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[Event "Clash of titans"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Mikhail Tal"] [Black "Tigran Petrosian"] [Result "0-1"] { This is a clash between former World champions with starkly opposite stylesof play. Many authorities consider Mikhail Tal to have been the greatestattacking Grandmaster of all time. Tigran Petrosian is most famous forbeing one of the best players pioneering the theory of prophylaxis, yearsafter Aron Nimzowitsch. His style of play was often highly strategical,notable for anticipating opponent's possible attacks and he based manyof his games on avoidance of error, content with accumulating small advantages.His games are now widely used for instruction in chess schools around theworld. He was nicknamed 'Iron Tigran' and is considered the most difficultplayer to defeat in Chess history. This game was played in 1960 when MikhailTal became world champion and so we may consider that Tal was in peak form. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { The Najdorf variationof the Sicilian a favorite of many World champions including Bobby Fischer,Garry Kasparov & Vishwanathan Anand. } 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Qf3 Qc7 9. O-O-O Nbd7 10. Be2 O-O { Petrosian brings his King to safety and almostcompletes development. } 11. Qg3 Re8 12. Bf3 Nb6 { Petrosian was very skillfulin using knights. Here he protects the d5 square which is under pressurefrom White's e-pawn and bishop. The knight can also go to c4 which is astrategic aim in the Sicilian. There is a subtle reason which we shallsee in a few moves. The knight uncovers the bishop at c8 which is readyto develop, a typical Petrosian's method of simple development. } 13. Rhe1 e5 { This was the way Sicilian was played in those days, also called Boleslavesky'sidea. The pawn at e5 occupies the centre supported by the d6 pawn thusstopping any central breakthrough and also attacks the White knight ond4. This move creates a hole on d5 which shall be exploited by White butBoleslavesky showed that this weakness can be managed. } 14. fxe5 dxe5 15. Nf5 Bxf5 { Petrosian exchanges his bishop for knight. Black's knightmove to b6 allowed these central exchanges and the hole at d6 is no longerexisting. } 16. exf5 Nbd7 { Why does the knight go back? It permits the b7to b5 pawn push. Simple strategy. } 17. Bd5 { Tal places his bishop on theattacking diagonal. We may see some fireworks soon. } 17... Rac8 18. Bb3 Nh5 19. Qh4 Bxg5+ { Do we see Petrosian's plan? The best way to stop an attack isto exchange pieces. Simple principle. } 20. Qxg5 Nhf6 21. Re3 { Tal wantsto switch the rook to the g-file or h-file and continue the attack. } 21... h6 { A simple anti-dote to the impending attack. The White queen has to retreatand there are only a couple of squares for retreat. } 22. Qg3 Nc5 { The knightmoves again and Petrosian now intends to exchange the attacking bishopon b3. } 23. Rde1 b5 { Petrosian starts his attack after making sure thatWhite's attack on the king side is no longer dangerous. } 24. Kb1 Nxb3 25. axb3 b4 26. Ne4 Nxe4 { Petrosian is steadily exchanging pieces and Tal isjust watching. } 27. Rxe4 Qxc2+ { The first aggressive move by Petrosianand by now White has no attacking chances. } 28. Ka1 Rc5 { The Black Rookthreatens to move to a5. } 29. Rxb4 { Tal has also skillfully thwarted Petrosian'sattack. What next? } 29... Qxf5 { Petrosian is happy to gobble up the f5 pawn andestablish a central pawn majority with a passed pawn on the e-file. Hisstrategy of exchanging attacking pieces and accumulating small advantageshas paid off. Tal has had enough of this prophylactic treatment and doesnot want to play the endgame. So Tal resigns. We may remember this lessonfrom Petrosian when we are faced with an attack. } 0-1
[Event "French Defence"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.27"] [Round "-"] [White "supersympa"] [Black "liubei13"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1499"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1487"] 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 { The French Defence } 3. exd5 exd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Bd3 h6 7. Bh4 Nc6 8. Ne5 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Nd7 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. O-O Nxe5 12. Re1 O-O 13. f4 { I lost my Knight here. } 13... f6 { I moved here becausewhen he took my Knight, I would take back with my pawn allowing my Rookto have control over the f rank. } 14. fxe5 fxe5 15. Nd2 Qc5+ 16. Kh1 Bd7 17. Nb3 Qc6 18. c3 Rae8 { Getting my Rooks into play. } 19. Qd2 e4 20. Nd4 Qg6 21. Bc2 c5 22. Ne2 Rf2 { Threatening Mate. } 23. Qxd5+ Be6 24. Qxe4 Bf5 25. Qd5+ Kh8 26. Bxf5 Rxf5 27. Qd3 { ??? Fatal Mistake } 27... Rf1+ { !!! Whitesonly move is to take my Rook. I win his Queen next move. } 0-1
[Event "81st GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.08.11"] [Round "-"] [White "shot-tar"] [Black "last_archimedean"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1366"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1473"] { Inspired by studying the games of -- and playing against -- much higherlevel players, I've decided to adopt a more attacking strategy when opportunitiespresent themselves. This game is an example. } 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. a3 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 { A rather tame opening variation by my opponent,not putting pressure on me at once as White can do with certain choicesof opening. } 6. h3 O-O 7. d3 h6 8. Nd5 Nxd5 { I naturally don't want tolet White plant his Knight on a powerful central outpost, hence the exchange. } 9. Bxd5 Nd4 10. Nxd4 Bxd4 { For similar reasons, White exchanges off myKnight. I have a slight advantage in development but the position is fairlyeven. } 11. c3 Bb6 12. Qh5 Be6 { I cut off the attack on KB2 at once. } 13. c4 Bxd5 14. cxd5 Bd4 { Mow that White's KB is off the board, I can affordto try and generate my own attack on his K-side, where I assume he willplace his King. } 15. g4 Qf6 { Focusing on White's KB2. } 16. O-O Qg6 { Withmy attack momentarily cut off, I decide to offer an exchange of Queensjust to see if White wants to go into the endgame. } 17. Qh4 Qf6 { I refocuson White's KB2... } 18. Qxf6 gxf6 { ...and this time he does exchange Queens,blunting the lance somewhat. Now I'll need to get my Rooks over to theK-side to generate something. } 19. Bxh6 Rfe8 { First, I have to dodge White'sB. } 20. Rab1 Kh7 { Clearing the KN1 square for my Rook. } 21. g5 fxg5 { Isimply take the offered Pawn, incidentally trapping White's B. This errorenables me to open the lines leading to the White King. } 22. Bxg5 Rg8 { Pinning... } 23. h4 f6 { ...and winning... } 24. Kh2 fxg5 { ...the Bishop. } 25. hxg5 Rxg5 { Now White's King is trapped on the KR file. My plan is simply to movemy other Rook there and discover mate with a King move. } 26. f4 Rg4 { Ihave to dodge the Pawn's jab. } 27. f5 Rh8 { Moving my second Rook into position. } 28. Kh3 Rg7 { There is nothing White can do now... } 29. Kh4 Kg8# { ..aboutthis move. } 0-1
[Event "39th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Nov-07"] [Round "-"] [White "hihoktf"] [Black "kapo20100"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1301"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1755"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bd6 { This is a terrible, inactivelocation for the Bishop. It blocks the d-pawn from advancing. d7-d6 wouldhave been a reasonable way to protect the e-pawn because it is better touse pawns to protect pawns. If after 4... d6 5.Bxc6, then 5... bxc6 andWhite has given up the Bishop pair, and Black has good positional compensationwith more pawns centrally located even thought the c-pawns would be stacked.It's a reasonable Ruy Lopez, exchange variation, opening. Also, becauseWhite has protected his e-pawn with his d-pawn, Black, in using his Bishopto protect his e-pawn makes it much more difficult for him to deal withthe pin that's created when White plays Bg5, and in this game, White exploitsthat weakness immediately. } 5. Bg5 O-O { It's good to get castled early,but there was no imminent threat on the King, so h6 might have been betterhere, working toward breaking the pin on the Knight on f6. After castling,if Black plays 6... h6, then 7.Bh4 g5 8.Nxg5 hxg5 9.Bxg5 with a good gamefor White because of the retained pin on the Knight and the exposed BlackKing. Another possibility would have been a6, forcing the issue with White'sBishop on b5. } 6. O-O Nd4 { Unfortunately for Black, this move weakens hisposition even more. After the exchange, White gets to play f2-f4, addinganother threat to the pinned Knight on f6. All is not lost yet, but Blackneeds to play carefully to avoid disaster. } 7. Nxd4 { White is happy toexchange the Knights, clearing paths for both his e and f-pawns. Black'spawn that ends up on d4 is a minor thorn in White's side, but Black willhave to play carefully to keep control of the d4 square if that's whathis goal is. } 7... exd4 8. f4 h6 { This is played too late, so it forces nothing.The pin could have been broken by playing Be7. Also, the earlier Bd6 showsanother weakness... when two pieces are on the same rank, and two filesapart from each other (the Bishop on d6 and the Knight on f6 in this case),they are vulnerable to pawn advances that fork the two pieces. } 9. Bh4 c6 { Black's Kingside was going to get opened up one way or the other, butthis counterattack made it easier, and, because of the pin on the Knight,White will go up material in the process. Black still had Be7 available.He could have also tried Bxf4 (i.e. 9... Bxf4 10.Rxf4 g5 11.Bxg5 hxg5 12.Rf5Nh2), but I think the loss of Kingside protection might have been too muchfor Black to have any long-term chances. } 10. e5 Bxe5 11. fxe5 cxb5 12. exf6 gxf6 13. Qg4+ { Now that there is a clear path to Black's King, andWhite has three pieces readily available, he will commence the attack.White's two pieces trained on the f6 pawn spell certain doom for Black.White will play Bxf6 on his next move, attacking Black's Queen and threateningmate with Qg7. }
[Event "50th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "06-Oct-08"] [Round "-"] [White "skg348"] [Black "frriedel"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1317"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1427"] 1. d4 { Stonewall attack } 1... d5 2. e3 Bf5 { Queens gambit declined } 3. c4 { Tryingto gain control of the centre } 3... e6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Qb3 { Threatening theknight pawn } 5... b6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Nf3 Bd6 8. Be2 { Preparing to castle } 8... O-O 9. O-O c6 10. Nh4 { Retrying the stonewall pattern } 10... Bd7 11. Qc2 Qc7 { Attackingthe weak king-rook pawn } 12. f4 { Stonewall achieved } 12... a5 13. Bd3 b5 14. Rf3 { Preparing to attack the weak king side.. only the knight is in defence } 14... Be7 15. Qf2 Ng4 16. Qg3 b4 17. Ne2 Be6 { Waiting for white to commit toa line of action } 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Nf6 20. Qh4 g6 { Forced pawn advancegives access to h6 for the white queen..black pieces are helpless on hisqueen-side } 21. Bd3 Nh5 22. Qh3 Nd7 23. g4 Nhf6 24. Ng3 Qc8 25. Nf5 { pxNfollowed by Bxp would pin the knight at d7 and open the g file. White knightthreatens Nxe7, winning the queen } 25... Re8 26. Nxe7+ { Removes a strong defensivepiece..Bf8 would have removed control of h6 for white } 26... Rxe7 27. f5 { Tryingto open up the pawn-structure } 27... Nf8 28. fxg6 Nxg4 { Should have played Qxg4(followed by 29.Qxg4 Nxg4 30.pxh7ch Nxh7 31.Rg3 Nh7-f6 32.Bf5) forcingexchange of queens and removing a mate threat but losing a minor piece } 29. gxh7+ Nxh7 { A very bad move..only possible move to avoid mate was 29... Kh8 30.Bf5 losing the knight } 30. Qxh7+ { Mate will follow with 30. ..Kf8 31.Qh8 1-0 }
[Event "Walking the Walk & Learning to Run Welcome MT Pt.8"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.06.27"] [Round "-"] [White "therealjimfriar"] [Black "knightgator"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1100"] [TimeControl "5d+5d<10d"] [WhiteElo "2206"] 1. e4 { This is an opening e4 that I used to use all of the time, untilTA suggested I start developing the d4 line. } 1... g6 { Since I'm playing someonewho will definetly win, why not play something that I can possible learnfrom or at least explore something different. } 2. d4 { looks like he takinga stong hold on the center. } 2... e6 { I will play somekind of primitive pawndevelopment game. } 3. c4 { White is playing pawn development also, but Ifeel he is really just opening his forces. } 3... c5 { purely reactionary moveon my part. } 4. d5 { he looks to be trying to establish an advance pawnstructure, forcing me into a closed game. } 4... exd5 { I try and redirect wherethe pawns end up at. } 5. cxd5 { anticipated, it does open the door for thedark bishop. } 5... d6 { trying to regroup a stronger pawn structure, I'm hopingI'm not wasting to many moves at the cost of other piece development. } 6. Nc3 { purely developmental move } 6... Bg7 { time to get the dark bishop out. } 7. Nf3 { developmental } 7... Nf6 { developmental on both of now. } 8. Nd2 { somethingI wouldn't usually do, normally play more aggressive. I would assume heis planning on where he wants this knight to end up at. } 8... Nbd7 { this isbetter than the edge of the board. } 9. Be2 { not sure where he is goingwith that move, maybe a move to set up castling. } 9... b6 { try and develop apawn structure wall on the queen side. } 10. Nc4 { with the game tendingtowards closed structure, I knew blacks knights would play an importantrole. } 10... Qc7 { not to sure why I made this move, probably ke5 would have beenbetter, I think must have made this move while thinking about somethingelse. } 11. Nb5 { I'm paying the price of that last move, white is jump onthe opportunity offered up to him. } 11... Qb7 { wrong move, in hindsight, maybeQb8 would have been better. } 12. Nbxd6+ { don't have to worry about thebad Queen move she is gone now. } 12... Kd8 13. Nxb7+ Kc7 { All out of positionnow this game will truely be rough to finish. } 14. Nbd6 { preparing to pickme apart, to the victor goes the spoils.********************************************************************************** * ~~~~~therealjimfriar: Sounds good. One good tip is always to recaptureif you can. If I capture a piece you retake unless theres a better move... } 14... Nb8 { I'm so rattled at this tage I give the taking of the knight and sethim up for somethin else. } 15. Bf4 { an impleid check } 15... a6 16. Nxf7+ { gainsa pawn, will gain a rook, the knight id look pretty strong here as it slicesand dices. } 16... Kb7 17. Qb3 { seems white has mercy on me, maybe, maybe he seessomething better! } 17... b5 { try to get rid of the knight, and strengthen myposition, knowing this leads to another possible check. } 18. Nfd6+ { anticipated,but I figured he would grab the rook while he was there??? } 18... Ka7 { tryingto seek cover. } 19. Nxb5+ { This doesn't look good, I know enough when youhave knights working in tandem, with backup support from the Queen, itwill not last much longer. } 19... Kb7 { Hoping for a mistake, I doubt I will seethat.... } 20. Nd4+ { Mate pending, I have enjoyed the game. } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from guardiangr"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.16"] [Round "-"] [White "bogeedave"] [Black "guardiangr"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1489"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1180"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 e6 4. a3 Be7 5. Bxf6 Bxf6 6. e4 O-O 7. e5 Bg5 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. h4 Bh6 { After the opening, both sides look ok. However, perhapswhite has more space. } 10. g4 g6 11. g5 Bg7 12. h5 { White starts an earlyattack against black king } 12... b6 { To develop bishop through this diagonal } 13. hxg6 fxg6 { Keeps h column closed for white rook, opens f for blackone } 14. Bb5 Bb7 15. Qd3 a6 16. Bxc6 Bxc6 { More exchange } 17. Ke2 { ???Perhaps made to help the 2 rooks communicate, but it will cost the game... } 17... Bb5 18. Qxb5 axb5 19. Nxb5 Qc8 20. Rh4 { Trying to get some attack } 20... Qa6 { Forking the knight } 21. c4 c6 22. Nd6 Qa4 23. Nd2 b5 24. b3 Qa6 25. Ke3 bxc4 26. bxc4 dxc4 27. N6xc4 Qc8 28. Nb6 { Nice Threat, although it canbe dealt } 28... Qd8 { Trap is now set. } 29. Nxa8 { The white didn't notice black'sanswer: } 29... Qxg5+ 30. Rf4 Qxf4+ 31. Kd3 Rxa8 { Wins a rook and a knight fora rook... } 32. Ne4 Qf3+ 33. Kc4 Qxe4 { White is lost... } 34. a4 Qc2+ { andresigns... } 0-1
[Event "surrender of cornwallis"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27-Feb-08"] [Round "-"] [White "wilmingtonmd"] [Black "ozzz"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1596"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1440"] 1. e4 { In this game black deviates from normal lines immediately and paysa heavy price. This game is an instructive game that demonstrates whathappens when you move your queen out too early. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Qf6 { This ablunder. For one it hampers blacks development of the G-Knight. Secondthis is not the queens ideal developing square. Usually, the queens idealdeveloping squares are c7, e7, d7 or a5. As a rule the queen should beone of the last pieces to be developed } 3. b3 { A logical move that allowswhite to attack e5 from a safe distance. } 3... Nc6 { A good move that developsa piece and defends the centre. } 4. Bb5 { This is an OK move but lacks anserious threat. I honestly do not see the point, especially if black hasnot plays d7-d6. Also if you are going to play b2-b3 then Bb2 is the idealfollow-up move } 4... Nd4 { This maybe to premature it is usually better to completeyour development before you bring your attack. } 5. Nxd4 exd4 { Black haseliminated his only active piece and given up most of his control of thecentre. } 6. Bb2 { attacking the weak pawn } 6... a6 { driving away the bishop isa good move } 7. Be2 Bc5 8. d3 { Well done black's exchanged has managedto give him a space advantage. } 8... d6 { This is a blunder because it trapsthe dark bishop onto the queen side. better is Ne7 followed by Ne5. } 9. Bg4 Nh6 { Black could gain a tempo by playing Bxg4 followed by Na6 } 10. Bf3 Bb4+ { nope this help white more than it helps black. The check hasnot real teeth. So why play it! If I were white I would thinking hum blackhas not real plan. So I can consolidate my position before black figuresout what he wants to do. Better is Bd7 which develops a piece and preparefor the connect of the rooks after 0-0 } 11. Nd2 g5 { Bad move! you shouldnever move the pawn from the side you intend to castle. Black should castleimmedaitely } 12. h3 c5 { black is just wasting time now. Bd7 or 0-0 is better } 13. O-O Rg8 { I can understand the fact that black has lauded himself intoa false sense of security. However, b5 should be played to prevent whitefrom playing Nc4. } 14. Nc4 { This is a ideal outpost for the knight } 14... g4 15. hxg4 Bxg4 { wrong way to capture! Bishops are better in the endgameso do not be in a hurry to exchange them . } 16. Bxg4 Nxg4 17. f3 Ne5 18. Nxe5 dxe5 { black has managed to seal the centre. His plan should be tomanovure his bishop to the king side where he can attack the king } 19. Rf2 O-O-O 20. g4 { a critical mistake by white. Black can win with the immediatelywith h5! } 20... Rh8 21. Rh2 Rdg8 22. Qf1 h5 { Black can play Bc3 to exchange white'sdark bishop followed by Qc5 to seize control of the dark squares. } 23. Qg2 Kd7 24. Qg3 Bd2 { blunder! drops the bishop. } 25. Rxd2 Qg5 26. Rg2 Qe3+ 27. Kf1 Qg5 { not good! the queen is much stronger on e3 for the moment.Black can try to win with h4! } 28. Bc1 Qf6 29. Ke2 { ...h4 is still playable. } 29... Rg6 { too slow. Black has to play with vigor if he hopes to win. } 30. Bd2 b6 { Black has made many moves that have done little to help him. Ba5is not real threat because most of blacks pawns are on light squares. } 31. Rh1 b5 32. Rgh2 h4 33. Rxh4 Rhg8 34. Qh3 Qg7 35. g5+ Kc7 36. Rh6 Kb6 37. Rh7 Qf8 38. f4 a5 39. f5 Rc6 40. Qg3 c4 41. bxc4 bxc4 42. Qxe5 cxd3+ 43. cxd3 1-0
[Event "Sicilian: Attack Attack and Attack!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.11.08"] [Round "-"] [White "eeka"] [Black "blitzkov"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1837"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1911"] { This was an excellent example about how to attack the castled King. Myopponent, eeke, played the e4 opening, I played my trusty Sicilian. } 1. e4 { Standard. } 1... c5 { Sicilian. Loving it! } 2. Nf3 { Possibly could play theOpen Variation. } 2... d6 { My usually response. } 3. d4 { Open Variation. } 3... cxd4 { I, of course, take! } 4. Nxd4 { He could have played Qxd4 and possibly turninto the Maroczy Bind! } 4... Nf6 { Attacking his e4 pawn. Duh, what else? } 5. Nc3 { Guarding. } 5... a6 { The Najdorf. My favorite. } 6. f3 { I believe this isthe English? } 6... e6 { Possibly turning into the Scheveningen Variation } 7. Be3 { English. A very deadly attack against the Najdorf. I usually loseagainst it :( } 7... Be7 { I tried this. } 8. Qd2 { Standard plan: Castle long (0-0-0)and attack my king :( } 8... Qc7 { Bringing my queen to a central square. } 9. O-O-O { Now, I think, he'll attack on the kingside. } 9... b5 { I must attack onthe queenside. } 10. g4 { What did I say? } 10... Bb7 { Bringing my DSB to a goodsquare. } 11. g5 { 'Move', the pawn says. } 11... Nfd7 { Best place for my knight.Now I can bring to the queenside. } 12. h4 { Planning h5, f4, f5. } 12... Nb6 { Betterthen going to Nc5. With Nb6, I can hop into a nice place on c4. } 13. h5 { Doing exactly what I said. } 13... Nc6 { Getting my other knight out to the game. } 14. Qg2 { Getting his queen ready for the kill: my king :( } 14... b4 { Attack! } 15. Nb1 { Hee hee! I made him retreat :D } 15... Rc8 { I could have castled long(0-0-0) but I want to leave my king in the centre. } 16. Bd3 { Getting hisLSB ready. } 16... Ne5 { Attacking his LSB. } 17. c3 { ?! I really don't know whyhe did this? do you? } 17... Nbc4 { ! I love knights, don't you? } 18. Rhe1 { Guardinghis DSB. } 18... Qa5 { Attacking his a2-pawn. } 19. g6 { !? I guess he's not worried! } 19... Qxa2 { Yum! } 20. gxf7+ { Check. } 20... Kxf7 { ! My king my not be able to castle,but it's safe, for the moment. } 21. f4 { Now it's his turn to attack. } 21... Nxd3+ { Check! } 22. Rxd3 { Best. } 22... bxc3 { I must keep attacking. } 23. Rxc3 { I thinkI lost some of my steam :( } 23... Bf6 { ! Guarding my g7-pawn AND attacking hisknight. } 24. Bg1 { ! I was going to go Nxe3 and if Rexe3 Bxd4 winning. } 24... Rc7 { Doubling on the c-file. } 25. Re2 { Extra guarding his b-pawn. } 25... Rhc8 { As I planed. } 26. Qg4 { My darn e-pawn is being attacked! } 26... Re7 { I mustprotect it! } 27. f5 { Still attacking it! } 27... Rec7 { ! But pushing the f-pawnit blocks his queen so I can move my rook back. } 28. Nxe6 { Attacking myrook. } 28... Ne5 { ! Attacking his Queen. And opening the c-file. } 29. Qg3 { Extraguarding the c3-rook. } 29... Rxc3+ { Check! } 30. Nxc3 { Practically forced! } 30... Qc4 { ! Now I threaten Qxe2 and he can't take cause of the pin on the c-file. } 31. Qe3 { Guarding his rook. } 31... Nd3+ { Check! And just about to win! } 32. Kb1 { ? If I was white, I'd have ran for it via Kd2. } 32... Bxc3 { ! Blasting up hiskingdom! } 33. bxc3 { ? Blunder! I now have a forced mate, do you see it? } 33... Qb3+ { Check! First move! } 34. Ka1 { Forced. } 34... Qxc3+ { Check and opening upthe c-file for my rook. } 35. Ka2 { Ka1 isn't much better. } 35... Nb4+ { Check!Mate is on its way! } 36. Kb1 { Forced! } 36... Bxe4+ { ! Check and if Qxe4 Qc1 mate! } 37. Qxe4 { ? But Rc2 isn't much better. } 37... Qc1# { MATE! I hope that you enjoyedthe game? Please comment and rate it on the star system, thanks! } 0-1
[Event "Taking the Bait: OTB"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "CykO"] [Black "Iansensei"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1272"] [WhiteElo "1494"] 1. e4 { Another game versus one of my co-workers, Ian. I begin with myusual e4! } 1... e5 2. Bc4 { I have recently began to like this move more andmore. It feels strong in the center. } 2... Nh6 { I have never been a big fanof the N on the edge of the board. } 3. d4 d6 4. Bxh6 { here is why the Nshould never be allowed on h6. Now the king side pawn structure is ruinedand there's doubled pawns on the H-file. } 4... gxh6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. d5 { I hadto make a tough decision here, I didn't want to block my N and my lightbishop, but I didn't like the exchange problem imposed by his B on g7. } 6... c6 { Now he made my choice easy opening up the d5 square like I wanted. } 7. dxc6 Nxc6 { they always say take with the piece worth less. this moveallows me to advance my N, as opposed to if he had taken with the pawnI would've been stuck. } 8. Qf3 { figured I'd try for a quick mate on f7. } 8... Qc7 { spoiled } 9. Nd5 { here's the N move that would've been blocked if he'dtaken with the pawn. } 9... Qd7 10. Nf6+ { Here I know that he must take withthe bishop, and I'm then his rook and pawn are en prise. So I will atleast win a pawn. } 10... Bxf6 11. Qxf6 Rf8 12. Qxh6 { Worked exactly how predicted. } 12... Nd4 { Once he made this move I noticed an opportunity to trap his queenif he forks my rook. Can you see it without looking ahead? } 13. a4 { Settingup the trap. } 13... Nxc2+ 14. Kd1 { I go ahead and attack leaving him with lessoptions. } 14... Nxa1 15. Bb5 { trap sprung! Now the Q is trapped. } 15... a5 16. Bxd7+ Bxd7 17. Qxd6 Rd8 { An evil little plot by my friend, if he bxp then myqueen is up the creek... } 18. Qxe5+ Be6+ 19. Ke2 { Here I knew I would haveto come up a rank anyways to free my rook, so I go ahead and take the libertyhere. } 19... b6 20. b3 { A dubious move, just checking to see if I could checkand take his N...ya never know unless you try. :) } 20... Nxb3 21. Qb5+ Rd7 { Hedid good and kept his bishop on guard. } 22. Nf3 { N move to keep the forkingfrom happening. } 22... f6 23. Qxb6 Rff7 { His first REAL blunder. Leaving thebishop unprotected. The Queen trap earlier wasn't necessarily a blunder,just a technical oversight. } 24. Qxe6+ Kf8 25. Qxb3 Rb7 26. Qd5 Rb2+ 27. Nd2 { After the loss of his bishop and knight, he decides there's no needto advance this game any further. } 1-0
[Event "Fierce Queen delves in deeper grounds..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "-"] [Round "-"] [White "fiercequeen"] [Black "mullaney"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "unrated"] [TimeControl "5mins+10secs..."] [WhiteElo "unrated"] { When I started out with blitz, I used to prefer 5 minute games; at leastOTB against real persons. In an average game of around 40-50 moves, youthen would have to play about 8-10 moves per minute, or roughly 6-7 secondsper move. Of course, if you would be able to get the job done in less moves,you would have more time think. That is why it is very important, to getyour opening play right; that is where you can gain time... A better optionis the Fischer time keeping system: for each move you make, you earn acouple of seconds. In this game we play 5 minutes plus 10 seconds for everymove... } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bd7 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Nf6 7. Nc3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nf5 Bxf5 10. exf5 Qd7 11. g4 h6 { some breed ofthe Philidor defense: all this was played in a matter of less than a minute;Black has reached a fully developed position, while White controls a bigportion of the board at the cost of some development to be desired; myfirst hunch was to repair that, but Blacks' last - in fact weakening -move needed closer inspection... } 12. Bf4 { had I looked a bit closer, Imight have found the stronger f4! (threatens g5), Nh7, Nd5!, controlingf6, and winning the opening... } 12... Kh7 13. Bg3 { lingering on two thoughts,and preparing f4; already better was h4, with a much better result... } 13... Rfe8 14. h3 { covering for g4, to be able to play the Queen; still strongerwould have been f4, practically forcing g5... } 14... Ng8 15. f4 { by now, f4 haslost its momentum... } 15... Bf6 { a very sound reply; Whites' advantage has vanished...frustrated, I tried to break iron with my bare hands... } 16. h4 { a terriblemove; needed was Qd2, Bxc3, Qxc3, Nf6, and regroup... } 16... Bxc3 17. bxc3 Re3 { in a matter of moves, things got totally out of hand: Bg3 and c3 are underattack, Rf3 is met with Rae1, and the cavalry comes rolling in... so Idecided to take drastic measures... } 18. Qe1 { do not ever try this at home... } 18... Rxe1 19. Rfxe1 Re8 20. Rab1 b6 21. Rxe8 Qxe8 22. Re1 Qd7 23. Be4 Kh8 24. g5 h5 25. g6 f6 26. Bd5 { a mistake: after Qxf5, I planned Bxg8, Kxg8, Re8mate; but that will not work after Qxf5, Bxg8, Qxg6!, and two attackedBishops... after Qxf5, Bxc6??, Qc5+, and all is over; so after Qxf5, wewill have to play Be4 back losing an important pawn... } 26... Na5 { a lucky momentfor White; there will be no second chance... } 27. Be6 Qd8 28. Kf2 b5 29. Ke3 Nc4+ 30. Kd4 { very brave, although this can never win: I was tryingto reach some point, where I could safely play Re8 under cover of the Bishop,and somehow try and penetrate the King into Blacks position; but aftera simple c5+, all these aspirations would be over... } 30... Na3 31. Re2 c6 32. Bb3 { also here, after c5+, I would have been ready to resign... } 32... a5 33. Kd3 { something of a gamble: best here is d5, if Black can find it... } 33... a4 34. Be6 c5 35. Bf7 b4 { although still holding advantage, this move throwsmost of it out of the window; absolutely winning was Ne7!, killing allof Whites' opportunities... also c4+ would still be winning... } 36. Re8 { no hesitation: Black has to give up the Queen... also after c4+, Kd2,Nb1+, Kc1, the only option is Qxe8 or mate... } 36... Qxe8 37. Bxe8 Nb1 { Blackis losing control: after still c4+, Kd2, Nb1+, Kc1, Nxc3, Be1, Nxa2, hecan hold a very strong advantage... } 38. cxb4 cxb4 39. Bxa4 Nc3 40. Bb3 { the tables have turned completely; suddenly White is winning... } 40... Ne7 41. Kc4 { better works a3, Nxf5, Be1!, Ne2... } 41... Nc6 { but Black refuses Nxf5... } 42. Be1 Ne2 43. Bd2 { directly winning is Bxb4, Ng3 (Nxb4, Kxb4, Nxf4, a4,Nd5+, Kb5, and Blacks' Knight gets cornered), Bxd6, Nxf5, Kc5, with a hopelessposition for Black... } 43... Ng1 44. Kd5 { also here Bxb4, is better... } 44... Nb8 { abad move: better Nf3, Kxc6, Nxd2... } 45. Kxd6 { better Bxb4... } 45... Nf3 46. Bxb4 Nxh4 47. Be6 Ng2 48. Bd2 h4 49. Bd5 { stronger is Bc4, h3, Bf1, Na6,a4... } 49... h3 50. c4 { still easily winning, but Bxg2, hxg2, Be3 was more thansufficient... } 50... Na6 51. c5 Nh4 52. Be6 h2 { White has succeeded in gettingin trouble again; 52. c6 or better 51. Bxg2, were still easily winning... } 53. Bd5 Nb8 { luckily, Black is betting on the wrong Knight: after Nxf5+,Kd7, Nxc5+, Kc7, Ng3!, winning a Bishop for a pawn, Black might well bewinning this... } 54. c6 { best here was Kc7, Na6+, Kb6, Nxc5, Kxc5, Nxf5,a4... } 54... Nxf5+ { still, after Kc7, Ne7, Bh1 (Kxb8??, Nxd5 ends all for White),Nxc6, Kd7, White would easily be winning this: White however, producesa terrible move... } 55. Ke6 { now after Nxc6, a4 (Bxc6??, Nd4+, or Kxf5??,Ne7+; Bd5 falls and h2 promotes), White can start all over again from afairly equal position; the chances for promotion are getting slimmer bythe minute, and if Black can capture the a-pawn, even at the cost of aKnight, a draw is in sight; White would have simply no mating chances leftagainst the cornered King; there were no problems on the clock for both... } 55... Ng3 { they say, fortune favours the brave: Black is trying to win a piecehere; unlucky for him, the bravely favour fortune... after Nxc6, a4 (theonly one to keep sustaining leverage against h2), Nce7, Blacks' objectis clear: eliminate the f- and g-pawn, in order to push our own; meanwhilewe try to eliminate the Whites' LSB to bring about promotion chances; nota small task for White, against two Black Knights... } 56. c7 { injusticeis harsh, so Black resigns: there is no stopping promotion and mate... } 1-0
[Event "Squeezed unto submission"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.11.20"] [Round "-"] [White "eviva"] [Black "a_random_guy"] [Result "0-1"] { Hello everybody! Here is a short blitz where I assault my opponent's kingsideand get his pieces all tucked up in the middle. I am playing black. Enjoy! } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 { Berlin defence. } 4. O-O Bc5 5. Re1 { ? Whilethis move does protect White's e pawn, it weakens the f2, which I don'twaste time attacking it... } 5... Ng4 { ...with this move. White has to move therook again to avoid losing material. } 6. Re2 a6 { I put a question on White'sbishop. } 7. Bxc6 { He captures my knight... } 7... dxc6 { ...and I capture withmy queen's pawn, allowing me to develop my light-squared bishop. } 8. h3 { He attacks my knight... } 8... h5 { !? And I defend it. White cannot take myknight right now. 9.hxg4? hxg4 10.Nxe5 Qh4! with a dangerous mating threaton the h column. This is very similar to the aptly name 'Fishing pole'trap. } 9. c3 { White does not fall for it though. } 9... Qd3 { !? An Interestingidea; I jam most of White's pieces at the cost of deactivating my trap,as I cannot play Qh4 any longer. } 10. b4 Ba7 11. hxg4 { White finally capturesmy knight, but was it safe? } 11... hxg4 12. Ne1 Qg3 { ! I threaten mate via 13...Qh2+ 14.Kf1 Qh1#. The f pawn cannot take my queen as it is pinned bymy handy a7 bishop. } 13. Re3 { The best defence. It blocks the a7-g1 diagonaland frees up the e2 square for the king. } 13... Qh2+ 14. Kf1 Bxe3 15. dxe3 Be6 { ! A strong move; A bishop on c4 would be very troublesome for white. } 16. Nd2 { ? This is the losing move. While it does prevent Bc4+ for now,it creates other problems... } 16... O-O-O { ...such as this pin on the knight.(Bonus style points for castling to attack?) } 17. Qc2 { White wisely unpinshis knight, but it will not save him. } 17... Rxd2 { !! I remove the defender ofc4 with this sacrifice. } 18. Bxd2 Bc4+ { Naturally. } 19. Nd3 Rd8 { ! I couldhave played 19... Qh1+ 20.Ke2 Qxa1 here, which would have won as well,but I opted to put more pressure on the knight, squeezing him even more. } 20. Ke2 Qxg2 { I eye for the f3 square, which would put White's king onthe first rank, thus removing a defender of d3. } 21. Rd1 { 21.Be1 was White'sbest bet, but it does not stop 21...Qf3+ 22.Kd2 Qxe4, winning the knight. } 21... Qf3+ 22. Ke1 Bxd3 { White resigns. 0-1 } 0-1
[Event ""] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White ""] [Black ""] [Result ""] { Andy94 vs Andyroll. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 { he chooses to open white bishop'sdiagonal. } 3. d3 h6 4. h3 Be6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. a3 a6 { this is gonnabe a simmetric game... } 8. Be2 g5 9. g4 h5 { now i can decide to take gpawn (10.N:g5...h:g4 and then i can't move 11.h:g4 cause 11...R:h1 )ortake h pawn. I decide to take } 10. gxh5 { h pawn. } 10... Bh6 { 10...Bh6! } 11. Nxg5 { i take g pawn and } 11... Bxg5 12. Bxg5 { that's so. } 12... Qe7 13. Bf3 { 13.Bf3 andi lose a tempo cause } 13... O-O-O 14. Bg4 { i could move Bg4 without 13.Bf3. } 14... Nd4 { he thinks well to protect Be6 with the knight too. Well... } 15. Ne2 { i thought with Ne2 he could move N:e2 or B:g4. in both of the ways i'vegot an advantage. } 15... Bxg4 { ok... } 16. hxg4 { now there's no double pawn! } 16... Qe6 { he tries to take g pawn and I move } 17. Nxd4 { N:d4. In this momenti think he'll capture Nd4 but... } 17... Qe7 { Qe7? } 18. Qf3 { Qf3! and he'll lose1 of his rooks } 18... exd4 { no problem } 19. Bxf6 { B:f6 and he's to protect thequeen and let me take his rook } 19... Qf8 20. Bxh8 Qxh8 { ok... } 21. Qxf7 { andnow black has serious problems! } 21... Rd7 22. Qf5 c5 23. h6 Kc7 24. h7 b5 25. g5 a5 26. g6 Rg7 { oh yeah, now he really has serious problems!!!! } 27. e5 d5 { 27...d5 ok, but i'll promote anycase } 28. e6 Kd6 29. Kd2 Re7 30. Rae1 a4 31. Reg1 Rg7 32. f4 b4 33. Qe5+ { 33.Qe5 } 33... Kc6 34. e7 Kd7 { I'm gonnasacrifice 2 queens to take a rook and a queen. strange but effective. } 35. e8=Q+ Qxe8 36. Qxe8+ Kxe8 { and... } 37. h8=Q+ { i take his rook } 37... Ke7 38. Qxg7+ Kd6 39. Rh8 c4 40. Qf6+ Kc5 41. Rc8+ Kb5 { and now i win causeif 42.d:c4 42...Ka5 43.Ra8 checkmate;42...d:c4 43.Rg5 checkmate } 42. dxc4+ dxc4 43. Rg5# { Rg5#. The game's over. Andy's won but that one was me!Please let me know my bad moves! }
[Event "My longest game with Master Freddy"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "04-Mar-09"] [Round "-"] [White "easy19"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1767"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2220"] 1. Nc3 { Hi everyone! Another duel with Freddy and yet another loss, butthis game lasted one move longer than all my white games against him. With the black pieces my form against him has previously been shot - i.e.4 out of 5 of those checkmates he has put on me has been when I have beenplaying black against him. Anyhow - let's see how the drama unfolds. Freddy kicks off with his favourite Dunst Opening, Nc3. } 1... d5 { 1. ........d5 - tried d5 rather than c5 the last time I played against it againstFreddy - that game terminated in 23 moves! } 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nxe4 Qd5 4. Nc3 Qa5 { 4. ........ Qa5 - this transposes into a Scandinavian - Freddy playsan unusual line - a3 and I respond with developing my knight to f6. } 5. a3 Nf6 6. d4 c6 7. Bd3 Qc7 { 7. ......... Qc7 - the most popular move inthe gameknot db but maybe I ought to have developed a piece or at leastplayed e6 to free up Fou Lenoir and prepare for castling. } 8. Bg5 Nd5 9. Nge2 e6 { 9. ........ e6 - at last but Freddy has a huge lead in development- how I manage to last 48 moves against the Master Mater of all peopleI will never know! } 10. Qd2 Bd6 11. Ne4 Be7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 { 12. .......Qxe7 - some wood has been exchanged but I am still behind in development- still my knight does look good on d5 and I am ready to castle kingside. } 13. O-O Nd7 { 13. ....... Nd7 - develops another piece but shuts in FouLeblanc - this bishop will be Tres Fou later on in the game! } 14. Rae1 O-O { 14. ......... 0-0 - at last! } 15. c4 N5f6 16. N2c3 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Nf6 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 { 18. ......... Qxf6 - the horsies have been exchanged andthe d4 pawn is en prise to Glenda but Freddy now gets aggressive with 19.Re5. } 19. Re5 g6 { 19. ........ g6 - does weaken castled position but Glendawill bed down there next to her other half for the next twenty moves orso. This is to prevent a bishop sac on h7, Freddy! } 20. Qe3 Qg7 21. b3 Bd7 { 21. .......... Bd7 - this bishop develops at last but he will be severelyhemmed in from now on in. } 22. Re4 Rad8 23. Bb1 a6 { 23. ....... a6 - woulda5 followed by b6 have been better in the light of what is to come? } 24. b4 Rfe8 25. Bd3 Rb8 26. Re1 Red8 { 26. ......... Red8 - there now followsa series of rook moves but again would b6 have been better? } 27. c5 Rbc8 28. a4 Rb8 29. Qg3 Rbc8 30. Rh4 { 30. Rh4 - Freddy tries to pile in on theh file but it is gonna be hard for him to get 3 heavies on it! } 30... Be8 31. Re5 Rd7 32. Qe3 Rcd8 { 32. ......... Rcd8 - doubling up on the backwardd4 pawn. } 33. Rf4 Rd5 34. h3 Rxe5 { 34. ............ Rxe5 - an exchangeof rooks to break the monotony. } 35. dxe5 Rd5 36. Re4 Rd7 37. Be2 { 37.Be2 - the e file is open for my rook but a lot of white wood cover thesquares on it! } 37... Rd5 38. a5 { 38. a5 - fixes my pawns on white squares thusimprisoning Fou Leblanc. } 38... Rd7 39. h4 { 39. h4 - a pawn move - is Freddythreatening h5 threatening to open up the f or h file. Notice that ifhe did then gh?? would be suicide as Glenda would be pinned to Henry bya white rook moving to g4. } 39... Rd5 40. Bc4 Rd8 { 40. ...... Rd8 - breakingthe monotony but would Rd7 have been better here? } 41. Rd4 { 41. Rd4 - thisoffers a rook trade but not in my favour because this will provide an openingfor the Wicked Witch of the West, something that I have been trying toavoid all game, aaargh! } 41... Rd7 42. Qd2 Qxe5 { 42. ....... Qxe5 - I realisethat I will drop Fou Leblanc after the rook trade on d7 but I felt thatI had virtually been playing without him for the whole game and would pickup a couple of pawns as compensation for the piece and activate Glenda. As you will see, however, the Witch has a target on b7 and boy she doesnot miss it! } 43. Rxd7 Bxd7 44. Qxd7 Qe1+ { 44. ......... Qe1 - a spitecheck which picks up the backward pawn on b4, but..... } 45. Bf1 Qxb4 46. Qd8+ Kg7 47. Qb6 { 47. Qb6!! - this move kills the game stone dead for me. Exchanging queens here is no good because of 48. cxb6 followed by 49.Bxa6. This counter sac would get me into a losing K & P ending becauseHenry is too far away to stop the b pawn crowning. As a futile gestureGlenda grabs the pawn on h4 which prolongs the game for one more move tomake it my longest game. I resigned the game on the next move becauseI could not save my b pawn and then the witch would clean up one or bothof the remaining pawns and crown one or both of the remaining white queensidepawns. I lost the game here by failing to expand on the queenside. Thisresulted in Fou Leblanc being tied up and getting in the way of my pieces. I think I kept the queenside closed because I remembered my last gameas black with Freddy where he attacked down both sides of the board whichresulted in me getting my 5th checkmate from him. I did not want thatto happen again. I must find a more positive way of preventing this calamity. More improvement is needed. Can I improve further on this against Freddy?Watch this space. } 47... Qxh4 48. Qxb7 1-0
[Event "Question of priority"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.02.23"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "gamelock"] [Result "1-0"] { I annotate these blitz, bad game, for amusement. So my notes, always takenin a hurry, can be inaccurate. I'm sorry for that. I hope some chess studentin its very early stages can find some ideas about how to focus (or NOTto focus) on a position. } 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 { Standard, for me. } 2... e6 { Trapshis own bishop. Not necesarily bad, but it does allow me to manouver onthe kingside. In my scheme, I already know that 85% of the games will beunder the flag 'white attacks the kingside'. This move kind of favour me.I can tell these things so early in the game by experience - hundreds ofgames. Normally, it is too soon to make these assumptions. } 3. Nf3 Bd6 { Now, this is the move that disrupts my plans. Normally, people plays itlater, 'once the N is in f6 (the fisrt key) and my pawn is on d3 (secondkey)'. So I can go Ne5, and it cannot be kicked by f6 very quickly. AndNh5 cannot be played because the Q is aiming at it. But now, I know thatafter Ne5, f6, then I cannot go Qh5 (because I didn't play d3 yet), soI must retire in d3, and after BxB, NxB, my knight is displaced, and blackwill have an edge. By experience. So I decided to try something more. } 4. Qc1 { Ugly. But it's a blitz. Let's see what happens. } 4... Bxf4 5. Qxf4 { Ok, now the story is different. I have a queen and a knight on the kingside.I have to prove that these two pieces are deadly, to force black to finda better move than BxB (probably a better move). } 5... Nf6 { I expected g5,kicking the queen, but black is too wise and he knows that it will be difficultfor him to castle queenside, so he has to guard his kinside castling. } 6. Qg5 { So let's threat it. This is a kind of 'unnatural' move (the naturalone would have been a developement move, like d3, or Nd2/Nc3). So beforeyou try it in an actual game, think more than twice. } 6... O-O { Black castlesjust in front of my queen. But my pieces are still undeveloped, and myknight in e5 does nothing for the attack. I better spend my move wisely. } 7. Nbd2 { Better than d3 because I don't want to allow black to threata Queen's trap. If you are experienced, you will already have smelled thedanger of having the queen out of squares. But it was too late. } 7... Nbd7 { Better than Nc6, normally, because now black can go c5 - always the movehe has to go after, in this opening - but now black could have gone forthe queen trap and play Nc6 threatening something starting with h6 andending with e5, with the white bishop threatening the white queen onceretired on a white square. } 8. e3 { Well, since black doesn't seem to playfor it, let's use the tempo for my very necessary developement. Note tha,in doing that, I am closing another possible square for my qeen: I am basicallytrapping it myself. Be aware... } 8... c5 { Black doesn't seek my queen. Good. } 9. c3 { Let's pretend my queen isn't trapped, and go on for a while. Butthis was a mistake. I won't take the pawn because after the N retakes,is in a very good position. Then black will be able to play c4, preventingthe bishop on f1 from the diagonal aiming at the black king. So, I SHOULDhave moved Bd3, even if black would have gone cxd4. (So what? I would haveretaken with d3xd4, and my queen would have been almost free, so...) Butif the bishop is in d3, after c4 it goes to c2, and from there he aimsat the enemy's king, helping the queen to attack. So why to waste timewith this useless c3? } 9... c4 { Deserved. Now my lsb cannot enter into the fry.It must go to e2, doing nothing, and from there wait for the knight tojump to act as g4 and h5's guardian - nothing more. } 10. h4 { So I, desperately,tried another way to attack: by force. Wiht the help of my h1 rook (h3-g3).Rude and inelegant, and probably my queen will be trapped in the process,but I have nothing funnier to to. Qg3 - Qd6 could have been an escape formy queen, exchanging it... but is this 'fun'? :-) } 10... Ne4 { I can exchangethe knigt, here, after which a lot of exchanged can be possible, and, again...it is not fun! } 11. Qg4 { Let's see what's happens. White takes advangeof the blocked black's lsb to find a place. It is very bad, since afterNd7-f6,u Q must move again and black has plenty of pieces around his king. } 11... Nxd2 { But black helps me a little. } 12. Kxd2 { ...not with the knight,because I want to keep the pieces as active as possible. No problem formy king to stay in the middle of the board. Black can attack with Qb6,and I wil defend with Kc3. Not unbareable, but more dangerous if you thinkabout black playing e5, and then opening the way to his lsb to occupy f5. } 12... f5 { Trap the queen's mission starts, at last. I think in the wrong way,let's see. } 13. Qh5 { If g6, Qh6 or Qg5 will do (but a very good playerwill be beyond that and see if the position was playable), and if 13...Nf6, 14. Qg5, h6, 15. Qg6, Qe8 (?), 16. Qg3 and black loses his possiblecountergame based on Qb6. } 13... Qf6 { Sensible, too. } 14. Ng5 { Don't do thisat home. I was just trying to scare my opponen, but there is nothing solidin this attack - again, because of me trapped lsb. Or I had to go on withmy original plan of Rh3. Remember: never switch plan :-( } 14... Qg6 { Well, thisapparently gives me the e6 pawn. And the question is: will be able thisknight to escape and get back to join his army, or will it be trapped,too? You learn to ask you such things after several piece losses. } 15. Qxg6 hxg6 16. Nxe6 { Apparently, my knight is safe because it can go backto g5, or to c6 and then b5. } 16... Rf6 { Nc7, Ra8-b8, Nxd4. } 17. Nf4 { I didn'tsee it. :-( } 17... Nf8 { Black could have defended with Rd6. } 18. Nxd5 { Thisis so ugly that you can resign. Losing its central pawn's chain leavesblack with no game, but loose pieces. } 18... Rd6 { Too late. The easy way isNe7+, followed by NxB. But then after RxN, I cannot take the c4 pawn withthe bishop because it will be covered by the rook. So I went for... } 19. Bxc4 { Wonderful, right? No. I lose a piece here. Can you see why, and howto avoid it? } 19... Be6 { Ok, now tell me how do I avoid BxN. If Nf7, BxB, 21.NxRa8, Rf6 and my knigt is lost. So... } 20. Ne7+ Kf7 { Very smart. And nowI lose a piece by force. Did you see it coming? } 21. d5 { I didn't realizeI had my pawn pinned to my king. When I did, I was unable to find a betterplan, so I played it anyway, just to make my opponent think more. } 21... Kxe7 22. e4 { By opening the e file, I pretended to get some counterplay basedon the rooks. } 22... fxe4 23. Rhe1 Bxd5 { Yes, of couse. Now, if BxB, RxB ischeck, and I cannot take e4 anymore. } 24. Bxd5 Rxd5+ 25. Kc2 { No use Ke3since d3 is black's. } 25... Re5 { Now Huston, we have a problem. A piece downfor a pawn. Now, I can grab the e4 pawn with f3. I didn't see it. } 26. Re3 Rd8 27. Rae1 { Let's say that, being down in material, I didn't wantto exchange rooks. } 27... Kf6 { Now black can defend the pawn with the otherrook. I can get the pawn, but, I wanted to be 'nastier'. } 28. f3 { I'llget the pawn without exchanging the rook, or so I thought. } 28... Rd3 { Of course. } 29. f4 { I tried to play 'surprises' the most I could, but this was justbad. If I get to play g4, I have buildt a barrier for the black king. butplease, don't take this as a lesson about how to proceed in this position. } 29... Red5 { Of course the black penetration would be a problem (Rxg2 beingthe last of them: the king is near a mate net). Fortunately, the blackextra knight is almost unexistent, to the moment. } 30. R1e2 { If I wouldhave been coherent about not exchaging rooks, R3-d2 was the right move. } 30... Ne6 { Oh, the knight 'awakes'... Black should have exchanged rooks, butfor some reason he doesn't want to. He wants to keep the threat of huntingmy king through the first rows, maybe. Here comes the 'priority' problemthat gives the annotation its name. } 31. Rxe4 { Of course, since now Idefend the f4 pawn. } 31... Nc5 { Now, I have to choose my priority. To defendthe queenside, or try to take advantage of the weaker black pawn's structure?The black pawns are harder to defend than mine. } 32. Re8 { I choosed theattack way, of course... the idea is Rf8#! } 32... Nd7 { Defending it by keepingthe knight far from my king. Good. } 33. R2e6+ { This way, the black kingcan escape, but it gets far from his doubled pawns. } 33... Kf5 34. g4+ { Offeringtwo pawns to the black king. I will have lost one anyway. } 34... Kxf4 35. Rxg6 { Now another black pawn is threatened. Of course, it has ha price: blackwill hunt my king. Will his attack be a winning one? Hard to say now, buta good chess player would have known it exactly before choosing to allowblack to do it. } 35... Rd2+ 36. Kb3 { The king could have gone to c1. If blackwants to go Rd1+, Kc2, R5-d7+ he can play then Rg2, hunting my pawns, thenalign the rooks on the second row, and take b2... I'm just lost. But youropponent has to see it, and choose this plan. He has another, and I invitedhim to go on hunting the king. A risky plan (it was a blitz...) } 36... Rb5+ { B2is lost. Will I have enough countergame on the kingside? } 37. Ka3 Rdxb2 { Can you see that after Rb1, mate is threatened? } 38. Rxg7 { I can't defend.I have to attack, and hope for black doesn't find a way to mate too soon.On the other side, black king's position is not any good, either. } 38... Ne5 { Threats mate with Nc4+, Ka4, Ra5#. On the other side, black can't playNxg4 because he will lose it after Rf8+, Kg3, Rf-g8, because the otherrook cannot support it the next move. } 39. Rf8+ Kg3 40. Rc8 { Necessaryto avoid the mate. } 40... a6 { Black didn't see Rb1. Probably, he plans to playit the next move, without fearing Ka4, threatening the rook. } 41. h5 { Incrediblebut true, I have a tempo to advance my pawn. } 41... Rb1 { Ah, he did it, at last. } 42. Ka4 { Ok, now if Ra1, a3. My king is trapped in a cage, but fortunatelythe knight is not in a position to mate. Black should play then the 1 rookto e, and threat mate with Re4. I couldn't have used the c pawn to shieldbecause of N takes it, but I could have used the c rook to go to d4. Afterthe exchange, the black knight could mate but taking some moves to getto c3, and I would have had time to react. I don't know if black had seenthat far (nor if my view is accurate!), but he choosed another path. thewrong one, as you'll see. } 42... Nxg4 { Fatal, but is hard to see it. I can goRc-g8, winning the knight as I commented before. But even better it is... } 43. h6 { It just crushes black (he will have to lose a rook for that pawn). } 43... Rh5 { White's priority has switched from threatening me mate, or tryingto avoid my queening. } 44. h7 { Goodbye rook! } 44... Kh4 { Hopeless and bad, butunderstandable. Black is suddenly losing the game, with my king trappedand a knight more. But with analysis, black should have preferred Kh3.Can you see why? } 45. h8=Q { ...because now black cannot play RxQ for RxQ(Nh6, QxN#)! } 45... b5+ { The last try by black, but too late. } 46. Ka5 b4+ { Kxa6is a solution. Ra1, and I can just move the queen to g8 and goodbye. } 47. Qxh5+ { But this was more spectacular. Not better. } 47... Kxh5 { Forced. Now,Rh8, Nh6 (forced), and I have to follow with Rg-h8. Black loses the knight,but hey, he has a b4 pawn that can take c3 and threaten to queen. My rookcheck I will have anyway. Kxa6 is just a tempo loss: a6 is mine almostwhatever happens (Kxa6, Ra1, and I lose the a pawn, and b4 has a free wayto b3). } 48. cxb4 { So this was the profilactic move. Now black has to copewith an ugly position, and it is just question of time to lose. Note weare at move 48, and not less than 20 more are needed to win. But it wasan enjoyable game, full with surprises, mistakes and tactics. It is interestingto observe that the black knight is just lost because of the black king'sposition. He should have played the rook to the e file to get it to the6th row as the only mean to defend. } 48... Ne5 { Unfortunately, black leavescontrol of h6, and loses at once. } 49. Rh8# { A lot of tension and, probably,frustration by black, that loses after have being well ahead. It is alwaysa good excercise to try to get the most from your pieces, even if you aredown. In this case, it was indeed possible. Thank you for reading, andI hope I didn't say too many wrong things about this game. I wish I couldhave more time to review it, but life's calling :-) } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from robbo1985"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2021.05.27"] [Round "-"] [White "robbo1985"] [Black "ironbishop"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1227"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "896"] 1. e4 { central, King Pawn opening for white } 1... c5 { black answers with SicilianDefense } 2. Nc3 { white goes for a closed Sicilian } 2... Nc6 { book move } 3. Nf3 { book move } 3... d6 4. Bb5 { white tries to pin the opposite knight } 4... Bd7 5. d4 Nxd4 { cxd4 was best } 6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 7. b4 { blunder: Nxd4 was best } 7... Nb5 { Nxf3+was best } 8. Nd5 { Nxb5 was best } 8... g6 { mistake: e6 was best. Black stillwants to castle on the king side, while in Sicilian he should probablygo for queen side. He wants to put his bishop in g7 but he's a move behind,and white will immediately take advantage of it. } 9. Bb2 { with white'sfianchetto, now black is in big troubles } 9... f6 10. c4 e6 { mistake: Nc7 wasbest } 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. cxb5 { blunder: Bxf6 was better } 12... Bg7 { e4 was best,but black is taking advantage of white's blunder, preventing what wouldhave been his previous best move and preparing for castle } 13. O-O Qxb5 { mistake: c4 was best } 14. Qxd6 { this is not a mistake, just aggressive } 14... Qd7 15. Qxc5 { mistake: bxc5 was best, or even a queen exchange } 15... Rc8 { mistake:Nxe4 was best } 16. Qxa7 { mistake: Ne5 was best } 16... O-O 17. Ne5 { Qe3 was best } 17... Qd2 18. Ba3 { blunder: Rab1 was best } 18... Nxe4 19. Qxb7 Bxe5 20. Rae1 Rc7 { blunder:Nxf2 was best } 21. Qxe4 Rf5 22. Qa8+ Kg7 23. Rd1 { mistake: Rxe5 was best } 23... Qxa2 24. b5 Rc2 { blunder: Qe2 was best. Black is sure he can win attackingf2, but miss to protect his king: white can mate in 11 } 25. b6 { blunder:Rd7+ was best (+M11) } 25... Rcxf2 26. Rd7+ { white now sees the missed mate opportunity,but black has already prepared an escape route } 26... Kh6 27. Bc1+ g5 28. Bxg5+ Kxg5 { blunder: Rxg5 was best. With this move, score goes from -4.96 to+17.2 and black loses every hope to win the game. Black is one move awayfrom mate, but white can block him first. } 29. Qg8+ Kh4 { blunder: Kf4 wasbest. Black is now looking for draw. } 30. Qxh7+ { missed win: Rxh7 was best,mate in 2 } 30... Rh5 31. Qe4+ Kg5 { blunder: Bf4 was best } 32. Rxf2 { missed win:Qxe5+ was best, mate in 14 } 32... Bxh2+ 33. Kf1 Qa1+ { black is hoping white willbox his own king, allowing black for perpetual check, or even mate } 34. Ke2 { white doesn't box himself } 34... Qb2+ 35. Kf3 Qf6+ { looking for perpetualcheck } 36. Ke2 Qb2+ 37. Kf3 Qf6+ 38. Ke2 Qb2+ { 3 fold repetition: blackdeclares draw. Total for white: 4 blunder, 2 mistakes, 2 missed win. Totalfor black: 5 blunder, 4 mistakes. