll have a lot of trouble attackingeffectively with two knights. } 27. Qxh7+ Kxh7 28. Nexf6+ Kg7 29. Nh5+ Kf7 30. Nh6+ Ke8 31. Ng7+ Kd7 32. Ne6 Rf6 33. Ng4 Rxf5 { I don't see a way forhim to attack effectively if I take the pawn, so let's try it. The pawnis one of the more powerful pieces on the board. } 34. h4 { He's trying toset me up for a pin, I can move the King back to help with the pawns,or bring to other rook over. } 34... Rh8 35. g3 { e4 allows my rook to attack hisknight protection and hold e3 in place, but lets his knight out to protectit's protector. Getting the knight to c3gives it more power, to do so,Nd2, Ne4, Nc3 blocks the e pawn from advancement. } 35... Nd2 36. Rc1 { watch forRc7 , I can attack his rook if he does not trade. } 36... Rc8 37. Rxc8 Kxc8 38. Nh2 { He's backed his knight to protect against Rf1 and Rf3. He has noattacks and need to advance pawns. Ne4 attacks g3 and protect rook ifI got to f2 to attack pawns on the other side. Do I have enough time??? } 38... Ne4 39. g4 Rf7 { Trying to stop the pawns... } 40. g5 Rh7 41. Nf3 Ng3 42. Kg2 Nh5 { I'm setting my knight at h5 to defend against the pawns. I'llhave to protect it from the King. } 43. Kh3 Kb7 { Trying to use king on farside to open a pawn lane. } 44. Kg4 Kb6 { I may sacrifice the knight andrun my rook over to a to clear pawns. } 45. g6 Rh8 46. Kg5 a5 47. bxa5+ Kxa5 48. Nd2 { He's coming to help on the far side, my Knight can escape... } 48... Kb4 49. Ne4 Ka3 50. g7 Nxg7 51. Nxg7 Kxa2 52. Nc3+ Kb3 53. Nxb5 Rd8 54. h5 Kc4 55. Nc7 Kd3 56. Nce6 { Well, he felt sorry for me and offered a draw. I would move the rook and let the king work. I need to leave 8 open forthe pawn. }
[Event "joe-hill's mini-tournament 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-May-08"] [Round "-"] [White "norjoa"] [Black "rankrook"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1337"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1586"] 1. e4 { I think this is a nice game of me. I have, in my opinion, a combinationin the middle game and a nice, quick and sharp rook endgame... There wasa fixed initial opening in this mini-tournament; 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Sicilian } 1... c5 { 'At the master level and above, the Sicilianis the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4.Indeed, most statistical surveys suggest that 1.d4 is the most successfulfirst move for White, but only because 1...c5! scores so highly against1.e4.' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Defense For more interestingand easy access knowledge about chess openings I suggest to read more at wikipedia.org } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 { Sicilian (B54), Prins(Moscow) variation... 5.f3!? } 5. Nc3 { Sicilian (B56) } 5... a6 { 'The NajdorfVariation is Black's most popular system in the Sicilian Defence. Najdorf'sintention with 5...a6 was to prepare ...e5 on the next move to gain spacein the centre; the immediate 5...e5?! is met by 6.Bb5 !'(wikipedia.org) } 6. f3 { I don't easily find theory about 6. f3, It is also noted as Moscowvariation if played in the 5th move, so maybe it's a transposed Moscowvariation? } 6... e6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Be3 { I definately lose a tempo by retractingmy bishop after first making Bg5. Why did I do that? Why not exchange mybishop for the knight? I only find subtle explanations like I want to bebetter in playing with my bishops, because I consider them as my weakestskill in piece maneuvers, so I want to keep it a bit further into the game. } 8... e5 9. Nb3 { I have never liked retracting my knight to b3, but I've noticedmost players do that and I assume for a good reason :-) } 9... Be6 { I see thenext moves from both sides as a natural development and none of them particularlyweak or that it could have been much improvement... } 10. Qd2 Be7 11. Rd1 O-O 12. Be2 Nc6 13. O-O { With both players castled and the pieces out ofthe back rank I guess we are facing middle game.... } 13... b5 { Black is takingthe initative on the queenside but still need a bit more preparations toback up the pawn advancement. } 14. f4 { Hmmm! Better would be Nd5, becausenow I'm losing a pawn... And Nd5 also prepares for play in the c-file,e.g: 14.Nd5 Rc8 15.Rc1 Nb8 16.c4 Nxd5 17.cxd5 Bd7 18.Rxc8 Bxc8 } 14... b4 15. Nd5 Nxe4 { A pawn down and my queen harassed :-( } 16. Qd3 Nf6 { As blackyou should maybe have kept the initiative you now gained by playing 16...exf4which might could lead into an even more interesting game. With the textmove I immediately equal the game by winning a pawn back. } 17. Nxe7+ Nxe7 18. Qxd6 { Score and more importantly I seize the now opened d-file!but a better move might be fxe5 } 18... Qxd6 19. Rxd6 a5 { Nf5 would be better,threatening both my rook and black squared bishop } 20. a3 { ? Definately20. fxe5 Ne4 21. Ra6 and I keep the initiative(and an extra pawn) } 20... bxa3 21. bxa3 exf4 22. Bxf4 Ned5 { Obviously I can learn more about how to keepthe initiative, because now I turn a bit defensive.... } 23. Bd2 { playingc4 would probably be better for me. On the other hand I block the d4 knightfrom advancing any further into 'my' area by covering c3,e3, b4 and f4. } 23... a4 { Now I think I'm playing a couple of accurate moves, or? } 24. Nc5 Rfe8 25. c4 { ! The reason for this move is materialized in move 27. I'm quitehappy when I discover this kind of tactical moves } 25... Nc7 26. Bxh6 gxh6 { Ididn't expect him to retake my bishop but ao far I don't see any bettermove for black } 27. Rxf6 Kg7 28. Ne4 { I'm not so sure this is a good move.28. Rf4 is probably better, covering c4 and prepare for Bg4, getting astronger pressure on the black player's bishop. } 28... Re7 29. Rf4 { Here I realized that keeping my rook at f6 binds up my pieces to much and I'm trying tofind more dynamic play and trying to advance my c-pawn towards promotion...Black is now fighting to equalize and get back into the game } 29... f5 30. Ng3 Ne8 31. Rdd4 { I now clearly feel that I have a bit of initiative and arejust trying to find better positions and prepare for advance of the c-pawn.Meanwhile black is still fighting well by disturbing my pieces } 31... Kf6 { ?I'm not sure that willingly moving the king into a binding position isa good move and I immediately try to take advantage of that. Maybe keepingmy plan of advancing the c-pawn would be stronger play but I do see anidea I can't let go... } 32. Bd3 { ! } 32... Ng7 33. Nxf5 { ! } 33... Bxf5 34. g4 { ! } 34... Re1+ { I'm not sure this helps black, but I don't see much better moves either,maybe just Re5... } 35. Kf2 Re5 36. gxf5 Raa5 37. Kf3 { Maybe Rd6 insteadof my king move... } 37... Nxf5 38. Bxf5 { Maybe Kg4... } 38... Rxf5 { And now we entera rook endgame and which I also find ok by me } 39. h4 h5 40. Ke3 { I feelin control now and aim for the queenside and c-pawn promotion. I thinkthat I quite effectvely have blocked interference of rook penetration behindmy king } 40... Re5+ 41. Kd3 { ? And suddenly I allow rook penetration lol } 41... Re1 42. Kc3 { I should exchanged the f-rook, but I remember I here thought Iwould now win the a-pawn and hence get 2 free pawns. } 42... Ke5 { Black shouldhave exchanged rooks and maybe had better chances...Rxf4 43.Rxf4 Ke5 44.Rf8Rh1 45.Re8 Kf5 46.c5 Rxh4 47.c6 but most likely lost anyway... } 43. Rxf5+ Kxf5 44. Kb4 Ke5 { ? mistake, because now he lose the h-pawn as well } 45. Rd5+ Ke6 46. Rxh5 Re4 47. Rh8 Kf6 48. h5 { ! I see that I have a chanceof still keeping all my pawns } 48... Kg7 49. Rc8 Re5 50. Rc5 Rxc5 { And blackresigned! 1-0 Thanks for the game rankrook. } 1-0
[Event "Europien cup final 1999 Jugoslavia"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1999"] [Round "-"] [White "D.Tumkine"] [Black "A.Zerwanski"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "Panfox"] [WhiteElo "BS"] 1. d4 d6 2. c4 e5 3. d5 g6 4. e4 Bg7 5. Bd3 Ne7 6. h4 { Good move , veryeffective after the 5...Ne7 , why ?! , because the idea of 5...Ne7 , 0-0,f5 exc exc which black usually plays in kings Indian defence , howeverwhite didn't castled on the kings side yet and it means that those kindof 0-0,f5... expose the blacks king position that cloud be very dangerous, there for white moves h4 , using the fact that the black knight is one7 and not on f6 , because the knight on f6 if he will be forced , he willblock the advanced h4 pawn to h5 , its only idea and it doesn't mean thatboth sides will play immediate moves . } 6... Nd7 7. Nc3 f5 { This natural moveis actually a mistake and black is going to suffer , maybe better was0-0 first , safety of the king is very important and one of the main rulesin chess , if its not enough that 7...f5? expose the king who didn't castledyet , its also create a serious weakness on the dark squares on the blacksKemp on the kings side . If I was playing black here I would play 7...c6 and Wait to see what white is going to do , the idea is to move a5, Nc5,0-0,f5 ... , after 8.Nf3-a5.9.Be3-0-0... black steel have problems indeveloping however his only weakness d6 is hard to get , and even whiteis better , it steel takes to find a good plane to use it . } 8. exf5 gxf5 9. Bxf5 { Good move , taking a free pawn with no real compensation . Not9.Qh5+? Kf8.10.Bxf5-Nf6 ... and white lost a piece for a pawn . } 9... Nxf5 10. Qh5+ Kf8 11. Qxf5+ Kg8 12. Nge2 { Good move , the idea is to maneuverthe knight to e4 through g3 , in this case the knight on e2 is more effectiveand useful than f3 due to that also avoids any attacks like e4 in the futurefor example 12.Nf3-Nf6.13.Qc2-e4... 14.Nxe4-Bf5.... } 12... Nc5 13. Qc2 Qf6 14. Ng3 Bd7 15. Be3 Rf8 16. Bxc5 dxc5 17. Nce4 { white diminates the board undesputedly. } 17... Qe7 18. O-O-O Rf4 19. h5 Bh6 20. Kb1 { Avoides any discoverd checks . } 20... Kg7 { the idea is to activete the other rook to f8 , 20...Kg7,Rhf8... } 21. d6 cxd6 22. Rxd6 { the white starts to invade blacks Kemp with his heavyPisces . } 22... b6 23. Rhd1 Bc8 { black choose to save the option of double hisrooks on f file , while the bishop on c8 avoids Rd7 } 24. R1d5 { Good move, white wishes to triple the battery on d file , where the white queenis used as a base for this battery ,which is going to be an unstoppableforce . Rd6,R1d5, Qd3 . } 24... Re8 25. Qd3 Qh4 { Maybe black is searching forcheck trough the 1st rank , Qh2,Qg1+ , and than exchange scarifies foropen the diagonal h6-c1 for the bishop , but its to slow and no use . Ithink that its kind of an desperate moves to create something . } 26. Rd8 Rff8 27. Rxe8 Rxe8 28. Nd6 { Black resigns , white threats Nf5 next , attacksthe rook on the same time and in the end will win a piece for free , 28.Nd6-Rf8.29.Nxc8....if 29...Rxc8.30.Nf5+and the black queen dies . 29.Ndf5+ Rxf5.30.Nxf5+Bxf5.31.Qxf5-Kg8... is also very good option black have no choise but to resigh. } 1-0
[Event "luckyjack's new mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Mar-07"] [Round "-"] [White "bottlenose"] [Black "johnb221"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1470"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1378"] 1. e4 { Ruy Lopez opening } 1... c5 { I prefer Sicilian as black } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Nc3 { standard moves so far... } 4... Qc7 { I protect the knight withmy queen to keep him from messing with my pawn structure } 5. O-O { his Kingis safely tucked away now } 5... g6 { I plan to put the bishop on g7 and thencastle } 6. d4 { he tries to take control of the center... } 6... cxd4 { I can'tlet that happen } 7. Bxc6 { he takes the knight } 7... dxc6 { I probably shouldhave used the b-pawn } 8. Nxd4 { he gets the pawn back } 8... Bg4 { I hassle theQueen } 9. f3 { he blocks with a pawn } 9... Bd7 { I back off } 10. Re1 { he linesthe rook up with my King, no doubt planning to follow with e5 } 10... e5 { so Ithreaten his knight } 11. Nde2 { he backs away } 11... Bg7 { I prepare to castle } 12. Ng3 { his knight moves, but still has no good squares available } 12... O-O { I castle, at last } 13. Nce2 { now I'm confused... he itentionally movesboth knights to squares where they are 'stuck' } 13... Rad8 { I plot a discoveredattack on his Queen } 14. f4 { he doesn't seem to notice.. } 14... Bg4 { so I testthe waters } 15. f5 { he must not be paying attention! } 15... Rxd1 { the Queen isdone! } 16. Rxd1 { the rook was an acceptable loss } 16... Qb6+ { I check him (justbecause) } 17. Kf1 { he moves away from the corner } 17... Qb5 { I pin the knight } 18. h3 { he tries to drive away the bishop.. } 18... Bxe2+ { so I take the knight/bishoptrade } 19. Nxe2 { he completes the trade } 19... Nxe4 { I pick off a free pawn andplan Ng3 next to pick off the pinned knight } 20. Ke1 { he breaks the pin,ruining my plan } 20... Qb4+ { so I check him again } 21. c3 { as I expected... } 21... Qe7 { my Queen backs off } 22. g3 { he saw where I was headed (h4) } 22... Qc5 { c5will work just as well } 23. Nd4 { he blocks my mate attempt... } 23... exd4 { butI get another piece } 24. Bd2 { protecting the pawn and linking the rooks } 24... dxc3 { I don't care...it's over now } 25. bxc3 Qf2# 0-1
[Event "Team Tournament 2006"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Feb-06"] [Round "-"] [White "bakerbaker"] [Black "Aldrich"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1700?"] [TimeControl "G/180"] [WhiteElo "1795"] 1. e4 { This game shows one of the best opening sacrifices I've ever played. } 1... e6 { I personally consider the French passive, which is why I sacrifice. } 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 { Nf3?! is totally winning for Black, because aftercxd4 Nxd4, Black has an extra pawn in the centre, my pawn on e5 is weak,and Black is ahead in development. } 4... Nc6 { At first glance, Black's positionmay look better, since he already has a knight developed, and his pawnstructure is more solid, but I like my position, because I have a lot ofscope on the kingside for my bishops, and in the French, Black often getsa cramped position and can't do anything. } 5. Nf3 Qb6 { Adding pressureto d4. } 6. a3 { Threatening to break through with b4. } 6... a5 { Stops b4. } 7. Bd3 { This doesn't lose a pawn, because after 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Nxd4? 9.Nxd4Qxd4?? I have 10. Bb5 !! winning the queen by a discovered attack. } 7... Bd7 { This stops a future Bb5 and threatens to win a pawn, however, I decideto finish developing while Black is busy winning a pawn or two. } 8. O-O cxd4 9. cxd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 { Now Black is up a pawn, and may win another,and it seems as though I don't have any compensation, but Black's positionis somewhat cramped, and I can gain tempo attacking Black's queen. } 11. Nc3 { I offer Black my e5 pawn. } 11... Ne7 { Black doesn't take immediately. } 12. Nb5 { Threatening Nd6 Nxf7 and of course Black can't take my knight becauseof my discoverable attack on the queen. } 12... Qxe5 { Now I'm down two pawns,but I'm better developed and my pieces are more active. } 13. Re1 { Tempo. } 13... Qb8 14. Qf3 { Threatening Bf4 winning material. } 14... e5 { After Ng6 I have Qxd5,but however, this move allows me to go into crazy tactical game where Iexploit Black's underdeveloped position. } 15. Rxe5 { If Black declines therook sacrifice, then I will eat his position alive. } 15... Qxe5 { What compensationdo I have for the rook? I already had development compensation for thepawns, and now I can gain more tempo with threats against Black's queenand king. } 16. Bf4 Qxb2 { Any other move allows me to win my rook back withNc7 , but now Black's threatening MY rook. } 17. Nd6+ Kd8 18. Nxf7+ Ke8 { Kc8 will reach the same position after my next move. } 19. Nd6+ Kd8 { Ifthe king had moved from c8 to b8 instead of e8 to d8, then I have Nc4 discovered check winning the queen. } 20. Be5 { Takes away the threat onmy rook with tempo. If Qxe5? then Nf7 wins the queen. } 20... d4 { Black couldalso sac his queen for my rook leaving him with two rooks against my queen,but I would still have the compensation I have for the rook. } 21. Nxb7+ { I've regained my pawns, and am only down a rook. } 21... Ke8 { Kc8 will reachthe same position. } 22. Nd6+ Kd8 23. Qxa8+ { Now that I have won my rookback, Black has no material advantage, and I still have my active pieces. } 23... Nc8 { Kc7 obviously loses to discovered attack. } 24. Rb1 { Takes away thethreat on my rook with tempo. } 24... Qxa3 25. Nf7+ { Because of Black's underdevelopedposition, I win a rook. } 25... Ke8 26. Qf3 { Taking the rook will only complicatethe game after Qxd3. And I can still win the rook eventually. } 26... Rg8 { I canwin the rook with Bxh7, but I'm not comfortable trading queens when I don'thave many pawns on the board for the endgame. I choose the best way towin the rook while keeping my pieces active. } 27. Ng5 Qa2 { Stops Qf7 } 28. Bxd4 { Now material is even, but the terrible position of Black's underdevelopedrook will cause him to lose it. } 28... Bb4 { Blocks my rook's open file, but itwon't be enough to save the game. } 29. Ra1 { I simply move my rook overand now I have dominating control of the a2-g8 diagonal, without even havinga bishop on it! } 29... Qd2 30. Qf7+ Kd8 31. Qxg8+ { Just look how I went frombeing DOWN a rook, and used my more actively placed pieces to win TWO rooks,leaving me UP a rook. } 31... Kc7 32. Qc4+ { I still have a dominating positiondue to my active pieces. } 32... Kd8 33. Nf3 { I was actually a little annoyedthat Black resigned here. Even though I will use my superiorly placed piecesand extra rook to tactically crush his underdeveloped position, I would'vehad fun doing it, and just being handed a win isn't as fun. It's the thinkingrequired to win the game that's fun, not the win itself. } 1-0
[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "mar 7 12"] [Round "-"] [White "water123"] [Black "prampe"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1640"] [TimeControl "3 day"] [WhiteElo "1582"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 { the exchange. } 3. Nc3 c6 4. a4 a5 { not strong betteris nf6. } 5. e3 e6 6. Bxc4 Bb4 7. Bd2 Nf6 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Qc2 h6 { dont know why? } 11. Ne4 Bxd2 12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 13. Nxd2 b6 14. Ne4 Qg6 15. Bd3 f5 16. Qxc6 fxe4 17. Bxe4 { good move!! } 17... Qf6 18. Qxa8 e5 19. Qd5+ Kh8 20. Rac1 exd4 21. exd4 Ba6 { this losses. } 22. Qxd7 Bxf1 23. Rxf1 Rd8 24. Qf5 Qxf5 25. Bxf5 Rxd4 26. Rc1 Rd8 27. Rc8 { resigns because he is down. } 1-0
[Event "tokkiet's mini-tournament XIX"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.12.28"] [Round "-"] [White "eekavenni"] [Black "riwulof"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1965"] [TimeControl "9d+5d<15d"] [WhiteElo "1896"] 1. e4 { A game from gameknot, that I needed to win for a mini tournament1st place. GK computer analysis available here: http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=26085158&fb=1&rnd=0.8105011886182563 } 1... e5 2. d3 { A bit passive, this block white bishop. At least, we are outof books. } 2... Nc6 3. c3 d5 { kind of reflex when opponent plays c3. The queencan be centralized without tempo loss after Nc3. } 4. Qc2 { Avoid queen exchangein case of dxe, and keep an eye on e4 and f2. } 4... Be7 5. g3 { Computer gavea ?!. Well, white still didn't develop bishop nor knight, and both f3 andh3 are weaken. So Nf3, Be2 0-0 was better. } 5... Nf6 { Black develop (classic) } 6. Bg2 Be6 7. Nf3 dxe4 8. dxe4 O-O { I didn't play Bc4 preventing rock,because of Nd2, missing that Bd3 attacking the queen was good for black. } 9. O-O { Now Rd1 threaten to take the column, so I leave a place in e7 forthe queen and prepare for Re8. Black is a slight edge thanks to betterdevelopment. } 9... Bc5 10. Nbd2 Qe7 11. Re1 { Inaccuracy. Ng5 to give white bishoppair, then play Nef3 and finish development (Bg5, Rad1 etc...) leads toequality. } 11... Ng4 { This direct f2 attack is annoying. I prefer it to computer'sline (Rad8 12.Nb3 Bb6 13. Bg5 where black finish development } 12. Re2 { Protectf2 } 12... Rad8 { Take the d-column and intend to reinforce it Rd6 Rfd8 and maybe the queen. } 13. h3 { Computer propose b4! Bd6, then h3. In case of Bb6,I assume b5! then after Nb8 pawn in e5 is weak, and so is black 'attack'. } 13... Nxf2 { According to computer, Bxf2 is an 'easy' win : 13. h3 Bxf2+ 14. Kh1Ne3 15. Qa4 Nxg2 16. Rxf2 Ne3. Alternative 14. Rxf2 leads to game continuation. } 14. Rxf2 { Computer propose 14. b4 Nxe4+ 15. bxc5 Nxg3 16. Re1 Qxc5+ 17.Kh2 Nf5 18. Ne4 Qa5 19. Nfg5 Bd5 20. Bd2 f6 21. c4 Ncd4 22. Bxa5 Nxc2 whichis clearly NOT deep enough to conclude. } 14... Bxf2+ 15. Kxf2 Qc5+ { When I playedNg4, I had this position in mind, with Nb4 coming, white king in the center,and a big + in development for black. No mat nor material advantage inmind, just threats. } 16. Kf1 { Computer suggest main line 16. Ke2 Nb4 17.Qb1 (cxN??QxQ) Nd3 18. Kd1 (else Qf2+ then QxB) Qf2 19. Bf1 Nb4 20. Be2(else Qxf1+ Qd3+ Qxf3+) Nxa2 21. Bd3 (else Bb3+) Qxg3 22. Kc2 Nxc1 whereblack grab all white kings pawns. } 16... Nb4 17. Qd1 { I considered this the onlymove to prevent Nd3 followed by Qf2#. Actually after 17. Qa4 Nd3 18. Ke2Qf2+ 19. Kd1 Qxg2 there is no mat (black is wining still) } 17... Nd3 { ?? So focusedon the Qf2 threat, I missed the simple Bc4+ that win the queen (knighte2 is pined and if Ke1, then Nd3+ followed by Nxb2+(discovery) and Nxd1) } 18. Qe2 { After this forced defense, there is no clear win. I decided toopen the game to take advantage of my better development. } 18... f5 { openingf column, whatever black play. May be less good, but more interesting thangrabbing a pawn by Bxa2 (if RxB, NxBc1) } 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Nb3 { Attackthe queen and try to achieve queen side development. } 20... Qd6 { Keep the center(e5 and d3) and 'X-ray' g3 } 21. g4 { Computer spot this as a mystake, butproposed alternative 21. Kg1 e4 22. Ng5 Qxg3 23. Qe3 Nxc1 24. Qxg3 Ne2+25. Kh2 Nxg3 26. Kxg3 Rd3+ seems doomed for white either. } 21... Bg6 { I rejectedNf4 due to Bxf4, missing Bd3 that win the queen. Critical line was ... Nf422. Qxe5 (if Qe1 then Bd3+, Ne2+etc...) Qd1+ 23. Ne1 (Kf2? Nd3+ loose Q)Nxg2 24. Kxg2 (else Be4+) Rfe8 25. Bf4 Bb1 26. Rxb1 Qxb1 27. Qxc7 Qxe1where black ends with 2 rook versus B+N. } 22. Kg1 { According to GK computer,the position is almost equal. I am only confident that it is a big mess^_^ } 22... e4 { Free the way to f2 for the rook. } 23. Ng5 { Nh4 was better, toprotect the g2 bishop (and exchange g6 bishop in some variation) } 23... Rf2 { Enterthe weak square } 24. Qe3 { Forced to avoid Qg3. But it blocks the c1 bishop. } 24... Rdf8 { Double on the open column } 25. Nxe4 { This lead to a mat in 5. Canyou spot it ? According to computer, white is doomed anyway (25. Nd4 Ne126. Qxf2 Rxf2 27. Kxf2 Nd3+ 28. Kg1 Qg3 29. Kh1 Qe1+ 30. Kh2 Nxc1 31. Nf5Bxf5 32. gxf5 Qd2 33. Nxe4 Qxb2 ) } 25... Rxg2+ { ?? Loose GK hard chess puzzle.Answer was : 25. Nxe4 Bxe4 26. Qf3 R8xf3 27. Bf4 Nxf4 28. Bxf3 Nxh3+ 29.Kh1 Bxf3# I only saw that white queen is forced to sacrifice to preventRf2 Qh2# } 26. Kxg2 { There is still a mat in 6 } 26... Bxe4+ { I didn't spot themat in 6. But if QxB Rf2+ with Qh2#. or if Kh1 move Rf3 leads to the win.So black resign. Thank you for reading, feel free to add your coments and1 star. ^_^ } 27. Kg1 Rf3 0-1
