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natetsang

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fishgpt

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[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.06.12"] [Round "-"] [White "stonepony"] [Black "sparkery"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1153"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1216"] { This game was played was played with a Queen's Pawn Game. This game featureshow to take advantage of mistakes by the opponent and when and when notto attack. } 1. d4 { A solid starting move. This controls the center andprepares for an early attack. In my experience, I have difficulty attackingthe opponent. } 1... d5 { This is my counter to 1.d4. This opposes the adjacentpawn and takes control of the center. This move also helps me develop mypieces. } 2. e3 { This is not a common move. This readies up for 3.c4. } 2... Nf6 { I continue to develop, controlling e4. } 3. c4 { This enters the game intothe Queen's Gambit. My center control is being pressured. } 3... e6 4. c5 { Notcommon. This loses all pressure, but blockades my bishop. } 4... b6 5. cxb6 axb6 6. Bb5+ c6 7. Ba4 Ba6 { I am winning a little here. } 8. Bc2 { b } 8... c5 { Thepoint of b6 in many queens pawn games is to push c5 before the opponentpushes e4. } 9. Bd3 c4 { I released tension, but now my black bishop canmove farther. } 10. Be2 b5 11. Nf3 Bd6 { Protecting e5. } 12. a4 b4 13. b3 { This was an inaccuracy. I can calmly develop further and not be threatened.I can now castle, free my rook on the a-file, and later cramp his queenside up with c3. Best for him was Ne5 following theory to pressure my initiative. } 13... Ne4 { My mistake. White can trade off and then with Qc2, I cannot attackwithout giving him time to defend. Better for me was O-O, which at leastdevelops more. } 14. O-O { His mistake. He should have traded pawns. } 14... Qc7 15. g3 f5 16. Nbd2 { His mistake. Better would be moving the other knightthere. } 16... Nc3 17. Qe1 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 c3 { See the queen and the knight bothattacked? } 19. Nc4 { Blunder by him. Better would be Qd1 and be more passive. } 19... dxc4 20. Ne1 { Mistake. Better was Qd1 and be more passive. } 20... cxb3 { And sothe game progressed. I won his bishop later with b2 and he resigned. } 21. Qf3 Qc4 22. Nd3 Qxd3 23. Rd1 Qe4 24. Qxe4 fxe4 25. d5 b2 26. Bxb2 cxb2 27. Rab1 Bd3 28. Rxb2 e5 29. Rc1 Kd7 { Here he resigned. In the game, therewere examples of bad ideas of attacking and how to manipulate the opponentsmistakes. } 0-1

[Event "All-out attack rules the day"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.08.19"] [Round "-"] [White "a_random_guy"] [Black "pmehani"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1620"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1672"] { This is a game where I made a few sacrifices in order to accelerate mydeveloppement and to expose the black king in the center. } 1. e4 { I startmost of my games with e4 or d4, with both moves claiming the center forwhite. } 1... e5 { My opponent responds with e5, a move with the same purposeas white's first. } 2. f4 { I decided to go with the king gambit. It immediatelyattacks the e5 pawn, but it weakens the e1-h4 diagonal, which can be usedby black with a timely Qh4+. This opening sacrifices a pawn for fast developpement. } 2... exf4 { Black accepts. Other moves included d6 and Bc4. } 3. Nf3 { The mainfollow up for white. It develops a piece, prevents Qh4+ and protects somecentral squares. } 3... d5 { !? This is new to me. It attacks my currently unprotectede4 pawn, and it allows to develop the light squared bishop. This is calledthe Abbazia defense. } 4. exd5 { I take his pawn. } 4... Qxd5 { I believe that Nf6,attacking the d pawn once more, is slightly better. It avoids the followingmove by white. } 5. Nc3 { I develop my queenside knight while gaining a tempion his queen. } 5... Qa5 { The best square for the queen. It can't be attackedsoon, and it doesn't hinder black's developpement. The idea is similarto the scandinavian defense. (1. e4 d5!? 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5) } 6. d4 { Logical. It frees my dark squared bishop and controls some important centralsquares. It also pins my own knight to the king though. } 6... Bd6 { simple developpement,and protecting black's f4 pawn. } 7. Bd2 { I unpin my knight while threateninga discovered attack on his queen. } 7... Qb6 { My opponent retreats his queenwhile attacking my b2 and d4 pawns. } 8. Bc4 { I ignore my b2 pawn, and optto develop my other bishop while aiming at the weak f7 square. It alsoprepare kingside castling. My b2 pawn is somewhat poisonous after 8. Bc4Qxb2?! 