Datasets:

natetsang
/

fishgpt

Dataset card Viewer Files Files and versions Community

Split (2)

train · 11.5k rows

text stringlengths 0 49.7k
[Event "Surfing the surfer ! (moderne defense)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.09.19"] [Round "-"] [White "surfingscotty"] [Black "31415"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1206"] [TimeControl "Blitz 3mn"] [WhiteElo "1507"] { blitz 3mn is a good mental training ! My challenger is an anstralian surfer,reason why of the tittle ! } 1. e4 { classical opening } 1... g6 { my prefered defense,'modern one'. It's safety and adaptable, give a lot of dinamic possibilitiesand quite funy by the way ! } 2. Bc4 { claiiscal line } 2... Bg7 { Ok, now my defenseis done ! then every thing can happen, and black pawns can arise from anywhereto fight for the center } 3. Nf3 { preparinf attack to f7, isnt that to easy? maybe i playing with one of that top ranked players that think it's easywith lower rated players ? Or maybe is just the way he like to open ! } 3... e6 { protecting from Bc4 treat } 4. d4 { occuping the center, in order toadvance d4 to d5 } 4... Nc6 { so i I let it happen preparing the response (5....-Na5) } 5. d5 Na5 { At this time, he took a lot of time to decide, meaningtht this was surprinsing him. Good for me ! } 6. Bb5 { not so good ... andeasy to refute (...-a6 ...-b5 ...etc) } 6... a6 7. Bd3 { retreating, I won thisround ! } 7... exd5 { now i can take the d5 pawn ! } 8. exd5 { great ! the 2 kingsare discovered. } 8... Ne7 { treat d5, the white center is done } 9. c3 { i didnot realize the treat at this moment : b4! } 9... O-O { so i castle to keep safemy king } 10. b4 { surprise ! i should anticipate it. Fortunately i had aplan taking advantage to the fragility of c3 and using my g7 fianchetto(moderne defense, isnt it !) } 10... Nxd5 { first, winning the pawn and doubletreat to c3... } 11. bxa5 { of course he took it ! } 11... Nxc3 { now treateningthe queen. And the white king is still discovered whereas I can use thef8 rook to treat the e colon. Things are becoming dangerous for white... } 12. Qc2 { the only better coice, witch is not so good anyway ... } 12... Re8+ { istill have the treat to Ra1 and in addition the rook is treatening thee colon and break the posibility for white to castle } 13. Kd2 Ne4+ { iwin the rook, } 14. Bxe4 Bxa1 15. Nc3 Bxc3+ { better exchange than loseit } 16. Kxc3 { why with the king ??? } 16... Qf6+ 17. Kd2 { a losed tempo for white } 17... c6 { preparing d5 to occup the center and free my c8 bishop. But i didntanticipate the white plan (Bb2! ... Qc3!!...Qg7++) } 18. Bb2 { so here isthe terrible white counterattack ! Will I get out alive ? } 18... Qf4+ { to winthe e4 bishop } 19. Kd3 { protect his bishop, but it was a bunder becausei could take it with my queen anyway, i didnt realize it ! so white ANDblack bunders ! Dear public, remember taht this is a 3mn blitz ! } 19... d5 { myfirst plan } 20. Qc3 { and now i'm treatened a mate ! Fortunately i havesome good shots to play } 20... Qxe4+ 21. Kd2 Qe2+ 22. Kc1 { at this time i realizethat i was quite lost ...i was thining in puting my king in f8 to escapethe mate, but then : 22. ...-Kf8 23.Qh8+ - Ke7 24.Rh1 e1 !! and ilose the queen ...So, i found the way to exchange the queens, lucky luckylucky ! } 22... Qc4 { if white do the exchange they will lose any chance to winthe game. But if they dont, i will keep my queen whith a BIG BIG advantage,so ...? Dear masters, what whould you do ? } 23. Kd1 { the treat on g7was to dangerous to refuse the exchange } 23... Qxc3 24. Bxc3 { now the questionis : will i be abble to mate without the queen ? } 24... Bf5 { let 's try to takesome advantages : in order to pin the knight or to put my bishop in e4,tretening g2 ....h1 } 25. h3 { ok, so i will put my bishop on this strongcenter place e4 } 25... Be4 26. Nh4 Rab8 { in order to : 27. ... - b7 b5 28. a5/b6xb5- b8xb6 29. ... - Rb1+ 30. ... - b1xh1. Of course, white are not goingto fall in this easy trap } 27. f3 { so i have to change my little plans } 27... Bd3 28. Kd2 Bc4 { treat a2 and Re2+ } 29. g4 { he seems to ignore the treats?? } 29... Re2+ 30. Kc1 Rxa2 { will i have the oportunitie to move Ra2 in a1 ?? } 31. Be5 { maybe .... } 31... Re8 { end is coming ... } 32. f4 { not enought, i willsacrifice my rook and win the bishop ... } 32... Rxe5 33. fxe5 Ra1+ { And our surferresign, so i can come back to my work while he will come back to his waves! Thanks for comments. } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.27"] [Round "-"] [White "viharnik"] [Black "naholyr"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1197"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1140"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 e4 { I prefer to advance E5 to threaten the knight, rather than take it immediately with the queen (which I can take later). The idea is to put myself in a position to attack in order to make up for the black's temporary advantage. } 4. Nd4 Bc5 { Je continuela chasse } 5. c3 { I see two choices that are offered to me: 1. Exchange the target (in particular, take D5 with the knight) 2. Exchange C5 and D4. } 5... Bxd4 { Je choisis de faire l'échange, pensant que le deuxième pion pourraêtre pris facilement } 6. cxd4 Qxd5 7. Nc3 { Je passe en position de chassé,ce qui ne me plait guère, mais j'ai l'avantage de pouvoir m'en sortir enprenant le pion, comme prévu ;) } 7... Qxd4 8. Bb5+ Nc6 { Ici je préfère sortirle cavalier que le pion, afin d'amener un renfort éventuel par la suite } 9. O-O { Seeing my rock, I am strengthened in my position of attacker and no longer defender. I decide to try to checkmate with the queen in G2. } 9... a6 { Premièreétape : libérer le terrain. Il me faudra amener ma dame en D5 (couvertpar le cavalier) et mon fou en B7 après avoir déplacé mon cavalier pourlibérer la vue (impossible tant que le fou blanc B5 est là). Je commencedonc par chasser le fou. } 10. Ne2 { Thinking of playing a good move by threatening to capture a lady instead of fleeing with the knight, he helps in reality since the cavalier now covers more the position than I was threatened. I can save the lady by threatening her knight: the two pieces that were bothering me will be parted. } 10... Qc5 11. Ba4 b5 12. Bb3 Na5 { The two previous moves allow me to especially free the place for the knight C8 to C7. They also allow me each turn to threaten his knight à cause of his bad placement, turning the attention of my opponent! } 13. d4 { He was playing very badly! He was unaware of the check and yet he offered me with this move of shifting the pawn E4 which was threatening his knight (and making him lose another turn). This has been going on for the last 4 turns while he has been preparing his own moves. } 13... exd3 14. Qxd3 Bb7 { Phase 1 : He would have had to see it at that moment and move his pawn F3. He probably thought I was preparing a rock. } 15. Be3 { He prefers to threaten my queen again. I am retreating to protect my king from checkmate by my queen in E4. Additionally, this will finally put me in the position of mate. } 15... Qc6 { I cross my fingers to make sure it doesn't break my plans. He now has three ways to do it: 1. Advance your knight in D5 (covered by the queen) 2. Advance your pawn in F3 (covered by the pawn G2) 3. Or even cover G2 with, for example, your cavalry in F4 In this case, I have prepared to rock before reorganizing another assault. } 16. Rac1 { It is difficult to believe that he has not offered it to me;) } 16... Qxg2# { Un classique } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.30"] [Round "-"] [White "mustafaupk"] [Black "ragozin"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1558"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1560"] 1. g3 { I'm not really comfortable with these flank openings as I do notknow the best way to counter them. I dislike to become overextended soI don't usually throw my pawns forward. } 1... d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. Nf3 c5 4. Nc3 e6 5. d3 Nc6 6. O-O Be7 7. b3 O-O 8. e4 { ?! This allows me to forward mycentre pawns one rank and liberate my light-squared bishop. It also makeshis fianchettoed bishop bad. I can say that the bishop on g2 won't playany role whatsoever in this game. Unfortunately, my opponent didn't needit! } 8... d4 9. Ne2 { 9. e5? loses a pawn after 9... dxc3 10. exf6 Bxf6. } 9... e5 10. Nh4 Nh5 { ?! A discovered attack on the knight on h4 and at the sametime controlling f4, but my own knight will be vulnerable to discoveredattack later on. } 11. Nf5 { Obviously. } 11... Be6 { I didn't mind the trade ofa knight for my dark-squared bishop as it's blocked by my own pawns. } 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. Nxd4 { Attacks my knight on h4. } 13... Nxd4 14. c3 { Better thanthe alternative 14. Qxh5 Nxc2 15. Rb1 Nb4. } 14... Nf6 15. cxd4 cxd4 { At thispoint I was satisfied with how the opening went. My knight has obviouslya brighter future ahead of him than my opponent's light-squared bishop. } 16. a4 a5 { ? Loses the exchange, but perhaps his bishop is worth more inthis position than the rook? } 17. Ba3 Qc7 18. Bxf8 Kxf8 { Wrong capture!My opponent can now quickly intensify the pressure on f7. } 19. f4 { Thismove does create a nice outpost for my knight on e3. Certainly when thereis the option of winning the exchange back! } 19... Qb6 20. Rb1 Ng4 21. f5 Ne3 22. Qh5 { Unfortunately, I can not capture the rook as 23. fxe6 createsa mate threat on f7 and I therefore have no time to retreat the knight.Also, I figured 22... Bxb3 leaves my rook on a8 in peril as 23. Qxh7 Nxf124. Qh8+ Ke7 25. Qxa8 Ne3 favoures White. All of this could have been avoidedif I had played 18... Rxf8 instead. } 22... Bc8 23. Rfc1 { ?! It would be betterto keep the rook on the f-file as 23... h6 would have allowed 24. f6. } 23... h6 24. g4 f6 { Trying to keep a strong dark-squared pawn-chain. } 25. Qg6 Bd7 { Necessary } 26. Qh7 Kf7 { Necessary too. } 27. Qg6+ Kg8 28. h4 Qd8 { Stopping29. g5 but allowing White to double rooks on the c-file. } 29. Rc5 Qb6 30. Rbc1 { This allows me to capture two pawns, but all of my pieces will bepinned to their spots. } 30... Qxb3 31. Rc7 Qxa4 { My position is rather hopeless.I can only hope my opponent makes a mistake. My combination of queen andknight is unable to create serious threats for my opponents king. } 32. g5 hxg5 33. hxg5 fxg5 34. Qxg5 Rf8 35. Qe7 Rf7 { No other way to protectmy bishop. The bishop can't move because of Qg7#, but this move allowsthe nice shot... } 36. Rc8+ { I gave up, as 36... Bxc8 37. Rxc8+ is mateafter 37... Kh7 38. Qh5# Well done, mustafaupk. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.11.26"] [Round "-"] [White "abel777"] [Black "e4newman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1630"] [WhiteElo "1695"] { I’m on a bit of a roll again (3 in a row and 7 of last 9) so I’m interestedto see where my opponent, from the Philippines, went wrong in this game. } 1. e4 c5 { Been using this lately. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Nc3 Qb6 5. d3 Nd4 6. Ne5 { 6.Ne5? pretty sure he missed something there. } 6... Nxb5 7. Na4 Qc7 { 7...Qa5+ 8.c3 or ...Qa6 8.b3 (Nc3 Nxc3 9.bxc3) to force/mess-uphis pawn structure. But I chose 7...Qc7 I control 5 vs 2. } 8. Nc4 d5 { IfI play 8...d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 I control 3 vs 2. If 8...d6 I pin my Q in (andN on b5) but 5 vs 3. } 9. Nd2 e6 { 9...Bg4 is a slow plan and allows theeventual c4 or 10.f3!. Actually c4 is inevitable... hmmm leaves me a holeon d4. } 10. O-O dxe4 { 10...dxe4 seems kinda weird but I gotta rememberit's me who's trying to equalize. Plus I'm ahead in material. } 11. dxe4 e5 12. b3 { 12.b3 so he'll fianchetto. His DSB is pretty strong but I canshut it down. Kinda thinking of ...Nd4...Nc6 (maybe ...Ne6). Would be niceto tempt his c-pawn to c4. Also gotta load up the d-file. } 12... Nd4 13. c3 Nc6 14. Qc2 b5 15. Nb2 Be7 16. Nf3 O-O 17. Re1 Bb7 { 17.Bb7 I have 7 vs5 Explore 18...b4 } 18. Nd2 a6 19. c4 { Positional flaw, in my opinion. } 19... Nd4 20. Qd1 Rfd8 21. Nd3 Rd7 { 21...Rd7 new plan. } 22. Re3 Rad8 23. Kh1 Ne6 24. Qe2 { 23...Ne6 you don't get central control like this too often.My 10 vs his 4. Fun, open game. 24.Qe2 removes his K-side defender. If24...Nf4 25.Nxf4 (forced since any Q movement gives up the N on the spot)exf4 (looks awkward but I'm not really worried about that pawn plus itgets me tempo by attacking the R). Plus I made this note but not surewhere it goes now lol: 26.Rf3 Qe5 (the kicker which could not be prevented)27.Rb1 (forced) Nxe4 (to get another piece bearing down on d2 & d1 mate) } 24... Nd4 25. Qf1 { ? } 25... Nc2 26. Rg3 Nxa1 27. Qe2 Qa5 { 27...Qa5 my attack isstronger than his. 28.Nxe5 comes to nothing. 28.Nb1? again. } 28. Nb1 Nxe4 29. Rf3 Nc3 30. Nxc3 Qxc3 31. Bb2 Bxf3 0-1
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Nov-07"] [Round "-"] [White "number1thespian"] [Black "alexchavez666"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1259"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1209"] 1. Nf3 { My usual setup. } 1... d5 2. e3 Nc6 3. d3 e5 4. d4 Bg4 5. Be2 Nf6 6. dxe5 Bxf3 7. Bxf3 { I don't mind sacrificing knights for bishops. } 7... Nxe5 8. Be2 c6 9. Qd4 Bd6 10. f4 c5 11. Qa4+ { And I thought for sure that thiswas a good thing, too. } 11... Nc6 12. Nc3 a6 13. Bf3 b5 14. Qa3 { I } 14... c4 15. b3 Bxa3 { I did not see that coming at all. He trapped my queen. } 16. Bxa3 b4 17. Bb2 bxc3 18. Ba3 Na5 19. b4 Nc6 20. Rb1 { I thought that I was doneby this point, but my oppenent kept telling me that I have a chance; thatI should use my bishops. } 20... Rb8 21. O-O d4 22. Rbd1 Qe7 23. Bxc6+ { There'sa bishop use, plus I put him in check right there. } 23... Kd8 24. b5 Ng4 25. Bxe7+ { Now I'm up on top with my 'bishop' and I put him in check, too. } 25... Kxe7 26. Rfe1 axb5 27. exd4+ Kd6 28. d5 Nh6 29. Re3 Ng4 30. Rxc3 Rb6 31. Ra1 Kc5 32. a4 b4 { I had to really think throughout the whole entire gamebecause this is a really good player. I can't afford to make any mistakes. } 33. Rg3 h5 34. a5 Ra6 35. Bb7 Rf6 36. a6 { I have his rook and king pinnedif he tries to take out any of my pieces. } 36... Rb6 37. Ra5+ Kd4 38. h3 Ne3 39. Rxg7 Nxc2 40. Rxf7 b3 { Then I wanted to get all his pieces out so hecouldn't use them later. } 41. a7 { It's a race to the queenhood. } 41... b2 42. a8=Q b1=Q+ 43. Kh2 Rxa8 44. Bxa8 { I didn't lose much, because at leastI got his rook out. That was my goal right there. In some cases, youhave to be a power house. } 44... Ne3 45. Rh7 h4 46. Rxh4 { Take that stupid pawnout of there. } 46... Qg6 47. f5+ { check for the king and the queen. He's gottado it. } 47... Qg4 48. Rxg4+ Nxg4+ { He took out my rook, but I took out his queenand his knight at the same time. } 49. hxg4 Ke3 50. g5 Kf2 51. f6 Rb8 52. Kh3 { The rook can't get my bishop, or else his rook will be captured. } 52... Rh8+ 53. Kg4 { Oh, aren't you Mr. Tuff Guy. } 53... c3 54. Ra2+ Ke3 55. g6 Re8 56. f7 Re4+ { This is a battle right here, but I will eventually get mypawn up to the top. I know I will. I know I will. } 57. Kf5 Rf4+ 58. Ke5 { That was a wasted move, Matthew. Why the heck did I do that? } 58... Re4+ 59. Kd6 Rf4 60. Rc2 Rf6+ 61. Ke7 Rf2 62. f8=Q { Do it. I dare you. } 62... Rxc2 63. Qf3+ { Oooohhhh. CHECK!! } 63... Kd2 64. d6 Rb2 65. Be4 c2 66. Bxc2 { I wasn'tgoing to take any chances. } 66... Rb7+ 67. Qxb7 { You could tell that he didn'tsee that. I didn't see that myself. That's why you have to look at thewhole entire board before making any move. } 67... Kc1 { I don't know why he didn'ttake out my bishop. } 68. d7 Kxc2 { There we go, but now it's too late because... } 69. d8=R { This. I actually don't know why it turned into a rook. I wantedit to be a queen, but hey, it will still get the job done. } 69... Kc1 70. Qc7+ Kb2 71. Rb8+ Ka2 { Sorry. Good game. You really are a good player. Justdon't play when you are drunk next time. } 72. Qa7# { This honestly was actuallyone of my first team wins. I don't have very many team wins right now. I'm probably at like -13 right now? I don't know. Thank you for watchingthis annotation. It was very kind of you. Drop me a message sometime. -Number1thespian (Matthew W. Martin) } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from yak007"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.10.12"] [Round "-"] [White "mmoody95"] [Black "yak007"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1639"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1787"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Be2 { I'm not sure this was best. Nc3 is more common. But with the Black pawn on g6, Bd3 isn't the bestdiagonal. } 5... Bg7 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. O-O a6 8. a3 O-O 9. Qc2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Be2 Bb7 { Black has developed nicely, but White may be able to get somepressure on the c file. } 12. Bd2 Ne7 13. Rac1 Rc8 14. Rfd1 c6 15. b4 { NowBlack is saddled with a backward pawn on the c file, which can be a painto deal with all game. } 15... Nfd5 16. Ne4 Nc7 17. Nc5 Ba8 { White is maybe alittle better here, but Black has things covered up pretty well. } 18. Ne5 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Ned5 20. Bc3 { Black can't play Nxc3 immediately because ofRxd8. } 20... Qe7 21. Bd4 f5 22. exf6 Nxf6 { Now Black will also have to dealwith an isolated e pawn. } 23. Bf3 { In retrospect, 23.Be5 would have beenbetter. After Bxc7, Nxa6 is possible. } 23... e5 24. Bb2 Nfd5 25. Bxd5+ cxd5 { Poorly played by White. Now Black's central pawn mass is more effective. } 26. Qb3 Rcd8 27. e4 Rf7 28. exd5 Bxd5 29. Qe3 Rf5 30. Ne4 Rdf8 31. Rxc7 { Black resigned here. I was surprised because I thought Black still hadplenty of play. After Qxc7, White can play Rxd5, but Black has the annoyingQc2, attacking the hanging B on b2. White's Q is overloaded and can'tguard the d5 R, the b2 B, the e4 N, and the back rank threat of Qb1+ allat the same time. } 1-0
[Event "roman85's mini-tournament VII"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.04.12"] [Round "-"] [White "thitho"] [Black "arch-nemesis"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1446"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1728"] { too bad this game ended so fast. I had many things in head for the ending...But arch-nemesis decided the wrong 27th move. Please go on move 27th andtry to develop the various possible endings. } 1. c4 f6 2. Nc3 g6 { I askedmy opponent if he decided to invent an opening } 3. d4 Nh6 4. e4 Nf7 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Be3 O-O { you must recognize this is castling.............. } 7. c5 { so i take the space... } 7... c6 8. Bc4 e6 9. O-O d5 10. cxd6 { i preferthis to keep my bishop active, and reduce the castle structure } 10... Nxd6 11. Bb3 Na6 { not an orthodox move. } 12. a3 Nc7 13. Qc2 Ncb5 14. Rac1 Nxc3 15. bxc3 { had to. e4 was too exposed } 15... Nf7 { and castling again } 16. Qa2 Re8 17. c4 Bh6 { de-castling? } 18. c5 Bxe3 19. fxe3 { though I seem exposed,there is no Attack coming from black. So I multiplied my attacking points. } 19... Qc7 20. Rf2 Kg7 21. Rcf1 Nh6 { I have to admit I didn't see it coming right } 22. Nd2 Ng4 { from now, white is also exposed to a good Attack, but precisedmoves gave me security } 23. Rf4 { of course: anything else was a bad ideaas h2 is exposed and I didn't want to lose my rook. } 23... f5 { force me to openthe e column. } 24. exf5 Nxe3 { I expected exf, but black might have notseen the next move. } 25. f6+ { check! and I expected Kf8 } 25... Kh6 { ?! from now,I knew I just had to keep the king far from his base. } 26. R1f3 { preparingcheck on h column. } 26... Nd5 { ?! I expected g5 27 Bc2 ... or even Nf5 } 27. Rg4 { my guess the only good move here was Nxf6 to give an escape for the king.Then after that white are better because of material, but black has stillsome space. But I secretly hoped black could play the audacious Kh4...And then, with Kh4, I still had a great work to deal with... but... } 27... e5 { ??? } 28. Rh3# 1-0
[Event "First annotation"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.09"] [Round "-"] [White "thedessertfox"] [Black "theo99"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 { I played 2. d4 expecting 2... d5 french defence } 2... Qf6 { Unexpectedprobably trying to play scholars mate but I was wary as this was my firstgame on the website } 3. Nf3 { 3. Nf3 so I could play } 3... Nh6 4. e5 { 4. Bg5 was better as it forced 4...Qg6 } 4... Qe7 5. Bg5 f6 { This was what I expectedto be played and prepared to take the Knight on h6 and open up the kingside and prevent him castling or his king would be exposed } 6. Bxh6 gxh6 7. Nc3 Rg8 8. g3 b6 { We both prepared to fianchetto on the h1-a8 diagonal.However my 8. g3 also stopped the Rook from capturing the g-pawn I if decidedto develop to d3 or c4 or if Nc6 was played I could play Bb5 and stop himfrom moving his d-pawn otherwise he would be pinned } 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. Nb5 { ?? I played this aiming to fork the King and rook but I forgot about 10...Qb4+ 11. c3 Qxb5 } 10... Qb4+ 11. c3 Qxb5 12. Qc2 Rg7 { Aiming to capture the h-pawn.Black defended while still controlling the half open g file } 13. Bf1 Qa5 14. Rg1 h5 { ?! After I had played 14.Rg1?? Why not Bxf3 go up by 6 } 15. Nh4 Nc6 16. Bd3 Rg5 17. Bxh7 fxe5 18. dxe5 Rxe5+ 19. Kf1 { After openingup the King side for an attack at a later date I lost the ability to castleby playing Kf1 planning on hand castling. 19.Be4 was also possible butled to counterattacking chances and causing the Queen to be stuck guardingthe bishop. Also 19.Be4 Bh6 stops the ability to castle Queen side whichwould have been the point of playing 19. Be4 so I could play 20. O-O-O } 19... Ba6+ 20. Bd3 { ?! I thought of trading bishops so I could hand castle safelybut after thought I realised if 20... Bxd3 2. Qxd3 I would been still downthree and lose one of my main attacking pieces. } 20... b5 { Instead b5 was playedwhich was a dubious move weakening the fianchetto formation and creatinga backwards a-pawn and an isolated b-pawn it also cut of the a6-f1 diagonal. } 21. Bg6+ { I wanted to remove the Black's ability to castle into his stronglyprotected queen side and I could do this thanks to 20... b5 } 21... Ke7 { Not theexpected Kd8 hand castling although this may have been a better move consideringI didn't have a dark squared bishop and allowed his a8 Rook to get involved. } 22. Kg2 b4 23. Rge1 { I planned on removing the E rook so I could strengthenmy center } 23... bxc3 24. Rxe5 Nxe5 25. Nf5+ { I had conceived if a combo andthought I was down by three and should try it out } 25... exf5 26. Qxf5 { I neededto remove the Black queen of the 5th row so I could play Qxe5+ Kd8 Qe8# I thought he would look to try and attack my rook with 26... cxb2 27.Rb1 Qb5 28. a4 Qb4 29.Qxe5+ Kd8 30. Qe8# } 26... Bb7+ { This threw a spanner inthe works as I didn't think about this as I believed he would focus onhis isolated pawn on c3 } 27. Kg1 { Next move my combination came into play } 27... cxb2 28. Rb1 Qb5 29. a4 Qb4 30. Qxe5+ Kd8 31. Qe8# { Yes from a very badPosition I had stolen a victory } 1-0
[Event "Henry Bird - Paul Morphy, London 1858, Game 8"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Henry Bird"] [Black "Paul Morphy"] [Result "0-1"] { Morphy dreamed of playing the chess king of the 1840's - Staunton, andhis friends sent the latter an invitation to visit America. But Stauntondeclined, citing his busy schedule as a playwright and instead invitingMorphy to visit Europe and promising to have a match then. So Morphy himselfset off for Europe. In 1858 he arrived in England, where he easily demonstratedhis superiority over the local masters, brilliantly winning a match againstLowenthal (spending the prize money on buying the furniture for the flatof his hard-up opponent!), but, alas, after a lengthy discussion and LOTSof excuses from Staunton, the match with the 48-year old English championnever materialized. They did however play in a consultation game whereit was Staunton along with another contemporary master paired up againstMorphy and another master. Morphy's side won the game. But why did Stauntonhide from a match with Morphy? The explanation is obvious - here we canrecall the words of Fischer: 'Staunton appears to have been afraid to meetMorphy and I think his fears were well-founded. Morphy would have beatenhim, but it wouldn't have been the one-sided encounter that many writersnow think it would. It would have been a great struggle.' The other masterswere crushed one after another by the young American prodigy, and in highlyspectacular fashion. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5 { (?!) Philidor's move,which was very fashionable at the time, but which is objectively more thandubious, and perhaps even losing. Opening theory has gone A VERY LONG waysince those days... } 4. Nc3 { Also good is 4.Bc4, as well as 4.dxe5 fxe45.Ng5 d5 6.e6 (6.Nc3!?) 6...Bc5 7.Nc3! (but not immediately 7.Nf7? Qf68.Be3 d4 with a counterattack, Barnes-Morphy, London 1858) 7...c6 (7...Qf68.Ngxe4 dxe4 9.Qh5+ and Qxc5) 8.Nf7, which was suggested in 1880 by JohannBerger } 4... fxe4 { Black fails to equalise with either 4...nf6 5.dxe5 Nxe4 6.Nxe4fxe4 7.Ng5 d5 8.e6 Bc5 9.Nxe4 Be7 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qe5 Rg8 12.Ng5, or 4...exd45.Qxd4 fxe4 5.Bg5 Nf6 7.Nxe4 Be7 8.Bc4 Nc6 9.Qe3! } 5. Nxe4 d5 { Or 5...Nf66.Nxf6+ gxf6 (if 6...Qxf6, then 7.Bg5 Qg6 8.dxe5 --Zukertort) 7.dxe5 fxe58.Bc4 Qf6 9Ng5 with an obvious advantage for White } 6. Ng3 { (?!) As wasshown by Zukertort several decades later, stronger is 6.Nxe5! dxe4 7.Qh5+g6 8.Nxg6 Nf6 9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxh8 Nc6 11.Bb5 Qd5 12.Bg5. And in the eventof 9...Kf7 10.Bc4+ Kg7 (10...Kxg6?? 11.Qg5#) 11.Bh6+ Kxh6 12.Nxh8 Bb4+13.c3 Qxh8 14.cxb4 (Keres), White advantage is close to being decisive } 6... e4 7. Ne5 Nf6 8. Bg5 { (?!) Correct is 8.f3!, advantageously underminingthe center } 8... Bd6 { 'A typical Morphy move, striving as soon as possible toovercome his lack of development.' (Euwe) In Maroczy's opinion, 8...Be7was more circumspect } 9. Nh5 { (?!) } 9... O-O 10. Qd2 { (?!) } 10... Qe8 { (!) } 11. g4 { (?) After a series of dubious movies, Bird commits a decisive mistake.'However, had it not been for this move, chess literature would not havebeen enriched with one of Morphy's most staggering and profound combinations...After11.Nxf6+! (11.Bxf6 Qxh5) 11...gxf6 12.Bxf6 Rxf6 (12...Qh5 13.g4) 13.Qg5+Rg6 14.Nxg6 hxg6! 15. Qxd5+ (or 15. h4) =' (Maroczy). Euwe does not agreewith this evaluation: 'In the resulting open position the strength of thetwo black bishops should quickly tell.' But in Kasparov's opinion, Whitewould have been lucky to reach such a position, since in fact he is destroyedby the interposition of 12...e3! (this Morphy would NOT have missed!) 13.Qxe3Rxf6 14.0-0-0 (14.Qg5+ Rg6) 14...Bf8 etc. Bird's mistake is fully understandablefrom a psychological standpoint: he already was facing a difficult choice... } 11... Nxg4 12. Nxg4 Qxh5 13. Ne5 Nc6 14. Be2 Qh3 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Be3 Rb8 { Theprelude to Morphy's combination, although the immediate 16...Bg4 wouldhave been more efficient, when Black is a very healthy pawn ahead. } 17. O-O-O { 'Safer is 17.c3' (Maroczy) If one can say this about a pretty hopelessposition. } 17... Rxf2 { (?!) I tip my hat to the great chess artist, but the crude17...Bg4! was correct, or even, according to Euwe, the slow 17...Bf5 and...Bg6. } 18. Bxf2 Qa3 { (!!) A bolt out of the blue! A mistake would havebeen 18...Ba3? in view of 19.Qe3!. Alas, even this brilliant maneuvre byMorphy does not give more than a draw... } 19. c3 { (!) Bird defends withprecision. If 19.Qg5, Maroczy gives the winning variation 19...Qxb2+ 20.Kd2Bb4+ 21.Ke3 Qa3+! 22.Bd3 (22.Kf4? Bd6+) 22...Ba6 23.Rhg1 Bf8! and ...exd3,while if 19.Qc3 then 19...Qxa2 20.Rdg1 g6 21.b3 Bb4! Instead of 19...Qxa2,even stronger is 19...Bf4+! 20.Rd2 Qxa2 21.Qa3 Qxa3 bxa3 e3 and wins (Euwe),or 21.b3 Bd6! (simpler than 21...e3 22.Bxe3 Bxe3 23.Rf1 a5! etc.) 22.Rdd1Bb4 winning. } 19... Qxa2 { GM Murey tried to find a win after 19...e3?! 20.Bxe3Bf5, but without successL 21.Qc2! Qxa2 22.Bd3 Bxd3 (22...Ba3 or 22...Rxb2- 23.Bxf5) 23.Rxd3 Ba3 (23...Rxb2 24.Qxb2 Ba3 25.Qxa3!) 24.Qb1! (24.bxa3Qa1+ 25.Kd2 Qxh1 26.c4! Qxh2+ 27.Kc3 will also do) 24...Bxb2+ 25.Kc2 Qa4+26.Kd2 Bxc3+ 27.Rxc3 Rxb1 28.Rxb1 Qa2+ 29.Kc1, diffusing Black's attackwhile retaining the extra material. } 20. b4 { Forced, since mate in twowas threatened, and if 20.Qc2? there is a choice between 20...Bf4+ ad 20...Rxb221.Qxb2 Ba3! 22.Qxa3 Qxa3+ 23.Kd2 Qb2+ 24.Ke1 Qxc3+ } 20... Qa1+ 21. Kc2 Qa4+ 22. Kb2 { (?) According to Maroczy, 22.Kc1! would have forced a draw byperpetual check (22...Qa1+), since 22...Bxb4? is wrong in view of 23.cxb4Rxb4 24.Qg5 (24.Qc2 Qa3+ 25.Kd2 Rb2 26.Rc1 is also possible) 24...Qa3+25.Kd2 Rb2+ 26.Ke1 Rxe2+ 27.Kxe2 Qf3+ 28.Ke1 Qxh1+ 29.Qg1 Qf3 20.Qg3. However,with the help of any decent modern engine, we can establish that 22...Bf5!(22...a5 23.Qc2 Qa3+ 24.Qb2 axb4 25.Kc2 Ba6 26.Bf1! is unclear) 23,Be1!Qa1+ 24.Kc2 e3+ 25.Kb3 exd2 26.Rxa1 Re8 27.Ba6 dxe1=Q 28.Raxe1 Rxe1 29.Rxe1Bxh2 30.Bb7 Be4 31.Bxc6 Kf7 would nevertheless have given Black a minimaladvantage (obviously less than after 17...Bg4!: here it is far closer toa draw). This is the present-day level of attack and defense, illustratingthe COLOSSAL progress of chess during the past 150 plus years... } 22... Bxb4 { (!) } 23. cxb4 Rxb4+ 24. Qxb4 Qxb4+ 25. Kc2 { If 25.Ka2, Black wins by 25...c5!26.dxc5 e3! 27.Bxe3 d4!. } 25... e3 { (!) Clearance of the b1-h7 diagonal for Black'sLSB. This reply was overlooked by Bird - but it is unfair to demand ofa master from mid-19th century that should be correctly able to weightup all the consequences of 18...Qa3!! and 22...Bxb4. Whereas Morphy's soundframework and his wide-ranging tactics already resemble the play of a modernGM. The pure fact of the matter is, Morphy's genius and talent at chesswas so enormous that he was simply 50-70 years ahead of his time...to combatsuch a hurricane on the board was simply impossible. } 26. Bxe3 Bf5+ 27. Rd3 { Or 27.Bd3 Qc4+! } 27... Qc4+ 28. Kd2 Qa2+ 29. Kd1 Qb1+ { White resigns 0-1 } 0-1
[Event "202nd GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2022.04.11"] [Round "-"] [White "paulgambles"] [Black "ram4384"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1889"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2050"] 1. e4 { 17.Qg3Nc6 18.Nc7+Ke7 19.Qd6+Kf6 20.Ne8# 17.Qg3Nxc4 18.Nc7+Ke7 19.Nxa8Qb5 20.Qc7+Ke8 21.Qd8# 17.Qg3Nxc4 18.Nc7+Ke719.Nxa8Qxb2 20.Bxc5+ 17.Qg3Bd6 18.Rxd6Qxd6 19.Nxd6+Ke7 20.Qxe5 Is there a quicker win in this version: 17.Qg3Ng6 18.Bxg6fxg6 19.Qxg6+Ke7 20.Rd6Qxd6 21.Nxd6Kxd6 22.Bf4+Ke7 23.Rd1Bd7 24.Bd6+Kd8 25.Bxf8Rxf8 26.Qxe6Kc8 27.Qxd7+Kb8 28.Qd6+Ka7 29.Qxc5+Kb8 But the black response with the biggest range of choices for white isf6 } 1... c5 { I have always had a good record against Sicilians of all stripesalthough it's always a battle } 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O h6 { Gameknot's post match analysis cites this as an naccuracy: After this bit gives white as + 1.08 as follows: 6 ... h6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Be4Nb6 9. Bf4 g5 10. Bg3 Bg7 11. Bf3 Nc4 12. Qe2 Nxb2 13. c3 Na4 14. Qc2 Nb615. Nd2 Nc6 16. Nxc6 dxc6 17. Bh5 O-O 18. Rab1 Nd7 19. f4 gxf4 20. Rxf4Instead, it suggests as best at white +0.45 6.... d6 7. c4 Nbd7 8. Nc3 b69. f4 Bb7 10. f5 e5 11. Nc2 Be7 12. Be3 O-O 13. Nb4 Nc5 14. Nbd5 Bxd5 15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16. cxd5 Bg5 17. Bf2 Rc8 18. a3 a5 19. Bc2 } 7. e5 Nd5 8. Re1 { Gameknot post match analysis had suggested that Hester for white (+ 1.08)was 8. Be4 Nb6 9. Bf4 g5 10. Bg3 Bg7 11. Bf3 Nc4 12. Qe2 Nxb2 13. c3 Na414. Qc2 Nb6 15. Nd2 Nc6 16. Nxc6 dxc6 17. Bh5 O-O 18. Rab1 Nd7 19. f4 gxf420. Rxf4 It scores 8. Re1 Nc6 as +1.09 so maybe not much to choose & whiteeventually plays Be4 on move 11 } 8... Nc6 { 8....Nc6 is probably best but notmuch to choose between that and 8....Nb4 or 8....Qb6 if 8....Nb4 then 9.Bf1N4c6, 10.Bf4 and white retains a small advantage if 8....Qb6 then 9.Nf3d6, 10.Be4 and white retains a small advantage } 9. Nxc6 dxc6 10. c4 Nb4 11. Be4 a5 { I think that 11......Qxd1 first (i.e. before a5) was slightlybetter - still some advantage to white but more even than the line playede.g. 12.Rxd1 a5 13.Nc3 Na6 14.g3 Nc5 15.Be3 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 (looking atboth d6 and f6 and keeping black's light squared bishop more like a pawn)- with black's resticted development, the d-file is useful to white butmaybe even more so with queens still on the board } 12. Qf3 { I did justwonder about 12.Qxd8+ With queens off not being able to castle wouldn'tusually be an issue but could white have tied up black's development evenmore with the king in the middle? That said, black just seems to be gettingin a tangle now, why relieve the pain? If for instance 12.....a4(thematicallyconsistent with having played a5 but any queenside threat from balck atthis stage is just barking into the wind while underdeveloped and kingpotentially vulnerable) then 13 Be3 leaves white a small advantage- Blackis cramped, underdeveloped, white can be first to use the d-file, lookslike black HAS to castle into a white K-side expansion or else try to findsome safety like Kf8 but needs to be careful to avoid being a sitting duck White needs to play Nc3 and R(probably a) d1 to complete development andthen begin the press with Qg3, f4, Rd6 which are all thematic eg 13.Be3Ra5 14.Qg3g6 15.a3Na6 16.Nc3Qc7 17.Rad1Nc5 18.Bc2Bg7 19.f4O-O20.Rd6 d6 square looks important strategically - should white look toposition rook or knight or rook there - in event that black does the exchangeon e4, then white posting N on d6 looks like a dagger in black's territorialheart- 13.Be3Qc7 14.a3Na6 15.Nc3Nc5 16.Rad1Nxe4 17.Nxe4Be7 18.Qg3Kf8 19.Nd6 The decision for white is whether to try to keep the lightsquare bishop exerting pressure on b1-h7 diagonal Or whetehr to let blacklose more tempi exchanging with Nxe4, Nxe4 and then really squeeze blackin a closed position - my preference at this stage is the latter but eitherone can be good maybe black should play 12.....Qc7 I quite like an immediateQg3 12.Qf3Qc7 13.Qg3g6 14.Nc3Bg7 15.f4Qb6+ 16.Be3c5 17.a3butneed to look at this line some more remember, withn Sicilian, if blackweathers the storm, black tends to fight back.... } 12... Qc7 13. Nc3 { Thinkingsome more, I'll play Nc3 first for various reasons but partly hoping totrick into Qxe5 (Bxc6 leaves white with queen for rook + knight but maraudingeverywhere) although I don't think he'll play that if he plays Na6 thenI use the temp gained to play Be3 (he can no longer play Qxe5 because Bxa6Rxa6, Bxc6+ is game over } 13... c5 { I don't think 13...c5 is best - it blocksthe Na6-c5 manoeuvre - question fir white now ia whether to play a3 ornot - I guess he's now thinking about Nc6 but does Qg3 Be3 start to pressurethe c5 pawn and Bxc6+ leaves a black pawn mess - also it means that f4is now lower risk for white because there's no b6-g1 diagonal threat I'mvery tempted by a3 but also Be3 (or even Qg3 and f4/ Bf4 - need to ge tit right but embarras des riches but first black hs to work out an answerto Nb5 and then the whole thematic Be3, Qg3 - also white should try tograb the d-file while I have the chance } 14. Nb5 { This looks so strong- Black can't play Qd7 bc Rd1 (maybe he can save his queen by giving uphis knight on d5 and white might have to play Nc3 before cxd5 but it looksclearly lost) Qe7 looks so bad for the same reason that blocking the darksq bishop allows Nd6+ (is there anything better than Nf7+ Nx h8? (doesthere need to be)? if Qd8 then Rd1 Qh4 and is nc7+ good enough? What ifQb8? is Rd1 and a3 winning? - can't imagine Qb8 is right... So that justleaves Qb6 I can't see anything better for white than just piling on thethe themeatic attack Rd1, Qg3 Be3/f4, f4 etc but maybe there should besome tricks to find too for black to stumble into?.... } 14... Qb6 15. Rd1 Nc6 16. Be3 Nxe5 17. Qg3 { I have no idea what black can play e.g. 17.Qg3Nc618.Nc7+ Ke7 19.Qd6+ Kf6 20.Ne8# I think if Nxc4 then Nc7+ Ke7 - needto work out what to play after that - e.g 19.Nxa8Qb5 20.Qc7+Ke8 21.Qd8# or 19.Nxa8Qxb2 20.Bxc5+ If 17....f6, then it looks like 18 Bg6+is game over (whether Black plays Ke7 or Nxg6) Unless, as is highly likley,I've missed something, this is game over... } 17... f6 { doodles 17.Qg3f6 18.Bf4Be7 19.Bxe5fxe5 20.Bg6+Kf8 21.Qf3+Bf6 22.Rd6Qxd6 23.Nxd6Ke724.Nxb7Rb8 25.Nxc5Bd7 26.Nxd7Kxd7 27.Rd1+Ke7 28.Qa3+Rb4 29.Qxa5Rb7 30.Qc5# 19.Bf4Nxg6 20.Qxg6Bd7 21.Rxd7+Kxd7 22.Rd1+Kc6 23.Qf7Rd8 24.Qxe6+ 20.Qd3e5 21.Qxc4exf4 22.Qf7# 20.Qd3Nxb2 21.Bd6+Kd7 22.Be8+Kxe8 23.Qg6+Kd7 (if Kd8 then Bc7+) 24. 19.Bf4Nxc420.Qd3Ne5 21.Nd6Bd7 22.Bxe5fxe5 23.Nf5+exf5 24.Qxd7+Kf6 25.Qxf5+Ke7 26.Rd7# 17.Qg3f6 18.Bg6+Nxg6 19.Qxg6+Ke7 20.Bf4Bd7 21.Rxd7+Kxd7 22.Qf7+Kc8 23.Rd6 17.Qg3f6 18.Bg6+Nxg6 19.Qxg6+Ke720.Bf4Bd7 21.Rxd7+Kxd7 22.Rd1+Kc6 23.Qf7Rd8 24.Qxe6+Bd6 25.Rxd6+Rxd6 26.Qxd6# 17.Qg3f6 18.Bg6+Nxg6 19.Nc7+Kf7 20.Nxa8Qc6 } 18. Bg6+ { I actually wonder if Bf4 isn't better but there are too many linesto analyse when it seems as though Bg6+ gets the job done, less elegantlybut with less possibilites Win easier/uglier lines sometimes - would bebetter if I could only focus on this game, not 3 games 18.Bg6+Nxg619.Qxg6+Ke7 20.Bf4e5 21.Bxe5Bf5 22.Bd6+Qxd6 23.Re1+Qe6 24.Qxf5Qxe1+ If 18....Ke7, then 19 Bf4 & transpose... } 18... Ke7 19. Bf4 Nf7 20. Bd6+ Nxd6 21. Rxd6
[Event "Winter Slam, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.02.11"] [Round "-"] [White "blake78613"] [Black "hariharan"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1781"] [TimeControl "?"] [WhiteElo "1820"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 { 7Nf3 is the other option. Retreating the knight to b3 allows White to advancehis kingside pawns. the downside is that White will have to castle queensideand black will get to play a queenside pawn storm. } 7... Be6 8. f3 Be7 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. g4 h6 11. O-O-O b5 12. h4 Nb6 13. Qf2 Nfd7 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 Nc4 16. Bxc4 bxc4 17. Nd2 c3 18. Nc4 { ?! better was 18 Ne4 cxb2 19 Kxb2Rc8 } 18... cxb2+ 19. Kb1 Qc8 20. Nxb2 { ?! Much better was 20 Na5 Bd8 (20...Qc7 21 Nc6 Nb8 22 Nxe7) 21 Nc6 Nb8 22 Nxd8 Qxd8 } 20... Rb8 21. Ka1 { ?! Betterwas 21 Rd3 Qb7 22 c4 Qc7 23 Rb3 O-O 24 g5 } 21... Qc3 22. Rb1 h5 { 22... Rb5 23Bd2 Qa3 24 Nc4 - } 23. Bd2 Qxc2 { Better was 23...Qc7, now White is backin the game. } 24. Rhc1 { position is equal, White has compensation for thepawn. } 24... Qg6 25. Rc7 { ?! Better was 25 Qa7!? Bxh4 26 Ba5 hxg4 27 Nc4 } 25... Nc5 { Now Black is back in command. If 25 ... hxg4? 26 Rxd7 Bxh4 27 Qa7 - } 26. Rg1 Qc2 { ?? Black tries to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Better was 26 ... Rxb2 27 Rxc5 Ra2 28 Kxa2 dxc5- } 27. Be3 { ?? Whiteresponds with a counter-mistake. Better was 27 Rxe7 ! Kf8 (of course not27...Kxe7? 28 Bg5 ck wins the black queen) 28 Rb1 Nb3 29 axb3 Qxb3 30Qe3 Kxe7 31 Qxb3 Rxb3 32 Nc4. } 27... Nb3+ 28. axb3 Qxc7 { game is over, Whitemakes a few more desperate moves before resigning. } 29. gxh5 Bf6 30. h6 Qa5+ 31. Kb1 gxh6 32. Bxh6 Qxd5 0-1
[Event "- WtW Challenge - Zombies Afoot"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.01.05"] [Round "-"] [White "russ20124"] [Black "brigadecommander"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2309"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1409"] 1. e4 { Another Walking the Walk game: Russ20124 (me) playing White vs.Brigadecommander playing Black White opens with a not so surprising ororiginal King's pawn. I really enjoyed playing this game. Always fun tobe beat up really badly. Please have fun reading this and comment if you'dlike... I've tried to add a little humor to a fairly one-sided game. Enjoy! } 1... e6 { seems like a decent opening, expecting d5 next. } 2. Be2 { Now for somereason, I always want to surprise BC when I play her. Trying somethingdifferent she hasn't already seen. My reasoning (flawed as it is) is thatperhaps I can lull her into a sense of over confidence... perhaps enticingher to make some silly move I can capitalize on. Yea. The problem is,if she hasn't seen much of it, I've probably seen none of it. Brilliant. In reality, the move I make typically is the silly one and almost alwaysgets me in more trouble faster than I anticipated. Such is this game -and the previous game (let's just call them practice for this game) - whichI did not annotate because of how embarrassing (one 26 moves, the other9). The Be2 move above is one I am quite proud of. In fact, with a +0.31computer calculated advantage, this turns out to be the peak of my game.While annotating this game, I was so thrilled with my performance thusfar, I took a picture of it with my iPhone for future reference. Baskingin the glory of the bishop opening move. Take that BC! } 2... d5 { A challengeat the center! Someone else might have folder right here, but I had a +0.31advantage, what's there to fear? } 3. exd5 { This will show black. I stillhave a +0.19 advantage, how can I lose? } 3... exd5 { now I have nothing in thecenter, but her king is exposed. I don't think I've been here before. Withnothing else to go on, black has a pawn in the center and white doesn't..not good for white. } 4. Bf3 { In hindsight, I'm not sure what I was thinking.I think maybe I was trying to threaten the pawn, but already broke oneof the opening rules of moving the same piece twice. Sure wish I developeda bit more first. } 4... Nf6 { Which black does } 5. b3 { and then I think of abrilliant plan to try a flank opening. a little late for that, but whatthe heck. I've always found it extremely helpful to change your strategyin mid opening. That's always worked really well. Moving Nc3 would'vehad her chasing my knight around, so probably should have moved Ne2 forcastle preparation. Computer agrees, but even then I'm still only -0.99,i still have a really good chance :) ...oh, how things have changed inthe last few moves. } 5... Nc6 { another nice developing move. } 6. Bb2 { there'sthe flank opening. I do like to position my bishops down the diagonalsin the openings. } 6... Bd6 { look at the difference in development. White reallyhas very little center control and black's knights are really well positioned.In addition, white is a move behind in castling. The bishop double movein the opening caught up with me. At this point, I'm hoping a surprisecomet enters the solar system headed to earth. Short of a timeout froma cosmic event, there's really no way I'm winning this game. I relax myprevious stretch goal of winning and set my sites on my new 'don't losein 9 moves again' goal. } 7. d4 { the flank thing actually worked a littlebit. If only that g knight wasn't in my way I could castle. } 7... O-O { the blackknight was not in her way. Black is all setup and ready for action. I betterprepare. } 8. Ne2 { better late than never. } 8... Ng4 { I didn't see that coming,not sure why. If I castle now, I lose. I mean, let me rephrase. If I castlenow, I lose a lot faster. what to do, what to do. } 9. Qd2 { I thoughtmaybe I could get ready to castle long. } 9... Re8 { eek! Where'd he come from!?! } 10. Nc3 { mentally screaming 'there's no place like c1, there's no placelike c1' } 10... Qh4 { the queen is free.. my time is near. } 11. g3 { but my pawnstill has some teeth. } 11... Qf6 { the unprotected bishop. At this point, I'vegot a sinking feel I may not be castling at all. } 12. Bxg4 { so I removethe pesky knight. } 12... Bxg4 { at least I can castle now! and my pawn is advanceda bit, maybe there's something I can do here. } 13. O-O-O { that looks deceivinglysafe. } 13... Bb4 { don't like the white queen lined up white the bishop like that. } 14. Qf4 { my thought is that maybe I can remove one of black's threats fromthe board. So I fork the c pawn and the queen. } 14... Bxe2 { she didn't bite,but instead threatens the rook.. well two can play that game little missy. } 15. Nxd5 { ...except now two pieces are in jeopardy instead of just one. } 15... Qxf4+ { losing the rook no matter what, so maybe I'll pick up one of black'srooks in a fork. } 16. gxf4 { I will regret that later. } 16... Bxd1 { goodbye rook. } 17. Nxc7 { forked the rook after all. small achievable goals is what I prefer. } 17... Bf3 { now I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, if the stars align I could getto 30 moves. } 18. Rg1 Bd6 { look at those bishops... nice. } 19. Nxa8 { haveto look at the positive side of things, at least the black rook won't beon the e file anymore. } 19... Bxf4+ { except not. } 20. Kb1 Bxh2 21. Rc1 { hunkereddown like those people in the house in that movie 'Night of the LivingDead'. You know you're going to get eaten by zombies, just want to livea little longer. } 21... h5 { for some reason, which I do not yet see, she doesn'ttake my knight. Perhaps she feels pity upon it. Perhaps she realizes itposes no threat. Perhaps she got something in her eye and didn't see it. } 22. Nc7 { ha, move that rook! (small victories, I'll take 'em) } 22... Bxc7 { Oh,that's why she didn't take my knight. } 23. a3 { I have no better move Icould think of. Zombies are tearing the roof off the shack. } 23... h4 { yea, Idon't really think that's going to be an issue. } 24. d5 { because I havea pawn! yea.. that just happened! woohoo. } 24... Bxd5 { not much left now... Ican hear the zombies groaning. } 25. Rg1 { I decide to rush out into theopen, arms flailing and crush my opponent with my superior rook skills. } 25... h3 { yea, that's pretty close. <gulp> } 26. Rxg7+ { take that! } 26... Kf8 { greatmove.. I mean black really dodged a bullet there. } 27. Rh7 { [move madewith guttural laughter] take that! } 27... h2 { and I shall throw myself into thezombie hoard so that my king will not be eaten immediately. } 28. Rxh2 { waitfor it... } 28... Bxh2 { tasty rook. } 29. Kc1 { now I'm thinking maybe the kingneeds to pull up his sleeves and get to work. He has been somewhat quiet.It's clear I'm achieving my 30 move stretch goal, so I have nothing tolose now. } 29... Bf4+ { the end is near. } 30. Kb1 Re1+ { that rook is really notwelcome back here... please move. } 31. Ka2 { safe for a moment. } 31... Re2 { verypleasantly moves off the back rank per my request, how nice. } 32. Kb1 { maybeI can hypnotize her into a draw. Maybe she won't notice if we go back andforth three times. } 32... Be4 33. Ka2 { yes, maybe I can hypnotize her... justtwice more. } 33... Rxc2 { ummm, no. } 34. a4 { pawn chickens out and makes a runfor it. } 34... Be5 { zombies are in the house. } 35. f4 { what the heck, let's seeif I can make 40 moves. } 35... Bxb2 { nope. } 36. Kb1 { closing in } 36... Nb4 { closingin. } 37. a5 { pawn chickened out and made a run for it. } 37... Rd2# { the kingdies alone. } 0-1