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Another grandmaster falls"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Rudolph Spielmann"] [Black "Amateur"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "GM"] { Just as the first rule of gun safety is to ALWAYS check the barrel whenyou find a gun, the first rule of King safety is to ALWAYS guard againstdouble checks. Spielmann disobeys this rule and pays the price. } 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 { A quiet beginning to a game full of fireworks. } 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 { The action begins now. } 5... Ne4 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 { Already Blackhas cleared the way for King-side castling... although he doesn't actuallydo it for a while. } 7. Nxe4 dxe4 8. Qe2 { Spielmann now threatens to winthe advanced Black Pawn, and he makes way for Queen-side castling. } 8... Nd7 9. O-O-O { Games where the players castle on opposite wings can lead totremendous fireworks -- as is the case here. } 9... f5 10. exf6 Nxf6 { Blackdeclares that he will attack as well. } 11. g3 O-O 12. Bg2 { Applying furtherpressure to the advanced Pawn. } 12... e5 13. Bxe4 { Spielmann thinks he will beup a Pawn after the exchanges... } 13... Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Rxf2 { ...but Black hasother ideas! } 15. Nf3 Qf7 16. Ng5 { Attacking Black's Queen... } 16... Bf5 { ...andBlack counters aggressively. No passive retreat for him! } 17. Qxb7 { Spielmannthinks this move wins for him. What he didn't see is that 17 QxNP??? canbe countered with 17... RxPch! 18 K-N1 [forced] R-B8 dbl ch!!! with a devastatingattack. A tremendous rarity to have such an attacking master as Spielmannmiss a simple, crushing combination for his opponent. } 17... Rxc2+ 18. Kb1 Rc1+ { His opponent didn't miss the opportunity. Spielmann's King is now doomed. } 19. Kxc1 Qc4+ { The King-hunt is on. } 20. Kd2 Qd3+ 21. Ke1 Qe3+ { Preparingfor the final blow, the unstoppable move ...R-KB1. Spielmann can do nothingabout this. } 22. Kf1 Rf8 { Black threatens 23...B-R6 mate, and if Spielmanntries 23 Q-N3 ch, 23... B-K3 dis ch! is decisive. So Spielmann throws inthe towel. A tremendous attacking game by Black. } 0-1
[Event "orangutan's mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-Jan-07"] [Round "-"] [White "olean_don"] [Black "orangutan"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1728"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1748"] 1. d4 { This was part of a Semi-Slav thematic mini. The starting positioncan be found at black's fourth move. } 1... d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 { The starting position. } 5. e3 { White heads for a probable Meran. } 5... Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 { The Meran Variation. This is a very heavily analysedvariation, and both sides are following mainline theory until about move14. } 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O { The current main line. Alternatives are the aggressivee4 or the quiet a3. } 9... a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Ng5 { A major choice point; the main alternative is Nd4. } 14... Nc5 15. e5 Qc6 { Black departs from theory (15 ...Qxe5, usually leading quickly to an endgame).The text is an idea of Shirov's, virtually forcing f3 and clogging up white'slines of attack. } 16. f3 Nfd7 17. Qe2 Nd3 { Delaying white's attack downthe e-file, and freeing c5 for a bishop or queen check. Be7 is anotherinteresting possibility here. } 18. Bxd3 cxd3 19. Qxd3 Nxe5 20. Qe2 h6 21. Re1 { I was expecting 21 Qxe5, whereupon Qc4 is a way of easing thepressure. } 21... hxg5 { The beginning of a very risky plan which in the end didnot succeed. Black tries to break white's king's position open by marchingthis loose pawn down the king's side, while white's major pieces queueup to attack his uncastled king! } 22. Qxe5 g4 23. Bg5 { The problem is thattaking the e5 pawn does not get white far, e.g. Qxe5 Qxe5, Rxe5 Kd7, andwhite is at risk of a strong attack from black's bishops and h8 rook. Themove played stops black castling and makes the threats to his king moreserious. } 23... gxf3 24. gxf3 { White thought about this move for some time, butit seems to be correct. 24 Qxe6 Qxe6, 25 Rxe6 Kd7, the rook must moveand Bc5 seems to be winning. Alternatively 24 Rd1 Bc5 and again blackhas fg with check. } 24... Qc5+ { Bc5 is answered by 25 Be3. The text is intendedto deprive white of this possibility. } 25. Kg2 { 25 Qxc5 Bxc5 and blackhas time to castle, and then it is white's king's position that looks precarious. } 25... Qxe5 26. Rxe5 Bd6 { Obviously aiming at h2, but there are tactical risksto black as well. } 27. Rxe6+ Kd7 28. Rae1 { Allowing Rxh2 . } 28... Rxh2+ 29. Kf1 Bxf3 30. Rxd6+ { I had seen this tactic earlier but taken my eye off theball. } 30... Kxd6 31. Bf4+ Kd7 32. Bxh2 g5 33. Ne4 Rh8 { 33�...Rg8 fails to 34Nf6 . The idea here was 34 Nxg5 Rxh2, 35 Nxf3 Rxb2 and white's king iscut off on the second rank. Liquidating the pawns gives black a chanceof holding a R v R N (or R v R B) pawnless ending. } 34. Nc5+ { ...but whitedoesn't want any of that. } 34... Kc6 35. Bg1 a5 36. Nb3 Bd5 { Of course not 36...a4?, 37 Nd4 ! } 37. Nxa5+ Kd6 38. Ke2 Ke5 { Ra8 or Re8 would have beenbetter. The idea was to seize the chance of crossing the e-file and gettingto the g-pawn. } 39. Kd3+ Kd6 { But then I changed my mind, fearing penetrationby the white king. Indecisive play with a heavy price. } 40. Be3 g4 41. Kd4 Ra8 { Several moves too late to be effective. } 42. Bf4+ Kd7 43. Kxd5 Rxa5 { Still hoping to liquidate the pawns and to reach and hold a Cochraneposition. } 44. Rg1 Rxa2 45. b4 { Black cannot stop white defending thislast pawn by Bd6-c5. } 45... Rf2 46. Rxg4 Rc2 47. Rg7+ Kc8 48. Bd6 Rh2 { What canI say? :-( } 49. Bxh2 { 1-0 } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from sudarshan_v2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.10.02"] [Round "-"] [White "ghyltarvoke"] [Black "sudarshan_v2"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1360"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1555"] 1. e4 { I normally open with 1. e4 unless I have a specific reason not to. } 1... e6 2. d4 { A standard response to the French (1. ... e6). } 2... c5 3. Nf3 { I'veplayed this move before, but the position was usually reached via: 1. e4c5 2. d4 e6 } 3... h6 { I've only seen 3. ... h6 once before as far as I know. } 4. d5 Qe7 { We're off the beaten path now. } 5. dxe6 fxe6 6. e5 { My Pawn'sa bit vulnerable on e5, I'm hoping that I will be able to make some useof it's cramping effect before it is eventually taken. } 6... Nc6 7. c3 g5 8. Bd3 Bg7 9. Bg6+ { Simply to stop Black from being able to Castle. It willbe more awkward for him to develop his Rooks now. } 9... Kd8 10. Qe2 { My e-Pawnis vulnerable and I don't want to lose it. } 10... g4 11. Nfd2 { It looks likeI'll lose that e-Pawn after all. I may b able to get Black's g-Pawn ascompensation. Black's Kingside looks a bit ragged, but on the other handmy King doesn't look like it would be that safe if I castled Kingside.I don't like having my DSB (Dark Square Bishop) blocked in by my Knight,but I don't have any choice. } 11... Nxe5 12. Be4 d5 13. Bc2 a6 14. O-O Bd7 15. f3 { I don't like my Kingside being so cramped, I intended to be the oneattacking on the Kingside. } 15... Bb5 16. c4 Bxc4 17. Nxc4 gxf3 18. gxf3 Nxc4 19. Bb3 Nf6 20. Bxc4 dxc4 21. Rd1+ Nd7 22. Qxc4 b5 23. Qe4 { Now Black isthe one with a vulnerable e-Pawn. } 23... Ra7 24. Nc3 Ke8 25. Re1 Ne5 26. f4 Ng4 27. Qxe6 Qxe6 28. Rxe6+ Kd7 29. Rg6 Bd4+ 30. Kg2 h5 31. Rb1 Rf8 32. h3 Nf2 33. Ne2 { I'd like to skewer Black's Rook on a7, but his DSB is coveringg7 at the moment. } 33... Bh8 34. Kxf2 { I'll take the Knight... If I get the chanceI'll move my Rook to h6; I'd still like to skewer Black's a-Rook, but Imight get a free Pawn out of it if I'm lucky. } 34... Ke8 35. b3 Raf7 36. Rxa6 Bf6 37. Ra8+ Bd8 38. Be3 Rc7 39. Rd1 Ke7 40. Rd5 Rd7 41. Bxc5+ Ke8 42. Rxd7 Kxd7 43. Bxf8 Bb6+ 44. Kf3 Kc7 45. a4 bxa4 46. Rxa4 h4 47. Be7 Kb7 48. Bxh4 { With Black's last Pawn gone I can concentrate on trying to getrid of his Bishop, I'd like to get it for free of course... but I certainlydon't want to give up anything more than my own Bishop for it. } 48... Kc6 49. Rc4+ Kb5 50. Nc3+ Ka5 51. Ra4# { This was purely opportunistic, and I onlynoticed the Mate when it was my turn. I initially just wanted to put Black'sKing under more pressure. } 1-0
[Event "- Walking the Walk -"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.12.25"] [Round "-"] [White "milly64"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2255"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "940"] 1. e4 { I went with the French opening with the King's pawn to e5 and myopponent made the move h6. } 1... h6 { Preparatory move I presume I know it isused to defend against the knight landing on g5. } 2. Nf3 { And here itis Nf3. This move protects h4 and could be a threat to the king if I wereable to move onto g5 but this is not possible with pawn at h6. } 2... e6 { Blackplayed the French opening, wing gambit and moved e6 getting ready for hisnext move d5. } 3. Bc4 { So I develop my LB to c4 it covers two diagonals. I thought that this may stop d5 move but black was not going to let thisbishop stop him taking the d5 square. } 3... d5 { Black now played d5 which Ihad not realised was now protected twice by the pawn and the queen. } 4. exd5 { I thought I should take d5 pawn and no doubt black would reciprocate. } 4... exd5 { This now left me with a pawn which I could not take since the queenwas protecting it. I should have seen that I would be left with a defendedpawn which I would not be able to capture. } 5. Be2 { So I moved LB backto e2! All my advantage given away. I should have moved my LB back tob3 rather than e2 but I thought I was protecting my king. } 5... Nc6 { Black looksbetter just now. I have only one piece developed and as white I had theadvantage but I lost it. } 6. c3 { It seems like I am starting over again. Now I play c3 ready to play d4. } 6... Nf6 { Black develops his knight to Nf6. } 7. d3 { As black played Nf6 I thought I would play d3 to deter him frommoving onto the fourth row with his knights. } 7... Bd6 { Black developed hisDB to d6 attacking my h2 pawn and has access to 2 diagonals to a3 and h2. } 8. h3 { I play h3 to again stop the f knight coming down to g4. I cancastle but have not done so as I feel I am behind and black may attackat any time. } 8... O-O { Black castles. } 9. Be3 { I have moved Db up to e3 tocontrol 2 diagonals. I do not have any control of the centre but blackalso only has one pawn on the 5th row. But this pawn is in the 4 squareswhich make up the centre of the board. } 9... Re8 { Once black castled he movedhis rook out to e8 to take control of e file which white currently has2 bishops and the king is still on its square in the centre. } 10. c4 { Ipushed pawn to c4 threatening d5. } 10... d4 { Black moves pawn to d4 threateningDB on e3. DB is unable to take as d4 is protected by c6 knight. } 11. Nxd4 { I capture d4 pawn with F knight. } 11... Bb4+ { Black moves his DB to b4 and checksking. } 12. Nc3 { I move my B knight to c3 to block the check. } 12... Nxd4 { Blackresponds by capturing my d4 knight with his C knight. This has severelyconstricted my game as I am unable to move my pawns and get any space inthe centre. } 13. O-O { I decide to castle now. } 13... Bf5 { Black moves his LBto f5 attacking my pawn at d3. And also attacking my h3 pawn. } 14. Ne4 { I move my C knight to e4 to give protection to my pawn although the knightis protected by the d3 pawn there are two threats from the bishop at f5and knight at f6. } 14... Nxe4 { Black captures my e4 knight with his F knight. I am just getting more and more constricted by black's pieces. I needto make some room. } 15. Bg4 { I decide to move my LB to g4 to protect theadvance of black I need to put up a bit of a fight. And I also preventthe capture of my pawn at h3. } 15... Bxg4 { Black captures my LB and I resistcapturing with my h pawn as I don't wish to have doubled pawns as it wouldgive black a route in to my king. } 16. f3 { I decide not to take withmy queen as I want to keep her for a little while longer and I push myf pawn forking the knight and LB and also providing protection to the pawnwith my queen at d1. } 16... Ng3 { Black moves his knight to g3 threatening tocapture my rook at f1. } 17. Rf2 { I move my f rook up to f2. } 17... Rxe3 { Blackdecides to bring the rook into the fray and moves rook to c3 threateningmy pawns on the 3rd row. } 18. f4 { I make a step to freedom and push myf pawn to f4 believing it is protected by the rook so should be safe. } 18... Bxd1 { However black sees the chance and captures my queen at d1. I musthave been thinking about this result once I moved my pawn but I must haveseen it as lesser of two evils as I could not just wait for the inevitable. } 19. Rxd1 { It also meant that I could capture a piece and reduce the onslaught! I captured the LB with my a rook. } 19... Nge2+ { Now black moves his g knightto e2 and checks the king. } 20. Kh2 { King moves to h2 to avoid check. } 20... Qh4 { Now black queen joins the attack and moves to h4 threatening my frook and inevitably check is on the cards. } 21. Kh1 { I move my king downto h1 and out of reach of the queen. } 21... Rxh3+ { Then black moves his e rookto h3 and checks the king. } 22. gxh3 { I take the rook with my g pawn. I still have 2 rooks left on the 1st and 2nd row which I hope can helpto protect my king from the black onslaught. } 22... Qxf2 { Black captures my frook with the queen and it is not looking good for the king at h1 withthe queen at f2 and a knight at e2. } 23. Rg1 { I bring my final rook tog1 to assist the king. } 23... Qxg1# { However this was not enough to keep thequeen away and she checkmated my king. I learned that I need to take moretime before I move and feel I do take more time now. I don't want to getmyself constricted like that again so it will make me think about makingsure my opening moves do not include such blunders. But of course I knewI would not beat easy19 and really appreciate his time in playing thisgame. } 0-1
[Event "King's gambit accepted"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.03.15"] [Round "-"] [White "merapi"] [Black "feathered_tiger"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1845"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1670"] { Here's another King's Gambit which, though I win as Black, shows how dangerousit can be even with the less aggressive follow-up from White. } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 { I've lost a lot of games against this gambit, though mostlyon blitz, to the point where I'm wary of accepting it. But more recentlywins have encouraged me, so... } 3. Nf3 { Allowing 3...Qh4+ is playable,apparently, but I doubt many players with the White pieces would fancyit! } 3... d6 { Fischer's 'bust to the King's gambit' started with this, and thoughit's arguably an improvement on the immediate 3...g5 to support the pawnbecause it stops the Knight going to e5 it's hardly busting the gambitalone; there's a long way to go. } 4. h3 { Preventing the pin, but Whiteneeds to be quite aggressive now, having given up a pawn, with somethinglike 4.Bc4 attacking the f7 pawn (the point of giving up the f-pawn afterall) or 4.d4, pretty much forcing 4...g5 if Black wants to keep the pawn. } 4... g5 { White's last, rather passive move, gives Black the option to play 4...Nf6and start developing, but I'm rather stuck in the usual mindset and playthe usual move, defending my won pawn. } 5. Bc4 { Starting his attack onf7. } 5... Bg7 { Since I've played the g-pawn out, it seems logical to followup with this. } 6. c3 { Far too slow. White can play 6.d4 right away; there'sreally no need for this prepatory move, which just seems to hand Blacka tempo. } 6... Nc6 { Had White played 6.d4 on his last move he could have played7.Nc3 now, with quite an intimidating centre. But c3 is occupied... } 7. d4 { At least he gets his central pawns in place. } 7... Qe7 { Attacking the undefendede-pawn and preparing to castle Q-side once the Bishop is out. } 8. O-O { Whiteadds to the indirect pressure on f7, and now taking the e-pawn is disatrousdue to 8...Qxe4 9.Re1 and the Queen is pinned. } 8... Bd7 { The only square formy Bishop to land safely, but that's okay. } 9. b4 { Suddenly I don't fancycastling Q-side! It's still quite possible, for if after 9...O-O-O 10.b5then 10...Na5 drives the Bishop away from its diagonal against f7. ButI didn't think of that and still don't like it. } 9... a6 { Instead I try to preventthe b-pawn's advance first. } 10. a4 { White is making castling Q-side lookprecarious, though perhaps starting to develop his Q-side pieces mighthave been a better plan. 10.Na3 supports the b5 square without the riskof opening the a-file. } 10... h5 { Still, he's done enough to put me off Q-sidecastling, and I start to advance on the opposite wing instead. Now Whitemakes a rather surprising gamble.... } 11. Nxg5 { Giving up a piece withonly one other piece developed is a risky strategy, but he's continuingwith the basic King's gambit plan of hitting f7. A shame, really, as 11.e5dxe5 12.Ba3 tips the balance White's way. I should have got my King awayfrom the centre earlier, but fortunately I get away with it. } 11... Qxg5 12. Bxf4 { White's attack does look intimidating, even though he's given upsome material to get it. And the Black Queen doesn't have too many escapesquares. } 12... Qg6 { I decide this is the best one, since it's lining up againstthe King and 13...Bxh3 is potentially a killer. } 13. Qf3 { Guarding theh-pawn but more importantly lining up yet another piece against f7. 13.Kh1would have been a good, if less glamourous option. But this opening isabout attack, after all! } 13... Nf6 { I pondered on a few moves here, and decidedon this as it gives me the option of castling K-side, blocks the Queen'sline to f7 and gets out my final piece. 13...Be6 does the job of protectingf7 better though. } 14. e5 { Now White mis-steps, keen on opening centralfiles before he's quite ready to use them. 14.Bd3 first would have madethe threat of this pawn advance more dangerous. And 14.Nbd2 gets out thefinal piece and unties the Rooks so the Rook on a1 can come to the centre. } 14... dxe5 15. dxe5 Ne4 { It didn't even occur to me that giving back the materialwith 15...Ng4 16.hxg4 hxg4 17.Qg3 O-O-O gives me a better position; theKnight seemed safer here, protected by the Queen. } 16. Re1 { However, it'sdifficult to defend, and White seizes the initiative. } 16... Bf5 { Defending theKnight once... } 17. Bd5 { Only to see it attacked again. Time to liquidatethe position with 17...O-O-O 18.Bxe4 Bxe4 19.Rxe4 Rd1+ 20.Qxd1 Qxe4, butI quite missed that 19...Rd1 was possible and decided to get my Knightout of its hole. } 17... Ng5 { Revealing a horrible diagonal towards c6, b7 andmy Rook. It was starting to look like White might get the upper hand now. } 18. Bxg5 Qxg5 19. Bxf7+ { Instead he goes for that f7 point he's been buildingup against all the way through the game, effectively handing me a win ifI play properly. And this when the expected 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.Qxc6+ Ke7 21.Qc5+and there's probably a draw by repetition. } 19... Kxf7 20. e6+ Ke7 { That pawnis going nowhere. Maybe a check with the Queen on d5 would have been slightlymore effective, but my material advantage is now such I have to blunderto lose this. } 21. Ra2 { Had that Knight moved to d2 when it had ample opportunityWhite wouldn't have to make this rather convoluted move. } 21... Be5 { Cuttingoff support for the pawn. } 22. Rae2 { White builds up against the King. } 22... Bxe6 { Now the pawn falls, though I have opened the file for the Rooks,which was, in retrospect, not clever. } 23. b5 { White can shift one of thedefenders of the Bishop that's in the line of fire now. } 23... Raf8 { I shouldof course have done this earlier. } 24. Qd3 { Better on e3 to keep up thepressure a little, but I feel I'm still on top even then. } 24... Bf5 { On d3 theQueen can be attacked again. However, the Queen can go to e3 now and Ilose material. Probably not enough to win, the Knight will fall. } 25. Rxe5+ { Instead White opens up an attack, possibly forgetting that the Rook canbe captured by the Knight, which has had a lucky escape! } 25... Nxe5 26. Rxe5+ Kf6 27. Qd4 { The threat of a discovered check is easiliy dealt with... } 27... Rd8 28. Rxf5+ { And as White's material dwindles so do his chances. } 28... Kxf5 29. Qc5+ { Now he has just the Queen and Knight to chase my King around,hoping to get a position where perpetual checks are viable. } 29... Kg6 30. Qxc7 { It's at this point that computer analyses go awry, since the suggestedbest move 30.Qxg5+ means White has no hope of perpetual check. } 30... axb5 { Ididn't like the look of those pawns with the Queen in attendance, eventhough the Knight is there for the taking. } 31. Na3 { It escapes! } 31... Qd5 { 31...Qc1+wins the Knight, but I spend the next few moves trying to set up a forcedQueen exchange while also avoiding White's checks. } 32. Nxb5 { A pawn fallsand the Knight is able to be nuisance value, since it guards d6 where Iwas hoping my Queen might land at some point. } 32... Rc8 { Harrassing. I reallyhave to blunder badly to lose this, and White is heavily outnumbered, buthe has still proved remarkably persistent for some time. } 33. Qg3+ Kh7 { Now he's running out of checks though. } 34. Nd4 Rhg8 { And I can line mymaterial up against the King. } 35. Qd3+ Rg6 36. Qe2 Rcg8 { Actually, takingthe pawn on c3 is a quicker route to mate. But not being a computer I dowhat seems the more logical approach! } 37. Nf3 Qc5+ 38. Nd4 Qg5 { Now thereis no escape. I've missed a couple of forced mates and it did strike methat just giving up the Rooks for the Queen would leave me with an easyending. But White's persistent escapes were driving me a little nuts. } 39. Qe7+ { So nuts, in fact, that I quite miss the en-prise Queen! } 39... R8g7 40. Qe2 Qc1+ { White resigned here, after escaping a few forced mates thatI quite missed, and proving that the King's gambit can still pack a punch.Even though I won I felt in peril for much of the middle game, and Whitecertainly missed a drawing chance. } 0-1
[Event "78th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.05.11"] [Round "-"] [White "chiffon"] [Black "thereaper1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1351"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1370"] 1. e4 { A nice miniature } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 { Fried liver attack } 4... Bc5 { I have been dying to play this variation for ages now } 5. Nxf7 { Betteris Bxf7+ } 5... Bxf2+ 6. Kxf2 { Again not recommended. Play is just too wild ifwhite takes on f2 and white usually comes off worse } 6... Nxe4+ 7. Ke3 { Againnot the best continuation. this just exposes the king to too much attackingcombinations. } 7... Qh4 { Now white needs to make the correct move or he willbe sorry. } 8. Nxh8 { ??? Wrong move. Mate is now unavoidable. } 8... Qf4+ { BothKe2 and Kd3 lead to mate. If Kd3 then Nb4+ Ke2 Qf2# If Ke2 then Qf2+Kd3 Nc5+ Kc3 Qd4# } 9. Ke2 { White chosses the option that holds out longest } 9... Qf2+ 10. Kd3 Nc5+ 11. Kc3 Qd4# { Hope you enjoyed this quick game. Playedin one day :) } 0-1
[Event "Gameknot Real-time Chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "7 Sept 2018"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles L Higgie"] [Black "batabatuta "] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "5 mins + 10 secs"] [WhiteElo "About 2000"] { Ok, it is 'only' a quick-play. } 1. e4 { But I found this a fun game! } 1... c5 { I sac a piece for two pawns and an attack. My attack doesn't break through,but I gain another pawn and manage to win the ending. } 2. Nf3 { So I aimfor an open Sicilian. } 2... Nc6 { He seems to be heading for the same. } 3. d4 { The usual advance. } 3... e6 { But what is this? My opponent (who doesn't statea sex) offers a transposition to a Benoni type position. } 4. d5 { So I accept. } 4... exd5 { The pawn is taken. } 5. exd5 { I take back. } 5... Nb4 { The knight runs here. } 6. c3 { I attack it again. } 6... Na6 { Knight drops back. } 7. Bxa6 { I take - Iam looking for quick development and keeping the black king in the centre. } 7... bxa6 { Takes back. } 8. O-O { I castle. } 8... d6 { Black prevents the further advanceof the d pawn. } 9. Re1+ { I throw in a check. } 9... Be7 { Black blocks. } 10. Bg5 { I am trying to make it hard for black to develop. } 10... f6 { He hits the bishop,but the e6 square is now weak. } 11. Bf4 { Bishop drops back. } 11... g5 { Blackattacks the bishop again. What would you play here dear reader? Fritz recommends12. Be3. This position was reached in a Gameknot game kiede (1698) vs.vl007 (1762) where 12. Bg3 was played and white won after Qb6 13.b3Kd714.Nbd2Nh6 15.Nc4Qd8 16.Qd3Kc7 17.Rxe7+Bd7 18.Bxd6+Kc8 19.Qe3 However in this game I was not using the opening databases. I couldn'tresist sacrificing on g5 - I spent most of my time thinking about whichpiece to sacrifice. If you had to sacrifice on g5, which piece would youuse? } 12. Nxg5 { I took this way. } 12... fxg5 { Black takes back. } 13. Bxg5 { Itake. Fritz gives slight advantage to black now (+0.2) } 13... Kf7 { There is somelogic in this, in breaking the pin, but perhaps Kd7 as in kiede (1698)vs. vl007 (1762) was better. } 14. Qh5+ { Of course! Fritz gives it as +3.25to white now. } 14... Kg7 { What would you play here dear reader? Black threatensBxg5 of course! } 15. Bxe7 { I completely missed 15. Rxe7! which wins a knight,as after 15......Nxe7 16. Bh6+ white wins the rook on h8 and ends up aknight up. Thanks to Fritz for pointing that out! } 15... Nxe7 { So black takesback. } 16. Nd2 { Fritz puts white at -0.5 now. } 16... Ng6 { Black logically givethe king some cover. } 17. Re3 { With ideas of doubling on the e file and/ormoving the rook into action to f3 or g3. Fritz prefers Ne4. } 17... Rf8 { Blackmobilizes the Rh8. } 18. Rae1 { And I get mine into action. } 18... Bd7 { I thinkthis is a mistake. Time to either drive my queen back with Rf5 or to movehis other rook to b8 and attack b2. A problem with putting the bishop onthis square is that the protection of d6 is blocked. } 19. Ne4 { So I tryto exploit that, with an attack on d6. } 19... Bf5 { Fritz prefers Rf5. } 20. Ng5 { Heading for the weak e6 square. Fritz now puts white as 0.5 up. } 20... h6 { Blackattacks the knight. } 21. Ne6+ { So in it goes. A real family fork, attackingking, queen and rook. } 21... Bxe6 { Of course black has to take. } 22. Rxe6 { Itake back. attacking the knight. } 22... Rf6 { The best way, leading to anotherexchange. } 23. Rxf6 { I take. } 23... Qxf6 { Queen takes back. } 24. Re6 { The otherrook comes in. } 24... Qg5 { Forcing an ending where I have three pawns for theknight. Fritz prefers 24.....Nf4 25. Rxf6 Nxh5 26. Rxd6 Nf4 27. g3 Nd3and the black knight is more active than in the game, but I don't thinkit makes much difference. the way Fritz suggests gives me two passed pawns,but this way, only one. } 25. Qxg5 { So I take. } 25... hxg5 { Black takes back. } 26. Rxd6 { I take the pawn. } 26... Re8 { Black threatens mate! } 27. Kf1 { Fritzprefers 27. g3 keeping the knight out, and leaving white 0.34 ahead. } 27... Nf4 { The knight comes in. } 28. Rxa6 { I take another pawn. } 28... Nd3 { Black threatensmate again. } 29. Rxa7+ { Another pawn goes with check. } 29... Kg6 { Fritz prefersKf6, but it makes little difference. } 30. g3 { I give my king a flight square. } 30... Rd8 { Black goes after my d pawn. } 31. c4 { So I protect it. } 31... Rf8 { Attackingf2. } 32. Ke2 { So I attack his knight. } 32... Nxb2 { Black takes my b pawn. } 33. Rc7 { I go after the black c pawn. } 33... Nxc4 { Black takes. } 34. Rxc5 { I take. } 34... Re8+ { Black checks. I am not convinced these checks are good - they justseem to drive my king up the board to where I want him to go. } 35. Kd3 { I attack the knight. } 35... Ne5+ { Another check. } 36. Kd4 { King up again. } 36... Nf3+ { Another check. } 37. Kc4 { King moves away. Here was one of the few timesblack paused and thought. I'd guess my opponent was looking at taking onh2 and worked out that there wasn't time. Fritz like 37...g4 here. } 37... Re4+ { Black throws in another check. } 38. Kb5 { My king now is in a good attackingposition. } 38... Nd4+ { So the knight comes back to help defend. } 39. Kb6 { Whiteking continues to advance. } 39... Re8 { Rook hurries back. } 40. d6 { Pawn advances,but Fritz thinks it is the wrong one, and prefers 40. a4 } 40... Rb8+ { Yet anothercheck. } 41. Kc7 { Rook is now attacked. Fritz actually prefers a7, but Ithought this was more logical, keeping the king near the pawn. } 41... Ra8 { Sorook flees to the corner. } 42. d7 { Fritz prefers 42. Kb7 but I was runningshort of time, and not sure whether I was trying to win or draw this. Isaw the combination which lost my d pawn, but exchanged rooks, and thenI saw that I could exchange black's remaining pawn and have at least adraw. } 42... Ne6+ { Of course! } 43. Kb7 { I attack the rook. } 43... Nxc5+ { Black takesmy rook. } 44. Kxa8 { I take the black rook. } 44... Nxd7 { My pawn goes. } 45. f3 { But I am going to play h4 next move and exchange the last black pawn. } 45... Kf5 { The black king comes up. Fritz gives this as a mistake. } 46. h4 { Icarry out my plan. } 46... Nc5 { Rather random knight move. Fritz is also criticalof it. } 47. hxg5 { So I take. } 47... Kxg5 { Black takes back. } 48. Ka7 { I wasn'tusing an endgame database, but I managed to find the only move to win,according to it! } 48... Nd3 { Another random knight move. } 49. a4 { Most moveswin, but this is the quickest. } 49... Ne5 { Attacking the pawn. } 50. a5 { HereI missed the quicker win 50. f4! } 50... Nc6+ { Knight check. } 51. Kb6 { Protectingthe pawn and attacking the knight. } 51... Nb8 { Knight returns to the square itscolleague started on. } 52. a6 { No stopping white now. } 52... Nd7+ { Another check. } 53. Kc6 { Attacking the knight. Kc7 is even stronger, but this was enoughto force black to resign. Thanks for reading, I hope you found it enjoyableand educational. Please rank the annotation with the star system and leavea comment or two to let me know how I am doing. Until next time dear reader! } 1-0
[Event "In the nick of time: ironbutterfly's ultra-fast #87"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.16"] [Round "-"] [White "rjacobs"] [Black "vento73m"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1503"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1529"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 { Opting to keep my QB at home and defendthe gambit pawn. } 4... Bg4 { Black chooses to develop his QB outside the pawnwall. } 5. Be2 e6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Nc3 Nbd7 8. b3 { Standard developing movesso far. With this move I confirm the decision to fianchetto the QB. } 8... O-O 9. Bb2 Qb8 { An interesting attempt to attack h2. Why not 9....Qc7 though,which would have connected Black's rooks? } 10. h3 { White asks the questionof Black's QB and takes the h-pawn out of the firing line. After the swapon f3 there will be no advantage to Black in playing his other Bishop toh2. } 10... Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Qd8 { so the Q returns to base ... } 12. Rc1 { White resumesnormal development } 12... a6 { This both prepares ...b5 and discourages a futureNb5 by White } 13. Re1 Rc8 14. e4 { This break threatens to fork Black'sB and N, so Black has to respond actively. } 14... Bf4 { counter-attacking } 15. Rc2 Ne8 { Now, with Black unable to play his Rook to e8, looks a good timeto open lines, so... } 16. exd5 cxd5 17. cxd5 e5 { by not retaking, Blackgives up a pawn but sets White other problems. } 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Be2 Nf6 20. Qd4 { looks powerful but there is a sting in Black's reply } 20... Qd6 { Now,at first glance, if 21. Qxf4, Nf3+ seems to win the Q but White can captureon f3 with his Q } 21. Qxf4 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Rxc2 { The sting hits home. } 23. Bxe5 Qxd5 { As the dust clears, White has two minor pieces for a rook: virtuallya level game. } 24. Bf3 { skewering Black's Q to his pawn on b7 } 24... Qa5 { butBlack counter-attacks against White's undefended rook and a2 pawn } 25. Rd1 Qxa2 26. Qg3 { threatening mate in one } 26... f6 27. b4 { ignoring the threatto the Be5 to threaten Bd5+, forking the Black Queen } 27... Kh8 28. Bd6 Rfc8 29. Bc5 { splitting the rooks and bolstering the defence of f2 } 29... Qc4 30. Rd7 { threatening mate in one again } 30... Rc1+ 31. Kh2 Rg8 { defending againstthe threat } 32. Bd5 { forking Q and R - surely decisive? } 32... Qf1 { in turn threateningmate in one } 33. Qxg7+ { and Black resigned because of 33....Rxg7 34. Rd8+Rg8 35. Rxg8# } 1-0
[Event "Up the Swanney!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.13"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2279"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1771"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone! Had a duel with the Master Mater I would much ratherforget, but I must see if I can learn something from this - the only recurringtheme seems to be that I tend to get rid of my opponent's pawns only tofind myself in a killer pin - ouch and double ouch! This is the KingsIndian Defense 4 pawns attack opening which is a thematic tournament. The non-set up moves start on move 6 where I played Nf3 which is the mainline in the World DB. } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3 a6 { 6. ........ a6 - this little pawn move prepares a pawn roll down thequeenside beginning with b5. Very reminiscent of a Sicilian Dragon/Naijdorfsetup later on with both sides castling on opposite sides. Well, I don'teven get started on my attack. } 7. Bd3 Bg4 8. Be3 Nfd7 { 8. ...... Nfd7- opening up the f column for a possible Hoover Dam busting f5. Yup itdoes get busted and the only thing that is gonna get sucked up Freddy'sNumatic Henry HVR200 (http://www.electrocentreltd.com/viewproduct.asp?pid=5140)is King Henry! } 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 { 10. Qxf3 - white's positionlooks perfectly OK at this point, but appearances can be very deceptive. } 10... Nc6 11. Qf2 { 11. Qf2 - Glenda adds some extra defence (as usual) to theweak link in the dam, the d4 pawn. } 11... e5 { 11. ....... e5 - the Dambuster! } 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. f5 { 13. f5 - recommended in the DB. } 13... Nd4 14. O-O-O { 14.0-0-0 - this move was played in the World DB but in retrospect I thinkI should have castled short here. Do you the Inquest Jury agree? } 14... b5 15. cxb5 { 15. cxb5 - a deviation from the db but is it a good one? } 15... axb5 16. Kb1 c6 17. b3 Nc5 18. Qb2 Ndxb3 19. Bxb5 { 19. Bxb5?? - here Freddy suggestedfxg6. I was expecting cxb5, axb3 but I was just sooo green, soooo ballygreen! I completely overlooked the deadly Nd4. } 19... Nd4 20. Bxc6 { 20. Bxc6- walking into a pin but there seemed nothing better. } 20... Rb8 21. Bb5 Qa5 { 21. ...... Qa5 - piling up on Fou Leblanc and that poor prelate just hasn'tgot a prayer! } 22. fxg6 { 22. fxg6 - too little too late. As it looks asthough I will drop a piece I might as well try and get rid of as many blackpawns as possible. Alas, the damage will be much greater than a pieceas I am just about to find out...... } 22... Nxb5 23. gxf7+ Kh8 { 23. ...... Kh8- quiet move before the storm. } 24. Kc2 { 24. Kc2?? - I play this move overlookingNd4+ winning Glenda. I only see it after I pressed the submit button. You cannot expect the Master Mater to miss this tactic can you? So Idecided to wave the white flag and give Freddy his deserved victory. Asorry (white) picture. You can safely say here, Coach Ion, that my tacticswere well and truly up the Swanney - Joanne } 0-1
[Event "A neat trap for black"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.26"] [Round "-"] [White "santiagomx"] [Black "greyblack"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1343"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1220"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 { A very common opening move. } 2... Nc6 3. Nf3 Nd4 { Try thisif you are sure you are not playing someone who would be suspicious ofa trap. } 4. Nxe5 { White takes the poisoned pawn. } 4... Qg5 { Queen comes to feintan attack on the knight. } 5. Nxf7 { White think they have a fork. } 5... Qxg2 { Black starts to make trouble. } 6. Rf1 Qxe4+ { End game. } 7. Be2 { Whitehas nothing to offer. } 7... Nf3# { Sweet. Good to use on kids learning the gameto make them aware at all times of traps and a good lesson to never takethe poisoned pawn. Do not feel the need to leave negative comments. xx } 0-1
[Event "74th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.11.23"] [Round "-"] [White "blackeagle"] [Black "dougcosine"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1362"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1275"] 1. Nc3 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 e6 4. g3 c5 5. e3 cxd4 6. exd4 h6 7. Bg2 Bb4 8. Bd2 Nc6 9. O-O b6 10. a3 Bd6 11. Nb5 Ne4 12. Ne5 Ba6 13. a4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxf1 15. Bxf1 Nxd2 16. Bb5+ Kf8 17. Ndc6 Qc7 18. Qxd2 a6 19. Bd3 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 Qxe5 21. Qb4+ Ke8 22. Bxa6 h5 { It was good to pass up RxBa6, becausethat would actually be a trade--Qb5+ followed by QxRa6. Black can't castlebecause of white's queen and bishop. Instead of pushing the h pawn, whatwould be wrong with threatening white's c pawn with Qc7? This protectsPb6, but is easily countered with Pc3. Pushing the h pawn isn't that badan idea. } 23. Qxb6 Ke7 24. Qb4+ Kf6 25. Re1 Rhb8 26. Qh4+ Qg5 { I thoughtblocking with the queen was a real good idea too. Trade down, you're apawn ahead! You probably are already well aware of this, but... 7/8 isclose to 1. 6/7 is not as close. 5/6 is further yet ... 1/2 becomes anoverwhelming 2 to 1 advantage. :) } 27. Bb5 Qxh4 { Has the further advantageof doubling white's h rank pawns. } 28. gxh4 g5 { This I'm not as confidentabout. White's h4 pawn is pretty easy pickings. No need to break up yourown pawns doing something Kf5 Kg4 KxPh4 could eventually accomplish. } 29. hxg5+ Kxg5 30. b3 Rc8 31. Bd3 Rg8 { One thing to watch out for (whenlining up kings and rooks) is that rooks behind kings are actually exposed. To make matters worse ALL your pieces (except the king) now occupy whitesquares where they are vulnerable to the white bishop. } 32. Kh1 Rac8 { Ifwhite moves his bishop (to sacrifice a pawn, for example) the g8 rook couldbe left defenseless. } 33. Ba6 Rxc2 { :( } 34. Rg1+ Kh4 35. Rxg8 Kh3 36. Rg3+ Kh4 37. Kg2 f5 38. Rg6 e5 39. Rd6 Rd2 40. Bb7 d4 41. Rd5 Re2 42. Kf1 Rb2 43. Rxe5 f4 { ? What was wrong with RxPb3? That forces white to moveor protect the bishop, after which Pf4 works. It will take white two bishopmoves to threaten Ph5. } 44. Bf3 { Or, nope. Only one. Rb1+ Rg1+ onlytightens the noose. Re2 offers the ever so slim hope of RxR, freeing theking. But that is as faint as Ke2. I suspect this analysis revealed nothinguseful to you. I should look at some games you won and complement youon the good moves. } 44... Rb1+ 45. Kg2 Rg1+ 46. Kxg1 d3 47. Kg2 { ? The kingdoesn't need to be there for RxPh5#. } 47... d2 48. Rxh5# 1-0
[Event "GameKnot Blitz"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.11.08"] [Round "-"] [White "simleechem"] [Black "coolistdude"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "5"] { This is a standard opening game, my opening theory could use some work.That game ends with an interesting, and forcing combination. Annotationswill be light until the end. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Bf5 { I like anddon't like taking my bishop off the e8 a3 diagonal. } 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Nbd7 7. e3 e6 8. Rc1 Bb4 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O Qb6 12. a3 Bxc3 13. bxc3 { I like white's position above my own here. I justdon't really have anything going on. } 13... Ne4 14. c4 Rac8 15. c5 { White choosesto extend. } 15... Qa5 16. Qb3 Rc7 { Black is becoming more tangled up, white needsto build the pressure. } 17. Bxe4 dxe4 { !? Although this damages my pawnstructure, it gains a tempo, forces white into an awkward spot as his knightmust move to e5 or e1, and gives me time to halt white's pawn advancementpressure. } 18. Nd2 { ?? Flat out blunder. } 18... Qxd2 19. Bg3 Rcc8 20. Qxb7 Nf6 21. Qa6 { White still has a chance with his free pawn on c. } 21... Nd5 { I wastoying with the idea of Nxe3, but the bishop barred it from being a successfulplan. } 22. Rb1 Qd3 { Nc3 is just not strong enough due to Rb7 } 23. Qxa7 Ra8 24. Qd7 Qxa3 { Now there is only one pawn for me to deal with. At worst,my knight can be exchanged for it. } 25. Ra1 { ?? This move augments a vulnerabilityin white's back rank. Black's queen goes kamikaze and annihilates white. } 25... Qxa1 { ! The rook was hanging. If white retakes, 26. ... Rxa1# } 26. Bd6 { Interesting, if 26. ... Qany, 27. Bxf8. If 26. ... Qa7 27. Qxa7 Rxa7 28.Bxf8. If 26. ... Rd8 27. Qxd8+ Rxd8 28. Rxa1 It's winning for black butnot an immediate win. I went for more. } 26... Nc3 { ! White is undone. I am threateningNe2+ followed by Qxf1# and Qxf1 followed by Ra1#. } 27. h3 Qxf1+ { ! If28. Kh2 Ne2 followed by Qg1#. Note, 27. Ne2+ Kh2 28. Qxf1 works as well.I think this looks prettier though as it gives the option of Kxf1. } 28. Kxf1 { ? This loses quicker. } 28... Ra1# { gg simleechem. 0:48 vs 1:45. } 0-1
