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natetsang

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fishgpt

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[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.16"] [Round "-"] [White "grntnick"] [Black "evvi"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1778"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1690"] 1. e4 { Standard e4 opening by me. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 { The Scotch Game. } 3... exd4 4. Bc4 { Scotch Gambit. Transposes to lots of openings so black hasto be careful, but with accurate play white should get a small(or no advantage). } 4... Nf6 5. Ng5 { Perreux variation. I have been looking at this line a lotmore lately. The other options are the Max Lange(which i enjoy) and themain line 5. 0-0 5. Nxe4 6. Re1 6. d5 7. Bxd5 7. Qxd5 8. Nc3 8. Qa5(orh5) and 9. Nxe4 (which i do not). } 5... d5 { The strongest response *if* blackplays carefully the next few moves } 6. exd5 Qe7+ { ! not 6. Nxd5? 6. 0-0when white tranposes into a favorable variation of the Loli attack. } 7. Kf1 { ! the best way to go for an advantage. } 7... Ne5 8. Qxd4 Nxc4 9. Qxc4 { Main line up to here. } 9... Qc5 10. Qxc5 Bxc5 { Basically white is up a pawnbut must consolidate his king position in a queenless middle game. } 11. Nc3 Bf5 { Still main line... } 12. Bf4 O-O 13. Bxc7 Bxc2 14. Rc1 Bd3+ 15. Kg1 { Still main line... } 15... Rfe8 { Now we actually have to start thinking. } 16. d6 { White's extra pawn is very dangerous, but the two black bishopsand rook and knight are all ready to jump on the white king. } 16... Rac8 17. h3 { ?! I think h4 is slightly more accurate in this position } 17... h6 18. Nge4 { ?! This is a good move.... but the problem is 18.Nce4! is just much better.Often in this line of the perreux variation if white can tactically takecontrol of the e4 square he has a good position. } 18... Bxe4 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20. d7 { ! the pawn comes into effect } 20... Bxf2+ 21. Kh2 Red8 { Setting the trickytrap 22. Bxd8 23. Bg3+! 24. Kg1 24. Rxc1+ } 22. dxc8=Q Rxc8 { The game ispaused here because of the tournament that started. I am up an exchange,he has a pawn and some piece play as compensation. } 23. Rhd1 Rxc7 24. Rxc7 Bg3+ 25. Kg1 Bxc7 0-1

[Event "game that i had no idea what i was doing."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.02.27"] [Round "-"] [White "hucklefeffer50"] [Black "goldmedal10"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. d4 { I think it is the queen opening } 1... d5 { same } 2. c4 { a new typeon game that I do not know whats going on. } 2... dxc4 { took pawn } 3. e3 { pawnwall } 3... Nf6 { knight out } 4. Bxc4 { bishop } 4... Nc6 { both knights out } 5. d5 { pawn } 5... Be6 { bishop } 6. dxe6 { took bishop } 6... fxe6 { -2 } 7. Bxe6 { took pawn } 7... Nb4 { knight } 8. Qxd8+ { this just turn bad } 8... Kxd8 { we both down a queen } 9. Nf3 { knight.maybe i should castle now } 9... Nd3+ { I should of castle and not moved theknight. } 10. Ke2 { same } 10... Nxc1+ { check } 11. Rxc1 { all east i am only down3 } 11... h5 { pawn } 12. Nc3 { knight } 12... Ne4 { same } 13. Nxe4 { same } 13... Ke8 { king } 14. Rxc7 { rook } 14... Rd8 { rook } 15. Rac1 { same } 15... g5 { i am dead meat } 16. Rc8 { rook } 16... Rxc8 { same } 17. Rxc8# { i lost } 1-0

[Event "Fine example of a minority attack & Alekhines Gun"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.08.26"] [Round "-"] [White "febreeze"] [Black "how_fly"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1616"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1670"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. O-O Bg4 7. c3 e6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Rc1 Rb8 { In preparation to start the minorityattack. } 11. Bb1 b5 12. Qe1 b4 { Attacking c3 to make a backwards pawn,make a weak point for white, and open up the b file for my rook. } 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Ne4 { Ne4?! 14...dxe4 15. Qxe4 (Threatening checkmate and forkingthe bishop and knight) } 14... Bxf3 15. gxf3 bxc3 { Opening the b file for my rook } 16. bxc3 Na5 { Preparing to place a blockade with my knight on the c3pawn } 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Qe2 Nc4 19. Qd3 g6 20. Bc2 Rfc8 21. Bb3 h5 22. Kh1 Kh8 23. Rg1 Qf4 24. Bxc4 Rxc4 25. Rb1 Rbc8 { Doulbling up on whitesweak c3 pawn } 26. Rb3 R8c6 27. Rgb1 Qc7 28. Rb7 Qf4 29. R7b3 h4 30. Kg2 Kg7 31. Ra3 Qc7 { Tripling up on whites weak c3 pawn. The rooks followedby the queens is known as Alekhines Gun. } 32. Rbb3 a5 { Threatening a4 } 33. Qb1 { All falls down. } 33... Rxc3 34. Rb7 Qf4 0-1

[Event "Knights of Honor IV 1200 to 1499 rating Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.16"] [Round "-"] [White "cblazi1"] [Black "thegoodbishop"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1305"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1269"] 1. e4 { White plays e4, about as basic as it gets (I like basic for strategicpurposes and find absurdly complicated openings suit more tactical play) } 1... c5 { I like the Sicilian myself, and find that its only downfall is thata lot of people are very good at combating it. Sometimes when I play itI feel like I'm giving my opponent an edge because he may have a strongcounter. This is personal and in no way documented, as I have not spendmuch time studying openings (feedback?) } 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. Nbd2 { I don't think this is such a good by white, because I locks in hisWSB. } 5... Nc6 { A nice clean opening, giving my a slight edge via whites poorNd2 } 6. Nc4 d5 7. exd5 exd5 8. Nce5 Qe7 { White hands me a nice easy pin. } 9. d4 Ng4 { I am quite happy with this move and the following combination,effectively winning me the center. } 10. h3 Ngxe5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Qxe5+ { ! } 13. Be2 Bd6 { This is where things start to pile up in my favor,I am increasing my hold on the center and white...is not. } 14. g3 { I amnot sure why he did this... perhapses for lack of anything better to do(In which case this would be a weak move by him brought on by my superiorposition) Personally I would be attacking my queen, even if it cost mesome king safety. } 14... O-O 15. O-O { White feeds me a pawn, making g3 even worse. } 15... Bxh3 { I accept } 16. Bf4 { White has finally decided to attack my queen. } 16... Qe6 17. Bxd6 { I love it when opponents do this, I am already at +2 andhe has traded away a major piece...nothing for me to do but gain advantage. } 17... Qxd6 18. Re1 a6 { So here, because of whites blunder with 14.)g3, he haslost tempo because he had to move his rook and I am centralizing like anangry Russian Marxist. This is what I LOVE about good positional play. When you play good position opponents tend to make bad moves that youdidn't even see. This compounds, while my hold strengthens. } 19. Bc4 Rad8 20. Qh5 Be6 { Central domination = easy attack turning } 21. Rad1 b5 { Thismay be zugwsang, from this point the game is mine. } 22. Bd3 g6 23. Qf3 c4 24. Bf1 h5 { I know this is dangerous, weakening my king, but with f5my strategic python has its coild securely wrapped around whites deer. Also , white has no way to break through ( I would challenge anyone tofind one) } 25. a3 { white has finally realized that he needs to gain somespace, but it is too little too late. } 25... f5 26. b4 f4 27. Qg2 { White is pushedyet farther back into himself. } 27... f3 { and again! } 28. Qh2 Bg4 29. Bh3 Bxh3 { I take the trade, happily increasing my share of the board. } 30. Qxh3 Qf6 { I'm looking to c3, but of course white see's this. } 31. g4 h4 { ! } 32. Rc1 d4 33. Qh2 { A terrible move, leaving my dangerous d pawn to hisown devices. } 33... d3 { I couldn't believe that white let me push this pawn thisfar.. } 34. Red1 Qf4 35. Qxh4 g5 36. Qh5 Kg7 37. Ra1 { I couldn't believethis either! Whites queen has no where to go!!! This is a good exampleof good strategic play forcing your opponent to blunder. I did not evensee this possibility but because white is so lacking for good places togo, he panics and looses the game. } 37... Rh8 38. Qxg5+ Qxg5 39. Kf1 Rh1# { Anyand all feedback is greatly appreciated. } 0-1

[Event "Accelerated Dragon 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Apr-08"] [Round "-"] [White "djuska"] [Black "tigerzrul88"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1567"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1373"] 1. e4 { This game comes from a tournament that I hosted based around theAccelerated Dragon. So I'll start after move 6 where the position was set. As always any logical or spelling errors should be reported to me so Ican fix them. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 { Ok, so here we are, this is a typical Accelerated Dragon set up. Whitehas a few ideas here. He can play the main line with 7. Bc4, he can playfor an extremely sharp game with 7.Nxc6, he can transpose into the ClassicalVariation with 7. Be2, or he can strengthen e4 with 7. f3. White choseto play 7. Nxc6. } 7. Nxc6 { In order to understand why people play thismove we have to look at what it does. On d4 the White Knight controls somesquares, but Black's pieces have very little interest in them. However,it serves as a target for Black's more tactical ideas like ...Ng4 and ...Nxe4.So really at this point the White Knight kind of exists in a limbo betweengood and bad, and the way that the game shapes up really determines itsstatus. Now, Black's Knight on c6 facilitates these tactical ideas, andblocks the pawn on e4's advance to e5. White would really like to playe5 and then f4 to start his kingside pawns rolling towards Black's eventualcastle. So basically, after taking the Knight on c6, White should planto play e5 and drive Black's Knight on to an awkward square and launchhis pawn storm. } 7... bxc6 { This is the established way to capture here. I'mnot quite sure why, but I think it's because Black's main idea is to castleinto his strong castle, and so if he recaptured with the d-pawn, afterWhite takes his Queen, Black can no longer castle. } 8. Qf3 { White has missedhis key idea! This doesn't appear to be a bad move, but it feels like anawkward square for the Queen. The best move would have been e5, but evenif White didn't know that, then Qd2 is good and fairly thematic in Dragonpositions. However, this develops the Queen to a pointless square whereshe's not making any real threats. } 8... O-O { Black simply continues his developmentalscheme. He is not afraid of White's position. } 9. Ne2 { This is anotherawkward move. It puts the Knight in the Bishop's way and doesn't controlany new squares. In fact, it controls less squares than before and removesa defender from the pawn on e4. } 9... Ba6 { Black takes advantage of his chanceto develop his Bishop. This move may look pretty strange, but it's thematicin this variation of the Accelerated Dragon. It often has the power toforce White to castle queenside, straight into the scope of Black's Rookon a8, it just needs to move to b8. } 10. Rd1 { This was the third awkwardmove in a row. It seems odd to me that White would want to place his Rookthere without moving his King out of the way by castling. White would havehad to deal with the open b-file, but then his King could breathe a littlebit. Here, everything steps on everything else's toes, and we can alreadysee a checkmate threat appearing along the a5-e1 diagonal. } 10... Rb8 { The ideabehind this move was to develop the Rook and to force b3. By forcing Whiteto play b3 Black is removing defense from c3 which happens to lie alongthe a5-e1 diagonal and could block Black's mating ideas later. } 11. b3 { The dark squares around White's King are becoming much weaker now. } 11... d5 { Black wants to clear the Knight out of the way of his Bishop on g7 sothat it can help raid the dark squares. } 12. exd5 Nxd5 { Now if 13. c4 Qa5 14. Bd2 Nb4 threatening mate via ...Nc2. } 13. Bxa7 { White is just attemptingto create some counter play here. However, he is once again weakening thedark squares around his King. } 13... Qa5+ { Black decides it's time to launchhis attack. } 14. c3 { This is really the only choice as blocking with anythingelse loses a significant amount of material. } 14... Nxc3 { This is threateningall sorts of discovered attacks, and it looks like most of them lead tomate. } 15. Rd2 { White is forced to block the threatened discoveries, whichmeans that he gives Black a free tempo. } 15... Rxb3 { As we'll see, Black is onlytemporarily sacrificing the Rook here. It opens up a1 for the Black Queento invade and take advantage of the fact that White's pieces are so uncoordinated. } 16. axb3 Qa1+ { Now White has to give back a Rook and a Knight to have anyhopes of survival! If 17. Rd1 Qxd1#. } 17. Nc1 { There goes the Knight, whichallows the White Queen to defend d1. } 17... Qxc1+ { Now the Rook is forced tod1. } 18. Rd1 { After Black recaptures the Rook he will be ahead in material. } 18... Nxd1 { Now if 19. Qxd1, the effect of Black's Bishops can really be feltwhen 19. ...Bc3 is mate. The look crazy and random, but really they'reserving to constrict White's position. } 19. Bxa6 { White tries to eliminatethe power of the Black Bishops but it's too late. According to Fritz it'smate in two or less for every move but Qxf7 , for which it's mate in three.I leave you to finish the last two moves on your own as they are both forced.However, I want to say that this was a really exciting game, and that ifyou start to see weaknesses (like the dark square weakness in this game)around your opponent's King you should try your best to exploit them, andreciprocally, if you see weaknesses developing around your own King youshould try your best to patch them up or stop your opponent from exploitingthem. } 19... Nc3+ 20. Qd1 Qxd1# { 0-1 } 0-1

[Event "The tournament of death. lol nah jk"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.16"] [Round "-"] [White "johnnyk12"] [Black "tomsmith03"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1458"] [TimeControl "9d+5d<15d"] [WhiteElo "1170"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4 Nc6 4. Nf3 a6 { This move is absolutely wasted. I do not see any point in it whatsoever. } 5. e3 { I look to develop mylight-squared bishop. } 5... Bf5 { Takes control of the square where I want tomove my bishop to. } 6. Bd3 { Maybe Bc4 was better. This leads to a bishopexchange which screws my pawn structure. Bc4 would lead to dxc4. } 6... Bxd3 7. cxd3 e6 8. O-O Bd6 9. Qb3 { I am keeping my bishop on the board temporarily. The idea here is to start an attack on his queenside. } 9... b5 10. Rac1 h6 { Another outside pawn move where something else is going on. } 11. Nxb5 Bxf4 12. Rxc6 axb5 13. Qxb5 { Black wins this exchange: a knight and a bishopfor a knight and two pawns. } 13... Rb8 { Threatens the queen. } 14. Rb6+ { Discoveredcheck. } 14... c6 15. Qxc6+ Nd7 16. Rb5 Rxb5 17. Qxb5 { Rooks are exchanged; materialis even. The knight is pinned hard. } 17... Bd6 18. Rc1 O-O { Removes the pinon the knight. } 19. Qc6 Nb8 20. Qb7 f6 21. a4 { Passed pawn, so push it!!! } 21... Rf7 22. Qb5 Rc7 23. Rxc7 Bxc7 { No more rooks. } 24. e4 Qc8 25. Qc5 Na6 26. Qc6 { Looking to grab some pawns. } 26... Nb4 27. Qc3 dxe4 28. Qxb4 exf3 29. gxf3 g5 { And now we see the kings start to become open to attack. } 30. a5 Qa8 31. Qe7 Bxa5 32. Qxe6+ Kg7 33. Qe7+ Kg6 34. Qe4+ { The queen exchange wasa bad idea. I concentrated too much on the pawns. Much better is e5 } 34... Qxe4 35. fxe4 f5 { I decide I would have a better chance of promoting thispawn if I advance it and do not take this pawn. } 36. e5 Bb6 37. e6 { Betteris d5. This move leaves the pawn vulnerable. } 37... Bxd4 38. b4 Kf6 39. b5 Kxe6 40. Kg2 Kd6 41. b6 Bxb6 { White is in very bad shape. That bishop provesto be the root of all evil. } 42. h3 f4 43. Kf3 h5 44. Kg2 { Better is Ke4. } 44... g4 45. hxg4 h4 46. g5 Ke6 47. g6 Kf6 48. Kh3 { Better is Kf3, and after48...Bc7 49. Kg4 Kxg6 I have a chance to draw or even win on a blunderby black. } 48... Bxf2 49. d4 Kxg6 50. d5 Bc5 51. Kxh4 Kf5 52. Kh3 { I offer adraw after this move. Declined. } 52... Kg5 53. Kg2 Kg4 54. d6 Bxd6 55. Kf2 f3 { Zugzwang. A situation when one would rather pass than move. See whiteabove. Black can mark time with the bishop. } 56. Ke1 Kg3 57. Kf1 f2 58. Ke2 Kg2 { I resign here. The pawn's gonna queen next move regardless ofwhat I do. Then all I can do is either (a) try for stalemate, (b) tryfor the 50-move rule, or (c) wait to get mated. In all likelihood, Option(C) would happen. } 0-1

[Event "back rank mate"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.02"] [Round "-"] [White "water123"] [Black "kleberkabg"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1484"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1816"] 1. e4 { i usually play d4 but, i also like e4! } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 { i like d6than Najdrof } 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 { i forgot this opening? } 5. Nb3 g6 6. Nc3 { planning to hop to the weak d5! } 6... Nf6 7. Bd3 Bg7 8. Be3 O-O 9. f3 d6 10. Qd2 Be6 11. O-O-O { the fun starts! i will attack on the kingsidehe will attack on the queenside } 11... Rc8 12. g4 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 { i think he has an edge, why: more space! } 15. Be4 Bxe4 16. Qxd8 Rfxd8 17. fxe4 Nb4 { ? a waste no good } 18. c3 Nxa2+ { ? he thinks he can gethis knight out } 19. Kb1 Nxc3+ 20. bxc3 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Rxc3 22. Rd8+ { !!!mates in a few moves! } 22... Bf8 23. Bh6 { resigns!!! there is no stop of rxf8mate!! please and a comment or two and rate it on the star system!! thank you!! } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "09-Dec-06"] [Round "-"] [White "maugcy"] [Black "elnur_r"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1376"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { In this game white begins well, dragging black out of book lines early,but following initial positional gains breaks the chain protecting hisking and is made to pay for doing so. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Be3 { Moreusual would be c4, grabbing a mini pawn centre, however this move doescontinue development despite looking slightly cramped. } 3... g6 { Black continuesthe main line of the kings indian planning to bring the bishop to g7 givingthe king a large amount of protection when castled. } 4. Nc3 { Continuesdevelopment, again I would play c4, and plan perhaps to set up an assaulton the queenside. } 4... Bg7 5. Bg5 { A second move for the bishop, against openingprinciples, although it moves the bishop to a more natural square, andfrees whites position. } 5... O-O { White is now set up to push the e-pawn toget the pawn centre, black could have prevented this with a pre-emptived5. However one of the tactics of the kings indian defence is to encouragewhite to over expand, then counter-attack the over stretched pieces. Forthis reason black castles to safety, and can now think about developingthe queenside. } 6. e4 { Grabs the pawn centre } 6... d6 { Doesn't assult the centreyet, black decides to bide his time and let white over commit. This movereleases the bishop to d7, however I feel b6 to fianchetto the bishop tob7, or c6 to support the d-pawn in an advance to d5, would have been better.Nothing wrong with the played move though. } 7. Bd3 h6 { Played to unbreakthe pin on the knight. White can either retreat or capture the knight.My instinct would be to retreat, as I value the bishop over the knight,and I see no precise tactic to win material or position by taking the knight.Also I feel black has weakened his king by playing the move, and the pawnstructure in front of the black king is already weak from the early fianchetto,white could take advantage of this by keeping the bishop attacking thenow weak h-pawn. } 8. Bxf6 { But white captures the knight, possibly he considershimself to be more developed than black, so can start thinking of a kingsideassault, however losing the black square bishop isn't a good way to startthis kind of attack. } 8... Bxf6 9. O-O e5 { Black finally attacks the centre,and releases his white squared bishop, however he has to be careful, asgenerally the more developed player benefits from open lines. } 10. d5 { Howeverhe needn't worry as white chooses to close the centre. This choice wouldbe more logical if white had a pawn standing on c4, to protect the d-pawn,however as he doesn't the overextended pawn may become a weakness } 10... Nd7 { Black now looks to take advantage of the overstretched white centre, bythreatening to move his knight into c5, a strong outpost for the knight,and if not then the knight is well positioned to swing over to the kingsideto support an attack or defend. } 11. Qd2 { Attacks the weak h6 pawn } 11... Bg7 { Defends the pawn, this is better than moving the king forward as now theknight has a square to move to on the kingside } 12. g3 { A surprising move,and one that fundamentally weakens the king, with no apparent advantageto doing so as white cannot put a bishop on g2. It could be to give theknight a square to retreat to if white plays Nh4, however again there isno advantage to playing this. } 12... Nf6 { Black continues to organise his forces,and his position, though initially weaker now looks to be stronger. 1)Whites centre pawns are overextended, and c6 would be problematic 2) Thepawn structure in front of both kings is weak, however black is strongeras he has more pieces to defend it and no obvious way in. White howeverhas a major white square weakness, and will need to be careful 3) Whitesbishop is blocked in, and has little mobility, blacks c8 bishop looks farmore active, and can easily move to attack the white position } 13. h4 { Itnow looks like white hopes for a kingside attack, and wants to open blackskingside with pawn exchanges. This is a big mistake, and will lead to hisdownfall, black will now use the weak white squares to attack whites kingbefore white gets any chance to lead an attack } 13... Bg4 { Attacking the undefendedknight. Also playable is Bh3, moving in behind the advanced pawns } 14. Nh2 Qd7 15. Bb5 c6 16. Nxg4 { White decides to trade his out of positionknight for the well positioned bishop, and following the forced recaptureby the knight (16...Qxg4 17. dxc6 bxc6 18. Bxc6 wins a pawn), white canmove the bishop away from the attack of the pawn with a tempo, attackingthe well placed knight. } 16... Nxg4 17. Be2 Nf6 { Moving the knight to a goodposition to oversee any battle for the centre with the pawns. Also withwhites exposed kingside black won't want his knight being traded off forthe bishop, as less material reduces the chance of a successful attack. } 18. f4 { White continues to expand on the kingside. This is a move i wouldhardly even consider, with such an open king white would be better to planan escape route with possibly 18. Rfe8 allowing the bishop to move to f1-g2and allowing the king to run across the back line in case black moves inbehind the over extended pawns } 18... Qh3 { A penetrating move by black, and whitesposition is starting to look very shaky. This could have been averted bythe rook move as Bf1 drives away the queen. } 19. Qe3 { Defending the g3pawn } 19... Rfe8 { A surprising slow move from black, I think 19...Nh5 opens anumber of threats 1) 20. Nxg3, followed by a possible Qh1 causing somemajor problems 2) 20. exf4 Rxf4 (if gxf4 Qxe3) winning the exchange 3)20. Qxg3 winning the pawn } 20. f5 { Better would have been Rad1, lookingto counter attack the centre against the flank attack. This pawn push howeverleaves white with a weak backward pawn on e4, which will prove costly. } 20... cxd5 { The first of the exchanges, the backward e-pawn has to defend bothd and f pawns which is impossible. } 21. exd5 { taking the pawn back butleaving the f-pawn undefended. Better would have been fxg6 hoping to makethe position rather messy and difficult to calculate, the played move isvery easy to play against. } 21... gxf5 { Wins the pawn, and threatens f4 winninganother pawn. } 22. Nb5 { A careless move, white gets distracted and attacksthe queenside, overlooking the much greater threat to his kingside. A simplereatreat of the queen to f2 may have given him a fighting chance of defending. } 22... f4 { The pawn cannot take the f-pawn as white will lose his queen, and blackis now able to push the pawn through to g3 helping the queen set up checkmatethreats. } 23. Qf3 fxg3 { Black threatens the immediate Qh2# } 24. Qg2 { Defendingthe threat } 24... Qxh4 { Picking up an extra pawn, and keeps the queen lurkingnear the king. My instinct would be to trade queens and force a winningendgame, however black hopes for a checkmate before the endgame. } 25. Nc7 { Winning the exchange, but leaving his king very vulnerable, black won'tmind losing the exchange as he now has good winning chances. } 25... Qd4+ 26. Kh1 Ne4 { A good plan, bringing in more pieces instead of just checkingand moving the king around. The threat is Nf2 , setting up a discoveredcheck } 27. Nxe8 { Unable to block the threat white grabs the material, howeverit looks very bad for white even if he survives the coming attack blackhas passed pawns on the e and h files, so white will certainly lose anendgame. } 27... Nf2+ 28. Kg1 Rxe8 { Another slow move from black, although he'sstill winning easily. Better would have been 28...Nh3 29. Kh1 Qh4, settingup a discovered check that will result in white losing his queen or beingcheckmated. } 29. c3 { A final weak move from white, possible is Qf3, preventingthe previously mentioned combination, but probably losing the exchange. } 29... Nh3+ { Black plays the combination on the second chance } 30. Kh1 Qh4 31. Qf3 { Another blunder giving black an easy checkmate, but anything elseallows Nf4 winning the queen and inevitably the game. } 31... Nf2+ 32. Kg2 Qh2# { A good finish, black didn't prolong the suffering prefering a quick decapitation.Always the best way as messing around to win material can lead to a downfall. Feel free to message me with any comments / improvements to make to theannotation. } 0-1

[Event "OTB training game: the Dutch defense (reversed)..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "6-jul-18"] [Round "-"] [White "fiercequeen"] [Black "opponent"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1800+"] [TimeControl "no limits"] [WhiteElo "2059"] { like any other Black defense, White can always play such variations beforehand:in chess terms, playing the Black opening Reversed with White; White canpull that off, due to the right to play the first move; 1. c4, is noneother than an Advanced Sicilian with c5, trying to pry Nc6 (Nc3) behindit, and control d4 (d5): 1. d4, is no doubt invented to counter d5: inmany systems, a very strong move in the opening sequence; e4 is above allthat: that is the mother of all opening moves... } 1. f4 { 1. f4 however,is made of other proportions: this move plays a major role in many openingsystems for White; like e4, e5, f4 (Kings' Gambit), or e5, c5, f4 (MorraGambit), and a couple of others: in this case, it will turn into a regularDutch defense Reversed; or Advanced, or whatever... } 1... d5 { the logical reply:in fact, we are playing 1. d4, f5; but reversed in colour: these are veryinstructive games... } 2. g3 Nc6 3. c3 { analog to c6, after Nc3: keep theKnight at bay... } 3... Nf6 4. d3 { also Ne4 needs to be discouraged: White hasno fear for Ng4/Bg4; h3 will solve that... } 4... e5 5. Bg2 Bf5 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Nh4 { Black is rushing things: e5 comes way too early... } 7... Bg6 { the onlyother safe move is Bd7: Black does not give up that easily... } 8. f5 Bh5 9. h3 e4 { a clever counter attack: but Black is under pressure... } 10. g4 Bg3+ 11. Kf1 Bxh4 12. gxh5 Nxh5 13. e3 { attacking Nh5... } 13... Ng3+ 14. Kg1 Nxh1 15. Kxh1 Qg5 16. Qg4 O-O-O 17. dxe4 dxe4 { introducing a new problem:Rd1+ will lose Bc1... } 18. Na3 Qxg4 19. hxg4 Rd1+ 20. Kh2 Bg5 21. Nc4 Re8 { something needs to be done about e4... } 22. b3 b5 23. Na3 a6 24. Bb2 Rd2 25. Bc1 Rd3 { back to Rd1, will bring Black nothing... } 26. c4 Bxe3 27. cxb5 { a nasty twist... } 27... Bxc1 28. Rxc1 axb5 29. Nxb5 { Whites' Queen sidepawns are loose... } 29... Red8 { losing control... } 30. Bxe4 Rd2+ 31. Kg3 R8d6 32. Bxc6 { Nxd6, Rxd6, is giving Black drawing prospects: White first needsto tilt the material balance in favor... } 32... Rxc6 33. Na7+ { stronger, thana direct Rxc6: never waste a good threat... } 33... Kb7 34. Nxc6 Rxa2 35. Ne7 Rb2 36. Rc3 c5 37. Nd5 c4 { an interesting position: White cannot play Rxc4,Rxb3+; bxc4 induces Kc6, bringing White all kinds of trouble... } 38. b4 Kc6 39. Ne7+ Kd7 40. Rxc4 Kxe7 { White has to return material: before thingsgo sour... } 41. Kh4 f6 42. Rc7+ Kd6 43. Rxg7 Rxb4 { Rh2+, Kg3 leads to nothing... } 44. Rxh7 Ke5 45. Rg7 Rf4 46. Re7+ Kd6 47. Re6+ Kd5 48. Rxf6 Ke5 49. Rg6 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2020.01.02"] [Round "-"] [White "huevosazules"] [Black "8418112"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1514"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1535"] 1. e4 d5 { Scandinavian Defense. } 2. exd5 { The Lasker Variation of the ScandinavianDefense is far and away the most popular response. This will be followedby either Qxd5 or Nf6. } 2... Qxd5 { With the queen in the center of the boardwhite can develop pieces by pushing her around, such as Nc3. } 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. d4 Nc6 6. a3 g6 7. h3 Nxd4 { This just seems like a bad mistake. Knight for pawn? } 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Bxf7+ { White's 'bad trade' is only slightlyimproved by breaking black's castle. } 9... Kxf7 10. Nf3 Nh5 { This is the 'knightto the rim' move that prompted me to annotate this game. The black knightwasn't under threat. White's c knight could attack it, but black stillhas a pawn, bishop, and king backup. The purpose of this move was to launcha surprise attack on the queen. If white ignores this threat she falls. But before you push a piece you should know where it will go. In thiscase the white queen must guard the c knight, or black plays BxNc3+ andwhite ends up losing at least the knight. if white interposes the bishopblack gets the poison pawn (b2) for free too. If white plays bxBc3 blackplays QxNc3+ and snags Ra1. So white must be careful about where to placethe queen. } 11. Ng5+ { White delays response by countering with a knightattack. No interposing here, and black can't play Kf6 to attack the knight. Black is pretty much pushed back, trapping the h rook. } 11... Ke8 12. Qc4 { White'schoices were largely limited to Qc4, Qd3, or Qe3. I'm always wary of lininga rook or queen where it can be pinned against the king, though Qe3 wouldbe pretty safe. The drawback with Qe3 is that it blocks white's blackbishop. Qc4 is good. Black has a queen on Ng5 and could develop by pushingit, maybe, but knows white is eyeing Qf7+. Not that this would help whitemuch, but the only protection for Bg7 is that rim knight, which is easilyshoved by g4. Therefore black is wise to guard against Qf7+. } 12... Rf8 13. Be3 b6 { That is a blunder. Qc6+ gives white Ra8, though black's queen/bishopassault on Nc3 still threatens white's rooks too. } 14. Qc6+ Kd8 15. O-O-O+ { And this move was what prompted me to post about this game in the TeamCaptain forum. Not quite O-O-O#, but O-O-O+ mate in one is still awesome. We were looking for something along the lines of the Edward Lasker/GeorgeThomas game, which SHOULD Have ended with O-O-O#. As this game is NOTin GK's database I'm providing an outside link to it here: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1259009 } 1-0

[Event "Another Bird victory (against 1785 challenger)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.05"] [Round "-"] [White "31415"] [Black "fluido"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1785"] [WhiteElo "1346"] { who said that bird opening wasn't good ? In this game my strong 1785 ELO'schallenger resign at move 31... } 1. f4 { bird } 1... Nf6 { est indian ? } 2. e3 { bird } 2... e6 { why this passive move ? } 3. Nf3 Bc5 { will be meet with d4 ! } 4. d4 Bb6 5. Nc3 { preparing Na4 to kill this dangerous dsb } 5... d6 6. Na4 Nbd7 7. Nxb6 { killed ! } 7... Nxb6 8. b3 { preventing b6 knight moves. So he is nowquite blocked } 8... Ne4 9. Bd3 { repulsing him, but i didnt saw c3 ... } 9... Nc3 { idont like this ! } 10. Qd2 Ncd5 { move for nothing, black had no specialplans } 11. e4 { repulsing the knight } 11... Nf6 { so black has lost a lot of tempos... } 12. O-O { getting safe } 12... h6 { why this passive move ? in order to attackwith pawns (g5...etc) ? } 13. e5 { so I decided to attack the centre ! } 13... Nfd5 { this knight cant find his place ... } 14. c4 Ne7 { with this move I'm occupyingcompletely the centre and wining a lot of tempos, this sell victory ! } 15. exd6 cxd6 16. Nh4 { preparing f4/f5 } 16... Bd7 { why ? } 17. f5 exf5 18. Nxf5 { exchanging a lot to clear the game, } 18... Nxf5 19. Bxf5 Bxf5 20. Rxf5 { herewe are ! it's quite dangerous to live this rook in the centre, but I haveto finish to develop my strong pawn structure. (d4/d5) } 20... O-O { castle } 21. d5 { great chain ! This pawn chain will make me win : i will get a pastpawn from it ...see what follows, end's coming soon (move 31) } 21... Nd7 22. Bb2 { anticipating Ne5, i will win a pawn and get my past pawn } 22... Ne5 23. Bxe5 dxe5 24. Rxe5 { pawn won, i have 2 nice pawns with free way to promote(c4 and d5) } 24... Qb6+ { chess for nothing ... } 25. Kh1 Rfe8 { now the thingsare becoming interesting ...I wont accept the exchange, preferring retakingwith the queen in order to keep occupying the centre } 26. Qf4 Qg6 { carefulwith Qb1 in case I have to move the rook a1 on another line ... } 27. Rae1 { preparing to protect the queen after exchange rooks } 27... Rxe5 28. Qxe5 { niceposition, isnt it ? } 28... f6 { blunder } 29. Qe6+ Kh8 { And now i just have topush my panws to promote ! } 30. d6 Rd8 { resisting ... } 31. Qe7 { resistanceis futile ! black resign. I hope you've enjoyed the game } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.11.13"] [Round "-"] [White "psycho422"] [Black "tommyjr49"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1115"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1263"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 { King's knight opening. } 2... d5 3. Nxe5 f6 4. Ng4 Nh6 5. Be2 { I kind of like NxNh6 instead. } 5... Nxg4 6. Bxg4 Bxg4 7. Qxg4 Qe7 { Here whiteshould play Qc8+, followed by QxPb7. Black would most likely intercedewith Qd8, then Nd7 to defend Ra1. White picks up Pb7 and Pd5. } 8. d3 Nd7 9. Nc3 g6 10. Nxd5 Qd6 11. Bf4 { Ne5 will prevent white forking theking and rook. } 11... Qc6 12. Nxc7+ Kf7 13. Nxa8 Bc5 14. Nc7 h5 15. Qe2 Ne5 16. Bxe5 fxe5 17. Nd5 Rf8 18. O-O Ke6 19. a3 Bd4 20. c3 Bc5 21. b4 b6 { Thatpawn doesn't really protect the bishop from capture by Pb4. } 22. bxc5 Qxc5 23. d4 exd4 24. cxd4 Qxd4 25. Rad1 Qc5 26. g4 { Pg3 instead sets up Nf4+. } 26... h4 27. g5 { With Qc5, Pa3 is undefended. } 27... Qxa3 { Though black now has twopassed pawns, they might not be salvageable. } 28. Qg4+ Ke5 29. Qxh4 Rf3 { Ra1 gives white Pa7, since Nd5 defends against Qe7. } 30. Ne3 { Black mustdefend against Nc4+, forking the black queen. Pb5 does that, or movingthe king or queen. } 30... Rf4 { ...or a counter attack. } 31. Qg3 Qf8 32. f3 Qc5 { Oops. White picks up both queen and rook. } 33. Rd5+ Qxd5 34. Nxd5 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.01.23"] [Round "-"] [White "sdr46"] [Black "mirkonitto"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1698"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1774"] 1. e4 { Again I have a hard opponent, but he plays predictable - Slav andSicilian. I decided to swim into his waters preparing surprises. } 1... c5 { Sicilian } 2. c3 { exactly what I've expected } 2... Nf6 3. e5 { and here again predictablemove } 3... Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nf3 { we follow my (black's) plan } 5... Qc7 { 5. ... Qc7!here I secured c4 against white's bishop - often played by my opponentin his games. Let say - my first surprise. } 6. cxd4 e6 7. Bd2 { 7. Bd2 ?!It was interesting here what will play my opponent. He follows the theory.But was it his best move ? Black's position looks strong. } 7... d6 8. Nc3 { Idecided to exchange the knights here restricting black's bishop by hisown pawns. } 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 { and we have interesting position with no anyadvantage to the whites. } 9... Nd7 10. Bb5 { 10. Bb5 ?! I expected here 10. Qa4- a better move in my opinion. } 10... Be7 { 10. ... Be7! I follow the black'splan. I would have play the same even if white have played 10. Qa4. } 11. O-O O-O { and we almost completed our developments } 12. Re1 h6 { safetyfirst } 13. h3 { 13. h3 ?! I didn't find the idea of that move. } 13... b6 { it'stime to complete black's development - make ready Bb7 ! } 14. Qe2 Bb7 { readyto attack or counter-attack } 15. exd6 { awaited exchange } 15... Qxd6 { 15. ...Qxd6 ! } 16. Bd3 { white regroups against black's king side } 16... Nf6 { 16. ...Nf6 !! Some reinforcement. But that one move rescued the game and securedthe victory ! } 17. c4 { 17. c4 ? I've expected this center attack but whiteplayed 17. c4 ? emotionally and made his first mistake into the game } 17... Bxf3 { 17. ... Bxf3 ! of course- wining a pawn, one center pawn ! } 18. Qxf3 Qxd4 { and black crowned a victory in the center } 19. Rad1 { 19. Rad1 ! and nowblack queen is into danger - 20.Bxh6 ... 21.Bh7+ and the queen is dead.So it's time to retreat } 19... Qc5 { 19. ... Qc5 ! } 20. Re2 Rac8 21. Be3 Qc6 { I offered queens exchange here having a pawn plus and solid position } 22. Qg3 { but white are insidious. They know very well the game flows inmuddy stream } 22... Kh8 23. Red2 Bc5 { black would appretiate bishops exchange } 24. Bxh6 { 24. Bxh6 ?! gradually losing the battle white decided to rushattack } 24... gxh6 { 24. ... gxh6 ! for sure. white missed one flying jump ofthe vindicator knight } 25. Qh4 { 25. Qh4! not bad, but ... } 25... Ng8 { 25. ...Ng8 !! this move exactly smashed the last hope of the white } 26. Qh5 f5 { 26. ... f5 !! again surprise and the blak are safeguarded } 27. Re2 Rc7 { 27. ... Rc7 it's time to counter-attack ! } 28. Kf1 Rg7 29. f3 Rg5 30. Qh4 Rd8 { I'm waiting now f4 slacking whites position } 31. f4 { 31. f4 ?! not bad but ... } 31... Rd4 { 31. ... Rd4 ! both rooks into the center ! } 32. Bc2 Rxd1+ { for sure. now the way of the black bishop is not obstructedand a nice combination is to follow } 33. Bxd1 Qf3+ { 33. ... Qf3 + !! if34. gxf3 Rg1 #, if 34. Rf2 Qxd1# the only defence is 34. Ke1 Rxg2 ! whiteresign } 0-1

[Event "Black loses against this weird opening"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.12"] [Round "-"] [White "davidfeip"] [Black "kzsuchessdj"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e3 e5 2. d3 d5 { It looks like Black has the advantage already, but ...is he ready for what's coming up next? } 3. Bd2 Nf6 4. Be2 Bd6 5. Kf1 { Thebishops will take the original places of the king and queen. } 5... Bf5 6. Qc1 Nc6 7. Bd1 O-O 8. Be1 e4 { With black's development complete, he pushesa pawn forward to launch his attack. } 9. d4 Ne7 { preparing to open thec-file } 10. Ne2 c5 11. c3 c4 { Closing the position only makes White's defensivechores easier. } 12. Nd2 a5 13. h3 b5 { Black has nothing on the Queenside. } 14. g4 Nxg4 { An unsound sacrifice } 15. hxg4 Bxg4 16. Ng1 Be6 17. Be2 f5 18. Qd1 f4 19. exf4 Bxf4 20. Bg4 Bxg4 21. Qxg4 e3 22. fxe3 { Allowing the(harmless) discovered check } 22... Bxe3+ 23. Ke2 Bh6 { Blundering a piece } 24. Rxh6 Ng6 25. Rxg6 hxg6 26. Qxg6 Qe7+ 27. Kd1 Rf6 28. Qg4 Re8 { White shouldplay Bh4 here } 29. Kc2 b4 { This doesn't accomplish anything. } 30. Bh4 b3+ 31. axb3 cxb3+ 32. Nxb3 Qe3 33. Bxf6 { Black resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Analyzed Games"] [Site "ChessDoctor.com"] [Date "?.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "W6"] [Black "B6"] [Result "?"] [ECO "?"] {00006.4.13 Analyzed by National Master John Graves} 1. e4 c5 2. d3 Nc6 3. Bd2 {Nc3 is better, or even f4.} 3... b5 {Nf6 or e6 are superior moves. Also 3...e5 follewed by d6,Nf6,g6,Bg7 and 0-0 is another excellent set up. It is Important to play in the center first.} 4. c3 b4 5. c4 Nd4 {g6! is far better, Increase your control over d4 and develop another piece at the same time, there was no reason to occupy the hole on d4 (no pawns can oppose d4).} 6. Be3 g6 7. Bxd4 cxd4 8. Qd2 a5 9. Nf3 Bg7 10. Ng5 Bh6 {It is better to complete your development with d6 and Nf6. The bishop has aready moved and was placed rather well where it was at.} 11. f4 e6 12. g3 Bb7 13. a3 b3 14. a4 d5 15. Bg2 Nf6 16. Ra3 Qb6 17. Qe2 Bf8 18. e5 Nd7 {Black can take the rook right away.} 19. Nd2 Bxa3 20. bxa3 b2 21. Nb1 Nc5 22. Qd1 Bc6 23. Nf3 Nxa4 24. O-O Nc3 {The black knight has finally found a nice hole to hop in to, even if it is only for a move.Black trades one advantage for another, the two connected passed pawns.} 25. Nxc3 dxc3+ 26. Nd4 Qxd4+ 27. Rf2 h5 {0-0 is a simple win.} 28. cxd5 Bxd5 29. Bxd5 exd5 30. h4 Rb8 31. Qb1 c2 32. Kh2 1-0