[Event "88th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.12.21"] [Round "-"] [White "elwoos"] [Black "kalaan"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1704"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1529"] 1. c4 { Definitely not one of my best games, I would appreciate any thoughtson where I may have done better } 1... e5 { I've been experimenting with the Englishopening recently and decided to have a go with that } 2. g3 Nc6 3. Nc3 f5 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. e3 { This seems a bit passive but it was to give my g1 knightsomewhere to go to, I didn't like the idea of Nf3,e4 and from e2 it couldsupport e4 } 5... g6 6. Nge2 Bg7 7. d4 d6 8. Nd5 O-O 9. O-O Nxd5 10. Bxd5+ Kh8 11. Rb1 Ne7 { Chasing away the bishop which could get annoying if allowedto stay there. } 12. Bg2 c6 13. b4 g5 { This seemed a little risky to mebut as my opponent was around 200 points north of my rating I guess hefelt he didn't have to worry too much } 14. Bb2 f4 15. dxe5 f3 16. exd6 fxe2 17. Bxg7+ { What I was trying to do here was to get the black kinga bit more exposed. } 17... Kxg7 18. Qd4+ Kg8 19. Rfe1 Nf5 20. Qc3 Qxd6 21. Rxe2 Qf6 22. Qc2 { I decided not to exchange but I'm still not sure it was theright decision } 22... Be6 23. Rd2 Rad8 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. a4 Nd6 26. c5 Nc4 27. Qc1 { preventing the fork on a3 } 27... Nd2 28. Rb2 { pretty much forced due tothe fork threat on b3 } 28... Nf3+ 29. Kh1 { I didn't like the look of Kf1 wasthis a mistake? } 29... Ne1 30. Rd2 { Looking to reduce blacks attacking forcebefore its too late. } 30... Nxg2 31. Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. Kxg2 Qd5+ 33. Kf1 { The finalblunder, probably f3 was better } 33... Qh1+ { Time for me to resign. Please comment. } 0-1
[Event "Tournament Game, Vienna, 1910"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Richard Reti"] [Black "Savielly Tartakower"] [Result "1-0"] { This game, despite being exactly one century old, has stood the test oftime. Reti's attack is brilliant, and Tartakower's defense lacking. } 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 { Normally this defense produces solid positions and slow,drawn-out positional battles... but not this time. } 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 { Tartakower follows the original methods of Horatio Caro and MarcusKann. A popular move today is 4...N-Q2, to be followed up by N(1)-B3 soas to recapture with the QN if White exchanges on KB6. } 5. Qd3 { Reti declareshis willingness to attack. } 5... e5 { Tartakower ripostes with a center thrust. } 6. dxe5 { Reti accepts the challenge. } 6... Qa5+ 7. Bd2 Qxe5 { Tartakower regainsthe Pawn and centralizes his Queen. He next needs to get his King to safety. } 8. O-O-O { Offering the Knight as bait. } 8... Nxe4 { Tartakower grabs thoughtlessly.8...B-K2 would have guarded the entry square on Q8 and prepared for K-sidecastling. Now Reti has a forced mate. } 9. Qd8+ { He begins with a Queensacrifice. } 9... Kxd8 10. Bg5+ { Reti continues with a double check. } 10... Kc7 { Tartakoweris doomed either way. If 10...K-K1, Reti plays 11 R-Q8 mate. } 11. Bd8# { Instead, he mates with the Bishop. Fine attacking play. } 1-0
[Event "A Dutch tragedy"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Evan"] [Black "Sam"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [TimeControl "2h / 40 moves + 1h / mate"] { An action packed Dutch Defense I played in my first tournament. } 1. d4 f5 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Qc2 { White deviatesfrom standard play here. I think there is nothing wrong with placing thequeen on c2 but it is quiet and leaves the initiative to black. } 7... Qe8 { Improvingthe queen, she can now support queenside expansion, or she can slip tof7 to pressure the f-file. It also prevents potential pins with the rookby a knight on e6 or with the knight on f6 if the e-pawn is pushed. } 8. O-O { Probably had to get that move in anyhow } 8... c6 { copying white's positionalplay style, blocking the long diagonal from the white bishop and protectsthe important d5 square } 9. Nh4 { White wants to initiate action, probablyplanning an advance to e4 with ...fxe4, Nxe4 Nxe4, Bxe4 with now the bishopand the queen in line on the b1-h7 diagonal with the knight ready to besacrified on g6 } 9... Qf7 { Delays black's intentions because he has to coverthe c4 pawn before advancing to e4 } 10. b3 Na6 { Here, if White doesn'tprevent Nb4, his queen has to leave the second rank, and this is bad becausehis exchanges on e4 will let the black light squared bishop go to h3 attackingthe rook, and if the rook moves the queen takes on f2 (note that the e2and the f5 pawns are out) } 11. a3 Nc7 { Now black has full control on d5and needs only a d6-d5 to cross out white's plan of e2-e4 } 12. Bb2 { Whitemakes good judgement as his dark long diagonal was very weak but now blackhas the full initiative } 12... d5 { cutting short any hope of getting e4 in } 13. c5 { what else? } 13... Ng4 { Black's counter attack; preparing e5. ...Nd7 herewould have reduced options and let black defend d4. 14. h3 is not reallya threat as we will see because the knight has an excellent sacrifyingoption } 14. h3 Nxf2 { as promised } 15. Kxf2 { Taking with the rook wouldhave been better; white would be left with slight material disadvantagebut in a safe position and a spot for the second rook on f1, now the kingis out open } 15... Bxd4+ 16. e3 Bxc5 { already full compensation for the knightplus an excellent position for the bishop } 17. Nf3 { Maybe b4 would havecomplicated matters a little for black } 17... f4 { opening the f-file for a massiveattack } 18. gxf4 Qxf4 19. Qe2 Bxh3 { working about pieces pinned all aroundthe king, so that the black rook can capture the white knight without beingcaptured by the white bishop } 20. Bxh3 Qh2+ 21. Bg2 { Retains the bishop,but allows black a deadly continuation white shouldn't be able to recoverfrom.. } 21... Rxf3+ 22. Kxf3 Rf8+ 23. Kg4 h5+ 24. Kg5 Qg3+ 25. Kh6 Bxe3+ { ...eventually winning the queen. } 26. Qxe3 Qxe3+ { Now white has little reasonto keep on playing except to wait for an error from black } 27. Kxg6 Qg3+ 28. Kxh5 Qxg2 { ??? with just a little more effort, 28. ... Qh2 29. Kg4Qxg2 and the rest was history. Now the queen is lost with 29. Rg1 } 29. Rg1 Rf5+ 30. Kh6 { Here black drew. However the continuation that followsoffered him an excellent position against white } 30... Rg5 31. Rxg2 Rxg2 { Allwhite's moves to protect the bishop are ugly: Nd1 shuts the rook, so doesBc1, Na4 gets removed by ...b5, Ra2 and Rb1 are not much better. Plus,black has two passed pawns. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "'2019 Riga Grand Prix - Game 1'"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] { Unlike other games, GM Susan Polgar didn't the entire, but she showedthe game. And, Susan explained what was going on afterwards, which I'lluse for the intro. So, she said, 'The FIDE Grand Prix is taking placein Latvia from July 12th to 24th with 16 player knockout. The Riga GrandPrix is a knock-out (or single-elimination) event. It’s a format wherethe loser of each match is immediately eliminated from the tournament,and the winner will play another winner in the next round, until the finalmatch, whose hero becomes the Grand Prix Champion. There will be four roundsin the Grand Prix. Each consists of two games with the classical time control100’ for 40 moves (50’/20+15’) and 30 seconds per move. In case of a tie,there is a tie-breaks round, consisting of two games with 25 minutes and10 seconds per move for each player. If the score is still tied, thereare two games with 10 minutes and 10 seconds per month for each player.If it’s still a tie, it’s followed by 2 blitz games of 5 minutes and 3seconds per move. If the score is tied, then there is an Armageddon game.The tournament has a prize fund of €130,000. Also, prizes for overall standingsin the Series are €280,000, making the total prize fund of the Series €800,000.' I also ran through this game, and similar to tournament game that reversionhad me annotate with the Traxler Defense, it appears that no one made amistake or inaccuracy. And, yet, white outplayed black here. However,if Susan showed it, then it's important for learning, and she showed herviewers the second game. When time allows, I'll annotate it, as well. } 1. d4 { At the time, I thought that this was the second most common openingsince 1.e4 seemed to be the most. Well, I was partly right, but 1.e4 and1.d4 are a tie for the most popular openings, then something else, I guessthe English Opening is the second most common. } 1... Nf6 { I would've played2...d5, but I like this move just as well since it develops. } 2. c4 { Ofcourse, this is a very good and natural move since it advances the c pawn,which now makes it safe for white to play 3.Nc3 without blocking the pawn. And, in fact, that's why Shakhriyar played it since he'll bring the Nb1after Maxime finachetto's. } 2... g6 3. Nc3 d5 { I would've played this earlier,so right on the second move. As now, Shakhriyar will be able to exchange. And, I think that this exchange favors him, as well. } 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 { This is why. And, I'm not surprised to see Maxime exchange N's. Personally,I would not here, but instead, would answer with 5...Nb6 as I don't seea reason to do it. But, I know that there's got to be one. I'm not surewhat level they are, but even if it's not GM level, they're both, at least,experts. } 5... Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Qa4+ { I was not surprised to see Shakhriyarthrow in a check. But, I would've tried to punish it with 7...Bd7 But,seeing that Maxime doesn't play it, I know that it wouldn't have been agreat move since black offers a Q exchange. I'd see why he wants to doit as white's Q is more active. } 7... Qd7 8. Qa3 { Having said that, Shakhriyarrefuses. } 8... b6 { And, Maxime does something that I wouldn't have done whichis a double fianchetto. I also see why ION doesn't do this, and combinewith what Ken said, and I'm not surprised that black lost this game. Thatdoesn't mean that this was a mistake or inaccuracy, but rather, I don'tlike this move. And, I believe that this is where black's game startsto fall apart, but it's impossible to say it for certain. Afterall, giventhat they're strong players, what I know is that they see things that othersdon't see. } 9. Nf3 { And, with that Shakhriyar continues developing as doesMaxime by completing his fianchetto. In the aftermatch, both sides arenow bound to castle after 10.Bd3. } 9... Bb7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O c5 { Goingfor a pawn exchange, but Shakhriyar has other ideas first and completeshis development before that happens. } 12. Bf4 cxd4 13. cxd4 Nc6 { And, withthat, Maxime also completes his development, once and for all. } 14. d5 { And, Shakhriyar wastes no time in going on the offense. } 14... Na5 15. Rac1 { Threatens to attack the Q, but I would've played 15.Bd2 which appearsto win a pawn 16.Bxa5 bxa5 17.Qxa5 From that, I figured that there's somethingabout 17.Qxa5 which won't be good. I'm not sure what it is, but it's importantto be careful with that kind of thing, as recently, Carlsen showed a gamewhere his opponent had a win. But, he got greedy and grabbed a piece whichallowed Carlsen to stalemate his opponent. } 15... Rfc8 { Having said that, I would'vebrought a R over, but I'd use the other R because 15...Rac8 would've allowedblack to centralize one of his R's. } 16. h3 { I don't see the point behindthis move because it's not possible for Maxime to play ...Ng4 or ...Bg4. In addition, ...Qg4 doesn't pose as an immediate threat. I know thatit eventually would, but I would've played 16.e5 to allow 17.Bg5 withoutthen getting attacked since e7 would be attacked a second time. } 16... e6 { Onthe other hand, this is also what I would've played as black since Maximedoesn't like where Shakhriyar's pawn is placed. I'd think the same wayhere since I have done damage in a similar position in one or two tournamentgames. } 17. d6 { And, with that, I also would've played this, as now Sharkhriarnow has a passed pawn. } 17... f6 { Maxime responds by trying to put pressure onwhite since this now threatens 18...e5 which is the real he played this. But, Shakriyar will have none of that, and neither would I. } 18. e5 { Asthis is also what I would've played. But, Maxime was ready and goes intoa variation of exchanges. } 18... Bxf3 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. gxf3 e5 { I'm not surprisedto see Maxime become aggressive. } 21. Bd2 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rc8 { Maxime enjoysexchanges, but seeing that Shakhriyar does this rather then retreat tosomewhere like f1, it's safe to say that this benefits white. } 23. Rxc8+ Qxc8 24. Kg2 { I don't see where the K would be useful until the endgame. But, this is the late middle game. So, there's got to something aboutthe monarchs that I'm missing as Maxime will bring his out in a coupleof moves. } 24... Bd8 { I'm not sure why it was necessary to retreat since theB didn't seem to be attacked. I would've gone after white's pawn witheither 24...Qd7 or 24...Qc6. } 25. Be4 { I'm not sure why Shakhriyar movedhis B here. I would've played 25.Bb5 as it threatens 26.d7 My idea ofa good time would be to do something powerful with my passed pawn. Infact, that's why after watching Sasha's game against Joann where, in theend, Sasha sacked R for B, I did something similar for the same reasonand it was giving up my R against Tom Walsh. In doing so, the pawn wasgoing to promote which Joann resigned, and I promoted the same way. Notlong after, Tom resigned. } 25... Qe6 { And, with that, I'm not surprised thatMaxime is attempting to stop Shakriyar's passer, but white's got an answerto that with his next move. } 26. Qd3 Kg7 { As noted a couple of moves back,Maxime brings his K into the action. } 27. Bc3 { And, Shakhriyar goes rightafter e5. } 27... Qf6 { And, Maxime protects with his Q. I would've used the B,as I like the placement of the B after 27...Bf6 But, given that blackdidn't play it there's something about it that doesn't work. Either way,while it's not obvious since material is even black is lost. Well, I knowthat just because, material wise, something's level, doesn't mean thatit's even. And, that's the case here. That, however, gives me the impressionthat no one made any mistakes. } 28. Kf1 { Maxime, however, resigned here. I'm not sure exactly, but I, originally, thought that it was because whitecan win a pawn starting with 29.Qd5 But, given that Shakriyar played 28.Kf1makes there's a reason that more powerful. And, with that white outplayedblack, nonetheless. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Aug-07"] [Round "-"] [White "tkelly910"] [Black "topazg"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1538"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1528"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 e6 3. a3 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bc4 a6 { Aiming to support b5and c4, squeezing the Queenside with black pawns. I expected white to playa4 here, thus losing a tempo to hold onto the territory on that side. } 6. O-O b5 7. Be2 c4 8. b4 { Hoping for cxb3(e.p.) perhaps? } 8... Be7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Ne5 Bb7 11. Bf3 Qc7 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. d5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 exd5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Qxd5 Rad8 17. Bb2 { The game now looks very even. It is hard tosee how to move on here, and the d7 pawn looks likely to remain weak asit cannot get ahead of the c4 pawn. } 17... Qc6 { Hoping to swap Queens and openthe d file and lessen the weakness of the d7 pawn (it allows c5 and theexchange of pawns) } 18. Qe5 { Oops... } 18... Bf6 19. Qf4 Bxb2 20. Ra2 Qf6 21. Qxf6 Bxf6 { Consolidating the position, and maintaining the advantage. D7pawn is still weak, but this is no longer concerning. } 22. f4 { Giving meRe8 and maintaining the initiative - I think this was to support a kingsidepawn rush starting with g4, but it seems unsupported. } 22... Rfe8 23. Rf3 g6 { Helping against the risk of g4 / g5. I really need to keep the bishopon the long diagonal as it has incapacitated the white rook and white cannotplay c3 to free the rook either. Perhaps white needs a4 for counter playopportunities. } 24. g4 Re4 { Trying to increase the pressure on the e3 pawn.I was looking at Bc3 -> Bd2, but held off as Ra2 is tied up and c3 is notpossible whilst the bishop can capture it. } 25. g5 Bc3 26. Kf2 Rde8 { Nowthe pawn cannot survive if black gets Bd2 -- Ke2 is the logical defence. } 27. h4 Bd2 28. c3 Bxc3 { Taking the free pawn. c4 is now a fully passedpawn, and has become very powerful. } 29. Rc2 Bg7 30. Rh3 d5 { Hoping topush through in the middle. } 31. Rc3 { Oops... dropping the rook. } 31... Bxc3 32. Rf3 Bb2 33. h5 Bxa3 34. hxg6 hxg6 { Material swapping is now in blacksfavour. After Bxb4 the game is safe. } 35. Rh3 Bxb4 36. Rh8+ Kxh8 37. Kf3 Rxe3+ 38. Kg4 Be1 39. f5 Rg3+ 40. Kf4 Re4# { Game annotation for team benefit-- }
[Event "Game Number 14 - 62nd GK tournament Round 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.10.20"] [Round "-"] [White "moondust"] [Black "freddz123"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1753"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1795"] { In a moment of madness, whilst I had as many games started as I couldhandle I decided to sign-up to the 'Expert' section of the GK tournament. Expert, ha. Regardless, I began with hopes of reaching the second roundand was pleasantly surprised when every member of my group was rated between1700 and 1800, an even match up. At the start of the tournament, thisplayer was the one with the highest rating so I was looking forward toa challenging game. } 1. e4 { Opens up with the standard king's pawn. Fromhere there are a lot of options, avoiding many of the slow build-ups thatother opening moves favour. } 1... c5 { The Sicilian, my only response to e4. I feel a direct challenge to the centre gives White too much advantage,whereas the unbalanced nature of c5 allows Black to attempt to force someof the moves to go his way. } 2. f4 { I've always felt that f4 should notbe played until after Nc3, due to the possibility of Black playing d5. This time, I decided not to play the d5 Pawn, and instead. . . } 2... Nc6 { Developedmy Knight. } 3. Nc3 { I believe this is the Sicilian Grand Prix attack. } 3... g6 { Rather than a direct challenge at the centre, I begin to look at afianchetto to attempt to gain some control. } 4. Bc4 { Attacks my weak f7Pawn and takes more control over the centre. } 4... Bg7 5. Nf3 e6 6. O-O Nge7 7. h4 { I question the soundness of this move. I'd have moved e5 personally,since I believe h4 was the beginning of me gaining a lead in this match. It weakens the King's defence considerably. } 7... d5 { Never one to look atgift horse in the mouth, I capitalise on his mistake by gaining some controlof the centre and planning my attack on the White King. } 8. exd5 { AlthoughI hoped he would fall for this and take the Pawn, I hadn't thought thathe would. I had expected the Bishop to retreat to e2 instead. } 8... exd5 { Obvious,now White must cede control over part of the centre. } 9. Be2 { Too late. } 9... O-O 10. d3 Nf5 { Was looking at getting rid of the h-Pawn and threateningthe Rook, something like 11.h5 Ng3 12.hxg6 fxg6 13.Rf2. Or I could'veignored the Pawn and gone through with something like 11.h5 Ng3 12.hxg6Nxf113.gxh7+ Kxh7 14.Bxf1. Wasn't sure which line I preferred yet, butWhite had other ideas anyway. } 11. h5 Ng3 12. Re1 { Saving his Rook. } 12... Nxh5 { I decide to get the Pawn out of the way before it can cause any problemsto my King's defence. } 13. Bf1 { Again, I question this move. I see whathe was looking at, gaining the open e-file for his Queen, but it basicallyallowed me to pin his Knight. I'd have looked at 13.Ne5 Nxf4 14.Bxf4 Nxe515.Bf3 Nxf3+ 16.Qxf3 Bd4+. Not much better, but I think White was runningout of options by now. } 13... Bg4 { Expected pin. } 14. Qd2 { I think we can safelycall this move a blunder. 14...Bxf3 15.Qf2 Bg4 16.Nd1 Bxd1 17.Rxd1 andWhite is in some serious trouble. I can't see a winning move for White,but how about Ne2? Removes the pin, but after 14...Bxf3 15.gxf3 Nd4 16.Bg2Nxe2+ 17.Qxe2 Bd4+ it's not a great deal better. } 14... Bxf3 15. gxf3 { I thinkQf2 was slightly better as posted above. gxf3 allows me to swoop in forthe kill all too quickly. } 15... Bd4+ 16. Kh2 { Blunder number 2 from White, thisone is fatal as it moves him into mate - 16...Qh4+ 17.Bh3 Qg3+ 18.Kh1 Qxh3+19.Qh2 Ng3#. Again, can't really see a saving move for White, but maybe16.Re3? With 16...Bxe3+ 17.Qxe3 d4 18.Qf2 dxc3 19.bxc3 Qf6 20.f5 Qxf5to follow? } 16... Qh4+ 17. Kg2 { And White admits defeat. Fun game and a positivestart to my first chess tournament :o) } 0-1
[Event "Complicated Endgame Study No. 5"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "queen-knight"] [Black "queen"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "9"] [WhiteElo "12"] { In this endgame study I'm showing a rare ending involving a queen andknight vs. a queen. This is usually a draw since a knight usually isn'ta significant attacker on a wide open board with queens. If the attacker'spieces are placed sufficiently close to the enemy king, and the attackerhas the tempo, then sometimes there is an in-depth tactic to mate or winthe queen. This endgame study will demonstrate that, and it will also helpyou better in calculating attacks. } 1. e4 f5 2. Ke2 fxe4 3. Ke3 e5 4. Kxe4 Qh4+ 5. Kxe5 Qxh2+ 6. Kd5 Qxh1 7. Qh5+ Qxh5+ 8. Kc4 Qd1 9. d4 Qxc1 10. d5 Qxf1+ 11. Kd4 Qxb1 12. d6 Qxa1 13. dxc7 Qxa2 14. cxb8=Q Bc5+ 15. Kxc5 Qxb2 16. Qxa8 d5 17. Kxd5 Qxc2 18. Qxb7 Qxf2 19. Qxc8+ Kf7 20. Qd7+ Kf8 21. Qxg7+ Ke8 22. Qxg8+ Kd7 23. Qxh7+ Ke8 24. Qxh8+ Ke7 25. Qh7+ Kf8 26. Qxa7 Qxg2+ 27. Ke5 Qg6 28. Nf3 Qh6 29. Nh4 Qg6 30. Nf5 Qh7 31. Qb7 Qg6 32. Ke4 Qf6 33. Qd7 Qg6 { Now, it would be very rare for this endgame tooccur in a real game, but it's possible that this position and similarones could pop up in some games, maybe after a series of mass exchanges.It's White's move here and there is one move that obtains the win. Seeinghow White wins this ending should open your mind to deep attacking ideasbecause of the complexity of this study. } 34. Qe7+ { White has to keep thepressure on the king. Tempo and activity are the most important thing inendings regarding major pieces. If White doesn't check Black, then Blackhas the tempo and can draw with perpetual check. The only other checksallow Black to trade queens, which is a dead draw. } 34... Kg8 { White's illusorythreat of Qg7# isn't much, but White's next zugswang tactic exploits thatidea, forcing the queen to stay on the g-file to defend that threat. } 35. Ke5 { White has hidden his king from queen checks, and Black is in zugswang.Black must move his queen to a safe square on the g-file to maintain thedefense of the mate threat. If Black tries 35...Kh8, then 36.Qh4 Qh7 (Kg8Ne7 ) 37.Qd8 Qg8 38.Qf6 Kh7 39.Qh6# } 35... Qg2 { If Black plays Qg1, then Whitehas an in-depth tactic to exploit the far placed queen 35...Qg1 36.Qe6 now if Black tries Kh7 or Kh8, then 37.Qh6 Kg8 38.Ne7 Kf7 39.Qe6 whereBlack gets his queen skewered after 39...Kg7 40.Qg8 , Black gets matedafter 39...Ke8 40.Nd5 Kf8 (Kd8 Qd7 Kc8 Qc7#) 41.Qe7 Kg8 42.Nf6 Kh8 43.Qh7#,and Black also loses after 35...Qg1 36.Qe6 Kh 37.Qh6 Kg8 38.Ne7 Kf739.Qe6 39...Kf8 40.Ng6 Kg7 41.Qf6 and Black's queen will get skeweredon the g-file since White can force Black to the h-file, after 41...Kh6Nf8 Kh5 Qh8 Kg4 Qg8 (this won't work if Black's queen is on g2) SoBlack is totally lost in all variations if he tries 36...Kh7 or 36...Kh8. Against 36...Kf8 in that variation, 37.Qh6 and if 37...Ke8, then 38.Nd6 and White has a mating attack with the queen and knight by checking everymove. A sample mate is 37...Ke8 Nd6 Kd7 Qe6 Kc6 Qc8 Kb6 Qb7 Kc5 Qb5# 37...Kf7 also loses after Qh7 Kf8 Qh8 Qg8 (If Kf7 then Nd6 Ke7 Qe8#)Qf6 Qf7 Qd6 Ke8 Qb8 Kd7 Qb7 Ke8 Nd6 37...Kg8 also loses since Ne7 Kf7 Qe6 reaches the position discussed at the top of this analysis, soafter looking at all those variations, we can safely say that Qg1 losesin all variations, now let's look at Qg2. } 36. Qd8+ { Although Qg1 and Qg2don't seem very different, they make White win in totally different ways.The queen skewering tactic doesn't work with the queen on g2 since it isclose enough for the king to defend in that tactic. White needs to finda different way to win here, and the way will be getting the king to the6th rank to overload Black with mate threats. The king cannot get to the6th rank now because of perpetual check from Black, so White needs to maneuverthe queen to a square that will block queen checks. The square White needsto go to is c7, to stop Qc6 after Kf6. White's queen can take away Black'squeen's squares using checks to maneuver it to c7. This attacking ideawouldn't have worked with the black queen on g1, since the queen controlstoo many squares from there. White had two very different winning ideas,which were based on where Black chose to move his queen on move 35. } 36... Kh7 { Kf7 loses to Nh6 where Black gets skewered next move } 37. Qc7+ { White'squeen has gotten to the desired square using checking tempos. Black canplay Kg8 or Kh8 here, but Black's king is still cornered and White usestactics to exploit it in any case. } 37... Kg8 { If Kh8, then 38.Kf6 and play issimilar to the text. White intends to play Qe5, reaching a similar positionto move 39. If 38...Kg8 then Nh6 initiates the threat White has next move. } 38. Kf6 { The key squares controlled by the White queen are b6, c6, g3,and c2. Control of c6 prevents Qc6 Control of b6 prevents Qb2 Kg6 Qb6 Control of g3 allows Qb2 Kg6 Qg2 Ng3 where all of Black's checks areblocked, and Black cannot stop both mate threats of Qg7# and Qd8# Sincechecking White gives White the unstoppable mating threats, Black's onlymove is 38...Kh8, since White is threatening Nh6 Kh8 Nf7 Kh7 (Kg8 Qd8 Kh7 Qh8#) Ng5 and Black loses with Kh6 Qh7# or Kg8 Qh7 Kf8 Qf7# } 38... Kh8 39. Qe5 { This position is similar to one discussed a couple moves ago,but the placement of the Black queen doesn't matter since White's discoveredcheck threat defends against possible queen checks from Black. } 39... Kh7 { Blackstops the discovered check threat. Kg8 does also, but Ne7 and Black ismated next move. Black's other defensive tries also lose. If 39...Qg8then 40.Qd4 and White threatens Qh4#, while also maintaining the discoveredcheck possibility, which leads to mate since Black's queen is forced offg8, freeing f7 and g6 for the White king to assist in the mate. If 39...Qg4,then Kf7 Kh7 Qh2 If Black moves queen off g-file, then Kg6 Kg8 Qe8# If 39...Qg1, then Ng3 blocks the g-file and Black's queen can no longerstop White from doing the discovered check mating sequence. King movesfrom Black just allow a mating attack from several queen checks } 40. Qe7+ { This checking process will reach a position similar to the position beforeKh7, except that one difference will make it so that Black cannot playKh7. } 40... Kh8 { Kg8 would allow Nh6 Kh8 Nf7 where Black is mated after (Kh7Ng5 Kg8 Qe8#) or (Kg8 Qe8 Kh7 Qh8#) } 41. Qe8+ { This forces Qg8, sinceKh7 loses to Qh5 Kg8 Ne7 Kf8 Qh8# } 41... Qg8 42. Qe5 { This position is almostthe same as on move 39, except that Black's queen has been forced to g8.Since White has forced Black to block a square from his king, Kh7 (playedon move 39) is now met by Qh2# Now Black's queen must move, and dependingon where Black moves the queen, White will transpose into one of the positionsdiscussed on move 39 because of this tempo gain. } 42... Qg1 { Qf8 allows Kg6 Kg8 Nh6 and Black's only legal move is giving up the queen. Qg4 allowsKf7 Kh7 Qh2 The text move reaches one of the winning variations I discussedon move 39 about how Black loses if he doesn't play Kh7. Qg2 would reachthe exact same position after White's 39th move, except that it is White'smove because of White's tempo gain. Qg1 and Qg2 both lose to Ng3 } 43. Ng3 { If you don't remember this position from my analysis on move 39, thismove blocks the g-file and Black's queen can no longer stop White fromdoing the discovered check mating sequence. King moves from Black justallow a mating attack from several queen checks. No matter what Black doeshere, White will be able to mate in 3 moves or less. } 43... Kg8 44. Qb8+ Kh7 45. Qb7+ Kh6 46. Qg7# { Even though the chances of this endgame occurringare very slim, hopefully studying the ideas and attacking sequences havehelped you. } 1-0
[Event "Multicerrado I, La Proa"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.09.13"] [Round "-"] [White "Uria, Guillermo"] [Black "Dos Santos, Agustín"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1797"] [WhiteElo "1534"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 Re8 8. Nc3 c6 { Hasta aquí la partida es cómo la jugada entre S.Popov (2474)y V.Narancic (2362), en un torneo jugado en Subotica el 01.09.2008. Lamisma siguió: 9.Td1 Dc7 10.b3 a6 11.e4 b5 12.h3 Ab7 13.Ae3 b4 14.Ca4 c515.d5 e5 16.a3 a5 17.Ta2 Cb6 18.axb4 axb4 19.Tda1 Cxa4 20.Txa4 Txa4 21.Txa4Ta8 22.Txa8+ Axa8 23.Da2 Ab7 24.Ce1 Ac8 25.Cd3 Ce8 26.Rh2 f5 27.Da8 Rf728.exf5 gxf5 29.f4 e4 30.Cf2 h5 31.Cd1 Ad4 32.h4 Cf6 33.Ah3 Rg6 34.Ad2Db7 35.Dxb7 1/2-1/2 } 9. Bg5 { Movimiento fuera del libro } 9... h6 10. Bd2 { My watch is running 1.02 hours behind, so I have been using it for 14 minutes and 40 seconds. Dos Santos has his watch set to 0.51 hours, so he has been using it for 25 minutes and 40 seconds. } 10... e5 11. d5 Qc7 12. Rac1 Nc5 13. b3 Bf5 14. Qd1 a5 15. Nh4 { My watch indicates 0.37, so my reflection time has been 43 minutes; my opponent's watch indicates 5, so his has been 75 minutes. } 15... Bd7 16. e4 Qc8 17. f4 { IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores,con cambio de puntuación desde: +0.07 / -1.16 Alternative variation: 17.Be3cxd5 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.cxd5 b6 20.Re1 g5 21.Nf3 Qb7 22.Qc2 Rac8 23.h4 g424.Nd2 } 17... Bg4 18. Bf3 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 exf4 20. Bxf4 { My watch is now showing 25, so I have used 58 minutes and 20 seconds, while my opponent's watch is showing one minute, so they have used 83 minutes and 20 seconds. } 20... Ncxe4 { IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores,con cambio de puntuación desde: -0.96 / -0.26 Alternative variation: 20...Qd721.dxc6 bxc6 22.Rfd1 Nfxe4 23.Nxe4 Nxe4 24.Bxd6 a4 25.c5 axb3 26.Qxb3 Qa727.Nxg6 Re6 28.Ne7+ Rxe7 29.Bxe7 Qxe7 30.Qc4 Ra5 31.Rb1 Rxc5 32.Rb8+ Kh7 } 21. Bxd6 { IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores, con cambio de puntuacióndesde: -0.26 / -3.59 Alternative variation: 21.Nxe4 Nxe4 22.Bxh6 Bd4+23.Kg2 Qd7 24.Qd3 Bc5 25.Rce1 f5 26.g4 Bb4 27.Re3 Nc5 28.dxc6 bxc6 29.Qd4Ne6 30.Qf6 } 21... Nxd6 22. Ne2 { IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores, concambio de puntuación desde: -3.52 / -4.65 Alternative variation: 22.Rcd1cxd5 23.Nxd5 Qc5+ 24.Kg2 Nfe4 25.a4 Rad8 26.Rfe1 Kh7 27.Re3 Ng5 28.Qe2Rxe3 29.Qxe3 Qxe3 30.Nxe3 Re8 31.c5 Rxe3 32.cxd6 Rxb3 } 22... Qc7 { IvanHoe v73:Análisis reporta errores, con cambio de puntuación desde: -4.65 / -3.91Alternative variation: 22...cxd5 23.cxd5 Qg4 24.Rc2 Qxf3 25.Nxf3 Rac8 26.Rxc8Rxc8 27.a4 Nxd5 28.Rd1 Rc5 29.Rd3 Ne4 30.Nd2 f5 31.Nc4 Kf7 32.Kg2 g5 } 23. Ng2 { IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores, con cambio de puntuacióndesde: -3.91 / -4.68 Alternative variation: 23.dxc6 bxc6 24.Nc3 Nfe4 25.Nxe4Nxe4 26.Rfe1 Ng5 27.Qd3 a4 28.Rxe8+ Rxe8 29.Rd1 axb3 30.axb3 Qb6+ 31.Kg2Rb8 32.Rb1 Rd8 33.c5 Qc7 } 23... Nfe4 24. Rcd1 { Now I am looking to defend the King, but on the other hand I am trying to boost my pawns so that it will cost him a piece. How it will be, for a while I am playing quite well this chance. Meanwhile, he makes a couple of imprecise moves (see variations in 27 and 29 of the black) which leave me with a bit of air in my complicated position. } 24... Ng5 25. Qd3 Qb6+ 26. Kh1 Nde4 27. Nd4 Bxd4 { IvanHoe v73: Análisis reportaerrores, con cambio de puntuación desde: -5.53 / -4.93 Alternative variation:27...cxd5 28.Ne3 Qxd4 29.Qxd4 Bxd4 30.Rxd4 Nxg3+ 31.hxg3 Rxe3 32.Rxd5 Ne433.Ra1 a4 34.b4 Re8 35.Rd7 Nxg3+ 36.Kg2 Ra3 37.Rxb7 Re2+ 38.Kg1 Raxa2 39.Rxa2Rxa2 40.c5 Kf8 41.c6 Ke8 42.b5 a3 } 28. Qxd4 Qxd4 29. Rxd4 cxd5 { IvanHoev73: Análisis reporta errores, con cambio de puntuación desde: -5.57 /-4.19 Alternative variation: 29...c5 30.Rd3 Nh3 31.Ne1 Nhf2+ 32.Kg2 Nxd333.Nxd3 a4 34.Nc1 f5 35.h3 Kf7 36.g4 Kf6 37.h4 Nd6 38.gxf5 Nxf5 39.h5 axb340.axb3 } 30. Rxd5 { Thinking of going then by the pawn of a. It is better, naturally, proposed by the program. IvanHoe v73: Analysis reports errors, exchange of pawns from: -4.19 / -4.85 Alternative variation: 30.cxd5Rad8 31.Nf4 Nc3 32.d6 Nge4 33.Rf3 Nxa2 34.d7 Re7 35.Nd5 Rexd7 36.Ne7+ Kf837.Nxg6+ Kg7 38.Rxe4 fxg6 39.Re5 Rc7 40.Rf2 Nc1 41.Rxa5 Nxb3 42.Ra7 Rd243.Rxd2 Nxd2 44.Kg2 Nb3 45.Kf3 Nd4+ 46.Ke4 Nb5 47.Ra1 Rc2 48.h4 Nd6+ 49.Ke5 } 30... Nh3 { IvanHoe v73: Analysis report errors, with change of punctuation from: -4.85 / -3.73 Alternative variation: 30...a4 31.b4 Rad8 32.Ne3 Nc3 33.Rxd8 Rxd8 34.Rf2 Nge4 35.Rc2Rd3 36.Nd5 Nxd5 37.cxd5 Rxd5 38.Kg2 Rd3 39.b5 Kg7 40.Rc7 Rd2+ 41.Kf3 Ng5+42.Ke3 Rxa2 43.Rxb7 Rxh2 } 31. Nf4 { Evita el mate de caballos, pero lamejor opción era con Ch4. IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores, con cambiode puntuación desde: -3.73 / -5.58 Alternative variation: 31.Nh4 Nhg532.Kg1 b6 33.Rb5 Rab8 34.Nf3 Nxf3+ 35.Rxf3 Red8 36.Re5 Ng5 37.Rfe3 Rd238.a3 Rbd8 39.Re7 Ne6 } 31... Nxf4 { Augustin dos Santos was playing according to the 40 second addition rule for a certain amount of time. IvanHoe v73: Analysis report errors, with change of punctuation from -5.58 to -3.83. Alternative variation: 31...Nef2+ 32.Rxf2 Nxf2+ 33.Kg1 Ng4 34.Rd2 Re1+ 35.Kg2 Rae8 36.Nd5 Kg7 37.Kf3 Ne3 38.Nxe3 R1e3+ 39.Kf2 Re1 40.Kf3 h5 41.Kf2 R1e3 42.c5 } 32. Rxf4 g5 33. Rff5 Rad8 { Goloso por un peón... le abro las puertas. IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores, con cambio de puntuación desde: -3.58 / -2.74 Alternative variation: 33...a4 34.Rd7 axb3 35.axb3 Ra1+36.Kg2 Ra2+ 37.Kg1 Nc5 38.Rdxf7 Re1+ 39.Rf1 Rxf1+ 40.Rxf1 Nxb3 41.Rf6 Ra642.Rf5 Ra1+ 43.Kg2 Ra2+ 44.Kh3 Na5 45.Rc5 Kg7 46.g4 Kf6 47.Kg3 Nc6 48.Rf5+Ke6 } 34. Rxa5 { IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores, con cambio de puntuacióndesde: -2.74 / -3.82 Alternative variation: 34.Rxd8 Rxd8 35.Rxa5 g4 36.Ra7Rd7 37.Kg2 Kg7 38.b4 f5 39.c5 Kf6 40.a4 h5 41.Kf1 Ke5 42.a5 Rd1+ 43.Ke2Rd2+ 44.Ke3 } 34... Rd2 { IvanHoe v73: Análisis reporta errores, con cambio depuntuación desde: -3.82 / -3.22 Alternative variation: 34...Rd1+ 35.Kg2Rd2+ 36.Kg1 g4 37.Rfd5 Rb2 38.Re5 Rxe5 39.Rxe5 Ng5 40.Rb5 Nf3+ 41.Kf1 Nxh2+42.Ke1 Rxa2 43.Rxb7 Nf3+ 44.Kf1 Nd2+ 45.Ke1 Ne4 46.b4 Nxg3 47.c5 Rc2 48.Kd1Rc3 49.Ke1 Kf8 50.Kd2 Ne4+ 51.Ke2 h5 } 35. c5 { I can't see the chess game of the black horse, which enables a childish mate. If not done,... played inappropriately and continuously abandon. IvanHoe v73: Analysis report errors, with change of punctuation from: -3.22 / -327.00 Alternative variation: 35.Rae5 Nf2+ 36.Kg1 Nh3+ 37.Kf1 Rxe5 38.Rxe5 Rxa2 39.Re7 Rxh240.Rxb7 Rc2 41.Re7 Rf2+ 42.Ke1 Kf8 43.Re3 Rc2 44.Kd1 Rg2 45.Ke1 Ng4 46.Kf1Ng4 47.Kxg2 Nxe3+ 48.Kf3 } 35... Nxg3+ { Al terminar mi reloj indica 13m, porlo que he usado 80m20s. El de mi rival india 30s, ha utilizado 93m20s Alternativevariation: 35...Nxg3+ [ 28:-327.00] 36.Kg1 Re1+ 37.Rf1 Rxf1# } 0-1
[Event "Clop Clop!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.10.22"] [Round "-"] [White "taud"] [Black "shushanta"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1450"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1340"] 1. e4 { A random win with a random move. I was not expecting this game toend that soon but it worked out and it was fun trying out a few thingsto provoke White into different positions (not many though) The royalopener } 1... e5 { I thought for a moment about starting with something completelyweird like h5 to throw White off, but then thought that would probablythrow me off too...lol Standard response } 2. Nf3 { Knight's game } 2... Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 { Clop Clop! 4 Knights game } 4. d3 Bc5 5. Be2 d6 6. Bg5 Be6 { We'reboth focused on development so far } 7. O-O { Aha! As soon as my opponentcastles my gears start working overtime. I usually just wait until thecastle because more often than not my attack gets spoiled by a well-timedcastle. } 7... h6 { So I start pushing pawns on the king side } 8. Be3 { h6 pawnis scary...muhahaha Lol anyway not much white can do here I suppose } 8... g5 { Pushing pawns...my intention to either get an open file or get the pawnsall the way to the castle (ICBM on the way) } 9. Nxg5 { Great! open h filewith a rook already there. } 9... hxg5 10. Bxg5 Qe7 { Preparing to castle Queensideso i can get my other rook into action } 11. Kh1 { Probably to free up thef2 pawn, though i think at this point white should've probably pulled theDSB back to e3 to unpin the f2 pawn, or move the h2 pawn to h3 to preventRxh2 (which black could use to gain tempo) } 11... O-O-O 12. f4 { Backing up theDSB } 12... Ng4 { Until this point I had not seen this tactic (heavily dependenton White not seeing it either...but since I was trying to blow the castleI figured I might as well go along with it) } 13. Bxe7 { White didn't seeit either... } 13... Rxh2# { Kaboom! Thanks to taud for a great game, and thankyou to anyone who reads and/or gives constructive comments! Cheers! :) } 0-1