[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.12.26"] [Round "-"] [White "n3wbm4n"] [Black "johnjarvinen"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1940"] [TimeControl "3:00 + 10 sec"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { So first off this game was a rematch blitz game with the time controlsset to 3:00 + 10 seconds, so we really didn't have too much time to thinkor analyze positions fully. My opponent had just destroyed me because Iwas cocky about my rating and played the ponziani opening. I found outthat he was much much stronger than advertised. } 1. d4 c6 { I usually choosethis response because It allows me to transpose into either the slav defenseafter white plays c4 (with an immediate d5), or into a modern defense systemafter e4 If white decides to occupy the center with his pawns. } 2. c4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 { The Slav defense Breyer Variation with both knights defendthe respective queen pawns and controlling the center. } 4. Nc3 g6 5. e3 Bg7 6. Be2 O-O { This is the desired position for black I was looking forwhen playing this type of system. It is very solid and there are few exploitableweaknesses except for an undeveloped queenside, but how will white tryattacking? } 7. O-O a6 { This is the desired position for black I was lookingfor when playing this type of system. It is very solid and there are fewexploitable weaknesses except for an undeveloped queenside, but how willwhite be able to exploit this? (It's worthy to note that white's queensideisn't fully developed either, a weakness that I can try to later exploit!) } 8. cxd5 { my opponent told me at this move that he hated this position sohe relieves some tension in the center, other options to keep it equalwould be c5 closing the position, but leaving the knight immobilized...or Qb3, adding more pressure to the diagonal and pinning the Bishop downto the b pawn. } 8... cxd5 9. Qb3 { after I recapture he decides to play it, butthe knight on c3 cant really do much after the exchange. } 9... Nc6 { developingmy queen side in a manner that was only given to me after the criticalpawn exchange. } 10. Ng5 { This move gets a ?, the only things I could guesswere that he was doing here was trying to invoke a weakness on my kingsidepawn structure provoking me to play h6 or maybe rerouting the knight tof4 via h3??? Or maybe he was just trying to confuse me! It was around 3:30am for him though... } 10... b5 { not going for the bait, curing my b7 weaknessand pushing for some space on the queenside. } 11. e4 { e4!? My opponentwas probably expecting me to exchange pawns with 10... dxe4 11. Ngxe4 Nfxe412. Ncxe4 allowing his knight to make use of the c5 square as an outpost. } 11... Nxd4 { Both the Knight on e3 and the pawn on e3 stopped defending this poorpawn, not only that I now threaten his queen and can trade a knight forthe light squared bishop. } 12. Qb4 { Another mistake by white, falling apartin the position. Qd1 is his only real option. } 12... Nxe2+ { This was a blitzgame and in retrospect I should have played Nc2 forking the queen and therook. } 13. Nxe2 Bb7 { Developing my bishop and posing the question'Whatdo you want to do with that e pawn? } 14. Nc3 { return to defending withthe knight, It might have been better to just exchange or even strongerto push the pawn to e5! } 14... d4 { I'll push my pawn, I'd rather take the advantagesof a passed pawn in the end game especially If he lets me move a pawn toe5 next turn with a move like Rd1 or a horrible knight move. } 15. e5 { Sothe calculations must begin... } 15... dxc3 { I figure that I'll be up in materialanyway this goes down, especially because I've got the tempo on him. } 16. exf6 cxb2 { my pawn has almost eaten enough of white's pieces to becomea queen, white's best choice may be to take with the bishop now, this willhowever leave him down one more pawn after all the exchanges happen. } 17. fxe7 { goin for my queen? Better may was Bxb2, or even fxg7 followed bygxf8=Q (the line i was thinking might happen.) } 17... bxa1=Q 18. exd8=Q Raxd8 { The highly awsome queen teleport move completes and leaves me a rook upin material after the exchanges because white hasn't developed his bishopon the queenside. This shows that you should try to develop all your pieces,before its too late! } 19. Bb2 { Too late. } 19... Qxb2 { White resigns after thisposition. Hope you've enjoyed the game! } 0-1
[Event "The Knights Coaching Project"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.08"] [Round "-"] [White "dungeonking"] [Black "sonata296"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1431"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1320"] 1. e4 { I won this game against a superior opponent. He made one fatalblunder which cost him his queen. Moves one through six are thematic involvinga Queen sacrifice to put pressure on blacks king } 1... c5 { I love the Sicilianas black and play it often. } 2. f4 { This is known as the 'grand prix attack'. I usually dont play this move as it weakens whites kingside but it offerssome surprises as you will see. } 2... d5 { I prefer Nc6 because I dont like tobring the queen out early and expose it to attack. } 3. Nf3 { White gambitsthe e4 pawn to get fast development to blacks kingside. } 3... dxe4 4. Ng5 { ifh6 the knight takes back the pawn with a centralized knight } 4... Nf6 { defendingthe e4 pawn and developing a piece } 5. Bc4 { Now white develops his bishopto a good diagonal and threatens with a knight fork } 5... Bg4 { black counterattacksby trapping the Queen but white is not worried here } 6. Qxg4 { The queensacrifice here. White will be down three points but has a superior position. } 6... Nxg4 7. Bxf7+ { White foregoes the fork to put pressure on the black king. The king has one forced move and cannot castle } 7... Kd7 8. Be6+ { White wantsto catch up on material while forcing blacks king to move hampering hisdevelopment. } 8... Kc6 9. Bxg4 Qd5 { Black blunders here by placing his Queenon the same diagonal with his king. I still have my light squared bishop. } 10. Ne6 { I move my knight here in a better position. I can take out hisbishop since bishops are worth more than knights in a semi open game. } 10... e3 { Blacks ultimate blunder here. Now I have his Queen! } 11. Bf3 exd2+ { black tries to do some additional damage here but to no avail. } 12. Bxd2 Qxf3 { Black takes out my light squared bishop his best trade here. } 13. gxf3 { Now im ahead a minor piece but have doubled pawns on the kingside. } 13... Kd6 { Black is going after my knight here and i gladly take the bishop } 14. Nxf8 Rxf8 15. Nc3 { Developing my knight for queenside castling. Aimingmy knight for b5 } 15... Nc6 { black develops his knight here } 16. O-O-O Nd4 { blackattacks my undefended double pawn at f3 while protecting b5 at the sametime. } 17. Rhf1 { Now i cant develop this rook on an open file. } 17... Rf7 { Ithought g5 was better here } 18. Ne4+ Kc6 19. Be3 { Im putting double pressureon his centralized knight now. } 19... Ne2+ { a move i overlooked he now wins thef4 pawn } 20. Kb1 Nxf4 21. Nxc5 { When he grabbed that pawn he over lookedmy knight move here. Now my rook is on an open file. } 21... Nd5 { black is tryingto fork my rooks here but to no avail } 22. Bg1 { I moved my bishop hereto protect my knight and cover the e3 forking square. } 22... Raf8 { double stackingthe rooks is not a good idea here as you will see on the next move. } 23. Ne6 Re8 24. c4 Nc7 25. Nxc7 Kxc7 26. Bxa7 { Wearing him down while winninghis a pawn. } 26... b6 { He's going to try and trap my bishop here but to no availas you will see on the next move. } 27. c5 bxc5 28. Bxc5 e6 29. b4 { Nowim looking to promote my pawns here on the queenside } 29... Kc6 30. Kb2 { Nowill get my king into the action } 30... Rb8 31. Rd6+ { Now im smelling a possiblemating attack } 31... Kc7 32. Rxe6 { just wearing him down and hope to exchangerooks } 32... Rf5 33. Re7+ Kc6 34. Kc3 Rg5 35. a4 Rg2 36. h4 { I wasted time hereand should have concentrated on his king } 36... Rg3 37. Kc4 { The king has donehis job here cutting off the d5 and b5 squares mate in two. } 37... Rh3 38. b5+ { Rxb5 axb5 mate. } 1-0
[Event "materialkiller's mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-Dec-06"] [Round "-"] [White "tag1153"] [Black "materialkiller"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1300"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1427"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. cxd5 exd5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 Bb4 7. Bd3 Bg4 8. Ne2 Nbd7 9. h3 Bh5 10. g4 Bg6 11. Bxg6 hxg6 { I don't know the theoryof this line of the QGD / exchange but I prefer Black since White's kingsideweakness looks real. } 12. Qc2 { Black could grab a pawn by Nxg4, I didn'teven consider it at the time. } 12... Ne4 13. O-O { I prefer 0-0-0 castle at leastthen white could press a kingside attack without a expose king on thatside. } 13... Rxh3 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Qxe4+ Qe7 16. Qxe7+ Kxe7 { Material is evenbut hard to tell who is better. } 17. Kg2 Rah8 18. Rh1 Rxh1 19. Rxh1 Rxh1 20. Kxh1 { White's rook trades have left his king farther away from thecenter in the endgame. } 20... c5 21. a3 Be1 22. Kg2 cxd4 23. Nxd4 Bd2 24. Kf3 { A mistake - trying to correct the placement of his worst piece but allowsa pawn to fall. } 24... Bc1 25. b3 Bxa3 26. Ke2 a6 { A small step to limit thepower of white's knight. } 27. Bc7 Nf6 { Strengthing the knight with gainof time. } 28. f3 Nd5 29. Ba5 Bb4 30. Bxb4+ Nxb4 { Black has reduce the endgameto Knights with a pawn up. } 31. e4 Nc6 32. Nxc6+ { Keeping the Knights onlooks like a better way to gain drawing chances. } 32... bxc6 33. Kd3 Kd6 34. f4 f6 35. b4 c5 36. Kc4 cxb4 37. Kxb4 g5 { Black is clearly winning. } 38. fxg5 fxg5 39. Ka5 Ke5 40. Kxa6 Kxe4 41. Kb5 Kf4 42. Kc4 Kxg4 43. Kd3 Kf3 44. Kd2 Kf2 0-1
[Event "Alekhine Reversed, unrated challenge, training game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "oct. 2011"] [Round "-"] [White "vonbonkisback"] [Black "cherrypie"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1857"] [TimeControl "3 days/move"] [WhiteElo "1925"] 1. e4 { When in doubt, always play 1. e4... Bobby Fischer could have quotedthat, and maybe he did... } 1... Nf6 { Alekhine defense, a strong drawing weaponin the right hands... But then again: no one ever won against me - norBobby Fischer - with this... } 2. e5 { Pure out of principle: white, aswell as black will lose tempo over this... In blitz, I mostly play 2.d4!? Nxe4 3. Nd2 d5 4. Bd3 Nxd2 5. Qxd2 Nc6 6. Nf3 Qd6 (Bg4, Ne5) 7. 0-0,and gain much in development... } 2... Nd5 { Of course 2. ... Ne4 3. d3 Nc5 4.d4, is no serious option. } 3. d4 { More principal than straightaway c4.Never spoil a good threat... This game is about using tempo, via pressure... } 3... d6 { Practically forced: After Nb6 - to avoid c4 - a4!, with the lastingthreat a5, plus Ra3 on the sly... } 4. Nf3 { The Flohr variation, widelyrecognized as to most solid approach for white... Spasski - Fischer 1972,game 13, continued with 4. ... g6?! 5. Bc4? (correct is Ng5!) Nb6 6. Bb3Bg7, and white has nothing... Fischer won, unjustly... In game 19, Fischercontinued with 4. ... Bg4 5. Be2 c6? (correct is e6) 6. Ng5? (too early,correct is c4) Bxe2 6. Qxe2, dxe5, 7. dxe5 (this is supposed to be Nxe5)e6 8. 0-0 Nd7 and drawed... White must learn from this... } 4... Bg4 { It istoo early for black, to whip up an attack against c2, via Nc6/Bf5 and Nb4... This is the whole idea, behind blacks approach in Alekhine... After Nc6,Bb5. After straightaway Bf5, Bd3, or Bb5+, c6, Bd3... Nb4 can still bemet with a3, after Nc6/Bf5... White opens possibilities for Ng5, so ithas to be pinned... } 5. Be2 { 5. h3 Bxf3 6. Qxf3 dxe5 7. dxe5 e6 8. a3spoils all tensions... We aim for Ng5... } 5... c6 { Highly inaccurate. Thisspoils all chances for Nc6, the only successfull parade in case of c4,Nb4!... Black had to play 5. ... e6 (release Bf8, in case of exd6, andprepare dxe5, plus 0-0) 6. c4 (forced, if white wants to hold the initiative;after 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. c4 Nde7 black can break up all tensions), Nb6/e7...Nb8 becomes a burdon from now on... } 6. c4 { Also possible is 6. 0-0 dxe5(e6, c4, Nc7, Qb3), 7. Nxe5... White prefers to postpone castling, andgains tempo in development, using clear threats... } 6... Nb6 { After 6. ...Nc7, 7. Qb3! b6 8. 0-0, black is already in trouble. Bxf3, Bxf3, is nolonger an option... } 7. Nbd2 { 6. ... Nb6, introduces again Bxf3, Bxf3,Nxc4... 7. Nbd2! solves this problem, in a very elegant way; all threatsare maintained. It is too early for 7. Ng5 Bxe2 8. Qxe2 dxe5 9. dxe5 e610. 0-0... We play for bigger game... The following is practically forced... } 7... dxe5 { What else? N8d7 is met with 0-0, dxe5, etc... } 8. Nxe5 { Allpart of the plan... Let Bg4 declare its self... } 8... Bf5 { Again, blackloses tempo. After 8. ... Bxe2, 9. Qxe2 e6 (N8d7, c5!, Nxe5, dxe5, Nd5,e6!) 10. 0-0 N8d7 11. Ndf3 is surely not in blacks best interrest... After9. ... Qxd4?! 10. Ndf3 Qc5 (Qd6, Ng5!) 11. a3! f6 (to avoid Ng5) 12. b4Qd6, 13. c5! I would say pawn d4 is pretty poisonous... } 9. Ndf3 { Thecrown on the little combination, for white... Black has sincere developmentproblems: 9. ... N8d7 seems logical, but is - still - met with 10. Qb3!After 10. ... Nxe5 11. dxe5, the threat c5 becomes nasty. 10. Nxd7 Qxd7,looks promising but it is not part of whites plan... 9. ... f6 is metwith 10. c5 fxe5 11. cxb6 Qxb6 12. Nxe5 Qb4+, 13. Kf1! (remember this)e6 14. a3!... } 9... e6 { At least, black has Bb4+... That is what he thinks... Black will have to wait a long time now, to be able to develop Nb8, thanksto 5. ... c6... } 10. Ng5 { 10. Ng5! is practically the refutation of thisall... This is like Alekhine, playing white against f7... In stead ofblack, playing Nc6-Nb4 against c2... The threat Nxf7 has to be met immediately...Black is lured into whites plan... A mistake, would be 10. g4? Be4! 11.c5? f6! 12. Nd3 (what else?) Nd5, 13. 0-0 g5... And whites hands are empty...From now on, Ng5 is a long lasting threat... } 10... Bb4+ { Black has to dosomething, in order to be able to castle at some point, but not too early... After 10. ... f6, 11. Nef7, white is right... After 10. ... Bg6, 11.Bh5!, the problem only grows bigger... Now, after 11. Bd2? Qxg5! 12. Bxb4Qxg2 13. Bf3 Qh3, shortly followed by f6... White has only one option... } 11. Kf1 { This is the move... } 11... O-O { This is, what we call castling intotrouble. Black had no better, than 11. ... Bg6 12. Bh5 0-0 13. Bxg6! (notQg4, Bxh5, Qxh5, h6) hxg6 14. Qg4! N8d7 15. Qh3 Nf6 16. Be3... } 12. g4 { Serve any threat at the right time. After Ng5, Be4 is no longer possible...However, white closes the diagonal to h5... That will soon be solved... } 12... Bg6 { It is too late for f6 now... Follows 13. gxf5 fxg5 (fxe5?, Nxe6)14. c5! (Rg1, Rf5!) Nd5 15. a3! Ba5 16. Rg1... } 13. c5 { This nasty - wiselypostponed - minor threat serves double now. We attack poor Alekhines Knightagain, and cut off Bb4... Straightaway 13. h4, Be7 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. Nf3c5! spoils all... The trick now is, to make the most out of a3... } 13... Nd5 { Still no option was 13. ... f6 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. cxb6 fxg5 16. Qb3! Butit's still better than 13. ... Nd5, second time around... 13. ... N6d7?14. Nxg6 hxg6 (fxg6, Nxe6) 15. Qb3! 13. ... h6? 14. Qb3! Qxd4 15. Nxg6fxg6 16. Qxe6+ Kh8 17. Nf7+ Rxf7 18. Qe8+! (stronger than Qxf7, Bxc5, g5)Kh7 19. Qxf7 proves white right... } 14. h4 { The sharpest continuation! It is too early for 14. a3 Ba5 15. h4 Nf6 (h6, Nxg6, fxg6, Nxe6, Ne3+,Bxe3, Qd5, Kg1, Qxe6, Qa4 threatens deadly Bc4) 16. f3 Nbd7... Keep thetensions... } 14... Nf6 { King's Knight back at f6... Probably the most solidcontinuation... After straightaway 15. h5, at least there is Be4... After14. ... Nd7, 15. h5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 h6 17. hxg6 hxg5 18. Qc2!, black is introuble for sure... } 15. Qb3 { I preferred this over Bf3, of even f3,followed by Nbd7... It releases the tensions too early, and will eventuallylead to Qb3... Let's keep Nb8 at bay... The following variation is - again- forced, since white maintains all his threats... Black is on the brinkof losing material... } 15... Qxd4 { Simply 15. ... a5, is met with 16. Nxg6hxg6 17. a3 Bxc5 18. dxc5 Nbd7 19. Be3, and white wins... 15. ... Be4 isno longer possible: 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Qxb4 Nd7 18. Bf3... } 16. Ngf3 { Likewiseforced... } 16... Qxc5 { After 16. ... Qe4, for sure 17. h5 Nbd7 18. Nxd7 Nxd719. hxg6 fxg6 20. g5... } 17. a3 { Serve out another trump... } 17... Ba5 { Itis hard to say, what options black has left. Probably best is 17. ...Nd5 (again!?) 18. axb4 Qd6 19. Be3 Nxe3+ 20. Qxe3 Qxb4 21. Nc4 Nd7 22.h5 Bc2 23. Nd4 Ba4... After 17. ... Nbd7, 18. Be3 Qd5,19. Qxd5 exd5 20.axb4... } 18. Qxb7 { Never strike b7 with the Queen, unless it wins; sothey say... Or b2, for black, for that matter... To be totally honest,white has no options left. 18. h5?, is met with Be4! now... 18. g5 Nd5...18. Nxg6 Nxg4!... Let's see... } 18... Nd5 { A rigourous way to lose material:King Alekhine's Knight travels to d5 for the third time; trying to avoidBe3, this time. The natural reaction would be 18. ... Nbd7, to avoid justQxa8. Follows 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. Be3 (b4, Qc3!, leads to complications)Qe7 21. Rd1! (stronger than directly Ne5) Rad8 22. Ne5 Be4 (finally!) 23.Rh3! winning Nd7... There is no grace for Nb8... } 19. Qxa8 { What can besaid? There is no turning back... Let's make the most out of it... } 19... Bb6 { Obviously the only way to justify the sacrifice... White was threateningb4, after Qb7... Now, black threatens mate, and might capture whites Queen... } 20. Rh2 { Forced... But black still has to deal with h5... Nd7 fails onQxc6... } 20... Be4 { Black collapses under the pressure of h4-h5... Correctwas 20. ... Qe7, followed by Qc7, and Nd7, to try and capture whites Queen... Probably the cost is too high after 20. ... Qe7 21. a4 Qc7 22. a5! Bxa5(Bc5, a6, rendering b7 for the Queen) 23. Nc4! Nd7 24. Qxf8+ Nxf8 25. Rxa5... } 21. Qb7 { Thus, whites Queen survives, getting black in new kinds of trouble...The threat h4-h5-h6 is still there, now accompanied, after - again! - Ng5,by the threat Nxf7/Nxe4... 21. ... f6 is practically forced now. 21. ...Qc2 (to avoid Be3, on top of all this, and to cover c6/g6) is met by 22.a4!, threatening Ne1, Qb3, a5!... After 21. ... Bxf3, 22. Nxf3 Qd6 (tofacilitate Nd7), 23. h5! } 21... f6 { The threat Ng5 has to be met... } 22. h5 { Consequent... Insufficient is 22. Nf7 Bc7! 23. Nh6+ Kh8! Of course, after22. ... fxe5, 23. h6, keeping the threat Ng5... After 22. ... Bxf3, Nxf3... } 22... fxe5 { More resiliant was 22. ... Bc7 23. h6 Qb6 24. Qxb6 axb6 25. hxg7Re8 26. Bd3 Bxd3+ 27. Nxd3 Bxh2 28. Nxh2 Kxg7... Trying to squirm outwith 22. ... Bxf3 23. Nxf3 Qd6 24. Bd3 f5 25. gxf5 Nd7 (finally) 26. Qa6Nc5 27. Qc4 Nxd3 28. Qxd3 Rxf5 29. Rh4! Ne3+ 30. Ke2 is winning for white... } 23. h6 { There is - again - no way back for white... We threaten mate... } 23... Qe7 { No good is 23. ... Ne7 24. hxg7 Re8 25. Ng5 Bg6 26. Be3 Qc2 27.Re1 Qd2 28. Rf2! Qd7 29. Qxd7 Nxd7 30. Rc1... Best is probably 23. ...Nc7 24. Be3 Qe7 25. hxg7 Re8... This is an awkward moment to swap Queens...White has no choice, however: 24. Ba6? Qxb7 25. Bxb7 Bxf3, and white loses... } 24. Qxe7 Nxe7 25. Ng5 { Again, Ng5 saves the day... After Nxe5, g6! whiteloses his edge... We have to keep pushing; we are - technically - stillin the opening stage of the game! Both sides are still not fully developed,and allready at war... The following is - again - forced... Bc2/Bg6 (tomaintain control over h7) is met with Nxe6, Rf7, Nxg7/hxg7... After 25.... Bd5 (else Nxe6), 26. hxg7 Rf6 (else Rxh7) 27. Bd3 seals the fate ofh7... } 25... Bd5 26. hxg7 { Still, also white is playing a forced continuation,from 19. Qxa8 and onwards, trying to prove his point. All other moveslead to g6 now, or - worse - to gxh6, and eventually to Nb8-d7-f6. Wehave no choice, than to present black with another forcing; Rf8 has toremain on the f-file to keep the pressure on pawn f2, else Rxh7 and blacksKing is a sitting duck. After 26. ... Kxg7, 27. Rxh7+ Kf6 (else Rxe7)28. Bd3 e4 29. Nxe4+ Bxe4 30. Bxe4 Nd5/e5 (Ke5, f3, Nd5, Bh6) 31. f4/Bh6overpowers black... White has to buy time, in order to be able to completehis development. Bc1 is fine, and probably the strongest piece on the boardright now, supporting Ng5. However, Ra1 has to be developed via a4, Ra3,followed by Rah3... After 26. ... Rf6 (else Rxh7) 27. Bd3 (prevents e5-e4for the time being, thanks to Ng5) Bd4/Nd7 (at last) 28. Bxh7+ Kxg7 29.Bc2, ... 30. a4... } 26... Kxg7 27. Rxh7+ { For some reason, black still believesin keeping f2 under pressure, and buckles. 27. ... Kf6 (else Rxe7) breaksup the pressure on f2, so 28. Bd3, followed by Ne4+... 27. ... Kg6 28.Rxe7 Rxf2+ 29. Ke1 e4 (Rf8, Bd3+, e4) 30. Nxe4 Bxe4? 31. Rxe6+... See abovefor further variations... } 27... Kf6 28. Bd3 e4 29. Nxe4+ Bxe4 30. Bxe4 e5 31. Ke2 Ke6 32. Be3 Nd7 33. Rh6+ Kf7 34. g5 { Black resigned from this traininggame. Here is, what could have followed... CherryPie, Thanks for thisthrilling exposure... I could not have done it without you... Regards,Bonnie... } 1-0
[Event "Demadchallenge"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.21"] [Round "-"] [White "oguzhansahhh"] [Black "demadone"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1579"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1436"] { A well played game with the opponent coming up with unexpected moves. } 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Nf3 e6 4. Be2 c5 5. O-O Bd6 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 e5 9. Nc2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 e4 11. Nb5 Be5 12. Qe2 Bg4 13. f3 { f3 is a mistake. After exf3 and gxf3 white if forced to capture using theg pawn which weakens his defence. } 13... exf3 14. gxf3 Bh5 15. Rd1 Nfd7 { Engagingthe queen } 16. Qg2 Qh4 17. Bd2 Qxc4 { Learn to see the whole board. } 18. Nba3 Qc6 19. Nb4 Qf6 20. Rf1 Bxb2 21. Nd5 Qd6 22. Bb4 Qxd5 23. Qxb2 Bxf3 24. Qf2 Re8 25. Qxf3 Qg5+ 26. Kh1 Ne5 27. Qxb7 Nbd7 { From being 5 pointsup, my opponent recovered to 1 point less. Good recovery. } 28. Bd6 { Ifhe captures the knight, I can only use the queen. After he does Qxd7, thenI'm force to defend my f-pawn. } 28... Nf6 29. e4 Neg4 30. e5 Nxe5 31. Rad1 Nfg4 32. Bxe5 Nxe5 33. Nc4 { Good attack on the f pawn. } 33... Qe7 34. Qxe7 Rxe7 35. Nxe5 Rxe5 36. Rd7 f6 37. Rb1 Rg5 38. a3 a5 39. h3 h6 40. Rb2 Re8 41. Kh2 Re3 42. a4 Ra3 43. Rd4 Rgg3 { Going for a rook exchange. The less on theboard the safer. } 44. h4 Rh3+ 45. Kg2 Rag3+ 46. Kf2 Rh2+ 47. Kxg3 Rxb2 48. Rd5 Rb3+ 49. Kg2 Rb4 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.19"] [Round "-"] [White "sleeplesswarior"] [Black "sanjinp"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1531"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1444"] 1. d4 g6 { Queen's pawn opening, black plays 'Beefeater' defense. } 2. e3 Bg7 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. c3 O-O { Here black's left side is well developed, whilenothing has happened on the right. This is ok because white has chosento create a pawn phalanx. White dominates the center, but largely onlywith the pawns. } 5. Bd3 d5 6. h4 { White sends out a sentry to attack black'sfortress. } 6... Bg4 7. Nbd2 Nc6 8. O-O { ? Castling after breaking up the castlepawns seems slightly questionable. } 8... e5 { Oops, white owns e5. } 9. Qc2 { Itwas a free pawn. Now white faces a pawn pin, Pe4. Black trades up twopawns for a knight or bishop, and wreaks havoc on the white castle. } 9... a6 { ? What was wrong with Pe4? Especially when white dxPe5 is hanging outthere. } 10. Nxe5 { ...or Nxe5. Even better for white. } 10... Nxe5 11. f3 Nxd3 { Nice recovery. fxg4 would be followed by Nxc1, QxN, leaving black stillahead. } 12. Qxd3 Bf5 13. e4 dxe4 14. fxe4 Nxe4 { ? Black tosses his materialadvantage with this move. } 15. Nxe4 Qxh4 { Sweet move. } 16. Bf4 Rfe8 17. Bg3 { ? This does not prevent QxB, NxQ, BxQ. Rfd1, then white must movethe bishop which ends with white's BxPc7. Never mind--that chain isn'tgood. QxNe4 gives rich pickings. } 17... Bxe4 { Finally there is that. Probablythe best of the possible exchanges. } 18. Bxh4 Bxd3 19. Rf2 Re4 20. Bf6 Bxf6 21. Rxf6 Rae8 22. Rf3 Re3 23. Kf2 Rxf3+ 24. Kxf3 Kg7 25. b4 Bc4 26. a4 Re2 27. b5 Rc2 28. bxa6 bxa6 { Bxa6 keeps the pawns from being split,but I like Bd5+ even better. No, Rxc3+, then deal with white's a pawn. } 29. Ra3 Rb2 { Bd5+ yields white's g pawn. } 30. a5 Rb3 { Yes. } 31. Rxb3 Bxb3 32. g4 h6 33. Kf4 Kf6 34. Ke4 h5 35. gxh5 gxh5 36. d5 Bxd5+ { Kind of expensive,but yes, white won't be able to circumvent the black king. } 37. Kxd5 Kf5 { Right move! } 38. c4 h4 39. c5 h3 40. Kc6 h2 41. Kxc7 h1=Q 42. c6 Ke6 43. Kb6 Qf1 44. c7 Kd7 45. Kb7 Qc4 46. Kb6 { Here the writing is on the wall. Black has a good end game. } 46... Qxc7+ 47. Kxa6 Qc6+ 48. Ka7 Kc7 49. a6 Qb6+ 50. Ka8 Qxa6# 0-1
[Event "Pirc Part III"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.08.15"] [Round "-"] [White "klaydo"] [Black "thedeafone"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1136"] { Pirc! Episode 3: The Bishop stirkes back! In this game white decideson the so called classical Variation. e4 d4 Nc3 Nf3 which is not as aggressiveas 4 f4 or (the Chinese attack 4 Be2 and 5 g4) } 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 { The so called classical variation. The intention is to strengthenones influence on e5, a key square in this opening. White wants to takea foothold there to make the black Bishop very passiv and to occupy thecenter. } 4... Bg7 5. Ng5 { This seems to be a good place for the knight, howeverblack gets an etch on development, and white obviously has abandoned hisplan to occupy e5. } 5... O-O 6. Bc4 { Now the plan becomes clear: aiming atthe relatively weak f7 file. An exchange would drop blacks king safety,however black would have a relatively large advantage in development. } 6... e6 { I did not enjoy this move, since it blocks my bishop. White's attackis showing effect. e6 is a somewhat two edged sword for black in the Pirc.It can, combined with c5, help to break through... but it can also leadto a weakened king safety and unfavorable pawn structures for black. } 7. d5 { A move I do not fully understand. getting a hold of the e5 square isnormally an important goal in whites strategy: It simply locks the Bishopin. In this situation the push does not work yet. I was not sure whatto do in this situation, so my opponent at least confused me. e5 wouldblock both our bishops. However one could aim for f5 and Bxf5 after anexchange. But since I'm no friend of that much closed up Positions... } 7... h6 { Thinking that white would of course move his knight. Fritz recommendsexd5 !? Since after exd5 follows 8 ... Re8. Forcing one light figure to'hang around'. Leaving either d5 o g5 weak. e.g. 9 Be3? Ng4! Howeverthe move is not that bad. Although it will ruin my pawn structure on thekingsside } 8. dxe6 { I did not expect this move at all. and perhaps itwould have been wiser... } 8... hxg5 { ... to play xe6 and apply pressure on thee file } 9. exf7+ Kh7 { And white has a very strong pawn on f7. } 10. O-O Nbd7 { Let's engage the f7 Pawn... However perhaps Ng4 would have been evenbetter, as it let's the bishop stroll around again and cover g5. } 11. Bxg5 { Grabbing the undefended g5 } 11... Ne5 { I wanted to get rid of the f7 pawn andtherefore i had to get rid of the bishop.... } 12. Qd4 Qd7 { White heightensthe pressure at f6, probably planning Nd5, which seems to be a superiorhome. So i thought: Time to get out of the pin. I guess c5! would havebeen better :) } 13. f4 c5 { A brute force attack, and a little counter attack.The queen has to move! And she will be unable to cover the bishop on c4,so f7 will ultimately fall :) (together with the Bishop an c4!) I thinkthis move would have been possible even sooner. But somehow I did not seeit... } 14. Bb5 { ? Going to lose the exchange! } 14... cxd4 15. Bxd7 Nexd7 { Andthe exchange is won } 16. Nb5 { Nb5: Well if I have to move anyway, why notthere? Intending Nc7 and attacking the weak d6 However: e4 c2 and b2 areundefended at this moment. } 16... Nxe4 { So why not make use of it? At this pointI thought: Well even if I let him take my rook, I will still have enoughmaterial advantage, since the knight will never be able to get out alive. } 17. Rfe1 d5 { I'm not able to grab the efile myself, well then let's blockit. However Nxg5 is worth consideration, freeing the king and f7 is history. } 18. Nc7 Rxf7 19. Nxa8 Nxg5 { Get rid of the annoying f pawn and the bishop.The knight is somewhat out of play. White has two options: take back, orsave his it's own knight. } 20. fxg5 Nc5 21. Nc7 Rxc7 22. b4 Ne4 { AlthoughI could've been standing there with a +5 in material, I felt pretty confident.The Pawns on the 2nd rank would probably be easy to fetch and the 2 Bishopscould be of devastating use. So at this point the game was imho practicallywon. The e-file is blocked and so there is only one file left for whiteto use with his rook advantage, however that can be crumbled at any timeby putting the bishop on g4 or by getting my rook on the 6th rank. Howeverthe game continued for a bit, and since I do not have a lot of experiencewith minor pieces endgames and since I suck at endgames anyway I decidedto grab another pawn or two. } 23. Rad1 Rxc2 24. a4 a6 { preventing b5,so that the next pawns can be fetched as well :) } 25. a5 Bd7 { With theintention to additionally block b5 and to probably harass the rooks. Bb5will totally dominate the f file. and I could play d3 ... Bd4+ and Nf7+afterwards... } 26. h4 Rb2 { Bf8 would be nice but the darn rook on d1... } 27. Rd3 Rxb4 { No need to hurry with the bishop... if he is planning todouble i can still prevent it. } 28. Rh3 { ?? Well that was unforeseen, butit finishes off the game. :) } 28... Bxh3 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.06.11"] [Round "-"] [White "albu"] [Black "mistergo"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1711"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1660"] 1. d4 b5 { This opening is not sound but without computer and database playersoften fail to find the best continuation. } 2. e4 Bb7 3. d5 { Typical openingmistake in Polish defense. f3 or Nd2 is much better. } 3... c6 { Nf6 is better. } 4. Nc3 { Now computer analysis says black is slightly better. 4. dxc6 isthe right move. } 4... b4 5. Na4 cxd5 { Black should have played Qa5 before capturing.Now white can play Nc5. } 6. exd5 { White misses Nc5. } 6... Qa5 7. c4 bxc3 8. Nxc3 g6 { A serious mistake. Black should continue the development withNf6. In fact when I played this I hoped for some tactics related to pinnedNc3. } 9. Bd2 Bxd5 { Tactical blunder. White can instantly win with 10. b4! } 10. Nxd5 { Returning the favor. Now the position is nearly equal. } 10... Qxd5 11. Bc3 Qe6+ { Computer recommends Qxd1 followed by Nf6. I played Qe6+ causeI missed some important nuance(see the next comment). } 12. Qe2 { Be2 wasbetter as it keeps queens on board and with two bishops in open positionwhite has more than enough compensation for the pawn. } 12... Qxe2+ 13. Bxe2 f6 { Notable mistake. I thought that with pawn on f6 I can advance the centralpawns. Clearly it is not so simple. Nf6 was better as it develops the knightand if white takes the knight he loses bishop pair. } 14. Nf3 Nc6 15. O-O Kf7 { Serious blunder. e5 was correct. Now the d7 pawn is not protected,and f6 is pinned. } 16. Rad1 d6 { Ke8 was better. It is not too late to acknowledgeyour fault yet. } 17. Bc4+ { Ng5+ followed by Bb5 was winning. } 17... Kg7 18. Ng5 Ne5 { Nd8 is better. Now white can win with a simple tactic. I thought thatwhite will trade pieces on e5 and play Nf7 to win an exchange. } 19. Ne6+ Kh6 20. Bd2+ { If 20. Bd5 was winning. } 20... g5 21. Be2 { Bd5 leads to huge materialgain. Mow the position is nearly equal. } 21... Kg6 22. Nxf8+ { This move looksjust stupid even without computer and calculations. White trades his veryactive knight for not developed yet bishop. Bishop completely blocked byit;s own pawns. Bishop that blocks development of the rook on h8. Whilenot the most significant mistake in terms of score change this Nxf6? moveis probably the one which players of every level can learn from. } 22... Rxf8 { Black is slightly underdeveloped and white has bishop pair, but connectedpassed pawns on the center can become extremely dangerous. } 23. f4 gxf4 24. Bxf4 Rb8 25. b3 Nh6 26. Rc1 { Breaking the sequence of 6 half-moveswithout notable mistakes. Bxe5 was better. } 26... Rhc8 { Adequate response. Blackfinished the development and threatens to push the pawns. } 27. Be3 a5 28. Ba6 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Nf5 30. Bf2 Ng4 { Ng4 looks dangerous but it is not thebest move. Computer suggests 30. .. e6! or 30. ... d5! preparing to pushthe pawns. Now white can regroup his pieces. } 31. Be1 Nge3 { Another blunder.Knight must return to e5. Now white can play Rc8 with major problems forblack. } 32. Bd3 { Missing the best move - Rc8. } 32... a4 33. Bf2 { Bd2 is better } 33... Kg5 34. bxa4 d5 35. h4+ { Strange move. White should use every opportunityto push the passed pawn rather than help black move his king to a moreactive position. } 35... Kf4 36. a5 { Too late. Now white must play Rb1. } 36... e5 37. a6 e4 38. Bf1 d4 39. a7 Ra8 40. Rc7 d3 41. Rxh7 { Rd7 was necessary. } 41... d2 { Another mistake. Too greedy, too early. Nxf1 followed by e3 was winninginstantly. } 42. Be2 d1=Q+ 43. Bxd1 Nxd1 44. Bb6 e3 45. Kf1 Ng3+ { Yet anothertactical mistake. I thought that after Ke1 I can play Nb2 and after itNd3+ is crushing. What I missed is Bc7+ and black loses his knight. Nowblack must work hard to get a draw. } 46. Ke1 Nc3 47. Bc7+ Kf5 { Kf5 is theonly move. Greedy Kg4 was losing instantly. } 48. Bb8 { That's a seriousmistake. White was afraid of 48. Bxg3 Rd8 threatening Rd1#. Deeper analysisshows that black will have draw at most. While at first this move lookslike something that removes black rook from the game it also paralyzeswhite pawn on a7 and bishop on b8. Now the position is reduced to two knightsvs rook and we know that two knights are slightly better even in endgame.While probably still a draw with perfect play now white is the want whomust work to make a draw. } 48... Nge4 49. h5 Nc5 50. Bg3 Nd3+ { Not the fastestway to win. Rd8 was mate in 9 but now black just promotes the pawn. } 51. Kf1 e2+ 52. Kg1 Ne4 53. Bh4 Kg4 54. Re7 f5 { The pawn can not be stopped.Computer says 'mate in 14'. } 55. Rxe4+ { Desperation. Now it is mate in8. } 55... fxe4 56. Bf2 e3 57. h6 { Mate in 3. For example: 57. ... ef+ 58 Kh1Kg3 59. a4 e1=R# This game demonstrates the importance of blunders ingames between club-level players. While some bad moves show lack of tacticalsight other mistakes are more positional and show that players do not understandthe spirit of the position. Such positional WTF? moves are 13. ... f6,15. ... Kf7 by black and 22. Nf8 and 35. h4+ by white. Such moves are somethingto learn from even if your tactical sight and ability to calculate variationis close to absolute zero. } 0-1
[Event "Composition/Analysis California, 1917"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "J Perrier"] [Black "FJ Wellmuth"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 { Notes by Eric Schiller. } 1... d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nxd5 4. Bc4 Nb6 5. Bb3 Nc6 6. Nf3 e5 { A rather brash move, sticking a pawn in the middle ofthe board with only a single knight as protector. In addition, the bishopat b3 has a clear aim at the vulnerable f7-square. } 7. d3 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nxe5 { A brilliant move! A familiar theme, with the twist that Blackhas greater development than usual when the classic queen sacrifice isused. } 9... Bxd1 10. Bxf7+ Ke7 11. Bg5+ Kd6 12. Ne4+ Kxe5 13. f4+ Kd4 { 13...Kf5 is horrible blunder. 14.Ng3#. } 14. Rxd1 { The Black king has been drivento d4, and the extra queen is of no use. The king tries to hide on e3. } 14... Ke3 { 14... Qxg5 15.c3+ Ke3 16.fxg5 also wins. } 15. O-O { A good move! } 15... Nd4 { White announced mate in 6. } 16. Rde1+ Ne2+ 17. Rxe2+ Kxe2 18. Bh5+ Ke3 19. Rf3+ Kd4 { 19... Ke2 20.Rg3+ Ke1 21.Re3#. } 20. Bf7 { The checkmate willbe delivered by the pawns. } 20... Nd5 21. c3+ Nxc3 22. bxc3# { Now, you may wellthink that this game is cmposed. Especially when my source for the gameindicated it was dedicated by Mr. Wellmuth to the late Perrier. The sparklinggem was created in the middle of a World War, when there wasn't time oropportunity serious tournament play, and I'll admit the the other offeringsfro that year didn't impress me enough to set this aside, and besides,it doesn't seem to be well known. Actually, it isn't all that complicated,just long. Notice how few branches had to be calculated. A very short computeranalysis found the move, but concluded that Black might gain a slight advantage.Of course an exhaustive search would have led the program to the correctconclusion. Even after looking just 7 movesahead, White gained advantage. } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from mangas_coloradus"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.09.06"] [Round "-"] [White "mangas_coloradus"] [Black "duttchess"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1051"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 { A somewhat unusual king's pawn opening. White starts byattacking the classical weak spot f7 by his bishop } 2... Nf6 { 2...Nf6 is a verygood aggressive response, in fact 'by the book'. It attacks the white centrepawn, develops the knight and helps to ready for short castling, all inone move! } 3. Nh3 { This is a very bad move that instantly brings the positioninto black's favour. Unless there is a good reason, a knight should muchrather occupy a centre square, not one on the sideline where it coversfar less squares } 3... Bc5 { Again, an excellent move by black, now putting theweak f2 square under attack. Of course, black failed to make the probablybest move here, namely 3...Nxe4 taking white's unprotected centre pawn.But still good. } 4. Ng5 { A bold and agressive move by white, not bad atall, doubling the threat at f7. } 4... O-O { Black's reply (0-0) is clearly thebest move here, elegantly avoiding the threat and developing at the sametime by the castling. } 5. Bxf7+ { This sacrifice yields nothing after thecorrect reply, which would have been 5...Rxf7 6. Nxf7 Kxf7, where blacktakes two pieces (knight and bishop) for a rook and a pawn, except materialloss for white. However.... } 5... Kh8 { black moves the king instead. By thismove black loses material (the pawn) and much (most) of their advantagealready gained. Yet, the positions are roughly equal now } 6. Nc3 { Castlinghad been stronger here } 6... Nd5 { 6....Nd5?? is a very bad move. The knightis unprotected at d5 and threatened by three pieces. Sure, the move opensup the line from the black queen to the unprotected white knight at g5,but what if white had replied 7. d4! Now black has TWO pieces threatenedand undefended, and at the same time the g5 knight is now protected! } 7. Nxd5 { Instead white takes the offered knight } 7... Qxg5 { and black takes theg5 knight, but white has now the better position } 8. h4 { Unfortunatelyfor white, this move not only loses all that advantage (the best move hadbeen 8. 0-0), but is also a serious blunder that is immediately taken advantageof by black } 8... Qxg2 { Now white is in serious trouble. } 9. Rf1 { The best move,but with correct play by black the game is won } 9... Rxf7 { Well played by blackwho is now up in material by 3 'points' and has excellent attacking chances } 10. Ne3 { A good move by white } 10... Qxe4 { followed by logical play by black(Bxe3 had been good as well) } 11. Qh5 { White's tries to fight back ('attackis the best defense') } 11... Rf8 { g6 or Bxe3 had been better. When a player hasa material advantage it is often worth the while to do exchanges } 12. Rg1 g6 13. Qh6 d5 { A good move, but what about 13....Rf5! } 14. b4 Bxb4 15. Bb2 Nc6 16. O-O-O Nd4 { What about 16.....Rxf2 } 17. Ng4 { However, whiteblunders with Ng4 and overlooks black's very strong attack } 17... Qxc2# { A verygood game, and congratulations to black for the win } 0-1
[Event "A Picturesque Ending"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.10"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "cleven1845"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1569"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "2002"] 1. e4 { Aha, someone challenged me on the Fast Ladder. I accept! (hah, likethe Ladder rules give me a choice). 1. e4, as usual. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { My beloved Ruy, a favorite of most all players who love to attack. } 3... d6 4. d4 { Black chooses the Old Steinitz Defense, good if you like crampedgames. While it's mostly sound, it's not the most dynamic of black's options.I play the main line. } 4... Bd7 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bxc6 { Black seems to have abandonedhis e5 pawn to overwhelming force. } 6... Bxc6 7. dxe5 { Now I'm expecting 7.... dxe5 8. Nxe5 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 and white is a pawn ahead. } 7... Nh6 8. h3 { Blacktook me a bit by surprise with 7. ... Nh6?!, a dubious move that trapshis knight on the edge of the board. 8. h3 serves to insure the knightremains trapped, though in retrospect I should have just saved time andtaken it. White is ahead by a pawn and going to stay that way, so tradingpieces is sensible, as is doubling and isolating black's pawns, ruininghis entire kingside. } 8... f5 9. Bxh6 { Done. } 9... gxh6 10. Nd5 { Hunting more exchanges.I had to analyze this one out quite a bit, as it seems to give up the e4pawn, returning all of black's material deficit and restoring part of hispawn structure. } 10... fxe4 11. Nxe7 { Weeee! Let's exchange stuff! } 11... Qxe7 12. exd6 cxd6 13. Nd4 { Maybe more exchanges. } 13... e3 14. Qh5+ { Black is definitelybold. Advancing that intrepid pawn into the very heart of the enemy camp.However, it seems to have misstepped. Too far from home, too little support.The move does discover an attack by black's bishop against the white pawnon g2. I was tempted to simply castle and see if I could get a rook ontothe e-file to skewer the black queen to her king, but I expected blackwould castle out of it long before I could, so I simply invited black toforever give up his option to castle. } 14... Kd8 15. O-O { Time to get off ofthe dangerous file. } 15... exf2+ 16. Rxf2 { Somehow in all of that, I gave upa pawn (10. ... fxe4) which I considered to be a gambit to facilitate white'sdevelopment and position. Actually, I thought at the time that I wouldwin it back easily, too. But now material is even. Position, however, isnot. Black's pawns are still in ruins - in fact white can simply snatchup h6 and regain his material lead. Even better, white has a rook on anopen file and is better poised for an attack. } 16... Rg8 17. Qa5+ { Still thinkingof a skewer. Oh how easily black might get careless and think he couldsafely play 17. ... Ke8? planning to answer 18. Re1 with 18. ... Qxe1+.That backward defense of e1 from all the way over on a5 has been overlookedbefore. Of course, white would only win black's bishop after 18. ... Be5,but it would still be nice. Note that 17. ... b6? loses a piece to 18.... Nxc6+. } 17... Kc8 18. Re1 { Well, it won't win black's bishop, but it's stilldevelopment with tempo. } 18... Qg5 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Qa6+ { As it stands, materialis still quite even, though white is about to win a pawn. 20. Qxg5?? wouldbe a mistake, maybe even a ?? mistake. Not only would white lose a simpleopportunity to gain a pawn and a winning endgame, but he would undoubleblack's kingside. The resultant endgame would be very drawish. Can't havethat. Note that here black cannot play 20. ... Kd7??? or 20. ... Kc7???as white wins immediately with 21. Rf7+ Kd8 22. Qxc6 threatening mate onc7 and d7 - black cannot stop both mates. } 20... Kb8 21. Qxc6 { Pawn gained. Shouldbe smooth sailing from here. Black's pawns are a mess and white has thematerial lead. Further, black's queen's rook is trapped and useless, sowhite is, for the moment, effectively a rook ahead. Best, white still threatens22. Rf7 leading to all kinds of mates. Black has only one move to preventthose mates and save his central pawn. } 21... Qc5 22. Qxc5 dxc5 23. Rf7 { Blackfound the move, but now with queens off the board and his rooks trappedin the corners, white's rooks become juggernauts. } 23... Rh8 24. Ree7 h5 25. Rb7+ Kc8 26. Rfc7+ { The plan is to get rid of black's most dangerous pawn(none are really that dangerous, but the pawns on the edge are definitelygoing nowhere). It also is the fastest way for white to get a passed pawn. } 26... Kd8 27. Rxc5 h6 28. Rcc7 Ke8 29. Re7+ { White loses focus here a little.I had thought maybe black would run to f8, allowing the white king to comeout and play without being checked. Much better would be to simply eliminatethe pawn on a8 and then steamroll the queenside pawns. } 29... Kd8 30. Rxa7 { Backon track. } 30... Rxa7 31. Rxa7 { Black exchanges rooks. All four of them. Doubiousplay, but he had little better. Any attempt to bring his rook to b8 orc8 is only an illusion of a threat against white's pawns. A little rookmaneuvering by white and black will be checkmated if he captures a pawn:30. ... Rc8 31. Red7+! Ke8 32. Rac7 Ra8 33. Rg7 Rxa2??? 34. Rc8#. } 31... Re8 32. Ra8+ { Excanging the remaining rooks. } 32... Ke7 33. Rxe8+ Kxe8 34. Kf2 { Wasteof a move. I thought the bringing up the king was the solution, but afterI submitted this move, I re-evaluated the pawn advance as being more direct. } 34... h4 35. a4 { And now for a pretty little pawn charge, all in formation. Mostly. } 35... Kd7 36. a5 Kc7 37. b4 Kb7 38. b5 { There is no defense, really. } 38... Ka7 39. a6 Kb8 40. b6 Ka8 41. c4 { Bringing up the rest of the formation. } 41... Kb8 42. c5 Ka8 43. c6 h5 44. Ke3 { Black played for a stalemate. 44. a7??? or 44.c7??? would have given it to him. 44. b7 wins for white, but needs theking's assistance. Instead, white simply nudges his king toward the center,but 44. Kg1 would have been equally effective - white just needs to discarda tempo. We had played the last 6 or 7 moves quickly, like an OTB gamewith time dwindling, but here black waited a while. A couple hours or so.During that time, I announced mate in 6 and set up all the conditionalmoves. Black was kind enough to endulge me by playing out the checkmate. } 44... Kb8 45. a7+ Ka8 46. c7 { 45. ... Ka8 was forced as the alternative, 45.... Kc8 loses instantly to 46. a8=Q#. } 46... Kb7 47. a8=Q+ { The queen is en prisebut untouchable. 47. ... Kxa8 is met with 48. c8=Q#. Blacks best responseis 47. ... Kxb6. Sad when taking a pawn is better than taking a queen,although in this case, 'better' only means being mated in three moves ratherthan one. } 47... Kxb6 48. c8=Q { Two out of three isn't bad... } 48... Kb5 49. Qab7+ Ka4 50. Qca8# { Final position. Fairly well played by my opponent. I haveno tragic flaws to point out. A couple weak moves in the opening, givingup the pawn on e5 then allowing his kingside pawns to be ruined with 9.Bxh6 proved to be a part of his undoing, though those were relatively minorblunders as far as blunders go. After that, black did nothing overtly wrong.White pressed his positional advantage and ultimately converted it to amaterial advantage and a won endgame. Overall, a good game with a ratherpicturesque ending. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "24-Jul-06"] [Round "-"] [White "theseusp"] [Black "mybookrunsdeep"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1928"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1751"] 1. e4 { This game features an open Sicilian and the variation 7. f3, whichis a very popular line at club level. If Black acts quickly in the center,then the position is dead even, however, in this game, White doesnt respondaccurately and Black gets a winning attack. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 g6 { The Hyper-AcceleratedDragon, as in this game, will most often times transpose into a full-flegedAccelerated Dragon. However, there are independent deviations as earlyas move 3. } 3. d4 { The willingness of the White player to to exchange thed-pawn for the c-pawn means that we are heading for the open lines of theAccelerated Dragon. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Be3 { More typical is 5. Nf3, or5. c4 } 5... Nf6 { Now White is forced to defend the e-pawn with either 6. Nc3or 6. f3, retaining the possibility of playing the Maroczy Bind after 7.c4 } 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. f3 { A very popular system at club level, however, Blackequalizes with a quick d5. White can head into the dangerous Yugoslavattack with Bc4, which prevents d5, but allows Black to play 7...Qa5, apotent anti-Yugoslav system. } 7... O-O { Necessary as a precursor to d5, as theimmediate center break is met with 8. Bb5. } 8. Qd2 { Preparing to exchangethe dark-squared bishops, castle queenside and launch the kingside pawns. Very similar to the Yugoslav attack, however, Black detonates the centerwith... } 8... d5 { Jeremy Silman and John Donaldson both agree that Black hasequalized with this center break. } 9. Nxc6 { The second main continuationis 9. ed Nxd5 10. Nxc6 bc 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. 0-0-0, with equality. } 9... bxc6 10. O-O-O { Castling right into Black's open lines on the Queenside is nota good idea. The main continuation is 10. e5 Nd7 11. f4 e6 when Blackis going to play c5 in the near future with a spatial advantage on theQueenside and a quicker attack. Note that 12. Na4?? is met with 12...Nxe5as 13. fxe5 Qh4 and the N on a4 hangs. } 10... Qa5 { Getting the attack underwaywithout hesitation. } 11. e5 Nd7 { This move is preferable to 11...Ne8 asBlack now has ...c5 in the cards. This move also forces 12. f4, lockingup the center. Now Black's attack is faster. } 12. f4 e6 { Strengtheningd5 before the c5 push. } 13. Qe1 { Preparing to transfer the Queen to thekingside for some much needed counterplay. } 13... f6 { I had just watched JacobAagards video on conducting an attack and decided to follow the lesson,'bring all of your pieces into the attack.' The dark-square bishop istoo important to leave out and this move will give Black another strategicasset, control of the center and a sweeping pawn roller. } 14. exf6 Nxf6 { The only recapture that doesn't allow White to swap dark-squared bishops. } 15. Bd4 { Pointless, as c5 is coming anyway, now Black plays it with tempo. } 15... c5 16. Bxf6 { One square too many, 16. Be5 looks stronger, pinning the knightto the g7 bishop and keeping the Black Queen's rook off of b8. } 16... Rxf6 { Thismove loses a pawn and the exchange, but leads to a winning attack!!! Ilooked at the resulting game after 16...Bxf6 17. Nxd5 Qxa2 18. Nxf6 Rxf6,and while Black still has a slight advantage, I came to the conclusionthat the Bishop was going to be more of an asset than the f8 rook. } 17. Nxd5 Qxa2 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 { Black has the initiative. } 19. Kd2 Qxb2 { Winningback the pawn, driving the King into the open and creating a rook filepasser as insurance. } 20. Qe3 { White has to try to mobilize his army andprotect his King. } 20... Bb7 { Sacrificing another pawn with check to open thecenter files for the full weight of the remaining Black army. } 21. Qxe6+ Kh8 22. Bd3 { Giving the pawn back for development. } 22... Bxg2 23. Rhg1 Bc3+ 24. Ke2 Qb7 { Mate threat on f3. } 25. Rgf1 Bd4 { Keeping the rook off off2 and preventing the White King from finding any safety on the Kingside. } 26. Rb1 Bxf1+ 27. Rxf1 Qg2+ { Black's last few moves has cut the White Kingoff from the relative safety of the Kingside, now he will be driven tothe open lines of the Queenside where he will me mated or be forced togive up material. } 28. Kd1 Rb8 29. c4 Qa2 30. f5 Bc3 31. Qe3 Qa4+ 32. Kc1 { Black has been able to drag the King into the mating net. } 32... Qa1+ 33. Kc2 Rb2+ 34. Kxc3 Qa3# 0-1
