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[Event "White Attacks in the Sicilian Sheveningen "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Alexander Belyavsky"] [Black "Ulf Andersson"] [Result ""] 1. e4 { This is an interesting game in the Sicilian Sheveningen that wasplayed in 1976. I wanted to share it with everyone who hasn't seen ityet. I found it in Alexander Belyavsky's autobiography and collectionof games published by Cadogan Press. The annotated comments are Belyavsky'salone. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be2 Be7 7. f4 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Be3 a6 10. Qe1 Nd7 { Ulf Andersson has the reputationof being one of the leading experts on the Sheveningen Variation, and thelatest resources of the position are well known to him. Thus he choosesa new and cunning plan for Black. The usual continuations are 10...Qc7or 10...Nxd4; 11. Bxd4 b5. } 11. Rd1 Re8 12. Bc4 { White makesuse of the opportunity offered to switch his bishop to an attacking diagonal(12...Na5 is not possible because of 13. Bxe6), after which the f-pawnadvance becomes imminent. } 12... Nf8 13. a3 { Ensuring the safety of themain attacker. } 13... Bd7 14. Qf2 b5 15. Ba2 Rb8 { If 15...Na5;16. f5 Bf6, with the idea of blocking the diagonal with ...Nc4, White hasthe unpleasant 16. fe fe; 18. Nf5! } 16. f5 { Lengthening the operationaldiagonal of the bishop. } 16... Ne5 { After 16...e5 White would have establishedpermanent control over d5: 17. Nxc6 Bxc6; 18 Bd5. } 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Nf5 Nfg6 { Black prefers to give up a pawn immediately, if onlyto get rid of the pieces hovering over his position, since if 18...Bc8White would have switched his attack to the d6-pawn -- 19. Bc5. In thisrespect 18...b4; 19. ab Rxb4; 20. Nxd6 Bxd6; 21. Rxd6 was no better. If18...Qc7 White could continue the attack with 19. Qg3 g6 (19...Nfg6; 20.h4); 20. Bd4, threatening Nh6+ } 19. Nxd6 Rf8 20. Qd2 Rxf1+ 21. Rxf1 Qc7 22. Nf5 Bf8 23. Nd5 { This purely Sicilianpseudo-sacrifice is not so difficult to find. Black cannot take the knightdue to mate by Qxd5+ and Qg8. } 23... Qc6 24. Bd4 Re8 25. Qf2 Kh8 26. Nfe7 { This knight too is immune. If 26...Bxe7; 27. Nxe7 Rxe7;28. Qf8+ mates. If 26...Nxe7; 27. Qxf8+ Rxf8; 28. Rxf8+ Ng8; 29. Ne7. } 26... Qd6 27. Nxg6+ Nxg6 28. Nf6 Rd8 { If 28...gxf6; 29. Qxf6Kg8; 30. Qf7#. } 29. e5 { In the game White played 29. Nxd7?! and eventuallywon on time. I am going to play out the strongest continuation on theboard. } 29... Qe7 { 29...Nxe5 is not possible because of 30. Qh4 h6; 31. Nxd7Nxd7; 32. Qxh6+ } 30. Ne4 Bc6 31. Nd6 Kg8 32. h4 Nxh4 33. Qxh4 Qxh4 34. Bxe6+ Kh8 35. Nf7+ Kg8 36. Nxd8+ Kh8 37. Rxf8#
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "09-Mar-08"] [Round "-"] [White "jevgeni"] [Black "drekec"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1623"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1533"] 1. b3 { hello again this annotation thing i pretty fun :) i can sharemy thoughts at the time the game was played and show my (rare, VERY rare)good sacrifices and hopefully someone can learn a thing or two from mygames (which i doubt) here i'm black again although i like playing whitepieces more(and i play better as white) i was confused with this openingand made a few mistakes ( i noticed that i every single game i play i makean error and i'll do my best to fix that and go above 1700 ) } 1... d5 { ok,mistake #1 if he moves Bb2, it's stopping my pawn from e5 next move } 2. e3 e5 { but since he didn't play Bb2.... } 3. c4 { wow what to play now? obviously i won't take it since Bxc4 develops his bishop } 3... Nf6 { so i ignorethat and continue my game } 4. Nf3 Bd6 { now i'm ready to castle } 5. Bb2 Nc6 { defending the pawn and developing } 6. d3 { almost all his moves makeno sense to me i've never seen opening like this before and i'm startingto think that i'll win this easily } 6... O-O 7. Nbd2 { wrong place for thatknight Nc3 is way better, attacking my pawn } 7... Be6 { oops this was a mistake i guess i had that Nc3 in my mind and put my bishop on e6 in a second... and when i clicked 'submit' i just wanted to slap myself wanted to playBg4 } 8. a3 Bg4 { a little passive so why not :) } 9. h3 { that was what iexpected } 9... Bh5 { so lets try to make him push his pawns } 10. g4 Bg6 11. g5 { come, come :) this actually losses a pawn for me but what the hell } 11... Nd7 12. cxd5 Ne7 13. e4 c6 14. h4 { i'd rather play Nc4 striking my e-pawn3 times while i'm defending only twice } 14... Bh5 { 'bishop, go back pinning hisknight and stop his h-pawn!' } 15. dxc6 Nxc6 { i didn't want to take itwith my pawn and isolate it } 16. Be2 f6 17. Rg1 Qb6 { eyeing on f2 } 18. Nc4 { oops, missed this i was thinking about it a few moves ago and i forgotso quickly now he can exchange knight for my DSB but DSB wasn't includedin my plan anyway :) } 18... Qc7 19. b4 { i really thought he'll take the bishop } 19... Bxf3 20. Bxf3 fxg5 { thats the reason i took his knight previous move } 21. hxg5 Rf4 { now i'm trying to put my both rooks on f file so now i'm hopinghe'll attack it with his DSB and move it from this diagonal so i can playNd4 } 22. Bc1 { which he does but.... } 22... Rf7 23. g6 { ....i have to move itagain...and postpone my plan since now my king is under heavy fire (notyet but soon will be) } 23... Rf6 24. gxh7+ Kxh7 { maybe Kh8?? } 25. Bg4 Raf8 { iwas thinking about Ne7 } 26. Be3 { protecting his f-pawn and attacking mya7 pawn } 26... a5 { lets try to exchange his well placed knight for mine with 27. bxa5 Nxa5 28. Nxa5 Qxa5 } 27. b5 Nd4 { i was thinking prettylong before making this move two options: 1. Ne7 - protecting from Bf5 and closing the f file or 2. Nd4 - exchanging knight for his DSB or ifhe doesn't take it, exchanging it for his LSB with Nf3 forking his king and rook and protect Bf5 since option#2 includes option #1..... } 28. Bxd4 exd4 { now his f pawn is hanging,but not for long... } 29. Bf5+ { when i look at the board now, maybe Ne7was better in move 27. } 29... g6 { this was a mistake that could've cost me thegame should have played Kg8 } 30. Bxg6+ { Qh5 !!! i can't take it becausemy pawn is pinned followed Kg8 (no difference) and it's either checkmateor losing my queen 31. Bxg6 and no way to avoid checkmate or losing myqueen if he makes right moves next few moves are pretty much forced } 30... Rxg6 { but he didn't do that :) } 31. Qh5+ Rh6 { my king is safe from checkingnow } 32. Qd5 Ne5 { now if he takes pawn with his queen... Nf3 forking thequeen and rook } 33. Ke2 { but unfortunately he saw it also :) do youremeber what i wrote on my first move? i'll remind you 'show my (rare,VERY rare) good sacrifices' } 33... Rxf2+ { well, here it is please, please,PLEASE take it :) } 34. Kxf2 { yes!!! he didn't move his king to d1 andi thought this was so obvious but he was greedy i guess } 34... Nxd3+ { now hecan choose the way the game will be ended lets see where he can move hisking: 1. e2 and g2 --> losses his queen instantly because of Nf4 2.f1 --> Rf6 his king is limited to two squares (e2 and g2, and we already know what will happen there :) ) 3. f3 --> Rg6 followed by eithere2 (see 1.) or g4 followed by Qg2 which leads to checkmate in 4or 5 moves } 35. Kg2 { so he chooses option number 1 :) } 35... Nf4+ { as i said } 36. Kf2 Nxd5 { the rest of the game is very easy for black } 37. exd5 Qxc4 38. Rac1 Rf6+ 39. Kg2 { and now i have forced mate in two do you see it? } 39... Qe2+ { if Kh1 then Rh6# if h3 again Rh6# i have nothing special to sayin the end but thank you jevgeni for the game and for the talk during thegame } 0-1
[Event "50th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23-Oct-08"] [Round "-"] [White "fa_xander"] [Black "gr8rog"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1305"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1135"] 1. d4 { Another game i won where i am still the lowest ranked person } 1... d5 2. Nc3 c6 3. e4 f5 { great pawn development by black } 4. e5 e6 5. Nf3 Bb4 { now im on the defensive instead of the offensive } 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 { i lose a knight for a bishop that i could have developed later on } 7... a5 8. Nd2 b5 9. a3 a4 { black is still pawn pushing with all his pieces inthe back rank } 10. Be2 g6 11. f4 h5 { black is still pawn pushing? } 12. h4 Nh6 13. b3 axb3 14. Nxb3 Qe7 15. Qd3 { i don't know what i was thinkingbut looking back this was a horrable move } 15... Ba6 { why not Rxa3 leading toa little lead and me playing catch up } 16. Qd2 { a wasted move on my part } 16... Bb7 17. Bb4 { i try to get some up-tempo action going } 17... Qd7 18. Nc5 { movingmy first piece to his side of the board while all of his are behind the5 rank } 18... Qc7 { why not qe7, or qf7? } 19. Nxe6 { i take advantage of his poorchoice in moves } 19... Qb6 { a wasted move by black as the pawn is protected andhis queen will soon be moved } 20. Bd6 Na6 21. Bc5 { doing what i shouldhave done at move 20 } 21... Nxc5 22. Nxc5 O-O { trying to get breathing room... } 23. Nd7 { however by overlooking the position of my knight, i finally takethe lead } 23... Qa5 24. Nxf8 Qxd2+ 25. Kxd2 Rxf8 26. a4 b4 { smart move by blackas it keeps my rook on the a file safely behind a pawn still } 27. a5 Ng4 { now black trys to get something going... } 28. Bxg4 { lets see what hispawns can do with a rook and a bishop behind them } 28... fxg4 29. c3 { dumb moveon my part, g3 or Rf1 would have been better } 29... Rxf4 30. Ke3 { another wastedmove by me... } 30... Re4+ { why not Rf3 this gains black excelent ground withhis rook } 31. Kd2 bxc3+ 32. Kxc3 Ba6 33. Kb4 Rxd4+ 34. Kc5 Rc4+ 35. Kb6 Bb5 36. a6 Re4 37. a7 { he opts to take a pawn to let me have my queen... } 37... Kf7 { then he realizes what will happen and moves his king instead } 38. a8=Q { the begging of the end for black } 38... Rxe5 39. Rhf1+ Kg7 40. Ra7+ { atthis point black resigned realizing that mate was 2 moves away commentare welcome, to better help me in the future :) } 1-0
[Event "66th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.11"] [Round "-"] [White "chizzo83"] [Black "weelamb"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1752"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1726"] 1. c4 { Quise empezar con una apertura inglesa, aunque la posición resultantebien se parece a una india de rey, con la única diferencia del peón eng5 } 1... g5 2. d4 h6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Qd2 { La ideaes que si Cg4 Axg5 } 7... Bd7 8. h4 g4 9. O-O-O a6 10. f4 Nh5 { This is the type of position he was looking for, the black pieces are slightly behind in developing their king in the center, I have the possibility of opening up columns after e5, and my tower on h1 was not playing, I don't know if the sacrifice he follows is good or not, but at least it's interesting. } 11. e5 Bf5 12. Bd3 { Changing the most active knight. } 12... Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Ng3 14. e6 { probablementeeste golpe haya sido omitido por mi adversario } 14... Nxh1 15. exf7+ Kf8 { This is obviously better than eating the peon. } 16. d5 Na7 17. Nge2 { This horse deflects to e6, it must make its own way. } 17... c5 18. Qg6 h5 19. f5 Nf2 20. Nf4 1-0
[Event "My first annotation"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.12.15"] [Round "-"] [White "A Worthy Opponent"] [Black "rosewoodknight"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1562"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1548"] 1. e4 { Hi, I never annotated a game before. After seeing so many, I feelthe need to try it at least once. I'll do my hardest. I was black in thisgame against a worthy opponent. Our epic battle will have you shaking inawe. The finish will blow your mind. You won't see it coming. Also he movede4 for some reason. } 1... c6 { I'm using the Caro Kan because along time agoI read a book called Complete Defense to King Pawn Openings by Eric Schiller.This was over a decade ago(damn I'm getting old!) I still use it mixedin with some french defense, with the occasional hyper modern nonsense. I haven't really studied it since. } 2. d4 d5 3. e5 { Using the Caro Kanyou must get used to the advance and exchange variation. You'll be seeingit a lot. } 3... Bf5 4. g4 { Surprisingly this is one of the main lines. One ofthe rare times the early g4 works } 4... Bg6 5. Nc3 e6 6. h4 h6 7. h5 Bh7 8. Nf3 Nd7 9. b3 { I don't know what the fianchetto was about. White woulddo better with his bishop along the c1-h6 diagonal for the eventual g5push. } 9... Be7 { I chose Be7 instead of Bb4 because I was planning to castlequeen side. With the King on the queen side, the usual center break c6-c5looks scary. So I was planning to use f7-f6 to challenge the center instead.This plan isn't objectively the best, but I was in the mood for a safergame. } 10. Be3 { This move makes the pawn on b3 look weird. By now theysee that the point of attack is the g5 square. } 10... Qc7 11. Qd2 { More g5 pressure! } 11... O-O-O 12. O-O-O Bb4 { That pawn on b3 leaves the dark squares weak. Becauseof this I abandon the f6 idea and get ready to move my pieces to the queenside for an attack. } 13. Qe2 { They resigned.... OMG I'M THE GREATEST. THEACTUAL GREATEST. i WON THIS GAME WITH SHEER POSITIONAL GENIUS. AT THISRATE I'LL BE GM WITHIN THE YEAR. THANKS FOR THE PRAISE IN ADVANCE. Thiswas my first annotated game so feel free to leave constructive criticism.Please be gentle, I'm honestly a little scared to put this up and haveeveryone think I'm an idiot. It should be better when I get to GM. ;) } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.11.11"] [Round "-"] [White "rockstermaniac"] [Black "baidarka"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1331"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1178"] 1. d4 { A complicated opening where the queens pawn match becomes lockeddown and dirty in a way that generally only the kings pawn game can cause } 1... e6 { black plays defensively } 2. c4 { If e4 we move streight into a gamewhere the e pawns are written off... I always prefered queens gambit accepted } 2... h6 { An odd move with possible transition to an extended fianchetto } 3. e4 c5 4. d5 e5 { With both players playing defensive it quickly becomesapparent tht the center of the board is a write off } 5. Nf3 d6 6. Nc3 a6 { blacks got strong defensive posture with his pawns but my deep d pawncramps his offensive possibilities } 7. a4 { preventing b5 and all the defensivelapses tht occur because of it } 7... Nf6 8. Bd3 a5 9. h3 Na6 { beginning of baidarkasinteresting attempt to play queen side... the knight has a good niche atb4 but cant really go any further } 10. Be3 Bd7 11. Qb3 Nb4 { Nc2+ wouldb a major problem but my defensive position is incredibly secure. Nxd3+however would b irritating } 12. Be2 Qb6 { threatening Nc2+ with the queenbeing lost } 13. O-O-O { Nd3+, Kc2 and the queens swap... } 13... Be7 14. Rdg1 { settingup for my king side assault } 14... Nd3+ 15. Kc2 { setting up the queen swap wherei hold a major advantage } 15... Nb4+ { Black declines } 16. Kd2 { Now he cant tryagain } 16... Qa6 17. Nb5 { Threatening Nc7+ } 17... Nxe4+ 18. Ke1 Bd8 { blacks knightslook strong but they have no backup to snare the king } 19. g4 Bxb5 { poorchoice } 20. cxb5 Qb6 21. h4 g5 22. hxg5 Be7 23. g6 { gxh6 or even Rxh6(theswapped rooks forcing black to queenside castle and possibly repositionthe queen) might hav been better } 23... fxg6 24. Rxh6 Bf6 25. g5 Rxh6 26. gxh6 O-O-O 27. Rxg6 { Rh1 would have avoided the difficulties tht result afterrh8 } 27... Qc7 { but black opts to free up his queen } 28. Rg1 Rh8 29. Rh1 { statusquo resumed } 29... Qf7 30. Bd3 { If after the black bishop moves the queen checksat f2... howevr this forces the knights retreat... Nxd3 qxd3 does the samething but wins me both knights } 30... Ng5 31. Bf5+ { three real possibilities...Kb8 is the one tht leaves me with the fewest responses } 31... Kb8 { doh } 32. Bxg5 { Nxf3+ and I hav no answers... } 32... Bxg5 { Be6 might have been best } 33. Nxg5 { Mistakes } 33... Qxf5 34. Ne6 Qb1+ { hoping to force perpetual check and maybeget either a draw or a queen swap } 35. Qd1 { Beginning of defense of perpetualcheck... } 35... Nc2+ 36. Kd2 Qxb2 37. Rh4 Nd4+ 38. Ke1 Qc3+ 39. Qd2 Nc2+ 40. Kd1 { Kd1! Knight cant be saved without queen sacrifice... } 40... Qa1+ 41. Kxc2 Qa2+ 42. Kd1 Qb3+ 43. Qc2 { Qc2? Queen sucessfully deflects me from defendingd5 } 43... Qxd5+ { Qxd5+!! There goes my knight. First mistake Ive made. } 44. Qd2 Qxe6 45. Qg5 { Beginning of new strategy... By seperating my queen frommy king I invite perpetual check ending in possibly a 50 move draw or ifhes smart he'll move a pawn to avoid it and allow me to tighten my owngrip on his rook } 45... Rg8 { Expected... looking to gain the advantage... Ifthe queen moves rg1+ allows his queen and rook to tandem check me intoa corner. } 46. h7 { But if the rook takes the queen the pawn queens andI get the tempo... which means I can totally risk the loss of my queen } 46... Rxg5 47. h8=Q+ { Now black has to scramble } 47... Rg8 { Queen cant take rook...again } 48. Rh6 { but a queen swap at this point still gives me options } 48... Qf7 { Blacks queen cuts me off from escape... 2 options now present myself...both being a queen swap } 49. Qf6 Qd5+ { Black avoids the queen swap... } 50. Ke2 { SO Im planning to move my king somewhere I can assault and defendsimultaneously... forced to avoid being checked to oblivion but its thebeginning of the end for me as I overlook his pawn advantage. } 50... Qa2+ 51. Ke3 Qb3+ 52. Ke4 Qxa4+ 53. Kf5 { 2nd and crucial error. Kd5 accomplishessame objective as Kf5 without risking an untimely fork } 53... Qf4+ 54. Ke6 Qxf6+ 55. Rxf6 { Blacks pawn advantage quickly becomes a problem as he realizesthe importance of protecting his king } 55... Ka7 { Ka7!! Prevents b6 which wouldhave allowed a back rank mate if his rook left the eighth rank to stopmy king from mopping up his pawns } 56. Kxd6 Kb6 57. Rf5 Kxb5 58. Rxe5 { Nowhis three pawn advantage shifts from the center where they were exposedto the flank where his king is perfectly placed to provide defense } 58... b6 59. f4 a4 60. f5 a3 61. Re2 { Now I cant protect my pawn } 61... Rf8 { Ke6 leadsto a fork where my rook falls... } 62. Ra2 Rxf5 63. Rxa3 Rf4 64. Rb3+ Rb4 65. Rh3 Rd4+ 66. Kc7 Ka5 67. Rb3 Rb4 68. Rc3 c4 69. Kc6 { Black needs hisking to support c4 pawn while the rook forces my rooks retreat } 69... b5 70. Kc5 Ka4 71. Kd4 { looking to move my king around to the back... } 71... Rb3 72. Rc2 Rb4 73. Kc3 Rb3+ 74. Kd2 Rd3+ 75. Ke2 Kb3 76. Rc1 Kb2 77. Rf1 { AndI resigned... having my king forced away from the queening square and seperatedfrom the pawns I can only watch as they bloom into queens } 0-1
[Event "Francesco Molino Rd 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Kumar, Mihir"] [Black "Zhu, Alexander Lawrence"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1832"] [TimeControl "120"] [WhiteElo "1872"] 1. e4 { The second game of the year and I am coming to this game after along line of losses. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 { Delayed Alapin , I have triedthis earlier . Black can response with Nf6 and then I will have to worryabout the e pawn . White would like to play d4 and black will try to stop } 3... a6 { Stops Bb5+, But the bigger plan could be a queen side pawn storm . } 4. d4 { As planned and happy to play this without resistance ! } 4... cxd4 5. cxd4 e6 6. Be2 { I dont know the right square for the Bishop , But wantedto castle , play safe , develop } 6... Be7 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. a4 { Thisidea is stop b4 , and if possible play a5 and put a Knight on b6 } 9... b6 { Blackhas decided to get the light Bishop to the long diagonal ( decided whenhe played 5..e6). But this move creates a few weak squares ?? } 10. h3 { preparingfor Be3 } 10... Bb7 11. Bd3 { to support e4 and play Qe2 to target the a6 pawn, and force black to play a5 } 11... Nbd7 12. Be3 Rc8 13. Qe2 Nb8 { white looks better ? Blacks two pieces are tied to protecting the a6 pawn } 14. Rad1 { ideas of e5 , Bxh7+ } 14... Qc7 15. Rc1 { hmm .. was that the wrong Rook ond file ?. at this point I am getting tempted and looking for ways to playe5 ....or /and d5 } 15... Qd7 16. Rfd1 Rfe8 17. Bg5 { I considered giving up theBishop for Knight and then e5 ? } 17... h6 18. Bh4 Rc7 19. Bg3 { a new diagonalfor my Bishop } 19... Rec8 20. Ra1 { too many wasted moves . This move allowsme to play my Knight , without worrying about Rxc1 or Qxa4 } 20... Qd8 21. e5 { finally .... } 21... Ne8 { now I know white is better ..... I started askingmyself 'How can I lose from here ?' } 22. d5 { I love this move ... withblacks pieces very very uncordinated and very few on the king side , Ithought I could blow up the king side with my active pieces. I also sawthe tactical 22.. exd5 23.Bf5 } 22... exd5 { ? } 23. Bf5 { getting the exchange !and I was hopeful of getting the pawn back } 23... Rxc3 { Black decides to getthe pawn ...But I think My Bishop is much powerful than this Knight ..andI was happy } 24. bxc3 Rxc3 { The Rook cannot do much damage alone , so I left it here ! } 25. e6 { ! destroying the king side and taking controlof all light squares.Rest of the moves were forced and I think I got theright continuation } 25... f6 { weakening further } 26. Nh4 Nc7 27. Qh5 Qe8 28. Bg6 Qd8 29. Bf7+ Kh7 30. Qf5+ { Black resigned. Thanks for reading } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.01"] [Round "-"] [White "chess_avenger"] [Black "kleberkabg"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1591"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1545"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 Bc5 { Bc5? Weird move forthe opening part of the game. Maybe ... d6 5. c4 makes more sense. } 6. N1c3 a6 7. Be3 Bxe3 8. Nd6+ Ke7 9. Nf5+ Kf8 10. Qd6+ Nge7 11. fxe3 g6 { Fairlybig mistake. This gives white at least 1.5 points in material advantage.Correct moves would be ... Kg8 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. Qxe7 Nxe7 } 12. Qf6 Rg8 13. Nh6 { With this move I (White) want to put as much pressure on the kingas possible. However a more suitable move would be 13. Bc4 followed by...d5 14. Nh6 Rg7 15. exd5 Nf5 16. Qxd8+ Nxd8 17. Nxf5 gxf5 18. g3Rg4 19. Bb3 Bd7 20. O-O } 13... Rg7 14. Bc4 Ng8 15. Nxg8 Kxg8 16. Qd6 b5 17. Bd5 Bb7 18. O-O-O Rc8 19. Rdf1 Na5 { Small inaccuracy on blacks part ... Na519. Bxb7 Nxb7 20. Qxa6 Nc5 21. Qxb5 d6 and white gains a full pointlead in material advantage. Best would be ... Qc7 19. Rf6 Qxd6 } 20. Bxf7+ { Blunder. I was too hasty and started to attack the king side becauseinaccurate calculation of a gambit line I was thinking. Correct moves 20.Bxb7 Nxb7 21. Qxa6 Nc5 22. Qxb5 Kh8 23. Rd1 Qg5 24. Qe2 Rb8 25. Rhf1h6 26. b3 f6 27. Rd6 Rf7 much better. } 20... Rxf7 21. Rxf7 Kxf7 22. Rf1+ Kg8 23. Nd5 Bxd5 { Mistake this allows white to get back into the game witha draw like position (... Bxd5 23. Qxd5+ Kh8 24. Qxe5+ Kg8 25. Qd5+ Kh8 26. Qe5+) ... Nc6 23. Nf6+ Kg7 24. Nxd7 Kh6 25. Qe6 Nb4 26. Nxe5 Nd3+ 27. Kb1 Nxe5 28. Qxe5 Qh4 29. Qf4+ Qxf4 30. Rxf4 Kg5 would give blacka clear advantage. } 24. Qxd5+ Kg7 { Kg7? This move gives White a 3point material advantage lead. Again instead of Kg7 black makes the gameeven with ... Kh8 24. Qxe5+ Kg8 25. Qd5+ Kh8 26. Qe5+. } 25. Qxe5+ { Mistake. Draw game when White could do best moves 25. Rf7+ Kh6 26. Qxe5 Qh4 27. g3 Rxc2+ 28. Kxc2 Qxh2+ 29. Kd3 Qd2+ 30. Kxd2 Nc4+ 31. Kc3 Nxe5and get a Rook+Pawns vs Knight+Pawns advantage. } 25... Kh6 { Big blunder! Giveswhite a 4 point advantage which basically screams death for black. Theonly hope black had was ... Kg8 25. Qd5+ Kh8 26. Qe5+ Kg8 making the gamea draw. } 26. Rf3 g5 { Blunder and Mate in 4 which white actually does inthis game... ... g5 26. Rh3+ Kg6 27. Qf5+ Kg7 28. Rxh7+ Kg8 29. Qf7# Small hope for black would be ... Qh4 however the game is over anyway. } 27. Rh3+ Kg6 28. Qf5+ Kg7 29. Rxh7+ { Black resigns because Mate in 2. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.06.12"] [Round "-"] [White "hamed36"] [Black "jimburge"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1411"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1518"] 1. e4 d5 { Scandinavian Defense. } 2. c3 a6 { ...and this move is not in thedatabase. Black prevails just over half the time with dxe4. } 3. Bd3 c5 4. Ne2 Nc6 5. Ng3 e5 6. Be2 Nf6 7. d3 h6 8. O-O d4 9. cxd4 cxd4 10. a3 Bd6 11. Nf5 O-O 12. Bd2 Be6 13. h3 Qd7 14. g4 Rac8 15. b4 b5 16. Kg2 Ne7 17. g5 hxg5 { Interesting that it takes 17 moves before someone trades apiece. } 18. Bxg5 Nh7 19. Bxe7 Bxe7 20. Rh1 { :) } 20... Bxf5 21. exf5 Qxf5 { WhileBg4 pins the black queen against the rook, Qg5 or Qg6 prevent white's bishopfrom moving (the pinner itself is pinned against the white king). } 22. Bg4 Qg6 23. Kf1 { The castle on move 11 is almost entirely undone. Whitemight have been better off not castling. } 23... f5 24. Bh5 Qe6 25. Rg1 Nf6 26. Rg6 { White dares black to take the bishop. } 26... Qd5 { A dare black wisely declines. The bishop is not in jeopardy--black would be foolish to trade knightfor bishop and allow white so much power concentrated on the weakened fortress. } 27. Bf3 e4 28. Bg2 f4 29. dxe4 Nxe4 30. Nd2 Nxd2+ 31. Qxd2 Qf5 32. Rxa6 { With this capture white achieves material parity, temporarily. } 32... f3 { Thismove pushes white's white bishop into the corner. Qxh3+ puts black upa pawn again. } 33. Bh1 Qxh3+ 34. Kg1 Rf6 { I think Bf5 would have been abetter choice. White would be scrambling to defend against checkmate hadblack not offered this rook trade. 35. Rg6, Bd6 } 35. Rxf6 Bxf6 36. Qf4 d3 37. Rd1 { White moves the rook out of harm's way. } 37... Rd8 38. Qxf3 Qxf3 39. Bxf3 Bb2 40. Be4 { Time to sweep up pawns. } 40... d2 41. Bc6 Bxa3 42. Bxb5 Bxb4 43. Kf1 Rd5 { Big oops. While black wants to keep the white king fromcrossing the e file (to attack Pd2), the pawn was safe. When you threatena piece, where will it move? In this case the obvious spot is Bc4, whichcaptures the black rook. } 44. Bc4 Kh7 45. Bxd5 Kg6 46. Ke2 Kf5 47. Ra1 { I think I like Rb1 or Bb3 better. While black can defend both pawns fromBc3, white needs to get rid of a black pawn. } 47... g5 48. Kd1 { Black cannotdefend d1, the king seems better served blocking the advance of black'sg pawn. } 48... g4 49. Bg2 { If the black king advances black will lose the bishop. Bc3 pushes the rook, but the black bishop must remain on the diagonalprotecting the d pawn. If white trades the rook for the bishop and pawn,black stands a slim chance of winning or at least getting a draw. White'spawn and bishop protect e3 through h3, a line the black king cannot cross. If black can trade the bishop and pawn for the white rook, white shouldbe able to force mate (with a lot of moves) with the free moving bishop. } 49... Bc5 { Oops again. Black repeats the rook mistake with the bishop. } 50. Ra5 1-0
[Event "Fierce Queen getting lucky again?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-Mar-18"] [Round "-"] [White "arman44"] [Black "fiercequeen"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2059"] [TimeControl "3+10 blitz..."] [WhiteElo "UR"] { One of the things, I am hearing a lot lately is that I am just lucky...That might be true: see for yourself, in this 3+10 blitz game... } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c3 { White had better, in a direct d4... } 3... Bg7 4. Bc4 e6 5. d3 { still no d4: White will be sorry... } 5... Ne7 6. Bg5 O-O 7. Nbd2 f6 8. Be3 d5 { the mother of all moves, in the Sicilian... } 9. exd5 exd5 { refutingBc4 in the White opening... } 10. Bb3 b6 11. Rg1 { not sure what happenshere: a failed attempt to castle short? } 11... Bb7 12. Qe2 { preparing castlinglong: but the White Queen is far from safe... } 12... Nf5 { after Re8, White canexpect a lot of trouble... } 13. O-O-O { forced... } 13... Ba6 { making the WhiteQueen a new target: c5-c4, will break up the White center... } 14. Qf1 Nc6 15. g4 { now, the object of Rg1 becomes somewhat clear... } 15... Nxe3 16. fxe3 Ne5 { forcing White to take Ne5: pawn d3 cannot be lost... } 17. Nxe5 fxe5 18. Qh3 Qg5 { just picking out, the weaker pieces of the pack: this movecreates multiple pins over the White King... } 19. Rde1 c4 { maybe a bittoo soon: first Kh8 was to be preferred: but hey, this is blitz... } 20. dxc4 dxc4 21. Nxc4 Rac8 { things are becoming clear: Whites' King is introuble... } 22. Nxb6+ Kh8 { indeed a flaw, in Blacks' game: but it doesnot matter anymore... } 23. Nxc8 Rxc8 24. Kb1 { an unnecessary fault: butwhat is White supposed to do? } 24... Bd3+ 25. Ka1 e4 26. Qg3 { White needs totake action: not sure, if this is helping... } 26... Rxc3 { played from the gut:of course, this is no good; after Qb2+, Black is in big trouble: but Whitewas not paying attention... } 27. bxc3 Bxc3# { the winner is always right... } 0-1
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.07"] [Round "-"] [White "9422m"] [Black "kmcl"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1852"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1943"] 1. e4 { My usual is e4. I suspect a Sicilian or e5 to get my attentionfor different reasons. If it will be Sicilian I will have my work cut outfor me. If I get e5 then I can get the game over with rapidly. If I getCaro-Kann against me (god forbid) I will have to deal with that. If Iget Alekhine's then I deal with that. If I get French Defense I'll breatha sigh of relief like I would do with the slow Ruy Lopez (e5). What willmy opponent do? } 1... e6 { He elects the French Defense. I guess he studied myrecords and wanted to do this to show me that the French Defense is worthy.I don't care. The second he chose this defense I knew what to do. } 2. e5 { I advance against the blockade he is thinking he is going to set upfor the usual French Defense Blockade and get him thinking again aboutthis choice (poor choice) as a Black Defense according to all my recordsand experience. } 2... d6 { Well, he could have done d5 but the move is thesame since we have the en passent here... } 3. Nf3 { Just developing insteadof trading here. Development is attack and I am white. } 3... dxe5 { Expected.He wanted that passed pawn. } 4. Nxe5 { Trading into his territory witha piece there...a knight. } 4... Nd7 { Black is trying to develop as well asget my knight into a forced move... } 5. Nf3 { I move back even with black.His knight is in the way of his queen and his queen bishop but my queenand king bishop are free with his king bishop. } 5... Ngf6 { He doubles his knightstogether and this is a proper thing to do with a pair of knights that aredeveloping. } 6. Be2 { Clearing house for 0-0. Why not? Black can't do anythingto prevent me from protecting my king. } 6... Bd6 { He's clearing house too.We both expect to 0-0 soon... } 7. d4 { This pawn to d4 is a developmentand attack at the same time. } 7... O-O { He ensconces his king out of the way.Understandable. } 8. O-O { Oh, why not? If your opponent 0-0s and you can0-0 why not? } 8... Re8 { Good move rook to the e rank. It is a strong positionthat is often taken after a 0-0. } 9. Nbd2 { The French Defense works insome ways like a Sicilian: it waits for white to make a mistake when whitetries to take control too fast. No need ever to rush against the FrenchDefense. Just be thinking about development and getting things in orderwhile that Defense is waiting for you to make a mistake. } 9... e5 { Blackis forging a straight path with the support of that rook on e rank. Thereisn't really anything else to do here since he chose the French Defense.I'd have chosen the Caro-Kann or Sicilian instead but that is the way Ithink about defense. I'd have even chosen the Alekhine's Defense beforethe French Defense. In fact I don't think I even ever used the French Defensesince I knew Sicilian and Caro-Kann before encountering it. I did studythe French Defense open and closed and either way I felt the Sicilian orCaro-Kann or Alekhine's was better. The Ruy Lopez I never use. I haveused it recently just to see if it is as viable as my chosen e4 defenses. To date I feel the Ruy Lopez is a dead defense. } 10. Nc4 { Some sparklein developing and protecting. Many times a move like this is in waitingfor us. It's a move when you clear the way for more development at thesame time you protect (and attack)! } 10... exd4 { He takes a pawn but I reallywant his bishop and also to isolate/stack his pawns on the d rank. } 11. Nxd6 { So there I go to do just that. } 11... cxd6 { So I keep up with the pawntrading. I could use my queen but really the queen should be kept in reservewhen there is more movement for her to do her dastardly action. } 12. Nxd4 { The knight. } 12... h6 { Foot pawn. } 13. b3 { Clearing the diagonal for queenbishop.... } 13... Ne5 { Black is advancing slowly to clear his own q bishop... } 14. Re1 { This is always (most times) a strong move no matter what it threatens.Artillery has to be positioned correctly in the least number of moves tobe effective. } 14... a6 { Foot pawn again. A safe move. Lying in wait for meto get really offensive before I am ready to do so. } 15. h3 { So I do thefoot pawn here. I do it because his two knights with the bishop are tryingto move slowly slowly forward while I make a mistake thinking I can takehim. With the French Defense you don't get anxious or try to over run.You set up while he (French Defense) sets up. You play the game to matcheach move rightly and wait before the onslaught. } 15... Bd7 { What else is leftfor Black to do to await my mistake in my development to crush him? } 16. c4 { Infantry (LIGHT) advances. IN mission: Fix and Kill. } 16... Rc8 { His artillerymoving behind the lines to get into some kind of action } 17. Bf4 { Timeto send out the q bishop. The bishop is the Pope's messenger and he canbe very effective... } 17... Qc7 { I would have held back on this. The queen shouldnot be in FRONT of a rook. It means artillery fire is volleyed first bythe Queen. She is a valuable piece not to be caught up in artillery unlessshe is BEHIND the artillery. } 18. Qd2 { Threatening the King foot pawnto get the Queen down there to treat the king with some problems in spaceand maneuver and checkmate... } 18... Ng6 { Guarding his fort with his king... } 19. Bf3 { A disclosed artillery attack on the way... } 19... Nxf4 { I choose todiminish the black king guard in the process here. } 20. Qxf4 { So I doit. } 20... b5 { Okay. I pause here. There is no threat to my king to just takeout b5 as far as I can see. I do it... } 21. cxb5 { It seems like my kingis in danger but the rule of rooks there along with my queen guarding c1is fine. } 21... Rxe1+ { Expected artillery fire from Black. } 22. Rxe1 { I do therule of the rooks in the back place. Use them together... } 22... axb5 { He picksup a pawn to even it out. } 23. Qd2 { I am protecting c3. Look where queenscan go and respond. } 23... Qc3 { She is backed by a rook and here she comes!Time to exchange the queens... } 24. Qxc3 { Exchange. } 24... Rxc3 { Exchange. } 25. a3 { This move seems so small but really it was the best move for meto make. It is because when a rook comes downrange a rook can create alot of havoc with pawns sitting in original positions that may not seemto be in immediate danger. However, if I left that a2 pawn back whereit was from the beginning I may as well have sacrificed it. } 25... Kf8 { Movingthe King square by square... } 26. Be2 { I need to pay attention to thatisolated pawn. I attack it. } 26... Rc5 { He defends it. } 27. Kf1 { I need myking close to the rook and the bishop as soon as possible. } 27... Re5 { And thisis why! } 28. Bf3 { Counter artillery! } 28... Rc5 { Retreating back from my counterfire! With the need of the King to do it! } 29. Ke2 { What side of the boardshould my king be on? Answer: the LEFT! Now is the time to move him NOW! } 29... Re5+ { Expected. } 30. Kd2 { Now I am crossing over with my king to theLEFT square by painstaking square... } 30... Rxe1 { Oh well. Another trade. } 31. Kxe1 { So it is... } 31... Ne8 { I don't know why black retreated his knight. Perhapshe saw something I did not see and felt he had to do this. I honestly don'tknow. Unless he is trying to save the isolated pawn b5. } 32. Bc6 { Thismove is really just to downsize and keep the status quo the way it is.I don't have isolated pawns but black does have this isolated pawn. I feeldownsizing is fine at this point. } 32... Bxc6 { Black really has no choice here. } 33. Nxc6 { Downsize to the isolated pawn.... } 33... Nc7 { The protection of theisolated pawn comes after an exchange. Now we are down to a knight apieceand equal pawns. But black has the isolated pawn and I do not! } 34. Kd2 { I go after that area with the most (second) powerful piece on the board.... } 34... Ke8 { Black is doing the same... } 35. Nd4 { By attacking the pawn I freezehis only defender.... } 35... g6 { And then black is moving forward on the rightside of the board--but to no avail. The real action is where the kingsare going. I have to freeze the right side as White to get to businesson the LEFT side. } 36. g3 { There is the freeze on the right for me tomove about on the LEFT. } 36... Kd7 { He is moving into the left where the actionreally resides now... } 37. Kc3 { So am I! } 37... d5 { His king has to get to thefront so a pawn has to make way. Black is using his knight for supportinstead of coming forward to check me. My king is not in a position toreally be hassled by the black night anyway. } 38. Kb4 { A king forwardis what it should be. Leading the way into battle instead of resting onheels in a safe place. In the end game the King is King! } 38... Kd6 { And doesBlack know this! } 39. Nxb5+ { Time for a skirmish. Of course I see thatd5 pawn and I am 'opening the way' to promotion for him if I make a wrongmove. But the RIGHT side of the board will help ME on the LEFT side ofthe board should it come down to a promoting endeavor by the Black Kingand pawn! } 39... Nxb5 { I have to take it and I am confident to stop a promotionby the d5 pawn to d1. I anticipated this and the way Black would have tomove that pawn and king to get there.... } 40. Kxb5 { I take the knight ata possible seeming risk to allow the d5 pawn through the lines to promotion.But, I have my f2 pawn and g3 pawn (and h3 pawn) in a funneling effectto diminish the opposition's movement of King! } 40... Ke5 { There he goes forthe promotion walk! } 41. a4 { There I go to do the same! } 41... d4 { Now thathis pawn is running for it it is time to get aside him as kings can do... } 42. Kc4 { Aside! } 42... Ke4 { Now the funnel I talked about. My right side pawnshave left an obstacle course for the King to accompany his pawn that isracing to the promotion rank! } 43. b4 { There is nothing Black can do topromote his pawn. I just take it if he moves away and I just advance whilethe king remains. Black resigned seeing the funnel effect. } 1-0
[Event "Enduring the blunder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.08.25"] [Round "-"] [White "siddvicious"] [Black "big_red"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1447"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1351"] 1. e4 { The funny thing about screwing up a chess game is that the processby which you recover from a series of mistakes is the most rewarding partof this game. } 1... g6 { I decide to play the Robatsch (Modern variation) defense. } 2. e5 { Over-extends the pawn. } 2... Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. exd6 cxd6 5. d5 { morebad development from white } 5... Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Be2 e6 { here it comes.. } 8. Bg5 exd5 9. Nxd5 Qa5+ { Black is dominating the opening and I confessoverconfidence got the better of me. Watch as I proceed to dig myself ina hole. } 10. b4 Qxd5 11. Bd2 Qxg2 { Can you see it? } 12. Bf3 { Black'sQueen is cutoff. I had two choices. Bg4 would have allowed me to tradequeens but I didn't see it. Instead... } 12... Qxh1 13. Bxh1 { Throwing away thegains made in the opening. We're still even in material but not for long. } 13... Bg4 { Too late. knight c6 would have been much better for obvious reasons. } 14. Bf3 { yup } 14... Nc6 { and with that blunder white is about to pull aheadto black } 15. Bxg4 Rfe8+ { futile } 16. Be2 { Now having dug myself intoa hole, the fun part of fighting my way out begins. } 16... Ng4 17. Rb1 { whitethrows a move away here. pretty sure white needs to get the queen out toderail an imminent attack on it's center. Perhaps he was feeling overconfidentbecause the bishop is protected by the knight, the king, and the queen. } 17... Re7 18. Bg5 { this move is a mistake too. the bishop doesn't stop theattack, Re6 protects the pawn on d6, and white's bishop remains immobilized. } 18... Re6 19. Nf3 { Bishop on e2 is looking vulnerable, not sure what whiteis trying to do with the knight, he needs to be moving the king to getthe bishop back in game. Bc4 would ruin black's day in a hurry. } 19... Rae8 20. Be3 { white entrenches. His biggest advantage is the queen and it'sstill not in play. Plus Nxe3 is going to be a darn good move. } 20... Nxe3 21. fxe3 Rxe3 { the center hasn't folded yet, but it's coming. } 22. Ng1 { whiteis pushed further back. However evening out material was no longer my priority,black now has a chance to take the offensive! } 22... Bc3+ 23. Kf2 { king on therun.. kf1 would have been a better choice I think. } 23... Bxb4 { this is I thinkthe only mistake I made. I don't need the pawn, I need to keep attacking.This move gives white breathing room. } 24. Rb3 R3e5 25. c3 { White hasfailed to seize this opening. His queen has yet to move. } 25... Bc5+ 26. Kf1 { white hands back the material with this move but more importantly I couldnow remove the knight. } 26... Bxg1 { perhaps Rf5 is better, but black erasesthe material deficit. } 27. Kxg1 Rxe2 28. Qxd6 { the queen is finally outbut it's too late. Black has a free pass at the king and from here on outthe queen and the rook will be useless to white. } 28... Re1+ { here we go. } 29. Kg2 R8e2+ 30. Kh3 Re3+ { Kg2 forces a draw, but white perhaps stillthinks he can win. And he should be able to win.. he can easily pick offblack's left pawns with either the queen or the rook. Instead he goes forthe win and seals his doom. } 31. Kg4 Ne5+ { that was probably the worstmove for white. Black has three pieces he can use to go for the mate. } 32. Kg5 f6+ { this one is tricky... but it works. His only option to getout of this situation is to take the pawn with the queen. } 33. Kxf6 Rf1+ { White has only one real move, kg5. ke6 or ke7 lose him the queen but hewould have survived. Unwilling to give up the queen, black plows towardcheckmate. } 34. Kg5 h6+ { now inevitable. } 35. Kxh6 { another mistake. } 35... Rh3+ 36. Kg5 Rf5# { Here we come to the end of our tale. Despite havingbetter firepower, white lost because he failed to get his queen in thegame. I was playing as black and I should have lost this game, but wasbasically handed a lifeline. This is my first annotation so I probablymade numerous mistakes but get better I shall! Thanks for reading. } 0-1
[Event "Challenge from matt_s"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "22-Apr-07"] [Round "-"] [White "matt_s"] [Black "adrien_d"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e5 Ne4 5. d4 d5 { He could have protected f4. } 6. Bxf4 b6 7. Nc3 { That's a silly thing I did... I love to bring the cavalry to the center at the beginning of the game, it's just that I love having the knights there. } 7... Bb4 8. a3 { Then it's worse, I would have to play Bd2. } 8... Nxc3 9. Qd3 Ba6 { Merde madame! le salop! } 10. Qe3 c5 { Attention! Si ton fou est prot�g� par le cavalieren b8, si je mange axb4, ma tour menace le cavalier! En plus je menaceaussi bxc2. Bref c'est la f�te. } 11. Bxa6 Nxa6 12. axb4 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Ne4 14. Rxa6 { Ce qui devait arriver est arriv�... } 14... Qc7 { She wants to play too! } 15. Qb3 { Je protege mon pion et menace d5 } 15... Qc4 { ok, tu veuxun �change? j'ai l'impression d'avoir l'avantage, j'accepte l'�change } 16. Qxc4 dxc4 17. e6 { I had noticed that c7 made a fork if I moved my knight there, and I wanted to weaken a potential small queen. } 17... fxe6 18. Nxe6 c3 19. Nc7+ { My fork, I offer a tower. } 19... Kf7 20. Nxa8 Rxa8 21. b3 { I won't let your pawn go out when I'm not looking! } 21... g5 22. Be3 g4 23. O-O+ Ke7 24. Bxb6 { Au d�but je comptaisjouer Bd4, et puis j'ai vu �a. } 24... Nd2 25. Bc5+ { I keep my chess history to see what I can do with my three pieces. } 25... Ke8 { Et l� tu m'offresun cadeau. } 26. Rf8+ Kd7 27. Rxa8 h5 28. Rd6+ Ke7 29. Rxa7+ Kf8 { e8 m'auraitfait chier quand m�me... Mais bon, la partie �tait pli�e. } 30. Rd8# { Bienjou� le d�but de partie Padre! } 1-0
[Event "League division D2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "06-Jul-06"] [Round "-"] [White "ecfchamps2002"] [Black "arvindmozumdar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1468"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1606"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nc6 4. d5 { I wanted to gain space in the middle. } 4... Ne5 5. Nxe5 { I exchanged Knights so it would double Black's pawns on thee-file. } 5... dxe5 6. Bb5+ { Analysis by Fritz 8 says that White is ahead byalmost a full pawn here. } 6... Bd7 7. Qe2 a6 8. Bxd7+ Qxd7 9. c4 { I made thismove in order to fix Black's pawns on the dark squares in order to limithis Bishop's mobility. } 9... Nf6 10. h3 { This move was made to avoid an exchangeon g4. I did not want to trade Queen's at this point since mine is crucialto holding my position together. I was focused on keeping my Pawns wherethey were. Fritz 8 says I should've made the move Nc3. } 10... b5 11. b3 e6 12. O-O Be7 13. Nc3 O-O { I expected ...b4 here. In that case, I had plannedon trying to get the Knight to b6 via a4. I realize now that the plan wasfaulty and Fritz 8 shows it to be a weak move. } 14. Rd1 exd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Rxd5 { I wanted to control this d-file with my Rooks at any cost. } 16... Qe6 17. Bb2 { I made this move to force Black into the ...f6 move which putanother pawn on the dark-squares, thus blocking his Bishop in even more. } 17... f6 18. Rad1 { Following through with putting my Rooks on the d-file. } 18... Rfd8 19. a3 { I realize now that this wasn't a good move. I didn't want to tradethe Rooks by taking on d8, which is what Fritz 8 suggests. } 19... b4 20. a4 { Ididn't take the Pawn because I knew it would free the Black Bishop. } 20... Rxd5 21. Rxd5 Rd8 22. Qd3 Rxd5 23. Qxd5 Kf7 24. f3 a5 { At this point, the drawwas offered by Black. I was tempted to exchange Queens and knew that theBlack King could not break through. Eventually the Pawns would be exchangedand the Black Bishop would be free to roam. I wasn't sure of my chancesin the endgame so I accepted the draw. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "OTB Chess Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "5/15/17"] [Round "-"] [White "Joe"] [Black "Ted"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "76 min"] [WhiteElo "1284"] { This was an interesting game between me and Ted. Last week, Jack askedhis students if they wanted to continue with the tournament or just takea break and play for fun. That was, bearing that if we played for fun,he would get involve correct blunders to make sure that you were playinggood chess. The idea is similar to how Kenneth_fiore_3 teaches chess becausehe gets into your thought process and, in general, will not you play abad move. And, if you're winning from the opponents mistake, he wouldgive HW and have them figure out how to they could win. Yes, he did inone game. The bad news is that it wasn't too much in this game as he wasmore interested in the game between Mariann and Perry. But, there wasa little involvement after I made a blunder which he pointed out. Afterthat, he was stuck on the other game. And, Ted made a blunder which gotthe advantage back and then some. From there, it was a forced win. So,how did it all go down? } 1. e4 { I start off with my usual. Unlike withsome players, I know Ted's style of play, and this will become the SpanishOpening. I knew this from when I played this and play what I'm most usedto and comfortable with. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 { Infact, I knew that we'd get to this point. But, what Ted does next is somethingthat I haven't seen before. } 5... Bb7 { In all of the other games that I've playedwith him, Ted has played 5...Na5. But, this came first. } 6. d3 { I alsoconsidered 6.d4?? but didn't want into the Noah's Ark Trap again. That'sbecause I now remember from a lesson with Ken in ION's recent annotationbetween and tombulous that you fall into the NOA trap with 6.d4. But,6.d3 and white is fine. And, my intentions are the same which is openingup a line for my Bc1 to bring into play. } 6... Na5 { Ted now plays the move themove that I had anticipated earlier. } 7. Nc3 { Thinking that he would forcethe exchange, I asked myself why waste time when another piece can be developed. The truth is that I'm ahead in development and am trying to take advantageof this. What I forgot is that Ted can play 7...b4 which would force myNc3-e2, leaving me with a semi cramped position. } 7... Bb4 { But, he pins, instead. } 8. Bd2 { And, I break it right away. This time, it's not just because Jacksaid that it was the most common way to break it. Yes, it was one of thereasons. But, the main reason is that if and when he retakes, I can andwill now prevent being forced to double pawns by taking with the B, instead. Were I black, though, I would've captured with 8...Nxb3, but I gatherthat Ted wanted to try something different. } 8... Bxc3 9. Bxc3 Nc6 { As now,Ted brings his back to where it was. However, nothing stops me from winninga pawn on e5. } 10. Bxe5 { And, I didn't capture with my N because I thoughtthat Ted would recapture with his Nc6. Although I'd still be a pawn up,the threat against f7 would be gone. That's because I intend to threatenthat by bringing my Nf3 to g5 or e5, at some point. Also, with this movehis Rook is threatened. } 10... f6 { It's understandable that Ted didn't want toliquidate do to being a pawn down. But, it was necessary here becausethis will remove his pawn on the weakest. And, as we know, you must alwaysbe aware of the f2 and f7 squares as they're the weakest on the board. Once they're gone, you're in trouble, as I've learned with TA's blitzQ sacs. Well, I kept that in mind. } 11. Bxg8 { And, that is exactly whyI exchanged here. I normally would've waited, but on top of the weaknessthat Ted has, this also prevents him from castling. And, as usual, myidea of a good time is being able to take away my opponents right to castle. With those weaknesses, I felt that Ted had something to worry about. } 11... fxe5 12. Bd5 { I also had this in mind when talking about depriving Tedof the right to castle given that the B controls the square where blackwould do this. In other words, one of those files where you castle iscontrolled and attacked. } 12... Rb8 { I don't know why Ted played this. } 13. O-O { But, I waist no time in castling given that I took advantage of theopportunity, with which, I took away from Ted. } 13... Ne7 { As I overlooked, Teddecides to discover an attack on my B. } 14. Nxe5 { ? But, since his Nmoved away from the pawn which was protected, I felt that it was ok totake it. Plus, I'm also threatening 15.Nf7. However, this is where Jackgets involved. And, he was horrified that I played this move. In fact,he asked me why I didn't play 14.Bxb7, and I told him that I was not readyto exchange. Then, Mr. Stockel told me that this was a terrible move. Now, Ted didn't know what to do. But, Jack told him that the best movewas capturing. In it he said, 'Take the Bishop.' The logic was that he'dwin a piece. I realized that this doesn't because, if he takes, I canrecapture. I'm sure that he was thinking of something else. I agree thatthis move is a mistake because preventing the loss of a piece should meanthat he equalizes. } 14... Bxd5 { But, Jack asked me the same question that Kenasked me a similar question to what Ken asked me in our second game. Thistime, it led to a worse mistake. It was a blunder. Jack said, 'Now what? What are you going to do now?' } 15. Qh5+ { ?? I was originally thinkingof 15.exd5. But, asking that question made it seem like I was in trouble. Therefore, I came up with a new plan. My response was that I have toanswer to that and checked this way. He then asked, 'What's that goingto do'? I said that I was thinking about what happened when Perry playeda bad move and allowed me to bring the Queen like this. His response was,'that's not going to work', and I thought he was right because it shouldn'thave.. What I was implying with Perry's move was the Domiano's Defense. In the tournament game against Perry, I was white and he was black. Itstarted off with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6?! 3.Nxf6 exf6?? 