Datasets:

natetsang

/

fishgpt

like 1

[Event "Challenge from geniusacamel"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.07.29"] [Round "-"] [White "caveman1960"] [Black "geniusacamel"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2144"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1881"] 1. e4 { geniusacamel gives me the chance to avenge my loss. I decide togo back to an old favourite especially as I predict a French Defence afterscouting his games. } 1... e6 { Preparation rewarded. Part 2 of the plan retainthe initiative even if it means sacking material. } 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 { 3.Nc3is the most active move in this position I think. 3.Nd2 is more of a restrainingblack type of move and 3.e5 though gaining space can get stodgy whilststill allowing black counterplay } 3... Bb4 { I guessed camelagenius would choosethis most dynamic of variations, } 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 { The most aggressive continuation and in line with my desire to seize theinitiative. Here I was hoping to channel the spirit of Tal inspired byGame 1 1960 World Chess Championship Tal v. Botvinnik } 7... O-O { This surprisedme. I was expecting/hoping for 7......Qc7 sacrificing the g7/h7 pawns forcounterplay } 8. Bd3 { 8.Nf3 is also popular but the move played is moredirect with the B targeting the k-side. } 8... c4 { 8.....Nbc6 and 8.....f5 aremore usual and probably better. } 9. Bh6 { Targeting the king and retainingthe initiative } 9... Ng6 { Forced but also getting rid of whites good white squaredbishop. } 10. Bxg6 fxg6 11. Be3 { I like this better than 11.Bd2 as it protectsf2 though the B can become the target of a N on f5. } 11... Nc6 12. h4 { Keep theinitiative. Attack. } 12... Qe8 { Providing protection along the e8/h6 diagonal } 13. h5 { Targeting g6. } 13... gxh5 14. Rxh5 Ne7 15. Nf3 { geniusacamel suggestedthat 15.Ne2 was an interesting alternative } 15... Qg6 16. Rg5 Qh6 { 17.......Qf7may be better } 17. Qg3 { Here I was tempted by 17.Rh5 offering to repeatpositions. My opponent suggested that the position offered more than adraw for white so I played on. } 17... g6 { 17.....Qh1 loses } 18. Nh2 { Redirectingthe knight towards g4 to put more pressure on blacks king } 18... Qg7 { I preferred18.....Nf5 here } 19. Ng4 h6 20. O-O-O { ?? Blunder.I was hoping to get morepieces into the attac at the cost of a rook sac.20.Nf6 should have beenplayed. After 20.......Rxf6 21.exf Qxf6 22.Re5 I didn't think white hadanything really special so I went for the R sac. I should have analysedthe line furter as white has quite a good game } 20... hxg5 21. Bxg5 Nf5 22. Qf4 { 22.Qh3 was a little better though black is still winninh } 22... b5 23. Rh1 Kf7 24. Bf6 g5 { Missed this. Now white is kaput. } 25. Bxg5 Rh8 26. Rxh8 Qxh8 27. Bf6 Qh1+ { white resigns a rook down. Once again frustrated by geniusacamelwho gave chances in the opening/middlegame which once again failed to capitaliseon } 0-1

[Event "Simultaneous Chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18th June 2:00"] [Round "-"] [White "Ravi Sharma"] [Black "Chris Briscoe"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2250"] [TimeControl "Until the end of Chess Club :)"] [WhiteElo "1350"] { NB: 1350 is what i think my GK ELO rating is (the reason my rating isin the 800s is due to timeouts). } 1. e4 { Hello everyone and thank you forgiving up a few moments to see this annotated game :) This was a game iplayed in simultaneous chess against my chess teacher in chess club (iwas not playing simultaneoulsly if you are wondering that). In a real game,my teacher would play as white, but he was so confident about winning allthe games, he put himself as black in all the games. I wrote down the movesagainst my teacher, and decided to annotate it here. } 1... e6 { If you are anintermediate player, you might have noticed that this is the French Defence.This used to be my favorate opening, but i gave up on it recently. whilelooking at the other games, i noticed that my tutor played different openingsagainst all of us (either it was the Sicilian, Alkaline Defence or theFrench Defence. } 2. d4 d5 { Here i wondered what would be a sensible variationto play. Maybe the Exchange Variation because of his strong rating, buti have not really learnt it. } 3. Nc3 { I decided to play the Winewar Variation(i think i spelt it wrong) because it defends the pawn on e4 effectively,and because it is favoured by GMs. } 3... Bb4 { This caused me some trouble. ihave not seen this before. i knew that my e-pawn was in trouble, and thati risk doubling up my pawns. } 4. Ne2 { probobly not the best move, buti chose it because: 1. it develops the knight. 2. if Bxc3, Nxc3 andmy e-pawn is defended. 3. it stops my pawns from doubling up. } 4... dxe4 { isaw this coming, but it did not bother me too much. my simple plan wasto play 5. a3 Ba5 16. b4 Bb6 17. Nxe4. } 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Nxc3 Nf6 { damn!i did not see that Nf6 could simply be played to defend. it is never goodto be a center pawn down against a Grade 189 chess teacher :) } 7. Be3 { can'tremember why i played it. I think it was because i did not want white toplay Nc6 and put pressure on the pawn. i think i played it so Nc6 won'tbother me too much. } 7... Nc6 { not a bad move to play at all... } 8. Bb5 { justhoping to weaken Mr. Briscoe's grip on the centre } 8... O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. O-O Rb8 { some candy for guessing why he played that move :) } 11. b4 Ba6 { a good developing move. } 12. Re1 Bc4 { a very strong move. i think thisis called an outpost. } 13. Bg5 { the plan is to exchange pieces, and thentake the undefended pawn with Nxe4. apparently, this was quite a good move. } 13... Bd5 { to defend the pawn (does he give up :) ). However, the pawn is alsoattacked by the rook as well as the knight. } 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Nxe4 { ifBxe4, Rxe4. } 15... Qg6 { threatening the knight on e4 } 16. Qd3 { defending andchaining the rooks. I don't really know, but i think i am winning in thisposition. I can't really tell. If you have a view on what i think, youcan write this down in the comments section. it would be appreciated :) } 16... Rfd8 17. c4 { personally, i liked this move. it fights for the centre, setsup a nice pawn structure, and it forces Bxe4. } 17... Bxe4 18. Rxe4 e5 { clevermove. if dxe5, Rxd3! and if Rxe5, Qxd3! } 19. d5 { for me, advancing wasthe right thing to do. } 19... cxd5 20. cxd5 c6 { ouch! i had lost the pawn ond5. i knew that defending it is a hopeless task... } 21. Qe3 { ...so i willtake one of his pawns if he takes my pawns. } 21... cxd5 22. Rxe5 d4 { good moveto cause some trouble. } 23. Qe4 d3 24. Qe3 d2 25. Rd1 Qc2 { after a fewOK moves, it reached one of the most complicated positions i had ever encountered.i had to look ahead quite away, and so did white. my teacher told me hewill allow me more time to make my move, otherwise, i might mess up. } 26. Qe2 { i thought this was the best move for me. } 26... Rbc8 { not so obvious atfirst, but after a lot of thinking, i saw it was a lost cause. the mosti can do is stop the pawn from queening, then go a rook down. } 27. Rxd2 Qc1+ 28. Qe1 Qxe1+ { personally, i would have played Rxd2 instead of Qxe1.it puts black in a better position. } 29. Rxe1 Rxd2 30. h3 Rcd8 31. Kh2 Rd1 { lunch was over, and the game had to be judged. it was a win for black. Thank you for your time. i hope you enjoyed the game, and all commentswould be appreciated. Goodbye! } 0-1

[Event "2008 World Championship Match, Bonn"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "21-Oct-08"] [Round "-"] [White "V Anand"] [Black "V Kramnik"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2772"] [WhiteElo "2783"] { Game 6 of the 2008 World championship match played in Bonn. Anand leads3.5 to 1.5, Kramnik has lost twice with black, and surely needs a resultnow to keep his hopes alive going into the second half of the matches.http://live.chessdom.com/games has the full game score and annotationsfrom a GM. } 1. d4 { Every one of these matches has been started 1. d4.Neither player willing to take the risk of the generally more tactical1. e4 I wont bother putting in all the complicated computer generated variations,if you wish to do this then by all means leave comments, otherwise justenjoy the game } 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 { Nimzo-Indian, classicalvariation } 4... d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 { Taking with the pawn leads to sharper variations,although I initially was surprised by the move, it is played in about halfthe games in this position. } 6. Nf3 Qf5 { All very standard pre-preparedopening theory, black allows white to double the f-pawns, but gains pressureon the e4 pawn } 7. Qb3 { A more unusual move according to the database } 7... Nc6 { Rather than retreat the bishop Kramnik protects it, and exerts pressureon the d4 pawn } 8. Bd2 { Unpinning the knight } 8... O-O 9. h3 { Preparing g4 } 9... b6 { Aiming to fianchetto the bishop and exploit weaknesses along the a8-h1diagonal if Anand playes g4 } 10. g4 { Played anyway } 10... Qa5 11. Rc1 { Givingthe option of recapturing with the rook } 11... Bb7 { As planned, perhaps threateningNxd4 since f3 knight will be pinned to the rook } 12. a3 Bxc3 13. Bxc3 { Protectingthe pawn on d4 and attacking the queen } 13... Qd5 { No other safe squares, butthis prompts a queen exchange which would normally lead to a fairly boringgame. } 14. Qxd5 Nxd5 15. Bd2 Nf6 { Again threatening Nxd4. Though Anandwould have the threat Rxc7 once the knight moves. } 16. Rg1 { Puts the rookon a good file, and removes the pin } 16... Rac8 { Kramnik removes the pin on hisknight } 17. Bg2 { Another simple threat with Ne5 } 17... Ne7 18. Bb4 c5 { Ratherthan passively defend the knight with Rfe8, Kramnik sac's a pawn in exchangefor a good attack through the centre } 19. dxc5 Rfd8 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Rxg2 bxc5 22. Rxc5 Ne4 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 { After all those exchanges we will seeAnand having to retreat all his pieces into defensive positions } 24. Nd3 Nd5 25. Bd2 Rc2 { This looks very dangerous to me. But according to expertanalysis Anand should hold this position, and then be able to utilise theextra pawn } 26. Bc1 f5 { Kramnik continued to attack } 27. Kd1 { Driving therook away, already Kramniks apparently strong attack has wilted, and whiteshould now push his e and f-pawns to kick the knights away } 27... Rc8 28. f3 Nd6 29. Ke1 a5 30. e3 e5 31. gxf5 e4 { Sacrificing a second pawn in a bidto continue the attack } 32. fxe4 Nxe4 33. Bd2 a4 34. Nf2 { Drives away thee4 knight, as Kramnik wont want to exchange pieces at 2 pawns down } 34... Nd6 35. Rg4 { Attacking the weak a4 pawn, and driving the knights out of thecentre. With 2 pawns in the centre, Anand will be looking to push one topromotion } 35... Nc4 36. e4 { Already it looks ominous for Kramnik } 36... Nf6 37. Rg3 Nxb2 { Picks up the free pawn, but leaves the knight a long way from preventingthe e and f-pawns being pushed up the board } 38. e5 Nd5 39. f6 { The g7pawn is pinned } 39... Kf7 40. Ne4 { Threatening Nd6 forking rook and king } 40... Nc4 { Defending the d6 square } 41. fxg7 Kg8 { Apparently Rg8 gives white an easywin } 42. Rd3 { I had thought that Nf6 would be strong followed by a knightexchange then Bh6. Anand saw a better continuation however, I'll trusthis judgement } 42... Ndb6 43. Bh6 Nxe5 44. Nf6+ Kf7 45. Rc3 { A wonderful moveto finish with, a classic deflection strategy to allow his g-pawn to promote. } 45... Rxc3 46. g8=Q+ Kxf6 47. Bg7+ { With a clear win. } 1-0

[Event "E.O'Hare Cup"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "L Hulleman"] [Black "R O'Hare"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 { L Hulleman V R O'Hare } 1... e6 2. d4 a6 3. Nf3 b5 4. Bd3 Bb7 5. O-O c5 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. Be3 Bxe3 8. fxe3 Nf6 9. h3 O-O 10. Qe2 Nc6 11. Nbd2 Nh5 { ?? attacking with only 1 bit. } 12. Qf2 Qc7 13. Qh4 Nf6 14. e5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. Rxf6 { A good move } 16... Qxe3+ 17. Kh1 Rfc8 { Bad, P-h6 was needed } 18. Bxh7+ Kf8 19. Rxf7+ Kxf7 20. Rf1+ { If 20 ...K-e8 21 Bg6 Mate } 1-0

[Event "Tiebreak game of the Hartola championship tournament 2008"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "21.4.2008"] [Round "-"] [White "Elmo Suikki"] [Black "Risto Saarinen"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "90 mins"] { This game decided the winner of the championship. The actual tournamentended with three way win by me, Risto Saarinen and Yrj� Nieminen. In thetiebreaks both me and Risto beat Yrj�, so this game was the most importantone. Risto is also kinda like my nemesis, I have lost 3 games in a rowagainst him before this game. So it was a big final. Well... as big asit can get in a small town like Hartola, which isn't that much :P } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 h6 5. e3 b6 6. Be2 Be7 7. d5 { I wanted tomake this move earlier, but felt that I should develop properly instead.Now that the opportunity remained, I took it. I don't know whether thisis strong, though. } 7... cxd5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Nxd5 Bb7 10. Bc4 b5 11. Bb3 a5 { I have had troubles with the pawnstorms on the queenside in previous gameswith him. Overall our games (where I'm white) tend to be the same: I getthe initiative have a good play on the centre and kingside, but his pawnson the queenside give me troubles towards the end. I pressure him hard,but use too much time thinking and end in a time trouble, where I blunderand lose the game. This game follows the pattern to some extent. } 12. a3 a4 13. Ba2 O-O 14. O-O Ra6 { A weird move. I think natural Nc6 or maybetaking to d5 was expected. Of course now black threatens Re6, after 15.Ne5Re6 16.Nxf6 Rxf6 -/ (maybe) } 15. Ne5 d6 { Another weird move. Blocks thedark bishop and the a-rook, which now look rather silly in a6. } 16. Nf3 Re8 17. b4 Nbd7 18. Nxe7+ { !? I think now my dark bishop has good prospectsto aim at black's king but of course it is a dubious idea to exchange astrong knight to a passive bishop, but I feared it would come to a1-h8diagonal and challenge my bishop. } 18... Qxe7 19. Bb2 Qe4 20. Qd4 Ne5 { Here Qg6would've been very strong I think. Now I have chance to liquidate. } 21. Qxe4 Bxe4 22. Nxe5 dxe5 { Black get's rid of his weakness on d6 but I did'tlike black's ideas to come c4 with his knight, plus I get my rooks quickerto open lines than he does. } 23. Rfd1 Bf5 24. Rac1 Be6 { Very good. NowI must give up the bishop pair or retreat. } 25. Bb1 Bc4 26. Rd2 Kf8 27. Rcd1 Bb3 28. Rd6 Rxd6 29. Rxd6 Bc4 30. f3 Nd5 31. Kf2 f6 32. Bf5 Ne7 33. Be4 Rc8 34. f4 f5 35. Bb1 e4 36. Bd4 Kf7 { I think 36.- Ba2!! would havebeen very strong. 36.- Ba2 37.Bxa2 Rc2 But I haven't analysed this gameat all other than during the game, so I don't really know. } 37. g4 { Thiswas stupid objectively. Black still has Ba2! } 37... Rc6 38. Rxc6 Nxc6 39. gxf5 { Now things look much better. } 39... Bd3 { A blunder, Bd5 would be safer. } 40. Ba2+ Bc4 41. Bxc4+ bxc4 42. b5 Na5 43. Bc3 Nb7 44. Ke2 g6 45. fxg6+ Kxg6 46. Bb4 Kf6 47. Kd2 Ke6 48. Kc3 Kd5 49. f5 { I think h3 would have beenbetter and more straighforward way to win. Black would be in zugzwang.But this wins also. } 49... Ke5 50. Kxc4 Kxf5 51. Kd5 Nd8 52. b6 h5 53. Be7 Nb7 54. Kc6 Na5+ 55. Kc7 Kg4 56. Bb4 Nc4 57. b7 Nxe3 58. b8=Q Nd5+ 59. Kc6 Nf4 60. Bd2 Ne6 61. Qe5 { I had only 2 or 3 minutes left and my opponenthad 20. Very typical in our games, but this time I'm just plain winning. } 61... Nd8+ 62. Kd5 e3 63. Bxe3 Kf3 64. Qe4+ Ke2 65. Bg5+ Kf2 66. Qe3+ Kf1 67. Bh4 Kg2 68. Qf2+ Kh1 69. Bg3 { And so, I took my hat trick. Winning thechampionship again. 2006, 2007 and 2008 =) } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from ondrej"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.12.30"] [Round "-"] [White "ondrej"] [Black "thefiddler"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1871"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1864"] 1. e4 c5 2. c3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. d4 Bd7 6. Be2 Nge7 7. O-O { C02French Advance variation, Shirov as black 2012 } 7... Nf5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Bd3 Nh4 11. Qc2 Nxf3+ 12. Nxf3 g6 { I don't love this move, butdidn't see an alternative. } 13. Bh6 Re8 14. h4 f5 15. h5 gxh5 { Couldn'tsee why I shouldn't just take the white pawn. } 16. Qd2 Kh8 17. Rad1 Rg8 { Obviously failed to see the reason for the previous Rd1 move. } 18. Bxf5 Bf8 19. Bh3 Qe8 20. Bg5 Qg6 21. c4 d4 22. Rfe1 h6 23. Bh4 Bb4 24. Bf6+ Kh7 25. Qe2 Bxe1 26. Qxe1 Raf8 27. Nh4 Rxf6 { I didn't see an option. Whiteis threatening Qe4 which looks devastating. } 28. Nxg6 Rfxg6 29. b4 Rg5 30. Qe4+ Kh8 31. b5 Nd8 32. Rxd4 Bc8 33. Qf3 b6 34. Qf6+ { threatens captureon D8. } 1-0

[Event "6th win"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.04.05"] [Round "-"] [White "greenwoodrook72"] [Black "goldmedal10"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "661"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "718"] 1. e4 { normal } 1... e5 { same I am black } 2. Nf3 { knight } 2... Nc6 { same } 3. Nc3 { same } 3... Bd6 { bishop } 4. Nd5 { knight } 4... Nge7 { knight } 5. Nxe7 { same } 5... Qxe7 { queen } 6. Bb5 { white is set to castle } 6... a6 { white has a fork } 7. Bxc6 { i downboth knights } 7... bxc6 { back to 0 } 8. d4 { pawn } 8... exd4 { pawn } 9. Nxd4 { pawn this game goes back to 0 a lot in early going } 9... c5 { pawn } 10. Nf5 { knight } 10... Qxe4+ { check } 11. Ne3 { knight } 11... Qb4+ { king not protected } 12. c3 { pawn } 12... Qb5 { safe } 13. b4 { pawn } 13... cxb4 { it seems like white is just giving awaypieces so far I think i am keeping my pieces safe } 14. cxb4 { pawn not munchminor piece development going on in this game } 14... Qxb4+ { why is white notdoing anything to protect its king } 15. Ke2 { safe for now } 15... a5 { pawn } 16. a3 { same } 16... Qb5+ { check } 17. Ke1 { safe } 17... O-O { castle } 18. Qg4 { queen } 18... g5 { pawn } 19. g3 { same } 19... f5 { same } 20. Qxg5+ { check } 20... Kh8 { too late to attackmy king } 21. Qh6 { queen } 21... Be7 { opps should of moved my rook } 22. Qf4 { queenback } 22... d6 { pawn } 23. h4 { same } 23... Bf6 { bishop } 24. Qh6 { queen } 24... Bg7 { bishop } 25. g4 { forgot about the queen i will make white pay } 25... Bxh6 { yes got themost powerful pieces out of the game } 26. gxf5 { pawn } 26... Bxe3 { down to noeminor piece } 27. fxe3 { down to my final minor piece } 27... Rxf5 { rook } 28. e4 { pawn } 28... Re5 { rook } 29. Bf4 { trying to get my rook out of the game } 29... Rxe4+ { check } 30. Kd2 { safe } 30... Rd4+ { check } 31. Ke3 { safe } 31... Rd5 { rook } 32. Rac1 { rook } 32... Qa4 { queen } 33. Rxc7 { rook } 33... Qxa3+ { check } 34. Ke4 { queen } 34... Rh5 { rook } 35. Bh2 { bishop } 35... Rxh4+ { check } 36. Kd5 { king } 36... Qd3+ { check } 37. Kc6 { king } 37... Ra6# { I won } 0-1

[Event "Neo the Dwarf eats human flesh"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.09"] [Round "-"] [White "stetienne1888"] [Black "thechosen0ne"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1776"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1641"] { I decided to annotate this game because it comes with many twists andturns, most of which were unforeseen. I thought that I was playing wellfor the first half or so, but I soon found myself in a panicked situation,causing me to lose material. What was startling was that I actually madea comeback in the endgame, causing my opponent to resign. I suppose themain message would be never to give up, since your opponent might makea costly error. Feel free to leave comments on your thoughts about thisgame as you go along. Anyways... } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. Nf3 { The standardIndian Defence. My opponent could have played e3 or Nd2 at this point tocontinue the lines. } 3... c5 4. e3 a6 5. c4 Nc6 6. Nc3 Bg4 { At this point, mostpieces are developed, but none are captured. I still intended to play 7.... e6, but instead my opponent captured d5 and all hell broke loose. } 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bg3 cxd4 { I see the opportunity to take out my opponent'scentral pawns here. I suspect that my opponent will either capture my knighton d5 or recapture on d4. If my opponent had moved Ne4 I could have continuedcapturing e3, and down would go his pawn structure. } 9. exd4 Bxf3 { I siezethe opportunity with this move to either mess up my opponent's pawn structurewith gxf3 or win the pawn on d4 after the queen recaptures. (I hadn't thoughtof my doubly-attacked knight on d5 when I played this game. Oh well...) } 10. gxf3 { The less expected option. Note that my opponent still has thatbishop on g3. } 10... e6 11. Bg2 Qb6 { As development continues, I plan an attackto win some pawns, either on b2 or d4. There are a lot of ways my opponentcan defend from here. } 12. O-O Qxb2 13. Nxd5 exd5 { As I recapture, thee column opens up, my lonely king at the end. A second way for my opponentto get at me. I had not realized the danger I was in when I was playingthis game; I was too focused on winning those queen-side pawns. } 14. Rb1 Qxd4 15. Qb3 b5 { In order to prevent a mounting attack on my b pawn, Isacrifice the protection of my knight. A third line of sight opens up formy opponent: the c column. Together with his h2-b8 diagonal and the e file,there is bound to be some chaos on my side of the board. } 16. Rbd1 Qc4 { I may have lost the pawn on d5, but my opponent wanted to keep his queen,which was probably the better option on his part. } 17. Qb2 f6 { Now I seethe attack on my g7 pawn. After delivering Rfe1+, my bishop will have tocome out or else be trapped inside when I move my knight. I figured thatthis would be the best defense. } 18. Rc1 { A skewer with my queen and knight.The only way to stop it is with an attack on the white undefended queen:Qd4 or Qb4. } 18... Qd4 { With the possibility of my opponent retreating his queento b1, maybe Qb4 would have been better for me. I can't remember why Ithought Qd4 was better; probably because it opened up the way for my bishopand protected by vulnerable d5 pawn. } 19. Qc2 Ne7 { It was only now thatI realized the perilous situation that I was in. I had no choice but tobox my bishop in. Rc8 would only lead to Bh3, a disastrous fourth lineof sight for my opponent; There is the threat of a fork on my king androok if the enemy queen accesses c6; I still have my intention of castlingin mind, so I don't move my king. } 20. Rfe1 { A resulting pin from thewhite f1 rook forces me to relinquish my hopes of castling. I simply cannot let c6 go unguarded. } 20... Kf7 21. Bh3 { The fourth and most critical lineof attack is set. No matter how I can try to defend myself, I will loseat least a knight or bishop. } 21... g6 { I hope to fianchetto my bishop, or atleast provide an escape route for my king after Be6+. } 22. Bd6 Qa7 { Accordingto Chessmaster8000, this was the only mistake I had made thus far. Still,I hardly saw it as a mistake and had thought I had many small errors furtherback. I eventually moved my queen back to d4 after his c1 rook attacked.I sought to further defend the 7th rank, as well as my rook. } 23. Qb3 Re8 { Further, I defend my knight. I see a possible Bd7 after my queen is threatenedby his rook. } 24. Rc7 Qd4 25. Be6+ Kg7 26. Bxd5 { ...And there goes my pawn.Maybe I should have moved my queen to the 8th rank, but I feared the whitequeen getting close to my king and capturing the pawn herself. } 26... Kh6 { Irelease the pin on my knight. I hope my king is in a better position. } 27. Bxe7 { And finally, as I had predicted, I lose the knight. I could havegiven up, but I wanted to see which way the game would go, and also seeif my opponent could prove himself worthy. } 27... Bg7 { I decide not to recapture--whichwould be pointless, capitalizing instead on the pin my rook has on thewhite dark-square bishop, letting my rooks protect eachother, and protectingmy own bishop and pawn. } 28. Re4 Qd2 29. Qe3+ { I had moved my queen tod2 with the expectation of giving it greater mobility, however I did notsee the forced exchange. Since I am behind in material, it is not in mybest interest to trade it off. } 29... Qxe3 30. fxe3 { In addition to forcing anexchange, my opponent gains a better pawn structure, with a new centralpawn. These pawns on e3 and f3 become key as the game progresses. } 30... Rc8 { With the trouble of freeing my h1 rook and getting it out in the open,I have nothing better to do but to offer an exchange. It would have beenin my opponent's best interest to take it, as you will see what will happen. } 31. Bd6 Rcd8 { Now I have two unprotected bishops lined up, acknowledgingmy weak g7 bishop. There is bound to be an exchange, but if my opponentwasn't careful he would have lost one bishop. Although he did conduct theexchange without error, his real downfall comes afterward, as you willsee. } 32. Rh4+ Kg5 { Forced. } 33. Bg3 { My opponent attempts to lock me inwith his rook, pawns, and bishop. Little did he know that he was settinghimself up for impending doom. } 33... Rxd5 34. f4+ Kf5 { Forced. } 35. Re7 { Insteadof immediately recapturing my bishop, my opponent threatens checkmate withe4. I only have a couple checks on his king before I would be forced tosacrifice my rook. G5 would only lead to 36. e4+, Kg6, and then f5#. Iconsider resignation in a few moves, but I am curious, just to see if myopponent would make one little mistake... } 35... Rd1+ 36. Kg2 Rd2+ 37. Kh3 { ...Hedid. By instead moving his king to f1, he would have prevented my rookfrom coming to e2. I would have had to sacrifice it by moving it to d4instead, but now there is a glimmer of hope for me. } 37... Re2 38. Rxg7 h5 { Afterthe recapture, I see an opportunity to box my opponent's rook in. } 39. Re7 { If my rook strays from the e file, it is certain checkmate for me. } 39... Rc8 { I develop, cautious (and lucky) for not putting my rook on the darkd8 square. } 40. Bf2 { Again, the bishop cannot be captured due to an impendingcheckmate. My opponent plans to move his king to g3, protecting the bishopand making an escape route for his rook to come to h3. But I see a plan... } 40... g5 { With this threat, the only way that my opponent can save his rook isby either capturing h5 or capturing g5, both of which take away the threatof imminent checkmate, allowing me to take the bishop! } 41. e4+ Kg6 { Ido not want to exchange my rook, a key player in my plan. } 42. fxg5 { NowI can win the bishop outright, but there is another alternative: By simplyrecapturing on g5, I can pretty much guarantee that I will win one of myopponent's rooks. He could play Rh6+, but then I would move my king tof7, forking his two rooks. } 42... fxg5 { And with that, seeing that one of hisrooks was doomed, my opponent resigned. I was quite happy with the outcome,though unexpected. I guess it just goes to show never to give up. ThankYou for viewing! Feel free to take a look at my other annotated games,and PLEASE do not hesitate to leave comments! } 0-1

[Event "League division D1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.04.19"] [Round "-"] [White "thitho"] [Black "combijack"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1788"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1718"] { this game should have been a draw... I proposed once, combijack refused,then he proposed, I refused. I proposed a third time... He fatally refused.But the game is interesting, though I think we both missed many occasions. } 1. Nf3 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 c6 { computer gives this as an inaccuracy,giving withe a slight advantage. I did not see it. } 5. e4 Bg7 6. Be2 Nbd7 { black plays the hedgehog for a while. Don't be mistaken: he will attacksoon. } 7. O-O e5 8. dxe5 { computer gives an advantage of 1.25 to white,here... Well... it is a computer... } 8... dxe5 9. Qc2 O-O 10. Rd1 Qe7 11. Bg5 { though white seems better developped, there is nothing clearly dangeroustill now. The computer still counts a slight advantage to whithe, thoughunconclusive. } 11... h6 12. Bh4 { unaccuracy, according to the computer... } 12... g5 13. Bg3 { I intended to be here. I like that kind of movements with white. } 13... Nh5 { equalizing move. } 14. Bxe5 { had to be played before Nxe5, becauseif not Nxg3 wins. But the computer shows us a combination that leads toa splendid 2.2 advantage for black... } 14... Bxe5 { this is consider as a mistakefor black. Black should have played Nxe5, then after 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16 Bxh5is punished by ... g4! } 15. Nxe5 { discovering attack on the knight } 15... Nxe5 16. Bxh5 Nxc4 { the simplification is over. Let's take a look at the result,that both players had previewed (i guess). White may appear as better coordinatedas his bishop, his queen and potentially his other pieces are well oriented.But there is no direct threats on black and it just needs one move (thec8 bishop to be almost completely developped. Computer says white has aslight advantage. } 17. b3 Ne5 { i have been surprised by this move, expectingNd6, thinking it was more efficient } 18. Be2 { finally i considered thebishop there worthless and there was a clear threat to neutralized it byg4. } 18... Be6 19. Rd2 Rad8 20. Rad1 { all secured... everything could be a draw.Computer confirms the advantage is ridiculous. } 20... Kg7 21. h3 b5 { an attemptto create something. } 22. Rd4 { computer consider here as a draw. } 22... a5 23. Qd2 { another attempt. } 23... Rc8 { leads to nothing for white. And all becomesdangerous for the d4-rook and for my knight. } 24. Qb2 f6 { avoiding thediscovered attack on the diagonal. } 25. Qc1 { i am losing tempos... I alreadythought about the draw, here. Very slight advantage to black, accordingto computer. } 25... Rfd8 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Rxd8 Qxd8 28. f3 { I thing I proposedthe draw here. Computer saws that move as an Inaccuracy } 28... Qd4+ { he refused. } 29. Kf1 Ng6 30. Nd1 Ne5 { computer says this is an inaccuracy, giving backthe draw situation. He prefers Nf4. So did I: I expected Nf4 from blackand was relieved with this move. } 31. Qc3 Qb6 { by refusing the exchange,he clearly wants to show he is better. And, actually, I thought that too... } 32. Qd2 { occupying the only clear way. } 32... c5 { preparing the battery to passby. } 33. Ne3 a4 { computer considers this as an inaccuracy, because of 34Nd5... that i didn't see... } 34. bxa4 { inaccuracy from white... } 34... bxa4 { icarfefully thought about everything here, but I have to admit I was scaredto have lost something, and the c-pawn seemed like a potential winner. } 35. Qc2 Qb4 36. Nd5 { provoking the bishop, trying to gain a passed pawntoo. } 36... Qd4 37. Qc3 { i will have my passed pawn, finally } 37... Bxd5 38. Qxd4 cxd4 39. exd5 { two passed pawn on the same column! interesting. Here I thoughtI was better for having the bishop. And the computer thinks the contrary,giving a slight advantage to black. } 39... f5 { he foresaw my own desire to playg3-f4... damn... } 40. Bb5 { the exact goal was to gain a tempo, but, actually,I think Ba6 was better, to occupy c8 after. According to the computer,this moves gave me back the draw. } 40... a3 41. Ke2 Kf6 { now the idea is to attractthe black king as far as possible, to have the time to take the a and d-pawnsand go back to protect the f-g-h pawns... dramatic... } 42. d6 { sacrificing } 42... f4 { overprotecting e3. Good idea, but... Maybe letting white to move fasteron the side. } 43. Kd2 Ke6 44. d7 { hoping for Nxd7 45 Bxd7 Kxd7 and 46 Kd3,so White has the preeminence of king position. I think he proposed me thedraw somewhere by now, but I intended to go further. Slight advantage towhite, according to the computer. } 44... Ke7 45. Kc2 Kd8 46. Kb3 { attractingthe d4-pawn on d3... } 46... d3 47. Kc3 { it worked. Advantage of 0.93 accordingto the computer. } 47... Kc7 { black here provoked the next 3 moves. } 48. d8=Q+ Kxd8 49. Bxd3 Kc7 { but chose here not to simplify. Good instinct: it wouldhave been devastating. } 50. Bc2 { here white lost some tempos... } 50... Kd6 51. Be4 { losing tempo: I should have played this previously... Computers indicatesme the best way to play here: 51.Kb4 Kd5 52. Kxa3 Kc5 53. Kb3 Nc4 54.Bd3Ne3 55. a4Nxg2 56. a5 Ne3 57. a6 Kb6 58. Be2 Ka7 59.Bb5Nf5 60. Kc3Ne3 } 51... Kc5 52. Kb3 Nc4 53. Bd3 Ne3 54. Kxa3 Nxg2 { black is now maybe moredangerous. I proposed the draw the next move, and he refused once again.The computer sees the position as a draw. } 55. Kb3 Ne3 56. Bg6 { Here, ithink, was the only option to preserve the draw. } 56... Nc4 57. Ka4 { mistake,according to the computer, who plays Kc3 } 57... Ne5 58. Bh5 { White had no otheroption here, again. } 58... Kd4 { black is tempted by the forced attack... Lettinga-pawn in plain run. } 59. Kb5 { this is a small mistake, as if a black pawnarrives on f1, it is a check... I regretted not having played b4, thoughthere was the potential Nd3+... The computer agrees with my remorse. } 59... Ke3 { actually, here i expected and feared g4... I think black would have wonwith that move. and the computer says so. } 60. a4 Nxf3 { i guess black expectedWhite to take back here... } 61. a5 { but... no... I calculated that theknight has no possibility to stop my pawn, and all the moves black hadto do would have lost too much time. I intended to sacrifice my bishopon the eventual 62. ... f3 63 Bxf3 and wins. The computer saw that too. } 61... Ne5 { I think here black is already lost. } 62. a6 g4 { but black had anotherplan... trying to make me lose another move. (f3 was better, accordingto the computer, who foresaw a more complicate ending) } 63. a7 { no way:a8=Q is very strong on the diagonal, now! } 63... f3 64. a8=Q f2 65. Qg2 { Hop!Queen blocks the pawn. the g-pawn is powerless, the knight is powerless... } 65... Ke2 { only move, giving white another tempo, as the f-pawn is pinned. } 66. hxg4 { not Bxg4+, followed by Nxg4 hxg leading to a difficult ending. } 66... Ke1 67. Qe4+ { decisive. } 67... Kd2 { if Kf8, then Qxe5; if Kd1, then g5+ } 68. Qf4+ Ke1 { hoping for repetition, I guess... } 69. Qe3+ { but crushed hopeshere: there is no more possibility to avoid the loss of the horse. } 69... Kf1 70. Qxe5 Kg2 71. Qe2 { pinning again } 71... Kg1 72. Kc5 { and now, white simplybet on g-pawn promotion. } 72... f1=Q { no choice... } 73. Qxf1+ Kxf1 74. Kd5 Kf2 75. Ke5 Kg3 76. Kf5 Kh4 77. Kg6 { there was no more option for black...He resigned. } 1-0

[Event "Playing the worse Position: Can it be saved?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Me"] [Black "Opponent"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "----"] [WhiteElo "2096"] { The following was a very interesting game played against a weaker playerthat was won by me, but with weak play by the opponent when in a worseposition. The position will interest players of all levels. The non endgamepart of the game also shows the correct way to plan based on imbalances. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. O-O e6 { My opponenthas taken the game out of the book lines with this abnormal setup. Bothwhite and black will now achieve the 3 opening goals. The position is notextremely open or too likely to open. This generally weakens the need toperform the 3 opening tasks very quickly, so exceptions happen often. } 7. d3 { Not a bad move for me, but a pyschological mistake. I continue toplay my intended setup against black's best book moves against anothersetup. It is certainly a reasonable choice, but 7.d4! takes advantage ofthe only imbalance in the position: White is better developed. The centerwill open quickly to white's advantage. } 7... Nge7 8. Qe1 { Here, 8.d4 is thebest move. It would look very foolish to play it after 7.d3, and wouldclearly show that I knew my original plan was not best. Generally, whenone player goes with a setup or plan that is second best, he will go onwith it, even if another plan is better. It is psychologically hard formany players to avoid this, even though it would be better for their game. } 8... Bg7 9. e5 d5 10. Kh1 { The waiting move is preparing for the king safetyon the diagonal, but 10.Qf2, going along with the plan, was the best move. } 10... a6 11. Bxc6 Bxc6 12. Bd2 b5 { The plans for both sides are clearer. Whitewill attempt to close the position maximally and to provide support forthe knights over the bishops. Black should open up the position for thebishops, but only after he has caught up in the development and safetyof the king. You can tell the correct plan in an instant by looking atthe position and looking at the motifs and ideas for both sides. } 13. a3 h5 { (?)Quite a big mistake, and this weak move shows that black does notunderstand the correct plans for both sides. The move looks like an attemptto attack against my king or place the bishop on h6. Neither of them gowith the correct and are clearly not exceptions. Furthermore, it allowswhite to have a clear move to finish the first step of the plan: Createoutposts and good points for the knights. } 14. b4 { The strong move thattakes control over d4, allowing the knights to favor the bishops. } 14... cxb4 15. axb4 Nf5 16. Qf2 Bf8 17. Ne2 { Now the bishops are clearly inferiorto the knights, which means that my first step is over with. My next planis to use my superior pieces to penetrate the position and attack in themiddlegame. } 17... Be7 18. Ned4 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 { In the middlegame, one needsto come up with an attack on weaknesses. If there are none, one must improvetheir pieces to take advantage of possible weaknesses to be created. Thereis a weak a6 pawn, and a good c5 square for a piece. } 19... Bb7 20. Rfb1 Qd7 21. Ra5 Bd8 22. Ra3 { It is clear that black has nothing to do, since hisposition is clearly worse. } 22... O-O 23. Be3 Rc8 24. Nb3 { So while black isshuffling his pieces around, white is taking aim at the c5 and a6 squares.The plan is to further penetrate into the position. } 24... Be7 25. Nc5 Qc7 26. Bd4 a5 { Instead of going passively and waiting for me to complete my plan,black sacrifices a pawn. Now white will have a concrete permanent advantageto convert. Thus, he has in a way, completed his plan. } 27. Rxa5 Ra8 28. Rba1 Rxa5 29. Rxa5 Ra8 30. Rxa8+ Bxa8 31. Qg1 { At first, I clearly believedthis endgame to be winning for white, due to the easy way for white toprotect all the points in his territory and the weak black king with oppositecolored bishops. Now it is not so clear. The readers can say what theythink. } 31... Bxc5 32. Bxc5 Qc6 33. d4 Qa6 { - } 34. h3 Qa2 35. Qf2 Bc6 { - } 36. Kh2 Be8 37. Be7 Qc4 { - } 38. Qd2 Qf1 39. c3 Qb1 40. Qe3 Qe4 { - } 41. Qg3 Kh7 42. Bg5 Bc6 { White has the ability to control when he attempts to makeprogress. Although there is now clear way to proceed, white needs to allowblack to weaken his own position. } 43. Qf2 Qd3 44. Qb2 Qd1 { - } 45. Bf6 Qe1 46. h4 Be8 { (??)The blunder has happened and black has weakened hisown position. Correct is 46...Qd1 not allowing the queen to penetrate alongthe a file. White would then have to attack the black king. } 47. Qa3 { Nowthe win is trivial, and black's position crumbles. } 47... Qd2 48. Bg5 Qe3 49. Qa8 Bd7 50. Qb7 { The bishop lacks mobility and will be lost. } 50... Be8 51. Qe7 Qxc3 52. Qxe8 Qc7 53. Bf6 g5 54. Qh8+ Kg6 55. Qg7+ Kf5 56. Qxg5+ { Whitewon easily. But the question is, could the game have been saved? Whitewould seemingly have to take a risk, sacrificing many queenside pawns tocheckmate on the kingside, or somehow penetrate on the a file. } *

[Event "AQ mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "28-Apr-08"] [Round "-"] [White "just_some_guy"] [Black "buffalochip"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1279"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1321"] { the worst way to answer the king's gambit in my veiw } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 { setsup the gambit } 2... f6 { declines in what i must say seems like the worst way. } 3. Bc4 Nh6 { i must mark this move with a ? where is the knight going? ithad no future on h6. } 4. f5 { i force the declination of the gambit nowto lay in an attack on the king side. } 4... d6 5. Qh5+ { a very powerful check. } 5... Kd7 6. d3 { i want the check at f7 and the knight guards it so i must eliminatethe knight. i also considerd nc3. } 6... c5 { giving his king running room i think. } 7. Bxh6 { breaking the door down. } 7... gxh6 8. Qf7+ Be7 { the queen was a betterblocker. } 9. Nc3 { hoping for d5 } 9... Qe8 { proposing a trade in which i haveno desire in. } 10. Qe6+ Kc6 11. Bd5+ Kc7 12. Nb5+ { this is actually a badmove, but black does not notice it and i got lucky, if he moves the kingback to d8 i am alomst forced to proceed with nxd6,bxd6, qxf6 and my queenis safe. } 12... Qxb5 { he took the free knight which was not free at all. } 13. Qxe7+ Nd7 { once again the queen is a better interposer. } 14. b3 { stoppingany interference into my territory } 14... Qb4+ 15. Ke2 Rb8 16. Nf3 { my knightsees a square he wants and has enough time to get there as black is busyfalling over his own pieces, my knight wants c4. } 16... b6 17. Nd2 Qc3 18. Rhc1 { gotta keep her out of my house } 18... Ba6 19. Be6 { now that the bishop is goneattack the pinned piece } 19... Bb5 { he guards it } 20. Nc4 { multiple threats.the only answer i see is qd4?? which results in c3!! and the black queenis lost. } 20... Rbe8 { finally trying to push the queen out. } 21. Qxd6+ Kb7 22. Bd5+ Ka6 23. a4 { this move plays itself almost literaly, the bishop mustnow die the question is where to put the grave } 23... Bxc4 24. Bxc4+ { noticethat black's queen, the most powerful piece on the board is reduced toa lowly bishop. } 24... Ka5 25. Ra3 { better was qxd7 as the threat of mate isunanswerable. i made this move because i wanted to do the b3 check andwas trying to foresee the reulst of that check, my plan included next goingqd5, then laying the check on and the queen would have to take then therook goes to b3 and the queen and knig ar dead meat with mate on the move. } 25... Nb8 26. Kd1 { after all of the previous notes go down someone needs to guardc3, in case of qb2 } 26... Rd8 { another push } 27. Qc7 { this is another blunderbecause if rd7 white is forced to desperado his queen and prays to winher back with the check } 27... Qb4 { black blunders here and gives the game away } 28. Qxa7+ { forced mate } 28... Na6 29. Qxa6# { but all in all i think answeringthe king's gambit with f6 is even far worse then just accepting te gambit. } 1-0