9. Rb1 Qa3. (The black queen is misplaced) } 8... Bg4 { ?! Although thismove seems good, it is not. GK thinks this is a mistake. It pins my knight,which could be annoying. However, some pins can be converted into discoveredattack... Mistake: +2.13 » ... Bg4 8. Na4 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Qxd4 10. Qxb7 Qxc411. Qxa8 c6 12. Qxa7 Qxc2 13. Rf1 Best: +0.91 » ... Be6 8. Qe2 Ne7 9. Bxe6fxe6 10. O-O-O Nbc6 11. Rhe1 Nd8 12. Ng5 O-O 13. Nxe6 Nxe6 14. Qxe6+ } 9. Bxf7+ { ?! This move is a blunder, but it is hard to find the correctmoves for black in order to refute this sacrifice. Anyway, it forces theblack king to move, which prevents black from castling. } 9... Kxf7 { Black takes. } 10. Ng5+ { The only logical follow-up. I check the black king while attackinghis bishop with my queen. } 10... Ke8 { ? The king retreats to his original square.However, this is a mistake. The counter-intuitive Kg6 was better for black.GK recommend this line: Best: -2.21 » ... Kg6 10. Qxg4 Nf6 11. Qh4 Re8+12. Kd1 Nc6 13. Kc1 Nxd4 14. Nf3 Nxf3 15. gxf3 Rad8 16. Bxf4 Bxf4+ 17.Qxf4 } 11. Qxg4 { Material is now equal, but I have 4 piece developped against2 for black and the black king can't castle anymore. I definitely havean advantage here. } 11... Ne7 { My opponent develops a piece while protectinghis king; not a bad choice. } 12. O-O-O { I castle queenside in order toput my king to safety and to put a rook on the promising central files. } 12... Nbc6 { Simple developpement } 13. Rhe1 { I place my king's rook onto the efile, as it pins the knight to the king. } 13... Qxd4 { My opponent takes my unprotectedd pawn. However, all my pieces are pointing the enemy king, which is stuckin the middle... } 14. Ne6 { ! With every pieces ready to attack, it's timeto take on black's central fortress. This is the beginning of a great all-outattack. For now, this knight is going to be real pain to black. It forksthe queen, the g7 pawn and the c7 pawn. } 14... Qf6 { My opponent secures his queen.How to proceed? } 15. Nd5 { !? Although this is objectively not the bestmove, it sure packs a punch. I now fork the queen, the e7 knight and thec7 pawn. 15. ... Nxd5?! is met by 16. Nxc7+! (double check) any K move17. Nxd5, which would furthermore open the black king position. } 15... Rc8 { ??Black misses the attack on the queen. } 16. Nxf6+ { I gladly take the materialadvantage, as the black king is STILL under heavy pressure. } 16... gxf6 { Blackretakes. } 17. Bxf4 { ! I get my bishop into play as well as my rook whileI take the f4 pawn. } 17... Rg8 { ? Black attacks my queen, but missed... } 18. Nxc7+ { Nxd7+!! This move checks the black king, pins the black knight,forks both rooks AND is a sacrifice. I don't see these moves everyday!The knight is immune. If black plays 18. ... Bxc7, I respond with 19.Qxg8#(The e7 knight is pinned). The same applies for 18. ... Rxc7 19. Qxg8+Kd7 20. Rxd6#. The king has to move. 18. ... Kd8 is met by 19. Rxd6 Kxc720. Qd7+ Kb6 (20. ... Kb8 21. Rxc6+! Ka8 22. Rxe7! and mate is unstoppable)21. Rxe7 and white is crushing. Black must play either Kf8 or Kf7. } 18... Kf8 { ? Unfortunately, Kf7 was better for black. } 19. Bh6+ { I gain a tempo on18. ... Kf7. } 19... Kf7 { Forced (19. ... Rg7 20. Qxg7#) } 20. Qe6+ { I continuemy deadly assault on the black king with my queen, supported by my handyrooks. } 20... Kg6 { Forced } 21. Rxd6 { ! I capture his bishop and treaten his f6pawn while leaving my bishop and knight hanging. } 21... Kxh6 { Blacks takes myhanging bishop, but his king is in a mating net... } 22. Qxf6+ { ! (obviously)Logical follow up } 22... Rg6 { Only move (24. ... Kh5 25. g4+! Kxg4 (25... Rxg426. Qxh6#) 26. Rg1+ any K move 27. Qh6#) } 23. Qh4+ { Forcing the black kingto go to g7 } 23... Kg7 { Forced } 24. Rxe7+ { ! The best way to continue the attack } 24... Nxe7 { Obviously } 25. Qxe7+ { I capture the knight, with check. } 25... Kh6 { Blacktries to escape. } 26. Qh4+ { 'No way, sir. You are not allowed to escapethis way!' } 26... Kg7 { Forced, yet again. } 27. Rd7+ { ! The black king must nowgo into the 8th file. } 27... Kg8 { This and 27. ... Kf8 is met by the same move,which is... } 28. Qxh7+ { 1-0 The black king must go to f8, where whitewould play 29.Qf7#. I hope you liked this great game as I did. Pleaseleave comments and rating if you want to, whether they are positive ornegative. Also thanks to pmehani who played this game until the end too.Thanks, a_random_guy } 1-0