[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.10.13"] [Round "-"] [White "starlite551"] [Black "rocksteddy"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Be2 Bb4 8. Qd3 { Sicilian Defense.. Black is in a good position! } 8... d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Bd2 { Whenever you are ahead in initiative maintain it rather than losingit.. Exchange of pieces simplifies the position for white.. } 10... Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 13. bxc3 Bd7 14. Nf3 Nc6 15. O-O-O { Now white looksahead in development.. } 15... Rd8 16. Rhe1 O-O 17. Bc4 b5 18. Bb3 { Idea is toexchange my bishop for his knight to free the doubled pawn structure.. } 18... Na5 19. Kb2 Nxb3 20. cxb3 { As anticipated by white.. :) } 20... Bc6 { Here ithought creating a passed pawn would give me an advantage since after exchangeswhite has good end game since he has queen side pawn majority.. secondlyblack also need to safe gaurd the back rank.. } 21. c4 { Always move thepawn who has no opposing pawn in front of him.. } 21... bxc4 22. bxc4 Ba4 { Nowfor the exchanges.. } 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Re2 { Plan executed well so far.. } 24... Bd1 { Bd1?? Wrong move since Rd2 Rxd2 is forced since black has weak backrank } 25. Rd2 { Straight away going for exchange.. } 25... Rxd2+ 26. Nxd2 Kf8 { Trying to bring king to the center now next phase of plan for white..Bring block Black Bishop's mobility } 27. f3 { f3! is excellent move sinceit traps the Black Bishop in White's Quadrant... Only escape is via a4..which also would be sealed soon by Nb3.. } 27... Ke7 28. Nb3 { Now where will theBishop go..?? } 28... Kd6 29. Kc3 { Battle of the kings } 29... e5 { e5 to stop Kd4 } 30. Kb4 { White goes for a-pawn } 30... Kc6 { attempts to protect a-pawn } 31. Na5+ { Straightaway pressure on black's King... } 31... Kb6 32. c5+ { c5+ Passer is on its waywith a check! } 32... Kc7 33. Nc4 { Nc4! Black's Bishop is already half dead..A Perfect example of Good Knight Vs Bad Bishop } 33... f6 { f6 forced since noother defense for e-pawn } 34. Nd6 { Nd6! Again a perfect move threateningNe8+ with a fork on g-pawn and king.. } 34... Kd7 { Stopping Ne8.. } 35. Nf5 g6 36. Ne3 { Ne3! Save your Bishop.. Only move Be2 forced! } 36... Be2 37. Ng4 { Ng4!Again excellent Knight Maneuver attacking two pawns if one moves otherfalls.. Ke6 forced! } 37... Ke6 { Again King to the rescue! :P Now to show thepower of passed pawn and a good positional advantage.. } 38. c6 { c6! Excellentmove in a perfect position..King has to stop this pawn or let his f-pawnfall.. } 38... f5 { Attempt to save f-pawn.. } 39. Nxe5 { Nxe5! Super blow whitehas a pawn advantage.. Nxe5 Kxe5 c7! and Black cannot stop c- passer (Nxe5a5+ Kxa5) Again Bishop's passage to stop the advancing pawn is sealed byWhite's king in that case.. Black resigned from here.. Hope you Enjoyed!:) :) } 1-0
[Event "C40 Damiano Defense"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White ""] [Black ""] [Result ""] 1. e4 { B00 King's Pawn Opening. The most popular opening. } 1... e5 { C20 King'sPawn Game } 2. Nf3 { C40 King's Knight Opening. This is the most logicalsecond move against Black's symmetrical answer to the King's Pawn. } 2... f6 { C40 Damiano Defense. } 3. Nxe5 { C40 Damiano Defense. } 3... fxe5 { C40 DamianoDefense. } 4. Qh5+ { C40 Damiano Defense. Now black is in trouble. g6 isa blunder and will lose a rook. } 4... Ke7 { C40 Damiano Defense. This openingis a hell for black. A small mistake will lose the game. } 5. Qxe5+ { C40Damiano Defense. Black is forced to move his King to f7. } 5... Kf7 { C40 DamianoDefense. } 6. Bc4+ { C40 Damiano Defense. Now black is in deep trouble. 2possible moves exist, d5 and Kg6. } 6... Kg6 { C40 Damiano Defense. Ouch... Idon't know what kind of opening this is!!! Black moves into forced mate. } 7. Qf5+ { C40 Damiano Defense. Black is forced to move the King to h6. } 7... Kh6 { C40 Damiano Defense. } 8. d3+ { still the bloody C40 Damiano Defense. } 8... g5 { C40 Damiano Defense. } 9. h4 { Great!!! This is the key to victory forwhite. Forced mate now looks more obvious. } 9... Bb4+ { Now it does not reallymatter what black is willing to do! } 10. Ke2 Qe7 { There is no better movefor black. Any other move will end the game by Qxg5# } 11. Bxg5+ { Forksblack's king and queen. } 11... Kg7 12. Bxe7 Nxe7 13. Qf7+ { Mate in 4. } 13... Kh6 { Forced.Moves it out of check. } 14. Qf6+ Ng6 15. h5 { Another good move from white.The game is over. } 15... d6 { Delays the forced mate for one move. } 16. hxg6+ Bh3 17. Rxh3# { Checkmates Black's king. }
[Event "Bury League Match - An Endgame Study"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "March 99"] [Round "-"] [White "Jo Stevens"] [Black "Kevin Allsop"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1344"] [WhiteElo "1240"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Many years ago I played an OTB game for CambridgeCity Chess Club against Brandon, King's Gambit Chess Club. It was a homematch. I had played Kevin in a few previous matches, one where I was inan ending of opposite colour bishops and I lost because I overlooked aremoval of the guard combo, another where I learned my lesson and did notfall for that trick twice and went on to draw. Here the opposite bishopscenario did not occur and the position appeared to be even right to theendgame where he made one slip up and it cost him dear. Here is how itall happened .... } 1... d5 { 1. ..... d5 - it all started with the Scandinavian(Centre Counter) Defense which is quite playable although the Wicked Witchof the West can get chased around quite a bit! } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 { 3.Nc3 - Like this. } 3... Qa5 4. d4 c6 5. Bd2 { 5. Bd2 - Fou Lenoir prepares a fairlystandard battery against the Witch. } 5... Nf6 6. Nf3 { 6. Nf3 - development. } 6... Bg4 7. Be2 { 7. Be2 - development and pin-breaker. } 7... Nbd7 8. Ne4 { 8. Ne4- battery unmasked and hoping for NxN, BxQ - but Kevin does not fall forit. } 8... Qc7 9. Nxf6+ Nxf6 { 9. ..... Nxf6 - knight trade. } 10. Ne5 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 { 11. Qxe2 - bishop trade. } 11... e6 12. c3 Bd6 13. Bf4 { 13. Bf4 - a lottatension along the h2-b8 diagonal. } 13... O-O-O 14. Bg3 h5 15. Nf3 { 15. Nf3 -this move leads to a trade of dsbs. } 15... Bxg3 16. hxg3 Qa5 17. Qc2 Nd7 18. Qb3 { 18. Qb3 - 18 moves and I still haven't castled and the queens areon the board, tut, tut Jo! Mind you - the BK did not castle until move13 and Henry seems safe enough. However, I make my final decision of whereI want Henry to be next move. } 18... e5 19. O-O-O { 19. 0-0-0 - Queenside. } 19... e4 20. Nd2 Qg5 { 20. ...... Qg5 - pin. } 21. Kb1 Qf5 22. Qc2 { 22. Qc2 - thismove appears to lose a pawn but it does not as you will soon see. } 22... Qxf2 23. Nxe4 { 23. Nxe4 - the f pawn is traded for black's e pawn. This knightmove also defends the pawn on g3 and the pawn on g2 is defended X-ray fashionby Glenda! So this puts the question to the Wicked Witch of the West. Trade herself off for Glenda or get out of my pos! } 23... Qxc2+ 24. Kxc2 { 24.Kxc2 - Kevin trades her off and this trade helps me because it brings Henrycloser to the centre for the endgame. } 24... Kc7 25. Ng5 Rdf8 26. Rde1 { 26. Rde1- Because the rook on f8 is momentarily tied to defending the f7 pawn Idecided to bag the open e file with my rook. } 26... Kd6 27. Rhf1 { 27. Rhf1 -pile on. } 27... Nf6 28. Kd3 { 28. Kd3 - Henry moves even closer to the centre. } 28... h4 29. gxh4 Rxh4 { 29. ...... Rxh4 - pawn trade. } 30. Ne4+ Nxe4 31. Rxe4 Rxe4 32. Kxe4 { 32. Kxe4 - what a plethora of exchanges - we are now downto a rook ending. } 32... Re8+ 33. Kd3 f6 34. Kd2 { 34. Kd2 - preparing Re1. } 34... Re4 35. Rf3 Rg4 36. Rf2 { 36. Rf2 - what a load of ballyooo with the rooks. It looks as if we might draw by repetition. Kevin breaks the sequencebut he will live to regret it! } 36... Re4 37. Rf3 Ke7 38. Re3 { 38. Re3 - we nowgo into a K & P ending. } 38... Rxe3 39. Kxe3 Ke6 40. a4 Kf5 41. Kf3 g5 42. g4+ { 42. g4+ - the BK is driven back. } 42... Ke6 43. c4 f5 44. b4 { 44. b4 - suddenlywe have a wall of white pawns on the queenside! } 44... b6 45. d5+ cxd5 46. cxd5+ Kxd5 47. gxf5 { 47. gxf5 - I come out of that little stouche with materialeven and both sides have a passed pawn on the kingside. Alas for Kevin,Henry is closer to the g5 pawn than the BK. } 47... Ke5 48. Kg4 Kf6 { 48. .....Kf6 - forced if he wants to avoid letting that f pawn march on to Glendadom. } 49. a5 b5 { 49. .... b5?? - this is the move which is gonna cost black thegame. I now play a6 and put Kevin in a zugzwang. Kevin must now movehis king away from the protection of the g5 pawn and Henry wastes no timein devouring his favourite seafood two moves down the line. } 50. a6 Ke7 51. Kxg5 Kf7 52. f6 { 52. f6 - my passer must be pushed. } 52... Kg8 53. Kg6 Kf8 54. f7 { 57. f7 - my pawn is only one square away from Glendadom and Kevin'sonly move is Ke7. Henry will move to g7 next move and this will enableGlenda to appear in a puff of smoke. First on her to-do list will be tokeep the BK confined to the kingside and then Henry will be close by toaid her when it comes to driving the BK to the edge of the board to administerthat kiss of death. I hope you have had a good read - kind regards - Joanne } 1-0
[Event "209th GK tournament advanced section, round 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2022.04.15"] [Round "-"] [White "alphalina123"] [Black "hitch18"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1519"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1697"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qf6 { Bringing out the queen on the natural developing squareof Ng8 can't be good! } 3. Nc3 c6 { My opponent has already made a concession.While he has stopped Nd5 from me, his Nb8 is also deprived of its naturaldeveloping square } 4. d4 { I decided to punish my opponent's shoddy openingplay at once! } 4... d6 { 4..exd4 5. Bg5! Qg6 6. Qxd4 preparing for long castleis no better } 5. Bg5 Qg6 6. dxe5 { Now I win a clean pawn--while still maintainingmy superior position. Recapturing allows me to end the game at once with7. Qd8# } 6... h6 { A serious inaccuracy! Black, who is severely behind in development,chose to play a pawn move to force my bishop to improve its position! } 7. Bh4 { But I responded poorly! My Bh4 pressures the d8 and e7 squares.My intentions: 1. My opponent won't be able to develop with Be7 withoutmaking further concessions (ie losing the d6 pawn) 2. My opponent won'tbe able to conveniently castle long without blunting my bishop with uglymoves like f6 However, my goals are way too lofty and too slow! Instead,7. Bf4! forces my opponent to either deal with my threat of exd6 (dxe5Nxe5 and my opponent has to move his queen again), or lose another pawnon d6. } 7... Bg4 { My opponent readily accepted my gift of one free move! Now,black is threatening to trade his inactive bishop for my active knight(which has been controlling important central squares like d4 and e5)! } 8. Qd2 { I continued with my preparations to castle queenside. Perhaps 8.Qd4 would have been an improvement, eyeing e5 and a7 (if my opponent plansto castle queenside) and threatening to move to more active squares likeb4. } 8... Bxf3 { My opponent likely played this move because he saw a tacticto win his pawn back. Alas, he's so behind in development that I can affordto sacrifice a pawn (and more!) to activate all my pieces and deliver acrushing attack! } 9. gxf3 Qh5 10. Bg3 Qxf3 { An extremely poor move. Optically,it looks like Qf3 attacks my Rh1, so Qxf3 must be good. However, the Qf3will not only end up completely out of play, but also turn out to be susceptibleto attacks from my lowly minors. If my opponent insists on gaining revengefor his lost pawn, a better pawn to take was 10..dxe5, consuming my centrepawn on e5 and occupying the center himself. However, he would have openedthe tantalising d file for me after 0-0-0 } 11. Rg1 { Calmly moving my attackedrook. Now I'm all set to play Be2 and 0-0-0 One lone queen will never hurtmy entire well-coordinated army! } 11... Nd7 { Oh dear...notice the Qf3 has nosafe square to go to except along the d1-h5 diagonal... } 12. Be2 { Oops!Poor @hitch18, as I drummed out this move, in our other game at the sametime, I played a move to trap his knight. } 12... Nxe5 { Saving his queen, butlosing a piece. } 13. Bxe5 { Not 13. Bxf3?? Nxf3+ with a fork } 13... Qh3 14. Bxd6 Rd8 15. Nb5 { When I played 11. Be2, I premoved all the moves thus far till14. Bxd6. As I scrutinised the board after 14. Bxd6, I was wondering--ifmy opponent tries to pin my bishop with Rd8 (14..0-0-0 allows me to pickup his stranded queen with a fork 15. Bg4+), I have this dazzling 15. Nb5!Not only does this look cool (15..cxb5 16. Bxb5+ and my laser bishops willforce Rd7), but more importantly, this allows me to get my Nc3 into action! Notice that prior to this, my Nc3 has no good squares to leap forward--b5and d5 were taboo, my pawn clumsily blocked e4, and my bishop occupiede2. } 15... Bxd6 16. Nxd6+ Ke7 17. O-O-O Nf6 { My opponent is probably hopingfor a hail mary (he threatens Nxe4 for example), unfortunately with hisnaked king on e7 and Qh3 on vacation, his counterchances are as dangerousas a mild scratch, at best. } 18. Qb4 { Now my opponent's position is swarmedwith threats--Qxb7+, a discovery and even Rxg7 } 18... Rd7 { An interesting defensivemove which temporarily avoids the loss of a piece from my discovery. } 19. Nxb7+ { My first instinct was Rxg7, threatening Rxf7+. 19..Rf8? is plainhorrible due to 20. Nf5+ Ke8 (otherwise Rf8 will fall) 21. Rxd7 with Qe7#to follow. However, I realised my opponent could try 19..Kd8, and I couldn'tfind an equally decisive way to breakthrough (Kd8 will just escape to c7,and then b8/b6+Kb7) Hence, I decided it must be imperative for me to deprivethe king to hide in d8! 19. Nxb7+ Ke8 20. Rxd7! (trading off his onlyactive rook) Qxd7 (20..Nxd7 21. Bg4! trading my bishop for black's remainingdefender on d7 Qxh2 21. Bxd7+ Kxd7 22. Rd1+) 21. Rd1 should be crushing.Regarding my extra bishop, as I played through my lines of analysis, Ifound it really hard to recruit my extra bishop into the attack, becauseBc4 to attack f7 often turns out to be too slow. } 19... Ke6 { Instead, my opponentchose to hasten his end. } 20. Nc5+ Ke5 21. Nxd7+ Nxd7 22. Qd6+ Kxe4 23. Rd4+ Kf5 24. Qxd7+ { I missed Rf4# } 24... Ke5 25. f4+ { so I don't lose a rookafter Qxh3. By now, I'm blitzing each move. } 25... Kf6 26. Qxh3 g6 27. Qd7 { Ifeel my queen is best placed on d7, otherwise my Qh3 will turn out to beas productive as my opponent's queen there. } 27... h5 28. Bc4 Rf8 29. Rd6+ Kg7 30. Rgxg6+ Kh7 31. Rh6+ { A pity my opponent resigned here! Regardless ofwhether he plays Kg7 or Kg8, Rdg6 is mate because the f pawn will be pinnedin 2 different ways! Anyways, great game! } 1-0
[Event "Blitz game (nice checkmate)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.04"] [Round "-"] [White "krishna80"] [Black "no_genius"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "5 mins + 10 s/move"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. f3 { trying to support e4, but c4 and Nc3 is better } 2... g6 3. g4 { To attack the knight, but I don't really understand this. } 3... h6 { Usinga tempo to secure my knight } 4. h4 Bg7 5. c3 d6 6. e4 c5 { Trying to getcontrol of d4 } 7. d5 a6 { Probably a mistake. I was worried about Bb5+,but O-O and Na6 might be better. } 8. a4 Nbd7 { Delaying castling, as thecentre is closed } 9. f4 { Looks scary, but now the g4 and e4 pawns are weak } 9... Nb8 { attacking the pawn on g4 twice. Probably not best, because my knighthas nowhere to go other than back to d7 after Be2. (what I didn't noticeis that the e4 pawn isn't even defended once) } 10. c4 Bxg4 11. Be2 { Whitefinally moves a piece } 11... h5 { preventing h4-h5 } 12. Nc3 O-O { Nbd7 or Qc7 wouldhave prevented white's next move } 13. e5 Bxe2 { With my knight attacked,this exchange is probably forced } 14. Ngxe2 Nfd7 { Skipping away from thepawn } 15. Rg1 { Hoping for tactics based on f5, or Qxh5 if the bishop moves } 15... Qb6 { To prevent Qb3 } 16. Ne4 Re8 { Putting the rook facing the king } 17. a5 Qc7 { maybe Qg5+ would have been better, but I didn't want to over-extendmyself. } 18. exd6 exd6 { opening the e-file } 19. Qc2 { Not Nc3, because ofBxc3! } 19... Nf6 { The exchange sacrifice Rxe4 Qxe4 Nf6 is interesting. This justmisplaces my bishop } 20. Nxf6+ Bxf6 21. Kf1 { So that the pawn on h4 can'tbe taken with check. } 21... Qd7 { Qh3+ is the threat } 22. f5 Kh8 { seeing as afterKh7 gxf5 exf5, my g-pawn is attacked twice, I get out of the potentialcheck } 23. Ng3 { Preventing me from exchanging queens with Qxf5+ } 23... Bxh4 { Ithink I lost my way a bit earlier, but now I'm probably winning. } 24. fxg6 Qh3+ 25. Rg2 Qh1+ { Couldn't resist the Queen sac. If 26 Rg1, then ... Qf3+27 Qf2 Qd1+ and checkmate } 26. Nxh1 Re1# 0-1
[Event "Masters do make 'em Part 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.05.09"] [Round "-"] [White "rjacobs"] [Black "menchy"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2394"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1537"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone! My buddy Bob Jacobs drew my attention to a victoryhe had obtained against a player of near-IM strength. In fact he is currentlyan IM. In this game, however, Bob's opponent slipped up big time and immediatelyresigned on the grounds of Ruinous Loss of Material. So, how did all thishappen? Well, here is the Gameknot Analysis version of the game. http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=17771714&fb=1&rnd=0.860014379173279. Bob starts with his favourite opening, the Queen's Pawn Opening. } 1... d5 2. c4 { 2. c4 - Bob plays the Queen's Gambit. I usually accept it but Menchydeclines and plays the orthodox e6. } 2... e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 { 3. .... Nf6 - development. } 4. Bg5 Be7 { 4. ..... Be7 - pin-breaker } 5. Nf3 O-O 6. e3 { 6. e3 - lineopener. } 6... h6 7. Bh4 b6 8. Bd3 { 8. Bd3 - while black prepares to fianchettohis lsb, Bob develops his onto d3 hitting at h7. } 8... Bb7 9. O-O c5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 { 10. ...... Nxd5 - pawn trade. } 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 { 11. .... Qxe7 - bishoptrade. } 12. Rc1 Nd7 13. Re1 Nxc3 14. Rxc3 { 14. Rxc3 - knight trade. } 14... Rfd8 15. Qc2 Bxf3 16. gxf3 { 16. gxf3 - black busts up Bob's castled position,but will he be able to capitalise on this? } 16... cxd4 17. exd4 { 17. exd4 - pawntrade. } 17... Qg5+ { 17. ...... Qg5+ - nacht. } 18. Kh1 { 18. Kh1 - preparing Rg1. } 18... Nf6 19. Rg1 Qf4 { 19. ..... Qf4 - threatening Qxf3+. } 20. Be4 Nxe4 21. fxe4 { 21. fxe4 - now comes the oversight, wait for it ...... } 21... Qxe4+ { 21. ......Qxe4+?? - what an oversight! Does Bob capitalise on it? ...... wait forit ...... } 22. Qxe4 { 22. Qxe4!!! - Yeeeeeeeees he does!! Black immediatelywaved the white flag. It just shows, Masters are human and they make chessichowlers, but they are not Masters for nothing - it is very rare that theydo make oversights. Bob should still take credit for this victory - firsthe must spot the hanging piece. He must then decide whether it is a sacrificeor a mistake. Firstly he must look at his king and check that he is notin Old Matey's shadow or that if he does take the hanging material he willnot then cop Old Matey. He must also ascertain that after the capture,his opponent does not have any other riposte or positional counterplay. Black had none whatsoever and so, having just a pawn for his queen, resignedon the Grounds of Ruinous Loss of Material even though his opponent is800 points south of him - it was just too much. Anyhow, another knownMaster has slipped up big time and he will be joining Bob on my It CanBe Done Thread. See you soon - Joanne } 1-0
[Event "Interesting N and B and pawns vs K and N ending"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "03-Sep-08"] [Round "-"] [White "nn"] [Black "dmaestro"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1463"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] { In this game, white blunders and loses the exchange. Many ways to winafter that, but here Black coordinates the bishop and knight to drive theking back and effect a checkmate on the back rank rather than simply advancepawns. The endgame is instructive for this reason. } 1. e4 { Routine LionDefense until after White blunders and drops the exchange. } 1... d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 Nxf6 6. Bd3 e5 7. dxe5 { White sees a chanceto exchange queens and prevent Black from castling. But Black does notfear that line. } 7... dxe5 8. Bb5+ c6 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Bc4 Bb4 { Here blackchooses a more active line. If now 11 BxP, BxN 12 PxB NxP Black is fine. } 11. O-O-O+ Ke7 12. Nge2 Be6 { Black decides a bishop exchange frees theking to stay centralized. } 13. Bxe6 Kxe6 14. f3 Rhd8 15. a3 Ba5 16. Na4 Nd7 17. b4 Bb6 { Black is willing to exchange the bishop given white's weakenedpawn structure. } 18. Rd2 { But Rd2?? loses the exchange--better was Rd3. } 18... Be3 { Pins the rook } 19. Nb2 { Black was threatening to take the rook andwin the knight with discovered check. White also hopes that a later nd3will block the d-file } 19... Nb6 { Attacks the pinned rook again, and preparesto attack the rook from c4 if the Knight moves. } 20. Rd1 { Protects therook } 20... Rxd2 21. Rxd2 Rd8 { Piles up on the pinned rook to simplify and forcea winning endgame. } 22. Nd3 { the best try } 22... Nc4 { attacks the pinned rookagain } 23. Nc5+ { Doesn't accomplish much } 23... Ke7 24. Nd3 Bxd2+ 25. Kb1 Nxa3+ 26. Kb2 Nc4+ 27. Kb3 b5 { Now Black has a strongly placed knight and bishop,and is up a rook, but how to break through? } 28. g4 f6 29. Ng3 g6 30. h4 a5 { After defending the kingside against penetration, Black now wants toopen lines for the rook. } 31. bxa5 Nxa5+ 32. Kb2 Rxd3 { Rxd3!!? A carefullyconsidered sacrifice. Black gets a piece and pawn for the rook, simplifiesto an advantageous ending, and gains pawn majorities on both sides of theboard. } 33. cxd3 Be1 34. Ne2 Bxh4 35. Ka3 Be1 { Blacks plan to win is simple.Restrain the king, threaten to exchange white's last piece, and coordinatethe knight and bishop to drive the king back into a corner if the exchangeis declined. } 36. d4 Nc4+ 37. Ka2 Ke6 38. dxe5 Nxe5 { wins another pawn } 39. f4 Nxg4 40. Nd4+ Kd6 41. f5 g5 { creates connected passed pawns whilerestraining white's pawns. } 42. Kb3 Nf2 43. Kc2 Nxe4 44. Kd1 Bc3 45. Ne2 Be5 46. Kc2 Ng3 { White can't afford to exchange his last piece. } 47. Nc1 Nxf5 48. Kd3 { Now black can win easily by just advancing the pawns. Butthis is a good time to practice coordinating knight and bishop for usein future endings where black is not so far ahead. } 48... c5 49. Na2 Nd4 50. Ke4 f5+ 51. Ke3 Kd5 { White is now driven back. } 52. Nc3+ Kc4 53. Nd1 Nc2+ 54. Kd2 Kb3 55. Kd3 c4+ 56. Kd2 f4 57. Nf2 Bc3+ { drives the king back. } 58. Kc1 Ne3 { Restraining the king. } 59. Ne4 Bb4 60. Kb1 c3 { Now is thetime to advance the pawn if Black wants to try and effect a bishop andknight checkmate. This is the position } 61. Nf2 c2+ 62. Kc1 { Forced toavoid checkmate. } 62... Nc4 { This is the position black was looking for. Checkmateis threatened in two ways, either on d2 or a3--white can only block oneor the other. } 63. Ne4 Ba3# { esthetically pleasing checkmate. } 0-1
[Event "The Opera Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "P. Morphy"] [Black "Duke of Brunswick & Count Isouard"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 { This great classic game was played in Paris in 1858 after Morphytraveled to play a match against Harrwitz which he won ( +5 -2 =1) afterHarrwitz retired. Later he defeated Anderssen (+5 -1 =1) winning the lastfive games in a row! Regular type annotations are Kasparov's while parentheticalannotations are the author's humble contributions :) } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 { (Passive,but thought to be solid at the time. Black must play accurately however) } 3. d4 Bg4 { Nowadays every schoolboy knows that this is bad, but those daysit was even played by Harrwitz! } 4. dxe5 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 dxe5 6. Bc4 Nf6 { ?The decisive mistake. True, Black had an unpleasant choice between 6...Qf67. Qb3 Bc5 (the spectacular variation 7...b6?! 8. Nc3 Ne7? 9. Nb5 Na6 10.Qa4 Nc5 11. Nd6+! Kd8 12. Qe8# was pointed out long ago in Greco's treatise!)8. 0-0 Bb6 9. a4 a5 10. Nc3 Ne7 11. Be3 Nd7 12. Rad1 and 6... Qd7 7. Qb3followed by Nc3, O-O, and Rd1 - in both cases White has an obvious advantage. } 7. Qb3 { A classic double attack } 7... Qe7 { In a game played a month earlierMorphy-Harrwitz; Paris 8th matchgame 1858; Black preferred to suffer apawn down after 7... Bd6 (7...Qd7? 8. Qb7) 8. Bf7+ and he resigned on the59th move. } 8. Nc3 { !? For the sake of rapid development Morphy avoidsthe exchange of queens, although after 8. Bf7+! (Qb7 Qb4+ 9. Qb4 Bb4+ 10.Bd2 is rather a 'small' achievement) 8...Kd8 (or 8...Qf7 9. Qb7) 9. Qb7Qb4+ 10. Qb4 Bb4+ 11. c3 Black can resign } 8... c6 9. Bg5 { (White sets up thefirst of many deadly pins) } 9... b5 { ? An attempt to solve all the problemsin one go. 'Black would hardly have saved the game by 9...Na6 10. Ba6 ba611. Qc4 or 9...h6 10. Bf6 gf6 11. O-O-O, while 9...Qc7 10. O-O-O Bc5 wouldhave been refuted by the simple 11. Bf7+! Qf7 12. Rd8+' (Neishtadt) } 10. Nxb5 { but not 10. Be2? Qb4! } 10... cxb5 11. Bxb5+ Nbd7 { (And black is forcedinto another pin...) } 12. O-O-O Rd8 { If 12...Qb4?, then 13. Bf6 } 13. Rxd7 { 'White lands successive blows, and each time with gain of tempo' (Euwe)'Morphy is in his element. The brilliant combination with sacrifices makesthis game one of the most beautiful achievements in the entire historyof chess' (Maroczy) } 13... Rxd7 14. Rd1 Qe6 { 14...Qb4? 15. Bf6 (Too late to stepout of the pin) } 15. Bxd7+ { 15. Bf6 was a drier alternative } 15... Nxd7 16. Qb8+ { !! } 16... Nxb8 17. Rd8# { 'A sparkling finish!!' (Euwe) } 1-0
[Event "How 'My' London System works"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.05.03"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "1600+ player"] [Result "1-0"] { Sometimes a game just goes like a manual. } 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 e6 3. Nf3 Bd6 { Early center defiance. It is not bad, but... } 4. Ne5 { Now, the bestoption for black is f6, rejecting the knight, that has to go to d3 to recapturethe bishop after the exchange. It gives black some advantage, since theknight in f4 is not well placed. But black went... } 4... Nd7 { ...giving me aprecious tempo. } 5. e3 { The queen's way to g4 or h5 is open. } 5... Nxe5 { Notf6 now, because of Qh5+ and if g6, Nxg6. } 6. dxe5 { Kind of surprise, butthis pawn will stop black's developement, at the cost of the dsb's inactivity. } 6... Be7 7. Qg4 Bf8 { g6 can be considered better, and the weakness of theblack squares is not so terrible until black's dsb is in the game. } 8. Bd3 { h4 can be a better option, to definitely grab control of the kinside. } 8... Nh6 { Qg3 means that this knight will go to f5, and my lsb will have toexchange it, so... } 9. Bxh6 gxh6 { I will miss my dsb, but the doubled pawnson h will compensate it, I guess. Now, h4 was due, but I didn't see it. } 10. c3 { In order to control d4 and solidify, but it allowed... } 10... Qg5 { Ican retreat, but losing e5. No good. } 11. Qg3 { Sadly... } 11... Qxg3 12. hxg3 { It's ok. I'm still better. The open column can be useful, later. } 12... Bg7 13. f4 { Strong center. } 13... Bd7 14. Na3 a6 { Fighting for b5 } 15. c4 { Risking,taking advantage of my developement. } 15... dxc4 16. Nxc4 { Not the best? Difficultto say. } 16... O-O-O { Well... } 17. Rc1 { I'm not interested in casting anymore.The king belongs to f2, defending g3. } 17... Kb8 { Of course, because of thenasty Nd6+. } 18. Be4 { Attacking, always... } 18... Bb5 19. b3 { If he exchanges,his dsb is almost out of the game, and preparing... } 19... Rd7 20. a4 { ...this. } 20... Bxc4 { Thank you, black... but the retreat was even worse. } 21. Rxc4 { bxB is naive, but maybe better. Anyway. } 21... Rhd8 { Good. } 22. O-O { The rookcan penetrate, but... } 22... f6 { Good, too. He wants to free his dsb. } 23. Rb4 c6 { ? A great help. If b6, a5, b5. } 24. Bxc6 Rd3 { Desperate, but losing. } 25. Rxb7+ { Loses a bishop with check. It worked... } 25... Kc8 { He resignedwithout waiting for RxB. } 1-0
[Event "British Over 50s Championship Rd 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30/7/2017"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles L Higgie"] [Black "Mark Page"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "2124"] [TimeControl "40 in 90 + 30 Mins, + 30 secs"] [WhiteElo "1915"] 1. d4 { This was played in the first round of the British Over 50s ChessChampionships in Llandudno. Although I was out-rated I managed to drawthe game. } 1... Nf6 { I had looked up some of his games, and saw that he playedthe King's Indian Defence, and I rattled out the first moves very quickly. } 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 { The King's Indian is a hypermodern opening, whereBlack deliberately allows White control of the centre with his pawns, withthe view to subsequently challenge it with the moves ...e5 or ...c5. Untilthe mid-1930s, it was generally regarded as highly suspect, but the analysisand play of three strong Soviet players in particular—Alexander Konstantinopolsky,Isaac Boleslavsky, and David Bronstein—helped to make the defence muchmore respected and popular. It is a dynamic opening, exceptionally complex,and a favourite of former world champions Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer,and Mikhail Tal, with prominent grandmasters Viktor Korchnoi, Miguel Najdorf,Efim Geller, John Nunn, Svetozar Gligorić, Wolfgang Uhlmann, and Ilya Smirinhaving also contributed much to the theory and practice of this opening.In the early 2000s the opening's popularity suffered after Vladimir Kramnikscored excellent results against it, so much so that even Kasparov gaveup the opening after relentless losses to Kramnik. However, Kramnik himselfwon a fine game on the black side of the KID in 2012, and current top playersHikaru Nakamura, Teimour Radjabov and Ding Liren all play the opening. } 4. e4 d6 5. f3 { This is Sämisch variation, a subtle blockading system anda critical challenge to the King's Indian.[1] It is named after the GermanGrandmaster Friedrich Sämisch. The Sämisch has been played by numerousgrandmasters, including world champions Mikhail Botvinnik, Mikhail Tal,Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov. BobbyFischer had trouble against the Sämisch. Mednis' How to Beat Bobby Fischershowed that five of Fischer's losses were against the Sämisch King's Indian,and remarked that Fischer eventually avoided the King's Indian if he believedhe would face the Sämisch.[2] Fischer faced the Sämisch five times againstBoris Spassky in their 1992 rematch, however—winning two, drawing two andlosing one. In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO), the SämischVariation is covered in chapters E80 to E89 } 5... O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Nge2 f5 9. Qd2 a6 10. O-O-O Nd7 { This is where I had to start thinking.Up to now we had been following another game by Mark Page. In that one,black played 10.....b7-b5, white replied c4-c5 and the game was eventuallydrawn. 10.....Nd7 prepares b7-b5 but prevents c4-c5. I have to play activelybefore he gets in this thrust. } 11. exf5 { So that if he ever plays f5-f4,I will have a lovely e4 square for my knight. } 11... gxf5 { Of course not 11....Rxf5??12. g4 winning a piece. } 12. g4 { One idea is to divert his f pawn awayfrom protecting the e4 square, allowing me to play Ne4. } 12... fxg4 { He takes. } 13. fxg4 { I take back. } 13... Nf4 { Afterwards my opponent was critical of thismove, as giving up a pawn for not enough compensation, but in my openingdatabases, this has always been played rather than the timid Nf6. } 14. Nxf4 { So I take. } 14... exf4 { He takes back. } 15. Bxf4 { and I take back. } 15... Nc5 { He commented afterwards he wasn't sure if this knight should go to c5or e5. In my opening databases, it seems that the knight normally goesto e5. OK what would you play now? } 16. h3 { I thought that this was logical,protecting g4, but after the game my opponent correctly pointed out afterwardsthat 16. Bh6! is much better exchanging his powerful dark squared bishop.If he plays 16.... Bxg4 I simply exchange on g7 and then play 18. Rg1!winning his bishop (if 18...h5 then 19. h3), and if he exchanges firstI still have the killing pin on his bishop if he takes on g4. } 16... Qf6 { I hada long think here. I was looking at Bg5, but eventually came to the conclusionthat I was simply driving his queen to a better square and my bishop couldbe vulnerable on that square. Plus on e3, the bishop could take on c5 insome variations. } 17. Be3 { which is why I retreated. } 17... Bd7 { Preparing b7-b5.What would you play here dear reader? } 18. Kb1 { This is what I played,but it is a mistake. I should have played Bd4, exchanging off his Bg7. } 18... b5 { So he correctly sacrifices a pawn to open up lines on the queen side. } 19. cxb5 { So I take. } 19... axb5 { He takes back. } 20. Bxb5 { I finally developthis bishop. } 20... Bxb5 { He takes. } 21. Nxb5 { I take back. } 21... Rfb8 { He hits myknight. } 22. Nd4 { I retreat, blocking the long dark diagonal. What wouldyou play here for black? } 22... Qg6+ { Did you find it? I think black has theadvantage now. What would you play as white? } 23. Qc2 { I played this, theonly move. I offered a draw, I realised I had let black into the game,and he now had the advantage. What would you play here as black? } 23... Na4 { Playedafter a long thing. After the game he said he was also looking at 23....Rxa2and he showed me some interesting variations, in one he wins my queen fortwo rooks, but it is probably not winning for him. I think that simply23....Qxc2 is best followed 24....Rxa2 and black has the advantage. } 24. Qxg6 { I think white is ok now. } 24... Rxb2+ { regaining one of the pawns lost. } 25. Kc1 { Forced! } 25... hxg6 { He takes back. } 26. Rd2 { I have to try and neutralisehis Rb2. } 26... Rab8 { And he wants to maintain a rook there. } 27. Rhh2 { Anothergood defensive move, although I say it myself. } 27... Rb1+ { He avoids exchanges. } 28. Kc2 { Forced! } 28... Re1 { Still attacking. 29. R(either) to e2 loses to 29....Rb2+ } 29. Bf2 { Attacking his rook. } 29... Rb2+ { Throws in a check. } 30. Kd3 { Forced! } 30... Nc5+ { Another check. } 31. Kc3 { Forced again. } 31... Na4+ { Another check. } 32. Kd3 { With another draw offer. I thought he was going after a repetition. } 32... Nc5+ { But declined. } 33. Kc3 { Forced. } 33... Rxd2 { He takes. } 34. Kxd2 { I takeback. } 34... Ra1 { Finally getting his pawn back, but he has no advantage. } 35. Nc2 { Afterwards he praised this move of mine. } 35... Rxa2 { He takes. } 36. Bxc5 { I take. } 36... dxc5 { He takes back. } 37. Re2 { At last this rook is active. } 37... c4 { He pushes his past pawn. } 38. Re7 { I attack. } 38... Ra5 { He counter attacks. } 39. Ne3 { I protect my pawn. } 39... Bh6 { He pins my knight. } 40. Ke2 { I breakthe pin. } 40... Bxe3 { He takes. } 41. Kxe3 { I take. } 41... Rxd5 { He takes. } 42. Rxc7 { I take. } 42... Rd3+ { He checks. } 43. Ke4 { The surest way to draw. } 43... Rxh3 { Hetakes. } 44. Rxc4 { I take back. } 44... Kf7 { And drawn on black's suggestion. Manythanks for reading, please rate this annotation on the star system andleave a comment or two to let me know how I am doing with my annotations.Until next time dear reader! } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Bishop And Knight End Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.07"] [Round "-"] [White "excile"] [Black "olejonskij"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1602"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1656"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. d4 f6 6. Be3 Ba6 7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. c4 Ng6 9. d5 cxd5 10. cxd5 Qd7 11. b3 Be7 12. Nc4 O-O 13. O-O c6 14. h3 Bb7 15. dxc6 Bxc6 16. Qd3 d5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. Nfd2 Nh4 20. Ne4 h6 21. Nc3 Be6 22. Qxd7 Rxd7 23. Rxd7 Bxd7 24. Rd1 Be6 25. Nb5 Bxc4 26. bxc4 a5 27. Rd7 Kf8 28. Kf1 Nf5 29. Bb6 Rc8 30. Rc7 Rxc7 31. Bxc7 { Alright here's another end game,i am white,my opponent is black.This game is about grinding down your opponent with the center. havingthe center is extremely important in the end game,not having it can resulta loss. In this game my opponent made a mistake causing him to loose thecenter and the game. } 31... a4 { my bishop was attacking that a5 pawn so justmoving it out of the bishop's sight is ok to do. You may ask ''why not31. ... Bb4?'' which seems ok however the problem with that move is thatnow the bishop becomes defensive. In the end game you dont want to be defensivebecause you won't have any chances of winning. it's better to be aggressiveeven tho you might not win that piece. } 32. Ke2 { Now i am aiming to movethe king closer to the center,centralizing the king is a good thing todo,heck centralizing every piece is a good thing to do in the end game.Even tho i feared Nh4 to create weaknesses on the king side i decided thatmy king really needs to get in to the game. and as long as i stay on lightsquares i should be ok. as you see most of my pieces are on light squaresto avoid the dark squared bishop. Now you are probably wondering also whynot Nc3? well i feared the let go of the d4 and d6 squares and decidedthat i can play that move maybe later but first getting my king up is mymain objective. Getting the knight off the center was a scary thing todo,i decided it is on an ok outpost at the moment. } 32... Bc5 { Bc5. Well thebishop is simply better placed on c5 than on e7. Now it is targeting thef2 pawn preventing my king from moving to d3 which was my plan (d3-e4-d5to support that passed pawn). also he is using a trick,he is blockadingmy passed pawns and that is an excellent thing to do in the end game. } 33. Kf3 { i have to go to f3 instead if i want to move up. The downsidewith this move is that it is blocking in the f2 pawn. however i wasn'tplanning to camp on f3 anyways. } 33... Ke7 { now he is moving his king closerto the center. the second point is moving to e6 (out of my bishop's rangeand protecting that knight) } 34. Ke4 { see? told you i wasn't going to stayon f3. moving the king to the center was my point all a long. } 34... Ke6 { justdefending the knight while attacking f2 on the same time } 35. f4 { i decidedthe the most important thing to do here is Not letting his king come into the 5th rank. exchanging pawns remove the pressure and making my kingmore elastic on the 4th rank. in the end game you don't want to give upranks,they are important as well as seizing a file in the middle game. } 35... Ng3+ { well we could expect this move,pushing my king back } 36. Kf3 { attackinghis knight } 36... exf4 37. Bxf4 { recapture } 37... Nf5 38. Ke4 { this position is betterfor white than a few moves back,all his pieces are out of the white squaresexpect the dark squared bishop. } 38... Ne7 { This move was a mistake. firstlyhe over looked my next move which is strong, secondly he is moving awayfrom the center and now i am trying to use the center to grind him down,making him cramped until he will have no way out and this is interestingto see. } 39. Nc7+ { a good move, of course now it isn't possible to playNc3 but i was really afraid of playing Nc3,moving pieces away from thecenter. but this move pushes his king back which is the first step of takingout my foe. } 39... Kd7 { Kd7 Best move here but now comes a good move } 40. Na6 { Na6. I am knocking off that bishop from blockading my passed pawns andnow things become to heat up. } 40... Bg1 { well in this position exchanging hisdark squared bishop for my knight is just loosing for him since it is generallyknown a bishop is better than a knight. } 41. c5 { c5. now i am planningto move my pawn to queen. Look on the difference on the position now andafter 38. Ke4. he has two pieces pushed down. } 41... Kc6 { blockading the pawnwith his king a king is a good blockader in the very end game due to ifit gets knocked off it can simply move one step backwards and it will taketime queening that passed pawn. } 42. Bd6 { another pushing move. it alsoprotects that c5 pawn } 42... Nc8 43. Bf8 { now do you see why it's better to havepieces on light squares against a dark squared bishop? i believe the Bishopis excellent placed on f8 even if those three pawns under him wouldn'tbe there. } 43... Bh2 { i think he wanted to move his bishop to e5 or somethinglike the just preventing my king from assisting the blocked passed pawn. } 44. Nb4+ { another good move,knocking his king back } 44... Kd7 45. c6+ { movingfurther in with my pawn } 45... Kc7 46. Kd5 { You see now what i mean with grindingmy opponent down via center? he is cramped here in this position. It'slike Kramnik,everyone keeps saying he is good on squeezing like this } 46... a3 { he didnt know what else to do. } 47. Bxg7 { I was really confused what todo in this position. i didnt want to let go of the e7 and d6 squares buti couldn't see any other move to advance my pawn. that's why i decidedto just win material,i figured nothing bad would happen. } 47... Bd6 { attackingthe knight sharply } 48. Kc4 { i judged 48. ... Bxb4 49. Kxb4 Kxc6 50. Kxa3wins for white. } 48... h5 { not sure what the point of this move was,maybe hecould have played Na7 or Ne7 instead. } 49. Bxf6 Nb6+ { Nb6 came instead. } 50. Kb5 { Now you would think 50. ... Bxb4 51. Kxb4 Nd5+ wins however whiteplays 51. Be5+ instead. } 50... Nc8 { Nc8?? Overlooked my next move which wins } 51. Na6# { Good game. and i hope you understand that i won because i managedto push his pieces of the center and make him cramped. that's why controllingthe center is highly important in the end game. } 1-0
[Event "Aposegate's FAST Tournaments for GK addicts III"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "11-Oct-07"] [Round "-"] [White "bchacanac"] [Black "sevenarts"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1347"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1397"] 1. e4 { he opens the way i usually do } 1... e5 { so i naturally match } 2. Bc4 { nothing surprising } 2... Nc6 { defend the pawn and get the knight out } 3. Nc3 { the same } 3... Bc5 { we're mirroring each other fine for now } 4. Nd5 { there'sa more daring move. no immediate attack but it does trap my queen tilli can either get rid of that knight or castle, otherwise he'll have a king/rookforked check } 4... Nf6 { so i set up a sacrifice } 5. f4 { that complicates mattersquite a bit, plenty of options here } 5... Nxe4 { he probably expected me to eithertake f4 or trade the knights, this move obviously threw him for a bit ofa loop, and his obvious next move might be to take e5 and trade pawns,but that would clearly give me a positional advantage with my two knightscontrolling the middle and my king still ready to castle } 6. Ne3 { the alternativesmight not have been pretty, but i don't get this move at all. i would'veguessed d2 to d3 to chase off my knight and delay the pawn exchange } 6... exf4 { instead, i take his pawn, and now he's moved his knight right into itsattack path so he's going to have to waste another move defending it } 7. d4 { now he finally moves that d pawn, but this still doesn't make muchsense, as my bishop is obviously not in real danger here and that d pawnis now doomed - it does force me to delay taking his knight though } 7... Nxd4 { so i take the pawn, and i'm back out of danger } 8. Nf3 { not bad, he'ssetting up a lot of options here. if i just take the knight at e3, he takesthe one at d4 and he'll have the definite positional advantage. if i insteadtake the knight at f3, that enables his queen to come into play prettydecisively and make a real mess of things over there. so time for creativethinking } 8... Nd6 { so that's creative thinking, and not looking so hot nowthat i see it - no better than the other options already mentioned. nowthis is basically just looking like a mess of piece exchanges } 9. Nxd4 { and it begins } 9... Bxd4 { now this was kind of silly - it would seem to beexchanging my knight and bishop for just his knight. i clearly should havesent the knight at d6 to take the bishop at c4, and then there'd at leastbe an even exchange. as it is, it would seem like i'd only come even outof this because i'd already decimated a bunch of his pawns } 10. O-O { but,much to my surprise, he doesn't take the ridiculous bait and castles instead,leaving me some room to redeem myself } 10... fxe3 { i decide i might as well seewhat i can get here. again, a bad move. i should have used the bishop totake the knight, putting his king in check and thereby assuring that he'dhave to trade his bishop for mine, so i'd get a bishop & a knight for justone bishop. a couple of big tactical errors early on here, and the middleof the board is almost cleared out already. } 11. Qxd4 { so now his queenwakes up and, delayed, takes the bishop } 11... O-O { time to get my king to relativesafety before it's too late, but white has a massive position of powerat this point and it's starting to look like i'm screwed } 12. Bxe3 { yup,there goes that floating, lonely pawn, and white's position is lookingbetter and better, while almost all my living pieces are trapped back row } 12... b6 { my first step to correct that, creating an alley for the bishop toattack through } 13. Rf3 { he's clearly moving the rook out for the mate,while i'm still mostly trapped. i can't even move my knight anywhere withoutgetting him killed } 13... Bb7 { seemingly innocuous, but this is the crucial moveas it turns out. protects my rook, attacks his rook, and sets up futureassaults on the white king } 14. Rg3 { there's the mate attempt, of course } 14... Nf5 { fortunately, this move frees up my knight, finally, attacking simultaneouslyall 4 points of interest on the enemy side -- the three attackers and thespot they're all gunning for. } 15. Rxg7+ { white decides to sacrifice hisrook in the interest of clearly up the opening } 15... Nxg7 { and there's nothingi can do but grab him, although things are still looking pretty grim forpoor old black } 16. Bh6 { and even more so now - move and he's got my rook,stay and he's got mate } 16... Nf5 { so of course i move, basically the only viableoption there or it would've all been over } 17. Qg4+ { but he's got a greatmove, really devastating } 17... Kh8 { my only option is to tuck up in the cornerand hide, and i'm feeling really penned in now } 18. Bxf8 { he grabs therook as predicted, and there's not much to do but take his bishop and sacrificethe knight. if i move the knight instead, he's got mate, and this is avery precarious balance } 18... Qxf8 { so there's my only real option, eliminatingthe mate threat for the moment } 19. Qxf5 { but the exchange wasn't too fairand i say goodbye to my knight, which served me well. still, his attackseems to have faltered at this point - he drove on aggressively, boldly,sacrificing a lot, but things have wound up pretty even. he seems to havegiven up a massive positional advantage here and we're back to an evenfight } 19... Qg7 { it looks to him, i assume, like i'm setting up to attack thatb2 pawn and make a play on his second rook, but does anybody else rememberthat little bishop hiding out at b7? i do, but obviously he doesn't } 20. Bd3 { even if he missed the obvious mate, this is puzzling, the best hecould hope for here is to exchange his queen and bishop for my queen, thusturning his former advantage into a disadvantage -- i guess he figuredi'd be stupid enough to go off chasing his b2 pawn and the rook in theback, and leave him to mate me on the next turn } 20... Qxg2# { no such luck, though,and the bishop tucked in the corner proves its decisive power, as i pullout a rough victory from what seemed like certain defeat } 0-1
