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[Event "Queen side attack"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.15"] [Round "-"] [White "wanred"] [Black "although"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1574"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1574"] { This is a mini tournament game against although, an enjoyable game toowhere I have to defend a Queen side attack then counter with one of myown Any constructive comments are welcome, thanks. } 1. e4 { My most commonopening although I am venturing out into the Queens pawn and the Englishopening. } 1... c5 { Sicilian. } 2. Nf3 { I always make this move againt the Sicilian,looking to move d4 next . } 2... d6 3. d4 { Sicilian Chekhover variation. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 { I like this position. My knight is out and both my bishops readyfor action. } 4... e6 5. Nc3 { Looking for control of the centre and developinganother piece. } 5... Nc6 { Black develops and attacks my knight. } 6. Be3 { I decidenot to exchange knights. I don't want (Nxc6,bxc6). That would only meanblack strengthening his pawn position in the centre. } 6... Nf6 7. Be2 { I lookto castle. } 7... Be7 { So does black. } 8. O-O O-O 9. f4 { I thought that blackmay advance e5 threatening my knight So I need some control in the centre.Onthe other hand I may be weakening my kings defence and a potential attackon the a7-g1 line. Was this a good move? } 9... a6 { Black defends b5 knowingI have 3 pieces ready to converge on it. } 10. a4 { Here comes the startof my Queen side attack. I still want control of b5. I made this move becauseof the concern that black would move b5. } 10... Bd7 { Protecting blacks knightso he would not lose a pawn from the b file if I exchanged pieces. } 11. Nxc6 { I decide to exchange. } 11... Bxc6 12. Bf3 { e5 was an option here but Idecided to postpone that move until next move. I had spotted a potentialdouble attack on blacks bishop and knight if I first protected e4 thenmoved e5 next would attack both his bishop and knight. It would also leavehis a,b pawns open to attack from my queen if although decided to exchangebishops. } 12... Rc8 { So black decides to protect his bishop and ready's his rookdow the open c file. } 13. e5 { I continue with my plan. } 13... Bxf3 { Forcing blackto make an exchange } 14. Qxf3 Ne8 { Black retreats his knight. } 15. Qxb7 { My plan wins me a pawn or two. I hesitated because I thought 'although'may have gone 15...Rb8 attacking my Queen and b2. Maybe I should not havemade the move but I got away with it. Play would have gone 15...Rb1. 16.Qxa6, Rxb2. 17. Would either be Qd3,Qf2 or Rfc1 to protect my c pawn andstill a pawn up. So would not have been too bad, I think at the time thatwere my reason for going ahead with Qxb7. } 15... d5 { Black may have moved a5to save his pawn or Rb8 as I earlier discussed. Instead black opens theway for his bishop. } 16. Qxa6 Bb4 { Black starts a Queen side attack ofhis own so mine will have to wait. Threatening the knight with both Bishopand Rook. Black would be up a pawn if I turned a blind eye to this. IfI move the knight I lose the pawn too with Rxc2 and a rook on the secondrow is not good. So my knight needs some protection. } 17. Qd3 { I did notlike my Queen out there by her self So I thought bring her back to defendthe knight and the c pawn freeing my knight to move away. My other concernwas black moving d4 forking my bishop and knight so I nearly moved Bd4to block the advance of the pawn but in reply black may have gone for abishop exchange by moving Bc5. } 17... Rc4 { Black prepares to double his attackdown the c file with this move by making room for his Queen to move toc8. This move also gives a d4 advance extra support. } 18. Bd4 { Givingmy knight more protection. } 18... Qc8 19. Kh1 { I did not like my king on theg1-a7 line. c5 was a square that black had under control and could easilypin my bishop. } 19... g6 { Black's knight is stuck so moves g7 to release it. } 20. Rf3 { Ideally I would like to move b3 to attack his rook but to dothat the b2 pawn will have to be replaced by somthing else to protect theknight. } 20... Ng7 { Black looks to put his knight on f5 and attack my Bishop. } 21. b3 { My knight now has ample protection for the exchange to go in myfavor (21...Bxc3. 22.Bxc3,Rxc3.23. Qxc3, Qxc3.24. Rxc3...) Leaving me with2 rooks and 2 passed pawns to blacks rook and knight. } 21... Rc6 { So black retreats. } 22. g4 { I defend f5 to stop the advance of ...Nf5. } 22... Qb7 { Black is looking to double his rooks. } 23. Qb5 { With blacks Queen no longer pressuring c5 Ilook to attack before he can double his rooks. I attack his bishop knowingblack would have to exchange Queens to save the bishop. Maybe black couldhave moved Rb8 here? I still would have exchanged Queens. } 23... Qxb5 24. axb5 { Exchange. I could not take it with my knight as I would lose a pawn. ...Rxc2. This move doubles my pawns up but also opens up the a file. } 24... Rc7 { I thinkI would have gone Rc8 here readying a black attack with an a file attackwith both his rooks. } 25. Ra7 { I look for a rook exchange. } 25... Rcc8 { Blackrefuses. } 26. b6 { Now I can protect against an a-file attack with thismove and the pawn also gets ever closer. } 26... Rb8 27. Nb5 Rfe8 { Black moveshere to give his bishop a safe square to move(e7) in anticipation of ,28.c3 and the black bishop would be trapped. } 28. c3 { I still make this move,My aim here is to try and cramp Black's style. } 28... Be7 { Bishop moves to hishaven. } 29. b7 { My aim here is to put as much pressure on a8 as possibleand to move the pawn before it is attacked by both bishop and rook by blackmoving Bd8. } 29... Red8 { Black looks to attack b7with Rd7 next. } 30. Nc7 { I decideto block his potential attack on my b7 pawn and attack a8 even more. } 30... Rd7 31. Bb6 { Protecting my Knight. Things are cramped. } 31... Ne8 { Black looks toattack my Knight and hopes I decide to take his knight but that would notbe good. } 32. Ra8 { I spot a possible checkmate combo( 32...Rxb7. 33.Nxe8and black can not prevent the eventual double check when I move my knightNf6+ and even if black does not go for it I will get a knight for a pawnor a queen if he decides to take the rook. } 32... Rxb7 { Black goes for it. Awin. } 33. Nxe8 { Rxe8 would not have been good. My knight would have hadno where to go and black would have been back in the game. Black resignedknowing that any piece put in the way of the double check would be taken. Because it was a discovered double check moving 34.Nf6+ is completelysafe and forces black to move.34... Kg7.35.Rg8+,Kh6. 36. g5# or Rh3#. I really enjoyed this recent game. I took my time and analyzed a bit morethan I normally do and it paid dividends. A good game. } 1-0

[Event "OTB WTW Mentoring Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "4/5/19"] [Round "-"] [White "Joe"] [Black "Stanley"] [Result "0-1"] { I will annotate the recent tournament game earlier when more time allowssince that was a long game, over 60 moves, and I won't be there next week. But, in the meantime, this was the gap during last tournament, that Iwon. So, I played in the first two games, as well as, the fourth and fifthgames. Therefore, this game took place during the third tournament gamewhich was between Tom and Carl. Tom won which is also how he was in secondplace. Nowadays, you don't here of many WTW games occurring, especially,since this opponent is a Class A Rated player, as opposed to, at leastexpert. Moreover, we don't have the master mater, but my opponent is consideredone of the coaches at my club. Which is why I view him as a runner withme as the student, or what we call the walker. After making a mistakeor two, he checkmated me, making this a WTW game, and he mentored me. But, I forgot, exactly where I went wrong. } 1. e4 { So, I start off withmy normal. } 1... e5 { As does Stanley. And, I know how he continues and it usuallyends up the way it will as white, so I'm ready to go into the Italian Opening. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 { But, once you get to that point, so by the 4th game,the move often changes. As with other games, I asked myself what Stanleyplay next. I know that this was played to develop, but I don't know whyhe didn't move the B to somewherelse like f6 or c5. As those appear tobe stronger squares then where it's placed, now. } 4. O-O { With that beingsaid, I waste no time in castling. It's worth noting that even thoughit's completely, I'm treating it, as if, it were the Ruy Lopez, so we knowhow it starts. But, then, after 3.Bb5 I'm handling like I would if blackplays 3...a6, and then after 4.Ba4 Nf6, 5.0-0 is the most common move asI was once told. And, the reason behind treating two different openingsalike is because my idea of a good time is castling, ASAP which I'm sometimesguilty of not doing. } 4... Nf6 { I was not surprised to see Stanley play this. } 5. Ng5 { But, Jack implied that when that occurs, and you have the B onc4, this is the most common move. Of course, the reason is wrong sincehe said that black has no way to avoid losing the R since white will takefork on f7 with the Ng5. But, I knew that there's a way for black to prevent,so I questioned it in an annotation. And, despite that, nuntar said thatthreatening the f7 pawn with Ng5 is still a very good move. } 5... O-O { Withthat being said, I had expected 5...d5 which is how most of my opponentshave answered. But, I like this move even better as we think alike. Itshows that, in general, the sooner you castle, the better. } 6. d3 { ?! Meanwhile,I prepare to develop my Bc1. But, better was to fianchetto with 6.b3 I was a little too cautious because I thought that Ken once implied thatI should be careful about fianchettoing when he said that in the KID, it'snot wise to double fianchetto. But, first, that's a completely differentdefense. Second, my LSB wasn't fianchettoed since it started as a wellknown opening which doesn't have white fianchettoing. But, had I played6.b3, if black were to attack now, I could've pulled back to d3 or e2. By playing this, I'm forced to exchange my B for N. And, my Bc4 is strongersince from what Stanley does next, I figure out that this was an open position. } 6... Na5 7. Nd2 { Preparing for that, I use my N, as right now, I was happyand, at first, felt that exchanging my B was the wrong choice. Since after7...Nxc7 I thought that 8.Nxc4, as opposed to 8.dxc4 brings my N to aneven stronger place then my B was on that square. But, my assessment wasincorrect here. } 7... Nxc4 8. Nxc4 d6 { This is proof of why, and I thought nothingof this move. All I thought was ok, Stanley's trying to catch up on hisdevelopment by preparing his Bd1. } 9. Be3 { And, my thought is that I'mahead of my game since my development is complete. Yes, I knew that Stanley'swould be on his next move, but there's something about his Bc1 that willbecome quite dangerous. } 9... Bg4 { Stanley starts by attacking my Q. } 10. f3 { Not seeing the point to his attack, and viewing it as a waste of time,I fire back. But, Stanley has a plan which I'm about to overlook. } 10... Bd7 11. d4 { ?? I decide that now is the time to exchange pawns. Of course,I don't exchange pieces just because it's possible, but my attitude isa little different with pawns. Once I'm ready to, I exchange pawns. But,I forgot what Ken said. Earlier, Kenneth_fiore_3 said that when it comesto not exchanging so readily, he was, specifically, alluding to piecesand not pawns which is when I first discovered that Coach Stockel isn'talways right. However, Ken later advised about not exchanging pawns soearly in the exact same comment in one of my annotations. Well, this iswhen common sense knocked into me, and I treat pawns more like pieces whenit comes to exchanging, although now was the time to do it but differently. I'm, extremely, picky about when to exchange pieces, but nowadays, I don'texchange pawns, unless I feel that there's, at least, a somewhat validreason like breaking through in the center. Having said that, this wasnot the time to exchange, as now, Stanley will break through in the centersince this is a center pawn. I mentioned that I'm forced, so best was11.f4, and if black is to attack my Ng5 later on, I would be able to retreaton f3. } 11... exd4 12. Qxd4 h6 { Having said that, Stanley tries to take advantageby attacking my N, and when I retreat, my K will be, completely exposed. What I didn't realize is that defending means that I have to exchangein such a way that my K side pawn structures are destroyed. So, at thispoint, I felt that I was already lost but am, nowhere near ready to resignbecause something can still pop up, even with an exposed K. } 13. Nh3 Bxh3 14. gxh3 c5 { Thus, Stanley goes on the offense against my K. } 15. Qc3 d5 { And, Stanley continues going for it by forcing an exchange of pawns. As that's the only way for me to avoid exchanging N's, which I'm not readyto do yet, either. } 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Qe5 { Meanwhile, I do what I can toprevent further damage, but it's already too little, too late. I'll continuebeing attacked, until Stanley is able to win a piece without compensation. } 17... Bf6 18. Qe4 Re8 19. Qd3 Nxe3 20. Qxd8 { Thinking that this ended alltroubles, I exchanged Q's. But, Stanley is still going to win a piece. I, at first, thought that better was to retake, right away. However,20.Nxe3, first, wouldn't have helped, as Stanley would forced the exchangeof Q's on d2 before playing this move. And, this is where I know for sure,that white is lost. Against someone of my strength, I wouldn't know sinceI've compensated before, like in my last tournament game. But, againstClass B players and above, once you've lost a piece, there's, generallyspeaking, no going back. As they won't let you get anything back, andit's certainly so here. } 20... Raxd8 21. Nxe3 Rxe3 22. Rab1 { Knowing what I'velost, I decide to protect the pawn that's being attacked by B. } 22... Rd2 { But,it won't do, as Stanley has plans against my K. I didn't realize whathe'd accomplish until the very end. However, it should've rang a bellto me much earlier as it's similar to how easy19 had a mating sequencein our very last game which was a different WTW game, called, 'All yourbase belongs to us'. } 23. c4 { Just figuring that c2 was attacked, I advanceit, but this wasn't necessary, as there's a bigger picture. And, I saythat because of what bhidragon said in my last game against him of seeingthe, overall, picture. In this case, it was mate which I overlooked. But, had I seen it, I would still be lost as I'd be forced to give up,at least, another two pawns. } 23... Ree2 24. Rfc1 { Trying to prevent 24...Rc2,but there were much bigger concerns which is what's happening right now,being the threat. } 24... Rg2+ 25. Kh1 Bd4 { It didn't occur to me, until thisvery move which is why I brought my R to e1 on my next move. I was thinkingthat if Stanley plays 26...Rg1+??, I have an easy answer for that whichwould, of course, be 27.Rxg1 My anticipation was that Stanley would play27...Bxg1, and after 28.Kxg1, I'd be well into the game. In fact, I forgotthat if true, I'd be the one with more then a small advantage, as lateron, I'd answer with Re8! But, I was way too optimistic, as I should'vebeen aware of 26...Rxh2# where he mated me. } 26. Re1 Rxh2# { I forgot whatStanley said, when I asked him where I went wrong. But, I believe he toldme that letting him exchange on h3 where my K became exposed. If so, hewas alluding to 11.d4 which is how it started. And, it was just me beingtoo readisome to exchange pawns, which I've also done before. That's whereI learned that it's not just pieces, but one shouldn't exchange possiblewithout a reason to do so, just because it's possible, either. More important,I should've played 11.f4 which would still exchange pawns. But, it wouldalso leave another option for my N to retreat, where I wouldn't have beenforced to exchange it. In effect, my K would not have gotten exposed,and I wouldn't have been mated since that's what ruined my K side pawnstructures. } 0-1

[Event "Allgaier Gambit - Part 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.11"] [Round "-"] [White "sonata296"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1952"] [TimeControl "5d+5d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1468"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Many moons ago, a Class C player called Fiver playedthe Allgaier Gambit of the KGA and lost. Ardin also tried that on me andmet the same fate. So, how did this happen? Please see the Gameknot Analysislink below:- } 1... e5 2. f4 { 2. f4 - King's Gambit ...... } 2... exf4 { 2. .....exf4 ...... Accepted. } 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 { 4. ..... g4 - fairly standardplay so far but now here comes the ....... } 5. Ng5 { 5. Ng5 ...... AllgaierGambit. This involves sacrificing a piece for two pawns to get the enemyking out into the open. Thankfully, on both occasions the Class C playerstried this on me, Henry managed to find some way of preserving his modestyand I was able to turn the tables on them big time! } 5... h6 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 { 6...... Kxf7 - Ah Henry - he often goes into battle and ends up trying tofind ways of getting new clothing - poor old chappie! } 7. d4 { 7. d4 - GameknotAnalysis recommends Qxg4. } 7... f3 8. gxf3 d5 9. e5 Be7 { 9. ..... Be7 - at last,Fou Lenoir is soon gonna lend Henry his cassock! } 10. fxg4 { 10. fxg4 -Henry looks dangerously exposed to a check from the Wicked Witch of theWest along the f column but he can take a modicum of cover on g7. I alsoland a check of my own. } 10... Bxh4+ 11. Kd2 { 11. Kd2 - now the WK is exposed! } 11... Bg5+ { 11. ...... Bg5+ - at last Henry is afforded some decency on the gcolumn. Ardin's g4 pawn is temporarily anchored on g4. I now have anidea of attacking the WK who exposes himself further on the next turn witha normal developing move such as Nc6. } 12. Kd3 Nc6 13. Qf3+ { 13. Qf3+ -that check comes but I am not afraid of it. Henry also defends the rookon h8 to release Glenda from defending Fou Lenoir on b5 - please note thatmy h6 pawn was hitherto pinned to my h8 rook by Ardin's h1 rook. } 13... Kg7 14. Nc3 { 14. Nc3?? - a reasonable developing move, but it allows a couple ofknight forks to get Yours Truly off to a good start in my Part 2 MT. } 14... Nb4+ 15. Ke2 Nxc2 { 15. ..... Nxc2 - white, who is already a piece down mustnow drop at least a full rook. Ardin moves his bishop to h3 and I do nottake the rook because there is a bigger fish, fit for Henry's table tofry - a white p(r)awn on d4 and the WK must part company with his otherhalf on the next turn. Ardin spares that ill-fated Royal couple the agonyby waving the white flag. I think the Allgaier is playable but white mustbe precise to avoid incurring a calamity, do you the Inquest Jury agree? Anyhow, I hope you have all had a good read. Bye for now - Joanne } 16. Bh3 Nxd4+ 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.11.06"] [Round "-"] [White "rhein"] [Black "reachforgold"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "683"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "765"] 1. e4 { normal } 1... e5 { same } 2. Nf3 { knight out } 2... Nf6 { same } 3. d3 { moves pawns } 3... Bb4+ { check } 4. c3 { blocks } 4... Ba5 { back } 5. d4 { moves pawn } 5... Nxe4 { takes pawn } 6. dxe5 { takes pawn } 6... O-O { castle } 7. Bd3 { moves bishop } 7... Nc5 { moves back } 8. Bc4 { moves bishop } 8... Nc6 { both kinghts out } 9. Bf4 { both bishops out } 9... Ne4 { moves knights } 10. b4 { moves pawn } 10... Bxb4 { white down by 2 } 11. Bg5 { moves bishop } 11... Nxc3 { takes an other pawn } 12. Nxc3 { all minor peices out } 12... Bxc3+ { check } 13. Ke2 { safe } 13... Nxe5 { moves knights } 14. Nxe5 { out of knighta } 14... Qxg5 { how did i get head } 15. g4 { moves pawn } 15... Qxe5+ { check } 16. Kf3 { safe } 16... d5 { wow in shock that i only lost 3 pieces. } 17. Bxd5 { makes that 4 } 17... Bxg4+ { check } 18. Kg2 { safe } 18... c6 { pawn moves } 19. Bc4 { bishop back } 19... Bxd1 { startingto think how can i check mate from here } 20. Rhxd1 { just minor pieces } 20... Qe4+ { check } 21. f3 { puts queen in danger } 21... Qxc4 { 3 pawns 2 rooks and kingto 6 pawns 2 rooks a kking a queen and a bishop } 22. Rac1 { moves rook } 22... Qxa2+ { check } 23. Kg3 { safe } 23... Be5+ { in a state of shock never got this farin a game } 24. f4 { moves pawn } 24... Qa3+ { now i need to find a way to checkmate } 25. Kg4 { safe } 25... c5 { white times out I won. still in shock . A open endingquestion if you were black what would be your mvoes to check mate white } 0-1

[Event "Entrenamiento Maestros, Arica, Chile"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.01.14"] [Round "-"] [White "Hassmett, Daruich"] [Black "Urquiola, Sebastián"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. exd6 exd6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be2 Bf5 9. O-O Nc6 { Alternative variation: 9...d5 10.c5 Nc4 } 10. d5 Nb4 11. Nd4 Bg6 { Alternative variation: 11...Bd7 12.a3 Na6 13.b4 c5 14.dxc6bxc6 } 12. f4 h6 13. f5 Bh7 14. a3 Na6 15. Be3 Nd7 { Alternative variation:15...Bf6 16.Ne4 Be5 } 16. Qd2 Nf6 17. Rf3 Ng4 18. Bf4 c5 19. dxc6 bxc6 20. Rg3 { Alternative variation: 20.Nxc6 Qb6+ 21.Re3 Qxc6 22.Bxg4 } 20... h5 21. Bxg4 { Alternative variation: 21.c5 Nxc5 22.Nxc6 Qd7 23.Nxe7+ Qxe7 24.Bxg4hxg4 25.Bxd6 } 21... hxg4 22. Rxg4 Kh8 23. Kh1 Rc8 24. Bg5 c5 { Alternative variation:24...Bxg5 25.Rxg5 Nc5 } 25. Bxe7 Qxe7 26. Nd5 Qd7 { Alternative variation:26...Qd8 27.f6 } 27. Rxg7 Kxg7 28. Qg5+ Kh8 29. Nf6 Qd8 30. Qh6 Qxf6 31. Qxf6+ Kg8 32. Rf1 Nc7 33. Rf3 Ne8 34. Rg3+ Bg6 35. Qg5 cxd4 36. fxg6 f6 37. Qh6 Rc7 38. Rh3 1-0

[Event "The Annotation Project - An Abrupt Ending"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.06"] [Round "-"] [White "untateve"] [Black "dmaestro"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1463"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1585"] 1. e4 { This game is from the tourney organized by freddy (easy19). Thefirst six moves are thematic. This is my 2nd game against dmaestro. Ifyou scroll down a few games, you can see where he defeated me. } 1... c5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Qxg4 Nxg4 7. Bxf7+ Kd7 8. Be6+ Kc7 { Kc6, I believe, is the better move. Kc7 is going to require an additionalmove otherwise the N is going to land on e6 and fork Black's K and Q. } 9. Bxg4 Qe8 10. Ne6+ { I went Ne6+ simply to stop e7 from moving with theplan to keep Black blocked in. This is avoided with 8...Kc6 because thenBlack can move 9...e6 } 10... Kb6 11. Na3 a6 12. b4 { Up to this point, the movesare straight from the database. } 12... cxb4 { dmaestro strays from the databaseand we're on our own. } 13. Nc4+ { My plan at this point is to develop mypieces (with tempo, if possible) and keep Black's pieces as inactive aspossible. Obviously, this is typically a goal in chess but in this opening,it's particularly important for White. } 13... Ka7 14. Bb2 { Preventing g7 frommoving for the time being. } 14... Nd7 15. Bd4+ { Developing with tempo and stillstriving to keep Black bottled up. So far, so good. } 15... b6 16. O-O { I thoughtlong and hard about this move. I saw no 'killer' move that would bringgasps of awe from the audience. I knew that Nc7 was available but priorto castling, but two of my four pieces on the 4th row were en prise (andthe two that were not were both protected by my N on e6). I figured ifI went Nc7, I'd end up with Black's rook but he'd take my N and likelyanother piece. In addition, freddy has told me that I should play a bitless aggressively and use more pieces to achieve my goals. I also feltthat this might be a good waiting move. } 16... Rb8 { Nc7 is no longer an option. } 17. a3 { I'm wanting to clear some room for my Rooks to get into the attack. } 17... Qc8 18. d3 Nc5 { It's clear to me at this point that we're going to exchangeKnights. I looked at Ne6xc5 but obviously Black takes g4 with his Q andbecomes active. In this opening, White cannot let the Black Q become active. } 19. f5 Nxe6 20. fxe6 { This continues to keep e7 from moving and keeps Blackbottled up. } 20... Rg8 { Well, nothing lasts forever. It's clear that the Bishopwill be loose soon, but I have a little time. } 21. axb4 g6 { With my B andR on the a1-h8 diagonal, I know if I don't move, Black will exchange withme and I'm in no position to exchange and so it's time to move. } 22. Ra2 Bg7 23. Be3 { My thought at this point was to perhaps work Rf1-b1-b3-a3. I didn't know if I'd have time to do all that but I needed a plan. } 23... Kb7 { Well if his King is going to run away, what's the point of bringing Rf1all the way over. I scanned the board looking for some way to apply pressureand came up with Rf7. } 24. Rf7 Bf6 { Bf6? was the first real mistake I sawby either player (of course, you may all feel free to point out the onesI haven't seen). e7 is the only thing keeping my Knight from going tod6 and forking the K and Q. } 25. Rxf6 { Here, Black resigned. The 'materialscore' is even. If I had been Black, I would have played on a bit moreand made White prove that his lead in development was enough to win. Inaddition, any of you who have read my three prior annotations are awarethat I'm capable of spectacular blunders. As always, any and all commentsare welcome. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "03-Jul-07"] [Round "-"] [White "zeroqi"] [Black "shambobala"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 c5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. O-O Nh6 { ...didn't want to muck about with Nf6; e5 and then Nd5 } 8. c3 O-O 9. Bg5 d6 10. f4 { ..this was too early..b2 is hanging now and black hasmomentum with Ng4 to follow... } 10... Qb6+ 11. Kh1 Ng4 12. Bh4 Qxb2 13. Nd2 { ...ithink white should let the pawn go..instead i win the exchange and canforce this quickly to end game... } 13... Ne3 14. Qb1 Qxb1 15. Raxb1 Nxf1 16. Nxf1 Re8 { ..solidify the advantage... } 17. Ne3 Bxc3 18. f5 Bd2 19. Bg5 d5 { ..keep the pressure on... } 20. exd5 Bxe3 21. Bxe3 Bxf5 22. dxc6 { ..bitof a gaff ...black wins a piece ...!! } 22... Bxb1 23. Ba6 Bxa2 24. c7 Be6 { ..usethe advantage again...i can force off more material here... } 25. h4 Bd7 26. Kh2 { ..need to keep the black bishop out of the equation so.... } 26... e5 27. Kg3 Bc8 28. Bb5 Re7 29. Bc6 Rxc7 30. Bxa8 a5 { ...black has the tempowith threats of Rc3... } 31. Bb6 Rc3+ { ...surprise...Rc3 .. } 32. Kf2 a4 { ..white resigns as the pawn will romp home The bishops are offside and have no immediate threats for black to deal with...Bc8 covers a2 withBe6...black can give up the Rook for a1=Q if needs be.... } 0-1

[Event "Fierce Queen vs. Sicilian reprised..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.03.11"] [Round "-"] [White "fiercequeen"] [Black "ribrahim"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1903"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2018"] 1. e4 c5 2. f4 { the sequence 1. e4 c5, 2. f4 is usually classified underB21; Morra Gambit and relatives... this setup mostly leads to versatileplay for white to counter most of Blacks' play; one of the main featuresis the absence of an early d4, to compromise c5... } 2... e6 3. Nf3 d5 { in theSicilian, Blacks' main object is to conquer d5; but at this stage is toosoon... } 4. e5 Nc6 5. Bb5 { under normal circumstances, I would have playedc3, to block Nb4/Nd4, followed by g3, Bg2, 0-0, and start developing...this one works better, since d7 is now on d5... } 5... Qb6 6. a4 a6 { not thebest way to handle this; Nge7 was much to be preferred... } 7. a5 Qc7 { notgood is Qxb5, Nc3, Qb4, Ra4, c4, Rxb4, Bxb4, 0-0, Bxa5, d3! } 8. Bxc6+ Qxc6 9. O-O { Black spent a lot of tempo on that one... } 9... Ne7 10. Nc3 Nf5 11. Na4 Bd7 12. Nb6 { with this last three Knight moves, White has compromisedBlacks' center pawns... it is clear to see here, that after c3 and g4,Black loses the center to d4... } 12... Rd8 13. d3 { mainly to prevent c4 at thisstage, and prepare g4... } 13... Be7 { allows White to postpone c3... Ne7 at thisstage, might have been safer... } 14. g4 { White has a very tiny edge here;after Nd4, f5, h6, Rb1, Nb5, f6 white has the initiative... } 14... Nh4 { not directlya losing move, but clearly a mistake... } 15. Nxh4 Bxh4 16. g5 { sadly enough,this Bishop will spend the rest of this game on h4... } 16... h5 { against directlyQg4; after c4, simply d4... } 17. Rf3 Qc7 18. Qe2 f5 { again, c4 followedby Bb5/Qc5+ was some way out of this... this last desperate attempt tofree Bh4 - exf6, gxf6, gxf6?, Bxf6 - loses instantly... } 19. exf6 e5 { Blackloses control; after Kf7 - covering for g7 - Rh3, gxf6, Rxh4, Bc6, thereis still room to fight... } 20. Nxd5 { White would have played this anyway,with e6 and Ke8 still in place, since the e-pawn is pinned... now, thisKnight will bring mayhem... } 20... Qd6 21. fxg7 Rg8 22. Nf6+ { total devastation... } 22... Kf7 { slightly tougher was Ke7, fxe5, Qc6... } 23. fxe5 Qd4+ { whatever theodds, Qc6, Nxd7+, Ke7, Nf6, Rxg7, Rh3, Rxg5+, Bxg5, Bxg5, looks more promising... } 24. Be3 Qxb2 { best move was Rxg7, followed Bxd4, cxd4 or Nxd7+, Ke7, andsit this out... this will lead straight to mate... } 25. Nd5+ Kxg7 { tougherwas Bf5, Rxf5+, Ke6... } 26. Rf7+ Kxf7 27. Qf3+ { the Fierce Queen is enteringthe building, and all is over; Black resigns... the nicest mate is Ke6,Qf6+, Kxd5, c4 and mate... } 1-0

[Event "King's Indian Fianchetto"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-Sep-07"] [Round "-"] [White "elyhim"] [Black "mercutio"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "2133"] [TimeControl "3d+2d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1835"] { This game is an instructive example of how to handle positions when youcome out of the middle game with an extra pawn. In theory if you are onepawn to the good you should win the game. However, in order to win youmust show superior end game play and practice patience. My plan inthis game was a simple one. My first objective was to steer the game intoquiet waters. I did this by avoiding early exchanges in the centre thatwould open lines for attack. The second phase of my plan was to createa pawn majority on the queen-side by exchanging pieces and pawns on thequeen-side. My desired outcome would be to achieve a mobile connected pastpawns. Finally I would then march these pawns up the board to victory.Lets see how I did, shall we.... } 1. d4 { I chose the quieter Queen pawnopening to steer the game into quieter lines. In so doing I am tradingquick attacking chances for long term gains. Queen pawn games develop quietlyand are more positional by nature. Thus, you will not see quick openingmates very often. } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 { The kings indian is a veryflexible openning system. GMs often use it to steer way from varationsthat they do not wish to play. } 4. Bg2 { fianchettoing this bishop is notmy style. I prefer to develop it to Nc3 or c4. I am a very positionalplayer, I naturally play moves that optimize the potential of my pieces. } 4... d5 5. cxd5 { In the style of Petrosain I opt to release the tension in thecentre immedaitely. } 5... Nxd5 6. Nf3 { I decide to play queitly and opted outof e4 because my centre would be hard to defend. Nc3 is also playable. } 6... O-O 7. Nc3 { In a resent game I had a opponent try Nxc3. I achieved ahuge central pawn phalanx's and when on to win easily. http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl?gm=10358 } 7... c5 { An ambitous move that strikes immedaitely at white's centre. This moveis in the spirit of the Neo-grunfeld defence. } 8. Nxd5 { This removes black'sadvanced knight. } 8... Qxd5 9. O-O { Black has a slight edge in the centre. } 9... cxd4 { This is a very imposing pawn. } 10. Be3 { Aiming to get rid of thepawn. } 10... Qh5 { This is a bit odd. The queen does not exert much influencefrom here. Besides black gives back the pawn for nothing in return. } 11. Nxd4 { regaining the pawn with a temperary plus in position. } 11... e5 { Ok Iwill move! } 12. Nb5 { This forces black a bit. } 12... Nc6 13. Bxc6 { getting ridof my nice fianchetto bishop was not an easy decision but I have seen thatthis isolates C pawn(which black will have to contently defend) and makesadvancing my queen pawns easier in the endgame. This move may have suprisedMercutio abit. } 13... bxc6 { We are now entering the second phase of my overallgame plan. Which is to create a pawn majority on the queen-side. I do thisat the expense of creating a permanate weakness on the light squares. } 14. Nxa7 { going up a pawn and decimating blacks queen-side. } 14... Ba6 { Attackingwhites weak e2 pawn } 15. Re1 { defends against the e2 threat. White canalso try Qc2 } 15... e4 { This clears the lines for black fianchettoed bishop and creates a light square weakness around the king. This pawn becomesa monster. } 16. Nxc6 { White is clearly better. My objective for phasetwo is now complete. Now that I have a clear material advantage I headfor the touch down, by exchanging the remaining pieces. By exchanging myremaining piece for their black counterpart my pawn majority on the queensidebecome increasingly more powerful. } 16... Rfe8 { Black does not like the lookof 17. Ne7 Kh8 18. Bd4 when white's advantage is clear. } 17. Bd4 { Thisis an error. I was looking to forces black to give up the diagonal butI failed to see blacks next move. } 17... e3 { Excellent move that in my hasteI totally missed. This move completely busts open my king and leaves itexposed. This also creates a weakness for black to exploit. This pawn hashad an amazing career } 18. fxe3 { an eye score in an otherwise terrificposition. } 18... Bb7 { With the f pawn diverted to e3 the a8-h8 diagonal causeswhite a few problems. } 19. Rc1 Rac8 20. Bxg7 { ensuring that I have thebishop in the endgame. I can not allow black to have the bishop pair. } 20... Bxc6 21. Qd4 { I give black back the bishop to ensure that it is me whohas the bishop in the endgame. } 21... Qh3 { threatening mate so white is forcedto give back the bishop } 22. Rxc6 Rxc6 { At this point, white enjoys a slightadvantage in space, material and two connected pawns. White is winningbut it will be difficult to convert the past pawns for the win. } 23. Qd5 Qe6 { Black seeks to go straight into the endgame and try his luck there.However, the exchange of queens makes my connected queen side pawns verydangerous. Better in my opinion is Qc8. However, given the fact that Mercutiosees that he is almost 400 points stronger than me he takes his chancesin the end game. But one of the strongest parts of my game is the endgame.Also in my favor is that I have a clear plan for victory. } 24. Qxe6 Rcxe6 { White is clearly better. The endgame is an simple win. } 25. Bd4 Ra8 { Becausewhite has the strong bishop and two connected past pawns black does notstand a chance. All he can hope for is a draw. } 26. Ra1 { White is clearlybetter now. The queenside pawns are major advantage. } 26... f6 { Mercutio hasmajor problems on the queenside. He does not have time to play passivemoves like this one. } 27. a4 { because of Mercutio's timid play I takeadvantage by taking a giant leap toward queening. } 27... Rea6 28. b3 Rb8 29. Ra3 Kf7 30. Kf2 { centralizing your king in the end game is very important. } 30... Ke6 { In the end game it is critical to centralize your king as soon asyou can. } 31. e4 { this prevents black from seizing control of the centrewith his king. } 31... Rc6 32. a5 { Inching closer to queening. This move alsokeeps black's rooks in check. } 32... Ra6 { Black is completely tied down to defencewhite can slowly convert his advantage at his leisure } 33. Bc5 { preparingfor b4 and denying the use of the c file for black. } 33... Kd7 34. b4 { white'srook is now free from defending the A pawn. } 34... Kc6 { Mercutio's king is goingto a walk around the queenside but there is nothing he can do. The pawnsare very secure. } 35. Rf3 { The reason why I played this move over Ke3is that I see that my rook will effect the most influence over the boardfrom this file. If I had played Ke3 my rook would be locked behind my king. I have been studying FWC Petrosain's games and one thing I have beenlearning is to play moves that maximize the potential of your pieces. Inthree moves I will have complete domination over the board. My pieces willbe well centralized and operating at their peak potential. } 35... Kb5 36. e5 { this cleans up my pawn structure as well as creates a third past pawn } 36... fxe5 37. Rf7 { winning back the pawn. } 37... h6 38. Re7 Rf8+ 39. Ke3 { I willcreate another past pawn and black can not defend against them both. } 39... Rff6 40. Rxe5 { The centre is mine all mine! } 40... Kc4 { Mercutio does not likethe idea of my King on d4 } 41. Re4+ { I know have three pawns in the clear,but black still has some fight left. } 41... Kb5 42. Kd3 Rf1 { Black is puttingup a stiff defence but he will eventaully run himself out of useful moves.My game plan now is to win control over the 5th rank. } 43. Re5 Rd1+ 44. Kc2 Rf1 45. Kc3 Ka4 46. h4 Rc1+ 47. Kd3 Kb3 48. Kd4 Rd1+ { black can notallow the white king to walk on to the 5th rank. } 49. Ke3 Rd7 50. Re4 Ka4 51. Re8 Rd5 52. Kf4 { This move threatens to break the 5th rank barrierwith via Re5 } 52... Rf6+ 53. Ke4 Rd2 54. Ke3 Rd1 55. g4 { very slowly I am increasingmy control over the 5th rank. } 55... Rg1 56. Re4 { defending g4. } 56... Kb5 57. Re5 { In order to win this game I must play to force the off the board black'srooks. } 57... Ra6 58. Bf8+ { chipping at black's defensive capablities. By removingthe h pawn black is completely reduced to passive play. } 58... Ka4 59. Re4 Rh1 60. Bxh6 Rxh4 61. Bf8 Rh1 62. Kd4 { Yay! I finally break into the fifthrank. Now my king can eventually support my pawns to the end. } 62... Rf1 63. Be7 { my bishop is totally dominating the rooks. } 63... Rd1+ 64. Ke5 { the invisablebarrier on the 5th rank has finally been broken. White's victory is ensurednow. } 64... Rd7 65. Kf4 { leaving the bishop on d7 cuts black off from the kingside. } 65... Rd5 { this attempt to prevent Kg5 but there is nothing black cando stop it. } 66. Re5 { The exchange would make life easy for white. } 66... Rd7 67. Bc5 Rc7 68. Rd5 { preparing to advance the e pawn. } 68... Rf6+ 69. Ke5 { andblack resigns. } *

[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.08.04"] [Round "-"] [White "ibrodsky"] [Black "mokru"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d3 { !? } 4... Be7 5. Be2 { White's position isvery cramped, but can black take advantage? Black is not quite so cramped,but he is not mobile enough to take advantage yet. } 5... O-O 6. O-O c5 { ! Constrainsd4 and moves play along familiar waters. } 7. h3 { I suspect white is anglingfor kingside expansion, but all the same I like those lines. } 7... Be6 8. Nbd2 Qd7 9. Kh2 { The bishop sacrifice was at the edges of my mind, but he rulesit out, or rather guarantees it will be a real sacrifice. } 9... Ne8 10. Ng1 f5 { Probably premature as black cannot hold the square. } 11. exf5 Bxf5 { If Rxf5, then Bg4! } 12. Ne4 d5 { ! } 13. Ng3 { A good move, but it is almostthe only move: Ng5 meets h6, and Nd2 seems terrible. } 13... Bg6 { Thinking I maywant e6 for her majesty. } 14. Bg4 { That and Be6 would meet this move whenblack's pieces become tied to defensive posts. } 14... Qd6 { Defending the squareand removing the queen from immediate and further harrassment from thelight-square bishop. } 15. c4 { This is either interesting or dubious. Whiteclearly has plans for e6 too. } 15... dxc4 16. dxc4 Nc6 { After 17.Qxd6 Nxd6, 18.Be6+only seems annoying rather than strong. } 17. Qe1 { He reacts to an ideaI probably would have played but had not evaluated because I did not expectit: 17.Qe2 Bd3! And the white replies seem to hover around +2. } 17... Nd4 18. Be3 { Completely reasonable. There are times when you crave sound play;this wasn't one of them. } 18... Nf6 19. Bxd4 { There are times when we say morethan we mean and there are times when we mean more than we say; Black cantake the bishop pair and probably should have: 19...Nxg4+ 20.hxg4 exd4. } 19... exd4 20. Be6+ Bf7 { And sometimes we say what we seem to mean exactly: White can deprive black of the bishop pair. } 21. Bxf7+ { And does becaused5 was well covered. } 21... Rxf7 22. Rd1 Nh5 { ! It's a good idea, but even asI played it I wondered if I let the cat out of the bag too soon. } 23. Kh1 { Black can win the pawn even with this maneuver; Rd3 is a reasonable response. } 23... Nxg3+ 24. fxg3 Rxf1 25. Qxf1 Qxg3 26. Nf3 Rf8 { ! } 27. Qe2 { Again Rd3 seemscalled for. Black wants to move the bishop to d6 anyway. } 27... Bd6 28. Qe6+ Kh8 29. Rf1 { White has to be very careful here. Black wants the knightgone. Black forestalls because of two squares that the white queen guards:e1 and e8. Black not preparing for the white initiative around e8: 29...Rxf3?30.Qe8+! (30...Rf8 31.Rxf8+ Bxf8 32.Qxf8#) 30...Bf8 31.Rxf3 Qxf3 32.gxf3Kg8 ends badly. White abandoning the e1 and e8 squares: 30.Qd5 Rxf3 31.Rxf3?Qe1+ 32.Rf1 Qxf1# } 29... h6 30. b3 b6 { That white queen! It seems like whitemay be able to draw: 30...Rxf3 31.Qe8+ Kh7 32.Qe4+ } 31. Re1 Rxf3 32. Qc8+ { ? Loses the draw; just plain loses. Qe8+, Qe4+ or black wins. } 32... Kh7 { Whiteresigns. } 0-1

[Event "Bigger Game Afoot"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.31"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "rafabio"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1547"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1839"] 1. e4 { Team Match, I'm playing white and begin with the open game. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { Old Phil. } 3... exd4 4. Qxd4 { I've been lately having lotsof fun with this move, and probably will continue to do so until I getput in my place for it. } 4... Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Bxc6 { Black always attacks,white always pins, black always breaks, white always captures. } 6... Bxc6 7. Nc3 { But now the white queen is relatively safe out there, domiating thecenter. } 7... Be7 8. Qxg7 { Oops, a bit of a blunder that. 7. ... Be7? lets thatdomating queen capture a pawn and wreck black's kingside. } 8... Bf6 9. Qg3 Qe7 10. O-O { Indirectly defending the pawn on e4. If black plays 10. ... Bxe4?,white responds with 11. Nxe4 and now if 11. ... Qxe4?? white wins black'squeen with 12. Re1, skewering her to her king. } 10... O-O-O 11. Nd2 { 11. Re1seemed a more progressive defense of the pawn at e4, but I also worriedabout 11. ... Bxc3 and wanted the white queen to be able to recapture. } 11... Bxc3 12. Qxc3 { See? Now not 12. ... Bxe4? losing the rook on h8 to 13.Qxh8. } 12... Nf6 13. f3 Kb8 14. Nc4 d5 15. Bg5 { No time for the en prise knight,there's bigger game afoot. } 15... Qc5+ 16. Kh1 d4 17. Qd2 { Black is getting tiresome.His discovered attack against the white queen exposes an attack by hisqueen against the white bishop on g5. Only one move can save them both.The knight at c4 is still en prise, but that is of no consequence at themoment. } 17... Rhe8 18. Bxf6 { 17. ... Rhe8 was a mistake that costs black theexchange. However, he had little better, though 17. ... Qe7 defends theblack knight at f6, but leaves the knight pinned and vulnerable to attack,such as with 18. Qf4. } 18... Rd7 19. Na5 { Rescuing the white knight. } 19... Rd6 20. Nb3 Qh5 21. Bxd4 { Rescuing the white bishop. All is good, white won a freepiece and another pawn. } 21... Qg6 22. Qf2 { Unpinning the white bishop with athreat against the black pawn at a7. } 22... b6 23. Qg3 Qxg3 24. hxg3 { Queensoff the board limits black's counterplay. } 24... Bd7 25. Be3 Be6 26. Rad1 Bxb3 27. cxb3 { More exchanges favoring white's material advantage. } 27... Rxd1 28. Rxd1 { Ditto } 28... Re5 29. Bf4 Rh5+ 30. Kg1 Kb7 31. Rd7 { Forking two pawns. } 31... Rc5 32. Rxf7 Rc2 33. Rxc7+ { Enough is enough. Sure, this loses material,but it forces black to trade off his last piece, leaving white a huge majorityof 7 pawns vs. 3 pawns. } 33... Rxc7 34. Bxc7 Kxc7 35. Kf2 { King to the centerto promote a pawn. } 35... Kd6 36. f4 a5 37. Ke3 Ke6 38. Kd4 Ke7 39. Ke5 { Opposition,supporting two passed pawns. Black's pawns on the flanks are going nowhere.With nothing left to play for, black resigned. } 1-0

[Event "A Violent Sacking"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "11/10/11"] [Round "-"] [White "Matt Boren"] [Black "David X. Vasquez"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1941 USCF"] [TimeControl "G/30"] [WhiteElo "1470 USCF"] { This was at a weekend club tournament. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 { The Sicilian Dragon setup. } 5. Bb5 { I like this better than5.Bc4 because ...e6 blocks the bishop. } 5... Nd4 6. O-O Nxb5 7. Nxb5 d6 8. d3 Nf6 9. Nc3 { Saving a tempo. } 9... O-O 10. e5 { I was considering 10.Qe1 at thetime, and now I think that would have been better. The threat would beQh4, f5, and Bh6, and then probably Ng5. 10.e5 seems premature to me now. } 10... dxe5 11. fxe5 { Forcing a knight retreat and opening the bishop's diagonal. } 11... Nd5 12. Re1 h6 { I thought he was going to try ...g5 (with ...g4) afterthis, but he never did. } 13. Ne4 { Attacking the pawn, heading for g3,and prepping c3 and then d4 to protect the pawn. I ditch this idea laterbecause it creates too many weaknesses for me. } 13... Qc7 14. Ng3 Rd8 { He hashis sights set on my many weaknesses: the square on d4 and the pawn one5, primarily. I have to be careful, and my time is running out (I thinkI had about 15 minutes left out of 30 here). } 15. Bd2 Bg4 { Pinning theknight. Now Qe2 is the only move that works to any degree. } 16. Qe2 Rac8 17. Qe4 { My only hope of wriggling out of this hold he's got me in is tocreate some sort of counter-play. This move is my attempt. } 17... Be6 { I thinkI would have exchanged on f3, to keep the initiative. Now I get some counter-play. } 18. Qh4 Nb4 { Here I thought longer than I did at any other point in thegame. The problem is: can I justify taking his h6 pawn? I'll definetlylose the exchange if I do. I don't, he'll probably try something like...c4, breaking down my pawn structure and keeping me on the defensive. } 19. Bxh6 { I decide to try it. If it doesn't work, at least I made afight of it. } 19... Nxc2 20. Ng5 { Taking aim at h7. } 20... Bxe5 { A very clever move. He can't afford to let me exchange (21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Qh7+ and mate next). } 21. Nxe6 { With the plan of moving to g5 next move, attacking the pawn andthe bishop. It doesn't work out like I planned, however... } 21... fxe6 22. Qg5 Bd4+ { Darn. } 23. Kh1 Nxe1 { Well, I guess I get the pawn anyway. } 24. Qxg6+ Kh8 25. Rxe1 { This position is very complex. Threats along the firstrank by black are covered by my d3 pawn and g3 knight. I'm down the exchange,but does my attack have enough sting to bring down the beast? } 25... Rg8 { I wouldgive this move a question mark. It allows me to attack his king more easily,as he is hemmed in by the rook. } 26. Qxe6 Qd6 27. Qh3 { !!! Now it'sover. I threaten 28.Bf4+, taking the queen. } 27... Qg6 28. Rxe7 { resigns. } 1-0