[Event "[R] Challenge from jestey1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.06.13"] [Round "-"] [White "j-b-beaubeaux"] [Black "jestey1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1840"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1659"] { I've played many, many games with this player, both on GameKnot and OTB,and they are almost never boring. This game was especially tense, withseveral shifts in momentum and several surprise tactics. I offer it asyet another piece of evidence supporting the maxim 'Nobody ever won a gameby resigning.' Playing Black, I got a comfortable game out of the openingonly to slip up and find myself facing a ferocious attack. When it becameclear that passive defense offered no hope, I desperately played for acounterattack, while my opponent played to increase his own attack whilesquelching my attempts at liberation. At a critical moment, my opponentunderestimated my resources and jumped at a way to win a pawn, only tofall prey to a surprise sacrifice which turned the tables and allowed mea winning attack. The moves are very instructive for illustrating the principlesof attack, prophylaxis, active defense, and how to make the most of one'spractical chances in a difficult situation. Enjoy! } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 { A solid approach from Black – I knew that my opponentwas most comfortable in attacking positions so I stayed away from the moreprovocative lines of the Sicillian such as the Schevenningen or Dragon. } 5. Nc3 Qc7 { The Taimanov Sicilian, one of the most solid Sicilian variations. } 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. f4 Bb4 8. Bd2 Nc6 9. Nf3 d6 10. O-O O-O 11. Kh1 { I'm notsure this is the most challenging move at White's disposal. Developingwith, say, Qe2 or Qe1-h4 is probably more relevant to the struggle forthe center. Still, White will have to make this move eventually, so itis safe, at least. } 11... e5 { ?! Striking out for freedom, but a bit premature....b5 and ...Bb7 is more solid. } 12. f5 { ? Closing lines and weakening thecenter. This should not have worked out as well for White as it did inthe game. There is no longer any hope of clearing the way for the Bd3 orthe Rf1. White should embrace the tension in the center, since he is tryingto open lines for his developed pieces. 12. f5 not only closes lines, italso hands the center over to Black, since without the f-pawn exertingpressure on Black's e-pawn, there is nothing to hold back the freeing advance...d5. Instead, Nd5! Nxd5 13. exd5 Bxd2 14. Qxd2 (Bxh7+?!? Kxh7 15. Ng5+is tempting, but after ...Kg6! White has nothing better than Qxd2.) givesWhite a strong initiative. } 12... Bxc3 { ! Giving up the Bishop pair but pavingthe way for the thematic Sicilian break ...d5, after which Black's activepieces will more than compensate for it. If Black does not play this move,then why did he play ...e5? } 13. Bxc3 d5 { ! The proud White center fallsvery quickly. Black can now claim full equality, at least. } 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Bd2 Rd8 { Perhaps ...Re8 right away is more accurate. I was indulgingin a pipe dream of ...Nb4, Nxd3, and Bxf5, which was not going to happen. } 16. Qe1 { A good spot for the Queen, eyeing both Kingside and Queenside,controlling b4, and avoiding the Knight fork awaiting her on e2. } 16... Re8 17. Be4 { ?! This is one way to prevent ...e4, but the Knight would be a betterblockader after Ng5-e4. (Ng5 e4 18. Nxe4 just loses a pawn, since Whitehas enough time to play Qh4 and safely break the pin.) } 17... Nf6 18. c3 { ?!Again, Rd1 was called for. There is no pressing need for c3, since c2,d4 and b4 are adequately covered. Even if the f3 Knight moved and Blackdid manage to get a Knight on d5, White could then play c3 with tempo anddrive it away. } 18... b5 19. Bg5 { ! Putting the question to the Knight whileBlack has still not completed development. (I would usually have no problemwith doubled pawns in return for a Bishop-for-Knight trade, but here itwould leave my King far too exposed.) Notice that neither White nor Blackhave been terribly concerned about the possibility of Nxe4 so far, sinceas long as there's a pawn on f5, that Bishop is a non-factor. With thepawn's blockader about to go, however, the Bishop must be eliminated. } 19... Nxe4 20. Qxe4 Bb7 { ? A natural move that gets Black into big trouble. ...f6!was necessary and good, after which Black would have a very comfortablegame. I actually considered playing it, but underestimated White's threatsand felt more comfortable breaking the pin on the h1-a8 diagonal. Thisoversight very well could have lost me the game! } 21. Qg4 { ! White immediatelytakes the initiative. Now the threats come very fast, and there is no timefor ...f6 thanks to the pin on the g-file. } 21... Kh8 { The opportunity for ...f6is over, thanks to the pin on the g-file. Darn! White threatens Bf6, Bh6and f6, and I could find nothing better than to play this move, breakingthe pin and allowing ...Rg8 if necessary. } 22. f6 { ! of course, White rulesout ...f6 right away, while forcing a disruption in the Black King's pawnshield. } 22... g6 { What else? ...Rg8 23 fxg7+ Rxg7 24 Bf6 is no good, and soI am obliged to create holes around my King. } 23. Bh6 { ! Again, White mixesattack with prophylaxis. This phase of the attack is very instructive becauseof how Black simultaneously snuffs out Black's defensive resources whileincreasing his own threats. Here, I had hoped to get in the liberatingmove ...h5, which would greatly slow down the White attack and give metime for counterplay. Instead, White blockades the h-pawn and hones inon g7. The one downside is that the Queen's route to h7, h6 and/or g7 istemporarily blocked. } 23... e4 { !? What to do? White not only has a big attack,but has also prevented any immediately useful defensive move that Blackmight want to play. It might seem odd for me to 'force' the White Knightto g5, where it already wanted to go anyways, but this move is motivatedby sound practical logic: Black is not going to be able to defend againstWhite's attack -- my pieces on the Queenside are just not going to getthere in time. My only hope for survival, then, depends on getting somekind of counterattack going. Pushing the pawn does three things to helpthat: 1) It clears the h2-b8 diagonal for the Queen while giving the e-Rookmore scope on the e-file; 2) It controls the f3-square while opening e5for the Knight; and 3) It disrupts the timing of White's attack. Whitewould prefer to play Qh4 first and Ng5 second, which retains control ofe5 for a turn longer, but now he doesn't have that choice. } 24. Ng5 Ne5 { !? Again, forcing a move that White planned to play anyways. Now, however,Black's formerly pent-up pieces are starting to take up active posts inthe center. White needs to be careful not to underestimate this activity.(As they say: 'The best way to meet an attack on the flank is with an attackin the center.') } 25. Qh4 Kg8 { ! White threatened Bg7+ Kg8 26. Qxh7#.Now, Bg7 can be met with ...h5, and White's attack has stalled. Still,White's pieces seem extremely threatening, and the situation is opticallyvery grim for Black. For one thing, Nxh7 looks very strong. The Black positioncontains hidden resources which are easy to underestimate, however, andthe game is far from over. My opponent, thinking I was on the ropes, probablyexpected a resignation soon after his next move... } 26. Nxh7 { ? This seeminglycrushing move actually loses for White! How? ...Kxh7 26. Bg7+ Kg8 27. Qh8#seems pretty convincing... } 26... Nf3 { But Black doesn't have to take the Knight!This counter-sacrifice neutralizes White's attack completely. The attackingWhite pieces which seemed so menacing a few moves ago now trip over eachother clumsily -- the f-pawn blocks f6 from the Knight, while the Knightand Bishop temporarily block the h-file for the White Queen as effectivelyas if they were Black pawns. After this move, Black poses a series of powerfulthreats which do not allow White the time to rearrange his pieces and continuethe attack. By repeatedly activating my pieces while forcing White intoreactive mode, I am able to completely shift the initiative to Black. It seems clear that White did not have the option of moving the Knightaway from the defense of f3 last move, and so developing with Re1 seemsbest, with the dangerous plan of Re1-e3-h3, for example, which is hardfor Black to meet. White needed to continue the slow buildup of an attackby mixing threats with prophylaxis as seen before. Still, while it seemsclear in hindsight that 26. Nxh7 is a mistake, it is hard to criticizea move that wins convincingly in all variations except for one improbablesacrifice. White was understandably eager to cash in on the strong attackingposition he had built up with patience and care, and in his position Iwould have hardly expected the tables to turn so quickly, either. } 27. gxf3 { ? Instead of accepting the sacrifice, White could have gone for theendgame after Qh3 Qxh2+ 28. Qxh2 Nxh2 29. Kxh2 Kxh7, where Black may havea slight edge due to better-placed Rooks and the vulnerability of the f-pawn,but White has good chances for equality. Though objectively speaking Qh3gives good chances to hold while the text move loses outright, I cannotblame my opponent for continuing to play for a win in a position whichhad seemed so overwhelmingly better just a move ago. The Knight sacrificeseemed desperate even to me, and I doubt that many players of our levelwould have seriously considered declining it. } 27... exf3 { The first surprisethreat: ...f2+ is mate in two. } 28. Rf2 { Qf2 is met simply by ...Kxh7,where material is even and Black has an overwhelming position. After Kg1,Black has a number of good options. One simple path to advantage is ...Qc5+29 Qf2/d4, (Rf2 Re4 as in the game, except that White has self-pinned)and after the trade of Queens and ...Kxh7 we again come to a much betterending for Black. I would not be surprised, however, if Black could tryfor even more by keeping the Queens on with 28...Re4. } 28... Re4 { Threat number2, dislodging the Queen while clearing space for the a-Rook. } 29. Qg5 { ?!It would be more challenging to play Qh3, after which Black still has thesame crushing attack as in the game, but at least White has some materialto show for it in case Black messes up. Now I can win back my piece withoutdisrupting my attack in any real way. } 29... Rae8 { ! Threat number 3. Even ifBlack wasn't threatening mate on e1, the Knight still has nowhere to goand Black is in no hurry to round it up. In the last three moves, Blackhas been able to activate every piece for the attack, while White's positionhas not improved in any real way and the White pieces are no longer wellplaced for attack or defense. I was even startled by how fast things hadturned around, let alone my shocked opponent! } 30. Qg1 Kxh7 { Recoveringthe piece with yet another gain of time. (Threat number 4?) } 31. Bd2 Qc5 { !? A bit of prophylaxis mixed with increased pressure on the f-Rook. ...Re2is the obvious move, and as far as I can tell it is completely sufficientto win, but after Qg3! White would all of a sudden be threatening a lotof cheap tricks on the h-file and g7 square. There are several lines whereWhite can just sac the f-Rook and mate my King. While Black should be ableto avoid that fate with careful play, I figured that this game had alreadyseen enough surprise twists and I wanted to carefully exclude any possibilityof a White counterattack before going in for the kill. } 32. Qg3 { Again,with the the idea of a future mating attack based on Qh3+. White is (admirably)not ready to give up while there are still swindling chances. } 32... R8e5 { AgainstQh3+. ...Kg8 would be just as good, but I liked having the option of takingcontrol of the h-file myself with Rh5. The obvious ...Re2 is not losing,but after 33 Qh3+ Qh5 or 33 Qh3+ Kg8 34 Qh6 Qf8 White can lessen the forceof Black's attack somewhat by trading Queens. Avoiding exchanges in thisposition allows a quick win due to Black's overwhelming piece activity. } 33. Kg1 Re2 { At last! This move is even more powerful after being delayedfor two turns. My opponent resigned here, as there is no answer to both...Rxd2 (followed by ...Rg5 if necessary) and, if the Bishop moves, ...Re8+,mating. I found this in incredibly instructive game for both of us – alesson on how much patience and care is necessary to conduct a successfulattack against an alert opponent, and most importantly a reminder thateven some of the most desperate-looking positions hide a whole mess ofincredible hidden resources. It ain't over 'til it's over! } 0-1

[Event "Space Invaders"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "July 20"] [Round "-"] [White "David Fei (pdfiadp)"] [Black "Christopher Pace"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2212"] [TimeControl "90 min + 30 sec/move"] [WhiteElo "1924"] 1. e4 g6 { Unlike yours truly, who is old-fashioned, my opponent is a 'modern'man. } 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 { I preferred this to Nc3, because: it controls squaresthat are attacked by the Bishop on g7, it provides extra protection tod4, and it allows me to support d4 with c3 if needed. } 3... c6 { Expecting ...d6, this move already put me out of book, so I had to improvise. I'm guessingthe point of this move is to support d7-d5 and allow the Queen to attackmy pawns from b6. } 4. Bd3 { Without much knowledge on the Modern defence,I decided I should just take my big center, castle as quickly as possible,and only then start worrying about a plan. } 4... d6 5. O-O Bg4 { Here, I obviouslyhave to do something about the d4 pawn. } 6. c3 e5 { My opponent is givingme a chance to open up the game when his King is still in the center, soI should definitely seize this oppportunity. } 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. h3 { 'What'cha gonna do?' Harry asked the Bishop. } 8... Bxf3 9. Qxf3 { I expected Blackto try trading Queens and go into an endgame, but my Queen just chillshere for the rest of the game and lets the underlings do the dirty work. } 9... Nd7 10. Be3 { The bishops have excellent range. } 10... Ngf6 11. Nd2 O-O 12. Rad1 { With only my rooks left to develop, I should take over the one open file. } 12... Qe7 13. Bc2 { Anticipating the Knight to come to c5. } 13... Nc5 14. b4 { Now Istart seizing space on the Queenside. } 14... Ne6 15. Nc4 { This prevents ... a5and my knight will soon find a dominant outpost. } 15... Nh5 { I'll be in troubleif a Knight lands on f4 ... } 16. g3 { After this, the Knight on rim gotstuck there for the rest of the game. } 16... b6 { Black cannot allow my Bishopto reach c5. } 17. Rd2 c5 18. b5 { Bilbo Baggins has invaded the Queenside! } 18... Nd4 { I actually expected this shot. It's Black's only try for the initiative,otherwise he will continue to be squeezed. } 19. cxd4 cxd4 { Here, I decidedI should let Black capture my dark-squared Bishop, which has a bleak futurein the position. } 20. Nxe5 { My opponent admitted that he did not see thistactical shot. The idea is the intermediate move Nc6 if he captures thebishop. On the other hand, if he captures the knight, he'll be a pawn dawnand his dark squares will be weak after Bxd4. } 20... dxe3 21. Nc6 Qg5 { ... Qc5was a better try } 22. Rd5 { White has already dominated the Queenside. Nowall that's left is to invade on the Kingside. } 22... exf2+ 23. Kg2 { I didn'twant to take the pawn immediately because of ... f5 } 23... Qh6 { If Black insteadhad gone ... Qf6, the endgame would be hopeless after Rxf2. } 24. e5 { I'min no hurry to recapture the pawn. I need to prevent the Knight to getback into the game via Nf6. } 24... Rae8 25. Bb3 { Apparently, Rxf2 first was moreaccurate after an engine check, but this is also winning. } 25... Kh8 26. Rxf2 { Here, Black must try for counterplay with the plan f7-f5-f4. } 26... f6 27. e6 { The pawn is immune due to the discovered attack Rxh5. } 27... f5 { Black losta precious tempo one move earlier. } 28. e7 { As Nimzowitsch said, 'Passedpawns must be pushed.' } 1-0

[Event "7835's mini-tournament - 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Sep-07"] [Round "-"] [White "jaromir"] [Black "iuliusro"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1718"] [TimeControl "9d+5d, 15d max"] [WhiteElo "1865"] { Very interesting game! At first it was a bit positional later it becamea mixture of tactics and strategy & mating patterns.... } 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 { The classical approach } 5... O-O 6. O-O c5 { This turns out to be quite a good variation. Maybe time to check my openingsbook??? } 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. Be3 b6 9. h3 { theory.. } 9... Bb7 10. e5 { theory.. } 10... Ne4 { Nowit seems like white can get some advantage. Again...maybe i should checkmy openingsbook, for at first i thought blacks set-up was OK, and now ido get a plus.... } 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. Ng5 Bb7 { if 13..Bxc2?then 14.Bf3 at least wins the exchange (14...Nd7 or 14...Na6 15. Bxa8 Rxa8) } 14. e6 { interesting play! } 14... f5 { Or 14...f6 15.Nf7. After ...f6 black hasno pressure against b2/d4 } 15. c3 Bf6 16. Rad1 { 16.Nf7!? } 16... Nc6 17. Nf7 Rxd1 18. Rxd1 Kf8 { What can black do?? His position is very cramped. } 19. Bf3 { Rd7 coming up! } 19... Na5 20. Bxb7 Nxb7 21. Rd7 { Bisshops exchanged, black stillcramped... } 21... Na5 22. Bh6+ Kg8 { Look at this position! The black king isstalemated, white just needs a check and its mate...even without queensmating attacks occur! } 23. g4 { idea: gxf gxf Rd7-d3-g3 and mating } 23... fxg4 24. hxg4 Nc6 { now the g-file will stay closed but the black play is moreand more limited.... He has only his knight to play with. } 25. f4 { e5 ismine! g5 is mine! f5 is mine! h5 is mine! d4 is mine! d5 is mine! e4 ismine! } 25... a5 { the black rook can move now, without losing the a-pawn } 26. Rc7 Na7 { only move, 26...Nd8 26.Nxd8 Rxd8 27.Rd7 and black has no counterplayat all } 27. Kf2 { simple strategy: black cannot improve his position, someanwhile the white king can be activatedb before white actions take place } 27... a4 28. a3 Nb5 29. Rd7 Bxc3 { Despair....but helps to create a nice finishof the game } 30. bxc3 Nxa3 { Simple thinking: N-away, a4-a3-a2-a1Q and winsSo white has 5 moves to knot the mating net... FIVE moves,.... } 31. Rxe7 Nc4 32. f5 gxf5 33. gxf5 a3 34. f6 a2 35. Ng5 { Now black can queen hispawn. But then 35...a1Q 36.f7 Kh8 37.Re8 Rxe8 38.fxe8Q mates } 35... Ne5 36. Rg7+ Kh8 37. Rxh7+ { 37...Kg8 38.f7 Nxf7 39.exf7 CHECKMATE!! } 1-0

[Event "Opening countertrick lesson"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.07.11"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "suru747"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "3/10"] 1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 { My favorite, I think it is called the 'London'. } 3... Nc6 { Nice for me. The best following for black involves c5 or c6, openingthe way for the black queen to b6 and attacking b2. } 4. e3 a6 5. h3 { Thisis to support g4, and to provide Bf4 a square to retire in case of Nh5. } 5... Nf6 6. g4 Ne4 { A nice outpost, but it is dangerous just in case of pressureon c3 or Qh5. } 7. h4 { This is allowed by the previous N advance, and blocksQh5. } 7... Bb4+ { A waste of time. This move would have been ok AFTER I playedNd2, that allows ideas of a sac in c3, that can be dangerous in some circunstances. } 8. c3 Ba5 { g4 is not bad, to prevent definitively the sac in c3. ButI made another plan. } 9. Ne5 { I forsaw Nxc6, with a double attack withQa4. The best answer for black is NxN, followed by c6, B or Qc7, with agood game. } 9... f6 { I'll never know if black saw the double attack of Qa4,but he went for it. If I had one more move, g5, now I could have playedQh5+, with a very good attack. } 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qa4 { Oh, wonderful...but not. This was the lesson. Look what happens after Qxc6... } 11... Bb6 12. Qxc6+ Bd7 { Uh-oh. The queen is trapped. Something more for the 'being sostupid' notebook. } 13. Qb7 Ra7 14. Bxc7 { The best try. Maybe even playable. } 14... Rxb7 15. Bxd8 Bxd8 { Minus one. It could be worse... } 16. b3 { Now I amvery cramped... not good. Danger, danger... } 16... Bc7 { Black could have defendeda6, but probably he overlooked it. } 17. Bxa6 Rb6 18. Be2 { Caring for g4in case of e5. } 18... O-O 19. Rh3 { This was played in order to f3 without Ng3,since I wanted to preserve my bishop, my only working piece. } 19... e5 20. f3 { Set free! } 20... Nd6 21. dxe5 { Let him take it means 1) if exd, to open thecolumn to the rook, or 2) if cxd, leave room for a bishop penetration througha5. } 21... fxe5 { This means to open the column for his rook, but f3 is moredefendable. } 22. Nd2 Nb5 23. Rc1 Rbf6 { Rc6 was better, I think. Anyway,sooner or later my pawns will become dangerous. } 24. c4 dxc4 { The 3 piece'scaptures were possible. The check with the bishop leads to nothing. Theknight can jump to e5, a good square. } 25. Rxc4 Rc6 { Ok, a rook has tobe changed, but still not bad. I have to go to the endgame, the less pieces,the best for me... } 26. e4 { Stupid move, not wise. I wanted to block black'saction, but it was unnecessarily compromising to leave the black's dsbmore action. } 26... Nc3 { ...and oversee this. } 27. a3 Nxe2 { So my only bishopis lost, but his knight was more active at the moment. } 28. Kxe2 Rxc4 29. Nxc4 Bb5 { Ok, I decided he won't separate my pawns, since it wouldhave been horrible for my countergame. } 30. Kd3 Rd8+ 31. Kc3 Bxc4 32. Kxc4 Rd1 33. Rh2 { Time to relocate my rook, since any attempt until now wasuseless. Fortunately, with the bishop's exchange, my game is still active.The two black's bishop joined with a rook would have been deadly. } 33... Rd4+ 34. Kc3 Bd6 35. b4 Kf7 36. Rb2 Ke7 37. a4 { Ok, now it's a pawns war. } 37... Kd7 38. b5 { BLUNDER, in a very delicate position!!!!!!! Anyway, a pawnwould have been lost anyway (it's interesting to follow with a5 and seewhat happens). } 38... Rxa4 { Now I cannot avoid a rook exchange, due to f3, andI cannot advance it. } 39. b6 Ra8 { I know this pawn is lost. } 40. Kc4 Kc6 41. Rb3 { Just to prevent Ra3, but thinking I was lost. } 41... Rb8 42. b7 { The farther the king, the better for me. My pawns are untouchable by thebishop. } 42... Rxb7 43. Rxb7 Kxb7 44. Kd5 { Now my king wins... } 44... Bc7 45. Ke6 Kc6 46. Kf7 g6 47. Kg7 h5 48. Kxg6 hxg4 49. fxg4 { Two joined pawns... whatelse can I ask for? } 49... Kc5 50. h5 Kd4 51. Kf5 Bd8 52. h6 Be7 53. g5 { Blunder,h7 was crushing. } 53... Bf8 54. h7 Bg7 55. g6 Bh8 56. Ke6 Kxe4 57. Kf7 Kf4 58. g7 Bxg7 59. Kxg7 e4 60. h8=Q { And he resigned. A good lesson for me. } 1-0

[Event "An unwise attempt to meet the Big Bad Wolf Head On!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "easy19"] [Black "rjacobs"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1542"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2224"] 1. e4 { Freddy hoped to teach me a lesson in my favourite Najdorf, so naturallyI obliged. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 b5 { ?! Not because its a dubious move in itself but because this isjust about the sharpest opening in the whole Sicilian Labyrinth (Polugaevsky'sterm), so it was hardly wise of me to try it against The Big Bad Wolf! This is the Polugaevsky Variation of the Najdorf Variation of the SicilianDefence. A more sober response would have been 7....Be7 } 8. e5 dxe5 9. fxe5 { The N is pinned against the Q and doomed, so Black has to counter-attackon the Q-side. } 9... Qc7 { Preparing to support ... Nc6 and .. Bb7 } 10. Bxb5+ { ! With the N already virtually in the bag, White can afford to investthis Bishop in the attack, destroying Black's Q-side pawn structure andenabling him to castle quickly. } 10... axb5 { Black has little choice but to takethe B } 11. exf6 Qe5+ { Black forks White's B and K, so it looks like hewill equalise apart from those poor pawns. } 12. Qe2 Qxg5 { an alternativewas to take the Nd4 and this might have helped prevent White's other Nfrom wreaking havoc with Nb5-c7 but I preferred to take the B with theprospect of capturing the f6 pawn without disrupting my K-side pawns. } 13. Ndxb5 Ra5 { avoiding the fork from c7 and preparing to attack the Nb5with the B, either from a6 or from d7 } 14. O-O { Tucking the K away to relativesafety and defending the pawn on f6 } 14... Bc5+ { taking the opportunity to developwith tempo but cutting off the Q's attack on b5 } 15. Kh1 Na6 { I can't rememberwhat the motivation for this was but it seems inconsistent with 13...Ra5and a worse way of developing this N than ...Nc6 } 16. Ne4 { ! not only attackingthe Q and B but adding to the defence of the f6 pawn } 16... Qh6 { Thanks to 15...Na6,the Q no longer needs to defend the Bc5, so maybe that was the motivation! } 17. Nbd6+ { White finds another way to wreak havoc with his Ns } 17... Bxd6 { That'sone of them gone, at the cost of my bishop pair. } 18. Nxd6+ Kd7 { and that'smy right to castle forfeited } 19. fxg7 { ! Black can't recapture with 19.... Qxg7 because of 20. Rxf7 , winning the Q } 19... Rg8 20. Rad1 { now threateningall sorts of mayhem with discovered checks, the N going to either f5, f7,c4 or b7, depending on how Black reacts } 20... Rd5 { solving that particular puzzlebut Black's pawns get even worse as a result } 21. Rxd5 exd5 22. Qb5+ { NowHer Majesty weighs in } 22... Ke6 { Not 22...Kxd6 because 23. Qb6 would win Black'sQ } 23. Nxc8 { restoring that threat while nabbing the B } 23... Qxg7 { sidesteppingthat threat and making a feeble counter-attack - Mate in 1! } 24. Qc6+ Ke5 { the one square available } 25. Qd6+ Ke4 26. Qf4# { and that's that! A brilliantattack by Freddy. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.16"] [Round "-"] [White "9422m"] [Black "ethansiegel"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1813"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1934"] 1. e4 { E4 or d4 are my only choices as White. I am comfortable with eitherand do take time to look into the history of my opponent to see which wayto go. } 1... e5 { Black is trying the Ruy Lopez against me. I have a surprisesince I learned chess from my father who won every time I tried the Ruy. } 2. f4 { The King's Gambit. } 2... exf4 { The King's Gambit Accepted. } 3. Nf3 { This is my favorite although I could have done Bc4.... } 3... g5 { Black reallyhas to either come up with an attack or defend that f4 pawn (and counterattack). Black is doing what I usually did against my dad back in the 1960swhen he taught me chess. This is a good move for Black but it doesn't reallystop the pacing of White to really come on strong.... } 4. h4 { The KingSide attack is the whole idea with the King's Gambit. Get an attack goingfast on the King Side and worry about the (your White King) King later.There are measures in the King's Gambit you can take to protect your WhiteKing should this attack be subdued.... } 4... g4 { This is a usual move by Blackto try and upset the King Side attack.... } 5. Ne5 { I would consider Blackto have two 'passed pawns' before I jumped. I always thought a pawn crossedover the center line was 'passed' (at least it was 'passed' in my dayswith my dad who taught me chess). However, my knight that has to moveis conveniently set to move again to e5.... } 5... Nf6 { Black moves to developand defend g4. } 6. Bc4 { I apply pressure to the f7 Black pawn. It is astandard King's Gambit practice... You can see why, right? It really upsetsthings down in Black's King Side area....and King! The King's Gambit isan Attack instead of a slow moving game that a Ruy will do to an end game. This is why I don't use the Ruy Lopez. My dad taught me not to use thatdefense against e4. I then learned Sicilian and Caro-Kann and Alekhine'sinstead to deal with e4. I became biased against the Ruy Lopez. I am stillbiased to this day even though I have used it a couple of times here justto see if it is really as good as others say (and do what) it is. } 6... d5 { This means I do have to stack pawns. Using the bishop is not correct.Also, remember the King Side is very busy right now! } 7. exd5 { I wantthat bishop in line with the f7 Black pawn straight into the 0-0 area. } 7... Bd6 { Black is blocking and putting forth pressure on my e5 Knight. Whatshall I do to make things a bit more saucy around here (in the King's Gambityou can easily make things more sparky or fiery or explosive...)? } 8. d4 { I push a pawn into the fray that is rapidly getting complicated. } 8... Nh5 { His passed pawns (as I understood it in the 60s from my dad) are targetsfor the King Side attack. } 9. Bb5+ { Time to shift the attack to threatenthe Black King... } 9... Kf8 { Black knows castling on King Side ain't gonna happen... } 10. Nxg4 { He takes my Knight if he wants and my Queen is ready..... } 10... Ng3 { So down comes his Knight... } 11. Rg1 { My rook is limited but useful inthe King's Gambit... } 11... Qe7+ { This doesn't really change much. I just putthe Knight back to... } 12. Ne5 { ...e5! (see the wickedness of the King'sGambit?) } 12... f6 { Applying pressure to make my King stay in the line of fire...however,more wickedness (in knowing the King's Gambit positions for the King Sideattack) is in store.... } 13. Bxf4 { Thusly. } 13... fxe5 { Black's King and Queenare subject to my Queen Bishop (dark square). Which is best? The BlackKing is under cross fire from both bishops at a single move; but, so isBlack's Queen and that Queen I want to suppress instead of trying a gameof 'chasing the King' with cost.... } 14. Bg5 { So I suppress her by makingher move necessarily in a confined situation. } 14... Qf7 { She tries to findthe best confined space and threat.... } 15. Nc3 { I know it's a stackedpawn but it is worth developing and defending it.... } 15... e4 { Black decidese4 to move ahead... } 16. Bh6+ { I decide to check... } 16... Kg8 { He had only twochoices to move the King here. He chose this... } 17. Qd2 { I want that h6bishop fixed in place with back-up to keep Black's King in one place. Ihave the time to do it. } 17... Bf5 { The analysis of this move by Black saysit's a mistake. I did not have analysis at this time I was playing. However,the logical next move here is, anyway.... } 18. Qg5+ { Which brings moreof my pieces downrange to control Black... } 18... Bg6 { He blocks the check... } 19. Qd8+ { I take opportunity... } 19... Bf8 { I am -1 but obviously a real problemhere for Black...all because I sacrificed a pawn in the King's Gambit.The KG was popular at the turn of the Century (20th Century = 1900s) andif you buy a book on Chess Openings that is complete through every 8thmove and possibility you will see a quarter of the book dedicated to theKing's Gambit. The Gambit is the most diverse and complicated White Attackever. It is risky and does have holes in it--but by the time you are involvedwith it the position(s) have sent you light years ahead of any predictablegame. I like it that way! No one can memorize the moves even up to the5th or 6th or 7th--let alone 8th position! } 20. Bc4 { I am thinking toadvance d5 pawn into a pin. Right now I am feeling like I am closing in... } 20... Nd7 { at the cost of that rook over there. } 21. Qxa8 { Rook gone. } 21... Nb6 { Time to do something to take out more material with this move. The Queenis no longer needed except to go out with a bang. } 22. Qxf8+ { No choicefor Black. } 22... Qxf8 { There it goes in material. In the King's Gambit youeither win right away or you get material and go after material.... } 23. Bxf8 { One bishop or the other which? } 23... Nxc4 { That one! } 24. Be7 { The onlyplace for the remaining bishop not taken and I think a good one. } 24... Ne3 { Black's Knights, as close as they are, are not in a position to do much.... } 25. Kd2 { I felt this was my only choice to get out of the possible fork... } 25... Nef5 { I expected him to do Nc4 but he did not. } 26. Bf6 { I have opp formore material and my King is safe from either Knight.... } 26... e3+ { I can'tallow the disclosed check from Bishop on g6... } 27. Kc1 { Only place I cango but Black is way behind already with a rook under attack... } 27... e2 { MyKing can take care of this anticipated promotion while Black's Knightsare out of position.... } 28. Kd2 { Thusly. } 28... h6 { Too late for that on Black'spart no matter what. } 29. Bxh8 { Thusly. } 29... Kxh8 { Bishop traded in for arook.... } 30. Nxe2 { I shift to the right side now. I put my remaining Knightwhere it is most useful. } 30... Nxe2 { So Black trades. } 31. Kxe2 { We are windingdown by now. } 31... Nxd4+ { I have enough left over to get this over with so.... } 32. Kd2 { I anticipate Nxc2. } 32... Nxc2 { However, } 33. Rac1 { This should endthe game for sure but I don't know if I am playing against a person whowants to go to the end... It turned out Black was ready to surrender. Wish more on this site would see ahead and not drag out a game to checkmate.I do get checkmated on occasion but usually I see it and give up. } 1-0

[Event "'Carlson-Karjakin World Champion 2016 round 01'"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "11/10/16"] [Round "-"] [White "GM Carlsen"] [Black "GM Karjakin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] { This was a very interesting game between some of the world's best playersin the world. In fact, Carlson is competing to remain the world champion,and Karjakin is competing for that title. So, the title of this annotationis what the game was called which is why it's quoted. So, not surprisingly,this game was annotated by a GM. His name is Alexander Delchev. And,it is the first time in a long while that I've had luck finding a gameannotated by a GM. As I have been copying and pasting these annotationsonto this site by googling them from other sites. But, there were onlya few. My luck, however, changed because alex_ratchkov posted a link fromthe WTWLTR club which includes this annotation. The annotators take onthis game is very interesting, there are a lot of variations that I'm excitedto play through. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 { This move came as a huge surprisefor me. I did expected from Carlsen to escape from the main theoreticalpaths , but not in such brutal way! Trompovsky is rare guest in the toplevel. I can recall the only game with this opening system in the historyof the matches for the world championship. Anand won with it the last gamefrom the match against Karpov in Lausanne 1998 } 2... d5 { Karjakin goes forthe most principle line - It is not big secret that he is perfectly preparedin the opening stage.I prefer to play here (2... e6 avoiding doubled pawnson f6 and after 3. e4 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. c3 white has emerged with fullcentre control but black bishop pair may serve as a good weapon for achievingbalanced chances in the middlegame.) } 3. e3 c5 4. Bxf6 gxf6 { Accordingto the theoreticians this is the best black reaction to Trompovsky } 5. dxc5 { This is the main theoretical flow, but nevertheless is not easy toexplain the point behind white's play - to exchange just for nothing hisimportant dark squared bishops, following by leaving black full controlin the center. Obviously Black is going to return the pawn easily. I thinkwhite lies his hopes on retaining attacking chances against black king- as the king side pawn shelter is already compromised it might be difficultfor black to find safe place for it. } 5... Nc6 { (5... e6 was black choicein the game Carlsen,M - Kramnik,V Tal Memorial Moscow 2013 and after 6. Nf3 Nd77. c4 dxc4 8. c6 Carlsen won in 72 moves) } 6. Bb5 { Novelty on move 6!!It might be thoroughly prepared by Carlsen and his team and amazingly hegot the chance to use it already in the first game The most recent topgame Caruana - Giri followed (6. c3 e6 7. b4 a5 8. Qb3 Caruana,F -Giri,ALondon ENG 2015 and white tried to defend his extra pawn by all means)(6. Nc3 e6 7. Na4 Bxc5 8. Nxc5 Qa5+ 9. Qd2 Qxc5 10. Nf3 e5 and black wasfine in Ivanisevic - Wojtasek Berlin 2015) } 6... e6 { 6... e6 Karjakin toughfor some 20 minutes here and he opts for the safest solution - taking backthe pawn on c5 (6... Qa5+ 7. Nc3 a6 Would have been the most chalengingcontinuation, It is going to be analysed in details by his team.) } 7. c4 { This is the right decision. Of course Carlsen is challenging blackcenter control (7. b4 is not good here 7... a5 8. c3 Bd7 and black is ontop) } 7... dxc4 { again the safest option. More interesting was (7... a6 8. Bxc6+(8. Ba4 dxc4 9. Bxc6+ (9. Nd2 Bd7) 9... bxc6 10. Nd2 Qd5) 8... bxc6 9. Qa4 Rb810. Nf3 Rg8 11. O-O Rxb2 12. Nbd2 But it is too dangerous to try such continuationswithout previous analysis) } 8. Nd2 { (8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nd2 Bxc5 Carlsenis avoiding the queen swap Endgame should be at least slightly better forblack) } 8... Bxc5 { In my opinion black position is safe enough. Karjakin looksvery confident for the moment } 9. Ngf3 { (9.Qh5 Qd5) } 9... O-O { Karjakin isnot afraid to castle kingside - obviously he consider that white has notsufficient attacking potential. } 10. O-O Na5 { Logical continuation -black shows he is happy with further simplifications. But I see no dangerfor black after any of the other normal developing moves like (10... c3or) (10... Kh8 or) (10... Bd7) } 11. Rc1 Be7 12. Qc2 { (In case of theimmediate 12. Nxc4 black has strong resourse 12... a6 for example 13. Qxd8 Bxd814. Nd6 axb5 15. Rxc8 Rxc8 16. Nxc8 f5 17. b3 Bf6 18. Nd6 b4 with equality) } 12... Bd7 13. Bxd7 Qxd7 14. Qc3 { With this move Carlsen shows his intentionsthat he is looking for more than a comfortable draw He is threatening theknight on a5 and in the same time rise the tension against the black king-suddently Ne4 looks rather unpleasant to meet Obviously the endgame after(14. Nxc4 Rac8 15. Rfd1 Qc7 16. Na3 Qxc2 17. Nxc2 Rfd8 only black can playfor a win because his bishop is supreme to white knight when remainingpawns are on both wings) } 14... Qd5 { Karjaking spent about 8 minutes in findingthe best defense (in case of 14... b6 15. Ne4 (15. Nxc4 Rac8 16. Qd2 isonly equal) 15... e5 16. Rfd1 Qe6 17. Ng3 Rfd8 18. Nh4 Bf8 19. Nhf5 Whiteprobably has sufficient compensation for a missing pawn but hardly morethan that) } 15. Nxc4 { There is no more ideas to try and Carlsen goesfor seemingly drawish endgame. Still nothing is yet decided as with whiteis playing the greatest ever endgame master in chess history } 15... Nxc4 16. Qxc4 Qxc4 17. Rxc4 Rfc8 18. Rfc1 Rxc4 19. Rxc4 Rd8 { with idea to followup with Rd7 } 20. g3 Rd7 21. Kf1 f5 22. Ke2 { (22.Ne5 Rd5) } 22... Bf6 { Well knownendgame principle is that bishop is better piece than the knight when pawnsare on both wings. But in such positions although black bishop has greatmobility he is in fact staring in empty space and has low attacking potential.Another important point is that white rook controls the more importantopen file -as at some point it can be activated ( Rc8-b8) } 23. b3 Kf8 24. h3 h6 { (is better for black to avoid 24... h5 as after 25. h4 his pawnon h5 might be an object for attack ( Ne1-g2-f4)) } 25. Ne1 { white knightgoes in quest for probing the weakness somwhere ( d3-c5), or (d3-f4-h5) } 25... Ke7 { black is in a hurry to exchange rooks ( Kd8, Rc7 ) } 26. Nd3 { I expect from Karjakin the modest Kd8. In case of the more active 26...Kd6white has some tricks after 27 g4 as for example 27..fg4? 28 Nc5 is winning } 26... Kd8 27. f4 { Now after 27...Rc7 the rooks will be exchanged Seems likethe draw is becoming inevitable } 27... h5 { it is matter of technique here.After white pushed f4 his king cannot attack the pawn on h5 so black cansafely play this move avoiding any ideas connected with g4. There was ofcourse not much for white after the immediate rook swap (27... Rc7 28. Rxc7 Kxc729. g4 fxg4 30. hxg4 Kd6) } 28. a4 Rd5 { (28... Rc7 is now wrong 29. Rxc7 Kxc730. Ne5 Bxe5 31. fxe5 Kc6 32. Kf3 Kc5 33. Kf4 and white is winning 33... Kb434. e4 fxe4 35. h4 Kxb3 36. g4 hxg4 37. Kxe4 Kxa4 38. h5) } 29. Nc5 b6 30. Na6 Be7 31. Nb8 a5 32. Nc6+ Ke8 33. Ne5 Bc5 { Finally black achieveda fortress with blocking the queen side I see no way for white to breakin } 34. Rc3 Ke7 35. Rd3 Rxd3 36. Kxd3 f6 37. Nc6+ Kd6 38. Nd4 Kd5 39. Nb5 Kc6 40. Nd4+ Kd6 41. Nb5+ Kd7 42. Nd4 Kd6 { In this first game the championCarlsen was white. Once again he showed his playing style and as in theprevious two championship matches with Anand he avoids direct theoreticalduel (or at least in the beginning) prefers not to disturb excessivelythe dynamic balance and to take risk for the time being. Trompovski systemthat Carlsen chose for today's first game has a reputation as a sharp andinteresting sequel which however is considered insufficient to obtain debutadvantage. Undoubtedly Carlsen and his team payed special attention inwhite pieces preparation and have developed new and unexplored positionswhere Karjakin should not have deep theoretical knowledge and will feeluncomfortably. However, the surprise today did not lead to the desiredresult. Karjakin showed good preparation and a few precise moves (9..0-010 ... Na5 and 14..Dd5) did not allow any complications and got comfortabledraw in the endgame } 1/2-1/2

[Event "C B winter tournament# 6."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.12.25"] [Round "-"] [White "whiteguygarlic"] [Black "gur-dial"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1452"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "900"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 { Philidor? Hanham? or the Black Lion? } 3. g4 { oops. } 3... Bxg4 4. d3 h6 { ...Nc6 is stronger. also ...c6 and ...Nd7 as in lines ofthe afore mentioned openings. } 5. Nbd2 Nc6 6. Be2 Nd4 7. O-O { misses thehanging pieces. ...Nd4??? loses to 7.Nxd4 and upon exd4, Bxg4 drops a piece.or 7....Bxe2 and 8.Nxe2 wins a piece. } 7... Nxf3+ { ...Nxe2 is normal and betterin this setup. } 8. Bxf3 Bxf3 9. Nxf3 g5 10. b4 Qd7 11. Qd2 Qg4+ 12. Kh1 Qxf3+ 13. Kg1 Nf6 14. Bb2 Ng4 15. h3 Qxh3 16. Rfe1 Qh2+ { ...Nh2; 18.Re3Nf3+ 18.Rxf3 Qf3 and black is up a whole rook. } 17. Kf1 { ...h5 is better. } 17... Qh5 18. f3 { help mate anyone? } 18... Nh2+ 19. Ke2 { Kf2 is better. still losingbut Black does not hesitate here. } 19... Qxf3# 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.07.28"] [Round "-"] [White "nieh"] [Black "seteluas"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1084"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1380"] 1. e4 { I know I got lucky, a couple of errors created the best knight gameI have ever had, and right through it I had hanging knights on a coupleof occasions. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { knights out } 3. Nc3 Bd6 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. O-O { standard openings } 5... Na5 6. Bxf7+ { I decided to sac the white bishop fora little play on the fact that he could not castle to safety. } 6... Kxf7 7. Ng5+ Ke8 8. d3 h6 { chasing away my knight } 9. Nf3 Nh5 10. d4 Qf6 11. Nd5 Qg6 { should have considered e5xd4 } 12. Nxe5 { Playing Bxe5 would solve blacksproblem here, think he had other plans and like me did not foresee thingsto come, or he just missed it } 12... Qxe4 13. Qxh5+ { setting up for things tocome with 2 hanging nights } 13... Kd8 14. Nf7+ { Here initially I thought thebest move was Nxh8, turns out it was not, the sectet was keeping him inchck and I could not do that by taking the Rook 1st } 14... Ke8 15. Nxd6+ { 3 pointsmade easy, double check..., playing Kf8 woudl be mate } 15... Kd8 16. Nf7+ { Backto the start } 16... Ke8 17. Nxh8+ { 5 pointer, check, again Kf8 is mate } 17... Kd8 18. Nf7+ Ke8 19. Nd6+ Kd8 20. Nxe4 { 9 pointer check } 20... c6 { c6 does not give escapeas Nd6 covers c6, perhaps d6 would have given some releive } 21. Bg5+ { Sacto get the pawns out and get Ke8 } 21... hxg5 22. Qxg5+ Ke8 23. Qe7# { I actuallyfelt sorry for my opponent, I though he made one bad choice and paid heavily. At least he had the courage to see it through! } 1-0

[Event "ULSTER CHAMPIONSHIP , ?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.09.03"] [Round "-"] [White "Donaldson, Thomas"] [Black "Joshi, Nikhil"] [Result "1-0"] { D70: GrÃ1⁄4nfeld: Unusual White 3rd moves (met by ...d5) } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Qd2 c6 { Alternativevariation: 8... Be6 9. d5 Bc8 10. Bh6 Bxh6 11. Qxh6 e6 12. O-O-O Qf6 13.h4 exd5 14. exd5 N8d7 15. Nh3 Qg7 16. Qd2 Ne5 17. Ng5 h6 18. Nge4 Bf5 19.Ng3 Bd7 20. Qf4 Rad8 21. Nge4 Bf5 22. Nc5 Nbd7 23. Nb3 [Mamedyarov,S (2657)-Eljanov,P(2592) Dubai 2004 1-0 (78)] } 9. O-O-O e5 { Alternative variation: 9...Na6 10. Bh6 Be6 11. h4 f6 12. h5 g5 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. f4 h6 15. Nf3 gxf416. Qxf4 Qc7 17. e5 fxe5 18. Qg3+ Kh8 19. Nxe5 Rg8 20. Ng6+ Kg7 21. Ne5+Kh8 22. Qe3 Kg7 23. Bd3 Nd5 24. Qe4 [Sochacki,Z (2032)-Wojciechowski, A(2199) Poland 2007 1-0 (44)] } 10. Bh6 { Alternative variation: 10. dxe5Qxd2+ 11. Rxd2 Bxe5 12. f4 Bg7 13. Nf3 Re8 14. Bd4 N8d7 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16.b3 Nc5 17. Bd3 Bg4 18. Nd4 Nxd3+ 19. Rxd3 Rad8 20. Rd2 Rd7 21. h3 Red822. hxg4 Rxd4 23. Rhd1 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 Rxd2 [Baerthel,J (2215)-Berndt,S (2290)Germany 1993 1/2-1/2] Alternative variation: 10. d5 cxd5 11. exd5 Bf5 12.g4 Bd7 13. Kb1 f5 14. Be2 Na6 15. Bh6 Rc8 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. h4 Nc4 18.Bxc4 Rxc4 19. Qe2 b5 20. Qxe5+ Qf6 21. Qxf6+ Rxf6 22. g5 Rd6 23. a3 Nc724. Nge2 a5 [Kovacs,G (2300)-Kiss,V (2090) Hungary 2000 1-0 (60)] Alternativevariation: 10. dxe5 $5 [should be considered] Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Bxe5 12. Kc2$11 } 10... Qxd4 { Alternative variation: 10... Bxh6 11. Qxh6 exd4 12. e5 $17 } 11. Qg5 Qc5 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. h4 f6 14. Qd2 h6 15. g4 Be6 16. g5 { Alternativevariation: 16. h5 g5 $17 } 16... fxg5 17. h5 { Alternative variation: 17. hxg5$5 h5 18. Kb1 $17 } 17... gxh5 18. Rxh5 { instead of fighting back Alternativevariation: 18. Kb1 Na6 19. Bxa6 bxa6 20. Rxh5 Nc4 $19 } 18... Qe7 { Alternativevariation: 18... Qxg1 [and Black has prevailed] 19. Bh3 Nc4 20. Rxg1 Nxd221. Bxe6 Nxf3 } 19. Qh2 N8d7 { Alternative variation: 19... Qf6 $5 $19 } 20. Rxh6 Rh8 21. Rxh8 Rxh8 22. Qg3 Qf6 23. Bh3 Nf8 24. Bxe6 Nxe6 { Alternativevariation: 24... Qxe6 25. Qxg5+ Ng6 26. Kb1 $11 } 25. Nh3 Kg6 26. Rg1 Rh5 27. Ne2 Nd7 { Alternative variation: 27... Kf7 $17 } 28. f4 Rxh3 { weakeningthe position Alternative variation: 28... Kh6 [would bring relief] 29.fxg5+ Nxg5 $11 } 29. f5+ Kf7 30. Qxh3 Ng7 { the pressure is too much, Blackcrumbles Alternative variation: 30... Nf4 31. Qh7+ Ke8 32. Nxf4 exf4 33.Qg8+ Qf8 34. Rxg5 Qxg8 35. Rxg8+ Kf7 $18 } 31. Qb3+ Ke7 { Alternative variation:31... Kf8 [cannot change what is in store for White] 32. Qxb7 Nc5 33. Qa8+Ne8 34. Nc3 $18 } 32. Qxb7 Ne8 { Alternative variation: 32... Ke8 [is thelast straw] } 33. Rd1 Nd6 { Alternative variation: 33... Kf8 [doesn't doany good] 34. Rxd7 a5 35. Qa7 $18 } 34. Qxc6 g4 { Alternative variation:34... Qh6 35. Nc3 Nc5 36. Qxc5 Kd7 37. Qxa7+ Kd8 38. Qb6+ Kd7 39. Qb5+Kd8 40. Qxe5 g4+ 41. Kb1 Kc7 42. Nb5+ Kb6 43. Nxd6 Qh7 44. Nc4+ Kb7 45.Qd5+ Kb8 46. Qd8+ Kb7 47. Qb6+ Ka8 48. Rd8# } 35. Nc3 1-0

[Event "48th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Aug-08"] [Round "-"] [White "wintervangogh"] [Black "???"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1267"] 1. d4 { I know that I had some help from my oppent, but I thought this queensac was pretty. } 1... d5 2. Bf4 { this is the Sarrat Attack, and it's the mostaccurate move order for the Reversed London System (AKA the Boring opening)when facing 1...d5 } 2... f6 3. e3 h5 4. h3 h4 { I decided to play it safe andplay my move order with a KID in mind as there's no planning from my opponent } 5. Nf3 g5 6. Bh2 e6 7. Be2 c6 { I felt 8.c4 was in order to win space onthe queenside while giving my opponent something to play for on the kingside... } 8. c4 Nd7 9. Nc3 a5 { I was surprised that he wanted the queen side as well (?) } 10. Qc2 Ne7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. O-O b5 13. e4 { I felt the push toe4 was early here.... } 13... Kf7 { ? } 14. e5 Bg7 { I had no real plan here... butmy oppent didn't either... I stopped here for a day and planned... of coursemy opponent helped. } 15. a4 { the knights hold the center so I wanted towin the d6 and e6 squares and the weaknesses on the queen side as wellthe lack of connection of blacks pieces...to coordinate an attack... Ifelt a bayonet was in order to soften things up...:) } 15... Ba6 16. axb5 Bb7 { huh?.... that was easy. I stopped in my tracks here and looked for awayto open a diagnal on the king... and the pawn fork looked good now. I feltas if the king should go straight to f8 and I'd win a piece. } 17. e6+ Kxe6 { this again changed my plans but for the better... I was looking at theidea of the knight sac on g5 when I remembered an idea from the americangrandmaster Nakumura... an clearance/attraction sac that opened lines onthe king . As well, it weakened the center and the queen side. } 18. Ne4 dxe4 19. Bc4+ { Now, black has to play 19...Nd5 } 19... Kf5 { ?? - now, do you seethe mate in 3? } 20. Qxe4+ { he did after I typed in the conditional moves... } 1-0