[Event "An Expert Lesson in Pin/Back Row Motifs"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.22"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "ionadowman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2099"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1789"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone! Right now, I Jo Stevens, am sitting in Coach Ion'sClassroom on a stool near his desk, with my back to the class with theDunce's Cap on. The reason for this is because I had to go pawn grabbingagain - didn't I? I really should have learned from this game with Freddy,the Headmaster - OMG, if he sees me in the corner, I had better think ofhiding a few regicide manuals under my gym pants and trousers lest I getsummoned to his study!, that game is: http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/the-sodium-attack?gm=28475in which I was punished in full for my 'greed' although one must note thatin both cases I lost or was about to lose a pawn and I thought I wouldregain the pawn, unfortunately I did but at a price. One has to say, however,that the motif Ion used was similar but a little different. Ahh well,here goes. This is the King's Indian Thematic Tournament organised byfatcat, a member of the Master Mater's Coaching Club. I will comment againon move 5 because although that is part of the MT setup that f4 move deservessome comment ..... } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 { 5. f4 - thismove has advantages and disadvantages. It's strengths are twofold. Thispawn controls e5 and g5 and is also used to break up a fianchettoed position. This pawn moves early on in the opening in The Bird's Opening, The PircDefense - Austrian Attack, The Robatsch Defense and the Sicilian Dragon/Naijdorfas well as the King's Indian 4 pawn attack. Ok. White has an impressivepawn centre, but it can be punctured. The drawback of the f pawn moving,however, is that it opens up the Fool's Mate Diagonal - e1-h4. Here ishow a 1650+ player came a cropper against The Dentist on that diagonal:- http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/fools-paradise?gm=15408. That diagonalcan be exploited in the opening. Another diagonal that black can takeadvantage of is the g1-b8 diagonal after white has castled short by meansof his queen or dark squared bishop. In this case I do castle short andIon does take advantage of this with his dsb as you will see. } 5... O-O 6. Nf3 { 6. Nf3 - the first non-forced MT move - to develop a piece and supportthat pawn phalanx. } 6... c5 7. d5 { 7. d5 - trying to create a cramp on Ion. } 7... e6 8. Be2 exd5 9. cxd5 { 9. cxd5 - pawn trade. } 9... Bg4 10. O-O { 10. 0-0 - Icastle long, there is another advantage about moving the f2 pawn up twosquares and that is that the knight on f3 is protected by my king rookso my castled position will not be broken up should Fou Leblanc and Glendadecide to move off the d1 - h5 diagonal. } 10... Nbd7 11. Re1 Ne8 12. a4 { 12.a4 - a recommeded move holding up a pawn roll on the queenside. Troubleis my pawn is weak on that square and it will drop off later on. } 12... a6 13. Ng5 Bxe2 14. Rxe2 { 14. Rxe2 - I decided to recapture with the rook. Itdoes have its merits in a sense that it prepares a doubling on that filebut in my case it did critically weaken my back row. } 14... Nc7 15. e5 { 15. e5- a speculative pawn sac for aggressive play. } 15... dxe5 16. d6 Ne6 17. Nxe6 fxe6 { 17. ....... fxe6 - knight trade - now, just observe summat, thate6 pawn, displaced from f7 opens up the f file for the black rook. Ifthat happens, beware, Ion now has a target, which will be apparent fourmoves down the line. } 18. Qb3 exf4 19. Qxe6+ { 19. Qxe6+ - I choose an aggressiveline from the database which involves an incursion right into the heartof Ion's camp with GLENDA of all pieces! The snag is, she could becomea target and could get herself trapped if she is not careful. } 19... Kh8 20. Nd5 Nb6 21. Nxf4 { 21. Nxf4?? - here it is, here it is, this move shouldbe given the skull and crossbones, Ion only gave it one question mark -he is being benevolent - I give it the kitchen sink. Ion recommended ina post-match pm that I should have moved that steed to e7, really bottlinghim up. If that knight gets pinned then it will be protected by the advancedpawn on d6. } 21... Bd4+ { 21. ...... Bd4!! - here is the punishment! Note I talkedabout that g1-a7 diagonal earlier on, where black can land an annoyingcheck on a king that has castled on that side. Here is the check. Nowhow do we get out of check. There are only two options here, block ormove Henry. 1. Blocking with Rf2 drops at least the exchange and walksHenry into a pin after the resulting Bxf2+. Option 2, Kf1 walks Henrystraight into a pin on the f column. Option 3, well, no obvious pin, butlook - the knight will be pinned because Old Matey just lurves those backrows and I will certainly cop it if I move my knight after Ion pushes hispawn to g5. Nh3 will not help as the g2 square is doubly attacked by thedsb and the rook when it lands on f1 to give check, so Rxg1 will be mate,sss-shh-ugar! } 22. Kh1 g5 { 22. ........ g5 - natch! } 23. Be3 { 23. Be3 -out comes Fou Lenoir, to develop and to strengthen that weak back row. } 23... Bxe3 24. Ng6+ { 24. Ng6+ - I try and get some semblance of an attack goingby opening up lines to Ion's king - sadly, the Wicked Witch of the Westwill ensure that Glenda cannot take full advantage of his denuded king. } 24... hxg6 25. Rxe3 { 25. Rxe3 - glad to be rid of Ion's troublesome dsb, at leastHenry can now move back to g8. I try attacking first though. } 25... Qf6 26. Rh3+ { 26. Rh3+ - would it have been better if Glenda had gone to that squareand not the rook? You the Inquest Jury decide! } 26... Kg7 27. Qxf6+ { 27. Qxf6+(virtually forced). } 27... Rxf6 28. Re3 Rd8 29. Re7+ { 29. Re7+ - I manage toget a rook on Ion's second rank, normally a bone in the throat is a goodthing, but it achieves nowt here. } 29... Kh6 30. Rxb7 { 30. Rxb7 - I split upIon's queenside pawns but that is all the damage my rook is able to do. Ion does much more damage though. } 30... Rfxd6 { 30. ..... Rfxd6 - my lovelypasser drops off (tears!) } 31. h3 { 31. h3 - I would love to send my remainingrook up the board to join his colleague on the 7th rank. Trouble is, thatbally back row is the bane of my life in this game. First I must either,a. Move Henry or b. Move a pawn in front of Henry. Neither of these twonecessary options contribute to me counter-attacking Ion on the 7th rank. Look at Ion's king - now all I need is a second rook on that 7th rankand it will be Ion staring Old Matey in the face. Before that can happenthough ..... } 31... Rd1+ { 31. ..... Rd1+ - Ion can get in that vital tempo whichcan put a spoke in the wheel. I am now forced to exchange one of my rooks. } 32. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 33. Kh2 { 33. Kh2 - Henry tucks himself away on h2 but nowthat pesky extra knight of Ion's is gonna make himself felt - by swipingmy a4 pawn - more tears! } 33... Nxa4 34. Ra7 Rd6 35. b3 { 35. b3 - this pawn takesevasive action but alas, he is not long for this world either. } 35... Nb2 36. Rc7 Nd3 37. Rb7 { 37. Rb7 - some meaningless rook play before Ion landsthe coup de grace. Ion and I agreed after the game that if only I hadGlenda or the rook + Fou Lenoir, again Ion's king would have been in dangerof Copping dear Old Matey! } 37... Rc6 38. Rb8 Nb4 39. Re8 { 39. Re8 - all so funereal,Ion is about to administer the last rites. } 39... Rb6 40. Rc8 Nd3 { 40. ......Nd3 and goodnight from me, as I will be a knight and two pawns down (equivalentto a whole rook) and Ion has those lurvely black passers on the queensideto boot I feel it is time to draw the line, so I wave the white flag. Ah now, time for some prep - better have a go at doing some puzzles forCoach Ion. So, what lessons have you learned from this game? Anyhow,hope you have had a good read - bye for now - Joanne } 0-1

[Event "FSB comp 7 febr 2018 Westergoo-Rijs"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Chris Draijer"] [Black "Jan Nota "] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1794"] [WhiteElo "1697"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 { (Ik speel meestal de Lb5 = Moskou-variantvan het Siciliaans) } 4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. c4 e5 { (Afgeweken van de theorie.) } 6. d3 f5 7. Nc3 f4 8. g3 fxg3 { I have given up the rook. Black could have played g5, but then h5 would be weak and he would be neglecting the king's pawn structure. } 9. fxg3 Nf6 10. Be3 Rb8 11. Rb1 Bh3 12. Kd2 Be7 { The black piece prefers to develop above Lg2. } 13. Ng5 Bg4 14. Qf1 O-O { (Er dreigt Pxe4+.) } 15. Qg2 d5 { Black forces a breakthrough, but I had already seen it, so I played Dg2! instead. } 16. exd5 cxd5 17. Nxd5 Qa5+ { I am not afraid of this, for now I am threatening with Pxe7+. } 18. Kc2 Rbe8 { I have patience, do not strike immediately on f6 or on e7. } 19. Rhf1 Qa4+ { I have completely lost the initiative, the Queen has been distracted. } 20. Kc1 Bh5 21. Nxe7+ Rxe7 22. Bxc5 Rd7 23. Bxf8 Kxf8 { White's knight moves to d3 but fails due to black's bishop on b3. If white's knight had not moved, it would have been able to capture black's lover. Then, black would have had a tower behind it. } 24. Nxh7+ Ke7 25. Nxf6 gxf6 { Black cannot play the move Txd3. The move Dc2 is also sufficient. } 26. Qf2 Rd6 27. Qc5 Be2 28. b3 Qxa2 29. Rxf6 { The final blow. Black resigns. (Forced to give up. Kxf6 - Dxd6+. White manages to get the Queen on a4 and then black has to resign.) } 0-1

[Event "Bogo-Indian -- Game 16 -- Bugojno 1982"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Gary Kasparov"] [Black "Tigran Petrosian"] [Result "1-0"] 1. d4 { This is a very instructional positional game played by a young GaryKasparov, and a former world champion, Petrosian, who is reduced to a stateof complete paralysis. } 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ { A useful check, Blackdevelops his second piece and is ready to castle. } 4. Bd2 { Objectivelyspeaking, not the most ambitious move in Bogo theory. Here 4. Nbd2 isconsidered to be stronger these days, but Kasparov's reasoning is thatBlack is going to play ...d5 at some point and the exchange of dark-squaredbishops will leave Black with weakness on the dark squares. Also, theremaining Black light-squared bishop will be bad, as it is hemmed in byits own central pawns. } 4... Qe7 { Black is in no hurry to exchange on d2, asafter 4. Qxd2 d5 5. Nc3, White keeps a slight edge. Alternatively, ifWhite tries to act in the center now, Black is able to force off anotherset of pieces after 4...Bxc3 5. Bxc3 Ne4. As a general rule, the sidewith less space will seek exchanges to make more room for his pieces. } 5. g3 { White's pressure will be based around the influence of the g2 Bishop. } 5... Bxd2+ { The Bishop has served it's purpose of restraining White's expansionin the center, so Petrosian decides to exchange it off. } 6. Qxd2 O-O 7. Bg2 d5 { Black finally issues a challenge to the White center. } 8. O-O dxc4 { This move gets a ?! dubious mark as Black is in too much of a hurry tosimplify. It is far better to keep a barrier to the g2 Bishop with 8...Rd89. Qc2 Nc6 10. cd ed 11. Nc3 Bg4 when Black would have active pieces tocompensate for his slightly weak pawn structure on the Queenside. TheWhite Bishop, which becomes a terror in the game continuation would havebeen kept under better control. } 9. Na3 { An excellent idea!! White intendsto recapture on c4 with his Queen's Knight rather than lose time with 9.Ne5 c5, when Black has a fighting chance as White still has two piecessleeping on the Queenside. } 9... c5 { The elimination of White's strong centralpawn will open a highway into the Black position. } 10. dxc5 { The correctcapture as it will lure the Black Queen to a square where it can be thesubject of tempo gaining attacks by the White pieces. } 10... Qxc5 11. Rac1 { Whitehas the initiative due to his more active pieces. } 11... Nc6 { Black can't defendthe c4 pawn with b5 as ...Nd4 will win the pawn back and give White a bettergame. } 12. Nxc4 Qe7 { Removing the Queen from the line of fire, but thebest move was 12...Rd8. } 13. Nfe5 { Now Black is unable to solve the fundamentalproblem of developing the c8 Bishop without giving White strong pressureon the b7 pawn. } 13... Nxe5 14. Nxe5 { White is in absolute control of the c-file. Black now can't play 14...Be7 clearing a spot for the a-rook, as 15. Rc7is crushing. } 14... Nd5 { Petrosian offers a pawn to accelerate his development. After 15. Bxd5? exd5 16. Qxd5 Bh3 17. Rd1 Rfd8 all of Black's pieces cometo life, and the c8 bishop is the best piece on the board and Black's rooksenjoy open lines. } 15. Rfd1 { White's pieces are taking up premium squares. } 15... Nb6 16. Qa5 { Exclam. The sublety behind this move is that if now 16...f6attempting to drive away the e5 Knight, then 17. Nc4 Nxc4 18. Rxc4 andBlack cannot prevent a rook invasion of the 7th rank, as the White Queenis controlling c7. } 16... g6 { A little breathing room please! } 17. Rd3 { Anotherexclam, as now Black is prevented from exchanging a set of rooks with ...Rd8. The point is that 17...Rd8 is met with 18. Qc5! Qxc5 19. Rxd8 Qf8 20.Rxf8 and 21. Rc7 and the pawns on the second rank will be massacred bythe White rook. If White had hesitated with a natural move like 17. e4,Black can ease his task by 17...Rd8, as 18. Qc5?? is met by Rxd1 losingthe Queen. } 17... Nd5 18. e4 { The White bishop is now locked in, however, chessis a game of give and take. The Knight on d5 blocks White's pressure downthe d-file and guards against a Rook invasion on c7. Overall, the Whitepieces are doing fine with this move. } 18... Nb6 { 18...Nf6 19. Rc7! } 19. Bf1 { There are no blazing tactics here, so Kasparov reasons that since Blackisn't able to do anything constructive, he will slowly improve all of hispieces. } 19... Re8 20. Rdd1 { Clears the way for the Bishop and is safer on d1. } 20... Rf8 { Black has no other choice but to wait for White to attack. } 21. a3 { Black will not be able to cope with the advance of the Queenside pawns. Once Kasparov gets a pawn to a5, forcing the knight back, Black's defenceswill crumble. } 21... Kg7 22. b3 Kg8 { Black has no moves on the Queenside thatdon't lose a piece. On the Kingside, the Rook and the King can continueto shuffle back and forth, and the Queen can move, but once she does theRook hits c7. } 23. a4 Rd8 { Black tries an active move, but is instantlypunished. } 24. Qc5 { And here Petrosian resigns in the face of 24...Qxc525. Rxd8 Qf8 26. Rxf8 Kxf8 27. Rc7 when Black is menaced with a5 winningthe Knight, and the Kingside pawn structure will collapse after 28. Rxf7. A positional brilliancy by Kasparov. } 1-0

[Event "I hate French, utterly..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "22.04.2012"] [Round "-"] [White "vonbonkagain"] [Black "henryk555"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2047"] [TimeControl "Blitz, 5 mins+10"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { I hate French; the first chance I get, I get rid of it... } 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bg5 { Maximum development: westrive - of course - for Nge2... In fact, we have switched to Queens Gambit,where dxc4 is met with Bxc4... 5. ... Bb4 is going to be very demanding,for black; this is no Nimzo... } 6... O-O 7. Ne2 { I made no illusions about,7. Qb3 Re8+ 8. Be2 Nc6 9. 0-0-0 Be7 10. c5 Ne4 11. Be3... } 7... Be6 { Highlyirregular... I would at least have tried 7. ... dxc4 8. Qa4 a5 9. Qb5 c610. Qxc4, and after that, Be6... True? } 8. c5 { No second chance... After8. Qb3, a5... } 8... b6 { Another strange effort... One would expect 8. ... Re89. Qb3 Nc6 10. a3... } 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. Nxc3 bxc5 11. dxc5 c6 { I would havepreferred 11. ... h6 12. Be3 Ng4 13. Bd4 Nc6 14. Bb5... } 12. Be2 { Strictlyspoken, Qd4 is best... But I wanted it at a4... Blacks queenswing is gettingcramped... } 12... Nbd7 13. O-O { Again, I see no special use for Qd4, h6, Be3... } 13... h6 14. Bh4 { Surprise! We sac a pawn... } 14... Nxc5 15. b4 Ncd7 { Blacks firstreal mistake... After 15. ... d4, white has lots to prove... But thisis blitz... } 16. Na4 { Out of the sleeve... White throws the position outof balance... } 16... Qb8 { Slightly better may be 16. ... a5 17. Qd4 (just now!)g5 18. Bg3... Whites control over b8 gets nasty... } 17. Bg3 { Of course... } 17... Qb7 18. Rb1 { A masterpiece... Now, after 18. Qd4, we get Bf5, renderingb1 useless... We win a crucial tempo... } 18... Rac8 { Incomprehensable... Theleast black can consider, is 18. ... Bf5 19. Rb3... } 19. Nc5 Nxc5 { We gotU! After 19. ... Qb6 20. Bd6 Rfe8 21. Bd3 a5, black has little to worrieabout... } 20. bxc5 Qd7 21. Ba6 { The final blow... White is better... Aswell b6, b7 as b8 are in whites hands... All tough it be, white has nodirect threats, black resigns with 5 minutes on the clock, against 6... } 1-0

[Event "won by pure luck."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.06.04"] [Round "-"] [White "ergosy"] [Black "water123"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1968"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1750"] { hi! this game is a good game played by white, until the end!! } 1. d4 { standard. } 1... Nf6 { standard. } 2. c4 { standard. } 2... e6 { I'm planning to play d5. } 3. Nc3 Bb4 { this is the Nimzo- Indian. } 4. e3 { this is to develop the LSB. } 4... O-O { king safety. } 5. Bd3 d5 { attacking c4. } 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 { now he has a isolated d4 pawn. } 9... Nc6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 Be7 { this helps to guard my knight. } 12. Re1 b6 { this is to go, Bb7. } 13. a3 Bb7 14. Rc1 Rc8 { the fight for the c file begins!! } 15. Ba2 Nd5 16. Nxd5 Bxh4 17. Nf4 { i was hoping for, nxh4. } 17... Bf6 18. Nxe6 { ! this is a good move!!after i take, he takes with his bishop, and takes my rook. } 18... fxe6 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Bxc8 { if i take with the Bishop he goes, rxc6. } 20... Qxc8 21. d5 { icant move my knight due to the threat of rxc8. } 21... Rd8 22. Qb3 Qa8 23. dxc6 Bxc6 { i was thinking about resigning right here. } 24. Ne5 Bxe5 25. Rxe5 Bxg2 { winning a pawn. } 26. Qg3 Bc6 27. Re7 { planning to go qxg7 mate. } 27... Rg8 28. Qg6 { attacking my bishop. } 28... Bf3 29. Rcc7 Qd5 { planning mate myself!! } 30. Qxh6+ { ?????? he thought after i take, he goes rh7 mate. } 30... gxh6+ { check!!!after this he resigned!! hoped you liked the game? please leave commentor two and rate on the star system thanks!!! } 0-1

[Event "tomak's mini-tournament VII"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.24"] [Round "-"] [White "cameron12345"] [Black "savsams"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1677"] [TimeControl "7d+3d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1870"] 1. e4 { I have never had very good results against the sicillian when 2..e6has been played so decided to learn some book against it which i employedwith good effect here. I am sure there is room for improvement with theblack handling of this line as what was played allowed me a pretty finish. } 1... c5 { Standard Start } 2. Nf3 { Natural and considering is played by most ofthe worlds top GM's has to be right } 2... e6 { Against me this has always beena good move as i am never comfortable with the bishop coming to b4. } 3. d4 { Again if it is good enough for the worlds best i should play it. } 3... cxd4 { Natural } 4. Nxd4 { Unlike if black plays d6 i do not have the choice ofQxd4 as Nc6 is just good for black. } 4... Nc6 { Challenging the centre got tobe right for Black } 5. Nc3 { Instead of the text c4 is a choice but i feelstrongly that black gets too much time to counter attack if played so ifeel this is best. } 5... Qc7 { This move i feel is not quite as good as Nf6 furtherchallenging the centre but Qc7 does prevent e5 at some point so has merit. } 6. Be2 { Be2 time to get castled. } 6... Nf6 { Got to be best though i feel themove before is better because then can be combined with Bb4 before i castle. } 7. O-O { Now Bb4 does not have as much bite. } 7... Nxd4 { I understand this movebut also question it. White is castled and ready to start attacking. Blackhas three pieces out but is not ready to castle so the exchange to me iswrong. Bc5 or Bb4 seems more natural. } 8. Qxd4 { Obviously the only move } 8... Bc5 { The point of the previous move so he can castle with tempo. } 9. Qd3 { Not a happy move for the queen but from here she has a lot of optionsand i am ready to connect my rooks } 9... O-O { Natural and best } 10. Bg5 { I wasnot sure what was best here. I considered the move Be3 and if taken wouldtake with my f pawn to free up my rook and was not convinced i could makeit pay. } 10... Qe5 { Good move making my last look silly. Qg3 was a plan but ido not want the queens off the board. } 11. Be3 { I wanted to play f4 butthat is illegal so i had to retreat after his accurate move as taking theknight achieves nothing. } 11... b6 { defending and preparing to develop his bishopwhich is natural and good } 12. f4 { Got to be best. If i am going to getanything in this position i must strike now while his pieces at not ontheir best squares his rooks are not connected and his bishop has not comeout yet. } 12... Qc7 { I think best for him was BxB followed by Qc5 swapping offthe queens } 13. e5 { E5 has to be right as leaves room for the Knight togo to e4 and if Nd5 i take and his pawns are split and isolated with Rad1to follow he would struggle to hold on to the pawn. } 13... Bxe3+ { This seemedsomewhat suspect as he is exchanging his only active pieces and i was happyto see this. } 14. Qxe3 Ne8 { Only move. Again Nd5 would have been suspectas the d pawn would end up on d5 and the game would be decided by whetherhe can defend it enough whilst defending against the threats to his king. } 15. Bd3 { Pointing in the right direction. } 15... g6 { I think he should play Qc5to get off the queens which i know is not great for him but at least heis not being mated. } 16. Rf3 { Ferrying more pieces into the attack. Hiskingside is in big trouble he only has one active defender and all my piecesare on the way to attack. } 16... Ng7 { This seemed natural but after my next itcan clearly be seen that his king has severe problems that Qc5 would solvebut at the cost of the d6 square and probably the pawn on c5 but it wouldbe a fight. } 17. Ne4 { The gaping hole on f6 is very inviting. and preventingQc5 } 17... Nf5 { He is spending far too much time moving this piece. Bb7 is betteras Nf6+Kh8 and after Rh3 the pawn is defended by the Knight on g7 if itneeds to go to h5 and again Qc5 is possible. } 18. Qf2 { Getting ready tocome to h4 if allowed } 18... Bb7 { Natural but too late. I think here he has toplay Kg7 to shuffle the rook to f8 and stop me gaining a tempo with theNF6 check. } 19. Rh3 { All my pieces are ready and waiting to pounce. } 19... h5 { Surely Bxe4 had to be tried as then he has stopped the first wave of theattack. But this is suicide. The king position is already weak this pawnmove loses any flexibility and gives white the time for the following. } 20. Nf6+ { It is time to cash in that tempo } 20... Kg7 { Probably best If he playsKh8 instead the same combination seems to work. } 21. Bxf5 { Get rid of theonly defender! } 21... exf5 { Obviously best as gxB Qg3+ wins easily } 22. Nxh5+ { The problem of h5 is revealed. He does not have a choice but to take it.anyother move and the Knight returns with check and mate follows so.... } 22... gxh5 { An unhappy choice } 23. Qg3+ { Very Strong and he has 3 choices none ofwhich save him. ...Kh8 24.Rxh5++ ...Kh7 24.Rxh5++ ...Kh6 24.Qg5+ Kh725.Rxh5++ so my opponent understandably resigned. The moral if there isone in this game is if you are under attack and if exchanging the queensor your enemies most dangerous attacking pieces will diminish the attackand i think you will agree that i would not have got away with such a simplecheap combo had the queens come off when he had the chance or if he hadtaken the Knight off with his bishop. } 1-0

[Event "ICC 15 0, Internet Chess Club"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.08.21"] [Round "-"] [White "fiddler"] [Black "yoshi"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "2062"] [WhiteElo "1946"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 5. Nc3 { = 5. e3 b6 6. Bxb4 Qxb4+7. Qd2 Qxd2+ is the line prefered by Houdini. } 5... b6 6. a3 { = 6. e3 Bxc37. Bxc3 Ne4 8. Bd3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bb7 10. O-O d6 11. Nd2 Nd7 12. Qc2 Nf6 } 6... Bxc3 7. Bxc3 Ne4 { = } 8. Rc1 Bb7 9. e3 O-O { = } 10. Bd3 f5 { = } 11. O-O d6 12. b4 { = } 12... Nd7 { += 12... Nxc3 13. Rxc3 c5 is a little better. } 13. Nd2 { =+ } 13... Ndf6 { += 13... Nxc3 14. Rxc3 a5 is better. } 14. f3 { = } 14... Nxc3 15. Rxc3 a5 16. c5 { ?? Blunder. -+ } 16... Nd5 17. cxd6 { -+ Now 17... Qg5Is strong. 18. Nb1 (18. f4 Nxf4) (18. Rb3 a4 19. Rb2 Qxe3+) 18... Nxc319. Nxc3 axb4 } 17... cxd6 { -+ } 18. Rb3 { -+ } 18... Nxe3 19. Qb1 Nxf1 20. Bxf1 a4 *

[Event "Slow start ... strong finish. (7/8/2019)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.07.08"] [Round "-"] [White "thehirsutefrog"] [Black "sahuletz"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1571"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1681"] { Disclaimer: The identification of bad moves and suggestions for bettermoves are courtesy of the computer analysis provided by GameKnot. } 1. e4 c5 { Sicilian Defense. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Ne5 { We have justleft the book. } 5. f4 { This leaves him only 2 choices, put the knight backwhere it came from or put it on g6 where it cannot advance for some timeto come. } 5... Ng6 { Putting it back on c6 where it came from was better, butalso an admission that Ne5 was a mistake. } 6. Nc3 e6 7. f5 { Here I wasinspired by an idea that originated with Bobby Fischer. He observed thatin this opening if black's king's knight is developed to f6 there is ashortage of good squares to move it to after that, so harassing it witha pawn can be quite effective. It looked to me like the same was truefor his knight on g6. So in spite of his pawn on e6 I attack with my f-pawn. } 7... exf5 8. exf5 Ne5 9. Bf4 Nc6 { That's the 5th time he's moved that knight... } 10. Nxc6 { ... So I thought after he had invested so many moves inthat one piece it would be a terrible blow to his psyche if I took it. Maybe, but a much better move was Ndb5 threatening to fork his king androok on c7. Probably I did him a favor by preventing that knight fromwasting any more of his time. } 10... bxc6 11. Bd6 { Probably worse than my lastmove. It's all bluff. If he takes the bishop I recapture with my queenmenacing his king. But it's an empty threat because he can put his queenon e7 forcing a trade of queens and he is fine. Perhaps he does not likethe idea of taking the queens off the board this early in the game. } 11... Be7 { I was selling wolf tickets and he was buying. The bluff worked. (B.T.W. bluffing is a good idea in poker, not so much in chess. But sometimesyou get lucky.) } 12. Qe2 { For most of the rest of the game his pinned bishopis the focus of the action. } 12... a5 { This is a mistake. In his defense itis hard for him to develop any of his pieces here. So he is preparingto bring out either his queen's bishop or rook. His other pieces needto stay where they are to defend his pinned bishop. He should have movedhis king to break the pin on his bishop. Of course the bishop would stillbe pinned by my bishop, but he could exchange bishops and get rid of thepin permanently. This requires foregoing castling which he is apparentlyunwilling to do. } 13. O-O-O { Taking care of king safety and adding supportto my dark square bishop all with one move. } 13... a4 { Two wasted pawn moves... } 14. a3 { ...so I reciprocate with an unnecessary pawn move of my own. It'shard to ignore a pawn advancing on your king's fortress, but there is amove that makes that moot ... 14. Qe5 threatening Bc7 trapping his queenas well as Qxg2 picking up the rook in the corner. I had considered itbut rejected it because of 14... f6. Somehow 15. Qg3 totally eluded me(I think I was loath to move my queen off the e-file thus releasing hisbishop from the pin). Also, at the time I didn't see the threat of trappinghis queen, I was just focused on the attack on the g-pawn and the rook. } 14... Ba6 15. Qe3 { Again 15. Qe5 was the correct move. } 15... Bxf1 { His last move wasnot the greatest, but this is worse! He moved his bishop twice to takemy bishop which never moved only to assist me in bringing my rook out ofthe corner. } 16. Rhxf1 Nf6 { He really wants to castle. } 17. Rde1 { Not sofast! Now his bishop on e7 is vulnerable. He has just removed one vitaldefender of the bishop and if he castles he removes another. } 17... Ng8 { Restoringequilibrium on e7, but it's too late. } 18. Qg5 { Resistance is futile... } 18... Nf6 { ...and so overrated. Maybe he didn't notice my attack on his g-pawn. I think he still had hopes of castling. He should have castled 2 movesago and just accepted the loss of his bishop and the exchange that follows(net loss 1 rook). Now he loses much more. More logical would be 18...Kf8 defending the g-pawn, but 19. Rxe7 Nxe7 20. f6 gxf6 Qxf6 and now myqueen threatens mate on f7 and h8! } 19. Qxg7 Rg8 20. Qxf6 Kf8 { Finallyhe moves the king to break the pin on his bishop...almost. } 21. Bxe7+ { Afamily fork. Probably 21. Rxe7 is better because it is threatening Qxf7#so about the only reply is 21... Qxe7 22. Qxe7+ Kg7 23. Be5+ Kh6 24. Qh4#. If after 21. Rxe7 Rg7 to stop Qxf7#, then 22. Rxf7+ (double check) thenif 22... Ke8 23. Rf8# and if 22... Kg8 23. Qxg7#. Still, everything worksout just fine. A queen and a knight are an insurmountable advantage. } 21... Qxe7 22. Rxe7 Rg7 { Here I saw a 4 move checkmate but there was a 3 movecheckmate which I didn't see (23. Rfe1 h5 24. Rxf7+ Rxf7 25. Qh8# or 23.Rfe1 Kg8 24. Re8+ Rxe8 25. Rxe8#). I think my 4 move combination is prettierand much easier to find as all the moves are either forced or a choicebetween checkmate now vs. later. } 23. Rxf7+ { Check! Do you want to becheckmated now (e.g. 23... Kg8 24. Qxg7# or 23... Ke8 24. Qe7#) or later? } 23... Rxf7 { He choses later. } 24. Qh8+ Ke7 { Forced. } 25. Re1+ Kd6 { Again forced. } 26. Qe5# { And checkmate! } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.27"] [Round "-"] [White "armenianboy"] [Black "trango64"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1706"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1171"] 1. e4 { This is always my first move } 1... c5 { thats a good move for black } 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 { here ends the Opening session } 4... cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bc5 6. Be3 Qb6 7. Na4 Qa5+ { i was prepared for this move so i did.... } 8. c3 { this; with this move i defend my king and defend my knight with my queen } 8... Be7 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. b4 Qc7 11. Bd4 Nf6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Bd3 a5 14. O-O axb4 15. Rc1 Ba6 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. cxb4 O-O 18. b5 Raa8 19. b6 Qb7 20. f4 Rfd8 21. e5 Be7 22. Rb1 Ra5 23. Rf3 Rda8 24. Rd3 { i did this so i coulddominate the d file } 24... Rxa4 { i let him take my knight so i could do this... } 25. Rxd7 { this } 25... Bc5+ { he got away with his bishop and checked me } 26. Kh1 { i got away. and im still attacking his queen } 26... Qa6 { he got away } 27. b7 { i wanted to promote } 27... Rf8 28. b8=Q { i wanted him to get my queen } 28... Rxb8 { and he got that } 29. Rxb8+ { i got him with my rook which is a check } 29... Bf8 { he defended it } 30. Rdd8 { so im attacking it twice to mate him } 30... g6 { hemade a gap to escape } 31. Rxf8+ { check! } 31... Kg7 { got away } 32. Rg8+ { check } 32... Kh6 { got away } 33. Ra8 { attacking the queen } 33... Qc4 { got away } 34. Rxa4 { Herei got his rook and he resigned. } 1-0

[Event "Group C final, Skopje Olympiad 1972"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Heikki Westerinen"] [Black "Yukio Miyasaki"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "Japan"] [WhiteElo "Finland"] { Westerinen gains a spatial advantage and pressures Miyasaki's positionuntil he forces a blunder. The game ends rather abruptly. } 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 { By exchanging, Miyasaki gives Westerinen a central edgefor free. } 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ { Westerinen begins clearinglines at once. } 6... Nxf6 { The best recapture. } 7. Bc4 { Westerinen increasesthe pressure with quick development. } 7... c5 { Miyasaka at last tries to freehis game. } 8. O-O { Prudently safeguarding the King befor engaging in complications. } 8... cxd4 { This exchange merely opens more lines for the Finn to use as attackingalleys. } 9. Nxd4 { Now the Knight is powerfully centralized. } 9... a6 { A completelywasted move, giving an extra tempo to Westerinen. } 10. b3 { Preparing toplant the B on the long diagonal, aiming ominously at the King-side. } 10... Bd6 { Miyasaka makes room to castle. } 11. Bb2 { Completing the fianchetto. } 11... Qc7 { Giving himself the pleasure of threatening ...BxP ch. } 12. Kh1 { Dodgingthe 'threat'. } 12... O-O { Removing the K from the center. } 13. Qf3 { Adding morepressure. } 13... e5 { The first mistake. } 14. Nf5 { Focusing on the King. } 14... e4 { Thisdisastrous move costs the game at once. } 15. Nh6+ { Black resigns. If 15...PxN 16 QxN [threatening 17 Q-N7 mate] shatters Black's defenses. 15...K-R1 falls to 16 QxN PxQ 17 QBxP mate. } 1-0

[Event "Slow Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.12.27"] [Round "-"] [White "wisertime"] [Black "cyrano"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2725"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<10d"] [WhiteElo "2129"] 1. e4 { A brilliant game ! I try to anotate although I do not have the level. } 1... c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 { agressive beginning } 4. d4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bf5 { Probablyto avoid 6.Bd3, for black doesn't want to play c4 } 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nbd2 { Enabling8. Bc4 but closing the d file for the queen. Would Na3 have been better? } 7... cxd4 8. Bc4 { The black queen has little place to go and there is a dangerfor black on f7. } 8... dxe3 { Queen sacrifice !? The computer doesn't considerit as a mistake, so that it has to be !! } 9. Bxd5 { Why not accept the gift? } 9... exd2+ 10. Qxd2 { If 10. Nxd2 Nxd2 and material value is equal but blackis better in developpement } 10... O-O-O { Pinning the LSB } 11. c4 e6 { logicalattack } 12. Qf4 { Unpinning the bishop and menacing to exchange bishopsif black plays 13... exd5 } 12... Bb4+ { Just to prevent black to castle } 13. Ke2 { Almost forced } 13... Bd6 { Black wants to send the white queen away from theLSB to take on d5 } 14. Qg5 { Only move to carry on menacing the LSB } 14... h6 { ! sacrifying a pawn } 15. Qxg7 Nh5 { sacrifying another pawn. } 16. Qxf7 { Critical point of the game : White has a strong material advance (partlycompensated by the fact that white will take the LSB) Black's pawn structureis terrible but : White will quickly be out of the center The white kingis extremely weak Black pieces are more active and better connected ( Thewhite queen is alone and in danger) Black has a rook on the central openfile. } 16... Nf4+ 17. Kd1 { White has little other choice (because of black'sbishops) } 17... Rhf8 18. Qg7 { Only square for the queen } 18... exd5 { Finally blacktakes the bishop and is evidently better now because white's rooks areblocked. } 19. c5 { White needs to keep the d5 pawn on the d file to blockblack's d rook } 19... Bc7 { I had trouble to understand this move (19... Bxc5is so tempting and evident). Black probably wants to avoid the pin of hisc knight by the a rook) } 20. Rc1 { freing the rook } 20... Rg8 { Black harassesthe queen again... } 21. Qxh6 { ... and sacrifice a pawn } 21... Nxg2 { Not takingwith the rook, for this menaces fork attack by a further Bf4 } 22. h3 { Toprevent 22... Bg4 pinning the knight. } 22... Bg6 { Again a move that I have hadtrouble to understand but for white 23. Rg1 is not possible fr the whitequeen would be trapped (23... Bf4 and the queen has no escape) } 23. Qd2 { Only safe place for the queen (23.g4 means death because of 23... Bc2+) } 23... Bf4 { Is this move, the reason of19... Bc7, 4 moves ago ? } 24. Qc3 { alternativemove was :24. Qe2 but it would allow 24... Re8 } 24... d4 { Blak carries on harassingthe queen instead of taking the c rook } 25. Qb3 { I was asking myself whynot Qc4. } 25... Bh5 { Now I can see why the white queen is better on the 3rd line. } 26. Kc2 { Not sure about this move. It joins the rooks and white is planningto hide in b1 but masks the c rook and enable black's next move. } 26... d3+ 27. Kb1 Bxc1 { finally black takes the rook. } 28. Qe6+ { desperate counterattack } 28... Kb8 29. Ne5 { Only place to save the knight. } 29... Bf4 30. Nxc6+ bxc6 31. Qxc6 { A good exchange for white. } 31... d2 32. Qb5+ { White is playing for the draw. } 32... Kc7 { If black stays on the 8th line, he is facing perpetual chess } 33. Qa5+ Kc8 34. Qa6+ Kd7 35. Qa4+ { If white takes the a pawn (35. Qxa7+, blackplays 35... Ke8 and the game is over.) } 35... Ke6 { Why not 35... Ke7 ? Probablybecause if 35... Ke7 36.Qe4 Be5 and white has a chance to give perpetualchess... } 36. Rd1 { White sees that he cannot give perpetual chess so thathe has to block the pawn. } 36... Bxd1 37. Qxd1 Ne1 38. c6 { What a brilliant game! I've learned a lot, trying to anotate it. Thanks to both players } 0-1

[Event "Caro-Kann Positional Battle"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.24"] [Round "-"] [White "idiosyncracy"] [Black "chuckbo"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1928"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1933"] 1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 { Here's another variation I'm not familiar with. } 2... d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 { But it looks like it's just transposed to the Exchangevariation. } 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bb5 a6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. O-O e6 { I've gotto get that other bishop out so I can castle. } 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. Qd3 Be7 { Myother choice was c5. I figure I'm going to have to move it eventually,and it would save me a move, but I wasn't comfortable with him tradingand then playing Na4. } 11. Qg3 O-O 12. Bh6 Ne8 13. Na4 Bd6 14. Bf4 Nf6 15. Bg5 Ne4 16. Bxd8 Nxg3 17. fxg3 Raxd8 18. Rae1 f6 { Someday I'm goingto want to get that bishop out, and it won't be on the queenside. He canput a N on c5, and keep the bishop off of a6 and b7. All these pawns blockingthe lines mean that the advantage is with the 2 knights instead of the2 bishops. But if I can hold out, my pair would give me better prospectsin an ending. } 19. Nd3 Rfe8 20. Nac5 Bc8 21. Nb4 Bxc5 { I don't see anychoice on this move, but it's what I was hoping for all along. I givesme two connected passed pawns in the middle that I can start pushing. Mybishop will look weak after it has to go to b7, but I'll chase his knightaway with a5 and then be able to put it on a6 later. } 22. dxc5 Bb7 23. Rf3 a5 24. Nd3 e5 25. Nc1 { Whose minor piece is worse, my bishop or hisknight? I have a feeling that'll make the difference. } 25... Bc8 26. Ra3 Bf5 27. c3 { I think that move's going to cause him lots of trouble. Now hisrook is caught. } 27... Ra8 28. Rb3 Reb8 29. Rf1 Bc2 30. Rxb8+ Rxb8 { He managedto get rid of that weak rook, but it cost him a pawn. } 0-1

[Event "novice1973's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.03"] [Round "-"] [White "grey_panda"] [Black "novice1973"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1275"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1447"] 1. e4 { Revenge Mark 4 Another thumping in the first match. Didn't havemuch hope for this one given the total runaround I'd been given. } 1... b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 g6 4. b3 Bg7 5. Be3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. d5 Ne5 8. f4 Nxd3+ 9. Qxd3 e6 10. dxe6 fxe6 { I have a very bad tendancy against better playersof trying to hedgehog, that is to play defensive. The only snag with thatidea is I'm a lousy def player. What small skill I have is being a nastygit. It usually backfires on me cos my opponent, quite apart from beingbetter, gets much more space to dominate. } 11. Nf3 Nf6 12. e5 Ng4 13. O-O Qc7 14. h3 Nxe5 { That surprised me. } 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. fxe5 Qxe5 17. Nd2 Rf8 18. Rxf8+ Kxf8 19. Rf1+ Ke7 20. Re1 a5 { As did that, expected Q-g3tbh. } 21. Nc4 Qg7 22. Nxb6 { Pawn snaffling again, its such a bad habitof mine. } 22... Rd8 23. Na4 Qe5 24. Bxc5+ { Except sometimes it can work. Especiallywith an exposed attack. } 24... d6 { And in two moves the game changes from mebeing scared stiff to whoa I've got him. I'm not sure what he thought there,whether he was protecting the queen by doing that but..... } 25. Rxe5 { Andnow he is in big trouble and accepts it graciously. Most of my games arelong drawn out affairs (unless I make one of my trademark errors), so fora game to turn so suddenly and dramatically earns this one a place in myfavourites. } 1-0

[Event "Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation mini-tournament II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.08"] [Round "-"] [White "mariolottering"] [Black "last_archimedean"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1333"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1286"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 { An unusual variation of the Ruy Lopez, the Exchange Variation is infrequentlyused but is quite sound. In the words of Dr. Reuben Fine, 'White headsstraight for the end game. Every time a piece is exchanged he is one stepnearer his goal... Theoretically there seems to be little wrong with White'splan, which is why the line can be held quiescent but never made to disappearcompletely.' All the games in the tournanment begin with this position. } 8. Bf4 O-O-O 9. O-O Bc5 10. Nf5 g6 { Of course, since I'm Black I *don't*want to exchange pieces, at least until the Pawn structure is more favorablydisposed towards me in an end game. However, I do wish to drive the Knightfrom the fine square KB5. } 11. Ng3 Nf6 { Pressuring the White KP. } 12. Nc3 Be6 { Clearing the open file for my Rook. } 13. Bg5 Be7 { I must guard theKnight. } 14. e5 Nd5 { Now I centralize it. i realize at least one minorpiece will be exchanged, but I have little choice. } 15. Nxd5 Bxg5 { Nowi have 2 B's against 2 Knights, so if the heavy pieces are exchanged andI end up in an end game that should compensate for my disadvantage in Pawnposition. } 16. Nc3 Bf4 { Focusing my fire on the advanced KP. } 17. Rfe1 Bd2 { Now I can create a Pawn weakness for White... } 18. Red1 Bxc3 { ...whichI do with this exchange. } 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 { White trades down. } 20. bxc3 b6 { I look to exploit White's weakened Q-side Pawns. } 21. h3 Rd2 { The obviousthreat, which for some reason... } 22. a4 Rxc2 { ...White doesn't respondto. I was expecting 22 R-QB1 to preserve material equality. } 23. Ra3 Kd7 { Time to activate... } 24. Kf1 Ke7 { ...and centralize my King. } 25. f4 f6 { Looking to weaken White's K-side Pawns as well. } 26. exf6+ Kxf6 { Whitechooses to exchange. } 27. a5 b5 { I bypass the Pawn push. } 28. Ne2 Bc4 { Itake immediate adavantage of White's tactical error. White resigns, asthe Knight must fall. An abrupt ending to what looked like it was goingto be a long, strategic end game. } 0-1