[Event "fast players players only please#2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.18"] [Round "-"] [White "flip22"] [Black "xbox1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1022"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "980"] 1. e4 e5 { A very common opening I use it in many of my games } 2. d3 { protectingthe pawn and giving the black square bishop a path out } 2... Bc5 { developingbishop } 3. Nf3 { blocking possible 4-move checkmate } 3... Nf6 { develops knight+ possible castle } 4. h3 { takes away option Ng3 and Nxf2 completing theFried Liver Attack ( there is other type of the Fried Liver Attack) } 4... O-O 5. Nxe5 { good development } 5... Bd4 { good defense } 6. Nf3 { nice attack on thebishop + retreat } 6... Bc5 7. Nbd2 { i would have preferred Nc3 } 7... Bb4 { that pinsthe knight } 8. e5 { gets the night out of there } 8... Nd5 9. Qe2 { more protectionon the e pawn } 9... Bxd2+ { trade } 10. Bxd2 Nc6 { taking the knight out } 11. Bg5 { good attack on the queen } 11... f6 { other pawn takes obviously } 12. exf6 Nxf6 { the knight is stuck there for a while } 13. O-O-O Nb4 14. a3 { good attackon the developing knight } 14... Nc6 15. Nd2 Nd4 16. Nf3 { VERY bad mistake knighttakes the queen } 16... Nxe2+ 17. Bxe2 Qe7 { attacking bishop } 18. Rde1 { defendsbishop } 18... Qc5 { attacking f pawn } 19. Be3 { attack seen and blocked! } 19... Qc6 20. Bf1 { what was the meaning of that move??? } 20... d6 21. Nd4 Qa6 22. Be2 c5 { gettingrid of the night that was blocking lots of moves } 23. Nf3 Be6 24. Ng5 { attackon the bishop (in this position the bishop is very powerful) } 24... Bf7 { retreatsbishop hoping he doesn't trade } 25. d4 Qc6 { threatening g pawn } 26. Rh2 { g pawn saved (i would have preferred Rg1) } 26... Qd5 { threatening Qa2 } 27. Bf3 { Qa2 not seen } 27... Qa2 { Qa2 played } 28. Bd2 { that move was almost like he wasasking for checkmate! } 28... Qa1# { takes the obvious checkmate! } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-Apr-07"] [Round "-"] [White "gazdvez"] [Black "crimsonsky44"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1558"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1566"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 Nc6 4. c3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. e4 Be7 8. e5 Nd5 9. Nf1 d6 10. Qe2 dxe5 11. dxe5 O-O 12. Qc2 g6 13. Bh6 Re8 14. Ng3 Bf8 15. Bg5 Nce7 16. O-O-O { Blacks' pieces are all defensive. The Bishopon b7 is useless because of 0-0-0, and the Knight on d5 has no place togo. But the position is equal. If I want to catch the Knight, I must firsttake away the sqare b4, and then I can push the deadly c4. } 16... a5 17. a3 c6 18. c4 Rc8 { After Nc7 I have an attack with Bxg6 Qc8 Bxh7 Kh8 Bf6 Bg7Nh5... } 19. Kb1 { To get away from the pin. } 19... b5 20. cxd5 cxd5 21. Qe2 b4 22. Bb5 { I have a piece more, so I go on exchanges. } 22... Bc6 23. Bxc6 Rxc6 24. Bxe7 Rxe7 25. Rc1 Rb6 26. a4 { To keep closed the lines. } 26... b3 27. Nd4 Reb7 28. Nb5 Qd7 29. Rc3 Rxb5 30. axb5 Rxb5 31. Rd1 { Make a pin, otherwisegetting back the Knight into the game is too long. } 31... a4 32. Ne4 Qb7 33. Nf6+ Kg7 34. Ne8+ { I missed a very good chance. I wanted for the firstlook, changing the pieces - now the Knight on d6. } 34... Kg8 35. Nf6+ Kg7 { Itis just my luck, that black repeats. Maybe he thought, I go for the three-repetition. } 36. Qh5 { Now everything is over. } 36... gxh5 37. Rg3+ Kh6 38. Ng8# 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.16"] [Round "-"] [White "abdalmoneem"] [Black "sanych"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1705"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1665"] 1. e4 c5 { sicilian defense. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { this is called sicilian defenseNajdorf variation. } 6. Be3 { Sicilian, Najdorf, Byrne (English) attack. } 6... e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. Nde2 b5 10. a3 d5 11. h3 { waste of time. } 11... d4 { 11....d4?? } 12. Bxd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Bb7 { if instead 13....Qxd4 then 14.Bxb5+ andqueen dies. } 14. Nf3 Qc7 15. O-O Rd8 { threatening 16....Nxe4!then if 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 and black regain his pawn. } 16. Qe2 e5 17. Rfe1 O-O 18. Nb1 Rd7 19. Nbd2 Rfd8 20. Nf1 { to play Ng3. } 20... Nh5 { to prevent 21.Ng3 and threaten 21....Nf4! } 21. g3 { toprevent 21....Nf4! } 21... Bc5 22. Ne3 g6 23. Kg2 { to be followedby Rh1. } 23... Nf6 { 23....Nf6? i don't know the aim of this move. } 24. Ng4 Nxg4 25. hxg4 Kg7 26. Rh1 Rh8 27. Rh3 { to facilitateRah1. } 27... Re7 { 27....Re7! a nice move as well be seen in next 3 moves. } 28. Rah1 h6 29. g5 h5 30. g4 Bc8 { 30....Bc8! anice move that i didn't expect. if 31.gxh5 Bxh3. } 31. Nd2 { 31.Nd2!!! isit a mistake? } 31... Bxg4 { Bxg4!?? } 32. Qxg4 { 32.Qxg4!!! } 32... f5 { if instead 32....hxg433.Rxh8 then mate next move 34.R1h7# whatever black plays. } 33. gxf6+ Kxf6 34. Rf3+ Kg7 { forced. } 35. Qg5 Rf7 36. Rxf7+ Qxf7 { 36....Qxf7?? a very bad move. Black should have playedKxf7. } 37. Qxe5+ { Qxe5+!! } 37... Qf6 38. Qxc5 Qxb2 39. Qa7+ Kh6 40. Qxa6 Qe5 41. Nf3 { Nf3!! } 41... Qf4 42. e5 { 42.e5!! } 42... Qg4+ 43. Kf1 { now if 43....Qxf3 44.Qxg6# } 43... Rg8 44. Rg1 { hereblack resigned because he will have to exchange his queen with the whiterook to avoid mate in next moves.White is already up with 7 pawns. } 1-0
[Event "Hating the Caro-Kann"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.12"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "madik"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1537"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1899"] 1. e4 { A mini-tournament game, playing a teammate of mine from the CynicalCynics. Open Game. } 1... c6 2. d4 { The Caro-Kann. Yuck! The more I play againstit, the more irritating I find it. It hobbles us gung-ho attackers. I thinkI'm going to start playing the Anti-Caro-Kann from now on... } 2... d5 3. e5 { The Advance Variation. I find it comical that the description in Wikipediasays 'has gained popularity after having previously been widely regardedas inferior for many years, owing chiefly to the strategic demolition thatAron Nimzowitsch (playing as White) suffered at the hands of José Capablancain one of their games at the New York 1927 tournament.' But that happenedover 80 years ago, and it's only just now gaining popularity? Maybe thatwiki article was written back in the 1930s? } 3... Bf5 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Nbd2 { Wikirecommends 4. ... e6 to shore up the center followed by 5. ... c5 to challengethe center. Black instead opts to pin the white knight, losing a tempoby moving his bishop a second time. In return, white defends with the queen'sknight, a move I got, no doubt, from the GK DB, though I don't like itmuch myself. Now white's queen's bishop is blocked. More to my taste wouldhave been 5. Bf4 followed by 6. Nbd2. I don't see anything wrong with thatmove order, but the DB doesn't favor it. } 5... e6 6. h3 Bh5 7. Be2 { Probablyshould have just played 5. Be2 and been done with it, without trappingthe queen's bishop. I guess I better get myself some good analysis of theCaro-Kann and find out why white is supposed to play all these moves thatdon't sit well with me, then figure out whether I should just learn toaccept them because they're the best moves, or whether white has alternativesthat are more my style. } 7... Nd7 8. Nb3 { About time. This move has the advantageof challenging c5, though with black's knight on d7, it's not enough ofa challenge. } 8... Bxf3 9. Bxf3 { 8. Bxf3 seems really strange to me. It's the4th time in the first 8 moves that black moved that bishop, and he couldhave just played that on move 6 and been done with it, and saved a tempoin the process. I have no analysis of this opening to tell me whether blackis following sound opening theory or not, but the move seems strange tome. } 9... c5 10. c3 cxd4 11. cxd4 { Now we've opened the c-file, and black seemsbetter suited to seize it for himself. Grrrrr. At least white has the leadin space and in development. } 11... Ne7 12. O-O Nf5 13. Qd3 { Black isn't reallythreatening much with his knight on f5. Still, white finds no sound attacksso I make a subtle threat. Or maybe not so subtle, but in this game, itworked well enough. } 13... Be7 14. Bxd5 { This move works because the pawn one6 is doing double duty. It cannot simultaneously defend the pawn on d5and the knight on f5. Black's pieces are getting in their own way - theknight on d7 block's his queen's defense of d5. } 14... exd5 15. Qxf5 { There,now I think I might like this Caro-Kann a little better now that whiteis up a pawn and has isolated black's pawn on the d-file. OK, OK, I'm fairlysure we've left the main lines of the opening by now. } 15... O-O 16. Qg4 { Threatening17. Bh6. } 16... Kh8 17. Bf4 { Not so much because I want the bishop on f4, butmore because I want a rook on c1. } 17... b6 18. Rac1 Re8 19. Qf3 { Hunting pawns.What a degrading thing for a queen, but game after game, she seems to likeit. } 19... Nf8 20. Be3 { Black's pieces keep getting in each other's way. f8 isnot a happy square for a knight. } 20... Ne6 21. Qxf7 { Black found a happier squarefor his knight, but he missed the fact that his f7 pawn was en prise. Andnow so is his happy knight. } 21... Bg5 22. Bxg5 { Black offered the trade, andwhite's bishop was doing very littl eon e3, and white is up two pawns,so white is glad to accept. } 22... Nxg5 23. Qc7 Qe7 24. Qxe7 { Another favorabletrade. } 24... Rxe7 25. Rc6 { Thinking to double the rooks on the c-file, and fullyexpecting black to do something about his pawn on d5. } 25... Rae8 26. Rd6 { Blackdoubled his rooks on a file they can't really use, so even though it meansgiving black the open c-file, white seizes the chance to eliminate black'sonly center pawn, creating a pair of adjacent passed center pawns for white.Even if I didn't know how this game ends, it would be a sure bet to assumethat these two center pawns will win this game. } 26... Ne4 27. Rxd5 a5 28. Re1 { Chasing the knight back - it has no good squares except to return whenceit came. } 28... Ng5 29. Rd6 Nf7 30. Rxb6 { Black keeps leaving his pawns layingaround, it would be rude not to clean them up. } 30... a4 31. Nc5 Ra8 32. Nxa4 { Black defends his pawn, but it's not really a defense. Now if 32. ...Rxa4???, white wins instantly with 33. Rb8+. } 32... h6 33. Nc3 Ng5 34. d5 { Timeto win the game. } 34... Kg8 35. e6 Rae8 36. h4 { White wants to play d6! but thereare one too many attackers aimed at e6. Time to chase one away. } 36... Nh7 37. d6 { And now the winning move. } 37... Rxe6 38. Rxe6 Rxe6 { Final position. Blackhad been counting on the pin to prevent 39. d7 but he resigned after playing38. ... Rxe6. In his resignation comment he noted that after 39. d7! Rxb6,40. d8=Q+ forks black's king and rook and wins back the rook, leaving whiteahead by queen and three pawns. Black could try 39. ... Re1+ 40. Kh2 andnow black has nothing to stop white's pawn promotion, and queen+knightvs. rook+knight will not end well for black, especially since white hasthree pawns to the good and can gladly trade his queen for the black rookif he wishes. } 1-0
[Event "I tired a new opening what did I do wrong."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.06.05"] [Round "-"] [White "goldmedal10"] [Black "albertog2003"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1275"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "622"] 1. d4 { queen opening a new type of opening for me } 1... d5 { I guess this normalfor this type of opening } 2. Nf3 { I went with what i know } 2... Nf6 { same } 3. Nc3 { knights defense } 3... Bg4 { I knew what to do here } 4. h3 { pawn is thisfork is a pin } 4... Bxf3 { takes knight } 5. gxf3 { pawn } 5... e6 { player goes witha pawn wall } 6. Bg2 { i did this to give my king more protection } 6... Bb4 { same old same old } 7. a3 { pawn } 7... Bxc3+ { bishop } 8. bxc3 { dead even } 8... Nc6 { this is where I started question my self } 9. O-O { castle } 9... e5 { pawn } 10. dxe5 { pawn } 10... Nxe5 { dead even } 11. Be3 { got all minor pieces } 11... O-O { castle } 12. c4 { from move 12 and on i really question very move } 12... Nxc4 { that startof my down fall } 13. Bd4 { bishop } 13... b6 { what is black doing here } 14. a4 { pawn } 14... c5 { same } 15. e3 { giving the bishop back up } 15... cxd4 { pawn } 16. exd4 { pawn } 16... Qd7 { queen } 17. a5 { pawn } 17... bxa5 { knight } 18. Qd3 { queen } 18... h6 { pawn } 19. Rae1 { rook } 19... a4 { pawn } 20. Re5 { rook } 20... Nxe5 { Thats when black aks meif i was letting him win. I was not letting him win. i resign i lost } 0-1
[Event "Attack and defend."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.10"] [Round "-"] [White "chicoboy"] [Black "q198895"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1274"] [TimeControl "3d+3d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1242"] { Yet another game by chicoboy and q198895. An interesting one at that.I don't want to say much more. I might give away the game. } 1. d4 { A veryfine first move. } 1... d5 { A fine move, as well. } 2. Nc3 { Hmm, not too bad;I'd have gone Nf3. I don't really like blocking my c-pawn in this typeof White-setup. } 2... c6 { This could turn into the Caro-Cann. Via e4. } 3. e4 { And it did! } 3... e6 { Not one of the best responses. I prefer dxe4. } 4. Nf3 { Still getting piece's out. } 4... g6 { Not sure why Black did this? You? } 5. Bf4 { Nice place for a Bishop, don't you agree? } 5... h6 { OK, this is just unbelievable! } 6. Bd3 g5 { Attacking White's DSB. No big deal. } 7. Be5 { Not what I'd callthe best place for it. I like Be3/Bg3 best. } 7... Nd7 { ?? The losing mistake! } 8. O-O { ??? Even worse! White could have won a free rook! } 8... f6 9. Bg3 h5 { Black sure has pushed his pawns - alot! } 10. h4 { ?! Not really the bestdecision. I prefer h3, you? } 10... g4 11. Nd2 { Best square, I think. } 11... c5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Bb5+ { Not too bad. } 13... Bd7 14. b4 { Hmm, White seems to be attackinga lot! } 14... Nxe4 15. Ndxe4 dxe4 16. Qe2 { OK, not entirely bad. I like Bxd7+Qxd7 Qxd7+ Kxd7 Nxe4. } 16... f5 17. Rad1 { ! Forces... } 17... Rh7 { If Nf6?! Be5 withan advantage! I think. } 18. Qc4 { ! Planning Qxe6+! } 18... Re7 19. Bxd7+ { ! Stillgoing to win a pawn! } 19... Rxd7 20. Qxe6+ { The best move. } 20... Ne7 { Best } 21. Be5 { Maybe Nb5 was best so he could go Nc7+/Nd6+ } 21... Rc8 22. Nd5 { ?This just losta piece. I believe that Nb5! was still okay to do even here. } 22... Rxd5 23. Bf6 { ? Now he losses the Game :( } 23... Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 25. Kh2 Qd5 { White'sQueen has to take. } 26. Qe5 { Or this! } 26... Qxe5+ 27. Bxe5 { It's all over :( } 27... Rxc2 28. Bd4 Rxa2 29. Bc5 b6 30. Be3 Nd5 31. Bd4 Bxb4 { Resigns. I believethat White could have won with the proper play. Please Comment and rateit on the Star system, thanks! } 0-1
[Event "bcoli"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.03.28"] [Round "-"] [White "mrshtaba"] [Black "elzarco"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1490"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1477"] 1. d4 Nf6 { I don't often play black against a queen pawn opening, and Ithought I would try a new response. The first six moves were selectedfrom the GameKnot database and choosing what I thought looked interesting. Computer analysis at: http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=19356720&fb=1&rnd=0.35731651983223855 } 2. Nc3 d5 3. h3 c5 4. dxc5 e5 5. b4 a5 6. Ba3 Na6 7. Qb1 axb4 { I initiatethe exchange because I think it will end in my favor. } 8. Bxb4 Nxb4 9. Qxb4 b6 { This move was actually my first 'mistake' according to the computeranalysis, which favored 'd4' instead. At my level, I disagree that thiswas a mistake, and I actually think that this was one of my pivotal moves. The computer analysis shows that the best response to b6 is qb5+. However,that doesn't give white any obvious gain (Bd7 response), so few playersat my level would choose that. I like my move and would use it again becauseof the powerful threats against white's queen and knight (which I eventuallytook). I thought that white would likely retreat, and I would move pxc5. Instead, white fell for the bait. That put me at -2, but I quickly respondedby taking white's knight and pawn and pinning white's king and a1 rookfor the entire rest of the game. } 10. Qxb6 Qxb6 11. cxb6 Bb4 { I had myeye on this trap. } 12. Rb1 Bxc3+ 13. Kd1 Rxa2 14. Kc1 Ba6 { In my opinion,this was my worst move of the game. The computer analysis labels it asa mistake in favor of 'Ne4'. White could have advanced to b7 to win mybishop, but neither mrshtaba nor the computer analysis picked up on this. Anyway, in the end, this move was essentially just a wasted move. Ithink that I should have castled or moved the bishop to b7 instead. Iwanted to focus on the right side, and I don't think that Ne4 would haveprogressed to mate as quickly. } 15. Nf3 { I'm not sure why the computeranalysis didn't label his Nf3 move as a mistake. I think that b7 is muchstronger. } 15... O-O 16. e3 Bb7 { I should have moved the bishop here originallysince I could not have maintained control of that diagonal and tradingbishops would have not been advantageous. } 17. Nd2 Rfa8 { It should havebeen obvious for the past several moves that I am aiming for a rook attackon the right side. White's protection with his knight only delays theattack. } 18. Nb3 Nd7 19. f3 Nxb6 { I am not worried at all about what isgoing on on the left side of the board. My knight is playing the crucialrole of eliminating the threat of the advanced pawn in addition to dislodgingeither white's knight or b1 rook. } 20. Bd3 Nc4 { If white takes my knight,my pawn will then threaten his carefully placed knight. That is why heleaves it alone while I go and attack his rook. } 21. e4 { White should havetaken my knight because moving his knight to d2 would have been much betterthan losing his rook. This is essentially an unrecoverable blunder bywhite. } 21... Na3 22. Nd2 { The computer labels this a blunder by white and suggeststhat he should have moved Ra1; but I honestly think he doesn't have anygood option at this point, since Ra1 would give me an 8 point lead andan attacking position. } 22... Nxb1 23. Nxb1 Ra1 24. Rd1 { White just blocked offhis only escape route giving me mate in 2. However, the alternative (Kd1)would have given me a 13 point lead. With those alternatives, the bestthing is probably just to hope your opponent makes a mistake. } 24... Rxb1+ 0-1
[Event "How to lose at chess pt 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.16"] [Round "-"] [White "mody77"] [Black "elwoos"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1439"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1499"] 1. e4 { This is the first of a hopefully short series of games where I loseprimarily after a single blunder. During my current slump in form and ratingthis has happened a little too often for my liking. I hope that otherscan learn from my mistakes. This particular game is I believe one of theclassic finishes that I totally overlooked. } 1... d5 { Scandinavian, my standardresponse as black to e4 with some mixed success } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 { Perhaps not the best response but it is the third most common on the gameknotdatabase. } 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. d3 { opening a nice line for the dsb, perhaps anticipatingBf4 followed by Nb5 (or d5) threatening Nxc7+ } 5... Nf6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 { This is all fairly standard stuff so far, nothing much to indicate whatis to come. } 8. Be3 Ne5 { Appears to threaten the white knight and the lsbwhich I was hoping to take, as the knight is pinned to the queen, my knightappears to be immune, however appearances can be deceptive as we will see. } 9. Nxe5 { I rashly assumed this was a blunder, I had anticipated the forkfrom Nxf7 but when I looked at the possibility of Bxf7, for some reasonI overlooked that the knight was attacking d7 } 9... Bxd1 { This is a completeblunder that loses immediately, better was Bg6 which at least protectedthe f pawn. } 10. Bxf7# { And there it is. Well played Mody7. The moralof this tale is if you think you are safe, look again at least once more. } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from ramika"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.10.11"] [Round "-"] [White "ramika"] [Black "avyl"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1251"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1520"] 1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 e6 3. a3 Bd6 { Why would you play the fool on this position? It's an enormous waste of time. } 4. d4 e5 5. d5 Nd4 6. c3 { les blancsfont n'importe quoi. L'échange cavalier dame récupère gagne le pion etle temps sur l'attaque en g7 } 6... Nxf3+ 7. Qxf3 Nf6 8. Bd3 c6 9. c4 b6 10. Nc3 Bc5 { You see you have lost some time playing the fool here instead of preferable mettredirectement. } 11. Be3 d6 12. h3 Bd4 { pourquoi le jouerici ?? } 13. Bxd4 exd4 14. Ne2 c5 15. O-O g6 16. Ng3 Rb8 17. Qe2 Ng8 { The knight wastes a lot of time and is completely inefficient. } 18. Qc2 Qd7 19. Rae1 Nh6 20. e5 O-O 21. e6 fxe6 22. dxe6 Qe7 23. Qe2 Bb7 24. Qd2 Nf5 25. Nxf5 gxf5 { le preuve la structure est brisée } 26. f3 d5 27. Qh6 Rf6 28. Qg5+ Kh8 29. Bxf5 dxc4 30. Qh4 h6 31. g4 Rg8 32. f4 Kg7 33. g5 Rxf5 { hum les blancs ont raté le coup du jeu : pion prend échec, puisdame prend dame, la partie est pliée } 34. Kh2 hxg5 35. Rg1 Rh8 36. Qg3 Kf8 37. fxg5 c3 38. bxc3 dxc3 39. Qxc3 Rf2+ 40. Kg3 Rf3+ 41. Qxf3+ Bxf3 42. Rgf1 Qxg5+ 43. Kxf3 Rxh3+ 44. Ke2+ Ke7 45. Kd1 Rh2 46. Rf7+ Ke8 47. Rd7 Qg4+ 48. Kc1 Qc4+ 49. Kd1 Qc2# { Ramika is certainly underrated; I have lost a few points recently but I am used to playing at 1700 and below. } 0-1
[Event "Modern Defence : Discover a new opening"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.09"] [Round "-"] [White "sonata296"] [Black "imabsolute"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1372"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1448"] 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 { THIS is where this mini-t starts! White has full centercontrol. Black is, well... just there. My mission, as black in this typeof opening is to gain center control WIHTOUT, loosing too much materialto do so... lets see how this one plays out. However, 'sonata296' has anice rating and PLENTY of experience to back him up... dad and mom areawesome players! Somebody wish me luck! } 3. c4 { That move freaks meout for some reason... so used to KP openings... seeing 3 pawns all linedup on the middle seems strange... :-) } 3... c5 { After white moves to c4, c5seems to be the best move to allow black to challenge the 'center control'. } 4. Nf3 { I personally believe that white would have been better off totake the pawn @c5... but that is a 'personal' oppinion. :) } 4... Qa5+ { But,since white did not take c5... the best 'offensive' move for black to takeis Qa5+. Then, this opens the door for black to focus more attention onthe center control in moves to follow. } 5. Bd2 { in my personal oppinion...this was the best move for white... it defends and attacks. } 5... Qb6 6. Be3 Qxb2 { FREE pawn, and Free Rook IF knight is not moved... black is stillfocused on the center control... in a round about 'forced move' sorta way. } 7. Nbd2 cxd4 { After forced knight move @#7, black can now move in on thecenter control issue forcing the QB out of the center, if only momentarily! } 8. Bf4 d6 { Open up for KB and putting a little presure on center.... } 9. Qa4+ { maybe, not such a good move for white... kills the QR! } 9... Bd7 { defensive& offensive move... } 10. Qb3 { White Q hopes for a trade... } 10... Qxa1+ { ...buta free Rook is too hard to refuse! Much less xR+ } 11. Ke2 Bc6 { Now KB putsmore presure on center control... :) } 12. Nb1 e5 { And now... center controlis much more balanced than before... but I know, my Queen's in rut!!! } 13. Bc1 { B retreats... } 13... Nf6 { KN places more presure on center control... } 14. Nfd2 { Now... black seems to have center control. Will it hold out...what will happen to blacks Queen? } 14... Nxe4 15. Bb2 { Well... the Q questionis answered... I did NOT see that coming! Crazy, but I didn't! I was TOObusy looking at 'center control'... now I've only got two choices... no,really only one... d3+ } 15... d3+ { There it is... my only saving hope for Q salvation...or at least material swap balance! } 16. Ke1 { Great Move!... taking thepawn might not have been the best move.... however, it would have forceda Q-swap I believe... whereas, now... } 16... Nxd2 { now, it all depends on whatwhite chooses to do... } 17. Bxa1 { BxQ... the same move I would have made...Q-swap and material points temp remain the same... however, black has aslight advantage due to the 'center control'... } 17... Nxb3 { The Q-swap complete...White Resigns. } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.05.17"] [Round "-"] [White "philbox"] [Black "hexchess"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1150"] 1. b3 { Training for dark square olympics } 1... a5 { aiming to stop in him tracks } 2. a4 { surprise he goes first oh my! } 2... Ra6 { but my rook can get better developmentin the opening } 3. Bb2 { it is a battle of rook vs bishop, who will win? } 3... h5 { I decide to bring out second rook into battefield } 4. h4 { he blockspawn advance very balance symmetry } 4... Rhh6 { I will win with my superior advantagehogs on the sixth rank } 5. Nc3 { he comes out with the knight } 5... Rhe6 { goingfor checkmate along the e-file or maybe he will have to lose material } 6. f3 { creating luft for the king } 6... Rad6 { aiming to checkmate the queen } 7. Nb5 { he attacks it with the knight } 7... Rd5 { so i get out of the way } 8. f4 { moving same twice in opening not advisable } 8... Re4 { I target the new weakness } 9. g3 { which he defends } 9... e5 { I come all out attack in the center I thinkI have a better advantage due to superior control of the center, Whiteis lost. } 10. Bg2 { He comes out with second bishop } 10... f5 { I defend my rook } 11. Bxe4 { he takes it, but } 11... fxe4 { I am bringing a flank pawn to the center,so I should have more than enough compensation for the sacrificed exchange. } 12. Nc3 { control of the center is control of the board } 12... c6 { I defend mysecond rook with flankk } 13. Nxd5 { and he allows be to bring another flankto center } 13... cxd5 { So I gained two extra central pawns for the two sacrificedexchanges, I think that Black should win, slowly, but surely. } 14. Bxe5 { uh oh he took one! } 14... Nc6 { but I gain in development threatening to wina bishop for a knight } 15. Bc3 { so he is forced to spend another move stoppingme from winning material with Nxe5 } 15... d4 { advance with extra central employ } 16. Bb2 { so he is forced go back BOY! } 16... d5 { and I advance third centralpawn dominating gloriously central files } 17. b4 { and he gives up for noreason } 17... axb4 { so I bring pawn closer to center, boosting its relationshipwith the d-pawns } 18. Nh3 { he brings knight out } 18... Nh6 { same as I do } 19. Ng5 { he goes advance way } 19... Bg4 { SURPRISE!!!! he was probably expecting meto move the knight there too like last time balance symmetry footing, butI moved the bishop instead so he is shocked! } 20. c3 { trying to decimatemy strongly center } 20... d3 { but he does not see I advance further and he cannotcompete } 21. Ne6 { I didn't want to give up central pawn so I take on e2 } 21... dxe2 { threatening queen } 22. Nxd8 { he takes my queen } 22... exd1=B { he is goingto take it anyway so I can promote to whatever I want } 23. cxb4 { but hedidn't take it????? } 23... Bdf3 { so I gained powerful influence on the lightsquares } 24. Rf1 { he does } 24... e3 { I advance further with center } 25. Nxb7 { he escapes with knight } 25... Be4 { I return exert control of the center } 26. b5 { control of the center is principal principle so why is he moving stuffon the flank? } 26... Nb4 { I powerful control center. } 27. Rb1 { and he checkmated } 27... Bxb1 { removing the defender to checkmate next move } 28. a5 { and he ignoresCONTROL THE CENTER } 28... Nd3# { CHECKMATE } 0-1
[Event "Carr's Defense"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "06-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2234"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1761"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone, this was a really awful game against Master Freddy. In this I made a couple of beginner errors which spoilt things big time. I thought this game would be worth annotating though because of the unusualopening that Freddy played, i.e. he plays h6 in response to my e4. } 1... h6 2. d4 a6 3. Bd3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nb4 5. Nc3 { 5. Nc3 - normal, routine developmentbut allows exchange of N for B on d3. } 5... Nxd3+ 6. Qxd3 d6 7. Bd2 e6 8. O-O { 8. 0-0, still routine. } 8... g5 { 8. ......... g5 - the beginnings of a pawnstorm I thought, but this was a red herring. } 9. Be3 Bg7 10. e5 { 10. e5??- or how many other question marks would you jury like to put on it. Itis a blunder with a capital B because silly me overlooked g4 which wouldundermine the defense of the pawn on e5. Pay attention Joanne! } 10... g4 11. Nd2 dxe5 12. dxe5 Qxd3 13. cxd3 Bxe5 14. Rac1 { 14. Rac1 - after the plethoraof exchanges in which the queens are off the board (look on the brightside - at least I may not get Freddied mid-game!). Freddy said that therook move was good which was some consolation. However, this is as goodas it gets. } 14... Ne7 15. Nc4 Bg7 16. a4 Bd7 { 16. ............. Bd7 - Freddyhas cleared his back ranks and is ready to castle - he opts for queensidecastling. } 17. b3 O-O-O 18. Ne2 { 18. Ne2 - after Freddy chooses queensidecastling I lay a little trap for him with this Sneaky Knight retreat. Can you the jury see it? I think Freddy could though because he playedhis bishop to c6. This is the only time in the game that I actually threatenedto do something. } 18... Bc6 19. Rfd1 Rd7 20. Rd2 Rhd8 21. Rcd1 { 21. Rcd1 - bolsteringmy isolani. } 21... Ng6 22. Bc5 { 22. Bc5 - trying to get good squares for my pieces. Apart from the pawn minus white looks OK here - but I did say looks -they can be very deceptive as Freddy is about to demonstrate! } 22... Nh4 23. Ne3 b6 24. Ba3 Bxg2 { 24. ......... Bxg2!! - Freddy unleashes a stunningsacrifice which nets my rook and several pawns for two pieces. } 25. Nxg2 Nf3+ 26. Kh1 Nxd2 27. Rxd2 Rxd3 28. Rxd3 Rxd3 29. Ne3 { 29. Ne3 - afterthat plethora of exchanges there is no way I can back up b3 so the b pawnnow drops. } 29... Rxb3 30. Bc1 Rb4 31. a5 { 31. a5 - trying to at least re-arrangethat black pawn cluster over on the queenside but to no avail. } 31... b5 32. Kg2 Ra4 33. Kg3 { 33. Kg3 - trying to win the g pawn but that doesn't work. } 33... f5 34. Kg2 c5 35. h3 gxh3+ 36. Kxh3 Rxa5 37. Nf4 { 37. Nf4 - the a pawnhas duly dropped off - now just look at those black queenside passers. I spent the last few moves trying to break up Freddy's kingside pawnsand am now attacking his pawn on e6, but Freddy now follows basic endgameprinciples by centralising his king. } 37... Kd7 38. Neg2 Ra1 39. Be3 c4 { 39.......... c4 - after Fou Lenoir sidestepps Freddy's rook, Freddy sendsthose queenside pawns and soon the Wicked Witch of the West will be makinga re-appearance. } 40. Nh5 { 40. Nh5?? - the game is lost but I should notbe making these sorts of errors - this move was to try to distract FouLenoir from the protection of the h6 pawn and at least pick up a boobyprize. The only consolation I had was that at least I could resign onthe grounds of ruinous loss of material as Freddy had not yet announcedmate on me and I did not wish to drag things out. This game btw was playedbefore the one called 'I thought Henry was as safe as houses'. I am nowplaying another game with Freddy and I hope for better things from that. } 40... Rh1+ 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Oct-08"] [Round "-"] [White "gazdvez"] [Black "targus"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1484"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1617"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 f6 { This move is weak a little. f7 is the weakest point,and this opens the diagonal at the king. } 3. e3 Bd7 4. Nh4 { I thought,I jump to this diagonal and crash the pawnstructure. } 4... e6 5. Qh5+ g6 6. Nxg6 hxg6 7. Qxh8 Nh6 8. Qh7 g5 9. Bd3 Qe7 10. Bg6+ { the simple exchangewould be good, too } 10... Kd8 11. Qxe7+ Bxe7 12. h4 { i need to open the linefor my rook. blacks' bishop-pair isnot so great at closed position, soi donot need to be afraid } 12... g4 13. h5 { then i try to push my pawn to the8th rank. } 13... f5 14. e4 { open the diagonal for the other bishop } 14... fxe4 { blunder! } 15. Bxh6 Nc6 16. Bg7 Bg5 17. h6 Bxh6 18. Rxh6 Ke7 19. Rh8 Rxh8 20. Bxh8 { every exchange makes my position stronger } 20... Nxd4 { blunder again. } 21. Bxd4 b6 22. g3 c5 23. Be5 Be8 24. Bxe8 Kxe8 25. Bb8 a6 26. Ba7 Kd7 27. Bxb6 Kc6 28. Bd8 c4 29. Bg5 Kc5 30. c3 d4 31. cxd4+ Kxd4 32. Kd2 a5 33. Nc3 e5 34. Be3# 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.01"] [Round "-"] [White "quiet_knight"] [Black "smerians"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1194"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Bd6 { Yeah... That's strange that right there } 3. Bc4 h6 4. Nc3 a6 5. a4 f6 { I don't really understand Black's thinking with anyof the moves after e5 to be honest. he's just happy doing his own thingso I just contented myself with doing mine. } 6. d4 c6 { Black has been abit too care free just pushing his pawns to observe the tactics of theposition I think it's fair to say } 7. dxe5 Bxe5 8. Nxe5 fxe5 9. Qh5+ { Notethat a similar position could also have been reached by 7. dxe5, fxe5,Nxe5, Bxe5, Qh5+ in which White's queen picks up the bishop on e5, ruinsthe king position remaining a clear pawn up. } 9... Ke7 10. Bg5+ { There is nothing'wrong' with Qxe5+ and will probably also lead to a won position but Ifelt as if I'd like to bag more than a pawn even if some of the pressureon Black's position is alleviated in this line } 10... hxg5 11. Qxh8 Nf6 12. Qxg7+ Kd6 13. O-O-O+ Kc7 { Although Black has avoided any mating threats it doesn'ttake a master to tell you that this isn't the greatest of positions } 14. g3 { With the idea of creating an outside passed pawn that Black's undevelopedpieces will struggle to slow } 14... g4 15. h4 b5 { gxh3 was to be prefered. Fromthis point on all White need do is push the h pawn to victory } 16. Be6 b4 17. Ne2 { With Nxe4 losing a piece to Qxe5+ } 17... a5 18. h5 Kb6 19. Bxg4 Nxe4 20. Qxe5 d5 { Sadly no variations can punish the pin of the d pawn to theQueen as Bxc8 breaks the pin after Qxc8 and Qxe4, dxe4, Rxd8, Bxg4 winsno more material. That said, White doesn't need to win any more materialto claim the game } 21. Bxc8 Qxc8 22. h6 Nxf2 { Blundering Black's only outposted/ developed minor piece } 23. Qe3+ Kb7 24. Qxf2 Nd7 25. h7 Qh8 26. Qf7 Rd8 { And now none of Black's pieces can move for a while } 27. Nf4 Kc8 28. Ng6 Nf6 29. Nxh8 Rxh8 30. Qxf6 { At this point Black understandably decidesto call an end to the match } 1-0
[Event "Ladder Checkmate- Nice Checkmate Sequence"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.08.25"] [Round "-"] [White "????????"] [Black "soccer14"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1337"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1434"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O Nge7 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 c6 7. Ba4 b5 8. Bb3 Bxd4 9. Qxd4 N7g6 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Ne2 Ba6 12. Nf4 b4 13. Nxg6 Nxg6 14. Qxb4 Bxf1 15. Kxf1 Qc7 16. g3 Rae8 17. f3 Rb8 18. Qd4 Ne5 19. Qd1 Rb6 20. Bf4 Ra6 21. Bc4 Rb6 22. Qd4 d6 23. Be2 c5 24. Qd5 Rxb2 25. Bd1 h6 26. Qd2 Qc6 27. Be2 { Hi! This is a recent tournament game that endedin a win for me... I will only annotate the mid-game and checkmate sequencebecause anything that precedes that is terribly boring and trivial. Also,the checkmate is the only highlight.......I play as black here. } 27... Rfb8 { Inthis position his King is unprotected. I now know that I want to attackit, but how to do that?... Here I double up the rooks, no strategy yet,except to maybe play Rb1+ and gain an advantage. } 28. Bxh6 { Here he offersa gambit for the positional advantage of having his Queen at h6. Why notaccept? With his Queen gone, it means more space for me to attack his Kingside. } 28... gxh6 { ... } 29. Qxh6 { Now I must assess the best way to take advantage ofthe unprotected King. With an available pawn at c2, I can undouble therooks, and a pottential doubling up of the Queen and 8th row Rook couldresult in a sacrifice leading to a checkmate. (Qb1+ ...Rxb1 Rxb1+)Finally resulting in a checkmate. That is myu line of thinking at the moment. } 29... Rxc2 { ... } 30. f4 { Now I see the opportunity for a checkmate. If only Ican get him to accept the gambit... I offer Nf3 as a gambit, to get hisbishop away from its diagonal, protecting the king. If he accepts, I havea lengthy forced mate ahead of me. } 30... Nf3 { ... } 31. Bxf3 { He accepts! } 31... Qb5+ { His options are: - Be2 (Would result in checkmate : Qxe2...Kg1....Qg2#)- Ke1 Is better, because it relocates his King closer to where his bishopwould move in the event of the sacrifice I mentioned earlier. - Kg1 } 32. Ke1 { Now I refer to the next sequence as the ladder :) } 32... Qb4+ { Must movef1 to avoid checkmate with Qd2# } 33. Kf1 { ... } 33... Qc4+ { In order to avoidcheckmate, he must move Ke1 or Kg1...Doesn't make a difference at thispoint anyways. } 34. Ke1 { ... } 34... Qc3+ { Here, once again he must play Kf1,to avoid the ever-present Qd2# checkmate. } 35. Kf1 { Now the game is over.Qxa1+ leads to more troubles for the opponent. } 35... Qxa1+ { His King cannotmove, and the only option is to block with Bd1, a piece I can easily trapand it results in a checkmate. } 36. Bd1 { ... } 36... Qxd1# { There you go, a simplecheckmate made to look nice. Please, if you see any room for improvementor for a faster mate, just leave your comments. } 0-1
[Event "Walking The Plank"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Edward Lasker"] [Black "Sir George Thomas"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "Blitz Game"] { WALKING THE PLANK Edward Lasker vs. Sir George Thomas London, England1911 Dutch Defense For those of you not familiar with this famous littlejewel from the annals of chess history, I present here an off-hand gameplayed by Edward Lasker (USA), a distant relative to the 2nd World ChessChampion, Emanuel Lasker, and Sir George Thomas (ENG). The game featuresan amazing and quite unexpected Queen sacrifice to pull the Black Kingfrom his castled position, forcing him to 'walk the plank', down the boardand smack into mate on the 1st Rank! Have fun clicking though this miniatureblitz masterpiece! } 1. d4 f5 { The Dutch Defense } 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 { Blockinghis c-pawn, White aims for rapid development and the central break, e2-e4. Black can clamp down on e4 with 3...d5, but that would cost him the e5square after 4.Bf4 and a future Ne5. } 3... Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Bxf6 { White exchangesin order to break with e2-e4. The inherent problem with the Dutch Defenseis the early weakening of the kingside with 1...f5. Now a strong kingsidedefender (the f6 Knight) has been eliminated, making Black's kingside evenweaker. The only down side for White is giving up the prized Bishop Pair. } 5... Bxf6 6. e4 { White is missing his dark-squared Bishop. Therefore, recommendedhere for Black is 6...d5, which forces White to clarify his intentionsin the center. The text move allows White to fully justify his openingstrategy. } 6... fxe4 { Not best, as it activates White's QN. } 7. Nxe4 b6 { Blackaims for a queenside fianchetto combined with pressure down the f-fileafter ...O-O. } 8. Bd3 { The Knight on e4 is at least equal to the Bishopon f6, so White refrains from further exchanges and continues developing. Here the d3 Bishop takes aim at Black's kingside. } 8... Bb7 9. Ne5 { A provocativemove, threatening Qh5 ! White does not mind if Black trades one of hisBishops for one of White's powerfully centralized Knights. Let's takea look at some variations. If 9...Bxe5?, then 10.Qh5 ! (zwischenzug) andWhite recovers the piece with a centralized Queen and a better position,since Black is forced to give up castling or weaken his kingside with 10...g6. Also weak is 9...Bxe4? 10.Bxe4 where Black has parted with his fianchettoedBishop along with his light squares. The Rook on a8 is attacked, making10...d5 absolutely forced. Other blocking moves are worse; 10...c6 isinadequate in light of 11.Qd3 g6 12.h4! (12...Bxh4?? 13.Bxg6 ! is crushing);and of course not 10...Nc6?? 11.Nxc6 dc 12.Bxc6 and White wins. Returningto 10...d5, White simply plays 11.Bd3 with a clear advantage due to thebackward e-pawn and the outpost square on e5. } 9... O-O { Castling into the storm! Although time-consuming, in retrospect it might have been better for Blackto engineer queenside castling. } 10. Qh5 { Black's kingside is under massivepressure. Here White is threatening 11.Ng5 h6 12.Bh7 Kh8 13.Ng6# whichis veiled by a secondary and rather basic threat of 11.Nxf6 Rxf6 12.Qxh7 followed by total annihilation of the kingside and a winning materialadvantage. } 10... Qe7 { The game-losing blunder, but one could hardly blame Thomasfor missing this one in blitz! 10...Bxe5, giving up the Bishop Pair toremove White's monster Knight on e5, is pretty much forced. Now in thisposition, after the text move (10...Qe7??) and the supposed 11.Nxf6 gxf6(not 11...Rxf6?? 12.Qxh7 Kf8 13.Qh8#) the Black Queen covers h7. I actuallyhad the rare privilege of playing this same game against a computer onthe Internet Chess Club. The crazy thing was the computer, rated around2100, fell victim to the 'horizon effect', a well-known phenomenon wherea chess engine cannot 'see' the final mate position because it simply cannotcalculate far enough into the position (beyond its horizon). In this position,the engine probably calculated 6 moves ahead and assessed that Black is'safe' after 10...Qe7, since h7 is guarded and there is no way to forcemate in 6. But there IS a way to force mate in 7, if you look beyond thehorizon! Drum roll... } 11. Qxh7+ { Brilliant!! The Queen sac exposes Blackto a deadly double check! } 11... Kxh7 12. Nxf6+ { Double check is the most powerfulcheck other than checkmate, since the only defense is to move the Kingto safety. Here the Black King is forced to go for a little walk (12...Kh813.Ng6#). } 12... Kh6 13. Neg4+ { Exclam! The counter-intuitive Neg4 , leavingthe f6 Knight en prise, is the game-winner. The other Knight check leadsto a dead end for White. } 13... Kg5 { The only move! In this position White hasTWO ways to proceed, both of which lead to the fastest mate possible. The first one is the text move (14.h4 ) and the second is 14.f4 Kh4 [14...Kxf4leads to a quicker mate after 15.g3 Kg5 (15...Kf3 16.O-O#!) 16.h4#] 15.g3 Kh3 16.Bf1 Bg2 17.Nf2#. } 14. h4+ Kf4 { Forced } 15. g3+ Kf3 { Here Whitehas an elegant mate in 2. After the quiet 16.Kf1 or even 16.O-O! (cuttingoff g2), there is no way for Black to stop 17.Nh2#. Lasker, however, findsa slightly longer but highly amusing finish. } 16. Be2+ Kg2 { Forced } 17. Rh2+ Kg1 { Black is on Death Row! } 18. Kd2# { Checkmate! The King has walkedthe plank! It would have been nice for Lasker to have ended with 18.O-O-O#,but perhaps he did not wish to copy Paul Morphy's famous finale where hemated his opponent by castling long. 1-0 } 1-0