[Event "Newmarket C v Cambridge City B - Mating Attack!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "29.10.96"] [Round "-"] [White "Joanne Stevens"] [Black "Tony Truman"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1128"] [WhiteElo "1240"] 1. e4 d6 2. f4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 { 3. .......... g6 - this is the Pirc/RobatschDefense. Black delays countering in the centre and decides to develophis bishop on the flank (g7). } 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 c6 6. d4 Nbd7 { 6. .............Nbd7 - both players get their pieces out - white seems to have better controlof the centre. } 7. Be3 Qc7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. f5 { 9. f5 - black castles, butis he castling into it?! } 9... e5 10. fxg6 fxg6 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Bc4+ { 13. Bc4 - after a plethora of piece and pawn exchanges I decideto improve the position of my bishop by giving check. Black's king isbeginning to get a little exposed. } 13... Kh8 14. O-O Ng4 15. Rxf8+ Bxf8 16. Rf1 { 16. Rf1 - threatens Rxf8 . } 16... Bd7 17. Kh1 b5 18. Bb3 { 18. Bb3 - stayingon the long diagonal. } 18... c5 19. Bd5 { 19. Bd5 - good outpost for lsb. } 19... Rd8 20. Bg5 Rc8 21. h3 b4 22. Nd1 Bb5 23. Rf7 { 23. Rf7 - this rook escapesthe bishop's attack and attacks the Wicked Witch of the West. This rookwill become a bone in the throat to black. } 23... Qd6 24. hxg4 Re8 25. Bf6+ { 25.Bf6 !! This move forces resignation as if Kg8 there is a really nasty queen-winningdiscovered check when I move the rook to d7. This rook will be immunefrom capture because black must deal with the check on d5. Black willlose another piece if he interposes the bishop on e7 and look, Glenda hasher beady eye on h6. Old Matey isn't too far away I think. This wasmy very first Bury League Game and I was really pleased to get a successfulmating attack going here! } 1-0

[Event "allenamento"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.31"] [Round "-"] [White "milo974"] [Black "latenda"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1169"] [TimeControl "14d+10d<30d"] [WhiteElo "1676"] 1. e4 { e4 is one of the most logical moves for White: it occupies the center and frees the knight and bishop. Furthermore, since the knight can move to f1, e4 is also a step towards an early rook endgame. Games that start with e4 are known as Sicilian Defence (if Black responds with c5) or Semi-Sicilian (if Black responds with something else). In these games, it is important to complete the development quickly and to keep control of the center in order to have the advantage. } 1... e5 { The most natural response to 1. e4 by Black is to counterattack by liberating the center with the move e5, just as White does with e4. This allows the Black pieces, such as the Bishop of Knight on f8, to develop unhindered. Occupying the center means controlling and dominating the four central squares e4, d4, e5, d5; in the heat of battle, it is important to understand who is winning the center. Looking at the four central squares, one can observe that the White pawn on e4 is threatening any piece of Black that may happen to find itself on d5. Therefore, Black responds by occupying e5 and controlling d4. White does the same, with e4 and d5. The center is now evenly matched. } 2. Nf3 { White is threatening two central pawns (e5 and ed4) and is preparing to castle on the kingside, so they are defending h2 to prevent any potential attacks from Black. } 2... Nc6 { With this knight Black defends the pawn e5 and keeps it under control, d4. This appears to be the most logical response for Black, however, there are also other possibilities, such as 2...d6 or 2...Nf6. } 3. Bb5 { White's idea is to attack the defending piece on e5. However, the threat is only hypothetical as Black does not need to defend the e5 pawn further. If White captures the e5 pawn with 4.Bxc6, Black has the tactic of 5...Qd4! Now the Queen can attack both the e5 pawn and the e4 pawn, and it is impossible for White to defend both. [For example, 3...a6 (threatening to capture with the knight) 4.Bxc6 (White removes the defender of e5), dxc6! (Black captures the e5 pawn) 5. Nxe5? (White captures the e4 pawn with scorched earth), Qd4! (Black attacks both) ] } 3... Nf6 { A good move for Black. Develop the horse in a perfect house (threat e4 and d5, defend h7) and proceed to the rook's endgame. } 4. O-O { White has castled and is not worried about defending the pawn on e4. If Black captures