Datasets:

natetsang

/

fishgpt

like 1

[Event "O&DL Didcot 1 v Cowley 2, Didcot"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.02.20"] [Round "-"] [White "Maria Mate"] [Black "Robert Jacobs"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "129"] [TimeControl "All moves in 90 mins each"] [WhiteElo "146"] 1. e4 c5 { My usual response to 1. e4 } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 { Arelatively unusual continuation. White's early Q move causes Black toreconsider his planned Najdorf variation. Should I chase the Q straightawaywith ..Nc6 or leave it there a while? I decided that the immediate N movewould invite White's LSB to pin on b5 and would thus achieve little. Therefore,I continued with a normal Najdorf move ... } 4... a6 5. c4 { White's pawn formationis typical of the Maroczy Bind, though I don't think that is usually combinedwith 4. Qxd4. The bind is aimed at restricting Black's position. } 5... Nc6 { Now there's no harm in putting the question to the Q. } 6. Qe3 { Whitekeeps her Q centralised but restricts the scope of her DSB, which she isprobably already planning to fianchetto. } 6... Nf6 7. h3 { Nearly always a usefulmove at some stage but it does weaken g3 and can invite tactics based onpinning the g-pawn against the castled K. In this case, I think the primarypurpose was to prevent ...Ng4, attacking the Q again. } 7... e6 { Black is aimingfor a standard Scheveningen formation against White's somewhat unusualformation. } 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O O-O { Black appears slightly ahead on developmentat this stage, thanks to White's exposed Q having moved twice and all otherQ-side pieces still on their home squares. However, Black has made oneextra pawn move and not yet developed his Q. Neither side has any significantweaknesses at present, though Black has the possibility of getting a forkon c2 and White may be able to exploit the weakness on b6. } 10. Rd1 { Whiteseizes control of the half-open d-file, pinning the d-pawn and thus creatingthe possibility of playing e5. } 10... Qc7 { Black sidesteps the pin and developsto a standard square, also looking at the exposed pawn on c4. } 11. Nc3 Bd7 { Completing the standard Scheveningen formation: a compact and flexibleplatform for careful counter-attacking manoeuvres on either wing. } 12. b3 { Bolsters c4 and prepares the anticipated fianchetto. } 12... Rad8 13. Bb2 Rfe8 { Now Black is exceedingly well centralised! - albeit somewhat restricted. One of the problems with this formation is calculating how best to openup and attack. If Black plays too passively from now on, he gets crushed. } 14. Na4 { 'A knight on the rim is dim' as the saying goes but in thiscase it has a good purpose in building up pressure on b6 and releasingthe power of the fianchettoed B, which can get to b6 in 2 moves, to skewerBlack's Q and R. } 14... Nb4 { At last Black advances, threatening the even moreimmediate fork on c2 and giving Black's Q and LSB room to breathe. } 15. Qd2 { White prevents the fork and attacks the intrusive N. Can Black openingup the file to attack the exposed Q though? } 15... d5 { I was loath to retreatthe N so looked hard for an alternative solution, eventually deciding thatthis pawn thrust met several objectives at once: defending the N, attackingWhite's centre, opening up lines for Q, DSB and R. If White exchangeson d5, Black's exposed N can centralise by recapturing on d5 at the appropriatemoment. } 16. exd5 exd5 17. Be5 { An interesting response which I hadn'tconsidered. I had considered Bxf6 and cxd4, both of which were easilymet by recaptures that improved my position. } 17... Qa5 { I rejected ...Bd6 becauseafter White swapped on d6 and d5 I would have been left with a pinned Non d5 that could be attacked by Be2-c4. However, I could then have forkeda4 and c4 with b7-b5... This Q move over-defends the N and d-pawn but invitesa skewering pin by Be5-c3. My intention then was to play Bxa4 followedby Qxa4, winning a pawn while maintaining the defence of the N } 18. Nb2 { Another unexpected response. The N looks somewhat awkward here but thisdoes prevent my intended response to Bc3 so made me think again. } 18... Ne4 { The other N leaps into the fray, attacking White's Q and covering thec3 square } 19. Qf4 { White counter-attacks by advancing the Q to f4, whereshe threatens Kingside action and also a fork of Q and R from c7. } 19... Qc5 { Again, counter-attacking by threatening check on f2 while reducing thepower of White's threat of Bc7 and eliminating the need to cover c3. } 20. Bd4 { That pesky B again! } 20... Qd6 { Inviting the Q swap or a repetition,which I didn't expect White to be content with. } 21. Qxd6 Bxd6 { The swaphas enabled me to improve the position of the DSB and open up the e-filefor my rook. My Ns are still looking threatening and relatively secureat this stage, so I felt happy with my position. I had about 10 minutesin hand over my opponent at this stage. } 22. Bd3 { White invites me toswap either of my active Ns for her inactive B, which, naturally I'm reluctantto do, so I improve the support of the Ne4 and p on d5 ... } 22... Bc6 { ... butthis also deprives my outlier on b4 of a retreat square, increasing theprobability that I'll have to swap after all. } 23. Bb1 { ... and Whitehas second thoughts about swapping. Now the threat is simply to win theNb4 with 24. a3. } 23... a5 { So I create a retreat for the N. } 24. Bb6 { Whitesees an opportunity to win a pawn, by forking it and my R } 24... Ra8 { It tookme surprisingly long to find this ... } 25. a3 { As expected ... } 25... Nc3 { butnow I found a useful zwischenzug, exploiting the fact that Black's DSBno longer dominates the long diagonal. } 26. Rf1 { Perhaps surprisingly,perhaps not, White didn't want to swap R and P for 2 Ns. } 26... Na6 27. Bxa5 { Black having cut off the R's defence of the p, White snaffles it and attacksthe Nc3 but she has diverted her B off her best squares. } 27... Ne2+ { Now Ihad a lovely vision of creating mayhem with a quick dash across the boardfrom a6 to g3 and breaking open White's kingside, possibly delivering mate,but if not, at least winning the exchange or swapping 2 Ns for R and 2Ps. } 28. Kh1 Nc5 { The vision starts to become reality, propelled by theexposed threat to the misplaced B. } 29. Bc2 { Another unexpected response,causing me to realise that an immediate ..Rxa5 will be met by a fork fromb4 - the threat hadn't really been a threat at all, so White calmly redevelopedher LSB and reconnected her Rs while defending the Pb3 from my other threatof Nxb3, which would have forked R and B. } 29... Ne4 { The vision is one stepcloser to reality. } 30. b4 { White is perhaps unaware of the vision ordismisses it as mere fantasy, preferring to consolidate her pawn advantageand preserve the outlying B for future duty. } 30... Be5 { Now the doubts setin as, calculate as hard as I could, I couldn't find better than a drawfrom my planned 30 ...N4g3+ 31. fxg3 Nxg3+ 32. Kg1 Nxf1 33. Kxf1. So Idecided to bring up reinforcements ... Alternative variation: 30... N4g3+31. fxg3 Nxg3+ 32. Kg1 Re2 33. Rac1 Nxf1 34. Kxf1 Rae8 35. Bb6 Bg3 36.Nd3 dxc4 37. Nde5 Bxf3 38. Nxf3 Black has run out of attacking options. } 31. Nxe5 { Pretty much forced as White's Nb2 and Ra1 were skewered andany R move would have resulted in entrapment by the Ns. } 31... Rxe5 { As a resultof my long cogitations I was now at least 15 minutes behind on the clock. } 32. Bxe4 { and now I've lost my precious N, having missed the opportunityto plunge it into the inferno of a glorious attack. } 32... dxe4 { and I compoundthe error by making the wrong recapture. This pawn just gets in the way. } 33. Bb6 { The B returns to the fray, defending e3 and f2 and threateningto reoccupy the long diagonal. } 33... Rae8 { Desperately trying to find an alternativeattack, I bring up reinforcements but the attack is too slow and easilycountered. The game was up at this stage, I felt. } 34. Be3 { White preventsthe advance of the e-pawn, reducing my LSB to uselessness and controllingthe square h6, where I had intended to place the Re8 in 2 moves time. } 34... Rh5 35. Rfe1 { Now the N is to be trapped, having failed to fulfil its destiny. } 35... Nc3 36. b5 { Completing the cage. } 36... Bd7 { a forced retreat that offersa mirage of another sacrificial attack } 37. Bd4 { The infernal prelatereturns to the long diagonal with devastating effect, threatening to slaythe errant knight in his toils. } 37... Nxb5 { I make the most of a bad job byswapping the N for 2 pawns but that attack is stalling again. } 38. cxb5 Bxb5 39. a4 Bc6 { Hoping that by advancing the e-pawn I can exert a pinon the g-pawn and thus at least win the h-pawn with my R but then I realisethat it's still only a swap while material down, so not that useful really. } 40. Nc4 { Now all White's pieces are active and it's effectively gameover. } 40... Re6 { Still trying to get some sort of attack going but it's toolate. At least the pawn advance would have enabled me to break up White'sK's position. } 41. Kg1 { avoiding the line I had been contemplating butoffering an alternative method of attack. } 41... Rg6 { Short of time, I walkinto a trap. } 42. Ne5 Re6 { and have to retrace my steps. I don't wantto have to recapture on c6 with the pawn that prevents White's a-pawn frombeing a passer. } 43. Nxc6 bxc6 { but now I realise that if I capture withthe R, my bloody e-pawn falls and White will threaten mate in 1. } 44. Reb1 { QED } 44... Re8 45. Rb6 Rc8 46. a5 c5 47. Rb5 { a cruel rebuttal of my feebleattempt at counterplay. } 47... h6 { creating a hole for my K but I think thef-pawn might have been a better pawn to move. Whatever, the c-pawn isdoomed and White is bound, eventually, to Queen her a-pawn. } 48. Rc1 { thepawn is well and truly pinned! } 48... Rd5 49. Rbxc5 Rdxc5 50. Bxc5 Ra8 { afterthis move I had exactly 5 minutes left on the clock so stopped recordingmy moves. The following moves are translated from my opponent's Hungarianscoresheet. } 51. Bb6 Kf8 52. Rc7 Ke8 53. g4 g6 54. Kf1 f5 55. gxf5 gxf5 56. Rh7 { and I resigned as my R would either be lost outright or swappedoff or yet another pawn would fall and I only had about 4 minutes leftcompared with my opponent's 12. } 1-0

[Event "Sicilian Defense Nadorf 6.Be3 Explained."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.07.23"] [Round "-"] [White "Adams,Michael"] [Black "Svidler,Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2713"] [WhiteElo "2716"] 1. e4 { With 1.e4 white gains some control over central square d5 and openlines of development for his queen and kings bishop. } 1... c5 { With 1...c5 blackprevents white from playing 2.d4 and gains some control over the centralsquare d4. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 { White is ahead in developmentand can develop more freely. Black however, has a structural advantagein that he has an extra central pawn , white gains him a long-term advantageof taking control of the centre. A typical imbalance has arisen. From herewhite should use his development advantage in order to secure an earlyinitiative. If White plays passively or his initiative runs out of steam,thentypically its black,with the better pawn structure, who has the long-termchances. If black equalise he is already better. This structural advantageis seen in most Open Sicilian Lines for example the dragon, the najdorfand scheveningen variations. The major exception to this rule is the Sveshnikovvariation in which black accepts pawn weaknesses for activity. } 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { Not 5...e5 as white will play 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Nxd7 8.Nf5 andwhite is better. 5...a6 however prevents white from posting his knightson b5 and the Bb5+ while preparing queenside expansion. } 6. Be3 e5 { Black'sexpectation in this 6...e5 Najdorf Variation is that his control of importantcentral squares, with possibilities of Q-side expansion, will more thancompensate for the slight weakness of his backward Queens Pawn. Other Movesare 6...e6(Scheveningen) and the 'spoiling idea' 6...Ng4 } 7. Nb3 { Theaggressive 7.Nf5 is premature. Black obtains a free game after either 7...Bxf58.exf5 d5! 9.Bg5 d4 10.Bxf6 or 7...d5! 8.Bg5 d4 9.Bxf6. Another idea forwhite is 7.Nf3 which is more positional where white's main idea is to controld5. White main moves are Bc4,Bg5,Bxf6 } 7... Be6 { Trying to obtain some controlover d5. } 8. f3 { This move prevent any Ng4 idea's and prepares the movesQd2,0-0-0,g4. } 8... Nbd7 { The idea is to prepare to fight for the d5 squarelatter with b5 follow by Nb6 or just Nb6. } 9. g4 { An important space gainingmove on the kingside. The positional motivation behind the idea is thatwhite intends g4-g5, forcing the black knight to move away from its idealposting at f6 and lessening black's control over d5-square. Note:Controlof the d5-square is of utmost importance in the najdorf sicilian. } 9... b5 { We'veseen this typical lunge on the queenside before. Black initiates counterplayon the queenside. The stage is set for another uncompromising battle betweenthe two sides. White will develop with Qd2 and 0-0-0 and if allowed, willpush forward on the kingside with g4-g5. Black may forestall this advancewith the defensive move ...h7-h6, or be ready to move his knight to eitherh5 or d7 (once the other knight has vacated this square.) If the f6-knightis forced to move elsewhere (g8, for example then this is usually a signthat things have gone wrong for black. Once again black's counterplay liesvery much on the queenside. Often the fight is over the d5 square, blackplays the pawn lunge ...b5-b4. This asks the question of the knight onc3, which will either jump into d5 or retreat elsewhere. Black will findit difficult to arrange the freeing advance ...d6-d5, but if white is carlessenough to allow this then often this turns out to be favourable for black.In general, play is sharp and dynamic, often involving positional or tacticalsacifice from both sides } 10. g5 b4 { Black responds to the attack on hisking's knight with one of his own on the c3-knight. This is not an uncommonidea in the sicilian. 10...Nh5 is a sensible alternative } 11. Ne2 { 11.Nd5is another common move after 11...Nxd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Bd3 Bxd3 14.Qxd3Black continues with Be7 and 0-0. } 11... Nh5 12. Qd2 Be7 { Preparing to castle,but black should also consider delaying this in favour of 12...a5, counter-attackingon the queenside } 13. Ng3 { Challenging the black knight on h5 and tryingto fool black to open the h-file for white to use for an attack. Whitecan grab a hot pawn with 13.Qxb4 Bxg5 14.Bxg5 Qxg5 15.Qxd6 but after 15...Rd8Black already has a dangerous threat of 16...Qh4+ } 13... Nf4 { Not 13...Nxg3?14.hxg3 gives white an excellent half-open h-file. } 14. h4 { Protectingthe g5 pawn. Interesting is 14.Bxf4 exf4 15.Nh5 0-0 16.h4 Ne5 17.Be2 } 14... h6 { Black fight back on the kingside. Note that this an advantage of delayingcastling. This wouldn't have been possible if black had already committerhis king to this side of the board. } 15. Bxf4 exf4 16. Nh5 Bxb3 { Stopingany Nd4 idea's } 17. axb3 g6 18. Nxf4 hxg5 19. Nd5 Rxh4 { A mistake accordingto adams. Black should have played either 19...gxh4 or 19...g4 } 20. Rxh4 gxh4 21. O-O-O { Now white is well co-ordinated and his attack is worthmore than the pawn deficit. } 21... Nf6 22. Bc4 Nxd5 { 22..a5 is answered by 23.Qh6!, plainning to meet 23...Nxd5 with the decisive 24.Bb5+(Svidler). But inmy opinion the move which was played is also bad better was 22...Rc8 or22...Rb8 } 23. Qxd5 Bg5+ 24. Kb1 Ra7 25. e5 Kf8 { Or 25...Rd7 26.e6 and whitecrashes through on the weakened light squares, for example 26...fxe6 27.Qxe6+Qe7 28.Qg8+ Qf8 29.Qxg6+ and Qxg5. } 26. e6 { This is even stronger than26.exd6 } 26... Bf6 27. exf7 Qe7 28. f4 { This move prevents ..Qe5, which wouldotherwise force an exchange of queens. With an opposite colour bishop ending. } 28... Qxf7 29. Qxd6+ Qe7 30. Qb8+ Kg7 31. Rg1 { Now white targets the g-6 pawnand ther is no defence. } 31... Kh6 32. Bd3 Rd7 33. Qg8 { Black resigns becausethe g-6 pawn falls and black is soon mated. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.06"] [Round "-"] [White "aspiemikey"] [Black "maxillo"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1338"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1416"] 1. e4 e5 2. d4 { And again with the centre game. The only pieces that cannotmove are the rooks, as both bishops and knights are free, along with thequeen and king (not that I'd want to move the latter). } 2... h6 3. dxe5 { Ashe didn't capture my pawn, I capture his. There is the possibility of anotherpawn advancing, on either side of the king, turning this into some sortof gambit... } 3... Qe7 4. Nf3 { ...but as the queen comes out, I cover the frontpawn with my knight. Although the pawn won't stay defended forever, I canget ahead on development... } 4... d6 5. exd6 { ...and indeed it is the queen'spawn that steps forward, so I capture it. It looks as though I am goingto be pegged back again... } 5... Qxe4+ { ...and indeed this is what happens.I have dropped one pawn, halving my advantage, and I'm about to drop another,to be back level again, but I know how to stop the queen... } 6. Qe2 { ...andthat is to put mine in between, as the kings are still in their startingpositions, which pins the queens to them... } 6... Qxe2+ 7. Bxe2 { ...and gettingthe queen trade gets my bishop out, and allows me to castle kingside. Inow have two pieces off the bottom rank, although one is on the third,and the other on the second. } 7... Bxd6 { Not surprisingly, the bishop recapturesthe pawn. My opponent needed to keep his pawns connected, and my dark-squarebishop now has more limited choices... } 8. Nc3 { ...so I bring out my otherknight. I am hoping to advance it up the board by putting it back on itsstarting file by playing Nb5... } 8... Nf6 { ...and he pulls back on developmentby bringing out another knight... } 9. Nd4 { ...but I maybe advanced thewrong knight here. Nb5 may have been more forceful, as if the bishop movesaway from the b8-h2 diagonal, with the exception of Bb4+, the pawn on c7and the rook will disappear. Or 9... Ba3 would make the bishop disappear... } 9... O-O { ...and he castles kingside to bring a rook into play... } 10. Ncb5 { ...and now I advance my other knight, doing the move I mentioned. Bothare covered by each other, and the bishop only has one square to move to,if it does: e5... } 10... Na6 { ...but as he moves out his other knight, onto theedge, trying to cover his pawn (which I am not trying to take, as it isdefended by the bishop)... } 11. Nxd6 cxd6 12. Bxa6 bxa6 { ...I do the double-exchange,capturing the bishop first, then the knight. I think this was a very goodexchange: look at the queenside pawn formations: my pawns are side by side,all in their starting squares (a2, b2, c2), connected and strong and myopponent's are all over the place (a7, a6, d6), all isolated and weak,including doubled pawns in front of the rook. They will now become easytargets for my pieces... } 13. Bf4 { ...and I develop my last piece to threatenthe isolated pawn on d6... } 13... Bb7 { ...but he fianchettos his bishop ontothe long light diagonal to threaten my pawn on g2... } 14. f3 { ...but becausemy g2-pawn was much stronger than his d6 one, I protect mine with its neighbour.14. Bxd6 Bxg2 would have left me with a dilemma: would I play 15. Bxf8,with a probable Bxh1 response, then if it did happen, should I castle queensidesuch that 16... Rxf8 would be followed by 17. Rxh1? (The question markis not for a questionable move, it's just a question I would have askedmyself). Anyway, those pawns on f2 and h2 would have become isolated, butas it is, my kingside pawns remain strong. } 14... Rfe8+ 15. Kd2 { I could haveblocked the check with my knight on e2, but my knight would have lost tempo.So I move up my king to connect my rooks, and as he cannot move onto theopen e-file, I keep him close in case of a rook exchange... } 15... Rad8 { ...andnow there's no chance of me capturing the pawn on d6, now that the otherrook is protecting it... } 16. Rae1 { ...so I decide to contest the openfile, hoping to seize control of it by exchanging... } 16... Rxe1 17. Rxe1 { ...andI get the exchange. I think this was a pretty reasonable one for me: althoughwe're level on material, I have control of the open file, and I could potentiallygain more tempo... } 17... Nd5 { ...but now my bishop is under attack. I had tothink my next move through extremely carefully... } 18. Be3 { ...and I pullmy bishop back, so that if the knight captures, my rook gains some tempo. } 18... Rc8 { Now with the rook threatening my pawn on c2, should the knight landon b4, I'd lose a pawn... } 19. c3 { ...so I restrain the latter by advancingthe pawn the rook was threatening... } 19... a5 { ...and now that the free doubledpawn has dropped its guard on the b5 square... } 20. Nb5 { ...I place myknight there, threatening the isolated pawn on d6, as well as the one ona7... } 20... Re8 { ...but as the rook moves onto the open e-file, no doubt hopingto capture my rook, to force me to capture back with my king... } 21. Nxd6 { ...I capture the isolated pawn on d6, giving myself a passed pawn on c3,and forking the rook and bishop (notice that the knight now controls thee8 square)... } 21... Rb8 { ...and as he moves his rook back to cover his bishop... } 22. Bxa7 { ...I can capture a second isolated pawn. See how easily thosetwo fell? Also notice that the rook now cannot leave its rank, and is underattack from the bishop, and mine, along with my knight controls the e8square, so with the king also on the same rank as the rook, a rook exchangeis on the cards... } 22... Ra8 { ...but although the rook threatens the bishop,it's about to get a nasty surprise... } 23. Re8+ { ...from mine. As the kingand rook have both been forked by my rook, I will get the exchange I wasseeking, being ahead on material... } 23... Kh7 { ...but this was dubious. OK,the rook is defended by the bishop, but the knight is also threateningthe pawn on f7... } 24. Rxa8 Bxa8 25. Nxf7 { ...and not only do I get therook exchange, I also steal the pawn. That pawn was stronger than the oneon a5, but I go into the single-bishop (both queenside, as they're bothon the opposite square shade) and single-knight endgame three pawns up(the equivalent of a bishop or knight). } 25... Kg6 26. Ne5+ { I decide the checkis worth it, to force the king to move. I must bring my bishop back tohelp my knight, though... } 26... Kf5 { ...as it is threatened by him... } 27. Bd4 { ...so I retreat my bishop. His king cannot enter the following squares:g6, g4 or e4, whereas moving to f6 would result in a discovered check,and allow me to win the pawn on a5: Nc4/c6. } 27... Nf6 { Instead the knight movesonto the f6 square, no doubt hoping I'll move mine away, so I can tradeit for my bishop. However, I have a different idea... } 28. g4+ { ...andthat's advance a pawn to distract the king. I have much more control ofthe square, with my pawn on f3, and my knight on e5, which also coversthe f3 square, too... } 28... Kf4 29. Ke2 { ...and now so does my king, shouldthe bishop capture the pawn, the knight captures it back. } 29... Bd5 30. Ng6+ { I give the king the runaround again, giving him one available square... } 30... Kg5 { ...and again he threatens my knight... } 31. Ne5 { ...so I move it backto its previous square. Now the king only has two possible squares: f4and h4, so I'm looking to close him down further... } 31... Kh4 { ...and as hechose the square on the edge of the board... } 32. Bf2+ { ...my bishop canbox him in further. He can only move onto h3 (where I could then play Bg3to protect the pawn, which would also protect the bishop in return), org5 (where I could possibly play f4+, forcing Kxf4, then Bg3+), where Icould save my knight. } 32... Kh3 { As the king chose to attack the pawn... } 33. Bg3 { ...I can instantly save it. He can only move onto g2 now... } 33... Bxa2 { ...but as the bishop captures my rook's pawn on the queenside... } 34. Kf2 { ...I can block off the king's escape route, and threaten mate. } 34... Bd5 35. Nd3 { Why did I play my knight there instead of g6? I could possiblyhave mated in one move... } 35... g5 { ...as the pawn has read the mate on f4... } 36. Kg1 { ...so I move my king to threaten mate on f2... } 36... Nxg4 { ...but theknight reads that too... } 37. fxg4 { ...so I capture the knight... } 37... Kxg4 { ...but lose the pawn. Once again, I have a three point advantage, butthis time, I have an extra knight. } 38. Kf2 { I'm still trying to restrictthe enemy king's movements, and I'm staying close to my bishop, shouldit be threatened by a pawn on h4... } 38... h5 { ...and although the KRP advancesto its 4th rank, not threatening it... } 39. Bc7 { ...I threaten the queensidepawn, as it will soon disappear, (39... a4 40 Nc5 Bc6 then I move my kingto help out)... } 39... a4 { ...and the pawn moves, as I anticipated it would... } 40. Nc5 { ...so I threaten it with my knight... } 40... Bc4 { ...but the bishopfails to cover it... } 41. Nxa4 { ...so I accept the pawn, making mine onb2 passed. I now have the option of trying to box the king in on his sideof the board, or to use a queenside pawn to get a queen... } 41... Kh3 { ...butwhy did he move his king there? } 42. b4 { I get a queenside pawn moving,just in case I drop my kingside pawn... } 42... g4 { ...but what was he thinking,advancing his KNP? If he plays h4, then his king is really in trouble:all I need to do is manoeuvre my knight either to g1 or g5. } 43. Ke3 { Imay have wasted a move here... } 43... h4 { ...but was he boxing his king on purpose?I just need Kf2, then I can manoeuvre my knight to mate... } 44. Kf2 { ...soI move my king, to block in the enemy. Now all I need to do is manoeuvremy knight to a square where it would check the king to mate, where if heplays g3+, I can play hxg3, and complete the obliteration of his pawns. } 44... Bb3 { Although the bishop threatens the knight... } 45. Nc5 { ...I threatenit back... } 45... Bc4 { ...and the bishop covers the d3 square... } 46. Ne4 { ...somy knight closes in... } 46... Bd5 { ...and although it is threatened again... } 47. Ng5# { ...it finishes the job. My opponent could have played g3+ onany of his 44th, 45th of 46th moves, then I would have responded by hxg3,and then I would have completed the obliteration of his pawns: hxg3+ wouldhave been responded by Bxg3, anything else with gxh4, and I would havehad to rely on my queenside pawns. } 1-0

[Event "Jo against The Titans - Henry gets Hunted Down!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.06.19"] [Round "-"] [White "rwurtinger"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1795"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2519"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone! This is my third loss in the Jo against The TitansMT in which I am playing the top rated player in it. Again, Henry is subjectedto a kingside mating attack, only, this time at least you will get to seea king hunt, preceded by sacrifices, which was fun even though I was onthe receiving end of it! So, I will give you the gameknot analysis versionof the game (which started out as a Queen's Gambit Accepted) before I startthe commentary. http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=15887004&fb=1&rnd=0.40403936277600444 } 1... d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 { 3. ..... Nf6 - I start getting my pieces outafter accepting the proferred gambit. Alas, in the Queen's Gambit I willnot be able to hold on to my winnings! } 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 { 5. Bxc4 - likethis. } 5... c5 6. O-O a6 7. Bb3 Nc6 { 7. ..... Nc6 - out comes the other knight. } 8. Nc3 cxd4 9. exd4 { 9. exd4 - pawn trade. } 9... Be7 10. Be3 O-O 11. Rc1 Na5 12. Bc2 Nc4 { 12. ..... Nc4 - thought I would liven things up a bit - weare now out of the DB. However, my opponent has something up his sleeve,something that Dongoodman and I talked about in our game - a white steedon e5! } 13. Ne5 Nxe3 14. fxe3 { 14. fxe3 - I decided to trade off my knightfor his dsb. In retro it was an error. I should have been more interestedin trading off his e5 knight and not that bishop because that f columnyet again becomes an avenue for a white assault on Henry. } 14... h6 15. Qd3 { 15.Qd3 - ssss, here's the Wicked Witch of the West and she is eyeing up h7. Soon, I fear, it will be time for another Deadly Dash for Henry. } 15... Re8 16. Ne4 { 16. Ne4 - aaargh! } 16... Kf8 17. Nxf6 Bxf6 18. Qh7 { 18. Qh7 - as predicted. } 18... Ke7 19. Rxf6 { 19. Rxf6!! - a brilliant exchange sacrifice to spark offthe king hunt. } 19... gxf6 20. Qxf7+ Kd6 21. Nc4+ Kc6 22. Be4+ { 22. Be4+ - Henryis now lured up the board into white's camp. It is a very cold, inhospitableplace for a king, especially in the middlegame. Poor Glenda has been givenno time to help him on with those medieval stockings which she has beencarefully darning for him over the last few weeks. All she can do is watchand wait for an opportunity to protect him from the Wicked Witch. } 22... Kb5 23. Qh5+ f5 { 23. ...... f5 - this little pawn tries to screen the Witchfrom Henry but alas, this time, Operation Joblock is short-lived. } 24. a4+ { 24. a4+ - Henry is still being hounded by checks. There is a nicejuicy looking p(r)awn for Henry to consume but it has a bad smell aboutit. Henry eyes the a column and sees that he will be besieged by Ra1+. So he opts for b4. Alas, this square is not safe either! } 24... Kb4 25. Qd1 fxe4 { 25. ....... fxe4 - It looks as though I am gonna cop Old Matey whateverI do so I have the satisfaction of ridding myself of white's turbulentlsb. However, here comes the Wicked Witch (who has been eating garlicbread) to prepare herself to give Henry the kiss of death. } 26. Rc3 { 26.Rc3 - the checks have stopped but this is what is called a Quiet Move. A non-checking move. This move threatens Qb3# but there is no way thatHenry can escape from Old Matey's dark, dark shadow which descends on thenext turn. So, I must now write out a thousand times, DO NOT ALLOW ENEMYWHITE KNIGHTS TO CAMP OUT ON E5!! Anyhow, well played, Rainer. } 26... Qg5 27. Qb3# 1-0

[Event "Sometimes a queen IS enough!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.10.08"] [Round "-"] [White "charleshiggie"] [Black "rero1981"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1304"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2018"] 1. e4 { This was an unrated game, where I deliberately let my opponenthave an extra queen early on. I do manage to gradually get back into thegame, and reach an ending where I have three connected extra pawn, twoof them passed pawns, which more or less balance out her extra rook. Butthen I misplay it horribly, and I get mated! } 1... e5 { So we start conventionallyenough. } 2. Nc3 { I develop my knight. } 2... Nf6 { So does she! } 3. Qh5 { and Igive away my queen! } 3... Nxh5 { She takes. } 4. Bc4 { I develop. } 4... Nc6 { So doesshe. } 5. d3 { I open a line for my other bishop. } 5... Bb4 { I'm not happy here.I was afraid she would swap her bishop of my knight. } 6. Ne2 { So I makesure that at least my pawns are not doubled. } 6... O-O { She castles } 7. O-O { So do I. I think her best move now is to exchange on c3. When materiallyahead, exchange pieces, but not pawns, as a general rule of thumb. } 7... d6 { But she develops instead. } 8. Nd5 { So I move my knight. } 8... a6 { I'm not quitesure of the reason for this move. } 9. c3 { I hit her bishop } 9... Bc5 { She retreats } 10. b4 { I hit it again. } 10... Bb6 { She retreats again. } 11. h3 { I wanted tostop her playing Bc8-g4 } 11... Ne7 { She challenges my knight. } 12. Bg5 { I pinher knight. She has to lose material now. } 12... Nf6 { And she loses it this way. } 13. Nxf6+ { So I take her knight } 13... gxf6 { She takes back } 14. Bxf6 { and thepin on her knight is resumed. I do actually have a plan here - to movemy king, play f2-f4 and maybe Rf1-f3-g3 } 14... Qd7 { So she breaks the pin. } 15. Kh2 { I start my plan. } 15... Ng6 { But now her knight is free to come out. } 16. f4 { I carry on with my plan regardless. She should have exchanged in f4now. } 16... Re8 { she gives extra protection to e5 and maybe creates a flightsquare for her king and/or knight. } 17. f5 { So I hit her knight } 17... Nh8 { Sheretreats. This is given as a mistake by Post Match Computer Analysis, whichsuggests d5 18. Bxd5 Nf4 19. Nxf4 exf4 20. Bg5 Be3 21. a4 Qd6 22. Kh1 Ra723. Bc4 a5 24. Rfb1 axb4 25. cxb4 Bd7. Certainly on h8 the knight doesn'tseem to have very good prospects. } 18. Rf3 { So I carry on with my plan. } 18... Kf8 { Her king flies, but this move has a drawback... } 19. Bxh8 { Namelyit loses a knight! } 19... Ke7 { But her king reaches relative safety. } 20. Bg7 { My bishop was attacked by her rook. } 20... f6 { PMCA says this is a mistake andsuggests c6 21. Ng3 d5 22. Bb3 Qd6 23. Nh5 Rg8 24. exd5 e4+ 25. Rg3 Bf226. f6+ Ke8 27. dxe4 Bxg3+ 28. Nxg3 Qf4 29. dxc6 bxc6 } 21. g4 { This isalso a mistake. The position cries out for Ne2-g3-h5, but my plan involvestrying to break open the centre. } 21... c6 { She is preparing d6-d5. } 22. d4 { Thisis given as a mistake too, but trying to break open the center seemed bestat the time. } 22... d5 { This move is not given as a mistake by PMCA, but I thinkit may be. I would have thought black shouldn't help with the opening ofthe center. } 23. exd5 { So I take. } 23... cxd5 { She takes back. I had dreams ofa2-a4-a5 followed by Bb3-a4 and/or c3-c4 further opening the center. } 24. Bb3 { I retreat my attacked bishop. I had dreams of a2-a4-a5 followed byBb3-a4 and/or c3-c4 further opening the center. } 24... Rg8 { This is a mistake.e5-e4 closes the center again, and she has chances of attack with Cb6-c7and/or Qd7-d6. } 25. Bh6 { I retreat my bishop. } 25... Qe8 { e5-e4 was still better.Putting the queen and king on the same file can have drawbacks, as we shallsee. } 26. Bxd5 { Not to mention the fact that the queen was protecting d5. } 26... Rf8 { I'm not sure of the reason for this move. he rook is still attackedon this square. } 27. Re1 { But I have another plan, to play Ne2-f4 and burstthrough the e file. } 27... Kd6 { PMCA gives this as a mistake and suggests Qb528. Bb3 Bc7 29. Ng3 Bd7 30. Bxf8+ Rxf8 31. d5 Qb6 32. Ne4 h6 33. a4 Bd634. a5 Qb5 } 28. Nf4 { So I carry on with my plan. I didn't really expecther to give up queen for knight and rook. } 28... exf4 { But she does. } 29. Rxe8 { So I take the rook. } 29... Rxe8 { She takes back } 30. Bc4 { I retreat my attackedbishop. } 30... Bc7 { Not sure of the reason for this move. Her f4 pawn is doomedanyway. } 31. Bxf4+ { So I take. } 31... Kd7 { King moves. } 32. Be6+ { I throw ina check. } 32... Kd8 { King retreats. } 33. d5 { So I have three pawns for a rook,I have nearly equalized. } 33... Bxe6 { She takes } 34. fxe6 { I take back. } 34... Bxf4+ { She trades bishops. } 35. Rxf4 { I take. } 35... Ke7 { She protects f6. } 36. c4 { I secure my pawn center. } 36... b6 { PMCA suggests Kd6 37. Rf5 b6 38. Rxf6 b539. e7+ Kxe7 40. Re6+ Kd7 41. Rxe8 Rxe8 42. c5 Re5 43. d6 Re2+ 44. Kg3Rxa2 45. Kf4 Rd2 instead, but I don't think it makes much difference. } 37. Kg3 { I advance my king. } 37... Rad8 { She finally mobilizes her last rook. } 38. Kf3 { PMCA says this is a 'mistake' and says 38. Rd4 Kf8 39. Rf4 b540. Rxf6+ Ke7 41. Rf7+ Kd6 42. Kf4 bxc4 43. Ke4 Re7 44. Rf3 Rb8 45. a3Rc8 46. Rc3 h6 47. h4 is better, but this can't be right. Centralizingthe king must be ok, and I can't understand why in this line, black justgives up the f pawn? } 38... h6 { This is also given as a mistake and PMCA suggestsb5 39. cxb5 Rxd5 40. bxa6 Ra8 41. a4 Rxa6 42. b5 Rxe6 43. h4 Rd3+ 44. Kf2Rh3 45. h5 Rh2+ 46. Kf3 Ra2 47. Rc4 Kd6 48. Rc6+ Kd5 } 39. Ke4 { So I continueto mobiloze my king. } 39... Rg8 { I'm not sure of the reason for this move. } 40. Kf5 { This is a great mistake, my king is needed in the center and on thequeen side. } 40... a5 { She starts to break up my pawn formation. } 41. a3 { I tryto hold the line. } 41... axb4 { She takes. } 42. axb4 { I take back. } 42... b5 { I am inreal trouble now! She has played the last few moves really well. } 43. Rd4 { I am losing a pawn - and the game! } 43... bxc4 { She takes } 44. Rxc4 { I take. } 44... Rxd5+ { She takes again } 45. Ke4 { my king comes back } 45... Kxe6 { and anotherpawn goes. } 46. Rc6+ { May as well try this } 46... Rd6 { But she finds the bestreply. } 47. Rc5 { I avoid the rook exchange. } 47... Rb6 { She goes after the pawn } 48. b5 { I advance it. } 48... Ra8 { Her other rook comes round to join in. } 49. Rh5 { I go after her h pawn. } 49... Ra4+ { She throws in a check. } 50. Kf3 { I retreat. } 50... Rb4 { She ganged up on my b pawn. } 51. Rxh6 { So I take her h pawn. } 51... R6xb5 { and my b pawn goes. I did have dreams of hiding my king on h4 here, butshe can just line up both rooks on the 3rd rank and win my h pawn, so Idecided to push it. It probably hastened my defeat, but the position ispretty hopeless now anyway. } 52. h4 { So I push my passed pawn. } 52... Ra5 { Shenow has a simple mating pattern. No need to further comment. } 53. Ke3 Ra3+ 54. Kd2 Rb2+ 55. Kc1 Rg2 56. Kb1 Rh3 { Many thanks for reading. Please leavea comment or two and rate this annotation on the star system. } 0-1

[Event "King of the Hill game part 2!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "Dec 21 2018"] [Round "-"] [White "eric2jin"] [Black "linusinsulins"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "black"] [TimeControl "None"] [WhiteElo "white"] 1. e4 { King of the hill again! } 1... e5 { King pawn opening... } 2. Nf3 { Kingsknight } 2... Nc6 { Guarding } 3. d4 { Pawn trade? } 3... Nxd4 { Sure } 4. Nxe5 { Okay! } 4... Qf6 { What????? } 5. Qxd4 { Bye bye black knight } 5... Ke7 { King development tocentralize and win... } 6. h4 { Threatening the pin... } 6... d6 { ?????? } 7. Bg5 { Bye bye queen } 7... dxe5 { Bye bye knight } 8. Qxe5+ { Check.. } 8... Kd7 { Escape } 9. Bxf6 { You dead black } 9... gxf6 { Well } 10. Bb5+ { Check } 10... c6 { Forced... unlessyou want to get checkmated } 11. Qd4+ { Saving the queen with check. } 11... Ke7 { Oof } 12. Kd2 { Centralising. } 12... cxb5 { Sacrifice accepted. } 13. Kd3 { Morecentral than ever! } 13... Ke6 { .?????? } 14. Qd6+ { Forced win } 14... Kxd6 { Final move... } 15. Kd4 { I win! I am the king of the HILL! } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "31-Aug-07"] [Round "-"] [White "hinki99"] [Black "topazg"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1531"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1479"] 1. e4 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d3 g6 { I have no idea what to play on this line,so I will concentrate on the d4 square, which looks like a lovely squareto control with my knights if possible. } 4. Bd2 Bg7 5. Bc3 { Ah, forcingmy hand I think. Could play e5 here but that seems to block my bishop forgood, and makes the fianchetto much less useful to me I think. } 5... Nd4 6. Nf3 e6 7. Be2 { This bishop cannot get near the Queenside - that plus bothsides being likely to castle kingside makes me aware of the likelihoodfor a big kingside attack by white if the opportunity presents itself. } 7... Ne7 8. O-O O-O 9. Na3 a6 10. Nc2 { Again, this knight now also appears tomove towards the kingside, so I decide to remove one of white's bishops- this may have been a bad call, but my only other options were e5, whichI still did not like, and Ne-c6, which may have been the best choice. } 10... Nxe2+ 11. Qxe2 Nc6 { Having decided Nc6 was strong before, this now seemsappropriate -- keeps my mobility up and gives proper defence of d4 ande5 again. } 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. Qe3 b6 { Defending the c5 pawn. } 14. a3 d6 { Aiming for e5 and leaving the option of both Bg4 and Nd4 open. I alsocan now look at b5 if the centre locks up. } 15. Rfd1 e5 { Decided to lockthe centre, Nd4 is playable if required, and b5 remains useful. I alsonow look at f5 to bring the rook into play. I could do with more firepowerif this is to be the strategy, and will play Ra7 whilst I have no imminentthreats, in the hope of playing f5 and having Ra-f7 in the reserves } 16. h3 Ra7 17. b4 f5 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Rab1 { Presumably attacking the b6 pawnafter 20. bxc5 dxc5, or controlling the open file if 20... dxc5 -- Neitherof these seem problematic. } 19... Nd4 { Opening up the file -- neither 20... Nxc2or 20... Nxf3 are nice for white. } 20. Ncxd4 exd4 21. Qc1 Re7 { Takiingcontrol of the open file -- must remember that Queen is tied up defendingb6 -- it would be useful to get a rook on e6 to protect against this. } 22. Rb3 Rfe8 23. bxc5 dxc5 24. g4 Bd7 { Possibly allowing b5 later, whenc5 pawn won't fall to the white queen. } 25. Re1 { Seems slightly odd, bothRxe1 and Re2 are left for black, and I don't know which is stronger. } 25... Rxe1+ { Chose to capture as white has to capture with the knight, losinginitiative. } 26. Nxe1 Qe7 { Forces the knight to move or be defended, andprotects the c5 pawn allowing the b5 push. } 27. Nf3 Qe2 28. Ng5 h6 29. Ne4 h5 { Hoping to formulate a mating threat with bishop and queen, forexample after 30. gxh5 Bxh3. } 30. Kh2 Bc6 { b6 pawn is hanging, but hopefullythe threats to the f2 pawn (following the capture of the knight) are enoughto maintain intiative. } 31. Qf4 Bxe4 { if 32. fxe4 Rxe4 seems strong, and32... Qxe4 33. Qxe4 Rxe4 34. Rxb6 d3 also seems ok. The exchange will hopefullywork in my favour here. } 32. Qc7+ Kh6 33. Qf4+ Kg7 34. Qc7+ Kg8 { Avoidingdraw by repetition - White cannot play a check here. } 35. Qf4 Rf8 { Bindingthe queen. } 36. Qxf8+ { If white did not capture the rook, either the rookwould capture the queen or checkmate was to follow with Qxf2. However,after 36... Kxf8 the game is well and truly over. } 36... Kxf8 37. dxe4 Qxf2+ 38. Kh1 Qf1+ { Game annotation for team benefit -- } *

[Event "Goal-Oriented Play"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.10"] [Round "-"] [White "bwaa"] [Black "rjacobs"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1630"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1754"] 1. b3 { Hi all! This is a game from a while back (actually the sister gameto my annotation called Dangerous Deviation) that I flagged for annotationbecause it showcases a variety of different elements, but revolves aroundone basic theme: planning. I hope you find it enjoyable and useful! I beginwith Larsen's Opening out of a desire to play something new--so White'splan right out of the gate is to fianchetto his QB and reach across thea1-h8 diagonal into the Black kingside. } 1... Nf6 2. Bb2 e6 3. c4 Be7 { Somewhattame for my tastes, though I'm not overly familiar with any of the linesin this opening. b4 is probably a perfectly acceptable place to put thisBishop, since a2-a3 to drive it away will badly weaken White's queensideat this point. } 4. e4 { Taking advantage of the pin on Black's Knight.White's goals for the opening are to control space (especially the center)and develop his pieces to active locations--nothing special there. } 4... d6 5. h3 { ?! This is a waiting move, with thoughts of supporting a push downthe kingside eventually (remember the Bb2's purpose), but probably 5.Nf3is better, just playing simple, clean developing moves. } 5... O-O { Threatening...Nxe4. } 6. Nc3 c5 { ?! With his pawn still on e6 this is okay... butBlack must be careful of making his d-pawn backwards and very weak. } 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. d4 { White sees the weakened d6 pawn and decides to open thed-file, anticipating potential play against d6 down the road. } 8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 a6 { Preventing a Nb5 incursion, which would threaten d6. } 10. Nxc6 { ?! This seems to bolster the Black d-pawn unnecessarily, without a lotof gain for White. 10.Be2 was probably better. } 10... bxc6 11. Bd3 { The centerwill open soon as now White cannot stop ...d5, so he prevents a Queen exchange(as with his limited space a Queen trade would favor Black). White's midgameplan is now taking shape: he will place his pieces behind his pawns foran eventual assault through the center and against the BK, using his slightspacial advantage. Then, when he can, he will play e4-e5 to initiate hisattack by activating many pieces at once. } 11... e5 { ? I just can't get behindthis move. Black wants to let his QB out, but the White squares are prettywell locked down already; it's not going to have any prospects on e6. Betterwas probably 11...Qc7 in preparation for ...d5. The text makes d6 intoa weakness again. } 12. O-O Be6 13. f4 { With the Black pawn on e5, Whitewill not be able to push his own, so he removes the blockade. } 13... exf4 14. Rxf4 Qd7 { Considering a sac on h3 to blow the WK's castle wide open. } 15. Qf3 { White develops, defends h3, and puts some indirect pressure onf7 and c6. White's plan here is still simple: if he can coax Black intoplaying ...c5, he'll load up on the d file and crush the d6 pawn. However,we must assume the opponent will not weaken himself for us--so we preparefor that eventual e4-e5 push to activate all the White pieces at once. } 15... a5 { ?! Black aims for some queenside counterplay in an attempt to defuseWhite's attack. Assuming you're being attacked but not in immediate danger,a counter in another area of the board is a good way to produce complicationsand ease the pressure. Of course in this case, White can pretty much ignoreit as Black has nothing else he can do with that pawn right away. } 16. Re1 Rac8 17. Ne2 { This is White's weakest piece right now, so steps shouldbe taken to better it. It's intending to arrive on f5, via either d4 org3--and hoping that Nd4 will provoke Black to weaken his d-pawn furtherwith ...c5 along the way. This move also lets White's powerful DSB reachacross the board, to e5 and beyond. } 17... Ne8 { A good retreat. Black lets hisDSB out and gives some more support to d6, which cannot really advancefor fear of e4-e5. } 18. Nd4 { ? Mistimed; Black can now force the Knightoff the board because the Rf4 is trapped... } 18... Bg5 { ! This is a good shot;Black doesn't fall to the temptation of ...c5, which would probably bea fatal mistake because of the backwards d-pawn on the half-open file.Instead, he forces White to trade off the Knight before it can reach f5. } 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. Rg4 Bh6 { ?! With even material but less activity, Blackshould be looking to trade down to a simpler position with 20...Bf6. Leavingthe White Bishops uncontested along their huge diagonals is a very dangerousproposition. } 21. e5 { The long-awated e4-e5 push finally arrives, activatingWhite's LSB, Queen, and Rooks. White has been building toward this pushall game, and is fully prepared to play it when the opportunity arises. } 21... d5 { Black wants to keep White's pawn on e5 to block out the Bb2, butthis advance loses at least a pawn thanks to the trapped Rf8 and Qe6. Thenagain, I don't see many better options: certainly 21...dxe5 22.Rxe5 looksterrible for White, and leaving things where they are with a consolidatingmove like 21...g6 will also fail to defend against 22.Bf5! (Note that Idon't choose 22.Bf5 in the text, preferring positional superiority overthe material--it's not like the Rc8 is a threat). } 22. Ba3 c5 { The onlyway to save the Rook. } 23. cxd5 Qb6 { White's central push was well-preparedand now he has absolute control over the entire board. This is not becauseof any particular mistakes Black made-- White simply formed a consistentplan and executed it, resulting in an irresistible center and a vastlybetter position for all his pieces. } 24. Kh1 Nc7 { The only place the Knightcan go, and this also frees the Rf8. However, I think a less obvious movelike 24...g6 is worth a look as well here, preventing the WQ from penetratingto f5 (important, as we will see in a moment) and allowing ...Ng7 and possiblyan eventual ...f5. } 25. Qf5 { Threatening immediate mate on h7 and alsothreatening to slide over to h5, driving the Bishop away from any defenseof the King (after d5-d6 cuts off the BQ's support). Black's most natural(and best) response is suddenly not really adequate to defend against thepowerful White tactical attack that is unfolding thanks to the space andactivity granted by his earlier efforts. } 25... g6 26. e6 { ! White's Queen obviouslycannot be taken as the pawn is pinned, and what's more, 26...fxe6 allowsWhite to tear into the Black position with a Rook sacrifice and a seriesof mate threats: 26...fxe6? 27.Rxg6+! hxg6 28.Qxg6+ Bg7 29.dxe6 Nxe6 30.Bc4!and while material will remain even (briefly) after the Knight falls, Whiteis very clearly winning. } 26... Bg7 27. exf7+ { ! The Queen remains imperviousbecause of the check, and Black cannot take the advanced pawn: 27...Rxf7??28.Qxc8+. } 27... Kh8 28. Qd7 Rcd8 29. Qe7 Nxd5 30. Bxc5 { Though Black has avoidedthe tactical snares, White has converted his attack into a solid two-pawnlead, and now just has to simplify to a winning endgame. This move beginsthe process rather nicely. In the endgame, White's strategy will be tocontinue to simplify while keeping pawns on both wings. No more fancy tacticsare required for White: he must simply play accurately and avoid any trapsthat Black sets. } 30... Nxe7 31. Bxb6 Rxd3 32. Rxe7 Rd1+ 33. Kh2 Rf1 34. Re8 { ?! Not the best, but fine. There was no way to save the f-pawn, but aslong as the a-pawn falls, White will be able to queen without trouble.Better was probably the immediate 34.Bxa5 R8xf7 35.Rxf7 Rxf7 with a tempoup compared to the text. } 34... Rxf7 35. Rxf8+ Rxf8 36. Bxa5 Ra8 37. Rg5 Bf6 38. Rd5 { Finding a nice safe light square from which to block the BK fromcoming queenside. } 38... Kg7 39. Kg3 Ra7 40. b4 Kf7 41. Kf4 Ke6 42. Ke4 h6 43. Rd3 { Preparing to get behind the b-pawn, specifically to a light square(b3) where it can also defend a pawn on a3. White's play is slow and steadyand unbreakable; there is simply nothing Black can do to prevent the lossif White continues to play like this; the White pieces just have so muchbetter prospects than the Black ones. } 43... h5 44. Rb3 g5 45. a3 h4 46. Bb6 Ra6 47. Bd4 { Inviting trades, which Black must not take of course. ThisBishop is headed for c1, from which to defend a3 and attack g5. } 47... Be7 48. Bb2 Ra4 49. Kf3 Kf5 50. b5 Bd6 51. Bc1 Ra7 52. a4 { ?! Almost certainlyinaccurate, but White no longer requires perfection. He just needs hisb-pawn to stop on a light square rather than a dark square (b7 insteadof b6), so that the BK will be forced to abandon the kingside in orderto take it. With the WK off the fourth rank, this is an entirely safe move. } 52... Rxa4 53. b6 Ra8 54. b7 Rb8 { White has accomplished his goal: the b-pawnon b7, Black must now bring his King away from the kingside, or else Whitecan simply play Be3-a7 and force a promotion with a winning gain of material. } 55. Rb5+ Ke6 56. Bxg5 Bg3 57. Bf4 Bxf4 { Forced. Now White's win is clear,as his King can remove the h-pawn and then march to victory (or if ...Rh8,g2-g3 wins the h-pawn for free anyway. There's no way for Black to stopboth advances. } 58. Kxf4 Kd7 59. Kg4 Kc7 60. Kxh4 Rxb7 61. Rxb7+ Kxb7 62. Kg5 { 1-0. The BK cannot reach the h-file in time, and Black resigns.I hope this game proved valuable to someone; I think it shows well thestrength of simply outlining plans as each new stage of the game approaches,and then following through. White never did anything spectacular here,just played consistently and with clear goals. Thanks for reading! } 1-0