[Event "CADAP 40 years - group A, ICCF"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2008.09.30"] [Round "-"] [White "Soltau, Achim"] [Black "Brunsek, Iztok"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2578"] [WhiteElo "2625"] 1. Nf3 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. d4 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Qe8 8. d5 a5 9. Be3 Na6 10. Qd2 Ng4 11. Bd4 { Alternative variation: 11. Bf4Nc5 12. h3 Nf6 13. Bh6 Nfe4 } 11... Bh6 12. Ng5 c5 13. dxc6 bxc6 14. Na4 { Alternativevariation: 14. f4 Rb8 15. h3 c5 16. hxg4 cxd4 17. Nb5 fxg4 18. Nxd4 Nc519. Nc6 Rb6 20. Nxa5 Bg7 21. b4 Na6 22. Rab1 h6 23. Ne4 Bf5 24. b5 Nc525. Nxc5 dxc5 26. Bc6 Qf7 27. e4 Bd4+ 28. Rf2 Rxc6 29. Nxc6 Bxf2+ 30. Kxf2Bxe4 31. Re1 Qxc4 32. Ne5 Qa4 33. b6 g5 34. Nd7 Rf5 35. b7 Bxb7 36. Nxc5Rd5 37. Qxd5+ [1-0 Parkkinen,J (2251)-Johansson,J (2134)/Helsinki 2003] } 14... Rb8 15. b3 Nf6 16. Be3 Bg7 17. Rad1 c5 { Tu se spet 'skriva' Iztokovanova ideja! } 18. Qxa5 h6 19. Ne6 Bxe6 20. Qxa6 Bd7 21. Nc3 g5 22. Bd2 f4 23. gxf4 gxf4 24. Nd5 { Alternative variation: 24. Qa5 $5 } 24... Nxd5 25. Bxd5+ Kh8 26. Bf3 Bh3 27. Rfe1 Bd4 28. Kh1 Rf6 { Hm, Iztok has something special up his sleeve. He's carefully planning up to... the end! } 29. Rg1 e5 { Tudita poteza je 'na zelo dolgi rok'! } 30. Bg2 Bg4 31. Bd5 Bxe2 32. Qa7 Qf8 33. Rde1 Bd3 34. Rg2 f3 35. Rg8+ Qxg8 36. Bxg8 Rxg8 { Ribica was delighted, her opponent was completely helpless. 0:1 } 0-1

[Event "Cambridge City Chess Club Friendly - King Hunt!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10.3.97"] [Round "-"] [White "Joanne Stevens"] [Black "Andrew Wilson"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "E1560"] [WhiteElo "1112"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone, I found this game in my old folder. This, I supposeyou could call a king hunt. I did not get to deliver checkmate but I didnet a big material gain as a result of it which did at least force eventualresignation. To put the result of this game into perspective, well,it was my second game against Andrew that evening. It was Andrew's firstevening and he had an estimated BCF rating of 120 - translated into ELOabove. The first game which I played against him as black ended in disasteras follows:- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e4 e5 5. d5 Bb4 6. Qa4 c6 7. Qxb4 cxd5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Qb5 Resigns } 1... g6 2. f4 d6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. d4 { 4. d4 - this is the Austrian Attack which can arisefrom both the Pirc and Robatsch Defense. } 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 c6 6. Be3 O-O 7. Bd3 a5 8. O-O Ng4 { 8. ................. Ng4 - over the last few moves bothsides have got on with developing their pieces. Black plays an aggressivemove but maybe he should have been concentrating on getting his queensidepieces out here. } 9. Bd2 Qb6 10. Kh1 { 10. Kh1 - black has a choice of 2pawns to win here. He chooses the d pawn. } 10... Bxd4 11. Nxd4 Qxd4 12. Qe2 e5 13. f5 gxf5 14. exf5 { 14. exf5 - this pawn exchange has opened up theg file which will have disastrous consequences for black a few moves downthe line. Now, at the moment, whose queen is the aggressive one and whoselooks the passive one? } 14... d5 15. Qe1 e4 16. Be2 e3 17. Bxg4 exd2 18. Qg3 { 18. Qg3 - in the space of a few moves though, things can change a little. } 18... Kh8 19. Qh4 Rg8 20. h3 Ra6 21. Qf2 Rxg4 { 21. ................ Rxg4 - bizarre! Why not Qxf2? } 22. hxg4 Qxg4 23. Qxd2 Qh5+ 24. Kg1 Bxf5 { 24. ..................Bxf5 - restores material equality. } 25. Qd4+ Kg8 26. Rae1 Be6 27. Rf3 Nd7 { 27. ......................... Nd7 - black develops his final piece. } 28. Rg3+ { 28. Rg3 - the king hunt begins. } 28... Kf8 29. Qg7+ Ke8 30. Rge3 c5 31. Nb5 { 31. Nb5 - threatening a deadly knight fork on c7. } 31... Rc6 32. Rxe6+ { 32. Rxe6 - now comes a pseudo-sac. } 32... fxe6 33. Rxe6+ Rxe6 34. Nc7+ Kd8 35. Nxe6+ Kc8 36. Qg8+ { 36. Qg8 !! - this move forces black to give up hisknight. } 36... Nf8 37. Qxf8+ Kd7 38. Nxc5+ Kc6 39. Qc8+ Kb5 40. a4+ { 40. a4 - now an infantryman wades in but my opponent's king still has a flightsquare. } 40... Kc4 41. Nxb7+ Kd4 42. Qc3+ Ke4 43. Nd6+ Kf4 44. Qf3+ Qxf3 45. gxf3 Kxf3 { 45. .................. Kxf3 - I decided to simplify down toa K P ending with me a piece up. } 46. c3 Ke2 47. Nb5 Kd3 48. b4 axb4 49. cxb4 { 49. cxb4 - I now have 2 connected passers but black has a passedd pawn } 49... Kc4 50. Nc7 d4 { 50. ................. d4?? - misses a chance todraw with Kxb4. } 51. a5 d3 52. Kf2 { 52. Kf2 - this d pawn can be stopped. } 52... d2 53. Ke2 Kxb4 54. a6 Kc3 55. Kd1 { 55. Kd1 - after I managed to stop thed pawn crowning black realises he cannot stop Glenda from reappearing,cleaning up the two black pawns and then turning her attention to the enemyking and threw in the sponge. } 1-0

[Event "Entrenamiento Maestros, Arica, Chile"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.01.16"] [Round "-"] [White "Mondaca, Alfredo"] [Black "Gutierrez, Jorge"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1927"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e4 exd5 6. cxd5 a6 7. a4 b6 8. h3 Be7 9. Nf3 Nbd7 10. Bf4 { Alternative variation: 10.Nd2 O-O 11.Nc4 } 10... Qc7 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O Re8 13. Re1 Bf8 14. Bf1 Ne5 15. Nd2 Nfd7 16. Bh2 g5 17. Ra3 Bg7 18. g3 { Alternative variation: 18.Qh5 g4 19.hxg4 Nf6 20.Qh4Nfxg4 } 18... Ng6 { Alternative variation: 18...c4 19.f4 gxf4 20.gxf4 Nd3 21.Bxd3cxd3 22.Kh1 Nc5 } 19. f4 gxf4 20. gxf4 Qd8 { Alternative variation: 20...Kh8 } 21. Nf3 { Alternative variation: 21.Nc4 Qe7 22.Bd3 } 21... Qf6 22. Qd2 Nh4 23. Nxh4 Qxh4 24. Nd1 Nf6 { Alternative variation: 24...Bd4+ 25.Kh1 Nf626.Bg2 Nh5 } 25. Nf2 Nh5 { Alternative variation: 25...Kh8 } 26. f5 Bd4 27. Bg2 { Alternative variation: 27.Rd3 } 27... Qf6 { Alternative variation: 27...Bxf528.Rd3 ( 28.exf5 Qxf2+ 29.Qxf2 Rxe1+ 30.Bf1 Rd8 31.Qxd4 cxd4 32.Rd3Ng7 ) 28...Bg6 29.Bxd6 Rad8 30.Rxd4 cxd4 31.Bh2 Rc8 } 28. Kh1 Bxb2 { Alternative variation: 28...Kh8 29.Ng4 Qe7 30.Nh6 Ra7 31.Bf3 Nf6 } 29. Ng4 Qg7 30. Rb3 { Alternative variation: 30.Nh6+ Kh8 31.Nxf7+ Qxf7 32.Qxb2+Qg7 ( 32...Qf6 33.e5 ) 33.Qxb6 Bxf5 34.Qxd6 Qd4 35.Rae3 Bg6 } 30... Be5 { Alternative variation: 30...Bd4 31.Bxd6 b5 32.e5 Kh8 } 31. Nxe5 dxe5 32. Rxb6 { Alternative variation: 32.Bf3 } 32... f6 { Alternative variation:32...Ng3+ 33.Kg1 Nh5 34.Rc1 Bd7 35.Rxc5 f6 } 33. Bf3 Qf7 34. Bxh5 { Alternativevariation: 34.Rg1+ Ng7 35.Qh6 Ra7 36.Rxf6 } 34... Qxh5 35. Rg1+ Kf7 { Alternativevariation: 35...Kf8 36.Rxf6+ ( 36.Qf2 ) 36...Ke7 37.Rh6 Qf3+38.Rg2 Rg8 39.Rxh7+ } 36. Qg2 Rf8 { Alternative variation: 36...Qh6 37.Bxe5 } 37. Rxf6+ Ke8 38. Rxf8+ Kxf8 39. Qg8+ Ke7 40. Rg7+ 1-0

[Event "The Master Mater Strikes again!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.04"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2217"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1781"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed my previous annotation of TheMaster Mater at work. He is at it again in this game against yours truly. I end up exchanging bishop for knight to bust up his pawn structure. Yes, and I also get rid of his marauding horsies. I felt that inflictinga break up of Freddy's pawn structure would stand me in good stead in theendgame where Freddy is pretty strong. But, although I was out of theopening, there was the middle game to play. Boy, didn't Freddy make fulluse of that g file. Funny, Freddy's opponent had the g file to play withand got nowhere, in fact Freddy made use of it. I can only say that itis because Freddy was so much better developed than NN when the g filewas opened that his attack was so successful. I kick off with d4 for achange as I do play e4 quite frequently. } 1... Nc6 2. Nf3 d6 3. e4 { 3. e4 -Freddy lets me establish a good pawn centre. } 3... Nf6 4. Nc3 { 4. Nc3 - bitlike a 4knights game only there is a black pawn on d6 and not on e5. } 4... g6 { 4. ...... g6 - now it is becoming like a Pirc/Robatsch Defense. } 5. d5 Ne5 6. Nxe5 dxe5 { 6. ....... dxe5 - a knight trade giving Freddy doubledpawns on the e file. } 7. Be2 Bg7 8. Bg5 { 8. Bg5 - I continue to clear thosedecks. } 8... a6 9. Qd2 Qd6 10. O-O { 10. 0-0 - which side shall I castle on,kingside or queenside. Black's queenside looks a little draughty so Ithink he will choose the kingside. Freddy proves me wrong. Like the game'Henry seemed as Safe as Houses' he keeps his king in the middle! He nowmoves his knight to h5 and I play a double edged move which I will discussafter the bishop for knight trade. } 10... Nh5 11. Bxh5 gxh5 { 11. ...... gxh5?!- behold - Freddy's kingside pawn structure is busted. If I can get throughto the endgame then Henry will have the last laugh on Freddy gobbling upthose pawns. The thought was just too tempting. Trouble is, it will nowgive Freddy's heavies a highway to heaven down the g column. Do you thejury think the dubious symbol is fair? } 12. Rab1 h6 13. Be3 { 13. Be3 -Fou Lenoir is driven back. I choose e3 rather than h4 because my dsb willstrike at a7 should Freddy choose to plonk his king there which seems morelikely now that the g column is open - I would not dare to put Henry onthat open g file even with a dsb for a shield. } 13... Bd7 14. f3 { 14. f3 - toprevent Bg4 and to perhaps line up Glenda and Fou Lenoir on that g1-a7diagonal. } 14... h4 15. h3 { 15. h3 - to stop the h pawn from advancing any further. } 15... Qg6 16. Kh1 { 16. Kh1 - sss, here comes the Wicked Witch of the West! Henrymust now sidestep the pin. I was wondering if, paradoxically, Henry wouldhave been better off moving to f2 - but no! The witch can check on g3 andwin the g2 pawn for starters, so it had to be h1 for Henry. That castledposition could become the condemned cell for me pore ole 'enry. } 16... h5 17. Bg5 Rg8 18. Rg1 { 18. Rg1 - I eschew taking the free pawn on h4 in favourof gaining an attacking/defending tempo by moving a rook to g1. In hindsight,I think that that rook should have gone to f2. What do you the jury say? } 18... Bf6 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 { 19. Qxf6 - bishop trade. } 20. Qf2 { 20. Qf2 - addingto the defense but Glenda has her beady eye on that a7 square should Freddy'sking go Oh, Oh, Oh! } 20... Rg6 21. Rbd1 Qg5 22. Rd2 { 22. Rd2 - better to over-protectthan under-protect Henry. So where does the Joblock go wrong now? Hmf,wait and see. } 22... Rb6 23. b3 O-O-O { 23. ........ 0-0-0 - at last Freddy castles. He means to line up another rook on the g file, in fact to triple hisheavies on it. } 24. Nb1 { 24. Nb1? - In retrospect I think the knight shouldhave gone to d1 then e3 to protect g2 yet again. At least it would havedelegated the task of defending that g pawn to a lower value piece. } 24... Rg8 25. c4 { 25. c4 - I begin a pawn roll on the queenside. } 25... Rbg6 26. Kh2 { 26.Kh2?? - the move was well intentioned, Henry tries to add protection tothe h3 pawn. But Henry is not allowed to stay there. Unfortunately thereis nothing covering f4 so the witch can land there immediately giving checkand pushing Henry back to h1. Freddy said I should have played Rd1, thatI am sure would have saved my neck. I could then have pursued my queensidepawn storm. } 26... Qf4+ 27. Kh1 Bxh3 { 27. ...... Bxh3 - steals a pawn due tothe pin on my rook on g1. True the rook on g1 is twice defended, but Glendais too high a value for this task. The worst part of this pawn loss isthat those h pawns of Freddy's suddenly become dangerous! } 28. Qf1 Bd7 29. Re2 { 29. Re2 - I move the rook to the e column. Somehow I think thatc2 might have been better. At least the rook would have been in line withthe BK and I could have gathered a bit of momentum with the pawn roll Istarted. } 29... Rg3 30. Qc1 Qf6 { 30. ...... Qf6 - Freddy refuses to trade queensotherwise there would be no mating attack. } 31. Qe3 h3 32. Qa7 { 32. Qa7- Freddy has already announced mate. Well, if you are going to get checkmatedand you get a chance to play a token move, then do choose the most aggressivemove. At least this reminds Freddy that he has an opponent, even thougha weak one. Glenda threatens mate in one! } 32... Kd8 33. Qb8+ Bc8 { 33. ......Bc8 - oh, if only that lsb was a pawn. That would have been Qb8# and notQb8+. What a difference 2 symbols make! } 34. c5 { 35. c5 - this is as faras my pawn roll is gonna get. Now come the forced moves. Hope you canbear to look! } 34... Qh4 35. Rge1 { 35. Rge1 - will make no difference to theresult. I decided to delay the mate, but somehow the most aggressive tokenmove would have been d6. That would have allowed mate in 1. But now itgets really gruesome. } 35... hxg2+ { 35. ...... hxg2+ - # in 4. } 36. Kg1 { 36.Kg1 - no choice here, double check. } 36... Qh1+ { 36. ..... Qh1+ - # in 3 - vicious! } 37. Kf2 { 37. Kf2 (forced) } 37... g1=Q+ { 37. ....... g1/Q+ - Freddy has the pleasureof getting two queens. } 38. Rxg1 { 38. Rxg1 - the crowned queen is takenbut I now lose both Henry and my rook at the same time. Freddy now playsthe deadening Qxg1#. Back again to the drawing board. } 38... Qxg1# 0-1

[Event "Live Chess, Chess.com"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.01.28"] [Round "-"] [White "yzhao123"] [Black "siciliandragon2013 (Somnath Mukherjee)"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1413"] [TimeControl "10|0"] [WhiteElo "1435"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nbd2 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Bd3 O-O 6. O-O { Alternativevariation: 6. c3 c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. cxd4 Nc6 } 6... Nc6 { Alternative variation:6... c5 7. c3 Qc7 8. Re1 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nc6 } 7. c3 e5 8. Re1 { Alternativevariation: 8. d5 Ne7 9. Re1 Nd7 10. Qe2 Nc5 11. Bc2 } 8... Nh5 9. Nc4 { Alternativevariation: 9. Nb3 Bg4 } 9... Bg4 { Alternative variation: 9... exd4 10. cxd4Nxd4 11. Nxd4 Bxd4 12. Be3 } 10. dxe5 { Alternative variation: 10. d5 Ne711. Be2 (11. h3) (11. Ne3) } 10... dxe5 11. h3 Bc8 { Alternative variation: 11...Be6 12. Bg5 f6 13. Be3 } 12. Bg5 Qe8 { Alternative variation: 12... f6 13.Be3 } 13. Qd2 Nd8 { Alternative variation: 13... Be6 14. Rad1 f6 15. Be3 } 14. Bh6 { Alternative variation: 14. Bxd8 Qxd8 15. Ncxe5 } 14... Nf4 { Alternativevariation: 14... Bxh6 15. Qxh6 f6 } 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Bc2 { Alternativevariation: 16. Ncxe5 Nxd3 17. Nxd3 Qe7 (17... Ne6) } 16... f6 17. h4 { Alternativevariation: 17. Ne3 Be6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Qb5 } 17... Qe6 { Alternative variation:17... Be6 18. Ne3 Nf7 } 18. Bb3 { Alternative variation: 18. Ne3 Nf7 19.Bb3 } 18... Nxg2 19. Ne3 { Alternative variation: 19. Kxg2 Qh3+ 20. Kg1 Qxf3 21.Qe3 Qh5 Alternative variation: 19. Rec1 Qh3 20. Ne3 Nf4 21. Bd1 Nf7 } 19... Qh3 { Alternative variation: 19... Nxe1 20. Nxe1 (20. Bxe6 Nxf3+) 20... Qh321. N1g2 Nf7 } 20. Nxg2 Qxf3 21. Re3 { Alternative variation: 21. Qd1 Qg4Alternative variation: 21. Bd1 Qh3 22. Re3 Qd7 } 21... Qg4 { Alternative variation:21... Qh5 22. Bd1 Qh6 23. Rd3 Be6 } 22. Rd1 { Alternative variation: 22.Rae1 Qh5 (22... Nf7) } 22... Ne6 23. Qd5 { Alternative variation: 23. f3 Qh5 } 23... Nf4 24. Rg3 Qxg3 { Alternative variation: 24... Ne2+ 25. Kh2 Nxg3 26. fxg3Qh3+ 27. Kg1 Qxg3 28. Rd3 Qg4 Alternative variation: 24... Nxd5 25. Rxg4Bxg4 26. Rxd5 c6 } 25. fxg3 { Alternative variation: 25. Qd7+ Bxd7 26. Rxd7+Kh6 27. fxg3 Nxg2 28. Kxg2 Rac8 } 25... Nxd5 26. exd5 Bg4 27. Rd2 Rae8 28. Ne3 Bd7 29. d6 e4 { Alternative variation: 29... cxd6 30. Bd5 (30. Nc4) (30.Rxd6) } 30. dxc7 Bc8 { Alternative variation: 30... Bc6 31. Ng2 (31. Nd5Bxd5 32. Bxd5 Re7) 31... Re7 } 31. Ba4 Re7 32. Nd5 e3 { Alternative variation:32... Re5 33. c4 h5 (33... g5) (33... e3) } 33. Re2 Re5 0-1

[Event "Challenge from lfguzman"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.11.02"] [Round "-"] [White "lfguzman"] [Black "pawnstar211"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1606"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1482"] 1. e4 { This is a game I am proud of, as it is the first one I have won against my friend Pawnstar211 with whom I have played three hands and who has proven to be a great player. My move was e4, as I usually do in the 95% of the hands I play with the pieces. } 1... e6 2. d4 { mi adversariohizo la francesa, por lo que opte por controlar el centro con ambos peones. } 2... Nf6 3. e5 { I consider that my friend made mistakes too early by galloping with the horse f6 after that sortie I made. Then take advantage of the opportunity to make him lose time. } 3... Nd5 4. c4 Nb6 5. c5 Nd5 { I had control of the center with my pawns, even though it was later, when I had only one pawn. } 6. Nf3 { Es hora desacar la artillería pesada. para respaldo de las tropas que van delante. } 6... b6 7. Bc4 bxc5 { I am taking advantage of the time while he is trying to liberate his pawns. As you can see at the seventh move, it appears that I have played several consecutive times without allowing him to move. } 8. Bxd5 exd5 9. Nc3 { Instead of exchanging my knight on c4 for a pawn (in 8. Bxd5 exd5), I am capitalizing on the time advantage I have by leaving my opponent without important pieces in the center and having my two horses already developed. } 9... c6 10. Bf4 { In his ninth move, he had to defend his pawn d5 with c6, another pawn capture of my opponent which is used once again by me to continue my development. With my knight to f4. } 10... d6 11. O-O { This time my pawn has been searching for a way to open the diagonal for his knight on d6 while I propose the exchange of my pawn on e5. Once again I have failed to take advantage of the opportunity to continue my development by capturing. } 11... Bg4 12. h3 { At this point, I thought he could opt for the sacrifice of his knight for my pawn h3 to weaken the defense of my king, this was a sacrifice that I would have accepted immediately since I had the advantage of time. } 12... Bh5 { I rejected the change, and decided to manage the risk that this knight on h5 represents since I don't want to open my defense on mirey. } 13. dxc5 dxc5 { Empiezo a despejar las columnas centrales para mistorres. } 14. Qb3 { This was not an error. Instead, it was a calculated risk I took to put my queen on b7 if he chooses to capture my horse. } 14... Bxf3 15. gxf3 { Indeed, I opted for the capture of the horse. The move 15. gxf3? was bad as it exposed my king and did not take advantage of the time I had to do what I had originally conceived, which was to lower my queen with Qb7. } 15... Qh4 { Debilidad aprovechada. Mi adversario se dispuso a atacar la vulnerabilidadcreada, atacando mi alfil, mi peón en h3 y mas tarde probablemente mi rey. } 16. Qb7 { I noticed he was at least two times behind in giving me check, so I went for his tower. } 16... Qxf4 17. Qxa8 { Indeed, my knight was captured and you also lost your tower. For me, it was a good deal. Since I also have my queen on a checkmate-able move. } 17... Be7 { Be7?? } 18. Qxb8+ { Capturo su caballo,Jaque. } 18... Bd8 { A partir de aquí mi misión era evitar su enroque. } 19. Qd6 { Asi lo hice. } 19... Be7 20. Qxc6+ { Trató de cubrir la diagonal con su alfilpara enrocarse pero eso solo aceleró el mate. } 20... Kd8 21. Qxd5+ { Jaque, liberandola columna D. } 21... Ke8 22. Qc6+ { Jaque Mate 2 en si juega kf8. } 22... Kf8 23. Qc8+ { He did this and the checkmate was in the next move if he didn't surrender before, as effectively he did. I'm filled with satisfaction to have won in 23 moves against such a good opponent, although this hand is not exactly the best performance. To those who doubt their ability I invite them to reteat. } 1-0

[Event "Why not? :-)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.03"] [Round "-"] [White "thehellion"] [Black "urnesthemingouey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1559"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1345"] 1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 d5 4. Bb5 Nf6 5. Bxe5 { I aim to 'keep the drawin hand' from this point on. Even though it's an unrated game, a draw againstsomeone 200 points higher than me would be most acceptable. A win wouldbe even better, but a draw would be fine. } 5... Bd6 6. Bxd6 Qxd6 7. Nf3 { Bothof us are ready to castle. } 7... O-O 8. O-O a6 9. Be2 h6 10. c4 { I want to ensureI don't get squeezed on the Q-side. } 10... Bf5 11. cxd5 Qxd5 12. Nc3 { Aimingto drive back the centralized Queen. } 12... Qd6 13. d4 g5 14. Ne1 { I aim to repositionmy Knight. } 14... Kg7 15. Bd3 Bxd3 16. Nxd3 { The more pieces that are exchangedoff, the less chance I have of losing. } 16... Nd5 17. Nxd5 Qxd5 18. Rc1 f5 19. h3 { To create an air hole for the King and prevent my opponent's Pawnsfrom surging too far forward on the K side. } 19... Rf7 20. Rc5 Qd6 21. Ne5 { Lookingto exchange off another piece. } 21... Nxe5 22. Rxe5 b6 23. Qc2 { Focusing on theweakened Pawn at KB4. If I can get up a second Pawn, I can shift the gamefrom 'drawish' to 'probable win'. } 23... Kg6 24. g4 Raf8 25. gxf5+ { My opponenthas successfully defended the Pawn, but I see a chance to trade off theheavy artillery. } 25... Rxf5 26. Rxf5 Rxf5 27. f4 { If I can play PxP, I canadd an attacker to the pinned Rook. } 27... Qe6 28. Qd3 { First I have to defendmy own Pawn. } 28... Kf6 29. fxg5+ { Here we go. Time to vaporize the pieces andkill off any Black winning chances. } 29... hxg5 30. Rxf5+ Qxf5 31. Qxf5+ { Missionaccomplished. Now I have a draw, and if Black mishandles the endgame, Ican get a win out of it. } 31... Kxf5 32. Kf2 Ke4 33. Ke2 { Now it's a battle forthe Opposition. } 33... a5 34. a3 b5 35. b4 axb4 36. axb4 { Which he wins, havingone more Pawn move in reserve. } 36... c6 37. Kf2 Kd3 38. Kf3 { I calculate thathe can't beat me in the race to Queen. } 38... Kc4 39. Kg4 Kxb4 40. Kxg5 Kc4 41. h4 { We will both Queen simultaneously. } 41... b4 42. h5 b3 43. h6 b2 44. h7 b1=Q 45. h8=Q Qg1+ 46. Kf4 { Draw agreed. Even though I'm a pawn up, with anopen board and a Queen on each side the perpetual check looms. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "A clean blitz win against a 2000 player"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.01"] [Round "-"] [White "Player"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "3/10"] { Unexpectedly, I had a goog game against a strong player. It was blitz,so players doesn't pay all the attention they should, sometimes. For thatreason, I thought it was better to erase the player's name, just in casehe may be concerned about others seein a loss against a lower rated player.I think I will do that from now on. } 1. e4 d5 { Scandinavian, my favourite. } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 { As is expected from higher-rated players, my oppdoesn't go for the naive Nc3 - which is good, but I am used to play againstit. } 3... Bg4 4. Be2 Nf6 5. c4 { A good one for white in this scheme. } 5... Qa5 { Preventing white to move d4 for a moment, and a step toward Qc2. } 6. Nc3 c6 { Necessary to control knight's jumps to the 5th rank. } 7. O-O Nbd7 8. d4 { Strong and normally enough to win. } 8... e6 { At this point, white's movesare d5 or Bf4. } 9. Bd2 Qc7 { At last. Now the black diagonal is covered. } 10. h3 { Natural, but... } 10... h5 { This is the best part of a 'my' Scandinavian. } 11. hxg4 { White takes the bait! } 11... hxg4 { Black recovers the piece becauseof Qh2# } 12. Ne5 { Only defence. } 12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 Qxe5 { Renewing the threat. } 14. f4 Qh5 { Renewing the threat. I think it is better than c5+ at once. } 15. Kf2 { The only move. } 15... Bc5+ { Now it is lethal. } 16. Be3 Qh4+ { Notg3+, since after Ke1 the white king is almost shielded. } 17. g3 Qh2+ 18. Ke1 { Black can recover the piece here, but I like to attack. Chess is aboutit. } 18... Qxg3+ 19. Bf2 Bxf2+ 20. Rxf2 Rh1+ 21. Bf1 { White is struggling toshield his king. } 21... Rd8 22. Qe2 Rd3 { I think it was the right way to goon with the attack, threatening Re3. } 23. Qxd3 { I think white gave upthe game here, in a certain way. } 23... Qxd3 { Or it was a simple overlook thatthe bishop is pinned. Anyway, black was even in material (now with a hugeadvantage) even before the queen's sac. } 24. Rd1 Qe3+ 25. Ne2 Ne4 { Org3. } 26. Rg2 g3 { What can white do? } 27. Rd4 { Nice, white wants to furtherexchange material in order to free his position. } 27... c5 { Giving him a push,just to be sure. } 28. Rxe4 Qxe4 { White can take the g3 pawn, now. } 29. Rxg3 { But it doesn't work. } 29... Qb1+ 30. Kd2 Rxf1 { Or Qxb2+. But black isconfident the game is won. } 31. Rb3 Qe1+ { After Kmoves, black has plentyof ways to further exchange material and win, so my opponent resigned. } 0-1

[Event "Orangutan Research II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.09.26"] [Round "-"] [White "fccrue"] [Black "ofiuco"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1243"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "977"] 1. b4 e5 { Orangutan (also sokolsky) } 2. d4 e4 { A rare center. B4 is important,needs to be protected man } 3. e3 Bxb4+ { Gives awat control, no no, no,b4 its really important! } 4. c3 Bd6 5. c4 Qh4 6. g3 Qh6 { Lost a tempo bywhite, its true but not a bad position for queen i think } 7. Nc3 Nf6 { Centrenot solve, white going for c5 its not bad } 8. c5 Be7 9. f4 { White pushes } 9... g6 10. Rb1 c6 11. Bg2 d5 { Black formed a stair wich contains white, i thinkthis is the true winning of the game } 12. Bb2 Ng4 13. h3 { Now this knightits going to be a trouble } 13... Nxe3 14. Qe2 Nc4 15. h4 Qg7 16. Rd1 Bf6 17. Nb1 Na6 { A new picture, white its a masive defender of the king, not asingle piece attacks } 18. Qc2 O-O 19. Nc3 { Mistake, Bd4 } 19... Bxd4 20. Nce2 { Bb2 for another +3 } 20... Bxb2 21. Rb1 Nxc5 22. Rh2 Bf6 23. Nh3 Na3 { What cani say } 24. Qxc5 Nxb1 25. Qd6 Bg4 26. Ng5 Bc3+ { Its an open space mate,really good looking } 27. Kd1 Qd4+ 28. Kc2 Qd2+ { Savage attack, this gota hurt } 29. Kxb1 Qb2# { Thanks! } 0-1

[Event "The sort of Queen's Gambit Decline"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "06-Nov-07"] [Round "-"] [White "freeman8201"] [Black "cfgg"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1602"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1508"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 Nc6 { !?Odd defense. What do you call this? I think it iscalled the Mexican attack or the bogo? } 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 d5 5. Nc3 Bd6 { Asort of Queen's gambit decline if you will. The knight on c6 is ugly andhis bishop is hemmed in by its own pawn } 6. Qc2 dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 8. a4 Nb4 9. Qb1 h6 10. Ne4 O-O { ? he should have played c5 disputing the center } 11. Nxd6 { giving me the chance to exchange } 11... cxd6 12. Bd2 Nbd5 13. g4 { !!!The gambit after the Queen's gambit! This is my winning move. The restof the game is a matter of Technique. Now I am not being cocky and of courseblack can still win. } 13... Nxg4 { accepting the gambit } 14. Rg1 h5 15. h3 Qf6 16. Ke2 { !!! of course not resetting my bishop to e2 } 16... Nh6 17. Qd3 { Queend3 is safe now due to bishop d2 } 17... Nb6 18. Bb3 d5 19. Rg2 { preparing to playrook a1;g1 } 19... Kh8 { ?? Could he have a made a better attack or defensive move? } 20. Bc2 Qf5 { ??? The losing move for black } 21. Qa3 Qxc2 22. Qxf8+ { Noticethat I had connected rooks and his c8 bishop was still undeveloped blockingin his rook on a8. Had he develop this attack would have been nullified } 1-0

[Event "French Defense"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Alekhine"] [Black "Gregoriev"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. exf6 hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8 8. h4 gxh4 9. Qg4 Be7 10. g3 c5 11. gxh4 cxd4 12. h5 { 12. h5! trying tosecure the 2 pawns forward in order to secure an exchange } 12... dxc3 13. h6 cxb2 14. Rb1 Qa5+ 15. Ke2 Qxa2 16. h7 Qxb1 17. hxg8=Q+ Kd7 18. Qxf7 Qxc2+ 19. Kf3 Nc6 20. Qgxe6+ Kc7 21. Qf4+ Kb6 22. Qee3+ Bc5 23. g8=Q b1=Q 24. Rh6 { Pinning the knight } 24... Qxf1 25. Qb4+ Qb5 26. Qd8+ Ka6 27. Qea3+ Qa5 { Fromhere, all three Queens can checkmate at a5 } 1-0

[Event "Is Damiano's Defense playable?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.02.14"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "chrisforbes21"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1175"] [TimeControl "5d+5d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1933"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! It has been a while since I annotated a game. I willcopy this into both David Patron's and Charleshiggie's group for both Mentorsto read and I will also create a thread about Damiano's Defense in my UnusualOpenings Series. In this game, for black, it all ends quickly - alas forhim in my favour. So how did this happen? Well, just sit back and watch..... } 1... e5 2. Nf3 f6 { 2. ..... f6?! - this is the move which characterisesthe Damiano's Defense. Damiano analysed this move in the 1500s and hewas far from happy with the outcome. This opening, however, as a resultof this demo, became permanently associated with this unfortunate Italiandude. } 3. Nxe5 { 3. Nxe5 - this is Damiano's Gambit. If it is accepted,then you have three choices. 1. Drop the exchange, 2. Play into a linecalled the Five Pawns Gambit - funnily enough there was an expert calledSam Sloan who managed to win the game playing black despite being 5 pawnsadrift, or c. run into Old Matey. Hmm, I don't think any of these choicesare palatable although I will show you the link below of Sam Sloan's victorywith the 5 pawns gambit. } 3... d5 { 3. ..... d5 - an unusual response to my sacrifice. He doesn't take the knight, but this move is just as bad. Better is theMacgregor/Chigorin Variation with 3. .... Qe7. At least this gets thepawn back but it does leave the Wicked Witch of the West a little vulnerable,particularly after white castles as you will see in my game 'Damiano'sDefanged' against dmaestro. As a result of this d5 move, Chris is nowgonna get a visit from Glenda! } 4. Qh5+ { 4. Qh5+ - CHEEEECK! - In she comeson her broomstick! Suddenly Chris' king is in Old Matey's shadow. Glendais eagerly eyeing up f7, the Scholar's Mate square. Black does have adefense, however, and that is either Ke7 or g6. Chris chooses the latter. } 4... g6 5. Nxg6 { 5. Nxg6 - but now comes another sacrifice. Chris can eitherlose a whole rook or the exchange as the rook on h8 is trapped in the corner. Chris accepts the sac and drops the exchange. } 5... hxg6 6. Qxh8 { 6. Qxh8 -so, where a black rook should be, at this stage of the opening, is Glenda! Now the knight on g1 is in danger of being picked off. } 6... Ne7 7. d4 { 7.d4 - I know that my development is a little slow here, but at least thismove clears the path for Fou Lenor to come to h6 and exploit the pin onblack's dsb on f8. } 7... Nbc6 8. Bh6 { 8. Bh6 - voila! } 8... Nxd4 { 8. ..... Nxd4 -black attempts some counterplay by threatening a fork on c2. However,it is my turn to move and now Glenda creates mayhem. } 9. Qxf8+ { 9. Qxf8+- now isn't this cosy?! Chris's king sure is one lucky bloke - he is neatlysandwiched between two ladies! But one of those ladies, Glenda, is deadlyto him! The BK must now start running for his life. } 9... Kd7 10. Qxd8+ { 10.Qxd8+ - I would have liked to have kept the queens on the board, but Glendahas no other checking move than to take off the Witch and lose her ownlife in exchange. Any non-checking move from Glenda will result in thatfork on c2. I could leave her where she is because at least she is defendedby Fou Lenoir after I play Na3. Still, now that I am a rook up it is betterto trade the remaining major pieces. } 10... Kxd8 11. Na3 { 11. Na3 - stops thefork and develops a piece. I am now ready to castle queenside. When thequeens are off and I get the option of castling, I usually prefer to putHenry on the queenside, keeping all options open. } 11... f5 12. exd5 { 12. exd5- I now offer up a pawn. Black accepts but this one is laced with poison. } 12... Nxd5 13. O-O-O { 13. 0-0-0 - I finally manage to castle and this move promptsimmediate resignation from my opponent on the grounds of ruinous loss ofmaterial. Both black knights are skewered by my rook and only one canbe saved. 13. ..... c5 does not cut the mustard because I can still winthe knight on d4 with the pawn stab, c3. Black already 6 points down inmaterial will therefore be the equivalent of a whole queen behind. Chrisdecided that was just too much. Ah well, time to create that thread! } 1-0

[Event "Always pay attention to your defence!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "blackrook11"] [Black "icf ijo lumut "] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1560"] [WhiteElo "1572"] { Despite being two pawns down, I still managed to pawn storm my opponentcastled position and even sacrificed a rook(well kinda).... Enjoy! } 1. e4 c5 { The sicilian defence. I think this is the best response to 1.e4but that's just my personal opinion } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 { Hmm this isn't so popular. Common alternatives are 2.e6, d6 or Nf6 } 5. Qxd4 b6 { This isn't commom either. I expected d6 or e6 } 6. Nc3 Bb7 7. Be3 e6 8. f3 { Logical development so far. I have a yugoslav kinda setup.I planned to castle queenside and pawn storm my opponent kingside if hecastled there } 8... Bc5 9. Qd2 Bxe3 10. Qxe3 { ... } 10... Ne7 11. h4 O-O 12. g4 { Andthe pawn march begins! } 12... d5 13. O-O-O { While I attack my opponent's kingside,he begins a central counter attack. This is usually a good idea if onewants to have counterplay whatsoever } 13... Qc7 14. e5 { It was from here I beganto drift a little. This losses a pawn I think } 14... Nc6 15. Qg1 { ?! Like Isaid earlier, my play began to dwindle. The queen supports a g-pawn pushbut the rook would have been better suited for the job } 15... Qxe5 16. g5 Rad8 17. Bd3 { I would need all my pieces in the attack if I want it to be successful } 17... Nb4 18. a3 Nxd3+ { That bishop was just too powerful on that diagonalto ignore. Besides retreating the knight would have lost valuable tempo } 19. Rxd3 Qf4+ 20. Kb1 Ba6 { White tries to force the rook to leave the defenceof the f-pawn. Retreating to e3 only encourages white to play d4 whichwould win a piece } 21. Ne2 Qf5 22. Rd2 Bxe2 23. Rxe2 Qxf3 { White nabsa second pawn... Its now do or die for me because if this game reachesan end-game, white's two extra pawns should be decisive.. } 24. Rg2 { I hada hard time deciding whether to put this rook on g2 or h2. It turned outthis rook would be the brave soldier that would save the black nation } 24... Rc8 25. h5 { Like I said, its do or die } 25... d4 26. g6 fxg6 27. h6 { ! A pawnsacrifice to fully open the g and h files for me. } 27... gxh6 28. Rxh6 { It wasimmediately after I played this move I realised that Rxg6+! Was far better.If he played Kh8 then Qxd4+ puts black in serious trouble. Playing hxg6fails to Qxg6 Kh8 Rxh6# } 28... d3 { This turned out to be blacks losing move.He should have payed more attention to his defence. Now I breakthroughby force } 29. Rgxg6+ { ! Solid. My opponent can't take the rook as Qxg6would be checkmate } 29... Kh8 { The best place for the king as Kf7 losses to(30. Kf7 31. Rxh7+ Ke8 32. Rxe6+ Kd8 33. Qd4+ Qd5 34. Qxd5# } 30. Qd4+ { Now black must lose a piece } 30... Rf6 31. Rxf6 { ! Gaining tempo on the queenwhile threatening Rf8# if black is careless. I was tempted to trade queensbut it would have led to Qxf6 Qxf6 Rxf6 d2.... Where I would have beenforced to give up my extra rook to prevent black from queening } 31... dxc2+ { Myopponent finds the best complication on board! Now where would the kinggo??? } 32. Kc1 { The best place for the king as 32. Ka1 leads to (c1=Q+33 ka2 Qc4+) where black trades queen while he still has an extra queenon board. 32. Ka2 leads to [c1=N+ (33. Ka1 Nb3+) (33. Kb2 Qd3+ and he isdown the exchange but he has a passed pawn on e6 and still has fightingchances. } 32... Qd1+ 33. Qxd1 cxd1=Q+ 34. Kxd1 Kg7 { This move would have puta bind on my two rooks if the e6-pawn wasn't hanging } 35. Rxe6 Rc7 36. Rc6 Rd7+ 37. Rhd6 Rf7 { Now I just have to find a way to double rooks onthe d-file and play Rd7 to force an exchange of rooks } 38. Rc8 h5 39. Rcd8 h4 40. R8d7 { Now the trade is forced. } 40... h3 41. Rxf7+ { Now my opponentresigns as after he recaptures, 42. Rh8 wins the passed pawn. The gamewas a well fought from both sides but I think black would have won hadhe payed a little more attention to his kingside... } *