[Event "Deviating from General Opening Guidelines"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.11.02"] [Round "-"] [White "bhidragon"] [Black "jkarp"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1343"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1791"] { This was an interesting game between me and bhidragon. After studyingsome of my past games. That was, a win against redfoxrising (where I hadtwo Q's, against one of his and used it to mate), as well as, my book drawagainst jstevens1, he wanted to play against me. In it, he said that hewas interested in my play. I forced those wins and that draw with somevisualization which is very sophisticated Homework (that I also used inthis game.) So, what I did is very typical of what you see from a GM,where I visualize the positions in my game and some positions for endgames,including, chareshiggie's last annotation with the position where BXP. But, I analyze away from the computer, so at work and the gym. Not onlyhas this helped me to improve, but it was also beneficial at work, andduring my work sessions. Soon after that, I won a game against chicoboy(after forcing his draw against jstevens1), defeated redfoxrising twice,and won both team games (so the match) again sesenator, which allowed meto reach my highest rating of 1344. With that being said, he knew my styleof play too well. And, given what happened in my game against tipsyjourneyman(since he also knew my style), I did something different against him. Afterall, I was trying to take him out of comfort by playing things thathe didn't expect. I also knew that there were exceptions to General OpeningGuidelines, so the question becomes when do you deviate from this? Afterall,I've been corrected so many times from that. I figured that this was sinceI got a pawn, but overall, however, this was not the time do that. So,too much deviation led to my downfall, this time around. } 1. d4 { Beforethat happened, it started with this. I am not surprised because I knowhim, and my opponent likes to open with the QP. } 1... d5 { I think that betterwas to play the most common move in the world database, after discussionin the Chicoboy's Legacy Consultation Game. However, I am only familiarwith the variations, as white because of the fact that I was able to playthe Colle System against Bert. But, I asked what would happen, if whitewas able to play this against me. I just didn't want to get into complications,so I followed GM Susan Polgar's advise and played what I was most comfortablewith. } 2. c4 { I am not surprised that he likes the QG and, I seem to rememberthat he played this before. } 2... c6 { I really evaluated on this, or 2...e6 The most common is advancing the e pawn, but the problem is that I didn'twant to get left with a bad bishop. While ...e6 makes my DSB stronger,my LSB is weaker. But, I think that was the better alternative, as now,my DSB is blocked in, making it much more difficult to get it into playand castle. } 3. Nf3 { Standard development. } 3... Nf6 { But, I copy that becausemy goal is to get my DSB into play and castle. } 4. Nc3 { I am very surprisedto see this move because they say that one should not play Nc3 in QP openings,until that c pawn has been exchanged. It was too soon to conclude, butI thought that with this move, I might have an advantage here. But, Iwasn't going to count on my chickens before they hatch. The idea beingis because of what I remembered from tactical-abyss in his Q sacs (whichI do intend to annotate, at some point. It would be epic because thatwin, in regards to the same thing was someone of about his strength, believeit or not.) But, the lesson was not to become overconfident and play carefully. For now, I will, until I see an opportunity, which is when things willgo downhill. However, I should not be surprised because his c pawn hadadvanced first because the one thing that I forgot was that 2.c4 was playeddue to being a QG. } 4... g6 { Trying to take advantage of what I had viewedas an inaccuracy, I decided to fianchetto. I also thought about the possibilityof advancing my center with the idea of developing another piece. But,the idea behind it was to pin his N on c3. After using analyze the board,as well as, visualization (which I noted in the intro) I decided that thiswas a bad idea. The idea being that if I had done that with ...Bb4, hehas Qa4+, after which, I'd lose my DSB without compensation. } 5. e3 { Developinga central pawn and strengthening his LSB (in other words, that's now hisgood bishop.) The only issue is that his DSB becomes the bad bishop, inreturn. As white, I think I would've fianchettoed my LSB, in this position. Yet, he has ways to compensate. } 5... Bh6 { I had a tough time deciding betweenthis move and 5...Bg7 But, given that I'd be faced with an interference(where my piece is blocked by another piece) I decided not to do that. I have been reperimended for, voluntarily, blocking in my own pieces aftera fianchetto. That happened in a mentoring game with myevilluck. And,given that I remember this from over 3 years shows that near pictogrammemory. So, I asked myself, as Homework, why have ya piece blocked inby another of mine, when instead, I can have it on a different flank, whereit's not blocked, at all. } 6. Bd3 { Waisting no time, not only does he develop,but in doing so, white is strengthening his bad bishop. That's one wayI realized that he could compensate. In addition, given that he's a muchstronger player, I knew that he find the way to do so, quickly. } 6... O-O { ?!Waisting no time at all, I castle, immediately. Don't forget, where stillblending in my typical style (with the idea of making him feel comfortableand confident. In fact, I want him to do so much of it, that he is takenoff guard when I play something different.) Though, the plan will backfire,at some point. Now, I thought that it wouldn't completely, but I didn'tthink that the reversed would happen to me. In addition, I'm not surewhat the best move was, but for the reason that charleshiggie notated ina previous annotation, I view it as a slight inaccuracy. The reason being,like with that game, this will give white better center control with thismove. } 7. e4 { Once he played, I realize that I had no choice, but to exchangeB's, with this being my good bishop for his bad one. I don't like thesituation, at all, and asked myself if there was a better alternative. But, after further analysis, I realize that there was no other alternativebut to do this, lest, I lose a piece (which is not an option.) } 7... Bxc1 8. Rxc1 { After this, however, I have no problem going into an exchange. I'mjust not sure if it's quite the right choice. Though, at the time, I thoughtit was because I remember Jack telling me that it's often a good idea toexchange often against opponents, whose ratings are much strongers. But,that was before cplusplus11 said that it all depends what pieces you areexchanging and they're value, compared to, your value. In it, he noted,'They need to be equal exchanges. If you keep exchanging your good piecesfor your opponent's bad pieces, then when you offer to trade your bad piecefor their good one, they just decline and they win easily because theyhave better pieces.' I'm afraid, however, that they were not equal hereas I wound up giving him some of my better for his that were not as good. } 8... dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Qa5+ { Knowing that, this is where I feltthat it was safe to deviate from The General Opening Guidelines of completingdevelopment. And, yes, it's also where I do things differently then whathe's used to. And, in doing so, I thought I had taken him, offguard. This is no cheapo tactic or attempted mate. But, what I didn't realizeis that, what I thought was Real Chess, is actually unsound, and therefore,Hope Chess. The reason I played is because of what's about to happen. The idea being that I'm bound to win a pawn here. In doing so, however,he will be able to prevent me from completing my development, which I didnot want. And, from there, things will go downhill. It's about patternrecognition which is my trouble spot and another reason that I do the sophisticatedHomework of visualization. But, it's still a weakness which I'm boundto discover. } 11. Rc3 { This move took me surprise. Instead, I thought,he'd get out of check by moving the K. And, even if one loses castlingrights, as I've learned, there are ways to compensate. But, it would takethree moves, as opposed to, one. This can be done by bringing the K toe2, then the R to e1, followed by the monarch on f1. And, then, it's,as though, you castled K side, with the same results. But, this move,however, leaves his R pinned, and I didn't think that white would wantto be put in this situation. No matter what he played, I would've takenon a2. But, as noted, I will up in trouble because of this. } 11... Qxa2 12. Qc1 { I anticipated this move, but only under the technicality that he isprotecting b2. However, there is much more to this then meets the eye,as we're about to see. } 12... Qa5 { Due to being a pawn down, I considered otheralternatives, until it boiled down to two candidate moves. They were,what I play next, (which I figured I'd do a move later), or 12...Bf5 withthe idea of exchanging. The reason being was to go back to development. But, it also goes with a general fact that when you're ahead, it's usuallyto your benefit to exchange pieces. However, this is a time where visualizationwasn't going to cut the mustard which is also why I use analyze the board. And, in this case, that doesn't work because if I had played 12...Bf5,he would've won my Q (in return) after 13.Ra3, as it would be trapped. This is also why he played 12.Qc1 The idea being before that, had I taken(without the move played), I'd be safe. But, now, after 13.Ra3, his Queenwould've prevented mine from escaping because it can recapture, if I took. } 13. O-O { Therefore, white waists no time in getting his K to safety. } 13... c5 { The plan being to exchange, as his is a center pawn. So, if I could forcethe exchange, I'd compensate for the loss of center control. } 14. Qh6 { But,white doesn't allow it. } 14... f6 { I also considered 14...f5 with the idea ofgetting tempo, in return. In addition, 14...Bf5 also came to mind withthe idea of continuing development. But, after evaluation, I realizedthat those were out of questions. In fact, this is indirectly forced becauseanything else allows 15.Ng5, in which he would mate with 16.Qxh7# whichI was not going to allow. And, since I have studied a similar positionwith Jack Stockel (which he made do as Homework); as well as, insightson tactics from GM Susan Polgar, I knew what had to be done. So, thiswas, already, second nature. } 15. Bxg6 { From studying TA's Q sac, anda few losses prior, I realized that white wouldn't just give away his B. And, if he did, it would come at a price. So, asked myself, if therewas an alternative to this. However, there was not because, had I nottaken, white would've mated with 16.Qxh7# I was familiar with this kindof mate since easy19 mated me in the same way. In return, I used thissame thing, when mating reachforgoals (which helped me become, somewhat,well known for teaching chess.) Therefore, taking his B was not an option. } 15... hxg6 { Now, one would think that I have a win. But, from what I noted earlier,about why they give things, I wasn't confident. In fact, I knew, otherwise. In other words, I'm well aware of the fact that I'm big trouble, and likely,lost. So, I'm doing what I can to stay in and will continue putting upa fight, until I'm 100% confident that it's lost. But, as we're aboutto see, this isn't far away. } 16. Qxg6+ { So, he knabs a pawn and, (in theprocess), places me in check. } 16... Kh8 { Forced. } 17. Re3 { When he played this,I knew that e7 was en-prise, so I asked myself what could be done to protectthis. The only choice to protect this, without losing a piece was my nextmove. However, the game is lost either way. But, slightly better wasallowing him to take because I would've lasted longer against the mate. If 18.Rxe7, Rf7 then comes 19.Qxf7, or 19.Rxf7, and white would mate with20.Re8# or 20.Qf8# But, with what I play next, white will mate a moveearlier. } 17... e6 18. Re4 { I figured out all of the facts when white moved here.At first, I wasn't sure why he played this, and before doing Homework,the hypothesis was that he wanted my e pawn. That, however, is ludicrousbecause after the evaluation, I figured out that I'd take back. The realreason he played this was because, had his R remained on e3, white wouldn'thave been able to do damage. But, with this move, however, it is now anofficial mate. The reason being is that my K is pinned, and in order toprevent, it would have to escape. Given that my monarch, 19.Rh4# is inevitable. Therefore, I resigned. What I learned is that, only under certain circumstancesshould you deviate from the guidelines. There are exceptions, but it'simportant to know when they exist. I'd say, given my loss against nambam,that against stronger players, like bhidragon, in general, unless yourpreventing the loss of material, it's not a good idea to deviate. If it'sto win a pawn, the opponent might also be giving it for tactic. In thiscase, white did because when I captured it, he prevented from, not onlycompleting development, but also, deploying another piece. From there,things went downhill. } 1-0
[Event "Faced with a Q sac, a ferocious mating attack, now what??"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.02.09"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "henrythefifth"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1700"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1745"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! After you have witnessed my two losses against IMDavid Patron I bet you may be wondering whether things may be coming inthrees, although at least I was playing someone much closer to my rating. However, in the opening he apparently blundered his queen for Fou Leblanc. However, a few moves down the line, Henrythefifth showed me that my ownKing Henry was potentially in deep doodoos. So, the question is, willHenry meet an inglorious end or will Glenda be able to make her presencefelt just in the nick of time? If you do not wish to see the spoiler belowthen do read on. } 1... e6 { 1. ..... e6 - after I revert back to e4 (I have alsoplayed Nc3 quite a lot!) my opponent hits me with the French Defense. I usually play the exchange variation but this time I try the advanced. } 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 { 4. c3 - standard advance in the French DefenseAdvanced Variation to try and keep my opponent tied down as much as possibleby bolstering the advanced e5 pawn. } 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. a3 { 6. a3 - I wantto keep black's queen knight out of b4 should my d4 pawn be traded off. } 6... f6 7. Bd3 fxe5 8. Nxe5 { 8. Nxe5 - pawn trade. } 8... Nf6 9. O-O cxd4 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. cxd4 Qxd4 { 11. ...... Qxd4 ?!(!) - and now here is the queen sac. Black allows Bg6+ because most of my pieces are undeveloped and he somehowfinds a ferocious mating attack out of nowhere! } 12. Bg6+ hxg6 13. Qxd4 { 13. Qxd4 - nacht! } 13... Bd6 { 13. .... Bd6! - a strong follow up move. Blackis getting whatever is left of his army out and is attacking h2. He isthreatening to win Glenda back in two moves by means of a nasty discoveredcheck down the h column. I avoid this by playing g3. } 14. g3 e5 15. Qa4 { 15. Qa4 - Glenda stays rooted to this square for many, many more moves. } 15... Bd7 16. Bd2 { 16. Bd2- I now get my pieces out as quickly as possible. } 16... Ng4 17. h4 { 17. h4 - staves off another threat on my g2 pawn but will theh column suddenly be a death trap for Henry? We shall see. } 17... e4 18. Nc3 { 18. Nc3 - finally the decks are cleared but my situation is not ideal. For a starters, I do not like the fact that Glenda is on a discovery line(the a4 to e8 diagonal). I also mislike the fact that black has the bishoppair (this was a telling factor in Easy 19 - aka The Master Mater's queensac MTs) to rake across the board and inflict a lot of potential damage. His knight on g4 looks ominously pesky. There is a rook blasting downthe h column and he could double up on it in a few more moves if I do notwatch out. Finally his d5 pawn is a passer in a very strong looking pawnchain. Yup, at this point black is better. Do you the Inquest Jury agree? } 18... Ne5 { 18. .... Ne5 - threatening a really nasty knight fork on f3. } 19. Bf4 Nf3+ 20. Kg2 Bxf4 21. gxf4 { 21. gxf4 - Well at least I have brokenup that bishop pair, but now two of my kingside pawns are about to dropoff and Henry is gonna shiver! } 21... Rxh4 22. Rh1 { 22. Rh1 - necessary counterattack along the h column. Black now picks off the f4 pawn and lays atrap. If Rh8+?? black will force mate in a few moves. I now bring myknight over to give poor Henry some cover! } 22... Rxf4 23. Ne2 Rg4+ 24. Ng3 { 24.g3 - now Henry is safe - at least for a while and I really am threateningRa8+. } 24... Nh4+ 25. Rxh4 Rxh4 26. Rh1 { 26. Rh1 - after sacrificing my rookto eliminate counterplay from that pesky knight of his, I now move my remainingrook onto the h column. Will a more open board give Glenda a chance tomake her presence felt? We shall see. } 26... g5 27. Qd4 { 27. Qd4 - finally Glendadoes make her presence felt - she is eyeing up the rear doubleton isolanion g7 and threatening Qe5 check winning the g5 pawn. } 27... O-O-O { 27. .....0-0-0? I was expecting Kf7. This now allows Glenda to pick off the pawnon g7. She could have taken the a7 pawn but I felt it was better thatGlenda should guard the h8 square. } 28. Qxg7 Bg4 29. Rxh4 Bf3+ 30. Kh3 gxh4 31. Kxh4 { 31. Kxh4 - now both those weakies on the g column have vanished,although the second one has been devoured by Henry rather than Glenda. Maybe I could use Henry to hold back black's central queenside pawns whileGlenda is free to rampage elsewhere. } 31... d4 32. Nf1 d3 33. Nd2 { 33. Nd2 -but my knight can get there a lot quicker to blockade them. } 33... Be2 { 33. ....Be2 - laying another trap by hoping for Nxe4? Blackwill then play d2 andI will have to trade off the knight for the pawn to prevent it from crowning. Glenda, however, now snaps up the a7 pawn instead. } 34. Qxa7 Re8 35. Qe3 c5 36. Qxc5+ { 36. Qxc5+ - on black's last move, in trying to bolster d3he left his c5 pawn en prise. Glenda gratefully snaps this one up withcheck and now my opponent decided to wave the white flag. Kudos to blackfor an exciting middlegame! } 1-0
[Event "Tipsy's Ruy Lopez vs Merlin"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.08.03"] [Round "-"] [White "tipsyjourneyman"] [Black "rmannstaedt"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1793"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1574"] 1. e4 { By common agreement we are playing the Ruy Lopez, which makes thenext couple of moves mandatory... } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { With this movewe enter into the Ruy Lopez. Black has a number of options here, thoughby far the most common continuation is (as indeed played in the game) 3...a6.Apart from that, Black may opt for 3...Nf6 (Berlin Defence), 3...f5 (JaenitschGambit / Schliemann Defence), 3...d6 (Steinitz Defence), 3...Bc5 (CordelVariation), 3...Nd4 (Bird Defence). Either of these are emininently playable,though only the Berlin Defence currently enjoys any real popularity. } 3... a6 { The Murphy Defence, forcing an immediate declaration from White: willyou exchange, or do you retreat? } 4. Bxc6 { White opts for the ExchangeVariation. For a long time thought to be completely harmless for Black,until Bobby Fischer turned it into a dangerous weapon in the 1960s. Whitehas a slight lead in development and a superior pawn structure. Recapturingwith the d-pawn opens lines for both queen and bishop, significantly lesseningthe impact of White's development. In principle, Black should at leastconsider a recapture with the b-pawn, as the general rule for pawn captureis 'always capture towards the center'. But though correct in its generalprinciple, capturing with the b-pawn is hardly recommendable in this specificposition. For instance, 4...bxc6 5.O-O d6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 c5 8.Qd3 andBlack's pawn formation is stymied, his development non-existent, and hisposition close to untenable. } 4... dxc6 { The proffered sacrifice of the e5 pawnis purely illusory. On 5.Nxe4? Black has two forceful replies: 5...Qg5and 5...Qd4. Either will affort Black a superior position, eg.: 5.Nxe5?Qd4 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8.Kxe2 Bg4 9.Re1 O-O-O 10.Kf1 Bxf3 11.gxf3Bd6 -+. In the game position, the current main move - and White's mostflexible choice - is 5.0-0. Before the days of Bobby Fischer the most commoncontinuation was 5.d4, which offers a considerable simplification of theposition. } 5. O-O { White has castled and his position is sound if not verythreatening. Black, on the other hand, has lost the only developed piecehe had (Nc6) so that all of his officers are now still on the back rank.However, his position is not so bad as all that, as he does have the half-opend-file and open lines for his bishops and Queen. What he needs now, morethan anything else, is to keep the position reasonably closed while gettinghis king whisked away to safety - and he needs to protect his e-pawn toowhile doing it. There are various ways of achieving this, including theunpretentious 5...f6, and the more spectacular but ultimately dubious 5...Bg46.h3 h5!? } 5... Qd6 { Before the days of computer-assisted opening analysis thismove would be regarded as ugly, premature, foolhardy, and a waste of time.Today, it is one of the main lines in the Spanish Exchange Variation -though still regarded as ugly. Its redeeming features make up for its unsightlinesshowever: it keeps up pressure on the d-file, vacates the back row in preparationfor castling long, opens up for the possibility of transferring the queento the king-side in preparation for a K-side attack on White's position,and it supports the pawn on e5. A measure of the strength of this moveis that White cannot just wrench open the position by 6.d4; Black is fineafter 6...exd4 7.Qxd4 Qxd4 8.Nxd4 Bd7. } 6. Na3 { Planning to harass Black's queen while preserving the option of opening the center quickly and efficiently by means of d2-d4. Black considered various options here, including 6...Qe6 and 6...b5. Of these, he evaluated the pawn move as clearly the stronger, as it would both restrict the mobility of White's night and expand his control of the q-side space. Additionally, 6...Qe6 is playable, as demonstrated by Romanishin in his rather nice win against Fiorido: 6...Qe6 7.d4 exd4 8.Nxd4 Qf6 9.Re1 Bd7 10.e5 Qg6 11.e6 fxe6 12.Nc4 O-O-O 13.Bf4c5 14.Nfe5 Nf6 15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.Qxd6 Qg5 17.Qe3 Nd5 18.Qa3 Qf5 19.Nxc6 Qxc4 20.Nd6+ Kxd6 21.Rad1 Bd6 22.Qh3 Nf6 23.b3 Qg5 24.Qe3 Qe5 25.h3 Re8 26.Qd3 Kc8 27.Rd2 e5 28.Rde2 e4 29.Qc3 Qf3+ 30.Kg1 e3 31.fxe3 Qxg3+ 32.Rg2 Qe5 33.e4 Nd5 34.Rh2 Ng6 35.Rhe2 Nf4 36.Rh2 g5 37.c4 Nd3 [0-1 Fiorido, G. (2127) - Romanishin, O. (2511) / 3.Forni di Sopra Open, ITA 2012. } 6... b5 { Black gains space on the queensideand White will have to spend additional tempi if he is to activate hisknight on a3. Still, this does little to allay the fundamental challengein Black's position: his precariously placed king. Indeed, in some respectsthe pawn move actually enhances the danger to Black's king: he can no longerrely on castling long, which means that White may gain dangerous pressureon his position once the center pawn on e5 has been exchanged. The straightawayadvance to d4 is not that dangerous however, as Black is fine once thequeens have been exchanged off the board: 7.d4 exd4 8.Nxd4 c5 9.Nf3 Qxd110.Rxd1 Be6. } 7. c3 { The logical, maybe even necessary move, freeing upc2 for the knight while adding weight to the eventual d4 advance. But thereare problems as well: first and foremost, the c-pawn advance to c3 leavesthe d-pawn backwards and creates a gaping weakness on d3. This in itselfis quite enough to cast the whole Na3 variation into doubt, in my mind.The more so as Black has a splendid rejoinder available... } 7... c5 { The logicalresponse. Advancing the d-pawn to d4 will now gain White nothing, whileBlack stands to get rid of his doubled c-pawn weakness. Meanwhile, thecenter is still closed, which means Black is not unduly bothered by nothaving had a chance to castle his King yet. Or, stated another way: theclosed position negates any significant advantage that White might otherwisehave stood to gain from his greater development, while Black has achievedalready a marked positional advantage by means of the half-open d-file,pressure against White's weaknesses on d2 and d3, and his significantlygreater mobility on both Q-side and K-side. In a very real sense, initiativehas now shifted to Black; White just hasn't discovered it yet. On 8.d4Black will reply 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 exd4 10.Nxd4 c5 after which his mobileQ-side majority gives him the better chances. } 8. Nc2 { Sticking to theplanned d4-advance - which would, if Black allowed it, actually equalizethe game. However ... } 8... c4 { And White is stuck! The d-pawn stays put, theweakness on d3 is now glaringly obvious, and the doubled c-pawn actuallyserves to reinforce Black's Q-side control. White's position is seriouslycramped and his pieces have little mobility to speak of. Meanwhile, thecenter remains closed and Black has no worries about the safety of hisKing. } 9. b3 { Gives White a little more space while pressuring the c4 pawn. } 9... Be6 { Reinforces c4 while developing a piece. White gains control of theb-file after 10.bxc4 bxc4 11.Rb2, but it is hardly useful for him: he cannothope to equalize unless he can neutralize the weakness on d3. } 10. Ba3 { Though rather obvious, I tend to regard this move as being a slight error:it merely serves to prompt Black into a response he would like to do anyway,which means it is likely a loss of time. On the other hand, the bishopdoes need to get moved off the 1st rank, and it is hardly better placedon b2. Possibly 10.Qe2 is the better move. } 10... c5 { Very strong. Black reinforceshis control of d4 while effective blocking off the bishop diagonal andwrestling b4 away from the knight. The doubled c-pawns are now revealedas a significant strength rather than a weakness. } 11. Ne3 { Forces theensuing exchange, as 11...Nf6 12.bxc4 bxc4 13.Qa4+ Ke7 14.Nxc4 Bxc4 15.Qxc4leaves White with a clear advantage. } 11... cxb3 { White has removed the crampon c4 and gains a mobile pawn flank on the Q-side. The fundamental weaknesson d3 still exists however. } 12. axb3 { A key position in the game. Blackhas almost regained parity in development, and anyhow the position is stillclosed to a significant degree, so White's lead in development matterslittle. What does matter is White's weakness on d3 and his relative lackof space (mobility). All of which will disappear in a moment, unless Blackcan somehow block the threatened d2-d4 advance. } 12... Qd3 { And there it is!The Queen serves to physically restrain the pawn from advancing, whileat the same time forcing White to reply to the threatened capture on e4.The obvious reply, 13.Qc2, fails due to 13...Qxc2 14.Nxc2 Bxb3. } 13. Ng5 { Quite good. Black either has to move his bishop off the b3 diagonal (thussolving a significant problem for White) or accept being saddled with yetanother, doubled pawn - and an isolated one at that. However, as we havealready seen, doubled pawns are not always a weakness - and in this caseit will serve to give Black an almost immutable lock on the center. } 13... Nf6 { Developing with added pressure on e4. This will serve as adequate replacmentfor the soon-to-be-gone bishop. } 14. Nxe6 { Virtually forced, or White willhave achieved nothing. } 14... fxe6 { And we have the doubled pawns - again. Thistime the effect is possibly even stronger: though isolated and thus - inprinciple! - quite weak, they are actually a close to deciding featureon the board, affording Black a virtually unbreakable hold on the centerand effectively neutering White's knight on e3. } 15. f3 { The only way ofprotecting e4. Unfortunately, this also creates an additional weaknessas it opens the diagonal onto the White King. Black now needs to find away to continue the pressure, noting that an immediate 15...b4 avails himnot at all after 16.Bb2. } 15... Be7 { A necessary move, as Black needs to castleand activate his rooks. But nonetheless, this affords White a breathingpause and thus a chance to reorganize his pieces. It is difficult to findanything better though; settling the bishop on d6 would prevent the Queenfrom retreating at need. } 16. Bb2 { A rather defensive-looking move, butwith teeth: White vacates the a-file for his rook, which means Black'srook on a8 is now severely limited in its mobility, and prepares for aneventual c3-c4 advance with a discovered threat against Black's e5. } 16... O-O { The pawn on e5 is not seriously threatened yet, and Black needs both hisrooks in offensive roles. } 17. c4 { As Black needs to remobilize his knighton f6 anyway, this is hardly an embarrasment for him. } 17... Nd7 { Aiming theknight - once it has fulfilled its defensive duty towards e5 - againstthe weaknesses on b4 and d4. } 18. Ra2 { White prepares to add pressure againstthe backwards pawn on a6 (alternatively, to defend against a breakthroughon the Q-side). But before any such pressures can be brought to bear, hewill have to find a more permanent solution to his center weaknesses. } 18... Qd6 { The pawn on d2 is locked solid; it can advance to d3 and no further.Retracting the Queen will allow Black to remobilize the knight and addmore pressure on White's creaking formations. On 19.cxb5 Black gains aclear advantage after 19...axb5 20.Qa1 Rxa2 21.Qxa2 Qxd2. } 19. Ra5 { It'sdifficult to White to find a plan forward, so he settles for locking downthe Q-side as much as possible. } 19... b4 { Black wants to keep pressure on thed-file, so this makes more sense than trying to reinforce b5. White may,in this position, want to keep pressure on the a-file in turn, in whichcase Black will have to be precise: 20.Qa1 Bd8! with the idea 21.Ra2 Bc7and White can no longer prevent Black from relocating his knight: Nd7-b8-c6-d4,as Black may (if required) advance a6-a5 and thus keep his a-pawn covered.An important point in the board postion here - and the reason why Blackhas to play precisely - is that he does not want to open the d-fileprematurely. After 20.Qa1 Qxd2?! 21.Ng4 Qc2 22.Qa2 Bd8 23.Bxe5 Qxa2 24.Rxa2White has equalized and may even have a slight advantage. While 20.Qa1Bd8 21.Ra2 Qxd2? 22.Bc1! Qd4 23.Qb1 Qd6 24.Rd1 actually hands the d-file-and the advantage - over to White completely! } 20. d3 { This however, isentirely too passive. White would be better off going for the more exacting20.Qa1 (as detailed in the comment to 19...b4). Likely he underestimatedthe effect of the ensuing knight maneuvre. } 20... Nb8 { Black needs to activatethe knight. On d7 it is entirely passive, besides blocking up the valuabled-file. White's best play here is probably to do the same: Ne3-g4-f2, andBlack is left with a very difficult task trying to break through, seeingas how White seems able to block the Q-side advance by the simple (thoughexpensive) expedient of placing his rook on a4. } 21. Qe2 { As an alternativeto the g4-f2 knight maneuver, White is now able to perform the same relocationby means of d1. The game move has the added advantage of moving the Whitequeen off the d-file and giving room for the rook to take its place there. } 21... Nc6 { The knight is well placed here, and far more active than it was ond7. White should now retreat 22.Ra4, in order to block Black's Q-side ambitions,after which 22...Bd8 would probably be imprecise as Black cannot hope tobreak through on the Q-side while that rook is on a4, which means the bishopis likely to prove of better use on the K-side after all. } 22. Raa1 { Therook retreats too far. It would be better placed on a2 (where it wouldhelp cover the 2nd rank and offer the prospect of working together withthe rook on f1 in quickly and decisively seizing control of any open filethat may present itself), and far better placed on a4. } 22... a5 { It is clearfor Black that any hopes he may have of winning the game is and must beclosely linked with a breakthrough on the Q-side. It is thus importantto advance those pawns as far as possible, so that the eventual Q-sidebreakthrough (or even the threat of one) will prove decisive. Thus forinstance an immediate 23.Qc2, aiming to block any further advance of thepawn, may now be countered by the interesting - and probably decisive -pawn sacrifice 23...a4! 24.bxa4 Rfd8, after which 25.Rfd1 Nd4 26.Bxd4 Qxd427.Qf2 b3 should win for Black. } 23. g3 { White correctly perceives thatany active counterplay must happen on the K-side, but there is little hopeof this advance ever bearing fruit. Black is too well poised in the centerfor a counterattack on the flank to have any perceivable chance of success. } 23... Bg5 { Preparing to take advantage of the open lines in White's camp whileblocking any ideas White may have about advancing the f-pawn. Now interestingcomplications arise after 24.Ng4 Nd4, on which 25.Qd1 h5 26.Nf2 Nxf3+ 27.Kg2where the sharp rejoinder 27...Nd2!? is probably premature due to 28.Re1Rf3 29.Qxf3!? Nxf3 30.Kxf3 with an unclear position. Black is ahead onpoints but may find it very difficult to break through. Less good for Whiteis 25.Bxd4?! Qxd4+ 26.Qf2 Qxd3 27.Qxc5 Rxf3 28.Rxf3 Qxf3 and White's positionis in shambles. } 24. Ng2 { Prudent. The knight is an important defenderand control of e3 is vital for White. } 24... Nd4 { White's 23rd move (g3) nowlooks like serious mistake; rather than vitalizing White's K-side, it nowreveals itself as a near-fatal weakening of the important pawn on f3. Ifthat pawn could advance, the weakness may have been turned to a strength... but it can't. And because it can't escape the pressure being levelledagainst it, it threatens to bring the whole edifice crashing down roundWhite's king. Black's knight, magnificantly poised on d4, commands thewhole board. The threat against b3 has to be replied to, and retreatingthe queen to d1 to cover it is inadvisable as Black can simply pile uppressure on the f-file until something gives, eg.: 25.Qd1 Rf7 26.f4 Raf827.fxg5 Rxf1+ 28.Qxf1 Rxf1+ 29.Rxf1 Nxb3 and Black wins. } 25. Bxd4 { Thus,White is compelled to this exchange } 25... Qxd4+ { A forcing move. White cannotmove the King away, as 26.Kh1 Rfd8 27.Rfd1 Qc3 28.Rab1 a4! 29.bxa4 Rxa4gives Black the Q-side breakthrough he needs to win. Additionally, Whitecannot block with the rook: 26.Rf2 Rfd8 27.Rd1 a4 28.f4 a3! is a clearwin for Black (29.fxg5 a2 etc.). } 26. Qf2 { Black has succeeded in denudingd3 of defenders, but he cannot take immediate advantage of that: capturingthe pawn now would be premature, as 26...Qxd3 allows 27.Qxc5! with complications,eg.: 27...Qxb3 28.Qxe5 Be3+ 29.Nxe3 Qxe3+ 30.Kh1 Qb6 (Black must coverthe pawn on e6 or hand the center over to White entirely) 31.Rfd1 and Whitehas counterplay though Black is still better. } 26... Qxf2+ { The 'intuitive' replyhere would be to recapture with the rook. It would also be ... wrong. Whiteneeds to capture with the King here, even if it does place the king inan exposed position, entering a half-open center and looking down the throatof a hostile rook with only a weak pawn as shield. But if he doesn't -if he captures with the rook instead - his monarch is going to turn outto be too far away from the Q-side pawns to be able to avert the disasterlooming there. Only by capturing with his king, getting that one, vitalstep closer to the front, can he equalize the game now. Let's look at somelines: 27.Kxf2! Rf7 28.Ra4 Raf8 29.Ke2 (29.Ne1 Bd2!) 29...Bd8 and Whitehas equalized. Or 27...Bd2!? 28.Ke2! Bc3 29.Ra4 and Black cannot breakthrough (and likewise, any attempt by White to open the center will freeBlack's bishop to range the board again). That said, this line actuallydoes represent Black's best attempt at a win, as White has to play ratherexactly to ensure equality. For instance 28.Ra2?! Bc3 29.Ke2 a4 30.bxa4Ra5 31.Kd1 Rfa8 32.Kc2 Rxa4 33.Rxa4 Rxa4 and Black has a clear advantage.Or 28.Ne3 Bc3 29.Ra2 a4 30.bxa4 Ra5 31.Nd1 Bd4+ 32.Ke2 Rfa8 33.Nb2 Bxb234.Rxb2 Rxa4 and Black should win. } 27. Rxf2 { On first blush this has severaladvantages on the king capture: it prepares for a doubling of the rookson either the a- or f-file, and it enhances the collective mobility ofthe rooks. True, there is a potential weakness insofar as the king andthe rook are now on the same diagonal, but the knight on g2 serves wellto guard against Black placing his bishop on e3 to fork the rook. The actualproblem with 27.Rxf2 is less obvious - as detailed in the previous annotation:the king remains on the g-file and without influence on the central andQ-side scenes. } 27... Rfd8 { Black takes immediate advantage. The bishop on g5prevents the f2 rook from entering the defence of the weak pawn on d3,and the rook on a1 cannot move away from the a-file or Black will breakthrough with an immediate a5-a4. And the knight, of course, cannot moveeither, or Black will win the exchange by means of Bg4-e3. } 28. f4 { Whitehas prepared for those problems however, and after this advance everythingseems fine. More than fine actually, as White gains both initiative anda slight advantage after 28...exf4 29.gxf4 Bh6 30.Rf3: any activity Blackmay wish to initiate on the Q-side is easily neutralized by a thrust byWhite's, now very mobile e- and f-pawns. } 28... Bf6 { Unfortunately for White,Black does not have to capture on f4... } 29. Rd1 { Even worse was 29.Rd2exf4 30.Rf1 Bd4+ 31.Kh1 fxg3 ... } 29... exf4 { The immediate 29...a4!? is alsoplayable, but the game move has the advantage of blocking White's Rf2 awayfrom the action, as White has to retake with the rook: 30.gxf4 Bd4 is simplyawful for White, and 20.Nxf4 Bd4 31.Nxe6 Bxf2+ isn't much better. } 30. Rxf4 { Forced, but unfortunate: moving away from the 2nd rank gives Blackthe option of boxing it out of the game for now. } 30... Bd4+ { Blocks off theimportant f2 square, preventing the rook from reentering the game there.Nor can the king take advantage of the chance to come back again: 31.Kf1e5! 32.Rf3 a4 33.bxa4 Rxa4 34.Ke2 (even worse: 34.Ne3 Bxe3 35.Rxe3 Rf8+36.Ke1 Ra2 37.Rd2 b3 38.Ree2 Ra1+ 39.Rd1 Rxd1+ 40.Kxd1 Rf1+ 41.Kd2 b2 andWhite can resign) 34...Ra2+ 35.Rd2 Rxd2+ 36.Kxd2 Ra8 37.Ne1 Bc3+ 38.Kd1Ra1+ and wins. } 31. Kh1 { With the king forced away from the action, Blackis now free to enjoy all the benefits of a Q-side breakthrough. } 31... a4 { Forcingthe issue, and better now than later: Black would gain little and riskmuch by delaying this unnecessarily. Precise play is required though, shouldWhite go for the complications arising from 32.Rff1!? to which Black'sbest reply is 32...axb3 (closer analysis reveals that it is a requiredfeature of the position that Black can keep White's knight away from c2:with the knight posted there, the a-pawn cannot queen) 33.Nf4 Rd6 34.Rb1b2 35.Ne2 Be5 after which 36.d4!? fails to 36...cxd4 37.c5 Rc6 and therook cannot capture the intrepid pawn on b2 due to d4-d3. } 32. bxa4 { Blackmust not succumpt to the temptation and mindlessly reply 32...Rxa4: a wasteof time which might cost him the very victory he has worked so hard toensure. The endgame is quite complex, for instance: 32...Rxa4 33.Rb1 Ra334.Rf3 Be5 35.Ne1 b3 36.d4 Bxd4 37.Rfxb3 and White has equalized. Or 34.Ne1(instead of 34.Rf3) 34...b3 35.Rf1 b2 36.Nc2 Be5 37.Kg2 d4 (not 38.Kf3Ra1 39.Nxa1 bxa1=Q 40.Rxa1 Rxa1 and Black has won) 38.d4! Bxd4 39.Nxd4cxd4 40.Rxb2 with complex play. } 32... b3 { With this (temporary) pawn sacrifice,Black wins an extremely important tempo. The advanced b-pawn restrictsWhite's options significantly. Thus 33.Rb1 b2 34.Rff1 Rxa4 35.Nf4 Rda836.Nxe6 Ra1 37.Nxd4 Rxb1 38.Rxb1 Ra1 and Black wins. Or 33.Ne1 Rxa4 34.Nf3Be3!! (prevents the bishop from being captured, forces the rook off thef-file and deeper into obscurity, and prevents the knight from reenteringthe game through d2) 35.Rg4 b2 36.Rb1 Ra1 and Black wins. } 33. Rff1 { Bolstersthe 1st rank and vacates f4 for the knight. But with the pawn on b3 already,it cannot be captured merely - at best - contained. And even that willprove impossible. } 33... e5 { Keeps the knight out of the game, and the wonderfullycentralized bishop keeps a1 under tight control. White could try to bringthe knight back with 34.Rb1 b2 35.Ne1, but Black will counter with 35...Bc336.Rf3 Rxa4 37.Nc2 Rda8 38.Rff1 Ra1 39.Nxa1 bxa1=Q 40.Rxa1 Rxa1 and Blackwins. } 34. Ne1 { The central point of Black's play: with the pawn stillon b3, the knight still cannot move on to c2, and thus remains locked outof the battle. As an added benefit (from Black's point of view) it nowdisrupts the communication between the rooks as well. Black may considersimply capturing the a4 pawn now, as 34...Rxa4 35.Nf3 Bc3 36.Rc1 Rxd3 37.Kg2Rxc4 is clearly won. } 34... Bc3 { Black decided to up the pressure on White'sposition first. On 35.Rc1 there now follows 35...b2, while 35.Rb1 is answeredby 35...Bxe1 36.Rfxe1 Rxd3 37.Re2 Rxa4 38.Reb2 Rxc4 39.Rxb3 Rxb3 40.Rxb3Rxe4 with a winning end-game. } 35. Nf3 { A very nice trap. If now 35...Rxa4?White slinks out of his troubles by means of 36.Nd2! b2 37.Nb1 and he hassuddenly equalized after all. Black cannot go for 37...Ra1 as 38.Nxc3 Rxd339.Nb1 Rxd1 40.Rxd1 is simply lost. } 35... b2 { Simple and direct. } 36. Nd2 { Offersup the bait again: 36...Rxa4? would lead to the same trap as before. } 36... Rxd3 { But now, White is simply lost. The weak d-pawn has fallen at last, andwith it any coherence in White's position. Black may now choose to entervia the d-file as well as the a-file, and White cannot block him any more. } 37. Nb1 { Offers to block the pawn with the knight while exchanging rooks.Black accepts. } 37... Rxd1 { Exchanging the rooks greatly simplifies the win. } 38. Rxd1 Bd4 { Move the bishop out of the shadow of the knight, blocks thed-file, and covers all three pawns at the same time as well as preventingNc3 for the time being. } 39. Rd3 { The knight must remain to cover b1. } 39... Rxa4 { Brings the rook into play and threatens to remove the pawn preventingc5 from linking up with the b-pawn. } 40. Ra3 { Exchanging on a3 would nowbe a major mistake. } 40... Rxc4 { Vacates the a-file, but the checks there arereasonably harmless. The check on c1 is, however, anything but. } 41. Ra8+ Kf7 42. Ra7+ Kg6 43. Ra6+ Kh5 { Moves the king into cover. Black has toconsider the possibility here that the White pawns could actually moveto mate him, if used in conjunction with the king and rook. He has, however,sufficient resources to prevent this with only moderately careful play. } 44. Kg2 Rc2+ { The king cannot move back to the 1st rank or the knight willbe lost (after Rc1+). } 45. Kh3 Bg1 { Threatens mate after Rxh2. } 46. g4+ Kg5 47. Kg3 Bxh2+ 48. Kf3 Rc1 { On 49.Nd2 Black would simply reply 49...c4!which wins: 50.Ke3 c3 51.Nb1 c2 etc. } 49. Na3 Rc3+ { And White resigns. } 0-1
[Event "Abierto de Otoño"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018"] [Round "-"] [White "Restuccia, F."] [Black "Tumini, S."] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2134"] [WhiteElo "2014"] 1. e4 c5 2. c3 e6 3. d4 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 f6 7. O-O Qc7 8. Bf4 Qb6 9. Qd2 { Alternative variation: 9. Na3 cxd4 (9... g5 10. Be3 g411. Nd2 cxd4 12. cxd4 h5 13. Ndc4 $1 dxc4 14. d5 Qc7 15. dxc6 Bxc6 16.Nxc4 $17) 10. cxd4 a6 11. Nc2 $14 Alternative variation: 9. dxc5 Bxc5 (9...Qxb2 10. Nbd2 Qxc3 11. Rb1 $14) 10. b4 Be7 11. a4 } 9... Nge7 10. dxc5 Qxc5 11. Re1 { Alternative variation: 11. Na3 Ng6 12. exf6 gxf6 13. Nb5 Nce514. a4 $14 } 11... Ng6 12. exf6 gxf6 13. Nd4 { Alternative variation: 13. Be3Qe7 (13... Qa5 14. a4 $14) 14. Na3 O-O-O 15. Nb5 $14 } 13... e5 { Alternativevariation: 13... Nxf4 14. Qxf4 O-O-O 15. Nxc6 Qxc6 16. Qxf6 Bc5 $36 } 14. b4 { Alternative variation: 14. Nb3 Qd6 (14... Qb6 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Qxd5)15. Bg3 O-O-O 16. Na3 a6 17. Rad1 f5 18. f3 $11 } 14... Qe7 { Alternative variation:14... Qb6 15. Nxc6 Bxc6 16. Bg3 O-O-O 17. a4 h5 $11 } 15. Bh5 { Alternativevariation: 15. Nxc6 bxc6 (15... Bxc6 16. Be3 Qf7 17. b5 Bd7 18. a4 $14)16. Be3 Qf7 $11 } 15... O-O-O 16. Bg3 Nxd4 17. cxd4 Qxb4 18. Rc1+ { Alternativevariation: 18. Nc3 Qxd4 (18... Bc6) (18... exd4 19. Rac1 dxc3 (19... Bc620. Bg4+ Rd7 21. Re8#) 20. Rxc3+ Bc6 21. a3 $1 Qa4 22. Bd1 $1 Qa6 23. Bg4+f5 24. Bxf5+ Rd7 25. Re8#) 19. Qxd4 exd4 20. Rac1 $1 dxc3 (20... f5 21.Ne2+ Bc6 22. Nxd4 f4 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. Bxf4 Kd7 25. Nf3 $14) 21. Rxc3+Bc6 22. Bg4+ Rd7 23. Re8# Alternative variation: 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. dxe5fxe5 20. Bxe5 Rh5 $11 } 18... Bc6 19. Bg4+ { Alternative variation: 19. Nc3 exd4(19... Qxd4 20. Qxd4 exd4 21. Bg4+ Rd7 22. Nb5 Ne5 23. Bxd7+ Kxd7 24. Nxd4$14) 20. Bg4+ Rd7 21. Qe2 Qe7 22. Bxd7+ Kxd7 23. Qg4+ f5 24. Qxf5+ Qe625. Qxe6+ Kxe6 26. Ne2 Bg7 27. Rab1 $14 } 19... Kb8 20. Nc3 Ka8 21. Rab1 Qxd4 22. Nb5 { Alternative variation: 22. Qxd4 exd4 23. Nb5 Bxb5 24. Rxb5 Bd6$15 } 22... Bxb5 { Alternative variation: 22... Qxd2 23. Nc7+ Kb8 24. Na6+ Ka825. Nc7+ Kb8 26. Na6+ Ka8 27. Nc7+ } 23. Qa5 { Alternative variation: 23.Qxd4 exd4 24. Rxb5 Bd6 25. Rxd5 Bxg3 26. Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. hxg3 Ne5 28. Bf5b5 $15 } 23... Bc5 { Alternative variation: 23... Qb6 24. Qxb5 Qxb5 25. Rxb5 b6$17 } 24. Qxb5 Bb6 25. Rb4 Qd2 26. Rd1 Qxa2 27. Ra4 Qc2 28. Raa1 0-1
[Event "Training match, Petrov three knights game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.09.30"] [Round "-"] [White "kvikas"] [Black "evilgm"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1899"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1486"] 1. e4 { This game is a training match to help my teammate get better. Ifanyone has any comments or suggestions please feel free to add so we canall learn together. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { As Black I prefer Petrov to Ruy Lopezand it is one of the main lines I play. } 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 { Straight tothe heart of things, a good center play by White, and all standard fare. } 4... exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 { Adding pressure to the c knight in a pin against theking. } 6. a3 { I think that White is better if they take my knight on c6,causing me to double up some pawns, as this play allows me to double andisolate his c pawns completely, which could cause some trouble later on. } 6... Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 { Now White has a tougher defensive posture on his queenside. } 7... Nxe4 { Because now the defender is removed... } 8. Qf3 { Threatening my knight,protecting the c3 pawn, and developing some threats against my kingside. I probably still would have taken the knight on c6 instead. } 8... O-O { Notethat if 9. Qxe4? Black responds with 9 ... Re8 and wins a queen for a rook. } 9. Bd3 Nxc3 { I considered d5 to see if White would let me post my knightup the board, but opted for this play to trade my knight for a bishop. Long term I think d5 was a better play, but I don't think I lose muchby doing this trade. If possible I'd rather not have an open board andface off against two bishops. } 10. Bxh7+ Kxh7 11. Qxc3 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Re8+ { Getting my rook to an open file... } 13. Be3 { My last was not quite a tempo,since it also helped White develop. } 13... d5 { Freeing up a path for my LSB andseeking to capitalize on my center pawn advantage. } 14. O-O { White finisheshis development. } 14... Bf5 { Finishing my development and threatening the c pawn. } 15. Rab1 { I like the initiative. White's c pawn is isolated and alone,and if Black is willing to trade a good b pawn for a bad c pawn, then it'sto White's advantage. } 15... b6 { Removing the rook threat and preparing to advancemy own c pawn. } 16. Qc3 { Seeking to protect the c pawn. It is sometimesdifficult to see the best moves in open boards like this one. If he leaveshis Queen where it is, c5 is an obvious follow up and grants a tempo move. I might have considered Qd2 or possibly even Qa4 instead, however. } 16... c5 { Effectively granting a tempo move, as d4 wins without bishop or queenmovement. } 17. Bf4 d4 { Now White is in a bit of trouble. I have significantlymoved my pawns down the board with little resistance. } 18. Qg3 { I thinkQc4 is a stronger play here. It still protects the c pawn, threatens myf pawn, and effectively halts my pawn progression. White gives up thec2 pawn with this move. } 18... Bxc2 { As it is no longer protected, time to strikewhile the iron is hot. Now Black has three connected passed pawns. IfWhite cannot disrupt that pawn chain, any one of those pawns will get tradedfor a piece down the road. } 19. Rbe1 c4 { This play is a mistake on my part. I didn't analyze the board well enough. Instead I should have moved myqueen to either d7 of d5, to connect my rooks and give me more center powerprojection. I allowed White to do a power play against my King with 20.Rxe8Qxe8 21.Be5f6 22.Bxd4 As soon as I clicked send I saw my mistake. :( } 20. Re5 { This move was unexpected by White. I am assuming it wasdesigned to build pressure against my King by a follow-on Rh8. } 20... Rxe5 { Inretrospect I should have played f6 instead. This all started because ofmy mistake on 19 ... c4 } 21. Bxe5 { Threatening Qxg7# } 21... Bg6 { Seeking to getmy bishop actively back in the defense, and seeing if there are any chancesto keep my center pawns. } 22. f4 { A great follow on move. I even toldWhite in game this was a great play. Here White seeks to dislodge my LSB. I spent a lot of time pondering f6 vs. f7. Ultimately I liked the optionsprovided by f6 better. } 22... f6 23. f5 { The expected response of White. Notethat if I play 23 ... fxe5??, I am a sitting duck and will be in a lotof trouble after fxg6+. } 23... Bf7 { The only response worth considering } 24. Qh4+ Kg8 25. Bxd4 { Now I finally lose the center pawn I threw away in 19... c4. While I am still ahead and in effect winning the game, the prospectsare not as bright as when I had the three passed pawns. That pawn at f5is going to be trouble for me if I don't have sharp play. } 25... Qd5 { Seekingto finally get my queen centralized and get my rook into the action. } 26. Rf3 { Now White is materializing some potential threats with Rh3. Whiteshould also have seriously considered Bc3, to get his bishop out of immediatequeen threat, and have the potential to control the f8 square with Bb4. } 26... Re8 { Getting my rook into the game and moving to the open e file. } 27. Rg3 { This move was a mistake in my opinion. I am assuming that the ideawas Qxf6 and a pinned King. Other moves worth considering are Qf2 or Bc3. } 27... Qxf5 { I seriously considered Re4 and should have played it instead as itensured more material gain. What I was looking at as a response was 27.Rg3Re4 28.Rxg7+Kxg7 29.Qxf6+ I think I would have been fine aftera more detailed review, but I opted to play Qxf5 to remove the f pawn threatand give me a little more breathing room. } 28. Rh3 { Blunder Mate 7. Iexpected White to play Rf3, which would have seen me play Qb1+ in responseto start working my pawn down the board. } 28... Qb1+ 29. Kf2 Qe1+ 30. Kf3 Qe2+ { Bd5+ is two moves faster, but once I had worked out a guaranteed mate,I went with it. } 31. Kg3 Qd3+ 32. Kg4 Re4+ 33. Kf5 Re5+ 34. Kf4 Qxd4+ 35. Kf3 Qe3+ 36. Kg4 f5# { Black showed some good thinking in game and was ableto leverage pins and set up some strong threats. I think he is doing welloverall and should continue to rise in the chess ranks. Thank you foryour comments and good luck in your chess endeavors. } 0-1