[Event "Bristol Division 2 League Game - Board 4"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White ""] [Black "Stuart King"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "90 mins all moves"] { This is a nice game in the Najdorf move order of the Scheveningen. A fewinaccuracies by the first player lead to black building massive pressureon the queenside while whites kingside attack never really gets off theground. } 1. e4 { I won't annotate the first few moves, any good openingbook could do a much better job. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { The Najdorf } 6. f3 { A solid move supporting the centre and preparinga kingside pawn storm. } 6... e6 { Black also opts for solidarity. The other mainalternative was 6...e5 when black normally obtains good piece play at thecost of structural weakness. } 7. Be3 { Developing the bishop to an activesquare supporting the d4 knight. } 7... b5 { Removing the c4 square from thelight squared bishop and expanding on the queenside } 8. Qd2 { preparing0-0-0 with pressure along the d file. An immediate g4 is also playable } 8... Be7 { ...Bb7 is more consistent but this move is going to be played at somepoint so why not now? } 9. Be2 { ?! why? what does the bishop do on e2 thatit wasn't doing on f1? very little. Not worth the tempo, white should continue0-0-0 with a powerful d file battery. } 9... Bb7 { The best square for the bishopputting pressure on the white centre and so slowing down whites kingsideattack } 10. g4 { continuing in thematic fashion although 0-0-0 is good heretoo. } 10... Nfd7 { opening the lines for the queen and bishop and so slowing thewhite pawns as well as repositioning the knight to the queenside. } 11. O-O-O { doubling major pieces on the d file against the slightly weak dpawn and removing th king from the centre } 11... Nb6 { Eyeing the c4 square. Ablack knight landing there will be quite awkward for white. } 12. Rdf1 { ?!a strange move here the rook is much better placed on d1. The motivationof this move is clearly whites desire to play f4 however this goes no waytoward achieving that goal. a3 is required in order to play f4 so why notplay it now? } 12... N8d7 { Blacks previously unmoved queens knight starts itsmarch towards c4 via e5 } 13. a3 { finally preparing f4 but white's attackis now quite dangerously behind and black now establishes a rather strongknight on the c4 square. a3 also weakens the kings position which a knighton c4 is primed to exploit } 13... Ne5 { Grabbing the c4 square with both hands. } 14. Bf2 { ? not a strong move at all. clearly white wants to keep his darksquared bishop but this move allows black a choice between an obviouslybetter position and winning the exchange. } 14... Nbc4 { 14...Bg5 15.Be3 Nbc416.Bxg5 Nxd2 17.Bxd8 Nxf1 18.Bg5 h6 19.Bxh6 Rxh6 20.Bxf1 is also playablebut i'd rather not cash in just yet } 15. Bxc4 { White jumps at the possiblilityof exchanging his terrible light square bishop and clears some space inhis own camp, which was starting to look rather crowded. } 15... Nxc4 16. Qd3 { White is looking at sacrifices on b5 by the looks of things. } 16... Rc8 { butthis rules them out completely as well as bringing another piece into theattack. Black could also have tried 16...Bg5 followed by Nd2 pickingup the rook but the bishop then only becomes misplaced on g5 allowing whiteskingside pawns to start moving with tempo and in that terrible f rook evenworth my beautiful knight? } 17. f4 { After striving to play this for solong white finally gets the chance, it also shuts down blacks option of...Bg5. } 17... Qc7 { Threating the a3 pawn as the c3 knight is inadequately defended. } 18. Nde2 { defending the knight and so the a3 pawn as well as protectingthe f4 pawn } 18... O-O { Simple and effective. Bringing the last piece acrossto the queenside while removing the king from the centre, whites kingsideattack is not coming soon. } 19. h4 { The white pieces are very disorginised,it is probably better to spend this tempo improving the positioning ofthe white rooks which currently do very little. } 19... Rfd8 { yet another simplemove just gradually maneuvering all his pieces into good positions. } 20. Rd1 { The rook returns from d1 having achieved very little for the 2 tempo. } 20... d5 { ! A strong move, opening lines for the black pieces while white isstill trying to reorginise. } 21. exd5 { Else the pawn marches on to eithere4 or d4 } 21... Bxd5 22. Rhg1 { ?! white should exchange on d5 immediately. } 22... Qa5 { ! forcing the exchange under more favourable circumstances as ...Bxa3is mating } 23. Nxd5 { Forced. The queen now covers the a3 square } 23... Rxd5 24. Qb3 { White looks to have everything on the queenside defended, but thatd2 square now looks a little weak... } 24... Rcd8 { Black is looking very strongnow with all his pieces working harmoniously when compared to whites f2bishop and g1 rook both of which are doing not a lot black looks much better } 25. Nc3 { ? Allows the black queen to penetrate the black position withdisastrous consequences. } 25... Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 { 26.Nxd1 Qd2 27.Kb1 Qxf4 is alsobad for white } 26... Rxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Qd8+ 28. Ke1 { The king needs to defend thebishop } 28... Qd2+ 29. Kf1 Qxf4 { and my opponent resigned being down a pawn witha terrible position. throughout the game white was playing moves that didn'tachieve very much at all, squandering his precious tempii in a openingwhere you really shouldn't. That put him on the back foot throughout theentire game and he didn't even get a sniff of an attack going. As alwaysi encourage you to leave comments and/or send me messages if you so wish.I'm interested to see what others think of this game. Thank you for reading. } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "0-1"] [Round "-"] [White "ricrice"] [Black "countpetroff"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1652"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1687"] 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nc6 { Chigorin defence is my favourite weapon for some timenow } 3. e3 Nf6 4. a3 Bg4 5. Be2 Bxe2 6. Nxe2 e6 7. O-O Bd6 8. Nd2 O-O 9. c4 dxc4 10. Nxc4 Bxf4 11. Nxf4 Re8 12. Rc1 { I was satisfied with the outcomeof the opening since I don't think white has any real advantage here } 12... Ne7 13. Qc2 c6 14. b4 Ned5 15. Nd3 Nb6 16. Nc5 Nxc4 17. Qxc4 { Of course not17.Nxb7?? Qc7 - } 17... Qb6 18. f4 Nd5 19. Rf3 { White decided to go to all-outattack on king's side, and I will be looking for some conterplay on theother side. I was more succesful since my king is easily defended } 19... Qc7 20. Rc2 Rac8 21. Qd3 f5 22. Rh3 Nf6 23. Rf2 g6 24. Qe2 b6 25. Nd3 Ng4 26. Rff3 Re7 27. Rfg3 a5 { The beginning of Kasparov-like counter-attack } 28. e4 axb4 29. axb4 Ra8 30. e5 Ra1+ { The back rank is horribly weak } 31. Ne1 c5 32. Rc3 Qa7 33. bxc5 bxc5 34. Rcd3 { why Rd3?, I don't see why Rxc5 isbad } 34... cxd4 35. Kf1 Rb7 36. Rd1 Rbb1 37. Rxb1 Rxb1 38. Rh4 { Decisive mistake,and now the beautiful finish: } 38... d3 { ! } 39. Qd2 Rd1 { ! } 40. Qb2 Rxe1+ { verynice, don't You think? } 41. Kxe1 Qg1+ 42. Kd2 Qf2+ 43. Kc3 Qxh4 44. Kxd3 Qxh2 45. Qb8+ Kg7 46. Qb7+ Kh6 47. Qf3 Qg1 48. g3 Qb1+ 49. Kc4 Qf1+ 50. Qd3 Qxd3+ 51. Kxd3 Kh5 52. Ke2 Nh2 53. Kf2 Kg4 54. Kg2 Nf1 55. Kxf1 Kxg3 56. Kg1 Kxf4 *

[Event "Cyrano punisce pedina scippi"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.06.15"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "cyrano"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2627"] [TimeControl "3d+3d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1882"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! In this game I have been guilty of pawn grabbing andGM Cyrano ensured that my second game against him ended in a rout - inhis favour! I thought it was OK to grab a pawn because the queens weretraded off prior to that so I did not have to worry about Henry coppingOld Matey. Still, the rooks were on the board and Cyrano's pieces werebetter developed than my own and he took full advantage of this fact. Here is how the drama unfolded. http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=17572831&rnd=0.30321710962631215 } 1... d6 2. d4 g6 { 2. ..... g6 - this opening has become the Pirc/Robatsch Defenseafter both the d and g pawns have been advanced one square in responseto my e4 and d5. Afro is gonna allow me to develop a strong pawn centreand then undermine it. } 3. Nc3 Bg7 { 3. .... Bg7 - a natural follow up tog6. } 4. Be3 Nf6 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3 { 6. f3 - an OK move here but maybe I shouldhave forced off that black fianchettoed bishop for Fou Lenoir and madehim weak on the a1-h8 diagonal. } 6... b5 7. g4 h5 8. g5 Nfd7 { 8. ..... Nfd7- his knight blocks in his bishop but this is only temporary. } 9. f4 Nb6 10. Nf3 O-O 11. Nh4 { 11. Nh4 - this move puts pressure on g6 but it doesleave my knight rather dim on the rim. } 11... b4 12. Nd1 { 12. Nd1 - this knightstays on this square for the rest of the game. } 12... c5 13. dxc5 dxc5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Bxc5 { 15. Bxc5?! - Gameknot Analysis marks this move as an innaccuracyand suggested f5 as an improvement. } 15... Bb7 { 15. .... Bb7 - Afro exploitsthe undefended e4 pawn. I defend it with Bg2 - maybe Bd3 was better becauseif black tried to exploit the pin with f5 then I could bolster my e pawnwith Nf2 next move allowing Henry to castle queenside. } 16. Bg2 Rc8 17. Bxb6 axb6 18. Kd2 { 18. Kd2 - I did not want to displace Henry but alas,he was the only piece that could defend my pawn on c2 and at the same timepreventing a rook incursion on that square. } 18... Rc4 19. Re1 { 19. Re1 - bolsteringmy e4 pawn. } 19... Nc6 20. c3 bxc3+ 21. bxc3 Nb4 { 21. Nb4 - this move, takingadvantage of the pin on my c3 pawn doubly attacks my a2 pawn. } 22. a3 Rd8+ { 22. ...... Rd8+!! - this rook move is a killer. Whichever square Henrychooses to go to it will allow a knight fork, either on c3 or d3. I realisedthat one move later and waved the white flag. It was just so amazing howquickly a seemingly OK position can fall apart in the space of a coupleof moves! I thought I had a telling advantage being a pawn up but Afromade me have another think coming - although my rating is now just 5 pointssouth of 1900 thanks to another Expert timing out on me I still have anawful lot to learn! } 23. Ke3 0-1

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Boden"] [Black "Bird"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 { The Bird Defence -- as handled by Birdhimself. } 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. O-O Bc5 { Bird does not hesitate to be aggressive. } 6. c3 Ne7 7. d3 c6 8. Bc4 { A mistake by White. Now the Bishop is almostuseless, with the pawns on a2, d3 and e4 severely restricting its mobility. } 8... O-O 9. Bg5 Kh8 { Preventing a potential Bxf7+ and preserving the initiative. } 10. Qh5 { White attempts to attack... } 10... f6 { ...and Bird ripostes beautifully. } 11. Bxf6 { White attempts to force through his attack with a sacrifice... } 11... d5 { ...and overlooks this devastating response. The game is now virtuallylost for White. } 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 { Black's counterstrike is astonishinglyquick. } 13. exd5 Rxf2 { After this devastating strike, White resigns. If14 Rxf2, Black follows up with 14... Qe1 ch 15 Rf1 dxc3 dis ch 16 Kh1 Qxf1mate. } 0-1

[Event "OTB Game 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "6/10/16"] [Round "-"] [White "Joe"] [Black "Loyd"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "77 min"] [WhiteElo "1356"] { This was my second game against Loyd on Friday. So, I won the first one,and Jack gave advice to slow down. He did it here which helped him winthis game, after I blundered. } 1. d4 { Instead of opening with my usual1.e4, I played this. After looking into the loss with Jack Stockel, combinedwith, my game against Kenneth_fiore_3 and pagmatic64, it occurred to methat I need to work more on playing the Colle's System or against the KID. It depends on how Loyd answers. } 1... d5 { But, with this move, however, it'llbe the Colle's System because 1...Nf6 is played in the KID. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 { ?! An inaccuracy. Better was 2...Nf6 The idea is that, in 1.d4 openings,Nc3, or ...Nc6 should not be played until the c pawn has advanced becauseyou need that pawn. With this move, I'll see if I have an edge. If so,I'll try to take advantage of it. } 3. e3 { Sticking to the mainlines ofthe Colle's System, however. And, after this move, he does the same thing. } 3... e6 4. b3 { Like with the KID, Q side fianchetto's are common. But, I wasdebating between this or 4.g3, but as a rule of thumb, I'm going by whatKen told me in our training game. First, I'm treating this, as though,I was playing against the Colle's System, in which, this is better. Second,like with that defense, in the Colle's System, K side fianchetto's, inmy books, are unwise. My idea now is to not play the wrong move so early,as that's how I wind up in trouble. The idea being is that the positionwould detoriate, which I'm not ready for yet. } 4... Bd6 { Continuing with hisdevelopment. } 5. Bb2 { So, do I, whilst, sticking to what I consider tobe the mainlines. } 5... Nf6 { Continuing with his development and preparing tocastle short, as do I. In fact, Loyd will castle on his next move. Oncethat happens, I'll castle, as well. } 6. Bb5 O-O 7. O-O a6 { Hitting my Bb5. I was hesitate on deciding whether to take, or not. I am keeping in mindwhat Ken said about not exchanging for the thrills of it. But, I decideto do it, anyway. However, it's not because I can (which has been donebefore the training.) The real reason behind taking is due to, in my opinion,Loyd leaving himself with a weakness by playing 2...Nc6 before advancingthe c pawn. So, I was trying to take advantage of that weakness whichyou want to do in chess. That's because I view that N as worth more thenmy B since I think I know what it's capable. By taking it, my thoughtprocess, is that black will wind up in trouble. } 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nbd2 { But,since my c pawn hasn't advanced, I'm sticking to those guidelines, whilst,completing my development. At this point, I'm getting more and more confidentsince what I considered to be his strongest minor piece is a goner. } 9... Ne4 { Finding a better outpost for his N. I guess Loyd wants to exchange. I know that it'll be inevitable. But, I delay. This time, it is due towhat Ken told me, as I'm not ready to exchange now. I will be, however,on the next move. But, I'll let him, as TA calls it, 'draw first blood' In this context, I'll let him take first, before I do anything. That'sbecause exchanging right now, will lose tempo since my Nf3 will be attacked. By delaying, this won't happen, and then, I'll try to exploit, what Iassume to be, an advantage. In other words, I'll try to keep it. } 10. Re1 { So, I centralize my Rook. The exchange is going to occur, but asnoted, I'm now ready. } 10... Nxd2 11. Qxd2 Re8 { Centralizing his Rook. } 12. e4 { Advancing my e pawn. In this context, I'm trying to exchange it withhis d pawn. As I feel that Loyd might be up to something with it. } 12... f6 { But, he declines it, which allows me to follow up on plan B. That's attackingthe Bishop, so that when he retreats, I can get rid of his weakest pawnby exchanging. As now, not only am I more comfortable, but I'm happy withmy position. In fact, I believe that I'm nearing a forced win but willnot underestimate him as I don't know what he capable. Sure enough, Iam wrong, but it doesn't come until much later on. However, if I attemptedto be 100% sure of myself, the loss would occur much more quickly. } 13. e5 Be7 14. exf6 Bxf6 15. Ne5 { As now, I attempt to exchange, but specifically,for a nasty threat against Loyd. In this case, my idea of a good timeis 15...Bxe5, 16.Rxe5, with the plan being 17.Qg5, and then, doubling upwhere I'll have attacking forces (which could be overwhelming) againsthis monarch. } 15... Bb7 { He declines. } 16. Re3 { ?? So, I go to plan B, withthis move. I felt that I could bring my Q, a R, and N into action. But,this is where I start becoming overly confident as I overlooked his nextmove which happens to be a skewer. Consequently, this is going to losematerial and give Loyd a near winning advantage which I don't realize untilmuch later on. } 16... Bg5 17. Rae1 { But, when he takes, I'll get something inreturn. After which, the plan is similar to before and involves some nastythreats. } 17... Bxe3 18. Rxe3 Qe7 { Already starting to see what I might be upto. } 19. Rf3 { But, it doesn't stop me from playing this. } 19... Rf8 { Stoppingone of the threats that I had in mind. But, my next move carries a similarthreat. The variations I calculated where winning the Queen for Rook ormating him. It's complicated to explain those variations, but they involveda lot of Homework. I'm not surprised that he stopped them, but when it'sgone, once and for all, that's when I start realizing my fate on how thebad the position is. } 20. Rg3 { As now, I'm planning to win back a pawn. } 20... c5 21. Qh6 { So, this is where I try to follow up since the plan involves22.Rxg7+, Qxg7 23.Qxg7+, Kxg7 And, what I'm keeping in mind is that Loydcannot capture with his g7 since it's pinned. I remember doing somethinglike this against Ted after seeing how bhidragon did it with me. Not surprisingly,however, it won't work. But, my idea of a good time is putting pressureon him which happened because in the end, Loyd said that he, for a while,didn't know what to do. He figured it out but with great difficulty whichis, as Ken mentioned, what pressure is all about. } 21... Qf6 { Not to my surprise,Loyd stops that with this move. So, I try to come up with another plan. One thing I kept in mind is that he wants to liquidates Queen. The problemis that I'm actually in worse trouble then you could imagine. That's becausethe only way to save the position is liquidating Queens. But, then, I'dredeem it as resignable since there is nothing else to learn when you'redown R for B, and have exchanged the most powerful piece on the board. } 22. Qh3 { ?? Thinking that I still had a good fight left, this was playedto avoid the liquidation. But, the only way to keep this game alive would'vebeen liquidating with 22.Qxf4. It turns out that this loses immediatelybecause of... } 22... Qxf2+ { This move, as now 23.Kh1 is forced, and then comes23...Qf1# which is mate. When the game was over, Loyd and I analyzed this. According to him, 22.Qh3 was my only mistake since I had a strong positionwith his pieces tied down where he was struggling to find an answer withmy forces against his monarch. That's how I also concluded that he feltthe pressure after 21.Qh6. But, he rightly pointed out that, sometimes,it only takes one mistake to lose the game which Jack Stockel agreed with. In fact, Jack made note of that while annotating Tom's game against amaster (which Tom almost won but made one mistake and lost.) I, however,disagree that 22.Qh3?? was the only blunder. It lost quicker, but I wasin rough shape, right after allowing the skewer with 16.Re3?? because blackwas either going to win my Rook or my Queen. Afterwhich, I was not goingto have compensation, and despite some counterplay, the position was onlygoing to go downhill white, until I was in that situation where liquidationwas needed to prevent mate. Not only that, but had I known that 22.Qxf6was needed, resignation would've been imminent for me. In other words,I would've resigned, right then and there. } 0-1

[Event "82nd GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.10.04"] [Round "-"] [White "clelmolucio"] [Black "richard1234567"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1496"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1325"] 1. e4 { This is the most common first move. } 1... c6 { I decide to play a moresolid defense rather than e5 because I might run into a fried liver orruy lopez. } 2. d4 { Grabbing the centre. } 2... d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 { Whitenow has an undefended strong knight on e4. } 4... Bf5 { Attacks the knight withtempo. I could've played Nd2 but it blocks the LSB. } 5. Nc3 { Far betterhere was Ng3 attacking the bishop. Then could come the classical variationwith 5. .... Bg6 h4 6. h6 Nf3 7. Nd7 h5 8. Nh7 Bd3! Instead he opts forthe dubious Nc3 and moves back to the same place. } 5... e6 { Gripping d5 andmaking way for my DSB } 6. Nf3 Nd7 { Prevents Ne5 } 7. h3 h6 { Since my LSBwas valuable i wanted a escape square for my LSB if he played Nh4. } 8. Bc4 { Tries to indirectly attack f7. My pawn on e6 is blocking the diagonal. } 8... Ngf6 { Developing movess. } 9. a3 { Probably a waste of time. Fat better herewas O-O, Be3 Bd2 and Bb3 is playable. } 9... Bd6 10. Be3 { Overprotecting thed4 pawn. } 10... Qe7 { Better here was probably Qb6 or Qc7. } 11. Bd3 { Trying toexchange LSB's } 11... Bxd3 12. Qxd3 O-O 13. O-O Rac8 14. d5 { Not a brilliantmove. I can now have 2 centre pawns. A rook pawn for a centre pawn. Worthit. } 14... cxd5 15. Bxa7 { Snatches the a pawn. } 15... b6 { BLocks the diagonal forthe DSB. } 16. a4 Ra8 17. Nb5 { Trying to hold onto the DSB. } 17... Nc5 { Attacksthe queen with tempo and makes way for my queen to attack the DSB. } 18. Qc3 Nfe4 { Harasses the queen more. } 19. Qd4 Rxa7 { Exchanging 2 pieces fora rook. } 20. Nxa7 Qxa7 21. b3 Rc8 22. Nd2 Nxd2 23. Qxd2 Ne4 24. Qe3 Rxc2 { I grab the free pawn. A minor piece and a pawn is almost equal to a rookin terms of power but 2 minor pieces and 1 pawn is too much. } 25. Rac1 Bc5 { Attacks the queen and hits the f2 square. } 26. Qd3 Rxc1 { Once Rxc1I would play Nxf2. REgardless of where the queen moves, the next move isgoing to be Nd3 picking up the rook unless the queen could be attack.I would be 2 pawns and a bishop up so here white resigns. White could'veplayed on tried to pick some more pawns although it would be extremelyhard as My position is extremely solid and The queen alone can not infiltrate.Every pawn is protected and I have a queen that could patrol around thepawn chains. } 0-1

[Event "Surrealist binds"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.07.13"] [Round "-"] [White "damafi"] [Black "mystim"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1492"] [TimeControl "300+5"] [WhiteElo "1400"] { Late at night, strange things happens. This game has to be regarded asfunny, nothing more. I'll go lightly on the first sections, but I thinkI broke a Guinnes record: the longest strike of anti-principles moves youcan ever see in a semi-serious... won(!) game. I hope you to laugh at leastonce! } 1. d4 { [%clk 0:05:05] Standard opening... } 1... e6 2. Bf4 d5 3. Nf3 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. e3 Qb6 { [%clk 0:05:12] All mainline till here, if I'm not wrong. } 6. Qb3 { [%clk 0:05:22] The usual answer,convinced that... } 6... Qxb3 7. axb3 { [%clk 0:05:25] ...is bad for black,due to the semiopen column. } 7... Nf6 8. h3 { [%clk 0:05:20] To shield thedsb if needed. This B will turn into a footstepper... } 8... cxd4 9. exd4 Be7 10. Bc7 { [%clk 0:05:13] ? I saw he couldn't play a7xB, so I couldhave played it there. Instead, I could have gone for it a move before.But it is a mistake, because, ok, I can put the B there, but it CAN'T takethe pawn while Nc6 is there, so it's a bad plan. Ugly start. } 10... O-O 11. Bb6 Bd7 { [%clk 0:04:48] ...and now my B is danger with no compensation.Black has developed very finely, thank to my ugly idea. } 12. Bc7 { [%clk0:04:52] With shame! Nothing better. Bc5, BxB, dxB leaves me naked in thecenter. } 12... Rfc8 13. Bf4 { [%clk 0:04:50] If ever you could think a betterway to waste four tempos, please show me!!! :-) } 13... h6 14. g4 { [%clk 0:04:54]Of course I am more ambitious than simple developing-castling-and see whathappens! } 14... g5 { [%clk 0:04:20] } 15. Bg3 Ne4 { [%clk 0:04:20] Yes. Dueto lack of developement, now I suffer. I didn't put the dsb on h2 becauseI'm eyeing a future h4, but now I realize that I just helped him, again! } 16. Ne5 { [%clk 0:04:33] The plan was: he takes my B (NxB), I take his(NxBd7). He would likely take my R (NxRh1), and I'll have Nb6, forkingthe two rooks, while a7 is pinned again. The black N on h1 is whorth thef2 pawn. } 16... Nxe5 { [%clk 0:04:03] Black, as predicted, sensed some trick,and went for this one, that momentarily saves my dsb. } 17. Bxe5 { [%clk0:04:31] ...of course, allowing... } 17... f6 18. Bh2 { [%clk 0:04:30] Nowmy B can go to a nearly seure refuge, at the cost of the loss of the h4plan. I have to develop, but I have to be very careful with tricks likeNd2, Nxc3, bxc3, Rxc3. With the B pair, black will win easily like that,so developing the N via d2 is a dangerous option. } 18... f5 { [%clk 0:04:06]As predicted, black will use his pawn's storm. And I have to find moves.f3 kicks black's N, but... then? I would never be able to take it back,and what future is there for my lsb? I looked hard, and I started to laugh. } 19. Be5 { [%clk 0:04:20] Would I EVER play another piece during the game?But, look: it makes sense! It's the only drawback of f5. It blocks blacklsb's action. Reactivates a latent threat on the h column, covering h8.The B is not easily kickable, and black would exchange his dsb for it.If black plays fxh4, while e6 stays there, it's all in my favour. } 19... Bd6 { [%clk 0:03:52] Of course, black should have played f4, while f3 becomesimpossible due to Ng3. Now, I can play BxB, NxB, f3 or h4. But, as always... } 20. Nd2 { [%clk 0:04:12] Now after NxN, BxB! and I am who keeps the Bpair. } 20... Bxe5 21. dxe5 { [%clk 0:03:51] The latent threat Nxc3, saccinga N for two pawns is still possible, but I sense my opponent is not goingfor it. } 21... Nxd2 { [%clk 0:03:46] As predicted. This helps me a lot. } 22. Kxd2 { [%clk 0:03:54] The dust dawn, the game is still playable! } 22... Bc6 23. Rh2 { [%clk 0:03:43] The pawn in f3, I sense that is just crampingmyself. } 23... Rd8 { [%clk 0:03:27] If d4, c5. This is going to a dead end,and a draw. } 24. Re1 { [%clk 0:03:34] Setting gxf5 as a possible threatto have a goner. But on white square, it will be not optimal. } 24... Kg7 { [%clk0:03:18] This stops me from trying h4. } 25. Bd3 { [%clk 0:03:22] Aimingto h7, just in case... } 25... f4 { [%clk 0:03:16] Thanks black! You gave me hope.Because I have a7 in mind, not h8. See: } 26. h4 Rh8 27. f3 { [%clk0:02:53] Now I need this move in order to block Blsb's action on h1, inorder to play my R there. Another plan was b4-b5, but with b6, Bb7, I wouldhave got nothing. } 27... a6 { [%clk 0:03:18] Black underestimates the danger! } 28. Ke2 { [%clk 0:02:41] I have to cover f3. Note that e5 is untouchable! } 28... b5 { [%clk 0:03:10] Black is coming... } 29. Reh1 { [%clk 0:02:44] Nowor never. } 29... Rac8 { [%clk 0:02:54] Another loss of tempo! I'm done! } 30. hxg5 hxg5 { [%clk 0:02:56] My opponent though in drawn, but I have seenthis many moves before. } 31. Rh7+ { This is the basis of my plan on h,and a move I felt some proud of. } 31... Rxh7 32. Rxh7+ Kg8 { [%clk 0:02:50] NowI'm in control, and I can win a pawn. An important one. } 33. Rh5 Kf7 34. Rxg5 { [%clk 0:02:56] This allows Rh8, but... } 34... Rg8 { [%clk 0:02:40]? } 35. Rh5 { [%clk 0:02:53] Again in control. It's a matter of time, now...for a win or a draw. Or so I thought! } 35... Kg7 { [%clk 0:02:36] I can't believeit! Black didn't realize the nature of his bind, and allows me to repeatit once more. I couldn't resist! And I had my second laugh. } 36. Rh7+ Kf8 37. Ra7 { [%clk 0:02:41] I thought this was smart, but it wasn't. Blackcan return me the courtesy with his R on h, and I don't want to lose fora stupid overconfident move. K to g2 are two tempos, too much. And d4 isstill a latent break black has. } 37... Rh8 { [%clk 0:02:34] I'm in no positionto be foolish. } 38. Rh7 Kg8 39. Rxh8+ Kxh8 { [%clk 0:02:32] And this,I think, seals the draw. Or it should. Can you believe? We went on. Andwe got the more interesting part of the game, due to mistakes. Let's see: } 40. Kf2 { [%clk 0:02:11] I can penetrate into g5, so I force black togo there in order to defend it. I can't do much more than that! } 40... Kg7 41. Kg2 Kh6 42. Kh3 Kg5 { [%clk 0:02:32] I knew I'd have got late, butnow if he goes, I'll go to h4. e5, believe it or not, is still untouchable! } 43. c4 { [%clk 0:02:04] ?? I had to be sensible, and play for the draw.In fact, I think I offered it somewhere before now. I decided to see ife6 is worse or better than f3 (now I pay for have played it!) } 43... dxc4 { [%clk0:02:31] } 44. bxc4 { [%clk 0:02:06] The idea is that if Bxf3, cxb5, andif Bxg4+, Kg2, axb4, Bxb5, and I am probably lost... his c pawn is nearerthan my b one. A little headache for me! } 44... b4 { [%clk 0:02:22] A surprisefor me. I felt lucky again. } 45. Kg2 a5 { [%clk 0:02:22] I couldn'tsee that black is winning here... } 46. b3 { [%clk 0:01:35] ?? A fatal mistake!Can you see it? Oh, my... } 46... a4 { [%clk 0:02:20] My K is too far to help,and black will exchange and get promoted! After all, with this simple andinnocent move I threw the game away! } 47. Bc2 { [%clk 0:01:31] ?? Tryingto get axb3, but of course... } 47... a3 { [%clk 0:02:23] ! :-( I condemned mylsb into two squares! For nothing! } 48. Bb1 { [%clk 0:01:33] You can laughat me. I didn't laugh, here. What a stupid thing I've done! Now, blackwill get me in some kind of stupid zugzwang... sigh! } 48... Kh4 49. Ba2 Be8 50. c5 { [%clk 0:01:17] Well... I have pawns too. This begins tolook like a studio. } 50... Bc6 51. Bb1 Bd5 52. Ba2 Kg5 53. Kf2 Kh6 54. Ke2 Kg6 55. Bb1+ Kg5 56. Ba2 Kh4 { He can hardlygo further than that. } 57. Kf2 Kh3 { [%clk 0:02:14] ?? 'Finally', blackgot his K in. And, since my lsb is 'pinned'... yes, but in doing all this,he forgets I have pawns too. And this is a definitive mistake. I didn'tforgive him (chess is not for pity!). } 58. g5 { [%clk 0:01:23] Black can'tstop both pawns, g and c. Game over. Could you smile at least once? I hopeso! If not, play the game in 'fast forward', and enjoy the dsb's dance...:-D } 58... Bc6 59. g6 Be8 60. g7 { ....or c6. } 60... Bf7 { [%clk 0:02:11] } 61. Bb1 { Useless move. } 61... Kh4 62. c6 Kg5 63. c7 Kh6 64. c8=Q Kxg7 65. Qc4 1-0

[Event "Challenge 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "13-Jun-08"] [Round "-"] [White "tinkofsharn"] [Black "sf115"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1613"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1936"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 { White's queen pawn opening was met with black Kingsideknight. With a potentially varied opening leading to many lines I enjoyto play. } 3. Nf3 { I decided to encourage the opening away from my favouredNimzo-indian defence so I could explore a lesser played line, the Bogo-Indiandefense. } 3... b6 { With pawn to Queen's Knight 3 it seems Black had other plansand I settled into a relatively straight forward Queen's Indian. } 4. a3 { Liking the more active queen-side play in opening I decided to take thegame into the Petrosian System. This avoids many problem early on withblack pinning the queen-side knight. } 4... Ba6 { I had a little suprise fromblack - having expected the completion of the fianchetto on the queen-sideI took some time to explore this position. } 5. Qc2 { With only three columnsdescribing Ba6 in Batsford's I concluded that the best move was to usemy queen early to cover black's early queen-side attack. } 5... c5 { Black's c5was a direct challenge, seeking to break up white's developing centralsuperiority of the centre. } 6. d5 { I carefully checked ahead playing outthe next few moves. The exchange looked to be a little more dangerous tome so I decided to see if black would miss a trick. } 6... exd5 { As expectedblack went for the exchange. } 7. cxd5 { White responded, now would blackattempt to steal the pawn? } 7... Be7 { No, black was clearly aware of the dangerof Qa4 which would have won black's knight. I now had to support my advancedpawn, the main reason for taking this line was to create an advanced pawnto hamper black's play. } 8. Nc3 { Pawn is now covered... } 8... O-O { Black completesking-side development and white is poised to launch an attack. This positionoffers a great deal of possibilities with the support of the queen andQueen-side bishop along two diagonals the knights could attack black'sking. } 9. e4 { I decided to build my attack at the expense of castling early,staking out the centre and supporting my advanced pawn I play e4, revealingthe attack on black's queen-side bishop. } 9... d6 { Did black miss the revealedattack? Either way d6 stop's my pawn advancing to cause more problems. } 10. Bxa6 { I have to exchange bishops the advantage of taking out suchwell placed piece and side-lining black's q-side knight can't be missed. } 10... Nxa6 { Black recapture's. } 11. Ne2 { I now saw a great opportunity to sowsome confusion in my opponent. At this point my rooks are not availableto lend support to my central pawns and I need my knights in such a positionthat I can cover my rooks. } 11... Qd7 { Black completes development with the queenmoving down to link the rooks. Not a bad move but with my central pawn'son white squares I feel black's development advantage was at the cost ofbeing able to defend against those two central pawns. } 12. Ng3 { Black nowhas three pieces pointing to my king-side. Time to mount my own defencebut also line my knights up to cover my rooks in a few moves time. } 12... Rac8 { So far black has played well but not shown much aggresion. Here againblack plays a much more defensive move and I can't help but think thatQb5 would have made for a much more active game on black's part. } 13. Be3 { Nearing the end of white's development I decide to place my queen-sidebishop behind my advance pawn's in a safe position where it can still lendsupport to a king-side attack. } 13... Nc7 { Black begins a series of moves tryingto locate his knights to defend his king. Still Qb5 might have been better? } 14. O-O { Looking back I feel this was a solid start to the game. Blackhad been hampered by the two advanced pawns and white, having completedit's development is poised to take advantage. } 14... Rfd8 { I think black wouldhave been better placing the rook on the e-file ready to attack my backwardpawn, covered by two knights and the queen it would be in a great position. } 15. Ne1 { Now it's time to move my knights into position to support my attackup the centre/king-side. } 15... Nce8 { Black links his knight's a strong move,but I don't like thier position much! Again black is not attacking enoughand I can't help but think that if black does nothing to get his piecesinto more active positions that the game is going to be short. Ng4 wouldhave given black some space here! } 16. f3 { With Ng4 a possible threat tomy king-side attack I decide to close the door. f3 should seal it, andI can now take my time. } 16... Qc7 { With this move I feel black is still entertainingthe thought of pushing up his c-pawn under the support of just his rookand queen. I'd be looking to mobilise the knights, get them down the board,getting one of e5 would really help! } 17. Rc1 { On the off-chance blackdecides to push his c-pawn I'd better have something covering my queen. } 17... Nd7 { Ah, the knights are finally moving, perhaps black has spotted thathe could get a knight on e5? } 18. Nf5 { Well he's left the bishop en-prise. } 18... Nf8 { Ouch, that does not look good! Bf6 would have been much better. } 19. Nd3 { Seeing both of black's knight in such awkward positions I take a goodlook at the board and conclude I could mount an offensive to the queen-sideand still keep black bottled-up. } 19... Ng6 { This is OK, black really needsto find space! } 20. Qe2 { Got my queen poised to attack the corner... } 20... Nf6 { I'm really thought black would spot the danger here and move his queento d7. With the rook attacking the queen b4 is open for my knight!!! } 21. Nb4 { Bang, and I now have access to c6, slamming a knight right into themiddle of black's defence. } 21... Ne5 { Black finally reaches the centre witha knight but by now I've got most moves covered. } 22. Qa6 { Black hasn'tmoved his queen so I can keep my knight on b4 and play my queen into thecorner, seeking to attack the rooks and lend support to my knights andbishop. } 22... Rb8 { What was that? Is black aware of my knight on b4? I've nowgot a three-way fork lined up... Counter attacks for black are fast runningout. } 23. f4 { The one last defender is forced out. } 23... Neg4 { Black counter'sbut I'm already poised to take equivalent material. } 24. Nc6 { In comesthe knight to c6, but has black noted the position of my other knight? } 24... Nxe3 { There goes my bishop... } 25. Nfxe7+ { And there goes your's, check! } 25... Kh8 { It's getting pretty horrible for black now the only consolation isthat black has finally broken though to the other side of the board. } 26. Rfe1 { With my knights locked in place I need to cover my e-pawn and kickthat knight back into it's own half. } 26... Neg4 { Back it goes... } 27. Nf5 { Wouldn'tit be nice to get those pawns in the centre a little more advanced? Nf5makes a little room and gives me access to g6... } 27... Qc8 { Black fails to kickmy knight out and looks to diffuse my attack. Do I exchange... } 28. Qd3 { No, I want to force my pawn right up the centre. } 28... Re8 { Black attacks mybackward pawn on e realising the threat of having three pawns attackingup the centre of the board, but takes cover off the only pawn stoppingme from doing it... } 29. Nxd6 { Bang goes the pawn and I've a Q-R fork asa bonus! } 29... Qd7 { My knight is attacked and black must be thinking it's abouttime white took his rooks... } 30. e5 { No, marching pawns are a far greaterthreat... } 30... Ng8 { Black saves his knight placing it on the better of thetwo available squares. } 31. b4 { Why b5? Well I want to open up the c-fileto give my rooks a clear line to the 8th. } 31... cxb4 { Bait taken and my rooknow supports the knight on c6 and I can move the d-pawn up... } 32. axb4 { Might as well recapture, who knows a pawn on b5 would be good. } 32... Ne7 { Ahis black finally getting aggressive? } 33. Nxb8 { Time to take out a rookand open up the line for my rook on the c-file. } 33... Rxb8 { Black no doubt tooksome small consolation in relieving me of one of my knights here. } 34. Nxf7+ { A little cheeky, but I really wanted to open up the centre to getthose pawns marching. Grabbing the pawn and check was a bonus. } 34... Kg8 { Black'sonly move, where shall I put my knight, g5 looks good. } 35. d6 { Betterstill, attack black's knight, and no I wasn't planning loosing my queenhere... Kxf6 would be followed by a right royal pawn-fork e6!!! } 35... Ng6 { Blackmoves his knight, which wasn't really in danger. } 36. Ng5 { And now my knightcomes down to g5 ready to allow my pawns to advance. } 36... a5 { Is this a lastact of desperation? Black's king is now under threat as can be seen inthe next move. Pawn's poised to reach the 8th, rooks and queen in supportand a Knight waiting to the side covering f7. } 37. Rc7 { Rook on the 7th,Queen attacked, it's only a matter of formality now. } 37... Qd8 { Qe8 would havehelped by keeping cover on f7, the one place next to the black-king I canforce mate. Black so deperately needs to cover this square. } 38. Qc4+ { Andhere is why! } 38... Kh8 { Knight fork to win the queen for nothing and removethe last hope of any kind of defence for the king. } 39. Nf7+ { Ouch. } 39... Kg8 { Here it comes... } 40. Nxd8+ { Wallop. The king has to move back to h8 asf8 is mate with the queen. } 40... Kh8 { But mate is imminent. I just need to getthe queen up there safely. } 41. Nf7+ { There's a really nicce mate hereinvolving a queen sacrifice, though given the amount of material takenso far I'd hardly call it that. The rook then comes in and the Knight,the star of the game gets to make the checkmate. 42. ... Kg8 43. Nh6 (Kf8 is mate Qf6#) kh8 44. Qg8 Rxg8 45. Nf7# } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.01.20"] [Round "-"] [White "pancakepalace"] [Black "vladyslav"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1548"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1575"] { A hard-fought game, leading to a complicated knight endgame that is wonby white. } 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Bd3 Bxd3 5. Qxd3 e6 { The advancevariation if the Caro-Kann defence, leading to slow, positional games. } 6. f4 { An aggressive approach, but perfectly playable. } 6... Qb6 { Developingthe queen before the light pieces is generally considered not the bestmove, but in this position, it has no consequences. The queen pressuresd4 and b2, and prepares c5. } 7. c3 { Fortifying the pawn chain. } 7... c5 { Thethrust with the c pawn is extremely common in this variation of the Caro-Kann.It assaults the center and helps with the development of Black's pieces.Notice that white has no counter-threats at all. } 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. O-O { Simpledevelopment of the pieces. } 9... cxd4 { Relieving pressure in the center, Blackloses tension. However, this pawn trade also weakens d4 even further, andopens the c-file for future threats. } 10. cxd4 { Recapturing with the knightwould still lead to the same results after further trades. } 10... h5 { The pawnmove might seem a bit asbrud and irrational, but Black's position is stillsolid. This move secures f5 for the black knight, and prevents g4. } 11. Nc3 Nh6 12. h3 Nf5 { The knight is secured in its position. White cannotplay g4 because of hxg4, leaving White's king open to attacks along theh-file. The knight also puts pressure on d4. } 13. Rd1 Be7 { Developingthe final piece. } 14. g4 { White finally decides to remove the well-positionedblack knight. A good move, forcing black into a slightly uncomfortableposition. } 14... hxg4 15. hxg4 Nh6 16. g5 { This is a debatable move, since itgives f5 back to the black knight and leaves White's kingside completelydeserted. However, it blocks the e7 bishop and increases White's initiativeon the kingside. } 16... Nf5 17. Ne2 { Defending g3. } 17... O-O-O { By castling, Blackconnects the two rooks, and prepares himself for an attack on the kingside.The king is safe, even along the open c-file, since White has not yet fullydeveloped his pieces. } 18. a3 Kb8 19. b4 { White advances on the queenside.However, by putting all of his pawns on black squares, White has hamperedthe development of the c1 bishop and created multiple weaknesses in hisposition. At the same time, Black has lost all activity, and is forcedto play passively. } 19... Rc8 { Trying to use the c-file. } 20. Bb2 Rc7 { Attemptingto double his rooks in Black's cramped position. } 21. Rac1 a6 22. Nc3 { The knight returns to its post, creating a strong threat of Na4, trappingthe queen in the corner of the board. The knight is also headed to c5. } 22... Rcc8 { Creating an escape route for the queen. } 23. Na4 Qd8 24. Kg2 { AsWhite's pieces are moving deeper and deeper into Black's position, Whitealso hopes to play on the h-file. Black is desperate at this point forsome counterplay, so he plays... } 24... f6 { ... this move. As revealed later,this is a terrible move that does not at all fit into the spirit of theCaro-Kann Defence. It weakens Black's pawn chain, creates multiple weaknesses,and loses the support of e6. White finds a way to successfully open theposition, and successfully take advantage of the mistake. } 25. Nc5 { Instantly,the knight jumps onto the strong outpost, and takes advantage of the weake6. This knight is much stronger than the one on f5. } 25... fxg5 { A completemiscalculation. Of course, the correct response would be Bxc5, immediatelygetting rid of White's knight. As a result of the two weak moves, Blackloses a pawn, and is left in a weak position. } 26. Nxe6 { The correct reply.The knight forks the queen and the pawn on g7, so the queen is forced tomove. } 26... Qd7 27. Nfxg5 { White's second knight springs into action, supportingthe second. The two White knights are dominating the board, while Black'spieces are passively scattered around. We both missed that the f5 knightis left unprotected. } 27... Bxg5 { Capturing one of the pesky knights, but nowit is too late. } 28. Nxg5 g6 { Supporting Black's only fighting piece -the knight on f5. } 29. Rh1 { After gaining a strong position, White beginsthe battle for the h-file, which is a major part of Black's defensive positionat this point. } 29... Rcf8 { Refusing to trade. However, White trades the rookshimself. } 30. Rxh8 Rxh8 31. Rh1 { White pulls the second rook into battle.There is no threat of capturing h1, since the knight on g5 promptly defendsh7 from the Black's queen. Black is left with no choice but to trade rooks. } 31... Rxh1 32. Kxh1 { Let's examine the resulting endgame. White is a pawn up,and has a bishop for a knight, and a passed protected pawn on e5. Black,however, has a weak position and two isolated pawns on d5 and g6. It willtake a lot of effort from Black to save the game. } 32... Qe8 { Hoping for somecounterplay, starting from Qh8+. White makes an interensing choice. } 33. Qh3 { White finally claims the h-file, but gives up the d4 pawn. White'sfuture moves explain his intention, and the moves that go with it. } 33... Ncxd4 { Grabbing the chance to reclaim material, Black instantly takes back thepawn. However, this gives White an opportunity to finally trade off hisuseless bishop on b2. } 34. Bxd4 Nxd4 35. Qh7 { White's queen flanks Black'sdefences along the h-file, and seems to create several aggressive threats.Now the best move for Black in this position is Ne6, which would have heldthe position to a possible draw. However, Black gets greedy, and goes onthe offensive trying to get as much material as possible. } 35... Nc2 36. Nf7 { White's key move. It turns out that the g6 pawn falls, and he emergeswith two connected, passed pawns, creating a crushing threat to Black'sposition. Notice that moves such as Qe6 do not work because of Nd6, andBlack cannot avoid mate without giving up the queen. } 36... Nxa3 { Trying toget as much material as possible, but it is too late. } 37. Qxg6 d4 { Blackdesperately tries to complicate the game by creating counter-threats ofhis own passed pawn. However, it turns out impossible to promote. } 38. Qd6+ Ka8 39. e6 { Moving the pawns forward, and supporting the knight onf7. } 39... Nb5 { The knight returns from his travels and settles on a nice outpost,where it attacks the queen and protects the d4 pawn. } 40. Qd5 Qc6 { Anothererror. Black tries to free the game of queens and to promote his own pawns,but his defence would work much better if there were queens on the board.This is a debatable decision, so please comment if it is right or wrong.White is forced to trade. } 41. Qxc6 bxc6 42. e7 { The pawn charges forward,and Black's knight takes a last stand to stop it from queening. } 42... Nc7 43. Ne5 { The same goes for the White knight. Let's examine the endgame a secondtime. Material is even, but White has one almost-passed pawn, which willbe sooner supported by the second. Black's knight cannot stop both pawns,and his king is too far away. Black tries to create some desperate counterplayto save the game. } 43... a5 { Sacrificing a pawn to get some counterplay, butit turns out to be futile. } 44. f5 { The pawn advances, and the king ispowerless to stop it. Black's knight is forced to move to the back rank. } 44... Ne8 45. bxa5 c5 { Trying to get his own pawns to move, but they are easilyblocked by White's knight. } 46. Nc4 Ka7 { Advancing the king to disturbthe knight, a final attempt of counterplay. } 47. Kg2 Ka6 48. Kf3 Kb5 49. a6 { The pawn sacrifices itself to drive the Black king away. Black is forcedto take. } 49... Kxa6 50. Nd6 { The final combination. With Black's knight drivenaway, White's pawns advanced mercilessly. } 50... Nxd6 51. f6 { The pawns cannotbe stopped. } 51... d3 52. f7 d2 53. Ke2 { White's pawns queen, and Black hasnothing. Black resigns. 1-0 An excellent game, showing deep strategy andprecise calculation from both sides. } 1-0

[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.07"] [Round "-"] [White "mbnaj"] [Black "lfguzman"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. h3 Qh5 6. Be2 Nf6 7. d3 e5 8. Nh2 Bxe2 9. Qxe2 Nc6 10. Qxh5 Nxh5 11. O-O Bd6 12. Nd5 O-O-O 13. a3 e4 14. dxe4 Bxh2+ 15. Kxh2 f5 16. Nc3 fxe4 17. Nxe4 h6 18. Nc5 { Youwill see how much this move worth !!! } 18... g5 19. Be3 Kb8 20. Rad1 { I thinkthat i am better than him , because i have one Pawns more So i decidedto switch pieces } 20... Nf6 21. c3 g4 { no need to switch, so i will move my Pawnsforward.. } 22. h4 h5 { Now i think that i have a chance to get his night, let's see } 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Bg5 { Here we are, a free night or i willget a rock for free } 24... Rd6 { I will get the night } 25. Bxf6 { It 's a trap } 25... Rxf6 26. Nd7+ { Here is the move that make him reassign !! ;) } 1-0

[Event "29th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Jan-07"] [Round "-"] [White "ragger"] [Black "dylam"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2124"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1701"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 { a strong opening } 4. cxb5 a6 5. e3 { not sousual line but playable... } 5... g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be2 axb5 { takingthe pawn at this time, and not sooner, ensures the King's safety and loseof one move (tempo) of White. } 9. Bxb5 Ne4 { a very strong and unexpectedmove! it is clear now that black has the upper hand. } 10. O-O Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bxc3 12. Rb1 Rxa2 13. Qb3 { even the B line is not enough for white.but it is his last chance... } 13... Qa5 14. Bc4 Ra4 { a must. } 15. Qxb8 Rxc4 { blackgot a free paw on the C file. it should be enough for a victory... } 16. Qb5 { white is making it easier for black. without quens and with the Cpawn, white is doomed... } 16... Qxb5 17. Rxb5 Ba6 { white, apperantly, didn'tsee that move when he played Qb5. } 18. Rb6 Ra4 19. Bd2 Bxd2 20. Rxa6 Rxa6 21. Nxd2 Rb8 22. Nc4 Rb4 23. Ne5 c4 { the pawn is running! } 24. Rc1 Rab6 25. Kf1 Rb1 26. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 27. Ke2 Rb2+ 28. Ke1 c3 29. Nd3 e6 { white canttake the rook. bringing the d pawn behind the c pawn or playing, later,e4 will end the game nicely. } 30. dxe6 fxe6 31. h3 d5 32. g3 e5 33. f3 e4 34. fxe4 dxe4 35. Nf4 Rb1+ 0-1

[Event "Tournament game, Berlin 1897"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Semion Alapin"] [Black "Georg Marco"] [Result "1-0"] { Alapin was an original thinker and also a pretty darn good player. Here,he takes on Marco and methodically grinds out a win. } 1. e4 e5 2. Ne2 Nc6 3. Nbc3 { 'Book' for this opening, an original Alapin creation. } 3... Bc5 4. Na4 Be7 5. d4 { Taking advantage of the Knight at K2 to secure a strongcenter. } 5... d6 6. d5 Nb8 7. Qd3 { Preparing for an eventual O-O-O. } 7... f5 8. exf5 Qd7 9. Nac3 { Securing his strongpoint at Q5. } 9... Qxf5 10. Ng3 Qxd3 11. Bxd3 { Alapin has secured a large advantage in development. } 11... Nf6 12. Nf5 Bxf5 13. Bxf5 { In spite of the exchanges, Alapin retains a stranglehold. Marco'sposition is highly cramped. } 13... Nbd7 14. Be3 c5 15. O-O-O { Securing his Kingand locking down the wedge at Q5 that is splitting Marco's position intwo. } 15... a6 16. f4 O-O 17. g4 { With Marco's King now locked into the K-side,Alapin prepares a Pawn-storming attack. } 17... Rad8 18. g5 Ne8 19. Be6+ { WithMarco's position bottled up and a powerful wedge at K6, Alapin proceedsto tighten the screws. } 19... Kh8 20. f5 b5 21. h4 { The Pawns proceed onwardagainst the denuded K-side. Marco can only look on helplessly. } 21... Nb6 22. b3 Ra8 23. Rh3 { Ignoring Marco's futile gesture on the Q-side, Alapin backsup his Pawns with the heavy artillery. } 23... b4 24. Ne4 a5 25. h5 { The Pawnsremoreselessly advance. [Cue 'Oh Fortuna' music in bacground...] } 25... a4 26. Kb1 axb3 27. cxb3 { Stopping Marco's 'counterattack' cold. } 27... h6 28. gxh6 Nf6 29. hxg7+ { Sweeping aside the flimsy Pawn shield. } 29... Kxg7 30. Rg3+ Kh8 31. Nxf6 { Systematically eliminating the defenders. } 31... Bxf6 32. Rg6 Bg7 33. Rdg1 { The battery has been formed on the open file. Marco could resignhere but drags out his struggles a few more moves. } 33... Ra7 34. h6 Bf6 35. Rg8+ { The final breakthrough begins. } 35... Rxg8 36. Rxg8+ Kh7 37. Rb8 { Swipingat the loose Knight. } 37... Nd7 38. Re8 e4 39. Bg8+ { Forcing Marco into the lineof a vicious discovery. } 39... Kh8 40. Bf7+ Kh7 41. Bg6# { Finis. } 1-0

[Event "Aggressive Plans"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "24-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "five_colours"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1490"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1504"] 1. e4 { Team Match, I play white and go for the open game. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { Ruy Lopez. } 3... a6 4. Ba4 { Morphy Defense, standard reply. } 4... Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 { 5. ... Nxe4 is the Open Defense, I play the standard reply. } 6... exd4 7. Re1 { 6. ... exd4 is the inferior Riga Variation. } 7... d5 8. Bg5 { 8.Nxd4 is good here, but I found this in the GK DB and thought it would befun too. Follows the 'don't move the same piece twice' opening principle. } 8... f6 9. Nxd4 { Beginning a little exchange variation that favors white. } 9... fxg5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bxc6+ { Forking the king and rook. } 11... Bd7 12. Qxd5 { Blackmight have expected Rxa8, but white has more aggressive plans. } 12... Bxc6 13. Rxe4+ { Check. } 13... Be7 14. Qxc6+ { Check again. } 14... Kf8 15. Nc3 { After all that,white is just a pawn ahead. But black's pawn structure is weakened on bothsides and white is leaps and bounds ahead in development. Well, maybe 1leap or 1 bound. 15. Nf3 develops a piece, but far more importantly, itguards against Qd1#. } 15... h5 16. Rd1 { Love those open files. } 16... Qe8 17. Qxc7 { Isolated, undefended, and evidently unloved. How could I let the littlefellow continue on, knowing how miserable he must have been? } 17... Rc8 18. Qa5 Qg6 19. Rde1 { Black's queen gets into the game, threatening a well-defendedrook, but also defending the pawn at a6. } 19... Re8 20. Re6 { I like a ! for thismove. Sure, it threatens the obvious capture on a6, but white would havegotten that pawn eventually. It also gives up the pawn on c2. The tradeseems to favor black (trading a supported white pawn for an isolated blackpawn). But the threat on a6 is only the obvious threat. } 20... Qxc2 21. Rxe7 { A nice little sacrifice. White attacked the bishop twice, but it was defendedtwice. While the black queen stood at g6, she defended e8, and this sacrificewould have failed. But she went gallivanting off to the far side of theboard, and now e8 is weak, and the sacrifice works. } 21... Rxe7 22. Qd8+ { 21.... Qg6 might hold the position a little longer than 21. ... Rxe7, butblack was pretty much doomed either way: 21. ... Qg6 22. Rxe8 Qxe8 23.Rxe8 Kxe8 24. Qc7 Rh6 25. Nd5 Re6 26. Qc8 Kf7 27. Qd7 Kf8 28. Qxe6 leaveswhite an easy endgame up by queen, knight, and pawn. At this point, whiteentered the final moves as conditional moves. } 22... Kf7 23. Rxe7+ Kf6 24. Qd6+ { A straightforward king-walk. } 24... Kf5 25. Re5+ { More king-walking. } 25... Kf4 26. Qd4+ { Black resigned rather than sacrifice his lovely bride with 26. ...Qe4, 27. Qxe4#. } 1-0

[Event "Quickplay walhalla 61"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "24-Aug-06"] [Round "-"] [White "bakerbaker"] [Black "ami07"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1643"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1493"] 1. e4 { I am White. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 { The Evans' Gambit.My idea is to drive the bishop to the unimportant b4 square, and play c3with tempo attacking it. } 4... Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 { Other moves allow me to playd4 with an overwhelming centre. } 6. O-O { Threatening to take over the centrewith d4. } 6... Nf6 7. Ng5 { Defends the pawn and threatens f7 } 7... O-O { 7...d5 isrisky because after exd5 Nxd5, I can sacrifice my knight with Nxf7 andthen play Qf3 check, forcing the king to expose itself on e6, giving Blackan uncomfortable position. } 8. f4 { I want to attack Black right away bytaking over the centre with d4. } 8... d6 9. d4 h6 { A terrible mistake. Blackshould've played Bb6, which activates his bishop and threatens my pawnat d4 which would be pinned to my king. With Black's extra pawn and counterplay,perhaps he could've won, but with this error, winning is highly unlikelyfor Black. } 10. dxe5 { Black probably assumed that I had to retreat my knight,but instead I open up the centre while counterattacking his knight. } 10... dxe5 11. Qxd8 { Is going to drive the rook away from the defense of f7, or willdrive the knight away from the defense of e5. Thus winning my pawn backthat I sacrificed in the opening, and giving Black a very uncomfortabledefensive position. } 11... Bb6+ 12. Kh1 Nxd8 13. fxe5 Nd7 14. Nxf7 { A temporarysacrifice } 14... Nxf7 15. e6 Nde5 16. exf7+ Kh8 { I win the knight back instantlyand come out a pawn up. } 17. Ba3 c5 { Black can't move his rook becauseof my promotion threat. } 18. Bd5 { My bishop is very strong on d5 becauseit cannot be threatened by any pieces. } 18... Rb8 19. c4 { Gives my knight a developingsquare. } 19... Bg4 { A pointless move, because his threat of Be2 can be easilycountered. } 20. Nc3 Bd7 21. Rad1 Kh7 22. Nb5 Bg4 23. Rde1 Rbd8 24. h3 Bh5 { A losing blunder. Black was losing anyway, but now it is much clearer. } 25. Rf5 { I am threatening both pieces at once. } 25... Nd3 26. Re3 { I am stillattacking both pieces. } 26... g6 27. Rxh5 { If I retreat my rook, then black'sknight escapes to b4 and I don't win any material. } 27... Nf2+ { Black tries tosave his knight } 28. Kg1 Nd1 { Still trying to save his knight. } 29. Rxh6+ { I am going to lose that rook anyway, so I might as well win a pawn withit. } 29... Kxh6 30. Rd3 { Black's knight is finally trapped, and I will have theadvantage since a bishop and knight (2 attacking forces) is usually betteragainst a lone rook (1 defensive force). } 30... a6 31. Bc1+ { My bishop needsto free the a3 square for my knight } 31... Kg7 32. Na3 Rxf7 { My bishop is pinned } 33. Rxd1 Rff8 34. Rf1 { Trading pieces is good for the side with more material. } 34... Rxf1+ { Black must trade or leave his rook for me to take it, otherwisemy rook will dominate the f-file } 35. Kxf1 Bc7 36. Bb2+ Kh7 37. e5 { Mypawn's path to promotion is clear, and it will promote soon. } 37... b5 38. e6 { I usually just ignore moves that don't interfere with my plans } 38... g5 39. cxb5 { Black can't take my bishop because I will play e7 and promote nextmove. } 39... Kg6 40. Be4+ { This move gets Black's king away from the action sothat it cannot stop my pawn } 40... Kh6 41. e7 Re8 42. Bf6 { Black is now hopelesslylost. There is no defense to my threat of Bc6. } 42... Bd6 43. Bc6 { Black resignedbecause he must trade his rook for my f6 bishop to stop the pawn, but thenI will play bxa6 and have yet another passed pawn ready to promote! } 1-0