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.06.12"] [Round "-"] [White "millerdias_chess"] [Black "sanjinp"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1479"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1528"] 1. d4 b6 { English Defense. } 2. Nf3 Bb7 3. e3 d5 4. g3 { Not in the database. Pc4 and Be2 are only slightly more common. } 4... Nc6 5. Bg2 e6 6. O-O Qf6 7. a3 O-O-O 8. b4 Nh6 9. Nbd2 Ng4 10. c4 dxc4 11. Nxc4 Qh6 12. Nh4 { I doubtblack was going to trade a knight for the h2 pawn. Pe4 looks interesting. Oh, wait--white is thinking QxNg4. } 12... Be7 13. Qxg4 { Right. } 13... f5 14. Qf4 Qxf4 15. exf4 Bxh4 16. gxh4 Nxd4 17. Bxb7+ Kxb7 18. Bb2 Ne2+ { Nf3+ might havebeen better. 19. Kg2 NxPh4+. On the other hand, this one yields NxPf4in a single move. There is no protecting against BxPg7, but black WANTSwhite to do that so long as the king is on the g file. } 19. Kh1 Nxf4 20. Ne5 { White seeks to fork the black rooks. } 20... Rd5 21. Rac1 Nd3 22. Nxd3 Rxd3 23. Bxg7 Rg8 24. Be5 c6 25. Rc3 Rd5 26. Bg3 e5 27. f3 f4 28. Bf2 h5 29. Rfc1 Rd6 { I think I prefer going on the offense here--Rd2. The white kingcannot protect that bishop. White moves either Be1 or Rf1. } 30. a4 a6 31. Re1 Re6 { I still prefer Rd2. } 32. Rc2 Rgg6 33. Rce2 Rd6 34. Rxe5 Rd2 { Too late for Rd2 now--white can force mate. Kc7 might have stopped that. } 35. Re7+ Kc8 36. Bxb6 Rgg2 37. Rc7+ Kd8 38. Rg7+ Kc8 39. Re8+ 1-0
[Event "SemiLondon, very nice tactic in the MidG! But blundered!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Mar-08"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "snacksandpop"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1544"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1625"] 1. d4 { A beautiful game until the mistake, stupidest and fatal. Nevertheless, proud of the sacrifice of the knight. } 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. Bf4 Bb7 4. h3 e6 5. e3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. c4 d5 8. Nc3 Nbd7 9. Qc2 Rc8 10. Nb5 a6 11. Nc3 c5 12. b3 cxd4 13. exd4 Bb4 14. Bd2 Bxc3 15. Qxc3 { Segue quello chesecondo me � un grosso errore del nero. } 15... b5 16. c5 { I believe I was given the chance to close my queen's side, giving me a blank slate to act on his, which is always my primary objective in this opening, and which I thought was unreachable after my mistake (if there was one). } 16... Qe7 17. Bf4 { This was the secret intention of the taking of the woman. Moreover, since it is not yet possible for me to take the pawn with the knight, I will take the pawn with the knight! } 17... Rc6 { Questa mi sembra una perdita di tempo del nero. } 18. Ne5 Nxe5 { Should I take the knight or the pawn? I don't know... the pawn has something tactical, perhaps. If after d4xe5 the knight takes c5, exf6, and we can go on with the exchange of queens. If the horse f6 moves d7, there's still the threat of the knight on d6... if it takes the queen, we can exchange the queens and then take the knight. But if the knight f6 retreats to ind7 immediately after d4xe5, the whites have the time they need to make b3-b4, and the game is uncertain for the black, who could also be sacrificed, liberating the knight on b7. At the end, for me, it's always better to take the pawn, despite being a thematic move, because it's always safer not to open the diagonal to the knight on b7. Beh, after 22.g3, e4xg3, there's always a world. If we change the knight, either if we put the tower in g1 and... tactic! to the great. There are two hundred traps for the black... but the situation is delicate for the whites. Fantastic. It should be analyzed. } 19. Bxe5 Ne4 20. Qc2 Rfc8 { I don't understand what the black piece is doing... } 21. f3 { This, which appears to open a mistake, is the 'clue' of my strategy. I willingly sacrifice the pawn g to have the column free for the attack on the black king. Here I have calculated, and it was a wise decision (especially since it went well). } 21... Qh4+ 22. g3 Nxg3 23. Rg1 Nf5+ 24. Kd2 f6 25. Rg4 Qxh3 26. Bxf6 { As the knight begins to feel the pressure, since the woman is virtually the only piece on the board, given that the black knight controls d4 with the help of the black pawn, which could create problems if the black knight takes c5 afterwards. } 26... R6c7 { Although I prefer to play as white, here is where the knight can advance directly. The weakness of f3 ties down the knight e2, and I have tried several variants sacrificing f3 to see if then the white knight supported by the queen on f5 serves some purpose. It seemed to me that it did not. Then I said calmly, that even though the black pieces have great attacking potential. } 27. b4 Rf7 28. Be5 g6 { Ah, bless me for my mistake... thank you, thank you, you shouldn't have... } 29. Rag1 { Sarificare alla torre subito non funzionava, ho provato, eccome! } 29... Qh6+ 30. f4 Ne7 31. Bd3 { Beh, insomma, per vincere, un po' d'aiuto dall'opponente non guasta mai... } 31... Bc6 { This is very useful, then... I feared a little bit Cc6, trying to exchange my good knight... } 32. Bd6 Nf5 33. Bxf5 exf5 34. Rg5 Re8 { Bella plays a counterattack very well in front of Txf5! } 35. Kd1 { I must always be prepared, I... and risk. But I say always: the king plays, he must play, in open positions. With prudence, of course. With this move � a new threat Txf5... does not seem, right? Try it. } 35... Qh3 36. Be5 { However, perhaps the black pieces have more resources than I thought... better to be prudent, my knight's position couldn't be better. } 36... Qf3+ 37. Kc1 Qe4 { Ok, we have arrived at the end. Exchange of queens leads to a possible pawns departure, but in any case, the black is completely blocked (and I don't think he could make a perpetual... even here I have spent some time, but sincerely I can not say that the outcome is sure). Therefore, since we are playing for glory, let's make a surprise sacrifice! And down with the bourgeoisie! } 38. Rxg6+ hxg6 39. Rxg6+ { It was not impossible for the black King's Rook to save himself... here, his Queen was camped on my King's Tower. Earlier, the black King's Rook could have moved to save himself, but it was too late. } 39... Kf8 40. Bd6+ Rfe7 41. Qxe4 fxe4 42. Bxe7+ Rxe7 43. Rxc6 Rg7 { Here, the bet, since the sacrifice of the knight, was that this ending would be victorious for me. } 44. Rxa6 Rg1+ 45. Kd2 Rg2+ 46. Ke3 Rg3+ 47. Ke2 Rd3 { This far, everything has been calculated and gone as planned. Now the threat of the pawn c-white should not decide, at least allowing me to reach a simpler finale where I would feel my advantage. Obviously the black knight cannot take in d4 since... } 48. c6 Rc3 49. f5 Rc4 { This was the predicted result of the combination. He cannot eat the pawn on d4 since he would lose his tower, so... } 50. f6 Rxd4 { I was about to take the pawn in d4, but... } 51. c7 Rc4 52. Ra8+ Kf7 53. c8=Q Rxc8 { Until here, everything is fine, elegant and correct. I should win, naturally, but... there are errors and distractions even in correspondence games. Incredible, but true. } 54. Ra6 { Don't ask me that. Small talk, call, don't remember. Don't look at the rest!!!! I had to abandon, but you never know. } 54... d4 { E qui il bianco perde comunque. } 55. Ra3 Kxf6 56. Ra6+ Ke5 57. Ra5 Kf4 58. Kd1 Rb8 59. Kd2 Kf3 60. Ra3+ Kf2 61. Ra7 Rc8 62. Rf7+ Kg3 63. Rg7+ Kf4 64. Rf7+ Ke5 65. Rb7 e3+ 66. Ke1 d3 67. Rxb5+ Kd4 68. Rc5 Rxc5 69. bxc5 Kxc5 70. Kd1 Kb4 0-1
[Event "50th World Open U1800 Round 9 '22"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "7.4.2022"] [Round "-"] [White "freeman-82"] [Black "Kayode"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1640"] [TimeControl "40/90 min +30 min SD +30s"] [WhiteElo "1439"] { Round 9 was the last Round of the World Open tournament at 5pm. Afterround 8 earlier in the morning I put my chess set away in my hotel roomand walked to the Old City for aobut 20 minutes. I got to see the birthplaceof America. The Liberty bell and many museums are in it. So I didn't haveany time to prepare for round 9 and wanted to site see instead. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 { And here I was out of book on my Colle system. I understoodthat Black is either playing a Owens or Queen's Indian. Because Black hadalready played Nf6 I thought Black's set up was more of a Queen's Indian.I paused here and didn't want to play the Colle system 3. e3 with Bd3 tofollow as Black would have a Bb7 attacking my Kingside. } 3. g3 { So I wentalong with a Reti setup. I didn't want to play 3.c4 transposing into themainlines of the Queen's Indian defense or Bogo Indian for that matter. } 3... Bb7 4. Bg2 { Now I don't have to worry about black doubling my pawns onf3 if I had played 3. c4 a move earlier. } 4... e6 5. O-O Be7 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 c5 8. c4 d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Qc2 { ?! a slight mistake } 10... Nbd7 11. Rd1 Rc8 12. Nc3 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Bc5 { In post-mortem we looked at 13...Bb4 and blackhas a good position. 14. Qd3...Ne5; & 14. Qd2 moves into another pin orNe4 ttack. } 14. Qd2 Ne4 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Nf5 { double attack on the d-file. } 16... Nf6 { ?? losing move? } 17. Qg5 Bxf2+ 18. Kf1 Qxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Ne8 20. Ne7+ { Missing checkmate in 2! 20. Bxg7!!...f6; 21. Nh6# or 20...h6; 21...Qh6 } 20... Kh8 21. Nxc8 f6 22. Qh5 Bxc8 23. Rd8 g6 24. Qh6 Bc5 25. Rxc8 1-0
[Event "MAN V. MONKEY III (Revenge of the Monkey)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "MAN (me again)"] [Black "MONKEY (prog.)"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "-1200"] [WhiteElo "1200-ish"] { In this battle white attempts to allow black to defeat it, to see whetheror not a checkmate can occur through seemingly completely random moves.In the end white sees a particularly attractive mate, and cannot help butdefeat his lunatic opponent, thereby defeating himself, in that he (me)had intended to lose...I dunno if that makes sense. Basically it's a wasteof time. Prepare to watch the strangest, and worst chess game you've everseen. } 1. e4 h5 2. e5 Nc6 3. e6 Nf6 4. d3 dxe6 5. d4 Rh7 6. d5 Rb8 7. d6 b6 8. d7+ Qxd7 9. Qd6 a6 10. Bh6 { Basically as you can see, white is failingin it's attempt to lose by placing its pieces up against black's pieces. } 10... Nd8 11. Bb5 Ra8 12. c4 Nd5 13. c5 Nb4 14. c6 Rb8 { Now that I'm here I basicallycouldn't help myself. I finish him off. } 15. Qxd7+ Bxd7 16. cxd7# { My first(that I can remember) near pawn only checkmate...wasn't exactly a realgame tho. And in a way I have lost...since I set out to lose, and won.I don't know if that makes sense... }
[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Jul-14"] [Round "-"] [White "faithfulltrav"] [Black "falcon67"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1419"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1894"] { This was a non rated game for tutoring purposes, between my new friendfalcon67 with black (as he requested) and myself, Scott Miller (faithfulltrav)with the white army. } 1. d4 { 1.d4, my favorite first move when playingWhite. } 1... d5 { So, we have what is called the closed game. Closed games consistof 1.d4 d5, along with lines that transpose into this type of position.Semi closed games are 1.d4 and black responds with anything other than1...d5. Open games are 1.e4 e5, and semi open games are 1. e4 and blackresponds with anything else other than 1...e5. } 2. c4 { With this move wehave the Queens Gambit (QG). Whether accepted or declined depends on you. So in the following moves you declined the pawn. If ever you play theQG Accepted, understand the reason for accepting the pawn is not to wina pawn. You can't hold it, if your opponent knows what he is doing. Thepurpose in accepting the pawn is to get a semi opened d-file! In the process,you also give white a semi open c-file. So for white to take advantageof his semi open c-file, he has to move pieces, e.g.: Qc2, and later Rc1.While for black to use the d-file, the queen is automatically there. Soyou save tempo. } 2... e6 3. Nc3 { So in the opening you have a constantbattle to control the primary center squares, being d4, d5, e4 and e5.Whether you control them with pawns (as we did with our first moves, 1.d4d5) or you control them with pieces (as I do with my 3rd move 3...Nc3),you must battle to control these squares! Also, to a lesser degree, thesame principle goes for the secondary center squares, being c3, c4, c5,c6, d3, d6, e3, e6, f3, f4, f5 and f6. Bottom line Rick, to play well inthe opening, you must be a control freak. Control those squares! So mypawn on d4 controls e5 (and c5). My pawn on c4 controls d5 (and b5, thoughthat's not one of the primary or secondary squares). My knight on c3 controlse4 and d5. Your pawn on d5 controls e4 (and c4). Your pawn on e6 controlsd5 (and f5). So the battle is on for the center. } 3... b5 { 3...b5(?!) I wastrying to figure out why you gave me this pawn and I think you did it todraw my c4 pawn away from the center. If that was why or if it's anotherreason, please advise in the comments. I'd like to know. } 4. cxb5 { At anyrate, I saw it as a free pawn. There are some advantages that, as valuableas they may be, are not worth as much as a pawn. I would say that my pawnbeing drawn away from the centre is one of them. I am now a pawn up, apawn which by the way, became a thorn in your side here and later in thegame. The thorn begins with this pawn on b5 now hindering your queen-knight'sdevelopment to c6. It went on later to become a passed pawn, which youneeded to sacrifice a bishop to stop. } 4... Nf6 { Good development to the center. } 5. Nf3 { So we both start controlling the centre with our kingside knights. } 5... c5 { Attacking my center. You also allow me if I choose, to capture 'enpassant', whereby you take back with the knight, getting him developed. } 6. dxc5 { I take with my d-pawn as I did not want to help you develop yourknight. This removes my central d-pawn from the board, so I needed somesort of compensation in order for me to be willing to take. In this case,I have my b5 pawn still hindering your development. I am also up a pawn. } 6... Bxc5 7. Bf4 Nbd7 8. e3 O-O 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Re8 11. Ne5 { Soyou've done a good job so far at keeping control of the 4 primary centersquares. Because of that and your last move, 11...e5 is a real threat.So I prevent your pawn push with 11.Ne5. } 11... Nxe5 { It's not usually in yourbest interest to trade when you are down material. This is because if youtrade everything off equally, your opponent will still have the extra materialin the end game. In this case your only down a pawn, yet against a strongerplayer, a pawn is definitely sufficient to win, especially if the extrapawn is in a position to promote. In our game, you had to sac a bishopto prevent the promotion, so I will have at least a bishop lead in theendgame. Then I later promoted a pawn anyway. } 12. Bxe5 { The bishop onthis diagonal is crucial for reasons I will explain in a bit. } 12... Ne4 { Moretrading. } 13. Nxe4 { I'll oblige. } 13... dxe4 14. Qxd8 { Queen trading, I'mhappy! } 14... Raxd8 { Here I started focusing on how to promote the pawn. Thisis a little intricate. I was thinking if I get pawns on a5 & b6, you playaxb6, and before I take back, I play Bc7 forking the b6 pawn and the rook.So when you move the rook, then I take the pawn back (axb6) and have anadvanced passed pawn. The more advance a pawn is, the more dangerous andvaluable it is. Having a well protected pawn on the sixth rank is Heaven(or Hell, if the pawn is your opponent's). I needed not only to get mypawns in position but also needed more preparation, due to you moving yourrooks around. Yet in essence, that was what I managed to do. } 15. Rfd1 { So I still want to trade! If you take, you spoil the plan I just mentionedas you won't have a rook on d8 that I can fork. Yet, you also give up controlof the d file and trade more material. If you don't trade I planned ontaking your rook, forcing you to take back and have a rook still on d8for me to fork. But I was still thinking way ahead, as my pawns are noteven in position yet. } 15... Bd5 { 15...Bd5(!) I had not considered this move,I must admit. You get your rook on the open file, and prevent the trade!But it does not hinder me in my plan. } 16. a4 { Gotta get the pawns in position! } 16... Rc8 { This threw a wrench in my plan. Now I can't fork the rook and potentialb6 pawn. I had to find another way to make it work. I did not yet knowwhat it would be. } 17. a5 { 17.a5(!) I took a little while thinking thisone through! If we play 17...Red8 (the most logical looking move, to putboth your rooks on the open files. It looks logical, yet it walks intomy plan!) 18.b6 axb6 I can attack your rook with 19.Ba6. The only safehaven for the rook is a8 (19...Rc6 20.Bb5!). Then you have a rook on d8for me to fork! } 17... Red8 { Yes! You made the move! } 18. b6 { The set up! } 18... axb6 { Knowing what I had planned, I would have suggested no taking. The pawncan't advance any further, and if I play 19.bxa7 you have Bxa7. } 19. Ba6 { 19.Ba6! I have to get you to move this rook off of the c-file. Now ifRc6, b7 trapping the rook. } 19... Ra8 { The only square! } 20. Bc7 { Mission accomplished! } 20... Rd7 { So GK analysis suggests a whole different line I did not consider: 20...bxa5 21. Bxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxa5 Bb6 23. Raa1 Kf8 24. Rac1 Ke7 25. Bc4Rd6 26. Bxd5 exd5 27. b4 d4 28. Rc4 dxe3 29. Rxe4+ Re6 30. Rxe6+ Kxe6 So you're still losing, but not as bad as what you played. Even still,I think you played really well in the line you did play. I think that combinationwould have worked on people much stronger than you. } 21. axb6 { Now thisis the setup I was working for all this time! My bishops and b6 pawn controlor occupy the squares a7, b7 and c7. I am threatening to advance the pawn.As I see it, you will need to sac something to stop that pawn! } 21... Bxb6 { Andsac you did! } 22. Bxb6 { So I take back, leaving both bishops on the 6thrank, and one attacked and defended once on a6. This sets up what looksat a glance like an easy way for you to win back the bishop. But as I demonstrated,it's not so easy. } 22... Rd6 { There it is! You attack my bishop on b6. The b6bishop can't be defended, and if I move it, you take the a6 bishop witha rook. } 23. Bc4 { So instead of moving the b6 bishop, I move the a6 one,leaving both hanging! (Well, the c4 Bishop is not really hanging sinceyour d5 bishop is pinned against your rook on d6.) You can't take eitherone since your rook is hanging on a8, with a mate threat on your back rank. } 23... Rxa1 { So now you have to trade more. On one hand this does not remove thethreat as I still have the same mate after I take back. On the other hand,where is the rook to go if you choose not to trade? There are no squareshe can go where my bishops won't cause trouble. So I think 23...Rxa1 wasbest. } 24. Rxa1 { Now if 24...Rxb6 25.Bxd5 so it's just trading and I againhave the mate threat. } 24... h6 { This is the same move I would have made, yetGK analysis states you should have played 24...Rxb6 25. Bxd5 g5. Interesting... } 25. Bc5 Rc6 26. Bxd5 exd5 27. b4 { So at this stage, althoughI am winning, mate would be hard to come by without a pawn promotion. SoI start advancing the little guy. } 27... Rc8 { To prepare to defend your d pawn. } 28. Rd1 Rd8 29. b5 f5 { I suppose you were trying to bringyour king in the game. With a pawn on f7, the bishop blocks your king in. } 30. b6 Rb8 { You have no choice. } 31. Rxd5 g6 { Don't worry, it wasnot my plan to take on f5. My ambition at this stage is pawn promotion. } 32. Rd7 { The best place for a rook is on the 7th rank when the opponentking is on the 8th. Inn this case also, the rook & bishop work togetherto keep your king on the kingside away from the promoting pawn. Your kingcan only go back and forth between the g8 and h8 squares. } 32... Rc8 { So youare in a form of Zugzwang here. Any move you make is going to help me.The move 32...Rc8 here just wastes time, as you can't afford to take mybishop. But you had nothing better. I also understand you are followingmy suggestion that you never resign a tutoring game as there may be moreyou can learn later in the game. I hope and think my teaching further onin the game will be worthwhile to you. } 33. b7 { Of course you can't takethe bishop as I mentioned before. } 33... Re8 { This is better than going in frontof the pawn, enabling me to play Ba7! } 34. Rc7 { So the goal is to traderooks via 35.Rc8. } 34... Rd8 { Threatening mate } 35. Rc8 { Pinning the rook sothere is no mate threat, and so I can advance the pawn. } 35... Rxc8 36. bxc8=Q+ Kf7 { So when mating with and endgame queen (or rook, or bishop and knight),the goal is first to restrict the opponent king, second to work the kingover to one edge of the board. } 37. Bd4 { So I want my bishop on e5. Thatwould limit your king's movement to the kingside, and behind the pawns.Notice my queen covers all light squares, my bishop the dark ones to theleft of your king with exception of e7. } 37... Ke7 { So you do well to move awayfrom the h-file where I want to send you. } 38. Be5 { To stop 38...Kd6. } 38... Kf7 39. Qd7+ { Similar to rooks on the 7th rank, my queen is best onany rank or file next to the edge of the board, with your king on the edge. } 39... Kf8 { Again you are doing well to avoid voluntarily going towards the edge.Good. From here I have different options, all leading to mate in threemoves. } 40. Bg7+ { I chose this route simply because it's probably lesslike what most people would do. I also had: 40.Bf6 h5 41.Qe7+ Kg8 42.Qg7#or 40.Bf6 h5 41.Qg7+ Ke8 42.Qe7# } 40... Kg8 41. Bxh6 { Now you can't stop thequeen from coming over. } 41... Kh8 42. Qg7# { Thanks Falcon67 for the game. Ihope it was beneficial to you! }
[Event "ch-CHN, Xinghua"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.31"] [Round "-"] [White "Zhou Weiqi"] [Black "Zhou Jianchao"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2652"] [WhiteElo "2585"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nc3 b6 5. Bg5 Bb7 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 d6 9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. f3 Qe7 11. Be2 e5 12. Bf2 O-O 13. O-O Nh5 14. Qa4 f5 15. Rae1 Nhf6 16. Bd3 g6 17. e4 f4 18. c5 dxc5 19. Nb3 Kg7 20. dxc5 Qe6 21. Bc4 Bc6 22. Qb4 Qe8 23. Qa3 g5 24. h3 h5 { What is the move? } 25. Nd4 { The queen's position is strong, with white having the advantage, as the light-colored squares form a powerful checkmate pattern... can she win?.. the answer is no... doubt has been cast. } 25... exd4 26. cxd4 bxc5 27. e5 Nd5 28. e6 N7b6 29. Bxd5 { We must sell our house quickly, so we can move on and find a better place. } 29... Nxd5 30. Re5 Qe7 31. Qa6 Qd6 32. Rfe1 Ne3 33. Bxe3 fxe3 34. R1xe3 Be8 35. Qb7 cxd4 36. Rxg5+ Kh7 { 36...Og6 37.Vee5 Vae8 järel kahib valge kvaliteedi 38. Vxg6+Kxg6 39. Le4+ Kh6 40. g4 Kg7 (ma ei suutnud tükk aega mõista, miks Fritznäitab, et kaotab 40... hxg4 41. hxg4 Kg7, aga point on efektne - 42. Vg5+Kf6 43. Vg6+ Ke7 44. Vg7+ Kf6 ning nüüd loob 45. Vh7 tõrjumatuid ähvardusi,kui h-etturid peale jätta, siis saab must viigi pärast 45...Lg3+) 41. Vg5+Kf6 42. Lf5+ Ke7 43. Vg7+ Kd8 44. e7+ Vxe7 45. Lxf8+ Ve8 46. Lxd6+ cxd647. Vg5 hxg4 48. hxg4 ja asi lõpeb soodsama vankrilõppmänguga valgele. } 37. Ree5 Bg6 38. Rxh5+ Bxh5 39. Rxh5+ Kg6 40. Rh4 Qe5 41. Re4 Qf5 42. e7 { Alles nüüd hakkab ka Fritz mõistma, et valgete rünnak kaalub üles annetatudmaterjali. } 42... Rfe8 43. Qxc7 d3 44. Qd6+ Kh7 45. Rh4+ Kg7 46. Qh6+ Kg8 { 1-0.Pärast 47.Vg4+ Lxg4 48.hxg4 Vxe7 49. Lg6+ võtab valge veel etturi d3. Muide,siin on veel kurikaval lõks - vankrivõit pärast 49.Lg5+ Kf7 50.Ld5+ Kg751.Lxa8?? viib pärast 51...d2 üksnes viigile. } 1-0