[Event "Gloria variation turning into a disaster"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.10.03"] [Round "-"] [White "f770632"] [Black "alexaand"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1585"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1420"] { I decided to annotate this game because it shows that a chess player mustbe cocentrated in every moment of the game and because I won after only19 moves - something which is not usual for me. } 1. e4 c5 { I tried diffrentvariations against e4 but nothing has proven to be better than sicilian. } 2. c4 { White pushed the game into Gloria variation. I've rarely met thisvariation so I decided to follow the book strictky or at least as far asI could. } 2... Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. d3 Bg7 5. Bg5 { Until this move everything wasusual. I don't know what the idea of ths move was but it didn't existedin the DB. I decided to castle early, because as I said I haven't playedthe Gloria variation so often. } 5... Nf6 6. Bxf6 { Well if Bg5 wasn't a completemistake so that is a blunder. Why would you possibly play that ? Can someoneanswer me ? You lose a turn to bring your bishop ahead and then exchangeit for a undeveloped knight. Additionaly he allows my black squared bishopto open his diagonal and threaten c3 and put pressure on b2 and a1 } 6... Bxf6 7. Nf3 d6 8. Nd5 { This move is obviously a mistake. He wants to have thepossibility of Bc7 but doesn't see that Bxb2 } 8... Bxb2 9. Rb1 Qa5+ { Of courseI don't retreat immediately. White's mistakes give me a oppurtunity toattack the uncastled king. } 10. Nd2 { Only possible move if he wants tocastle in the future. } 10... Bd4 { I retreat but not fully. My bishop is stillin a good position, but White's chances to castle and put an end to myattack are big. } 11. f3 { Another mistake. I don't have an idea what's thepurpose of this move. He opens my black squared and makes his castlingvery complicated. } 11... e6 { I eliminate the danger of Bc7 i order to make myattack easier. } 12. Nf4 { he retreats to the ony possible position and } 12... Qxa2 { I win another pawn. } 13. Ne2 { Well that is another move I don't like.He leaves the pawn on d3 without any support and tries without having enoughpower to force my bishop to retreat. } 13... Be3 { As I said - not enough support } 14. Nb3 Nb4 { I involve my kight in the attack in order to have more powerand to push him for Bc7# } 15. Na1 Bd2+ { I decide that is it time to attackand force the king to move from his hide place } 16. Kf2 Nxd3+ { The unsupportedd3 pawn helps me to continue my attack and bring the king further away. } 17. Kg3 { only possible move because of Be3# } 17... h5 { Here I need to bring anotherfigure in the attack and the h7 pawn is ideal for it. } 18. Nc2 { White'slast mistake. Not so bad as a move but only when the king isn't near mate.I mean the knight does nothing to help the king of escaping the dangouressituation. A possibly better move is h4 which would at least give the kinga chance to survive. } 18... h4+ { Predictable and leading in any way to checkmate. } 19. Kh3 { the other possibility leads to Kg4e5# } 19... Nf2# { The thing whichI've learned from this game is always to be concentrated because everymove can be a step to a win but also to a loss. } 0-1

[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.03.11"] [Round "-"] [White "mrx3419"] [Black "dungeonking"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1284"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1428"] 1. e4 { In this game I sacrifice a bishop to queen a pawn and deliver checkmate. I noticed that my opponent moved his f knight at least 6 times losingmany tempos. } 1... c5 { My strongest opening } 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 { This move prevents an advance of the e pawn } 6. Nf3 { Thats twicehes moved the f knight } 6... Nc6 { I thus gain a lead in development } 7. Bb5 Bd7 8. O-O Be7 9. b3 { b3? better i think would be to place his bishopon g5 } 9... O-O 10. Bb2 e5 { I strategically block the a1-h8 diagonal } 11. h3 a6 12. Bd3 Be6 13. Nh2 { Thats the third time hes moved his f knight } 13... d5 { Trying to hold the center } 14. Nf3 { This is the fourth time he moves hisf knight } 14... d4 { Now the diagonal is effectively blocked and I have a firmcontrol of the center } 15. Ne2 Qd7 16. Ng5 { He protects the h pawn froma bishop sac and attacks my lsb } 16... h6 { Since the bishop really cannot retreatI force him to take it } 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. Ng3 Nb4 { Now i threaten his bishopfor endgame equality } 19. a3 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 b5 21. b4 Rfd8 { I back up thecenter pawn } 22. Rfd1 Qc4 { I offer to exchange queens for better pawn structure } 23. Nf5 { He refuses and gains an outpost at f5 } 23... Bf8 { I retreat my bishophere to bolster defense of g7 } 24. Rac1 Qxd3 { Qxd3? Locks up the centerfor white } 25. cxd3 { Now white has an open c-file backed by a rook } 25... Rdc8 { I challenge white for crucial control of this file } 26. Nh4 { He movesthe other knight again when he was on a good square. } 26... Nh5 { Im going forthe outpost on f4 now } 27. g3 { He comprimises his kingside to prevent this } 27... g6 { I make the same mistake. } 28. Nf3 { He moves this knight again to attackmy e5 pawn which I easily defend } 28... Bd6 29. Nh2 { He moves the knight again! } 29... f5 { This move was a mistake as I try to bust up his kingside } 30. g4 fxg4 31. Nxg4 Kh7 32. f3 { Im not sure why he made this move. } 32... Nf4 { I take advantageof it by gaining the outpost and attacking his h3 pawn. } 33. Kh2 Rf8 { Awasted move methinks } 34. Rc6 Rfd8 { I protect my bishop } 35. Bc1 g5 { tolock in a closed position around his kingside } 36. Bxf4 gxf4 37. Rdc1 { Notsure what doubling up his rooks does here } 37... a5 { I double attack the pawn } 38. Rb6 { As you will soon see I am not worried about his rook taking myb pawn } 38... axb4 39. Rcc6 { This is where I sac my bishop to queen my b pawn } 39... bxa3 { Now I have a protected passed pawn! } 40. Rxd6 { He takes the bishopand I have to take it because 41. Rxh6+ Kg8 42. Rg6+ and im in big trouble } 40... Rxd6 41. Rxd6 a2 { I advance the pawn because 42. Rxh6+ is just a check } 42. Rxh6+ Kg7 43. Re6 { Its too late for white to start gobbling up pawnsbecause im going to queen the pawn on the next move. } 43... a1=Q 44. Rxe5 { Matein two } 44... Ra2+ 45. Nf2 Rxf2# { In this game I sacrifice a bishop to Queena pawn and deliver checkmate. I noticed that my opponent moved his knightsover six times in the game losing a lot of tempos. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "dmisra"] [Black "billbaggins"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1649"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1575"] { Somedays, you wake up and just want to attack! Piece sacrificed to setup a devastating attack on the kingside. The kind of attack that comesout of nowhere. Win on move 31. Quiz- what would you do on move 13? Itwould be nice to know if he could have saved the game after move 13. } 1. e4 c5 2. f4 { I was hoping for a Kings gambit, my fav move nowadays. Ohwell, reflexively I still play f4- ppl have told me this is the Grandprix opening. } 2... e6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. O-O { Want to castle quickly andattack his kingside } 5... Be7 6. Nc3 a6 7. a4 { to prevent b5 } 7... Na5 { I dont thinkhis knight move to a5 accomplishes anything. Knight is pushed to one sideof the board. } 8. Ba2 { And I simply withdraw here, from where this serpentcan uncoil and strike its long arm later } 8... b6 9. d3 { activate my dsb } 9... Bb7 10. Be3 { okay, all pieces developed. Now it is 'har har mahadev'- Hinduwar cry, lol } 10... Nf6 11. Ng5 { Decide to attack his kingside, no definite planas such. Feeling, exploring, needling a superior ranked player } 11... h6 { withdrawmy knight, no I have other ideas. Can you guess? } 12. e5 { harass his knight,disrupt his center. If h6 x N, then the pawns on his kingside shall bedisrupted } 12... Nd7 { quiz- what would you do now ?? Think.... then see whatI did next !! } 13. Nxe6 { Wham- knight sacrifice- if he takes it ....thefun begins. Fasten yr seatbelts } 13... fxe6 14. Qh5+ { wham- the wicked witchblasts into place } 14... Kf8 15. Bxe6 { He is in trouble. Almost certainly willlose his knight on d7, and if I can only open up the f file. } 15... g6 { he surprisedme with this move, I had been expecting Q to e8 } 16. Qxg6 { never mind. gobble gobble for now } 16... Qe8 17. Qf5+ Kg7 18. Bxd7 Qd8 19. Ne4 { Don't likehis lsb pointing at my g2 pawn. Dont want complications should his rookmove to g8 in the future. Also brings my knight over into the attack } 19... Bxe4 { oh well, he goes for the exchange } 20. dxe4 Rf8 { now his turn to harass,rightly so wants to drive my queen away. Note- I am 3 pawns up } 21. Qg4+ Kh8 { What do I do now?? I think of a way to bring my bishop to c3 withan uncluttered a1- h8 diagonal. watch.. } 22. exd6 Bxd6 23. Bd2 { bishopwithdraws for now } 23... Be7 24. Rad1 { suddenly, I decide to postpone the moveof my dsb for now. bringing this rook here, I kind of eye his queen !! } 24... Nc4 { his knight springs into life and surprises me. In one move it hascentralised and if it moves to e3- it is a royal fork attacking both rooksand queen. Be very careful... } 25. Bc3+ Bf6 26. Qg6 { Dont mind the bishopexchange for he has lost his h pawn. The defence of his king is crumbling } 26... Bd4+ 27. Bxd4+ cxd4 { he has blocked off the d file and my bishop couldbe lost } 28. Qxh6+ Kg8 29. Be6+ { bishop escapes } 29... Rf7 30. Qg6+ Kh8 31. Qxf7 { Dont mind if his knight forks me on e3, for my f rook will go to f3- h3,mate. Hope you enjoyed, this is chess for fun, for adrenalin junkies. When his pawn came out to harass me on move 11- h6- he had no idea thatan attack could materialise from nowhere. COULD HE HAVE SAVED THE GAMEAFTER MY KNIGHT SAC- pl let me know. Pl comment freely and pl rate ifyou think this game is good. } 1-0

[Event "Paris 1900 · Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation. Normal Line (D55) · 1-0"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Frank Marshall"] [Black "Amos Burn"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "?"] [TimeControl "?"] [WhiteElo "?"] { This game is Frank James Marshall vs Amos Burn held in paris in 1900,The annotations by Frank Marshall made me laugh so I thought I would shareit. I found this on chessgames.com. Hope you enjoy. } 1. d4 { Notes by FrankMarshall. Britisher Amos Burn was a very conservative player who likedto settle down for a long session of closed, defensive chess. He lovedto smoke his pipe while he studied the board. } 1... d5 2. c4 e6 { Burn beganhunting through his pockets for his pipe and tobacco. } 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 { Not much thought needed on these moves, but Burn had his pipe outand was looking for a pipe cleaner. } 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. cxd5 exd5 { He began filling up his pipe. I speeded up my moves. } 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. h4 { Made him think on that one. And he still didn't have the pipegoing. The threat is Bxh7 , Kxh7; Ng5 , known as the Pillsbury Attack. } 10... g6 11. h5 Re8 12. hxg6 hxg6 { Now he was looking for matches. } 13. Qc2 Bg7 14. Bxg6 fxg6 { He struck a match and appeared nervous. The match burnedhis fingers and went out. } 15. Qxg6 Nd7 { Another match was on its way. } 16. Ng5 Qf6 { He was puffing away and lighting up at last, but too late. } 17. Rh8+ Kxh8 18. Qh7# { Poor Burn. I think I swindled him out of thatone. If he could only have got that pipe going, it might have been a differentstory. He took it good naturedly and we shook hands. Then his pipe wentout. } 1-0

[Event "Petrov, Modern attack"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.12.09"] [Round "-"] [White "the_k_lags"] [Black "evilgm"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1899"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1698"] 1. e4 { the_k_lags is one of the co-captains of my team and we periodicallyplay some matches against each other for fun. Welcome any and all commentsto help us improve together. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { I prefer playing Petrov tothe other defenses, and since I dislike the Ruy Lopez, this line preventsit. } 3. d4 { And now we've gone modern attack. This move starts thingsoff with a bang. Black has a few responses: Nxe4, exd4, and d6 being myfavorite. I don't like d6, since it allows White to get some pawns deepinto my territory. exd4 isn't bad at all, but I like the tactical optionsof Nxe4 best. } 3... Nxe4 { This move strikes first blood for Black. To regainparity White has several options, dictating the flow of the remainder ofthe game. } 4. Bd3 { Good choice. Developing the LSB, making space for acastle, and threatening the knight at e4. Any time you can accomplishthree things in one move, it's a good one. } 4... d5 { Seeking to preserve myknight's post, I'm not ready to give that spot up yet. It can't be threatenedby a pawn until White moves his knight at f3... } 5. Nxe5 { and here we are. Regaining pawn parity, White now has a projection of power on his ownand can play f3 at some point to shoo away my knight. } 5... Nd7 { Threateninghis posted knight and developing a piece at the same time. As a generalrule of thumb in early development, try not to move your power pieces morethan you have to, and get your main pieces into play. If you can do multiplethings at once, go for it. Some might consider Bd6 here, in mirrored play. I'm not as much a fan of that line and symmetrical play tends to be moreboring. } 6. Nxd7 { Exchanging knights. } 6... Bxd7 { As another general rule ofthumb, don't get caught up in moving your queen early if you don't haveto. Better here to take with the LSB vice queen. } 7. O-O { Getting theking to protection is of high priority in early development. Additionaloptions include bringing the knight into action on Nd2 or Nc3, though Iprefer the castle more. } 7... Bd6 { Time to get ready for my own castle. Centralizationof the DSB also projects good power on White's kingside. } 8. c4 { A strongplay by White. It threatens the protector for my knight and provides additionalmobility options for his queen. I can no longer castle immediately andmust see to my defense. } 8... c6 9. Nc3 { This move is the best White can make. White is closer to finishing his development. At first blush anotherstrong consideration would be pushing the pawn to c5, however, I don'tthink that helps much, as it allows me to retreat my bishop to c7, makingan easy match up for a queen/bishop diagonal. } 9... O-O { And now Black finisheshis development, not terribly concerned with the c4 pawn threat, as thereare several options to regain pawn parity. } 10. cxd5 { Making a go of thecenter. } 10... Nxc3 { In this context, the only two options to consider areNxc3 and cxd5. cxd5 isn't bad, I just like the lines in the move I playedmore. } 11. bxc3 cxd5 { Now the game begins in earnest. By my reckoning,we are close in position/points. My isolated central pawn will becomea victim soon if White wants it, but White will normally lose the c pawnin a few more moves... } 12. Qh5 { Good attack by White's queen, immediatelygoing after my d pawn. } 12... g6 { I thought long and hard about playing f5 instead. This position won out on personal whim. Notice if I don't move one ofmy kingside pawns 13. Qxh7# } 13. Qxd5 Qc7 { The only move worth considering...While Bc6 appears decent, if you do that you lose the chance to easilyregain the pawn at c3. Notice also that I have a chance to take Qxh2+and effectively threaten two of White's pawns, if I can dislodge his queen. } 14. Bh6 { Great positional move, completing White's development. The middlegame awaits! } 14... Rfe8 { Allowing a space for my bishop to come and defend withon f8 as/if needed, also placing my rook on the open file. } 15. Rfe1 { Goodmove by White, maintaining parity across the board. This is a great gameso far. } 15... Bxh2+ { Regaining pawn parity. } 16. Kh1 Bd6 { Coming back home aftera night out eating pawns... } 17. Rab1 { This move was a mistake and I didn'tsee it. 17. Rab1 Rxe1+ 18. Rxe1 Qxc3 would have won the pawn at c3. Another move worthy of consideration is Bb5, looking for a bishop exchange. White has two passed pawns which are a priority for me to something about. If White can exchange pieces, he should have more options for gettingone of those two pawns downrange for promotion. } 17... b6 { Protects the pawnbut a missed opportunity. } 18. Bc4 { I honestly expected White to play c4here, but as soon as this was played I smelled blunder. This move wouldallow me to trade a bishop for a rook. } 18... Be6 { Note that White's LSB is nowlost, forcing 19. Rxe6. } 19. Qb5 { This move surprised me. If I had beenplaying speed chess I might have lost here. Note that if 19 ... Bxc4 ??it's a blunder mate (2). That said, Qxc4 is still winning. Because Whitedidn't analyze the position carefully, they lost on a chance to stop thebleeding with 19. Rx36. } 19... Qxc4 20. Qg5 { If I were White I would made thequeen trade. While you're down a piece, yes, and it IS harder to comeback once you start losing pieces, I'd rather trade and keep the c pawn. Perhaps White is sniffing mate in 2? } 20... Qxc3 21. Qf6 Bf8 { And mate is averted. Now White is in serious trouble. Failing to trade Rook for Bishop isstarting to look worse, as the final center pawn will almost certainlyfall soon. If White retreats with the bishop, Bg7 by Black wins d4. } 22. Rbc1 { Seeking to generate some momentum. If White can get his rook toc7, it can lay some serious consequences for my king. } 22... Qb4 { pairing upwith the DSB for added defense. } 23. Bf4 { I would have traded bishops...This new mistake opens the ground for some good counterplay by Black. } 23... Bg7 24. Qg5 Qxd4 { keeping the bishop and queen connected... } 25. Be3 Qd5 { offering the queen trade and threatening the a pawn at the same time. Remember 2-for-1 moves are almost always the best! } 26. Qf4 { White needshis queen to mount a comeback is likely the thought on his mind. Sometimesyou need to trade down to prevent more abuse. White is basically in thatposition. However, there are always games where someone makes a mistakeand you're glad you didn't trade. White is starting to run out of options. } 26... Be5 { laying groundwork for projection of force against White's weakenedKingside. It also prevents any incursions onto my 7th rank by White'srook. } 27. Qh4 { A tough position for White. With my pair of bishops, Iam close to being able to pin White's queen... maybe with a little workI can get it cheaply. To succeed at that I need to keep her boxed in whileI get a rook to c4. } 27... Rac8 { I am looking ahead to a change to split White'sking/queen if possible, and get a mating net set up, or at least seriouslycompromise White's defenses. } 28. a4 { Seeking to protect his a pawn fromthe predation of my queen. } 28... Rxc1 { Trading down to limit White's comebackpotential. } 29. Rxc1 Rc8 { offering a further trade... } 30. Re1 Rc4 { Nowthe moment of truth... This move wins the a4 pawn at a minimum, and haspotential for much more depending upon White's response. This is my attemptto go after White's queen on the cheap. } 31. Qg5 { A costly blunder. } 31... Rg4 { Threatening 32... Qxg2#. White's beginning play was brilliant, inspiredeven. Compounding errors in moves 18-19 compromised his position in away that ultimately spelled his doom. Thank you for the comments and votes. } 0-1

[Event "A Violent Petroff"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "slywing"] [Black "vortex"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1719"] [WhiteElo "1466"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { I rarely ever see the Petroff, and I don't reallyknow what to do against it. } 3. Nxe5 d6 { 3...Nxe4 doesn't work. 4.Qe2wins a pawn. } 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 { Opening it up for the bishops. Capturing towards the center is also logical, but I wanted fast development. } 6... h6 { Kinda passive, but prevents some future threats against h7. } 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 { Threatening in some cases to sac the bishop on h6. } 8... Be6 9. Be2 a6 10. Nd4 Bd7 11. Bc4 { Increasing my central control and aiming atf7. } 11... O-O 12. Bd3 { Threatening Bxh6 and then, if he recaptures, I take withthe queen threatening mate on h7. Of course, this is an obvious threat,but the bishop is well placed in any case. } 12... c5 { Aggressive, but my attackshould be faster. } 13. Nf3 f5 { Defending against the aforementioned threat. This move does carry weaknesses with it, though. I think 13...h5 mighthave been better, though white still has good resources. } 14. Bc4+ { Leavingblack with only one reasonable option, because 14...Kh8 loses to 15.Bxh6. } 14... Kh7 15. Bf4 Bc6 { Threatening to double my pawns with Bxf3 while defendingd6 at the same time. } 16. Bd5 Bf6 17. Qd3 { Avoiding the tempting 17.Bxh6,because 17...Bxd5 loses material for white. } 17... g6 18. Bxc6 Nxc6 19. O-O-O { Loading up on the d-pawn. Black is on the defensive. } 19... Be5 20. Qe3 Bxf4 21. Qxf4 { Maintaining pressure, forcing black to respond to threats. } 21... Rf6 22. Rhe1 { Seizing control of an important file. In some lines I canmake threats on the 7th rank because black's king is hemmed in be pawnsin front. } 22... Qa5 { Now it gets complicated. Can white get away with takingthe pawn on d6? He attacks the rook after Rxd6 and forces ...Rxd6, afterwhich Qxd6, but is it worth letting black take the a-pawn? } 23. Rxd6 Rxd6 24. Qxd6 Rd8 { Creating some glaring threats based on the mate on a-1. It doesn't work, though. } 25. Re7+ Nxe7 26. Qxe7+ Kg8 { At this point Iwas thinking draw, but can I get more? } 27. Qe6+ Kf8 28. Qf6+ Ke8 29. Qe6+ Kf8 30. Ne5 { I'll try for the win. } 30... Qc7 31. Qf6+ Ke8 { Now here's the criticalpart. } 32. Qh8+ Ke7 33. Qg7+ { I can sense some sort of win ahead, but I'mnot sure of it yet. I've got to keep the initiative and make forcing movesso he can't coordinate his queen and rook. } 33... Kd6 { Or else the queen is gone. } 34. Qf6+ { Continuing with my theme of forcing moves. } 34... Kd5 35. c4+ Ke4 { Ihad to make a tough decision here. Check with the pawn or reposition? } 36. Qe6 Qd6 { The idea is that Qxd5 loses to pawn checks that force theking away from the queen. However, I now have a forced win. } 37. f3+ { Blackis lost. } 37... Ke3 { If 37...Kf4, then 38.Nxg6+ mates in a couple of moves. } 38. Ng4+ { Only forced moves for the rest of the game. } 38... Kd4 39. c3+ Kd3 40. Nf2# 1-0

[Event "blitz game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "kenderfender"] [Black "???"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "5min"] [WhiteElo "1853"] { [Event 'GameKnot Blitz'] [Site 'http://gameknot.com/'] [Date '2015.05.06'][Round '-'] [White 'kenderfender'] [Black 'lapreuve'] [Result '1-0'] 1.e4 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d3 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2 Nf6 7. Nge2 O-O 8.O-O Bg4 9. h3 Bd7 10. f4 Nh5 11. g4 Nf6 12. Be3 e6 13. Qd2 Qc7 14. f5 exf515. gxf5 a6 16. Bh6 Ne5 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Qg5 Qd8 19. Nf4 h6 20. Qg3 g521. Ncd5 Bc6 22. Nxf6 Kxf6 23. Nh5+ Ke7 24. f6+ Kd7 25. Bf3 Kc7 26. Bg4Bd7 27. a3 Qc8 28. Bf5 Ng6 29. b4 b6 30. d4 Nf4 31. Nxf4 gxf4 32. Qxf4Rg8+ 33. Kh2 Bxf5 34. dxc5 bxc5 35. bxc5 1-0 } 1. e4 c5 2. c4 { Transformingit into an english-like opening. Weakeness the center though, which isoppossite to the idea of the sicilian closed variation; it also providesblack with an extra move to arm his defenses, but sometimes I like to playthis plan. } 2... Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d3 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2 Nf6 7. Nge2 O-O 8. O-O Bg4 9. h3 { It seems to weaken the castling, but white ́s only attackplan resides in moving his king ́s flank against black ́s castling. } 9... Bd7 10. f4 Nh5 { Gives white a free move } 11. g4 Nf6 12. Be3 { Aiming for Black ́scastling and also pinning c5. Maybe f5 was a stronger move, threatening13.g5 in case of 12...e6. } 12... e6 13. Qd2 Qc7 { Protecting b2 and also indirectlyc5. Also 14.Ng3 with the idea of supporting the attack in f5 (15.f5) isnot that good anymore considering now 15...d5. } 14. f5 exf5 15. gxf5 { Openingthe g-column for the rook (in a future possibility). Maybe exf5 was bettersince it activates white ́s bishop, but it did not seem clear to me. } 15... a6 { Trying some sort of counterattack. Maybe Nh5 was stronger, but it is difficultto find a precise defense in such a blitz game } 16. Bh6 Ne5 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Qg5 { Putting some pressure on f6. I knew I was giving up on d3, butit seemed to me there was compensation, although I had not a winning lineat hand. I still can ́t find it. } 18... Qd8 { Not accepting the sacrifice but allowsme to add the Ne2 to the attack while defending d3 at the same time. Still,h6 seemed better. } 19. Nf4 h6 20. Qg3 g5 21. Ncd5 { Spent most of my timethinking here what to do, and didn ́t find anything better. I was eagerto get a winning attack. 21. h4, Nh7 doesn ́t seem to help me much. } 21... Bc6 { Now this seemed to be the wrong one here in the game. Still 21...Nh7 lookedgood to me, with the idea of f6, closing the case. } 22. Nxf6 Kxf6 { Cannotbe taken with queen, thus, black ́s King is on the move for awhile } 23. Nh5+ Ke7 24. f6+ { Impeding f6 and also constricting black ́s space. On theother hand, although N in h5 seems to be a good defender, holding thatwing, it lacks attacking performance. } 24... Kd7 25. Bf3 { Trying to activatemy bishop. Maybe d4 with the idea of placing my rooks on the attack ind column was better. Nxf3 doesn ́t seem to be a good option, since it willremove black ́s active N. } 25... Kc7 { Now it seems clear white needs to attackon the queen ́s side. White ́s N in h5 seems even less useful now, but whiterooks are more appealing than those of black ́s } 26. Bg4 { Maybe a wasteof time, maybe not. } 26... Bd7 27. a3 { Here we go. Black now needs to place hisrooks on the defense, including that on f8 that seems to be extremely passive. } 27... Qc8 { Threatening Bxg4 and gaining a pawn } 28. Bf5 Ng6 { Doesn ́t seem tobe the best defense, as mentioned, Black needs to prepare the defense onthe queen side of the board. } 29. b4 b6 30. d4 { I was preparing this move(as mentioned previously) way ahead of this position, but now N in g6 makesit even easier. } 30... Nf4 { Blocks white ́s queen g3-d6 control and also opensg column for a counterattack. Also, after 31.Nxf4 gxf4; 32.Qxf4, Bxf5,white pawns in f column doesn ́t seem to compensate that extra pawn. ButIn that case, I was thinking about: 33.d (or b)xc5! threatening mate intwo (or else losing rook in f8 after white check on d6. } 31. Nxf4 gxf4 32. Qxf4 Rg8+ 33. Kh2 Bxf5 34. dxc5 { And so it went, although now rookcannot be taken. Still not sure if black can compensate after 34...Bd7since white ́s rooks seem to be extremely active. It would have been interestingto follow that line. In these few minutes of light analysis I can ́t finda clear winning line, with, for example, 34...Bd7; 35.Qxd6+, Kd8 and carefulnow; there is always the possibility of ...Qb8 or Qc7 to exchange queensor even threatening mate. So, 36. Qe7+, Kc7; 37.cxb6+ Kxb6 cannot be continuedwith Qxf7 because of 38...Qc7+ and 39...Qg3 etc. } 34... bxc5 { Opening the b-column.Now white ́s attack cannot be stopped with Bd7 } 35. bxc5 { Black surrenders. I still have the feeling that white had a better attack before, but Icouldn ́t find a better line, so it is up to you guys to resolve the middlegame resolution. } 1-0

[Event "Practice game with my coach"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-Dec-06"] [Round "-"] [White "bakerbaker"] [Black "Cyrus Lakdawala (My coach!)"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2550"] [TimeControl "untimed"] [WhiteElo "1789"] 1. e4 { I was White in this game which is the first time I ever beat mycoach. Although I cannot take full credit for beating a 2500, because hewas playing about 30 other students at once, in an opening he doesn't normallyplay. } 1... d5 { My coach taught us the Center-Counter Defense that day, andwas testing my knowledge of it, although he usually plays the Sveshnikov.Whenver he teaches his students a new opening, he plays it against themall at the same time. In the Center-Counter, Black sacrifices one tempoin the opening for imbalanced positional play. } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 { During the lesson, my coach instructed us to play Nf3 in thisposition, but I knew that if I wanted to beat him, I'd have to play a variationhe wasn't familiar with. } 5. Bd2 { My coach was probably less familiar withthis variation, especially since he doesn't even play this opening. } 5... c6 { Black prepares to retreat his queen to c7 if I move my knight. } 6. Bc4 { I want to play Nd5 to attack the queen, so I need my bishop to defendd5. } 6... Bf5 { Bringing out the bishop so it won't be blocked when Black playse6. } 7. Nd5 Qd8 8. Nxf6+ gxf6 { This is better than exf6, because it bringsa flank pawn toward the centre to control, while exf6 does the opposite. } 9. Nf3 e6 { My coach was moving very fast here, since he had 30 other boardsto move on. } 10. c3 { I need to solidify my centre so my knight won't haveto be tied down to defending d4. } 10... Nd7 { Black's setup is similar to theColle System, or (Businessman's Opening), except that Black's queen bishopisn't blocked in, and the d and e pawns have been exchanged. } 11. Nh4 { PreparingQf3 while threatening to triple Black's pawns. } 11... Bg6 { Be4 is interesting,but my coach (playing many games at once) probably doesn't want to wastetime analyzing a variation that is probably good for White. } 12. Qf3 Bd6 13. O-O f5 { Threatens my knight. } 14. g3 { Of course I'm not going to trademy posted knight for Black's terrible bishop. } 14... Be7 { Black really wantsmy knight off its post. } 15. Ng2 Nf6 16. Rfe1 { Pretty much the only logicalmove. } 16... Ne4 { Threatens my bishop. } 17. Bf4 { I can make this move now thatBlack's knight cannot disturb me with Nh5. } 17... Qd7 { There isn't much to doin this cramped position. } 18. Qe3 { My queen is a lot stronger here sinceit joins the bishop in controlling the dark squares, and joins the rookin controlling part of the e-file. } 18... Rg8 { Again, there are few options inthis cramped position, so all Black can do is make maneuvres that intendto attack my kingside. } 19. Be2 { My bishop isn't doing anything on c4,so this positional maneuvre clears way for my queenside pawns to advancesince Black will eventually castle queenside, and my bishop can go to f3later to control the long diagonal. } 19... h5 { Intending to attack. } 20. h4 { StoppingBlack from playing h4. } 20... O-O-O 21. b4 { Since I have stalled Black's attack,I begin my own attack against Black's king. It was at this point when Irealized that I had a chance to beat my coach, because usually I'm deadlost before move 20. } 21... Bd6 { Attempting to free up space. } 22. Rad1 { I thoughtdeeply here since I had such a big time advantage, and concluded that Iwouldn't get anywhere playing a4 and b5 even though it seemed good at first.My better plan, is to play a3 and c4 and make a break in the centre withd5, instead of my previous idea to make a break on the flank. } 22... Kb8 { Blackreally can't do anything in this position. I told myself, 'I'm winningagainst my own coach and have more time to think! I can't screw this up!' } 23. a3 Ka8 { Black has nothing. } 24. c4 Rge8 { Probably playing for an e5boost. } 25. Bxd6 { Playing d5 only opens up the position and frees Black'scrampedness. I had to trash that idea and plan to play Nf4 and Bf3, whichmakes my pieces more active and increases my chances for a mating attackon the queenside. I started to swallow my pride and realize that beatingmy coach may only be an illusion. } 25... Qxd6 26. Nf4 Nf6 { There still isn'tmuch Black can do in this position, so I felt better knowing that I wasthe one who had the attacking chances. } 27. Bf3 Kb8 { Taking the king offthe line of my bishop. } 28. Qe2 { Threatening h5. } 28... Ng4 { Rh8 is too passive. } 29. b5 { This is where you should really pay attention. After calculatingthe next few moves, I realized that I may have a winning attack againstmy coach. It seemed too good to be true, but I didn't see anything wrongwith it. Hopefully my coach didn't have any professional tricks up hissleeve. } 29... cxb5 { Opening the c-file is less dangerous than letting me openthe b-file. But I think c4 may be Black's best chance to survive. My coachdidn't have much time to think, and probably jumped at the chance to wina pawn, since a3 is hanging. But I think my attack is winning thanks tomy brilliant move. } 30. c5 { 30.c5!! Despite being down a pawn, I have anopen b-file to attack, and Black's pawn structure in front of his kingis weakened. } 30... Qd7 { If Black gives me back the pawn on b5, then he's deadon b7 and the light squares. Black's only chance to survive my attack isto try to hold onto the pawn. But how long will it hold? } 31. Rb1 a6 { IfQxd4, then I play Bxb7, and Black's king's position falls apart. } 32. a4 { Now I have enough forces to win my pawn back, since if Black takes, Ihave Qxa3 or Rxb7, both crushing. } 32... e5 { Finally Black has some counterplay,so now I need to play extra-accurate, especially since my opponent is anInternational Master (IM) } 33. Nd5 { This blocks Qxd4 and brings my knightcloser to Black's king. } 33... e4 { If 33...exd4??, then I play 34.Nb6 with tempo,and if 34...Qe6, then I simply play 35.Qd2 and Black's queen is drivento f6, where I have Rxe8, and if Black takes back the rook, then Nf7 winsthe queen. And if Black tries 33...exd4?? 34.Nb6 Qc7, then I have Qxe8 Rxe8 Rxe8 Ka7 Ra8# } 34. Nb6 Qxd4 { I lose another pawn, but I think myattack is still winning. } 35. Bxg4 { Now that Black has blocked my diagonal,my bishop is worthless and needs to be traded. } 35... fxg4 36. Rbd1 { I'm settingup Black for Qxc5 Nd7 } 36... Qc3 37. axb5 Ka7 { Opening the a-file is too dangerousfor Black. } 38. bxa6 Qxc5 { I'm still down material, but Black's king isvery weak. } 39. Nd7 Qc3 40. axb7 { All Black's defensive pawns are gone,and Black's king is exposed to checks. It was here when I knew for surethat I had a won game. } 40... e3 { A last desperate chance for counterplay. } 41. Ra1+ { The next few moves are pretty much forced. } 41... Kxb7 42. Qb5+ Kc7 { Thisgets mated a move quicker than Kc8, but I can still get Black's king toc7 with Ra8. } 43. Qb6+ Kxd7 44. Ra7+ Kc8 45. Qb7# { This was the singlegreatest game of my life. But I didn't win because I'm better than my coach(which I'm not!) I just caught him at an off-moment, since he was playinga lot of simultaneous games in an opening he wasn't familiar with. Butstill, I BEAT A 2500!!!!!!! } 1-0

[Event "My trip to Charlotte, NC"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "5-19-10"] [Round "-"] [White "Thomas Gilbreath"] [Black "Windy Gatlin"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1367"] [TimeControl "G/90"] [WhiteElo "1434"] { I'm in Charlotte, NC on business, and found a chess club offering somerated play. I'm basically a house player filling a spot in a 5 rounds in5 weeks tourney. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 { Switching gearsand keeping me guessing.....I assumed the d6 KID line was coming. Whatto do, what to do........ } 5. cxd5 { As my opponent is an unknown (I don'teven know his rating at this point), I really don't know which way to go.I choose to open the c file as quickly as possible so I can play Rc1. } 5... Nxd5 6. e4 Nb6 { ?! An unnatural square for this knight, but solid all thesame. I was really anticipating 6...NxN. } 7. Be3 O-O 8. Be2 c6 { Black getsa Slav-type pawn in, and I start pondering his development chances on thequeenside. I'm thinking he is going to have to spend some time to establishwell positioned pieces, so I'm content to just keep developing althoughI have no real plan as of yet. } 9. O-O N8d7 10. Rc1 { As planned. Qd2 nextconnecting my rooks and it's time to start pressing. } 10... e5 { !? My brain beginshurting. No way am I going to help him develop by taking, and I can livewith the position should he instigate. I really did think 10...Nf6 wascoming. } 11. Qd2 exd4 12. Nxd4 Qc7 { I have a nice long think here. 13.Nb5! only appears threatening, but after 13...Qd8 14. Nd6 Nf6 then what? } 13. Bh6 { Justifying my Qd2, and attempting to trade a decent bishop fora strong bishop. } 13... Qe5 14. Bxg7 Qxg7 { ?! In post game analysis, my opponentshared his thoughts with me that he was anticipating a pawn storm, andwanted to back up his pawn defenders with his strongest piece. While avalid concern, IMHO it seemed a little slow, and was just begging to bepunished. I'm really digging my position now, as I'm ripped and ready withgreat activity while my opponent stills lags in development. } 15. f4 Nf6 16. f5 { I go ahead and start attacking in earnest before black gets a chanceto get caught up in development. } 16... Kh8 { Black sees the g file opening upin the near future, and makes a pre-emptive defensive move. } 17. e5 { ?!Seeking to establish a long term presence deep in black's camp. It wasonly after I made the move did I realize that 17...Ne4 gives me a wholeslew of headaches. } 17... Nfd5 { Either he didn't see it or he didn't appreciateit. Pretty sure I dodged a bullet there. } 18. f6 Qg8 { Black is feelingcramped, and I start thinking uber aggressive thoughts. I'm calculatingall kinds of sacs against his castled position, but first things first- pile on as much pressure as possible before pulling the trigger. } 19. Qg5 Re8 20. Bf3 Be6 21. Be4 { Adding yet another attacker into the fraywhile anticipating a rook lift then Rg3 or Rh3. } 21... Rad8 { ! Nice move - whilehaving somewhat limited options, black picks a winner. The d file is nowhis, and after about 5 minutes of thinking, I pretty much gave up on evenattempting to even make a play for it. } 22. Nce2 { ! Holding his mate atd4, revitalizing my Rc1, opening another path for a potential rook lift,and getting yet another piece moving towards the action. A very multi-purposemove. } 22... Qf8 { Getting active and looking to untangle a bit. } 23. a3 h6 24. Qh4 Ne3 { I hadn't really considered this option - and I pay for it. Whatwas once a threatening looking attack starts crumbling a bit. } 25. Rf3 { I get my rook lift in..... } 25... Nbd5 { ....but my headache continues. Blacknow gets his misplaced knight into the mix while exerting a ton of influencein the center of the board. } 26. Rg3 { Still entertaining ideas of a directassault. } 26... Bg4 { ! I've been contemplating eliminating that bishop for thelast 6 moves, and now my opportunity is lost. Black trades two minors fora rook, which usually sounds good, but he also picks up my e pawn, andthe dominos start falling. } 27. Rxg4 Nxg4 28. Qxg4 Rxe5 29. Nf3 { ? Stilltrying to bring more ammo into the fight before I go nuts and try somethingcrazy. And speaking of crazy, I don't even SEE my f pawn falling like this.I feel physically ill. } 29... Nxf6 { ! Has anyone seen my attack? It was herea minute ago....... } 30. Qf4 { Aha!!! A nice rejoinder. } 30... Rxe4 31. Qxf6+ Kh7 32. Nc3 { I considered this knight going to g3 then f5 with some aggressiveintent, but then realized that I REALLY need to remove at least one ofhis rooks asap as I was scared to death of them working together againstme. To do that, 32. Nc3 covers d1 (as well as my Nf3 covering e1). NowI just have to be careful and avoid a back row mate, as I see that I caneasily step out of the check that I know is coming. } 32... Qc5+ 33. Kh1 Re7 { Gettingout of harms way and protecting the vulnerable f pawn. } 34. Re1 { !? Door die time. I'm down to about 11 minutes on the clock (he has about 25),and know full well that I will need every second in this complicated, unbalancedendgame. } 34... Rxe1+ { Absolutely. If nothing else, I have to make some retreatingmoves to defend. Black gains tempo and an appreciation for superior clockmanagement skill. } 35. Nxe1 Rf8 { ?! Maybe Kg8 here? The rook is now somewhatimpotent. } 36. Nf3 { Still worried about some back row nastiness, but Ihave time to improve this knight first. } 36... Qe3 37. h3 { Escape square. } 37... Kg8 { Attempting now to release to rook from defensive duty. } 38. Ne5 { Honestly,I'm looking for a drawing line after Nxg. I simply cannot afford for hisrook to assume an attack posture. } 38... Qd4 { ! A very pesky pin I must dealwith (All the while, my clock seems to be running at mach speed). } 39. Kh2 { My Nc3 is going to have to get involved, and to do that he must giveup covering d1 - so I make a quick pre-emptive move to sidestep the potentialcheck. } 39... g5 { A preamble to Qf4+ QxQ gxQ and a wicked hard endgame for white- I have about 8 minutes left to his 17. } 40. Qf5 { Unpinning and coveringthe potential check on f4. } 40... Qd6 { ? Black has the opportunity to trade queensand chooses not to. Instead, he chooses a healthy (and annoying) pin. However.......... } 41. Ne4 { ! I start thinking I may be able to actuallywin this thing, as I'm allowed to bring all of my pieces to bear. } 41... Qc7 { Getting out of harms way while maintaining the pin, but at what cost? } 42. Nf6+ { ! Mate in 3 } 42... Kg7 43. Nh5+ { And black resigns (43...Kg8 44. Qf6any 45. Qg7# OR 43...Kh8 44. Qf6+ Kg8 45. Qg7# OR 43...Kh8 44. Qf6+ Kh745. Qg7#). Many thanks to my new friend Windy for the fantastic game, andthanks to all for the Charlotte hospitality. I really enjoyed playing withyou guys. } 1-0

[Event "Joanne Stevens - get back to basics!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18-Jan-09"] [Round "-"] [White "ionadowman"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1757"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2043"] 1. d4 { You would think that 1750 players would be above missing or walkinginto basic tactics wouldn't you? But not jstevens1, oh no. In this gameI played to the level of my OTB rating - 1200! In fact from some 1200players I have seen better! So, Jo, time to get back to basics! The gamestarts off with Ion playing d4 and me trying to set up some flank actionwith the Modern Defence which is the response g6. } 1... g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. e4 d6 { 3. ........ d6 - transposes into a Pirc/Robatsch Defence. } 4. Nc3 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Nxd4 { 6. Nxd4 - I break up Ion's impressive pawn wall and nowI concentrate on simple development. } 6... Ne7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nbc6 9. Be2 f5 { 9. ......... f5 - a recommended db move, but I think this is the startof a recipie for disaster! } 10. O-O Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bxd4 12. Qxd4 Be6 { 12.......... Be6 - so far, db but now Ion takes me out of it with this move. I now take back with the wrong unit I think. Jury, would you agree thatNxf5 attacking the Wicked Witch of the West have been a better recapture? } 13. exf5 Bxf5 14. Bf3 c5 { 14. ........ c5? this move is intended to driveaway the Wicked Witch but jury, do you agree that c6 would have been abetter move here? At least it would have blocked off that light squaredbishop's diagonal. } 15. Bd5+ Nxd5 16. Qxd5+ Rf7 { 16. .......... Rf7 - theonly way to avoid losing material outright is to block the check on d5with the rook - although the rook is pinned the Witch cannot take the bpawn as in moving the witch would release the rook from the pin and sothe witch would be no more. No such luck! } 17. Rad1 { 17. Rad1 - the pressuremounts on my d6 pawn which becomes a new target. } 17... Qb6 { 17. ...........Qb6 - counterattack on the b2 pawn but it simply doesn't wash! } 18. Nb5 Rd8 19. Nxd6 Rd7 { 19. .......... Rdd7 - an amazing array of pins here! As an exercise, perhaps you the jury would like to tell me how many pinsthere are and what is pinned to what! } 20. Rfe1 Qd8 { 20. ......... Qd8- I sink further into deep ordure! } 21. Nxf7 Rxd5 { 21. ......... Rxd5 -I play the move but then decided to throw in the sponge because Glendawill fall next move and my rook will have to take on d1. The recapturewill leave Ion an R & P up. I would resign against someone 300 pointslower than me never mind higher with this kind of deficit. A sorry tale. } 1-0

[Event "Casual Game, https://itsyourturn.com, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2022.07.30"] [Round "-"] [White "Analysis"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 e6 3. c4 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Bxe7 Nxe7 7. e3 O-O 8. dxc5 Qa5+ 9. Nc3 Qxc5 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. Bb5 Bxb5 12. Nxb5 a6 13. Nc3 Nbc6 14. O-O b5 { Black's isolated pawn and relatively unprotected Kingsideare going the focus of White's attention. White to play. } 15. Qh4 { NowBlack would be only a little worse off after 15... Rfd8 16. Rfd1 Qc4 17.Nd4. White is a little stronger after 15... Nf5 16. Qg5 Nce7 17. Rfd1Rfd8 18. Qf4 h6 19. Rac1. } 15... Ng6 { Kicking the Queen to a better square. } 16. Qh5 { Now there is a horizontal pin on the d5 pawn. } 16... Rad8 17. Rad1 { With three attackers on d5. Now 21... Nge7 seems like a waste of timewhile Black's kingside is still relatively weak. } 17... Nce7 18. Rd2 h6 19. Rfd1 Rd7 { White can't afford to get greedy after 20. Nxd5? Nxd5 21. Rxd5??Rfd8! with a double pin both horizontally and vertically because of theback rank threat. White is badly losing. Then if 22. e4 Nf4 with a fork. After 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. g3, solving the back rank problem, 21... Rfd8(21... Qb4 (or 21... Qc4) 25. Rxd5.) 22. e4 and White reasserts the horizontalpin and is only barely better. } 20. g3 { Solving the back rank problem. } 20... Rfd8 21. e4 b4 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. exd5 { Black's best option is to play23... Qb5 (or 23... Qa5) 24. b3 a5 25. Rd4 and White has a strong advantage. } 23... Ne7 { Here Black goes astray. } 24. Ne5 { With a fork. Now not 24...g6 25. Nxd7. Black could go wrong with 24... Rd6 25. Qxf7+ Kh7 26. Qxe7Rxd5 27. Qxc5. } 24... Rxd5 25. Rxd5 { Or 25. Qxf7+ first. } 25... Rxd5 26. Qxf7+ Kh7 27. Rxd5 Nxd5 { At first glance, one might think that the game is fairlyeven, but White is totally winning because of the weakness of the Blackking. } 28. Qg6+ { Or 28. Qf5+. } 28... Kg8 29. Qxa6 Qc1+ 30. Kg2 Ne3+ { Now if31. fxe3 Qxb2+. } 31. Kh3 { If 31... Qxb2 32. Qe6+ Kh7 33. fxe3. } 31... Nd1 32. Qe6+ { Black is in danger of getting checkmated. } 32... Kh7 33. Qf5+ { If33... Kh8 34. Ng6+ Kg8 35. Ne7+ Kh8 36. Qf8+ Kh7 37. Qg8#. If instead34... Kh7 35. Ne7+ g6 36. Qxg6+ Kh8 37. Qg8# } 33... Kg8 34. Ng6 { If 34...Nxf2+ 35. Qxf2. If 34... Nxb2 35. Ne7+ Kh8 36. Qf8+ Kh7 37. Qg8#. } 34... Qc7 35. Qd5+ { With a fork. } 35... Kh7 36. Nf8+ Kh8 37. Qxd1 { Now if... } 37... Qc8+ 38. Nd7 *