[Event "41st GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "04-Feb-08"] [Round "-"] [White "pikket"] [Black "lq26"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1989"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1774"] 1. e4 { Continuing the oddly popular series entitled 'Pikket Loses Gamesof Chess to Stronger Opponents' here is my other game against lq26. Despiteplaying white I never even made it to the ending in this one... } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { The Petroff (which, as everyone knows, is great if Black justwants to, er, win). } 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 { Aiming to undermine the support for Black's central knight. } 8... c6 9. Re1 { Threatening to win a pawn with the exchange on e4, so: } 9... Re8 10. Nc3 { Threatening to win a pawn with the exchange on e4, so: (No,you're not going mad - I did just repeat my own annotation for two differentmoves. It's called unpoetic license). } 10... Nxc3 { Black blinks first. } 11. bxc3 Rxe1+ 12. Qxe1 { A difficult position to assess. White has a smalledge in the form of control of the e-file and half-open b-file. Black'scompensation is his lack of structural weaknesses and a target in White'sweakened central pawns. } 12... h6 { Black wants to stop pieces entering his positionat e7, so he first prevents Bg5. } 13. Rb1 { Seizing the half-open file. } 13... b6 { Calmly limiting the White's rook's line of attack. This move does,however, invite White's next -- taking advantage of the new target on b6: } 14. a4 Be6 { Threatening to win a pawn with the exchange on c4, so: (Gosh,this writing lark's a doddle - I only had to change one letter for thatcomment :o) } 15. Qe2 { White defends, also strengthening firepower on thelight squares after a later cxd5. } 15... Nd7 { Black continues calmly to develophis pieces on their optimum squares (obviously placing the knight on itsother square, a6, would be disastrous - in view of cxd5, winning a piece) } 16. Be3 { Bd2 could have been considered as an alternative; keeping theQueen's line of sight down the e-file. } 16... Qf6 { With this, Black is gearingup to pin the knight on f3 with ...Bg4 and further wreck White's pawns. } 17. cxd5 cxd5 18. a5 { (?!) White has tidied up his central pawns and nowneeds to find an active plan. I decided upon this move, aiming to exchangeoff my isolated a-pawn and create a pawn weakness in Black's queenside. Given how the game continued 18.c4 (or a preparatory 18. Nd2 first) wouldhave been more circumspect. } 18... Rc8 { Ganging up on the backward c-pawn. } 19. axb6 { White has time to swap off his weak a-pawn since ...Rxc3 20. bxa7is obviously too dangerous for Black. } 19... Nxb6 { The correct recapture. Theknight is heading for c4 where White will probably have to exchange hisLSB for it. The isolated (but passed) a-pawn represents either a strengthor weakness for Black, depending on how you look at it. Black is slightlybetter now. } 20. Qc2 { Wanting to avoid the knight pin after ...Bg4 butbetter was probably: 20. Ra1 ..Bg4 21. Rxa7 .. Bxf3 22. Qxf3 .. Qxf3 23.gxf3 ..Rxc3 when White should probably hold the draw. } 20... Nc4 21. Bxc4 { Asforetold. } 21... Rxc4 22. Ra1 Bg4 { Offering his a-pawn in exchange for attackingchances again White's King. I would not have accepted the pawn exceptI had found an attractive attacking idea for White, based on a Rook checkon the back rank and the queen's attack on h7. } 23. Rxa7 { (!?) (With adeep breath) } 23... Bxf3 24. Ra8+ { White interposes this check to force the DSBback to f8. My idea was to offset Black's chances on the king side withmy threat to win the pinned Bf8 with Qa3 or Qb8 in a couple of moves'time. } 24... Bf8 { (Forced) } 25. gxf3 Qxf3 { I had thought this was a mistake,considering that there was no way for Black to meet White's threat of winningthe pinned Bishop - other than by going in for the perpetual check afterthe White queen moves (with ...Qd1 and ...Qg4 ), something I was perfectlycontent with given my positional difficulties. } 26. Qb2 { (??) A crucialmistake. Because I had missed Black's 26th move I did not consider theimportance of keeping my queen covering the d1 square. I thought it wasenough to be threatening either ...Qb8 or ...Qa3 next move. Qb3 wouldhave allowed both of these moves but also kept an eye on d1 (and therebyprevented Black's winning counter-attack). } 26... Rc6 { (!) Ouch! Black is goingto checkmate White long before he can capture the Bishop on f8 (the threatis, on say 27. Qa3, just ...Rg6 28. Bg5 ...Rxg5 29. Kf1 and ...Qd1 ). Now it can be seen that if White's queen was on b3 this combination wouldnot be possible. 27. Qb8 is a little better, allowing the Queen to backtrackto g3 to block the rook's check from g6 but the loss of his queen wouldstill be fatal in the long run. The best bet would have been just to acceptthe earlier mistake and play 27.Qb3 now. However without an attack onBlack's king, White is just a lot worse. Nothing is given by the sacrifice:27. Rxf8 after ...Kf8 28.Qb8 ..Ke7 29. Qb7 .. Kd6, there is no perpetual. Going from bad to worse, I conceived of a plan involving the sacrificeof my Bishop to block the g-file: } 27. h4 { Intending to meet ...Rg6 with28. Bg5 and hoping for 28...hxg5 29. h5 ... (rook moves) and then 30.Qb8, winning the f8 bishop at last, with some drawing chances. } 27... Rg6+ 28. Bg5 hxg5 29. h5 { So far so good... Now, if I can juuuuust get Qb8 in... } 29... Re6 { Aah. (That would be the '...rook moves...' bit of my analysis... I was expecting ...Rh6). Now, of course, 30 Qb8 is met with ...Re1 andmate next move with ...Rh1 . So, faced with huge loss of material aftersomething like 30. Qa1 ...Re2 31. Qf1 ..Re4 (threat Rg4 ) 32. Qg2 ..Re1 33. Kh2 .. Qxh5 34.Qh3 .. Rh1! (netting the queen), White resigns. A game that shows how much the little things count - the difference between26 Qb2 and 26. Qb3 is only one square but probably cost the whole point. Hope you enjoyed the notes, oao - Pikket } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "17-Sep-06"] [Round "-"] [White "larryslade"] [Black "amnesia7"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1189"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1187"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 { Interesting so far. F4 is actually a pretty bad move usuallybut if he can clutter up the centre with his pawns and knights (which hedoes very well) he may live to tell the tale. } 2... exf4 { Obvious move. Thisis a King's gambit accepted, supposedly an 'antiquated' opening. Apparentlynot. } 3. Nf3 { On my database, this move is played 8 times out of 10. Whywould anyone play anything else? } 3... Nf6 { At this point my computer claimsthat g6,d6 or d5, not nf6 are the best moves.Interesting. } 4. Nc3 { Correctmove here is definitely e5 but nc3 is the next best thing. } 4... Bc5 { Developing. } 5. d4 { My Computer is half for and half against. 2 lines say i'm losing2, say i'm winning. } 5... Bb4 6. Bd3 { This stops 6. ... Nxe4, because the knightcannot retake due to it being pinned to the king. } 6... O-O 7. Bxf4 d5 { ! Thismove wins a piece and destroys white's position. He just doesn't know ityet. } 8. O-O { This does make the positional damage slightly less painfulbut perhaps he should have concentrated on his E pawn? } 8... Bxc3 9. bxc3 dxe4 { This beautiful move is the reason why i played d5. White resigns because,like I said, he is a piece down and his position shattered. } 0-1

[Event "Score one for little brother"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Brother"] [Black "Hellion"] [Result "1-0"] { This time my kid bro got the best of me. He navigated a complex end gamebetter than I did and scored a well-earned victory. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nc4 { The first deviation from 'book'. I was expecting theusual retreat of N-KB3. } 4... Nxe4 { I play the book move and recapture the Pawn. } 5. d3 Nf6 6. Qe2+ { This move blocks my bro's K-side development, lockingin the KB. } 6... Be7 7. g3 Bg4 { Instead of castling at once, I aim to provokea weakness in my bro's K-side. I anticipate he'll fianchetto his B andcastle there. } 8. f3 Be6 { Having induced a Pawn weakness, I retreat myB to the square I intended to place it on all along. } 9. Nc3 O-O { Now Ineed to finish my Q-side development. } 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. O-O-O { With hisK-side weakened, my brother wisely chooses to castle on the Q-side. } 11... Nd4 12. Qe3 c5 { I now have my Knight situated on a solidified central outpost. } 13. Ne4 { My brother wants an equally good outpost for his own Knight... } 13... Nxe4 { ...which I of course prevent... } 14. Qxe4 { ...but he ends up witha beautifully centralized Queen. } 14... b5 { I aim to drive his Knight... } 15. Ba5 { ...but he counterattacks instead of retreating. } 15... Bf5 { I plunged intothe complications without fully calculating them, figuring I could finda way to come out ahead. However, my confidence was misplaced. } 16. Bxd8 { The tactical sequence is initiated. } 16... Bxe4 { This response is forced. } 17. Bxe7 { I had figured on 17 QPxB BxB, keeping the material even. This moveshocked me. } 17... Bxf3 { With my Rook under attack, this move is forced. } 18. Bxf8 { With two pieces en prise, my brother cannot maintain the advantageof a piece. However, he will emerge a Pawn ahaead in the ensuing endgame. } 18... Bxh1 { Now I have to be careful not to have this Bishop trapped. } 19. Bxd6 { The move that ends up giving my brother the advantage he needs to win. } 19... bxc4 20. Bxc5 { Now he is ahead a Pawn in a position where that advantagehas significance. } 20... Nf3 { If now 21 PxP, 21... NxP and I remain only a singlePawn behind. } 21. h3 cxd3 22. Bxd3 { With my King behind the wall of Pawns,i have to be alert for the possibility of a back rank mate. My Rook muststay on the first rank for the moment. } 22... Bg2 23. Be4 Re8 24. Bxf3 { My brotherchooses to simplify further. While this accentuates the Pawn edge, I domaintain some drawing chances because of the opposite colored Bishops. } 24... Bxf3 25. Rg1 Bd5 26. Bxa7 Bxa2 { The more Pawns come off the board, thebetter my chances of salvaging a draw. } 27. c3 { If he had played P-N3,I would have been forced to play ...R-R1 to save my B. } 27... Bb3 { Instead, I'mable to effectively immobilise his Q-side Pawns with this move. } 28. Bd4 Re2 { Now his King is confined to the first rank. I considered playing ...P-R3here, to be followed by ...P-B3 and shifting my K back and forth on thewhite squares, but rejected the plan as too limiting. In retrospect, itmay well have been best to force my bro to try to make progress with hisKing trapped behind the lines. } 29. h4 f5 { Neglecting the first rule ofendgames: the player with a disadvantage should keep the game closed, notopen it up. } 30. g4 f4 { Creating a passed Pawn, but it proves useless. } 31. Rf1 Rh2 { Intending ...RxP in response to RxP. } 32. h5 g6 { Now anticipating33 RxP PxP 34 PxP RxP. } 33. hxg6 { With this alteration in move order, mybrother takes a commanding 2 Pawn lead in material. } 33... hxg6 34. Rxf4 { I couldeasily resign now, but with OCB's still on the board, I decide to fighton a bit longer. } 34... Rg2 35. Be3 Be6 { Another mistake. Now his Q-side Pawnsare free to advance. } 36. Rf6 Bf7 37. g5 Re2 38. Bd4 Re6 { Now I free hisKing, and it's just a matter of time and technique. } 39. b4 Re7 40. Kc2 Kh7 41. Kd3 Be6 42. b5 Bf5+ 43. Kc4 Rc7+ { Still hoping to force an errorand win back at least one Pawn in a position where I could salvage a draw. } 44. Kb4 Bd3 45. Ka5 Rd7 46. b6 Be4 { Trying to prevent the Pawn from forcingits way through. } 47. Re6 Bb7 48. c4 Rxd4 49. Re7+ Kg8 50. Rxb7 { With theremoval of the OCB's, it's all over but the shouting. } 50... Rxc4 51. Rb8+ Kf7 52. b7 Rc7 53. Kb6 { My king can't get to the Q-side in time to stop thePawn from Queening. So I resign. Not my best played game. Well done, bro,for exploiting my mistakes and getting a win! } 1-0

[Event "128th GK tournament. A weakened center"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "laslandes"] [Black "kenderfender"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1886"] [TimeControl "3d"] [WhiteElo "1962"] { The main reason I'm posting this game is that I found it to be a veryinstructive one in showing how to exploit a weakness in the opposite center.It was the my first game against my rival during the Tournament and hewas able to dispatch me in less than 13 moves! Way to punish a grave mistake:for those of you trying to learn from experience, see how ugly a game getswhen you don't follow the rules of development properly. } 1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 { Trying to avoid the most classical (and safer) French defence lines,allowing for a change of gears in case white decides to advance on d5. } 3. Nf3 cxd4 { Instead of going for a 'frenchier' approach with 3...d5. Nowit is transformed into a Sicilian (no idea of the variant) } 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Bb4 { I don't think this is good at this time. It is played on theFrench lines but I don't remember being a common option during the Sicilianopening phase. 5...Bc5 or Be7 seemed (now, to me) more adequate. also,a6 is played very often here to avoid the next move, that white, wisely,uses to his advantage. } 6. Nb5 { This is also common if a6 has not beenplayed. See now that the weakness on d6 starts to be clearer and clearer. } 6... a6 { ? Just helping white with his plan. d5 was a must, even when that pawnmight look like a weak one. } 7. Nd6+ Kf8 { Thinking that maybe later I cando something about that N there. Did not see much better chances afterthe exchange on d6. White has achieved a clear superiority in just 7 moves!This shows how important is to know not only the openings theory but alsothe concepts of development, including the center. } 8. a3 { White now hasjust to start reinforcing d6 and then throw all the firepower onto theundeveloped BK flank. } 8... Bxc3+ { This at least creates a weakened pawn flank.Not enough compensation though. } 9. bxc3 Qf6 { Trying to trick my opponentinto 10.Nxc8, Rxc8; 11.Qxd7 and 11...Qxc3+, but at this level, small chancesto get that bluff reaching a safe port. An alternative 9...e5 doesn't seemto alleviate things more. } 10. Qd3 Nge7 11. Be2 Ng6 { Several N moves thatlead to nothing. I cant even try things like h5. Notice that Bc8 is trappedfor a long time, pretty useless there. White has no need to change itssituation there. } 12. O-O Nge5 13. Qg3 { White is now threatening so manythings, and you can foresee several winning plans here that I just threwthe towel off. Things like 14.Bg5, or h4 to get the bishop onto a3, orelse f4 with e5 were just too much for me, so I tried to focus on the restof the games of this round. Hope some of you have learned a lesson: developproperly and do not leave your center exposed to an attack early in thegame, it will mostly cost you the game! Nicely played by laslandes! } 1-0

[Event "Metzger Winter Classic Round 3 "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Rhusha Siniqee"] [Black "Phillip Vianna"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "unr"] [TimeControl "45 min"] [WhiteElo "unr"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 { Open sicilian } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Nc3 a6 { preventing the annoying pin on c3 knight. } 7. O-O e5 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Be3 Bb7 10. Re1 Be7 11. Qd2 c5 12. Bg5 Qb6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. Bxd5 Rb8 16. b3 O-O 17. Rad1 h6 18. Bc4 Bg5 { Not a great move, If Qxd6white wins a pawn. } 19. Qd3 Rfd8 20. Bxa6 { Exchange of a-pawns. } 20... Ra8 21. Bc4 Rxa2 22. b4 Raa8 23. bxc5 Qxc5 24. Bd5 Rac8 25. Qf3 Bf6 26. Qh5 Rd7 27. Qf5 Ra7 28. Bb3 Bd8 29. Re3 Qd4 { Bait. If Rxd4, then Ra1+ after whiteblocks with his rooks, it is mate. } 30. c3 { Bad move. Gives up a free pawn. } 30... Rxc3 31. Rxc3 Qxc3 32. Qxf7+ { Big Blunder. Gives up a queen and a bishopfor a rook and a pawn. } 32... Rxf7 33. Bxf7+ Kxf7 34. g3 Qf3 35. Rxd6 Be7 36. Rd5 Qxe4 37. Rd7 Ke6 38. Rd1 Bc5 { Getthing the f-pawn on a diagonal. Couldlead to complications for white. } 39. Kf1 { Bad move, jeopardizes the whitepawns after Qh1+. } 39... Qh1+ 40. Ke2 Qxh2 41. Kf3 { Another bad move. Givesup the f-pawn for free. } 41... Qxf2+ 42. Kg4 { Yet another blunder. Gives upthe rook for nothing after Qe2+. } 42... Qe2+ 43. Kh4 Qxd1 44. g4 Be7+ 45. Kh5 Qh1+ 46. Kg6 Qg1 47. Kxg7 Qxg4+ 48. Kxh6 Bf8+ 49. Kh7 Qg5 { Could have endedthe game here, however the result will not change due to a missed checkmate.Black is too far ahead. } 50. Kh8 Kf7 51. Kh7 Qg7# 0-1

[Event "Accelerated Dragon 7.Bc4 variation"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "01-Apr-08"] [Round "-"] [White "quillo"] [Black "richard_pitts"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1914"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1856"] 1. e4 c5 { A recent trend for me: I have played Maroczy bind positions against1. c4 for a while but have never really played 1...c5. I like Maroczy bindpositions but don't really know any theory although I seem to have a goodfeel for the positions so I'm not sure it matters. } 2. Nf3 g6 { Designedto avoid the Rossolimo variation of which I know nothing. } 3. d4 { 3. c3!?was also possible giving rise to an alapin position-type. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 { 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 is the critical line according to Casten and Heine Neilson'sbook on the Accelerated Dragon. } 4... Bg7 5. Nc3 { 5.c4 is of course, the MaroczyBind. The move played is more combative. } 5... Nc6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 { 7. Be2O-O 8. O-O d5! 9. ed Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5! is an interesting pawn sacrifice. } 7... O-O { 7...Qa5 is the other main move which is not nearly as passive as somesources claim. } 8. Bb3 { 8.f3? Qb6! is a trap Fischer once fell into. 8...d5!?is also worth a look. } 8... a5 { Aiming to swap the a-pawn for the e-pawn. Thethreat of ...a5-a4-a3 with pressure on the queenside dark squares is amajor strategic theme in this line, as is dark-square counterplay in allvariations of the accelerated dragon. 8...d6 9. f3 Bd7 and now 10.h4!?(10. Qd2 is a full-blown Dragon) is a sharp alternative to the Dragon mainlines. } 9. f3 { 9.a4 Ng4 is a drawish variation. 9.O-O!? a4 10. Nxa4 Nxe4is murky and is what I'd least like to face as Black. } 9... d5 { The only consistentmove - Black generally aims to get this in without the need for a preliminary...d7-d6. } 10. Bxd5 { 10. exd5 Nb4 11. Nde2 a4 12. Nxa4 Bf5 or 12...e6 aresupposed to be fine for Black, but things are sharper than at first glance.Interesting is how many unfashionable lines there are with possibilitieshere. } 10... Nxd5 11. exd5 Nb4 { Simultaneously aiming at c2 and d5. } 12. Nde2 Bf5 { Training another piece on c2. } 13. Rc1 b5 { Black gets his queen-sidecounterplay going. } 14. a3 { !? Generally considered a safe line, but itcan get very interesting. 14 O-O is the sharpest line although I think14...Nxc2 is fine with similar play to the other lines. } 14... Nxc2+ 15. Rxc2 Bxc2 16. Qxc2 b4 { Noteworthy is how fast the queen-side pawns have moveddown the board and how potentially threatening the dark-squared bishopon g7 is in tandem with them. If black gets time to activate his rooks,white will be in trouble. } 17. Nb5 { ? This has a nasty flaw as is subsequentlydemonstrated 17. Na4 Qxd5 18. Nb6 Qe6 and now 19. Kf2 (19. Nxa8 Qxe3 20.Nc7 and either 20...Bd4!? or 20...Rc8 give Black ample compensation) 19...Rab8is a balanced endgame where both sides must be very careful. } 17... Qxd5 18. Nc7 { ?? This just leads to a lost game } 18... Rfc8 { ! After the ensuing exchanges,black winds up in a dominating position. } 19. Nxd5 Rxc2 20. axb4 axb4 21. Kf2 Rxb2 { Black now has a huge positional plus whereas white's pieces arepoorly co-ordinated. } 22. Nxe7+ { It's hard to see what else. } 22... Kf8 23. Nd5 Raa2 { The b4 passed pawn and connected rooks on the 7th rank along withthe bishop controlling the a1-h8 diagonal mean black is winning despitethe notional material balance. Black's dark-square domination is a themeof many successful accelerated dragon games. } 24. Re1 b3 { Priming a trap } 25. Bc1 Rc2 26. Nb4 Rc4 27. Nxa2 { ? This shorten's white's resistance.27. Nd3 was essential. White cannot stop the a-pawn. } 27... bxa2 28. Ba3+ Kg8 29. Nc1 Bd4+ { Stopping any back-rank threats in their tracks. } 30. Kg3 a1=Q 31. Re8+ { This is just a spite check which goes nowhere. } 31... Kg7 32. Bf8+ Kf6 { White is well and truly busted. } 0-1

[Event "Punishing careless opening play"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.08.06"] [Round "-"] [White "fcopeland2"] [Black "cplusplus11"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1712"] [WhiteElo "1481"] { All questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome. } 1. e4 d5 { Thisgame was in a Scandinavian Defense mini-tournament. } 2. exd5 Qxd5 { Themain line. } 3. d3 { ?! Not a book move and very passive, blocking thelight squared bishop. More common is 3.Nc3. } 3... e5 { Taking control of thecenter. } 4. a3 { ? Wastes a tempo. ...Bb4+ is not a threat here. } 4... Nc6 { Continuing with development. } 5. Nc3 Qe6 6. h3 { ? Another tempo waste. } 6... Nf6 7. Bg5 Be7 8. Bxf6 { ? Gives up the bishop pair for nothing. } 8... Bxf6 9. Qe2 { ? Blocks in the f1-bishop even further, and allows my next move. } 9... Nd4 { Violates the principle, 'Move every piece once before you move anypiece twice unless there is a tactic,' but this move does not lose a tempobecause white's queen is forced to move again and keep an eye on the c2square. My knight position improves, but white's queen position does not,so this is a free beneficial move. } 10. Qd2 Bd7 { Preparing queenside castling.I want my rook on the d-file. } 11. Nge2 { GK computer says this is an inaccuracybecause of 11...Bg5 12.Qd1 f5, but what if 12.Qxg5? Then 12...Nxc2+ winsa rook, but there likely would be tactical complications with open lineson the kingside and the a1 knight trying not to get trapped. I considered11...Bg5 but preferred a lead in development, pressure, active pieces,and the bishop pair to being up the Exchange with complications. } 11... O-O-O { Should I have played 11...Bg5? Is it better? } 12. O-O-O Rhe8 13. Kb1 { ?! Wastes a tempo in my opinion. I would have tried to get the f1 bishopout via g3, Rg1, and Bg2. } 13... Bc6 { This move turns the f1 bishop into a tallpawn on the 1st rank, and clears the path of the d8-rook. } 14. Nxd4 { Logicalmove, trades a 2nd rank knight for a 5th rank knight. } 14... Rxd4 { I recapturedthis way to make my rook more powerful. } 15. f3 { The f1 bishop is completelyuseless now. } 15... Red8 { Doubling rooks to increase the pressure on the d-file. } 16. Be2 h6 { Threatening 17...Bg5 then ...f5 and ripping open the center. } 17. Qe1 Bg5 { Unblocking the f-pawn to prepare ...f5 and an attack inthe center. } 18. Qf2 f5 { As planned. } 19. h4 Be7 { I changed plans andnow target white's king. } 20. g3 { Trying to restrain the kingside/centralattack. } 20... b5 { Pawn storm. My pieces' activity and open lines compared towhite's passivity and blocked pieces means that my king is safe while white'sking is not. } 21. Rhe1 b4 { Logical follow up. } 22. Na2 { ? Computer saysbest was 22.axb4 Bxb4 and only a small disadvantage for white. } 22... bxa3 { Rippingopen white's king shield. } 23. b3 a5 { The a-pawn prepares to advance andattack the weak b3-pawn. } 24. Bf1 a4 { Attacking. My advantage is 3.56pawns. } 25. b4 { ? Best was 25.Nc1. This costs white about 1 pawn worthaccording to the computer. } 25... Bxb4 { 26.c3 fails to 26...Qb3+. } 26. Ka1 { ?? Loses to the computer recommended next move. } 26... Bxe1 { ?? Logical move:attack the king, win material, simplify, then win the endgame. But betterwas 26...Qc4!! and 27.dxc4 loses so computer gives best play as 26...Qc427.Kb1 Bc3 28.dxc4 Rxd1+ 29.Nc1 Rxe1 30.Qxe1 Bxe1. } 27. Qxe1 { Loses thef3 pawn but it makes no difference already. } 27... Bxf3 28. Rb1 e4 { If 29.dxe4,then 29...Rd1! } 29. Qe3 Qf6 { Preparing a discovered check. } 30. Qe1 { ??30.c3 was much better according to computer. } 30... Rxd3+ 31. c3 Rd1 32. Qf2 { If 32.Rxd1 then 32...Rxd1+ wins a queen for a rook. } 32... Rxb1+ 33. Kxb1 Qb6+ { ?? 33...Rd1+ and mate in 12! But simplification is good enough to win. } 34. Qxb6 cxb6 35. Ba6+ Kc7 36. Nb4 { Opponent resigns. } 0-1

[Event "charleshiggie's Easter Training Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.01"] [Round "-"] [White "charleshiggie"] [Black "chrisforbes21"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1191"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2079"] 1. e4 { So I start with the usual } 1... e5 { He replies the same } 2. Nf3 { I dothe standard move } 2... d6 { He defends his e pawn in a slightly unusual way.Nc6 or Nf6 are more common. This should be playable though. } 3. d4 { SoI advance in the centre. } 3... Bg4 { This relieves the attack on e5, but at thecost of giving up a bishop for a knight. exd4, Nf6 or Nd7 were better moves } 4. dxe5 { so I take on here. We are actually following a very famous game,Paul Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard 'A Night at the Opera' http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1233404 } 4... Bxf3 { He has to take the knight, or lose a pawn. If dxe5 instead, I canjust exchange queens and then take on e5. } 5. Qxf3 { So I take with thequeen, developing } 5... dxe5 { He takes back } 6. Bc4 { As played by Paul Morphy } 6... Nf6 { Still following the steps of Morphy } 7. Qb3 { With a double attackon f7 and b7. In the Morphy game, black played Qe7, preparing to meet Qxb7with Qb4+! and the queens come off. White would have the better ending,a pawn up. Morphy preferred to play Nc3 instead of taking on b7. } 7... Qd7 { Thisis inferior } 8. Qxb7 { Now he loses a rook. If Qc6? to try and hold therook, Bb5! wins the black queen. } 8... Nc6 { Gameknot post-match computer analysisgives this as a mistake, but black is already lost } 9. Qxa8+ { So I takethe rook } 9... Nd8 { Knight blocks the check } 10. O-O { I castle } 10... h5 { A mad attackon the king side. Gameknot suggest Bc5 as being better. } 11. Nc3 { So Idevelop } 11... h4 { At least he is consistent! } 12. Rd1 { I hit the queen } 12... Bd6 { He blocks } 13. Bg5 { I develop } 13... h3 { He continues with his plan. Unfortunatelythere is little to back up this pawn. } 14. Bb5 { Gameknot gives this asa blunder, resulting in a position which is 'only' plus 9.97, instead ofRxd6 with an advantage of plus 13.71 I am not sure it makes much difference. } 14... hxg2 { This is a blunder, but it is lost anyway. } 15. Bxd7+ { So I take } 15... Kxd7 { He takes back. } 16. Bxf6 { Might as well exchange pieces while I amahead. } 16... gxf6 { He takes back } 17. Nb5 { Aiming to exchange on d6 } 17... Rg8 { Thepawn finally gets some support, but it is too little too late. } 18. Nxd6 { Gameknot gives this as another blunder by me, and prefers Rxd6 } 18... Ne6 { Onelast effort, maybe I will not notice that move discovers an attack on thequeen. } 19. Qxg8 { Oh dear, I did notice. Black resigns. } 1-0

[Event "The purpose of moves"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Unknown"] [Black "waxx0r"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "Classic"] { This game, played by me at some local team championship, showed to methat how important is that when planning a move, always look after whateach move does - tactically: pinning, unpinning, checking, sacrificing,declining a sacrifice, checking, forking, skewering etc. - and also positionally:freeing a file, closing a file, developing, blocking, restricting enemydevelopment etc. AND after gone through ALL these, if possible, choosethe one that has the most upsides and the least downsides. Playing thisgame, I did, and despite playing very bad, against a stronger opponent,I managed to place some multipurpose moves, which I can show here. A sidenote: since I'm not a super GM please put 'I think' to the end of my eachsentence. That would be to much to type hehe... } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 { My opponentbeat me 2 years ago with 2. e3 because he did know I didn't have any openingknowledge. Sure this has changed! } 2... e6 3. Nc3 { But not too much... Oh sh*t,a Nimzo again. I always play the Queen's Indian to 1. d4 if I can and here3. ... b6 would run into 3. e4! and all my QID theory is gone since I can'tplay standard QID plans. } 3... Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 { My Nimzo knowledge is weak, soI started to rely on my 'multipurpose tactic' here. c5 (as later discoveredby me) is totally playable. It frees c6 for the Knight, attacks d4 (if5. dxc5 0-0 a3 Bxc5 7. Nf3 b6 8. Bf4 Bb7 is good for Black. Here the Nc3is pinned so 5. d5 loses a pawn to 5 ... exd5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 however hereis a possible line: 7. e4 Ne7 8. a3 Ba5 9. Be3 d6 10. Rd1 Qc7 11. Bf4 Bg412. Be2 Bxe2 13. Ngxe2 Nbc6 14. Bxd6 gives back the pawn. } 5. Nf3 { Anotherthing: always look what the opponent's move does and take advantage ofits downsides if possible. The move Nc3 is playable, because there arestill may transposition possibilities left but the main move here is dxc5according to the database. } 5... Nc6 { If 5. ...cxd4 6. Nxd4 , and I eventuallyhave to play Nc6, which White can take, simplifying the position, whichI don't want, since the simpler the position, the lower the possibilitiesin it. So Nc6, towards the center. Attacking d4 again, in fact threateningto capture it, and developing. My plan here was ready: to control the centerwith pieces and later push it in White's face. I always like to move piecesrather than pawns since I seek positions where I can develop pawns withtempo. } 6. e3 { As I said, look for the downside of enemy moves. This moveis too passive since it does nothing than freeing 2 (!) more squares toa bishop and defending a pawn which is attacked by a PAWn so they can captureeach other. Much better and more forcing here is 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. Bg5 (pinninga piece which controls some center squares and developing a piece). Ican play 6. ... d5 now, which is probably best, but that would lead tosome simplifying for example: 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 0-0 9. Bd3 Qc7 10. 0-0dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 12. Bd3 Re8 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. dxe5 Qxe5. } 6... Qb6 { (Out ofbook) Attacking d4 once more so that now White must do something aboutit. However now White has some edge with 7. a3 cxd4 8. exd4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3solving the pin on c3, simplifying and soon he can play Rb1 attacking myQueen with tempo. That would be bad for me... but to my fortune, he alsolikes to play moves in the center... whatever move that is. It seems thathe also don't know the Nimzo... but then why 3. Nc3? } 7. dxc5 Qxc5 { Whoops!I'm talking against myself... moving the queen twice and exposing her toa flank attack! Bxc5 is slightly better... but I don't like my mishop facingto a 'stonewall' of f2-e3... and to think further, what he can achievewith the flank attack? Nothing I think. So I play to his tempos. } 8. Bd2 { Freeing the c3-Knight form the pin - but look, where the bishop is? Andwhere can the other one go? Passive I think. Better was a3, forcing swapon c3. } 8... d5 { I planned e5 later (since that square is now defended by thequeen+knight by me) freeing the c8 bishop. But first I decided to get ridof the c4 pawn to create some threats of the undefended Queen: if now 9.cxd5 Nxd5 and the d5 Knight cannot be taken in view of the pin on c3 -and if he plays 10. e4 then simply 10. ... Nxc3 11. bxc3 and whoops, onemore 'pawn group', an isolated pawn - and the pin on c3 still stands. } 9. a3 { Finally forcing simlification. But the bishop already served itspurpose and can be swapped now (in fact Bxc3 is the only move here, hehehe) } 9... Bxc3 10. Qxc3 { In post mortem analysis my opponent said he feared from10. Bxc3 cxd4 losing a pawn. But if so, then he can play 11. Bxf6 gxf612. Bxc4 regaining the pawn with advantage: 12. ... b5 13. Bd3 Qxc2 swappingQueens. (and entering a disadvantageous middlegame for me...) } 10... O-O { Safetymove - and threatening Ne4 with tempo. } 11. b4 { Flank attacks are bestrefuted by exploding the center, which I did here. I did not fear fromsuch pawn pushes, since I already planned to move the Nc6 - after thatthe queenside would be just pawns facing each other. } 11... Qd6 { Facing the centerif he does not play c5... } 12. c5 { but he does. } 12... Qc7 { The position is alreadyequal. } 13. Bd3 e5 { Clearing the way to the c8 bishop and threatening anice pawn fork on e4. } 14. Be2 { Losing tempo, but he feared from e4. 14.b5 e4 15. bxc6 exf3 16. gxf3 d4 17. exd4 Re8+ 18. Kf1 Bh3+ 19. Kg1 bxc6is also bad for white - but still better than the text move. } 14... Ne4 { NowI have the initiative! This move is aimed to swap the d2 bishop (i don'tlike when the eney has the bishop pair...) } 15. Qc2 { Defends the Bd2. Hewanted to castle while having the Nf3 in place. I expected Qb2 anyway...but now I can play... } 15... Bf5 { Threatening Nxf2 gaining a pawn and some positionaladvantage and developing my last minor piece, connecting my rooks. Thecenter is mine; it's a matter of time before I push it to his face! } 16. Bd3 { Preventhing the threat of Nxf2... but really? I expected 16. Nh4 Be615. Nf3 gaining a tempo. } 16... Nxf2 { Losing all the hard-earned advantage...Now 17. Bxf5 Nxh1 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. Qf5 would be for White's advantage. } 17. Kxf2 { He wanted to keep the rook... Now Bxd3 18. Qxd3 e4 19. Qxd5 exf320. Qxf3 Ne5 21. Qg3 f5 22. Kg1 is equal... } 17... e4 { I really thought I canwin back a piece here. Only after making the move, I realyzed that if theBishop moves then e4 is pinned to the f5 bishop so if exf3 then Qxf5. Wellyeah, that was a HUGE error by me... but in real life chess there are somepsychological reasons. I was facing a better, much older player, was extremelyhungry and the my 10-man team was losing by 5-0 based on the already finishedgames. I stood up here knowing that I'm losing, I don't wanted my opponentto see my face... } 18. Be2 { And indeed he moves his bishop...to the ONLYplace that he loses!!! Heaven and hell in one minute, isn't it? } 18... exf3 19. Qxf5 fxe2 20. Kxe2 { Bc3 is worth considering since te pawn on e2 is alreadylost. } 20... d4 { I only have some positional advantage here. His king was indanger and I wanted to attack him as fast as I can, laying some traps inthe way. Here of course exd4 loses to Nxc4+ getting the Queen for nothing.However Rfe8 was better, planning Re6, but my plan was some kind of Rad8- d3+ and trying to promote the pawn or just supporting the attack withit. } 21. Qf4 { Threatening Queen swap which would help him a lot. } 21... Qd7 { 'Youwon't get my Queen!' Supports d4 and moves away from the swap. } 22. Kf2 { Stepping away from a possible pin on the e-file. Good. } 22... Rfe8 23. Rhe1 { Best, since exd4 would hand the file over to Black and d4 for the Knight. } 23... Re6 { Ne5 threatening Nd3+ would have been better.In fact it would havewon... } 24. Kg1 { He really thought (as he said) I will double on the e-file... } 24... Rf6 { 'No way, at first I wnat some more free space!' Attack the queen andgets half of the f-file. Also kingd of lock in the King. If for example25. Qh4 then dxe3 and he must take with the bishop since it hangs. } 25. Qg3 { He decides to defend his weak point instead. Now I switched my planof attacking the King instead of promoting the pawn. However 25. Qe4 d326. b5 Nd8 27. Bc3 Rg6 would have been equal... Sure he felt he has todefend and not counterattack first. This means, by bad but dangerous-lookingmoves, I gained the psychological advantage. } 25... Re8 { 'Developing' the lastpiece. See that Queenside? Nothing here, just and undeveloped rook andsome pawns, pushed forward for nothing. With this move I planned dxe3 whichhe could take with only the bishop... I did not see 25. ... Rg6 26. Qf2Ne5 27. exd4 Nd3! } 26. b5 { Want to chase away my Knight to a dominatingsquare, leaving a hanging pawn? Well, here you go... } 26... Ne5 { Attacks b5,threatens to enter d3 with tempo. } 27. exd4 Nf3+ { Whoops! Everyone at thepost mortem analysis, including our 2300ish player from the first table,(I play at the 6th table) thought that this wins at least a piece. In factwe all overlooked 28. gxf3 Rg6 29. Rxe8+ Qxe8 30. Bg5!!! winning for White.At least this was frightening, so he decided to move away the King instead. } 28. Kh1 Nxe1 { Collecting my prize... He can only take with the Rook becauseif Bxe1 then Rf1 mate and taking with the Queen... Do I really need toexplain that? } 29. Rxe1 Rxe1+ { CAn only take with teh Queen... and herecomes a shot.. } 30. Qxe1 Qxb5 { Taking a pawn, still defending from Qe8+and threatening mate in 2 with Rf1+. I1m a little bit proud of this move,although I only seen it when I played Nf3+. Game is over now, however Iwas a litte bit exhausted and thought that I need to deal with the connectedpawns. I was wrong... } 31. Kg1 { Defending f1. } 31... Re6 { Defending e8 with tempo. } 32. Qf1 Qb2 { Attacking a3, d2 and d2 at the same time. Another move thatI'm proud of. I feel kind of satisfaction when I play these kind of moves(although Qa4 was better...) } 33. Qf4 { Defending the guys on the d-fileand creating an 1-move mate threat. } 33... h6 { I refrained myself from g6 beccausehe had a dark-square bishop, and also form f6 because if Qb8+Kf6 then theQueen is pinned to the defense of the b+pawn. } 34. d5 { Here Qb8+ Kh7 andthen Qxa7 or simply Qf4 back is possible, but he also thought that hispawns are dangerous... He also really thought that I will play Re8 stoppingQb8+, but then why was h6? Istead I put it him in a more active place... } 34... Re2 { ...which wins quickly. } 35. Bc1 { He thought that I will, just retreatwith my Queen... No way! } 35... Re1+ { Mate in 3! (36. Qf1 Qd4+ 37. Be3 Qxe3+38. Kh1 Rxf1+) White gave up. (As a side note, I would say thet here Iwas so excited about the win and exhausted and nervous that I only seenthat he plays Kf2 (lol) and then I play Rxc5 (lol!!!) winning the c5-pawn(lol!!!) Hope my annotations were correct, entertaining and first of all,useful. Feel free to comment it, I would really appreciate some feedback. } 0-1

[Event "bodejax's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.15"] [Round "-"] [White "eddlad"] [Black "chizzo83"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1737"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1607"] 1. e4 { I played in the mini-tournament of bodejax. A game that proved to be very complicated to understand throughout, I obtained no effective plan until I had already consumed good part of the game. I followed a book of openings until the move 12. I accept any recommendation about the same. } 1... c5 { Defensa siciliana, movilizando primero el flanco dama sobre el centro. } 2. Nf3 { La alternativa principal, preparando un eventual d4. } 2... d6 { La únicavariante que elijo. 2 Cc6 y 2 e6 son las alternativas principales, perono las únicas (2 g6, 2 Cf6, 2 a6) } 3. Bb5+ { Ataque Rossollimo, interesantepara limitar la movilidad del negro en el flanco dama, pero a su vez, elalfil de casillas blancas es una pieza importante para el blanco. } 3... Bd7 { 3... Cc6 permite llegar a las blancas a una estructura similar a una aperturaespañola y 3 ... Cd7 permite e5. } 4. Bxd7+ { No forced, but consistent with the previous move. Other alternatives are 4 Cc3, which loses a little bit of time, 4 De2 or 4 a4. } 4... Qxd7 { Más flexible que tomar de caballo. } 5. c4 { Consolidaciónde d5, con una conformación tipo Maroczy, a primera vista más favorablea las blancas que en variantes como Paulsen, por el cambio del alfil rey,pero solo a primera vista. El peón en c5 traba la movilidad del centroy del flanco dama blanco, a diferencia de las estructuras tradicionales. } 5... Nc6 { White wins a pawn, but at the cost of allowing an easy development for black, which is synonymous with danger. } 6. Nc3 { Presionando elagujero momentáneo de d5. } 6... Nf6 { Now, from the king's side, let there be common development. } 7. O-O g6 { Alfil por fianchetto para responder tranquilo a d4 y preparandoel enroque tranquilo. Un plan de las blancas muy factible es el avancede peón f y hay que prestarle atención. } 8. d4 { White made a timely sacrifice of several flexible plans. To prepare the advance on the kingside with Tb1, a3, b4, perhaps with Ae3 or Ad2, or on the queenside, as mentioned. Black is limited to wait and react to the white sacrifice. } 8... cxd4 { A typical Sicilian move, the pawn on c4 is exposed to attack from the tower in the future, but the d4 square is accessible to a piece and with it, a central domination. } 9. Nxd4 Bg7 10. Nde2 { The knight made a flexible move, by removing the horse from the lightning strike, without revealing the plans in advance. } 10... O-O 11. f3 { Centralizing the people, avoiding a bothersome Cg4 response to Ae3. It is desperate to expect an attack on the queen's side now. } 11... a6 { Movida profiláctica frenteal avance en el flanco dama, para colocar una torre en b8 y la otra enb8, junto con b5, deteniendo el avance en ese flanco. } 12. a4 { I think there is a positional error, now the blacks are calmly stopping the advance on that flank. Since they cannot play b4 now, the piece on f6 is accessible, of course, it has to take away the debris. } 12... e6 { Before moving the knight to f6, it is advisable to prepare the castle with Cd5. This leaves the pawn on d6 weakened. } 13. Bg5 { Evita el plan negro, pero el alfil es pieza valiosa teniendolos peones centrales en color distinto a dicha pieza. } 13... Qc7 14. Kh1 { Laamenaza Db6+ y Dxb2 era inocua. Pero un posible jaque en otro momento puededesembarazar una posición compleja para el negro } 14... Nd7 { Following the plan. A simple but effective move to improve the activity of the pieces. } 15. Rb1 { Are you preparing for everyone else anyway? A bit slow, clearly. } 15... Rac8 { Now, it is 16 b4 Cce5. } 16. b3 { Consolidando c4. } 16... Nc5 { Incentivando b4. } 17. Bh4 { I don't understand this move, probably it was better to play either Dd2 or Dc1. } 17... Rfe8 { White's first move was a mistake, and then their second move (22) falls like a sword of Damocles. } 18. Qc1 Qb6 { Another senseless move. Both players lose the positional thread. } 19. Qc2 { ¿Permitir el próximo dominio de lacasilla d3? } 19... Nb4 20. Qd2 Ncd3 { It is a beautiful sensation to place a horse in such a position, but perhaps it would be better to delay this movement and maintain the pressure. } 21. Nc1 { The horse on d3 bothers him, the move that shows that 20 Ccd3 was lost time, as changing it for the horse on c1 is a positional mistake. } 21... Ne5 22. Bf2 { Error claro,la casilla d8 era fielmente controlada. } 22... Qd8 { This appears strong, preparing d5, which is tempting with the initiative-taking move. However, better was Dc7, exchanging dark-squared bishops on the d-file. } 23. N3a2 { The whites feel cramped and are trying to change. To the blacks, I doubt that they will agree to the changes, but I think they should maintain the pressure. } 23... Nbc6 { Evitando cambios y presionando en d4-b4, másno resulta simple ver como evaluar la posición, ya que ambos bandos luegode tantos errores no tienen un plan definido } 24. Ne2 { Time loss. Td1 would allow to press d6 effectively, exploiting the mistake of the move 22. } 24... Re7 { Finally, taking activity in the central column. } 25. f4 { Why not move the knight to (whichever) square? } 25... Ng4 26. Bg3 { Watching the weak pawn on d6, perhaps it would have been better to play Ah4 and bring the knight to f6, if Ag3. } 26... Rd7 { I do not exaggerate if I say that the blacks now have an advantage. } 27. h3 { You can reinforce the d5 square without losing any time. } 27... Nf6 28. Nac3 d5 { It is a relief to be able to play this. } 29. exd5 exd5 30. cxd5 Nxd5 31. Nxd5 Rxd5 32. Qe1 Rd2 { The black pieces have a slight pressure in the center and more active pieces. But the resulting final outcome of the upcoming changes is not easy to handle. } 33. Rd1 { Liberándose de la presión } 33... Rxd1 34. Qxd1 Qxd1 35. Rxd1 Na5 { Ya cuando en la primer jugada del finalse comete un error así, difícil sentirse seguro de enderezar el rumbo.Te8 era una opción, y si se movilizaba el caballo en d2, Te3 atacando g3y b3. } 36. Rd3 h5 { He aquí para corregir el anterior error. A 36 ... Tc237 Ae1 tomando la iniciativa por amenazas contra el rey negro } 37. Be1 Nc6 38. Bc3 { Ahora el final está igualado } 38... Bxc3 39. Rxc3 { I believe the best move was a horse. And this move allows blacks to take the initiative back again. } 39... Re8 { Clearly, the horse does not have any squares where it can be placed (Cg3 h4). } 40. Rc2 Re3 { Accomplishing a greater activity of the tower. } 41. Nc3 { The move resulted in a very passive game, certainly. But perhaps it was the best option. } 41... Nd4 { Winning at least one pawn, now. } 42. Nd5 { Claro error de cálculo } 42... Nxc2 { Final ganado sencillamente. } 43. Nxe3 Nxe3 44. Kg1 Kf8 45. Kf2 Nc2 46. Kg3 { It is not a good square for the king, perhaps better is Rf3. } 46... Ke7 47. Kf2 f5 { Jugué esto para evitar cambiosde peones, ya que favorecen al bando débil. } 48. g4 { Pierde un peón } 48... fxg4 49. hxg4 hxg4 50. a5 { If 50...Rg3 51.Rf2 Cf5, ensuring the passed pawn. } 50... Kf6 51. Kg3 Kf5 { Now it is not necessary to help the horse. Whitescale. } 0-1

[Event "Tuesday December 2, 2008"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Tim"] [Black "Jim"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "Black"] [TimeControl "20 minute game"] [WhiteElo "White"] 1. e4 { My comments are from Black's point of view, so it might be helpfulto 'flip the board' so that Black is on the bottom. Tim starts every gamewith e4. It's a strong first move since it takes control of the centerand opens the diagonals for his Queen and light squared Bishop. } 1... Nf6 { Thisis a good first move for Black, as it attacks Tim's pawn on e4 and stakesa claim to the d5 square. Tim will either protect his pawn with anotherpawn or more likely with his Knight (w/ Nc3). He can also push his pawnforward to e5, threatening your Knight. } 2. Nc3 { Protecting w/ his Knight. } 2... Nc6 { Jim develops his second Knight, which stakes a claim to the e5,d4, and b4 squares. It sets up nicely for his next move, which shouldbe to push his pawn to e5. Nice job following the general rule that says: Develop your Knights before your Bishops. } 3. Nf3 { Tim also followsthe rule, developing his second Knight. Looking at Tim's development,he controls 5 central squares with his two Knights and one pawn: b5, d5,e5, f5 and g5. Picture perfect. } 3... d6 { This move releases the light squaredBishop and claims control over the c5 and e5 squares. A slightly bettermove (the move I would have played) is pushing your pawn to e5, but I mightbe splitting hairs. } 4. Bb5 { This is a signature move by Tim. His Bishopis pinning the Black Knight to it's King, meaning you can't move the Knightbecause you'd be in check ( ). is the symbol for check. Tim did thissame move in the game vs Putz that I commented on. } 4... a6 { I view this asa wasted move. Putz did the same thing, if you go back and look at thatgame. As I said then, on Tim's next move, he will take your Knight (noworries, because your Knight is protected so it's an even trade, but Tim'sgoal is to mess-up your pawn structure, giving you doubled pawns, as shownon your 5th move. The best move here is to move your Bishop to the d7square (Bd7) because it breaks the pin, prevents the double pawns and developsyour Knight. Compare that to what you've accomplished with a6. So whenTim takes your Knight, you just take his Bishop with your Bishop. } 5. Bxc6+ { Making the Knight Bishop trade. } 5... bxc6 { Completing the trade. Nowyou have doubled pawns (which isn't always bad, but it can be). } 6. e5 { This is why I recommended playing e5 back on move 3, because it wouldhave prevented this move by Tim. It's an even trade, pawn for pawn, butyou'll have his Knight sitting menacingly in your territory. } 6... dxe5 7. Nxe5 Qd6 { Good move. Let's get that Knight outta there. } 8. d4 { Protectingthe Knight } 8... Nd5 { Decent move. Another option here instead of moving theKnight is Bg4 which attacks Tim's Queen. Your Bishop on g4 would havebeen protected by your Knight on f6. I like this move instead becauseit forces Tim to move his Queen, develops your Bishop and clears the wayto Castle long (0-0-0) which would put your Rook on the d file. Just athought. } 9. O-O { Tim Castles short (0-0) getting his King to safety. } 9... c5 { Good move...aggressive. } 10. Nxd5 { Trading Knights. } 10... Qxd5 11. dxc5 { Tim let's Jim decide if they will play the remainder of the game w/ orw/o Queens. Take a close look here, because this is a mistake by Tim. A blunder. Why? Because Jim can take Tim's Knight with his Queen, givingJim a material advantage. If Jim did this, he'd have 2 Rooks, 2 Bishopsand a Queen. Tim would have 2 Rooks, 1 Bishop and a Queen. AdvantageJim. } 11... Qxd1 { But Jim missed it and traded Queens. With this move, Jimhas 2 Rooks and 2 Bishops. Tim has 2 Rooks, 1 Bishop and 1 Knight. Evenmaterial-wise; for the major and minor pieces. Tim has slight advantagebecause he has an extra pawn. } 12. Rxd1 Bb7 13. Bg5 { Is Tim planning anattack on Jim's King using his Bishop, Knight and Rook? } 13... Rd8 14. Bf4 { Changeof plans, Tim targets Jim's hanging pawn on c7 } 14... f6 { Good move, kick theKnight. } 15. Nc4 g5 { Jim's intent was to kick the Bishop as well, butoverlooked the fact that the Bishop is pointing at (attacking) Jim's hanging(unprotected) pawn on c7. } 16. Bxc7 { Jim decides to trade Rooks. } 16... Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Kf7 { Avoiding the by Tim's Rook if Tim were to play Rd8 } 18. Rd8 { Tim plays d8 anyway... } 18... Bg7 { Now Tim has the option to trade Rooks. He will, because Tim wants to simplify the board (trade all the majorand minor pieces) which will highlight his pawn advantage. } 19. Rxh8 Bxh8 { Let the endgame begin! } 20. b4 { Maneuvering this minefield won't be easyfor either Tim or Jim. This is where having plenty of time on your clockcomes into play. } 20... Bd5 21. Na5 { Looking at the board here, Jim has apawn advantage on the left side of the board (e-h files), since it's 4black pawn vs three white pawns. On the right side of the board, Tim hasthe pawn advantage, 4 pawns vs Jim's 1. Jim needs to do two things: Gethis King to play offense by moving it to the right side of the board toattack Tim's pieces and pawns and also avoid losing (or trading) his Bishops. If he can do these two things, he can shut-down Tim's pawns and have agood shot at winning. } 21... f5 { Uh oh...Jim needs to get his King over toattack Tim's Bishop, Knight and pawns, in coordination with his own twoBishops. If he continues running his e-h pawns up the board, he'll lose. Up to this point, Jim played a good game, certainly holding is own againstTim. } 22. a3 Bc3 23. c6 { Tim's goal is to get a Queen and eliminate Jim'sBishops. } 23... f4 24. Bb8 g4 { Jim's King is sitting on the sideline and heis ignoring Tim's pawn push. Not good. } 25. c7 Be6 { Now Jim addressesthe issue. } 26. Nc4 { Tim is repositioning his Knight to achieve his goalof a pawn promotion and elimination of Jim's Bishops. His Knight willend up protecting the c8 square. } 26... h5 { Jim ignores the issue again. HisKing is sitting on the sidelines, hands in his pocket, whistling Dixie! He needed to get his King over to the c file, but it's too late now. } 27. Nb6 { This Knight has reached its destination and is now strategicallyplaced to achieve both goals. } 27... Be5 28. c4 Bxc7 { Jim prevents the pawnpromotion, but at a high cost. } 29. Bxc7 { Jim loses his Bishop and isdown material. Game over. Tim wins. } 29... Bxc4 { Blunder. } 30. Nxc4 { Nowhe's really down material! Jim's King better run for the hills! } 30... h4 31. a4 g3 32. hxg3 e6 33. gxh4 Kg6 34. b5 Kh5 { This was a good game with evenplay right up until the endgame. } 35. bxa6 Kxh4 36. a7 Kg5 37. a8=Q e5 38. Bxe5 Kf5 39. Qf8+ Ke4 40. Qxf4+ Kd5 { Nowhere to hide... } 41. Bg7 Kc5 42. Qd4+ Kb4 { Feeling exposed? } 43. Nd6+ Kb3 44. Qc3+ Kxa4 45. Qc4+ Ka3 46. Nb5# 1-0