[Event "Chester 6 v Malpas & Oswestry 2 Board 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2-5-2017"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles L Higgie"] [Black "Jixin Yang"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "ECF140"] [TimeControl "35 in 1 Hr 15"] [WhiteElo "ECF166"] 1. d4 { This was the last match of the 2016-7 season. } 1... d5 { It is a sweetlittle game, where I mate him on move 21. } 2. c4 { So I play my usual. } 2... Nf6 { This is the third or fourth time I have met this, this season, soit is obviously popular, at least at this level. See this game http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/colwyn-bay-v-malpas-oswestry?gm=62362 } 3. cxd5 { So I take again. } 3... Nxd5 { He takes back. } 4. Nf3 { I deviate fromthe above mentioned game. The reason is on Wednesday April 12 I playedin a quick-play tournament in Krakow. I was playing Julia Wiszniewska,1054. She is just 9 years old. I had white. This was how the game started:1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. e4 Nf6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Ne2 I was quitehappy with this, I seemed to have control of the centre. But then camethis 6..............e5 7.d5Nb4 8.Nbc3Bc5 9.Bb1Ng4 10.O-OQh4 11.h3Nxf2 12.Rxf2Bxf2+ 13.Kh2O-O And I am just a pawn and the exchangedown without any compensation. But after 14.a3Na6 15.Ba2Nc5 16.Qc2f5 17.b4Nxe4 18.Nxe4fxe4 19.Bb2Bf5 20.Bxe5e3 21.Qxc7Rf7 22.d6I had at least equalised, and after ........................Qe4?? 23.Qxf7+Kh8 24.Bxg7# I had won a game I really should have lost. } 4... e6 { Itend to think g6 going into a Grunfeld- type position is better. } 5. e4 { Now I do take the centre. } 5... Bb4+ { He throws in a check. } 6. Nbd2 { I thoughtit better to keep pieces on as I have the space advantage. I was slightlysurprised to find out later that Bd2 is more common. } 6... Nf6 { Knight retreats.My e pawn is now attacked, as my Nd2 is pinned. } 7. Bd3 { So I protectit. } 7... Nc6 { Attacking d4. c4 is probably better, maybe leading to c5 8.Qb3 Nc6 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. O-O O-O 11. Nc4 Qc7 12. e5 Ng4 13. Bf4 f6 14.Rae1 fxe5 15. Bxe5 Ncxe5 16. Nfxe5 Bxf2+ 17. Rxf2 Nxf2 18. Re3 Qc5 19.Be2 Ne4 20. Kh1 Nf2+ 21. Kg1 Ne4 22. Kh1 Nf2+ 23. Kg1 } 8. a3 { If he takeson d2 I was going to take back with my queen, and if he then plays Nxd4I can exchange knights and then win his queen with Bb5+ } 8... Ba5 { He dropsback. I think Be7 was better, but he said he wanted to re-route the bishopto attack d4. } 9. b4 { So I attack it again. } 9... Bb6 { He drops back. } 10. Nb3 { I give d4 more protection } 10... O-O { I think this is a mistake. What wouldyou play now? } 11. e5 { Opening up a diagonal to his king. } 11... Nd5 { Knightmoves of course. What would you play now? } 12. Bxh7+ { Did you find it?The so-called 'Greek Gift' attack. } 12... Kh8 { If he takes, Ng5+ gives me a winningattack. } 13. Ng5 { Preparing Qh5 } 13... g6 { So he stops it. } 14. Qg4 { But my queencan still get to the h file. } 14... Kg7 { So he moves his king off the h file } 15. Qh4 { I am planning a second piece sacrifice. } 15... Rh8 { He is trying toprevent a disaster on the h file. But luckily my knight can move out ofthe way with check. } 16. Nxe6+ { Like this. Now if he takes with the bishopQh6 is mate. } 16... fxe6 { So this is the only other move he has, but it is soonmate. Can you see how yet? } 17. Qh6+ { His reply is forced. } 17... Kf7 18. Qxg6+ { Driving his king to a dark square so that my bishop on c1 can join in. } 18... Kf8 { He chose this way. } 19. Bh6+ { And the bishop check comes in. } 19... Ke7 { Forced. I can win his queen here with Bg5+ but why take the queen whenyou can mate him? } 20. Qg7+ { Like this. } 20... Ke8 { Forced! } 21. Bg6# { And this!Many thanks for reading. Please leave a comment or two and rate the annotationon the star system, to let me know how I am getting on. Until next timedear reader! } 1-0
[Event "Mentor game 01"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.07.22"] [Round "-"] [White "porcho"] [Black "bigpeta"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2085"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1242"] { This was a coaching game I played with bigpeta. } 1. d4 { If I'm going toplay someone really strong, I'll start with what I know. } 1... d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 e5 4. Bxc4 exd4 5. exd4 { I feel my position is pretty good stilleven though I have an isolated pawn. } 5... Nf6 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bg5 { Bigpeta identified this as a mistake as he can play Re8+. } 8... Re8+ 9. Be3 Nbd7 { I'm not criticizing his move, but doesn't this block in his bishop? } 10. O-O Nb6 { Well his bishop is unblocked, but is his knight any betterplaced than on c6? } 11. Bd3 { At this point I was feeling okay with my position.I have a slight lead in development, and I don't have any real problems. } 11... h6 { This doesn't seem to do anything except weaken his kingside pawn structure. } 12. Qb3 { ? Allows him to chase my queen with tempo. } 12... Be6 13. Qc2 Nbd5 { Istill wasn't extremely worried, but I felt black was a little better. } 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 { And his rook is on a very nice file. } 15. Rfe1 { So of courseI challenge it, but better would have been doing something about his bishopattacking my knight. } 15... Bxf3 { ! } 16. gxf3 { Now I have doubled pawns and terribleking safety. My only advantage is that I plan to use the g file as an weapon,not that I ever manage to. } 16... Nh5 17. Kh1 { I vacate the g file } 17... Qh4 { Threatensmate, and there isn't really any good way to stop it. } 18. Kg2 { I lookedlong and hard at different variations, but this seemed best. } 18... Qxh2+ { Idid expect that } 19. Kf1 Nf4 { This threatens mate again } 20. Bh7+ { I feltI was in a terrible position, so I did this just as a spite check. } 20... Kh8 21. Bxf4 { I thought this prevented the mate, but I didn't notice that hisrook is preventing my king from escaping, although I don't know if thereeven is a way to stop mate. } 21... Qh1# { And I lose. Not a great game, but Ilearned a little. } 0-1
[Event "League division D3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.23"] [Round "-"] [White "chekof"] [Black "plasfodor"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1329"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1256"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 { Queen's gambit declined (D30), standardsvaret dessutom. } 3. e3 { Queen's gambit declined (D30), öppnar upp för min L mot c4. } 3... Nf6 { The most common response to White's Queen's Gambit Declined (D30) is 1...c5, but this move leads to a slight advantage for Black. The next most common response, 2...Nc6, is slightly better for White. } 4. Nf3 Nc6 { Här ser man direkt att svarts L f8 kan bli hotfull,så det är bäst att följa spellinjen för Queen's gambit declined (D30).Här går man upp med S till c3. } 5. Nc3 a6 { He chose a slightly more complex variation in the Queen's Gambit Declined, where 5...Bb4 would have been in the line. After a little thought, he opted for the unusual line, and safeguarded b4 against an eventual attack from white's light-squared bishop and knight. } 6. a3 h6 { Här avviker svart från Queen's gambit declined(D30), där 6...Be7 hade varit i den linjen. } 7. Bd3 { Normal development, and framing of windows for rockad. } 7... Na5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. h3 { Säkrar g4innan jag gör rockad. } 9... Bd6 10. O-O { Normal development. The black piece is likely to be the rock, and then the middle game begins. } 10... O-O 11. b4 { Move your pieces, hunt for weaknesses on the board and create space for your king on c1 for further development. } 11... Nc6 12. Bb2 { Frilägger den bakre raden så sakteliga, samt skapar förutsättningarför framtida kombinationer. } 12... Re8 13. Qc2 { Bakre raden frilagd med endastT'na kvar, samt förstärkning med D mot e4 där ett antal utväxlingar kanske. } 13... b5 14. e4 { Let the castling occur. This is necessary to open the previously locked door. } 14... dxe4 15. Nxe4 { The knight takes the middle square and exchanges rather than capturing. } 15... Bd7 { Should I exchange my pawn on f6 or my knight on d6? Moving the pawns will be more costly in the endgame, so I can minimize his losses. However, I have a strong diagonal along b1-h7, and it could have justified exchanging my pawn on f6; but it is too early to build a net. } 16. Nxd6 { He castled safely with cxd6, and then I activate either my a-pawn or d5 to delay his S. } 16... cxd6 17. d5 { Nu måste han flyttanågon av S, annars förlorar han material. Det öppnar för utväxling på e5,eller dubbelpinne av S'a med L. } 17... Ne5 { Inte mycket att tveka på, utan detär bara att utväxla S. } 18. Nxe5 dxe5 19. Rae1 { Activate a-T and challenge T on the file. } 19... Qc7 { Offrar han sin D av taktiska skäl, eller ärdet en blunder ? Det verkar vara det senare, så vi slår D direkt. } 20. Qxc7 Bc8 21. Bxe5 Nxd5 { Ser en trippelgaffel på c6 för D, så materiellttänkt går jag D till c6. } 22. Qc6 { Nu blev det roligare, för material lärutväxslas. Men han lär väl parera med L på e6. } 22... Be6 { A double attack againstS with D and L on e4 can be effective. } 23. Be4 Rec8 24. Qb7 { I thought I would get material directly, but instead I slowly gained tempo by attacking and defending simultaneously. } 24... Rab8 { Han Måste ha missat att jag har min L på e5, så jag slårhans T med den. } 25. Bxb8 { Här lämnade svart in. } 1-0
[Event "Christmas with friends!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "11-Jan-08"] [Round "-"] [White "obsean"] [Black "m1harrington"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1446"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 15d max"] [WhiteElo "1184"] 1. e4 e5 2. c3 Nf6 { I have always liked this opening, i use it allot, (Bythe way i am BLACK) } 3. Qf3 Bc5 { OK whites queen has come out better bringsome more pieces out to play } 4. b4 Bb6 5. g4 { ok i know white tryingto move my knight i don't want to allow white to do this so i move my prawnto h6 } 5... h6 6. d3 d6 { open my prawn up a bit allow my bishop to see the whitesprawn } 7. d4 Bxg4 { OK ill have that and attack your queen!!! } 8. Qg3 { UMMM this was a good move by white, if i move my bishop back he has the prawnon g7, and my knight on f6 is in danger i cannot let this happen!! } 8... Qd7 { ok queen come to help out 'back up!!!!' } 9. h3 { OK i new this would happenand i let it but, better to attack now i am sick of giving away control!!! } 9... Nxe4 { OK i gave away my bishop but i am attacking whites queen, forcingwhite to take my bishop and exchange queens } 10. Qxg4 Qxg4 11. hxg4 { Iam down a bishop my fault but i don't mind, because i have control, nowits my turn to attack!!!! } 11... exd4 { if white takes the prawn i have whitesrook, 'come on take it go on go on go on go on go on go on GO ON' } 12. c4 { Well white could see the weakness in taking my prawn, as its settleddown a bit time to tidy up a little. } 12... O-O { good time to protect my kingI thought %u201Cgave myself a pat on the back,%u201D } 13. Bg2 Re8 { wellif you want to take my knight you will have to put your self in check,i didnt want white to take my knight } 14. Rh4 { OK what white had seen therewas my hidden attack of moving my Knight to g3 in my next move puttingwhite in check and allowing my to capture whites rook, so good move againby white well spotted } 14... c6 { had to do this i thought if i attacked withmy knight i would have allowed white to get a prawn on b7 and my rook useingthe bishop on g2, i wasn't about to let that happen } 15. f3 { Forced tomove my knight, OK but where to move it that's the question, rem it willbe check in the next move, in the end better to be safe and move him backto f6 } 15... Nf6+ 16. Kf2 { um i didn't think white would move there, :) yep ucan see it to prawn up one on d4 hahaha lets check white again, } 16... d3+ 17. Kf1 { OK now i have opened white up time to attack, that rook looks nice } 17... Bd4 18. Nc3 { thanks ill have that :) } 18... Bxc3 19. Rb1 Na6 { White rook safebut I can see checkmate in the future, need to tempt white with bate thojust to distract there attention, so i can go for the KILL, what can Iuse ow ya my other knight } 20. b5 { I know that white wants my knight becauseif white gets it the game will be level, so lets use that but first, Iwant a rook, if I cannot get one ill just get the other ;) } 20... Re1+ 21. Kf2 Ree8 { OK this took a bit of risk, rem I new white would take my knightI was counting on it, and I have hidden my true attentions, that%u2019scheckmate, now I have the whites King where I want it YES :) } 22. bxa6 Be1+ { Never saw it coming, } 23. Kf1 Bxh4 { i have the rook and checkmateone move } 24. axb7 { i thought white would make that move, white didntwant to lose another prawn well, you can have the prawn ill have checkmate } 24... Re1# { :) that's how you do it, just need to do that in every game lol } 0-1
[Event "Partida Hipermodernista...4 Ronda Semifinal del campeonato nacional de ch, Viña del Mar, Chile"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.01.29"] [Round "-"] [White "Mario de la Cuadra Izquierdo"] [Black "Adán Ríos"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2315"] [WhiteElo "1727"] { E65: Defensa india de rey (variante del fianchetto) } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. g3 c5 6. Bg2 cxd4 7. Nxd4 d6 8. O-O a6 9. b3 Nbd7 10. Bb2 { ultima jugada del libro } 10... Qc7 11. Qd2 Nc5 12. Rac1 Bd7 13. b4 Na4 14. Nxa4 Bxa4 15. b5 { White obtains more space. } 15... Nd7 16. bxa6 Rxa6 17. Nb5 { The White piece can feel proud of this one. } 17... Qb8 { Alternativevariation: 17... Qa5 [ tiene algunas virtudes obvias] 18. Bc3 Bxc3 19.Rxc3 Nc5 $11 } 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Qc3+ Kg8 20. Qe3 Re8 21. Nd4 Bc6 22. Nxc6 bxc6 23. f4 Qc7 24. Rc2 Qb6 25. Qxb6 Rxb6 { Alternative variation: [Másdébil es] 25... Nxb6 26. Bxc6 Rd8 27. e4 $18 } 26. a4 { Alternative variation:26. Rf3 Ra6 $11 } 26... Ra8 27. Ra1 Ra5 28. Ra3 Kf8 29. Kf2 Ke8 30. e4 Kd8 31. Bf3 Kc7 32. h4 Rb4 33. Be2 Nc5 34. e5 Raxa4 35. exd6+ exd6 36. Re3 Kd7 37. h5 Rb3 38. hxg6 { Alternative variation: 38. Rxb3 Nxb3 39. Rb2 Nd4 $19 } 38... Rxe3 39. Bg4+ { no hace mucho para defender la posición Alternative variation:39. Kxe3 Ra3+ 40. Kd2 hxg6 41. g4 } 39... Re6 { un desagradable jaque } 40. gxh7 { Alternative variation: 40. Bxe6+ Nxe6 [Combination] } 40... Ra8 41. Kf3 Rh8 42. Bf5 Ke7 43. Bxe6 Nxe6 44. Rh2 Nf8 45. g4 { Alternative variation: 45.Ra2 [ ya no cambiará nada] Rxh7 46. Ra6 Ne6 $19 } 45... Rxh7 46. Re2+ Kd7 47. f5 { Alternative variation: 47. Ke4 [no resuelve nada] Rh1 48. Ra2 Ne6 49.Ra7+ Ke8 $19 } 47... Rh3+ 48. Kf4 Nh7 49. Ra2 Rc3 { Alternative variation: 49...f6 [mantiene incluso un dominio más firme] 50. Ra7+ Kd8 51. Rg7 $19 } 50. Ra7+ { Alternative variation: 50. Ra4 [no puede cambiar el destino] Rc1$19 } 50... Ke8 51. Ra8+ { Alternative variation: 51. c5 [no ganará ningún premio]Rxc5 52. Ra4 Rc1 $19 } 51... Ke7 52. Ra7+ { Alternative variation: 52. c5 [noes la salvación] Rxc5 53. Ra4 Kf6 $19 } 52... Kf6 53. Ra4 { It was not good but what else could he do? 53. Rd7 [no es bueno pero? que se podía hacer?] 54. Ke3 $19 } 53... Ng5 { Alternative variation: 53... Ng5 54. Ra3 Rxa3 55. c5 Rf3# } 0-1
[Event "HIGHER THEN MY RAITING PLEASE"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "22-Sep-06"] [Round "-"] [White "hagruzini"] [Black ""] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1416"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1409"] 1. d4 { Hello! I'm not a great player and I play with no theory, but here'smy fastest win in 8 moves (of course opponent helped me to win). } 1... d5 2. c4 c5 { This, I think was the first mistake... } 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Nc3 { Here black should to take my pawn by c5xd4, but... } 5... Qh5 { I realydon't know what black wanted to do? } 6. dxc5 Bxf3 7. exf3 { Now black isunder mate situation or losing queen if they take move Qxc5 what blackdid } 7... Qxc5 8. Bb5+ { This move ended the game (black resighed). } 1-0
[Event "Wing Attack Unravels Locked Center"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.01.26"] [Round "-"] [White "gr8rog"] [Black "midgarheretic"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1194"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bf4 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. h3 g6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. Nf3 Bg7 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. O-O Re8 12. Be5 e6 13. Na4 h5 { Pawnthrust h6. The center is closed so what do you do? Counter a closed centerby attacking the wings. } 14. Nc5 Nd7 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. b4 Nxc5 17. bxc5 { The center has closed more making a wing attack even more likely. Whichwing to attack? } 17... e5 18. c3 e4 { This seals off the center and opens severaldiagonals and oppurtunities for black. } 19. a4 { A4, pawn thrust with thehopes to make black counter on the queenside and stay away from the kingside. } 19... Rf8 { Rf8 sets up the f pawn to push forwards to open lines against whitesking. } 20. f3 f5 21. f4 { The center is now entirely sealed off. Blacksking does not need a solid defense because the center is sealed and whitewould have much problems attacking. } 21... Rb8 { Rb8, white should have takenadvantage of this open file sooner. The f file under control by black hasopened up a mating possibility for black. } 22. g4 { A weak pawn thrustin an attempt to counter by white. This move takes away the white king'sdefense and leaves the white king wide open. Compare the white king tothe black king, which do you think is better protected now? } 22... hxg4 23. hxg4 { The white king no longer has any defense. } 23... Qh4 24. Rf2 Rh8 { Matein 5. } 25. Rg2 Qh1+ 26. Kf2 Rb2+ { The ever so important f file that wascontrolled by the black rook which could have been controlled by the whiterook, has now helped to finish white. } 27. Qe2 Rxe2+ { The rook captureis to draw the king away from the rook on g2. } 28. Kxe2 Qxg2+ { Noticehow the king can not move upwards because of the closed center and theaggressive positioning of the black pawns. } 29. Kd1 Rh1# 0-1
[Event "makisx's mini-tournament, http://gameknot.com/chess.pl?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2006.09.11"] [Round "-"] [White "miguel_pires"] [Black "makisx"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2029"] [TimeControl "259200+86400"] [WhiteElo "1703"] 1. e4 { This game is began today and end today. My opponent enter in a lineof the rauzer sicilian, but give me a type of position that give me somebeautifulls sacrifice. If someone is interested, please see what GM Peterwells says about reconising patterns in his CD 'Strategy and Tactics ' } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f3 Be7 10. h4 O-O 11. g4 b5 12. Nxc6 { We are falloing the game: Alternative variation: 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Bd3 b4 14. Ne2 Qa5 15. Kb1 Rfc816. Nd4 Bb5 17. Nb3 Qc7 18. Rc1 Bc4 19. Bxc4 Qxc4 20. c3 bxc3 21. Rxc3Qb5 22. Nd4 Qb7 23. Rhc1 h6 24. Nc6 Kf8 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Qxd6 Ke8 27.Na5 Qd7 28. Qxd7 Kxd7 29. Rxc8 Rxc8 30. Rxc8 Kxc8 31. h5 Kc7 32. Kc2 Kd633. Nc4 Kc5 34. Kd3 Bg5 35. a3 Bf4 36. Kc3 Bg3 37. b4 Kb5 38. Kb3 Bf439. a4 Kc6 40. Nb2 g6 41. Nd3 Bg3 42. Kc4 Bd6 43. b5 axb5 44. axb5 Kb6 45. e5 Bc7 46. hxg6 fxg6 47. Nf4 Bxe5 48. Nxg6 Bd6 49. f4 Ka5 50. f5exf5 51. gxf5 Ba3 52. f6 h5 53. f7 Kb6 54. f8=Q [ 1-0 Herrera,I (2420)-Dela Paz,F (2325)/Santa Clara 1996/EXT 99] } 12... Bxc6 13. Bd3 Rc8 14. Ne2 Bb7 15. Nd4 { Changing the game we are folloing Alternative variation: 15.Ng3 Nd7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. f4 Nc5 18. g5 Na4 19. Rhe1 Qc7 20. Kb1 Rfd8 21.h5 Qb6 22. c3 Qc5 23. Bc2 Nb6 24. Qd4 Kf8 25. Bb3 a5 26. a3 Qxd4 27. Rxd4e5 28. fxe5 dxe5 29. Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Rf1 Nc4 31. Bxc4 bxc4 32. g6 hxg6 33.hxg6 f6 34. Rh1 Kg8 35. Kc1 Rd3 36. Rd1 Rxd1 37. Kxd1 Bc6 38. Kd2 Kf839. Ke3 Be8 40. Nf5 Bxg6 41. Nd6 Bf7 42. Nb7 a4 43. Nc5 Be8 44. Na6 Ke745. Nb4 Kd6 46. Nc2 Bc6 47. Ne1 g6 48. Nf3 f5 49. Nd2 Ke6 [ 0-1 ArizmendiMartinez,J (2516)-Alekseev,E (2607)/Istanbul 2003/CBM 96] } 15... Qc7 16. h5 h6 { A novelty, but I think that's the error that cost the game to my opponent.This weekeness the King safety, the game i was folloing is this: Alternativevariation: 16... d5 17. e5 Ne8 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. g5 Nc7 20. Rdg1 Rce8 21.Bxh7 Kxh7 22. g6 Kg8 23. h6 f5 24. hxg7 Qxg7 25. Qf4 [1-0 Tayeb,D (2160)-Rapinel,F(2199)/France 2002/EXT 2003] } 17. Bxh6 { !! This sacrifice gives withethe control of the game and a big prussure on the black king. Is a normalsacrifice in other oppenings like the WRG } 17... gxh6 { Alternative variation:17... d5 18. Bxg7 } 18. Qxh6 Nh7 { I think this is the best move, because Alternative variation: 18... Qc5 [This move lose to] 19. Nf5 $3 (19. e5$2 Ne4 $1 20. fxe4 [ and blak have the advantage] Qxd4) 19... exf5 20.gxf5 Ng4 21. Rhg1 } 19. f4 { defending the queen and King from the Bg5 } 19... Rfd8 { I don't now if better is Alternative variation: 19... Bg5 20.fxg5 Qe7 21. Nf3 } 20. e5 Nf8 { only move } 21. Nf5 { ! Finally the lastsacrifice } 21... exf5 22. gxf5 Qxc2+ { Traing to save the game but this don'twork Alternative variation: 22... f6 23. e6! and is lost } 23. Bxc2 Rxc2+ 24. Kxc2 Be4+ 25. Kb3 Rc8 26. f6 Bxf6 { is lost any whay. now is continuethe plan } 27. exf6 Bc2+ 28. Ka3 Ne6 29. Rhg1+ Bg6 30. hxg6 { end he resigns.I think h6 is a blunder and give me the game. that is one of the sacrificesa like most :) } 1-0
[Event "Castling Into It!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Jan-09"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "ionadowman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2056"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1745"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone, welcome to another match between me and Coach Ion whereI was the loser. Unfortunately in this one there is no pretence of equalityas there was between me and Master Freddy (easy19). I did try to conquermy disease, passivitis, but I had to go the wrong way about it, didn'tI? Ion gives me an opportunity to build a strong pawn centre and get someplay with a hypermodern opening such as the Robatsch Defense. This Defenseby black is designed to undermine white's strong pawn centre and to placehis dsb on g7 raking down to the white a1 rook, so the b pawn is pinnedto that rook unless black moves a knight to f6. Anyhow, on with the game. } 1... g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. f4 { 4. f4 - this transposes into a the pseudo-Austrianattack of the Pirc Defense. } 4... b6 5. Nf3 Bb7 { 5. ........ Bb7 - a doublefianchetto - this lsb also proves to be very strong, and will be a nightmarepiece later on! } 6. Bc4 c5 7. Bb5+ Nd7 8. Be3 Nf6 9. e5 { 9. e5 - I hadseveral options to deal with the attack on my e pawn? Was this the correctone? You the jury decide. } 9... Ng4 10. Qe2 { 10. Qe2 - clears both paths andgives Henry a choice of where he wishes to move to. Glenda also defendsFou Lenoir. } 10... a6 11. Bxd7+ Qxd7 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. h3 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 { 14.Qxe3 - after this plethora of exchanges it is 2 knights v 2 bishops. Ionwill now demonstrate that 2 bishops are definately stronger than 2 knights. } 14... O-O 15. O-O-O { 15. 0-0-0? - here it is, Ion stated in the chat when thegame had moved on a little further that he thought my later king move tod2 was my downfall but I do not think that I helped myself by moving Henryto an area where black had a perfect column, the b column to funnel hisheavies down. Maybe Rd1 followed by kingside castling was better. Therook part of the move puts pressure on black's d pawn. } 15... Bc6 16. Ne4 { 16.Ne4 - all well intentioned, this move threatens to win either the c pawnor the d pawn due to the pin of the d pawn to the Wicked Witch of the West. Also hoping for Bxe4 getting rid of one of those bishops, but hope chessis a bad bad thing! However, that Witch now waves her wand and kaboomshe jumps out of the pin and ends up on that bally b file! Now dxc6 cannotbe played due to Qxb7 - notice how the e5 pawn is actually pinned to b2! } 16... Qb7 17. Rhe1 Rfb8 18. b3 Qb4 { 18. ......... Qb4 - the Wicked Witch creepscloser and closer to Henry. } 19. Nc3 a5 20. a4 c4 { 20. ......... c4! Underminesprotection on my a pawn. I now try to evacuate Henry from the queensidebut Ion thinks this is a mistake. Can you the jury suggest a better alternativefor me here? } 21. Kd2 cxb3 22. cxb3 Qxb3 23. Rb1 Qc4 24. Qd4 { 24. Qd4?- another well-intentioned move, to exchange queens to relieve the pressureon Henry but, when my knight moves to d4 my b pawn will be left hanging. I now drop another pawn. } 24... Qxd4+ 25. Nxd4 Bxg2 26. h4 Rxb1 27. Nxb1 dxe5 28. fxe5 Rd8 { 28. ........... Rd8 - Ion still keeps up the pressure. Thegame now lasts only 1 more move. } 29. Kc3 Rd5 { 29. ......... Rd5 and whiteresigns. I resigned because I could not avoid the loss of a third pawn. I have two knights against his two bishops. There is just no juice leftin the position so I wave the white flag. Well played Ion! } 0-1
[Event "How to be the worst possible kind of sport (Blitz game)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Avocet"] [Black "miamere"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1567"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { There's really nothing special about the play in this game. I played somewhatdesultorily, and my opponent played like the c-player s/he is. What makesthe game notable is the almost unsurpassable level of sheer bad sportsmanshipmy opponent displayed once the position became absolutely lifeless, atthe 58th move. From that point I made close to a dozen draw offers; eachtime I was refused. My opponent also was careful to make moves that didnot repeat the position more than twice. In chat I asked what his/her problemwas, and was jeered. Finally, at move 98, having (I think) no more movesto make without repeating the position for a third time (but without makinga losing King move) s/he posted, with more than 7-and-a-half minutes lefton the clock, 'gg Ricky,' and then abandoned the board to lose the gameon time. Let me give you this player's name again: MIAMERE. My advice,for what it's worth: if you encounter 'miamere' in Blitz, cancel the gameand find another opponent. If you draw him or her in a rated game thatyou can cancel with taking a ratings hit, do so. The best way to handletrollish bad sportsmanship like this is to abandon the player to die ina desert of their own making. } 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. d3 Nf6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. e3 O-O 7. Nge2 d6 8. O-O a6 9. Rb1 Rb8 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. cxd5 Ne5 12. b4 cxb4 13. d4 Nc4 14. Rxb4 b5 15. a4 Bd7 16. Qb3 Qc8 17. axb5 Rxb5 18. Rxb5 Bxb5 19. Nc3 Qb8 20. Nxb5 Qxb5 21. Qc2 Qb4 22. Rd1 Rc8 23. Bf1 Nb6 24. Qd2 Qxd2 25. Bxd2 Nxd5 26. Bxa6 { This is where I offered thefirst draw. It was rejected. } 26... Ra8 27. Bf1 Ra2 { ?? } 28. Be1 { ?? Bc4 wins,but I'd already pretty much lost interest in this game, and so was playingon automatic pilot. } 28... Nf6 29. Rb1 Ne4 30. Bd3 Nd2 31. Bxd2 Rxd2 32. Be4 { Here's where I made the second draw offer, which was again refused. } 32... Bf6 33. Kf1 e6 34. Ke1 Ra2 35. Rd1 Bd8 36. h4 Ba5+ 37. Kf1 Kg7 38. Rc1 Kf6 39. Rc2 Ra1+ 40. Kg2 Ra3 41. Bf3 h6 42. Be2 Kf5 43. Kf3 Bc3 44. g4+ Kf6 45. Kg2 Rb3 46. Bc4 Ra3 47. Ra2 Rxa2 48. Bxa2 { Bishops of opposite colors,equal pawns, both Kings on the side where the pawns are: this game is abook draw: hence, my third draw offer, again refused. } 48... e5 49. dxe5+ dxe5 { I doubt 49. ...Be5 is any better after 50. f4. But of course not 49. ...Ke5?Bf7. } 50. Bd5 Ke7 51. Kf3 f6 52. Ke2 g5 53. hxg5 hxg5 54. e4 Bd4 55. f3 Bc5 56. Kd3 Bd4 57. Kc4 Kd6 58. Kb5 { The position is dead: Black cannotpenetrate on the K-side (nor can White), and White's King allows no penetrationon the Q-side. All both sides can do at this point is trade Bishop movesback and forth, which is pretty much what happened for the next 40 moves.During that time I made at least 10 more draw offers, each one refusedwhile miamere jeered at me for not being able to win. I include those movesnow only to put them into the the official record. There will be only onefurther remark by yours truly. } 58... Bc3 59. Ba8 Bd4 60. Bd5 Bc5 61. Ba8 Bd4 62. Bd5 Bc3 63. Ba8 Bb2 64. Bd5 Ba1 65. Ba8 Bb2 66. Bd5 Ba3 67. Ba8 Bc5 68. Bd5 Be3 69. Ba8 Bf2 70. Bd5 Bg1 71. Ba8 Bh2 72. Bd5 Bg3 73. Ba8 Bf4 74. Bd5 Kc7 75. Ba8 Kd6 76. Bd5 Bc1 77. Ba8 Bd2 78. Bd5 Be1 79. Ba8 Bf2 80. Bd5 Bh4 81. Ba8 Bf2 82. Bd5 Ba7 83. Ba8 Bc5 84. Bd5 Ba3 85. Ba8 Kc7 86. Bd5 Bf8 87. Ba8 Bh6 88. Bd5 Bg7 89. Ba8 Bh8 90. Bd5 Bg7 91. Ba8 Kd6 92. Bd5 Bf8 93. Kb6 Be7 94. Ba8 Bd8+ 95. Kb5 Bc7 96. Bd5 Bb8 97. Ba8 Ba7 98. Bd5 { And here Black abandoned the game with almost 8 minutes remainingon his clock. White won on time. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Internet blitz"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "pimpdaddy mac"] [Black "theprince"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "G/10"] 1. e4 e5 2. b3 { Again, e4 (the King's Pawn Opening) and b3 (the Nimzovich-LarsenAttack) are both reasonable moves on their own, but they don't go welltogether. With e4 you started occupying the center and you ought to developquickly while supporting you foothold in the center or attacking Black's– Nf3, Nc3, f4, d4 and Bc4 are all better moves. } 2... Nc6 3. Bb2 Bc5 4. Nf3 d6 5. d4 { White does well to claim a greater share of the center. NormallyI would tell you to develop your other minor pieces and castle before makingthis move, but in this case Nc3/d2 would remove a supporter of d4, whileBc4/b5 would allow Black to hit back with ...Nf6. } 5... exd4 6. Nxd4 Bb4+ 7. c3 Ba5 { ?! Tension, tension. There is no need to make this trade unforced.Why not apply more pressure to the Knight first, with Bb5? } 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. b4 { ?! Now is the time for development, not for making pawn thrustson the wings. This move does nothing to aid your development, weakens yourpawn structure (we haven't gone over what that means yet, I know), andjust forces the Black Bishop to go to a better square. } 9... Bb6 { This moveis fine, but ...Rb8 would have been a fancy way to develop a piece whileindirectly protecting the Bishop. } 10. c4 { ! Releasing the DSB (Dark-SquaredBishop) with a gain of time (the threat against g7). Still, why did youhave to play b4 first? } 10... c5 { ? Preventing the 'threat' of c5, which wouldhave just lost a pawn anyways. Black desperately needed to play ...Nf6. NowWhite wins a whole Rook. } 11. Bxg7 { ! Good eye for those diagonals! } 11... Nf6 12. Bxh8 Nxe4 13. Bd3 { ! Not getting complacent. White develops while hittingthe pesky advanced Knight and clearing the way for castling. } 13... Qe7 { Betterthan retreating. } 14. O-O f5 { ? Instead of opening lines to his own King,Black should develop the Bishop on c8. } 15. Re1 { A dangerous pin. } 15... cxb4 { ! Preventing f3 and threatening Bxf2+. } 16. Bxe4 { Eliminating the threat. } 16... fxe4 17. Qh5+ Kd8 18. Nd2 { ! Getting the last pieces into the fight. (Qd5!?also deserved a look, but I'm glad you chose to develop.) } 18... e3 { ! Makingsome play out of the doomed e-pawn. } 19. Qd5 { ?? Ouch! The pawn isn't reallypinned! Gotta stay sharp, even when winning. } 19... Rb8 { ?? One good turn deservesanother. ...exf2+! (yes, it's check!) 20. Kf2 fxe1=Q+ 21. Rxe1 Rb8 and Whiteis in big trouble. Black should have won the game here, but missed hischance. To your credit, you didn't give him another. } 20. fxe3 Bb7 21. Qg8+ Qe8 22. Bf6+ Kd7 23. Qxh7+ { Good job picking up that extra pawn beforetrading Queens. } 23... Kc8 24. Nb3 Be4 25. Qh3+ Kb7 26. a4 a5 27. Bd4 { Whiteis playing with purpose: the White pieces are increasingly encircling theBlack King's position. } 27... Qc6 28. Bxb6 { An unnecessary exchange; it'd bebetter to get the last Rook involved. Still, I can't blame you for tradingwhile ahead. } 28... Qxb6 29. Qg4 { Squeezing Black more and more. } 29... Bc6 30. h4 { ! Here's your trump. Black, huddled up in one quarter of the board, nowhas to figure out a way to stop the pawn or perish. } 30... Re8 31. Qg3 { Good,no need to miss necessary defensive moves. } 31... Be4 32. h5 Qc6 { ?? And Blackmakes a final huge mistake under the pressure. } 33. Nxa5+ { ! Curtains!Good eye. } 1-0
[Event "Tornament game, Hastings 1922"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Yefim Bogoljuboff"] [Black "Aleksandr Alekhine"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "GM"] [WhiteElo "GM"] { If this game has been posted on GK already, my apologies. I just thoughteveryone should get a chance to see this classic. Two of the strongestplayers in the world [at the time] in a fierce battle. } 1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 e6 { Alekhine meets Bogoljuboff's QP opening with the Dutch defense. } 4. Bg2 Bb4+ { The more flexible 4... B-K2 is in common use now. However,90 years ago people still attacked immediately -- and Alekhine is neverone to shy away from an attacking move. } 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Nxd2 { 6 QxB wouldappear more natural and allow the later development of the QN to QB3. Butwhat do I know? I'm a 1300 player. I'm sure Bogoljuboff had a good reasonfor this move. } 6... Nc6 7. Ngf3 O-O 8. O-O { Both men castle their Kings intosafety. } 8... d6 9. Qb3 Kh8 { Moving the K off the diagonal occupied by Bogoljuboff'sQ, preventing any later threats along that line. } 10. Qc3 e5 11. e3 a5 { Since Alekhine's position is tilted towards the K-side, he tries to preemptivelyrestrain a potential Bogoljuboff advance on the Q-side. } 12. b3 Qe8 13. a3 Qh5 { The usual Black break in this opening. } 14. h4 Ng4 15. Ng5 Bd7 16. f3 { Forcing back the Knight. } 16... Nf6 17. f4 e4 { Bogoljuboff's KB is nowalmost useless. To free it would require the time consuming maneuver KR-K1,B-B1, B-K2 and B-Q1. } 18. Rfd1 h6 19. Nh3 { Now Bogoljuboff's KN is restrictedas well. } 19... d5 20. Nf1 Ne7 21. a4 Nc6 { Threatening to seize the outpost atBlack's QN5. } 22. Rd2 Nb4 23. Bh1 Qe8 { Switching the attack to a new area. } 24. Rg2 dxc4 { With Alekhine's spatial advantage, he wants to open somelines and penetrate the White position. [Also, the move wins a Pawn.] } 25. bxc4 Bxa4 26. Nf2 Bd7 27. Nd2 b5 { Alekhine is continuing to seize space.With a positional and material advantage, it's now a matter of technique. } 28. Nd1 Nd3 { Adolph Anderssen once remarked about Knights posted on thesixth rank that 'they are like a rusty nail in your knee!' Or a bone inyour throat -- pick your metaphor. } 29. Rxa5 b4 30. Rxa8 bxc3 { This brilliantmove proves to be decisive. } 31. Rxe8 c2 { Bogoljuboff can win the otherRook but cannot stop the Pawn from becoming a Queen. } 32. Rxf8+ Kh7 33. Nf2 c1=Q+ 34. Nf1 Ne1 { White's huddled pieces are more of a hindrance thana help. } 35. Rh2 Qxc4 36. Rb8 { Hastening the Rook back into the game. ButAlekhine has a trick worth two of that. } 36... Bb5 { Forcing Bogoljuboff to losethe Exchange or be mated. } 37. Rxb5 Qxb5 38. g4 { Trying to create somemaneuvering room. } 38... Nf3+ 39. Bxf3 exf3 40. gxf5 Qe2 { Keeping Bogoljuboffcompletely restrained. } 41. d5 Kg8 42. h5 Kh7 43. e4 { Bogoljuboff is forcedto give up a Pawn to obtain some freedom of movement. } 43... Nxe4 44. Nxe4 Qxe4 { Now the White Pawns must fall, one by one. } 45. d6 cxd6 46. f6 gxf6 47. Rd2 Qe2 { Exact. 47... QxP would let Bogoljuboff's Rook become active. } 48. Rxe2 { Forced. } 48... fxe2 49. Kf2 exf1=Q+ 50. Kxf1 Kg7 { Alekhine has an easywin with his passed QP. } 51. Ke2 Kf7 52. Ke3 Ke6 53. Ke4 d5+ { Bogoljuboffresigns. The continuation would be 54 K-Q4 K-B4 55 KxP KxP 56 K-Q4 P-B457 K-Q3 K-N6, and the BP marches in to become a Q. } 0-1
[Event "Malvern v Kidderminster"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "4-May-2012"] [Round "-"] [White "Ian Clarke"] [Black "Me"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "ECF156"] [TimeControl "42 moves in 1.5 hours"] [WhiteElo "ECF175"] { In the final league match of the season, I hold a player nearly 20 ECF(English Chess Federation) rating points above me to a draw. } 1. e4 { Sohe starts conventionally } 1... c5 { I play my usual } 2. d4 { He opts for openvariations. } 2... cxd4 { I take } 3. c3 { And he plays the Morra Gambit, offeringa pawn for speedy development. } 3... Nf6 { Following a suggestion by LeonardBarden and Tim Harding. Also partly as a result of being beaten too manytimes on the black side of this at Sheffield University by Peter Large.It is quite acceptable to take to pawn however, if black follows it upcorrectly. } 4. e5 { This is about the only sensible move here. } 4... Nd5 { Andso too for black } 5. Qxd4 { This is a bit unusual, more normal is cxd4 } 5... e6 { So I have to protect my knight of course. } 6. Nf3 { He develops hisknight } 6... Nc6 { So do I, hitting his queen } 7. Qe4 { The queen takes up a centrallocation. For the first time in the game I had a good think. I remembereda game from my university days where I continued with f5, but it seemedto me that f5 left my d pawn backwards, and if I later played d6 or d5to stop it bein backward, he could just play e5xd6 and my e pawn was backward.I didn't want to leave his e5 pawn unmolested, it could form the basisof a king side attack. Why not play d6 now? Yes that's what I'll play.Now according to Harding and Barden, 'Black can equalise with Taimanov's7....f5'. I did find out later that f5 does score better for black, andis more popular, although d6 also scores well for black. } 7... d6 { So d6 itwas } 8. Bb5 { Pinning my knight. } 8... Bd7 { Breaking the pin. I am threateningNxe5 here, so he finds another threat. } 9. c4 { Hitting my knight } 9... Nc7 { Introducing possibilities of taking on b5 } 10. exd6 { He takes } 10... Bxd6 { Itake } 11. O-O { He castles } 11... O-O { I castle. This seemed normal, althoughon the opening databases, Qe7 is more commonly played. 11....0-0 is notplayed in any of the 8 World Opening database of over-the-board games.There is one Gameknot game with this position after 11....0-0, nemours(1706) vs. riva77 (1712) } 12. Rd1 { So he hits my bishop } 12... Qe7 { I protect } 13. Nc3 { He develops. Now in nemours (1706) vs. riva77 (1712), black continuedwith 13....a6 and lost. Maybe my move I played is an improvement? Thisposition also came up in Stein, Bernd (2380) vs. Kovalev, Andrei (2500),where black continued with Be8 and won, although Be8 seems to me to beundeveloping, and breaking the rule of not retreating a piece to the backrank to break the connection of your rooks. What do you think dear reader? } 13... Rad8 { I developed my a rook. This position } 14. Be3 { So he develops } 14... a6 { I hit his bishop } 15. Ba4 { He retreats } 15... f5 { I hit his queen. The ideais to take the initiative on the king side with e5 and e4. Unfortunatelyhe stops this, so maybe e5 was better, but that does leave my d5 squareweak, and he can play Nc3-d5 } 16. Qd3 { So he hits my bishop } 16... Bc8 { Thisretreat protects the Bd6. 17. Bg5 is interesting, but after Bxh2+ 18. Kxh2Rxd3 19. Bxe7 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Nxe7 he is a pawn down with not enough compensation. } 17. Qe2 { But now he is threatening Bg5 } 17... h6 { So I stop that, he now exchangeson c6, reducing my control on e5 and d4 } 18. Bxc6 { He takes. } 18... bxc6 { I takeback. I was now expecting Bd4, stopping e5, but instead he plays... } 19. Bb6 { I'm in danger of being slowly squeezed, if e5 he plays c5! and wins,so I played.... } 19... c5 { Now I am threatening e5 and my Bc8 suddenly has agreat square on b7. I was rather expecting Ne5 now, but he played.... } 20. Re1 { This, also holding up e5 } 20... Rfe8 { So I threaten e5 again } 21. Rad1 { He finally completes his development } 21... Bb7 { I grab the long diagonal. } 22. Nd5 { Quite a stunning sacrifice. I thought I couldn't take this, becauseof exd5 23. Qxe7 Rxe7 24. Rxe7 Bxe7 25. Bxc7 and he gets the piece back.After the game, my opponent thought that this position was good for black.However I thought what I did play led to a plus for black. } 22... Bxd5 { SoI took this way. } 23. cxd5 { He took back } 23... e5 { and I finally get in e5,threatening e4 } 24. Bxc7 { So he takes here } 24... Qxc7 { I take back } 25. Nh4 { He hits f5 } 25... Qc8 { I protect f5 and a6 } 26. Qh5 { He hits f5 again } 26... Rf8 { SoI protect } 27. Ng6 { He hits Rf8 and e5 } 27... Rfe8 { So I meet both threats } 28. Nh4 { He hits f5 again } 28... Rf8 { and I go back and a draw was agreed. Many thanksfor reading this, please leave a comment or two, and rate it with the starsystem. Until next time dear reader! } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Robert-Piet"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-10-2019"] [Round "-"] [White "Robert"] [Black "Piet"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1859"] [WhiteElo "1532"] 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 { Smith-Morra Gambit. Robert is eager to play it. Black must limit himself to stubborn defense and maintain the pawn advance. Less enjoyable for black, but usually pays off in the end. } 3... dxc3 4. Nxc3 e6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bc4 a6 7. O-O Nge7 { This position with Pge7 is played most often and gives the highest winning percentage according to the online database. It is clear that white has the initiative and black must wait for their turn. } 8. Qe2 { Something more common is 5. f6 followed by 9. e3 and then 6. b5 or 7. pg6. } 8... Ng6 9. Be3 b5 10. Bd3 { The user is here lb3. In the database, a bad game was found with ld3 that continued with ld6 and eventually won by black. Black has here advantage. } 10... Be7 11. Rfd1 O-O 12. Rac1 Nce5 { White can draw the game with moves e5 and f4. } 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Bb1 Bb7 15. Qd2 { Better to stay, as black is standing better. } 15... d6 16. Qe2 { He is clearly searching for a good plan. } 16... Qd7 17. b3 { To parry the threat. This threat was actually less than it appeared. After b4, for example, white can simply play h3, b4 and then play normally. If black plays the horse to a4, white will win the piece back with tc7. } 17... Rac8 18. f4 Ng6 19. Rc2 Rc6 20. Rdc1 Rfc8 21. Nd1 { White is giving up a bit but still has the initiative. Black can play d5, e5 or f5 to start the attack. } 21... d5 22. Rxc6 Rxc6 23. Rxc6 Qxc6 24. exd5 Qxd5 { Stronger than exd5. Black has a great advantage. } 25. Nc3 { Enzwart kan toeslaan } 25... Qd8 { White had the opportunity to silver the advantage by playing pxf4. On lxf4, however, follows d4+, winning a second pawn. } 26. Be4 Bxe4 27. Nxe4 Qc7 28. g3 h6 29. Qd2 Bf8 { Het paard moetnaar d5. } 30. b4 Qc4 31. Nc5 a5 { Praktisch gedwongen } 32. a3 axb4 33. Qxb4 Bxc5 { Weaker. Black still has an advantage, but better was Dxb4. I wanted to exchange however to enter a endgame with a pawn majority. } 34. Qxc5 Qxc5 35. Bxc5 Nf8 { That was the idea. White must exchange or allow its last piece to move to d7. } 36. Kf2 Nd7 37. Bb4 f6 38. Ke3 Kf7 39. g4 g5 40. f5 exf5 41. gxf5 h5 { Black has a great advantage. Now it is time to convert the win. } 42. Kd4 g4 43. Kd5 h4 44. Be1 h3 45. Bg3 Nb6+ { Ai! Weak move. With five pawns black had held the advantage. Now it is again equal. } 46. Kc5 Nc4 { We know it's wrong. A total wrong plan. In two moves, black throws away all his chances. } 47. a4 { Uiteraard } 47... Ne3 48. axb5 Nxf5 49. b6 Nxg3 50. b7 Ne4+ 51. Kc6 { White gives the advantage back. With either kd4 or d6, the win would be within reach. Now it is again equal. } 51... g3 { Uiteraard. } 52. hxg3 { Now the roles have been reversed. Although difficult to see, it is still equal after b8 (Dame) and g2. Now black is again on the winning side. } 52... h2 53. b8=Q h1=Q 54. Qc7+ Kg6 { He gave up after making too many mistakes on both sides of the board in the last 10 moves. It was clear he could have tried harder, but it's understandable. } 0-1