[Event "Challenge from storm_rider"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.03"] [Round "-"] [White "clapton"] [Black "storm_rider"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1960"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1950"] 1. e4 { hi everyone :) this was one of most complicated closed games i won White begins with e4 } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 { famous opening...... } 3. Bb5 a6 { now is better than never.... } 4. Ba4 Nf6 { ok he wants to keep his bishop.... } 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. Re1 O-O { kings safety first..... } 8. c3 { c3is for precautions from Na5 } 8... d6 9. h3 Na5 { go near your friend :) } 10. Bc2 { good friends (bishops) lol } 10... c5 11. d4 Qc7 { here the complication ofthe game begins ........ let's see how } 12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. cxd4 { pawn transfere..... } 13... Bb7 14. Nf1 Rac8 15. Bd3 d5 16. dxe5 Nxe4 17. Ng3 Rfd8 18. Nf5 Bc5 19. N3d4 Qxe5 20. Be3 Nc4 { see here! what can I do with this situation ? .....very confusing } 21. Qh5 { first a transfere of c4 then a check of h6 ----->my queen is lost! so } 21... Qf6 { moved my queen to f6 } 22. Bxc4 dxc4 { trade! } 23. Nf3 g6 { white can check and go! see ....... } 24. Nh6+ { check } 24... Kg7 25. Qg4 { go ....... } 25... Bxe3 { good trade for me ! (black) } 26. Rxe3 Qxb2 { giveyour rook or f2 , or loose the position } 27. Rae1 Qxf2+ { check } 28. Kh2 Kxh6 { my king is somebody :) } 29. Rxe4 Bxe4 30. Rxe4 Kg7 31. Rf4 Qe3 32. Qg5 { Rf7, check , Qg5-->xQe3 so } 32... f5 { this } 33. h4 c3 34. h5 c2 { onemove to have another queen } 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Nh4 { white can do this :Rxf5 } 36... Qxf4+ { no way :D } 37. Qxf4 c1=Q { another one bring out } 38. Qe5+ Kf7 39. Nf3 Qh6+ { the rest is clear....... } 40. Kg3 Rc2 41. a4 Rd3 42. axb5 Qg5+ 43. Kh3 Qxg2+ 44. Kh4 Qg4# 0-1

[Event "Groningen, 1967"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Pedro Enrique Ferrer"] [Black "Anatoly Karpov"] [Result "0-1"] { The young [16 year old] Karpov demolishes the Spanish junior champion,showing the skills that made him the World Champion just a few years later. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. e3 O-O 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 Nc6 8. Bd3 { Standard so far. } 8... cxd4 { Karpov tries to break up White's center. } 9. exd4 { Ferrer completes the exchange. } 9... d5 { Continuing to try and crackthe White center. } 10. Ne2 { Clearing the way for castling. But he neverdoes so. } 10... dxc4 { Exchanging another central Pawn. } 11. Bxc4 { Completingthe second exchange. } 11... e5 { Pressuring White's last central Pawn. } 12. Be3 { Missing a valuable chance. 12 PxP followed by 13 O-O, getting his Kingto safety, was called for. } 12... Ne4 { Taking advantage of the mistake and plantinghis Knight in a powerful post with tempo. } 13. Qb3 { Ducking away from theattack. } 13... Qa5+ { Ensuring that the K can never find safety. } 14. Kf1 { 14K-Q1 is just as bad. } 14... Nxd4 { Winning a Pawn and pressing the attack forward. } 15. Nxd4 { Getting rid of one attacking piece... } 15... exd4 { ...at the cost ofcreating this monstrous Pawn. } 16. f3 { Trying to neutralize the attack. } 16... dxe3 { Pressing relentlessly forward. } 17. fxe4 { Concluding the piece exchange.But... } 17... Qd2 { ... this lightning-bolt finishes things. Karpov threatens18... Q-B7 mate. If Ferrer tries 18 B-K2, Karpov has 18... B-N5! in reserve.So Ferrer resigns at once. } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.11.22"] [Round "-"] [White "the_huntress"] [Black "hangatyr"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1757"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1663"] 1. e4 { White opens with a force using e4. Bobby Fischer preferred thisopen. He was an exceptional chess player as we all know. Spassky likedd4 open and Spassky was as well a very professional player. In my ownmind I like e4 over d4 but I've used d4 after seeing my opponent mightnot have experience with it and that is the only time I use d4 white open:to upset the expected. All have time to look into the history (past games)with an opponent and we should all take advantage of doing so. I meantake the time to see what the opponent likes to do and why it is so. The Huntress has made, in my own personalized mind, the strongest openwith e4 just like Bobby Fischer in the 1970s. Since then this open hasnot been proven wrong and I respect the Huntress. When I face e4 by whiteI choose Caro Kann mostly and sometimes Sicilian (SHEV) or Alekhine's. I detest the Ruy Lopez defense along with the Giuccio Piano. These blackdefenses can be torn apart very quickly especially if white (who opense4) knows the King's Gambit. } 1... e5 { My team chess player enters into thelosing Ruy Lopez. Why? All white has to do now is move pawn to f4 or bishopto c4 to kill black with a 1900's proven white attack. It is called theKing's Gambit either accepted or declined by black. Either way black isin for it faster than expected. See my own history here as 9422m againstthe Ruy Lopez. The Gambit is not here to extend a game; rather, it ishere to win the game as soon as possible against the slow Ruy. } 2. Bc4 { Standard but first the f2 pawn should have been moved to f4 BEFORE THISMOVE. The King's Gambit pushes the king bishop pawn out to the line tobe taken FOR POSITION. This position is not at all in accordance to theKing's Gambit. White is just rolling along with the slow Ruy Lopez towait and take advantage instead of finishing the game quickly with theKing's Gambit. You chess players can look up the King's Gambit and seehow many chapters are dedicated to it. It shows how fast and how complexthe open becomes to crush black in many different scenarios. } 2... Nf6 { Itis possible for white to check the king by taking f7 and bring the blackking out of protection after black puts king knight to f6. As well, thewhite queen is along a diagonal to continue or support attack directlyagainst the black king. My suspicion is black felt white would do somethingelse and so it comes.... } 3. d3 { Now the game goes with white on the offense. If I was black at this point I'd be thinking about infantry formationto protect my king and move in another direction. Here black has the choicefor the for the infantry point formation similar to the Caro Kann but insteadBlack wants to get a knight ahead of his troops into play..... } 3... Nc6 { ...thusly.I am thinking this is an okay move so far. } 4. Nf3 { So now the game iscontrolled by the slow Ruy instead of a Caro or Sicilian or Alekine's Defense. It is going to be a bout for many rounds before either is able to makea TKO or KO. It is going to last longer than it should last. My player,hangatyr, believes in boxing to the 15th round by using the Ruy Lopez. I say why waste the time using a Ruy Lopez and if anyone uses a Ruy Lopezon me I just go King's Gambit to make the bouts fast and furious to endwith blood all over the mat and a knock out in the end. } 4... Bc5 { Standard. } 5. Ng5 { I wouldn't have done it this way if I was white. I am thinkingwhite is a bit off in sequence for effect here.... } 5... d5 { Aggressive. Very. } 6. exd5 { Center of the board is in the mind of black and black is gettinginto the center of the board to take control.... } 6... Nxd5 { All by tradinghimself (black) to the center of the board to control it. } 7. Qf3 { Nowcomes out the white queen to do in f7. Seems a good thing to do. Blackhas a defense, however. The best defense can also be wrapped up in anoffense as we know..... } 7... Be6 { A simple move by a bishop makes the boardmore complicated. Anytime you can make a board more complicated (i.e.using the King's Gambit against a slow Ruy Lopez) DO IT! } 8. Nxe6 { Seemsto be the best white, who is on the offense, can do at this point..... } 8... fxe6 { ...but white's queen is all of a sudden on her lonesome. The mostpowerful piece is as effective as only a rook or bishop. In the meanwhileblack's queen is deciding when to move before moving. When she moves shewill make sure her loyalty to her king is eternal to die for him! } 9. c3 { White is not sure what to do and so as someone said a long time agowhy not just push a pawn and see what happens and that guy lost the gamestraightway. } 9... Qf6 { I don't know if I was black I would do this but ina recent game I had to. It all comes down to what the players opposingeach other feel most comfortable doing. If trading away queens feels betterI can't say it is always bad. I learned a long time ago to avoid tradingmy queen with the opposition but I confess I've done it. } 10. Qxf6 { Thetrade of queens. } 10... gxf6 { The only realistic way for black to capture thewhite queen for the obvious reason. } 11. O-O { The rook was trapped andso 0-0 was a the way to get out ONE rook! } 11... O-O-O { 0-0-0 is consideredthe most powerful castle over 0-0 because of centrality of the board. } 12. b4 { Shall c4 bishop retreat? Why? Two Knights are on spot and whitehas a trapped rook... } 12... Ncxb4 { This happens when development takes a sideline. Black is already in the center of the board to keep control and make whitesuffer for non development! } 13. a3 { A move to loosen the trapped rook! } 13... Nc6 { And a reformation to get away with a pawn! } 14. Bb2 { While whiteis trying to free out the q side rook and such black is able to look intothe king side of things! } 14... Rhg8 { Nothing going on on the q side! The whiteq side is tripping all over pieces and such to do something but it is reallya farce over on the q side by now for white. } 15. Bxd5 { White tries tobreak through the containment to do SOMETHING in desperation! } 15... exd5 { Nowblack is so far ahead in the center of the board it is only a matter oftime to do what has to be done. } 16. Nd2 { No other place to get the blockingknight for the q rook out of the way. } 16... Rg6 { Not aggressive in my ownreason. I would not have done this if I was black at this point. Thewhite king has a simple move to thwart two rooks in line to take out g2. Just move g2 to g3. } 17. Nb3 { White knows there is no threat after blackmoves rook to g3; so why not get the knight into action? } 17... Bd6 { Retreat. } 18. a4 { A bit of cautious advance. } 18... Rdg8 { The expected. } 19. g3 { The expected. } 19... h5 { Left side pawn moving to engage hopefully before whiteknows how to deal with a passed pawn... } 20. Kg2 { Okay the king is alwaysa fighting piece but sometimes other pawns in other places can take a loadoff his back before he enters into the arena with a sword going one placeat a time in any direction..... } 20... h4 { Passed pawn becomes a real threat. } 21. Kf3 { Best move for the king at this point.... } 21... h3 { Locked. } 22. Ke2 { Now the slow game to the end. Very slow. If White had used the King'sGambit white would have won. White did not not know the King's Gambitand eventually succumbed to the slow death of the slow inefficient RuyLopez. Sort of like a Giucco Piano. Slow and long lasting without decisivemaneuver to win. I applaud my team player to finish this game. I toldhim in private pms that the Ruy Lopez is not my own choice but he usedit and I respect him for it. } 22... f5 23. Ba3 Rg4 24. Bxd6 cxd6 25. f3 R4g6 26. f4 e4 27. Ke3 Re8 28. d4 Nb8 29. a5 Nd7 30. Ra4 Nf6 31. Kf2 Ng4+ 32. Kg1 Rg7 33. Nc1 Rc7 34. Ne2 Rc4 35. Ra3 Re7 36. Rb1 a6 37. Rb6 Rc6 38. Rab3 Rec7 39. R6b4 Ne3 40. Rb1 Rc4 41. Rxc4 Rxc4 42. Ra1 Kc7 43. Kf2 Ng4+ 44. Kg1 b6 45. Kh1 b5 46. Ra3 Ra4 47. Rb3 Ra1+ { The Ruy Lopez wins. IfI was White I'd have used the King's Gambit against the Ruy to end it alot sooner. My team mate knows this now and he has allowed me to annotatefor him this game. He shall add his comments and the huntress is able tomake her own comments. My comment to the_huntress is why didn't she justend the game sooner using the King's Gambit? John } 0-1

[Event "Speculative piece sacrifice "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Club player"] [Black "James"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1413"] [WhiteElo "1743"] { A club game against a stronger opponent I get what appears to be a reasonableposition however on a whim I decide to sacrifice a bishop for two pawnsand some pressure however it proves to be very unsound and unnecessary.The opening was a Sicilian } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { Open Sicilian } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { Nardof } 6. Be2 { Not the most ambitious tryfor white } 6... e5 { I chose to go with a system where black plays e5, of coursethis leaves the d pawn backward and the d5 square weak however black willget compensation in active piece play. } 7. Nb3 Be6 { Controlling d5 whilstdeveloping } 8. O-O Be7 9. f4 { I hadn't expected this to come quite so soonbut I suppose with most of whites army already developed it makes senseto strike. } 9... b5 { !? Maybe this wasn't the correct response however the ideaseemed appealing the point was to allow lines where black can check theon b6 without having to worry about white playing a knight to a4 and ofcourse the other main idea is to win a pawn in some lines by b4 followedby Nxd4 } 10. fxe5 { I thought about throwing an I between move here by checkingthe black king } 10... dxe5 { However I changed my mind figuring that a queen exchangewas probably in blacks favor however since b5 had been in order to allowfor the queen check I probably should have gone with it. } 11. Qxd8+ Bxd8 12. Bd3 Bb6+ 13. Kh1 Ng4 { If I was to get this in it had to be played beforeit was prevented. } 14. Nd1 { Well I've forced back whites knight. I wasreasonably happy with my position at this point } 14... Nd7 { I felt that c5 wasan important square so I developed my knight to d7 as opposed to c6 } 15. h3 h5 { !? This move is probably inaccurate as it weakens g5 and doesn'tdo a whole lot to help with blacks position. However I played it as moreof a psychological weapon, it says to white you can't kick my knight outso easily } 16. g3 Ngf6 17. Kg2 { There is nothing particularly wrong withblacks position at this point do really there was no reason for me to chooseto sac a piece in the following way. Instead something like the simple...Rc8 and black is doing well however I decide to mix things up } 17... h4 18. g4 Bxg4 { ?! The sacrifice is bad enough as it is however even if I do wantto sac a piece it should have been the knight that I sacrificed, not thebishop. However the main idea behind the sacrifice was to leave white ina position where it is very difficult to develop and coordinate the pieces,I thought by having my knight on g4 white would have a difficult time howeverI guess I just got lazy and didn't put enough thought into it. Becausewhite has a reasonably easy game after this. } 19. hxg4 Nxg4 { The othermain thing is I thought I would be able to push my pawn after the sac butI missed that white simply gets to play the king to h3. Had I foreseenthat I think I would have instead saced the knight or not sacrificed atall } 20. Kh3 Ndf6 { I thought this risky as now white can play Be2 whereI'm effectively forced to place my knight on h6 which, however it lookedquite complicated and I thought I would be able to come out alright } 21. Bg5 { However white didn't play Be2 } 21... Rc8 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 23. Nc3 Rd8 { Therook was threatning to come into d5 } 24. Rf5 { Good move I missed that } 24... Bc7 25. Nc5 { And this! This just leaves black in a completely lost position } 25... Ra8 { ?? Now white can just take on a6 since if the rook retakes then Bxb5+wins the rook } 26. Nd5 { However he missed it } 26... Nxd5 27. exd5 Ke7 28. Ne4 Rad8 29. d6+ Bxd6 30. Nxd6 Rxd6 31. Rxe5+ Kf6 { I missed that the bishopwas covering the f5 square not that it really matters anyway since theposition is lost anyway } 32. Rf5+ Ke7 33. Re1+ { I thought about Kf8 herebut I could find no good solution to Rfe5 } 33... Re6 34. Rfe5 Kd6 { Losses apawn } 35. Rxe6+ fxe6 36. Rg1 a5 { I di } 37. Bxb5 { I resigned here, I missedthat the bishop could simply be protected with a pawn } 1-0

[Event "El rey se fue a la guerra"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.04.19"] [Round "-"] [White "cnote9"] [Black "moxnix"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1498"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1566"] 1. e4 { This is the story of how the king went to war. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 { Movilizando piezas } 3... Be7 4. d4 { Atacando el centro } 4... exd4 5. Nxd4 Nd7 6. Nf5 { Atacando g6 } 6... Bf6 7. Nc3 c6 8. O-O Ne7 9. Re1 O-O 10. Qf3 { Ladama entra en juego construyendo una celada } 10... Ne5 { The black horse believed it was going to win. } 11. Nh6+ gxh6 12. Qxf6 { Amenaza Axh6 } 12... N7g6 { única } 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Bb3 { poniendo el alfil a salvo } 14... h5 { lo mismo con su peon } 15. Re3 { es hora de sumar actores a la escena } 15... Kg7 16. Rg3 Be6 17. Be3 b6 18. f4 Bxb3 19. axb3 { abrir esa columna va a ser decisivo } 19... Ng4 20. Bd4+ Kf8 21. h3 c5 22. Bf2 Nxf2 23. Kxf2 { The horse was more active than the knight. } 23... Nxf4 24. Kf3 { el rey se va a la guerra } 24... Ng6 25. Nd5 Ne5+ 26. Kf4 f6 { The reason for advancing the pawn is to capture the opponent's piece. } 27. Nxf6 Ng6+ 28. Kg5 Kg7 29. Nxh5+ Kh8 30. Kh6 { The king is where he wanted to be, the rest is a matter of time. } 30... Rf8 31. Rd3 { con esta torre precisamente } 31... Rad8 { no con esa precisamente } 32. Rxa7 Ne5 { The horse's move is strong, threatening 33....Rf7 and if 34.Rxf7, it continues 34....Sg5#. } 33. Rxh7+ Kg8 34. Rg3+ { The black pieces surrendered here, which is illustrative. } 34... Ng6 35. Rxg6# 1-0

[Event "Slaughter"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.06"] [Round "-"] [White "dmaestro"] [Black "nn"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1420"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1530"] { Flawed game but with interesting finish... } 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. c3 Nf6 4. Bd3 d6 5. f4 e6 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. O-O O-O 8. h3 Re8 9. Be3 Re7 10. e5 Nd5 11. Bd2 c5 { ? Black wants to open the position but this is tactically risky. } 12. exd6 Re8 13. Ne5 Qb6 14. Na3 a6 15. Nac4 Qd8 16. Ne3 N7f6 { ? Blackshould play ...cxd first. } 17. dxc5 a5 18. b4 axb4 19. cxb4 Nxe3 20. Bxe3 Nd7 { Wants to drive away the N. } 21. Bd4 f6 22. Nf3 e5 23. Bc4+ { A usefulcheck. } 23... Kf8 { ? Black fears having f7 unprotected but the pin makes thisworse. } 24. fxe5 Nxe5 { ? Loses a piece. } 25. Nxe5 Be6 { White has a wongame, but can he exploit the position of the king and win quickly? } 26. Qb3 Bf5 { ?? Trying to unpin the pawn but this loses rapidly. } 27. Bg8 { !Threatens mate. } 27... Re7 { Forced } 28. dxe7+ Qxe7 29. c6 { ! Threatens to pinthe Q. } 29... bxc6 30. Bc5 Qxc5+ 31. bxc5 Ra7 { Stops the mate on f7 but... } 32. Qb8+ { Black resigns. Mate to follow. } 1-0

[Event "The Wrong Kind of Mate"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.23"] [Round "-"] [White "sonata296"] [Black "checkmate29000"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1969"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1444"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone! Ardin kindly put this game into the It Can Be Donethread many moons ago. Although this isn't an Expert draw, it is a Near-ExpertDraw and there is a 500 point rating differential between the two sides. It looked as though Ardin's opponent was gonna cop Old Matey. In factthe black king was in Old Matey's shadow, but a stunning sacrifice of theblack queen ensured that Ardin delivered the wrong kind of mate. So howdid this happen? Well, here is the Gameknot Analysis version: http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=13171068&rnd=0.9733391231055444 } 1... e6 2. e4 { 2. e4. This looks like a French Defense by transposition. Ardinstrikes at the centre straight away. Can he keep black pegged back though? Only time will tell. } 2... d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 { 3. ..... Bb4 - indeed, the Winawer. } 4. Bd3 c5 5. dxc5 dxe4 6. Bxe4 Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 { 7. Kxd1 - after a littlestouche in the centre the queens are exchanged and white will lose hisextra pawn. White has a slight lead in development however, could thisbe decisive? } 7... Nf6 8. Bd3 Bxc5 9. Nh3 O-O 10. Bg5 { 10. Bg5 - Ardin clearsthe decks. He also threatens Bxf6 busting up black's pawn structure. } 10... Nc6 11. Bxf6 gxf6 { 11. ..... gxf6 - and he does! } 12. Ne4 Be7 13. g4 e5 14. Rg1 { 14. Rg1 - aha, lining up a WR against the BK, not a bad idea! } 14... Rd8 15. Ke2 { 15. Ke2 - connecting the rooks. } 15... Be6 16. f4 Rac8 { 16. .....Rac8 - if exf4 then Nxf4 and black will have very weak kingside pawns inthe coming endgame. } 17. c3 Kh8 18. f5 { 18. f5 - fixing that pawn structureon the kingside. } 18... Bd5 19. b3 Na5 20. c4 Bc6 { 20. ..... Bc6 - it's thissquare or leave the board for the knight on e4. The black lsb decidedto stay on the board and retreat to c6. } 21. Nhf2 Rc7 22. g5 fxg5 23. f6 Bxe4 24. Nxe4 { 24. Nxe4 - now the exchange takes place but another whiteknight hops on to e4 and the g5 pawn is under the hammer. } 24... Bb4 25. Rxg5 Rcd7 26. Rd1 { 26. Rd1 - the white lsb must be defended because if he movesaway then King Ardin will come under the hammer through Rd2+. } 26... Nc6 27. Rh5 { 27. Rh5 - threatening Rg1. That will take place if Ardin can backup his lsb. } 27... Bf8 28. Nd6 { 28. Nd6 - this leaves Ardin's knight en prise,Checkmate is tempted to swipe it but suddenly he starts to shiver, thereis a dark, dark shadow all of a sudden and the air is absolutely foul infront of the black king. It is that chessic Grim Reaper, Old Matey, andhis scythe is about to descend on h7 (Rh7#). Checkmate sees the mate,however and defends with h6. } 28... h6 29. c5 Nd4+ 30. Ke3 b6 { 30. ...... b6- undermining the support of Ardin's knight on d6. } 31. b4 a5 32. a3 { 32.a3 - but Ardin finds valuable support. } 32... a4 33. h4 bxc5 34. bxc5 Rb8 { 34....... Rb8 - threatening Rb3. } 35. Bc4 { 35. Bc4 - defending against thethreat and issuing one of his own, Nxf7+ which will either win the exchangeor win more if the BK goes to either g8 or h7. } 35... Kh7 36. Rg1 Ne6 37. Bxe6 fxe6 38. Rxe5 { 38. Rxe5 - Ardin finally wins material. } 38... Rb3+ 39. Ke4 Rxa3 40. Rxe6 Ra2 41. Kd5 Rc2 42. Kc6 Ra7 { 42. ..... Ra7 - but black has a supportedpawn on the a column and that pawn will eventually rob Ardin of a thoroughlydeserved near-Expert Victory. } 43. Kb6 Rd7 44. Rge1 Kg6 45. f7+ { 45. f7+- this discovered check looks really nasty. } 45... Kh7 46. Rf1 a3 47. Re8 Rxd6+ 48. cxd6 Bxd6 { 48. ..... Bxd6 - an interesting exchange sac by black whowants to ensure that the a pawn crowns. } 49. h5 Rh2 50. Kc6 Bb4 51. Rf4 a2 52. Rxb4 { 52. Rxb4?? - sadly this is the move which costs Ardin thewin. If you look at Gameknot Analysis you will see how Ardin could haveconverted his victory. } 52... a1=Q 53. f8=Q { 53. f8/Q - both the a and f pawnscrown but it is the pawn that crowns first that can do a hell of a lotof damage, unless the pawn that crowns second crowns with check. If thatis not the case then he who crowns first lands the first check which couldbe at best annoying, at worst, tragic. } 53... Qa6+ 54. Kd7 Rd2+ 55. Kc7 Rc2+ 56. Kb8 Rc8+ 57. Rxc8 { 57. Rxc8 (forced) } 57... Qa7+ { 57. ..... Qa7 CH-EEE-CK!!!! A brilliant move. } 58. Kxa7 { 58. Kxa7 STALEMATE. White had no choice. Incredibly the WK had only one legal move and that was to take the BQ. A mere 19 points up, Ardin had to contend himself with a near-Expert Draw. Ardin played really well, he kept his Class A opponent on the back footfor a lot of the game and attempted to go for the jugular and only verylate on did black attempt any counterplay - white simply did not allowany until that unfortunate capture. Ardin's king was then exposed to aseries of checks from the BQ and BR until his opponent forced that stalemate. Well played Ardin and keep it up! Joanne } 1/2-1/2

[Event "An unperfect win."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.03.16"] [Round "-"] [White "nourish"] [Black "damafi"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1400"] [TimeControl "5|5"] [WhiteElo "1405"] 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 4. dxe6 Bxe6 5. Be2 Bc5 { First move outof schemes. I tried this some times, well knowing that d4 comes, and thenBb6 makes me lose a tempo... but I solve the dsb's dev problem, and ifever white wants to play d5, my B would be looking at f7. He can take it,true, but that implies white to exchange Nc3... } 6. Nf3 { Premature is ...Ng4,after o-o white seems fine. But this is the kind of position Tal couldwin by sactifying two queens... (say, after h3, h5! and this kind of things). } 6... c6 { Much better than Nc6, in my view. Opens squares for my dsb and Q, blocksaany N or Bb5 attempt, and prepares to support Nf6 with Nd7. } 7. O-O Nbd7 8. d4 { Finally. I was waiting for it. } 8... Bb6 { ...or Bb4, being preparedto exchange it. But it is a bad plan. } 9. Bg5 { Expected, also. Not dangerousnow to move the Q. } 9... Qc7 10. Ne5 { Now I have a chance to castle eitherQ or K side. I play for fun, and I don't like 'even looking positions',if I can avoid them. I have to be smarter. Now, I thought a long time beforeplaying... } 10... O-O-O { Probably not holdable against a good player. But... } 11. Na4 { An innocent plan. I can leave him the B and play for the reasonI castled Q side: NxN. And this would have been good enough. But I figureda crazy plan to get something more from the situation, as the pawn d4.I realized that I coud take it, since after QxB, NxN would have got thesame result, but with white dislocated, wide opened in the center, ect.etc. I didn't want to allow NxB+ plainly. } 11... Bxd4 12. Bxf6 { White interposesa move, and I dont' want to add the exchange to the bargain, so I took...what do you think is the right take? } 12... gxf6 { ...maybe, opening a valuablecolumn against white! } 13. Qxd4 { Finally, white decides to take. } 13... Nxe5 { ? I take back winning a tempo and grabbing control of the white squareswhite's lsb can reach. But I lost of sight of a simple but dangerous fact. } 14. Qxa7 { Uh-oh. I have to cope with... Nb6! How? } 14... Nd7 { Only saving move! } 15. Rad1 { After RxN, the threat is still 'on'! } 15... b5 { I calculated that Ihad to force the situation before white does. If Qa8+, Nb8 and all I cansee for white are exchanges. At least, I hoped so! } 16. Rxd7 Rxd7 { Bxd7,Qa8+, ...Qb8, Nb6+ black is dead, so I preferred to give up the exchange... } 17. Nb6+ Kd8 { ...which I am not doing, actually! Can you see why? } 18. Nxd7 { Uh-oh! Had to perform the Qa8+...Qb8, QxQ+...KxQ, NxR sequencebefore, and this small step meant the loss of the game for him. } 18... Qxa7 19. Nxf6 Ke7 20. Ne4 Rg8 { I didn't even look at the a1 pawn. } 21. a3 Bh3 22. Bf3 Bg4 { Forcing a B's exchange in my favour. But I wanted more fun. } 23. Nd2 Qc5 { I wanted to take the B for free, or playing trying to achieveit. Like this. Or Qd4 (but it allows the white's dsb to land on c6...).This allows... } 24. Re1+ Kf8 { ...and my bet is that square will be safeenough! } 25. c3 Qd6 { Not wanting to leave c6 unguarded. } 26. Re2 { Ne4 seemedmore natural, but it will be played later. } 26... Qf6 { Now I am threatening thewhite B. He doesn't want to exchange, knowing the game will be even worse... } 27. Ne4 Qf5 { Keeping the pressure and preventing Nd6 because of Qb1+ andmate! Be aware of Nd6 threatens Re8#! I can still lose, and in an humilliatingway! } 28. Kf1 { That leaves me almost no choice. } 28... Bxf3 29. gxf3 Qxf3 { Now,again, if Nd6, Qh1#... } 30. Ng3 { How to finish white the best possibleway? } 30... Qd3 31. Ke1 Qb1+ 32. Kd2 Qxb2+ 33. Kd3 Qxa3 34. Nf5 { I went for aslow way, pretty sure I could keep control of everything while I keep controlof Ne6. } 34... f6 { ...so I released me from that chain... it was enough! } 35. h3 Rg5 36. Nd4 b4 { Still trying to go faster, I oversee... } 37. Ne6+ Kg8 { I have to prevent another check! } 38. Nxg5 Qxc3+ { The honour was saved,at least! :-D } 39. Ke4 { No point in keeping fooling aroud with checks.The Q with a pawn, alone, can't do much, but helping white to eventuallysave the N. Better is to keep the pawns together and seal white's fate... } 39... fxg5 { never better, because the white R is closed in. } 40. Re3 Qc4+ 41. Kf3 Qf4+ 42. Kg2 c5 { Now is a piece of cacke. } 43. h4 Qxh4 44. Rg3 Qe4+ 45. f3 Qe2+ 46. Kh3 h6 47. Kg4 Qe6+ 48. Kh5 Kh7 49. f4 Qe2+ 50. Rg4 Qh2+ 51. Rh4 Qxh4# { Some tricks (like satemate) were still possible if I playedcarelessly! } 0-1

[Event "Team tourney #1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.22"] [Round "-"] [White "mt1982"] [Black "musique"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1604"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1320"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c4 { I thought this was a bit unusual, d4 is I thinkbetter so it's 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 } 3... Nc6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. d3 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Bg5 a6 9. Qd2 Bg4 10. Bh6 { Not sure this was good, if I'd takenyour bishop I think that would have been good but there was no reason forme to do that as it would let your queen in. So I just ignored it. } 10... Bxf3 { Here I wanted to decrease your control of the center so I could plantmy knight in a better spot and I felt removing your knight weakened thedefence of your king a bit. Also was hoping to take your bishop with myknight later and force you to take with the g pawn further weakening theking's position. } 11. Bxf3 Ne5 12. Be2 { I thought this was a good move } 12... Qc7 { The plan with this was to win your h pawn by moving the d pawn forwardand then knight to g4 trying to exploit the fact that you no longer hada knight protecting that pawn } 13. Bg5 Rab8 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 { Goodmove, very annoying to have your knight there. I had to move the queenbut didn't want to have my bishop lost and worse make me recapture withthe e pawn meaning I had a backward d pawn and no piece to protect my king. } 15... Qd8 16. Qh6 { Was really surprised by this move. I think 16. Nxf6 exf6 wouldhave been better and then you could follow up with 17. Qh6 but leavingthe bishop there makes it very easy for me to drive the queen out. Tome this was a pivotal move in the game. If you'd taken the bishop I wouldhave felt that I was losing. I realize your knight had a great positionbut e6 would easily drive it away so saddling me with double pawns andallowing your queen to stay near my queen would have been scarier. } 16... Bg7 17. Qe3 e6 18. Nf4 Nc6 19. h3 { Not sure why you did this. I was planningon advancing through the center so something like Bf3 would have been betterto try and stop my d5. Also you missed the immediate threat here whichwas to win the b pawn and attack your rook } 19... Bxb2 { From this moment I feltI was winning as I was ahead in material and felt I had a good positionon the queen side to attack. } 20. Rab1 Bg7 21. Bg4 Qe7 { I was worried you'dsacrifice the knight to attack the king and felt that would have been defensiblebut didn't want to take any chances. Really wanted to lock the game downand ensure all my defences were covered. } 22. Bf3 Bh6 { Hoping to win thepinned knight with e5 I was planning on busting the center with d5 butsince your bishop is on f3 I couldn't do that but winning the knight seemedpossible. } 23. e5 { Seemed to clearly lose a piece but not sure what wasa better move to avoid losing the knight. Maybe you were hoping for counterplay with the queen but considering I had connected rooks on my back rankwith the queen on the 7th rank I felt I was very secure. A possible alternativemight have been: 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. Qxh6 which would leave you up a pawn. } 23... dxe5 24. Bxc6 exf4 25. Qf3 bxc6 26. Rxb8 { I wasn't unhappy you did thisas I was up in material and wanted to trade down. } 26... Rxb8 27. Qxc6 Qb7 { Againtrying to trade material. } 28. Qxc5 f3 29. g3 Qd7 { Trying for e5 followedby Qxh3 } 30. Rd1 0-1

[Event "Challenge from anonymous 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2020.02.21"] [Round "-"] [White "otakumadness"] [Black "(name redacted)"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "945"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "992"] 1. d4 d5 2. e3 e6 3. Bb5+ c6 4. Bd3 g6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 a5 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 a4 9. Nf3 h5 10. Ne5 f6 { So far this is a pretty typical opening.This is my second game against this opponent, so I already sort of knewwhat to expect. My opponent has a bad habit of leaving key pieces open,which happens again in this game, as well. } 11. Nxg6 Rh7 12. Nf4 h4 { Themistake my opponent makes in both their games against me: leaving theirpieces unguarded. I get a free rook with no threat to my bishop. } 13. Bxh7 Nh6 14. Bg6+ Ke7 15. Qh5 Nf5 16. Qh7+ Kd6 17. Bb4+ c5 18. Bxc5+ { I'vejust been checking the king multiple times and I pretty much have controlof the board now. } 18... Kc6 19. Bxf5 exf5 { Last game against this opponent,the knights gave me no end of trouble, so I thought I'd take one out whileI could. } 20. Qxh4 { But I get a free pawn out of the exchange, too. } 20... b6 { This was a good move on the part of my opponent, trying to force mybishop back and open more space for their pieces. } 21. Bb4 Kb5 22. b3 { Now my goal is just to get rid of as many of their pieces as possibleand weaken the king's defenses. } 22... axb3 23. cxb3 { Exchange of pawns } 23... Qc7 24. Nxd5 { I get a free pawn. Wasn't really expecting my opponent to fallfor this--was expecting their next move to be moving the queen somewhereelse, but... } 24... Kc6 { ...now I get the queen. } 25. Nxc7 Kxc7 26. Qh7+ { Andthe game is pretty much decided at this point. Five moves away from checkmate. } 26... Bd7 27. Rc1+ Nc6 28. d5 { Because the knight is protecting the king, Ifigure I might as well help myself, otherwise the king just has a perpetualwall around him and I don't have enough pieces to break it at this point. } 28... f4 29. dxc6 Kc8 { Not too smart at this point; the king gets checked againon the next move. Might have been better to move the king to d8, but atthis point, checkmate is inevitable. } 30. Qxd7+ Kb8 31. Qb7# { And mate.I noticed that the rook on the a column never actually moved (well, neitherdid one of my rooks, but I never needed it). Black would have done wellto keep a tighter hold on their pieces, perhaps even using the 'analyzethe board' option to play ahead several moves and see what works best. } 1-0

[Event "A Smothered Mate"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.01.21"] [Round "-"] [White "rbshort"] [Black "Iohannes7"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1252"] [TimeControl "3|0"] [WhiteElo "1321"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 { The Accelerated Dragon } 3. Bc4 Bg7 4. c3 Nc6 5. Qb3 e6 6. d4 { A mistake by White. The pawn push needed to be prepared } 6... cxd4 7. cxd4 Nxd4 8. Nxd4 Bxd4 9. O-O a6 10. Be3 { Avoiding the exchange; keepingpieces on the board } 10... Bg7 11. Nd2 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. f4 d5 14. e5 { Thiseffectiveely closes down Black's dark square Bishop for a short while atleast } 14... Ne7 15. Bc5 Rc8 16. Qb4 Nc6 17. Qa3 Qa5 18. Qb3 { A blunder whichleaves the Knight hanging } 18... Qxd2 19. Rad1 Qa5 20. a3 Bf8 21. Qc2 Bxc5+ 22. Qxc5 Nxe5 { A risky move which with more time may not have been played } 23. Qd4 { Shows the problem with Black's previous move and so it's damagelimitation } 23... Nxd3 24. Qxh8+ Ke7 25. Qxh7 { But now Black has the potentialto deliver a smothered mate } 25... Qb6+ 26. Kh1 { This move ensures the smotheredmate cannot be stopped. White's alternative was of course Rf2 but thisgives up a Rook } 26... Nf2+ 27. Kg1 Nh3+ { A double check } 28. Kh1 Qg1+ { The Knightprotects the Queen forcing White to re-capture with the Rook } 29. Rxg1 Nf2# { And the Knight delivers the coup de grace } 0-1

[Event "team defense."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.18"] [Round "-"] [White "just_william"] [Black "shehenshah"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1660"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1618"] { this game was played by one of my team members. enjoy! } 1. e4 { standard. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { nothing fancy. } 3... h6 { ? i must say that i dont seea reason for this move. maybe it was to prevent Ng5? or something... } 4. d4 Nf6 5. d5 Na5 { attacking the bishop. } 6. Be2 Bd6 { guarding e5. betterwould have been d6. } 7. Bd3 c5 { this move had a purpose as you will see... } 8. O-O { ? a bad move. } 8... c4 { ! attacking the LSB and winning the e4 pawn. } 9. Be2 Nxe4 { 1 pawn up. } 10. c3 b5 11. Nbd2 Nf6 12. Nb1 { i guess goingfor a draw. } 12... Qc7 { threatening e4. } 13. g3 Bb7 14. Re1 Bxd5 { 2 pawns up!! } 15. Nh4 Be6 16. Bf3 Rb8 17. Nd2 g5 { ?! i think best is 0-0. } 18. Ng2 Bh3 19. Ne3 Bc5 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Bxe3 { ?! there is really no need to traderight now. } 22. Bxe3 g4 { ? this traps the black bishop, now it looks likeblack is down. } 23. Bh1 Nc6 24. Qd2 { attacking h6. } 24... h5 25. Rad1 Ne7 26. Bg5 Rb6 { um, i dont understand this move. do you??? } 27. Bxe7 Kxe7 28. Qg5+ Kf8 29. Rxe5 { uh oh! black is in trouble!! } 29... f6 30. Qf5 { ?? this isa trouble move! stronger was Rf5 and black would have to defend precisely. } 30... Qxe5 31. Qxd7 Re6 { threatening mat in 2. } 32. Qd2 Kg7 33. Bg2 Rd8 { ! thisis the winning move! do you see why?? } 34. Qc1 Rxd1+ { resigns! becauseafter Qxd1 Qe1+ winning. hope that you liked it? please comment and rateit on the star system. thanks!! } 0-1

[Event "74th GK tournament quick game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.10.10"] [Round "-"] [White "_sarg_"] [Black "darkblue"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1274"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1154"] { Since quick games are seen everywhere now, I've decided to move on tothe 74th GK tournament. This game ends in 6 moves. It's the first timeblack wins in my annotated games. } 1. c4 { Many people play this openingand it's a great opening. I used to play it all the time, but I don't playit anymore. When I played it, I never played a fianchetto on the g2 square.That's maybe the reason I had trouble with it. Not playing the fianchettois still o.k, but playing the fianchetto is better for attacking the center. } 1... e5 { A common response to c4. } 2. Nc3 { Still nothing wrong. } 2... Qf6 { The firststrange move of the game. As mentionned in another annotated game, earlyqueen moves are almost always bad since the queen will usualy get chasedaround. } 3. f3 { This move does two things. It would later help supporte4 and White already sees what black's plan: Mate on f2. It's a littleearly to play this move and Nf3 does exactly the same thing AND developesa piece. The big downside to this move is that it loses a pawn after Qh4+. } 3... Bc5 { Black missed their chance (again). Black will be disappointed to knowthat the quick mate they were thinking of doesn't work. } 4. a3 { A wasteof a move. The plan for white is to chase away the bishop, which is nota good plan. } 4... e4 { Who want's free pawns? darkblue is giving them out forfree! } 5. b4 { Obviously _sarg_ doesn't want any. b4 isn't a bad move. Whitecan take the pawn later. } 5... exf3 { Black sets up a small trap. If white takesthe pawn with the g pawn, it's mate with Qg4. If white takes the big pawn(bishop), black will win with the funniest mate of all time with f2! Allwhite has to do is take the pawn with the knight. } 6. gxf3 { White chosethe wrong defence. } 6... Qh4# { And in 6 moves black has won. Remember that thisgame was played in the casual section of the tournament. Congratulationsto black for finally getting their revenge. } 0-1

[Event "Exploring the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, a narrative"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.25"] [Round "-"] [White "sixofspades"] [Black "arshia85"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1543"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1356"] 1. b3 { The Nimzo-Larsen Attack...a hypermodern opening with the idea tocounter-attack from the flank. There will be no variations given as thisis my first effort and I plan on taking a more narrative approach. } 1... c5 { Already I was uncomfortable at his response, i'm still learning this openingand i have never seen this response before, i'm sure my discomfort willpass, it's all part of the learning curve when using a new opening. } 2. Bb2 { fianchettoing my queen's bishop, notice how it points like a lazerbeam down into the heart of black's king side. } 2... Nc6 { Both sides appearto be approaching the center from a safe distance. } 3. Nf3 { developingmy pieces getting them ready to see active duty. } 3... d5 { Okay, now black hastaken a foothold in the center. } 4. e3 { i continue to develop `nimzo-larsen`style...this pawn move allows me to develop my king's bishop while possiblysupporting another pawn advance in the center later on in the game.....erwar...my queen is also is allowed a little more space. } 4... Nf6 5. Bb5 { Thisbishop will play an important role of omission later in the game. On onelevel it is comedy but to the white king it will be a tragedy. } 5... Bd7 { blackof course pursues his own plans of developing his pieces. } 6. O-O g6 { blackseeks to counteract my own bishop on the long diagonal. } 7. c4 { Classic`nimso-larsen`stuff, I attack his center from the flank, notice how myb pawn backs up this attack on black's center. } 7... dxc4 8. bxc4 { an importantdevelopment, he gives up a center pawn while I hang on to my own, thiswill help give me a more attractive pawn structure going into the middlegame, notice too how i have not committed either of my center pawns tothe center yet, they stand ready to advance later in the middle game, ilike the idea of holding my center pawns back initially, all part and parcelof hypermodern strategy. } 8... Bg7 { He finally moves his bishop to g7 to counteractmy own bishop on that diagonal. } 9. Nc3 { i continue to develop my pieceswith the idea of piece activity in coordination with my pawn structure,a good opening will help guide you through the pitfalls of having yourpawns get in the way of your own pieces. } 9... O-O 10. Qc2 { I was unsure herewhat to do, i could have played Q-e2 or B*c6. } 10... Nb4 { I get my answer immediately,his knight attacks my queen, maybe I should have taken his knight afterall. } 11. Qb1 Bg4 { he`s getting aggressive here, so i decide to attackhis knight at b4 with my pawn. } 12. a3 Bxf3 13. axb4 { A skirmish breaksout with both sides drawing blood. } 13... cxb4 14. gxf3 { and it continues... } 14... bxc3 15. Bxc3 { after the skirmish i feel pretty good about things, the`nimzo-larsen`will often give you good pawn formations in the middle game,here i have a preponderance of pawns ready to advance towards the center,while my opponent is missing some center pawns. } 15... Qc8 { maybe Q-d8 was better,attacking my weak pawn at d2. } 16. d3 { now that pawn is supported by myqueen. } 16... Qf5 17. Qd1 { at this point i`m thinking to put my heavy piecesbehind my center pawns and advance them and maybe get a passed pawn outof this strategy. } 17... Rfc8 18. Ba4 { i want to get my bishop away from hispawns and get it more involved in my plans. } 18... Nh5 { this knight move of hisputs the question to my bishop at c3. } 19. Bxg7 { i'm forced to take hisbishop but i don't mind that much. } 19... Nxg7 { he in turn takes my bishop outof the game. } 20. Rc1 { so far so good, i`m really liking my position atthis point, my pawns stand ready to advance. } 20... Qf6 21. f4 { a subtle butgood move, creates an opening for my queen on f3 where it can attack black'sb7 pawn which would be pinned due to his rook on a8. } 21... a6 { he's probablythinking about attacking my bishop, meanwhile my queen is sitting in theweeds waiting to strike at f3. } 22. Bb3 { i want to move my bishop awayfrom his threatening pawns and get it more involved in supporting my centerformation of pawns. } 22... Rc5 { he lifts his rook. } 23. d4 { i attack his rookforcing him to move it while at the same time advancing another pawn upthe center of the board. } 23... Rh5 { i`ll have to keep an eye on my king side,i`m notorious for neglecting the safety of my king. } 24. Qf3 { attackingand pinning his b pawn, notice the mobility of my pieces and how they fitin with my pawn structure, this is a theme i plan on focusing on from thisgame on...the nimzo-larsen opening had done it's job and left me with agood pawn skeleton for the middle game wars. } 24... Nf5 25. Qxb7 { i capture hisb7 pawn...oh it feels so good. i'm up a pawn and my center mass of pawnsis looking more threatening all the time. } 25... Rd8 { i`m looking good here butinstead of considering candidate moves (like R-a1), i decide to make thefirst move that pops in my head. } 26. Rfd1 { fortifying my pawn center,not such a bad move really, but now i'm thinking what i could have donewith my rook if i had of moved it to a1.....looking at it now I have thewhole queenside to myself with a queen, a bishop and two connected rooksready to swing into action....the road not taken, as in life so it is inchess, but of course that leaves my king pretty lonely with black's queen,rook and knight hanging around a dark lamppost on the kingside...'for everysolution there is another problem.' } 26... Nd6 { his knight attacking my queen. } 27. Qf3 { i don`t think this a bad move in itself, i just wonder if i shouldn`thave condsidered other moves. my great failing in chess is that i am impatientand easily frustrated and usually make the first move that comes into mymind....a basic character flaw that impeds my ability to improve my game. } 27... Rb8 { his rook attacking my bishop. } 28. Ba2 Rb2 { his rook zooms down tomy second rank...oh i don't like that but chess isn't only about attackingyour opponent...you have to deal with him attacking you as well. } 29. Bb1 { my bishop is in the thick of things now and doing his part to help theteam. } 29... Ra5 { his rooks are carousing around like to big thugs on a darkstreet corner and the`re beginning to intimidate me but i still feel ihave things in hand, my strategy is still to force through a passed pawnin the center and win this war. } 30. c5 { forcing him to move his knightwhile advancing my c pawn once again. notice my nice chain of pawns goingup through the center of the board. the nimzo-larsen will often give youattractive pawn formations in the middle game if you play your cards rightin the opening. } 30... Nb5 31. c6 { again this was a move i made immediately,i wonder now if i should have taken more time to consider it. it seemsto make sense. in my mind he has got to worry about that pawn queeningas his rooks are far abroad on their adventures (like king richard on hiscrusades). } 31... Qd6 { his queen gets involved in stopping my pawn adavance...thisis a critical position and i looked at it and didn`t know what to do, andi didn`t take the time to find out what to do, i got impatient and frustrated,should have stopped right here and logged off and thought about thingsbut that would have made too much sense, if i had stayed focused on mystategy (to queen that pawn), that would have been a good clue to my nextmove. fritz tells me B-d3, attacking his knight. } 32. h4 { instead i dothis and at this point i lose the thread of my game. i was thinking tobreak up the pawns in front of his king. } 32... Ra3 { damn his rooks, always hangingaround and making threats...remember that comment about my bishop i madeearly in the game...'This bishop will play an important role of omissionlater in the game'...i should have played B-d3 here attacking his knighton b5...instead i did something else... } 33. Rd3 { i moved too fast andmake the move that loses me the game, probably should have played the bishopto d3 instead, i`m more of a positional player and tactics are not a strongsuit for me, that combined with my lack of patience make chess challengingfor me. } 33... Rxb1 34. Rxb1 Rxd3 { after the skirmish, i`m down on the exchangeand down in other ways as well. i ruined a good solid position by gettingfrustrated and not taking my time...chess will bring out your characterflaws and shine a spotlight on them. } 35. Rc1 { i moved fast, angry withmyself for losing the exchange and bungling a perfectly good position...thereis an important lesson here, if you make a bad move, logoff and get awayfrom the game for awhile and get back to it later when your head has clearedand you're not as emotional....but you know what they say about advice,easy to give, hard to take. } 35... Rc3 36. Rxc3 { another bad decision but myheart is not in it anymore, maybe R-a1 was better. } 36... Nxc3 37. e4 Qxc6 { therest of it is him closing me down. } 38. d5 Qc4 39. Kg2 Nxe4 { i resignedand learned another chess lesson, if i am to improve my game i will probablyhave to make changes away from the chessboard and do something about my`easily frustrated and impatient nature`...but this is part of the beautyof chess, it will reflect your character flaws and shine a light on them.it is up to me to do something about that....Boris Spassky once said that'Chess is a metaphor for Life'...I think it is. A chess game will havedrama, intrigue, tragedy, comedy. Think of it as a theatre of the mindwhere we play major roles in shaping our destiny. It is life containedon a 64 square field and we are the Kings. } 0-1