[Event "Entertainment and Moving Too Quickly"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.12.31"] [Round "-"] [White "jkarp"] [Black "minora013"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1020"] [TimeControl "7d+3d<15d"] [WhiteElo "953"] { In this particular game, I did not play well because I did not want toget board. In other words, I was moving as quickly as I could, while peoplewere still online so that I would not have, 'down time'. After this game,combined with mentoring games and many games in December, I realize thatchess is not about entertainment. In fact, it is serious business. } 1. e4 { The usual King's Pawn Play. } 1... e5 { He transposes the King's Pawn Playinto the King's Pawn opening, but I am used to that. } 2. Nf3 { I made thismove and transposed the King's Pawn Opening into the King's Knight openingbecause I want to start developing my minor pieces, and I want to threatenhis e pawn with Nxe5. } 2... Nc6 { He chose this candidate to protect his pawnand develop his minor pieces. However, his knight is dangerous, in thisposition. } 3. Bb5 { Therefore, I made this move to develop my other minorand transpose the King's Knight Opening into the Ruy Lopez by threateninghim with Bxc6. } 3... Bc5 { I do not know why he chose this candidate becausehe could have Nd4 and forced an exchange with Nxd5, followed by exd5. Therefore, I will force an exchange and win his free e pawn, when 4.Bxc6,bxc65.Nxe5 are played. } 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. Nxe5 Qf6 { He responds by threateningmy knight with Qxe5. } 6. Nf3 { Therefore, I could not castle because I hadto retreat the knight. } 6... d6 { This was actually !. If he had not made thismove, I would have played e5 to threaten him with exf5. This would haveforced him to retreat his queen. } 7. O-O { Because I could not play e5,I decided to castle because this is usually my favorite move. } 7... g5 { I donot why he chose this candidate. He probably figured that I would capturehis g pawn with Nxg5. That way, he could capture my knight with Qxg5,in exchange, but I am not falling for that trick. } 8. Nc3 { I do not knowwhy I made this move because I do not form a, 'Fianchetto' with my DSB,during this game. } 8... g4 { In this position, he is threatening to capture myknight with gxf5. That is normally ok, but this is not one of those times. If I allow the capture, my knight will be exchanged for his pawn, so Imust prevent this. } 9. h3 { This is where entertainment becomes an issuebecause I know that he is online, so I want to make as many moves as Ican, before he is offline. Therefore, I moved too quickly and overlookedthis move. In addition, this move was ?. Ne1 would have been better. I do not want to move the knight back, on most occasions, because JackStockel has told me that it is generally not a good idea to do this. However,there are no options, in this position, because Ne1 would have been theonly safe way to retreat the knight. That is because the king will beexposed, after an exchange, when gxh3 followed by gxh3 are played. } 9... gxh3 10. gxh3 d5 { In this position, he wants to exchange my knight withhis pawn, but I am not about to let that happen. } 11. exd5 { Now entertainmenthas become a bigger issue because he is offline for about two minutes beforehe comes back. Therefore, I rush as much as I can before he or I signoff for the rest of the day. In addition, this move was ?? because hecould have reconnected his doubled pawns and gained control. Instead,e5 would have been better, as it would forced him to retreat his queen. } 11... Qf4 { I do not know why he made this move. } 12. dxc6 { I decided torecapture his doubled pawns, before he spots my blunder and reacts to it. However, this capture was also a mistake because I now have two c pawns,but my rooks are not connected. This puts me at a structural disadvantage. } 12... Ne7 { He decided to bring out his knight in his attempt to recapture myc pawn. } 13. Qe2 { Now, this is where I rush the most and overlook the mostimportant move because I do not want to get board. In addition, this movewas ??, and, 'this looses immediately', as Jack Stockel would say. Kh1was the only move that would have saved me, in this position. That isbecause he has just spotted a mating sequence against me. If I had takenmy time, I would have seen this threat. } 13... Bxh3 { He chose this candidateto capture my free h pawn, and mate me in two moves due to his mating pattern. } 14. Re1 { I do not why I made this move, but it does not matter where Imove, at this point. As I had mentioned earlier, he has an inevitablemating pattern against me and will mate me with Qg2# (forced mate), afterhe plays Qg4+. Therefore, I resign after he checks me with Qg4. } 14... Qg4+ { I did not learn but will remember an important lesson from this game combinedwith other games in December and mentoring games. First, chess is notan entertaining game. Instead, it is much more serious then that, so itis a good idea to study the board and take time to analyze the positionsbefore you make a move. It will also help to alleviate boredom if youannotate games, use analyze the board, flip, and/or game notes, in theprocess. There are also some occasions where one must tolerate boredomto play well, and Jack Stockel agrees with this assessment. After theserushed games, I take chess as serious as my hardest college courses (Precalculusand Inorganic Chemistry 1). Second, when you move too quickly, your mindcannot absorb the information, so you do not learn from your mistakes. After all, when you rush, you are not being careful. When you are notcareful, you get into trouble. } 0-1
[Event "Challenge from waldi53"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.05.17"] [Round "-"] [White "waldi53"] [Black "otakumadness"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "940"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "972"] 1. d4 d5 2. h3 e6 3. g4 Nc6 4. c3 Nf6 5. g5 Ne4 6. f3 Nxg5 { Taking thepawn } 7. h4 Nxf3+ { My knight was basically screwed no matter where he moved,so I decided to just cut my losses and try for another pawn. } 8. Nxf3 Bd6 9. Bg5 f6 10. Be3 e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Qxd5 { White gets my unprotectedpawn } 12... Nxf3+ { Trading knights } 13. Kd1 { White doesn't take the knight (notsure why) } 13... Ne5 14. Bd4 c6 { Trying to scare away the queen } 15. Qe4 Bg4 16. Nd2 Qd7 17. Kc2 Bf5 18. Qxf5 Qxf5+ { Not sure why White forgot aboutmy queen protecting the bishop } 19. Kd1 Ng4 { Aiming for f2 to trap therook } 20. Bh3 Be5 { Then I remembered the bishop still covered that squarelol, so trying to trade bishops. } 21. Rf1 { White is having none of mysh*t today xD } 21... Qh5 22. Rg1 Nh6 23. Ne4 Qxh4 { Taking the pawn } 24. Rh1 Qxe4 { Taking White's unprotected knight (not sure why White didn't try and protectit or move it away) } 25. Rf1 Bxd4 26. cxd4 { Trading bishops complete } 26... Qxd4+ { Taking the pawn } 27. Ke1 Qh4+ { The other bishop is dead now } 28. Rf2 Qxh3 29. Kd2 Nf5 { Trying to bring my knight back out } 30. Raf1 Qe3+ 31. Kc2 Nd4+ { At this point, I'd like to say that White is focusing toomuch on offense and not enough on defense. } 32. Kb1 Qe4+ { Checkmate isinevitable, except in one case (which ends with me getting the pawn andone of the rooks) } 33. Kc1 Qc2# { I think White's biggest mistake in thisgame was that he was maybe a little careless and rushed his moves withoutthinking about them first. } 0-1
[Event "A Winning Combination - Clever, lucky, or both?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18-Apr-08"] [Round "-"] [White "deejie"] [Black "ronlumm"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1454"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1449"] 1. d4 { I spotted a combination here, I didn't think I'd get away with it! } 1... d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bb4 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bd2 O-O 7. e4 Nb6 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Be7 10. Be3 Nc4 11. Bxc4 a6 12. O-O b5 13. Bb3 Bb7 14. Rad1 Na5 15. Ba2 Rc8 16. Rfe1 c6 17. d5 { ...and so it begins: A number of possiblemating combinations, due to an underdefended King. First to drive homewhite's advantage in the centre of the board, with d5. } 17... cxd5 18. exd5 exd5 19. Bb1 { A move of hidden meaning: Black assumes this to be a cheap shotfor mate on h7, however, it forces black to open the a1-h8 diagonal... } 19... g6 20. Bd4 { The combination is set. Expect opponents to spot when theirKing is under attack, but black disregards the threat. White is now allowedto make THREE separate knight moves, unchecked, as follows: } 20... Nc4 21. Ne5 { ONE } 21... Nd6 22. Ng4 { TWO } 22... a5 { ??? } 23. Nh6# { THREE - combination complete...;) } 1-0
[Event "my first win with player that causes me a lot trouble"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.07.06"] [Round "-"] [White "goldmedal10"] [Black "spartan5122"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "884"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "666"] 1. e3 { i } 1... e5 { pawn } 2. Nf3 { knight } 2... Bc5 { this play likes to play somehard chess } 3. d4 { pawn wall } 3... exd4 { pawn } 4. exd4 { pawn } 4... Bb4+ { check } 5. c3 { pawn } 5... Bd6 { moves back } 6. Bd3 { bishop } 6... Qe7+ { this this player normalplay. } 7. Kf1 { safe for now before } 7... Nf6 { knight } 8. Kg1 { i could neverrelax with player } 8... Ng4 { knight } 9. h3 { pawn } 9... Nc6 { knight } 10. Bg5 { seta trap for black } 10... Na5 { knight } 11. Bxe7 { forgot about the queen } 11... Bxe7 { was willing to give that bishop to get that queen } 12. b4 { pawn } 12... Nh6 { moves back } 13. Na3 { final minor piece out } 13... Nc6 { black is moving backa lot } 14. d5 { pawn } 14... Nb8 { this first time ever made this player go backso many times } 15. Qf1 { queen } 15... Ng8 { black king is not in good place } 16. c4 { pawn } 16... Na6 { knight } 17. Nb5 { knight } 17... Nxb4 { knight } 18. Nxc7+ { check } 18... Kd8 { king } 19. Nxa8 { knight } 19... Bc5 { last effect to get some pieces } 20. Ng5 { knight } 20... Nf6 { same } 21. Nxf7+ { check } 21... Ke7 { king } 22. Nxh8 { no major piecesleft } 22... Na6 { knight } 23. Qe1+ { check } 23... Kd6 { king } 24. Nf7# { checkmate i win } 1-0
[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.01"] [Round "-"] [White "srbijaja"] [Black "chessy131"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1857"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1851"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 { A main line of the semi-slav: meran system. } 9. Bd2 { not acommon move. Usually white plays e4, or castles here. Bd2 is poor becauseit blacks lines, moves the bishop to a useless square, and delays othermoves that could be better timed. } 9... a6 { Solidifying the b-pawn, in preperationto play c5. } 10. e4 c5 11. O-O c4 { This is usually against the ideas inthe semi-slav, but white's slow play makes it possible. Although I givewhite a strong center, he can't take advantage of this with his lack ofspace for his pieces. So i go after the e-pawn with a queenside storm,to remove the defenders. } 12. Bc2 b4 13. Na4 Nxe4 14. Re1 Nxd2 15. Nxd2 Rc8 16. b3 { A poor move } 16... c3 { Now my pawns cramp white's space an incredibleamount. I also have a protected passed pawn, which is very good in an endgame. } 17. Nc4 Qg5 { It's time to take advantage of white's problems with a kingsideattack. His pieces are uncoordinated, not attacking, and not around hisking. That seems to be all I need to know! I threaten mate in one withQxg2 } 18. g3 Nf6 { I have plenty of time to attack, white's pieces aren'tcoming into the picture very quickly. } 19. Nab6 { A waste .. I wish to playRd8 anyway. } 19... Rd8 20. h4 { Weakening the kingside even more... } 20... Qb5 21. Qd3 Bc5 { Develop with a threat! } 22. a4 Qc6 23. d5 Nxd5 24. Nxd5 Rxd5 25. Qe4 Qc7 { Do you see the threats? A crushing discovery by moving the rook, orQxg3+! } 26. Qg4 O-O 27. Ne3 { Tsk .. now I get the second rank for my attackas well. } 27... Rd2 28. Rac1 { Trying to hold material desperately.. } 28... Qc6 29. f3 f5 30. Qf4 Rd4 { The queen is trapped, and white's king has a very verygrim future. White resigns } 0-1
[Event "Won on the last minute!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.01"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "yinon1"] [Result "1-0"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 g6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nbd2 Bg7 5. e4 { Up to here, a model. Now,even if normally black avoids this move somehow, it is good for white,but the game follows an entire different path from the normal attack thattakes place after d4 from black. } 5... Nbd7 6. c3 { Instead of the normal c4,white tries to limitate black's action. } 6... O-O 7. Be2 { The purpose of thisbishop is to take BxN if ever black goes Nh5 or Ng5. It doesn't happenin this game, so probably it is not a wise move. Bc4 leads to a completelydifferent attack from white, using Qb3 and Ng5 to press on the white diagonal. } 7... e6 8. Nf1 { Black is playing quietely, so I decided to try another plan.The standard one being h3, Nh2, etc. It is kinda slow, so I try this onethat is also very slow... maybe slower. But both of us, incredibly, overlookedthat the pawn in e4 is 'en prise'... } 8... b6 { Good idea from black. I underestimatedthis move during the game. } 9. Ne3 { The idea is to support g4, g5, andonce the knigh has flawn, h4 etc., castling long. } 9... Bb7 { Now even now werealized e4 was under attack and undefended. } 10. Qc2 { Thinking that thepawn was attacked only by the bishop, I defended it with the queen... } 10... Bxe4 { And now it all became clear. Can this be a kind of 'sac'? } 11. Bd3 Bxd3 { Better BxN, I hoped to be able to take gxf3 in order to open somepotentially useful lines. Wihtout much hope, to be truthful... } 12. Qxd3 Rc8 13. h3 Re8 { Where to castle? Under the circumstances, castling long- the default plan - seems unwise. } 14. O-O e5 { But I overlooked this one,that wins a piece. Wonderful performance, really! } 15. dxe5 dxe5 { Why waite4? } 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Qb5 c6 { Foreseen, and lethal. The piece is lostwith no compensation. } 18. Qb3 Qe7 19. Rfe1 Qf8 { This bad place for thequeen can be useful... } 20. Re2 Rcd8 21. Rae1 { Sets a potential threat. } 21... Nd5 { Tactician's lovers: give yourself a gift analyzing this. BxN, RxB,NxN, Re4xN and all remains the same, so I went for... } 22. Nxd5 Rxd5 23. c4 { Not much, but better than nothing. } 23... Rc5 24. Bg3 { Threatening f4, desperatelytrying to squeeze the position in order to take some advantage or provokesome mistake. } 24... b5 25. f4 { Nevertheless. We'll see where the queen willgo (don't play like this, never :-) } 25... bxc4 26. Qa3 { Complicate it, you neverknow. The knight is lost one way or another: piece recovered, mission accomplished. } 26... Nf3+ { Black chooses to lose it this way. I have to be careful, now. } 27. Qxf3 { I'm still a pawn under, but my pawn's structure is better thanhis. } 27... Bd4+ 28. Bf2 { Maybe not a wise choice, but bishops' destiny is tobe exchanged anyway, sooner or later. } 28... Bxf2+ 29. Qxf2 Rxe2 30. Rxe2 Rd5 { Black considers better to lose a pawn than to try Ra5!. But after themistakes I've done, what can I say? } 31. Qxa7 Rd8 32. Re7 Re8 33. Rxe8 Qxe8 34. Qd4 { The only enge I have is his pawn's weakness... but I alsohave to defend mines. } 34... Qe6 35. Qd8+ Kg7 36. Qd4+ Kf8 { Oh, well, this isfor fun, anyway... let's have fun! } 37. Qh8+ Ke7 38. Qxh7 { Now black shouldgrab some pawns and win. } 38... Qe1+ 39. Kh2 Qf2 { Threatening two pawns, indeed,but... } 40. Qh6 Qxb2 41. Qg5+ Qf6 42. Qc5+ Qd6 43. Qxc4 { Now, you see,I have an edge. } 43... g5 { Good try. Black is playing far better than me, giventhe respective ELO's. } 44. Qe4+ Kd7 { Better Kf6, but who can blame him? } 45. Qf5+ Qe6 { The queen's exchange leaves me undefended against the c pawn,while his king is nearer than mine to the promotion square a8. But I canwin with the h pawn, but... it's long to calculate, and I had only fewseconds left. } 46. Qxg5 { A big mistake, since the a pawn has much morevalue than the g one. } 46... Qxa2 47. Qf5+ Kc7 48. Qe5+ Kb6 49. Qf6 { Restrictingblack's movements. I have to refuse to exchange queens until one of mypawns is far enough to balance or outpass him. } 49... Kb5 50. h4 c5 51. h5 c4 { A fatal mistake by black. } 52. Qxf7 { and black loses a tempo since hehas to relocate his queen, and can't deliver check in doing it. } 52... Qf2 { ...butnow sets Qh4+ and to grab a pawn if white leaves it undefended. } 53. Qd5+ Kb4 54. Qe4 { Blunder, based in forgetting about the queen's check. } 54... Qh4+ 55. Kg1 Qxh5 56. Kf2 Qd1 57. g3 { Now, this is very interesting: can whitedraw or even win? } 57... Kb3 58. Qe6 Qd2+ 59. Kf3 { White cannot allow a queen'sexchange. Will white find tempoes to push his pawns? } 59... Qd1+ 60. Kf2 Qc2+ 61. Ke3 Qd3+ 62. Kf2 Kc2 { Black tries to win. } 63. f5 { This gives me atempo. } 63... Qd2+ 64. Kf3 Qd1+ 65. Kf4 Qf1+ 66. Kg5 { The previous check savesme a tempo: I had to take away the king from that column anyway beforef8, or I'll lose it by a check. } 66... c3 67. f6 Kd2 { Now, the genius (or flop)sequence: } 68. f7 c2 69. Qd6+ Ke3 70. f8=Q { Look what happens in f4. } 70... Qxf8 71. Qxf8 { He my opponent timed out, but if black goes c1=Q, whitewins it with Qf4+. If black tries to defend the pawn, based on the knownrule of the drawn, it won't work because white has an extra pawn. So Blackis lost. } 1-0
[Event "When nothing can advance"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.05.31"] [Round "-"] [White "feathers8x8world"] [Black "chikochiko"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1336"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1414"] { Hi chess fans! This time I have decided to annotate this game with mypast opponent, chikochiko. chikochiko, probably angry that he lost hisfirst game with me, came back and played with me. The whole game was arduousand mind-boggling! So let's see how this brain-juice squeezing would endup. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 { Again, chikochiko played his pet line, the O'KellyVariation of the Sicilian Defence. I started to dread this game, becauseas you guys know, I almost lost the first game against chikochiko withthis variation. } 3. d4 { So, I decided to try something new so as to bamboozlemy opponent. I attacked the center immediately so as to force him to respondto my moves. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. c4 { My plan at the opening is to set upa Maroczy bind like setup and cramp my opponent's position, making hisposition harder to play. } 5... e6 6. Nc3 h6 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Be2 { My opponent waitsdefensively while I continue with my setup. } 8... Qa5 { NOT AGAIN!?!? chikochikois one stubborn guy! He played this move on our first game, and now hedoes this again! WOE is he thinking? I started to dread this game evenmore. } 9. Qd2 { Instead of playing Nb3, I protected my knight by floatingup my queen, allowing me to castle freely either on the kingside or thequeenside. } 9... Bd7 10. f4 d5 { chikochiko starts the assault on my center,probably seeing his cramped position. This move also frees the dark-squareddiagonal for his dark-squared bishop. } 11. e5 { Obviously, I did not wantto give my opponent more space and sacrifice my center, so I attacked hisknight. } 11... Nh7 { The knight retreats to a pathetic square. Now his positionwill turn out to be more cramped than before. } 12. O-O { Satisfied withmy spacial advantage, I castled my king to the safe g1. } 12... Bb4 { Black startsto assault my queenside, intending to play 13...Bxc3 14 Qxc3 Qxc3 15 bxc3,thus damaging my pawn structure on the queenside. Find a good counterattackto get out of this sticky position. } 13. Nb3 { You are right, Nb3. Thismove attacks my opponent's queen, thus my opponent has to respond to mymove. } 13... Bxc3 14. Nxa5 Bxd2 15. Bxd2 { A chain of exchanges. } 15... Bc6 16. Nxc6 bxc6 { Black tries to save his queenside. Try to find a good move here.Hint: Notice his cramped position and his pathetic knights. } 17. c5 { Trueenough, c4.This move locks the b8 knight's routes, and gains more spaceon the queenside. } 17... Nd7 18. b4 O-O 19. a4 { More space on the queenside.Now my opponent is gasping for air. Note that this position is not necessarilygood for me, as this position is so closed that I cannot make any progress. } 19... g5 { My opponent struggles for the kingside, trying to get more breathingspace for his pieces to acticate. } 20. Bd3 { I closed the light squareddiagonal and interlock escaping squares for my opponent's pieces. } 20... g4 21. a5 h5 { Each of us struggle on opposite sides. } 22. h4 { I safely playedthis move, as even if my opponent played gxh3 e.p., The escaping squaresare still interlocked and the position still does not allow Black's piecesto advance } 22... Kg7 23. g3 f5 24. Kg2 { After a mind-boggling battle, I finallyoffered a draw to chikochiko, and he agreed. As you guys can see, thisposition is so interlocked that none of us can effectively advance ourpieces. In desperation, we agreed a draw by mutual agreement. Hope youguys like this annotation. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Attack vs. Time"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "4-21-12"] [Round "-"] [White "Kyle"] [Black "me"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "970"] [TimeControl "45_5"] [WhiteElo "1543"] { As Black in this game that I played in the State Championship, I got anattack going on move 8. However, I couldn't checkmate for a while, andhad to deal with White's aggressive threat. Before losing, I figured outthat I had an opportunity to end the game in my favor. } 1. e4 e5 { Usual. } 2. Nf3 { So far, average. } 2... Nc6 { I was expecting something harsh or unusual(3.d4 for example), but it didn't happen. } 3. Nc3 { I'll perform my bestopening, the Four Knights. } 3... Nf6 4. Bb5 { To prevvent pawn loss, I may haveto play 4...d6 } 4... d6 { Which is exactly what I play. } 5. O-O { Reasonable. } 5... Bd7 { Keep your eyes on the g4 square. } 6. d3 { I think that White is aimingfor 7.Bg5. } 6... Nd4 { I thrust my Knight into the center. Here, White can'ttake the Knight: 7.Nxd4 exd4 forcing the loss of two points. } 7. Bc4 { Whiteretreats the Bishop, seeing the attack. } 7... Be6 { I could have played White'sworst Knight-mare, but I delayed it accidentally. Now, White can simplyplay 8.h3. } 8. Nd5 { Good or bad? I will answer that below. } 8... Bg4 { This isthe right responce and White's 8th move could have been thought over longer. } 9. Bg5 { Probably trying to panic me into doing something else. } 9... Be7 { Thisseems to be critical for White. } 10. Bb3 { That Bishop is not worth taking. } 10... Nxd5 { This is an attempt to halt White's activity in the center and helpsindirectly with the lethal pin. } 11. Bxe7 { The best possible move. } 11... Qxe7 12. Bxd5 { I'm going to chase the Bishop...just once. } 12... c6 13. Bb3 { I'm stillnot taking it. } 13... O-O { I dindn't know which way to Castle, but here, I'mfaced with a pin to what can be a helpful pawn. } 14. Kh1 { That's right,White. Flee. } 14... Qf6 { The time is right. } 15. Rg1 { White couldn't do muchof anything to protect himself from the next moves I will be playing. } 15... Nxf3 { That was a free Knight. } 16. c3 { I don't know why White played thismove. } 16... Nxh2 { !? If taken, it becomes one move mate.Also, the Queen is attacked.However, this move is not ! because it promotes weaknesses that can beused against me. } 17. Qd2 { Believe it or not, I might want to place myKnight back on f3. } 17... Qh4 { The end is near, ...or is it? } 18. g3 { The gameis perhaps won with 18...Bf3+ 19.Rg2 Qh3. } 18... Bf3+ { So far, so good. } 19. Rg2 { Forced. } 19... Bxg2+ { Instead, I got greedy and the game lasts longer thanit could have lasted. } 20. Kxg2 { Now, the risk is losing the two remainingpieces in the attack. } 20... Qh5 { Actually, I will stil ensure that the pieceswill survive. I just have to figure out how. } 21. Bd1 { Now, the Knightis officially lost. } 21... Ng4 { Right now, Black's worst possible move is 22.f3.Decide when you shouldn't attack. } 22. Bf3 { I'm looking at 22...f5. } 22... f5 { The idea is to bring my Rooks. } 23. Rh1 { This is almost pure bad newsfor Black. The only way that Black could continue with an attack is tocarry it out on the h-file. This is no longer possible. } 23... Qg6 { However,I won't let go of the Knight. } 24. Kg1 { I can visualize White teasing me...just for a little bit. } 24... f4 { I believe that 25.Qe2 makes this move wasted.24...h6 is better. } 25. Qd1 { That move has the same purpose as the expected25.Qe2. } 25... h5 { I have now weakened my pawn structure... for a lazy Knight?!That's almost perposterous! I should just move it to f6 instead. } 26. Qb3+ { Well, it isn't really beneficial for White to win a free pawn after all. } 26... Rf7 { Why am I aiming to double up my Rooks. } 27. d4 { There's still opportunity.I will explain this also. } 27... fxg3 { Okay. } 28. fxg3 { All I have to do nowis 28...Kh7. } 28... Kh7 { Add to that, I need to double up Rooks. The problemwith this move is that unless the Bishop is taken, the Knight is indirectlypinned to my doom. } 29. Qd1 { This makes matters much worse! } 29... Raf8 { Alsoplayable is the daring 29...Rd5!?. It's probably worth avoiding if it can'tbe played out correctly. } 30. Bg2 { Fork (when I can)! } 30... Kh6 { First, this. } 31. Bh3 { Apparently, White won't give up trying to rip open my h-file andturn the tides in his favor. } 31... Nf2 { Better was 31...Ne3, threatening 32...Qxg3with mate to follow. It might look like this: 31...Ne3 32.Qe2 Qg3+ 33.Bg2Rf8+ with mate next move. } 32. Qd2+ { If I am forced, I will go to h7 allover again. } 32... Kh7 33. Bf5 { My Queen isn't pinned. At the most, White willget an additional point. I actually, in the game, almost lost the Queenbecause I didn't see the move that gets me out. } 33... Rxf5 { Don't worry though,I figured that out. } 34. exf5 { White loses, starting now. } 34... Qxg3+ { I cannow take that bothersome Rook and get away safely. } 35. Kf1 { If it is meaningfulto me, I guess it's okay. } 35... Nxh1 { I take the Rook. } 36. Qc2 { To me, it seemsunusual, but wise to play 36...g6 } 36... e4 { Or try to drive the Queen away fromthe pawn by force. The f5 pawn is lost and the Barrier between my attackingforces and White's almost helpless King is completely broken. } 37. Ke2 { Sure, I'll do a Queen trade. } 37... Qf2+ 38. Kd1 { The game is permenantly lostfor White. } 38... Qxc2+ { What's better that sacrificing a Queen for a Queen togain another Queen besides for checkmate. } 39. Kxc2 Rxf5 { King, 7 pawns,Knight, and Rook vs. King and 4 pawns. All I have to be cautious aboutis White's pawns promoting, which would only happen if I was only stuckon my own plan. } 40. Kd2 { How about Rf3 followed by Ng3 with the promotionof the h-pawn. } 40... d5 { First, I'm going to create prolonged problems for White.Then, I will create a mini version of the plan. } 41. Ke1 { I know exactlywhere I want the King: on the back rank. 41...Rf2! Isolates the King fromhelping his pawns at the expense of a rook and a Knight. However, I'llpromote my h-pawn. } 41... h4 { I may as well stick with a less complex plan onceagain. } 42. Ke2 { Now, 42...Rf3 Isolates the King, doesn't lose material,and helps the Pawn promote! } 42... h3 { I still go simple. I can't get any simplerthan this. } 43. b3 { 43...b5 stops White's pawns dead in their tracks temporarily,but I will just... keep... pushing... the pawn. } 43... h2 { I will reroute theKnight to g3 or f2, but I think g3 is the better square. } 44. c4 { Don'tcare! Sorry, White. } 44... Ng3+ { The end is coming up. } 45. Ke3 Rf3+ { Now, theKing is stuck on the first and second ranks. } 46. Kd2 { Forced. } 46... h1=Q { Finally,promotion and a mate in two. } 47. cxd5 { I won't worry. It is too late. } 47... Qg2+ { This is the end. } 48. Ke1 { Anywhere in the back rank is fine so pickthe most comfortable spot. } 48... Rf1# { In this game, I performed a risky moveand didn't play it right. Then, I wound up in a serious predicament. Becareful about risky moves that you play in your chess games. Your positioncan only handle so much pressure from it. Here's a golden rule: When facedwith a challenge, look for a way, but not a way out. } 0-1
[Event "Topofstack's Mini-Tournament II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.08.25"] [Round "-"] [White "zthwbycza"] [Black "bufferunderflow"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1498"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1471"] { Experiment with the Cunningham defence, a variation in the King's gambit.This represents a mini tournament game in which the king's gambit leadto the Cunningham defence and to a relatively quick mate. I encounteredthis defence the first time in a Blitz game here on Gameknot and was abit astonished and confused because I missed the possibility of the check(and the possibility to force white to lose his right to castle). So whenmy opponent started with the King's gambit I decided to try it out myself. } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 { It starts of with accepting the gambit... } 3. Nf3 Be7 { ...which is followed by Nf3 to secure the right to castle. Then blackreacts with Be7, so thats where the Cunningham defence actually starts.It's pretty annoying for white, because there is no real way to furthersecure the right to castle... } 4. h4 { My opponent thought otherwise andwent on with h4 (the Book continuation would be Bc4), weakening his pawnstructure. This naturally made my next target the Knight on f3 (which wouldallow me to take the Pawn on h4 and giving me and advantage of two pawns). } 4... d6 5. Bc4 { White decides to put the white squared bishop on c4, givingme time to further execute my plan. The intention was perhaps to attackf7 and to prepare castling. } 5... Bg4 6. O-O Bxh4 { So I attacked the Knightand white castled. This allowed me fetch the pawn on h4. } 7. d4 Bg3 { Whitewent on with d4, attacking my Pawn on f4 and gaining control of the center,followed by the black bishop moving to g3, allowing Qd4 and then threateningmate at h2 once the white knight on f3 was eliminated. } 8. c3 { White continuedwith c3, which could perhaps prepare Qa4 check, which won't have any furtherconsequences... so I don't know what was the intention of white... } 8... Bxf3 9. Qxf3 { Now that the knights in the dustbin, I can come out with my Queento threaten mate... I'm not sure why white chose to take with the Queen,taking with the rook would have been better imho. } 9... Qh4 10. Rd1 { Seeingthe mate thread, white creates and escape field for the King. } 10... g5 { Theplan is: g5 -> g4, which should drive away the queen to d3, strengheningmy attack... } 11. Be2 { The fatal blunder, this kills the escape field thewhite King would have needed, creating a mate in two... } 11... Qh2+ 12. Kf1 Qh1# { and done, after 12 turns. The Cunningham defence shows to me a way torestrict the advantage of whites development by building up quite somepressure in the early game. It can force white to give up castling or atleast lessen the safety for the king after castling. Comments welcome } 0-1
[Event "Challenge from bigpeta, http://gameknot.com/chess.pl?b"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.19"] [Round "-"] [White "bigpeta"] [Black "battlefleet"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "2079"] [WhiteElo "2070"] 1. c4 { My standard opening with white } 1... e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 { Bremen variation } 3... d5 4. cxd5 { This is almost a reflex move as the English opening allowsblack to build a centre before destroying it. So this is the most directapplication of that idea } 4... Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nxc3 6. bxc3 { and black has effectivelyexchanged his centre pawn for my b-pawn. Not a great idea in my opinion } 6... Nc6 7. Nf3 e4 { much better was Bc5 } 8. Ng1 { opening the diagonal forthe B and allowing the N to find a safer home } 8... f5 9. Nh3 Be6 10. Rb1 { muchbetter would have been d3 to further open the diagonal Or 0-0 and getthe K to safety } 10... Rb8 { slightly better was Qd7 giving teh chance of 0-0-0getting the K to safety and making a much more complex game } 11. d3 Bxa2 12. Rb2 { should have played Rb5 hitting a target that could not just moveaway } 12... Bf7 13. Qa4 { Qa4 temporarily dissuades black from exd which wouldbreak up my centre pawns and expose the K before it castled } 13... Qf6 14. O-O { Alittle late but now i can relax and plan } 14... Qxc3 { i commented to my opponentabout pawn pinching and he said 'what have i got to lose?' well as weshall see with the Q isolated out of place - quite a lot } 15. Ng5 Bg8 { why guard a pawn that is well protected? Qa5 would have forced the issueand prevented the moves that follow } 16. dxe4 Qc4 { offering the exchange } 17. Qa1 { but i prefer to keep my Q on the a-file as part of my attack } 17... h6 { attacking a piece that is not even involved in the action. Qa6 wouldhave prevented the threatened carnage } 18. exf5 { and realising the sizeof the attack black resigns. }
[Event "219th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2022.11.10"] [Round "-"] [White "taiwong"] [Black "gordoncl"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1383"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1477"] 1. e4 { Try kp4 opening } 1... e5 { Standard reply } 2. Bc4 { Gainsborough centerwith bishop out } 2... Qe7 { Standard reply } 3. Nf3 { Prepare for pond push } 3... d6 { Standard reply } 4. h3 { Defendagainst Ruy Lopez } 4... Be6 { Good reply to regaincenter } 5. d3 { Help defend bishop if taken and reset territory if taken. } 5... Bxc4 { Standard reply } 6. dxc4 { Pond takes up bishops point. } 6... h6 { Blackdefends against bishop advance possibly. } 7. Nc3 { Activate knight. Foreseeknight maybe pinned in future, after blackpond pushes to sacrifice or decoyfor future pin. } 7... c6 { Prepare pond to support the later knight pin so pushis not a apparent loss at first. } 8. a3 { Defend against knight pin } 8... Nd7 { Knight to attack c4 pond perhaps? } 9. b4 { Defense against strong bqueen-bishopdiagonal attack possibility when d5 pod push } 9... Nb6 { Surprised by knightb6 position to take on unsupported pond on c4q. } 10. Qe2 { Queen to defend } 10... Qd7 { His queen seeks a way in and to push d6 to d5 with pond or c6 toc5 to deconstruct Left side of white board } 11. O-O { Time to castle beforeknight is pinned against white king } 11... Nf6 { Black activates to possiblesacriceif placed on g4 } 12. a4 { Push pond to protect weak ponds on left } 12... d5 { Here comes Black's attack with pond on c5. Multiple advantages ofblack to analyze. } 13. Nxe5 { Retort by attack on black queen to distorthis pending advantages to retake center } 13... Qe7 { Queen regains strong diagonal. } 14. exd5 { Pond takes pond so queen can support brave knight that attackedthe queen. } 14... Qxb4 { Queen takes poisoned pond. } 15. Nxc6+ { Knight attacksqueen as well as allows for white queen to perform a check !!! At thisnext point whit resigned. Either way the black queen is lost. Black resigned.Could black rally back even with queen down? } 1-0
[Event "?, ?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.05.14"] [Round "-"] [White "Evaldas Uldinskas"] [Black "Random Online Player"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 { Probably my favorite opening as white } 2... Bc5 { More commonare 2. ...Nc6 and Nf6 } 3. f4 { A bit risky due to the bishop eyeing downthe a7-g1 diagonal but I can't resist Vienna's Gambit } 3... Qf6 { Very odd, laterseems just as a disrespectful move, now I can't take fxe5 } 4. Nd5 { Givingthe queen something to think about } 4... Qd6 { Better was simply retreating tod8 } 5. Qg4 { For the attack! } 5... g6 6. Nf3 exf4 { Weakening move, now I canconquer the center and go on with my attack } 7. d4 Bb4+ 8. c3 Ba5 9. Bxf4 Qc6 10. Bg5 { Already considering mating possibilities, here I thought aboutexchanging my d5 knight with opponent's g8 knight and then stick my bishopand queen into d8 and e7. It didn't work exactly as planned and here Iwas looking at an unpleasant move from my opponent } 10... f5 { I didn't expectthis but felt that I can even sacrifice the d5 knight to fuel the attackif 11. ... fxe4 and 12. ... Qxd5 } 11. Qh4 Qe6 12. Bc4 { X-raying the queen } 12... Qxe4+ 13. Qxe4+ fxe4 14. Ne5 { All my minor pieces are in the hunt } 14... d6 15. Nf7 { I calculated this for a couple of minutes and proudly presented theknight } 15... Kxf7 16. Nxc7+ Kg7 17. O-O Bxc7 { Rash decision, had to play 17.... Bf5 to block the mate } 18. Rf7# { Beautiful mate after sacrificing twoknights, against a higher rated opponent as well! } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.02.24"] [Round "-"] [White "mmoody95"] [Black "pittol"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1451"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1802"] 1. d4 c6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 d6 4. Bd3 e5 { e5 is a good move. It immediatelythreatens e4, which causes problems for White. And I reacted poorly. } 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. Nxe5 { This is idiotic on my part. Shortly after I hitthe send button, I realized that I had hung the N to a simple Q check. } 6... Qa5+ 7. Nd2 Qxe5 { Black is now much better. Black has a material advantageand open diagonals for the Bs. } 8. Nf3 { White gets the N to a better squareand gains a tempo. } 8... Qc7 9. O-O Bd6 10. h3 { Allowing the N to be pinnedwith Bg4 would be ugly. } 10... h6 { I think h6 was unnecessary. Ng5 is not muchof a threat. I think Black should 0-0 or develop with Be6. } 11. Bd2 Nbd7 { It might be better to play Be6 before blocking it in with the N. } 12. Bc3 { This was the best available square for the B. The original diagonalis blocked with a pawn. } 12... O-O 13. Qe2 a6 { I think a6 may also be unnecessary. Black is now lagging behind in development. } 14. Rfd1 Re8 15. Qf1 Nc5 { Moving the N from d7 allows a pawn weakness to be created. } 16. Bxf6 gxf6 { Now Black's K is somewhat exposed. With good play the material advantageshould still decide, but Black now has to be more careful. } 17. a3 { Thiswas intended to slowly improve my position and prepare b4 if needed. } 17... b5 18. Nd4 { This improves the position of my N. } 18... Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Be5 { Blackthreatens to play c5 now and when the N moves, leave b2 exposed. } 20. c3 Rd8 21. Qe4 { Adding a second attacker to c6 and threatening to win thepawn. } 21... Bb7 { This move is tempting, but ignores the danger to Black's K. With a material advantage, Black should just exchange with Bxd4. Thatremoves one of the attackers and makes it very difficult for Black to lose. } 22. Nf5 { White is not worried about the possible discovered attack on theQ because there is a check in his back pocket. } 22... c5 { c5 would normally bea good move, but here it leads to a checkmate. I think Black simply underestimatedthe threat to the K. It's important to have a sense of danger. } 23. Qg4+ { Black resigns because all roads lead to checkmate. Kh8 or Kh7 fail tothe immediate Qg7#. If Kf8, Black still plays Qg7+. After Ke8 (forced,since e7 is covered by the N), Qg8#. The last flight square, d7, is coveredby White's R. } 1-0
[Event "Catifs X MT - Sicilian battles"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.04"] [Round "-"] [White "dwardman"] [Black "bud_spencer"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1557"] [TimeControl "5d+3d<8d"] [WhiteElo "1976"] 1. e4 { This is from a themed tourni, and I stopped playing E4 because ofthe Sicilian } 1... c5 { I debated going for a Smith Morra gambit, but playedthe more conventional NF3 } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5 { Moreusual would be Nc3 but I thought I would givw this a go } 5... Bd7 6. O-O { Kingtucked away nice and safe } 6... Nf6 7. Nc3 Nxd4 8. Bxd7+ Qxd7 9. Qxd4 { It isall equal, but Black is slightly behind in terms of development and thebishop is boxed in } 9... e5 10. Qd3 Be7 11. f3 Qc6 12. Be3 { White completesdevelopment } 12... O-O 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. a4 a6 15. Ra3 { I am trying to open upthe centre by getting black to play d5 with the discovered attack on therook } 15... d5 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxa3 18. bxa3 { White come out of the exchangeahead } 18... Kh8 19. Qe4 f5 20. Qxe5 Qxc2 21. Rd2 Qc1+ 22. Kf2 Re8 23. Ne7 { Ilike this move } 23... Qxa3 24. Rd7 { Black is in serios trouble now } 24... Rac8 { Blackmisses the mating attack } 25. Ng6+ { Ng6 !! game over } 25... hxg6 26. Qxg7# 1-0
[Event "Thematic Benoni 6 for FAST players only"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Mar-08"] [Round "-"] [White "jakey101"] [Black "miszka"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1656"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1698"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Nd2 Nbd7 { First ten moves for both sides are'by the book'. normal benoni moves. White is a pinch better, but insignificantly.Hey, he is a half tempo up to start :) } 11. f3 { freeing up the knightsand lockin' down the pawns.. } 11... a6 { preventing Nb5 or Bb5, probably betteris 11)...Nh5, heading for f4. } 12. Nc4 { hitting the week backwards d6pawn and eyeing b6 for later } 12... Qc7 { 12) ..Nb6 is much better, perhaps evenputting black in a better spot. it defends the pawn, develops a piece,and attacks a more active white piece. } 13. Bf4 { hitting the weak pawnagain.. and forcing Bf8... } 13... Bf8 14. a4 { im headin to a5! } 14... Nh5 { black probablyshould have played Nh5 before my bishop got to f4.. but.. } 15. Be3 Nb6 { trying to deny a white knight control of b6, but alas, white has two knights.15)..Bg7 is better. } 16. Nxb6 Qxb6 17. Qd2 Bg7 { this is the correct move.17)..a5? restricts the white knight from getting to b6, but allows thebishop to be outposted at b5 } 18. a5 Qd8 19. Na4 { after a long journey,white's knight heads to b6. } 19... Bd7 { I think 19)..f5 is better, attackingthe white center. } 20. Nb6 Rb8 21. Nxd7 { What? All that wasted time toget to b6 and now white takes? Why..? Simple enough: white wants to dominatethe white squares, and black's white bishop is about all that's preventinghim from doing so. Besides, b6 isn't that hot, it eyes a buncha uselesssquares: (a8, c8, c4, d5, d7) } 21... Qxd7 22. Bd1 { threatening Ba4. and headingto a4 either way. } 22... Qe7 23. Ba4 Rec8 { Probably better is Rf8, maybe preparingf5. } 24. Rac1 { a fine move indeed! white sees the b5 push coming and preparesa threat in response to it that will be used! } 24... b5 25. axb6 Rxb6 26. b3 { I was considering b4 here, but that would leave black a pawn up aftermy little trick. } 26... Rb4 { funny how black moves into it though... } 27. Qxb4 cxb4 28. Rxc8+ { winning two rooks for a queen and a hell of a positionwith the bishop pair. } 28... Bf8 29. Re8 { black is being squeezed. } 29... Qh4 30. e5 { black shouldn't take, as it causes problems, but .. } 30... dxe5 { walkinginto Bc5, winning a piece.. } 31. Bc5 Nf6 { preventing Bxf8. } 32. Rxf8+ Kg7 33. d6 { a grand move. Kxf8, and d7 leads to promotion. } 33... Nd7 { 34) Bxd7?...Kxf8 } 34. Bf2 Qf6 35. Ra8 { black shouldn't fall for another pin =x d6is eerily safe.. } 35... Qxd6 36. Rd8 { oops.. a queen isn't nearly enough tohandle two rooks and a bishop pair, black resigns. } 1-0
[Event "Uk players and Int friends 1550+"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "14-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "lawarner"] [Black "charleshiggie"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1945"] [TimeControl "5d+5d, 10d max"] [WhiteElo "1646"] 1. e4 { I had to annotate this game. I had a winning position, a superiorpassed pawn and I was very lucky to get a draw. I made a couple of seriouslypoor decisions around move 28. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Nc3 Qc7 5. d3 Nd4 6. Ba4 a6 7. Nxd4 cxd4 8. Ne2 e5 9. O-O b5 10. Bb3 d6 11. f4 Be7 12. Ng3 O-O 13. a4 bxa4 14. Bxa4 Bg4 15. Qe1 Be6 { Was not sure the reasonfor the Bishop retreat. It opens up my black diagonal perfectly when Ido the natural reply of f5. Black's white bishop becomes somewhat useless.It gives me the initiative and black is somewhat cramped. } 16. f5 Bd7 { Nowthe bishop needs to be moved again. } 17. Bb3 { And now my bishop is in abetter spot. } 17... Rfb8 18. Bg5 a5 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nh5 Bg5 21. h4 { At thispoint Qg3 immediately might have been better. That pawn at h4 was a thornin my side later. } 21... Bh6 22. Qg3 Kh8 23. Bxf7 Rxb2 { This move doesn't seemlike the best for black. I was expecting Bc6 to force my Bishop out. ThenRxd2. I think Black maintains the initiative with that. } 24. f6 g6 25. Bxg6 hxg6 { I believe this is the real blunder. I haven't found it yet,but there has to be a mate after this. } 26. Qxg6 Be3+ 27. Kh1 Rg8 28. Ng7 { 28. f6! If RxQ 29. f8 Rg8 30. Qf6 Rg7 31. QxR Mate 28. f6 Qd8 29.fxg8 Qxg8 30 Qxd6 } 28... Be8 29. f7 { 29. Nxe8 works better } 29... Bxf7 30. Rxf7 Qxf7 31. Qxf7 Rxg7 32. Qe8+ Kh7 33. g4 Rxc2 34. Rxa5 { 34. Qh5 interposing theBishop doesn't work because of g5. I knew I could force a draw with Qh5,but I still think I can do better. But before taking the pawn I neededto bring my Queen to h5 to put it in a better position. Then Rxa5 is fine.And I am still threatening mate if he gets to ambitious. } 34... Rc1+ 35. Kh2 Bf4+ 36. Kh3 Rh1+ 37. Kg2 Rxh4 38. Kf3 Rh3+ 39. Kg2 Rg3+ 40. Kf2 R3xg4 41. Qh5+ Bh6 42. Qf5+ R4g6 43. Ra8 Rc7 1/2-1/2
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Sep-08"] [Round "-"] [White "john2428"] [Black "fatcat2"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1110"] 1. Nc3 { Never seen this before in my life. A weak opening, in my opinion, } 1... d5 2. d4 c5 { I play a sort of Reversed Queen's Gambit } 3. dxc5 e5 4. Nxd5 Be6 5. Ne3 Qxd1+ 6. Nxd1 Bxc5 7. Nc3 Bb6 8. Bd2 Nf6 9. O-O-O Ng4 { A boldsortie by me! There is no possible defence for my opponent! } 10. Ne4 { Hedoes his best though... } 10... Bd5 { His best isn't good enough! } 11. Nd6+ Kf8 12. Re1 Nxf2 13. Nh3 Nxh1 { Now the game looks easy... } 14. e3 Bc5 15. Nf5 Be6 16. Ng3 Bxh3 17. Nxh1 { The knight was trapped anyway. And I am stillahead } 17... Be6 18. b4 Bb6 19. Bc3 Nd7 20. Ng3 Bxa2 21. Bb5 Rd8 22. Nf5 f6 23. Nd6 Bd5 24. e4 Bc6 25. Bxc6 bxc6 { Exchanges only play into my hands, asI am leading on material. } 26. Nb7 Rb8 27. Nd6 Bc7 28. Nf5 g6 29. Nh6 Kg7 30. Ng4 f5 31. Ne3 f4 32. Ng4 h5 33. Nf2 Rhf8 34. Nd3 Rbe8 35. h3 g5 36. Rh1 h4 37. Kb2 f3 38. gxf3 Rxf3 39. Ne1 Rf1 40. Rxf1 { Oh dear. I blundered.Now this interesting endgame will take longer than I thought... } 40... Rf8 41. Rg1 Kg6 42. Nd3 Kh5 43. Bd2 Rg8 44. Nf2 Nf6 45. Kc3 g4 46. hxg4+ Nxg4 47. Nxg4 Rxg4 48. Rf1 h3 49. Kc4 Rxe4+ 50. Kc5 Re2 { I am fighting hard to pushmy pawn... } 51. Bc3 h2 52. Kxc6 Bb6 53. Be1 Bf2 { This looks like a strongmove. If Rxf2 or Bxf2 Bxf2 then Rxf2, I can promote my pawn. } 54. Bxf2 Rxf2 55. Rc1 { He cunningly avoids taking my Rook...but walks into a massivetrap! } 55... Rxc2+ { Now he has to play Rxc2 to avoid being even further downon material...and I can promote! } 56. Rxc2 h1=Q+ { HOORAY!!!!!!! } 57. Kd6 Qd1+ { The rest is easy! } 58. Kxe5 Qxc2 { My opponent resigns. } 0-1
[Event "Simultaneous exhibition with FM René Schwab at the Vienna Stadioncenter"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.05"] [Round "-"] [White "René Schwab"] [Black "Sebastian Falbesoner"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "~1500"] [TimeControl "1h (with "] [WhiteElo "~2200"] { This game took place in the Vienna Stadion Center (http://www.stadioncenter.at/)against FIDE Master René Schwab in a simultaneous exhibition. The eventwas organized by Ferdinand Peitl, or better known in media circles as 'DerSchachfreund', see his homepage www.derschachfreund.at for more information.We played with time handicap for the simultaneous player: both the participantsand the FM had one hour time, however the participants could move and pressthe clock at any time, and the simultaneous players time ran even whenhe wasn't near the board, so he got quite into time pressure in some ofthe games. Keep in mind that I'm an amateur and many of my annotationscould thus be inexact or even totally wrong. I encourage all of you, especiallythe better players here on GameKnot, to comment. Have fun! } 1. e4 e6 { Assumingthat my opponent will probably prefer to play quite sharp and attackingopenings as White in a simultaneous game, I chose a solid defence withthe French. } 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 { The French exchange variation, whichleads quite often to a draw (37% according to the GameKnot 'World' database). } 4. Bf4 { 4. Bd3 or 4. Nf3 are far more common moves here. } 4... Bf5 { Just tryingto maintain symmetry which is a well-known technique for Black in the Frenchexchange variation to achieve a draw. However, this move leaves my pawnon b7 undefended and my opponent doesn't hesitate to exploit that... } 5. Qe2+ { I was quite surprised by this early queen check - but the next moveswill show that I lose a pawn at force! } 5... Be7 { Forcing the queen exchangewith 5... Qe7 loses also a pawn because of 6. Bxc7! } 6. Qb5+ { The b7 pawnfalls for sure, I can't do anything about it. } 6... c6 { I guess 6... Nc6 (developingthe knight and defending my rook) followed by 7... Rc8 would have beenbetter. } 7. Qxb7 Nd7 { The only move to defend my rook on a8. } 8. Nc3 { Iwonder why my opponent didn't take the next free pawn on c6? } 8... Qc8 { Offeringa queen exchange, to avoid the loss of more pawns. } 9. Qxc8+ { The opponentaccepts. } 9... Rxc8 10. O-O-O { Unfortunately I didn't have time to take theundefended pawn on c2, now as my opponent castles queenside it's too late. } 10... Ngf6 { Preparing to castle kingside and getting more control of e4. } 11. h3 { Probably preparing g4. } 11... O-O 12. f3 { Avoids to let my knight go to e4and prepares g4 once more ;-) } 12... Rfe8 13. g4 { Ah, here it comes. White'spawns are getting quite annoying at the kingside, at the price that twoof his minor pieces aren't developed yet. } 13... Bg6 { I didn't want to blockthe e-file with 13... Be6, and this was the only alternative, which keepsthe bishop on the fine b1-h7 diagonal. } 14. h4 { Of course, the opponentswants to make use of his pawn-wall and catch my bishop. } 14... h6 { The only sanemove in this situation, any other will lose material. } 15. Bd3 { Forcingthe exchange of white-squared bishops. } 15... Nb6 { I decided not to take, butinstead developing my knight on the queenside. If White takes my bishop,I get a doubled pawn, but it also opens the f-file, I thought it can beof some use maybe. } 16. Bxg6 { Okay, he takes. } 16... fxg6 17. b3 { Controls a4and c4, which are potential homes for my knight, but leaves his own knighton c3 undefended... } 17... Bb4 { ... so why not attack it? } 18. Nb1 { I expected18. Nce2, I don't think the knight is very well-placed here. However, itavoids that my bishop reaches the a3 square. } 18... h5 { Trying to get rid ofmy doubled pawns. I overlooked that the opponent can simply play g5 --the doubled pawns remain and my knight has to leave it's place on f6. } 19. c3 { White decides to shoo my bishop first. } 19... Bf8 { The other possibility,19... Be7, would have blocked the e-file. } 20. g5 { That had to come. } 20... Nfd7 21. Nh3 { Developing his knight and connecting the rooks. The knight isnot very active here, but it's the only square it can go to. } 21... c5 { ! Opensup the powerful c-file. According to a nearby kiebitz, the opponent said'Respekt!' when he saw this move, but I'm not sure because I couldn't understandhim accoustically. } 22. Rhe1 { At this point I'm happy to know that I winmy lost pawn back! } 22... Rxe1 23. Rxe1 cxd4 { Phew, material is even again. } 24. Rd1 { For this and the following moves White thought quite a bit longerthan usual (that means, more than 15 seconds ;-)). } 24... dxc3 { I thought itprobably can't hurt to take one more pawn - not expecting that I can holdit for very long. } 25. Kc2 a5 { 25... Bb4 was tempting but doesn't reallylead to anything because of 26. a3, and my bishop has to move back again. } 26. Rd3 { Attacking it three times, there's no doubt anymore that Whitewill get the pawn on c3 back. } 26... Nb8 { Has then intention of reaching b4 viaNb8-a6-c4. } 27. Rxc3 Rxc3+ 28. Nxc3 Bb4 { ??? being blind as a bat, I don'tsee that since the rook exchange, my knight on b8 is not defended any more. } 29. Bxb8 { At this point I resigned. Mr. Schwab was very nice and offeredto take the move back and play another one instead 'to keep the game interesting'.I happily agreed and played 28... Nc6 instead of my blunder, but lost thegame after approx. 12 moves anyway, because I couldn't avoid the queeningof his a-pawn at the end. However, the event was great fun and I encourageall interested chess players in Vienna to participate in one of the futuretournaments or simultaneous exhibitions organized by the 'Schachfreund',it's really nice. Not to forget, five participants achieved a draw againstthe FIDE Master, hats off! } 1-0