[Event "League division D2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27-Mar-07"] [Round "-"] [White "nathanman22"] [Black "bobster38"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1465"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1426"] 1. e4 { Was asked to annotate this game for the purpose of improvement byNathan. He says he GAMBITED a bunch and it paid off. I believe he meantthat he countered a bunch. Its always nice to have some contempt towardsthe opponent. In other words, don't always reply as he wishes. If you do,then he simply controls the entire game with initiative and momentum. } 1... c5 { Sicilian Defense } 2. Bc4 { Bishops Opening for white. The trouble withbringing the bishop to c4 prior to black playing e5 is that now black canplay e6 and have the bishop bite on a chain of pawns. } 2... e6 { Guess blackknew this! } 3. Nc3 { Continueing with the normal Italian developement. } 3... Nc6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 { White trying to open the game up. } 5... cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bb4 { Pinning the Knight to the king and prepares to castle. } 7. Nb5 { Gettingcreative: defending the c3 knight, if black plays BxN then NxN preventingdoubling of the pawns if white replied PxN. Also eyeing the juicy squared6 for the knight. } 7... a6 { Shoe horsey!!! What black could have done hereis a tactic common in games with B at c4. That being 7...... Nxe4, 8. Nxe4oh! wait white can't reply that way due to the pin. The tactic would continue-8.d5 forking white. So the bestmove for black is 7.......Nxe4 defends d6 and 8.Qd3 or 8.Qe2 is met byd5. If 8. Bd3 then black plays Nxc3 and white either replies bxc3 or (Nxc3then Bxc3 followed by bxc3 anyway). This leaves white with double isolatedpawns = a major weakness. Even 7.....O-O is better for Black on 7.....Nxe4,Qf3 or e2 or g4 is okay for black as the knight capture is again met withthe d5 fork. } 8. Nd6+ { If BxN then white plans QxN and black has a crampedposition and unable to castle either side. So black forfeits castling bymoving the king. Initiative to white still. } 8... Ke7 { Kf8 safer place. } 9. e5 { Guarding the knight but Bf4 was stronger as it gets another piece intothe fray. } 9... Ne8 { Why not 9.....Nxe5 its hanging and the initiative goesback to black as the bishop at c4 is under attack. Maybe this is what Nathanmeant by gambiting. A true gambit gives up material for either the iniativeor position and is usually part of an opening series of moves. } 10. Bg5+ { The best here. Gets another piece into the fray. } 10... f6 { The only move asmoving the king is fatal to the queen. } 11. Qf3 { Stopping fxg5 as thenQf6 is mate. } 11... Bxd6 { Trying to simplify things. Here black missed a strongmove (Nxe5) this forces the queen to move and also guard the hanging bishopat c4. After the queen moves to e2 then white still has two pieces in jeopardy,the knight at d6 and the bishop at g5. } 12. exd6+ Nxd6 13. Nd5+ Kf7 { Afterthings simplify more, black decides not to take at d5. This again is amistake as after the knight capture white will also lose another pieceas two are still in peril. Black would have the two knights to block inthe open position. } 14. Bf4 { Saving the bishop and attacking the knightbut this forces the knight to move or be guarded. What better place thenc4, capturing a piece. I liked Bb3 here for move 14. as exd5 is met byBxd5 and check. getting a pawn at least for the piece and opening the frontdoor for an attack. } 14... Nxc4 15. O-O-O { White could of moved the knight backto c3 or e3 but would be a piece down and black could play R to e/ f 8and then K to g1 a type of false castling. Black also had a strongcandidate move in 15.....Qa5 starting an attack of his own which requireswhite to react and give up his attack for the moment. Intiative to Black. Black must have seen 15....exd5, 16. Qxd5 with check and the loss ofthe c4 knight. } 15... e5 { A counter to whites attack. } 16. Qb3 { A miscalculationfor white. } 16... N4a5 { This again puts two pieces in trouble for white. } 17. Qb6 { Offering to trade queens and then gets to back-off the bishop afterQxQ,NxQ,rook moves. } 17... Qxb6 { Ouch! black didn't need to give in to whitesplan as exf4 is fine due to the rook guarding the queen. } 18. Nxb6 Ra7 19. Be3 { Now white is looking much better. White is down a piece but hasthe discovered attack on the rook yet to play. Rook to b8 was called foras it would of prevented this. Leaving the rooks on the back rank and ableto be connected is usually good. } 19... Nd4 { Blocking the tactic. } 20. c3 { Removingthe blocker. } 20... Nf5 21. Nxc8 Nxe3 22. Rxd7+ { An intermezzio (inbetween move)that helps white greatly. Gets the rook out of trouble and allows the captureof the black rook. } 22... Ke6 { Was Ke8 better? } 23. Rd6+ { 23.Re7 is strongeras it flushes the king out from behind his pawn wall to f5. Kd5 allowsRd1 and gets another heavy piece into the mix for white. } 23... Kf7 24. Nxa7 { Finally whites plan is done. He is now ahead in material, the differenceof a rook vs. knight. } 24... Nxg2 25. Rg1 Nc4 { Offering rook for rook. } 26. Rd7+ { Don't think so! } 26... Ke6 27. Rxb7 Nf4 28. Rgxg7 { Taking the g pawn earliermaybe not such a good idea now. White has two connected rooks on the 7thrank, a real strong battery. } 28... Kf5 29. Nc6 Ng6 30. Rxh7 { Its free. } 30... Rxh7 { When behind in material and you trade pieces it makes for more of a differencein compareable strenghts. Say 11 vs 13 is better than 8 vs 6. The fewerpieces the least trouble you can generally make for your opponent. } 31. Rxh7 Kg5 32. Ne7 Nxe7 { This gives white a won game. I would prefer Nf4as the two knights can be troublesome at times. Again trading pieces makesthe difference more noticable. } 33. Rxe7 { White is ahead in material andhas a simple win ahead. In hindsight: black had several chances to equalizeand even pull ahead. Black just missed more things than white did. HopeI was clear in my annotations and this was instructive. } 1-0

[Event "Another opening disaster"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.13"] [Round "-"] [White "dmaestro"] [Black "rjacobs"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1618"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1474"] 1. c4 { dmaestro opens with one of the most reliable and, usually, solidopenings, the English Opening. } 1... e5 { After reading an impressive game hereon Gameknot, I decided to adopt the same approach, a Sicilian with coloursreversed. This abandons my habitual King's Indian response, so I'm innew territory here. My recent opening experiments have been unsuccessful,so fingers are well and truly crossed. } 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bb4 { The mostsuccessful Black move in this position, according to the database, notthat I have much faith in the statistics therein. Too often I choose whatlooks like the most successful line only to discover that my opponent choosesa continuation that gives him a much higher winning percentage... } 4. Bg2 O-O { Black has castled in only four moves. Now he cna concentrate on attackingWhite's relatively undeveloped position. } 5. Qc2 { Avoids doubled pawnsif Black decides to swap on c3 and develops the Q, which eyes h7, but doesnothing to help the King castle. } 5... Re8 { Lining up behind the e-pawn witha longer-term view at hitting the King or the KN if it comes to f3 in anormal developing move. } 6. Nf3 Nc6 { deprives White's KN of the d4 square } 7. O-O h6 { and now deprives it of the g5 square } 8. Rd1 e4 { forcing theN either to retreat to d1 or to the rim on h4 } 9. Ne1 Bxc3 { The pawn one4 was attacked by three pieces and only defended by two, so this moveremoves one of the attackers and diverts one of the others. } 10. Qxc3 d5 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Qc2 Nd4 { Forks the Q and the pawn on e2, which cannotbe defended. White's back row is in disarray and Black's knights are dominatingthe whole board. } 13. Qb1 Nxe2+ 14. Kh1 Qf6 { and White had had enough. } 0-1

[Event "Knight v Bishop endgame"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.02.20"] [Round "-"] [White "strsljen"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1764"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1753"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Here is another knight endgame and this is going tobe quite a marathon. 70 moves are to be played in this one. Here is thegameknot analysis -enjoy! http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=26564274&fb=1&rnd=0.24557254462093247 } 1... e5 2. Bc4 { 2. Bc4 - in response to a double king pawn opening we have theBishop's Opening. } 2... Bc5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. O-O Nf6 { 4. .... Nf6 - both playersbring out their pieces quickly. } 5. d3 d6 6. c3 { 6. c3 - beginning to looklike a Guicco Piano by transposition. } 6... O-O 7. b4 Bb6 8. a4 a6 { 8. .....a6 - uh oh! Better create a bolt hole for Fou Lenoir! } 9. Na3 Qe7 10. h3 Be6 { 10. ..... Be6 - clearing the decks and preparing a bishop trade. } 11. Bb3 Bxb3 12. Qxb3 Rae8 13. Re1 Qe6 14. Qc2 { 14. Qc2 - hmm - white declinesa queen trade. I smell a possible threat of Qxh7# way way down the line. I now play the prophylactic h6 to prevent a knight from landing on g5. } 14... h6 15. Bb2 Ne7 16. Rad1 Ng6 { 16. ..... Ng6 - that pin on the f2 pawn couldbe useful for a possible kingside mating attack from yours truly. MaybeI could provoke a few weaknesses in white's castled position and that h3pawn could suddenly become vulnerable if I can put my knight on f4 likeI did in the Chorba game two annotations ago. That game ended with Chorbacopping Old Matey. } 17. Nc4 Ba7 18. Ncd2 Nf4 { 18. .... Nf4 - nacht. } 19. Nf1 N6h5 20. Ne3 Qg6 { 20. ...Qg6 - yup, just like the Chorba game onlyit is Glenda on g6 and not a rook. } 21. Kh1 Bxe3 { 21. .... Bxe3 - threateningmate on g2. } 22. fxe3 Ne6 23. Qf2 { 23. Qf2 - the WQ defends. } 23... Ng5 24. Nh4 Qh7 { 24. .... Qh7 Glenda manoeuvres herself into a defensive position butnot for long! } 25. Nf5 g6 26. Ng3 Nxg3+ 27. Qxg3 Ne6 28. c4 Ng7 { 28. ....Ng7 - start of a regrouping. } 29. d4 f6 30. Qf2 g5 31. Qf3 h5 { 31. .....h5 - threatening to open up the WK by playing g4. } 32. Bc1 g4 33. Qg3 Qxe4 { 33. ...... Qxe4 - Glenda comes out of hiding and turns white's e4 pawninto dust. She also defends the pawn on g4. } 34. Qf2 gxh3 35. Kh2 hxg2 36. Qxg2 Qxg2+ 37. Kxg2 { 37. Kxg2 - a queen trade but the plethora of exchangesare not over yet. Notice that the mating attack has forced white to debunk2 pawns. } 37... exd4 38. exd4 Rxe1 39. Rxe1 Re8 40. Rxe8+ Nxe8 41. d5 Kg7 { 41.Kg7 - we are now in a N v B endgame with me 2 pawns up but with still somework to do. } 42. Kf3 Kg6 43. Be3 f5 44. Ba7 b6 { 44. .... b6 - trying totrap the white bishop but alas it does not succeed. } 45. a5 bxa5 46. bxa5 Kf6 47. Kf4 Kg6 { 47. .... Kg6 - it looks as though I am going nowhere butwith a 2 pawn advantage I am loathe to hit the offer draw button. I willbe patient and wait for white to make an error. } 48. Bf2 Nf6 49. Bh4 Ne4 50. Be1 { 50. Be1 - I expected Bd8 leading to a queenside pawn trade. } 50... Nc5 51. Bg3 Nd3+ 52. Kf3 f4 { 52. .... f4 - I am prepared to give back one ofmy pawns to try and get white into a lost K&P ending. } 53. Bh4 Kf5 { 53...... Kf5 - white chooses to keep the pieces on. Henry now gives my passedpawn on f5 some support. } 54. Bd8 Ne5+ 55. Ke2 Nxc4 56. Bxc7 { 56. ....Bxc7 - now the c pawns are traded off. Henry is also eyeing up a whitep(r)awn on d5. I must remind you that prawns are Henry's special dishno matter on what platter and how they are served up. } 56... Ke5 57. Kf3 Ne3 58. Bxd6+ Kxd6 59. Kxf4 Nxd5+ { 59. ..... Nxd5+ - the white bishop is sacrificedto try and prevent my pawns reaching Glendadom. However, there are stilltwo black pawns on the board and only one white one. I also have an extrapiece. } 60. Kg5 Nc3 { 60. ..... Nc3 - this knight will cut off the WK fromapproaching b1. } 61. Kxh5 Kc5 62. Kg4 Kb5 63. Kf3 Kxa5 { 63. ..... Kxa5- yum yum! } 64. Ke3 Kb4 65. Kd2 Kb3 { 65. .... Kb3 - now Henry cuts offthe WK from c2. My a pawn is now has a clear run to Glendadom. } 66. Kc1 a5 67. Kd2 a4 68. Kc1 { 68. Kc1 - it must be beginning to dawn on whitethat he cannot cut off my a pawn. } 68... a3 69. Kd2 a2 70. Kd3 a1=Q { 70.......a1/Q - However, with this move the mere sight of Glenda induces white towave the white flag. I will have another endgame for you to peruse shortly. Kind regards - Joanne } 0-1

[Event "Good Looking Attack Goes Wrong"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "15-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "homyak"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1594"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1509"] 1. e4 { 54th GK Tournament, I play white. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { The RuyLopez. } 3... d6 4. d4 { The Steinitz Defense and white's main line reply. } 4... exd4 5. Qxd4 { Black's 4th move 4. ... exd4 is not in my Ruy Lopez book - heck,the Steinitz Defense only gets about 1 page out of the whole book. } 5... Bd7 6. Bxc6 { Seems almost forced. } 6... Bxc6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Bg5 { Developing. Allseems good so far. } 8... Be7 9. O-O-O { I liked queenside because it puts myrook directly on d1 and the half-open file, and I'm expecting black togo kingside which leaves open the possibility of pawn advances againsthis castled position. } 9... h6 10. Bf4 Nh5 11. Bd2 { Poor bishop is feeling nolove. } 11... Qd7 12. h3 Bf6 13. Qd3 { Now the queen feels no love. } 13... a5 14. g4 Bxc3 15. Qxc3 { If 15. Bxc3, black can find a nice little hole in my positionwith 15. ... Nf4. } 15... Nf6 16. e5 { 16. ... dxe5 seems to open up a whole bunchof trouble for black. White can recapture with check, or with the knightto put pressure on c6 and f7 while attacking black's queen. Also, the possibilityof Bxh6 while discovering the rook attack on black's queen is dangerousfor black, too. Meanwhile, black's knight and pawn are both under attack. } 16... Ne4 17. Qe3 { To defend the f2 pawn against black's knight, preventing thefork. } 17... O-O 18. exd6 { Black diffused the pressure in the center by castling,but now I get to wreck his pawn structure a little. } 18... cxd6 19. Rhe1 { Blackrecaptured at d6 with his pawn, which seemed needlessly destructive ofhis pawn structure when 18. ... Nxd6 would have been cleaner. I guess helikes that advanced knight where it is. } 19... Nxd2 20. Rxd2 { Now the weak pawnon d6 looks ripe for an attack. } 20... Rfe8 21. Qf4 { Continuing the attack. Asit turns out, this was premature and it cost me. A good looking attackgoes wrong. } 21... Rxe1+ 22. Nxe1 Qe6 23. Nf3 { Black threatened my unprotectedknight on e1. It had to be saved. } 23... Qxa2 24. Rxd6 { So much for winning apawn at d6. This was just an exchange, and now black's weakness has evaporatedand I've gained no material for it. If I had played a little more conservatively,shored up my pawns (or maybe just got Kb1 in there early enough), thenwent after d6, I might have eventually won the d6 pawn. } 24... Qa1+ 25. Kd2 Qxb2 26. Ne5 { And now I'm down by a pawn with nothing to show for it. } 26... Be8 27. g5 { Here's a blunder. Looks like a pawn exchange to open up black's castle.But it's just a pawn commiting pointless suicide. } 27... hxg5 28. Qd4 { I couldnot recapture the pawn on g5. If 28. Qxg5, black will play 28. ... Qb4 forking my king and rook. As it is, my queen is attacked by the pawn shecannot capture so she must move. Most of her options allow black to forkthe rook, so I see no alternative but to trade queens - deadly when I'mdown by two pawns. } 28... Qxd4+ 29. Rxd4 a4 30. Kc3 { Black's pawn is racing forpromotion and must be stopped. Seems like my king and rook can team upon him if he advances too far. } 30... a3 31. Rd1 Ba4 32. Ra1 { Nothing much forit. Black's next moves are obvious, but the a-pawn must be stopped. } 32... Rc8+ 33. Kb4 Bxc2 34. Rxa3 { I have prevented the promotion, but I'm still downby two pawns. Black has his passed pawn on b7 that I must prevent frompromoting, and he has a 3 to 2 pawn advantage on the kingside. Worse, mykingside pawns are isolated and cannot support each other. There is onlyone way this game can end, so rather than drag it out, I choose to resign. } 34... Be4 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.11.24"] [Round "-"] [White "kaspanatola"] [Black "sr_ajedrez"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1828"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1936"] 1. d4 { the game was lively with several exchanges, at some point I gotto keep the bishop pair against black's N+B, but still black had more spaceand some chances in the centre... unfortunately black resigned } 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 { Queens Indian Defence - Modern main line } 5. Nbd2 Bb7 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 { slightly weakening the black squares,but my king is already on the other wing, and my bishop on b2 should beenough compensation } 8... d5 9. Bb2 Nbd7 10. Ne5 c5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Rc1 Re8 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 { N already played twice here was Qxd7, with two loses forblack 13...Qxd7 14.dxc5 bxc5 15. Bxf6 gxf6 accepting a worst pawn structurein Thejkumar M S (IND) - Arun Karthik R (IND), Mumbai (India); 2008; or13...Qxd7 14.dxc5 bxc5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 losing a pawn after 16.Ne4 (the d5pawn is pinned) 16...Be7 17.Nxc5 Bxc5 Rxc5 in Araque Rafael (COL) - MoralesJavier (PER), Cali (Colombia), 1999. } 14. dxc5 { with my reply to Nxd7black has to chose between an isolated d pawn or connected central pawnsbut allowing white some initiative against black's pawns, namely the d5pawn which is pinned by my g2 bishop } 14... bxc5 { black opts by the connectedcentral, probably the best choice, as the isolated pawn would be an easytarget for my pieces } 15. Nc4 { profiting from the pin on the d5 pawn, ifdxc3 Bxb7 } 15... Nb6 { ? black needed Nf6 to control d5, if Nf6 then d5 wouldhave three defenders the queen that would not had been blocked by the knightthe bishop and the knight on f6, after Nb6? black blocks his queen fromdefending the a5 square and now I can force the exchange of a knight bya bishop, the d5 pawn is defended by Nb6 but new opportunities arise forwhite } 16. Na5 { if Ba6 or Bc8 then Nc6 will gain a tempo with the attackon the queen and exchanges knight by bishop latter on } 16... Ba6 { Bc8 has thesame reply } 17. Nc6 { with tempo, forking queen and bishop } 17... Qd6 18. Nxe7+ { and from now on white will have the bishop pair, plus the open characterof the position and black having three pawn islands allows me to believeI can convert in to a won endgame } 18... Rxe7 { ! black wants to double his rookson the e column but my e pawn can be easily defended, plus with Ba3 I willhave counter-play against blacks c pawn } 19. Re1 { defending the e pawn,now black has both Rc8 with the idea of doubling rooks behind his pawnsor Re8 to keep with the plan started by 18.Rxe7, anyway I still have e3or Ba3 } 19... Rae8 20. Ba3 { aimed at Qd6 and Re7... black resigned here (?) } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from slavisa"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.24"] [Round "-"] [White "slavisa"] [Black "saco10"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1636"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1653"] 1. e4 { King pawn opening } 1... d5 { Scandinavian defence... Something Saco usuallydon't play against me, so this game is so much more interesting becauseof unexpected moves } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 { Lasker variation ended with Nf3 } 3... Bg4 { I thought with this move it would be exchange with double pawn onF file where it would be vulnerable against knights, so I moved my expectedmove next... } 4. Be2 h6 { h6 was surprise for me, but after a short thinkingI decided to play as I usually play when Saco is passive and open my pieces } 5. b3 Qe6 { Queen e6 was again to double F file pawns, but this time withoutqueen exchange } 6. O-O { On that move I replied with quick castling andfrom now I felt I will be ready to attack very soon as his queen is opento my attacks } 6... Qf6 { Qf6 only gave me option to open my knight, but I wasthinking about c3 or d4, which for some reason I didn't like and as hisqueen is still out I felt I can use my small pieces to attack quicker } 7. Nc3 c6 { once again, c6 was total surprise to me... Only logical explanationis if I play Nd5, but there I would lose rook instantly... } 8. Bb2 e6 { withthis move queen was able to move back to square 1! } 9. h3 Bf5 10. Re1 Qg6 { Queen on g6 was bad move as there was answer on next move... } 11. Nh4 Qf6 12. Nxf5 { This was my chance to take bishop and terminate 2 bishopsstrength later in the game where they would become powerful. } 12... Qxf5 13. Bg4 { When I played this move I was thinking on sacrifice on e6, but I washoping Saco will play queen far away } 13... Qf6 { I had to work my way to removehis queen from e6 pawn... } 14. Na4 Qg5 15. Re5 { Re5 attacking open queenand his queen was slowly running out of safe squares... One idea was ifhe plays it to f6 then Rxe6+ and taking queen for rook and bishop, but... } 15... Qf4 16. g3 Qb4 { This was only safe square and it appeared far away fromking... } 17. Bxe6 { After long thinking about possibilities here, I finallydecided to gambit my bishop... Weighing certain loss of this game if Iwas unsuccessful in my combination... } 17... fxe6 { After he took that bishopI knew I had to play my queen in and best one was with a check } 18. Qh5+ Kd8 { If Saco played e7 it would result in another sacrifice, but this timewould be rook and I felt exciting about prospects of this game, but hemoved away } 19. Rxe6 { I had to take this valuable pawn from centre andperhaps hope for Qe8#, but Saco is not bad player to miss such a threat } 19... Ne7 { Here he opened knight but I felt bishop there would be better andknight should go to f6 } 20. a3 { I wanted to open d6 square } 20... Qb5 { Saco offeredexchange, but being one piece down, I couldn't afford to take it and easehis situation } 21. Rd6+ Nd7 22. Nc5 { With this move I felt I am gettingquality back and retaining strong attack on his king } 22... Kc8 23. Qe8+ { Naturalmove and here I feel I am having winning game... } 23... Kc7 24. Rxd7+ { I thoughtif I take this piece with queen I would lose my momentum and my rook would'tbe as useful, so I attacked with rook, leaving my queen to take his rookif desired next, or... } 24... Kb6 { Only square he can move his king } 25. Rxb7+ { From here, he had 2 options... Kxc5 and my move would be taking queenwith another check or Ka5 and again lossing queen with check } 25... Kxc5 26. Rxb5+ { Finally his queen is gone and I can take his rook after this move... } 26... cxb5 27. Qxa8 { From here all of his remaining pieces were blocked or pinned } 27... Rg8 { I guess this move was to move pinned pawn away and open bishop thereattacking my queen, yet... } 28. Re1 { It is time to move in my final artillerypiece in and try to work out mate soon, especially as all of his piecesare in awkward positions } 28... Nc6 29. d4+ { Looks like pawn check was finalmove of this magnificent attacking game... Not because I won, but becausemy opponent's mistakes made this game attractive } 1-0

[Event "An English with 4.d4 plus some strategy and tactics"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.06"] [Round "-"] [White "ChessKnave"] [Black "Computer - FH002"] [Result "1-0"] { Themes: exchange sacrifice, tactical threats, applied tactics, makingstrong moves. I use the traditional annotation symbols, and --> indicatesa target, -/-> counterplay against a target, ^ with the idea of. } 1. c4 { -/-> d5 } 1... c5 2. Nf3 { -/-> e5 } 2... Nf6 { --> d5 } 3. Nc3 { --> d5 } 3... Nc6 { -->e5 } 4. d4 { !? Activating the position, opens. } 4... cxd4 5. Nxd4 { +/== Whitehas just a little better position. } 5... e6 { --> d5 } 6. Bf4 { !? Taking thefight to c7. } 6... d5 { ?! Short-sighted, missing the Nc7 theme, but perhapswith hopes of a queen trade to reduce the build up of forces, ...Nxd4 looksbetter. } 7. Ndb5 { ! +/- ^ Nc7+ fork to gain a rook. } 7... Ke7 { I am not sureif there is a better way to handle the threat than the text move. An alternateline is lesser, (7...e5 8.cd ef4 9.dc6 Qd1+ 10.Rd1 Rb8 (10...bc? 11.Nc7+!) Na7) } 8. cxd5 { Tearing down the walls, not letting the opportunityslip away. } 8... Nxd5 9. Nxd5+ { Maintains the bishop by this exchange. } 9... Qxd5 10. Qa4 { !? Trying to stir up some good counterplay, this move saves theknight, avoids a queen trade, enables Nc7! } 10... Kd8 { ?? Walks into a terribleskewer. } 11. Rd1 { ++/- } 11... Bb4+ { An attempt to distract in hopes of savingthe queen. } 12. Bd2 { Refutes the check. } 12... Bc5 { Avoids the loss of thebishop, but it may have been better to just move the queen due to the impendingthreat of moving bishop. } 13. Bc3 { ! Prevents ...Bb4+ and also avoids(13.Bb4? Qxd1+ 14.Qxd1 Bxb4) losing the bishop needlessly. } 13... Nd4 { An attemptto save the queen loses material. } 14. Bxd4 { ! Not 14.Nxd4 because itkeeps Nc7! in reserve. } 14... Bxd4 { ?? The very last chance to save the queenis lost. } 15. Rxd4 Bd7 { ? Better is Qxd4 } 16. Rxd5 exd5 17. Qb3 { !? Thereis strategy here of attaining Qg3 for a double attack. } 17... Be6 { A weak threat. } 18. Qg3 { ! Qc7+ and Qxg7 are threatened. } 18... Ke7 19. Qd6+ { Gaining tempo,else 19.Qxg7 ? loses tempo to 19...Rg8 } 19... Kf6 20. e3 { It was becoming apparentthat this move was needed to activate more pieces. } 20... Rhd8 { Expected. } 21. Qf4+ { Gains a tempo to offset the loss of tempo from the recent attack. } 21... Kg6 { ?! I have some reservations about this move due to the proximityto attack. } 22. Bd3+ { An obvious move, develops, attacks. } 22... f5 { Necessaryto avoid echanging bishops. } 23. Nc7 { ! Finally the tactic is appliedto c7 where this time it snares a rook and bishop in the fork. } 23... Kf7 { Perhapsthe best move to try and hold the position together. } 24. Nxa8 { The choicebetween R and B was not made for material reasons. I liked the idea ofreducing the best coordination of the black pieces, and this move appearsto offer more than 24.Nxe6 due to the bishop at e6 being bad vs the d3bishop being good, plus it allows the queen to obtain c7 which is positionallyfavorable. } 24... Rxa8 25. Qc7+ Kg8 26. h4 { ?! This is one of those decisionswhere I could have simply just taken the safe route with 0-0, but I wantedto have more fun with the position. In retrospect I may have won soonerwith 0-0. } 26... Rc8 27. Qxb7 Rc1+ 28. Ke2 { The rook sacrifice is not so badbecause the black rook becomes trapped on the 8th. } 28... Rxh1 29. Qe7 { Thisthreatens mate in one with 30.Qe8# } 29... g6 { Forced. } 30. Qxe6+ { So the exchangesacrifice gains a favorable position. } 30... Kg7 31. Bb5 { The idea is to simplybring the bishop into play and coordinate a mating pattern with the queen. } 31... h5 { The option of (31...Rxh4?? Qe7+) loses of course, so the h4 pawnis indirectly protected. } 32. Be8 Rg1 33. Qf7+ { The text move seems theshortest route to mate. } 33... Kh8 34. g3 { Prevents the rook from being a distraction. } 34... Ra1 { Maybe ...Rb7 for a quick check, but then again it does not mattermuch at this point. } 35. Qxg6 Rxa2 36. Qf6+ Kh7 37. Bg6+ Kg8 38. Qf7+ Kh8 39. Qh7# { An interesting game where I am trying some ideas in the English.Probably ground already tread by others, but I need to learn it myselfand I am not familiar with this opening much. I think there were some weakchoices by the computer which allowed me to gain some quality positionalgains which gave me a base for some strong tactics. Using a combinationof strategy and tactics I was able to prevail, even though the finish matefelt clumsy. } 1-0

[Event "LIC Round 7"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010-01-22"] [Round "-"] [White "Jef C."] [Black "Geert B"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1273"] [WhiteElo "1656"] { According to myself, this is one of the best games I have ever played..(I admit; maybe due to some minor moves from my opponent) My opponentwas a huge 400-elo-points heavier than me, so it was a big challenge ! Please enjoy the game, and feel free to add some comments to it ! } 1. d4 { A positional player ? } 1... g6 { As black, I don't have an opening-repertoire..The only opening I'm used to use, is a sort of Pirc-Modern Defense.. Pleasecorrect me if I'm wrong! The main idea in this opening-line is to controlthe center indirectly. You create a space for your king's-bishop, and afterwards,your plan is to attack the center. } 2. c4 { According to me, my opponentlikes pretty closed games (most 1.d4-players do). By moving up his c-pawn2 moves, he's aiming directly for the center. Now he has control over my5th rank. } 2... Bg7 { Developing move.. } 3. Nf3 { According to Fritz, we're playinga sort of Kings Indian.. } 3... d6 { Making space for my bishop, and indirectlyattacking e5 and c5. } 4. Nc3 { Nice developing towards the center. } 4... Nd7 { My idea was to play e5, within a few moves.. Mostly, I play 4. Nf6, butafter a few losses, I'm trying something else.. } 5. e4 { White is buildingup a nice pressure towards d5 ! } 5... e5 { Leaving the choice to white.. Takingon e5 would result in an open game, while d5 would close the gates, andmake it a closed game. I was aiming for the latter, simply because closedgames are more 'my' style of playing. } 6. d5 { A 'closed' game it will be! In meanwhile, my opponent's f-knight is pretty inactive.. } 6... Ngf6 { Preparingto castle.. } 7. b4 { 'c5 is mine, not yours', was white's way of thinking! } 7... b6 { Preparation of playing a5.. My purpose is distracting that b-pawn,so c5 would be all mine.. } 8. Be2 { Developing his light-squared-bishopand preparing to castle kingside. Activating this bishop could go via hiskingside, or through a4, which would cost him a couple of moves. } 8... a5 { Aimingfor that b-pawn.. In a way, I wanted to gain control of c5. If white played9. bxa5, I would have a nice spot for my knight on c5, and having an openfile for my rook! If white would move up his b-pawn one square, I wouldhave the same result. } 9. b5 { Gives a closed position (looking to the pawns),but in this case, it was the best move, in my opinion. } 9... Nc5 { Home sweethome ! In meanwhile, e4 is attacked twice, so White Player should do somethingabout that ! } 10. Qc2 { The best move to play, in my opinion. If 10. Bd3,then 10. ... Nfxe4 11. Bxe4 Nxe4 and black was up a pawn. } 10... Ke7 { I've beenthinking long time on this move.. I know this seems a strange move, butI was aiming for some activity on my kingside. Castling would result ina direct kingside-attack from my opponent. My queenside is pretty closed,so the actions would be best on kingside.. } 11. O-O { Ok, the cards aredealt.. Now it's time to come up with a good plan ! I spent pretty muchtime here.. Most people gave me this advice: it's better to loose becauseof time-trouble, but with a GOOD position and a GOOD plan, than to loosewith a lousy position and hours on your clock. The only thing you needto learn in the first-mentioned example, is finding a way to think/analysefaster.. } 11... Qf8 { The idea behind this move was to open up my f-file. Forexample; Ne8, f5, and white has trouble in defending e4.. } 12. Be3 { Ishe planning to exchange his 'good' bishop against my strong knight ? Actually,he would help me, with exchanging.. Simply by Nf-d7, I could protect myc5-stronghold, and in meanwhile making way for my f-pawn.. Maybe it wouldbe better if he exchanged his f-knight, by playing Nd2 --> Nb3 ? } 12... Nfd7 { Winning a tempo, because it was my purpose to play f5 in a while.. } 13. Nd2 { There he is :) Preparation of f4 ? } 13... Bh6 { My bishop was pretty inactive,so it would be great to trade it for a nice white piece.. } 14. Nd1 { Defendinghis bishop. But after trading of those bishops, it seems to me there'sno nice field anymore, for that knight.. So he'll have to retreat his ArabianHorse.. } 14... Bxe3 { A good trade, if you ask me.. } 15. Nxe3 { Maybe 15. fxe3would be another good move, to gain some activity ? } 15... h5 { g4 is a nice fieldfor white's knight and/or bishop, so it would be nice if I had that fieldunder control.. } 16. g3 { He's making a shelter for his knight, wich wouldhelp him covering f4, when he plans to play it.. } 16... Qg7 { Developing move..The idea behind this move is to get a rook behind my f-pawn. } 17. Ng2 { Afterthis, I suspect f4 will come ? } 17... Nf6 { Again a double attack on e4, whichstays double covered.. But with that covering, 2 pieces are inactive.. } 18. f4 { As expected.. I won't catch it myself, because white can doublehis rooks by playing 18. ... exf4 19. Rxf4 ... 20. Ra-f1 } 18... Bh3 { Puttingsome pressure on white's stronghold.. In meanwhile I'm making room formy a-rook.. } 19. fxe5 { Opening the whole position. } 19... Nfd7 { If white captureson d6, I would regain a nice spot for my knight, on e5. And if white wouldplay a blunder like Rf2, my queen could hunt his a-rook.. A pawn is thecost for it.. } 20. exd6+ { White wants to gain some material, but (fornow), he isn't able to get through my pawn-structure.. } 20... cxd6 { On this way,the pawn-structure stays the same, and is white's d-pawn still blocked.. } 21. Rad1 { I don't really understand this move.. Maybe it was better toplay Rf2, followed by Ra-f1. } 21... Ne5 { Knight on outposts ! Keeping busy hisknight and queen.. } 22. Rf2 { Logical move.. } 22... Bxg2 { A closed pawn-structureasks for knights.. So I want to keep my 2 knights, and give my opponent1 knight and 1 pretty inactive bishop, for the time being.. } 23. Kxg2 { Logical.. } 23... Raf8 { Preparation of f5. } 24. Rdf1 { Doubling his rooks. But for now, hehasn't got an object of attack.. } 24... Ng4 { I played this move with a doublepurpose: 1: if white slaughters my knight with his bishop, I'll playhxg4, which creates an open h-line for my queen, followed with a (possible)mate-threat. 2: if white doesn't capture my knight, I'll play Ne3, whichwins material (Nxc2). Note that white's queen isn't able to protect e3! } 25. Bxg4 { The best move, in my opinion. } 25... hxg4 { Opening the h-file..The doubled-pawn can be solved by playing f5.. } 26. Qd1 { Since e4 isn'tattacked twice anymore, the queen is free to go, and even able to attackg4 ! } 26... Nd3 { Gaining a tempo, to re-organise my troups. (like Ne5, wich defendsg4 nicely) } 27. Re2 { Only possible move if he doesn't want to loose a rook.. } 27... Qh6 { Starting to build up pressure on h2 ! } 28. Rh1 { More active than Kg1! White is still in the possibility to play h3, sooner or later.. } 28... Ne5 { Covering g4 and attacking c4. } 29. Qf1 { The queen is back in action !Since my queen can't give mate at the moment, I decided to trade queens..White will loose a move while recapturing my queen, wich gives me timeto re-organise.. } 29... Qh3+ { I'm up a pawn, so it's time to trade some pieces.. } 30. Kg1 { Kf2 is also possible, but would be followed by 30. ... Nd3+ } 30... Qxf1+ { Following my plan.. } 31. Kxf1 { 31. Nxf1 wouldn't be good, since I wouldplay 31. ... Nxc4 } 31... f5 { Opening lines ! } 32. exf5 { I don't know for sure,for this move.. Personally, I felt more for Kg2 (making his h-rook activeagain). } 32... gxf5 { Solving up my doubled pawn ! } 33. Nb3 { Probably with thethought of playing 34. Nd4 and 35. Nc6 ? } 33... f4 { Again, opening lines towardsthe enemy king ! } 34. gxf4 { One of the best moves.. 34. ... f3 would giveme a passed pawn, and 34. ... fxg3+ wouldn't be nice either ! } 34... Rxf4+ { Action! } 35. Kg2 { Finally ! 35. Rf2 would result in 35. ... Rh-f8. } 35... Rxc4 { Catchingpawns whenever it's possible ! } 36. Rc1 { Want to trade ? Offcourse ! } 36... Rxc1 { According to our material, we're even.. But still, I like black'sposition.. His knight and rook are well-placed, while white's pieces willneed a few moves to regroup.. } 37. Nxc1 { Only 'good' move.. After this,he's aiming for 38. Nd3 (attacking my knight twice). } 37... Kd7 { I wanted toprevent the double-attack on e5, and also didn't want to leave my b- andd-pawns alone.. } 38. Re4 { Relatively harmless, as long my knights stayson e5.. } 38... Rh3 { Penetrating my enemy's back ranks.. } 39. Ne2 { Leaving alonehis a-pawn ? Defending it will cost him the activity of his pieces ! } 39... Ra3 { 40. Nc3 would be a serious blunder, so it has to be 40. Nc1. } 40. Nc1 { The only way to save his a-pawn. } 40... Rc3 { Aiming for gaining some material(both b- and d-pawns can be attacked by Rc5, AND his knight is still indanger !) } 41. Re1 { White is totally pressed into defending.. } 41... Rc5 { A double-attack.. } 42. Rd1 { Only possibility.. He can't get to my king through the f-line,and his h-pawn is (temporary) out of play.. } 42... Rxb5 { Sure ! } 43. Nd3 { Aserious blunder ! I noticed my opponent (a 82 year-old chess-player witha lot of experience) was getting tired of thinking, and his nerves startedto break in the endgame.. In my opinion, it was his purpose to tradeof our knights.. } 43... Rxd5 { Ouch.. A safe move, since Nxe5+ and Nc5+ wouldboth result in respectively Rxe5 or Rxc5.. } 44. Nxe5+ { I guess he missedRxe5, and hoped to win my rook, if 44. ... dxe5 ?! would be played.. } 44... Rxe5 { After this move, my opponent instantly resigned.. I really like thisgame, because it opened my eyes for some tactics, positional play (rememberthe switching of my knights to c5 and e5 ?), gaining pawns, ... I hopeyou people also had some pleasure with watching this game ? Please letme know ! :) Take care and enjoy your day ! } 0-1

[Event "Club verses Elyhim"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.07.25"] [Round "-"] [White "caveman1960"] [Black "elyhim"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "2481"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1817"] { This game is a teaching game between myself and the rest of the club memberswho were rated below me(which is pretty much all of them). This is dareI say it a master piece in good solid play that does not disappoint withfireworks. In summary, white gains an early lead in material and initiative.Which leaves black's king slightly more exposed than white's. Meanwhileblack(me) fights to maintain the balance in the center and the king side.White(the club) however, have their own ideas on the queen side. So itbecomes a battle of who can get their pawns up the board faster. The twoside battle it out to a drawn position until one of them goes for the winand throws down the gauntlet! } 1. d4 { My club mates know full well thatI am a master at the caro-kann. So no doubt they played 1.d4 to avoid it.However, can they avoid playing into the benoni system which is anotherfavorite of mine? } 1... c5 { My whole idea here was to play with their head andkeep them guessing as to what my ultimate goals were. Truth be told I washeading by way of transposition to the benoni at this time, but later onI had to switch my plans to a grunfield system. One of the hallmarks ofa master is to be flexible and don't tip your hand too quickly. All waysplay moves that keep your opponent guessing as too what your planning.Having said that, it is not a license to play stupid and unsound moves.1...c5 though off beat is logical and sound because it challenges the centreand creates an immediate threat to win a pawn. Whereas, a stupid move like1...a5 does absolutely nothing. } 2. d5 { Perfectly playable for white is2. dxc5 expecting 2...Qa5+ winning the pawn back. The idea of 2.d5 andwhy I think it is better is that it gives white long term strategic benefits.Whereas in the 2. dxc5 white is simply exchanging a center pawn for a wingpawn which may not be so good later on. } 2... g6 { One consequence of the whitepawn on d5 is that the long dark diagonal is free for black to use. Itwill be almost impossible for white to shut out the black bishop. Strategicallymy plan is to fight for control of e5 and d5. The first step is to gaincontrol of e5 in order to ensure a draw. It is important to note that infianchettoed positions like this one it is critical for black to maintainthe balance on the central dark squares. This is why you will often seeblack try to exchange his LSB for white's f3 knight. As doing so limitswhite's ability to fight for e5. } 3. Nf3 Bg7 { All too often I see lowerrated players play ...g6 without the immediate ...Bg7. This is wrong! ifyou play ...g6 then you should play ...Bg7. Otherwise what is the pointof ...g6! } 4. e4 d6 { In such positions black often benefits from delayingthe development of the kings knight. In this game I intend to get my knightinto the game via e7 or h6. The idea is to plan and prepare for f7-f5 attackingwhite's weak e-pawn. Of course that is a long ways a way from now. } 5. Be2 { Bd3 is much more popular these days as it is believed that white hasnothing to fear from a potential ...c5-c4 by black. However, again white(theclub) chooses the path of long term gain over immediate return. Whichin my books is the best way to play chess. } 5... e6 { An almost necessary movethat attacks white's center and gives black room to complete his king sidedevelopment. Which is all part of my master plan to create a king sidepawn storm. But for now I am following through with my plan of keepingmy card close to my chest. For all my opponents may know are that I maybeexpecting 6.c4 with the hope of transposing to favorable benoni systems.If 6. dxe6 then 6...Bxe6 give black the strong active bishop pair. } 6. c4 exd5 { forced } 7. exd5 { now white avoids the benoni system at the costof a strategic disadvantage in the center. However, what white gets ifhe can use it is a long term space advantage. } 7... Nh6 { Here I was hopingto surprise my club mates again as surely ...Nf6 is better right! Wellthey are probably right. As there is the possibility that the knight canget shut out on h6. However, I was dreaming of two knight standing sideby side on e5 and f5! And at the bare minimum a powerful knight on f5 workingbeautifully with the DSB on g7. } 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Bf4 { A tricky move thathinders my ultimate plans of a knight on e5. Not only that the defenseof d6 can be a bit tricky to handle for unprepared black players. I ofcourse am very adept at defending d6. } 9... Bg4 { This move is preferred over...Re8 for two reasons. First it has the direct threat of BxN giving megreater control of e5 as stated at the beginning. Second, ...Re8 allowswhite to play Qd2 forcing the premature ...Nf5. Why premature because theknight can be kicked with the likes of a prepared g4 and saddles blackwith a bad bishop on c8. } 10. O-O Nf5 { Now that ...Bg4 has been playedI do not have to worry about a bad bishop on c8. These little details arewhat masters think about. Had I played ...Re8 white can force black toplay ...Nf5 hindering his LSB development. } 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 { Whitegains the strategic advantage of the bishop pair which may be importantlater on. However, right now the position favor knights as the center isclosed and the position is getting congested. Also note that white hasplayed h3 which may seem insignificant but to a master a small pawn movein front of the enemy king may be all he/she needs to deal a decisive blow. } 12... Re8 { Rooks belong on open files. } 13. Ne4 { White finally gets aroundto attacking ...d6. Which should never be taken lightly. Of course, I hadseen this threat all the way back at move 9. Which is why I played 11....Bxf3and ...Re8 so that I can interpose my bishop on e5. Directly meeting thethreat head on! Also at the same time I am thinking that there is a possibilityof ...Nd5 followed by ...f5 with tempo. But I am getting ahead of myself. } 13... Be5 14. Qd2 { 14. Bxe5 is met with ...Rxe5 with a slight advantage toblack. } 14... h5 { This is what you call a prophylaxis move. It prevents anyfuture possibilities of white exchanging his bad light bishop for black'sstrong knight. Second, it is the infant step of a long series of smallpawn moves on the king side that set the stage of a spectacular finish. } 15. Rae1 Nd7 { Developing a piece and if white dares to exchange on e5then black's knights will rule the known world! } 16. Bd1 Nf6 { improvingthe position of the knight and directly threatening the knight on e4. Sowhite has to move it. } 17. Ng5 { A nice idea that sets up an very goodtactic later on. } 17... b5 { I am in a bit of a small hole and am trying to keepwhite distracted. The idea is to draw away a center pawn from the centerthereby creating a weakness on d5. I willingly go down a pawn(albeit thepawn is a double pawn) to force white to play defense. } 18. cxb5 Kg7 { Gettingall my pieces into the game. And yes! even my king has to pull his ownweight. Here he defense the holes on f6 and h6. More importantly h6. Italso clears the back rank for the future possibility of a rook going toh8 if the h-file opens on in the future. Maximizing your piece potentialis a big part of master level chess. } 19. Bxe5 dxe5 { A weird pawnstructure. That white D-pawn passer concerns me but if I can get my kingpawns going. It is white who will wake up tomorrow wondering what happened! } 20. Bb3 { White is obliged to defend d5. } 20... Rc8 { directly threatening ...c4with the purpose of making the white bishop a glorified pawn. } 21. Bc4 Rc7 { I got a pawn on e5 that is ready be pushed. So this rook is goingto e7. } 22. b3 { White is in a bit of wait and see mode. } 22... e4 { threatening...e6 after Re7. } 23. Qc3 { nice move by white that sets up a beautifuldeflection tactic on f6. } 23... Rce7 { Nothing I can do on f6 so I setup a threatof my own on the e-file. } 24. Nh7 Kxh7 25. Qxf6 { Nice combo. } 25... Qb6 { onlymove! when defending it is best to exchange queens. } 26. Qc3 { I thoughtthat 26. Qc6 was white's best chance to fight for a win. } 26... Qd6 { Improvingthe position of the black queen and blockading d5. For now the threat ofd5-d6 is not available to white. Though he has a lot of hope with a4-a5.However, white's pieces are not as harmonious as black's they are lesscentralized and the black knight is far better than the white bishop. Theposition is very dynamic and increasing in complexity. Which favors thestronger player. } 27. a4 f6 { Like 14...h5 this is one small step leadingto a fantastic finish. The point is that black now threatens to play ...g5with strong initiative } 28. a5 { White has to maintain their active playon the queen side. But I wonder are they aware of the danger lurking onthe king side? } 28... Kg7 { Why ...kg7? Well I am betting that after ...g5-g4the h-file is going to open. At which point I plan to plant a rook on it! } 29. Re2 Nd4 { Leads to a draw but ...g5 is no better. } 30. Re3 g5 { Thisis it the moment we have been waiting for! After all the positional jostlingI finally lay down the gauntlet. I knew that this was drawn with best playby white but there were many landmines that white has to avoid. What makesthis a difficult position for white to play is that they are really quitepassive and uncoordinated. Verses black who has greater influence in thecentre, harmonious piece play and active pawns. } 31. Qc1 Re5 { Avoidingthe immediate draw...g4 fails to 32.Rc3 Re5 33. Re1 Rg5 34. Kh1 Nf5 35.Kg1 Nd4 and repeat } 32. Rfe1 Nf5 { Avoiding the draw again after ...g4 } 33. Rc3 e3 { very complicated and dangerous move by black. } 34. fxe3 g4 35. h4 { When I saw this move my heart started to skip a bit. It was thesmall mistake that I was looking for. Though it does not lose the gameas white has to make further mistakes it does give black a dangerous pawnmajority on the king side. I actually felt that 35. b6!? axb6 36. axb6Qxb6 37. hxg4 hxg4 38. Qd1 Re4 39. d6 was enough for a draw. } 35... Nxh4 36. Qd2 Nf5 37. Qf2 { hitting at f6 and defending e3 } 37... Qd8 { defending f6. I alsoplan to reorganize the queen to ...e5 via e7. } 38. Rd3 Nd6 { preventingd6 and threatening Rf5 } 39. Ra1 Re4 { This was instinctual to me as ...f5felt premature. Also e3 is a serious weakness and if I can play ...Qe7followed by ...Qe5 white may have a real hard time stopping the pawns. } 40. Rc3 { ?! the fatal flaw. White either did not understand the powerof ...Qe7 and ...Qe5 combined with the connect king side or did not seeit. The drawing move was 40. b6 I think distracting black from his plans } 40... Qe7 41. Rf1 Qe5 { This is why Rc3 was so bad. As it is now under attack. } 42. Qe1 h4 { The last bastion of the white king's pawn wall is about toget destroyed } 43. Bd3 h3 { It has been a very long journey for the littleblack pawns but they come up big! As I tell all my chess students, queensdo not win games pawns do! } 44. Rxc5 hxg2 45. Kxg2 Rh8 { finally 28...Kg7makes sense } 46. Rc7+ { spite check } 46... Nf7 47. Qg3 Qxg3+ 48. Kxg3 Rxe3+ { winsthe bishop and the game. } 49. Kg2 Rxd3 50. Rxa7 Rhh3 51. a6 Rdg3+ 52. Kf2 Rxb3 { white resigns as black will just continue to eat pawns for lunch.thanks for reading and please comment. } *