[Event "How not to play the Dutch"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.29"] [Round "-"] [White "dmaestro"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1525"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1525"] 1. c4 { An unusually quick checkmate in a Dutch English. } 1... f5 2. e4 { !? HereWhite's plan is to play a From Gambit reversed with an extra tempo, ifBlack allows it. } 2... fxe4 3. d3 exd3 { ?! White now gets a very strong attack. } 4. Bxd3 { Here White has an extra tempo over the From which gives at leastfull compensation for the pawn. } 4... Nf6 { Necessary } 5. g4 { Threatens to driveaway the defensive N. } 5... h6 { ?? A hallucination on Black's part. Best was..g6 Black prevents g5 but overlooks... } 6. Bg6# { Bg6 # } 1-0

[Event "Lost a high win... lost again :-("] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.01.04"] [Round "-"] [White "damafi"] [Black "kumar2309"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1710"] [TimeControl "300+5"] [WhiteElo "1515"] { 1710! Wow... and I almost won! 'Almost' is the key... } 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Bf5 3. Nd2 e6 4. Ngf3 Nd7 { Better than Nc6, in my opinion. } 5. h3 { Thetricky loss of time. } 5... c5 6. g4 Bg6 7. e3 { Black can block me in with c5,but I'll take care of it when they'll play it. } 7... cxd4 8. exd4 Ngf6 9. Bb5 { I adventured this move, being sure black will go a6 or Qa5. But... } 9... Ne4 { Wonderful! Let's see what can I get from this! } 10. Ne5 { Qh4 is not possibeor BxNd7+, of course. } 10... Nxd2 { Even better! Now, a 'noticeable' in-betweenmove: } 11. Bxd7+ { Bam! No black Q in h4 anymore. } 11... Ke7 12. Qxd2 Be4 { ...andhere, the 'hurry blunder'. I should have played 13. f3, and when Bxf3,14. Rf1 (controlling the black's K escape square f6, threatening Qb4#).Instead, I hurried a bit too much. } 13. Qb4+ Kf6 { ...and both my Q andRh1 are threatened. } 14. g5+ Kf5 { Here, I thought that a tempo could havegiven me the upperhand. } 15. Qd2 Bxh1 { The obvious 16 Nxf7, QxB, NxR wasnot enough to save the game. Another try could have been 16. Qd3+, Be4(if KxB, 17. Qg3+, and mate the next one), then 17. Qg3, and black hasonly h5 to avoid Qg4#. But then, 18. Be3, and I can see no escape to 19.Qf4#. Am I right? But I blundered again. } 16. Bg3 { ?? Losing the advantageand the game. I didn't see... } 16... Qxg5 { Now, there are no more tricks, I haveno mate at all. I saved the day with... } 17. Qxg5+ Kxg5 18. Nxf7+ Kf6 19. Nxh8 { I assume my N is lost, but the material is still even. } 19... Bf3 20. Be5+ Ke7 21. Bb5 { ...aiiming to d3. } 21... Rc8 22. c3 a6 23. Bd3 g6 { ...and here,I blundered again. My N is protected by the B, and black needs some movesto grab it (a lot of them, actually: Bh6, Kf8, Bg7, exchange B and takethe N. I could have tried something in the meanwhile (maybe a4, in orderto activate the R on the b column). Instead, I thought that I could gettwo pawns for a minor piece, staying with the edge. I failed to see the'residual advantage' black would get. } 24. Nxg6+ hxg6 25. Bxg6 Bh6 { ...andmy K is miserably closed in! } 26. h4 { ?? Not the right manouver to stophis R to penetrate! Kf1 was necessary, and Bg3 would have held with advantage. } 26... Rg8 { So simple... now, h5 (my first though) fails due to Bxh5, and if BxB,Rg1+ skewers my Ra1. } 27. Bd3 Rg1+ 28. Bf1 { Still thinkins I can hold:If Bg2, Ke2 and I can move. } 28... Kf7 { ...but now, I can't move any piece,at all! } 29. Bg3 { Again, not the right manouver... if any. I thought thatat least I'll keep his R 'trapped', but the trapped one, actually, is me. } 29... Kg6 30. a4 Kf5 31. b4 Ke4 32. Ra2 { Desperation. I thought that the checkwill help, but it doesn't. } 32... Bg2 33. Re2+ Kf3 { Nothing to do. Thanks forreading and... not laughing at me. I lost the chance to play a high win.Still, I think I managed pretty well the opening. Maybe. } 34. Bh2 Rxf1# 0-1

[Event "Match game, Moscow 1937"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Sergei Prokofiev"] [Black "David Oistrakh"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] { These two men were more famous as musicians than chess players, but theywere both chess nuts. They agreed to a 10-game match, loser having to givea free public concert. This is one of the games. [The match was abandonedhalfway through: both men gave the concert.] } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 { Prokofiev has converted Oistrakh's Sicilian into almost amirror-reversed Caro-Kann. } 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 { Oistrakh has nowcleared the way for castling. } 7. Be2 a6 8. Qd2 { Clearing the back row.Prokofiev has an advantage in time, as Oistrakh has yet to complete hisdevelopment. } 8... Ng4 9. Bxg4 Bxg4 10. f3 Bd7 11. Bh6 { Whether Oistrakh capturesor guards, K-side castling will not be an option. However, the exchangeeases his defensive task. } 11... Rg8 12. Bxg7 Rxg7 13. Qh6 Kf8 { The only wayto avoid loss of material. } 14. O-O-O Nc6 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Rhe1 Rb8 { Aimingdown the half-open file at the White King's position. } 17. e5 d5 18. Qf4 { Releasing the pin on the Rook, easing Black's position. } 18... Kg8 19. Rd4 e6 20. Red1 Qb6 21. b3 { Neutralizing the threat down the QN file. } 21... Be8 22. R4d2 Qc7 23. Qe3 Qe7 24. Re1 Kh8 25. Kb2 { The game slows down as both menmaneuver for positional advantage. } 25... Rg8 26. Qf4 Bd7 27. Qf6+ Qxf6 28. exf6 { With the Queens gone, a drawn-out ending looms. Oistrakh has a 'bad' Bishopagainst a Knight, but Prokofiev has doubled KBP's. } 28... Rb7 29. g4 g5 { 'Artifically'isolating the advanced White Pawn. } 30. h4 gxh4 31. Rh2 { Trying to regainthe Pawn he just sacrificed. } 31... Rg6 32. Rxh4 Rxf6 33. Reh1 Kg8 34. R1h3 Kf8 35. Rxh7 { Prokofiev's doubled Rooks threaten to penetrate the Black position. } 35... Rb4 36. Ne2 e5 37. Kc3 c5 { Oistrakh begins surging his own Pawns forwardon the Q-side, hoping to generate a passed Pawn. } 38. R7h6 d4+ 39. Kd2 Rbb6 40. Rxf6 Rxf6 { The position simplifies, increasing the chances ofa draw. Oistrakh has a slight advantage with his now-freed B and advancedQ-side Pawns. } 41. Rh5 e4 42. fxe4 Bxg4 43. Rg5 Bf3 { Thrust and counterthrust. } 44. Rxc5 Bxe4 { Oistrakh gets the first passed Pawn, but it has a long wayto go. } 45. Nxd4 { Prokofiev counters by obtaining his own passed Pawn. } 45... Bg2 46. a4 Ke7 47. b4 Kd7 { Rushing his King to the defense of the Q-side. } 48. Ke3 Rd6 49. b5 Rd5 50. Rxd5+ Bxd5 51. bxa6 { Prokofiev relies on hisadvanced Pawns to neutralize the advantage of Oistrakh's minor exchange. } 51... Kc7 52. Nb5+ Kb6 53. Kd4 Bg2 54. a7 Kb7 55. Kc5 Bf3 { Continuing to double-guardWhite's QR8. } 56. c3 f6 57. Kd6 Bd1 58. a5 Be2 59. Nd4 Bf1 60. Nc6 { Oistrakhmaneuvers to maintain the guard on his advanced QRP. } 60... f5 61. Ke5 Bd3 62. Kd4 Be4 63. a6+ Ka8 { Occupying the Queening square. } 64. Nb4 Kxa7 65. c4 Kb6 66. c5+ Ka7 { Oistrakh aims to give up his B for both White Pawns, assuringno worse than a draw. } 67. Ke5 Kb8 68. Nd5 Bd3 69. Nb4 Be4 70. c6 Kc7 { Securingthe draw. } 71. a7 Bxc6 72. Nxc6 Kb7 { Draw agreed. Prokofiev has no wayto Queen his remaining Pawn. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Technological Brilliance"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2007.06.18"] [Round "-"] [White "Rybka (Computer)"] [Black "Shredder (Computer)"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "?"] [WhiteElo "?"] { This game was between two chess-playing computers - Rybka and Shredder.Computers like this have an advantage over their grandmaster counterpartsbased on the simple fact that they are computers - things like psychologicalwarfare and fatigue just don't affect them, and their analytical skillscan surpass almost all human minds. Before seeing any games by these chesscomputers, I would have assumed that their play was great and sound, butperhaps boring - by that I mean incapable of spectacular lines that isassociated with players like Anderssen and Tal. Then, I found this game...At move 22, Rybka starts to dominate Shredder for the rest of the game,as she [she? why not - Rybka sounds like a great girl's name to me :P]severely punishes him [It ought to be more obvious as to why Shredder'sa he :P] for his lag in development, going from -6 in material to a winningendgame } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { The gamegoes into the Sicilian Najdorf variation } 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 { All regularmoves in the position - Rybka looks towards kingside activity with an earlypawn push, whereas Shredder plays slow, but maintains a very solid position.Here, e5 is threatened, as it wins the pinned knight } 7... Qb6 { Shredder breaksthe pin and targets the b2 pawn... } 8. Qd2 { !? This is known as the poisonedpawn variation, and is something that I've never experienced myself. Rybkais prepared to gambit a pawn in return for tempo attacks on Black's queenand a lead in development } 8... Qxb2 { Personally, I wouldn't do this, [8...Nc6]but it has to be playable. Shredder grabs at the opportunity to gain amaterial advantage. } 9. Rb1 { The logical follow-up - Rybka chases awaythe enemy queen } 9... Qa3 { Forced } 10. e5 { Rybka plays aggressively - of course,the knight can escape safely without the pin... but this doesn't seem toobeneficial for Rybka at first... } 10... dxe5 11. fxe5 Nfd7 { here's why - afterShredder exchanges pawns, Rybka is straddled with an isolated pawn on e5,and now if she wants to preserve her pawn she has to defend it with a piece.Either the dark square bishop or the queen can do this job just fine, butsince the two pieces have already moved it seems a bit awkward. Had I notknown the game continuation, I would have marked 10.e5 as ?! [dubious]... } 12. Ne4 { However, it turns out that Rybka has something completely differentin that small little chip that is her mind! She centralises her knightwhile leaving TWO pawns hanging - the pawn on e5 and the freshly undefendedpawn on a2. In fact, you've probably noticed by now but Shredder can winboth of these pawns! } 12... h6 { zwischenzug first - Shredder deems it prudentto attack the bishop first [interestingly enough, this gives Rybka anotherchance to defend her e5 pawn with Bf4...] } 13. Bh4 { Rybka's still willingto let that pawn go, however. } 13... Qxa2 { As well as nabbing the a2 pawn. Shredderalso gains a 'tempo' attack on the rook... } 14. Rd1 { ...in other words,Shredder forces Rybka to centralise her rook - oh, the torturous horrorof it all! How dare that Shredder should do such a thing! [I'd like toexplain for the benefit of the two machines in this game that my last commentwas filled with sarcasm :P] } 14... Qd5 { Shredder doesn't grab the pawn straightaway, and instead centralises his queen. With two pieces attacking thee5 pawn, none defending and no pawn to defend it, there's no rush to grabit just yet... } 15. Qe3 { It's mildly surprising that Rybka chose thismove over moving her bishop, but after a bit of further analysis, I realisethat it was to make Shredder take the pawn with the queen. If, now, 15...Nxe5?!16.Nf6+! gxf6 17.Bxf6+ Rg8 18.Bxe5 and the open position favours Rybka'sdeveloped position. Perhaps Shredder could have also tried 15...Nc6 butthat, too, may be dubious; 16.Nb3 Qxe5 with a lot more tempo attacks onthe queen to come [only unlike in the continuation, Shredder can't playQa5+ - the queen is stuck on the kingside, which would lead Rybka withplenty of tactical tricks - e.g. 17.Bg3 Qf5 18.Nd6+ Bxd6 19.Bxd6] } 15... Qxe5 { At any rate, now Shredder is three pawns up (the equivalent of a piece)- is Rybka really the masterful chess engine that everyone consider herto be? Yes - yes she is! Readers have probably noticed by now that Shredder'spawn grabbing has left him severely lagging in development (especiallyon the queenside). This means that Rybka needs to act fast if she wantsto take advantage of it. Also, look at the centre control from Rybka'stwo knights! [you know, being three pawns down can also happen to Whitein the Evans Gambit if his opponent goes pawn hunting. Most of the time,Black gets punished heavily for that :)] } 16. Be2 { All Rybka needs todo now is castle and she's essentially completed development; Shredderwill need at least five moves to finish his, not including the a8 rook[dark square bishop move, castling, b7 pawn move, light square bishop move,b8 knight move] } 16... Bc5 { This would be logical in normal circumstances, asthe knight on d4 is now under increased pressure, but I was confused asto why Bb4+ wasn't played here - it prevents Rybka from castling! as thee4 knight is pinned, it can't block the check and c3 is a waste of timefor the same reason. Evidently Shredder must have calculated that gettingrid of Rybka's central control was more important than preventing her fromcastling... } 17. Bg3 { This is a mark of how much control Rybka actuallyhas right now - the queen has no flight squares! That is easily remediedby Shredder's next (forced) move... } 17... Bxd4 { ... but still even now, thereis only two squares for the black queen to go - the f5 square and the a5square } 18. Rxd4 { Reviewing the board now, you can really see how livelyRybka's game is, despite the three point material defect. Both bishopscover good diagonals and she has a centralised queen and knight. Shredder,on the other hand, has only one queen and a slightly passive knight inplay. There is definitely compensation for the three pawn loss :) } 18... Qa5+ { Shredder chooses the more aggressive of the two queen moves... [actually,the better of the two moves! 18...Qf5 19.Bd6!, and while Rybka can playNf2 to allow castling again, it will be very hard to do that with for Shredder!] } 19. Rd2 { The only reasonable move to allow White castling prospects [Qd2??,allowing the exchange of queens is not what Rybka wants if she wants afast attack]. Shredder could probably try for a draw here with 19...Qa1+20.Rd1 Qa5+ etc, but he has no reason to believe that he is losing rightnow [after all, he is three points up!] } 19... O-O { Shredder castles. Rybkawill do the same, but first... } 20. Bd6 { ! Sometimes, an outpost can bejust as good for a bishop than it is for the knight! } 20... Re8 { Of course,the rook has to move... } 21. O-O { The pressure point that Rybka will aimfor now is f7, and her next move will most likely be Qf4. Attempting todefend it would be futile, as only a knight on e4 can do that; 21...Nc622.Qf4 Nce5 23.Bh5! g6 24.Nf6+ Nxf6 25.Qxf6 with Bxe5 next move. [24...Kh8,hoping to give back material, works out similary after 25.Nxd7!, the mainidea being to get rid of the defence on f7]. It seems as if Shredder hasno choice but to move his pawn to neutralise the threat.. } 21... f5 { 21...f6is of course the other alternative, but in that line Rybka is able to winback some of her material; 21...f6 22.Bh5 Rd8 23.Be7 Nc6 24.Bxd8 Nxd8 [thoughthis is preferable to what happened in the game]. Perhaps 22.Qg3 wouldhave also been considered in that line, choosing pressure over material.With this move, Shredder hopes to get aggressive himself. With the tempoattack that he gains on the knight, he has time to defend against the Bh5threat (for example, g6). It does seem weakening on his position, but itdoesn't look like Rybka can take advantage of that just yet... } 22. Qg3 { !! ...though we have to remember that this is one of the world's strongestchess machine that you're talking about! Sacrificing a piece while threepoints down is unthinkable to most players, but bearing in mind that threeof Shredder's pieces are currently out of action, so it isn't that unreasonable,actually. } 22... fxe4 { Was there anything better? I'm not saying that Shreddershouldn't take the knight, because Rybka can get a strong attack goingeither way; 22...Nc6 23.Qg6 Rd8 24.Qxe6+ Kh8 25.Rd6, and after the queenmoves; 26.Rdxf5 definitely leaves Rybka in a better position. [in caseyou're wondering, 26...Nd4 is countered by 27.Qe7!]. In any case, Shredderhas accepted the sac and the idea behind it becomes clear very quickly...[but what if the queen move to b6 with check? would a knight block be ok?If anyone finds better variations than the one I described, feel free tocomment :)] } 23. Qg6 { First of all, Rybka repositions her queen with tempo.If Shredder were to try and exchange rooks here with Qxd2, it would losequickly; 23...Qxd2 24.Qxe8+ Kh2 25.Bh5! [the threat is Bg6 mate] Ne5 26.Rf8with Rg8# next move. } 23... Rd8 { Pretty much forced } 24. Rf7 { Bringing a secondattacker on g7, and there is only one way for Shredder to defend againstthis... } 24... Qc3 { Which is why the en prise rook on d2 is still immune! } 25. Bg4 { Rybka keeps up the pressure! Now she threatens Bxe5, which willin turn threaten a discovered attack on the king. With so many pieces surroundingthe king, mate would be inevitable [Rybka can even bring in rook #2 tojoin in the attack! 25...Nc6 26.Bxe6 Kh1 27.Rdf2! Shredder can only doone thing to defend against that...] } 25... Nf8 { The knight move is forced,as it discoers two defenders on the e6 pawn. With the attack Shredder gainson the queen, he forces Rybka to capture the knight... } 26. Bxf8 { NowRybka has three attackers on g7, which means that once again, the d2 rookis immune. Shredder isn't looking too good right now, because Rybka counterswith Rxf8 with Rf2! and Rybka seems to win in all the variations that follow.What can Shredder do? } 26... Qa1+ { Seems to me like this is the only resourceavailable for Shredder. He is willing to give back material to halt Rybka'sattack } 27. Rf1 { Kf2 allows counterplay after Rxd2+ [and perhaps evena draw or mate!] } 27... Qxf1+ { The point of Qa1+ - Shredder sacs his queen fora rook and bishop to ease the pressure on his position } 28. Kxf1 Rxf8+ 29. Rf2 { This rook manoeuvre turns out to be pivotal in Rybka's game... } 29... Nc6 { Finally, with some room to breathe, Shredder attempts to get hisqueenside pieces into action at last... } 30. Bh5 { ! But Rybka is far fromdone with him! The threat is 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 then mate on either f7 or e8.Shredder could try 30...Bd7, but then comes 31.Rf7! Rxf7 32.Qxf7+ Kh8 33.Qxd7,leaving Rybka with a winning advantage. } 30... Rxf2+ { Instead, Shredder tradesoff, but there's no way he can avoid losing a piece - can you see how? } 31. Kxf2 Ne5 { Shredder drives away the queen and covers the g6 square[Rybka's new threat was 32.Qe8+ Kh7 Bg6#] } 32. Qe8+ Kh7 33. Ke3 { ! Nowdo you see how Black loses his piece? The moves from now until move 36are all forced... and Rybka must have analysed all this back at move 22.That means that Rybka managed to see 14 moves ahead, including all thevariations possible. Only a computer or a strong grandmaster can do thisin real-time chess [though in correspondence chess like on Gameknot, itmay be possible that players like Ion and Freddy can do so as well] } 33... b5 { The bishop can't move to d7, so Shredder opts to move it to b7. } 34. Kf4 { ! As the knight is still preventing Bg6#, it cannot move, and thereare no pieces which can defend it in time! [note that 34.Kxe4?? is calamityfor Rybka after 34...Bb7+!, and Rybka loses her queen } 34... Bb7 { Now Rybka'squeen is forced off the h5-e8 diagonal, and the mating threat vanishes,but it's too late to avoid losing material... } 35. Qe7 { ! Both the bishopand knight are threatened - Shredder can't save 'em both! } 35... Bd5 { Shredderchooses to preserve the stronger of his two pieces, while defending thetwo e-pawns that are soom to be attacked by Rybka's king... } 36. Kxe5 { From now on, it's simple clean-up work for Rybka - she simply has a muchbetter position! Her king is centralised, whereas Shredder's is trappedin a corner, and she has a well placed queen and bishop. Of course, theremay be ample opportunities for her to go wrong, and Shredder now relieswholly on his passed pawns from now until the game's end, but Rybka's acomputer - she knows what she's doing :) } 36... a5 { Currently Shredder has threepassed pawns on a5, e4 and e6 but the big problem for him is that the pawnsare going to be tasty targets for Rybka's queen. } 37. g4 e3 { I was confusedat first as to why Shredder didn't try using his rook to collect pawns,but the nature of Black's king means that Shredder's rook is confined tothe back rank, and cannot go pawn hunting [a back row weakness this latein the game - unbelievable, isn't it?] Should the rook ever try to comeoff the back rank (for example, Rc8) then Rybka plays Qf7, and then Rxc2??runs into Bg6+, then Qf8#. In short, Shredder can't do anything exceptpray for a miracle (and he can't even do that! He's a computer! :P) } 38. g5 hxg5 { This move is interesting - Either Shredder was worried about 39.g6or 39.gxh6 Kxh6 40.Qf7. Though both moves do put increased pressure onhis position, I can't find any mating nets that Rybka could exploit. Asit turns out, this move actually loses a pawn - the pawn on e3, to be exact! } 39. Qxg5 Kg8 { His situation is bleak, but I feel that Shredder shouldat least try to push his passed pawns - it's the only thing going for him! } 40. Qxe3 Rf8 41. Be2 { Attacks the b5 pawn... } 41... b4 { so Shredder advancesit } 42. Bd3 Rf3 { Well, there's no real harm in trying, is there? Of course,Rybka needs to move her queen... but take note of where the queen moves...;) } 43. Qg5 b3 44. Bg6 { ! A great move that solidifies Rybka's advantageeven more! Shredder's next moves are forced (I'm surprised he hasn't resignedhere yet...) } 44... Rf6 45. Qh5 { Threatens a mate in 3 - 46.Qh7+ Kf8 47.Qh8+Ke7 48.Qe7#. The fact that such tricks like these are still available forRybka at this late stage in the game is amazing! } 45... Rxg6 { Unfortunatelythis is the only move that prevents the mate } 46. Qxg6 b2 { Just... one...more...can the pawn make it? Not a chance! } 47. Qe8+ { Simply advancing the c-pawnwill also prevent promotion, but then Shredder plays a4, then a3. In thisline, Rybka denies Shredder of that form of counterplay... } 47... Kh7 48. Qb5 { ... and opts to simply take the b2 pawn off the board! } 48... Kh6 49. Qxb2 Ba8 50. Qc1+ Kh5 51. Qf4 Bd5 { Shredder is completely helpless! } 52. c4 Bc6 53. Qf7+ Kg4 { I'm not going to mark this as a blunder, because Shredderis dead lost anyway.... } 54. Qxe6+ Kf3 55. Qxc6+ Ke3 { It is here thatShredder finally resigns. A phenomenal game from a top-class machine -I'd have never thought it possible for it to be this exciting! I hope readersof this annotation enjoyed this game as much as I did! Until next time- Alex [because I've never ended like this before ;)] } 1-0

[Event "- - The Traxler Variation - - One Rampant Horsie"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.03.29"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "cheeky_knight"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1660"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1783"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Just before my big win over gocall1 (Ger) bumpedmy rating back into the 1800s I got this victory. It was in the TraxlerMT. I think I have done shedloads better with the white pieces than withthe black ones. Anyhow, it looked as if Julia, my Team Captain had a verystrong attack going down the kingside. She then sacrificed the exchange. This turned out to be a bad move. I needed to be very patient thoughand the main theatre of the battle turned out to be the h column. EventuallyI managed to control the h column with Glenda and my rook. Lastly, myknight, which for the best part of the game was doing not a lot, came intof6 and had the last word before my opponent waved the white flag. I willstart further commentary on move 6. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Bxf7+ Ke7 6. Bd5 { 6. Bd5 - a common square has been Bb3. I decidedto put Fou Leblanc on d5 instead. } 6... Rf8 7. O-O d6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 { 8. .....bxc6 - this exchange is recommended in the db and it does disturb the blackqueenside pawns. Also when up a pawn, it is desirable to exchange pieceswhen you can. } 9. d3 h6 10. Nf3 Bg4 { 10. ...... Bg4 - pin. } 11. h3 Bh5 12. c3 Nd7 13. Nbd2 { 13. Nbd2 - I must relieve the pressure on f3 - atleast this develops a piece but at the same time shuts in Fou Lenoir. Still, there is the possibility of a fianchetto on b2 or a3 if I move myb pawn up to b4. } 13... g5 14. b4 { 14. b4 - so I carry out my plan mentionedin my previous note. Here is step 1. } 14... Bb6 15. Bb2 { 15. Bb2 - and so Iclear the decks. Mission accomplished. } 15... Qe8 16. g4 { 16. g4 - risky butI must break that pin. } 16... Bg6 17. Nh2 Rf4 18. Nc4 { 18. Nc4 - improves thesquare of my knight and I am now planning to exchange it for Julia's darksquare bishop to rid myself of the f2 pin. } 18... h5 19. Bc1 { 19. Bc1 - a sneakyswitch-back. My intention was to drive back that nasty looking black rookbut ..... } 19... Qg8 { 19. ...... Qg8 ??(!) - Is this a speculative sacrificeor an oversight - you the Inquest Jury decide. } 20. Bxf4 { 20. Bxf4 - Idecided to take the offering. } 20... gxf4 21. Nxb6 cxb6 { 21. ....... cxb6 - Inow trade off my knight for that dark square bishop. It untangles Julia'squeenside pawns but I am the exchange up and have just traded off anotherset of pieces so I think it was worth untangling those footmen. As inmy previous note, the f3 pawn is now free to move. } 22. f3 { 22. f3 - inorder to bolster the g4 pawn. } 22... Qg7 23. Rf2 { 23. Rf2 - a rook lift witha dual purpose. Maybe to attack down the kingside later on and more likelyto cover Henry against any black heavies down the g column. } 23... Rg8 24. Rg2 { 24. Rg2 - now there is a potential pin on Julia's light square bishopshould I play gxh5. } 24... Bf7 25. Qe2 { 25. Qe2 - now Glenda defends (not a pawnthis time, surprise, surprise!) the rook on g2. Actually, better takethat back. She is defending several pawns, the d, e, f and g pawns aswell. Still, you never know, she may end up on that g or h file one daydoing something other than defending. } 25... hxg4 26. hxg4 { 26. hxg4 - the hcolumn opens up but my knight is adequately protected. } 26... Rh8 27. Rf1 { 27.Rf1 - I bring up more reinforcements to cover Henry. This is good practicefor when I next get to face a kingside/queenside mating attack from theMaster Mater. It will be interesting to see if he could crack this defense! } 27... Qh7 28. Rff2 { 28. Rff2 - a nice flexible set up with the potential to turnmy heavies from defenders into attackers. I think my next plan shouldbe to move Henry back towards the centre of the board before I try anycounter-play on the h column. } 28... Nf8 29. Kf1 Ng6 30. Ke1 { 30. Ke1 - I havenow accomplished my plan to move Henry to the safety of the centre whichis blocked at the moment. } 30... Nh4 31. Rg1 { 31. Rg1 - first my rook must evadea black steed. } 31... Be6 32. Kd1 { 32. Kd1 - there is a potential knight forkon f3 to watch out for so I move Henry out of range of it. } 32... Bc8 33. Qb2 { 33. Qb2 - maybe Glenda can try her luck on the queenside though. } 33... a6 34. a4 Bd7 35. c4 { 35. c4 - this seems a bit of wait and see but not quite,there is a hidden threat to under-mine protection of the e5 pawn and allowGlenda to come to e5 and give a nasty check on the black king. Julia sussesit out and backs her knight off to g6. } 35... Ng6 36. Nf1 { 36. Nf1 - now I ampreparing to contest that h column. } 36... Qg7 37. Rh2 Rh4 38. Rgh1 { 38. Rgh1- thought it would be a good idea to double rooks here. At least one pairof rooks will be traded off and as I am the exchange up this must be inmy favour! } 38... Rxh2 39. Rxh2 Bc8 40. Qg2 { 40. Qg2 - now Glenda is eyeing upthe h column. } 40... Kf7 41. Qh1 { 41. Qh1 - Glenda goes to h1 and I now threatenRh7 pinning the Wicked Witch of the West to her other half. She movesher king to f6. } 41... Kf6 42. Rh6 { 42. Rh6 - so I pin the knight instead. } 42... Qg8 43. Qh5 { 43. Qh5 - pile on! } 43... Be6 44. g5+ Kf7 { 44. ...... Kf7 - the onlyway to immediately avoid losing her knight. } 45. Nh2 { 45. Nh2 - talkingof knights, my own is heading for f6. } 45... Bd7 46. Ng4 { 46. Ng4 - the mostsensible move would be Nxg4 but that is trading off yet another set ofpieces. It does save the black knight though. } 46... Be6 { 46. ...... Be6 - butthis move does not and now I play Nf6 attacking the Wicked Witch of theWest. She must fly away on her broomstick and abandon that poor blacksteed to his fate. Julia now waves the white flag. Nice to have anothergame to report where I, The Beginner with the Class A rating, is on theattacking side. I just hope I can put up a few more like this - cheersand bye for now - Joanne } 47. Nf6 1-0

[Event "Challenge from david_bronshtein"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.11.02"] [Round "-"] [White "david_bronshtein"] [Black "jazzbox61"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1508"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1556"] 1. d4 d5 2. e4 { 2. Forget what this gambit is called....its pretty strong,have had fair success against a lot of players in the 1700-2000 range withit....W gets a fairly lasting initiative...if B takes on e4, then W playsf3, almost K's Gambit like without the aggravation of black playing g5,and threatening counterplay on the d8...h4 diagonal...declining is fine,too } 2... c6 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 { 5. Back into the gambit line. } 5... Bf5 { 5. ...Bg4 is seen here a lot...then if W plays Bc4 there are tacticalthreats based on b takes f7, then kt. check on e5 hitting the B on g4,together with the Q. } 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O { 7. Be2 on move 6 is a little passive...wehave standard Caro-K pawn formation and B is up a pawn, this is lookingpretty good for B, at this point. } 7... Nf6 8. Nh4 Bg6 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Qd3 Qc7 12. h4 Nbd7 13. Bf4 Bd6 14. Bg5 Bg3 { 14....this is a littletoo cute...B is still half-developed and this kind of thing is a poor idea...surethe B-squared diagonal is weak...maybe you were afraid of the pawn pushto h5 once you castled, and thought, I'll win the pawn now ?! } 15. Rf3 Bxh4 16. Rh3 { 16. Yes, sirree....the Caro-K and French are funny....itsalmost dangerous in them to win material early, you get thrown on the defensiveand may never escape....better to hunker down....slowly equalize, and tryto win material down the road...the game is over now. } 16... Bf2+ 17. Kxf2 Rxh3 18. Qxh3 O-O-O 19. Qe3 Rh8 20. Bf3 Nb6 21. Bf4 Qd7 22. Ne2 Nbd5 23. Qa3 a6 24. Bg3 g5 25. Qc5 Kd8 26. Be5 g4 27. Bxf6+ gxf6 28. Bxg4 Qc7 29. c4 Nf4 30. Rd1 Nxe2 31. Kxe2 f5 32. Bf3 Kc8 33. Kd3 Qd7 34. Kc3 Kb8 35. b4 Qc7 36. Qe5 Qxe5 37. dxe5 Kc7 38. a4 { 38...B should lose this game, buthis only hope to draw is to keep the rooks on the bd., and trade down asmany pawns as possible, thus trading the Rook eases W's task, but stillW should win. } 38... Rd8 39. Rxd8 Kxd8 40. b5 Kc7 41. bxa6 bxa6 42. Kb4 1-0

[Event "Kidderminster Club Championship"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "11/4/12"] [Round "-"] [White "Promising youngster"] [Black "Charles Higgie"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "1 hour each for all moves"] { So here again, I beat the Promising youngster - see previous annotationmade on 04/01/12. However this time, it was by the skin of my teeth, andreally I should have lost. } 1. e4 { His opening move came as no surprise } 1... c5 { And my reply can't have been either. } 2. Nf3 { He varies from the d4he played in the previous game. } 2... Nc6 { So one knight move deserves another } 3. d4 { All main line so far } 3... cxd4 { I take } 4. c3 { This was hardly a surpriseeither, he played the Smith-Morra gambit last time. } 4... Nf6 { So I did my usualreply. Black can accept the pawn, but this is good as well, a suggestionof Leonard Barden. } 5. e5 { This is the most commonly played move in theposition. } 5... Nd5 { And this is the only decent move for black. } 6. Bc4 { Heplayed this move last time, in a slightly different position. } 6... Nb6 { AndI hit the bishop again. In the previous game, he now played Bxf7ch, butlater found that he didn't have enough for the bishop, and he lost relativelyquickly. } 7. Bb3 { But this time he played a sensible move. } 7... dxc3 { Thismove is inconsistent, and I later found out that it scores badly on theopening databases. } 8. Nxc3 { And this is about the only decent move forwhite. I thought here - well I am a pawn up, let's go for exchanges. } 8... d6 { Looking for exchanges on e5 if he doesn't take. } 9. exd6 { But he takesfirst. } 9... Qxd6 { Afterwards I found that exd6 is more commonly played, butI hoped this would lead to an exchange of queens and the chance to nursemy extra pawn to victory. } 10. Qxd6 { And he did take, after a long think } 10... exd6 { So I took back. } 11. Nb5 { Ouch! How am going to defend against Nc7forking king and rook? I was also afraid of his bishop coming to f4 buildingup on my d6 pawn. Also my king can hardly go to d7 or the f7 pawn drops.I did afterwards find on the database a gameknot game from this position,and black finally won, after Rb8 12. Ng5 Ne5 13. f4 Nec4 whitefooted (2094)vs. yokenster (2078). However I think white can improve on this with 12.Bf4 and black looks to be in trouble. What do you think dear reader? } 11... Be6 { So I came to the conclusion the best bet was to sacrifice the exchange } 12. Nc7+ { So he checked } 12... Kd7 { and I moved the king } 13. Nxa8 { He took therook } 13... Nxa8 { I took back } 14. O-O { He castled } 14... Be7 { I developed my bishop } 15. Ng5 { This move does not look right to me. I think simple development,say Bf4 and moving the rooks onto the central files looks better to me. } 15... Bxb3 { So I stop his planned NxBe6 and double his pawns. The downside isthat I open up the a file for his rook. } 16. axb3 { He takes back. I wasdying to play Nd4 here, threatening to play Ne7ch, followed by NxBc8 andBxNg5. However White gets in first with Rxa7 followed by Rxb7ch, for instanceNd4 17. Rxa7 Ne2+ 18. Kh1 Nxc1 19. Rxb7+ Nc7 20. Rxc1 Bxg5 21. Rcxc7+ winning easily. } 16... h6 { So I hit his knight. There is an interesting continuationhere. 17. Nxf7 Rf8 and his knight is trapped, but he has 18. Nxh6 gxh619. Bxh6 and he had gained 3 pawns for the knight. } 17. Ne4 { The knightis soon hit again on this square, so I think 17. Nf3 may have been better,although then I have Bf6 hitting his b7 pawn, making it hard for him tocomplete his development, but then maybe he can gambit it with 18. Bf4and if Bxb7 he has Ra-d1 attacking my d pawn. } 17... d5 { I hit the knight } 18. Rd1 { He pins the pawn. } 18... Ke6 { I break the pin. King up for the ending! } 19. Nc3 { The knight eventually retreats. } 19... Rd8 { I have to protect d5 again,and this is best. If I protect it with my Na8 he can attack the knightwith his bishop. I was beginning to feel a little happier with my position.If you compare it with the position after my 13th move, I have managedto bishop and rook onto better squares and double his b pawns. His rooksare more active, but he has wasted time with his knight. } 20. Re1+ { Hechecks } 20... Kf6 { The king moves } 21. Bf4 { He develops his bishop. } 21... d4 { I hithis knight again! } 22. Ne4+ { He checks } 22... Kf5 { King up. Now if he plays Bg3then Bb4 looks good to me. To maintain the protection of his Ne4, 23. Re2is forced, then d3 forces Re3 and then Nd4 looks massive to me. Nc7 isthreatened and if Rxd6? loses to Ne7+. Unfortunately he probably saw allthis too..... } 23. Bd2 { So he retreated his bishop to a better square. } 23... Nc7 { So finally this knight comes into play. } 24. b4 { He threatens b5 andif I take on b4 he wins the pawn on a7. I prevent b5, but maybe the bestway of me to do this is to play b5 myself. } 24... a6 { So I stop b5 } 25. Nc5 { Buthe has this, Maybe taking this knight was best, but instead I played } 25... Rd5 { and held my breath. Now if he takes on b7, I take on b4, his knighton b7 is short of squares, I don't think I can actually win it. But luckilyfor me, while I was considering whether it was best to take with the knightor the bishop on b4, he played what I think is a weaker alternative forhim. } 26. Nd3 { This protects b4 but.... } 26... Rb5 { I can attack it again, andI have Nd5 coming in, attacking it again. He can't hold this pawn, andI think chances are equal now. Somewhere around here I offered a draw,which he turned down. } 27. h3 { I'm not sure this helps him much. } 27... Nd5 { Onwardswith my plan } 28. g4+ { Yet another check, achieving about as much as theprevious ones! } 28... Kf6 { In fact here I am protecting my bishop } 29. h4 { Hecarrieson with this advance. } 29... Bd6 { No need to hurry to take the b pawn, it isnot going anywhere. This move may prevent him from putting a piece on e5or f4, and also in some variation he may play g5+ to devert my king fromprotecting my bishop. } 30. h5 { He continues with his plan. } 30... Ncxb4 { I finallytake the pawn. } 31. Nxb4 { He takes } 31... Nxb4 { I take, threatening Nc2 forkinghis rooks. } 32. Bxb4 { So he takes. } 32... Rxb4 { I take back this way, hittingb7 and protecting d4 } 33. Ra5 { This is a lovely move! Maybe this is whathe had been planning? Can you see what he is threatening? } 33... g6 { He was hopingfor Rf5 mate! } 34. hxg6 { So he takes } 34... fxg6 { I take back } 35. Rd5 { He attacks } 35... Bb8 { The plan with this move was Ba7 and if I can play Rxb2 I can gangup on his f2. } 36. Rd8 { He hits the bishop. He was really short of timenow } 36... Ba7 { I move the bishop } 37. Rf8+ { He checks } 37... Kg5 { King up } 38. Re5+ { He checks } 38... Kxg4 { Another pawn goes } 39. Kg2 { Still dreaming of weavinga mating net } 39... Rxb2 { This capture pins his f pawn } 40. Re4+ { He checks } 40... Kh5 { King retreats } 41. Re5+ { He checks again } 41... g5 { I block the check. Iam playing for the win now! I lost track of what happened next. He playeda rook to the 6th rank, threatening to double rooks on the sixth and winmy h pawn. I prevented that by retreating my rook to b6 and he exchangedrooks on b6. Somehow I managed to blunder away my h, g and d pawns, butI pushed by b pawn to b2. My king was on f8, his pawn on f6 and he playedKg6?? thinking I couldn't queen as he was threatening mate. However I playedb8=Q CHECK. Shortly afterwards I noticed he had lost on time, but he wasa queen down anyway at that stage. So many thanks reading this, pleaseleave a comment or two, and please rate this on the star system. } 0-1

[Event "Dangers of the Fianchetto"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1619"] [Round "-"] [White "Gioachino Greco"] [Black "Unknown"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "----"] [WhiteElo "----"] 1. e4 { This very short, simple, and brilliant game is very interestingand teaches us many simple, but vastly important lessons. GioachinoGreco was one of the earliest chess experts. This game took place around1619, almost four centuries ago. Greco considered this one of his bestgames. It is very short and has no need for intense calculation, but rathershows how being greedy and forcing the position can be a big mistake, especiallyin a fianchetto position. Greco starts with the familiar e4. } 1... b6 { TheQueen's Fianchetto opening. This move shows Black is willing to give upmost direct control of the center. This is quite dangerous for inexperiencedplayers as we will see later on, white will attack Black's king quicklyand one false move could end the game. Black must try to meet the threaton his king while still attacking White. To players that are unfamiliarto the Queen's Fianchetto opening, it may seem weird just how many of thesemoves are considered 'book'. But, more on that later. Also, pleasenote the difference between the Queen's Fianchetto opening and a fianchettoposition. Fianchettos are great, solid positions even for a castled king. However, starting the game by playing a fianchetto and not developingthe center first is a bit more dangerous than developing the center pawnsand a knight or two first. } 2. d4 { White is happy to dominate the center. This is probably the most tradition and natural move. This bringsup an interesting point. If your opponent ever plays a move you are unfamiliarwith, or that is a bit unorthodox, you should just continue normally afteraccessing any possible threats. Sometimes your opponent is just hopingto throw you off your game with an unfamiliar move. Do as Greco did,and just play normally. } 2... Bb7 { This is where the fianchetto actually comesin. The bishop is attacking the longest light-squared diagonal on theboard. One note is it may be positionally better to fianchetto after gettingat least some center developement. Also, once the pawn move is played,moving the bishop to the fianchetto position is a must. You need to finishthe combination quickly. } 3. Bd3 { Greco always preferred his bishop ond3 rather than c4 or b5. This was obviously a good choice as we will seelater on. } 3... f5 { This move is still considered 'book'. In fact, these typesof openings were very popular in the hypermodern movement of the late 1900's. One of the movement's ideas was that occupying the center was not a necessity. It is very interesting that a game played 400 years ago used an openingvery popular now. Here Black offers a pawn to break up White's center. Also, avoiding direct contact, Black still contests the center. } 4. exf5 { White takes the pawn but breaks up the center. A fine move. White stillhas a very good position. } 4... Bxg2 { We're still in book! You might be thinking,'Wow! The rook on h1 is gone!' But then again, if this is consideredbook, it obviously isn't as we will soon see. } 5. Qh5+ { Notice how theking is almost completely smothered by his own pieces. This makes himvery easy to take down. Pretend the g7 pawn isn't there. The game wouldbe over. It would be checkmate. That one pawn holds the balance of thegame. This is the danger and thrill of playing the Queen's Fianchetto,as well as the main theme of the game. } 5... g6 { The only possible move! } 6. fxg6 { This is the last move played in the game considered 'book'. GenerallyBlack would develop his Bishop to give the king breathing room at f8. } 6... Nf6 { Nf6??? This is Black's only flaw in the entire game, but it wasenough to cost him the game. He got greedy. He saw the Queen and wentafter it. But why is this such a bad move? Think about it for a moment. There's actually a force mate in two for white now! If you found it,fantastic! If not we'll walk though it. Hint: A very powerful wayto force a mate is by sacrificing material, more specifically in this case,a queen! } 7. gxh7+ { Gxh7 !!! What a bizarre looking move, but it doesthe trick. White offers the queen for 'free'. In fact Black's only moveis Nxh5 taking the queen! } 7... Nxh5 { Can you find mate in one for white? Hint: It's the only way to even check the Black king! } 8. Bg6# { Bg6#! Even after 400 years some games can still make one smile! The king wastaken down by a lone bishop! This is why not developing the centercan be very dangerous. The Queen's Fianchetto is a fine opening, if playedcorrectly. If you are going to play the Queen's Fianchetto, please useextreme caution and watch for the danger of the fianchetto! :) } 1-0

[Event "How to lose at chess pt4"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.06.15"] [Round "-"] [White "elwoos"] [Black "janse133"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1474"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1429"] 1. f4 { This is an excellent example of how one poor move can be disastrous.For those who are interested analysis is available at http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=17937574&rnd=0.6528408743906766 This is a game from a mini tournament, this is the opening position } 1... e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 { to discourage Q h4 or g5 } 4... Nf6 5. d4 Bg4 6. h3 { This move which may look harmless at first sight is what led tome losing the game. } 6... Bg3+ 7. Kd2 { forced } 7... Ne4+ 8. Ke3 { Pretty much forced,Kd3 leads to a royal fork with Nf2 } 8... Nf2 9. Qd2 { At the time I felt thiswas pretty much forced but this move leads to forced mate in 2 with 9.Qd2 Qe7+ 10. Ne5 Qg5# } 9... Qe7+ { Thanks for reading } 0-1

[Event "Space City Open 07 (Reserve - rd #2)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-20-07"] [Round "-"] [White "Thomas G."] [Black "Matt A."] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "Prov 1003"] [TimeControl "G/120"] [WhiteElo "1456"] 1. Nf3 { As the second round of the Space City Open begins, I find myselflooking at the wall chart and being traumatized when I see the last nameof my next opponent. I am feeling fat and bloated from my pig out experienceat Cracker Barrel, and the last thing in the world I want is to play thiskid. He is 10, and definitely on his way up the ratings chart. Then I looka little closer, and realize that it's not the wunderkind, but his fatherthat I am playing. Matt is the VP of the Alabama Chess Federation and avery cool guy, but he is a beginner who only really got into competetiveplay because of his kid. As is typical in a Swiss tourney, I go from playingthe highest rated player in round one to the lowest rated player in roundtwo. I open with 1. Nf3. } 1... Nf6 { An interesting choice for a beginner. Let'ssee if he can handle a transposition. } 2. d4 { I see an opportunity to getinto my pet QG lines (which constitute 80 % of my rated games with thewhite pieces). } 2... d5 3. c4 { I put my mind into full Queens gambit mode.I feel secure whether he takes or not. } 3... e6 { ! I'm gonna give Matt fullcredit here for not being enticed by the apparent low hanging fruit. Mostbeginners snap off the c pawn quick. Black opts for a traditional QGD line. } 4. cxd5 { I feel confident in saying that I play this move 100% of the time.The exchange variation of the QGD is my all time favorite. At this point,I intend to play Rc1 as soon as possible and start raising Cain on thec file. } 4... exd5 { Regaining equality. } 5. Nc3 Bb4 { Black develops nicely,and prepares to castle. Honestly, I expected Nc6...... } 6. Bg5 { I seriouslyconsidered Qa4 , which I normally play against weaker players. But I realizedthat black has not been intimidated by me at all so far, and God forbid,may actually have some game. I reigned in my ego and played a logical developingmove which established a nice pin. } 6... Nc6 { Not bad, but not great IMHO. Bf5seems to hold more promise. } 7. e3 Bg4 { Black keeps chugging right along,and makes another good move. I remind myself that over-confidence has takendown players far better than I, and that I should now double my effortsand start playing chess. No one is gonna just give me a point. } 8. h3 { !?I set the first trap. If he takes, I'll retake with my queen and have possibilitieson f6. I know that developing my LSB is more logical, but I just had thefeeling that my opponent was having problems keeping up with the consequencesof the three pins on the board. His eyes and body language told me thathe wanted to keep things as simple as possible, so I put him to the test. } 8... Bxf3 { ?! My gut feeling turned out to be right. Black tries to maintainsome degree of tempo, but in the process allows me my wish. } 9. Qxf3 Qd7 { ? Obviously annoyed by the pin against his queen, black blunders a pawn- and in the process wrecks his kingside pawns. } 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Qxf6 { I breathe a little easier now, and realize that I'm a pawn up with superiorpawn structure. I now intend to trade off everything in sight and get intoa won endgame. } 11... Rg8 { Protecting his hanging rook and getting it to an openfile. } 12. Bd3 { Daring black to play Rxg2, as I'll respond Qh8 winninga rook. } 12... Qe7 { ? Black assists me in my liquidation plans. Why trade queenshere? The ladies promptly come off the board. } 13. Qxe7+ Nxe7 14. O-O { Gettingto safety and protecting my g pawn. } 14... h5 { This little fella was hanginganyway, so black pushes him into action. } 15. a3 { Please take, please take,please take............ } 15... Bd6 { Black wisely refuses, but moves his DSB toa vulnerable square. } 16. Nb5 { I now see doubled d pawns on the horizon. } 16... a6 { ?! 16...Rd8 17. Nxa7 c6 drops a pawn, but makes my knight vulnerable. } 17. Nxd6+ cxd6 18. Rac1 { Ok, things are looking good. I'm a pawn up, hissix pawns are on four islands, and I have a juicy open file to work with.Time to clean house. } 18... Kd7 { Connecting his rooks and keeping me out of c7. } 19. Rc2 { Preparing to double up while latently protecting g2 should heget any ideas of doubling down the g file. } 19... Rg7 { Which he does. } 20. Rfc1 Nc6 { Trying to squash my ideas of play down the c file, but severely limitingthis piece. } 21. b4 { I'm fully prepared to drop my a pawn if need be toharrass his knight. } 21... Rag8 { Hitting g2 twice. } 22. Bf5+ { No need to panicabout g2 just yet. ...let's get his king moving. } 22... Ke7 23. f3 { g2 is nowprotected. } 23... Kf6 { Black understands that the king is also a weapon, butmoving it in front of its protection is not wise. } 24. g4 { As we both hitg4 three times, I felt comfortable making this aggressive move. The pinwill have to be broken however. } 24... Ne7 { ! Removing one of the g4 protectors. } 25. Bd3 { I gasp in horror when I see that I'm about to return the pawnwith check tempo for black. } 25... Nf5 { ?? 25...hxg 26. fxg Rxg was the correctplay. This was an outright blunder. I felt like the convict who was alreadystrapped to the chair when the Governor calls at 11:59 pm. } 26. Bxf5 hxg4 { My good friend Matt just shook his head when he realized that I knew thatI had dodged a bullet. With a chuckle to himself he rids himself of a pawnisland. } 27. hxg4 Rh8 { As the g file is now a dead end, black moves overto the h file and hopes for action down it. } 28. Rh2 { Of course I can'tallow him to double on the h file, so I offer up an exchange. } 28... Re8 { Whichhe wisely declines by threatening my e pawn. } 29. Rc7 { ?! I probably shouldhave played Rce1 here, but felt that I could withstand the pressure shouldhe take on e. } 29... Kg5 { ?! Rxe and black can at least establish some threats. } 30. f4+ Kf6 { Forced. } 31. Rh6+ { Ok, I've had enough of this. Time to getsome pieces off of the board. } 31... Rg6 { Forced yet again. } 32. Bxg6 fxg6 33. g5+ Kf5 34. Rf7+ { Looking for a way to put black out of my misery. } 34... Kg4 { ?! I expected Ke6 which may have prolonged the game as black could attemptto manuever behind his remaing pawns. } 35. Rxg6 { His g pawn was like anannoying speed bump, so I opt to remove it and just deal with his takeon e3. } 35... Rxe3 36. Kf2 { Just to be safe and get off of the edge. He stillhas mating material available to him. } 36... Rxa3 37. Re6 { Bringing a defenderback into action, and ensuring g pawn promotion. } 37... Ra2+ 38. Re2 Ra3 39. g6 { Only now do I feel confident that the win is assured. I can safelydefend all threats and black is gonna be hard pressed to deal with my passer. } 39... Rf3+ 40. Ke1 Kh5 { Sorry Matt, you're not gonna catch him. } 41. g7 Rg3 { Alast gasp effort to stop my promotion. } 42. Rh2+ { I get a nice little tacticto finish him off. } 42... Kg4 43. g8=Q+ Kf3 44. Rf2+ { Wins his last offensivethreat and wins the game. } 44... Ke3 45. Qxg3+ { ....and black resigned. We bothhad a good laugh at how reckless my 24. g4 was (I think he laughed harderthan I did:) While obviously happy with the full point, I was somewhatdisappointed with my game. I really should have put this one away far soonerI felt. I tell myself not to dwell on it, and start poring over the wallchart once again to see how things are shaping up. The field is 14 playerslarge, and I'm #6 on the ratings list. I still have three tough games togo if I want to cash in this tourney. I really shouldn't be thinking aboutthe margaritas I'll be drinking later tonight, but I'm really craving somealcohol induced relaxation. I pace nervously and smoke cigarettes waitingfor round three....... } 1-0

[Event "The Annotation Project - To The Tactician, Goes The Spoils"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.10"] [Round "-"] [White "untateve"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1792"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1615"] 1. e4 { Another game from freddy's tourney--This time I am done in by myTactical Superior. The preset moves continue essentially to 9th move. } 1... c5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Qxg4 Nxg4 7. Bxf7+ Kd7 8. Be6+ Kc6 9. Bxg4 e6 10. Nc3 Na6 11. Nf7 Qe7 { I was hoping Black wouldmove 11...Qh4 12. g3 Qxg4 13. Ne5, forking Black's K and Q. } 12. Ne5+ Kc7 { Black is slowly moving the K to safety. } 13. O-O Rd8 14. a3 { Doneto keep Na6 from getting to c2. } 14... g6 { White's goal is to keep Black fromdeveloping and applying pressure--I think it's safe to say White is failingin this endeavor. I'm thinking this goes back to my dream of the K andQ fork back on move 11. I probably should have just taken Rh8 at thatpoint with the N. } 15. Nxe4 Bg7 16. Nc4 h6 17. d3 Kb8 { Black's King has'castled.' } 18. Be3 { 18. Be3? This leads to an exchange of Bishops--somethingWhite cannot afford. I was too focused on my development. } 18... Bd4 19. Bxd4 Rxd4 20. Rae1 Nc7 21. Ne5 { White's pieces are developed but there's noreal coordination. } 21... Rg8 22. c3 Rdd8 23. Rb1 { It was here I decided I neededa plan (about time). I wrote myself a note that I would break throughQueenside or lose in the attempt. } 23... Nd5 24. Rf2 Nf6 25. Bf3 { I can't exchangemy other Bishop. And if Black exchanges N's, my B would be aiming at b7. } 25... Nxe4 26. Bxe4 Qe8 27. b4 { I was hoping for an exchange but Black was notopen to that plan. } 27... c4 28. d4 { This may have been an error but I was afraidto give Black an open file to exploit. } 28... Rc8 29. b5 { Continuing my marchQueen side. } 29... Rg7 30. a4 { My poor pawns on a4 and b5 go no further...wheredid I go wrong? } 30... Qg8 31. Rb4 g5 32. f5 exf5 33. Bf3 { With 33 Bf3, I wasthinking I could perhaps go to Be2 and then take c4, while disrupting Black'sKingside assault. } 33... g4 34. Be2 g3 { stupid pawn. } 35. hxg3 Rxg3 { Looks likemy Rook on f2 isn't going anywhere for awhile. I've completely lost theinitiative now and I'm just reacting. } 36. Bxc4 Qg5 37. Nf7 Qc1+ 38. Rf1 Qxc3 39. Rb3 { At this point, I thought I had Black's R on f3 for my B. I was feeling pretty good--I failed to notice by poor N all alone on f7 :tears: } 39... Qxc4 40. Rxg3 Qxf7 { A B+N+P for a R--not a good exchange forWhite--Superior Tactics wins the day. } 41. Rgf3 Qc4 42. Rd1 { I knew onepawn would drop--I decided to save d4. } 42... Qxa4 43. Rxf5 { 43...Qxd1+?? Ibelieve the word for this is 'blunder.' } 43... Qxd1+ { I believe the phrase thatapplies here is 'ruinous loss of material.' Congrats to Joanne as sheplayed well and showed me quite clearly that I will not progress untilI become a stronger tactician. Any and all criticism is welcome. } 0-1