[Event "66th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.12"] [Round "-"] [White "yellowlab"] [Black "jestey1"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1783"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1838"] 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 c5 { Excited to play in my first GK tourney, Istart out ambitiously. } 4. c3 Bf5 { !?? I was trying to make a reasonablemove that was not in the DB, but next time I think I'll just steer thegame into more familiar lines. This should be playable, but pressure ond5 and b7 make it dangerous for Black. ...Bg4, ...e6, ...Nc6 and ...Qb6 are allnatural and good. } 5. Qb3 { ! The most challenging. } 5... Qb6 { ? This move issufficient in many analogous positions, but here c5 is undefended. ...Qc8is not very exciting, but it seems best. } 6. dxc5 { ! Winning a pawn andforcing off the Queens at the same time. } 6... Qxb3 7. axb3 { Black is down aclear pawn, with little prospect of ever getting it back. Whites two pairsof doubled pawns give some drawing hopes, however, and there is quite abit of play left in the game. } 7... Nc6 { ...Nbd7 would force b4 right away andallow me to play ...e5, but the Knight would then have nowhere to go. } 8. b4 { ?! This is not yet necessary. With 8. Nf3, White develops, stops ...e5,and reserves b4 for when Black has committed himself by ...e6. } 8... e5 9. Bg3 Be7 { This impressive center is a lot less potent without a Queen to provideattacking chances. White is clearly better, and Black is fighting to draw. } 10. Nd2 O-O 11. Ngf3 Nd7 { 11. ...e5 12. Nd4 held no interest for me. Nowmy Knight is passive, but I clear f6 for the Bishop. } 12. Bb5 { Adding morepressure to e5. } 12... Bf6 13. O-O Rfd8 14. Nh4 { ?! An odd move. 14. Rfe1 ∆ e4is more to the point. } 14... Be6 15. e4 { ! This move would have more force withthe Knight on f3 and the Rook on e1, but it is still an excellent way tobreak up Black's center. } 15... a6 { Black must make the Bishop choose beforeclarifying the center. 15. ...d4 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. cxd4 exd4 18. Nf3 roundsup the d-pawn, while 15. ...dxe4 16. Nxe4 Be7 17. Nd6 is no fun. } 16. exd5 Bxd5 17. Bc4 { Forcing a trade. } 17... Nf8 { At least Black will get the d-file. } 18. Bxd5 Rxd5 19. Nc4 { ! Tightening White's grip. } 19... Rb8 { Anticipating Nd6. } 20. Rad1 { ! And bye-bye d-file. } 20... Rbd8 21. Ne3 { 21. Nd6 Rxe1 22. Rxe1 Rd7would be even better, but White still has everything under control. } 21... Rd2 22. Rxd2 Rxd2 23. Nc4 { ! Ejecting the Rook. Now ...Re2 is tempting, withthe threat of ...Re4, but Nf3 leaves the Rook dangerously short of squares. } 23... Rd5 24. Nf5 g6 25. Nfe3 Rd7 26. Rd1 { ! And more exchanges. } 26... Rxd1+ 27. Nxd1 Nd7 { Note at this point that, though White has perhaps not played with100% accuracy, he has skillfully eliminated all of Black's best cheapodrawing tactics. There will be no Rook endgames, no Bishops of oppositecolors, and there are still plenty of pawns on both sides of the board.Black now wants to try and advance the Kingside pawns, hoping first ofall to exchange off as many pawns as possible and second of all to possiblyget a passer of his own. At the same time, he needs to keep the Queensidepawns blockaded and deal with the threatened intrusion on d6. } 28. f3 { !?A clever way to activate the Knight. Nd6 right away is fine, too. } 28... Kf8 29. Nf2 Be7 30. Ne4 { Aiming twice for d6. } 30... f5 31. Ned6 b6 { The only wayto break White's vicegrip on the position also trades off a set of doubledpawns. } 32. cxb6 Nxb6 33. Nxb6 Bxd6 34. Nc4 Bc7 { So now we see the characterof this endgame: White has 3-vs-1 on the Queenside, but his pawns are doubledand awkward to get moving. Black has 4-vs-3 on the Kingside but has a hardtime making much of it and will have to do a lot of defending. } 35. Kf1 Ke7 36. Ke2 Ke6 37. Kd3 g5 38. Bf2 h5 { The further advanced the pawns are,the more likely Black can tie White pieces down to the Kingside. } 39. Na3 { ! making way for the b-pawn's advance. } 39... e4+ { !? I thought this was veryclever at the time, but White retains all of his advantage with preciseplay. Perhaps ...Bd6 was better, holding the pawns due to 40. b4 Bxa3 41.bxa3 (bxc6? Bxb2 and now Black is even better) axb3 = The Black b-pawnholds back both its White counterparts. After 39. ...Bd6 White can play Nc2with the idea of supporting the lead b-pawn with either Be1 or Bc4, andthen playing c4. } 40. fxe4 Ne5+ { The point – Black gets his pawn back,but nothing more. } 41. Ke2 { ! Trying to hold onto the pawn is no good:41. Ke2 Ng4+ 42. Ke2 (Kf3? fxe4+) Nxf2 43. exf5+ Kxf5 44. Kxf2 Bxh2 45.g3 h4 and Black's pawns are just as dangerous as White's, while the Bishopis obviously superior to the Knight. Or, 41. Kd4?? Bb6# } 41... fxe4 42. h3 { !Otherwise either ...Ng4 or ...Nd6 will win a pawn for real. } 42... Nd3 43. Be3 Nf4+ 44. Kf1 { ! White has kept everything together and will slowly drive Blackback. First, the threat of g3 provokes a concession. } 44... g4 45. hxg4 hxg4 { Black has managed to exchange some pawns and even create a passed pawnon e4, but the Kingside pawns are now firmly blockaded and the initiativepasses to White. } 46. b5 { ! Without further ado. } 46... axb5 47. Nxb5 Be5 48. Nd4+ Kd5 49. b3 Nd3 50. c4+ { ! The Black King is short of squares. } 50... Kd6 51. Nb5+ Kc6 52. Ke2 { Waste of time, but no damage done. } 52... Nf4+ 53. Kf1 Nd3 54. Na3 { Organizing a further advance. } 54... Bd6 { Aiming for a blockadeon the dark squares. } 55. Nc2 Bc5 { ? This Bishop will just get forced back. } 56. Ke2 { ! After Bxc5 Kxc5, progress is more difficult. } 56... Bd6 57. Nd4+ Kb6 58. Ne6+ Ka5 { ! Going for Black's best bet, occupying b4. Still shouldbe insufficient. } 59. c5 { !? A sharp line that shows that gives Black notime for ...Kb4. On the other hand, the connected passed pawns now beginto get separated and harder to defend. Ng5, simply going after the e-pawn,also deserved consideration. } 59... Be5 60. c6 { ? In hindsight, though this movelooks scary, I think it is the reason Black could escape with a draw. Thepawn now gets too advanced and, although Black must play extremely carefully,it is eventually lost. 60. Bd2+ Kb5 (Nb4? 61. c6! and Black loses a piece)61. b4!? with the idea of 61. ...Nxb4? 62. Bxb4 Kxb4 63. c6! and stoppingthe pawn will cost a Bishop. If Black can find a way to hold against thisline, however, then perhaps we must go even further back to find a winfor White. } 60... Ka6 { Forced, or else the pawn goes through. } 61. Ng5 { ! Andnow, White switches the attack to Black's advanced, neglected Kingsidepawns. 61. c7 Kb7 is pointless, of course. } 61... Nf4+ { At least I can forcea B-for-N trade and then win the c-pawn, but e5 is doomed and g5 is notfar behind. } 62. Bxf4 Bxf4 63. Nxe4 Be5 { 63. ...Kb3 loses to Nf6 64. g3?Nd5+ } 64. Nf2 { ? Going after my last pawn. It was more challenging to playKd3, though, and focus on shepherding home the remaining Queenside pawn.This would be similar to the actual game continuation, except that therewould be an extra pair of pawns on the board to increase the winning chances. } 64... g3 65. Ne4 Kb5 66. Kf3 Kxc6 67. Nxg3 Kb5 { I almost resigned instead ofplaying this move. Thank goodness I didn't! It is so easy to miss all themultitude of resources which are hidden in seemingly terrible positions.Here, even (temporarily) two pawns down in a simplified endgame, it seemsthat Black can draw no matter what White does! } 68. Nh5 { At this point,I thought that White had just thrown the game away. I wrote: '68. Ne4!is the key, refusing to abandon the b-pawn so easily. 68. Ne4 Kb4 69. Nd2Bc3 70. Ke2 and if Black trades pieces and wins the b-pawn, then the g-pawnQueens. Otherwise, White will bring the King around to c2, switch the Knightto the Kingside, and Black cannot stop both pawns.' Thanks to nuntar'sinput, I now realize that 69. ...Kc3! should hold here. Therefore, we haveto look earlier for where White could have saved the win. } 68... Kb4 69. Ke4 Bh8 { ! Plenty of other Bishop moves are good, but the exclam is for instructivevalue: this move goes to the heart of the position. To win, White needsto get the g-pawn to g8 without ever allowing Black to sac the Bishop forit. As long as the Bishop stays on the h8-a1 diagonal, the only way toprevent that sac is by blocking the diagonal with Nf6. Thus, Black putsthe Bishop 'inside' f6 so that White cannot block the Bishop without firstejecting it from h8. To do this, the White King must go to h7 or g8, whereit no longer can support a Knight on f6. Since the White King cannot controlh8 and f6 at once, White will need to bring up the pawn to support f6.That will give the Black King time to get back and control f6 himself,after which the Bishop cannot be blocked at all. } 70. g4 Kxb3 71. Kf5 Kc4 { The King hurries back to help control f6, after which the draw is assuredfor the reasons already stated at move 69. } 72. g5 Kd5 73. Kg6 { !? Tricksy!White has found a new way to deal with the Bishop: he threatens Nf6 first,and then Kh7, forcing a trade into a won King and Pawn endgame. Unfortunatelyfor White, however, Black will simply retreat his Bishop for just longenough for the King to arrive and help out. } 73... Bd4 { ! Nf6 is now met withKe3 and the pawn is tied to the defense of the Knight. } 74. Kf7 Ke5 { !It doesn't matter that the King blocks the Bishop temporarily. Black threatensto install the King on f4, forcing g3 and keeping the Knight of f6 forever. } 75. Nf6 Kf5 76. Nh7 { Otherwise we just repeat moves. 76. g6? Bxf6 is nohelp, of course. } 76... Bc3 77. g6 Bb2 78. Nf8 Bc3 79. Ne6 { And White, seeingthat there is no way to advance further, offered a draw. A very lucky escapeagainst the top seed in my tournament group! At the same time, it teachesus to keep struggling as long as there are any chances left at all. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "A pity"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.11"] [Round "-"] [White "carmac"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 { One of the wise moves, here. } 3... Bf5 4. d3 c6 { Necessary to block the white knight from b or d5, and to provide thequeen hers best square, c7. } 5. Nc3 Qa5 6. Bd2 { c7 is on the reach. Nodanger from the discovered threat to the queen. So I can go on developing. } 6... e6 { Assuming Nh4 exchanges my bishop. No problem. The h column will beopened for me. } 7. a3 Bd6 { If b4, Qc7, and if b5, I hold the exchange. But white failed to occupy the good black diagonal. } 8. Be2 { Preparingto castle, but nothing more. White evaluated that the discovered attackleads to nothing. } 8... Nf6 { Tempting him. Ne7 would have been more solid. } 9. Ne4 { He acccepts the bite, and must choose between scramble my pawnsor get rid of my good dsb. } 9... Qc7 10. Nxd6+ { NxN scrambles my pawns, butopens a column for my rook, too. } 10... Qxd6 11. Bb4 c5 { Now there is not a knightthreat on the 5th row, so no problem in breaking my fortress if I am winningtempo and occupying the center in the process. } 12. Bc3 { He again can scramblemy pawns, but I decided to afford it. } 12... O-O { Into the wolf's mouth, aswe'll say in Italy :-) } 13. Be5 Qb6 14. Bxf6 { Yes, give me your best piece!:-) } 14... gxf6 15. Qc1 { The center is mine. And the kingside will hold for somemore moves. } 15... Nc6 16. Nd2 Ne5 { It was important to block Nc5, but I willfail. } 17. h3 { Not f4, unless he planned to castle queenside. } 17... Rad8 { Awhite attempt to contest the center must be hold. } 18. f4 Ng6 { A blunder,since my bishop is trapped after g4. He must have believed in a trap, andprobably it was risky for him, after all. } 19. Nc4 Qc6 { Now Bf3... myGod, I'm fried! } 20. O-O Rd4 { Planning Qc7 to have some compensation. Ifc3, it will be my advantage. } 21. g4 { Now. I realized the bishop was trapped,and the fact that it could have been a trap for white. } 21... Nh4 { Threateningmate, with the idea of: Rf2, Kh8, and if gxB, Rg8+. It was interesting,but... } 22. gxf5 { White blundered at once. A pity. } 22... Qg2# 0-1
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.20"] [Round "-"] [White "rizwan1"] [Black "ffweaver1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1251"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1338"] 1. e4 c5 2. d3 { Weak } 2... Nc6 { Good! } 3. h3 { ? } 3... d6 { e6 better, or Nf6 } 4. Nc3 g6 { Better e5 or Nf6 or e6 } 5. Nf3 { Good } 5... Bg7 6. Be2 { Good } 6... Nf6 { Good development } 7. Be3 { Black's response should be d5. Attack in the center. exd5, Nxd5.The failure to make the d5 move is at heart of this game. } 7... b6 { Of not d5,then O-O } 8. Qd2 e5 { No, d5 } 9. O-O O-O 10. Rab1 Nd4 { Better d5 } 11. Bxd4 { Not a good exchange for White } 11... cxd4 { The game is looking good for Blacknow, all of a sudden. } 12. Nb5 { OK> are we ready for d5? [Nxe5, Qe8; Nxg6,hvg6pp If Nf3 then Qxb5] Or is it a6? What forcing move will Black make? } 12... Nh5 { d5 better. action in the center is better. This was not necessary to protectthe e pawn even if Black makes d5 move, per analysis prior. } 13. Qb4 { Whitesees vulnerability of Knight. Black should get his Knight back in gamewith Nf4, which also protects d5 square and drives B on e2 away or moveof Rfe1. Then, d5! } 13... Be6 { Nf4 or d5 } 14. Nxd6 { Mistake, but works for Whitehere. Now Black responds a5; Qa3, Nf4; Bd1, Rb8; Nc4, f6 and Black losesa pawn for initiative. } 14... Bxa2 { Now I expected a5. } 15. Rbe1 Be6 16. Nh2 Nf4 { Finally! } 17. Bg4 { We need now from Black a5, then Qc7 provoking Nc4 then Bxc4. Black has many opportunities here. } 17... Bxg4 18. Nxg4 { Now Blackshould move Qg5! Then h5 } 18... h5 { How about Qg5? } 19. Nh2 Bf6 { Black's initiativeis evaporating. Qg5 is still a good move. } 20. Nc4 Rc8 { Or Rb8, threateningb5. } 21. Nf3 { White's Knight is back in the game. } 21... Be7 22. Qb5 { f6 nowor Rc5 } 22... Ra8 { ? needed f6 } 23. Qxe5 { Now White is ahead and with materialto show for it. Ne6 is needed, protects d4, is protected by the pawn onf7. Be skeptical when you start moving your Kingside pawns under pressure. } 23... g5 24. Nxd4 { It should have been Qxd4. Now f6; Qf5, Qxd4. This is oneof those critical moves where you need for sure to use Analysis board andFlip. } 24... g4 { Blunder. Now Nc6 or Nf5 } 25. Qxf4 Qxd4 26. hxg4 b5 { Or h4 } 27. Nd2 { Ne3 better } 27... Qh8 { Qg7 better, then after gxh5, Bg5 driving Queen awayand attacking Knight. Again, this is one of those crucial moves to study. } 28. gxh5 { See? If only Q were on g7, Bg5 would win a piece. } 28... Qxh5 { Qxb2.Black's hope lies in Queening one of his Queenside pawns. Or Rfc8. } 29. Nf3 { White is right to recruit more pieces. I would have tried Re3. } 29... Rad8 { Rfe8 a little better to give King room to move. } 30. Qg3+ Kh8 { See? IfRfe8, another possibility, Rf8. } 31. Qh3 { I would not have exchanged Queensif I were White. } 31... Qxh3 32. gxh3 Rg8+ { You're just helping White do whathe wants any way. a5 } 33. Kh2 Rd6 34. Ne5 Rg7 35. Rg1 Rh7 36. Rg3 Bh4 37. Rg4 Rdh6 { Rf6. Now if Rge1, Rxf2+ } 38. Reg1 { Excellent! } 38... Bxf2 { Bg5;Rxg5, Rxh3+; Kg2, f6; Ng6+Kg7; Nf4+, fxg5 and White is winning. } 39. Rg8# { Yes. } 1-0
[Event "Varsity States"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "me"] [Black "Sean"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e3 e5 2. Nc3 { My standard opening working only for the black,so I sendout my knight, partly because I don't know what to do, and partly becauseto stop the procession of the king-side pawn. } 2... Nc6 3. Nf3 { I send outmy knight for the castle I intend to do as fast as I can, and also becauseI might get a chance of getting that pawn after all. } 3... d6 { Ruined my hopefor the pawn } 4. Bb5 Bd7 5. h3 a6 6. Be2 { Usually, I would have taken theknight for the e5 pawn, but seeing that it wasn't going to happen, I retreatedto e2. This move locked me in for a short period of time. } 6... Bf5 { Just tomention, I am not bright at what enemy would do in long term. I just makeit up as I go.( quite well, actually) } 7. O-O e4 8. Nd4 Nxd4 9. exd4 d5 10. Bg4 Nh6 11. Bxf5 { Thinking that there wasn't going to be another chance,I took the bishop. Now I also see that move freed my queen. } 11... Nxf5 12. d3 Nxd4 13. dxe4 Nb5 14. exd5 Nxc3 15. bxc3 g6 { I don't know why he made thatmove. please comment } 16. Re1+ Be7 17. Qd4 { I thought this was a good move,but now I see that I could have forced his queen with Bg5 } 17... Kd7 18. Qe5 Re8 19. Qf4 Bd6 { I thought this was my chance, well, i just didn't seewhat was going to happen. } 20. Qxf7+ Qe7 21. Rxe7+ Rxe7 { Here, I got myanswer for why he pushed queen, not the rook. If I don't take the rooke5, He would checkmate me. } 22. Qxe7+ Kxe7 { I believe it would have beenbetter to take with a bishop, for then I couldn't have gotten the extraturn by checking him. } 23. Bg5+ Kd7 24. c4 Re8 { He couldn't have been dumbenough to go for a checkmate, but I still decided by moving Bishop to e3,I would be able to push the pawn to c5. } 25. Be3 h5 { Thank god for hissense of wasting turns. } 26. c5 Be5 { futile attempt for the rook. } 27. Rd1 h4 28. a4 a5 29. Kf1 { A move that came in handy after a while. } 29... Rg8 { why?, comment please. } 30. c3 { I forgot that I could push the pawn twoplaces( how dumb!) } 30... g5 31. d6 cxd6 { He was dumb enough to take it, whichled to his doom. } 32. cxd6 Bf4 33. Bxf4 { Did I mention that I love exchanges? } 33... gxf4 34. Rd4 Rf8 35. Ke2 { Thanks to previous move, I was able to move here. } 35... Rf6 36. c4 Rxd6 37. Rxf4 Kc6 38. Rxh4 Kc5 39. Re4 Rd4 40. Rxd4 Kxd4 { Anexchange that was costly for black. } 41. Kf3 Kxc4 { He chose to take thepawn for a chance of queen. } 42. h4 b5 43. axb5 { He probably didn't expectthe fact that he had to take that pawn. } 43... Kxb5 44. h5 a4 45. h6 a3 46. h7 Kb4 { realizing pawn push will bring his doom, he moves his king. } 47. h8=Q Kb3 48. g4 a2 49. g5 Kc2 50. g6 Kb1 51. Qc3 { He wanted me to push the pawn,which would have earned him a queen, but realizing that I would willinglytake that pawn after his only possible move, pawn to a1, he resigned. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.01.02"] [Round "-"] [White "riwulof"] [Black "mrkiivan"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1957"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1956"] { A quiet opening that finally lead to a sharp double edge attack with trapfrom my worthy opponent. } 1. d4 c6 2. c4 d5 { Queens gambit, Slave variation.Very solid. } 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 { Also playable (and popular) isBg5, but I noticed that I have a better score with this move (even thuI don't know why). } 5... Bd6 6. Qc2 Nbd7 7. b3 { I'm sure this has been playedbefore, but for me I get out of the books here. I just don't want to playBd3 and loose a tempo after dxc. So I prepare to fianchetto the bishop,even thu my king is still in the center. } 7... a6 { ?! Not sure what this wasfor. Prepare b5 maybe. 0-0 seems better. } 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Bd3 { Finally, Icannot delay this if I want to finish my development. } 9... h6 10. h3 { ?! Notsure what is the point, likely 0-0 at once is better. } 10... e5 { At last someaction in the center. Black has an edge in development and decide to openthe center. I cannot allow e4 because of the fork, and because my pieceswould be burried alived. } 11. dxe5 { 11.c5 ? Bc7 would be bad for white. } 11... Nxe5 12. Nxe5 { I cannot let him inflict me double pawns on f3. Black hasthe initiative. } 12... Bxe5 13. O-O { 0-0-0 seems more dangerous because the Q-sidepawns can easily be exchanged. But my king is almost alone. } 13... Be6 14. cxd5 { What will black do for the center ? } 14... cxd5 { After 14...Nxd5 minor pieceswould be exchanged, and I would have tried a minority attack on the Q-side(2 pawns vs 3), while black would probably have gone for a king attackon the other wind. The chosen move gives a central isolated pawn, thatcan be a weakness or a help for an attack. C column opens as well. Positionis balanced. } 15. Ne2 { I propose more exchange and try to make d4 a strongplace for my knight. } 15... Rc8 { ! Black occupy the column 1st, I should fightfor it latter if I can. } 16. Qd2 Bc7 { ?! I guess the bishop exchanged wouldhave favored white, but b8 seems a better place, not blocking the rook. } 17. Rac1 { So I challenge the column } 17... Ne8 { ? Black should have tried 17...Ne4,or heaven some Qd6 (threatening mate). Now it's position looks more cramped. } 18. Bb1 { With these 2 wonderfull diagonals for my bishops, I prepare someB+Q battery to attack the king. } 18... Qd6 { Black goes first. } 19. f4 { 14 g3?Bxh3. or 14 Ng3 ?! but the knight cannot move and if the Qd6 move, BxNwould destroy my pawns. So I weaken e3 } 19... Qe7 { Aiming at h4 and e3 (X-ray). } 20. Qd3 { As French says: 'un air de déjà vu' ^_^ } 20... f5 { 20... Nf6?? 21. BxNf6loose. While 20...g6 Qd4 is quite unpleasant. So, same medecine for bothplayers (f4 and f5). The e6 bishop is burried. } 21. Nd4 { Just consideringthe knight position, white has a big +. Black knight want to jump on e4. } 21... Bd7 { Soon, black will play, Nd6 - e4, or attack e3 with Q+R, and come intoplay. So I need to find something. } 22. g4 { !? Open everything while aheadin development. } 22... Bb6 23. Rxc8 { I exchanged 1st to avoid Bxe3+ and Bxc1in some variation. Not sure it is mandatory but I felt it safer. } 23... Bxc8 24. gxf5 { A pawn is a (doubled) pawn ! } 24... Qh4 { I was expecting 24...Nf6 followedby 25...Re8. GK computer spots this as a mystake. May be, but a dangerousone as we'll see. } 25. Kg2 { I protect the pawn, but actually 25.Kh2 followedby 26.Rg1 is better, without fearing 26...Qf2+ thanks to 27.Rg2. } 25... Nd6 { Blackcounter attack on f5 or e4 with the knight, after which the Q can enterin g3 } 26. Nf3 { But this simple defense stop it. } 26... Qh5 27. Qxd5+ { And nowI felt confident for the win. } 27... Nf7 { Forced } 28. e4 { GK computer found outa nice tactic : 28. Rc1 Bxe3 29. Rxc8! Rxc8 30. Qe6 Rf8 31. Qxe3 } 28... Rd8 29. Qc4 { Only square, but it is fine as d2 is under control } 29... Kh8 30. Qb4 Rd6 { I intended to trap my opponent, as 30...Be3 (or Bc7) is faced with Qc3wining the bishop thanks to the Qxg7# threat. I was expecting 30...Ba731 Qc3 Rg8. } 31. Qc3 { So I forked anyway. Again I missed a tactic here: 31.Rd1 !! as 31... RxR is countered by 32.Qf8+ Kh7 33. Qxg7#. } 31... Rg6+ { Forcedto counter the mat } 32. Kh2 { ! Never too late to loose ! After 32.fxRg6?? Qxh3# } 32... Nd6 33. Rd1 { The knight is not protected as the g6 rook mustprotect g7 } 33... Bxf5 { Desperate. GK computer proposes the sharp : ... Ne8 34.Qxc8 Rc6 ! 35. Bxg7+ Kh7 36. Qxb7 Qxf3 37. Bd4+ Bc7 38. Qxc6 Bxf4+ 39.Kg1 Qxd1+ 40. Kg2 Qe2+ 41. Bf2 Nd6 with a +5, but I would still not beconfident there is no perpetual check in such an open position with thequeens on board. } 34. exf5 Nxf5 35. Qc8+ Kh7 36. Qxf5 Bg1+ { Last boulet } 37. Rxg1 { 37.Kh1 ??? Qxf3# Here my opponent resigned, after QxN it is aneasy mate. Thanks for watching, feel free to leave coments. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.09.25"] [Round "-"] [White "catzlaw"] [Black "otakumadness"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1021"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "983"] 1. d4 d5 2. h3 e6 3. a3 Nc6 4. c3 { This is a strange move for White, andnow the only way to bring out the knight is by doing Nd2 and blocking thebishop's path. } 4... Nf6 5. a4 Ne4 6. e3 Bd6 7. Bd3 Bd7 8. Ne2 O-O 9. Nf4 e5 10. Nxd5 Qh4 { I lose my pawn but threatening checkmate with my knight assupport. } 11. Bxe4 Qxe4 { White exchanges pieces to avoid checkmate. } 12. dxe5 Qxg2 { Rather than taking the pawn on e with my bishop, I instead gofor this move; if White decides to take my bishop with the pawn, I willthen do Qxh1+ and gain a rook. } 13. Rf1 { One of two options for White tosave the rook. The other would have been to move the King up one row toallow the Queen to protect the rook, and then I wouldn't have been ableto make the next move with my bishop and gain an advantage in territory.I think this was a key mistake on White's part because my bishop does causesome trouble a few turns later. } 13... Bxh3 { Taking the pawn and providing supportfor my queen so that next turn she can do Qxf1+ and perhaps begin to forcea mate. } 14. Qe2 { A better move for White would have been to do Ke2 andlet the Queen protect the rook and remain protecting the knight. The D-columnknight is now dead. } 14... Qxd5 { Taking the knight. } 15. f3 { Not really surewhy White made this move. I suppose White is trying to prevent my Queenfrom returning to wreak havoc by blocking her path with a pawn, but nowI get the rook. Perhaps a better move would have been Rg1 to prevent myqueen from returning to g2. } 15... Bxf1 { Taking the rook. I anticipate Whitecapturing my bishop with either the Queen or the King. } 16. Qxf1 { Whitetakes the bishop. } 16... Qxe5 { I take the pawn, and now my DSB is supportingmy queen. } 17. e4 { I think White was anticipating my Queen to take thee-column pawn for Qxe3+, forgetting that the bishop is protecting thatpawn already. This proved to be a key mistake on White's part because whenI begin to force mate on the next move, e4 is now blocked when it couldhave been a possible escape route for the King. } 17... Qg3+ { Beginning to forcea checkmate. } 18. Ke2 Qh2+ 19. Kd3 Ne5+ 20. Kd4 c5+ 21. Kd5 Rad8 { Thismove with my Rook was the only one without a check. The two pieces thatcan help at this point are the bishop and the Queen, but the queen canonly make a useless interposition, and if the bishop goes to f4 to blockmy queen's path to protect the knight (thereby allowing the king to escapemate by taking the knight), I would take the bishop with my queen and mateon the next move. One thing that I really find that helps is before actuallysubmitting my move in a game, I analyze the board first to see what mylast few moves were (which can sometimes serve as a reminder of what moveI wanted to make next) and I can play around with different outcomes, likeif I move my Queen here, what would White do in response, and things likethat. } 22. Bg5 Be7# { Mate. I think White's moving the pawn to e4 was akey move in this game. If White had left that pawn alone and instead movedthe pawn on f forward one (therefore threatening my queen when she wason e5 and blocking her path), this checkmate could have been avoided, andI would have had to find another method of attack. Another key aspect ofthis game is that White didn't utilize the b-column knight at all; formost of the game, the pawn on c3 blocked the knight's best method of gettingon the board. } 0-1