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.12"] [Round "-"] [White "yttrio"] [Black "bssm"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1777"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1793"] 1. e4 { This is a game with one of my favorite combinations I've playedon GameKnot. I'll skip the opening analysis for the most part and focuson the end of the game. Enjoy. } 1... Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 { Alekhine's Defense, modern, Flohr variation Rather than capturing thepawn on e5, black chooses to attack the knight on f3, which white unpins. } 5... e6 6. O-O Nc6 7. c4 Nb6 8. exd6 cxd6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. d5 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Ne5 12. dxe6 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 fxe6 14. Re1 { Probably a mistake, since black cannow defend both pawns with one move. The immediate Qxb7 is probably best. } 14... Qd7 15. b3 O-O-O { This move sets up the ever-interesting scenario of opposite-sidedcastling, so this game will probably be decided by whose attack is faster. } 16. Be3 Rdf8 17. Qe4 { This sets up the threat of winning a pawn with 18.Bxb6 axb6 19. Qxe6 } 17... Bf6 { Black is able to stall the threat; however, blockingoff the half-open f-file is is probably not the best idea. } 18. Rac1 Kb8 { Apparently, black overlooked the threat of white winning a pawn. } 19. Bxb6 axb6 20. Qxe6 Qc6 { Being a pawn down with worse structure, avoidingthe queen trade is preferable for black. } 21. Nb5 { This was probably thefirst critical decision of the game, whether to bring the knight to b5or d5. Centralizing the knight with d5 is the move that most players wouldprefer, but I actually like the knight in more direct opposition of theenemy king. By controlling both a7 and c7, the black king is now potentiallyvulnerable to back-rank checkmates if one of the black rooks comes offthe back rank. This move also has the benefit of directly threateningthe pawn on d6. } 21... Be5 { The most logical defense of the pawn, as black nowhas three pieces aimed at white's king. } 22. Rcd1 { Continuing to pressurethe weak pawn on d6. } 22... Rf6 { Gaining the ability to double the rooks withtempo against the white queen. } 23. Qd5 Rhf8 { Black has a dangerous-lookingsetup, but white actually can force a win in this position. The firstsequence is relatively obvious, but can you find the follow-up move aswell? } 24. Rxe5 { ! This move just begs to be played. If black plays anythingexcept dxe5, white will simply be able to go a piece up, having a winninggame. Note that if 24. ... Qxd5, then 25. Rexd5. } 24... dxe5 25. Qxe5+ Ka8 { If25. ...Rd6, then 26. Qxd6 Qxd6 27. Nxd6, leaving white a piece up. If 25....Kc8, then there is the very aesthetic 26. Na7#. Nc7+ will most likelylead to a draw, as the black king can shuffle between a6, a7, and a8 whilethe rooks and queen counterattack. With that in mind, white is able toforce a win in this position. Can you find it? } 26. Qe7 { !! Other attemptsfail to moves such as 26) ... Qc5 or Rxf2 There is a nice double-threatfrom Qe7. The first is 27) Qa3+ Kb8 28) Qa7+ Kc8 29) Qa8+. Note thatif white tried to approach a3 via b2 instead, then black would be ableto stop the threat with 26) ... Qc5. With the white queen on e7, however,the second threat comes into play. If black now tries to defend with 26)... Qc5, then 27) Rd8+ Rxd8 28) Qxd8+ Qc8 29) Qxc8#. Note that if 27)... Qc8, then 28) Qa3+ Kb8 29) Qa7#. Finally, if black tries to defendwith 26) ... Kb8, then white still plays 27) Qa3, as there is no way forblack to stop Qa7+ and Qa8# without drastic loss of material, as the knightand rook perfectly lock in the black king. The particularly interestingbit about this entire combination is that it all hinged on the decisionto move the knight to b5 rather than d5. } 26... Rc8 { Black apparently doesn'tsee the threat of Qa3+. } 27. Qa3+ { Black resigns, since 27) ... Kb8 28)Qa7# is unavoidable. } 1-0

[Event "Can I join you (Team)?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "04-Sep-08"] [Round "-"] [White "andy94"] [Black "jarv-the-dog"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1264"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1397"] { This is me against my captain Jarv-the-dog. I was white and he was black. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 { Ruy Lopez } 4. Bxc6 { and i take his knight } 4... dxc6 5. d4 f6 6. c3 exd4 7. cxd4 Bg4 { black pins my knight, but, in thismoment, my d4 pawn is not in danger cause 8.h3 B:f3 9.g:f3. But.. } 8. Be3 { i choose to defend it anyway. } 8... Bb4+ 9. Bd2 a5 10. Bxb4 axb4 { bishops off } 11. Qd2 { Qd2 is a mistake (i think) } 11... b3 12. a3 Ra4 13. d5 Rxe4+ 14. Kf1 Qxd5 15. Qxd5 cxd5 { queens are off } 16. Nbd2 { and i take a pawn } 16... Re6 17. Rc1 { i try... } 17... c6 18. Nxb3 Ne7 19. Nbd4 Re4 20. Rd1 c5 21. Nb5 { C'MON KNIGHT! } 21... O-O 22. h3 Bxf3 23. gxf3 Rf4 24. Kg2 g5 { he pushes his pawn } 25. Rhe1 Kf7 { 25...Kf7?? ahahahahh } 26. Nd6+ { and his knight's out } 26... Kg6 27. Rxe7 b5 28. Rxd5 Rd8 { and i'm a knight up } 29. Re6 Rd4 30. Rxd4 cxd4 31. Nxb5 d3 32. Re1 d2 33. Rd1 { and his pawn's out too } 33... Rd5 34. Nc3 Rd6 35. Ne4 Rd4 36. Nxd2 f5 37. b4 f4 38. b5 Ra4 39. Ra1 Kf5 40. b6 Rd4 41. b7 { b7 andhe resign! i've beat my team captain!!! please comment!!! } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.10.15"] [Round "-"] [White "dsb13"] [Black "muncaster"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1528"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1827"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 { I thought that I'd try something new. I've triedpretty much everything against the French over the years. The King's IndianAttack with 2. d3 is fine but if Black exchanges on e4 it's hard to makemuch of it for White. 3. Nd2 c5 didn't agree with me, and 3. Nc3 Nf6 (andparticularly 4. Bg5 Bb4) didn't much either. I won some lovely short gamesin the Winawer and played 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nge2 with some success when itwas fashionable, but never this. Hey ho. } 3... c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nh6 { Didn'tsee that coming. Surely it can't be good? According to the World database, Black is scoring well in this line. } 6. Bxh6 gxh6 { An interestingreversal of the normal French strategy - White gives up the bishop pairto spoil Black's pawn structure. Can Black use the g-file? } 7. dxc5 { Ithink that this is a sensible move here - Be2, Bd3 and a3 look a bit insipidto me (and Black is scoring well there, again according to our trusty GKWorld Database). Black's last suggests that he might want to play Bg7,so let's make him make a choice. } 7... Bxc5 8. b4 Bf8 { Is Bb6 better? After9. b5, Black is still going backwards. } 9. Bb5 Bd7 { 9. ... Bg7 10. 0-00-0 potentially leaves the Black king exposed if he ever wants to play... f6 to attack the e5 pawn, but I would have thought that the Bishopwants to be on the a6-f1 diagonal. } 10. Bxc6 Bxc6 11. a4 { So White hasthe knight pair to Black's two bishops, space on the Q-side, the e5 pawnmight be a thorn in the Black position (and note that now he no longerhas any knights, attacking it is not straight-forward, and the Black kingis going to have to find a home. } 11... Rg8 12. b5 Bd7 13. O-O Be7 { Both sidesplay natural moves, but Black has limited plans available. He has to solvethe problem of his king. } 14. Nbd2 Rc8 15. Qb3 h5 { Black actually has twobad bishops in this position and it's hard to see what he can do. } 16. c4 dxc4 17. Nxc4 { This exchange is ideal for White - it opens the d-filewhen Black's queen has nowhere to hide, brings the knight to bear on d6and still keeps Black cramped. } 17... h4 18. h3 { It seems sensible to stop anynasties. I was looking at playing Nf3-d2-e4 and landing on d6 or f6. Black's next is where it starts to go very wrong. } 18... f6 { This goes horriblywrong, but Black's position has gone as far as it can. } 19. exf6 { WhetherBlack realised that 19. ... Bxf6 20. Nd6+ Kf8 21. Nxc8 Bxa1 22. Qxa3 allowsWhite to extricate the knight and grab the bishop. } 19... Bc5 20. f7+ { Theysay that the best way to refute a gambit is to give the material back. It's an attack, it's an extra pawn, what do I want to do with it? } 20... Kxf7 21. Nfe5+ { Possibly the last choice for White - I thought that f3 mightbe useful for the queen. } 21... Ke7 22. Rad1 { Now 22. ... Rc7 is the only moveto defend the Bd7, but Black is pinned every which way. 23. Qf3 ratchetsup the tension to breaking point - Qe8 (to stop Qh5) might be met withexchanging twice on d7 and simply replacing the Ne5 and Rd1 with theircolleagues. Instead, Black self-destructs. } 22... Rxg2+ 23. Kxg2 Qg8+ 24. Kh1 Qg5 25. Rxd7+ Kf6 26. Rf7# 1-0

[Event "Moscú, 1982"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Sokolov, Andrei"] [Black "Suetin, Alexei"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 { In this game we will see an example of how to exploit the advantage of having two bishops. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Nde2 Bc5 9. Bf4 d6 10. O-O Ne5 11. h3 Nfd7 12. Rc1 O-O 13. Bb1 { The first point of attention, the whites decide to retain their pawn on white squares, by analysing the position with a little care, we see that the knights of the blacks have a limited range of action, which entrap the development of the rest of the pieces. } 13... Ng6 14. Bg3 Nde5 15. b3 Bd7 16. Kh1 Bc6 { Until now, the black pieces seem to have correctly placed their pieces, however one can see that the horses lack good support, which the white will exploit in the following moves. } 17. f4 Nd7 18. Nd5 { Excellent move, which takes advantage of the lack of development and inactivity of the black pieces to take control of the center. } 18... exd5 19. cxd5 Bb5 20. b4 b6 21. Re1 Bxe2 22. Qxe2 Rfe8 23. bxc5 Nxc5 24. h4 Ne7 25. Qf3 Rad8 26. h5 h6 { In this position, white has the advantage, especially with the pair of bishops. Therefore, the following move, by opening the game and creating a passed pawn, is the most appropriate plan. } 27. e5 dxe5 28. fxe5 Qb7 29. d6 Qxf3 30. gxf3 Nc6 31. f4 Nd4 32. Bh4 Rb8 33. Red1 Nc6 34. Bf2 { The white advantage is decisive. Now the blacks adopt a desperate measure, but there is nothing better. } 34... Nxe5 35. fxe5 Rxe5 36. d7 Rxh5+ 37. Kg2 Rd8 38. Rd6 Kf8 39. Rxb6 Nxd7 40. Rd6 Ke7 41. Rcd1 Rb5 42. Bc2 Rb2 43. Bb3 a5 44. Kf1 a4 45. Bxa4 Rxa2 46. Rxd7+ Rxd7 47. Rxd7+ Ke6 48. Bb3+ Kxd7 49. Bxa2 Ke8 50. Bd4 Kf8 51. Kf2 f5 52. Kf3 g5 53. Be6 f4 54. Bf6 { Las negras rinden. } 1-0

[Event "Slow Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.01.31"] [Round "-"] [White "timothymonk"] [Black "hiredgun112"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "902"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1017"] 1. d4 { Hello hiredgun112 fans all over world here is a SURPRISING win forme.He opens with d4 } 1... d5 { I answer with d5 } 2. c4 Be6 { Should have wentwith Nc6 instead of Be6,well you know what they say about hindsight } 3. e3 { He now has nice pawn chain and a good grip on the center } 3... Nc6 { Finallyi bring out Nc6 } 4. Nc3 { He brings out queenside cowboy Nc3 } 4... Qd6 { I bringout Queen to early,Bf8 trapped and Nf6 would have been better } 5. Nf3 { Henow has both cowboys out } 5... O-O-O { Castle queenside } 6. Be2 Nf6 { FinallyNf6 } 7. c5 Qd7 { Now queen boxed in } 8. O-O { He castles kingside } 8... g6 { Tryingto free up Bf8 } 9. Ne5 { Now Ne5 has fork on Qd7,Nc6 and f7 which wouldfork Rd8 and Rh8 } 9... Nxe5 { Sac cowboy to stop attack } 10. dxe5 Ne8 { This movefurther binds me up } 11. e4 Qc6 12. Na4 { Here bringing pressure to my kingside } 12... dxe4 { Wideopen view of his vunerable lady } 13. Qc2 { lady runs } 13... f5 { Inowhave pawn chain } 14. exf6 { i still do not understand en passant } 14... Nxf6 { i am now ahead in gameknot chess points } 15. Bg5 { REV bringing the word } 15... Nd5 { Cowboy runs i am definately playing reaction chess now } 16. Qxe4 { Qe4 now threatens Nd5,Be6,but he would sac Queen for Be6 } 16... Bf7 { REV runs } 17. Qg4+ Be6 { redondance } 18. Qd4 { looking for an opening } 18... b5 { scare cowboy } 19. Nc3 Rg8 20. Nxd5 { he takes } 20... Bxd5 { i take,he is better protected kingwise } 21. Bg4+ e6 { block check } 22. b3 { not sure why he did that } 22... Bg7 { pressurequeen } 23. Bf6 { another fork by him on Rd8 and Bg7 } 23... Rdf8 24. Be5 { he fallsback } 24... Bh6 { i am slowly opening up with what i got left } 25. b4 Rf4 { pressuringqueen and bishop } 26. Bxf4 { i thought did not look around enough } 26... Bg7 { runforest run } 27. Qd2 { lady falls back } 27... h5 28. Bh6 Be5 { both bishops in middle } 29. Bf4 { this feels like an old western standoff } 29... Bxg2 { breaking the wall } 30. Rfe1 { moves rook out of way } 30... hxg4 { kill the preacher } 31. Bxe5 { hereturns the favor } 31... Bh3 { At this point white resigns,honestly i believehe had me beat earlier.But this goes to prove never give up there mightbe an opening,I hope you have enjoyed this annotation please leave postiveand negative feedback } 0-1

[Event "Buckley - Mold v Malpas & Whitchurch"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "13-1-2016"] [Round "-"] [White "Dave Aldridge"] [Black "Charles L Higgie"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "ECF 177"] [TimeControl "35 in 1 hour 15 mins & 15"] [WhiteElo "ECF143"] { In this match, we out-rated our opponents on the top three boards, butwere out-rated on the bottom two. So I knew I had to win with black ifwe wanted to win the match. } 1. c4 { So he started with The English. } 1... e5 { I decided to play a Closed Sicilian reversed. } 2. Nc3 { Normal development. } 2... Nc6 { Me too. } 3. Nf3 { The natural square for the knight. } 3... f5 { A more aggressivemove than Nf6. } 4. d4 { He rightly challenges my pawn centre. } 4... e4 { So Iadvance. } 5. Ng5 { He advances the knight. } 5... Be7 { I hit the knight. } 6. h4 { He protects. } 6... h6 { I go after the h pawn. This plan is over-ambitious.Probably simple development with Nf6 was best. } 7. Nh3 { The only squarefor the knight. } 7... Bxh4 { The logical follow-up to my last move, but probablya mistake. My computer likes the bizarre looking 7....Rh7 here. } 8. e3 { As well as helping his development, this threatens a rather nasty checkon h5. } 8... g6 { So I stop that. } 9. Nf4 { Now he threatens the pawn on g6. } 9... Kf7 { So I protect it. My computer now likes 10. g4 d6 11.gxf5Bxf5 12.Qb3 Na5 13. Qa4 Nc6 14. Qb3 with a draw! } 10. c5 { But this move looks stronger,with a terrible threat of Bf1-c4+. } 10... Bg5 { This is a tactical mistake. OKstop and find the best continuation for white! } 11. Bc4+ { The first moveis rather obvious. } 11... Kg7 { The king stays on the g pawn. Find white's bestnow! } 12. Nxg6 { Did you find it? if Kxg6 13. Qh5+ and white mates blackwith 14. Qf7. } 12... Na5 { I played this, hoping to get the two bishops as compensationfor losing the pawn back. In fact it contains a tactical error. Again,what would you play as white? } 13. Bxg8 { White should have played 13.Nxh8Nxc4 14. Nf7 Kxf7 15. Qb3, getting a knight back to remain an exchangeup. Thankfully he didn't go for that. } 13... Rxg8 { So I save the exchange. } 14. Nf4 { And his knight retreats. } 14... d6 { I try to open up the position for mytwo bishops, and also complete by queen side development. } 15. b4 { He hitsthe knight. } 15... Nc6 { The knight retreats. } 16. Qb3 { He protects the b4 pawn.OK, find black's best move now. } 16... Bxf4 { I exchange. } 17. exf4 { He takesback. } 17... Nxd4 { But now his d4 pawn drops. } 18. Qd1 { The queen retreats. } 18... dxc5 { I open up the d file, so now the knight on d4 is protected twice- by both the pawn on c5 and my queen on d8. } 19. bxc5 { He takes back. } 19... b6 { I want him to exchange on b6 for two reasons. I will take back withthe a pawn, to open the a file for my rook on a8 and also I hope to playc7-c5 to protect d4. } 20. cxb6 { He obliges. } 20... axb6 { I take back. } 21. Bb2 { He has nasty threats along the a1-h8 diagonal. } 21... Kh7 { I move my king offthat diagonal. } 22. Qh5 { But now he threatens Qxh6 mate! My computer prefers27.Nc3xe4! instead, which seems to win back the pawn, although it is extraordinarilycomplicated and there are some lovely lines, for instance 22. Nxe4 Rxg223. Rxh6+! Kxh6 24. Bg7+ followed by 25. Qxd8 I think then black can pickup the other white rook with Rg8+ and Rxa1, but then the white queen canforce perpetual check - but I am not sure at all, there may be improvementsfor either side. } 22... Nc2+ { Played after a long think. I want to force hisking to f8, so I can check on a6 with my bishop and then maybe block thed file with my bishop to d3 if necessary. } 23. Kf1 { Of course not 23.Ke2Qd3# } 23... Ba6+ { So the check comes in. } 24. Kg1 { King runs again. } 24... Qf8 { Andmy queen protects h6 and f5. } 25. Rc1 { He hits my knight. } 25... Bd3 { I protectit. } 26. Nd5 { Now his knight comes in with the threat of a horrible checkon f6. } 26... Rg6 { So I protect it. } 27. Nxc7 { He takes a pawn and attacks myrook. } 27... Rxa2 { And I get my pawn back and attack his bishop. } 28. Be5 { Hemoves his bishop to a safer square. OK, stop and work out black's bestmove. } 28... Ne3 { Did you find it? Of course, if he takes the knight I mate himon g2 with my rook. I am also threatening Rxg2 mate anyway. } 29. g3 { Sohe prevents that. OK work out black's best move now. } 29... Rxg3+ { Did you getit? Of course, if he takes my rook, my other rook goes to g2 with mateagain. } 30. Kh2 { So he plays the only other move. } 30... Rg2+ { I check him again,to get my rook off prise. } 31. Kh3 { Forced! } 31... Raxf2 { and now I am aboutto win his queen with Rf3+ } 32. Ne6 { but he plays this, so if I win hisqueen, he wins mine with check! I also need to block Rc1-c7+ which is verynasty. } 32... Qe7 { So I block that. } 33. Rc7 { Rook comes in anyway. } 33... Qxc7 { Itake. } 34. Nxc7 { He takes back. } 34... Rf3+ { I throw in that check. } 35. Kh4 { he moves his king. } 35... Rg4+ { I play the other check } 36. Qxg4 { He is forcedto take. } 36... fxg4 { And, with two clear pawns down, and all by pieces stillon active squares, my opponent throws in the towel. We won the match 3-2,winning the top three boards, and losing the bottom three, as expected. Many thanks for reading, please comment and rate this on the star system.Until next time dear reader! } 0-1

[Event "Short and Sweet"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "jhedges"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1513"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1507"] 1. e4 { Team Match Game, I am playing white and open with the king pawn. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { My opponent graciously allows me to play the Ruy,definitely one of my favorite openings as white. } 3... d6 4. d4 { 3. ... d6 isthe Steinitz Defense, though 3. ... a6 followed by 4. ... d6 is a morecommon approach known as the Steinitz Defense Deferred. I respond withthe traditional response. } 4... Bd7 5. Nc3 { More common moves following thestandard opening lines. } 5... Nb4 6. dxe5 { 5. Nb4 does't seem to be suggestedin my limited opening library, and it seems to cost black a pawn. } 6... Bxb5 7. Nxb5 { A predictable exchange. } 7... dxe5 8. Nxe5 { Now white is a pawn upand black doesn't seem to have any compensation for it. Note, 8. Qxd8 doesn'twork as well for white, for after 8. ... Rxd8 white cannot take the pawnon e5 due to 9. ... Nxc2 . I didn't analyze it too far, but black may bein worse shape if he tries 8. ... Kxd8 because after he plays for his forkon c2, white has a similar fork on f7. I didn't expect black would playthis line, which I decided that 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 would be weak for white andavoided it. } 8... Qf6 9. Nxc7+ { ??? Apparently black was unwilling to tradequeens, but I don't think he had anything better. His pawn at c7 was threatened,and his queen was on guard duty protecting it. She had to stand her ground,or maybe move to c8 or e7 if she really wanted to avoid being exchanged.As played, black couldn't have chosen a worse move on the board - thisone earns the full three ? treatment. } 9... Ke7 10. Qd7# { 9. ... Ke7 was forced,and white's reply 10. Qd7# is checkmate. This one was short and sweet andillustrates some of the dangers playing black in the Ruy Lopez. } 1-0

[Event "magic 3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.06.13"] [Round "-"] [White "pacaeiro"] [Black "jhfit"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1867"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1708"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 { Exchanging right away against the FrenchDefense. White has better moves. } 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Qe7+ 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Qe2 Nxe3 8. Qxe3 { Black has already provoked dark-squared weaknesses aroundthe White king. } 8... Nc6 9. c3 Qxe3+ 10. fxe3 { Now there is a weak e pawn totake care of. } 10... f5 11. Nbd2 g6 12. g3 Bg7 13. Nb3 Bh6 14. Kf2 { The kingis in some trouble despite the absence of the queens because of my darksquared bishop. } 14... a6 15. Rae1 b6 16. Nbd2 Bb7 17. c4 O-O-O { For an evenmaterial game, it is anything but that. I'm about to sweep the board withmy well- placed pieces. } 18. cxd5 Nb4 19. Ne5 Nxd3+ 20. Nxd3 Bxd5 21. Rhg1 Rhe8 22. b3 c5 23. dxc5 Bf7 { The king has to step into more trouble totry to protect the undefended knights. } 24. Ke2 Bxe3 { But this decidesthe game anyway. } 25. Kf3 Rxd3 { A piece and an exchange will be lost hereand Black resigns. The opening decided this game. } 0-1

[Event "Chess Exercice"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Kallas"] [Black "???"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 { This is a game were a great attacking potential was possible becauseof a blunder my opponent made... I hope that you enjoy. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nge7 { And it all began with an innocent Ruy Lopez: Cozio defense } 4. c3 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 { I prefer this kind of games... Wide open games... } 6... a6 7. Bc4 exd4 8. cxd4 b5 9. Bb3 Na5 10. Bc2 Bg4 11. d5 Nc4 { I never sawa real black threat in this position... Any thoughts? } 12. h3 Bh5 13. Nc3 Ne5 14. g4 Nxf3+ 15. Qxf3 Bg6 { And now, how to proceed? } 16. Be3 { A greatline... } 16... h6 17. Qg2 { Preparing 18.f4 } 17... b4 { ?? How would you respond? } 18. Ba4+ c6 19. dxc6 Qc7 { A much more devastating attack is now available...What would you play? } 20. Bb6 { !! Beautiful, isn't it? if 20. ... Qxb6then 21. c7+!! Nc6 22. Nd5! Qb7 23. e5!! and it is done for black... Because,if 23. ... dxe5 24. Bxc6 Qxf6 25. Nf6 and the queen falls or mate; 25.... Qxf6 26. Qxa8+ Ee7 27. Qd8 Ke6 28. c8=Q# } 20... Rc8 { But my friend heretried an alternative... } 21. Bxc7 Rxc7 { But it is already a lost cause... } 22. Qg3 Nxc6 23. Nd5 Rc8 24. Rac1 Bxe4 { I thought to double paralyze (Nc6and Be4) with 25.Re1... } 25. Rxc6 { But this was better } 25... Rxc6 26. Bxc6+ Kd8 27. Re1 Bxd5 28. Bxd5 Be7 29. Qe3 { The rook is not able to protectthe bishop because of 29. Bc6 or Qb6+... } 29... Bf6 30. Qb6+ { And mate is inevitable... } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Istvan Bilek"] [Black "Burkhard Malich"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "East Germany"] [WhiteElo "Hungary"] { GM Bilek develops with great effieciency and crumbles IM Malich's defenseswith surprising ease. A wonderfully played attacking game. } 1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 c6 3. d3 Nf6 { 3... P-KN3 can also be played here. } 4. Nd2 g6 5. Ngf3 Bg7 6. O-O O-O { Bilek has a slight advantage in development, with 1 Q-sidepiece out already. } 7. e4 Bg4 8. Re1 Na6 9. e5 { Bilek decides to go onthe offensive. } 9... Nd7 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Nxf3 Nc7 { Malich's pieces are in retreat.Bilek has a growing spatial advantage. } 12. h4 f5 13. exf6 exf6 { Now Malich'sPawns are split and he has a weakness on the King file. } 14. Bf4 Rf7 15. Qd2 Nf8 16. Bh3 { Bilek is slowly tightening his grip on the position. } 16... a5 17. a4 d4 18. Bxc7 Rxc7 { Malich must do something to dispute Bilek'scontrol of the board and K file, or he will be squeezed to death. } 19. Be6+ Kh8 20. Qf4 c5 21. Bc4 { Bilek's attack is gathering steam. Malichcan to nothing but wait for the inevitable. } 21... Re7 22. Rxe7 Qxe7 { Malichhopes to break the attack by exchanging down. } 23. Re1 Qd7 24. Bb5 { Bilekprepares for the final breakthrough. } 24... Qd5 25. Re7 Rc8 { Desperation fromMalich. } 26. Bc4 Qc6 27. Ne5 { The final blow. If Malich tries 27...PxN,28 Q-B7! is immediately decisive. } 27... g5 28. Nf7+ { Malich resigns, as hisposition is untenable. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.14"] [Round "-"] [White "twoman51"] [Black "thehellion"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1271"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1485"] 1. d4 { This game was very complex. I was heavily challenged and was luckyto claw my way to a draw against a higher-rated opponent. } 1... d5 2. Nc3 { Animmediate attempt to throw me off. I was expecting the Queen's Gambit. } 2... Nf6 3. Nf3 e6 { With my center secured, I now have to develop my pieces. } 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Bxf6 Bxf6 { I gain a minor exchange. } 6. e4 O-O { Always castleearly if you can... I realize White can advance his e-pawn, but I wouldrather secure my King than worry about my Bishop being driven. } 7. e5 Be7 8. Bd3 c5 { Time to try and gain Queen-side space, as White controls moreterritory on the King-side. } 9. dxc5 Bxc5 { White decides to let me freeup my Bishop. } 10. O-O Nc6 11. Na4 Be7 { I could have given back the minorexchange and activated my Queen with 11... Bb6 12 Nxb6 Qxb6. I didn't feelactivating my Queen was worth it. } 12. c3 Bd7 13. b4 { White attempts toseize Queen-side space. } 13... Rc8 { I counter by attempting to pressure the exposed,backward c-pawn. } 14. Re1 Nb8 { Now my Rook aims down the c-file at thepawn. } 15. b5 a6 { I want to get rid of White's advanced b-pawn. } 16. Rb1 axb5 17. Bxb5 Bxb5 18. Rxb5 { I'm still up a minor exchange, and White'sPawn-storming attack has been neutralized. But now I have a weak pawn onthe b-file. Defense will be a priority. } 18... Rc7 19. Qb3 { The b-pawn will fall. } 19... Nd7 20. Rxb7 Rxb7 21. Qxb7 { I'm down a Pawn. If I can remove White's passeda-pawn from the board, I feel I can hold the endgame. } 21... Nc5 22. Nxc5 Bxc5 { The more even exchanges there are, the better my position becomes. IfI can have a Bishop vs. a Knight in the endgame, I feel I can easily hold,even down 1 Pawn. } 23. Nd4 Qa5 { I'm sure not going to exchange minor pieces. } 24. Nb3 Qxc3 { Material is even. Now to get rid of that obnoxious a-pawn... } 25. Rc1 { Uh-oh. Now I'm going to be down a piece. Maybe I should have tradedminor pieces after all. } 25... Qxe5 { My Bishop is a goner anyway, so I may aswell take the loose Pawn. } 26. Nxc5 Qe2 { A glimmer of hope. If I can capturethat a-pawn and exchange the heavy artillery, I think my 5 Pawns can holdup against Black's 3 Pawns and 1 Knight. } 27. a4 Qd2 28. Nb3 Qf4 { Stillharping on the same theme. } 29. Rc8 { White fell into the trap! Now I cannot only get rid of the a-pawn but also exchange off the Rooks. } 29... Qxa4 { Finally! } 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 { Now to exchange off the Queens and coast into a draw. } 31. g3 Qe8 32. Nd4 Qe7 { In position for exchange... } 33. Qb8+ Qe8 34. Qc7 Qe7 35. Qb8+ { White can make no progress. I accept the draw offer. A veryinteresting game. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Oct-06"] [Round "-"] [White "toontoon75"] [Black "celiaccm"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1060"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. d4 { Always enjoy the Queens Gambit so pray for d4 d5 } 1... Nc6 { oh well } 2. c4 { still like that c4 d4 combo } 2... e6 3. a3 { lets stop that Bb4 } 3... g5 { very odd - you realise you should win the game about now... } 4. e4 { letsget that centre } 4... Nf6 { oh dear, pawn loss and horrible pin } 5. Bxg5 h6 { terrible offers an easy retreat and can't avoid the pin } 6. Bh4 Rg8 { even worse as look what follows } 7. e5 { bye bye knight } 7... Be7 { too late } 8. exf6 Bxf6 9. Bxf6 { swapemovsky } 9... Qxf6 10. Nf3 { lets get those piecesout as that rook is still a danger } 10... Qf4 { weird... } 11. Qd2 { lets chasethat queen } 11... Qe4+ 12. Be2 { thank you - can develop my pieces while stoppinga pointless check } 12... Nxd4 { Happy to lose a pawn to get two knights off theboard } 13. Qxd4 { lets get that queen again } 13... Qf5 14. O-O c5 { waste of time } 15. Qe3 { good place for the queen this } 15... b6 { bishop coming out I guess... } 16. Nc3 { lets develop } 16... Qf6 { very weird. Bb7 would have been nice. } 17. Nd5 { double threat of Nxf6 and Nc7 } 17... Qd8 { only option } 18. Qe5 { can't stopit now though } 18... f6 { poor. } 19. Nxf6+ { bye bye rook } 19... Kf8 20. Nxg8 Kxg8 21. Qg3+ { lets check.... } 21... Kf8 22. Rad1 { here comes the army... } 22... Qf6 { mayregret that... } 23. Ne5 Rb8 { why why why... } 24. Rxd7 { please take me...... } 24... Ra8 { what are you doing mate? } 25. Rf7+ { game over. } 25... Qxf7 26. Nxf7 Kxf7 27. Bh5+ { shuld be forced mate i think } 27... Ke7 28. Qg7+ Kd6 29. Rd1+ Kc6 30. Bf3# { nice to end it with a bishop mate } 1-0

[Event "So, how do you win a 'won game'?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "20-Nov-06"] [Round "-"] [White "hollcana"] [Black "andydufresne"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1667"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1302"] 1. f4 { Suppose you win a pawn by move 13. How do you convert a full pawninto a full point? This is what I've been trying to do in this game. } 1... d5 2. d4 Bf5 3. e3 { Apparently, there's a first for everything, even 'Bird'sopening with 1..d5'. Never played this before. } 3... Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bd3 Bb4 { They say it's not wise to move the same piece twice in the opening, soI chose to develop the other bishop instead of trading the light-colouredbishops. } 6. Bd2 O-O { Safety first } 7. Nf3 { White is not going to castlevery soon. } 7... Nc6 8. Ne5 { Perhaps 8. 0-0 would have been a more solid move. } 8... Nxe5 9. fxe5 Bg4 { I'm not sure this intermediary move is good. } 10. Be2 { I decided to trade the light-coloured bishops, because mine wasn't doingmuch. } 10... Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Bxc3 { Intending to place the knight at e4 after whiteretakes with 12. Bxc3; it's a well-placed spot for a knight, and it cannotbe chased away easily } 12. exf6 { he believes that my knight's place isoutside the table. Everybody has the right to an opinion, after all } 12... Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 Qxf6 { I exchanged bishop for bishop, he exchanged pawn for knight,so I came a pawn up after all the minor pieces have left the table. Beinga pawn up, I thought 'well, if only I could exchange the rest of the pieces,I would have a very good chance to win this'. With all the pieces gone,I would have essentially a won game. But how do you win a 'won game'? } 14. Rf1 { taking possession of the half-open file } 14... Qh6 { Fritz likes 14..Qh4better, but I preferred to keep an eye on e3, hoping that maybe he wouldleave it unguarded someday. } 15. O-O-O { Finally, he castles. I believethe theory recommends an attack on queen's flank in this position, butthat never happened. } 15... Qxh2 { I decided to go for the material, grab a (perhapspoisoned) pawn and hope to survive the attack that was to follow on thekingside. } 16. Qf2 Qh6 { I intend to place the queen at g6, so that it cansurvey the weak point h7 after white takes control of the h file } 17. Rh1 { he takes control of the h file, a very sensible move. I am now 2 pawnsup, but an attack will certainly follow on the king's flank. Perhaps itreally was a poisoned pawn. } 17... Qg5 { Between g6 and g5, I chose the latterbecause it sort of forces the white queen to keep guarding e3, which isnow his weak point. Of course, I only use a piece for the attack, so hecan easily attack me and guard e3 at the same time } 18. Rh3 { which he does;obviously, Rdh1 is to follow } 18... f5 { I must try to bring the rooks into play,otherwise I don't really stand a chance. } 19. Rdh1 { ok, so now I'm startingto feel some pressure } 19... h6 { Not that many choices here, if I am to keepthe h pawn } 20. Rg3 { Help! The paparazzi are harassing her royal highness! } 20... Qf6 { Her royal hiighness must protect h6, because the g pawn is pinned } 21. Qf4 { ! A double threat: c7 and h6 (my g pawn is still pinned, so h6is really only protected by the queen and attacked twice) } 21... Kh7 { I cannotparry both threats, so I decide that h6 is more important (obviously) } 22. Qxc7 { So much for my two pawns up } 22... Rf7 { Now my paparazzi are harassingthe white witch. Errr... I mean, the white queen } 23. Qf4 { Back to wherethe action is } 23... Rg8 { Preparing g5 } 24. Rg5 { ok, so g5 is no longer an option } 24... g6 { I go for the next best thing, g6 } 25. Rg3 { with Rgh3 to follow, a tripleattack on h6. Did I mention that h6 is my weak point? Actually, we bothmissed 25. Rxh6 ('did I mention that h6 is my weak point?') Kxh6 26. Rxf5 Kg7 27. Rxf6 Rxf6, where he gains queen and 2 pawns for 2 rooks, and aninteresting game to follow. I don't know if he considered this line, butI totally missed it. Fritz is screaming for it, giving it a 2 evaluationinstead of roughly zero evaluation for the line actually played in thegame. } 25... g5 { finally, g5. I thought, if I ever manage to exchange the queensand the rooks, some advanced pawns will come handy. } 26. Qd6 f4 { if hetakes with the pawn, I can force a trade of queens } 27. exf4 { He did takethe pawn. Perhaps queen and 2 pawns for 2 rooks would have been better. } 27... Qxf4+ { Forcing the exchange } 28. Qxf4 { Not that many options to ponder } 28... Rxf4 { Now the mating threats have disappeared, and I have a more pleasantgame (still a pawn up). One pretty important step closer to victory } 29. Rd3 { d4 has to be defended. But why not 29.c3? } 29... Kg6 { Not a very brightmove. I certainly have to bring the king closer, but the f file has tobe dealt with first. } 30. c3 Rgf8 { Attaboy. Taking control of the openfile, this is obviously the best and most solid move. } 31. Rd2 Rf1+ { Forcinganother exchange } 32. Rxf1 Rxf1+ { Another step closer to victory } 33. Kc2 Kf5 { In the endgame, the king is an important weapon } 34. Re2 { He threatensRe5 , but it's not very bad for me } 34... h5 { Since I have a kingside majority,I'd better push those pawns } 35. b4 { Seeking counterplay on the queenside } 35... h4 { Keep on pushing the pawns } 36. a4 { Likewise } 36... g4 { Hmmm, advanced pawnsin the endgame... } 37. a5 g3 { At this point, Fritz gives a - evaluation,meaning basically 'a decisive advantage'. I threaten Rf2, exchanging thelast pair of rooks, and entering a won (really won) endgame } 38. Kd2 Rf2 { Ha! } 39. Ke3 Rxe2+ { Another step closer to the victory, I can smell it.Or perhaps I'm just tired } 40. Kxe2 Ke4 { A very solid place for my king,surveying both my kingside pawns and his vulnerable queenside ones } 41. b5 { This is a non-losing move, but these kind of moves are in short supplynow for white. } 41... b6 { I don't want to move the king, it stands very wellon e4 and we'll soon see why. } 42. axb6 axb6 { Well, he is in zugzwang now.If he quits guarding d3, my king will enter and pick up all his pawns } 43. Kd2 { The only move still guarding d3, but I have a neat move prepared(pretty obvious, actually, but still neat). Told you he was in zugzwang } 43... h3 { With promotion to follow in 2 moves, white resigned. So, how do youwin a 'won game'? In this case, make fewer mistakes and be a bit more carefulthan the opponent. } 0-1

[Event "Kadhim-Anonymous, Chess.com 2010"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25 August 2010"] [Round "-"] [White "Ayad Kadhim"] [Black "Anonymous"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "unknown rating"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "unknown rating"] { This game was played on Chess.com in 2010. Playing White was Ayad Kadhim,from the United States, and playing Black was myself. Mr Kadhim had beenplaying for much longer, and the number of games he played at once wasastonishing. Though I dominated for the first half or so of the game, Ifell from grace when Kadhim capitalised on a mistake made by me. No, callthat a blunder. Indeed, life was not pretty for me after this blunder. } 1. e4 { Kadhim starts with the King's Pawn Opening. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { Thisis my favourite opening, Petrov's Defence. Black wants to open up the position,but his symmetrical moves are unlikely to lead to an active position. } 3. Bd3 d5 4. O-O { Note that Black's pawn on e5 was still en prise. Whitecould have taken it with the knight with little worry, but castling washis first mistake. } 4... dxe4 { This move forks White's bishop and knight, asBlack's pawn is backed up by the knight on f6. } 5. Bb5+ { White temporarilylooks to have regained some flow, but that is not the case. } 5... c6 { Whitemust once again choose which piece to save. } 6. Bxc6+ Nxc6 7. Nh4 Nd5 { Blackcould have won White's knight with 7. ... g5, but he still succeeds anyway. } 8. Re1 { Mistake number two. White could have defended the knight with 8.... g3. } 8... Qxh4 9. g3 { White plays the move too late. } 9... Qh6 { Black can't saveboth the queen and the pawn on e4 at once. } 10. Rxe4 Qg6 11. d3 Bf5 { Black'sposition is now very dominating. } 12. Ra4 b5 13. Ra6 { White's third mistake.The rook can now be trapped. } 13... Nc7 14. Ra3 Bxa3 15. bxa3 { At this point,one has to wonder how in the world could Black stuff things up. } 15... Qf6 16. c4 e4 17. Bf4 { Mistake number four by White. His rook is en prise due toBlack's previous pawn push. Black needn't waste time on defending the knight. } 17... Qxa1 18. Bxc7 exd3 { Black wins a pawn and also places one of his own deepinto White's territory. The pawn is immune to capture by the White queensince it's backed up by the bishop. } 19. Qe1+ Be6 20. cxb5 { White makesup for the previous pawn loss, but his resulting pawn position is not quiteas powerful as Black's. However, though it may not look like it, this isthe pawn that will later give Black tremendous fear. } 20... Rc8 { Black favoursattacking the bishop over saving the knight. However, White doesn't complywith his plan. } 21. Bd6 Rd8 22. bxc6 Rxd6 23. c7 { This is the criticalmoment. White has a pawn on its way to promotion, but it can be easilystopped. Black, on the other hand, is as oblivious as ever. Note that Black'sbishop is pinned. It can't move as that would place the Black king in check. } 23... d2 { This looks pretty alright for Black, as he presumes that he'll getanother queen too. } 24. c8=Q+ { And now Black's troubles begin. He thoughtthat he would be able take White's new queen but failed to appreciate thepin placed on the bishop. This would still not be so bad if the move didn'tplace Black's king in check, but that is not the case. } 24... Rd8 25. Qc6+ { Fora great deal of time, White simply harasses the Black king. } 25... Ke7 26. Qb7+ Rd7 27. Qb4+ Ke8 28. Qd1 { This is Black's chance. He has to do somethingthat will let him stay in the game. } 28... Bxa2 { This looks like a wasted opportunity,but pressure is now building up around White's knight. Note that Blackstill has the pawn on d2. } 29. Qe2+ { White now resumes his harassment ofBlack's king. } 29... Be6 30. Qbb5 Kd8 31. Qa5+ Ke8 32. Qab5 { Another break inWhite's series of checks. Black can now try to get something underway.It is of high interest that Black hasn't simply resigned. He has two rooksin place of an extra queen, though one of his rooks is tucked away on h8doing nothing. } 32... Kf8 33. Qb8+ Ke7 { Black no doubt longs for White to capturethe exposed rook on h8, as he can then play 34. ... Qxb1+ or 34. ... d1=Q+or even 34. ... d1=R+, since he would threaten so much. However, Blackhas forseen this and decides against taking the rook. } 34. Qb4+ Rd6 { Black'shopes of glory are now wiped away. The rook, in addition to the bishop,is pinned against the Black king, and the pawn on d2 is now open to capture. } 35. Qexd2 Qxb1+ { What in the world? Black has just sacrificed his queen.Interestingly, this move is pretty solid, as after 36. Qxb1 Rxd2 Blackhas two rooks and a bishop against a queen, which is pretty good. } 36. Kg2 { Making a move even more amazing than the last, White rejects the sacrifice. } 36... Bd5+ { Black now takes action. It is his turn to harass his opponent's king.This looks fine, but in reality, Black's bishop is open to capture by White'squeen on d2, as the rook is pinned. However, White fails to appreciatethat. } 37. f3 Bxf3+ { Black is very daring. Sacrificing his bishop, thismove looks like insanity, but, in truth, Black gains an advantage in attack. } 38. Kxf3 Qf1+ 39. Kg4 h5+ 40. Kh4 { White's king must be starting to feelquite unsafe. } 40... Qf6+ 41. Kh3 Qf5+ 42. Kg2 Rd8 { With this, Black defendsagainst White capturing the rook on d6. } 43. Qe3+ Kf8 44. Qxa7 { White goesfor a petty pawn grab which, in all honesty, is probably his undoing. } 44... Kg8 { A very good move by Black, as his rook on d6 is no longer pinned tothe king. } 45. Qac5 { And after all that, this is White's fifth and finalmistake. } 45... Rd2+ 46. Kg1 Rd1+ 47. Kg2 R8d2+ { Black now has two options, butboth of them lead to ruin. } 48. Qxd2 Rxd2+ 49. Kg1 Qb1+ { Black now forcesWhite's next move. } 50. Qc1 Qxc1# { A beautiful game, not just in the moves,but in the astonishment it conjures up as well. Black was essentially downa queen but still won, with White giving up both of his queens to prolongcheckmate. And, curiously, it all happened in exactly fifty moves. If youwish to leave me a suggestion for an annotated game, or want to leave mefeedback, please drop me a message. Your help is appreciated. } 0-1