4.Qh5 g6 5.Qxe5+ whichallows white to win the Rook. Well, after he asked me that, I thoughtthat this variation might work and, as what I'm generally guilty of, gotvery comfortable and happy with my position. That's because if black messesup, I will get the Rook and have a plan. Luckily, it does work. But,this move is a lot worse then the previous move. His next move is a goodexample which turns it from just happy to Hope Chess where I hope thathe won't see it which will allow me to achieve my goal. It's also worthnoting that after this move, while Jack looked at the game one more time,he didn't get involved any more because the remainder of his time was spenton the other game. } 15... g6 16. Qh6 { Instead of retreating, I advance withthe same plan of winning the Rook. Yet, it's still possible for Ted toretreat his B. } 16... d6 { But, he attacks my N, instead. That was one sign,in which, I figured out that my plan would work. When something like thishappens and he attacks, I give it to him, or as I'll apply with what Charlessaid in his annotation, the Greek Gift. So, if it black takes, I get somethingworth more. } 17. Qg7 { Thus, I continue with my plan. And, as anticipated,he takes. In doing so, I not only get a Rook, but I'll win an additionalpiece for pawn. This will put black to the equivalent of a piece behind. That was the plan behind my unsound 15.Qh5+?? if plan A failed which itdid. Then, I worked on plan B. However, it shouldn't have worked, asblack could've left me behind by getting his Bd5 out of harm's way, earlier. For example, 17...Rg8 which drives the Q back and allows him to get hisBd5 to safety. In fact, something like that happened in a very recentgame where I thought that I was winning my opponents Queen with the planto pin it. But, I overlooked that he would just take my N with his Queen,after which, I resigned as there was nothing else to learn. } 17... dxe5 18. Qxh8+ Kd7 19. Qxd8+ Rxd8 20. exd5 Nxd5 21. Rfe1 { With that being said, I go rightafter Ted's e pawn, as I don't want it to become a passer. } 21... Re8 { And, Tedprotects it. } 22. c4 { So, I go right after his N. } 22... bxc4 23. Rad1 { Insteadof recapturing right away which allows the N to escape, I see the potentialto pin and win. Thus, I would get back the piece I lost earlier and goway ahead. } 23... Nb4 { But, Ted sees and runs away. } 24. dxc4+ { So, I throw inthe discover check by recapturing, at once. } 24... Kc8 25. a3 { And, instead ofgiving up my pawn, I attack his N. When Ted retreat... } 25... Nc6 26. b4 { Iplan to attack it again by advancing my b pawn. } 26... Nd4 { ?? Seeing the planTed played this but missed something crucial. As now, I've not only compensated,but I get back the piece that I lost and then some by remembering whatION said about short range tactics. } 27. Rxd4 exd4 { ?? As I saw what'scoming. Thus, by taking, I'll be a R and pawn up without compensationsince black will be in check using the same short range tactics. } 28. Rxe8+ { With that, I'd say that the position is pretty much resignable forTed. He can hope that I go wrong and stalemate him. But, I've got waysto prevent, as I'm considered to be, perhaps, the strongest student inthe chess club, according to Jack himself (which is why I get less timethen everyonelse in the tournament and will likely give an even biggerhandicap in the tourney.) With that being said, I won't be giving Teda chance of counterplay. } 28... Kb7 29. Rd8 { I saw where he might try, though,as Ted has a passed pawn, and this is it. I must be careful to preventthe possibility of him promoting. That's why I'm bound to take it. } 29... d3 { Why I also say that the position is pretty much resignable is that thereis one move that would've delayed me from taking this pawn. That was 29...c5,but after 30.bxc5 that pawn would fall as I'd take on the following move. } 30. Rxd3 Kb6 { Bringing his K into action. } 31. c5+ { But, using what I rememberabout pawn chains, I place Ted in check right away. I think that betterwould've been 31.Rd5 to prevent his K from coming down as what happens. } 31... Kc6 32. Rf3 { Meanwhile, I attempt to target his c7 or h7 pawns. } 32... Kb5 33. Rh3 { I thought that this was a better way to do it. I also ideas of promotingmy f2, g2, or h2 pawns. If I didn't fixate on that, I would've just played33.Re7 right away which would get one of those pawns. } 33... Ka4 { Trying to getsome compensation, Ted plays this. As he is threatening three of my pawns. I'm familiar with this pattern as I saw a similar example in the WTW consultationgame between brigadecommander and stalhandske. As I suggested a move thatwas bad, and stalhandske made me go by my suggestion and play that in herposition so that I'd learn why it's bad. Sure enough, as he would've wontwo pawns in a similar, and I'm keeping that in mind because I have notintention of allowing Ted to win back material. } 34. f4 { I would've played34.Rxh7 but didn't want him to get my a3 pawn. That's because after 34.Rxh7Kxa3 35.Rxc7 Kxb3, nothing would stop Ted from getting a pawn back with36...Kxc5. What I overlooked is that 36.c6 would've stopped that. So,better was to take right away on h7. } 34... a5 { As this move took me off guard. } 35. bxa5 { However, this move prevents Ted from getting a pawn back. And, when he recaptures... } 35... Kxa5 36. Rxh7 { I take at once with this move. } 36... c6 { Not surprisingly, Ted protects. } 37. Ra7+ { So, I throw in a nasty check. Of course, my plan is to promote my a pawn by remembering that the R belongsbehind the passed pawn. } 37... Kb5 38. a4+ { With that, I also remember that passedpawns must be pushed. Thus, I anticipate Ted's next move. } 38... Kxc5 39. Ra8 { Therefore, I leave more room for my passed pawn by bringing the R furtherback. My plan is to keep pushing my passed pawn, until it reaches theseventh rank. That way, I'd be able to play Rb8, which would enable thepromotion. } 39... Kb6 { Not surprisingly, Ted goes after my R. } 40. a5+ { So,I continue with my plan. } 40... Kb7 { I did see this coming, as I'm forced toabandon my passed pawn to protect the R. So, I come up with a differentplan that will work. That is, to win his g pawn. } 41. Rg8 c5 { What I overlookedis that his c pawn is a passer. So, he can still try for counterplay usingHope Chess. That is, hoping that I won't see his plan which would enablehim to promote. But, I see his plan and am thinking about how to handleit. The idea is not to throw away your advantage or win by underestimatingyour opponent. Thus, despite being way ahead, I must be careful, and Iam. As right after this move, I see what Ted is planning to do and haveevery intention to stop it. I start by taking his g pawn. } 42. Rxg6 c4 { As I asked myself the question that Susan mentions, and that's, 'What'sto do'. But, I found the answer to that. } 43. Rg5 { As this move is whatallows my R to reach the same file as his pawn, thus, putting an end tohis threat. } 43... c3 { But, I can still understand where Ted is hoping that I'llmake the mistake and forget about the pawn. Afterall, when you're at adisadvantage like this, the only you can do is Hope Chess. And, that'sby hoping that you're opponent will make a mistake and not see the threat. But, I know what he wants. } 44. Rc5 { And, this is where I stop it. That'sbecause no matter what he does, I'll take his pawn. And, even when hegets my a5 pawn, he's just left with his K against my K+R+3 pawns. Thus,there is no hope for him left. That's because in addition to what I justsaid, I'm not going to give him a lucky break by allowing stalemate, ifTed decides to continue. } 44... Ka6 45. Rxc3 Kxa5 46. Rc1 { Right after this move,Ted resigned. He implied that this was a lost position by admitting thatthere he has nothing left. Had he not resigned, I would've played 47.Rb1to keep his monarch confined to the a file. Then, I would just keep pushingmy f pawn until it promoted. After the promotion, I would've checkmateon a8 with that promoted pawn. Overall, I enjoyed how this game went,but it still shows that I need to work on my assessment. This time, Igave Jack a ride to his house, as it was raining like cats and dogs. But,while we were sitting and talking, Jack said that he was upset that I played14.Nxe5 As first, one piece was hanging and then, I hung another. Thus,I was too advanced to be making a mistake like that. Well, he was wrongabout my 14th move. But, I made that very mistake on the 15th move. Tryingto treat it like a Domiano's Defense, left me with 2 pieces attacked. I could and should've wound up the equivalent to a pawn down. But, I gotlucky that Ted blundered and allowed me to catch up on the game. However,I'm gonna have to still work on my assessment as judging the position accuratelyis crucial. A mistake has costed me multiple games, including two of mymost recent games, both of which ended earlier today. } 1-0
[Event "Clean Up - Part 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.23"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1042"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1823"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! After two low draws and then a loss in my secondgame against dynamic_dv which at the moment I cannot bear to annotate,I am glad to report a successful mating attack. My opponent plays a veryunusual line of the Sicilian Defense which is characterised by 1. e4 c5. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 a5 { 2. ...... a5 - most unusual. } 3. d4 e6 4. Be3 { 4. Be3 - thestandard d4 is followed by some normal development. } 4... Nc6 { 4. ..... Nc6?- a developing move but loses a pawn. } 5. dxc5 { 5. dxc5 - tvm! } 5... Nb4 6. a3 Na6 7. Bxa6 bxa6 { 7. ...... Bxa6 - I cannot overcome my fetish for exchangingB for N in order to bust up opponent's pawn structures. Sometimes it worksand sometimes it doesn't. Here it does. } 8. Nbd2 { 8. Nbd2 - development. } 8... Nf6 9. b4 { 9. b4 - consolidation of queenside pawn structure. } 9... Ng4 10. Bd4 { 10. Bd4 - I sense Fou Lenoir is gonna do a grand job here. Next turnI will not be disappointed. } 10... g6 { 10. ...... g6?? - is this a ChristmasBonus?! } 11. Bxh8 { 11. Bxh8 - one rook gratefully received. } 11... f6 { 11. .....f6 - tries to shut in Fou Lenoir but it ain't gonna work. } 12. e5 { 12.e5! - It ain't gonna work cos this move backs up f6 to allow Fou Lenoirto emerge from the black camp and I will therefore remain a whole rookand pawn up. } 12... axb4 13. axb4 { 13. axb4 - pawn trade. } 13... Bh6 14. Ne4 { 14. Ne4- my opponent's king is looking very draughty in the centre. Glenda isjust itching to get onto d6. My opponent decides to give the f6 pawn backup with his king but still I take on f6 with Fou Lenoir. } 14... Kf7 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 { 15. ..... Nxf6 - firstly black returns the compliment with a B forN trade. Now I take the knight on f6 and increase my lead to 7 materialpoints. } 16. Nxf6 Qc7 17. Qd6 { 17. Qd6 - offering a queen trade which herefuses. } 17... Qd8 18. O-O { 18. 0-0 - time to make use of that extra rook. } 18... Bf8 19. Ng5+ { 19. Ng5+ - the seed of a plan of attack on the black royalcouple starts to germinate in the grey stuff between my lugholes. No needto back Glenda off yet. Seems unbelievable that it is not Glenda but hercounterpart the Witch that is stuck on the back rank! } 19... Kg7 20. Nxe6+ { 20. Nxe6+ - the seed germinates and flowers into a won position for white. I can exchange queens here but my opponent gives me the opportunity todo something a lot lot better ...... } 20... Kh6 21. Qd2+ { 21. Qd2+ and #2. Mygut feeling came to the fore. Before the usage of analyse the board Ithought Qd2+ looked good. I played it out on analyse the board but itsaid check and not mate. However, I then noticed the BK had no legal moves,aha. So would Qxg5 be mate? The detector said yes, so I set up the movesg5 and Qxg5# as conditionals. My opponent duly played into them. Nice. } 21... g5 22. Qxg5# 1-0
[Event "The Annotation Project II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.12"] [Round "-"] [White "8ballphoenix"] [Black "ledzepp"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1656"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1554"] 1. f4 { At last I have a bit of time for another annotation. I choose toannotate this one as it was my first game as white in the tournament, anda very enjoyable game, not least for the forced mate-in-8 at the end. Again,starting at move 7. } 1... d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. e4 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Bxf7+ Kd7 7. Qxg4+ { The starting position. } 7... Nxg4 { Blacks obvious move. } 8. Be6+ Kc6 { Kc6 seems the most popular choice here, } 9. Bxg4 { Up to here is standardstuff - white has to take the knight or there is simply not enough compensationfor the queen. } 9... e5 { And now the battle commences. As black, I play to exchangein an attempt to make my material advantage count more as the game goeson, therefore as white I'd rather avoid exchanges. As white, It seems Ineed to find a balance between developing my pieces whilst trying to keepblack restricted at the same time. } 10. Nf7 { Forking queen and rook, thoughI'm not interested in the rook as I don't think I can afford to lose oneof my two active pieces. I'm more interested in getting it into a betterposition. } 10... Qf6 11. Nxe5+ { Capturing the pawn with tempo, and getting myknight better placed. } 11... Kb6 12. Nc3 { Developing is vital if white is tostand a chance against blacks stronger army. Threatens d5+, and indirectlyprotects the f-pawn. } 12... c6 { Giving the king a retreat option, and coveringd5 but blocking c6 from the knight. } 13. d4 { Preparing to develop the bishop,which also now covers f4. If back wants the d-pawn that's fine by me. } 13... Bb4 { Pins the knight and clears space for the h8 rook. } 14. a3 { I don'tmind exchanging here, even at the expense of doubled pawns. It'll givethe d-pawn some protection, remove his DSB (my king is on a black square,and would remain so if I castled.), half open the b-file for my rook (oppositehis king), and give a1-h8 diagonal options for my DSB. Only downside isI can't pick off the d-pawn, but I'm happy for that to stay there - itblocks his rook from my king. } 14... Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Re8 16. O-O { My knight issafe at the mo. No point in Rb1+ yet as he'll probably escape to c7, whereI have no chance of an attack yet, so whilst things are fairly under control,king away and rook out opposite queen. } 16... h5 17. Bh3 { I expected this atsome point, but that's as far as he can get for now so the bishop is stillsafe on the h3-c8 diagonal, and I'd like to keep c8 and d7 unavailablefor the king, and keeping the b8 knight at bay, thus blocking that otherrook too. If the b8 knight comes out to a6 then it has nowhere else togo from there. (I'd love to get the f1 rook down to f7, then do somethinginvolving the other rook to b1 and the LSB onto f1 for the f1-a6 diagonalbut can't see a way of achieving it yet.) } 17... Rd8 { That doesn't help withgetting the Knight out so is he looking at ...e6 with designs on my d pawn? } 18. Be3 { Easily defended, with potential for a discovered check. The fpawn is also protected by the Rf8. } 18... Kc7 19. Rad1 { Psychologically thisfeels good to me. All my pieces are involved. Black still has 2 piecesat home, and a queen with not much scope for action. Of course, I can'tstop ...Nd7 now, as I can only win the exchange not a whole piece, andI'd rather not lose 2 active pieces for 2 inactive pieces. } 19... Rd5 { I maynever know if he wanted the d-pwan, but I'm sure he's now looking at thea pawn, with a view to a Q-side pawn storm. } 20. c4 Ra5 { He's welcome totry. As far as I'm concerned, it's a once active piece now out on the sidelines.I don't plan on giving the Q-side pawns time to get very far. } 21. c5 { Timemy knight woke up. He's off to d6. } 21... Rxa3 22. Nc4 Rc3 23. Nd6 Rxe3 { Rxe3??.I saw e8+ as a threat for the knight, but only a threat as I didn't reallyexpect to be able to play it. I was simply trying to use threats to keepblacks active pieces busy whilst moving mine into better positions. } 24. Ne8+ { But as I was allowed to play it, it would have seemed so wrong notto. (having checked for obvious traps of course, but with a lone rook?No chance! Now I'm starting to smell a win. } 24... Kd8 25. Nxf6 a5 { here comethe pawns, releasing the rook too. } 26. d5 { Intending opening the d file. } 26... Ke7 27. d6+ { He's welcome to the knight. It simplifies matters. If ...Kxf6then d7. Either I queen, or he loses a rook for my knight and pawn, or... } 27... Kxf6 28. d7 Nxd7 29. Rxd7 { ... I lose the pawn outright, but how many squaresdoes his king have available? } 29... a4 30. Rfd1 { The end is in sight. } 30... Rxh3 { Mate in 8. } 31. R1d6+ { The rook can stay there. It's not in my way onh3! } 31... Kf5 { The rook can stay there. It's not in my way on h3! Mate in 7 } 32. Rf7+ Kg4 33. Rxg6+ Kh4 34. g3+ Rxg3+ 35. hxg3+ Kh3 36. Rh7 { And blackresigns, due to ...Rh8 being the only defence to Rxh5. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.06.10"] [Round "-"] [White "hamed36"] [Black "dayneuhde"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1474"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1493"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 { Two knights defense. } 4. Ng5 d5 { Ulvestadvariation. } 5. exd5 Nxd5 { Lolli attack. } 6. Qf3 Qxg5 7. Bxd5 Be6 { Bd7 wouldprobably have been better. Alternatively, Qg6 gives black a new line ofattack while defending the black knight. } 8. Bxc6+ Kd8 9. Bxb7 Rb8 10. O-O Bd6 11. d4 exd4 { Oops. The reason white could move that d2 pawn nowand not before castling was because otherwise black would get Bc1 for free. } 12. Bxg5+ Kd7 { While black can ill afford material trades, Be7 would makethe game last longer. The f6 interposition does not work well becauseBxP+. PxB, QxB+ and black must move Kd7 or lose the h rook. White wouldprobably not trade a bishop for two pawns, but instead threaten black'sblack bishop with Bf4. } 13. Qc6# 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.21"] [Round "-"] [White "friend_of_bills"] [Black "gatorwarrior"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1481"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1384"] 1. e4 { standard e4 pawn opening } 1... e5 { blockading and keeping the centerdeadlocked } 2. f4 { king's gambit!here the position gets crazy and chaotic,instead of doing my usual decline move of Qh4 which is really kind of stupid,I accept the gambit and play by the book at least for now.... } 2... exf4 { theexecutioner in black! } 3. Nf3 { i might of seen this before, it looks prettysolid he's gong for e5 with support } 3... d6 { stopping the advancement ice cold } 4. d4 { subway eat Fresh pawn } 4... Qf6 { protect Fresh pawn and .............that'sabout it } 5. Bc4 { slice and dice bishop attack } 5... Nc6 { developmental andalso probably pretty worthless } 6. O-O { castling strongside, wheels ofsteel in the making. good tune come to think of it, need to add that tomy blog sometime, any way moving on } 6... Nge7 { apaprently not wanting to doNa6 or move the queen I settle for blocading my bishop temporarily, urk..............? } 7. Nc3 { developing the center pawn fortress. And how did I win again.......... } 7... Bg4 { pin. nice piece of work to bad there's still Be2 or h3 nullifyingit or forcing the exchange possibley } 8. Nb5 { going for Forking station,too bad i've seen that train coming and know I've got another thing comingfrom the knight of Judas and his faithful priest } 8... Rc8 { protect Calvin,Hobbs } 9. b4 { now I bite my tongue and say what in the world. I guess Nxb4is followed by Nxa7 so no point really I'll just chase the knight out ofhouse and home sweet home and back to his scarvey motley crue } 9... a6 { on guardwalk the plank matey! } 10. e5 { kill the pretty lady with the flower inher hat.........ok,time for some weird counterplay courtesy of Bill's friend.[ which I sadly don't know bill] } 10... dxe5 { exchange } 11. dxe5 { looks likei'm a fool for half a second and have attempted and suceeded almost inqueened suicide, but there is hope,run away or how about brilliance andtake the pawn the knight's pinned afterall............... } 11... Nxe5 { POP goesthe weasel. and oh yeah the fun is just beginning! } 12. Qd4 { ooh, how abouta lot of fun now, time for the bloodbath and heavy metal thunder! } 12... Nxf3+ { Ride the wind..............Queenie and take a little drop of Poison backto your town. } 13. gxf3 { avoided barbarism of king death } 13... Bh3 { and takethat you scarvy dogs! } 14. Rd1 { and now time to play cautious checkmatethreat on d7....... } 14... axb5 { actually i lied my friends and that was whathe missed, Bishop guarding d7. You call my bluff? } 15. Bf1 { other thansaving the bishop, leaving the queen up for auction and trying to bluffme into a quick stupid capture followed by mate [ which I almost foolishlytook [ah shucks too bad that queen is sitting there hanging by a noose!]Thismove ulitmately almost accomplishes nothing. } 15... Qxd4+ { Hi, queeen too badthey outlawed gullitines,I was really looking foward that, i guess I'lllhave to be satisifed with the simple sword threat to the chest method. } 16. Rxd4 { of course I've got another thing coming from the battery so whatcan one say?? } 16... Bxf1 { time to trade down and savor that advantage of mine } 17. Kxf1 { wow on the replay that looked abrupt. } 17... Ng6 { and why bother? } 18. Bd2 { and yet he's letting my pawn live? } 18... Bd6 { ok if that's how he wantsto play it } 19. a4 { trying to get anything now } 19... bxa4 { the exchange } 20. c4 { the oddity? } 20... O-O { Dam*, I totally missed Be5 here!, argh now I'm screaming,of course it probably worked because of Re4+, aw well,goes to show I'mjust an itsy bitsy overreactive } 21. Rxa4 { protecting pawn? which is notin danger? } 21... Be5 { now i spot, maybe earlier would of been better? } 22. Re4 { well of course, be my guest and threatening me in ignorance } 22... Rcd8 { counterattackor more like just simple ignorant threat } 23. Ke1 { protector and strongman bruce goodguy. } 23... Rfe8 { setting up fun discoverd pin! } 24. h4 { Drat,it'sa crazy ruffian! } 24... Nxh4 { did i mention that pawn was a little out there? } 25. Ke2 { Curses Foiled Again! } 25... Bd6 { AhHa, Magnifico, almost as astoundingas TO's stellar play. [Actually i'd say it's slighty better no offenseTO] } 26. Rxe8+ { the only logical explanation! } 26... Rxe8+ { Jinkies! } 27. Kf2 { Like Zoinks! } 27... Ng6 { drop back into a defensive scene } 28. Bc3 { Puppy Power! } 28... b6 { anyone want to sacrificea bishop on g7 for a scooby snack? } 29. Bd4 { oh yeah I forgot that bishop's middle name is Scrappy McDon't } 29... c5 { tada,is that all you got you mangy mutt? } 30. bxc5 { no i capture back and stayin game } 30... bxc5 { big chief says no, you no stay in game, I up 6 point } 31. Bb2 { run awAy big river } 31... h5 { Dang we just ran over a Hairy roadkill, thankyou we're passed it, that stench was almost unbearable. Good game, Friend_of_bills,well defended until it got pastor close to it. Until we meet again, G Warrior! } 0-1
[Event "Challenge from atom842"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.06.03"] [Round "-"] [White "atom842"] [Black "jamieofthenorth"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1148"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1297"] 1. Nf3 { I'm going to annotate using the notes I made as the game progressedas well as any other observations I make looking this over after the factnow. } 1... c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d4 e6 4. Nc3 Qa5 5. Bd2 Qb4 6. Nd5 { A bit of a gamble,betting that Jamie will preserve his Q with Qxb2 and allow me to fork withNc7+. } 6... Qxc4 7. Nc7+ Kd8 8. Nxa8 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 { Traded the knight to preventhim forking me the same way. Would've liked Ne5, but it wouldn't have stoppedhis fork. Oh well. } 9... Qxd4 10. b3 { Rg5+ would be so much cooler if that stupidpawn at c5 wasn't there. Took me a while to find a move I liked here. b3seemed like the best move to hold onto that pawn. I didn't see any benefitin letting his Q onto the 7th rank. } 10... Nf6 11. e3 Qe5 { Pushed the Queenback a little but I don't have much of a plan. Considering putting thewhite bishop into the field to open the bottom rank for castling. } 12. Be2 h6 13. Qc2 { I think the h6 was out of habit, maybe? I don't have mybishop in position for a pin, but it blocks it if I decided to do it lateron g5. I'm just not a huge fan of a6 or h6 anymore. Moving my Q out tothreaten his with a bishop in a move or two and then I could force a tradewith Bcxf6 and make him start stacking pawns. } 13... Qxa1+ { ...and then I sawmy mistake as soon as I hit submit. Should have paid more attention. Thisis going to hurt. } 14. Bd1 d5 15. Bc3 { Time to regroup. Bxf6 is less attractivethan it was, but I need to make up for the idiot move I just made. } 15... Qxd1+ { Pretty this last move by Jamie was a mistake. I see nothing wrong withQxd1. } 16. Qxd1 Ne4 17. Qc2 Nd6 18. O-O { Now I've got to start aligningmy forces and work on pressing my advantage. Hopefully this ends with amate for white. } 18... Ne4 19. Ba1 b6 20. f3 Nf6 21. Bxf6+ { Looked like a goodtrade to me. Finally got those stacked pawns. Hoping for 21. ... gxf6 22.b4 cxb4 23. Qc7+ } 21... gxf6 22. b4 Bb7 23. Nxb6 axb6 24. b5 c4 25. Rd1 Bc5 26. Qa4 Bxe3+ 27. Kf1 d4 28. Qxc4 Bd5 29. Qa4 Ke7 30. Qa7+ Kd6 31. Qxb6+ Ke5 32. Qc7+ { Just going to try to keep picking off pawns and hopefully capitalizeon an errant move. Not really trying to force anything just yet. } 32... Kf5 33. Qxf7 Bc4+ 34. Ke1 d3 35. Qh5+ { Looks like I could luck out on mate herewith 35. Qh5+ Kf4 36. g3# I'll cross my fingers and hope he doesn't movethe bishop. } 35... Kf4 36. g3# { Jamie told me he's been really busy with worklately and I think luck played a big part in this victory. I will attemptto learn all of my opponents' professions and time my games accordingly.Teachers= end of May/early June. Accountants= early to mid April. Astronauts,cowboys, and world presidents... I got nothing. } 1-0
[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "EB"] [Black "RW"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "ECF198"] [TimeControl "30moves in 75m +15m"] [WhiteElo "ECF156"] { This is a game I played in the North Essex League recently. 'The big fishthat got away!' } 1. d4 { 1.d4 seemed my best choice against a much strongeropponent, avoiding the highly tactical versions of the more open e4. } 1... d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 e6 { Game knot openings database gives this as one of thepoorer choices for black. } 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O { A quiet opening whichsuited me fine. } 6. Nbd2 { Apparently not the best choice for white. } 6... Nbd7 7. c3 b6 8. Qc2 { Aiming at e5. } 8... Ba6 9. Re1 Rc8 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 c5 { I was hoping for 12....Nf6 so I could play 13.Qc6, but blackis alive to this. } 13. Be3 { Developing and supporting d4. } 13... Nf6 14. Qc2 Bb7 15. Rad1 { QR develops } 15... Be4 { Black continues to drive white's queenand claims the centre with his magnificent bishop. } 16. Qc1 Qc7 17. dxc5 Qb7 18. Nh4 { Black is threatening to win the night so it has to move andprotect the bishop on g2. } 18... Bxc5 19. Bd4 { I don't want to take on c5 anddevelop black's rook. } 19... Bxd4 20. Rxd4 Bd5 { Black decides not to 'blink first'and exchange the white bishops. } 21. Qd2 h6 22. c4 { Claiming d4. } 22... Bc6 23. b3 Nh7 { If black gets the N to g5, I'm in all kinds of trouble. } 24. f4 { So I feel forced to play f4, leaving my king rather exposed. } 24... Nf6 25. Rd1 b5 26. h3 { I need to avoid the possible pin on d4. } 26... bxc4 27. bxc4 { Maintainingcontrol of the d-file } 27... Ne4 28. Qe3 f5 { Black confessed afterwards thatf5 was a poor decision. } 29. Ng6 { I need to take advantage of this to releasemy position. } 29... Rfe8 30. Ne5 Ba4 { Time control reached. I have 3mins leftand black 20mins; we add 15mins to finish the game. } 31. Bxe4 fxe4 32. R1d2 Qb1+ 33. Kg2 Bc2 34. Rd7 { This looks like an opportunity not to bemissed! } 34... Kh7 { With the view to play Rg8 to protect possible double attackon g7. So this is the key position. What should white do next? Take sometime to think about it, ....but I only have 10 minutes left! } 35. Rxg7+ { Surely this is a straight-forward win, after I check again and doubleR & Q on the 7th rank? } 35... Kxg7 36. Qxa7+ Kh8 37. Rd7 { A blunder! } 37... e3 { I hadmissed this move completely. h7 is now well defended and black threatensmate in return. } 38. Nf7+ { Nothing else to do. } 38... Kh7 39. Ng5+ Kg8 40. Rg7+ Kh8 { And now if I play 41. Nf7 I lose another rook, so in Zeitnot I play41.g4? in more hope than expectation. In fact Nf7ch was the best move andwhite can then at least hold a draw. e.g. 41...KxR, 42.Ng5ch Kg7, 43.Qf7ch Kh8, 44.Qf6ch, Kg7 45.Qf7ch etc. } 41. g4 Be4+ 42. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 43. Kg3 e2 { White resigns. So here's the puzzle for you....how should whitehave played the game to force mate from move 35? } 0-1
[Event "Englands Mini Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.24"] [Round "-"] [White "aspiemikey"] [Black "badge32"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1291"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1409"] 1. e4 { The king's pawn opening. My usual opening move as white. Gives myqueen and light-square bishop freedom, and potentially threatens checkmatequickly. } 1... e5 { The king's pawn game. My opponent is possibly hoping to checkmatequickly, too. } 2. d4 { The centre game. I have a high success rate withthis opening sequence of moves. My dark-square bishop is free, too, andI have control of three diagonals. } 2... Nc6 { He develops his knight to attackmy queen's pawn and defend his king's pawn... } 3. dxe5 Nxe5 { ...so we swappawns... } 4. Nf3 { ...and I delay bringing out my queen one move, insteadattacking his knight with mine... } 4... Nxf3+ 5. Qxf3 { ...and we swap knights.My queen sits nicely on the 3rd rank, placing me ahead on development. } 5... Nf6 { He now develops his remaining knight... } 6. Bg5 { ...so I develop mydark-square bishop, attacking the knight, forcing it to act as a pin forthe queen... } 6... d6 7. Nc3 { ...and I develop my remaining knight, allowingme to castle queenside... } 7... Be7 { ...and he moves out his bishop to allowhis knight to move away, and to castle kingside... } 8. O-O-O { ...and Icastle queenside, placing my rook on the d-file, threatening e5, a pawnfork on the d6-pawn and knight... } 8... O-O { ...and he castles kingside to allowthis to happen... } 9. e5 { ...here. If he keeps his knight on f6, he eitherloses it for a pawn, or he loses his queen for a rook and pawn... } 9... Nd7 { ...so he moves it out of harm's way... } 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 { ...so we tradebishops... } 11. exd6 cxd6 { ...and pawns, creating an isolated pawn on d6... } 12. Qd5 { ...so I line it up with my queen, covered by her rook... } 12... Nc5 13. Qxd6 { ...and remove it, giving me the slightest of advantages - a singlepawn. } 13... Qg5+ { Now he checks my king with his queen... } 14. Qd2 { ...so Iblock with mine, looking to exchange, being ahead on material. } 14... Qg4 { Hemoves his queen out of my queen's attacking line, eyeing up my kingsideknight's pawn, should my bishop drop its guard... } 15. Qe3 { ...so I movemine to attack his knight... } 15... Bf5 { ...but this was a gamebreaking move.Bringing out his bishop and leaving his knight en prise, no doubt hopingto threaten checkmate in two moves, when the e4 square was covered by myknight... } 16. Qxc5 { ...allows me to steal his knight with my queen. Ihave 31 points, he has 27. } 16... Qg5+ { He checks my king with his queen again... } 17. Qe3 { ...so I block with mine again, higher up. I have more of a reasonfor like-for-like exchanges now: I have a more significant advantage. } 17... Qg6 { He moves his queen away, keeping my KNP under her attack, behind herbishop, on its line... } 18. Bd3 { ...so I attack his bishop with mine, allowingme to win at least one piece, with my bishop being on the same diagonalas his bishop and queen. I have also connected my rooks... } 18... Bxd3 19. Qxd3 { ...so we trade our remaining bishops, leaving our queens as the only piecesthat can move diagonally. I now have 28 points, he has 24. } 19... Qxg2 { He finallycaptures the pawn his queen was threatening... } 20. Qg3 { ...and I attackher with my queen... } 20... Qc6 { ...forcing her to the only safe place. } 21. Rhg1 { I now place a rook behind my queen, threatening mate in one move... } 21... g6 { ...but he moves the threatened pawn to avoid this... } 22. h4 { ...soI move my rook's pawn to threaten it... } 22... h5 { ...but he stops it with hisrook's pawn... } 23. f4 { ...so I move my bishop's pawn to threaten fromthe other side... } 23... f5 { ...and again he stops it with his bishop's pawn.However, his knight's pawn has lost the protection from its neighbours,with only the queen covering... } 24. Qxg6+ { ...so I win back the pawn,opening up the g-file, also performing a royal fork... } 24... Qxg6 25. Rxg6+ { ...and I finally get the queen exchange I was looking for. I have 18 points,he has 14. } 25... Kf7 26. Rdd6 { I now double my rooks on the 6th rank, boxingthe king onto his bottom two... } 26... Rfe8 { ...and although his rook takes theopen e-file... } 27. Rdf6+ { ...I check with one of mine... } 27... Ke7 { ...forcinghim onto his only safe square... } 28. Nd5+ { ...so my knight can come upto help... } 28... Kd7 29. Rg7+ { ...and my rook checks again... } 29... Kc8 { ...to forcehim onto his starting rank, but on the same shade square as my knight... } 30. Ne7+ { ...so my knight can check him again on the 7th rank... } 30... Kb8 { ...butas he keeps his king on his starting rank, with my knight covering theg8 square... } 31. Rg8 { ...I can skewer his rook on that square... } 31... Rxg8 32. Nxg8 { ...so I can exchange rooks. What I intended to do next was tohoover up the pawns on f5 and h5 to make mine on f4 and h4 passed. } 32... Kc7 { As he moves his king off his starting rank... } 33. Nh6 { ...my knight mustretreat. It is also threatening the f-pawn... } 33... Re8 { ..and although hisremaining rook takes the open e-file... } 34. Rxf5 { ...mone can hoover uphis kingside bishop's pawn, making mine passed... } 34... Re1+ { ...and his rooklands on my king's starting rank... } 35. Kd2 { ..forcing him off it, tohis only safe square. } 35... Ra1 { His rook threatens my queenside rook's pawn... } 36. a3 { ...so I move it to its only safe place... } 36... Ra2 { ...and his rookthreatens my knight's pawn... } 37. Kc3 { ...so I move my king to protectit... } 37... Ra1 38. Rxh5 { ...and my rook can hoover up his kinsgide rook's pawn,making mine passed. } 38... Rf1 { He threatens my bishop's pawn on the kingside... } 39. f5 { ...so I move it up, into my rook's path. } 39... Kd7 { He's obviously hopingto threaten my pieces with his king, although only the rook can be threatened... } 40. Kd4 { ...so I move my king closer to my kingside bishop's pawn... } 40... Ke7 { ...and as his king moves closer... } 41. Ng8+ { ...I check him with my knight... } 41... Kf7 { ...but he moves onto a light square, the same shade as my knight's... } 42. Nh6+ { ...so it checks him again. I didn't know what to do next... } 42... Kg7 43. Kc3 { ...so I move my king back one rank. I was thinking of Ng4then Rg5, to allow my kingside pawns to advance to the 6th rank... } 43... Rd1 44. Ng4 { ...and I move my knight to the g4 square to cover the f6 and h6squares my pawn were hoping to move into... } 44... Rg1 { ...and although his rookmovs behind my knight, no doubt hoping to surprise it... } 45. Rg5+ { ...myrook protects it, checking the king... } 45... Kf8 46. h5 { ...so my rook's pawnadvances to the 5th rank, into the rook's protection. } 46... Rg3+ { His rook checkson the 3rd rank... } 47. Kb4 { ...so I move my king up one, to avoid beingchecked on the 2nd rank. } 47... Rg2 { His rook lines up my pawns on the 2nd rank... } 48. f6 { ...but I can't understand why I move up my kingside bishop's pawnthere... } 48... Rxc2 { ...when I was clearly about to lose my queenside one... } 49. h6 { ...and I also can't understand why I moved up my kingside rook'spawn... } 49... Rxb2+ { ...when my queenside knight's pawn was also under attack,and that losing it would result in check. } 50. Kc3 { I move my king to attackthe rook... } 50... Rb6 { ...so he moves it as back for cover from its pawn. } 51. Rg7 { With his king on his starting rank, I move my rook to the my 7th rank,hoping to advance my kingside rook's pawn to h7, and possibly to checkmatewith promotion... } 51... Rc6+ { ...but as his rook checks again... } 52. Kb2 { ...Imove my king close to my queenside pawn, for cover... } 52... Re6 { ...but movinghis rook along the rank without checking... } 53. h7 { ...allowed my kingsiderook's pawn to advance to the 7th rank, and cover the g8 square: shouldmy opponent's rook threaten it from behind, Rg8+ will distract the king,and queening will cover it. } 53... Re2+ { He checks on the 2nd rank... } 54. Kc1 { ...so I drop my king onto his starting rank... } 54... Re1+ { ...and he checksagain, on my bottom rank... } 55. Kd2 { ...so I threaten his rook... } 55... Rh1 { ...and he moves it to threaten my pawn from behind... } 56. Rg8+ { ...soI move up my rook to check his king and distract him... } 56... Kf7 { ...forcinghim to his only available square... } 57. h8=Q { ...allowing my pawn to thefar right-hand corner to queen... } 57... Rxh8 { ...and as his rook captures her... } 58. Rxh8 { ...I can capture his rook... } 58... a5 59. Rh7+ { ...and check him onemore time... } 59... Kf8 { ...and as his king moves onto his starting rank, again... } 60. Rxb7 { ...my rook can hoover up another pawn, with his only remainingpawn about to be blocked by mine on a3... } 60... Ke8 61. Kc3 { ...so I advancemy king to close his down, to get into his position for my rook to mate... } 61... a4 { ...and his pawn advances to the square where it can move no more... } 62. Kd4 Kf8 63. Ke5 Kg8 64. Kf5 Kf8 65. Kg6 Kg8 66. Rb8# { ...and I keepmy king moving, up to the 6th rank, and with my opponent moving his kingonto the same file, my rook could advance to the top rank for a king androok checkmate. } 1-0
[Event "A surprising queen sacrifice"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.02.06"] [Round "-"] [White "rmannstaedt"] [Black "larrahun"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1880"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1832"] 1. b4 { The Sokolsky, an opening I employ occasionally with rather goodresults; nobody seems to know how to play against it, and the mix of positionalplay and tactical tension suits me fine. It's also basically asymmetricalin nature, leading to dynamic, fluid positions with little chance of endingending in a draw. } 1... e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 { The most common continuation, usuallyleading to sharp positions where White may have to play carefully. Longer-termhe may find a positional bonus in the exchange, as he now has a surplusof center pawns, but his kingside is often a bit soft for a long while. } 3. Bxe5 Nf6 4. c4 { We're still deep in opening theory here, and White hasseveral good options. 4.Nf3 is also good. } 4... O-O 5. e3 d5 6. Nf3 { White isin no hurry to exhange in the center; if Black captures on c4 White willrecapture and develop his bishop in one move. Also, White is now in a realhurry to get his king safely tucked away before Black can start operationsfor real. } 6... Re8 7. a3 { A small, but very important move. White's bishopon e5 is on the verge of being forced off e5, and when that happens Blackwould like nothing better than to post his bishop on d6. With his dsb ond6, Black will be in position to exert potentially fatal levels of pressureagainst White's underdeveloped kingside. But by forcing the bishop to movenow, White prevents this. Black will either have to move his bishop off-lineto a5, or waste a tempo in tucking it away on f8; if it moves to d6 immediately,White will simply exchange it. } 7... Ba5 8. Be2 { White cannot put off movinghis bishop any longer. White considered capturing on d5 first, but rejectedthat line because the black knight on d5 (after recapture) would make developmentof his knight on b1 more difficult. } 8... dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nc6 10. Bb2 { Retreatingto b2 is preferable here, as the bishop preserves his influence on thelong diagonal. On 10.Bg3 Black may consider exchanging his knight on f6for it (after Nf6-h5xg3), which would immobilize White's kingside and weakenhis center pawns. } 10... Bg4 11. O-O Ne5 { The automatic move in this positionwould be Be2, moving the lsb out of danger and protecting the knight onf3. But... this would cost White the bishop pair and exchange a ratherpowerful, freeranging piece for a bishop of mediocre influence. Are thereany alternatives? Turns out there is one... } 12. Nxe5 { !! White simplyignores the pin on the knight, sacrificing his queen for ... what, exactly?Turns out there are fascinating combinations against Black's king, queen,and rook based on the weakness of f7 and the relative placement of thepieces. } 12... Bxd1 13. Nxf7 { This may look a little insane, but consider fora moment: where is the Black queen to go? There are only two squares whereit won't be immediately lost once White moves his knight off f7 (with adiscovered check): e7 and b8. Of these, b8 may actually be the best choice,but it's a real dreadful place for the queen to be. } 13... Qe7 14. Ng5+ Kf8 { OrBlack could try Kh8 with an implicit draw offer. White would reject that,of course, the whole point of this line being that White believes his piecesto be more powerful united than Black's more mobile but single queen. } 15. Ne6+ Kf7 16. Nxc7+ Kg6 17. Nxe8 { And White is at plus 1, with two passed,protected center pawns, a well-protected king vs. Black's out-in-the-openmajesty, and the bishop pair. } 17... Rxe8 18. Rxd1 Ng4 19. Be2 { Safer than tryingto force the knight away by means of f3 or h3. For instance 19.h3 opensthe door for Bxd2!? with dangerous complications. White is dangerouslyweak on e3, as shown by this line: 19.h3 Bxd2!? 20.hxg4 Bxe3 21.Bd4 Bxd422.Rxd4 Qe1+ 23.Kh2 Qxf2 24.Rd2 Qh4+ 25.Kg1 Re1+ 26.Bf1 Qf6 27.Rf2 Qxa1-/+ White looks able to hold if he plays 20.Nxd2 instead, but why giveBlack such counterplay at all in the first place? } 19... Ne5 20. Nc3 Qh4 { Aimingfor play against White's kingside, while keeping an eye on the center.Both f2 and h2 are weak and Black aims to follow up by moving his knightback to g4, threatening them both at the same time. But now White is sufficientlydeveloped to take advantage of his piece superiority and Black's exposedking. } 21. Nd5 Ng4 22. Nf4+ Kh6 { Winning a tempo, which gives White theoption of doing a lightning-transfer of the knight to h3, from where itwill shield all of his weaknesses. } 23. Nh3 Rf8 24. f3 Nf6 25. Be5 { Thed-pawn is slated for advance, and White wants the bishop out in front ofthe pawn chain and on the kingside first, from where it will be able tooperate more freely. } 25... Nh5 { Potentially a grave mistake. White cannot takeadvantage of it now - his knight on h3 would hang - but maybe later...and if not, then Black will for sure have to spend extra time moving theknight out of danger again. } 26. d4 { Anchors the bishop on e5 and preparesto race off to the finishing line... } 26... Qe7 { Ah! It happened! Black has nowlost the knight on h5. } 27. g4 { The black knight on h5 has nowhere to retreat. } 27... Qh4 { A desperate waste of time. With the pawn already on g4, White nowcan protect the knight on h3 without problems. } 28. Kg2 Qe7 29. Bd3 { Theknight is doomed, but White's in no hurry to pick it off. The bishop moveaims at restricting the freedom of Black's king even further - and alsothreatens mate or loss of queen by means of g5+. } 29... Nf6 30. g5+ Kh5 31. gxf6 gxf6 { The threat against the bishop on e5 is illusory; again Black's exposedking allows White to speed-move the knight to the rescue. } 32. Nf4+ Kh6 33. Nd5 Qg7+ 34. Bg3 { And the bishop moves out of danger while shieldingthe king at the same time. } 34... Rd8 35. Nf4 { Not 35.e4 on which Black can destroyWhite's pawns by means of 35...f5! 36.Nf4 fxe4 37.Bxe4 Bc3! 38.Rac1 Rxd4. } 35... Re8 36. Kf2 { White's setup afforts Black little possibility of counterplay.The White king has now vacated the g-file and the rook is poised to takeover there. } 36... Qe7 37. Nd5 { Once again the knight springs into action, gluingWhite's position position together while forcing Black to respond. } 37... Qe6 38. Rg1 { But this time White ignores the threat against the knight. Blackcannot touch it - it's toxic: 38...Qxd5 39.Bf4+ Kh5 40.Rg7! and Black islost. 40...Rh8 41.Rc1 Bb6 42.Rc8! Qa2+ 43.Kg3 and mates. } 38... Kg7 { The onlymove. } 39. Be5+ { The discovered check means the pawn on f6 is lost as well. } 39... Kf7 40. Nxf6 Rc8 41. Nxh7 { This is not mere greed; the knight needs tovacate f6 in order to let the bishop control g7. } 41... Qb3 42. Rg7+ Ke8 { AndBlack resigns in the face of 43.Bg6+ Kd8 44.Bf6++. Nor would 42...Ke6 beany better: 43.Ng5+ Kd5 44.Rd7+ Kc6 45.Rd6+ Kc7 46.Ne6+ Kb8 47.Rd8+ Bc748.Bxc7+ Ka8 49.Rxc8++ } 1-0
[Event "A juicy attack: a ball of pieces vs. queen."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.19"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "darkside753"] [Result "1-0"] { Here a nice win in an interesting pieces vs. queen position. } 1. d4 d6 2. Bf4 c6 { Pretty unusual. It should be bad, but in a way that only greatmasters can exploit. } 3. c3 { As a rule, in my scheme, when black movesthe c pawn, I have to move mine, so I can counter Qb6 with Qc2 or Qb3.Period. :-) } 3... Qc7 { Strange movement, but it is seeking for an early e5 withoutfearing the queen's exchange. It makes sense. } 4. e4 { I overlooked Nf3in order to contest the center. My mistake. } 4... e5 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. Bg3 { thisway I thought that the pressure against e5 will compensate the bishop'sinactivity. If black goes f6, it opens the way for a future Qh5+, oncemore conditions are met. } 6... h6 { Useless move. Probably black is alreadythinking in a pawn's storm, but then why not h5? } 7. Nf3 { Attacking e5and developing. } 7... Nd7 { Defending e5, but blocking his own lsb. } 8. Bc4 { Attacking f7. } 8... Ngf6 { Attacking e4. } 9. Nbd2 { Defending e4. I'm not blockingany bishop with this move, but it is to be acknowledged that if my dsbwere in e3 I'll stay better. } 9... a5 { Well, the pawn's storm will be the otherside. } 10. Qb3 { I calculated that if a4 was played, Bxf7+, Kd8, Qe6, butI was unsure about Nb6, then, attacking the queen. The escape is Qxe5,so it's all ok. But I overlooked the simple... } 10... Nc5 { A pity, possiblebecause of my dsb not being in e3. } 11. Qc2 { Sadly. And I have to covere3 from the knight. } 11... Bd6 { Freeing the queen, developing for castling. } 12. O-O { No more risks. The game was slightly out of control, so betterto be wise. } 12... b5 { Black attacks, by his own right. Well done. } 13. Be2 { Zen retreat. Often a best stategy. } 13... Be6 { Occupying a good diagonal. Blackis frankly better, but it is not easy to materialize his positional advantage. } 14. b4 { The only one to react. I didn't want to wait passively for theblack pawns, they were too well supported. } 14... axb4 15. cxb4 Na4 { Fortunatelyfor me, e5 is occupied so the black's dsb can't do too much harm, and itdoesn't support the knight. } 16. a3 { Necessary to defend the pawn, andreleasing the a1 rook from defending a2. } 16... Qb6 { Planning to push the cpawn, suppoted by a rook. Very wise. } 17. Rfd1 { The bishop is hanging... } 17... Nd7 { Supporting c5. It is the right moment to exploit the hanging bishop,to relocate the knight on a better square... (?) } 18. Nf1 Bc7 19. Ne3 { Well,the position holds, for the moment, but nothing can stop the c pawn toadvance. } 19... c5 20. Rac1 { I avoid cxb4 (QxB), but I accept c4. I didn't liketo open the position for the black minor pieces with bxc5, Nxc5, etc. Itonly gives black more chances (do you agree?) } 20... c4 21. Ng4 { Now, this wasjust a blunder. I wanted to try Nh4, or Nf5 instead, but as often happensin blitz, I just didn't see the white bishop. I'm ashamed, but it's true. } 21... Bxg4 { Now, the incredibe thing about this is I win the game. How wasit possible? Let's see: } 22. Rxd7 { ANOTHER sacrifice. } 22... Kxd7 { Wrong move.Bxd7 and I had nothing. } 23. Nxe5+ { ANOTHER sacrifice. } 23... Bxe5 { -7. } 24. Bxg4+ Ke7 { If Kd6, I had Rd1+, and the bishop is lost anyway. } 25. Bxe5 { Piece recovered. -1. } 25... Kf8 { Bad move since it blocks its own rook. Butf6 left all the white squares to my bishop. Rg8 would have blocked therook for a good while. } 26. Rd1 { Black can still play Rd8. The exchangesrelease my firepower against his king. } 26... Kg8 { Bad plan, since the kingcannot find a secure shield in h7. My turn. } 27. Rd6 Qb7 { Suddenly, theblack Queen is running out of squares. } 28. Bf5 { If g6, BxR, and I cansave the other bishop after black retakes one of them. But Bxg6 can bepossible: if f7xBg6, Rxg6+, Kf7, and try to get the most of an attack.Even if my queen is not properly placed to join it. } 28... Qe7 { An idea is forminginto my mind. } 29. f4 f6 { As foreseen. As I told before, this move isvery dangerous for black because of the white squares' weakness. } 30. Rd7 Qf8 31. Bd6 Qe8 { This is a piece dance. } 32. Re7 Qc6 { All it was aboutwas to let me play e5, since my queen controls h7. } 33. Be6+ { If Kf8,the ball could have gone on with Rd7+, but more precise would be e5, sinceblack cannot take fxe because of Qf5+ and death. } 33... Kh7 34. e5+ f5 35. Qxf5# { An impressive ball of pieces, after just a weak black move after my blunder.I cannot say that it was a sacrifice, since BxRd7 would have lost the gamefor white, but still a nice chess tangler. I hope you enjoyed it. } 1-0