[Event "League division C2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.11.02"] [Round "-"] [White "hityerclock"] [Black "najtreb"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1941"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2136"] { The modern Benoni is a sharp fighting defense. Though somewhat suspectamong titled players, it's perfectly playable below the 2400 level wherewe mere mortals reside, and a lot of fun to play on either side. This gameshows a typical plan for white - pushing his central pawn majority. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 { 4.Nf3 is also playable, but gives blacka chance to play the sharp Blumenfeld Gambit, 4...b5!? I prefer the whiteside of the Benoni to the white side of the Blumenfeld. } 4... exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. h3 { Keeping the black LSB away from g4. In the modern Benoni,black usually has trouble developing his LSB due to white's grip on thecentral light squares. One common plan for black is to exchange it earlyfor white's N after white plays Nf3, via ...Bg4->Bxf3. With the text move,this option is no longer available, and there's hope of black's LSB gettingin the way of coordinating his other pieces. } 7... a6 { A thematic move forblack, attempting to expand on the Q-side. } 8. a4 { Probably best, aimingto restrain black's Q-side play. } 8... Qe7 { Putting immediate pressure on thecenter. More common is 8... Bg7. Either way, black needs to find counterplaybefore white's center pawns can become dangerous. } 9. Bd3 Bg7 10. Nf3 Nbd7 11. a5 { ?! Taking b6 away from the Nd7, but inaccurate, as that Nis ultimately better placed on either e5 or g6 (via f8). I should justcontinue developing with O-O. } 11... O-O 12. O-O Nh5 { ? Probably an attempt toprevent Bf4, and also creating options for the fianchetto bishop. In somecontinuations, ...f5 is useful, too. But IMO the N is misplaced here, andcedes too much central control. 12... Ne5 is probably best. } 13. Be3 Ne5 14. Nxe5 { I also considered 14.Be2, but decided to eliminate black's mostactive piece. With this N gone, black's pieces look uncoordinated, whileWhite's are well placed to commence operations in the center, taking advantageof the central pawn majority. If the black N is allowed to remain on e5,black will play for an eventual ...c4 and ...Nd3, possibly redeployingthe other N to c5 along the way, which is a typical plan for black in thisopening. } 14... Qxe5 15. Qd2 Bd7 16. g4 { White can now launch an attack, gainingtempo on both the black N and Q. } 16... Nf6 17. f4 Qe7 18. Rae1 { Things startgetting dangerous for black. White prepares the central pawn roller. } 18... Bb5 { ?! Solving the LSB problem, but giving up control of e6 which encourageswhite's reply. Black's best is probably 18... Ne8, preventing 19.e5. Black'scounterplay has to come on the Q-side, so after 18... Ne8 black shouldplay for ...Rc8 and ...c4, or the previously-mentioned ...Rb8 and ...b5. } 19. e5 dxe5 20. Bxb5 axb5 21. fxe5 Nd7 { ?! 21... Qxe5 22.Bxc5 Qg3+ 23.Qg2Qxg2 24.Kxg2 Rfc8 25.b4 is probably black's best try, though I prefer white'sposition. } 22. Bg5 Qe8 23. Nxb5 { I also considered 23.Ne4, which winsafter 23... Nxe5? 24.Nf6+ Bxf6 25.Bxf6, but after 23... Qxe5!? 24.Nf6+Bxf6 25.Rxe5 Bxe5 black is still in the game. } 23... Qb8 24. e6 { ! the bonein black's throat, and the real point behind Nb5. The B controls e7, andthe N will be able to control e8 from either c7 or d6. That makes the pawnon e6 fatal for black. } 24... Qg3+ 25. Qg2 Qxg2+ 26. Kxg2 fxe6 27. dxe6 Rxf1 28. Rxf1 Nf8 { Or 28... Ne5 29.Nc7. } 29. e7 Ne6 30. Re1 { The passed pawnpays off. 30.Nd6 Nc7 31.Nxb7 also wins. } 30... Nxg5 31. e8=Q+ Rxe8 32. Rxe8+ Kf7 33. Rb8 Bxb2 34. Rxb7+ { Black resigns, as there is no way to stop thea-pawn. } 1-0
[Event "Liven up the Loss - Part 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.10.06"] [Round "-"] [White "drhpatron"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1728"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2427"] 1. c4 { Hi everyone! Normally losing games can be quite depressing butsometimes, if you find yourself making threats of your own against youropponent, before you succumb, particularly if he/she is nearly 700 pointsnorth of your rating, it can sometimes be quite uplifting. Here is thefirst of two such games against my IM opponent David Patron where Glendadoes her best to take down King David but alas is beaten back and thistime Henry cannot evade Old Matey's scythe. So how does this happen? Well,you can look at gameknot analysis, read on or both. } 1... e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 { 2..... Bb4 - after deciding to play e5 against The English Opening and Davidresponding with Nc3 I put a potential pin on that knight using Fou Lenoir. } 3. Nd5 Be7 { 3. .... Be7 - retreat. } 4. d4 exd4 5. Qxd4 { 5. Qxd4 - pawntrade. } 5... Nf6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Qd1 { 7. Qd1 - forced retreat. } 7... O-O 8. g3 d6 9. Bg2 Rb8 { 9. ..... Rb8 - evading a potential pin by David's light squarebishop and protecting the b7 pawn. } 10. O-O Nxd5 11. cxd5 Ne5 { 11. .....Ne5 - after one knight trade I prepare another. } 12. Bf4 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 { 13. Bxf3 - both knights now traded. } 13... Bh3 14. Re1 Bg5 15. Bxg5 Qxg5 { 15....... Qxg5 - bishop trade. Now Glenda sees holes in King David's castledposition and scents blood. } 16. Qd4 b6 17. Rac1 Rfc8 { 17. .... Rfc8 - however,David hits back by putting pressure on my queenside. Suddenly the c7 pawnis looking a little vulnerable. } 18. e4 h5 { 18. ...... h5 - looking tobreak open David's castled position by playing the pawn up to h4. Davidscotches that plan next move by inviting a bishop trade. } 19. Bg2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 { 20. Kxg2 - trade complete. } 20... f6 21. Qa4 { 21. Qa4! - uh oh! TheWQ is threatening to invade on d7 or c6 and btw capture on a7. } 21... a5 22. Qd7 { 22. Qd7 - I save the a pawn but oh dear, my c7 pawn is seriously enprise. Glenda tries to counter by attacking the b2 pawn but now some blackwood is about to be burned. } 22... Qe5 23. Rxc7 Rxc7 24. Qxc7 Re8 25. Qxb6 Rc8 26. Qxa5 Qxb2 { 26. ...... Qxb2 - the defining moment of the game. TheWQ has done a lot of damage, giving me a two pawn minus against an IM. So, which of the following options should I take? Option A - hit resignbutton. Option B - defend passively and later hit the resign button. Finally Option C - go for an all out attack against King David and riskcopping Old Matey. As Options A and B seemed sooo depressing I decidedto go for Option C. Let the adrenaline rush begin! } 27. Qa4 Kh7 28. Qd1 Rc2 { 28. .... Rc2 - after the prophylactic move of putting Henry on h7to prevent any annoying checks by the WQ I then decided to attack KingDavid's second rank so that I can give him a .......... BONE IN THE THROAT!! } 29. Qxh5+ Kg8 30. Qf5 Qxa2 { 30. ...... Qxa2 - maintains the Bone in thethroat and snaffles up a passer on a2. } 31. Re3 Qc4 { 31. ..... Qc4 - preparingto switch invasion point to f1. } 32. Qe6+ Kh7 33. g4 Rc1 34. Rh3+ { 34.Rh3+! - unfortunately Henry now succumbs to a mating net before my plancan be executed. } 34... Kg6 35. Qe8+ Kg5 36. Qh5+ Kf4 37. Qf5# { 37. Qf5 MATE!! Well played David! } 1-0
[Event "Kings Indian Mainline"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.11.16"] [Round "-"] [White "jonpberger"] [Black "thitho"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1772"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1643"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 Bg7 4. d4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 { tournament position; i shouldn't have played this tournament.I hate black position... 7th move is so unnatural to me } 9. Bg5 { whiteseems to have so much space, it is out of decency. Look at queen side!Look at king side! } 9... Ne8 { Black seems so Steinitzian! } 10. Qd2 f6 { try toregain some space } 11. Bh6 Kh8 { preparing the super defence. } 12. h3 { preparingthe super attack } 12... Ng8 { super defence } 13. Bxg7+ Nxg7 { i am sure Steinitzwould have liked this... I feel a hedgehog } 14. g4 { i am surprised nothingcame on the queen side. Nc3 is so passive. } 14... a6 { well, now he will stayso. I had in mind to explode white attack since the previous move. } 15. a4 f5 { so be it! I calculated that I may have an advantage here by gettingout of my black hole. } 16. exf5 gxf5 17. Qg5 { other possible moves: Ng5is pointless; gxf frees my pieces; what about g5?! } 17... Qxg5 { fxg would haveallowed white to play Qxd8 and make me lose tempos and positions. Losingalso the defence of e4 crucial to fix the second knight } 18. Nxg5 h6 19. Nf3 fxg4 20. hxg4 Bxg4 { won a pawn, exposed to many traps... like... } 21. Nh4 { this one> i can't take the bishopm because of Ng6!! But I foresawit. } 21... Bf5 { this is the best defence: I protect both my bishop and g6 } 22. Kh2 { preparing the artillery } 22... Ne7 { overprotecting the bishop and the g6point. } 23. Nxf5 { white renounces to its potential fork } 23... Rxf5 { black develops.It is now cleraly better... } 24. Ne4 { good position, but the knigh mustfeel very lonely } 24... Rf4 { was I preventing Bg4? I don't remember, but whiteanswer here determined my victory... } 25. f3 { this is definitely a mistake.the white bishop is now reduced to passive defence and the pawn is nowa very good target for both knight in 2 moves... } 25... Rg8 { and now is comingthe second cannon } 26. Kg2 { i will gain a tempo thanks to this move. Didwhite have a choice? It was threatened by Rh4 followed by Ngf5+ } 26... Ngf5+ 27. Kf2 Nd4 { first knight on the position. } 28. Rh1 Rg6 { Kh7 exposed topotential knight check. } 29. Bd3 { obviously a mistake, and deciding thenext moves, but let's see what where white perspectives. i was about to1) approach my king to g7; 2) play Nf5-h4 (unless white had played Rh3and Rah1; in this last case i still had good possibilities by taking thebishop with the first knight and postioning the second on d4... i expectedan eventual defence by Nd2, allowing then Rgf6 and the decisive e4!...) } 29... Rxf3+ 30. Ke1 Rxd3 31. Kf2 Rf3+ 32. Ke1 Nc2+ 33. Ke2 Re3+ 34. Kd2 Rg2+ 35. Kc1 Kg7 { i played cat-mouse, here, and forgot to take the knight... } 36. Ra2 Rxe4 37. b3 Re1+ 38. Rxe1 Nxe1 39. Rxg2+ Nxg2 { i guess now jontried to find a draw } 40. Kd2 e4 41. Ke2 Nf5 42. Kf2 Nf4 43. b4 Nd3+ 44. Ke2 Nxb4 45. Kf2 e3+ 46. Kf3 Nc2 47. a5 Nfd4+ 48. Ke4 e2 49. Kd3 { hey,man, he really tried to confuse me here, } 49... e1=N+ { so i decided to play thislittle trick } 50. Kc3 h5 51. Kd2 h4 52. c5 h3 53. cxd6 cxd6 54. Kd1 h2 55. Kd2 h1=Q 56. Kc3 { the last 15 moves were only a loss of time, but ican't blame jon to try... } 0-1
[Event "OTB WTW Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "9/16/16"] [Round "-"] [White "Jack"] [Black "Joe"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1324"] [TimeControl "84 min"] { This is the first time in a month that I could make it to the chess club. I went away on the last Friday of August for a long weekend. Then, Ihad to work at the same time as the chess club, so I thought I'd be competingin the tourney right away, when I got back, or it might be too late. But,what I didn't realize is that others couldn't make it. So, we did notstart on Friday, but it will resume next Friday, so this will be the lastOTB game that I'll be able to annotate for a while (until the tourney isover because of the absolute time controls there.) And, it's the firsttime in several months that I got to play against the runner, Jack Stockelwhich makes it special. This was similar to my rated game with bhidragonbecause it was, as noted, a while since I could make it. Therefore, likewith that game, there was not going to be, 'back and forth analysis.' So, it was going to be more like a rated then that of a training game becauseJack Stockel, similarly, also wanted to see how I was playing these days. By that, I'm not even alluding to recently, but rather, nowdays, so fromthe present. This time, I played better then average and did better thenmy game against bhidragon. In fact, he made a terrible mistake that losthis Rook. But, I blew it in the end, and like with that game, failed tofigure out what the board was trying to tell me which is how I lost thegame. Usually, I don't call it a WTW game because they don't follow therules. Instead, we both agree on what commentators on what others hadbeen telling me which is that it makes sense to resign when you feel thatthere is nothing left to learn, after losing material. This game, however,ended with a mate which is why it'll posted in the WTW Annotations thread. It was a different error that got me mated, but before that, the gamewas lost because with best play, I would've lost a piece without compensationsince it happened in the endgame. So, how did it all unravel? } 1. e4 { WithJack Stockel, though, I have a difficult time figuring out if he'll play1.d4, or 1.e4 He usually starts off with the QPO, with the idea of playingthe QG which I decline. But, once he plays this, I answer with my usual. Now, the next couple of moves are standard. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 { But,I was surprised to see this. The mainline continues with 3.d4, cxd4 4.Nxd4,a6 as that's what he taught me. As the saying goes, however, 'Don't trustyour opponent.' Once he deviates, I'm going to play it differently myselfby developing and threatening his pawn. } 3... Nf6 4. d3 { Not to my surprise,he protects. But, figuring that 3.c3 was inaccurate, I decide to continuedeveloping by pinning his Nf4. What comes to mind is what Ken recentlytaught me which is that it's not a good idea to break the pin with 4...Be2 So, another way of saying it is that I'm trying to put compromises andeven on Jack's position. } 4... Bg4 5. Be2 { ?! But, he breaks the pin, anyway. So, even though the move is inaccurate, with what Ken said, my instinctsand thoughts were still correct because he did teach me that the most commonway to break the pin is with the B, whether the pin is on the K or Q side. } 5... Nc6 { Meanwhile, I continue with my development. } 6. Nbd2 { As does he. } 6... g6 { Since it's not an type of Indian Defense, combined with, the fact thatI didn't fianchetto on the other side, and that the e square is somewhatcramped which would limit the B, I do not hesitate or consider anythingelse, other then fianchettoing at once because I have nice long, and thus,comfortable, diagonal for my Bf8. All I'm interested in is castling, atthis point, so my thinking is solely based on that. } 7. d4 { He puts a temporarystop to that, as I cannot let Jack win a pawn here. } 7... cxd4 8. cxd4 Bg7 { But,now, I take advantage of the opportunity to put the B on the long diagonal,as noted earlier. Since it's exchanged, it's the same idea as nothingelse was going to come into consideration. } 9. d5 { Of course, this movedelays castling, as I need to protect my N. After which, he decides toexchange, and I have no problem accepting. That's because this time, Ifeel that Jack is not making the best choices because he, just like whatI learned from Ken, might need those pieces later on. The problem withthis thought process is that I'm already starting to become overly confident,which I've done in other games, and it'll show in the end which will lateron lead to my downfall. } 9... Ne5 10. Nxe5 Bxe2 { I had a long think about Goodor Bad bishops. At first, I thought his B was the weak one and, thus,was not going to exchange. But, looking more into it, I realize that theremight be potential for this to become dangerous. As such, I changed mymind and decided that his Be2 was good Bishop, that's why I decided totake as it's being exchanged for my bad Bishop. } 11. Qxe2 dxe5 12. Qb5+ { I was surprised to see the check. I asked myself if not exchanging would'veprevented it, and the answer is no since it was on a different diagonal. } 12... Nd7 { I had a hard time figuring out how to get out of check. At first,I thought that I had lost castling rights. But, then I realized that thiswas the other way to get out of check. And, it's the only that I can castle. Therefore, I was going to get out this way since almost nothing else comesinto consideration, besides castling. I also kept in mind that he's goingto take on b7. Unlike with the previous pawn, it does not bother me becauseof what I learned from GM Susan Polgar about the London System. What shesaid is that taking that pawn is known to be dangerous, and thus, blunderousbecause the Q usually gets trapped. And, when it does not, there are waysto get the Rook. So, I'm trying to apply what I learned from her for thisgame, even though, it started off with a completely different opening. The problem is that it won't work here, but I'm hopeful. And, it doeswork several moves later when Jack plays a different move which will turnout to be a super blunder. } 13. Qxb7 O-O { In the end, all I care aboutis the fact that I could castle. I did, however, consider delaying thiswith 13...a6 with the idea being to trap the Q, using the Polgar method. But, I looked at variations after that, and in all of them, there's noway to trap the Q. } 14. O-O { Meanwhile, Jack castles, as well. And, nowI go for it by attacking the Queen with 14...Nc5. That's because in thosevariations, Susan also mentioned that this is a different way of trappingit in the London System. I know that Jack's options are limited, but hefinds a move that gets his Q out. In the process, my Knight gets attacked. So, based on 13.Qxb7 being played, I'm still looking for a way to winmaterial. } 14... Nc5 15. Qb5 Rc8 { Still trying to trap his Queen, I add a defenderto my Nc5, rather then, retreating it to d7 which is something that I hadalso considered. } 16. f3 { This was played to give Jack solid pawn chain. But, that does not bother me since I'll now attack his Queen with theexact same move that Susan mentioned, being 16...a6. And, that's wherehe prevents it from being trapped. I am, however, still trying to figureout how to get material, so that hasn't changed since a move can fail inmore then one variation. } 16... a6 17. Qe2 Qb6 { So, I threaten a discovered check,which, unlike before Jack overlooks with his next move. } 18. b3 { ?? Asbest would've been 18.Kh1 where the monarch is in the corner which is thesafe spot, as I previously learned from him. My guess is that the glaucomagot the best of him. But, with this move, I'm going to get a pawn andRook. Winning the R is what I was really hoping for when I said that I'mstill trying to figure out a way to win material. Yes, that's what I wasalluding to which has now become a reality. } 18... Nxb3+ { Jack: Oh, I forgotthe King. Joe: Almost missed it. Jack: You might win the game then. Now, I said almost overlooked because of a variation before playing ...Nxb3+. What I almost forgot is that it's check. It was a minor episode of GhostVision which got corrected right away which is how I saw this sequence. But, as we're about to see, 'It's not over til it's over' As now, gettingoverly confident is really about to show. } 19. Kh1 Nxa1 20. Ba3 { Jack completeshis development. This is where I get carried away as that's all I thoughthe wanted. But, it's not the entire story that the board was trying totell me. I was worried about him getting a piece which was either goingto be that or getting a pawn. } 20... Rc3 { With that being said, my attitude isthat he cannot have that piece because if Jack takes, I'll take back. This is no mistake since both can be corrected, but the attitude (thoughtprocess) is wrong on so many levels. Once he takes the pawn, I'm goingto start getting into trouble. } 21. Bxe7 Re8 { As now, I'm interested intempo gain. I'm hoping for an exchange since I'm ahead. Or, that he wouldretreat his Be7 which would allow me to defend with 21...Nc2 which is whatI thought would happen. But, none of that occurred. Instead, Jack played... } 22. d6 { This move which took me off guard. I might be up, but his passedpawn is dangerous. And, if I get my N out, he advances it one square further. } 22... Qc6 { So, I put a temporary stop to it which gives him a piece back, asnow, it's almost level again. } 23. Rxa1 Rc8 { So, I threaten mate and tryto get his other R. } 24. h3 { Opening up. Realizing I can't mate him, Idid not play 24.Rc1, but instead, try to tie his N down with 24...Rc2. Better was still 24...Rc1+ Even though I can't mate him, I have threeattackers against one defender, so checking him by bringing the Rook toc1, would've won his other Rook. But, I was worried about what happensafter that which is an eventual d7 followed by the promotion, but evenafter that variation, I'm still a R up, and have just liquidated the promotedpawn, afterwards. } 24... Rc2 25. Qd3 { He attacks my Rook. But, 25...Rc1+ isstill possible and ought to have been played. Instead, I get an unrealisticattitude of trying to win his Be7 with my next move. It turns out that,according to what Jack implied, 25...Bf8?? is the losing blunder as he'llbe able to promote and get the R back. I don't agree with it because afterthe variations which is still lost, I would've played on and tried to geta draw. So, as per ION's advice, he is my opponent, and thus, do not trusthim. But, I agree that bringing the B to f8 is a mistake as he'll equalize,but it was almost even, so I deem it to be a small inaccuracy, as opposedto, the fatal mistake. } 25... Bf8 26. d7 Rc1+ { As now, I deliver check and tradeoff Rooks, figuring that this was the only way out of trouble. First,it's too little too late, as he gets the other Rook. Second, as noted,it's still more or less even after the promotion which is something thatmiscounted figuring it was lost, as he said in the end. } 27. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 28. Kh2 Bxe7 { With that being said, I cannot offer a draw, as Jack willdecline the offer. But, I try to trick him into a variation that mightlead to a draw by repetition by exchanging B's. Besides, if I didn't take,he surely would have a winning advantage, as he'd be a piece up since thatB was goner, anyhow. At least, I get compensation, in return. } 29. dxc8=Q+ Qxc8 30. Nc4 { After the promotion, he attacks my pawn, which I defend withmy next move. I also considered 30...Qe6, but 30...f5 was played to geta pawn chain. What I didn't realize is that this chain is ineffectivesince it does not include passed pawns. From experience, I've learnedthat passed pawns are, in general, only effective when one of them is apasser. } 30... f5 31. Qd5+ { Not to my surprise, Jack checks, but figuring itwas just a nuicanse (since I don't see an immediate win of material, Iget out with my next move.) But, like with Ken, I should've checked outthe variations because I'm now in serious trouble which I didn't realizeuntil the end. } 31... Kf8 { I had initially played 31...Kf7, figuring that itwould get me out of a more difficult situation. But, contrary to my gameagainst Loyd and a different game, where he mated, Jack accurately pointedout that it was an illegal move to his Q being on the same diagonal. Thereason I forgot was Ghost Vision, since it appeared to be on black squarewhen the Queen was on the white square, leaving it on that diagonal. But,his next move is still the same, regardless. } 32. Nxe5 { As I saw this coming,but this is where I got overly confident figuring that it was the bestthat Jack could do so. In fact, I became happy figuring that I just mighthave a drawn. Although not resignable (not a position where I'd resign,as I feel that there's more to learn, it's technically a lost position)as I'll explain with the variations that Jack and I played through. } 32... f4 { ?? In fact, after taking another look, I figured that Jack might havemade another blunder, as I was, believe it or not, trying to plan a matingsequence but missed the very basic rule that bhidragon taught of, is mymonarch attacked and can I get mated. In fact, during that game, bhidragonasked me how I could miss a back rank. Well this isn't a backrank matebut it's as easy to stop, and thus, I shouldn't be missing something likethis. But, the reason is the same as I talked about attacking lines andhaving an overwhelming attack, which I thought might happen here. So,what he said, 'You forgot the first and most basic rule ... is the Kingunder attack! A brilliant move that opens an attacking line is worth nothingif you get mated.' Similarly, I forgot the same basic rule and for thesame reason. So, likewise, I felt that black might have an overwhelmingattack here. I was planning a mate and assumed that I might have someoverwhelming attacking forces with Jack, just like my rated game with bhidragon,so yes I had gained some intelligence from that game, but it was too muchfor my own good. With the pawn on f4 now, I was thinking along the lines33...Bh4, followed by, 34...Qg5, and then, 35...Qg3+ as I thought it wasmate but realize that he could answer with 36.Kg1 At the time, though,I thought that 35...Qg3+ was mate. But, what I missed is that this attitudeis going to get me mated. So, we studied variations, and Jack's correctthat best was either 32...Ke8 or 32...Kg7 After 32...Kg7, he has 33.Qf7+,but that loses my B. The variation, however, we played through was 32...Ke8,but then comes 33.Qf7+, Kd8 (forced), and after 34.Qg8+ the Bishop is alsogoner. So, it's still a lost position, but I would've played on. Withthis move, it's over at once with the mate that I had overlooked. } 33. Qf7# { After this, Jack told what I did wrong, and I agree but at a laterphase as it is how I lost. So, the moral of the story is don't get socomfortable in the endgame, especially when you're a piece up and underpressure, which is what happened. In it, he said that I went wrong byallowing him to get back his Rook, which implies that 25...Bf8?! was thelosing blunder, for had 25...Rc1+, at once it wouldn't have happened. But, the decisive blow, however, was 32...f4?? which is what allowed themate. Had I defended accurately, he would've won the piece, but contraryto what he said, I might have still had a chance to get a draw, and thus,would not have resigned. But, the moral is still the same as it was theway I was thinking, and thus, led to becoming too comfortable, and thus,overly confident. } 1-0
[Event "My first GK game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18-Sep-07"] [Round "-"] [White "rahmed"] [Black "humphreyappleby"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1333"] 1. e4 c5 2. Bc4 e6 3. Qf3 { ?! Playing for a quick mate. } 3... Nc6 { Controllingthe e5 square and preparing Nf6. } 4. c3 { ?! White risks to fall back indevelopment. There is no way he can play d2-d4 on the next move, thereforehis 4. c3 is pointless. } 4... Nf6 { Now the d5 square is controlled and blackis ready to play d7-d5. } 5. d3 { ?! Very passive pawn play, black is alreadyclearly better developed. } 5... d5 6. exd5 exd5 { Black seizes the initiative. } 7. Bb5 Bg4 8. Bxc6+ { ?! The bishop made three moves to get exchanged fora knight that made just one move. } 8... bxc6 9. Qg3 { Not a good square for theQueen - here it is vulnerable. } 9... Bd6 { Eqploiting the position of the whiteQueen. } 10. Qe3+ { If 10. Bf4 then black plays the intermezzo 10. ...Qe7 } 10... Kd7 { ! gaining another tempo - now Re8 winning the queen is threatened. } 11. Qd2 Re8+ 12. Kf1 Qe7 { Black has developed 5 pieces while white hasonly one piece playing. } 13. f3 { What else? White pieces are tied down.He tries to secure the e2 square. } 13... Rab8 { !? The advantage in developmenthas to be exploited as soon as possible. } 14. fxg4 { After some thoughtwhite accepts the sacrifice. } 14... Nxg4 { Threatening Bf4. } 15. Nf3 { This leavesthe e2 square vulnerable and black immediately regains his sacrificed piece.How else could white continue development? 15. Na3 might look like a goodalternative, but it runs into 15. ...Rxb2!! - conquering the importante3 square for the knight. The best was 15. Qe2, but then black could continuehis attack with 15. ...Qh4 } 15... Bf4 { ! } 16. Qc2 { If 16. Qxf4 then 16. ...Qe2 17. Kg1 and 17. ...Qf2# } 16... Bxc1 { White can't recapture and is now completelylost. Black threatens both Ne3 and Rxb2 winning. } 17. Na3 Rxb2 18. Qd1 Ne3+ { White either gets mated or loses his queen. He chooses to end thegame quickly. } 19. Kg1 Rxg2# 0-1
[Event "WtW Modern Benoni MT VIII: Forcing Lines"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.05.31"] [Round "-"] [White "ionadowman"] [Black "ptitroque"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1709"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2101"] { Another from the Modern Benoni MT run by the WtW Club. After some earlyskirmishing in which Black won a central pawn in exchange for a q-sideone - not the way Benonis usually go - Whites pieces find themselves heapedup on the Q-side. Seeing the White King apparently abandoned by his friends,Black sacrifices a piece for a promising looking attack. This game featuressome narrow forcing lines, of a type in which one can 'see' quite a longway ahead. Let's see how it went. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 { This is the starting point of all the games in this thematicMini-Tournament. Black looks for pawn play on the Q-side, coupled withaction down the e-file, or along the long dark diagonal. White's usualplan is to storm through the centre and K-side. The battles are apt tobe sharp, and bloody. } 6. e4 { One of several options available to White,this is the most straightforward. } 6... g6 { Preparing to bring the Bishop tog7, rather than develop on e7. Black is especially interested in controllinge5 and d4, but the squares further on are also kept under close observation. } 7. Bd3 { This move became popular in the 1960s after White victories inthe games Ojanen-Keres and Penrose-Tal. GM Mischa Tal was World Championwhen he lost his game to the English master Jonathan Penrose. } 7... Bg7 8. Nge2 { Continuing in the manner of Master Penrose... } 8... O-O 9. h3 { The games quotedabove went 9.0-0, but this move seems a very good alternative. Sooneror later White will want to play f2-f4, and he doesn't want to be outflankedby a knight or a bishop coming in at g4. } 9... Re8 { Often a desirable placementof Black's King's Rook in the Benoni. } 10. O-O c4 { (!?) Unexpected. Blackwants the e-pawn and offers the pawn to divert the bishop's attention fromit. } 11. Bc2 { White keeps guard of the e-pawn. } 11... b5 { Another diversion? } 12. Nxb5 { Why did White accept this pawn and not the other in exchangefor the e-pawn? For one thing, 12.a3 - to hold back the b-pawn - wouldhave been met by ...a5, when suddenly Black has got his thematic pawn rollerwell under way. The second reason is that now Black's Queen side pawnsare broken up and weakened. Black will have to hope his centre operationsare worth these concessions. } 12... Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Rxe4 { Indications are thatBlack got some value for 'sacrificing' his Queen-side majority. } 14. Nec3 { Planning to challenge Black on the e-file. Ordinarily one might chooseto move the other knight to threaten the rook, but that would have leftthe e2-knight still to move, after Rf1-e1. Besides, the b5-Knight is havingan inhibilting effect on Black's Q-side, it seemed to me (pressure on d6and c7, for starters, but also the possibility of Nb5-a3xc4). } 14... Rh4 { Interesting! What might this portend? Of course White has to consider the possibilityof ...Bxh3 and a K-side attack by Black. } 15. Re1 { Seizing the e-file. It is often said that the best counter to a flank action is a counter-actionin the centre. But Black hadn't yet declared himself... } 15... Bxh3 { (!?) Nowhe does! Considering that White has just the one piece on the K-side -the rook at e1 - this at first sight looks promising. But what followsis the first forcing line of the game. White had reason to believe hecould survive this attack. } 16. gxh3 Rxh3 17. Qg4 { Black has two pawnsfor the piece, but the problem he faces is that White controls most ofthe K-side. If Black can establish his Bishop safely at e5, maybe he couldachieve something of interest, but first he has to find a decent squarefor his rook. } 17... Rh4 { Hoping to gain a little time... } 18. Qg3 { This at firstseems to play into Black's hands. Now will come ...Be5 attacking thisQueen. Then what? We'll see... White did have an alternative in 18.Re8chQxe8 19.Qxh4 but the game looked fairly even after that. } 18... Be5 { Black looksto be making progress... } 19. Rxe5 { (!) This was the hole in Black's plan. The sequel is forced, whereby White emerges with a piece extra. } 19... dxe5 20. Bg5 { The counterblow. Black does well to contain the damage... } 20... f6 { Ensuring White will retain just the one extra piece } 21. Bxh4 g5 22. Bxg5 { Desperado. The Bishop is a goner, so White extracts as much value forit as he can. } 22... fxg5 23. Qxe5 { White emerges from the battle with an extraknight. What's worse for Black it that his entire attacking corps hasbeen wiped out. The rest of his pieces have yet to move. Now I did notsee this far ahead when Black played 15...Bxh3, but I did see as far as20.Bg5, and that was enough to satisfy me that Black's attack would fail. } 23... Nd7 { Without criticizing this move - what can you do a piece short whenyou really have to start again (or give up altogether)? - but this ledto another forcing line that was going to cost Black all his pieces. } 24. Qe6+ Kf8 { It is doubtful that the alternative K moves would have had ahappier outcome. } 25. Nd6 { Threatens mate. There is but one reasonabledefence that does not cost at least a piece. } 25... Qe7 26. Re1 { Bring up thereserves at just the right moment. Under enormous pressure, consideringthe scanty material, how can Black avoid loss of his knight at least? } 26... Qxe6 { There was absolutely no choice. To stay on the board, the Queenhad to stay in touch with the knight and with the f7 square. The onlypossible location would have been at g7. But the game would have thenended in two moves: 26...Qg7 27.Qe8ch Rxe8 28.Rxe8#. That would havebeen rather a nice finish. } 27. dxe6 { Much, much better than taking withthe rook. Now the pawn will barge his way to the Queening square, supportedby pieces. This has all the look of a Crusaders' scrum driving for a pushovertry... } 27... Nf6 { Essential to guard the e8-square. } 28. e7+ Kg8 { Shoved aside,the King can not contribute to defending e8. ...Kg7 would have made nodifference. } 29. e8=Q+ { Black has to take with the knight... } 29... Nxe8 30. Rxe8+ { And now Black can do nothing about the exchange of rooks. } 30... Rxe8 31. Nxe8 { White emerges two knights ahead, as the Black c-pawn will certainlyfall. This whole 8-move sequence from move 24 has been forced: Black coulddo absolutely nothing about it, except find a quicker way to lose. } 31... Kf7 32. Nd6+ Ke6 33. Nxc4 { The thing about these knights is that for the remainderof the game they do not depart from where they now stand. Together, theyform a barrier along most of the e- and d-files, the only approach beingvia d7 onto the c-file. Guess what White will play next. There is butone move to prevent it, but that will simply incur worse. } 33... h5 { Black pinshis hope where he is strongest - the K-side. Of course, 33...a5 was outof the question on account of 34,Nxa5. Now White gets in his planned advance... } 34. b4 { Sealing of the c-file approach to the Knights. Now White can concentrateon driving home one of the pawns on the Q-side. } 34... g4 35. b5 { Keeping backBlack's a-pawn. } 35... h4 36. a4 Kf5 { Committing himself to attack rather thandefence. 36...g3 simply lost both K-side pawns; 36...h3 would have beenmet by 37.Kh2 then 38.Kg3 leaving Black with no more attack. } 37. a5 Kf4 38. b6 axb6 39. axb6 h3 40. b7 { The distance between the Black pawns andtheir queening squares is just too great } 40... h2+ 41. Kxh2 Kf3 42. b8=Q { Blackhas just two legal moves available. It is mate in two... } 42... g3+ { ... orone... } 43. Qxg3# { [1-0] I have found that narrow forcing lines of thetype encountered in this game don't crop up very often, not in so muchdepth at any rate. Given the scant opportunty for the defender to diverge,one can 'see' a very long way along them. They're great if you are doingthe forcing; bally dismal when it is you being driven under the lash. That ptitroque had the fortitude after such treatment to play the gamedown to mate is to be commended. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.04.01"] [Round "-"] [White "nairobigal"] [Black "jllima"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1451"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1183"] 1. e4 { The winner of the game of the season winter 2015/2016 for the 'SixthSense' team is Nairobigal. I am annotating it at the request of the lovelyelenapetrova - I never can resist her when she asks me to do something! } 1... c5 { So it starts as a Sicilian Defence. } 2. Nc3 { White appears to be headingfor a closed variation. } 2... Nc6 { Black does the same developing move. } 3. Nf3 { White gets her other knight out. } 3... d6 { It is wise to play this beforeNf6, otherwise black may be faced with e4-e5. } 4. a3 { This is a very unusualmove, but not completely unheard of. } 4... Nf6 { Black wisely continues to develop. } 5. b4 { This is a rather unusual pawn sacrifice - again, not completelyunheard of. White sacrifices a pawn to open up files on the queen sideand to lure balck's c pawn away from the centre. It does have some similaritieswith the Benko Gambit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benko_Gambit } 5... cxb4 { So black takes. } 6. axb4 { White takes back. } 6... Nxb4 { and now black acceptsthe pawn gambit. } 7. h4 { This is just a complete beginners move and carriesno merit. White wins despite this move, not because of it. Sometimes thisthrust is justified, if black has played g7-g6, but as black hasn't playedthat move, this is just a random thrust on the king side. White could,and should, have taken the centre with d2-d4 as in another game with thisvariation, which ended in a draw,- 7. d4 Qc7 8. Bb2 Nxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxc2+10. Kd2 Nxa1 11. Qxa1 Bf5 12. Qa4+ Bd7 13. Bb5 Bxb5 14. Qxb5+ Qc6 15. Qd3Qb6 16. Bc3 e6 17. Rb1 Qc7 18. d5 e5 19. Bxe5 dxe5 20. d6 Qa5+ 21. Ke2b6 22. Rb5 Qa2+ 23. Ned2 f6 24. Qc3 Bxd6 25. Qc6+ Ke7 26. Qb7+ Ke6 27.Qxg7 Qa6 28. Qg4+ f5 29. Qc4+ Kf6 30. Qh4+ Kf7 31. Ng5+ Kg6 32. Qc4 Kxg533. f4+ Kf6 34. fxe5+ Bxe5 35. Qc6+ Ke7 36. Nc4 Qa2+ 37. Kf3 Bf6 38. Qb7+Ke6 39. Qd5+ Ke7 40. Qb7+ Ke6 41. Qd5+ Ke7 } 7... e5 { Black wisely grabs somecentral control. } 8. g3 { I'm not sure of the reason for this move - maybeto give some protection to the pawn on h4? Maybe to develop the Bf1 tog2 or h3? c4 is also a good square to place the Bf1. } 8... b6 { This is alsoa waste of time.Bg4 looks best. } 9. Bc4 { Bishop moves to an attacking square. } 9... h6 { Another complete waste of time when black should be getting his piecesout. } 10. h5 { This pawn thrust doesn't seem to achieve much. } 10... Bg4 { Blackfinally develops a piece! Well done! } 11. Bb5+ { This is mind-boggling.If black wanted to play this check, she could have done it on any of herlast 3 moves. By playing this bishop to c4 first, she has wasted a move. } 11... Ke7 { Black doesn't want to retreat any of his pieces. } 12. Ra4 { White hitsthe knight. } 12... Bxf3 { Black now wins a pawn, but gives up his lovely bishopon g4. Better was a5. } 13. Qxf3 Nxc2+ { This is the pawn black was after. } 14. Kd1 { White attacks the knight. Coutner attacking with a6 looks besthere, but black does the obvious move. } 14... Nd4 { This. However, now whitehas a simple with 15. Rxd4 exd4 16. Nd5+ Nxd5 (if instead Ke6 then 17.Qf5 mate) 17. exd5 and the threat of Re1 is overwhelming. } 15. Qd3 { Butwhite plays this instead. } 15... Nb3 { This is yet another mistake. Black couldhave got rid of the dangerous bishop on b5 with Nxb5 or just tried to develophis king-side. The threat of Nc5 attacking rook and queen and so winningthe exchange is easily parried. } 16. Qc4 { But this is not the best wayto do it, better Ba3, developing the Bc1. } 16... Na5 { Black counters with anattack on the white queen, but the knight is out of play here. } 17. Qa2 { The Gameknot post-game computer analysis criticises this move, and suggestsQd3 as better, but I think it is wrong, as surely black can then replywith Nb3 again, threatening to come into c5 again. What do you think dearreader? } 17... Ng4 { Another wild swipe, this time at f2 which achieves little.Black should play a6 18. Be2 Qd7 19. Bb2 Ke8 20. Ke1 Qc6 21. Rh4 Qb7 22.Kf1 Be7 23. d4 Rc8 24. Rb4 d5 and at last most of his pieces are gettingto reasonable squares. } 18. Rf1 { White meekly protects f2, missing 18.Nd5+ Ke6 19. Nxb6+ Kf6 20. Nd5+ Ke6 21. Ne3+ Ke7 22. Nxg4 winning easily. } 18... Nf6 { Black now stops that - wasting another move in the process - but thiswas best. } 19. Nd5+ { White plays the check anyway. Better is f2-f4 tearingopen the centre. } 19... Nxd5 { This is more or less forced. } 20. Qxd5 { White correctlytakes back with the queen, and maintains her advantage, rather than withthe pawn, which would have thrown away her advantage. } 20... a6 { This is anothermistake, better is Qc7, to give the black king a flight square. } 21. Bc4 { With a horrible threat of Qcf7 mate! } 21... Nxc4 { So black takes the bishopoff. } 22. Qxc4 { Better is to take with the rook, to avoid the fork whichfollows. } 22... b5 { White will now lose a whole rook. } 23. Qd5 { White queen resumesher dominating role in the centre. } 23... bxa4 { Black takes the rook. } 24. Qb7+ { This is a good move, as Qd7 loses the rook on a8, however the Gameknotcomputer seems to think this is the best idea of black, and gives Qd7 25.Qxa8 Qb5 26. Ke1 Qc4 27. Ba3 Qb3 28. Qa7+ Kf6 29. Qa8 Rh7 30. Qxf8 Qb1+31. Bc1 Qxc1+ 32. Ke2 Qc6 33. Qd8+ Ke6 34. d3 as best for both sides, withadvantage to black. } 24... Kf6 { Black has to be really careful, walking his kinginto the middle of the board like this. } 25. f4 { This is a great move,trying to open more files against the black king. } 25... exf4 { This is a terriblemistake, allowing mate in three. Gameknot gives Qe8 26. d3 g6 27. fxe5+Kg7 28. exd6 Rb8 29. Bb2+ Kg8 30. d7 Qd8 31. Qd5 Rh7 32. hxg6 Rxb2 33.gxh7+ Kxh7 34. Rxf7+ Bg7 with advantage to black. } 26. Rxf4+ { Another greatmove by white. Black is now mated in all variations. } 26... Ke6 { Or Kg5 27. Qd5+f5 28. Qxf5# } 27. Qxf7+ { White polishes black off nicely now. If now Ke5then Qd5 mate! Many thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my annotation.Please rate it on the star system, and leave a comment or two to let meknow how I am doing! } 1-0
[Event "GameKnot Blitz"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.28"] [Round "-"] [White "drees"] [Black "porygon"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1590"] [TimeControl "5 min"] [WhiteElo "1975"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 { Another quiet start with the Giuoco Piano(C50) } 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 { Evans gambit (C51), normal variation } 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O Nge7 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Bg5 { This move isn't in the GK database. } 9... O-O 10. d5 Na5 { Knights on the rim are dim, but I didn't feel like retreatingto the starting position today. } 11. d6 { I was stumped by this move dueto my hatred for doubled pawns before I noticed my c pawn was still available. } 11... cxd6 12. Bb3 Nxb3 { Had to trade my lame placed knight for a well placedattacker. } 13. axb3 h6 { Mistake. If I had moved f6 instead... } 14. Bh4 f6 { maybe I could of defended my doubled pawn instead of wasting a move. } 15. Qxd6 Ng6 { Trying to free up space, attacking the bishop is a bonus.15.Bc7 would have been better. } 16. Bg3 Qe7 { Feeling a bit desperate toget my d pawn freed up. } 17. Qd3 Rd8 { adding d pawn protection, aimingfor the queen, and avoiding the Bd6 skewer. } 18. Nc3 Bc5 { unblocking theb pawn and preventing ...Bd6 from blocking in d7. } 19. Nd5 Qf7 20. e5 b6 21. exf6 Bb7 { ignoring the pawn with continued developing and attacking. } 22. Nf4 Nxf4 23. Bxf4 Qxf6 24. Be5 Qe6 25. Rfe1 a5 { planning on counterattacking the queen. } 26. Bxg7 { thought white would attack the rook atd8, but this seemed worse for black. } 26... Ba6 27. Qc3 Bb4 { continuing the counterattack with a skewer. } 28. Qb2 Bxe1 { winning the exchange } 29. Rxe1 Qg6 { retreating to in front of the king for a potential pin coupled with aneventual Bb7, attacking the bishop, and discouraging Bh8. } 30. Bf6 Rf8 31. Rd1 { white missed the double attack on the bishop } 31... Rxf6 { and resignedshortly after. } 0-1