[Event "steve1176's mini-tournament X"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.08.12"] [Round "-"] [White "buzzwold"] [Black "grey_panda"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1394"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1345"] 1. e4 { Finally! After a succession of defeats by this opponent I finallygot him, though not without a few hairy moments on the way. } 1... e5 2. f4 { Ihate non standard openings. People should have the decency to play RuyLopez. } 2... d6 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h4 Nc6 5. Be2 Bxf3 6. Bxf3 Nd4 7. O-O { Not surewhether he forgot the pawn or wasn't fussed there. } 7... Qxh4 8. d3 Qg3 { Lookingback at this now, that doesn't look as good as it did at the time. I probablyshould have taken more time to develop but in situ I was just trying tokeep my opponent off balance and reacting rather than having the initiative. } 9. Nd2 { Another odd one } 9... Qxf4 10. Nc4 Qg3 11. Be3 Nxf3+ 12. Rxf3 Qg6 { Bitof a developmental problem now. Despite the cushion of 2 pawns I'm veryaware I hadn't ever beaten this fellow. } 13. Qd2 Nf6 14. Raf1 Be7 { So itspile out time to try and develop something. } 15. Bg5 O-O 16. Bh6 { Tookme a moment to see the reasoning for this one, the potential for pinningthe queen to the king, still think it was a very brave move. } 16... gxh6 { Butfree(ish) bishop.... I'm greedy enough to fall for it. } 17. Rh3 Kh8 { Quitewilling to hand the pawn back but didn't want the pin happening. Nearlycost me dearly. } 18. Rxh6 Qg7 { I figured that was the safest place, consideringthe double attack on the knight. } 19. Rh3 Rg8 { My original intent was totry and exchange queens next move. } 20. Rff3 Qf8 { Can't quite rem why Ichanged my mind. } 21. Ne3 Rg6 22. Nf5 { I can see the h6 space being filledwith a rook or queen and then backed up threatening h7. } 22... Ng8 { Trying tostop the danger at h6. } 23. Rfg3 Rxg3 24. Rxg3 { Quite happy to swap material. } 24... c6 { Bit of a negative move really. Content to let him take the tempo fora moment. } 25. Rh3 d5 26. c3 Rd8 27. exd5 Rxd5 28. c4 Rd8 29. a3 b6 { Neitherof us willing to commit on the kingside, so both playing slow and steady. } 30. b4 e4 31. Qf4 exd3 32. Qe5+ { That caught me a bit by surprise. Wasexpecting him to backtrack. } 32... f6 33. Qe1 d2 34. Qd1 Qf7 35. Nh6 Nxh6 36. Rxh6 Qxc4 37. Rxh7+ Kxh7 38. Qh5+ Kg7 { And since I can force the queenexchange and/or promote he resigned at that point. Always satisfying tofinally beat a bogey player! } 0-1

[Event "fatcat2's mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "14-Dec-08"] [Round "-"] [White "fatcat2"] [Black "bennythoms"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1337"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1389"] 1. d4 { Another game from fatcat2's mini-tournament. } 1... Nf6 { Black has chosenthe move that could branch into many main line queen pawn openings, suchas the Nimzo-Indian Defence, Benoni Defence and King's Indian Defence,or transposing back to Classical Queen's Gambit Declined. } 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 { Black opts for the Nimzo-Indian. } 4. e3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 Ne4 6. Qc2 f5 { Black has a pawn formation faintly reminiscent of the Dutch Defence. } 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. Ne2 { I have a lead in development, and I am trying to preventBlack from catching up. } 8... d6 { A move like this can only increase White'slead in development. If Black wants to get his bishop out that way, hehas a whole chain of pawns to move! By contrast, he can develop his bishopfar more quickly by fianchettoing it, or even placing it on a6. } 9. O-O Nc6 10. Ba3 Bd7 11. Rab1 b6 12. Rfe1 { Let me be honest here: I had completelyrun out of ideas. I fell into a vicious circle of simply playing solid,'waiting' moves and hoping my opponent would do something exciting. } 12... g5 13. f4 { I think this can be classed as 'something exciting'! I was hopingto break open Black's kingside pawn shell, then if he decided to castlethere (unlikely!) I could perform a bold sortie for the king's head...! } 13... Ng4 14. Ng3 h6 15. h3 Nf6 16. e4 { Let's open up the centre a little. White'spowerful four advanced pawns are a thing of beauty, but how long will theylast? } 16... gxf4 17. Ne2 f3 18. gxf3 { I can see nothing wrong with acceptingthe pawn. Clearly it divests my king of any protecting pawns, but if, say,...Rg8 Kh2, followed by Rg1 if necessary to cover the g-file. } 18... Nh5 { Openingup a route onto the kingside for Black's queen, to say nothing of an offensiveknight and rook. } 19. Kh2 { I didn't wait for ...Rg8 or ...Qg4 . I wentfor immediate protection. I did not want White to have an extra attackingmove while I brought my king out of check. } 19... Rg8 20. Rg1 { Now the rooksare eyeballing each other down the g-file. Hopefully I can get an exchange:after 21...Rxg1 22.Rxg1 I have a rook on the open file and he doesn't... } 20... Rxg1 21. Rxg1 { This relinquishing of the open file was Black's long-termerror. It cleared the way for a devastating tactic... } 21... Qh4 22. Rg8+ { ...likethis one, winning a rook. } 22... Ke7 23. Rxa8 Qf2+ 24. Kh1 Qxf3+ 25. Kg1 Qxh3 26. Kf2 fxe4 27. Bxe4 e5 28. d5 Nd8 29. Rxa7 Nf7 30. Rxc7 Kd8 31. Rb7 Ng5 32. Qd3 Qh2+ { At around this point, while shoving my king around mercilessly,my opponent exclaimed, 'There has to be a forced mate somewhere!'. I sincerelyhoped he was wrong. } 33. Ke1 Nxe4 34. Qxe4 Ng3 35. Nxg3 Qxg3+ 36. Kd2 Qf2+ 37. Qe2 Qxe2+ 38. Kxe2 { Exchanges, exchanges, exchanges...what does myopponent get out of them? Less than nothing. } 38... Ke7 39. Rxb6 h5 40. Rxd6 h4 41. Rh6+ { Black's position is hopeless, and he resigns. } 1-0

[Event "sdr46's 55th mini-tournament "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.10.17"] [Round "-"] [White "cheeky_knight"] [Black "jestey1"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1759"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1600"] 1. Nf3 { A remarkable high-draw game where, with an exchange down, whitemanages to almost win the game. } 1... d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. a3 { No one would recommendthis move at this point. b4 IS in fact an important square you have tocare of, eventually, but not in this early stage of the game, and not beforeblack goes e6. } 3... c6 { Now, white has to take care of Qb6, threatening b2.I normally play c3 (would c4 be preferable?), but if c3 now, a3 becomesuseless. } 4. e3 { Self-bloking the dsb, but normal, since Bc1 is dued toguard b2. } 4... Bf5 5. c4 { That's better than c3. a3 has a purpose, even ifblack is using his developement tempoes without challenging b4, makinga3 a waste of time. It is a very delicate equilibrium in openings likethis... and very fascinating. } 5... e6 6. Nc3 { Ok, now a3 has a purpose (toprevent the dsb's developement with pin), and the white position resemblesa little more one of a 'normal' game. Nevertheless, it seems that blackis a little more armonious and coordinated. } 6... Bd6 7. Be2 { I would haveplayed Ne5, but this is only my style. This move seems a little passive,though. } 7... Nbd7 8. O-O { A normal developement plan, but without any attackin it. } 8... O-O { I try to castle queenside, as white, to launch a kingsidepawn storm. Black helps by putting his king just on the side white canattack best. } 9. b4 { ...but white has other plans - normal, having castledkingside. } 9... a5 { A strategic battle for b4 and b5. It is very interesting.Of course white can try c5, but it leads to a lot of tactic lines (axb4,cxB, bxN...). Otherwise, if black retires the bishop, b5 favours white. } 10. b5 { I like this move. b5 is better for white than b4. } 10... dxc4 { I wouldthank black for this. } 11. Bxc4 c5 12. d5 { !? Correct: white tries toopen the white diagonal. But what would she do after e5 by black, followedby e4? } 12... exd5 { As black I would have preferred e5. } 13. Nxd5 { White'sgame is coming to life, even if the dsb is still on it starting square. } 13... Ne5 { Black fights back for dark diagonals control. White can't develophis dsb in b2 because of NxB, so probably you can try Qe2, accepting tolose the bishop's pair, but somewhat catch up in developement. } 14. Nxe5 { This alternative saves the bishop's pair, but at the moment, black's aremuch more dangeroud than white's. } 14... Bxe5 15. Ra2 { The plan was Rd2 fromthe start of the NxN sequence. It looks promising. White's bishop blocksblack's c pawn, and white keeps some perspective of attack with Qb3, b6,Nc7... } 15... Bb1 { Dramatic. It seemed that black oversighted Rd2, but in factthis was exactly what he wanted. } 16. Rd2 { The rook will land here anyway. } 16... Ne4 { ...because this way, the rook has no squares. Interesting here isBb2. } 17. Qe2 { Accepting to lose the exchange. } 17... Nxd2 18. Bxd2 { With thismove played, b6 was interesting for white, so to make black worry aboutthe a pawn. } 18... Be4 { Dramatic, but somewhat slow? Here, it seems that everythingis prepared for a black sac, or some Qh4 like move... } 19. Nc3 Bg6 { Neitherwants to lose the bishop pair... obviously. If black doesn't manage tobreak in, the game will be decided in the endgame. White can't build anattack right now. Has few strong points, and it is very hard to exploitthem the right way. White succeeded, let's see how. } 20. Rd1 { Qh4 nowis not a real threat anymore, since the black's lsb is away from the whitebig diag. Black have to use the rooks to build something against the whiteking. } 20... Qf6 21. Nd5 Qh4 { Well, for this, black could well have played itbefore. } 22. g3 { It was tempting Nf4, and try black to lose the bishops'pair. But white is wise and tries to 'freeze' the game. I think that blackmissed a chance, here. Qh3 would almost force white to exchange queenswith Qf1. White can't move the f pawn to block white's bishop on e4 withouttaking care of Bxg3 (it must have been a sac somewhere... :-). } 22... Qd8 { Ifblack wanted to weaken white's castling, he should have looked what elseto do. The Qf6 manouver has some sense if we think that by moving the knight,white concedes again e4 to the black's lsb. This would be deadly if combinedwith Qh3, but white already knows she can defend from it (at the cost ofqueen's exchange). } 23. Be1 { I like this move... } 23... Re8 24. Qf3 Qg5 { Itdoesn't seem black finds the right plan. Part of it was b6, blocking whiteand defending a5. And Kh8, so to be able to use the pawns for attack. } 25. h4 { A calculated risk. Very daring. } 25... Qh5 26. Qxh5 { So we abandon themiddle game. } 26... Bxh5 27. Rb1 { It's hard to see an improvement for white'sposition with the queen's exchange. And this move just leaves b6 to black. } 27... Bf3 { This is mainly to prevent white's f4. Very nasty. } 28. Nb6 { ...butnow, the white knight comes to life. } 28... Ra7 29. a4 { There was nothing better? } 29... Bc7 30. Nd5 { threatening b6. } 30... Bxd5 { Black has no way to get rid of thethreat but exchanging his bishopp... a strategic victory for white. } 31. Bxd5 b6 { At last! :-) } 32. e4 { Can black break white's defences? It seemednot! } 32... Be5 33. f4 Bd4+ 34. Kg2 { This just helps white to consolidate. Maybebetter was to open the game with Kf8, f5... } 34... Rae7 { Is black preparing forsac the exchange for the pawn? } 35. Kf3 Rd8 36. Bd2 Kf8 { At last, but whitestill has... } 37. g4 { ! Black should have chosen another way: pushing thec pawn. But it was not easy... } 37... g6 38. f5 f6 { In order to open the wayto the rook to the g or h column. } 39. Bh6+ Ke8 40. Bf4 gxf5 41. gxf5 Rg7 { Good for white. The g column was much more under control than theh one. Black can't penetrate right now, unless he wants to exchange morematerial. The static pawn's formation helps white in keeping the balance,even against the exchange. The bishop's pair proves to be very strong.Black has to sac the exchange (RxB and at least one pawn) in order to progress...being the c pawn the answer to black's game. } 42. Bc6+ { ! Very nice, butnot for the check itself, but for the plan to use the bishop's pair thatis behing. } 42... Ke7 43. Bc7 Rdg8 { Very good! White can't take the pawn becauseof g3, but it is useless against... } 44. Bd5 { White gets his goals oneby one. } 44... Rc8 { Black doesn't have time to play Be5. } 45. Bxb6 Kd6 { ? Be5keeps black's pressure against the open column g. } 46. Bxa5 { Now whitehas a free pawn... } 46... Ra7 { It was interesting Bc7+. Either piece takes,white takes a rook and if black places one of them on b, so to take thewhite rook in b1... white will have tempo to queen tha pawn. Is there aflaw in it? } 47. Bd2 Rxa4 48. b6 Rb8 49. b7 { White bishop's power... } 49... Kc7 50. Bf4+ Be5 { Now, this exchange allows another free pawn for white. } 51. Bxe5+ fxe5 52. f6 h5 { ! it blocks the king's penetration... it'sincredible: with two rooks, black is not able to harass the white king.Really? Ra3+, Kg4, Rg8+, Kf5, Rf2+, Ke6... } 53. Rb3 { Stopping the check. } 53... Ra1 54. f7 { Mainly for preventing black from taking g1, and leaving Rc1wihtout effect. } 54... Rf1+ 55. Kg2 Rf4 56. Rg3 { Ok, now look: shouldn't whitewin here? For sure she takes back the exchange, but what if now white playedRf3 instead? Rg4+, Kf2 and... any black move, white will win a rook ormore. } 56... Rxh4 57. Rg8 { The problem with this move is that allows... } 57... Rf4 58. Rg5 c4 { All this deserves more deep look than mine... } 59. Rxe5 c3 60. Re7+ Kb6 61. Re6+ Kb5 { Draw was agreed here. It probably was, but...a pity they didn't play some more moves! A fascinating game, with a lotof hidden threats and tricks. I hope you enjoyed it. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Casual Game, http://www.itsyourturn.com"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.08.22"] [Round "-"] [White "RETIRED"] [Black "John Coffey, Chess Player at Lar"] [Result "*"] 1. e4 e6 2. f4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 { Black chose ... } 4... Bd7 { This seems likean odd move. } 5. Nf3 Be7 { Equally good are Qb6, Nc6 and Nh6, and someof these may transpose. } 6. a3 Nh6 7. d4 Nf5 8. Bd3 O-O { Qb6, a5, c4 andNc6 are viable alternatives. } 9. Kf2 { Castling is the better move. Itremains to be seems though if black can exploit the position of the king,which for now looks perfectly safe. } 9... Nc6 { Qb6 is also good. } 10. Bxf5 exf5 11. Be3 Qb6 { Best. } 12. b4 c4 { Black has a tiny edge. } 13. h3 { Whiteneglects his development. 13. Nbd2 was better. } 13... a5 14. Nbd2 Qa6 15. Qc2 { 15. Qb1 Is better. } 15... axb4 16. axb4 { Because white keeps making poorchoices, he is now lost. 16. cxb4 Is better. } 16... Qxa1 17. Rxa1 Rxa1 18. g4 Rfa8 19. e6 { White lashes out with a bad move followed by another badmove. } 19... fxe6 { This choice gets rids of the doubled pawns and leaves thed7 bishop more free. } 20. Ne5 { White can do a little better with Nxc4and Qe2 to shelter the queen. } 20... Nxe5 21. dxe5 R8a2 *

[Event "71st GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.08.08"] [Round "-"] [White "mabar"] [Black "thitho"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1721"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1867"] 1. d4 { so this is my second game against mabar, in the 71st GK tournament.mabar is going to win our group and I congratulate him. But I am happy(if not proud) of this game where I succeeded to force a draw althoughI really thought my beginning was bad } 1... Nf6 2. e3 { a little bit shy, isn'tit? } 2... d5 3. c4 { actually arriving here, mabar is playing with white oneof my favorite start... } 3... e6 4. Nf3 { except I would have played Nc3 here } 4... Nc6 { i decided to be prudent for once... } 5. a3 Be7 { so i may look veryshy to some of you } 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O b6 { until now, i don't see any mistakefrom my part } 8. b4 { wow! mister shy disappeared!!! } 8... a6 9. Nc3 dxc4 { byplaying that, I foresaw situation at the end of move 11, and thought itwas good for me } 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Bd3 Bd7 12. e4 { and here i started toforesee the strong attack white could gain on my very last lines especiallyon c7, d7 and e7. } 12... Qc8 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e5 Be7 16. Be4 { diagonalthreatened + Rc1 threatened + d5 threatened + a4 threatened + Nxb5 threatened...many threats: i am weak } 16... Rb8 17. d5 { first threat } 17... Na7 { protecting b5 } 18. Rc1 { second threats } 18... Qd8 19. Qc2 { pretending the attack on diagonal(third threat) } 19... Rc8 { But of course it is c7 that is in mind... Or, is it? } 20. Rcd1 { No, it is not! (brilliant!) } 20... Qe8 { Where can I go, I cryed!!!! } 21. Qd3 { So, why Qd3 and not Qd2? Anyway, my mean fear was now d6, so... } 21... exd5 { i thought it was quite forced. } 22. Nxd5 { My! this is one of thestrongest centered attack I have ever seen. Look like a swedish attackin the 1994 world cup, when they arrive at semi-final... (i may be wrongfor the date) } 22... Be6 { of course not Bd8: there is no interest in keepingthe pair of bishop and emprison all my pieces. } 23. Bf5 { but until thenI kept strong optimism: the worst that could happen to me was to lose apawn... } 23... Bxf5 { eliminating a good bishop, according to my own point ofview } 24. Qxf5 { there still was no reason to panic, I though. So, now,I will expell a second strong piece: the knight. } 24... c6 { go away, you fiercehorse! } 25. Nb6 { And this is when it occurred to me that d7 was not sowell protected, and my rook on f8 was blocked... So i cryed a big Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! } 25... c5 { Here is when I had in mind: ok, i will lose a quality, so I have tofind a counter-attack: and i thought about the queen side pawns. I hada good idea... } 26. Nd7 { Rook trapped, as i said. Maybe White could havethought about bxc before going to Nd7, because my rook is still blocked. } 26... cxb4 { go on, take my rook... } 27. Nxf8 { now, I have to decide... Who isgoing to take back? } 27... Bxf8 { I decided not too brightly, but anyway, we'llsee that my choice was not so wrong. } 28. Rd7 { once again, white pusesto threat many different things. I don't want to reduce my last rook todefense and I am afraid of Rfd1. So... } 28... Nc6 { I thought he could not takef7, you'll see why. } 29. Rxf7 { white's idea is: he can't take the rook,because I'd take c8... BUT! } 29... Ne7 { hehe! you did not see that, did you?Now, i protect my rook and emprisonned your rook! } 30. Rxf8+ { the bestmove } 30... Qxf8 31. Qe6+ { And this is why it was the best: white recuperatesa pawn! } 31... Kh8 32. Qxa6 bxa3 33. Qxa3 { so as a result, white has still apawn in front. But black has recuperated air and now has a beatiful b-pawnfar from the white king. By now, tension has been very high. From now itwill be higher!!! } 33... Qe8 { protecting-attacking } 34. Qb2 { attacking-protecting. } 34... Ng6 { attacking, but mostly threatening Nf4-d3 and b5-b4. } 35. Re1 Nf4 { hereis the d3-perspective } 36. Qd2 { of course! } 36... Ne6 { And so I can block hispawn for a while! That was my real purpose. } 37. Qd5 { Hm... i guess hewants to pre-pin my horse, here. } 37... Rc5 { so i intend to active my rook } 38. Qb3 { good thinking: still pre-pin my horse! } 38... Qc6 { protecting-attacking! } 39. Qe3 { protecting c1, preparing an eventual Nd4. } 39... Rc4 { counter-attackingan eventual Nd4 AND preparing b4 } 40. h3 { eliminating the threat of aneventual mate on line 1. Good thinking (i whisppered to myself: damn!):-DD } 40... Kg8 { so, as i am no more pinned, i can go with my king, as it isa future attacking piece. } 41. Rd1 { here is a good move: now it becomeshard to prevent Nd4 and i have to consider Rd6! So i carefully plannedthe next two moves. } 41... b4 { I want to go to b2! } 42. Rd6 { as planned: goodbut foreseen! I guess white expected Qc8 from an average player as myself. } 42... Rc1+ { but I prefer Qc4... So i played first this! } 43. Kh2 Qc4 { Hm, ifeel good here. See why? I have f4 in mind! } 44. Nd2 { unexpected, but itdoes not matter } 44... Qf4+ 45. Qxf4 Nxf4 { my king is better place, so I thoughtit compensates the lack of a pwan. } 46. g3 { unepexcted, because now f2and f3 are nice target to thnk about. } 46... Ne2 { only possibility... I guessthis is why white made this: to force my knight far from e5. } 47. Rb6 { ofcourse! Rb1 and Rc4 are prohibited by the knight. } 47... Rc2 { So, eliminate theknight. But not Rd1, because Nb4 would ruin all possible protection tomy pawn! } 48. Ne4 { Now, i cannot play Rc4, because Nd6 would be too strong.And Rb2 would be too passive... } 48... Nc3 { here is what i found best: threateningto take f2 after Rxb4 Nxe4 Rxe4, with check and approaching of the king. } 49. Rc6 { this is good!!!but he cannot take, because the exchanges wouldlead to a more approaching pawn and a too far king. I have thought considerablyto b3 and to Nxe4, but the white rook is still too strong. } 49... Kf7 { So i haveto approach more my brave king. } 50. h4 { this is a mistery to me. Exceptthat he might think i am almost on zugzwang? But i am not. } 50... Rc1 { freeinghis f pawn, but planning the exchange of the rooks. } 51. f4 Na2 52. Rxc1 Nxc1 { now my idea is that my b pawn will monopolize his knight and my knoghtcan come back to defense. } 53. Kh3 b3 54. Nd2 b2 { so here i am, the mostthreatening possible. And this white king that should have come soonerto my pawn... } 55. Kg4 { finally moves forward: he prefers the attack, alwaysthe attack! I must recognize that my polish friend is not shy: he is anattacker! } 55... Nb3 { taboo: you take, I win. But I didn't think he was sufficientlya fool and offered draw here. He gently refused and continued for a while } 56. Nb1 { only move } 56... Nc5 { i come back to protect. } 57. f5 Nd3 { refusingthe f4 square to the white king. } 58. e6+ { does not care } 58... Kf6 { from here,i will place a ? on every move, and ask for variations from every one ofyou... I think it is a question of centimeters, and we may have missedsomething. many times, i thought i could have missed the winning move. } 59. Kf3 { ? } 59... Nc5 { ? } 60. g4 { ? } 60... Nxe6 { I thought only to draw here. } 61. fxe6 { forced } 61... Kxe6 { forced } 62. Ke4 { ? } 62... g6 { ? } 63. Nc3 { ? } 63... Kd6 { ? } 64. Kf4 { ? } 64... Ke6 { ? } 65. Ke4 { it is over and I accept the draw. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Tatabrada"] [Black "amchamp"] [Result "*"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 { This is a kind of Nimzo Indian defence verysolid position both side I used often against 1.d4 } 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 a5 { Just setting a simple trap } 6. a3 a4 { Just setting a simple trap everyonemust find out if opponent takes the Bishop then white lost Queen and gamealso } 7. Qc2 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 { White make a mistake he needs to take withthe Queen } 8... dxc4 9. Bg5 b5 { Now I have an extra pawn and protected verywell } 10. e4 h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Be2 Nd7 13. O-O O-O 14. e5 { This movemake happy because I have my eyes on a8 to h1 diagonal this diagonal makemy Bishop special when end game will start } 14... Qe7 15. Rfe1 Bb7 { My favoriteplace for my special Bishop } 16. Nd2 c5 17. dxc5 { Now Black Knight havea good and ideal place on C5 } 17... Nxc5 18. Bf3 Nb3 { I hope opponent avoid totake my b7 Bishop and opponent really avoid } 19. Rad1 Bxf3 20. Nxf3 Qxa3 { Another pawn opponent lost at } 21. Nd4 { After this Knight exchange offervictory is easy for me } 21... Nxd4 22. Rxd4 Rfd8 23. Rdd1 { When you have extramaterial go for exchanges so exchange the Rook } 23... Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Qb3 { OfferingQueen for more easier win } 25. Qc1 { Not accepted this offer by my opponentbut a4 pawn decide the Matter } 25... a3 26. Qa1 a2 27. h3 { And here I I givea Queen gift to my opponent but opponent resignation and Black won } *

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.02.27"] [Round "-"] [White "gustert"] [Black "albertotheman"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1346"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1544"] 1. e4 { Well this game started with an classic opening, e4 which not gavee5 as it use to be } 1... b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. d5 e5 { And the possibility to to captureblacks e-pawn by en ́passant went possible but how next move in that caseshould become stopped me from doing it } 4. Nf3 { I could also have threatedpawn at e5 by Qh5 but thought to save that move to future in this game } 4... d6 5. Bg5 f6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Nd7 8. Bb5 a6 9. Bc6 Bxc6 10. dxc6 Nc5 11. Nc3 Ne7 12. O-O Nxc6 13. Nd5 Nxe4 14. Nd2 { Here did I opened for chanceto check by Qh5+ } 14... Nxg3 15. fxg3 { And here does opening for the Rook comes } 15... h5 { But the way to check by Qh5 got stopped by this move } 16. Nxf6+ { Andhere is the first check in this game } 16... Ke7 17. Qf3 Nd4 18. Nd5+ { And hereis the second check, moving Kd7 had probably been the best move for black } 18... Ke6 { But by this move so is check-mate possible } 19. Qf7# { And here isthe game ended in check-mate } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.11.24"] [Round "-"] [White "gladiator56"] [Black "gamegold10"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "724"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1277"] 1. e4 { Normal opeining } 1... e5 { Same } 2. g3 { Not sure what white is doing. } 2... f6 { Pawn wall } 3. c3 { A new way of doing things } 3... Nc6 { Knightq } 4. b4 { Likesto move pawns I am black. } 4... b5 { Is it normal that people move pawns likethis? } 5. h3 { Another pawn } 5... Nge7 { Both knights out } 6. Na3 { Knight } 6... Ba6 { Bishop } 7. Nf3 { Knight } 7... d6 { Pawn } 8. d3 { Pawn } 8... g6 { Pawn } 9. Bg2 { Bishop } 9... h6 { Pawn } 10. Ng1 { Knight } 10... Bg7 { Bishop } 11. Ne2 { Knight } 11... O-O { Castle } 12. f3 { Pawn } 12... f5 { Pawn } 13. Qb3+ { Check } 13... d5 { Pawn } 14. Qc2 { Queen } 14... dxe4 { Pawn } 15. fxe4 { Pawn } 15... fxe4 { Pawn } 16. dxe4 { Pawn } 16... Bf6 { Bishop } 17. O-O { Castle } 17... g5 { Pawn } 18. Be3 { Bishop } 18... Ng6 { Knight } 19. Rad1 { Rook } 19... Qe8 { Queen } 20. Qb3+ { Queen } 20... Kg7 { King } 21. Bc5 { Bishop } 21... Rg8 { Rook } 22. Nc2 { Knight } 22... h5 { Pawn } 23. Ne3 { Knight } 23... Rd8 { Rook } 24. Nf5+ { Check } 24... Kh7 { King } 25. Rxd8 { Rook } 25... Qxd8 { Queen } 26. Rd1 { Rook } 26... Nd4 { Knight } 27. cxd4 { Pawn } 27... exd4 { Pawn } 28. Nexd4 { Knight } 28... Bxd4+ { Bishop } 29. Rxd4 { Rook } 29... Qf8 { Queen } 30. Bxf8 { Bishop } 30... Rxf8 { Rook } 31. Rd7+ { Rook } 31... Kh8 { King } 32. Qe6 { I lost. } 1-0

[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.03"] [Round "-"] [White "mbnaj"] [Black "blackphd"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Bd3 Bg7 4. Be3 c6 5. Nc3 Bd7 6. Nge2 Bg4 7. f3 Bd7 8. O-O e6 9. Rb1 Ne7 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bh4 e5 12. d5 O-O 13. Bc4 Kh8 14. Bg3 g5 15. b4 b5 16. Bb3 Ng6 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Bd5 Qc7 19. Nxb5 Bxb5 20. Bxa8 h5 21. Bd5 h4 22. Bf2 Bxe2 23. Qxe2 Nf4 24. Qd1 Qd7 25. Bb3 Kh7 26. c4 Kg6 27. b5 Rd8 28. a4 a6 29. g3 Nh3+ 30. Kg2 hxg3 31. Bxg3 Rh8 32. Rc1 Nf4+ 33. Kg1 Qh3 { he came here for qg2 'Checkmate',So moving my rock toc2 will avoid this attack } 34. Rc2 Bf8 35. Rff2 { i was thinking to gethis knight , or dual protect from his knight } 35... Nh5 { this is what i mean,getting my bishop } 36. Rg2 Kf7 { I have a chance , first i will attack usingmy queen } 37. Qd5+ Kg6 38. c5 { Now , i can attack again my queen is protectedby my bishop } 38... dxc5 39. Qf7+ Kh6 40. Be6 { Queen lost !!!, He reassigned } 1-0

[Event "From defence to lethal attack"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.01"] [Round "-"] [White "BLANKED"] [Black "cptblackbeard"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1779"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1589"] { This game lasts only 27 moves. My opponent is rated 200 pts below me.But still I present this game for the beautiful finish. Many thanks tomy competitor for allowing it. Guess, I'll give reason soon enough forothers to show off some tactical knock-out. } 1. e4 { This game starts aNajdorf sicilian. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { As usualI play the Najdorf. So far I haven't refrained from the Najdorf and onlyadopted other openings in speed play. } 6. Bg5 { Bg5 - This promises a toughfight. He chooses the sharpest line. } 6... e6 7. Bc4 { 7. Bc4 combined with Bg5is unknown to me, though I have encountered it in speed games, but neverlooked it up in libraries or saw it in pros games. } 7... Be7 { I decide to playthe usual suspects. } 8. Qf3 { This leaves the d4 knight unprotected andprevents f4. I feel relieved. Business stuff severely reduces my thinkingtime these days. } 8... Nc6 { I know this is strange with a6 and no bishop orqueen aside to take back on c6. So I have a battery of pawns on the 6thrange 'doing the same job'. Still I opt for this to strengthen my center. } 9. Nxc6 { Of course my opponent goes for this scenario. } 9... bxc6 { An additionalbenefit is the newly opened b-file. Of course ...a6 was wasting time now. } 10. O-O-O { Still my rival is keen for double edged play. Now his rook isopposite my queen, attacking the d-pawn. But I feel one single center pawnis not enough. } 10... Qb6 { Some calculation assures the d-pawn is poisoned. SoI can forcefully develope my queen. } 11. Bxf6 { It seems my opponent goesfor the d-pawn. } 11... Bxf6 { I leave the pawn en pris because taking it justhelps me. } 12. Rxd6 { There is a direct line winning the exchange plus keepingthe pressure towards the queenside. } 12... Qc5 { Forking rook and bishop. } 13. Qd3 { Naturally defending both. } 13... Be7 { Taking away the squares of the rook. } 14. Rd4 { Wrongly trying to keep the exchange. I guess, 14. Rhd1 was waybetter. } 14... e5 { There goes the rook! } 15. Bxf7+ { Instead of giving the rookwhite correctly gives the bishop and causes some stir. } 15... Kxf7 { No pointin sidestepping. } 16. Qf3+ { The maneuver to save the rook and frightenme with a brief queen - king vis-à-vis. } 16... Bf6 { Usually I never keep a piece(especially the king) opposite an attacker, but here opting for blockingwith the bishop seems better. } 17. Rd3 { Saving the rook and preparing todouble along the d-file. } 17... Rf8 { Preparing castling by hand and leaving therook face to face with white's queen. } 18. Qg3 { Stepping away from therook. } 18... Rb8 { Alright. Time to go from defence to attack. The little strugglearound the poisoned d-pawn actually decided the game. I am up one piecefor two pawns and in an excellent attacking position. } 19. Rhd1 { The d-fileis 'lost' for sure. But my play will be along the b-file anyway. } 19... Be6 { ...andalong the a2/e6-diagonal. } 20. h4 { Attacking my kingside is way too slow.I'd go for tense defending moves only. } 20... Kg8 { 'Castling' brought to an end. } 21. h5 { This is useless. All white's power is along the d-file(, whereis nothing to attack). } 21... h6 { This does not only stop white's h-pawn fromadvancing, it also sets up a lethal attack with my dark-squared bishopalong the c1/g5-diagonal. } 22. Rd6 { White makes use of the d-file by finallyattacking something. (The e6-bishop.) But this allows a beautiful finish.Did he say 'finish'? Yes, finish. Can you spot it? I either win furthermaterial with keeping tense pressure or checkmate. I am luckily allowedthe latter. } 22... Bg5+ { My first move of a sequence to drive the king to thevulnerable b-file and control c1. } 23. Kb1 { I guess, 23. R6d2 was better.Can you spot the lethal attack? } 23... Rxb2+ { Here it comes - a classic tin opener.Standard shot. Everything is forced now. } 24. Kxb2 { 'Okay, show me whatyou got!' } 24... Rb8+ { The next cannon comes into play. } 25. Ka1 { The only choicepossible. } 25... Qa3 { Threatening checkmate on b2. } 26. Rb1 { This must be prevented.But only 26. Rd8+ parting with further material would have accomplishedthis. 26. Rb1 leads to checkmate. } 26... Rxb1+ { Check. Both answers to this don'tdefend. My three pieces left threaten checkmate on two squares. } 27. Kxb1 Qc1# { Thank you! With my e6-bishop en pris and the other two pieces givingcheckmate this makes a nice picture. } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.12.05"] [Round "-"] [White "samuels"] [Black "lazker"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1731"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1767"] 1. e4 e6 { This is the French Defence. I used to play it a lot, so I knowwhat is coming. } 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 { This is something different thanthe closed positions arising from moves like 3...Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nd76. Bxe7 Qxe7 etc. } 4. Nxe4 { This called Rubinstein Variation. } 4... Nd7 5. Nf3 { I can also play 5. Bd3 which can lead to the same kind of positionsthan in this game. } 5... Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ { I practice I have to exchange the knightsanyway. For example, 6. Bd3 Nxe4 7. Bxe4 Nf6 8. Bd3 etc. } 6... Nxf6 7. Bd3 { Thereare other moves here that I could play, such as Bg5, c3, Be3, Bc4 etc.The one that I selected takes the e4-square and potentially targets h7. } 7... c5 { This is logical. Black challenges the central control by attackingd4. } 8. O-O { I could take on c5, but instead, I move the king to a saferplace. There is a little tactical trick that makes this possible, althoughd4 is threatened. } 8... cxd4 { Black takes it. } 9. Nxd4 { And I take back! 9...Qxd4would be followed by 10. Bb5+ winning the queen. } 9... Bc5 { So Black developsa piece with tempo. } 10. Nf3 { Keeping it simple. } 10... Qc7 { Now I cannot pinthe f6-knight. } 11. Bg5 { I still move the bishop to g5, because other activesquares are covered by Black pieces. I also have the option to break Black'skingside pawn structure. } 11... O-O 12. Qe2 { Breaking the pawn structure hereis probably not worth losing the bishop pair. } 12... b6 { Preparing to bring thebishop to b7. } 13. Ne5 { This is a good square for the knight. } 13... Bb7 14. Rad1 { The rook takes the open file. } 14... Nd5 { I do not like this move. Bringinga rook to oppose mine on the d-file would be better, I think. } 15. c4 { Drivingthe knight away. } 15... Nb4 { This seems like a good move, but it is not. } 16. Bxh7+ { Surprise! Black steps into a trap. } 16... Kxh7 { What else? } 17. Rd7 { Thisis an important move. } 17... Qc8 { The queen must retreat. } 18. Bf6 { Making itmore spectacular than necessary. 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. Bf6 also works. } 18... gxf6 { If Black does not take, White delivers checkmate anyway. For example,18...Kg8 19. Qg4 g6 20. Qxg6!! fxg6 21. Rg7+ Kh8 22. Ng6# } 19. Qh5+ { Notthe fastest way to win. 19. Rxf7+ Rxf7 20. Qh5+ Kg8 21. Qxf7+ Kh8 22. Ng6# } 19... Kg8 { 19...Kg7 is not better. } 20. Ng4 { This is a bad move which allowsBlack to defend a bit longer. Instead, 20. Nxf7 wins: 20...Bxf2 21. Rxf2Kg7 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Qh8# or 20...Rxf7 21. Qxf7+ Kh8 22. Qh7# } 20... Qxd7 { Thisreturns the favor. Instead, 21...Be7 22. Rxe8 Qc5 23. Nxf6+ Kg7 24. Rxb7Qxh5 25. Nxh5+ etc. and there is no checkmate, although White is two pawnsup and probably winning. } 21. Nxf6+ { And it is over. } 21... Kg7 22. Qg5+ Kh8 23. Qh6# 1-0

[Event "43rd GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Mar-08"] [Round "-"] [White "totenking"] [Black "carnap"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1504"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1689"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { I hate the G. Piano. I find it very boring,eventhough I lose to it a majority of the time. } 3... Bc5 { 3. .. Nf6 leads tothe Two Knights Defense. } 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 { I believe this is the GiuocoPianissimo. } 5... O-O 6. c3 { With the intent of building a strong center. } 6... d6 7. h3 h6 8. a4 a5 9. Be3 { I knew that this would lead to trouble sinceit will open up a file to my kingside. I believe this is addressed in oneof Silman's books. } 9... Bxe3 10. fxe3 d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Qe2 Nf6 13. e4 Qe7 { I felt it was important to get the Queen of the file before White openedit. } 14. Nbd2 Be6 15. d4 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 exd4 17. e5 { This looked like thelogical move enoughthough I thought White would have just taken the pawn.It created a few problems for me, like what to do with my knight and howto develop any initative. Upon reflection, the pawn is essentially pinned. } 17... Nd5 { This move was a mistake. Better would have been Rfe8. At least hereBlack's knight on d5 radiates around itself from behind the pawn. I readthat the knight is the best blockader because of this reason. } 18. cxd4 Rad8 19. Rad1 Qe6 20. Ne3 Rd7 21. Rd2 Rfd8 22. Rfd1 Nb6 23. Qb5 Nb4 24. Qxa5 N4d5 25. Nxd5 Nxd5 26. Qb5 c6 27. Qe2 f6 28. a5 Re7 29. a6 bxa6 30. Qxa6 Rf8 31. Rc1 Rc7 32. Qc4 Kh8 33. b4 Rfc8 34. Rdc2 fxe5 35. dxe5 Nf4 36. Qxf4 { Being down a full piece and pawn, there was no point in continuingat this point. } 1-0

[Event "Blitz Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "64areas"] [Black "thatbennyguy"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "5min + 10sec"] [WhiteElo "1484"] { Hey everybody. I played this game in online blitz and just decided toshare it with you to show you an example of pieces co-ordinating well witheach other to achieve a proposed goal. I hope you bear with me, I'm notan expert, but I think this is a beautiful game. I know, I win, but it'sstill one of my better games. Here we go: } 1. e4 c6 { Caro-Kann Defence.I've become familiar with this. } 2. d4 d5 3. e5 { Advance Variation. I likethis as Black because I need to worry less about tricky manoeuvring andmore about the c5-d4 battle (my pawn will move to c5 soon). On ho! } 3... Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 { (?!) I was a bit surprised by this. It's very interestingwhat he's done and I wasn't sure how to react. 5. ... f6 seemed to weakenmy kingside more than needed, and I didn't want to play 5. ... Ne7 or 5.... Be7 because I wanted my Bishop to be able to take at c5 once I pushedmy c-pawn. So I played my favourite move of this opening. } 5... Qb6 { I verymuch like the Qb6-Bc5 barrage aiming at f2. It cripples White if he can'tcastle fast enough. However, castling doesn't take much effort. } 6. b3 { I thought this move weakened important squares, however I later realisedit was one of White's better options. 6. Qc1 is quite immobilising, and6. Bc1 just wastes time developing the Bg5. He wants to keep that pawn. } 6... Bb4+ { (?!) Perhaps better is 6. ... c5. } 7. Nfd2 { (?) Better is 7.c3, cleanlyshunting off the Bb4 and strengthening d4. If 7. ... Bxb1 8. cxb4 Qxb4+9. Bd2 ... 10. Rxb1. } 7... c5 { (?) Misses out on 7. ... Qxd4. Ah well, it'sjust a blitz. } 8. dxc5 { Wants to get the pin off his Nd2, and to be ableto develop his Nb1. } 8... Bxc5 { But now he has to worry about f2. } 9. Qe2 { Leavesthe c2 pawn hanging. } 9... Nc6 10. Be3 { (?) Moves his dark-sq Bishop for the2nd time. } 10... d4 11. Bf4 { 3rd Time. White has lost a move, in essence. Inchess, this is called the tempo. In this case, White has lost several tempi,and it's Black's turn to pounce. } 11... Nge7 12. g4 Bxc2 { (?!) When I made thismove, I hesitated. Was it the right move to make, or not? I was contemplating13. Nc4, with a discovered attack on c2, while attacking the Qb6. 13. ...Qb4+ 14. Bd2 wasn't good enough. I thought of 13. Nc4 d3 14. Nxb6 dxe215. Nxa8 exf1Q+ 16. Rxf1 Kd7, but something about this variation didn'tseem comfortable to me. } 13. Bh3 d3 { (!) A strong pawn move, marching rightinto White's personal space. } 14. Qf3 { The White Queen has very littlesquares to land. } 14... Nd4 { I move in more pieces for the kill. I was afraidthat I might lose my aggressive advantage. } 15. Qe4 { A central square,aiming at b7 and h7 respectively. This queen may prove deadly in future,however, this pins the Nd2 to its spot, for if it moves, ... d2+ is a discoveredattack on white's Queen. However, if it so happens that 16. Nc4 d2+ 17.Nbxd2 Qb4 18. Qg2, then White is in a better position. Black must be economicalwith his pieces. } 15... Nd5 { Moving more of the infantry in. At this moment,I am quietly worried about my uncastled King, but no immediate threatsmeans I have to keep the aggressive advantage and keep White's optionsclosed. } 16. g5 { White looks into a kingside attack. This I am quite scaredof, but I know that my attack should be sufficient for this not to mattermuch. } 16... Rc8 { Poise my Black rook quietly for the kill. I won't launch apremature attack until everyone is in on it. } 17. g6 { Sacrificing the pawnon g6 for some attacking pressure. } 17... hxg6 { I remain concerned about anypossible threats with 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Qxg6+, but as long as either myQueen or my Knight is covering the e6 square, I should be fine. } 18. Bg4 Bxb1 { (!) I launch my attack on White's King, staring by vacating the c2square for my Nd4, to fork Ke1 and Ra1. } 19. Rxb1 { 19. Nxb1 leads to 19.... Nc2+, forking Ke1 and Ra1. } 19... Nc3 { (!) Forks both Rb1 and Qe4 successfully. } 20. Qg2 { The only safe spot for White's Queen. 20. Qe3 leads to 20. ...Nc2+ and White's Q is outta here! } 20... Nxb1 { Grabbing material, and also clearingone piece away from a desired open c-file for my Rook. } 21. Nxb1 Nc2+ 22. Kd1 { (?!) Perhaps 22. Kf1 was better. } 22... Bxf2 23. Bd2 { White tries his bestto overcome Black's chokehold... } 23... Ne3+ { ...but to not much avail. ThreateningNxg2. } 24. Bxe3 Qxe3 { (!) The right capture. Now Black's arsenal is mostlypointed at White's King, except for the Rh8 stranded in the corner. TheNb1 and Rh1 are in their original places, unable to do anything about thecoming invasion. This underscores the importance to develop fast and co-ordinateyour pieces. } 25. Nd2 { Blocking Rc1#. } 25... Rc2 { Threatening 26. ... Qxd2#.The only way to the delay the onslaught now is 26. Qxf2 Qxf2, but the endis inevitable. } 26. Nf1 Rc1# { Qc1# is also acceptable in this scenario.As is Qe1#. The importance of co-ordinating pieces in a seemly fashionis a rare skill in chess, of which the grandmasters know deeply about.The harmonious development of pieces, each piece serving its purpose, isvery important. The only improvement I would make about Black's positionis the castling of his king, which is hard because of the doubled g-pawns,but Black needed to make an aggressive attack in order to sieze the opportunity,and he did. I mean, I did. Thanks for watching! You're a great listener,and hope you enjoyed! } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27-Feb-07"] [Round "-"] [White "darius_vitrosoo"] [Black "ironbutterfly"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1388"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1351"] 1. e4 { basic opening } 1... e6 { i wondered about this for a while, most peopledo not do e6 where i play so i have not seen it in a while } 2. Nf3 d5 { ifigure he is doing a black form of stonewall. } 3. exd5 exd5 4. Qe2+ { ifigured i would try center counter (for white) } 4... Be7 { good choice } 5. d4 Nf6 6. Ne5 { i did not want his knight at g4 } 6... O-O 7. Qf3 { did not want myqueen on the open file, i figured his rook would go there soon so i betterleave } 7... Nbd7 8. Bd3 Bd6 { i need another guard } 9. Bf4 Re8 { well the knightis lost i better just cut my loses and go } 10. O-O Nxe5 11. dxe5 Bxe5 12. c3 { i do not want to see Bd4 } 12... Bg4 13. Qg3 Bxf4 14. Qxf4 c5 15. Nd2 Be2 16. Bxe2 Rxe2 17. Rad1 Qb6 18. b3 Rd8 19. Nf3 Rxa2 20. Ng5 h6 21. Nh3 Qxb3 22. Rde1 { i let the past 2 pawns fal so i could set things up for a matingattack } 22... Qxc3 23. Re3 { perfect now i can get this going } 23... Qa5 24. Rg3 { pinningthe g7 pawn } 24... Qb6 25. Kh1 { i did want him to get any ideas with my f2 pawn } 25... Qd6 { queen trade offer, i reject } 26. Qxh6 { mate threat } 26... Ne8 { another offerand good guard against mate } 27. Qg5 Qf6 { yet another offer } 28. Qg4 b5 29. Ng5 { still going on this attack, almost ready to end this } 29... Qh6 { goodmove but it exposes the f7 pawn } 30. Qf5 { now the black queen is pinnedto stopping the mate } 30... g6 { i think kxg7 is a mistake here actually but imay be wrong } 31. Qxf7+ Kh8 { here i know that i should have played rh3pinning the queen and getting me a stratigic advantage, but i did not seeit then. This would have been a great end, 31..... Rh3 32 Qxh3... Qf8 nice and perfect, but alas i am blind } 32. Qxe8+ Rxe8 33. Nf7+ Kg7 34. Nxh6 Kxh6 { remember those pawns i lost to set this up, yeh now i regretit. } 35. h4 Re4 36. f4 d4 37. Rg5 Rc2 38. Kh2 d3 39. Rd1 d2 40. Rd5 Rxf4 41. Kg3 Rd4 42. Re5 Rc1 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.11.28"] [Round "-"] [White "a3schaak"] [Black "treeman12"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1530"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1668"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Bd7 { Did black just block its defence of it pawn? } 3. cxd5 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. dxe6 Bxe6 6. e4 { Better to play the calmer e2-e3 } 6... Bb4 7. Qa4+ { Poor, black’s knight will come to c6 solving blacks problems andcreating quite a few for white. } 7... Nc6 8. Ne2 { That does not solve anythingand Black will soon have white in chaos. } 8... Nxe4 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qf6 11. f3 Ng5 12. Qc2 { I } 12... Bc4 13. Ng3 Bxf1 14. Kxf1 { White can no longercastle, and that’s a real problem. } 14... O-O-O 15. Bxg5 Qxg5 16. Ne4 Qf4 17. Kf2 f5 18. Nc5 Nxd4 { Luckily white can play Qc2 with quite a few threats:Qxb7 mate and Knight to e6 forking black rook and queen. } 19. Qb2 Nc6 { Anearly Xmas present. } 20. Qxb7# { Checkmate. Black should have continued15. ... Re8 giving it’s king an escape route. There is various calculationsto make. But I think white’s attack on black’s king will eventually peterout, and black will finally be able to make white pay for its poor openingplay. Or maybe white has pulled off a magnificent feat of escapology. } 1-0