[Event "OTB Tournament Game 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1/11/19"] [Round "-"] [White "Tom"] [Black "Joe"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "50-50"] { This was an interesting game between me and Tom Walsh. So, when I gotthere, Tom was just starting to play against Carl. My guess is that theywere starting the second tournament game, and the reason behind this hypothesisis that the clock only gets used when I play in tournament since I takemy time. But, when Tom and Carl played against each other, Coach Stockeldoesn't give them a clock due to how fast they play. But, when I arrivedJack gave me an option of just playing against him for coaching, or playinganother tournament game. Since I played against Carl last week, it wouldbe Tom, this week. I would've just played casually against Jack becauseI don't enjoy interrupting or stopping a tournament game. But, I didn'thave a choice, this time. The reason being is that I'm scheduled to workearlier then usual, next week. Therefore, I'll have to leave earlier thennormal, then. Consequently, I'm not going to have enough time to participatein a tournament game the following week. So, when I flat out told thisto Jack, he said, 'Well, then you have to play in a tournament game today',and he made the other 2 stop their game. That worked out for me, as itwas easier this week. But, had it been next week, I would've felt rushedand would've, likely, lost in only 10-15 minutes, which is how it was beforeI started taking notes. And, I agree with Jack that a tournament gameshould take a lot longer. Having said that, I felt pretty relaxed whenI started. All in all, I played very well for the most part, but I madeone mistake that lost. As he was able to get an unstoppable passed pawnstarting with an en-pessant capture which eventually promoted, allowinghim to win significant material. } 1. e4 { Before we started, the startingposition was in reverse. So, as you'd expect, black's pieces were on the1st and 2nd rank, whereas, whites was on the 7th and 8th rank. Were thisa casual game, I would've let it go. But, since this was a tournamentgame, I decided to change things up. Tom wasn't crazy about that, as hejust wanted to start. But, I sort of, insisted on it, and I told him thatthe reason this needs to be done is so that I can notate this game. WhenI said that, he said, 'Ok, whatever floats your boat.' Of course, theidea behind the notation is that I then turn it into an annotation usingthe PGN notation for analysis with ION. So, Tom starts off with the usualwhich I'm most used to. } 1... c5 { And, of course, I answer with the Sicilian. } 2. c4 { Were this against anyonelse, I'd expect 2.Nf3 to allow 2...d6. But, I know Tom's style of play, and this is how he responds with the Sicilian. } 2... d6 { Of course, I still like this in the Sicilian and stick with what Iknow, as Terence put it. } 3. d3 { I, however, have not seen this move byhim. } 3... Nf6 { But, that does not stop me from playing my usual. } 4. Bd2 { Meanwhile,Tom continues developing. } 4... g6 { And, I fianchetto, right then and there. I'd normally hold off and play 4...a6 to prevent a later Bb5 or Nb5. Well, Bb5 isn't possible anytime soon, and white's a long way away fromplaying Nb5 since his Nb1 remains undeveloped. Keeping all of that inmind, I focus on my K side operation since the idea behind this is to castle,ASAP, and find a strong outpost for my Bf8. } 5. Be2 { Meanwhile, Tom continueswith his development. } 5... Bg7 { And, I prepare to castle, at once, by completingmy fianchetto. } 6. Bc3 { Trying to put pressure on the h8-f6 diagonal. } 6... O-O { But, it doesn't work since I don't feel it any of that. In fact,I feel happier about my position then I did a very short while back. So,I get to and bring my K to safety. Afterall, this was an important partto the plan behind my fianchetto. } 7. Nf3 { Tom is thinking along a similarline and continues with his development. } 7... Bg4 { Because he tried to putpressure on my N, I try the exact thing on his N. I also kept in mindthat it continues with my development. } 8. h3 { But, it also doesn't workbecause he sees it and attacks my B, instead. } 8... Bd7 9. e5 { And, that's whenhe attacks my N. But, I answer by exchanging his center pawn. } 9... dxe5 10. Nxe5 { Tom also could've recaptured with his B but is interested in exchangingmy B. } 10... Bf5 { I tried to prevent that with this move as d3 is now half pinnedbecause if he moves it, I would've considered exchanging his Nb1 for myB. However, that wouldn't have been a good way to handle things sincehis Nb1 is less active. But, during our game, I thought it was more active,as I was worried about Na3-b5 which is what I wanted to prevent. However,I forgot that if Tom played Na3, ...a6! would still be a very good response. Then, I saw a better move before I even realized that his Nb1 was lessactive. Thus, had Tom played 11.d4? which is what I was hoping he'd do,I would've played 11...cxd4!, in response winning a pawn. Of course, ifhe recaptured, I'd win a piece, but if he didn't, that pawn would becomedangerous. } 11. g4 { But, Tom, saw that, and as I thought, slowed down alittle here. He'll slow down in a situation like this since he learnedthat I've been known to use his own speed against him which can't be saidfor Carl. } 11... Bd7 { I moved a little too quick here as this allows Tom toexchange my DSB for his N. But, it works out. Had I been I spent a secondor two longer, I would've played 11...Be6. I refrained from that becauseI didn't want to block my center pawn which I corrected one of my studentsfor doing. However, exchanging works because his Ne5 was more active thenmy DSB, anyhow and was something worry, whereas, my B was not. } 12. Nxd7 Nbxd7 { I also could've recaptured with my Q, but I played this to completemy development. } 13. Nd2 { In the meantime, Tom continues with his development. And, I'm starting to think about what his N might be capable of doing. } 13... Bh6 { So, like what I saw with kenneth_fiore_3, I decide to put a littlebit of pressure on his monarch. } 14. Qb3 { But, this does not concern Tom. I can relate to that because I wouldn't feel any pressure, as white, either. But, he mobilizes the other side to attack my b7 pawn, and it allows Tomto castle on either side which makes for interesting play. } 14... Rb8 { Of course,I protect the pawn. I also considered 14...b6, for a short while. However,I thought that it would put my Q out of play, as it's mobility would bevery limited, similar to what happened against bhidragon. Wanting to maintainthe mobility of my Q and leave with a lot of options, in addition to, keepingit in play, I decided that this move was my best bet. } 15. O-O-O { Longand behold, Tom castles on opposite of wings of me. } 15... a6 { Preventing Tomfrom playing 16.Qa4 which I thought would win a pawn, as now, a7 wouldbe attacked. So, in order to defend, I'd have to play 16...Ra8 However,bringing the Q back to the b square would also cause me to bring the Rto the b square, so there was no worries, actually. However, this doesgive me connected pawns, or as I call it, a weak pawn chain. As notedin Erika's annotation, it's not a solid chain, but might eventually becomeone. My plan, as of now, is to play a later ...b6, followed by ...a5 whichwould, at some point, turn it into a solid pawn chain. The reason I refrainfrom doing so now, is I'm also thinking about what my Nd7 can do, whereit can go. In fact, I would've eventually played ...Nb6. But, what keptme from doing so is that white would have the option to pin with Ba5. } 16. Kb1 { But, then Tom played this, and that changed everything. Afterall,I don't see the point behind this move since there's no immediate threats. And, it's not an endgame where the K becomes useful. } 16... b5 { Viewing hismove as pointless, I decided to advance right away, as I thought I couldoverwhelm him. My plan was to play 17...b4 which would trap his B andforce him to exchange for my Nd7. As ...Nxe5 would bring my N to a bettersquare, and I thought there was no way around it. That was... } 17. Ne4 { Until he played this, as now, he can bring his Bc3 back. So, I thoughtabout what to do here. } 17... Nxe4 { I would've just attacked with 17...bxc4at once, but I exchanged first to put pressure on his Bc3 and threatento win his f2 pawn and fork his R's. Although, I knew that he'd recapturewith the pawn. But, the main reason is because after 17...bxc4 18.Qxc4,if I play 18...Nxe4 he'd be able to recapture with the Q which would leaveit better placed. By playing this, however, I thought that I could weakenhis position. And, the reason for me doing this was still an attempt topunish him for playing a move that I considered pointless. By that, I'malluding to 16.Kb1 which probably wasn't, anyhow. The problem with thismove, however, is that it allows him to pin my Nd7. So, better was tocapture on c4, first. But, I don't think it would've made much difference,as 17...bxc4 18.Qxc4 Nxe4, I still think that he'd capture with the d pawn,as opposed to, the Q due to the pinning motif. } 18. dxe4 bxc4 19. Qxc4 Ra8 { Instead, I had things to worry about, like my a6 pawn. } 20. h4 { Tryingto trap my Bh6 since Tom's threatening 20...g5 which wouldn't be bad sinceI could exchange. } 20... Bg7 { ?! I didn't think about this hard enough. Mygoal was to exchange and start using my K. Whereas, I didn't see the pointearlier, we are nearing the endgame now and getting to the point wherethe K could be a useful. Plus, I didn't see a way to prevent exchangingB's. But, I should've considered and then played 20...Bf4 As exchangingwas not to my benefit here, especially since, Tom is happy to do it. } 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Qc3+ { I wasn't surprised to see him place me in check, here. } 22... e5 { And, I decided to interpose with my center pawn. I also considered22...f6 but didn't feel like advancing my f pawn. } 23. g5 { Threatening24.h5 which gives more attackers if I answer with 24...gxh5 As after 25.Rxh5I thought that he had a threat against my K which really wasn't somethingto threat about as everything was protected. But, I tend to get paranoidabout my K becoming exposed, and in this case, being paranoid is what costsme the game. Better was to allow it. } 23... h5 { ?? As I played this. My hopewas that Tom would capture en-pessant, as then I studied some variationswhich do occur. But, I thought that was going to win material, when allwas said and done. However, I miscalculated something which will allowhim to win material. At the end of our game, Jack for the first time ina long while analyzed it and said that allowing Tom to advance was thelosing move. And, Master Nathan Resika then commented and said that allowinghim to capture en-pessant was what allowed it. He then said that enablingby advancing this pawn was what costed me the game. Well, this was themove that did it, so this is, the losing move. Nathan said that up untilthis move, I was fine, although I think that white had the better of it. But, I wasn't lost, until this point. Much better would've been 23...h6,as after exchanging, things are still quite level. } 24. gxh6+ Kxh6 25. Qe3+ { I still thought that I was ok here, but that's not so. } 25... Kh7 26. h5 { And, that's because of this move. } 26... Rb8 { I just begin to realize that I'min trouble. As I had considered 26...gxh5, but 27.Rxh5+ would result ina mate in 3. As I must move my K back to the g square which allows 28.Qh6,and mate can't be prevented. Knowing what I've done now, I try to targethis K and think about how I could, potentially, threaten mate since a later...Qb6 came into consideration. } 27. hxg6+ { But, it's too little, too late. } 27... Kg7 { Were it not for 28.Qh6#, I would answered with 27...Kxg6?? which Iconsidered. } 28. Qh6+ { By doing things this way, I was able to preventan immediate checkmate, but make not mistake, black is still lost withbest play, as noted above. } 28... Kf6 29. g7+ { Believe it or not, I was doinga little bit of Hope Chess and hoping that he'd make mistake with 29.gxf7+?,allowing 29...Kxf7 with, still, a decent position for black. But, I didn'tthink that I'd be successful, as this is what I anticipated. Despite mebeginning to realize what's going on, I still thought that I was ok afterhe promoted which is bound to happen. } 29... Ke7 { In the meantime, I still dowhat I can discourage Tom from Queening. As I was still playing Hope Chessby Hoping that he'd make a mistake with 30.gxf8=Q+? right away. In fact,I anticipated something like this, after he captured en-pessant and startedadvancing the pawn. That's why I went ahead with 23...h5?? I didn't thinkit would work but also didn't see a good move. So, I thought that hisg7 was stuck where it was. With that, I thought that he was going to play30.Bh5 in an attempt to put pressure on my f7 pawn, with which, I'd answerwith 30...f6, right away. But, I overlooked his next move, as I didn'tsee 30.Qd6+!!. And, with it, everything changes now. } 30. Qd6+ Ke8 { As,now, there's nothing that I can do stop Tom from promoting. } 31. gxf8=Q+ Nxf8 32. Qxd8+ Rxd8 33. Rxd8+ Kxd8 34. Bxa6 Kc7 { Except for the a6 pawn,I thought that everything was still level, and felt ok for a little. Asone can compensate being a pawn down. But, then, I counted everythingof what he had and I had. And, then I realized that things were not ok,as after looking at what I lacked v. what he had, I quickly figured outthat I'm a R+P down. There's no way out of it, so that's when I startedthat black is lost. My only hope for any form of counterplay is that Tomspends too much time looking for a win and times out, as something happenedwith World Champion Magnus Carlsen, about 2.5-3 years ago. But, that'snot going to happen now. } 35. Rc1 { Having said that, Tom now goes aftermy c5 pawn. } 35... Kb6 { And, I protect, and go after his Ba6. } 36. Bc4 { So, Tomgoes after f7, which I'm also about to protect. } 36... f6 37. Rd1 { I'm not surewhy Tom played this, but I think he's trying to go after my Nf8, and forsure, he wants my f6 pawn.. } 37... Nh7 { But, I put a stop to that, for now. } 38. Rd6+ Kc7 { Of course, I'm doing what I can for counterplay by goingafter Tom's pieces, with no avail. The idea behind it is trying to figureout what I can with some of my pawns, but the answer is nothing. } 39. Ra6 Kb7 40. Re6 Kc7 { ?? This loses another piece. Best was 40...Ng5, but Iwas lost either way. My focus was on trying to attack the R, but evenif I brought the N, he has 41.Rxf6 and after 41...Nxe4 42.Re6 allows himto win another pawn because my N and e5 pawn would be on the same file,as the R. The only thing I'd be able to hope for is wearing down his timewhich, I don't think, would work that way, either. } 41. Re7+ { Despite that,I wasn't ready to resign, yet. The only reason is because I was stillhoping that I could time him out. At first, I thought it was about even,but perhaps he had a minute. For sure, we both took our time and don'thave that much time. But, after seeing what happened with Carlsen, I knewthat there was chance, but very slim, that he'd use up all of his timetrying to force a win and timeout. About a move or two later, I lookedagain, and he had more then just a minute over me. } 41... Kc6 42. Rxh7 Kd6 43. Rh6 { With that, I resigned here. First, I'm way behind with, pretty muchnothing left. More importantly, it's the fact that he has more time thenme. So, when all was said and done, he had 22 minutes left, which isn'ta lot. But, I had only 17.5 minutes left. Well, first he's going to winmy f6 pawn, in addition to, what I've already lost. However, before hecould continue, and perhaps promote or checkmate me, I'm going to loseon time. So, with no way to prevent a timeout, and knowing a win is notfar off, I threw in the towel. Tom told me that, overall, I played extremelywell, until the very end. Jack, said that it was a very interesting game. But, allowing Tom to break through with the pawn is what sealed my fate. Then, Nathan said that this happened when I allowed him to capture en-pessant. By that, he implied 23...h5?? which is, indeed, what sealed me fate. As after breaking through and promoting, Tom was able to win too much materialfor me to have the slightest chance of counterplay. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.10.28"] [Round "-"] [White "effe"] [Black "kaspanatola"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1761"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1668"] 1. f4 { This was an uncommon Bird's opening, we were out of theory justafter move 5, both black and white's light square bishops were exchangedby knights, but white allowed some damage to his pawn structure, whitethen followed a good plan to fianchetto his remaining bishop queen side,but with a bad timing he wasn't able to change his plan according to black'smoves and lost a pawn and allowed further damage to his pawn structure,black was a bit underdeveloped, but white willingness to exchange the queensand the rooks allowed them an superior endgame B + extra pawn vs N, finalyI'll sacrifice a pawn to get the white king out of the fight and to forcea promotion of my c pawn and to finally convert the advantage... } 1... d5 2. Nf3 { Bird's opening, Lasker variation, I'm currently playing two gameswith Lasker's variation of Bird's Opening, this one with black pieces } 2... Bg4 3. e3 Nc6 { Nf6 is also fine for black } 4. Bb5 { and this pin is thebest white has... } 4... Qd7 { as black doesn't want to compromise his pawn structure,I chose here a different move from the other game, were white played Qd6,the main purpose is similar to protect the knight, and after exchange,if it ever occurs, the position will be the same... } 5. b3 { fianchettoqueen side will help white a better control over key square e5 } 5... a6 { I'mthe first to deviate from previous games, e6 (1-0) and 0-0-0 (0-1), werethe moves already tried in this position, now white has to decide uponBe2, the best in my opinion, or Bxc6 giving up the bishop pair for nothing. } 6. Bxc6 Qxc6 { and now black has successfully prepared the exchange forcingwhite to decide to double pawns or to lose a pawn... } 7. Bb2 { ...but whitedidn't understood it and keep playing according to the previous plan, betterwas 0-0, and white could have recaptured with the rook after Bxf3 } 7... Bxf3 8. gxf3 { white decided to double pawns if Qxf3 then Qxc2 wins a pawn forblack } 8... Nh6 { preparing Nf5 and d4 } 9. Nc3 { ? again keeping up with the previousplan, better was to postpone the development of the knight, to keep thecontrol of the d4 and e5 } 9... Nf5 10. Qe2 { I don't see the point of this moveby white, but the important is that it allows for my pawn break to stillbe on } 10... d4 { the pawn break makes even more sense than before Nc3, now ifexd4 Nxd4 recaptures with tempo as it attacks the white queen, and forksc2 and f3 (a triple fork) then Qd1 is the best for white Nxf3+ } 11. Ne4 Qxc2 { white forgot c2 } 12. Bxd4 Nxd4 13. exd4 { after the sequence of exchangeswhite is clearly worst as it has two sets of doubled pawns... } 13... Qb2 { blackis still underdeveloped but wins one pawn with this double attack by thequeen } 14. O-O { connecting the rooks } 14... Qxd4+ 15. Qe3 { ? this allows blackto simplify his task, the pawn majority on queen's wing might became decisive } 15... Qxe3+ { allows white a slightly better pawn structure, but the lack of queenson the board, represents less worries with defence for black } 16. dxe3 e6 { now black has to develop his last piece and connect the rooks } 17. Rfd1 Ba3 { blocking the queen side pawns } 18. Rd3 { to double rooks } 18... Rd8 { forced so white can't double rooks on the open column } 19. Rad1 Ke7 { connectingrooks } 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rxd8 Kxd8 { and white exchanged (?) rooks, enteringa N vs B endgame with a pawn less, is not a good choice } 22. Ng5 Ke7 { theidea is if 23.Nxh7, black can capture the knight with 23...f6 to trap theknight 24.h4 white last chance is to get to h5 to control g6 24...Kf7 25.h5Kg8 and the knight is lost, and so is the game as is just a matter of technic } 23. Kf2 h6 24. Ne4 f5 { black just improved his pawns with tempo by attackingthe knight } 25. Nc3 g5 { now allows white to undouble his pawns, but gainsspace in the process } 26. fxg5 hxg5 27. Kg3 b5 { to limit knight accessto a4 } 28. h4 { ?? blunder allows Bb4 to gain one tempo and play Be1 toskewer the h4 pawn } 28... Bb4 { ... gains one tempo } 29. Ne2 Be1+ { ...skewersh4 } 30. Kh3 gxh4 { isolating the h pawn to engage the king to it's defence } 31. Nf4 { maybe with the idea Ng6+ but after Kd6, if white plays Nxh5, thenBxh5 wins because white king would be out of the fight far away from thequeens wing were my pawn majority is sufficient to promote } 31... a5 { Zugzwang,leaving white with the choice, anyway the fight would be king against knight,with the bishop to win any occasional tempi if needed } 32. Ng6+ Kd6 { Nowblack will bring the king to the opposite wing and if white decides bythe exchange on h4, then white's king will be to far to fight against promotion } 33. Nxh4 Bxh4 { to finish any possible counterplay } 34. Kxh4 Kd5 35. Kg5 c5 { and now pushing the queen's wing pawns I'll promote the c pawn... andwin the game } 36. Kf4 c4 { two options here for white: a) e4+ fxe4 fxe4+(Ke3 to try to get to the queens wing is countered by exf3 and white'sking is forced back to the f column) Kd4 gains opposition and achievesthe promotion b) bxc4 bxc4 (creates an isolated pawn) e4+ Kd4 (gains theopposition, also possible is fxe4 similar to the first variation) } 37. bxc4+ bxc4 38. e4+ Kd4 39. exf5 exf5 { and now my c pawn will promote in3 moves, while white needs 6 moves to promote his f pawn } 40. Kxf5 c3 41. Ke6 c2 42. f4 c1=Q 43. f5 Qc6+ 44. Ke7 Ke5 0-1
[Event "Chess Understanding/Planning"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Me"] [Black "Opponent"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1912"] [WhiteElo "----"] { My opponent is a moderate level player, with a solid rating level. AlthoughI am stronger still in rating, he should still prove to be a difficultchallenge. In this game, chess understanding is very important. It is clearlyshowing the idea that a successful plan leads to a automatic win, if youropponent does not have a superior understanding. The position is 'equal'when the computers look at it, but once the right plan is composed, theychange their minds at once. This is actually typical. By the way, afterthis successful tournament, I will have a new rating, so I'll wait to seewhat it is. I do know the performance rating was well over 2150, likely2200. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 g6 3. f4 Bg7 4. Nf3 e6 { What a strange opening setupagainst the grand prix. A weakening of d6 without the dark squared bishopon f8. I believe it is a mistake. } 5. e5 Nc6 { 6.Ne4 would be great forwhite, but the following white move is a book idea, which the computerthinks is rather terrible, and white only has a slight edge. Of coursewe shouldn't trust the computers in these early openings always- but Inthis case if I had to choose again, I would play 6.Ne4. } 6. Bb5 d5 { Ofcourse, the e4 square is necessary to cover. } 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. O-O { Whitehas completed his development more or less. Normally I would not thinkabout a plan in my games, but just make the best moves one by one. Butin this situation there are not any specific correct moves, but many. Thestructure is favoring me, and if we think move by move(a strategic point)we will be in time trouble. Better to first take a larger amount of time,then play quickly the rest of the game. } 8... Ba6 9. d3 { Using my coach'e planningmethod, we normally want to play in the center. But its closed. We shouldnot play on the kingside because it is also blocked off, with no real target.On the queenside, black has weak pawn on c5. Therefore, we should attackthere, at the pawn. With the queen, we don't know what it should do. Perhapsafter the other pieces move, it can go onto f2-at least it will be flexibleright now. Our c3 knight goes to a4, and Ba3. The c4 advance needs to bemade impossible by playing the move of b3 and c4, to fix the weaknesses.The f3 knights will later go to d2, to prevent ...d4. Our rooks can wait.We should exchange nothing at the moment, although an endgame suits usbetter, as the bishops are useless. } 9... Rb8 10. b3 Nh6 { We are going alongwith our plan, while black's moves have nothing in common. He obviouslydoes not know what to do. Usually that is fine in most positions, wherewe can just make seperate principled moves without such worry that theywill be bad. But here, it is dangerous. } 11. Na4 { By the way, many peoplein chess have said the ideas of the opponent are equal to yours. Althoughtrue :(, this doesn't help you in a real game. In a real game, you needto treat your (human) opponent's plan as inferior to yours. The mastersalways strive to go with their ideas at all costs. When one player acceptsthat the opponent is equal or better than him in terms of ideas, he usuallycannot win. Even if unsound, a master always goes with his plan in a straightforwardmanner. Planning and attack are really the same-The masters I communicatewith refer to them as the same in a casual manner. If you cannot attack,you cannot make a plan really. In that case, you just need to improve pieces,and create a weakness. Against weaker players, and even colleagues, themasters always care about their own ideas above all. } 11... Bf8 12. c4 { Justa few moves ago, a computer would think the position is '=', or just slightedge to white. Now, after white did a correct plan and attacked a target,he is getting great advantage automatically. It is typical. } 12... dxc4 13. dxc4 { The structure has changed-but the targets remain. } 13... Nf5 14. Qxd8+ { Queensoff favor white. } 14... Rxd8 15. Ba3 { Black is losing a pawn already, and hisbishops remain almost useless. A bishop'ss activity fluctuates by far themost among the pieces-Sometimes it is almost equal to a rook, while sometimesit faces it's own pawns. } 15... Nd4 16. Rf2 { White is not afraid of black's 'initiative'since he has only 2 offensive pieces. Trade those off, and we are prettymuch winning. Also, this is the usual situation in the endgame positions.In endgames, permanent advantages seem to gain value, and temporary oneslose value. That is just from my games usually. } 16... Nxf3+ { Black trades...now he is left with a losing position-he has gotten 2 useless bishops(thelight squared one is very ineffective), and will even be down material.The endgame, analyzed heavily by the computer, is not played perfectly,but the decisive advantage always remains with me. } 17. Rxf3 Bc8 18. Bxc5 a6 { Black is saving his pawn, but now his c8 bishop is a total prisoner. } 19. Kf1 Bxc5 20. Nxc5 Ke7 21. Ne4 { White wants to get his knight to d6-Notthe most accurate idea, but it is fine. This will help white build pressureon the file. } 21... Rd4 { Black correctly gets his rook into the white positionbefore it is impossible. } 22. Nd6 f6 23. Ke2 Bd7 { Here I had a dilemnabetween the moves 24.b4 and 24.Ke3. If you do a calculation of these, certainlyyou may be leaning towards the move 24.b4. However, it would be close,and the right idea would be hard. According to the strategy of chess, weshould just do the piece move. Unfortunately, I fell into the trap of caringabout less important ideas- like my pawn majority, and not allowing ...c5.As you see, even one single move in which you think too much about uselessthings can hurt your decisions. Fortunately for me, the move was enoughto keep my big advantage at that level, and I don't make mistakes of thisnature too much. I was not really in a time trouble here at all. } 24. b4 g5 25. g3 { I think it is the best move and the only one which is good. } 25... gxf4 26. gxf4 Be8 { Black is relying on tricks to get back into the game. } 27. Ke3 fxe5 28. fxe5 Rg4 { 28...Rh4, more active since it attacks the pawnwas a bit better-not much difference though. Now that I have more or lessstabilized my pawns, I can get on with the plan of pushing the passed pawns.It is really simple actually- If the opponent does not have an immediatethreat, just push the pawn first and think later. This also helps in timetrouble, if you get into it. } 29. a4 Rhg8 30. Rf4 { Black did have a threat,so white immediately neutralizes him. } 30... Rxf4 31. Kxf4 Rg2 32. h3 { Now itis even simpler, and black's activity has been extinguished. } 32... Rb2 33. b5 axb5 34. axb5 cxb5 35. Ra7+ Bd7 36. cxb5 { There isn't too much needto look at the rest of the game-I wish I could say that, but this was abouthour 3/4 and the second round of the day. You see, my first round lasteda very long time, since my opponent played a lost position(QvsR+others)very slowly as if the position stood any chance at all. When in a lostposition, and it is totally lost, it is quite rude to take such a largeamount of time looking for tricks(That time should have been used to avoidthe lost position in the first place)-as opposed to a competitive or evenworse position, when taking time is totally reasonable. Anyways, I wasunable to take any rests, and only had a very little time in between thegames. The fatigue almost made me lose the game. } 36... Kd8 37. Rb7 Rh2 38. Kg3 Re2 39. b6 Rb2 { White will use one last trick to get his decisive advantageconverted. } 40. Rb8+ Ke7 41. b7 Bc6 { It seems like black has the pawn stopped.Here, white has multiples winning ideas, but I just chose the first oneI saw. } 42. Ra8 Bxb7 43. Ra7 Kf8 44. Rxb7 Re2 45. Rf7+ { This move wasplayed almost immediately, for I thought 'I will just protect it next move'.Of course I was very tired at this point, but It was still a shocking discoveryto know the pawn would be lost. } 45... Kg8 46. Re7 Rxe5 { However, I am lucky.The black's king is now a target, and with the extra piece, rounding upboth pawns and promoting the h pawn will be OK. Therefore, I am winning,but I complicated the task. } 47. h4 { The idea is to provide shelter formy king as it marches to h6. } 47... Re1 48. Kg4 e5 { Major misunderstanding bythe opponent, which really helps me. The defensive side should be verycareful in making pawn moves, especially when the offensive side has moreforce to capture them. } 49. Kh5 { Now my king is safe from checks and thewin really is 'trivial'. } 49... Rd1 50. Nf5 Re1 51. Kh6 e4 { Now I am just winningtotally. } 52. Nd6 { My opponent now gave up, allowing me to mate in a singlemove. } 52... Kf8 53. Re8# { The game is over, taking quite a long time. A realwake up call on the 45th move. }
[Event "Malpas & Oswestry 1 v Wallasey 4"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "22-11-2016"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles L Higgie"] [Black "Vivian Oldham"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "ECF119"] [TimeControl "35 in 1 hour 15 mins"] [WhiteElo "ECF166"] 1. d4 { In this game black plays passively and pays the price. } 1... d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 { Immediately before the game Ihad demonstrated my win against David Jameson. I was wondering how longhe would repeat moves for! http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/colwyn-bay-v-malpas-oswestry-chester-league?gm=62100 } 6... Bd6 { This is different! Jameson had taken on c4 instead. Bd6 is very unusualthough - it normally goes to e7 or b4 here. } 7. e3 { My very good friendPeter Lovatt, when I showed him the game suggested e2-e4 instead of thismove. I was glad to see that e2-e4 had not been played in any of the previousgames where this position arose. What do you think dear reader? Is e2-e4superior to e2-e3. } 7... Nbd7 { So he develops. } 8. cxd5 { I decide to exchange- rather than develop my bishop from f1 and then he can gain a tempo withdxc4. Another point of course in this position, black can only recapturewith a pawn, and not his Nf6. If he takes back with the e pawn, as in thegame, there is a possibility of a white minority attack. http://www.expert-chess-strategies.com/minority-attack.htmlAnother consideration was that with his Nb8 already committed to d7, ifhe takes back with the c pawn, that knight ca't be developed immediatelyto c6. Of course, taking back with the c pawn and his Bc8 has problemsin developing. I was very surprised that in none of the games on Gameknot,on the Gameknot database, was 8. cxd5 played, although ti was played insome of the games on the World Databse } 8... exd5 { He took back this way. } 9. Bd3 { Preventing his knight coming to e4 in some variations, and preparingto castle. } 9... O-O { He castles. } 10. O-O { I castle. } 10... Re8 { He puts his Rf8onto its most logical square, controlling the semi-open e file. In chess,a half-open file (or semi-open file) is a file with only pawns of one color.The half-open file can provide a line of attack for a player's rook orqueen. A half-open file is exploited by the player with no pawns on it. } 11. Qc2 { I get my rooks connected and add another piece to the key squaree4. } 11... Nf8 { he move the knight to prepare the development of his Bc8. } 12. Rae1 { I change my mind about an immediate minority attack. I am planningNd2 followed by f3 and e4 to expand in the centre. } 12... Be7 { Rather an acknowledgementthat his bishop would have been better developed to e7 in the first place.I tend to think that this move is a waste of a tempo and it would havebeen better for him to develop his Bc8. } 13. Ne5 { This is the logical reply,putting the knight on an aggressive square. } 13... Nh5 { Black is seeking to easethe pressure with exchanges, but the knight is rather out on a limb here.After 13. Ne5 I can only find one game in my opening databases with thisposition, http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=20476007&mv=24&rnd=0.006532949289570045colo1889 (1907) vs. john_wr (1871). I have actually met John face to face!Anyway he chose Be6 instead, and I think that move is better. IncidentallyGameknot post-game computer analysis doesn't give Be6 as a mistake, suggestingit was a reasonable move, maybe even the best. I was also looking at Ng4for him, with a similar idea of exchanging pieces. } 14. Bxe7 { So I takehis bishop. But really I am getting rid of his good bishop and my bad bishop. } 14... Rxe7 { I was rather expecting him to recapture with his queen. } 15. f4 { SoI anchor my knight to e5. } 15... Nf6 { He prepares to exchange my knight. } 16. b4 { and the long-awaited minority attack starts. } 16... N6d7 { He continues withhis plan. } 17. b5 { and me with mine. } 17... Nxe5 { He takes. } 18. fxe5 { I takeback. } 18... Bd7 { Finally the bishop comes out. } 19. bxc6 { I take. } 19... bxc6 { I can'thelp thinking that although white has a slight edge anyway, it would havebeen better to take back with the bishop. } 20. Na4 { Heading for c5 } 20... Rc8 { Not quite sure of the point of this move. } 21. Nc5 { Knight hops in. } 21... Ne6 { He challenges my knight. } 22. Rb1 { I grab the open file. } 22... Nxc5 { He takes. } 23. Qxc5 { I take back, attacking h7. } 23... Be8 { Again, very passive! Be6 looksbetter. } 24. Ba6 { Of course, he would love to play Rb8, but it just losesa rook - I exchange rooks and then take his rook on e7. } 24... Rcc7 { So he movesit here instead. } 25. Rb3 { Preparing to double rooks on the b file andinvade on b8. Black can't stop this. I also protect e3 just in case hetries to break with f6. } 25... Red7 { He has a plan to exchange queens. } 26. Rfb1 { I double. } 26... Qe7 { He offers an exchange of queens. } 27. Rb8 { So the rookfinally reaches b8. Now if he takes my queen, I have a zwischenzug - Itake his bishop with check before recapturing the queen and end up a bishopup. The zwischenzug (German: pronounced [ˈtsvɪʃənˌtsuːk] 'intermediatemove') is a chess tactic in which a player, instead of playing the expectedmove (commonly a recapture of the capturer of a piece that the opponenthas just captured) first interposes another move, posing an immediate threatthat the opponent must answer, then plays the expected move. This is agood example. } 27... Kf8 { But now he really is threatening to exchange queens. } 28. Qc2 { So I threaten to invade on h7. } 28... g6 { He prevents this. } 29. Rf1 { And now I have a pin on the f file, so I am threatening Qxg6. In chess,a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defendingpiece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on itsother side to capture by the attacking piece. 'To pin' refers to the actionof the attacking piece inducing the pin, and the defending piece so restrictedis described as pinned. This is a good example. Were it was white's movenow I could play Qxg6 and black can't take my queen with his pawn on f7as he would be moving into check because of my Rf1. } 29... Kg7 { So he breaksthe pin. } 30. Qf2 { More pressure on the f file. More importantly he can'tplay 30....Rd8 neutralising my rook, as I have 31. Qf6+ where 31....Qxf6is met by exf6+ and he loses the Rd8, 31... Kf8 is met by Qh8# and Kg8or h7 is met with me exchanging queens and winning the Rd8. } 30... Kf8 { So hemoves back again. } 31. Bd3 { I threaten Bxg6 now. } 31... Qg5 { Queen comes backout to g4, but I think Kg7 prolongs the game more. } 32. h4 { I attack thequeen. } 32... Qg4 { Queen wants to keep on the g pawn. OK, stop and find white'sbest move. } 33. Qf6 { Did you find it? The threat of Qh8 followed by QxBe8mate is irresistible. http://gameknot.com/chess-puzzle.pl?pz=181618 Manythanks for reading. Please rate the annotation on the star system and leavea comment or two to let me know how I am doing. Until next time dear reader! } 1-0
[Event "Lunchtime game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "'T'"] [Black "'G'"] [Result ""] { Two of my co-workers played this casual game at lunch not too long ago.Black falls in love with his Queen and his undeveloped position becomesvulnerable. } 1. e4 { Best by test. } 1... c6 { Marcus Kann smiled in heaven...for now. } 2. d4 { The usual... } 2... d5 { ...and the logical follow up. } 3. exd5 { Choosing to exchange at once... } 3... cxd5 { ...and Black completes it. } 4. c4 { The attacking line. If Black plays 4... P-K3, he loses the best featureof the Caro-Kann -- the ability to freely develop his QB. } 4... Bf5 { 4... N-KB3guards the P and leaves the development of the B open. } 5. cxd5 { With thisexchange... } 5... Qxd5 { ...White forces the recapture with the Q. } 6. Nc3 { Developingwith tempo. } 6... Qa5 { Better is the simple retreat 6... Q-Q1. Both sides wouldhave 1 piece developed and Black's game would be quite tenable. } 7. Qb3 { Forcing... } 7... Qb6 { ...yet another Queen move! } 8. Nd5 { If Black now tries8... Q-QB3??? to keep the QNP defended, Whitte has 9 B-QN5!!! winning theQ! } 8... Qxb3 { Practically forced... } 9. axb3 { ..but now Black resigns. Whitethreatens 10 N-B7 ch with a shakrukh or 10 N-N6 PxN 11 RxR winning theExchange. 9... N-R3 sems to guard everything but White has 10 RxN!! PxR11 N-B7 ch ending up a piece ahead. }
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.09.17"] [Round "-"] [White "chrisoco"] [Black "reachforgoals"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "777"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1020"] 1. d4 { queen pawn opening } 1... d5 { same } 2. e3 { pawn } 2... Nc6 { knight } 3. Bd3 { bishop } 3... Nf6 { knight } 4. Nf3 { same } 4... g6 { pawn } 5. O-O { case king side } 5... Bh6 { 3 mniorspiece out } 6. Nc3 { same } 6... O-O { castle king side } 7. b3 { pawn } 7... Bg4 { all minorpeices out } 8. a4 Nxd4 9. exd4 { pawn } 9... Bxc1 { bishop } 10. Qxc1 { queen } 10... c5 { pawn } 11. dxc5 { pawn } 11... d4 { pawn } 12. Nxd4 { knight } 12... b6 { pawn } 13. f3 { inthis case should black save the bishop or the pawn } 13... Bf5 { saved the bishop } 14. Nc6 { knight } 14... Bxd3 { out of bishops } 15. Nxd8 { lose queen } 15... Raxd8 { rook } 16. cxd3 { lost bishop } 16... bxc5 { pawn } 17. Qe1 { queen } 17... a5 { pawn } 18. Qxe7 { isthis a fork } 18... Rfe8 { rook } 19. Qxf6 { out of minor peices } 19... c4 { is this a fork } 20. dxc4 { -14 } 20... Rd3 { rook } 21. Nd5 { knight } 21... Rxb3 { rook } 22. Ne7+ { check } 22... Rxe7 { safe } 23. Qxe7 { queen } 23... Rb2 { rook } 24. Qe8+ { check } 24... Kg7 { king } 25. Rfe1 { rook } 25... Rc2 { same } 26. Re7 { same } 26... Kf6 { same } 27. Qxf7+ Kg5 { same } 28. f4+ { check } 28... Kg4 { queen } 29. Qe6+ { check } 29... Kxf4 { king } 30. Qe4+ { check } 30... Kg5 { knig } 31. Qxc2 { queen } 31... Kf4 { king } 32. Qe4+ { vcheck } 32... Kg5 { knig } 33. Rf1 { rook } 33... Kh5 { king } 34. Rxh7+ { rook } 34... Kg5 { queen } 35. h4# { I lost } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Aug-07"] [Round "-"] [White "marillion_pt"] [Black "topazg"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1510"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1511"] 1. e4 c5 2. Bc4 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 { Slightly strange Sicilian for me, not quitesure how to develop this one, but looking at the obvious d5 at some stage. } 4. Nf3 Nf6 { Possible threat of 5. e5 here, but I played this anyway --would be interested to know if 5. e5 is a genuinely nasty move (I was hopingthat 5... Ng4 would be enough to counter). } 5. d3 d5 6. Bb3 dxe4 { Thisexchange is good, as if 7. Nxe4 Nxe4 8. dxe4 Qxd1 9. Kxd1 leaves whiteunable to castle with the king stuck on an exposed central file. } 7. dxe4 { Ah yes, that makes more sense, but this works too, keeping the abilityto castle in exchange for a loss of material. } 7... Qxd1+ 8. Nxd1 Nxe4 { Blackis now a pawn ahead. } 9. O-O Be7 10. Ba4 Bd7 11. Re1 Nf6 { Consolidatingposition. } 12. c3 O-O 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. Ne5 Bd5 { Wanting to keep hold ofboth bishops, but I think Ra-c1 would have been better... } 15. Bg5 h6 { Forced,gives an obvious combination for Black to remove a bishop and double mypawns. } 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nd7 Rfd8 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 { Kind of unpleasant,but at least I still have one more pawn and the open file. } 19. Ne3 Bc6 { Expecting Ra-d1 now, but Ng4 is an obvious possibility, attacking bothpawns. } 20. Ng4 { As expected, but I cannot see easily how white will continueto attack after Kg7 -- white really wants to get a rook onto the d fileto contest for its control. } 20... Kg7 21. h3 { Really unsure about this move.I simply don't understand the purpose apart from protecting against a backrank mate? } 21... Rd2 { Awkward choice for white, Re-d1 to sacrifice the b2 pawnand get to Rd7, or protect the pawn. } 22. Rab1 { Chose to protect the pawn,but tied up another rook in the process. } 22... b5 { Protecting the c4 square,partly from the white knight as I don't want it to become any more usefulthan necessary. } 23. a3 { Presumably this is to prevent b4, but I think,again, that white needs Re-d1 to contest for the d file. } 23... Rad8 24. b4 { Ah,ok, presumably a3 was to stop the a pawn from hanging after this advance.Now I suspect white wants cxb4 axb4 so that he can attack on the a file. } 24... c4 { so I will lock the position. Removing the d3 and b3 squares from white,this should make it very hard to defend both the a3 and c3 pawns. } 25. Ne3 { This is the move I played b5 for, but now the c4 pawn is well andtruly awkward for white (though the knight sacrifice is a possibility,26. Nxc4 bxc4 27. b5 is interesting). d3 looks like a nice place to getmy bishop if I can now. } 25... R8d3 { Simple threat against the c3 pawn. } 26. Rec1 { Defends, but now Ra2 seems to win a pawn, either after Ra1 Rxa1 Rxa1Rxc3 or simply Rxa3 } 26... Ra2 27. Ra1 Rxa1 28. Rxa1 Rxc3 29. Kh2 f5 { Now twopawns up, trying to remove white's ability to advance by taking the g4square away from the knight. } 30. g3 Kf6 31. h4 Bf3 { The position is nowrelatively seized up for the moment. h5 is needed to fully lock the kingside,but it is not urgent. } 32. a4 a6 { bxa4 would definitely be bad, but theexchange if white captures is quite reasonable for white. } 33. Rb1 { A strangemove, losing the b4 pawn. 33... Rb3 34. Rxb3 instead would simply losethe game as the b pawn would queen. } 33... Rb3 34. Rc1 Rxb4 35. axb5 axb5 { Nowthree pawns up with a lot of queenside pressure. } 36. Ra1 Rb2 { ThreateningRxf2 and allowing the c and b pawns to advance. } 37. Ra5 { I can get a freepawn and keep b5 defended -- now 4 pawns ahead. } 37... Rxf2+ 38. Kg1 Rb2 39. Kf1 b4 { Time to start the advance. 40. Nxc4 fails to 40... Be2 } 40. Ke1 { Blundering the knight for nothing. } 40... Re2+ { Game annotation for team benefit-- }
[Event "Challenge from prophylaxiss"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.28"] [Round "-"] [White "prophylaxiss"] [Black "supercriticality"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2100"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1974"] 1. e4 { Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, B63/B60 } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 Qb6 { As Yogi Berra would say, there are reasonswhy non-main lines are not main lines...here, the main line is 6...e6 or6...Bd7. } 7. Nb3 e6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. f3 a6 { 10...Rd8 is moreoften played here, or on move 11...or 12... } 11. h4 Qc7 12. h5 h6 { It seemsthat with 12...h6, Black does not get enough compensation for the pawn... } 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qxd6 Qb6 15. Qc5 Qc7 16. Kb1 b6 17. Qd6 Qb7 18. Qg3 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Qe7 { Black hopes to take advantage of White's weakened queensidepawn structure in front of the castled king, but White has control of theall-important blockade point at d6. } 20. Rd6 Qc7 21. e5 Rd8 22. Bd3 Bb7 { Note that it took Black 22 moves before his rooks were joined. Capablancawas perhaps the best (along with Morphy) at joining his rooks on the backrank faster than anyone else, especially from the White side, playing allof those Queen's gambit openings...and it was primarily because he, likeMorphy, valued the time principle in chess very much. His writings placegreat emphasis on time, especially in the endgame. More on this on move50. } 23. Rd1 { Further overprotecting d6 and taking control of the onlyopen file on the board. } 23... Ne7 24. c4 { Prophylactic move on the d5 square. } 24... a5 25. a3 { ...and another one on the b4 square. } 25... Nc6 26. Be2 Ne7 27. Qf2 { Time to exchange heavy pieces and transition to a good chance for a winningendgame for White. } 27... Bc6 28. Rxd8+ Rxd8 { Black's queenside rook, as Laskerwould say, did no useful work in this game. } 29. Rxd8+ Qxd8 30. Qd4 Qxd4 31. Nxd4 Ba8 32. Bd3 { Another prophylactic move that Nimzowitsch declaredwas more important than accumulating small advantages, but is not a prophylacticmove itself not an accumulation of a small advantage?! } 32... Kf8 33. Kb2 Kg8 { Black loses an important tempo with this move...the rest of the game couldeasily go into any endgame tome under the bishop vs. knight endgame literature... } 34. Nb3 Kf8 35. a4 { Fixing the a5 pawn as a target for White's knight,and Black's bishop is helpless to defend it. } 35... Nf5 36. c5 bxc5 37. Bxf5 { Eliminating Black's last true defender, doubling the f-pawns, and enteringinto a good knight vs. bad bishop ending with still a pawn up. } 37... exf5 38. Nxa5 { Gaining the all-important remote outside passed pawn... } 38... Ke7 39. Kc3 Ke6 40. Kc4 Kxe5 41. Kxc5 { ...and now creating a second queenside passedpawn... } 41... g5 { This move forces White now to take a look at at least fourdifferent possibly winning candidate moves. It is interesting to notethe positions of the knight and the bishop here. We are familiar withthe saying that a knight on a rim is grim. But could it be that a bishopon a rim is even more grim?! } 42. Nc6+ { This move brings the knight backinto the center of the board rather than keeping it hanging out on thewest coast on a5. It also enables White to keep the pawn on the all-importanth-file, thereby fixing the pawn on h6 as a probable target for the knight,rather than exchanging it for Black's g5 pawn as in 42.hxg6 e.p. If Whitecan capture Black's pawn on h6, the game will soon be over, since Whitecan then push the a-pawn AND the h-pawn, and even a bishop in the centerof the board will not be able to stop one of the pawns from promoting. } 42... Kf4 43. Nd4 { What a significant difference with the knight positioned herein the center of the board rather than remaining on the a-file! } 43... Kg3 44. Nxf5+ Kxg2 45. Nxh6 { Mission accomplished! A knight can travel completelyfrom the west coast to the east coast in just four moves! Who said thata knight is better than a bishop with pawns on just one side of the board?! Now White's rook file passed pawns decide the game. } 45... Kxf3 46. a5 Kf4 47. Ng4 { Willing to sacrifice its ego for the success of the team! Ala BillRussell, the greatest team championship winner of all-time! } 47... Kxg4 48. h6 Be4 49. a6 { Which rook pawn will emulate its fallen brother knight andimmolate itself in order to save the other?! } 49... Kf4 50. a7 { Here's a perfectexample of what Capablanca was talking about when he repeatedly emphasizedthe importance of time in the endgame, since Black does not have enoughtime to stop one of the pawns from queening, and thus resigns. And yet,even though he placed much emphasis on the element of time, Capa placedhis overall emphasis on the element of position. He wrote, 'The factis that chess consists of...three elements [material/force, space, andtime] plus the inherent element of position, and that position is first,last, and foremost. Position...is generally valued by the greater or lessermobility of the pieces, plus the pressure that these pieces may exert againstdifferent points of the chessboard, or against certain pieces of the opponent...youmay be behind in...material, space, and time, and yet have a winning position...youshould give pre-eminence to the element of position' (pp. 66-67). Locatedin 'A Primer of Chess' by Jose Capablanca, 1995 ed. } 1-0
[Event "Glenda the Menace!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.11"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "pskman"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1333"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1772"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! You have been used to seeing Glenda in a defensiverole but occasionally she can be a menace. In this game it looked at onestage as though black had an advantage, but one erroneous knight move causedGlenda to unleash her wrath on my unfortunate opponent. How does thiscome about? Well, here goes. Firstly we have a double king pawn openingand we pick up the action again on black's second move. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 { 2....... d6 - this move is called the Philidor's defense. This defense doeshave some bite to it - in fact I played this defense in an unrated gameagainst a Class A Player with a rating of 1863 and beat him. I must bevery wary. } 3. d4 Bg4 { 3. ...... Bg4 - this move has been condemned asinferior after a game between Paul Morphy (playing white) and Count Isouardand the Duke of Brunswick - these two allies could not match the mightof Paul Morphy and copped Old Matey on Move 17. } 4. dxe5 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 dxe5 { 5. ........ dxe5 - over the last few moves we have had an exchange ofpawns and a trade of B for N. I now decided to put Fou Leblanc on c4. } 6. Bc4 Qf6 7. Qb3 { 7. Qb3 - more aggressive than exchanging queens methinks,Glenda has her beady eye on the squares b7 and f7. } 7... b6 8. O-O Ne7 9. Nc3 { 9. Nc3 - development. } 9... a6 10. a4 { 10. a4 - this move is played to tryand stop black from diverting Fou Leblanc from his pew on c4. } 10... Nbc6 11. Be3 { 11. Be3 - got my rooks connected and I am prepared to exchange FouLenoir for the black knight if he hops on d4. } 11... Na5 { 11. ...... Na5 - buthe hops onto a4 instead. I must now hide Glenda on a2 and bid farewellto Fou Leblanc, tears. At least I get rid of that pesky knight in returnthough! } 12. Qa2 Nxc4 13. Qxc4 Nc6 { 13. ....... Nc6? - this move will loseat least a pawn - you will soon see how. } 14. Nd5 { 14. Nd5! - this moveattacks the Wicked Witch of the West and threatens a nasty fork on c7. The best square for the Witch is d6 but then he will be faced with a movesuch as Rad1 threatening a discovered attack on the Witch by Nf6+ whichcould be very nasty for black. } 14... Qd8 { 15. ...... Qd8?? - this move doesnot just drop the knight, he is also about to drop his QR ...... } 15. Qxc6+ { 15. Qxc6+ - now, black has only one legal move, that is Qd7. Glenda willthen whip off the rook with Qxa1+. He can only block the check. Glendacan give her life for the Wicked Witch and that will then leave black arook and a knight in arrears with counterplay virtually snuffed out. Myopponent acknowledged this and waved the white flag. Hope you enjoyedthis little brevity. } 1-0
[Event "Manhattan Chess Club 1947 Simultaneous by World Champion, Opening Ruy Lopez"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Dr. Max Euwe"] [Black "Dr. Joseph Platz"] [Result "0-1"] { In the early 1920's in the international chess arena, a group of youngmasters had appeared, all of them highly talented. I just mention Colle,Koltanowski, Kostitsch, and Dr. Euwe. It was the last one who was goingto develop into a star of first magnitude. I met Dr. Euwe first in a chessclub in Amsterdam Holland, just after he had won a brilliant game in aclub tournament. The club members idolized 'Max' as everybody called him,but little did anybody sense then that this tall and slender, pleasantand modest young man would in a match beat the great Alekhine and becomeworld champion in 1935. The second time I met Dr. Euwe was in my hometown,Cologne Germany in 1926. At that time the chess master Richard Reti livedin Cologne. He was planning to play in the great tournament, but apparentlyfelt that he should improve his knowledge in the Sicilian Defense. Dr.Euwe was known to be an expert in opening play, especially in the SicilianDefense. And so, Reti had Euwe come to Cologne for opening analysis. Dr.Euwe's knowledge of the Sicilian Defense was fantastic. The third timeI met Dr. Euwe was at the Manhattan Chess Club, New York in 1947. He played15 chess games simultaneously. It turned out to be too much for him. Butwe let the game speak for itself. - ConnecticutChess.com - } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Bc2 { I chose the opening line to the Ruy Lopez because;1) I always liked it, 2) I hoped to learn alot from this game knowing thatit is also a favorite line of Dr. Euwe. With his 10th move my opponentdeviates from the theory which commands here 10 Nbd2. } 10... O-O 11. Qe2 Nc5 { Practically forced. I rejected 11...Bf5 because of 12 Rd1 and I rejected11...f5 because of 12 ef e.p. Rxf4 13 Ng5 or 13 Rd1 with advantage forWhite. } 12. Nd4 Qd7 13. b4 Nxd4 14. cxd4 Nb7 15. Qd3 g6 16. Bh6 Rfe8 { After12 moves it will become apparent that 16...Rfc8 would have been better. But this was not a combination, only a positional move. Who can fortellthe future for 12 moves ahead ? Capablanca was once asked: 'Senor Capablanca,how many moves do you figure ahead ?' Capa answered: 'One !' 'Onlyone ?' 'Yes,' said Capablanca, 'the best one !' } 17. Qd2 { Black wasthreatening Bxb4 and Bf5 - After 17 moves of a Ruy Lopez, Black has theinitiative ! The center is locked, his King-side is secure, so Blackwill start action on the Queen-side. } 17... a5 18. bxa5 Nxa5 19. Nc3 Nc4 { Ifinstead 19...Bb4 so White plays 20 Qf4 and Black lost a move. } 20. Qf4 Ra3 21. Bb3 Bf5 22. h3 b4 23. Ne2 Bd3 24. Rfe1 Na5 25. Nc1 Nxb3 26. Nxb3 Qf5 { White must now exchange Queens, otherwise he will be pushed back furtherand further. } 27. Qxf5 Bxf5 28. Rec1 Rea8 { If on his 16th move Black wouldhave played his Rook to c8, he could now continue with 28...Bd8, then doublehis Rooks on the a-file. } 29. Rxc7 Bd8 { This looks pretty good but betterwas probably Bf8. } 30. Rcc1 Rxa2 31. Rxa2 Rxa2 32. g4 Be6 { Bitter necessity! I had relied on 32...Bc2 ? Black should have played 29...Bf8. } 33. Nc5 Ra8 { Undoubtedly the safest move here. If 33...Bh4 so 34 Be3. Riskyfor both sides would be 33...Bh4 34 Nxe6 Bf2+ 35 Kf1 fe 36 Rc8+ Kf7 37 Rf8+ Ke7 38 Rxf2 b3 39 Bf8+ Kd7 40 Ba3 Rxa3 41 Rb2 Ra1+ 42 Ke2Ra2 43 Rd2 b2 and Black wins. Or instead of 39 Bf8 White plays 39 Bc1Ra1 40 Ke2 Rxc1 41 Kd3 Rh1 42 Kc3 Rxh3+ 43 Kb2 Rg3 better for Black. } 34. Rb1 Ba5 { Not 34...Rb8? 35 Na6 ! } 35. Ra1 { Better would have been 35Nb7. } 35... Ra7 36. Nb3 Bb6 37. Rxa7 Bxa7 38. Bd2 h5 39. f3 hxg4 40. hxg4 Bd7 41. Bxb4 Kg7 { White is a pawn up but Black has confidence in the Bishoppair and plays for a draw. } 42. Bc5 Ba4 43. Na5 Bb8 44. Bb6 f6 45. f4 g5 46. exf6+ Kxf6 47. Bd8+ Kg6 48. f5+ { Alternatives are here 48 fg Bf4 or 48 Bxg5 Ba7 each time with an easy draw. } 48... Kh6 49. Kg2 Bd1 50. Kh3 { Absolutelynecessary was here 50 Nc6 Bf4 51 Ne5 Bxe5 52 de Bxg4 draw. } 50... Be2 { Nowfor White the only move would have been to give up the g-pawn and play51 Kg2. Most likely a draw would result, although Black might have slightwinning chances in this variation. However it was 2 AM and Dr. Euwe wasprobably very tired from the stubborn resistance. He overlooked what Blackwas threatening and played 57 Nc6 ?? after which Black played 51...Bf1mate. } 51. Nc6 Bf1# { Dr Euwe's exhibition at the Manhattan Chess Club hadthe following surprising result: Dr. Euwe +3 -6 =6. As we can see outof 15 games the world champion was able to win three ! Visit http://www.ConnecticutChess.comfor more chess games by Dr. Joseph Platz and others. } 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 "37th GK tournament - Opposite Colour Bishops"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-Jul-07"] [Round "-"] [White "seamisei"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1647"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1430"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! This is one of my very early games on Gameknot whereI took part in Gameknot's 37th GK tournament - in fact I still had a provisionalrating at the time. Please feel free to comment on this game. Kind regards- Joanne } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 { 3. d4 - the Scotch Game. } 3... exd4 { 3. .....exd4 (prevents white from establishing pawn centre) } 4. Nxd4 Nf6 { 4. ....Ktf6 (in a fog about how to play against the Scotch but this is a sounddeveloping move - I think and the King Kt cannot immediately be chasedaway by e5) } 5. Bg5 Be7 { 5. ..... Be7 - always a good idea to break a potentiallyannoying pin, I feel. } 6. Nxc6 dxc6 { 6. ....... dxc6 (offering exchangeof queens to which white declines next move with Qe2) } 7. Qe2 O-O { 7. ......O-O (now is a good time to get my king out of the centre) } 8. Nc3 Be6 9. Rd1 Qe8 10. a3 Rd8 11. Qe3 Rxd1+ { 11. ...... Rxd1 (I decide to clearmy queenside of wood) } 12. Nxd1 a6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. c3 Bb3 { 14. ......Bb3 (the start of a plan to win a queenside pawn) } 15. Be2 Qc8 16. O-O Re8 { 16. ..... Re8 (puts e pawn in a pin against WQ and ties WQ down toits defense for at least one move) } 17. c4 Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Bxb2 { 18. ......Bxb2 (mission accomplished - queenside pawn won) } 19. h3 Bf6 20. f3 Rd8 21. e5 Rxd1+ { 21. ...... Rxd1 (now I am a pawn up I endeavour to exchangeas many pieces as possible) } 22. Bxd1 { 21. ....... Rxd1 (now I am a pawnup I now exchange as many pieces as possible) } 22... Be7 23. f4 b6 { 23. .....b6 (I try to fortify my queenside pawn structure) } 24. Bg4 Qf8 25. Qe4 Bxa3 { 25. .... Bxa3 (I now pick off the a pawn - I know my c6 pawn is doomedand I will then force a queen swap which I did on move 27) } 26. Qxc6 Qc5+ 27. Qxc5 Bxc5+ 28. Kf1 a5 29. Bd1 Kf8 30. g4 Ke7 { 30 .... Ke7 (With thequeens off I now centralise my king) } 31. Ke2 { 31. Ke2 (my opponent followssuite) } 31... f6 32. exf6+ Kxf6 33. Kf3 h6 34. h4 g5 35. fxg5+ hxg5 36. h5 { 36.h5 (oh, oh, ties my king down to the kingside and his bishop controls thewhite squares in front of my black queenside pawns). I reply with Kg7to prevent the h pawn from queening. It looks as though white will playBa4 next move and this together with his aueen bishop pawn holds back thequeenside pawns) My dark squared bishop is needed to protect the c pawnand the g pawn and my king is needed to defend the kingside). I don'tthink white can stop my dark squared bishop from shuttling to and fromd6 and f4). I therefore offered my opponent a draw and he accepted. Ithink this endgame demonstrates why bishops of opposite colours usuallydraw even when there is a difference of one pawn. Good game. } 36... Kg7 1/2-1/2