[Event "bird succes against strong challenger"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.10.17"] [Round "-"] [White "31415"] [Black "sacrificeit"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1607"] [WhiteElo "1219"] { this oponent has an agressive style, as suggested by his avatar...butcarefull whith the bird opening ! } 1. f4 Nc6 { and dont know his plan atthe moment. i diced to play carefully whith e3 } 2. e3 e5 { gambiting : Isupose he think i will take it : 3. f4xe5 c6xe5! and then i won be developthe g1 knight to defend against Qh4+. But i'm not going to take the bait!! (not today...) } 3. Nf3 { because anyway this f4 paw is not interestingstaying there : I'm planing to castle quickly and use the f colon to attackso if he go on taking f4 it will serve me ! } 3... exf4 { he go on ...so i willcastle. and he will miss a lot of development while i will be ready toattack } 4. Bc4 { i hope he will play fxe3... } 4... Qf6 { oh ! a BIG BAD Queen!!!!!!!! isnt it agressive this one ? } 5. O-O { i still hope in f4xe3...and while waiting i castle and prepare a discovery attack to the queen } 5... Bc5 { now it's becoming dangerous for me, but a simple d4 will solve thesituation } 6. d4 Bb6 { now i have a tempo free } 7. c3 { let's be carefull,the threat is still there } 7... d6 { preparing to pin my f3 knight } 8. e4 { idiced to ignore it, was it a unconsciousness ? or maybe just an inacuratemove ? I just wanted to free my c1 bishop preparing to open the f colonand attack the queen and then the f7 weakness. } 8... Bg4 { tha was expected,but not prepared ! ... } 9. Nbd2 { Not the better response i'm sure, nowi'm under many threats and i fell that things ca become annoying ... } 9... Nxd4 { knght sacrfice ! it is not good enought cxd4 and so what ?? } 10. cxd4 Bxd4+ { what a chess ! so what, g1 h1 and that all ! } 11. Kh1 Bxf3 { whatwas the black plan ? i still wonder... } 12. Nxf3 { and now the d4 blackbishop is in danger, the black game is confused, the black king is notsafe...a disaster ! } 12... c5 { ? whith this move, he wil lose all chance to castle... } 13. Qa4+ Kd8 { so now i can go on whith my little plan to use the fcolon ! I think that the victory has become possible, he he he ! greatpleasure ! } 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 { i have to connect my rooks to cancel the riskd4 x a1 and to be abble to use them to attack king and queen freely, solet's eat this poor abandoned f4 paw ! } 15. Bxf4 { now the queen has thechoice between eat e4 or eat b2, but i dont care ! i will eat d6 and thiswill be much more dangerous discovering the king. Maybe a better move forblack whould be just developing the g8 knight and freeing the h8 rook... } 15... Qxe4 { but the tentation was to strong ! } 16. Bxd6 { and now the situationis becoming critical for blacks } 16... Qc6 17. Qd1 { you see ? } 17... Kc8 { i have abig choice of the way to finish it ... } 18. Rxf7 { this should be enought! prepraing Bc4 e6+! or maybe just Rf7 f8+! wining the a rook ...then blacklose because out of time !!! what a regret for me ! but anyway the gamewas lost for blacks. Black loose because, i think, there where overconfident.A Elo rating doesnt mean that is is the maximum rate... } 1-0
[Event "Opening up the King"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.05.21"] [Round "-"] [White "dmaestro"] [Black "nn"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1400"] [TimeControl "3d+5d<15d"] [WhiteElo "1529"] { This game finished with a series of blows against the Kingside after myopponent made errors. } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 Bxc3 5. bxc3 Nf6 6. fxe5 Nxe4 7. Qe2 { This move offers White the best chances for anadvantage. } 7... Nc5 8. d4 Na4 { ?! Moving the N here leaves it in a corner. } 9. d5 { Lots of choices, Ba3 was also possible and perhaps better, sinceNe7 would have been necessary in response. } 9... Ne7 10. c4 d6 11. Qd3 Nc5 12. Qc3 O-O 13. Be2 Bg4 14. O-O { White has more space. } 14... h6 { ? Better was amove like Ng6 } 15. a4 { This is part of long term plan to restrict Black } 15... Ng6 16. exd6 cxd6 17. Bb2 { White begins to weaken Black's K side further. } 17... f6 18. h3 Bf5 19. Nd4 Bd7 { White has now gained an additional tempo andhas a well placed N. } 20. Bh5 Nxa4 { ? Better to retreat the KN. } 21. Rxa4 { Of course, since White gets another N back. } 21... Bxa4 22. Bxg6 { Now Whitehas 2 bishops for R+P, and Black's K side is full of holes. } 22... Qb6 { The pinis only temporary } 23. Kh2 a5 { ? Trying to get the passed pawn moving,but Bd2 was necessary since Ne6 is deadly. } 24. Ne6 Qb4 { Wants to tradeQs even at expense of exchange. } 25. Qd4 { White doesn't want the exchange,he wants checkmate. } 25... Bxc2 { ? Desperate but Black is lost anyway. } 26. Bxc2 Rfe8 { Black wants to get rid of the N. } 27. Nxg7 { ! Again, White doesnot need the rook fork, White wants mate. } 27... Rf8 { The N was immune, if KxN,Qf6+ and mate follows. } 28. Ne6 { White still wants a mate. } 28... Rf7 29. Rxf6 Qe1 { Hoping for some kind of check, but.. } 30. Rg6+ { And Black resigns,if Kh7, Rg7+ and mate follows } 1-0
[Event "Fierce Queen instructing..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "24-Feb-18"] [Round "-"] [White "mielon"] [Black "fiercequeen"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2059"] [TimeControl "3+10 blitz"] [WhiteElo "1268"] { just an other Sicilian, in a 3+10 blitz game... } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. dxc5 Qa5+ { that is, how the Hungarians do... } 5. c3 Qxc5 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Ne7 8. Be3 Qc7 9. Bd4 O-O 10. Bxg7 Kxg7 11. Nbd2 a6 12. Rc1 b5 13. c4 b4 { White has not reached anything so far: Black is just takingup space... } 14. Nd4 Qb6 15. N4b3 Bb7 16. c5 Qc6 { finally, making d5 anissue... } 17. Bf3 a5 { there is still room for more play... } 18. e5 Qb5 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. a4 Nbc6 21. Nf3 Nd5 22. g3 Qc7 { Black is breaking upthe center... } 23. Re1 f5 24. Ng5 { all Black needed... } 24... Nxe5 25. f4 h6 26. Rxe5 hxg5 27. Qd4 Kf7 28. fxg5 Rh8 { Black has solved all the threats:White is running out of play... } 29. h4 Rad8 { the threat is clear: afterd7-d6, cxd6, Qxd6, the joke is on White... } 30. Kg2 d6 { White went in FullGuru Mode: spending his last minute, to try and get out of this; he timedout... Black had still 5:27 left on the clock... } 0-1
[Event "Status Quo vs. Mot�rhead"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "15-May-06"] [Round "-"] [White "willibald"] [Black "idimor"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1745"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2037"] 1. e4 { Strongest move } 1... c6 { Most likely the necessary move at this pointof the game. } 2. d4 { Centre play! } 2... d5 { Centre play at its strongest. } 3. exd5 { Now some forced moves follow. } 3... cxd5 4. c4 { Strongest! } 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 { !? Of course, Anatoly Karpov plays the best move in this position:5...e6 } 6. Bg5 { ! 6.Sf3 is not as strong as the text move. But 'Endspielingenieure'prefer to play calmly. } 6... e6 { Only move. Qa5 was played by myself on previousoccasions but my last success was a loss. It was time to change! } 7. c5 { White follows the normal plan. } 7... Be7 8. Nf3 Ne4 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Bb5 Bd7 11. O-O Nxc3 { Other moves are possible here. } 12. bxc3 O-O 13. Rb1 { Thecritical position of the line. Study the games on chessbase.com if youlike to know more. } 13... Na5 { Not even a novelty. } 14. Bd3 { ! } 14... Rab8 15. Ne5 { Novelty! Whte is slightly better here because the black knight is outof play. } 15... b6 { Strongest } 16. cxb6 axb6 17. Qh5 h6 18. Rfe1 { ? Better was18.f4 with attacking chances on the f-file. Still, the black knight isout of lay and this fact gives white a better position. I think this iswhy 13.-Sa5 was not good enough. } 18... Nc6 { Only move - the return of the knight. } 19. Nxc6 Bxc6 20. Qf5 { Childhoodish play! } 20... g6 { Only move } 21. Qe5 Qg5 22. f4 { 22.Qxg5 hxg5 23.Re5 !? } 22... Qxe5 23. fxe5 Rfc8 24. Kf2 b5 { Also the immediateRa8 or Bd7 are alternate moves here. I opted for b5 because I thought itwas best. } 25. Re2 Ra8 26. Rc2 { Although white has two weaknesses (a2and c3) and black has got only one b5 along with the bad bishop I wouldsay that the position is drawish. Black can hardly open the postion withKg7 and f6. It would give white also chances. }
[Event "Fighting Warriors Team Tourney"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.08"] [Round "-"] [White "yatsyshin"] [Black "bobbob78"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1457"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1933"] 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nf3 { Do not want to get a pawn instead of initiative:3.c4 c6 4.dxc6 Nxc6 } 3... Nxd5 4. d4 Nc6 { Can't say that this is a mistake,but after this move white pawns are invited to go ahead. Black can easilyfind themselves behind in development. One should pay attention at someother moves: 4...g6, 4...Bg4. } 5. c4 Nb6 6. d5 Nb8 { May be Nb4 is better? } 7. Nc3 g6 { But this seems to be a mistake, because white queen occupiesblack diagonal and prevents natural development of black pieces. 7...e6looks better. } 8. Qd4 Rg8 9. Bf4 Bg7 10. Qe3 N8d7 { This is an error afterwhich black looses material. } 11. Nb5 Bxb2 { Probably black overlooked thatnot only rook, but also the queen are in danger } 12. Rb1 Na4 13. Bxc7 Bc3+ 14. Kd1 1-0
[Event "Sicilian -- Time is the enemy (Blitz Game)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "harrybella"] [Black "Avocet"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 { The hallmarkmove of the Sozin system. } 6... e6 { Other moves have been tried here, 6. ...e5,for example, with mixed results. The text is the steadiest, forcing White'scleric to 'bite on granite.' } 7. Bg5 { This is the diagnostic move of theRichter-Rauzer variation which is quite unlike the Sozin in its strategicaims. The Sozin is a positional system that puts steady pressure primarilyon Black's center, and White typically castles toward his KR. In the Richter-RauzerWhite initiates an often bluntly tactical K-side attack usually featuringa raging pawnstorm, and so he almost always castles long the better tofacilitate it. Mixing the systems can be done, but because their goalsare dissimilar pursuing both strategies at once can easily lead to a confusedgame for White. } 7... Be7 8. Qd2 b5 { A fashion that comes and goes. This thrustused to be played commonly, then fell out of favor after White startedsacking on b5, often getting lasting positional pressure for the piece,plus all those joined, unopposed Q-side pawns staring Black into the endgame.The move has lately come back into fashion as defensive resources haveimproved, and the complications no longer favor White as much as they oncedid. Still, Black walks on brittle ice and must play the defense very preciselyif White accepts the challenge to sac a piece, as he does here. } 9. Bxf6 gxf6 { This move holds d6 and with it the center, but compels Black to playthe rest of his game with shattered pawns on both wings. White gets goodactivity for the piece he's about to invest, but not quite the attack hewas undoubtedly playing for. } 10. Ndxb5 axb5 11. Nxb5 Ba6 { Black must reactenergetically but dares not exchange too many pieces - and definitely nothis Queen! - or White's Q-side phalanx will spring to life. } 12. Qd3 Bxb5 13. Bxb5+ Nd7 { The check doesn't matter; it was White's Knight that wasdangerous. Now White no longer has a quick way to put pressure on d6. } 14. O-O O-O { Black's position is as ugly as a hillbilly family reunion,but it's hard to crack ...and he's a piece ahead. } 15. a4 Kh8 16. Qh3 Nc5 17. f3 { Better was 17. Rfe1. White had something potentially nasty to explorewith the Rook-lift to a3, to transer it across the 3rd rank to assist ina K-side attack. But with the pawn at f3 now, that idea is kiboshed. } 17... Qb6 { Prevents a4-a5, threatens ...Ne4, opens communication between Black'sRooks, and virtually forces White's next move. } 18. Kh1 Na6 { Slows a pawnpush to b4 and threatens Nc7 to exchange the Bishop. } 19. c3 Nc7 20. Bd3 { White wanted to go here anyway, and then play e4-e5, threatening mateon h7. But Black has a wicked rejoinder. } 20... Qe3 21. Bb1 Ra5 22. e5 f5 23. exd6 Bxd6 24. b4 Rd5 25. Ba2 Rd2 { Suddenly Black has an attack perking! } 26. Qh4 Qxc3 27. Rfc1 Qg7 { And in this dynamic position, White overstepped. } 0-1
[Event "Early queen, early checkmate"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "johnpbro"] [Black "nightfurey"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "971"] [WhiteElo "1076"] { Black's mistake here was to move his queen out early, and then not tocreate a dogfight in the middle with his pawns in order to open up spaceand exploit the strength of the queen. Instead, White chased the queenaround the board and built his own position, allowing him to exploit atight but weak Black formation. } 1. e4 e6 2. d4 Qf6 { A rather quiet firstmove for Black, but this second move is rather curious. Interesting. } 3. Be3 d5 { An attempt to prosecute a delayed attack. } 4. e5 Qe7 5. c4 { Anattempt to press forward and gain superiority over a more open center. } 5... Qb4+ 6. Qd2 Qb6 { Defeats the aggressive alternative 6...dxc4, beaten by7. a3 Qb6 8.Bxc4. } 7. a3 c6 8. b4 g6 { Black has missed White's bridge tobe built, attacking the Queen. } 9. c5 { White has a strong queenside position,attacking Black and getting a good stonewall position far into Black'sside of the board. } 9... Qc7 10. f4 Nh6 11. Be2 Qe7 12. g4 Qh4+ { White has madea small mistake and now stands to lose a pawn. } 13. Bf2 Qe7 { Black is arguablyincompetent and misses a good chance, allowing White to continue on theoffensive. } 14. g5 Nf5 15. Nc3 Bg7 16. Nf3 O-O { Black has few good attacksand really ought to shore up his defense, but instead moves his king toa place which is not well defended. } 17. Nh4 Na6 18. Nxf5 exf5 { Black'sdinking around has allowed White to clear off Black's pesky knight. } 19. h4 Bd7 20. h5 gxh5 21. Rxh5 { Now we can see the writing on the wall. Nonetheless,21...h6 would force 22.gxh6 Bxh6 23. Rxh6 Kg7 forcing a retreat and allowingfor some possible Black action to save a draw. } 21... b5 { What in God's nameis Black doing, anyway? } 22. O-O-O Nc7 23. Rdh1 { Not quite Alekhine's gun,but a strong attack on } 23... Ne6 24. Rxh7 f6 { The first good move Black's made. } 25. gxf6 { Probably the best line for Black is 25...Qe8 16. fxg7 Nxg7and the game is not totally lost. } 25... Qf7 { Instead Black pins his king in. } 26. fxg7 Nxg7 { Even there, capturing with the Queen was essential. } 27. Rh8# { I think the game speaks for itself. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.31"] [Round "-"] [White "thearrtofnoise"] [Black "tomlib"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1379"] 1. e4 { I'm more familiar with the Queen pawn but it's good to work on one'sweaknesses } 1... e5 { My ability with the Sicilian is very limited. I shouldprobably try it more often. } 2. f4 { I've only got a couple of games playedwith King's Pawn Gambit and I always declined in the past and things didn'twork out so well! } 2... exf4 { Accepted } 3. Nf3 { Development } 3... Nc6 { I thoughtNf6 would be bad because e5 } 4. d4 { White controls the center } 4... d6 { Tryingto get my pieces out } 5. Bxf4 { More development and control of center } 5... Nf6 { Safe now } 6. e5 { Or so I thought! } 6... dxe5 { I thought it was betterto clean up the middle than continue to allow white dominance } 7. Nxe5 { Keeps the Bishop } 7... Qxd4 { I thought this was better than Nxe5 with the centercleared. A trade of Queens leaves us with even development } 8. Nd3 { PerhapsNxc6 is better doubling my pawns but also losing the right to castle after8. ... Qxd8 9. Kxd8 } 8... Qe4+ { I really want to trade queens } 9. Be2 { Now comesthe crucial point of the game. If I immediately 9. ... Qxg2 it is followedby 10. Bf3 and eventually Qe2+ } 9... Bg4 { My thinking was to pin the whitelight squared Bishop in place preventing Qe2+ } 10. Nd2 { Driving my queenoff } 10... Qxg2 { I expected 11. Rf1 thus giving me time to Queen side castle. } 11. Nf2 { This move came as a bit of a shock. My light square bishop isnow in serious peril. I've got to somehow extract my queen and keep thebishop double protected } 11... Bc5 { Now 12. Bxg4 is met with 12. ... Qxf2#. Italso sets up a short side castle which is vital to avoid Qe2+ } 12. Rf1 { Preventing the mate and keeping the threat of Bxg4 alive } 12... Bxf2+ { My onlychoice to save the Bishop } 13. Rxf2 { Basically back to square one tryingto save my Bishop somehow } 13... Qh1+ { I expected 14. Rf1 Qg2 15. Rf2 Qh3 thusgetting my queen out and keeping the Bishop covered } 14. Nf1 { This wasanother surprise but it turns out mistake that gave me the win. } 14... Rd8 { Thismove won the game for me. It took me quite a while to find it. It givesme the one Tempo I need to castle and connect my rooks with my two pawnadvantage } 15. Qc1 { Saving the queen } 15... O-O { Whew } 16. Qe3 { Hoping to bringthe other rook into play } 16... Bxe2 { Forcing } 17. Rxe2 { Now my connected rookstake over } 17... Rfe8 { My knight on f6 is suddenly super important after beinga spectator the whole game } 18. Qf2 { I think hoping for kingside attackwith Bishop and Queen } 18... Rxe2+ { Getting rid of his active rook } 19. Kxe2 { Forced or loses queen to skewer } 19... Qe4+ { Finally my Queen is back in thegame } 20. Ne3 { Now my long neglected knights move in } 20... Nd4+ { Checks andbringing pieces into the attack. I'm always told have your moves servemore than one purpose. } 21. Kf1 { Must avoid the d column and discoveredchecks } 21... Nd5 { More pieces to bear } 22. Bg3 { Losing a piece. I think 22.Nxd5 is better } 22... Nxe3+ { I'll take that with the check } 23. Kg1 { Running } 23... Nf3+ { More checks } 24. Kh1 { I was thinking Rd2 netting me the queen butthen I found a more elegant mate which is something I always admire instronger players } 24... Ng5+ { Another check and only 25. Qf3 prevents the immediatemate } 25. Kg1 { Allowing me my precious elegance } 25... Nh3# { I really thoughtI lost this one with my Queen trapped in the corner but gaining that onetempo to castle and connect my rooks brought all my pieces into play. I'malways amazed how a game that could easily have been lost hinges on onetempo. } 0-1
[Event "Winning, after all..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.07.10"] [Round "-"] [White "chessradio"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] { This short blitz is to show a rare situation where the more developedside has not the best part of it. Theory must say something about this,somewhere... } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 { Avoiding c4 and my Budapest-at-test. Thisis not a good move for white, but it is not straight forward to prove it. } 2... b6 { Passively taking a good diagonal. But white has few problems copingwith that. The fianchetto has the disadvantage of being announced, so theopponent has time to move according to it. } 3. e4 { Already threateningan annoying e5. } 3... d6 { Well, this must be a mistake, but let's my opponentprove it. } 4. Bg5 { A doubled pawn is not a problem in this position, evenif he cramps me a little. } 4... Nbd7 { The bishop has to go to b7 anyway. } 5. Bb5 { Foreseen. } 5... Bb7 { Now I threaten c6. He can take the knight andthe other one and double my pawns... so what? } 6. Bxf6 exf6 7. d5 { Goodmove, in order to control my bishop. Ok. But... } 7... a6 { The bishop will bechased away (or exchanged) anyway from the other side. I don't bother toadvance the a and b pawns here. Should I? } 8. Bd3 { Now my knight seemsto have a nice post on e5, but I must be careful since it can be kickedaway with f4. NxB, under this circumstance, is not a wise move, since thewhite bishop is still almost useless. } 8... g6 { ...and it will bite on granite.Moreover, I leave room for my dsb to h6. A pretty unusual development scheme. } 9. Nf3 { Here white should have played f4. } 9... Bh6 10. O-O { I have plentyof pieces on the kingside, and if he doesn't free them with e5 very soon,his pieces would be less active than mine. } 10... Ne5 { Preparing a free wayfor the lsb. } 11. Nxe5 fxe5 { Now my pawns are ok, and white's kingsideis weak. } 12. Qg4 Bc8 { ...because of this. } 13. Qf3 O-O { Here, castlingis an attacking move. The break in f5 is on the agenda. } 14. a4 f5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Ne4 Qd7 { Reinforcing my dominiom of the white square, andsupporting the strong-looking Bg4. Why I choosed this instead of many otherways to proceed? A good question. It was pure instinct, I must be sincere.Was I right? } 17. Ng3 Bg4 { If BxB, the queen just retakes, and black hasjust an edge. This way I looked for something more active... and I preparedit before! } 18. Qe4 Rf4 { It looks like a trapped queen, but it's not. Now,I must confess I was at a loss. } 19. Qe1 { Black has clearly an edge. Hisundeveloped position after Bc8 became a very active and threatening one.But how to cash the win? } 19... Raf8 { ? This was a blunder. I'm not really threateninga target. a6 can be uninportant, but... Re8 instead would have been moreintersting, since in case of Bxa6 black can demolish white with e5. } 20. h3 { Anyway, my opponent spared me of a nice midgame fight with this move.I couldn't allow to retire my bishop. I 'had' to demostrate that my intuitionabout the bishop right there had a meaning. } 20... Bxh3 { I found it... or soI believed! Was I right? } 21. gxh3 Qxh3 { Now, nothing can stop the mate.Am I right? } 22. Be4 { Not certainly this move. But the strange thing isthat white has TWO tempoes, and he still can't do anything! Poor whitedidn't expect this, for sure! } 22... Rh4 { And mate in one. White was caughtin a 'hard to see' countermove, but it would be interesting to analyzehis opening and where it went wrong. Thank you for reading, and back towork! :-) } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.24"] [Round "-"] [White "mariodag"] [Black "lakeplacid"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1417"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1431"] 1. e4 { This is a game that i won with a player that had more pointsd thanme... i played e4 as i like that kind of opening...Also wait for your comments.. } 1... e5 { e5 he replied.. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { I like that opening very much... } 3... Qf6 { Well i think that's not the greatest move...too soon for the queenand also he's blocking the knight... } 4. d3 { d3 in order to free my blackknight... } 4... Bc5 5. Bg5 { i was trying to push his queen as it was exposed... } 5... Qd6 { Well his queen is quite traped and feels awkard there... } 6. Nc3 { Openthe bishop... } 6... Bb4 { Mmmmm... } 7. O-O { I care about my king!!! haha!!! } 7... Bxc3 { Well he took it... } 8. bxc3 f6 { Pushing back my bishop } 9. Be3 { Andnow i had a plan for his queen...i wanted to entirely trapped it.....Sothat was what i'm gonna do next!! } 9... Nh6 { Awkard knight as well... } 10. Rb1 { My first plan's movement.... } 10... a6 { Well he still wasn't protecting hisking... } 11. Nd2 { 2nd movement for trapping the queen... } 11... b5 { b5 was reallyworthless.. } 12. Bd5 { Nowone bothers the bishop there... } 12... Bb7 13. Nb3 { 3rdmovement... } 13... O-O-O { 0-0 would be much better...Also he was quite sleepingas he didn't realize my plan.... } 14. Bc5 { And now bye bye queen... } 14... Qxd5 { Well nothing more to do.. } 15. exd5 { Feels great now.. } 15... d6 { Well bad movementagain.... } 16. dxc6 { Come on!!!! } 16... Bxc6 17. Bb4 { He has no chances now... } 17... g5 { g5... } 18. Na5 { moving the knight would push the bishop and the kingsomehow...Also i wanted to move his bishop from the a8-h1 line becausei wanted to put there my queen... } 18... Bd7 { I've done what i wanted and nowthe queen is ready... } 19. Qf3 { Nothing left for him... } 19... Rde8 { This wasworthless...The checkmate is here.. } 20. Qa8# { Just checkmate.... } 1-0