[Event "Nole vs. Stan :-D"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.09.12"] [Round "-"] [White "apophis93"] [Black "damafi"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1451"] [TimeControl "300+5"] [WhiteElo "1537"] { It was a pity that a classical game was blundered by my opponent. I'mcourious to see if my moves were sound. The parallel with this night'sgame is just a light joke, and it is not intended to offend or provokeany discussion. I start with a traditionally 'second line' opening (theIcelandic), that can be compared with the first set of the game, when Noleseemed as inconquerabily as he always is. Then, a surprising attack andthe disadvantage is reversed (Stan wins two sets). In the middle of thefourth, Nole has a physical problem (we can call it a 'blunder'), and Stanwins against a less than optimal Nole. A win but still a pity for the showand for Stan's 'honour'. He was not very happy with Nole's problem. Sohappens here: the game would have been much more interesting if not forwhite's blunder. Still a victory for black? Sure, a good example of a 'classic'attack, and it illustrates very nicely black's plans in this gambit. } 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nc3 { A solid way for white to proceed. In this opening,white is advised not to move the c pawn. This is very counterintuitive(c4 looks soooo tempting!), but in fact it just helps black in developement,with accurate play (and at club levels). White has Bb5+ as his more aggressivetry, and I fear it a little. f6 would be my response. } 3... e6 { My still-not-completely-sure-why-it-is-not-defendablefavourit. Here, the answer I kind of fear most is Bb5+. If any minor pieceinterposes, dxe6 is a proper 'dark hole'. So c6 must be the answer, and...it's another story. I test my opponents here: if they don't play Bb5+,they either don't know the opening, or they are going for slow, routine,passive play. I will catch those... ;-) } 4. dxe6 { The 'automatic' moveblack is just waiting for, ignoring the B check. } 4... Bxe6 { Standard position. } 5. Be2 { Very passive, but not necessarily bad move. Here, black can gofor the 'hard' line Qe7, threatening Bc4 or Bg4 playing with the pin onthe lsb. But white can get out of it if careful. } 5... c6 { This is a more positionalapproach. It 1) restricts the b5 threat, 2) opens the way for the BQ tob6 or c7 - her's optimal square. Bc5 instead allows d4 with tempo, butI think it's playable (my B will go to b4, exchange the N, and then, withNe4 attacking c3 I'll have won some games. The key of my attack is to alignBd6 and Qc7 on white's castled K. But I can wait for the white's d pawnto be moved to play Bd6, and in the meantime I try to get the most of mytempoes. I also know that Ng5 or Bg5 will become an annoyance I have tobe aware all the time. And I know I'll castle queenside and that I willlaunch a pawn's storm on g. This is what I'll say if I'll see this position,because I play it a lot. Of course, it must have some problem, somewhere.I just wonder how high the rate must be in order to meet it. } 6. Nf3 { Normal,and I can't prevent it. } 6... Nbd7 { I'm not trying to stop d4. I assume itwill be played. Then I'll decide where to play the dsb, not before. } 7. O-O { Perfect. Going for castling wihtout thinking in the downsides. OkI don't say white has any kind of disadvantage or weakness. But he is playingmy game. My Qside must be attacked, or I'll buid up my dev undisturbed. } 7... h6 { This is necessary. You can delay it, but if you do, white will playNg5 and threat NxBe6, forcing me to react to it. And I have no good wayto do it. If Nf5 white has a strong attack after Re1 or Bh5. } 8. d4 { Followingthe plan, white finally plays his only throwable weapon. But d5 is mineuntil the N is still on c3. } 8... Bd6 { As planned, I grab the diagonal andI prevent white's lsb to go f4. I've also played it and I survived, butI think this is the right move to do here for black. } 9. Be3 { With thismove white gives up any possibility to take advantage of the e coulmn fora long time, and he leaves to me what I prevented from him with h6: Ng4.Of course, it will leave d5 exposed. } 9... Qc7 { Battery charged. Still inactive,but... } 10. h3 { White plays the simmetric defence, without realizing thathis K is behind it, and this makes a strong difference. } 10... g5 { Not a greatplan: g4, and I assure a g open column, while ready to castle Q side andbring another R into the battlefield. Normal was to castle Qside first.But this just screams white your intentions, and give him a tempo moreto organize his game. This leaves less time to him. My K is near to beexposed, but not for some moves. I'll use these. } 11. a4 { This is anohertypical mistake. White's counterattack is too slow. White thinks he candefend the Kside, and go for a slow counterattack. He waits me to movethe Nf6 elsewhere in order to play d5. Seen this way, his 'dull' attackon a can be a treat: come and fall for it, you'll be greeted with a winner. } 11... g4 { Who's right? What do you think? } 12. hxg4 { Now I have to be awarethat as I retake, he'll stike on the center with d5. And that he thinksthat this will crush my queenside. Is he right? } 12... Nxg4 { The threat is Nxd6,more than Bh2+, Kh1, and I have no way to follow with the attack in lessthan two moves. I have to be very careful here. } 13. d5 { Here it comes.Now, This opens up my Q side and compromises my K's safety, but white isstill a little far from occupy the e column, and maybe I can save the castlingtempo in favour of crushing operations on white's Kside. } 13... Nxe3 { This hasthe downside that the f colum becomes open and occupied. But it leavesa very weak pawn in e3 and g3 with no defence. Just the kind of game whitecould have played against me if I'd not played h6. } 14. fxe3 { Forced, sinceWQ was threatened. } 14... Bh3 { Slam! This was my bet. If gxB, Rg8+ should begina very strong attack. And Rg8 is coming anyway. Suddenly white feels hisweaknesses and realized he was too overconfident. } 15. dxc6 { My K is stillin the center, and o-o-o won't be a safe move anymore, but white is inno position to take advantage of it, and the important thing is to controld5 an b5. } 15... bxc6 { White still has to find something to delay Rg8. } 16. Ne4 { Second attempt, and probably the best one, given the circunstances.It threats d6 with check, and if Be5, NxB and then the nasty check willbe played all the same, with a darkest fate for me. I found again the rightmove, I think. (But the correct defence for white goes Rf2, Bf1. Of course,White is also threatening here Nf2.) } 16... Bg3 { White doesn't have the checkanymore, and also Nf2 (best's white?) will be met by Bxg2 and Rg8. Novicesplease note: Bh2, the 'wow' move everyone always wants to play, was NOTmy winner smash (please correct me if I'm wrong!) and I only 'pressured'white with it, not intending to actually play it (except as a threat whitehad to met). } 17. gxh3 { If NxB, QxN, Rf2, Rg8 and I think white is busted.So white takes the B instead (Bxg2 was coming anyway, but maybe white shouldhave been more creative here, mayby with Kh1.) } 17... Rg8 { Maybe not the best,but I think white is about to fall. } 18. Kh1 { This opens key square forwhite pieces, and I have to be careful. For instance, if I go for castlingo-o-o (usually a good move, and here I'll threat a discovered attack onthe WQ after my d7 N moves... is not the best plan! I have the Nd7 as thebrave guard of my K's safety, an he is where he must be. I have to go onwith the attack instead, and prevent Rg1. } 18... f5 { Nf2 was his best move,in my opinion. } 19. Nxg3 { Throwing the towel. Now, dear reader... whichone is the right piece to take with? Allowing the powerful Q in (Qxg3)or the weaker R (Rxg3)? Of course, h3 is the real target... } 19... Rxg3 { WasI right? Now Rxh3 is threatened, and h2 is attacked by both my Q and R.If I take with the Q, it will be not. I'll win with Qg2#. Now, has whitea move to avoid all of it? } 20. Nh2 { I'd play Rf2. } 20... Rxh3 { Here, Rf2 andI was not sure about my winning chances. I think I'd go for Qe5, not fallingin o-o-o, Bh3+, Kb8, Rf4, blocking my Q's action instead of defending h2... } 21. Rxf5 { Unfortunately, my opponent didn't give me the chance to provemy mastery. Just like in the Usa Open this night. } 21... Qxh2# 0-1

[Event "Norfolk Rapidplay Round 4"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Me"] [Black "David Owen"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1770"] [TimeControl "30 minutes"] [WhiteElo "1784"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 { Two knights game, love this opening! } 4... exd4 5. e5 Ne4 6. O-O Be7 7. Bd5 Nc5 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nxd4 { Fairly levelposition } 9... O-O 10. Nc3 a6 { bizarre move, beats me } 11. Re1 Ne6 12. Be3 { Don'tlike Nxe6 } 12... c5 13. Nxe6 { Hoping he doesn't play Qxd1 leading to a draw-ishendgame. Nf5 maybe? } 13... Bxe6 14. Qf3 { phew! Think this is advantage white } 14... c6 { best way to protect b7 } 15. Qg3 { threatening Bh6 } 15... Kh8 16. Rad1 Qe8 { Weak move. Expected Qb6, b3 preparing Na4 } 17. Ne4 { Attacking the weakdoubled pawn, Na4 is also playable. } 17... b6 { the best method of defending it } 18. Nd6 Qb8 { Bxd6 is better. } 19. c4 { Wanted to play Qf3, Qh5 but Bd5 stopsQf3, hence this move. } 19... Qc7 20. Rd3 { Doubling rooks } 20... f5 { A weak move I think.But black has to do something } 21. exf6 Bxf6 { the only response that doesn'tlose. } 22. Bf4 { threating the bishop and various discovered threats } 22... Bg8 { Probably blacks best option } 23. Ne4 { I think this is the best knightmove. } 23... Qf7 24. Nxf6 { Best move I think } 24... gxf6 { I think Qxf6 falls to Be5,Rd6 etc } 25. Red1 { Preparing Rd7 } 25... Rae8 26. h3 { Rd7, Qxd7. Bh6 is alsoplayable but I think I have better than the exchange with this attack. } 26... Qxc4 27. Rd7 { Threatening mate } 27... Rf7 { Preventing the mate } 28. Bh6 { threateninganother mate! } 28... Re1+ 29. Kh2 { Rxe1, Rxd7 and black is fine. } 29... Ree7 { the onlyway to stop the mate methinks } 30. Qxg8+ { A beutiful sacrifice! #in4! } 30... Kxg8 31. Rd8+ Re8 32. Rxe8+ Rf8 33. Rxf8# { Very satisfying game to play! } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "01-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "dmisra"] [Black "on_edges"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1654"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1607"] { The WINDMILL- a DREADED trap, leading to a win on move #29, always satisfying.Also involving a neat deflection trick on move 20. I read about the windmill3 months ago and was dying to practise it. Repeated use of a dicoveredcheck. Amazing what you can pick up by reading a book- Killer chess tactics-Keene et al. Pl comment freely and pl rate. Fasten your seat belts forhere we go... } 1. e4 { The WINDMILL- a DREADED trap, leading to a win onmove #29, always satisfying. Also involving a neat deflection trick onmove 20. I read about the windmill 3 months ago and was dying to practiseit. Repeated use of a dicovered check. Amazing what you can pick up byreading a book- Killer chess tactics- Keene et al. Pl comment freely andpl rate. Fasten your seat belts for here we go... } 1... c5 2. f4 { Expandinginto the kingside, my fav opening in last few months. Someone told me itis the Grand prix opening. I dont know, not formally schooled in basics.I just go for stuff like windmill and have fun. } 2... d6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. Nc3 { protect e4 } 5... g6 6. O-O { my lsb points at his kingside, plan is toadvance f pawn and attack there. note that the f rook is also part of theplot. But things hazy at present } 6... Bg7 7. d3 O-O 8. Be3 { just routine development } 8... a6 9. a4 { stop b5, also allow lsb space to withdraw to a2 maintaining theattack on f7 } 9... b6 10. Ba2 Bb7 11. f5 { will not take his g pawn now, justadvancing deep into his territory } 11... e6 { that move of his is a mistake, watch- } 12. fxe6 fxe6 13. Bxe6+ { see, he forgot about the serpent on a2which uncoils and strikes. I am a pawn up } 13... Kh8 14. Ng5 { Attack starts,no plan right now, supporting my lsb } 14... Qe7 15. Qd2 { doubling up } 15... Ne5 16. Bb3 { almost certainly his bishop will come to c8 so I withdraw, i planto-- } 16... Bc8 { see } 17. Nd5 { --plan to move my knight up. I am suddenly dreamingof a WINDMILL, but need an uncluttered f file for my rook } 17... Nxd5 18. Bxd5 { One more hurdle before I set up the windmill, can you guess what it isnow } 18... Rb8 { he protects his rook } 19. c3 Bd7 { WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW? pleasetry and guess } 20. d4 { why did I do that- I needed to deflect his knightoff e5. Why- watch } 20... Ng4 { he wants to exchange with my dsb, actually I amnot bothered for-- } 21. Nf7+ { FINALLY, AFTER MONTHS OF WAITING- my firstwindmill } 21... Kg8 { forced move of his king. Now the moment I move my knight,he will get a check from the bishop. Thats great, only my knight doesnot move and gobble up something juicy, only a measly d6 pawn. My euphoriais checked. but hey, maybe this windmill can swing and swing--- } 22. Nd8+ { need to remove his rook off the f file and temporarily put his b rookout of action. no idea how it will go } 22... Kh8 23. Rxf8+ Bxf8 24. Nf7+ { windmillstrikes again } 24... Kg7 { he moves his king onto a dark square and my windmillis dead } 25. Bg5 { just harassing his q and advancing, no plan as such } 25... Qe8 26. Bh6+ { just harassing } 26... Nxh6 { bad move on his part for I -- } 27. Qxh6+ { queen moves up. if he moves to g8, the windmill will strike again(28. Ng5 followed by Qxh7 mate } 27... Kf6 { he sensibly moves out but that bringsmy other rook up } 28. Rf1+ Ke7 29. Qg5# { At my age I dont have time toread basics and openings etc, which is why my rating is stuck at 1600.But I have read a few exciting things and sometimes get a chance to practicethem. This is chess for fun, hope you enjoyed. Pl comment freely andpl rate } 1-0

[Event "fiercequeen, at it again (final)..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2-sep-18"] [Round "-"] [White "fiercequeen"] [Black "4kingandcountry"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "UR"] [TimeControl "3+10 blitz"] [WhiteElo "2059"] { this one, goes by the name of Robin Hood: always a tell-tale... } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 { grew fond of this: Kings' Gambit... } 2... d6 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 { no sweat broken... } 5... Nc6 6. c3 { keep the Knight at bay... } 6... Nf6 7. Bb5 { precautions... } 7... a6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. O-O d5 10. d3 dxe4 11. dxe4 { asking for it... } 11... exf4 12. Rd1 { all, in days' work... } 12... Qe7 13. Qxf4 Nxe4 14. Re1 { a death wish... } 14... g5 15. Qxe4 Qxe4 16. Rxe4+ Kd7 17. Bxg5 f5 18. Rh4 Bc5+ 19. Kh2 Ke6 20. Nd2 Rag8 { figures... } 21. Re1+ Kd5 22. Bf6 { nocomments... } 22... Rxg2+ { what? } 23. Kxg2 Rg8+ 24. Kf3 Rg6 25. Bd4 { I see deadpeople... } 25... Bxd4 26. cxd4 { Rxd4+, would have worked also... } 26... h5 27. Nb3 { but this is nicer: Black resigned; after Re5+, all is over... } 1-0

[Event "Chess with Bill - (Keene's Defense turns bad for Black)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.12.12"] [Round "-"] [White "billdancourtney"] [Black "manfred12g"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1233"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1368"] 1. e4 { Manfred12g and I have played many games together. He is is usedto me either going right into F4 (King's Gambit) or playing F4 after KnC3(Vienna Game). Typically he accepts the gambit or does a 'counter-gambit'(I guess) by moving pawn to D5. He threw me for a slight loop by playing... } 1... e5 { ... } 2. f4 { ... } 2... Qh4+ { this rather odd move, Q to H4#. I found thisreply is not really as odd as it seems and is called the Keene's Defense.But I also have played enough games with manfred12g to know he checks fastand likes to bring his queen out really early. I had just lost two gamesin a row to him and hoped I would not lose three by getting into some odd,erratic game that he often fares better in if I am not careful. } 3. g3 { What else is there to do unless I relinquish my King of his castling privilegeswithout a fight. } 3... Qf6 4. fxe5 { I decide to follow the DB suggestions herefor a while. The main thing here for me, and this line, is that I wantto get that F file opened up. It creates weaknesses no doubt for white,especially from play between black's queen and black bishop, but that'sjust a risk I am willing to take for a little excitement now and then. } 4... Qxe5 5. Nc3 { I feel I know his style and know he will attack that Knightwith his DS Bishop, and I will have doubled pawns. But I am not so afraidof doubled pawns anymore though I prefer to live without them. My otheroption was D3, but he would still 99.99% attack the knight and trade itoff. I know this. Then I am still in a situation. If I pull out my bishopto block check he will take my B2 pawn with his Queen and things get tooannoying too fast for me. } 5... Bb4 6. Nf3 { This is still in the DB actually.It looks bad for white in some ways but I have played a lot of King's Gambitand/or Vienna Gambit games and this sit up is not all that alien to me.I usually fare better against manfred12g as white than black and yet Iam a little queasy. } 6... Qe7 7. Qe2 { To protect the pawn on E4 after the tradehappens. } 7... Bxc3 8. bxc3 { I figure my D pawn to either D3 or D4 will notbe that bad. Since the attack with the King's Gambit will occur from myKingside I do not fret overly about my Queenside falling into tatters.My side looks all messed up (and I guess it is) but I have made four pawnmoves so far and have one active piece on the board. His queen is guardinghis king and not a good thing after I get castled and my rook can moveto the E file, but I know he will castle as soon as he can so do not evenmake plans around that. } 8... Nf6 9. d3 { Protect the E pawn. } 9... O-O { He castlesand I will go ahead and prepare to castle Kingside. If a viewer now doesnot play the King's Gambit often the set up may look overly vulnerable(and there are problems for me) but the open F file with a willingnessto take a risk and make sacrifices may help out later. Or it may not. } 10. Bg2 { Not that I am trying to fianchetto to attack his rook later oranything. I am sort of forced into this awkward position by his line ofattack in the beginning. Normally my bishop would be on C4 now, aimingat the F7 square, hoping for a break later. } 10... h6 { I am not a high levelplayer, and I am a terrible game analysist, but at the level I play I seethis move so often and am not sure I consider it a good move. It is meantto stop my knight from going to G5, but without my bishop on C4 that isa weak line of attack for me right now. It also weakens his castled positionway too soon in the game. By my being willing, as would many players, tosacrifice my DS bishop his castled king would become totally exposed. Ithink better to let the pawn sit unless the knight encroaches, then chasehim off. It is a necessary move at times, but here I think moving theG7 pawn becomes the objective for white now. } 11. O-O { Want my Rook onthe semi-open F file now. (I think that is what you cal it now, semi-open.Correct me please if I am wrong.) } 11... Qc5+ { Here manfred12g cannot resistthe check and capture of the doubled pawn. In fact I think it is betterto leave the other guy's pawns doubled up. A move or two ago I was frettingover the doubled pawns and now my opponent helps me out of the bind, atthe cost of one point in material. But gambits are all about loss of materialand a bit of reckless hope. } 12. Be3 Qxc3 { I know I cannot wait for manfred12gto sort things out. He has moved his Queen just too many times and haslet seven piece remain untouched, but that will not last long. But he tradedoff (unwisely in the King's Gambit) a piece he really needed in my viewas white, and that was his DS bishop. } 13. Bd4 { I assume he will moveto C6. } 13... Qa5 { But he goes here instead. Earlier my plan was to trade ofmy DS bishop for his H6 pawn, but this makes it a little easier for me.An equal trade and he has to move that G7 pawn anyway. } 14. Bxf6 gxf6 { Like that. } 15. Nh4 { I want my queen on G4 of course. He knows this Iassume and so... } 15... d6 { does the most sensible thing. But this is why heshould have moved his queen to C6 and it was a bit of luck on my part hedid not... } 16. Rxf6 { My queen now wants to get to H5. } 16... Qc3 { Not a badidea but he is trying to win the whole game with his queen alone. It isgetting too late for that. } 17. Raf1 { Although I am not sure how, I getthe sense that this move seals the deal. } 17... Nd7 { I am not sure what allhe could do now. He attacks my Rook, okay, but in the process blocks hiswhite bishop's line on G4. } 18. Qg4+ { I predicted he wuld go to H7 andhad sit up some conditionals, but he surprised me by... } 18... Kh8 { moving toH8 and thereby... } 19. Rxh6# { giving away the game. Maybe on purpose.manfred12g has a rather aggressive and 'in your face' style that oftendoes me in if I am hasty or not paying attention. But here he tried tohave his queen carry the whole game and it was a bit too much for her.Had he developed a few more pieces and not been so hasty with wanting tocheck me early on with no clear follow up things may have turned out differently. } 1-0

[Event "?, ?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "-"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] 1. e4 { e4 is een prima zet } 1... e6 { e6 is a great move which almost makes it impossible for white to attack f7. } 2. Nf3 { Prima tweede zet } 2... Nf6 { Zwart ontwikkelt een paard } 3. Bc4 { There is no more attack from the knight and the horse for white. The pawn on f6 holds the attack. } 3... h6 { The horse can no longer move forward because it would be struck by the pawn on h6. } *

[Event "Brandon (MS) Open 2007 (rd 3)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "8-18-07"] [Round "-"] [White "Thomas G."] [Black "Jack S."] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "880"] [TimeControl "G/60"] [WhiteElo "1431"] 1. Nf3 { Here is my best game from the recent Brandon (MS) Open 2007. Myreal rating dipped a bit at this tourney, but I did have a plus score of2.5/4. Jack S. provided me the opportunity to get the old creative juicesflowing, and I was fortunate enough to crank out this beauty. My mojo wasworking during this round.....I hope you enjoy:) } 1... d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 { QGD. For those who know me, I assure you I have not lost my mind with1. Nf3. I'm still the boring Queen's Gambit player that I have always been.I merely have been flirting with the Reti lately, and it is easily steerableinto QG territory if desired. } 4. cxd5 { QGD Exchange variation } 4... exd5 5. Nc3 { Absolutely true to form. Seen this a miilion times. I have alwayspreferred to open the c file and play a quick Rc1. That means Nc3 and Bg5come first. } 5... Bb4 { Pinning the knight and allowing Ne4. } 6. Bg5 { Deeminghis pin easibly defended, I establish one of my own. } 6... O-O 7. e3 Nc6 { Iquestioned this move somewhat. I feel that 7...Bg4 and an eventual Nbd7was stronger. } 8. Bd3 Qd6 { Another move that just doesn't feel right. Black'slight squared bishop needs to get it in gear. In post mortem, my opponentexpressed his desire to control the dark squares. Maybe he saw somethingI didn't. What I see is four actively developed white pieces dancing aroundthe awkwardly placed enemy queen. Perhaps she can be harrassed...... } 9. a3 { First things first - 86 the Bb4. If 9...Ba5 then 10. b4 and I'll pushthe queenside with tempo. He's likely going to play BxN. } 9... Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 { Mission accomplished. } 10... Ne4 { Hitting my bishop and my c pawn. As I reallywant to keep my dark squared bishop, I can't allow this knight to havesuch a cushy post. He's gotta go. } 11. Bxe4 dxe4 12. Bf4 { No need to panicabout my knights safety just yet. How about a little tempo first? } 12... Qd7 { ? Ugly move. Black's light squared bishop is not only undeveloped butretarded as well. If black is so concerned about saving his c pawn thenQe7 is much, much better. } 13. Ng5 { !? I felt that my opponent had justerred seriously enough to deserve a little punishment. I now threaten towin a pawn or even launch a volley at the enemy monarch. } 13... Ne7 { Black mustsense that I'm about to start knocking on his front door so he shifts resourcesto defend. This move doesn't accomplish near as much as he hopes for however.I start to develop attacking ideas to exploit his underdeveloped queenside. } 14. Qh5 { ! I really liked this move. I am in no hurry to snag the e pawn.Better to start loosening up the enemy defenses first. } 14... h6 { Forced. } 15. Nxe4 { Now I pick up the pawn, and it hits me! f6 is brutally weak. Wouldn'tmy knight look pretty sitting there? } 15... Ng6 { Still not developed, my opponentfinishes what he started two moves ago, and gets a defender over. } 16. Bxh6 { ! I double dog dare black to accept this sac. (16...gxB 17. Nf6 with a Royal Fork.) } 16... Re8 { Black wisely declines the sac and establishesa threat of his own on my Ne4. } 17. Qf3 { My knight is vital to my planand must be protected. My bishop is still immune from capture because ofthe Nf6 threat. } 17... Qc6 { ! Black's best move of the game. He now hits my Ne4twice and has his own tactic (the pin on my queen). } 18. d5 { ! White'sbest move of the game! A deflection sac! } 18... Qxd5 { ?? In addition to not seeingthe weakness of the f6 square, Black leaves himself open for a crushingtactic. } 19. Nf6+ { ! Winning the black queen with the move I've been waitingfor. } 19... gxf6 { Black gets far too little in exchange. } 20. Qxd5 Be6 { Blackfinally gets his problem bishop into the game on move 20. } 21. Qd4 { ThreateningQxf and then mate on g7. } 21... Kh7 { Black's only saving move. } 22. Bf4 { Ok,I figure I will now regroup and finish him off. I have an overwhelmingmaterial advantage that should carry the day. } 22... Nxf4 { ?! Just makes my jobeasier. I was frankly very surprised that my opponent would instigate anyexchanges right now. } 23. Qxf4 Kg7 { ? Black's Ra8 must get developed forblack to have any chance. I felt that 23...Kg7 was a time waster. } 24. Qxc7 { Just to ensure pawn equality on the queenside just in case. I canalways play Qg3 next. } 24... b6 { Protecting his b pawn. } 25. O-O { Ok, we'lldo this the long way. I simply castle to get another gun into the fight. } 25... Rac8 { With an eye on my c pawn. } 26. Qg3+ { Sorry, my c pawn is safe aswell. Deal with this check first:) } 26... Kf8 27. Rfc1 Red8 { Black is going tohave to get vertical to stand a chance. Another time waster. } 28. c4 { !?A cute little tactic. } 28... Bxc4 { Black takes the 'free' pawn and is rewardedby........... } 29. Qf4 { ! Hitting the enemy bishop for a second time butmore importantly hitting f6. White can raise some serious you know whatif the queen gets to f6. } 29... Be6 { Protecting his bishop, but allowing furthersimplification. } 30. Rxc8 Rxc8 31. Qxf6 { Threatening Qh8 , Ke7, QxR, BxQand an easy endgame for white. } 31... Rc7 { I dont give black a ? for this movebecause at this stage, they are all bad. } 32. Qd8+ { And black graciouslyresigned. I hope you have enjoyed it:) - Thomas } 1-0

[Event "105th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.06.07"] [Round "-"] [White "porcho"] [Black "filipeataide"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1174"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1082"] { This game I lost but I thought it was pretty interesting. I blundereda piece in the middle game but won it back with a fork in the endgame.However, this wasn't enough, and I resigned once I realized I couldn'tstop him from promoting. } 1. e4 Nf6 { This is the Alkehine's defense (spelling?) } 2. e5 { Most common } 2... Ne4 3. d4 e6 4. Bd3 { Develops with tempo } 4... Ng5 { It jumpsout of the way } 5. Nf3 { I add another attacker forcing him to exchangeand developing my queen } 5... Nxf3+ 6. Qxf3 f6 { Trying to attack my pawn centerbut better might have been d6 } 7. exf6 { Would it have been better to lethim capture first? } 7... Qxf6 8. Qxf6 gxf6 { And by move eight the queens aretraded off } 9. Nc3 Bb4 10. Bd2 { I complete my minor piece development } 10... Bxc3 11. Bxc3 d5 12. O-O-O { With the queens off the board and a fair amountof material exchanged, I though my king would be better nearer the center. } 12... Rg8 13. Bxh7 { Pawn trade } 13... Rxg2 14. Rhg1 { ? This loses another pawn } 14... Rxh2 15. Rg8+ Kd7 16. Rd2 { ?? And this is the blunder where I lose my bishop. } 16... Rxh7 { He takes it and I am behind be four but he doesn't have any of hisqueenside pieces out so I don't resign. } 17. f4 b6 { Preparing to developthe bishop } 18. Bb4 { I played this because it was a lot more active herethan on c3 } 18... Nc6 { Development } 19. Ba3 Bb7 20. Rdg2 { I noticed the discoveredattack and defended my rook but better would have been trading as thisloses a pawn } 20... Nxd4 21. R2g7+ Rxg7 22. Rxg7+ { Probably a bad exchange asI am behind } 22... Kc6 23. Kd2 { Centralizing my king } 23... Nf5 24. Rf7 d4 25. Rxf6 { Now I'm only down four } 25... Re8 26. Kd3 Ba6+ 27. Ke4 Bc4 28. b3 Bd5+ 29. Ke5 a5 30. Bb2 { Trying to win a pawn } 30... Kc5 31. a4 Ne3 { ?? This loses the knightand a pawn } 32. Bxd4+ Kb4 33. Bxe3 Kc3 { The score is tied but it's onlya matter of time before the BK picks of my pawns } 34. f5 exf5+ { Skewersmy king and bishop, but I can take his bishop } 35. Kxd5 { So I do } 35... Rxe3 36. Rxf5 Kxc2 { And now he starts picking off my pawns } 37. Kc6 { Going forhis } 37... Rxb3 { One left } 38. Kxc7 Rb4 39. Rf6 b5 { This forces the survivalof one pawn } 40. axb5 Rxb5 41. Ra6 Kb3 42. Kc6 { I keep playing hoping he'llmake a mistake } 42... Kb4 43. Ra7 a4 44. Ra6 { Just shuffling back and forth becauseI can't see anything better to do } 44... Rc5+ 45. Kb6 Rb5+ 46. Ka7 { ?? This losesthe game. I should have moved back to c6 and hoped for a draw by repetition,but this lets him force a rook trade. } 46... Ra5 { And I resign because afterthe trade I can't stop him from promoting. As always, please comment ifyou see something that I didn't mention. } 0-1

[Event "Lines of Power"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.10.04"] [Round "-"] [White "grandpoobah"] [Black "bwaa"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1704"] [TimeControl "3min + 10s"] [WhiteElo "1700"] 1. e4 { Hi all! Just a quick, spirited blitz game. As usual, open filesand energetic piece deployment are the order of the day. Enjoy! } 1... e5 2. Nf3 f5 { ?! The Latvian Gambit. Black trades material (sometimes quite alot of it) for open lines on the kingside. It's quite dubious and basicallynever seen in master play, but can be strong against unprepared opponents--andin blitz, everyone considers everyone else unprepared! } 3. exf5 { Not goingto give a lot of analysis on the opening except to say that 3.Nxe5 is morepopular. I have a big series of annotated games in this opening, so checkthose out if you're curious about it. } 3... Nc6 { 3...e4 is more common. } 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. O-O d5 { Gaining space for development with tempo. } 6. Bb5 Bd6 { The e-file, and the e-pawn in general, will be vulnerable until the BKcan vacate it, usually to the queenside. Opposite-flank castling tendsto favor whichever side has more midgame attacking possibilities, and withthe half-open f file, the situation looks like it would favor Black atthe moment (as it very often does in this opening). } 7. d3 { I think 7.d4!?is worth a look as well. 7...e4 is not much of a threat in response sinceWhite can parry with 8.Re1, which he wants to play anyway. } 7... Bxf5 8. Bg5 { More pins on the Black Knights. Development is just about even, thoughWhite is playing more aggressively whereas Black has a better central presence,but more threats to respond to. I think 8.Bxc6 was worth a look though;opening up Black's queenside. } 8... Qd7 { Unpinning one Knight momentarily, thoughit still can't really go anywhere if Black wants to castle queenside. Thismove also has the advantage of defending the Knight that needs defending--nowWhite can no longer break open the BK's fortress with Bxc6. } 9. Re1 O-O-O { Allowing White to win the e5 pawn if he desires and setting up the desirableopposite-wings castling situation. } 10. Nc3 { Wisely (I believe) choosingto continue his development instead of 10.Nxe5 etc. } 10... Rde8 { ?! Sacrificingthe d-pawn for development and general center control. This also unpinsthe Nf6, and leaves the Rh8 free to relocate to the f file or whateverother file needs its presence in the forthcoming attack on the WK. } 11. Bxf6 { White accepts the proffered pawn. } 11... d4 { !? Choosing to hold tightto the center, this move doesn't prevent Black from losing a pawn, butit critically ensures that if White wants to win material, he must openanother line against his King. } 12. Bxg7 { I think it would have been betterto just move the Bishop back to g5, rather than opening the g-file forBlack's heavy pieces. } 12... Qxg7 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Ne4 { Let's take a secondto analyze. Black has the bishop-pair (though his DSB is pretty worthlessat the moment) and some beautiful open lines against the WK. His centeris decent and he has better activity, but he'll have trouble in an endgamedue to his worse pawns. White, on the other hand, lags in development buthas a solid position and a very strong Knight at e4. His other, more lacklusterpieces can also be quickly activated by initiating a queenside attack.I'd give Black a very slight edge here, but only if he can convert hisactivity quickly. } 14... Bh3 { ? A few moments after this move, I decided it wasprobably a mistake. It's intended to provoke 15.g3, but 15.Ng3 is a farsuperior way to eliminate the threat; forcing Black to move the Bishopagain and clearing e4 for a Queen or Rook. I'm not sure what the correctmove for Black was in this situation--14...Rhg8 15.Ng3 e4 looks interesting--butI'm pretty sure the text is inferior. } 15. Nxd6+ { ? Not only trading agood Knight for a bad Bishop, but also forcing his own hand as to the responseto the Kingside threat. As I said above, 15.Ng3 was much better, allowingpressure on the backwards e5 pawn and gaining tempo. This move is whereit all goes south for White. } 15... cxd6 16. g3 Ref8 { Tying the Queen to thedefense of the Knight, and putting indirect pressure on the very weak f2pawn. This also threatens to win material outright with ...Bg4! White'schoice to trade off his Knight has left him struggling to find enough materialto defend against Black's onslaught down the open files. } 17. Nh4 { Basicallyforced, although 17.Nd2 was worth a look, aiming for the e4 outpost. } 17... Rf4 { ?! Trying to be clever and gain time to play ...Rhf8, but this aggressivemove isn't particularly sound; 18.Ng2 or 18.Re4 are both effective counters.Probably 17...d5 or 17...Rf6 were better ideas. } 18. Re4 Rhf8 { This wasthe planned move, and now additionally Black is hoping for an exchangeon f4 followed by Qh5, giving him a chance to set a nasty trap for theWQ. Ng2 is no longer an option right away, but 19.Qe2 or 19.f3 are bothfine. } 19. Rxf4 Rxf4 20. Qh5 { Critically, clearing the way for the Ra1to get into action, but this Queen is actually on really thin ice--shemust be exceptionally careful not to get stuck on Black's side of the boardwith nowhere to go. } 20... Bg4 { ! Closing the trap. The WQ has exactly one placeshe can run to. } 21. Qe8+ Kc7 { Look carefully. At this moment, White hasexactly one way to save his Queen from the carefully-prepared snare. Ofcourse he can't play 22.gxf4?? since 22...Bd7+! wins the Queen. The onlyway to save her is 22.Qa8, where after 22...Kb6 23.Qb8+ Ka6 she can escapethrough d6. Obviously at no point in this line does gxf4 become an option,since if it's played without the WQ guarding g6, gxf4?? Bh3+ is mate intwo. } 22. Kf1 { ?? Not good enough. White avoids the various discovered-checklines and flees from the mating threat, but leaves his Queen in the lurch. } 22... Rf8 { 0-1. With Q+B vs R+N, Black will have an easy time cleaning up theremaining White defenders, so White resigns. Many thanks for a great game,grandpoobah! Comments are much appreciated; thanks for reading! } 0-1

[Event "Live Chess, Chess.com"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.08.18"] [Round "-"] [White "aimanako"] [Black "DarkPawn8"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1223"] [TimeControl "15|10"] [WhiteElo "1154"] 1. e4 e5 2. a3 { Mengarini's opening? Never seen before, it looks awkward,doesn't follow any opening principle, seems a lose of tempo hence White'sinitial advantage. } 2... Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. h3 { weird... } 4... d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Bc5 7. Be2 O-O 8. Bg5 { Attacking the queen } 8... Be7 { Offering a bishop tradefor the control of e-file with the queen } 9. Bd2 { Doesn't accept the trade... } 9... Nd4 { By principle this is not correct as I should have fully developedbefore jumping towards enemy's line } 10. Nxd4 { The knight trade allowedfor an open file that will be a central theme on this game } 10... exd4 11. Bf3 Re8 { Taking control of the open file and threatening with a discoveredcheck } 12. Be4 { Closing the threat but allowing a nasty pin } 12... Bg5 { Thiswas a mistake, although the white bishop is pinned he could neutralizeit by simply castling, then the bishop in g5 wont get any advantage. } 13. Qh5 { Blunder!! It probably seemed a good idea to double attack Black'sbishop while threatening check with Qxh7+ but this attack hasn't the necessarysteam and as we'll soon see White's light bishop is lost. } 13... Bxd2+ { I knowlight White's bishop is lost and has nowhere to go while is pinned. A goodidea when you have material advantage is to trade pieces to simplifly,this Bishop trade was possible thanks to the check, otherwise would followa dangerous check with Qxh7. } 14. Nxd2 g6 { Is time to ask White's queenwhat's going on } 15. Qf3 f5 { There is, Bishop is gone, but not before adesperate defence } 16. c4 dxc3 17. bxc3 Nxc3 { Bishop can wait. Who candeny a free lunch? } 18. Rc1 fxe4 { Bishop's time. } 19. dxe4 { Interestingposition, black Knight is attacked twice and look's like lost, but it hasan elegant farewell that unfortunatly I didn't see it until the move wasdone. } 19... Nb5 { So bad... Solution was 19...Nxe4!, then after 20. Nxe4 wouldfollow 20... Qd5 winning back the knight offering a queen exchange } 20. Qb3+ { Obvious. Taking advantage of my blunder. } 20... Kh8 21. Qxb5 { Materialis again equal, so the fight continues. } 21... c6 22. Qb2+ Kg8 23. O-O { Castled,better later than never. } 23... Be6 { Defending the diagonal, now the King shouldbe safe. } 24. Nf3 Qe7 { Connecting the rooks } 25. Rfe1 { Supporting the passedpawn } 25... Rad8 { Taking control of d-file } 26. e5 { Advancing the passed pawn,strongly defended. } 26... Rd3 { Pawn hunting } 27. Qe2 Qxa3 { Hunted! Now thereare three passed pawns on the queen side but they are far away for promoting } 28. Ng5 { The knight is taking some action attacking the bishop while threteningh7 square for a dreamed mate } 28... Bd5 { I feel that the Bishop is still usefulland stronger than the Knight as the position is quite open. } 29. Qg4 { Whitequeen has no good intentions } 29... Qf8 { Back home to defend the King } 30. Qd7 { If the turn where for White, Qxh7 would be the end but move is for black. } 30... Re7 { Throwing away the queen. } 31. Qg4 Rd2 { Taking control of the 2nd rank.Although a pawn less White has some defence chances, he should be thinkingon trade Knight for Bishop, then push further his passed pawn. } 32. Qh4 { Defending f2 } 32... h6 { Throwing away that Knight. } 33. Nf3 { Blunder!! He shouldoffered a cleaner trade with Ke4, now he will lose another pawn reducingthe chances if any. } 33... Bxf3 34. gxf3 Qxf3 35. Qc4+ { Spite check. It seemsbetter to make retreat Black's queen with Re3 then try ro advance f pawn.BTW if greedy enough for 35. Qxh6, mate in 2 would follow with 35... Qxf2+36.Kh1 Qxg2# } 35... Rf7 { Threatening mate if not properly defended } 36. Qf1 { Nogood, this allows three major pieces on f file with mate shortly. } 36... Rxf2 37. Qxf2 { What else? } 37... Qxf2+ 38. Kh1 Rf3 39. Rg1 Rxh3# { Game over. } 0-1

[Event "The Power of Pins"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "----------"] [Black "martin nikolai"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "981"] [WhiteElo "1037"] 1. e4 { This is a match I had with a player that was 1032. I'm still learning,so any comments about my moves would be great. } 1... e5 { A lot of people saythat this move is not a good counter for e4, that c5 and e6 are better.Any thoughts? } 2. Nf3 Nc6 { Protecting my king pawn, impeding the d4 push,and developing my knight. This game is textbook so far. } 3. Nc3 Nf6 { Allknights developed. So far a mirrored game. } 4. d3 { Doesn't push the pawnall the way. Good job knight on c6! } 4... d5 { Was this a good or a bad move?I think it was good because it opened up the middle. Dunno. What do youguys think? } 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Bg5 { Threatens the queen. I've never likedthis move, always thought it put the bishop in danger. Also, this movesets up the game changing pin. } 6... Nf6 { Not the best move, I see now. Butit's better than f6, and you'll see why later. } 7. Qd2 { This is a blunder.See how the bishop and queen line up with c1, where the king will be ifit castles queen side? This furthers the pin. } 7... Be7 { I see the opportunity,so I line up my queen and bishop for a queen pin. } 8. O-O-O { The blunderI was talking about. If I can take the g5 bishop, I'll be a queen up. } 8... Nd4 { I actually don't know why I did this. But it happened to really helpme checkmate his king, so I guess it's a good move. } 9. Nxe5 Ng4 { Aboutto take the bishop. I think that my opponent thought that his queen wasprotecting it. } 10. Re1 { Gets ready for a discovered check, which wouldbe good in other circumstances. However, now his queen is only being defendedby his king. Thus, this is a blunder. } 10... Bxg5 { And the pin is here! Is itgood, is it not, answer it in the comments. In this game, it changed whowould win. } 11. Nxg4+ { The discovery check I was talking about. It couldhave actually destroyed me, if he had played Nc6 instead of Nxg4. Thenhe would have taken my queen. } 11... Be6 { Was this how you would have stoppedit? Also, to answer jkarp (thank you for all the comments!), I see thatwhite could have played f4 here and my pin would be gone. Thanks for pointingthat out! } 12. Qxg5 { This was worse than leaving the queen there, becausenow I can put the king in check. He should have played f4 to prevent thepin, and then he'd be up a pawn. } 12... Qxg5+ 13. Kb1 Qd2 { So there are manygood moves that this guy could have done. But instead... } 14. b3 { He makesan escape route. Bad idea, because he will never use it. } 14... Qxc3 { Cuttingoff escape for the king. } 15. Rd1 { It's too late for this move. I don'tknow what white was trying to accomplish with this move, but now we havea fork, if I wanted to. But I saw checkmate, so I went for it. } 15... Qxc2+ { Here'sthe fork. } 16. Ka1 Bxb3 { This move wins the game. There is no way for himto get out of checkmate. Rb1? No good, just take a2 with the queen. a3?No, just same Qa2#. And then the obvious.... } 17. axb3 { Pawn capture. } 17... Nxb3# { And that's checkmate! So there you have it. A fun 17 move game aboutthe power of pins, why you should never have your queen on d2 when castlingqueen side, and why bishops on g5 are a bad idea. So if you enjoyed thisannotation, leave a comment. Have a nice day! } 0-1

[Event "Golden State Open Round 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1/18/15"] [Round "-"] [White "Opponent"] [Black "Me"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1620"] [TimeControl "30 min 10 sec delay"] [WhiteElo "1825"] { I am going to be annotating all the games from a tournament I played lastweekend. My over the board rating is a little under rated because I haven'tplayed that many tournaments lately. The time control was 30 min with10 sec delay, so time trouble was definitely a factor. Anyway, on withthe game. } 1. d4 { My opponent starts with d4, so I expect a more positionalresponse to my opening. } 1... d6 { This is my way of entering Philidor's Defensewithout the annoying Bc4 variations. I will play Nf6 in response to themove e4. } 2. c4 { Instead of e4, my opponent goes with a more positionaloption. He reserves the opportunity to move the e pawn to e3 or e4. } 2... c6 { Another part of my opening setup, allowing the queen to go to c7 and guardingthe d5 square. } 3. Nc3 { Continuing his development and targeting both e4and d5. } 3... Nf6 { I respond with the same idea. It is still possible for himto play e4 if he wants to. } 4. g3 { Instead he opts to fianchetto the bishop. This doesn't seem to me like the best setup against a pawn on c6 and aqueen on c7, but maybe he counted on pressure on the long diagonal. } 4... Nbd7 { I continue to prepare for an e5 push. } 5. Bg2 { He completes the fianchetto,and looks ready to castle on the kingside. } 5... e5 { The e5 break is finallyhere, and it is up to white whether to exchange the pawn or let it remainthere. } 6. Nf3 { White adds pressure to e5 and is ready to castle. } 6... Qc7 { I add defense to e5 and have the queen well placed to guard c6 as well. } 7. O-O { White castles and retains a slight lead in development. } 7... a5 { Iwas concerned about a b4 push and a queenside attack on the c6 pawn. Thismove is thematic in this opening, but it is not always good as it leavesa hole on b6 that can be reached by the c3 knight via a4. } 8. b3 { Preparinga queenside fianchetto and possibly preparing a queenside advance. } 8... g6 { This move is a bit unusual for my system, as the bishop usually goes one7. But I felt that it would be stronger on g7 to counter his fianchetto. } 9. Bb2 { He completes his fianchetto. } 9... Bg7 { And so do I. } 10. e3 { This securesthe d4 pawn and frees up white's queen. } 10... O-O { I take the opportunity tocastle. Development is about even except for my c8 bishop which is trappedat the moment. } 11. Re1 { I'm not sure that this is a great place for therook, because I won't exchange on d4 but he might exchange on e5. d1 andc1 would be good places for the white rooks. } 11... Re8 { I counter on the e file,and my rook is much better placed than his. } 12. Qc2 { Allowing the queento control several important squares. The g6 pawn does dampen the queen'sinfluence somewhat. } 12... Nf8 { Planning to relocate to e6. This also allowsthe c8 bishop out. } 13. d5 { Keeps the knight off e6 and starting to lockthe center. } 13... Bf5 { My bishop finally comes into play. Now development isfinally equal. } 14. e4 { Locks the center even more. This probably isn'ta great idea because it keeps both of white's bishops out of the game,while my c8 bishop will remain active. } 14... Bg4 { Continuing to apply pressureon the kingside. } 15. h3 { This kicks the bishop but creates a weaknesson the kingside. Now the bishop and queen can line up to target the pawn. } 15... Bd7 { Retreats the bishop and waiting to attack the h3 pawn. } 16. a4 { Thisis not a good move because it takes the a4 square away from the knight. It also creates a weak pawn on b3, which will be an important factor later. } 16... Nh5 { Attempting to provoke g4 after which the knight will go to f4. } 17. Kh2 { Solidifying the kingside. } 17... f5 { Trying to break up the kingside withf4. } 18. Nh4 { Attacking the f5 pawn. } 18... f4 { Moving further into the kingsideand clearing the path of the bishop to attack h3. } 19. g4 { Locking thekingside pawns and forcing the knight back. } 19... Nf6 { Retreating and attackingg4. } 20. Bf3 { Blocking the f pawn and protecting g4. } 20... Qd8 { Threateningto play Nxg4+ and win a pawn because the h4 knight is hanging. } 21. Ng2 { Preventing the Nxg4 tactic. } 21... h5 { Continuing to break up the kingside. } 22. dxc6 { Opening the d file. } 22... bxc6 { Recapturing. } 23. gxh5 { Exchanging. } 23... gxh5 { I take back. } 24. Qd3 { White is trying to win the d6 pawn and blackcan't really guard it. I decide to try to set a trap instead. } 24... Qc7 { Defendingthe pawn one time. } 25. Rad1 { Adding another attacker. } 25... Ne6 { Here my planis to play Nd4 and trap a piece after black takes the pawn. } 26. Qxd6 { Winsa pawn. } 26... Qxd6 { I exchange in order to trap the rook. } 27. Rxd6 { He recaptures. } 27... Nd4 { Now the rook is trapped. The bishop is under attack and I can playKf7 and Bf8 and win the rook. } 28. Bxh5 { This is tactic that doesn't work. After the game, my opponent told me that he missed the fork on f3. } 28... Nxh5 { I take the bishop and now my bishop is unguarded. } 29. Rxd7 { Takes mybishop and is up two pawns. There is just one problem. } 29... Nf3+ { This iswhat my opponent missed. } 30. Kh1 { Forced. } 30... Nxe1 { And I win the exchange. I have a rook for a knight and two pawns, but my pieces can coordinatebetter. } 31. Nxe1 { He recaptures and the endgame begins. } 31... Red8 { Tryingto win the e file. } 32. Rxd8+ { Rc7 would be much better by keeping up thepressure. This allows me to completely dominate the e file. } 32... Rxd8 { Recapturing. } 33. Nf3 { Bringing the knight back into play and attacking the e5 pawn. } 33... Rb8 { Attacking the weak b3 pawn. This is the consequence of white playinga4 all the way back on move 16. } 34. Nd2 { Defending b3. } 34... Nf6 { Planningto go to d7 and then d5 to pile up on the b3 pawn. } 35. Kg2 { Moving theking towards the center. } 35... Nd7 { Heading for c5. } 36. Ba3 { Cutting off thec5 square. } 36... Bf8 { Forcing the bishop to give way. } 37. Bxf8 { I would havekept the bishops on to maintain some counter play, but white is in bigtrouble either way. } 37... Kxf8 { Recapturing. } 38. Na2 { This knight is headingto c1 to defend b3 again. } 38... Kf7 { Moving the king towards the center. } 39. Nc1 { Defending b3 again. } 39... Nc5 { Double attack on b3, forcing both knightsto stay where they are. } 40. h4 { Trying to create counter play with thepassed pawn. } 40... Kf6 { Moving towards the center and the pawn. } 41. Kh3 { Bringingthe king to help the pawn. } 41... Rg8 { Cutting the king off from g4. } 42. Kh2 { White is close to zugswang, so he sticks to moving the king. } 42... Rg7 { Iwas low on time, so I tried to think of a winning plan on his time. } 43. f3 { A bad move that opens the second rank up completely. That is not agood idea when trying to defend against a rook. } 43... Rg8 { Again looking fora plan. } 44. Ne2 { Trying to free up the knights. Here I saw what I neededto do and forced the knight back to c1. } 44... Rb8 { Attacking b3 again. } 45. Nc1 { Forced to defend. } 45... Rd8 { Attacking the knight and it has no where togo. Nf1 loses to the fork Rd1. } 46. b4 { Another mistake. My opponentmissed that the capture was with check. The check would have been avoidedif the pawn hadn't been moved from f2 to f3. } 46... Rxd2+ { Here white resigned. This game is a pretty good example of how to play with a rook versus aknight and pawns. I got an open file for my rook and tied his knightsdown to defending pawns. With white reduced to passivity, it was relativelyeasily for me to break down his defensive wall. } 0-1