[Event "Cho v. Herc Game III"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "choknowsall"] [Black "hercules_isadore"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1275"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1202"] { First game went to Cho, second to Herc, and now the exciting conclusion.Sloppily played game played by both sides. Ends in the clock running outon Cho, whilst behind a point, in check with king out in the open field,and a knight trapped in the corner of the board. Victory to Herc! Hurrah! } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 { I played two knights again, which confusedthe heck out of me. } 4. Ng5 Qe7 { Terrible move. Should have went...d5,yeah? Somehow I will manage to salvage this. } 5. Nxf7 Qc5 { I figure I takea lil extra and trap his knight in there, I may break even or better. } 6. d3 b5 { More bishop chasing. } 7. Bd5 { nuntar (1566) on 27-Feb-09: Whiteseems to have gone wrong somewhere. 7. Bb3 was better: 7... a5 8. Nxh8a4 9. Bd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 Nd4 11. c3 and White is okay. ... This move allowsme to trade bishop for knight. In so doing, I was originally thinking thatonce he traded back for the knight that took the bishop I'd be able tosnatch the knight it was protecting with my king, but... } 7... Nxd5 8. exd5 { ...as you can see, that would result in me losing another knight. Instead,being forced to move my knight I see the opportunity to set up a fork ofmy own. } 8... Nd4 { You take my rook, I'll take yours. Of course if you don'ttake my rook, I'll be taking your knight. (Assuming he guards with Na3I mean.) } 9. Nxh8 { I don't think he saw the fork coming, which is kindof ironic, since he always opens Italian (and diving in for the fork.) } 9... Nxc2+ { A lil taste of yer own medicine! } 10. Kd2 Nxa1 11. b3 Qxf2+ 12. Qe2 Qxe2+ { Sacrifice a queen to save a knight. } 13. Kxe2 Nc2 14. Rf1 Nd4+ { And now he loses his will to live...or perhaps can't get to a computeron time, who knows? GG } 0-1

[Event "SCCF Championship"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "12-Jul-06"] [Round "-"] [White "bakerbaker"] [Black "Haochi"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1791"] [TimeControl "G/180"] [WhiteElo "1795"] 1. e4 { This game shows how I exploited my opponent's overextended position,when he tried to kingside pawnstorm me. } 1... c6 { Me, and many others considerthis opening passive, but I guess it's playable. } 2. c4 { Slightly betteris d4, leading to classical Caro-Kann positions, but since I'm familiarwith this variation, and don't study the Caro-Kann much, I decided to playc4 which will lead to a wide open tactical game if Black plays d5, exactlywhat I want. } 2... g6 { Instead of playing d5 leading to a position I'm morefamiliar with, Black plays g6, which will transpose into an entirely differentopening that HE is more familiar with. } 3. Nc3 { I think d4 may be better,because it stops e5, which will lead to a somewhat equal position. I should'veplayed d4 on the second move to try for an advantage. } 3... Bg7 { Black probablydidn't want to block his dark bishop, but he ended up playing e5 anyway. } 4. d4 d6 { Threatening an e5 boost. } 5. h3 { Not completely necessary, butI don't want Bg4 to force a trade when I play Nf3. Another strategy forWhite in this opening is to play Be3 Qd2 (f3 if necessary) and O-O-O, withideas to push the kingside pawns, leading to an attack similar to whatis commonly played against the Sicilian. } 5... e5 { Now the position is likethe King's Indian Defense, played against 1.d4, but where Black hasn'tplayed Nf6. } 6. dxe5 { This is the exchange variation. Nf3 leads to positionssimilar to the English (1.c4), and d5 leads to the normal variations ofthis opening. } 6... dxe5 { Bxe5 isn't the main variation, but also playable sinceit threatens to take on c3 leaving me with isolated doubled pawns. } 7. Qc2 { Trading queens is drawish, because Black's king can get to safetyon c7, and Black's position will be completely solid. } 7... Ne7 { Nf6 is a morecommon position, but Ne7 is better in this particular move order. } 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Be2 { White usually fianchettoes this bishop to add to control ofd5, but I don't need to because Black doesn't have a d-pawn to threatena d5 breakthrough. } 9... Qc7 { The best position for Black's queen in this opening. } 10. O-O h6 { Black's plan is to play f5-f4 and g5 to pawnstorm my kingside,but he ends up overextending his position, giving my forces access to hisking. } 11. Rd1 { Places rook on open file, but Be3 may be more accurate. } 11... Be6 12. c5 { Gaining space on the queenside while taking claim to Black'sweak d6 square. } 12... Nd7 13. Be3 f5 { Black starts his pawnstorm on my king'sposition, but overextends his own king's position. } 14. Rd6 { Black's overextendedpawns have weakened the squares near his king, which I exploited nicely. } 14... Bf7 15. Qd2 { Not only do I threaten Black's knight, but also have a sneakyattack on the h6 pawn. } 15... Nf6 { Threatens my e-pawn to counter my threat onhis h-pawn. } 16. Bxh6 fxe4 { Taking with the knight allows me to trade myunimportant c3-knight for his kingside defending knight. } 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 { If exf3, then Bxf8 wins an exchange. } 18. Qg5 { This counterthreat is muchstronger than passively moving my knight. } 18... Be8 19. Nh4 { I'm not interestedin taking on e5, which complicates the game. I'd much rather play it safewhile I have an attack going. } 19... Ned5 { Black wants to block my rook's escapepath and challenge it's defender, the c5-pawn, but my attack will be completebefore then. } 20. Bc4 { Putting more pressure on d5. } 20... b6 { Black is underestimatingmy kingside attack, and will lose quickly. } 21. Nf5+ { I don't need to answerBlack's threats when I have strong piece play against his king. } 21... Kh8 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 { Taking with the pawn allows me to win a piece by taking on f6. } 23. Qh6+ { Attacking the king and rook. } 23... Kg8 24. Rxd5 { Black may as wellresign now. I'm threatening discovered check, and once he takes my rook,it's mate in 2. } 24... cxd5 25. Bxd5+ Rf7 { Bf7 and Qf7 leave Black with the samefate. } 26. Qg7# { If you didn't see this mate, then you should probablystart practicing to recognize pinned pieces better. } 1-0

[Event "Weak, but still poisoned"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.09.05"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "waradmiral1"] [Result "1-0"] { Blitz among similar rated players. } 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 { My favourite. } 2... c6 3. Nf3 { Bad, because Qb6 now forces me out of my lines. } 3... Nf6 { But to playthis move or not is a matter of taste. } 4. h3 { So let's continue the bluff.Theory prefers e3, here, but I want to keep e4 as a threat. } 4... Nbd7 5. c3 { Finally guarding against Qb6. } 5... g6 { A quiet line, but solid for me tobreak. } 6. g4 { Let's go! } 6... Bg7 7. Nbd2 { Preparing e4, no 1. } 7... O-O 8. Qc2 { Preparing e4, no 2. } 8... Re8 { Preparing e5. I have to fight that, but myadvance comes first. } 9. e4 { Black is still a move behind to play e5. } 9... dxe4 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 { Ok, so what? I'm not bad, but black is stillvery solid. } 11... Nf6 12. Qc2 Nd5 { ...as this knight manouver proves. } 13. Be5 { Trying to provoke f6, making my Bc4 a more valuable move. In caseof bishop's exchange, we'll have a fuzzy game. } 13... Bd7 { Not releasing thetension. I'm waiting to play g5 until the black's lsb is on the board. } 14. O-O-O Qb6 { Hmmm... does black have an attack on the queenside? Well,just in case... } 15. Bc4 Nf6 { Strange move, but it was not clear who wasin charge here. } 16. g5 { Let's make my pawn worth! } 16... Bf5 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Rxd3 { Maybe not the right choice, but I thought that a tempo in doublingrooks was interesting to unbalance the position... one side or another.Moreover, I was looking hard at c4... } 18... Nd5 19. h4 { Maybe not the best option.I wanted to assure control over the g5 square, to avoid the nasty Bh6+.But I didn't want to exchange my bishop with no reason. } 19... f6 20. Bg3 Rad8 { I expected e5, here. } 21. c4 { A little 'breath' that gave me a tempoto, hopefully, get something back. The idea was c5, but the knight takesthe rook with check, which I overlooked badly. } 21... Nb4 22. c5 Nxd3+ 23. Qxd3 Qb5 { I expected Qxc5+, winning anothe pawn. } 24. Qxb5 cxb5 { At least Ideflected the pawns and my two angels are more free to fly. } 25. Rd1 a6 26. Bc7 { I planned to set the bishop in c3. e3 would have worked, but itblocks the semicolumn 'e' i can use to pressure on with my rook. } 26... Rd5 { Reinforcing e5... I cannot take the bishop out of the diagonal, not now... } 27. Kc2 { With almost no plan. The truth is I am lost! } 27... Rf5 28. Rd3 Rc8 29. Ba5 { If e5, I cannot answer d5 because of e4, forking with a checkthreat. } 29... Rc6 { I'll say a blunder. e5 would have crushed me. } 30. Kd2 fxg5 31. hxg5 h6 { Ok, so give your damn check in h6, but now the positionis looser... } 32. gxh6 Bxh6+ 33. Kc2 { That's all, folks! Well... } 33... Re6 { Ok,now is the moment to risk something. } 34. d5 Re2+ 35. Kb3 Rxf2 { Now itcould have been a good idea d5, but... } 36. c6 { ...seemed better to me.Anyway, white is still lost, but you know, in blitz... :-))) } 36... bxc6 37. dxc6 { Nice! Of course, RxN leaves me just undefended, since Re8+ is impossible. } 37... Rf8 { ?!!! Wow, this suddenly looks interesting! } 38. Ne5 { I think itis the right one, since it threats a lot of squares and guards f3. } 38... Rc8 { Nxg6 threats Rxc6, Nxe7+, recovering the material. Rd8+, RxR, BxR, andblack can stop the pawn with Rf8. He will lose it, anyway. } 39. c7 { Thisis another way. I cannot tell if better or not. } 39... Bg7 { My turn. } 40. Rd8+ Rxd8 { Better was Rf-f8, Nxg6. } 41. cxd8=Q+ Rf8 42. Qd5+ { No hope for black,now. The rest of the game was not actually played. } 42... Kh7 43. Qh1+ Kg8 44. Nxg6 Re8 45. Qc6 Kf7 46. Bb4 Bf6 47. Nf4 e5 48. Qd5+ Kg7 49. Nh5+ Kg6 50. Nxf6 Kxf6 51. Bc3 1-0

[Event "daniels mini-tournament III"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.18"] [Round "-"] [White "oxbowsevern"] [Black "bumbar"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1716"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1682"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 { Strange but not too terrible. Just preventsBg5 so Black can play Nf6 easily. } 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Qf6 { Defeats thepurpose of h6 and brings the Q in a bit early. } 6. Be3 { c3 was a possibilitybut didn't want to block in N at b1. Nxc6 would work but provides Blackwith a stronger pawn center. } 6... Bc5 7. c3 d6 { b6 could have been anotheroption to develop the white squared bishop. } 8. O-O Bxd4 9. cxd4 a6 10. Nc3 { Not to prevent b5 but mainly to consider Nd5 eventually. } 10... Nge7 11. f4 { An under-utilized move imo. Prepares e5 and to some degree d5. } 11... Ng6 { Attacking the center with pieces. Unfortunately there is not enough pawnsupport for this. } 12. f5 Nf8 13. Nd5 Qd8 14. Qf3 { Too early for f6 ore5. Makes room for putting the R at a1 into play. } 14... Na5 15. f6 g5 16. Rac1 Nxc4 17. Rxc4 c6 18. Ne7 Qd7 19. d5 c5 20. e5 b6 21. e6 fxe6 22. Qh5+ Kd8 23. Bxg5 Kc7 24. b4 b5 25. bxc5 bxc4 26. cxd6+ Kxd6 27. Bf4+ Kc5 28. dxe6+ 1-0

[Event "My first loss"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.03"] [Round "-"] [White "heartshapedbox"] [Black "lougri"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1888"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1592"] 1. d4 { So here we are at the start of my game against lougri. I felt likeI could conquer the whole world, well, at least every chessplayer on Gameknot,having won my first 7 games on the server (including a mate in 7!). I'man e4-player, but try to experiment with some openings on gameknot, exploringwhether 1d4 might be a good choice in real games. } 1... d5 2. c4 e5 { So of courseI am not familiar with this opening. I sank into thoughts (which no-onenotices on gameknot). I was wondering about 3.dxe5,dxc4 4.Qd8:,Kd8: andexpected to have a small plus. However, after for example 5.e4,Nc6 6.f4(or Nf3),Nb4 I wasn't able to find my plus anymore. It seemed that blackwas ok because he wins a tempo on my e5-pawn or something. And besidesthat, 3...,dxc4 isn't even forced. So an alternative. } 3. e3 { I'm not sosure about this move. } 3... exd4 4. exd4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Be2 Be6 { This was the first moment of happiness in this game for me. I didn't believethat black should place his bishop on this rather inactive square to winthe pawn. In fact, I was a little bit happy to sacrifice it. } 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bg5 { At least some active play, and it's hard to move the e6-bishopbecause of the c4-pawn. However, I didn't like my isolani on the d-file. } 9... h6 10. Bh4 Nbd7 11. Qc2 c6 { Threatening b5. I have a choice now to continuethe position with a pawn down and activate my pieces (Rac1, Rfd1, b3 andNe4) or try to regain the pawn immediately with Ne4. I think I made thewrong choice. } 12. Ne4 Be7 { I don't really know what I planned on b5, butin the game I didn't like this retreat. It forces me to exchange my activepieces against black less active ones. But at least I'm regaining my pawn. } 13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Bxc4 Rfe8 16. Rfd1 { Judging the finishof the game, it might have been better to exchange the light-squared bishops. } 16... Bg4 17. Be2 { Rd3 wasn't possible because of Bf5 and 17.Qb3,Bf3: 18.Qf3:(orgf3:),Qf3: 19.gf3: didn't look too nice for me. } 17... Re7 { 18.h3,Bf5 19.Bd3,Bh3: } 18. Rd2 Rae8 { Threatening Bf3:. I kinda missed that, again planned h3 butthat's still not working. Also Ne5 isn't enough. Black is more active andhas a healthier pawn structure. } 19. Kf1 Bxf3 { Didn't see that one comingeither. } 20. Bxf3 Qf4 { I'd love to play d5, but always got into Ne5 whichseemed to ruin the last of my defence } 21. Rad1 Qxh2 22. g3 Nf6 23. Qf5 { I was convinced that this would be a rather good defence. } 23... Ne4 { but thismove was already awkward. 24.Be4:,Re4: 25.Qf3,Qh3 26.Qg2,Re1 already loses.Since Re2 fails on Ng3:, my last defence was Rc2. Then 24...,Qg3:? 25.Be4:would be embarrassing, but also 24...,Ng3: 25.fg3: is not that clear fprblack, as the white queen suddenly defends his companion on c2 again. Ireally loved this discovered defence. Nevertheless, again I completelymissed black's best move.... } 24. Rc2 Qxf2+ { Ai, was that a threat as well.....Good game by my opponent, brought me back with two feets on the ground.The end of a beautiful winning streak of 7 games, but of course it is alsothe start of a new winning streak, which hopefully lasts more than 7 gamesthis time. } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from corleone_to"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.10"] [Round "-"] [White "knife_edge_loop"] [Black "corleone_to"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1914"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1832"] 1. e4 c6 { Caro Kahn Defense. } 2. d4 d5 { Follows Fischer VS Petrosian forabout six moves. } 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nf6 { Normally this is Nc6. } 5. c3 Nc6 6. Bf4 g6 7. h3 { Nf3 is most popular here. } 7... Bg7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Nbd2 Be6 { Opening ends. } 10. O-O Qc8 11. Re1 { Puts rook on open file. } 11... Re8 12. Nb3 { To get N on c5. } 12... Bf5 13. Nc5 { Aggressive move pointing at many weaknesses,b7, f7. } 13... Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Nd7 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. Re2 { Double rooks on e file. } 16... a6 17. Rae1 b5 { Considered Ne5. } 18. a3 Qb7 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Bxe5 21. Rxe5 Rac8 22. Qf3 { Attacks weakness on d5 and f7. } 22... e6 23. h4 { Attemptsto crack open holes around king. } 23... h5 { Stops attack. } 24. Qf4 { Continuesattack on holes around king. } 24... b4 25. axb4 a5 26. Qh6 { Traps king in cornerby controlling f8 square. } 26... Qe7 { Best move to play. } 27. bxa5 Qxh4 28. R1e3 { Creates mating threats. } 28... Rc6 { Rooks are useless in this position. } 29. Rh3 { Attacks queen. } 29... Qf6 { Perhaps to put queen on g7. } 30. Rexh5 { Pawntakes rook means QxQ. All annotations are by knife edge loop, transcribedby me. } 1-0

[Event "One-Sided"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.12"] [Round "-"] [White "sugar7"] [Black "blake84120"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1903"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1215"] 1. e4 c5 { I apologize to my opponent. On 1/17/09 when this game began,my rating was 1274 and our ratings were only 50-60 points apart, whichdidn't seem too significant. But now our ratings are nearly 700 pointsapart which is quite significant indeed. It led to a bit of a one-sidedmatch. We played this open challenge game for nearly three months, averagingabout 10 moves per month. In the future, I plan to avoid games with timelimits of 14-days. I'm playing black and my opponent starts with the Opengame so I respond with the Sicilian. } 2. Bc4 Nc6 { White's 2. Bc4 seemsto have confused the Game DB but 2. Bc4 is called the Philidor Variation. } 3. c3 Nf6 { I don't have much on this opening line, so I'm playing on principle.Seems a good idea to develop a piece and threaten the pawn on e4 sincewhite has deprived his queen's knight of it's favorite square. } 4. Qf3 Ne5 { A handy little fork that should drive the white queen to E2. } 5. Qg3 Nxc4 { Free piece. I'll bite - doesn't seem to be any overt reprisal. } 6. d3 Nb6 { On b6 the knight is a little out of the way, but not too bad, andhere he doesn't restrict the d-pawn from getting into the thick of things- he even helps defend d5. } 7. c4 d6 { I'm not sure this was my best choice,but I wanted to get some play out of my queen's bishop before I play e6and d5. } 8. h3 g6 9. Nf3 Bg7 { Clears the way for castling, and it was obviousthis bishop would have had no chance to play along the a3-f8 diagonal fora long time to come. } 10. Ng5 h6 11. Nf3 e6 { Finally starting to work ond5. I considered 11. ... Nh5 which would force black's queen to h2, a veryundignified square for a mighty queen (12. Qh4 loses to 12. ... Bf3). ThenI decided against it in favor of attacking the center. Besides, playingthe knight to attack the white queen would be much juicier if that pawnway up there at b2 were undefended. } 12. Na3 Nh5 { Yeah, then I did it anyway. } 13. Qh2 a6 { Don't want that knight on b5. } 14. g4 Nf6 15. g5 hxg5 16. Nxg5 Ng4 17. Qg3 Ne5 { This looks like a good square for a knight. } 18. f4 Nc6 { Or not. But now d4 is looking pretty good. } 19. h4 Na4 { Threatening thepawn on b2 with two pieces. White can defend it long-distance with 20.Rh2 or with 20. Qg2 (et. al). } 20. O-O Nxb2 { White didn't defend it, andnow he cannot recapture with 21. Bxb2 because after black replies 21. ...Bxb2 black will be forking the knight and the rook. Further, white is threatening21. ... Nxd3 followed by 22. ... Bxa1. } 21. Rb1 Na4 22. Bd2 Nc3 { Black's7th consecutive knight move. Now the knight is forking the pawn on a2,the rook on b1, and best of all, the empty e2 square from which black wouldhave the royal fork against white's king and queen. } 23. Bxc3 Bxc3 24. Rfc1 Nd4 { White's rook on c1 threatens black's bishp on c3, but black isagain threatening the royal fork on e2. } 25. f5 Ne2+ { I have to give 25.f5?? a pair of ? for allowing the royal fork, and not even picking up thefree bishop in the trade. I imagine the slow pace of the game lulled myopponent into overlooking the threat. } 26. Kf2 Nxg3 27. Kxg3 Be5+ { Timeto save the bishop-who-should-be-dead. } 28. Kf3 Rxh4 { White probably didn'twant to give up the h4 pawn. Now black has a way into enemy lines. } 29. Ke2 Qxg5 { Ditto. } 30. Rg1 Rh2+ { Here white announced mate in 4 beginningwith 30. Rh2+. If 31. Kf3, then 31. ... Qf4#. If 31. Kd1, then 31. ...Qd2#. If 31. Ke1, then 31. ... Qd2+ 32. Kf1 Qe2#. And finally if 31. Kf1,then 31. ... Qf4+ 32. Ke1 Qd2+ 33. Kf1 Qe2#. Instead of playing it out,white resigned. } 0-1

[Event "Outwitting the defense..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "dchessmen"] [Black "lake-bay"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1430"] [WhiteElo "1387"] { This is my second game with him. The first game he got a draw after Ihad a winning position. } 1. d4 d5 2. h3 { A little out of place... } 2... Bf5 3. Nf3 e6 4. a3 { Again not the best... } 4... c5 { I strike the center. } 5. dxc5 Bxc5 { I like the looks of my position. } 6. b4 Bd6 { Would have retreatingto b6 been better? } 7. Bg5 Nf6 { hoping for Bxf6... } 8. e3 { Not to be had... } 8... a6 { Stopping the annoying check... } 9. b5 Qa5+ { I start my conquest witha vengeance... } 10. c3 { I start eying the potential fork... } 10... Ne4 { Bringinganother piece into the fray... } 11. Qd4 { ? This only becomes a target. } 11... f6 12. g4 Bc5 { ! I drive Her Majesty away... } 13. Qd3 { This allows a painfuldiscovered check... } 13... Nxf2 { !! I have too many threats! } 14. Qe2 Nxh1 { Istart to clean up... } 15. gxf5 Ng3 { Gatting my knight out of its potentialimprisonment } 16. Qg2 Nxf5 17. Bf4 e5 { I push it away form defense of e3... } 18. Bg3 Nxe3 { Attacking the queen again... } 19. Qd2 { Better would havebeen Qe2. this allows... } 19... Nxf1 { Suddenly another pawn goes. } 20. Kxf1 Qxb5+ { With check. } 21. Qe2 Qxe2+ { I happily agree to the queen trade. } 22. Kxe2 { Now I have a huge material advantage. I need to utilize my extra pawns.He goes on the defensive... } 22... Nc6 23. Nbd2 O-O-O { Bringing my rook ontothe half-open file... } 24. Bf2 { Another exchange! } 24... Bxf2 { I oblige... } 25. Kxf2 d4 { Creating a pawn chain but giving myself a nasty half-passed pawnto deal with... } 26. c4 { Why didn't I see that? } 26... Na5 27. Rc1 Kd7 { I plannedb5?? I hoped for an exchange so I got my king off the file. But he wouldadvance it and give me a real headache. } 28. Ne4 { In come the knights... } 28... Kc6 { Go to block the pawn... } 29. Nfd2 f5 { I start driving the knightsaway... } 30. Ng3 g6 31. Nf3 Rhe8 32. Ng5 Rd7 33. h4 h6 34. Nf3 { He is makingit a tedious process... } 34... e4 35. Ne1 f4 36. Ne2 g5 { I offer a rather hopefulexchange... } 37. hxg5 { And he takes it! } 37... hxg5 { Now I got four passed pawns... } 38. Nc2 d3 { I happily fork them. But allow... } 39. Nb4+ { My king isn'tvery happy at the moment... } 39... Kc5 40. Nd5 { The knight is threatening to fork the rooks. } 40... e3+ { I push the pawn with check... } 41. Kf3 d2 { And the other one... } 42. Rg1 { Now come the decisions... } 42... Rg7 { The only move... } 43. Nf6 Ree7 { Horrible,but my only choice... } 44. Nc3 { ? He missed Nh5!! leaving my with a realproblem on my king side. } 44... Kxc4 { So I eat pawns. } 45. Nfe4 { !? Nh5 was stillan option. } 45... Nb3 46. Na4 Kd3 { Threatening his knight... } 47. Nb2+ { ? Thisdoesn't help anything. } 47... Kc2 { I planned to sac my rook for the knight toease up on the presure } 48. Nd1 Nd4+ { Driving His Majesty away from theknight. } 49. Kg4 Rxe4 { He resigned. } 0-1

[Event "Great Endgames Series - Pawn Endings"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1947.07.19"] [Round "-"] [White "Juri Randviir"] [Black "Paul Keres"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "1947"] { Main annotation taken from Steve Giddins' book 'The Greatest Ever ChessEndgames' } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5 a6 8. Ba4 Ne5 9. Qe2 N7g6 10. Nd2 Nf4 11. Bxf4 Qxf4 12. g3 Qg4 13. Qxg4 Nxg4 14. h3 Ne5 15. Bc2 d6 16. O-O-O Bd7 17. Nf1 O-O-O 18. Ne3 Rde8 19. Rd2 Bc6 20. Nef5 Bxd4 21. Nxd4 Bd7 22. f4 Nc6 23. Nxc6 Bxc6 24. Re2 Re7 25. Kd2 f6 26. Re3 Rhe8 27. Rhe1 g5 28. f5 Re5 29. c4 b5 30. b3 Kb7 31. Kc3 Kb6 32. Kd4 Bd7 33. Bd1 Ka5 34. Bc2 Kb4 35. a3+ Ka5 36. Rf1 c5+ 37. Kd3 bxc4+ 38. bxc4 d5 39. g4 Rxe4 40. Rxe4 Rxe4 41. cxd5 Rxg4 42. hxg4 Bb5+ 43. Ke3 Bxf1 44. Bd3 Bxd3 45. Kxd3 { This is a particularlyinteresting position. Black has an extra pawn, but since it is the backwardpawn on h7, it does not look all that valuable, as it seems unlikely toproduce a passed pawn. Meanwhile, the white king is quite active in thecentre, and he has a Pawn Endings passed pawn on d5 to set against Black'spassed c5-pawn. However, despite these first impressions, the h­pawn infact turns out to be vital after all. There are two reasons. One is thatit provides a reserve tempo with ... h7-h6, which can play a vital rolein a king dance for the opposition. Secondly, there is also the potentialtactical breakthrough ... h5, should the black king be located within thesquare of the resulting white passed pawn after the reply gxh5. These factorsprove sufficient to win the game for black, but only thanks to some extremelynifty footwork by his king. } 45... Kb5 { This is the only move to win, since after45 ... Kb6 46 Kc4 a5 47 a4 Black would be forced to expend his preciousreserve tempo with 47 ... h6. As will be­come clear later, the resultingposition would only be a draw. } 46. a4+ Kb6 47. Kc4 a5 { Now we have thesame position as in the previous note, but with White to move -a crucialdifference. } 48. d6 { Keres shows that White has no al­ternative to thisexchange of passed pawns, since after 48. Kc3 Kc7 49. Kc4 Kd6 50. Kb5 Kxd551. Kxa5 .. Black wins with the neat 51 ... Kc6! imprisoning the whiteking in front of his a-pawn. } 48... Kc6 49. d7 Kxd7 50. Kxc5 Ke7 51. Kd5 { A vitalmoment. The move 51 Kb5 is is not possible, because after 51 ... h5! 52gxh5 g4 the g-pawn promotes,whilst the white h-pawn is stopped by Black'sking (see the introductory remarks). This is the key point of the wholeending, and shows that Black's extra h­-pawn is not the irrelevance itmay have first seemed. The threat of ... h7-h5 means that the white kingis effectively held in an invisible prison, bounded by the square of theg5-pawn, and cannot go left of the c-file or further forward than c5. } 51... Kf7 { Now 52 ... hs is again a threat, this time with a quieter follow-up,e.g. 52 Kd4 h5! 53 gxh5 Kg7! (with the idea of simply ... Kh6 and ... Kxh5)54. Kd5 g4! 55. Ke4 Kh6 56. Kf4 Kxh5 winning easily. } 52. Ke4 Kf8 { Now52. ... h5? 53. gxh5 Kg7 is not possible because of 54. Kf3 Kh6 55. Kg4and the white king is in time to defend the hS-pawn. The point of the textis that White is in zugzwang. His king has to stay on the e-file, to beable to meet the threat of 53. ... h5 54. gxh5 Kg7 } 53. Ke3 { The only move,but now we see that this too has its drawbacks. } 53... Ke7 { The black king changesdirection and heads back to the centre. White must come to meet him andtake the opposition, but, crucially, Black still has his reserve tempoin his pocket. } 54. Ke4 Kd6 55. Kd4 h6 { And here it is. Black takes theoppo­sition and the white king must give way. } 56. Ke4 { Going the otherway also loses, once again because of the strike by the h­pawn: 56. Kc4Ke5 57. Kb5 h5! Now the white king is out­side the square of the g5-pawn!58. gxh5 Kxf5 59. Kxa5 g4 60. Kb5 g3 61. a5 g2 62. a6 g1 Queens and wins. } 56... Kc5 57. Ke3 Kd5 { 57 ... Kb4 also wins, but allows unnecessary counter-playafter 58. Kd4 Kxa4 59. Kd5 Kb3 60. Ke6 etc. Keres' move maintains Black'sdominance and wins without any alarums. } 58. Kd3 Ke5 59. Ke3 h5 { Fittinglyenough, it is the h-pawn which administers the coup de grace. } 60. gxh5 Kxf5 61. Kf3 Ke6 { As Keres points out, this is again simpler than 61 ...g4+ 62. Kg3 Kg5 63. h6 although Black is still winning after 63 ..Kxh664. Kxg4 Kg6 65. Kf4 f5 } 62. Kg4 Kf7 63. Kf5 Kg7 { A highly instructiveendgame, showing several important themes. } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from thehellion"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.03.30"] [Round "-"] [White "thehellion"] [Black "lovronix"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1133"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1260"] 1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. e3 { This is the K-side counterpart to the Englishopening. In that opening, White plays to control the light squares: inthis one, White plays a dark-square game. } 3... Qd6 { A little premature to bringout the Queen. 3...B-N5, pinning, is a better choice. } 4. Bb5 { I takemy own advice, and also make K-side castling possible. } 4... g6 5. d4 { Anothermove to control the dark squares. I am eventually aiming to place a pieceon K5. } 5... e6 { Black, in turn, tries to take the light squares. } 6. Nbd2 Bg7 7. Nb3 Bd7 { Black's development is nearly complete. The game begins topick up in tempo here. } 8. Ne5 { I plant my piece on K5, as planned. } 8... Bxe5 { A tactical interlude comes here. If I immediately respond with 9 BPxB,Black can reply with 9...Q-N5ch winning the White KB. So I have to playBxN first, before retaking the Black B on K5. } 9. Bxc6 Bxc6 { Now it issafe for me to capture the Black B. } 10. fxe5 { The Q must move. } 10... Qe7 11. O-O { I finally get around to castling... also taking the half-open KB file. } 11... Nh6 { Black clears his back rank. He can now castle on either side. } 12. Bd2 { I prepare to connect my Rooks with 13 Q-K2. But Black's 12th movemakes me postpone this plan. } 12... f5 { I'm not sure what the point of this moveis. It lets me create a passed Pawn and puts me a Pawn up. } 13. exf6 { Inaturally capture en passant, presumably forcing Black's Queen to retreat. } 13... Qxf6 { Wow! A monumental oversight that ends the game instantly. Did henot see that the Pawn was guarded by the Rook on KB1? } 14. Rxf6 { I seizethe opportunity, and Black resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Back Rank Mate"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.05.22"] [Round "-"] [White "slongstaff"] [Black "jkarp"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1069"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1037"] { This was an interesting League Game between slongstaff and I. In thisparticular game, I did not play well. In fact, it was a terrible game,but the ending was extremely good because I managed to get a back rankmate. } 1. e4 { This is where Bobby Fisher would say, 'Best by Test'. Fora long time, I have been wondering what, 'Best by Test' meant. Liam1260and expert inadowman gave a very good opinion of that statement. BobbyFisher tested this opening and determined that it is best, and that iswhat he means when he says, 'Best by Test'. According to Jack Stockel,1.e4 is still the strongest opening, and that is why it is also the mostcommon. However, he has also told me that other openings are quite playable,as long as, they are studied by masters and grandmasters. } 1... c5 { This wasBobby Fisher's favorite defense. He opened with the Sicilian defense againsta Russian player. I do not know what his name was, but he was also a grandmaster. This is how Bobby Fisher defeated that player, in a long game. For thatreason, Bobby Fisher would also say, 'Best by Test', for this opening. } 2. d4 { He probably wanted to respond with the Open Sicilian, butit is a little early for this move. If wanted the Open Variation, he shouldhave played 2.Nf3, followed by 3.d4. } 2... d6 { However, I am going to continuewith my defense. } 3. Qf3 { ? This violates General Opening Principles becausehe brought his queen out too early. However, I am not going to drive itaway. As I had mentioned in my last annotation, it can be harmful, ifyou become obsessed with chasing pieces. For that reason, I am going tocontinue with my defense. In addition, he has left his d4 pawn unprotected. Therefore, I am going to win a free pawn, after 3...cxd4. } 3... cxd4 4. Bc4 { ? I don't know why he played this. } 4... Nf6 { I made this move for development. However, it is not the proper continuation of the Siclian Defense. Therefore,4...a6 would have been best. } 5. Bg5 { ?! Why did he attack my knight? He probably did this to use a, 'Scare Tactic'. However, that is not goingto overwhelm me because my knight is not pinned. Therefore, he is notgoing to accomplish anything, if he wants to make me nervous. } 5... Bg4 { ?!In the meantime, I decide to attack his queen, but what is my goal? Well,I am attacking with two pieces. Therefore, I will win a free pawn withmy knight, if he does not retreat carefully. BTW, I am not attemptingtempo, but I am trying to win free material. However, this does not guaranteevictory, and it is a waste of time. That will be explained shortly. } 6. Qb3 { !! He retreats wisely. In fact, this was his best move, and I willexplain it shortly. } 6... Nc6 { ?? On a normal basis, I would this two exclamationpoints because I originally thought that he was threatening my rook. However,I would still be able to protect it with this move, if Qxb7 was played. On the other hand, this turns out to be a major blunder because he isgoing to place me in a very serious check, after 7.Bxf7+. Therefore, Iam going to loose my chance to castle, so my king will remain exposed throughoutthe entire. In the past, I have lost several chess games, from this typeof mistake. That is why, 6...e6 would have been my best move. } 7. Bxf7+ Kd7 8. Qxb7+ { !! At this point, he takes advantage by deciding toplace me in another serious check. Why is this serious? It is becausehe has won another free pawn, due to this check. } 8... Qc7 { This is forced. I originally thought that I could protect, with my king, but that wouldbe illegal. Therefore, this is my only move. Right now, things are lookingvery bad for black because he will win a free rook, after 9.Qxa8. As aresult, I will 6 points behind, instead of a point ahead. } 9. Qxa8 Qa5+ { !! Before he does any more damage I decide to place him in check. Thismight look like a nuisance and a waste of time, but it is quite. Whatis the significance of this move? That will be answered shortly. } 10. c3 { This gets him out of check, but I am now going to win his DSB, after10...Qxg5 due to my last move. } 10... Qxg5 11. Qb7+ { It might look seriousbecause 11...Kd8 will be forced, but this is a nuisance check because Iam protected by my knights and LSB. On a normal basis, you would thinkthat the game is almost lost for black. However, white has made a seriousgame that will cost him the game. That will be explained momentarily. } 11... Kd8 12. Qxc6 { ?? He played this to win a free piece, but, 'almostanything is better than this move', as chesskingdom64 would say. In fact,'this looses immediately', as Mr. Stockel would say. It turns out to bea deflective sacrifice because I now have an inevitable mating move. Therefore,I will mate him in one, with 12...Qc1#. That is, btw, why it is calledBack Rank Mate. Afterall, I am going to mate him, on the back rank. } 12... Qc1# { In the past, chesskingdom64 has said that, 'What you do in the openingwill affect you in the midgame; what you do in the midgame will affectyou in the endgame; what you do in the endgame will the final results'. Jack Stockel strongly agrees with this assessment. He has said that itis very hard to catchup, if your opening is weak. However, there are alsotimes where you can play and/or end well, despite a weak opening. Thatwas shown, in this game. IM i-have-arrived emphasized that in my threadabout opening games. Having said that, I would like to thank i-have-arrivedfor making this point. By doing this, he has helped to make this annotationpossible. } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Jun-07"] [Round "-"] [White "chessknave"] [Black "grabar"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1483"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1498"] 1. d4 d5 { This games starts out as a typical double Queen pawn opening. } 2. e4 { Blackmar Deimler Gambit. I decide to present an opening that hasboth risk and opportunity, offering chances for tactics. } 2... e6 { Black declinesthe gambit and makes clearance for developing the bishop. It appears tobe a fairly solid approach to the opening. } 3. e5 { Transposing into a FrenchAdvanced position which will slow the g8 knight down by taking away thef6 square. Black suffers the usual problems inherent to the French, thebad bishop, and in this case the retarded knight. } 3... Nc6 { Black contemplatesthe followup attacking move of 4...Bb4&#43. } 4. Nc3 { Placed as a shieldagainst the expected 4...Bb4&#43 } 4... Bb4 { A pin is applied. } 5. f4 { Whitecharges directly into an attack. There is a minimal threat of 5...Qh4&#43,but this is refuted by 6.g3 driving the queen back at the expense of asound pawn structure. } 5... Nge7 { Black develops a piece as best able in theconfined pawn structure. } 6. Nf3 { Continued development of pieces. Theknight is developed with the idea of forming an attack on the kingsideafter the opponent has castled there. } 6... Bd7 { Black continues to developpieces, not making the commital 0-0 and possibly hinting at 0-0-0. } 7. Bd2 { Improving the position by removing the pin on the knight and openingup the queenside more for a possible 0-0-0. } 7... Ng6 { The knight is developedout in an attempt to gain activity. This move causes the bishop at d2 tobe pulling double duty protection of c3 and f4. The threat is 8...Bxc39. bxc3 which leaves the pawns in disarray. The bishop must maintain protectionof f4. } 8. Bd3 { White continues to develop pieces. Both players have badbishops, with black having the worse situation. } 8... Qe7 { Black appears tobe looking at 0-0-0 and adds protection to the bishop at b4. } 9. f5 { Whitedrops a flank pawn to gain a center pawn, as will be seen shortly. } 9... exf5 10. Nxd5 { A forking attack on queen and bishop. } 10... Bxd2+ { Black forces areply. } 11. Qxd2 O-O { Black while possibly seeing the fork threat of 12.Nxc7&#43,overlooks the threat to the queen by 12.Nxe7&#43 - the turning point ofthe game. } 12. Nxe7+ { White has a considerable material advantage and strivesto apply the most direct technique for a win. } 12... Ncxe7 13. O-O-O { With theidea of using both rooks to attack on the kingside. } 13... f4 14. h4 { With theidea of removing the defender of f4. } 14... Nf5 { Possibly wanting 15.Ne3 to postthe knight, but the move is a tempo behind. } 15. Bxf5 { Applying the theoryof exchanging while materially ahead and reducing the material on the kingsideto clear a path to attack the king. } 15... Bxf5 16. h5 Ne7 17. Qxf4 { Gainingthe pawn now that the knight has been driven back. } 17... Be6 { Attacking a2,but the threat is minimal due to 18...Bxa2 19.b3! and the bishop is lostafter 20.Kb2 Bxb3 21.Kxb3. } 18. h6 { Attempting to crack open the castle. } 18... Nd5 { Forcing the queen away. } 19. Qd2 { The queen moves to a point of safetythat also limits any knight moves to b4, e3 and f4, while also maintainingprotection at h6. } 19... g6 { Black thwarts the pawn attack but inherits a weaknessat g7. } 20. c4 { Driving back the pieces using pawns. The idea is to sweepthe pieces away from the center using the strong mass of central pawns. } 20... Ne7 21. d5 Rad8 { A pin stops the rolling pawn advance. } 22. Qg5 { The queenbegins manuevers to reach g7. } 22... Bc8 23. Qf6 Nf5 { Black drives a wedge intothe attacking plan. } 24. Ng5 { With the idea of 25.Rd1-f1 followed by 26.Rxf5to allow 27.Qg7# } 24... Rfe8 { Not the best move because it allows check. } 25. Qxf7+ { Now 25...Kh8 26.Qxh7# wins. (Obviously not 26.Qg7 now because of26...Nxg7.) } *

[Event "grey_panda's mini-tournament II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.26"] [Round "-"] [White "grey_panda"] [Black "mlcsl"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1420"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1447"] 1. e4 { The Undeserved. Not sure how I got away with this one against anopponent I struggle with. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { We'll go with my usualopening (I tried summat different in the next match and it worked. Badly.) } 3... Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. a4 { Probably a bit weak, too nervous of this opponent. } 5... O-O 6. b4 Be7 7. Ba3 Nxe4 8. Bd5 d6 { After cursing myself for leaving apawn hanging I got lucky here. I couldn't see any trap so a free knightis a free knight. } 9. Bxe4 d5 10. Bc2 e4 11. Nd4 Ne5 { Neither side overlywell developed. Looking at b3 for the bishop but the whole queen side rathercongested.... guess which side I'm hoping to tuck the king away on. } 12. O-O { Hey I never said I could play this game. } 12... f5 13. d3 Bg5 14. dxe4 dxe4 15. Bb3+ Kh8 16. Be6 Qd6 { I had hoped for BxB, KxB, but he isn't fallingfor that one. } 17. b5 { So I go for a nasty little exposed instead. Purefortune it was there, but I've found I can set those up and pretty muchleave those grenades around. } 17... Qd8 18. Bxf8 Qxf8 19. f4 { Hoping that myopponent isn't familiar with en passant. } 19... exf3 { Poo. } 20. Bxc8 Rxc8 21. Ne6 { Now that I thought at the time was a great move, but it gets me intotrouble. } 21... Be3+ 22. Kh1 { Forces me into a corner and then I'm getting worriedabout g2. } 22... Qf6 23. Nd4 { Offering the sacrifice. Expecting R-d8. } 23... fxg2+ { Now that opens up the King defences, but I felt it was premature., Withthe knight guarding f3 I felt he could have taken a tempo to move the queeninto position or pin the knight to the queen with the rook. } 24. Kxg2 Qg5+ 25. Kh1 f4 26. Nf3 { Now from this point I felt for most of the rest ofthe match as if I was one move from disaster. } 26... Nxf3 27. Qxf3 b6 28. Na3 Rd8 29. Rad1 Re8 30. Nc4 Qc5 31. Nxe3 fxe3 { That I hadn't thought throughproperly either. } 32. Rde1 h6 33. Qc6 { Willing to accept the doubled pawnsto relieve the pressure. } 33... Qe5 34. Rf7 { Yeah. Well. } 34... e2 35. Rxc7 { Now greedovercoming my innate good sense. } 35... Rf8 { And getting my just deserts. } 36. Rxg7 { If I'd played Q-g2 the rook would have gone anyway. And since thismove prevented the immediate R-f1 (I thought) it meant I got a lowly pawnin exchange. } 36... Rf1+ { That confused the heck out of me. } 37. Rg1 Qf4 38. Qe8+ { But seeing an opportunity I decide to avoid the whole mess..... } 38... Kh7 39. Qg8# { And I'm sure I got called a few names for that one. } 1-0