[Event "March Madness 2007"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23-Mar-07"] [Round "-"] [White "johnb221"] [Black "mumus"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1458"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1477"] 1. c4 { Reti Opening } 1... e5 { normal King pawn response } 2. d3 { prevent a furtherpawn advance } 2... h6 { premature.. Bg5 wasn't a threat yet } 3. Nc3 { Bb4 is athreat to me } 3... Nf6 { he develops a knight } 4. Nf3 { ditto } 4... Bb4 { I expectedthat on the last move, so no problem... } 5. Bd2 { my bishop can run interference. } 5... O-O { his King is safely tucked away now } 6. g3 { I'll put by white bishopon the long diagonal before castling } 6... Nc6 { he protects his bishop } 7. Bg2 { I finish preparations for castling } 7... d6 { he adds protection for the e5pawn and opens a path for his bishop } 8. a3 { I decide it's time to runoff the bishop } 8... Bxc3 { he wants to trade (they almost always do!) } 9. Bxc3 { so I trade knight for bishop } 9... Bf5 { he develops his remaining bishop } 10. O-O { safe at last! } 10... Re8 { he adds pressure to the d and e files } 11. Qb3 { I feign an attack on a weak pawn } 11... b6 { he moves it to a safer square } 12. Qd1 { my Queen goes home } 12... a5 { he wants a queenside battle? } 13. b4 { I'llgive him one! } 13... Qe7 { is he planning d4, followed by an attack on b4? } 14. Nh4 { I'll mess with his unprotected bishop... } 14... Bd7 { he runs away } 15. e3 { it occurred to me that had he played Bg4 and followed it up with e4, Icould have had problems } 15... axb4 { the queenside battle is on! } 16. axb4 { we trade pawns for starters } 16... Rxa1 { he wants to up the ante... } 17. Qxa1 { so we trade rooks. } 17... g5 { he switches fronts on me! } 18. Nf3 { I run away! } 18... Bf5 { he attacks an unprotected pawn } 19. Nxg5 { I nab a pawn and unleasha discovered attack on an unprotected knight! } 19... hxg5 { he either didn't noticeor didn't mind losing a pawn in the trade, so he takes the knight } 20. Bxc6 { and I take his.. } 20... Bxd3 { I see, he regains the pawn anyway... } 21. Bxe8 { but leaves a rook hanging... } 21... Bxf1 { oh, so did I! } 22. Bxf7+ { butI'll still come out a pawn up ;) } 22... Qxf7 { now we trade the lost bishops.. } 23. Qxf1 { I'm all good now.. } 23... Ne4 { he attacks my bishop.. } 24. Bb2 { I backoff... } 24... Nd2 { ad then he attacks my queen! The nerve! } 25. Qe2 { I'm expectingNf3 , but get a suprise. } 25... Nxc4 { my pawn had inadequate protection! } 26. Bc3 { now my bishop is under attack, so I move him to a safe square } 26... Kg7 { time to put the kings in play? } 27. f4 { I'll need room to get mine outthere } 27... gxf4 { we'll trade pawns } 28. exf4 { I get mine, but... } 28... Kf8 { he can'tcontinue because his pawn is pinned } 29. fxe5 { he moves to safety, so Inab another pawn } 29... dxe5 { this trade looks to favor me.. } 30. Bxe5 { so I'mwilling to trade bishop for knight } 30... Nxe5 { so is he } 31. Qxe5 { now it'sall pawns and Queens (I need to trade those Queens!) } 31... Qc4 { he wants topick off my only queenside pawn } 32. Qf4+ { I protect by offering a Queentrade } 32... Qxf4 { he accepts } 33. gxf4 { now it's just a pawn push, 3 on 2, butmy King is way back } 33... c5 { he wants an isolated passed pawn on the queenside } 34. bxc5 { I oblige... I think I can get over in time } 34... bxc5 { he got whathe wanted } 35. Kf2 { I start my King for the battle } 35... Kf7 { his comes outtoo } 36. Ke3 { I go straight for the pawn } 36... Kf6 { he goes straight for mine } 37. h4 { I give him a diversion } 37... Kf5 { he wants the original target } 38. h5 { I threaten to run past him... } 38... c4 { he tries his run for a queen } 39. Kd4 { I won't let that happen } 39... Kxf4 { I give up a pawn.. } 40. h6 { but hecan't catch me now, and resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Four Pawns Attack (Club MT) Ch 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19 Jan 2009"] [Round "-"] [White "thegoodbishop"] [Black "ionadowman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2099"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1305"] { Before annotating the twin games I played with id=easy19 in this MT, Ithought I would begin by playing through two other games, just to showhow things can get out of hand for either side in the double-edged openingthat was the theme of the tournament. The Four Pawns Attack looks imposing- almost irresistable - such is White's presence in the centre. Yet thething is not as powerful as it looks, provided Black is prepared to strikehard and early. All the same, the Four Pawns used to be a favorite ofmine... } 1. d4 { 'A weapon you don't know how to use belongs to your enemy.' So it is in this game. White builds up an imposing centre that Blackbrings at once under pressure. Unable to find time to develop his bishops,White is forced to watch the wholesale destruction of his centre and thehunting down of his King. } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 { Also playable hereis 3...d5: the Grunfeld Defence. } 4. e4 d6 5. f4 { More usual is 5.Nf3,and 5.f3 (Samisch) used to be popular and aggressive also. Also playableis the peculiar-looking 5.Ne2, the Kramer Attack. } 5... O-O { This was the startingposition accepted by the tournament players. } 6. Nf3 { The most normal line,as you might expect. But 6.Be2 is also playable. } 6... c5 { With this move Blackmakes an early strike against the centre. In my view the situation callsfor it so strongly it is hard to contemplate playing anything else. Later,id=easy19 was to try the little-known 6...b5 against me. } 7. h3 { To keepa Black minor piece out of g4 - understandably as g4 is a favorite spotfor a bishop or knight in this opening. But really 7.d5 is usual and besthere. } 7... Nh5 { (!) Discovering a heap of pressure against the d4-square. The weakness of the e1-h4 diagonal hasn't escaped Black's eye, either,especially the g3-square. } 8. Ne2 { Guarding the g3-square. But instead8.dxc5 was possible: 8...Ng3 9.Rg1 Bxc3+! 10.bxc3 Nxe4 11.cxd6 exd6 12.Be3Re8 13.Qe2 Bf5 with an evenish game. Both sides would have been left withweaknesses to be exploited. Also 8.Be3!? exd4 9.Bxd4 e5 10.fxe5 Ng3 11.Rg1 Nc6 12.Bf2 Nxf1 13.exd6 Be6 14.Nd5 f5. } 8... cxd4 9. Nfxd4 { Whiteruns the risk of neglecting his development. Almost at once White findshimself too busy to bring his bishops into action. } 9... e5 { (!) This move andits sequel show the downside of the Four Pawns attack. Once Black grabsthe initiative he can bring a crossfire to bear upon White's central salientstrong enough to obliterate it completely. } 10. Nb3 { (?!) More solid was10.Nf3, but Black would still have had a tangible advantage: 10.Nf3 exf4 [a] 11.Bd2 Re8 12.Qc2 f5; [b] 11.Nxf4 Ng3 12.Rg1 Re8; [c] 11.Bxf4Nxf4 12.Nxf4 Bxb2 13.Rb1 Qa5ch 14.Kf2 Bg7 } 10... exf4 11. Rb1 { To free the c1-Bishop. Instead 11.Qc2 Qh4+ 12.Kd1 Nc6 threatens 13...Nb4 } 11... Qh4+ { (!) } 12. Kd2 { Forced. } 12... Nc6 { Having gained much with the pieces already in play, Blackfeels it is time to bring in the reinforcements. Observe that White canmobilise neither bishop right now, which leaves his rooks as much in limbo. } 13. Qe1 { Sensibly enough seeking relief in exchanges, not that there wouldhave been much respite. 13...Qxe1+ 14.Kxe1 Re8 15.Kf2 Rxe4 etc. ButBlack prefers to keep the Queens on. } 13... Qe7 { (!?) } 14. Kc2 { (??) Desperateto escape, the White King lands up in the Tower. Instead. 14.Nc3, defendingthe e-pawn had to be tried, for what it was worth. } 14... Qxe4+ 15. Kd1 Bf5 { Lettingthe b1-rook live. This bishop move is as good as capturing at once onb1, and retains that capture as a threat. But it also threatens mate atc2. } 16. Qc3 { (?) Loses the Queen. I surmise that White wanted to protectthe c-pawn as well, and simply overlooked the dark-square Bishop lurkingaway there at g7. But after 16.Qd2 Black would probably have quietly takenthe rook at b1. } 16... Bxc3 17. Nxc3 Qc2+ 18. Ke1 Rae8+ { (0-1) Black's attackcontinues unabated and he is very nearly a whole queen ahead. White givesit up. This miniature shows what can happen if White neglects developmentin this line. His centre was destroyed and became Black's exclusive property... } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.08"] [Round "-"] [White "targetseven"] [Black "bsvino2"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1102"] 1. e4 c5 { Sicilian. } 2. e5 { This was a surprise. I can't say I've seenit before and I didn't know how to react. } 2... d5 { I think I had a pretty goodsolution. White's choice is whether or not to take d5 by en passant. Ifhe does, his center pawns will be weak, and this is what I was gamblingon. } 3. d4 b6 { In retrospect I should have taken d4, forced his queen outfor risk of losing a pawn, and then developed Kc6, putting black aheadin development and with initiative. } 4. Nf3 Bf5 5. c4 { c4 indicates thathe is planning to attack my d4 pawn. } 5... e6 { Into the damned French Defense.I use it only sparingly, since I always feel claustrophobic. ThankfullyI freed my Queenside bishop first. Still regretting not taking d4 earlier.It becomes my primary target in the moves to come. } 6. Nc3 { Still planningto attack my d4 pawn. } 6... Ne7 { This move seemed safest. I considered livingdangerously with dxc4, but it left too many question marks. } 7. Bd3 dxc4 { Black's main goal here is to open up the board. The French Defense isfeeling a little constrained, and I'm tired of being on the defense andnot having initiative. } 8. Bxc4 Nbc6 { Another carefully deliberated move,and part of a larger plan to take d4. } 9. Bb5 a6 10. Bxc6+ Nxc6 { This exchangewas engineered to give me dominance over the d4 pawn. It's been my primarytarget almost since it was put there. } 11. O-O { 11. Be3 would have savedthe d4 pawn. } 11... cxd4 { Success! I'm able to take d4, I free my Kingside Bishopto develop, and now I'm up a pawn, and it's a passed pawn to boot. } 12. Na4 { A mistake. This loses the knight. } 12... b5 13. Nb6 Qxb6 14. Bg5 { This developmentdoesn't betray White's new goals, should he have any. I wonder what heplans to do? He doesn't seem to have many avenues for attack. } 14... g6 { I havean open banquet here. My new goal is to trade off the f3 knight. I'd liketo keep the bishop pair, but it looks like I'm going to have to use a bishopto do the trade. Even so it looks like my best option for doing that isto fianchetto. That will also free up the king so I can finally castle,which I've put off so I could accomplish my previous goals. } 15. Bf6 { ...but it turns out to be a mistake. } 15... Rg8 16. Nxd4 { Clearly a blunder. I don'tmind losing the passed pawn so much, since I get his last knight in return.It also makes my goal of trading the Knight kinda moot. } 16... Nxd4 17. Re1 { Anotherblunder, sets himself up for a fork. } 17... Nc2 18. a4 Nxa1 { A1 rook is takenso that the White queen gets stuck in a corner behind his own pawn. } 19. Qxa1 g5 { Trap the White bishop in. He can't move it lest it be captured.Now I have to figure out a mating scenario. } 20. a5 Qd4 21. Rd1 Qb4 22. Qa3 { Exactly what I wanted. I couldn't figure out any way to force a queentrade. And this way I get a pawn out of it. } 22... Qxa3 23. bxa3 Bxa3 24. h3 Be7 { I can't figure out any way of getting at the King with the piecesI have. I've got to free up my other rook, and that means trading off theblack square Bishop. It removes my bishop pair advantage, but I have apassed pawn to make up for that, and perhaps soon I'll have two. } 25. g4 Bg6 { I analyzed this carefully to make sure it can't get trapped back therebehind a white pawn attack. } 26. h4 { f4 instead could have won a pawn. } 26... Bxf6 { Finally I can free my g8 rook. It's been held there so that it couldkeep White's bishop in place, which doesn't make sense that a Rook is tiedup pinning a Bishop. Now I can move in with it by clearing up the g andh pawn. } 27. exf6 Rd8 { He seemed to have no problem trading when he isnine points behind, so I figured I'd make it a bit easier for him. } 28. Rxd8+ Kxd8 { Having traded all of his pieces, he is left with no offensivematerial and he resigns. Good game, quite enjoyable. } 0-1

[Event "porcho's mini-tournament VIII"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.08.03"] [Round "-"] [White "porcho"] [Black "stigb"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1219"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1207"] { This game I won my opponent's queen in a tactic and soon after he resigned. } 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 { The start of the themed mini tournament } 3. Nc3 { Most comment and I think best. } 3... Qe6+ { ?! Not best, this is nothing morethan a spite check that also blocks in his e pawn. } 4. Be2 Nc6 5. Nf3 f6 { Odd and bad it weakens the diagonal for nothing. } 6. d4 Qd7 7. Bf4 { Icomplete minor piece development } 7... g5 { ? This is terrible, it cripples hislight square defense. } 8. Bg3 h5 { Trying to trap my bishop } 9. h3 h4 10. Bh2 e6 { Preparing to develop his DSB } 11. Bd3 { Sets up a little trap thatd pawn is poisoned you see... } 11... Nxd4 { ?? Loses his knight for a pawn. } 12. Nxd4 Qxd4 { ?? There goes his queen } 13. Bg6+ Ke7 14. Qxd4 { Crunch, my queeneats his queen. } 14... e5 15. Qc5+ { ! wins his DSB } 15... Kd7 16. O-O-O+ { Before Itake his bishop I want to bring my rook into the game. } 16... Ke6 17. Qxf8 { Heresigns. Please drop a comment and rate. } 1-0

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "???"] [Black "???"] [Result "*"] { This is the second match of the tournament that I played. It was verybrief as my opponent fell into an easy trap. } 1. d4 { Honestly I didn'twant to play the queens gambit. I was going for the London System. } 1... f5 { The aggressive Dutch defense. } 2. Bg5 { Provoke h6 and other pawn moves. } 2... h6 3. Bh4 g5 4. Bg3 f4 { Oh dear.... THe DSB is lost. WRONG! } 5. e3 fxg3 6. Qh5# { Black falls into an easy checkmate. I now have 2/7 } *

[Event "KKQ and AP assessments"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.01"] [Round "-"] [White "jkarp"] [Black "10four"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "983"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "944"] { This is my second game, in general, and my first team game where I usedKKQ and AP assessments to succeed. What does KKQ and AP mean? KKQ= KingCheck, King Checkmate, and Queen Capture. This is where we get into detailsabout early losses. AP=the Attacking Piece. This is where Jack Stockel'sadvice to, 'Think about things' and, 'Study the positions' come in handy. } 1. e4 { My favorite opening, the King's Pawn Play. } 1... Nf6 { He responds withthe Nimovitz defense, but I do not see this too often. } 2. e5 { I usuallyconsider this ?, as it is pushing a pawn. However, this was ! becauseit forces the knight to retreat. That is because the knight can becomedangerous, in this position, since it has a potential to attack powerfulpieces, based on my AP analysis. } 2... Ne4 { I do not know why he made that move,instead of Ng8 because he is not going to castle. } 3. Qe2 { I chose thatcandidate because his knight is becoming more powerful, in this position. However, this move was ? because I brought my queen out way too early. Therefore, Bd3 would have been better, as it would have also chased theknight away. } 3... d5 { I do not why he made this move. } 4. Qb5+ { I respond byplacing him in check immediately, and this was based on my KKQ assessment. However, this move was ?. } 4... c6 { That is because I just wasted a movesince he is threatening to capture my queen with cxb5. } 5. Qb3 { Therefore,I am now forced to retreat my queen. } 5... f6 { He chose this candidate to forcean exchange, and that will work when 6.exf6, exf6 are played. } 6. exf6 exf6 7. Qd3 { This gives me a tactical advantage because his queen is nowblocked. } 7... Qd7 { He made this move to free his queen. } 8. Qe3 { I chosethis candidate based on my KKQ assessment. If I had left my queen on d3,he would have played Nc5 and threatened to capture my queen with Nxd3. I did not want to deal with that threat. } 8... Qg4 { I do not why he made thismove, but this will benefit me. } 9. f3 { That is because I used an AP assessmentto play a powerful fork between his knight and queen. } 9... Qf5 { In this position,he was forced to retreat his queen, so I will be ahead by two points. That is because his knight will be exchanged for my pawn, when 10.fxe4,dxe4 are played. } 10. fxe4 dxe4 11. Nc3 { I decided to bring out one ofmy knights, based on the AP assessment. That is because I am now threateningto capture his free e pawn with Nxe4, in this position. If this happenshe will not be able to recapture my knight with Qxe4, or he will loosethe queen because I will respond with Qxe4. } 11... Bc5 { As a result, he is nowthreatening to capture my queen with Bxe3. } 12. Qg3 { Therefore, I am forcedto retreat my queen. In exchange, I now threaten to capture his free gpawn. } 12... g5 { Consequently, he is now forced to protect his g pawn and hisrook. } 13. d3 { I chose this candidate because it will force an exchangeand attack his queen after the exchange, when exd3 followed by Bxd3 areplayed. This was also based on my AP assessment. } 13... exd3 14. Bxd3 Qe6+ { Asa result, he protects his queen by placing me in check. } 15. Nge2 { However,that does not bother me because I simply respond by bringing out my otherknight. } 15... f5 { I do not know why made this move because I was not going toplace him in check, due to his h pawn. } 16. a3 { If I did not move my apawn, he would have been able to pin my knight on c3, and I did not wantthat to happen. This threat was also based on my AP assessment. } 16... f4 { Hechose this candidate because he wants to capture my queen on g3. } 17. Qf3 { I could have played Qh3 and forced a queen exchanged with Qxh3 followedby gxh3, but I did not want do that because I would then have two h pawns. I felt that it would put me at a structural disadvantage because my rookswould not connected, here. Therefore, I respond by retreating my queen,and it was !, in my opinion. In fact, I think that this was my bestcandidate move, based on the potential KKQ and AP, in this position. } 17... Na6 { I do not know why he made that move, but, 'a knight on the rim is grim',in general. } 18. Qh5+ { Based on my KKQ and AP analysis, I decided to placehim in check because it is serious, instead of a mere nuisance, in thisposition. That is because I will win his free g pawn, after he moves hisking. } 18... Kf8 { Now, he is forced to move his king. } 19. Qxg5 { This is thefree pawn that I had mentioned earlier. } 19... Qf7 { I do not know why chose thatcandidate because his rook was already protected by the queen. In otherwords, I could not have played Qf6. However, that does not bother becauseI will capture his f pawn, based on the AP, when Bxf4 is played. In addition,he cannot recapture the DSB, or he will loose his queen and get placedin check because I will respond with Qxf4+. } 20. Bxf4 h6 { He made thismove because he wants to capture my queen with hxg5, but I am not aboutto let that happen. } 21. Qd8+ { Instead, I respond by placing him in checkbased on my KKQ and possible AP. } 21... Kg7 { That is because he is now forcedto move there or I will win his rook for free because I will play Qxh8,in this position. } 22. Be5+ { Therefore, I assess another KKQ by placinghim in check, with my bishop. } 22... Qf6 { He also could have played Kh8, butit does not matter where he moves because I now have an inevitable matingpattern against him and will successfully capture his queen, in this position. How did I reach this conclusion? With my KKQ analysis. } 23. Qxf6+ { Hecannot recapture his queen. Therefore, he can play Kg8 or Kh7, but itdoes not matter, at this point. } 23... Kg8 { That is because I will immediatelyforce a mate with Qg7#. } 24. Qg7# { I learned about the KKQ and AP assessmentsfrom a chess mentor. This mentor also told me that it is only importantto worry about, 'serious checks', not, 'nuisance checks' when analyzingthe KKQ. I am using these assessments more frequently, and it is helpingme to become better at chess. } 1-0

[Event "A chased queen"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.05.08"] [Round "-"] [White "sagey"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qe5+ 4. Be2 c6 5. d4 { The good one. This guywill be interesting to fight. } 5... Qa5 6. f4 { The second strongest one (thefirst, in my opinion, is to press on e5 directly). } 6... Nf6 { Not Bf5, becauseI will have to destroy my position to defend it against g4-f5. } 7. Nf3 Bg4 { Decided to exchange it with no regrets. Now, I could have moved iton f4, because I would have had time to shield it in a7, but I went forthis one instead. } 8. O-O e6 { e6 would be my weak point, but I have tomove it. g6 leaves the centre in white's hands... } 9. Bd2 { The standardmove here is Qc7, and it is better than the one I played. Just trying newthings. This one went to be a bad one. } 9... Qh5 10. h3 { The queen on h5 deprivesblack from h5 for the pawn, that is often the key of the bishop's sac.But not with the white pawn in f4! Good for white. Now, I must take theknight. I was looking for sacs, but I couldn't see any! Sigh! } 10... Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Qh4 { At least this can seem I have a purpose for exposing my queenso much... } 12. Be1 Qh6 { Wonderful square, isn't it? ;-/ } 13. Bd2 { ...andI have nothing able to block f5. Oy, my, this is almost a refutation of'My Scandivian'. } 13... Qg6 { What else? } 14. Qe2 { Probably not the strongestmove for white, thank's God! } 14... Bd6 { The worst part is that I can't do anything,just going on with developement and pray... } 15. Ne4 { I don't want tolose my dsb. I can retire it on c7, but then Nc5, threatening b7... andthe knight has a lot of squares. } 15... Nxe4 16. Bxe4 { I was almost so desperateabout the ridicolus role my queen was doing in this game, that I was temptedvery seriously to go f5, and try to hold e6 with the help of my king androok. But the Wise Man told me that you never have to weaken e6 in thisline of the Scandinavian... terrible sacs will take place, and the whratof white will penetrate lethally his sword into my army. } 16... Qf6 17. c3 { Again,not the strongest one. Bc3, and I won't take on f5, probabl, due to g3. } 17... Nd7 { I know some white pawn's advance is in schedule, but he seems in nohurry. } 18. f5 { Ah, here it comes. } 18... O-O-O { Zen defence is a wonderfuldefence. } 19. fxe6 Qxe6 { Zen like. } 20. Qd3 { Releasing the pin on thequeen, and aiming clearly to f5. } 20... g6 21. Bg5 { Normal. The bishop pairis good for good reasons :-). But now I had an idea. } 21... Nc5 { Nice, isn'tit? If exN, Bxc5+, followed by RxQ. } 22. Qc2 { Now: this is nice tactics,and I don't know if I took the best decision. If NxB, Re1, for sure, andmy knight is pinned and probably lost. At the same time, I have to defendmy rook from the bishop. Rd-e8 is probably ok, exN, Bxc5+, followed byQxB. So... } 22... Qxe4 23. Qxe4 Nxe4 24. Bxd8 { I lose this exchange, but I havetwo pieces for a rook. Now let's see what the pawns say... } 24... Rxd8 { Not withthe king. The white rook will penetrate anyway. } 25. Rxf7 { Ah, yes, 'collateraldamage'. } 25... Rd7 26. Raf1 Ng5 { A stupid move. } 27. Rxd7 Kxd7 28. h4 { Andanothe pawn is lost. My fault. } 28... Ne4 29. Rf7+ { Here he goes. } 29... Kc8 30. Rxh7 Bg3 31. h5 gxh5 32. Rxh5 Nd2 { The trick is to be able to avoid a forkby the rook. } 33. Rg5 Bf4 34. Rg8+ Kc7 35. g3 Bh6 36. g4 { Ok, now I hopedfor him to fall for g5, when a knight fork makes him lose the pawn, overlooking... } 36... Kb6 37. g5 Nf3+ 38. Kg2 Nxg5 { ...that now, Rg6 means I lose a piece, andprobably the gam. } 39. c4 { Saved! } 39... Ne4 40. b4 Nc3 41. a3 Be3 { I have littleplan, to say the truth. } 42. Rd8 Nb1 43. a4 Kc7 44. Ra8 Bxd4 45. c5 a6 { ...and here, he resigned. I cannot understand why, there was a lot ofgame to be played... } 0-1

[Event "Henry's Deadly Dash - Part 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.25"] [Round "-"] [White "rjacobs"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1782"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1505"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone! This game had echos of my previous game against MasterJanet in which she gave me an exchange sac in the middle game and lateron, Henry got caught in a mating net on the d column. A similar thinghappens in this game, only this time, just like the times Steve Backshallmanaged to evade the bees, hippos and alligators (taking photos at thesame time!) and get back to the truck, Henry manages to escape from theclutches of the Wicked Witch and find sanctuary on the a column. I endup being a whole rook up and with Bob's mating attack completely burntout it was only a matter of time before I forced a queen swap and ensuredsafe passage for a pawn to get to Glendadom before Bob waved the whiteflag. So, how did this happen? Well, you can follow the action by theGameknot Analysis link below. http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=15462595&fb=1&rnd=0.16887384178856135 } 1... d5 2. c4 dxc4 { 2. .... dxc4 - after Bob starts with a Q pawn opening, Idecided to play the QGA as it gives me more open play and I feel a littleless vulnerable to passivitis. } 3. Nc3 a6 4. a4 { 4. a4 - to interfere withb5 - if b5 then PxP and my a6 pawn cannot recapture due to the fact itis pinned against my a8 rook. } 4... Nc6 5. e3 Na5 { 5. .... Na5 - with the possibilityof putting a knight in on b3. As is now, my steed backs up my extra pawnon c4. } 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. Bd2 e6 { 7. ...... e6 - opens up the a3-f8 diagonalfor Fou Lenoir. } 8. Ne5 Nb3 9. Bxc4 Nxa1 10. Qxa1 { 10. Qxa1 - and herewe have another exchange sac. Will this one work? Only time will tell. } 10... Bb4 11. O-O O-O 12. Qc1 Nd5 { 12. ..... Nd5 - I must counter in the centreto completely avoid being over-run. } 13. Nxd5 Bxd2 14. Qxd2 exd5 15. Bd3 { 15. Bd3 - quite a few exchanges here, but white could have a very dangerousattack going against Henry even though Bob has castled on the same wing. } 15... Qf6 { 15. ..... Qf6 - so out comes Glenda the Defender! } 16. Qc2 { 16. Qc2- ouch - my c7 pawn and my h7 pawns are both en prise. I do not want theWicked Witch of the West deep into my position so it will have to be theh7 pawn to jettison. } 16... c6 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Bd3 Qh6 19. f4 Kg8 { 19. ......Kg8 - as Bob's mating attack gathers pace, Henry prepares for a DeadlyDash towards the queenside. } 20. Rf3 Rd8 { 20. ...... Rd8 - my rook givesHenry the room to do so. } 21. f5 Qd6 22. f6 gxf6 23. Rg3+ Kf8 { 23. ......Kf8 - and so the race against time is on. Can Henry make it? Only timewill tell. } 24. Nxf7 Kxf7 25. Bg6+ Ke7 { 25. .... Ke7 - Bob has given uphis knight for the f7 pawn but has he overreached himself? Maybe. } 26. Bh5 Rf8 27. Qh7+ { 27. Qh7+ - Henry will get out of check by going to d8but is he safe there? } 27... Kd8 28. Rg8 Rxg8 29. Qxg8+ { 29. Qxg8+ - Henry mustleg it again, as much as his tired old body will allow - thank god hispartiality to a seafood diet has kept him fit. Also, Bob only has hisqueen and lsb to get hold of Henry so it looks as if he will get his muchneeded sanctuary. } 29... Kc7 30. Qf7+ Kb6 { 30. ...... Kb6 - made it! } 31. Qh7 Qb4 { 31...... Qb4 - at last, Glenda defends her other half, aaaaah! Sheis also thinking about obtaining more p(r)awns for Henry's table tonight- there are two really juicy ones on a4 and b2 and she is mentally compilinga list of ingredients for a p(r)awn seafood mornay! Can you see somethingelse that Glenda is also eyeing up and do you see a dark, dark, shadowof that Chessic Grim Reaper hanging over Bob's king? If so, on what squareis he about to descend? } 32. h3 { 32. h3 - to create an escape square forhis king, but now Glenda just starts gathering in those p(r)awns! } 32... Qxb2 33. Kh2 Qb3 { 33. ..... Qb3 - forking two pawns. } 34. a5+ Kxa5 35. Qc7+ { 35. Qc7+ - because my pieces inter-defend one another this check is merelya spite check. } 35... Ka4 36. Qe7 Bf5 { 36. ...... Bf5 - on MOVE 36 I finallycomplete my queenside development. } 37. Qxf6 Be4 { 37. ..... Be4 - afterthe Wicked Witch turned my weakie pawn on f6 into dust, I have designson the g2 square. } 38. Qf2 Qc2 { 38. ..... Qc2 - trying to force an exchangeof queens. } 39. Qg3 Qxg2+ { 39. ..... Qxg2+ - Bob tries to duck the exchangebut I exchange anyway even though Fou Leblanc will be given up for theg2 pawn. This leaves Bob with just his king and bishop and three pawns. I have a rook and four pawns at my disposal. White is lost and can onlytry for a stalemate. } 40. Qxg2 Bxg2 41. Kxg2 Kb4 { 41. ..... Kb4 - Henrynow makes way for my a pawn to proceed to Glendadom. } 42. Be2 a5 43. Bd1 a4 { 43. .... a4 - the best Bob can do is give up his bishop for my a pawn,but I have my b pawn who will get to Glendadom instead. Meanwhile my rookwill prevent a white pawn from ever going to the 8th rank. } 44. h4 a3 45. h5 a2 { 45. .... a2 - just one move away from Glendadom but Bob now wavesthe white flag. Commiserations Bob, you gave me a terrible scare in themiddlegame but somehow Henry escaped and I am just sooooo relieved. CoachIon and Gameknot analysis will not hesitate to point out just how Henrymanaged to get away! } 0-1

[Event "How not to play against the Sicilian Chekhover"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.13"] [Round "-"] [White "sastro"] [Black "rickypr18"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1804"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1734"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 { This is the first notable move,avoiding all the Sicilian main lines, this is called the Chekhover Variation.I really didn't think this was good for white, and it probably wasn't,but my inaccurate moves probably cost me the game. } 4... Nc6 { Initially, I'vethought that this was my first mistake, but in actuality, I think it wasmy next move that was the mistake. I think that had I played 4... a6 beforedeveloping my knight to c6, my game would have been better, as in the nextmove I could attack the queen and gain some time to develop my other pieces. } 5. Bb5 { That's fine, he's just protecting his queen. } 5... a6 { Here's whereI think I go wrong. Yes, I'm forcing him to trade of his light squaredbishop for a knight in an open game, but I am hindering my developmentfar too much and this could have been what cost me the game. } 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 { White: Two developed pieces and controlling the center. Black: 0developed pieces and cramped. Guess who will win. } 7. Nc3 { Further increasinghis development lead. I don't like my game too much at this point. Hisdeveloped pieces and central control look overwhelming. } 7... Nf6 { Trying toget back into the game, but it seems to have been too late. } 8. Bg5 Rb8 { Trying to make him play some defensive moves in order to get my developmentgoing, but this might have been another mistake as well. } 9. e5 { Great.I can't take the pawn because I'd just end up with a queen less game withmy king stuck in the center and 1 minor piece developed vs 3 minor piecesdeveloped, a castled king, and two active rooks. } 9... Ng8 { So I retreat, andnow I have zero minor pieces developed, my rook is kind of active but mydevelopment is so far behind that it doesn't matter. He has developed allhis minor pieces plus the queen, and he can now castle either side if hewants. } 10. O-O-O { He castles queenside, now his king is safe, his rookhas been activated and I have 0 minor pieces developed, and the rook barelycounts as a developed piece as it's not doing enough to allow me some timeto develop my other pieces. } 10... Qc7 { I thought about Qb6 for a while here,offering my queen so that whatever attack was coming could be softened,but I realized that I would have been left with a completely undevelopedkingside which would probably take too long to develop. The same thinghappened anyway, only with the Queens still on the board. } 11. Rhe1 { Everyone of his pieces is working towards the same goal. Central control anddestroying my king. I was left with very few move options after this. } 11... dxe5 12. Nxe5 { I was hoping for this. At least I will be up in material,even though I am far behind in development. } 12... f6 13. Nc4 fxg5 { This waspossibly a mistake, but what else could I have done here? e6 and e5 werethoughts, but I thought taking material was more important as I had missedthe following move. } 14. Nd6+ { Ouch. I can't take with the queen becausehe'd just win my queen for a knight and a bishop and my king would stillbe stuck in the center and very much in danger. } 14... Kd8 { I decide to givehim my rook if he wants it. } 15. Nf7+ { He does. } 15... Ke8 16. Nxh8 Nf6 { Stilltrying to develop. This is move 17!!!! I haven't developed two minor piecesyet. } 17. Qd3 { Trying to give his h8 knight an escape route. If my piecesstay the same and he goes Ng6 and I capture, I'd get mated in the nextmove. } 17... Qf4+ { There might have been better moves, but I was studying andI had to move quickly. I had thought that I could develop my bishop tof5 after this, which would get me closer to full development with a tempo,even though I could have possibly lost the a pawn after Bf5. I also wantedto play Bf5 to prevent the h8 knight's escape route. I thought that ifI could capture that knight for free, I could possibly have a winning gameor at least a drawing game. } 18. Kb1 Bd7 { For some reason I quite don'tremember, I didn't continue with the plan that I had thought of earlier. } 19. Ne4 { Threatening to destroy my defence of d7 and checkmate me. } 19... Nd5 { Preventing checkmate. } 20. c4 { Still trying to mate me. } 20... Qe5 { Now I threatenmate. More of a hopeful mate threat than a dangerous mate threat. } 21. Qd2 { Defends his king as he should. } 21... Nb6 { I move my knight, but it's stilldefending the d7 bishop. } 22. Nd6+ { And now I lose my queen. } 22... exd6 23. Rxe5+ dxe5 { Down three points I didn't want to give up, I still figuredI had a chance if I didn't allow the h8 knight to escape. But I'm not sureit was possible to disallow that. } 24. Qe2 Bf5+ 25. Ka1 Nd7 26. Qh5+ { Afterthis, I am in big trouble. } 26... g6 27. Qxh7 { Don't have too many moves here,but I chose one of the worst. } 27... Nc5 28. Qf7# { And I still hadn't finisheddeveloping. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.08.25"] [Round "-"] [White "seeker08"] [Black "eric2jin"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1296"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1216"] 1. e4 { I am black } 1... e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Qf3 Qf6 { Queen trade... } 4. d3 d6 5. Qxf6 Nxf6 6. c3 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. b4 Bb6 { Bishop retreat } 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. Ng5 Nd8 11. Na3 O-O 12. Nc4 d5 { Oops... } 13. exd5 exd5 14. Nxe5 { Forgotabout that... } 14... Nc6 { Oops... should have went Re8 } 15. Ne6 Nxe5 16. Nxf8 Rxf8 { 0 again! } 17. Kd2 Bxf2 { Bye bye! } 18. Ba3 b6 19. b5 Nfg4 { Oops... } 20. Bxf8 Kxf8 21. Rhf1 Ke8 22. h3 d4 23. c4 Be3+ { Check!!! } 24. Kc2 Nf6 25. Rf5 Nfd7 { Knight guard! } 26. Re1 g6 { Die! } 27. Rf4 { What?? } 27... c5 { Oops... } 28. bxc6 Nxc6 { If 28...Bxf4 29. c7 and the pawn promotes for sure... } 29. Re4+ Kd8 30. Rf1 Nb4+ 31. Kb3 Nxd3 32. Rf7 N3c5+ { Yess!!! } 33. Kc2 Nxe4 { Bye bye... } 34. Rxh7 Ne5 35. Rh8+ Kd7 36. Rh7+ Ke6 37. Rxa7 { ComputerAnalysis: Blunder: Mate in 8 } 37... d3+ { Computer Analysis: Mate in 8 } 38. Kd1 { Computer Analysis: Mate in 3 } 38... Nf2+ { Computer Analysis: Mate in 7 } 39. Ke1 { Computer Analysis: Mate in 6 } 39... d2+ { Computer Analysis: Mate in 6 } 40. Ke2 { Computer Analysis: Mate in 5 } 40... Nxc4 { Computer Analysis: Mate in 5 } 41. Rc7 { Computer Analysis: Mate in 1 } 41... d1=Q# { Mate! } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.05"] [Round "-"] [White "mrmarmalade"] [Black "ivyj"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1603"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1546"] 1. e4 { Annotated for mrmarmalade.. so I'm staying on white's perspectivemainly.. Arrr! } 1... e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Bc5 4. h3 { A rather passive move...Ng4 is not a threat just yet, because the queen can pick it off. Maybeyou were worried of something like ... d5 and Ng4? But a naturally developingmove such as 4. Nf3 would be much better. 4..d5 5. exd5 Ng4 6. o-o andwhite has a small advantage. Maybe h3 would be a good move to make ina few moves, if black threatened Bg4, but here it seems premature, andpassive. } 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 { Yay for developement! } 5... h6 6. Qe2 { Not sure what thepurpose of this move is exactly. Dreams of castling long? Plans of Be3? Either of those two ideas aren't the main priority just yet, as you stillhave pieces sitting on the queenside begging to be developed, and a kingaching to castle *short*. I like 6. o-o. 6. Nc3, or maybe even 6. Be3 here. } 6... d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nxe5 O-O 9. Bxd5 { Your white bishop is much better thanhis knight on the open board! This is trading a good bishop for a decentknight, and centralizing the black queen. Also your knight will now beattacked twice, so you'll have to move it to f3. (Black has initiative) 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. o-o leaves white with a small advantage due to black'spawn weakness. } 9... Qxd5 10. Nf3 Bd7 11. O-O Qd6 12. Nc3 Qg6 13. Qe4 { I likethis move. I also like Nh4, bullying the black queen. (after Qd6 or Qf6, Ne4.) } 13... Qf6 14. Nd5 { Good! } 14... Qd6 15. Bf4 { Also very good! developingwith tempi, and winning a bit of material here } 15... Qe6 16. Qxe6 { This is slightlyinaccurate, as after 16... fxe6! your knight and bishop are both underattack, and in order to not lose a piece you must play 17. Be3. However,just 16. Nxc7! wins a pawn flat out } 16... Bxe6 17. Nxc7 Rac8 18. Rfe1 { Good,but not the best move. I like 18. c3 preparing 19. d4, with strong centercontrol and firmly planted pawns } 18... a6 19. Bg3 { oh my, 19. c3! is overwhelmingfor black! for example: 19... Bd7 20. d4 Bb6 (or Be7) 21. Nd5 Bd8 22. Bd6Re8 23. Rxe8+ Bxe8 24. Re1 Bd7 and black's pieces are clumped in theirown little world, while white enjoys an open file, central space, activepieces, and completely has the initiative (all of the previous moves listedwould be more or less forced for black) } 19... Bb6 { Terrible move.. just givingaway more material } 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxe6 Bd8 { You're absolutely killinghim here.. should be a breeze rest of game. Your moves have been good,you've won material, and not made any real significant mistakes. I've onlypointed out what could have been better. } 22. c3 { Good move! } 22... Bf6 23. Bh4 Nd8 24. Re4 Nf7 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Rae1 Nd6 27. Re6 Nb5 28. Nh4 Nd4 29. cxd4 Rc2 30. Rb6 Rb8 31. Re7 Rd2 32. Rxf6 { I think 32. Nf5 forces matewithin like 7 moves, lol } 32... Rf8 33. Rg6+ Kh8 34. f3 { Silly, just take yourfree h6 pawn ;). You'd have to hang both rooks to lose this game though,lol } 34... Rxb2 35. Rxh6+ Kg8 36. Rhh7 Rb6 37. Reg7# { Well played! Hope my tipsgive you some things to look for in regards to positional insight! } 1-0

[Event "Montreal, 1979"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Boris Spassky"] [Black "Mikhail Tal"] [Result "0-1"] { The two former World Champions produce a short but exciting game. Talmanufactures a brilliant attack and smashes Spassky in quick fashion. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 { So far so normal... } 4. e3 Bb7 { This bishopwill control this diagonal the rest of the game. } 5. Bd3 d5 { Looking tocrack the center. } 6. b3 Bd6 { Both Tal's bishops point ominously at Spassky'sKing-side. } 7. O-O O-O { Both sides castle, but Spassky 'castles into it.' } 8. Bb2 Nbd7 { Continuing his slow buildup... } 9. Nbd2 Qe7 { Completing development. } 10. Rc1 Rad8 { Making final preparations... } 11. Qc2 c5 { Looking to blastopen some attacking lines. } 12. cxd5 exd5 { One line opens... } 13. dxc5 bxc5 { Already the position is tilting in Tal's favor. } 14. Qc3 Rfe8 { Movingthe last big gun into place. } 15. Rfd1 d4 { Forcefully blasting open theK file. } 16. exd4 cxd4 { Spassky's king is now shielded only by a paper-thinscreen of Pawns. } 17. Qa5 Ne5 { Forcing the Knight away from its best defensivepost. } 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 { The Bishops now have unobstructed lines to theirhelpless target. } 19. Nc4 Rd5 { Bringing the Rook into the attack with tempo. } 20. Qd2 Bxh2+ { Breaching the last wall. Now it's just a matter of moppingup. } 21. Kxh2 Rh5+ { It's all over but the shouting. } 22. Kg1 Ng4 { Spasskyresigns, as Tal's attack is overwhelming and his pieces, stuck away fromthe action on the Q-side, cannot come to the rescue of the besieged monarch. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23-Dec-07"] [Round "-"] [White "kewparknick"] [Black "thehobbit"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1369"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1345"] 1. e4 { Kewparknick 1345(my brother) vs. thehobbit (1369) plays e4 - ClassicalChess Opening } 1... e5 { A good reply (if you want to play a classical game) } 2. Nf3 { best position for your knight to move } 2... Nc6 { again the threat ismet by a good defence } 3. Bc4 { attacking move by white } 3... Nf6 { a good move- threatens the pawn on e4 as well as develops the king's side } 4. Ng5 Bc5 { a strange move (or so it seems to white) } 5. Nxf7 { what else wouldyou do? } 5... Bxf2+ { ? white is now thinking: yay a free bishop. how wrong canyou get? } 6. Kxf2 Nxe4+ { an attacking move } 7. Ke2 { this tactic also worksif th king moves to e3 or f3 } 7... Qh4 { ok, black is now really on the attack.white has to be careful } 8. Nxh8 { what else would you do? } 8... Qf2+ { a mistakefrom white (taking the rook) lead to a forced mate } 9. Kd3 Nb4+ { a goodmove. white has only one option left... } 10. Kxe4 Qf4# { gone! } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.11.25"] [Round "-"] [White "davidofegypt"] [Black "aussiem"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1783"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1592"] 1. e4 { my first wining to above 1800 e4 } 1... c5 { sicilian } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 { to prevent bb5 but it's a waste of time why to defendwhile i didn't attack } 5. Nc3 { development } 5... Nf6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nf5 { i don'tknow why i did it but i thought the it makes pressure on d6 disrupt kingsideif g6 or trade Black LSB } 7... Bxf5 8. exf5 d5 { he want to control the center } 9. Bg5 { pinning the knight threaten th d5 } 9... d4 { controling the center butbehind in the development } 10. Bxf6 { making use of the developmental advantagei take the developed pieace } 10... Qxf6 11. Nd5 { Control the center forcing queento retreat to prtect the fork in c7 } 11... Qd6 12. Bf3 Nd7 13. O-O { my situationis better developed and the king is safe } 13... Rb8 { i think it's weak move } 14. c4 { enhance the central knight } 14... Be7 { want to castle } 15. Re1 { controlingthe central file } 15... Nf6 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 { just simplifing matters } 17. Qa4+ { attack and develop } 17... Qd7 18. Qxd7+ { to prevent the castling } 18... Kxd7 19. b3 g6 { now my king is safe we are equal points i have strong pawn structuredifferent color bishops but he have strong advanced central pawns the onlythreat } 20. fxg6 hxg6 { remove my double pawn } 21. Bd5 { enhance the pawnstructure control the center prevent protecting d4 from behind and attackinf7 } 21... Rhf8 { protecting the paawn } 22. Rad1 { now i control the occupies center } 22... Bg7 { to develope f7 } 23. f3 { prevent e4 } 23... f5 24. Kf2 { time to bring theking in the game } 24... e4 25. fxe4 fxe4+ { nice move he developed apawn and getme checked } 26. Kg1 { time to retreat } 26... e3 { boby fisher said that a linkepassed pawns in the 6th rank is as powerful as a rook! } 27. Be4 { usingthe bishop to prevent d3 and to pin d4 } 27... Rf2 { he doesn't notice the pin } 28. Rxe3 { now i'm relieved } 28... Rxa2 29. Bxg6 Rg8 30. Rg3 { a pawn ahead inan end game } 30... Ke6 31. Re1+ Be5 { also he think that he attack and actualyhe isn't the pin frees my g3 rook actually i have a strong cover check } 32. Bf5+ Kxf5 33. Rxg8 d3 34. Rf8+ { +3 end game } 1-0

[Event "Bizarre Opening Pays Off"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Madthinker"] [Black "Fritz 4"] [Result "1-0"] { Madthinker versus Fritz 4 (yes, I am that old), on a fairly high setting. } 1. a3 { My plan was to get out of book as soon as possible, and go for adefensive setting, where a computer struggles for ideas. } 1... Nf6 2. h3 e5 3. Rh2 { Well this is definitely out of book now. } 3... d5 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 Bc5 6. e3 O-O 7. Ne2 Re8 8. Kf1 { Having played Rh2, I have to castle 'manually'. } 8... Bf5 9. Kg1 Bb6 10. Kh1 Be4 11. d3 Bxg2+ 12. Rxg2 Qd7 13. Rh2 Ne7 14. Qg1 Rad8 15. Nd2 Nf5 16. b3 c5 17. Bb2 Bc7 { Although Fritz as black is clearlybetter, he (or she), hasn't taken advantage like a human player would (orshould). } 18. Qg2 Ba5 { An annoying move, as I have to defend the Knightin order to continue my plan. I avoid 26.Nf3, as 26...e4 is unpleasant. } 19. Rd1 b5 20. Nb1 Nd6 21. Rg1 a6 { Too slow...now with my pieces in 'perfect'position, I launch phase 2 of my ludicrous plan. } 22. g4 Qe6 23. h4 Nd7 24. h5 Bc7 25. Nd2 Nb6 { Black really is missing his opportunity to blowthe centre open. } 26. Nf3 e4 27. Nh4 Rc8 { More dithering. Fritz can calculatea mate in 20, but not see that 27...d4 is intuitively better. I'm notgoing to miss an opportunity to close up the centre. } 28. d4 Nb7 29. Rh3 c4 30. b4 Nd6 31. c3 Ra8 { Black is reduced to attacking down the a-fileand it becomes a pawn race to open up the files. } 32. g5 a5 33. g6 fxg6 { I was worried here that 34.hxg6 h6, would block the attack, but perhapsbetter than my actual move would have been to interpose with 34.bxa5 Rxa5,taking the rook out of the game first. } 34. h6 { Now, 34...gxh6 allows 35.Nf4Qf7 (probably best) 36.Nhxg6 hxg6, and white has so many options, thatwhilst I can't find a win, I also can't believe that he isn't better. } 34... axb4 { 36.Nxg6 is now a possibility, but I cant see a plan after 36...Qxg6,so... } 35. hxg7 { Black better not take on g7, as after 36.Nf4, somethingbad will happen on g6. } 35... bxa3 { Here Nf4 is probably better, but still losing. But my next move gives black the chance to make a mistake. } 36. Nxg6 { Here36...Qxg6 is winning. After 37.Qh2 Qf5, white's attack will fizzle out. } 36... hxg6 37. Nf4 { 37...Qf5 is a possibility here, where white can play 38.Nxg6,and the position is unclear (at least to me). 38...axb2 allows 39.Nf8,where black's best bet is to sacrifice the queen with 39...Qxh3 40.Qxh3Rxf8. Or perhaps white could try 38.Bxa3 first. } 37... Qf6 { Again, here 38.Bxa3is an option, but after 38...Rxa3 39.Rh8+ Kf7 40.Ngxg6, black can calmly(or not calmly!) play Raa8. 38.Nxg6 is again possible, but 38....Nxf5looks a solid defence. So I try something more ambitious... } 38. Qh2 axb2 { Once more, 38.Nxg6 can be played, but 38...b1=Q (and not 38...Ra1, elsethe rook comes to h8+ and then f8+), and giving up the pawn is well worthit for Qxg6, and black is winning. } 39. Rxg6 b1=Q+ 40. Kg2 { Black has afew options here, but not all of them are necessarily good. For example40...Kf7 41.g8=Q Ke7 allows a four-queens game where white can win with42.Rh7+ Kd8 43.Qh4!!. After 41... Rxg8 42.Rh7+ Rg7 43.Qh5!! is a realkiller. Also, 40...Ra1 falls to 41.Rh8+ Kf7 42.Rf8+ Ke7 43.Rgxf6 Qf1+44.Qg2, and white ends up better off. } 40... Qxg6+ 41. Nxg6 { It's easy tosee black's next move as one that loses the game, but in truth, it's hardto see how he should proceed. E.g. 41...Kxg7 loses to 42.Rh7+ and 43.Qh5whether or not black takes the knight. Also, after 41...Nf7 comes 42.Rh8+Kxg7 43.Rh7+ Kg8 44.Qxc7 Kxh7 45. Qxf7 Kh6, white can force perpetual checkwith 46.Ne7. And after 41...Nf5 42.Qxc7, maybe it's black who wants totake the perpetual check with Nxe3+ and N-g4+ Perhaps best is 41...Nd7and after 42.Rh8+ Kf7 43.Qh7 Rg8! is the correct defensive move losinga rook after 44.Rxg8 Rxg8 45.Nh8+ Kf6 46.Qxg8, but by blocking the queeningsquare allows enough time for 46...Qd1. } 41... Qd1 42. Rh8+ Kf7 43. Qf4+ { Theonly possible defence now is 43...Ke6 where after 44.Nf8+ Rxf8 45.Rxf8Rxf8 46.gxf8=Q is unclear, but I suspect black might want to give up apawn in exchange for getting rid of one of the queens with 46.Qf3+. } 43... Nf5 { And now it's mate in 5. } 44. Qxf5+ Kxg7 45. Rh7+ Kxh7 46. Ne7+ Kh8 47. Qf6+ Kh7 48. Qg6+ Kh8 49. Qh6# { A nice ending, but I certainly don't recommendthe gameplan. } 1-0

[Event "A Queen for two rooks and a win"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.08.14"] [Round "-"] [White "pangli5"] [Black "gamlet"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1709"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1757"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. e3 cxd4 { I have always considered this a good exchange. } 4. exd4 d5 { Most common. } 5. Nf3 e6 6. Nc3 a6 { Slow but I wanted to preventthe knight from harassing my pieces. } 7. c5 { I think this release of tensionloosens White's position more than it poses problems for Black. } 7... Nc6 8. a3 g6 9. Bd3 { Now this piece has to bite on stone. All of my pawns blockhim. } 9... Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. Be3 b5 { This move would not be possible if Whitehad not advanced his c-pawn. } 12. cxb6 Qxb6 13. b4 Ng4 { Not really intendingto exchange, just coaxing weaknesses from White's position. } 14. Na4 Qc7 15. Be2 Ne7 16. Rc1 Qd6 17. Bg5 Nf5 { I'd rather keep this knight. } 18. h3 Nf6 19. Ne5 Nd7 20. Rc6 { The queen is now in need of breathing room. } 20... Qb8 21. Nxd7 { I'm not sure White should have gone this way. The knightwas quite well placed. } 21... Bxd7 22. Rxa6 Bxa4 23. Qxa4 Nxd4 24. Bd3 Qb7 25. b5 { White advances on the flank... } 25... e5 { I advance in the center. } 26. Be3 Nf5 { I'd really rather keep my knight. } 27. Bc5 Rfc8 28. Qb4 e4 { Advancingwith tempo. } 29. Be2 d4 30. Rb6 { Again he harasses the queen. } 30... Qd5 31. Rc1 d3 { Again with tempo. } 32. Bd1 Nd4 { And a glorious post for the preservedknight. } 33. Rd6 { This will be the last time. } 33... Qxd6 34. Bxd6 Rxc1 35. Qd2 { 35. Qe1 will lead to the same result after 35. ... Ne2+. } 35... Ne2+ 36. Kh2 Bc3 37. Qxc1 Nxc1 38. b6 f6 39. b7 Rf8 { The rook has cannot leave the lastrank anyway. 40. Bxf8 Be5+. } 40. a4 d2 41. Kg1 { But the way has been sealed.e1 and e2 are under the control of Black. If 42. f3 e3, and the King stillcannot enter the fray. } 41... Be5 42. Bxf8 Kxf8 43. Kf1 { Futile. } 43... Ke7 44. a5 Kd7 45. a6 Bb8 { Nice win. } 0-1