[Event "Blunderfest No.8 - Premature Resignation Pt.2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.02.24"] [Round "-"] [White "NN"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1774"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1686"] 1. e4 { Hi everybody, this time it is my opponent who resigns when facedwith seemingly unavoidable mate and a strong attack. The game seems tomove very slowly and quietly until I decide to mount a kingside attacklate on in the game down the g file. Queen Glenda threatens mate but Ibelieve it can be stopped. You the jury may have different ideas. Anyhow. This game starts off with a classical Ruy Lopez. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 { 4. Ba4 - standard Lopez moves. } 4... Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 { 7. ........ d6 - standard Leonhardt moves but maybe a knight moveto a5 would have been an interesting variation. } 8. h3 Na5 9. c3 Nxb3 10. axb3 { 10. axb3 - as a result of white's 8th move h3, this allows Na5 todisrupt white's queenside pawns. What if white recaptures with the queenthough? } 10... Bb7 { 10. ..... Bb7 - piling up on the e4 pawn prompting d3. } 11. d3 c5 12. Na3 O-O { 12. ...... 0-0 I castle and next move play Qc7 to connectmy rooks - again the mantra - clear the decks! } 13. Nc2 Qc7 14. c4 Rfe8 { 14. ....... Rfe8 - rook centralisation. } 15. Ne3 g6 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 { 17. cxd5 - one pair of knights is exchanged. } 17... Bf8 18. Nh4 Bc8 19. Be3 Qd8 { 19. ....... Qd8 - d6 is weak but Glenda hits out at the knight onh5. } 20. Nf3 h6 21. Qd2 Kh7 { 21. ...... Kh7 - Henry defends the pawn onh6. My kingside position is weakened but can white take full advantage? } 22. Nh2 f5 23. f3 f4 { 23. ....... f4 - blocks off white's dsb. } 24. Bf2 Be7 25. b4 cxb4 26. Qxb4 { 26. Qxb4 - one pair of pawns is exchanged. } 26... Bb7 27. Qd2 Rc8 28. b4 { 28. b4 - keeps the pawn on a6 backward. } 28... Bh4 29. Red1 Bxf2+ 30. Qxf2 { 30. Qxf2 - now an exchange of dsbs. } 30... Rc3 31. Nf1 Re7 32. d4 { 32. d4 - an attempt to undermine my central pawn chain. } 32... g5 33. dxe5 Rxe5 { 33. ........ Rxe5 - taking back with the rook blocks the e4 pawnand prevents white from getting a powerful d pawn passer. } 34. Qd4 Rc4 35. Qb2 { 35. Qb2 - the Wicked Witch of the West is driven back by my latestrook move. Glenda now checks on b6 and more importantly siezes controlof the a7-g1 diagonal. } 35... Qb6+ 36. Kh2 h5 { 36. ...... h5 - I now decide tostart a pawn storm. This will result in an opening of the g file. } 37. Nd2 Rc7 { 37. ....... Rc7 - this rook will go to g7 next move to controlthe g file. } 38. Nb3 Rg7 39. Na5 g4 40. Rac1 gxf3 { 40. ...... gxf3 - Idecide to go for it! } 41. gxf3 Reg5 { 41. ........ Rge5 - an ominous doublingof black heavies on the g file! } 42. Nxb7 Qxb7 { 42. ...... Qxb7 - an exchangeof knight for Fou Leblanc has taken Glenda away from that diagonal, butshe is very interested in d7 and h3! } 43. Qf2 Rg3 44. Rd3 Qd7 { 44. ......Qd7 - Glenda is threatening Qxh3# next move. White can stop it with Qf1giving me an interesting idea of exchanging those rooks for the WickedWitch. Glenda may be able to pick off some pawns with check and turn thegame in my favour, but my opponent waves the white flag! This bumped myrating up to 1783, the highest in my chessic career. Sadly losses againstFreddy and a couple of low draws have pegged it back somewhat. Still,two or three of my current rated games are starting to look promising thoughI still have work to do in those in order to get my rating back into the1780s. } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from alexalma"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.11.02"] [Round "-"] [White "jkarp"] [Black "alexalma"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1351"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1223"] { This is a game I played against jkarp awhile ago when I setup a brilliantmating trap. Please comment mistakes and observations. Also I havent madeannotations in awhile comment if I should make them more or show my games.Thanks for watching. The game is actually from septemer 22nd to 29th butI wanted people to see it so I changed the date. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { pins my knight } 3... d6 { defends the pawn again } 4. d4 Bd7 { removes thepin } 5. O-O { castles kingside } 5... Nf6 6. Bg5 h6 { attacking his bishop } 7. Bh4 { he retreats keeping the pin } 7... g5 { i push him out } 8. Bg3 Nxe4 { freepawn he should have took my knight } 9. dxe5 Nxg3 { only move to keep mypawn advantage } 10. hxg3 Nxe5 11. Qe2 { pins my knight and defends hisbishop } 11... Bxb5 { I take so I can move my knight } 12. Qxb5+ { but I lose mypawn } 12... Nc6 13. Qxb7 Na5 { I attack his queen } 14. Qb5+ { ahhhh } 14... c6 { whew onlymove that doesnt lose } 15. Qf5 Bg7 { attacking b2 and developing my bishop } 16. Re1+ Kf8 { best move } 17. Nc3 { defends b2 } 17... Nc4 { I attack b2 } 18. Rad1 { ? he gives it to me while I can attack his rook } 18... Nxb2 19. Rb1 { ?? b2 wasdefending his knight } 19... Bxc3 { This also defends the knight } 20. Re3 { I mustthink quick to retain both pieces } 20... Na4 { perfect } 21. Rb7 { He gets his rookon the seventh row, dangerous } 21... Qf6 { I try and force a trade } 22. Qd7 Nc5 { Fork but..... } 23. Qe7+ { He just trades queens } 23... Qxe7 24. Rbxe7 Bf6 25. Rc7 { I try and get his rook of the seventh row } 25... Kg7 26. Rxc6 Rac8 { I allowedhim both pawns in order to force a trade } 27. Rxd6 Rhd8 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 { Imstill up 2 } 29. Ra3 { He wants my pawn } 29... Ne4 { !! I give it to him settingup a trap of my own } 30. Rxa7 { He doesnt see it nor would most } 30... Rd1+ { !forces him to h2 } 31. Kh2 Nxf2 { threatening mate in 1 } 32. Ng1 { best andonly move } 32... Bd4 { !! An innocent looking move that makes all the difference } 33. c4 { He doesnt see it } 33... Ng4+ { !! If he goes to h1 its mate and if hegoes to h3 it will be mate in a little } 34. Kh3 h5 { !! Hes trapped andcant move I dont want his rook even though I can take it } 35. Rd7 { He thinkspinning my bishop will make a difference or just knows that mate is forced } 35... Rxg1 { !! Mate in 1 no way to stop it and he resigns. Great game by jkarpand I hope to play him again. This game is from so long ago because I haveplayed so many games but do not feel like annotating them. Comment if Ishould annotate or show my games more. Also comment mistakes and observations. } 0-1

[Event "Rematch requested by delta86"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.04"] [Round "-"] [White "delta86"] [Black "redfox17"] [Result "0-1"] { I played the first game to a draw, I was done and then I got a rematchrequest from delta86, I figured I'd play again and get a win, Well 28 moveslater and then a resign. I figured I would give a detailed report of thisgame, Hope you will leave comments. I am making this public here on GK. Don't be surprised if I have commented every move of this game. } 1. e4 d5 { Queen gambit opening offering my d5 pawn. This is a rematch requestedby delta86 I accept and the game is on! } 2. e5 { Refused! Thats ok, I expectedthis move by white. } 2... Bf5 { I bring out a bishop and have a good look atc2 and h3. } 3. d4 { white protects pawn with a pawn. } 3... Nc6 { I continue todevelop with Nc6. } 4. Nf3 { white develops a knight. } 4... e6 { protecting 2 pieceswith 1 pawn so far. Ilooking to attack but still need to castle, and getmy queen out. } 5. Bb5 { expected move of Bb5 pinning my knight on c6 forthe moment. } 5... Qd7 { Queen is out and she is ready to rumble! } 6. O-O { kingsidecastling by white with full protection of 3 golden pawns. This looks tobe an exciting game. } 6... O-O-O { I castle on the weaker queen side, but I dohave the knight on c6 which protects my pawn on a7, but at this time isnow pinned down from protecting my queen on d7, which is here to allowfor the castling on queen side. } 7. Nc3 { white brings out knight. } 7... Nge7 { I bring out knight to the center on e7 instead of f6. I'm thinking oftaking on c6 if whites takes my other knight with a bishop on b5. Thismay never happen but I am just developing my attac kon the king side. } 8. Bg5 { white attacks toward my knight on e7 and my rook on d8. } 8... h6 { pawnto h6 to see if that is enought to get the bishop to retreat!. } 9. Bh4 { plan works and bishop retreats to h4. } 9... g5 { pawn to g5 to finishing movingthe bishop out of my way. } 10. Bg3 { bishop retreats but now is protectinge5 pawn and has a good look towards my king. } 10... Bg6 { I retreat my LSB tog6 for now. } 11. Na4 { knight moves to the side of the board advancing forwardqueenside. } 11... Nf5 { I bring out my pesky LSB to f5 for attack on king side. } 12. Nc5 { ?white moves knight to c5. I have by DSB on f8. } 12... Bxc5 { ?I takethe knight But there is a golden pawn on d4 to take me. I saw the peskyknight and wanted it gone and didn't notice it was not free!. It happens.Will have to see what happens next. } 13. dxc5 { white takes my DSB witha pawn! } 13... a6 { move up pawn to a6 to kick back the LSB. } 14. Ba4 { LSB retreats. } 14... d4 { marching my center pawn towrds the queen on d1. It has 3 protectors2 knights and my queen. but the 1 knight on c6 is stuck in the mud untillI move my queen. } 15. Nd2 { white knight retreats } 15... Nxg3 { I use my knightto capture whites DSB on on g3 and am most likely7 to be taken with a pawnfrom the king's side and this will weaken the kings safe hiding fort } 16. fxg3 { pawn takes with f2 pawn which not only takes my knight but also giveswhite a good look of the f file, } 16... d3 { I push up pawn to d3 and attackc2 pawn and e2 } 17. c3 { white refuses to take my pawn!, That is fine withme } 17... Qd5 { I move queen up to d5 and now have a nice view of g2 } 18. b4 { whitethinks taking a fast double pawn move to b4 is the best move } 18... Nxe5 { Itake a pawn with my pesky night and now have a outpost on e5 with 5 differentmoves from this spot. That is why I call my knights pesky. } 19. Re1 { simplecounter move rook to e1 attacking the efile! } 19... f6 { I protect my knight witha pawn, and now have 6 different places to move. } 20. Nf3 { white looksto trade knights by moving to f3. } 20... d2 { I move up the passed pawn to d2now, breating down the white rook on e2, } 21. Rf1 { Rook moves to f1 outof the away of my attacking pawn on d2 } 21... Bd3 { LSB to d3, I'm now attackingthe rook and have white in some end of the game realization } 22. Rf2 { whitemoves rook to f2 away from my attacking LSB } 22... Nxf3+ { knight to f3 for acheck } 23. gxf3 { pawn takes knight. } 23... Bc4 { I pull back DSB to c4 } 24. Kg2 { white moves King to g2. } 24... Qd3 { I move Queen to d3 } 25. Bc2 { LSB moves toc2 to scare off my queen to a dark square maybe. } 25... Qxc3 { I move queen toc3 } 26. a3 { white moves pawn to a3 } 26... e5 { I advance a pawn to e5 } 27. Bf5+ { white checks with LSB to f5 } 27... Kb8 { king is moved to b8 } 28. Be4 { LSB isactive and moves to e4. } 28... Bb3 { I move my LSB to b3 and attack whites queen!this is enough for white who resigns. Did white resign too early? I thinkI was going to checkmate white soon. The passed pawn was up for promotionand was going to either take the queen or get promoted onn d1. dependingon how white would have played. I think when you resign the game and yournot losing, you are only huirting yourself. Does anyone think they couldtake white from here and win? } 0-1

[Event "Never Resign Too Early"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.09.02"] [Round "-"] [White "Gotes"] [Black "Juvonen Aleksi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1680"] [TimeControl "120min + 30sec"] [WhiteElo "1670"] { I played this game in a tournament . It was the last game of the tournament.The result of this game decides if I get first place or not. I was leadingthe tournament and I need atleast a draw to have any chance for top threefinish. But I was so tired and not feeling good but anyway I had to play.And the game turned out to be quite interesting. I played the opening badlyand then quite a turn around... } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { It all startedhere . The petroff defence. Just boring opening. and usually leads to drawnand dull game. I was already in bad mood. } 3. Nxe5 Qe7 { This line of petroffis not familliar but I have seen it before. Usually continues 3.d6 Nf3 4.Nxe4 and my favourite was the open game that follows with ...Nc3 5.Nxc3etc } 4. Nf3 { Alternative variation: [Stockfish 9 64 POPCNT:] 4. d4 d65. Nf3 Qxe4+ 6. Be2 Bf5 7. c4 Qc2 8. O-O Qxd1 9. Bxd1 Nc6 10. Re1+ Be711. d5 Nb4 12. Nd4 Bg6 13. Re3 h5 14. f4 Ng4 15. Bxg4 hxg4 16. f5 Bh7 17.Bd2 Na6 18. Nc3 Kd7 [1.06/21] } 4... Nc6 { surprised me . I expected 4...Nxe4or 4...Qxe4 and continuewith 5.Be2 } 5. d3 { Yeah why not keep the pawn.What is wrong with that? Prove me wrong. } 5... d5 { Oh yeah . Opening theorieshuh. This moment I thought perhaps my opponent knows this line so well.So I thought trying to hang on the extra pawn is what my opponent is preparedfor . So I decided to change course and to just give it up and continuerather with my development. } 6. Be2 dxe4 7. dxe4 { 0.31/19 } 7... Bd7 8. Nc3 O-O-O { Opposit castling. Ibelieve from here on the game isgoing to be lively. } 9. Bd2 { Post mortem analysis pointed out that 9.Bd3would still have shielded my queen from a possible discovered attack byRd8 and protect the extra e4 pawn. I was just rigidly following my earlierdecision to just give up pawn. And also so called ' Never move a piecetwice in opening ' rule. But sometimes it is good to evaluate current positionand be flexible. Because if now Bd3 and I can not see any Black's counterattack and I will simply be up a pawn. } 9... Nxe4 { Gone baby gone!!! } 10. Nxe4 Qxe4 11. O-O Bd6 { This looked threatening for me } 12. Bd3 { Chasing away the queen and gaining tempo } 12... Qd5 13. Re1 Rhe8 14. Bc3 { Giving my Bishops splendid positions. But I still feel blackis better. } 14... Bg4 { This really spooked me. It really suffocated me. Blackis doing well and I don't seem to have a game plan. And I had enough. SoI decided to shake things up. I am playing white and black has easily equalisedand now dominating. No way! } 15. Be4 { Let the fire works begin!! Now thereare many lines which had to be seen! And I did not see all of them. I justsee a couple of variations and I thought I will be OK. I admit when I madethis move a bit carelessly. I am tired and just want to be over with. Lets see the variations. a) 15...Rxe4 16.Qxd5 Rxe1+17.Rxe1 Bxh2 18.Nxh2Rxd5 19.Nxg4 I will be a bishop up .So my bet here was on Nxg4 which couldhave easily been overlooked by my opponent but I overlooked myself thebest reply b) 15...Bxh2+ 16.Kxh2(not taking the bishop leads to worseposition) ...Qh5+17.Kg1 Rxd1 18.Raxd1 would be the BEST LINE for blackin which case I will have a rook and bishop for my queen + a pawn } 15... Qh5 { This is still a good move by black. Now I realize that I have to departwith my queen. Other alternatives I see would lead to mate. If I retreatthe Queen Bxf3!! is too strong. So I considered to resign. But then Ithought in exchange for my queen I get Bishop and Rook . And I don't seea quick mate insight. So I decided to play on. } 16. h3 { Reason why 15...Qh5 is inferior is because of the text move . Now there is no Bxh2. SoI keep my h pawn. And the proves to be decisive in the outcome of the game. } 16... Bh2+ 17. Kxh2 Rxd1 18. Raxd1 { Obviously not Rexd1 } 18... Bd7 { Accordingto the engines this is a dead draw. Here blacks queen is cornered by itsown pawns f7 g7 and h7, best would be f6 as it defends g7 and also preparesexit square for the queen on f7. } 19. Bxg7 { Best was 19. Rd5 Qh6 20. Bf5Be6 21. Bd2 Qf6 22. Bc3 Qh6 which engines gave dead draw. But in the actualgame I did not see that idea at all . I just went for pawn grabbing whichengines don't like for a beautiful tactical reason. After this move Iwas on the back foot pretty much throughout the game. The ball was on myopponents side. But his advantage was not that big either } 19... f5 { Here Blackmissed 19... Rxe4 20. Rxe4 Qg6 forking my R and B } 20. Bd5 Rxe1 21. Rxe1 Qg6 22. Be5 { Better was 22. Bf8 Qf6 23. Ba3 Nd4 24. Re7Nxf3+ 25. Bxf3 h6 26. Bxb7+ Kxb7 27. Rxd7 Qe5+ 28. Kg1 Qe1+ but stilla draw } 22... Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Qd6 24. Bb3 { Here c4 was better as allowingQd2 is problematic } 24... Qd2 25. Nd3 { I thought it can be defended thisway but not the right way to defend. } 25... Bb5 { Now a question on how to parryBxd3 and subsequent pawns losses } 26. Be6+ { I want to take f5 pawn andhave pawn majority on king side but? } 26... Kd8 27. Re3 Qxc2 { Now Bxd3is the threat } 28. Bxf5 { I defended it by Bxf5 but this was not so sound } 28... Qa4 { Now Black completely missed his advantage. I don't know if it waswinning or not . The best move was c5 and I do not have good reply forc4 move. But now suddenly worst is over and even I can hope for more consideringmy pawns majority on the king side } 29. Bxh7 { I think Black must havebeen sweating by now. } 29... Bxd3 30. Rxd3+ Ke7 31. Re3+ Kd6 32. Bb1 c6 33. g4 Kc7 34. Rg3 Qd4 35. Rg2 Qf4+ 36. Kh1 Qc1+ 37. Rg1 Qxb2 38. f3 Qf2 39. Be4 Qh4 40. Kh2 Qg5 41. Kg3 Qe5+ 42. Kh4 Qh8+ 43. Kg3 { Draw agreed.I was very much satisfied with the result and I get first place too thanksfor the half point earned in this game. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.09.06"] [Round "-"] [White "attack13"] [Black "matefork"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1677"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1589"] 1. d4 { For an attacking player, this move is somewhat of a contradiction.1. e4 is the preferred move . } 1... Nf6 2. f4 { True to his name. Very early,White is already revealing his intentions. A very aggressive move. } 2... g6 3. Nd2 { This move serves two purposes: a.) to support the advance of thee-pawn to e4 and b.) to make possible the move c4, which on 3. Nc3 theknight is blocking the path of the c-pawn. } 3... Bg7 { Black didn't bother toprevent the eventual advance 4. e4 with 3. ...d5. } 4. e4 { Finally. Theposition has reached the kind of a King's Indian setup that offers goodattacking possibilities for both sides. At this point, White has achieveda very menacing position due to his undisputed control of the center. } 4... O-O { Black quitely continues with his development unmindful of White'sdominating center. } 5. Bd3 { A very aggressive move and starting to exerthis influence on the king's position. } 5... d6 6. f5 { Whooo. This is a big nono in the opening. Even though 6. f5 looks good, White hasn't completedhis development yet. 6. Ngf3 followed by 7. O-O is the preferred alternative. } 6... c5 { Black counters by threatening to open up the position, thereby, leavingthe White's king exposed in the center. } 7. c3 cxd4 { Black stayed on withthe plan and begins to trade pawns in order to open the position. } 8. fxg6 { Again, a very aggressive move aimed at weakening the black king's position. } 8... hxg6 9. cxd4 { Examining the position at this point, it seems White hasmaintained his hold of the central squares while Black has somewhat realizedhis plan because the White king now is a little bit exposed. } 9... Nc6 { Continuingwith his own development and exerting pressure on the central squares especiallythe pawn at d4. } 10. d5 { This is the start of his downful. By neglectinghis development, White allowed the Black's forces to build up and exertpressure on his position. } 10... Ne5 11. Be2 { White has lost two moves with 10.d5 and 11. Be2. } 11... Bg4 { Black made this move in the hope that if White exchangedBishops with 12. Bxg4, he would weakened the white squares on White's position. } 12. Ngf3 { Preparing to castle kingside with 13. O-O thereby bringing theKing to safety. } 12... Nfd7 { Black is slowly gaining control of the dark squares.Notice the position of the bishop on c1 that made the whole thing possible. } 13. O-O { It seems White has already solved his main problem which is tobring his King to safety. } 13... Qb6+ { And now, it is Black who suddenly becomesaggressive due to the fact that his pieces are better placed than the White'scounterparts. Notice his total control of the dark squares at the moment. } 14. Kh1 Bxf3 { If White replies with 15. Nxf3, Black would intend to play15 ...Nxf3, 16. Bxf3 and the bishop would be bad because it is of the samewhite square as the central pawns. } 15. Bxf3 { This must be a bad move sinceit allows Black to proceed with his development uncontested. } 15... Rac8 { Takingcontrol of the open file and bringing the rook to life. Black must be winningat this point. } 16. Qe2 { I don't understand why White insists of puttinghis knight on d2 which is obstructing the other bishop. } 16... Rc2 { Black hascomplete control of the position and it will be only a matter of time beforeWhite makes a decisive mistake. } 17. Rb1 { White's choices is very limited. } 17... Rfc8 { Putting another dagger into White's position. } 18. a3 { White'slast two moves were very passive indicating that he's waiting for Blackto execute a decisive plan. } 18... Nc5 { Now, Black owns the d3 square. } 19. Bg4 { Threatening to capture the rook on c8. } 19... Rc7 { Black could have won thebishop on c1 with 19. ...Nxg4, 20. Qxg4 Nd3! followed by 21. ...Nxc1. Buton the other hand, White has a very good move with 21. Qf3. And if Blacktakes the bishop with 21. ...Nxc1, White would reply with 22. Qxf7+ attackingthe Black King. } 20. Nc4 { He should have done this a long time ago. It'stoo late now and White would lose the knight for nothing. } 20... Rxc4 21. Be3 { Finally, the Bishop breaks free for the cost of a whole piece. The remainingmoves would need no more comments since Black is clearly winning. } 21... Qb3 22. Bxc5 R4xc5 23. h3 Rc2 24. Qe1 Rxb2 25. Rxb2 Qxb2 26. Qa5 Rc1 27. Qd8+ Kh7 28. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 29. Kh2 Nxg4+ 30. hxg4 Be5+ 31. g3 Qd2+ 32. Kh3 Qe3 33. Kg2 Bxg3 34. Kh3 Bf4+ 35. Kg2 Qe2+ 36. Kh1 Qh2# 0-1

[Event "Round 4 of Reno Championships"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "15-Oct-05"] [Round "-"] [White "Marc P."] [Black "bakerbaker"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1545"] [TimeControl "G/180"] [WhiteElo "1533"] 1. d4 { I am Black. } 1... c5 { The Benoni Defense. I counterattack White's centrepawn with a pawn from the flank. } 2. c3 { This move and e3 are the safestresponses, but they are also passive and let Black get an equal position.2.d5 is the sharpest move for White. } 2... Nf6 { Controlling e4 } 3. Nf3 e6 4. g3 d5 { Not a necessary move. I thought 4...b6 was better. } 5. Bg2 Bd7 { Myplan was to control the queenside and advance my pawns there, but I thought5... b5 was better, then developing my bishop to b7, where it controlsthe important e4 square. } 6. O-O b5 7. Nbd2 a5 8. Re1 c4 9. e4 { White isbreaking through in the center. } 9... dxe4 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. Rxe4 Bc6 12. Re1 Be7 { I'm a little behind in development, so I need to castle as soon aspossible, something I failed to do and almost ended up losing. } 13. Ne5 { Double attack on my bishop. } 13... Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Qd5+ { I shouldn't be offeringto trade queens because my queenside pawns are overextended, which canbecome weak in the endgame if I trade queens. } 15. Qf3 Qxf3+ 16. Nxf3 Nd7 { I kept delaying castling, and got into a bad position. } 17. Bf4 Nb6 { Icouldn't find a good plan here, so I'm just positioning my knight. } 18. Bg5 { White wants to trade his bad bishop for my good bishop. } 18... Ra7 { Takingand castling was probably better. } 19. Bxe7 Rxe7 20. Re5 { My weak pawnsare under heavy fire. } 20... Nd5 { I thought my position was solid here, but White'snext move made me uncomfortable. } 21. Rae1 { I shouldn't have delayed castlingfor so long. Now I can't castle because my pawn will be pinned to my rook,so 22.Rxd5 wins my knight } 21... h5 { My plan was to get my rook to f5, becausethe side with less maneuvering space should trade pieces. } 22. Nd2 Rh6 23. a4 { White is reminding me of my weak queenside pawns. } 23... Rg6 { A cheaptrick, I am threatening to play Nf4 followed by Nd3 forking the rooks. } 24. Kf3 Rf6+ 25. Kg2 Rf5 { I could've repeated the position with Rg6, butBlack obviously isn't going to fall for my trick, so I should continuewith my plan to trade rooks. } 26. Rxf5 exf5 27. Rxe7+ Kxe7 28. axb5 Nb6 { I am down a pawn in the endgame, but I still have a chance to swindleWhite becuase I exploit the fact that my king is closer to the centre,an important rule in endgames is ACTIVE pieces. Even kings. } 29. Kf3 Kf6 { I must not let White get to my queenside becuase my knight is the onlything stopping his passed pawn. } 30. h4 g5 31. hxg5+ Kxg5 32. Kg2 a4 { I'mjust wasting moves waiting to see what White will do. I was hoping I couldkeep White's king out of the game and get a draw, but ended up gettingmore than I bargained for. } 33. f4+ Kg6 { If I play 33...Kg4, then Whiteplays Nf1 threatening Nh2#, and can relocate his knight to the more activee3 post. } 34. Kf2 Kf6 { The only way White can win is if he gets his kingactive, and the only way to do that is to get it to b4. } 35. Ke2 Kg6 { Nowif White keeps heading for the queenside, then I play h4 Kh5 and breakthrough the kingside with my king. } 36. Nf3 { White has stopped h4, butrelieves the pressure on my c-pawn. } 36... Kf6 37. Kd2 { Heading to the queenside. } 37... Ke6 38. Nh4 Kd5 { This was a very tough decision. White's king is goingto the queenside, so the only way I can hold on is if I sacrifice f5 totry to break through the kingside, possibly creating a passed h-pawn, forcingWhite to sacrifice his knight for it, letting me eat the rest of White'spawns with my mobil knight, and go on to win by passing my c or a-pawn. } 39. Nxf5 Ke4 40. Nh4 { I'm threatening to intrude to f3 where White's kingsidewill die, so White must put his knight out of the game. } 40... f6 { Another waitingmove. } 41. Ke2 { White wants to stop Kf3 and get his knight back into play,which was the correct way to win, but White changed his mind later. } 41... Nd5 42. Kd2 Nb6 43. Ke2 Nd5 { I want to draw the game by repitition. } 44. Kd1 { Of course White doesn't want a draw being 2 pawns up, but he is deactivatinghis king. } 44... Ke3 { My pieces are more active than Blacks, so I had hope ofgetting a draw, but never dreamed that I would win this. } 45. Nf5+ { White'sknight is active now, but he lets me cramp his king. } 45... Kd3 46. Kc1 Nb6 { I'mwaiting to see if White can improve his position and win. I don't haveanything else to do. } 47. Ng7 a3 { A desperate attempt to create a passedpawn. After bxa3 Kxc3 the winner is unclear, becuase White has a passedd-pawn and I have weak kingside pawns, but I have a passed c-pawn I cantry to help promote with my knight and king. But of course White wouldn'twant to go into a complicated variation when he's winning. } 48. Kb1 { Whitestops a2, which would've won for me. } 48... axb2 49. Kxb2 { If White plays 49.Nxh5, then 49...Kxc3 results in another complicated unclear position, becauseit's very hard for a human to calculate many different multi-move variationsand keep them track of them all. White avoids the complicated variationhere, but now he gives me a winning position. } 49... Na4+ { My c-pawn promotionplan can be carried out faster than White's because I can move with tempo. } 50. Kc1 Nxc3 { My chances of swindling White are increasing now. White'sbest chance to survive is to activate his knight, but his next move ishasty, so I get a nice easy win. } 51. b6 { A terrible blunder, White hasoverlooked my tactics. } 51... Ne2+ { I can help to advance my passed pawn withtempo because of White's weak king. } 52. Kb1 { All other king moves areequally losing. } 52... c3 53. b7 c2+ 54. Ka2 c1=Q 55. b8=Q Nc3+ 56. Kb3 Qb1+ 57. Ka3 Qxb8 { White resigned. His king will be mated in a few moves. Heshould've placed his pieces more actively in the endgame. My king and knightwere more active than his, so I could promote my pawn faster. } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from rmzalbar"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "08-Feb-08"] [Round "-"] [White "rmzalbar"] [Black "levyra"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. g3 b5 2. Bg2 { Danger! Protect your rooks. A good move would have beenpawn to c6, especially queen-side where you are not as likely to want tocastle. } 2... Na6 { Wide open. } 3. Bxa8 { ... } 3... c6 { HEY!! YOU'VE TRAPPED MY BISHOP!devious. } 4. Nf3 { I move my knight to fill the hole in my line, controlthe center of the board, and open the way for castling. } 4... Nf6 { Copycat. } 5. O-O { Castle! My king is in his castle. My rook is in danger from yourbishop c8 though. } 5... g6 { miau. } 6. b3 { let's get my other bishop out.. } 6... d6 { Bad idea! my bishop is no longer trapped. He can kill your pawn, threatenyour king, and escape, twirling his mustache! } 7. Bb2 { ..but I suck, Iconfused the king and queen, so thought it wouldn't work and advanced myother bishop instead. More firepower aimed at the center of the board,and your other rook. } 7... Nd7 { OH NO YOU DIDN'T. you did. } 8. Bxh8 { Your kinghas no castle. } 8... Nb6 { You threaten my bishop. Do I notice? } 9. Nd4 { I donot. } 9... Nxa8 { :( } 10. Nxc6 { I think I noticed my mistake... here. Queencheck! } 10... Qd7 { RUN AWAY! } 11. Nd4 { RUN.. AWAY... } 11... Bb7 { Bishop gets dangerous. } 12. f3 { I get nervous about defense. Make my king some room to maneuver. } 12... f6 { miau? } 13. c3 { I'm letting my queen loose.. } 13... Bd5 14. a4 { Pawn clearingthe way for my rook to charge in.. } 14... N8c7 15. axb5 Nb8 16. Rxa7 { Horseyshave fled, but I can still apply pressure. } 16... Bh6 17. b6 { Oh you are in troublenow. Either you lose a knight or a queen. } 17... Kd8 18. bxc7+ { Guess it's justa knight :( Czech. } 18... Qxc7 19. Rxc7 { OH NO, YOU DIDN'T. Guess it's a knightAND a queen. You should have retreated your king! i couldn't have advancedthe pawn without losing my rook. A fair trade (for me.) } 19... Kxc7 20. c4 Bc6 21. Qc2 Bd7 22. Qe4 d5 23. Qh4 Bg5 24. Qxh7 Nc6 *

[Event "US vs. Russia!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "01-Apr-08"] [Round "-"] [White "ethansiegel"] [Black "vdatsuk"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1773"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1774"] { It's a little bit frustrating to be assigned a team game when your ratingis 1774 and your opponent's is 1773, only to realize that yours has gonedown to 1697 during the game and his has gone up to 1856. } 1. e4 { ...butthat makes victory all the more sweet! (Yes, this was a team game, andI got clobbered in the other one!) The game concludes with a queen sacrifice. } 1... d6 { The Pirc? Really? I haven't seen that since the old chessmaster 4000used to kick my ass with it. Black aims for a KID-type setup, but oftendenies white the big queenside associated with it. } 2. f4 { !? An unusualmove order. I like it because it can transpose to the King's Gambit declinedif black plays e5 here (or even back to the King's Gambit Accepted), whichcan be fun, but it moreover immediately challenges black's decision toplay the Pirc, declaring an intent to pawn-storm the kingside. That, andit invites transposition to the austrian attack (main line) of the Pircas well. } 2... g6 { Continuing with a standard plan of development for the pirc. } 3. d4 { Setting up a big pawn center. This is what black wants white todo. But it's also what I want to do. If I can get my pieces developedwith a big center, a lot of space, and can deprive black of those things,why wouldn't I? } 3... c6 { More normal is Bg7 here, taking us into the main lineof the Austrian attack. But this is playable, too, opening the a5-d8 diagonalfor the queen. } 4. Nf3 { Yeah, he's going to play Bg7 and Nf6, and thisis a good, aggressive square for the knight. } 4... Bg7 5. Be3 { Over-defendingd4 and developing the bishop to a good, solid square. At this point, itlooks like playing Bd3, either Nc3 (not c4 and then Nc3) with an eventualqueenside castle will give me excellent attacking chances on his kingside. c6 committed him to castling there, and I'm prepared to go right afterhis king! By the way, the game DB has never seen this opening before! } 5... Nf6 { Attacking the undefended e4 square. } 6. Bd3 { Nice and simple development. I thought about plunging in with e5 right away, but after dxe5, dxe5 allowsthe exchange of queens, killing white's advantage, and fxe5 allows Nd5,giving black activity and freedom. This just reinforces white's alreadydominating center. } 6... Bg4 { A nasty pin. But the bishop doesn't have muchhope right now, and will probably be exchanged for my Nf3 soon. So I'mnot going to concern myself with it, yet. } 7. Nc3 { Better than c4 followedby Nc3. Why? Because white is going to attack black on the kingside, andis quite clearly aiming for a queenside castle. Why weaken the queensidepawns if I don't have to, and why waste a move playing c4 when I couldbe furthering my own ends? But I thought about Nd2 as well; I wound upchoosing this because of the coverage of the d5 square and the d1 square,which may become important after I play 0-0-0. } 7... O-O { Perfectly consistent. But is this a good setup for black? } 8. h3 { And this is why having a planhelps -- it may not be the greatest plan ever -- but my moves are now workingtogether towards achieving some goal. As I get closer, new goals appear. (It's kind of like life that way.) Now I see that black has to eitherexchange, developing my queen strongly to f3, or run back to d7 (everythingelse is awful). } 8... Bxf3 { The right decision. } 9. Qxf3 { Hey! Look at that;we are back in the game DB, apparently this is an uncommon line in thePirc, Austrian Attack with 6. Bd3. And this is a great setup for me; I'mreally happy with how this has turned out. I have the two bishops, I havea monster center, I have the beginnings of a kingside pawn storm, and onceI play 0-0-0, my development will be completed. Black is playing catch-upthe rest of the way. } 9... Re8 { Preparing e5. I don't know why not Nbd7 first,though, which also prepares e5 and develops an undeveloped piece. } 10. O-O-O { Ready for anything, now. The Rd1 opposite the Qd8 actually hasme looking forward to black's e5. } 10... e5 { No surprise here. } 11. dxe5 { Thisallows the Rd1 to gain some more scope, but the real reason is that thef-pawn is too useful in storming the kingside to exchange it here. } 11... dxe5 { Naturally. But now what for me? Sure, moving the bishop will cause himto move his queen, but he wants to play Qc7 anyway. What I really wantto do is pawn-storm the king, but what to do about the threat on the f4pawn? } 12. g4 { Well, apparently, I'm going to ignore it. g4 is a movethat has its advantages, but basically commits white to having three pawnislands if black plays exf4. } 12... Nbd7 { ?! It's hard to argue with this movetoo much, but white is controlling the entire flow of the game now, andblack needs to do something to reduce white's edge; I prefer exf4 here. } 13. f5 { This is much stronger with g4 behind it; white's pawns are goingto roll up the black kingside if he's not careful. } 13... b5 { Counterplay onthe opposite side of the board is an excellent idea. But I will not bedistracted, especially since black's pieces are out of position to supportthis push (and if b4, Ne2 or even Nb1 is fine). } 14. g5 { I had thoughtabout fxg6 here, but this really cramps black on the kingside, and temposthe knight, AND forces it to a bad square (h5). } 14... Nh5 { ...otherwise it getstaken for insufficient compensation. } 15. h4 { looking to make a very strongplay down the h-file eventually. I also considered f6, but I'm in no rush;it's better for me if black plays gxf6 first. } 15... Qc7 { Reasonable, but thisnever accomplishes much, other than letting the Nd7 move freely. } 16. f6 { Undoing black's fianchetto. } 16... Bf8 { Better than the entombing option, Bh8. } 17. Be2 { Some think the spectre of Nc5 is my reason for this move; in reality,I want to attack the h5 square. The game has been pretty straightforwardfor me so far. } 17... Bc5 { Who does this help? If Bxe3, Qxe3 allows me to attackh5, which is what I wanted in the first place. } 18. Kb1 { ?! Maybe my onlyinefficient move of the game. I didn't know what was going to come onthe queenside, but this move seemed like it was better protection for theking, plus it stops black from knight-checking the king on e2 or d3 (theknights are 2 moves away from those squares). } 18... Bxe3 { You say goodbye... } 19. Qxe3 { ...and I say hello. Hello, HELLO! And now there seems to bea lot of kingside pressure again, while black must address the threat tothe Nh5. } 19... Nf4 { ?! If ever there was a time for b4, this was it! Why,because it forces white to play the awkward Na4 or else face somethinglike 19. ...b4 20. Bxh5 bxc3 21. Bg4 cxb2, with good counterattacking chances. } 20. Bg4 { While this solves all of white's problems; b4 is now met withNe2. Additionally, h5 is now threatened. } 20... Rad8 { Preparing to strike backin the center. } 21. h5 { But black's attack is getting there quickly. } 21... gxh5 { Now, I'm not exactly sure how good this is. Black's pawn structure wasthe only thing keeping white's attack at bay. But allowing hxg6 forcesblack to either respond hxg6, having to respond to mate threats down theh-file, or fxg6, where the f7 square begs for a pawn fork. This will workout okay only if black can neutralize white's kingside attack or starthis own quick counterattack, which he's unable to do. } 22. Bxh5 { Of course. } 22... Nb6 { Black correctly assesses that Nxh5 followed by Rxh5 gives white toostrong of an attack down the h-file. This move also threatens Nc4, comingafter the queen. } 23. Be2 { ?! Another inaccuracy in view of Nc4. I should'veplayed Bg4 here, looking for Bf5. } 23... Rxd1+ { Interesting! I can recapturewith one of three pieces; which to choose? } 24. Nxd1 { ! The bishop belongson f5, and I need to give it the freedom to get there. The queen belongsin tandem with the rook on the h-file, so I know not to move the rook. The knight would do better on e3 than c3, though, so I prepare to getit there. } 24... Nd7 { Ooh. When I saw this I realized that this is black's onlyway to defend against mate on h7! } 25. Qf2 { And if I can get the queento h6, there's a mate threat on g7 also! The plan is Qf2-h4-h6-g7#. } 25... Nf8 { To defend the threat coming on h7. The only other option was to try runningwith the king. Nxe2 fails to 26. Qh2 Nf8 27. Qh6 with mate on g7 to follow. } 26. Qh4 { Threatening Qh6. } 26... Rd8 { Nxe2 loses immediately to Qh6; this isblack's attempt to flee with the king. } 27. Qh6 { Threatening mate on g7. } 27... N4e6 { The only way to defend the dual threat of Qg7# and Qxh7# is withhis knight tandem on f8 and e6. How to crack it open? } 28. Bg4 { Bg4! Where the bishop should have gone when I played Be2 back five moves ago. Bg4-f5-h7 will bring down the house, if I can make it happen. Black lookspretty helpless here. } 28... Qd7 { ! Clever! Black forces white to delay Bf5in light of the back-rank mate threat. } 29. Ne3 { A perfectly sufficientway to parry the threat. The d1 square is adequately defended now. Notehow Kc1 would have allowed Qd2 , giving black some chances. } 29... a5 { There'snothing else at this point. } 30. Bf5 { The threat on h7 is now overwhelming. If another wasteful move like 30...a4, 31. Bxh7 followed by either 31...Nxh732. Qxh7 Kf8 33. Qh8# or 31...Kh8 32. B-anywhere Nh7 33. Qxh7# (or 32...Kg833. Qh8#). Black is busted, and has no defense to mate. He decides tomake me sac my queen to get it. } 30... Ng6 { Leaving h7 undefended. } 31. Qxh7+ { This is my first material edge of the game except for my half-move one-pointadvantage on move 11. } 31... Kf8 { Forced; the only legal move. } 32. Qh8+ { ForcingNxh8. } 32... Nxh8 { And having just 'won' the white queen, } 33. Rxh8# { Black getscheckmated. Thanks to vdatsuk for a great game! } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.12.04"] [Round "-"] [White "midlands"] [Black "pasha582"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1555"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1550"] 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2 { Three pawns in a row. I betBxP is next... } 5. Bxb2 Qg5 { The g2 pawn is momentarily available. Pushingit opens the rook diagonal, which I can exploit well if ever QxPe4 becomesavailable. } 6. Nf3 { White's threat to the queen is a better response--ithelps him develop a piece. } 6... Qf4 7. a3 Qxe4+ { Well, it's a free pawn now. } 8. Be2 d6 9. O-O { Leaving the queen in front of the king is a recipe fordisaster. } 9... Qg6 10. Bd3 Qh5 11. Re1+ Be6 12. Nbd2 { Black's left side isstill undeveloped. } 12... Nf6 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Rb1 b6 15. Qc1 Qc5 16. Qb2 Bg7 17. Ng5 { I can't read white's mind, but I bet he was hoping PxN would exposethe black bishop. Instead, the white knight is easy pickings for the blackqueen. Giddyap! } 17... Qxg5 18. Ne4 Qe5 { Up six points, no quick mate in sight--proposea power trade. } 19. Qc2 { White wisely declines. } 19... d5 { White can't checkor threaten any piece with the knight in such a way as to expose the blackqueen. } 20. Nc5 Qd6 21. Nb7 { I'm 6 points ahead. If QxPa3, QxPc7, andthings start looking ugly for black. Black knows Qd7 is bad because itpermits white's bishop to pin with Bb5, but there is still the pawn atc7 guarded by Nb8 to intervene. Black is also eying the white knight withQd6. } 21... Qd7 22. f4 c5 { Say hello to my little friend. } 23. Bb5 Nc6 24. f5 { Black is beginning to feel pressure to move the king off the e file. PxBe6 permits white to discover check or other naughty opportunities. } 24... O-O 25. fxe6 Qxb7 { The knight is more valuable than the pawn. } 26. Qa4 { If black protects the knight with Ra8c8, white will respond by pinningblack's queen with Ba6. Rf8c8 is similarly bad for the same reason. Blackwas screaming and crying in pain and dismay at this particular juncture,even though he was still 6 points up. } 26... fxe6 27. Bxc6 { Black kisses thea rook goodbye. } 27... Qe7 28. Bxd5 { Black felt the pressure ease a tiny bit--whatwas wrong with BxRa8 instead? Still, it looked like easy pawn pickingsfor white. } 28... Rad8 29. Rxe6 { Black cannot move his queen anywhere it won'tget traded for a rook with a discovered check. White's bishop isn't protected,however. So black's next move is only slightly foolish looking. } 29... Qf7 30. Bc4 { White must have wanted to improve his position by protecting the bishop. Black can ease up on the pressure by moving the king off the white square. } 30... Kh8 { Now black's queen is free. } 31. Rexb6 { White takes the free pawn (black'squeen is threatened). } 31... Qe7 { Black's six point advantage has been severelyeroded. } 32. Rb7 { Here the game takes a turn for the better for black. } 32... Qe3+ 33. Kf1 Rd2 { Force mate in one. There is now nothing white can doto prevent Qf2#. } 34. R1b2 Qf2# 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "12-Feb-08"] [Round "-"] [White "marvgiff"] [Black "borsukov"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1515"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1541"] 1. e4 c5 2. Bc4 { This is not a good developing square for the bishop. Betteris d3 or Bb5 } 2... e6 3. Nc3 a6 { white can take advantage of black's excessivepawn moves with a4 or the super agressive e5. The aim of e5 is to createa bind in black's position, thus making him feel cramped. } 4. a3 { Thisis too weak, a4 should have been played in order to prevent ...b5. } 4... b5 5. Ba2 { because of white timid a3 black enjoys a massive queenside advantage. } 5... Bb7 6. Nf3 Qc7 7. O-O Nf6 8. d3 Be7 9. e5 { Because of blacks strength onthe light diagonal playing this move is not recommended. White should haveplayed Re1. } 9... Nd5 10. Re1 { White can avoid the exchange with Ne4. } 10... Nxc3 11. bxc3 { Usaully when this happens it is a sign that the wrong move hasbeen played. Black has acheived an important positional advantage by creatinga lasting weakness in whites pawn structure. } 11... d5 12. d4 c4 { hum this isnot good for black. With his massive advantage on the queenside he shouldopen some lines of attack. } 13. Bf4 Nd7 14. Qd2 Nf8 { White can start anattack of his own with H4. } 15. Qc1 Ng6 16. Bg5 { White needs this bishop!better is Bg3. } 16... Bxg5 17. Nxg5 O-O 18. Nf3 { as a result of the bishop exchangewhite is totally passive. } 18... Qe7 19. Rb1 { I can see white is trying to dois to attack b5. But it is better to leave this side close for as longas possible. } 19... Bc6 20. a4 Rab8 { white has just invited a wirlwind. } 21. axb5 axb5 22. h4 Ra8 23. Ra1 Qa3 24. Qg5 Qxc3 25. h5 h6 26. Qg4 { Qd2 isbetter. Hoping to exchange queens and weather the storm. The problem ofQg4 is that now white's queen is not out of position. } 26... Nh8 27. Nh2 { Itis better to leave this knight on f3 to protect the back rank. } 27... Rxa2 { Maybea stronger defence is } 28. Nf3 { Maybe a stronger defence is 28. RxR Qxe1 29. Nf1 } 28... Rxa1 29. Rxa1 Qxa1+ 30. Kh2 Qd1 31. Qg3 Qxc2 32. Ng5 hxg5 33. Qxg5 Qf5 34. Qh4 g5 35. Qg3 Qf4 36. Qxf4 gxf4 37. f3 b4 { In my opinionWhite should have played a4 to prevent b5. As a rule if black plays a6then white usually must play a4 in order to prevent black from creatinga strong attack on the queenside. Plus, White did a poor job of developinghis pieces to squares that maximize their potently. In conclusion thisis an instructive game that show you what happens when black is allowedto play b5 unchallenged. } 0-1

[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.01.04"] [Round "-"] [White "rpkersh"] [Black "snehagupta"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 { I just played a blitz game here at game knot and managed a win dueto opponent time out. I used to play Sicilian against king pawn opening.so 1. e4 c5 } 1... c5 2. f4 { I am not very surprised with this move as i observed,in blitz game people try to build a strong pawn center and play nontraditionalto build a pressure on opponent } 2... Nc6 { i followed my plan } 3. Nf3 e6 { madethis move as an opportunity (if any my opponent offer) to win f4 pawn withmy queen } 4. Ng5 { He has some different plan to drag my king up } 4... h6 5. Nxf7 { and he successful in his plan } 5... Kxf7 { i take } 6. Qh5+ { A check ofthis kind always very dangerous } 6... g6 { forced to retreat } 7. Qf3 Nf6 8. e5 Nd5 9. Bd3 Nce7 10. Bc4 Bg7 11. h4 h5 12. d3 d6 13. g4 dxe5 14. f5 gxf5 15. gxf5 exf5 16. Bg5 Bf6 { and my bishop stop his attack although i didsome blunder in next moves } 17. Bxf6 Kxf6 18. Qg3 Rg8 19. Qf3 Rg4 { I thoughtthis is best move at this situation } 20. Nd2 Be6 21. Ne4+ Kg7 22. Ng5 Qg8 23. O-O-O Kh6 24. Qe2 Nf4 { this is blunder from my side } 25. Qxe5 Neg6 26. Bxe6 Qxe6 27. Nxe6 Nxe5 28. Nxf4 Rxf4 29. Rde1 Re8 30. c3 b5 31. Kc2 Rf2+ { this is again a mistake as i give him a chance to advance his king } 32. Kb3 a5 33. d4 cxd4 34. cxd4 Rf3+ 35. Kc2 Rf2+ { Although giving acheck with RC8 is best move but due to blitz game time pressure some howi missed the chance } 36. Kb1 Rc8 { with this move i am seeing a forced draw but opponent timed out then } 37. dxe5 Rcc2 0-1

[Event "League division F1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Dec-08"] [Round "-"] [White "rob1450"] [Black "lovechiefs"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1005"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1159"] 1. e4 d6 2. Qf3 { queen enters too soon } 2... e5 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 g6 5. Bg5 Bg7 { Black continues its usual and proven development } 6. Ne2 O-O 7. O-O Bg4 { I was hoping for some exchanges here,but white plays } 8. Qe3 Nc6 9. f3 Be6 { offering bishop exchange with the idea of BxBe6,fxBe6 and then blackcan advance d5 } 10. Bb5 Nd4 11. Nbc3 Nxb5 12. Nxb5 c6 13. Na3 b5 14. Nc3 a6 15. b4 d5 { finally the liberating move d5 } 16. d4 exd4 17. Qd2 { I thinkand I was actually planning on Queen takes pawn } 17... dxc3 18. Qd4 dxe4 19. Qc5 Nd7 20. Bxd8 Nxc5 { The queens exchange works in black favor thanksto the favorable material and positional advantage } 21. bxc5 Raxd8 22. fxe4 Bd4+ 23. Kh1 b4 24. Rad1 { giving up his knight } 24... bxa3 25. Rb1 Bxa2 26. Ra1 Bxc5 27. Rxa2 { black gives up his white square bishop to preservehis two menacing pawns } 27... Rb8 28. h4 Rb2 29. Raa1 Rxc2 30. g4 Rb2 31. Rac1 c2 32. Rf6 { white should have left the Rook where it was to help defendthe back rank } 32... a2 33. Ra1 Rb1+ 34. Rxb1 axb1=Q+ 35. Kg2 c1=Q 36. Rxc6 Qbb2+ 37. Kf3 Qe3# 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23-Aug-07"] [Round "-"] [White "rafaeloliveira"] [Black "byakuugan3"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1714"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1675"] 1. d4 { I'm Black in this game where I mistakenly took material and endedup having to fight for a draw, but then miraculously I got lucky at theend and won. } 1... g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 O-O 6. O-O { So farboth sides have castled kingside, but White has a lot more control of thecenter. I personally don't like putting many pawns in the center, and insteadI play flexible setups that will contest the center later. Even thoughI don't have much space, I am more flexible and I can play to break inthe center with e5 or c5. } 6... a5 { At first glance this move seems strangeand unorthodox. I couldn't really think of a better move to do. I mainlywanted to stop b4. My plan was to play for a c5 boost with b6-c5, but afterb6, b4 is annoying. This stops the annoying b4, and I can follow up withb6 and c5. } 7. Be3 Nfd7 { This puts more control on the dark squares } 8. Qd2 b6 9. Bh6 c5 { This move doesn't appear as strong now that White hasthe option of removing my fianchetto, but the control of the dark squaresremains the same if both dark-squared bishops are gone, White will havesimplified the control. This is sort of like the Kavutskiy variation ofthe Modern Defense, but White sets up his pieces Bd3 c3 Na3 in that opening.Trading dark bishops usually isn't a problem for Black in the Kavutskiyvariation. } 10. a3 { I'm not sure if playing for b4 should be White's bestplan, he already played Bh6, so it seems like White would want to tradebishops and think about starting a kingside pawnstorm } 10... cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bb7 { Now the position has turned into a variation of Sicilian Dragon whereBlack hasn't played Nc6, and has made a lot of odd moves. White can playb4 here, but after axb4 axb4 Na6 I can put pressure on the b-pawn, andif Black advances the b-pawn then my knight gets an outpost on c5. } 12. Bc4 { White moves his bishop to a more agressive square, but I think it'sbetter if White trades bishops and starts an attack f4-f5 } 12... Na6 { This stopsb4 and makes way for Rc8, and also there are ideas of putting a knighton c5. } 13. Rfe1 { Maybe White wants to trade bishops and play f4-e5 gainingspace in the center. } 13... Rc8 14. b3 Nc7 { I know this move is terrible butI was probably moving through my games too fast and I made a lot of hastymoves, but that happens a lot in correspondence chess. } 15. b4 { Since Iblocked my rook's path, White decides the pawn isn't needed to defend thebishop anymore, and plays the b4 advance, but like I mentioned before,I can put pressure on the b-pawn and play Nc5 if White ever plays b5 } 15... Ne5 16. Bb3 axb4 17. axb4 Na6 18. b5 Nc5 { White has given my knight the c5-square,but he can remove my other knight with Bxg7 and f4. My knights aren't reallydangerous, so I need to find some kind of play quick before White generatessome activity. } 19. Bd5 Bxd5 20. Nxd5 Nc4 { White delayed trading dark bishopsfor too long, so now I can gain some tempo } 21. Qg5 Bxd4 { Here I get twominor pieces for a rook, which can be a crushing advantage in a lot ofpositions, but White's rooks get active and my minor pieces take awhileto coordinate, so White was able to get a lot of play and almost won. } 22. Bxf8 Kxf8 { Qxf8 hangs the e-pawn } 23. Ra7 Nd7 { I thought blocking wasthe safest and soundest option, even though it moves my knight off theoutpost I spent so much time getting it too, the outpost is useless now } 24. Qh6+ Kg8 25. Nb4 { White threatens Nc6 here, so I should've played Bg7and been safer, and after that I shouldn't have any problems. My materialadvantage should be enough to win, but I played more risky moves and Whitegot a huge initiative. A material advantage is only useful if your extrapieces can coordinate well, and my minor pieces cannot coordinate wellat the moment. } 25... Nce5 { I decided to play the riskier variation where I threatento play Ng4, but it is too greedy to grab more material and stall the coordinationof my minor pieces. } 26. Kh1 { This move shocked me I thought Rf1 was probablythe best move. Here I should just play Bxf2 and have a comfortable advantageof two minor pieces and a pawn for a rook, but I played to win more materialwhich gave White some tempo } 26... Ng4 27. Qd2 Nxf2+ 28. Kg1 { The most I canget out of this is an exchange, } 28... Nd3+ 29. Kf1 Nxe1 30. Nc6 { because ofmy greediness, White gets this tempo move in and my material advantagedrops. This caused me to make a horrible move and give White winning chances,in what should've been an easy win for me. } 30... Rxc6 { Another hasty move. Ishould've played Qe8 and settled for a 1-pawn advantage after White takesmy bishop and wins my trapped knight, after this blunder, White gets apassed pawn and gains a lot of tempo and almost wins, while my minor piecescannot coordinate and can be picked off in their horrible positions. } 31. bxc6 Ne5 32. c7 Qc8 33. c3 { This move makes way for Qa2 where White's majorpieces are threatening on the open file. My minor pieces are too slow tostop that action and are virtually useless. Here I realized my only hopeis to get my queen active and draw by perpetual check. } 33... Nc6 34. Qa2 { Whitecan afford to sacrifice the exchange because of the very strong passedpawn. After the trade, White's queen on a7 can go to c8 and White willpromote. } 34... Nxa7 35. Qxa7 Kg7 { My best bet is to get my king off the backrank so that I can play Qa6 if White plays Qb8, and manage a draw by perpetualcheck. I also thought about saving my minor pieces and going into an endingwhere I have two minors and three pawns (9 points) vs. a queen (9 points)but the queen will just dominate on the open board and win some pawns. } 36. cxd4 { White removes my attacker of the g1-a7 diagonal so now Whitecan probably escape the perpetual. My best chance to draw is to take apawn to clear more space for my queen to find checks. } 36... Nxg2 37. Qb8 Qa6+ 38. Kxg2 { After this I knew I had succeeded in getting a draw, there isn'treally any way White can escape the checks after this. } 38... Qe2+ 39. Kg3 Qe3+ 40. Kg2 Qe2+ { Qxe4 is more risky because it gives White's king more spaceto roam and a better chance of escaping the checks. It doesn't matter howmany pawns I win, because White is going to queen if I stop checking, andnone of my pawns are close to promoting. White declined the draw, and justwhen I thought there was no possible way I could win this, he made a horribleblunder that loses the game immediately. } 41. Kh3 { White should've realizedthat he couldn't escape the checks, and settle for a draw, but now Whitehas just suicided his king, by allowing me to draw him closer to my territorywith tempo, so that White's promotion threat is meaningless now. } 41... Qf3+ 42. Kh4 h6 { The only thing that beats a promotion threat is a mating threat.I will play g5# here if White promotes, and all White can do is sacrificehis queen to stall his loss } 43. Qf8+ Kxf8 44. c8=Q+ Kg7 45. Qg4 { Thisis the only way to stop the mating threat, and after the queen trade, Ihave an easy win because of my advantage in pawns. } 45... Qxg4+ 46. Kxg4 Kf6 { Probably more accurate to push the passed pawn immediately, but that doesn'treally matter in an easily winning position } 47. Kf4 e5+ 48. dxe5+ dxe5+ 49. Ke3 Kg5 50. Kd3 f5 51. Ke3 f4+ 52. Kf3 b5 53. Ke2 b4 54. h3 b3 55. Kd2 f3 { White cannot stop both passed pawns, so he resigned here. } 0-1