[Event "andy94 vs cbcurrie"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Sep-08"] [Round "-"] [White "andy94"] [Black "cbcurrie"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1138"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1363"] { This is me against cbcurrie. I played as white and he played as black. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { Giuoco piano... } 3... Qf6 4. Nc3 d6 5. d3 Bg4 6. Bg5 { Maybe h3 was better but thought the Q was too advanced. } 6... Qg6 7. h3 { Like I wanted. } 7... Be6 8. b3 Be7 { 8...Be7! Now i would know if there's away to not lose a piece... } 9. Qd2 h6 10. Be3 { but..... } 10... Qxg2 11. Ke2 { 11.Ke2!! } 11... d5 12. Rag1 { And the Q's off } 12... Qxh1 13. Rxh1 dxc4 14. dxc4 Bb4 15. Rg1 { I'dlike to take g7... } 15... Rd8 16. Qe1 Nf6 17. a3 Nd4+ { 17.Nd4 ? Is this a mistake? } 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. axb4 { Maybe.... } 19... dxe3 20. Kxe3 Bxh3 21. f3 g5 22. Nb5 Kf8 23. Qc3 { good move by me. } 23... c6 24. Qxf6 Rg8 25. Qxh6+ Rg7 26. Qxh3 cxb5 27. Qh6 { I try to pin his rook } 27... Kg8 28. Rh1 { Try to mate } 28... Kf8 29. Qh8+ Rg8 30. Qf6 { Now i think the next move by black is a rook-move } 30... bxc4 31. Qxd8+ { And this is a forced #! } 31... Kg7 32. Qxg5+ Kf8 33. Qd8+ Kg7 34. Rg1+ Kh6 35. Qh4# { great move by black at 8...Be7, but if he didn't lose theQ, maybe he would won. What do u think about? } 1-0
[Event "Latvian gambit, Thanks Ion!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.07.01"] [Round "-"] [White "jjdiana1"] [Black "trixstermtl"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1508"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1474"] 1. e4 { Hey hey all. This is my third game trying this gambit that Ion turnedme onto since i liked playing the F pawn to f5 when facing e4 nf3 whiteplayers. } 1... e5 { and so it starts with e5! ive played 3 games so far withthis gambit, won the first 1, won this one which was my second game withthis gambit, and lost the third with a big mistep where i was leading aftermy opponent blundered and i happily returned him the favor 2 moves laterwhich was game costing for me though in exchange >< } 2. Nf3 { so wierd agame where i start with e5! im usually a nc6 player, d5, or e6 player.i think the 3 latvian gambit games ive played are the only three in myhistory that i start with e5. } 2... f5 { and here is the f5! i believe the usualreply by white is nxe5 or be4 } 3. Nc3 { but already with uncharted territory } 3... fxe4 { so i procede with the plan. was expecting nxe5 still } 4. Nxe4 { hmmodd reply. but this game has taken a semblance to an opening im used toso im comfortable with what to reply. } 4... d5 { d5 have total mid control. } 5. Nc3 { unanticipated reply. most of the time whites will send their knightto g3. } 5... Nc6 { and so i develop+ protect my e5 pawn. this game has a coloradogambit feel. except of having my LSB on f5 and my e pawn undevelopped.they have swap move order. } 6. d3 { hmm i wonder if d4 is stronger. } 6... Nf6 { so i develop my other knight } 7. Bg5 { sends in his dsb. Be7 is playablein reply. but if he wants to take out his DSB and let my Queen developto f6 ill take it. e5 will need the future extra reinforcement. } 7... a6 { andso i sneak this in to keep the knight at bay. } 8. Qe2 { decides to retainhis DSB e5 still needs extra reinforcement and since he brought his queenin play. ill take mine into play now too } 8... Qd6 { e5 protection. } 9. O-O-O { long castle! i face those so rarely early game. this is turning into quitea nice set up. time to remember Ion's advice on opposite side castlingsand who strikes first. } 9... d4 { and so time to budge the knight thats protectingthe king } 10. Ne4 Nxe4 { exchange! } 11. Qxe4 g6 { i saw this move as a niceplay, to put my DSB on bg7 and allow my LSB to develop gaining time onhis queen and to future prevent his queen from going to h5 once he playsknight to g4 } 12. Re1 { decides to stack the queen to push upon e5 } 12... Bf5 { i decide to kick the queen now. he wont push with her yet } 13. Qe2 Bg7 { reinforce the e5 pawn he cant push into e5 yet } 14. h3 { hmm wasted tempohere i believe unless he plans g4. but if he wanted to harass my LSB playinghis knight to h4 was probably more viable. } 14... O-O { and so king safety! } 15. Nh4 { theres that knight } 15... Nb4 { and so time to gain a pawn or save my LSB } 16. a3 { decides to let me save my LSB } 16... Na2+ { i play this to make his kinguncomfortable } 17. Kb1 { wonder if king d2 is better } 17... Be6 { and cover myknight plus opening the file for my rook } 18. Qd2 { here i wasnt too surewhat he was planning } 18... b5 { and so all is left is to come forward with mypawns as long as my opponent is not making aggressive moves. } 19. Bh6 { iwas wondering if he was trying to make me budge my DSB to try to get myRook } 19... Bxh6 { but i thought removing his DSB, considering his LSB' position,wouldremove alot of synergy to his army and leaves the f2 pawn hanging. thequeen alone on h6 even with that knight close by isnt scary } 20. Qxh6 Nc3+ { try a knight sacrifice to open the ways for my queen and lsb } 21. Ka1 { opponent doesnt bite } 21... Rxf2 { take the hanging pawn plus now aiming a newhanging pawn on c2 } 22. Rc1 { defends the hanging pawn } 22... Na2 { i attack therook then to gain material and bring his queen back } 23. Nf3 { blocks myrook in. hes still safe for a while being on a dark square } 23... Nxc1 { so igain the rook for knight } 24. Qxc1 { queen retreats } 24... Qd5 { get the queenready to push with the LSB } 25. b3 { forced i think or maybe queen b2 isplayable but then it invites Rxc2 and the situation looks rough } 25... a5 { keepcoming forward. that foundation is about to break apart } 26. Nd2 { couldntsee what he was planning here } 26... c5 { and so even more pawns! } 27. Qe1 { attacksmy Rook i guess he was protecting the c2 pawn so he could move his queen } 27... Raf8 { gives me the opportunity to stack my rooks protecting my f2 rook } 28. Be2 { leaves the g2 pawn hanging. i love trading out rooks for 2 minorpieces so i take it. i played through and calculated a natural reply bymy opponent that would be a blunder if played, so i decide to go down thisavenue. } 28... Qxg2 29. Bf3 { queen looks trapped or else i drop my rook! } 29... R8xf3 { but as stated before! } 30. Nxf3 Qxf3 { 2 minors for a rook } 31. Qxe5 { thisis where i forsaw this 'natural' reply that is a blunder. i dont know iftheres something to this move lol but why did i calculate this as to bemy opponents reply after the rook exchange. and why did he play it whenits so obviously a blunder... not trying to say my opponent is bad butim asking why did this blunder look like a natural reply lol. } 31... Qxh1+ 32. Kb2 Bxb3 { and so i dive the LSB being up so much material and if he takeswith king i believe its mate Qb1# } 33. Qe8+ { decides to give me a check. } 33... Rf8 34. Qe5 { he couldnt recheck due to my LSB's position } 34... Bxc2 { clearmore way! maybe a mistake here } 35. Qe6+ { gives another check could heachieve perpetual checks here considering my rook and pawns? } 35... Rf7 36. Kxc2 { eats the bishop i think this was game costing if he could force a drawbefore. } 36... Qf3 { so i stack my 2 pieces as to protect my king from the perpetuals,if they were possible } 37. Qe8+ Rf8 38. Qe6+ Qf7 39. Qe5 { decides to savehis queen but that makes it mate } 39... Qf2+ 40. Kb3 { wonder if kd1 was better.forces a queen exchange but prolongs the checkmate. i much prefered thisking b3 though it allows for the most satisfying checkmates } 40... a4# { allcomments appreciated. thanks again Ion for turning me onto the latviangambit. i dedicate this nice pawn mate to you achieved with almost oneof my first games with this opening } 0-1
[Event "148th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.07.10"] [Round "-"] [White "drzemik"] [Black "getoverit"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2249"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2417"] { This was a very interesting and instructive game between getoverit andKanie. In fact, there is so much to learn that getoverit asked me to annotatethis game as this was his best game. What's significant is that both sidescastled short. Yet, drzemik went wrong somewhere. So, similar to Fischer'swin against Byrne, getoverit sacrificed a piece for a devastating attackagainst white's K. That is how getoverit won this game. So, how did itgo down? } 1. d4 { Kanie starts off with the Queen's pawn openings. I wasn'tsure how getoverit was going to respond. } 1... d5 { But, once getoverit playedthis, I was pretty sure that it was going to be QG since that's a wellknown opening. Of course, it could also become the Colle's FranketortSystem or the London System, along with other things. But, the most commonresponse is QG. } 2. c4 c6 { The Slav Defense is also how I respond to theQG. } 3. Nf3 { Kanie develops a piece. } 3... Nf6 { As does getoverit. } 4. e3 { Openingup a line for his Bf1, as well as, establishing a solid pawn chain. But,I would've opened up a similar line by fianchettoing with 4.g3. } 4... e6 { And,getoverit has the same idea in mind. Similarly, I would've fianchetto'dwith 4...g6. } 5. b3 { This is where, however, Kanie finachettos. So, there'sgot to be something that I'm not seeing. I just don't know what that is. } 5... Ne4 { Centralizing his N which is generally a good way to go about. } 6. Bd3 { Threatening to exchange. So, my inference is that exchanging benefitsKanie here. } 6... Bb4+ { That's why I'm not surprised to see getoverit placewhite in check. } 7. Nbd2 { Not wanting to exchange B's, though, this ishow Kanie gets out of check. And, I would've done the same thing here. } 7... f5 { I don't see the point behind this move. The only reason being is thatit appears to weaken the King since getoverit has advanced his weakestpawn on the chess board, similar to what I see in TA's blitz Q sac. } 8. O-O { With that being said, I am not surprised to see Kanie castle here. In fact, I like it because the K is safe here. } 8... Nd7 { But, getoverit, however,delays it by developing another piece. } 9. Bb2 { Taking advantage of hisfianchetto by placing the B there. I think along the same line when itcomes to the fianchettos. } 9... O-O { This is where getoverit decides to castle,at once. } 10. a3 { Meanwhile, Kanie decides to kick the B. It has to befor tempo gain, as well as, maintaining a semi open file, in the process. } 10... Bd6 11. b4 { I think that Kanie is planning to attack again. Although,white could've played 11.c5 right away. But, by playing this first, theplan would be adding to the pawn chain. } 11... Qf6 { getovert decides to bringhis Q into play, at once. } 12. Qc2 { And, Kannie does the same thing. } 12... g5 { I don't see the point behind this move. This appears to weaken theKing. That's why I would not have considered this move. Instead, I would'vefianchetto'd the undeveloped B with 12...b6 to allow 13...Bb7 followedby 14...Rad8 or 14...Rae8 with the idea of centralizing a R. That wouldhave been the plan. } 13. Be2 { I also don't why Kanie retreated, giventhat his B was not attacked. } 13... Qg7 { Unlike before, I do see the point. But, I would have held off until white Nf3 has moved. The plan is 14...Qh6,followed by 15...g4, as that forces white to lose a piece to prevent acheckmate on h2. } 14. g3 { But, Kanie puts a stop to that by opening upa window for his monarch. } 14... h5 { So, getoverit comes up with a differentplan being a pawn storm. } 15. Rab1 { I don't know why Kanie played this. Instead, I would've centralized with 15.Rad1. } 15... h4 { But, I do see the logicis. The plan behind this move is to expose white's King. I saw the samething unfold in Charleshiggie's mini tournament between him and brigadecommander. And, this is how Charles defeated Janet. And, I annotated that game awhile back. } 16. b5 { However, Kanie has plans of his own. } 16... cxb5 { I would'vecaptured with 16...hxg3 because if white plays 17.hxg3, black go on a Kside assault with 17...Qh6. } 17. cxd5 exd5 18. Bxb5 Ndf6 { Avoiding an exchange,getoverit moves his N. And, this is exactly what I would've also played. However, Kanie is still going to exchange the other N. Personally, Idon't see how this benefits him since that's what he wants. But, I can'tfind anything else for white, though. } 19. Nxe4 fxe4 20. Ne5 { Kanie stillwants the exchange. } 20... Bh3 { But, this is where getoverit really goes on theoffense. I am very familiar with this pattern even though the Q isn'tthere. However, my being familiar makes me realize that despite materialbeing even, black has an advantage. And, it's not hard to believe becausefiercequeen told me that it's not mostly about who's ahead or not materialwise. It's instead, about who has a space advantage or extra tempo. Inthis context, getoverit has the space advantage. } 21. Rfd1 { Kanie centralizeshis R, but that doesn't change what I said before as I still favor getoverit'sposition. } 21... Qh7 { And, this is what I was talking about with the B landingon h3. Usually the Q hit's this area first, but doing it later doesn'tchange anything. It shows that Kanie's K side is somewhat weak. } 22. Be2 { Mu guess is that Kanie is trying to strengthen it. } 22... Qf5 { But, getoveritjust adds to the attack. } 23. Rd2 { I am not sure why Kanie played thisbecause he isn't going to double on the d file with his other R. In myopinion, this is where white really starts getting in trouble. It turnsout that what I was worried about happens on getoverit's next move. And,as noted, charleshiggie won against brigadecommander in a very similarway. } 23... hxg3 24. hxg3 Rac8 { I was expecting something like 24...Qh7. But,this is even more powerful. } 25. Qb3 Rc7 { getoverit is planning to do somethingwith that R. I'm just not sure what because he doesn't play 26...Rh7 whichis what I anticipate. } 26. Re1 { I don't see the point behind this move. Instead, I would've played 26.Rbd1. } 26... Kh8 { I also don't understand thismove. } 27. Qd1 { I also don't know why Kanie played this. I, at first,thought that it would be 27.Qh5+. But, that was never going to be possible,even if the B moved due to blacks Nf6. } 27... Rh7 { But, this is what I thoughtgetoverit was going to play earlier. As he has a lot going on in the Kside. } 28. g4 { Trying to stop it, Kanie attacks the Q. But, this doesn'tphase getoverit, at all. } 28... Qe6 29. f3 { Kanie attempts to exchange pawns,as it looks nasty. But, getoverit has a plan of his own. } 29... Nxg4 { As thisis the sac that I was talking about. } 30. fxg4 { ?? Kanie took the bait. I usually don't mark moves, but I believe that this is where white wrong. I mean black did have an advantage, but this is the losing move, in myopinion because of what happens next. And, yes, this is also where I sawthe same type of pattern with GM Bobby Fischer when he played against GMDonald Byrne. As Byrne brought his Q out early. This allowed Fischerto sac his Q. And, when Byrne took it, Fischer had a mating sequence whichhe took advantage and delivered a checkmate. } 30... Qh6 { With that being said,Kanie resigned here. The idea being is that getoverit is going to captureg pawn. No matter how white responds, black's next move would be 32...Qh2#which is checkmate. The only despute to mating on h2 would be for whiteto move his Be2, but black still mates with 32...Qh1# } 0-1
[Event "Greco's Good Luck"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1619"] [Round "-"] [White "Gioachino Greco"] [Black "Unknown"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "?"] [TimeControl "?"] [WhiteElo "?"] { Gioachino Greco vs. an unknown player in 1919. At this time, Greco wastouring Europe, testing himself against players in London in Paris. Grecoconsidered this to be one of his best and favorite games. } 1. e4 { The King'sPawn Opening. } 1... b6 { The rarely seen Owen Defence. Black prepares to fianchettohis bishop onto the powerful a8-h1 diagonal. On the downside, white isallowed to build a large pawn center. } 2. d4 { Greco claims more centerspace. } 2... Bb7 { Black fianchettos his bishop, while attacking Greco's e-pawn. } 3. Bd3 { ?! - Greco, who was always fond of developing his bishops to thethird-rank, ignores modern opening theory to develop knights first. Althoughnot considered to be a strong move, this bishop plays a vital role in thegame. } 3... f5 { ?! - The Matovinsky Gambit. Black greatly weakens his king-sidein order to loosen up the a8-h1 diagonal. Today, this gambit is todayconsidered completely unsound - 400 years ago? Maybe not... } 4. exf5 { Grecoaccepts the Matovinsky Gambit. This move allows black to take White'srook, however, white gets compensation through a strong king-side attack. } 4... Bxg2 { Black takes a pawn and attacks Greco's unprotected rook. It seemsthat Greco has made a bad mistake. } 5. Qh5+ { Black's f5 advance is nowproving to be a huge king-side weakness. } 5... g6 { Black's only move. Thispawn is all that is stopping Greco from checkmating. } 6. fxg6 { Greco makesthe obvious move. If he can remove the pawn from the queen's way, it'scheckmate! } 6... Nf6 { ?? - Black understands that 7. g7# and 7. gxh7# will bothend the game. Therefore he readies to remove Greco's queen. However,he's not looking beyond one move ahead... } 7. gxh7+ { ! - In Greco's position,many beginners would have played the obvious 7. g7 , in order to even upthe exchange after 7...Nxh5 8. gxh8=Q bxh1. Apparently, Greco sees somethingbetter! } 7... Nxh5 { Black happily gobbles up Greco's queen (not that he hada choice). } 8. Bg6# { ! - Greco's bishop checkmates his opponent. Sevenpoints up and nowhere to go. Now the purpose of Greco's seventh move becomesclear(7. gxh7 ), by taking Black's h-pawn, Greco's bishop can checkmateon the undefended g6. Many of you may (or may not) have noticed thatBlack's 6...Nf6 was a game-ending blunder. In fact, the main line of theMatovinsky Gambit Accepted continues with 6...Bg7 to give the king an escaperoute. Interestingly enough, in the late 1950's, white began to answerto 6...Bg7 with 7. Qf5!!, an extremely powerful move that led to the disappearanceof the Matovinsky Gambit. } 1-0
[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Terrezas"] [Black "Fidel Castro"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "IM"] { Mr. Castro, in addition to being a strong supporter of chess [for somereason, most dictatorial countries have strong chess programs], can playa fair game. Here, as Black, he takes the point off a Mexican master inan informal game. } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 { Castro accepts Terrezas' challengeand takes the pawn. } 3. Nf3 Bd6 4. d4 h6 5. e5 Bb4+ { Ahead by a pawn, Castrocan afford to be aggressive. } 6. c3 Ba5 7. Bxf4 { Terrezas regains the gambitPawn. } 7... g5 8. Bg3 Qe7 { Both players have incomplete development. } 9. Be2 d6 10. exd6 cxd6 11. Qa4+ { Terrezas begins a risky, premature attack...maybe he felt Castro wasn't a strong enough defender to accurately riposte. } 11... Nc6 12. d5 Bd8 13. dxc6 b5 { Castro plays to counter against Terrezas' exposedKing. } 14. Qxb5 a6 15. Qa4 g4 16. c7+ Bd7 { Terrezas should take this opportunityto castle his King into safety. However, he fails to do so... } 17. cxd8=Q+ Rxd8 { Now with a considerable material advantage, Terrezas has to consolidate.Always castle when you have a chance... } 18. Qd4 gxf3 19. Qxh8 Qxe2# { Gameto Castro. If Terrezas had castled... } 0-1
[Event "Two knight's worked as one"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.30"] [Round "-"] [White "stojanc"] [Black "kevm"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1333"] [WhiteElo "1454"] { Hi, in this game my pair of knights worked perfectly together. If youlike this game, please rate it, and any comments are welcome. Enjoy! } 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2 5. Bxb2 { I sacrificed two pawnsfor development. This position is called Danish gambit Collijn defence. } 5... Nf6 { Out of books, in Danish gambit Collijn defence next move for blackis Qe7. But in my games I often came to this position. } 6. Qf3 Be7 7. e5 { I take new approach. Normally I don't play whit my Q so early in the game,but here my bishop's are very dangerous, so I advance whit my e pawn. } 7... d5 { Best move for black. So I think. } 8. exf6 Bxf6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Bxd5 Qe7+ 11. Ne2 { First knight came out. } 11... Qe5 12. Nc3 { Now watch my knights,they are starting their cooperation. } 12... c6 13. Bb3 Be6 14. Bxe6 Qxe6 15. O-O { Time to take my king to safety and unpinning my knight. } 15... Nd7 16. Rfe1 O-O-O { Clever to take King to safety. } 17. Nd4 { Let's make some attakson his Q. } 17... Qc4 18. Nf5 { Aiming on d6. } 18... Ne5 19. Qh3 { Moving away from knightattack on f3 and hoping to get discovered check when I move my f5 knight. } 19... Kb8 20. Ne4 { Reinforcement on d6 square. } 20... Nd3 21. Nfd6 { I move my f5 knight,because whit e4 knight I'm also attacking f6 pawn. } 21... Qd4 22. Red1 { Now hisknight is mine. } 22... Qe5 23. Qxd3 f5 24. Ng3 Rd7 25. Ngxf5 { My knight's arestill connected. } 25... Qf6 26. Rab1 b6 27. a4 Kc7 28. Qg3 { Again my Q is preparedfor discovered check. } 28... Kd8 { Here I saw some combinations, so next movesare pretty much forced. } 29. Nb7+ Kc8 30. Rxd7 Kxd7 31. Rd1+ Kc8 32. Nfd6+ { My two beautiful knights still working in pair. } 32... Kd7 33. Ne4+ { And hisQ is gone. } 33... Kc8 34. Nxf6 Kxb7 { And her one of my knights is gone. RIP youwere very useful. } 35. Rd7+ { And from here on mate was unavoidable. } 35... Ka6 36. Qd3+ Ka5 37. Rxa7+ Kb4 38. Qd4+ Ka3 39. Qxb6 h5 40. Rb7 Rc8 41. Qb3# { Thank you for watching, and thanks to my opponent who didn't resign. Havea nice day! } 1-0
[Event "A nice game from the Wild West, with a nice ending mate."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.07.25"] [Round "-"] [White "tarupam"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] { This blitz had become much of an interesting 'tour the force'. } 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 { Icelandic gambit, on tought testing. } 4. Bb5+ { Yessssss. At last. I know the answer is there, but I had to find it bymyself. No database, book or time to look around. So. It is not nice, unlessyou don't care to play with an isolated e pawn. I wasn't prepared for that. } 4... c6 { I condemn my forces to stay on guard of the c6 pawn for a long time,but will my opponent be able to take advantage of it? My other pieces (queenand dsb) will be very free to invade the board. } 5. dxc6 bxc6 6. Ba4 { Ok,this bishop keeps the c pawn pinned, but... what else? } 6... Bc5 { I though itwas better than the inmediate Qd4. Black is threatening it now. } 7. Qf3 { Good. I thought that now... } 7... Bb7 { The bishop is currently undefended,but soon it will be. And then, c5will become a weapon in my hands. } 8. Nge2 O-O 9. d4 { White plays as I would do. Not 'losing time' with castling.I did it, and white strikes. But look: Is he threatening to pin the pieceand place a rook behind it? He won't get on time, methink... } 9... Bxd4 10. Bg5 { Played quickly. It is supposed to be a threat? I looked hard, butI couldn't see any serious one. ON the other side, I have Qa5, making pressure. } 10... Be5 { Just in case, not wanting to take more time, I played passively. } 11. Ne4 { That was a decisive blunder on white's part, I'm afraid to say.But it must be said that the position is very hard to play! White let methe open way to go... } 11... Qa5+ { It must be calculated whether if BxN, BxB,NxB, gxN, QxN?, QxB, Qg4+, Kh8, Qf6+ and drawn by repetition. } 12. N4c3 { And here, I acted the combination I was looking for. } 12... Bxc3+ 13. Nxc3 Qxg5 { You must feel bad, as I do when this happens to me. But the gameis still fun. Since I couldn't switch to 'on' the bishop's threat (it isslow to defend), my kingside is still, amazingly, undeveloped. Will whitebe able to take advantage of it and compensate the material downfall? } 14. O-O { Well, this for a start, leaves to me the initiative. But it isnot easy to find a smooth way to untangle my kinside pieces. } 14... Nd5 { Tostop the queen's action against c6. Now I can happily exchange it, andtransfer the future threat to d4. } 15. Ne4 Qe7 { Time to be wise and calm.I can still fall into a fork or something. White's pieces are more activethan mines. } 16. Rad1 Nd7 { Now, it was a risk, but I wanted to get outof passivities and take the chance to unravel my position. } 17. c4 Ne5 { Strong. True is that white can threat my knight, but it can takre c4,so the options are limited. } 18. Qh3 { Well, Nxc4 was the simple one, butI play for fun, and to develop intuition rather than calculation. } 18... Nf4 { The two knights can defend each other in a move. } 19. Qb3 { My bishop,by the way, IS defended. Now I was unsure about Rb8, but I didn't likehim to advance to c5 and blind my bishop. } 19... c5 20. Nd6 { Not a real problem,since Rb8 was enough. But I don't like to be on the defensive, and, again,I had an intuition. } 20... Ne2+ 21. Kh1 Bxg2+ 22. Kxg2 Qg5+ { Now, the only wayto block my queen is with his queen, but the knight will take it. It wouldhave been a good exchange for me. } 23. Kh1 { ...but now I have to proveI played well, and I wasn't sure at all about how to finish the game! } 23... Qh5 { Looking for Nf3 or Ng4. } 24. Qe3 { I think white must have tried h3,but it is hard to say. Probably f3 would have saved him. But it is veryhard to think when few seconds are left. } 24... Nf3 { Now, this is really nice.Can you see? } 25. Kg2 Qg4+ 26. Kh1 Qh3 { The threat is still 'on'... whitehas to sac the queen, but even so, he will lose in few moves. Thank youfor reading! By the way: white could save himself two moves back, as thepuzzle creator engine shows, but with ruinous loss of material } 0-1
[Event "Team Match Yeshua's Warrior vs The White Knight"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "donex7"] [Black "martenp"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1835"] [WhiteElo "1878"] { This game was sadly rather sloppy on my part and may therefore not betoo interesting. I provided some annotations as this was one of my teamgames, but if you are looking for an intricate match, I suggest you lookelsewhere. Otherwise, you are welcome to enjoy the very punishing playby my opponent, at least. } 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nxd5 4. Nxd5 Qxd5 5. b3 { I haven't often played against this variant, but it seems to payoff well. The threats black normally has are neutralized through the exchange,so that white has time to set up a powerful fianchetto. } 5... e5 6. Bb2 Bc5 7. Nf3 Bg4 { I am trying to retain control over d4, so it can't be playedby white to grab space. } 8. Be2 Nc6 9. O-O O-O-O 10. h3 Bh5 { This is amistake as white will expertly demonstrate. 10....Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Qe6 leaveswhite with a rather powerful bishop pair, but white has a slight advantagein the centre and plenty of space for counterplay and could potentiallylook to set up a pawn storm on the king side, after positioning his rookson the e- and d-file. } 11. Nxe5 Bxe2 { Looking back, I was a bit too afraidof giving up the bishop pair to white in such an open position, since Nxe5looks a little better to me now. } 12. Qxe2 Qxd2 { Too eager to win backthe pawn. Playing 12....c6 allows white to defend with Nf3, but then atleast the centre is mine after 12....Re8, giving at least some compensationfor the pawn, albeit likely insufficient. } 13. Qg4+ Kb8 14. Nxf7 Rhf8 15. Nxd8 Bxf2+ { Trying to poke back, but the game is pretty much lost now. } 16. Kh1 Rxd8 17. Rad1 Qxc2 { And now white seals the deal with a swift combination. } 18. Rxd8+ Nxd8 19. Qd7 Bh4 20. Rc1 { And black resigns. Like I said, itwas a rather sloppy match on my part, but hopefully there was still someeducational value in the annotation, perhaps mostly from the excellentway in which white managed to punish me. } 1-0
[Event "Tournament game, Budapest 1974"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Bela Perenyi"] [Black "Laszlo Eperjesi"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 { A rather passive approach to the Caro-Kann. } 3... dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 { Black also plays a quiet move. Neither player is willingto open the game up yet. } 5. Bc4 { Beginning to pressure Black's K-side. } 5... Ngf6 6. Ng5 { Attacking the weak point at KB7. Deep Blue used the same Knightmove against an exhausted Garry Kasparov in a Caro-Kann to win the decisiveGame 6 of the second match, thus making a computer World Champion. Humanshave, as yet, been unable to reclaim that mantle. } 6... e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 { Preparingto drive the advanced White Knight. } 8. Bd3 h6 9. N5f3 { The scene appearsutterly pacific. Black should focus on keeping the game closed and gettinghis King into safety. } 9... c5 { A strategic error. White has the initiativeand can exploit the opening up of the game better than Black. } 10. dxc5 Nbd7 11. b4 b6 { I would think that 11... B-K2, preparing 12... O-O, wouldbe a better plan. With the game opening up, Black needs to get his Kingout of the center. } 12. Nd4 { Threatening to penetrate decisively. } 12... bxc5 { Allowing a sharp tactical sequence. } 13. Nc6 { The Queen must bestir herself. } 13... Qc7 { Getting the Q out of immediate danger. However... } 14. Qxe6+ { ...thismove is decisive. Black resigns, as the Q cannot be captured [14... PxQ15 B-N6 mate] and interposing doesn't solve the problem [14... B-K2 15QxB mate]. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.21"] [Round "-"] [White "sivanshalil"] [Black "well91"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1461"] [TimeControl "10 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1320"] 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 { White develops a piece and defends the extrapawn. 3. f4 allows black a lead in development after 3..f6! 4 exf6 Nxf65 Nc3 d5 6 e3 Bb4 paving the way for black to castle kingside and havingreasonable chances. } 3... Qe7 { The start of the rather disreputable EnglundGambit. } 4. Qd5 { Better was to keep developing with Nc3 } 4... Qb4+ 5. Bd2 { Bd2?Again Nc3 is better or Nbd2 } 5... Qxb2 { White is in trouble,Bc3 looks the bestreply } 6. Bc3 Bb4 { Bb4! pinning White's black squared bishop. Black iswinning after 6 moves. } 7. Qc4 { Qc4?? presumably hoping for the exchange.Not noticing..... } 7... Qc1# 0-1
[Event "zigi's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.03.21"] [Round "-"] [White "dwardman"] [Black "oxxentbixim"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1774"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1804"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 { I haven't seen this for a while, I just stick to theLondon idea } 3. Bf4 e6 { I really thought about c4 here but kept withinthe system } 4. e3 Bb7 5. Nbd2 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. Bg5 Nbd7 8. O-O h6 { So nowthe bishop is going to be chased } 9. Bh4 Qe7 10. c4 { c4 comes now } 10... g5 { Iguess black will castle long, which is ok by me as the c file will be halfopen soon } 11. Bg3 g4 { I am not too worried about this at the moment } 12. Ne5 h5 { Time to simplify } 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 14. cxd5 exd5 { The semi open fileis to be claimed } 15. Rc1 O-O-O 16. a4 { Time to storm myself the game isafoot } 16... Bxg3 17. hxg3 Kb8 18. a5 bxa5 { This queens side is beginning tolook exposed } 19. Nb3 h4 20. Qxg4 { Pawns make prizes } 20... hxg3 21. Qxg3 Nf6 22. Nxa5 Rdg8 23. Qf4 Rh5 24. Rc3 { I am going to bring more pressure onthe bishop } 24... Qd7 25. g3 { Black cannot play the tempting q h3 because ofqxp check then q x b mate } 25... Ne8 { So blak retreats the knight } 26. Qf3 Rgh8 { this makes sense } 27. Rb3 { however the bishop is a gonner now } 27... Rh2 { Againlooking to bring the queen to h3 } 28. Nxb7 Ka8 29. Nc5 { Q h3 is now metby qxp mate if black had moved to c8 I would have B f5 check and it isgame over } 29... Rh1+ 30. Qxh1 Rxh1+ 31. Kxh1 Qh3+ 32. Kg1 { I amplanning on movingmy knight to a6 trapping the king } 32... Qg2+ { ???? black resigns } 1-0
[Event "Time to Break Your Streak!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.12"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "remohgramps"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1138"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1715"] 1. d4 { Another installment of the ongoing match between RemohGramps andmyself. The title was set when the game began, and it is a reference tothe fact that my opponent has yet to win any games against me since ourfirst, which I timed out for personal reasons. He's vowed to keep goinguntil he wins one. This time I'm white and, feeling adventurous, I strayfrom the epine dorsale and open with 1. d4. } 1... d5 2. c4 { Queen's Gambit. } 2... dxc4 3. Nf3 { Accepted. White plays the main line response. } 3... Nc6 4. d5 { Black's3. ... Nc6 is known as the Side Variation. The book response for whiteis 4. e4 to build the 'classic' center and to threaten the pawn on f4,to which black replies 4. ... b5. I found 4. d5 in the GameKnot DB andit looked more fun, so I played it. } 4... Na5 5. Qa4+ { Not looking good forthat knight on the edge. On the edge of destruction... } 5... c6 6. Bd2 { Morepressure on that knight. It has nowhere to go. A knight anywhere on theedge of the board only had 4 moves (2 if it's in a corner or 3 if it'snext to a corner). In this case, three of the black knight's moves areblocked by black pawns and the fourth, b3, is instant death by axb3. Bestmight be 6. ... b6 to defend the knight but this allows white to gain apawn with 7. dxc6, though it's doubtful that white can hold onto that far-flungpawn. } 6... b5 7. Qxa5 { White has gained a piece but will lose the pawn on d5,and now black seems to have built a stable defense for his pawn on f4,gaining a little compensation by way of the pawn black captured with 2.... dxc4 and now denying white the opportunity to get it back. } 7... Qxa5 8. Bxa5 cxd5 9. Nc3 { Forking the black pawns on b5 and d5. } 9... Nf6 10. Nxb5 { Nowthreatening the fork on c7. } 10... e6 11. Nc7+ { Black simply allows the forkwith 10. ... e6. No doubt he correctly surmised that he couldn't stop 11.Nc7, and it looks like black has no way to prevent the loss of material.Not with 10. ... Kd7 for then 11. Ne5+ Ke6 12. Nc7+ Kxe5 13. Nxa8 stillwins the exchange for white, and black cannot seem to trap and win theknight on a8. Not 10. ... Rb8 11. Nc7+ Kd7 12. Ne5+ Kd6 13. Nxf7+ Kc6 14.Nxh8 Rb7 15. Nf7 Rxc7 16. Bxc7 Kxc7 17. Ne5 which wins a whole rook forwhite. } 11... Kd7 12. Nxa8 Bd6 13. O-O-O { The white knight on a8 is well andgood cooked, so might as well develop some pieces. This isn't the safestcastle position, but I feel I've inflicted enough damage to black's queensideto make it unlikely he can launch a scary attack against the exposed king.The rook on d1 might create a pin on the d5 pawn, if things work out right,which may allow the white bishop on f1 to capture on f4 in a few moves. } 13... h6 14. e3 Bb7 15. Nb6+ { Black finally pounces on the trapped white knight.White plays 15. Nb6+ for no other reason than to gain the a7 pawn afterit captures the knight, thus trading the knight for a pawn rather thanlosing it outright. } 15... axb6 16. Bxb6 { Now white is up by a whole rook. } 16... Rc8 17. Be2 { I was afraid of black playing 16. ... Ne4, threatening 17. ...Nxf2 and forking the two white rooks. I could prevent the fork, but I couldsee no way to the loss of the pawn on f2 (well, I could have preventedit by playing 15. Be2 instead of 15. Nb6+, but I didn't see the threatthen). I did see the threat while I was waiting for black's 16th move,but it was too late to stop it then. But, black played 16. ... Rc8 so Iwaste no time in clearing f1 so I can play a rook there to defend the f2pawn if needed. } 17... Ne4 18. Rdf1 { Whew. } 18... c3 19. Bd4 { I'm not sure if 19. Bd4was the best move here, but I thought I may want that bishop home to helpwith the defense, something it was unable to do from b6. Besides, a threatagainst g7 might tempt black to spend a tempo saving the pawn. Or, whitemight eventually just capture that pawn, gaining material and isolatingblack's h-pawn. } 19... cxb2+ 20. Kxb2 Rb8 21. Ka1 { Black threatened 21. ... Ba6+(discovered) followed by 22. ... Bxe2. The white king seeks a defenderto hide behind. } 21... Rc8 22. Bd3 { Limiting black's approaches for his rookon the open c-file and putting pressure on black's knight at e4. } 22... e5 23. Nxe5+ { Black's move, 22. ... e5? was a minor blunder. The pawn at e5 isinadequately protected. I feel my bishop is more crucial to my defensethan the knight, and I would like to play the pawn to f3 to drive off black'sknight, so capturing the pawn at e5 with the white knight seems the bestoption. } 23... Ke6 24. Ng4 { Because I still want f3 open for a pawn. I realizedbefore I played the move that black can trap the white knight with 24.... f5, but I believed I could get three pawns in compensation for it (countingthe pawn it captured on e5 as the first of the three). A belief that mightvery well have cost me the win in this game. } 24... f5 25. Bxg7 { Pawn numbertwo. } 25... fxg4 26. Bxe4 dxe4 27. Bxh6 { Pawn number three. This move, 27. Bxh6?might have cost me the win. It might even deserve two ? for how bad itis. I looked long and hard at taking this pawn (at least for two wholeminutes). I knew better. The white DSB needs to remain on the long diagonala1-h8 to prevent black from getting his DSB on it. The damage black cando with two bishops and a rook against white's lone king is scary. I thoughtabout it, then decided I could get away with it. It was the wrong choice.White should have played 27. Bd4, or simply left the bishop on g7 for nowand brought his rooks into a more active role. } 27... Bd5 28. Rc1 { Another mistake.White must get his DSB on that long diagonal. } 28... Be5+ 29. Kb1 { Too late.White allowed black to play 28. ... Be5+! uncontested by the white bishop.Much badness follows. } 29... Rb8+ 30. Kc2 Bxa2 31. h3 { One dead pawn. If nothingelse, black has traded his isolated h-pawn for white's passed a-pawn, thanksto white's dubious 27. Bxh6?, which makes that an even pawn trade, butblack isn't done. White's bishop on h6 is useless as a defender, and blackstill has three pieces attacking the exposed white king. White intendsto run his king all the way to the kingside, and I feel he can get there,so I play 31. h3? looking to create a passed pawn. But I think 31. Kd1was called for here to prevent the immediate loss of more material. } 31... gxh3 32. gxh3 Rb2+ 33. Kd1 { Too late. } 33... Rxf2 { Another white pawn falls. Now that27. Bxh6? (with sloppy white moves that followed) has cost white two pawns,rather than gaining one. And now white has no kingside shelter to run to. } 34. Bf4 { Finally white makes a good move, of sorts. Black has all kindsof scary threats, and white really wants to play Rh2 forcing the tradeof rooks. after 34. ... Bxf4 35. exf4 Rxf4, white will have lost a thirdpawn thanks to 27. Bxh6?, but now at least black's attack will have beenadequately blunted to allow white room to breathe. However, white willonly be up by the exchange, not much to bank on for winning an otherwiseeven endgame. Worse, white's only pawn is on the h-file, very difficultto promote, while black's pawn is centrally located on the e-file, mucheasier to promote. To whites benefit, black's only bishop does not controleither promotion square. White might be able to work out a win, but there'sa good chance this game will end in a draw. } 34... Bf6 35. Rh2 { I am not surewhy black chose not to win white's e-pawn as previously noted with 34.Bxf4. Whtie capitalizes by skewering the black rook to his bishop, thinkingthis forces the exchange of rooks which would greatly favor white. } 35... Bb3+ 36. Ke1 { Black found his zwischenzug, moving his bishop with check whichbreaks the skewer and avoids the rook exchange. } 36... Rf3 37. Ke2 { Black's rookhas nowhere to go. Trapped. White wants to attack it with a rook and forcethe exchange, but not with 38. Rf1?? which loses a rook to 38. ... Bc4+!and not 38. Rf2? which loses a pawn to 38. ... Rxh3. Well, at least theblack rook is stuck for now. } 37... Be7 38. h4 { Might as well see what this passedpawn can do. } 38... Bd6 39. Rc6 { Black blundered with 38. ... Bd6??. Clearly,he wanted to exchange bishops with white, freeing his rook in the process.But white's reply wins the black bishop for free. } 39... Kd5 40. Rxd6+ Kc4 41. Rd4+ { To win the last black pawn. } 41... Kc3 42. Rxe4 { And now black's rook iscooked. It has nowhere to run. Black could try 42. ... Bc4+?, hoping todrive off white's king, but white would reply 43. Rxc4+ Kxc4, 44. Kxf3and win easily with a rook, bishop, and two pawns against black's loneking. } 42... Rxf4 43. exf4 { Black at least sold his doomed rook for the priceof a bishop. Now the endgame is brutally easy. Advance the passed pawns,look for an opportunity to trade a rook for the last black bishop, theneither promote a pawn and checkmate with queen+rook or simply go for theking+rook checkmate without promoting any pawns. Black took this opportunityto resign. } 1-0
[Event "Best move I've ever done"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.08.20"] [Round "-"] [White "bogdan1709"] [Black "alexalma"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1270"] [TimeControl "9d+2d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1357"] { I haven't done an annotation in a while because of lack of time but Ifelt like I had to do an annotation on this game because of the brillianttactic I did in this game. In this game I am black. Please rate and commentall your thoughts. Thank you. } 1. d4 d5 2. f4 { first time I have playedagainst this opening so I decide to just develop } 2... Nf6 3. e3 { he createsa good pawn structure but should probably be developing } 3... Nc6 { I develop } 4. Nf3 { so does he } 4... Bg4 { I pin his knight } 5. Nc3 { he develops his secondknight } 5... e6 { I open up my dsb } 6. Be2 { he removes the pin } 6... Bb4 { I pin hisother knight } 7. Bd2 { he removes that pin also } 7... Bxc3 { I trade } 8. Bxc3 Ne4 { trying to win his rook } 9. Bd2 Bxf3 { i trade } 10. Bxf3 Qh4+ { if hedidn't have the bishop I would have won the rook } 11. g3 { here if he doesn'thave the bishop Nxg3 hxg3 Qxh1 } 11... Qh6 { I escape with my queen and am losingslightly because he has a bishop pair and I have a knight pair } 12. Bxe4 { not anymore he trades giving me double pawns } 12... dxe4 { its ok because I canplay f5 } 13. Qg4 f5 { I attack his queen while defending e4 } 14. Qe2 { heescapes } 14... O-O-O { I castle kingside } 15. O-O-O { so does he } 15... g6 { I make apawn chain } 16. Qc4 { he attacks e6 } 16... Rhe8 { I defend } 17. Kb1 { ? no reasonto move his king } 17... Qf8 { I try and get an attack on his queen } 18. Rc1 { twowasted moves } 18... e5 { if he takes with d5 i take d2 } 19. fxe5 Nxe5 { I thinkit is even but this is a big mistake because } 20. Qa4 { i defend a7 } 20... a6 21. Bb4 { he attacks my queen and wins my knight } 21... Qh6 { at least I win thee3 pawn and maybe the e5 pawn } 22. dxe5 Qxe3 { I get my queen in a dangerousposition but am currently losing } 23. Bc3 { he defends his pawn } 23... Re7 { Imight want to double my rooks in the future } 24. Qa5 { he defends e5 again } 24... Qf3 { I try and push my pawn } 25. Rce1 { he puts his rook in front of it } 25... e3 { I push it again } 26. Kc1 { he tries to prevent e2 and then Rd1 and Qd1 } 26... Red7 { I double up my rooks and really pressure d1 } 27. Rhf1 { ?His losingmistake although it doesn't look like one } 27... e2 { !! if he takes f3 Rd1 followedby Rxd1 Rxd1# } 28. Rg1 { me taking f1 isn't the threat he must defend d1.The game was already pretty much over for him any way though. } 28... Rd1+ { !Mate in 3 the game is still in progress but it is a forced mate a I wasso eager to publish this brilliant tactic on move 27 I hope everyone likesthe game. Please comment and rate. Comment observations and criticisms.Thank you for watching. } 29. Rxd1 Rxd1+ { !Mate in 2 } 30. Rxd1 exd1=Q# { Mate! }
[Event "Siclian : Pelican - Sveshnikov (B33)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "13-Nov-07"] [Round "-"] [White "beefyness"] [Black "sermillion"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1721"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2309"] 1. e4 { A Karpov once quoted 'learn from your mistakes'. So, I decided toannotate all my loses - in the hope I can learn from those that have wonagainst me. Annotation starts at move 7 as all moves prior to this arebook anyway. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e5 7. Ndb5 { ECO - B33 - all standard moves so far. A major alternative hereis Bxf6 - B60. } 7... a6 { Standard, just about any other move here fails. Reason? 7. ... Be6 allows white to play Bxf6 with Nd5 - fork on c7. Taking knightallows white to play exd5 - cramping blacks position. h6 - why? white isgoing to take the knight anyway. Wasted tempo. 7. ... Be7 8.Bxf6 - loosesthe d pawn. Black has to play gxf6 otherwise white takes the d pawn andthe black bishop is 'stuck' behind the pawns. 7. ... Bg4 8.f3 any bishopmove, Nd5 ... same problem as stated. Leaving the knight on b5 usuallyleads to trouble. } 8. Na3 { Two main lines here: Na3 or Bxf6. } 8... b5 { Be6 isthe main line here. Wish I had played it now. Be7 is another alternative.h6 as noted previously Nd4 - seems premature to me as black has not finishedpiece development. Lesson: after this game, it seems to me, that the d5square is the critical one. (Be6) } 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 { Why not! Thereis lots of potential for Knight forks. } 10... f5 { One of the key moves for blackin this line. Other moves tried are Be6 & Bg7. } 11. Bd3 Bg7 { 11. ... Be6appears to be the main line here. 11. ... f4 looks like an interestingalternative. From a 1.5 million game search I could only find 8 games. Results 4, 3, 1 (white wins, black wins, draws) A good point about 11.... Be6 is exf5 fails to Bxd5. IMO Bg7 achieves little as it will be along time before the h8 - a1 diagonal 'opens up'. } 12. exf5 { A good responseto Bg7. Seems to me that Black is a pawn down for little gain. I foundthe following game: [Date '1994.??.??'] [White 'Gonzalez Alberto H'] [Black'Del Carril Jose Maria'] [Result '1-0'] [ECO 'B33'] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc63. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bd3 Bg7 12. exf5 Qa5 13. c3 b4 14. Be4 bxa3 15. b4Qd8 16. f6 Bh6 17. Qh5 Bf8 18. Ne7 Nxe7 19. fxe7 Bxe7 20. Bxa8 Qc7 21.O-O Bb7 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Rab1 Rg8 24. g3 Qe4 25. Rb3 Rg5 26. Qd1 h5 27.Re1 Qc6 28. Rxa3 h4 29. Qa4 Qxa4 30. Rxa4 hxg3 31. hxg3 f5 32. Kf1 d5 33.Rxa6 e4 34. b5 Rh5 35. b6 1-0 } 12... Qa5+ { The problem here is that I have tokeep any 'eye' on c7 - i.e. Nc7 & Nxa8 if the Queen moves from the d8-a5diagonal. Otherwise Qg5 would be great! 0-0 is no good as the Qf3 wouldcreate a dark squared bind around the black king - & f6 looks awful. } 13. Qd2 { I was expecting c3. } 13... b4 { 12. ... b4 is my first major mistake. Fritz10plays Qxd2 in this position. I had my mind fixed on Qxd5, but as playedby Beefyness, Be4 keeps the pawn and stops Black's attack dead. Fritz10:(with a comment 'this is the best way to fight back') 13... Qxd2 14. Kxd2Ra7 15. f6 Bh6 16. Ke1 Bb7 with a slight advantage to white. } 14. Be4 { This is not good for me, the Knight on c6 is hanging and there is a potentialskewer or pin on rook at a8. } 14... Bh6 { This shame sacrifice doesn't work asit leaves Whites Queen in a too good a position. I had completely missed16. b4 Better would have been 14... bxa3 15. Qxa5 Nxa5 16. Nc7 Ke7 andaccept being the exchange down. } 15. Qxh6 bxa3+ { There is not a lot elseto do as Black is a piece down. I was a tad lazy in my analysis of thisposition. I had only considered c3. 16. b4 is a very good move in thatit forces black to play Nxb4 leaving the rook vulnerable to the bishopon e4. AND Nf6, Qg7 as other 'goodies on offer'. Fritz10 gives this position - } 16. b4 { Ouch! } 16... Nxb4 { Just about any other move is slow death. (e.g16... Qd8 leaves 17. Nf6 & 18. Bxa8) } 17. Nf6+ { Hmm .... free rook - tasty! } 17... Ke7 { Forced - Kd8 18. Qg7 & Qxf7 / Nxe8 (assuming rook is moved here) tofollow } 18. O-O { Good move, now I really do have no attack and the rookis hanging. King in the centre, 3 white pieces about to weave a matingattack ... I could have resigned at this point. } 18... Bxf5 { 18... Bxf5? Hopingfor a mistake (or two) The main threat here (as far as I can see) is 18...Rb8 19. Qh4 / Qg5 or Qg7 with a potential mating attack. Fritz10: 18...Rb8 19. c3 Qd8 20. cxb4 Qf8 21. Qh4 Kd8 with - (White is a minor pieceup & has a good attack. Note that all of Black's pieces are on the backrank). 18... d5 was the only other real try here. I didn't like the ideaas it opened up the centre allowing White's rook(s) access to my king.19. c3 and I lose a piece anyway (or get mated or lose the k-side rook& king still has no place to hide) 18... d5 19. c3 Nc6 20. Nxd5 King move& Rd1, Qg7 OR Q - h4/g5 And all of this because 11... Bg7 / 14... Bh6 } 19. Bxf5 Nd5 { I figured that if I could swap the Knights off then I mighthave a chance at a draw. } 20. Rab1 Ra7 { 20... Ra7? Another losing move... the last! Rb8 was the only move here. } 21. Nxd5+ Qxd5 22. Qg5+ { 22...f6 fails to Qg7 & Ke8 / Kf8 fails to Rb8 } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.26"] [Round "-"] [White "mmoody95"] [Black "alcarde"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1562"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1829"] 1. d4 d5 2. b3 Nc6 3. Bb2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bf5 { I've been experimenting withthis setup, and occasionally Bf5 is troublesome. The key is to avoid doubledisolated pawns on the d file. } 5. e3 a6 6. a3 e6 7. Bd3 Bd6 8. O-O Bg4 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Qe1 Bxf3 11. Nxf3 Re8 12. Ne5 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Nd7 14. f4 { Often this leads to a good Kingside attack, since Black can no longerdefend with a Nf6. } 14... f6 15. exf6 Nxf6 { Black has cleverly figured out away to get his N back in a good defensive position. } 16. Qg3 d4 { This mightnot be best. It allows me to dislodge the N again. } 17. e4 Rf8 18. Qh3 { Probably not best. e5 to dislodge the N might have been better. } 18... e5 19. f5 Qe7 20. Rf3 Kh8 21. Raf1 Qf7 22. Bc1 Qh5 { Black defends well. } 23. Qxh5 Nxh5 24. Rh3 Nf6 25. Rff3 h6 26. Rfg3 Rf7 27. Rh4 Nh7 28. Rg6 Ne7 29. Rg3 { I am unable to make progress on the Kingside. } 29... b5 30. Bd2 Rf6 31. Be2 Rb8 32. Rhh3 c5 { I am hoping to exploit the third rank. } 33. Rf3 b4 34. axb4 cxb4 35. Rf1 a5 36. Ra1 Ra8 { Pinning the R on a8 costs Black a pawn. } 37. Bxb4 Nc6 38. Bd2 Kg8 39. Bc4+ Kf8 40. c3 dxc3 41. Rxc3 { This allowsmy other R to get to an open file. } 41... Rd6 42. Bd5 Ra6 43. Be3 { ThreateningBc5 with a pin. } 43... Ke8 44. Bc4 Ra8 45. Bb5 { Pinning the N. } 45... Kd7 46. Kf2 Nf6 47. Kf3 { Covering e4 with the K allows all of my pieces to roam. Black'spieces are tied down to defense. } 47... Ne8 48. Rac1 Rc8 49. Bb6 g6 50. Bxc6+ Rcxc6 51. Rxc6 Rxc6 52. Rxc6 Kxc6 53. Bxa5 { I sneak another pawn. } 53... g5 54. h4 Kd6 55. hxg5 hxg5 56. Bd2 { There is no way for Black to defend thispawn. The N alone will not be able to handle three passed pawns. } 1-0