[Event "Minefields in the Middlegame (Pirc Defence)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "WineCape"] [Black "DojDosa1"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1973"] [WhiteElo "1969"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 { If your opponent allows free, unmolested movement of a2nd centred pawn, why, in the name of all that is Holy, don't you 'abuse'such gifts? } 2... Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 { The Pirc Defence, with the .. } 4. f4 { 'AustrainAttack' in reply. White is aiming for a central pawn clamp; Black's tryingto demolish such grandiose ideas. } 4... Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O { Aiming to get the BlackKing to safety before he commences the dismantling of the 3 Stooges takingcentre stage. } 6. Be3 { 6.Bd3 is also a viable development move here. } 6... b6 { Unexpected. I was expecting the usual 6...c5 here, sniping at the centredpawns immediately. } 7. Qd2 { Q-side castling and in line with the AustrianAttack's premises. } 7... c5 { All the same; Black skirmishes the flank of White'scentre, a standard method of operations in the Pirc Defence to dismantleWhite's proud annoyance. } 8. dxc5 bxc5 { Capturing TOWARDS the centre isusually a good idea. 2 Stooges left. } 9. O-O-O { Neither colours enjoy asignificant advantage yet from this position. } 9... Nc6 10. e5 { The centre isordered by Duke Wellington to join battle and disrupt Black's smooth operations. } 10... Ng4 { A standard maneuvre here, exposing e5 to 4 attacking Black units.Black does not want to exchange Queens with 10...dxe5, 11.Qxd8 yet, tryingto keep some tension in the middlegame. } 11. Bg1 { Preserving my e3 Bishop.I did not like the looks of instead 11.exd6 Nxe3 12. Qxe3 dxe6. White'scentre pawns is no more (=> success for Black's strategy) and Black, inturn, has now his own 2 centre pawns to steamroller at an opportune moment. } 11... Bh6 { Black complicates the game with this h6 Bishop sortie and occupiesa potentially dangerous c1-h6 diagonal, pinning the f4 Stooge against White'sKing + Queen and thus preventing the f4 pawn to defend his central buddyon e5. MINEFIELD #1: Note that Black cannot win a pawn with 11...dxe5,12.Qxd8 Rxd8, 13.Rxd8+ Nxd8 as the simple 14.h3 regains the pawn with roughlyequal further chances. } 12. exd6 { Only decent option, as Black is [MINEFIELD#2] threatening 12...Ngxe5 and the f4 pawn cannot retake, the very ideaof Black's 11...Bh6 earlier. } 12... Qxd6 13. Qxd6 { Seems the only move to keepsome initiative for White... } 13... exd6 14. Ng5 { This blocks the c1-h6 diagonaland protects the last remaining f4 Stooge, as well as putting some evilWhite designs onto the d6 pawn. (MINEFIELD #3: Obviously 14.Rxd6 was nota sane option.) } 14... Rd8 { Black develops and protects his backward weakness. } 15. Nce4 { Adding more attackers to d6, and supporting his namesake. NowBlack cannot play 15...d5 as 16.Nxc5 snatches a pawn without any dangerfor White. } 15... f6 { With hindsight, an error, but it is admittedly hard torecommend a viable alternative for Black. f6 allows ........ } 16. Bc4+ { ....the White-squared Bishop to smoothly join the attack. } 16... Kg7 { Here(1) 16 ... d5 fails to Rxd5, (2) 16...Kh8 fails to 17.Nf7+ and upon (3)16...Kf8 White's 17th move reply would also have been .... } 17. h3 { ....17.h3. This move required some cool-head and accurate calculations if Whitedoes not want to lose the plot. 17.h3, apart from counterstriking theg4 knight, also intends opening up the h-file for the dormant Rook on h1. } 17... fxg5 { Black does the expected and lances the knight off his warhorse. } 18. hxg4 { Opening up the h-file, but White, planning move 17.h3 had toreckon with the following Black Bishop sortie ..... } 18... Bxg4 { MINEFIELD #4:... Bg4 attacks a piece of greater value, putting the game on a knife'sedge as 19.Rxd6 gxf4! gives the following unsatisfactory White play: (a)20.Rxc6 Rd1# Mate!! and (b) 20.Bxc5 f3+! 21.Rxh6 Kxh6, 22.Be3+ Kg7 23.Rxc6fxg2 and Black equalizes + no material advantage for White, justifyingthe power of Black's dangerous ...Bh6 earlier in the game. } 19. fxg5 { White,for the moment, is on top of the position as Black's reply 19...Bxg5+,20.Nxg5 Bxd1, allows the nasty fork 21.Ne6+! This pesky knight ensures-- after the forced further exchanges of Rook and Bishop on d8/d1 respectively-- that White stays 2 pawns up with an excellent position, so Black tried... } 19... Bxd1 { ...the d1 rook capture giving him a tempory +5 advantage. } 20. gxh6+ { I *did* say 'temporarily.' Black is though still +2 pawns up. Theh1 Rook is doing its intended duty by protecting the pesky little 'un onh6. } 20... Kh8 21. Bd5 { ACHTUNG! MINEFIELD #5: White has to be awake, as thenatural looking 21.Kxd1 recapture allows 21...d5, saving Black. Bd5 stymiesthis idea, as well as pinning the c6 knight to the rook. } 21... Bxc2 { The Bishopsells his life as dear as possible. } 22. Ng5 { A powerful move. Despitebeing -3 pawns down, this knight sorty threatens the murderous Nf7+/Nxd8+/Nxc6sequence regaining all the deficit material... and then some. } 22... Rf8 { Blackdefends f7 and has the sly idea [MINEFIELD #6] to exchange his f8 rookand gain some upper hand thus:-- 23.Nf7+ Rxf7, 24.Bxf7 Rf8 and despiteWhite being a pawn up, the position is quite drawish with no clear winin sight for White. } 23. Bxc6 { White gains parity of material and attacksat same time the a8 Rook + Black's c2 Bishop, thus keeping the initiative. } 23... Rac8 { Black Counter attack's. Thrust and counter thrust. } 24. Bd5 { By simplyreturning to the a2-g8 diagonal, White hems the Black King in the cornerand renews the capture of the c2 Bishop. BLACK RESIGNED HERE, realisingafter withdrawing his c2 Bishop White replies Nf7+ and apart from winningthe exhange, the endgame is hopeless for Black. Notice how the h6 pawn,in covering the King's g7 escape square, now in turn stands on the verysame square Black introduced complications with ...Bh6 earlier. } *

[Event "Festival Arica 2010"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Meruvia, Juan"] [Black "Sanhueza, Felipe"] [Result "1-0"] { Comenta, Felipe Sanhueza (y en paréntesis se indica los comentarios deHéctor Mamani y Sebastián Urquiola) } 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 d6 { Community chess is Cc6, but he would like to take Juan from the known lines. } 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 { Good, it is not a line, and it is a somewhat unusual move on my part, but at least we will be playing pure chess. } 6. Be2 Nc6 7. Nb3 { 7.O-OAe7 8.Ae3 O-O 9.f4 Cxd4 10.Axd4 Ac6 11.Ad3 es otra posibilidad (HéctorMamani) } 7... a5 8. a4 g6 9. h4 h5 { It is doubtful since it allows the logical move Ag5 and briefly annoys the black development. } 10. Bg5 Bh6 { It is not a good idea to play too many games because it will decrease the pressure, however it seems to be more precise to move the knight to a7. } 11. Bxh6 Rxh6 12. Qd2 Rh8 13. O-O-O Qe7 14. f3 { 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Na7 ( 15...Nb816.Qc3 ) 16.Nxa5 tal vez era más precisa, por los temas en la columna e(Héctor Mamani) } 14... O-O-O 15. Nd5 Nxd5 { Es indiscutible que la posición delas blancas es superior, pero la estructura negra es bastante defendible } 16. exd5 Nb8 { It is true that whites are taking the pawn on a5, but it is a free matter since they also remain touched on a4. } 17. Rde1 Qf6 18. Nxa5 b6 19. Nc4 { En este momento Juan pasa su dedo índice limpiandosobre la casilla b4, señalándome indirectamente que si tomo Aa4 el jugaráDb4 seguido de un posterior sacrificio con Cb6 } 19... Bxa4 { OK accepted the sacrifice which was not seen as any danger to the blacks. } 20. Qb4 Be8 { Now the sacrifice is useless, as white defends with Td7 (Sebastián Urquiola). The sacrifice gives white an advantage, as after 21 Cb6,cb; 22 Db6, Td7; 23Aa6!, Ca6; 24 Da6, Tb7 (If the king moves, comes Te4! with the idea of Tc4) 25 Te8!, Te8; 26 Dc6, winning the tower and with an advantage in the endgame. } 21. Na3 Kb7 22. Bd3 Na6 { La idea era evitar Dc4 llevando mi caballo a c5 peroen ese caso más precisa era Cd7 } 23. Bxa6+ Kxa6 24. Qc4+ Kb7 25. Re4 Bd7 { Mucho mejor era Ta8 } 26. Nb5 Rc8 { The horse cannot be taken as the white attack would be unstoppable, the knight is the best defensive piece I have at this moment. } 27. Rhe1 Rhd8 { Mucho más exacta eraDd8 seguido de Thd8 } 28. Nd4 { Según fritz ('el amigo de todos', [HéctorMamani]) en esta posición las blancas ganan con la inesperada Rb1, peroclaramente era una jugada sumamente difícil de ver, las negras quedaríansin jugadas útiles, por ej 27.- Rb1- g5 28.-T1e3- Ab5 29.- Db5- Ta8 30.-Dc6+-Rb8 31.- Tc4- Tc8 32.- hxg5- Dg5 33.- Ta3- Ta3 34.- ba3- Dd2 35.-Ta4 y las blancas ganan } 28... Re8 { Nuevamente era más preciso Ta8 } 29. Nc6 g5 30. Nb4 { In this position, Gerardo Hernandez recommended 29. Db5, claiming that it was a winning position since it threatened the discovery of Ca5, to which Juan agreed, however in that moment I said and disagreed with them since it is easily refuted with 29...- Te4 30. Te4- Ta8 and the whites do not have a plan, nor even Te7 since white takes it calmly with Dxe7. } 30... b5 { Juan was unable to find the most precise moves at this moment, resulting in complete equality on the board. } 31. Qf1 Rxe4 32. Rxe4 Re8 { In the crunch time, I had clearly equal position in front of me, but the move Te8 loses automatically since white pieces activate enormously, had I played gxh4, I would have entered into a position with equal opportunities (clearly, Fritz claims that simplifying everything, blacks win). } 33. Nc6 Kb6 34. Qg1+ { In this point, he abandoned the game, understanding that 8 minutes is enough time to play this type of game. The two last moves he made at the end were mechanically played, thinking about the time and that the position was balanced. There is no need to despair about the clock, let the mind work by itself... } 1-0

[Event "charleshiggie's mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.06"] [Round "-"] [White "charleshiggie"] [Black "righa"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1843"] [TimeControl "7d+2d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1900"] 1. d4 { This is clearly a case of 'Trying too hard to win'. Having obtaineda winning position I made one error. Rather than admit that the positionwas now equal, and accept a perpetual check, being materially up, I triedto play on for a win and ended up getting mated! } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 { The Grünfeld defence, also sometimes called the Grünfeld-Indian Defence.The Indian player Moheschunder Bannerjee played the opening as early as1855 against John Cochrane. However, it is named for Ernst Grünfeld, whointroduced it into international tournament play at Vienna 1922, whereGrünfeld, in his first game with the defense, beat future World ChampionAlexander Alekhine. } 4. cxd5 { And this is the exchange variation, the mostcommon way of playing against it } 4... Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 { Thismove came back into vogue towards the end of the 20th century. Bc4 followedby Ne2 had been the more usual way of developing the white king side, preventingblack from pinning the knight with Bg4. With the knight on e2, this canjust be met by f3 } 7... c5 8. Rb1 { Rb1 delays the development of the black Bc8as the pawn on b7 is attacked } 8... O-O 9. Be2 Nd7 10. O-O Nf6 11. Bd3 b6 { Nowthat the pawn b7 has gone to b6 and is protected, I decided to preventthe pin with h3 } 12. h3 Bb7 13. Re1 Rc8 14. Bf4 Nh5 15. Be3 Nf6 { Blackalmost seems to be offering a draw. Perhaps if I play Bf4 black will playNh5 again and we can just repeat and agree a draw. But I have the whitepieces, and a higher grade, I must play on! } 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bf4 Nh5 18. Bd2 cxd4 19. cxd4 Qd7 20. e5 { Now his knight is short of squares } 20... Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Qxd4 22. g4 Rfd8 23. Rb3 Rc2 { what is this? Black sacs the exchange.I was a bit surprised. What of it? I can just take it surely? } 24. Bxc2 Qxd2 25. Rd1 Qxc2 26. Rxd8+ { Now I am two exchanges up, and the black knightis still hanging. } 26... Kh7 { Now I have got two alternatives. I should havejust taken the knight and be winning on material. But I thought I couldtake on f7 and threaten mate. After the mate threat is dealt with, I cantake the knight. I did actually at this stage look at the game continuation27. Qxf7 Qc1+, 28. Kg2 Nf4+, 29. Kf3 g5, 30. Qf5+ and thought that Qf5was mate. I didn't see that the knight could then drop back and block thecheck. Funnily enough there are quite a few cases in chess where strongplayers overlook knight moves jumping backwards, the most famous beingwhen in 1956 future world champion Petrosian left his queen en pris toa knight retreat from Bronstein. } 27. Qxf7 Qc1+ 28. Kg2 Nf4+ 29. Kf3 g5 30. Qf5+ Ng6 { Oops, so I don't get the knight after all. But so what,I am still two exchanges up, I should be winning easily.... } 31. e6 Qh1+ 32. Ke2 Bf6 33. Rd1 Qc6 34. Rd7 Kg7 35. Rxa7 Nf4+ 36. Kd2 Qd6+ 37. Ke1 Qc6 38. Kd1 Qd6+ 39. Ke1 Qc6 { Here I should just keeping repeating theposition, however, as I said, I wanted to win.... } 40. Kd1 Qd6+ 41. Kc2 Qc6+ 42. Kd2 Qd6+ 43. Rd3 { Offering one of the exchanges back, to try andget some pieces off the board. Black wisely, is not bought off so easily.. } 43... Qb4+ 44. Ke3 Ng2+ { This is lost now. If I go to f3 black has Nh4 forkingking and queen. Ke2 is nearly as bad, black just plays Qe1 first. I thoughtKe2 was the lesser of the two evils, as it forces black to find Qe1...you never know! } 45. Ke2 Qe1+ { I played the next two moves quickly, asthey are forced. } 46. Kf3 Nh4+ 47. Kg3 Qg1# { A clear demonstration of therule, 'if you see a good move, look for a better one!' Instead of takingoff the queen, black checkmates. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.24"] [Round "-"] [White "warvetchaosone1"] [Black "grntnick"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1043"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { Ruy Lopez. White aims to keep long term pressurewith the pin on the black knight. } 3... a6 { Questioning the bishop. Bxc6 dxc6nxe5 does not win a pawn after Qd4. Even Bxc6 cxd6 nxe5 Qg5 is playable. } 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O { Main line Ruy Lopez. } 8. c3 { Classical way to play with d4, trying to gain the center. Althoughc3 allows the Marshall Attack, and thus if white does not want to playagainst the Marshall he can play several antimarshall variations: mainlya4 or h3 } 8... d5 { The Marshall Attack. A strong pawn sacrifice. } 9. Bxd5 { ?Just wrong. The main line exd5 nxd5 nxe5 rxe5 bd6 qh4 g3 qh3 offers blackattacking chances, but both sides have to play carefully and black is downa pawn. This line just gives black the advantages of the Marshall withoutthe downside (the gambit of the e pawn) } 9... Nxd5 10. exd5 Qxd5 { Black enjoysa spacial advantage, a lead in development, and attacking chances. } 11. d4 { ?! Questionable as this encourages the pawn advance 11. e4! with anice edge to black } 11... e4 { The black pawn now becomes an important part } 12. Ne5 { ? This just loses a pawn. There are not many good alternatives though,as Nfd2 hinders white's development even more. } 12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 Qxe5 14. Be3 Bd6 { Threatens mate on h7. Forcing a weakness in the white castle position. } 15. g3 Qf5 { ! Eyes the classic weak h3 square in the Marshall Gambitalong with stopping any white ideas of f3. } 16. Nd2 Bb7 { A move that isdifferent from the normal Marshall. Normally the Black Queen is on h3 andthe black LSB is on g4, setting up nice mating nets. Here though Qh3 dropsa pawn, so deploying the bishop along the a8 h1 diagonal seems effective. } 17. Nb3 { ?! Another questionable move. Trying to drive the queen awayfrom f5, but Black wants to play Qh3 anyways. } 17... Rae8 { Black develops therook to support the e pawn and possibly prepares a rook lift. } 18. Nd4 Qh3 19. a4 { ? Another move asking for trouble. Black has a powerful attackand white is trying to win a queenside pawn that is useless. } 19... Re5 { NowBlack threatens Rh5 with a nearly unstoppable mate on h5. } 20. g4 { Stoppingthe rook from moving to h5, but opening up the b8 h2 diagonal. } 20... Rg5 { !Great move rips open the Kingside. Black threatens the simple and brutalRxg4. The rook cannot be taken as is shown in the game. } 21. Bxg5 { ??This ends the game. Black still had a large lead and a very dangerous attackbut this loses instantly. } 21... Bxh2+ { ! A common mating net in the MarshallAttack. } 22. Kh1 Bg3+ 23. Kg1 Qh2+ { White resigns. As after Kf1 Qxf2#.The game is an example of what the Marshall can do to unsuspecting opponents.White did not grasp the ideas of the position, and quickly got overwhelmedby the strong black attack. Most notable are the ideas of creating weaknessesin the White Kingside using the bishop and queen, and then supporting thatattack quickly (ie through a rooklift), and finally the mating net withthe bishop and queen, which every Marshall player should know. } 0-1

[Event "Fierce Queen in training..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "4-Feb-18"] [Round "-"] [White "lakerlarry"] [Black "fiercequeen"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2059"] [TimeControl "3+10 blitz"] [WhiteElo "1450"] { In some games, I just let myself go: when you play for fun, you must tryeverything; luckily sometimes, you cross paths with an opponent who feelsexactly the same: 3+10 blitz style... } 1. e4 c5 2. Qf3 { making a statement,right from the beginning: White is going for the King... } 2... g6 { White willat least need another move, to make this work somehow: that gives Blacktime to work on this Bulgarian variation of the Sicilian... } 3. Bc4 { obviously,but Black is fully ready... } 3... e6 { in line, with Blacks' development... } 4. d3 { preparing interference from Bc1: but that cannot harm Black yet... } 4... Qf6 { breaking Whites' attack, before it even started... } 5. Qg3 { of course,Qxf6, Nxf6, would be a gross loss of tempo for White: but maybe best... } 5... Nc6 { threatening Nb4/Nd4... } 6. c3 { only defense... } 6... h6 { countering Bg5... } 7. f4 h5 { after e5, we might consider h4... } 8. e5 Qf5 9. Nf3 Qg4 { or justthis: keep pushing for trading Queens... } 10. Qf2 a6 { creating more space... } 11. h3 Qf5 12. Nh4 { White succeeded in trapping the Black Queen: at thecost of several minutes, while Black is just fortifying his position... } 12... Nce7 13. Nxf5 Nxf5 14. Nd2 b5 15. Bb3 Be7 { just making complications: meanwhile,White is struggling with the clock... } 16. Ne4 Bh4 17. g3 Nxg3 18. Nxg3 Bb7 { anything goes: Black had still several minutes to spare... } 19. Rg1 Ne7 { preparing castling and Nf5... } 20. Qxc5 { the Queen needs to get outof the pin: but this greed will not help... } 20... O-O 21. Qb6 Rab8 22. Qd4 { forced:after Nf5, Black is still in control; but Whites' clock ran out, rightat the last move... } 0-1

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "???"] [Black "???"] [Result "*"] { a game i learned from my chess teacher } 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Bc4 c5 { you missed your chance you'll never get that pawn!(bad_) } 4. Nf3 d6 { ultimatepawn chain!(bad) } 5. O-O Nc6 { finally development } 6. Re1 { threateninge5 } 6... Bg4 { you'll never get to e5! } 7. e5 { aw man.... } 7... Nxe5 8. Nxe5 { thanksfor the queen! } 8... Bxd1 9. Bb5+ { check! } 9... Ke7 10. Bg5+ { check! } 10... f6 11. Ng6+ { check! } 11... Kf7 12. Nxh8# { checkmate... how often do you see that? add comments! } *

[Event "johnbird's mini-tournament X"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.01"] [Round "-"] [White "individkid"] [Black "thewhitewhale"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1215"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1235"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. h3 { a small asymmetry } 5... O-O 6. Bd3 a6 7. Be3 b5 8. O-O { pawns before central pieces } 8... b4 9. Ne2 Bb7 10. Nd2 { preserve the symmetry } 10... Nc6 11. c4 bxc3 12. bxc3 e5 13. d5 Ne7 14. c4 { center shifted to left } 14... Nh5 15. g4 Nf6 16. f3 { right side locked up;enemy pieces trapped } 16... c6 17. Nb3 Nc8 18. Qd2 Re8 19. Nc3 Nb6 20. Na5 Qc7 21. Rab1 c5 22. Na4 { horizontal and vertical } *

[Event "A draw worth noting."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-May-08"] [Round "-"] [White "lyshatin"] [Black "anotherminorpawn"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1731"] [TimeControl "7d+5d, 15d max"] [WhiteElo "1625"] { In this game, I play black in a team tournament. The game stays veryeven with black gaining a slight advantage, then losing it through miscalculation. It ends in an opposition race which black also loses through miscalculation. Even though the final result is a draw, there are several tactics mentionedand play on both sides that are definitely deserve a second look. Questionsand comments appreciated, especially if you find mistakes. :) } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 { Sicilian Dragon, one of myfavorite openings (for those of you doing research on my play style). :) The name comes from the similarity of black's kingside pawn structureto the constellation Draco. The fianchettoed bishop is sometimes calledthe 'dragon's flame' because of the threat down the long diagonal. } 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Bc4 { 7. f3 is the usual move, preventing Ng4. It's often followedby 8. Qd2 and 9. Bc4. I don't always follow the 'correct' order when playingan opening, but sometimes that order exists to avoid traps. Neglectingf3 allows 7...Ng4, threatening to exchange for the bishop. On the otherhand, I've fallen into a counter-trap with 7. Bc4 Ng4 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. Qxg4,so it pays to be careful from both sides. } 7... O-O 8. Qd2 Ng4 { I wanted tocastle before starting an attack. I didn't really know what to expecthere and was a little leery about throwing my knight out to be harassedby a possible pawn storm. } 9. Bg5 Nc6 { More development instead of retreating. Double threat on white's d4 knight. } 10. f3 { White elects to trade knights,though the reasoning behind it may have been to continue building towardsthe pawn structure seen in the Yugoslav attack. } 10... Nxd4 { I accept the trade,which wins a pawn. It does open half-open the f-file, which can be dangerouswhen directed toward a castled position, but there are always tradeoffsand I think it's manageable, especially since my bishop will complicatecastling for white. The exchange also helps continue development, whichnever hurts. } 11. fxg4 Bxg4 12. h3 { White wants to keep her castling optionsopen. :) } 12... Be6 { Contesting the a2-g8 diagonal, since I hate to have myf-pawn pinned. } 13. Bxe6 Nxe6 14. Bh6 { White also wants to trade off mystrong bishop. This is a common exchange since it removes black's controlof the a1-h8 diagonal. } 14... Rc8 { 'Rooks belong on open files.' } 15. Bxg7 { Irefuse to exchange, forcing white to do so. Having my king on the 7thrank may save a move as we near the endgame and I wish to move him to thecenter. Odd that I mention the endgame when we've barely left the opening. I don't think there's any clear demarcation between phases, but as piecesare traded off, threats against the king are reduced and play begins torevolve around pawn promotions instead of direct mates. In this case,white is out of threats against black and black's king can start eyeingthe path to the center of the board. } 15... Kxg7 16. O-O-O { I try to follow thegeneral rule that the first 10 moves should see all minor pieces developed,one or both center pawns occupying the center, and the king castled (toeither side). This castle is well outside that, but since I've had noattacks on the king, it hasn't hurt anything. } 16... Qa5 17. Kb1 Rc5 { ?! - QuestionableMove. I don't remember the specifics of this decision, but Rc6 would haveserved much better. This is the first move I've 'rated', since all othermoves are completely reasonable depending on the ideas behind them. Thisone may also have a solid reason, but it escapes me at the moment. :) } 18. a3 Rfc8 { ? - Poor move. Overlooking the obvious. } 19. b4 Qxa3 { I believeI originally intended Qb6, pinning the b-pawn, but overlooked 20. Na4. } 20. bxc5 Rxc5 21. Qc1 { ! - Good move. White can't hold onto the knightsafely and this prevent any mate threats I might have entertained. } 21... Qxc3 22. Qb2 Qe5 23. Qxe5+ { With an exposed king, trading queens is a good movefor white. } 23... Rxe5 { I forced the queen exchange here to set up an attackon white's e-pawn. } 24. Rhe1 Nc5 25. Rd5 { Rd4 can't hold the pawn after25...f5 and the pin would create other problems. This way, white forcesa rook exchange, which further benefits her. 'If you have a pair of Rooksand your opponent only has one, it is usually correct to trade Rooks.' } 25... Rxe4 26. Rxe4 Nxe4 27. Kb2 { It's hard to classify the next few moves. White can't win any pawns at the moment, since Ra5 is met with a6 andRb5 is met with Nc5. I plan on playing Nc5 at some point, because it alsoblockades white's c-pawn, but want to wait for her to force me to do so,hopefully winning a tempo. My plan is to escort my kingside to queen whilefreezing play on the queenside. } 27... f5 { At this point, black has a solid advantage. With careful play, black should have no problem pushing one of the pawnsto queen. This isn't because of any mistakes on white's part, but insteaddue to piece placement and pawn structure during the course of the game. I've tried to comment on a few specifics, but it's hard to quantify whatgood or bad placement is without knowing why the move is made. } 28. Kb3 Kf6 29. Kb4 g5 30. Rd1 h5 31. Ka5 g4 32. hxg4 hxg4 33. Rb1 Nc5 { My planseems to be proceeding well. } 34. Kb5 f4 35. Rh1 Kg5 36. Rh7 f3 37. gxf3 gxf3 { I've finally obtained a passed pawn, which I imagine will be tradedfor white's rook. That should give me a winning advantage, though thegame is far from over. In retrospect, I should have moved my e-pawn, butduring the game, I felt it was a useful sacrifice to keep white's rookoccupied for a move or two while I advanced the f-pawn. } 38. Rg7+ Kf4 39. Rxe7 Kg3 40. Rg7+ Kf2 41. Kc4 Ke3 { I finally spotted a flaw in my plan. White can keep my king pinned behind my pawn, preventing it from queening. Time to bring in my knight! } 42. Re7+ Ne4 { ?? - Blunder This wasn't thebest way to do that. } 43. Kd5 { ! - Good move. I don't know what I imagined,but this wasn't it! White makes excellent use of the momentary pin todestroy any chance of an easy black win. } 43... f2 { I push the pawn to forcean exchange before I lose due to underestimating white's rook again. } 44. Rxe4+ Kf3 45. Re7 f1=Q 46. Rf7+ Ke2 47. Rxf1 Kxf1 48. Kxd6 Ke2 { White can'tcapture my pawns, since moving to the 7th rank would allow my a-pawn toqueen. } 49. c4 { I would have played Kc5, using the c-pawn to prevent blackfrom playing Kd3, but I don't know if it really makes a difference. At some point, I needed to push my a-pawn to exchange for white's c-pawn. If white managed to advance it and exchange with my b-pawn while keepingher king in front of my a-pawn, it's a definite draw. } 49... Kd3 50. Kc5 a5 51. Kb5 a4 52. Kxa4 Kxc4 { Black has opposition. The opposition battle reallystarts here. We could have tried to analyze it earlier and played slightlydifferently to change placement after capture, but this is what I wantand now I just need to maintain pressure to keep white away from b1. The'rule' to remember is that opposition changes anytime another piece ismoved or one king moves diagonally and the other orthogonally. Once oneside has opposition, they should be able to maintain it with careful play. } 53. Ka3 b5 54. Kb2 Kb4 { Black has opposition. } 55. Ka2 Kc3 56. Ka3 b4+ 57. Ka2 b3+ { ?? - Blunder. I believe I had this setup in a conditionalsequence, having calculated thing incorrectly. Here's an example of correctplay. Black maintains opposition and controls white's moves to ensurecontrol of b1 and a successful queening: 57.Ka2Kc2 58.Ka1Kb3 59.Kb1Ka3 60.Ka1b3 61.Kb1b2 62.Kc2Ka2 } 58. Kb1 Kb4 { ?? - Blunder. johnforteen6pointed out that I should have played 58...b2, forcing white to a2. Idon't have any excuse for missing this. It was part of a conditional sequenceI'd setup the night before and I assume that I overlooked it during analysisby skipping the sequence. } 59. Kb2 Ka4 60. Kb1 { It's possible, with carefulplay, for white to obtain opposition and draw on a central file. In thisgame, black maintains opposition, but fails to control the critical squares(due to calculation errors). } 60... Kb5 { 1/2 - 1/2 After recalculating and planningto change opposition, I realized I couldn't force my king to a3 and offereda draw. When reviewing, I was struck by the fact that white never madeany serious mistakes. There are a few places I would have played differentlyto obtain a different position after an exchange, but other than the lostpawn at the beginning, the game result was decided on positional play andmy blunders. The best advice I can offer is to centralize pieces whenpossible and double check any moves before submitting them. :) Questionsand comments appreciated, especially if you find mistakes. :) } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.13"] [Round "-"] [White "sombrah13"] [Black "thehellion"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1327"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1282"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { The Giuoco Piano. I was expecting the Ruy Lopez. } 3... Nf6 4. Ng5 { My opponent chooses an aggressive line. Proper defense willcut the attack off at the pass. } 4... d5 { The Bishop's diagonal has to be cut.This is the best way to do it. } 5. exd5 Nxd5 { The Pawn exchange leavesme with the stronger center, for now. } 6. d3 Be7 { I prepare to castle.But my opponent has a surprise in store. } 7. Nxf7 { I do not think thisattack is sound. It does create tricky complications, and in an over-the-boardsituation, especially in a blitz-type game, it could be a useful line totry. If Black doesn't have time to think, a blunder could emerge. } 7... Kxf7 { Forced. } 8. Qf3+ { I think White was counting on this move winning theKnight on my Q4. } 8... Ke6 { My opponent may have overlooked that this responsesaves the piece. } 9. Nc3 { Applying more pressure... } 9... Nb4 { ...and I guardthe Knight again. White can't drive away the guard with 10 P-QR3?? because0f 10...NxP ch!, winning a Rook. } 10. O-O { This stops the Knight fork. } 10... c6 { However, with the Pawn now guarding the pinned Knight, I can lose atmost a Pawn in the ensuing exchanges, if my opponent forces the issue. } 11. Bb3 Rf8 { I try to drive the Queen. } 12. Qg4+ Kd6 13. Qxg7 { White succeedsin winning a Pawn... } 13... Bf5 { ...but allows me to free my position. } 14. a3 Na6 15. d4 { The position has stabilized. Now I need to exchange off asmany pieces as possible to prevent tactical complexities rendering my materialadvantage useless. } 15... Nxc3 16. Qxe5+ { White attempts to keep the game tactical. } 16... Kd7 17. bxc3 Qc7 { I offer the exchange of Queens. } 18. Bf4 Qxe5 { By permittingthis exchange, White has allowed me to reach the position I want: an endgamewhere my extra piece will shine. With more pieces to use, I should be ableto win back some of the Pawns. } 19. dxe5 Nc7 { This Knight can now get backinto play. } 20. Rad1+ Ke8 21. a4 Rd8 { Offering another exchange. } 22. e6 { This mistake simply costs White a Pawn. } 22... Nxe6 23. Bxe6 Bxe6 { With thegame simplifying rapidly and White's weak, isolated Q-side Pawns lookinglike prime targets, I feel a win is within sight. } 24. Bc7 Rxd1 { Anothermistake by White. He should avoid piece exchanges at all costs. } 25. Rxd1 Bf5 26. Rd2 Kf7 { I try to get my King away from White's Rook. White cando little but wait for me to maneuver. } 27. a5 Kg8 28. h3 Bf6 { The powerof the two Bishops is felt. White cannot defend both isolated QBP's. } 29. c4 { Temporarily saving the Pawn. } 29... Re8 30. c5 Bc3 { Now I drive the Rookand win the Pawn on White's QB2. } 31. Rd1 Bxc2 32. Rc1 Re1+ { Forcing anotherpiece exchange. White's Rook will vanish. } 33. Rxe1 Bxe1 34. a6 { This speedsWhite's doom. However, the position is lost for White in any case. } 34... bxa6 { Now the QRP will march to victory. } 35. Bb8 a5 36. Bxa7 a4 37. Bb6 Bc3 { The final blow, guarding QR8 and preventing the Bishop from stopping thePawn. } 38. Kf1 a3 { White resigns. } 0-1

[Event "Caught in the Centre!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.27"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "king-nothing"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1367"] [TimeControl "5d+5d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1915"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! After suffering Henry being buried alive, after adogged rear-guard draw against Dynamic Dave, I think it is time for youto see Yours Truly go on the attack for a change. This is my most recentgame and it ended with my opponent's king getting trapped in the centreand then subsequently copping Old Matey. So how did this happen? Well,after my standard 1. e4, JJ plays a favourite defense of the Master Mater. He really does lurve playing 1. ..... Nf6 in response to e4. It is avery good defense, even though black's knight does get chased about a bit- don't knock it! } 1... Nf6 2. e5 { 2. e5 - standard pawn stab. } 2... Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 { 4. Nf3 - development and a decent pawn centre, can I keep it though? } 4... Bg4 5. Be2 { 5. Be2 - pin breaker. } 5... g6 6. Ng5 Bh6 { 6. ..... Bh6?? - JJ'sfirst big error. This is gonna drop him a piece as you will see on thenext turn. } 7. Bxg4 O-O { 7. ..... 0-0 - black decided to keep his kingupright and to castle kingside. Has he castled into it though? His positionis a little weak and I can find a way to exploit this right now. } 8. Ne6 fxe6 { 8. ..... fxe6 - nacht but ...... } 9. Bxe6+ { 9. Bxe6+ - two blackpieces are now en prise and JJ cannot save both. } 9... Kh8 10. Bxh6 { 10. Bxh6- I choose to take the bishop because now JJ's KR is under the hammer,not to mention a knight on d5. I must win big material, I must. } 10... Nb6 11. Bxf8 Qxf8 { 11. .... Qxf8 - JJ saves his knight but he is now down a wholerook and a pawn. Over the next few moves, I complete my development sothat I can put myself in a position to go for the jugular. } 12. O-O Nc6 13. exd6 cxd6 14. d5 { 14. d5 - I do neglect my queenside development butI do greatly desire that Glenda lands on the a1-h8 diagonal, right whereJJ's king is! } 14... Ne5 15. b3 { 15. b3 - prophylaxis here. I do not want eitherblack knight to jump on a4 or c4. When I move my own knight I will favourd2 as I may want to complete the pawn chain on the a2-g8 diagonal to preventany counterplay type ingress on the c column by JJ's remaining rook orthat Wicked Witch of the West. } 15... Qh6 { 15. .... Qh6 - hmm, I expected JJto try and challenge that a1-h8 diagonal while he had the chance! } 16. f4 Ned7 17. Qd4+ { 17. Qd4+ - now Glenda does hop on to that diagonal. I did again expect the Witch to move onto g7 to block her attack but no,a knight blocks that diagonal. } 17... Nf6 18. Nd2 { 18. Nd2 - clearing the decksand heading for e4 to pile up upon the pinned knight on f6. } 18... Kg7 19. Ne4 Kf8 { 19. ..... Kf8 - this move is gonna be suicidal, just you wait forit! } 20. Nxf6 { 20. Nxf6 - wait for it! } 20... exf6 21. Qxf6+ { 21. Qxf6+ - waitfor it ...... } 21... Ke8 22. Rae1 { 22. Rae1 - NOW! - my final piece comes outto play and the black king is feeling very cold, and the sky is gettingreally dark above him. There is no way he can stop the Chessic Grim Reaperwield his scythe, so on the next turn ....... } 22... Rd8 { 22. .... Rd8 - downcomes ....... } 23. Bc8# { 23. Bc8 MATE!! - .... Old Matey! Although JJdid castle early doors, the weaknesses around his king and the lack ofa piece and later on a whole rook proved too much and JJ eventually endedup being driven back to the centre and nailed there! I hope you all havea good read and are enjoying your weekend. Kind regards - Joanne } 1-0

[Event "Tournament Game, Karlsbad 1923"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Ernst Gruenfeld"] [Black "Aleksandr Alekhine"] [Result "0-1"] { Alekhine, incredibly, won a First Brilliancy Prize playing the Black sideof the QGD Orthodox, without Gruenfeld making any major errors! A goodcase can be made that Alekhine was the most creative chess player at theGM level who ever lived. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 { The game has nowtransposed into the QGD, Orthodox defense. } 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 Nbd7 { Alekhine'sposition is cramped, but sound. } 6. e3 O-O 7. Rc1 c6 { Electing to nottry for ...P-QB4, the standard freeing move. } 8. Qc2 a6 9. a3 h6 { Attackingthe B and creating 'luft' for the King. } 10. Bh4 Re8 11. Bd3 dxc4 { Nowthat White has moved his KB, this move gains a tempo. } 12. Bxc4 b5 13. Ba2 c5 { Alekhine has eliminated Gruenfeld's spatial advantage and equalizedthe game. } 14. Rd1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qb6 { Activating the Q and getting outof the potential pin. } 16. Bb1 Bb7 17. O-O Rac8 { Alekhine takes commandof the open file with a restricting pin. } 18. Qe2 Ne5 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 { Alekhinenow plans to plant his Knight on QB5... } 20. Qc2 g6 21. Qe2 Nc4 { ...andhe does. } 22. Be4 Bg7 23. Bxb7 Qxb7 { With the disappearance of Gruenfeld'slast Bishop, Alekhine now has an edge in mobility. His B can zip acrossthe board faster than Gruenfeld's Knights can traipse. } 24. Rc1 e5 25. Nb3 e4 { Preparing an outpost at Q6 for his Knight, with the additionalthreat of NxRP winning a Pawn. } 26. Nd4 Red8 27. Rfd1 Ne5 { Preparing toland. } 28. Na2 Nd3 29. Rxc8 Qxc8 { Gruenfeld hopes to reduce Alekhine'sattack by exchange of pieces. } 30. f3 Rxd4 { If Gruenfeld now plays 31 PxR,Alekhine has 31... BxP ch 32 K-B1 N-B5! 33 QxP Q-B5 ch 34 K-K1 NxP ch 35K-Q2 B-K6 ch and Gruenfeld may as well resign before the King-hunt endsin checkmate. } 31. fxe4 Nf4 { Forcing Gruenfeld's reply. } 32. exf4 Qc4 { ForkingQ and N and leaving Gruenfeld with trhe choice of losing quickly or slowly. } 33. Qxc4 { If the Queen instead moves away, Gruenfeld ends up a piece downand loses slowly. He chooses instead to lose quickly. } 33... Rxd1+ { Forces mate,or crippling material loss. } 34. Qf1 Bd4+ { Gruenfeld resigns. The finishwould be 35 K-R1 RxQ mate. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.10.19"] [Round "-"] [White "rsrnjensen"] [Black "elwoos"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1536"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1429"] 1. e4 d5 2. Nc3 { Scandinavian } 2... c6 { supports the d pawn and opens a smallline to a5 for my queen but restricts the options for my knight } 3. d3 { This seems a little passive to me although it is still a part of the opening } 3... d4 { pushing the white knight away } 4. Na4 { Nce2 is surely better. Thismove eventually loses the knight } 4... e5 { propping up my d pawn and openinglines for my dsb } 5. a3 Nf6 6. h3 { protecting the g4 square } 6... b5 { Therehe goes } 7. c4 { This closes up the centre completely } 7... bxa4 8. Qxa4 Bd6 { Preparing to castle } 9. Bg5 Bd7 { looking for a revealed attack on thewhite queen, the centre is completely closed up so c5 will make littledifference } 10. Nf3 c5 11. Qb3 { I was expecting Qc2 or d1 to allow thequeen to swap to the kingside for an assault on my king } 11... O-O 12. Nh4 { Ireally can't see the point of this move it sidelines the knight } 12... h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 { now I am expecting the knight to move back to where it was } 14. g3 { If black is intending to castle kings side he could be in big trouble } 14... Bc7 { Looking to get my dsb into a better position, from here I can tryto force the king to move so that he cannot castle } 15. Qb7 { This is amistake for white as we wlll see } 15... Ba5+ { taking the only undefended pieceaway from the white queen } 16. b4 Bc6 { White's greed has lost him his queenand my lsb is also now on a really nice diagonal } 17. Qxa8 Bxa8 18. bxa5 Nc6 { Looking to finally get my knight into action I am aiming at the areain front of the white king via a5 } 19. Nf5 { Although this is a better placefor the knight white needs to try to get some of his other pieces active } 19... Ne7 { Slight change of plan } 20. h4 { Another mistake from white, he hasn'tnoticed that his e pawn is pinned to his rook } 20... Nxf5 21. Rg1 Ne7 22. Bh3 Qf3 { pins the g pawn to the bishop and severely restricts the options forthe white kng, white is looking very cramped now } 23. Rd1 Ng6 { lookingfor Nf4 } 24. Bf5 Ne7 25. Bd7 Rb8 { At this point I finally realised thatI needed my rook in action though I am expecting Bb5 } 26. Bb5 Bc6 27. Bxc6 Nxc6 28. a6 Rb3 { terrible move, Rb2 is much better } 29. a4 Nb4 { I stillhaven't seen Rb2 - looking at Nxd3 with mate to follow } 30. Kf1 Nxd3 31. Rxd3 Rb1+ 32. Rd1 Rxd1# { Thankyou for reading please feel free to comment } 0-1

[Event "21 moves of pure black pieces"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "29-Aug-10"] [Round "-"] [White "csxu47"] [Black "chapinote"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1193"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1163"] 1. d4 { 1.d4. I ́m more of an e4 player, and when playing black I alwaysdefend with the Sicilian defense. But anyways Any time I see d4 I immediatelygo with... } 1... Nf6 { 1...Nf6. } 2. c4 e6 3. Qb3 { This was my first surprise,I though I would see the traditional 3.Nc3. I just followed the book here. } 3... d5 4. Nc3 { I think more common is 4.Nf3 } 4... c6 5. Nf3 Bd6 { I liked this move,trying to get control of the h2-b8 diagonal, and also supporting the e5advance, although I was expecting a move like 6.c4 to follow. } 6. c5 { andhere it is. } 6... Bc7 { always controlling the same diagonal. } 7. e3 Nbd7 { Anothersupporter for the e5 advance, and with the option to maybe play b3 lateron the game. } 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Re8 { Another one, Its time to advancethe pawn. } 10. Bb1 { This bishop move looks kinda awkward, I think he wasdoing a good job on d3, I knew he wanted to form a battery along the b1-h7diagonal as soon as he played this move. } 10... e5 { here it comes. } 11. Qc2 { And here is the battery, but its useless unless he find the way to getrid of my knight at f6. But a move like 12.Ng5 could be hard to deal with.when the only defense against it would be g6 if I don't wanna lose a pawn. Maybe best here was 11.Re1 followed by his own advance of the e pawn.I was thinking now to play h6... } 11... e4 { but i instead decided to advancemy pawn, preventing any kind of threats along the b1-h7 diagonal, and freeingthe scope for my bishop at c2 } 12. Ne1 Bxh2+ { And here comes the sacrifice,only because i was able to get rid of the white knight at f3 I was encouragedto go ahead and do it. } 13. Kxh2 { The sacrifice is accepted. } 13... Ng4+ 14. Kg3 { If the king goes back to the back rank Qh4 would be the end of thegame. Or if instead 14.Kh4 I would have then played 14...Nd-f3 and nowI have a discovered check with my bishop at c1. } 14... Qc7+ { Okay now, I thoughta lot about this move, a second sacrifice with poison on it. } 15. f4 { ofcourse the knight cannot be taken, it would lead to mate. just an example.(15.Kxg4 Nf8+ 16.Kh5 g6+ 17.Kg5 h6+ 18.Kxh6 Qh2+ 19.Kg5 Nh7#) its matein every variation, so this following move is the reason I thought a lotabout Qc7 } 15... Ndf6 { freeing my bishop at c8 and threatening Nh5+ } 16. Rh1 g6 { with the same Nh5+ intention. } 17. Qe2 { Look at white pieces theyare all stuck on the queen side, and almost all of them are on the backrank not to mention his rook at a1 its useless, not a good position tobe in. } 17... Nh5+ { here it comes } 18. Rxh5 { I ́m not sure about this move, maybejust moving his king to h3 would have been better. } 18... gxh5 19. Bd2 { finallyhis bishop moved. but its doing nothing. but what else? he needs to untanglehis pieces i guess. } 19... Qe7 { taking control of the h4-d8 diagonal, with thethreat of h4+ } 20. Nc2 { again what else? all white pieces are on the backpretty far away from the king, unable to defend, unable to attack. } 20... h4+ { take this } 21. Kh3 { the only move } 21... Kh8 { Ok. Now I want to occupy the halfopen file with my rook. } 22. g3 Nxe3+ { I think i will use that discoveredcheck now. Thanks. } 23. Kh2 hxg3+ { Now if he takes the pawn Rg8+ willfollow. For example 24.Kxg3 Rg8+ 25.Kf2 (if he doesn't want to get matted)Qh4+ 26.Kxe3 (the only move) and now the simple 26...Qg3+ with mate tofollow. So in order to prolong the agony he would have been forced to playQg4. (I created a mate in 6 puzzle of it, you can check it out if you want) } 24. Kg1 Nf5 25. Qh5 Qf6 { just protecting my f7 pawn } 26. Ne1 { And now thismove was the final blunder allowing me to penetrate in white position evenfurther } 26... Qxd4+ 27. Kh1 Qxd2 { Keeping the king on the back rank, this isa lost game for white. } 28. Bc2 { Anyways, he finally frees his rook butits a little bit too late. } 28... g2+ 29. Kg1 { if 29.Kh2 then Qxf4 wins anyways } 29... Qd4+ { forcing him to capture the pawn. } 30. Kxg2 Rg8+ 31. Kf1 Ng3+ { Blackresigns at this point everything went downhill for him after my 11th move. By the way this was not the best move... the best move here was 32...Rg1+ 33.Ke2 (and only then) Ng3#. Anyways, not the best chess but thats howmy brain works. I hope you can get something out of this game. } 0-1

[Event "A wacky miniature played by me"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "ChessStarAcademy "] [Black "Patmccaren?"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1195"] [TimeControl "3 days"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { This wacky miniature started with 1.e4 } 1. e4 { I wanted to try new openingstoday like the ponziani or the Alapins opening(1.e4 e5 2.Ne2). I just wantedto have some fun } 1... d5 { The dreaded Scandinavian Defense. Bobby Fischer destroyerthis opening before. } 2. exd5 { Nc3 was interesting and transposes to theDunst Opening. Nf3 was possible to and was a reversed Budapest } 2... Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 { John Bartholomew made a video on this variation. } 4. Bc4 { I wantto develop all my pieces on the kingside. D4 was an alternative playedmore that Bc4 } 4... e5 5. Nf3 Bg4 { What?! Loses to a tactic after... } 6. Bxf7+ { Bam!!! } 6... Kxf7 7. Nxe5+ Ke8 8. Qxg4 { I took with the Queen because I wantedto check my opponent and take on g6 with my knight } 8... Qe7 9. Qc8+ { Resignationfrom my opponent } 1-0

[Event "No h6! "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.11.08"] [Round "-"] [White "big_red"] [Black "Anon"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1497"] 1. e4 { I wrote this annotation because I believe a common mistake in chessis for h6 as black tries to prevent a queen pin. As this game proves, thatmove can allow white to blow a hole in the defense. } 1... e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 c5 { As far the center game opening goes, I do not believe this moveis sound. It doesn't develop black in a meaningful way, in fact I thinkit actually becomes harder for black to defend out of this position. Nc6I think is the right choice. } 4. Bc4 { Standard attack on the f7 pawn.Not hard to stop. } 4... h6 { In trying to prevent queen pin, (which cannot happenanyway because of c5, black has created an opening. The knight can no longershield the f7 pawn. It does not stop the advance of the knight either (Ne5instead of Ng5). } 5. Ne5 { Obvious } 5... Qf6 { This move is bad for black, butI am not sure what he should do to catch up defensively. Nxf7 creates leverageto push the pawn to e5, which will make black's life a lot more difficult.The queen has to move though if black wants to prevent a fork. Maybe Qb6is this best choice here. } 6. Nxf7 Rh7 7. e5 Qc6 { Qh4 would have beenbetter. You cannot help but seeing how vulnerable the H file is to white'squeen. And at some point black needs to get his b8 knight moving sincethe other one is basically stuck. } 8. Qh5 g6 { Not sure black has much ofa choice here. Realizing check now would be very bad. } 9. Nd6+ { This wasprobably a mistake. Black should take the knight with the queen, whichforces white to exchange queens. And in this situation that would be badfor white as his queen is a lot more valuable. } 9... Kd8 { Perhaps trying tohold unto the queen? This is a very bad move, the g6 pawn is now lost whichthreatens the rook. } 10. Qxg6 Rg7 { The only other choice is rook e7 whichimmediately costs black the knight. } 11. Qe8+ Kc7 12. Qxc8+ Kb6 { Fromhere, white cannot get the mate and is so spread out that soon black willbe able to force a piece exchange. So how to do the most damage? The knightcould pick off the rook, if only there was a way to get the king onto c7... } 13. Qd8+ Qc7 14. Qxc7+ Kxc7 { And there it is } 15. Ne8+ { White can now seizea lead in material so as to deprive black a way to launch a meaningfulcounter. In this situation, trading material even for undeveloped piecesis probably okay. } 15... Kc6 16. Nxg7 Bxg7 17. Bxg8 { The chips fall where theymay. } 17... Bxe5 18. O-O Na6 19. Bb3 { white is now underdeveloped compared toblack, but it doesn't matter as black as nothing to attack with. } 19... b5 20. c3 dxc3 21. Nxc3 Nb4 22. a3 c4 23. axb4 { trade and consolidate. } 23... cxb3 24. Bxh6 Bxc3 25. bxc3 { The passed pawn is a nuisance, even dangerous ifblack had more pieces. Now however it is easy to deal with. Black can createdifficulties if he can get the king to c4. Maybe black has a chance topromote if he can reinforce the push with the rook. Although I admit Ihave no idea how he'd get the rook into play. } 25... d5 26. Rab1 Rh8 { this doesn'taccomplish much, the bishop just pulls back to a defendable square. Andthe rook can't do much after. } 27. Be3 a6 28. Rxb3 Rh4 29. g3 Re4 30. Rd1 Re6 31. Rd4 Re5 32. Rb1 Re8 33. Rbd1 { To end this, white needs to pindown black's rook and prevent it from attacking advancing pawns. Becauseblack's pieces are all on white squares, the ability of the bishop to addpressure is limited. } 33... Rd8 34. f4 Rd7 35. g4 Rd8 36. f5 Rd6 37. g5 Rd7 38. f6 { Black either stop the pawn with Rd7, or keep defending his pawn. } 38... Rd6 { Here black either loses } 39. f7 { opts to defend, but the rook isnow married to the back rank to stop promotion. } 39... Rd8 40. Rxd5 { Tradingaway two rooks for one probably isn't necessary but this probably the fastestway to bring the game to a close. } 40... Rxd5 41. Rxd5 Kxd5 42. f8=Q Ke4 43. Bd4 Kd3 44. g6 Kc2 { Black resigns. Morale of the story. h6 pawn is notthe answer if you need the knight to defend the king pawn. Moving pawnsin the opening is a dicey proposition because they can be serious obstructionsto your own defense! Move with care. } 1-0