[Event "Only a pawn"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Anonymous"] [Black "Pierre99"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "Blitz"] [WhiteElo "1800+"] { Well I guess I'd have to call this game boring! What else do you calla game when it ends when the first pawn falls? ;) Oh, it takes a while,however. Inaccuracies courtesy of Blitz plague us both, until white suddenlyhas little counterplay. } 1. e4 c6 { Let's see if he lets me play my Caro-Kann. } 2. f4 d5 { I expect white to now play ex5, or some other developing move. } 3. e5 h5 { This often becomes a target; I'll have to watch for that. Butit's one way to slow down white's pawns on the kingside. } 4. Nf3 Bf5 { Bg4may have been better. } 5. Be2 { D4 might have been good. But this developsthe bishop and has set up a discovered double attack on the h pawn, ifhe chooses. } 5... e6 { This is done to solidify black's pawn structure. } 6. O-O { D4 for white was also playable here. No obvious way to use the early tempofor anything; it does not harm white to castle just now. And now, I havea decision. Should I allow my light-squared bishop to be taken if whitechooses to? I decide yes; it's early for such decisions, but my g8 knightneeds to be developed, and I don't want to advance my g pawn just yet.Still, that bishop is not really a bad bishop despite my pawn setup becauseof the h7-g1 diagonal. } 6... Ne7 { I take a chance here that white won't moveNh4 or Ng5. Taking my h pawn too can be a bit of trouble, because it openslines up now to the white king. In return, there would be a lot of pressureon black's kingside. White opps for a quieter setup. } 7. d3 { White musthave already intended this developing move, and so my knight gets awaywith the maneuver. D4 was probably a little better for white here. } 7... Ng6 { This is a risk too; I am betting my opponent won't take advantage of mycramped kingside before he develops a little more. My king could come undersome pressure here. As an side, I am not afraid of h3 and g4 here. I haveNh4 to allow the bishop to retreat, and to frustrate that would take whitetoo long. One other risk too, is that white could begin operations in thecenter or over on the queenside, as my pieces are not very mobile. It maynot be wise for white to seize the black h pawn... if he does, it willbe a very pitched battle. } 8. c3 { Now I've noticed that my opponent, forcastling so quickly, is not developing quickly. And this move is a littleslow too. I, for that matter, am very slow too. This allows me to fix mykingside. } 8... Be7 { I ponder here whether white will wish to keep my knightout of g4, because that's where it's headed. I want to get rid of the f3knight. I take a little too long to do that, because I need to developmore first. } 9. Na3 { Still, I get lucky here; this move is very very slow.I don't think white has a plan; it seems he is switiching ideas every coupleof moves. Often when my opponent does this I'll consider taking the knightwith the bishop, to double up the pawns on the a file. But, because thingsare a bit cramped on my kingside, I don't want to allow play to happenon the queenside just yet, because my pieces would be little help for sometime over there. } 9... Nd7 { ...bc5 would otherwise be a good move. Here, I simplydevelop. } 10. Nc2 { I don't know why he is repositioning the knight whenNd4 would have been enough to trade a knight for the white bishop, if hereally wanted my bad bishop that bad. This seems like a lot of maneuveringfor little gain. } 10... Nh4 { For some time, white could probably win a pawn;but so far, has chosen not to do so. Fritz much wanted me to castle Kingsidehere, and does not like this move at all. But if I castle kingside, I thinkmy king will be vulnerable, and it will hamper my own efforts for attackingon the kingside in this position. } 11. Ne3 { This seemed odd to me; Nd4a couple moves ago could have instantly troubled my light-squared bishop.As a result, white is behind in development now. } 11... Nxf3+ { I finally takethat knight, knowing that doing so saves the bishop. But that's not whyI do so. I have thought up and discarded about three or four differentplans involving sacrifices to crack open the kingside; None seemed goodyet... } 12. Bxf3 { I don't know if taking with the rook or pawn would havebeen better for the position. In general, taking with the Bishop is correct,but this position is a bit odd. } 12... Bg6 { White could, with just a little morepreparation, strike down at the kingside with f5! and I would have to defenda while. He chooses not to, fortunately for me. } 13. d4 { He could haveplayed d4 long ago. White is better here, but still has some decisionsto make as to how to make his positional advantage work. F5 would be verygood for white, and yet, for many moves, he ignores this possibility. } 13... Nb6 { An immediate a4 is called for here to chase my knight and furtherthrottle black's position. But my opponent chooses another move. } 14. b3 { Not a bad move; but a4 was more accurate. } 14... c5 { This was not a good move.I had temporarily forgotten about f5 on the other side of the board, andFritz tells me this was not good! Oh well. At any rate, now both sidesof the pawn structure can be fractured while white's king remains behindhis protection, more secure than I would be. I have waited too long tocastle, and now don't feel comfortable castling anywhere. } 15. Kh1 { However,I luck out. White apparently wants to see what I intend, and rather than'taking the game to me', he does this quiet move, which is useful, butprobably not necessary here. } 15... Rc8 16. Bb2 { Again, instead of f5, this moveis a purely a defensive move. And, I think, not necessary. I believe blackcan get the initiative now. } 16... c4 { Willing to let the a 7 pawn fall by thismove for the activity it will give. Worth it? I don't know. Probably not. } 17. b4 { This just makes that side of the board protected. Despite my rookmoving to c8, surely white should have realized that I would not castlekingside. } 17... Qd7 { I wish to provoke white into advancing his a and b pawnsa little, before moving my bishop to an annoying square and repositioning.Then, I'll be nearly ready to move on the kingside. } 18. a4 { I have mypawns where I want them, having obtained some space on the queenside, andgreater control on the h7-b1 diagonal. These pawns won't get far. } 18... Kd8 { Now, you might think this move bad. Fritz thinks it is. But I do it becauseI don't want to castle kingside, and I want my king further from the actionI am planning. Since white tied things up on the d and c files, this movelooked perfectly okay to me because I can obstruct the a and b pawns whenthe time comes. } 19. a5 { I expected that, and I was going to repositionmy knight anyways. } 19... Na8 { The least productive square for a knight. However,this knight will not stay here long. } 20. Qa4 { White moving f5, with queensstill on the board, would have been very unpleasant for black. So I welcomethis queen exchange. It enables me to solidify my king defense, and I thinkthis is a mistake by white. Fritz agrees. } 20... Qxa4 21. Rxa4 a6 22. Rc1 { Andthis has to be a positional blunder, if you will; f5 was still a good moveto this point for white. Those pawns aren't going to move, and he's onlyblocking his own bishop. I don't know what he's thinking here, but I knowwhat I'm doing now; time to begin to fight back. } 22... Bd3 { This is a move Fritzhas been wanting me to make for a while. It will harass white's abilityto maneuver. Second, it's not really where I want my bishop to end up,but in the time it takes white to chase it away, I'll have received a coupleof tempos for my real design, which is to attack the kingside. } 23. Nd1 Nc7 { My knight can now stop any action on the queenside, and keep whitea bit on the defense of the c3 pawn now. Eventually I'd like to get itback over to the kingside if I could. We'll see. } 24. Nf2 Bf5 { THIS iswhere I wanted my bishop all along, and now it is white's pieces that areout of sync, due to the fact that: 1. White did not have a plan; and 2.It was hard for him in Blitz to find the opportunities that he did have.The one mistake I think that really matters is his failure to get in f5when black's king would have been vulnerable. White's king is not servednow by being on h1; my rook is still eyeing that file. } 25. h3 { There isno real threat here. If g4, hxg4 Nxg4 Rxh3+ and white loses a pawn. Ifwhite takes with the bishop, I'll trade bishops and after the knight take,the pawn still falls. But no matter white's designs, this greatly weakensthe dark squares, and I immediately exploit that. } 25... Bh4 { Rf1 still keepswhite in the game. But he makes a disastrous choice; the first real blunderthat gets taken advantage of in this one. } 26. Kg1 { Even in Blitz, black'snext move is obvious, especially since it was in black's thoughts to targetthe kingside. White simply missed it. I can only speculate that white didnot like his king remaining on h1. } 26... Bg3 { It's only a pawn, but could provedecisive, due to white's lack of activity; and so also thought my opponent.Not seeing any clear counter play, white resigned, although I think doingso was a tad early since it is only a pawn! It would have been fun to playa while longer. }
[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.31"] [Round "-"] [White "chinablue"] [Black "last_archimedean"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1424"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "2154"] { I'm quite proud of this result: my first non-loss against a player ratedover 2000. It proves to me that if I can avoid dumb mistakes, I can competeagainst very good players. } 1. e4 e5 { I keep the game on Classical lines. } 2. f4 exf4 { Naturally, I must accept the gambit! It is the honorable thingto do. } 3. Bc4 Nf6 { Against a gambit, one must develop quickly. The veryidea of a gambit is to trade material for time, so I have to make sureI don't fall hopelessly behind in development. } 4. Nc3 c6 { Preparing tochallege the center... } 5. Bb3 d5 { ...which I do. } 6. exd5 cxd5 { Whiteelects to exchange. } 7. d4 Bd6 { Now I'm at least ready to castle, evenif I don't do it immediately. } 8. Nf3 Nc6 { Must continue to develop. } 9. Bxd5 Nxd5 { By means of this standard exchange... } 10. Nxd5 Bg4 { ...Whiterecovers the gambited Pawn. } 11. O-O O-O { Bothe sides safely tuck awaytheir Kings. } 12. Bxf4 Bxf4 { Given that my ranking is 700+ points lower,a draw is a spectacular result for me. The simpler I can make the game,the better my chances of not getting enmeshed in a tactical mess that costsme material. } 13. Nxf4 Bxf3 { This sequence of exchanges... } 14. Rxf3 Qxd4+ { ...leaves material equal... } 15. Qxd4 Nxd4 { ...while removing the Queens. } 16. Rc3 Rac8 { I would love to exchange Rooks as well. } 17. Rxc8 Rxc8 { Whiteobliges me. } 18. c3 Ne6 { I offer a draw. Material is even, and if Whitewere to exchange Knights I would have the only passed Pawn. White graciouslyaccepts. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Titanic Struggle"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.11.29"] [Round "-"] [White "ynpildop"] [Black "beast66"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1526"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1547"] { This game ended in a draw. White has the advantage throughout the matchbut fails to capatalise on two blunders that Black makes, one of whichwould have led to Black's instant defeat. The game instead led to a draw. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bd6 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Qe7 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Bc5 9. b4 Bb6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bxc6 dxc6 12. h3 c5 13. a3 cxb4 { Thisis the biggest advantage Black gets in the whole game. } 14. axb4 c5 15. bxc5 Qxc5 16. d4 exd4 17. cxd4 Qc7 18. Bg3 Qd7 19. Be5 Bc7 { Probably notthe best. With the unbelievable 19...Rxe5! 20. dxe5 Qxd1 21. Rxd1 Nxe422. Ra2 Be6 gives Black the two bishops and good attacking prospects forthe exchange. } 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Nc3 f5 22. Qd3 fxe4 23. Nxe4 Qf5 { HereBlack walks into the losing exchange. 23...Re6 would have been a betteralternative. } 24. Nf6+ Qxf6 25. Rxe8+ Kg7 26. Re4 { ....but White returnsthe favor and the exchange. He would have consolidated his advantage with26. Ne5 Bd6 27. Rc1 b5. } 26... Bf5 27. Rae1 Bxe4 28. Qxe4 Qc6 29. Qg4+ Qg6 30. Qd7 Qd6 31. Re7 Qxd7 32. Rxd7 Rc8 33. d5 b6 { 33...Kf6 was better, to getthe king into the game. } 34. d6 { 34. Nd4 gives White better prospects. } 34... Bb8 35. Ne5 Rf8 36. Nc6 Kf6 { Black should have made the most of his passedpawns. 36...a5 37. Nd4 Rc8 38. g3 Kf6 keeps White's advantage to a minimum,but the text-move does not cause any major damage. } 37. Nxb8 Rxb8 38. Rxa7 Rd8 { yet again, 38....b5 is better, but the text-move does not spoil Black'schances that much, but Black must play with more care. } 39. d7 Ke7 40. Rb7 Rxd7 41. Rxb6 f6 42. g4 Kf7 43. Kg2 Kg6 44. Re6 Rf7 45. Kg3 Rd7 46. h4 Rd3+ 47. Re3 Rd5 48. Re4 f5 { 48...Rd6 is better, as it gives supportfrom the back. Now things get tougher for Black. } 49. Re6+ Kg7 50. gxf5 { 50. g5 hxg5 51. hxg5 Rd4 52. f3 is better. The text-move gives Black morecontrol and gives Black better drawing chances. } 50... Rxf5 51. f4 h5 { ....andhere is one of three mistakes that should have cost Black the game. Here51...Rd5 halts White's attack enough so that Black can organise himselfto get better chances. } 52. Kf3 { 52. Re5 was a better alternative. } 52... Kf7 { 52...Rc5 was better here. } 53. Re5 Kf6 { This is the main blunder. Whiteis able to infiltrate Black successfully. Here 53...Kg6 supports both piecesand gives Black more chances. Black may have lost his last chance, however...... } 54. Rxf5+ Kxf5 55. Ke3 Kg4 56. Ke4 Kxh4 57. Ke5 { White throws away a goldenoppourtunity: He wins with 57. Kf3!! where via computer analysis, Blackcannot avoid mate in twelve moves. The text-move gives Black a draw, asboth sides queen on the same move. } 57... Kg4 { 57....Kg5 does not work, as weshall soon see. } 58. f5 h4 59. f6 h3 60. f7 h2 61. f8=Q h1=Q 62. Qg8+ { ....nowwe see why 57...Kg5 would have been a blunder. Black would have been forcedto play Kg6, 5 or 4 and then Qh8 or h7+ wins the queen. } 62... Kf3 { ?? - Biggestblunder of the game, this walks into Mate in eight! Who did not see theskewer at this point? 62...Kh3 is the only move, and gives a draw. } 63. Qb3+ { ?? - however, White for the second time, throws away his winningchance. He wins via the skewer: 63. Qa8+ Ke3 64. Qxh1 Kd3 65. Qc6 Ke2 66.Qe4+ Kd1 67. Qg2 Kc1 68. Kd4 Kd1 69. Kd3 Kc1 70. Qc2# } 63... Kf2 64. Qb6+ Kg2 65. Qg6+ Kf2 { Draw Agreed. A highly entertaining game that had its highsand lows. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Advocatus diaboli"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.12.15"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "elenapetrova"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1846"] [TimeControl "5d+3d<15d"] [WhiteElo "1856"] { It is unusual for a game between evenly matched strong opponents to endsuddenly and catastrophically in just 15 moves. This is such a game. The opening is certainly a combative one, the kind that Black will adoptwho wishes at all costs to carry the fight to the opponent. There is noreason to apprehend a sudden disaster. So... what happened? } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { We begin here, with the evergreenand popular Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence. This modest lookingmove is designed to prepare ...e5 without having to worry (overmuch) aboutWhite's landing a minor piece on the b5-square and attacking the d6-point. At the same time, the move supports an eventual expansion by Black onthe Q-side. So purposive is the move, it hardly comes under the pejorative'country move' associated with a move like a2-a3 or ...a7-a6, which oftensignals a timorous approach to the game. The Najdorf is not for the timorous! } 6. Bc4 { [!?] This move, similar to the Sozin Attack in the 2...Nc6 linesof the Sicilian, has declined relatively in popularity compared with 6.Bg5and 6.Be3. In former times it was something of a favorite with Bobby Fischer,and was held to be one of the more aggressive lines against the NajdorfSicilian. It tends to discourage Black's planned ...e7-e5 advance, butat the cost of presenting Black's b-pawn with a target, unless White isprepared to pay a price in time. } 6... e6 { By far and away the most popularresponse. Black cuts the White bishop off from the f7-square, leaving...e5 to wait for the time being. } 7. Bb3 { White nearly always plays this,rather than leave it on c4 to be hit by ...b5. White is very interestedin what might come up on the a2-g8 diagonal... } 7... b5 { The target having dodged,betimes, Black makes this advance anyway! GM O'Kelly de Galway calledthis 'the most active continuation preparing a counter-attack on the WhiteKP [e-pawn].' Bobby Fischer himself played this line against Robert Byrnein the Sousse Interzonal, 1967. Also playable here are 7...Be7 and 7...Nbd7. } 8. Bg5 { Uber-aggression. Instead 8.0-0 is more often played, but 8.f4has also been tried. It was with the latter move Bobby Fischer came withinan ace of defeating Mischa Tal in the 1959 Candidates' Tournament. After8.f4 b4?! Tal got himself into all sorts of trouble: 9.Na4 Nxe4 10.0-0g6 11.f5! gxf5 12.Nxf5! Rg8 13.Bd5! Ra2. Note Tal's 8th and 9th moves- the thematic idea behind Black's play. This game was to feature muchthe same idea... } 8... h6 { Forcing White to make a decision in respect of thisbishop: take the knight, or retreat. } 9. Be3 { She retreats. This lookslike a straight-forward loss of a tempo, but things aren't so simple. It may well have been White's purpose to draw forward the h-pawn, weakeningBlack's K-side slightly, and creating a target for a later K-side attack. Returning to the centre, this bishop is well placed to intervene on eitherflank. } 9... b4 { The 'Tal' move, in a slightly different setting. This attackdecoys the c3-Knight away from the defence of the e-pawn. Dangerous asit was in the Fischer-Tal game, it seems no less risky here, as we shallsee... } 10. Na4 { 'Knights on the rim are dim,' quoth the wiseacres. Butin fact this Knight is not so badly placed here, as the sequel will show. } 10... Nxe4 { 'The point.' Black wins a pawn. But check out Black's game rightnow. One piece developed, the rest all at home. White has all her minorpieces in play and, ready to castle short immediately, is only one moveaway from choosing to castle long. } 11. Qe2 { Expressing considerableinterest in the e-file already, White is gearing up for operations in thecentre and on the K-side. Planning to castle Q-side, she will be aimingto centralise both rooks. But such is White's lead in development, shecould already have contemplated the thematic sacrifice at e6: 11.Nxe6!?... and now [A] 11... fxe6 12.Nb6! Bb7 13.Nxa8 Bxa8 14.Bxe6; or [B]11...Bxe6 12.Bd5! Nd7! -(Instead 12...Bxd5 13.Qxd5 and White has a strongattack going)- 13.Bxe4 Rc8. both lead to unclear positions with chancesfor both sides. Insofar as the sacrifice does not compromise White's chances,we might consider it to be sound enough. } 11... d5 { Shoring up the centre againstthe pressure to come, and hardening up the defences along the a2-g8 diagonal. This is costing time, though. as White completes her mobilization. } 12. O-O-O Bb7 { The point d5 looks well defended! The database shows a game12...Nd7 that led to a quick draw after 13.Nxe6; but Black might also havecontemplated 12...Bd7 here. White now outflanks the strong point. } 13. Nxe6 { [!] It had to come, and it had to be sooner rather than later. Everythingis poised for an all out attack. But that is not to say Black Black isnot ready to face this onslaught. Things have suddenly become very interesting! Should Black accept the sacrifice? In calling Black's reply a mistake,the GK engine offered this alternative with a near-even assessment: 13....fxe6 14.Qh5ch Ke7 -(I'll revisit this in my next note) 15.Bc5ch Nxc5 16.Nxc5Qb6 17.Nxe6 Nc6 -(Not much improvement can be got from 17...Nd7 18.Rhe1Nf6 19.Qf5)- 18.Nxf8 Raxf8 19.Qxd5 Kf6 20.Qe6ch Kg5 21.Rd5ch Kh4 -the limit of the engine's vision, and so it looked even. It isn't of course:fen='5r1r/1b4p1/pqn1Q2p/3R4/1p5k/1B6/PPP2PPP/2K4R w - -' (See comment)22.Qh3#. From this it might appear that Black did well to leave the knightalone... } 13... Qd6 { [??] A disastrous move that leads to a swift collapse. It seems that Black ought indeed to have taken the Knight and then clungon in the face of White's assault: 13...fxe6! 14.Qh5ch Kd7! -(We surmisethat the GK engine's choice ...Ke7 is insufficient, though that has yetto be definitively determined). At this point White might well fling everythinginto the assault: 15.Bxd5!? exd5 16.Rxd5ch Bxd5 17.Qxd5ch Nd6! -(anyKing move gets axed)- 18.Re1! ... -(the straight-forward 18.Qxa8 is playable,too, by the look)- 18...Be7 -(What else? Not 18...Nc6, that's for sure:19.Nc5ch!)- 19.Qxa8. At this point White would be a piece behind still,but with so active a game could still fancy her winning chances. 'Fancyingher chances' is however a far cry from the 'gimme' win White now obtains. } 14. Nf4 { The GK engine prefers 14.Nxf8, but this just as good. } 14... g6 { AlreadyBlack has no good defence. E.g. 14...d4 15.Rxd4 Qe5 16.Nd5 Nc5 17.f4Nxb3ch 18.axb3 Qxd5, as suggested by the GK engine, still leaves Blackmiserably placed, her King stuck in the centre, and shedding material. } 15. f3 { In effect the e4-knight is pinned; for instance 15....Nf6 16.Bc5chwins the Black Queen. Hopelessly placed, Black resigned. } 1-0
[Event "World chess chamionship challange 1948"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Dr.M.Euwe"] [Black "V.Smyslov"] [Result "0-1"] { After Dr.Alekhin's death in 1946, FIDE (Federal International of chess)decided to make world championship tournament , which 6 of the most strongestplayers of the world will battle for the crown. one of the six players the American GM R.Fine retired form the turnament , there for only 5 playersleft .Botvink , Smyslov,Keres from USSR,S.Rishevsky from USA,Dr.M.Euwefrom Holland .Smyslov takes the 2nd place after Botvinik which mage himthe Number 2 of the world . lets see how Smyslov defeated the former worldchampion with very convincing way } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Bg4 { the idea of blacks 7....Bg4 is toact vs White's center with his pieces instead of his pawns .this way makesinteresting dilemma in the modern chess strategy. } 8. Be3 Nfd7 9. Qb3 Nb6 10. a4 a5 11. d5 Bxf3 12. gxf3 Qd6 { good move , the black queen on d6 isin very good position , which it attendedto move to b4 and pressure onthe white's queen side. } 13. Nb5 Qb4+ 14. Qxb4 axb4 15. Nxc7 { if the whitemoved 15.a5 so black answered 15...Bxb2.16.Rb1-Na4!(16.Ra2-Be5.17.f4-Bd6.18.e5-b3!with complications however better chances for black ). } 15... Rxa4 16. Rb1 { whitekeeps his rook to defend the queen side . its not good idea to 16.Rxa4-Nxa4.17.b3-Nc3.18.Bh3-Be5.19.Bb6-Na6.20.Nxa6-Ra8!!with very good position for black. } 16... N6d7 17. Nb5 Rc8 18. Be2 { maybe itwas better for white play 18.Nd4 first , with the idea after 18...b3.19.Nxb3-Rb4.20.Nd2with equal chances for both sides . } 18... b3 19. Na3 { not 19.0-0-Rc2.20.Bd1-Rxb2and black won a free pawn because if.21. Bxd3?-Rb4 and black win a piece. } 19... Bxb2 20. Rxb2 Rxa3 21. Kd2 { white have strong centre with bishops pare,however black have free pawn and the question is does black mannaged tokeep his matirial advantage?! } 21... Na6 22. Rhb1 Nac5 23. Bd4 { it seemed thatits not so easy to take back the pawn ,even after 23.Bb5-Ne5.24.Bxc5-Rxc5.25.Rxb3-Nxf3+.26.Ke3-Rxc5.27.Ra3xc5-Rxc5.28.Kxf3-f6.29.Rc3-h5.30.Rc7-Kf8and black keeps the material and good chances to win . } 23... e5 24. dxe6 Nxe6 25. Be3 Ndc5 26. Bxc5 { the bishops pare didnt show any advantage over the knights pare, there for white moving to passive defense. } 26... Nxc5 27. Kc3 Ra4 { black doesn't seduced to give discovered check 27...Na4+because of28.Kb4! } 28. Kd2 Kg7 { good positional move , the blac king will play onthe dark sqaures to avoid any dangere for b3 pawn ,i mean that the LSBwont give any check on the king and attack with the tow rooks the b3 pawnin the future . } 29. Ke3 Rd8 30. Rc1 b6 31. Bc4 Rda8 32. Bd5 Ra2 33. Rcb1 R8a4 34. Kd2 Rd4+ 35. Ke2 Na4 36. Rxa2 bxa2 37. Ra1 { not 37.Bxa2?-Nc3+.38.Ke3-Ra4.39.Bb3-Ra3.... and black win a bishop and the game . } 37... Nc3+ 38. Ke3 Rd1 { and whiteresigns . } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.06.10"] [Round "-"] [White "gavinjohn"] [Black "darcy1234"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1100"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1068"] 1. f4 { This can be a bad move to start with } 1... e6 2. Nf3 { but he backs himselfup } 2... Nc6 3. e4 Nf6 4. Bb5 { He offers a trade } 4... Nxe4 { Instead I take his epawn } 5. d3 { he pushes my knight back } 5... Nf6 6. d4 { he tempts me with hisd pawn } 6... Bb4+ { So i put him in check } 7. c3 Bd6 8. Qe2 a6 { He makes a mistakehere } 9. Ba4 { retreats... } 9... b5 { I push him back further } 10. Bb3 Bb7 { Istrengthen my defence } 11. Ng5 Qe7 12. Nd2 { I notice his f pawn is defenceless } 12... Bxf4 13. Ngf3 { a bit of a pointless move } 13... g5 14. g3 { that would have beena better move } 14... g4 { He makes another mistake here } 15. Ng5 Bxg5 16. h4 { he pushes my bishop back } 16... Bh6 17. Nb1 { Big mistake } 17... Bxc1 18. Rh2 Na5 { Itry to get his bishop } 19. Bc2 { So now i have the opportunity to take hisrook } 19... Bxb2 20. Qe3 Nd5 { I wait and try to put his queen in danger } 21. Qe5 Rf8 22. Ke2 Bxa1 { I finally take his rook } 23. Bxh7 d6 { I put his queenin more danger } 24. Qe4 f5 { Further! } 25. Bg6+ { But this time I made themistake } 25... Kd8 26. Qd3 Rg8 { Again, putting the bishop in danger } 27. h5 { Ithought he would make that move } 27... c5 28. dxc5 Nc4 29. Qd1 { He goes rightwhere i want him } 29... Nb2 30. Qc1 Nxc3+ { I was lazy on that move and wasn'tconcentrating } 31. Qxc3 Be4 { But now i can finally take his knight } 32. Qc1 { Into my trap } 32... Bf3+ 33. Kf2 dxc5 34. Nd2 Nd3+ { Almost there } 35. Ke3 c4 { Argh! lazy again } 36. Qxa1 Qg5+ 37. Kd4 Qf6+ { I have finally takenhis queen } 38. Ke3 Qxa1 { Resignation } 0-1
[Event "Latvian Gambit 8"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.06.13"] [Round "-"] [White "biscuit999"] [Black "bwaa"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1666"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1594"] { This is a GK tournament game in which I choose the Latvian Gambit withthe Black pieces, and White quietly declines my offer, resulting in a morepositional Latvian than usual. I end up with an advanced center pawn mass,and rush to use it to knock the position open (a little prematurely) beforeWhite can coordinate a flanking attack. What results is a bit of a raceas each side tears the other's pawns apart in a rush to clear a path topromotion. Enjoy! } 1. e4 { This is a GK tournament game in which I choosethe Latvian Gambit with the Black pieces, and White quietly declines myoffer, resulting in a more positional Latvian than usual. I end up withan advanced center pawn mass, and rush to use it to knock the positionopen (a little prematurely) before White can coordinate a flanking attack.What results is a bit of a race as each side tears the other's pawns apartin a rush to clear a path to promotion. Enjoy! } 1... e5 2. Nf3 f5 { ?! The keymove of the controversial Latvian Gambit. Very rarely seen at high levels,Black gives up a pawn (and usually much more) for a lead in space and development. } 3. Nc3 { This is a somewhat unusual way for White to decline the gambit.It tends to lead to somewhat more positional play than the main lines (3.Nxe5or 3.Bc4), though the situation still generally gets very sharp, and cantranspose to the Philidor Counter-Gambit after 3...d6 4.d4. } 3... d6 { More commonare 3...Nf6 or 3...fxe4 4.Nxe5 Qf6. } 4. d3 { This feels very passive tome; 4.d4 is perfectly playable (reaching the Philidor Counter-Gambit),but d3 blocks White's Bishop needlessly in my opinion. } 4... c5 { ?! Black continuesto blast his pawns forward, intent on restricting White's mobility at anycost and trying to seize on his perceived passivity to make a grab forthe center. This move does allow White to put an untouchable Nd5 if hedesires, though, which could be problematic against Black's fully-undevelopedhome rank. } 5. b3 { ? I feel this is an error. White just trapped his LSBwith the previous move, and now he spends another move preparing to fianchettothe DSB? Simple development would be stronger here, especially since thatBishop will have few prospects on b2. This move also makes c3 into a dangerousweakness. } 5... Nc6 { Logical development, seeking further control of d4 sinceWhite is apparently worried about it. } 6. a3 { This prevents ...Nb4, butthat doesn't seem like much of a threat at this point. } 6... Nf6 7. h3 { ? Whatis White doing? Again, he prevents Black from occupying slightly-inconvenientsquares, but he allows his opponent to catch up in development while hewastes time with little passive pawn moves. } 7... Be7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-O { Bothsides develop logically. Black has a formidable center pawn mass, whileWhite seems able to develop an attack on either flank. } 9... d5 { !? Black'spawns are only delicately defended, but he wants to force White into anexchange and create a push in the center before White can mobilize hisflanks. } 10. exd5 { Necessary to prevent ...d4 from locking his positiondown entirely. } 10... Nxd5 { Black releases his DSB to the kingside and targetsWhite's vulnerable Nc3. } 11. Nxd5 { Probably the best move, allowing Bb2and some degree of control over the diagonal while trading off the weakKnight. } 11... Qxd5 12. d4 { ! Black cannot recapture, as White is threatening13.Bc4, and White also threatens to discover an attack on the powerfulbut undefended Black Queen with 12...Kh8 dxe5, winning a pawn and placinga powerful wedge at e5. } 12... Be6 { Black continues his development and connectshis Rooks, while just barely defending White's main threat. } 13. Bc4 { ?!This is certainly more aggressive than 13.dxe5, but not quite as strong,as White's pawn structure will now take a hit. } 13... Qd6 { The BQ keeps everythingdefended, for now. } 14. dxe5 Qxd1 { Not 14...Nxe5?? 15.Qxd6 and Black losesthe LSB for nothing. } 15. Rxd1 Bxc4 16. bxc4 h6 { ? This prevents Ng5, butis akin to White's earlier pawn moves--it prevents something which simplyis not a threat. 17.Ng5 would be met with simply ...Nxe5. } 17. Rd7 { Thisis strong, though White's Bishop is still trapping his other Rook. 17.Bb2might have been more accurate. } 17... b6 { Black tries to avoid tying his Rookdown to defending home-square pawns--that way lies madness. } 18. Rc7 { ?!This is decent and forces an exchange of Rooks, but White really needsto complete his development. He can threaten the Knight much more forcefullywith Bb2 (18.Bf4?! g5) followed by e5-e6 and Ne5. } 18... Rfc8 { Forced, but itdoes at least give Black's Bishop another square to escape to if necessary. } 19. Rd7 { White declines the trade he originally set up, which is probablya good idea, as Black can probably draw if given a strong initiative. } 19... Rd8 { Black contests the open d-file, mostly because he has little alternative. } 20. Rxd8+ { ? Why White would take here, rather than on c8, is beyond me.It seems to me that 20.e6 would be much better. } 20... Rxd8 21. Bd2 { ? The Bishopfinally comes out, to a square where it loses White a pawn and has no moreinfluence on the board than it did on c1. I believe 21.Bb2 or 21.Bf4 wouldhave been considerably better. } 21... Nxe5 { Black eagerly consumes White's passedpawn and threatens to win the Bishop as well. } 22. Nxe5 { This is reallyWhite's only decent move, preserving material and his kingside pawn structure. } 22... Rxd2 { 22...Bf6 was also possible, but the pin is fairly weak and couldprove dangerous for Black. } 23. Nc6 { White begins a game of 'who can killall the other guy's pawns first'. Unfortunately, as he has a Knight andan unmoved Rook against a Bishop and a very powerful Rook, it's not likelyto be a race he can win. } 23... Bf6 { Black will at least hold his own in materialhere (24.Ra2 Kf7 25.Nxa7 Bd4), and potentially do much better if Whiteslips up. } 24. Re1 { This has the downside of not defending any of White'spawns, though it may allow him to trade off his Knight for the Black Bishop. } 24... Rxc2 { Black begins the massacre. He's looking to promote the c-pawn, ashis Bishop controls the queening square. White cannot defend c4 now andhe still has to be careful of ...Bd4 and ...Bf2+. } 25. Nxa7 { 25.Ne7+ Bxe726.Rxe7 Rxc4 27.Rxa7 was probably better. } 25... Bd4 { Threatening 26...Bxf2+and an easy win with a Rook against a Knight. } 26. Rf1 { White defends f2but puts his Rook in a hopelessly passive position. } 26... Rxc4 { Soon, Whitewill have no way to stop the c-pawn. } 27. g3 { Denying Black the opportunityfor mate after ...Be5, if the White Rook ever leaves the back rank, butmore importantly giving the King someplace to go to unpin his f-pawn whileleaving the Rook free to move about. } 27... Rc2 { Black's passed pawn is freeto advance, the White Rook is tied down again to f1, and the f-pawn willnow remain pinned after Kg2. Black also threatens to slip behind the a-pawn,or sidle over with Rb2 and prevent the White Knight from coming back tob5. } 28. Kg2 { Necessary, if White wants to get any counterplay at all onthe kingside. } 28... c4 { The c-pawn begins its journey. } 29. Kf3 { White moveson f5. He gives Black an interesting option: 29...Rc3+ 30.Kf4 Rxa3 31.Nb5Rd3 32.Nxd4 Rxd4+ 33.Kxf5 and both of Black's queenside pawns are now freeto advance, but the White King is in a very powerful spot. } 29... Bc5 { Blackpulls the Bishop back to a safer location, while keeping an eye on f2 andnow threatening a3. } 30. Nb5 { White's Knight finally returns from its exile,trying to re-enter the game. } 30... Rb2 { Black prepares to win the pawn by force. } 31. a4 Ra2 { Black sets a trap for the White Knight. If it tries to savethe doomed pawn with 32.Nc3?, Black will win the Knight with ...Ra3. } 32. Nc3 { ? White takes the bait. } 32... Ra3 33. Rc1 { Futile. 33.Kf4 would be moredirect, and allow White to take the f-pawn without requiring the loss ofhis Rook. Now after 33...Bd4 34.Kf4 Rxc3 White must move his Rook againto avoid a devastating trade, giving Black time to play ...g6. If the WhiteRook had remained on f1, at least he could have taken the f-pawn for free. } 33... Bd4 34. Kf4 Rxc3 35. Rd1 { ?! White prevents his opponent from defendingf5, at the cost of his own f-pawn. } 35... Bxf2 36. Kxf5 { ...and g-pawn. Whitemay be hoping for a King-and-Rook mate on Black's back rank, but his opponentwould have to blunder seriously to allow that. } 36... Rxg3 { As long as the Rookstays here, there is no chance for White to contrive a mate after Rd1+Kh7. } 37. Rd5 { ? 37.Rd2 followed by 38.Rc2, or else 37.Rd8+ Kh7 38.Rc8was probably better. Now the Rook has no way to get behind the c-pawn. } 37... c3 38. a5 { Valiant, but foolhardy. Nothing can stop Black's pawn from gettingto the coronation ceremony now. } 38... c2 39. a6 c1=Q 40. Rd8+ Kh7 41. a7 Rg5+ 42. Ke6 { 43.Ke4 Qe3# } 42... Qc6+ { 0-1. White throws in the towel, though he couldhave drawn it out for a bit longer. White's declining of the Gambit andhis defensive mindset throughout the opening gave Black all the space inthe world to set up his center attack and negate the weaknesses of hischosen opening. Coupled with a few positional inaccuracies from White,Black had all the tools he could desire to bring about his winning endgame. Many thanks to biscuit999 for this game! Comments on the analysis or thegame itself are much appreciated; if you leave a rating please also commentto let me know what I did well or need to improve! Thanks for reading! } 0-1
[Event "Challenge from kalanco"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.26"] [Round "-"] [White "kalanco"] [Black "xeldrakka"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1098"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1315"] { Me and my friend, just like old times. I am playing as white. } 1. d4 { Mypreferred opening. } 1... Nc6 { His preferred opening. } 2. Qd3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nb4 4. Qf3 Nxc2+ { Did not see the absolute fork coming. I'll be watching forthat next time. } 5. Kd1 Nxa1 { This turns out to be a rather poor move actually.His knight NEVER gets to move from that position. He effectively gave upa developed knight for a rook that might never get developed. } 6. e4 b6 7. Bc4 e6 8. Bf4 Qe7 9. e5 Qb4 10. Qxa8 Kd8 11. Ba6 Qxd4+ 12. Bd2 Qxf2 13. Qxc8+ Ke7 14. exf6+ Kxf6 { Should've used the pawn. } 15. Ne4+ { Ouch. } 15... Ke7 16. Nxf2 h5 17. Ne4 f5 18. Bb4+ c5 19. Nxc5 Rh6 20. Nxd7+ { He surrenderedat this point. I was a bit worried at parts in the game, but I managedto turn it around. Had he continued, I think it would've gone Ke7-f7, Bb4-d2,Rh6-g6, Qc8-f8 for checkmate. Moving the rook in that chain would be non-idealbut it would be logical considering how my opponent plays. } 1-0
[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.03"] [Round "-"] [White "dwardman"] [Black "earlthepianoplay"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1271"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1970"] 1. d4 { So we begin } 1... Nf6 { A typical response } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bf4 { White justcontinues to develop } 3... Nd5 { A little unexpected } 4. Bg3 d6 5. c3 { I thinkI could have been a little more agressive here with e4 } 5... Bg4 6. Nbd2 { Iam still in my comfort zone } 6... e5 { I thought this a little strange } 7. dxe5 Bxf3 8. Nxf3 dxe5 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. Bxe5 { I come out of the exchange a pawnup } 10... c6 11. Qd4 f6 12. Bg3 Bd6 13. O-O-O { I still have a poor white bishopbut stand ok } 13... Bxg3 14. hxg3 { I can live with the double pawns and the rookis nicely positioned } 14... O-O { I like the look of this now } 15. e4 Nb6 16. Bc4+ Kh8 17. Qc5 Qc7 { Black has missed it } 18. Rxh7+ { !!!! } 18... Kxh7 19. Qh5# 1-0
[Event "Missed win or draw?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.02.01"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "rabetabbevon"] [Result "0-1"] { This was the last of a series of games I lost - all of them. In this one,I almost get something, but I threw it away. } 1. d4 f5 { Always invitingto attack the kingside, but it's tricky. I don't know very well why isnot good for white to attack the kingside early, so I wanted to find out,taking advantage of the superior ELO... } 2. Bf4 { This is 'my beloved 2ndmove', and it can stand against almost anything, as far as I know. } 2... Nf6 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 { A temptation for black's Nh5, now or in the future. Fromnow on, I have to be aware of the consecuences of this black's move atany time. } 4... Be7 5. h4 { The 'naive' attack I want to test. It leaves g4to black, but I can assume it, as long as I am aware of his real attackpossibilities from there. } 5... O-O { Accepting the challenge, black castlesinto the fire. } 6. h5 { !? I know by experience that a normal developementdoesn't get much, so I try this move. The intention is to force somehowg6, being dangerous for black with a pawn in h5. It is NOT my intentionto play h6, since then g6 would be very solid for black, and white justlost tempoes. } 6... Nd5 { Yes, I know. } 7. Bg3 { ...? But this was a blunder.Bh2 was the right move, and it doesent matter if black presses with Bh4,white just plays f3 and that's all. Of course I plan to castle queensidefrom h4. But I miss, here, the crushing f4. When I realized it, I thoughtthe best way to save the bishop was exf4, and wait for Nxf4. Black hasthe f column, but white seems able to stand and get to castle queensidesafely. } 7... Nc6 { Black delayes f4... } 8. Bc4 { I Planned to exchange the bishopfor the knight, since c4 seemed dangerous. I need to develop, even by exchangingpieces, and I don't see I have time to create the 'if you f4, I Bxh7+'threat. This is why I didn't play Bd3. I won't have two more moves to alignthe queen in c2. } 8... f4 { Of course, I can't allow fxe3. } 9. Bxd5 { I eliminatethe main black piece, and accept fxg3. } 9... fxg3 10. Be4 { Now my bishop isaiming at h7, and my queen can join it in one move. The bad side is gxf2+,but I plan to answer Kf1. } 10... d5 { Now, I lost my temper. Bd3 means to losemore time to charge the cannon, so I have to act quicly. } 11. Bxh7+ { Whatthe hell, I have to demostrate that this h5 pawn is there for some reason.And black's queenside is badly undeveloped. } 11... Kxh7 12. Qd3+ Rf5 13. fxg3 { ...threatening g4, winning the rook. Black has just one move to solvethe problem. } 13... Qd6 { This threatens Qxg3+, that is deadly since Kf1 (protectingg2) pins the knight... but the black queen threatens other things, too,like Qb4+ (aiming at b2), and e4. I can't stop all them. } 14. Rh3 { Verysimple, and gets a move for a future doubling of rooks on the h column.But I know that black played the queen move with a second intention. } 14... e5 { Of course. And I can't allow e4. Unfortunatly, Ng5+ is impossible,nor g4. But maybe accurate analysis can find the 'best' continuation forwhite... can you find one? } 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 { I can't lose the rookpin, my best advantage... but still black has the third threat againstwhite... } 16... Qxe5 { I divert black from b4+ (with the queen), but now it threatensb2. I can't lose time defending, if I want something back from the positionand my sacrifice... } 17. g4 { !? Time to use MY weapons, never mind if myopponent attacks my back... if I win on the front. } 17... Qxb2 18. gxf5 Qxa1 19. f6+ { Now... this is the interesting part. I am one move from QxN+.How to go on after... } 19... Kh8 { Here I discarded fxB, based on QxN+, Kmoves,BxR, protecting the 8th rank. } 20. fxg7+ { Black can't take with the king,so.. } 20... Qxg7 { Now. No castling, no Rg3... Rh2 just seems an invitation toBh3... } 21. h6 { Black has the greedy... } 21... Qxg2 { ...but this leaves me with... } 22. Qd4+ { black can't stop the threat but by... } 22... Kh7 { ... well, now what?Repetition? My opponent suggested here Rh5 (in the aftergame), but I wasn'tso sure after Qg1+, Kd2 (or Bg4+ forking the rook), Qf2+, Kmoves... can'tblack win? } 23. Qd3+ { Just clueless. I glanced a plan to exchange the rookfor the promotion, but I simply forget about the Ra8, so I lose. Therewas a way out for white? } 23... Qg6 { Now, Rg3 is tempting, but QxQ, dxQ, BxRh3. } 24. Qxg6+ Kxg6 { White missed the tempo to get a bishop for the pawn,with an hypotetic Rxg7+, Kxh6, RxB. With it, white could have saved thegame. But I couldn't find a way to get it into the game... } 25. h7 Bxh3 { I realizednow that the pawn can't promote, so I resigned. A pity of agame... :-( } 0-1
[Event "Even the strongest opponents can lose..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Sep-06"] [Round "-"] [White "scottw"] [Black "pirx"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1546"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1175"] 1. e4 { I liked this game because it demonstrates a topic covered in a recentChess Life magazine issue: not to play less carefully because of a ratingspread in your favor. The article, written by the brilliant GM Lev Alburt,analyzed a game in a simul between a 1440 player and IM Tim Taylor (withthe IM of course being the one playing multiple games). I looked over thisgame and saw it had the same major concept. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 { The ScotchGame. } 3... exd4 { The standard move. } 4. Nxd4 { Although this is the beginningof the main line, there is another variation that is very interesting,called the Goering Gambit. It starts when, instead of recapturing the pawn,White plays 4. c3, tempting Black to trade. It is a very solid gambit,as not only will the b1-knight be developed with tempo, but also Whitecan take complete control of the center and could potentially set up aqueen-bishop battery on b3 and c4. It's a very sound gambit. } 4... Qh4 { Thisis the Pulling Counter-attack. Black has two main motives: one, to temptWhite into playing g3??, where Black can play the devastating ...Qxe4 followed by ...Qxh1; two, to post a bishop at c5 to attack f2. } 5. Nc3 { The vital move, protecting the e-pawn. GK lists this as the Steinitz variation.(Yet another opening attributed to the chess genius.) } 5... Bc5 { 5...Bb4! wasbetter for Black, according to the GK database, and the logic is clear.If White plays 6. g3?, to chase off the queen, Black plays 6...Bxc3 !!followed by 7...Qxe4 and 8...Qxh1. (Moving the pawn to g3 seems so natural,but is only safe when the e-pawn is sufficiently guarded.) } 6. g3 { Chasingoff the enemy queen. However, 6. Be3 was stronger, since a bishop wouldbe useful on the a7-g8 diagonal to protect f2. } 6... Qf6 7. Nf5 { A novel idea.The standard plan is to play 7. Nf3 and 8. Bg2. } 7... d6 { Planning to get ridof the knight, after which the queen will have direct access to f7. } 8. Nd5 { A brilliant move! This threatens not only to capture the queen, butto capture c7 as well, winning the rook. And White can also capture g7once the queen moves. Black, whose position once looked great, now is fallingapart... } 8... Qd8 { The only move, protecting c7. However, White has anotherthreat... } 9. Nxg7+ { Bam! And White shatters Black's kingside. } 9... Kf8 10. Nh5 { The knight would have been captured if placed on f5. } 10... Nce7 { Blacktries to get rid of the knight, but doesn't expect White's next move... } 11. Bg5 { This must have come as a groaner to Black. The only thing stoppingthe bishop from forking the queen and king at e7 is the knight on g8. } 11... c6 { One last futile move to try to drive away the knight... } 12. Nxe7 { Whitedecides to trade, allowing the bishop to come to h6 and end the game. } 12... Nxe7 { Black has no option but to recapture, but is forced into... } 13. Bh6+ { A deadly check! No matter what Black does, 14. Nf6 is checkmate.Black resigned. This game goes to show how rating should not determineyour style of play. Anyone can make mistakes, and using circular reasoning,anyone can make brilliant moves! Never let your guard down, and think carefullythrough your moves. } 1-0
[Event "2 Knights Gambit"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.07"] [Round "-"] [White "rromeroh"] [Black "chess-knot"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1673"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1716"] 1. e4 { Para unn POSTER ' Posterized ' in 15 moves ! } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 { 2 knights deffence } 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3 Ne7 { I think that it is still better to play Kb4. } 9. d4 exd4 10. Qe4+ Kf7 11. Nxd5 Be6 { ??? muy mala jugada } 12. Qf4+ Kg8 { mate en 3 ! } 13. Nf6+ gxf6 14. Bxe6+ Kg7 15. Qh6# { Jaque mate !!! } 1-0