[Event "The Frantic Middle game."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.07.31"] [Round "-"] [White "bbhollaway"] [Black "chesskingdom64"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "811"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1120"] { I still have one more game with the same person but this game was moreof a finicky frenzy rather than a quiet chess game. Feel free to post commentsand suggestions. } 1. e4 e5 2. c3 { King's pawn Lopez opening. } 2... Nf6 { I attackWhite with an usual development move. } 3. f3 { Because of this move, Whitecannot bring his knights out at full power. Knights going to a3 and h3are limited in power. Best if White cleared out c3 and f3. } 3... d5 { I attackthe middle aggressively and usually. I normaly do the four knights, butsince I'm not White, I have no control over the opening. } 4. Bd3 { Goodnews and bad news. Good news: Developement of a minor piece (finally);Bad news: Blocks in his other bishop. Apparently, White's light-squaredBishop is his most powerful minor piece. } 4... dxe4 { I wonder if White can doBxe4 instead of his next move that he does? } 5. Be2 exf3 6. Nxf3 Nc6 7. Bb5 { White wins an extra pawn 7...Bd7 8.Bxc6 Bxc6 9.Nxe5. } 7... Bd7 { 7...Qd4does no better. } 8. O-O { I wonder why he castled in a very unsafe shelter?This is probably how White messed up his game. } 8... Be7 { I could have done8...Bc5+!. } 9. Ng5 O-O 10. Qc2 { Here, I was about to move my knight!! Instead,I found that Bishop check. } 10... Bc5+ 11. Kh1 Qe7 12. d4 { I predicted this move. } 12... exd4 13. Rf4 { 13.Rxf6 could have won the game. I guess he wasn't watchingwhere his Queen was positioned. } 13... Bd6 { 13...g6 is a good move. } 14. Rf2 Qe1+ { I thought I won with this move, but that was me pretending that theLight squared Bishop was off the board. } 15. Rf1 Rfe8 { ! } 16. Rg1 Qe5 { ! Threatening one move mate and his bishop. } 17. Nf3 Qh5 { Either I'm franticto deliver checkmate, or I'm missing a bunch of good moves, because I forgotto take that FREE light squared bishop! } 18. Be2 { I am furious about thatbishop that I forgot to take. } 18... Ng4 { Next move, 19...Bxh2 if he does notplay 19.g3. } 19. g3 { I abhorred this move once I saw how it affected me. } 19... Bf5 { I decided to take my vengeance on White's Queen! } 20. Bd3 Nf2+ { Bythe looks of this move, I was even foolish enough to let his Queen jointhe horrendous, frantic fight! } 21. Qxf2 Bxd3 { Finally! I captured hisBishop. That Bishop was probably mocking me ever since I forgot to takeit with my Queen. } 22. Nbd2 { 22.Nfd2 is riskier than this move. } 22... Re2 { Ibring my selfless rook into the Battle. } 23. Qxd4 { I can't believe it.White's letting his Queen down! } 23... Nxd4 24. Nxd4 { The end. I have three choicesto mate him. #1: 24...Be4+ 25.Rg2 Bxg2# (If 25.Nxe4, 25...Qxh2#). #2: 24...Rxh2#.#3:do the exact move I do. } 24... Qxh2# { A very frantic game indeed. } 0-1
[Event "FIDE Chennai Game 6"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.11.16"] [Round "-"] [White "Anand, V."] [Black "Carlsen, M."] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2870"] [WhiteElo "2775"] { C65: Spagnola (Ruy Lopez) } 1. e4 { .“Carlsen gioca senza aperture, Anandsenza finali. Statisticamente, questo è a favore di Magnus!” Così parlòieri Kasparov, e la sesta partita del Mondiale 2013 gli ha dato ampiamenteragione! Anand conferma la scelta per l’apertura di Re, Carlsen si affidadi nuovo alla berlinese ed il Campione del Mondo gioca 4.d3. I due giocatoriseguono la Anand-Aronian del Memorial Alekhine 2013, finché Anand giocala novità 10.Ag5. Carlsen riflette per 20’ e risponde con 10..Ae6. I motorisi “eccitano” (e con loro gli spettatori) e danno +0,60 al bianco (con11.Axe3 seguita da d4). Anand, dopo 10’, preferisce la “normale” Cbd2.La partita prosegue senza particolari emozioni ed entra in un finale dipezzi pesanti, valutato da praticamente tutti gli autorevoli commentatoridi questo Match sostanzialmente pari ma ... Carlsen, proponendo ad Anandgrattacapi sempre più complessi (ed in questo il Numero uno al Mondo haun talento fantastico!), con una delle sue “magie” riesce a vincere portandosiavanti nel match con un doRiguardo il finale, oggi abbiamo deciso di farparlare (tramite i loro tweet pubblicati nel corso della partita) soloGM con la “serie” anche i Grandi Maestri si chiedono: perché? JonathanRowson, subito dopo la decisione di Anand di cedere il primo pedone con38.Dg3: “Can anybody explain why Vishy blundered a pawn?” Hikaru Nakamura:“Can someone tell me why Anand eschewed 51.b3 which led to a theoreticaldraw?” (Questa la breve linea che secondo Nakamura conduce alla patta teorica:51.b3 Te3+ 52.Rh2 Txc3 53.bxc4) Per concludere, e per la serie “i GM rispondono”,segnaliamo invece quest’altro “tweet”, sempre di Nakamura: ”I know peoplesay 60.b4 was a draw, but I am not sure anyone would have found it in thatsituation.“ So che le persone dicono che 60.b4 era patta. Ma non sono sicuroche chiunque l’avrebbe trovata in questa situazione. Domani è previstoil terzo giorno di riposo, dopodiché Anand avrà di nuovo il bianco (nellasettima partita del match i colori si invertono). (da www.scacchierando.it). . . Anand comincia con e4, una mossa chiaramente d'attacco. } 1... e5 { . } 2. Nf3 { . } 2... Nc6 { . } 3. Bb5 { We, as in the fourth game, have returned to the Ruy Lopez. } 3... Nf6 { . } 4. d3 { . } 4... Bc5 { . } 5. c3 { . } 5... O-O { . } 6. O-O { . } 6... Re8 { . } 7. Re1 { . } 7... a6 { . } 8. Ba4 { This move, if the black responds with 8...b5, leads to a closed Ruy Lopez. Usually the black aims for a advantageous... d5. The white aims instead to develop with Nbd2-f1-g3. } 8... b5 { . } 9. Bb3 { . } 9... d6 { . } 10. Bg5 { In these positions, there is an advantage for White, having the black knight confined to c5 and the horse blocked on f6. Anand played against Aronian at the beginning of this year at the Memorial Alekhine, instead of 10.Ag5. The game ended in a draw due to too many problems for Black. One of the plans for Black could be to play Rb8 followed by b4, and gain a certain advantage on the board. } 10... Be6 { Magnus challenges the strong Alfiere white, a typical response in these positions. After a4 white aims to create a weakness for the black in b5. } 11. Nbd2 { . } 11... h6 { . } 12. Bh4 { The black pieces can only move Bb6, while the white pieces usually move d4. Normally, taking the knight in e6, the white pieces should have some concrete idea. Exchanging the knights without a potential gain is simply counterproductive. } 12... Bxb3 { . } 13. axb3 { Until here, the White follow the standard lines. The only drawback for White is that he has some pawns on b2+b3. The plan for White could be axb3, which could lead to Nd2f1 and then Ne3, while Black can obtain the command of the game on the latod Donna with a5 - a4 or a central push with d5. } 13... Nb8 { Magnus has an interesting idea: he wants to reorganize himself with Nbd7, so that he can escape the Bishop's block of the Knight? He could also play: 13... a5 14. Nf1 } 14. h3 { Ilbianco needs to relax the pressure on the king's side. Nh2 and subsequently Ng4 is the best combination. } 14... Nbd7 { .. } 15. Nh2 { . } 15... Qe7 { The idea is to respond with g4 Qe6. After an exchange of Alfieri, the queen on e6 is in a good position. } 16. Ndf1 { The Black pieces have moved to reach g3/e3, eventually reaching Nf5. After the uncomfortable position, the Black pieces have two options to continue: d5 or a5, and then Bb6. } 16... Bb6 { A move that allows you to continue with a5 and liberate the Tower in a8 and strengthen the lady's game. A continuation with 17.Ne3 a5 18.Nf5 Qe6 19.Ng4 Kh7 appears to be dangerous for Black, even though there should be no real problem. The Black pieces should play Qe6 as soon as possible. Kh7 is an important move in the case of any sacrifices in h6. } 17. Ne3 { . } 17... Qe6 { . } 18. b4 { An invitation to knight-move to a5 and thus eliminate the doubled pawn. } 18... a5 { . } 19. bxa5 { . } 19... Bxa5 { The black is playing in the right way, even though the white move Nf5, could give him some trouble. Black is however ready in this case, to move d5, realizing finally the intent of many moves, for example 20.Nf5 Bb6 21.Ng4 Rxa1 22.Nxf6+ Nx6 23.Qxa1 d5. } 20. Nhg4 { . } 20... Bb6 { . } 21. Bxf6 { A surprising move. Now, if the queen, after a series of exchanges, succeeds in reaching f6, white cannot move his knight e3 because the pawn on f2 would remain unprotected. } 21... Nxf6 { . } 22. Nxf6+ { . } 22... Qxf6 { . } 23. Qg4 { This is a nice game, even though I wouldn't know how to choose between these two combinations: 23... Be3 24 f3 De7 followed by c6 and 23. Qe2 (if the white instead of Qg4 had opted for this continuation) Bxe3 24. Qxe3 c5 } 23... Bxe3 { . } 24. fxe3 { . } 24... Qe7 { Il re Bianco è più al sicuro } 25. Rf1 { . } 25... c5 { Magnus is threatening to move the knight to c4. In my opinion, he is playing for the draw in this moment. } 26. Kh2 { . } 26... c4 { With this push, Black gained space and was putting pressure on White. Initially, I considered 27. d4 a wrong move, but upon further inspection (and thus being able to post my evaluations only one day after the game ;-)) I noticed that with 27... exd4 28. exd4 Rxa1 29. Ra1 Black would have been able to achieve the conquest of the pawn. However, at this point, the game would have gone on to another draw. } 27. d4 { . } 27... Rxa1 { Un'altra alternativainteressante per il nero è: 27 ... b4 e se 28.cxb4 Rab8 29.Ra4 e ora exd430.exd4 Qe4. } 28. Rxa1 { . } 28... Qb7 { White is threatening to check with the Queen's Bishop and capture with the pawn. If White moves 29.d5, Black can continue with 29...Rb8 with the idea of 29...b4 which are exactly the types of positions that Carlsen likes. } 29. Rd1 { Carlsen is known for winning games starting from seemingly impossible positions. Perhaps Anand's game was too gentle, but he was not visibly in possession of the aggressiveness needed to win. } 29... Qc6 { . } 30. Qf5 { . } 30... exd4 { . } 31. Rxd4 { Il Nero ha un pedone arretrato: d6 } 31... Re5 { The Black pieces threaten to capture material: Te5xf5 } 32. Qf3 { The idea of Qf3 by white and 32... f5 by black to respond with Qd1. } 32... Qc7 { White can play Rd5, but its pawn structure is inferior to that of Black, although it has enough material to draw. } 33. Kh1 { . } 33... Qe7 { The game appears to be heading towards a draw. Although white's structure is better, it is difficult to imagine a victory for either contender. Anand seems almost to be aiming for a draw in order to take a day of meditation before the resumption of battles... but these things, especially when playing Carlsen, would be better not to consider. } 34. Qg4 { . } 34... Kh7 { . } 35. Qf4 { . } 35... g6 { The white is blocked and the black starts to develop its pieces with Kg7 and h5. Although, personally, it is still difficult to see a basis for victory for the black. } 36. Kh2 { . } 36... Kg7 { . } 37. Qf3 { . } 37... Re6 { . } 38. Qg3 { . } 38... Rxe4 { . } 39. Qxd6 { . } 39... Rxe3 { 2 al prezzo diuno } 40. Qxe7 { . } 40... Rxe7 { We are facing a final of a knight and a pawn, for the black, which means a lot. } 41. Rd5 { . } 41... Rb7 { . } 42. Rd6 { . } 42... f6 { . } 43. h4 { . } 43... Kf7 { . } 44. h5 { . } 44... gxh5 { It is not a true sacrifice. He weakens his force in the h-file by doubling his pawns. } 45. Rd5 { . } 45... Kg6 { . } 46. Kg3 { . } 46... Rb6 { Comincia la manovra Tb7-b6-e6-e4 } 47. Rc5 { . } 47... f5 { . } 48. Kh4 { . } 48... Re6 { . } 49. Rxb5 { . } 49... Re4+ { La torre nera è ben piazzata. } 50. Kh3 { . } 50... Kg5 { . } 51. Rb8 { . } 51... h4 { . } 52. Rg8+ { . } 52... Kh5 { . } 53. Rf8 { . } 53... Rf4 { L'idea è Te4-f4-g4-g3 } 54. Rc8 { . } 54... Rg4 { . } 55. Rf8 { . } 55... Rg3+ { . } 56. Kh2 { . } 56... Kg5 { . } 57. Rg8+ { . } 57... Kf4 { un finale nettamente superiore peril nero. } 58. Rc8 { White threatens to gain material: Tc8xc4 } 58... Ke3 { . } 59. Rxc4 { . } 59... f4 { . } 60. Ra4 { Whoever makes the critical mistake for the white team, the best move in this situation is Rb4. } 60... h3 { . } 61. gxh3 { . } 61... Rg6 { Until his mistake Ra4 Anand had full control over the situation. Now however the situation seems to be slipping from his grasp. After 62. Ra7 f3 63. Re7+ Kf2 64. h4 Rg2+ 65. Rh3 Kf1 66. Ra7 Rg6 67. h5 Rg5 68. Ra6 f2 69. Rxh6 Kg1 70. Rf6 Rxh5 +, Carlsen wins another game in a row. } 62. c4 { .62. Ra8 si rendeva necessaria } 62... f3 { Carlsen pulled out the classicconiglio from his hat and, taking advantage of many small errors by Anand, a winning position. } 63. Ra3+ { . } 63... Ke2 { . } 64. b4 { . } 64... f2 { . } 65. Ra2+ { . } 65... Kf3 { . } 66. Ra3+ { . } 66... Kf4 { . } 67. Ra8 { White is threatening to checkmate Black with Ra7. Black responds by moving Re1, which does not improve the position. White then checks with Rf7+, and Black responds by moving the king to the other side of the board. } 67... Rg1 { Now the best move. Now the threat of inevitable for the white is f2 in 'underpromotion'. Anand abandons. Now we are with 2 points of advantage for Carlsen and a great victory for the norwegian. } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Nov-06"] [Round "-"] [White "speel_rugby"] [Black "spid3r"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1285"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1379"] 1. e4 d5 { My basic opening } 2. e5 { Why couldnt he just take me! } 2... e6 3. d4 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nh6 { bad move yes i know } 5. Bxh6 { Thought he would do that } 5... gxh6 { hmm double pawn, good or bad...... } 6. Bb5 { thats what i expect } 6... Bd7 7. O-O { Yay more protection for him } 7... a6 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. b3 { didnt seea point with this move?!?! } 9... Bb5 10. Re1 Qd7 11. a4 Bc6 12. c3 O-O-O { Gotto protect myself somehow } 13. Nbd2 b6 14. c4 a5 { did this move becausei didnt want to take pawn } 15. cxd5 Bxd5 { taken it with bishop becauseit seemed better to keep my panws is place } 16. Qe2 Bb4 17. Qa6+ Bb7 18. Qa7 { didnt see a point in that move because it means that the queen isstuck there with no spots to move } 18... Rhg8 { i did this so i could get hisd2 knight with my bishop then he would take my bishop with his other knightand then i would be able to take pawn g2 with rook } 19. Re3 { Didnt expectthis move } 19... Bxd2 { Still going with my plan } 20. Nxd2 Rxg2+ { As you can seeit worked } 21. Kf1 { Wanted him to go there } 21... Qxd4 { bring my queen out justincase i do a dumb mistake and move my bishop and end up mated (it couldhappen) } 22. Rd1 { ???? have no idea why this move } 22... Rxh2 23. Ke2 Qg4+ 24. Rf3 { thought he would of moved the knight from d2 to f3 bot o well } 24... Bxf3+ { since theres away for my king to escape i decided to move the bishop } 25. Nxf3 Rxd1 26. Kxd1 Qxf3+ 27. Ke1 Qxf2+ { this is where white resigned,but i do think it was a good game } 0-1
[Event "Chester7vPenyffordd2Wirral League"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "11/01/2013"] [Round "-"] [White "CharlesHiggie"] [Black "Daniel Savidge"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "ECF81"] [TimeControl "35 in 1h 15m"] [WhiteElo "ECF162"] { So here it is, I lose to someone who was rated exactly half my rating!He is a rapidly improving 12 year old. He also attends the school thatI attended, so in a way it was nice to see another chess star from King'sSchool, Chester! } 1. e4 { I start with the usual } 1... c5 { He replies with myfavourite defence } 2. Nf3 { I continue with the main line } 2... g6 { And he respondswith a fianchetto - the accelerated Dragon (Classes as Sicilian (B27),Hungarian variation by some authorities). On the league's website thiswas also described as 'Hyper-accelerated Dragon' http://wirralchessleague.com/?page=news } 3. d4 { So I continue in the approved manner. } 3... cxd4 { He takes. For the firsttime in the game, I had a think. I did consider taking with the queen,threatening his rook on h8, but after 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. e5 Nc6 I didn't thinkthat white had any advantage. I check on the Opening Databases after thegame seemed to back me up. } 4. Nxd4 { So I took with the knight. } 4... Bg7 { Hecontinues with the logical development. } 5. c4 { and I take a grip on thecentre, the Maroczy Bind strategy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%B3czy_bind } 5... Nc6 { He continues to develop } 6. Be3 { I have to protect the knight on d4 } 6... Nf6 { He develops with tempo, hitting my e pawn } 7. Nc3 { So I develop andprotect it. } 7... O-O { He castles } 8. Be2 { I develop. I want to play Qd2, butI don't want him hitting my Be3 with Ng4. } 8... d6 9. Qd2 { I'm not too botheredwith Ng4 10. Bxg4 Bxg4 as I get rid of my 'bad' bishop - the one on whitesquares, which is rather blocked by my pawns. } 9... Re8 { One idea of thismove is that if white continues with the plan of f3, 0-0-0 and Bh6, blackis not forced to exchange black squared bishops and can just drop the Bg7back to h8. } 10. f3 { I reinforce my centre. 0-0 may be better } 10... Bd7 { hecontinues to develop. This position has been seen before. } 11. O-O-O { Butthis move is probably over-optimistic. 0-0 is the usual move played inthis position, and a slow positional grind in the centre and queen's side.But the question is - how does black avoid the standard attack that whiteis planning, with g4, h4-h5, take on g6 to open up the h file, and, asBobby Fischer said 'sac, sac, mate'. } 11... Ne5 { A good, move, preparing Rc8and/or Qc7 piling up on my c pawn. } 12. f4 { So I decide not to let theknigh stay there. } 12... Neg4 { He hits my bishop. } 13. Bg1 { So I retreat, planningto continue with h3, his knight retreats to h6 and then I play g4 threateningg5. What on earth can he do about it? I was thinking that he must now movehis king, Bd7 or Re8 to make a space foe a knight to retreat to and wastrying to work out which move was best for him, when he shattered my composurewith....stop now and work out black's best move. } 13... e5 { I really hadn't consideredthis move, as it leaves his d pawn backwards on a semi-open d file withmy queen and rook lined up on the d file. However it is an excellent move!Tactical considerations outway the strategic weaknesses it makes. One problemI have to watch for is a horrible pin on the c1-h6 diagonal, for instance,14. fxe5? Bh6! wins white's queen. So I can't take on e5, and if next movehe plays exf5, I can't take back with the queen for the same reason. Iconsidered Nd4-b5 Nf3, and Nb3, but eventually came to the conclusion thatthe knight belonged on c2, so that after he takes on f4 his knight can'tcome to e3. } 14. Nc2 exf4 { So he takes. } 15. Qxd6 { As I said before, Ican't take back on f4 without losing my queen. } 15... Bh6 { He protects f4, threateningf3! with a discovered check. } 16. Kb1 { So I move my king out of firingrange. } 16... Re6 { He hits my queen } 17. Qd4 { I retreat, not to d2 of course,where it can be hit with f3, nor to d3 where it can be hit by Ne5. I wantedto maintain the pressure on the d file. } 17... Ne5 { He centralises his knight } 18. Nd5 { I advance mine } 18... Nxd5 { He takes. now I am probably best takingback with a pawn, but I wanted to take with the queen to free the d4 squarefor either my knight or bishop. } 19. Qxd5 { So I took this way. } 19... Qc7 { Ithink it was round about here that he offered a draw. I should have takenit! I didn't think that I had any advantage, but I didn't want to loserating points, and I thought it would be an educational experience forboth of us to play on. } 20. c5 { I played this to free up my c4 square formy bishop, but this may well have been a mistake. } 20... Bc6 { He hits my queen.I have only one safe square if I want to save it and my pawn on e4. } 21. Qd4 { and this is it! } 21... Bg7 { Now he is threatening discovered attacks onmy queen. I realise that I am worse now. } 22. Qb4 { I play this, and askif he still wants a draw. He declines and plays } 22... a5 { This. I am losingmy e4 pawn, and then he will have nasty threats to g2. } 23. Qd2 { MaybeI can still do something on the d file or take on f4 at some time? } 23... Bxe4 { He takes. } 24. Bb5 { I discover a queen protection to g2 } 24... Bh6 { He protectsf4 and there may be discovered attacks at some stage (after he protectshis bishop) } 25. h4 { Maybe I can still do something on the king side } 25... Ng4 { So now my Nc2 is pinned, he is threatening to play Ne3 with attacks onc2 and g2, which explains my next move. } 26. Ka1 { Out of pin } 26... f3 { The discoveredattack, as feared } 27. Qc3 { Queen moves } 27... fxg2 { Second pawn goes } 28. Rh3 { The only square. } 28... Bxc2 { This is probably a mistake. He picked up his bishop,then put it down again on e4 and then finally picked it up again, and exchanged. } 29. Qxc2 { So i take back } 29... Rd8 { He contests the d file } 30. Rhd3 { My rookcomes over, and I think 'at last I have all my pieces on reasonable squares.I may be 2 pawns down, but I have greater influence on the d file. I maybe getting back into this game' } 30... Rxd3 { He takes. } 31. Qxd3 { I take backand think how he cannot contest my control of the d file. } 31... Ne3 { King comesin attacking the rook. } 32. Rc1 { I protect the pawn on c5 } 32... Nc2+ { He playsthis, which I thought was a blunder. Of course, taking with the rook allowsa back rank mate with Re1. But if I take with the queen, surely I get twominor pieces for a rook? } 33. Qxc2 { So I take } 33... Bxc1 { He takes } 34. Qxc1 { I take. now I thought 'Probably best for him is Qe7, threatening Re1 andthe pawn on h4. I defend with Bf2. I have chances now, 2 bishops v rookand 2 pawns is not too bad.' Find his best move now. } 34... Qg3 { yes! ThreateningRe1 and the pawn on h4 and this time there is no sensible defence. Whiteresigns. Many thanks for reading this, please rate this annotation andleave a comment or two! } 0-1
[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Judit Polgar"] [Black "Viswanathan Anand"] [Result "1-0"] { After I, recently, annotated a game between two famous GM's, Susan Polgarand Karpov, I figured out that it was shown on another website. I wastrying to figure out which one it was, and once I found out, I joined. I also found that there are also GM annotations on this site, as well. And, no matter who is, I am a Polgar fan. For example, Tom, who is anexpert, I also like due to a couple of his annotations that I've copiedand pasted onto here. Well, some time ago, on the same website, I discoveredSusan's win against Karpov, as you know about. But, I found a game byher sister, JP, who was for a long while, my favorite GM. Well, despitesearching hard, I could not find it. It was a good game that she won. On the other hand, I discovered something better. I didn't hear of heropponent in the other game, that I could not find. I am very familiarwith Anand, as he was the world champion, until Carlson beat him and gotthe title. However, he was defeated by Judit Polgar. So, how did it allunfold? } 1. e4 c5 { In the game that I could not find, JP was black, andlike here, it involved the Sicilian Defense. And, her opponent playedthe Open Variation, just like what we're going to see. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 { I would've played 6.Bd3 in order tocastle on the next move. But, if a GM plays something else, then he orshe has kept castling in mind, but this is better. The question is why? I think that without a pawn in between, it puts pressure on black's center. } 6... e6 { To develop and open up lines for his DSB. However, I would've preferred6...e5, so that black would gain time needed to continue development, whilewhite would be forced to protect. In addition, this appears to createa bad bishop for Anand. But, with 6...e5, however it appears stronger. Now, under no grounds am I calling this a blunder or inaccuracy, as Idon't know what's going in their minds, but I'm just giving my preferenceand how I would've responded. } 7. f3 { Acheiving a pawn chain, which asI recently learned from Susan, during that course, in the opening, oneof the most important things about openings, in addition to, what we alreadyknow, are pawn chains. } 7... b5 { The main idea was turning one of his bad bishopinto a strong one with fianchetto. In addition, like with JP, it's aboutacheiving a pawn chain which, as noted, is essential during the opening. } 8. g4 { I would've played 8.Bd3, but I like this fianchetto a little more. Actually, this is, somewhat similar to what I saw in that recent annotationwith charleshiggie and brigadecommander. The idea is that fianchettoingdoes, to an extent, add to that chain, which would be the logic for 8.g4,as opposed to, 8.g3 But, when that B comes out, it can become mean andnasty, just like what I saw in there. } 8... Nfd7 { I liked where it was before. But I understand why Anand played this, though. The idea is finding abetter square for his N. That is, on b6, which he will do, on his nextmove. } 9. Qd2 { The idea is so that white can castle Q side. Personally,I don't see anything wrong with bringing the LSB into play, but I likethis move better. And, this time, I agree that castling long is betterthen castling short. That's because of how open the K would become after0-0, whereas, with 0-0-0, it is enclosed by the pawns, and thus, well protected. } 9... Nb6 { As noted, black finds a better outpost for his N. } 10. O-O-O N8d7 { Yes. No good was 10...N8c6, due to white's N on d4. In addition, evenif it weren't for that problem, I still like the arrangement better asblack will be able to bring onto c5 or e5. Both of those squares appearstronger then on c6. } 11. Bd3 { But, white now plays the move that I notedearlier. Not only are the R's connected but are bound to be dangerous. While we have only gone through 11 moves and are in the early mid game,I'd say that this is, already, almost as interesting as the game betweencharleshiggie and brigadecommander which I really enjoyed, especially with4 Q's. While it won't happen here, the position has become a little differentthen unusual for both sides. First, with GM games, I typically see themcastle K side, though the other way is not unusual. What makes it different,however, is that both of white's bishops are side to side which I don'toften see in a game like this. Second, normally, I would've already seenblack place his d N on the other outpost. But, he is not going to do iton the next move. Most importantly, in all other games, even with GM,right after a fianchetto, I see the player develop his or her B right away,either on the longest diagnol (which I see most often) or on h6 or a6. This, however, is the first game where I see someone prolong it for severalmoves. And, the fact that we're in a, somewhat, unusual position at GMlevel between some of the best players adds value to the game, in my opinion. } 11... Bb7 12. Kb1 { Normally, I wouldn't understand this as we're not in an endgamewhich is when you'd use the K as a weapon. But, it makes sense here asthe K is safer. The long term plan that black had was weakening her Kwith an eventual ...d5 followed by ...Bc5 and ...Qc7, putting pressureon white's K. By playing this, Judit stops that, in her tracks. } 12... Rc8 { Aswe're about to see, this put's pressure on white's c N. } 13. Bg5 { As usual,you typically see a GM attack a piece against his or her opponent. Theidea, of course, is gaining tempo because with grandmaster, time is moreimportant then your average chess game. } 13... Qc7 { And, when he or she attacks,the opponent often reattacks or puts extra pressure when retreating. } 14. Rhe1 { Attacking the center in another way. But, personally, I would'veplayed 14.Rc1 because like what I saw in a recent annotation, yes, I wouldbe worried about my N on c3. However, with further analysis, it wouldn'thave helped since the R is behind the pawn, so I like this move for thereason outlined. } 14... Ne5 { Although it seems protected, from white's next move,we can infer that the idea behind this was to put pressure on the whitepawn. But, I would've played 14...Qxc3 Here's the thing, as it is whatI was alluding to by pressure on the c N. Before this move was played,which was the plan, black could not play 13...Rxc3 because it would losea R for N, due to white's Q. But, now, there's added protection so thatrisk exists because after 14...Qxc3, white dare not take back with 15.Qxc3??,or 15...Rxc3, 16.bxc3, not only losing a piece, but her K would becomeexposed. And, this time, against one of the best players, white wouldlose. However, I gather that the plan would not work because grandmastersdo not just overlook moves like that, so something tells me that takingon c3 would be a blunder since Anand will not play that, in this game. } 15. f4 { But, with this move, now if black played 15...Qxc3, supposing thatit wouldn't be a blunder, he doesn't win a piece back because of this,as white would, sooner or later, take back on e5. It makes sense becauseAnand was intending to, when it was safe, take on c3. So, this preventshim from doing so. } 15... Nec4 { With that being said, not only is the N safe,but black finds an even better square for it. Now, I would've looked at15...Nf3?? as it appears to win, at the least, a R for N with an ugly fork. But, after analyzing it, I wouldn't play it because the N on d4 stopsit so that if white dared played, white would win that N. I also lookedat 15...Ned7, where now, it would be crammed. Most importantly, however,is that I remember that homework by charleshiggie in his annotation which,as usual, was and is good to do for improvement. So, that if Janet tookwith the R, as opposed to N, she would've lost a pawn. Well, a similarthing could be said because the plan behind this move is when the Q retreats,16...b4 And, after 17.Ne2 (as other moves lose the N), comes 17...Na4,18.b3, Nxc3 19.bxc3, bxc3 winning a pawn. Therefore, I think this isthe best, in this position. } 16. Qc1 { But, not suprisingly, white seesthe threat and does not allow it. The reason for this threat was if theQ moved from the dark squares from the Q side, where she castled. } 16... h6 { Puttingpressure on her B and gaining time, in the process. } 17. Nd5 { Not surprisingly,as noted, she reattacks. } 17... Qc5 { I would've considered 17...exd5, but thatwould've gotten answered with the immediate 18.exd5+, which loses a R shortlyafter due to a skewer. 18...Kd7 (forced), 19.Bf5+ So, that is anotherexample of where getting greedy would be problematic. Therefore, despiteconsiderating that, I definitely would not have taken, either. But, Iwould not know what to do here. However, it appears that Anand found thebest way out of this, by reattacking the N, and gaining time, which hewill need. } 18. Nb3 { While 18.Nf3? would seem good, the problem is thatit runs right into 18...Qf2 which would lose a pawn with the fork. And,18.Ne2 would result in the same problem. Anywherelse just loses the N,so while I don't like the way it looks as well since it appears to jamin the K structure this is, indirectly, forced. } 18... Qf2 { Nontheless, Anandstill plays this. } 19. Rf1 { Hitting the Q, and black dare not take with19...Qxh2, or he will lose his Q after 20.Rh1, Qg2 21.Rg1, Qf2 22.Bh4,as his Q would now be trapped. } 19... Qg2 { Indirectly forced, as anything else,would've lost the Q. So, white now takes advantage by exchanging black'sstronger N. The reason that the N on c4's weaker is because it's, moreor less, boxed by not only white's LSB, but her pieces on the first rank. } 20. Nxb6 Nxb6 21. Qe3 { But, that exchanges benefits white, and with it,while material is, technically even, I give white a slight edge becauseof this move, as now, black will have to figure how to protect his N, andhe also can no longer complete development or castle. In addition, hisstrong N is gone, leaving with his weak one. However, white's pieces arebetter placed. } 21... Nc4 { In this position, I would've considered 21...Nd7but that would cram it. Plus, it's a weak N, so retreating to b7 wouldmake it weaker. Therefore, I believe that attempting to get rid of thatN is the right choice. } 22. Qa7 { In my opinion, however, this is better. Not for attacks or gain of tempo, but rather, this attack is a fork. And, while black will take back, he has a pawn chain, whereas, she doesnot. And, his is quite nasty. This will weaken it so when an exchangeoccurs, her advantages will increase. However, it gets much worse forblack, as we're about to see. And, with that, I now believe that the gameis lost for black. Even though it doesn't appear so, the position is deteriorating,much quicker then one would think. } 22... Bxe4 23. Qxa6 Rb8 { Having to protectthe b pawn, which was her plan. } 24. Rg1 { And, that's because of this. So, with best play, assuming he finds it, white will, at the very least,win a piece, without compensation. } 24... hxg5 { ?? Although GM's generally don'tblunder things, I call this an exception. Sure, black was going to losesomething. But, I believe that better was 24...Qf2, and best was 24...Qxh7,not only protecting the Q, but despite winning a piece 25.Bxe4, black hasgot a pawn, in return. By playing this, however, he will lose his Q fora R. And, right after that, white will add insult to injury by liquidating. It is worth noting that black will only be down by 1 point, but consideringthat he's losing the Q, makes it irrelevant as Anand is already in bigtrouble. } 25. Rxg2 Bxg2 26. Bxc4 bxc4 27. Qa4+ { Seeing that black is goingto lose another and his K will become exposed, lest, he loses a R, Anandresigns. As noted, this game started to become very interesting by the11th move. And, the peak of it started on white's 24th move, making itthe most interesting game I've studied, in about a month, since I studiedtwo GM annotations by favorite annotator which both involved game withCarlson. But, what we learned, like that of the private annotation isthe importance of completing development and getting the K to safety. Like then, Anand could've used the time to develop his remaining piece,and advance the d pawn one more square so that it wouldn't be his bad bishop. And, he also could've protected his K. If black had done this, I don'tthink that black would've gotten himself in trouble. So, what this showsis that, even at GM levels and with, for that matter the best players,it's important to develop your pieces, control the center, and get theK to safety. Failing to do so, could and often will get yourself intotrouble, as we saw here. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.09"] [Round "-"] [White "vulgaire"] [Black "stefanus140"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1406"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1473"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Bd3 { not the usual lines. basically, I think thatnot following the main lines in openings is not so good - especially forlow rated players. I think one should go with the rules that grater hasseen and annotated before. In a game of low rated players it will be hardto prove ones strength in positional play when you go out of theory soearly in the game. } 3... c5 { I dont know the theory says here but it seems tome that d:e4 B:e4 Kf6 makes the Bishop move another move and that's 3 moveswith the same piece in the early opening. that can't be good for white. } 4. Bb5+ { second move with the same piece. exd5 exd5 dxc5 Bxc5 and to playagainst the isolated pawn seems reasonable. } 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 { 5... dxe46. Ng4 Nf6 etc. should be checked carefuly. it might be a good choice forblack. } 6. O-O Bd6 { I dont like that move. e5 is a problem for black. } 7. Be3 { why not e5? after 7... Be7 8. c3 f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Re1 - thereare problems for black. } 7... a6 8. Bxc6 { a must. going back with the bishopseems to be bad. } 8... Bxc6 9. e5 Bc7 10. c3 { white managed to pass e5 and tocreate a chain of soldiers. it looks good. } 10... cxd4 11. Nxd4 { I dont get it.is there a tactical punch that I'm missing? why leaving the e5 pawn helpless? } 11... Ne7 { now I saw it. 11.... Bxe5 12. Nxe6!? fxe6 13. Qh5+ g6 14. Qxe5 Qf6. is that realy that bad? } 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Bf4 Ng6 { White's tactical tryoutmade the e5 pawn a target for attack. its true it can be protected butthe question is: for how long? } 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Qg4 Bxe5 { and the pawngoes - with white's small advantage. } 16. Bxe5 Nxe5 17. Qg3 Ng6 { afterit clears - Black is a pawn up and there is a great center play for him.white is a bit out of the game... } 18. Nf3 Rb8 19. b3 Qf6 { Black is pressingon white's weak points: firdt b2 and now c3. } 20. Rac1 Rb7 21. Rfe1 Rfb8 { the plan is good. there has to be a try to push the a pawn or the c pawnor both. } 22. Nd4 Rb6 { ?? c5 is needed. } 23. Nxc6 { a free pawn... } 23... Rxc6 { ???????? a blunder. } 24. Qxb8+ 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.10.21"] [Round "-"] [White "otakumadness"] [Black "harzer"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "948"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1048"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 e5 { I gain a free pawn. } 4. dxe5 Bb4 5. Bd2 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. exf3 { Exchange of pieces. } 7... f6 8. exf6 Qxf6 { Exchangeof pawns. } 9. Nxd5 { I take the unprotected pawn. } 9... Qd6 10. Bb5 { This wasactually a stupid move on my part. My knight is now unprotected and Blackis free to take it with the queen. } 10... a6 { Black doesn't take the knight,for some reason. Phew! } 11. Bxb4 { Taking Black's bishop and threateningthe queen. } 11... Qe5+ 12. Be2 Qxb2 { Black takes my pawn. } 13. Nxc7+ { I takeBlack's pawn and pin the king. } 13... Kf7 14. Nxa8 { Taking the Rook. } 14... Nxb4 { Blacktakes my unprotected bishop. } 15. Nc7 { Moving my knight back out } 15... Ne7 16. Bc4+ { This move was mainly to bring in the bishop to protect e6 and makeit possible for my knight to move to that square. } 16... Kg6 17. Ne6 Nf5 18. Nf4+ Kf6 19. Rb1 { Threatening the queen. } 19... Qe5+ 20. Ne2 { If I were Blackin this situation, I would do Nc6 to avoid losing a knight. } 20... Nd4 21. f4 Qe4 22. Rxb4 { Taking Black's unprotected knight. } 22... Nxe2 { Thus begins checkmate. } 23. Qd6+ { Checking the king. Black's only move at this point is eithera useless interposition by the Queen or else moving the king to f5, whichis what he did. } 23... Kf5 24. g4# { Mate. I think several of Black's key mistakesin this game were 1) move number twelve, when he didn't take precautionsagainst the King being pinned and I was able to gain myself a Rook, and2) leaving a lot of pieces unprotected and taking too many unnecessaryrisks. Like the knight on b4; that knight could have easily retreated toc6, but instead, Black moved the other knight forward into my territory.That knight was protecting the key square at d6; if that knight hadn'tmoved last turn, my queen wouldn't have been able to move to that squareto check the king. } 1-0
[Event "WA High School state team tourn. rnd 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Chris Peterson"] [Black "Bob Alger"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "G/90"] { First game of the tournament and my stomach is full of butterflies. I'mplaying on 2nd board out of our 5 person team. Last year I was the 5thboard and won 2.5 points so I'm extremely nervous because of this jump.Hope you enjoy the game. } 1. e4 { This has become my standard opening now.I used to play the English, but since I stopped my rating has elevated. } 1... e5 { Standard response. Glad it wasn't the Sicilian. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { Giuoco Piano (the Quiet game) } 3... Nf6 4. Nc3 Bc5 5. h3 { Keeping the knightand eventually a bishop off of g4. } 5... d6 6. d3 Qe7 { Not sure if this is thebest move. He should have moved out his bishop and got it developed beforeinvolving his queen. } 7. Bg5 { Pinning the Knight. (Other options includedNg5 or Be3 but I found these to be too passive and decided to keep pressureon him.) } 7... Be6 { Trying to double my pawns and weaken my center. } 8. Bd5 Bxd5 9. Nxd5 { Threatening the Queen and a nasty K R fork } 9... Qd8 { Best move.This moves the Queen out of danger, protects the fork and keeps protectionon the knight. ( ...Qd7 BxN gxB Nxg and black loses his queen) } 10. Bxf6 { Ruining the kingsid pawns and developing a target on the new f pawn } 10... gxf6 11. Nd2 { Preparing to bring Queen to the kingside } 11... Nb4 { Trying to removemy knight from it's strong square. } 12. Nc3 { Retreat temporarily untilI can remove his knight } 12... Rg8 { Threatens the G pawn so... } 13. a3 { I threatenhis knight and cause him to retreat } 13... Nc6 14. g4 { Gaining space on the kingsideand protecting the G pawn, but opens up the kingside too much and discouragesme from castling in that direction } 14... a6 15. Nd5 { Returning my knight toit's position of power. } 15... Rg6 { Protecting the double f pawn } 16. b4 { Removesbishop from the center of the board where it could be come a thorn in myside. } 16... Ba7 17. Nf3 { Bringing the knight back to the king side to engagewith the rook } 17... Nd4 { Attempts to trade knights } 18. Nh4 Rh6 19. Nf5 { Forkingthe knight and rook } 19... Nxf5 20. exf5 { Bring another pawn to the weakendking side } 20... c6 { Finally expelling my knight from the d5 square } 21. Ne3 Bd4 22. Rb1 Qb6 23. Qd2 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 Qxe3+ { Forced capture } 25. fxe3 Rh4 26. Kf2 { Bring the king into the action } 26... O-O-O 27. Kg3 { Forcing the rookback to it's only available square } 27... Rh6 28. c4 Kc7 29. a4 b6 { At this pointthe position is even. The remarkable part is that we both have all 8 pawnsleft and two rooks. When I reached this position I remember thinking thatthis was like something that you would do when you were just learning chessor like a chess puzzle. But notice that white still has the advantage becauseof the poor placing of Blacks rook on h6. It is completely immobile. } 30. e4 d5 { The Pawns start to disapeer } 31. cxd5 cxd5 32. Rbc1+ { Taking theopen file } 32... Kb7 33. Rc3 { Preparing to double rooks } 33... dxe4 34. dxe4 { Continuethe capturing process } 34... Rd4 { Forks my two pawns } 35. Rhc1 Rxe4 { This movecost black the game } 36. Rc7+ Kb8 { At this point Black offers a draw becausehe was looking at 3 move repetition and forgot about my other rook. } 37. Rc8+ Kb7 38. R1c7# { Checkmated by his own pawn structure. This was theonly game that Bob Alger lost this day. It was an interesting game andit removed my nerves for the rest of the tournament. Unfortunately though,the rest of my team lost their games. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.01.07"] [Round "-"] [White "psycho422"] [Black "maggiebiscuit"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1141"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1066"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Qe7 { This is known as the Gunderam defense. } 3. d4 { Nc3is usually a pretty popular response instead, since Nd5 is protected byPe4 and can be followed by NxPc7+ which forks the king and rook. Blackhas decent defenses against that, though. } 3... a5 { Black usually plays d6 orNc6 or Nf6. Pa5 is not really recommended. } 4. dxe5 d6 5. exd6 cxd6 { Iwould lean towards QxPd6 instead, to prevent isolating that d pawn. } 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Na3 Qxe4+ 8. Be3 f6 9. Bd3 Qc6 10. Nb5 d5 11. Bf4 Bc5 { Oof. Black should have played Na6, to protect against Nc7+. Better yet, blackshould probably not have moved Pd5 earlier (10). } 12. Nc7+ Kd8 13. Nxa8 Na6 { Qc8 might have been better. } 14. Bxa6 Qxa6 { Good. This prevents doublingpawns (PxNa6) while attacking Na8. } 15. Nc7 Qa7 { I like Qb6 better, whichattacks Pb2. But this sets up BxPf2+, which eliminates white's abilityto castle. } 16. O-O { Unless white beats black to it. } 16... g5 17. Bg3 h5 { Herewhite is strongly encouraged to play QxPd5. } 18. h4 { Moving the castlepawns is generally not a great idea. } 18... Ne7 { This was a good move on black'spart. } 19. hxg5 fxg5 20. Nxg5 Kc8 { Black needed to either move the kingto prevent Nf7+ rook fork on the other side. Rf8 would have been anotheroption, putting pressure on white's f pawn. } 21. Be5 Rg8 { Black withdrawssupport of Ph5. Of course the rook had to be moved, but Rf8 might havebeen better. } 22. Qxh5 Bd4 { Solid move--this attacks Pb2. If white tradeshe will need to move Nc7 or lose Pb2 to the black queen. } 23. Bg3 Bxb2 24. Rae1 Kd8 25. Qf7 { Oops. Black can play RxNg5. } 25... Re8 { That was an awkwardmistake. White will certainly play NxRe8. BxN will be answered with Ne6+driving the king away from the bishop so QxBe8. } 26. Rxe7 { Completely notthe way I would have played this. } 26... Rxe7 27. Qf8+ Be8 28. Rd1 { I think Iwould have gone for Nce6+ instead, to protect the knight. } 28... d4 { While protectingthat pawn is nice, RxNc7 is probably better. RxPd5+, Rd7. } 29. Bd6 Re2 30. Nge6+ Kd7 31. Qxe8+ Kxd6 32. Nb5+ { Yep. } 32... Kd5 33. Nxa7 Rxe6 34. Qb5+ Kd6 35. Qxb2 Re7 36. Nc8+ Kd7 37. Nxe7 Kxe7 38. Qb6 Kf8 39. Qxb7 Ke8 40. Rxd4 Kf8 41. Rd8# 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.09.02"] [Round "-"] [White "chess-knot"] [Black "richn"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1841"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1769"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bc4 Nxe4 { A commontrick in the Bc4 lines of the Pirc } 7. Bxf7+ Rxf7 8. Nxe4 h6 { Importantto keep the Knights from g5 and e6 } 9. O-O Bg4 { 9. h3 is recommended tostop this so I thought I'd give it a go. } 10. c3 Nc6 { In light of White's14th move, I think the knight was much better on d7 } 11. Qb3 Bxf3 12. Rxf3 b6 13. f5 g5 14. Qe6 { This is now looking a bit hairy with pieces swarmingaround my king... I'd missed how strong 14 Qe6 was. 14... Qc8 might havebeen better } 14... Qf8 15. Bxg5 { The alarm bells were ringing now - I'd hopedthis wasn't coming } 15... hxg5 16. Nxg5 Nd8 17. Qg6 { I had been intending 17Rf6 but realised as this unfolded that 18 Qh7 was mate... Hence thisrather odd looking move. } 17... Qe8 18. f6 { I was expecting 18 Re1 - absolutelycrushing, my e7 pawn can't move and I have no decent reply. Sadly forwhite, this plan is unsound.. } 18... exf6 19. Rxf6 Qe3+ { There's no way for whiteto avoid losing material, unluckily } 0-1
[Event "Benko Defense part I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.01"] [Round "-"] [White "buddie"] [Black "yanov"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1904"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1778"] { thematic tournement with d4 } 1. d4 { Hello to all of us, this is an interestinggambit benko game i played in a d4 thematic tournament. } 1... Nf6 2. c4 c5 { c5 may start Benko defense if white abandon the center with dxc, an easywhy to retrieve it is Qa5+ and Qxc5. but of course it is not a good idea. 90% white player may push d4-d5 } 3. d5 { black can now play 3.. b5 (benko)or (e6 benoni) } 3... b5 { the Benko line } 4. cxb5 { note that Qa4+ retrievesthe lost pawn } 4... a6 { fool black giving a second pawn... note that benko gambitis one of most popular defense, and one of Polgar sisters preferred one. } 5. bxa6 { the aim of benko black defense is to make pressure on a2 andb2 pawns this activity is helped with a and b opened columns } 5... Bxa6 { mainline. gaining time to develop at queen side and now if white plays e4,of course Bxf1 Kxf1 and white king will have to build 'manually' his castlewith g3 Kg2 } 6. Nc3 { consolidating the center and preparing e4 } 6... d6 7. e4 { the white reaction against benko gambit must be to take position at center. } 7... Bxf1 8. Kxf1 g6 { the king's bishop fianchetto will add a force on b2. likethe sicilian dragon, this bishop is very strong. note that the black pawnstructure is stronger than the sicilian dragon, with the c5 extended 'dragontail'. } 9. g3 Bg7 10. Kg2 O-O 11. f4 { why do white lost time to castletheir king in g2, and played f4 ? the usually answer is Nf3 } 11... Nbd7 { keepingthe control on e5. white cannot push e4-e5 yet } 12. Nf3 { another forceon e5 ! } 12... Qb8 { defending e5 again and ... makes pressure on b2. white bishopcannot move yet } 13. Re1 { putting another force on e5. but white did notsolve their c1 bishop problem generally, it is better to solve problemsfirst, before attacking } 13... Ne8 { black put another force on e5, and retreatthe knight without loosing time. } 14. Qc2 { white is over-protecting b2,perhaps to make their bishop going to d2 or e3 ? } 14... Nc7 { transfer black forcesat queen side, but making one less on e5 } 15. e5 { white attacks immediatly;a good reaction } 15... Qb7 { attacking d4 2 times, and looking directly to g2king remember that in benko, when white push e5, the d5 pawn is immediatlyweak. } 16. e6 { is the logic continuation } 16... Nf6 { the d4 pawn is clearly lostfor white } 17. exf7+ Rxf7 { letting a hole for the knight in e6 } 18. Ng5 Ncxd5 { '!' the d4 pawn is falling, and black is gaining a pawn. f7 rookis not takeable (Nxf7 ?? Ce3+) } 19. Nce4 Rff8 20. Qc4 Kh8 21. h3 { thisis not correct. h3 was the good place for the king. one day, black willcontrol the 2th line. } 21... Nxe4 22. Qxe4 Ra4 { '!' a nice move, the rook isnot takeable. (Qxa4 ?? Nc3+) it forces the queen to go to f3 } 23. Qf3 Rb8 { clearly attacks b2 } 24. Kh2 { the king cannot go to a safe square;note that c1 bishop has not waken up } 24... Rb4 { still putting forces on b2 } 25. Re2 Bxb2 { earning a full pawn without counter attack } 26. Bxb2+ { thepoor life of c1 bishop ... } 26... Rxb2 27. Re1 Rxe2+ { Qa6 was best } 28. Rxe2 Nf6 29. Qc3 Qb4 { '?' h6! } 30. Qxb4 Rxb4 31. Rxe7 c4 32. Rf7 { '?' Rc7 toavoid go promote } 32... c3 33. Rxf6 { '?' clearly bad. there is no mate there } 33... Rb2+ 34. Kg1 c2 35. Rf8+ Kg7 { a mate: Rf7 Kh6 ?? Rxh7 1-0 } 36. Ne6+ Kh6 37. Rc8 Rb1+ 38. Kf2 c1=Q 39. Rxc1 Rxc1 { in this position black are winning. } 40. Kf3 Re1 41. Nd8 Ra1 { '??' a beginner move. } 42. Nf7+ Kg7 43. Nxd6 Rxa2 44. Ne4 { is this a draw position ? if you have any idea, tell me aboutit } 44... Ra3+ 45. Kg4 Ra4 46. Ng5 h6 47. Nf3 Kf6 48. Ne5 h5+ 49. Kh4 Ra3 50. g4 { '??' black is winning the knight } 50... g5+ { Kxh5 ?? Rxh3 0-1 } 51. fxg5+ Kxe5 { now it is really the end. } 52. gxh5 Ra4+ 53. Kg3 Kf5 54. h4 Ra3+ 55. Kg2 Kg4 56. h6 Ra2+ 57. Kf1 Kh5 58. h7 Ra8 59. Kg2 Rh8 60. Kg3 Rxh7 0-1