[Event "Chiltern Counties Jamboree, Wellington College"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.04.25"] [Round "-"] [White "John Watts"] [Black "Bob Jacobs"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1645"] [TimeControl "All moves in 2 hrs each"] [WhiteElo "1615"] { End of season Jamboree competition between Bucks, Berks, Oxon and Hants:each team having 20 players, 5 in each of 4 bands. My opponent plays forFleet and Farnborough in Hampshire. We were on board 29 out of 40 crampedtogether in quite a small room in the splendid surroundings of WellingtonCollege, complete with an exhibition of artefacts from the Battle of Waterloo,1815. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 { I aim for my favourite King's Indian, thoughI did contemplate essaying a Grunfeld. } 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e3 { Not the bestresponse, which is 4. e4. White adopts a standard QGD formation, whichdoesn't quite meet the demands of the KID. } 4... O-O 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bd3 Nc6 { Ifthe pawn had been on e4, I'd probably have adopted John Nunn's recommendedapproach with ...a5 (to discourage the Bayonet Attack) and ...Na6. WithWhite's B on d3, I planned to meet 7. d5 with ...Nb4. } 7. a3 { White putspaid to that idea but my next move allows a more conventional responsewith my N. } 7... e5 8. d5 Ne7 9. O-O Ne8 { Announcing my plan to make the classicKID ...f5 thrust, followed by a pawn storm. } 10. e4 { Necessary, but Whitehas wasted a tempo he could ill afford. } 10... f5 11. Nd2 { White over-defendse4, avoids potential pawn forks of d3 and f3 and prepares to meet the attackwith f3. } 11... Nf6 { Without delay, I bring the N back into the action to exertpressure on e4. } 12. Qc2 { White continues to over-defend e4, while exertingpressure on f5 and potentially preparing counter-attack on the queenside. However, he underestimates the need to defend the kingside. } 12... f4 { I takethe opportunity to shut White's pieces out of the game to enable my g andh pawns to join in the attack. } 13. Nf3 { White rushes his N back to f3to prevent ...g5. } 13... Bg4 { So I prepare to swap it off. this B usually impalesitself on White's defences anyway. Now it will get full value for itsefforts. } 14. Be2 { After this, at least White will not incur doubled pawns. } 14... Bxf3 15. Bxf3 g5 16. Qe2 { White does his best to inhibit the next advance. } 16... a6 { Now I wanted to use my Q to support the pawns' advance with ...Qe8but I didn't want to allow White to fork Q and R with Nc3-b5-c7, so I slottedthis move in before prosecuting my attack. } 17. Bd2 { White takes the opportunityto develop his B. With two or three more moves, he could generate somecounterplay on the Queenside: eg Rc1, Na4, c5 } 17... Qe8 18. h3 { Another attemptto discourage ...g4 } 18... h5 19. Kh2 { Getting the King off the g-file but notavoiding danger .. } 19... Qg6 { Threatening to trap the B on f3. } 20. Rg1 { ? Ina difficult position, White makes things worse, cutting off his King'sescape. } 20... g4 21. hxg4 hxg4 22. g3 Qh5+ { ! A more attractive opportunityhas presented itself. I'd originally planned to take the Bf3 but this forcesmate: 23. Kg2 Qh3#. Rarely has Black's pawnstorm been so effective! Avery satisfying end to my OTB season :-) } 0-1

[Event "Passed Pawn's Holiday"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.05.17"] [Round "-"] [White "DelioAmato"] [Black "dro12"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1596"] [TimeControl "900+10"] [WhiteElo "1611"] { In this game I actually lost. But it gave me such excitement the ballgoing back and forth and well hard fought game within our abilities. WhenI re check the game with engine, there was ammazing salvation for me atthe end which I missed (way over my rating abillity to find move like that).In this game I try to highlight what I was feeling in the actual game. } 1. d4 { [%clk 0:15:09] the Queens pawn. My favorite opening to play. Iexcel in one specific line which my opponents somehow fell for it againand again. } 1... d5 { [%clk 0:15:08] } 2. c4 { [%clk 0:15:18] } 2... dxc4 { [%clk 0:15:14] } 3. e4 { [%clk 0:15:23] } 3... e5 { [%clk 0:15:14] There you go from here onI am 90% sure my opponent will go for d5 to avoid Queen exchange. } 4. d5 { [%clk 0:15:18] } 4... b5 { [%clk 0:15:19] protecting c4 and prompting Nc3 toattack b4 } 5. a4 { [%clk 0:14:40] Oh no Oh no. Unfortunately that is UNEPECTEDMOVE. I am out of my book. My home cooked line is 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Nxb4 Nxe47. Bxc4 Nxf2! 8.Kxf2 Qh4+ 9.g3 Qxc4 and white is set for a BAD game Butnow I am on my own. Time is already ticking. } 5... Nf6 { [%clk 0:13:52] Justcontinuing the old trick hoping it would bring same result. } 6. Bg5 { [%clk0:14:02] Things already feeling different game than I used to in this line } 6... Bb4+ { [%clk 0:13:47] } 7. Nc3 { [%clk 0:13:54] } 7... h6 { [%clk 0:13:14] I hatepins } 8. Bxf6 { [%clk 0:13:59] } 8... Qxf6 { [%clk 0:13:16] } 9. axb5 { [%clk 0:13:52]I am dropping pawns and where is my compensation. } 9... Bc5 { [%clk 0:12:56]Anybody needs MATE in ONE? } 10. Nf3 { [%clk 0:13:10] No } 10... Qb6 { [%clk 0:12:27]I hated this move 1. The threat can easily be defended and 2. The queenis in a cramped place } 11. Qc2 { [%clk 0:12:01] } 11... Nd7 { [%clk 0:09:52] Ilove this move though and engine agrees to Now Na4 can be met by Qa5+ soI will not lose to NxB but not for long after white o-o Queen got to go. } 12. Bxc4 { [%clk 0:11:42] pawns are falling .I am a pawn down } 12... O-O { [%clk0:09:52] } 13. O-O { [%clk 0:11:37] } 13... Qd6 { [%clk 0:08:39] Time for queento go but Is that the best square? I dont know . I thought Qg6 was bettermore free space. } 14. Ra2 { [%clk 0:10:02] Now I feel my a7 pawn is in dangerafter Rfa1 doubling } 14... Bb6 { [%clk 0:07:43] Unnecessary move I feel Bb7 better address my fear } 15. Na4 { [%clk 0:09:05] } 15... Bb7 { [%clk 0:07:09] } 16. Rfa1 { [%clk 0:08:00] What did I say? } 16... Nc5 { [%clk 0:05:13] Just to freemy cramped position } 17. Nxc5 { [%clk 0:076:56] I thought Nb6 was more forceful } 17... Bxc5 { [%clk 0:04:58] No Qxc5 for Ne5 drops a pawn } 18. Qc3 { [%clk 0:07:21] } 18... Bb6 { [%clk 0:04:48] Mistake number 1 I dropped e5 pawn for simple overlooking19. Qe5 } 19. Qxe5 { [%clk 0:06:25] 2 pawns down question is can I savethe game? } 19... Qc5 { [%clk 0:04:42] simple trick } 20. b3 { [%clk 0:06:16] Solvesthe trick } 20... Rae8 { [%clk 0:04:37] } 21. Qf4 { [%clk 0:06:02] } 21... Bc8 { [%clk0:03:39] that bishop was there for defending the rook now it is no longerneeded to defend so i try to realigne it to more useful lines } 22. Rd1 { [%clk 0:03:56] The doubled rooks are threatening nothing as a7 is wellguarded by the bishop which should have been taken by the knight on move17 } 22... Qe7 { [%clk 0:02:49] } 23. Re2 { [%clk 0:03:23] } 23... Qd6 { [%clk 0:01:49]Under time pressure, and also I could not c any concrete play for a draw } 24. Qxd6 { [%clk 0:03:28] I thought the queen exchange speed up my drawoptions and so does agree the engine } 24... cxd6 { [%clk 0:01:57] I smell Drawsigns even if i am 2 pawns down 1. Many things are blocked 2. Oppositebishops 3. Whits isolated double pawn } 25. h3 { [%clk 0:03:00] I thinke5 was better } 25... f6 { [%clk 0:01:56] blocking e5 } 26. Nh4 { [%clk 0:02:52]Ng6 looks bad for me } 26... g5 { [%clk 0:00:55] } 27. Nf5 { [%clk 0:02:53] Ng6would have trapped the knight } 27... Bxf5 { [%clk 0:00:47] Now I am beginningto get belief about the draw } 28. exf5 { [%clk 0:03:03] } 28... Rxe2 { [%clk 0:00:39] } 29. Bxe2 { [%clk 0:03:13] } 29... Re8 { [%clk 0:00:48] } 30. Bc4 { [%clk 0:03:11] } 30... h5 { [%clk 0:00:38] to stop g4 } 31. g4 { [%clk 0:03:03] } 31... hxg4 { [%clk 0:00:43] } 32. hxg4 { [%clk 0:03:12] beware g4 cant be defended right away by g-pawn } 32... Re4 { [%clk 0:00:47] } 33. Kf1 { [%clk 0:02:52] } 33... Rxg4 { [%clk 0:00:41] } 34. Re1 { [%clk 0:03:00] } 34... Kf7 { [%clk 0:00:39] blocking any counter playof R on e7 } 35. Re6 { [%clk 0:02:58] } 35... Bc5 { [%clk 0:00:30] } 36. Ke2 { [%clk0:02:37] } 36... Rf4 { [%clk 0:00:31] one more pawn restores material equalityand rewards my tenacious play } 37. f3 { [%clk 0:02:40] } 37... Rxf5 { [%clk 0:00:33]Now i am eve dreaming better than draw for me } 38. Re4 { [%clk 0:02:12] } 38... Re5 { [%clk 0:00:26] } 39. Kd3 { [%clk 0:01:53] } 39... Rxe4 { [%clk 0:00:18] } 40. Kxe4 { [%clk 0:02:02] } 40... Kg6 { [%clk 0:00:24] To win here is difficultbut I believe I have guaranteed the draw } 41. Be2 { [%clk 0:01:40] } 41... f5+ { [%clk 0:00:30] } 42. Kd3 { [%clk 0:01:48] } 42... g4 { [%clk 0:00:21] Mistakenumber 2 Well not what is this move? another unforced error drops a pawnbut still I think is solid draw } 43. fxg4 { [%clk 0:01:56] } 43... f4 { [%clk 0:00:25]They say passed pawn is dangerous than exchanging it But I am already intime trouble I should have elected t simple game by fxg4 } 44. Ke4 { [%clk0:01:50] } 44... Kg5 { [%clk 0:00:33] } 45. Bf3 { [%clk 0:01:56] } 45... Be3 { [%clk 0:00:30]just look whit king can not cross into my territory I still feel I amcontrolling the game in a draw position } 46. Kd3 { [%clk 0:02:04] It willtake a lot of walking if u want to get to my pawns white king so I focuson promoting my c-pawn as whit bishop can be chased away by my King } 46... Kh4 { [%clk 0:00:28] } 47. Kc4 { [%clk 0:01:58] He did not budge as well therace to queen is officially ON } 47... Kg3 { [%clk 0:00:36] Mistake Number 4 PassedPawns Holiday } 48. g5 { [%clk 0:02:06] I overlooked the strength of thismove I was thinking I will stop it by my bishop } 48... Kxf3 { [%clk 0:00:33]I c that the g-pawn is the runaway queen as my bishop can not stop it SoI decided to c if I have any chance left over } 49. g6 { [%clk 0:02:15] TrueHorror watching this pawn fly to the queening square without any opposition } 49... Ke2 { [%clk 0:00:31] giving way for my late f-pawn } 50. g7 { [%clk 0:02:23]one square to go but mine is 3 q ́ ́square to go I feel cold. } 50... f3 { [%clk0:00:40] } 51. g8=Q { [%clk 0:02:31] Already a queen. How can I guard mypawn to queen with just a king and bishop } 51... f2 { [%clk 0:00:49] The reasonwhy I decided to annotate this game I feel glimmer of hope FANTASTICALLYaccording to the engine this position is a dead draw. White queen can notsimply prevent the queening of my pawn But I had to be Sharp precise } 52. Qg2 { [%clk 0:01:38] } 52... Ke1 { [%clk 0:00:51] Game Over Last chance andONLY MOVE TO SAVE GAME was Bd2. It was hard for me to understand why evenafter the game But close inspection I see that It got to do with the resultingposition in the king pawns end game His king on d2 and my king on f1 isdraw But his king on e3 and my king on f1 is LOST } 53. Kd3 { [%clk 0:01:30] } 53... Bb6 { [%clk 0:00:53] even 53....f1Q 54. QxQ Kxf1 Kxe3 would lose for reasonI stated earlier. } 54. Qe4+ { [%clk 0:01:26] I lost but It was a beautifuland lively game. I believe the errors in the game add beauty to the game.I would love to hear your comments. } 1-0

[Event "Anti-Positional"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2917.9.17"] [Round "-"] [White "raylebeau"] [Black "jmd1952"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3min + 10sec"] [WhiteElo "2047"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 { I don't know anything other than the name of Trompovsky'sattack. I had just gotten crushed by this same opponent in this same openingso I was eager to get out of the book. } 2... e6 3. Bxf6 gxf6 { This is I supposeanti-positional but I'm thinking I can castle queenside and he will haveto since the open file would be dangerous. It had to be better than theprevious crush. } 4. e3 d5 { The e3 is solid but not aggressive. } 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd7 { Both sides continue to develop. The f6 pawn prevents Ne5and may support an e5 push at some time. } 7. Qe2 Qe7 8. Nc3 O-O-O 9. O-O-O { So both sides have castled and now we need to find plans. } 9... a6 10. Bxc6 Bxc6 { I think retreating the bishop would have been better but Nb4 wouldstill allow black the two bishops. I was a little worried by 10. Bxa6,b7xa6, 11.Qxa6ch, Kb8, 12. Nb5 but I think 12. ..., Qb4 and 13. ..., Qa5should hold. } 11. Nd2 { Aiming for c5 } 11... e5 12. Nb3 Qe6 { If Nc5 then BxNand black's control of the center should give him a slight advantage. } 13. Rhe1 Bb4 { This pins the knight on c3 and gives Black a threat to doublethe c pawns and weaken the King position. } 14. Nc5 { White probablyexpects BxNc5 since he seems to have a threat on a6, but black can allowit! } 14... Qe7 15. Nxa6 { Black can capture that knight but his castled positionis ruined and white's queen may be hard to dislodge so... } 15... Bxc3 { Whitecan save the knight but he will lose the exchange. So... } 16. bxc3 Qa3+ { Black resigns - The knight falls but white's compensation is minimal. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.08.16"] [Round "-"] [White "bogota"] [Black "darwick"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1568"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1442"] 1. e4 { Normal e4 start. } 1... e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. c3 { c3 I like thismove stops two pieces from jumping onto d4. Also threatens d5. } 4... Nf6 5. d3 Ng4 { kng4!! f2 !! d5 n option, lets see. } 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 Nxd4 8. Nxd4 Qh4 { Throw your Queen in, come on !! } 9. g3 Qh3 10. Bf1 Qh5 11. Be2 d6 12. h3 O-O 13. Bxg4 Bxg4 14. Qxg4 Qxg4 15. hxg4 Bxd4 { After that. Blackis a piece down, I'm yet to get going !! } 16. Nd2 Rae8 17. Kf1 b5 18. a3 c5 19. f3 a5 20. Nb3 { kb3 !! Beautiful wins are lovely, however some times,wear em down. } 20... Bf6 { Not wanting to loose another piece ! Opp to pop offa pawn. } 21. Nxa5 Bd8 22. Nb3 Bc7 23. Bf4 { This pins the bishop, !! Theg pawn, I'd like on f4 } 23... c4 24. Nd4 Rd8 25. Nc6 Ra8 26. Kg2 f6 27. Rad1 Ra6 28. Ne7+ Kf7 29. Nd5 Bb8 30. Rxh7 Kg8 31. Rdh1 Kf7 32. Rh8 Rxh8 33. Rd1 g5 34. Be3 Ke6 35. Nb4 Ra4 36. f4 c3 37. Bd4 cxb2 38. Bxb2 Rf8 39. Rd5 gxf4 40. gxf4 Rg8 41. Kf3 Ra7 42. f5+ Ke7 43. Nc6+ Kd7 44. Nxa7 Bxa7 45. Bxf6 Kc6 46. g5 Bb6 47. g6 Bc5 48. Bb2 Kd7 49. g7 Ke7 50. f6+ Kf7 51. Kf4 Ke6 52. Kg5 Kf7 53. Kf5 Re8 54. e5 Rxe5+ 55. Rxe5 dxe5 56. Kxe5 b4 57. axb4 Bxb4 58. Kf5 Bd6 59. Kg5 Bc5 60. Kh6 Kg8 61. Kg6 Bb4 62. f7# 1-0

[Event "Pawn storm in the center"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.06"] [Round "-"] [White "dime39"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1644"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1547"] { Decoy central pawns can be very dangerous for white. } 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 c5 { I fear this move, playing with white. e3, the natural answer,blocks the white's bsb. Of course, theory shows this is acceptable, butI don't like it. And any other answers gives white some uneasiness. Look... } 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. dxc5 { Pawns away from the center. The show begins. } 5... d4 6. Na4 e5 { Center occupied, the only reasonable move here for white is e3.Black then can choose Qa5+. } 7. h3 e4 8. Nh2 { To Ng5, Bf5... } 8... Be6 9. b3 Qc7 { Planning the strong queenside castling, that in one moves build astrong central pressure. } 10. g3 { Now, e3 is met by d3. Here, I am alreadythinking about Nh5, planning a sacrifice in g3. But I have no need to forcethe situation so early. } 10... O-O-O { Not fearing a pawn storm on the queenside.White is not developed enough. } 11. Bg2 e3 { White cannot take the pawnbecause I win a tempo attacking his queen. } 12. Qd3 { Again, Nh5 is ok.Or e3xf2 first, of course. Probably it was the best plan, but I couldn'tresist the tempting... } 12... Nb4 13. Qd1 { Incredibly, it seems that the bestmove here is not e3xf2+. I analyzed a pretty lot, here... one 'of this'situations... } 13... d3 14. Bxe3 { Ok, ok, I lost the e3xf2 check. But I havea concrete material win here. } 14... Nc2+ 15. Kf1 { Qxg3 is nice, since if f2xg3,NxBe3+ and I recover the queen. But still it is not enough to guaranteea win. } 15... dxe2+ 16. Qxe2 Nxa1 17. f4 Bf5 { Setting a little trap. My opponentdidn't consider it, and the game is over. } 18. g4 Bd3 19. Qxd3 Rxd3 20. Ke2 { Now, it is a boring won game. A pity. } 20... Rxe3+ 21. Kxe3 Bxc5+ 22. Kf3 Nc2 23. Kg3 Be3 24. Rf1 g5 25. Kf3 { Any move is good, here. Probably, Qxf4+was stronger. } 25... Qc6+ 26. Kg3 Ne4+ 27. Bxe4 Qxe4 28. fxg5 Bxg5 29. Nf3 Qf4+ 30. Kg2 Ne3+ 31. Kf2 Nxf1 32. Kxf1 Qxf3+ 33. Ke1 Re8# 0-1

[Event "49th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-Dec-08"] [Round "-"] [White "jobo89"] [Black "andy94"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1455"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1326"] { This is jobo89 against me for 49th GK Tournament I'm playing. In thisgame I play black, so my opponent is white. } 1. e4 c5 { I love Sicilian... } 2. Bc4 e6 3. e5 { e5?! Strange manoeuvre. } 3... Qg5 { Qg5! } 4. Nf3 Qxg2 { AndI gain a pawn. } 5. Rg1 Qh3 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Rg3 Qh5 8. Nb5 Nxe5 { Nxe5! Itcould seem a blunder, but, for me, it isn't. } 9. Nc7+ Kd8 10. Nxa8 Nxc4 11. d3 Na5 12. Bf4 d6 13. Qd2 b6 14. b4 Bb7 15. bxa5 Bxa8 { Bxa8? Thisis a little mistake. I think the best move for me was Bxf3. } 16. axb6 Bxf3 { Bxf3? Another blunder for me. axb6 was better. } 17. bxa7 Ke8 18. Rb1 Bc6 19. Rb8+ Ke7 20. Qa5 Kf6 21. Rg5 Qf3 { White is down, but he's attackingwell. } 22. Qd8+ Be7 23. Qc8 Qh1+ 24. Kd2 h6 25. Rg1 { Rg1!? This move canlet the white promote with 25...Qxg1 26.Qxc6 and black can't avoid 2 Queens...... } 25... Qxg1 26. Qxc6 Qxf2+ { But of course I wanna take some pieces! } 27. Kc1 { Kc1? This move loses tempo. } 27... Qxf4+ 28. Kb1 Qf1+ 29. Kb2 Kg5 { To free f6 squarefor the B. } 30. a8=Q Bf6+ 31. Kb3 Qb1+ 32. Ka3 Qc1+ 33. Ka4 Qxc2+ 34. Kb5 Qxd3+ { Check, check, check and check again! } 35. Kb6 Be5 36. Qg2+ { Nowwhite is down a point, even if, for me, he should do everything to capturemy pawns.....Because maybe those pawns are more important than my Queen. } 36... Kf6 37. Rxg8 Rxg8 38. Qxg8 g5 39. Qb7 { Qb7!.....and now Qb1 looks likethe only good solution.. } 39... Qb1+ 40. Kc7 d5+ 41. Kc8 Qxb7+ 42. Kxb7 Bxh2 43. Qh8+ Ke7 { Here endgame starts. Ke7! and not Kg6. } 44. Qxh6 Bf4 45. Qh3 c4 46. Qc3 f6 47. a4 Be5 48. Qc2 c3 49. a5 f5 50. a6 Bd4 { UnluckilyI gotta sac my B......I should be finished.... } 51. a7 Bxa7 52. Kxa7 d4 { Wow! 5 pawns against a Q.....Who will win? } 53. Qa2 Kd6 54. Qa6+ Kd5 55. Qb7+ Ke5 56. Qc7+ Ke4 57. Qc6+ Ke5 58. Qc5+ { Now black checks! } 58... Ke4 59. Qc4 e5 60. Kb6 Ke3 61. Kc5 { I don't know.......Maybe Queen's moveswas better than King's? } 61... Kd2 62. Kd5 c2 63. Kxe5 c1=Q { And I'm up!.........evenif..... } 64. Qxd4+ { No......with this move the game is drawn (I think).But maybe with a white's blunder..... } 64... Ke2 { I won't give up! } 65. Kxf5 Qf4+ { Only a fool would move Kg6 or Ke6....But that was the only opportunityI really had.... } 66. Qxf4 gxf4 67. Kxf4 { Game drawn.....dead position. What about this game, guys? P.S. Happy new year! } 1/2-1/2

[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.08.11"] [Round "-"] [White "coolistdude"] [Black "black"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1700"] [TimeControl "5"] { This is a short blitz game to illustrate how quickly things can go wrongin two moves. Thankfully, I wasn't the one receiving the slaughtering.Often though, I do receive the punishment and scramble to not lose. I amkeeping black anonymous as it is too short a game to show his skill onthe board, like in the previous game. } 1. c4 e5 { Reverse Sicilian is oneI enjoy as it can play mind games for black and gives different optionsto white with the extra tempo. } 2. e3 { Funny thing is that I immediatelytry to remove the imbalance of the Sicilian style opening. Removing imbalanceas in trying to disrupt opposite dominant sides of the board per player.I see the Sicilian as having good chances for both players. } 2... f5 { Kingside!I had a feeling he would play for the kingside as he previously did inthe last blitz game. } 3. d4 exd4 { I think 3. ...e4 is an interesting idea. } 4. exd4 Nf6 5. Nf3 { Not much so far. } 5... d5 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bd3 { white maylose a tempo to castle. I think Be2 is a safer move for white. } 7... O-O 8. O-O Ne4 { ?? This move feels so natural but is so wrong. Black hangs hisown pawn and is underdeveloped. } 9. Nxd5 { Taking the pawn and threateningthe bishop. Black should simply move his bishop out of harm's way and accepta less than ideal position. } 9... Qd6 { ?? Another bad move spells a disadvantagefor black. } 10. Bf4 { ! and now white has a pretty clear victory as blackcannot defend the bishop. His a8 rook may also be killed along with thec7 pawn. White just has so many options of obtaining an advantage. } 1-0

[Event "Tournament Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Van Mil"] [Black "Witt"] [Result "0-1"] { Witt's Indian defense proves too much for Van Mil, and Witt triumphs ina mere 8 moves. } 1. d4 { Van Mil aims for a slower, positional game. 1 P-K4is the move for a fast, tactical affair. } 1... Nf6 { Instead of a Classical response,Witt opens with an Indian defense. } 2. c4 { The standard response. } 2... e6 { Toprevent the center being completely overrun. } 3. Nc3 { Developing and supportingthe Q-side push. } 3... Bb4 { A sharp variation. } 4. g3 { Presumably intendingto fianchetto the KB. } 4... c5 { Challenging Van Mil's central Pawns. } 5. Nf3 { Adding a guard to the QP. } 5... cxd4 { Initiating an exchange... } 6. Nxd4 { ...andcompleting it. } 6... Ne4 { Witt aggressively centralizes his Knight. } 7. Qc2 { Attacking the horseman. } 7... Qa5 { Adding pressure to the pin. } 8. Nb3 { Attackingthe Queen. } 8... Qf5 { White resigns. } 0-1

[Event "Cowley 2 v Didcot 1 (O&D League D1 Bd 5)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18/10/10"] [Round "-"] [White "Bob Jacobs"] [Black "Stephen Burns"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1840"] [TimeControl "All moves in 90 minutes each"] [WhiteElo "1752"] { Here's my first game of the new season. I've lost my first four but beenout-rated in each, so shouldn't get too downhearted. And every loss isa learning opportunity... Anyway, as Didcot were away, we were White onodd boards, so theoretically I had the advantage of the opening move ... } 1. e4 c6 { The Caro-Kann, a solid counter-attacking defence espoused byKarpov, among others. } 2. d4 d5 3. e5 { My guide in this opening is GreekGM Vasilios Kotronias, whose book Beating the Caro-Kann advocates the AdvanceVariation. Unfortunately, my memory of the intricate variations is notas good as it could be, so don't be surprised if I stray from the chosenpath... Last week, I watched a different approach on a neighbouring board,so may try that next time. } 3... Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 { Characteristic of Kotronias'srobust approach. The risk is that White overstretches himself by advancinghis kingside pawns, leaving his King exposed at the back. } 5... Bg6 6. Nge2 Nd7 7. h4 { White threatens to trap Black's exposed wsb, so Black has tocreate a hole to escape into. } 7... h6 { The more aggressive 7... h5 is not recommendedby Kotronias, though I haven't had much success trying to refute it. } 8. Be3 { I could have pushed Black's bishop back immediately but preferredto develop another piece, hoping also to discourage ..c5 which is alwaysa useful freeing move for Black } 8... Ne7 { Black develops his knights as besthe can, preparing to counter-attack in due course. } 9. Nf4 { 9. h5 or 9.Ng3 were my main alternatives but I haven't had great success with thse,so thought it time to give this a go. White's move attacks the Black wsbwhile freeing White's own and putting the N on an attractive-looking square. } 9... Bh7 10. Bd3 { The logic behind this is to cause Black to swap off a piecein which he has already invested 3 tempi for one in which White has apparentlyinvested just the one but of course it's not as simple as that. The movesthat White expended to force Black to spend those tempi were mostly weakeningpawn moves. That said, White's position looks pretty good at this stage:minor pieces on good-looking squares, whereas Black's look cramped. } 10... Bxd3 11. Qxd3 { Now all White has to do is find a plan ... whereas Black's isalmost self-evident. } 11... a6 12. O-O-O { ? Though this looked reasonable atthe time, it was quickly made to look stupid. Black's attack developsnaturally, thanks to the flexible disposition of his pieces and pawns. I haven't decided whether castling kingside or not castling at all wouldhave been better. Perhaps the latter. } 12... Qc7 13. Nfe2 { The knight was inthe way of my f-pawn on f4, and of my B on e3. It also provides additionalcover for the N on c3. } 13... c5 { c5 finally arrives and threatens to embarrassWhite's Q by advancing again, when Black's dsb will threaten to leap intothe attack, once the Ne7 has moved to the recently vacated c6 square. } 14. f4 { White attempts to pursue his kingside attack but it's all too slow. There's nothing really to bite on - or with. } 14... c4 15. Qd2 Nc6 16. a3 { Althoughthis discourages Black's minor pieces from coming to b4, it also createsa weakness at b3 } 16... b5 17. f5 { I was still managing to feel quite optimisticat this point, though I knew my opponent was quite capable of dealing withme (he beat me last season) } 17... b4 18. axb4 Bxb4 19. fxe6 { The logic of thegame continues but Black's attack is much more penetrative and flowing. I underestimated the strength of the B on b4. } 19... fxe6 20. Nf4 Qa5 { ! Nowthe threat of Qa1+ is devastating. } 21. Qf2 { White relieves the pin onthe N so that it can block the check on b1 but worse is to follow.. } 21... Qa1+ 22. Kd2 Qxb2 23. Ne2 { That N keeps bobbing back and forth, achieving little:but I had to defend c3, right? Otherwise, Qxc3 was forced mate, I thought. However, 23. Nxe6 Qxc3+ 24. Ke2 Qxc2+ 25. Kf3 Qe4+ 26. Kg3 might haveoffered some respite, with White's Ne6 offering some counter-chances. } 23... Rf8 { Another nasty move. I thought my response was quite clever but wasquickly disabused of that notion. } 24. Rb1 Rxf2 25. Rxb2 Rxe2+ { ! Themove I'd missed } 26. Kxe2 Bxc3 { Black has two pieces and a pawn for a rookand is about to win two more pawns at least (d4 and e5), so I raised thewhite flag: a disappointing start to the season. } 0-1

[Event "My first annotation... "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "KevinMWHM"] [Black "JCoop"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1400"] [TimeControl "10 min"] [WhiteElo "1400"] 1. c4 { 10 minute clock - I play white and decide on the english, my bestwhite attack. } 1... d6 2. Nc3 a6 3. Nf3 h6 4. d4 Bf5 5. e4 Bh7 6. g3 { I thinkwe're well off the book line English by now, but I'm still thinking Bg2and castling king side at some point. } 6... Nf6 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Be3 Nb4 9. a3 { Forcing the issue... } 9... Nxd3+ 10. Qxd3 e6 11. b4 c6 { I liked pushing forwardwith the pawn group. I think castling or better knight development wouldhave been better but I felt comfortable with the initiative I seem to have } 12. c5 a5 13. b5 { His little rook trap is now gone, I push knowing thatI'll end up with a nice little knight outpost and a possible king/rookfork if he's not paying attention... } 13... cxb5 14. Qxb5+ { Changed my mind,this feels like a mistake that I gave up protection of the e4 pawn. Blacknever takes advantage of this. } 14... Qd7 15. Qxd7+ Nxd7 16. cxd6 Bxd6 17. e5 Be7 18. d5 { I've never been so pawn happy, but black never took up a defenseof his center so I kept the pawn push up defended by the knights. } 18... exd5 19. Nxd5 { c7 maybe? } 19... Rc8 20. Nxe7 { No fork, at least with the game aboutto open up, I snag a bishop and force him to give up on castling. } 20... Kxe7 21. O-O { I need both rooks out now. } 21... Rhe8 22. Rab1 { Blunder - I was totallyclock watching. I was originally thinking moving the rook to c and justchanged up at the last second. I almost quit right here. } 22... Bxb1 23. Rxb1 Kf8 24. Rxb7 Ra8 { Blunder on his end, I feel a little better now. } 25. Rxd7 a4 26. Bc5+ Kg8 27. h4 g6 28. g4 Kg7 29. g5 { Another mistake on mypart - I feel like I should have brought my king up. } 29... hxg5 30. Nxg5 Ra5 31. Bd4 Kg8 32. Nxf7 { More free material - I'm down a rook but up 2 pawnsand a knight!!! } 32... Rb5 33. Nd6 { This is where moving my King up would havereally paid off. } 33... Rb1+ 34. Kg2 Re6 35. Nf7 Rd1 36. Ng5 Rxe5 37. Bxe5 { Anythingto get rid of one of his rooks } 37... Rxd7 38. f4 { Clocks starting to get close,I think we were both coming up on under 1:30. Another mistake, I shouldhave put my king in the game pushing him up. } 38... Rd3 39. Bb2 { ACK! Anotherblunder!!! Rd2 and it's over!!! } 39... Rb3 { OMFG!!! My opponent must be clockwatching now too. } 40. Bf6 Rxa3 41. h5 gxh5 42. f5 Rb3 43. Be5 a3 44. f6 Re3 45. f7+ { I might actually pull this off!!! } 45... Kf8 46. Bd6+ { LOVE thismove. I force his rook to protect, His king can't move. Just me vs theclock now. Both of us at a minute. } 46... Re7 47. Bxa3 h4 48. Bxe7+ Kxe7 49. Kh3 Kf6 50. f8=Q+ Kxg5 51. Qh8 { Black Resigns... Not a pretty game buta lot of fun. } 1-0

[Event "Summer end party"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "08-Oct-08"] [Round "-"] [White "cyrano"] [Black "capricorn17"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1252"] [TimeControl "5d+3d, 8d max"] [WhiteElo "2461"] 1. e4 { Thus begins a very interesting game played on Gameknot. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 { Main line King Pawn. } 2... Nc6 { Main line way of defending it. } 3. Bb5 { TheSpanish opening/Ruy Lopez. White has his sights fixed on Black's e-pawn. } 3... Nge7 { The Cozio defence. Black firmly supports his queenside knight ande-pawn while blocking in his dark-squared bishop. Nowadays this is rareat most levels. } 4. O-O a6 { A thematic move in most Ruy Lopez variations:Black puts the question to White's bishop. } 5. Ba4 d6 6. c3 { White aimsto create a powerful pawn centre, using his c-pawn to control d4 beforemoving his d-pawn there. } 6... Bd7 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 { White now has a verypowerful Classical pawn centre, and is preparing to thrust forwards andgain space with d5! } 8... b5 { Black tries to regain space with a queenside expansion,forcing White's bishop back. } 9. Bb3 { Black chases White's bishop awaywhile weakening his pawn structure. } 9... g6 { Preparing to fianchetto the bishopon g7, where it will control the long h8-diagonal. } 10. Ng5 Be6 { Blackhas to prevent 11.Nxf7 which forks Black's queen and rook. However, thiswalks into another fork, 11.d5! which wins minor piece for pawn. } 11. d5 { White pushes a centre pawn into enemy territory, blocking Black's positionand forking his bishop and knight. Black now clearly has a very blockedup position. } 11... Bxd5 { Although it loses material, this move is preferableto playing Bc8 which blocks up Black's position even more, wastes movesand leads to this bishop being trapped. } 12. Bxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxf7 { A nicesacrifice which Black has to accept, risking the loss of his rook otherwise.This exposes Black's king. } 13... Kxf7 14. Qxd5+ Ke8 15. Qxc6+ Kf7 16. Nc3 { Whiteis going on the attack. His pieces are swarming in to attack Black's exposedking. } 16... b4 17. Nd5 Bg7 18. Nxc7 Rc8 19. Qd5+ Ke7 20. Bg5+ { White uses everysingle one of his well-developed pieces. From having a blocked, cumbersomeposition, Black now has a vulnerable position that has been cracked openlike an egg. This neat skewer, winning queen for bishop, completely sealsthe game for White. } 20... Kd7 21. Bxd8 Rcxd8 22. Qf7+ Kc8 23. Nd5 { PreparingQc7#. } 23... Kb8 { Black's king is forced into the corner, ready for a checkmate. } 24. Qc7+ { Checkmate is still forced, as we see in the next two moves. } 24... Ka8 25. Nb6# { A classic queen and knight checkmating position. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from solohawk6_9"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "03-Oct-06"] [Round "-"] [White "markpinkston"] [Black "solohawk6_9"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1361"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1344"] { This is an exciting, if not always well played, game. White sacs a piecefor a strong, maybe even winning, attack, but blunders and ends up in aninferior position. As white tries to find a trick to get back into thegame, black fails to press his advantage and blunders himself, giving whitea won endgame. The last moves are anti-climactic, as white simply wrapsup the win. } 1. e4 { Solohawk and I have played many times, and althoughI do play d4 sometimes, I prefer e4 most of the time. I like to open theposition and get rid of the major pieces. My feeling is that I can outplaymy opponent if we both just have minor pieces. I usually am content towin a pawn in the opening and then just grind out a winning endgame. } 1... e5 { Solohawk almost always answers e4 with ...e5. If he ever played a Sicilian,French, or Caro-Kann, I would probably die of a heart attack. I believehe has played the Scandinavian, but it is rare for him to vary from ...e5. } 2. Nf3 { Considered the best move as it develops a piece with an attack. } 2... Nc6 { A standard reply that defends the e-pawn with a developing move. Otherreplies are playable, but this is by far the most popular. } 3. d4 { Thismove initiates the Scotch Game. It is an attempt by white to continue theattack on black's central pawn. Although black can achieve equality inmost lines, the Scotch Game has experienced a resurgence since Kasparovstarted playing it. } 3... exd4 { Refusing this capture leads to an advantagefor white, so this move is almost forced. } 4. Nxd4 { The main line, althoughwhite can enter the Scotch Gambit with Bc4. } 4... Nxd4 { Black varies from theoryand lets white have a central space advantage. Main line moves are ...Nf6and ...Bc5. Also playable is Steinitz's ...Qh4. } 5. Qxd4 { Forced to maintainmaterial equality. This is an optimal pawn structure for white in an e4opening. Black's remaining central pawn will be on the third rank, whilewhite's is on the fourth. } 5... Ne7 { A somewhat awkward development for a piecethat belongs on f6, but black was afraid of e5, when the knight has nowhere to go. By blocking the a3-f8 diagonal, it will be hard for the darkbishop to develop. } 6. Bc4 { White simply develops a piece that preparescastling on the next move. Both sides are also fighting for control ofthe d5 square. If black could play ...d5 and trade off white's centralpawn, white's space advantage would disappear. } 6... c6 { Helping to prepare...d5, and maybe creating a diagonal for the queen to use. } 7. O-O { Whitetakes care of king safety, which is one of the main goals in the opening. } 7... d5 { And black has achieved the pawn break that will free his position. } 8. exd5 { I played this move automatically, but looking back, I should havegiven some thought to: 8. Bd3 dxe4 9. Qxd8 Kxd8 10. Bxe4 This wouldachieve my goal of getting the queens off. Maybe next time... } 8... cxd5 { Itis clear that black will end up with an isolated d-pawn at the end of theexchanges on d5. The only question is how many pairs of pieces will leavethe board before the pawn recaptures. With this move, black keeps as muchmaterial as possible on the board. If he had played ...Nxd5, I would havereplied 9. Bxd5. And if he then captured with the queen, I would have tradedqueens as well. } 9. Bb3 { Solohawk told me he expected Bd3, but I wantedto keep the isolated d-pawn under attack. Also, it is pretty clear thatblack can't castle long, so this keeps the bishop trained on the squarethe black king will end up on. } 9... Be6 { Overprotecting the d-pawn with a developingmove, but on this square, the bishop is little more than a glorified pawn. } 10. Nc3 { Developing, and continuing to pressure black's d-pawn. } 10... h6 { Apparentlyto preclude Bg5, but black needs to figure out what to do with his darkbishop. Perhaps he should play ...Nf5 to let the bishop out, but white'sdevelopment is more harmonious than black's in any event. } 11. Be3 { Thelast minor piece gets developed, and now white can bring his rooks to thecentral files and create some serious pressure. If black doesn't get hisking to safety, he could come under a strong attack. } 11... Nf5 { Chasing thequeen, threatening to trade off white's dark bishop, and opening the diagonalso black's dark bishop can get developed. A fine move! } 12. Ba4+ { But whiteis not going to allow black the time to fix his problems. } 12... Ke7 { The kingdoesn't want to move, but the queen can't interpose, and if the bishopinterposes, then the d-pawn falls to white's queen. } 13. Nxd5+ { When Iplayed this sac, I didn't have any concrete win in mind, but I thoughtthe attack was justified on positional grounds: white is ahead in development,black's king is stuck in the center, and white has rooks ready to occupyboth open central files. } 13... Qxd5 { Offering to trade queens to help breakthe attack. } 14. Qb4+ { The attacker does not usually want to trade pieces,so I avoid the trade of queens with a check. } 14... Nd6 { Interposing always pinsthe piece that interposes. } 15. Rad1 { So I pressure the pinned knight,while getting a rook to an open central file. } 15... Qe5 { The only square thatdoesn't drop the knight on the spot. } 16. Bc5 { Piling up pressure on thepinned piece. } 16... Rd8 { The only defense to losing the knight. } 17. f4 { Deflectingthe queen from the protection of the knight will win the knight. } 17... Qf5 { Asgood a square as any. } 18. Bxd6+ { I looked at alternatives, but couldn'tfind anything better than regaining the sacrificed material. } 18... Kf6 { Forced. } 19. Be5+ { Discovering an attack on the undefended rook on d8. But I failto see that it also leaves my own queen en prise to the bishop on f8. } 19... Kg6 { Again, forced. } 20. Rxd8 { I should have bailed out of the attack withQxb7. That would leave me up two pawns, and the c pawn would be passed.That is exactly the type of position I like to have. All I would need todo is trade off the pieces and get to a won endgame. But instead, I blunderwith the text move. } 20... Bxb4 { And black is quick to remove my queen from theboard. } 21. Rxh8 { I do get two rooks for the queen, so material is abouteven, but my pieces are not coordinating very well right now, and black'squeen could get very active. I consider black to be better here. } 21... Bxa2 { Black picks up a stray pawn. Now if he could get white's b-pawn, black'sa-pawn would be passed. } 22. c3 { I start to envision a plan to get backinto the game. The black king and queen are lined up nicely. If I couldget rook protection on the c2 square, I could play Bc2 and pin the queen.I don't really want to chase black's dark bishop to a better square, butI need to get my pawn off c2 to make way for the bishop. } 22... Bc5+ { This isan excellent square for this bishop, as it anchors the pawn on a7, andkeeps white's king trapped in the corner. } 23. Kh1 { I considered Bd4, butdidn't like the position after: 23. Bd4 Bxd4 24. cxd4 Separating thequeenside pawns makes it easier for black's queen to pick them off, andI can't allow black to make the a and b-pawns passed. The problem withthe text move is that it indirectly pins white's g-pawn. Moving the g-pawnwould allow ...Qe4 , followed by mate next move. } 23... f6 { The bishop doesn'thave very many safe places to go to, but I think black should have consideredthe weakness of the a8-h1 diagonal and played either ...Bd5 or ...Qg4.If black focuses on the g2 square, it will keep white tied up and passive. } 24. Bc7 { The best available square, although the bishop seems out of playhere. } 24... Kh5 { This is a curious move. Hard to know what black's plan was,but perhaps he was considering a pawn storm starting with ...g5. } 25. Rd8 { The rook needs to get back into the game, and from here he can head tod2. That will give the light bishop the protection he needs to pick upthe queen if the king and queen align again. } 25... a6 { Seems like a waste oftime, and I think black still should be activating the queen and lightbishop. } 26. Bd1+ { I considered Be8 , but didn't see anything good in it,so decided to give black some rope and see if he would hang himself. Thesecond reason I played the bishop here is to get it to f3 where it helpsprotect against the mate threat on g2. } 26... Kg6 { This is what I was hopingfor: the king and queen are aligned again. } 27. Rd2 { So I protect c2 andtheaten to win the queen with Bc2 next move. } 27... Be3 { Black either doesn'tsee the threat or decides to get a rook and piece for his queen. But thatis a bad bargain, and this is the losing move. When the dust settles, whitewill have a won endgame. } 28. Bc2 { As planned. } 28... Bxd2 { Black gets a rook. } 29. Bxf5+ { White gets the queen. } 29... Kxf5 { And black gets the piece, but thisleaves black down the exchange. With the two bishops, black can put upsome tough resistance, but I think white should have a win in this position. } 30. Rd1 { The rook must get active. } 30... Bxf4 { This is a positional blunderthat hastens the end for black. While black has both bishops he can controlboth colors. But by trading the dark bishops, black loses the ability tocontrol the dark squares. White's rook maintains the ability to controlboth colored squares, and this will be crucial in the upcoming endgame. } 31. Bxf4 { I am more than happy to trade off a pair of bishops, as my rookwill dominate his light bishop. } 31... Kxf4 32. Rd7 { I give black a tough choice.If he protects the b-pawn, I isolate his f and h-pawns from each other.If he protects the g-pawn, I take the b-pawn which makes my c-pawn a passer. } 32... g6 { Black lets me have a passed c-pawn. } 33. Rxb7 Kg5 { The king is goingin the wrong direction. I am going to be pushing my passed c-pawn, andblack should have played ...Ke5 to head toward the c-file. } 34. Rb4 { ThreateningRa4 to win the a-pawn, but also protecting c4 so the c-pawn can step acrossit. } 34... Be6 { Black can now protect the a-pawn from c8, while at the same time,blockading the c-file. } 35. c4 { Bobby Fischer said, 'Passed pawns mustbe pushed!' And I am not one to quarrel with a World Champion. At leastabout chess. } 35... h5 { Black has a 3-2 majority on the kingside, so he can eventuallycreate a passed pawn of his own, but it will take too much time. The c-pawnis already on the move! } 36. c5 { From b4, the rook protected the pawn whenit crossed a light square. The pawn doesn't need protection on dark squares,and the rook just has to go to b6 to protect the pawn on the light c6 square.Black is really missing his dark bishop about now. } 36... Bd7 { Trying to blockadethe passer. } 37. Rb6 { The bishop is just no match for the rook. } 37... Bc8 { Black'sfinal stand. } 38. c6 { White is relentless. } 38... a5 { As good as any. At thispoint, it is a Borg game: Resistance is futile. } 39. c7 { Only one stepaway. } 39... a4 40. Rb8 { White removes the blockader. Nimzowitsch would be proud! } 40... Bf5 41. c8=Q { White forces black to surrender the bishop. } 41... Bxc8 42. Rxc8 { White is a full rook up and black has no counterplay. } 42... f5 { Black decidesto play on anyway. } 43. Ra8 { Taking out the a-pawn will make the b-pawna passer. } 43... Kg4 { Again, the black king goes the wrong way. Black can't stopthe b-pawn from queening, but if he is to play on, he should at least try. } 44. Rxa4+ { White is up a rook and has a passed pawn. Black could resignhere with a clean conscience. } 44... f4 { Black chooses to slog on. } 45. b4 { Theb-pawn is off to the races. } 45... h4 46. b5 h3 47. Rxf4+ { Since the black kingcan no longer catch the b-pawn, white decides to sac the unnecessary rookfor one of black's pawns. } 47... Kxf4 48. b6 hxg2+ 49. Kxg2 g5 50. b7 { And blackhas had enough. 1-0 } 1-0