[Event "Mentoring Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.10.05"] [Round "-"] [White "knightrider62"] [Black "jkarp"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1267"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "775"] { After a while of arguing and controversy, from, 'he who must not be named',Sue and I have made up. However, this particular game happened beforethat controversy. In fact, it happened during the same week that she joinedmy former club, Chess Coaches and Mentors, which I closed, a little becauseof that, but even without, I would've closed it, anyway. What it was meantfor was a few teachers which I had, but mainly players who I could, infact, coach and mentor with the idea of helping players improve. Or, asI recently learned with Kasporov's saying, 'Acheiving a potential.' Unfortunately,I did not get what I was really bargaining for in the club, but it wasa good investment, nontheless. Overtime, however, I learned that mostplayers who have that rating are free members which is why I didn't getwhat I was looking for. As a result, I felt it wasn't worth renewing foranother year, so I closed it. That's because I have had better luck withannotations, rather then, having a club. However, I promised Sue, sometime ago, that I would annotate her game. And, sooner or later, when Ihave time, I agreed to play a mentoring game, but I'd have to finish acouple of non tourneys, play against, at least one person as I promised,possibly, two, and then I'd be more then happy to mentor her. With thatbeing said, I also don't have a pictogram, and this explains why. Sure,once I remember something, I won't forget, even a few years after. But,it takes a long time to go from working to long term memory. With a pictogrammemory, you just remember things, right away, of what was said. This proves,as unfortunately, I couldn't remember the game chat or HW that I gave her,as I mentioned. However, as I also stated, knowing and remembering wherethe actual mistakes happened is far more important and that's what happened. In addition, I used very similar mentoring style to what I used with,as noted in a recent annotation, reachforgoals which is why people viewme as a good trainer. This was no exception. So, how did this game unfold? } 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 { As noted, I don't remember what I told her. But, here I think I said that 3.Bb5 is most common as it's the Ruy Lopezwhich is why I played. I was not going to play the Siclian because asI learned, you don't want to get your student too used to that since it'sa much more complicated line. In reality, there's nothing wrong with thismove, as I believe Two Nights Opening. Could be quite wrong with whatit is, but that's not the most important. What matters is how you teach. } 3... Nf6 { Now, we have the well known, Four Knights Defense. And, I will, however,be playing the more common lines as that's good for someone who you trainto learn. It's about how to get used to a certain, and also, what he orshe might not be used to. } 4. Bb5 { Now, Sue plays it like a Ruy Lopez. And, I'm impressed with how she's doing, so far. Worth noting is that,until the next move, I was surprised and thought she played extremely well. That, however, is about to change, so I became over optimisic, but thething is that I always like to see and think of the best of my studentas it's about the student feeling comfortable and gaining confidence, astime goes on. } 4... d5 { Generally, I don't self imposed pins. But, this issomething that my coach frequently does. And, this is how he does it. I always ask myself why and can't figure out the logic. Sure, it developsas it's a central, but why create a pin on yourself. However, he alwaysdoes this, so there must be a good reason, and I often find myself later,with a disadvantage. And, that is something I kept in mind. } 5. Nh4 { ?Her First mistake. Don't know why Sue played this. Actually, while Idon't remember what exactly was said, I approximate. Sure, as noted, Idon't have a pictogram, but I have a memory very close to that, and ifonly things went right into long term memory, then I would have it. However,what's more important and worth noting is that this is her first mistake. Let's go back in time, where a N on the rim is, indeed, grim. First,at that rating, yes it is important to follow most of the general guidelinesand not deviate, unless extenuating circumstances, which in a case likethat, rarely happen with who you're against. That is because this moveenables me to win a center pawn, and right after an exchange which is liquidationof pieces. @knightrider62: This is something important to learn, but liquidate=anexchange of pieces when behind. It is known to give the opponent whoseahead, the advantage because if it should boil to an endgame, it generallyboils down to a few pawns and the K. Now, in general, it only takes onepawn to make the difference between and loss, and if, you've liquidatedand exchanged pieces when behind, then you have less to defend with. That'swhy, when the opponent is ahead, he or she has an advantage. It's alsoimportant to go back to what I learned from Susan Polgar. That GM Karpov,who was, at the time, the world champion, lost a game by placing his Non the rim which allowed his opponent to fork his B and N, and consequently,Karpov lost a piece. So, following the guidelines is very important. And, as you recently asked me, if your opponent dosen't follow them, andgoes for something unsound, the best way is to calmly continue development,and then, you wind up with the advantage. That, I knew, but was stillreviewed with Susan. } 5... Nxe4 6. O-O { ?? @knightrider62: The move played isvery understandable, but this is one of the times where you had to deviatefrom the guidelines. Yes, K safety is important, but protecting the Non h4 takes priority. It would still result in liquidation, but that'sbetter then what happens. With that being said, you had to play 6.Nf3,as it was the only way to protect. Let's look at other possibilities,and possible variations that I'm about to come up with. You might thinkthat N could've retreated to other squares, but there are only two otheroutposts, aside from, what I mentioned, as it's limited which is also whythat guideline is important. If you played 6.Nf3 which looks good andsafe, black, immediately captures with 6...Bxf5 In addition, 6.Ng6, wouldn'thave helped because I'd recapture with 6...fxg6 and forget about my doubledpawns. Winning a piece is far worse then that. But, yes, no matter howyou look at it, anything else other then 6.Nf3 loses the N, as it did. } 6... Qxh4 7. Nxe4 { White thought that she had won something back, which Iunderstand perfectly, as that's what I thought, even after surpassing 1000. It took me, until, my rating was between 1050-1100 to remember this. But, what's important is overload, which is defenders and attacker. And,I have an extra defender, so now that white took, I immeidately liquidatewith my next move. } 7... dxe4 8. Re1 { Threatening the e pawn. But, I thinkshe played this to control the center, as one way of controlling the centeris to attack it. } 8... Bd7 { Breaking the pin in the most common way, as Jack. And, one reason I also played this was so that Sue would learn and knowwhat do when you have a pin like this. As Jack says, it's the most commonway to break it. But, then, there are exception when the B can't go back. So, what would you do? The solution would be with ...a6 } 9. d3 { Want'sto exchange. I would've given this as an inaccuracy because I thoughtthat any exchanges were bad when you're down. But, as I now know, thisonly applies when pieces are exchanged. With pawns, however, it's anotherstory. With that, I view it as a good move because it develops and nowhelps control the center allowing room for the DSB. } 9... exd3 { Now, I wantto know what she's going to do. } 10. Bd2 { ?! Better was 10.cxd3 or 10.Qxd3because it's exchanged, right away. However, I only give this as a smallinaccuracy because white can still get that pawn. } 10... dxc2 11. Qe2 { ? Now,it's a mistake, that pawn is free. Best was 11.Qxc2 where white recaptures. } 11... Bd6 { The idea isn't even castling, but rather, strengthening the B's asthey're known to be well placed on d6 and d7. I know this from studyinga training game between steppenwolf and adivela. } 12. Rac1 { ?? Was worriedabout a promotion, but there was no need to. With the R where it originallywas, there was no way that I could've promoted that pawn. However, thisis a blunder because of the next move. } 12... Nd4 { The reason behind this isbecause black wins, yet, another piece with the discovered. Let's lookat one move and variation. Also possible was 12...e4 with a threat againstthe K with an immeidate threat. I didn't play it, however, because I viewedas unsound. That's because, for me, the reason would be hope chess, andas we know, hope chess is quite bad. As, I would only play that for mate,and the idea is that we don't want unsound aggression. So, at that, Ipredicted that if I played this, my student would respond with 13.h3, inwhich case, the plan would not work. But, winning more material, however,I deemed to be real chess as it's imminent. Note: at the time, I didn'tknow any of those terms, Hope Chess, Flip Coin Chess, and Real Chess. As of early May, remembering what C++ said, what I was doing, and whereit applied as that was still a weakness, that's when it became second nature. However, I do not the basics that you don't just do something for mate,as it's unsound. } 13. a3 { ?? I think she played this for the pawn chain. The idea that you could keep one pawn in front of another, like I didwith Mary, until one promotes. With my R, however, that wasn't possible. And, this is, so far, the biggest blunder of the entire. Although, therewere some mistakes. But, this move loses a Q for N, in addition to what'sbeen lost. For that very reason, the Q had to get out of harm's way. @Knightrider: What there is to learn here and from other moves is somethingthat C++ said some time ago, which was one of the very few things, thatI did remember. That is, 'Consider all threats made by your opponent,checks, and captures.' } 13... Nxe2+ 14. Bxe2 Ba4 { Adding pressure to the c2 andd1 squares. This, obviously, protects the pawn. But, I say obviouslybecause it's not that obvious. Although I didn't know the term, at thetime, the idea being here is overload which is adding the defender. So,in addition, the way to putting pressure on those squares is with defenders. BTW, I bring up that term because Susan said that it's important to knowterms that I once, was not familar with, until recently. One of them beingoverload which I learned from a different annotator. } 15. Bf3 { This isthe one threat that I overlooked, and I admit that it shouldn't have happened. Coaches and mentors generally won't overlook threats like that. } 15... O-O { ?I was more then interested in K safety and guidelines. The idea beingwasn't just to connect R's, but the, long term, plan was to bring bothof my R's on one file as that's known to be dangerous. That's how Jackdefeated me, despite, being down a Q, early on. I kept it in mind, butI now know a weakness, at that, which I'm familiar with, and the same thinghappens when playing through GM annotations. The idea is being able toapply them in your games. But, you have to know when it's too much asoveranalyzing can cause problems. Just like the tempo I lost in that coachinggame, that you saw. But, a better example was my game against jstevens1,as some of you saw in, 'the jkarp campaign' How did I enable the fork. Well, I saw that Joann's pawn was pinned, so I placed my Q there, as anextra attacker, keeping in mind. It's mainly because I played throughseveral variations in those GM games where the pawn right near the K ispinned, so the variation included bringing that extra piece in the pin. The only difference, which was vital, is that there was no safe spot forthe K, as this was from a private annotation, which at the time, was myfavorite. But, that's because the opponent didn't develop properly, sothat pin would've been an immediate killer. But, in the game with Joann,the K could move, and when it did, I had to face an awful fork, which asshe notes, that's when it all went downhill. So, the lesson is that, sometimeswhat you see and play through might not be so good in that particular game. And, that applies here, with this mistake. } 16. Bxb7 e4 { However, I'maware of the threat, and now that I know what's going on, this is whereI decide to play that. The idea being, as I, very recently, learned whatit actually called a combo. I always thought it was gambit, but it's not. It's a combo where you sac material, sometimes a R or the Q, for somethingmuch worse. That's because a common mistake is to take, as I've made thatmistake before. The idea being that, 'To take is a mistake.' I anticipated,and my calculation was that Sue would play 17.Bxa8, in which case, I'dmate very quickly. } 17. Re3 { ?? But, she doesn't. However, this is justas much of a blunder as taking. In fact, I don't know exactly why whiteplayed. But, my guess would be to harrass the Q. However, this mistakewill result in the same thing that would've occurred, if she took. Withthat being said, mate is now inevitable. Better was 17.h3 to prevent thethreat, but best was 17.g3 which also prevents mate, but at the same time,gains time, and wins the R, at the same time because I'd have to retreat,and then you take. After which, white compensates and gets a little ofthat advantage back. @knightrider62: Whenever you play a move, you haveto ask what's being threatened and where that threat is occuring. If it'ssomething like, where I threaten the K, then you have to, 'Open Up' Thatmeans, move the pawn right where the K sits to, 'give it air to breathe.' In this case, I wouldn't be able to check. But usually, they can check,and when they do, you can get out with the K. With this move, however,there is no way out. } 17... Qxh2+ 18. Kf1 Bb5+ { The lessons to learn are considerall threats made by the opponent. } 19. Ke1 Qh1# { So, there was a lot tolearn from this game. The lessons are consider all threats made by theopponent, and follow the guidelines. In particular, don't leave the Non the rim, unless there is an extenuating circumstance, especially whenfaced with a threat. In this case, a discover attack that, like with Kasporov,lost a piece. @Knightrider62: If you can remember these lessons, you'llimprove. And, I must say that you have become a better player. Not justby rating, but I looked at a couple of your games, and say that you aregetting each time. Just keep on studying, remember those lessons, andI'm confident that your rating will skyrocket to 1200, sooner then youknow it. } 0-1
[Event "ICC, Internet Chess Club"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.10"] [Round "-"] [White "mrtoduvet"] [Black "BigAlex"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1397"] [TimeControl "3600+0"] [WhiteElo "1458"] { This game was a big failure. I was not motivated to play because I was too little sleep, I was completely zombie. Finally, if nothing else, I was motivated but I would rather be more fresh. } 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nd2 { J'airetenu l'idée de Ysaacov (j'ai oublié son nom). } 4... c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. f4 Bd6 7. Ngf3 { First chicken egg. 7...cxd 8.exd is not possible. Is 8.Cxd4 bad? } 7... O-O 8. O-O cxd4 9. exd4 { I have not yet returned to account for f4 falling, I am completely elsewhere. } 9... Bxf4 10. Ne5 { Oh, here we go, I'm giving away a second pawn. I was wondering if I wasn't going to stop and go back to bed. But I thought since my opponent's elo is so low, I still have a chance. And it's good for fortifying the moral to play bad positions. } 10... Nxe5 11. dxe5 Bxe5 12. Nf3 { Two pawns less but maybe those diagonals can make an attack on the king. } 12... Bd6 13. Qe1 Qb6+ 14. Kh1 Bd7 15. Qh4 { Go bananas, at least I would be laughing a little. } 15... Be7 16. Ng5 { I took quite a while to play this move. Not because I had to calculate anything, but it's my opinion the best way to attack the king, but... I just fell asleep for a few minutes in front of the screen without even realizing it. } 16... h6 17. Nf3 { With the idea of balancing Fxh6. The little rabbit's fur allows me to start emerging and to try to calculate something. } 17... Qd6 18. Bxh6 Ne8 { Now I am on the lookout for something to do. I am still completely bewildered by the brain, I percieve that f7 is attackable, 19.Fh7 seems okay but as soon as I try to calculate I mix up the lines. A horror. } 19. Bh7+ Kh8 { I don't see how to finish. I always think there is something to be done. But I don't know what, and it is a matter of tactics that I lack, die or not I don't think that it changes for this time. And if I don't see the move that wins and loses the game, I have already lost. } 20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 { Aie aie, je suis en train de m'embourber. } 21. Qg4+ Kxh7 22. Ng5+ { I don't think I'm going to have the time to rebuild my tower. } 22... Bxg5 23. Qxg5 f5 24. Rf3 { f7 doesn't seem to be controllable, it's game over. At least I will have balanced an attack, let's be positive :-) } 24... Ng7 25. Rh3+ Kg8 26. Qg6 { histoire de, mais bon sans espoir. } 26... Qe7 27. Rg3 Rf6 { [Game 1126 (mrtoduvet vs. BigAlex) mrtoduvet resigns } 0-1
[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.12.17"] [Round "-"] [White "kaido"] [Black "coolistdude"] [Result "0-1"] { Blitz match. Had an interesting attack and thought I would share. Um,there are a distinct lack of annotations in this game...feel free to changethat with comments! } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 { Nothing too unusualexcept the choice in opening by white. } 4. Bc4 d6 { I feel like there couldhave been an attack on f7 looming. Comment please as I do not play Nf6for quite some time. } 5. O-O Be7 6. d4 Nc6 7. Qe1 Bg4 8. c3 { Necessaryto defend d4. Although playing d5 seems like an interesting idea too forwhite. } 8... Bxf3 9. Rxf3 Nf6 10. e5 { I had an 'oh crud' moment here, but lo!There was something in story! An attack perhaps? } 10... dxe5 11. dxe5 Bc5+ 12. Kh1 Ng4 { Suddenly it is white who is underdeveloped! What on earth happened?Last I checked black was the one who needed development! } 13. e6 { Is thisWhite's best line? Comments please :) } 13... Nce5 14. exf7+ Kf8 15. Be3 { ?! Thisloses an entire rook. I don't think this is the best choice. } 15... Nxe3 16. Rxe3 Bxe3 17. Na3 Ng4 18. h3 Nf2+ 19. Kh2 g4 20. Qe2 { A good choice...exceptfor } 20... g3+ 21. Kg1 Nxh3+ 22. Kh1 { ?? Kf1 gives White a tiny chance of survivalinstead of instant death. } 22... Qh4 { Thanks for reading this far! This was anokay game despite the lack of annotations. Feel free to contribute in comments!! } 0-1
[Event "17th Dave Collyer Memorial, Spokane, WA"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "freeman"] [Black "???"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "2 hour sudden death"] 1. d4 { This is a game I played in Spokane, WA in the Dave Collyer Memorialchess tournament --2 hour time limit, sudden death-- So this is a over-the-boardgame. } 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 { Colle } 4... c5 5. b3 { Zukertort. } 5... Nc6 6. O-O cxd4 7. exd4 Bd6 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Ne5 Qc7 10. f4 a5 11. a3 { ! Meeting;11) ...a4; 12) b4 11) a3. Also stops Nb4 } 11... Nd7 { Odd } 12. Nd2 { I thoughtconnecting my rooks would be better than 12) Qh5 } 12... f6 13. Qh5 f5 14. Ndf3 Nf6 15. Qh3 Bxe5 16. Nxe5 { I am unsure how fxBe5 would do? } 16... Nxe5 17. fxe5 Ne4 18. Bxe4 { I played this move fast. I didn't want to analyze the pros& cons of letting the Knight hand there on e4. } 18... dxe4 19. Rf2 { Planing todouble my rooks } 19... g5 { ! This move got my attention. } 20. Qe3 { Blockadingthe e-Pawn and attacking the g-Pawn. } 20... Qg7 { I seen this move coming! } 21. c4 { ! } 21... Qg6 22. Re1 { Ready to trade Queen's if Black played Pawn-f4. } 22... a4 { !? } 23. bxa4 { I most certainly did not want to play b4. If I didplay 23) b4 I believe my opponent could have played Pawn-b6 or b5(!?),further fixing my Pawns and causing my C & D-Pawns to be inflexible. } 23... Rxa4 24. Qb3 Ra8 25. Rfe2 { This was over-the-board and a tournament game soI played cautions. } 25... b6 { ! Boy! Did this move make my head spin! I didn'thave a single clue what my opponent had in-mind. But if you do look atthe position Black's light-squared Bishop is inactive } 26. Qxb6 Ba6 { ! } 27. Rc2 Bxc4 { Bravo! } 28. Rxc4 Rab8 29. Qc6 { ! I placed the Queenhere to Keep the e-Pawn in check. } 29... Rxb2 30. d5 { This was my original planwhen I played 21) c4 to follow up with d5. I still play it, only withone pawn. } 30... exd5 31. Qxd5+ Qf7 32. e6 Qe7 { ?! } 33. Rc7 { ! This Blocksany check from a7 or c5 from the Queen and forces the Queen to move. } 33... Rd8 34. Rd7 Rc8 35. Rxe7 { Black resign } 1-0
[Event "61st GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.12"] [Round "-"] [White "chess_reto"] [Black "rookie879"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1485"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1513"] { Hello everybody.This is my very first win in a tournament game.I mustsay,I was surprised by my own quality of play.My opponent also played agood game,but made a huge mistake down the road. } 1. e4 { The move I getthe most as black. } 1... e5 { My standard reply. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 { Scotch game,Meand my friend ruebenfine(his GK handle) played a game that reached theopening we're about to see.Even though I lost the game.I got the feelingas this position as Black. } 3... exd4 4. Bc4 { Scotch Gambit. } 4... Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 { Still main line. } 7. Bb3 { ?!White deviates from the main line,whichis 7.Bxd5. } 7... Be6 { Protecting the pawn from 8.Bxd5. } 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bc5 10. Qxg7 { ??This loses!This is A crucial juncture for Black. } 10... Qh4 { !The GK database goes for 10...Bxf2+ but I think this move better.Blackoffers the sacrifice of both his rooks.The point is after 11.Qxh8+? Kd712.Qxa8?? 12...Qxf2+ 13.Kh1 Qg1+! 14.Rxg1 Nf2#!Amazing!Black,down a queenand both of his rooks,mates with just his knight.Too bad this never happened... } 11. g3 { Blocking the threat,but weakening the light squares on the kingside... } 11... Bxf2+ 12. Kg2 Qh3+ { Forced. } 13. Kh1 Bxe1 { Threatening Qf1# } 14. Qxh8+ Kd7 15. Qd4 { White thinks he has covered the threat,but... } 15... Nxg3+ 16. Kg1 Ne2+ { !White is as good as done. } 17. Kh1 Nxd4 { White resigns. } 0-1
[Event "The Annotation Project"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.01"] [Round "-"] [White "rjacobs"] [Black "graderguy"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1565"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1542"] { This game is from a mini tournament hosted by easy19 (thanks Freddie!)a player I respect highly. It is a strange opening in my opinion, butdoes offer some interesting lines and some very unexpected twists and turns.I would be very averse to giving up my Queen so early in the game intentionallyin real play, but as this tourney was themed I didn't have to actuallydo the deed myself. } 1. e4 { A move as common as sunrise. } 1... c5 { Sicilian,I see it a lot in expert play, and I have been playing it more frequentlylately. I figure if the big boys play it, it must be good! } 2. f4 { Thisis the Grand Prix Attack. } 2... d5 { Pretty standard play so far. } 3. Nf3 dxe4 { The knight has to go somewhere. Standard chess dogma tells us that movinga piece twice before developing the other pieces is not the best practice. } 4. Ng5 { As good a spot as any for the knight. Better than going backto the home square any day. } 4... Nf6 { Black develops a knight, guards theadvancing pawn on the e file and clears a spot kingside perhaps in hopesof a castle later. Having played this game, I know that is a dream. } 5. Bc4 { White is throwing some firepower at f7. Makes 4 Ng5 look a lot smarter! } 5... Bg4 { Black goes after the White Queen. With White's f pawn advanced sofar the queen can only be protected by the knight or bishop which means'backward advancement' for white! } 6. Qxg4 { What? } 6... Nxg4 { well, D'oh! Thanksfor the queen white, nice trade! But white has plans for the double attackon f7. White seems to believe that the positional advantage was worth theQueen. } 7. Bxf7+ { This is the first move by the 'real' players. Yikes!Was my first impression of Blacks position when these games started. Asblack, I felt like I was in trouble, even with the queen advantage! } 7... Kd7 { The only possible move. } 8. Be6+ { White gets a little material back withthis move. } 8... Kc6 { I choose the move c6 over c7 to keep the c pawn closeand to allow escape into the corner after clearing the Queen's Knight androok and a6 ... that was my idea anyhow. } 9. Bxg4 { Bye Bye knight! nowblack is only up 3 points, but the queen advantage is helpful. White isstill in good position and black's defenses are pretty shaky. } 9... g6 { I'llbe honest, I moved here because it was the most popular move in the GKDB. I was worried about Ne6, but that should result in trading bishop forbishop and white must be careful about trading to blithely due to the queendeficit. } 10. Nc3 { White prepares to castle. Without a queen in the fray,protecting the King is paramount! } 10... Na6 { Clearing space for my king on thehome row, I hope I can manage to get him back there! } 11. Ngxe4 e6 { Givingaway this pawn, but the black diagonals it blocked had to be cleared. } 12. Bxe6 { Now only one point up... have I squandered the queen advantage? } 12... Nb4 { I see a chance for a King / Rook fork. } 13. O-O { Damn, that planwas dashed quickly! } 13... Nxc2 { Still, a pawn is a pawn, and I need to gainall the material I can! } 14. Bd5+ Kd7 { Not sure if that was really theright place for the King, but I didn't like the prospect of ...Kc7 15.Nb5+ } 15. d4 { I think he threw the pawn out hoping I'd miss the danglingrook. } 15... Nxa1 { but I didn't. } 16. Be3 Nc2 { Right back where I started, andattacking the bs bishop, as well as the d pawn. } 17. Bf2 { The only sensiblemove in my estimation. } 17... cxd4 18. Nb5 { A lot of white pieces in my area,I don't really like that, but my material advantage is much better withthe rook in the bag. } 18... Ne3 { It's to my advantage to trade pieces now. Andthe fork is rather nasty with his ws bishop unprotected. } 19. Rc1 { ? Ithink BxN would have been the better move, at least he white would notgo down another whole piece. } 19... Nxd5 { Thank you very much!! } 20. Bxd4 { Thepassed pawn could have been troublesome, but white's material advantageis beginning to take it's toll on black. } 20... Rg8 { lining up on his King. } 21. Rd1 Qa5 { Trying to force the N@b5 back. } 22. Nf6+ Kc6 23. Nxd5 { It'sunclear to me why White did not nab the rook. } 23... Qxb5 { Even trade. Exactlywhat white did NOT need. } 24. Nf6 { I think I'll move the rook @ g8. } 24... Rg7 25. Rc1+ Kd6 { I don't like playing with my King in the wide open like this.White has a couple of chances for check. Plus, I have a rook that seemsto be paralyzed in corner... never good to leave the big iron out of thefray! } 26. Be5+ Ke6 { Hiding behind his pieces is about my only option here. } 27. Re1 { White wants a discovered check. } 27... Re7 { I have to get my rooksinvolved, so I allow the discovered check. } 28. Bc3+ Kf7 { White can't traderooks at this point. } 29. Rf1 Re6 { Opening the diagonal for my bs bishop. } 30. Nxh7 { A last ditch effort. } 30... Bc5+ { he can lose the rook with Rf2, orthe game with Kh1. A good game, and an interesting gambit by white in thebeginning. } 0-1
[Event "A game played in a pub (after a few pints)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "-"] [White "superlalulalu"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] { Here is an interesting game between me and my friend, which was playedin a pub yesterday. } 1. e4 { I had white pieces and started with e4. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 { After 5 moves, we have sicilianscheveningen variation. } 6. Be3 a6 { Be3, a6 we have transposed to englishattack (kind of). } 7. Bc4 { Developing my lsb. } 7... b5 8. Bb3 Bb7 { Black carriedon with Bb7 adding more pressure to my centre, maybe planning to play Nbd7and then Rc8 later. } 9. f3 { F3, defending my e pawn, also prevents Ng4in the future. } 9... g6 { I was hoping black to play Be7, then I would carryon with Bxe6, fxe6 and Nxe6, forking black's queen and g pawn. Howevermy opponent responded with G6, which indicates that he is going to fianchettohis dsb then castle king side. } 10. Qd2 { Qd2, preparing to castle queenside, and then launch pawn storm on black's king side. } 10... Bg7 11. a3 { Nowa3, safety first, preventing b4 which could be an annoying move. } 11... O-O 12. O-O-O { Everything went according to my plan. } 12... Nc6 { Frankly speaking, Idon't think this move is not accurate, better move would be Nbd7 then Rc8. } 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bh6 { I could have played Qxd6, win a pawn, but I decidedto keep my queen to help the king side attack. Bh6 trading black's dsb(which is one of black's most important defending pieces). } 14... Bxh6 15. Qxh6 Qc7 { This move makes sense, connecting his rooks, lining up his queen withmy king, also he can now bring a rook to defend his d pawn. } 16. h4 { Hereit goes! } 16... Kh8 { With this move, black is now planning to play Ng8, protectingthe weak dark squares. } 17. g4 { My pawns are rolling. } 17... Ng8 18. Qf4 { Qf4,provoking e5, so that black would have a weak d pawn. } 18... e5 { And it happened. } 19. Qd2 { Qd2. Retreating my queen, also attacks black's d pawn. } 19... Rfd8 20. h5 { I carried on with the attack on black's kind side. } 20... a5 { Black now launcheshis own pawn storm. } 21. hxg6 { Hxg6 threatening mate in one. } 21... fxg6 22. Qg5 { Qg5, bringing my queen close to black's king, also threatening Qxg6. } 22... Kg7 { Kg7, this looks kind of odd, surely Qg7 would be better. } 23. Bxg8 { Bxg8, before making my move, I did think about playing Nd5, but insteadI decided to trade off his knight, which was a good defending piece. However,Bxg8 turns out to be a mistake. } 23... Kxg8 24. Nd5 { Now Nd5, attacking black'squeen also with the intention to play Nf6+. } 24... Bxd5 { He took my knight withoutsecond thought. } 25. Rxd5 Rac8 { Now black is threatening mate in one. } 26. Rh2 { Pretty much forced. } 26... b4 27. axb4 axb4 28. Qf6 { Qf6, threateningQe6+ } 28... Rf8 { He definitely over looked Qe6+, the best move for black wouldbe Re8 which prevents the check. } 29. Qe6+ Kh8 30. Rxd6 Rxf3 { After Rxf3I had to be very careful here, I thought about Qxe5+, but I came up witha shocking move. } 31. Rxh7+ { Rxh7+! Tal mode activates. Now if Qxh7, Qxc8+is coming. } 31... Kxh7 { Thus he took the rook with the king. } 32. Rd7+ { Rd7+forking black's queen and king. } 32... Qxd7 { I think my friend was too drunkto play at that point, he played Qxd7!! Then he immediately resigned. Thebest move for black would be Kh6, then after Rxc7, Rxc7 black would endup with 2 rooks vs queen, and would still have a chance. I hope you enjoythis game as much as I did, please leave your comments, thanks for tuningin. See ya! } 1-0
[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "samuelmccormick4"] [Black "ilr2001"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 { This is my first annotation, so be gentle with me. This was a blitzgame I played on Gameknot. All of the analysis was done by myself withoutengines or anything so please let me know anything that was missed as I'msure I didn't catch everything. Thank you for reading! } 1... c5 2. Bc4 { Thisis not terribly common in the Sicilian, as e6 essentially negates it. } 2... e6 { Regardless of the bishop I like playing e6. It allows for my bishopto come to c5 if an exchange occurs and it allows for d5 to be played inone move. } 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 { I was dubious about this, and retrospectivelyI think it was not a good move, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it weakensthe dark squares on my kingside, which becomes supremely relevant. Secondly,it is intended to allow me to fiancetto my dark squared bishop, which weakensc5. } 5. d3 Bg7 6. O-O Nge7 { Developing, but with d5 in mind. } 7. Bg5 { Takingadvantage of my dark square weaknesses. } 7... O-O 8. h3 { A waiting move perhaps? } 8... Nd4 { I had been eyeing d4 as an outpost, and this felt a touch prematureto me, but I wanted to take it before pushing pawns on my queenside. } 9. Nb5 { This was ideal for me, he removed both defenders of d5 with this move,after the exchange. } 9... Nxb5 10. Bxb5 d5 { Sure enough, but perhaps a littletoo eager. Bxb2 was rejected but I wanted control of the center, and aftermy bishop got chased away my opponent would have the initiative. } 11. Rb1 a6 { Qb6 was toyed with here, the idea being that after 12. Ba4 Bxb2but my bishop would be pinned to my queen and it would likely be lost.Instead it seemed like the time to push pawns. } 12. Ba4 b5 13. Bb3 Bb7 { I didn't do c4 because after 14. dxc4 dxc4 15. Qxd8 Rxd8 16. Bxe7 cxb3and the material is equal but the position is apparently stronger for white. } 14. a4 { Trying to bust up my pawns and free his bishop from impendingdoom, also allowing him to escape to a2. } 14... Rc8 { The exchange on b5 is notworrisome. Rc6 serves to defend c5. } 15. exd5 exd5 16. axb5 axb5 { My pawnchain has been shortened, but it does little to free his bishop. } 17. Re1 Re8 18. Ne5 f6 { Here my opponent blundered, allowing my to fork his bishopand knight. } 19. Nxg6 { It comes at a price however, as my kingside is bustedup a little. } 19... hxg6 { I opted to capture the knight because capturing thebishop would allow him to trade knights, giving him the initiative. Debatablereasoning, but whatever. } 20. Bh4 Nf5 { This move was made to eliminatehis bishop pair. As his dark squared bishop has no where to run. } 21. Qg4 Nxh4 22. Qxh4 Kf7 { Defending the weak g-pawn and allowing my rook to cometo h8. } 23. f4 { Presumably the intent was to challenge the pawns defendingmy king. However, it exposes the white king a little. } 23... Rh8 { Challengingthe h file. At this point vague ideas of using the diagonal a8-h1 diagonaland the h file to attack his king. } 24. Qg3 Qb6 { Threatening c4+ winningthe bishop. Putting more pressure on the white king. } 25. Kh1 { Preventingthe check. At this point I saw the opportunity to put a lot of pressureon my opponents king. } 25... c4 26. dxc4 { 26. Ba2 was stronger. It essentiallyproduces the same result without exposing the g2 pawn to being pinned bythe bishop just yet. } 26... dxc4 27. Ba2 Rxh3+ { Taking advantage of the pinnedpawn. } 28. Qxh3 Rh8 { Pinning the queen to the king, forcing the exchange. } 29. Qxh8 Bxh8 { I was very proud of this attack, starting with Qb6, endingwith the exchange for the queen. It since occurred to me that two rooksfor a queen and a pawn is exactly equal, but when I smelled her majesty'sblood in the water I couldn't help myself. Anyways, blacks position seemssubstantially stronger here. } 30. b3 Qc6 { Eyeing mate on g2, the idea beingto tie up one of his rooks. If 31. Re2, the Bishop is vulnerable to a pin(tying up two pieces), after 31. ...Qa6 32. Ra1 if 32. Rb2, white losesthe bishop after 32. ...f5. If 31. Rg1 Qd5 32. Kh2 (at risk of Qh5#) Qh5+33. Kg3 f5 34. Rbd4 Qg4+ 35. Kf2 Qxf4+ 36. Ke2 Bd4 37. Rxd4 Qxd4 winningthe exchange (and shortly thereafter the game). } 31. Re2 { My opponentopts for the best move, at this point it occurred to me that his rookscould be doubled against my king. But it seemed an unlikely move, theredid not seem to be any mates and it would come at the price of his kingstenuous safety and his g pawn. Retrospectively, his bishop is absolutelyuseless where it is, and his attack could draw the game. } 31... Qa6 { RetrospectivelyI would regard the whole idea of attacking the bishop as a mistake. Itgave my opponent too much counterplay and took my queen out of the action. } 32. Rbe1 { At this point he is apparently hanging his bishop on a2, yetif taken without regard material is equalized and position is weakenedafter 32... Qxa2 33. Re7 Kg8 34. Rxb7 Qa8 35. Re7 } 32... Bxg2+ { Checking theking and winning a pawn, allowing for Qxa2 without the threat of the fork.This tactic made me a little nervous, taking my queen so far away fromthe defense simply to win a pawn, but after a cursory (this was a blitzgame) examination of the position it seemed he did not have the resourcesto checkmate my king, despite the evident precariousness (although afterthe fact I found the game could have been drawn, so I was quite correctto be hesitant). } 33. Kxg2 Qxa2 34. Re7+ Kg8 35. Re8+ Kh7 36. R1e7+ { ??This move loses the game. If 36. Rh1+ the game could have been drawn withneither player having the resources to win the game without getting perpetualchecked. } 36... Bg7 { 36... Kh6 was out of the question, because of 37. Rxh8#.At this point, seeing no continuations for his attack, my opponent resigned. } 0-1
[Event "Analyzed Games"] [Site "ChessDoctor.com"] [Date "?.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "W2"] [Black "B2"] [Result "?"] [ECO "?"] {00002.4.7 Analyzed by National Master Corey Russell} 1. e3 c5 2. Bc4 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bb5 d5 {This does put a foothold in the center, but this allows white to weaken your pawn structure if he wishes with Bxc6+. In this case, you don't have to allow the weakening. 4. ... Nge7 develops a piece while at the same time maintains your pawns' integrity. Notice if white plays complacently with 5. O-O a6 6. Ba4? b5 7. Bb3 c4 wins a piece. Notice white couldn't take advantage of the pin that you walked into after playing ...d5.} 5. Ne5 Ne7 6. Bxc6+ Nxc6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Nc3 Be7 {A little passive. Why not the more aggressive ...Bd6?} 9. Qg4 Bf6 {Definitely dubious. This bishop needs to defend the c5 pawn. Since this bishop has already moved, simply castling king-side with O-O was very good. Why can't checkmate with just a queen. She needs support.} 10. Qa4 Bb7 {Again, an unnecessarily passive piece placement. The most aggiessive post for this piece is a6, and you could put it there if you defended your c-pawn with ...Qb6 instead.} 11. Qb3 O-O {The losing move. Much stronger is ...Rb8!, developing your rook, defending your bishop. This even sets up a sneaky trap. If 12. O-O? Ba6 13. Qa4 Bxf1 wins material for black.} 12. Qxb7 Qe8 13. Na4 Be7 14. d4 cxd4 15. exd4 f6 16. O-O Qf7 17. Qb3 Qg6 {Notice that if you played ...Bd6 earlier, you could've expanded in the center by playing ...e5.} 18. Qd3 {White is playing well...when ahead in material, trade material. This makes white's piece advantage even stronger.} 18... Rfc8 19. Qxg6 hxg6 20. Re1 e5 {This loses a pawn. ...Kf7 was to be preferred.} 21. dxe5 f5 {This concedes an unopposed (passed) pawn to white. As unpleasant as it was, ...fxe5 was to be preferred.} 22. e6 Re8 23. h3 Rac8 24. Bd2 c5 25. Re5 Rcd8 26. Ba5 Bf6 27. Re2 Rc8 28. Bc3 d4 {Good, avoiding exchanges when behind in material. This is black's best chance.} 29. Bd2 g5 30. c3 g4 31. hxg4 d3 32. Re3 Rcd8 33. gxf5 Bg5 34. e7 Bxe7 35. Rxe7 {Strong move by white. White is trading more & more material... the end result is not in doubt.} 35... Rxe7 36. Bg5 Kf7 37. Bxe7 Kxe7 38. Re1+ Kf6 39. Nxc5 Kxf5 40. Rd1 Rd5 41. Nxd3 Ke4 42. b3 {This wins, but 42. f3+ Ke3 43. Nf2 preserves white's piece, and forces black to resign.} 42... g5 43. c4 Rd4 44. Rd2 Rxd3 45. Rxd3 Kxd3 {So in conclusion, always look at what your opponent's last move was -- what is their idea? Are they threatening anything? Also, try to place your pieces in the best places. To ccompare where good posts are, just compare how many moves your piece would have at the various squares. Whichever gives your piece the most mobility, is the best square. NOTE: You will have to balance good placement with the piece's safety. If pawns can push your piece around, then that's not a very good square either. Otherwise, you did fairly well with the resources you had available.} 46. c5 1-0
[Event "Fast Invitational 177"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.07.30"] [Round "-"] [White "badbadboy"] [Black "last_archimedean"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1335"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1159"] { Tournament play -- the 'chess for blood' in the title of Edward Lasker'sbook 'Chess for Fun and Chess for Blood' -- requires a certain mercenaryattitude. Here i exploit my opponent's errors -- at this level, games aredecided by errors and not brilliancies most of the time -- and win relativelyquickly, with a ruthlessness I don't always possess in League or Laddergames. } 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qa4 Nf6 { Book play so far. } 5. Bb5 Bc5 6. c3 O-O 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. Bg5 h6 { Forcing a decision. } 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Nf3 Bb6 11. O-O Be6 12. Qc2 Rad8 { I have a slight edge in developmentand use it to seize the open file. Now the game really begins, as the preliminariesare over. } 13. Nbd2 Rfe8 { Centralizing my other Rook. } 14. b3 Ba5 { PressuringWhite's QBP. } 15. Nc4 Bxc4 { I was expecting 16 PxB QxP 17 QxQ BxQ 18 Rmoves, with a Pawn ahead and a long endgame to come where I have a slight,possibly winning, advantage. } 16. b4 Bb6 { I'm not sure why my opponentdidn't simply recapture the piece but I'll be happy. 16... BxR winningthe Exchange was even stronger than the text but I simply overlooked it. } 17. Rfe1 Rd3 { Once again focusing on the QBP. } 18. Rad1 Qxc3 { I augmentmy material advantage by one Pawn. } 19. Qxc3 Rxc3 { My opponent should havekept the Queens on the board with some such move as 19 Q-N1. With my materialadvantage any simplifications help me. } 20. Nd2 Bxa2 { Winning another Pawn. } 21. Re3 Rxe3 { I gladly exchange a pair of Rooks, especially since... } 22. fxe3 Bxe3+ { ... I win another Pawn into the bargain... } 23. Kh1 Bxd2 { ...andget to exchange off another set of minors to boot! } 24. Rxd2 Bc4 { Withthe material flying off the board fast and furious, my advantage has becomegreatly augmented. Now it's an easy win. } 25. Rd4 Bb5 { Securing the B ina safe spot. } 26. g3 f6 { Planning to tuck my K where it can't be checked. } 27. Kg2 Kh7 { I do so. } 28. Rd7 Rxe4 { Winning first one... } 29. Rxc7 Rxb4 { ...and now 2 loose Pawns. As 30 RxQNP is met by 30... B-B8 ch! 31 KxBRxR, White graciously resigns. } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Nov-06"] [Round "-"] [White "jcalvin77038"] [Black "kuahyeow"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1247"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 { Vienna Game } 2... Nf6 { Berlin Defense, attacking e4 and preparingfor d5 } 3. Nf3 { Transpose, into the Petroff Three Knight's Game } 3... Bb4 { AvoidingFour Knights. } 4. a3 Ba5 5. Nxe5 d6 { One pawn down loss of centre, butI can develop faster here } 6. Nc4 Bxc3 { This reduces white strength atd5. } 7. bxc3 Nc6 8. Rb1 { ? Waste of tempo? } 8... O-O 9. d4 Re8 { Huge possibilities,mainly due to the unprotected pawn at c3. } 10. Bd3 Nxe4 { If Bxe4, d5! } 11. O-O Nxc3 12. Qf3 Qh4 { I'm chancing it. } 13. Rb3 { Rb3? } 13... Nxd4 { Rxd4!?Queen now has no safe place to go. I can only see Bxh7?! as the alternative. } 14. Qf4 Nce2+ 15. Kh1 Nxf4 16. g3 Qg4 17. Ne3 Qf3+ 18. Kg1 Bh3
[Event "Jokeslayer's Sicilian Defence Mini-Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.03.13"] [Round "-"] [White "vtsnowman"] [Black "jokeslayer"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1412"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1381"] { A game from a mini-tournament using the Rossolimo Variation of the SicilianDefence. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. d3 { The start of the game proper. White is supporting the central e-pawn and activating the dsb, althoughthe computer considers this a weak move. Castling and taking the bishopare far and away the most popular options, and seem to do well for White. } 4... a6 { Black pushes the bishop to a decision. } 5. Bxc6 bxc6 { Capturing towardsthe centre. } 6. c4 Bg7 { The point of 3. ... g6 was to allow this move. Black gains decent control of one of the long diagonals. } 7. O-O e6 8. Re1 { 7. ... e6 was obviously intending d5 to follow. Establishing therook at e1 makes opening up the centre less palatable for Black. } 8... Ne7 { Notconsidered a mistake or inaccuracy by the computer, but it does shift theevaluation down by about 1/3 of a pawn. Black's aim is to open up forcastling without blocking the bishop at g7. The knight has more opportunityto be useful from here than from h6. } 9. e5 { Seals off the bishop at g7and is well supported here. Also creates issues for the lsb developingthrough the e6 pawn. } 9... d6 { Black attempts to break the deadlock. The computertakes another third of a pawn here, leaving Black at -1. } 10. Bf4 { An unnecessaryfurther reinforcing of the pawn. White can instead win a pawn here withexd6 followed by Nc3. } 10... d5 { Black changes plans and opts to try undoublinghis pawns. His bishops are still in trouble and dxe5 was probably better. } 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. b3 { An uncertain move for me. It doesn't seem to havemuch purpose. } 12... O-O { Black tidies the king away in the interim. } 13. Qc2 { Eyeing the vulnerable c5 pawn. } 13... Qb6 14. Nc3 d4 { Bad. Black has designson winning a piece and, even if he doesn't, he still claims a small pawnwedge in the middle of the board. But White can severly cramp his stylein a line that, according to the computer, leaves White ahead two pawns. It prefers 14. ... Bd7 to deter that line. } 15. Na4 { ! The computer'sbest move, that leaves White at +2. } 15... Qd8 { Not sure about this move. Blackis under pressure and the pawn at c5 is lost, and he wants to preservethe queen rather than entice the enemy into attempting the exchange andoffer protection to the d-pawn. The computer prefers Qc6 but this scoresabout the same. } 16. Qxc5 Nf5 { Protecting the d4 pawn. } 17. Rac1 { Presumablyintending to join the fight with Rc4. The computer prefers to attack thequeen with Bg5. } 17... Bb7 { Moves the bishop out of the White queen's line offire. Can also now trade with the knight for a weakened castle. } 18. Bg5 f6 19. Bd2 { The only place from which the bishop won't immediately be movedon again, and it allows the bishop to swing over to the queenside. However,exf6 would have opened up the e-file for White's well-placed rook and wouldhave been better. } 19... Rc8 { An attack on the queen that seems poorly plannedas the queen can just move away. There aren't any active squares the queencan safely move to, but the queen can trade itself or move to safety andforce the rook to either shuffle home or pointlessly trade down. } 20. Qa3 { The White queen chooses inactivity over death. } 20... fxe5 { The pawn is onlytemporary. Better was Bxf3, opening up the castle by brute force. Thecomputer has hated the last four moves, and now regards the position as+0.04 for Black. } 21. Rxc8 Qxc8 22. Bb4 { After the rook trade, White triesan attack that can't really go anywhere. } 22... Bxf3 { ! Ignoring the threatto his rook, Black attacks the knight and the castle. } 23. Bxf8 Bxf8 24. b4 { Protecting the queen from the attack, but hemming it in at the sametime. Better would have been to move the queen. } 24... Bd5 { A seemingly sensibleidea, taking the bishop away from danger (though what it's doing whereit is I can't really say). Better was Nh4 which wins at the computer haswinning heavily after gxf3 Nxf3+ Kf1 Nxf1 Kxf1. It's tough for me to seewhat to do after 24. ... Nh4 25. g3. } 25. Nb6 Qb7 { The computer prefersto play 25. ... Qc3, threateing a queen trade with a dangerous passed pawnbeing shepherded through by the bishops, or else using the bishops to pickup the loose queenside pawns. I think of this option as more conservative. } 26. Nxd5 { A questionable decision in my opinion. The knight was valuable- I don't think White should be exchanging down without a clear advantage. } 26... Qxd5 { exd5 was also possible. Using the Queen results in losing a queensidepawn instead of a central one (probably not good, given White's existingqueenside pawn advantage) and gives White a possible mating attack withNh4. } 27. f3 { Cuts out that attack Black was planning, but allows the knightto make a mess by advancing via e3 and c2. } 27... Qb5 { Preserving the a-pawnand attacking White's b-pawn and ultimately the queen. } 28. Qb3 Bxb4 { Theidea is to threaten the rook and pick up a pawn. But 29. Rb1 will severelylock down the position. The computer rates the position as almost deadeven now, instead of solidly winning for Black. Activating the king withKf7 was better. } 29. Qxe6+ { Black gets his edge back, as this unsupportedattack must fade out. } 29... Kg7 30. Rxe5 { Adding support to the attack, butthe knight/pawns combo is holding the position. } 30... Qxd3 { Creates a passedpawn in the middle. } 31. Qb3 Qxb3 { The computer doesn't like this, butthe intent is clear - Black wants to emphasise the passed pawn by reducingmaterial, and is confident his bishop and knight can contain the rook andget the pawn home. } 32. axb3 d3 33. Rd5 d2 { Putting the pawn in the bishop'sprotection. Threats to the bishop or the a pawn can be met with a4 atwill. } 34. Kf2 { The only good move. Anything else and White will losehis rook and be in massive trouble. } 34... Nd6 { The knight must reach the fightzone, but is unable to do so via the kingside. It will be a long journey,however. } 35. Ke2 Nb5 36. Rd7+ { A change of approach for White, who nowgives check for not much reason. } 36... Kh6 { The Black king is on his way tothe pawn. The check has done nothing to hinder him. } 37. Kd1 { Frees therook from the job of guarding the pawn against promotion. It does, however,give the Black king access to e3, which will prove vital. } 37... Kg5 38. Rxh7 Kf4 39. Rh4+ { ?? The game is done as White can no longer prevent the pawnfrom promoting without losing his rook. } 39... Ke3 40. Re4+ Kd3 { 41. Rd4, 41.Re3 and 41. Rc4 are the only options that prevent Nc3#, and they all losethe rook (Rc4 swaps it for the knight). White resigns as he is lost. } 0-1
[Event "GK Tournament Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.04.04"] [Round "-"] [White "pcarlisi"] [Black ""] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1567"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1343"] { This game ended faster than it should have. I hope the lessons of developingpieces, protecting the king, and being vigilant for traps are fairly obvious. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 { Standard queens gambit. } 2... c6 { The Slav. I love playing bothsides of this opening. } 3. Nf3 h6 { !? Not a good move, not a bad move.Personally, I like to develop my bishop to g5 on occasion and pin the f-knight,but this doesn't look to be the time to accomplish that. } 4. Bf4 { Developingpiece number 2. } 4... Bf5 { !? Again, not bad, but I was expecting the f-knightto pke it's head out by now. } 5. Nc3 { Piece number 3 activated. } 5... dxc4 6. e4 { Dual threat. Not sure if this is the best way to recover the pawn,but it does force my oppenent to lose a tempo to deal with the bishop. } 6... Bg4 { ? A meaningless pin. The first truly poor move of my opponent. Betterin my opinion is Be6, securing the pawn for at least another move. Stillonly one piece developed... } 7. Bxc4 { Recapturing and developing piece#4. } 7... Nf6 { Finally pulling the knight out. And I spy with my little 1320rated eye... } 8. Ne5 { Ne5!, winning the bishop at a minimum with 8...e69.Ng4. Having to eye the Queen with the deepest lust and not being ableto take the Queen is a terrible endeavor indeed. } 8... Bxd1 { ?? What. Did myoppenent miss it completely? } 9. Bxf7# { # Pay attention, especially ifyou are underdeveloped and your opponent has massed minor forces in thecenter } 1-0