[Event "Analysis: Training Game with advice."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Me"] [Black "AncientBeast"] [Result "1-0"] { Hey, this is an intstructive annotation. } 1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 c5 { The opening, a French, has given white a clear advantage on move 3. Thebest way to avoid these material losing moves is to use step #4: I hopeyou are already doing it. } 4. exd5 exd5 5. dxc5 { Now my move discoversan attack, and wins a pawn. } 5... Bxc5 6. Qxd5 Qxd5 7. Nxd5 { Although I havetold you step 1 is what is my opponent threatening? Here I will ask youto change it to what is EVERYThING my opponent intends to do on the nextmove, if given the chance. White threatens to fork, although he is capturinga queen at the same time. } 7... Ne7 8. Nc7+ Kd7 9. Nxa8 Rd8 10. Bf4 { White hasalready a winning position. } 10... Nbc6 11. O-O-O+ Ke8 { Since the major partof the game is over, I will share some very important concrete advice.Although the direct rules are less useful than general understanding, Ibelieve these rules/principles are the MOST important in chess, and youcan use them to help you find the best move in many positions. } 12. Nc7+ Kf8 13. Rxd8+ { Principle of Neutralization: States that we should decreasethe opponent's activity if we can. Right now, white forces the knight togo back, decreasing its activity. } 13... Nxd8 14. Nf3 { Principle of Greatest/MaximumActivity. We should always, if we can, make moves that increase the activityin our own position by the maximum amount possible. Therefore, moving piecesthat are inactive to more active squares will help. Obviously, a ver weakpiece going to a great square is the best. } 14... Bxf2 { Principle of material:If we can take a material, we should do it. That is a principle however,and principles tell us only moves we should put into our candidate moves,not play them immediately. For example,you could take a pawn and let youropponent destroy your position. You will put taking the pawn on the list,but after you see that it destroy's your position, you will reject it.This is not the case here, by the way. I am just stating an important fact.By the way, when considering taking material, and you arrive at a n unclearline which is not really that bad,but not so good for you, just alwaystake the material if you are sure you analyzed correctly. Many playerstry to see deeper, thinknig about all sorts of things; This just confusesthem and they have doubts about the position and their understanding ofit. If anything is unclear, always go for your instinct: Your instinctis to play the unclear line, since you decided to look at it. If it isan unclear dubious line, then maybe you should not play it. } 15. Bc4 Nf5 16. Rd1 { Principle of attack: If we can increase our activity while forcingthe opponent to decrease his own activity, we should really consider it. } 16... Nc6 17. Rf1 Bd4 { principle of fear- In positions that are messy and complicated,we should not feel scared(We will, but we should not let thaat affect ourmoves). Just always use your calculation and thought process in those positions,and always try to make attacks if you can. Making attacks will scare youropponent, who may blunder. } 18. Nxd4 Nfxd4 19. Bd6+ Kg8 20. Rxf7 Be6 { Principleof not playing the best move:)- When you are in a very bad position, itis better to play 'Hopeful Chess' than to play the best move. Here, youcan play a tricky move, hoping your opponent to make a blunder lettingyou back in. If he finds the best move, it does not matter. What mattersis that you give him the greatest chance to slip up. } 21. Rf8# { These weresome very important prcincples. I hope you can try to apply them in yourgames and get some results with them. } 1-0

[Event "Team match Romania vs The White Knight"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "martenp"] [Black "geluclin"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1794"] [WhiteElo "1844"] { After a rather unorthodox opening, this game ended up in a position whereboth players had a passed pawn on the e-file. Winning a few tempi, I endedup ahead in development, which allowed me to take control over the filesbesides the passed pawn for a deadly attack. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 { I often play the Scottish gambit, but I found that against 2...d6 3. d4xd4 4. Bc4 is rather lackluster. I therefroe tried to prepare for d4 thistime, trying to create a strong centre. } 3... f5 4. d4 { A bit too optimisticperhaps. After 4....xe4 5. Ng5 d5 6. xe5, black's centre looks stronger. } 4... fxe4 5. Ng5 Bf5 { Instead black decides to develop, which also nets hima strong centre, but allows me to stick an annoying pawn at e5 } 6. dxe5 d5 7. f3 { Contesting black's centre. If I get to trade, my centre is similarto that of black and if he decides to trade, I will develop my queen andcreate more open files which may be used later to create strength out ofmy isolated passed pawn.0 } 7... Be7 { Letting me trade means the e-pawn willnot easily turn into a monster. On the other hand, I get to trade queenson my terms, which ends up costing black quite a few tempi } 8. fxe4 dxe4 9. Qxd8+ Bxd8 10. Bc4 { Quick development is of great importance, sinceseizing the open files besides the passed pawns on the e-file will be instrumentalto make yours a danger before your opponent can attack you with his. Thebishop on c4 helps preventing that black will castle short. } 10... Bxg5 11. Bxg5 h6 { Black is rather behind in development and would therefore probablybe better off by getting his knights into play. } 12. O-O { develops witha tempo } 12... Bg6 { Best placed, but blocks the g-pawn, so the double advanceto g5 to grab space won't be possible } 13. Bh4 Ne7 14. Na3 c6 { Createsan outpost on d5, but also a weakness on d6. I think simply developingwith Nc6 seems stronger and then answer 15. Nb5 with castling long. } 15. Nc2 b5 16. Be6 Nd7 17. Bg3 Nc5 { 17....0-0-0 is still not an option, since18. Rad1 leads to problems. } 18. Bg4 { This covers potential threats fromthe black e-pawn, but opens up the possibility for black to play h5-h4at some point, so perhaps it was suboptimal compared to Bh3. } 18... Rd8 { Blackbasically has no hope of castling any time soon, so he gets his rook intoplay like this instead. The king in the centre actually turns out to bea problem, though once I get my pieces to active squares with the helpof my e-pawn. } 19. Nd4 { blocks the d-file so that black can not cause mayhemon the second row and makes my knihgt more active at the same time. } 19... Bf7 { shields the f-file, so castling short becomes an option, but importantly,it concedes control over f5 momentarily, where my knight may cause sometrouble. } 20. b4 { Trying to keep the initiative. After Nd3 the plan wasto play 21. Nf5 Nxf5 22. Bxf5. After 22....Bd5 23. e6 looks very dangerouswith the prospect of Bg6 and after 22....e3 23. Rf3 looks quite strong. } 20... Na4 { But black opts for a different line of attack. } 21. Rac1 Nxc3 { Blacklooks to win a pawn, either through 22. Rxc3 Rxd4 or through 22. Nxc6 Nxc623. Rxc3 Nxb4, but taking the latter variation a few steps further endsup looking rather disastrous for black. } 22. Nxc6 Nxc6 23. Rxc3 Nxb4 24. e6 { Chasing away the bishop so the king will be stuck in the centre, wherehe can be easily attacked. } 24... Bg6 25. Rc7 Rg8 { The g-pawn looks like it israther important, but perhaps it would have been better for black to justlet it go in order to better defend against the impending attack. } 26. Bh4 { Threatening checkmate on e7, while attacking the rook on d8. Simplymoving away with the rook on the last row leads to 27. e7, threateningBd7 and moving it along the d-file of course loses to 27. Rc8 Rd8 28. Rxd8# } 26... Nd5 27. Bxd8 { Wins a piece, as I can recapture on c7, bringing my bishopto safety. } 27... Kxd8 { even worse, as white will now be a rook ahead. } 28. Rd7+ Ke8 29. Rxd5 Rf8 30. Rfd1 Rf4 31. Rd8+ Ke7 32. R1d7+ Kf6 33. Rf8+ Ke5 34. Rxf4 { 34. e7 Was a bit more elegant, but being a rook down, blackhas seen enough anyways and concedes. } 1-0

[Event "Strepsil's Annotated Blitz Chess II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "-"] [White "strepsil999"] [Black "mouser2116"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1286"] [WhiteElo "1322"] 1. e4 { My favorite first move, one I almost always use. } 1... e5 { He uses apopular response. } 2. Nf3 { I open up my knight, threatening his pawn. } 2... d6 { He protects with his pawn, a move that I wouldn't do, I would usuallyrespond by Nc6 or Bd6. } 3. Nc3 { I open up my other knight protecting mypawn from any possible threats. } 3... Nf6 { He opens up his knight. } 4. Be2 { Iam now in a position to castle. } 4... b6 { He pushes his pawn up one square. } 5. d4 { I threaten his pawn, he now has a choice, protect the e5 pawn withone of his pieces or take my pawn... } 5... exd4 { He takes my pawn. } 6. Nxd4 { AndI take his. } 6... Bb7 { He threatens my pawn on e4, I can protect my pawn usingmy other pawn on f2, my bishop, or my queen, but I don't like using myqueen to early unless I see a good opportunity. } 7. Bb5+ { I check withmy bishop, he now can't take my pawn due to the threat and he must blockthe check. } 7... Nbd7 { He blocks with his knight - probably the best move. } 8. O-O { I castle. } 8... Be7 { He could of taken the free pawn, but he got isbishop out of the way in order to castle. } 9. Re1 { I protect the pawn withmy rook. } 9... O-O { He castles. } 10. Bf4 { I open up my bishop, protecting thee5 square for: e5. } 10... Nc5 { He opens up his knight threatening my pawn one4. } 11. e5 { I my pawn up to e5, as planned. } 11... dxe5 { He takes my pawn. } 12. Bxe5 { And I take his pawn with my own. :D } 12... Nfe4 { His knight is in theopen, but has double protection. } 13. Nxe4 { I take his knight with my own... } 13... Nxe4 { ...And he takes mine with his own. } 14. f3 { I threaten his knight withmy pawn. } 14... Nc5 { And he retreats... } 15. b4 { ...Only to be threatened again byanother one of my pawns! } 15... Na6 { He retreats yet again, and now have theoption of capturing his knight... } 16. Bxa6 { ... I do. :) } 16... Bxa6 { And he takesme back. :( } 17. Nc6 { I threaten his queen with my own queen and my knight,seeing: 17. Qxd1 Ne7! 18. Kh8 Qxd1! } 17... Qxd1 { Just as planned... } 18. Nxe7+ { I capture his bishop... FOR FREE! and check his king, forcing him to move,which then allows me to capture his queen! :D } 18... Kh8 { The only possible move. } 19. Rexd1 { And I get his queen! } 19... Rfe8 { He threatens my knight... } 20. Rd7 { ...And I protect it. } 20... Bb5 { He threatens my rook, not seeing the free pawnI can capture. } 21. Rxc7 { I capture the free pawn. } 21... f6 { He threatens mybishop with his pawn. } 22. Bc3 { And I retreat. } 22... Ba4 { He threatens my pawnon c2. } 23. Rc1 { So I protect it. } 23... b5 { He blocks himself in! } 24. Nf5 { Ithreaten: 25. Rxg7. } 24... Rg8 { He could've also played: g6. } 25. Re1 { I getready for: Bc2 Re7 - threatening his g-pawn. } 25... Rad8 { He's planning to checkme after: Re7, although checking me won't do much. } 26. Ree7 { I push upmy rook... And he resigns! :D What a game. I won with a bit of luck but itwas a tight game in the end. } *

[Event "Challenge from dynamic_dv"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.12.17"] [Round "-"] [White "gtrigity"] [Black "dynamic_dv"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2304"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1493"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 { I enjoy the KG, and was allowed to start it by my opponent(thank you dynamic_dv). } 2... exf4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 d5 { This is a unfamiliarline of attack for me as lower rated players usually come after the N onf3. I decided to try and clear out his center pawns with exd5 } 5. exd5 Nxd5 { I almost decided on the exchange of Knights on d5, but went withbringing out my bishop in preparation to castle so I could remove my kingfrom the center and complete the KG. } 6. Be2 { Out of all the places toput the bishop, I look back and see this was probably one of the weakest.Setting up for the 7. .. Nxc3 8. dxc3 Qxd1 9. Bxd1 while also getting readyfor the castle. This was the line chosen by my opponent, so it 'worked',but didn't exactly lead to a good result. Better may have been 6. Bd3 blockingthe Q attack. } 6... Nxc3 7. dxc3 Qxd1+ 8. Bxd1 { Now that reaction is done, timeto castle. Assuming my opponent protects f4 . . . } 8... Bd6 { which he does. } 9. O-O O-O 10. Ng5 { In trying to develop my Q-B, I was looking to drivethe B on d6 away from the defense of f4 hoping to get my material backand get both of my bishops into play. Neither of these happened. Lookingback, I'm not sure what I should have done differently here. B on d1 wastrapped in by the P on c3 and the N on f3. Be2 would have at least starteda different line eventually leading to what though, Bd3? Bc4? This is thepart of the game I have the most trouble with. } 10... Bc5+ 11. Kh1 h6 12. Ne4 Be3 { I did not expect this. Looking back, it was setup perfectly for after12. Ne4 to do this and I should have seen that. Had I just done 12. Nf4,would he have gone back to d6? I doubt it looking at this position, evenNf4 would have allowed Be3 and retreat was not something my opponent ultimatelyneeded to do in this game. With the enemy in the midst of my ranks, I couldn'tlet it stand. So I exchanged and hoped to be able to hide the pawn undermy knight so I could remove it as well. } 13. Bxe3 fxe3 14. Re1 f5 { thuslyremoving the knight and practically ensuring I wouldn't get the pawn back. } 15. Ng3 { Let's dance. What a wasted move. Why not 14. Nc5 . . . ? at leastthen I could get to d3 from a pawn attack. } 15... f4 16. Ne4 { instead of 16.Ne2 blocking in my bishop, I just chose to come back to e4. Same positionas the start of 14, but with the pawns guarded very well and black withthe initiative. } 16... Nd7 17. Bf3 { Trying to stop further incursion by the blackpawns while protecting my knight. } 17... Ne5 18. Rad1 { Trying to assert myselfin the middle. } 18... Bf5 { From here marked the beginning of the end for me.I didn't see that this would lead to a second passed pawn and my ultimatedemise. Instead, I tried to guard the knight. } 19. Rd4 Rad8 { Exchange offered.This was another moment that I didn't know what to do, but I saw the exchangeon d4 as a way to uncouple my pawns and get some structure back. } 20. b3 Rxd4 21. cxd4 Nxf3 { I saw the passed pawns, but couldn't come up with anotherway around it. I was hoping I could figure out how to defend it. } 22. gxf3 Bxe4 23. fxe4 f3 { After looking at all my possible moves, I realized thatthis was mate. Either Pawn would make it to queen no matter what I did. } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from jongy10"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.01.18"] [Round "-"] [White "jongy10"] [Black "aleks1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1538"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1599"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 { Philidor defence. Let's see what happens. } 3. d4 f5 { Counter gambit. } 4. dxe5 fxe4 5. Ng5 d5 6. Nc3 { I didn't press on withthe del Rio attack. } 6... c6 7. e6 Nh6 { He needed to prevent Nf7. } 8. Bf4 { Timeto start some proper development. Everything is fast paced in this game! } 8... Qf6 9. Nxd5 { Sacrifice! Assuming he takes it, there will be a hole in hispawns where my white bishop can give him check. } 9... cxd5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Qxd5 Bxb5 12. Qxb5+ { This sure is action packed very early on! } 12... Nc6 13. Qxb7 Rd8 14. Qxc6+ { I've collected a lot of pawns and now his knight. Mywhite knight sacrifice was well worth it. } 14... Ke7 15. Be3 { His king is goingnowhere } 15... Rd6 16. Bc5 { Pin } 16... Qe5 17. Rd1 { Black decides to call it quits. } 1-0

[Event "copmanis's zibenszelljiem:)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.10"] [Round "-"] [White "nastrovya"] [Black "tosuraj"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1556"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1620"] 1. d4 { King's Gambit. } 1... d5 { Preparing for the gambit... } 2. c4 { Here comesthe gambit... } 2... c6 { Black could have played e6 instead. } 3. Nc3 { White advanceshis knight. } 3... e6 { Pawn blocking Bishop at c8 } 4. e4 { White continues toattack the centre. } 4... Bb4 { Instead of taking the pawn at c4, Black choosesto advance his Bishop. This is not a bad move but perhaps moving his Knightor even better taking the pawn at e4 would have been a better choice. } 5. e5 { White takes advantage of this and establishes strong presence inthe centre } 5... dxc4 { At this stage I would have moved my Knight at g8 to e7instead of taking the white pawn at c4. } 6. Bxc4 { White takes the pawnback with his Bishop } 6... b5 { Good move, threatening White bishop. } 7. Be2 { White Bishop retreats but instead of going to b3, white chooses to goto e2 as he plans to launch an attack on the Kingside. } 7... Ne7 { Black activateshis Knight } 8. Nf3 { White moves his Knight to a good square. White is aheadin developing his pieces. He has a good centre. Black's bishop at c8 isblocked by his pawn at e6. He hasn't yet developed his other knight atb8. The good square for his knight (c6) is now occupied by his pawn. } 8... O-O { Black castles. I don't see anything wrong with this move. } 9. Bd3 { Now it is getting dangerous for Black. White launches his attack. } 9... Nd7 { Black ignores the threat to h7 and develops his knight. } 10. Bxh7+ { Whitetakes the pawn at h7, sacrificing his Bishop. By this move he hopes toexpose the black king. } 10... Kxh7 { Black defeats the white bishop. Now Whitecan check with his Knight } 11. Ng5+ { CHECK } 11... Kg6 { Good move. If the blackking had moved to h8, that would have led to check mate, as white queencan go to h5 and check the black king. } 12. h4 { White would have movedhis Queen to c2 and check the black King again but instead he moves hispawn 2 squares and hope to threaten the king at next move. White's majorpieces are now focused on defeating the black king. } 12... Qb6 { This is not abad move but instead he could have moved his queen to a5. That would haveconstituted a far more dangerous threat to white. } 13. h5+ { White continuesto check the Black King. } 13... Kh6 { This is the only good move. Otherwise,mate with white queen at f3. } 14. Qd3 { White moves his Queen to a commandingsquare } 14... Nf5 { Black blocks the way with his knight } 15. g4 { Whiten threatensto take the knight } 15... c5 { Black King can't move anywhere. Black advanceshis pawn to c5 } 16. gxf5 { White takes the knight and Black resignes. } 1-0

[Event "Lunchtime Recreation (Fort Lewis, Washington)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1973"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles Austin"] [Black "P. L. Michael"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "Casual Game"] { Charles was a Sargent and I was a Specialist 5 in the U. S. Army in 1973. We used our lunch hour to not only eat but get in a few quick games. Our only time control was that the game(s) had to be completed by the timelunch hour was over. We never adjourned games, we just started new onesthe next day. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { We both enjoyed a good over theboard battle, so fighting varations were the norm for our games. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 h6 8. Bh4 Be7 9. f5 exf5 10. exf5 { Although I have an isolated pawn, I still liked this position. (We werehere many times.) } 10... Qa5 11. Bd3 Nd5 12. Bxe7 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Qxc3+ 14. Kf1 Kxe7 { All that for a pawn!! However, a pawn is a pawn. } 15. Qe2+ Kf6 16. Re1 { Threatens Qe7 mate. } 16... Qc7 17. g4 Nc6 18. Nxc6 bxc6 { Not Qxc6 allowingQe7 mate. } 19. Rg1 Bb7 20. g5+ hxg5 21. Be4 { A questionable continuationas it allows me to activate my pieces while temporarily pinning the Bishop. } 21... Rae8 22. c4 d5 23. Qb2+ { Breaking the pin very nicely!! } 23... Ke7 24. Bg2+ { I'mnot sure, but I think I might have grabbed the d5 pawn in the process. } 24... Kd7 25. Rxe8 Rxe8 26. cxd5 Qf4+ { Surprise!! Charles thought the Queenwas tied to protecting the b7 Bishop and wouldn't move because of Qxb7ch. Don't you just hate those unexpected checks? ( I mean the kind youcan't cash!!) } 27. Qf2 { No other good option is available. Actually, thatwould have been a good time to resign and move on to the next game. } 27... Qc1+ { And White resigned. } 0-1

[Event "Hawkphil1 v/s Templeton"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "06-Jul-06"] [Round "-"] [White "hawkphil1"] [Black "templedf"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1486"] [TimeControl "6 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1478"] 1. c4 { This was my first time to play against English. With English, areasonable approach is just to mirror. The upside it that mirroring Englishleads right into a Sicilian Dragon, which *is* in my bag of openings. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d3 d6 4. Nc3 g6 { I couldn't help but break off into thedragon, especially since I had no idea where the English has heading. } 5. Qc2 Bg7 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg5 O-O 8. Bg2 Bg4 { One last little bit of mirroring. It was the most sensible thing to do. } 9. O-O { Even though I tried togo in a different direction from the English, we ended up with essentiallyidentical positions. } 9... e6 { Here I completed the half pin to build up mycenter structure and to lend some support to the king's knight. } 10. h3 { This was a dumb move. I was planning Bxf3 anyway. h3 just sealed hisking and bishop into a tomb of pawns after his next move. } 10... Bxf3 11. exf3 { Another dumb move. This may look like a strong defensive structure, butas we'll see later, it's even more effective at trapping his own pieces. } 11... d5 { My goal with d4 was two-fold. First, I wanted to take control of thecenter. Second, I wanted to open up my e file. I succeeded in doing both. } 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Rfd1 Qd7 { Qd7 opens up communication between my rooks,and prepares my queen to get into the fray. } 14. Ne2 { Prevents Nd4 andserves to annoy me for most of the rest of the game. This move is perhapsthe strongest move my opponent makes. } 14... Qf5 { I was hoping to get f4 as aresponse, so I could follow with h6, g5, gxh4. A guy can dream, can'the? } 15. Be3 { I stared at this position forever. The obvious move wasd4. It was so obvious that my opponent was clearly leading me to it. I tried very hard to find the trap, but couldn't. In the end I had toconclude that I was just being paranoid. } 15... d4 16. Bf4 Nb4 { At this pointI'm just prodding him to see what happens. He has very little room tomove, and so lots of potential for getting hung up in his own pieces. } 17. Qb3 { Predictable. } 17... Nfd5 { I was trying to put more pressure on the bishopand increase my odds of doing something nasty to the queen. I really wantedto triple the f file pawns. } 18. g4 { Didn't expect that, but it openedup some other oppotunities, even though it killed my plans for tripledpawns. Notably, it weaked the support for his bishop. } 18... Qe6 { Dangerous,but I figured I'd be able to profit from the discovered attack one wayor another. Plus, it leaves him trying to saving his knight. More opportunitiesfor mistakes. } 19. Rd2 { And here's the big mistake. Here's where I sawthe pin in move 21. } 19... Nxf4 { Because of g4, the only response is Nxf4. } 20. Nxf4 Qxb3 { Now to get the queens out of the way and double some pawns whileI'm at it. } 21. axb3 Bh6 { Now, at this point it looks pretty bad for myopponent, but he still has a very strong defensive structure. } 22. Kf1 { I have no idea where he was going with that. } 22... Bxf4 { I claim my prize. } 23. Rdd1 b6 { Here I'm preparing for either a5 to free my rook, or Nc6,Na5 to attack the front b pawn. At this point I was pretty sure breakingthrough those defenses was going to be hopeless. } 24. Ke2 { No idea. } 24... Rfe8+ { I thought his king was better off trapped behind the pawns. } 25. Kf1 g5 { Just to make sure the pawns stayed where they were... } 26. Bh1 { Here myopponent puts into motion a plan, but I still don't know why he did it. First he gets his king off the first rank, and then we proceed to traderooks, leaving him completely toothless. } 26... a5 { I decided freeing the rookwas more useful than attacking the pawn. } 27. Re1 { What the...? } 27... Nxd3 { Notonly was the idea of trading rooks bad, but it cost him a very importantpawn. } 28. Rxe8+ { Senseless trade. I asked him what he was doing, andhis response sounded like he hadn't noticed that he was down by a knight. } 28... Rxe8 29. Bg2 { I think he's just killing time. } 29... Nxb2 { Another free pawn,and I'm trying to shake the last rook loose. My plan was: 30. Rb1 Bd231. All hell breaks loose } 30. Re1 { An even more senseless trade. } 30... Rxe1+ 31. Kxe1 { His king has now escaped his prision, sort of. With my bishop,knight, and d pawn, he really can't go anywhere. What's worse is thathe just has to sit by and watch while I queen at least three of my pawns. } 31... d3 32. Kf1 d2 { Here my opponent thoughtfully resigned. } 0-1

[Event "Caro Kann challenge with Jkarp"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.17"] [Round "-"] [White "jkarp"] [Black "dmaestro"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1529"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1085"] 1. e4 c6 { The caro kann defense. My early favorite. I already expect mymore inexperienced opponent does not know how to play it and will be overaggressive, because I saw how he played against the 2000+ player. } 2. Nf3 { This does not offer White any advantage. } 2... d5 { Now Black breaks open thecenter. } 3. exd5 cxd5 { Already Black has a position that would be idealin the Sicilian, the open c file and firm control of d5. } 4. Ne5 { ? Thisis weak. Much better is to develop. } 4... Nf6 { Black does not fear the check. } 5. Bb5+ { Here my opponent over estimates the value of the attack. Thisjust helps black develop. } 5... Nbd7 6. Nxd7 Nxd7 7. d4 { Here White probablythinks they have the advantage. But the pin is ineffective. } 7... a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 { The White LSB will bite on granite. Black is already contemplatinga minority attack. } 9... Nb6 { Here Black wants to free the LSB as is typicalin the Caro Kann. } 10. O-O Bf5 11. Bd2 { Bf4 was more active. } 11... e6 { Continuingwith the plan. A solid center and pressure on the Q side. } 12. Nc3 Nc4 { Black seizes c4. } 13. Bxc4 { White exchanges, but Black now has the bishoppair. } 13... bxc4 14. b3 Rc8 { According to plan. } 15. bxc4 { ? This capture onlyfavors Black. } 15... Rxc4 16. Re1 Be7 { ? Black should just take the d pawn. ButI was hoping for more by exerting pressure on the c file. } 17. Rc1 Qc7 18. Bf4 { ?? My opponent does not realize the Bishop is unprotected. } 18... Qc6 { ? Black wants something in the way of a useful lesson. } 19. Re3 { ?? Thisdoes not protect the N. It was necessary to retreat it. } 19... Rxc3 { Black takesthe piece now. } 20. Rxc3 Qxc3 21. Rb1 O-O 22. Qh5 { This accomplishes nothing. } 22... Bxc2 23. Rc1 Ba3 24. Rf1 { Black has calculated this position out. White'srook has retreated and Black has complete control. } 24... Qxd4 25. Be5 Qe4 { Setsa trap if White tries Qg5. } 26. Qg5 { ? This does not work, it loses yetanother piece. } 26... f6 { Of course, now Black must give up the Bishop } 27. Qd2 fxe5 28. Re1 Qb4 { As planned. } 29. Qxb4 Bxb4 { After the exchange the gameis totally over. Black is expecting White to take the 'free' pawn. } 30. Rxe5 Rf6 { Black now has overwhelming threats. } 31. Re3 { Black is goingto Queen a pawn, but this makes it easy. } 31... d4 { the pawn can't be stoppedexcept by } 32. Re2 d3 33. Re4 d2 { Of course, Black now queens. White resigns. } 0-1

[Event "Please, come in..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.04.11"] [Round "-"] [White "damafi"] [Black "zyzoonleon"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1621"] [TimeControl "300+5"] [WhiteElo "1618"] { I'm too lucky, lately... } 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nbd2 h6 5. h3 Bf5 6. c3 { All normal stuff. Just note: if I don't play this move now,in the near future Nb5 by black can annoy me a lot, given the threats onc7 and d6. True, white can defend with Qa5+, forcing the N back, but aftere6 or Qd7 this doesn't work anymore. } 6... e6 7. g4 Bh7 { Black, normally retreatson g6, making Ne5 a good move. Even better if I play something like Qa4first, pinning the Nc6. But now, I wanted to experiment. } 8. g5 { ?! IfNh5, Be3. It blocks my central pawn, but I have Bh2, followed by a tempowhen moving the e pawn. } 8... hxg5 9. Bxg5 { This B can't be harassed anymoreby h6. I thought on Nxg5, but black's lsb can move away, and it seemeda bad idea to me. One of the central features of this opening is N's controlon e5. } 9... Be7 10. h4 { 'cementing' the B. But all this in unexplored territoryfor me, and I'm not sure it will work. } 10... Ne4 11. Rg1 { This is the centralidea. My h pawn will go to g5, so his R won't threat it. } 11... Bxg5 12. Nxg5 Nxg5 { Here I played too quickly hxN, Maybe Rxg5 was better, with tempoon g7. } 13. hxg5 Bg6 14. f4 { I am aware my kingside is completely exposed,but I thought the pawn chain was strong enough to prevent black's incursions.I was wrong. } 14... Qd6 15. e3 O-O-O { Ok, so I have a very strong pawn chain,but nothing more, and his lsb is really annoying. Under control, but stillannoying. A possible attack plan was b4, but hey, I am very underdeveloped. } 16. Nb3 { It looks as a bad move, but my N has a nice outpost in c5, andif b6, Ba6+ looks interesting. Moreover, I can now play Bd3 so to exchangehis lsb. If Bh5, I go Be2. Of course, black has countergame... } 16... Rh2 { Ouch!Ok, what is this R doing here? } 17. Nc5 { This has two purposes: the first,conquer my outpost, and, second and more important, allow my Q to go tob3-a4 in case of Bh5. Because I am now aware Be2 doesn't work anymore. } 17... Rxb2 { A mistake! If Rd-h8, black would have probably won the game, butthis just helps me to get open column b to his K. Now, I can get rid ofhis lsb. Please, come in... ;-) } 18. Bd3 { I threaten BxB, doubling andisolating his pawns. } 18... Bxd3 19. Qxd3 { I have to be careful: if Nxd3, Qa3and his pieces become unbearably active! } 19... g6 20. Rh1 { ...Stopping any Rd-h8ideas, and threatening Rh7, with pressure on f7. } 20... Rg2 { This R is well installedon the second rank, but its purpose is limited! Now, this makes me freeto pressure on the b column. } 21. Rb1 { Threatening as a minimum a N forkon his Q and R. Na5 was the only way for black to escape his fate. I'dhad a hard time. But he played the light... } 21... b6 { ?? Incredible, I'm toolucky these days! 'White plays a move and black resigns'. Too easy. } 22. Qa6+ { Some more points over the 1600 barrier. Sometimes is the opponentwho blunders a game. I am aware I can't expect this to go on for too long...Thanks for reading! } 1-0

[Event "gameID 5480002"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2008.03.24"] [Round "-"] [White "PeterT.Rojas 1477"] [Black "CarlCabildo 1538"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "?"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. exd6 exd6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. b3 Bg5 9. Nge2 Bxc1 10. Qxc1 Re8 11. O-O Qf6 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. N2g3 Nc6 14. d5 Ne5 15. Bc2 Bg4 16. h3 Bh5 { One of the wrong move... } 17. Nxh5 Qh4 18. Nhg3 Nbd7 19. Nf5 Qd8 20. Nh6+ gxh6 21. Qxh6 Ng6 22. Ng5 Nf6 23. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Qf8 25. Qxf8+ Kxf8 26. Bxg6 hxg6 27. g4 Re8 28. Rxe8+ Kxe8 29. f3 c6 30. Ne4 Ke7 31. g5 Nxe4 32. fxe4 { Simplifying the game...so easyto win if the knights are out... } 32... cxd5 33. exd5 f6 34. h4 f5 35. Kf2 a6 36. a4 Kd7 37. Ke3 Ke7 38. b4 Kd7 39. Kf4 Ke7 40. h5 gxh5 41. Kxf5 Kf7 42. c5 { the move that have ended the game... } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "14-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "raziell"] [Black "marshals"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1400"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1471"] 1. e4 { I am terribly embarrassed for losing this game. I was in a goodposition, then a slight lapse in concentration and the game is lost. Donot do anything else while playing chess, My Standard opening when playingwhite. } 1... e5 { Normal response. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 h6 { I wasn't really expectingthis but its no problem. } 4. Nc3 { Keep my development going. } 4... c6 { Preparingto push d5 } 5. O-O { Castle to safety } 5... Nf6 6. d3 a6 7. a3 Nbd7 { So far noproblems } 8. Nh4 { Looking to get my knight to f5 } 8... b5 9. Bb3 Nc5 10. Ba2 { I should've played Ba2 on the 9th move. } 10... Ng4 11. Nf5 { Offering the sacrificewhich will result in white winning a piece. } 11... Bxf5 12. exf5 Qd7 13. Qxg4 g6 14. Qf3 gxf5 15. b4 Nb7 16. Re1 O-O-O 17. a4 { Trying to open the queenside. } 17... Rg8 18. axb5 cxb5 19. Nd5 Qc6 { Black lining up mate on Qxg2 but i havethis in mind. } 20. Qxf5+ Rd7 21. Nf6 { There is my break in concentration. Not seeing the whole board after i knew it was coming. After a blunderlike this i deserve to lose the game. I was very angry with myself afterthis. I consider this a very beginner blunder. Something my child woulddo, who does not play chess. } 21... Qxg2# { Black saw the gap and jump on it. Perfect example of why not to do anything else while playing chess. Igave the game away. } 0-1

[Event "Online blitz game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "?"] [Round "-"] [White "Guest304288"] [Black "Guest297169"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1650"] [TimeControl "4m +2s"] [WhiteElo "1600"] 1. d4 { This was a game i recently played on playchess.com It is a goodexample of how being aggressive pays off in otb chess, much more than correspondancechess. Please leave comments using the new facility to do so. I haven'tanalysed very thoroughly, as this was more a game of instinct than calculatedmoves } 1... d5 2. Nf3 e6 { Planning c5 } 3. h3 { Strangely quiet move } 3... c5 4. a3 { Another quiet move, better would be something like Nc3 or Bf4. } 4... Nf6 { Developingtowards the centre still, starting to gain a nice advantage } 5. Bg5 { Goodmove, developing and attacking } 5... Be7 { Quietly defending, and developinga further piece } 6. Bf4 { A slightly strange move, retreating back for noapparent reason } 6... Nc6 { Continuing development towards the centre. } 7. dxc5 { A reasonable move, though would have worked better had white kept hisbishop on g5. Still it forces me to move my bishop a second time whichis undesirable in the opening } 7... Bxc5 8. Nc3 { First big mistake. I suspectwhite is playing for a certain set-up, rather than playing against me. } 8... O-O { Castle often castle early is the standard advice. I could have playedQb6 picking up a pawn, but in the heat of a blitz game i missed this. } 9. g4 { A very odd move, leaving white unable to castle kingside, and weakeninghis pawn structure. } 9... Qb6 { I find the move I missed last time, and overalli am in a much better position } 10. b4 { Defending the b2 pawn, howevermuch better would have been e3 } 10... Bxf2+ { I take the pawn and push right intowhites territory. } 11. Kd2 Nd4 { I saw a chance to go on the offensive atthis point. Better might have been Ne4 , but this offers the chance forwhite to make a mistake. If white takes the knight then: 12. Nxd4 Qxd413. Kc1 Qxf4, leaves me a piece up and coasting to an easy win } 12. Ne5 { White sidesteps this trap } 12... Rd8 { Quietly setting up an attack rather thanrushing in with Ne4 . This move means that the obvious response Nxe4 leavesan awkward discovered check after dxe4 } 13. e3 { Probably the best move,trying to drive away the knight and releasing the bishop onto a good diagonal. } 13... Ne4+ { If this was a correspondence game i would most likely have analysedthoroughly and decided to quietly retreat. However a move like this isexcellent for a blitz game with too many threats and variations to calculatebesides the obvious. } 14. Kd3 { White assumed that he couldn't take theknight on e4, and certainly it looks bad after 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Kc1 (forexample) Nb3 , losing the queen. However the computer suggests that itis the best move } 14... Nxc3 { This move was unnecessary, far better would havebeen 14...f6. This move reduces the number of pieces in the attack, thusreducing the threat the attack carries } 15. Kxc3 Bd7 { A quiet move planningto bring the final piece into play, the rook on a8. However it turned outto be a massive mistake as it left the knight en prise, and had white played16. Qxd4 I would have been forced into a queen exchange, and lost the wholeattack. } 16. Nxd7 { According to the computer this is the second best moveto play, though during the match it was the only move I had seen } 16... Rac8+ { Following through with my plan without recalculating meant I didn't realisethe knight could block this check. } 17. Nc5 Rxc5+ { Having committed somuch into the attack already i decided to just keep pressing forwards,and what better way to do so than with an exchange sacrifice } 18. Kxd4 { A critical mistake by my opponent, had he taken the rook the positionwould be roughly equal although thats difficult to see in a blitz game.The move played allows my rooks to infiltrate and show how powerful theycan be working together with the queen once most pieces have been removedfrom the board } 18... Rc4+ { Double check } 19. Kd3 { Ke5 gives mate in one } 19... Rxf4 { If 20. exf4 then 20...Qd4 21. Ke2 Qe3# } 20. Qe2 { White correctly doesn'ttake the rook, but better would be c3 to block my next move } 20... Rd4+ { Againwhite cannot take the rook without losing to Qxd4# } 21. Kc3 Rc8+ { Bringsthe other rook across to help close the net around the king. At this pointmy time was significantly low due to trying to calculate all the attackingmoves. But from here my opponent finds he needs to take longer over hismoves, allowing me some freedom } 22. Kb3 Bxe3 { If Qxe3 then Rxb4 wins thequeen } 23. c3 { This move had me struggling for a few seconds until realising.. } 23... Rdc4 24. Qf3 { A very strange move, and according to the computer even Qxe3is better since checkmate in 8 is now possible } 24... Rxc3+ { Naturally } 25. Kb2 Bc1+ { Miscalculation under time pressure here. I thought i would win thequeen, however... } 26. Rxc1 { Taking the queen now allows Rxc8 with a backrank checkmate. } 26... Rxc1 { So I remove the rook, winning the exchange instead } 27. Bd3 { Blocking my intended R8c2 } 27... Qd4+ 28. Kb3 { Ka2 allows Qa1# } 28... R8c3+ 29. Ka4 { Under time pressure I missed the mate in 3 after Rxa3 } 29... Rxh1 { Itake the rook instead } 30. Qxh1 Rxd3 { Should have taken with the queen,but at this point all moves win } 31. Qc1 { Final gamble, hoping i wouldallow a backrank mate } 31... Qc3 32. Qxc3 { Taking the queen, and essentiallyresigning } 32... Rxc3 33. h4 { My opponent could have resigned, but he chosesto prolong the match. I quickly push my d-pawn forward and close out thematch } 33... d4 34. b5 d3 35. Kb4 Rc1 36. g5 d2 37. a4 d1=Q 38. b6 Rb1+ 39. Ka5 axb6# { Quite a pretty finish, checkmate with the pawn. And overall a strangematch, as i tend to be far more cautious early on in a match, and veryrarely do sacrifices seem to pay off. } 0-1

[Event "Is development crucial?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1858"] [Round "-"] [White "Adolf Andersson"] [Black "Paul Morphy"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "N/A"] [WhiteElo "N/A"] { This is one of my favourite of Morphy's games. It shows Morphy's positionaland tactical genius. } 1. e4 { This was the standard opening move for theplayers of that time. } 1... e5 { Morphy sticks to his classical approach to chess.Always playing the King pawn openings when possible. } 2. f4 { The king'sgambit. This opening was very popular in the 19th century. Although morerare these days it still has a sound reputation. } 2... exf4 { Nowadays this isconsidered the best way to play as black. } 3. Bc4 { This move is contradictoryto the opening principle that you should move your knights before bishops.HOwever it is an adequate move. It was famously moved by Bobby Ficher with100% scored. Although I think the best move would be 3.Nf3. } 3... Nf6 { Morphyshows that he was ahead of his time by developing his knight as he didmost of the time when he played the opening. } 4. e5 { Andersson was seducedby this early attack on blacks knight thinking that it would gane him atempo. However as you will see Morphy's precise play does the completeopposite. } 4... d5 { ! Morphy doesn't bother moving his threatened knight butinstead decides to answer an attack with an attack.While also opening adiagonal for his queen's bishop and preparing an outpost for his knighton e4. Pretty good, no? } 5. Bb3 { If 5. exf6 dxc4 black looks better becauseof his easier development and the bishop pair. } 5... Ne4 { This secures the knightin an accurate position while blacks light squared bishop has been demotedtoa passive role on b3. } 6. Nf3 { Standard developing move. } 6... Bg4 7. O-O Nc6 { Standard development so. It is obvious now that black is inn a muchbetter position because of his speedy development. N.B- white's queensidehas not developed a single piece and has put white at a disadvantage fortime. } 8. Ba4 { Moprhy's development advantage increases as again whitefails to develop any of his queenside pieces. } 8... g5 { This move is very ambitious.It is obvious that Moprhy wants to expand on the queenside and secure hispawn f4 pawn. However he weakens his kingside. A more solid move wouldhave been 8...Ng5 moving his knight to a more stable position less likelyto come under attack from whites queen pawn. } 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 { Now whitehas a clear advantage in development. Anderssons's idea of the black'sdoubled c-pawns beingweak is absurd as you will see Morphy uses these pawnsto his advantage. } 10. d4 c5 { This aims to undermines white's centre. } 11. c3 { Defending the d4 pawn. } 11... Be7 12. b4 { Andersson finally realiseshe is not in a good position. He tries to stop his centre being dissapated. } 12... cxb4 13. cxb4 O-O 14. Qb3 Rb8 15. a3 c5 { ! White can no longer keep hisblockade. } 16. Nc3 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 cxb4 18. axb4 Bxb4 19. Qd3 a5 { Now blacksdevelopment advantage has been turned into a substantial positional advantage. } 20. h4 h6 21. hxg5 hxg5 22. g3 { This is Anderssons last attempt to salvagehis position. } 22... Rb6 23. Ra2 Rg6 { Whit this move black secures his kingside. } 24. Rg2 Bh3 25. e6 Bxg2 26. exf7+ Kg7 27. Kxg2 Qc8 { Now with blacks nextfew moves black gets ready for his final attack. } 28. Ne5 Rh6 29. gxf4 Rfh8 30. fxg5 Rh2+ 31. Kg1 Rh1+ 32. Kf2 R8h2+ 33. Ke3 Rh3+ 34. Nf3 Rxf3+ 35. Rxf3 Qxc1+ 36. Kf2 Qe1+ 37. Kg2 Qg1# { I think you will agree when Isay that this goes to show that a development advantage can lead to aneasy game for the player with the advantage aslong as he keeps the intiative.SO to answer the question 'is development crucial?' the resounding anweris yes! I hope you enjoyed my annotation. If you have any feedback or youthink I have made any mistakes please PM. Tom } 0-1