[Event "A Tourny To Annotate!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-Apr-08"] [Round "-"] [White "tag1153"] [Black "tigerzrul88"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1476"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1496"] 1. Nf3 { This is the other game between tag1153 and me that I've been slowabout annotating, but here it is. Again, as always tell me about any logicalerrors or typos. This is probably the most flexible way for White to startthe game. It forces Black to choose what to do without wasting a tempo. } 1... c5 { Black decides to play for a Sicilian or English set up. } 2. d4 { Whiteimmediately challenges Black's center. It should be noted that White hasso far done an excellent job of remaining flexible. This game could transitioninto QGD or QGA territory, or into Sicilian lines still. This game remainsvery open ended. } 2... cxd4 { I try hard not to do this when I annotate, butI'm going to step into my personal feelings about the game from behindthe Black pieces rather than be objective for just a second. I am a fairlyconservative player who likes to keep opening lines fairly fixed. The wayWhite has played until now was driving me absolutely crazy because therewas no guarantee as to which opening the game would move into. So, Blackdecides to eliminate the QG lines and the English lines. Of course, Whitestill has the option of guiding the game into tons of other openings, andthings that resemble other openings. White is still very flexible. } 3. Nxd4 { Recapturing with the Queen would have simply wasted a tempo after3. ...Nc6. } 3... g6 { Black is trying to get rid of the flexibility of the positionstill. } 4. c4 { Finally, White commits to something. Now that he's decidedwhat he wants to play, Black can start to form a plan of attack (or defense). } 4... Bg7 { Black begins his development by giving his Bishop access to the longdiagonal. } 5. e4 { Now White has really committed to an opening. This iscalled the Maroczy Bind for White. Black's specific line of the Sicilianhere is the Accelerated Dragon. White's control of the light squares willcause Black a lot of trouble trying to get his light-squared Bishop intoan effective position. Normally, in the Accelerated Dragon, Black has enoughtrouble with that, but with a Maroczy Bind, it becomes and absolute nightmare. } 5... Nc6 { This is now book Accelerated Dragon against the Maroczy Bind. } 6. Nxc6 { This however, is not. The capture of the Knight on c6 is normallycharacteristic of very sharp games. Normally, in the Maroczy Bind, Whitewants to keep Black's play to a minimum, but by doing this, he removeshis Knight from its powerful post on d4 and releases tension in the center.He also increases the Bishop on g7's power tremendously. } 6... bxc6 7. Qc2 { Iwould assume that this move stems from the pressure coming from the g7Bishop. However, it should also serve as a clue to Black that White couldbe planning to castle long. Of course, Black can't know absolutely yet,but this move hints at it. } 7... Nf6 { Black simply continues developing. He'sready to castle now and adding pressure to the center. } 8. Nc3 { White hasto develop too of course! This placement on his Knight relieves a bit ofthe pressure that Black is applying to the center. } 8... Qa5 { This was a wastedmove. The Black Queen ends up going straight back to c7. } 9. Bd2 Qc7 { Nowthere is a slight tension between the Queens. It's nothing large yet, butit affects both players' central plans. If Black ever tries to open thecenter with ...d5, the resulting trades would open the c-file for the Queensto have at each other. This isn't to say that both players should tryto put as much pressure on the c-file as possible yet, only that they shouldconsider this small tension in their plans and calculations. } 10. Bd3 { Bothof White's Bishop's are activated and gunning for the kingside. If theQueen on c2 weren't a good enough hint, this is a clear indication thatWhite plans to castle queenside. The only reason this can be so readilydetermined is that the light-squared Bishop has no entry into Black's positionunless White launches a kingside pawn storm, and usually, you don't stormwith pawns in front of the King. } 10... d6 { Black is now committing to playingwith the Bind in place, meaning that he doesn't intend to challenge it.Black needs to be very careful when he does this because it commits himto carefully watching White's powerful attacking ideas for the durationof the Bind. Black's idea here isn't to develop the Bishop (it's fairlyuseless everywhere, that's the nature of the Maroczy Bind), but to connectthe Rooks in a couple of moves. He will put his Bishop on e6 (which blocksthe pawn, but it's safe) so that it can apply the infinitesimal amountof pressure it's capable of applying. I think though, that Black wouldhave been better off if he had just played ...Ba6 at some point and lefthis Queen's scope untouched. } 11. O-O-O { There's the castle that White'sbeen flagging since move 7! It's only too bad that Black hasn't done muchto prepare for it. Also, it should be noted that by placing his King onthe c-file, White has created more tension (negative tension for him) there. } 11... Be6 { The Bishop adds its small bit of tension to the c-file. } 12. h4 { Andthe pawn storm that we had forecasted is now raining down on Black's kingside. } 12... h5 { Black attempts to create a figurative umbrella by moving the key pointof attack of the pawn storm to g4, a square that he has marked severaltimes, and has the ability to add support to. } 13. f3 { White prepares toadvance to g4. } 13... O-O { Black feels safe enough to castle, and it would seemthat he is. However, he needs to be constantly ready to defend againstany possible attacks that White can initiate on the kingside, which meansthat Black's minor pieces are basically stuck defending. } 14. Be3 { Whiteis now beginning to take advantage of Black's tethered pieces by placinghis on its optimum square. It is often said that when there are no threatsto you, or you have time to spare that you should place all of your pieceson their optimum squares before launching your attack, and that is exactlywhat White did. } 14... Rab8 { Black decides to begin to do the same for his pieces.However, his minor pieces are chained to the defense of the kingside, sothe effect of his optimally placed pieces will be considerably less thanWhite's pieces' effect. This is one of the key elements of the MaroczyBind if Black doesn't manage to break it down (or in this case Black doesn'teven try to break it down). } 15. Be2 { White continues to increase the valueof his pieces. If this were a video I would make all of the arrows fromWhite's pieces into Black's kingside, but since I can't you'll have toimagine them. The Rook on h1 influences the entire h-file. The two Bishopsand the Queen pressure virtually every diagonal leading into the Blackcamp (notice that the light-squared Bishop is going to facilitate g4 afterRg1 (after Rg1 notice the new imaginary arrow pointing directly at theBlack King)). White's attack is swelling to unbelievable strength. } 15... Rb7 { Black ignores White's threat. He prepares to double his Rooks on the b-fileand create an invasion of his own. However, I think that it would comejust too late. If 16. Rdg1 Rgb8 17. b3! and Black's attack is stopped forlong enough for White to start his own. } 16. Kd2 { White has not only wastedthat precious tempo, but he has made his King critically weak! Suddenly,the pressure on the c and b-files seems stronger, and now Black has a reasonto blow the center wide open! } 16... d5 { Although Black has been happy to playin the cramped, time-critical Maroczy Bind, he has been nicely promptedby White to shatter the center and start a vicious counterattack. } 17. exd5 { This sequence of moves is kind of cool to me because you can watchthe center loosen brick by brick. You can also watch Black's pieces becometremendously powerful. White's pieces will go from well-placed for attackto terribly placed as White needs to defend quickly (and they won't evenhave to move!). } 17... cxd5 18. cxd5 Nxd5 { Now we can see the tension betweenthe Queens that I mentioned at the beginning. Though it would have beenpossible for the game to finish without this tension ever having been exploited,it was one of the subtleties of the position. } 19. Nxd5 { Black sees aninteresting tactic where he at least wins a piece after 19. ...Qxc2 20.Kxc2 Rxb2 21. Kd3 (21. Kc1 is what happened in the game) Bf5 22. Kc4Rc8 23. Bc5 Rc2 } 19... Qxc2+ 20. Kxc2 Rxb2+ 21. Kc1 { White plays the wrongmove here. This allows Black to deliver the coup de gras. } 21... Rc8+ { Now Whitecan only sacrifice minor pieces to postpone his execution, so he resigned.0-1 } 0-1

[Event "A Latvian Gambit game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.28"] [Round "-"] [White "kleos"] [Black "x-machine"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1272"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1552"] { This game involves some tense moments for me, and for the most part ofthe game I'm playing on the defensive. When I finally do get the opportunityto make a counter-attack, I take it, but it turns out that it was all onfalse hope... } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 { Marks the beginning of the LavitanGambit. This is totally new ground for me, meaning that my opponent (whocalls this gambit his favourite) definatly has an edge } 3. Nxe5 { Betterthan exf5, which allows White a solid centre after 3...d6 } 3... Qf6 { basic chessrules state that the queen should not come out too early, but it makessense here - both protecting the f-pawn and chasing away the knight. Besides,I was just relying on the database at this point (though I guess theremust be some refutation to 3...Bd6, which does not appear on the DB) } 4. d4 { solidifying the centre } 4... d6 { Black really doesn't want the knighton such a powerful square, so he chases the knight away (I don't reallylike these moves - it makes Black look weak with the pawns all over theplace) } 5. Nc4 fxe4 { making my f-pawn a centre pawn, and regaining materialequality - why not? } 6. Ne3 { ?! Preventing Black solidifying the centrewith 6...d5, but White's knight has already ended up moving four timesout of White's six moves (the point of the Latvian?) I would have preferredNc3, which achieves the same objective with another piece developed } 6... Nc6 { ?! maybe Ne7 was better, once again allowing d5? I considered it, butdismissed it due to the fact that it seemed to cramp Black's style... } 7. Bb5 { But if Nge7 had been played, c6 would be forced here, as 7...Nc6?8.d5! I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing } 7... Bd7 { A forcedmove, but I like it all the same, opening up queenside castling for Black... } 8. Nd5 { ! not for long though. Black is forced to undevelop his queen toprevent Nxc7+ } 8... Qd8 9. Qe2 { threatening to take the e4 pawn.... } 9... a6 { ? butthis isn't the best way to handle it, I don't think. I looked at, and fearedNxc4, but that actually kept material equality (10.Qxe4+ Nce7 11.Qxd4 Bxb5) } 10. Qxe4+ Nce7 { I moved this knight to provoke.... } 11. Bxd7+ Qxd7 { thebishop trade - usually not recommended, since Black is down in material,but it allows for castling for Black } 12. O-O { speaking of castling... } 12... O-O-O { Black does the same, and the king retreats to the other side ofthe board. Development is just about even, but White has the advantage,as he has more space to work with } 13. Bg5 { dashing my hopes of 13...Nxd514.Qxd5 Re8, grabbing the open file } 13... h6 { putting the question to the bishop,who decides to initiate a fairly large trade (I have no idea whether Whitewanted to trade in the first place -.likely, as White is up in material) } 14. Bxe7 Bxe7 15. Nxe7+ Nxe7 { now the pressure on Black has abated, andnow he can focus on more important matters... } 16. c4 { ...such as gettingsome breathing space for his pieces! White controls more of the board,and this plus the material advantage puts White at an advantage... } 16... Rhe8 { ?! but maybe 16.c4 was a move left unpunished? I think better here wouldhave been 16...d5, which would (partially) open up the d-file, which hasmy queen and rook. This was also why I moved the h-rook instead of thed-rook. This move can't be bad though - with the threat of the discoveredattack... } 17. Qc2 { White retreats his queen... } 17... Nc6 { thus giving the e-fileto Black. I realise that White can force my knight to move again with hisnext move... } 18. d5 { but the alternative, Nf5, didn't really make senseto me, as the knight had no purpose on that side of the board (I've heardthat having too many pieces on one side of the board is supposed to bea bad thing, but why would white focus its attention to a measly two pawnson the kingside, especially when they pose no threat? well, maybe for thepassed pawns, but it's too early for that) } 18... Nd4 { maybe not the best knightmove, though I'm not sure what is } 19. Qd3 { forcing my knight to move onceagain (I'm thinking to myself here, 'goddamn en passant!' } 19... Nf5 { forced,and as I've already said I don't like the position of my knight } 20. Nc3 g5 { more of a waiting move than anything } 21. b3 { White now has a pawnchain on the side where all the action is! (and considering that's whereBlack's king is, that's bad for him!) } 21... h5 { !? not a waiting move anymore- Black hopes to weaken the defence around the king } 22. Ne4 { White doesn'twant this... } 22... Qe7 { ?! Defending the pawn, as well as switching the queen-rookaction to the e-file, but maybe g4 would have been a better idea } 23. f3 { ! pawn advancement? what pawn advancement? (once again proving that myknight does not belong on that square) } 23... Rf8 { offering defence in viewof that... } 24. Rae1 { The last of White's pieces get into the action, withthe threat of a discovered attack to boot! } 24... Rde8 { Black has been a littleslow with his gameplay over the last couple of moves, but in view of White'snext move, Black should have moved his queen here... } 25. Ng3 { ! a three-wayfork on the queen, the knight and the h-pawn - Black can't save then all!There is a way, though, for Black to cut his losses.... } 25... Qxe1 { !? Tradingtwo rooks for a queen, and getting a rook behind enemy lines } 26. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27. Kf2 Ra1 28. Nxf5 { expected.... } 28... Rxa2+ { and expected. Black comesout of this another pawn down, but now he has an attack, whereas thereisn't any clear attack on Black's king } 29. Kg3 { Black could force thisif White retreated to the a-file with Ra1+, then Ra2+, where White wouldn'twant to accept a draw } 29... h4+ 30. Kh3 { White's king proves to be pretty safeon that square } 30... Re8 { looking at Re2 } 31. Qd4 { !? I still want to play Re2,but moving my rook allows for 32.Qh8+ Kd7 33.Qg7+, with Qxg5 next move } 31... Kb8 { avoiding the threat } 32. c5 { allowing cxd6 would weaken my kingside- I don't want that } 32... dxc5 33. Qxc5 Ree2 { and now my rook finally reachesits desired goal! } 34. d6 { once again, the pawn must be dealt with immediatly } 34... cxd6 35. Qxd6+ Ka7 36. Qc5+ Kb8 { I wondered whether White would play fora draw here... } 37. Nd6 { nope! White threatens mate with 38.Qc8+ Ka7 39.Qxb7# } 37... Rac2 { it doesn't really matter which rook moves to do this... } 38. Qxg5 { but the g-pawn is a gonor! the h-pawn, fortunately, isn't threatened yetbecause of Rxg2, which will allow Black to get rid of White's g and h pawns,with a passed pawn as well! } 38... b5 { at this point, I saw my queenside majority,I saw Rxg2... but I also saw White's f-pawn, which was a passed pawn. Sinceit would promote first, I couldn't launch an attack...yet } 39. Qd8+ Ka7 { the check didn't bother me, as my king was headed for b6 anyway } 40. Qg8 { moving back to the defence of the g2 pawn } 40... Kb6 { stopes Nxb5 after a5 } 41. Nf5 { the knight moves to dispose of another one of Black's pawns...but blocks the passed pawn - this is the opportunity Black was lookingfor! } 41... Rxg2 { White's next move is forced, if White doesn't want any furthermaterial loss (also a strange mirror image of what happened earlier inthe game } 42. Qxg2 Rxg2 43. Kxg2 { and now it's time for the endgame - White'spassed f-pawn verses Black's (soon-to-be) passed a-pawn. If both sidesconcentrated only on the pawns, Black would promote first, but then there'sthe matter of White's knight... } 43... a5 44. Kf2 a4 45. bxa4 bxa4 46. Ne3 a3 47. Nc2 a2 48. Na1 { as such. If Black wants to win, he'll have to comeover himself to get rid of the knight... } 48... Kb5 { But this lets White's pawnpromote first. Black could try to cut off the f-pawn instead, but thatwouldn't work either, because Black would soon have no other moves butto move his king and the f-pawn along with the White king would easilypromote } 49. f4 Kb4 50. f5 Kc3 51. f6 Kb2 52. f7 Kxa1 53. f8=Q Kb1 54. Qa3 { ! White wants the exchange... } 54... a1=Q 55. Qxa1+ Kxa1 56. h3 { becauseWhite's king is closer to the h-file. The h-pawn will fall, and all Blackcan do now is hope for a draw } 56... Kb2 57. Kf3 Kc3 58. Kg4 Kd4 59. Kxh4 Ke5 60. Kg5 { I was expecting Kg3, slowly advancing the h-pawn while defendingwith the king, but it turns out that this is much more effective } 60... Ke6 61. Kg6 Ke7 62. Kg7 Ke6 63. h4 Kf5 64. h5 Kg5 { and Black resigns, as White'spawn cannot be stopped } 1-0

[Event "Challenge"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-May-08"] [Round "-"] [White "titosailing"] [Black "honeybrook"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1372"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1313"] 1. e4 { Nothing surprising here. } 1... e5 { Nor do I try anything fancy. UntilI have more experience I will go with the tried and true. } 2. Qf3 { WhenI see the Queen come out early, especially before all other pieces, I expecta good game for me. I also expect he is about to attempt a trap at F7. } 2... Nf6 { Meanwhile I stay on the usual track, block white's queen's view ofF7 and attack his pawn. } 3. Bc4 { Bishop's Opening (24). He brings outthe second half of his maneuver. No doubt he's hoping I get greedy andgo after his king pawn. } 3... Bc5 { I go after F2 and clear the way for O-O. } 4. d3 { Now he protects the king pawn. } 4... d6 { ... as do I. } 5. Nc3 Bg4 { Idevelop a bishop and attack his queen in the process. } 6. Qg3 O-O 7. h3 Bh5 8. Bd5 { Finds a nice home on a center square and threatens to takemy rook. } 8... Nc6 9. Bh6 { Threatens checkmate. I don't like letting him thisclose to victory. } 9... Bg6 10. Bg5 { Another nice move, at the very least threatensto pull my king defense apart by exchanging pieces. } 10... Nd4 { Expecting a queencastle I push my knight to d4 with many attack possibilities. If he doesn'tcastle I go to c2 forking his rook. } 11. O-O-O Bb4 { I go after one of theknights defending e2 and plan, at the very least to pull apart the king'sdefensive wall. } 12. a3 { Tries to drive away my bishop but... } 12... Bxc3 { Ialways intended to destroy the knight. } 13. bxc3 Nb5 14. Bxb7 { Can't resista free pawn, I guess but it opens up b-file for me. } 14... Rb8 15. Bc6 Nxc3 { Afree pawn for me and an excellent position against the king. } 16. Re1 Rb6 { Mounting my b-file attack while forcing him to save his bishop. } 17. Bd5 { He's back where he started with only a pawn for his trouble while I havea pawn and excellently placed rook and knight. Better move would havebeen a4 adding a protecting line for the king. } 17... Qb8 { Power surge coming! } 18. Kd2 Ncxd5 19. exd5 { This exchange, I believe, came out in my favor. He lost his bishop and (eventually) pawn occupying center squares whilemy knight moved in on this precious real estate. } 19... Rb1 { An exchange of rooksgives my queen free reign on white's first two ranks. } 20. Ne2 { He declinesthe exchange. } 20... Rb2 { I like this move because the pawn is pinned and nowthe queen can get to b3 if need be. } 21. Rc1 { To defend an attack on c2? } 21... e4 { Sets up a forking opportunity if he takes my pawn. } 22. d4 { Only reasonhe advanced I can think of is he didn't like a pawn in his king's face. } 22... e3+ { I attack hoping he takes it with the pawn that he will block off thequeen. Ultimately I want to get to d3 with my queen with the help of mybishop and rook. } 23. Qxe3 { He goes with the queen } 23... Re8 { About the onlyway I see at this point he can save himself is to sacrifice his queen atsome point. Otherwise the king is going down. } 24. Qc3 { Queen tries tointerpose but there are ways around it. The queen's stregth is also itsweakness. } 24... Qb5 { Now my queen is poised for the death blow. } 25. Rhe1 { Areal mistake, in my view, since the horse is not really threatened andnow his king's backside is boxed in. } 25... Nxd5 { Time to drive away the queen. Only one way to go, back the way he came. } 26. Qf3 Re3 { This is a sweetmove. Either his queen dies and he dies in two moves or he saves his queenand dies in one. } 27. fxe3 Qd3# 0-1

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "Sept 8 2018"] [Round "-"] [White "eric2jin"] [Black "linusinsulins"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "black "] [TimeControl "None"] [WhiteElo "white"] { A game I played with Linus } 1. e4 { Normal pawn opening } 1... e5 { Standard } 2. Bc4 { Development } 2... Bc5 { Same } 3. Nc3 { Something new } 3... Bd4 { !? } 4. Nf3 { Standard } 4... Bxc3 { Trade } 5. dxc3 { Standard } 5... d6 { Guarding } 6. Bg5 { !?!?!? } 6... f6 { Bishop dead! } 7. Qd5 { Threatening mate } 7... Ne7 { Die!!! } 8. Qf7+ { Anyway... } 8... Kd7 { King out!!! } 9. Be6+ { Die } 9... Kc6 { #9thmove } 10. Be3 { Saving the bishop } 10... Bxe6 { Bishop trade } 11. Qxe6 { Queen! } 11... Qd7 { ???? } 12. Qc4# { Checkmate!!! } *

[Event "A lesson in the importance of passed pawns"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.02"] [Round "-"] [White "packbat"] [Black "njank"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1510"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1337"] { This game stood out among several recent games I've played for the tremendousdistance between the critical error and its consequences. As a result,chess computer analyses show the odd phenomenon where the score attributedto the one side increases without any apparent reason. } 1. d4 { 1.d4 isreportedly the second most popular opening move. Fun fact: I, playing White,chose this purely to avoid the Sicilian Defence, with which I am unfamiliar. } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 { Here Black begins setting up what looks likea King's Indian defense, Smyslov system (E61)... } 4. Nf3 d5 { ...but transitionsinto the Gruenfeld, three knights variation (D90), instead. } 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 { After this move, the opening is effectively a Gruenfeld(D85), modern exchange variation. } 7... c5 8. Bb5+ { Rb1 is a sensible alternative.Up to this point, the game has remained fairly even, with no obvious advantageto either player. } 8... Nc6 9. O-O { d5 is a highly devious alternative at thispoint, with the potential for several juicy exchanges. } 9... cxd4 10. cxd4 O-O 11. Be3 Bg4 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Rb1 { At this point, Rc1 would probablyhave been better. This move sacrifices tempo, as we shall immediately see. } 13... Bxf3 14. gxf3 { 14.Qxf3 would preserve the pawn structure around the kingand place pressure on f7 - however, as it turns out, this doubled f-pawnis useful later. } 14... e6 15. e5 f6 16. f4 { Observe 'later'. Not just thisturn, either - this triad of pawns in the center becomes the key of thegame. } 16... f5 { Here Black gives up tempo again, and never really regains it. } 17. Qb3 { This move doubles up pieces on the b-file and threatens theking through Qxe4. } 17... Re8 18. Rfc1 { Finally attacks the unguarded c-pawn. } 18... Rb8 { ...and this is the critical (although subtle) mistake. Why? Becauseof the pawns on d4, e5, and f4. After the exchanges that follow, Whitetakes c6 and Black is forced to trap one rook on the back rank defendingthe pawn on e6 - because with the c- and e-pawns out of the way, Whitehas an excellent shot at promoting their own d- and/or e-pawn, effectivelyending the game. Better is 18...Rc8. } 19. Qxb8 Qxb8 20. Rxb8 Rxb8 21. Rxc6 Rb1+ { Black neglects to guard e6. They still have one chance to salvagethis: 22...Rb6. } 22. Kg2 Ra1 { And that's it. Black will have no plausiblepath to recover. } 23. Rxe6 Rxa2 24. d5 Kf7 25. Bc5 Ra5 26. Re7+ Kf8 27. Rc7+ Ke8 28. d6 { At this point, White is essentially guaranteed to promotea pawn in the near future. Black resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Remarkable win by an improving player"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "-"] [White "terris87"] [Black "bbqmcfadden"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "???"] [TimeControl "5 mins"] [WhiteElo "noob"] { First of all thanks for checking out my game...I am very new to chessand I am still learning different variations of opening lines to suitemy style of play...please if you PROS out there have any tips for me orfeedback in general, I am open ears. ENJOY!! } 1. e4 { I started off asusual with kings pawn opening. } 1... e5 { He replied mirror opening } 2. Bc4 { Ifollow up with my favorite c4...always looking to take on f-7 so the kingcan't castle to throw off my opponent. } 2... Nf6 { He brings out his knight } 3. d3 { I get ready trade to move my bishop to g5 to take his knight toweaken his king. } 3... Nc6 { Looks like he's setting up a simple king's indiandefense. } 4. Bg5 { Again he doesn't know that I really want his knight inmy pocket. I prepare to take. } 4... Nd4 { He makes questionable move. } 5. c3 { I counter...and at the same time I prepare to move my queen to c2 fora second check on the king after the bishop checks him on f7. } 5... Nc6 { Heretreats } 6. Bxf7+ { Here is where I make my move and check his king totake him out of position and throw him off. } 6... Kxf7 { He does the obvious. } 7. Qb3+ { Second check goes as planned. } 7... Ke8 { He brings his king back home. } 8. Qb5 { This is where the noob comes out of me....There is no reason forthis move. I was hoping to take the pawn on c5 at the same time checkinghis king but didn't see the defending knight...stupid I know! } 8... Be7 { Lookslike he's bringing out the bishop to protect his knight. } 9. Nf3 { I bringout my knight in hopes to castle soon and protect the bishop and for centercontrol. } 9... d6 { He does what is expected and pushes up one of his pawns tod6 } 10. d4 { I push up my pawn for center control. } 10... exd4 { He takes my pawnon d4 } 11. cxd4 { I take back } 11... Bd7 { More knight protection from black } 12. Bxf6 { Finally I take his knight! the move I have been waiting for. Maybea bit too soon as I now see I could have moved my pawns up to protect thebishop? } 12... Bxf6 { He retakes with bishop on f6 } 13. e5 { Better late than never } 13... Nxd4 { He steals my pawn at the same time threatning my queen } 14. Qd5 { b7 might have been a better move. What do you think? } 14... Nc2+ { Another noobmistake. Forgetting to castle !!! and my king and rook being forked asI am checked. } 15. Ke2 { Should have moved closer to the knight but didn'twant my king out in the open. } 15... c6 { He goes for my queen } 16. Qb3 { I pretendto go for his knight but actually im staring down b7 which is the movei missed prior. } 16... Nxa1 { He does the obvious and takes my rook. } 17. Qxb7 { I take his pawn on b7 } 17... dxe5 { He pushes up his pawn to e5 } 18. Nc3 { I finallymove my knight out because im low on pieces...I am actually down majorat this point. How I win is beyond me. } 18... Nc2 { He moves his knight to c2 } 19. Rd1 { I get my rook to an open file as I'm sure you will all appreciate } 19... Nd4+ { He checks me with his knight. } 20. Rxd4 { I trade with my rook. } 20... exd4 { He takes my rook with his pawn. } 21. Nxd4 { and I take back his pawn } 21... Rb8 { He goes for my queen with his rook. } 22. Qxa7 { I take his pawn on a7 } 22... Rxb2+ { He checks me again } 23. Kf1 { I move my king once more. } 23... Rd2 { Blackcasually moves his rook to d2 as he eyes down my knight with both his rookand his bishop. I have to move one of my knights..Which one? } 24. Nf5 { Imove one of my knights to f5. One of them has to be taken. I think I chosewisely. } 24... Bxc3 { Looking at the board now...I am down -12 in material...andI only have 2 active pieces to his 5 active pieces...how did I do it? Thisis the good part !!! } 25. Qe3+ { I check him with my queen at the same timegetting ready to take his bishop. } 25... Kf8 { He moves his king. } 26. Qxc3 { Itake his bishop and now his rook is looking nice. } 26... Rd1+ { He checks me again. } 27. Ke2 { I move my king again. } 27... Rd5 { I don't think this was a good moveby black to retreat his rook and go for my knight. a better move wouldbe to check my again with his queen by going black queen to e8. Insteadhe moves his rook to d5. } 28. Qxg7+ { You probably saw this coming. Itsthe move I was waiting on. I check his king at the same time his rook isthreatened and I am protected by the knight on f5. At this point not muchhe can do but follow my lead. } 28... Ke8 { he moves his king again } 29. Qxh8+ { I take his rook. Again checking him ! } 29... Kf7 { His queen is now vulnerable } 30. Qxd8 { now his queen is taken. and I am up in material. The tables havenow turned that quickly. I think his best move here would be to check meor take my knight. } 30... Be6 { He chose bishop to e7 to guard his rook. } 31. Qe7+ { Again I check him and threaten his bishop. } 31... Kg6 { He is setting himselfup now but he has no choice. } 32. Qxe6+ { At this point my opponent resignsas he will most likely be checkmated in on a couple moves. Thanks for viewingmy game. hope you enjoyed it...again I am new to this game so please tellme how I did or what I could have done better. Thanks!! } 1-0

[Event "My king chase hits the buffers!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.02"] [Round "-"] [White "harpo_marx"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1783"] [TimeControl "10 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2065"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Here is an unrated game as black against my buddyMichael which finished today. Sadly I ended up copping Old Matey. Beforethat, however, Glenda played a game of Chase Me Charlie with Michael'sking who unfortunately found a safe niche in my position and I ran outof checks. I lost the game due to failure to develop Fou Leblanc in atimely manner. When Fou Leblanc eventually came out on MOVE THIRTY, hemet an inglorious death to the white rook. The end came 3 moves later. Anyway, on with the show. We have a double king pawn opening with e4and e5. } 1... e5 2. f4 { 2. f4 - and Michael gives me the King's Gambit whichI accept. } 2... exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 { 5. Ne5 - this bold move to e5by white's steed is called the Kiezeritzky Gambit. The knight sometimesgoes to g5 which is called the Allgaier Gambit in which a knight is sacrificedfor a pawn on f7. The black king must capture to avoid dropping a rookand he becomes mighty exposed, but this is the calmer, saner Kiezeritzkyand I respond with a sane developing move such as Nf6. } 5... Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 { 6......... d5 - opening a line for Fou Leblanc. You would never believethat he stays at home until the game is 30 moves old but he does. } 7. exd5 Bd6 8. d4 O-O { 8. ....... 0-0 - Henry goes kingside but this is ratheropen. } 9. Bxf4 Nh5 10. g3 Nxf4 11. gxf4 { 11. gxf4 - piece trade. } 11... Re8 { 11........ Re8 - pin. } 12. Kf1 Qf6 13. Qd2 Bxe5 { 13. ........ Bxe5 - afterwhite quietly moves the Wicked Witch of the West out to d2 there is a seriesof trades. First up, a piece trade. } 14. dxe5 Rxe5 { 14. ....... Rxe5 -now a pawn trade. The BR cannot be captured because the f4 pawn is pinned. } 15. Nc3 Nd7 { 15. ....... Nd7 - development. } 16. Kg2 Qh6 { 16. ........Qh6 - Glenda eyes a chance to attack down the g or h file so she movesto h6 still keeping the f pawn in a pin, this time against the Witch. } 17. Rae1 Rxe1 18. Rxe1 { 18. Rxe1 - rook trade. } 18... Nf6 { 18. ....... Nf6 -clearing the way for Fou Leblanc but Michael has other ideas. } 19. d6 { 19.d6! - good move, I do not want to lose a pawn so I take on d6. } 19... cxd6 20. Qxd6 { 20. Qxd6 - nasty! } 20... Kg7 21. Re7 Qxh4 { 21. .......... Qxh4 - this pawnturns out to be poisoned but although I did anticipate white's next movesI thought that I would be able to get a perpetual somehow. } 22. Rxf7+ Kg6 23. Ne4 Qh3+ { 23. ........ Qh3+ - here is a series of checks where theWK is chased around the board. } 24. Kg1 Qe3+ 25. Kf1 Qh3+ 26. Ke1 { 26.Ke1 - the WK moves towards the centre. } 26... Qh1+ 27. Kd2 Qg2+ 28. Kc3 { 28.Kc3 - and towards the queenside. } 28... Qf3+ 29. Kb4 a5+ { 29. ........ a5+ -a humble footman steps in to try and help Glenda but ...... } 30. Kb5 { 30.Kb5 - ....... The WK ensures I have only one check left, will it work? } 30... Bd7+ 31. Rxd7 { 31. Rxd7 - Glenda took the knight on e4 but just as I wasabout to hit the submit button I noticed that white's lsb could pin heragainst Henry on d3. So I hit reset and I decide on Ra6 to attack thewitch and cover black's third rank. } 31... Ra6 32. Qe7 Nxd7 { 32. ....... Nxd7- I decide to take the rook as my knight is not pinned, however the rookis poisoned because next move I cop Old Matey with the Wicked Witch landingon g5. Sigh and double sigh. My only consolation was that the game wasunrated. Hope you have had a good read. Bye for now. Joanne } 33. Qg5# 1-0