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "???"] [Black "???"] [Result "*"] 1. d4 { more experimentation of the d4 opening. } 1... e6 { this is one of thefirst times ive seen e6 as a response. there's probably some devious methodologyto it. } 2. e3 { by this point you've pretty much got this opening memorized,if you've followed these games (i don't know why you would) please tellme where i made mistakes, because i need some help with this kind of game } 2... c5 { this is extremely unorthadox, but note the f8 bishop. } 3. c4 { I'mnot gonna let this throw off my opening. I should mention this was game3 with 5 second delay, it will explain some mistakes. } 3... cxd4 { ? this isnew... I should what? } 4. exd4 { this is justified next move, I know thesetwo pawns are extremely over extended, but thats a risk im willing to takeat this point. } 4... e5 5. d5 { if you EVER want to tick someone off: push thepawn when they offer a trade. this also provided protectioin against Nc6and helps really later on. } 5... Bb4+ { if you play this opening, you see thismove 9 games out of 10, I'm not joking, it actually plays into the actualopening, but as you can see, I'm in mid game } 6. Bd2 { this is actuallya trigger response } 6... Bxd2+ 7. Nxd2 { that knight is actually defending c4,allowing you to move/fiancetto that bishop on f1. note how the rook couldeasily take control of the c file right now. } 7... Nf6 8. Ngf3 { locked knightsattacking a pawn. lovely } 8... d6 { the only response. or is it? i would havepushed to e4 } 9. c5 { i want that free pawn. but it has to be free or Idon't risk the knight. } 9... Nbd7 { ? mistake? } 10. cxd6 { pawn trade? ok. myknights are ready to counter. } 10... Nxd5 11. Nc4 { note the simple beauty ofthis move: i now have two knights on e5 and a discovered attack on Nd5. } 11... e4 { this was the only possible way out for black. well, it saved a pawn. } 12. Nfe5 { knights are locked again. } 12... Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Qa5+ { this game would'vecompletely differently if Qxd6 } 14. Ke2 { i liked the queen where it was:alive and on the board. } 14... Nf4+ 15. Ke3 Qxe5 { my opening tends to lose minorsearly on, doesn't it. oh well, I always seem to come back at the end. it'slike watching the bears in reverse. } 16. Rc1 { can you see what I'm doing?/ I love black's cooperation the next couple of moves } 16... O-O 17. d7 { whatwas rule number one of annoying people again? push the pawn. } 17... Rd8 { mis.take. } 18. dxc8=R Raxc8 { note he couldn't take my queen because of check.this is just poetic. } 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Qd7 Qc5+ { mis.take.num.ber.2. } 21. Kxf4 g5+ { gosh, this guy loves kamikaze pieces } 22. Kxe4 Qc2+ 23. Bd3 Rc4+ { this was not a mistake. I like this move on black's part. I didn'tlike it then, but i give props to black on this one. } 24. Ke3 Qxb2 25. Qe8+ Kg7 26. Rb1 { don't you love it when black plays along? } 26... Qxa2 { i do. } 27. Rxb7 Qa3 { can you see mate in 2? } 28. Qxf7+ { not including rollingbarrel, that doesn't count. if you can't spot rolling barrel, you shouldn'tbe able to analyze annotated games. } 28... Kh6 { if you've found it. congrats,it took me about 10 seconds to double check. (note i don't take rook, well,because of mate) } 29. Qxh7# { game one, once again, by white. this openinghas obvious counters that have clever responses on white's half. it's alsothe best way to get your opponent to scratch their head since 'pribyl' } *

[Event "Breakthrough!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.19"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "concordborn"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1655"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1854"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Here is another game in the themed Sicilian Pelikan,Bird variation MT started by Matthew (Concordborn). This time the resultgoes in my favour. Although I win a pawn in the middlegame, Matthew worksit so that we end up with opposite colour bishops and he sets up a Joblockstyle defensive formation. However, I keep both pairs of rooks on andmy extra pawn, a passed pawn, ties his rooks down to stopping it from gettingto Glendadom on a8. However, it was very difficult for me to make headwaybecause Fou Leblanc was also tied to the defense of my a and c pawns. It looked to be heading for a Low Draw until Matthew walked into a pinand one little pawn push proved decisive. Here is the gameknot analysisversion.http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=17446461&rnd=0.9831448610802258. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 { 6. ...... d6- the last move of the forced moves which run like this:- 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6. } 7. Bg5 { 7. Bg5 - thispin is the most popular move in the World DB. It does indirectly threatenthe pawn on d6 because if BxN then black must either move his queen tof6 which will no longer defend the d6 pawn, or he will have to play gxf6weakening his kingside. } 7... a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 { 9. Nd5 - a usual outpostfor this knight in the Sicilian which follows a standard black queensidepawn push. } 9... Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 { 10. ....... Bxf6 - B for N trade. } 11. c3 Bg5 12. Nc2 { 12. Nc2 - my knight moves off the rim looking for better things. } 12... O-O 13. a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 { 14. Rxa4 - pawn trade. } 14... a5 15. Bc4 Ne7 16. Nce3 { 16. Nc3 - bolsters d5. } 16... Bd7 17. Ra2 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 { 18. Nxd5 - after aknight trade another white knight takes root on d5. } 18... g6 19. b3 Kh8 20. O-O { 20. 0-0 - Henry finally gets castled on move 20! } 20... a4 21. bxa4 { 21.bxa4 - black gives up his a pawn, what is he up to here? Is he planninga kingside mating attack and can I hold on to my remote isolani passer? My questions will soon be answered. } 21... f5 22. exf5 Bxf5 23. Bb5 { 23. Bb5- after a pawn trade, Fou Leblanc protects the isolani. It will take apiece trade to shift it. } 23... Be4 24. c4 { 24. c4 - Fou Leblanc is further reinforcedon this square. If he is exchanged I will have two connected passers onthe queenside. } 24... Bh4 25. f3 Bxd5 26. Qxd5 { 26. Qxd5 - now here are the oppositecolour bishops. With the major pieces on, however, this may favour theattacking side and I suppose with the extra pawn, that is white. Notethat Glenda has now replaced my knight on d5 and she can only be shiftedby the Wicked Witch of the West, who incidentally, is still on her homesquare! } 26... Qb6+ { 26. ..... Qb6+ - but now she finally moves and she fixesher glare on Henry who has to take evasive action to h1. } 27. Kh1 Rad8 28. a5 { 28. a5 - passed pawns must be pushed! } 28... Qa7 29. a6 { 29. a6 - andagain, but this is how far the pawn gets. } 29... Be7 30. Qb7 Ra8 31. Qxa7 Rxa7 { 31. ....... Rxa7 - the queens have been exchanged and now the rooks aretied to my passer on a6. But where do I go from here? } 32. Rd1 { 32.Rd1- answer, perhaps a move to d5 will help. Yet another white piece occupiesthat d5 square and this is gonna prove decisive in my favour later on. } 32... Rc8 33. Rd5 Kg7 { 33. ..... Kg7 - the BK moves to the centre of the board,but it will be to his detriment! } 34. Kg1 { 34. Kg1 - Henry does likewise. } 34... Kf6 35. Kf2 h5 36. Ke3 Kf5 { 36. ..... Kf5? - Here it is, the fateful kingmove. Black will now drop at least another pawn due to the pawn beingpinned on e5. I now exploit this pin with f4! } 37. f4 g5 38. fxe5 dxe5 { 38. ..... dxe5 - this d6 pawn is also pinned, albeit against a squarerather than a piece or other pawn. This square is d7 and now a bishopfork will take place on it and white will drop the exchange. It does takeplace next move and Matthew considered the following exchange deficit tobe ruinous and immediately waved the white flag. That victory took meback to my highest rating 1859. I have since topped it and my next targetis to get to 1870. If I can concentrate hard and take full advantage ofany of my current opponents errors I aim to get to the dizzy heights of1900 - in baby steps! Anyhow, I hope you are all having a nice weekend. Bye for now - Joanne } 39. Bd7+ 1-0

[Event "One of my oddest games ever"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.08.22"] [Round "-"] [White "karlw"] [Black "imachessmanxii"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1139"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 { This will be my third annotation. I am, once again, playing thewhite pieces. I start again with e4. } 1... d5 { I hate the Scandinavian defence. } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 { Except for the part where I get a tempo. :) Devolopingknight AND attacking the queen. } 3... Qe5+ { Classic responce to Nc3. } 4. Be2 Nc6 5. Nf3 { Another tempo. :) } 5... Qe6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Bb5 Ng4 8. Bxc6+ Qxc6 9. Nd4 { I would not have chosen to use the queen in this situation. } 9... Qh6 10. d3 Qh5 11. h3 { Checkmate will not come my way! At least not yet. } 11... Bd7 12. Bd2 c5 13. Nb3 g6 14. d4 e6 15. dxc5 { Thanks for the free pawn! } 15... b6 16. cxb6 { Thanks for the other pawn! } 16... Bd6 17. Ne4 Bh2+ { I thought thiswas a very unusual attack he played. } 18. Kh1 f5 19. Nec5 Bc6 20. b7 { Hadto happen eventually, and he can't take it with the bishop. :) } 20... Rd8 21. Na5 Bxg2+ { ?? What is his method here? Get rid of all your pieces? } 22. Kxg2 e5 23. Nc6 f4 24. Nxd8 { Why did he let go of the rook? } 24... Rf8 25. Qf3 { Yes, I see the check. } 25... e4 26. Qxe4+ { But he didn't see one against him! } 26... Ne5 { I would have blocked with the queen. You might scare off the whitequeen and get the black queen into a better position, or you can tradethem. } 27. b8=Q { Had to happen at some time or another. } 27... f3+ 28. Kxh2 Qg5 29. Nde6+ Kf7 30. Nxg5+ Kg8 31. Qd5+ { Run Forrest Run! } 31... Kg7 32. Nge6+ { Andnow, checkmate cannot be avoided. } 32... Kg8 33. Qxf8# { And that, ladies andgentlemen, is how you should not play a game of chess, especially afteryour opponent has promoted a pawn so that they have 2 queens. } 1-0

[Event "The last stroke"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.01.07"] [Round "-"] [White "unnikuttankr"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] { A double threat situation ended with a hard-to-see, nasty last stroke. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 { The Budapest. } 3. e4 { A conservative approach.Good. Any other move was good, c5, or exd4... } 3... d6 { Still more conservative,but wrong. Black will end up very cramped. And white can play dxe, andif dxe, QxQ+. Not fatal, but small mistakes like this one help games tobe more interesting! :-)) } 4. d5 { Uh-oh. } 4... Bg4 { ?! I opted for developement,well knowing what could come after... } 5. f3 Bh5 { If g4, I'll try to exploitwhite's opened kingside, but it won't be easy. } 6. Qd3 { ?! Well, it wasvery easy for me to spot the threat, Qb4+, but I was playing very bad. } 6... Bg6 { I saw that now I could take on d4 if the WN moves from c3. } 7. Qb5+ { ...but this made me ashamed of myself! } 7... Nbd7 { The best way out to this. } 8. Qxb7 Rb8 9. Qxa7 Be7 { ...and try to castle and hold before white canadd more pressure. I accept I'll lose c7 to Nb5, but the king's safetycomes first... } 10. Bb5 { Developing, but not as much aggressive as Nb5. } 10... O-O { If I can just ignore a move, the move must be put under investigation.White lost an attack's tempo. } 11. Bxd7 Nxd7 { (Edit, thanks) In the hindisght,Qxd7 was much better, but I was happy with this, trying to find a way out.The problem with the lsb's outcome is that now Nb5 can't be played anymoredue to the R... } 12. Qf2 { ?! Well, what's the plan behind this? :-) } 12... Nb6 { ?! I'm not any sure about this one or Nc5 or, even better, Qc8, thinkingin c6. } 13. h4 { I know, I know. } 13... h5 14. g4 { Ah, white is playing hard,correctly trying to open my kingside! Very interesting! My kinside countergameis far from clear. } 14... Qd7 { if anything else fails, I'll try c6. As for white's'threat', I can just ignore it. If g5, white will self-block himself. } 15. gxh5 Bxh5 { ...and now it will be hard to attack my B. } 16. Qg2 { PreparingBh6. My Rf8 is threatened, for the less. But to Bh6, I can simply answerBf6... } 16... Na4 { I didn't play c6 just in time. This will allow the WN to jumpto d4, and this will complicate thing for me. A lot. But not this way! } 17. Nxa4 { Otherwise, after NxN I could have threatened white's c3 in acouple of ways. } 17... Qxa4 { The situation reverted: now I am the attackingpart on the kingside! } 18. Bh6 Bf6 { As planned. This defence costs me thewhole B pair, but it is very strong... or so it seems! } 19. b3 { ? Whitehas to defend b2, and he has NO good way to do it. With the text's, heopens holes in the black squares. Enjoy the following sequence! } 19... Qa5+ { (Edit)c3 is not possible anymore! } 20. Kd1 Qc3 { (Edit) Ra1 is threatened. } 21. Rb1 { Ok, saved, but... } 21... Qd4+ { White must retire, and lose his attack. Beaware he can't retire the Q, but he can play Bd2... accepting to withdrawfrom the attack. } 22. Bd2 { This is good. To understad when it's betterto retire than to lose something more. It seems white paid his price, butit's not quite so... } 22... Qxe4 { Magnificent pin and justifying white's lsbweird position. From now on, f3 is a target, preventing white from developing. } 23. Kc1 Qxd5 { Black balanced the material, and now my position looksfar from desperate. Besides, I have some attack lines opened, while white'sdevelopement is still cramped due to the pinned f3!... } 24. Rh3 { Freeingthe N to move. } 24... Ra8 { (Edit) Threatening a2. Another step in pressure building. } 25. Rg3 { !? I know that after Rxg7+, BxR, Bh6 would crush me, so... } 25... g6 { DefCon2. Now white has to work another lot to mine my king's bunker. } 26. Bg5 { If I exchange, the R in g5 will be threatening my lsb sincethe g pawn is pinned. But I can simply move the king away. } 26... Bxg5+ 27. Rxg5 Kh7 { ...and now the defence stabilizes once more, at the price ofmy lsb being placed in a forced (but very important) square. } 28. Qg3 { Unpinning the Q, so to move the f3 pawn (finaly!), but overlooking... } 28... Rxa2 29. Ne2 { ? No, it was not still possible. c2 is too weak for this. } 29... Qc5 { c2 is threatened, and c4, RxN. Qa3+ and Qe3+ are threatened, grabbingf3. } 30. Rb2 { It seems a defence, but unfortunately, it isn't. } 30... Qa3 { Anddespite white's aligned forces, it's curtain. Still, a high mark for myopponent! } 0-1

[Event "Global Thermal Nuclear War III"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.09"] [Round "-"] [White "jkman32"] [Black "dhruvagarwal"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1341"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "941"] 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 { Problem number 1. Why are we moving at Queen at move 2?Bad idea. Because the Queen is the most valuable piece on the board, sheis also the most vulnerable, because you can't trade her for anything otherthan another Queen, which means she is now going to start running. } 2... Nc6 3. Bc4 { Problem number 2. Generally a good idea to develop your knightsbefore bishops, besides which, what do you think is going to happen here,black does not see the mating threat? There is an old saying in chess:the threat is greater than the execution. What it means is that it's notthe mating threat that is important, it is the weakness that the opponentmust create when AVOIDING the threat that you are after. In this case,your threat, Qxf7 mate, actually helps Black because your Queen is outin the middle of the board. } 3... g6 4. Qf3 { Queen move 2. Notice you have placedher at f3, which is where the knight that should have been developed insteadof the Queen. } 4... Nf6 5. d3 { This move makes sense. Opens the diagonal forthe bishop and supports the pawn on e4. You should be asking this question,and others, before every move. (1) Do I have any pieces hanging that needto be protected or moved. (2) What are the three best moves available tome in this position? (3) What does each of those moves accomplish, specifically.(4) Which of the is the best? } 5... Nd4 { And now we see the problem with yourdevelopment. The Queen, at this stage, should have stayed on d1. The Knightat g1 should be sitting on f3. What would this accomplish. Well, the Queenwould not be being attacked, yes? And the Knight on f3 would be guardingthe d4 square, yes? which means black would never stick it there, becauseif you took it with the hypothetical knight at f3, black would have totake back with pawn on e5, and would have doubled his pawns. As it stands,you have got to move the queen AGAIN, which means your pieces, which needto be developed, continue to sit on their home squares--the N at g1, theN at b1, the B c1. } 6. Qd1 { Okay, good enough, our queen is now back atd1. Now granted, the Queen sortie may have weakened Black's position alittle by forcing the pawn move g6, BUT what has that cost you? Three moves.Qh4, Qf3, Qd1. There are time controls in chess, but internally, timein chess is measured in moves. The fewer moves it takes you to accomplishyour goal, the better. Why, because you get more pieces developed fasterthan the other guy. You would never consider taking your bishop and movingit back and forth between c1 and g5, would you? Course not. But you aredoing something like that here with your queen. } 6... d5 7. Bb5+ Nxb5 { Gameis essentially lost here. White has simply dropped a piece. This may simplybe carelessness due to your game load, but I can't overemphasize how easyit makes it for your opponent when you give up material. Black's plan issimple, from here out--trade off pieces and exploit the advantage of theextra knight in the end game. Almost a sure win for black from here onout, with accurate, careful play. } 8. Bg5 { Pinning the Knight is okay,but too late. Notice how black IMMEDIATELY tries to get the queens offthe board to maximize his already winning advantage with the extra knight. } 8... dxe4 9. dxe4 { This is a mistake, though at this point it does not matter.Take the knight first, forcing the Queen to take back at f6. Keeps yourqueen on the board, which you need to do when down on material. [ 9.Bxf6Qxf6 10.dxe4 Bd7 11.Qd5] When down on material, don't allow exchanges ifyou can avoid them.] } 9... Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Nxe4 11. Be3 Bf5 12. h3 O-O-O+ { Noticethat after 12 moves, neither of your knights have been developed. Neitherhave moved. Your Calvary is stuck in the stockade when they are most needed.Your planes are destroyed on the ground. And your king is trapped in thecenter. Would be nice to have those three moves with the queen back rightnow. By now, move 12 your knights should be at f3 and c6 and your kingshould be castled. } 13. Ke1 Nd4 14. Kd1 { You are walking into a punch here.NEVER put the king between an opponent's piece and a rook unless you areavoiding mate. Leads to discovered check, which is DEADLY, as we see here.Even though you should avoid exchanges when down on material as a rule,here you have to take the knight with the bishop to avoid losing the rookfrom the discovered check. } 14... Nb3+ { Ouch... } 15. Ke1 Nxa1 16. Nf3 Nxc2+ 0-1

[Event "BLOCK OUT!!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.11.18"] [Round "-"] [White "drhpatron"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1825"] [TimeControl "5d+5d<10d"] [WhiteElo "2360"] 1. c4 { Hi everyone! Operation Joblock snares another Master! This timeit is my mentor, David Patron who had a rating just 40 points south ofbeing an IM. David is a very strong player and he certainly deserves toget to that level. Again, neither player did anything wrong except thefact that gameknot analysis did not like my last move and preferred h5to Kg8. So, I achieve my fourth Master Draw! But how did this block outoccur? Well, we must all read on...... } 1... e5 { 1. ...... e5 - David triesme out with the English Opening by opening with 1. c4. This opening cantranspose into many other openings such as the Reti, etc. } 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 { 3. Nf3 - it does become a bit Reti-ish! } 3... Nc6 { 3. ..... Nc6 - now allfour knights are developed. } 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 h6 { 5. ..... h6 - the WickedWitch of the West has plonked herself on a diagonal which could be a potentialmenace to Henry if he goes kingside. I decided to play this move to preventNg4 and to avoid that pawn becoming a target itself. } 6. Be2 Bxc3 7. bxc3 { 7. bxc3 - Hmm, Qxc3 would have avoided doubling up his c pawns. Thisdoubleton will aid my bid to seal David out later on. } 7... d6 8. O-O O-O { 8....... 0-0 - I thought I would wait until David castled before puttingHenry on the same side. David is not so likely to risk compromising hisown castled position to attack mine with a pawn storm. } 9. d4 e4 { 9. .....e4 - an interesting conversation took place between me and David in thechat: Jo: Thanks. Now, I really ought to block off that annoying b1-h7diagonal and put a bit of a cramp in your position - at least for a while! David: That's a good move Jo and the one I would have played for the reasonsyou have set out. It irks me to have to withdraw my knight - for now atleast. } 10. Nd2 Re8 { 10. ..... Re8 - the conversation now continued: .....hmm, but that pesky steed has counter-attacked my pawn. I did agoniseover which piece was the right one to defend it but I think it is goodto at least put a rook on a half-open file. I just hope I made the rightchoice here. David said: I think Bf5 was very marginally the better moveto support the battle for control of the centre. But your choice was perfectlyOK. } 11. h3 { 11. h3 - this move gives me the chance to play Bf5. Myweakie e4 pawn is now protected three times. } 11... Bf5 12. Rb1 { 12. Rb1 - Davethen said in the chat that he wanted to probe my defences. After a longconsideration I decided the best way to meet this move was to advance mypawn to b6. } 12... b6 13. Rd1 Qc8 { 13. ...... Qc8 - prepares the remote possibilityof a bishop sac on h3. This doesn't happen, however. } 14. Nf1 Na5 { 14...... Na5 - although it puts my knight on the rim, my knight handily stopsDavid's a pawn from getting any further than a4. } 15. Ng3 Bg6 { 15. ....Bg6 - preserving Fou Leblanc and keeping him on the same diagonal as theWitch. } 16. Bb2 c5 { 16. ....... c5 - a multi-purpose move. This move firmlyseals off the queenside. If dxc5 then dxc5 and I will have tidied up mybackward pawn on the d column. } 17. Ba3 Qc7 { 17. ...... Qc7 - Glenda actsas a foil to all the queenside pawns. She also connects the rooks. } 18. Qa4 Rad8 { 18. ....... Rad8 - after Dave tries to frighten me with an incursioninto my pos. by the Witch, I calmly move my rook onto the d column. } 19. Rd2 Kh8 { 19. .... Kh8 - Dave said that all he could do was try and improvehis position but he did not think he would get anywhere unless I over-extendedmyself. Me shuttling Henry from h8 - g8 proved I had no intention of doingthis. After playing his rook to b5 Dave told me he would settle for adraw. I put Henry back on g8 and made my offer of which Dave kindly accepted. Interestingly enough, Gameknot analysis stated that my last move was aninaccuracy. So it turned out to be a very good draw offer in more waysthan one. For me it has been the tale of two buses. After my epic drawwith Freddy in 2010 I had to wait another three years for my third Draw,which was against Skorpio, now along comes the second bus - all in thespace of two weeks. In order to increase my tally of such scalps, I needto be a little more consistent. Anyhow, David played very well and itwas a good instructive game on how to defend properly. I hope you allhave a good read. Bye for now - Joanne } 20. Rb5 Kg8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Challenge from pretz"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-Feb-08"] [Round "-"] [White "davidaspt"] [Black "pretz"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1312"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1354"] 1. e4 b6 { I thought I'd start by fianchettoing the queenside bishop insteadof the usual kingside. This is known as Owen's defense, and accordingto Wikipedia (which is always right), it has a rather dubious reputation. I not only cede the center early, but I also delay kingside castling fora while. } 2. Qf3 Bb7 3. Bc4 { Hey look- almost checkmated three moves in } 3... e6 4. Nc3 f5 5. exf5 exf5 { As pointed out in the comments, Bxf3 to stealthe queen was definitely the better move } 6. Qxf5 { Not particularly surewhat I was thinking with that exchange- I must have just miscalculated } 6... Qe7+ 7. Nge2 Nc6 { The correct move would have been Bxg2 } 8. Bxg8 g6 { Iwas too stingy to give up another pawn, and I think I paid for it. } 9. Qd5 Na5 10. Bf7+ { QxB would probably have been better, although the Fritzchess engine has them about equal. } 10... Kd8 11. Qd4 Qxf7 12. Qxh8 Qg7 { I missedBxg2 again here } 13. Qxg7 Bxg7 { Now I'm a rook and a pawn down, with nochance to castle and my knight at the edge of the board. On the plus side,my bishops are very well placed. } 14. O-O Nc4 15. d3 Nd6 16. Bf4 Ke7 { Givingmy rook a way to get out. } 17. Bxd6+ Kxd6 18. a4 Re8 19. Nb5+ Ke7 20. Rab1 Kd8 21. Rfe1 Re5 22. d4 Rg5 23. g3 Bf8 { The pawn at d4 was quite well defended,so I guess I just wanted a little more mobility } 24. h4 Rf5 25. Nxa7 c5 26. g4 Rf3 27. b4 Rh3 { Rather last ditch effort to get a checkmate } 28. Ng3 Bd6 29. bxc5 Bxg3 30. fxg3 Rxg3+ 31. Kh2 Rg2+ 32. Kh3 Bf3 33. Rxb6 Rxg4 34. c6 g5 35. Re3 Rxh4+ 36. Kg3 Bd1 37. Rb8+ Kc7 38. Rc8+ Kb6 39. Kg2 Rg4+ 40. Rg3 Rxd4 41. Rd3 Rg4+ { I was looking very hard for a perpetualcheck to get the draw } 42. Kf1 Rf4+ 43. Ke1 Bxc2 44. Rxd7 Re4+ 45. Kd2 Bxa4 46. Rb8+ Kc5 47. c7 { I think this was a mistake by white- he's willingto sacrifice his rook to promote a pawn, but he can't promote the pawnafter Bxd7. } 47... Bxd7 48. Rh8 { Pawn grabbing time. } 48... Kd6 49. Kd3 { This mighthave been a mistake by me. I was willing to sacrifice my rook to takehis pawn, thinking he couldn't do much with the rook and knight againstmy bishop and two pawns. } 49... Kxc7 50. Kxe4 g4 { The only safe place for thatpawn- I was hoping to eventually trade the pawn and my bishop for his rook. } 51. Kf4 Kd6 52. Rxh7 Kc7 53. Rh5 Kd6 { Not sure why I didn't move to b6instead } 54. Rh1 Kc7 55. Rb1 Kd6 56. Nb5+ Ke7 57. Nd4 Kf6 { Trading thebishop for the knight wasn't acceptable } 58. Rb7 Bc8 59. Rc7 Ba6 { I thinkI'm lost here no matter what, but I'm not sure I even saw the rook fork. } 60. Rc6+ Ke7 61. Rxa6 Kf7 62. Kxg4 { Overall, I was pretty much lost afterthe sequence that started with move 8 and ended with me being down a rookand a pawn on move 13. A combination of tactical miscalculation and ofbeing greedy for my extra pawn. } 1-0

[Event "3 Pawns VS bishop endgame"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.11.20"] [Round "-"] [White "timber-pusher"] [Black "kentathena"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1437"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 { Pretty standard opening - I missedoppertunities in this game, butit is only to show the end game } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bc5 5. h3 O-O 6. O-O h6 7. d3 d6 8. a3 Nd4 9. Be3 Be6 { No other move but to exchange } 10. Bxe6 fxe6 { Here I wanted to remove the knight because I was not happywith it up in my face he could easily clear pieces from the centre or putpressure on me by playing d5 } 11. Bxd4 exd4 12. Ne2 e5 13. Ng3 { Movingthe attack to the kingside } 13... a6 14. Nh4 Nh7 15. Nhf5 Qf6 { I wanted to movemore attacking piece in on the king } 16. Qg4 Rf7 17. Nh5 Qg5 18. Qe2 { Hewas holding his own } 18... Nf6 { Any exchange on g7 would end up with a stackedR and Q on G file } 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. f4 { Trying to stop further Q movesto g5 and h4 } 20... Raf8 21. fxe5 { Forcing the queen away } 21... Qxe5 22. Qg4 Rf6 { HereI missed Qg7 and wanted to kick my own butt, he just gave me the game } 23. Nxh6+ { Instead of taking the game I used the pin } 23... Rxh6 24. Rxf8+ Kxf8 25. Rf1+ Rf6 { An it gets worse, I was hoping for Kg8, so I miss calculatedand it cost me } 26. Qc8+ Kf7 { I knew I had to wipe the deficit before theendgame } 27. Qxc7+ Qe7 28. Rxf6+ Kxf6 29. Qc8 Qe6 30. e5+ Kxe5 31. Qxb7 d5 32. Qxg7+ { Ok, all even. I knew I wanted to simplify, but I also knewI needed his king as far away from the passed pawns on the G and H file- I also knew he liked moving the queen in front of the King on checks } 32... Kd6 33. Qf8+ Qe7 34. Qb8+ Qc7 { This should do } 35. Qxc7+ { So this suitsme... } 35... Kxc7 36. g4 { Starting to build the pressure, I have 6 pawns for3 pawns and a bishop - with my pawns being better structured.... I feltI could win this if he only slipped up once, and to force that I neededto push on the G and H file } 36... Bd6 37. h4 Kd7 38. Kg2 Ke6 39. a4 { THis wasin preparation of c3 - c3 would leave this blocking pawn hanging } 39... Kf6 { Bb4would not have won for him because the bishop would be relegated to defencefrom here on in and would have to stay on b4 to prevent c3 } 40. c3 dxc3 41. bxc3 Be5 { This did not work, maybe he calculated I would play d4.... } 42. c4 { Keeping on the white squares } 42... dxc4 43. dxc4 { Ok, I got 4 pawnsfor a pawn and bishop..... but I have 3 past pawns with black only havingtwo pieces to cover al three - to make it better they ware 3 files apartmeaning I could stretch his defence even further } 43... Ke6 { trying to get tothe centre as I also do } 44. Kf3 Kd6 45. Ke4 { Now I have the high ground- Kc5 kills the bishop and he cant back to h8 to stop my pawn.... } 45... Bg3 { so he forces my pawn moves.... } 46. h5 Be5 { So which side to push....c5 would be a mistake as after Kxc5 I would still have to herd 2 pawnsto the h&g corner and he would have time to get back } 47. g5 { So I putthe pressure on the H&G file } 47... Bh8 { Here I knew this was winning if hisking leaves the centre I would push the c pawn to get his attention - hecant stop them all } 48. h6 { now his bishop cannot attack the pawns on G&H } 48... Ke6 { ok, here it comes if he goes right I go left } 49. c5 { Now c5 was theright threat, } 49... Be5 { This does not change anything an I keep pushing } 50. g6 { I need the G pawn there first to make the exchange on g7 } 50... Bf6 { So letsplay a little, G7 was fine, Bxg7 hxg7, Kf8 I am up on the exchange twopawns for a bishop and I will queen on C8 because I can get my king toc7 before he can - and I will thus cover my pawn advance } 51. c6 { Got you- I decided to push the c Pawn, this will mean my King does not have toexhaust himself - if he goes to the c file the g7 exchange is a clean winand if he goes to G&H file the C pawn is a clear win without any help fromthe king } 51... Kd6 52. g7 { So this is where he resigned - After the exchangeI will queen on G8 / 1-0. Endgames are really about calculating and playingsensible. In the end I was glad I missed the mate earlier because it wasa good endgame for me. } 1-0

[Event "alygally's mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-Jul-06"] [Round "-"] [White "ethansiegel"] [Black "alygally"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1802"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1740"] 1. e4 { This is my first gameknot game against someone rated 1800 , in myvery first mini-tournament. } 1... e5 2. Nc3 { I've been playing the Vienna Gambitas white, with a lot of success, since people play exf4, which gives whitea great position (lots of development for the pawn). } 2... Bc5 { Minor disappointment. } 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Nc6 5. f4 { My idea here is to expand on the kingside,drive the knight away, and attack with both bishops, queen, and maybe therook. } 5... d6 6. f5 Na5 7. Qf3 { Maybe this isn't the greatest plan, since withoutthat light-square bishop, the kingside attack isn't looking as great. } 7... Nxc4 8. dxc4 c6 9. g4 { Going for the kingside attack anyway! } 9... g6 10. g5 Nh5 11. Nge2 { Now everything is still defended adequately, as black doesn'thave a breakthrough for white's extended kingside. My idea is Ng3, openingthe h-file for attack. } 11... a6 { ? Too slow, maybe. } 12. Ng3 Nxg3 13. hxg3 b5 14. b3 { Why do this? White has doubled pawns already, do I want a secondset? Well, here, I think I do. Doubled pawns can be weak in the endgame,but this opens a line for the other rook to attack! } 14... bxc4 15. bxc4 Bd4 { Pins the knight, which is defended by the queen. BxN, QxB, PxP, PxP, BxPis good for black, so I defend the f5 pawn again. } 16. g4 Qa5 { Menacingand pinning the knight, but this is easily met by... } 17. Bd2 { Bd2, wherethe queen must move again in view of moves like Ne2. Qa5 may not havebeen good, since it allowed white to develop a piece, losing a tempo forblack. } 17... Qc7 18. Rb1 { Grabbing the open file, and freeing the knight tomove. } 18... Bb7 { There is nowhere good for the bishop to go, but this worksout poorly, as the queen is tied to the Bb7's defense. } 19. Rh3 { Here wego with the plan -- double on the h-file and demolish the kingside. Manyresponses for black look inadequate, such as f6 and 0-0. } 19... O-O-O { This alsoworks out poorly; maybe Kd2 was better? } 20. Qh1 { The h7 pawn is a goner. } 20... d5 { Black's got to counterattack to have a chance. } 21. Rxh7 Rxh7 22. Qxh7 gxf5 { ? This allows a combination by white. However, if black had allowedfxg6, that looks unpleasant too. } 23. Qxf5+ { Better than exf5 or gxf5. } 23... Kb8 { Stepping into the pin by the rook. } 24. Ne2 { If I can get the e5 pawnto take on d4, Bf4 is crushing. } 24... dxc4 { Well, it doesn't look like there'sanything better. } 25. Nxd4 exd4 { ?????? Definitely the losing move. Bf4is more than black can stand. } 26. Bf4 Rd6 { Now Bxd6 Qxd6 Qxf7 Qg3 givesblack drawing chances, but there's no good response to... } 27. Qe5 { Qe5,winning the rook outright, and hence the game. } 27... Rd7 { Hoping for Qxc7, butit is not to be... } 28. Qe8+ { The Queen is lost, and black resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Sicilian Defence Mini-Tournament ( SDMT ) I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.10.22"] [Round "-"] [White "suentun"] [Black "dorin66"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1493"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1435"] 1. e4 { Standard Sicilian opening } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 g6 { My opponent moved his g pawn to make space for his Bishop } 6. O-O Bg7 7. Nc3 Bxc3 { He used his Bishop for attack, freeing the g7 square.Later that square will prove very useful } 8. bxc3 Nf6 { At this point Istill havent been noticed what opportunity my opponent has left me. } 9. c4 { For a better pawn structure } 9... b5 10. Ne5 { The knight searches the bestplace - in this case it threatens the c6 pawn and protects c4 } 10... Bb7 11. cxb5 cxb5 12. Bh6 { I finally noticed what error my opponent has made. Thesquare which he freed for his dark bishop now proves very useful for myone. } 12... c4 13. Bg7 { Preventing my opponent from castling... } 13... Rg8 14. Bxf6 { ...and removing that knight which would make checkmating harder if left } 14... exf6 15. Nf3 Kf8 { At that moment I was a bit dissapointed that my opponentwill be able to castle his king anyway } 16. Nh4 { The method is now clear- an attack with a queen and a knight } 16... cxd3 17. Qxd3 { Big mistake - itwould be much better if I moved cxd3 instead. Now I have two isolated pawnsand my opponent could have easily prevented the attack if he had exchangedthe Qs } 17... Qb6 18. Qa3+ { acting randomly to defend the two isolated pawns } 18... Kg7 19. Rfe1 Rae8 20. e5 fxe5 21. Qc3 f6 { at glance an innocent move, butwhich has greatly influeced the end of the game } 22. Rad1 { at that momentI wasnt planning anything, I simply took the empty d file } 22... Rc8 23. Rd7+ { and BOOM - the checkmate is now (almost) inevitable } 23... Kh8 { the easiest(in my opinion) move to deal with } 24. Qh3 Rc7 { he still wasnt noticedthe obvious threat } 25. Nxg6+ Rxg6 26. Qxh7# 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Jun-06"] [Round "-"] [White "btw1"] [Black "hollowone"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1611"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1687"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O c6 8. d5 Bg4 9. Be3 Nbd7 10. dxc6 bxc6 11. Qxd6 Qc8 12. Rad1 Rd8 13. Qd2 Qc7 14. Qc1 Nb6 15. c5 Nbd7 16. Rd2 Qa5 17. Rfd1 Re8 18. Nd5 { First knightsacrifice... } 18... cxd5 19. exd5 e4 20. c6 Nb6 21. b4 Qxb4 22. Bc5 Qa5 23. Rb2 { Second knight sacrifice. Will it pay off? } 23... exf3 24. gxf3 Bf5 25. d6 Nfd5 26. Rb5 Qxa2 0-1

[Event "El jefe está cabreado"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1925"] [Round "-"] [White "J. R. Capablanca"] [Black "Y. Bogoljúbov"] [Result "1-0"] { This is partially copied from a newspaper review by Leontxo García, publishedin 'El País', sat 21, August, 2010. 'Capablanca was upset because Bogoljúbov,with 2 points more, was about to win the tournament. And he decided toshow who the boss was. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 dxc4 4. e4 c5 5. Bxc4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Nf6 7. Nc3 Bc5 8. Be3 Nbd7 9. Bxe6 { Firework start. Hard tosee sacrifice, but if black goes Qe7, 11. Nc7+, Kf7, 12. NxR. True is thatblack would have an attacking position after Ne5 (trapping the white knight),but probably the master's analysis went much further than mine. } 9... fxe6 10. Nxe6 Qa5 { Leontxo says Qb6 could be 'the correct one', but not why. Theattack on b2 doesn't seem very promising. But white should lose a tempoin order to save the e6 knight, and it is beyond my ability to say whatwould happen. } 11. O-O { The good point of Qb6 is that doesn't give whitea tempo to castle. } 11... Bxe3 { A questionable move, as it leaves the f columnto white. True it allows black to play Nc5, freeing his lsb, but the blackking it too exposed! } 12. fxe3 Kf7 { ...since this king movement is almostforced. White threats Qd6 or Nxg7+, or maybe Nd5. } 13. Qb3 { ...but it leaveswhite the canche to add pressure to the black king. } 13... Kg6 { Sad positionfor a king. Black cannot play the knight to the 5o rank because it blocksthe profilacting action of the black queen on this row, facilitating white'splans to trap black's king. } 14. Rf5 Qb6 15. Nf4+ Kh6 { Leontxo says Capablancacould have won with 16. Qf7, never mind if black plays Qxe3+, 17. Kh1,after which indicates g6 as the correct defence for black (white threatsg4 - g5# and if Nxg4, Rh5#). 18. Ne6 (threatening mate), Rg8, 19. Nd5,Qxe4, 20. RxNf6, to which black answers with Nf8 - losing. It seems a weirdmove, but... Black cannot take NxRf6 because of 21. NxNf6, threateningthe queen and mate in h8, AND the rook... ...and if black plays QxNd5,white goes 21. QxRg8, NxRf6, 22. Qg7+, Kh5 (forced) and 23. Nf4+, winningthe queen! ... Ne5, and with 21. Qxg8 white wins, even if black goes: Bxe6,22. Qxe6 (not QxRa8, BxN, with a strong attack). } 16. g4 { ...threateningat once g5#, since black cannot take the pawn (Nxg4, Rh5#). } 16... g5 { ...thebest defence? After Qxe3+ white is in troubles! Black threats perpetual,and to avoid it white must either lose the knight or the pawn (helped byNxe5 if white wants to shield his king with Nc-e2), and the pressure overthe black's king, losing. Am I right? } 17. Qxb6 { It seems to me that 17.h4 whorths a look. Must black take gxh4, or he can go QxQ? If gxh4, 18.g5+, Kg8, 19. (say) gxNf6+, Nxf6, 20. Rg5+, K(say) f8, 21. Nf-d5 (e3 mustbe protected, and with this knight white prevents Nxe4), NxN, 22. NxN (withthe queen, it allows Qxe3+, but it is unclear if that would save black),QxQ, and white is just a pawn up, but with a winning position, despitethe doubled pawns. I think.... White doesn't have a mate (as far as I cansee) 23. Rf1+, Ke8, 24. Re5+, K goes to the queenside and there is no matein sight. Many other lines are possible after 17. ..., QxQ, since hxg5+is not mate anymore, so Kg7, and white must play carefully to avoid linessuch as 19. gxNf6, Nxf6, threatening the rook and recovering material equalityeven if white central free pawns must win in the long term. } 17... axb6 { Nxb6is of course impossible because of RxNf6+. White's attack seems to havelost steam, since the knight must retire. Now, main white's advantage arethe central free pawns, but he cannot save the g pawn. So Capablanca triesto complicate threats. } 18. Rd1 { Leontxo says black can win after gxNf4,19. g5+, Kg7, 20. gxf6+, Nxf6, 21. Rg5+, Kf7 (or Kh6), 22. exf4, defendingthe rook, realigning the free pawns, with a winning position, even witha pawn less. Kasparov said 18. ..., Ra5 is even better. } 18... Rg8 { Not clearwhy to me. The idea is, probably, being able to play Rg6 after 19. Rd6,gxNf4, but probably white would go for something like Nf-d5... or maybe,black dreams with an attack over the white king (But Nxg4 was necessary,first...) } 19. Nfd5 Nxg4 { Black thinks he reached a sort of shield so proceedto take away one of the strongest threats over his king. Now, it has twosquares to go. Leontxo says NxN was better, but it is unclear to me howblack position would hold after exd5, reassetting the central pawns. Nxd5or Rxd5 seem good too! } 20. Ne7 { This is mainly to free the 6th row towhite's rook, preventing Rg6 defence to black. } 20... Rg7 { It blocks one of king'ssave squares... } 21. Rd6+ { if 21. ..., Nf6, 22. RxNf6+, NxR, 23. RxNf6+,Kh5, I cannot see a clear victory for white, since 24. Nf5, BxN frees black. White has nice threats with 24. Ne2, RxNe7, 25. Ng3+, and if Kh4, 26.Rh6+, Kg4, 27. Kg2! and black cannot stop the mate (h3#). But, if blackgoes 25. ..., Kg4, 26. Kg2. Now, if black goes h5, white can go 27. Rh5,and black cannot escape from mate (Rxh5 / h3, in either order). So, itseems to be the hidden threat that prevents black to stop the check withthe knight. } 21... Kh5 22. Rf3 Ngf6 { Black must stop the mate in h3. Now, theprevious sequence starting with RxN doesn't give check to black, so leaveshim a tempo to defend. } 23. Rh3+ Kg4 24. Rg3+ Kh5 25. Nf5 Rg6 { Leontxosays that now Rh3+, Kg4, Kg2 wins, threatening Kd1-f2# and Rxh7 } 26. Ne7 { Probably, Capablanca was looking for a repetition in order to reach thetime control, later... but his opponent went to another move. } 26... g4 { Blackcan give the quality in order to release the pressure (g4, 27. Nxg6, axg6and black seems to hold, even if in a losing position: white can try 28.Ne2, Nxe5, 29. Nf4+, that eventually leads white to win the pawns witha better position). Leontxo says that if Nc5, instead, black could havedrawn the game. } 27. Nxg6 { Leontxo says that now, if hxg6, white goes28. e5, since Nxe5 is not possible due to RxNf6. The same doesn't holdfor the previous comment, in which I said that hxg was best. } 27... Kxg6 28. Rxg4+ Kf7 { I cannot see why Kh5 is not preferable. } 29. Rf4 Kg7 30. e5 Ne8 31. Re6 Nc7 32. Re7+ { And black resigned, because (Leontxo says) ofthe following moves, that were not played. } 32... Kg6 33. e6 Nc5 34. Rxc7 Nxe6 35. Rg4+ Kf5 36. Rcc4 1-0

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "khimpoi"] [Black "georgeo1991"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1043"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 { Thought I'd hold off on the Queens gambit. } 3. Bf4 e6 4. Bg5 c5 { Nows the time for the queens gambit. } 5. Bxf6 { Don't thinkthere was any need for this as I can introduce my queen. } 5... Qxf6 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. e3 Nc6 8. Nb5 O-O { Saw the check coming with the knight, so decidedit was a good time to castle and get rook involved. } 9. c4 Rd8 10. Nc7 dxc4 11. Qa4 Qxb2 12. Qd1 { Waste of a move bringing the queen out and puttingit back! } 12... Bb4+ { He resigned here! He would have to Qd2, then I would takehis queen with mine which would be checkmate. } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Dec-08"] [Round "-"] [White "andy94"] [Black "obuta55"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1494"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1441"] { This is me against obuta55, for a team match between Mr T's Fantasy Teamand The Irish Pride. } 1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 { English opening, like I oftendo. } 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Nbxd2 c6 { c6 looks to me like a uselessmove... } 6. e4 Nf6 7. cxd5 cxd5 8. exd5 exd5 { Pawns exchange accepted. } 9. Qe2+ Be6 { Be6? } 10. Qb5+ { Qb5 ! } 10... Nbd7 11. Qxb7 O-O 12. Bd3 Rb8 { Inthis way I can capture on a7. } 13. Qxa7 Rxb2 14. Qa3 Qb8 15. Rb1 Rxb1+ 16. Bxb1 Bg4 17. Qd3 { Threatening # if black moves Nf6 knight. } 17... Re8+ 18. Kf1 { .....Maybe Kf1 was a mistake, but Kd1 would pin Nf3. } 18... Bxf3 19. Nxf3 Qb2 20. g3 Rb8 21. Kg2 { To protect K and B at the same time. } 21... Ne4 22. Qc2 Qxc2 23. Bxc2 Ndf6 { Ndf6? Rb2 was better, but I didn't understand it neither. } 24. a4 Rb2 25. Rc1 { Indeed... } 25... g6 { g6? Ng4! } 26. h3 Nc3 27. Bxg6 hxg6 28. Rxc3 Ne4 29. Rc8+ Kg7 30. Ne5 { I move that N cause if 30.a5 Rxf2 and Blacktakes it. } 30... Rxf2+ 31. Kg1 Ra2 32. Ra8 { Wow! Black is where white shouldbe and white is where black should be. My knight's target now is to goc6 to protect a7 square in order to move the R to promote...... } 32... Nxg3 { ButI saw it too late..... } 33. a5 Ne2+ 34. Kf1 Nxd4 35. a6 f6 36. Nd7 { Andnow: �I can't go on c6 square; �I'm one point down. } 36... Ne6 37. Ra7 { Ra7! } 37... Kh6 38. Nxf6 { And I take black's f pawn. } 38... d4 39. h4 { h4!? It's an easy# threaten, but the !? is because I decide to lose a tempo giving the chanceto promote to black. But.....C'mon, he'll surely avoid this threaten, instead......... } 39... d3 { d3?? } 40. Rh7# { Rh7#! Nice game cause me and my opponent have donebad mistakes, but this ending.......I couldn't believe it! Anyway, whatdo you think about this game? } 1-0

[Event "Blitz Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.25"] [Round "-"] [White "Ethan"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "NR"] [TimeControl "5 min/side"] [WhiteElo "NR"] { A fun little game to pass the time at work. } 1. e4 Nf6 { A little unusual,but invites white to overextend. } 2. Nc3 e5 3. f4 { !? A fun little transpositionto the Vienna Gambit. } 3... exf4 { ?! Taking the pawn is not advisable in theVienna Gambit, because of the vulnerability of the knight on f6 and thelack of the threat Qh4+. } 4. e5 Ng8 { Slightly preferable is Qe7, but Ng8opens the d8-h4 diagonal for the queen. } 5. Nf3 { Stops the check on h4. } 5... f6 { Black needs to start developing, and this isn't much help. This attemptsto entice 6. exf6 Nxf6, but white has other ideas. } 6. d4 { Natural andstrong. White may be down in material but the lines of attack are wideopen. } 6... g5 { Trying to hang on to all his material, black again fails tofocus on development. } 7. Bc4 { Many moves look good here; it's hard togo wrong with bringing another piece into the fray. } 7... Nc6 { Finally, a littledevelopment! } 8. O-O g4 { There aren't many good squares for the knight,but can black afford to go after material? } 9. Bxf4 { !? Sacrificing theknight for an overwhelming developmental lead. } 9... gxf3 { Pretty much forced,or all the kingside pawn moves were for naught. But still not good. } 10. Qxf3 { Okay, let's take stock here. Black's kingside is a mess, his onlydeveloped piece is the Nc6, and all he's got to show for it is a slightedge in material. White has five active pieces and a clear target: theblack king. Does black even have a prayer here? } 10... Nxd4 { ? Pretty much equivalentto giving up, but it's hard to find a better move. White's response isa killer. } 11. Qd5 { Threatening mate on f7 and to win back all the sacrificedmaterial with a huge positional advantage. Black is busted, but Qh5+ wouldhave been even stronger, forcing Ke7 and mate next. You can't expect tosee it all with just 5 minutes per game. } 11... Nxc2 { Giving up, but neitherNe2+, Nh6 nor Qe7 -- the only ways to prolong the game -- offer much better. } 12. Qf7# { A fun little miniature. No wonder they don't play with me atwork very often. :-( } 1-0

[Event "- - The Traxler Variation - - Flanked and Pinned!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.26"] [Round "-"] [White "easy19"] [Black "x-machine"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1269"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2243"] { My first mini-tournament game against Freddy. Technically, I should havebeen pretty prepared for this game, having gone through most of the otherplayers in this mini-tournament, but it didn't stop me from being crushed!After Black weakens what looked like a good centre, I ignore a deadly pin,and the game pretty much goes downhill from there } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Bxf7+ { Thematic position, and White goes withthe more popular bishop capture } 5... Kf8 { I prefer this as Black, as it keepsthe queen diagonal open for a discovered attack on the knight if Blackchooses to move his own } 6. Bc4 { one of three retreat posts for the bishop.As usual, Black needs now to deal with the threat of Nf7 } 6... d5 { ?! It seemeda good move at the time - it stops Nf7 and grabs a large portion of thecentre. However, this 'strong' centre... } 7. exd5 Nxd5 { ...as shown, willbe weakened, as Freddy shows over the next five moves... } 8. Qh5 { ! Whitetakes advantage of the absence of the knight and attacks - he now threatensmate with Qf7 (Question; does this position count as 'too many pieces queenside?') } 8... Qd7 { ? 8...g6 would have been better. This move blocks in my light-squarebishop } 9. Qf3+ { White lands another check, while at the same time threateningthe d5 knight } 9... Nf6 { Pretty much forced, if Black wants to avoid materialloss. the alternative 9...Nf4? would have failed due to 10.g3!, which winsthe knight } 10. Ne6+ { ! The point of White's last move. White's knightjumps into enemy territory, using the protection of the bishop to forkthe king and the unprotected bishop (though you might be able to see whyBlack doesn't lose material) It also further proves that Black's Qd7 wasa bad move, as if the queen was not blocking the bishop; 10:Ne6+ Bxe6 11.Bxe6Nd4 12.Qh3 and Black comes out with a more favourable position than inthis game } 10... Ke7 { I made this move hoping to play Rd8 later, but thoughI won't call it a mistake, this move is the start of what brought aboutmy downfall in this game (of course, Kf7?? is just horrible; Nxc5+!!) } 11. Qg3 { White doesn't take the bishop straight away, instead threateninga very deadly 12.Qxg7! I thought at the time that Freddy was testing mehere, seeing if I fell into the trap of trying to save my bishop insteadof noticing the threat, but White's queen now also eyes the e5 pawn - Idon't know whether that had been brought into consideration as well } 11... g6 { pretty much the only logical reply to this threat } 12. Nxc5 { Expected,but Black wins back material immediately with... } 12... Qd4 { ! I realise thismove was forced anyway, but it's my best move of this game. One of White'spieces has to go! } 13. d3 { ! A simple move, but I like it all the same- White frees his dark-square bishop with tempo, and protects the moreinfluential of his pieces } 13... Qxc5 { And now, though Black can boast controlof the d4 square, his centre isn't as strong as it was (Black would probablywant his queen for uses other than centre control) } 14. Bg5 { White pinsthe knight to the king, while developing his bishop } 14... Nd4 { ?! The moveitself wasn't a mistake, but here I made the mistake of assuming that Freddywould exchange at f6. Wrong! Not only was the exchange not forced, mostpeople prefer their bishops to the knights anyway. I had considered Rf8before this move, and if I had played that, I would have been able to survivefor much longer (in fact, based on this position I like Black's chances)The only was for White to stop the King/Knight fork would have been tomove his king, which strips White of castling rights (15.Na3? b5! 16.Bb3b4, and White is going to lose material) } 15. Nc3 { !? The fork is ignoredcompletely... but White won't lose material; 15...Nxc2+ 16.Kd2 Nxa1 17.Nd5+Kf6 18.Bxf6 Rd5 19.Ne3 [to stop 2 piece/rook exchange] and White capturesthe trapped knight next move. Looking at that line, I saw White as betteroff afterwards, and wanted to stop it from happening, so I played... } 15... c6 { ?? Ugh, horrible move! I was looking at this move as both defensiveand offensive (16...b5) but there are two huge problems with that idea;1)It is in no way defensive (the knight has another square to attack on)and 2)It allows White a powerful offensive } 16. Ne4 { ! The knight couldnot have been better placed; it forks the queen and the under protected(andpinned) knight, and the queen can't retreat to protect the knight (andeven if she could, Black would still be behind three material points -two pieces for the queen) Black is about to be seriously hurt! } 16... Qa5+ { Thisis just a stalling move, really. It was my only hope to get a tempo tosave material loss, but I could already see the move that would stop thisplan, and I just had to hope that Freddy did not... } 17. b4 { ! I thinkI might have had better chances of winning the lottery :) The b-pawn isimmune; 17...Qxb4? 18.c3! but Black could have continued; 18...Nc2+ 19.Kd1Qxc3 - I didn't see that at the time, but if I had I would have playedit - I would have still lost, though (actually, it would have lost morequickly) } 17... Nxc2+ { The best way to get anything out of this mess, I think } 18. Kf1 { I was expecting Kd1 here, driving away the knight, but I thinkthis may have been another one of Freddy's traps... } 18... Qxb4 { ?? and I fellright into it! my reasoning was that after White's attack, Black could(finally) begin an attack of his own. The problem was there was no 'after'....(before you read further, go onto my profile and take a look at the puzzleI made from this position) } 19. Qxe5+ { !! Freddy announces mate in 6 } 19... Kd7 { Not that it affects the outcome, but this move loses quicker - themate in 6 is now a mate in 3 } 20. Nxf6+ Kd8 21. Ne8+ Kd7 22. Qc7+ { Ofcourse, Qe6# is mate, but Freddy gave me this extra move to ask me to dothis annotation (and the puzzle) and answer these questions; 1) Where didI make the wrong moves? and 2) How did White play the game? } 22... Kxe8 { ((afterall, what's a good mating attack without a sacrifice thrown in?)) } 23. Qf7# { so, the answers; 1) I made a minor mistake early on, with 8...Qd7?,but my two major blunders were 15...c6?? (neglecting my defence when Ineeded it most) and the losing move, 18...Qxb4?? (though to be fair, Blackwas lost at that point anyway - White's attack would have left me 8 pointsbehind which is disastrous, especially against someone rated almost 1000point higher than you) on a slightly more long-term point, it was underestimatingthe pin from the bishop. 2) As the queenside was protected and my centregood, White took the fight to the kingside instead, with effective results.He also took advantage of the pin when Black did nothing about it, andfinally he had a great attack - early game, White's bishop and knight weretargeting the areas around my king, and once the knight dropped off, itwas the two bishops. And one last point; White pretty much had the initiativethe whole game, whereas all that went through Black's mind was 'defence!' } 1-0