[Event "Round 5 of Burbank Championships"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Apr-06"] [Round "-"] [White "J. Stein"] [Black "bakerbaker"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1635"] [TimeControl "G/45"] [WhiteElo "2088"] 1. d4 { I am Black. The person playing White was the highest rated personin this tournament. He ended up getting 1st, but I like this game becauseit reminds me I was the only person in the tournament who managed to beathim. } 1... c5 { The Benoni Defense. I immidiately challenge White's pawn. } 2. d5 { The strongest move. Moves like e3 and c3 are also okay, but they'repassive and let Black get easy equality. A worse move option for Whiteis dxc5, which gives Black a slight advantage, and then it's White whois fighting for equality. Also, White can play Nf3, which goes into anentirely different opening, if he doesn't want to study the Benoni. } 2... e6 { I challenge White's pawn again. Forcing him to defend with e4 or c4. Othermoves for White aren't good, because he moved his d-pawn twice, and mustkeep the pawn on d5 by defending with another pawn. Otherwise the tempiused advancing the d-pawn will be a waste. } 3. c4 { This move is the sharpest,leading to an unbalanced sharp tactical game, while defending with e4 ismore dull and drawish. I usually play Nf6 before I play e6 because it avoidsthe boring line e4, but since I was playing a much better player, I wouldn'thave minded if he'd played the drawish e4. } 3... exd5 { I open my e-file I canuse after I castle. } 4. cxd5 d6 { This move stops White's pawn from advancingany further, although it isn't necessary right now, because if he advancesI can play Qb6 and his pawn cannot be defended, because Bf4 leaves b2 hanging. } 5. Nc3 g6 { Fianchettoing this bishop in the Benoni Defense is very importantbecause I need to add to my control of the central dark squares. } 6. e4 Bg7 7. Nf3 Nf6 { This is a very common position in this opening, althoughI thought Bg4 was better because it trades my passive bishop for White'scentre-controlling knight. } 8. h3 { White stops Bg4, I should've playedit the move earlier. } 8... O-O 9. Bd3 { This bishop develops to d3 to defendthe e-pawn. } 9... a6 { I am planning to play b5, giving me nice queenside control. } 10. a4 { This guy was much higher rated than I was, so he knew how to stopmy plan. } 10... Re8 { Bd3 helped defend White's e-pawn. } 11. O-O Nbd7 { The onlygood move I saw. } 12. Re1 { White playing e5 later could be dangerous. } 12... Qe7 { I like my queen here because it defends my weak d-pawn, and thereweren't very many other moves in this cramped position. } 13. Bf4 Qf8 { Iwas worried about White playing e5 while my queen was in line with hisrook. If he plays e5 now, then I can play Nh5 attacking the bishop anddiscovering an attack on his e5-pawn. } 14. Qc1 { This move looked awkwardto me. I thought a5 was better because it gains more space on the queenside. } 14... Nh5 { I want to trade because White's actively placed bishop is better thanmy knight controlling unimportant squares. } 15. Be3 { If Bh2, then I playBh6 with tempo and can get a slight initiative after Nf4, blocking White'sdark bishop while attacking his light bishop. } 15... h6 { I didn't want Whiteto play g4 and g5 with tempo, so I stop g5. I also could've played f5,but I didn't feel comfortable going into a complicated position with sucha good player. } 16. g4 Nhf6 17. Rb1 { White wants to play b4, disturbingmy strong c-pawn. } 17... b6 { I make sure that my pawn has a suitable replacement. } 18. b4 h5 { I'm not worried about g5 anymore because now my knight has theh7 retreat square. } 19. g5 Nh7 20. h4 { A dubious move. The g-pawn doesn'treally need a fourth defender. } 20... f6 { I was hoping White would take the pawn,because Qxf6 forks the knights. } 21. bxc5 { White is claiming the b-file,but I can always try to trade rooks, and I'll have a passed c-pawn after21...bxc5. } 21... bxc5 { I thought the position was equal here, but White's nextmove however, definitely gives me the upper hand with a nice and clearadvantage. } 22. e5 { White was probably happy here, because defending myg-pawn with queen allows e6-fork, and taking on e5 allows Bxg6 and Bxh5.So how did I ever win here? } 22... fxg5 { I can afford to ignore the threat ong6, because I will take advantage of White's exposed king. } 23. Bxg6 { Whiteprobably underestimated my intended kingside attack because of my rating. } 23... Qxf3 24. Bxe8 Nxe5 { Even though I'm losing material-wise (my rook for hisbishop), White's king is exposed and I am threatening Bh3 then mate. } 25. Qd1 { White wants to trade queens, because then his king is in less danger,and he gets to keep his extra material. } 25... Qh3 { My new threat is Nf3 . } 26. f4 { White must free the f2 square to save his queen, otherwise Nf3 andWhite must give up his queen and lose. If White tries to stop Nf3 withBxh5, then I can simply play g4, blocking the bishop. } 26... Nf3+ 27. Kf2 Qh2+ { If 26. Bxh5 g4 had been played in this position, then White would haveto play Kf1, and I'd play g3 winning because I'm threatening Bh3 and g2 } 28. Kxf3 { If Kf1 then Bh3# } 28... Bg4+ { White's attempt to save his queen hasfailed, so he resigned here. Plus e8 and c3 are hanging, and his king iseven more exposed. } 0-1
[Event "A Close Shave!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.05.22"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "pauljr72"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1316"] [TimeControl "3d+3d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1829"] { Hi everyone! I promised Paul I would annotate this game and apologiesto him for the delay in doing so. However, here I am again! Paul gaveme a terrific fright in this game which turned out to be a Battle of theWings Part 2. Oh Ion, in the endgame I was getting a terrible sense ofDeja Vu! You see, as in my very first game against Ion, I had all theplay on the queenside whereas Paul had all the play on the kingside. Asin the game against Ion, I castled queenside so in the endgame, Henry wasnot in a position to arrest the kingside pawns. All he could do was assistthe queenside pawns and thankfully he managed it and I won the game. Sohow did this all happen? Well, first we get the bog standard SicilianDefense which is 1. e4 c5. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 { 4. Nxd4- this pawn trade is almost always standard in the Sicilian. } 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 { 5. Nc3 - defends e4 pawn. } 5... a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 { 7. Nf3 - I have usuallyplayed Nb3 here but for a change I decided to move my steed back to f3. } 7... Qc7 8. a4 Be7 { 8. .... Be7 - good, sound development by Paul. } 9. a5 Nc6 10. Bb6 { 10. Bb6 - a good placement for Fou Lenoir but alas it doesn'tachieve much here. } 10... Qd7 11. Nd2 { 11. Nd2 - bolsters e4. } 11... d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 { 13. ...... Qxd5 - after a plethora of exchanges, the WickedWitch of the West is handily placed in the centre. } 14. Nc4 Qxd1+ 15. Rxd1 { 15. Rxd1 - queen trade. } 15... Be6 16. c3 O-O 17. Be2 { 17. Be2 - clearing theway for kingside castling. } 17... e4 18. O-O { 18. 0-0 - although Henry does castlekingside he will soon find himself over to the queenside. } 18... Bd8 19. Bxd8 Raxd8 { 20. b4 - in anticipation of a rook trade I back up my advanced a5pawn. } 20. b4 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8+ Nxd8 { 22. ...... Nxd8 - anotherplethora of exchanges ensues and we are now in an endgame. Black is notbadly placed here and I am in for a long hard haul and the possibilityof a Low Draw looms on the horizon. } 23. Nb6 { 23. Nb6 - this knight replacesFou Lenoir on b6 but how effective is this placement gonna be only timewill tell. } 23... Nc6 24. Kf1 { 24. Kf1 - Henry begins his trek over to the queenside. } 24... Ne5 25. Ke1 f5 { 25. ...... f5 - Paul's kingside pawn majority is beginningto look ominous. } 26. h3 Kf7 27. Kd2 Ke7 28. Ke3 { 28. Ke3 - both King Henryand King Paul wend their way to the centre of the board. } 28... Kd6 29. h4 { 29.h4 - holding back g5. } 29... g6 30. g3 h6 31. Kf4 Nf7 { 31. ...... Nf7 - bothsides scratch around. } 32. f3 exf3 33. Bxf3 { 33. Bxf3 - Fou Leblanc hitsat the b7 pawn. } 33... Nd8 34. Ke3 { 34. Ke3 - Paul defends the pawn so I am stillscratching around! } 34... Nc6 35. Na4 Bd5 36. Nc5 { 36. Nc5 - still scratchingaround but at least I am keeping up the pressure on b7. } 36... Ne5 { 36. ......Ne5? Paul makes his first error here, this move is gonna cost him a pawn. I decided to trade bishops before taking off the b pawn. } 37. Bxd5 Kxd5 38. Nxb7 { 38. Nxb7 - b7 pawn extinct but not his kingside pawn majorityalas! } 38... Kc4 39. Kd2 { 39. Kd2 - Henry must back-peddle to defend c3. } 39... f4 40. gxf4 Nf3+ 41. Kc2 Nxh4 { 41. ..... Nxh4 - still a pawn up but now Paulhas an outside passed pawn. This is certainly a Battle of the Wings Part2. I now have a counter-attack however and that black a6 pawn will soonbe white horse-fodder! } 42. Nc5 Kb5 43. Kb3 Nf5 { 43. ..... Nf5 - clearingthe line for his h pawn to advance. I now play the only move that keepsme in the game ....... } 44. c4+ { 44. c4+! - this move forces King Paulaway from the protection of his a6 pawn. } 44... Kc6 45. Nxa6 { 45. Nxa6 - suddenlyI now have 3 connected passers on the queenside with the a5 pawn just 3squares away from Glendadom once my knight shifts himself out of the way. } 45... h5 46. b5+ Kb7 47. c5 { 47. c5 - the wall advances. } 47... Nd4+ 48. Kc4 { 48. Kc4- Henry keeps in touch with his footmen. } 48... Nc6 49. bxc6+ Kxa6 { 49. ......Kxa6 - now we are in a K & P ending and Henry now makes the winning moveto d5. } 50. Kd5 h4 51. c7 { 51. c7 - here Paul resigned on the grounds ofUnavoidable Mate. I say Unavoidable Mate because if Paul now plays Kb7I will play Kd6. If now h3 I will play a6+ and if Kxa6 then c8/Q withmate to follow shortly. If Paul does not play Kxa6 but plays Kc8 thenI will play a7 and my pawn will crown one move before his and deliver mate. At one point I thought I was gonna have to kiss 19 rating points goodbyebut thankfully I survived. Paul, you gave me more than a run for my money- you went into an endgame with even material and an even position (sothat will be good endgame experience for you against much higher ratedoppo) and at one stage you looked like you might steal a win so you canhold your head up high here. } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from nefariousknight7"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.25"] [Round "-"] [White "nefariousknight7"] [Black "j2000"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1684"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1479"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 { Opening with d4, I wanted to start the game witheither QG or Queen's pawn game, but it quickly developed into the Benonidefense. } 3... e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Bg5 Bg7 8. f3 { My decisionto play f3 didn't come without a price. I could have played Nf3, but thatultimately leaves my pawn structure unsound, unless I maneuver Ng1 to d2;and that could leave my kingside vulnerable. My goal with f3 is to disallow... Ng4 or Bg4, and to allow my Knight to post on a strong g4 square. } 8... O-O 9. Qd2 { This will keep black from moving h6, forcing my bishop to eitherattack or retreat. This also helps to reduce the temptation of black frommoving Qb6, then ... c4, exposing my kingside and a weak b2 pawn, (notto mention my kingside is quite undeveloped at this point.) This positionallows for a huge attach on black, but I need to be careful about how Imove. } 9... a6 10. a4 Nbd7 11. Nh3 { Here, I begin developing my kingside, withan ultimate goal of posting my knight on g4. } 11... Rb8 12. Nf4 { Here, I makea mistake. I get over ambitious and cause what I had been trying to avoid. } 12... h6 { Here it is . . . h6. This forces my bishop to attack, (as a retreatto h4 would cause g5, forking my bishop and knight.) I am beginning tosee how bad of a move Nf4 was. } 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Be2 g5 { Black pusheshis pawn to g5 like anticipated and proper. So far, black is very welldeveloped, and has the upper hand on position, (my only saving grace ismy pawn structure here.) } 15. Nd3 { Since I have ruined my kingside, andblack has easily and deftly created an opportunity for an attack, I decideto move my knight to d3 with a goal again of posting it on g5 or e4. } 15... b5 16. axb5 { Black is now using his momentum to deftly take advantage of myincreasingly difficult situation. The only good to come out of this willbe my rook seizing the a file. I may be able to eventually seize black'sd6 pawn from the queenside and collapse his pawn structure. } 16... axb5 17. b4 c4 { However, after 16. axb5 axb5 17. b4 c4, I must move my knight to f2,lest black post his queen on b6, and I will not be able to castle . . .at least for a while. } 18. Nf2 Bd7 19. O-O Nh5 20. g3 { However, I moveNf2 and castle, and he begins an attack on my kingside while guarding hisb5 pawn. It isn't looking good for white. g3 keeps black from postingon f4, but may allow an attack on h3 from black's bishop. Given white'ssituation, at the time I thought this was the best move I could have made. Black's move to h5 also pins my knight on c3, guarded only by my queen. It will take a couple moves I do not have to unpin it. } 20... f5 { Here, blacksuccessfully attacks my pawn structure. His rook is now a threat. } 21. f4 { Instead of capturing f5, I move my pawn to f4, forcing black to retreat,or support it with either Be8, (which will remove 1 support on b5), orQe8, taking him longer or even impossible to post his queen on b6. Mybishop is now attacking black's knight, and creates a little forward momentumfor white. } 21... Be8 22. exf5 { This isolates my d pawn, but now black cannotmove his pawn to g4, for it will be attacked by my bishop on e3. Thisalso creates an avenue for my knight to become more active on e4, (as longas Qb6 is not a problem.) I could have chosen to move fxg5, but this wouldallow black to develop better with hxg5, then . . . g4. } 22... gxf4 { Insteadof retaking my pawn black makes an excellent move gxf4!. Now I must takehis knight. } 23. Bxh5 Bxh5 24. Nfe4 { I'm rushing again. In an attemptto unpin my knight, free my queen to move, and allow my knight to movemore freely, I move Ne4 too soon. } 24... f3 25. h3 Qb6+ 26. Nf2 { Now I must movemy knight back, but I plan on threatening black's bishop with g4. I havegiven up on my dead f5 pawn. Now both of white's knights are pinned. } 26... Rxf5 27. g4 Rg5 { I forked black's bishop and rook with g4, but cannot followthrough as gxh5 would put me in check. } 28. Ne4 { Considering the situation,I am willing to trade rooks. } 28... Rg6 29. Rae1 { Black declines the trade, andI bring my a1 rook into the game. } 29... Bxg4 30. hxg4 Rxg4+ 31. Kh2 Be5+ { After29. . . . Bxg4 30. hxg4 Rxg4+ 31. Kh2 Be5+, the situation is not lookinggood for white. My kingside is completely exposed. My best defender hereis black's h6 pawn! } 32. Kh3 Rg6 33. Ng4 { Black moves his rook out of trouble. But after Ng4, things start looking a little different. There is stilla threat of a mating attack from black's queen and rook, but my situationdoesn't look quite so dire. } 33... Qb7 { Black accepts the trade, and moves hisqueen into position. } 34. Nxe5 Qc8+ 35. Kh4 dxe5 36. Rg1 { Instead of takingblack's pawn, I have decided black's rook is becoming to big of a problem,as next move would have been Qg4#, and the game would have been over. I don't have much of a choice. } 36... Qf5 37. Rxg6+ Qxg6 { I happily trade rooks,and black's queen looks exposed to me from this angle. With a little supportfrom my queen, I could possibly place my rook on g1 pinning black's queen. However, black is too cunning for that kind of amateur move. } 38. Qf2 Kh7 39. Qxf3 { Black saw the pin, but now I have won a pawn and position. } 39... Rb7 { I must keep my queen very close to my king for the rest of the gameto avoid mate. My plan from here is to use my advantage of a knight toforce black's moves and gain another pawn, and ultimately promote my dpawn to a queen. } 40. Nf6+ Kh8 41. Rxe5 Kg7 42. Nh5+ Kh7 43. Rf5 { after43. Rf5, my knight is now in a good position to threaten and support thepromotion of my d pawn to a queen. Black is now on the defensive. However,I must keep the momentum strong, else black support and promote his c pawn. } 43... Re7 44. Nf6+ { It was a good idea for black to move his rook to e7. Heforesaw white's pawn on d7, and wanted to be on the correct side of theaction. However, this check is forcing black's queen into a very tightposition. } 44... Kh8 45. d6 Rf7 46. d7 Rf8 47. Nh5 { I considered Ne8, but thisleaves me with a greater advantage. If black chooses to trade pieces,I will promote my pawn and checkmate black. } 47... Rg8 48. Rf8 { One of black'sonly mistakes in the game. I have pinned black's rook, and now it is notlooking good for black. } 48... Qg5+ 49. Kh3 Qe7 { A good move, but it allows meto promote my queen. } 50. d8=Q Qe6+ 51. Kh4 Qe1+ 52. Ng3 { After 50. d8=QQe6+ 51 Kh4 Qe1+ 52. Ng3, black resigns. A battle fought long and hard,this victory had not come easily. } 1-0
[Event "A fast win with a slow opening"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.01.17"] [Round "-"] [White "whitejd"] [Black "l-d-j"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1409"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1526"] { In this game, my opponent played a very quiet opening. Unfortunately Iwas unfamiliar with the ideas and attacking plans of this opening and thereforeonly realized in what danger I was when it was already too late. I gotdestroyed in 18 moves. I learned from this game to look what my opponentis planning even if he plays a calm opening that seems unambitious. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { The Ruy Lopez, an opening that can lead to verycomplicated positions. There's a lot of theory on it. It's known for itspositional character, but there are also some tactical lines. } 3... a6 { Blackhas lots of possibilities here, but this is by far the most played line. } 4. Ba4 { White also has the possibility of playing 4.Bxc6 dxc6, going intothe exchange variation. (Note that 5.Nxe5?! is not very strong becauseBlack wins his pawn back with 5...Qd4 and has a comfortable position) } 4... Nf6 5. d3 { I hoped for 5.O-O so I could play the Open Ruy Lopez with 5...Nxe4but unfortunately my opponent didn't allow that and instead wentfor a slow,positional approach. } 5... b5 { I had to deal with the threat 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Nxe5winning the e5 pawn, because I can't win back the pawn on e4 anymore. Theother possibility is 5...d6 but I didn't like the idea of closing in mydark-squared bishop that way. } 6. Bb3 Bc5 { An active approach from Black. } 7. h3 { A new move in this position, but not an entirely new idea in thisvariation. It seems slow, but surely it has its merits. White can now play8.Be3 without having to worry about 8...Ng4. White also has the long-termplan of an attack on the kingside and this pawn move gives white the possibilityof moving the f3 Knight via h2 to g4. } 7... O-O 8. O-O { Now we're back in thedatabase. } 8... d6 9. c3 { Preparing d4, providing the bishop with another diagonalon which it can maybe prove useful (the b1-h7 diagonal) and stopping anyBlack piece from moving to d4. } 9... Bb7 10. Bg5 { A nasty pin. I don't knowwhen to play ...h6. Any thoughts, should I play this as soon as possibleor is this not necessary? } 10... Na5 { Threatening to gain the bishop pair. Whitegets the open a file in return if he lets me exchange, but that's probablynot what he wants as he seeks action on the other side of the board. } 11. Bc2 Bb6 { I saw that this move occurred in many games in this opening butwas not sure what the exact idea was. I suppose it's played to provideBlack with te option of playing ...c5 but I'm not sure if there are alsoother ideas behind this move. Does anyone have any suggestions? Anyway,I copied the idea from those other games because I was not sure what todo. } 12. Nbd2 { White brings his last minor piece into the game, althoughit doesn't have a great influence on the board at this moment. In manyRuy Lopez games, the b1 Knight goes to d2 and f1 to take part in the kingsideattack via e3 or g3 and, if possible, f5. } 12... h6 { I decided it was time tosomewhat release the tension, but of course White doesn't exchange (hewould give up the bishop pair and allow my Queen to get into the game). } 13. Bh4 c5 { I saw this move in other games but was not sure if it was goodin this case. It does prevent d4 but on the other side it gives White thestrong d5 square (he can't use it right now, but this may become a factorin the future) and also prevents Black from playing ...d5 himself. Maybe13...c6 was preferable, to prepare ...d5. It does close in the light-squarebishop for the moment, but that piece is biting on granite anyway. } 14. Nh2 { White starts serious action on the kingside. He now has an edge asBlack doesn't have a clear plan. } 14... Qe7 { ? The first serious mistake. Blackhad to weaken his King's position by playing 14...g5 15.Bg3 to releasethe pin on his Knight because now White gets a large, probably even winning,advantage by playing 15.Ng4!, winning at least a pawn and weakening theBlack King's position anyway. } 15. Ng4 { ! There it is. Only now it becameclear to me that I was in serious trouble. } 15... Rac8 { ? The last error, butit was already over. I was seeking for counterplay but I had to do somethingto defend, such as 15...Qe6. } 16. Bxf6 gxf6 { ? Another mistake, I had toaccept that I would be a piece down. Now White finishes it.... } 17. Nxh6+ Kh8 { 17...Kh7 makes no difference. } 18. Nf5 { ! And I resigned. White threatens19.Qg4! and mate on g7 (if I play ...Rg8 White can play Qh5#). There'snothing I can do but to give up my Queen to avoid this. A strong game byWhite who got a strong attack going when I didn't pay attention. I hopeyou enjoyed the annotation. Any comments would be appreciated. } 1-0
[Event "Grob attack [Fritz gambit] mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.01.24"] [Round "-"] [White "dksrox"] [Black "last_archimedean"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1307"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1209"] { Yep, another new mini. This time I'm going with the opening championedby the Swiss painter and chess player Henri Grob. [It became the favoriteopening of, of all things, the dozen members of the Virginia PenitentiaryChess Club -- for 15 years they played nothing but 1 P-KN4 as their openingmove in their games. Apparently one of the inmates had read Grob's bookletespousing the opening.] } 1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4 c6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Qb3 Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Qxb7 Nbd7 8. Nb5 Rc8 { The starting position for allthe games. } 9. d4 { White elects not to snap up the loose pawn on his QR7. } 9... Be7 { Clearing a route for castling. } 10. f3 Bh5 { Ducking clear. } 11. Qa6 O-O { Placing my King into safety. } 12. Nd6 Bxd6 { If White wants to swapminor pieces, I'm agreeable. } 13. Qxd6 Nb6 { I offer to exchange Queensas well. } 14. Qg3 Bg6 { Shielding the White Queen's attacking line. } 15. f4 h6 { Creating a retreat, if it proves needed. } 16. Nh3 Ne4 { Placing myKnight on a strong outpost. } 17. Qa3 Ra8 { Hastily guarding the attackedPawn. } 18. Rg1 { A useless move. 18 O-O or 18 B-K3 enabling 19 O-O-O werefar better options. White has played well up to this point but now is thetime to get the King out of the center. } 18... Nc4 { Placing my other Knight ona strong central outpost as well. } 19. Qb3 Qh4+ { I exploit the fact thatWhite failed to secure his King's safety by castling earlier. } 20. Kd1 Nf2+ { Now I force the win of a oiece. } 21. Nxf2 Qxf2 { Either the Rook orBishop must fall. 22 B-Q3 fails against ... NxB. } 22. Re1 Qxg2 { I now havea technically easy win. } 23. e4 { This blunder enables me to force mate. } 23... Bh5+ { White's fate is sealed. } 24. Re2 Qxe2# { The end arrives. } 0-1
[Event "Continental Toluca 2011"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Lafuente, Pablo"] [Black "Gurevich, Dimitry"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2475"] [WhiteElo "2572"] { This was a game played in the Continental Championship which took place in the month of April 2001 in the city of Toluca, Mexico. My opponent was a great master originally from Russia, who has been living in the United States for many years. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O { The Catalan Opening, which was first used in Barcelona. Therefore, its name. } 6... dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 { Una movida arriesgada, que muestra yael espíritu combativo de Gurevich. Lo principal es 7..a6. } 8. a4 b4 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Nxc4 Be4 11. Qd1 c5 12. dxc5 { No tenía ningún problema enjugar una partida tranquila y posicional. Era la segunda ronda del día-el torneo se jugaba con doble ronda diaria- y no disponía de las energíassuficientes para jugar una partida complicada llena de combinaciones. } 12... Na6 13. Qxd8 Rfxd8 14. Nfe5 { Comenzando con una danza de caballos que seextenderá hasta el fin de la partida. } 14... Bxc5 15. Bg5 Rd4 16. Rac1 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Ne4 18. Bf4 Bf8 19. Be3 Rd5 20. Nd3 Nec5 21. Bxc5 { In this type of position, horses are usually stronger than knights. Despite having pawns on both flanks, the black pieces on the side of the queen are very advanced and fixed, and will soon become weak. } 21... Bxc5 22. Nd2 Rad8 23. Nb3 Be7 24. Rc6 R5d6 25. Rfc1 g6 26. Na5 Bf6 27. Nb7 Rxc6 28. Rxc6 Rd7 29. Nd6 Nb8 30. Ne4 Kg7 { If 30...Cxc6 then 31.Cxf6 checkmate with a doubled pawn afterwards 32.Cxd7. } 31. Rc8 Rd8 32. Rxd8 Bxd8 33. Nxb4 { Although it is necessary to work, the white has a clear advantage. } 33... a5 34. Nd3 Nc6 35. Nd6 f5 36. f4 Be7 37. Nc4 g5 38. Nde5 Nxe5 39. Nxe5 gxf4 40. Nc6 Bf6 41. Nxa5 Kf7 42. gxf4 Bxb2 43. Nc4 Bd4 44. Ne5+ Ke8 { With few hopes, Gurevich abandoned his move afterward. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2021.05.18"] [Round "-"] [White "midnight_skulker"] [Black "novsky"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1809"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1842"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Bg5 h6 11. Rad1+ Bd7 { The GameKnot worlddatabase contains two games that continued 11.... Ke8 12.Bxe7 Nxe7 13.Rd2Ng6 14.Rfd1 Ke7 15.h3: 15.... Be6 ended in a draw, 15.... Re8 endedin a White victory. } 12. Bxe7+ Nxe7 13. Rfe1 Ke8 { The GameKnot member databaserecords that from this position in 2012 airwarrior-salvadormtz continued14.Na4 Bg4 15.Nc5 b6 16.Na6 Rc8 17.Rd2 Bxf3 18.gxf3 and White won by checkmateon Move 58. In this game, however, White feels his fortunes lie alongthe d-file and with his king-side pawn majority, so he disdains airwarrior’sflash-in-the-pan attack and avoids doubling his f-pawns. } 14. Nd4 Rd8 15. h3 Bc8 16. Rd3 a6 17. Red1 g6 18. Ne4 Nf5 19. g4 { White passes up a draw(by repetition): 19.Nxf5 Rxd3 20.Nf6+ Kf8 21.Rxd3 Bxf5 22.Rd8+ Kg7 23.Ne8+Kh7 24.Nf6+ Kg7 etc. } 19... Nxd4 20. Nf6+ Ke7 21. Rxd4 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Ke6 23. f4 g5 24. Nh5 Rg8 25. Nf6 Rh8 26. Kg2 { 26.Kf2 is more accurate as it keepsWhite’s king off the light-colored diagonal and gets it to e3 a move sooner. } 26... b6 { After 26.... gxf4 27.Re4 Black has no way to defend his advanced f-pawndirectly, but by taking control of the d-file with 27.... Rd8 he could threatento make White pay for it with his own queen-side pawns. The text givesWhite a tempo to relieve his rook of f-pawn guard duty and may thereforedeserve a question mark. } 27. Kf3 c5 28. Rd2 Bb7+ 29. Ke3 Bc6 30. c4 Ke7 { The fortunes of both sides depend on them taking the initiative on theside on which they have a pawn majority. Black has not realized this orhe would have played 30.... gxf4+ 31.Kxf4 Rb8; White has but then fails totake advantage of Black’s passivity with 31.h4 (and if ...gxh4 32.Rh2). } 31. Nd5+ Bxd5 32. Rxd5 { [?] Correct is 32.cxd5 Rd8 33.Ke4 gxf4 34.Rf2. Fortunately for White, Black continues to play defense instead of penetratinghis position with 32.... h5 33.Rd2 hxg4 34.hxg4 Rh3+. } 32... gxf4+ 33. Kxf4 Ke6 34. Rd2 a5 35. b3 Rf8 36. Rd5 f6 { [?] 36.... a4, that recurring theme ofqueen-side counterplay, maintains equality. } 37. exf6 Rxf6+ 38. Rf5 c6 { Play by both sides gets a little ragged at this point. 38.... Rg6 39.h4Rg8 40.Rh5 Rf8+ 41.Ke4 Rf6 presents a tougher nut to crack. } 39. Ke4 { 39.Rxf6+Kxf6 40.a4 is more accurate. } 39... Rxf5 { [??] 38.... Rg6 40.Rf8 h5 gives Blacksome hope. Now he has none. } 40. gxf5+ Kf6 41. h4 b5 42. a3 b4 43. a4 Kf7 44. Ke5 h5 45. f6 Kf8 { If White’s f-pawn were the only pawn on theboard Black would have the opposition and the game would be a draw by stalemate:46.Ke6 Ke8 47.f7+ Kf8 48.Kf6. White realizes such is not the case, however,and avoids letting Black off the hook with that line of play. } 46. Kd6 Kf7 47. Kxc6 Kxf6 48. Kxc5 Ke5 49. Kb6 Kd4 50. c5 Kc3 51. Kxa5 Kxb3 52. c6 Ka3 53. c7 b3 54. c8=Q b2 55. Qc3+ Ka2 56. Qc2 Ka1 57. Kb4 b1=Q+ { Blackrealizes that after the exchange of the current queens he has no way tostop White from getting another one (or two). A resignation when it isone’s opponent’s turn to move is not all that uncommon in games playedover the internet with time control expressed in increments of days. } 1-0
[Event "fiercequeen, having a new boyfriend (final)..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "31-aug-18"] [Round "-"] [White "harduf2"] [Black "fiercequeen"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2059"] [TimeControl "3+10 blitz"] [WhiteElo "1940"] { this time, we go for blood... } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Bf5 3. Nc3 e6 4. Nf3 Bb4 { seen it all, before... } 5. e3 { shutting off, Bc1... } 5... Nf6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Bd3 Bxc3+ { time, to simplify... } 8. bxc3 Bg6 9. Bxg6 hxg6 { also standard:open up, the h-file... } 10. Ne5 Nc6 11. f4 Nxe5 12. fxe5 Ne4 { not reallyimpressed... } 13. Qa4+ c6 14. Qc2 Qh4+ { ending this... } 15. Kf1 Ng3+ { Whiteresigned... } 0-1
[Event "a crazy game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.07.08"] [Round "-"] [White "reachforgoals"] [Black "hiredgun112"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "889"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "775"] 1. e4 { normal opeaning I am white } 1... d6 { what opening is this } 2. Bb5+ { check } 2... c6 { pawn moves } 3. Bc4 { bishop back } 3... Nf6 { knight } 4. Nf3 { same } 4... e5 { movespawn } 5. O-O { castle queen side } 5... Nbd7 { knight } 6. Nc3 { both knights out } 6... Nc5 { same } 7. b4 { moves pawn } 7... Ncd7 { knight backwards } 8. Ba3 { is it a goodto move the bishop to the rim if you are devloping your minor pieces } 8... c5 { pawn } 9. b5 { that pawn is over haft way to the other side } 9... Be7 { that bishopis dead . could not go anyway. } 10. Qe2 { moves bishop } 10... b6 { pawn } 11. Rab1 { rook } 11... O-O { castle queen side } 12. d3 { pawn } 12... Ng4 { knight } 13. Nd5 { same } 13... Bb7 { finally got all those minor pieces out } 14. d4 { pawn } 14... cxd4 { -1 } 15. Qd3 { queen } 15... Bxd5 { is this a fork or a pin or a trap? } 16. Bxd5 { takes bishop } 16... Rb8 { rook } 17. c4 { do i have good control of the center? } 17... Qc7 { queen } 18. Rb3 { rook } 18... Rbe8 { is it good idea to have all the pieces in one conorlike how black does? } 19. Ng5 { My king is safe } 19... Bxg5 { -4 } 20. Rb4 { rook } 20... Nc5 { knight } 21. Qh3 { queen } 21... Qd7 { same } 22. Ra4 { rook } 22... Nxe4 { -5 I am followingbehind } 23. Bxe4 { bad move on black part } 23... Qe6 { it looks more less piecesnow for black in the conor } 24. Rxa7 { rook } 24... Rc8 { same } 25. c5 { I am backin the game } 25... Qxa2 { queen running wild } 26. cxb6 { is it ok to double pawnhere } 26... Nf6 { is back protecting the knig } 27. b7 { i never had a pawn uphere before } 27... Nxe4 { I will take my pawn all the way next turn to see whathappens } 28. bxc8=Q { this what chess power fells like } 28... g6 { black is doomed } 29. b6 { black would be big trouble if I get 3 queens in the game. Howoften does it happen that you can get 3 queens in the game. } 29... Nd2 { movesknight } 30. b7 { pawn } 30... Nxf1 { takes pawn } 31. Kxf1 { takesknight } 31... Qa1+ { check } 32. Bc1 { blocks } 32... Qxa7 { takes rook } 33. b8=Q { queen } 33... Qa6+ { check I win blackresigns } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.02.05"] [Round "-"] [White "thelaststraw"] [Black "keyifli"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1395"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1323"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. d4 dxc4 5. Qc2 Qd5 { !? This is a move notseen that often } 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bg2 Qe4 { ?? This simply drops a piece. } 8. Qd2 { ?? White can immediately win a piece with 8.Qa4+! Nc6 9.Nh4! Qg410.Bxc6+. } 8... Bxc3 { ?! This just releases all the pressure. Black should havesimply retreated his queen instead of playing this move. Now white willhave no trouble developing his queenside. } 9. Qxc3 { ! } 9... Qd5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Bf4 O-O 12. Bxc7 Qh5 { ?! This simply unnecessarily drops another wholepawn although it threatens ...Nd5. } 13. Qxc4 { ! Simple and best. } 13... Nd5 14. Bd6 { !? } 14... Rd8 15. Ba3 Nb6 16. Qc3 f6 { ?! An unnecessary waste of time. } 17. Rfd1 e5 { This now shows the justification for black's previous move,but black's development is lagging. } 18. d5 { ? This sacrifices a pawn toopen up the position, but this is however unnecessary. White should havecontinued with the simple 18.dxe5. } 18... Rxd5 { ? The simple 18...Nxd5! wouldhave been much better, as white has no attack after 19.Qc5!? Be6! 20. e4Nb6! 21.Rxd8+ Rxd8. However, this gives a pawn back by force. } 19. Rxd5 Nxd5 20. Qb3 { ! This is the only move winning the pawn back, as after 20.Qc4black has 20...Be6! 21.e4 Nf4!, when forced is 22.Qc3, as 22.Qa4 losesto 22...Nxg2 23.Kxg2 Bh3+. Here 20...Be6 loses to 21.Qxb7. } 20... Qf7 { ?? Thisis a losing move, due to the tactical shot played on the next move. Blackshould have given up a pawn with 20...Be6 21.Qxb7 Rc8. } 21. Nxe5 { ! Thewhite bishop attacks black's d5- knight while the e5-knight attack's black'squeen. Black cannot prevent loss of material. } 21... Nd4 { Honestly, I had notseen this as an option for black! However, I still was able to refute it. } 22. Bxd5 { ! } 22... Be6 23. Nxf7 { ! } 23... Nxb3 24. Bxb3 Kxf7 25. Ba4 { ?! I just wantedto keep the bishop pair when I played this. However, I see nothing wrongwith 25.Bxe6+ Kxe6 26.Rc1. Now white will have to use some time to develophis rook withoug losing a pawn. } 25... Rb8 { ! This move is the only move to delaythe rook's development even further. } 26. b3 { ?? I blitzed out this movewithout thinking about its consequences. I got my punishment! } 26... b5 { ! Nowthe a4-bishop is trapped. } 27. Bxb5 Rxb5 28. Rc1 Ra5 { ?! This makes therook more or less out of play. } 29. Rc7+ Kg6 30. Bf8 { !? But my opponentfound a slick solution } 30... Bf7 { ! This is the only move that will temporarilyhold. I still remember wondering if I could even win at this point. } 31. a4 a6 32. h4 Rd5 { Finally the rook is back to doing something. } 33. f3 { !? I was secretly thinking about playing something like Kf2 and e4 toTRY to get the rook off the 5th rank. } 33... Rd8 { ? Now I get my piece back!The rook was required on the 5th-rank to prevent h5+. } 34. h5+ { ! } 34... Kxh5 { Forced. } 35. Rxf7 Kg6 { Now this was another surprise to me, but to thosemasters: What do I know? } 36. Rxg7+ Kf5 37. Rf7 { ?! } 37... h5 38. Be7 { !? Althoughthis (again) drops a piece, I will not consider it bad as it liquidatesinto an easily winning pawn endgame that may be even more advantageousthan being a piece up. } 38... Rd7 { A pin! } 39. Rxf6+ { Of course. } 39... Ke5 { Only nowdid I realize I would be forced to give up a piece, as 40.Rf7? loses to40...Ke6! } 40. Rxa6 Rxe7 41. Ra5+ Kd4 42. Rxh5 Rxe2 { I am now in an easilywinning rook-and-pawn endgame. } 43. Rh2 { I didn't know what I was thinking,but this, (of course) doesn't change the result. } 43... Re1+ 44. Kf2 Re3 45. b4 Kd3 { !? } 46. g4 Re2+ 47. Kg3 { All other moves lose. } 47... Re1 48. Rg2 { !?I was thinking of supporting my kingside pawns and giving up my queensideones. I chose to use the rook instead of the king and instead of lettingthe pawns support themselves. } 48... Rb1 49. b5 Rb4 { White loses a pawn unlesshe playes 50.Ra2, but it doesn't matter. } 50. Kh2 Rxa4 51. g5 Ra5 52. b6 { ! Making black waste another tempo trying to attack the pawn. } 52... Rb5 53. g6 Rxb6 54. g7 { You may all think I bombed this endgame, but it's justbecause I was impatient. At least I didn't throw away the win! } 54... Rb8 55. g8=Q Rxg8 56. Rxg8 Ke3 57. Kg2 { This was another blitzed out move. I maybeshould have played 57.Kg3 instead. } 57... Kf4 58. Rf8+ { And now the rook is supportingthe f-pawn. Black resigned. } 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.06.21"] [Round "-"] [White "darklolo67"] [Black "wetsnake456"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1515"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1536"] { A tactical game were I managed to trap the queen for about equivalentexchange, and then threw it away the next morning when I woke up. Thereason I'm annotating this is two-fold, one to laugh at my end blunderand two to share in the joy of a wondrous game of cat and mouse with thequeen. } 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Bd2 Nd4 7. O-O-O Bc5 8. Qg3 { Here is where it gets Interesting. With a pawn threatenedi could easily move my rook to g8 to block but lose my ability to castleon my defensibly strong side. Castling to block pawn would also be badidea because of 8. 0-0 , 9. Bh6... and then its just all sorts of troublefor black. so instead i look for a way to equalize after giving away thepawn. and saw this move. } 8... d6 9. Qxg7 { What the pawn move did was limitthe queen's position (eventually) and free up my pieces to chase the queen. } 9... Rg8 { Naturally, I chase the queen as per planned. } 10. Qh6 Rg6 11. Qh4 Rg4 { This is why 8.d6 was important. Qh6 for white would have lead torepeating Rg6, because I'm stubborn like that. Unless theirs some otherattack that i'm not seeing for Qh6. } 12. Qh3 Rxe4 { Equalize and attack.Queen has three open squares left h6, g3, and d3. g3 would lead to rookback on the g-file, h6 would lead to Nf5. } 13. Qd3 Rg4 14. h3 Bf5 { So ignoringmy rook for now i keep up the assault on the queen Now it only has twofree spots c4 and b5. } 15. Qc4 Be6 16. Qa4+ Bd7 { block and attack forcingqueen back on c4 and allowing pawn push on b5 for me } 17. Qc4 b5 18. Qd3 Bf5 { Trap complete for a pawn a rook and a knight fairly even trade inmy opinion } 19. Qxb5+ Nxb5 20. Bxb5+ Bd7 21. Bxd7+ Qxd7 22. hxg4 Qxg4 { Pullahead and pressure open pawn } 23. Nb5 { block the fork... in hindsight 0-0-0might have been better to bring rook into action. } 23... Kd7 24. Nf3 { deploysknight finally } 24... Qxg2 25. Nh4 Qxf2 { Now here i should have taken with Bishopinstead as it would attack the h4 knight and block rook from pressuringqueen. } 26. Rdf1 Qg3 27. Rxf6 Be3 { Not the best move should have movedRf7 to protect pawn } 28. Rxd6+ Ke7 { And the blunder that ended the game. Should have moved to King to c8 to prevent fork. } 29. Nf5+ { And here Iresigned. Any opinions are welcomed, as are any question's about any moves. } 1-0
[Event "Flank attacks and positional sacrifice to injure my opponent's mobility"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "urnesthemingouey"] [Black "somecooldude"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "unknown"] [TimeControl "5min + 15secs per move"] [WhiteElo "1890"] { I played this game in blitz, but still I believe there is much thoughtin it. Also it shows some intuitive positional playing. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 { I usually don't play that with white. However I've seenthat position many times and had the enthusiasm to play something new forme. } 4. Qc2 O-O 5. Bg5 { Here I was just having fun while playing whatseems ordinary } 5... d5 6. e3 { Black, however, took the center and now we arein Queens gambit. } 6... c5 7. a3 { I'm not sure about the accuracy of that move.As I see it, it's almost certain that the black bishop would be exchangedfor my knight so I don't have to force it. I wanted to play that beforeblack plays Nbd7, cause then he would have the Qa5 move. Now if the blackQueen goes to a5, I will take on f6 and black will have a bad pawn structure. } 7... Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 cxd4 { Here, I had a few extra seconds to decide with wichpawn to take. I saw that if 9. cxd Qa5+ 10. Qd2 Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Ne4+ andI lose a bishop } 9. exd4 Bd7 { Here I asked myself if I should developmy bishop or my knight first. I wasn't certain if I should play my knighton f3 or on e2. So I decided to liave it like that for know and keep myplans a surprise. } 10. Bd3 h6 { You see, I was threatening to take on f6and h7. The h6 move prevents that. } 11. Bh4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Bc6 { That'sinteresting cause we more often see the knight go on c6. Now the Blackattacks my g2 pawn, also tries to take over e4 square (maybe with g5 andNe4). } 13. f3 { So I keep the pawn and the square. This is one of the reasonsit was good not to play my knight on f3 that early. Now it will go to e2.What I like here is that also after eventual g5 I might place my bishopon f2. } 13... Nbd7 14. Ne2 Qc7 { The treat here is 15. 0-0 Bxf3 16. Rxf3 Qxc4winning a pawn. So I had to defend or move my bishop. I didn't played Qd3cause I thought that there would be many pins after some rook goes to d8.So I decided to move the bishop and I needed it to be behind my queen sothat I can manage a mate attack or something in the future. Thats why Iplayed it on a2. } 15. Ba2 Rac8 { Again preventing me from castle. The treathere is Bb5, attacking my c3 pawn and one of it's defenders. I got pretyscared of that move, cause I didn't want to play Rc1 right now. } 16. a4 { Seems like a tricky solution, but I needed more calculations... } 16... Qa5 { ... Cause of this. Now if I play Bb3, I've lost a tempo. If I play Bb1,my rook from a1 happens to be inactive. However, I had thought that I mightsacrifice the a4 pawn. It, at least, means that black had spent one moremove with his bishop before placing it on b5. Move that I might use toattack. } 17. O-O Bxa4 18. Qd2 { Now see the folowing I have a pawn less,but if my opponent moves his queen or his bishop, I might return it byBxe6. At the same time my treat is Bb3. Eventully I might take on a4 andblack would have a doubled a pawns. I played my queen on d2, cause I expectedg5 to be a clash point. Wait and see. :) } 18... a6 19. g4 Rfe8 20. Bb3 b5 { Iwould have first playd Bb3 to fixate and then g4, but now it's the sameposition. Notice that a move before black queen had the potential to jumpon the kingside and now the queen is kinda blocked by it's own pieces. } 21. g5 hxg5 22. Qxg5 { I take with queen cause that way I treaten to takeon a4 (you see the pin on the 5 file? ). Also, that way I join more piecesin my kingside attack. Not to mention that it was doing nothing on d2 causemy e2 knight is enough to defend the c3 pawn. } 22... e5 { Tries to open the e-fileand make presure on my bishop and c3. If I take, his rook would attackmy queen with tempo. } 23. Kh1 { I thought that such plans for black arevery slow if I do a mate attack. After Rg1 , g6 wouldn't help, cause Iwill just play Qxg6. My bishop from b3 also does work. } 23... Nh7 24. Qh5 { Ihave to treat something so that my opponent doesn't have time to take exdor make an adequate defence. That was better than 24. Qf5 Ndf6 } 24... Rf8 25. Rg1 Rc6 { Black is forced to defend and tries to join all his pieces. } 26. Qg4 { He might have succeded if it wasn't for that move. } 26... g6 27. Qxd7 { So, now I have a light pice more and still hold the initiative. } 27... Qb6 28. Bxa4 { Just exchanging while having a material advantage. } 28... exd4 29. Bb3 dxc3 30. Be7 Rfc8 { Here's the last key moment. I was just about toplay Bd5 when I saw the following... } 31. Bxf7+ Kg7 { If 31... Kxf7 32.Bd6+ Kg8 (32... Kf6 33. Qe7 + Kf5 34. Qe5#) 33. Rxg6+ Kh8 34. Qg7# } 32. Bxg6 Rxg6 33. Rxg6+ { If 33... Qxg6 34. Rg1 losing a queen. } 33... Kxg6 34. Rg1+ { 35... Ng5 36. Rxg5+ Kh7 37. Bf6+ Kh6 38. Qh3+ } 1-0
[Event "Chess Club Tournament Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Me "] [Black "A friend"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "Black"] [TimeControl "(Live game)"] [WhiteElo "White"] { This was the game that knocked me out of the 12-13s chess club tournament. This guy (called Fred) was quick and more experienced than me. Also hehad won more games. And he was 13. So I wasn't really expecting to winthis one. } 1. e4 e5 { Kings pawn game } 2. d4 Nc6 3. dxe5 Nxe5 4. Nf3 Bd6 { Developing and defending } 5. Nxe5 Bxe5 { Not sure why but I was havinga bit of a 'Keen to trade' day. } 6. Nc3 Qh4 { Not sure what that was for.Like pinning f2 or something? } 7. Bd3 Bxh2 8. g3 Qd8 { Managed to win hisbishop } 9. Rxh2 Ne7 10. Be3 O-O 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 h6 { To prevent bh7+ } 13. Rh4 Re8 14. c3 d6 15. Qb3 b6 16. Kf1 Qf6 17. Re1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Qxf5 19. Kg2 { To prevent qf3 } 19... Re7 20. f3 Rae8 21. Rf4 Qh7 { I could tell I wasn'tdoing very well } 22. Re4 Rxe4 23. fxe4 Qxe4+ 24. Kh2 Qf3 25. Bxb6 { I reallyhoped he would capture b6 without looking properly. Than I could go rxe8 } 25... Rxe1 { But he saw it. I knew I was dead meat } 26. Bg1 Re2+ 27. Bf2 Rxf2+ 28. Kh3 { Running for my life } 28... Qh5# { And I was knocked out of the tournamentThanks for viewing } 0-1
[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.01"] [Round "-"] [White "last_archimedean"] [Black "frebec"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2006"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1347"] { A Ladder game where I was challenged by someone many, many ranking pointshigher than me. I think I did well to hang in for as long as I did. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 { On the principle of 'I have nothing to lose, solet's at least make this game interesting'... } 3... d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Nf3 Be7 6. d4 O-O 7. Bd3 f5 8. exf6 Bxf6 9. O-O Nc6 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Bxe4 Nxd4 { All 'book' so far, and development for both sides is just about completed.The QB's and Q's need to move. } 12. c3 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 c6 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 { Barring a colossal oversight from the player ranked in the 2000's, I'mnot going to win the game. But the simpler I can make it, the bettermy chance of somehow pulling out a draw... } 15. Bf4 Be6 16. a3 Bd5 17. Bxd5+ Rxd5 { Another piece vanishes, and material is still even... } 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. Rxd5 Rxd5 { And now we're down to a Bishop and Rook end game. } 20. Bc1 Kf7 21. g3 { A mistake. I need to play 21 R-K1 instead to cutoff Black's King. } 21... Ke6 22. Kg2 Kd6 23. Re1 Kc5 { I have to be careful, asBlack's king has made a rapid approach to the Q side. } 24. Re4 { I try toseal the K off from my half of the board. } 24... Rd1 { Trouble. This explainswhy 21 R-K1 would have been better, as Black's King would have been cutoff and his Rook could not invade the 8th rank. } 25. Be3+ Kd5 26. Rf4 Rb1 { Attacking the weak spot. } 27. Rb4 b6 28. Kf3 c5 29. Ra4 { 29 R-N5 wasthe correct move. My lack of endgame technique begins to show. } 29... Rxb2 30. Rxa7 Bxc3 { Now Black has a passed Pawn. } 31. Bc1 Rb3 32. Kg2 Bd4 33. a4 Rb1 34. Bg5 Ra1 35. Rb7 { Still hoping to be able to stop Black on the Q-side. } 35... c4 36. Bd8 Rxa4 37. Bxb6 Bxb6 38. Rxb6 { So close, but yet so far. If Ihadn't lost that one Pawn, this ending would be dead even and a theoreticaldraw. Still, I have to fight on. } 38... c3 39. Rb1 Kd4 40. Kf3 c2 41. Rc1 Kd3 { I just couldn't get my King over to defend in time. } 42. Re1 Rc4 43. Re3+ Kd4 44. Re4+ Kd5 { I throw in the towel. Well, given the rating differenceI think I acquitted myself well. } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.23"] [Round "-"] [White "luni4av"] [Black "maaarten"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1591"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1570"] 1. d4 { One of my best games I think. As usual I start with 1.e4, but inthis game I wanted to try some openings like Queen's gambit declined orCole system } 1... g6 { This answer surprised me } 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. e4 { The fastdevelopment and the strong center are the main goals here. } 3... c5 { Sicilian? } 4. Nc3 { The alternatives are 4.c3; 4.Be3 or even 4.Bc4 but 4.Nc3 is themost appropriate answer to controlling the center } 4... cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Be3 e5 { Mistake! } 7. Ndb5 Bf8 8. Nd5 Bb4+ 9. c3 Ba5 { Everythig is overfor Black already } 10. Nd6+ Kf8 11. Qf3 f6 12. O-O-O Nce7 { Brutal mistake! } 13. Bh6+ Nxh6 14. Qxf6+ Kg8 { And Black resigns } 1-0
[Event "The rarer nimzowitsch For those who like annotated games. comments appreciated"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.04.20"] [Round "-"] [White "wcates"] [Black "trixstermtl"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1373"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1358"] 1. e4 { i like posting games with the nimzowitsch defense, i dont thinkive faced a black oponent who used it once in my 200 games on this site.it also allows me to save some of the games i want to remember possiblelines since im a free to play player >< } 1... Nc6 2. a3 { why i decided to postthis game is this is a very Uncommon response i get to my opening whichi think lead me to having a great game, since im used to playing vs the3 most common/aggressive responses (d4 or nf5 or bb5 or even a rare Qf3) } 2... d5 { i saw it as an opening to grab the middle bring my queen out and otherknight and start rolling with 3 pieces developped over his a3 pawn } 3. exd5 { the white doesnt know the classic 'to take is a mistake' plays intowhat i planned. } 3... Qxd5 4. d3 { after seeing i was coming out aggressivei think he planned for a more defensive game. } 4... Nf6 { going on with my plan } 5. Nc3 { was sorta expecting the knight o move 4 was happy he let me takeout my knight first } 5... Qe5+ { i always love offering the check here lol insteadof retreating the queen, i am a gambler at heart and the games where myoponent blocks with either bishops is the ones i love. } 6. Be3 { i haveto say i face Queen most of the time. white bishop block the other times.rarely a block with the knight and even rarer with the black bishop, thisdelighted me cause now he had no way of immediately blocking my knighton the c6 from coming up. } 6... Bg4 7. Qd2 { this guy was full of surprises.usually id face a bishop block or a knight development. obviously he cantpromote the pawn cause my queen would take the black bishop (its what iwas hoping he would do though lol) but this move was even more fun forme } 7... Nd4 { heres a bit more gambler in me was wondering if he would do bishopor knight but was still hoping pawn. the objective is the black bishopall along i was hoping i could achieve it without a cost on my previousmove but that wasnt hidden enough. } 8. f3 { time to cause some disruptionbreak his pawn line and get the bishop at a cost of my knight and im breakingthis board open so thats perfect to trade knights out for his bishops. } 8... Nxc2+ { i dont think he expected this lol } 9. Qxc2 Qxe3+ { objective complete! } 10. Be2 { yet more surprises. he doesnt decided to cut the bleeding andmaybe trade out queens he blocks with what i love the bishop! } 10... Bf5 { noneed to waste my bishop and this diagonal is by far my favorite for mywhite bishop } 11. Nd1 { i felt my oponent had a very retreating playstyleit was time to also retreat and i wanted to finish development, allow myblack bishop out and possibly castle } 11... Qb6 12. Qd2 e6 13. g4 { im alwaysused to this kind of pressure and the defensive position hes adopted doesntreally allow him any development. im pretty sure opening his pawns at thisstage is a weakening move } 13... Bg6 14. g5 Nd5 { i love my pawn disruption earliermakes for this knights new safe home } 15. f4 { he keeps going after my whitebishop i think he knows i like that diagonal! } 15... h6 { time to open up hislittle hiding hut! } 16. Nf3 { hmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!! something is up hedidnt come down with the pawn! } 16... O-O-O { oh i see what hes doing the sneakybastard! can you? } 17. Ne5 { he pretended he wanted to kill my white bishopall along so i would keep moving it. but hes going for my rooks. i havea hard time believing he anticipated a queen side castle but if that isso i almost fell for his plan, so the wiser move here is to let him eatwith his knight if he wants and look for a more aggressive line, } 17... Qd4 { my plan was to get my black bishop behind my queen use my rook in theopen file the knight would create if he takes the white bishop. but hisplan was my rooks he saw i figured it out and retreated } 18. Nf3 { i decideto return to the previous state of game and see what his reply is. } 18... Qb6 19. b4 { wow as soon as he moved that i saw 2 ways to kill his queen canyou? } 19... Nxb4 { what!? sacrifice a knight so unexpected. oh wait is it a sacrificelook at that black bishop and that queen in front of the king. wow arethese games rare lol its like picture perfect placement with his too defensivestyle, after this move i had no clue what he would play. all white playersid appreciate if you posted his best reply. } 20. Kf1 { by far i dont thinkthis was it lol as the knight will continue his party. so rare i get topawn hop undefended in a game with so many pieces left. } 20... Nxd3 { here againthe picture perfect placement of my wsb rook and queen will cause the lossof his queen which i thought he would fall for 2 moves ago. } 21. Bxd3 { wasthere a better reply than that?, white players... } 21... Bxd3+ 22. Kg2 { was curiouswhy he didnt take just now with the queen since i was getting it anyway. } 22... Bf1+ 23. Kxf1 { i was surprised he didnt take with his rook there. but theni see why he didnt take with his queen before he atleast also wants tobe able to get the rook >< silly me i was a bit over confident maybe therewas a way i could of salvaged a piece but at this stage i was happy gettingthe queen. } 23... Rxd2 24. Nxd2 { there ya go. i guess all is left is to try tofigure out a checkmate. from here, it comes faster than expected lol } 24... hxg5 { lets open up some room for my rook } 25. fxg5 Rh5 { at this move i was outof 'plans' temporarily, im making note here cause im sure there was alotmore better moves. although oddly enough it turns out to play out likethe previous 'picture perfect' moments i had in the passed in this gamelol. } 26. h4 { i was like 'great now what did i do but waste turns afterplaying a great game' lol! i guess my new objective is digging my rookout. its just a matter of will my oponent let me. } 26... f6 27. Rb1 { i guesshe wont, hes starting pressure on the queen but this open board will buyme many moves } 27... Qa6+ { my thought here is gain the check so i can eat 1 pawnand also i want to stay away from his knights until my rook is free, } 28. Kf2 fxg5 { after this entire game i had no clue what to expect fromhim here } 29. Nf3 { i guess his objective is my pawn and to confront myrook. but all im looking for is to free up my rook lol so this is fine. } 29... Bc5+ 30. Kg3 { i wonder if blocking with the knight might of been betterwith the hopes of connecting his rooks and bring them in to defend hisking, might of been a better avenue. } 30... gxh4+ { as for me ill just keep gainingtime and opening the board, his reply here will affect if i can checkmatehim or not } 31. Nxh4 { after this i saw alot of checkmates can you? hesgot alot of moves he can do to gain time but i dont know if he can comeout of it on top, all replies are always appreciated and theory craft.i tried creating a puzzle from this position it took forever so obviouslythere is many ways to survive but he could only keep falling apart butthe checkmate could be stretched out more than 20 moves. im wonderingif there is a short way i didnt see in the puzzle (which i just gave upon to just come finish the game and see which move he would actually chooselo). in this game it took the minimum amount moves too. } 31... Qd3+ 32. Kg4 { i guess he really wanted my rook } 32... Qe2+ { his longest way to surive is toblock with the knight and lose his rook. but he kept refusing to lose pieces } 33. Kg3 Bd6+ { my oponent went away for the full 3 days at this stagei just set up the conditional move } 34. Kh3 Qf3# { the rook didnt need freeingup, 'picture perfect placement sorta >< the fact i tried clearing it thoughis what brought the pieces over. i love the ending here ending on a squarethe knight can theoritically attack but technically cant. hope you allenjoyed the game. all comments appreciated } 0-1