[Event "English Opening by a 14 year old.(me)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.05.16"] [Round "-"] [White "psp11"] [Black "calknight"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1056"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { This is my first match i really played here.I'm just 14 so please don'tmake harsh comments about my play.. Any advice is really accepted.Hopeyou like the game! } 1. c4 { The English Opening; i had never used it beforeand had not enough time to study it, but i wanted to try it out first.Thisis to try to claim the d5 square from the wing.This also prevents the replyd4, leading to the Nimzo-Indian and Grunfield defences.Thus, i saw thisas a flexible choice for a start. } 1... g6 { 2.d4 is what white usually playsin the English opening. 1...g6 is preparing for a fianchetto of the king'sbishop. } 2. b4 { I immediately played b4 to be able to bring my C-pawn ahead,which was not well played in my opinion.It can also attack a Knight whendevelopped. This leads to a loose game which brought some difficulty. b4also allows fianchetto attacking my rook. } 2... Bg7 { As said before, a fianchettois on its way! } 3. Nc3 { This seemed the best move for white. Somehow, thisturned into my advantage due to black refusing the center. } 3... Nc6 { Nc6 triesto retake the center.Fortunately the B-pawn is here to scare off the knight. } 4. b5 Ne5 { The knight has to look for refuge and e5 seems a safer place. } 5. Nf3 { Nf3?! i was looking for an early exchange but did not realise thatc4 was unprotected.I also did not develop another pawn that will weakenmy structure. } 5... Nxc4 { In the end, c4 turns out a bait. } 6. e3 { e3 opensdiagonals for the queen as well as bishop.This as an immediate responseand i don't know if this move was good. } 6... Nh6 { Black does not see the threatand develops another knight.After thinking for some while, i deduce thatit's not intentionally played.The bishop captures the knight. } 7. Bxc4 { 2-point advantage. } 7... Nf5 { I was lost at this move.King safety first, soi castle.I knew he was trying Nd6 but i would be able to counter. } 8. O-O Nd6 9. Qa4 { Exactly what i had imagined! Queen to d4 protected bothpieces and it was protected. } 9... b6 { The b-pawns have no-where to go } 10. Bd5 { I save the bishop to d5, attacking the rook. } 10... Bb7 { exchange?? No objections.. } 11. Bxb7 Nxb7 { I wanted the knight to c5, so i took a risk and played Qa6. } 12. Qa6 { If the rook moves,i take the pawn. If it doesn't, i take the knight.Queento c8 or b8 would seem better but this would bring too many pieces to thequeen side of the board.So Black retreats to c5. } 12... Nc5 13. Qa3 { This isan unquestioned move if i want to save my queen. } 13... a5 { Should i have capturedby en-passant?? No, Rb1 is better. } 14. Rb1 e5 15. e4 { I block the pawn,stopping the bishop threat by the diagonal. } 15... Nd3 { If black wants, he cancapture the bishop.I prefer losing it on b1so my rook may stay on the b-file. } 16. Bb2 Bh6 { Threat to d2; but my knight is protecting it. } 17. Nd5 { Nd5!Here I'm expecting 17...c6 18 bxc6...dxc6 19 Nxb6(threatening the rook)and...Qxb6 I Would then move my bishop out of the way to e5 to win therook due to black saving his queen. } 17... g5 { I knew g4 was next. Then i sawthe knight waiting to be captured. } 18. Qxd3 { I seized at the opportunity! } 18... g4 19. Bxe5 { Bxe5!! A rook for knight, i think not. } 19... Rg8 { th rook is broughtto g8 to support the pawn. } 20. Nxc7+ { I saw a mating opportunity;had imoved Nf6 to win the rook,I would haveallongated the game and bear therisk to lose.Instead, Nxc7+ was the best move. It was also the first checkof the match. } 20... Kf8 { Ke7 would have let me play Qd7 and mate.. Instead,black moves king to f8, a blunder again.The only possible move to continuethe game is Qxc7 and capture of the queen with the bishop.Nevertheless,black played Kf8. } 21. Qd6+ { I chuckled; i knew it was a sure win! Onlypossible move here is queen to e7. } 21... Qe7 22. Qxh6+ { Check again.. this isa forced mate. Still, only move here is Rook to g7. } 22... Rg7 23. Qxg7# { Checkmate!This is my first win here in 23 turns with 15 point advantage. From a prettybad opening, this comes to an exciting middlegame and nice mate. } 1-0

[Event "Freddy does it again!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.16"] [Round "-"] [White "easy19"] [Black "bastalex"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2137"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2269"] 1. Nf3 { Hi everyone! Here is yet another awesome performance from theMaster Mater against the extremely unfortunate Master Bastalex who resignedon the grounds of unavoidable mate. My own tactical play is very hit andmiss at the moment and there is much room for improvement so I hope I canspot some tactics and hidden tactics in this one. Freddy starts off withthe Reti Opening where he brings his knight out to f3 straight away. Thismove holds back 1. ..... e4 so black usually plays d5 in this position. The Reti usually transposes into a QP opening or even occasionally a Sicilianshould black respond c5. In this game Master Bastalex responds with d5. } 1... d5 2. c4 { 2. c4!? - interesting move - Freddy just lurves gambits! Thepurpose of this move is to divert the d5 pawn on to c4 where it can berecaptured after playing 1. e4. Master Bastalex, however, declines thegambit and responds with c6 which has shades of the Slav Defense in theQueen's Gambit Declined. } 2... c6 3. e3 Nf6 { 3..... Nf6 - development. } 4. Nc3 e6 5. d4 { 5. d4 - yup, it is transposing into a Queen's Gambit Declined,Orthodox and Slav combined! } 5... Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 { 7. Bxc4 - pawn trade- note the d4 pawn prevents black from expanding by playing Nc5 or Ne5. } 7... b5 { 7. ........ b5 - attack from the flank and preparing a possible fianchettoof his light squared bishop. } 8. Be2 { 8. Be2 - a retreat but Freddy willthink of something. Indeed he acts on it by playing 9. e4 which giveshim his desired pawn centre and opens a diagonal for his dark square bishop. } 8... a6 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 { 10. Na4 - on the rim but probably not for long! } 10... Nxe4 { 10. ...... Nxe4 - Master Bastalex grabs a pawn, but as grabbing pawnsis not recommended in Bruce Pandolfini's Traps and Zaps, is that wise? We shall see. } 11. Qc2 Ndf6 { 11. ..... Ndf6 - Master Bastalex now supportshis advanced steed with Nf6. Hmm, wonder where his light square bishopis going? } 12. Bd3 { 12. Bd3 - putting the question to that advanced knight. Black answers with Nd6. Note that there is a line up of WQ and whitelsb on the b1-h7 diagonal. That means a knight must remain on f6 to avoidsome nasty checks on h7. } 12... Nd6 13. O-O Bb7 { 13. ..... Bb7 - black answersmy question re this bishop, he places it on b7. } 14. Nc5 { 14. Nc5 - nowFreddy gets and outpost for his knight and as that knight cannot be attackedby pawns, this one is a strong one. } 14... Qb6 15. Bf4 { 15. Bf4 - Freddy clearsthe decks and develops his dark squared bishop. I wonder where black isgonna castle? With the queen side looking rather draughty I would hesitateto put Henry on that side, hmm, I know Freddy usually gets him in the endbut why make it Easy for him! } 15... Nd5 16. Bg3 { 16. Bg3 - Freddy's dsb sidestepsthe black knight. Interestingly enough, white is in a position to playBxh7 after black responds with Nb5 but it is not a good move, can you thejury see why? } 16... Nb5 17. Be5 { 17. Be5 - Freddy's pieces take up more aggressiveposts, although I suppose black could play f6 here (I wonder why not?),but it is his knight that goes to f6 and not the pawn. } 17... Nf6 18. Rfc1 Rc8 19. Qb3 Nd5 { 19. ....... Nd5 - interesting, the knight goes back to d5. } 20. a4 Nd6 { 20. ....... Nd6 - I wonder why he did not play bxa3 e.p? } 21. Ng5 { 21. Ng5 - hits at the vulnerable f7 square, although at the momentFreddy cannot yet swing his queen over to the kingside. Now comes a crazypassage of play. } 21... h6 22. Ngxe6 fxe6 { 22. .... fxe6 - black accepts thesacrifice but now Freddy shows the point of it by bringing his bishop overto g6 with check. Black now loses the right to castle. That e6 pawn looksreally vulnerable to a move like Nxe6. } 23. Bg6+ Kd8 24. a5 Qa7 { 24. ......Qa7 - Black's queen takes on a Glenda-like (defensive!) position. Forthe benefit of any new members of the Inquest Jury, my king is called Henryand my queen is called Glenda and my bishops are called Fou Leblanc andFou Lenoir because of the light and dark squares they stand on! Anyhow,back to Freddy's game, that vulnerable e6 pawn now drops off. AlthoughFreddy is a whole piece down he has an overwhelming position. } 25. Nxe6+ Kd7 26. Qh3 { 26. Qh3 - at last Freddy's queen goes to the kingside withdevastating effect. Just for starties Freddy is threatening a nasty discoveredcheck with his knight. Black completes his development, on Move 26 wouldyou believe, but it will avail him naught. } 26... Be7 27. Rc5 Ba8 28. Rac1 { 28.Rac1 - here come the rooks, carrion methinks! } 28... Nf6 29. d5 { 29. d5 - pawnstab, those carrion are espying a nice tasty dinner. Freddy hangs fireon that discovery though. } 29... Nxd5 30. Rxd5 cxd5 31. Ng5+ { 31. Ng5+ - nowcomes the discovery. } 31... Kd8 32. Nf7+ { 32. Nf7+ - here Master Bastalex wavesthe white flag despite being 5 whole material points up, why, well hereis Variation A. 32. Nf7+ Nxf7 33. Rxc8#. Now for Variation B. 32. Nf7+Ke8 33. Nxd6+ Kf8 34. Qxc8+ Bd8 35. Qxd8# . And here is VariationC - 32. Nf7+ Ke8 33. Nxd6+ Kd8 34. Rxc8# So, for the second timeMaster Bastalex, because of his esteemed Master Status has been allowedto avoid being Freddied by resignation, lucky him. Anyhow, well playedFreddy! } 32... Ke8 33. Nxd6+ Kd8 34. Rxc8# 1-0

[Event "Indian opening - blitz game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10/9/12"] [Round "-"] [White "ivan95"] [Black "eduherminio"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1551"] [TimeControl "15/5"] [WhiteElo "1531"] { I'm gonna show you a very tactical game I played recently. } 1. e4 e5 2. d3 { An Indian opening, something not very common in blitz games (at leastfor me). } 2... Bc5 { My favourite answer to this opening. } 3. h3 { It looked likea defensive starting by my rival. } 3... h6 { He didn't want my bishop bothering,neither did I. } 4. Nf3 d6 { Seeking bishop e6. } 5. Nc3 { Development. } 5... Nf6 { 6. Nd5 Nxd5 7.exd5 was a variation that didn't worry me at first, so Icontinued developing my pieces and preparing to castle. } 6. b3 { Preparingd4? } 6... Be6 7. Bb2 { Obviously. } 7... O-O { Before starting the fight for the center... } 8. Be2 { He wanted his king to be protected too. } 8... Nbd7 9. O-O c6 { Here wego. } 10. Nb1 { Wait a minute. A weakness in the long diagonal? } 10... Qc7 { Noway. } 11. Nbd2 { Looking for a better position for his knight. Now, themid game. He had an useless white bishop, which gave me a small advantagein the board, didn't it? } 11... d5 12. exd5 { Just what I expected. } 12... Nxd5 { Kd5!?I could also have taken with my bishop or my c-pawn. But they were in goodpositions and f4 was a very attractive square. Correct decision? Let'ssee. } 13. Re1 { Rook on e-file. } 13... Nf4 { That's it! } 14. Bf1 { Useless anywhereelse, and allowing a discovered attack. } 14... Bd6 { Protecting pawn in e5. } 15. Nc4 { An extra attacker to my poor pawn. And then, surely d3 white pawnwould have been the next one. } 15... f6 { So I permitted an exchange bishop-knightalthough a appreciated it (my bishop) a lot within this game. } 16. Nxd6 { I was his more active piece. } 16... Qxd6 17. Re4 { Very brave. } 17... b5 { Protectingthe only square his rook could have gone. Why he would like to? Don't know,but just in case. I would also be helpful against a future c4. } 18. Bc1 { He definitely wanted to take my dangerous knight, something against Iwas ready to fight. } 18... f5 { Threatening his rook. } 19. Re1 Rf6 { A flexiblemove, I think. Ready to move to g6 and start bothering his king, also protectingmy bishop for the future. } 20. Bxf4 { It was going to happen. } 20... exf4 { Betterand a previous g5 and gxf4, isn't it? Now pawns were starting to be...not to be welcome, let's say. } 21. Qd2 { He thought the same. } 21... g5 { Sendingmy attack. a5 was also possible, I saw just after moving. } 22. Qc3 { Fortunately,he decided not to do Qa5. } 22... b4 { He had to decide. } 23. Qb2 { Occupying thediagonal was his choice. It's OK for me. } 23... Rg6 { Preparing the attack, nowthe queen was far away from trouble. From his trouble. } 24. Ne5 { Takingwith the knight would have implied two rooks in e5, something I definitelydidn't want. } 24... Rg7 25. Re2 Re8 26. Rae1 { mm OK, but I still had my knight,ready to take his in case he wanted his to help in the defense. Maybe that'snot a reason, but this was the situation I had to face. And I was quitehappy with it. } 26... g4 { I supposed he was going to take it. } 27. hxg4 { Of coursehe did. Any better choice? } 27... fxg4 { Now he must be extremely careful. I wasdelighted with how everything was taking place. } 28. Kh1 { I don't knowyet what he wanted with this. I tried to understand how it would help him,but none answer was found. } 28... g3 { g3, the key to the mate. } 29. f3 { ?? f3was where his knight was supposed to go in order to defend h2! } 29... Qe7 { Herehe eventually resigned. I enjoyed a lot this game and thought it was interestingenough for annotating it. Thank you for reading. } 0-1

[Event "e4/e5/Nf3/Nc6, Three Knights Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "20-Dec-06"] [Round "-"] [White "rpilaud"] [Black "crunch8"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1452"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1447"] { This game starts with e4/e5 and develops into the Three Knights Game. } 1. e4 { In reviewing this game, using Gameknot's database, I learned whatmost people probably already know, that e4/e5/Nf3/Nc6 is the most popularopening, at least in Gameknot's world. There would be a lot of tradesin this game, and this game would come down to pawn structure and timingin the endgame. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 { At this point, this game would typicallygo in one of four directions: C46: Three knights game C47: Four knights,Scotch variation C48: Four knights, Spanish variation C49: Four knights,double Ruy Lopez } 3... Bc5 { According to the GK database, Nf6 (Four KnightsGame) is stronger, but black chooses Bc5, which starts the Three KnightsGame. } 4. Bb5 d6 5. Bxc6+ { I was feeling aggressive that day. I don'tlike to trade a bishop for a knight early, but I often will if it resultsin stacked pawns. } 5... bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Qh4 { An aggressive move, pressuringthe f pawn, but relatively easy to defend. But first, I have to bail outmy knight at d4. } 8. Be3 Nf6 9. g3 { 9. ... Qh3 10. Qd3 Qg2 11. O-O-O Bg412. Rh-g1 Qf3 13. Nxc6 } 9... Qh3 { His queen is getting pesky. } 10. Qd3 Qg2 { Blacktries to attack with one piece, always a difficult endeavor. } 11. O-O-O Ng4 { Ah, the second part of his attack. Now, I'm in a bit of trouble. } 12. Qf1 Nxe3 { At this point, I could take his knight, fxe3 and provideadditional protection on the knight at d4, but I must have (I can't recallspecifically now after the fact) seen the potential for a trapped knightand must have been really worried about the possibility of the queen causinghavoc, so I trade queens. } 13. Qxg2 { 13. ... Nxg2 14. Nxc6 Bxf2 15. Rd2 } 13... Nxg2 14. Nxc6 { Black goes up three points, but his knight is trapped,so I attack and bring the difference to two points. } 14... Bd7 15. Nd4 { I expectedhim to bail out his stranded knight, but he castles instead. 15. ... Bh316. Nc-e2 O-O 17. Ng1 } 15... O-O 16. h3 { Here, I'm trying to prevent black fromprotecting his knight with the bishop. } 16... f5 17. Rhg1 Nh4 18. gxh4 fxe4 19. Nxe4 { Finally back to a one point advantage, though my pawn structure isn'tterribly good. } 19... Bxd4 { Never trade pieces when you're behind, right? } 20. Rxd4 Bxh3 { Except that he does capture one of my out-of-place pawns inthe exchange. } 21. Ng5 Bf5 22. f4 h6 23. Nf3 Rfe8 24. c3 Re2 25. Rd2 Rae8 26. Nd4 Re1+ 27. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 28. Rd1 Rxd1+ 29. Kxd1 { All even again. Thisbecomes a pawn structure endgame. } 29... Be4 30. b4 Kf7 31. Kd2 Kf6 32. Ke3 { Iwas expecting him to advance his pawns while protecting the bishop, buthe elects to attack. 32. ... d5 33. c4 c6 34. Nxc6 Ke6 35. Nxa7 } 32... Bb1 33. a4 { He wasted time on that attack. } 33... c5 34. bxc5 { I'm expecting ... 34.... dxc5 35. Nc6 a6 36. a5 } 34... dxc5 35. Nc6 { I get a bit luck with my knight. I expected 35. .. a6, but he responds with Kf5. This is probably thecritical mistake in the game for black. } 35... Kf5 36. Nxa7 { 36. ... Kg4 37.a5 Kxh4 38. a6 } 36... Kg4 37. a5 { Here were my thoughts at this point: 37. ...Kxh4 38. a6 Ba2 39. Ke4 Bb1 40. Ke5 g5 41. Nc6 gxf4 42. Kxf4 h5 43. a7 } 37... Kxh4 38. a6 { He's running out of time and space. } 38... Kg4 39. Nc6 h5 40. a7 h4 41. a8=Q { The beginning of the end. } 41... h3 42. Ne5+ { I plotted out thepossible scenarios. 42. ... Kg3 43. Qf3 Kh4 44. Qf2 Kh5 45. Qg3 42. ...Kh4 43. Qh8 Kg3 44. Qxg7 Kh4 45. Qg5 42. ... Kh5 43. Qh8 Bh7 44. Qxh7 42. ... Kf5 43. Qc8 Kf6 44. Qxh3 } 42... Kg3 43. Qf3+ Kh4 44. Qf2+ Kh5 45. Qg3 Kh6 46. Qxh3# 1-0

[Event "A sac resulting in a winning endgame"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.07.13"] [Round "-"] [White "ironbutterfly"] [Black "l-d-j"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1459"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1443"] { In this game, I make a speculative (for me) sac to open up my opponent'sking's position. When the dust has cleared, my opponent can deliver perpetualcheck in a bad position, but he misses this and instead goes for a difficultand probably lost ending, which I convert quite easily. After the gamethe GK computer analysis proves that my sac was completely sound and evenwinning, but that I had missed the right follow-up. } 1. d4 Nf6 { Until somethree months ago I played the Slav against 1.d4, but I felt uncomfortablein the resulting middlegame positions so I decided to switch to 1...Nf6. } 2. Nf3 { The Budapest Gambit is now my main weapon against 1.d4, becauseit results in open positions, in which I feel more comfortable than inclosed ones. But to get into the Budapest my opponent has to play 2.c4.Now I have to come up with something else. } 2... g6 { I decide to play a Grunfelddefence... If my opponent allows this. } 3. Bg5 { !? Interesting move. Whitedoesn't decide to play c4 and instead develops another piece. It's hardto reach a Grunfeld position now. } 3... Bg7 { This had to be played anytime,because otherwise 2...g6 wouldn't make sense. } 4. e3 { Still no c4. Notethat after 4.c4 I wouldn't be able to play 4...d5 to try to reach a Grunfeldbecause 5.Bxf6 Bxf6 6.cxd5 would win a pawn. I would probably have played4...O-O and only play ...d5 after Nc3. } 4... c5 { Now that my opponent refusesto play c4, I decide to move up my own c pawn. I'm suspecting my opponentwon't play c4 at all and will instead go for a system with c3. } 5. Nbd2 cxd4 { Trying to open up the position a bit. } 6. exd4 O-O 7. Bd3 { This isthe normal position for the bishop in this set-up. } 7... Nc6 8. c3 { As expected. } 8... d5 { I'm trying to get some play in the centre of the board as soon as possible,to try and punish White for his somewhat passive opening play. This willbe hard though, because this system is very solid and White has no weaknesses. } 9. Qc2 { !? Interestingly, this has never been played before. All gameswe were following continued 9.O-O. The queen and the bishop are lined upon the same diagonal, but they're biting on granite now because there'sonly the well-defended g6 pawn to attack. } 9... Re8 { Meanwhile I'm preparingmy third thrust in the centre, ...e5. } 10. O-O-O { ?! This is dubious inmy opinion. the pawns on the other flank seem to form a better shield forthe king. But there are four pieces around to help defending the king,so it can't be that dangerous, can it? } 10... e5 { ?! I'm a minor piece behindin development, but my center control is greater and my rooks both havea nice file to control (once the c8 bishop has moved, the a8 rook can goto c8). So I thought this break was reasonable, but the computers don'treally like it as after 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Rxe5, White can chase my rookwith 13.Nf3 Re8 and I'm also left with an isolated d pawn. Probably Whitehas a small plus there. } 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Rhe1 { ? This can't be good.White is voluntarily giving up the bishop pair in an open position? A strangedecision. } 12... Nxd3+ 13. Qxd3 Bf5 { Developing with tempo. White's king is startingto feel a bit uncomfortable. The computers don't like this move and suggest13...Qa5 instead.. I'm not sure why. } 14. Qb5 Rxe1 { ?! I was feeling abit uncomfortable about the possibility of checks on the back row, thatcould slow down my attack.. probably that's why I exchanged. Another reasonwas that I didn't want to lose a tempo if I'd play 14...Rc8 and my opponentexchanged twice on e8 with 15.Rxe8+ Qxe8 16.Qxe8 Rxe8 (this would make14...Rc8 a loss of tempo). It seems illogical though, because I'm the attackingside and would want to keep as many pieces on the board as possible. } 15. Rxe1 Qc7 { This is a pawn sac, but in fact I'm already planning to sac morethan just the isolated d pawn.. } 16. Bxf6 { ?! This is not the losing mistake,but a step in the wrong direction. It's obvious my opponent is planningto grab the d5 pawn (otherwise he'd never exchange this bishop for my knight),but that would be a blunder as we'll see later. } 16... Bxf6 17. Qxd5 { ? And thereit is. It was even set as a conditional move, for the first time in thisgame. } 17... Bxc3 { ! My opponent had obviously overlooked this sac, or thoughtit was not dangerous. I can imagine this because it seems so strange tosac the fianchetto bishop. But in this case it wins and is by far the bestmove in the position. I knew I couldn't calculate all the variations, butit just felt right. In this case my intuition didn't let me down. } 18. bxc3 Qxc3+ 19. Kd1 { All forced. Now this is a critical position which deservesa diagram. Now there are three moves that seem to continue the attack:19...Bc2+, 19...Bd3 and 19...Qc2+. Two lead to a draw, one wins. } 19... Bc2+ { ? The wrong one. This only leads to a draw. 19...Qc2+? also leads to adraw, similar to the game: 20.Ke2 Re8+ 21.Kf1 Bd3+ 22.Kg1 Rxe1+ 23.Nxe1Qxd2 and this is a transposition to the game. Winning was the silent andbeautiful move 19...Bd3! (well, I don't know if silent is the right termbut we call a move that's not check and doesn't capture a piece a silentmove in . Now there's the mating threat on c2 as well as the threat of20...Qa1+. I'm sure I'vDutch)e also looked at this move, but probablyI thought that 20.Nd4 would be good. But then Black can also follow upwith 20...Qa1+ 21.Nb1 Qxb1+ 22.Kd2. Relatively best here is 20.Qb3, butthis also loses to 20...Qa1+. } 20. Ke2 Re8+ 21. Kf1 Bd3+ 22. Kg1 Rxe1+ 23. Nxe1 Qxd2 { These moves were, again, forced. This is another criticalposition. It seems as if White is in bad shape: his knight is under attackand there's also the back rank mate threat (e.g. 23...Qxd2 24.Nxd3?? Qd1+25.Ne1 Qxe1#). But this is not true. } 24. Qe5 { ? It's only this move thatlost the game for White. Right here, he could have forced a perpetual check.The first steps are logical: 24.Qd8+ Kg7 25.Qd4+. Now There are roughlythree variations. Firstly, the king can go back to the 8th row, but thenWhite follows up with another check on d8 etc. Secondly, Black can play25...Kh6 but now the checks on d4 and h4 will force a perpetual. Thirdly,there's 25...f6. Now White follows up with 26.Qd7+ and Black can againgo back to the back rank (when checks on d8 and d7 will do the job) orplay 26...Kh6. On this move White can play 27.Qh3+ and here's probablywhat White missed: it would be absolutely horrible to play for a win with27...Kg5?? because of the rooyal fork 28.Nf3+. This is why Black has toaccept perpetual check here, too. } 24... Qe2 { Forcing another exchange to gointo either a queen ending or a bishop vs knight ending. } 25. Qxe2 { Myopponent chose the latter. I suppose he didn't like the mating threatsin the queen ending. } 25... Bxe2 26. Nc2 Bd3 { Somehow I played this instead ofmy first plan, 26...Bc4.. Note that if I'd played 26...Bc4, White cannotdefend the pawn with 27.Nb4? because of 27...a5 when the knight has toleave the pawn undefended. } 27. Nb4 Bc4 28. a3 { Releasing the knight, whichwas defending the pawn. } 28... a5 { Starting to push my queenside majority. } 29. Nc2 b5 30. Ne3 { White should be starting to activate his king very soon,if he wants to keep any drawing chances. } 30... Bd3 31. g3 Kg7 32. f4 Kf6 33. Nd5+ Ke6 { My king is coming closer and closer to the queenside to helpits pawns to promote. } 34. Nc3 b4 35. axb4 axb4 36. Na4 Kd5 37. Kf2 { Finallythe White king is approaching the queenside too, but Black is still winning. } 37... b3 38. Ke3 Bf5 39. Nb2 { Blocking the pawn. } 39... Kc5 40. Kd2 Kb4 41. h4 Ka3 42. Kc1 Bc2 43. Nc4+ Kb4 44. Nb2 Kc3 { Now that White needs all its forcesto stop the b pawn, my king starts its journey to the kingside to graball the pawns there. I had calculated that I'd be able to take the threekingside pawns before White can defend them. } 45. Na4+ Kd3 46. Nc5+ Ke3 47. f5 { Not much else to do... Maybe he was hoping I'd voluntarily messup my pawn structure by taking 47...fxg5, but of course I won't. } 47... Bxf5 48. Nxb3 Kf3 49. Nd4+ Kxg3 50. Nxf5+ { White chooses to exchange down intothe pawn ending, which is easily winning for me (especially as I know thetheory on pawn endings quite well), but the ending with minor pieces washopeless as well. } 50... gxf5 51. h5 f4 52. Kd1 f3 53. Ke1 f2+ 54. Kf1 { Blockingmy pawn, but not for long. } 54... Kf3 { ! Precision 'till the end. This is thefastest way to mate. Also easy was 54...h6, but after 55.Ke2 Kg2 the Whiteking can flee to the queenside and postpone the inevitable. Now White isin zugzwang. } 55. h6 Ke3 { But now the king is forced to the side of theboard. White decided to resign here. Mate can follow like this: 56.Kg2Ke2 57.Kg3 f1=Q 58.Kh2 Qf3 59.Kg1 Qg4+ 60.Kh2 Kf2 and ...Qg2# or ...Qh5#to follow. It was an enjoyable game to play, hope you also enjoyed my annotation.Thanks for reading, any comments are welcome. } 0-1

[Event "10222b"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Oct-06"] [Round "-"] [White "winstond"] [Black "jeffegg2"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1389"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1355"] 1. e4 { e4! I love the open games!! } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { This is the RuyLopez. Very old opening found in manuscripts from the middle ages. Whiteinfluences the center by attacking the knight that controls d4,e5. } 3... f5 { I have been exploring this move, known as the Schliemann Defense. Notseen much in top level games. but it seems to have some tactics. Much likea Kings gambit reversed perhaps. Other moves possible here are: Nd4 Bird'sDefense, d6 Steinitz Defense, Bc5 Cordel Defense, Nf6 Berlin Defense,a6 Morphy Defense. I am also fond of Gambit play, and this seems to gambita pawn. } 4. Bxc6 { the Bishop takes two moves to capture the knight thathas only moved once. } 4... dxc6 5. exf5 e4 { the isolated pawn shows its powerto disrupt! A soldier on a suicide mission! } 6. Ne5 Nf6 { ?! perhaps Bxf5but the intruder is now immobile. This also protects the isolanti. } 7. Qe2 Bxf5 { capturing and covering e4. } 8. d3 Bd6 9. Nc4 { The knight movesagain. I am two steps from finishing my development. White only has theknight and queen out. } 9... O-O 10. Bg5 exd3 { My development is further along,so I open up the position. Perhaps Qe2 was first called for. I have a habitof rushing things. } 11. cxd3 Re8 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. O-O Bg6 { ? a wasted move. } 15. Rd1 Re6 { preparing to double rooks on the open file. } 16. Nc3 Bf4 17. Na4 b6 { removing the threat of Nc5. } 18. Rac1 Rae8 19. Qc2 c5 { ? questionable. I think Qe7 looked better. } 20. Qb3 Bxe3 21. fxe3 Kg7 { I did not see that the rook was pinned. argh! } 22. e4 { now the filethat I had control over is blocked! } 22... Qd4+ 23. Kh1 f5 24. Rc4 Qf2 25. Qc3+ Kh6 26. Qd2+ Qxd2 27. Rxd2 { this is about equal. his knight is poorly placedon the rim, my bishop is currently bad with the kingside pawns on litesquares. if allowed Re2, then there could be a powerful passed pawn one4. } 27... fxe4 28. h3 { ? this allows me to get the passer. } 28... e3 29. Rd1 e2 30. Re1 Bxd3 { ?? I did not see b5! forking the rook and knight. now I am twopawns up. The plan is to exchange the power of the passed pawn for a winningendgame. } 31. Rf4 { the rook prevents me from using the f file to promotethe pawn. } 31... Kg5 32. g3 Rf6 33. Rxf6 { the first exchange } 33... Kxf6 34. Nc3 c6 35. Kg2 b5 { the queenside majority starts their advance. } 36. Kf2 b4 37. Nxe2 { now all the pieces go } 37... Bxe2 38. Rxe2 Rxe2+ 39. Kxe2 c4 { preventingKd3. } 40. Ke3 Ke5 { I am very happy my king is in the center. Now I am ableto advance the c pawn to promote, or gobble up the white pawns on the kingsideif he abandons them. } 41. g4 a5 42. h4 c3 { my pawns are now unstoppable,he cannot cover both sides. } 43. bxc3 bxc3 { isolated and weak, but he isforced to give full attention. } 44. Kd3 c2 { To take the king even furtherfrom the main action. } 45. Kxc2 Kf4 46. Kd3 { if 46.Kb3 then ...c5 47.Ka4c4! and he is distracted again. } 46... Kxg4 47. Kd4 Kxh4 48. Kc5 Kg3 49. Kxc6 h5 { 0-1 } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from playerg5454"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.16"] [Round "-"] [White "jt7744"] [Black "playerg5454"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2118"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1189"] 1. d4 { Traditional opening move, takes the center. } 1... Nf6 { 1. . . Nf6 signalsan Indian defense. Per Wikipedia, 'Indian defenses have been the mostpopular Black replies to 1.d4 because they offer an unbalanced game withchances for both sides. The usual White second move is 2.c4, grabbing alarger share of the center and allowing the move Nc3, to prepare for movingthe e-pawn to e4 without blocking the c-pawn.' My comment to White: I usually consult two resources at this point. The 'Game DB' below, and365chess.com to look at typical choices made. } 2. c4 { 2 c4 is the mostfrequent move here, preparing for Nc3, influencing the center, preparingfor e4. The most frequent responses are e6, g6 and c5. e6 frees my King'sbishop and leads to many other Indian games. g6 prepares the fianchettoof my King's bishop and perhaps the aggressive King's Indian. c5 is theBenoni and promises an immediate fight for the center. Risky for Black,and not much used in top grandmaster play. } 2... e6 { me: Now, tell me, per theGame DB function and the 'World' database, what are the three most frequentresponses at this point? jt7744: Nc3, Nf3 and g3 is the three most frequentresponses at this point but Bf4 has a higher % of wining for white me:Yes, you're right on the three most frequent responses. But Bf4 was playedin just six games. Anything can happen in just a small sample. I wouldn'trely on it. } 3. Bf4 { Now I can imagine . . . c5; 4 d5 d6; and 5 Qa4+, Qd7;6 Qxd7+, Bxd7, or 5 Nc3, e5; 6 Bd2, Be7; 7 e4, O-O; 8 Nf3, Na6 To itscredit White's Queen Bishop is developed and sweeps from the center, butI will knock him back with an eventual e5, and he loses time escaping tod2. Or from the World database, . . . c5, 4 e3, Qb6; % Qb3, Qx b3; 6 axb3,Nc6; 7 Nf3, Nh5 attacking the Bishop. The computer analysis suggests:3. Nc3 Bb4. } 3... Bb4+ { I develop my Bishop with tempo } 4. Nc3 { Nice. Developesyour Knight and parries the Check. } 4... c5 { c5 to attack the Center me: Sonow the database is not so helpful as there are few games available, thoughwe can at east look at the moves others have made. me: So do you take?Or not? The principle here is whether there is a tactical advantage totake. If not, you lose your d pawn to the flank, and miss an opportunityto develop your pieces. } 5. a3 { a3? me: So, if Bxc3, bxc3, Qa5, then Bd2,and I am better developed and you've got doubled up pawns. I prefer Black'sposition. me: If I were White, instead of a3, I'd prefer Nf3, developinga piece and protecting d4. } 5... Bxc3+ { Bishop takes rather than retreatingand hiding at b6. Black will have more pieces developed, be ready to castle,and not have doubled pawns. } 6. bxc3 Qa5 { Developing my Queen, threateningQxc3+. } 7. dxc5 { No Bd2? Oh no! Triple isolated pawns! How will Whitedefend these long term? me: What if Qxc3+, Bd2; Qxc4? me: Or Nc6 and Idevelop and attack the isolated pawns later? Nc6 would support e5, pushingback your Bishop while I develop and take the center. The computer suggests:7. Bd2 O-O 8. Nf3 b6 9. e3 Bb7 10. Bd3 Be4 11. Bxe4 Nxe4 12. O-O Nc6 13.d5 Nxd2 14. Qxd2 } 7... Nc6 8. Nf3 { me: Nf3 develops a piece. me: Prevents e5?Not really. e5, Nxe5; Qxc3+. If Bishop takes, Knight takes and Q x c3+,taking Rook. } 8... Qxc3+ { me: You're really forced to Bd2. Do you see why? me:Then I take your pawn at c4. How do you threaten me then? } 9. Bd2 { Bd2,not Qd2, or I take the rook at a1. } 9... Qxc4 { I grab a pawn, but I won't beable to stay here for long. } 10. Rc1 { Rc1 is good, threatens the Queen,protects th c pawn, though it will eventually go away, ideally in an exchangeat b6 or d6. } 10... Qd5 { Nowhere better to go. } 11. e3 { Yes! e3 opens a 'hole'for the King's Bishop and aims at the center. } 11... O-O { Black castles. Blackhas a good game, more than equalized. Pawns are connected, knights developed,and the Queen is in the center but not in a stable spot. Black's QueenBishop is locked in and must be freed, probably with b6 or d6. White needsto develop, probably with Be2 or Qc2. I favor Be2, so that White can castle. How about Bc4? Black would then take the c-pawn. But, what if Whitethen takes the e pawn, exposing Black's Queen to the rook at c1? Well,Black could grab the pawn at a3, and still be a pawn ahead. Maybe better,if White is thinking so aggressively, is to prepare with Qa4. } 12. Bb4 { Hmmm. A surprise move. NxB seems, at first, to yield a disadvantage,connecting White's pawns. But that will quickly change with b6. Whiteoffers an exchange of Queens, with my Knight at the center. With a lowerrated opponent, I would like to keep my Queen. Still, I feel I must acceptthis. h5 does not create a lasting advantage: White exchanges Queens atthe next move. } 12... Nxb4 13. axb4 { White has connected his pawns, . . . fornow. But soon Black's a pawn will be on the march. } 13... b6 { Freeing my bishop } 14. Bc4 { Forcing a Queen exchange. } 14... Qxd1+ 15. Rxd1 { Rook takes. But itcould also have been the King, preparing for the endgame. } 15... bxc5 16. bxc5 Bb7 { Finally the Bishop is in play, aimed at the center, and maybe takingthe Knight to double White's pawns. } 17. Bb5 { Threatening my d pawn. Butmy Rook on f can take White's c pawn, and soon march the a pawn, protectedby the Rook on the a file. Rfc8; 18 Bxd7, Rxc5; 19 O-O, a5; 20 Ba4, Bxf3,21 gxf3, Nd5. } 17... Rfc8 { To take the c pawn } 18. Rc1 { Hmmm. The plan to capturethe c pawn is thwarted. I can make the Bishop run with a6. I can doubleWhite's pawns with BxNf3. Or ...Rab8; c6, Bxc6; Bxc6, Rxc6; Rxc6, dxc6'O-O, c5 } 18... Bxf3 { I create doubled pawns for him. } 19. gxf3 Rc7 { Protecting,again, my d pawn and threatening to double rooks, to take his c pawn. } 20. O-O g5 { Leaving space for my King, and to make it harder for Whiteto undoable his pawns. } 21. Rfd1 { Attacking my d pawn. } 21... Rb8 { Per NimzowitschI seize the open file. } 22. Ba6 Rb2 { And get to the second rank, whichis usually uncomfortable for the opponent. } 23. e4 { e4 enables me to stophis doubled f pawns by getting my Knight at the outpost on f4. Better forWhite to deploy his Bishop more productively (and get out of the way ofits rook), perhaps at d3 or f1. Then get its rook to c4, to move an eventualh4 and take Black's gxh4 with the Rook. White's other rook could go toa1 to threaten Black's a pawn. } 23... Nh5 { Looking for a central outpost formy Knight on f4. Maybe R to a2 would have been better, moving it eventuallyto a5 to attack White's c pawn. } 24. Rb1 { Offering to exchange. Bf1 wouldbe better, moving the rook to a1 or the other to d6. I have nothing betterand I will win the c pawn. } 24... Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Rxc5 { Winning the pawn. } 26. Rb7 { He's read about going to the seventh rank, too. But -- oops! -- hedoesn't see the danger to his King. Better would have been Kg2. Then Nf4+,and Kg3. } 26... Rc1+ 27. Kg2 { Oops. Bf1 was needed. The computer analysis suggeststhis as the continuation: Bf1 d5 28. exd5 exd5 29. h4 gxh4 30. Rb4 h331. Rh4 Ng7 32. Rxh3 d4 33. f4 Ne6 34. Rg3+ Kf8 35. Rd3 Ke7 36. f5. Nowit's ,ate in two. } 27... Nf4+ 28. Kg3 Rg1# 0-1

[Event "Let's Svesh"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Sep-06"] [Round "-"] [White "sicilian_monster"] [Black "vortx"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1986"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1761"] 1. e4 { This game features a positional Sveshnikov opening, resulting ina very interesting endgame. Let's start! } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bd3 Be6 12. O-O Bg7 13. Qh5 { The Svesh is one of the most thouroghly analyzedopenings in the world, so this is well-known and standard. } 13... f4 { This moveis critisized by maybe the greatest Svesh expert, GM Rogozenko. He saysthat black should not close the position in the centre, since white cannow break with g3 at a convenient time. } 14. c4 b4 15. Nc2 Rb8 16. g3 { theg3-break. A plan might be Kh1, Rg1 and gf4. } 16... b3 17. axb3 Rxb3 18. Ra3 { Imost admit that Rxa6 probably was better. With this move I tried a 'nocounterplay-strategy'. Black's only active piece is exchanged. } 18... Rxa3 19. bxa3 { Opening the b-file for the rook. } 19... h6 20. Rb1 fxg3 21. hxg3 O-O 22. Nce3 Nd4 23. Nf5 Nxf5 24. exf5 Bxd5 25. cxd5 Qf6 26. Rb6 { I was very happywith this position: I have to do something dramatic to manage to lose,and playing for a win is fully possible. We are playing for two results,as the Russian chesschool would say. } 26... Re8 27. Be4 Ra8 28. a4 a5 29. Kg2 Rc8 30. Qe2 Qd8 31. Ra6 Rb8 32. Qg4 Kf8 33. Ra7 Ra8 { Okey, so I didn'tmanage to do anything with the rook, maybe I can try the queen and bishopendgame? } 34. Qh4 f6 35. Rxa8 Qxa8 36. Qh1 Qb7 37. Qc1 Ke8 38. Qc6+ { Ithought this was good, but afterwards I admit that playing with the queenson would've given more winning chances. } 38... Qxc6 39. dxc6 d5 { !! Maybe nota difficult move for such a strong player as vortx, but for more casualplayers, this is worth noting: Black's terribly weak bishop must be activated,even at the cost of a pawn. This move saves the draw. } 40. Bxd5 Bf8 41. Bf7+ { Hmm, a free bishop... } 41... Kd8 { Ah, not interested? Damn } 42. Kf3 Bc5 43. Ke4 { Okey, so now I got a bit optimistic. Trying to win a drawn positionmight be very risky. } 43... Bxf2 44. Kd5 Bxg3 45. Ke6 Kc7 46. Kxf6 e4 { Even betterwas Kxc6 } 47. Bd5 e3 48. Bf3 h5 49. Kg5 h4 50. Kg4 { The game will finishin a draw: 50...e2 51.Bxe2 Kxc6 52.f6 Kd7 and the king rushes to blockthe pawn with a easy draw. In the game I thought black would win the a4-pawn,so maybe I should've played on. As a good rule: Always play to checkmateor only kings left! } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Queen to Queen's Level Three, Captain"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.08.19"] [Round "-"] [White "johnmv1"] [Black "deathelf"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1326"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 { King's pawn opening and Sicilian Defense. All constructive commentsare welcome and encouraged. I am always looking for ways to improve mygame. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bg5 e6 8. Qd3 Be7 { At this point white's pieces are fully developed, and eventhough black only has to develop his queen, his pieces appear cramped. } 9. O-O-O { Castling long to both maintain the tension on black's piecesas well as connecting the rooks. White also has queen and rook on thesame file with this move. } 9... a6 { Challenging white's bishop since black'spieces don't have much to do... } 10. Bxc6 { Black made a push with the a-pawnbefore considering king safety and white presses to explode open the tension... } 10... Bxc6 11. Rhe1 { Bearing down on the e-file where black's king still resides. } 11... Qc7 12. f4 { Beginning a king-side push. } 12... b5 13. e5 Nd5 14. exd6 { Breakingopen the center with black's king still in the middle. } 14... Bxd6 15. Nxe6 { Blackcan't castle through check and he resigns. (edit 8/30 - You are correctthat black's choices are sub par. The point is black may consider castlingif at all possible and losing the queen, instead of the devastating attackyou mentioned with his king stuck in the middle. He doesn't even havethat option, and either way the position is bad for black.) } 1-0

[Event "86th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.10.16"] [Round "-"] [White "cube13"] [Black "dwardman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1733"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1722"] 1. d4 { Off we go } 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 { This is all standard stuff at the moment } 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ { Black gives white the bishop, but isa little ahead in development } 6. Qxc3 b6 7. g3 Bb7 8. Nf3 Bxf3 { Two knightsagainst two bishops and white moves the quenn again } 9. Qxf3 Nc6 10. e3 { The black squared bishop is blocked in } 10... e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Qf5 d6 13. Bg2 Rb8 14. b3 Ned7 15. Bb2 Qe7 16. O-O a6 { It is all even, black has plansfor the queen side } 17. Rad1 b5 18. cxb5 Rxb5 19. Qc2 Rc5 20. Qe2 Rb5 21. b4 c5 22. Bc6 Rb6 23. Bg2 Rfb8 24. Bc3 Ne4 25. Be1 Qe6 { Black is slowlypushing white into defensive positions although must guard against therange of white's pieces } 26. Qd3 Re8 27. h4 c4 { Black can cause chaos withthis pawn now } 28. Qd4 Rc6 29. Bc3 Ndf6 30. a4 d5 31. Kh2 Nxc3 32. Qxc3 Rb8 33. Bh3 Qd6 34. Rb1 Ne4 35. Qd4 c3 { The pawn marches on and the knightat e4 is well placed } 36. Rfc1 Rc4 37. Qa7 Nd2 38. Rd1 c2 39. Rxd2 cxb1=Q 40. Rxd5 Qdxb4 { White resigns } 0-1