[Event "A must-have-been nice ending trap"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.12.22"] [Round "-"] [White "Player"] [Black "damafi"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1371"] [TimeControl "5|5"] [WhiteElo "1435"] { I lost this game - but when exploring the game if I didn't blunder, Ifound a - it seems to me - nice pre-endgame section, and a final may-be-puzzle.It didn't happended, but what a game would have it be! :-) } 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 { My usual Icelandic. } 4. dxe6 Bxe6 5. Nf3 { In my experience,not the best if I go for the Qe7 attack, but even so white can defend withaccurate play. So I went for... } 5... Bc5 { Prepared to be rejected by d4, butkeeping an eye on a strong diagonal in case white would want to anvancethe d pawn to d5. The problem with c5 now is that it leaves a dangeroushole on the Qside white squares (b5 for W's N or B at some point). So Iwent for this one. } 6. d4 { As foreseen. I grant white the possession ofd4, and a farily strong pressure against it. } 6... Bb6 { Ok, I lost a tempo.And that I should have played Bg5. Was I ready to exchange my dsb for theNc3? No! I sensed that my bishop pair is my strenght here. I won't wasteit for a N, unless absolutely necessary. } 7. Be2 { As good as any other.Bg5 is coming - I know - but I won't spend any tempo in a profilactyc move...even a some cost. } 7... c6 { Controls b5 and e5, allowing me to save my dsbin case of Na4 (Bc7). A little cramped, but holdable - I think. } 8. O-O O-O { I always say that castling is a loss of time etc. etc. I can recognizethe smell of a position where black has to think it twice trying the Qsidecastling, as usual. Or simply I wanted to try something different fromQd6!? } 9. Na4 { A voice whispered: 'keep your B at all cost!' } 9... Ba5 { If Nc5,I was considering Bc8 (I have to defend b7 and I don't want to exchangeB's. } 10. c3 { My opponent went for this other plan instead. Now, b4, Bc7,Nc5, and I am squeezed in and b7 would fall. I have to parry that. } 10... Bc7 { This move anticipates white's plan, but it takes the black diagonal, preventingW's dsb to go to f4 (a good square for it, as g5). } 11. Bg5 { This pin willbe a real pain for me. I knew I had to play with a lot of care in orderto handle it. } 11... Nbd7 { First step to ensure f6's integrity. I can't allowBxN, g7xB unless very sure about assessing it. It's easy to see a poweron the semiopen g column, but I couldn't be sure white won't have foundsome counterplay based on my Kside messed pawns. Of course, here whitehas Ne5, and my answer would have been Qb8. A weird square for the Q, butit defends b7 and controls f4, eyeing h2... some strong point to exploit. } 12. Nc5 { This clearly let me no other choice, since b7 is threatened,and I don't want NxBe6. The white's pin gets stronger, without my otherN's support. } 12... Nxc5 13. dxc5 { The pin on my N is restored, and it is a real...(censored). I don't find the right moment for h6-g5 (a dubious manouver). } 13... Qe7 { Virtually forced, unless I want to allow gxf6. I wasn't sure. I smelleda danger in it. } 14. b4 { It's ok, because it consolidates a nice pawn'sstructure, and I can't easily attack it due to Nf3 (preventing Be5). Butnot necessary, because I won't have gone for Qxc5, BxNf6, gxB. As white,I would have preferred Re1! } 14... a5 { ? See: I thought that I was not in a hurryto solve the pin issue, if I could grab some initiative, delaying whitein his plans (Re1). White has nothing concrete still. The price of thiswould have been 15. b5. Against it, I would have not exchanged, even atthe cost of b6, Bb8. Not a good square, but I hoped only temporary. ButI had to keep control of b5 against White's lsb. } 15. Qc2 { A quiet move,probably envisaging Bd3, preparing a carabine on h7. } 15... axb4 { The quietmove must have a cost for my opponent. In this case, the opening of thea coumn, with my Be6 threatening a2... the downside of not having playedg5. } 16. cxb4 { Ok, this consolidation was not avoidable, and I must livewith a3 to seal it... or not? } 16... Ra3 { Never! Weird or good? I planned tosupport it with Rf-a8. The point is that unless white can't advance thepawn to a3, a2 will be my target. Distracting white to make anything dangerouson my kingside. In my plans, note, my Q is not required, so it is freeto retake on f6 if needed. My lsb, despite his pressure on a2, is not reallyeasy to remove from my Q's guard against W's Rooks... } 17. Nd4 { Here, Be5comes to mind, but fails to NxBe6, and if BxRa1, NxRf8... } 17... Bd5 { Too badNf6 is deprived of his natural square: it is not going to move for somemore moves anyway! I have to cope with Re1 though! } 18. Nf5 { 'I can livewith this'. } 18... Qe4 { The idea is that White can't do BxNf6 because of QxQ,but if white starts the Q's exchange, QxQ, NxQ and black seems free fromthe pin at last. White can't respond with Bd3, (QxB, Ra3 supports the Q). But all this has flaw: it misses Ne7+ after the Q's exchange, followedby NxBd4 - finally exchanging NxB the next move. Or worse. A hell of aposition for my poor skills! } 19. Qxe4 { It worked! A mistake from W, inmy view. With it, white only 'wins' the need to add a defender to a2, andlost his terrible pin on my kingside! } 19... Nxe4 20. h4 { Nothing bad in Be6,which also blocks the e column to me. Whites chooses this moment to become'aggressive'!? } 20... Be5 { It was either this of Rf-h8. I can't just take thepawn, I have to do it cleanly. } 21. Rad1 Rxa2 { ...like this. Now, whitecan do RxB, but I don't think it was good for him. But all this STILL allowsNe7+, Kh8, NxB, cxN, Rxd5. So my plan survived only because my opponentspared me. } 22. Bf3 { ? Without catching the chance. So I... } 22... Kh8 { ...consideredthis the best move. If Ne7 now, NxBg5, NxBd5, NxBf3+, gxB, cxNd5, Rxd5. } 23. Bxe4 { Exchanging a B for a N in order to open the column and gethis N to d6. I bet I would survive it, but now I'm not any sure! } 23... Bxe4 { ? Allowing Re1, indirectly exchanging a B for a N after BxN (what else?),RxB, Bmoves. } 24. Nd6 { Threatening at the same time Be5 and b7. But, forwho likes homeworks, here there is one: White has another much more powerfulthreat here, that both my opponent and me overlooked during the game. } 24... Bc2 { ?? I foolishly played this based on Rd2, Bf3, Re2, and threateningBxb4 in return after Nxb7. Completely overlooking White's simple but elegantNxf7+. The point is that it forks my undefended dsb because I can't takethe N or I will be mated in two (Rd8+, Rf8, RxR#). Nevertheless, thingsare not so simple, since after Kg8 - only one - NxBe5, f6 forks white'spieces. Anyway. The only correct move for black should have been Bd5, closingthe column and preserving the lsb. } 25. Rde1 { Not certainly BxN! Never!:-D But I was a little scared of moves like Bc3, allowing again Nxf7+,Kg8, Re7... } 25... f6 { I have Bd3, assuring an exchange, but I have to solvethe dsb problem and still create a threat so to delay Nxb7. } 26. Rxe5 { !? I'm not sure this sac was good for White. True is that it deprivesme from my Bpair, but at the cost of an exchange. It's difficult to suggesta W's better. Maybe Re2, but Rf-a8, without fear of Nf7+, Kg8. } 26... fxe5 27. Be7 { Ok but now this has less poison in it. } 27... Rf4 { Instead of defendingm b7 pawn with Rb8 (a very poor square for my R), I counterattack white'spawns with a fork. You won't say that all this is not an interesting piecegame... } 28. Nxb7 { ?? I would have gone for Re1 as white, again! Anyway.Why it's a mistake? Ra7, and a piece is won. Again, we overlooked it.A shame... :-( } 28... Rxb4 { The more dangerous one. } 29. Nd8 { Attacking c3.And I can't threat c4. } 29... Be4 { Naturally protecting the pawn with no threatsto be harassed or exchanged once in d5. But this allows... } 30. Re1 { !Amazing, another R aligning I oversaw! This time, my opponent puts me ina trouble, since after f3, my B must move and e5 will fall. But moreover:Nf7+ here takes e5 anyway for free... and again, we didn't see it! Thisis the pity of blitzes... } 30... Bd5 { Accepting Rxe4, what else, and hoping toget something more out of the two Rs. } 31. Rxe5 { Here I blundered and Iwent Rxh4, and I resigned soon after. Better would have been... } 31... Rb1+ 32. Kh2 { Only one. Now, R1-b2 seems to win, but again I was very scared ofthings like Bd6, threatening Re8+, Bg8, Nf7#! Very elegant... } 32... Raa1 { SoI went for this, that assured me at least a couple of checks. You can callit Hope Chess, if you like! :-) } 33. Bd6 { Preparing the mate! Very good!Ok, I can simply play one of my pawns and get out of the threat, so I wouldhave taken the tempo to start my own attack. I just have to be aware thatI 'owe' my king a pawn's move. } 33... Rh1+ 34. Kg3 Ra3+ { Not a great plan. Ilost my chance to play the R's on the second rank, and now with f3 I havenothing. } 35. f3 { As predicted. Time to save my own K. } 35... h6 36. Re8+ { Stilla problem, but not deadly. } 36... Kh7 37. Bf8 { After Re7 I can't defend g7.But I have my own threats. } 37... Ra4 38. Re7 { Targeting g7. } 38... Rhxh4 39. Rxg7+ { I lost another important pawn. My Rooks are actionless at the moment. } 39... Kh8 40. Nf7+ { Forcing the exchange of my last beloved B! But it was stillbetter than a tricky mate! } 40... Bxf7 41. Rxf7 Kg8 { I feel I had to apply thispressure, even if... } 42. Rf6 { ...and it seems that another pawn will fall! } 42... Rh5 { White can exchange now with Rxh6, or Bxh6. } 43. Be7 Rg5+ 44. Kf2 Ra2+ { White can't allow my R to fork K and Be7, so... } 45. Kf1 { This way, ifblack takes g2, it is not a check. } 45... Rgxg2 { Black takes anyway, abandoningboth pawns to its fate. } 46. Rxc6 { White is very happy to get a free passedpawn on c6, and here, dear reader, there is a second homework: Black movesand wins... but for an only line by white. Which one? } 46... Rgb2 { This movethreats back rank mate with Ra1#, and the other R shields any possibilityof BxRa1. With the addition of a black pawn in f7 and a white pawn in h4,the position qualified as a puzzle (for once!) and it is now a puzzle.In the game, white has just one move to do: } 47. Bh4 { ! The only possibleshield. From here, black can proceed with } 47... Rh2 { ...and white must losethe B or mate. Only escape way: } 48. Rg6+ { Protecting g1... will it beenough? } 48... Kh7 { Nope. } 49. Rg4 { Defending the B. Rg1 leads to the same lossof pieces. } 49... Ra1+ { For example. } 50. Be1 { Forced. } 50... Rh1+ { and white can'tplay Rg1 or the resulting exchanges will leave him with no pieces againstblack's R. If } 51. Kf2 { escaping the check after the R takes is the bestwhite can do... } 51... Raxe1 { And black wins. Thank you for reading, all correctionsand comments will be appreciated. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-May-08"] [Round "-"] [White "just_some_guy"] [Black "dan-ger"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1301"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1322"] { this is another fun king's gambit for a team match ill annotate the othergame also later. but let's begin.. } 1. e4 e5 { allowing me the gambit } 2. f4 { gambit } 2... exf4 { he accepts. } 3. Bc4 { now i move it into a king bishop'sgambit. } 3... Nf6 { attacking the pawn } 4. d3 { guarding and setting up retrivialof the gambit pawn } 4... Bd6 { guards. (i have noticed all attempts to guardthe gambit pawn always fail) } 5. Nc3 { i see the fork but i like to developemore first. } 5... c6 { blocking my knights squares. } 6. Nf3 b5 { this always happensi do not mind just back it off some } 7. Bb3 a5 { he wants to trap the bishopbut i got an idea for that. } 8. a4 Bc5 { i asume he is gonna do ng4 nextso i got some time here becasue i can answer ng4 with d4 so i figured mybes bet was to retake the gambit pawn. } 9. Bxf4 Ng4 { what i say? } 10. d4 b4 { sure ill trade that. } 11. dxc5 bxc3 12. bxc3 { no i got triple c pawnsbut i do not mind } 12... Qe7 13. Ng5 h6 { pushing the knight away but i guesshe missed the bshop hitting f7 aswell. } 14. Nxf7 Rf8 15. Nd6+ Kd8 { at thispoint i relize a mate if i can get the bishop to c7, all i got to do ischeck the king again at f7 and he'll move it back for me to move the bishopinto place. so let me rearrange my pieces so i can capitalize on this,first of all the hanging knight on g4. } 16. Qxg4 Na6 { i think he sees myplan but ill think of somthine on the fly } 17. Qh5 { setting up a discoverdcheck attack } 17... Nxc5 { hmm well that helps. } 18. Nf7+ Ke8 19. Bc7 { bishopin place. } 19... Rxf7 { he saw the mate and stopped it best he coul but it onlydelays the pain. } 20. Bxf7+ { i know this is not forcing he can just goto f8 but then ill castle king siade with tempo setting up a second discoverdcheck attack. } 20... Qxf7 { he decides to take. } 21. Qxc5 { so shall i. } 21... Qe7 { thisis just a mistake pure and simple. } 22. Qe5 { pinning the queen and forcinga trade. } 22... g5 { instead he opens the lines for a mating attack. thx. } 23. O-O { its all over i only see moving his queen as the saving move but hecannot move it unless he trades so he should trade, but even after thetrade my game is much better as my rooks can do the damage in a few moves. } 23... Ra7 { he decides to push the bishop around } 24. Qh8+ Qf8 25. Qxf8# { andmate. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from intrepidpixie"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.26"] [Round "-"] [White "dpwarren"] [Black "intrepidpixie"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1444"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1491"] 1. e4 h5 { interesting black opening } 2. Nf3 b6 3. Bc4 e6 4. d4 { white takesthe center } 4... Bb7 5. e5 Qe7 6. a3 Nc6 7. Be3 O-O-O 8. Nc3 f6 9. O-O Nh6 10. h3 Nf5 11. Bd3 d6 12. Qd2 { paen trade opens the door to bishop attack } 12... dxe5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 { trade knights to move the protective pawn } 14. Nxe5 fxe5 15. Bg5 { black has to trade rook for bishop } 15... Qf7 16. Bxd8 Kxd8 { takingbishop creates vulnerabillity with movement of bishop--check and a freepiece } 17. Bxf5+ Ke8 18. Be4 c6 { black declines trade but opens the doorto more aggression } 19. Rad1 Be7 { bishop protects d8 but not d7 } 20. Qd7+ Kf8 { black bishop lost } 21. Qxb7 Qe8 { defensive move with queen opens adoor for bishop } 22. Bxc6 Qg6 { moving queen loses rook } 23. Qc8+ Kf7 24. Qxh8 { at this point black has little left } 24... Kf6 25. Ne4+ { pressure on king } 25... Kf5 { followed by another attack on the queen } 26. Be8 { best black can dois offer queen trade, and at this point, black can't afford trades } 26... Qh6 27. Ng3+ { rescue knight with a check before queen trade } 27... Kg5 28. Qxh6+ gxh6 { white now broadens attack } 29. Rfe1 Bf6 { pawn at h5 vulnerable, thenblack bishop } 30. Nxh5 Kf5 { another trade } 31. Nxf6 Kxf6 32. Re3 Kf5 { rooksnow aline to go after king } 33. Rde1 Kf4 34. Re4+ Kf5 35. Rxe5+ { not muchleft for black's fight } 35... Kf4 36. R1e4# 1-0

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "supadestroya"] [Black "thatbennyguy"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { Hey everyone, this is my 3rd annotated game in total and my 1st annotatedgame where I in fact lost! But I would like to show you the game anywaybecause it's very interesting. To me at least. One of the more excitinggames that I've played. It was a blitz game between me and supadestroya,a good opponent indeed. Thanks for taking an interest in this game, bythe way. Much appreciated. We begin. } 1. e4 c6 { I've decided I want toplay the Caro-Kann defence because I see the masters play it and I likethe sort of game it leads up to... lots of maneouvring and such. I'm afraidit's one of those ones where you have to get the timing just right forthings to work though. A lot of the openings are like that nowadays. Anotheropening I like for Black, retorting 1. e4 is 1. ... d6, the Pirc defense,often followed by 2. ... Nf6 3. ... g6 4. ... Bg7 5. ... 0-0. I like itbecause up to that point it's hard to make a mistake. But from then onthings get more complex. That's why I'm sticking to Caro-Kann. } 2. d4 { Believeit or not, some people actually play 2. c4 here instead. And it's actuallya very formidable opening, in my opinion. Leads to 2. ... d5 3. exd5 cxd54. cxd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nxd5 6. Nf3 and White has a very good game. 2. c4 iscalled the anti-Caro-Kann defence and 2. ... d5 is called the anti-anti-Caro-Kanndefence, believe it or not! If you don't, google it! Go ahead! Pretty ridiculousreally. But I can see where they're coming from. Instead, a better responseto 3. exd5 is 3. ... Nf6 4. d4 cxd5 5. Nc3 g6 and Black has got a moreplayable game. } 2... d5 3. e5 { The advance variation. I do not like this forBlack. I don't know why, I just don't like the sort of game it brings about.I like more 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7, leading to a more interesting game,in my own opinion. 3. f3 is interesting as well, to say the least. Leadsto 3. ... e6 4. Be3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 and White has a lot of space. Also Black'sc8 Bishop is hemmed in. 3. f3 is the Tarkatower fantasy variation. } 3... Bf5 { I quite like the look of 3. ... c5 here. Leads to 4. dxc5 Nc6 5. Bb5 e66. Be3 Nge7 7. c3 Bd7. Mind you, 6. Qg4 is deadly. Leads to 6. ... h5 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8. Qa4 and black is in trouuuuuble. So maybe 3. ... c5 isn'tthat great after all. Depends how smart White is. :) } 4. c3 { (!?) Thismove surprised me a bit. Is this a normal variation? Because I haven'tencountered it before. I guess it transposes later on, but I usually expectsomething like 4. Bd3. But I reckon the best thing to do if you don't knowthe opening is to do what you'd usually do in the regular opening. If whathe does doesn't hamper that, of course. } 4... e6 5. Bd3 { (?!) Better is Be3or Be2. 5. Bd3 gets rid of White's crucial white squared bishop, whichis waay better than my own. } 5... Bxd3 { I'm happy to trade this off. } 6. Qxd3 Nd7 { Maybe 6. ... Qb6 was better. That would immobilise White's bishopfor a little while, and point at d4. Maybe even 6. ... c5. Very aggressive.7. Nf3 Nc6 8. 0-0 Qb6 9. a3! cxd4 10. cxd4 Nge7 and White has the advantageagain. So maybe not. 9. a3! stops the knight from moving to b4, and gainingtempo from threatening the Queen. I thought that was a genius move, too,by the way. } 7. Qg3 { (?!) } 7... c5 8. Ne2 { (!?) This is better than Nf3, inmy opinion. White anticipates that I'm going to castle kingside, so he/shecan push his f-pawn on the attack anytime he/she likes. } 8... Ne7 9. Bg5 Qb6 10. b3 h6 { (!?) I sacrifice my pawn, albeit unwittingly, for a major mobilityboost. } 11. Bxe7 Bxe7 12. Qxg7 { A specific type of the Poisoned Pawn variation?Not so sure. } 12... O-O-O { (!?) I again sacrifice a pawn to make for better ofmy rooks onto the h and g-files. However, my kingside is very loose, andat risk. } 13. Qxf7 { (?!) Not very sure if gaining an extra pawn is bestin this situation, but I guess it's all he's got. } 13... Bg5 14. O-O { (?) Castlingright into where my rooks will aim. } 14... Rdf8 15. Qg6 { (?!) Better is 15. Qh5,I'd think. } 15... Rhg8 { I gain tempo by threatening the Queen, and putting myrook on the semi-open g-file. } 16. Qd3 Qd8 { I prepare to bring my Queenonto the Kingside. } 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Qb5 Ne4 { All my pieces are developingonto the Kingside. We know how this is going to end, right? ... or do we? } 19. Nd4 { (!?) Developing towards my king, but sacrificing the key squaref4 in the process. } 19... Bf4 { (!??????????) I'm really not sure if this is theright move. My brain fails me. But I sacrifice material for a possiblemate... somewhere along the line. } 20. Nxe6 Qh4 { Threatening Qxh2#. } 21. g3 Bxg3 { (!?) Again I sacrifice material for the win. But do I have a choice? } 22. fxg3 Rxg3+ { (?!) Yet more material. I'm starting to wonder whetherthis will pay off or not. } 23. hxg3 Qxg3+ 24. Kh1 Rxf1+ { (??) Misses acrucial mate with 24. ... Qh3+ Kg1 25. Rg8+. From here things spiral downhill. } 25. Qxf1 Nf2+ 26. Qxf2 Qxf2 27. Na3 { (?!) } 27... Qb2 { Forking the Na3 and Ra1. } 28. Rd1 Qxa3 29. Rxd5 Qe7 { (??) 29. ... Qc1+ is better. 29. .... Qe7 leadsto an exchange with me having the worse pawn structure. With 29. ... Qc1+,I can check until I fork one of those pieces above. It should happen, eitherthat or a draw. But that's better than the loss I suffered. } 30. Rd8+ Qxd8 31. Nxd8 Kxd8 32. Kh2 Ke7 33. Kh3 { Holding onto the e-pawn would only leadme to push the h-pawn. } 33... Ke6 34. Kh4 Kxe5 35. Kh5 Ke4 { (?) Here I shouldhave played 35. ... b5. Even earlier might be better, but I wanted to besure I had the e-pawn under my belt. 35. ... b5 prevents a4 or c4 pawnmoves, because I'll just trade it in and gobble up the isolated pawn. } 36. Kxh6 Kd3 { (?) Again, 36. ... b5 is better. } 37. c4 Kc2 38. Kg6 b6 { Onlynow do I catch on. } 39. Kf6 Kb2 40. Ke6 Kxa2 41. b4 Kb3 { (??) I blunder.41. ... a5 is better. After 42. c5 axb4 and at least we'll both queen onthe same move. Almost certainly a draw. } 42. c5 Kxb4 { (??) Another blunder.Better was 42. ... bxc5 43. bxc5 a5 44. c6 a4 45. c7 a3 46. c8Q a2 andit's a classic endgame where he can't take my pawn away from me, becauseI just hide behind it. Do your own research on this one. } 43. c6 { Blackresigns. Not sure if I should have. Can I still win here? I think I might.Ah well, it was a blitz game. But thanks for watching, I lost, but I hada missed mate there, so if it wasn't a blitz game, I might have won. Anyway,thanks for watching and take care. Cheers. -thatbennyguy } 1-0

[Event "Another interseting otb game, comments plz"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "22:00"] [Round "-"] [White "Anon"] [Black "daveyr18"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "90 mins"] { Welcome to a very interesting game, where greed turns out to be the architectof destruction, how many times have we seen that? So without further ado... } 1. d4 { Qp opening, an opening which i am now starting to get accustomedto, as it seems to be in vogue right now... } 1... c5 { So, i decide to play activelyand aggressively...d4 could be played along with several others, i thinkthis is a good test of whites opening move, as, if accepted i stand todominate the center of the board, which is where i prefer to be, at thetop of the hill firing down! } 2. dxc5 { He accepts.... } 2... Nc6 { This i findis a active enough follow up, blockading the pawn and developing at thesame time, d6 or b6 can be played soon enough.. } 3. c3 { In prep for b4.. } 3... e5 { I decided to open my KB up and let him breath a little.. } 4. b4 { Sofar pretty much by the book.... } 4... b6 { Not sure if this may have been a littletoo early...? } 5. e3 bxc5 { Otherwise why play b6? } 6. bxc5 Bxc5 7. g3 Nf6 8. Bg2 e4 { I decided to deaden the g2 bishops scope, and hinder whitesdevelopment, although it is no real biggie, just had great nuisance valuei felt.... } 9. Ne2 O-O 10. O-O { Now with our kings safely tucked away,battle can commence! } 10... d5 { Creating space to move around in, and also tighteningmy vice like grip on the center of the board and of course strengtheninge4.. } 11. a4 { Always a move not to be faulted in this type of game.. } 11... Re8 { I wanted to get my rook onto a decent file so that if i needed to callon him i could easily get him into the battle field. } 12. Ba3 { Also itavoids this pin.... } 12... Qb6 { getting my queen into play on a potentially dangerousdiagonal... } 13. Bxc5 Qxc5 14. Nf4 Ba6 { Now my rooks are linked up andat full strength.. } 15. Re1 Rad8 { Backing up my 2 important and strongpawns.... } 16. Qc2 Ne5 { This move in retrospect i think was a mistake,better was maybe Nb3... } 17. Nd2 Nfg4 { trying to close in on the king,i still wish I'd have played Nb3 though, although i think I'm definitelyin a better position, spatially and tactically... } 18. Nb3 { This wherei star t2 get unstuck a little } 18... Qd6 { protecting against Nc5 which was mymain concern, didn't fancy having to run my bish around avoiding pot shots... } 19. Nd4 { A nice spot for the knight } 19... Qf6 20. Qd1 Nxf2 { I felt this sacwas ok, not to sure of it's soundness in hindsight, but i knew it wouldcause potential chaos and we would both have to play accurately to convertour own wins, and sacking is so much fun! Especially when they turn outto be good.. } 21. Kxf2 g5 { Immediately regaining my piece at the cost ofa pawn and opening up my king to potential attacks down the g file, althoughi felt i could weather any immediate storm so i felt i had time to keepmy momentum going... } 22. Kg1 gxf4 23. exf4 Qb6 { This was a mistake, Nd3or Ng4 were probably both better.. } 24. fxe5 Rc8 { Hoping to smash throughvia the c-file.. } 25. Re3 Rxe5 { getting a pawn 4 the piece, and gettingmy rook into the open with more options regarding attacking options.. } 26. Qg4+ Kh8 { Nicely side stepped, my C8 rook is also safe... } 27. Qf4 { This could get nasty, I'm starting to lose the initiative and I need 2think fast.... } 27... f6 28. h4 Rxc3 { This was a gamble, which luckily paid off... } 29. Rxc3 Qxd4+ 30. Re3 { Qe4 was better, stops me dead really...but... } 30... Qxa1+ { At last i have my piece back and the initiative, this game has beena close run thing so far, each riposte met and equalled } 31. Kh2 Re8 { Ifelt this was a prudent move, didn't fancy leaving my King without anyprotection at all...notice f6 is still safe for this move... } 32. Qc7 Qxa4 { Picking off the stragglers.. } 33. Qf7 Qc6 34. h5 Rg8 35. Qxa7 h6 { Stopping36.h6 was a must i felt.. } 36. Qf7 { Back she comes.. } 36... Bc8 { maybe Bc4 wasa good alternative here... } 37. Ra3 Be6 { But this was my reasoning behindBc8... } 38. Qxf6+ { Not missed, just felt ok about it, although i was atad concerned don't get me wrong, i just thought i could weather enoughto get my attack going again.. } 38... Rg7 39. Qxh6+ Rh7 40. Qf6+ Rg7 41. Ra7 { This is getting worrying now, i need to be real careful... } 41... Bd7 { Blockingoff the rooks line of fire... } 42. Qf8+ Rg8 43. Qe7 Rg7 { I felt i had tokeep the threats going or my opponent would have enough time to mount adeadly blow.. } 44. Qe5 { Pinning me again.. } 44... Qe6 { I decide to bite the bulletand offer the queen exchange, with my central pawns i felt i had a goodchance of converting the win, but by no means was it a forgone conclusion... } 45. Qd4 { But he doesn't accept the offer.... } 45... e3 { I decide to push thatpawn, 'passed pawns are meant to be pushed.' (Capablanca) } 46. Bxd5 { Thisgreedy move signs the death warrant, and i execute it in earnest haste.... } 46... Qh3+ 47. Kg1 { Forced... } 47... Qxg3+ 48. Kf1 { Kh1 Qh3+, doomed either way.. } 48... Qf2# { And there we have it, off with his head! A good game i felt, it hadit all, mistakes, sacs and accuracy at times. Thanks for reading, pleasepost comments. Cheers Rich. } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from wstriggles"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Jan-07"] [Round "-"] [White "wstriggles"] [Black "aannett"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1466"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1466"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. d5 d6 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. e4 Bg4 { White hasmore space here but black has further development 4 vs 2. } 7. Be2 c6 { hittingback at the center. if white takes, black gains another developing move. } 8. O-O cxd5 9. cxd5 Nbd7 { eyeing the e5 or c5 squares as an advanced pointfor the knight. The knight 'hops on short legs'! the further they advanceinto enemy territory, the stronger they get!! also preparing Rc8 movingthe rook to the open file. } 10. h3 { ? I think this is the key move here.black wants to trade in order to gain the e5 square. also black gains atempo if he captures on f3 due to the bad bishop position. perhaps Nd4to prevent the trade. or even another idea of Be3 to develop and preventRc8. } 10... Bxf3 11. Bxf3 { white has the two bishops, however the center is closed.if the knights can gain an advanced support point, they can be far superiorto the bishops. } 11... Rc8 12. Be2 { desperate to activate the bishop. perhapsBg4 is better, trading the bad bishop for a knight. } 12... Nc5 { advancing withtempo } 13. Qc2 a6 { very logical, this restricts both the light square bishopand the knight. } 14. Bg5 { The bishop develops! } 14... b5 15. b3 { Black threatsare just too many here. } 15... Ncxe4 16. Bd2 Nxd2 { removing the defender of theknight. } 17. Qxd2 Rxc3 18. Qxc3 Nxd5 19. Qc6 Bxa1 20. Rxa1 Nb6 21. Rd1 Qb8 22. Rd4 Rc8 23. Qf3 Rc5 24. Rf4 Qe8 25. Qb7 Nd5 26. Rf3 Nc7 27. b4 Rc1+ 28. Kh2 f5 29. a4 e5 30. axb5 axb5 31. Ra3 e4 32. Re3 Qe5+ 33. g3 d5 34. Bxb5 d4 35. Qb8+ Kg7 36. Re2 Qxb5 37. Qxb5 Nxb5 38. Ra2 d3 39. Rd2 Rc2 40. Rd1 Nc3 41. Ra1 d2 42. b5 d1=Q 43. Rxd1 Nxd1 44. b6 Rb2 45. Kg2 e3 0-1

[Event "Caught offside"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "22-Apr-08"] [Round "-"] [White "chrisobee"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1614"] [TimeControl "7d+3d, 10d max"] [WhiteElo "2304"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 { 3. ........... a6 - the most popular wayof meeting the Ruy Lopez. } 4. Ba4 { 4. ........... Ba4 - unlike Paolo in'An Expert Lesson in K & P Endings' my opponent does not opt for the ExchangeVariation. He decides to retreat his bishop to a4. This is thought tobe stronger than the Exchange Variation as Lighttotheright explained inmy Paolo game. } 4... Nf6 { 4. ......... Nf6 - develops a piece and hits at e4. } 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 { 7. ............ d6 (a solid move - supportse5 and opens the diagonal of the lsb). } 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Bb7 { 9. .........Bb7 - both sides continue to develop. } 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a4 h6 { 12. ........ h6 - stops an enemy knight or bishop going to g5. } 13. Bc2 exd4 14. cxd4 Nb4 15. Bb1 c5 { 15 .......... c5 - black tries to expandon the queenside. } 16. d5 Nd7 17. Nf1 Nb6 { 17. ........... Nb6 - all bookmoves up to here. } 18. axb5 axb5 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 20. Bd2 Qa5 { 20 .........Qa5?! - looks the best option in the database as a 1700 player drew againsta 2000 player with the blacks after playing this move. The other optionNa6 loses according to the database. In fact, in hindsight, Na6 seemsa better option. My queen could have been transported back to the kingsideto have faced the oncoming mating attack - instead I would have neededto teleport her - not possible in chess. So this will make my later f5push which may have made sense with Na6 but not in conjunction with thismove an absolute, utter disaster. } 21. b3 f5 { 21 ............ f5?? - thelosing blunder here. My plan was to break up white's kingside pawns, leavingme with an overwhelming pawn majority on the queenside. The e pawn wouldhave been diverted from protecting d5, enabling my bishop to take the whitepawn on d5 and threaten the pawn on b3. But 22. Nh4!!! prevents this planfrom getting off the ground. } 22. Nh4 fxe4 23. Bxe4 Re7 { 23. ...... Re7(defends g7 and threatens Bxd4 - I do take on d4 eventually but it willbe much to my detriment!) } 24. Ng6 Rf7 25. Nxf8 Rxf8 26. Qg4 N6xd5 27. Qe6+ { 27. Qe6 ......... The killer - I cannot avoid losing a piece fora pawn and on analysis after seeing the resulting position I decided notto continue the game, especially as my opponent is a 2300 strong MASTER!! } 1-0

[Event "The Annotation Project II - A Tale of Two Errors"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.14"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "untateve"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1741"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1821"] 1. f4 { Another game in freddy's second Annotation Project--In this one,I'm playing my friend Joanne. While I'm sure others will find other errorsmade in this game, I believe that this game revolves around Two Errors--thefirst by Joanne and the second by me. The action begins at move 9. } 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 Bg7 { This has become the standard move in this tourney. } 10. Ne6 Qg8 11. O-O { Joanne, adhering to sound principles, quickly castlesand gets her King to safety. } 11... b6 { Based on my other experiences in thistourney, I also begin the process of moving my King to safety. } 12. Na3 { From reading another of Joanne's annotations, I think she moves 12. Na3rather than 12. Nc3 to avoid 12...Bxc3, hurting her pawn structure in theexchange. Indeed, I have played Bxc3 in another game in this tourney. In this game, that Knight never moves again. } 12... Kb7 { Continuing to movemy King to safety. } 13. Re1 { White begins to work toward equalizing thematerial deficit. } 13... h5 { 13...h5 was done to force the Bishop back to g3and keep it off of the h1-a8 diagonal where Black's King currently resides. } 14. Bh3 Nd7 { 14...Nd7--Black is eying either Nc5 or Nf8 to drive away White'sKnight. } 15. Nxg7 { Herein lies the beginning of White's error. White exchangesN for B. However, White takes a very active piece and in the exchange,gives Black a little breathing room. } 15... Qxg7 16. Bxd7 { This completes White'serror. Joanne believes the Knight was en prise and that she has evenedthe material deficit. } 16... Qd4+ { The error becomes apparent as White willnow lose the Bishop. } 17. Kh1 Qxd7 { To be honest, at this point in thegame I believed that if I played carefully, Black wins. Black's Queenis in a good position and Black's King is tucked away. White has losther two most active pieces, she is behind in development, and behind inmaterial. } 18. Rxe4 Qg4 19. h3 Qd1+ { My thought in moving Qd1+ was toslow White's development while I brought my pieces into play. } 20. Kh2 Rhf8 { Look--it's working. } 21. d3 g5 { 21...g5. I wanted to get the f-fileclear to bring more of pieces to bear. } 22. Rb1 g4 { Here I was thinkingI'd keep White's Bishop from fully developing. Perhaps I became over-focusedon slowing down White's development at the cost of my own? } 23. Re3 { 22.Re3 seems an error to me as it allowed my rook to get much more involved. } 23... Rxf4 24. Rxe7 { We are one move from Black's error. } 24... gxh3 { I know thisseems a blunder but, as hard as this is to admit, I knew that my Rook wasgoing to be taken. I still don't know what my plan was by 24...gxh3. This was not a rushed move--simply an error in thinking. Much, much betterwould have been Rf1. I worked out a few lines and they all led to a Blackwin after 24...Rf1. } 25. Bxf4 Qg4 { I know that Joanne is far too stronga player to walk into mate via Qxg2. It was about here that I felt thebest outcome for Black was going to be a draw. } 26. g3 Rf8 27. Rg1 Rxf4 { Another Rook sac. This time, it's to escape with a draw. } 28. gxf4 Qxf4+ 29. Kh1 Qf3+ 30. Kh2 Qf2+ 31. Kh1 { I could not move 31...h2 as thatallowed the Rook on g1 to escape. } 31... Qf3+ { Here I offered the draw and Joanneaccepted. My thanks to Joanne as I always have enjoyable and interestinggames when I play her. So there you have it. A Tale of Two Errors. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Challenge from zorglub39"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.14"] [Round "-"] [White "oduesp"] [Black "zorglub39"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1631"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 5. Qxd4 d6 6. Bc4 Be6 7. O-O h6 { I thought this move was from the theory, but it appears not, we are still in a variant of the Ecossais. } 8. Nc3 c5 9. Qd3 Nf6 10. Re1 { I think this move is not great. In the development phase, it would have been better to move the knight to e1...The fact that it remains there for the rest of the game pleases me. } 10... Nd7 { This is not good, as you are wasting a precious time in this phase by repeating the same piece. It would have been preferable to play Queen's Pawn E7 to rook afterwards, or Queen to make the great rook. } 11. Bxe6 { J'élude la menace potentielle du cavalier e5 en 2 temps.... 1 la prise du fou.... } 11... fxe6 12. f4 { ....2 f4 pour protéger la case e5 } 12... Qb6 { I think something like a Cavalier to b6, followed by pushing the pawn d5 would have been a better plan...But anyway, not simple due to the delay. } 13. Qc4 O-O-O { The knight's move gives me a pawn, which causes a weakness on the white square (no more knight on white squares), as well as a delay in development. } 14. Qxe6 Kb8 { Le retard de devlpt estmaintenant clair : Ma dame bloque la suite....(sortie du fou) } 15. Nd5 Qa5 16. c3 h5 { A mon avis, un temps de perdu. } 17. b4 cxb4 18. cxb4 Qb5 19. a4 Qd3 20. Ra3 Rh6 { Répondre à une menace par une menace est à peserméticuleusement..... } 21. Qxh6 { 'Chiche' :)))))) } 21... Qxa3 22. Qg5 { Et paf,la menace de mat me permet de dégager la Dame -> Soit tu perds une Dame,soit tu es mat.. } 22... Qc3 23. Nxc3 1-0

[Event "League division D2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Dec-07"] [Round "-"] [White "lovechiefs"] [Black "mjpruzin"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1221"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 g6 5. c5 b6 6. b4 b5 7. Nf3 Bf5 8. Bd3 Na6 9. a3 Bg7 { And already the position is complex. Both sides need toplay careful } 10. O-O Ne4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 { I didn't see the fork } 12. Bxe4 Bxe4 { Black is a piece up } 13. Nd2 Bd3 14. Re1 Qd5 15. Nf3 Be4 16. Qe2 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Qxf3 18. gxf3 O-O 19. f4 Nb8 { The queenside being blocked,black switches to the kingside } 20. Rd1 e6 21. e4 Nd7 22. e5 a5 23. Bd2 a4 24. Kg2 f6 25. Bc3 g5 26. Kf3 gxf4 27. Rg1 Kf7 28. Kxf4 Bh6+ 29. Kf3 Bg5 30. Rg3 h5 31. Rag1 Bh6 32. Bb2 fxe5 33. Ke4 Nf6+ 34. Kxe5 { Black ishaving a field day with my pawns and weak position } 34... Rg8 35. Rxg8 Nxg8 36. Rxg8 Rxg8 37. Kd6 Bf4+ 38. Kxc6 Bxh2 39. Kxb5 h4 40. c6 Rc8 41. Kb6 h3 42. b5 Bd6 { I have no way on stopping the h pawn } 0-1

[Event "Jo's Welcome MT Part 3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.28"] [Round "-"] [White "blitzkov"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1771"] [TimeControl "5d+5d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1873"] 1. e4 { Return match against blitzkov. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't afine demostration form my side. } 1... d5 2. exd5 Nf6 { I am deflectinf from'My' Scandinavian with this move. } 3. d4 { Best response by white by test. } 3... e6 { Trying to develop through the Icelandic gambit. } 4. dxe6 Bxe6 { Twopieces out for a central pawn... hardly a bargain, but let's see. } 5. Nf3 Nbd7 { This was made to leave the 'c' pawn free to advance. } 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 { I considered that in order to take some advantage of my superiordevelopement it was a nice idea to... spend a pawn's move in order to 'squeeze'white's position a little. } 7... c4 8. Bc2 { It would be difficult for whiteto create a battery of Q and B against h7. Now I considered b5, in orderto further block white's pieces developement, but then white would havehad some countergame with a4. Better to concentrate in keeping ahead indevelopement. } 8... Bd6 { I don't want the white's dsb to set on f4. } 9. O-O Qc7 { My battery is armed. It's not a very whorty one, but with the bishopand the kinght, conditions for attack are given. } 10. Re1 { Now white isthreatening d5, because the bishop is pinned. Time to castle... on whatside, dear reader? } 10... O-O { This was the wrong one. I feared a counter attackby white with b3, opening the queenside, thus moving the game on the sideof the castled king. But I shouldn't. You'll see why. } 11. Nbd2 h6 { Thenormal attack was Ng4, hitting h2... but after h3, it goes nowhere. Instead,if I would have castled queenside, after h3 I can confidently play thesac h5!, and if hxN, hxg would have recovered the piece and played a riskybut strong attack. Now, I realize that the only way to disrupt white'sfortress is to throw in some pawns... uncovering my king. But no way: Icannot play without looking for an attack. And this move covers g5, whichis good anyway. } 12. Ne4 { Obvious, since white has to untangle his pieces.I don't want my dsb to be exchanged, so... } 12... Nxe4 13. Bxe4 { ...but remember:avoid to exchange piece when you have superior developement, or you'lleasily lose it. This way, white owns a very nice diagonal, and supportsthe lethal d5. I had to act quickly, or the game will return to be even.So I dared, pretty irresponsibly... } 13... f5 { If d5, fxB, dxB, exNf3, exNd7,Bxh2+, and black has a winning attack. But I overlooked the simple 14.Bxb2!, QxB, RxBe6 (who has became undefended when the f pawn was moved!).Instead, the more normal and calm Nf6 leads to 14. d5, Bd7. White has blockedhis good white diagonal, and he has to retire or exchange his lsb. It wasnot a bad result for me. So I played with enthusiasm more than calculation,and this is a very common mistake at chess. } 14. Bc2 { White chooses toretire. Probably he is happy having my own f pawn blocking my lsb's action.And, of course, I have to take care of my lsb, but this is not a problem: } 14... Bd5 { Now it's me who is mastering the good white diagonal. I threat inmediatelyBxN, and then Bxh2+. Not a big deal, but still something white has to carefor. } 15. h3 { Ha ha, this was the very elegant way white defended: justmoving the attacked pawn. Very, very smart. I can lose the bishop's pair,give my check and... nothing. I have to be tricky. } 15... g5 { I choosed thewrong way, but as I said: all my game was based on a quick attack, so Iwent for it. My own pieces, although well placed, are impotent withouta pawn's break. And I have to count on a tempo loss to place the rook behindit, as it should... and, finally, for beginners: this move opens the wayfor the white Queen to h5. And the white knight can go to e5, because ifI exchange it, I cannot retake the white pawn in e5 because I have to spenda tempo defending the bishop. } 16. Ne5 { I suspect that white realized allthat, too :-D } 16... Rf6 { Trying to surprise my opponent, depriving him of aplace in g6, and defending h6 after the queens goes to h5. } 17. f4 { Whiteuses his advantage and returns me with the same coin. Now I'm not sureit is convenient for me to open the files, since my rook cannot move tothe right place (g7) and I cannot exchange. I realized by now how differentwould have been my position having castled queenside - true is that probablywhite's moves would have been others. } 17... Bf7 { It's useless to try to keepthe advantage of a bishop's pair. At least, I can have white exchangingthe strong knight.... } 18. Nxf7 { Which he did, of course, since it didn'tavoid him to have a strong column all wide open, and, of course, Qh5. } 18... Rxf7 { Here, it is very depressing to try to decide if it is better to takewith the rook or the king. It's just choosing the best way to lose. } 19. fxg5 { I don't know what is more sadistic on white's part: to delay thedeadly Qh5, or just wait to see me trembling. :-D } 19... Bg3 { I thought thatI had to make some room for my pieces. The check was futile, and Bf4 couldn'tavoid g6 or gxh. } 20. Re6 { Even more sadistic :-D Beginners, learn howto attack... in a sadistic way. I hoped for Re3?, f4, but of course suchthings happen only in dreams. } 20... Nf8 { Ah ha! My knight can move, and hedoes a wonderful job defending, even if never for an attack. } 21. Rxh6 { I feared g6, NxR, gxR+, Kxg7, Qh5, a sure mate net, with those nasty bishopaiming to my kingside. But my problems are still to come, of course. } 21... Re8 { So I sat the only threat I could, just for bringing my rook into thegame to help, trying to exchange as much as possible. } 22. Bd2 { Of coursenot Qh5, Re1#. Now, the tricks are over, sadly. } 22... Re6 { The only way Isaw to avoid the worst. } 23. Qh5 { Finally. I know I can't survive this. } 23... Rxh6 { Limiting white's firepower, but hopelessly. } 24. gxh6 Bf4 { Thebishop is no longer useful on g3, so better to exchange it. I know thatthe f pawn is a goner, but I couldn't allow the white's lsb to look undisturbedto h7. } 25. Bxf4 Qxf4 { I even have a shadow of a check in e3! Oh! :-).To be truthful, I was looking for Rh7, and after the exchanges take theh6 pawn. But this leaves me against two joined pawns for an endgame, soeven if I survive the storm, I'm doomed. } 26. Rf1 Qe3+ 27. Kh1 Rh7 { Whatelse? :-( } 28. Qxf5 { Better than Bxf5. And now, everything could hold butfor a 'residual advantage', as you'll see. My Nf8 is threatened, so I can'ttake Rxh6. The knight cannot move or Qxh7. So... } 28... Qxh6 { Is was a mistake,but it was hard to see compensation in Qe7. It was in the fact that whitehas, as a minimum Qd5+, and if black covers the check with the rook, toavoid a subsequent BxRh7+, now, in h6, the queen doesn't help to the defenceof f7, as it does in e7. so QxR becomes possible for white. So this wasa mistake. } 29. Qxf8+ { White found the right way to had the most of thesituation. In any case, BxR will win the piece and the game. } 29... Qxf8 30. Rxf8+ { The 'residual tactic' is now that the king is forced to let undefendedhis rook. } 30... Kxf8 31. Bxh7 { So no point in going on. I have no chance evento be stalled against a strong player like blitzkov. Thank you for thelesson! } 1-0

[Event "Blitz game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "tngm2000"] [Black "???"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "3 minutes"] 1. d4 c5 { I hadn't faced this before and ended up making it up as I wentalong. } 2. dxc5 Qa5+ 3. Nc3 e6 4. e3 { I'm not sure any of this stands upto much theoretical scrutiny! } 4... Bxc5 5. Bd2 Bb4 6. Nge2 Nc6 7. a3 Be7 8. b4 Qc7 { I suspect Black is too passive with his last two moves. I'd preferto see the queen swing over to the kingside here. } 9. Ng3 { My plan - asfar as I could be said to have one - was to redevelop the dark-square bishopto the long diagonal, and to find a way of advancing the c-pawn in orderto stake a claim for d5. } 9... h6 10. Bd3 { White's control of the long diagonalsis thematic in this game. } 10... Bf6 11. Rb1 { I think I had the idea of movingmy QN to e4 at this stage. } 11... Nge7 12. Nb5 Qb8 { Black really needed to guardagainst the knight incursion at b5. His queen is virtually irrelevantnow. } 13. c4 a6 14. Nc3 b5 15. c5 { I like this move, creating dark-squareweaknesses and ensuring the queen remains shut out. } 15... Ng6 16. Nce4 Be5 17. f4 Bc7 { Black's bishop and queen are completely shut out. } 18. Bc3 O-O { At this stage we were both short of time and I started looking for sacsto end it. } 19. Nf6+ { Not sound, as it turns out, but it did the job. } 19... gxf6 20. Bxf6 Nxf4 { Black tries to create a few threats of his own by returningthe material and opening the diagonal, but he misses his only chance tonullify the dark square threat. Bd8 does the job, I think. } 21. Qg4+ { Blackis doomed. } 21... Ng6 22. Bxg6 Bxg3+ { Desperation - mate is not far away. } 23. hxg3 Ne5 24. Bh7+ { Another minor-piece sacrifice finishes the job. } 24... Kxh7 25. Qg7# 1-0