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "???"] [Black "???"] [Result "*"] 1. h4 e5 { controlling the center } 2. a4 { i control 2 flanks } 2... d5 3. Na3 Bc5 4. g3 { developing my bishop } 4... Nf6 { getting more pieces controlling thecenter } 5. Bg2 O-O 6. b3 { developing bishop } 6... Nc6 7. Bb2 Ng4 8. Nh3 Be6 9. f3 { GTFO } 9... Nf6 10. e3 { trying to get saf } 10... Nh5 { attacking weak paw } 11. Kf2 { guarding } 11... e4 { i think i win a pawn if i just take } 12. g4 Qxh4+ { ! } 13. Kf1 Ng3+ 14. Kg1 Nxh1 15. Kxh1 exf3 16. Qxf3 { down material } 16... Bxg4 17. Qxd5 { taking the pawn } 17... Bxh3 { i hate my position } 18. Rg1 { getting rookin game } 18... Bxg2+ 19. Kxg2 { forced } 19... Qg4+ 20. Kf1 Qd1+ 21. Kf2 { i am attackingg7 } 21... Bxe3+ { my queen or my rook } 22. dxe3 Qxd5 23. Rxg7+ Kh8 { lucky i havenothing here } 24. Rg5+ f6 25. Rxd5 { still down material, i feel i shouldhave won this game } 25... Rad8 26. Rxd8 Nxd8 27. Nc4 Kg7 28. Kf3 Ne6 29. Ba3 Ng5+ 30. Kf4 Ne6+ 31. Kf5 Re8 32. Nd2 Kf7 33. Nf3 Ng7+ 34. Kf4 Nh5+ 35. Kg4 Rxe3 36. Nh4 Re5 37. Bb2 Rg5+ 38. Kf3 Rg3+ 39. Ke4 Rg4+ 40. Kd5 Rxh4 { I resign } *

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.16"] [Round "-"] [White "jake_oleary"] [Black "armenianboy"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1210"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1253"] 1. e4 { Im black here } 1... c5 { my first move } 2. Bc4 { his 2nd } 2... Nc6 { my 2nd } 3. Nf3 { i planned to do c6-e5 but i cant do it now } 3... e5 { so i did this } 4. d3 { he did that to use his bishop } 4... Nf6 5. c3 d5 { i did this so i couldattack the bishop } 6. Bb5 { and he got away with attacking my knight } 6... dxe4 { i took the pawn with attacking the knight } 7. Nxe5 { he took my pawn, itsdangerious now with my knight and his bishop and knight cuz they att c6 } 7... Bd7 { i defended } 8. dxe4 { he attacked my pawn } 8... Nxe5 { and i took his knightXD } 9. Bf4 { he attacked my knight } 9... Bxb5 { and i took his bishop } 10. Bxe5 { he took my kinght } 10... Qxd1+ { i took his queen } 11. Kxd1 { he took mine } 11... Nxe4 { i took the pawn } 12. Re1 { he attacked the knight } 12... O-O-O+ { i castled: O-O-O+ } 13. Kc2 { he got away } 13... Bd3+ { CHECK } 14. Kc1 { he got away } 14... Nxf2 { i dont rememberwhy i did that XD } 15. Na3 { he took his knight away cuz he knows i wouldattack his knight } 15... Bd6 { i att the bishop } 16. Bxd6 { he took it } 16... Rxd6 { itook his } 17. Nc2 { he got back } 17... Bxc2 { i took it } 18. Kxc2 { he took mine } 18... Rhd8 { i did that to do d6-d2 } 19. Re7 { he did that to get all my pawns } 19... Rd2+ { CHECK } 20. Kb3 { he got away } 20... b5 { i did that to do CHECK with mypawn } 21. Rxf7 { he took my pawn } 21... c4+ { CHECK } 22. Kb4 { got away } 22... Rxb2+ { CHECK } 23. Ka3 { got away } 23... Nd3 { defending } 24. Rd1 { attacks my knight } 24... b4+ { CHECK } 25. cxb4 { he took it } 25... Rxb4 { i took it } 26. Rxa7 { he could better do: d1-d3so if i get his rook he would get mine with his king so i would get 5 pointsand he 8. but he did not } 26... Rb8 { so i did that so i could do Checkmate } 27. Rxg7 { and he took my pawn! } 27... Ra8+ { he is now forced to defend with his rook } 28. Ra7 { so he did... } 28... Rxa7# { Checkmate in 28 } 0-1

[Event "let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "24-May-07"] [Round "-"] [White "abro"] [Black "fan_uschi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1552"] [TimeControl "10 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1629"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { Petroff Defense } 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Be6 8. d4 { there is a check on b5 } 8... h6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 { Blackcould not take with Q, due to check on b5, with fork of b7 pawn. } 10. Nc3 Nd7 { now moving the Q to b5 will be blunder, because Bc4+ and White willlose the Q. } 11. O-O-O O-O-O 12. Qe4 { ?! White was trying to trap the bishop,by playing d4. } 12... f5 { but Qe4 might be premature attack. } 13. Qd3 { Whitewas afraid of play Qf4, because bishop check possibility on h6 later. } 13... d5 { forced. Blacks' position is cramped ... } 14. Kb1 { Re1 was useless. } 14... Nb6 15. Re1 { ?! it was better active the other rook. } 15... Qb4 16. a3 Qa5 17. Nd2 Nc4 18. Nxc4 { Nb3 was useless as after Qb6, there will be continuouspressure on white king, while black knight is strong on c4, after exchangingthese knights Black will have two double pawns. } 18... dxc4 19. Qe3 { if White'srook was on d1, may be he would play 19. Qf3 and after d5 } 19... Bg7 20. Rd1 c6 21. Be2 b5 22. Qf3 Qb6 23. d5 Bd7 24. dxc6 Qxc6 25. Qxc6+ Bxc6 26. Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. Rg1 Rd2 28. Bh5 Rxf2 29. Bxf7 Bxc3 30. Be6+ Kc7 31. bxc3 Bxg2 32. Bxf5 { Draw. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Challenge from aaelarar"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "01-Sep-07"] [Round "-"] [White "aaelarar"] [Black "klondyke"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1820"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1592"] { I was on a website prior to this game and read about a match were whitestarted with the reti opening 1 Nf3 which black then responded with c5and not the more common d5 then c5 to control the center. Cant rememberthe website and couldn't find it before i annotated this game so i wouldtry to cover what was said and advised, but i have a terrible memory :)Thought i'd share this game with you all anyway. } 1. Nf3 { So 1.Nf3. thereti. as i said previously i seen that most common was d5 then c5. howeveri played 1.c5 as this guy did in his match basically to see what this guyon the website was talking about. he said that the opening upto 8. O-Owas strong and gave black a good position for advancement on whites queenside. } 1... c5 { should say i played this opponent previously and he started with reti,kings indian attack so i assumed after 1. Nf3 he would do the same so itwould give me time to set the opening up. } 2. g3 Nc6 3. c3 { preventingadvancement of knight, opening diagonal for queen and giving support ford4. } 3... g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 { I was worried about going for this type of defenceas i very seldom use it but as i was curious about the opening and as itseemed a strong opening i decided just to do what was written down andsee where it took me win, lose or draw. this does put pressure on d4 butif white moves d4 black simply moves d6 then e5. } 5. O-O { perhaps a bitearly white should have put more pressure on center here. makes no diffencethis early on though. } 5... e5 { gives black the upper hand in the battle formiddle earth. } 6. e4 { prevents future torment to the knight with e4 ifnecessary! } 6... Nge7 { again something i never usually do. only if i am underthreat do i play Ng-e7 usually go for Nf6. after this game however i usethis more frequently. } 7. d3 d6 8. Bg5 O-O { Thats me finished with theopening now, a nice defensive situation for black dont particularly likethe dark squared white bishop on g5 as i can be a nuisance to get rid ofi could move h7 to chase it but that weakens the pawn structure defendingmy king. (from now on i play my own game with the advice of going for aqueen side attack) } 9. Nbd2 { white has full development now. i was toyingwith idea of pinning knight with bishop as whte has done to me howeveri thought i'd put pressure on white by advancing my queenside pawns. } 9... a5 10. Ne1 { redeploying the troops to cope with the advancement. dont thinkthis is necessary at this stage. } 10... b5 { applying more pressure to white queensidewith a plan to gain territory and hopefully have a file free for my rook. } 11. Nc2 Be6 { positioned so 12.....,b4 13.cxb4, axb4 14. either qb1 renderingit useless for a while or b3. giving me a territorial advantage and givingwhite less room to maneuver. } 12. Na3 { not a problem as b4 was always onthe cards. however does give some food for thought in a moment or two. } 12... b4 13. Nac4 { doesn't fancy the swap so moves knight. i really dont likethe position of the knight but bxc4 results in Nxc4. also if he moves dxc4....sono sir i dont like it!! bishop for knight out of the question. } 13... bxc3 { decidedto get that file open i wanted, not the one i intended though but chessis all about readjusting strategy. } 14. bxc3 a4 { wanting to move queento a5 and put more pressure on. feel that so far the opening and attackingqueenside is working for me. } 15. Ne3 { thought this was a nothing movedidn't look to long into it however white gets tempo through this 'nothingmove!' should have looked into it more. } 15... h6 { since i want the queen ona5 i have to chase the bishop contrary to what i said about potential weakeningof the pawn structure. could have moved Qa5 but white c4 didn't appealto me. } 16. Bxe7 { 2 options here. i decide to put my plan of Qa5 on holdand take with the queen. this does not help with trying to get tempo backbut it does keep my d6 pawn well protected. } 16... Qxe7 17. Nd5 Qd8 18. Nc4 { withwhite having tempo this makes the game more even than i wanted it to bethanks to the nothing move and now with white wanting to move his knightto b6 i have to get rid of that threat. } 18... Bxd5 19. exd5 Ne7 20. Ne3 { thisis not needed as bishop is covering d5 pawn. rb1 would be better. } 20... Qa5 { threating c3 hoping for whites response to be c4, again contrary to whati said before however it gives the knight a longer route, and setting upa battle for the b file. } 21. Qc2 { not what i wanted. I still need a positionaladvantage perhaps the only down side to the opening....or am just rubbish....probablythe latter! anyway back to the battle of the b file!!! } 21... Qa7 22. Rab1 Rab8 { and so it begins! } 23. Nc4 { eh? wasn't supposed to do that......Mmmm threatingd6. } 23... Rxb1 { after quite sometime frodo and sam...sorry! i decided to takethe rook. simplify things for the end game coming up. also i have a plannow worked out. i think white feels that d6 is the cornerstone of my defence.....whichit is but i know that if i can disrupt his kingside i have a great chanceof winning this game and perhaps he wont mind the knight bishop swap ifhe gets d6. 24.rxb1 Nf5, 25. g4 (chasing knight and definitely gettingd6), Nh4, 26.Nxd6, Nxg2. this then allows my queen to rip tempo from white! } 24. Rxb1 Nf5 25. g4 Nh4 26. Nxd6 Nxg2 27. Kxg2 { as expected. ok am a pawndown but not for long. } 27... Qd7 { black rips tempo back forcing white to moveknight. } 28. Ne4 Qxd5 { i decide against Qxg4 as it leads to nothing wherethis give much more options and keeps tempo within the black camp. } 29. f3 { setting up to free the pinned knight. } 29... c4 { instead of losing a pawnfreely after Rb5 i thought i'd give its death some meaning. a swap andallowing the defence of the lonley pawn on the a file, or have it marchon depending on whites choice. } 30. Rd1 { interesting......bad move coveredwith rd8 and gives me a nice option in attack. } 30... Rd8 { from here i hatcha plan which if you look at it for a while is obvious, infact the higherrated players would probably see it a few moves back where i had just stumbledacross. I say stumbled across it as i did not work positions of piecesi played the best move for the situation i was in without looking for anopening, yeah cardinal sin i know!!!. the fact is my opponent made somebad moves. } 31. d4 { Nf2 is by far the better move. this now allows me togo a pawn up and control the end game. } 31... exd4 32. cxd4 Qc6 { i like thismove it makes it look like i am defending the pawns where in atcual facti am just about to win the match if the plan comes off. here is where theblood started to pump fast. } 33. Nc5 { YAS! this allows a pawn advantageand offers the rook swap with a view to pinning the knight if white isgreedy for material. } 33... Rxd4 { rook swap offered... } 34. Rxd4 { accepted! } 34... Bxd4 { now this is where the plan needs to work. its more obvious he'lltake the a4 pawn as he wont want to lose his knight if he plays Qxc4. } 35. Nxa4 { YAS! } 35... c3 { at the time this was the move in my head that wonthe game. Pins whites knight. } 36. Kg3 { At this point i was now tryingto work the king into a position without disrupting my good work. } 36... g5 { preventsthe king from popping out and threating the bishop. also stops h or f pawnsfrom being pushed to protect king from the heavy weoponary! } 37. h3 { Badmove. this gives me an idea of moving king off of g3 and getting my queenin there for a mate????? } 37... Qc7+ { wont push pawn so only one place he canmove. } 38. Kg2 Be5 39. Kf1 { what i eventually do i could have done fromthis position but i was drained mentally after to much chess so it tookme a little to see how to finish the game. } 39... Bd4 { pointless! } 40. Kg2 { whiteprobably feels comfortable just now, well as much he can in the situationhe is in. } 40... Kg7 { was going to move f7 after this, had to move king firstor white could have got back in with Qg6 but as i hit submit i seen away to finish the game. } 41. a3 Be5 { If he follows what he did last timeKf1...... } 42. Kf1 Qc4+ { ok i can still keep the pawn safe and if he movesKe1, Bg3 , Kd1, Qf1# how did i not see that???? } 43. Kg2 { this works outjust as good as with the sequence that follows it make the queen swap inevitableand the pawn promotion also. } 43... Qf4 { if Nxc3, Qh2 game over. so..... } 44. Qd3 Qd2+ { opponents resigns. after Qxd2, cxd2 there is no way of stoppingpromotion. then losing his knight. This came from a few mistake by my opponent.also the opening did stop me from playing my usual game and did make methink harder than most of the games i play due to the fact i had trieda lot of new things in this game which is never a bad thing! the openingwas good i perhaps did not do it justice, i did find though although itprevented me from my usual game play it did give more options than my opponenton this occasion. I have not used it since.....perhaps i should. I hopeyou enjoy looking through my annotation and perhaps it may encourage youto try different styles. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.27"] [Round "-"] [White "chessy131"] [Black "chesshicks"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1170"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { The Main line against the old Philidor defense,not considered great for black. } 3... Nf6 { A dubious line } 4. dxe5 dxe5 { Normalfor this line is 4..Nxe4?! 5. Qd5 Nc5 6. Bg5 Qd7 7. exd6 with a small advantagefor white. Instead, this line immediately loses material. } 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 6. Ng5 { Slightly better than Nxe5, because now 6..Be6 is met with Nxe6,f3, Bc4, leaving black with horribly weak pawns. } 6... Rg8 7. Nxf7+ Ke7 8. Nxe5 Nxe4 9. Nd2 Nxd2 10. Bxd2 Nc6 { Probably best is the immediate 10..Be6,but things aren't looking good for black. } 11. Bc4 { Black's losing at leasta rook. Unbelieveably, he's in a mating net. } 11... Be6 12. Bg5+ { The net unfolds } 12... Kd6 13. O-O-O+ Kxe5 14. g4 { Cutting off the last retreating square - f5 } 14... Bxc4 15. Rhe1+ { Mate in one. } 1-0

[Event "Two-sided attacking"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27/12/11"] [Round "-"] [White "cdeburca"] [Black "playboyjo"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "Unr"] [TimeControl "3 mins + 10 secs"] [WhiteElo "1650"] { I signed up for a blitz game, looking for something to pass a few relaxingChristmas minutes. Instead, I got a quite wild game against playboyjo- I blundered an exchange, made some positional compensation and endedup picking up a few pawns while knights swarmed around his king; two ofthose pawns queened, ticking off two of playboyjo's pieces and causinghis resignation. I was challenged to a rematch and, of course, clickedon yes and lost the game. Live and learn! As it happened, the rematchwas even wilder, so here it is. } 1. e4 e6 { This being a blitz game, ofcourse, there's going to be errors. If they're half as wild as what happenedin the game, I'd love to see what we missed! } 2. d4 d5 { I play the Frenchas black, so this suited me. } 3. Nd2 c5 { A bit earlier than usual? Iplay Nf6 here in this line. I think it all transposes anyway. } 4. c3 Nc6 5. Ngf3 { This isn't absolutely mainline; the knight usually goes toe2, allowing the other knight to go to f3 and prepare for a strong defenceof the d4 pawn. This is part of a gambit line I picked up off an openingsDVD. Unfortunately, I later overheard the presenter of the DVD discussingthe line as (and I paraphrase) 'good for white if it's accepted, whichis why it's never accepted'. Still, for the one time that it is accepted,I'm ready! } 5... Be7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. e5 Nd7 { With Qb6 in instead of Be7, thisis the gambit line. The d-pawn is doomed, but white ignores that andcontinues 8. O-O cxd 9. cxd NxP 10. NxP QxP 11. Nf3! Qb6 12. Qa4(pinning the knight with the intention of making things quite awkward foran undeveloped black) Qb4 (looking to swap off) 13. Qc2 Qc5 14. Qe2. Now the black bishop and rook are prepared to come into the game withtempo on the queen, and black is still struggling to get his pieces out. Two players have played this line against me on gameknot, and I won in27 and 23 moves despite being 70 and 150 points out-rated. } 8. O-O b6 { Presuamblya bit worried about castling kingside with the f6 knight kicked and piecespointing that way. It's still ok to castle (8...O-O 9. Bxh7+? KxB 10.NxB+ BxN 11. Qh5+ Bh6 - the Greek gift doesn't work), provided care istaken. Black can go for an f6 break straight after. The text is a bitslow. } 9. Re1 Bb7 10. a4 { I figured he was lining up for queenside castling,so I said I'd give him something to think about as early as possible. I find that in the French in particular, it can be hard to get a plangoing until Black has committed his king to one side or the other (a centre-breakisn't really on). Had I a better plan here? } 10... Qc7 11. b3 { b4 is too welldefended, of course, so I need to get more suppose for my pawns, startingwith a Ba3. } 11... O-O-O 12. Ba3 h5 { So far, the game's been going all my way. Now black indicates he wants to play a bit too. } 13. b4 { This costs apawn, though at the expense of opening up the c-file to queen and king. I played it more on instinct - being a short time-control game - thananalysis. There are tricks though - after 13...cxb 14. cxb NxB 15. Rc1Nc6??, the e7 bishop hangs. If instead 15...Bc6, 16. Ba6+ Kb8 17. Nb1covers the rook fork (...Nd3) and prepares Nb1-c3-b5. Anyways, blackturned down the pawn offer, so all the above was redundant. } 13... Rdg8 14. bxc5 bxc5 15. Bb5 { I don't want the bishop getting shut in after a c4 push. } 15... g5 16. Nb3 { The f-knight needs a square. The text also builds up a bitof pressure on c5. After stuff like 16...c4, I think I have 17. BxN BexB(not often that differentiation is needed! If the other bishop is taken,I have BaxB) 18. BxB+ QxB 19. RxB PxN 20. RxP and I'm a pawn up with theinitiative (black's queen is hit) and the better king safety. } 16... g4 17. Nfd2 h4 { Earlier, I had thought my attack would break through first, but nowI wasn't at all sure! Still, nothing I can do about it yet. Hack onwith my attack is best. I didn't like 18. NxP though - 18...NxP 19. BxNBxB 20. PxB and the c-file that I'm trying to open now has my own doubledpawns on it. I'm not sure how else I can continue my attack though, andamn't that happy with my next move. } 18. a5 g3 19. hxg3 hxg3 20. fxg3 Rxg3 21. a6 { And this seems to actually help black; I'm closing things up, andthe bishop at a8 will defend happily and maybe hope to get a look alongthe long diagonal at some later stage. Meanwhile, my king is gettingquite open. } 21... Ba8 22. Nxc5 { I think this sums up where I am at the moment- playing moves I turned down previously. If let, I'm eyeing b7. } 22... Qd8 { Black ignores me and looks to bring the queen to join the two rooks. It looks natural, but I'm not sure it's right. Now after Nb7, the c6knight is hanging, so taking may be forced, which removes my a-pawn frommy way. However, maybe black can give up his c6 knight. After 23.Nb7 Qg8!? 24. Re2 Qh7 25. Kf2 Qh2 26. Qg1, the c6 square feels milesaway. I don't think the knight is worth the g2 pawn. } 23. Nb7 Bxb7 { However,he takes, to my relief. } 24. axb7+ Kxb7 25. Bxc6+ { Other moves (e.g. Qh4,Rb1, Qb3) may be too slow. Or may end up similar; not entirely sure! This at least keeps up the checks. } 25... Kxc6 26. Qa4+ Kb7 { Black had a bitof an aul think here; I didn't see his next move though (partly becauseof the time control obviously; I just played the obvious because it lookedright) } 27. Rab1+ { The other rook may have been better - leaving the a-rookand the queen to gang up on the a7 pawn - but I had it in my mind thatthe e-rook was soon to be needed at e2 in a defensive capacity. But after27. Reb1+ Nb6 28. BxB QxB 29. QxP+, I pick up black's queen. Maybe asimilar sac as in the game would have been on for black. } 27... Nb6 28. Bc5 { Haveto remove the defender. } 28... Bxc5 { More to free up the d8-h4 diagonal for thequeen than to remove the bishop. } 29. dxc5 Rxg2+ { An ! for black here,I think. There's a lot of checks coming; I have to be very careful. The slower 29...Rhg8 may fail to 30. Re2 Qg5 31. Qd7+ Ka8 32. Qc6+ Kb833. RxN+! PxR 34. QxP+ and I've a draw anyway, and a win given any tempoto get in c6. } 30. Kxg2 Qg5+ { I'm rook for pawn up, both knights are hangingand black is on a king-hunt. } 31. Kf1 { 31. Kf2 allows QxN with check. Kf3 seems to be asking too much after 31...Rh3+ } 31... Rh1+ 32. Ke2 { It's possibleblack felt he didn't have time to take my knight because of his own weakknight - I'm threatening the curious Qd7+, with the queen immune from captureas the knight is pinned. Black may need to keep up the checks, and materialbe damned. } 32... Qh5+ 33. Nf3 Rh2+ { And, similarly, a pinned knight allows blacka move I hadn't considered. I'm fairly sure Nf3 was still correct though. But I thought I had everything covered until black played this. } 34. Ke3 { Anything else hangs the knight with check. } 34... Qh6+ 35. Kd3 { The knightis doing sterling work, now preventing Q (or R)d2#. With black a rookdown, his knight unable to join the action and his two major pieces strugglingto get in at my king, black may have to settle for perpetual here. Ifhe can find it. Meanwhile, with the knight hanging, I can sac a fairbit of material to end the checks. } 35... Qg6+ { Here, Kd4 loses the queen, thoughblack's rook and knight are both hanging! (A sample line may be 36. Kd4Qg4+ 37. Ke3 QxQ 38. NxR Qe4+ and there's chances of picking up the knightor the important c5-pawn - saving black's knight - with checking forks). After Ke3, we seem to have perpetual. I don't think black was expectingmy next move though. } 36. Re4 { !! The checks are over, and with black'sknight hanging, I'll come out of the exchanges material up. A swap offwill remove black's queen as well, and if black doesn't want to swap, hecan't stop Qd7+ (or Qe8+ if the king moves back). After 36...Qg2 37.PxN, I have all the checking squares on the second rank covered. Andagain, stuff like 36...Qg2 37. PxN PxR+ 38. QxP+ and I think black is gettingmated. Don't anyone dare refute this move! :) } 36... dxe4+ 37. Qxe4+ Qxe4+ 38. Kxe4 Rc2 { I've always enjoyed how, in Tal v Hecht from the Varna Olympiad(http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1139582), all Tal's wildsacs are ultimately just to reach a technically won - but not straightforward- endgame. I don't for an instant pretend to be a Tal, but I do likehow I've emulated him ever so slightly here! There's still a long wayto go to bring home the point though; black has decent drawing chances. Tal's achieved endgame was easier to win! } 39. Kd3 Rf2 40. Nd4 { Coveringf5 and so helping support the e5-pawn for now. } 40... Rh2 41. cxb6 { The knightfalls, having stood pinned and hanging for 12 moves. } 41... axb6 42. Nb5 { Eyeingthe d6 square and the f7 pawn. } 42... Rh3+ 43. Kc4 Kc6 44. Nd6 { A bit of a botúnhere; I missed that black can now play f5 without fear of capture } 44... Rh4+ 45. Kb3 Rf4 { Black missed it too, fortunately! } 46. Rd1 { Stopping the f-pawn'sadvance to an extent - I can take without hanging my knight. Though 46...f5is probably still good for black here - I think I need at least one pawnto win, and PxPep leaves me with just the one. Possibly I could try centralisingwith 47. Rd4; if black takes, my pawns are re-connected, and my knightis much stronger. Any other move may let me gain space with Rc4+, forcingthe king back. Or perhaps, better was just Nc4 } 46... Rf2 47. Rd4 b5 { ?? Black needed that pawn. } 48. Rb4 Rf4 { ?? } 49. Rxf4 { A shame of a way toend a highly entertaining game. But such is the way of blitz at times. } 1-0

[Event "Nice game :)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.12.19"] [Round "-"] [White "str3am"] [Black "ppp9"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1122"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1084"] { A nice game against a player higher rated than me. } 1. e4 { I opened upwith e4, my favorite when I started this game, though I like the Englishmore now. } 1... e5 { Typically. } 2. Nf3 { Maybe getting into some dull game :). } 2... Nc6 3. Bc4 { I opted for an Italian game or even a 2 knights defense. } 3... h6 { Preventing the 4.ng4 and the c bishop in the near future. } 4. d4 { Strikingat the center. } 4... d6 { This was a big mistake, it wins at least 1 pawn, Iwill show you. } 5. dxe5 Nxe5 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. Bxf7+ { This was the movethat won that pawn, but... } 7... Kxf7 { OMG, I was thinking, giving up the queen. } 8. Qxd8 { He should have resigned then. } 8... Be7 { I was anticipating bd6 withthought of maybe trapping the queen. } 9. Qxc7 Nf6 10. Nc3 { I don't evensweat. } 10... b6 { Another pawn? Thx! } 11. Qxe5 Re8 { Of course that bishop willmove :D. } 12. Qg3 { Let's retreat and regroup. } 12... Bb4 { Nice, attacking thee pawn twice and preparing to kill it's only defender, too bad it won'twork. } 13. f3 Nh5 { What does it exactly? } 14. Qc7+ { Block with the b4bishop or you are totally screwed. } 14... Re7 { Too bad for you dude. } 15. Qc4+ Ke8 16. Qxb4 { I think he had not got enough, what is he expecting :S. } *

[Event "68th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.10"] [Round "-"] [White "dwardman"] [Black "reskay"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1537"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1865"] 1. d4 { Off we go } 1... c6 { mmm } 2. Nf3 g6 3. c3 Bg7 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. e4 { So I go with e4 for a change, I think black is going to have difficultiesdeveloping his other pieces } 6... d5 { As expected } 7. e5 Nh5 8. Be3 b5 { I didexpect the bishop to move here so black could develop th knight via d7 } 9. Bd3 a5 { Queen side storm, am going to put my king away and completemy initial development } 10. O-O f5 { Black is certainly aggressive withthe pawns, but I think my pieces are better placed } 11. exf6 exf6 12. a4 { time to give black something to think about } 12... b4 13. cxb4 axb4 { I nowhave a passed pawn, well if I can get rid of everything else first ;) } 14. Nh4 { Now to switch to the K side } 14... f5 15. Ndf3 f4 { Black is openingup his K side, and that Bishop and Knight have still to move } 16. Bd2 Bxd4 { I am going to get rid of this bishop, takes away a defensive piece forthe black king, and will give my black bishop the edge hopefully } 17. Nxd4 Qxh4 18. Bxb4 Re8 19. Re1 { Black's pieces are not working well together } 19... Nf6 { Swapping makes sense especially as it put all of black's minor pieceson the back rank away from the action } 20. Rxe8+ Nxe8 21. Qe2 { White takescontrol of the open file } 21... Bd7 { Time to chase the queen } 22. Be7 Qh6 23. Ne6 g5 { Strange move, white just takes it, and black's king is exposedeven further } 24. Nxg5 Nf6 25. h4 { Black doesn't take the bait } 25... Bg4 26. f3 { pawn power } 26... Nbd7 { Move 26 and the other knight finally enters the fray,moving te bishop would have been better... } 27. fxg4 Re8 { This game isall but over } 28. Qe6+ Kg7 29. Qf7+ { Forcing the king into the corner } 29... Kh8 30. Bxf6+ Nxf6 31. Qxe8+ { Balck resigns } 1-0

[Event "Final Estadual SC 2009, ?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.03.13"] [Round "-"] [White "Zonta, Juliano"] [Black "Brandao, Daniel"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2049"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Nf6 { An old and rarely used plan, but very efficient. } 4. Nc3 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Bc4 Be6 7. Qe2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. d4 Nc6 10. Kh1 { Deixando margem para o preto transformar seupeão a mais em vantagem de verdade. Alternative variation: 10. Nxd5 Bxd511. Bxd5 Qxd5 12. Bxf4 } 10... Re8 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Bxd5 Qxd5 13. c4 Qd6 14. d5 Bf6 15. Qc2 Nb4 { Here it was suggested the following plan, which appears to be a good move: Cc6-e7, g7-g5 and Ce7-g6, with prospects of an active game on the king's side using the pawn to attack! However, Fritz agrees with the move, which I consider to be anti-positional. } 16. Qf5 Re2 { My advantage lay in possessing the 'e' column and I tried to occupy a7 immediately, but it could have been done more precisely. } 17. Bxf4 Qe7 18. Bg5 h6 { Why would you want to exchange the f6 piece, to weaken it a bit more? } 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 20. Qxf6 gxf6 21. Nd4 Re4 { Capturing in b2 would be too simple. From now on, black makes a bad move after another, helping white in any way possible. } 22. Rad1 Rae8 23. h3 Nxa2 24. Kh2 Nc1 25. Rxf6 Ne2 26. Nf5 Nf4 27. d6 { This was a calculus mistake since I didn't realize that my knight would be hanging after playing 26.Cf4 in the game 27...cd6 28.Cd6 Td8 29. Ce4 Td1 30.Tf4+-. } 27... Rxc4 28. Nxh6+ { The next logical step is to alter everything. } 28... Kg7 29. d7 Rd8 30. Rxf7+ Kxh6 31. Re7 Rc6 { 31...Tc2 defende muito mais fácil. } 32. Re8 Ne6 33. Re1 Rxd7 34. R1xe6+ Rxe6 35. Rxe6+ Kg7 36. h4 Kf7 { Um erroinacreditáve l!! Muito mais simples, com empate garantido, seria 36...Td2.Alternative variation: 36... Rd2 37. Re7+ Kg6 38. Rxc7 Rxb2 } 37. Re2 Kg6 { Melhor seria começar a marchar na ala da dama com 37...a5 } 38. Kh3 c5 39. Re5 Rc7 { However, once again 39.Td2 would be better. } 40. h5+ Kh7 { Even so, the final result is a draw! The most incredible thing is, after playing the whole game quickly, I had more than 1 hour against less than 10 minutes of my opponent. Certain defeats are more than deserved. } 41. g4 b5 42. Kh4 b4 43. b3 a5 44. g5 a4 { O lance perdedor. 44...c4 manteria o equilíbrio. } 45. g6+ Kh6 46. Re8 axb3 47. Rh8+ Kg7 48. Rh7+ Kf8 49. Rxc7 b2 50. Rf7+ Kg8 51. h6 { Ameaçando promover seguido de mate. Alternative variation:51. h6 b1=Q 52. h7+ Kh8 53. Rf8+ Kg7 54. h8=Q+ Kxg6 55. Rf6# } 1-0

[Event "Random thing"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "Sept 9 208"] [Round "-"] [White "linusinsulins"] [Black "eric2jin"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "black"] [TimeControl "None"] [WhiteElo "white"] { linusinsulins vs eric2jin } 1. e4 { Standard. I am black } 1... f5 { New opening } 2. exf5 { Yummy } 2... d5 { Standard } 3. d4 { Same } 3... Bxf5 { Yum. Mi pawne } 4. Be2 { ? Ok } 4... e6 { Opening bishop path } 5. Bd2 { ? What is happening white! } 5... c5 { Pawn out } 6. dxc5 { !? } 6... Bxc5 { Pawn trade. Black in control of center } 7. c4 { Hi } 7... Qb6 { Hello } 8. cxd5 { Yom } 8... Qxb2 { Yom } 9. Bc3 { Oh no } 9... Qb6 { Run } 10. Bxg7 { !!! } 10... Qb4+ { Check } 11. Kf1 { !? } 11... Qf4 { Threatening mate } 12. Bxh8 { Yum.But wait.... } 12... Qxf2# { Sorry!! Checkmate! } 0-1

[Event "OTB WTW Coaching Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2/26/16"] [Round "-"] [White "Joe"] [Black "Jack"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "98 min"] [WhiteElo "1355"] { This was my first game against Jack, in a while. For several weeks, we'vehad, for the most part, a full crew with Nirmal, Loyd (who I once playedagainst), Mary, Perry, Ted, Jack, (on occassion) Tom, Jack, and me. Threeweeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to come due to a change in my workschedule. But, the place that runs the chess club was closed due to asudden storm, anyhow. Two weeks ago, everyone was in which made it impossible. And, I was away, the previous Friday. But, last Friday, I was back. Not only that, but not only was Nirmal absent last week, but she wasn'tthere while I was away. The belief is that Jack helped her become goodenough to acheive her goal was teaching her son chess by defeating him. It's no surprise because he's a legend. The obvious proof is me beingable to annotate and teach chess because of this character, and he nowhas, at least, 126 students. What was, surprising, however, is that, inaddition to Nirma, Perry wasn't there, last week, either. But, that'sbecause his son was around, so Perry was going to spend time visiting. In my books, that's more important because, 'Family Comes First.' So,I was able to get another training session with Jack. Now, I was goingto annotate my WTW game with albertwall, in, 'Reversion's Open Fire MiniTourney.' But, since I'm up against this runner, for me, annotating anygame against Mr. Stockel takes priority over other WTW games because mostof my progress has come from him. Now, I played extremely well, in thisgame, but made a fatal blunder that lost, after being up by a Rook forminor piece. So, how did this game develop? } 1. e4 { After this move,Jack, as always, said, 'Ok, I'll make it easy for you.' This implies what'scoming. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 { I was wondering how Jack would respondto the Ruy Lopez. He usually plays 3...d6 But, 3...Bc5?! has also beenplayed. Important to note that if he did that, I'd answer with 4.c3, andwould continue with 5.d4 because it's about gain of tempo and solid pawnchain, as reversion told me. Meanwhile, Jack said, 'I'll play it safe,I don't trust you.' I understand this very well as the idea is, 'Don'ttrust your opponent.' Because he played the most common move, I'm goingto stick to mainlines. I can deviate, but I feel that, unlike with nuntar,Jack knows too much if I play 4.Nc3, so likewise, I don't trust him, either. Therefore, unlike the training session with John, for me, delaying castlingwas not an option in the context of this position. If I didn't know Jackas well, things would likely be different due to my training game withJohn. } 4. O-O { Jack: You castled already? Joe: Yes. Jack: Very good. } 4... Be7 { Continuing his development and preparing to castle. } 5. Nc3 { So,I continue with my development while adding a defender to e4 in order tothreaten his e4. } 5... d6 { Seeing the threat, he said, 'I'll play it very safe.' } 6. d4 { So, I opt for the exchange variation. I figured Jack would declineit due to his Nc6 being pinned. } 6... Bd7 { Therefore, I said, I figured you'dplay that. As now, I have an answer to that. } 7. d5 { And, that's withthis move. Now, 7.dxe5 came into consideration. But, I kept in mind whatSusan Polgar told me when teaching about the French Defense and combinedit with the longest game that I annotated with tactical-abyss since thatsame variation came up. Therefore, I kick his N as the idea is that Ihave a solid pawn chain and gain tempo. After the attack, Jack said, 'You'recoming. Allrighty, that's allowed.' } 7... Nb8 { I was very surprised to seethis played. I anticipated the exchange variation with 7...Nd4 But, thisundevelops. Although I stopped thinking this way, the thought reoccuredwith this move. It appears that Jack just waisted time with this move,and now, I believe that I have an advantage which I'll attempt to exploit. } 8. Bc4 { I considered completing my development. But, this is where I abandonedthe chess quotes, for now. Though it doesn't happen so much here, in OTBchess there's not much choice due not having analyze the board or enoughtime to visualize. Instead, pulling out the chess bits and wisdom is thebest way to guide my play in this circumstance. It, however, isn't neededhere. bringing my Bc1 into play would've allowed Jack to exchange. Normally,I don't mind early exchanges. The problem, however, is that it's a badidea, in this position, because it gives his Nb8 a good outpost. And,I want to keep Mr. Stockel's options limited. } 8... a6 { Preventing my Bc4 fromgoing back to b5. But, that doesn't bother since I wasn't going to playBb5, anyhow. } 9. Bg5 { And, this is where it becomes safe to complete mydevelopment. And, at the same time, there's added pressure to his dominantKnight. } 9... b5 { I figured he played this which is another reason why I wasn'tready to play Qe2. Although it's a different move order and not a transposition,this is still a common theme in the Ruy Lopez. The idea is driving thewhite's LSB back which Jack did. } 10. Bd3 { 10.Bb3 is the most common move,in this position. But, the decision was made to deviate from that. Here'smy thought process. I don't lose anything after 10...a5, but I didn'twant to chance it or be caught in a difficult situation. } 10... Ra7 { ?! Mobilizinghis Rook, but in my book, it's a waste of time as I'll attack. And, mybelief is that retreating will give me an edge, for when Jack does I feelmore optimisitic about my position. So, this is what I want. I'm focusingon a little more then just the small stuff because of what comes afterhis retreat. } 11. Be3 Rb7 12. Nd2 { This is the logic behind my commentabove. My fear was that Jack would pin my Knight that was on f3. So,by attacking his Rook and forcing him to waist tempo, I was able to preventthe pin. Afterall, based on past experience and against someone of thisstrength, despite not being serious yet, make no mistake that an absolutepin of that sort would give him an edge. The idea being is that they dobecome dangerous as I learned in the pinning motif where he had two pinsthat I failed to break in one move and lost shortly after. Then, somethingsimilar happened against one of my students, followed by Wizard Chess. The idea is to prevent history from repeating itself. } 12... b4 { However, Iforgot about the move that comes after which is this. As, now, I stillwalk into a pin. But, unlike before, that does not bother me as I breakit and attack him. Therefore, I'm proud of myself as it shows that I'velearned from my mistakes, in terms of, how dangerous those pins are. Jackimplied something similar because when I broke it, he said, 'Very good.' } 13. Ne2 Bg4 14. f3 Bh5 15. Ng3 { Taking advantage of the fact that my pinis gone, I bring one of my Knights to a better outpost. As GM Susan Polgarhas mentioned in our e-mail course, this is very important. } 15... Bg6 { Knowinghow menacing and strong his LSB was, my intention was also to exchangeit for my N, which Jack wisely prevents. } 16. Nc4 { What Jack didn't know,however, is that I anticipated 15....Bg6 and this was the conditional move. As now, both of my Knights are better placed. And, despite material beingeven, I feel that my advantage has grown. Now, it's possible that I'moverly confident with the position and acting like I understand more thenI actually know. But, I'd rather do this and be too confident then nervous. In that past, I've been nervous and was corrected by Jack which I thenemphasized to my students of not getting worried. In doing so, and situationslike this, I'm one extreme end or the other (not in the middle.) Thatis, too anxious, or overly confident. I'd rather be positive then anxious. And, with it, I'm not afraid of what Mr. Stockel might do, for now. Theidea is, as Susan also mentioned, to have fun which is what's happening. In fact, bhidragon when he noted that in our rated game. In explainingthat he was interested in how I'm playing these days, he also said, 'Let'shave fun.' Well, that's my attitude here. } 16... c6 { Jack: This might be ok. Joe: Maybe. What he doesn't realize is what I'm about to play. Thatis capturing which was the plan. However, it doesn't need to lose material,but taking only builds my confidence even more. } 17. dxc6 { It is, however,very important to note that I almost blundered here. I considered a movethat anyonelse wouldn't have even thought about (that is, a more experiencedplayer.) But, I didn't for the same reason. The move I was thinking ofwas 17.Na5?? to attack his Rook and gain tempo. The good part is thatI didn't need the analyze the board to see the threat of 17...Qxa5 Soundseasy, but in reality, it was an equivalent to a Homework assignment ofa different form since this was, nearly, overlooked. } 17... Rc7 { ? I'm a littlesurprised that he played this, as opposed to, 17...Nxc6, as now, I'm upa pawn. However, he misses move that one would not generally expect froma coach. But, I understand him too well and the actual reason is due tohis glacoma. That would cause anyone to miss something like that, despitetouching pieces, which you see in blindfolded chess. Jack has some qualitiesof that. } 18. Na5 { But, now I bring the Knight to the rim. The thoughtprocess that goes in it is what kept in mind. If he takes my c6, I'd pinwith 19.Bb5. However, this is wrong because his a6 prevents me from doingthat. Yet, I told Jack why I thought it was good before overlooking it. And, he said, 'If you say that 18.Na5 is good, I believe you.' } 18... Qc8 { Anotherreason for playing 18.Na5 is because of what I'm about to do. I thoughtthat attacking with Bb6 would win the Rook, but Jack defends. Yet, I'llplay it anyhow, since he can now strengthen his Nb8, which I don't wantto allow. } 19. Bb6 Rxc6 { ?? Up to my surprise, Jack played this. But,I also understand the reason behind this blunder and realize that his glacomais the reason behind capturing with the Rook. He feels these things, andchances are, more then likely that he mixed the two up and thought thatthis was the Knight. With that being said, I anticipated 19...Nxc6, afterwhich, it's even. I think I'd have a small advantage still, but with thismove the advantage is much bigger since I win a Rook for Knight. At thispoint, while I might not be successful due to how much stronger he is,I'll strive for a win. } 20. Nxc6 Nxc6 { This answers the question earlier,as the thought the Rook was a Knight. As otherwise, he wouldn't have playedthis. The reaspm being is that I'll liquidate since the idea is, 'Exchangewhile ahead.' } 21. Qe2 { With that being said, I now bring my Queen intoplay in an attempt to win Jack's a6. Another reason for not doing so earlieris that, I used to develop my Queen once everything else was developed. I only do so in extenuating it's believed to be an extenuating circumstance,these days. It's important to be careful, as it's how I went wrong againstreversion. But, Jack said that the Queen should be brought out much lateron, when it absolutely needs to be and not just because development iscomplete. And, that's due to how fragile the most powerful piece is earlyon. } 21... Qb7 { Not surprisingly, however, Jack protects. I almost captured,anyhow, but saw that my Bb6 is attacked. So, I'll retreat as the threatwill be renewed. } 22. Be3 a5 { I'm also not surprised that Jack felt itand defends. I don't think he saw with the same issues, but when feeling,despite the mistakes including this, Mr. Stockel generally plays the rightmove. Remember: that when he feels things, it's an equivalent to playingblindfold chess. I know this because when they don't see the moves (theGM's, they feel.) And, I've seen examples from the Polgar Sisters. } 23. Ba6 { So, I come up with a different idea. The is to attack his Queen. That's because, as I learned about with the book, 'Chess Tactics for Champions',it's about, 'Deflection and Removing the Guard.' His a6 prevented themove, but since I have the opportunity, my decision was made to go forit. The idea is to exploit the weakness to enable the nasty pin on hisNc6. When, Jack breaks it, I'll liquidate since I'm ahead. } 23... Qc7 24. Bb5 O-O 25. Qc4 { In order to do this, I needed another attacker. That meansadding pressure to the c file. } 25... Rc8 { Likewise, Jack needed a defender,as otherwise, I'd also win his Queen which would force him to resign. At least, it's liquidation, as opposed to, ruinous loss of material. } 26. Bxc6 Qxc6 27. Qxc6 Rxc6 28. Nf5 { ? With that being said, I try to furtherliquidate. However, it's a mistake because I overlooked c2 being en-prise. So, when we exchange, Jack will win back a pawn. Much better was 28.Rac1. After that, he might not allow it since 29...Bh5 is a possibility. But,if he takes or doesn't move it, then I'd be successful liquidating. } 28... Bxf5 29. exf5 Rxc2 30. Rab1 { Learning from the previous mistake, I prevent himleveling out. I also could've protected with Be3 but didn't want to undevelopas everything that happened earlier with getting pieces would've appearedto be nothing. And, I don't like waisting time for no reason. } 30... h6 { Preventinga back rank threat. It's not a threat, yet, but later on it could be,so I think that Jack made the right choice. } 31. Rfd1 { So, I put pressureon the d file. Part of the plan is to unite my Rooks together. } 31... d5 { Tryingto win my Be3 since the idea behind this move involves 32...d4, as I can'tcapture with my Rd1. } 32. Bb6 { So, I counterattack by going after his a5. } 32... a4 { Which Jack defends. } 33. Ba5 { So, I reattack to put pressure on hisposition given that I'm still ahead. Yet, the position is even. Knowingthat a win is, most likely, not possible, my new goal is to go for a draw. Yet, if were to offer one (which I have before) he'd decline and wouldsay that it must be played out first. This is why that offer did not occur. } 33... d4 { In addition to what I mentioned, there's a also a problem which ishis passed pawn. } 34. Re1 { So, I try to stop it. } 34... Nd7 { Not to my surprise,however, Jack holds onto it as now, I can't take since it's defended. } 35. a3 { I almost played 35.b3 but thought that it would lose a pawn. However,after 35...axb3, 36.axb3, there's no way that Jack can win a pawn. But,I missed it when playing this (which is as good), and as a general ruleof thumb, 'It's better to be safe then to be sorry.' } 35... b3 { I anticipated35...bxa3 but am not surprised to see this. After watching about pawnchains, from tactical-abyss, a similar position occurred. And, what itmakes me realize is that this is one of those times, where they are especiallyuseful. Might seem useful but we're in the endgame and one can promote. In fact, this will happen when I start blundering, and we're not too faraway. } 36. Re4 { My plan is to double up and sac a Rook for his Nd7 in orderto stop his e5 from advancing further. } 36... f6 { But, this move stops it whichis where I start to go wrong. As now, taking won't work. } 37. Rg4 { ? But,after teaching me and playing through variations that he wanted to showme, I realize that this isn't a mistake, afterall. But, the game chatensues which is why I still give a query. Jack: That's a mistake. Joe:I don't see how. Jack: Do you want me to show you why? Joe: I would. Afterall, in the long run, I don't care about winning or losing. In theend, the goal is to learn and making a mistake is how you do this. Withthat, Jack sacced his Be7 for my a3, in order to push his passer since,'Passed pawns must be pushed.' } 37... Bxa3 38. bxa3 b2 { This is where I startto become a little anxious, yet, I'm also thinking about what to do, asopposed to letting my nerves take over. } 39. Bb4 { ?? So, I decide to protecta3 to prevent 39...Nb6. But, this is where seeing the overall picturebecomes essential. As it turns out, however, Jack rightly pointed thatthis is the losing blunder. 39.Be1 was the only way to save this position,so it was forced. After the game we discussed this and why he called 37.Rg4?as mistake. He said that best was to double up with 37.Ree1. He was littleupset that I moved it to Rg4, because somewhat similar to what bhidragontold me, Jack said something for years which I forgot. Mr. Stockel toldme that the general goal is to bring both Rooks on one file. Even if not,you want to keep together. By isolating one on g4 and got myself in trouble. We went over variations as to what would've had I played the right, butwhy isolating the Rooks got me in trouble. So, let's say I made the rightchoice and played 39.Be1, his next move would've been 39...Rc1+, now theonly thing that holds is 40.Rxb2 (as 40.Rxc1?? allows him to promote andthe game is over.) But, after capturing on b2, Jack would answer with40...Rxe1+ Before analyzing, I agreed that I would've lost a piece butit's better then allowing what's about to come which is a promotion. However,had I doubled up in the center this wouldn't have happened. Well, afteranalyzing, I discovered that after 40...Rxe1+, not only haven't I lostanything, but I'm still a pawn up. With this, being played white is busted,no matter how you look at it as he will Queen. } 39... Rc1+ 40. Kf2 { ?? But, Ifigured that I've stopped the promotion with this move. My thought process,based on some passed games was that giving up my Rook prevented his b2from advancing behind it. However, the other idea is that a Rook shouldremain behind the passer. So, with that being said, not only was thereno way to stop it, but this move also loses a Rook. Therefore, it is resignableas there are no good moves left. But, I don't resign, yet, because ofthe way I thought which appeared to be his inability to promote. } 40... Rxb1 41. Be7 Kf7 42. Bb4 Rd1 43. Be1 b1=Q { After Jack Queens, however, we bothagreed on resignation. For one thing, in addition to what I mentioned,resignation generally didn't happen until mate could be forced since easy19continued that game where I resigned before mate was proven. But, aftershowing my loss against reversion, he did not question it, so things havechanged. And, in this position, I figured that mate was soon to follow,after 44...Qc2+, but after getting out of check, it'd still take longer. What can be agreed on, however, is that there is nothing else to learnhere. Right after this game was finished and in the Men's Room, whilewe were saying goodbye to each other for the week, the game was discussedwith two things learned. But, one of the things he said (which is themore important) is the moral of the game. First, in general, you shouldkeep the Rooks together, as opposed to, seperating them. He said thatI got myself in trouble by isolating both rooks. In general, that's true,but after analyzing it here, I realized that it's not in the context ofthis game. Because after those variations, I still have a manageable position. Second, but more importantly (the lesson) is to slow down in the endgame. In it, he said, that I could, sometimes, wiggle my way out of a mistakein the midgame. But, in the endgame, however, one mistake will often makeor break it. This makes sense to me because as shamash put it, 'The endgameis your ability to play chess.' I can relate to that due to what I studiedin understanding how to mate with your Knight and Bishop. For one thing,you must play accurately in the N+B+K mate to win. If you blunder, itwill most, likely, end in a draw. This happened to me for months beforebecoming second nature. Second, during that time, in the second to fourthtimes that I retook the quiz, after failing the first time, I still didn'tpass due to moving too quickly. It took time before realizing that I hadto slow down in order to become familiar with the concepts. In doing so,things started making sense, and I was able to pass the quiz, understandthe fundamentals, and use it to explain in previous annotations. Well,the same thing is true in endgames like this because you must go slowerand concentrate more then the middle game to hold the position, and even,win. Failing to do so, is what led to my downfall. } 0-1