[Event "Tournament game, New York, 1924"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Emanuel Lasker"] [Black "Edward Lasker"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] { The legendary game where Emanuel Lasker, after 90+ moves of struggle,discovered a new way to successfully defend an end-game with a lone Knightvs. a Rook and a Pawn. All annotations are by Edward Lasker. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 { White hesitated a little before making thiscustomary move, and I thought the possibility of my playing the Marshallattack might induce him to exchange on B6 and follow with P-Q4, with theidea of producing a favorable end-game though the K-side Pawn majority. } 4... Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O { Castling instead of the customaryP-Q3 enables the Marshall attack if White plays 8 P-B3. Black sacrificesa Pawn with 8... P-Q4 9 PxP NxP 10 NxP NxN 11 RxN P-B3. When I played O-OI was really only bluffing and had made up my mind to play the Tarraschdefense should Emanuel Lasker call my bluff with 8 P-B3. } 8. c3 d6 9. h3 { A very important move in this variation, in order to prevent the pinB-N5 which would greatly weaken the effectiveness of the planned advanceof the QP. } 9... Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 cxd4 { The plan initiatedwith this move is an early occupation of the QB file with one of my Rooks,taking advantage of the retarded development of the White Q-side. } 13. cxd4 Bd7 14. Nf1 Rfc8 15. Re2 { This move surprised me. I had expected B-Q3,and from the results of another game played with this opening in the sametournament later, that move is probably better. } 15... Nh5 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 Bxh3 18. Nxf7 Be6 19. Ng5 Bc4 { I did not consider any other move herebecause I thought I was obtaining a clear advantage. Had I seen the replyEmanuel Lasker had prepared I would have considered the alternative 19...BxN 20 BxB Q-K4; this would have brought the Queen to the K-side with tempoand White's game would have been difficult. } 20. Bd3 Rd8 21. Rc2 { Thisalmost humorous counter-pin I had not taken into consideration. It enablesWhite to 'get out from under.' } 21... Nf4 22. Bxf4 Qxf4 23. Nh3 Qe5 { White willhave a hard time driving me from this dominating square. } 24. Bxc4+ Nxc4 25. Qe2 Rd4 26. f3 { The black squares around White's King are so loosenedup that my Bishop should find a fertile field of activity. First, of course,I must double Rooks in the Q file to prevent White from opposing his QR. } 26... Rad8 27. Rac1 { Now White is ready to drive my Knight with P-QN3. In lookingaround for a good spot for my Knight my conclusion was that only Q7 wasreally desirable. To enable N-Q7 I would have to play my Bishop to N5 first.I had only about 5 minutes left within which to complete my 30th move,and so I decided to play B-B4 to gain a move in view of the time pressure. } 27... Bc5 28. Kh1 Bb4 29. b3 Nd2 30. Ne3 Ba3 { I made this move just in time toavoid forfeiting the game. } 31. Rd1 { I had to seal my next move, the gamebeing adjourned. Having completed the first 30 moves within the two hoursallotted, I had plenty of time to survey the situation. If I played 31...B-N5, White would chase the Bishop to win the Knight. After 32 P-R3 B-R433 P-N4 B-B2 34 P-B4, 34... NxP would be my saving move. } 31... Bb4 32. a3 Ba5 33. b4 Bc7 34. f4 { White made the move P-B4 much too fast to suit me, soI looked again carefully to see if there was anything wrong with 34...NxP. After 35 PxQ N-N6 ch 36 K-R2 NxQ White could not play 37 RxR? on accountof ... BxP ch and ... NxR. He would have to play 37 RxB RxR 38 NxR RxN.Then 39 N-N5 was not agreeable for me, but 39... R-Q sq 40 R-R7 P-B3 41N-K6 R-K sq was a likely draw. } 34... Nxe4 { My opponent did not think very longbefore he made a reply I had not considered and which refuted my combination. } 35. Kh2 { My Queen remained attacked and had no move to keep the Bishopguarded [35... Q-K2 36 N-B5!] } 35... Rxd1 36. Nxd1 { Now the Queen must move,and either the Bishop or Knight will be lost. } 36... Qe7 37. Rxc7 { An error ofa type Ossip Bernstein used to call the 'equalizing injustice of Chess.'Emanuel Lasker made the move without a second's hesitation. Evidently hehad planned it at the time he played K-R2 and did not bother looking aroundfor other possibilities. With N/Q1-B2 he would have won a whole piece andthe game. After winning Knight and Bishop for his Rook, White has by nomeans an easy ending. In fact, it is doubtful whether this ending can bewon at all. [Fischer had not yet been born, but he later phrased it thisway: 'You have found a good move. Look around for a better one.' -- LA] } 37... Qxc7 38. Qxe4 Qc4 39. Qe7 Qc8 { I am trying to keep the Knights from approaching.If 40 N-K3?, 40... R-K sq wins a piece. } 40. Ndf2 { With 40 N-N5 RxN 41Q-B7 ch K-R sq 42 Q-R5 P-R3 43 QxR PxN 44 Q-R5 ch followed by QxP, Whitecould have produced a Q and P ending with 4 Pawns against 3, but it ishighly problematic whether it could have been won. } 40... h6 41. Qa7 Qe6 42. Qb7 Qd5 43. Qb6 { If 44 QxRP, I win the Pawn back with 44... R-QR sq. andthe White QNP would soon fall as well. } 43... Rd6 44. Qe3 Re6 45. Qc3 Qc4 46. Qf3 Qc6 47. Qd3 Rd6 48. Qb3+ Qd5 49. Qb1 Re6 { I now threaten to attackthe QRP with ... R-K6. 50 N-Q3 is not a satisfactory defense because after50... R-K7 51 N/R3-B2 R-R7 52 Q-QB sq Q-B5 the Pawn falls after all. Whitetherefore decides to take a chance and sacrifice his Knight on R6 in orderto lay bare my King and attack with the Q, the remaining Knight and thetwo connected passed Pawns. } 50. Ng4 Re2 51. Nxh6+ gxh6 52. Qg6+ Kf8 53. Qxh6+ Ke8 54. Qg6+ Kd8 { White could now draw with perpetual check, checkingon the seventh and eighth rows until I interpose my Rook or Queen, thusrelinquishing my mate threat. } 55. Qg3 { Now I saw a chance to avoid perpetualcheck while maintaining the mating threat with my Rook. } 55... Re8 56. Qf2 Rg8 57. Qb2 Qd6 { This guards the King against checks and at the same time keepsthe Knight from approaching as long as the KBP is not protected. } 58. Qc3 Kd7 59. Qf3 Kc7 60. Qe4 Rg7 61. Qf5 Re7 { I cannot prevent the Knight fromoccupying N5 any longer and therefore go ahead after the White QRP. } 62. Ng5 Re3 63. Ne4 Qe7 64. Nf6 Kb8 65. g3 Rxa3 66. Kh3 Ra1 { Of course notQxP as this would allow perpetual check through 67 Q-K5 K-N2 68 Q-Q5 etc. } 67. Nd5 Rh1+ 68. Kg2 Qh7 { White is now forced to exchange as he has onlyone check and his King would not be able to stand the combined attack ofRook and Queen. } 69. Qxh7 Rxh7 70. Kf3 Kb7 71. g4 Kc6 72. Ke4 Rh8 { My planis, of course, to drive the Knight first and then to advance the RP toclear the way for the NP. I am threatening check on K sq winning the Knight,so the latter must now move. } 73. Ne3 Re8+ 74. Kd4 Rd8+ 75. Ke4 a5 76. bxa5 b4 77. a6 { 77 P-N5?? would lose to 77... P-N6 78 N-B4 K-B4 79 N-N2R-Q7 80 N-Q3 ch K-B5 81 N-K5 ch K-B6! } 77... Kc5 { Had I realized that White hada chance to draw, I would have looked much more into the variations arisingfrom 77... P-N6. I only figured ahead as far as 78 N-B4 K-N4 79 N-N2 KxP80 K-K3 K-N4 81 P-N5 K-N5 82 P-N6 K-B6 83 N-R4 K-B7 84 P-B5. I analyzedit again after the game and concluded Black could win if he attacks theKnight [which keeps his Pawn from advancing] with R-QR sq. after firstgetting White's King to the 4th rank so the Knight is captured with check.This led me to claim that after 84 P-B5, 84 R-K sq ch 85 K-B3 R-KB sqwould seal White's fate. If after 86 K-B4 R-QR sq White plays 87 N-N6 hedoes not get a Queen at all. But White need not play 86 K-B4: he can drawwith 86 P-N7! RxP ch 87 K-N4 R-B8 89 K-N5, winning the Rook in the end. } 78. a7 b3 79. Nd1 Ra8 { The only chance to win. 79... K-N3 would be answeredwith 80 K-K3 KxP 81 N-N2 K-N3 82 P-B5 K-B4 83 P-B6. } 80. g5 Rxa7 81. g6 Rd7 82. Nb2 Rd2 83. Kf3 Rd8 { Obviously I cannot take the Knight as White'sNP would Queen. But I can win both Pawns, and I thought I still saw a possibilityof winning the game. } 84. Ke4 Rd2 85. Kf3 Rd8 86. Ke4 Kd6 87. Kd4 Rc8 88. g7 { In order to force the Rook to get off the Bishop file so that the WhiteKing can approach my Pawn. } 88... Ke6 89. g8=Q+ Rxg8 90. Kc4 Rg3 { This is themove I had calculated would win my game after all. } 91. Na4 Kf5 92. Kb4 Kxf4 { It would take White 3 more moves, I had calculated, to capture thePawn: K-R3, N-B5 and NxP. But at that moment my King would reach the squareQB5 and the Knight would be lost because the Rook pins it! It never occurredto me that White need not capture the Pawn at all and could still drawthe game. Emanuel Lasker actually discovered a new end-game position inwhich a R and P cannot win against a Knight, and this position has sincebecome a classic. } 93. Nb2 { Examining the position carefully, I soon realizedI had no way of driving White's King away. However, if I could reach Q7with my King by playing him in back of my Rook, I could still win. I madea last attempt. } 93... Ke4 94. Na4 Kd4 95. Nb2 Rf3 96. Na4 Re3 97. Nb2 Ke4 98. Na4 Kf3 99. Ka3 { This foils my plan. After ...K-K7 White would play K-N2and I could never approach. } 99... Ke4 100. Kb4 Kd4 101. Nb2 Rh3 102. Na4 Kd3 103. Kxb3 Kd4+ { We agreed to a draw. I felt quite discouraged, naturally,at seeing the win slip through my hands after more than thirteen hoursof hard struggle. But when the excitement had subsided I came to regardthis game as one of my best efforts. } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Synergetisches Scharm�tzel"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "09-Nov-07"] [Round "-"] [White "brulla"] [Black "arabsalam"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1994"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1626"] 1. Nf3 { Trainingsspiel im Team Synergie. Kommentare sind 'live' aus derPartie. This is a training game of team Synergie. Sorry, annotations inGerman language only. } 1... d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nbd7 { Ich möchte noch eine Bauerneinführungsstruktur (e6-e5, c6-5) nicht festlegen und entwickle keine Figur. Der positive Aspekt bei Sbd7 ist, dass er nach e5schaut, negativ, da er nun Dd8 und Lc8 versperrt sind. } 4. d3 { Preparing e4, a rookade can always be done. } 4... e5 { I have achieved an ideal bishop's pawn center and some central space advantage. The position should be balanced, neutralizing the white advantage. } 5. O-O Bc5 { I must develop my eighth pawn in order to smell. 1) White's eighth pawn, prophylactically (on light-squared bishop) unlocked the dark-squared bishop from the sixth. 2) White's eighth pawn, covered by black's sixth, so white can simply play h6. 3) White's light-squared bishop is the best option, as it opens the diagonal a7-f2, which looks more attractive than c7-d5 with white's eighth pawn. However, this also has the disadvantage of blocking the dark-squared bishop's diagonal. } 6. Nbd2 { (brulla) Kontrolle �ber e4. } 6... O-O { The king must get out of the middle. } 7. e4 { That is how the standard configuration of KIA is achieved. } 7... c6 { I am fortifying my c6 pawn, opening the d5 file and preparing the d8-a5 diagonal for my knight. } 8. exd5 { (brulla) Es starten die Zentrumsaktivit�ten: Feld d5, e-Linieusw. } 8... cxd5 { My plan is to keep the center and then gradually introduce my light-squared bishop. } 9. Re1 { So, the tower is now putting pressure on the e-file. Clearly, you want to develop your queenside, so I must keep you busy so that you cannot realize this. If you want to develop over b7, I will be looking for small niceties along the long diagonal. } 9... Qb6 { Tats�chlich bindet Te1 meinen Lc1 an die Deckung von e5 und mein Vorhaben, etwas f�r den Bauern b7 zu tun, rückt in weitere Ferne. Andererseits ist das noch nicht so dramatisch, weil es um Deine Dame augenblicklich nicht besser steht. Sollte ich Deine Dame einmal entwickeln können, sollte es nach f5 oder g4 statt nach b7. Te1 hat aber auch ein Nachteil, denn nun deckt nur noch der Kg1 den Bauern f2. Mein nächster Zug machst Du das zunutze. } 10. Qe2 Ng4 { There is no Sb4, but Sg4: This move attacks f2 (and covers e5) and forces Tf1, which means that this piece is back on its starting field and recovers the e-file. On the other hand, it is uncertain where my Sg4 should go if you play h3. Moreover, my Lc8 remains buried. } 11. Rf1 { Correct! This "Tanzschritt" with the tower could have been saved, if I had moved the piece 9.Qe2 immediately. Again, I have learned something!:D } 11... f5 { You say it, Tanzschritt, a step forward, one step back, and not only your Tf1e1, but also your Sg4f6 (when you play), with the difference that I insert the sidestep f5 and so a important tempo in the center win. After f5 is for S in such situations often the Diagonal g8-a2 a problem. In this concrete situation it is not, because there firstly no Figures come. After 12...Sf6 or later stands my Sf6 behind the f-Pawn and not before him, I think, that is a important improvement of my position. I should here at least equal game, and that is probably a pessimistic estimation. } 12. h3 Ngf6 { This is the only move available and Sh6 is not an alternative. } 13. Nb3 { Alles is clear. I am now trying to bring my pieces, particularly my knight on c1 and my pawn on f3, into the game. This could also allow my knight on g2 to get a spot. } 13... Bd6 { If I were to exchange my knight for my opponent's bishop, it would be a bad swap for me, thinker, so I'd instead move my pawn to d6. } 14. Bg5 e4 15. Nfd4 { 14...e4 is a good 'Dominierungszug'. I was initially going to play 15.Nfd2, but then I noticed the black diagonals. dxe4 did not seem right to me, since I want to keep your knights away from e4! Luckily, your bishops on the c and d lines have already 'passed by'. } 15... Ne5 { With my next move, I will centralize my Sd7 and finally free my Lc8 from its prison. Unlike pawns, in the middle game, knights are the strongest pieces in the center. After dominating the center, I am now trying to capture center-adjacent files such as f3, d3 or c4, as well as to protect the c-line with my artillery. } 16. Bxf6 { The only sensible move here is to capture the pawn. } 16... Rxf6 17. dxe4 fxe4 { White's fxe is better than dxe because it opens the diagonal line and also gains control of the c4(via d5) square. } 18. a4 { Goal: to gain space at the queenside. I am concerned about your control of the field f3...my knight on d4 stands well, but it cannot leave the field on its own. } 18... Nf3+ { I like the move a4 very much, after you are stuck in the center and king's wing, you try to put pressure on the dame's wing mainly with the support of the d4-b3 cavalry. With a6 or Ld7 I could now take countermeasures and further improve my position. However, at the king's wing I can do a tactical shuffling of the cards and change the game. } 19. Bxf3 exf3 20. Qe8+ Rf8 21. Qh5 Kh8 { The predecessor effect caught me off guard, Dh5 had me completely unprepared, my tactical reorganization went backwards. Instead of 18...Sf3? I should have played the calm Ld7 to improve my position. Now I'm not in the best shape. } 22. Rfe1 { I am particularly proud of my bishops, but the game is not yet read, now comes the big question: how further? I want to activate another figure, but there seems to be still a lot of tactical decisions to be made. } 22... Bd7 { Now unfortunately, Ld7 comes too late. } 23. a5 { *** } 23... Qc7 { My lady has not many fields. c7 is a good field for her, especially if the line is half open and not Tc1 to drive her away directly. Moreover, Sb5 cannot come, which would be unpleasant. Additionally, I strengthen the diagonal b8-h2. } 24. c3 Bxg3 { I am now smashing your pawn wall with my knight. If counted, it is only your pawns and your knight that are protecting your king (f3 and h3), while my two rooks, tower and lady are shining the light on your king's flag. I have not calculated the complications, I sacrifice strategically. } 25. Nd2 Bxf2+ 26. Kxf2 Qh2+ 27. Ke3 f2 28. Rh1 Qg3+ 29. N2f3 Rae8+ 30. Kd2 Qf4+ 31. Kc2 Bf5+ 32. Nxf5 Re2+ 33. Kd1 Qe4 34. Qxh7+ Kxh7 35. Ng5+ Kh8 36. Nxe4 Rxe4 37. Rc1 Rxf5 38. Rf1 d4 39. Rc2 dxc3 40. bxc3 Ref4 41. c4 Rxa5 42. Rfxf2 Rxf2 43. Rxf2 Ra1+ 0-1
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.12.04"] [Round "-"] [White "gensek8130"] [Black "taufiq"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1649"] [WhiteElo "1597"] { A team match between the ChessDudes and the Belgian Lions (my team) wasgoing on. As a captain, I see it as my duty to go ahead in battle for myteam ! } 1. e4 { White is opening with 1.e4, wich says a little bit abouthis style. Most e4-players like open, tactical positions.. } 1... c6 { I'm headingfor my normal response to 1.e4; the Caro-Kann. } 2. d4 d5 3. e5 { Ok, whitechooses for the Advance-variation of the Caro-Kann. By advancing his e-pawnto e5, he's gaining space, and in meanwhile he's countering my development. } 3... Bf5 { First of all, my bishop needs to get out of the back rank. f5 is agood spot to take a rest. By playing 3. ... Bf5, we're reaching the Short-variationin the Advanced Caro-Kann. } 4. Bd3 Bxd3 5. Qxd3 { All book-moves. Theseare 'natural' opening-moves. We now see that white takes control of themost black squares in the center, and black controls the white center-fields. } 5... e6 { By closing the pawn-chain, we now have a solid pawn-structure forblack. } 6. Nf3 { A normal developing move; white is preparing to castlekingside. } 6... Nd7 { I played this move to get a response ready for the casewhite plays Qb3, threatening to take my b-pawn. If white does that rightnow, I have the answer Qb6. After a possible exchange of queens, my knightwould be nicely placed on b6. } 7. O-O { Bringing his King to safety; normalprocedure.. } 7... h6 { Preparing the moves Ne7 going to Ng6. In this manner,the opponent can't play Bg5, pinning my knight in front of my Queen. } 8. Bf4 { Well, maybe this wasn't the move I would play if I where white..I'd rather go for a b3-c4 pawn-storm. } 8... Ne7 { I'm leaving my options open..This knight can go to g6, as well as f5 and c6 (once the c-pawn is advanced). } 9. c4 { Ok, white is trying to make some open lines. A good idea ! Thething is, I can't let him play 10. c5, because my black bishop would beenclosed. } 9... dxc4 { So, let's make some room for my pieces ! See how theimportant d5-squares is coming free ? That would be a nice outpost formy knight ! } 10. Qxc4 Nb6 { Developing and attacking at the same time.. } 11. Qb3 { White's plan is to create pressure on b7. But black isn't ina hurry, there's time to develop my pieces. } 11... Ned5 12. Be3 { Must be playedin order to save the bishop. If black plays 12. Be3 Nxe3 13. fxe3, whitewould've created an open line in front of his rook on f1. So I'm not goingto do that, yet.. } 12... Be7 { Developing to the only square that's possibleat the moment, though it's a good position for that bishop ! } 13. Nc3 { He's willing to do something on my d5-stronghold ! } 13... Qc7 { Protecting b7and giving my king the opportunity to castle wich side he wants; eitherkingside or queenside.. } 14. Nxd5 { Just exchanging a piece; surely I recapturewith my knight, because I won't let go that d5-spot.. } 14... Nxd5 15. Rac1 { Takingcare of a semi-open file.. Probably, his plan is going for a pawnstormon the queenside. } 15... O-O { So I decide to bring my King to safety. Next planis to get some rooks on the c-file, followed by a c5-advance. } 16. a3 { He'sstarting to launch a queenside-pawnstorm.. } 16... Rfc8 { That rook was misplacednear my king, so I bring it closer to the place of action. } 17. Ne1 { Myopponent is making space, so he can play his f-pawn ahead.. } 17... Qb6 { I wantedto trade the queens, so it would ease some tension off the board. } 18. Qxb6 { He accepts.. } 18... axb6 { By taking with my a-pawn, I'm making an opena-file for my rook, and I could go for another trade; my knight for hisbishop. The position is pretty open, so I think my bishop would be betterthan his remaining knight. } 19. Nd3 { A knight in the center is strongerthan when he is on the border.. } 19... Nxe3 { As said, a knight for a bishop.. } 20. fxe3 { He now has a stronghold of pawns in the center, so I must becareful with those ! } 20... c5 { So it's best to break it down. If 21. dxc5 bxc5,my pawns would become undoubled. If, on the other hand, 21. d5 exd5, Iwould gain a superior position in the center, so he wouldn't play the latter.. } 21. Nf4 { Something else ! With this, he surrenders me to do the choice..Advancing my c-pawn, or take on d4 ? } 21... cxd4 { Maybe this wasn't the bestmove.. But I wasn't looking forward to a position like 21. ... c4 22. d5.This would give him the initiative, either I played 22. ... exd5 or somethingelse, but than I had to keep in mind 23. d6 would follow ! } 22. exd4 Bg5 { The best move I could see at this moment. My bishop for his knight.. Afterwards,the rooks would have to take care of everything ! } 23. g3 { Nice move !If he would've played something else, I could play Bxf4, Rxf4 and Rxc1+(bad idea for white). Also 23. ... Bxf4 24. Rxc8+ Rxc8 25. Rxf4 would benot so great for white, because black has the control of the c-file.. } 23... Bxf4 24. gxf4 { Best move. White wants to hold control over the open c-file;so does black.. } 24... Rc6 { The choice is left to my opponent. If 25. Rxc6 bxc626. Rc1 Rc8 and my pawns would become undoubled.. If he goes for 25. Rc3Rxc3 26. bxc3 Rxa3 and I win a pawn.. } 25. Rc3 { Second choice.. } 25... Rxc3 26. bxc3 Rxa3 27. Rc1 { A logical move.. By now, he's willing to push thatpawn forward. But first, his king has to get closer, to protect the d-pawn.But so is my king, towards the center ! } 27... b5 { But first, I'm willing totake care of my doubled pawn. Surely I want to trade that one for his c-pawn. } 28. Rc2 { I don't really understand this move.. Probably, 28. Kf2 was better.. } 28... Kh7 { Instead of going for the queenside, I'm heading for the kingside..His f-pawn is a nice target. After white comes closer with his King, Ican push my g- and h-pawn forward. } 29. Kf2 Kg6 30. Kf3 { We're both goingfor the f-pawn.. But he has to do something about his king, he's in thesame line as my rook. So if I get the opportunity to push my b-pawn.. ? } 30... Kf5 { So I'm taking away a few key-squares. Both e4 and g4 are mine. Mynext move would be 31. ... b4, if he stays there with his king ! } 31. h3 { Not the best move.. I don't know, maybe 31. Rb2 was better ? But thatwould result in 31. ... Rxc3+ and the hunting season starts ! } 31... b4 { Aspromised.. } 32. Rb2 { He notices the danger, but too late.. } 32... Rxc3+ { Gameover.. After 33. Ke2 (or another King-move) b3 34. Kd2 Rxh3 and the wholeposition collapses.. White's f-pawn is dead and I could eventually playRh2+, trading off the rooks and promote with my kingside-pawns.. ThanksGensek8130 for the game ! } 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.09.10"] [Round "-"] [White "thefjbear"] [Black "jmg12345"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1504"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1379"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Be7 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Bd3 Nbd7 { Thisblack move does not put pressure on the center? } 7. Nf3 b6 { Black prepareto castle long... } 8. Qe2 { White completing development and build up incentre } 8... Bb7 9. Nxf6+ Bxf6 { Not sure why black takes with bishop, maybeNxf6 is more active move, as black's bishop is already weak } 10. h4 { Maybewhite we can catch the dark bishop } 10... Qe7 11. g4 { Black's dark bishop isalmost in trouble } 11... g6 12. c3 { White stops Qb4 and strengthens d4 pawn } 12... h5 13. g5 { Reducing black's available squares } 13... Bg7 14. Rh3 { Making it possibleto move Nf3 without Bxh1. Where will black castle? } 14... O-O-O { Long castleto the weaker side for black. } 15. Ba6 { White attacks immediately. Notethat c7 pawn is a weak link in the black's defense. } 15... Kb8 { This looks likea mistake, black should perhaps exchange and create space. } 16. O-O-O { Wasthinking about pushing d4, but kept thinking about how to exploit the weekc7 square } 16... Bc6 { Second move 'forced' on the back of my Ba6 move. But Bc7is undefended! Now a little neat combination, which came off for white... } 17. Bf4 { Attack pawn on c7, will black spot the next move for white? } 17... Rhe8 { No, a very passive move, preparing for pawn to d5. } 18. Qc4 { Qc4! Thismove is killing black. There is no way for black to protect the Bishopon c6, so black will have to move it. But if black move the bishop, checkmateis looming: ... Bxf3; Qxc7+, Ka8; Qb7#. } 18... Nf8 { This will make no difference,the checkmate is a reality. } 19. Qxc6 { No matter black's next move, Qb7# } 1-0
[Event "V. Liga"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.27"] [Round "-"] [White "Milic"] [Black "Bakota"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "90 30"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 b5 11. Nd5 Nd4 12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 13. c3 Ne6 14. Nc2 Bb7 15. f3 d5 16. exd5 Rd8 17. Ne3 h5 18. Bf2 Nf4 19. a4 Bc5 20. axb5 Bxd5 21. Qa4 O-O 22. bxa6 Bc6 23. Qc4 Ba7 24. Rd1 { ? because the followingcombination is forced for White } 24... Bxe3 25. Bxe3 Rxd1+ 26. Kxd1 Qd6+ 27. Kc2 Rd8 28. Be2 { Still forced since all other roads lead to checkmate orlosing White Queen. } 28... Bd5 29. Qb5 Rb8 30. Qc5 { Qa5 leads to the same continuation } 30... Bb3+ 31. Kb1 Qg6+ 32. Ka1 Nxe2 { Black finally cashes in Whites mistaken24th move } 33. a7 Ra8 34. Qb6 Qxb6 35. Bxb6 Nf4 36. Re1 f6 37. g3 Nd5 38. Bf2 Bc2 39. Ka2 Ne7 40. b4 Nc6 41. Kb2 Bf5 42. Ra1 Bd3 43. Kb3 Be2 44. f4 exf4 45. gxf4 g4 46. c4 Kf7 47. b5 Ne7 48. Kb4 Bf3 49. Ra6 Nc8 50. Ra3 Ke6 51. Ra6+ Kf5 52. Kc3 Bb7 53. Ra4 Kxf4 54. c5+ { ? White falls into hisown trap. To snare the Black bishop, he would have to relinquish his ownalong with two pawns. More importantly, the pesky a7 pawn has finally lostone of his guardians. } 54... Kf3 55. Bd4 Nxa7 56. Kb4 { If 56. b3 Nb5+ 57. Kb3Rxa4 58. Kxa4 Nxd4 -+ } 56... Nc6+ { The winning move simplifies into a won endgamefor Black (despite what he managed to do with it). } 57. bxc6 Rxa4+ 58. Kxa4 Bxc6+ 59. Ka5 f5 60. Kb6 Be4 61. c6 Bxc6 62. Kxc6 g3 { ???????????????????????I honestly don't know what possessed me to do make this horrible, horriblemove. f4 or h4 win easily. Must be the lack of sleep. :) } 63. hxg3 Kxg3 64. Kd5 f4 65. Be5 Kf3 66. Bf6 Kg4 67. Ke4 f3 68. Bd4 { ?? The final mistake.White can secure a draw with 68. Ke3 because then 68. ... Kg6 is met with69. Bh4+! Kxh4 70. Kxf3= } 68... Kg3 69. Kf5 h4 70. Be5+ Kg2 71. Bd4 h3 0-1
[Event "Challenge from Black"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27-Dec-08"] [Round "-"] [White "myreaper8"] [Black "Black"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1498"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1483"] { This is a game where White exploits the Black king being stuck in thecenter } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 { The Scotch Game - sacrificing a pawnfor development and an attack on f7. White can choose 4. Nxd4 to continuewith the Scotch Game, 4. c3 for the Goring Gambit, or 4. Bc4, the ScotchGambit } 3... exd4 4. Bc4 { I like attacking so therefore I choose to play theScotch Gambit, a dangerous opening if played incorrectly against } 4... Bc5 { ...Bc5,one of the more common replies as it defends the pawn on d4. 4...Bb4 or transposing into the Guicco Piano with 4...Nf6 are also common } 5. c3 { 'sacrificing' a second pawn to open the d-file for the queen } 5... dxc3 6. Bxf7+ { Bxf7. Much more exciting than 6. Nxc3 and also prevents Black fromcastling. Still in main line } 6... Kxf7 7. Qd5+ { Regaining the bishop } 7... Ke8 { ...Ke8. Although it is an okay move, Kf8 seems to be a better choice. In this game, it is a wasted move as the Black king goes to f8 anyway } 8. Qxc5 cxb2 { ...cxb2. Black elects to keep his pawn advantage, but givesmy bishop a nice diagonal. Bxg7 is now threatened } 9. Bxb2 d6 { Drivingaway the White queen and opening lines for the light-squared bishop } 10. Qh5+ { Qh5, keeping the queen in action on the kingside and opens up possibilitiesof a mating net on f7 } 10... Kf8 11. Nbd2 Nf6 { Both trying to finish development } 12. Qh4 Bd7 { This move was a bit too passive for me. 12...Be6 seems fineand controls d5 } 13. O-O { Finally getting my king to safety...now the attackcan commence } 13... Qe7 14. Rfe1 { Preparing e5 } 14... Kf7 { ...Kf7? Trying to get theking's rook into action, but a bad time to do it. This move is the beginningof the end for my opponent as the Black king walks into my attack. } 15. e5 { e5. Forcing the win of material or an overwhelming position } 15... dxe5 16. Bxe5 Nxe5 { ...Nxe5? Better was Qd8; giving up the e-file but keepingthe one pawn advantage } 17. Nxe5+ { If ...Ke8, ...Kf8 or ...Kg8, then 18.Ng6 winning material } 17... Kg8 18. Ng6 Qd6 { Choosing to keep the queens on theboard } 19. Qc4+ { Qc4 ! } 19... Nd5 20. Ne7+ { Ne7 . Not Nxh8 as there is no pointtrading an active knight for a dead rook } 20... Kf8 21. Qxd5 { Offering to tradequeens for an easy endgame } 21... Qb4 { ...Qb4?? Better was to trade queens andpush the queenside pawns down White's throat. This move walks into a forcedmate. Can you find the move? } 22. Qf3+ { Qf3 . Black can go quietly orprolong the game as much as possible. If 22...Ke8, then 23. Nc6 ...Qe724. Rxe7 If 22...Ke8, then 23. Nc6 ...Be6 24. Rxe6 ...Kd7 25. Qf7 ...Kc8 26. Re8 ...Rxd8 27. Qxd8 } 22... Ke8 23. Nc6+ Qe7 { Choosing the quickerpath } 24. Rxe7# { Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave comments } 1-0
[Event "A soud victory"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.01.11"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "longshotzero"] [Result "1-0"] 1. d4 e6 2. Bf4 c5 3. e3 cxd4 4. exd4 Nc6 5. c3 d5 6. Nf3 { ...and we reacha 'normal' London setting. } 6... Nf6 7. h3 Be7 8. g4 { The key move. Best forblack is to develop and castle queenside. } 8... h6 9. Ne5 O-O { Thank you. } 10. h4 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Ne4 12. Bg3 { Good for black is to exchange. But hehas another good idea. } 12... g5 { If h5, everything is blocked on the kingside. } 13. Nd2 { A risky move. } 13... Nxg3 14. fxg3 gxh4 { I thought here about Qc2,and probably it is better. Anyway, I decided to set a little trap. } 15. Qf3 { He thinks that I intend to retake g3 with the queen, overlooking... } 15... hxg3 16. Rxh6 Bg5 { Well calculated by black. I thought about the sac Rh8+,KxR, Qh1+, Kg7, Bd3, but after Rh8 I had nothing, so... } 17. Rh5 { Bestfor black is BxN+, KxN, d4, exploiting white's king unprotected position.I could survive it, but it was not easy to play. } 17... Kg7 { Ok, intending tocover the h column with Rh8. } 18. O-O-O { Necessary? I was worried aboutd4. } 18... Kg6 { Now, this is a wasted tempo. Better was Rh8. } 19. Qxg3 f6 { Nf3was ok, I guess. But the check was too nice to miss. } 20. Bd3+ Kg7 { f5was not playable because after gxf5, the bishop is pinned and attacked. } 21. Rh7+ Kg8 22. Qh3 { This simple move is decisive. } 22... f5 23. Rh8+ Kf7 24. Qh5+ { Not Qh7, Ke8 (even if RxR+, KxR, Qh8+ leads to more or less thesame result: the Bg4 is lost. This is why BxN+ was advidable for black,a move before. } 24... Kg7 { A loses inmediately. But after Ke7, QxB+, the gamewas won all the same. } 25. Qh7# 1-0
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.12.14"] [Round "-"] [White "michel77"] [Black "otakumadness"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1255"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. b4 e6 2. a3 d5 3. c3 Nc6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. b5 Ne7 7. Bf4 Ne4 8. f3 Nd6 9. e3 Bd7 10. a4 g6 11. Nh3 Nc4 12. Bxc4 dxc4 13. Nd2 Nf5 14. Bg5 { This is White's first mistake. I think he wanted to try and attack myQueen but forgot about the pawn on h that was protecting that square. } 14... hxg5 { Taking the Bishop } 15. Ne4 Nxe3 { Taking the unprotected pawn } 16. Qe2 Nd5 17. Nhxg5 f5 18. Nc5 Nxc3 { Taking the other unprotected pawn } 19. Qe5 Bd6 { I didn't realize my rook was in danger and forgot to protect it. } 20. Qxh8+ Bf8 21. f4 Qe7 22. Qe5 Bg7 { Trying to get the Queen out of myterritory } 23. Qe3 Nd5 24. Qh3 Nxf4 { Taking the unprotected pawn } 25. Qh7 Nxg2+ { Taking the pawn } 26. Kf2 Qxg5 { Taking the unprotected knight andprotecting my own } 27. Qxg7 Qd2+ { Checking the king } 28. Kg1 O-O-O 29. Rf1 { White sees my possible checkmate (Nf4 followed by Qg2#) and triesto stop it, but not without sacrificing the rook } 29... Nf4 30. Rxf4 Qxf4 { Takingthe rook } 31. Nxd7 Rxd7 { The next few moves involve White checking me invarious places with the Queen and me interposing with my rook. } 32. Qg8+ Rd8 33. Qxe6+ Rd7 34. Qe8+ Rd8 35. Qe2 { Interesting move by White; I suspecthe wanted to take my pawn on c4, but he forgot to concentrate on defense.From this point on, a checkmate is inevitable. } 35... Qxd4+ { Taking the unprotectedpawn and putting the king in check } 36. Qf2 { White interposes with thequeen } 36... Qd1+ { Checking the king } 37. Kg2 { White moves king } 37... Qg4+ { Checkingking again } 38. Kf1 { White moves king } 38... Rd1+ { Moving my rook to check theking } 39. Qe1 { White's only possible move at this point } 39... Qf3+ { Checkingthe king again } 40. Kg1 { White can't do anything else here. } 40... Rxe1# { Mate. } 0-1
[Event "King's Gambit Misadventures I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.07.06"] [Round "-"] [White "genfrogking"] [Black "ssivadatta"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1749"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1758"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 { I have been studying the King's Gambit a lot since lateMay and have found it to be an extremely interesting opening. With enoughstudying under my belt, I decided it was time to venture forth from theoryto practice. (This has been the only opening I have studied heavily thusfar, and I'm still not a pro at it by any means.) I have already had somevery interesting games on-line and OTB. One thing I have noticed is thatunlike other openings, the King's Gambit has a tendency to lead white toquick victory in the mid-game (as in this game) or disastrous defeat inthe end due to piece sacrifices. I wasn't originally planning on annotatingthese games and making this a pseudo-series, but then I realized the Gameknotcommunity might have a lot to share/learn with/from me with regards tomy moves (and perhaps enjoy mocking me). (Like 'you idiot, why didn'tyou see this move, you could have totally had him' or 'you orangutan, goread 'crying like a Grandmaster' by GM Ben Finegold.') I will also beincluding in this pseudo-series annotations of Grandmaster level games. Without much further ado, I give you my first very successful game thatcelebrates the King's Gambit ferocity. I hope you enjoy it and comments/feedbackon moves made are greatly appreciated! } 2... Nf6 { It's the Petrov Defense inthe King's Gambit Declined line. This is an interesting way to declinethe King's Gambit because rather than taking the offered pawn and freethreat of check on Qh4, black has elected to threaten the e4 pawn in anattempt to arrest white's center control. Not to say this opening is amistake, but I think this response gives white some time back because nowthe black queen cannot threaten check for at least a turn. White's bestmoves here, in my opinion, are fxe5, Bc4, d3, Nc3 or Nf3. In the King'sGambit, it is often important to develop the King side and castle rapidly. Bobby Fischer loved the move Bc4, even in the accepted line- the so calledBishop's Gambit. Nf6 by black gives white the opportunity to do this abit earlier. Although I think it's a good move, I personally don't liked3 in the King's Gambit unless I'm ready to spend a move on d4 in the futurebecause d3 makes developing the light square bishop harder and honestlycramps the King's Gambit style. There are also games where the King'sgambit transposes into less aggressive games about position and centercontrol and other theory that I still don't have a firm grasp on yet. (I'm still studying lines around d4. That might be a good move here, too.) Nf3 is a bit too passive at this moment in the Petrov Defense, but itisn't terrible. Nc3 is also passive but is better here because it protectsthe e4 pawn, develops the queen side knight and opens the a1 rook for lateruse; if you play the King's Gambit right, I can almost guarantee everypiece from c1 to h1 will be developed quickly. However, it transposesthe game to a Vienna Gambit in a Vienna Game, which is not bad, but ifyou want to play a Vienna Gambit, I'd suggest a different order of moves. The a1 rook sometimes feels like a missed asset in my games. In fact,if I had had earlier access to it in some of my other games, I would havedefinitely won. I would say the next move here is a matter of taste forwhite. } 3. fxe5 { In this game, I decided to gobble up the e5 pawn. Thisdoes a lot of good for white for three reasons: One, because it forcesblack to respond with his knight, he either under-develops or takes thee4 pawn; two, it brings a pawn to the e5 square, which quite frankly cancramp black's game and become extra fodder against black depending (andas we will see in this game); and, three, because taking the e4 pawn isabsolutely what black will do, this brings the knight into an isolatedsquare that makes it prone to early game harassment and potentially aneasy capture. (Note, that the knight will now no longer be able to moveback to d6 or f6 because of the e5 pawn.) } 3... Nxe4 4. Nf3 { At this point,white must play Nf3 or g3 to prevent Qh4+. (There might actually be othermoves white can make. I haven't actually considered others yet. Let meknow if you find others.) The pawn to g3 is definitely rubbish comparedto Nf3 since the latter develops a piece and clears the king side for castling. For those of you still very new to the King's Gambit, consider what wouldhappen if play went like this: 4. a3 Qh4+. What can white do in this situation? See if you can identify the permutations; it isn't too challenging. } 4... Bc5 { This is, I'm pretty sure, black's first mistake. I'm not sure just howbad it is, but it definitely gives white tempo. The obvious threat iseither Nf2 or Bf2. Either one will take away castling rights (I'd likeBf2 better because it brings the king to an uncomfy square), but the onlyreal move white can make to counter this is arguably the best move. Notonly will black have to respond by retreating the bishop (or be down material,but we'll assume that's not an option), it also further isolates the knightby taking away the c5 square for retreat. } 5. d4 { The obvious move. } 5... Be7 { It was either this move (Be7) or Bb6. I think Be7 is probably the bestmove black can make because it provides some material to defend the kingside, which is what the King's Gambit aims to obliterate for black as faras I understand the opening, and provides two defenders on the g5 square-the only square black's knight can feasibly run away to. Bb6 could makethe dark square bishop useless for black for most of the game consideringwhite's pawn structure. Bb4+ is also complete rubbish because it giveswhite free development with c3. (As white, do not play Nc3 to defend againstBb4+. If it isn't obvious, I recommend the reader play the permutationout and find the winning moves for black as an exercise.) } 6. Bd3 { At thispoint in the game, I felt it was important for me to consider where I couldsacrifice my pieces- yes, sacrifice them. Back in ye olde days of chess,when this opening was still played competitively, Grandmasters were encouragedto play 'gutsy' and wild by sacrificing their pieces for positional advantages. I considered playing Bc4 with the idea of potentially sacrificing my bishopon f7 to bring black's king out. I have seen this sacrificial play madebefore. (I'll provide a reference game once I find it in my notes andupdate this post.) However, in this position, it looked like black wasgoing to castle king side, so if bringing his king out was the positionaladvantage I was looking for, then d3 was a better square for my bishop. Plus it threatens his knight and gives me more tempo. Yay! } 6... Ng5 { Tacticalpuzzle ahead! Scroll down one frame at a time if you don't want spoilers! } 7. O-O { I didn't want to trade pieces because although we'd trade even,it wouldn't do much for me in the way of position. His knight now hasNxf3 or Ne6 in the way of moves. If he takes my knight, then I could simplydevelop my queen and put it in file with my rook on his f7 pawn. It wouldput black in a position where castling king side seems favorable (especiallywith my e5 pawn there), which is what any player utilizing the King's Gambitwill often want. Because this opening is often attempting to pulverizeblack's king side pawn structure, for black to castle king side is givingwhite a positional edge... in my opinion. } 7... O-O { Try to not look ahead tothe next frame from here! He elects to castle, and this is where the fireworksstart for white. (It is my strong opinion, and I welcome arguments againstthis opinion, but I think black should never castle king side if he canhelp it against the King's Gambit.) I didn't see anything in this positionat first, but then I left on a brief vacation. Despite my girlfriend'sbest attempts to distract me, my mind often came back to this game. Ireally wanted to have a super successful King's Gambit game. A lot ofmy OTB games and various other online games were almost successful, butfailed because I couldn't see mating sequences or positional traps fastenough. Perhaps some of the readers already see the sequence; if you don't,consider this a tactical puzzle for you to crack! If you get impatient,read on! } 8. Nxg5 { This just trades even, right? } 8... Bxg5 9. Bxh7+ { Actuallyit doesn't. This is where the bishop sacrifice I was already consideringcomes into use. Once more, I feel like I have seen this sacrifice beforeeven if the position was slightly different. I'll be looking for referencesin a bit, but if someone else knows one already, please share it! } 9... Kxh7 { Black decides to nom a 'free' bishop. } 10. Qh5+ { Now my queen is active. } 10... Bh6 { His king is temporarily safe, but now his bishop is pinned. } 11. Rf6 { This is perhaps the key move in the tactical puzzle; without this move,the bishop sacrifice at 9. Bxh7+ doesn't seem worth it. Even in this position,though, I have to admit I wasn't first convinced this position was anygood. It felt good, but I wanted to be sure. It seemed like black couldsimply take a free rook, right? Of course, if he does, then the whitequeen takes black's bishop forcing the black king into a corner on theg8 square. This should be real bad for black and a mating net probablyexisted, but I wasn't sure. This is perhaps another tactical exercisefor the reader; can you identify what can happen to black if he plays 11.... gxf6? I'll provide a hint to the solution in two slides (look for$$). Once I determined taking the rook with the pawn was bad news forblack, I decided this whole line starting from 8. Nxg5 was worth it. Iwould, of course welcome a rook and bishop for queen trade. I want topost a puzzle here for this, but I don't know for sure if this (the permutationwhere he captures the rook with the pawn) is a guaranteed mate yet. Imerely mapped things out in the game until I either reached checkmate forblack or decided the new position for black was terrible for him. } 11... Kg8 { The idea is ok, but I'm not sure this was the best move black could havemade. Black wants to free his bishop from the pin so it can become usefulagain. If it were me, I would consider getting the light square bishopor b8 knight into the game ASAP! Maybe black did consider this; maybethere are simply no good moves left here. I haven't yet considered whatwould happen if black decided along these lines instead because black electedthis move. I simply focused mental energies on what happened. } 12. Bxh6 { After more careful thought, I decided taking with the bishop was the bestmove. What's funny is that I first considered queen sacrifices and thenrook sacrifices. Maybe I like playing classically 'gutsy' chess. Hereis yet another puzzle to solve for the reader. What are the sequencesthat guarantee checkmate here? If white plays correctly here, he willwin. I'm not this good yet; I admit to making a flow chart of moves usingpen and paper to help me here, and I still missed some moves black made. $$ The hint to the solution to 11. ... gxf6 is 12. Qxh6+ Kg7 13. exf6... . It should only be moderately difficult to solve from there. I wouldlike to mention that I didn't see every permutation through to the endduring the game. (Also, can someone tell me how to indent my paragraphs. Is it possible?) } 12... Qxf6 { Black attempts to stop checkmate with this queensacrifice. Luckily, this only delays checkmate rather than stopping it. } 13. exf6 { Pawn takes, and now the moves white has are pretty easy to see. } 13... g6 { This is a good move. I had forgotten to consider this move when Iwas in the game and was worried that this might buy black enough time tostop mate. Even though I'm up in material, I was still worried about thisgame turning into another near victory, which many of my King's Gambitgames have been. Especially OTB games- mostly due to time constraints;I don't have the luxury of lots of time to think. Qh3 is bad because itmakes d5 an option for black, which may actually prevent checkmate... . I haven't actually studied that line yet, I simply avoided moving my queeninto harm's way of black's bishop. When I have the time, I'll look intoit and update this post to include the outcome of that and other linesI have mentioned but not fully considered. } 14. Qh4 { Fortunately, checkmateis still guaranteed in this position. Here my opponent resigned. I thoroughlyenjoyed this game, and it is because of crazy games like this, that I lovethe King's Gambit! By turn 10, every piece from d1 to h1 (minus the king)was bearing down on my opponent's king and several piece sacrifices forposition were made. I think I love making sacrifices. I wonder if anyof you share my same burning passion for this opening. Please feel freeto comment on this, and if you want to hear more King's Gambit games, considerliking this annotation? I'll probably keep making annotations when I havethe time because I sense I learn a lot when I do, but it's nice to knowsomeone else is enjoying them, too. The next King's Gambit game I reviewwill be an OTB game I played against my professor (names will be excludedfor privacy's sake) that I nearly won, but failed to do so. I think itwill highlight some of the pitfalls of the King's Gambit and also showthe importance of being good at tactical puzzles when playing this opening. Until the next installment! I hope you enjoyed this very short game! } 1-0
[Event "Revenge!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "13-9-2014"] [Round "-"] [White "Daniel Savidge"] [Black "Charles Higgie"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "ECF172"] [TimeControl "35in1.25hours+15mins"] [WhiteElo "ECF158"] { Danny is a very promising junior. The only time I played him before Ilost. See http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/chester7vpenyffordd2wirral-league?gm=49458 } 1. e4 { This was top board in a match between Wirral League Juniors andWirrla League Adults to celebrate 50 years of the Wirral League. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 { So far a very conventional OpenSicilian. } 6. Be3 { But this is unusual, better is Bg5, Bc4 or Be2, as thiscan be hit by..... } 6... Ng4 { Hitting his bishop } 7. Bg5 { He avoid the exchange. } 7... Qb6 { Hitting his knight. If he moves it Qxf2 is mate! } 8. Bb5 { by pinningmy knight, he saves his Nd4. This is his only move really! } 8... e5 { Again hittinghis knight, which dare not move, as it allows mate. } 9. Nd5 { So he hitsmy queen. } 9... Qxd4 { I take his knight, threatening mate on f2. } 10. Qxd4 { Sohe exchanges } 10... exd4 { I take back. } 11. Nc7+ { He checks } 11... Kd7 { King moves } 12. Nxa8 { And we reach an interesting position, where although I am theexchange down, I should eventually win the knight on a8. Although I didn'tknow it at the time, all this has been seen before. } 12... h6 { I hit his bishop } 13. Bh4 { He retreats. } 13... g5 { I hit it again. } 14. Bg3 { The only square! } 14... Bg7 { I want to protect my pawn on d4 } 15. O-O-O { This increases the pressureon d4, and prevents, say Ng4-e5 } 15... Be5 { I threaten to exchange bishops andfollow it up with Nxf2, forking his rooks. A gameknot game, farenheit451(1722) vs. thebigdaan (1687), continued with 16. Bxe5 dxe5 17. Rd2 Kd618. c4 Be6 19. c5+ Kd7 20. b4 Rxa8 21. h3 Nf6 22. f3 Kc7 23. Bxc6 bxc624. Kb2 a5 25. Ra1 axb4 26. a3 bxa3+ 27. Rxa3 Rxa3 28. Kxa3 Nd7 29. Kb4f5 30. exf5 Bxf5 31. Ra2 Kb7 32. Rd2 Nf6 33. Ka5 Nd5 34. Rb2+ Kc7 35. Ka6Bc8+ 36. Ka7 Ne3 37. Re2 Be6 38. Rb2 Bc8 39. Re2 Be6 40. Rb2 Bc8 41. Re2and black won. I think 16. Bxe5 is a mistake as it straightens out Black'spawns and Danny's move is better. } 16. Rd2 { He simply protects f2. } 16... Re8 { Now I threaten to exchange on g3 and win his e pawn. } 17. f3 { So he protectse3 } 17... Ne3 { I advance my attacked knight. } 18. a4 { I'm not convinced aboutthis move. I think the idea is in some variations if he takes on e5, Itake back with the rook hitting Bb5. } 18... Re6 { So that if he exchanges on e5I can take back with the pawn and protect d4 with Rd6. But as his nextmove prevents this, Re6 may just be a waste of time. } 19. Re1 { There isnow a sort of half pin on the d file. He can take on e5 and if I take withthe pawn he can play Re1xe3. There is not much I can do about this, soI may as well round up his knight on a8 } 19... b6 { Like so. } 20. Bxe5 { So hetakes. } 20... Rxe5 { I take back. He can't take on d4 immediately as I have RxBb5!breaking the pin, so he must exchange on c6 first. } 21. Bxc6+ { Like so. } 21... Kxc6 { I take back. } 22. Rxd4 { He takes. } 22... Nxg2 { I take. } 23. Red1 { He moveshis rook. } 23... Kb7 { I go after the knight. } 24. Nxb6 { He may as well get apawn for it. } 24... axb6 { I take. } 25. Rxd6 { He takes. } 25... Be6 { I offered a drawhere. White has a very slight material advantage, but it is virtually impossibleto convert. } 26. b3 { So he supports a4 } 26... Nh4 { I attack a pawn } 27. R1d3 { He protects. } 27... Kc7 { With a view to the following combination. If now 28.c4 Nxf3 29. Rxe6 fxe6 30. Rxf3 Rxe4 we manage to reach an ending with levelmaterial. But my opponent makes the losing blunder. } 28. Rd8 { This isa terrible move! } 28... Nxf3 { Ouch! } 29. Rh8 { He hits a pawn } 29... Nxh2 { I take another. } 30. Rxh6 { He takes. } 30... Ng4 { Hit the rook! } 31. Rh5 { He moves. } 31... Nf6 { Now Iam winning another pawn and will have two connected passed pawns. } 32. Rh1 { As it is pretty hopeless for white I will not comment on the nextfew moves. } 32... Nxe4 33. Rg1 g4 34. Rd4 f5 35. Rh1 f4 36. Rh7+ Kc6 37. b4 f3 38. Kb2 { He wants to play b5+ Kc5 and Rc7 mate, but first he needs to protecthis rook on d4 with c3, and first he moves his king up to protect c3. Butit is too slow. } 38... f2 39. b5+ Kc5 40. c3 Nxc3 41. Kxc3 Re3+ { and white resigns.Many thanks for reading this, please comment and rate this annotation onthe star system. } 0-1