[Event "WtW Modern Benoni mini-tournament VIII"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.07.15"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "ptitroque"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1748"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1836"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. f4 Bg7 8. Bb5+ Nfd7 { The best move is supposed to be 8. Nbd7 } 9. a4 { To prevent afurther b5 } 9... Na6 { Lancelot enters in the battle } 10. Nf3 O-O 11. O-O Nb4 { The brave Lancelot stands in the middle of the opposite army } 12. Re1 { Dangerous because of Bd4+ } 12... a6 { First getting rid of the annoying LSB.The footman challenges the bishop } 13. Bf1 { Probably to keep the e andd files free for the heavy pièces. } 13... Re8 { The most logical move. } 14. h3 { Safe move to avoid Bg4 } 14... Nf6 { Perceval must get ready to prepare 15. Nh5 } 15. Bc4 { The LSB has moved twice, unnecessarily } 15... Nh5 { Perceval is in ambushfor further action. } 16. Na2 { Lancelot is menaced } 16... Qa5 { Dame Guenièvre,worried, comes to support her faithfull knight. } 17. Nxb4 { which meet hisdoom. } 17... Qxb4 { but Dame Guenièvre revenges her true lover. } 18. Qb3 { Bigmistake. } 18... Bd4+ { Long hesitation, it seemed to be a clue move. I do notlike to exchange the DSB in benoni because it's a very powerfull pieceand I hoped it was worth it. If 19. Nxd4 Qxe1+ } 19. Kh2 { So that king Henrywisely hides } 19... Qxb3 { Lancelot is dead, Dame Guenièvre won't survive. } 20. Bxb3 Bf2 { To take the f pawn. } 21. Rf1 { Mistake, it doesn't save the fpawn and the e pawn is now unprotected } 21... Bg3+ { Now black can take the eand f pawn. } 22. Kg1 Rxe4 { e pawn first } 23. Nh2 Bxf4 { Now f pawn } 24. Bxf4 { trading } 24... Nxf4 { Perceval enters in the melee } 25. Bd1 { At first sightI found this move strange for the 2 rooks are not joined anylonger andthere is not direct menace. In fact there are a bunch of traps for black; If 25. ...Ne2+ 26. Kf2 and the knight is doomed. If 25. ... Nd5 26. Re5Rxe5 27. Rxe5 Nc7 28. Re8. I studied several other sequences in whichblack always loses. Poor Perceval, he won't accomplish anything great thismove. } 25... Rb4 { Menacing b2 and protecting b7, so that the LSB can move easilyto defend the center. } 26. b3 Nxd5 { One more pawn. } 27. Nf3 { Bringing outthe reserve } 27... Be6 { defending the center and the f pawn. } 28. Re1 { to prepare29. Ng5 } 28... Nc7 { Perceval doesn't like to drawback but the orders are clear: defend the bishop and menace 29. ... Bxb3. White could have tried toattack black's king but it seems Joanne prefers to defend. Now back's planis to get rid of white's a and b pawns, if necessary by trading but, inthis case, without having his own pawns isolated. } 29. Nd2 { Preventing29. ... Bxb3 } 29... Rd4 { attacking one defender of the b pawn. } 30. Nf3 { escaping } 30... Rd3 { Black carries on his plan } 31. Rb1 b5 { A common benoni move... Usuallydone earlier in the game, but 'better late than never' } 32. axb5 { Trading } 32... axb5 { 'Well done, brave footmen. Mission half completed'. Now, the nexttask : capture white's b pawn, if possible without damage (for us). } 33. b4 c4 { Now black's plan is to bring the c and d pawn to the second lineto oblige white to exchange pieces against pawns. } 34. Be2 Rda3 35. Nd4 d5 36. Kf1 Ra2 { Fruitless move Joanne is defending very well and despitemy material advance, I have a lot of trouble to gain terrain. } 37. Red1 { Still defending } 37... Rb8 { To prepare 38. ... Na6 39. ... Ra4 and 40. ... Nxb4 } 38. Ra1 { White sees the combo abd prevent it. } 38... Ra4 { So that I try somethingelse : if 39. Rxa4 bxa4 and I have a passed pawn. } 39. Rdb1 { White againhas a proper answer. } 39... Bf5 { ?! So that I make another plan. At least, themove will probably surprise my opponent. It considerably weakens black'skingside but I need to eliminate the white knight and play d4 so that Percevalcan be posted on d5 and it is the price to pay. I suppose that I'll bestrong enough on the right center to compensate this drawback. I can bringa rook on the open e file in case of need. } 40. Nxf5 { trading } 40... gxf5 { Theennoying knight is no more... Perceval will be free for new adventures.His horse is impatient. The f pawn is lonesome but well spotted for itcontrols e4 and g4, 2 important squares... An heroïc footman. The whitebishop will probably capture it but it will take 2 moves. } 41. Bd1 { Menacingthe rook } 41... Raa8 { If 41. ... Rxa1 42. Rxa1 menacing 43. Ra7 Ne6 44. Bh5 menacingf7 etc. So that retreat seemed better. } 42. Bc2 { Of course... } 42... d4 { Finallyadvancing a pawn } 43. Bxf5 { sacrifice... } 43... d3 { ... in exchange of anotherstep. } 44. Be4 { I overlooked this move } 44... Ra4 { Back to a previous menace: preparing 45. ... Nd5 to take the pawn } 45. Bc6 { preventing 46. ... Nd5 } 45... Rb6 { Threatening the bishop and enabling the rook to put the white kingin check } 46. Rxa4 bxa4 { No other choice } 47. Bxa4 { Mistake but whitehas little else to do. } 47... Nd5 { 'Now, my brave Perceval ! You've been homefor a long time, just watching around. It's time you go to battle' 'AyeAye Sir' answers Perceval to his king and he goes to d5 from where he canride whether on b4, directly attacking the white footman or on c3, to menaceboth rook and bishop or on e3+. The brave knight rides for the decisivecharge for which black has sacrificed two poor footmen and his king safety. } 48. Bd7 { Only move to free the bishop } 48... c3 { Advancing manoeuvers } 49. Bg4 { defending d1 } 49... c2 { Only one more step and the little footman will be general } 50. Rc1 { But there is still a mighty opponent on the road } 50... Rxb4 { preparing51. ... Rb1 } 51. Ke1 Rb1 52. Kd2 { Only move } 52... Rxc1 { trading } 53. Kxc1 { 'Perceval,go for the winning charge !' } 53... Nb4 54. Bf5 { In case if black makes a mistake } 54... Na2+ { Perceval the brave menaces the white king wh has to leave the c1square. 54. ... c1 is unavoidable by white so that Joanne submits here. } 0-1
[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "04-Nov-09"] [Round "-"] [White "God24"] [Black "jblind"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1351"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1271"] { This is a game i played against someone higher than me } 1. d4 { Queen'sgambit } 1... d5 2. c4 e5 { Declined with another gambit } 3. dxe5 { Qxd8+ in caseof capture and black cannot castle } 3... c6 { trying to reinforce the pawn thatis in the center } 4. Nc3 { Attacking the central pawn } 4... Bb4 { a pin to defend } 5. a3 Bc5 { should have just captured } 6. b4 Bd4 { blunder } 7. Qxd4 Ne7 { need 1 more attacker to take out the central pawn out for good } 8. Bg5 { attacking the knight } 8... Be6 { protecting the pawn again } 9. Bxe7 { takingout the knight and making the queen to lose the protection it gave } 9... Qxe7 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Nxd5 Nc6 12. Qe4 Bxd5 13. Qxd5 Nxb4 14. Qb5+ Nc6 15. Nf3 O-O-O 16. e3 f6 17. exf6 Qxf6 18. Rc1 Rd6 19. Qe5 Qd8 20. Bb5 Rd5 21. Qe6+ Kb8 22. O-O Qa5 23. Qxd5 Rd8 24. Qb3 Qb6 25. Qb1 Ne7 26. a4 Ka8 27. h3 h5 28. Ne5 Nf5 29. Nd7 Qg6 30. Rfd1 Re8 31. a5 Rxe3 32. Rc8# 1-0
[Event "Challenge from thefiddler"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.09.14"] [Round "-"] [White "thefiddler"] [Black "bbuurrcchh"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1937"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1840"] 1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 e5 3. Nf3 exd4 { Transposes to Scotch game. } 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qf3 Qxf3 7. gxf3 bxc6 8. Be3 Bxe3 { Scotch Game: Classical.Intermezzo Variation (C45) } 9. fxe3 d6 10. Rg1 g6 { I think that Ne7 alsoworks. If Rxg7, then Ng6. } 11. Nd2 Nf6 12. O-O-O O-O 13. Bc4 Re8 14. Nb3 Re5 15. Nd4 Bb7 16. Bb3 d5 17. exd5 cxd5 18. Nb5 c6 19. Nd6 Ba6 20. e4 Rh5 { If 20...Rd8, then 21. f4 } 21. exd5 cxd5 22. Rg2 Kf8 23. c4 dxc4 24. Bxc4 Bxc4 25. Nxc4 Rc8 26. b3 Nd5 { The knight is eying the e3 square. } 27. Kb2 Nf4 { I thought that Rxc4 followed by Ne3 would have been preferablefor black. The white pawns would be separated and harder to protect. } 28. Rc2 Rh3 29. Rd7 a6 30. Ra7 Rc6 { I think that this move was a mistake allowingthe sham sacrifice text move. } 31. Rxf7+ Kxf7 32. Ne5+ Kf6 33. Nxc6 Rxf3 { Black's pieces are not prepared to defend the queenside, so I went afterthe pawn. If I can get a passed pawn started first maybe I will win thegame. } 34. Nb4 a5 35. Nc6 a4 36. bxa4 Nd3+ 37. Kb3 Rf4 38. a5 { passed pawnsmust be pushed! } 38... Kg5 39. a6 Rf8 40. Kc4 Nf4 41. Kb5 Kg4 42. a7 Ra8 43. Ka6 1-0
[Event "Against Petrov's Defense "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18-Aug-08"] [Round "-"] [White "lapsekili"] [Black "braveart"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1523"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1175"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { This is named Russian Defence or Petrov's Defence.Playedby grandmasters like Kramnik and Mamedyarov. Attacking the white's pawnrather than defending his own pawn is the main charachter of this opening. } 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Be2 { We changed pawns normally,d6 was a commonmove and i wanted to play less dangerously and placed the bishop to e2. } 5... Be7 { The bishop whose diagonal goes till a3 closed is a candidate to makegood defensive work at e7. } 6. O-O O-O 7. d4 d5 { Both sides play symetrical. } 8. Re1 Nc6 9. c4 Bb4 { An ambitous effort by using the free diagonal andattacks the rook. } 10. Nbd2 { Makes him cannot capture the rook. } 10... Kh8 { After the game i asked him why he had done this move i couldn't understandit.Here are braveart's opinions: it was an untimely move and playingit at the point that I did contributed to the loss , but the idea was sound. My queen was definding d5 . In the event that your c4 pawn takes (andit did) my dpawn the queen would be brought the same diagonal as my king, with that diagonal open to my king , your light squared bishop could( if the bishop were defended then win my queen .... but the move was definitelypremature and wasted time in this particular game } 11. a3 Be7 { Try to makethe knight unpinned. } 12. b4 b6 13. cxd5 Qxd5 14. Bc4 Qh5 15. Nxe4 { Heloses his knight after several moves. } 15... Bb7 16. d5 { I tried to close thebishops diagonal by attacking the knight. } 16... Rad8 { He cleverly pins my pawnand makes his knight uncapturable. } 17. Ng3 Qg6 18. Qb3 { Here he has resigned.Causeboth threatens knight and bishop and he will lose one of them and i havechance to found dangerous attack.I thank him so much,he is probably betterthan me what his rating and my brain says,however there is no unbeatenperson. } 1-0
[Event "Moscow championship 1943"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "V.Smyslov"] [Black "M.Botvinik "] [Result "1-0"] { In 1943, the young GM Vasily Smyslov makes his firs ever victory vs M.Botvinik(champion of Moscow) .this game proved to evry one in the russian elite,how great positionl sense Smyslov had ,great defending ability and powerfultactic game , which later take him to the top of the world , let see howthe 8th world champion win vs the great M.Botvinik . } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 { the capturing of an e4 pawn leadsto the open Rui Lopez variation . Botvinik adtence to try this vriationas probebly he prerared at home for this contest . } 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 { a good alternative is 9.Qe2 with the idea of Re1 withMore pressure on the center . } 9... Bc5 { developing the black DSB on c5 insteadof e7 shows aggressive game for the black . } 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 Nxf2 { interesting move , Botvinik shows some courage with this exchange , howeverthis move going to lead a very complicated game in the following of thegame . } 12. Rxf2 f6 { good move , the idea of 12.f6! is to open F file forthe black Rook and bring more Pisces on the future thrugh this file . } 13. exf6 Qxf6 14. Qf1 { good move , Smyslov feels that something wrong goingto happand on the king side , so the idea of 14.Qd1!is to help with thedefense ,and the white knight on d2 stays on his position to help the otherknight on f3. } 14... Bg4 15. Kh1 { i think 15. Qd3 was better move because ofa fork on d5 and h7 pawns which black will have to move 15...Qf5 and afterthe queens exchange , the endgame will be better for white . } 15... Bxf2 16. Qxf2 Rae8 17. Qg3 Ne5 18. Bd1 { the black Pisces placed well vs the white. and Smyslov now have to work very hard to block the black attack ,and solve the problem of his development . } 18... Nd3 { 18...h5 was much bettermove , if white plays 19.h4 this will make the blacks LSB more aggressiveon g4. } 19. h3 { by this move , white wishes to open an escape sqaure forthe white king . } 19... Bh5 20. Bc2 Nf4 21. Ng1 { good move . 21.Ng1!avoids thepenetration of the black Rook to e2 and opens for white options of developmentsfor his other Pisces by Ndf3 and Bd2 for example . } 21... c5 22. Ndf3 Ne2 23. Nxe2 Rxe2 24. Bd1 { a natural move like 24.Bd3?! allowed black to continuevery strong attack by : 24...Bxf3.25.gxf3-Re1+.26.Qxe1-Qxf3+.27.Kh2-Qxd3.now if 24.Bd1-Bxf3.25.gxf3-Re6.26.Bd2 with the idea of f4 and brig thewhite rook to the king side. } 24... Re6 25. Bd2 h6 26. Kh2 Re4 { it was betterfor black to retreat with the Bishop to g6 and avoid the exchange on h526.Ng5!-hxg5.27.Bxh5 and white now in better position . } 27. Ng5 hxg5 28. Bxh5 Re5 29. Bf3 Qe7 30. a4 { good move. after stableing the situation onthe king side , white wishes to activete his rook on the queen side, itsnot a good idea for black play 30...b4 because of 31.cxb4-cxb4.32.Bxb4! } 30... Kh7 31. axb5 axb5 32. Ra7 { good move if 32...Qxa7.33.Qxe5 and the blackpawns will fall one by one. } 32... Qd6 33. Bg4 { good move , now white threatsto capture the g5 pawn , not 33.Bxg5?-Rxf3.34.gxf3-Re2+! } 33... Rd8 34. Kh1 d4 35. cxd4 cxd4 36. Bf4 Re1+ { if 36...gxf4??-Bf5+and black doesnt have achance to survive this game . } 37. Qxe1 Qxf4 38. Rd7 Rxd7 39. Bxd7 d3 40. Bg4 { 41.Bxb5 was all so bring to victory . the material advantage of whiteinsures the win . } 40... d2 41. Qe2 b4 42. Qd3+ g6 43. Kg1 Kh6 44. b3 Kg7 45. Bf3 Qf7 46. Kf2 Qe6 47. Qe3 Qd6 48. Bd1 Qd5 49. g4 Kh7 50. Ke2 { black resigns. hope you enjoyed the game , thank you . } 1-0
[Event "moderne defense : 'bishop variation' !!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.09.14"] [Round "-"] [White "albertkool"] [Black "31415"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1206"] [TimeControl "blitz 5 mn"] [WhiteElo "1616"] { another well rated challenger in the nails ! this time i just try a newway : when we built a black castle with g6, most of the time the attackphilosophy for white is to kill the black bishop and put the queen in h6,then bring back the queen and mate. So MY idea, i call it 'bishop variation',is to kill the white c1 bishop first ! Please tell me what do you thingabout that ! } 1. d4 g6 2. Bf4 { the plan is just to put my bishop in h6and then to take back with the kniht. } 2... Bh6 { what will he do ? there isno more plan for him, except maybe to put his bishop in g3 planing to attackc7 } 3. Bxh6 { he took it, so now the may attack line to the blac castlein broken ! } 3... Nxh6 4. Nc3 Nf5 5. e4 Ng7 { so i'm missing a lot of developpment,but this is not a problem anyway, there is no imediat treat and i stilhave all my pawns to fight for the center } 6. e5 { ocupping the space,not for long ... } 6... d6 { classical line, let's break this little white center! } 7. e6 { oh ! surprise ! Wy this ??? it looks like a bunder, is it ?? } 7... Bxe6 { i develop the c8 bishop, but then i realize that it block the e7pawn. } 8. Bb5+ { this is very poor. white seems to have nothing to do } 8... c6 9. Bd3 { a losed tempo or white, a luck for me ! } 9... d5 { now the centeris mine, and strong. And i still have the e paw to push to the center,and i'm ok to castle. } 10. Nf3 O-O 11. Qe2 Bg4 { what else !? } 12. O-O-O { it was not necessary to go to this side, with is more weak } 12... e6 { now avery very strong center, but i'm missing plan to attack } 13. h3 { that wasexpected. } 13... Bxf3 { i could also put my bishop on f5 to exchange with thewhite one on d3, it could be good because this d3 bishop is a good treatto my castle...but the knight also is a good treat to my castle, SO ???... } 14. Qxf3 Qg5+ { puting pression, but no plan } 15. Kb1 Nf5 { exchange withbishop or attack going to h4 } 16. h4 { bunder } 16... Nxh4 17. Rh3 Nxf3 { and thatall folks !!!! This is not a interesting way of wining, BUT : What is interestingin this game is that my challenger go on playing and it was not so easyto win instead of taking his queen, he has a very good attack t my castle,...the reason is that taking the pawn on h3, i have open the h colon. ndwas a BIG STUPID BUNDER OF ME ! } 18. gxf3 { if he has not lose his queeni probaly lose the game because of this h colon } 18... Nd7 19. Rdh1 { you seewhat i mean. Now it's becoming very dangerous for me instead of my queenavantage } 19... h5 20. Ne2 e5 21. Rg3 Qh6 { BIG DANGER : 22 Rhg1 - ... 23 Bxg6!!- f7xg6 24 g3xf6+ and then he take back his queen ! } 22. Rhg1 Kh8 { iwill exchange a rook to cancel the treat } 23. Bxg6 Rg8 { now ! } 24. Bxf7 Rxg3 { the treat is nul canceled, and i have ne for him ...(Qd2 !) } 25. Rxg3 Qd2 { now i'm treatening a mate, it will save me } 26. Nc1 { just a questionof time now, the game is done } 26... exd4 27. Be6 Nf6 28. Rg6 Re8 29. Rxf6 Rxe6 30. Rxe6 Qxf2 31. Rh6+ Kg7 32. Rxh5 Qxf3 { a other bunder } 33. a3 Qxh5 { sowhat do you thing about this 'bishop variation', is it known ? or is itnot recommended ? } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.08.06"] [Round "-"] [White "kabira"] [Black "kareo84"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1486"] [WhiteElo "1357"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 { A secondary move, probably to avoid themain theory. } 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 { The white open immediately the centredue that the black king has still to castle and the black bishop is stillon f8. } 5... exd4 6. e5 { A tipycal move in this kind of position. } 6... Ng4 { Amistake not seen by both players. After h3 the black lose a piece. } 7. Re1 Bb4 8. Bd2 a5 9. Bxb4 { Alternative variation: 9. h3 [ and the whiteis a piece up] } 9... axb4 10. Nxd4 { A mistake. After Qh4 there is a doubleattack on h2 and f2, and the white cannot defend both. } 10... O-O { Alternativevariation: 10... Qh4 11. h3 Qxf2+ 12. Kh1 Ne3 13. Rxe3 Qxe3 } 11. Qxg4 d6 { The White is a piece up, but it is possible to get back the piece byd5!, due that there is a double attack to the queen and the bishop. Alternativevariation: 11... d5 12. Qf4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 dxc4 } 12. Qd1 Nxe5 13. Bf1 { A safe place for the bishop leaving the e file free for the rook. } 13... Qf6 14. c3 c5 15. Nf3 Bg4 16. Be2 Rad8 17. Nxe5 { Any exchange helps White,due that is a piece up, and there is not any risk of counterplay. } 17... dxe5 18. Qc2 Bf5 19. Qb3 Qc6 20. cxb4 Rfe8 21. b5 Qg6 22. a4 { With the ideato get counterplay pushing the pawns, and to find a better place for thebishop (c4) and the knight (c3). } 22... b6 23. Bc4 Re7 24. Nc3 { The plannedset-up is reached, now the White has to find a way to exploit the pieceup. } 24... Bc2 25. Qa2 Red7 26. a5 Ra7 27. a6 { Now the black rooks need totake care of the possible advance of the a6 pawn. } 27... Qf5 28. Rad1 { Probablynot the best move, but the bishop on c2 is a strong piece limiting white'sactivity. } 28... Bxd1 29. Rxd1 Rxd1+ { Probably it was better to not exchangethe rook. Black lose the rook pair, the control of the d file and now theknight and bishop are stronger than the rook that has to be care of thea6 pawn. } 30. Nxd1 Qc2 31. Ne3 Qc1+ 32. Nf1 Qf4 33. b3 Kf8 34. g3 Qd4 35. Qd2 Qxd2 36. Nxd2 { White is totally winning. The black rook cannotmove, and the a6 pawn is strong. There is not any possible defence. } 36... Re7 37. Ne4 Rd7 38. Nc3 Ke7 39. Nd5+ Kf8 40. Nxb6 Rc7 41. Nd5 Rd7 42. b6 Ke8 43. a7 Rd8 44. b7 1-0
[Event "Someone Strikes Back - SO vs. SOE V"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Someone"] [Black "Someone else"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 { Queen's gambit. } 2... dxc4 { Accepted. } 3. Nc3 c6 { Wanting toprotect the pawn via b5. } 4. a4 { Stops the pawn from being protected. } 4... Nf6 5. e4 { Threatens the pawn. } 5... Be6 { Protects. } 6. Nf3 g6 { The bishop onf8 is restricted to open up via e7, so he must open up on the flank. } 7. Ng5 { Threatening the pawn's protecter. } 7... a6 8. Nxe6 fxe6 9. Bxc4 { Takesthe pawn, threatening the pawn on e6. } 9... Qc8 10. O-O Bg7 { Wanting to stopswap one of the doubled pawns, black sees that if he moves the knight ourof the way he can play e5, but that wastes three moves including this one. } 11. Be3 Nh5 12. b3 e5 { The plan worked. } 13. dxe5 { Accepts the swap. } 13... Bxe5 14. Qd2 Qd7 { Wanting Qxd7 Nxd7, and then the knight is unprotected. } 15. Qc2 { The queen retreats, till protecting the knight. } 15... b5 16. axb5 cxb5 { Threatening the bishop. } 17. Bd5 { Threatening the rook. } 17... Nc6 18. Ra2 { Outof the pin. } 18... b4 { Blunder. } 19. Na4 { The knight threatens b6, and movingthe knight gives the black knight on c6 a double threat, which then leadsto pinning the queen or forking the rook. At this point, black resigned,but this is what could've happened. } 19... Qd6 20. Bxc6+ { Now, the rook and kingare forked, the queen could be sacrificed, but that would be stupid. } 20... Kf8 21. Bxa8 { Or, instead of Qd6, the rook could've moved, and then Bxc6, winningthe queen. Thanks for reading my fifth SO vs. SOE. } 1-0
[Event "OTB game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "21-09-2012"] [Round "-"] [White "Weak Player"] [Black "schakertje"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1705"] [TimeControl "1:25h + 0:15(after 32 moves)"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { This is an OTB game, so you won't see this is my past game list. Feelfree to give any comments, where I or the white player missed things, Iwould really appreciate it. The game is not too interesting, but I wantedto do more annotations so here it is. I usually play e4 e5 with black butI got into the caro kann and decided its good to try it on a weak player.I rate my opponent as 1200. He plays the opening OK, probably because heplayed a lot of games, but after a while he drinks a beer and then he isfrightened by the opponents attack, and then makes a blunder, after whichthe game is decided. } 1. e4 c6 { So here it is: the caro-kann. After white'snext move, black will almost always play d5 to get a good center, and gooddevelopment. } 2. Nf3 { Main line is 2d4. White is not a player that studiesopenings. } 2... d5 3. d3 { Better was probably Nc3 to defend the pawn, this losesthe pawn, or trade queens and white can't castle. } 3... dxe4 4. dxe4 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd1 { And that is exactly what happens. White cannot castle, although thechess game database still favors white. I think it's because white candevelop his pieces very fast while black has a little trouble with it. } 5... Bg4 6. Be2 Nd7 { I didn't play this because I wanted to castle long, butbecause I wanted to have my rook on d8. I believe castling long is weakerthan castling short, so I will try to castle short here, although it willtake a while. } 7. h3 Bh5 8. g4 { This move seems to weaken white's kingside. } 8... Bg6 9. Nc3 Ngf6 { I was not too happy about this move. My knight doesn'thave much places to go, but I decided to play it anyway. It attacks whitee-pawn. } 10. Be3 Nxe4 { white did not defend the pawn so I take it. I decidedto take with my knight because my bishop was more valuable. } 11. Nxe4 { whitedecided to trade pieces. I think that is acceptable here. } 11... Bxe4 12. Rg1 { White did not want to have his rook pinned, and probably wanted to playwith his knight. Ng5 would be a strong move, thats why I played h6. } 12... h6 13. c3 { White now wanted to move his queen side pawns. That is a bad ideabecause he does not have a strong attack with it, and it weakens white'sdefense. Meanwhile I decide to continue development and castling. } 13... e6 14. Ke1 { White wants to use the d-file for the rook. } 14... Be7 15. Rd1 Rd8 { I needto do this move before I castle. If I don't he plays the simple Rxd7. Alsoif white plays Bxa7, I would play b6 and the bishop has a problem. } 16. Bd4 { he attacks the g-pawn, but this allows me to finish my opening bycastling. } 16... O-O 17. Nd2 { White attacks my bishop. I was thinking about f5,but I decided to play it easy. } 17... Bc2 { I decided to move my bishop away.This is a move to put white's rook off the strong d-file. } 18. Rc1 Bg6 { This is better than moving the bishop to g6 on the 17th move, becausenow the rook is off the d-file and it takes another move to get it backthere. } 19. b4 { but white decides to play with his queen-side pawns. } 19... c5 { I felt this was a strong move because my pieces would be more active afterbxc5 Bxc5. } 20. Be3 { white did not take } 20... Rc8 { Adding fuel on the fire. } 21. a3 { This move is not a good move as you will see. } 21... cxb4 22. axb4 Bxb4 { white's pawn is pinned, so white lost another pawn. } 23. Bd4 { this isanother bad move. } 23... e5 { This is the time where white didn't see any hopefullthings. But continued playing with a good move. } 24. Nb3 { This move isgood because it defends the rook! If I play exd4, then cxb4, and the rookis not pinned anymore } 24... Ba3 { I decided to attack the rook } 25. Rc2 { Andthis is where white made his mistake. He forgot about my bishop on g6 andafter I pointed my finger to my bishop, he resigned. } 25... Bxc2 { However I wonderwhat would have happened after Ra1, then my a7 pawn would be attacked andwhite may still have a bit of a game. But he would have lost his bishopafter Ra1 Bb2 Rxa7 exd4. } 0-1
[Event "Was opponents resignation too early? comments appreciated."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.06.28"] [Round "-"] [White "trixstermtl"] [Black "swordfish2020"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1356"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1511"] 1. e4 { Good evening annotated section likers. i have a short and sortasweet one to ask advice on. } 1... e5 { this is about our 8th game against eachother. sadly for my opponent, I won 7 and we drew one. i am not pickingon this person nor do I consider myself a teacher, but he keeps challengingme after each game and there is no bad verbal exchanges between each other. } 2. d4 { so i see no reason as why not to grant him the games. i personallydont mind losing versus higher rated opponents just for the greater learningcurve. so im able to indulge someone else too. } 2... exd4 { my opponent isntaggressive at all. he has some sharp play when the game stays pretty classical,but each time i threw in a sacrifice of a bishop rook or knight in ourprevious games the following moves after is when his empire crumbled. } 3. Qxd4 { and so i believe i had a pretty good grasp of how my opponentplays. Pure defense waiting for his opponent to make a mistake. thisis the cause for my e4 d4 opening with the queen recapture. ill trya aggressive line i havent played in a year here. instead of my classicbishops opening. ill try to not give my opponent anytime to set up a strongdefensive structure as to not make this game a 50 move mind boggle likethe last 3. have to keep my opponent guessing. } 3... d6 { hes been managingto make each successive game longer and longer, (its as if hes gettingused to my antics :D). i was not surprised at all to not see nc6 here. our last 3 games also my opponent withheld his castle until after i castledwithout ever posing any threat to any of my castle opportunities. } 4. Nc3 { my opponent was wise in his defense. not always trading. but alwaystraded my LSB if i gave him the chance or would trade out any of my piecesthat i was setting up to potentially cause a hole in his wall. } 4... Be6 { alreadytaking a backrow position with his LSB. ill hold mine back as long as possiblenot to invite pawn growth queen side or get a forced exchange or loss oftempo. } 5. b3 { i didnt feel sending my DSB king side to be wise eithernot to induce pawn set ups he would like so i thought putting my DSB onb2 to be wiser this game, and holding my stronger pieces for long distanceattacks. } 5... Be7 { my opponent really liked keeping his development slow andas you can see he is keeping both castle options alive as long as possible } 6. Bb2 { and so i go on with my plan and told myself ill queen side castleand if he makes 1 or 2 more passive moves im trying to bust in right away } 6... Bf6 { passive move 1 but prevents the immediate castle. so he still has2 in bank he can play } 7. Qa4+ c6 { why am i not surprised he didnt develophis knight. } 8. O-O-O { i was really hoping to induce a b5 pawn here andwas going to sacrifice a knight or my LSB and just see what happens afterhis replies } 8... Qc7 { but to my surprise he played this move. i reanalysedmy plan and his queen move just solidifies which piece i got to sacrifice.the LSB not the knight, } 9. Bc4 { and so i play this to induce b5. i reallythought he would play b5 over Bxc4 } 9... b5 { and he did! } 10. Bxb5 { chomp } 10... cxb5 { retake } 11. Nxb5 { chomp. thinking.... thinking...... thinking...... thinking........opponent resigns. personally i was 'going with the flow' but wasthis attack so strong to merit a resignation? i can easily get his rook.but can i get a checkmate or his queen? i didnt even have time to analyseall the avenues of this nice play or if it even was. well id like somecomments on this one if anyone would indulge me. } 1-0
[Event "C B Team Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.09.03"] [Round "-"] [White "gur-dial"] [Black "phasma"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1849"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1580"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 g6 3. c3 Bg7 4. Bc4 { 4d3 is Colle. not a bad choice, Thisloses a move to ...d5. } 4... O-O 5. Nd2 d5 6. Bd3 { At this point, game is abouteven. } 6... Nbd7 7. h3 c5 8. Ngf3 Re8 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bc2 e5 11. O-O b6 12. Nb3 Nxb3 13. Bxb3 Bb7 14. Bc2 Qc7 15. b4 Rad8 { both missed 15....Ne4! winsthe c pawn and unleashes Black's bishops. } 16. Bd2 { Bb2 might be a smidgebetter. } 16... Ne4 17. Ba4 Re7 18. Rc1 Qd6 19. Qe2 a6 20. Rfd1 b5 21. Bb3 Qc7 22. Be1 Red7 23. a4 Bc6 24. axb5 axb5 25. Qb2 Qb7 26. h4 { both are ignoringthe open file. Does White have sufficient support to make this attack beimportant? i think not. } 26... d4 { the answer to a wing attack is a well preparedcenter attack. or so the pundits say. } 27. cxd4 exd4 28. exd4 { 28.Nxd4might be a little better than this. keep pawn islands to a minimum. } 28... Nd6 29. Qc3 { 29.Ne5 is a bit stronger. } 29... Bxf3 30. Qxf3 Qxf3 31. gxf3 Nf5 { Nowwhite's pawns are weak everywhere. all islands. } 32. d5 Nxh4 { 32....Nd4is better seeking to eliminate one of the bishops. the isolated pawns willwait. } 33. Rd3 Nf5 34. Rc5 Nd4 35. Bd1 { 35.Ba5 better. after ...Ra7, Bb2the d button does not fall immediately. } 35... Rxd5 36. Rxd5 Rxd5 37. Re3 { 37.Kg2better. } 37... Ne6 38. Bb3 Rg5+ { ...Rd6 better. } 39. Kf1 Re5 40. Rxe5 Bxe5 41. Bxe6 { after this move, White's King must stay to stop the h-pawn, accordinglythe b4 button will fall to the K+B. interesting game. } 41... fxe6 42. Ke2 Kf7 43. Bd2 Kf6 44. f4 Bd6 45. Ke3 Kf5 46. Kf3 h5 47. Kg3 e5 48. fxe5 Bxe5+ 49. Kh4 Bf4 50. Bc3 g5+ 51. Kh3 Be5 52. Be1 Ke4 53. Kg2 Kd3 54. f3 Bc3 55. Bg3 Bxb4 56. Bc7 Be7 57. Kf2 b4 58. Be5 b3 59. Ke1 Kc2 60. Ke2 Bb4 61. Bf6 Bc3 0-1
[Event "magic 3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.30"] [Round "-"] [White "adabacchio"] [Black "jhfit"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1848"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1762"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 { The Advance variation against the French Defense. } 3... c5 4. Qg4 { I had just read about this move Qh4 but never played againstit. There are some real problems for White in this line. } 4... cxd4 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bd3 Qc7 7. Qg3 Nb4 8. Nxd4 Nxd3+ 9. Qxd3 Qxe5+ { A pawn was lost buthe avoided other problems---for the moment. } 10. Be3 Bd7 11. Nc3 Nf6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. f4 Qc7 14. Nf3 Bb4 15. Bd4 { Bd4? loses another pawn. } 15... Qxf4+ 16. Kb1 O-O 17. Bxf6 { Bxf6? is another poor move weakening the black squares. } 17... Qxf6 18. Rhf1 Bxc3 { Bxc3! } 19. bxc3 Rac8 { Doubled isolated pawns couldn'tbe avoided. The busted up castled position is about to lose the game forWhite. } 20. Nd4 Qe7 21. h4 Rc4 22. Nf3 Rfc8 23. Ng5 { Ng5 is worth a trybut now we have... } 23... f5 { f5 is a valuable resource. } 24. g4 Rxc3 25. Qd4 R8c4 { Now forced moves will tell the story.. } 26. Qe5 Qb4+ 27. Ka1 Rxc2 28. Rb1 Rxa2+ 29. Kxa2 Qa4+ 30. Kb2 Qc2+ 31. Ka3 Ra4# { The White king didnot have an adequate defense and exchanging off the Bishop earlier provedto be the deciding factors. } 0-1
[Event "Challenge from catghoulie"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27-Oct-08"] [Round "-"] [White "zeque"] [Black "catghoulie"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1615"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1336"] { This game was set up for instructional purposes. It is not an extremelyeventful game, but hopefully a few lessons present themselves. The openingadvice was to find a line and play it in many, many games. Learn one openingline quite well before you play another. This game became a Sicilian,an important type of game to know from both sides of the board. } 1. e4 { e5 is a nice starting move. } 1... c5 { I play this move not only because itis my favorite, but because zeque probably sees more ...e5 than anythingelse. } 2. Nf3 { This move develops the piece to the logical spot and protectse4. } 2... d6 { Standard Sicilian development, this protects e5, opens lines. } 3. d4 { Opening up lines for white's dark bishop and queen. Offers up tradeof pawns which will result in white gaining a temporary advantage in thecenter. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 { Playing back at the lone pawn and developingat the same time. } 5. Bd3 { ? This move is a mistake. Why not protectit with your knight? When you develop your Nb1 to c3 it will be protectingthe pawn, accomplishing 2 things with one move. By using your bishop,you reduce the potential of that piece which should be attacking the blackpieces. For some time, the bishop will be dedicated to that pawn. Later,you will move the knight out to c3 and be able to reposition the bishopto another square, in which event you have wasted one move. Additionally,the knight on d4 is now undefended. This becomes a problem later in thegame. Zeque said he was in a hurry to castle and this move supportsthat. True, but what is the rush? Especially in a game like this, castlingqueenside may be a good idea. } 5... g6 { This move decides that black's darkbishop will fianchetto kingside and own the a1-h8 diagonal. This movemay create dicey scenarios if white decides to castle queenside and pawnstormthe kingside, but by appearances, white wants to castle kingside. } 6. O-O Bg7 7. Nc3 { Now the knight develops and protects the e-pawn, freeing thebishop. } 7... O-O 8. Re1 { Maybe kind of early to make this move. Yes, the rookis more 'active' on the e-file, but there is not much use to this rightnow. The only thing this gets going is backup to pushing the e-pawn toe5, but to do that requires repositioning the knight to f3 first. Theknight at d4 is still undefended. } 8... Nc6 { Building up threats. } 9. Be3 { Againa bishop is brought out to defend a piece in the middle. Better movesare Nf3, Nxc6.....Nf3 probably the best. } 9... Ng4 { Now white is forced to makea key decision. The knight is attacked twice and defended once. The blackknight on g4 is attacking the lone defender of the white knigh on d4. Trading knights is probably the best move: 10. NxN PxN } 10. h3 { ? Withthis move, white either loses material or has a messed up pawn structureafter NxB. } 10... Nxe3 11. Rxe3 { ? Should have been PxN, where just a pawn willbe lost. } 11... Bxd4 { Capturing with knight does not attack anything, but thebishop is now attacking knight, rook and f-pawn. } 12. Re1 { Better is movingthe rook to e2 or f3 where it is in postition to attack something, or doubleup with the other rook or queen. There is now a threat of losing somepositional advantage if black goes BxN, where white has to recapture PxBand white's pawns are doubled and disconnected. } 12... a6 { At this point, blackjust needs to play a solid game for the win. The piece advantage shouldbe decisive. The move here is to advance queenside attack and limitthe white bishop and knight, preparing to move b5, also opening up thelong diagonal to put the white bishop in play. } 13. a3 { More defense. } 13... Ne5 14. Rb1 b5 15. Nd5 { Prevents black from BxN } 15... Bb7 16. c3 Nxd3 { Simplifying. } 17. Qxd3 Bg7 18. c4 { Not really a good move - the pawn protected the longdiagonal from the black bishop, which is now open for him to attack thepawn on b2. The white rook will be stuck there defending. When behindmaterial, exchanges are not helpful unless they result in a positionaladvantage which will lead to recouping losses. Here, white actually isin worse position as a result of the exchange. } 18... bxc4 19. Qxc4 Rc8 20. Qb3 Rb8 21. Qf3 e6 { Black now marches his pieces up the field. } 22. Nb4 a5 23. Nd3 Qd7 24. e5 { ?? Major blunder. } 24... Bxf3 25. gxf3 dxe5 26. Nc5 Qd5 27. Ne4 f5 { Here white resigned. The main lessons for this game are: - In the opening, be careful to assign the correct pieces to defense. Usually the knights automatically develop onto squares that defend/attackthe crucial center squares. By using bishops to defend squares that developedknights will cover, moves are wasted and weaknesses are created. The whitebishops in this game were never given a chance to really attack anythingat all because the were busy defending. -In the opening, sometimes itis correct to move a piece back to from where it came. For example, onmove 9, Nf3 was probably best. -Concentrate on the attack! Don't beso passive. } 0-1
[Event "Three minute plus five second blitz game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Porcho"] [Black "???"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1700(Aprox)"] [TimeControl "Three minutes +5 seconds"] [WhiteElo "1125"] { This is a three minute plus five second blitz game I played against a1700 player. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 { I've been playing the queen's gambit a lotlately } 2... Bf5 3. Nc3 e6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 { I haven't seen too many queen'sgambit games but I think this is relatively normal. } 5... h6 6. Bxf6 gxf6 { ?Okay, so this was a blitz game but really? This practically broadcastedto me that he was going to castle queenside. I would have captured withthe queen. } 7. e3 Bb4 8. Qd2 { I played this so that after I played a3 andif he chose to capture, I could recapture with my queen. } 8... Nc6 { He completesminor piece development } 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Qxc3 { At this point I think whiteis slightly better as it does not have any doubled pawns, or isolated pawns.Black has both. } 10... Qe7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 { I complete development andget rid of that black bishop's annoying long diagonal. } 12... Be6 { !? MaybeI'm wrong but this seems to blocks in the bishop. } 13. O-O O-O-O { We castleopposite sides so it'll be a race for the pawn storms. Although he hasa slight disadvantage due to the doubled pawns. } 14. b4 Rhg8 { I noticethat he's pinning my pawn and preparing to move his bishop to h3 } 15. g3 { After about twenty seconds I decided on this. } 15... Bg4 16. Be2 { Defendingthe knight } 16... h5 17. b5 Nb8 { I force his knight to retreat } 18. a4 { I continuemy pawn storm } 18... h4 19. Rab1 { His c pawn is pinned to his king, so if I advancemy pawn and he exchanges I get a rook in a dominant position. } 19... hxg3 20. fxg3 { I played this so he didn't get an open file to my king. } 20... Qe4 21. Kf2 { This gives my knight more defense. } 21... b6 22. a5 Rd6 23. axb6 axb6 { Andnow I have an open file to his king. } 24. Rfc1 { Threatens mate, but I knewhe see it. } 24... Rd7 25. Ra1 Rg7 26. Ra7 { Continues pressure on c7. } 26... Qe7 { Defendsit again } 27. Ra8 { Pinning the knight and preparing Qc6. } 27... Kb7 { Gets outof the pin } 28. Rca1 { Defending my rook and threatening Ra7+ } 28... Rh7 { Eitherhe didn't notice it, or he couldn't do anything about it. } 29. R1a7+ Kc8 30. Qc6 { With the knight pinned again it's safe to bring my queen here. } 30... Bxf3 31. Qb7+ { I ignore the recapture because I see checkmate } 31... Kd8 32. Rxb8# { And mate! It was a blitz game so I can't take full credit for thewin but it was still fun. I think I played pretty well. Please leave acomment or two, and rate it. I liked this game because I won with a matingattack and not (as usually happens to me) winning material and exchangingdown to an endgame or getting checkmate because my opponent blundered. } 1-0
[Event "mvemjsunp's mini-tournament II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.07.31"] [Round "-"] [White "mvemjsunp"] [Black "thejel"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1310"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1162"] 1. c4 { This is my second annotation. I hope everyone liked the last one.Anyway, this was against another 1300, and he also was very good. I wantto say thank you to him for the game (I will be playing him again becausethis is from a mini-tournament.) So, thankyou:) } 1... e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 d6 4. Bg2 Bd7 5. d3 Qf6 { I don't really like this move, but I guess it isOK } 6. Nd5 { Maybe Nf3 was better, but I don't really know. } 6... Qd8 7. Qb3 { Targeting the b7 pawn } 7... b6 8. Nb4 { Yes, the knight is being pinned to therook, but it is easy to get out of. } 8... Nxb4 { so far, so good } 9. Qxb4 d5 { ? Most people actually fall for this. On first thought, it looks likea harmless move which sort of develops the bishop with tempo. But if youlook ahead, this actually loses a pawn. } 10. Qb3 d4 { ?? WHY????? This isn'tvery good at all. } 11. Bxa8 Qxa8 12. Nf3 Bd6 13. O-O Bh3 14. Qa4+ c6 15. Bd2 { ?? } 15... Ne7 { ?? Take f1 goddamnit. } 16. Rac1 { ?? Stop it! } 16... O-O { ??? Bythe way, I put three question marks on purpose. } 17. b4 { ??? groan } 17... c5 { ???? snort } 18. Rfd1 { Finally! A decent move!!!!!!! } 18... Nf5 19. bxc5 Bxc5 20. Bb4 Re8 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Rb1 { ! Taking the open file. } 22... e4 23. dxe4 Rxe4 24. Ng5 { ! } 24... Rh4 { notice that I cannot take the rook. } 25. Nxh3 Rxh3 26. Qd7 { ! pinning the knight. } 26... Rh5 27. Qc7 { !! This wins black's queen. } 27... h6 28. Rb8+ Qxb8 29. Qxb8+ Kh7 30. g4 Rg5 31. Qf4 Nh4 32. Qxf7 Rxg4+ 33. Kf1 Rg2 34. Qf4 g5 35. Qf7+ Kh8 36. Rb1 Rxh2 37. Rb8# { And this is checkmate.Hope you liked the annotation. Bye! } 1-0