[Event " ultra-fast players "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "24-Jul-08"] [Round "-"] [White "rtaylor7796"] [Black "articulator"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1564"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1300"] 1. e4 { I feel that this is one of the best games I have played. Articulatorprobably just underestimated me. If someone sees something that I did not,feel free to comment. } 1... d5 { At this point he is trying to gain controlof the center of the board. } 2. e5 { So I move my king pawn to e5, somethingI hate having done to me. } 2... a6 3. d4 e6 4. a3 Ne7 5. Nc3 Nbc6 6. Qg4 { Probablynot the best move move. I should have developed my king,knight or queen,bishop. } 6... b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. Be3 Qd7 9. Nf3 h6 10. O-O O-O-O { Was not expecting aqueen side castle. } 11. Nd2 g5 12. b4 { Applying pawn pressure to breakup the wall of pieces he has built in front of his King. } 12... b5 13. a4 { Maybenot the best move, but I want to keep applying pressure. I do not wanthim to finish developing his pieces for an attack, instead I want to bethe one applying pressure. } 13... Nxb4 14. axb5 axb5 15. Bxb5 c6 { Nice defensivemove, but I have already started to break down his defence. } 16. Ba4 { Ihad to retreat my bishop to keep his knight from capturing c2. } 16... Ng6 17. Nb3 Be7 18. Nc5 { I move Nc5 to lure e7 bishop. } 18... Bxc5 { It worked. } 19. dxc5 Nxe5 20. Qxb4 Nc4 21. Nb5 { At this point I feel I have enough pieceto push my attack. So I sacrifice my knight to open things up. I playedthis out many times and feel that this is what needed done to decapitatehis King. } 21... cxb5 22. Bxb5 Qc7 23. c6 Bxc6 24. Bxc6 Qxc6 25. Rfb1 Kd7 { Gothim on the run. } 26. Ra7+ { He can't stop what is coming, but only prolongit. } 26... Ke8 27. Qe7# 1-0

[Event "Tournament game, London 1883"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Berthold Englisch"] [Black "William Sreinitz"] [Result "0-1"] { All annotations by Ludek Pachman. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 { It was only later that the strong continuation 5 B-KN5! wasdiscovered. } 5... Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. O-O Ne7 { Prepares ...P-Q4. Whiteought now to have played 9 P-K5 N-K1 10 B-KB4, securing an advantage inspace. } 9. Qd2 d5 10. exd5 Nexd5 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. Be2 Ng4 13. Bxg4 Bxg4 14. Nb3 Qxd2 { More precise was 14... Q-B5! 15 P-QB3 QR-Q1. With the textmove Black obtains only a minute advantage; for that very reason, however,its exploitation is extremely instructive. } 15. Nxd2 Rad8 { Not 15... BxPimmediately because of 16 QR-N1. } 16. c3 Rfe8 17. Nb3 b6 { Black initiatesmaneuvers whose object is to reduce the mobility of the opposing piecesand deprive the Knight of operational bases. } 18. h3 Be6 19. Rfd1 c5 20. Bg5 f6 21. Bf4 Kf7 { Here we see a frequent feature of the working of thetwo Bishops: under their protection the King generally finds it easy topress towards the center; the enemy King, on the other hand, is kept backby their action. } 22. f3 g5 { If White now wishes to keep his Bishop inthe center he must concede control of the Q file. } 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Be3 h6 25. Re1 f5 26. f4 { If White were to allow ...P-KB5 he would be completelyhemmed in. } 26... Bf6 27. g3 a5 { Threatens 28... P-R5 29 N-B1 P-R6, shatteringWhite's Pawn formation. } 28. Nc1 a4 29. a3 Bc4 30. Kf2 { Black has nearlyimmobilized the White Knight. White's position still seems solid, but Blackcan use his Bishops to get rid of his opponent's only well-placed piece. } 30... gxf4 31. Bxf4 Bg5 { Threatening 32... BxB 33 PxB R-Q7 ch. } 32. Bxg5 hxg5 33. Ke3 Kf6 34. h4 { On 34 R-R1, 34... K-K4 followed by P-B5 ch and Black'sRook will gain the seventh rank. } 34... gxh4 35. gxh4 Re8+ 36. Kf2 Rxe1 37. Kxe1 Ke5 38. Ne2 Bxe2 39. Kxe2 Kf4 { Even though White has an outside passedPawn, Black wins because of superior King position. } 40. c4 Kg4 41. Ke3 f4+ { Not ...KxP?? 42 K-B4 winning. } 42. Ke4 f3 43. Ke3 Kg3 { White resigns,as the Pawn will become a Queen. } 0-1

[Event "Winnipeg 1967, http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1536419"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1967"] [Round "-"] [White "Pal Benko "] [Black "Shimon Kagan "] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 { Grand Master Chess Game, Pal Benko vs Shimon Kagan Winnipeg 1967 · Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1536419 } 1... c6 { The Caro-Kann Defense. } 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 { This move by Black marks the Caro-Kann Classical Version. } 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. h5 Bh7 8. Nf3 Nd7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Qc7 11. Bd2 e6 12. O-O-O Ngf6 13. Ne4 O-O-O 14. g3 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nf6 16. Qe2 Bd6 17. c4 c5 18. Bc3 cxd4 19. Nxd4 a6 20. Nf3 Rd7 21. Kb1 Rhd8 22. a3 Qc6 23. Rh4 Bc7 24. Rxd7 Rxd7 25. Ne5 Bxe5 26. Qxe5 Ne8 27. Qe2 f6 28. Re4 e5 29. Bb4 b6 30. c5 a5 { This 30th move is where I believe black erred. He put both queenside pawns on black squares, one under attack from a bishop, one from anotherpawn. If your opponent only has one bishop, it is frequently good to putyour pawns on that color, to restrict the bishop. On the other hand, Ialways say there is an exception to every rule! His two queen side pawnsare not stable enough. He ended up losing both pawns (one traded, one takenfor free), which left his king open to attack. To defend his king he hadto sack his queen for a rook, then white got a 2nd queen, and it was downhillfrom there. I say instead of 30. ... a5, black had 2 feasible game plansat his disposal: 1. He could have played 30. ... Rd1 +, as he did playon the next move, after messing up his pawn structure! If 31. QxR thenQxR. Or if 31. Ka2 then Qd5+. Blacks pawns would still be intact, and hisking a lot safer. He could then choose to play 32. ... b5 to keep the queenout. 2. Or he could have played 30. ... b5. With the pawns on white squaresand white only having a DSB, black's pawns would come under less attack. Black would then have a slightly inferior pawn structure. White wouldhave a queen side pawn majority (3-2), black a king side pawn majority(4-3). White would have a passed c-pawn, but it's well blockaded by a queenwhich would be hard to move, since the rook can't get in, the bishop ison dark squares, and the queen, if she gets in can be traded. Black hasa backward g-pawn, but it is well defended. So the pawn inferiority wouldbe hard to take advantage of in my opinion, and black should have a goodgame. } 31. cxb6 { Black can't play 31. ... PxB due to Rc4 wins the queen. } 31... Rd1+ 32. Ka2 Qd5+ 33. Qc4+ Kb7 34. Bxa5 Qxa5 35. Qf7+ Ka6 36. Qa7+ Kb5 37. Rb4+ Qxb4 38. axb4 Nd6 39. Qa5+ Kc6 40. Qc5+ Kd7 41. Qc7+ Ke6 42. b7 Rd4 43. b8=Q Rc4 44. Qg8+ Kf5 45. Qgxc4 Nxc4 46. Qxc4 Kg5 { And it's over! } 1-0

[Event "darren6464's mini-tournament VIII"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.01.31"] [Round "-"] [White "evilgm"] [Black "j101m"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1290"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1766"] 1. e4 { I created this game notation at the request of j101m to review thegame we played. Welcome comments from anyone as we try to improve ourchess together. } 1... e5 2. f4 f5 { Interesting response for a King's Gambit. I'd never seen this one before so decided to have a little fun. Thismove opens up the king to potential check down the road, depending uponmoves made. By making this move Black is exposing his King in order forfaster development. } 3. exf5 exf4 { Now my pawn on the f file is poisedto support my Queen assault Black's King. } 4. Qh5+ g6 { Instead of g6, anotherplayable move is 4. ... Ke7 } 5. fxg6 { Now Black has some potentially uglychoices to make. The game is far from lost, but White is in the driver'sseat. } 5... Nf6 { Not a bad move. I actually like Qe7+ better. It allows Blackto get the Queen into the game with a tempo move and opens up more possibilitiesdown the road. } 6. g7+ { I don't know if Black expected this move as a response,but sacrificing a Queen (momentarily) in total allows me to trade a pawnfor a Rook, all while getting a new Queen. } 6... Nxh5 7. gxh8=Q { Now I am up5 pts and have a Queen in Black's backfield. Black needs to attack earlyand often to make up the difference. } 7... Qh4+ { This line of attack seeks parityby offering the same trick that White used against Black. If White parrieswith g3, the same situation will arise that just played out a few movesago. I still like Qe7+ better here. If White isn't careful, that movecan work towards trapping White's Queen. } 8. Kd1 { Discretion being thecounterpoint to valor, White flees. } 8... d5 { I categorize this move as a blunder. Far better to do d6. It's a good idea to get the LSB into the game ong4 to provide some much needed pressure to White's exposed King, but bymoving to d5, Black allows White's Queen to get back into the game. Ifd6 instead, then the next move for Black would be Nf3. Although that threatensBlack's Queen, it doesn't allow White to get their Queen back into thegame for free plus giving up a pawn. } 9. Qe5+ Kd8 { It's possible Kf7 isbetter, to allow Black's Rook easier egress. } 10. Qxd5+ Bd6 11. Nf3 Qe7 { I would have considered Bg4 first. That way you would have had the addedbenefit of protecting the Knight on h5 } 12. Qxh5 Nc6 13. Bb5 Bd7 { Blockinghere is the only feasible choice. If you move the knight out of the way,to a5 perhaps, Re1 is just a crushing play. } 14. Re1 Qg7 { When you're downbig, trade pawns, not pieces. Down 9 Black is in a big-time hole. Thismove allows White to force a Queen trade. } 15. Qg5+ Qxg5 16. Nxg5 a6 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Nf7+ { Allowing a trade... All White has to do to win is tradepieces on even terms. } 18... Kd7 19. Nxd6 cxd6 { I might have considered capturingwith the King. While a comeback is unlikely, keep your pawns togetherif you can. } 20. d3 Bxg2 21. Bxf4 Bf3+ 22. Kd2 Rf8 23. Bg3 h5 24. Nc3 Rg8 25. Re3 Bg2 26. Rae1 Rg4 27. Ne4 h4 { not a bad plan, if only for that peskyKnight... } 28. Nf6+ 1-0

[Event "82nd GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.06.19"] [Round "-"] [White "king_yellow"] [Black "halfairchild"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1609"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1534"] 1. e4 { This game deserves annotating as it ends with a 'smothered mate,'something that I had read about, and get to spring on someone about onceor twice a lifetime. } 1... d5 { My standard answer to e4: The Scandinavian,Modern Variation. } 2. e5 c5 { Thwarts 3. d4 } 3. Bb5+ Bd7 { Black his happyto accept an exchange, and he gains a tempo in development (if BxB, NxB). } 4. a4 { This gives Black a chance to seize the initiative. } 4... Bxb5 { Blackdoubles White's pawns, a permanent liability. } 5. axb5 e6 { Black tidiesup his pawn formation, and makes room for the Kside development. Notethat Black has a better pawn structure, and has gained a move (White hastwo pawns developed, Black three). } 6. Nf3 { A logical completion of Ksidedevelopment. } 6... Nd7 { Black's development is made difficult by the pawns thatWhite has advanced to his side of the board. Some discomfort there. } 7. d3 { White hopes to release his B at c1. } 7... Ne7 { Black plans to put pressureon e5. } 8. Be3 Ng6 9. d4 { White has taken two moves to get this pawn tod4, losing another tempo. } 9... b6 { Black naively hopes for dxc, ...Bxc5, developingthe Bishop. } 10. Bg5 { Black loses another tempo by moving the B again. 'Never move one piece twice until all pieces have been moved at leastonce,' I read somewhere. } 10... Be7 { This defensive move also threatens to wina piece (BxB, NxB, QxN). } 11. Bxe7 { The third move by the B and now itis removed from play. A waste of time. } 11... Qxe7 { A developing move. } 12. O-O O-O { Both sides complete an early objective: King safety. } 13. dxc5 Nxc5 { Black is happy to excahnge a center pawn for a side pawn, whilstadvancing his N to a more menacing position. } 14. b4 Ne4 { And now thenight is in a very good spot, the B4 pawn is under attack. } 15. Ra4 { Abad spot (and role) for a Rook. } 15... Rfc8 { Controlling c3. } 16. Nd4 { Whitethreatens Nc6, but forgets that every move has two consequences (attackingsome squares, relinquishing control of others. The e5 pawn has been abandoned. Black can take, and defend c6. } 16... Nxe5 17. Qh5 { The Q at h5 is a one pieceattack. White attacks the e5 pawn, but has no other help on the Kside. } 17... Qf6 { Defends e5, and makes an 'X-Ray' attack on the N on d4. The b1 Nis looking rahter useless. } 18. Nc6 { White blunders here, losing a pawn. } 18... Nxc6 19. bxc6 Rxc6 20. f3 { This weakening of the pawns in front of theKing opens the diagonal to the W King, and sets up the final denouement. Black sees the 'smothered mate' possibility. } 20... Qd4+ { The first move. Whitemust lose the exchange (R for N), or the game. } 21. Kh1 Nf2+ { This is animportant sequence to remember. If RxN, White wins the exchange and threatensmate. Note that the undeveloped N and the misplaced major pieces are outof play. } 22. Kg1 { And now the discovered double check looms, forcing the'smothered mate.' } 22... Nh3+ 23. Kh1 { A queen sacrifice is in order. Everythingis forced here. } 23... Qg1+ { Beautiful. } 24. Rxg1 Nf2# { I love it when a plancomes together! My opponent is faring much better in our other game. Respect to him! } 0-1

[Event "OTB WTW Coaching Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "12/4/15"] [Round "-"] [White "Joe"] [Black "Jack"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1370"] { This was my first game against Jack Stockel in two weeks. Last week,the place that runs this chess club was closed, due to Thanksgiving Weekend. In addition, as noted in my last annotation, I didn't think I'd have timeto annotate any more games, until Tuesday or Wednsday. Well, the reasonwas because I was planning to see my friend tomorrow. But, since that'snot going to happen, there is time to do it tonight. Anyway, while I havereached my highest chess rating, this was the first loss in two weeks whichhappened against the same opponent. However, it was my worst game in along while. In fact, I played more then 150 points south of my rating,so like a 1200 rated player. Not only that, but we have average time permove on this website. Well, in OTB, it's a different story. However,we have 2 hours, and I averaged my time to only be, at most, a minute permove which is ludicrous. That's, the equivalent to an average time permove of 15-30 minutes here. It should really be at least, 5-10, and morelike, 15 minutes. What happened is that Jack arrived 15 minutes late,and then he annotated a game which I enjoyed, as usual. That, however,took another 15 minutes, so we only had an 1.5 hours, but in that frame,I still should've taken my time. Consequently, I deserved to lose. Iwent wrong early, and from there, things got worse, until this runner wasable to force a checkmate against me. } 1. e4 { The usual. } 1... e5 { AlthoughI normally don't annotate this move (since it's what I'm used to, the chatisn't.) In that, he said, 'Ok, I'll give you this.' } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 { This time, he plays the most common move in the Ruy Lopez. Jack willdifferentiate, but the last two times, he played 3...Bc5 So, now it wastime for my coach to do something different, but I'm most used to seeing3...a6, and thus, know what to do. As, I'll retreat on the most commonsquare. } 4. Ba4 Nf6 { Continuing with his development. Now, when Mr. Stockelplayed 3...Bc5, I'd castle. But, even if he were to play that here, Iwould not. That's because tipsyjourneyman and I discussed it. And, weagree to an extent. But, one thing is for sure which is that against astronger player (espeically a runner), I'll delay castling and develop,first. That's because John said that someone (he believes shamash) toldhim that castling should be used as the final step in development. However,even if I wanted, it's not possible, in this particular. The reason isthat I'd lose a pawn if I did that. } 5. Nc3 { With that being said, thisis the only move that protects it, as now, I have an extra defender toe4. } 5... Be7 { Jack: I'll play it safe. I don't trust you. Joe: Ok. } 6. d4 { At this point, castling is safe. But, as noted, I'll prolong, until developmentis completed or it's absolutely needed. With that being said, 6.d3 alsocame into consideration with a pawn chain. But, I like going into theexchange variation. Just before this happens, Jack will hit my Ba4, inwhich, I'll get out of harms way by retreating to b5 which is what we typicallysee. } 6... b5 7. Bb3 exd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bb7 { Placing his LSB on thelongest diagonal, which is known to be good. That's why we often see playersfianchetto. } 10. e5 { ? I was directly applying what reversion said in mylast annotation against this runner. Although the position here is different,the idea behind it is the same which is the gain of tempo since Jack willbe forced to get his Nf6 out of harms way. BTW, that game started offwith 1.e4, e5 2.Nf3, Nc6 3.Bb5, Bc5 4.0-0, Nd4 5.Nxd4, Bxd4 6.Nc3, when6.c3 was more common, as everyonelse pointed out. And, what he said was,'This c3-d4 plan is quite common in the Ruy Lopez, mainly in this position,since it wins a tempo by attacking Bd4. No surprise it's what experiencedplayers choose most. Note it also helps Bb5 to reach c2 immediately viaBa4-c2 in case it gets attacked by ...a6-b5.' In addition, I was worriedabout losing my e pawn, but it was protected until I advanced it. Withthat being said, I'm not sure what the best move as here. But, in thisparticular position, that plan was a mistake, which luckily, due to Jack'sguacoma, black doesn't spot. But, he can win a pawn with 10...Bxg2, andif 11.exf6, Bxh1 12.fxe7, Qxe7+ 13.Qe3, Qxe3+ 14.fxe3, not only liqudiatingwhile being a pawn down, but also losing the opportunity to castle short,and losing, as opposed to, gaining time because my Bc1 remains undeveloped. So, I'd be forced to bring into play, before castling long. } 10... Nh5 11. O-O { Although I would've held off on this until completing development,there is no choice here. I see the mistake I made, and now, I must fixit by getting the monarch to safety. In fact, he implied that it neededto be done. Jack: Very good, you're smart. Joe: Thank you. Jack: Thatwas the right move. } 11... Bg5 { He wants to exchange our DSB's. And, I, willingly,allow this because it completes development. Plus, it depends on the position,but I've learned that, in general, you want to exchange early and oftenagainst a stronger opponent, unless they have a weaker piece. Well, Ifelt that Jack's DSB was stronger then mine, so I felt that doing thiswould be beneficial here. } 12. Bxg5 Qxg5 13. g4 { ?? But, this is whereI really start to go wrong. For this and thought process, I must now goback in time. This is something I forgot about after presenting it inKOH club. While I remembered the Homework, I forgot about all else asit seemed irrelevant. The reason is because I got the right answer butfor the wrong reason. But, that same attitude and miscalculation led tothis mistake which makes it important since we're talking about thoughtprocess. Therefore, I change it from just Homework to a quiz. By my ownstandards, I failed, and unlike with other courses, there are no retakesas the damage has been done. This one, however, involved figuring outwhy black resigned. The reason is that black would've lost a piece, butI calculated the wrong variations. And, the teacher made a very good pointbecause I thought it involved the Knight. And, it was with the same results,that the pawn attacks it, after which it's blocked and would be lost. He said, as part of the quiz before finding out it's Homework, don't youthink it can move elsewhere, and he was quizzing me. Well, that same thingoccurred here, but now, the damage has been done, for real. In other words,I calculated on how I could win Jack's Nh5. Just when I thought I lookedat everything, and thought that black could not get out of this, Jack findsthe only way out. And, when he does, I run into problems, as we're aboutto see. } 13... Nf4 { When, he did, I was shocked and my jaw dropped. Joe: I'min trouble. Jack: How many times must I tell you not to, voluntarily,expose your King? And, we were trying to figure a way out. But, bothof us agreed that best is 14.f3 But, he said that I could still wind upin trouble even then. } 14. f3 h5 { Jack: What happens here? } 15. h3 { ? Joe:Then I must play here. However, as noted on my last move, I did not concentrateor take my time. Therefore, I'm not sure what the best move was, but thisis certainly a mistake as I'm going to lose a pawn. } 15... Nxh3+ 16. Kh2 { I getout by playing this. That's because he has told me that bringing yourmonarch to the corner is an important part of King safety. However, myKing is not safe, no matter how you slice it. } 16... Qh4 { To take advantage ofthat blunder, he goes right after my monarch. The plan is to get a discoveredcheck. However, despite my concentration being down, I figured out thatthis would lead to mate. What I had considered, at first was, 17.gxh5?? But, Jack's plan is 17...Nf4+, 18.Kg1 (forced), Qg3+ 19.Kh1 (forced),Qg2# } 17. Kg2 { Which I had to prevent. But, in exchange, however, Jackwill get another pawn. And, it is only going to get worse for white. } 17... hxg4 18. Qe3 { To prevent further trouble, I decide to add an extra defenderto f3. However, it is already worse, as noted. } 18... gxf3+ { Jack: What happens,if I play here? } 19. Qxf3 { ?? Joe: Then I capture here. I know that movingmy monarch will enable Jack to mate. So, I played this, but it shouldlose my Queen. Much better was 19.Rxf3, and if 19...Bxf3, 20.Kxf3, andnow it would take longer for him to mate because if 20...Ng5+, 21.Ke3 andhe doesn't have an immediate sequence. But, with this move, Jack can wina Queen, but black does not take. Instead, he plays something much betterwhich win even quicker for him. } 19... Ng5 { And, that is with this move, as now,he is threatening mate. But, this time, I overlook it. } 20. Qxb7 { ?? Thisis the only move that, in the real game, was not played. But, I decidedto make it look like white got greedy and grabbed the bishop. That's becausesometimes, 'To take is a mistake' And, being greedy, as noted, would'veled to this. Instead, I played 20.Qd3 which is actually an illegal movesince my Queen is pinned. I didn't realize it, and due to Jack's glacoma,and the absence of Bert and Tom, he didn't notice it, either. Nontheless,the next move is still the same. So, in other words everything else, includingthe final blow was how all else was played. } 20... Qh2# { Jack: But, isn't thismate. Joe: Yes, it is. And, he laughed, as he usually does, when deliveringmate. We reviewed it and played through variations. But, this time, Imust disagree with him because of one thing that just isn't possible. In it he said that best was 20.Bf7+, as now, I'm threatening mate. So,after this, the only way to refute that would be 20...Nxf7, allowing 21.Qxf7+,Kd8 22.e6, d6 (as 22...exd6? would be a mistake), and after 23.e7+, Kc8 And, the problem is that I didn't see any of it, as an important to learnis seeing the opponents weakness. However, the line that Mr. Stockel gaveme is unplayable because 21.Qxf7+ is also illegal, and for the same reason. As it turns out, my Queen is directly pinned, so it cannot move. Therefore,once I played 19.Qxf3, the only way to prevent this mate was giving upmy Queen for my LSB. But, the best I was going to get was the loss ofa Rook and pawn for a bishop, after which, he'd be in better. The realproblem occurred due to rushing and having unreasonable attitude which,therefore, exposed my King, unnecessarily. When that happened, he wasable to exploit my weakness. From there, things were only going to getworse. } 0-1

[Event "Crushing 1e4 with Latvian Gambit and two knights mate!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Georgi Trajkov"] [Black "David Stefanov"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2145"] [TimeControl "5+2"] [WhiteElo "2032"] { This was from Vidin Open Tournament.It was the last round and I was pairedwith much weaker opponent. But I need to win this game at price of everything,since I need win to finish second with 5.5 points. I know my opponent andI had previously beat him.However i have huge trouble about choosing my opening because my main responses against 1e4 are Sicilian Najdorf andPetrov Defence.He always answer c5 with boring Alapin Variation, wherei wouldn't have much winning chances.Petrov is even worse since is possibleto exchange queens with Lasker variation.So I i decided to surprisehim with the worst and most violent chess opening ever! } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 { now he expected boring Petrov defence,but he met oneone of moststunning attacks in chess } 2... f5 { BAMM! The Latvian make blood and violenceon board.Now my opponent cannot avoid ultra sharp game where draw is impossible. } 3. Bc4 { His main opening was Italian game, so he develop in this style. } 3... fxe4 4. Nxe5 Qg5 { This is the poisoned pawn variation of Latvian gambitthe sharpest opening ever! } 5. Nf7 { My opponent wasn't familiar with Latviangambit made natural but bad move.better is 5d4 Qxg2 6Qh5+ g6 7Bxg6 Qxh1+8Ke2 with extreme complicated position } 5... Qxg2 6. Rf1 Nf6 7. Nxh8 d5 8. Be2 { the other bishop moves allow bg4 } 8... Bh3 9. d3 Qxh2 10. dxe4 { bad mistakethat allowing crushing attack } 10... Bc5 11. Be3 { even worse since open the whiteking } 11... Bxe3 12. fxe3 Bxf1 13. Bxf1 { not 13Kxf1 Qh1+ 14Kf2 Nxe4 mate } 13... Qg3+ 14. Kd2 Nxe4+ 15. Kc1 Qxe3+ 16. Nd2 Nc6 { the black attack is too strong } 17. Bd3 Nf2 18. Qf1 { I would play Qh5+ } 18... O-O-O 19. Bf5+ Kb8 20. Nf7 Nd4 { Rf8 is also good } 21. Nxd8 Nf3 { There is dark storm over white king } 22. b3 Nxd2 23. Qg1 { Now black knights make killing blow } 23... Nc4+ 24. Kb1 { canyou see next move } 24... Nd3 { !!! I just love it } 25. Qxe3 { 25cxd3 can't savewhite Qxg1 26Kc2 Qh2+! with mating attack } 25... Na3# { This two knight mateis so nice finish on hard tournament } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from rjacobs"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.12"] [Round "-"] [White "rjacobs"] [Black "dmaestro"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1474"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1607"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bg5 h6 { Best to drive the bishop off. } 5. Bxf6 Qxf6 6. e3 c6 7. Nf3 Bg4 { Black wants activity for the bishop } 8. Be2 Nd7 9. O-O g5 10. Ne4 Qe7 11. Re1 f5 12. Nc3 Bh5 { Black intendsa kingside attack. } 13. Qd2 { Qd2? does not leave the N a retreat square. } 13... O-O-O 14. b4 e4 { Wins a piece. } 15. Nxg5 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 hxg5 17. Rac1 Qh7 18. h3 Nf6 { Black prepares ...g4 } 19. b5 { White counterattacks. } 19... g4 20. bxc6 bxc6 21. c5 { A nice move. } 21... dxc5 { Black calculates that he can survivethe attack and hold some material. } 22. Qa6+ Qb7 23. Qxb7+ Kxb7 24. Rb1+ Kc7 25. Red1 gxh3 26. gxh3 Rxh3 27. Kg2 Rh7 28. a4 cxd4 29. exd4 a5 30. Rbc1 { This attack would be more powerful if only White was not down a piece. } 30... Kd7 31. d5 Ng4 32. dxc6+ Kc8 33. Rd5 Rh2+ 34. Kg1 Bb4 35. Rxd8+ Kxd8 36. Nd5 { White can get the piece back now, but not equality. } 36... Bd6 37. c7+ Bxc7 38. Rxc7 Rxf2 39. Rf7 Ra2 40. Nb6 Ne3 41. Ra7 Rb2 42. Nd7 f4 43. Nc5 Rb4 44. Rxa5 f3 45. Nxe4 { Interesting sacrifice. If the N is taken, kf2 winsthe N or the pawn. } 45... Ng4 46. Rd5+ Kc7 47. Nc3 Rf4 48. Nb5+ Kc6 49. Rd4 { Materialis even but Black queens first. } 49... f2+ 50. Kf1 Nh2+ 51. Kg2 f1=Q+ 52. Kxh2 Qf2+ 53. Kh3 Rxd4 54. Nxd4+ Qxd4 { White resigns. } 0-1

[Event "The Annotation Project II: Black escapes?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.10.29"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "yoshark"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1572"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1824"] 1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. e4 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Bxf7+ Kd7 7. Qxg4+ Nxg4 8. Be6+ Kc6 9. Bxg4 Bg7 { In my opinion the main line of this crazytournament. } 10. Ne6 Qg8 { Still following the main line. } 11. Nc3 { onevariation the stronger might be d4 } 11... Na6 { Probably Bxc3 should have beenplayed White should Play Nxe4 taking the center by storm. } 12. a3 Bxc3 13. bxc3 { Strange but has the up side of opening up the b-file for therook. } 13... Nc5 14. Nxc5 Kxc5 15. O-O Rd8 16. a4 { Here I should have playeda6 } 16... h5 17. Be2 { Again a6 could be played here. } 17... Qe6 18. Ba3+ Kc6 19. Bb5+ { Kb6 Rb1 didn't feel good. } 19... Kd5 20. c4+ Kd4 { Forcing the king forward. I felt Joanne may have had something after c3+ Kd3 c5+ but who knows. Joanne wanted to see what other people thought about this combination. } 21. Bb2+ Kc5 22. Ba3+ Kd4 23. Bb2+ { Draw offer I accept for fear of theearlier mentioned moves. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "jgrimm"] [Black "chuckbo"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1826"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1837"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 { I remember when this was consideredthe main line of the Caro-Kann, but it seems like I rarely play againstit. Most of the time, I see the advance variation. } 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 { AndI started playing the Caro-Kann, a long, long time ago, because of thisvariation that was appealing. } 6. Be2 { Not the usual spot for the bishop,if I recall, but it gives him options for which side of the board to useit on. } 6... Bf5 7. Nf3 Qc7 8. O-O Nd7 9. Be3 O-O-O 10. c4 e6 { This is a commonsetup for Black. It seems like White should have the advantage, but somehow,when I play this, good things seem to happen for me. And that can be whatmakes an opening or a defense a good one for you. I know that when I playmy favorite White opening, it's like opportunities just kind of magicallyappear sometimes. } 11. Qa4 Kb8 12. Rfc1 { Usually, I'm the one attacking,especially with this defense, but he's not wasting time. } 12... Bd6 13. c5 Bf4 { I really didn't want to trade, but what choice do I have. But what's appealingis the idea of getting a knight or even a bishop to d5. } 14. b4 Rhg8 15. b5 { His attack's starting to look real serious, especially with that rookand those bishops backing it up. } 15... Be4 { Here's a real good defensive move,I feel, that also has a threat to go along with it. } 16. Qb4 { If he takesmy pawn, I'm still going to recapture with the bishop -- especially nowthat my pawn will be pinned. } 16... Bxh2+ { It feels like the time is ready! } 17. Kh1 { He can't afford to take it with the knight because next I getthe pawn on g2. } 17... cxb5 18. Qxb5 { I was feeling pretty good about now. Inthe match, our team was down by a point with only my two games left, andI was a pawn up in each of them. } 18... Bf4 19. Qb3 { Nice move. Otherwise, I'mwilling to trade bishops and after he takes back with the f-pawn, my queencan go and sit on g3. But now, he'll recapture with the queen. } 19... Rg4 20. c6 { I was expecting that one, but I knew I'd be able to bottle everythingup. } 20... Bxe3 21. Qxe3 Bxc6 { Now I'm two pawns ahead! } 22. Bb5 Rdg8 { What Ireally wanted to do was find a way to get my knight into the attack. Notenough time -- I felt if either of us paused to regroup, the other's attackwould be the winner. This was a hard move to decide on because I knowhe's going to take the bishop. But I worked it out, and it looked likemy defense would hold out, and I wanted the pressure from the doubled rooks. } 23. Bxc6 bxc6 24. Rab1+ Ka8 { It isn't easy to get to my king. } 25. g3 f5 { Finally, here comes the knight. But I also have some plans for that extrapawn. Now I'm two pawns up! } 26. Ne5 f4 { He can't afford to play Rxc6 (yet). } 27. Qf3 Nxe5 28. dxe5 fxg3 { The last real hard decision. I figure he'sgoing to play Rxc6, we'll trade queens, but I'll win with my extra pawns. } 29. Rxc6 Rf4 30. Rxc7+ Rxf3 31. Rbb7 { That's the awesome move that I'doverlooked, and I knew I'd end up with a draw after I analyzed it. Thereason this move works is still a couple of moves away. } 31... g2+ 32. Kg1 Ra3 33. Rxf7 Rxa2 34. Rg7 { This is the scenario I hadn't considered until hemoved down the rook on move 31. But this is just an awesome move. I'vegot all of these extra pawns that are going to be shown for how weak theyare. } 34... Rf8 { I should've just gone ahead and traded... } 35. Rbf7 { ... becauseI hadn't expected this move either. } 35... Rxf7 { I asked for a draw here, butI don't remember why now. I remember looking it over and seeing cases whereI couldn't get my king out to help and his king and rook would take mye-pawn while he still had his f-pawn. So I decided to ask for the drawwhile I was ahead and sure that he would be happy to get it. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.01.13"] [Round "-"] [White "picadily"] [Black "myntsamlaren"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1520"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1373"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 dxc4 { Uncommon, to say the least (0.5% occurrence)in my db. I trust you are using the GameKnot database to find the rightmoves in the opening? It is *extremely* important that you all rememberto do that; it will save you much grief ... as I know from personal experience. } 4. e4 { Very good - and entirely correct. GameKnot may have recommendedthis to you, but I am betting you could find this move on your own as well.Why? Because advancing the e-pawn gives you a firm grip on the center,takes away d5 from him, gives you easy development of your LSB (light-squaredbishop), an additional diagonal of infiuence for your queen, and contestscontrol of f5. An impressive list, yes? But then, good moves will usuallyserve several purposes! And guess what - that *is* a very, very good wayof finding the good moves in any position: select a move which serves multiplepurposes. } 4... Bb4 5. Bxc4 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 { GameKnot correctly evaluates anadvantage to you in this position. Indeed, according to my database youshould now have an approx. 82.5% chance of winning. Of course, that numberincludes your opponent playing less than optimally ... but it does indicatethat your position is clearly favourable. However, we really need neitherengines nor databases to tell us that; simply look at the position: White:more space, more developed pieces, easier development, more mobile pieces(your bishops control far more squares than his!), better center control. } 6... Bd7 7. Nf3 h6 8. O-O { Good! Always finish development and castle *before*doing something drastic! (and no, that is not an advice that I am especiallygood at following myself - unfortunately...) } 8... b5 { So, in light of whatI just wrote, why is Black then wasting valuable time doing this? Shouldn'the concentrate on getting his king castled instead? Well, yes. However,this move does have the advantage of contesting your space advantage onthe queen-side, and you will be forced to spend a move responding to that.So it doesn't really cost him anything - directly. However, as the gamecontinuation shows, he will be more or less forced to follow up with a5to support that pawn, and *that* move will cost him time better spent elsewhere.For that reason, I believe b5 is a strategic mistake. Gameknot agrees withthat assessment, by the way, adding to your evaluated positional advantage. } 9. Bb3 a5 10. a4 { Good! You are already castled and almost fully developed,while he still must spend at least 2 moves to get his king away. Any complicationsare likely to favour you, for that reason. } 10... Ne7 11. Re1 { However, thisis likely a waste of time. Why did you make that move? He is going to movethe king away from the e-file rather immediately, and you have little hopeof gaining control of it even if you do succeed in opening it. I thinkit would be more logical to continue what you already started and fireup the queen-side some more... axb seems a reasonable continuation (asGameknot also suggests), but you might also take a close look at moveslike d5! Again: any opening of the center, while he remains uncastled,is highly likely to favour you. } 11... b4 { For the same reason, this seems tobe a mistake. He should have castled. Gameknot suggests bxa4 as the betteralternative, but I wouldn't trust its evaluation of the position here.On the other hand Gameknot is *great* at evaluation tactical complications!And its suggestion of 12.d5 exd5 13.cxb4 dxe4 14.Qd4! is very interesting. } 12. c4 f6 13. Bf4 { This is entirely correct; there is no reason todoubt this move: it mobilizes your DSB, adds pressure on the importantdiagonal to c7, and adds weight to any center thrust you might make. Thisis a good move. } 13... c6 14. d5 { And this is also correct: you break up thecenter while his king is still not castled - which means he must wastea move, at some point, getting his king away. The more pressure you bringto bear on him, the more that wasted move will cost him. } 14... e5 15. Bg3 { Thishowever is a mistake. You can see why? The bishop - on g3 it will haveonly a single square of control (h4). Additionallym, if moving it to g3is to have any meaning, it should be because the pawn advance f2-f4 isplanned and the bishop is needed to support that. However, until and unlessthat advance happens, the bishop is going to be severely handicapped: essentially,White is now playing a bishop down. On e3 it would be far more powerful,able to support any f-pawn advance while also bidding to take control ofthe very important (because: weak and influential!) c5 square. } 15... c5 { Or,as you see here: with the bishop on e3 this move would have been impossible. } 16. h3 { A useful waiting move, giving some 'luft' (air) to the king anda square of retreat for the bishop. It still feels trapped though. } 16... g5 { And this will effectively prevent any immediate advance to f4... } 17. Nh2 O-O 18. Ng4 Kg7 { Let me belabour the point a bit more ... ;) On g3the bishop is chewing granite - the pawn on e5 is protected and not likelyto fall anytime soon. On e3 it would be biting into soft cheese: the virtuallyunprotected pawn on c5. } 19. h4 Bxg4 20. Qxg4 Ng6 21. hxg5 { White needsto affect a breakthrough somewhere, but I am not convinced this is thebest way to do it; White's pieces are awkwardly placed and will need timeto take advantage of the break. Now, while the position remains closed,time is not of much essence. White, as well as Black, can generally takethe time he needs to move his pieces about. After all, the opponent isseverely restricted and cannot easily get to you. What does matter is theeffective positioning of your pieces - both in defence and in offence.Because, once the break comes - as it must if the game is not to be drawn- things are likely to speed up exceedingly! Ideally, your pieces willthen be like a torrent, forcing their way past the breach and into theunshielded enemy land beyond. If, as in the present game, you effect thebreach and then your pieces have to maneurver and labour to trickle throughone by one, you achieve far less of an effect. } 21... fxg5 22. Bh2 Qd7 23. Bd1 Qxg4 24. Bxg4 Rd8 25. Re3 Nd7 { White has the bishop pair, but as longas the position remains closed they are likely to be less effective thanBlack's knights. In a situation where the position is opening up however,White should think carefully before giving up his bishops; they are likelyto grow far more powerful shortly. } 26. Bxd7 Rxd7 27. g3 g4 28. f4 exf4 { I believe Black's move here to be a near-fatal mistake, allowing Whiteto open up the position and get his pawns roling. Better would be: 28...Re829.fxe5 Rxe5 30.Rf1 Rde7 31.d6 Rd7 32.Rd1 Nh8 33.Rd5 Nf7. } 29. gxf4 h5 30. Rf1 { This is a mistake. White should - indeed, must! - advance hispawns immediately. The closer they get to the 8th rank, the more powerfulthey will be: once they get to the 6th rank they will severely restrictBlack's freedom of action, and on the 7th rank they will prove a massiveproblem for him. But as they are right now, they are more a nuisance thanan actual threat, and this allows Black the freedom to start actions againstWhite's position. This should never have been allowed to happen. When youconsider which move to make, it is a good rule of thumb always to makethe one which poses the most problems for your opponent. In this case,the pawn advance: 30.e5 h4 31.f5 g3 32.Bxg3 hxg3 33.Rxg3 } 30... Nh4 31. Bg3 Nf3+ 32. Kg2 Nd2 33. Rd1 { 33.Rc1? loses after 33...b3! However, the gamemove costs White an important pawn as well. Gameknot recommends 33.Rh1,but that loses too after 33...Nxc4 34.Re2 b3 35.Rxh5 b2 36.Rh1 Rb8 37.Rb1Rdb7 and 38...Na3. } 33... Nxc4 34. Re2 Nb6 { Black has now succeeded in creatingpassed pawns on both the kingside and on the queenside, while White's pawnmajority in the center has yet to begin moving. Strategically, the gameis practically lost for White now. } 35. d6 Nxa4 36. Rd5 Nc3 37. Rg5+ Kh6 38. Re3 Rxd6 39. Rxc5 Rd2+ 40. Kf1 Rd1+ 41. Kf2 a4 42. e5 a3 43. Rc6+ Kg7 44. Rc7+ Kf8 45. e6 a2 46. Rf7+ Ke8 47. e7 a1=Q 48. Rf8+ Kd7 49. Rxa8 Rd2+ 0-1

[Event "Tournament Game, Bournemouth 1939"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Euwe"] [Black "Abrahams"] [Result "1-0"] { Abrahams liked to play offbeat openings, hoping to catch the opponentoff guard [a strategy similar to Joel Benjamin]. The drawback is that ifthe opponent does find the best line, your position can crumble fast. } 1. d4 b5 { This move lets Euwe establish a powerful central presence. } 2. e4 Bb7 3. f3 { The fianchettoed B 'bites on granite', and White is alreadyseverely constricting Black's game. } 3... a6 { Another flank move, which doesnothing to support the center. } 4. c4 { This forces Abrahams to react. Hecannot let Euwe have four all-powerful central Pawns. } 4... bxc4 { Removing oneof the Pawns, but opening up lines of attack. } 5. Bxc4 { 6 Q-N3 is now threatened. } 5... e6 { Blocking the immediate threat, but doing nothing to improve his position. } 6. Nc3 { Adding more fuel to the fire. } 6... d5 { Abrahams finally fights fora piece of the center. But it is too little, too late. } 7. Qb3 { 7... PxBis now countered with 8 QxB N-Q2 9 Q-B6 winning at least a Pawn. } 7... Nc6 { Hopingfor 8 QxB??, which loses a piece [8... N-R4 9 B-N5 ch K-K2 10 NxP ch PxN,and White's Q and B are both attacked.] } 8. exd5 { Now threatening P-Q6at the appropriate time. } 8... Nxd4 { The alternative is 8... N-R4, and after9 Q-R4 ch P-B3 10 PxKP, the only person who would like Black's positionis an archaeologist, as it is in ruins. } 9. Qxb7 { Wins a piece outright. } 9... Rb8 { Desperation. Now another Pawn falls. } 10. Qxa6 { Black could easilyresign now. } 10... Ra8 { A spite move, attacking the Queen uselessly. } 11. Bb5+ { Turning up the heat. } 11... Ke7 { The only other choice, equally hopeless, was... P-B3. } 12. d6+ { Black resigns. If 12... PxP, 13 B-N5 ch P-B3 14 Q-N7ch and mate in 1. If instead 12...QxP, 13 QxR N-B7 ch 14 K-B1 NxR 15 B-N5ch!! Any 16 Q-K8 mate. } 1-0

[Event "andy94 vs alaamohsen2008"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Aug-08"] [Round "-"] [White "andy94"] [Black "alaamohsen2008"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1331"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1343"] 1. e4 { This is one of my bad games, even if i won.... } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { I try to open with Ruy Lopez. } 3... d6 4. d3 Bd7 5. Bxc6 { we develop ourpawns and he moves his bishop in d7. Now I take his knight and } 5... Bxc6 { hetakes my bishop. } 6. b4 a6 7. Bb2 f6 8. a3 Qe7 9. c4 { I try to developthe left pawns in this way ( like i always do) } 9... b5 { but he moves b7-b5 } 10. c5 { I don't wanna change with b pawn, so i push c4-c5 } 10... Nh6 { Nh6?! ....... } 11. cxd6 { i take his d pawn } 11... Qxd6 { and he takes my pawn with the queen } 12. h3 Nf7 13. Qc2 { Now i move the queen to move Nd2 in the next move fordevelopment my right pawns. } 13... Bb7 14. Nfd2 Rc8 15. f3 { as I said... } 15... c5 { c7-c5... good move with rook in c8. Now i have to find a solution andmove Qb3 } 16. Qb3 c4 { c4? that's a mistake. c:b4 seems better. } 17. dxc4 bxc4 18. Nxc4 { In this way i've captured his pawns } 18... Qe6 19. Nbd2 g6 20. b5 f5 21. bxa6 Bxa6 22. Rc1 { Rook in c1 to protect Nc4 but i couldn't seea possible move that he can make now! } 22... Bh6 { Bh6! good move by him (or badmove by me...) and now i can't protect Nd2 with my other knight cause it'sdefending my queen from my opponent's queen. but now i think i could moveQc2, even if in this way i had to take his bishop with my king and thecastles go away!! } 23. Ne3 { Maybe the only move possible was Ne3... } 23... Qxb3 { and now } 24. Nxb3 Bxe3 { Unfortunately... } 25. Rxc8+ { I take his rookand } 25... Bxc8 { he takes mine } 26. Bc1 { Be careful now!i offer him my bishopand............... } 26... fxe4 { ?????????????????????????????????????? What??????????ahahahhahahahahaha now it's easier!!!!!!!! } 27. Bxe3 exf3 28. gxf3 O-O { And the first castle of the game is in 28th move!!! } 29. h4 Nd6 30. O-O Bh3 31. Rf2 Nc4 { he tries to take a pawn } 32. Bc1 { i defend it } 32... Be6 { hewants to take my pawn with 33.... N:a3 and i have to protect my knight,so } 33. Na1 { Na1 and then i can move Nc2. } 33... Rd8 { he tries to tave my bishopwith 34...Rd1 } 34. Rf1 h5 35. Nc2 Na5 36. Bb2 { in this way i can takehis e pawn and i defend my a pawn. } 36... Nb3 { Nb3?? OK, thank u } 37. Bxe5 Nd2 { i still can't understand his move now. } 38. Rf2 Bd5 { ?????????????????????????????????????????????????Theworst mistake i've ever seen in a chess game.....hahahahahahahaaahahhhthank u } 39. Rxd2 { and he can't move his bishop. } 39... Kf7 40. Nb4 { ahahahahhaahis bishop's over } 40... Ke6 41. f4 Rc8 42. Nxd5 { I take it } 42... Rc1+ { I don't understandthis check. Maybe R:d5 was better. } 43. Kf2 Rh1 44. Bf6 Rh2+ 45. Ke3 Rxd2 { he takes my rook and 'at the same time my Knight' } 46. Kxd2 Kxd5 47. Bg5 { I stop his pawns } 47... Kc4 { and now my cunning comes out! i make a good bluffand try to defend my pawn... } 48. Kc2 Kb5 49. Kb3 Ka5 { and now... } 50. Kc4 { Kc4!! } 50... Ka4 51. Kd5 Kxa3 { now mate in 11 is inevitable. } 52. Ke6 Kb4 53. Kf6 Kc5 54. Kxg6 Kd6 55. f5 Kd7 56. f6 Ke8 57. f7+ { Now he could makeKe7...but he prefers Kf8 } 57... Kf8 58. Bh6+ { Bh6 ! } 58... Ke7 59. f8=Q+ Ke6 60. Qc5 Kd7 61. Kf6 Ke8 62. Qe7# { Qe7#.And the game's over! what a mistakes he'sdone. He told me that i, during the game, couldn't understand his movesbut .... these aren't ?! moves, ??????? moves, instead!!! I'll give himthe return match. However 22...Bh6 was really a good move. So I know hecan do better of this, i wish. } 1-0