[Event "Walking Into a Mating Net"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-Aug-08"] [Round "-"] [White "Anonymous"] [Black "dmaestro"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1495"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1421"] { This game is flawed by early blunders that lost a piece by both sides,but the winning combo followed by the unusual mating net in the centerof the board is instructive. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bc4 e6 5. d3 d5 6. exd5 exd5 7. Bb5 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. h3 Qc7 10. Ne2 a6 11. Ba4 { Ba4?? loses a piece, BxN was necessary, although black is slighly better. } 11... b5 12. Bb3 c4 13. dxc4 dxc4 14. Bxc4 bxc4 15. Bf4 Qb6 16. b3 Nd5 { Nd5??loses a piece, the move order was supposed to be 16...Rd8 followed by Nd5. } 17. Qxd5 Be6 { Black is now behind a pawn but hopes to gain it back by aggressiveplay. } 18. Qd2 Rfd8 19. Qc1 Bf6 20. Rb1 cxb3 21. cxb3 Rac8 22. Be3 Qa5 23. a3 { 23 a3?? is the mistake Black was looking for. White miscalculatesthe resulting move sequence. } 23... Nd4 { White has nothing but a choice of evils. } 24. b4 { b4?? compounds White's problems. Relatively best was perhaps 24QxR!?, RxQ, 25 Ne2xd4 with a rook and piece for the queen. } 24... Rxc1 25. bxa5 Nxe2+ 26. Kh2 Rxf1 27. Rxf1 Nc3 { Black is a piece ahead and is better placedas well. } 28. Rc1 Rd1 29. Rc2 h6 { Protects against the back rank threats. } 30. g4 { White wants to get the king out but this weakens the defences andwhite squares prematurely. } 30... Bd5 31. Kg3 Ne4+ 32. Kf4 { 32 Kf4?? sets upthe white king an interesting and instructive mating net. Though Kh2 wasobjectively better, waiting for the axe to fall was not very pleasant. } 32... g5+ 33. Kf5 { Forced! } 33... Kg7 { Threatens 34... Nd6 mate } 34. Bc5 { Stops onemate threat but Black is not finished.... } 34... Nxc5 { Again threatens mate,White must take. } 35. Rxc5 Bxf3 { Not only wins the piece, but threatensBd5 followed by Be3 mate as well as Rd4 followed by Rf4 mate. } 36. a4 { Whiteis going to try fora stalemate after a rook sacrifice, but does not havethe time. } 36... Rd4 { White resigns, mate is inevitable. } 0-1
[Event "34th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.30"] [Round "-"] [White "douebos"] [Black "e4_lunatic"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1681"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1922"] 1. e4 { This is one of the most epic games I've ever played. It was in thefinal round of the 34th GK tournament against the highest ranking player.The game features probably the best counter attack I've ever pulled off- recovering from a miserable situation caused by an opening blunder. Thefoundation of my counter attack was the recognition that I had enough tempoto be able to sacrifice pieces while still keeping white in an immenselydangerous position. In fact, once the counter attack began, the remainderof the game was spent with white on the defence. The result of the gamewas a very strange draw with plenty of pieces still remaining on the board. I'm annotating this game in order to illustrate the importance of tempoand how one can apply the basic idea of tempo in order to turn a game around. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { White is playing a very aggressive opening. } 3... d6 4. d4 Bd7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. O-O Be7 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. Qd3 { My next two decisionswere pretty ill-judged and they set off white's attack which forces meto either experiment or lose. } 8... exd4 9. Nxd4 Qd7 10. Nf5 { So here it is- the happy white knight jumps to F5 with a completely undefended areato play in; preparing to ruin my chances of castling and effectively puttingme in a losing position already. When first seeing this, I kicked myselffor not recognising how dangerous a position I was in a bit earlier. Irealised that I could defend F8 with my king, but that would very quicklylead to a White queen on G3 and a push of the white pawns along the F andE file. All in all, no matter how I positioned my king on the kingside,I would inevitably fall behind in development (with a trapped castle onH7 and a badly positioned King and Queen). I don't need to explain my predicamentany further. It's pretty obvious that I'm in a lot of trouble. I do haveone advantage in this position however. I have more pieces in play - andtherefore the advantage of tempo. The white knight and white bishop haveboth moved twice in the opening, meaning that 1: the knight is out of position- even if he has the advantage of an open attack on G2. 2: The white bishoptook my knight early, allowing for the development of my white bishop -giving me two more 'tempi' (to use Nimzovitch's term) than white. Lastly,notice how White's King is very poorly defended. My bishop has it's sightson G2 and my Queen is prepared to move to G4 once the knight gets out ofthe way. This led me to realise that G2 should logically be my target -even though a bishop and Queen alone are not enough to attack it. Thisrealisation gave birth to the counter attack which was realised in thefollowing move... } 10... O-O-O { The sacrifice of the G2 pawn. This not only tucksmy king out of the way (giving me further tempo - since the knight willmove a third time in order to gain material advantage), it prepares a verypowerful counter attack which we shall see. } 11. Nxg7 Rhg8 { Suddenly Ihave put white in a very dangerous position. It will take a bit of timeto work out exactly how this can lead to checkmate - there are plenty ofvariations, but essentially the idea is this: if the knight decides tomove back to F5, the white castle sacrifices on G2. The next castle comesto attack the open king on G8 and white's E pawn is then taken by the knight- which, when re-taken by the white knight (Knight x E4) will be pinnedby the white bishop on C5. The queen is always ready to jump to eitherG4 or H3. } 12. Bh6 { After this move, the position get's quite technical.I would appreciate any suggestions people might have on how I could havedone better to capitalise on this. } 12... Bf8 13. Qd4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Bxg7 15. Bxg7 f5 { I was very happy to suprise white with this nice little revealedattack, made all the more sweet because I actually planned for it. } 16. Bf6 fxe4 17. Qe3 Rdf8 { At this point black is in deep, deep trouble. } 18. Bh4 Rf3 19. Qxa7 Rxg2+ { And finally, I manage to initiate my sacrifice. } 20. Kxg2 Qh3+ 21. Kh1 b6 22. Qa6+ Kd7 23. Qc4 { Here I drop the ball andallow white to narrowly escape checkmate. } 23... e3 24. Bg3 Rxg3+ 25. Qxc6+ Kxc6 26. fxg3 Qe6 27. Kg1 { Now the game has completely changed - and 26 moveslater (from move ...11), I still have the advantage of tempo. } 27... e2 28. Rfe1 Qe3+ 29. Kg2 Kd5 30. a4 { This was literally the only way white could savehimself from checkmate. } 30... Qe4+ 31. Kf2 Qd4+ 32. Kxe2 Qxb2 { I decide to trademy black pawn for two white ones. Unfortunately, my next capture turnsout to be the last in the game. The rest is spent trying to push my blackpawns and force the white castles to trade with my Queen (using my king)which puts me 1 pawn ahead. } 33. Rac1 Qa2 34. Rcd1+ Kc6 35. Ke3 Qxa4 36. Re2 Qa3+ 37. Rd3 Qc5+ 38. Kd2 Qg5+ 39. Kd1 d5 40. Ree3 Kd6 41. h4 Qg4+ 42. Rf3 c5 43. Kc1 Qe6 44. Rde3 Qh6 45. Rf4 d4 46. Re8 Qg6 47. Rd8+ Ke5 48. Rf3 Qg4 49. Rdf8 h5 50. Rb3 Kd5 51. Rd8+ Ke5 52. Rb8 c4 53. Rb5+ Ke4 54. Rg5 Qe6 55. Rf8 d3 56. Rf4+ Ke3 57. Rgf5 Ke2 58. Rf2+ Ke3 59. R2f4 Ke2 60. Rf2+ { And that's it. Neither of us is willing to make any furtherattacks - because we are in a sort-of dual zugzwang. I would appreciateany suggestions on how I could have finished black off at various pointsin this game. All the same, I am very proud of this game as an illustrationof the use of tempo and counterattack strategy. Thanks for reading. Martin } 1/2-1/2
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Jul-07"] [Round "-"] [White "gazdvez"] [Black "h51nvnd2002"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1575"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1621"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 b6 7. Nbd2 Bb7 { Colle-opening with a painful bishop on b7. } 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Bxe4 11. Rxe4 { after exchanges I lost my key-bishop, but I won territoryand I was better developed. } 11... Nc6 12. c3 { to make passiv on the queenside. } 12... h6 13. a3 { plan b4. } 13... Re8 14. Bd2 Bg5 15. Nxg5 { worstens the pawnstructure,the black squared bishop seems enough to be, to hold the black squares. } 15... hxg5 16. Qh5 f6 17. h4 { try to double on h-file. } 17... e5 18. Rae1 { preventingexd4 } 18... Re6 19. hxg5 Qe8 20. g6 { donot want exchange my attacker queen fora passiv one. } 20... Kf8 21. Qh8+ Ke7 22. Qxg7+ Kd6 23. f4 { try to open. blacks'rook on a8 is out on game... } 23... Qg8 24. Qxg8 { I will have two connected pawnson open files. } 24... Rxg8 25. f5 Ree8 26. dxe5+ Nxe5 27. Bf4 c5 28. Bxe5+ Rxe5 29. Rd1+ Kc6 30. Rxe5 fxe5 { game is over. } 31. Rf1 Kd6 32. f6 { it is unstoppable... } 32... Ke6 33. f7 Rd8 34. g7 Rd1 35. f8=N+ { a surprise... } 35... Ke7 36. Ng6+ { and therook is over, too. Rd7 defences the pawn. } 1-0
[Event "When you need to control your sleep walking"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.14"] [Round "-"] [White "thedessertfox"] [Black "2hopeful"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1616"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1497"] 1. c4 { This game against 2hopeful was a great game were I thoroughly enjoyedthe ending. Unfortunately my opponent had a minor mishap (See title) andwas the funniest reason I have ever heard for why someone lost. Read onand enjoy. Not my usual but I am enjoying playing different openings } 1... e5 2. g3 d5 { !? I haven't faced this before } 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nf3 e4 { ?! } 5. Nc3 Qe6 6. Ng5 Qd7 7. Ngxe4 { Was this the right knight? } 7... Be7 8. d3 { Supporting the knight and allowing development of the lsb } 8... Nc6 9. Bg2 h6 10. a3 { This was because I was thinking whether to play b4 and Bb2 } 10... Nf6 11. Nxf6+ Bxf6 12. O-O O-O 13. Nd5 { This was played a while ago butI like this square for my knight. Also allows the DSB to be placed on b2 } 13... Be5 14. e3 { Preparing d4 allowing the Dsb to be developed but after d4is it the correct place? } 14... b6 15. d4 Bd6 16. e4 { I decided no looking forBf4 followed by Nxf4 after Bxf4 } 16... f6 17. Bf4 Bxf4 18. Nxf4 { g6 is a goodhole for the knight but I never get there } 18... Ba6 19. Qb3+ { At this momentI had ideas of e5 Bringing the LSB to e4 and sacking the exchange } 19... Kh7 { I realize it won't work so... } 20. Qe6 Qxe6 21. Nxe6 Bxf1 22. Nxf8+ Rxf8 23. Kxf1 { I trade material but lose my d-pawn. However I have a B v N advantagewhich I will look to make use of in the endgame. Also notice how all black'spawns are on dark squares. This is something I will have to change if Iam to win } 23... Nxd4 24. Rc1 c5 25. b4 Rc8 26. bxc5 Rxc5 { ?! was bxc5 betterI like having the rook behind a passed pawn } 27. Rxc5 bxc5 28. f4 { I needto develop my king while avoiding a fork. Ke1? Nc2+! wins the a-pawn andthe 2 passed pawn will be hard to stop. Even if the pawns are capturedwithout losing the bishop. The knight should be the better minor piecewith all pawns on 1 side. } 28... g6 29. Kf2 Kg7 30. Bf1 { Stopping the c-pawnadvancing. Was Kg1 a mistake. Was 29...c4 better. I think so note how Ke3fails to Nc2+ Kd2 Nxa3 Kc3. Although white gets the c-pawn the a-pawn willbe more dangerous than the c was. Then black should be able to get hisking in behind the white K-Side pawns. (Only quick analysis) So I willcome back later and do some more this may be mistaken. I managed to losemy notes on this position so I don't know what else I saw. } 30... a5 31. Bc4 { This stops the c-pawn from moving. However White's king is in a poor positionso he needs to move the a-pawn to free the king. Also black maybe ableto play a4 however I am not a fan because it places the pawn on a lightsquare however this would free the c-pawn to be pushed. White will tradethe bishop and have two pawns for his piece with one of them an outsidepassed pawn. Good thing with a4 is that it ties down the white king } 31... Kf8 32. a4 { White will allow his king to move this also controls b5 which becomeimportant later } 32... Nc6 { Is black looking to go to b4 and stop the white kingfrom escaping??? } 33. Ke3 Ke7 { I want my king on c4 so I spend the nextfew moves looking to kick the knight to get my king in there. However asit transpires my king is better on the K-Side } 34. Bb5 Nd4 35. e5 { Tradingallows White to move is king out. Also Look at how the LSB teases the knight.It frees the c and a-pawns however White will get a passed b-pawn whichis more dangerous when combined with the e-pawn which is threatening exf6 } 35... f5 36. h3 { Wanting to play g4 } 36... g5 { Black can't play Nxb5 because of axb5when the b and e-pawns will be more dangerous. Nxb5? axb5 a4 b6 a3 b7 a2 b8=Q a1=Q any king moves invite e6 or e6+ when the b pawn queens. Thatline I gave is the best. Looking now I think that this is playable butthe line black plays is better. } 37. h4 { I prefer this over g4 becauseI like to keep two pawns together. } 37... gxh4 { g4 may have been better althoughthe black pawns get on the light squares. But White will struggle to makeuse of this while the black king stop the white bishop from getting inbehind enemy lines. } 38. gxh4 h5 { No king can break through the same wouldhave happened is the black king moved some where after h5. } 39. Bc4 { Wantingto get into f7 } 39... Kd7 { ? This loses. Now this is what my opponent said tome in chat: Too funny I was sleep walking and gave you an unearned pawn.This is the funniest reason I have ever heard for someone losing a game } 40. Bf7 Ne6 41. Bxh5 c4 { Black tries to get some counterplay but this isreally a nothing move I think Ng7 was better } 42. Bg6 Ng7 43. Kd4 { nowwhite should have an easy win } 43... Ne6+ 44. Kxc4 Kc6 45. Bxf5 Nxf4 46. e6 { !A great end to a good ending. } 46... Nh5 47. e7 { Black resigns after Nf6 Bg6Kd7 e8=q+ Nxe8 Bxe8 Kxe8 Kb5 and white wins the a pawn and has two outsidepassed pawns which black can't stop. Thanks for the game 2hopeful. Allcomments welcome. I am wondering should this ending be drawn? } 1-0
[Event "team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "honeysir"] [Black "millerdias chess"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1490"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1543"] 1. d4 { Here I start with d4. Usually I play e4. } 1... d5 { d5. Queen Pawn Opening. } 2. c4 { Queen's Gambit } 2... dxc4 { I love to play against Queen's Gambit Accepted } 3. e3 { Attacking the pawn } 3... Be6 { Be6 protects the pawn but retards the DSBwhich is important for black } 4. a4 { Computers don't suggest this movebut I thought that black can play b5 then c6 keeping the material. Soto prevent this I played a4 } 4... Nd7 { Nd7 enables the knight to go to the b6square } 5. Nf3 { Developmental move } 5... Ngf6 { Same } 6. Nc3 g6 { Because of theLSB , black is forced to take the DSB from g7 } 7. e4 { Wastage of move butpreparing for an attack } 7... Bg4 8. Bxc4 { Regaining the material } 8... Bg7 { Preparingfor castling } 9. h3 { Taking rid of that pin } 9... Bxf3 10. Qxf3 { I don't thinghe should take the knight as it brings queen into play } 10... O-O 11. e5 { Takingcontrol of the board. At the same time attacking the knight and the b7pawn } 11... Ne8 { Retarding the black pieces } 12. Qxb7 e6 { I don't know why bute6 } 13. Qf3 { Taking no risk with the queen, I brought it back } 13... Nb6 { Importantsquare for knight as said earlier } 14. Bd3 { Many player bring their bishopto b3 but I thought to bring more attack on the king side } 14... Qxd4 { I reliazedmy mistake } 15. O-O { And then a sacrifice d my second pawn } 15... Qxe5 { As Ithought } 16. a5 { Bang Bang } 16... Nd6 17. axb6 { Regaining material } 17... cxb6 18. Re1 { ??. Attacking queen by an unprotected rook } 18... Qc5 { Thank God } 19. Ne4 { Bringing pieces into play with tempo } 19... Qc7 { Retreating the queen } 20. Nf6+ { If he takes with the bishop then Qxf6, Ne4, Bxe4, Qh2+, Kxh2, any move,Bh6 and mate follows } 20... Kh8 21. Ne4 { Wanted to make room for DSB in the f6square } 21... Nxe4 { Knight exchange } 22. Bxe4 { Gaining tempo } 22... Rad8 { Activatingthe rook } 23. Bb7 { Cutting support of the queen to the a7 pawn } 23... a5 24. Be4 { Waste move } 24... Kg8 25. Bg5 { Wanted to trade bishops } 25... Rd7 26. Bf6 Bxf6 27. Qxf6 { Trade is over and my queen is at the right spot } 27... Rd2 { Bringingrook into play } 28. Red1 Re2 29. Re1 { Wanted to trade off the rooks } 29... Rd2 { But he doesn't want so } 30. Rad1 Rfd8 { Nice } 31. Bf3 { Giving support tothe rook } 31... Qc2 { Adding more pressure } 32. Rxd2 Rxd2 { Alot of pressureonthe 2nd rank } 33. Bg4 Qc5 { ??. Rook into e6 could be done by me but I missedthat move } 34. Re3 Rc2 { ???. A big blunder } 35. Rd3 { !!! } 35... Rc1+ 36. Kh2 Qc7+ 37. g3 { Here he resinged because my next move was Rd8 . I would bea queen up . Thanks for watching. } 1-0
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.09.06"] [Round "-"] [White "jrgcoulson"] [Black "dilu"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1516"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1479"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { Philidor's Defense. } 3... exd4 { ...exchange variation. } 4. Nxd4 a6 { ...and not in the GK database. } 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Be3 O-O 8. O-O b5 9. Bd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 Bb7 11. Qg4 b4 12. Nf5 { Black must respondto imminent mate. } 12... Bf6 { That does nicely. } 13. Qxb4 Qc8 14. Qg4 { I didn'tsee the value of this. Nh6+ doesn't net the queen with Bb7 and Rf8 bothguarding her. } 14... Nd7 15. Ne4 { Looks like white is tossing Pd5 to the dogs,and re8 will put pressure on Ne4. } 15... Bxd5 16. Nxf6+ { ...did NOT see thatone coming. NxN does not prevent checkmate. Fast game! } 1-0
[Event "Challenge from jamespowell"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.15"] [Round "-"] [White "daniel85717"] [Black "jamespowell"] [Result ""] [BlackElo "1332"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1351"] 1. d4 { Book Move FIghts for the center, and I prefer this to e4 } 1... d5 { BookMove The basic response } 2. c4 { Book Move indirectly fights for centralcontrol, and if recaptured e4 is to be played. } 2... c6 { Book Move Best responseto c4 } 3. Nc3 { Book Move Develops a minor piece while increasing pressureupon the d5 pawn. } 3... Qa5 { Possible premature move, that pins the night butexposes the queen and neglects the conventional system of trying to castleearly. } 4. Bd2 { Develops another minor piece, and thought it blocks thequeen file the d4 pawn is under no pressure, and if pressured, the nightis moved b5 forcing the fork of the king and rook. } 4... Qb4 { Two pronged attackthreatening the c4 pawn, and the b2 pawn. } 5. Nb5 { Forces the takingof either the b, or c pawn. In this situation taking the b2 pawn is thebest decision. however the fork on c7 will still occur. } 5... Qxc4 { ?? Majormistake, is all that can be said. } 6. e3 { Trapped!! } 6... Qxb5 { Best move inthis situation. } 7. Bxb5 cxb5 8. Qb3 { Fork. } 8... Nd7 9. Qxd5 Ngf6
[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.08.10"] [Round "-"] [White "boblad2703"] [Black "eric2jin"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1285"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1209"] { A beautiful checkmate in the end. } 1. e4 { I am black } 1... e5 { King pawn } 2. d3 { ?! } 2... h6 { Oof } 3. Be2 Nf6 4. Bd2 Bc5 { Development } 5. a3 O-O 6. h4 { ? } 6... d6 7. Nc3 Be6 8. g4 Nxg4 { Yum } 9. Bxg4 Bxg4 10. Qxg4 { Oh } 10... Nc6 11. Bxh6 Qf6 12. Bg5 { ? } 12... Qxf2+ { Yeah! } 13. Kd1 { Forced } 13... Qf1+ 14. Kd2 { Forced } 14... Qxa1 { Yummy! } 15. Bh6 { Ah! } 15... g6 { Only move } 16. Bxf8 Kxf8 { +1 } 17. Qd7 Qxb2 18. Qxc7 Qxa3 19. Nf3 { !? } 19... Bb4 20. Ke2 Qxc3 21. Qxb7 Qxc2+ 22. Kf1 Qxd3+ 23. Kg2 Qe2+ 24. Kg3 Re8 { Saving the rook } 25. Qxc6 { Aw man } 25... Qe3 26. Kg4 Kg7 27. Qc4 f5+ { Check! } 28. Kg3 { !? } 28... f4+ { Yah } 29. Kg4 Ba5 30. h5 gxh5+ { !? } 31. Kh4 { ? } 31... Qxf3 { Yummy! } 32. Rg1+ { ! } 32... Kh6 33. Qf7 { Threatening mate. } 33... Be1+ { Checkmate combination } 34. Rg3 { If Rxe1 Qg4# } 34... Qxg3# { Checkmate! } 0-1
[Event "Out of the Frying Pan..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.27"] [Round "-"] [White "Opponent"] [Black "bwaa"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "3min + 3s"] 1. c4 { Hello all; just a quick blitz game that I found enjoyable. Whitesets up a formidable center and a complex-looking position develops. Whitehas a lot of space to work with, but his position has weaknesses as a resultof all his pawn advances, while Black is a little cramped, but solid. Asis so often the case in blitz, time pressure eventually forces a hastycomputation in a sharp position, leading to a fatal miscalculation. Enjoy! } 1... c5 2. f4 { ?! This is not any standard line I know of. More common are2.Nf3 or 2.Nc3. With this move, White announces in no uncertain terms hisdesire to utterly control the center (and foreshadows a propensity forpawn-pushing). } 2... b6 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. d3 h6 { Preparing to challenge the centerfrom the flanks, though 4...e6 or 4...Nf6 were probably better. } 5. e4 d6 { This move allows Black to develop both his Knights (by vacating d7and defending e5). Both players have so far badly neglected their development,but White has a significant advantage in space, and very solid center control. } 6. Nc3 Nd7 7. Be2 Ngf6 8. h3 { Meant both to stop ...Ng4 and also preparea kingside pawn storm. } 8... e6 9. Be3 { Not a great spot for the Bishop, inmy opinion. c5 is very sturdy, so this move really does little except getthe Bishop off of c1. 9.Bd2 would have been better, I think, with the potentialto shift it into a kingside attack from c3 or centralize it on e3 if Whitedecides to push the queenside instead. } 9... Qc7 { Black prepares to bring theRook to the center, and places some indirect pressure on the White kingside.This does invite a White Knight to harass at b5, however. } 10. a3 { ? Thisfeels a little frivolous. Is White planning to storm both flanks and thecenter, all at once? Better would be a more cohesive plan of attack, ideallyutilizing the powerful White center pawns by castling and preparing e4-e5,rather than just pushing and pushing with no clear goal. Every pawn moveWhite makes creates another weakness. } 10... Be7 11. Bf2 { Black has so far kepthis castling options open, waiting for White to make the first move againsthis reasonably solid formation. This move probably indicates that Whiteis planning to push through the center, as he begins clearing the e-filefor a Rook and allowing this Bishop to make its way over to g3 if needed. } 11... O-O-O { The Kingside simply does not look safe for Black; there are toomany aggressive White pawns there. } 12. Nb5 { Foreshadowed on Black's ninthmove, this forces the Queen into an ugly-looking position. } 12... Qb8 { Black'sposition is cramped, but altogether not terrible. He has good possibilitiesfor kingside/center expansion and a lead in development, even if his piecesare not quite ideally placed. } 13. b4 { White wants to bring forces tobear against the Black King, but he ought to begin worrying about his ownmonarch before he tears the position open like this. He's hardly preparedfor this assault. } 13... a6 { Black seizes the initiative by kicking the Knight.White's queenside pawns don't honestly look that threatening, with thecenter still open and the White King still on e1. Besides, Black reallydoesn't want to capture on b4, so the better option is... } 14. Nc3 Nh5 { ...switch wings to create threats and counterplay on all the weak squarescreated by White's pawn advances. } 15. Qd2 f5 { Black claims some spaceand presents a serious challenge to the White center for the first time.This move both threatens to break the position open and allows Black toplay ...Nf6 without stifling his pawn storm. } 16. bxc5 { The kingside islooking pretty dangerous but White has got to get out of the center oneway or another before he breaks it wide open like this... } 16... dxc5 { Freeingthe Black Rook and DSB, while keeping a lid on White's 'good' Bishop. } 17. e5 { White prevents ...Nf6 and a disastrous opening of the center, atthe price of offering the Black Bishop a beautiful diagonal. If White castleskingside now, he has to deal with that monstrous Bishop reaching rightacross his King's throat. } 17... Qc7 { Defending b6, mostly. } 18. O-O { FranklyI think going queenside was a better option. Black actually has attackingpotential on the kingside, whereas White has no queenside pressure at all.When castling on opposite sides, a sharp mating race can frequently result.Inviting this scenario when you have no attacking potential seems quitefoolhardy. } 18... g5 { I had a slight time advantage here and I thought for overa minute before making this move. There are quite a few undefended Blackpieces that could come under fire easily (Nh5, Be7, h6), but the opportunityto break open the White kingside and mobilize everything was too tempting,in the end. The main continuation I was considering was 19.fxg5 Bxg5 20.Nxg5hxg5 (21.Qxg5? Rdg8! and Black wins back the pawn on g2 with check anda crushing windmill attack (eg. 22.Qe3 Rxg2+ 23.Kh1 Rxf2+ 24.Bf3 (24.Kg1Rg2+ 25.Kh1 Rxe2+! 26.Rf3 Rxe3) 24...Bxf3+ 25.Qxf3 (25.Kg1? Rg2+ 26.Kh1Ng3#) 25...Rxf3 26.Rxf3 Qxe5)), with 21...Rdg8 and 22...g4 to follow. } 19. Nxg5 { ? I had briefly considered my response if White played this sacrifice,but I couldn't see a strong continuation for White and had discarded it.This move forced me to spend almost another full minute calculating, butI decided that the strength of my Rooks on a half-open g-file bearing downon the White King (along with my glorious LSB) would be enough to handleanything White could produce. It's worth noting here that while I had alittle time left to spend thinking about my response to this move, my opponentwas somewhat short on the clock. } 19... hxg5 { So, I accept. I played the nextseveral moves without any hesitation. } 20. Bxh5 { ? I was expecting 20.fxg4Qxe5 21.Rab1, but this works out fine for me, giving an opportunity tolift this Rook. } 20... Rxh5 21. fxg5 Rxg5 { ! The obvious move, 21...Bxg5, isplayable but not remotely as strong. Now Black bears down on g2 with overwhelmingforce. } 22. Bh4 { ?? White attempts to force the BR back and bring abouta good trade and attack, but he has neglected his King's safety for toolong, and the Black LSB is all too willing to remind him of that. } 22... Rxg2+ 23. Qxg2 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Bxh4 { 0-1. Black has any number of ways to finishthe game from here. I hope you enjoyed it! } 0-1
[Event "Challenge from nuntar"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.12.17"] [Round "-"] [White "jkarp"] [Black "nuntar"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1697"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1356"] { This was an interesting game between me and Michael. After commentingon one of my students annotations, combined with, players who I want tohelp improve, Nuntar added comments. With some of the inaccurate commentsI made, he wanted to play a game to see how strong I was. Overall, I playedbetter then usual, and when this happened, I was at my highest rating of1370. But, I made a couple of mistakes that lost. So, how did this gameunfold? } 1. e4 { So, I start off with my usual. } 1... e5 { I'm not surprised thathe played this, as it's the most common. I wasn't sure what to expectsince this was my first time against Michael. However, after seeing thisand my next move would be, I anticipated that this would become a Ruy Lopezwhich is what happened. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 { However,better was to castle. This is what reversion has noticed before playingthis. The only thing to note is that this move was played before my gameagainst Jack Stockel. Therefore, I was only remembering what tipsyjourneymansaid which is that it's preferable to hold off on castling until later. He recommended this move. However, I base things on what cplusplus11has also noted. And, after that game, he said, to learn some theory because,after this variation (which you most often see) 5.0-0 is most often played. Like that game, I was worried about losing a pawn, after ....Nxe4. Thetruth, however, is that black would not be able to hold onto it, afterwhite plays Re1. Had this happened after my game with Jack, I would'vestuck to mainlines. } 5... Bc5 { Consequently Michael develops, whilst, punishesme for my last move since I can no longer gain tempo with 6.c3, followedby 7.d4. } 6. d3 { But, as chesskingdom64 has noted, 'There's always anotherway of doing something.' The idea behind, 'the c3-d4 plans' involves apawn chain. I remember this based on comments from reversion. Now, Iconsidered 6.d4 with an exchange, except even afterwards, I'm down a pawn. With this move, however, not only do I have an open line for my Bc1, butwhite now has a solid pawn chain. The only question is if it holds. } 6... O-O { Meanwhile, Michael castles. } 7. O-O { So do I. Part of it is because Iwas worried about the possibility of 7...Ng4, which would threaten thefork. 7.Be3 was playable, but I was not going to exchange bishops, asI'd lose my weakest pawn. When that happens, you're in a lot of trouble,as I learned from TA. For one thing, it would make castling short unsafe,but there's more to it because, afterwards, you're vulnerable. Make oneerror, and it's generally over. Well, I wasn't going to take a risk ofbeing caught in that situation. } 7... Re8 { Centralizing his Rook which is generallygood. } 8. Nd5 { After studying an annotation with elyhim, I realize thatthis could be dangerous. So, why take chances? In addition, this is alsobecoming a closed position since his pawns are blocking the center. Now,it boils down to which N is stronger. I figured that his Nf6 is more ofa liability, so I decide to play right away. Of course, I'm aware thatit will result in doubled pawns. But, in this position it's of no assetsince we have not reached the midgame, yet. And, major pieces haven'tbeen exchanged, as I've learned from tactical-abyss. In addition, I accuratelycalculate the gain of tempo for white since black must retreat, keepingin mind what reversion said when it came to c3, followed by d4, when abishop is near there. Although a different position, it's still applicable,to me. } 8... Nxd5 9. exd5 Ne7 10. Nxe5 { So, I decide to exchange, knowing thatwhen he takes back, the doubled pawns are gone. This is something thatTA also outlined when determining if they're a liability, or not. } 10... Nxd5 11. d4 { Part of the plan involved the gain of more time, btw. } 11... Ba7 12. Bb3 { Going after his Nd5. } 12... d6 { Michael has the same idea, adding a pawnchain and gaining tempo, himself. } 13. Nf3 { I did consider 13.Bxd5, witha, supposed idea, of winning a pawn, after 13...dxe5, 14.dxe5, but figuredout that he would play 14...Rxe5 (afterwards). The only reason behindthis move was the win of material. So, after figuring out how he'd winthat, I determined that taking would be pointless, and thus, decided toprotect. Afterall, as kenneth_fiore_3 noted, you don't just exchange forthe thrill of it. Instead, there has to be a good reason. It appearedthere was earlier but not in this position. That, is especially because,by not doing so, I'm going to gain time. } 13... Nf6 14. Bg5 { Which enables meto complete my development, whilst pinning his N. } 14... Bg4 { So does Michael. Thus, the saying, 'a pin for a pin'. } 15. Qd3 { Therefore, I decide tobreak the same pin. And, at the same time, if Michael takes, I can alsorecapture with the Queen, leaving me with a better structure. } 15... d5 { I'mnot sure why Michael played this. But, I viewed it as pointless sincethat pawn chain is gone. Before, I couldn't play 16.Ne5, so I felt thatthis left him with a weakness. That's why, I take that opportunity toattack, as there's no immediate threat, plus, white gains time, in theprocess. } 16. Ne5 Bh5 17. Rae1 { Which I use to centralize one of my Rooks. } 17... c6 { I'm not sure why Michael played this. } 18. c4 { ? But, figuring thatit was pointless, I decide to exchange. In doing so, however, I missedthe picture, as Mike will win the pawn. I thought I could win it backby exchanging, but this is where calculating deeper into the variationswas important, as reversion told me. And, it's important to note, thatI lost a recent Wizard Chess Game with that mistake, so it's really somethingto work on. } 18... dxc4 19. Bxc4 Qxd4 20. Qxd4 Bxd4 21. Nd3 { Knowing that myN was en-prise, however, I retreat. } 21... Ne4 { Except, that I'm in more trouble,then I could've realized. Michael going for a Knight fork, which turnsout to be inevitable. } 22. Nf4 { But, at the time, I didn't think it was. So, I do what I can to defend against the threat. The idea is that Michaelwants to my Re1 for a Knight which is only worth 2. This would add toa total of 3, do to being a pawn down. Therefore, I go right after hisBh5, knowing that if Michael takes, I equalize by capturing his LSB, forfree. } 22... Bf3 { Michael wisely retreats with a counterattack. It was thenthat I realized my fate. } 23. Bh4 { I considered taking on f3. But, thenI thought about it, and with Michael leaving en-prise (deliberately) theremust be a good reason for giving away. As we saw with the Damino's Defensewhen training someone, stronger players don't just blunder things away. It was then that I figured out something important. Michael wants meto take because doing this means exposing my King. However, he was notgoing to fool me because I made a similar mistake against Jack Stockel(in our last game each other) which resulted in a different plan. So,the decision was made to keep my DSB aligned, knowing that if he takes,I've got a defender. In other words, I'll be able to take, without exposingmy monarch. } 23... Bg4 { Knowing this, he retreats. } 24. g3 { In case, Michaelhas any mating ideas, in the long run, I open up. } 24... Nd2 { As anticipated. Afterall, Michael has a winning advantage. } 25. Rxe8+ { So, I do whateverpossible to prevent that. Without much to lose, I'm just hoping that he'llgo wrong, somewhere. But, I'm also bearing in mind that he won't. Instead,the plan is using memory techniques, based on what archduke_piccolo whenhe was losing against redfoxrising which is just being aggressive. Theother plan is what comes after this. So, when you're losing, it pays offto be overconfident. In some cases, I've managed to pull swindles by beingoptimistic. Against stronger players, however, that usually does not work. } 25... Rxe8 26. Rc1 { Figuring that I might have dodged the bullet, I play this. As noted, even though I don't like liquidating when behind, this was partof my plan, behind 25.Rxe8+ However, this was to an extent, Hope Chesssince I overlooked a bigger threat. I don't know if it's the full definitionbecause it boils down to hoping that you've met a threat without calculating. Well, white wasn't hoping but missed a bigger threat, anyhow. Instead,I'd call it Flip Coin Chess because, in reality, I didn't take quite enoughtime and wound becoming overly confident since there didn't appear muchelse to lose. Either way, white is busted. } 26... Bf3 { This was played to trapmy monarch. } 27. Bd3 { Trying to prevent a mating sequence. The threatwas 27...Ne4, followed by 28...Bxf2# But, Michael will, however, win morematerial, with his next move. This time, however, there was no way out. } 27... Bxb2 { That's because no matter where I go, he's going to get my Rook. } 28. Rf1 { But, this way, however, I get something, in return. } 28... Nxf1 29. Kxf1 h6 { Advancing one of his pawns, as this will win more material. } 30. Bc4 { Which I attempt to stop. } 30... Bc3 { Going on the offense, though. } 31. Ng2 { Knowing what kind of trouble I might be in, this is where I try toliquidate. If I can eliminate his Bf3, there might be a chance to savethis game. Remember the club game that happened with stalhandske and brigadecommander,where I was given Homework over why a move was bad. The idea being thatthe bishop would be blocked, so white, I believe would lose a piece fora pawn. In this position, however, there was no way out. It's definitelyresignable, at this point. But, resignation, however, isn't going to beoption because of what GM Judit Polgar said which is, 'Fight Til the End.' In fact, I annotated a game that I won in a lost position with that title. Moreover, I've told my students not to resign. And, one of them was ableto pull a swindle, on two occasions, by remembering my advise. } 31... g5 32. Bxg5 { At least, I get a pawn, in return. It's true that I'm being overoptimistic,but with no way out, I think positive, as opposed to, negative. It's alsoimportant to note that being this way has helped me to improve, as well. } 32... hxg5 33. Ne3 { In addition, my position is no longer cramped, for now. } 33... Kg7 { I'm not sure why Michael played this. } 34. Nf5+ { But, I will stopat nothing to place him in check since the idea is trying to get counterplay. } 34... Kg6 35. Nd6 { ?? But, this is the final blunder. My focus was goingafter my N, reattacking and gaining tempo. However, Michael has a backrank mate threat that I overlooked. By playing this, he will mate. 35.Ne3was forced, as it was only the way to protect my Knight, whilst, the backrank. } 35... Re1# 0-1
[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "14-Jun-11"] [Round "-"] [White "tesseract104"] [Black "stefanus140"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1446"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1351"] 1. e4 { My preferred opening move. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 { This was aforeign move to me in the Ruy Lopez. } 4. d3 Bd7 5. O-O Nf6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Be3 { Each side seems to be gaining nice control over the centre. } 7... O-O 8. Qd2 Re8 9. Rad1 a6 { Black provokes the bishop to either exchange or retreat. } 10. Bxc6 { I decided to exchange it. } 10... Bxc6 11. h3 { Simply preventing thefuture move Ng4. } 11... Bf8 { This is the move in which I do not understand Black'sintentions. I would appreciate your comments if you have any ideas. } 12. Rfe1 d5 { I was not eager to trade my e pawn as I believe it was contributingmore on its own than my d pawn. Of course I had to do something about 13.... d4. } 13. Bg5 { And so I move the bishop to attack the knight. } 13... Qd6 14. Bxf6 gxf6 { This came as somewhat of a surprise to me. I expected him tocapture with the queen. } 15. Nh4 d4 16. Nb1 { The white knight on b1 islooking a little silly as it will take several more moves to get it toa square where it will be useful. } 16... Bd7 17. Qe2 { Preparing both to bringthe queen into the attack and to place the knight on a better square. } 17... Be7 18. Qf3 Be6 19. Qg3+ { The attack on the black king has begun. } 19... Kh8 20. Nd2 b5 21. Rf1 Qd7 22. f4 Rg8 23. Qh2 { Black has acquired control ofthe g file and turned the attack around. } 23... exf4 24. Kh1 { The pin on theg pawn has been released. } 24... Rg7 { Black is looking to double up the rooks,strengthening the assault he has on the white king. } 25. Qxf4 { Still itseemed reasonable to eat up that pawn and bring the material points backto even. } 25... Rag8 26. Rf3 Rg5 { I don't understand this move. } 27. Nf1 f5 28. exf5 Bd5 29. Qe5+ Bf6 { It seems like he should have blocked with one ofthe rooks. } 30. Qxf6+ { The queen can simply capture the unguarded bishop. } 30... R5g7 31. Rg3 c5 32. Rxg7 Rxg7 33. Ng3 { Both sides must have realized thatif Black does not move the king, the white knight will come to h5 and thequeen will checkmate on g7 the next move. } 33... Kg8 34. Nh5 { However, the blackrook still has no safe square to which it can move, and if it does notmove, the queen will take it and checkmate the king. } 1-0
[Event "The Brick Wall"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23rd May 1998"] [Round "-"] [White "Lucas Knight"] [Black "Harry Hill"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2750"] [TimeControl "15 days"] [WhiteElo "2900"] { Hello everyone! I'm @oodle and today I'm going to discuss a game whichincludes strong pawn structures which need sacrifices to be able to openup the game. This is a battle between Grandmaster Lucas Knight (2900) andGrandmaster Harry Hill (2750). Please add comments and rate this annotationif you feel that you want to. Thank you. } 1. g3 { This is a common openingplayed by Grandmasters and is usually followed by 2. Bg2 aiming to 'fianchetto'his Dragon Bishop controlling one of the longest diagonals on the board.Normal replies for Black are 1. ... e5/Nf6/g6 but the most common is 1.... Nf6 (for Grandmasters). } 1... c6 { !? This move is also great as it aimsto block the h1-a8 diagonal with the Caro-Kaan Defence, following with2. ... d4, so if white plays 2. Bg2 he'll find that his diagonal is blockedand as bishops do not work well in closed positions, his bishop is notmuch use. This is also a great setup opening to the 'Brick Wall' whichyou will learn about later. } 2. Bg2 { White sets off his Dragon Bishop,with the task of controlling the longest diagonal on the board, even thoughhe knows that Black is going to play the Caro-Kaan Defence. This is becauseWhite aims to use his bishop as a defending piece in the opening and earlymiddlegame, and as an attacking piece in the late middlegame and endgame. } 2... d5 { Black sets up the Caro-Kaan Defence ready to block the bishop's line.Unfortunately, White does not much want an active bishop here at the moment,but hopes to use it in the late middlegame and endgame, as mentioned. TheCaro-Kaan Defence is most likely to cause a Brick Wall. } 3. Nf3 { Thebishop now has limited squares to move on so that's why White hasn't caredabout the fact that Black was playing the Caro-Kaan Defence. } 3... Bf5 { Blackis very much focused on developing the bishop before moving the pawn toe6, ready to form another pawn chain and a Brick Wall. To be honest, itis better to have a bishop behind a pawn chain rather than in front, whereit may get easily attacked and will have to move. Also, the central pawnswill already be protected by other pawns, so the bishop is just givingit some backup. } 4. O-O { This is a form of 'quiet castling' where no centralpawns have been moved, no queenside pieces have been developed and theking knight and king bishop are all close to home, and all the pieces/pawnsare no further than the third rank. } 4... Nd7 { Black thinks the opposite, andaims to develop all his queenside pieces and aiming for long-castling,attacking aggressively in the centre. This will occupy a few moves, butis better than not castling at all, of course. } 5. Nc3 { Even though theknight has moved, all the pieces are still close to home and are stillno further than the third rank. Still, White aims to develop all the knightsbefore moving any central pawns, and possibly fianchetto the opposing bishop. } 5... e6 { Black aims to form lots of pawn chains, so he can create a Brick Wallwhere no pieces/pawns can attack him. This is misleading, as pieces onthe dark squares will easily get into Black's position. } 6. d4 { Whiteopens up his first central pawn and aims to control the dark squares. Sincehe has a light squared bishop on g2, it will be difficult to attack whiteno matter which colour square you are on. } 6... Bd6 { This move enables thebishop to develop to a safe square, and for the queen to come to e7, withoutblocking the bishop, and also disables White's DSB to come to f4 withoutmessing up his pawn structure. This also guards the Black squares, so nopieces can get into Black's castles. } 7. b3 { White aims to develop hisbishop through the c1-a3 diagonal, without blocking any pawns. } 7... Qe7 { Blackis now preparing for queenside castling (O-O-O), and develops his queento a safe square, where it protects the bishop and the knight, and alsothe f7 pawn. Note that 7. ... Qc7! is just as good, and maybe even betteras the queen and bishop may aim at White's kingside. } 8. Bb2 { White hasnow got control of both long diagonals on the board, and Black will hardlybe able to control any after the lines have been opened! } 8... O-O-O { And nowBlack's plan has been achieved. He has got all his bishops coming intoplay, his knight controlling the e5 square, his queen in a good position,his king safe, and only the knight on g8 is needed to come into play. } 9. Qd2 { White now connects his rooks and brings his queen into play, ontoa safe square, of course. } 9... Ngf6 { Black does the same, and connects hisrooks, bringing the knight into play. } 10. e3 { White now forms a pawn chain,making the Brick Wall better than ever. } 10... Rhe8 { Black centralizes his rooks... } 11. Rad1 { And so does white... } 11... Kb8 { Black shuffles along to b8, protectingall three pawns. Note that 11. ... Ba3 was possible, threatening to removewhite's 'subordinate' Dragon Bishop, even though there is no rook on c1(meaning that White had to give up his bishop, no matter what.). } 12. Rfe1 { The other rook comes into play. } 12... g6 { ?! This move stops the bishop fromretreating, so if a protected pawn attacks the bishop, it has limited squaresto go to. } 13. a4 { White extends the Brick Wall to attack Black's queenside,which is not extremely safe. } 13... h5 { Black does the same thing, and marcheshis pawn down to attack White's kingside (which is extremely safe.) } 14. Qe2 { White aims down at Black's queenside through the f1-a6 diagonal, readyto make attacks in the middlegame. } 14... a6 { And now KA-BLAM! The 'Brick Wall'structure has been completed. All of Black's pawns are on light squares,forming pawn chains. All of White's pawns are also forming pawn chains,and each side is ready for the middlegame, and ready for attack. The questionis, how are you going to attack with a Brick Wall in the way? } 15. Ng5 { ! This move attacks the kingside, and also prepares for 16. e4! breakingup the pawn structure. Black has no defence! } 15... Nb6 { Black aims to wreckWhite's queenside. Trouble is, this doesn't help with the Pawn March... } 16. e4 { And here comes the mighty plunge! After 16. ... dxe4 Black loseshis biggest trump, the d5 pawn, which breaks the Brick Wall. } 16... dxe4 17. Ngxe4 { I would prefer 17. Ncxe4 so White can still keep the dominant knighton g5. } 17... Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 { And now the main part of Black's BrickWall has vanished, but there is still some concrete left over... } 19... f5 { Blackhopes to start making a new Brick Wall, and White hopes to get rid of thecement to make it! } 20. Qe2 { The white queen restores back to her home,still aiming to attack Black's queenside. } 20... Bb4 { The centralized Rook needsto move back to f1. That's a shame. Note: 21. c3 blocks in the DSB, resultingin casualty. } 21. Rf1 { At least the Rooks are still connected, but f1-rookis a little budged in. } 21... Qd6 { ?! Hang on, I thought Black wanted to keepthe Brick Wall. If Black wants to keep his Brick Wall, surely he needsmore pieces to support it, and definitely his queen! Can you work out what'scoming next without looking ahead? } 22. Qe5 { That's right. Black's queenis now pinned by the opposing queen. As White has double bishops, and Blackhas a mixed army, the double bishops will work much more effectively inthe endgame, and Black's DSB won't be able to defend the pawns on the lightsquares!!! } 22... Nd7 { ? Black attacks the white queen and also stops the rookexchange after 22. ... Qxe5 23. dxe5 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 and that eliminatesa lot of pieces. Trouble is, this doesn't help with the Queen exchange! } 23. Qxd6+ { As White doesn't fancy having a Brick Wall, he is very muchconcerned about his d4 pawn, as it is the most centralized pawn on theboard! } 23... Bxd6 { Forced, or else Black loses the Queen and Bishop, and possiblythe game! } 24. c4 { White does not want to form a Brick Wall so he pusheshis pawns up, threatening 25 c5! } 24... Bb4 { The bishop returns to the usualsquare. What a waste, Bishop. } 25. d5 { ! The pawn plunges in again, threateningto break the Brick Wall, and threatening to make a passed pawn close toqueening! White doesn't have to worry about it as it is defended by anotherpawn, and a Rook and Bishop! } 25... Nc5 { ?? Very tempting. This move ignoresthe threat and instead makes a threat of Black's own, threatening to takethe b3-pawn. This is not very good as Black's Brick Wall will soon be damaged,and White could exchange Rooks, and he would have a passed pawn, and itmay queen and checkmate Black! } 26. dxc6 { If Black does not recapture,he loses one pawn. The pawn on c6 is protected by the Bishop on g2. Blackis forced to play two worsening moves, either 26. ... bxc6?? or the equallydisastrous 26. ... Nxb3?? } 26... Nxb3 { ?? Black is starting to become tad greedy.Note that the two rooks are hanging, still, but that does not exactly matter.The main thing is that White's pawn will be close to queening, and notethat the pawn on c6 is defended by the bishop on g2. A row of disastrousmoves follow... } 27. Be5+ { Instead of immediately taking with the pawn,White sends of a check first before taking the pawn again. This enablesa strong attacking force for white. This also allows 28. Rb1 skeweringknight through bishop, where Black has to reply with 28. ... Rd3, weakeninghis defences. } 27... Ka8 { ?! If 27. ... Kc8?? then 28. cxb7# would be mate.I prefer 27. ... Ka7! which means that White would not take the b7 pawnwith check, but instead, take it as normal. } 28. Rxd8+ { Instead of immediatelytaking the pawn, White inserts a 'Zwichenzug', allowing White to take therook before taking the pawn, which means that White can queen the pawneasily without making just a little bit of profit! 28. ... Kg7?? failsto 29. Rxe8 bxc6 resulting in White winning nine points, worth a wholequeen! . } 28... Rxd8 { This is turning out to be a lost game for Black after29. cxb7+ Kg7 30. b8=Q+ Rxb8 31. Bxb8+ Kxb8 32. Rb1 winning heaps of material. } 29. cxb7+ { There is only one safe square to go to. } 29... Ka7 { This game isresign-able for Black following the pawn promotion. } 30. b8=Q+ { Black isforced to capture, but then White would win two points. } 30... Rxb8 { Forced. } 31. Bxb8+ { With the rook gone, White will succeed easily. } 31... Kxb8 { 31. ...Kxb8 wins back a bishop, but not 31. ... Kb6? } 32. Rb1 { And White insertsa killer skewer and pin! If the knight moves, the bishop is pinned andif the bishop moves, the knight is pinned, and if the knight moves, theRook captures the bishop behind, calling check. } 32... a5 { Black moves the pawnto defend the bishop but the knight is lost. } 33. Rxb3 { Say Bye-Bye tothe knight! } 33... e5 { Has the Brick Wall collapsed? Not if Black plays properly,though, but the queenside wall has entirely collapsed. } 34. Kf1 { Whitegets his king into play. Why hasn't Black resigned yet? } 34... e4 { Black stormsdown his pawns, hoping to queen. } 35. Ke2 { Not so fast! } 35... g5 { Black hopesto exchange at h4... } 36. f3 { ...But white exchanges first. } 36... exf3+ 37. Bxf3 h4 { Black threatens to exchange pawns, and white must exchange. } 38. gxh4 gxh4 { The majority of Black's pawns are on the kingside, but themajority of White's pawns are on the queenside. How is Black going to copewith it? } 39. Kd3 { The answer is: HE CAN'T! } 39... f4 { Nice try. } 40. c5 { Thewhite pawn advances one square, the bishop is pinned. } 40... Kc7 { Black getshis king into the game, and releases his bishop. } 41. c6 { The pawn isprotected by White's LSB. } 41... Kd6 { Black is trying to stop the pawn from queening,or make threats of his own. That will take some time... } 42. Kc4 { Whitemoves in order to get the rook into the game. } 42... Bc5 { Finally the bishopmoves! } 43. Rd3+ { Black is lost, unfortunately. } 43... Kc7 { Good try... } 44. Rd7+ { But, no. And Black's left his bishop hanging. } 44... Kc8 { Another niceone... } 45. Bg4 { But White now sets a discovered check and there is noescape! } 45... Bb6 { Good try to save the bishop... } 46. Rb7+ { ...But it's nouse. Once the bishop is eliminated, White will queen easily. } 46... Kd8 { Forced. } 47. Rxb6 { Bye Bye Bishop. } 47... f3 { Trying to queen a pawn of yours, eh? } 48. Bxf3 { No such luck! } 48... Kc7 49. Kc5 { Bringing the king up and trying to defendthe rook. } 49... Kc8 50. Bg4+ { Forcing the king off the queening square. } 50... Kc7 51. Rb7+ { Forcing the king off the c-file. } 51... Kd8 52. c7+ { Forcing to queenand mate in two (or one) no matter what happens. } 52... Ke7 { 52. ... Ke8 failsto 53. c8=Q/R# } 53. c8=Q+ { Another pawn promotes, and it's still check! } 53... Kf6 { Mate in one coming up! } 54. Qf5# { And will you look at such a fancycheckmate, using all three pieces! Thank you for reading my annotation,and please add any comments or rate this annotation any time you fancy!Thanks. @oodle } 1-0