[Event "Great Endgames Series - Multi-piece Endings"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1958.??.??"] [Round "-"] [White "Tigran Petrosian"] [Black "Anatoly Bannik"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2175"] [TimeControl "USSR Championship, Riga (RUS)"] [WhiteElo "2645"] 1. c4 { Main annotations taken from Steve Giddins excellent 'Greatest EverChess Endgames' } 1... e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 d6 5. d4 g6 6. dxe5 Nxe5 7. Nxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Bg5 Be7 10. O-O-O+ Nd7 11. h4 f6 12. Be3 c6 13. h5 g5 14. Bh3 Kc7 15. Ne4 Nb6 16. Bxc8 Raxc8 17. b3 Rcd8 18. Bc5 { This move is the single most striking of the game. With Black having whatis clearly a bad bishop, obstructed by its own pawns, Petrosian actuallyexchanges it off! It might seem as though he has taken leave of his senses,but in fact, of course, it is an exceptionally deep decision. The mostobvious way for White to play this position is to exchange rooks, and bishopfor knight, and so aim to reach an ending with knight versus the 'bad bishop'.Let us assume that Black cooperates fully in allowing this: 18. Rxd8 Rxd819. Rd1 lRxd1+ 20. Kxd1 h6 (Black could of course move his knight to c8,to avoid the further exchange, but we will assume he 'comes quietly') 21.Bxb6+ Kxb6 22. g4. White has achieved his 'dream' position. Black hasthe bad bishop, and White's pieces have great squares on e4 and f5. Sowhy did Petrosian not go in for this? The reason is because he consideredthat White has few, if any, chances of winning from here, the main problembeing that bad bishops are very good defenders of weak pawns, whilst Whitehas no way to break through. Black sticks his king on e6 and waits. Evenif White gets his knight to fs and king to e4, Black just drops his bishopback to f8 and marks time with his king. In Petrosian's own words, 'winningsuch a position would be very, very difficult, if not impossible Instead,Petrosian chooses another plan entirely. Recognizing that Black's formallybad bishop is actually an effective defender of his weaknesses on f6 andh6, he exchanges it, so as to increase the vulnerability of these targets. } 18... Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Bxc5 20. Nxc5 Re8 21. Ne4 Re6 22. g4 { Already, we see thedifference. In order to defend the f6-pawn, the black rook has had totake up a very awkward post on e6. } 22... a5 23. Rd3 { Preparing to increase thepressure against f6 by means of Rf3. } 23... Nd7 24. Kc2 b6 25. Rf3 Kd8 26. a3 c5 { This is a big concession, weakening d5. Black wants to fight for spaceon the queenside, and also to free a square for his rook, after ... Ke7,but the price he pays is very high. } 27. Kc3 Ke7 28. Rd3 Rc6 29. Rd5 Nf8 30. Ng3 Ne6 31. Nf5+ Ke8 32. e3 Nc7 33. Rd1 Ne6 { Black is totally passive,and can only wait. } 34. Kd3 { Now the king takes up position on e4, permanentlythreatening to penetrate via the weakened d5-square. } 34... Rc7 35. Ke4 Rc6 36. Nd6+ Ke7 37. Nf5+ Ke8 38. Nd6+ Ke7 39. Nf5+ Ke8 { This repetition is a standardpart of endgame technique. In this instance, it was probably chiefly motivatedby gaining time on the clock and getting closer to the adjournment at move40, when White would be able to analyse the position in the peace and quietof home, and find the most accurate plan. Even so, such repetitions arealso very handy psychologically, as a way of showing the defender who isboss! } 40. a4 Nd8 41. Nh6 Ne6 42. Ng8 Nf8 43. Rd2 { Do not hurry! He onlyruns himself into trouble with the premature raid 43. Kfs Kf7 44. Nh6+Kg7 and the white knight is trapped. } 43... Kf7 44. Nh6+ Ke8 45. Nf5 Ne6 { Thelast few moves have served much the same purpose, of economizing time onthe clock and keeping the defender guessing as to how White will try tomake progress. Now Petrosian shows his hand. } 46. Rd6 { Although the whiterook looks more active than its opposite number, it does not have anyway of penetrating the black position, whereas the black rook is an importantdefender of the potential penetration squares. } 46... Rxd6 47. Nxd6+ Kd7 48. Nb5 Ng7 { Stopping c;i;>fs. If he allows the king into fS, then he findshimself in zugzwang after 48. ..Nf8 49. Kf5 Ke7 50. Nc3 Nd7 51. Nd5+ Kf752. e4 h6 53. f3! } 49. h6 Ne8 50. Kd5 { Now Black is again in zugzwangand cannot avoid material loss. } 50... f5 51. Kxe5 fxg4 52. Nc3 { Keeping thewhite king in its dominating central position } 52... Ke7 53. Ne4 Kf7 54. Kf5 g3 55. fxg3 g4 56. Ng5+ Kg8 57. Ke6 { The pawn on g4 is irrelevant. } 57... Nc7+ 58. Kd7 Na6 59. e4 { Now the e-pawn decides. } 59... Nb4 60. e5 Nd3 61. e6 { A greattechnical display by Petrosian. The exchanging decision on move 18 is especiallynoteworthy. Most of Black's subsequent problems stemmed from the vulnerabilityof his weak pawns on f6 and h6, and this in tum was a direct result oflosing his 'bad' dark-squared bishop. } 1-0
[Event "The Capped Knight"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Max Lange"] [Black "Amateur"] [Result "1-0"] { In this 1868 game, Lange stipulated before the game that the only piecethat he could checkmate with would be his Queen Knight. Amazingly, he managesto accomplish the feat! } 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 { Lange begins with theVienna Gambit. } 3... exf4 4. Nf3 g5 5. Bc4 g4 6. O-O { A Muzio Gambit, a veryrisky line [against an opponent of equal strength] with the piece sacrifice. } 6... gxf3 7. d4 fxg2 8. Bxf7+ { Another sacrifice! } 8... Kxf7 9. Qh5+ Kg7 10. Rxf4 { If any of Lange's pieces could checkmate, Black would be in serious trouble.However, it must be the lone remaining White Knight. } 10... Nh6 11. Be3 d6 12. Ne2 { Moving the Knight closer to its target. } 12... Qe7 13. Kxg2 Be6 14. Raf1 { Lange's plan is to chop away the King's defenses with his other piecesbefore moving the Knight in for the kill. } 14... Bf7 15. Qxh6+ Kxh6 16. Rg4+ Kh5 { The King is being forced away from his supporting troops. } 17. Ng3+ Kxg4 18. Rf5 { Trapping the King in the danger zone. } 18... h6 19. h3+ Kh4 { Theend approaches. } 20. Rh5+ Bxh5 21. Nf5# { Checkmate -- with the capped Knight. } 1-0
[Event "Team match - Reti mini"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.02.10"] [Round "-"] [White "tisamon"] [Black "N.N."] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1965"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1962"] 1. Nf3 d5 { White begins with the non-committal King's Knight, controllinge5, but otherwise allowing Black to occupy the center. Most often (in myexperience anyway) Black will reply with 1...Nf6 – a solid developing movewaiting for White to show his hand first (and typically following a KIDsetup). Black however responds in classical fashion with the confidentadvance of the Queen’s Pawn to occupy the center thereby controlling e4and freeing the Queen’s Bishop for development. } 2. c4 { With the immediateadvance of the c-pawn, White opens with the Reti proper – threatening Black’sd-pawn and offering the gambit to either displace Black’s central pawnor cause him to lose time in defending it. } 2... dxc4 { The natural choice ofthe QGA player, Black removes the pawn to resolve the tension simply andimmediately, giving up the center to achieve flexible play for his pieces.Black’s main alternatives are 2...d4/e6/c6 which are all equally good. } 3. e3 Be6 { White replies by the short advance of the King’s Pawn, freeingthe King’s Bishop to attack c4. Black chooses to develop the Queen’s Bishopto e6 to hold onto the pawn. Normally, Black would return the gambit pawnwith normal development (e.g 3...Nf6 4.Bxc4 e6 5.d4 or even the questionable3...b5 4.a4 c6 5.axb5 cxb5 6.b3!?) } 4. Ng5 { Nc3 seems to be the naturaldeveloping move if one were to ignore the pawn advantage and Na3 is alsocertainly possible in attempt to recapture, but can White take advantageof the bishop which may be misplaced on e6, forcing it to move again whilegaining a more threatening square? } 4... Bd5 { Black’s Bishop sidesteps theknight while trying to hold the pawn and maintain a presence through thecenter – however this allows White’s e-pawn to advance to e4 supportedby Ng5, pushing the bishop again, eventually allowing White to regain thepawn. } 5. e4 Bc6 { The Bishop retreats to the only square available, blockingthe c-pawn. Also possible was 5...e6, attacking the advanced knight, 6.d4Bc6. } 6. Bxc4 e6 { White regains the pawn with an aggressively posted Bishoppressuring the Kingside, without a d-pawn to push it back. In response,Black looks to open a line for his Bishop, blunt White’s bishop, and threatenthe knight. } 7. d4 { 7.d3 seems to be the solid move to play to reinforcecentral occupation of e4 while defending Ng5 with the Queen’s Bishop, butit results in a weak d-pawn. At this point I decided to move forward withthe more dashing and perhaps questionable d4 for the large center effectivelytransitioning from what began as a flank opening to a more classic approach.In the event that Black pushes Queenside with b5, White now has extra optionsfor redeploying the bishop. } 7... Be7 8. f4 { Black develops his Queen’s Bishopto a great natural square, threatening Ng5. At this point I had a fewdifferent ideas. Retreat with 8.Nf3 Bxe4 9.Nc3. Defend with the h-pawn?Try to make something of a tactical shot with Nxf7 then a Queen check onh5? However, I decided upon the “throw all you got at the King and hopesomething sticks” approach with 8.f4 – defending our intrepid Knight whilegaining the broad center with nice open lines. } 8... Nf6 9. Nc3 h6 { Blackdevelops the King’s Knight to f6 trying to stake his claim into the centerwith both Knight and Bishop attacking the e-pawn. Again I debated withwhich approach I should take – should I play e5 and go with the slow butmore solid approach or should I try to develop quickly and hope to overwhelmmy opponent? I decided to move forward with Nc3 – grasping more controlover the center with a simple developing move. Although the e-pawn is defendedby both knights if one can be immediately displaced then the central pawncould fall. However, as we will see White has an interesting option availableto create a strong imbalance while his pieces are mobile and his King relativelysafe. Instead of 9...h6 I believe Black would have been safer with 9...O-Oto be followed up with 10.e5 Nd5 11.O-O. } 10. Nxe6 { To retreat with 10.Nf3would be to admit mistake and give up the pawn while losing time. 10.Nxe6gives up the Knight to tear away at the pawns in front of Black’s Kingwhile ramming the Queen’s Bishop deep into his territory – controllingkey squares around the King and cutting off castling avenues. At the sametime, the e4 pawn is no longer free for the taking... } 10... fxe6 11. Bxe6 Nxe4 { Black blunders by accepting the pawn and mate is forced - 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qxg6+Kf8 14.Qf7#. (11.Bxe4 12.Nxe4 also looks weak for Black even if not immediatelylosing the game). Stronger would have been either 11...Bd7 or 11...Nbd7 todevelop the Queen’s pieces while still keeping control of h5. AlthoughBlack would have been up a Knight for two Pawns, White still would haveretained a strong initiative with mobility, space, and control with a complexand interesting game ahead. } 12. Qh5+ 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.12.29"] [Round "-"] [White "pawnzilla60"] [Black "sanjaygulati"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1614"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1558"] 1. Nf3 { The Reti Opening is the third most popular. Nf6 is the most commonresponse. } 1... d5 { This is the second most common response. } 2. d4 Bf5 3. Nc3 e6 4. Bf4 a6 5. e3 h6 6. h3 Nf6 7. a3 Bd6 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. Bd3 Ne4 10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Nh2 Nd7 12. O-O g5 13. d5 O-O-O 14. dxe6 Qxe6 15. Qe2 h5 16. f3 exf3 17. Qxf3 Bg6 18. Qd5 { This leaves Pe3 undefended. } 18... Qxe3+ 19. Kh1 g4 20. Rae1 Qb6 { White's b and c pawns are exposed. Na4 would protect b2and pretty much force Qc6 or Qd6. The black queen's options are limited. } 21. Qb3 { This protects both too, though ahead a pawn black's trade doublesup white's pawns. } 21... gxh3 22. gxh3 Qc6+ 23. Kg1 { 23. Nf3 definitely better. } 23... Rhg8 24. Kf2 { White is compelled to move the king or discovered check letsblack trade the bishop for a rook or queen. White might be better offsacrifing the knight. } 24... Bxc2 { QxBc2 lets black play Rg2+ which pins thewhite queen, picking her off for free. So for black c2 is a free pawn. } 25. Qd5 Qb6+ 26. Kf3 { Re3 would have been better. } 26... Qxb2 27. Ne4 Ne5+ { Hereblack trades knight for queen. } 28. Qxe5 Qxe5 29. Rf2 Bxe4+ 30. Ke3 { Whiteshould have played Ke2 instead, but down 12 recovery is unlikely. 30. Ke2Qb2+ or Qb5+... } 30... Bc6# 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.11.27"] [Round "-"] [White "leixoessc"] [Black "konjo1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1283"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1418"] 1. e4 c5 { Sicilian defense, i only have started to explore this opening } 2. Bc4 { nout used to seeing this but ok } 2... e6 { wanted to stop the pressureof that bishop } 3. a3 { not developing move } 3... Nc6 4. d3 Nf6 5. h3 { knightsout, and i m starting to think that white is doing too many pawn moves } 5... Be7 { developing bishop so i can castle and not give white and option topin my knight } 6. Nf3 { finally a developing move from white } 6... a6 { thinkingabout pushing the bishop away } 7. O-O h5 { he castles and i try to set upa fishing pole trap, tho it was a little far fetched } 8. Nh2 { stoping myplan } 8... Qc7 9. f4 { advance in a center, i saw hes gonna slam the door onmy queen and push my knight away, but i saw a good home for my knight } 9... h4 { preparing the anchor for my knight } 10. e5 Nh5 { maneuvering my knigth } 11. Qg4 { queen is pressuring my g and h pawn } 11... b5 { pushing his bishop, soi can develop my own } 12. Ba2 Bb7 13. Nf3 { putting more pressure on myh pawn and sectioning the queen } 13... Ng3 { my knight gets in that juicy square,h pawn is defended, and taking the g pawn wouldtn be good } 14. Re1 { movingthe rook from the knights reach } 14... O-O-O { i castle queen side, its kindascary cuz of my pawns on the queenside but i thought i can manage it } 15. c4 { white immediatly lashes out on my pawns } 15... Rdg8 { this move wasnt reallynecessary, that rook is actually quite stupid there } 16. cxb5 axb5 { hetakes away from the centre and i recapture } 17. Nc3 c4 { now if he takesmy b pawn i get the knight } 18. dxc4 Bc5+ { i give check cuz i see thatwhite is going to end up in a pin, if he blocks with a bishop } 19. Be3 Bxe3+ 20. Rxe3 Qb6 { now rook is in a pin } 21. Kf2 Ne7 { re-positioning theknight to add an attacker on the rook } 22. Nd2 { hes moving his knight,dunno exctaly why... } 22... Nef5 { rook is ready to be taken } 23. Re1 { now ican take the rook, but i see a better move } 23... Nh1+ { check with my knight,if Kf1 or Kg1 i ll win both rooks or a rook and queen } 24. Ke2 Qxe3+ { takingthe rook with check, if Kf1 its mate } 25. Kd1 Nf2+ { forking the queen andking tho my queen is also free to take } 26. Kc2 { if king went to c1 i cantake the rook with check and win in the exchange, tho now i have a checkwith taking the queen } 26... Qd3+ { and white resigns, i m winning his queen,up a lot of material } 0-1
[Event "Benoni (Benko Gambit) 4.. a6 5. bxa6"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.07"] [Round "-"] [White "jy85"] [Black "longtail99"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1877"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1748"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 { The Benoni system } 3. d5 b5 { The Benko Gambit } 4. cxb5 a6 { ..a6 is usually always played in the Benko. This gambit leads to livelyplay, and played correctly gives black excellent winning chances. Especiallyagainst unprepared white opponents. } 5. bxa6 { Accepting black's secondpawn } 5... g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. g3 { This is an interesting system, that I had studiedbut not actually played against in a real game } 7... d6 { Normal } 8. Nh3 { A veryinteresting move. As the game develops, you will see exactly how powerfulthis move is. Here is an example of a top level game played using thisparticular line. [Event 'Vienna Millenium'] [White 'Jussupow, Artur'] [Black'Topalov, Veselin'] [Result '1/2-1/2'] [WhiteElo '2665'] [BlackElo '2750'][EventDate '1996.08.09'] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. g3 d6 8. Nh3 Bg7 9. Nf4 Nbd7 10. h4 h5 11. Bh3 O-O 12.Qc2 Ne5 13. O-O Qb6 14. Rb1 Bc8 15. Bxc8 Rfxc8 16. b3 Nfg4 17. Kg2 c4 18.Ne4 Qa7 19. a3 cxb3 20. Qxb3 Nc4 21. Ng5 Nxa3 22. Qxa3 Qxa3 23. Bxa3 Rxa31/2-1/2 } 8... Bg7 9. Nf4 Nbd7 10. h4 { This is the key move in this variation.I play the solid ..h5. In preparation I understood this line to be drawish,but having played against it I am quite impressed by white's options. } 10... h5 { Solid reply } 11. Bg2 { This is interesting. I needed to think aboutthis. I expected Bh3, and tried to identify the strengths and weaknessesof the bishop being on g2. The main advantage is the overprotection ofthe d5 pawn, the prevention of black tactical finesses involving ..Nfe4and a discovered attack with the bishop on g7, as well as the possibilityof moving to e4 at some point to press against black's g6 pawn. The maindisadvantage is the bishop being blocked for most of the game by the d5pawn, the inability to support the move g4, and the inability to latercontest the h3-c8 light-square diagonal when black switches his bishopvia c8 to the f5 square (very typical in this line, as white usually placeshis queen on c2). } 11... O-O 12. Qc2 Ne5 { Again typical. Black often locateshis rooks on the a and b-files, and plays ..c4 in the benko. At this pointhis game comes to life, and combined with his dark-square bishop he usuallywins his pawn back } 13. O-O Qa5 { On reflection, I'm not totally happy withthis move. Yes this move and the plan that follows is typical in the systemswhere white plays Bh3, but I feel its not necessary here. } 14. b3 { Typicalmove to slow ..c4 } 14... Rfb8 { Black gets ready for some fun } 15. Bd2 { Whitethreatens a discovered attack on the queen } 15... Bc8 { Thematic. Travelling viac8 to the f5 square to contest the diagonal, threaten the white queen,and protect g6 } 16. Ne4 { I think this position is already a little betterfor white } 16... Qa3 { The queen has to go somewhere, but this is not the correctplace to support ..c4 } 17. Bc3 { Neutralising some of black's threats thatinvolve a knight move revealing a discovered attack from the dark-squarebishop. White shows a deep understanding of the position } 17... Bf5 { Thematic } 18. Nxf6+ { Vacating e4 for the pawn to move forward } 18... Bxf6 19. e4 { White'sposition is looking solid, and black is already thinking of drawing lines } 19... Bg4 20. Rfb1 { Neutralising black's influence on the b file } 20... c4 { I thoughtfor a long time about this move, playing through all the variations gettingto the position at move 29 in the game. It looked drawable, so I returnedto the board to try several waiting moves before proceeding. } 21. Ne2 { Excellent.White does not fear black's ..Nf3+ , but black goes over his analysis andtakes account of this move for the forcing line that leads to the endgamethat follows } 21... Rc8 { A waiting move, hoping white will make an error } 22. Nd4 { Excellent move } 22... cxb3 { Black decides to enter the long forcing sequence,liquidating the entire position and heading for a draw } 23. axb3 Qxa1 24. Rxa1 Rxa1+ 25. Bxa1 Nf3+ { The knight check finesse is used } 26. Bxf3 Rxc2 27. Nxc2 Bxf3 28. Bxf6 { Entering the endgame, black hopes white will retainthe dark-squared bishop, guaranteeing a draw for black } 28... Bxe4 { Hoping for29. Bxe7 Bxd5 30. Bxd6 Bxb3 draw } 29. Ne3 { Correct } 29... exf6 { This is the positionthat I glanced at earlier in my analysis, and thought I could draw. Actuallyits lost for black due to his doubled pawns on the f-file. After either..f5 or ..g5 by black, white merely plays f4 and the kingside is locked,leaving white to focus on his passed b-pawn } 30. Kf1 Bd3+ { Preparing aswitch to the queenside } 31. Ke1 Kf8 32. Kd2 { Or even the winning 21. Nc4,blocking black's bishop } 32... Ba6 33. Kc3 Ke7 34. Kb4 Kd7 { Clearly lost. Butblack plays on hoping to trick a draw } 35. Ka5 Be2 36. Kb6 f5 { Ineffective,but black has little alternative } 37. b4 f4 { Discarding his doubled pawn,to force through a passed h-pawn } 38. gxf4 f6 39. b5 g5 { . } 40. fxg5 fxg5 41. hxg5 { Passed pawn, but the position is hopeless after 41 ..h4 42. g6Ke8 43. Kc6 so black resigns } 1-0
[Event "Thematic Benoni 4 for FAST players only"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "14-Nov-07"] [Round "-"] [White "elyhim"] [Black "drsbd"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1822"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1850"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Bd3 { This is the classical Benoni. } 8... O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. h3 { This preventsblack from playing Bg4 in hope of exchanging the Knight that supports thee4-e5 advance. } 10... a6 11. a4 { B5 can not be allowed } 11... b6 { a little slow normalis Nbd7 } 12. Re1 Ra7 { An interesting idea of doubling the rooks on thee file in order to put preasure on e4. However, such a moves signal tome that I should switch my attack. } 13. Bf4 { This is a naturally strongsquare for the bishop it targets blacks backward d pawn. } 13... Rae7 { my opponenthas done a good job in preventing the e4-e5 break. Which leaves me to bethinking about creating another weakness. } 14. Nd2 { Defends e4 and setsup a samish system for white. For those who do not know what a samish systemis it is the pawn structure extending from g2 to d4. The key feature isthe pawn of f3 which ensures that the nature of the game progresses alongquieter lines. This type of set up is ideal for this game because theblack rooks remain locked behind a wall of pawns. } 14... Nh5 { another reasonwhy it is good for white to play h3 early is to avoid this exchange ofthe bishop. } 15. Bg5 { Not Be3 when black does not have to pay for forcingme to move my bishop. This creates a weakness and blockaids the bishopon g7. } 15... f6 { Good, my job is done it is time to retreat. } 16. Be3 { Thisis a nice position for white. Black has a few problems to workout likehis knight has no room to move. Which makes it an easy target. But thereal problem for black is that he is in a zugwig. } 16... Bf8 { If this is thebest that black can do then he may have to rethink his plan. } 17. Nc4 Qc7 18. b4 { And white breaks through black's defense. } 18... cxb4 19. Bxb6 { Iam like a python that is slowly squeezing the life out of my opponent.It would be tempting to feel that one has to move the knight however, Iam always on the look out for stronger counter punches. } 19... Qd7 20. Ne2 Rxe4 { a big blunder that gives up a rook for very little in return. } 21. Bxe4 Rxe4 22. Rc1 { and black resigns. My plan was to play Nd4. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.02.05"] [Round "-"] [White "wierdaj"] [Black "haratta"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1717"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1649"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 { We play the Nimzo-Indian Defense. } 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O b6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. a3 Bxc3 10. bxc3 c4 11. Bc2 Bb7 { I like to fianchetto my bishops if possible. Here it is somewhatdelayed. } 12. a4 Nc6 13. Ba3 Re8 14. Rb1 Qc7 15. h3 Rad8 16. Re1 { It ́sstill kind of even. White are soon ready to the pawn push e4. This movewill also make my c4 pawn weak. } 16... Ne4 17. Bxe4 Rxe4 { Because I take backwith my e-rook instead of the pawn, I ́m avoiding to isolate and weakenmy c-pawn. I also have some vague ideas about starting an attack againstWhites castled King in the future. } 18. Qc2 Rde8 19. Ng5 { Now begins thetrickiest part of the game, with much threats and counterthreats, and maneuversback and forth! } 19... Rh4 20. Nf3 Rh5 21. Qe2 Rh6 22. Qc2 Bc8 { Aiming at theh3-pawn. } 23. e4 { Now the long anticipated pawn push gets a reality. Trickyposition. } 23... Be6 { After a long pondering I find this the best move. } 24. e5 { This move is not so pleasant for me. White gains space here. Probablybetter for White was exd5. I can ́t take back with my Bishop, if I do thatI loose my e-Rook! White probably missed that! } 24... Qc8 25. Bc1 Rh5 26. Qe2 Bf5 27. Rb5 { Threatening my d5-pawn. } 27... Qe6 { Combining attack and defense. } 28. Ng5 Qg6 29. Rxd5 { Now my d5-pawn falls! } 29... h6 { But I can live with that.For now I begin to impose a serious threat against Whites King. } 30. g4 { A good defensive move. } 30... Rxg5 31. Bxg5 Qxg5 32. Qf3 Ne7 { Again combiningattack and defense. } 33. Rd6 h5 34. Kh2 hxg4 35. hxg4 Bxg4 36. Qg2 Qh4+ 37. Kg1 Nf5 38. Rd5 Re6 { a handy Rook lift. } 39. Re4 Rg6 { Threateningdisaster along the g-file. } 40. Rd8+ { I was here pondering pretty longtime, accept or reject the sacrifice? But decides to take it. } 40... Qxd8 41. Rxg4 { White wins a Bishop back, but still I ́m up in material. } 41... Rxg4 42. Qxg4 Nh6 { To be a Knight up is always nice. Especially when the endgameis near. } 43. Qe4 Qg5+ 44. Kf1 Qc1+ 45. Qe1 Qxe1+ { To trade Queens arethe easiest way to win. } 46. Kxe1 Kf8 47. Kd2 Ke7 48. Ke3 a6 49. f3 Nf5+ 50. Kf4 g6 51. Ke4 Ke6 52. d5+ { White tries! } 52... Kd7 53. f4 b5 54. a5 Kc7 55. e6 fxe6 56. dxe6 Kd6 57. e7 Nxe7 { White gives up. And that is right.He is completely lost now. } 0-1
[Event "Material Imbalances - 2 Pieces v 1 Rook - Pt.6"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.14"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "therealjimfriar"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2070"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1829"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Well, I never, when I played Expert Jim as blackI found myself with a rook against 2 pieces and lost. Here I played ExpertJim as white and again found myself with a rook against two pieces andagain I lost. Another piece of evidence for the jury that having the rookagainst two pieces loses, loses, loses! It is an e4, e5 themed mini-tournamentso that is how the game kicks off. On my third move I deviate from theLopez, last time I played the Exchange Lopez against Jim I lost so I tryThe Three Knights Opening with 3. Nc3. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 f5 { 3. .....f5 - an interesting pawn push here! } 4. Bb5 { 4. Bb5 - and I end up playinga delayed Ruy Lopez...... } 4... Nf6 5. Bxc6 dxc6 { 5. ...... dxc6 - ...... anda delayed Exchange Lopez! } 6. Qe2 Bd6 7. d4 Qe7 8. dxe5 Bxe5 { 8. .......Bxe5 - pawn trade. } 9. Nxe5 Qxe5 { 9. ....... Qxe5 - piece trade. } 10. exf5 Qxe2+ 11. Nxe2 { 11. Nxe2 - queen trade. } 11... Bxf5 12. Nd4 { 12. Nd4 - with ideasof going to e6. } 12... Bg6 13. f3 { 13. f3 - here I leave behind the db and choosef2 for Henry then Re1 after a move like c3, but things do not quite workout to plan here. } 13... O-O-O 14. c3 c5 15. Ne2 Rde8 { 15. ...... Rde8 - pin. } 16. Kf2 { 16. Kf2 - as planned, but ..... } 16... Rhf8 { 16 ...... Rhf8 - a nastydiscovery is lined up on the f column. Ne4+ is threatened, so I preventthis with 17. Nf4. } 17. Nf4 Bf7 18. Re1 { 18. Re1 - my rook comes out toe1 at last, only to be traded off. } 18... Rxe1 19. Kxe1 b6 20. b3 { 20. b3 - Iwant to centralise my QR but if I do then the a2 pawn will be hanging tothat black lsb, therefore I decide to screen off this diagonal. } 20... c4 21. b4 { 21. b4 - I eschew pxp because I do not want to break up my pawn structureand at least I keep the a2-h7 diagonal blocked as his bishop cannot takehis own pawn. Unfortunately my c3 pawn becomes a target as you will see. } 21... g5 22. Ne2 g4 { 22. ...... g4 - trying to deflect my f pawn away from e4which will allow Ne4 next move, so Henry goes back to f2. } 23. Kf2 gxf3 24. gxf3 { 24. gxf3 - pawn trade. } 24... Bd5 25. Bf4 Nh5 { 25. ...... Nh5 - nastydiscovery, Fou Lenoir is attacked by both knight and f8 rook. If Fou Lenoirmoves out of the way then bang goes my f3 pawn. So Henry goes to e3. Jim said he thought I should have played Rd1 here. } 26. Ke3 Re8+ 27. Kf2 Rxe2+ 28. Kxe2 Nxf4+ 29. Ke3 { 29. Ke3 - Henry returns to e3 and now thedust has settled I have a rook against those two pieces. } 29... Ng2+ 30. Kf2 { 30. Kf2 - maintains defense of f3 passer. } 30... Nh4 31. f4 Nf5 { 31. .......Nf5 - that black lsb and that horsie act as The Berlin Wall against Henry. } 32. Re1 Kd7 33. Re5 Ne7 34. Kg3 { 34. Kg3 - I try to activate my piecesbut Jim has a way of tying them down. } 34... Bf7 35. Re1 Nd5 36. Rc1 { 36. Rc1- my rook is tied to defending that weak c pawn. If that falls then theblack c4 pawn has a very good chance of turning himself into the WickedWitch of the West! } 36... Ke6 37. Kg4 Kf6 38. a4 Bg6 39. Kg3 { 39. Kg3 - whatelse? } 39... Kf5 40. a5 c6 41. axb6 axb6 { 41. ...... axb6 - pawn trade. } 42. h3 b5 43. Rc2 Ke4 { 43. ..... Ke4 - that c3 pawn is certainly doomed. Ihave no wish to see the Witch again so I wave the white flag. Could Ihave played this particular endgame better though? You the jury decide. } 0-1
[Event "Wonder rooks..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.03.21"] [Round "-"] [White "spensley"] [Black "lake-bay"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1460"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1544"] { This is the highest rated opponent I have beaten so far... } 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nxe4 4. Nxe5 { ? This is the oldest mistake in the book.Now I win a piece. } 4... Qg5 { ! } 5. O-O { The only move. Ng4 fails miserablyafter d5! } 5... Qxe5 6. Re1 { This is an annoying pin. It would be tragic ifit wasn't for... } 6... Bc5 { ! I create a much bigger threat. } 7. Re2 Bxf2+ { Iget out of the pin. } 8. Rxf2 Nxf2 9. Kxf2 Qf4+ { Winning another piece... } 10. Qf3 Qxc4 11. Nc3 { Deflecting Qxc2... } 11... O-O { I get my rook closer tothe action and eliminate any king side threats his queen might pose. } 12. d3 Qd4+ { Tempting his bishop to block it... } 13. Be3 { ? This allows a tradeof queens. } 13... Qf6 14. Rg1 { ? His idea was after the g-file was opened hewould play Bh6. But that is easily defended. } 14... Qxf3+ 15. gxf3 Re8 { All ittakes... } 16. Bh6 { This is a waste of a tempo. } 16... g6 17. Ne4 Re6 { Stoppingthe fork on f6. } 18. f4 f5 { Stopping f5! and freeing my king. } 19. Ng3 Kf7 { I protect my f-pawn. } 20. h4 Nc6 21. a3 Nd4 22. c3 Nb3 { My knightis untouchable here. } 23. h5 { Hoping for ...gxh5, Nxf5. } 23... d5 24. hxg6+ Rxg6 { Getting a passed pawn and pinning the knight. } 25. Bg5 Bd7 { Getting mybishop into the action. } 26. Rh1 Rh8 { Preparing the advance of the h-pawn. } 27. Ke3 c5 { Preparing a pawn advance... } 28. c4 d4+ { I block the center... } 29. Ke2 h6 { I start claiming the king side. } 30. Bh4 Rg4 31. Nh5 { Threateningto fork Rook and Bishop. } 31... Re8+ 32. Kf2 Re3 { My rooks penetrate... } 33. Nf6 { This is an empty threat now. } 33... Rxf4+ 34. Kg2 Bc6+ { My bishop spearsthe king to the rook. } 35. Nd5 { The only move... } 35... Re2+ 36. Kg3 Rg4+ 37. Kf3 { I have gotten the pieces into the proper positions. } 37... Bxd5+ 38. Kxe2 { ? He should have created a passed pawn with cxd5 and tried to advanceit. This also loses a piece. } 38... Bxh1 39. Bf2 Rg2 { Another nasty pin... } 40. Kf1 Nd2+ { Can you tell where this knight is headed? } 41. Ke1 Nf3+ 42. Ke2 Ne5 { His king is still pinned and the pawn is threatened. } 43. b4 b6 44. bxc5 bxc5 45. a4 { There was nothing else to do... } 45... Nxd3 { ! I win anotherpawn. } 46. Kxd3 Rxf2 { He resigned. } 0-1
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.05.31"] [Round "-"] [White "pnp1984"] [Black "hamed36"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1502"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1514"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 { King's pawn opening, three knights game. } 3... a6 4. b3 { This move is already off the database. } 4... Nf6 5. Bb2 Bd6 6. d4 O-O 7. dxe5 Nxe5 8. Be2 Re8 9. O-O b5 10. Nd5 Nxe4 11. Qd4 Nxf3+ { WhenI first saw this, before I realized the white king was in check, I thoughtQxg7#. It looked like a mistake. } 12. Bxf3 Be5 { Here at first I thoughtblack was trading the knight for the bishop at b2. At least the calamityQxg7# was averted. } 13. Qxe4 Bxh2+ { But black has much bigger plans--abishop, knight, and rook for a pawn and queen. Sweet! Although it isa lot of material for a queen, white's castle is demolished and his kingexposed. Well played! } 14. Kxh2 Rxe4 15. Bxe4 Qh4+ { It looks like a freebishop, but it isn't. I think Kf8 (which only appears to expose Ph7) wouldhave worked great. Qh4+ could be saved for another turn, though whiteis almost certain to answer with Re1. } 16. Kg1 Qxe4 17. Rfe1 { Black musttrade queen for rook. Black's two extra pawns won't prove a match forwhite's knight. } 17... Qxe1+ 18. Rxe1 Bb7 19. Nxc7 { Now black has one extra pawn. } 19... Rc8 20. Re8+ { White forces a rook trade. } 20... Rxe8 21. Nxe8 f6 { Black defendsNxg7 or Bxg7. } 22. Nd6 Bc6 23. f3 h5 24. Kf2 Kh7 25. Kg3 Kg6 26. f4 h4+ { I like f5 better, though black's position is weak. White's king cannotmove, but h5 and f5 are invisible to white's black bishop. Black is downtwo points and can ill afford trades. } 27. Kxh4 Bxg2 28. f5+ Kh7 29. c4 b4 30. Bd4 g5+ 31. Kg4 Bf1 { Mm, I like Kg7 better. Yes, white ends upwith both the f6 & g5 pawns anyway, with Ne8+, Kf7, Nxf6, followed by Kxg5. But this way white's king sits on a square invisible to white's blackbishop, and white must negotiate a series of knight moves to force theking to move. Plus black's bishop can still protect Pd7, which is preventingthe promotion of white's c pawn. } 32. Bxf6 Bd3 33. Bb2 Bb1 34. a3 Ba2 35. Kxg5 bxa3 36. Bxa3 Bxb3 { Black trades two pawns for one. } 37. c5 Kg7 38. f6+ Kf8 { Mm, I like Kg8 better, I think. White would respond with Kg6. Black cannot promote either pawn but white can coronate the f pawn regardless. } 39. Nf5 { Now white pretty much must move Ke8, or white will move c6+ (discoveredcheck by the bishop), Kd8... } 39... Ke8 40. Nd4 Bg8 41. Kg6 Bd5 42. Kg7 Bc4 43. Nf5 Bb3 44. Bb4 Kd8 45. f7 Bxf7 46. Kxf7 Kc7 47. Nd4 Kd8 48. Ba5+ Kc8 49. Ke7 Kb7 50. Kxd7 Kb8 51. c6 Ka7 52. c7 Kb7 53. c8=Q+ Ka7 { Black fightsfor a stalemate. While the black king gets trampled by the knight--blacknever throws in the towel. It was an admirable struggle well played. } 54. Nc6# 1-0
[Event "Challenge from vincenzo2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "04-Aug-06"] [Round "-"] [White "vincenzo2"] [Black "batgirl"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Qe2 { While there are standard openinglines where the queen moves in front of the king, they are rare and thisisn't one of them. Such a move always should be made with care. } 4... Bc5 { Ihad considered Nb4, threatening a K-R fork and possible cause white todisrupt its plans. } 5. h3 { pawn moves in an opening should be very muchthought about, especially pawn moves where one plans on castling sinceany advanced pawn there weakens the kings position of safety and invitesa sacrifice. } 5... O-O { Normally, black should wait for white to castle, sincewhite is up a tempo, but I felt white's previous pawn move wasted thattempo and put the ball in my court. } 6. c3 { Another pawn move with threepieces undeveloped. While i see that it's meant to support the eventualadvance of the d pawn, in reality, it blocks the natural square for theknight and prevents the bishop from getting out. The immediate advanceof the d pawn might have been better, except the the Queen is in frontof the King, so castling seems the more relevant move. } 6... d5 { Black wantsto open the center as fast as possible } 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Qe4 Nf4 { I thinkthis was a minor blunder on black's part. White should now simply playd4 } 9. O-O Qf6 10. d3 Bf5 { Black connects rooks with tempo. } 11. Qd5 { White'sfatal blunder. } 11... Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Bxd3 13. Re1 Rae8 14. b4 { a free pawn. . } 14... Bxb4 { if cxb, then e4, attacking both the knight and the rook. } 15. Bd2 Bd6 16. a3 e4 17. Re3 Bf4 18. Rxd3 exd3 19. Ra2 Re2 20. Bc4 Rd8 21. g3 { this sets up for a simple trade of Knight pawn for Bishop. } 21... Bxg3 22. Bg5 { this moves give black a free knight. } 22... Qxf3 23. Rxe2 dxe2 { black has forcedmate in several lines. } 24. Bxe2 { Mate in 2 } 24... Qxf2+ 25. Kh1 Qh2# 0-1
[Event "Pawn Structure"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.07.16"] [Round "-"] [White "[email protected]"] [Black "[email protected]"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1430"] [TimeControl "900"] [WhiteElo "1324"] { I'm White. 15 min max time. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nge2 e5 6. d3 Be7 7. O-O { I have some problems in chess opening when theopponent does not play as I expected. (Commonly that's the most case...)Need some studies. } 7... Be6 8. Nd5 { I wanted to bring my Knight to good position,d5. } 8... Nb4 9. Nxb4 cxb4 10. Bd2 a5 { I thought Knight trade was good choice,because Black would make bad pawn position after trade. But now I'm havingpressure by b4, a6 pawns.... } 11. c3 bxc3 12. bxc3 O-O 13. d4 Qd7 14. f3 { I wanted to trap Bishop on e6, but I overlooked Black Queen in d7. } 14... Bh3 15. d5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 { Although I lost my Bishop, I think White's positionis better then Black's. Strong Pawn chain from d to f column won't be brokeneasily. } 16... Ne8 17. c4 Nc7 18. Rb1 Na6 { I don't think Black's Ne8 - Nc7 -Na6 move is worthwhile. } 19. Be3 f5 { Black try to break White's pawn chain. } 20. Nc3 Nc7 21. Rxb7 { Get one Pawn and pin Black's Knight & Queen. } 21... Rf6 22. Qb3 Qc8 23. Rb1 { White made Rook - Queen - Rook in same column. It'spowerful combination. } 23... Rg6 { I think Black should concentrate his poweron b7.. } 24. Kf2 fxe4 25. Nxe4 a4 26. Qb6 Bd8 27. Nxd6 { This position istricky for me. I had one minor piece advantage in this game, but maybeblack had better solution. } 27... Nxd5 { Discovered attack by Black Knight. } 28. Nxc8 Nxb6 { White's two Rook, a Bishop, and a Knight can reach b6 square. } 29. Nxb6 Rf6 { Black's one more critical mistake. } 30. Nxa8 e4 31. f4 Rf8 32. Bc5 Re8 33. Rb8 e3+ 34. Bxe3 Kf8 35. Nb6 Bxb6 36. Rxe8+ Kxe8 37. Rxb6 { After trade-off, there's few steps to end this game. I was running outof time, but I made it. } 37... Kf7 38. Bc5 h6 39. Ke3 Kg8 40. Ke4 Kh7 41. Kf5 Kg8 42. Rb7 a3 43. Rb8+ Kh7 44. Rb7 Kg8 45. Kg6 Kh8 46. Rb8# { Applied BasicRook ending. } 1-0
[Event "III Open Arica 2010"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Sanhueza, Felipe"] [Black "Samuel, Baltazar"] [Result ""] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Nxd4 { Personalmente consideromás activa para el negro la continuación 5.-Ae3-Df6/6.- c3-Ce7/7.-Cc2-Axe3...etc } 6. Bxd4 Bxd4 7. Qxd4 Qf6 8. e5 { e5 is perhaps the best response for white as otherwise the pieces would change sides or not, white helps in the development of the enemy camp. On the other hand, for the black pieces it was interesting to continue with Db6, to which the whites would have responded Dxb6 in order to play against the black structure in the d-file. } 8... Qc6 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. O-O-O O-O 11. f4 a6 { This is another motivation for which it was better for the blacks to try to exchange the queens on b6 than for the black attack to be too slow compared to the one of the whites, which would reach the king's flank very quickly. } 12. Rg1 d6 { Interesting continuation that allows blacks to develop rapidly without any interference from the whites, while the latter must persist with their attack on the king's flank. } 13. exd6 Nf5 14. Qf2 Nxd6 15. Bd3 Bf5 { With Af5 the blacks would lose valuable time, perhaps it was better to try reacting with b5, if the whites responded with g4 in my opinion it is interesting for the blacks to play f5 which at first glance is risky but I believe it is sufficiently stable position for the blacks. } 16. Bxf5 Nxf5 17. g4 Nd6 18. f5 Rfe8 { Due to the circumstances, blacks had to decrease the pressure by simplifying with Ce4, with the exchange whites can try to play later f6, to which blacks would likely respond with g6 and arrive at a more stable position than the one they reached subsequently. } 19. f6 g6 { It was time to play C4 because with the current response of the blacks, white's strong attack began. I was expecting 19.-f6-C4, 20.-Cxe4-Txe4, 21.-fxg7-Tae8 and the blacks threaten to enter the second rank with a strong attack, and the whites no longer have so easy access to the black king, which they can defend with moves like T8e7 or Dg6 depending on the occasion. } 20. Nd5 Ne4 { It is too late, as white has an imminent threat with Ce7+. } 21. Qh4 Kh8 { I consider it more precise to play Dc5, for example 21.-Dh4-Dc5/22.-Ce7+-Rh8 and the whites must be careful as the blacks are changing dama with Dg5+, moreover in that case the whites do not have Td5 as they would lose the game with Dxg1. Therefore in that position a better continuation would be 21.-Dh4-Dc5/22.-Ce7+-Rh8/23.-g4-Txe7/24.-fxe7-Cd6 } 22. Rd3 { y aquí mi oponente perdió por tiempo }