[Event "177th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.05.12"] [Round "-"] [White "ctrussell"] [Black "the-rook-lover"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1081"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1113"] 1. e4 { This game is not vary long but the reason I like it is that theratings are very different and I was the underdog } 1... e5 2. d3 Nf6 3. Bg5 Bc5 { this move is very aggressive and it could be dangerous for him } 4. Bxf6 { this is a wrong move because it allows mass development for me> andcould prove a very lethal attack for me } 4... Qxf6 5. f3 { this is not a verystrong move but not bad } 5... Qb6 6. b3 { here is where he goes wrong and letsmy bishop in to a very weak spot! } 6... Bf2+ { I take the opening } 7. Kd2 Qe3+ { this attack is going to prove to be very fruit full for me and will allowme to get his queen if played write } 8. Kc3 Qd4+ 9. Kd2 Qxa1 { here I gofor the rook and point advantage } 10. Kc1 { BIG MASTAK!!!! this allowsme to win his queen do you know how in one move } 10... Be3+ 11. Qd2 Bxd2+ { afterthis he resined and I won and this boosted my rating since he was in the1200 after many games } 0-1

[Event "You move Ted"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18-Jul-07"] [Round "-"] [White "neimaq"] [Black "shambobala"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1334"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 { ...normally i would go in for a Benko but sure why nottry something else.. } 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. e4 Nc7 { ...bit cramped but free h file.. } 10. Bd3 e6 11. a3 Nb6 12. Be3 Be7 13. Qc2 { ..white and black are developing quickly...isee a chance to disrupt Whites K side..with a probabale 0-0-0 followingfor white... } 13... Bg5 14. O-O-O Bxe3+ 15. fxe3 Qe7 16. Kb1 O-O-O 17. Na4 Nxa4 18. Qxa4 Qg5 { ...interesting position now. White has an attack with theQ to a7 but black has mobility and dual threats to g2 and e3 } 19. Qxa7 Qxe3 20. Bc2 Nb5 21. Qa8+ Kc7 22. Qa5+ b6 23. Qb4 Nxd4 { ...pawn grabbing...!! } 24. Rhe1 { ...black is now meandering into Whites territory with anotherpawn to grab... } 24... Qf2 25. Qc4 Nxc2 26. Qxc2 Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Qxc2+ 28. Kxc2 Rxh2 { ..black is now 2 pawns up with a 4 v 2 K side majority... } 29. Rd2 e5 30. b3 f5 31. exf5 gxf5 { ..now 3 v 1... } 32. Rf2 g6 { ...e4 might havebeen another option with Rxg2 to follow...white cannot substantially threatenBlack here so he resigns (Good man Damo ! ) } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from opus692"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "04-Nov-06"] [Round "-"] [White "toomanydogs"] [Black "opus692"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1278"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1119"] { Black played well enough to recover from a mistake and force white toresign. } 1. d4 { Black played well enough to recover from a mistake andforce white to resign. } 1... d5 { Standard queen opening } 2. Nf3 e6 { The openingprogresses } 3. e3 Nd7 4. b3 g6 5. Bb2 Bg7 6. g3 Ngf6 7. Ba3 { I thoughtthis a good move by white taking advantage of the Bishops long reach } 7... c6 { I continue my opening sequence undaunted } 8. Qd2 { I thought this an interestingmove by white. The Queen gains control of black territory on balance puttingwhite in control of the game } 8... a5 { my counter is to regain some lost territoryand prevent the Queen from gaining an even stronger foothold. } 9. Qc3 { With this move, the Queen is setting up to attack my King by attackingthe C5 square and potentially threatening a checkmate. } 9... Ne4 { My Knightto the rescue. I simultaneously threaten the Queen and protect againstthe aforementioned threat. } 10. Qd3 { The Queen bails out losing the momentumwhite has gained with the Queen moving three times and my development progressing. } 10... b5 { I decide to push a pawn attack on the flank because the Bishop ispreventing me from Castling. } 11. Qd1 { The Queen moves yet again, nowfor the fourth time. White has lost momentum and position. The controlof the game has shifted to Black with more of the white side of the boardunder Black control than the other way around. } 11... b4 { I press my attackwith the view to allow me to Castle } 12. Bb2 { Success! And with the retreatof the Bishop, the Bishop is moved a second time forcing White to losetime and space. The board clearly favors Black at this time. } 12... O-O { I getto Castle as I desired as part of my opening sequence } 13. Bg2 { White followssuite } 13... Re8 { I fall comfortably back into my opening sequence. } 14. O-O { the rhythm of the game continues. } 14... Ba6 { I position my Bishop to threatenthe F1 square. } 15. Re1 { I am happy with the board at present and believethat the game will go on a while. } 15... Ndf6 { I continue to open, to bringmy pieces across the board to threaten the King and to protect my advancedpieces. } 16. Ne5 { I thought this the strongest move by white. The Knightis well positioned and I have no way to combat the deep threat that theKnight poses. } 16... Nh5 { I threaten an exchange } 17. c3 { White builds the pawnformation } 17... Ra7 { This move is designed to protect the pawn on F2. I cannotmove my queen up without placing her under threat and I don't recognizethe fork that white punishes me with. I blame move this on low blood sugar! } 18. Nxc6 { DARN } 18... Qb6 { So I accept the loss and decide that the Knight captureis worth the exchange. At least that is what I am telling myself. } 19. Nxa7 Qxa7 { So here we are, I am three points down and still feel like theboard favors black. } 20. c4 { This is an interesting move. White pushesa Pawn to gain a territorial advantage. } 20... Nhf6 { I respond by retreating.Remember, I like the long reach of the Bishop and will happily trade Pawns. } 21. a3 { But White pushes another Pawn that makes me rethink my strategy. } 21... dxc4 { SO I capture the Pawn and set up an interesting situation } 22. Bxe4 { White reacts by capturing my Knight } 22... Nxe4 { I accept the exchangeand capture the Bishop. Although still behind in points, I am comfortablewith the board. } 23. f3 { White has pushed her Pawns again } 23... Ng5 { I retreatto a position that I can attack from. } 24. Kg2 { This is a wasted move.I do not know what White was thinking about here. There is no board development,and nothing is gained by the move as far as I can tell. } 24... Rc8 { So I havean idea. If I can get my pawn to the last row I can threaten to Queen andif I am challenged before, I can accept a Pawn for a minor piece exchange,and if I am really lucky, a Queen for a Pawn exchange....so I protect myPawn with the Castle. } 25. h4 { Not seeing the danger, White threatensthe Knight. } 25... c3 { I offer an exchange. } 26. Nxc3 { White accepts by unusuallyoffering to sweeten the pot for me by throwing in the Knight for a Pawnexchange as part of the bargain. } 26... bxc3 { I oblige, and } 27. Bc1 { Whiteretreats anticipating capturing the Knight on g 5 later. } 27... c2 { But I changeher order of priorities. } 28. Qd2 { A natural move. } 28... Qb7 { My answer isseemingly innocuous, but it is designed to give me access to a forced checkand a series of checks to mate. If White was to prevent the ensuing loss,she would have to at this juncture take the Knight. } 29. Ra2 { Instead,my pawn got her attention } 29... Qxf3+ { So here the game comes to a quick andforced end point. Check! } 30. Kg1 Qxg3+ { Check! } 31. Kh1 Qxh4+ { Check!(and a Pawn) } 32. Qh2 { So White offers her Queen in exchange } 32... Qxe1+ { Iturn her down with check! (and a Castle) } 33. Qg1 { Once again the offerof the Queen exchange } 33... Bb7+ { This time a Bishop check that ensures thecapture of the Queen on the way to mate. White sees the writing on thewall and resigns. } 0-1

[Event "Too blind to see"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.20"] [Round "-"] [White "cts001"] [Black "bad5"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1680"] [WhiteElo "1657"] 1. e4 { This is my first annotation, any comments are appreciated. I wonthe game, but I could have won it with a beautiful forced mate if I hadstopped to look at the position instead of blindly following my plan. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 { I thought about 4. Ng5 but went with 4.d4 instead. } 4... Nxe4 5. dxe5 Bc5 { 5...Bc5? was the mistake that allowed meto go for a quick win. } 6. Qd5 { This threatens both the Knight on e4 andmate on f7. } 6... Bxf2+ { Black is going to lose one of his minor pieces, regardlessof what he does. Taking one of my pawns and forcing my King on an awkwardsquare is probably the best tradeoff. } 7. Ke2 O-O 8. Qxe4 Bb6 { Black'sbishop is now on a strong diagonal. With the f2 pawn gone, my King cannotmove to g1. } 9. Rd1 { Activating the rook before the King moves back tothe first rank. My rook is now lined up with Black's queen which mightcome in handy. } 9... d6 { This opens the diagonal for the White bishop. dxe5is out of the question because the pawn on d6 is pinned. } 10. Kf1 Be6 { Blackoffers a trade of bishops. If 11. Bxe6 fxe6 and Black's rook is free, linedup with my king and pinning my knight. } 11. Bd3 { I don't like the ideaof freeing the Black rook. I want to keep the f-file half-closed to givemy king some protection. 11. Bd3 temporarily removes the pin on Black'sd6 pawn but threatens mate on h7. } 11... g6 12. Bg5 { My idea is to activate apiece with tempo. I may end up putting the bishop on f6 and maneuver myqueen to h6. These are some strong threats that Black needs to watch outfor. } 12... Qd7 13. Bb5 { This move engages two pins at once. Both the pawn ond6 and the knight on c6 are now pinned to the black queen. Also, I maycapture the black knight and trade down whenever I see fit. } 13... Bg4 { Blackcreates a pin of his own. } 14. Bxc6 { Here I decided to trade down. Maybemaintaining the pins would have been better. 14...Qxc6? is insufficientbecause of 15. Qxg4 Qxc2 16. Rd2 and Black lost another piece for a singlepawn. } 14... bxc6 15. Nc3 { Activating the Knight and planning on Na4 to get theBlack bishop off of its strong diagonal. } 15... Bf5 16. Qe2 { Protecting the queenand guarding c2. } 16... d5 { I didn't see this move coming. It's a good way forBlack to relieve some of the central tension. } 17. Bf6 { With the Blackpawn no longer attacking e5, putting the Bishop on f6 makes for a strongcombo that can't be attacked by any pawns. } 17... h6 18. Na4 Rfe8 { I'm not reallysure what this move does. The e-file is being blocked very efficientlyby my pawn and bishop, so the rook is almost worthless on e8. 18...Rab8would be stronger in my opinion. } 19. Nxb6 { I get to take black's strongestpiece. My rook can now come to d4, and I can start attacking. 19. c4 isa move I didn't even consider in the game, mainly because I had alreadydecided to remove the bishop with my knight. While this unwillingness toevaluate the position wasn't a big deal at that point, a much more weightysituation is about to come up. } 19... cxb6 20. Qe3 { This move attacks the pawnon h6 and is the first step towards a potential mate. While playing thegame I thought that defending with 20...g5 doesn't work because I can simplytake with the knight: 21. Nxg5. And if 21...hxg5 22. Qxg5+ leading to matethe next move. But Black has 21...Bxc2, slowing me down. } 20... Kh7 21. Rd4 c5 { Here it is, the move that threw me off. My plan was to put the rookon h4 and put a heap of pressure on White's kingside defenses. Black attacksmy rook and plays right into my hands. I was going to put the rook on h4,so now I'll do just that. But if I had stopped and taken the time to lookat this position I might have instead seen a beautiful forced mate: 22.Qxh6+! If 22...Kxh6 23. Rh4# If 22...Kg8 23. Qh8# } 22. Rh4 { Oh well, it'snot a mate in 2, but the rook on h4 is still very hard to deal with forBlack. } 22... h5 23. Qg5 { It's almost over now. I'm threatening Rxh5+ and matethe next move. } 23... Bg4 { The bishop defends h5, but it won't be able to keepthings together. } 24. h3 Qb5+ { This is really meaningless. My king canget out of checks easily, and mate will follow soon. } 25. Kf2 Bxf3 { It'sover at this point, there's no way to stop mate. } 26. gxf3 Qxb2 27. Rxh5+ { Black resigned because both legal moves lead to an immediate mate. 27...gxh528. Qg7# 27...Kg8 28. Rh8# } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.08.25"] [Round "-"] [White "grey_panda"] [Black "geoffvsjohn"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1313"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1394"] 1. e4 { The Cheeky One. This was fun... well from my point of view anyway. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { Standard Ruy Lopez... as per. } 3... Bc5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d3 Ng4 { Neatly reversed... } 6. O-O Nxf2 7. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 8. Kxf2 Nd4 9. Nxe5 { Ever an optimist, looking at bxp and then bringing the other knight into harass. Forgetting one small thing however.... } 9... Qf6+ { Which is blackis trying his best to stop me. } 10. Nf3 d6 11. Bg5 Qg6 12. Be3 Nxf3 13. Qxf3 O-O 14. Nd5 { This is the move which starts it all off. Looking atk-e7 for obvious reasons, but also with an eye on c7, the less obvioustarget. } 14... Kh8 15. Nxc7 { He defended the logical one, so I'll have the pawn. } 15... Bg4 16. Qg3 Rad8 { That seemed a bit of a negative move to my eyes. Mighthave gone to c8 instead. } 17. Nd5 f5 { Thought about a couple of optionshere. First was pushing the pawn but that left me vulnerable to f4, thenI thought of ignoring the threat and attacking, but that seemed foolish,so in the end I took as it seemed the safest option. } 18. exf5 Qxf5+ 19. Kg1 a6 { Another rather negative move imho. With his forces all out in theopen I was expecting a more aggressive move. } 20. Nf4 { Looking at the e6spot to fork the rooks. } 20... Bh5 { Not sure why he did that one. } 21. Ne6 Rde8 { And I was just about to take the rook when I noticed summat. Pure luck,but all of his pieces were just in the right position... or the wrong positiondepending on your point of view.... } 22. Qxg7# { A queen, two rooks anda bishop all out in the open and not a single one can intervene. Most ofmine go 50 moves plus, so this was a very pleasing win. } 1-0

[Event "faisalraza's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.17"] [Round "-"] [White "nordlicht"] [Black "kaspanatola"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2095"] [TimeControl "7d+2d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1968"] { I've managed to achieve a nice opening position with a positional advantagethat slowly improved, until a forced piece capture to prevent a promotiongot me a easily won endgame. This was the last game of the tournament thatif I managed to win would grant me the tournament first position (mainlydue to the 2nd ranked player's bad strategy of aborting a couple of gamesand not playing them) } 1. b4 { ! nice choice, I've considered it sometimesalso as a surprise weapon... } 1... Nf6 { also not very common, but the most flexiblechoice } 2. Bb2 g6 3. c4 d6 { prophylaxis against c5 or d4 } 4. Bxf6 { ?! anew move, exchanging his best bishop not the best reply to d6 in my opinion } 4... exf6 { from now on I'll manage my reflection time as not to end this gametoo soon, due to my position in the tournament might get influenced bythis result, so I have to extend the game as long as possible, until Iget the feeling from other games namely from my main opponent faisalrazabut also from nordlicht } 5. e3 { to release the light squares bishop } 5... Bg7 { as intended after 2...g6 } 6. Nf3 c5 { a challenger to white's advancedb and c pawns } 7. bxc5 dxc5 { and the c pawn had done it's job, white doeshave a center pawn majority, but his queen side knight can't move to c3without the risk of being taken disrupting the pawn structure, and doublingpawns on the c column } 8. Nc3 Nc6 { still developing not to be let downbehind in development, still I threat f5 hitting the c3 knight with mybishop } 9. Be2 O-O 10. Qa4 f5 { and now white must defend the c knight,or allow me to double his pawns } 11. Rb1 { ?! I don't see the point, itseams to just lose one tempo } 11... Bxc3 { gives up the bishop pair to disturbwhite's pawn center and double his pawns on the c column giving him threepawn islands that might be hard to defend in the middlegame/endgame } 12. dxc3 Re8 { with the idea of playing f4 if white decides to play 0-0 } 13. Rb2 Qa5 { offers the exchange of queens based on the superior middle/endgame } 14. Qxa5 Nxa5 15. Nd2 Be6 { immediately attacking one of white's weak pawns } 16. Nb3 { and we will enter a technical B + 2 R vs N + 2 R endgame, in thelong run I hope my bishop will prove more effective, for that I'll needto keep pawns on both wings and exchange rooks... } 16... Nxc4 { for a while whitecan't bring the other rook in to the game, so I must use all my piecesto secure a more decisive advantage } 17. Bxc4 { ? bad as it allows me sometactics based on the pin on e3 } 17... Bxc4 18. Nxc5 b6 19. Nb3 { and now due tothe pin on the e pawn I can push f4 to profit from the pin on e3 } 19... f4 { nowI have a probable win, I managed to exchange my doubled pawn creating anotherisolated/potentially weak pawn for white, he has 4 pawn islands to defendI have only two, he has a knight I have a bishop... a lot to work for still...The strategy nos is to simplify to a bishop and rook against knight androok (or eventually a even better Bishop vs knight) with pawns on bothwings and exert the bishop supremacy on the endgame } 20. Kd2 fxe3+ { andI achieved to improve even further my position } 21. fxe3 Re5 { upgradingmy rooks position bringing them to the 5th rank } 22. Nd4 Rae8 { now i starta battle of tempi... } 23. Re1 { forced to defend the pawn white wastes onetempo } 23... Ra5 { hitting another pawn to prepare Rh5 } 24. Ra1 { this was notforced... } 24... Rh5 { but here it is } 25. h3 { weakening the pawn structure } 25... Ree5 { and now connecting both rooks on the 5th } 26. Rd1 Bd5 { moving the bishopto the main diagonal h1-a8 as the g pawn is tied to the defense of h3 whiteneeds Rg1 } 27. Rg1 { forced } 27... Reg5 { with the idea of Rxh3 winning a pawn } 28. Kd3 Rxh3 { here it is } 29. c4 { forcing me to choose from Bb7 and Ba8,but due to the threat c5 I prefer Ba8 } 29... Ba8 30. Nb5 Rhg3 { the threat nowis Bxg2 } 31. Nxa7 Bxg2 { the idea now is a discovered attack on the rookwith Be4, winning me a quality, so white should move it } 32. Re1 h5 { nowmy king side pawns will prove their value as I'll push them to promotion } 33. Nc8 h4 34. Rxb6 h3 35. Rb8 h2 { winning a rook even if white gives check } 36. Nd6+ { as expected } 36... Kg7 { now I have two alternative plans either Rxe3to force the promotion or h1 to win a rook depending on white's move } 37. Nxf7 { ?? } 37... Kxf7 0-1

[Event "113th US Open"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013"] [Round "-"] [White "R. Yu"] [Black "freeman"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1590"] [TimeControl "40/2"] [WhiteElo "809"] 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. b3 Bf5 7. a3 Bg6 8. Bb2 e6 9. Be2 a6 10. h3 Bd6 11. Bd3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 { I wasn't sure howI could've made my position better in the case of the light squared bishopmoving twice.... } 12... h6 13. Qe2 O-O 14. O-O Qc7 15. Rfe1 b5 16. Nb1 b4 { Reviewingthis game...maybe a queen-side pawn attack would have fit my bill. WithRfb8 or Rfc8...a5; a4; b5; b4 etc... } 17. c4 bxc3 18. Bxc3 a5 19. Bb2 Qb6 20. Nbd2 Rfc8 21. Qe3 Rc7 22. Qe2 Rac8 23. Qd3 Ne7 24. Rab1 Ng6 25. g3 Nd7 26. Re3 Nb8 27. Qe2 Nc6 28. Qd3 Na7 { I wasn't sure what to do soI went for the a3 pawn.... } 29. Ree1 Nb5 30. Ra1 Rc2 31. a4 { retreatingthe knight wouldn't be dubious but would've be for ill because it wenton a journey! } 31... Rxb2 32. axb5 Bb4 33. Rac1 { I give up the file which provesto be bad... } 33... Ne7 34. Rxc8+ Nxc8 35. Rc1 Na7 36. Nf1 { !? very mysteriousmaneuver. } 36... g6 { must block the b1-h7 diagonal for my King if I want to takethe b5-Pawn. } 37. Ne5 Qxb5 38. Qf3 Qb7 39. Nh2 { ! now I could see whiteinfiltrating my fortress...Gives light on the mysterious knight maneuver. } 39... Bd6 40. Nhg4 Bxe5 41. Nxe5 Rxb3 42. Qxf7+ Qxf7 43. Nxf7 Kxf7 44. Rc7+ Kf6 45. Rxa7 Rb1+ 46. Kg2 Ra1 47. Kf3 h5 48. h4 a4 49. Kf4 a3 50. Kf3 a2 51. Kf4 Rd1 52. Rxa2 Rxd4+ 53. Ke3 Re4+ 54. Kf3 g5 55. hxg5+ Kxg5 56. Ra7 Kf6 { I didn't know how to handle the h pawn advance with the coming rookchecks } 57. Ra8 Ke5 58. Rh8 Kd4 59. Rxh5 Kd3 60. Rh1 { I traveled the darksquared highway } 60... Kd2 61. Ra1 Rb4 62. Ra2+ Kc3 63. Re2 d4 { I thought myrook was passive on b6 } 64. Rxe6 d3 65. Rc6+ Rc4 66. Rd6 Rd4 67. Rc6+ Kb2 68. Rb6+ Kc2 { I triangulated for a 3 move draw....I was stumped... } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Pawn Wedge Pains"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.02.03"] [Round "-"] [White "bwaa"] [Black "ezogelin"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1601"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1743"] { Hello! This game is from the Walking the Walk club's Modern Benoni themedmini-tournament. I had the White pieces in this game, and I decided totry a line that's more common, and a little less violent, than my usualfare. We ended up in quite a sharp situation anyway--I don't think it'savoidable in this opening. It culminates with a dramatic attack, facilitatedby a thorny passed pawn. Enjoy! } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 { This is the starting position for the themed MT. } 6. Nf3 { Thisis the main line, though I've never played it before, always favoring the'flick-knife attack' with 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 8.Bb5+. Of course, that lineis impossible with White's Knight on f3 already. } 6... a6 { Black moves to preventan incursion on b5, a thematic square to fight over in this opening, andprepares ...b7-b5 for himself. I think it's more common to fianchetto theDSB first, or use a6 for a Knight maneuver (Nb8-a6-c7 to support b5), butthis is perfectly playable. } 7. a4 { White increases his own control ofb5 to prevent Black from using it. } 7... Nbd7 { This is the only place thisKnight can develop at the moment. Black now eyes e5, probably the mostthematic battleground square in this opening. } 8. e4 { White frees hisBishop and supports d5. This pawn will generally sit on e4 until Whitecan orchestrate an e4-e5 break, or until Black manages to break the Whitecenter. } 8... Qe7 { ?! Black brings out the big guns, threatening e4 and supportinge5, but I'm not certain that this is wise. Now the BQ is the sole defenderof the d6 pawn, and she's lined up with her King, who is still at leastthree moves from castling. } 9. Qc2 { White reinforces e4 and moves hisQueen to the half-open c-file. } 9... Ne5 { This was evidently the plan behind8...Qe7, and occupying e5 is fine, but I don't think it gains much forBlack here. } 10. Nxe5 { When Black recaptures, White will either gain apassed pawn on d5, or a tempo to beat back the BQ. } 10... Qxe5 { Black prefersto keep the e-file half-opened, but this does expose his Queen... } 11. f4 Qe7 { Black has now moved his Queen three times, and he's still far fromcompleting development. White has a strong forward pawn cluster, thoughit remains to be seen whether it's too far advanced to be supported. } 12. Bc4 { White prepares to castle while supporting his forward pawns, andtaking aim at f7 indirectly. Deciding where to place this Bishop is oftena sticking point for me--depending on the game, it's just as likely tobelong on d3 or e2 as c4. I chose c4 in this game because, as Black hasyet to castle or develop his DSB, I felt confident that I would be ableto make an e4-e5 break, in which case the d-pawn may need extra support. } 12... g6 { Black finally takes steps to complete his development. } 13. O-O Bd7 { This seems confused to me--Black prepared to develop his DSB to g7(or even h6), so he should follow through on that. } 14. Bd2 { This Bishoppresents a perennial problem for me in this opening; I have a terribletime figuring out when and how to develop it. With no Black Bishop on thelong diagonal to complicate matters, it's significantly easier. From d2,the Bishop supports the kingside while still being able to jump into actionon Black's weakened dark squares on the queenside. } 14... Nh5 { ? Black's troopslack cohesion. I can't figure out what this move was meant to accomplish. } 15. e5 { Now that White's Rooks are connected, and with Black's forcesin disarray and his King stuck in the center, it is the perfect opportunityto break through on the e-file. Of course Black can gain nothing from capturing,due to his King and Queen sharing the dangerous file. } 15... O-O-O { Black evacuates. } 16. Rfe1 { Supporting the now-underdefended e-pawn, and threatening toexpose an attack on the Queen, of course. } 16... Bh6 { Black seeks to underminethe White center, but this is easy to remedy. 16...Bg7 would have beenstronger. } 17. g3 { White completes his pawn chain, stymieing Black's minorpieces. The White King breathes the fresh air without any worries for hissafety. } 17... Ng7 { Presumably this Knight is headed for f5 or e8 (to supportd6 en route to c7), but g7 really ought to belong to Black's Bishop. } 18. Ne4 { White activates his Knight by setting a trap: the e5 pawn is nowdefended only once. The Knight piles up on d6 to encourage Black to exchange... } 18... dxe5 { ...which he does! I think this is an error, because the White d-pawnwill now become an absolute monster, wielded with impunity against theentirety of the Black army, especially their King, who is not nearly assecure as he feels. I think 18...Ne8 was better. } 19. d6 { ! Black's Queenis actually very limited in her scope, and this move cuts her off entirelyfrom all of the action. Black's c-pawn is now en prise, and his forcesare almost entirely unable to reach the queenside to defend their King. } 19... Qf8 { ? This natural-seeming move is, I think, the losing error (thoughBlack's position has been badly deteriorating for some time now). Had Blackplayed 19...Qe8, the Queen could support a ...Bc6 move, and White wouldhave to play Nf6 if he wanted to drive the Queen off of the e8-a4 diagonal.Why is that important, you ask? Well, in the text, White has all his minorpieces perfectly positioned to stage an unexpected incursion into the Blackcastle... } 20. Bxa6 { ! I believe this move is decisive. Black cannot takethe Bishop, for 20...bxa6?? 21.Qxc5+ Kb7 [21...Kb8 is the same] 22.Qc7+Ka8 23.Be3 follows, with mate on a7 next move. If Black's Queen were one8, this wouldn't be possible, because the Black Bishop could interposeon c6 to block White's check. If anyone can see a strong counter to thismove, please let me know! } 20... Ne6 { I believe 20...Bc6 was the only defensehere, though it's harder to see, and the text does look like it might besufficient at first glance. The problem is that Black *must* get his Bishopto c6 before the file opens; otherwise the White Queen's checking poweris overwhelming. } 21. Nxc5 { Now it's too late for ...Bc6, e.g. 21...Bc622.Nxe6 Qe8 (22...fxe6?? 23.Qxc6+ Kb8 24.Qxb7#) 23.Nxd8 Kxd8 24.Bxb7 andBlack is lost. And of course the d-pawn is en prise now, but Black cannotafford to take it: 21...Qxd6?? 22.Nxb7+! Qc6 23.Na5+ nets the BQ. } 21... Nxc5 { This is not the most robust defense, but then again, Black is alreadylost. } 22. Qxc5+ Kb8 { or 22...Bc6 23.Qxc6+ Kb8. It's all over. } 23. Qc7+ { No one can come to the Black King's defense. } 23... Ka7 24. Qxb7# { That's allshe wrote! Many thanks to my opponent for a very enjoyable, spirited game!I hope you enjoyed the read; comments are much appreciated! } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Nov-06"] [Round "-"] [White "janiko"] [Black "acerbiter"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1684"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1711"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 { Muzio Gambit, rarely seen at highlevel. The main line has been analyzed to draw, it is believed that whiteshould play 4. h4 for any kind of advantage } 4... g4 5. O-O { another optionis also 5. Ne5 Qh4 6. Kf1 Nc6! } 5... gxf3 6. Qxf3 Qf6 7. c3 { 7. c3? the usualcontinuation of Muzio Gambit is 7. e5 Qxe5 8. Bxf7 !? Kxf7 9. d4 Qxd4 10. Be3 Qf6 11. Bxf4 or 8. d3 Bh6 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. Bd2 both with sufficientcompensation. However, newest theory suggests that 7. e5 Qxe5 8. Bxf7 !?Kxf7 9. d4 Qf5! leaves black with an advantegous position } 7... Nc6 8. d4 { 8.d4?, white overlooked 8. ... Nxd4 9. cxd4 Qxd4 winning 2 pawns } 8... Nxd4 9. Qd3 Ne6 10. Bxe6 Qxe6 11. Bxf4 Qb6+ 12. Kh1 Qxb2 13. Nd2 Bg7 14. e5 Qb6 15. Nc4 Qg6 16. Qf3 { 16. Qf3, white cannot exchange the queens if hewants to keep any sort of hope } 16... Qc6 17. Qe2 b5 18. Na5 Qe6 19. Qf3 c6 20. Rad1 h5 21. Rd6 Qg4 22. Qe4 Ne7 23. c4 Ba6 24. Rfd1 { 24. Rf-d1 ???, aftera series of imprecise moves this is the final nail in white's coffin } 24... Nd5 { 25. ... Nd5!, white cannot capture by 25. cxd5 because 25. ... Qxd1 mates } 25. R6xd5 cxd5 26. Qxd5 O-O 27. Rf1 bxc4 28. Nxc4 Qe6 29. Qf3 Qxc4 30. Rf2 f6 31. Qg3 fxe5 32. Bh6 Qf1+ *

[Event "Giving it all away"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "08-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "dmaestro"] [Black "tiddles"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1553"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1618"] 1. d4 { Interesting game against my online buddy, Tiddles. White loses thisgame in an orgy of sacrifices, when steady play was needed. } 1... g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 Nf6 5. f3 O-O 6. Qd2 c6 7. O-O-O b5 8. Bh6 Be6 9. Kb1 a5 10. h4 b4 11. Na4 Nbd7 12. g4 Nb6 13. Nxb6 Qxb6 { So far fairly routine. } 14. h5 Rfb8 15. e5 { This move,15 e5!, ensures White's attack arrives first. } 15... dxe5 16. dxe5 Rd8 { Nice in between move. } 17. Bd3 Nxg4 { Black wants todo something to break up the attack } 18. Bxg7 { BxB?! is an attempt to complicatethe attack when none is needed. Simply PxN, BxP is fine for White. } 18... Nf2 { Why not? } 19. Rh2 Nxd1 20. hxg6 { Sacrificing the N } 20... Qxg1 21. gxh7+ Kxg7 22. Rg2+ { Unfortunately, White has little else. } 22... Qxg2 23. Qxg2+ Kh8 24. Qd2 c5 { Now if the N is taken the bishop is pinned. White resigns } 0-1

[Event "I fought hard this battle"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.05.02"] [Round "-"] [White "nnyl"] [Black "goldmedal10"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "656"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "793"] 1. b3 { I am black weird opening white } 1... e5 { pawn } 2. e4 { same } 2... Nc6 { knight } 3. Nf3 { same } 3... Nf6 { pair of knights out } 4. Bd3 { bishop } 4... Be7 { same } 5. O-O { castle } 5... O-O { double castle } 6. h3 { pawn } 6... b6 { pawn } 7. Bb5 { bishop } 7... a6 { pawn } 8. Nc3 { white forgot about the bishop } 8... axb5 { pawn } 9. Nxb5 { knight } 9... Ba6 { bishop } 10. Nc3 { made that knight retreat } 10... Rb8 { rook } 11. Nd5 { likesto move that knight } 11... Nxd5 { white is giving away pieces } 12. Bb2 { all minorpieces out both sides } 12... Bxf1 { willing to give up that bishop } 13. Qxf1 { rook } 13... Ndb4 { knight } 14. c3 { pawn } 14... Nc2 { knight } 15. Rc1 { rook must saw what ihad planned } 15... N2d4 { knight } 16. cxd4 { pawn } 16... exd4 { pawn } 17. Nxd4 { knight } 17... Nxd4 { same } 18. Bxd4 { dead even } 18... b5 { pawn } 19. a4 { pawn } 19... bxa4 { pawn } 20. bxa4 { same } 20... Ra8 { rook } 21. Rc4 { same } 21... Rb8 { same } 22. a5 { trying to getto a 1 } 22... Ra8 { rook } 23. Bc3 { bishop } 23... c5 { pawn } 24. Qe2 { queen } 24... d6 { pawnwall } 25. Qe3 { queen } 25... Rb8 { rook } 26. a6 { pawn } 26... Ra8 { rook } 27. Ra4 { same } 27... Qd7 { queen } 28. d4 { white forgot about that rook } 28... Qxa4 { queen } 29. e5 { double pawn attack } 29... dxe5 { i think a fork } 30. dxe5 { pawn } 30... Qxa6 { gotthat pawn out of the way } 31. g3 { pawn } 31... Rab8 { rook } 32. f4 { pawn wall } 32... Rb1+ { check } 33. Kg2 { safe } 33... Qa2+ { check } 34. Kf3 { safe } 34... Rf1+ { check } 35. Ke4 { pawn } 35... Qa4+ { check } 36. Kd5 { king } 36... Rd1+ { check } 37. Bd2 { king } 37... Qa2+ { check } 38. Kc6 { king } 38... Rc8+ { check } 39. Kd7 { king } 39... Rb8 { rook } 40. Kxe7 { king } 40... Qa7+ { queen } 41. Kd6 { king } 41... Rd8+ { rook } 42. Kc6 { king } 42... Qa6+ { queen } 43. Kxc5 { king } 43... Rc1+ { rook } 44. Bxc1 { king } 44... Qa5+ { queen } 45. Kc4 { king } 45... Qa2+ { queen } 46. Kc5 { king } 46... Rc8+ { rook } 47. Kd6 { king } 47... Rd8+ { rook } 48. Ke7 { king } 48... Rb8 { rook } 49. h4 { pawn } 49... Rb7+ { rook } 50. Kd6 { king } 50... Qa6+ { queen } 51. Kd5 { king } 51... Rd7+ { rook } 52. Ke4 { king } 52... Qb7+ { queen } 53. Kf5 { king } 53... g6+ { check } 54. Kf6 { king } 54... Qc6+ { queen } 55. Kg5 { king } 55... f6+ { pawn } 56. exf6 { pawn } 56... Rd5+ { check } 57. Kh6 { king } 57... Qxf6 { queen } 58. Qe4 { same } 58... Rc5 { rook } 59. Qe8+ { check } 59... Qf8+ { check } 60. Qxf8+ { I can take the queen on my nextmoved } 60... Kxf8 { wow a long game } 61. Kxh7 { down to my final 3 pieces } 61... Rxc1 { rook } 62. Kxg6 { I need to keep those pawns to get to my side } 62... Rg1 { rook } 63. h5 { pawn } 63... Rxg3+ { check } 64. Kf6 { king } 64... Rh3 { rook } 65. Kg5 { king } 65... Rg3+ { rook } 66. Kf5 { king } 66... Rh3 { rook } 67. Kg4 { k } 67... Rh1 { rook } 68. Kg5 { king } 68... Rg1+ { rook } 69. Kf5 { king } 69... Rh1 { rook } 70. Kg6 { king } 70... Rg1+ { rook } 71. Kf6 { king } 71... Rh1 { rook } 72. Kg6 { king } 72... Rxh5 { rook } 73. Kxh5 { same } 73... Kf7 { same } 74. Kg5 { same } 74... Ke6 { same } 75. f5+ { check } 75... Kf7 { safe } 76. f6 { pawn } 76... Kf8 { king } 77. Kg6 { same } 77... Ke8 { same } 78. f7+ { pawn } 78... Ke7 { king } 79. Kg7 { same } 79... Kd8 { same } 80. f8=Q+ { check } 80... Kd7 { king } 81. Kf7 { same } 81... Kc7 { same } 82. Ke6 { same } 82... Kc6 { same } 83. Qc8+ { check } 83... Kb6 { I offered a draw and whiteaccepted my offer. I am black } 1/2-1/2

[Event "A Day of Ups and Downs - Part 3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.07"] [Round "-"] [White "renniemay"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1772"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2293"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Another loss - sigh - I was unable to repeat myepic feat against Master Renniemay and add to my Master Draw tally. Nevermind, I have done it once and could do it again, that is my mantra. HereI am faced with another Lopez and this time Maria puts her bishop on a4instead of exchanging on c6. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 { 4. ......Nf6 - the Morphy Defense and the Main Line of the Ruy Lopez. } 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 { 7. ...... d6 - still following the main line - note- I have learned my lesson not to play Na5?? at this juncture in orderto exchange N for B as it drops the e5 pawn. } 8. c3 O-O 9. d4 Bg4 10. Be3 exd4 11. cxd4 { 11. cxd4 - still in the main line - now a pawn trade. } 11... Na5 12. Bc2 c5 13. h3 Bh5 14. Nbd2 cxd4 15. Bxd4 { 15. Bxd4 - another pawn trade. } 15... Nc6 16. Qb1 { 16. Qb1 - Maria now takes me out of the book. I decided totake on d4. In retrospect, maybe I should have first taken on f3 beforethat exchange on d4. At least I would not have had to contend with twohorsies in my arc. One horsie is a handful, two, well they are a doublehandful! } 16... Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Rc8 { 17. ...... Rc8 - I decided to nab the c file. } 18. a4 Qb6 { 18. ...... Qb6 - trying to expand on the queenside but thingsare about to change. } 19. N2b3 Bg6 { 19. ...... Bg6 - was bxa4 an improvementhere? } 20. axb5 axb5 21. Bd3 { 21. Bd3 - I expected a move like Ra4 herebut this is also strong. } 21... b4 22. Ra6 { 22. Ra6 - nasty! } 22... Qd8 23. Na5 d5 { 23. ....... d5 - seemed a good idea at the time, but .... } 24. Nac6 Qe8 25. exd5 Bxd3 { 25. ...... Bxd3 - this looked reasonable at the time ..... } 26. Qxd3 Nxd5 { 26. ...... Nxd5 - this did not look too bad, exchanged offwhite's dangerous lsb and got rid of my isolated d pawn and seemingly adequatelydefended Fou Lenoir, but ..... } 27. Qb3 { 27. Qb3! - this in between movekills my game stone dead! } 27... Qd7 { 27. .... Qd7 - I thought this move wouldhold things together, however .... } 28. Qxd5 { 28. Qxd5!! - This move isreally, really nasty and the end result will result in me being 6 pointsdown on material with no counterplay against a Master with a rating ofnearly 2300! It was too much so I waved the white flag. Can you the juryspot the sequence of moves that will lead to such a catastrophe for black? Anyhow, I hope this will provide a useful lesson to the Coaching Clubon tactics, of which I am still trying to improve mine by doing the puzzles- it could be a while - however before I feel the benefits of it, but Ido have patience in abundance and the strength to persevere - cheers andbye for now - Joanne } 1-0

[Event "Great Back and forth (queen sacrifice), Comments appreciated."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.04.27"] [Round "-"] [White "trixstermtl"] [Black "paraphalaenopsis"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1463"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1420"] 1. e4 { good morning (7 am when i annotated this :D). This is an irregularannotation for me as i have been playing black about 3:1 versus playingas white. i like a classic e4 opening being more a maverick player withthe nimzowitcsh defense as black. } 1... e5 { my oponent replies with e5. thiswas the strongest opponent i was facing after an 8 month stop, and my ratinghad dropped to its floor. } 2. Bc4 { i like my tried and true opening thatworks well for me. i like an early exit of the white bishop and doing kingside attacks. im a fan of playing f4 and doing early castles if allowed } 2... Nf6 3. d3 { sometimes i like to play d3 here but being one of my first gamesback i was also rusty. i find that playing nc3 more effective when blackreplies with nf6 on move 2. holding the d pawn back also if your oponentmakes a mistake in his opening can allow for a d4 instead and an instantopening of the board and aggressive frontal assault } 3... a6 { anticipated replyonce i block my bishop out sometimes. i think d5 is a stronger move forblack players here. hence why my d3 is a mistake and why i prefer nc3. } 4. a3 { i want to keep my white bishop on this diagonal its always niceto have it bearing down on the f pawn } 4... Nc6 { hmm was expecting b5 here buti guess that was too plain and this was supposed to be a higher rated opponenti was facing. i guess i dont have to retreat my bishop. } 5. c3 { in hindsighti shouldve maybe played f4 here, but in the games i dont play nc3 i eventuallysend my knight to d2 so i thought c3 would prevent his knight from comingdown and wouldnt stunt any of my long term king side attack plans } 5... d5 { d5!the importance of nc3 show itself! i decide to swap out pawns since implanning to castle soon and have 2 lanes open } 6. exd5 Na5 { hmmmmmm unanticipatedreply.... this fight has just been taken to me. . i looked at the boardi had nothing developped and my oponent was about to start coming in. hidingmy bishop in a2 seemed way too passive. he could end up with 2 knightson my queen side and my weak pawn line. or he can come out with his withLSB to attack my queen and maybe double pawn or weaken my king side pawns.he can bring out his DSB to c5 for some pressure with a fork possibilityin future on f2. my game is looking weak on move 6 } 7. Qe2 { told myselfill keep the fight centered, let him capture the bishop with his knightand my d5 pawn will be covered with dxc4. i also believe my opponent didntanticipate this reply because he moved how i thought he would for the next3 moves } 7... Nxc4 8. dxc4 Bd6 9. f4 O-O 10. fxe5 Re8 11. Nf3 { i had lookedabout this far into the game, 5 ish moves ahead and was thinking this lookedbetter than playing a2 on move 6. my future plans was to king side castlebring my DSB to f4 bring my other knight to d2 and on with the king sideattack. it seems my opponent had different plans for me } 11... Bg4 { i didnt likethis move and i think i shouldnt of tried to kick the bishop here. i shouldvecastled and it wouldve released tension i think. } 12. h3 Bxe5 { hencewhy trying to kick the bishop wasnt good. Bf4 wouldve also probably beenbetter to a castling. and way better than h3 this opponent was makingme think here why did he leave his LSB hanging. if i take the LSB,DSB goes bg3+ then my queen is dead. damn almost died here. imso used to being the aggressor as white this is uncharted territory forme playing on the defense. and if i castle the same thing happens withBh2+ } 13. Kd1 { considering all this i decide to forgo my castlings andrelieve some tension. could i have replied better? } 13... Nxd5 { hmm knight sacrificewith a LSB hanging my opponent is coming at me hard. this one i willtake though } 14. cxd5 { undoubles my pawns i can block the immediate queenretake with my knight and reinforce my other knight im liking this road! } 14... Qxd5+ 15. Nbd2 { done and done } 15... Rad8 { hmmm this is looking VERY dangerousto me. i looked at hxg4 and almost fell for it again! just before i tookhis LSB i took a moment to make sure his queen couldnt do much. i was lookingat hxg4 followed by his Qxd2 replied by nxd2 and Rxd2 Qxd2 this wasntpossible so it felt safe to take his LSB. but relooking at his queen wasVery essential. The assault wasnt coming from the front. if i gohxg4 he replies Qb3+ leads to Ke1 then Bg3+ kf1 blocking in my rook.then its Rxe2 Very bad state of game man oh man i have only 1 possiblereply i think after analysing it for a while i thought this was my bestmove and thought it to be epic. } 16. c4 { the essence of chess. a singlepawn moving a single square changing a BIG deal on an entire board. leavinghis queen and LSB hanging. i was proud of myself but i couldnt celebratetoo soon this wasnt over. Damn my opponents had many tricks and trapsup his sleeves. i could now see my Rook in the A file was hanging andmy b Pawn because of the blind attack from the rook on my queen. and isaw 0 replies. the thing i had in my favor was his 2 hanging pieces tomaybe help me gain time. } 16... Bxf3 { no time gain there forced to swap out. i looked into recaputuring with my queen but but then he can take thec4 pawn with his queen and my knight would still be pinned. if i takehis queen with my pawn he takes my queen with his LSB has a blind checkwith my hanging rook in the corner } 17. gxf3 Qc6 { relieves stress on hisqueen, i couldnt see what to play here i was pretty crunched having a pinmy rooks were asleep. oh crap his queen antics are still alive on Qa4+ke1 Bxb2 then my queen dies to a rook. i think only reply left } 18. a4 { was there anything better than this white players? i attribute myentire game to 3 moves Qe2 on 7 c4 on 16, and a4 now and i told myselfwell im tired of all these pins and playing his game. hes simplified enoughi feel confident in 2 rooks 1 knight 1 bishop vs his Queen and 1 rook. when he comes in for Bxb2 hes going to be shocked! } 18... Bxb2 { oh really youwant my queen well you can have her! } 19. Qxe8+ { CHARGE@! } 19... Rxe8 20. Bxb2 { hmmm i wonder if he thought it would simplify to this >< was that considereda real or sham queen sacrifice? now my goal is to connect my rooks ASAP! } 20... Rd8 { he pins my king but that wont bother me long } 21. Kc2 { alright thiswont be easy. but i didnt like queen rook alive for him ill look to simplifyout his rook } 21... Qg6+ { the dance of the end begins i like that i have 0 hangingpawns at the moment even though they are all broken off } 22. Ne4 Qg2+ 23. Kb3 Qxf3+ 24. Nc3 { alright i cornered my king lost a pawn but i feel saferto move out some pieces now } 24... a5 25. Rad1 Rxd1 { hmm he gave me the simplificationi was looking for } 26. Rxd1 h5 { i dont understand why he didnt take myh pawn he will regret it later. he turns out to be the hero! } 27. h4 { mightas well gain time and unpin my knight if he wants to take that pawn, } 27... c6 { i dont like the pressure thats coming my king is running out of movespace, i can predict his f pawn will be the one he tries to race over } 28. Ba3 { lets get this bishop into play } 28... f5 { theres that racing pawn } 29. Rd8+ { lets get my rook behing his pawns while gaining time } 29... Kh7 30. Rd7 { and i decide to pin his king so that g pawn cant reinforce his f Pawnand im also attacking the b7 pawn } 30... Kg8 { hmm he decides to unpin. i guesshe wants to see what im trying to do. i guess we are both sorta waitingto see what the other will do lol. i decide to relieve stress on my king } 31. Rxb7 Qg4 32. Be7 { i wanted to protect my remaining pieces. and sincehis f pawn is passed i love these types of anchors for my bishops. } 32... f4 { hmmm Crunch time. at this stage of the game it was final draw. i tookme a Long time to analyse many courses on how to get that damn pawn andi couldnt see a way without it costing me a piece for a pawn while hisqueen would still be alive. i did not like that trade off. im prettysure he felt confident he could race it there too. i was stuck for atleasta day then when i stopped thinking about it. it came to me. if i look backwhen i sacrificed my queen it was cause i felt confident i could face him2rooks 1 knight 1 bishop vs 1 rook 1 queen. Where had that confidencegone look for the checkmate Trix! and i see it! look at that nice restingspot on g5 for my knight and then Rb8# it was so simple. will my oponentsee it coming or will he keep racing his pawn down } 33. Ne4 { He also gaveme a blind spot to get my knight there, i felt confident if he startedto make my king dance i could still get there } 33... Qd1+ { here comes the dancing.im pretty sure my opponent doesnt know what im going for still or he wouldntof done the next 3 moves } 34. Kc3 Qe1+ 35. Kd4 { have to protect the knight,cant believe hes giving me the time to get my king closer to his king tohelp solidify a checkmate. i think he still thivks im looking for a wayto eat his pawn } 35... Qe3+ { one more little boost in the right direction } 36. Ke5 Qe1 { he left his pawn hanging maybe the cat was out of the bag now.but i felt not taking the pawn and using it as a view blocker from hisqueen to be wiser } 37. Kf5 f3 { hes still racing down i guess he thoughti would swap out knight for the pawn. out of my 3 pieces } 38. Ng5 { *shreakingcat noise* 'The Cat is RRRRRRRRRight out of the bag', my opponent didntsee this brazen move coming 'til almost the last second! can he do somethingabout it. The pressure of going after the racing pawn has shifted topreventing a Checkmate } 38... Qg3 { hmmm blocks the immediate Rb8# cant obviouslygot to rc7 either. what about rd7 hmmm no! Qg4+ then he lops of therook. retreating the rook down doesnt look wise. } 39. Ra7 { boom a hangingpawn and the threat of the checkmate still alive } 39... Qb8 40. Bc5 { now whatfriend! i even can take out the racing pawn now. hes going to have to findsome nasty tricks } 40... Qf8+ { hmmm un anticipated reply. if i move king hekills my bishop. if i eat with my bishop it looks like hes going to gethis queen off. but then i look at board i dont really understand his movehere or unless he feels i will blunder. i analysed that if he takes theBishop with his king i can prevent him from queening. and if he goes fora queen straight its back to the same state of game less a pawn for him } 41. Bxf8 f2 { and then i saw even better } 42. Rxg7+ { wow i was very proudof myself this had been one of the toughest games i had been in with ahuge back and forth. All comments appreciated. } 42... Kxf8 43. Rf7+ { obviouslyeither way he moves i move my king in the same direction and lop of thatpawn All comments appreciated. my opponent resigned at this stage hopeyou all enjoyed the game. this turned out to be one of my most memorabledefensive games so far and i give alot of respect to my opponent in thisone he had me thinking alot } 1-0

[Event "Game 4 Zvardon - Skelton"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.01.25"] [Round "-"] [White "zvardon"] [Black "jackdaw1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1943"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2054"] 1. e4 { This game begins on the well-trodden path of the Ruy Lopez. Butdelving into a lesser known variation, White makes a risky move that triggersa violent attack against his own king. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c4 { White's set-up has been played before and aims to clampdown on any future Black hopes of the freeing advance of his d-pawn tod5. } 6... g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. h3 { So what is there for Black to do?His opponent has an excellent grip on the light squares and has left Blackvery little room to manoeuvre. There will be a bit more space if a pieceis traded. After that; Black has a set-up which indicates that he shouldaim to play f7-f5. } 9... Nd4 10. Nxd4 exd4 11. Ne2 Nh5 { There is no way to besure that this is correct. Nevertheless, it looks a bit more active thanother knight moves - and it is also a little provocative. } 12. g4 { [?!]White is a strong player and experience would have told him that this sortof pawn advance in front of a king can be risky. On the other hand; thereappears no particular danger at this point and - when the knight retreats- he will have made Black's idea of f7-f5 even more problematic. } 12... Qh4 { [!] But now there is a problem: Black relies on the weakened king's positionand is determined to create counter-play - even at the cost of a piece.I felt that, at worst, I could probably escape with a perpetual check ifthings did not 'work out'. } 13. gxh5 f5 { The obvious move was to play 13...Bxh3.But there is really no rush and the top priority is to open the f-fileand add the rook to the attack. } 14. h6 fxe4 { [!] Taking my life in myhands here to some extent - but in fact this is stronger than moving thebishop. Anything else will allow White to play either f2-f4 or f2-f3 andorganize a defence involving moves such as Rf2 and Qf1 for example. } 15. dxe4 { The best move: If White takes the bishop then he has to reckon on...Rf3 which blocks his f-pawn. After that, Black now has three attackers[counting his c8 bishop], the white h-pawn is still en prise and thereare potential mating threats against both g2 and h1. } 15... Bxh3 { I couldn'tthink of anything better than to start the threats. } 16. hxg7 Rf3 { I amnot completely sure that this position is lost for White - but despitebeing two pieces up; it is obviously going to be difficult to defend. } 17. Qe1 { I think it was essential to return some material here and playeither Nf4 or Bf4 and hope for the best. } 17... Kxg7 { The pawn is captured soas to add Black's last piece to the attack. } 18. Qd2 { With the idea ofexchanging queens - even with Qh6. } 18... Qg4+ { side-stepping White's plansto simplify. } 19. Ng3 Raf8 { Note that now Black is threatening Rxg3 followedby Rxf1. So White moves the rook away. } 20. Rd1 Rxg3+ 21. fxg3 Qxg3+ 22. Kh1 Rf4 { [!!] This is the end: White has a few checks true: But my opponentknows that all they achieve is to remove his queen from the defence ofg2. If White plays Rg1 here then the response is the final sacrifice ...Bg2+!!with a quick mate after either capture. } 0-1

[Event "56th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.07"] [Round "-"] [White "drillard"] [Black "aspiemikey"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1348"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1358"] 1. e4 e5 2. d3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Be3 g6 5. c4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Nxd2 { I decide to swap bishops here... } 7... Qd7 8. Ngf3 Nc6 9. Ne4 f5 10. Nc3 Nf6 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O e4 13. Ng5 exd3 14. Bxd3 Ne5 15. Be2 Qxd1 16. Raxd1 { ...and nullify the threat of the queen. } 16... h6 17. Nf3 Nxf3+ 18. Bxf3 { Thistime I remove the knights... } 18... Ng4 19. Bd5+ Kg7 20. h3 Nf6 21. Rfe1 Re8 22. Rxe8 Nxe8 { ...and a rook apiece. } 23. h4 c6 24. Bf3 Be6 25. c5 Nf6 26. g3 b6 27. cxb6 axb6 { I now have an opening... } 28. a3 Ra5 29. b4 Rxa3 { ...and accept the gift. } 30. Rc1 Nd5 31. Bxd5 Bxd5 { The board is gettingemptier... } 32. f4 Rb3 33. Nxd5 cxd5 { ...and emptier still. } 34. Rd1 Rxg3+ { Rook and roll! } 35. Kh2 Rb3 36. Rxd5 Rxb4 { And again } 37. Kg3 g5 38. Rxf5 Rxf4 39. Rxf4 gxf4+ { Now it's mine to lose. } 40. Kf3 { How come he didn'ttake it there? } 40... Kg6 41. Kxf4 Kh5 0-1