[Event "sweham's mini-tournament#3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2008.10.27"] [Round "-"] [White "sweham"] [Black "aspiemikey"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1348"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1357"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Qe7 4. d3 Nd4 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. c3 Ne6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qh5+ Nf7 9. Nxf7 Qxf7 10. Qxf7+ Kxf7 { I soak up the pressure here. } 11. O-O d5 12. h3 Bc5 13. b4 Bd6 14. a3 dxe4 15. dxe4 Rd8 16. c4 Be7 17. c5 b5 18. Nc3 a6 19. f3 a5 20. Nxb5 axb4 21. Be3 Ba6 22. a4 Bxb5 23. axb5 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Rd3 25. Kf2 Rc3 26. c6 Bc5 27. Bxc5 Rxc5 28. Ra7 Rxb5 29. Rxc7+ Kf6 { Time for some shelter. } 30. Rb7 Rc5 { Wise not to take the baitthere... } 31. Rxb4 Rxc6 { ...but instead swap pawns. } 32. Kg3 g5 33. h4 gxh4+ 34. Kxh4 Rc2 35. g3 Rh2+ { I took advantage of that mistake... } 36. Kg4 h5# { ...and there's no escape. } 0-1
[Event "fatcat2 vs Computers: Game 3."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "fatcat2"] [Black "Windows Vista Chess"] [Result "1-0"] { My Grand Tour against computers continues with a game against the easiestcomputer program of the lot: Windows Vista Chess. I am including all theprograms I can find, so I must include this rather primitive program. } 1. d4 { This game comes before much harder matches, for example againstFritz 10's top rated level (in game 2 I played one of its weakest ratedlevels) and some Internet programs which I have heard are very strong.So this should be an easier, more relaxed interlude. Rest assured thatmost of my stronger opponents to come will be nowhere near as easy as thisone. So: I start with the queen pawn, my principal opening as White. } 1... Nf6 { Windows Vista Chess opts for a move that could lead into a numberof main line queen pawn openings, such as the Nimzo-Indian Defence, King'sIndian Defence or Benoni, or even transposing back to the Classical Queen'sGambit Declined or Marshall Defence. } 2. c4 { I play the most usual move.I am anxious to know which queen pawn opening my opponent has in mind -or should that be 'in silicon chips'? } 2... c5 { The Benoni Defence. WindowsVista Chess has chosen the Benoni Defence, which mainly leads to closedpositions. } 3. d5 { I play by far the most common move, accepting the BenoniDefence. } 3... b5 { The Benko Gambit - Black aims to sacrifice a pawn to fragmentWhite's strong central pawn structure. } 4. Nc3 { Attacking the b-pawn andpreparing for e4, grabbing a greater share of the centre and strengtheningmy central pawn formation. } 4... bxc4 5. e4 Qa5 6. Bd2 Ba6 { Unusual, but notentirely unheard-of. I very rarely see a bishop developed straight ontothe side of the board, but Windows Vista clearly thinks it is the bestmove in this situation to defend the c4-pawn. } 7. e5 { An irresistible grabof space and tempi. I simply adored my immensely powerful-looking pawnsin my opponent's side of the centre, pushing him backwards and constrictinghis development. However, perhaps this is slightly premature... } 7... Ng8 { Yeah!Back where that knight belongs! I was pleased to see my silicon opponentretreating behind his barriers. } 8. Nf3 { On reflection, I think here Ishould definitely have played 8.f4, in order that after 8...d6 I shouldhold my powerful pawn formation. In this position I could see that after8...e6 I would play 9.d6, completely blocking in Black's dark-squared bishopand controlling more and more of my opponent's space... } 8... d6 { ...but thisis an altogether different problem. After 9.e6 fxe6 10.dxe6 my e-pawn isisolated and could fall easily. So I suppose I have no choice but to acceptthe exchange and allow my centre control to blow away... } 9. exd6 exd6 10. b3 cxb3 11. axb3 Qb6 12. Bxa6 Nxa6 13. Qe2+ { A fork, winning the knight.I am now a lot more optimistic. } 13... Kd8 14. Rxa6 Qxb3 15. O-O Kc8 16. Nb5 { And, as an added bonus, I have a strong attack on my opponent's exposedking! Despite the off-putting whirr that was now issuing from the depthsof the computer, I felt that I had another win in hand. } 16... Qxd5 17. Qe8+ Kb7 { Oops. I really walked into that one. I have now lost by my reckoningat least a rook for nothing. } 18. Nxd6+ Bxd6 { Why doesn't Black take therook? I assume Windows Vista saw checkmate approaching after his king gotstuck on the edge, say after Rb1 and Qa4 by White. } 19. Rb1+ Qb3 { Makingthe game last longer. This is so typical of primitive computer chess suchas this: they will do anything to prolong a lost game or hold off a losson material, even if it gives them no more counterplay. } 20. Rxb3+ Kc7 21. Qc6+ Kd8 22. Rb7 { Ready for the fatal blow. } 22... Bxh2+ { Now this reallyis irritating procrastination. } 23. Nxh2 Ne7 24. Qd7# { Another win forfatcat2 against the computers. Now the score is 2.5 to fatcat2, 0.5 tothe computers. But, to those who say I am getting easy wins against primitivecomputers, I would like to add that sometime in the next few rounds I intendto play again against Fritz 10, this time in 'unleashed' mode. Fritz 'unleashed'is such a far cry from it's normal rated level that I think it counts asa different opponent, which is why I will play (and almost certainly lose!)against it. I repeat, none of these games will be quite so easy as thisone! } 1-0
[Event "Combination in the Chekhover"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.09.08"] [Round "-"] [White "tonnerre"] [Black "ieeewiz"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1724"] [TimeControl "5 min + 10 sec"] [WhiteElo "1828"] { Another Blitz. Short games are not the best training grounds for SOLIDplay. However, the pressure of the clock tends to produce unusual positions.Great for tactics! Useful for highlighting the possibilities (good & bad)of lesser played lines. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { Open Sicilian } 3... cxd4 4. Qxd4 { Chekhover Variation. I was in an aggressive mood. } 4... Nc6 5. Bb5 { I could tell Nc6 was a reflex move. My opponent only now began to thinkof the consequences. His position is not bad but the time spent here thinkingof the next move suggested he had now only begun to play. } 5... Nf6 { He decidedto ignore the pin and catch up on K-side development. } 6. Nc3 Bg4 { Bg4?I think the Bishop could have been better used in breaking the pin ratherthan being traded away. } 7. Be3 { Development complete and I can castlelong or short. } 7... Bxf3 8. gxf3 { Trading away the Bishop damages my pawnsbut opens the g-file for my rook. It was not worth it. } 8... e5 { A late push. } 9. Qa4 { Applying more pressure to the Q-side. Now the pawns begin to quaketoo. I plan to castle long soon enough to attack the middle. My Q-sidemajority also means I can probably be greedy and pick up an extra pawnin a trade even though it will open lines to my King. Let's see... } 9... Qd7 { Ooh... My opponent has sharpened my pin for me. } 10. O-O-O h6 { PreventingBg5 perhaps? That plan wasn't even on my mind. More likely planning Nh7followed by Ng5 in an effort to destabilize the f3-pawn? Or does it prepareg5 and Bg7? Who knows? } 11. Nd5 { b6, c7 and e7 are all critical chokepoints.Also, 11... Nxd5 12.exd5 and the Knight on c6 is kaput. } 11... Be7 { Attackingeither of the Knights or the Bishop throws away a lot of my advantage forsomething approaching equality. The King seeks to get out of danger whileconnecting Rooks and initiating counterplay. How do I stop that from happening? } 12. Nb6 { 12. Nb6! I confess it took me a while to see this combination.Pandemonium erupts! } 12... axb6 13. Qxa8+ Bd8 14. Bxb6 O-O 15. Bxd8 Rxd8 16. Qa4 Qc7 17. Bxc6 bxc6 { Now I am up both in position and material. } 18. Rhg1 Qb7 { We both take aim at the opposing King. Black's Knight is thelast 'threat' left. We are both stretched thin and attackers must be defenderstoo. We will both be thinking of marching pawns; him through the middle,me along the Q-side. His is the more dangerous path though. } 19. h4 d5 20. exd5 cxd5 { Each central opposing pawn down works in my favour. } 21. Qb3 Qc6 { Wary of all trades, and with good reason. Someone has to defendthe Q-flank from invasion. } 22. Qd3 d4 23. Qf5 { I wanted to open some holeshere (23 ...Re8 24.f4 leaving d4 en prise). 23 ... Rc8 24.Kb1 was anotherpossibility with the Rook off the d-file. } 23... Qb5 24. f4 e4 { This blunderloses. I expected Rd5 instead. } 25. Qxb5 { Resignation. Not a brilliantfinish. I was unsure if I should even bother to annotate this one. I decidedI would only because there were some shining moments in the middle-game. } 1-0
[Event "Discernment in Exchanging"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.03"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2282"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1803"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Another chastening defeat at the hands of the MasterMater. Just when I thought I was learning to avoid destructive trades,what does The Beginner do? She goes in for one doesn't she? In mitigation,it was to rid myself of Freddy's rook that had just got into my area ofthe board and when a piece like that does that you wanna get shot of itat the earliest opportunity, wouldn't you? Well, sometimes it is betterto just hold your horses a bit. The game starts off with 1. e5 c5 whichis a Sicilian Defense. } 1... c5 2. c3 { 2. c3 - I decided to prepare d4 by thismeans rather than the usual Nf3 for a change. } 2... b6 3. d4 Bb7 4. f3 { 4. f3- bolstering e4. } 4... d5 5. e5 { 5. e5 - this move is chosen to reduce the scopeof the lsb on b7. } 5... cxd4 6. cxd4 { 6. cxd4 - pawn trade. First sign of troublethough - my d pawn becomes backward and this will play a part in my demiselater on. } 6... e6 7. Bb5+ Bc6 8. Bxc6+ Nxc6 { 8. ...... Nxc6 - now the lsb'sget traded off. } 9. Ne2 { 9. Ne2 - develops a piece and backs up my d4 pawnwhich is en prise to the knight on c6. } 9... Nh6 10. Be3 { 10. Be3 - developingand bolstering my d4 pawn. } 10... Nf5 11. Bf2 { 11. Bf2 - maintains protectionof the d4 pawn and also stops a possible check on h4 by the Wicked Witchof the West. } 11... Bb4+ 12. Nbc3 { 12. Nbc3 - I block the check on c3 by developingmy remaining knight - clear those decks I say! } 12... Qg5 13. O-O { 13. 0-0 -Hmm, gotta save my g2 pawn but is Henry dancing into the fire yet again? } 13... Rc8 14. Qc1 { 14. Qc1 - I do not like the Witch sitting in front of Henryso Glenda puts the question to her. } 14... h6 { 14. ....... h6 - hmm, he is allowingthe trade! } 15. Qxg5 hxg5 { 15. ....... hxg5 - which takes place. } 16. Rac1 f6 17. exf6 gxf6 { 17. ...... gxf6 - pawn trade. } 18. a3 Be7 { 18. ......Be7 - Freddy decides to retreat his bishop after a3. Hmm, maybe b4 wascalled for asap. Instead I decided to add another defender to the d pawn. } 19. Rfd1 Kf7 20. h3 { 20. h3 - at this stage I am more concerned about adoubling of black rooks on the h column. } 20... Na5 { 20. ...... Na5 - b5 wouldhave prevented that Na5 move, however. } 21. Na2 a6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rc1 Rc4 24. Rxc4 { 24. Rxc4?? - here it is, here it is. Naievely I expecteddxc4 here, but of course, silly me overlooked Nxc4 and I now drop a pawn,duh and double duh! Would b4 have been a better alternative here? } 24... Nxc4 25. Nb4 Bxb4 26. axb4 Nxb2 { 26. ....... Nxb2 - I got rid of Freddy's dsbbut I still dropped a pawn, now Freddy is gonna make it decisive. } 27. Nc1 a5 28. bxa5 bxa5 { 28. ...... bxa5 - nothing better than to have allowedthe pawn trade. } 29. g4 Ne7 30. Kf1 { 30. Kf1 - having allowed a remotequeenside passer, Henry must go over to the queenside to help round itup, if I can. } 30... Ng6 31. Bg3 a4 32. Ke2 a3 33. Kd2 Nc4+ { 33. ....... Nc4+- Henry has moved closer to the a pawn but that rampant horsie is not finishedwith me by a long chalk! } 34. Kc3 e5 35. dxe5 fxe5 { 35. ....... fxe5 -and now another forced pawn trade. } 36. Na2 Nf4 37. Bxf4 gxf4 { 37. .......gxf4 - and now I have to say goodbye to Fou Lenoir. Although I do geta knight and an outside passer for it. Trouble is that passer is onlyon the third rank and Freddy's king can eat it up should it advance toofar. } 38. Kd3 Nb2+ 39. Ke2 d4 40. h4 { 40. h4 - I do try and advance thepawn though but it is too little too late. } 40... d3+ 41. Kd2 e4 42. fxe4 { 42.fxe4 - nothing better. } 42... f3 43. Ke1 Nd1 44. g5 { 44. g5 - again a counteron the kingside but to no avail. } 44... f2+ 45. Kf1 { 45. Kf1 - forced. } 45... d2 46. Ke2 f1=Q+ 47. Kxf1 { 47. Kxf1 - again forced but now comes the killer Ne3+and there is no way of stopping that d2 pawn from crowning so I wave thewhite flag. Nul point no. 42 for me against the Master Mater, sigh anddouble sigh! } 47... Ne3+ 0-1
[Event "Mating Net"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.01"] [Round "-"] [White "nn"] [Black "dmaestro"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1580"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1400"] 1. e4 { Interesting mate at the end of this short game. } 1... c5 2. d3 Nf6 3. Qf3 { Not the best response, the Q is not very effective here early in thegame. } 3... Nc6 4. Be3 e6 5. c3 d5 6. exd5 exd5 7. h3 Be7 8. Qd1 { This retreatwastes time. } 8... d4 { Black decides to take more central space. } 9. cxd4 cxd4 10. Bd2 O-O 11. Nf3 Re8 12. Be2 { Necessary but White is behind in development. } 12... Bf5 13. Qb3 { ? Another Q move. White needs to play 0-0. } 13... Qd7 14. Na3 Bd8 { Now the bishop must be protected preventing castling. } 15. Nc2 Bb6 16. Nb4 { Too many moves with the same pieces. } 16... Nxb4 17. Bxb4 Rac8 18. Kd2 { ??White wants to free the bishop but this loses quickly. } 18... Nd5 19. g3 a5 { !Black forces the win. } 20. Ba3 { Otherwise the Bishop is lost, but thatwould have been better than what follows } 20... a4 { Now the Q must move. } 21. Qd1 { Forced to save the Q, but now the King is lost } 21... Ba5+ 22. b4 axb3+ { Mate follows. White's King was trapped in the center. White resigns. } 0-1
[Event "How good is the Four Pawns Attack? Part 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "B.K."] [Black "Ion A. Dowman "] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "-"] [WhiteElo "-"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone, after playing a game called How Good is the Four PawnsAttack Part 1, my mentor, Ion showed me a game of his where he played againstthe Four Pawns Attack. Mistakes were made on both sides but Ion was morefortunate than I was in my Four Pawns Attack - he drew. } 1... Nf6 { 1. ............Nf6 - the most common response in the database. This knight move is madeto hinder e4 and develops a piece. As you will see, however, white soongets round that problem! } 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 { 5. f4 - andhere we have it - the Four Pawns Attack - just like in my game, but itdeviates later on. White has a fine pawn centre and black must find away to make a dent in it. } 5... O-O 6. Nf3 c5 { 6. ............... c5 - hereis the attempt to breach the wall. BK plays d5 to keep his central arrayof pawns together. } 7. d5 e6 8. Be2 exd5 9. exd5 { 9. exd5 - (!) [Ion stated- I used to play 9.e5!? here]. In my game against michael I took withthe c pawn instead - maybe this move is an improvement. White can keephis kingside and queenside pawns together this way and the pawn structuremay come under less strain than the other capture. It does leave the efile open for a black rook to come on it so white would strongly be advisedto castle on his next move, which he does. } 9... Bf5 { 9. ............... Bf5- Ion stated here 'I didn't know this line, and thought that this obviousmove couldn't be bad. Ironically, I considered but rejected the better9...b5!?' } 10. O-O Na6 { 10. .....Na6?! - Ion stated that 'This wouldhave been better a move earlier, too. Now the knight has nowhere to go,after 11. a3. Hmm, Ion, what about Nc7? Although it seems that theknight may not be able to go anywhere significant after that, on c7 itdoes prepare an advance of the black a and b pawns and the possibilityof undermining the queenside pawn chain by playing an eventual b5. } 11. a3 Re8 { 11. ............ Re8 - rooks belong on open files. Here therecould be a possibility of a doubling on e7 and e8 putting more pressureon white's lsb. } 12. Bd3 { 12.Bd3 ... Ion stated that 'Already I didn'tlike the way this was going...' } 12... Ne4 13. Nxe4 Bxe4 14. f5 { 14.f5! ...Ion stated that 'This move is very much a theme of this whole line. I feltthat I was in deep trouble now, and it was going to get worse!' I thinkwhite threatens to exchange pawns here or force a doubling on the f file,either way, black's castled position will start to look a little draughtywhich could be problematical if the queens are on the board. } 14... gxf5 15. Ng5 Qf6 { 15 .............. Qf6?? - Ion stated here 'It transpires thatup to here Black's game was still playable, but this move was a completemiscalculation.' The aim of this move was to try and drive away theknight on e5. This move loses a piece because black's foremost f pawnis pinned to the black queen. } 16. Nxe4 Qd4+ { 16. ...........Qd4 ?? Ion stated that he thought this move was terrible because it is 'compoundingthe error. Had I played 16...Rxe4 I would have got out with only the lossof the exchange: 16...Rxe4 17.Bxe4 Qd4 18.Qxd4 Bxd4 19.Kh1 fxe4 and Blackat least can make a game of it.' The intent of this move here was toget out of the pin with check and to reclaim the piece by capturing one4 with the f pawn, unfortunately white gets his knight out of the roadby playing Nf2 - Ion is a piece for a pawn down. The position is not resignableyet - remember a pawn can crown, a piece cannot. The defender must findsome vigorous counterplay, however or white could increase this materialadvantage. Ion now creates complications, and as mentioned in a previousnote, they earn him half a point. I do not know the rating differentialsof the two protagonists here - this could also have some bearing on thedecision to play on or not. } 17. Nf2 { 17.Nf2 ... Natch! I had completelyoverlooked this move, until Bruce played it. Now, until this game, I hadalways beaten Bruce - a good journeyman club player apt to get into themost appalling timetrouble. I could have resigned the game here - Blackis quite lost - but I wanted jst to make some kind of fight for it... } 17... Re7 { 17. ............. Re7? - Ion stated that he came up with this uninspiringmove } 18. Bxf5 Rae8 19. Qxd4 Bxd4 { 19. ................ Bxd4 - white willnow try and trade pieces in order to snuff out any counterplay that blackwill attempt to rustle up. } 20. Bf4 Re2 21. Bxd6 Rxb2 { 21. ...........Rxb2 - when you are down on material it pays to exchange pawns rather thanpieces. Here Ion has managed to double rooks on the e file as I mentionedin a previous note. He has managed to get a rook down on the 7th rankwhich can be a bone in the throat. This resulted in Ion netting the bpawn and wrecking white's queenside pawn structure through the back door- black's queenside pawn structure is more intact. Ion is also threateninga move like R x N (uncovering an attack on the a1 rook) - white sidesteppsthis threat with Rad1. } 22. Rad1 Rb6 23. Bg3 Rf6 { 23. Rf6 - Ion statedhere 'you gotta damire this rook's agility! } 24. Bg4 Nb8 { 24. .........Nb8... When in doubt, try and improve the position of your least usefulpiece. It doesn't matter if or whether this is the 'best' move: Black isstill busted, but trying still to create problems. For the last few moves,White has been reacting to Black's moves, but now he has a free hand. } 25. d6 { 25.d6 ... Logical and good, but I was pleased to see my knightget a useable square. Such as Nc6. } 25... Nc6 26. d7 Ra8 { 26. ...........Ra8... I seriously considered 26...Rf8, and for a long time thought it mighthave been better. But it's academic. really. Black still has nothing forthe piece. } 27. Bh4 Rf4 28. Rde1 Kf8 { 28. .......... Kf8!? - Ion stated'I didn't like the look of 28...Rxg4 29.Re8 !' Yup, white is determinedto crown that d pawn! } 29. d8=Q+ { 29.d8=Q?! ... Ion stated here - 'Afterthis, I began to feel that things were looking up. White has sacced hisadvanced pawn to induce an exchange. Not bad exactly, yet I felt he oughtto have got more out of that d-pawn.' Yup, it exchanges another setof pieces but Ion now has 2 pawns for the missing piece. } 29... Nxd8 30. Bxd8 Rxd8 31. Bf3 b6 32. Kh1 Bxf2 33. Rxf2 Rxc4 34. Bh5 { 34.Bh5! ... Ion statedhere - 'It had to come. Black has got a Q-side majority that might comein useful, but his f-pawn is a goner.' Ion now tries to defend the fpawn with Rd7 but Ref1 doubles up on the f pawn. Oh dear! But I thinkthat that passed black c pawn may well have something to say. } 34... Rd7 35. Ref1 Rc3 36. Rf3 { 36.Rf3? - Ion gave this move a question mark as he expected36.Bxf7! here as White's best move, but was hoping for 36.Rxf7 ?! Rxf737.Bxf7 Rxa3 with a fighting chance to save the game. After 36.Bxf7, thea3-pawn is taboo, of course (36...Rxa3?? 37.Be6 - this discovered checkwins the black rook on d7). But what to make of the move played? Whitehad made a simple tactical oversight. Ion hangs on to his f pawn becauseafter the rooks are exchanged on f3 white must recapture with the bishopbecause if he recaptures with the rook he will cop Old Matey on f1. Donote that the white rook on f3 will interefere with the white bishop'sdiagonal onto d1. } 36... Rxf3 { 36...Rxf3! Ion gives his thoughts here - Whitecan not retake with the rook. Ordinarily Black would avoid exchanges, butI was hoping to round up White's a-pawn. Though he still has the edge,much of White's early advantage has evaporated, as Black is planning tooffset White's material advantage by promotion threats on the Q-side. And white's a3 pawn is very weak and could be picked off at the rightmoment. } 37. Bxf3 Rd3 38. Ra1 c4 { 38. ............ c4? - Here Ionthought that this move was ... A careless slip brought on by a new-foundconfidence... } 39. Be4 { 39.Bd4 ... ...that was rapidly brought toearth by this move. All the same we have to keep on truckin' } 39... Rb3 { 39...Rb3?! Played to obviate any shenanighans on the b-file. But 39...Rd2 was probablybetter. You know: rook on the 7th and all that... } 40. Bxh7 b5 41. Kg1 { 41.Kg1 (sealed) ... At the adjournment I expected White's 41st and studiedthe position according. I felt that Black's changes were fair at best. } 41... a5 42. Rb1 { 42.Rb1! ... I thought this a very good move. I had hopedthat if pawns were exchanges on the Q-side that at least the remainingtwo would be on adjacent files. This rook move squashes that idea. Naturally,the rook exchange doesn't come into consideration. } 42... Rxa3 43. Rxb5 c3 { 43........... c3? Inaccurate. 43...a4 was the right move. If then 44.Rc5,Rc3 threatens ...a3. } 44. Bc2 Ra1+ 45. Kf2 { The rest of the annotationdoes not quite tally with the actual game but I will now give the restof the moves here. All the comments are Ion's. 45.Kf2 a3! Now Ithought Black had very good drawing chances. 46.Rxc3 Rc1! 47.Rxa3 ... White had no choice 47...Rxc2 48.Kg3 Kg7 49.Kh3 Rc1 50.Kh3 Rc1 Thisending is a 'book' draw. Though I wasn't absolutely sure of that at thetime, I felt pretty confident of holding out. As it happens, Bruce didn'tmake the best of the ending, making almost no progress at all for the restof the game: 51.Kh4 Rc2 52.Kg3 Rc1 53.Rf3 Ra1 54.Kg4 Ra4 55.Rf4 Ra2 56.Kf3 Ra3 57.Kf2 Ra2 58.Kg3 Ra3 59.Rf3 Ra2 60.Rf2 Ra3 61.Kh4 Ra162.g4 Ra3 63.h3 f6!? 