[Event "An Expert is Born"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.09"] [Round "-"] [White "pawntakesqueen"] [Black "blake84120"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2000"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1487"] 1. e4 c5 { It was like watching the odometer on my car roll over from 99,999to 100,000 - seemed to take forever. But this is the game that tipped therating into the Expert realm. This is a Fast Ladder game. I challengedas far up the lader as it would let me, and this game is the result. It'sa bloody one, which seems quite befitting for my advent into Expertdom.I begin by challenging 1. e4 with the Sicilian. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. g3 Nc6 { 3.g3 was an interesting choice. Evidently playable, but not any of white'smain replies. Apparently Fischer played it once with crushing success.I reply by developing. } 4. Bg2 g6 { If white can do it, black can do ittoo... } 5. O-O Bg7 6. c3 e5 { My fianchettoed bishop on g7 gets granitefor his trouble, so I push into the center. } 7. Na3 Nge7 { To cover thehole on d5, prepare a push to d5, and to be immune to a possible futurepin by a white bishop on g5. } 8. Qb3 Be6 { 8. Qb3 is a little bit of a fork.The queen forks black's pawn on b7, tying the DSB down to defense, andblack's pawn on f7 which comes into real danger after the inevitable 9.Ng5. So I scrounged around for a solution and kept looking at 8. ... Be6.It obviously loses a pawn, but it keeps the kingside safe. Is it worthit? So I analyzed it a bit further and realized fairly quickly that theb7 pawn is quite safe. } 9. Qxb7 a6 { Or so I thought. This is where whiteshould have asked why his opponent blundered away a pawn. The answer isquite tragic for the far-flung white queen, so far from home and all alone. } 10. b4 Ra7 { White's queen has nowhere to run. She snarfed up a pawn andfor her trouble, she ends up falling to a rook. } 11. Qxa7 Nxa7 12. Nc2 cxb4 13. cxb4 Bc4 { Time to free up the position a little, and win anotherpawn. } 14. Re1 Bd3 15. Ne3 Bxe4 { I suppose white could trap his knightover on a3, in which case he would be for all intents and purposes a piecedown. Instead, white played the better knight move, but it cost him a pawn. } 16. Bb2 O-O 17. Rac1 Qa8 { The queen has cornered herself, but the threat,and the inevitable pieces to be exchanged are worth it, for now. } 18. Nh4 Rc8 { But first contest the open file. } 19. Bf1 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Bb7 21. Nc4 Qd8 { Defending d6 and b6. Black is ahead materially, but white pieces havemore scope and freedom and white is enjoying the initiative. Black needsto remedy that. } 22. a4 Bc6 23. Na5 Bxa4 { Time to liquidate some material,gaining another pawn in the process. } 24. Bxa6 Qb6 25. Bf1 Qxb4 26. Bc3 Qb8 { Most importantly, black eliminated white's biggest advantage, thequeenside pawn majority. 26. ... Qc8 was to prevent any 7th or 8th rankrook shenanigans. } 27. Nc4 Nac6 28. Bd3 e4 { Another pawn sacrifice, suchas it is. This one is also troublesome for white and should be declined. } 29. Bxe4 d5 { A fork. } 30. Rb1 Bb3 { White tried counterattacking, but thethreat is parried and the white pieces are still forked. There is no fearfor the pin on the bishop, it is easy enough to defend. } 31. Nb6 Ba2 { Blackkeeps two white pieces en prise, but frees his bishop from the pin. Whitenow has a discovered threat against the black queen, but not while hisrook is en prise. } 32. Rb2 Bxc3 { Black gains material and keeps two whitepieces en prise. } 33. dxc3 dxe4 { And now white can trade bishop for knight,but is down in material sufficiently that black would be very welocomingof such a trade. } 34. c4 Qa7 { I almost blew it there. I had entered 34.... Bxc4 thinking white could not recapture with the knight since the knightis pinned to the undefended rook. Oops. Fortunately, I caught my mistakebefore clicking Submit. Playing way too fast I suppose. As played, 34.... Qa7 defends the bishop and gets the queen off of the rook's file. } 35. Ng2 Qa3 { Soo many bad moves for white after right now. Almost all rookmoves lose material to a queen fork. White must be careful. } 36. Re2 Bxc4 { White found the right move but it costs him another pawn. } 37. Nxc4 Qd3 { Another fork. } 38. Nf4 Qxc4 { Nothing left but the mopping up, now. } 39. Re3 Nf5 { Again, white has many choices, but only 1 rook move that doesn'timmediately lose the rook. } 40. Ra3 Qc1+ { This time, white missed the fork.Black was obliged to show whate what he'd missed and, consequently, whiteresigned. As promised, it was bloody, brutal, and appropriately fittingfor this milestone game. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "13-Dec-06"] [Round "-"] [White "colonelcrockett"] [Black "spadams100"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1387"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 { the Petrov defense is a favorite of several grandmastersand I myself have used it on several occassions. I do not recommend thisdefense to players because it loses alot of flexibility in favor of a verycommital sort of pawn structure and piece development. } 3. Bc4 { This isthe classical way of handling the Petrov, I prefer this over playing d4only because I like to prepare first. } 3... Nf6 4. d3 { This is fast approachinga more apprpriate Italian Game position. I don't mind the change. } 4... h6 { thismove simply loses time, better would have been to either play Nc6, Bg4,or Be7. } 5. Nc3 Bd7 6. O-O Be7 7. h3 { this move is in preparation for Be3(preparing d4 as in my previous note). However, it is a weakness that Blackcan target, I should have erred on the side of caution. } 7... Nc6 8. Be3 Qc8 { A move I did not expect but a dubious sacrifice on h3. I react violentlyand irrationally. } 9. Nh2 { This knight stays out of play for a long time,a result of inapprpriate panic. } 9... Be6 { trading off a good bishop ratherthan attempting the attack against my king, simply castling is recommended. } 10. f4 { one plus of placing the knight on the rim is the release of thispawn, I made the best of my previous weak move. } 10... Bxc4 { In a discussionwith my opponent I explained that this capture is not as damageing to myposition as some might think. Alekhine has employed this method of openingthe position on several occassions. } 11. dxc4 Qd7 12. f5 { locking downthe kingside, I see the coming queenside castle and I'm resisting the openingagainst my king. } 12... O-O-O 13. Qd3 { this move looks weak but it actually ispart of the plan to release my pieces against Black's king. } 13... Rhg8 { a wasteof time that Black does not have but what else can he do? } 14. Nd5 Nxd5 { this move should have been put off as long as possible, now white's holdon the center and the game is comfortable. } 15. cxd5 Nb4 { I had assumedBlack would play Nb8 and keep the knight guarding his king, this move isenergetic but is just a weakness. } 16. Qc4 Qa4 17. c3 { I considered b3but this seems better. } 17... Qc2 { the only move } 18. Qxb4 b6 19. Rf2 { Now thequeen comes into danger, Black is a piece down and on his heels, he's lost. } 19... Qd3 20. Re1 Bh4 { This move provides complication and in a level positionis cause for fear by white, but here he's already a piece ahead, he's winning. } 21. Rd2 { if White weren't up in material QxR, BxR, and BxR, BxB compicatesand prolongs the struggle, it just isn't possible here. } 21... Qa6 22. Ra1 { Blackwon't even get the consolation of a pawn for his knight sortee. } 22... Bg3 23. Nf3 { Now the knight comes back in with a good position. } 23... Qb7 24. a4 a5 25. Qc4 f6 26. b4 Bf4 { I was prepared for this move and I was happy tosimplify and get a better square for my knight. } 27. Bxf4 exf4 28. Nd4 { The knight couldn't go here with the pawn at e5. } 28... Rde8 29. Ne6 f3 30. gxf3 g6 { a good attempt to open the position for the Black rooks, he'strying hard to gain an advantage. } 31. fxg6 { taking to keep my pawn strictureintact, I'm wagering that I can weather any offensive. } 31... Rxg6+ 32. Kh2 Reg8 33. f4 Qa7 34. bxa5 { This move is foolish and is the result of not calculating(laziness). Simpler is b5 trapping the Queen in the corner and freeingmy queen to move around and maybe pick up a rook or two. } 34... bxa5 { Here isa key position, I should play Qxp and trade quens while goping up a secondpawn, but I faulter. } 35. Rb1 { ?? } 35... Rg1 { Only now do I see the mate threats. } 36. Rbb2 { ?? I am lost but I can't do much else. } 36... Re1 { Here my opponentfaulters and loses, 36. ... Rh8 ! Kxh8(forced) 37.Qg8 and for all hisefforts White loses. } 37. Rg2 { The onlt saving move but it ruins the matethreats and offers good simplification. } 37... Rg1 38. Nxc7 R1xg2+ 39. Rxg2 Rxg2+ 40. Kxg2 Qxc7 41. Qxc7+ Kxc7 { The rest of this game is endgame techniquebut is worth study by a diligent student. } 42. Kf3 Kb6 43. Kg4 Kc5 44. Kf5 Kc4 45. Kxf6 Kb3 46. e5 dxe5 47. fxe5 Kxa4 48. e6 Kb3 49. e7 a4 50. e8=Q a3 51. d6 a2 52. Qe1 Kb2 53. d7 a1=Q 54. Qxa1+ Kxa1 55. d8=Q Ka2 56. Qb6 h5 57. c4 h4 58. c5 Ka3 59. c6 1-0

[Event "OTB Coaching Game 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "4/1/16"] [Round "-"] [White "Mariann"] [Black "Joe"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1350"] [TimeControl "35 min"] { Earlier in the day, I had a training session with Mariann. That time,I played better against her then that of other coaching games that I'vedone with her. In this case, as Jack pointed in the end, I didn't do aswell. It was anticipated because we're starting off without a lot of timesince I had to get to work at a certain. And, interestingly enough, thisgame timed out as we didn't have enough time to finish. But, it doesn'tstop me from annotating, anyhow, since doing that with OTB games are vitalsince you have Jack Stockel involved, more often then not. } 1. e4 c5 2. c4 { I start off with the usual Sicilian Defense. But, Mariann plays this,instead of, sticking to the mainlines with either 2.Nf3, or 2.Nc3. } 2... d6 { But, I continue, as if, it's all normal. } 3. Nf3 { Now, she develops normally. } 3... a6 { And, I treat like a later time in the Open Variation to prevent thepossibility of her playing 4.Bb5+ } 4. Nc3 { Continuing with her development. } 4... Nc6 { And, I start developing. } 5. Nd5 { I don't know why she played thissince it moves the same piece twice. Normally, I care about all reason,which it should be. But, since it we're low on time, it doesn't matterto me, this time around. Actually, she implied that there was no reasonfor this by saying, 'Just for fun' with this move. } 5... e6 { But, I punish thisby kicking the N and gaining tempo. } 6. Ne3 Nf6 { As I now develop anotherpiece. } 7. g3 { ? Fianchettoing her B. But, this is a mistake as I'm goingto win a pawn. Best was 7.Bd3 to prevent that and develop another piece,at once. } 7... Nxe4 8. d3 { Kicking my N. } 8... Nf6 { Which I protect. } 9. Bh3 { Bringingher LSB into action. } 9... Be7 { And, I continue with my development, in themeantime. } 10. g4 { Trying to kick my Nf6. } 10... h6 { Which I stop. } 11. O-O { Castling,at once. } 11... Qb6 { Not giving this any thought at all, I bring my Queen intoplay just because it looks like a good move, forgetting about good openingsor not making a move because you can. I say that because I'm also notthat good at handling big time crunches like this. } 12. Kg2 { ?! In my books,this is pointless because it's not an endgame so the K should not be broughtin action, yet. However, like me, Mary is also under a time crunch andmust pack up a noon, as well. } 12... O-O { So, I castle, at once. } 13. g5 { Attackingmy N. So, in doing so, I get to exchange pawns. } 13... hxg5 14. Nxg5 Bd7 { Completingmy development. } 15. b3 { Fianchettoing. My guess, is beside completionof development, Mary wants to do it in a place where there's a good placefor her Bishop. } 15... Qa5 { So, I try to put Mary in a situation where she doesn'tknow what to do. That's because of what's going to happen on my next move. } 16. Qf3 { But, Mary, however, thought she had an answer to that. Except,that I can and will attack her Ra1. } 16... Qc3 17. Ng4 { ?? And, this is whereMary blunder. She did have an exchanging pieces in mind, but now, I canwin her Rook, before that and without compensate. Much better would'vebeen to complete her development, at once. } 17... Qxa1 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Qh5 { Threatening mate on me which I'll defend against by liquidating. } 19... Bxg5 20. Bxg5 Qe5 { Leaving her Bishop indirectly pinned to the Queen. But,after this move, the time has run out for both of us, making it an unfinishedgame. Mary, however, was busted from whichever you way you look at withthat blunder. After this game, though, Jack said that I didn't play well. I'm not sure what line, but he said that there was a line that I could'vepinned and won the Queen. Considering, however, that time really was ofthe essence, I disagree with Jack. As this is the best that I've everplayed, for someone who was on a tight schedule, and thus, under a majortime crunch. } *

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.10"] [Round "-"] [White "jack46"] [Black "babydead1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1070"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1661"] 1. e4 b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bd3 e6 5. Nge2 { I wanted to avoid toomuch symmetry, so I eschewed 5. Nf3. } 5... Be7 6. e5 Nd5 { Not. 6...Bxg2, 7.Rg1, Bf3, 8. exf6. } 7. Nxd5 Bxd5 { Or 7...exd5, 8. Ng3 with an eye to 9.Nf5. } 8. Nf4 { Guarding g2 while attacking the centralized bishop. Besthere is 8...Bb7, 9. O-O, d7. } 8... c6 { This loses at least a pawn by trappingthe bishop. } 9. c4 g5 { His best hope, but it ruins his pawn structure andopens his kingside to attack. } 10. cxd5 gxf4 { He probably should have interposed10...Bb4+, 11. Bd2, Bxd2, 12. Qxd2, gxf4. At this point, white needs tochoose among 13. Qxf4, 13. d7 and 13. dxe6. I'm partial to 13. d6, Qg5,14. g6! } 11. d6 { Don't worry, the f4-pawn is in the bag. But with 11. d6,white pretty much stops black's development cold. } 11... Bg5 12. Qf3 f6 { Blackhas a way of trapping his bishops. He no doubt hopes for 13. exf6, Qxf6,protecting the f-pawn. } 13. h4 { This couldn't have been played earlierbecause the black queen backed up the bishop. Now the bishop must die. } 13... fxe5 14. dxe5 Bh6 { And so, the f-pawn never does get taken, because white'snext move is the last move of the game. } 15. Qh5+ { And black resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Scandinavian gambit. (D)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.02.28"] [Round "-"] [White "carlo19711130"] [Black "ptitroque"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1694"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1673"] 1. e4 { Interesting endgame (I believe) } 1... d5 2. exd5 { Scandinavian gambitaccepted } 2... Nf6 { I've begin to use this line for short. I usually plaid c6.This line is more common and has been plaid by great players (Alekhine,for example), so that it's easier to find games in various DB (easier forwhite as well...) } 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 { We are not far away from a benoni } 5. cxd5 { trading } 5... Nxd5 { White has now an isolated pawn on d file. } 6. Qf3 { White doesn't want to carry on trading } 6... Nb4 { Fork attack menace... Notsure it is a good move, for black doesn't develop in so doing. } 7. Qe4+ Qe7 8. Kd1 { White cannot castle. A little advantage for black. } 8... Qxe4 { Ido not really have choice. } 9. Nxe4 Bf5 { Black's plan is to settle in thecenter and attack the weak d pawn. } 10. f3 { White is right not to abandonthe center. Furthermore, if black trades by playing 10. ... BXe4 11. fXe4,white will have two pawns which can protect each other on e and d files. } 10... Nd7 { So that if 11. Bb4, 11. ... c6 and white has to drawback } 11. a3 { Logicalmove } 11... Nd5 { Not a bad place for the knight but it is unprotected and subjectto attack. Anyway, black had little choice. } 12. Bc4 { White develops andget menacing. } 12... c6 { Black do not want to remove the knight, which is probablya mistake, for in case of a trade. 13. Bxd5 cxd5, black will have an isolatedpawn on the d file. } 13. Ne2 { Black doesn't trade on d5, prefering to develop. } 13... Be7 { Preparing the short castle which seems safer } 14. N2c3 { Ennoying forblack who doesn't want to trade, for an exchange of knight would enablewhite to play dxc3 and considerably improve his pawn structure. } 14... Be6 { Onlysolution as black doen't want to trade his knight or to retreat the d knight. } 15. d3 h6 { To prevent 16. Bg5 or 16. Ng5 } 16. g4 O-O { Black can finallycastle short } 17. Ba2 { White opts for a retreat. } 17... Rfe8 { Now, black's developpementis almost completed. Material equality, no immediate threats, white hasa better control on the center, the white king is less safe than the blackone, black has a rook on the open file but not the entire control on it,black's pawn structure is better, white is less developped (rook on a1and bishop on c2) but controls more terrain and the white pawn on the kingsidewill soon be ennoying for black. Conclusion : a little advantage for black. } 18. h4 { The kingside will soon be under white's attack. } 18... Ne5 { Bringingreinforcements on the kingside and occupaing the center and menacing thed pawn.. } 19. Ke2 { To defend the d pawn. } 19... Rad8 { Menacing the center. } 20. g5 { The hostilities begin on the kingside } 20... hxg5 { Black had little choice } 21. hxg5 Nxc3+ { To menace d3 with the rook and the LSB in a 2 with black'sLSB. } 22. bxc3 Bxa2 { The ^LSB was too dangerous, for the f pawn might beneeded to protect the black king. } 23. Rxa2 { White has little other choice } 23... Nxd3 { Now white's pawn structure is almost totally destroyed. } 24. Be3 Bc5 { With one pawn in advance and a better pawn structure, the trade isin black's favour. } 25. Rd2 { But white doesn't trade. } 25... Bxe3 { Black wantsto trade } 26. Kxe3 Ne5 { Menacing 26. ... Kc4+ and the white's rook is doomed. } 27. Rd4 { White sees the danger but doesn't want to leave the open file. } 27... Rxd4 { Now black's plan is to trade as much as possible to take profit ofhis pawn superiority during the games end. } 28. cxd4 Nc4+ { Fork attackto get the pawn?. } 29. Kd3 Nxa3 { Mistake, this pawn was isolated, not dangerousand black will trade it against a good pawn but black oversaw the nextmove. } 30. Nd6 { Black expected 30. Ra1 Nb5, protecting the a pawn but thismoves prevents it. The a pawn is condemned. } 30... Re7 { To stay on the open fileand protect the b pawn. } 31. Ra1 Rd7 { Trading the knight. } 32. Rxa3 { Whiteaccepts the knight trade for he wins a pawn. } 32... Rxd6 33. Rxa7 { Black hasstill an advantage for he has one more pawn but the white king has a centralposition and the black pawns are further from the paradise. } 33... b5 { This isthe black's passed pawn. It has to advance. } 34. Rc7 { The position is veryennoying for black. If 34. ... f6. 35.g6 and there is a mate menace by36. Rc8. If 34. ... g6, the black king will be blocked on g7. } 34... f5 { Theonly move black saw to free the king from his corner. } 35. gxf6 Rxf6 { Menacingthe f pawn and still protecting the c one } 36. Ke4 { A good idea to bringthe king on the center at endgame. } 36... Kh7 { Now the black king can leave hiscorner. } 37. f4 Kh6 38. Ke5 Kg6 { Fruitless move but I do not see what elseblack could have plaid. } 39. Rd7 { Black will have to trade white's d pawnagainst black c pawn. } 39... Kh6 { Black had no other idea, for it seemed fruitlessto attack the white king by 39. ... Rf5+ 40. Ke4 Rf3 } 40. f5 Kh7 { Blackis blocked. } 41. d5 cxd5 { No choice for black } 42. Rxd5 Rb6 { Last chanceto bring a pawn to queen. The problem is that the white king dwells inbetween the black king and the b pawn. } 43. Rd3 { Good move, white has 2possible options : Rh3 or Rb3 } 43... b4 { If black can force the white king tocome near the b file, eventually trading the rooks and the pawn, the blackking would take the f pawn and the g pawn could go for the transformationin super hero. } 44. Rh3+ Kg8 { No choice and ennoying. } 45. Rb3 Kf7 { Noothe solution but white has more options than black whose king is stillblocked in the corner. } 46. Ke4 Kf6 47. Kf4 Rb5 48. Kg4 Ke5 { Black's planchanges : 1. Bring the king on c4 to oblige the white rook to leave and2. advance the b pawn. The white king will probably go ahead to eliminatethe g pawn but it will be to late. } 49. Kg5 Kd4 50. Kg6 Kc4 51. Rf3 b3 { The black pawn is one tempo ahead than the white one } 52. Kxg7 b2 { Blackis still in advance } 53. Rf1 { Obvious move } 53... b1=Q { Mistake, better wouldhave been 53. ... Rxf5 54. Rxf5 e1 although it would have been difficult(impossible ?) for black to have won with a queen against a rook. } 54. Rxb1 Rxb1 55. f6 { Black cannot prevent white to come on f8 except by sacrifyinghis rook. } 55... Rg1+ 56. Kh8 Rf1 57. Kg7 Rg1+ 58. Kh8 Rh1+ { White offers a draw.Accepted. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Arron versus Joseph, Round 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "December 2013"] [Round "-"] [White "Arron"] [Black "Joseph"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "None"] 1. e4 { ~ A friendly between myself and another fellow community theatreplayer. Our First Round of three games, which saw me winning two-out-of-three. } 1... g6 { Surprised he would concede the Centre so naively! Fianchetto soon? } 2. f4 { King's Gambit, my all-time favorite. } 2... Bg7 { Cutting across the majordiagonal, but the Knights are still back. } 3. Nf3 { King's Knight's Gambit. } 3... Nf6 { Horse will be harassed there. } 4. e5 Nd5 { Black's losing tempo. } 5. d4 { Perhaps my Pawns are too far forward, but I like the domination ofspace I have here. } 5... O-O { An early decision to Castle, but poorly developedin my honest opinion. } 6. Bc4 { It will be interesting to see how Blackdeals with pressure on this Knight. } 6... Nb6 { So now both Knights are pushedinto the perimeter. I'll maintain my Bishop. } 7. Bb3 d5 { No desire to takethe d-Pawn, here. I prefer the flood technique in the Middle. } 8. Nc3 { FinallyI get to push out another Horse. } 8... Bg4 { The desire to clear out Pawns Kingsidemakes me feel comfortable with the Bishop pin. Black is not a threat tome right now. } 9. Be3 { Getting the second Priest out of my way. But I don'thave a role for him in this game. } 9... Nc4 { Forked! I knew it was not a sounddecision to move the Bishop that far. I will not exchange the Bishop fora Knight. } 10. Bf2 Nc6 { I think I still have the advantage, but what I'mabout to do with my light-squared Bishop is maddening! } 11. Ba4 Nxb2 { Forked,Part II! What was I thinking? } 12. Qb1 Nxa4 13. Nxa4 { I am down in materialone Pawn. Yet I feel that I will be compensated. } 13... Bxf3 { Doubling my Pawns,Black is so predictable! } 14. gxf3 f6 { This next one could be a poisonPawn if Black plays it right. } 15. Qxb7 Na5 { Perhaps the only choice? Butit takes the Knight out of the fight. A Knight on the rim is grim. } 16. Qa6 { e6's Square is tempting me! This could be the break I am looking for. } 16... c5 { Blunder! I can finally cause chaos. 16 ... c6 would not have affordedme this chance. } 17. Qe6+ { Black should retreat the King to h8! } 17... Rf7 { Pin!Now my Knight is back in the battle. } 18. Nxc5 { Will Black offer a exchangeof Queens? } 18... Qc8 19. Qxd5 { The d-Pawn suffers for this! } 19... fxe5 { Trying toget compensation for the lost material, but it allows me to break up myDoubled-Pawns along the f-File. } 20. fxe5 Qf8 { Black's Queen is slidinglaterally along the Back Rank. } 21. Ne6 { Now Black is finally forked, obviouschoice is to spare the Queen. } 21... Qc8 22. Nxg7 { With a pinned-Rook, only theKing can capture. } 22... Kxg7 23. Qxa5 { And the forgotten Knight pays the price. } 23... Qxc2 { At this point I stand to lose some Pawns. } 24. O-O { Perhaps I amCastling to early. Or too late. } 24... Rxf3 { I should have managed my Bishopsbetter in this match. } 25. Rac1 Qf5 26. Rc7 { A decision to attack aggressivelyalmost cost me in this game. I have chosen the f7 Square to focus my power,and Black chooses f1. } 26... Rf8 27. Qd5 { Both Kings are unsafe. } 27... Rxf2 { A kindof Alekhine's gun. We'll call it Joseph's gun. He almost makes a thrillingcomeback, seizing my Bishop and threatening Mate. } 28. Rxe7+ { My one moveleft! I hope he blocks with the Rook. If Kh8, then it's over. I would betrapped. } 28... Rf7 { Blunder! } 29. Rxf7+ { An obvious choice for me! } 29... Qxf7 { Ofcourse we'll exchange! I have more Pawns! } 30. Qxf7+ Rxf7 { And my Rookshave X-Ray Eyes! :P } 31. Rxf7+ Kxf7 32. Kf2 Ke6 33. Ke3 { I win the footraceto my back Pawn! } 33... h5 34. h4 { Locking up the Kingside. } 34... a5 35. a4 { Lockingup the Queenside, to complete the Zugzwang. } 35... Kd5 { Combinational Chess Theory.I don't see a way for Black to win. I can kill off Pawns on either sideof the Board with my King, while promoting to Queen before Joseph. } 36. Kd3 { What a game! } 1-0

[Event "The Black-squared dance.!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "11-Apr-07"] [Round "-"] [White "alloutwin"] [Black "combirocker"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1596"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1655"] 1. d4 { Here is my 2nd annotated game. Since a couple of months I'm tryingto play the KI-defence. This game is a nice example that, if black choosesfor the setup d6-c6-Qc7-e5, white should never take on e5 with his d pawn.That gives black at least equality. Enjoy.. } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. e3 { Not the most active move, but playable. } 5... d6 6. Bd2 c6 7. Bd3 Qc7 { I rather play the lines with Nc6, but in view of e3, played onwhites 5th move, the d4 pawn is supported well, and there is no use inincreasing the pressure on that square. } 8. O-O e5 { e5 = } 9. dxe5 { dxe5?! That move gives black an easy game. Blacks position is slightly better.Because white played c4 already, this pawn won't be able to defend thed4 and b4 squares. In many variations white can gain a usefull tempo, byattacking that pawn with Be6. } 9... dxe5 10. e4 { And now e4.. So e3 proved tobe a waste of a tempo. It's obvious that after only 10 moves black haswon the opening, but how to take more significant advantage? } 10... Nbd7 { TheNbd7-c5-e6 manouvre looks very promising, taking absoulte control overthe d4 square. } 11. Re1 Nc5 12. Bc2 Ne6 13. h3 { White's having troubleto find a good plan. } 13... Rd8 { Meanwhile, black has all the time in the worldto activate his pieces. } 14. Qc1 { Qe2 wasn't much better in view of Nd4..andnow Nxd4 exd4 forces the c3-knight to take a very passive position. } 14... Nd4 { The time has come to 'jump in' } 15. Bd1 { Trying to keep his whitesquared bishop, and save his pawn structure, after Nxf3 } 15... Be6 { One wouldsay that the black position is playing itself now. } 16. b3 Nd7 { Avoidingthe pin after Bg5. Now black can easily answer f6 and then focus on preparingf5. } 17. Ne2 { A bad move. I can understand that white wants to get ridof the annoying rock on d4, but now he's losing even quicker. } 17... Nxf3+ 18. gxf3 Bxh3 19. Ng3 { Here I discovered a nice way to penetrate the whiteposition using the black squares, wich are to become weak very soon. } 19... Nf8 20. Bh6 Ne6 { The exchange of bishops is not in white's favour sincethe white bishop is more active than his counterpart. } 21. Kh2 Nf4 { Nf4!the quickest way to win. The next 7 moves are forced. } 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Rb1 fxg3+ 24. Kxh3 gxf2 25. Rf1 Be5 { Be5! Thats what I had in mind whenI played 19.. Nf8 } 26. Rxf2 Bf4 { Cuts out all the white pieces, and leavestheir king exposed to an attack he cannot survive. } 27. Qc3 { Also forcedsince white cannot give black the opportunity to play Qe5, and switch quicklyto the kings side. } 27... Qe7 { There are many ways to Rome. } 28. Kg2 { If whitetries to defend with Rg2, then Qc5 is killing because of the threat Qh5. } 28... Qh4 29. Bc2 { Nothing else helps to prevent Qh2, Kf1, Qh1, Ke2 and Rd2,when white is forced to give the queen for a rook bishop. } 29... Bg3 { Bg3! And the game is over. } 30. Qe1 { Moving the rook away would lose quicklyas well. Re2 leads to a mate in 2, after Qh2, Kf1, Qh1.. and Rd2 losesthe queen after Rxe2 Qxe2 Qh2. } 30... Bxf2 31. Qxf2 Qxf2+ { After Kxf2 whiteis a rook down, because Rd2 wins the bishop. So he resigned. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.13"] [Round "-"] [White "denverskier"] [Black "neutralrobotboy"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1492"] 1. d4 { in this game, i win a piece and head into an endgame that i botchso badly that for a little while, i thought i would lose. i'm hoping someonecan give me pointers on my endgame technique. obviously it needs a bitof work. } 1... d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nf3 e6 5. a3 Bd6 { so far this openinglooks logical to me. i'm not too worried about Bb6 because even i wouldn'tmind having doubled pawns in exchange for the b file for my rook. } 6. Nb5 { this one was new to me. in a few moves, it looks like it gives both ofus a bit of space on the queenside, but i don't see much of an advantagefor white. } 6... Be7 7. b4 a6 8. Nc3 { now the white knight and bishop are bothrestricted. } 8... O-O 9. Bd3 b6 10. O-O e5 { i figured here that i would liketo open things up, and this doesn't lose the pawn for good. } 11. dxe5 Ng4 { can it be saved? } 12. Be2 { attacking d5 } 12... Be6 { protecting } 13. Nd4 { givingthe pawn back } 13... Ngxe5 14. Nxe6 fxe6 { i've given up the light-squared bishop,but my rook has more scope and my central pawns look healthy. } 15. Bg4 Nxg4 16. Qxg4 { now the exchanges are even. i have to be careful of attackson the g7 square, my king can start looking weak soon if i don't watchout for tricks, but really i don't see a tangible advantage. i like myposition just a tiny bit more than white's, i think i may have a tiny edgedue to my central pawns and the } 16... Qd6 { now the exchanges are even. i haveto be careful of attacks on the g7 square, my king can start looking weaksoon if i don't watch out for tricks, but really i don't see a tangibleadvantage. i like my position just a tiny bit more than white's, i thinki may have a tiny edge due to my central pawns and the fact that i canpotentially gain a tempo with Ne5. if white tries to force things alittle with 17. e4, i should be able to advance my central pawns. at thisstage i was mostly looking for white at plans involving moves like thatin the center. } 17. Bb2 { aha! the attack on g7 i mentioned before! } 17... Bf6 { covered easily enough } 18. Rfd1 { here white misses my tactic! he failedto look at the tempo moves. } 18... Ne5 { queen only has a few tenable squares,they all lead to basically the same thing. Qg3 looks like the best reply,but it proves inadequate, as we'll see. } 19. Qg3 Nc4 { my tactic. tryingto save both pieces is impossible. if a rook covers the bishop, 20. ...Bxb221. Rxb2 Bxc3 if the bishop moves, the knight is lost. there is no timeto cover the knight with moves like 20. e4, because the bishop is underthreat. my opponent tries another way... } 20. Ne4 { a clever try. can'ttake the bishop immediately, but... } 20... Qxg3 { recapturing with the knightloses the bishop straight away, but can the bishop be saved at all? } 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 { i could have captured with the rook. in retrospect, i wishi had. i thought i was strengthening my central pawns here, but that h-pawnbecomes way too weak later on. } 22. hxg3 Nxb2 { here i'm up a piece in theendgame. i thought my opponent would probably resign, but he didn't, soit was time to test out my end-game technique. in this game, i think mytechnique was pretty lousy. anywhere someone cares to offer advice, i'llbe glad to hear it. i think my trouble is thinking in working plans... } 23. Rd4 { preventing my pawns from rolling with e5, and also opening thepossibility of uncomfortable moves on the g- and h- files. } 23... Kf7 { so i steppedout of the checking square straight away. maybe a waste of tempo? my planis to mobilize my central and queenside pawns, preparing e5 and an eventualqueenside break. } 24. e4 { pressuring me. if i take, i start losing pawnsleft and right. } 24... c6 { so instead i protect. } 25. exd5 cxd5 { i thought thisexchange was too early, personally. i don't see much advantage from thisexchange. maybe he was just fracturing my pawns a little. } 26. f4 { a finemove. that e-pawn advancec looks a long way off now. } 26... Rfd8 { in retrospect,maybe i should have played h5? i'm not sure here if i'm squeezing my opponent'sposition at all. my plan was to keep e5 a possibility. } 27. g4 Rac8 { ithought my opponent's pawn advance was useless at the time. here, i'm preparingto trade down material, thinking it was best while i'm up a piece. i nowthink this was a lousy plan. maybe i should have instead tried to hit thec2 square as hard as possible. } 28. Rc1 Rc4 { offering the exchange. } 29. c3 Rxd4 { here my opponent thought he would start to gain back pawns byobtaining access to the c-file. } 30. cxd4 Nc4 { he missed this move. } 31. a4 { a waiting move } 31... h6 { i was a little concerned about g5, but i now thinkthis was really a waste. other moves? maybe Rg8 straight away? } 32. Kf2 Rg8 { NOW i play Rg8, a completely wasted move. } 33. Kf3 Ke7 { i'm thinkingof heading to d6 with the idea of freeing my knight. } 34. g3 Kd6 35. Rh1 { now the knight technically can move, but i don't really have time! } 35... Rh8 36. g5 { i saw this reply but discounted its chances. i looked at ...fxg5,and after he recaptures, i push, but that passed pawn starts to make mylife hell soon thereafter, so i tried for this tactical line instead. } 36... e5 { with the idea that none of my opponent's pawn captures actually leadvery far. if dxe5, my knight will start to come in or else i'll have twoconnected central passed pawns. if gxh6, my rook is ok there for a whileafter ...e5+. what i missed was the one really obvious move which myopponent played! } 37. Rxh6 { if i recapture, i lose quickly because i can'tstop the pawn. } 37... e4+ { my opponent here only really has one good move, whichhe played. } 38. Ke2 { this prevents me in the short-term from tacticallyusing the e-pawn to make the game double-edged. } 38... Rf8 { i think here eitherrecapture loses for white. we'll see the rook recapture in a second. thepawn recapture doesn't seem to go anywhere after Ke6. i thought myopponent should have played f5 here, and then i'm in big trouble. Ke6 becomesimpossible and the pressure can be increased over the next few moves. } 39. Rxf6+ { instead, he went for the exchange, thinking the two passed pawnswould be enough to get him through. i think this could *maybe* have beena draw if i didn't have the extra knight, but as it is, this effectivelygives up all hope for white's position. the losing mistake. } 39... Rxf6 { of coursei recapture. i'll also win back one of those pawns. } 40. gxf6 { no choicehere. } 40... Ke6 41. f7 { here he makes the reasonable decision to try to squeezeanother tempo out of the position, but it's nowhere near enough. my kingis needed to restrain those pawns anyhow. whether it does so on f6 or f7is irrelevant to me. } 41... Kxf7 42. g4 { trying to mobilize those pawns. } 42... a5 { hoping to fix white's pawns where my knight can easily get to them with...Nb2. if he tries to keep things under control with something like: 43. b5 Nb2 44. Kd2 Nxa4 45. Kc2, keeping my knight from moving, i play: 45. ...e3 46. g5 e2 47. Kd2 Nc3 and it's all over soon. } 43. g5 { givingme the pawn? } 43... axb4 { and he resigned. phew! close call a few moves back!any suggestions for my endgame technique would be appreciated. } 0-1

[Event "Viner-Watson, Perth 1906"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1906"] [Round "-"] [White "William Samuel Viner"] [Black "Charles Gilbert Marriott Watson"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "no rating"] [TimeControl "unknown time control"] [WhiteElo "no rating"] { This game was played in the 1906 Australian Chess Championship in Perth.Playing White was William Samuel Viner and playing Black was Charles GilbertMarriott Watson. The former went on to win the championship, while thelatter finally ended Viner's streak in 1922. The game itself is taken fromthe Chess Association of Western Australia Inc.'s archive. What's interestingabout this game is that Viner manages to vanquish Watson in a relativelyshort amount of time, as the game only lasts around twenty-five moves. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 { White can go into the Ruy Lopez, but breaks away fromit. } 3. d4 { A very aggressive move by White. This is now the Scotch Game. } 3... exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 { A position not usually seen in competitive play. } 5... Bb4 6. Nxc6 Bxc3+ { White's only logical response is to take with the pawn.While this results in doubled pawns, Black will have to double his pawnsas well in order to take the knight. } 7. bxc3 bxc6 { There is now a completelyempty file on the queenside, which could be useful in an attack by eitherplayer. } 8. Bd3 Qe7 9. O-O O-O { The position is fairly balanced, thoughBlack's bishop is doing little on c8 in comparison to either of White'sbishops. } 10. Re1 Rb8 { Black now takes control of the b-file, and shouldhave a fair game ahead of him. Unfortunately, his queenside pawn structureis pretty weak, while White's doubled pawns can easily be defended by thetwo bishops. } 11. Bf4 Ne8 { 11. ... d6 would have been better, as White'stwo bishops will now encounter minimal resistance and Black will have ahard time bringing his rook on f8 into the game. } 12. Qh5 { White is planningto push the pawn on e4 forward and then checkmate Black by taking the pawnon h7 with the queen. Of course, Black will have none of that. } 12... g6 13. Qa5 { White, again, mounts an attack against the pawn on c7, as well asthe pawn on a7. } 13... d6 { This may seem a strange move by Black, as he couldhave played 13. ... Rb7, defending both pawns, but then White could simplyplay 14. Rab1 or 14. Reb1 and Black will still have to lose a pawn, eventually. } 14. Qxa7 Rb6 15. a4 Be6 16. a5 { White knows that if he can build up enoughpressure on Black's queenside, Black will have to give up material to stopa promotion. } 16... Rb2 17. Bc1 Ra2 { Black wants to trade off rooks, and, quitefrankly, it's a good idea. One less White rook means that Black can defendmore easily against a promotion. } 18. Rxa2 Bxa2 19. Bh6 { Black's rook istrapped, and so there is only one good move. } 19... Ng7 { This move has the addedbonus of giving the rook some participation in the action. Unfortunatelyfor Black, White's queen is still dominating Black's queenside. } 20. Qd4 Nf5 { Note that Black could have played 20. ... Qe5 to block the threatof checkmate while keeping the rook on f8 safe. } 21. Bxf8 Qe6 22. Qa4 Kxf8 23. Ra1 { Black is now in serious trouble. White is preparing to push thepawn on a5 forward to promotion, and Black can do little to stop it. } 23... Nh4 24. Rxa2 Qg4 { Black is now desperate. It's somewhat insulting to your opponentto hope that he will fall for a cheap checkmate like this in a championship,rather than simply resign what is a bad game. } 25. Bf1 { And, of course,Black now resigns due to his hopes of a checkmate having been dashed. Ifyou wish to leave me a suggestion for an annotated game, or want to leaveme feedback, please drop me a message. Your help is appreciated. } 1-0

[Event "Malpas & Oswestry KO Vs Colwyn Bay KO"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-1-2018"] [Round "-"] [White "Steve Rush"] [Black "Tim Soar"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "ECF134"] [TimeControl "35in 1H15m then +15mins "] [WhiteElo "ECF143"] 1. d4 { Played in the Chester Chess League handicapped knock-out. http://www.cdchessleague.org.uk/results.php?comp=Knock+Out } 1... Nf6 { Starts conventionally. Steve's own comments are once again given ininverted commas. } 2. Nf3 { Slightly less popular than 2. c4 but perfectlyplayable. } 2... d5 { Black restores symmetry. } 3. Bf4 { White decides on the popularLondon system which is vogue at the moment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_SystemIncidentally I disagree with the comment on that Wiki page 'If White isgoing to play the London System, it is now thought to be more accurateto play 2.Bf4 instead of 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4' because 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 canbe met with ....d6 and a later ....e5. } 3... e6 { This blocks in the Bc8 andscores much worse than 3.....c5! } 4. e3 { The logical developing move. } 4... Nbd7 { Again black avoids the natural 4.....c5! and instead plays a movepassive move. As Steve correctly says 'c5 if the latest theory and counterattacking'. } 5. c3 { This is often played in the London system, although I prefer themore common 5. Bd3 keeping open the possibility of playing c2-c4 in onemove. } 5... Be7 { 'Bd6 much better in my opinion to neutralise my strong Bishop'.Actually Be7 is more popular and scores better on the opening databasesI use, but 4......Bd6 was probably better than 4.....Nbd7. } 6. Nbd2 { Sensibledevelopment by Steve. } 6... b6 { 'again preparing move for c5...a bit slow'.Yes, surely 6......0-0 is the natural move. } 7. Bb5 { 'used to put his pieceson the squares I want i.e. to force him to castle into my attack!' CertainlySteve shows originality. 7. Ne5 and 7. Bd3 are the moves usually playedhere. this move takes me out of the opening databases I use. } 7... O-O { Fritzprefers 7....Nh5 } 8. h4 { Fritz prefers 0-0. This attack by white is a littleoptimistic. } 8... Bb7 { 'rather than this he needs to get pieces over to helphis King'. Fritz is still suggesting 8.....Nh5 } 9. Bd3 { 're-pointing atthe King forcing the line that happens, weakening his King-side'. Fritzstill likes 0-0 but certainly 9. Bd3 looks a more logical follow-up to8. h4 } 9... Ne4 { 'only move to try to hold on'. Fritz agrees that this is thebest move. } 10. Qc2 { 'Once again pointing at the king-side'. Fritz agreesthat this is the best move. } 10... f5 { 'weakening but necessary'. Fritz likesthis move too. } 11. Bxe4 { Fritz actually prefers h5 here. } 11... fxe4 { The naturalway to recapture. } 12. Ng5 { Fritz agrees that this is best. } 12... Bxg5 { 'maybethis is forced not sure about what else after all leaving the Knight therejust helps the attack.' Fritz does not agree and gives 12. .....Rf6 13.0-0-0 h6 14. Nh3 with a slight edge to black. } 13. hxg5 { 'the key movemaking the 'London rook' a monster'. Fritz agrees that this is the bestmove and now gives a slight edge to white. } 13... Ba6 { 'trying to gain the lightsquares in case of holding on...a good attempt to gain some counter chanceslater'. Fritz suggests the pseudo-sacrifice 13.....e5! with only the veryminimal advantage to white. } 14. Qb3 { 'not sure if this was all that goodbut semi-threat of a knight sacrifce opening up the a2 to g8 diagonal'.Fritz prefers 14. Qa4 } 14... c5 { 'at last but maybe a bit late'. Fritz agreesthis is best. } 15. Qd1 { 'again a regrouping with threats to go to h5 andg4'. It seems to me that white has just wasted a move with 14. Qb3 followedby 15. Qd1. Why not 14. Qd1 at once? } 15... Rf5 { Fritz prefers 15.... cxd4 withslight edge to black. } 16. Qg4 { Fritz is still suggesting 16. Qa4 but surelythis is more consistent. } 16... Qe7 { 'not protecting the King.....Nf8!? maybeneeded here....not sure as hard for Black to defend all the threats'. Fritzlikes 16. Qe8 here. } 17. Rxh7 { 'forces mate after g6+ if taken....if notas you will see a loss of Knight and pawn to save mate'. Fritz prefersQh4. I think both Steve and Tim miscalculated here. If 17.....Kxh7 18.g6+ Kg8 19. Qh3 Nf6 20. 0-0-0 Kg8 and the Nf6 can drop back to g8 if necessary.White has inadequate compensation for the rook. } 17... Nf6 { Thankfully Tim didn'ttake! } 18. gxf6 { Threatening the queen. } 18... Qxf6 { Getting a pawn for the knight. } 19. Rh3 { 'despite Black's attempts to get counter-play once all this hasbeen snuffed out it should be a win for White'. Quite true Steve. } 19... cxd4 { Finally, 5 moves late. } 20. cxd4 { White recaptures. } 20... Rf8 { Better Rc8 tostop castling and taking control of the open file. } 21. Rc1 { So Steve correctlytakes it instead. } 21... e5 { Fritz again wants 21.....Rc8 } 22. dxe5 { The correctway to take. } 22... Rxe5 { Black takes back. I suspect both players thought thatwhite couldn't take the rook here because of 23....Qxf2+. Although it looksscary, the line is winning for white. Sure black can win white's rook with24. Kd1 Qg1+ 25. Kc2 Rc8+ 26. Kb3 and the rook on c8 can be captured byrook or queen - but both of them fail as white has Qxg7 mate. } 23. Qh4 { 'if g5 trying to win a piece....Qh7 mate!!....23....QxQh4! perhaps theonly try....' Quite right Steve, Fritz does agree the queen exchange isblack's best try. } 23... Qxh4 { So black takes. } 24. Rxh4 { White takes back. } 24... Ref5 { The best square for the rook, although with queens off it is a bitacademic. White is a clear pawn up. } 25. Bg3 { Fritz (and I!) prefer 25.Nb3 heading for d4. 25....g5 can be met with 26. Rg4. } 25... d4 { 'care neededby White as there are still some tricks'. } 26. Rxe4 { Another pawn goes. } 26... dxe3 { Black takes. } 27. Rxe3 { White takes back. } 27... Rh5 { 'a good attempt forRh1+ etc.' } 28. Ne4 { 'Must get the minor pieces working to hold off thethreats'. The point being that after 28.....Rh1+ 29. Kd2 Rd8+ white canblock on d6 with either minor piece. } 28... Rff5 { The threat now is Rh1+ 30.Kd2Rd5+ 31. Kc2 Bd3+ winning a rook. Thankfully white has a move first. } 29. Rcc3 { 'now I felt the worst has passed' } 29... Rh1+ { Black throws in a check. } 30. Kd2 { Forced. } 30... Rd5+ { Another check } 31. Kc2 { White's king is safe now. } 31... Bb7 32. Nd6 { 'sets up the winning endgame....too many threats and defensiveresources' Fritz prefers 32. Rc7 } 32... Ba6 { Best, but now it is black who haswasted time! } 33. Rc7 { White correctly grabs the 7th rank. } 33... Rhd1 { 'besttry'. Fritz prefers Ra1. } 34. Be5 { 'forces a trade or so I felt'. I agree,I would have played this. Fritz prefers 34. Rxa7 but it is getting academicwhite is a clear knight and pawn up and black would probably resign, ifit wasn't for the fact that it is was a very close match. } 34... Rxe5 { Fritzagrees this is best. } 35. Rxe5 { Whiute takes. } 35... Rxd6 { Black takes back. } 36. Rxa7 { 'the exchanges have helped White to secure his King and stopall the tricks...now it is pure technique...time control reached....' } 36... Bf1 { Attacking g2 } 37. g4 { Easily met. } 37... Rc6+ { Another check } 38. Kd2 { Kingmoves. } 38... Rd6+ { Another check. } 39. Ke3 { King improves his position. } 39... Rd3+ { Another check. } 40. Kf4 { 'supporting the f and g pawns'. } 40... Bg2 41. Kg5 { His Imperial Highness advances to help weave a mating net! Fritz actuallyprefers Re-e7 but both win, so let's not quibble. } 41... Kh7 { Black's king fearsbeing trapped on the back rank. } 42. f4 { Fritz still like Re-e7 but thisis strong too. } 42... Rd6 { Rook retreats. } 43. f5 { 'finally Black has nothingleft to do but resign'. Thank you for reading, please leave a comment ortwo and rate the annotation on the star system to let me know how I amdoing. Until next time dear reader! } 1-0

[Event "Amateur Dragon Series #3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2007.03.23"] [Round "-"] [White "scottyad"] [Black "grietje"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1680"] [TimeControl "1/259200:0"] [WhiteElo "1917"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 { A tricky move order.Black doesn't let White continue with certain attacking structures (e.g.the feared 9.0-0-0 Rauzer) because he threatens an early ..d7-d5 (discussedin a later note). This move order is often neglected in the Dragon becauseof the nagging possibility of 6.Nxc6! bxc6 7.e5; in that line, White immediatelypressures Black's negligence in the center, even at the cost of strengtheningBlack's pawn structure. Black tends to score poorly in that line, hencethe early ..d6 (preventing this idea entirely). } 6. Be3 { White is contentto play normally for now. He will not try to refute Black's central negligence.Alternative variation: 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 } 6... Bg7 7. Bc4 { The best move.The big idea of Black's Accelerated Dragon setup is to play ..d7-d5. Thissounds harmless enough, but the normal Dragon move order plays an initial..d6, which would lose a tempo vs. the Accelerated move order if 1) ..d7-d5is desirable and 2) White cannot stop an early ..d7-d5. Thus White's moveBc4 is flexible (the game may still transpose into a normal Bc4 Rauzer)and restrains Black's hoped-for..d5 advance. Now, Black has nothing betterthan to revert to a normal Dragon with 7..d6 (though there are other linesinvolving ..0-0 and ..a5 in the Accelerated spirit). } 7... d6 8. f3 O-O 9. Qd2 { The game has transposed into a 9.Bc4 Rauzer. } 9... Re8 { What is this?This move is completely misguided. The rook has no pressing duties on e8(..e5 is silly, blocking in the ..g7 bishop, and the e7 pawn is not exactlyweak at the moment) . ..Re8 also removes a piece from the defense of thef7 square, which is certainly more important than e7 (and free! Black'srook was already there!). Black's move loses a crucial tempo in a verysharp variation...he will have problems continuing 'normally.' } 10. O-O-O a6 { It seems Black wants to play ..b5 as soon as possible, but his piecesare worryingly underdeveloped and it's not clear that ..b5 is all thatpowerful at this point. He should continue ..Bd7 and ..Ne5 } 11. g4 { Oneplan. White also can choose the more popular h4-h5 plan. } 11... h5 { This move is strong against h4, when is closes lines on the kingside. It is super-weakagainst g4 for the opposite reason - now White can easily open lines tothe Black king. Already, Black is lost. It is instructive to note the defensivespirit of Black's play (the dubious prophylactic ..Re8, the sluggish preparatory..a6, and now the blunderous ...h5). Fear of White's attacking possibilitiespervades Black's play, to his doom. In the Dragon (specifically these Rauzerlines), the key word is counter-attack. White's attack is naturally strong,and to some degree indefensible. Black's best plan is then to attack White'sking, not spend several tempi 'defending.' Moves like ..Qa5, ...Bd7, ..Rac8,and ..Ne5 ought to be on the board, not this mishmash. Black would havefared much better if he had simply continued with his own attacking plan! } 12. Nxc6 { I've criticized this move before in other games, but here circumstancesare different. As in the earlier note, Nxc6 is justified against the Dragonas long as White can follow up with e5 (Nxc6 removes a key defender ofe5). Here, White uses this idea to kick off the f6 knight and rip openkingside lines. } 12... bxc6 13. e5 Nh7 14. gxh5 Bf5 15. hxg6 Bxg6 16. h4 dxe5 17. Qg2 { Trading queens helps the defender, but Black should know betterthan to expect White to comply. White's queen now enters the kingside attackwith tempo. } 17... Qc7 18. Qxg6 { The f7 pawn is pinned, and White wins a piece.It is interesting to note that White can play many moves here (h5, Rdg1)and still be in a 100% crushing position. The point being that Black cannothope to 'defend' such positions, lost material or not, as White has somany resources at his disposal. Again, counterattack should be Black'sonly plan in this variation. Here, it never gets off the ground. } 18... e6 19. Qg2 f5 20. Bh6 Nf8 21. Rhg1 Re7 22. h5 { It is true that White wins aftermass exchanges on g7, but he does not need to settle for a piece-up endgamewhen he can extract further concessions (and possibly mate!) } 22... Kh8 23. Bg5 Rd7 24. Rxd7 Nxd7 25. h6 Bf6 26. Bxe6 Rf8 27. Bxd7 Bxg5+ 28. Qxg5 Qxd7 29. Qg7+ { In just a few moves, White has taken the whole house! The point?Don't be too quick to settle for liquidation an easy advantage when youmay have even better results continuing your attack! } 1-0