[Event "Bearrette's Mini Tournamet Win #1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.10.01"] [Round "-"] [White "checkq"] [Black "billa01"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "757"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1012"] { I think I'm getting better. This is my first annotated win. } 1. e4 { Istart with the king's pawn opening like I always do. } 1... e6 { I've never donethat. } 2. d4 { I will bring my other pawn out } 2... d5 { She brings queens pawnout protected by his king pawn. } 3. Nc3 { I develop my knight. } 3... Qd7 { Shebrings his queen out. I have no idea why. } 4. exd5 { I take his pawn. } 4... exd5 { She takes my pawn back. } 5. Bb5 { I develop my bishop pinning his queen. } 5... c6 { She blocks it with her pawn. } 6. Bd3 { I bring my bishop back. } 6... Qg4 { She goes looking for a queen trade. } 7. Qxg4 { I take because its stilltied. } 7... Bxg4 { She takes back with his bishop. } 8. Nge2 { I develop my knight. } 8... Na6 { She develops hers. } 9. h3 { I attack his queen-taking rook. } 9... Bh5 { Shebacks his bishop away. } 10. O-O { I finally castle. } 10... Rd8 { She moves herrook to d8. I have know idea why. } 11. Nf4 { I bring my knight out to attackhim. } 11... Nb4 { I don't know why she did that. } 12. Nxh5 { I take her free bishop. } 12... g6 { She attacks me. } 13. Bg5 { Trade? } 13... Rd6 { Too bad. } 14. Rae1+ { Checkfrom my rook. } 14... Re6 { She blocks with his rook which is protected. } 15. Nf6+ { She will probably take me with her knight. } 15... Ke7 { Surprisingly she movesher king. } 16. Nxg8+ { I take advantage of that move with a double check! } 16... Ke8 { Total waste of time. } 17. Rxe6+ { Since I am winning I'll take therook trade. } 17... fxe6 { She takes back with her pawn. } 18. Nf6+ { Check again. } 18... Ke7 { She moves her king to the same spot. } 19. Nxh7+ { I take the free pawn. } 19... Kd6 { Shes just getting her king even more out of position. } 20. Nxf8 { Itake the bishop. } 20... Nxd3 { She takes mine. } 21. Nxg6 { I bring my knight tosafety. } 21... Rg8 { I don't know what to do } 22. Be7+ { I find a pretty good move. } 22... Kd7 { Again I'm stuck. } 23. Rd1 { I bring my rook over to attack the knight. } 23... Nxb2 { She brings her knight to safety also attacking my rook. } 24. Re1 { I get my rook out of the way. } 24... Rxg6 { Finally, he takes my knight. } 25. Bc5 { I bring my bishop out of the way of attack also attacking her a7 pawn. } 25... Nc4 { She moves her knight back. } 26. Bxa7 { I take the free pawn. } 26... Nd2 { Notquite sure why she did that. } 27. Rd1 { I attack her knight. } 27... Nc4 { She movesit back again. } 28. Ra1 { I bring my rook over. } 28... Rg5 { Don't know why shedid that. } 29. Na4 { I'm trying to get my knight into the battle. } 29... Nd2 { Herknight is trying to help. } 30. Nc5+ { CHECK! } 30... Kd6 { It's already protectedby the pawn. } 31. Rd1 { Again I attack the knight. } 31... Ne4 { And she bringsit back again. } 32. Nxe4+ { I take the trade. } 32... dxe4 { She takes back. } 33. f4 { I attack the rook. } 33... Rf5 { She moves it over and attacks my pawn. } 34. Bc5+ { I'm just trying to save time. } 34... Kd5 { Their both protecting each otherso their safe. } 35. g3 { Time to get those pawns out. } 35... Rh5 { She comes togo pawn shopping. } 36. Kh2 { Not today. } 36... e3 { That pawn is getting closer. } 37. g4 { I attack his rook. } 37... Rh8 { She moves it aaaaalllllllllll the wayback. } 38. f5 { I attack her pawn. } 38... exf5 { She takes it . } 39. gxf5 { I takeback. } 39... e2 { I t's awfully close now. } 40. Re1 { I block it with my rook. } 40... b6 { That was kind of pointless. } 41. Bxb6 { I take it. } 41... Ke4 { She moves herking even farther down the board. } 42. Rxe2+ { Phew! No more worries. } 42... Kxf5 { But I'll say to that pawn. } 43. Re5+ { Another check. } 43... Kf6 { She moves outof the way. } 44. Rc5 { I start looking at the last pawn. } 44... Rg8 { She movesher rook over. } 45. Rxc6+ { I take it with check! } 45... Kf5 { Her king is tryingto escape. } 46. d5 { I need a queen. } 46... Kf4 { She moves her queen down again. } 47. d6 { I move my pawn up. } 47... Kf3 { She moves her king down AGAIN. } 48. Rc3+ { Check. } 48... Kf4 { Now she goes back up. } 49. d7 { My pawns almost their! } 49... Kg5 { And she moves it up again. } 50. d8=Q+ { Will she trade. } 50... Rxd8 { Yes shewill. } 51. Bxd8+ { Took it with check. } 51... Kg6 { She goes up again. } 52. a4 { I start on another pawn. } 52... Kf7 { Up again. } 53. a5 { My pawns going up to. } 53... Kg7 { She surprisingly moves her king to the right instead of attackingthe bishop. } 54. a6 { My pawn goes up again. } 54... Kf7 { She moves her king back. } 55. a7 { Almost there. } 55... Ke6 { Now she' trying to escape. } 56. a8=Q { FinallyI get a queen. } 56... Kd6 { Se knows its over. } 57. Qa5 { I trap her. } 57... Ke6 { Shemoves over. } 58. Rc6+ { Check. } 58... Kf7 { She moves over again. } 59. Qa7+ { Check. } 59... Kf8 { I have to move the bishop. } 60. Bh4 { I move it all the way down. } 60... Kg8 { She moves. } 61. Rc8# { Checkmate! Please rate this annotation. } 1-0
[Event "To defend to the end..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.07.25"] [Round "-"] [White "last_archimedean"] [Black "pzel"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1446"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1431"] { Your best games aren't always your 10-move wins. Sometimes a 60-move drawwhere you fight off your opponent's attack is a good result. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e6 4. Bxc4 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. O-O Nbc6 9. Ba3 { A quiet, positional opening, befitting the double QP openingmoves. } 9... Na5 10. Bb3 Nxb3 11. axb3 { After a small skirmish, opposite-coloredBishops are left. Already, the sense that a draw could ensue is foreboding.OCB's often do lead to drawish end-game positions. } 11... b6 12. c4 Ba6 13. Rc1 Ng6 14. e5 Re8 15. Re1 b5 16. Bc5 bxc4 17. bxc4 { Black has gained the advantageof a passed QRP. } 17... Bb7 18. h3 Nh4 19. Nxh4 Qxh4 { The OCB's are now lockedfirmly into place as the final minor pieces on the board. } 20. Qd3 Qg5 21. f3 a5 22. Rb1 Ba6 23. Re4 h5 24. Kh2 { I tuck my King away, as I havehopes of an attack. } 24... Rab8 25. Ree1 Rxb1 26. Rxb1 { So much for that idea.Now a long, tense end-game follows. } 26... h4 27. Qc2 Qg3+ 28. Kh1 Ra8 29. Kg1 g6 30. Rc1 { More slow maneuvering. Neither side has accomplished much. } 30... Bb7 31. Qf2 Qf4 32. Qe1 Qg5 33. Rb1 { An oversight, which Black exploits. } 33... Bxf3 34. Qf2 Be4 35. Rb3 a4 36. Re3 Bc6 37. g4 hxg3 38. Rxg3 { To activatethe Rook. } 38... Qc1+ 39. Qf1 Qc2 40. Qd3 Qxd3 41. Rxd3 { Reducing the chancesof a tactical surprise, and playing for the OCB ending. } 41... Rb8 42. Kh2 Rb3 43. Rxb3 axb3 44. Ba3 { If I don't play this move at once, the Pawn willqueen. } 44... Kg7 45. Kg3 f6 46. exf6+ { I intend to swap off ans many Pawns aspossible. } 46... Kxf6 47. Kg4 Be4 48. Bb2 Bf5+ 49. Kg3 { I intend to blockadethe black squares. } 49... Kg5 50. h4+ Kh5 51. c5 { This renders the Black Bishopessentially useless. } 51... c6 52. Bc3 g5 53. hxg5 Kxg5 54. Kf3 { With the K-sideresolved, I can slide over to the new theatre of action. } 54... Bc2 55. Bb2 Kf5 56. Ke3 { As long as I can keep the Black King away from my B, the gamewill be drawn. } 56... Bd1 57. Kd3 { 'Drawing' the game to a close. } 57... Bc2+ 58. Ke3 { Steady as she goes. } 58... Be4 59. Bc3 { Locking things down tight. } 59... Bd5 60. Bb2 { Draw agreed, as despite his material advantage Black has no way tomake progress. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "The Annotation Project II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.21"] [Round "-"] [White "8ballphoenix"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1785"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1579"] 1. f4 { This is my second game against jstevens1, one of the higher-ratedplayers in this tournament, and if I'd been told at the start of the tournamentthat I'd take a single half point from one of the top two players here,I'd have been very happy ;) Over the past couple of years, I have followedmany of jstevens1's annotations, and progress through the ranks, so wasdelighted to have the opportunity to play against her in this tournament.Having lost as black I was out (but not hopeful) for revenge! Proceed forthwithto move 9 where the real action starts... } 1... d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. e4 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Bxf7+ Kd7 7. Qxg4+ Nxg4 8. Be6+ Kc6 9. Bxg4 { The first7 moves lead to the starting position, and up to here is as good as forced. } 9... Bg7 10. Ne6 Qg8 { ...Bg7. 10. Ne6; Qg7 now seem accepted as best play. } 11. d4 exd3 12. cxd3 { as expected. } 12... Na6 { and sure enough, here comes thatknight! } 13. d4 { as with that other game, I now expect the knight to headfor c2 or d3 via b4. Threatening the pawn with the a8 rook doesn't work- Be3 defends whilst developing. } 13... Nb4 14. Na3 { So far black is respondingas expected, so as before I cover c2, not concerned about ...Nd3+; as 15.Ke2 Nxc1; 16. Rxc1+ with tempo and a rook on a nice file. } 14... Re8 15. Bd2 { Making way for the rook, and asking about the intentions of that knight. } 15... Nd5 16. Rc1+ { This can't be wrong, and I can't see anything better. Whilste6 knight, and g4 bishop, are cutting off Henry's escape route and tyingGlenda and Fou LeNoir to the far corner, along with 2 enemy rooks, it'stime to point some firepower at the monarch. } 16... Kb6 { Henry moves along infront of his pawns, as escape via d7 is impossible without dropping thebishop outright, or white can choose to go further and then exchange knightfor rook. } 17. Nc4+ { Nc4+ seems logical - though unlikely, there is a chanceof ...Ka6; Nc5#. and if not then ...Kb5 or ...Kc6 and I play Na3+, Henryprobably goes back to where he is now, and I've lost nothing. } 17... Kb5 { Sureenough, no ...Ka6. } 18. Na3+ { I can't find a way to progress with the d5knight defending c7 and b4. } 18... Kb6 19. Nc4+ Kb5 { At this point, jstevensoffered a draw. Over the last couple of moves I had spent hours lookinginto all sorts of possibilities. e4 is a nice spot for my knight but anythreats could be eliminated with Bxe4. Be2 looks lovely, but that bishopis tied to protection of the e6 knight. I considered simply castling, butdecided it would take too long to get that new rook into any meaningfulposition. I even considered a4 to either restrict Henry further, or inducehim to capture, thus bringing him closer, and opening another line forthe rook. In the end, considering the strength of my opponent, I decidedto grab the offered draw! Thanks for the game Joanne. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "nurfaza's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Apr-07"] [Round "-"] [White "johnb221"] [Black "nurfaza"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1456"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1476"] 1. c4 { I like to play this opening } 1... c5 { he must like the off-center gamestoo } 2. Nc3 { the normal second move } 2... Nc6 { ditto for him } 3. Nf3 { tryingto prepare to eventually get my pawn to d4 } 3... Nf6 { he mimics me again } 4. g3 { I'll castle after I move the bishop to g2 } 4... e6 { he wants to get to d5before I get to d4? } 5. d3 { I protect the c-pawn, expecting d5 } 5... d5 { andhe plays it } 6. Bg2 { I want to get castled... the pawn trades can wait } 6... g6 { he wants the other diagonal for his bishop } 7. O-O { safely tucked awaynow } 7... Bg7 { now he's ready to castle } 8. Bg5 { I pin the knight, expectinghim to castle anyway } 8... Qd7 { the pin must have made him nervous } 9. a3 { Idecide on a queen-side pawn attack } 9... d4 { he nudges my knight } 10. Ne4 { Imove to the 'customary spot' } 10... Nxe4 { he wants to trade (didn't think hewould) } 11. dxe4 { now my pawns are double on the e-file and I've blockedmy long diagonal } 11... O-O { he finally castles } 12. Qd2 { I decide to removethe dark-squared bishops (when people do this to my king's bishop in thiscastling position, they usually end up with a good attack) } 12... f6 { he triesto run off the bishop (and creates an escape hole for the king) } 13. Bh6 { I think I'm forcing the bishop trade } 13... e5 { he ignores me! } 14. Nh4 { I tryto lure the pawn up another square } 14... Qf7 { he fortifies and attacks my 'naked'c-pawn } 15. Bxg7 { I force the bishop trade anyway } 15... Kxg7 { I expected himto take it with the queen } 16. f4 { I ignore the c-pawn weakness and attackthe king-side pawns } 16... b6 { I guess he wants to put the bishop on the a-hdiagonal } 17. b4 { I switch fronts } 17... Qxc4 { he takes the helpless pawn } 18. Qd3 { I offer a queen trade to undouble my pawns } 18... Qf7 { he declines to helpme out } 19. e3 { I'll trade it away } 19... dxe3 { he sort of had to trade } 20. Qxe3 { he could gain another pawn here if he plays cxb, axb, Nxb } 20... exf4 { hetrades on the other side } 21. Rxf4 { bad move by me... now g5 could costme a piece } 21... Kh8 { did he see something I didn't? } 22. bxc5 { I keep fromlosing a pawn on this side, but I'm still risking a piece on the otherflank } 22... bxc5 { he retakes the pawn } 23. Qxc5 { I come out a pawn upo and hopethe attack on his knight will keep him distracted } 23... Ne5 { It works!.. nowto get those pieces out of there! } 24. Raf1 { doubling rooks on his queen(hiding behind a pawn) should keep him from playing g5 } 24... Qg7 { he moves thequeen out of fire } 25. Qd5 { I attack the unprotected rook } 25... Bd7 { this movelinks his rooks and protects all his pieces } 26. Qd6 { I keep the pressureon the pawn } 26... Bb5 { he attacks my rook } 27. Rb1 { I attack the attacker } 27... a6 { he protects it } 28. Qb6 { he has ignored g5 for so long, I think I evenforgot about it! } 28... Nc4 { he forks my queen and pawn (both unprotected) } 29. Qe6 { I save the queen... } 29... Nxa3 { and the pawn dies } 30. Rb3 { the rook wasin danger } 30... Nc2 { he's after a queen-rook fork on d4 } 31. Qb6 { luckily, Inotice it and move the queen } 31... Rab8 { he goes after the queen again } 32. Qc5 { I move the queen and try to limit the knight's activities at the sametime } 32... Rbc8 { the rook continues to pursue } 33. Qd6 { I still need to protectagain Nd4 (Nd4 followed by Ne2 would fork the King and rook) } 33... Rcd8 { hecontinues pursuit } 34. Qc5 { I keep the queen near d4, but with the rookas backup, I can't stop the knight } 34... Nd4 { he sees it alright (apparently,he still hasn't seen g5) } 35. Rb2 { I move the attacked rook and protecte2 } 35... Ne2+ { he goes there anyway (his bishop has his back!) } 36. Rxe2 { Ilose a rook for a knight, but at least he won't fork me again } 36... Bxe2 { heseals the trade } 37. Rf2 { I finally get one of my pieces out of the pawnfork threat } 37... Bb5 { he puts the bishop back on the pawn } 38. Bf1 { I don'tknow why I did that! } 38... Rd1 { just what I would have done! } 39. Kg2 { I getthe king out so at least it will be a fair trade } 39... Rc8 { ??? surely he meantto go to d8, but I'm thankful for the gift } 40. Qxc8+ { I take it and checkis a bonus! } 40... Qg8 { he blocks with the queen (his only move really) } 41. Qc5 { I considered trading queens and picking off the f-pawn, but the passeda-pawn scared me } 41... Bxf1+ { he's ready to trade the other pieces too } 42. Rxf1 { I really don't have a choice } 42... Rxf1 { we trade bishops and now he wantsto trade rooks too } 43. Kxf1 { I have to! } 43... Qe8 { he picks on my isolatedpawn } 44. Qc3 { I attack his weak pawn (I think I should have played Qc4,protecting mine and attacking his a-pawn) } 44... Qb5+ { he checks me instead oftaking the pawn! } 45. Ke1 { I need to get my king over to the a-file } 45... Qb1+ { he checks me again, forking the pawn in the process } 46. Kd2 { I keep goingtoward the a-file } 46... Qa2+ { he still prefers checks to taking the pawn! } 47. Qc2 { I'm close enough to the a-file to offer to trade queens now } 47... Qa5+ { check again... } 48. Qc3 Qa2+ { and again... } 49. Qc2 Qa5+ 50. Kc1 Qe1+ 51. Kb2 Qb4+ 52. Ka2 Qa5+ 53. Kb3 Qb5+ 54. Kc3 Qc5+ 55. Kd3 Qa3+ { he'strying to get a perpetual check stalemate, so I work on a plan to hidebehind the isolated pawn } 56. Kd4 Qb4+ 57. Ke3 Qb6+ 58. Ke2 Qb5+ 59. Qd3 Qb2+ 60. Qd2 Qb5+ 61. Kf3 Qb3+ 62. Kg2 { finally I move where he cannotput me in check } 62... Qe6 { he wants the pawn now so he can continue checkingme } 63. Qd5 { I protect it and attack the queen } 63... Qe7 { he backs up but staysclose } 64. Qa8+ { I check him and attack the a-pawn } 64... Kg7 { his only move.. } 65. Nf3 { I can't take his pawn without giving up mine } 65... Qe6 { he protectsthe pawn } 66. Qd5 { I offer to trade queens again } 66... Qe7 { he backs off again } 67. e5 { if he doesn't take it, I'll play Qd6 followed by e6, etc. } 67... fxe5 { he takes the bait! } 68. Qxe5+ { now he's forced to trade queens! } 68... Qxe5 { and has to do it } 69. Nxe5 { now I just need to get my knight to the a-file! } 69... Kf6 { he's headed there too, no doubt! } 70. Nc4 { my knight may be a 'shortrange' weapon, but it moves faster than a king } 70... Ke6 { he's on my trail... } 71. Kf3 { I bring my king over too } 71... Kd5 { he keeps coming } 72. Nb2 { I headfor the corner } 72... a5 { probably a mistake.. he should have tried to blockmy king with Kd4 } 73. Kf4 { I decide the knight can handle it and head forthe other two pawns } 73... h6 { he prevents my king from coming closer to them } 74. g4 { I'll force the issue } 74... Ke6 { he goes back to protect } 75. g5 { thisis probably a bad move by me... I think h4 would have been better } 75... h5 { hewants to keep the pawns } 76. h4 { I lock them up } 76... Kd5 { he heads back forthe a-file } 77. Na4 { I make sure his only move will be the King } 77... Ke6 { hechanges directions again (and that is a big mistake, Kd6 or Kd4 are better) } 78. Ke4 { now his King gave me an opening } 78... Kd6 { his best bet } 79. Nc3 { myking is close enough to stop the a-pawn, so I'll send the knight to theother flank } 79... Ke6 { I expected Kc5 } 80. Nb5 { this will force the king backto the 7th rank } 80... a4 { he moves the pawn instead! } 81. Nc7+ { I want the kingto move away from the pawns before my kig goes after the a-pawn } 81... Kd6 { hecomes at the knight } 82. Nd5 { I go to the king for protection } 82... a3 { he makesa run for it } 83. Nc3 { this will slow him down! } 83... Ke6 { I think he's willingto give up the a-pawn to save the others } 84. Kf4 { just a stalling move } 84... Kd6 { a bad move..... } 85. Nb5+ { he falls into a knight fork. The a-pawnis lost and, without the a-pawn to distract the knight, he resigns } 1-0
[Event "Inter-team championship 1700-1800 - Heavy Weather"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.06"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "el-rancho"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1600"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1831"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Another victory, taking my rating into the 1830s. This was a very hard fought, tense battle. My new buddy Elia played avery hard game. Indeed, he had a rating in the 1700s but unfortunatelyhe suffered some timeouts as a result of a bad internet connection. ButI digress, he was in the game until the very last move where he left hisrook en prise to Fou Lenoir who gratefully read him the last rites! Anyhow,on with the show. Elia gives me the French Defense which is e6 in responseto e4. The purpose of this is to prepare d5 and challenge the centre. } 1... e6 2. d4 Ne7 { 2. ...... Ne7 - unusual. } 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bd3 { 4. Bd3 - development. } 4... Ng6 5. O-O Be7 6. Be3 { 6. Be3 - out with the queenside pieces - this isbeginning to look like a Pirc Defense. } 6... Nc6 7. a3 { 7. a3 - preventing Nb4. } 7... a6 8. c4 Bd7 9. b4 { 9. b4 - a pawn wall - can jstevens1 capitalise on this? } 9... O-O 10. Nc3 { 10. Nc3 - white looks to have a spatial advantage but thewhite player is jstevens - passivitis 1! } 10... Na7 11. Qd2 f5 { 11. ..... f5- the first move that contests the centre from the black side. } 12. exf5 exf5 { 12. ...... exf5 - pawn trade. } 13. Nd5 Nh4 { 13. .... Nh4 - suddenlyblack is planning a kingside attack. } 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Nxh4 Qxh4 { 15...... Qxh4 - as a result of a double piece trade the Wicked Witch of theWest plonks herself on h4. I am looking at that f8 rook, where there isa rook there is back up, where there is the Witch there is Old Matey andthat Grim Reaper's beady eye is on the h2 square! } 16. f4 { 16. f4 - thismove will give Henry some air should the Witch ever descend on h2. } 16... Rae8 17. d5 { 17. d5 - played to try and a. stop Re6, b, stop black's lsb rakingdown the h1-a8 diagonal. } 17... Nc8 18. Rf3 { 18. Rf3 - Enough of this passivitis! I will now try a mating attack and pray very hard that it comes off. } 18... Qf6 19. Raf1 { 19. Raf1 - I spot the Witch's fire down the a1-h8 diagonal- my queen rook cannot stand the heat so he gets right out of that kitchenand heads off to f1 to aid a possible kingside castling mating attack. } 19... Ne7 20. Be2 Ng6 21. Rg3 { 21. Rg3 - my rook bores down to g7 x-ray style. } 21... Qd8 22. Bh5 { 22. Bh5 - pin. } 22... Qf6 23. Bxg6 hxg6 { 23. ....... hxg6 - Elia'skingside pawns are doubled and the h file is open, can I make use of it? } 24. Bd4 Qf7 25. Rg5 { 25. Rg5, contemplating a rook lift to f3 and possiblyto g3 or h3. } 25... Re4 26. h4 { 26. h4 - that e4 rook is trying to spoil theparty. I proceed with my attack. I dream of a windmill, you know, thatstarts with Rxg7+ and the king is forced to h8 where a series of discoverieswill net oodles of material! } 26... Be8 27. Re1 Qe7 28. Rxe4 Qxe4 { 28. .......Qxe4 - but I bottle out and end up trading rooks on e4. And now here isthat Witch! } 29. h5 Kh7 30. Qf2 { 30. Qf2 - Glenda maintains her defenseof Fou Lenoir on d4, now when is that poor gal not defending something? However, Glenda is also eyeing up the h file and the possibility of landingon h4 which could be nasty if the h5 pawn takes on g6. } 30... Rh8 31. hxg6+ Kg8 32. Qe3 { 32. Qe3 - I don't like the fact that the h column is open andthere is a black rook on it. I think a queen trade is needed here. } 32... Qb1+ 33. Kf2 Qc2+ 34. Qe2 { 34. Qe2 - Glenda cannot resist snuggling up to herother half, now a queen trade does take place. } 34... Qxe2+ 35. Kxe2 Bd7 36. Rg3 Rh6 37. Re3 { 37. Re3 - my rook occupies the e file and will use itas a highway to Elia's position. } 37... Rxg6 38. Re7 Ba4 39. Rxc7 Rxg2+ { 39......... Rxg2+ - pawn trade. } 40. Kf1 Rg4 41. Be3 Bb3 42. Kf2 Kf8 { 42....... Kf8 - Elias tries to centralise his king. } 43. c5 dxc5 44. Bxc5+ Kg8 45. d6 { 45. d6 - suddenly a white passer appears out of nowhere! } 45... Rxf4+ 46. Ke3 Re4+ 47. Kd3 { 47. Kd3 - Henry is given the run around! } 47... Bc4+ 48. Kc3 Bb5 49. d7 { 49. d7 - I now force Elia to give up his bishop for thed7 pawn. } 49... Bxd7 50. Rxd7 b5 51. Rd6 Rc4+ 52. Kd3 { 52. Kd3 - peace for Henrybut now the black queenside pawns are threatening to run away from my rook. } 52... a5 53. Rb6 axb4 54. axb4 { 54. axb4 - pawn trade. } 54... Rc1 55. Rxb5 { 55. Rxb5- I am worried about those kingside passers but first I create my own passer. Unfortunately he is at least six moves away from Glendadom as I must firstmove my rook out of his way. } 55... f4 56. Ke4 { 56. Ke4 - something must stopthose pawns. My b passer, Fou Lenoir and my rook are all defending eachother in a huddle on the queenside, but as you will see, Henry does a grandjob! } 56... g5 57. Kf5 { 57. Kf5 - this move ensures that both pawns will disappearfrom the board so the worst case scenario is a Low Draw for me. However,Elia, in his eagerness to defend his g pawn moves his rook to g1. FouLenoir gladly administers the last rights and Elia waves the white flag. Yet another huge sigh of relief for jstevens1! } 57... Rg1 58. Bxg1 1-0
[Event "Chess Club Match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Me"] [Black "A friend"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "Black"] [TimeControl "(Live game)"] [WhiteElo "White"] { This is a game I played against one of my friends (called Ben) at a chessclub for kids aged 10-14 A teacher said that me and him were exactly thesame level at chess. So this game is going to be interesting. } 1. e4 { Kingspawn opening. I always do that } 1... d5 { Scandinavian defence is apparentlyhis favourite } 2. Bb5+ { Decided to go for a straight attack. Not sure why } 2... Nc6 { c6 or bd7 might have been better } 3. Bxc6+ bxc6 4. d3 { Defendinge4 and letting the bishop free } 4... e5 5. Nf3 { Develops the knight and attackse5 } 5... Bb4+ 6. Nc3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 Qe7 { Probably did that to defend e5 } 8. O-O dxe4 9. dxe4 { I realized qe7 might have also been to get the queenoff the D-file to prevent a queen swap after the pawn trade. } 9... Nf6 { Developsand attacks } 10. Re1 { Defending e4 } 10... Rb8 11. Qd3 O-O 12. Qc4 { I was goingfor qxc6 } 12... Bd7 { But he saw } 13. Be3 { I saw I could skewer him with bc5.I just hoped he wouldn't see it } 13... Rb2 { He didn't } 14. Bc5 Qe8 15. Bxf8 { yay } 15... Kxf8 16. Qc5+ Kg8 17. Qxe5 Qxe5 18. Nxe5 { I gain a pawn } 18... Rxc2 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. Rad1 Nf8 { Only place the knight could go. } 21. Rd3 { A2 and c3were forked by c2 so I protected c3 } 21... Rxa2 22. Rb1 a5 23. Rd4 a4 24. Rc4 a3 25. Rxc6 Rb2 26. Rd1 Rb7 27. Ra6 Rb3 28. c4 Ne6 29. Ra8+ Nf8 30. Kf1 { Decided to free the king from the 'pawn roof' so if anything bad happened,he wouldn't be stuck under there, getting himself checkmated } 30... c6 31. Ra6 c5 32. Rc6 a2 33. Rxc5 Rd3 { He should have gone rb1 because I wouldn'tbe able to stop a2 promoting. } 34. Rd5 Rxd1+ { It would have been betterto not take my rook because after trading with rxd1 I can capture a2 ina few moves too } 35. Rxd1 Ne6 36. Ra1 f5 37. e5 { I cant remember why Ididn't take f5 } 37... Kf7 38. Rxa2 Ke7 39. Ra7+ Ke8 40. Ke2 Nf4+ 41. Kf3 Ne6 42. Ke3 h6 43. c5 Nxc5 44. Rxg7 f4+ { He tried to trick me by making mecapture f4 enabling him to fork me with ne6 } 45. Kf3 { Didn't fall for it } 45... Ne6 46. Rg6 { Now I can take h6 too } 46... Kd7 47. Rxh6 Ke7 48. g4 fxg3 49. hxg3 Kd7 50. Rxe6 { I've got three pawns so I may as well do that } 50... Kxe6 51. Ke4 Ke7 52. g4 Ke6 53. g5 Kf7 54. Kf5 Ke7 55. g6 Kf8 { He did his best to tryand stop my pawn from promoting } 56. Kf6 Ke8 { But it wasn't working } 57. g7 Kd7 58. g8=Q Kc6 59. e6 Kd6 60. e7 Kc5 61. e8=Q Kb6 62. Qc8 Kb5 63. Qgc4+ Ka5 64. Q8a6# { And that's the end of the game. After this game theteacher put me into the 12-13s tournament. Yay! } 1-0
[Event "blitz classic sacrifice"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "kenderfender"] [Black ""] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1777"] [TimeControl "5 min +10sec"] [WhiteElo "1860"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 f5 { I was aiming for a Four Knight opening,and found myself facing a complete unknown alternative (to me, I mean).It is an interesting gambit that I clearly did not take advantage of. Seemslike a King ́s gambit, but with black pieces, and that is supposed to bea delay black will recover with a lot of effort. } 4. Bc4 { A horrible mistake!Now 4...fxe4, 5.Nxe4, d5 creates difficulties for white. Maybe even losinga piece, not sure if it can be compensated with attack (possibly, includingNxe5, but not clear) There are (must) better ways to continue with theattack } 4... d6 { Defending f5 and also activating Bc8. A potential long castlingis on the horizon as well, in case white decides to go for the short one.An still the threat on e4 is maintained, but maybe black is considering(with good wits) to develop instead of going for a gross material gain. } 5. d3 f4 { enclosing white B in c1 and also hampering the possibilitie ofa safe short castling. So I aimed for a long one, but there was a clearthreat now: ...Bg4 and then Nd4 in case BQ moves to e2. } 6. Bd2 { h3 lookedlike an interesting defence as well. I really felt troubled with the staticposition WQ and WB had there in the center, therefore, 6.d4 could havebeen a good move too, but I didn ́t consider it during the game. } 6... Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. g4 { Feeling trapped I thought about releasing some pressure there,and foresaw the incoming combination after 8...fxg3. } 8... fxg3 9. fxg3 Nd4 { Seems like at least a lose in quality was about to happen (in case of0-0 or similar), but for those familiar with this type of positions, youmay have already seen what is coming next. } 10. Nxe5 { A classic Queen sacrifice!.In case of 10...Bxd1, 11.Bf7+ and 12. Nd5 mate. } 10... dxe5 11. Qxh5+ g6 12. Qxe5+ Ne7 13. O-O { Increases the attack and prevents that nasty check inf3. BR in h8 is lost anyways. } 13... Nxc2 14. Qxh8 { Yep, Bf7+ would have leadto mate by 15.Qe6++, but black has already lost the game anyways, and didnot think much about it. After a few more moves, black surrendered. Thegame illustrates how useful are those thematic positions learned throughoutour games or study and how dangerous and king in the center is when notdefended properly. I still feel bad for my poor opening scheme, but itdid pay off the suffering after W 10th movement. } 1-0
[Event "Four Pawns Attack (Club MT) Ch 4"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10 Aug 2010"] [Round "-"] [White "ionadowman"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2231"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "2136"] { This was the last game in the Tournament for these two players, and thesecond last to finish (at the time of writing kend-ka vs jstevens1 hasyet to be completed). The result of the MT was already clear, nothingwould change the standings. As the top two seeds Freddy (easy19) and Iwere first and second, Freddy having dropped not even a solitary half-point,my having lost to him (see Ch 3) and drawn with the White pieces againstJo (jstevens1). She was some way back in third. Win lose or draw, thetop three would be exactly the same, and in that order. But after thedisappointment of the Black pieces I was in two minds about this game. How would I tackle it? } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3 { Staying with the tried and true. In any case this developmentis so 'natural' it must be good, eh? } 6... b5 { (!?) A bizarre move, it seemedto me. Apparemtly this was some Master's experimental line that Freddywanted to try out. It doesn't exactly give White's centre a hard knock,or anything... } 7. e5 { It seemed to me that a immediate capture on b5 fellin too easily with Black's plan - whatever it might be. This thrust can'tbe bad, and now is a good opportunity to try it. } 7... Nfd7 { Exchanging firstwould have left Black with no centre at all, so he keeps some sort of stakein it by leaving the d-pawn as is. } 8. cxb5 { Free pawn. It is hard tosee what Black has got for his investment. } 8... a6 9. Be3 { Again, refusingto fall in too readily with Black's programme. If Black captures on b5,then Bxb5 develops a piece nice and handily. Meanwhile, White continuesto develop. } 9... Nb6 { Alternatives here were indeed to take on b5 or try ...Bb7. } 10. bxa6 { OK, if you insist... White has a huge lead in development, anda strong central presence. Yet Black does have some long-term prospectsbased upon the long dark diagonal - White's centre is far from invulnerableplaced as it is - and the open files on the distant Queen's flank. Thereare some resemblances here to the Benko and Blumenfeld Counter-gambitsthat White has to bear in mind. White should also beware - or be aware- of the long white diagonal (a8-h1), as well. Finally, there is thattension between e5 and d6 which neither is willing for the time being toresolve. Having said all that, 10.Be2 might have been simpler... } 10... Nxa6 { Had Black taken with the Bishop, I probably would have exchanged on a6. I suspect, though, that Black had other plans for that piece, based on...Bb7. However, they were never to materialise. } 11. a3 { Partly witha view to a general infantry advance on this flank, but for moment mainlyto constrain the N on a6. Alternatively, Be2 or Bb5 were worth considering. } 11... c6 { Closing off the long white diagonal. This allows a knight to landat d5... } 12. Be2 Nc7 { Definitely aiming to settle a knight on d5, whenceit would not be easy to shift. } 13. O-O Qd7 { If instead 13...Bf5 I hadin mind to play 14.Nh4, followed by 15.f5 with attack on the K-side. Oneof the features of this game is that I found myself continually switchingmy attention from Q-side to K-side and back again. I will return to thistheme later... } 14. a4 { Looking to make capital of this passed pawn... } 14... Nbd5 15. Bd2 { Reluctant to exchange my c3-Knight for Black's c7-Specimen,I retire the bishop at once, keeping an eye upon the f-pawn. I could probablyhave moved it back an extra square at that. } 15... Ba6 16. Bxa6 { Since the bishopswould probably come off anyway, I exchange at once. But I have to admitthat I was starting to run out of ideas hereabouts - or at least, had theuneasy feeling of being unsure how to proceed. } 16... Rxa6 17. Nxd5 { (!?) A changeof mind, hoping to do something with the Q-side pawns. But I admit I didn'tlike this move, and still don't. Maybe it ought to have waited a move,after 17.Qe2, say. At any rate, I was still certain I had the edge - theextra pawn, and Black still didn't have much to show for it. } 17... Nxd5 { ButBlack now has this knight firmly established at a strong post in the centre. } 18. b4 Rfa8 19. a5 Rb8 { Having induced the a-pawn forward, Black is ina position to blockade White's Q-side pair. Generally speaking, rooksaren't ideal blockading pieces - a task that tends to write down theirvalue more than somewhat. But Black lacks alternative resources to keepthe pawns under restraint. He certainly doesn't want to divert his bestpiece, the knight, for the purpose. On the other hand, White looks tohave slender means of exploiting the tying down of Black's rooks. In whatfollows, White is merely probing, looking for a weakness. It would belong before he found one... } 20. Qb3 Rb5 { Completing the blockade. I wasrather pessimistically feeling Black had just about equalised here. } 21. Rfc1 { Rather optimistically hoping to find a way of bludgeoning a waythrogh this c-file... } 21... Bh6 { Striking at the f-pawn, and just about forcingWhite's reply. Possibly Black hoped to achieve something of interest onthe weakened light squares around White's King, maybe it was merely torender White's K-side pawns a little less mobile. } 22. g3 Qb7 { So there'snothing doing on the K-side. After 22...Qf5 23.Kg2 with 24.h3 to come,or 22...Qh3 23.Kh1 also in preparation for a pawn advance once the Queenhad been driven off. } 23. Qc4 { The backward b-pawn had now 3 Black piecesattacking it, and just the two defenders. This Q-manoeuvre would havebeen better played a move earlier, as Black could now, it seems, have gotaway with snatching the b-pawn: 23...Nxb4! 24.Rab1 Nd5 25.Rxb5 Qxb5 26.Qxb5cxb5 27.Rc8+ Kg7 28.Rb8 and White can't quite recover the pawn. Insteadof this move 23.Rcb1 might have been tried, but I didn't have much confidencein it: 23...c5! } 23... Bf8 { A surprising decision, possibly intended to bolsterthe centre, or maybe looking towards eliminating the b-pawn in circumstancesmore favorable to Black. But with the release of the pin at f4, I startedto get interested in the likely consequences of the pawn's advance to f5... After 23...Nxb4 White would probably have been ready to settle for adraw. } 24. f5 { (!) Entertaining notions of attack on the other wing. As earlier foreshadowed, for much of the remainder of the game - untilthe ending was reached - I kept looking for attack on one wing, being stymied,and switching my attention to the other. It is possible that Black feltlike a tennis player being given the runaround, but a lot of it was pretty'ad hoc' on my part, probing for a weakness. } 24... gxf5 25. exd6 { Played toisolate the f-pawn. Less attractive was 25.Qd3 e6. } 25... exd6 26. Re1 { Alsoplayable here was 26.Qd3, a move that certainly formed part of my plan. But I was entertaining hopes of penetrating to the 8th rank, here. } 26... Ra8 27. Qd3 { Kissing goodbye to the b-pawn. To compensate myself with thef-pawn, I had to give up Bishop for Knight, but you know what thay sayabout omelettes. Black's Kingside looked just a little vulnerable to attackright about now. } 27... Nxb4 { Alternatively Black could have retained hold overthe f5-Pawn by 27...Qd7 } 28. Bxb4 Rxb4 29. Qxf5 { Threatening 29.Ng5 or29.Qg5ch. } 29... h6 { If instead 29...Rb5 then 30.Qg4ch Kh8 31.a6! Rxa6 32.Rxa6Qxa6 33.Re8 with a strong attack. } 30. Re4 { Hoping to switch to the g-file. At this point I felt that White's advantage had largely gone, and so wastrying to mix things up a bit. White seems to have the initiative, forthe moment. } 30... Bg7 31. Rae1 { That poor little a-pawn looks all lonely awayover on the abandoned Q-side. The purpose of this move was more to coverthe White King from checks from a rook landing at b1, but the doublingof rooks had its uses, too. } 31... Rb1 { (!) Putting a crimp in White's attack. Off come a pair of rooks. But White uses the moment to switch back toQ-side. For the moment there's nothing doing on the King's flank. } 32. Re8+ { (!) } 32... Rxe8 33. Rxb1 Qa8 { (!?) Why here? With 33...Qa7, Black wouldhave prevented White's next, whilst still attacking a5. But then wouldhave come 34.Rb6 d5 35.Rxc6 Qxa5 36.Kg2!? Rd8 37.Qg4 Qa2+ (say) 38.Kh3Kf8 39.Nh4! Qd2 40.Nf5 Qg5 41.Qxg5 hxg5 42.Kg4 with a pretty good gamefor White. } 34. Qd7 { Indirectly defending the a-pawn and attacking Black'shanging pawn couple. } 34... c5 { (!?) There seems to be no real objection to 34...Rd8((35.Qc7 Rc8) instead. Maybe Black was looking to complicate, seekingout winning chances of his own. } 35. Rb7 Rf8 36. Qb5 { White looks for allthe world to have been entirely committed to the Q-side all along. Withthe advanced outside passed pawn and the rook on the seventh, White looksvery well placed, but Black's pawn couple has something to say to the matter,and although very defensively placed, Black isn't leaving many weaknessesto exploit. } 36... Bxd4+ { Alternatively: 36...c4, or 36...cxd4. With this raid,Black is now a pawn ahead, and his pawn couple becomes passed. As the'pure' major piece ending looked unpromising, White keeps the minor pieceson - a hard decision, especially when you consider the relative locationsof White King and Black queen! } 37. Kg2 { (!) } 37... Bf6 { (!?) Right back tog7 looked more circumspect. } 38. a6 Kg7 { This latest manoeuvre by Blackleft me in the dark. What was he about? Maybe he merely wanted to keepthe White knight out of h4, and the King move simply protected the Bishop. } 39. a7 c4 { An attempted decoy, or a run for home? A bit of both, of course. } 40. Rc7 d5 { The alternative 40...c3 seemed to lead to a promising attackfor White: 41.Qf5! (another switch to the opposite flank) 41...Qd8 42.Rc4 Qe7 43.Rg4+ Kh8 44.Re4 Be5 45.Rh4 Bg7 46.Ng5! E.g. if 46...Qb7+ 47.Kh3 Qc8 48.Nxf7+ Kg8 49.Qxc8 Rxc8 50.Nxd6 Ra8 (50...c2?? 51.Nxc8c1=Q 52.a8=Q and Black has no useful checks) 51.Nb5 with a very favourableendgame. } 41. Qd7 { Around about here Black suggested a draw, an offer Ivery nearly accepted. I thought I had a bit of an edge, but enough toconvert to a win? I took several days, not even looking at the position,thinking about it. But then I recalled Freddy's policy of playing it downto the last resource, and a small thought occurred to me. If Freddy isoffering a draw, then, in Freddy's opinion, Black's game ain't lookingso good. } 41... Kg8 { If instead 41...Qd8, then 42.Qg4+ Kh8 43.Qf4 ... [a]43...Kg7 44.Rb7 Qa5 45.Nd4 Re8 46.Qg4+ [b] 43...Bg7 44.Rxf7! [c]43...Bg5 44.Qe5+ Bf6 45.a8=Q Bxe5 46.Qxd8 Rxd8 47.Nxe5. } 42. Qg4+ Kh7 { If 42...Kh8 43.Qh5 Bg7? 44.Ng5! d4+ 45.Kh3 Kg8 46.Ne6! bringsBlack's whole game under close assault. Black does better after 43...Kg7in this line but White has fine chances after 44.Ne5 Bxe5 45.Qxe5+ Kg8 46.Qf6 } 43. Qf5+ Kg7 44. h4 { I really started to think I had a decisiveK-side attack coming up, but Freddy shoves a spanner in the works... } 44... Qd8 { Well, that's the end of attack on the K-side, so far as I could see. I had been planning 45.g4; Black's move prevented that. Now it was, onceagain, Ho! for the Queenside. } 45. Rd7 Qe8 46. Qxd5 { I seriously considered46.Qg4+ Kh8 47.Nd4 here, but the simple capture on d5 looked after allmore promising. At last, I felt that White was making real progess. } 46... c3 { (?) A big surprise! Was this desperation, or an oversight? Afterthis, I knew White had a winning game (see my note to Move 55). } 47. a8=Q { (!) At the end of a glorious career, the hero dies for the sake of hiscomrades, in the moment of his crowning achievement! Brings tears to youreyes, don't it? } 47... Qxa8 48. Rxf7+ { (!) 'The point', as they say, and thedecisive breakthough. The rook is untouchable. } 48... Kh8 { Not 48...Kg8 49.Rxf8+winning the Queen; and even worse would have been 48...Kg6 49.h5#! } 49. Qxa8 Rxa8 50. Rxf6 { Winning a piece? Not quite, as it happens. That c-pawnhas something to say to the matter. } 50... Rc8 { (!) White has to pay a priceto stop the c-pawn... } 51. Nd4 { (!) Taking the h-pawn would have been ...well, not disastrous, exactly, but White's winning prospects would havelooked a lot skinnier: 51.Rxh6+?? Kg7 52.Re6 c2 53.Re1 c1=Q 54.Rxc1and the N and 2P would have had a tough struggle to overcome the Rook. } 51... c2 52. Ne2 { Necessary, as taking on c2 woud have yielded Black a check,and a book draw in the rook ending. In view of what was approaching, Iwondered if Black would try 52...Re8 with the idea of presenting some technicalproblems while he still had a couple of pawns, one on the brink of promotion,to play with. } 52... c1=B { Low cunning, and a wry sense of humour. Of courseWhite takes, regardless. } 53. Nxc1 Rxc1 54. Rxh6+ Kg7 55. Rd6 { Beforecontinuing, it is the sort of sequence that began with White's 47th movethat shows how far ahead a forcing line allows you to 'see'. After receivingBlack's 46th move, I had worked out the whole line to here within two orthree minutes. This ending is easily winning for White, simply becausethe King and Rook are so ideally placed for a rook ending of this type. The Black King is confined, and can do nothing but wait for the actionto come to him. At least he's not cut off on the Q-side. } 55... Rc2+ 56. Kh3 { Getting cover from the checks. I play this ending very conservatively- no flourishes. } 56... Rc5 { Whether or not this is best, I figured Black wouldplay it. White wants to play h4-h5, then bring the g-pawn up, followedby the King (depending on the activities of the enemy rook). Unable toplay the h-pawn, White is then tempted to play the g-pawn up. But after57.g4 Rc3+ White's King is also for the moment cut off. Rather than examinetoo closely the technical problems associated with the pawn move, the Kingadvances instead. } 57. Kg4 { (!) } 57... Rc7 { (?) A surprise. I was expectingsomething like this: 57...Rc4+ 58.Kf5 (58.Kf3 is probably as good, ifnot better) ...Rc5+ 59.Ke4 ... (preparing to cover the nect check with60.Rd4 with 61.g4 to follow) 59...Rh5 60.Rd5 Rh6 61.h5. } 58. h5 Kg8 59. Kg5 Rg7+ { (?) Totally out of the blue. I'm guessing that Freddy decidedto play 'second best' moves either in the hope I'd play 'routinely' intoa bad line, or looking for a stalemate. But the pawn ending was even morehopeless than the rook ending. } 60. Rg6 { The pawn ending is the simplestway to go. } 60... Kh8 61. Rxg7 Kxg7 62. g4 { (!) A casual glance at the GK noteson this game will reveal that this was inferior to 62.h6+. Even if thatwere true, I'd still play this advance, adhering to the principle of keepingthe pawns together. Only in special circumstances should the one abandonhis comrade for the glory of promotion. But ... just check out the nextcouple of GK notes ... :) Yes, 62.g4 is the best move. } 62... Kh7 63. Kf6 Kh6 64. g5+ { I did consider 64.Kf7, but this is simplest and straightforward. } 64... Kh7 { Of course, ...Kxh5 deprived Black with even the smallest hope of aStalemate. } 65. g6+ Kg8 { White has a forced mate, but 65...Kh8 would haveprolonged the game by one move. } 66. g7 Kh7 67. Kf7 Kh6 68. g8=Q Kxh5 69. Qg3 Kh6 70. Qh4# { (#, 1-0) Of course, 70.Qg6 was also mate, but I havea fondness for this constellation. This was my first ever win against id=easy19, after two draws and I've lost count how many losses. It alsobrought me to within the half-point of the MT winner. This win almost- almost - made up for the disappointing loss with the Black pieces... } 1-0