[Event "andydufresne's strategy pays off again."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Dec-06"] [Round "-"] [White "chorley"] [Black "fycorsia"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1268"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1271"] 1. d4 { Hello, If you read my other annotation 'Willingness to change tactics...'then you will recognize this as a sort of continuation on that same theme. This game embodies a strategy that was brought to my attention throughthe annotations of andydufresne. I'm sure that he isn't the first to describeor think of this, but I feel the need to give him props for turning meonto it as it has helped me in many games since. This game is just oneof the more successful examples of turning initial won material into anactual win. Disclaimer: There were many irrational moves made on the partof my opponent (and on my part also), which made this win a little easierthen it could have been, but that's part of chess isn't it? Taking advantageof your opponents blunders or lacks in judgement. So please, no commentsabout how these tactics would not have worked on someone who knew whatthey were doing. Amazingly enough there are people out there that actuallyknow less about chess than I do. This is mainly for those people who are at my level or below. My hope is that due to my stated lack of technicalknowhow about the game I might be able to offer some sort of understandingin a language that they can understand if for no other reason that I amworking within the same scope of understanding as they are. This is moreof an excercise for me and also it may help someone of equal or lesserskill than I realize something they have never thought of before aboutchess strategy. Hopefully, it will help me understand mine and my oppentsplay a little better also. :) } 1... d5 2. e3 { I thought this was a fairly weakopening, for the fact that there are a lot other recognized moves thatwill give White more initiative. moving the King's Pawn up 2 spaces insteadof 1 would be the obvious choice if you're going to move that particularpawn. } 2... Nf6 { I moved this Kt because it's a standard developing move andit doubled my attack on e4, which becomes one of the central squares ofthe game. } 3. b4 { ?? This seems like a wasted move to me, it puts a hangingpawn out there and doesn't do anything to attack the center squares. Theonly possible move I could see following this would be a bishop move..but he shouldn't have pushed it out so far. It's as if he confused his2nd and 3rd pawn move. The e pawn should have been pushed out 2 spaces,while the b pawn only should have gone out 1, if he was in fact planninga fiancetto. } 3... Bf5 { I chose to move my bishop to f5 for the reason of 1) developing another piece and 2)tripling the pressure on the e4 square Admittedly I didn't really know what was going on at this point, I wasjust trying to establish a firm hold on the center while my oppenent wasgiving me free moves. } 4. Bd3 { Finally an move that offers some sort ofpurpose... } 4... e6 { This is the point when I began thinking, once again, aboutandydufresne's strategy of turning an extra pawn into a win. By movingmy pawn here, I protect my Bishop and also open up an oppurtunity to capturehis hanging b pawn with my black squared bishop. } 5. g4 { This is one ofthose moves that made winning with andy's strategy fairly easy... } 5... Nxg4 { Free pawn for me! And as a bonus, not only was I able to get some freematerial, but now I had some pressure on his weak f2 square. } 6. h3 Qh4 { this is probably one of my favorite moves of the game... All it took wasone wrong move from White and he would be mated with Qxf2. Alas the gamewas not to be won so easily (which is good because what fun is an easywin right?) ;) Also White can not take my Kt without losing his rook: PxKt QxRk Which would put him in a world of hurt. } 7. Qe2 { I believethat this was a solid move and was the catalyst for changing the game intosomething else entirely. At this point, I was still entertaining the ideathat I might be able to still make some sort of devestating blow to white'sdefence, and it's very likely that I missed some great replies on my part. } 7... g6 { I had never taken my eyes off of White's hanging b pawn which wouldallow me to also put White in check. But at this point I was trying toset up an exchange of Queens. I was willing to trade Queens (or anything)at this point as long as I kept my 1 lead in material, however with thismove I was hoping to set up a situation whereby I might actually gain additionalmaterial over white. My basic plan was this: ..p a6 planning... ..Ktc6 ..p e5 The p a6 is a protective measure for my Kt move. while white'shanging b Pawn is a weakness for him right now, if I move my Kt to c6 hecould move his pawn to b5 ruining all my plans. the Kt c6 is move is designedto put coverage on the e5 square (to protect my future pawn move) Thepawn is then moved to e5 in order to initate more piece exchanging, whilethe current move you're looking at continues to provide protection formy bishop. Additionaly I was thinking that with everything else it accomplished,moving my Kt would give me the ability to 0-0-0. } 8. Nf3 { However, thismove changed all of those plans (perhaps only temporarily). I figuredthis would happen very soon, but I was hoping that he would overlook ita few more moves. } 8... Bxb4+ { Here I decided to go ahead and take his hangingpawn, known that he would probably either move his pawn to c3. } 9. c3 { asexpected. Now I'm up 2 in material, but my bishop and Queen are underattack. Perhaps the old me would have moved my Queen to e7 in order toretake the pawn and put white in check again. However, thanks to AndyI was now thinking of other things besides saving material or putting myopponent in check. } 9... Bxd3 { I the oppurtunity here to snag his bishop. Thisis a sort of strange tactic for me, and probably for a lot of you watchingbecause now I have put 3 pieces in danger! Am I crazy!? I don't thinkso. Keep in mind that White is still one move away from being mated. With this move, I continue to postpone his plans to take my Queen unlesshe would like to trade Queens, which most players that I play (read: ofmy ranking) are unwilling to do unless they have no other choice. I'mremember White's first few moves and so it's not a far stretch to assumethat maybe he will take the bait and recapture with his Queen, allowingme to checkmate. His only other options are to take my Queen with hisKnight allowing me to take his Q with my bishop.. he would take back withhis King (regaining his bishop and I would still be up my 2 points in material. This move also put his b1 Kt in danger of being captured, which wouldallow me to gain a Bishop and a Knight for the price of 1 bishop. Nota bad deal eh? His only other viable option would be to move to d2.. } 10. Qd2 { Being that I was pretty sure he was fully aware of the mate threatat f2 I guessed correctly that he would move here, which still allows himto protect the f2 square and at the same time get his Queen out of danger. } 10... Qxf2+ { I saw no other option at this point that would postpone the inevitableand if I wasn't careful I was going to start losing pieces for no goodreason (I have 3 under attack). This forces him into a Queen exchange,which I'm sure he hated. } 11. Qxf2 Nxf2 12. Kxf2 { He regains his 3 pointsfor the bishop he lost, but he ended up trading a Pawn and a Queen forQueen, meaning that I gained an additional pawn. Ideally I think I wouldwant to trade Knights for Knights and Bishops for Bishops, but at thispoint I'm just experimenting with raw points (this is more clearly demonstratedlater in the game). } 12... Bd6 { Now, I'm able to get my Black bishop out of danger. I chose this square to move to only after some debate. I still had apretty good control over e4 and I decided my best plan of action was totry and secure some kind of control over the other diagnal. At the momentI'm not able to wrest control of the longest black diagnal (a1-h8), butthe h1-b3 was free so I opted for that one. I had some plans here thatinvolved p f6, but I don't remember what point that served.. my apologies. } 13. Rg1 { This was a bright move on the part of white as my next move wasgoing to be to pin his Kt to his Rk. I would have liked to done that andthen trade (again) bishop for Kt only this time the other way around, sothat the world was right again. But he saw through this obvious ploy,although I'm not sure that he was onto my actual motives yet. } 13... Bxb1 { However,Moving his rook couldn't protect the still threatened b1 Kt and I captured } 14. Rxb1 { Now, I'm up 3 in material. This is where those pawns reallystart to add up! } 14... b6 { I have to move my pawn out here in order to avoidlosing one of my own pawns to Rkxb7, which would bring my material leaddown to 2 and that would just be silly. } 15. Bd2 { ? connecting his rooks? I'm not sure what his plan was here... } 15... f6 { I do know that he has a pawnat d4 however that is incapable of moving. My plan is to move ...pe5 soas to initate an even pawn trade. Whether I take first or he does is inconsequential. ... pd5 pxp ... pxp and I'm in pretty good position to then move...pe4 and put some pressure on his Kt and also start getting my pawn intouncomftorable territory. The more serious implication of this is thatnow the f file is opened up and simple rook move will pin his Kt to hisKing, very unpleasent. And if I take first then he'll just retake } 16. Rge1 { ? again.. I have no idea.. I guess he's probably sensing that I'mabout to attack his d pawn and wants to have some sort of support on thee file? I really don't know at this point. } 16... Nc6 { This may have been awasted move on my part as I could have easily moved p e5 at this pointto initiate the exchange. I made this move on the chance that White wouldcontinue to give me free moves. If so, then I could move pe5 on my nextmove while giving it triple support and also attacking the d4 square. } 17. e4 { Now I see what he was up to. He wants to take my d pawn whichforks my Knight and e Pawn, and I can't recapture because my e pawn willbe pinned to my King. } 17... O-O-O { Thankfully I moved my Knight ;) which meantI cectould 0-0-0 to my still reasonably protected Queen side. This unpinnedmy King which meant I retake his pawn in the event of pxd5 which wouldbe fine with me because it would be an equal exchange. } 18. e5 fxe5 { Ihave no problem taking this.. Mainly because I misread the board. Forsome reason I thought that if: pxp I could reply with bxP and after Ktxb.. KtxKt I would come out on top, but I forgot about his Rook up thereat e1. } 19. dxe5 Be7 { I retreat, just happy not to have followed this horribleline any farther and also get out with a pawn for pawn even trade. Also,I saw the oppurtunity here to disguise a tactical move as a retreatingmove. I had noticed a few moves back that he had put his King on the sameDark diagnal as his Rook, which screamed 'Pin ME!!', so here I have thechance to move bh4 and trade a bishop for a Rook. I'll have to figureout how to get rid of the Kt at f3 first though because it is protectingthe h4 square that I would need to move my bishop to in order to get thepin. } 20. Ke2 { Busted.. For all the weird moves white made towards thebeginning of this game, he suddenly has become very observant. This moveremoves the threat of me pinning his King to his rook. } 20... d4 { I'm still tryingto trade pieces off the board. If he captures my pawn with his I can capturehis pawn my Kt putting White's King in Check. pxp .. Ktxd4 At that pointwhite is left with the choice of Taking back with his Kt which I in turntake with my rook even exchanges all around. Or, he can move his Kingout of the way and I will take his Knight.. still even. (well.. me 3) The other main choice he has is to do something else totally unrelated,at which point I can move my pawn up to d3 to put him in check (my pawnis protected by my rook). Ideally this will have the effect of chasinghim right back onto that Dark diagnal where my bishop can go after thepin (after I get rid of the Kt of course). } 21. c4 { Not the choice I thoughthe would make, but maybe he's wise to my plan. } 21... d3+ { Not one of the choicesI thought he would make, but it allows me to excute my contengiency planof moving my pawn up to check. } 22. Kf2 { I really thought he would puthis King at d1 so as to avoid this situation again of having his rook pinned. Although moving to d1 presents a lot of problems in and of itself becausefrom d1 as long as my pawn stays at d3 he can not move anywhere exceptfor c1 which could probalby be comprimised a number of ways. I don't knowthem, nor do I care to figure them out at this point. Needless to say,white was on the run at this point and I was still up on material. } 22... Rdf8 { this of course Pins his Knight to his King meaning that if given the chanceI can now move to b4 and he can not capture with his Kt. I should havemoved my h8 Kt to this position however, as we will see in the next move. } 23. Ke3 { Problem solved eloquently by White. This unpins both his Kt andhis Rk and attacks my now undefended d pawn (doh!) } 23... Rd8 { Now I have towaste a move in order to reprotect my d pawn. } 24. Rbd1 { ? Maybe thinkinghe could move his bishop out of the way and trade a rook for a rook anda pawn.. good for me if he chooses to do that. I could see no other dubiousmotives behind this move so I ignored it. } 24... Bc5+ { this is an attempt toget him to move his King around and hopefully put it in front of somethingagain since I screwed up the last attempt. } 25. Kf4 { It works.. } 25... h5 { hereI have a couple of mean ideas. 1) restrict the number of squares his Kingcan move to. I assumed that he would probably try to start getting hisKing out of the way of trouble and I would be able to bring my bishop downto e7 and start giving him a headache. 2)A more evil plan and trap wasto try and bait him into Ktg5 which has the potential of Ktf7 to fork mytwo rooks.. unfortunantly, if he took the bait a simple Rk(h8)f8 wouldpin his Kt to his King letting me get a free Kt 2a) in the even that hesaw the trap (and probably would) there was also the possibility that fromKtg5 he would move Kte6 which forks my bishop and D rook and also preventsme from moving to f1 in order to check. If he chooses that path all sortsof heartache awaits him. } 26. Ng5 { surprisingly, it appears as if he hastaken the bait. } 26... Bf2 { this is a sort of long way around to protect theh4-e8 diag. I know that he will probably move his Rook to f1, but regardlessthis was just a way to postpone his Kt move and give me some initative. also, after thinking about it I had decided that he would probably takethe safer looking of the two choices with his Kt.. that being Kte6. Beingthat I had a good plan for that, I wanted to get my bishop out of the forksituation. } 27. Rf1 { as expected. } 27... Bh4 { this was my real intention withthe bishop. } 28. Nxe6 { With my bishop there to help him, he chooses thebetter looking of the two moves... Unfortunantly for him, this was nota surprise to me. } 28... Rde8 { This Pins his Kt to his Pawn meaning that he willeither lose his pawn or his Kt. Thanks to my h5 pawn he can not get intoany position where he can protect c6his pawn and once he moves out ofthe way I can move ... Rkxe5 which puts my rook in the center of the boardgaurded by my Kt at c6. Out of the squares that he can move his Kt only7 are available to him: f4 is occupied by his King, so he can't move thereg5 leads to bxKt Kxb.. an even exchange d4 leads to Ktxkt c5 leads to PxKt7capture the pawn on c7 will lead to KxKt d8 and f8 lead to the obviousRkxKt and g7 lets him attack my e rook (temporarily) This leads me toassume that he will move to g4 in order to avoid trading his Kt for anythingwhether it's equal or not. One of the advantages I've noticed about thisstrategy is that it sort of has a nice momentum that can be built fromit in the sense that the move pieces that you trade off, the more and morereluctant your oppenent becomes when it comes to trading meaning that oftenthey spend more time trying to save their few remaining pieces then theydo attacking. } 29. Be1 { Strangely he chooses none of his options and insteadelects to move his bishop to e1 which attacks my bishop and exposes mypawn to attack from his rook. Another interesting thing I find about thisstrategy is that often your opponent will not realize what you are doingand think that you are in the same mindset as he (trying to save what fewpieces you have left). This move obviously says that he has no idea whatit is I'm doing. } 29... Rxe6 { I sih I had some idea why I did this. I thinkat the time I was thinking I could trade a Kt for a bishop, but obviouslymy better move would have been Bxe1 followed by White's Rook capture ofe1 and then I could have taken the Kt and been up by three more points. This was a dumb move on my part and it made the rest of the game a littlemore difficult. } 30. Bxh4 { he of course takes my bishop.. and I suceedin getting my kt for bishop trade, but it cost me a quicker win becauseI could have had a Bishop for a Bishop and a Kt trade. } 30... Rxe5 { and now Itake his pawn putting me back at my 3 advantage. } 31. Rg1 { attacking myweak g6 pawn. } 31... Rg8 { protecting my weak pawn } 32. Rxd3 { and he gets my pawn..now I'm down to 2, but I had already figured out a way to get his bishopand rook. } 32... Rf8+ { Check. thanks to my h5 pawn (which was moved to restrictthe King's movement he can only move to g3. } 33. Kg3 g5 { This gets me hisbishop as he can not run away and will probably capture my pawn just getsomething and I will retake with my e5 rook which will put him in checkmeaning he will have to move out of the way and I can take his rook. Whiteresigned at this point. In the last annotation I did involving this strategyI was not actively pursuing the win this way, I was only *willing* to doit if I had to. This game is closer to the original annotated game byandydufresne that has inspired me to look at chess from this angle in thatfrom early on in the game my main focus was to trade off material in orderto turn my intial material lead into a win. Comments are appreciated!:) } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18-Nov-06"] [Round "-"] [White "bwethington"] [Black "panons"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1288"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1290"] 1. e4 { Tried and true e4. Usually leads to a game with faster lines. } 1... e5 { A common counter, e5. } 2. Nf3 { Nf3 attacks e5 and develops a piece. } 2... d6 { d6 protects the e4 pawn. I have never been very successful with thisapproach as it hinders the black squared bishop early in the game beforeit is decided where he will best fit. } 3. d4 { d4 attacks e5 a second timeand is protected by the knight or queen. Thus stengthening central control. } 3... Nf6 { Nf6 develops a piece and attacks the e4 pawn. } 4. Nc3 { Nc3 developsa piece and protects the e4 pawns. } 4... Bg4 { Bg4 pins the f3 knight and developsa piece. } 5. dxe5 { dxe5 forks the f6 knight and d6 pawn (most do notreally call this a fork). } 5... Bxf3 { Bxf3 forces either gxf3 or Qxf3 to keepmaterial somewhat balanced. Both will weaken white's position. Qxf3 wouldreduce the pressure on the d6 pawn and gxf3 doubles pawns. } 6. gxf3 { gxf3.I decided the pressure on the d6 pawn was too much to give up at this pointin the game. Unfortunately I am sitting with 2 doubled pawns now. } 6... Nc6 { Nc6? develops a piece and attacks e5... Hangs f6 Knight. } 7. exf6 { exf6white is ahead in material but his position overall is weak. Tripled pawnsbut I expect he will help me out with that on his move and for the materialadvantage gained I will take it } 7... Qxf6 { Qxf6. Takes my pawn and makes wayfor a queenside castle. } 8. Bb5 { Bb5 pins the knight. Makes way for thekingside castle even though that would really weaken every part of my gameobviously. } 8... Be7 { Be7? Clears way for a kingside castle } 9. Nd5 { Nd5 Forksqueen, bishop and pawn. Black cannot stop the King and Rook from beingforked without losing the Queen. } 9... Qe6 { Qe6? However I totally did notexpect this move. } 10. Nxc7+ { Nxc7 A Royal fork. } 10... Kd7 { Kd7 Moves Kingout of check and attacks the knight } 11. Nxe6 { Nxe6 White now has a vastmaterial advantage and the black king can not get out of the middle ofthe board } 11... fxe6 { fxe6 } 12. Bxc6+ { bxc6 Some may argue that I could havesaved this atleast one move but honestly I wanted to see the reaction } 12... bxc6 { bxc6 } 13. Rg1 { Rg1 attacks the g7 pawn } 13... Bh4 { Bh4? Pins the alreadyimmobile pawn. } 14. Rxg7+ { Rxg7 } 14... Kd8 { Kd8 I believe black knew his fateand chose the quickest route of loss at this point. } 15. Qxd6+ Ke8 16. Qxe6+ Kd8 17. Qd7# { White took advantage of the 2 major blunders to coastto a 17 move victory. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.09.08"] [Round "-"] [White "fabiko"] [Black "ingr8"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1695"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1640"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nf5 d6 6. Ng3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Be7 8. Nc3 Be6 9. Bd3 Qb6 10. O-O Ng4 11. Bxe7 Nxe7 12. h3 Nf6 13. b3 h5 14. Nf5 Nxf5 15. exf5 Bd7 16. Ne4 d5 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. c4 e4 19. Re1 O-O-O 20. Bf1 Bxf5 21. cxd5 Rh6 22. Qd2 Rg6 23. Qe3 Kb8 24. Qf4+ { Where are yougoing my king ? } 24... Ka8 { a8? } 25. Rac1 Rxd5 { Big mistake one! } 26. Qxe4 { Ups! } 26... Rd8 { Defending! } 27. Qf3 { Keeping diagonal tide! } 27... Rg5 { Defending } 28. Rc7 { Attacking! b7 pawn } 28... Qb6 { Defending! } 29. Ree7 { Making more pressure... } 29... Bc8 { Defending } 30. Qxf7 Rgd5 { Rd5 ??? } 31. Qxd5 { Game over! } 1-0

[Event "grey_panda's mini-tournament III"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.03.30"] [Round "-"] [White "grey_panda"] [Black "vergueiro"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1469"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1452"] 1. e4 { Sneaky! In a mini where I'm getting thumped I enjoyed this win,especially against a higher rating. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 { Yes, its thatopening from me again. } 3... h6 4. d4 Bg4 5. dxe5 Bxf3 6. Qxf3 Qe7 7. exd6 cxd6 8. Be3 Nf6 9. Nc3 { Just developing, no real plan as of yet. } 9... Nc6 10. O-O-O O-O-O 11. Bb5 Ne5 12. Qe2 a6 13. Bd3 { Time and again I've seen Bxp to openup the king, I'm not that brave. } 13... d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Bf5+ Nd7 { Not surewhether thats a mistake or the previous move, it seems to be abandoningthe knight, but what other choices were there... } 16. Nxd5 Qe8 17. Qc4+ { That was the start of where I was planning. I figured even if it didn'tpay off I'd be a knight and bishop to the good. } 17... Kb8 { K-d5 doesn't work,at most it prolongs it. So pretty much forced. } 18. Qc7+ Ka8 19. Nb6+ { IfKxK then RxR forking k&Q, the only other option is k-h7, which gains methe knight I mentioned before.... KxK, forcing the king back to h8. } 19... Nxb6 20. Rxd8+ { He chooses this way which is effectively a forced mate. } 20... Qxd8 { King could have gone to h7, but then RxQ and he is always going to bestruggling after that. } 21. Qxd8+ Ka7 22. Bxb6# { One of the few games inthis mini I've enjoyed! } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2021.02.01"] [Round "-"] [White "ostrategos"] [Black "machcz"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1265"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1610"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c6 { ...b6 and ...d5 are the normal moves here. } 4. Nc3 d6 { Into uncharted territory! } 5. e4 Be7 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. d5 c5 { Black should not commit himself so early. He may want to put a knighton c5. } 9. a3 { Launching a K-side attack with Nh5 and f4 might prove morefruitful. } 9... O-O 10. b4 a6 { ? } 11. Bb2 { The bishop would probably be moreuseful on e3, but you'd have to prepare it by playing h3 first. } 11... Re8 { ?Black doesn't seem to have a clear plan. He needs to generate counterplayon the K-side by playing ...Nh5 and ...f5. } 12. Na4 Nb6 { ? } 13. bxc5 Nxa4 14. Qxa4 Bd7 15. Qc2 h6 16. cxd6 Bxd6 17. Rfc1 Bc5 18. Bxe5 Bg4 19. Be2 { Qb2 was better. } 19... Bxf3 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Bxf3 b6 22. a4 a5 23. Re1 Qe5 24. Red1 { Rac1 looks better. } 24... Rad8 25. Rac1 Rd6 26. Qc3 Qxc3 { ? Black shouldkeep the queens on the board. } 27. Rxc3 g6 28. Rc2 { To win the game Whitewill need to play f4 and e5, so should start preparing these advances bymoves like g3, Bg2 and Kh1. } 28... f6 29. Re1 Bd4 30. Kf1 Bc5 31. g3 Re5 32. Bg4 { The bishop is better on g2, supporting the e4 pawn. } 32... Kg7 33. Be6 f5 34. f4 { ? exf5 wins another pawn! } 34... Rxe4 35. Ree2 { ? 35.Rxe4 fxe4 36.Re2and White still has winning chances. } 35... Rxe2 36. Rxe2 Kf6 37. Kg2 h5 38. Re1 Bb4 39. h3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Developing an attack"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.12.16"] [Round "-"] [White "nicholas1024"] [Black "ilsig55"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1611"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1493"] 1. e4 { This was a fun one. Playing against a 1600+ opponent for the firsttime here at Gameknot, I not only held my own, but walked away with a victory.I think that the key to winning this one was my edge in development, asthat allowed me to make multiple threats in quick succession that my opponentjust couldn't match. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. O-O h6 { Upto this point, the game has been pretty standard, although I think h6 shouldn'tbe played until necessary for black. } 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 { Ihave a nice lead in development, but he can push the queen back with tempo,so it's not quite as great as it appears. } 8... c5 9. Qd3 Be7 10. Re1 a6 11. b3 { Preparing for Bb2 } 11... b5 12. Bd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 { I had been planning thisbit since c5, as I wanted to open up the file for my rook. } 13... O-O { It doesn'tlook like a particularly strong position right now, but here's where allthe fun starts. :) } 14. Qg3 { Pinning the g-pawn to his king and threateningBxh6. Note that this wouldn't have been a problem for him if he hadn'tplayed h6 instead of developing earlier. } 14... Kh7 { Defending the pawn, butputting his king on an easily accessible diagonal for my queen. } 15. Ne4 { Centralizing the knight. This would be the last move I make without adirect threat for some time. } 15... Bb7 16. Qd3 { Threatining mate with Nf6+! } 16... g6 17. Qe3 { Now the pawn on h6 is inadequately guarded so here goes! } 17... g5 { He's defended everything so far, but look at how those pawns that wereguarding his king are just marching forwards... } 18. Qd3 { Since the b1-h7diagonal was cleared by that pawn move, it's back to the discovered attack. } 18... Kg8 19. Bb2 { Here's where the REAL fun starts. Just one more threat tothe equation. } 19... f6 { The most natural defense, but dooms black completely.Can you figure out what the next move for white is without peeking? } 20. Nxg5 { Obviously, not taking the knight isn't good for black, as it posesdual threats of a Ne6 fork and Qh7#. However, taking it opens black upto the following little sequence. } 20... hxg5 21. Qg6+ { If he had taken withfxg5, that would merely change this move to checkmate. } 21... Kh8 { The ONLY move. } 22. Re3 { Rh3# is the threat, let's see what he's got. } 22... g4 { Although itprevents mate, I think I prefer Bc8 here. Either way the followup is similarthough. } 23. Rae1 { Doubling rooks, and targeting that immobile bishop ate7. } 23... Qe8 { This surprised me. I expected Re8, adding another defender tothe bishop. (However, that falls to 24. Rxe7, Rxe7 25. Bxf6#) } 24. Qh6+ { Getting my queen out of the way with tempo, now to take that bishop. } 24... Kg8 25. Rxe7 { I've made up the material from the knight sacrifice, andnow black is in serious trouble. I'm threatening both his queen and checkmate,and there's just no way for him to protect both of them. Realizing this,my opponent resigned, and thus ended this fun game. I think my opponent'smain mistake this game was in wasting too much time with his pawns. Comparingpawn structures at endgame, I only moved 3 of my pawns, whereas not oneof his pawns is still on its original square. Since he never really developedhis pieces, he couldn't mount a good defense once my attack was prepared. } 1-0

[Event "C B winter tournament# 6."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.12.13"] [Round "-"] [White "gur-dial"] [Black "aftermidnight"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1105"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1452"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. c4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Nb6 7. c5 Nc4 { ooops. ...Nd5 is normal in this line of the Alekhin counter attack. thisdrops the N. } 8. Bxb4 Nxb4 9. Bxc4 O-O 10. a3 Nc6 11. b4 d5 12. Bd3 f5 13. exf6 Qxf6 14. Bb5 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 Qg6 16. Nh4 Qg5 17. Nd2 c6 18. Ndf3 Qh6 19. Be2 { Bd3 better. } 19... Re8 { ...Rf4 better. } 20. Ne5 b6 21. cxb6 axb6 22. Nxc6 e5 { ...Ra3 is better, then Rxa3 Qc1+ and Qxa3 } 23. Qxd5+ Be6 24. Qe4 Bd7 { ...Rxa3 better. } 25. Nxe5 Rad8 26. Nf5 Qf6 27. Nxd7 { misses theappropriate followup: 27...Qc3+!! with mate to follow in just a few moves:27....Qc3+ 28.Kd1 Rxd7+ 29.Qd4 Rxd4+ 30.Nxd4 Qd4+ 31.Ke1 Qb2! (...Qxa1+32.Kd2 Rxe2+ 33.Kxe2 Qxh1 wins also but 31...Qb2 is prettier) 32.Kd1 Qxe2+33.Kc1 Rc8+ 34.Kb1 Qc2Mate. } 27... Rxe4 { Black missed it too. } 28. Nxf6+ gxf6 29. f3 Rde8 { ...Re5 better. } 30. fxe4 Rxe4 31. Rf1 Kf7 32. Nd6+ { A narrowescape. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.05"] [Round "-"] [White "terndrop"] [Black "demadone"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1588"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1645"] { A good game with a nice twist at the end. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { Spanish. } 3... d6 { This move blocks the black bishop but It always turns outok. } 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 6. Nxc6 Bxc6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. O-O Be7 9. Nc3 Nf6 10. Be3 c5 11. f3 { This move was ok. But it wasn't that necessary.f4 is more creative. } 11... O-O 12. Qd2 Rb8 { Taking advantage of the open flange. } 13. b3 Nd7 { Opening way for f5. } 14. Nd5 f5 { As I said earlier, more creative. } 15. Nxe7+ { An unnecessary exchange I would assume. } 15... Qxe7 16. Bg5 Qe5 17. Bf4 Qf6 18. Qd5+ Kh8 19. Qc6 fxe4 { A less obvious move but in effect openinga flange where black has 2 attacking pieces. Of course, the queen is infront but is in no danger yet. } 20. fxe4 Qd4+ { Attacking 34 while isolatingf Rook from King. } 21. Kh1 Nf6 { Double attack on pawn. Actually a muchbetter move would have been Rxf4, but only saw it afterward. } 22. Rae1 Rbe8 23. Qxc7 { Big mistake to leave so many pieces attacking with lessdefense from white's queen } 23... Nxe4 24. Bg3 Nf2+ { I took some time beforethis move. Not so obviously good } 25. Bxf2 Qxf2 { Now it's clear. A rathernormal situation turned into a lethal attack. } 26. h3 Rxe1 { Pin means blackgains rook... } 27. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 28. Kh2 Qe5+ 29. Kg1 Re8 { White queen iscompletely out of the game. 23. Qxc7 was clearly a bad move. } 30. Qxa7 Qg3 0-1

[Event "17th Open A, Zadar CRO"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.12.17"] [Round "-"] [White "Ante Brkic"] [Black "Aleksandar Kovacevic"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2594"] [WhiteElo "2564"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. Be2 b6 10. Nd1 a5 11. O-O Ba6 { This idea is common and workswell. } 12. Bxa6 Rxa6 { If 13. c3 b5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 and black is ready forthe b5-b4 break, and White lacks the power for a kingside attack. } 13. a4 Ra8 14. Nc3 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 { Black has reach a goodposition. White lacks the power to attack the kingside, and black is readyto play on the C file. } 16... Bb4 { Simplifying the position even further. } 17. Qe3 Bxc3 { IF 18. Bxc3 Nc5 19. Bd4 Qc8 20. Rf3 Ne4 21. c3 (21. Bxb6Qxc2) 21... Rb8 and Black has a small plus as he prepares b5. 22. Bxb6Qa6 23. Bc5 (23. Bd4 Rxb2) 23... Nxc5 24. Qxc5 Rxb2 -/+ } 18. bxc3 { A questionabledecision because these C pawns will be weak for the rest of the game. } 18... Nc5 { If 19. Bxc5 bxc5 20. Qxc5 Rc8 21. Qe3 Qd7 [with Rc4 to follow.] 21... Rc4 First is slightly stronger. } 19. g4 Rc8 20. f5 Qh4 21. Rf4 Rc6 22. Kh1 { Black has an excellent position. The c3 pawn is already aserious target. } 22... Ne4 { IF 23. Raf1 Rfc8 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. Rf7 h6 and thereis no attack. } 23. f6 Rfc8 24. g5 Qh5 25. Raf1 g6 { Black is winning. The c3 pawn is dropping. The kingside is safely closed. The rest ofthe game is irrelevant for our purposes. } 26. Rg1 Nxc3 27. Rf3 Ne4 28. c3 Rc4 29. Qd3 Rxa4 30. Rg2 Ra1+ 31. Bg1 { 31. Rf1 instead maintains defenseon c3. 31.. Rxf1+ 32. Qxf1 Nxc3 33. Rc2 } 31... b5 32. Rf1 Rxf1 33. Qxf1 Nxc3 34. Rg3 Qh4 0-1

[Event "Open Arica"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Urquiola, Sebastián"] [Black "Ríos, Rodrigo"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 { I think I have lost count of the number of Italians I have played against. } 3. Bc4 Nf6 { Following the two horses } 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nd4 { Con esta jugadagarantizo un juego complicado para ambos bandos.La teorica 5...,Ca5 esmuy antigua a mi gusto; 5.., b5 es interesante } 6. c3 { 6. d6 Qxd6 7.Bxf7+(7. Nxf7 $4 Qc6 8. Nxh8 Qxg2 9. Rf1 Qe4+ 10. Be2 Nf3# ) 7... Ke7 8. Bb3(8. Bc4 Qc6) 8... Nxb3 9. axb3 h6 10. Nf3 e4 con buen juego para el negro } 6... b5 { 6... Nf5 c6 7. d4 $1 exd4 8. O-O Nxd5 9. Qh5 g6 10. Qe2+ Be7 11. Qe5f6 12. Qe4 c6 13. Ne6 } 7. cxd4 { I don't think it's the best move. I believe the retreat of the knight is correct. 7. Af1 for example 7. Bf1 Nxd5 8. cxd4 (8. Ne4 Qh4 9. Ng3 Bg4 10. f3 e4) 8... Qxg5 9. Bxb5+ Kd8 10. Qf3 Bb7 11. O-O Rb8 12.Qg3 } 7... bxc4 8. Qa4+ { La tentación de ganar peones, es grande } 8... Qd7 9. Qxc4 Qxd5 10. Qxd5 Nxd5 11. dxe5 { Buen provecho... } 11... Nb4 { My friend Fritz has been giving me advice up until now. } 12. Na3 { White thought this was the best move. } 12... Nd3+ 13. Ke2 Ba6 { The pawn can wait. } 14. Kf3 Nxe5+ 15. Kg3 { 15. Kf4 Bd6 } 15... Bd6 16. Re1 O-O 17. f4 Nd3 18. Re4 f6 19. Ne6 { 19. Nf3 g5 } 19... Rfe8 20. Nc2 Nxf4 21. Nc5 { 21. Rxf4 Rxe6 } 21... Nd3+ 22. Kg4 Nxc5 0-1

[Event "scand. def. Lask. var. acc. 4. f3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.17"] [Round "-"] [White "elimedia"] [Black "ptitroque"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1636"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1545"] 1. e4 { White submits in 13 moves } 1... d5 2. exd5 c6 { Lasker variation, I playnow Nf3. } 3. dxc6 { trade accepted } 3... Nxc6 4. Qf3 { Mistake } 4... Nd4 { menacingthe queen and the fork attack by 5. ... Nc2 } 5. Qc3 { To eliminate bothmenaces } 5... Bf5 { Carrying on attacking and freeing the c file } 6. Bd3 Rc8 { Developing and attacking white queenside } 7. Bb5+ { mistake. white loosea bishop without changing really the situation } 7... Nxb5 { White situation isvery bad and black begins to think how to catch the queen } 8. Qb4 { Blunder! The queen has to left the square at once } 8... Nd4 9. Na3 { The queen has verylittle places to go. White should have plaid 9. d3 } 9... e5 { Queen under directmenace } 10. Qa4+ { only move } 10... Bd7 11. Qxa7 { Only move } 11... Ra8 12. Qxb7 { onlymove } 12... Bc6 { The queen is dead and white submit. } 0-1

[Event "'For Real This Time'-General Guidelines"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "4/29/16"] [Round "-"] [White "Ted"] [Black "Joe"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1350"] [TimeControl "58 min"] { This was another interesting OTB game between me and Ted. However, thereis an important concept here which is important for beginners to learnsince that's, perhaps, the first thing you learn. And, it's also whatother's including, TA and Susan Polgar have mentioned. In fact, whilelearning from a certain someone who we've all moved on, some of his privateannotations were important which was the general theme. And, before reopeningthe Chess Coaches and Mentors club, I emphasized it and will do it againwith this annotation to help them learn and improve. The important part,isn't always (since there are exceptions of course, but in general, tofollow the opening guidelines.) Develop your pieces, control the center,castle, and don't bring the Queen out too early. Just as important isnot removing your weakest pawn which is the f pawn as you'll wind up withproblems. Now, hyperfocusing too much on this is what cost me the gameagainst bhidragon (which is where I also learned to see the overall pictureof what the board is indicating based on the context of the game.) Inthis context, however, although he followed one of them, my opponent, asper what happened in the game before made a mistake that forced him tobring his Queen out early. Consequently, I was able to use that time tocomplete my development, whilst, harrassing his Queen. Plus, Ted madeanother inaccuracy that enabled me to remove his weakest pawn, and he didnot castle on time. While these weren't, necessarily the losing blunder,it is what got Ted into trouble, until I wound up with an overwhelmingadvantage. } 1. e4 { So, he starts conventionally. } 1... c5 { And, I also answerwith my usual. } 2. c4 { Ted usually answers with 2.Nf6, and then, whichends up in an Open Sicilian. Similar to my first game with elyhim, I'mnormally not used to that and wouldn't know how to handle the situation. But, I studied one or two annotations with charleshiggie, where 2.c4 wasplayed. From that experience, I know that we're talking about the ClosedSicilian. And, I don't have a problem since I know some of what Charlesdid. But, I start after my next move. } 2... d6 { That's because I want to continueconventionally with this move. But, after Ted's next move, I know whatdo. } 3. Nc3 Nc6 { As charleshiggie answered with this. } 4. g4 { Fianchettoing,but I was surprised to see this played. My model used to be, 'Expect tobe surprised' but as cplusplus11, that's not a good approach. So, I developeda different model which I learned from ION. However, he did not directlystate this. Instead, it was implied but it was to learn how to handledifferent responses and things you might not be used to or did not anticipate. This is one of those times because I have not seen this played from whitebefore. The only time is in the Basman Defense, but that's with blacksince it starts off with 1.e4, g5 } 4... g6 { Since I did not know what to do,I tried something different. As now, the idea is doing something thatI'm not comfortable which is the logic behind this fianchetto. I've doneit before but am not comfortable doing with something that I haven't see. However, my model is that thinking about what the contestants had to doon American Idol to be successful on that show. They also had to get outof their comfort by trying different methods that they weren't used to. It boils down to trial and error. Were I to stay in my comfort, I would'veplayed 4...Nf6 to mobilize the K side, at once. } 5. d4 { ? I understandthat he wanted to develop. And, the idea was also putting pressure onmy Nc6. But, it is a mistake, as this move is going to cost him a pawnand tempo since his N will come under fire. Just about anything was betterthen this. As white, though, I would've either developed my Bf1 or played5.Nf3. Like with black, the idea would be to mobilize the K side and castle. } 5... cxd4 6. Nb5 a6 { ? Figuring that I had gained tempo, however, I attack. But, I overlooked his next move, however, as this move gives him backthe pawn. Best was 6...e5. In capturing, however, I will retake. Thisforces him to play 8.Qxd4 to avoid losing a piece. Normally, we just expectit and doesn't seem important. But, there's more to it then meets theeye as it is significant. } 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 { And, it's the fact thatTed's Queen is forced into action before continuing development. Consequently,I will harrass it with my center pawn and use that time to continue developing. That is an important concept of why we don't bring the Queen out too early. In this case, however, there was no choice, but the consequences are stillthe same. } 8... e5 9. Qd1 Bg7 { My idea of that development is the B, as now,it has a nice long flank where it covers the longest diagnol. And, itis why I also enjoy fianchetto's before that. } 10. f4 { ? Instead of continuingto develop, Ted advances his f pawn. Normally, I just give it as a slightinaccuracy. But, in this context, it's a mistake in my books because ofwhat tactical-abyss emphasized in his Q sacs. Just like when black takesthe Knight in the Damino's Defense, the idea is the same. That's becausethis is his weakest pawn. By playing this, I'll remove his that by exchanging. Consequently, white is now in trouble. In fact, that is one way in whichJoe forces those wins in his early Q sacs. And, I'm using a very similartactic for this game. } 10... exf4 11. Bxf4 Nf6 { Preparing to castle by developingon the K side. } 12. h3 { ? I was shocked to see Ted play this since he hasn'tcastled, yet, and his K side is not developed. More importantly, thisloses a pawn. With those two being said, best was 12.Bd3, developing,whilst, keeping his e4 protected. Unlike before, after my next move, I'mnot going to allow Ted to to get back a pawn. That's because there willbe no more lucky mistakes from me. } 12... Nxe4 13. Ne2 { ?? This also develops,but I view it as an inaccuracy. First, his Knight is now crammed herewhich I will take advantage of. More importantly, he could've pinned myNe4, after which, I'd have no idea what to do from there. Better would'vebeen 13.Nf3, or 13.Bg2. Best, however, would've been 13.Qe7 which pinsthe N. After which, I'd be clinging. Although I don't like it for a similarreason to what I mentioned, I'd answer with 13...Qe7, to protect my N andbreak the pin. But, this move, makes things quite easy for me, as I'lltreat, as though, black took the N in the Damiano's with the same responses. But, this move loses his right to castle, gets his King exposed, and losesa piece. So, it is, in my books, the losing blunder because as noted,I'm not going to allow him counterplay. } 13... Qh4+ { But, I was keeping in mindthat Ted's position was cramped, and thus, took advantage of that. Althoughthere's actually a little more to this story, that's how I was thinking. The reason being is that white can no longer castle which is why he should'vedone so, earlier. BTW, I'm not trying to be pompous, as it might sound,but I'm, believe it or not, basing my commentary on what Jack told Ted. It was last week after a similar mistake, and he Mr. Stockel said, 'Youused to castle, Ted. Why didn't you do that in your game with Joe?' Hewas pointing out how Ted wrong. I kept that, combined with the GM gamein mind since both failed to castle on time and were punished. The sameis true here. } 14. Ng3 { Due to my nasty Ne4 he can't get out of check. Whether he played this or 14.Bg3, the result is the same (the loss ofa piece) since I will take on g3, regardless. } 14... Nxg3 15. Bxg3 Qxg3+ 16. Kd2 { After which, I will deliver a series of checks, in an attempt to forcea mating sequence. I did, however, overlook one thing, but black stillhas a winning advantage which I will not ruin. } 16... Bh6+ 17. Kc2 Qf2+ 18. Qe2+ { This was the move that I overlooked, as now, I'm in check. But, it doesnot matter because I will liquidate, while a piece up which is to my benefit. } 18... Qxe2+ 19. Bxe2 O-O { Without an immeidate mate, I calculate what to do. The idea is to force a mate. So, I'm doing something similar to whatbhidragon did in our rated game. It's adding another attacker. The planis to get my Rook mobile and move it down to the fourth rank where thereis more pressure against Ted's monarch. The idea is that my developedpieces are what's targetting what will continue to target his exposed King. } 20. Rad1 { This is the only thing I did not know. It boils down to whichRook. I believe it was this, but unlike with other games, it does notmatter since my next move is the same. } 20... Bf4 { The plan though is an eventualRf8-e4, followed by ...Be5 Since white would be forced to protect hisBe2 (as it's attacked with ...Re8 which I'd play first), white would havea difficult time defending, since afterwards, I'd bring the other Rook(so my Ra8 into the attack.) Organizing both Bishops (or bishop pair)and both Rooks would make it very difficult for him to prevent mate. Anddoing so would put a lot of compromises on his position due to my edge. Again, I'm just calculating but could be things that I am overlookingas well. But, the plan is the same by organizing Bishops and Rooks fora nasty attack due to the Kingside being weakened. } 21. Rxd6 { ?? But, thisis Ted's final blunder. Feeling that white compensated for lost material,he took my pawn. } 21... Bxd6 { And, I took his Rook. After this, Ted resigned. The final blunder was 21.Rxd6 But, he got himself by not following thegeneral guidelines which I was then able to exploit by harrassing his Queen,removing his weakest pawn, and taking away his right to castle which alsolost a piece. So, as usual, the moral of this story is to develop, controlthe center, and get the King to safety. White's failure to do that iswhat led to this outcome. } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from jackdaw1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.09.29"] [Round "-"] [White "zvardon"] [Black "jackdaw1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1954"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2034"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2+ { The Traxler Counter-Attack- one of the sharpest openings in chess. The variations are still 'unclear'in many lines - despite all the software available nowadays for analysis.It is a particularly dangerous weapon in over-the-board tournament games;provided Black is prepared to specialize in its use. I've included thegame here so that I can link to it in my blog. } 6. Kxf2 { A bit risky: However,this was an unrated game and was more like a discussion. Safer is 6.Kf1. } 6... Nxe4+ 7. Kg1 { Other moves have been tried and each brings White uniqueproblems but which all share the a common theme - the exposed nature ofthe king. } 7... Qh4 8. g3 Nxg3 9. Nxh8 { In the Traxler - it's not about material- its all about tempo and space - or the lack of it. } 9... d5 { Again - tempo:Black wants to 'clear the decks' of any driftwood. He need the c8 bishopand the remaining rook to join the attack without further delay - absolutelynothing else matters. If he dithers for even a single move - then Whitewill consolidate - perhaps giving back a little of the material - but willdefinitely win. } 10. Qf3 { But White also is well aware of the real agendaand so he also doesn't miss a chance to develop a piece. } 10... Qd4+ 11. Qe3 Nxh1 { The queens are destined to disappear and Black is forced to recoupsome of the material. } 12. Qxd4 Nxd4 13. Bb3 { 13.Bxd5 would lead to stillfurther complications because after 13...Nxc2 14.Nf7 Black is not obligedto immediately capture the a1 rook } 13... Bh3 14. Na3 { A critical decision. Onthe positive side, Na3 develops a piece in a position where this is clearlya major priority. On the other hand, it appears to be insufficient: Thegame continuation suggests that Black is beyond equality and may even alreadyhold a telling advantage. } 14... Nxb3 15. axb3 Kd7 { [!] Castling queen-side achievesa similar result [bringing the a8 rook into the game] but is not just asstrong because the king on c8 would be further removed from the action.Black needs every single piece involved in the game and so the text isstrongest. The e7 square is avoided because of a potential tempo-gainingcheck by a later Bg5. } 16. d3 Rf8 { [!] On another internet site an analystonly considers 16...Rxh8. but again - the Traxler is all about tempo. Gettingthe rook to the f-file at once is, I think, stronger than pausing to pickup the piece. } 17. Be3 d4 { And from this point onwards, White's problemsincrease: Black's compensation includes extra pawns and since he alreadyhas a bishop controlling the light squares, the pawns do a very good complimentaryjob with the central dark squares. } 18. Nc4 { [!] This is the best chance- but it is, I think, already too late. } 18... dxe3 19. Nxe5+ Ke6 { And so theking insists on getting involved as well. } 20. Nhf7 Nf2 { As luck wouldhave it - the knight which seemed all but doomed - now escapes. } 21. Re1 Ng4 22. Nxg4 Bxg4 23. Ng5+ Ke5 24. h3 Bf5 { White's bad luck continues:Taking the e3 pawn runs into Kf4 attacking both rook and knight. } 25. Kg2 Rf6 { Increasing the scope of the rook still further. } 26. Nf3+ Kf4 27. Ng1 { At this point White offered to resign but sportingly allowed a nicefinish. You see, these two pieces - White's g1 knight and Black's queen'srook - have been mortal enemies in the Traxler for a very long time: Theknight began its journey from g1 and captured the rook's colleague sometime ago and has now returned home again. But guess who is waiting to meethim. } 27... Rg6+ 28. Kh2 Rxg1 { Not forced and not even the best move - but Ithink the best ending to this particular 'story'.Black resigned. If Whiterecaptures with the rook then after 29...e2 30.Kg2 it is even possibleto give up Black's last remaining piece with 30...Bxh3+ 31.Kxh3 Kf3 and,after the rook is given up for the pawn, Black will win any resulting kingand pawn ending. } 0-1

[Event "OTB training game..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1-jun-18"] [Round "-"] [White "opponent"] [Black "fiercequeen"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2059"] [TimeControl "no limits..."] [WhiteElo "1900+"] { another game against this illustrious opponent: this game shows, how wellwe know each others play throughout the years... } 1. e4 c5 2. f4 { exactly,what I would have played: steering at the Grand Prix Attack... } 2... g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 e6 5. Bg2 Ne7 6. O-O O-O { all theory... } 7. c3 d5 8. exd5 exd5 9. h3 { against Bg4... } 9... b6 10. g4 { against Nf5... } 10... Bb7 11. d4 Nbc6 12. Be3 { attacking c5... } 12... c4 { practically forced... } 13. Nbd2 { preparing b3... } 13... Qd7 { preparing f5... } 14. Nh2 { defending g4... } 14... Rae8 { Be3 is not covered:Nf5 is imminent... } 15. Bf2 f5 16. Qc2 { both players are fully developed:the game is on... } 16... fxg4 17. Nxg4 Rxf4 18. Bg3 { after the game, White reclaimedthat this pawn sac was planned: but he didn't see the next move coming... } 18... Nxd4 19. cxd4 { White cannot afford, to let the Knight live: after Qd1 -Ne2+ is a disaster - might follow Nf5... } 19... Bxd4+ { securing three pawns,for the Knight... } 20. Kh1 { after Bf2, White loses more tempo and Rf4 isoff the hook: after Kh2, White runs the risk of more checks; the bottomrow is safest for now... } 20... Rxf1+ 21. Rxf1 Nf5 22. Bf2 { forced: square e3has to be defended against Ne3... } 22... Qd6 { another forcing move: introducingNg3+: after also Be5, White gets in big trouble... } 23. Bxd4 { so this moveis also forced... } 23... Nxd4 { and again, we meet this motif: Ne2 might be next... } 24. Qd1 { White has nothing better... } 24... Ne2 { on the way to g3... } 25. Rf3 { not solving the issue, but forced... } 25... Ng3+ 26. Kg1 { the only one: returningNe2+ is useless... } 26... b5 { Black has time for preparing d4: but first coverc4... } 27. Rf2 { after d4, Rf3 is attacked: this might just work... } 27... a5 { d4 won't work for now: Bb7 is not covered; so Black plays a silent move... } 28. Bf3 { searching for play: this covers e2... } 28... Bc6 { still pushing ford4: now, the LSB is covered... } 29. Ne4 { Whites' first serious attackingbreak: after Nxe4, Bxe4, Rxe4, Nf6+, Kg7, Nxe4, Black loses material... } 29... Qf4 { so this is forced... } 30. Nxg3 { Nf6+ is an option: but after Kf7,Nxe8+, Bxe8, there is no attack left... } 30... Qxg3+ 31. Rg2 { White has thingsin order: for now... } 31... Qd6 { just in time, to secure d5 and prevent Nf6+... } 32. Qd2 { time for White, to start defending... } 32... Rd8 { after d4, Bxc6, Qxc6,d4 is uncovered: so first this... } 33. Qe2 { d4 is unstoppable, so Whitemakes the best of it... } 33... d4 34. Kf2 { no use is Bxc6, Qxc6: so all handson Bf3... } 34... Bxf3 35. Kxf3 { after Qxf3, Rf8, losing the Queen... } 35... Rf8+ 36. Ke4 { only one... } 36... Qe6+ { also Re8 is winning, but I liked this better... } 37. Ne5 { after Kxd4, Rd8+, White is running mate... } 37... Rf5 { very useful move:also preventing Qh5!... } 38. Kxd4 { forced: all else mates, after Qxe5... } 38... Qd6+ 39. Kc3 { forced... } 39... Rxe5 { reclaiming the piece... } 40. Qg4 { tryingto make play: but too incautious... } 40... Re3+ 41. Kc2 Qd3+ 42. Kc1 Re1+ { Whitehas to give the Queen: he complied out of respect... } 43. Qd1 Rxd1# 0-1