[Event "Sicilian, Irregular (Blitz Game)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "casanova1971"] [Black "Avocet"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [WhiteElo "1305"] 1. e4 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 d6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 e5 7. Nxc6 bxc6 { I don't quite know what to call this opening - an English that aspiresto be a Sicilian? A Sicilian that wants to be an English when it growsup? It looks most like a Maroczy Bind, but White needs a pawn at f3 tomake that official. } 8. Bg5 { Oh! - now adding the flavor of a Richter-Rauzerto the stew. Let's just say the opening has taken a very independent turn. } 8... Be7 9. Bxf6 gxf6 { Black's pawn structure looks hideous, but decades ofpractical games at every level have demonstrated positions like this areactually quite playable provided Black carries out certain strategic operations,like the advance of his h-pawn. More shockingly still, it's common forBlack to leave his King anchored in the center where, oddly enough, it'ssafest from attack. } 10. Bd3 { Anti-positional. Better was 10. Be2 withmore normal development. } 10... h5 11. Qd2 h4 { This is the correct square forthe pawn. } 12. h3 Rg8 { If 13. Qh6 Rg2 14. Qh4 Qb6 15. Qh8 Kd7 and Blackis on top. If 14. Qh8 Kd7 15. Qh4 Qb6 transposes. And finally if 14. Qh8Kd7 15. Qd8 Bd8 (with the idea of Ke7-Bb6), Black is okay. } 13. f3 Rh8 14. O-O-O Qc7 { 14. ...a5 was probably more accurate. } 15. Kb1 Bd7 { Keepingthe b-file open. } 16. f4 a5 17. fxe5 fxe5 18. Rhg1 a4 19. a3 Qb6 20. g4 Rb8 { If 20. ...hg3 Black simply opens lines for White to exploit. } 21. Nxa4 Qb3 22. Nc3 Qxa3 23. c5 { Desperation? There's really no need to Whiteto give this pawn away, although it's hard to suggest anything better thantrying to free that overgrown pawn at d3. } 23... Qxc5 24. Na4 Qa7 25. Nc3 Be6 26. Rg2 Ra8 { Black now threatens ...Bb3, winning. } 27. Nd5 { No mistakingit now - that's desperation. } 27... Qa1+ 28. Kc2 Qa4+ 29. Kb1 cxd5 30. Qe2 Bd7 31. exd5 Qa2+ 32. Kc1 Bg5+ { Setting up a back-rank mate. } 33. Rd2 Rc8+ { Now if 34. Bc2 Qa1 is mate, and if 34. Kd1 Qa1 35. Bb1 Qb1 is mate. SoWhite plays the 'other choice.' } 34. Bc4 Rxc4+ { Obviously not 34. Qc4,giving White the chance to continue limping through the endgame. So, Whiteresigns. } 0-1

[Event "Miniteams Tournament Round Four"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009"] [Round "-"] [White "Kunal Roy"] [Black "Micah Losee"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1435"] [TimeControl "30 Minutes 5 Second Delay"] [WhiteElo "1411"] 1. d4 f5 { One of my favorite openings, the Dutch Defense is. Although Idon't think I'll ever do it again in a short game. It requires too muchthought, and little for my opponent. } 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 { Queen's Gambitformation... } 3... e6 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 { I have never experienced somebody takingbefore.... } 5... Nxd5 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2 Bb4 8. Bd2 O-O 9. O-O { I felt like Icould have done something here, so I wasted six minutes thinking aboutit. Sadly, I just settled for trading pieces. } 9... Bxc3 10. Bxc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 h6 { A waiting move. I didn't quite know exactly what to do at this moment.It does however, prevent 12 Ng5? } 12. Re1 { Preparing for 13 e4 } 12... a6 { Anotherwaiting move. I still did not know what I wished to do. All I knew wasthat when White presses e4 I would also press f4. } 13. Nd2 { Opening upthe threat of the bishop. } 13... Bd7 { ? Causes all sorts of problems. I probablyshould have moved 13...Ne7 } 14. Qc2 { ? I don't see what this accomplishesat all.... } 14... b5 { ? With the idea of stopping 15 Nd4 I knew the pin on theknight was bad so I planned to break it immediately. Still, it should havebeen obvious to me that this allowed White's knight in with Nb3 then Nc5. } 15. Nb3 Ra7 { This rook literally does nothing for the rest of the game.I moved it with the idea of protecting the a pawn. Later, I repeatedlywished that I had moved it elsewhere. } 16. e4 f4 17. e5 { ? d5 would havebeen much much better. White wants to open the game up, and Black is inno position to stop him. From there the game would have been pretty easilywon. } 17... Qg5 18. Nc5 { ! Threatens a fork if 18...Be8 and forces Black intoa very unnatural move... } 18... Nb8 19. Be4 { ? Helping Blacks cause. Possiblythinking Bh7+? That does absolutely nothing at all. } 19... f3 { Finally the pawnis where it wants to be to strongly threaten a mate. Can Black protectit? } 20. Qd3 Qg4 21. Re3 Bc6 { ! Forcing a trade that puts Black's knightinto the game. Now the Black's pawn is almost impossible to take. } 22. Bxc6 Nxc6 23. h4 { ? Doesn't really solve any problems. Makes mating easierin fact. Possibly a long king retreat would have been preferable? 23 Kf1Qh3+ 24 Ke1 Qxh2 25 Qf1 } 23... Ne7 { From there I knew that all I had to do wasmove my knight over, and the mate would be mine. } 24. Kh2 { ? Stopping 24Qh3? Another that just makes mating a lot easier. The sad thing is thatmy opponent had plenty of time. About ten minutes while I had only five. } 24... Ng6 { Threatening 25...Nxh4. } 25. Qe4 { ! I believe the best move Whitehad. Black cannot afford a queen trade.... } 25... Nf4 { !! If 26 xf4 then Qg2++or if 26 Qxf4 Rxf4. Giving Black six points. } 26. Qxf3 { For a second Ithought I had made a mistake. I queen could take the pawn. } 26... Qh3+ 27. Kg1 Nd5 { ! Threatening the queen and rook at the same time, Black is most definitelyin a winning situation. } 28. Qh5 { ? A bad move. 28 Qe2 or Qe4 would havekept this a one point game. Instead it allows Black to screw White over.... } 28... Nxe3 29. fxe3 Qxg3+ 30. Kh1 Rf2 { Ending the game. White only had a fewmoves to prevent the inevitable. } 31. Qe8+ Kh7 32. Qg6+ Qxg6 { Simpler wouldhave been 32...Kxg6 33 Rg1 Rh2++. I didn't realize that after the game,believing I would lose my queen from the pin. } 33. Rg1 Qc2 { 'Checkm-ohcrap!' I almost moved queen to e4. Just before I let go I realized thenear error. } 34. Rg3 Rh2+ 35. Kg1 Qf2# { Many mistakes were made in thisgame. Probably what saved my bad opening was the fact that my opponentmade so many pointless moves. I'm proud of my nice knight combo at theend that led to my opponents downfall. Scored 3.5 in the tournament. Onlylosing to a 1900 and drawing to a 1500. Stanwood came in eighth to takea trophy, which has never happened in our school history. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.01.17"] [Round "-"] [White "elreydebastos"] [Black "juweeltje"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1756"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1723"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 { Opto por la apertura italiana a pesar de susiciliana. } 3... e6 4. c3 Nc6 5. d4 { Y por romper el centro rápidamente. } 5... cxd4 6. cxd4 Nf6 7. Nbd2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 Qb6 10. Nf1 Bd7 11. b3 Rac8 12. Ng3 { I need to coordinate my pieces to attack the black king. } 12... Na5 13. Bd3 { I cannot lose the knight on white squares. } 13... Nc6 14. Bb2 { Y el de casillas negras debe apuntar directamente al enroquenegro. } 14... Nb4 { My rival knows of the danger of my two bishops. } 15. Bb1 { I also. I don't want to lose them now. } 15... d5 16. a3 Nc6 17. e5 { Diagonal blanca b1-h7 abierta. } 17... Ne8 { He won space but the tower on the flank of the queen is not operational. } 18. Bc1 { Muevo el alfil de casillasnegras para controlar la diagonal c1-h6 y para poder dar una salida a latorre del flanco de dama. } 18... Nc7 { My opponent counterattacks on the flank. } 19. Nh5 { Y yo por el del rey. } 19... Nb5 20. Bb2 { Mi peón central end4 se antoja clave y hay que defenderlo. } 20... f6 { Le da una salida al monarca.No me interesa que se abra la columna f. Además su peón en f6 entorpecela acción de su alfil de casillas negras. } 21. Qd3 { Directo al punto débil. } 21... g6 22. Nh4 { If you take the horse from h5, I will checkmate you with the queen on h7. } 22... f5 { Era fácil de ver. } 23. Qg3 { I have to start to risk a little bit to leave the pawn on d4 unattended. } 23... Kf7 { The black king smells danger and is looking for a safer place. } 24. Nf4 { Your horse should not be sacrificed and should find a better place to continue the fight. } 24... g5 25. Nh5 { I sacrifice the pawn on h4 to open the g-file, attacking the knight on g7 and doubling my pawns. } 25... gxh4 26. Qg7+ Ke8 27. Nf6+ Bxf6 28. exf6 { The knight on c6 is a threat of checkmate if it moves. } 28... Qd8 29. Bxf5 { Aprovechando la clavada. } 29... Qxf6 30. Qxf6 Rxf6 { No tenía otra opción. } 31. Bxh7 { Clean up a bit the flank of the king and retreat the knight. } 31... Nbxd4 32. Rad1 { Sigo explotando la clavadadel peón de e6 y de paso ubico la torre en una posición más activa. } 32... Rf4 33. b4 { Salvo mu peón. } 33... Kf7 { My opponent moved their piece to my tower and they have successfully extracted the king from the pressure column. } 34. Bb1 Nb5 35. Rd3 Rg4 36. Rf3+ Ke7 37. h3 { Hay que despejar la zona. } 37... Rgg8 38. Bf6+ { I will keep attacking. I am ahead and cannot play passively. } 38... Kd6 39. Bxh4 { I eliminated the pesky peon that my horse had captured, and I was ready to defend either an enroche or a jacque, if necessary. } 39... Rcf8 40. Rfe3 { No me interesa cambiar me interesa atacar. } 40... Ncd4 41. Bg3+ { Sucaballo en f3 sería letal y es ahora mi peón de g2 el que está clavadopor la presión de su torre. } 41... Ke7 42. Rd1 Nf5 43. Bxf5 { No puedo perderel alfil. } 43... Rxf5 44. Bh4+ Kd6 45. g4 Rf7 46. Bg3+ Kc6 { A ver si se puedetejer una red de mate. } 47. Rc1+ Kb6 48. a4 Nd4 49. Bc7+ Ka6 50. b5+ Nxb5 51. axb5+ Bxb5 52. Ra3+ Ba4 53. Rxa4+ Kb5 54. Rxa7 { ¡ Sí ! } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.12.21"] [Round "-"] [White "tiramisu"] [Black "all4nc"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1700"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1828"] 1. e4 g6 { A pesar de que nunca me he enfrentado a esa defensa decido proseguircon mi idea inicial: apertura italiana. } 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. Bc4 d6 4. c3 { Hayque contrarrestar el poderío de su alfil negro: c3. } 4... Nf6 5. d3 { Con d3defiendo el peón de rey y abro la diagonal para mi alfil negro. } 5... c5 6. Nbd2 a6 7. a3 { He gained a little bit of space so that his idea of initiating a advance on the flank of the queen. } 7... O-O 8. Nf1 { You must start to attack the knight. With the greatest amount of resources possible. } 8... b5 9. Ba2 Bb7 10. h4 { Saying, "We must attack with all..." } 10... h5 11. Rh3 { Incluso renunciandoal enroque. Su peón en h5 interrumpe la acción de la la torre, así quehay que buscar una buena ubicación para ella, siendo g3 un punto que nopuede atacar. } 11... Nbd7 12. Rg3 Ng4 { Hay que echarlo de ahí. } 13. N1h2 { Atacándolo. } 13... Nxh2 14. Nxh2 e6 { Cubre el punto f7 y ataca mi peón de h4. Mi alfil blancopierde influencia, pero antes debo defender el peón. } 15. Rh3 { ¡ Qué remedio! Defenderlo con Cf3 implicaba obstaculizar la diagonal blanca que controlala dama. } 15... Nf6 { Error. Voy a clavar ese caballo. } 16. Bg5 { What is your dama doing? } 16... d5 { Another error. This guarantees a piece at a good price. } 17. e5 { Habrá que estar atento al punto g2. } 17... c4 18. d4 { Cierro el centroy mi alfil irá a b1 para controlar la diagonal que va hasta h7. } 18... Qd7 { Apartala dama restando un defensor al caballo. } 19. exf6 { I don't believe the powerful black knight will resign. If he does, his king will be left very weak. } 19... Bh8 { You have to attack more. For example, move your knight to e6 and block the pawn at the same time. } 20. Nf3 Qd8 { Lo ve. } 21. Ne5 { The horse in that position is a monster. Unattackable. I guess it took the pawn so angry from f6. } 21... Re8 { ¿ ? } 22. Qf3 { Then I consolidate the f6 point. } 22... Rf8 23. Bb1 { Comienza elasalto final. } 23... a5 { No calculo en profundidad porque instintivamente perciboque un contraataque en el flanco de dama no prosperará. } 24. Bxg6 { Capturarel alfil implica perder la dama y sufrir un peón en f7. } 24... Qc7 { Tomar elpeón con la dama abriría la séptima fila y la dama negra podría auxiliara su monarca. } 25. Bxh5 { Taking the pawn with the knight opens up more possibilities. } 25... b4 { Do I continue my attack or defend? } 26. axb4 axb4 27. Rxa8 Bxa8 { Now, what piece defends the black king better? } 28. Bh6 { La torre. } 28... Qa5 { No quiere abandonar. Le daremos mate. } 29. Qg4+ Kh7 30. Bg6+ { Si elrey toma mi alfil negro dama g5 mate. Si su peón toma mi alfil blanco damag6 mate. } 30... fxg6 31. Qxg6# 1-0

[Event "Casual Game, http://www.itsyourturn.com"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.08.18"] [Round "-"] [White "John Coffey, Utah Senior Chess C"] [Black "Samurai_Master"] [Result "*"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. e4 Nc6 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O h6 { Black's passive play gives white a strong advantage. } 8. a3 { Or h3. } 8... b6 { Here computer analysis likes 9. b4 for white. } 9. e5 { My hope isto get the queen to e4 with a dual threat on h7 and c6. } 9... Nd7 10. Qe2 { Now if 10... dxe5 11. Qe4 Nf6 12. Qxc6 } 10... Bb7 11. Qe4 g6 12. Bxh6 { Nowif 12... dxe5 13. Bxf8 Bxf8 14. d5 } 12... f5 13. exf6 Rxf6 14. Qg4 Qe8 15. Nb5 { Or Rae1. Black could now try to defend with 15... Qf7 16. Rae1Qh7 } 15... Rc8 16. Rae1 Bf8 17. Bg5 { Now the black position collapses. Now if 17... Rf5 18. Nh4 Qf7 19. Nxg6 Qxg6 20. Rxe6 Qxe6 21. Bxf5 } 17... Ne7 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Qxe6+ Kg7 20. Ng5 { Or d5 with the idea of a6 thenNbd4. Also interesting is Nxa7. } 20... a6 21. Nc3 Rd8 22. Qh3 Qd7 { 22...Bc8 23. Qh4 Qd7 24. Ne6+ Qxe6 25. Rxe6 Bxe6 Survives a little longer. } 23. Ne6+ Kf7 { Now stockfish prefers to build up the attack with moves likeRe2, Re3, Qh8 or d5. Instead white plays ... } 24. Nxd8+ { Simplest. } 24... Qxd8 25. Qe6+ { 25. Re6 is stronger. Bc8 26. Rxf6+ Kxf6 27. Qh7 Bg7 28.Nd5+ Kf7 (28... Nxd5 29. Qxg6+ Ke7 30. Qxg7+ Ke6 31. Re1+) 29. Re1 Nf5(29... Nxd5 30. Bxg6+ Kf8 (30... Kf6 31. Qh4+) 31. cxd5 Bd7 32. Re3) 30.Bxf5 Bxf5 31. Re7+ } 25... Kg7 26. Ne4 { This is a tactical error. White thinksthat he can win by trading pieces. Stockfish thinks that a more positionalapproach is much stronger. 26. Ne2 [Headed to e6.] Bc8 27. Qe3 Qd7 28.d5 Qg4 29. Nf4 Nf5 30. Bxf5 Qxf5 31. h3 g5 32. Ne6+ Bxe6 33. Qxe6 Qxe634. Rxe6 Kf7 35. g4 Kg7 36. f4 Nh7 37. fxg5 Nxg5 38. Re8 Alternative variation:26. Qe3 Followed by Ne2 is the same idea. } 26... Nxe4 { Now 27. Bxe4 fails toBc8. So instead 27. Re2 Nf6 28. Rfe1 Bc8 29. Qe3 White has a materialand positional plus. } 27. Bxe4 { Overlooking that now Bc8 traps the queen.Now 27... Bc8 28. Qxc8 Qxc8 29. d5 and White is losing but barely hangingon. } 27... Bxe4 28. Rxe4 Nf5 29. Rfe1 c6 30. Rg4 Nh4 31. Qe4 d5 32. cxd5 cxd5 33. Qe5+ Kh7 34. Qe8 { Now Qxe8 is met with Rxh4+. Black resignshere. Now if ... } 34... Qf6 35. Re6 { The overloaded queen can no longer defendeverything. Now if 35... Qg7 36. Rxh4+ Kg8 37. Rxg6 } 35... Qf5 36. Rxh4+ Kg7 37. Qd7+ *

[Event "prince26's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.02.02"] [Round "-"] [White "mk_020942"] [Black "thitho"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1670"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1629"] 1. e4 c5 { when I face a player at that level, I avoid e5. } 2. d3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 { without the d4 move, I decided to go fianchetto } 5. Bd2 d6 6. h3 e6 7. Be2 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 a6 10. Be3 Bd7 { 10 moves withoutany contact... } 11. d4 { first contact } 11... cxd4 12. Nxd4 Qc7 13. Qd2 { mk isstill very precautionous. We are both very calm players } 13... Ne5 { my idea wasto point on c3. I must admit my knight was an obstacle. } 14. Nf3 Nxf3+ { but mk decided to help me, here. } 15. Bxf3 Bxc3 { I never hesitate to givemy bishop for pawns doubled } 16. bxc3 { For me this was a very good position,as white have three pawns structures and two are not good. My pawns structuresare really good. } 16... Rac8 17. Rab1 { Of course not Bd4, cause of e5 } 17... Bb5 { Irefused Qxc3 18. Qxc3 Rxc3 19. Rxb7 as I lose the good structure of mypawns and white has the initiative. } 18. Rfd1 { good counter-attack } 18... Rfd8 19. Rb3 d5 { of course not Ba4 followed by the Deadly Bb6 } 20. exd5 { i thoughtwhite 'd played e5. } 20... Nxd5 { last officer on board! } 21. Bxd5 { almost necessary } 21... Rxd5 { all the opened columns are mine. } 22. Qe1 Rxd1 23. Qxd1 Ba4 { blackanswered after that very correctly, until... } 24. Bb6 Qc6 25. Rb4 Bb5 26. Bd4 Rd8 27. Qg4 Qd5 28. a4 Bc6 29. h4 { ... this } 29... f5 { my surprise. I reallychecked a long time on this. My bet was on advancing f and e pawns andprofit on any mistake by white. Of course, white threatens rapidly matein g7 if I let the queen go there, but for now white must Watch g2, alsothreatened by mate. I really believed mk was surprised here. } 30. Qg5 f4 { white cannot take f4 and is not willing to exchange queen, as my pawnstructure is still much better. } 31. Qg4 e5 { 'get back! Get back to whereyou once belong' } 32. Bb6 { or get front... } 32... Re8 33. h5 { here is his surprise:-) } 33... Re6 { but ok: he can't let me take back Rg6. } 34. h6 { new threat incase his queen get on 7th line or diagonale a1-h8 } 34... Kf7 { protecting therook and getting to center } 35. a5 { free the rook from defense } 35... f3 { I hadthis in mind for a long time. My goal is not to take back f3, but to goon the first line with Queenie... } 36. gxf3 Qd1+ { here i am! Now the firston f3 is my bisphop! } 37. Kg2 { protecting f3 } 37... Rf6 { attacking a third timeand threatening mate. } 38. Qc4+ { and... i didn't see it coming!!!!! congratsto mk! } 38... Ke7 { no panic... no repetitive moves } 39. Bc5+ { better than Qc5+ } 39... Kd7 40. Qd3+ { best and only move. } 40... Qxd3 41. cxd3 { structure is better now } 41... Rxf3 42. Kh2 { good choice } 42... Rxd3 { better than taking f2: white has onceagain bad pawn structures. } 43. f4 e4 { i didn't want white rook on f4 } 44. Rd4+ { Not again! and on the same place! But this time i am not forcedto exchange } 44... Ke6 45. Rxd3 exd3 { my structure is much better, but we haveopposite bishops... and that is a possibility of a draw } 46. Be3 Kf5 47. Kg3 { damn! I cannot pass! } 47... Ke4 48. Kf2 Kd5 49. Kg3 Kc4 { I must say i Underestimatethe calculation, here. } 50. Bd2 Kb5 51. Kh4 { the run started } 51... Kxa5 52. Kg5 Kb5 53. Kf6 a5 54. Kg7 a4 55. Kxh7 a3 56. Kg7 { much better than Kxg6,exposing the king to the future queen! excellent! } 56... a2 57. h7 a1=Q 58. h8=Q { both on track! Who's in front? I believed it was me. } 58... Qb2 { as i couldnot check, i decided to Attack the bishop } 59. Qh2 Be4 { g6 was still unprotected } 60. Qf2 Bf5 { to be safer } 61. Qg2 Ka6 62. Kh6 Qa3 63. c4 Qf8+ { a plan toexchange the queens } 64. Kg5 Qe7+ 65. Kh6 Qe2 { exchange! } 66. Qd5 { butno!!!! he does not want! } 66... Qxd2 67. Qb5+ { and now the run to draw } 67... Ka7 68. Qc5+ Kb8 69. Qd6+ Kc8 70. Qf8+ Kc7 71. Qc5+ Kb8 72. Qd6+ Ka7 73. Qc5+ b6 { I believed I found the clue... } 74. Qc7+ Ka6 75. c5 Qh2+ 76. Kg7 Qb2+ { and now i can protect my king } 77. Kh6 bxc5 78. Qd6+ Qb6 { white resigend...thanks mk for this very nice game. I studied a lot! } 0-1

[Event "Gruenfeld Mini-Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.26"] [Round "-"] [White "afghanknight"] [Black "fatcat2"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1440"] [TimeControl "7d+1d<8d"] [WhiteElo "1429"] 1. d4 { Hi all! Here is a mini-tournament game in which I won with a neatqueen trap! In this mini-tournament, all the games were preset to startoff with the Gruenfeld Defence. } 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 { The GruenfeldDefence. Black offers White the chance to grab a big pawn centre, whichhe will then try to undermine. The sharp Classical Exchange Variation runs4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3, and White has a massive pawn centre, butBlack will place intense pressure on this pawn centre with 6...Bg7 7...c58...Nc6. However, if White can hold on to his pawn centre, he can expectan edge in the middlegame. } 4. c5 { ? A weak move. Firstly, this takes offall White's pressure on the centre, and, secondly, Black can undermineWhite's overextended pawn-structure with 4...b6, which is what I will do! } 4... b6 5. Qa4+ { 5.b4 a5! 6.a3? bxa4 and White's a-pawn is pinned, so this continuationis clearly losing for White. When I used to mess around with 3.c5 or 4.c5for White in queen pawn openings, I soon realised this, so I used to tryto complicate things and throw a spanner in Black's works with Qa5+. Clearlymy opponent was thinking along the same lines. For an example of extremelyactive queenside play in an annotated game - my first ever! when I usedthis strategy as White, try here: http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/lrr-rules.pl?gm=18725 } 5... Bd7 { Blocking and developing with tempo as the queen must do somethingabout this threat. } 6. Qb3 bxc5 7. Nxd5 cxd4 8. Qb7 { An apparently powerfulmove, trying to pick up material on Black's queenside. However, despiteWhite's seemingly strong continuations, I believe that Black can stillgain a superior position. I am planning to play ...c5 and ...e5, grabbinga huge share of the centre and exploiting White's lost d- and c-pawns -products of his poor 4th move. } 8... Bc6 { The only move that saves material,and this is a strong move since it forces White to react to Black's counter-threat. } 9. Nxc7+ { (?) Loses material as 9...Kd7 leaves two of White's pieces (Qand N) under attack. } 9... Kd7 { Obviously 10.Nxa8?? Bxb7 and Black will gainqueen and knight for rook. } 10. Qb3 { Fleeing, and targeting the pawn onf7. Can this compensate for the knight? Even if it was a free pawn, itwouldn't, and this pawn will certainly give Black indigestion... } 10... Qxc7 11. Qxf7 { ?? } 11... Bd5 { Ta-raa!!!!!!! Her majesty is trapped within a wall ofBlack's irritating minor pieces. This is truly a beautiful queen trap.I must include this in my 'Favourite Games' portfolio. } 12. Qxd5+ Nxd5 { White has no resistance left. He is down by a queen for a pawn, and massivelybehind on development - not that that matters when you're a queen behind!If it's OK with everyone, I'm not going to comment any further on thisgame, since Black has so clearly won in this position :-). } 13. e3 dxe3 14. Bxe3 Nxe3 15. fxe3 Qa5+ 16. Kf2 Qd2+ 17. Be2 Qxb2 18. Nh3 Nc6 19. Rhd1+ Kc7 20. Nf4 Qe5 21. Nd5+ Kc8 22. Bg4+ e6 23. Nf4 Qb2+ 24. Kg3 Qe5 25. Bxe6+ Kc7 26. Rd7+ Kb6 27. Rb1+ Bb4 28. Rd5 Qxe3+ 29. Kg4 Rhf8 30. g3 Rxf4+ 31. gxf4 Qxe6+ 32. f5 Qxd5 33. fxg6 Qe4+ 34. Kh5 Qxg6+ 35. Kh4 Qxb1 36. a4 Be7+ 37. Kh3 Qd3+ 38. Kg4 Rg8+ 39. Kf4 Qf1+ 40. Ke4 Rg4+ 41. Ke3 Qh3+ 42. Kf2 Rg2+ 43. Kf1 Qf3+ 44. Ke1 Qe2# { White struggled like a shoal of fishin a net. But I filleted his king...eventually :-). Thanks for lookingat this game! } 0-1

[Event "An attack on the uncastled king"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "oodle"] [Black "chippermunk"] [Result "1-0"] 1. d4 { I usally do the king's pawn but I wanted to do something diffrent. } 1... c5 { !? I have never faced this before. } 2. dxc5 { So I try to accept itunsure what is going to happen next. } 2... Qa5+ { I see. An opening trap. Butthe queen is out early. } 3. Nc3 { Maybe a little too early. } 3... Qxc5 4. Qd5 { I didn't think of this first but it seems Ok. } 4... d6 { ?! Strange. } 5. Be3 { Attacking the queen, again. } 5... Qxd5 { Black does an exchange of queens veryearly. Once again, mabye a little too early. } 6. Nxd5 { THreatening a forkon c7. } 6... Nf6 { Black falls into the trap. Barley noticed that was going tohappen. } 7. Nc7+ { Any person would've noticed this fork so it is surprisingthat my opponent did not. } 7... Kd8 8. Nxa8 { I won't be able to get my knightout now. } 8... Nd5 { Just as I expected. } 9. Bxa7 { Black didn't notice that. } 9... Nb4 { It's the Nifty Nxc2+ he's aiming at now. He thinks he can pay me backafter the Nc7+ and Nxa8. But I'm not falling for it. } 10. O-O-O { Now O-O-Omight seem plain, but it creates a pin on the d-file. } 10... N8c6 { Now blackis starting to think, but not after my next bit. } 11. Bc5 { Ooops! I madea mistake here. The missing key was Nxa2+, and I think he would make thatnext move. } 11... Nxa2+ { Yes for sure. } 12. Kb1 { Now the knight is stuck, butnever mind. } 12... Ncb4 { A dogey move. } 13. Bb6+ { I like playing checks. } 13... Kd7 { A standard square. And oh, I wish my white-squared bishop was out. } 14. Nc7 { Getting my knight out. } 14... e5 { !? I don't see the point. } 15. e4 { e4was simply perfect if black would let me play my next move. Also makesNf3 more intresting and normal. } 15... f6 { Now that's a pretty fine move, butit doesn't stop my next move. } 16. Bb5+ { Great. Now hopefully I will beable to mate with 3 minor pieces working together, just like Legall's Mate. } 16... Ke7 17. c3 { The knight's stuck, and the threat is cxb4, Kxa2 or Nd5+ } 17... Nc6 { Now I can do what I planned. } 18. Nd5+ { Here comes the dogey check. } 18... Ke6 19. Bc4 { Here is a double threat and a fork. } 19... Nxc3+ { Now I can make a checkfollowed by a check. } 20. Nxc3+ { Amazing. } 20... Kd7 21. Nf3 { I add one morepiece. } 21... d5 { ?? A blunder. } 22. Rxd5+ { I ought to do it with my rook.AndCheck. } 22... Bd6 { Forced. But Nb5 wins. } 23. Nb5 { Exactly. } 23... Ke7 { The first thingto do is if a piece is pinned (for example, the bishop on d6), and thereare 2 pieces controlling it (like the rook and the knight), and the oppisiteside only has 1 ( the king), usally the target has best to run (like toe7). } 24. Nxd6 { Now I am 11 points up, but Be6 saves the game, for a bit. } 24... Be6 { I cannot help that to happen. And there is no defence. } 25. Nf5+ { Ormaybe there is, a little brain could work out some clever exuses. } 25... Kf7 { A very bad sqaure. } 26. Rd7+ { Now the bishop on e6 is pinned, so it cannottake my rook. Whichever way black escapes from check, I will capture nextmove with Bxe6. } 26... Ke8 { Bxe6 protects my rook. } 27. Bxe6 { I have now got3 minor pieces and 1 majoir pieces working together, but I've got 1 minorand major piece snozzling in the cornes. But never mind. Black has to dealwith the Rd8*. } 27... g6 { Uh-oh, that spoils my plan for a bit. But it does allowsomething else. } 28. Ng7+ { I think that's proper. } 28... Kf8 { Forced. But therecomes another sparkling spectacular mate... } 29. Bc5+ { Bc5...which coudl'vebeen mate without that knight on c6, but that makes no diffrence, } 29... Ne7 30. Bxe7+ { A wonderful check using a rook, a knight and two bishops. } 30... Kxg7 { Planning a discovered check. } 31. Bd8+ { That was my only square that camein mind. D8. } 31... Kh6 { He had a choice there. E8 or H6. } 32. Bxf6 { The twobishops look very strong. } 32... Rc8 { Are you sure that is a good square? } 33. Bg5+ { Aha. Here comes the mate in 2. A fine bishop check. } 33... Kh5 { Forced.Shame g5 was blocked. } 34. g4# { A very high-standard mate by 2 bishops,a knight and a pawn. } 1-0

[Event "A crushing game."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.04.23"] [Round "-"] [White "lake-bay"] [Black "smikal11"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1266"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1522"] { A game that goes very favorably for me. } 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d6 { Not the mainline. } 3. Nf3 b6 { Maybe not the best. } 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bb5+ { !?Just Nc3 was best. } 6... Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Nc3 e5 { This is a little premature. } 9. Ndb5 exf4 { ? This is where he started to fall apart. } 10. Bxf4 { Puttinglots of pressure on the d-pawn. } 10... Qc6 { ? This doesn't help anything. } 11. O-O { I get rid of the possible Qxg2. } 11... Na6 12. Re1 { This was just a waitingmove. I hoped for ...0-0-0??, Nxa7+! } 12... g6 { ?? Now his knight is unprotected. } 13. Bxd6 Rd8 { ? Not the best thanks to my next move. } 14. e5 { !! My attackis overpowering! } 14... Be7 { Not much else to do. } 15. exf6 { The bishop is pinned. } 15... Rd7 { Again, black is floundering. } 16. Rxe7+ { I close in. } 16... Kd8 { Not helpinganything. } 17. Rxd7+ Kxd7 18. Be7+ { Sending his king to... } 18... Kc8 { ...there.Now I... } 19. Nxa7+ { He resigned. His queen would go and he would be lost. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.11.21"] [Round "-"] [White "striped_horse"] [Black "chess_avenger"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1446"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1526"] 1. e4 { Latvian Counter Gambit } 1... e5 2. Nf3 f5 3. Nxe5 Qf6 4. d4 d6 5. Nc4 fxe4 6. Nc3 Qg6 7. f3 exf3 8. Qxf3 Nc6 9. Nb5 Bg4 10. Qc3 Kd7 11. d5 Re8+ { I have done Nd8 in a past game which did not fair well for me. Here Idid Re8+ which seems like an aggressive move. I have won all my past gamesdoing this move. Other options to consider include: Qe4+ and Nf6. Engineanalysis suggests Nge7 followed by: 12. dxc6+ bxc6 13. Qd4 Nd5 14. Nc3Re8+ 15. Ne3 Nxe3 16. Bxe3 Qe6 17. Kf2 Qf5+ 18. Kg1 c5 19. Bb5+ Kc8 } 12. Be3 { Exactly like my previous games white responds with 12. Be3. Uponfurther calculations though Ne3 gives white an even better advantage. } 12... Qe4 { The Mistake: Qe4 13. dxc6+ bxc6 14. Nxa7 d5 15. Bd3 Qxg2 16. Nb6+cxb6 17. Qxc6+ Ke7 18. Rf1 Qxh2 19. Qb7+ Bd7 20. Qxb6 Nf6 Although blackis still at a disadvantage Qf6 13. dxc6+ bxc6 14. Nd4 d5 15. Na5 Rxe3+16. Qxe3 Bb4+ 17. c3 Bxa5 18. h3 Bh5 19. Ba6 c5 20. Bb5+ Kc8 21. Qe6+ Qxe6+22. Nxe6 gives a closer game. } 13. dxc6+ bxc6 14. Nxa7 d5 { Again I am followingmy old game lines. ... d5 15. Bd3 Qxg2 16. Nb6+ cxb6 17. Qxc6+ Ke7 18. Rf1Nf6 19. Qc7+ Ke6 20. Nc6 Be7 21. Bxb6 Kf7 22. Nd4 is not very good lookingfor black. Improvement: ... Nf6 15. Bd3 Qxg2 16. Rf1 Qxh2 17. Nb6+ cxb618. Qxc6+ Ke7 19. Qc7+ Ke6 20. Bc4+ Ke5 21. Nc6+ Ke4 22. Bd3+ Kd5 23. Ne7+Ke6 24. Bc4+ Ke5 } 15. Bd3 Qxg2 16. Ne5+ { White has made a mistake: 16. Ne5+ Rxe5 17. Qxc6+ Ke7 18. Qxc7+Ke6 19. Qb6+ Kf7 20. Rf1+ Nf6 21. Nc6 Re4 22. Rf2 Qh1+ 23. Bf1 Bf3 24.Qc7+ Kg8 25. Qb6 Best would be: 16. Nb6+ cxb6 17. Qxc6+ Ke7 18. Rf1 Nf6 19. Qxg7 Rhf8 20. Rg1 Qxh2 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Rxg4 Nxg4 23. Qxg4+ } 16... Rxe5 17. Qxc6+ Ke7 18. Qxc7+ Kf6 { Awful mistake by me. ...Ke6 is a much safer location. (19. Qb6+ Kf7 20. Rf1+ Nf6 21. Nc6 Re422. h3 Bh5 23. Rf2 Qg1+ 24. Bf1 Kg8 25. Qa7 d4) } 19. Rf1+ Ke6 { The gameis over. Ke6 is checkmate in 3 moves by white. } 20. Qf7+ Kd6 21. Qxf8+ Ke6 22. Qf7+ Kd6 23. Nb5+ Kc6 24. Qc7# 1-0

[Event "The Joblock at Work"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.10"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "dongoodman"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "2033"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1802"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! Operation Joblock has resulted in another ExpertDraw for me. Dongoodman has kindly commented on my previous annotationsso I thought it would be nice to challenge him. The endgame worked outwell. I believed I was able to lock him out so I offered him a draw andhe accepted it. So how did this happen? We pick up the action on Move5 where I castled short. The opening is a Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O { 5. 0-0 - Nxe5 will resultin Qd4 winning back my e4 pawn as my knight must move from e5 to avoidbeing taken. I am now threatening Ne4 because if the Wicked Witch of theWest does try the fork trick then she will be pinned to her other halfby my rook on e1 and lost. Black now backs up the e5 pawn with Bd6. } 5... Bd6 6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 { 7. Qxd4 - pawn trade. } 7... f6 8. Be3 Ne7 9. Nbd2 { 9. Nbd2- the last few moves have been spent developing my pieces and clearingthe decks on the back row. } 9... O-O 10. Nc4 Ng6 11. Nxd6 cxd6 { 11. ..... cxd6- straightening out the queenside pawns but removing the bishop pair. } 12. Rad1 Qe7 13. Qxd6 Qxe4 { 13. ...... Qxe4 - another pawn trade. } 14. Qc5 Be6 15. Rd4 { 15. Rd4 - forcing a queen trade. } 15... Qf5 16. Qxf5 Bxf5 17. c3 { 17. c3 - this pawn moves out of the line of ecclesiastical fire andbrimstone from black's dsb. } 17... Rfe8 18. h3 { 18. h3 - to prevent a move suchas Bg4 should my rook have to move off the 4th rank. } 18... Rad8 19. Rfd1 Rxd4 20. Rxd4 { 20. Rxd4 - rook trade. } 20... Ne7 21. c4 { 21. c4 - to prevent Nd5. } 21... Be6 22. b3 Nf5 23. Re4 Nxe3 24. Rxe3 { 24. Rxe3 - now Fou Lenoir loses hislife for the black knight. What now? } 24... c5 { 25. ...... c5 - aiming to keepmy pawns on light squares so that they will be vulnerable to attack fromblack's lsb. } 25. Kf1 Kf8 26. Ke2 { 26. Ke2 - Henry comes to the centreto prevent ingress of the black rook into my position via the d column. } 26... b6 27. Kd2 Kf7 28. g4 { 28. g4 - the start of a kingside Joblock. } 28... g5 29. Nh2 { 29. Nh2 - a queer looking placement for the knight but this is tosupport my kingside pawns should black try a pawn break down the h column. } 29... Rb8 30. Rc3 { 30. Rc3 - a subtle, flexible move. Should black try a pawnbreak down the queenside, my rook will go to c2 and aim to prevent ingressdown the a or b column should there be a pawn trade or two. } 30... h5 31. f3 { 31. f3 - the pawn break has come like I thought it would. I refuse totake the temporary sacrifice because it will allow the BR some ingressdown the h column. Time to bolt the door and offer a draw - my opponentaccepted so my gameknot profile now reads 1 Master Draw and 10 Expert Draws. Nice. } 31... f5 32. Ke3 Rh8 33. Rc2 Kf6 34. Rg2 { 34. Rg2 - I believe this moveto be very flexible and versatile. It certainly adds protection to g4and protects the knight on h2. } 34... b5 35. cxb5 { 35. cxb5 - forced. } 35... axb5 36. Kd3 { 36. Kd3 - so Henry rushes a la John McEnroe to the other side of theCourt! } 36... b4 37. Rc2 hxg4 38. hxg4 { 38. hxg4 - forced. } 38... Rh3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.25"] [Round "-"] [White "juva"] [Black "rslaman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1591"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1592"] { I have playd this game And Kneilca asked me to share some ideas with youguys so i will give it a go. To start with, I love to play the Frenchdefence, 1. e4 – e6. I started to play this like 10 years ago and I stillplay it a lot.. Main reason for this is that White often find it hard tocreate ideas or space in their position. I admit.. Its also hard for blackto do but in a while you will be able to recognize patterns in your ownplay. Or, if you want to see that coming faster, you look up theory aboutit on youtube or bookstores.. I Studied the following DVD : The killerFrench, from Simon Williams. You can order this is at http://www.gingergm.com.This dvd makes your play a lot easier and therefore attractive. I alsoadvice to buy the second dvd as well. in Dvd 2you will find the positionalidea that I used in this game. } 1. f4 { hmmm bad luck for me.. its notthe e4 move but its f4.. In some variations of the french defence, Thewinawer as example f4 is playd in a later state.. therefore i still repliedwith e6 with keeping the possibility in gaining that position open } 1... e6 2. Nf3 { Still possible. But Also kept in mind that there is a good changethat we wont end up in a french defence variation. } 2... d5 { Still possible..But Also kept in mind that there is a good change that we wont end up ina french defence variation. However, the moves that are played in the Frenchdefence looks legit on against this opening as well. } 3. e3 { Okay, wellin the french defence the e pawn normally goes to e4 instead. So maybeits time to drop that idea for black. however as said before.. the pawnposition that you go for in the French Defence, also looks strong here.So I just proceed with that way of developing. } 3... c5 4. Be2 Nc6 5. O-O { Atfirst sight, this looks solid for white. However, If I can brake up thecenter the black squares might become available for my dark bisschop. Ibelieve we got an equal position here. } 5... Bd6 6. b3 { b3 gives white the opportunityto set the white dark bisschop on the long diagonal. } 6... b6 7. Bb2 Nf6 8. d3 { this moves makes the square e3 weak. So I wouldn’t be surprised ifwhite wants to go for e4 and maybe even f5. However, this migt take sometime.. My dark bisschop is attacking the f4. When he plays e4 white willlose the defence on f4. I also want a to let my white bisschop go to abetter square. I prefer to do so without blocking other options. Bisschoplooks strong on b7 but on the other side.. there is a lot material in theway for that long diagonal. Also the knight on f3, is overprotected. Ona later state, I also want some options to do something on white queensideof the board.. therefore I do believe that the move a5 makes sense. IfI can push that pawn fun further on the a file.. It might give white holes.If I get it to a3 it also might irritate white darks bisschop. Plus, Ileave the option to move my light bisschop to a6. It might be a bitodd to make the move cause the idea to make some brakes in the white pawnstructure.. However.. to do that quick, white needs to weaken his pawnstructure a bit more. } 8... a5 9. Qe1 { hmmm now the queen is defending thepawn structure a bit less. I think whites idea is to go to g3 or h5 andattack on my kingfile. Specially when I castle. I do have enough faithin my own position to handle this attacking idea at this point. + I alsoneed to bring my king into a save position. } 9... O-O 10. Nc3 { This move, ifyou look at it, it might look decent. The knight is developed now, disadvantagepoint of it, its blocking the diagonal but Nb5 looks like a good move forwhite.. I want to keep my dark square on the at this point silly lookingdiagonal. So I have want to avoid white knight to come to b5. easiest wayis to play Ba6 here. But often, I do prefer a counter attack } 10... Ng4 { If whitedecides to play Nb5 here anyways, I simply take on e3 anyways. Attackingthe rook on f1, and also threaten to play NXc2 and forking the queen one1 and the rook on a1 The main threat is going for the e3 square here.Cause of black is attacking the pawn on e3, white probably needs to defendthe pawn. Bd1 looks a bit weird.. Same as Nd1, both options will make theRook on a1 looks imprisoned. Same counts for Bc1. but for Bc1, also countsthat the strong placed bisschop left its diagonal. } 11. Bd1 { I can understandthis move.. White needed to defend e3. But Bd1 seems like an odd positionfor the bisschop. At this point, look how important it was to play a5 insteadof Bb7 right away. This saved me one tempo and Ba6 looks attractive now. } 11... d4 { I can understand this move.. White needed to defend e3. But Bd1 seemslike an odd position for the bisschop. At this point, look how importantit was to play a5 instead of Bb7 right away. This saved me one tempo andBa6 looks attractive now. However, the e3 square is defended by the queen..I do have a center brake here cause of that.. the square d4 is defendedtwice.. 1, the Knight on f3, 2 the pawn on e3. ( the e3 pawn has to leavethe square that I want for my Knight ) I also uses the disadvantaged sideof the whites 10th move (Nc3). 2 options here: Ba6 or the center brake..Well easy decision for me. } 12. Ne4 { Here I think white blunders 2 pawn.Going for the exchange on e6 is to slow cause taking the pawn on e3, usesas a attack on the rook as well. } 12... Nxe3 13. Rf2 Bxf4 { 2 pawns up, the centrumis mine and the Bisschop on b2 has lost functions here. } 14. Bc1 { logical.Now it has functions again.. Then again, the moves has some disadvantages.If white exchanges on e3, I take back with my bisschop. The bisschop isplaced strong on e3 and its also threatening a +exchange cause of the pinnedrook on f2. } 14... f5 15. Ned2 Bb7 { hmmm .. Mayb this is not the best move..Bisschop h6 might be better. Makes me able to defend the e4 with one moredefender (pawn to f5 as a next move) a well :P } 16. g3 { thats for thesecond change to do that ;) Good thing that I have that idea at this pointwere it was missing on the previous move.. or maybe its just a lucky incidentcause I'm forced to move my bisschop here. } 16... Bh6 17. Nf1 f4 { And voilla.ofcourse white can play g4X here but that weakens white kingside badly. } 18. Bxe3 { The power of f4 is that the rook on f8 joins the attack. Afterthis move, white is kind a forced to play Rg2 to keep defending the Nf3with the Bisschop on d1. Whites 11th move was a great move after all. } 18... fxe3 19. Re2 { No!! thats a shame of this game. Position was really goodfor black but at this point.. black is 2 pawns and a piece up. Rg2 wouldalso be powerfull for black cause of the Bb7. Plan was to play the weirdlooking move Na7 and Qf6 } 19... Rxf3 { I can't blame Juva for giving up over here.He was down to much material. Finding the right moves after a gameis of course easier then during the game. However you have a lot of timefor every move your play and I do believe that white has chosen for a difficultreply on blacks move. Stills its not a bad idea to play games like thiswith white. You learn a lot from games like this.. And better test stufflike this out online then during an official match in real life. I dobelieve that this games shows that it is hard to find the right moves forwhite. If black playd Ba6 on move 10. instead of Ng4 whites game wouldbe a lot easier.. I find it fun and also a bit my style to play e6against the f4. I’m not a professional and there are many stronger thenme but still if you like the way I playd against f4 feel free to do soas well. Special thanks to Kneilca for looking into this game :) } 0-1

[Event "PERPETUAL CHECK!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.08.06"] [Round "-"] [White "jotheblackqueen"] [Black "5imon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1997"] [TimeControl "3d+3d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1904"] 1. Nf3 { Hi everyone! It is not often I give away the outcome of a gamein the title, but because this game will go in a themed thread on Walkingthe Walk & Learning to Run, I feel it is necessary. The player who isat a disadvantage (either threatened with # on the move) or behind on materialusually instigates the perpetual check. But who was the instigator ofthe perpetual? Read on and find out. } 1... c5 { 1. ..... c5 - In response to theReti, Simon plays c5. I think he is hoping to transpose into a Sicilian. } 2. e4 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 { 4. Nxd4 - and it does! } 4... Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Nb3 Be6 7. c4 a5 { 7. ...... a5 - I think Simon is trying to stop me from castlinglong. } 8. Be3 { 8. Be3 - development. } 8... Be7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Be2 Nc6 11. O-O { 11. 0-0 - so I go kingside. } 11... a4 12. Nd2 Qa5 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. cxd5 { 14.cxd5 - B for P trade. } 14... Nb4 15. a3 Na6 { 15. ..... Na6 - Simon's knight isdriven back. } 16. Nc4 { 16. Nc4 - and Sir Lollabout goes forward! } 16... Qc7 17. Qxa4 { 17. Qxe4 - and now Glenda zaps a pawn! But will she get away withit? We shall see. } 17... Nc5 18. Qd1 { 18. Qd1 - she bids a hasty retreat! } 18... b5 19. Nd2 { 19. Nd2 - so does Sir Lollabout! } 19... Rfb8 20. Rc1 { 20. Rc1 - pin! } 20... Qd7 21. Qe1 b4 22. axb4 Rxb4 23. Bxc5 dxc5 24. Nc4 { 24. Nc4 - after a plethoraof exchanges, Sir Lollabout returns to c4. I now have a passer on d6. This looks good but it looks as though Simon has a plan of attack fromhis heavies via the queenside. } 24... Qc7 25. Rd1 { 25. Rd1 - threatening d6 forkingBQ and BB. } 25... Ne8 26. Qg3 f6 27. Qg4 { 27. Qg4 - Glenda is thinking of entrenchingherself on d6 with check. } 27... Nd6 28. Nxd6 Qxd6 { 28. ....... Qxd6 - knight trade. } 29. Rd2 Rab8 30. Rb1 Qb6 31. Rc2 { 31. Rc2 - I plan to trade my b pawn forSimon's c pawn. } 31... c4+ 32. Kf1 { 32. Kf1? - in retrospect a misstep for Henry. I was loathe to create the possibility of back row chances by puttinghim on h1. However, Henry will be far more trapped as the game will evolve. } 32... Qe3 33. Qe6+ { 33. Qe6+ - so both queens sit on the e file and on theirrespective opponent's third rank! } 33... Kf8 34. d6 Bd8 35. Bxc4 Rxc4 36. Rxc4 Bb6 { 36. ..... Bb6 - I end up a clear exchange and two pawns up. But, Henryis just starting to shiver. It seems as though Old Matey is about to descendon f2 and I can do nothing about it. But! } 37. Rc8+ Rxc8 38. Qxc8+ { 38.Qxc8 CHEEECK!! } 38... Kf7 39. Qd7+ Kg6 { 39. ....Kg6 - this move is virtually forced. Either Kf8 or Kg8 lead to Glenda delivering mate on e8. } 40. Qg4+ { 40.Qg4+ Glenda checks King Simon again! } 40... Kf7 { 40. .... Kf7 - King Simon retreatsto f7. He could block the check with his queen but I would simply tradequeens and he is an exchange plus two pawns down - not in his best interests. The king retreat allows Glenda to check again on d7. } 41. Qd7+ Kg6 42. Qg4+ { 42. Qg4+ and draw offer which Simon accepts. He told me in the chatthat he felt it was quite an exciting game. Ah well, I hope you have agood read because I have two more annotations in the pipeline for you. One more from Yours Truly which I will call Berserker Pawn and anotherfrom ab15 which will require a lot of thought! } 1/2-1/2