[Event "ASVB MM, Würselen"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2008.05.17"] [Round "-"] [White "Walter Krüger"] [Black "Ralf Hackmann"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "300"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { 128MB, Fritz10.ctg } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Qe2 Be7 6. c3 { Alternative variation: 6. Bxc6 [[%emt 0:00:00]] dxc6 [[%eval 0,0][%emt 0:00:00]] 7. Nxe5 [ (0-0) [%emt 0:00:15]] Qd4 [[%eval -46,11] [%emt0:00:07]] } 6... O-O 7. d3 d6 8. h3 Be6 9. Bc2 Re8 10. Ng5 Qd7 11. Nxe6 Qxe6 12. Nd2 Rad8 13. Nf3 h6 14. Nh4 d5 15. Nf5 dxe4 16. dxe4 Bc5 17. Bb3 Qd7 18. O-O Qd3 19. Qxd3 Rxd3 { So, Ralf, I have quickly checked out your teammate's game. 5...Le7 did not please me. If he then plays 6. Lc6: as well as Se5:, he can open the position in his favor. Not pleasing me was 8...Le6. Instead, he could move the knight to d7 (improved Steinitz variation) or to b7 before that. What you have seen is that he will exchange it on e6 and the opponent will have the advantage of the light-squared bishop. The rest of the game was solid, but I would have preferred to continue with the light-squared bishop. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Challenge from grey_panda"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.05"] [Round "-"] [White "grey_panda"] [Black "saphir"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1445"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1447"] 1. e4 { Smothered Mate And Curses. How NOT to play chess. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4 { My favourite opening but this time my opponent tries a lessused approach to it. } 4. Nxe5 { I'm greedy. And I get a shot at that f7pawn right? } 4... Qg5 5. Nxf7 { Well this is all going swimmingly isn't it. } 5... Qxg2 6. Rf1 { Thank you, MY rook. } 6... Qxe4+ { Ah. This is where I start to realisethat the wonderful start has somehow gone somewhat wrong. Still I can stickthe bishop back and just lose the knight. So one minor piece, not so badhuh? } 7. Be2 Nf3# { Oh. I'm just going to go and cry now. That was MEAN! } 0-1
[Event "Challenge from tomoa"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.14"] [Round "-"] [White "vedrano"] [Black "tomoa"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1873"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1596"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. e5 cxd4 12. Nxb5 axb5 13. exf6 Qxf6 14. Bxb5 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Qxf3 16. gxf3 Bd6 17. Rd1 Bc5 18. a3 Ke7 { The black knight is moving... } 19. b4 { The knight develops its pieces and attacks the rook. } 19... Ba7 20. f4 { Slab potez bijelog: sada crni konj ima puno više prostora zamanevar a i nepotrebno } 20... Nf6 21. Bb2 { White pressure central pawn- correct! } 21... Rhd8 22. Kg2 Ne4 { Work 1st 22...Rac8 and then 23.Bd5 h6 } 23. Rd3 { The knight on d3 was better...(the black knight has to go back to f6 to protect the pawn, while the white gets a free space to advance his pawns and queens). } 23... Rac8 24. Re1 Nd6 { The great disaster happened suddenly, now the lovers are looking for each other quietly and slowly opening the space for singers... } 25. Ba4 Nc4 26. Re2 Nb6 { The black knight is standing on a white square and has a great opportunity for the chess players to realize the part of the game. } 27. Bb3 Nd5 { The black pawn is easily earned :) } 28. Kf3 Nc3 29. Rc2 Nd5 30. Bxd4 { The white knight moved to the sixth rank and made a checkmate in one move: the black pieces were defeated by a beautiful combination of moves, reversing the situation - the white pieces and the sixth rank, which represented an extraordinary danger! } 30... Nxb4 { Uzimanje pješaka sa b linije-odličan potez! Na 31.axb4 RxC8 32.Bxc8Rxd4 crni opet vraća piješaka i bolje stoji! } 31. Rxc8 Rxc8 { White has a knight on the 31st move: on 31...Nxd5 32.Rxd8 Kxg8 33.Bxa7 and white will remain with a figure on the board. } 32. axb4 Bxd4 33. Ba4 { White wants to exchange the loves but it is difficult to do so in this position. However, it is easy to defend against the black pieces. } 33... Rc4 34. Rd2 { The great chess game ended in a white defeat, which took 34.Rb3Bc3 35.b5 } 34... Rxb4 35. Bc2 h6 36. Kg4 Be5 37. f3 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Oct-06"] [Round "-"] [White "nxmike"] [Black "guter"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1127"] 1. e4 { A good begining. } 1... Nc6 { I moved the Knight preparing for a feinchettoon the Queen side. Which was a mistake to begin with as it is more effectiveon the king side } 2. Bc4 { Threatens Mate in 2. But i ignore the warningsigns } 2... b6 { Continue My plans } 3. Qf3 { Threatens Mate. } 3... Bb7 { Obviously astupid move. i forgot about fools mate. i fell for it good } 4. Qxf7# { Checkmate. Had i of noticed white would of lost due to lack of development } 1-0
[Event "Watch me slaughter this guy!(Comic value only)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "S. guy"] [Black "richiscool"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 d5 { My favourite defense against e4! } 2. Qe2 dxe4 3. Qxe4 Nf6 4. Qf3 Nc6 5. Nc3 { A poor move my Knight has a good square on d4 now. } 5... Nd4 6. Qd3 { An even worse move! } 6... Bf5 { I get my bishop out with a tempo andthe pawn on c2 is dead } 7. Qe3 { The worst move of the game(so far!) } 7... Nxc2+ 8. Ke2 Nxe3 9. Kxe3 { ?????????? } 9... e5 10. Bb5+ c6 { The only piece stoppingme from checkmating on the d3 square with my queen is his bishop... } 11. Ba4 { ...so he moves it away lol! } 11... Qd3# 0-1
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27-Apr-07"] [Round "-"] [White "stringplayer92"] [Black "blitzwar0"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1527"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1535"] { The game start with a fairly normal Dragon Sicilian. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 { I played this to get intoless known territories than the Yugoslav attack which in some lines is20 moves long. I don't really want to get into a theory debate with myopponent. } 7. Bg5 O-O 8. f3 { I must build up my central post e4 as thenormal Sicilian break will be at d5. } 8... Nbd7 9. Qd2 a6 { Here black deviatesfrom the book lines. Nc6 is given as the main line. } 10. a4 { This is notthe greatest move. My only thought was to provide a escape square formy bishop upon b5, and to take control of the dark squares on the queenside with a eventual a5 but this is to weakening for such a double-edgedopening, even more so that I had been thinking about castling long andpushing my king side pawns. } 10... Qc7 11. Ba2 Re8 { This probably wasn't thebest move as it leaves f7 weak, and black will not be playing e5 anyways. He should have developed his queen side. I think that Nc5 would havebeen better. If black can get his pieces out he will be better becauseof the weakening move a4 played by white (me) } 12. h4 { Since it seemedthat he wasn't making a counter in the center I decided to play on thewing that my pieces were aiming at. The king side. With the bishop ona2 when I play hxg6 he won't be able to play the sometimes superior fxg6,limiting his options. This always helps when you are attacking since theless options he has the less you have to consider. } 12... Nb6 13. Bh6 { Tryingto get rid of the defender of the dark squares. Normal for attacking thefienchetto. } 13... Bh8 14. g4 { Advancing on the king side since black can't counterin the center or get active play on the queen side. } 14... Nfd7 15. h5 { Sinceall of black's pieces are trapped on the queen side I have easy developmenton the king side. } 15... Qc5 { Still moving aimlessly with his already developedpieces. He needs to get a plan and develop his queen side. I still thinkthat Nc5 was better. } 16. Nde2 Ne5 17. O-O-O { I am going all out. I sacrificedthe pawn to open the f-file. } 17... Nxf3 18. Qf4 Ne5 19. hxg6 e6 { This was anobvious mistake resulting in mate in 5. Better was hxg6, when I was planningQh2 and Black will have trouble covering both focal points of h7 and h8. } 20. gxh7+ Kxh7 21. Bf8+ { If Kg6 then Rh6# } 21... Kg8 22. Rxh8+ Kxh8 23. Qh6+ Kg8 24. Qg7# { The end of a miniature. This shows why most beginners aretaught to 'Never move the same piece twice' and to develop their pieces. Black moved his knights a total of 7 TIMES!! And the one on b6 is stillnot taking part in the ensuing battle on the king side. } 1-0
[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.09"] [Round "-"] [White "dhruvagarwal"] [Black "mybookrunsdeep"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1930"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1443"] 1. e4 { Here is a just finished ladder game in the Fischer-Sozin variationof the Sicilian Najdorf. I have only recently started playing 2...d6 inthe Sicilian and as a result, my opponent takes me out of book by move9. } 1... c5 { I won't be annotating every move as I will assume most of you arefamiliar with the opening moves, however, we do reach the variation bya move order transposition. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 { More typical is 3. d4 or3. Bb5+ } 3... Nf6 { Attacking the e-pawn and inviting the advance 4. e5, when4...de; 5. Nxe5 e6 causes Black no problems. } 4. Nc3 { Still postponingthe advance of the d-pawn. } 4... e6 { Here I opt to keep my Queen's knight flexibleand commit to the Scheveningen setup rather than the ...e5 systems afterthe White knight lands on d4. } 5. d4 { After this move we transpose intothe main lines of the Fischer-Sozin. } 5... cxd4 6. Nxd4 a6 7. O-O { Accordingto my opening book, White has tried no less than 9 different moves here. 7. Bb3, 7. Be3 and 7. Bg5 are the more standard continuations. } 7... b5 { Swattingthe bishop and clearing a path for the light-squared bishop to come tob7. This will weaken the e6-square and as we will see in a few moves,White can often sacrifice on this square. } 8. Bb3 { The only strategicallyconsistent move. } 8... Be7 { Preparing to castle. } 9. f3 { I hadn't seen thismove in any of my preparation. Qf3, f4, a3, a4, and Be3 are all standardmoves. I decide to play as if the bishop had come to e3 and wait to seehow white would continue his attacking scheme. } 9... O-O 10. Be3 { White's setupseems a little passive, so I decide to let him sacrifice on e6, as I willhave the two bishops in an open position and an open f-file for the 1 pawnequivalent material investment. } 10... Bb7 { Allowing... } 11. Bxe6 { White gets2 pawns and a rook for the two minors, but material isn't everything!!!Still the position should be balanced, but I might be a little optimistic. } 11... fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qc8 { I want to capture with the queen and leave the d7-squarefree for the knight to jump into c5. } 13. Nxf8 Qxf8 14. a4 { I was anticipatingthis move or Qd3, with play against the weak d-pawn and, with a later a4,play against my queenside. } 14... b4 { Keeping lines closed and kicking the knightaway from its observation of d5. The knight can't jump in right away dueto 15...Nxd5; 16. ed Qf5 and Black's pieces are coming active. } 15. Ne2 { 15. Na2 a5; 16. c3 was another way to play actively for white. Here theknight can come to f4, where it once again eyes d5. } 15... Nbd7 { Heading forc5. } 16. c4 { White clamps down on d5! A good move by my opponent and onethat is strategically consistent with the previous knight move. 16...bce.p. does allow the knight to come back to c3, but more importantly itallows 17. Qb3+ forking the king and bishop on b7. } 16... Nc5 { Ramping up pressureon e4 and getting my knights to active positions. The dark-squared bishopis a little lame, but I have plans to activate it with ...Nfd7 and ...Bf6. } 17. Ng3 { d4 or f4 are other options. I'm guessing he wants to go to f5to attack my isolated d-pawn. } 17... Nfd7 { Clearing a path for my passive bishop. } 18. Bxc5 { I think this is really where the tide turns strategically. 3-1minor piece ratio to black and I have the two bishops. It's not over forWhite, but I have the initiative. } 18... Nxc5 19. Nf5 Bf6 { Ignoring the threatto the d-pawn as Nxd6 is met with ...Rd8, and 20. Qxd6 Qxd6; 21. Nxd6 Bc6and my dark-squared bishop will win back the pawn with swarming minor pieces. } 20. Rb1 { White's rook dont have any other file that the d line to operateon. } 20... Rd8 { Consolidating and activating my last piece. } 21. Rf2 { White hasreally only one plan to get any play, to operate against the d-pawn. } 21... a5 { Continuing to improve my position. } 22. Rd2 { Ramping up pressure whichis easily neutralized. The pressure on e4, combined with the positionof the white knight means that the white pawns will have a hard time advancingwithout allowing tactics on the e4-square. } 22... Be5 23. g3 { f4 is not a threat. } 23... Rd7 24. f4 { Here Rc1 or b3 would have left black clearly better, but therewould still be work to do. This move loses on the spot. } 24... Nxe4 { Now theWhite knight hangs and black threatens to recover the rook. The e5 bishopis off limits due to ...Nxd2, when the b1 rook is hit and the knight off5 still hangs. } 25. Rd3 { Drops a clean piece. } 25... Qxf5 { White can resignas the e5-bishop is off limits due to mate in two. However, my opponenttakes anyway. } 26. fxe5 Qf2+ 27. Kh1 Nxg3# { Double check and mate. } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.11"] [Round "-"] [White "abreyer"] [Black "edegales"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1589"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1595"] 1. e4 g6 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 { If you're wondering about the opening, it'sa kind of self-styled Robatsch defense I've been working on, with delayedfianchetto } 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. Be2 Bg7 6. O-O Nc6 7. Be3 O-O { Normal development,white has a strong centre, black will be looking for opportunities to gethis knights in... } 8. Qc1 { Thematic move against fianchettoed B, met with... } 8... Re8 9. Bh6 Bh8 { And corncutter goes to an out-of-the-way but powerful corner-squareposition. White's B admittedly scary and Black's K can't move now, butthe bet is that that nasty chap will end up being more mouth than trousersand eventually have to retreat (let's hope)... } 10. Qg5 { Here's trouble,big time - she's not here to do the ironing... } 10... Bxf3 { I work to reduceWhite's effective foreces in the area... } 11. Bxf3 Nxd4 { First hints ofcounter-attack: that's the good guys a pawn up, and White's c-pawn needsdefending... Also note the possible gratuitous swap-off which would displacehis K-side pawns (I'd never give up this lovely knight on his hemmed-inlight-squared B, but he doesn't know this! } 12. Bd1 { So back it goes, nowWhite's rooks have lost sight of each other - good news for the revolutionaryforces of freedom and justice } 12... c6 13. b4 a6 14. f4 { Ouch! - it's that kindof attacking move that can spell trouble } 14... Ne6 15. Qg3 { Queen redeploysand Black now has a combination (15... Nxe4 16Nxe4...BxR) that looks verytempting. Little do I realise, the body bag will never be recovered... } 15... Nxe4 16. Nxe4 Bxa1 17. f5 Ng7 { The f-pawn is a pain in the [word deletedby GK editorial staff] but it's the N on e4 that's really worrying, egf6...Nh5 (not ...exf Nf6) fxe...NxQ Nf6 mate) If ...Qxe, Re1 and the Nthreat holds. I'm sweating... } 18. c3 { I think, well he can't take itbecause his bish is still in the way, let's just wait for the N to move... } 18... Qd7 19. Bg4 { Racking up defence of the pesky f-bloke... meanwhile threateningthe mortal x-ray f6 advance... } 19... d5 { Tell the nasty horsey to go away...!He has a three-way fork on f6 now... Help! } 20. f6 { well, here it is,end of game I can hold him off for a couple of moves maybe... } 20... Ne6 21. Qd3 { why not fxe? is he planning something even more humiliating than takingmy queen (may Allah's blessings be upon her) and getting me in checkmate? } 21... Qc7 { If I'm getting extra moves, let's do some damage limitation - andget out of that triple fork for a start... } 22. Ng3 { What? They're runningaway!!! Can those hours of constant prayer and meditation have been ofsome use? Quick, do something decisive... } 22... exf6 23. Rxa1 { Whoops, theregoes that Bishop... seems like so long ago now, and I'm almost relieved... } 23... f5 { Yeah! Get oudder here! The danger is his Queen and B getting togetheron the long diagonal, note: must keep horse here to protect d4 } 24. Nxf5 { Trying to rattle the troops, but my guys are in best defensive positionand I'm not going to be falling for any of that gxN stuff... } 24... Rad8 25. Nh4 Rd7 26. Re1 Qd8 { Bits centralized, and I'm weathering the storm... } 27. Qg3 Rde7 28. Rf1 d4 29. Rd1 Qb6 30. Qf2 Ng7 { If White takes cxd, ...Qxbwith some direct threats (with all those rooks) } 31. Kf1 f5 32. Bh3 Qb5+ { Gains the tempo for... } 33. Kg1 dxc3 { the pawn-take, and now things lookfairly solid for Black... } 34. a3 c2 35. Rc1 { Can't take the pawn, of course,without some back-up on e1 } 35... Rd7 { And then, just like that, Black completelyblows his winning chances. I won't make any excuses, just give this movea double ?? } 36. Qxc2 { Dur! } 36... Re2 { Chess teaches us to carry on so aftera number of deep breaths we take stock - all his bits are marginalized,I have two pawns and a rook for two bits, and a rook on the seventh. On,On! The Thracian storm wind etc... (let's not get carried away, it's onlya game ed.) } 37. Qb3+ Ne6 38. Qg3 { Again the White Q comes back to centrestage and that f pawn looks distinctly wobbly... } 38... Qa4 { To thwart this,Black must come up with a plan... } 39. Kf1 { He's seen it, but... } 39... Rd1+ 40. Kxe2 Nd4+ 41. Kf2 f4 42. Bxf4 Qb5 { This interposed move stops his Qfrom getting to b1 and start checking me. Qxf...Rf1+! } 43. Qe3 { White isnot out of the woods yet - with that hanging rook there are plenty of chackmatechances... } 43... Qf1+ 44. Kg3 { All forced to... } 44... Ne2+ 45. Kg4 h5+ 46. Kg5 Rd5+ { He decides to block with the N which, if nothing else, was unexpected... } 47. Nf5 Qxf4+ { The only continuation giving any kind of parity for Black... } 48. Qxf4 Nxf4 49. Kf6 { Didn't take the N! } 49... gxf5 50. Bxf5 Rd2 { So, now thedust has settled, Black can be fairly pleased with how things turned out. I wouldn't mind sacking the N on the h pawn and walking the bc pair home... } 51. Be4 Kf8 { Why didn't I take the g now? } 52. Rf1 Nxg2 53. Kg5+ Ke7 54. Kxh5 Ne3 55. Rh1 Ra2 56. h4 Kf6 57. Rg1 Rxa3 58. Bg6 { this is all good,if I can stop his K from coming off the h file and letting the pawn through... } 58... a5 59. bxa5 Rxa5+ { I love the smell of connected pawns in the morning... } 60. Rg5 Rxg5+ 61. hxg5+ Kg7 62. Be4 Nd5 63. Kg4 b5 { The guy offers me adraw somewhere round here and I am sorry to say I turned him down. Wouldn'tyou (besides, I only ever offer draws in positions I consider lost, andmust assume others do the same thing)... } 64. Kf5 { Maybe this K move sealsit - my crosshead is too far away from the action from now on... } 64... b4 { Althoughwe do give it a go... } 65. Ke5 Ne7 66. Kd6 Kf7 67. g6+ Nxg6 68. Bxc6 Kf6 69. Ba4 { The value of a bish in the end game... } 69... Ne5 70. Bc2 Nc4+ { Well,turns out Andy's a rock musician, goin' through college and generally anall-round nice guy so, after this symbolic final check the players agreea draw and adjourn down the pub. Thanks, Andy for a good game, and hopethe annotations are not offensive; they're all meant in good spirit... } 1/2-1/2
[Event "the best match ever !!!!! i have played better than previous match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Jul-08"] [Round "-"] [White "knightxp3"] [Black "joop"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1738"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1734"] 1. e4 { my favourite opening } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. h3 g6 5. Ng5 e6 6. Nf3 Bg7 7. a3 a6 8. Nc3 Nge7 9. d3 O-O 10. Bg5 b5 11. Ba2 Bb7 12. Qd2 b4 { golden rule that i have learnt after losing to the junior nationalchampion of my country.. never free the rook file .. it can be very dangerousas the opponents rook becomes free } 13. axb4 Nxb4 { the bishop is savedthinking about a future attack and better position } 14. Bb3 d5 15. exd5 exd5 16. Bh6 Nf5 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 { mistake!!!! knight takes bishop would havebeen better this move of king makes it vulnerable later } 18. O-O d4 19. Ne4 Re8 20. Rfe1 Qc7 { i feel the exchange should have been made earlieras now whitee s powers are free and easier to move than before esp therook } 21. Qg5 { now the kings vulnerability is exploited } 21... Bxe4 { neverfree the center pawn with so uch authority and a rook acking it with yourking in such a position } 22. dxe4 Nd6 23. e5 { as expected } 23... Nf5 { not avery good option } 24. Qf6+ Kg8 25. Ng5 { attacking the black castle } 25... Nh6 26. Re4 { freeeing the rook you shall see this move is very crucialin this game } 26... c4 { a nice block } 27. Ba4 { this bishop is vital as itblocks the crucial rook doubling later on } 27... Re7 28. Rae1 { played withtwo intentions to prevent knight attack on c pawn and having a loss laterand also making the center strong } 28... Nd5 { nice move } 29. Qf3 { even betterthe ploy shall be seen later } 29... Qb6 { bad move ideally knight should havemoved away } 30. Rh4 { now is the crunch situation losing pieces with thewhite strong at center and rooks free to attack with the queen where asblack queen is a mere spectator } 30... Kg7 { one had t be lost } 31. Qxd5 { asexzpected } 31... Rc8 { this move was good had it been capitalised on rook d8was better the c and d file pawns are dangerous } 32. Rxd4 { easy picking } 32... Qb4 { nice move to gain the peace back } 33. Red1 { a pruposeful moe tomake the queent ake the bishop so that the white queen can occupy the essential6 file } 33... Qxa4 34. Qd6 { white queen s in a brilliant position } 34... Ng8 { rarealternative } 35. Rf4 { attacking wid the free rook .. black queen is againhelpless instead of guarding the weak F file its stuck at a file whichthe white utilises to tis benefit } 35... Rce8 { rook doubling finally } 36. Rdd4 { doubling rook for white as well as a ploy to attck h file and createfalse alarm ideally black should have played Q a1 and then attacked withqueen taking pawns } 36... h6 { icing on the cake black gives in thinking itsattacking but then } 37. Rxf7+ { a sacrifice to gain a better position asyou will see which eventually wins the game for white purposely takenby the rook to get better position coz if had taken by knight then itwould essentially get the king out only resulting in a pwn gain which couldbe lost by white later } 37... Rxf7 38. Nxf7 Kxf7 { but of course get the rookinto action } 39. Rf4+ Kg7 { now the move which i said earlier the dangerouscentral pawn moving up with all support wins the game for white } 40. e6 Re7 41. Qe5+ { game over as if king moves back rook f7 check forcinga exchangeresulting in pawn on f7 with no stopping it to become the 2 queen resultingin an eventual loss of black so black resigned well played joop thiswas better than the previous game } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "12-Dec-07"] [Round "-"] [White "tommyck95"] [Black "soccerooscrazy"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1257"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1209"] 1. e4 { Smothered Mate - another useful tactic e4 a standard classicalopening } 1... e5 { e5 - the best move available if you are ging for the classicalopening } 2. Nf3 { Nf3 - the best move you could do with your g1 Knight } 2... Nc6 { A good reply } 3. Bc4 { not uncommon. } 3... Nd4 { Nd4? leaves the e5 pawnopen } 4. Nxe5 { what else would you do? } 4... Qg5 { another seemingly stupid move } 5. Nxf7 { again, what else would you do? } 5... Qxg2 6. Rf1 { obviously, sinceWhite has trapped Black's rook, you'd get your rook to safety first } 6... Qxe4+ { Check! } 7. Be2 { unless you want your queen to be taken, that's what you'ddo } 7... Nf3# { Mate! another beautiful tactic } 0-1
[Event "Dang, she's feisty!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.01.25"] [Round "-"] [White "cavery"] [Black "rickdaily12"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1627"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1407"] { A valuable lesson learned- you can never let a material advantage, nomatter how consistent, cloud your ability to finish the game! My opponentplayed a certain gambit this game- a rook lost for a knight, but the resultshortly after that proved Black to have a serious positional disadvantage,with White's feisty Queen keeping all other Black pieces occupied, guardingthe King with their lives. I was very impressed with the amount of energyWhite maintained this game, and I'd love to show you all how this one went... } 1. Nf3 { We start with the Reti Opening. } 1... d5 { I reply with this- I've alsofound Nf6 to be equally effective... } 2. g3 { Instead of continuing theReti via c4, so that White can contest Black's ability to own the centre(a reason I find Reti games a bit scary to deal with at times), he insteadgoes into a King's Indian Attack, planning to fianchetto the bishop rightaway. } 2... c6 { I decide to undermine the incoming fianchetto. } 3. Bg2 { Whichhe still performs. } 3... Nf6 { More development. I'm a bit relaxed at his reluctanceto push pawns. } 4. O-O { And now he castles. Once again, I'm not complaining-should White try to contest d5 right away, it is well defended. However,if White doesn't try to gain space with pawns soon, I'll gain the initiativesooner or later... } 4... Bg4 { White's Nf3 is a lot stronger than his Bg2. Sothis is a nice neat way to threaten a pin if he decides to budge the epawn, but also allows me to kill the knight if I decide I hate it too much. } 5. d3 { This might appear passive at first glance, but it makes e4 andc4 to be much stronger moves by White- and it also brings his dark bishopinto the game. } 5... Nbd7 { I want to play e5, but if I do that now, he justplays Nxe5. } 6. Qe1 { But I'm not sure why he wanted the queen here insteadof the rook. I don't think the Bg4 pin should be that frightening for White-if it was, then I think he should have played h3... } 6... e5 { This pawn is nowsecure, and I'm able to stake a claim into the centre. } 7. e4 { I thinkWhite's planning to open the files up so that the Queen starts hittingmy King, but I don't think the plan is going to work unless I decline theexchange. } 7... dxe4 { Which I don't. I have enough to fight with on the e4 square. } 8. dxe4 { He takes back, and now I hold the first move. } 8... Be7 { This preemptivelyremoves the threat of Bg5, and now I can castle. Black appears to be verysolid right now, and it would seem White will have to scramble to finda secure way into my defenses. Black's pieces are almost developed, whereasWhite's queenside remains largely untouched... } 9. b3 { Perhaps he feltthat way too. So he moves to open a second fianchetto on b2. } 9... O-O { I castlebefore White can further any development. } 10. Bb2 { And White continueshis plan. } 10... Bxf3 { Now, for this... I'm sure there was plenty else Blackcould have done at this point. I personally didn't believe the light bishopwas terribly frightening, but the Nf3 was weakening my e5 control rapidly.As it would turn out, it was never going to be the light bishop to causeme so much grief, so all in all, I think this was probably the right callin the long run. } 11. Bxf3 { The exchange is forced, and I get the initiativeagain. } 11... Re8 { I start my battle for the e file, and subtly begin targetingthe White Queen. } 12. Nd2 { The knight moves here to defend e4, withoutblocking the bishop if he instead played Nc3. } 12... a5 { I was trying to searchfor a way to continue a plan into the kingside, but that part of the boardlooks fairly solid right now. So I begin a plan to dominate this part ofthe board. } 13. Nc4 { I was a bit surprised by this move- I didn't expectWhite to hate where the knight was this much. So now I started wonderingif he was going to target e5... } 13... b5 { I move here. I thought that if Nxe5,Nxe5, and then Bxe5, I can play Bb4! White's dark bishop would now be inan awkward place, and I was sure I could continue attacking- if he playsBxf6, then Qxf6 will stop White from playing c3 against Bb4, and if heplayed c3 right away, then Rxe5, cxb4, axb4, Qxb4 would lead to me restoringequality after I play Qd3. The bishop retreats, and the knight could captureon e4, giving me three strong centralized pieces, staring down White'sQueen and King. } 14. Ne3 { Of course, I don't think I saw all that in theheat of the moment. I wonder if White saw more, or if he simply just wanteda better square for his knight all along. :P } 14... Bf8 { I think I finally settledfor this move because I wanted to play ...b4, but I also wanted the rookto come back into the game by helping e5. This move gave me multiple back-rankdefenders, and even a defense to g7, if I needed it against his Bb2... } 15. Rd1 { And I'd say right around here begins the turning point of thegame. Each move White played after this, for the next 15 turns, made mestart to see how exploitable my defenses were at this point. And no matterhow badly I'd try to fix the position, I could never fully shut down thethreats; it took nearly the entire rest of the match for me to secure mydefenses to finish the attacks I planned. } 15... Qc7 { I hate pinning knightsto queens. Here seemed to be a good spot- it helps guard the knight fromthe d1 rook, guards e5 again, or guards f7. Again- I was very confidentthat my defenses were solid, but in retrospect, this somehow became a veryannoying square for the queen to be on... } 16. Bg2 { The bishop retreats,still defending e4, but allowing the f2 pawn to be freed. } 16... h6 { I plan ahome for the f6 knight, allowing my own f pawn to be playable. } 17. Qe2 { White's Queen suddenly moves here. Now I'm wondering why White did it-did he see another hole in his own defenses, or is he looking for a bettersquare for the queen? } 17... a4 { I think my kingside defenses are solid onceagain; I resume my queenside attack, planning ...a3. } 18. b4 { He doesn'twant to exchange, because if bxa4, then both bxa4 or Rxa4 would allow meto continue attacking that side of the board. But this is still a mistake... } 18... Bxb4 { White now has some serious issues on this side of the board. } 19. f4 { All of a sudden, this move appears. It's an extremely aggressive move-the knight can be pinned via both Bc5 or Qb6, but all of those moves area tempo behind White's. Also, I don't want to exchange my back rank pieces-they're powerful, and I don't want to lose them to undermine the others... } 19... exf4 { As far as the pawn is concerned, I need it gone, so I throw my e5away. } 20. Rxf4 { Of course, this is playable, but I was still surprisedto see the rook come before the other pawn. } 20... Bd6 { So my bishop comes todrive it away. } 21. Rg4 { And then White sacs the rook!!! I was shockedby this move, and then slowly, I realized what this move would start doingto my kingside. I see the bishop on b2, and then I see my own bishop nolonger guarding g7. If I take that rook, I must be prepared to defend immediately. } 21... Nxg4 { After a long, careful think, I decided I would contest the materialdisadvantage against my defenses. } 22. Qxg4 { Qxg4 - threatening Qxg7#.Suddenly, the Rd1 and Ne3 pieces are looking more terrifying as the gamedraws on. I can't play Bf8 anymore, because if I do that, then Rxd7 winsback the material, and the Queen would have to move. } 22... g6 { GK doesn't likethis move, saying that Ne5 would have solved my problems better. Still,I just didn't want to have to keep worrying about Qxg7 anymore. While thiswon't stop the knight from coming in, it will at least push the queen backfor a few turns. } 23. Qh4 { 'Pushing the queen BACK' was the correct phrase.She doesn't have to retreat. h6 is now under attack, but if I'm carelessabout my defenses, I notice that my knight is stuck on d7, (or else Qf6fcd mate!) and my queen is stuck doing nothing while White continues pressuringme more and more... } 23... h5 { I really thought about Be5, and I wanted to playit, but then I saw that when the exchange finishes, White ends it withQxh6, and I thought that if I let the Queen rest in front of my King, itwould eventually prove fatal after some drawn out combination of movesthat would lead into the endgame. I felt this was a slightly safer alternative. } 24. Qg5 { So White goes here, threatening a simple Qh6. The knight can stillcome in from f5, and I was desperately grasping at how to stop that fromhappening. } 24... Ne5 { Finally! The knight can move off of d7. It now blocksthe terrifying Bb2 from allowing this pesky queen to terrorize my kingany further, and I guard it three times still, way back when a pawn previouslyoccupied that square. } 25. Kh1 { And then... he moves the king for somereason? I'm not entirely sure why- perhaps he thought the threats of Qb6or Bc5 were more significant at this point? } 25... Qd8 { The Queen can stilltrap my king via Qh6, but it will isolate itself from the rest of the Whitepieces if it chooses to do so. I was hopeful I could force capture if ittried to keep pressing the attack. } 26. Qf4 { Likewise, White didn't favorhis chances either, so this feisty queen reluctantly retreats here. } 26... Re6 { I knew, going in, that playing this would allow for Bh3. It would be arisk, but I thought that I had enough control after Rf6 to win whateverexchanges would happen after. All I could think at this point was, 'ifI just end the attack spearheaded by The Queen of Sass, I could regaincontrol of the game!' } 27. Qf2 { To my surprise and relief, the Queen putsa halt to her sass and retreats again. } 27... Rf6 { This move is even strongernow, and she must move again. } 28. Qe2 { The queen remains here, a coreto White's defenses for the next bit of time, and I'm finally allowed toregain control of the game again. I need to play sharp, lest I allow Whiteto harass my defenses again. } 28... Qc7 { I want my queen to defend e5 again,just in case, but I also noticed that my Ra8 has zero influence in thisgame right now, and that will have to change immediately. } 29. g4 { Whitesees I'm trying to re-adjust my defenses, and tries to open my pawns upagain. } 29... h4 { I refuse. There's no way I'm letting The Queen of Sass backinto my domain. } 30. g5 { Hitting my rook, and I can't retreat, or elseBh3 disrupts my defenses again. } 30... Rf4 { So I push ahead, trying to buy enoughtime to figure out a better position. } 31. Bc1 { The bishop finally offb2, no longer a threat there- now allowing a discovered attack on the rook. } 31... h3 { So I threaten a capture- with check, so he can't continue with thediscovered attack. } 32. Bxh3 { Practically forced. } 32... Rh4 { One last push...now I threaten Rxh3 and Rxe4, but I have a third plan in mind...! } 33. Qg2 { The Queen of Sass starts getting feisty with my rook again. } 33... Rh7 { Andmy defenses snap shut again! This was a plan I had in motion since Rf4,knowing that I needed a rook to defend the f7 pawn after White plays Rf1.But if I retreated via Re6, then White's Bishop lands on h3, forcing thisrook onto f7, blocking the other rook from defending with my Queen. Thisis a much better spot for the rook, as it guards f7, while threateningWhite if he dare moves the Queen of Sass- he could lose the bishop. } 34. Rf1 { Even though my defenses are working again, this is a better spot forWhite's rook. I can't move my f pawn at all for the next bit of time. } 34... Bc5 { I need to start using my material advantage, now that I've securedit. Between White's terrifying dark bishop, his potentially threateningknight, and his weak light bishop, I figure this is the exchange I cangain the most from. } 35. Ng4 { He wonders if I'll decline if my knight isinstead at risk. } 35... Nxg4 { And of course I won't. That knight was only stuckat e5 because my rook wasn't at h7- I'm much happier to keep the bishop! } 36. Qxg4 { So the Queen of Sass strengthens the light bishop and continuesto guard h3-e4. } 36... Bd6 { I also tie my bishop and queen, threatening winningh2 and pinning the bishop to the King. } 37. Rf2 { But this is now playabledue to my bishop no longer on c5. } 37... a3 { So I secure my queenside edge. IfWhite lets me gain any more ground on this side of the board, a promotionthreat will be almost totally unavoidable from this point on. } 38. Bf4 { White now believes it's worth his stronger bishop, if I lose control ofmy diagonals. } 38... Bxf4 { I think he's wrong, threatening to punish the Queenof Sass if she gets feisty again... } 39. Rxf4 { If Qxf4, then I play Qxf4.After White plays Rxf4, then Rxh3... } 39... Qa5 { -of course, if I had playedRxh3 right then, I would have seen Qxh3, and then I had Qxf4! I saw thefirst part of the line, but not the second! Thinking that I couldn't proceedwith the attack anymore, I start focusing my attention on the king. Nice,but damn could that have been better!!! } 40. Rf2 { My queen threatens 3squares: c3, d2, and e1. If White had played Rf1 here, anticipating thecheck, then Black had Qc3, guarenteeing that I at least win the c2 pawn,but probably the a2 pawn as well after a few checks. White could stop thatfrom happening, but the result, I believed after enough checks, would windup my queen on the 3rd row, White defending the a2 pawn, but then I finishwith Rxh3... } 40... Qe1+ { So Rf2 was a good call, since it allows for this move... } 41. Kg2 { The King is now a h3 defender. I overlooked my attack, but it'sfar from over. } 41... Qc3 { I start trying to target both a2 and h3 again. } 42. Qd7 { The Queen of Sass has had enough of my rudeness, and starts gettingfeisty with my f7 pawn again. Annoying is the fact that she can attackboth f7 from here, while defending h3. } 42... Qc4 { Threatening Qxa2, and Qxe4+. } 43. e5 { And it was probably a bad idea, because if that pawn hits e6, it'scurtains for me. } 43... Qe4+ { So I throw in a check, ensuring that the pawn isdropped. } 44. Kf1 { The king retreats here. I REALLY wanted to play Qh1+,but I saw that White had enough blockages to force a retreat- and I can'tafford any more wasted tempo at this point. } 44... Qxe5 { So I end the pawn whileI still have the chance. } 45. Qxc6 { This finally buys The Queen of Sassenough time to start taking care of my queenside... } 45... Re8 { This is forced,or else Qxa8+, ruining the day for me yet again. e1 has gotten weaker,however... } 46. Qd7 { And once again, The Queen of Sass gets feisty withthe poor, probably-a-nice-guy f7 pawn. } 46... Qe1+ { My Queen starts telling theWhite King off for not keeping his wife under control. } 47. Kg2 { He ignoresher. Geez, how rude! } 47... Qe4+ { I play this, still thinking that I can forcethe king out of hiding, but I forgot one minor detail... } 48. Kg1 { Whitecan force a draw with this, or even block with Bf1, and there's not muchI can do about it. If my Queen leaves the e-file now, then I lose afterQxe8+ again. } 48... f5 { So I block The Queen of Sass from the bishop, demandingher to move out of the way again. } 49. Qd6 { And she gets feisty one finaltime with me. My next move needs to be played very carefully, because ifI neglect the queen's influence of the game, then White simply forces adraw after Qxg6+ with perpetual checks. White's final attack- this timefor a draw. } 49... Qe7 { It took me almost two full days, but this was my response,threatening Qxg5+. GK instead suggests Re6, but after looking at that line,I saw an open back rank, and was sure that the Queen could still harassthe king if I was careless enough to leave the back rank open. } 50. Qxg6+ { And all according to plan, The Queen of Sass enters what will be her finalrant, getting feisty with my poor pawns, but ending her brutal reign inthe process. } 50... Rg7 { My rook gets in the way, and exploits the lack of defenseson g5 even more. } 51. Qxf5 { And White decides that it's time for the queensto move off the board. } 51... Rxg5+ { I agree, so I spark the exchanges. } 52. Qxg5+ { The Queen of Sass is screaming up and down... } 52... Qxg5+ { ...and atlong last, I finally silence her! } 53. Rg2 { Of course, my own queen hasto make a valiant sacrifice. } 53... Qxg2+ 54. Bxg2 { And it's going to be okay,since at long last, all that remains is my stronger Queenside edge, supportedby a rook, against his selective bishop, who cannot defend a1 directly. } 54... Re2 { Black should win by cutting off the King's ability to defend the kingsidepawn. } 55. Bd5+ { So there's really only one sequence left for White afterthis check. } 55... Kg7 { I'm forced to go here. White must play Bb3 now, or elseeither pawn will surpass White's pieces. } 56. c3 { He doesn't, so I justsimply win a pawn after that blunder. } 56... Rc2 { White must sacrifice one ofthe queenside pawns now, and the game is surely over. } 57. h3 Rxc3 { Withmy pawns much closer to promotion, and his King totally unavailable todefend the servants, White's game is lost, and resigns here. Interestingenough, after all the energy White had this match, my opponent revealedto me that he actually didn't intend to play Rg4! After all I went throughthis game, I was shocked, and told him that he probably made one of thebest mistakes you could in this game. He was humbled, and I enjoyed howsharp this game was. Thanks for reading this annotation! } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.15"] [Round "-"] [White "f1shashi"] [Black "marclhert"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1439"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1432"] 1. e4 { This is one of the Best games i have ever played. From a losingposition i recovered and was able to draw this match 1. Normal King e4opening which gives open space to both queen and bishop I request everybodyto post their comments and give their feedback please } 1... e5 2. Nf3 { I attackedhis pawn with my horse } 2... d6 { He opened his Knight and his main idea wasto attack my horse..Bg4 } 3. h3 { I counter attacked him } 3... h6 4. Bc4 { Againattacking mode.... } 4... Qe7 { I dont know why he kept queen in that position } 5. Nc3 c6 6. a3 Qf6 7. d3 Be7 8. Be3 { My whole idea was to control thecentre of the board } 8... Be6 9. Bxe6 { mutual sacrifice } 9... Qxe6 10. d4 Na6 11. d5 Qg6 12. O-O Qh5 13. b4 Bg5 14. Bxg5 hxg5 { he tried to attack my kingwith his queen, pawn and open rook...but i had other ideas } 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. Qxd6 { The queen out with a bang } 16... Ne7 17. Qxe5 { its time for some queenplay } 17... f6 18. Qe6 Nc7 { Strong repel from horse } 19. Qc4 g4 { Now i am inthe back foot. danger with the pawn } 20. Nh2 gxh3 { Things who have goneworse if i had consumed the pawn } 21. g3 Qg5 22. Rad1 Qe5 23. Nf3 Qe6 24. Qe2 h2+ 25. Nxh2 Qh3 { On the verge of defeat } 26. f3 Qxg3+ 27. Qg2 { I hadto go for exchange to save the game } 27... Qh4 28. Rf2 Ne6 29. Qg4 Qxg4+ 30. Nxg4 { atlast some relief, but still he had 1 pawn extra } 30... Nf4 31. Rh2 Rxh2 32. Nxh2 Neg6 33. Ng4 Ke7 34. Kf2 Nh4 35. Ne2 { My whole idea was to repelthe horse attack with my own horse } 35... Ne6 36. Kg3 Rh8 37. Rh1 g5 38. f4 Rd8 39. fxg5 fxg5 40. Ne5 Rd6 41. Kg4 Kf6 42. Nf3 Nxf3 43. Kxf3 Rd2 44. Rc1 Ke5 45. Ke3 Rd6 46. Kf3 Nd4+ 47. Nxd4 Rxd4 { Now only with rook remaining..stillhe had 1 pawn extra } 48. Re1 Rc4 49. Re2 Rc3+ 50. Kg4 Rxa3 51. Kxg5 { Myone master move } 51... Ra2 52. Rd2 Kxe4 { Now we are both with same points } 53. Rd7 Ra4 54. Rc7 Kd5 55. c3 a6 56. Rd7+ Kc4 57. Rd4+ Kxc3 58. Rd6 Kxb4 59. Rxc6 Kb5 60. Rf6 Ra1 61. Rf5+ Kc4 62. Rf4+ { traces of a draw...but stillhe had 1 pawn extra } 62... Kd5 63. Rf5+ Ke4 64. Rf4+ Ke3 65. Kg4 a5 { The opponentwas severally trying to push the pawn } 66. Rf3+ Ke2 67. Kf4 Rf1 68. Rxf1 Kxf1 { oh now only with a pawn left and i had a clear passage to removeit } 69. Ke3 a4 70. Kd2 a3 71. Kc2 a2 72. Kb2 a1=Q+ 73. Kxa1 { At last thegame ended in a draw } 1/2-1/2