64.Rf5 Kg6 65.Rb5 Rc3 Draw agreed. White's K-sideposition is completely stymied, and can not progress further. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "2nd China Cup"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.05.30"] [Round "-"] [White "orac"] [Black "milly64"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1150"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1239"] 1. e4 { Where did I play well and where was I blundering? From what movewas I better? If at all. } 1... d5 { I was black and after whites move of e4I went with d5, just to see what he would do I think. I like to try thingsand its fun to make moves to get out of a situation but with 2 pawns notmuch damage here I think. } 2. e5 c5 { So white never protected his pawnbut pushed it up to e5, a bit previous ? I also didn't protect but therewas nothing attacking so I moved to c5. } 3. d4 cxd4 { White moved pawn tod4 and I took with my c5 pawn. } 4. Qxd4 Bf5 { White queen captured my pawnand is protecting e5 pawn. I moved LB out to f5 attacking c2 and I maybethought I might come out with my queen to b6 maybe. } 5. Bb5+ Nc6 { Whitemoved LB to b5 and I brought out my knight to protect my king from check. It is also attacking white's queen. } 6. Na3 f6 { Next white moved his knightto a3 protecting the LB at b5. I am unable to take white's queen withthe pin from white's LB. I moved to attack the pawn at e5 with f6. } 7. exf6 gxf6 { White took my pawn at f6 and I retook with g7 pawn. } 8. Qc3 Qc7 { White moved his queen back to c3 and I moved my queen to c7 to avoidtaking the LB with my pawns should white take the knight at c6. } 9. g3 O-O-O { Now white moved his pawn on the g file to g3 while leaving his kingsat in the middle of the board. Better would have been to develop a pieceto enable him to castle. I castled on the queen side. } 10. Bf4 e5 { Whitedeveloped his DB out to f4 so that was the plan with his previous moveas he is now protected by the g3 pawn and is attacking my queen at c7. I move my e pawn out to e5 to block the DB. } 11. Bd2 Nge7 { White retreatshis DB back to d2 and I develop my knight to e7 and now the knights areworking together. The g file is now part open for my rook to move acrossto. } 12. O-O-O Nd4 { White now long castles and I move my c knight to d4which leaves the queens facing each other on the c file and I am attackingthe LB at b5. } 13. Bf4 Nec6 { White moves the DB to f4 allowing the rookto get active if required. My knights still protect each other with themove of my e7 knight to c6. } 14. Bxc6 Qxc6 { Now white takes my c6 knightwith the LB but I retake with my queen. } 15. Qxc6+ Nxc6 { White capturesmy queen with his queen and I recapture with my d4 knight rather than apawn. } 16. Be3 Kb8 { White moves his DB to e3 attacking a7 square and Imove my king over to b8 as my king would be in the open if the knight hadto respond to the LB's attack. } 17. f4 d4 { White pushes pawn out to f4attacking my pawn at e5. I push my d5 pawn to d4 attacking the DB andstopping his progress on the diagonal to a7, this pawn is protected bymy knight at c6. The rooks are also on the d file at d8 and d1. } 18. Bf2 Bd6 { White retreats the DB to f2 and I develop my bishop to d6 bringingit out to support the centre pawns. This also allows the rooks now towork together. } 19. fxe5 fxe5 { White captures my pawn at e5 with d4 pawnand I recapture with my f6 pawn. The e5 pawn is well protected with theknight at c6 and DB at d6. My LB is hanging I must do something aboutthat. } 20. Nf3 Bg4 { White develops g knight to f3 and I immediately movemy LB to g4 to attack it. My LB still is hanging. } 21. Rde1 Bxf3 { Whitemoves his d rook to e1 and I take the knight at f3. } 22. Rhf1 Rhf8 { Whitejoins up his rooks with rook to f1 and I move my h rook across to f8 andmy LB is not hanging any more. } 23. Rg1 Bg4 { White's rook at f1 was probablynot the best move as I was blocking the file at f3 and his DB was alsoon the file at f2. So white moves the rook across to g1 and I immediatelymove across to block the file again at g4. } 24. Rg2 Rf3 { White moves g1rook to g2 and I move my f8 rook to f3 attacking the DB at f2. My LB isprotecting my rook at f3. } 25. Nc4 Bh3 { White now moves his a knight toc4 attacking my DB but this is protected by the rook at d8 so I ignoreand move my LB across to attack the rook at g2. } 26. Rgg1 Bb4 { So whiteretreats his rook back to g1 and I move my DB to b4 to attack the rookat e1. } 27. Re4 Rxf2 { White moves his rook to e4 and I capture the DB atf2. } 28. Nxe5 Bf5 { White knight captures my pawn at e5 and I move my LBto attack white's rook at e4 protected by the rook at f2. White's knightcan take my knight and check my king on his next move. } 29. Nxc6+ bxc6 { So I cannot take the rook at e4 as white captures my knight putting myking in check. I captured the knight with my b7 pawn. } 30. Re5 Rxc2+ { Whitenow attacks my LB with a move to e5 and I check white's king with my rookat c2 protected by the LB at f5. } 31. Kd1 d3 { White king moves across tod1 and out of check. I push my d file pawn to d2 in readiness to queenand also to protect my rook which of course is also protected by the LB. } 32. Rxf5 Rxb2 { White takes my LB wit the rook and I move across to takea pawn and to give me easier access to the squares on the 2nd row. } 33. Rgf1 Rd2+ { White moves his g rook over to f1 and brings the rooks togetheron the f file. I move my rook to d2 and check the king protected by theDB at b4. } 34. Kc1 Rc2+ { The king moves out of check to c1 and I move therook over to c2 to allow my pawn to access the d2 square. This checksthe king again. } 35. Kb1 Ba3 { King moves over and out of check to b1 andI move my DB to a3 covering the c1 and b2 squares. I also have my rookat d8 protecting my pawn at d3. } 36. R5f2 Rc3 { Whites rook is at f1 soit is not easy to move to c1 and check the king and move him off the 1strow as my rook will be captured. So after white brings his 2nd rook tof2 I move my rook back to c3 expecting he will move along to try to stopmy pawn before it queens. } 37. Rc2 dxc2+ { And white does move his rookto c2 and I capture with my pawn at d2 and check the king with protectionfrom my rook at c3. With my DB at a3 protecting the c1 square where mypawn would queen white knew he could not affect anything now and the gameended. } 0-1
[Event "Never give up 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.08.01"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "jarrod_lee"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "3/10"] 1. d4 { Light game, light annotation. } 1... d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 c5 4. c3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 { Pretty standard so far. } 5... Bd7 { I like it more than Nc6. } 6. e3 { I could have tried Nd2 - e4, but it was no threat for black due to Nf6.If I have to go Bg5, I would have wasted a bishop move in the opening.The plan must be another. } 6... a6 7. Nd2 { Waiting for him to get out the dsbto play Qg4, looking at g7. But he didn't. } 7... Nc6 8. N2b3 { Qb3 was alsopossible, but it seemed too 'normal' to me. } 8... h6 { Insisting in delayingthe developement. We are seeing who lose his temper the sooner. } 9. Bd3 g5 10. Bg3 f5 { Oh... } 11. Qh5+ { Of course! } 11... Ke7 12. Nxc6+ { This is to makepossible to my bishop to go to e5 undisturbed. I couldn't see nothing better. } 12... bxc6 13. Be5 Be8 14. Qe2 { Now black loses a pawn. } 14... Nf6 15. Bxa6 Qb6 { Thelogic one is Bd3 and hold with black's expansion c5 etc. I wanted to besmarter, and... blundered! } 16. Nc5 { Just a present for him. No compensation. } 16... Qxc5 17. Bd4 Qa5 18. Bd3 { Ok, now I'm under a minor piece, my positionis cramped, he has a strong pawn center, and the bishop pair. } 18... c5 19. Be5 { Expecting c4, Bc2, and a rainstorm. Ok, I have a free a pawn, butit looks almost impossible to take advantage of it. } 19... Rg8 20. O-O Ng4 21. Bg3 h5 22. h3 Nf6 23. f4 { Desperately trying to open a little the positionin order to make some pressure on the black king. } 23... h4 { A pawn in g3 isless dangerous that a g semiopen column. And if I win a pawn and some spaceinto the bargain... well... better than Bh2, g4... } 24. fxg5 hxg3 25. gxf6+ Kxf6 { Still no way to break in, so... } 26. c4 { Anything to open the position.If I could just take awas the e3 pawn, I would do it. } 26... dxc4 { Giving somelife to my bishop! } 27. Bxc4 Bh6 28. Qd3 { Rd8, Qb3. } 28... Bg6 { e4 can be interesting:a double pin... f4 e5+, Kxe5, Ra-e1 is in the air. } 29. Qb3 { Pressure,at last! } 29... Bf7 { Better was Ra-e8. He don't take the d column, but the morethe pieces he has 'playing', the best. Anyway, now comes... } 30. e4 f4 { And now a pretty nice move: } 31. e5+ { Attraction will give me some attack,but not the victory. Anyway, he played conservatively: } 31... Kg7 { Pretendingto be wise. I can take Bxe6, but all this fuzz just for a pawn? True, myqueen will be very well placed, then, but I won't win with it and the epawn... } 32. Rad1 { This is not good, but if he plays a rook on d8, I canalways take the e6 pawn. } 32... Rge8 { So he thought it was better to defendit. Ok, but my target was another... } 33. Rd7 { Pressure is better thancashing. Now a pin is added to black's position. } 33... Rab8 { Better was Ra7,but this does look good, except for another good move from mine... } 34. Qf3 { Qxg3, fxQ, RxB+ is not mate. But now I threat Qg4+. } 34... Rxb2 { A blunder:I wonder what I would have done after Qa4 (threatening R and B). The answeris: Bxe6 (defending the rook), RxB, Qg4+, winning back the rook and defendingmine. Still, black should have defended now. } 35. Qh5 { This is betterthan Qg4+, because forces him to play Rf8, blocking an important escapesquare for the king. } 35... Rf8 36. Qg4+ { Bxe6 was ok and probably winning.But now... } 36... Kh8 { The only one. Kh7 only helps me with Bd3+. } 37. Bxe6 { Timeto cash in. } 37... Bxe6 38. Qxe6 { ...threatening the B with mate. The move forblack was Rb6. I Rd6, RxR, QxR, and then he can defend the bishop on g7without so much danger. } 38... Bg7 { Blunder, but who would say it at the firstglance? } 39. Qe7 { It's to defend it or mate. } 39... Rg8 40. Qh4+ { ...and matethe next one. So, once again: NEVER GIVE UP! Things like this won't happenoften, but it is fun to try! :-) } 1-0
[Event "Walking the Walk and Learning to Run Group G"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.15"] [Round "-"] [White "solascriptura"] [Black "stalhandske"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2134"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1330"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 { Classical QGD (queen's gambit declined)opening. Still in use even at the highest levels } 4... c5 { I personally favourc5 here (before Nc6) to open up the centre } 5. Nf3 a6 { to prevent an annoyingbreak-in of the white knight, and to solidify a possible queen-side pawnrush } 6. a4 { a bold advance; not bad but a3 might have been more careful.Or then developing a bishop } 6... Nc6 { the route via b4 is now possible forthis knight (which is why 6. a3 had been better) } 7. cxd5 exd5 8. dxc5 { This move has little purpose. The white bishops sit an stare at the movement! } 8... Bxc5 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O { finally, a white bishop is out. both players castle } 10... Be6 11. Bd2 { and the other bishop } 11... Bd6 12. h3 { a sound move preventinginterventions via g4, and paving the way for a possible pawn ruch on theK-side later } 12... Qb6 { frees the rook interplay on the 8th row and preparesfor Q-side attack } 13. Rb1 { Rb1 is understandable, but unnecessary. A developingmove such as Bd3 had been better. If black had then taken the b pawn, hisqueen would have quickly been in trouble. 13. Bd3 Qxb2 14. a5 } 13... Bf5 14. a5 { excellent move! } 14... Nxa5 15. Na4 { a good move again. The alternative hadbeen to take hold of the c-file (15. Rc1); if 15....Qxb2 16. Na4 and blackloses the knight } 15... Qd8 16. Rc1 Rc8 17. Nd4 { This is all right, but a rookexchange at c8 was an alternative } 17... Rxc1 { black is up in material and theexchange is warranted } 18. Qxc1 { yes! much better than 18. Bxc1 } 18... Bg6 { Theposition here is fairly even, I think, with some black advantage due tobetter development } 19. Qc3 { 19. Qc3? is the move that soon leads to white'sdownfall, for reasons to be seen in a moment. Perhaps the best move forwhite had been 19. Nc5 attacking on the Q-side and threatening to exchangeblack's DSB } 19... Nc4 { note that 20. Bxc4 dxc4 21. Qxc4 leads to 21.....b5 } 20. b3 { but it is this move (20. b3) that loses. White fails to note thedanger of the unprotected e4 square available to the other black knight } 20... Ne4 { this leads to a minimum loss of white's DSB, which is protected onlyby the queen (who is now herself under attack). White resigns. I thinkwhite played very well up to the last two mistrakes indicated, which couldhave been avoided by some more careful analysis à la id=elyhim } 0-1
[Event "% sMaShEd cRaBs % Mini #8"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.24"] [Round "-"] [White "chesterdog"] [Black "francisbaron08"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1780"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1512"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 { transposing into a scotch. 5 Nd5 is the Belgrade Gambit } 5... Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 { aggressive butpremature here. 7 ... 0-0 instead } 8. exd5 cxd5 9. Qe2+ Be6 10. Bb5+ { acheck which gives white the edge. } 10... Nd7 11. O-O { 11 Bc6 directly allowswhite to steal the 'd' pawn } 11... O-O { 11 ... Bxc3 was necessary here. } 12. Bc6 { winning a pawn } 12... Rb8 13. Nxd5 Bd6 { black has nothing and must strivefor some sort of counterplay } 14. Nf4 Bf5 15. b3 Re8 16. Qd1 Qf6 17. Be3 Rbd8 18. Nd3 Bxh2+ 19. Kxh2 Qxc6 { regaining the pawn } 20. Bxa7 Ne5 21. Re1 Ng4+ { this is a careless transposition. 21 ... Qh6+ first was rightleading to a win of the exchange as in the game. } 22. Kg1 { considerablework was done here to try to find a winning line against 22 Kg3. the bestI came up with was 22 ... Qh6 23 Rxe8+ Rxe8 24 Qh1 Qd6+ 25 f4 Bxd3! 26cxd3 Qxd3+! 27 Kxg4 f5+ 28 Kh4 Re6! with good winning chances. } 22... Qh6 23. f3 Qh2+ 24. Kf1 Qh1+ 25. Bg1 Ne3+ 26. Rxe3 Rxe3 27. Qd2 { this allows asmashing combination. 27 Kf2! offered the most resistance in a trickyposition since white has a passed 'a' pawn which could be formidable ifthe queens came off the board } 27... Rexd3 { winning the queen, mating or comingout a rook ahead. } 28. cxd3 Bxd3+ 29. Kf2 Qh4+ 30. g3 Qd4+ 31. Qe3 Qb2+ 0-1
[Event "Win for Player ranked ~1600 over Player ranked >2000"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2020.04.27"] [Round "-"] [White "generalkarl"] [Black "x1134x"] [Result "1-0"] { ALL COMMENTS WELCOME - Especially how I screwed up in my thinking duringthe moves. All my comments are how I was thinking during the game, notpost game analysis OK, facing chess master, my level probably 1550 to1600 as I seem to win around 1/3 of games with players ranked that on GK } 1. d4 { Going for Queens Gambit, the only opening I have ever lookedat in a book for 30 minutes once ten years ago. } 1... b5 { Don't recall blackplaying b5 on move 1 in any of thousands of games here. My only used openingis now ended on turn 2, lol I can't recall black going d5 on turn 1 inany game I have ever played } 2. Nf3 { Develop pieces, control center } 2... Bb7 3. Bg5 { Plan, develop bishop before e3. Goal: Set up king side attackwith all pieces. } 3... h6 { Reasonably forces retreat } 4. Bh4 g5 { Strange. Opensking side pon structure before develops pieces or controls center. Probablyhas already realized I am ChessNoob. } 5. Bg3 { Control center } 5... Bg7 { Blackhas two strong diagonal controls of center but no central pon control } 6. c3 { Three defense d4 } 6... g4 { Black has two attacks on f3, I do not haveenough piece development to move to 5th rank, must maintain control ofcenter ('cause someone said that's important) } 7. Nfd2 { Also preparingfor e3 or e4 } 7... d5 { Black moves to center but blocks his diagonal, allowingme to develop my white square bishop } 8. e3 { pon structure } 8... c6 9. h3 { Attackundefended pon, my plan is kingside attack/exchange so the passed pon helpsme out } 9... h5 { Is this a mistake here by black? There must be a number ofdevelopment moves he could have done with his knights } 10. Be2 { Tripleattack on g4 to control position after exchange } 10... Nf6 { His defense of g4too late and miraculously I realize it } 11. hxg4 { I got this } 11... hxg4 { Notgood enough } 12. Rxh8+ { Exchange rooks } 12... Bxh8 13. Bxg4 { Up one pon and Ihave strong positional control on two diagonals. Is knight takes bishopblacks best move here? } 13... Nxg4 14. Qxg4 { Hard to see any way I do not havepositional control here. His left side pons face a solid defense queenside,I have control of the center, and he has no king side defense. } 14... Bc8 { Attackqueen } 15. Qg8+ { Force his king to block his bishop development } 15... Kd7 { Blackpays for undeveloped pon structure } 16. Qxf7 { 2nd pon gained, black squaresnear king controlled, Q threatens check, my potential castling queen sidefree's my rook along unguarded king side } 16... Bf6 { No idea why he does thisbut intuitively I know somehow we will be exchanging queens if I don'tmove } 17. Qh5 { Setting up for future h file battery after Kn to f3, Knto d2, and castling. } 17... c5 { blunder (!) results in me winning d5 and c5,Black resigns First win for me from player ranked over 2000, so prettysweet. } 1-0
[Event "NZCF Club Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "15-June-2011"] [Round "-"] [White "S. Holdaway"] [Black "C. Wang"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "75mins 40 moves, +15mins"] [WhiteElo "unrated"] 1. d4 { This was my first ever 'official' OTB game. There were plenty ofsigns around my neck telling everbody I was a beginner - I kept forgettingto hit the clock after my moves, would often need to look at my opponentsnotation because I hadn't recorded the last few moves etc... It maybe wasn'tthe highest quality game, but I'm sure it has some instructive value itit somewhere. } 1... d5 2. c4 e6 { Nothing unexpected yet. I would have preferredQGA lines, but understand that it is becoming less and less played. } 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 { All book so far. } 4... Nbd7 5. e3 { Bolstering the d pawn andopening a line for the LSB. 5.Bg5 or 5.Bf4 seem like alternatives to preventthe DSB from being impeded, and may be better. } 5... Be7 6. Be2 { Some timeafter I played this move I wondered if Bd3 may have been better. I thinkafter this move may have been the first time I remembered to hit the clock! } 6... O-O 7. O-O { At this point the game seems to be fairly balanced. It wasabout here where I thought I would have preferred White's LSB to be sittingat d3. } 7... b6 8. Qc2 { Looking down a nice diagonal into the kingside, supportinga possible e4 (not ready yet). If that bishop had have been at d3 the e4would seem better. Enough said about the bishop! } 8... Bb7 { A nice diagonalfor black. Threatening 9... dxc4 (if 10.Bxd4 then ...Bxf3 11.gxf3 and white'sking is not looking very secure). } 9. Ne5 { Avoiding the previously mentionedline. I think the exchange here is fine. } 9... Nxe5 10. dxe5 { Pawns are doubled,but there is a half open d file waiting for a rook to be anchored to it. } 10... Ne4 { I considered exchanging off the other pair of knights here, butthought that Black's position would have an advantage. } 11. Bd3 { I'd beinterested to know if stronger players would have considered this move.Looking through the knight at e4 to take the h pawn with check. Black canavoid this, but his position doest look as sound after 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Bxe4Bxe4 14.Qxe4 etc (not to mention the pawn that would be dropped) to behonest, this is the first time in the game where I have actually had aplan other than 'develop your pieces and try not to blunder'. } 11... Nxc3 12. Bxh7+ { As planned } 12... Kh8 13. bxc3 { White's pawn structure is looking quiteweak with doubled pawns on the e file and an isolated pawn on the c file(the doubled pawn is destined to be squashed in short order), but thereis some compensation in the somewhat aggressive position white has. } 13... g6 { I saw this option at move 11, but didn't think that black would gofor it, as it is a clear draw opportunity for white. I thought my opponentwould have expected to despatch this 'newbie', not draw after about 15minutes! } 14. Bxg6 fxg6 15. Qxg6 { A menacing spot for the Queen next toa very exposed looking King... Black can't play 15...Rg8 because of 16.Qh6# } 15... dxc4 { At this point I considered the perpetual check, but I still wantedto play chess - besides I gave myself a good chance of chalking up a winon my first outing. } 16. e4 { Aiming the bishop at the h6 square. } 16... Qd3 { I had expected my opponent to play something defensive here. It is toosoon for white to play Bh6 though, as ...Rg8 leaves white with an awkwardsituation - no way to defend e4, a bishop and a rook staring down at g2. } 17. Qh5+ { Manouvering the Queen to g4 to support Rd1 } 17... Kg7 18. Qg4+ Kh8 19. f3 { The losing move. At the time I decided against 19.Rd1 as I sawthat black could exchange queens with ...Qxe4. I think almost any othermove would have been better than this one. } 19... Bc5+ { I saw this move comingbefore I hit the clock. In the space of about one and a half seconds Isaw my opponent go from a nervous, head down kind of attitude to somethingakin to an excited puppy. } 20. Be3 { Forced. If 20. Rf2 then ...Qd1# orif 20.Kh1 ...Qxf1# } 20... Bxe3+ 21. Kh1 { Forced again } 21... Rad8 { Preventing Rd1 (eitherone) which would either return the material to white or allow a powerful(probably winning) rook on the 7th rank. This move instead ties both ofthe white rooks to the back rank. } 22. Qh5+ { Looking to find a draw somewhere,or at least harras my opponent into making a mistake. The perpetual checkavailable earlier isn't an option anymore because of Black's e3 bishop. } 22... Kg8 23. Qg6+ Kh8 24. Qh5+ Kg7 25. Qg4+ Kh7 26. Qh3+ Bh6 27. Qxe6 { No checksavailable here. It seems a pipe dream to promote a pawn, but what else? } 27... Bxe4 28. Qe7+ { Continuing the barrage - my opponent was looking a bitworried at this point I wondered if he might lose his cool and offer mea draw... } 28... Kg6 29. Qe6+ Kh7 { Forced back to the 7th. If 29...Kh5 then 30.Qg4#or if 29...Kg5 30.h4+ and it's mate in one. } 30. Qe7+ Bg7 31. Qh4+ Kg8 { A draw seems impossible if I exchange my queen off, but I could see nobetter chance to draw than to reduce some of the meterial deficit. } 32. Qxe4 Qxe4 33. fxe4 { 4 passed pawns (ok 3 as soon as black eats one of them)just maybe there is a chance??? } 33... Rxf1+ { Simplifying, to place more weighton the advantage. } 34. Rxf1 Bxe5 35. h4 { c3 is not defensible, due tothe back rank mate. If white has any chance to salvage something here,it must surely be by promoting. } 35... Bxc3 36. g3 { Supporting h4. if g4 thenblack replies with Rd4, winning at least a pawn. } 36... Be5 37. Kg2 { Defrendsg3 and more flexible than Kh2. } 37... c3 38. Rf2 { The final nail in the coffin. } 38... Rd2 { And that is how my first OTB club game panned out. I won't be topplingtoo many GM's just yet, but it all must start somewhere... Thanks for reading,all comments/feedback welcome. } 0-1