the pawn (4...Nxe4) White can take advantage of the pawn's former owner's lack of development (White has already castled) by opening the game with Re1 (threatening the knight on e4) and an eventual rook pawn push. Of course, Black is not without countermeasures. But the game has taken a different direction... } 4... Be7 { prepara l'arrocco } 5. Re1 { White is developing a tower on the 'e' column with an immediate objective (to defend the pawn on e4) and a long-term objective (to control the column in case it opens). Now Black must be careful as the pawn on e5 is threatened: if 6.Bxc6, dxc6, 7.Nxe5, then 7...Qd4 does not work anymore as after 8.Nf3, the queen is threatened (it cannot move to e4 due to the tower on e1) and the pawn on e4 is not returned. } 5... O-O { The Black pieces move the King to safety (but leaves the pawn e5 to its fate). } 6. Bxc6 { White removes the defender with the move die5. } 6... dxc6 7. Nxe5 { Then the Black pieces proceeded to eat the unguarded pawn. Before they could fortify e5, they had to defend the pawn. } 7... Bd6 { The black knight threatens the white horse. (This may be a good move; probably the knight is moved for the second time and wastes precious time for the Nero; it would be better perhaps to play 7.Re8, to contest the white's column 'e' from the start; also from e8 the tower would menace together with the knight f6 the pawn e5 not soon after the knight has been moved from d7). } 8. Nf3 { The knight is safe, since the black pawn has been taken to d6, so the threat of 9. e5! with the fork (the pawn would threaten both the knight and the bishop) is now present. } 8... Bg4 { The knight is bad. However, if the horse moves, there is Bxd1! This move is bad. However, in this moment with the threat of pedone's fork towards e5, one had to play something else (I always remember Re8). } 9. d4 { White does not want to revenge immediately (9.e5 would gain a piece for a pawn) because he prefers to occupy the center with two pawns. In general, a pair of pawns in e4, d4 (or in d5, e5 from the Nero's reply) are the dream of any player. If the opponent does not oppose energetically, a pair of pawns in the center can cause very serious damage to the enemy troops. For this reason, White prefers to obtain a strategic advantage (occupation of the center) rather than a material one (e5 with a gain of a piece). But the threat of a pawn in e5 is always present... } 9... Qe7 { The black piece is unaware of the threat. It was better to move one of the two pieces threatened: for example 9....Bb4 } 10. e5 Bb4 { The Black King is trying to find compensation for the loss of his knight by attacking the White Tower... } 11. c3 { It is too late. We need to intervene before. } 11... Nd5 12. cxb4 Nxb4 { The Black piece has given up a piece but managed to reclaim one pawn. It is a good thing to limit the damage. Wanting to be more precise, when it happens to face a fork such as 10.e5, there is always a way out. So, it is better to take one of the central pawns which are more important. Therefore, at 10.e5 it was interesting to respond 10....Bxe5. } 13. a3 Nd5 { The black horse occupies an important house. Being the knight of those pieces which has the least range (compared to the knight and the tower example), to express the maximum potential (i.e. to threaten as many houses as possible, i.e. 8) it is always better that the horse is in a central or nearby the center. We can say that the horse is in a good position when it occupies one of the houses included in the square formed by c3, f3, c6, f6. In addition, the horse is the best piece to block the advance of a pawn. Indeed, even having in front of him the pawn d4, the horse thanks to its movement to L is the only piece that can threaten the houses of possible defenders of the pawn opponent (i.e. c3 and e3). Therefore, if you do not know what to do with a horse and it is available a castle in front of an opponent's pawn, it can be a good idea to place it there! } 14. Qd3 { Take the woman from d1 and free the horse in f3 from the inchiodatura. } 14... Qe6 { This move is unclear. Perhaps the Black was trying to defend the knight? Or perhaps with the white queen they are trying to support the knight in order to play 15...Bf4, threatening the white queen? An alternative could be to make a development move for the rooks (example Rad8, or Rfe8) or to make a preventive move such as h6 (to take away the white g5 pawn). } 15. Nc3 { White is threatening to put a piece on d5, which would capture the strong black horse. } 15... a6 { Should the Black prepare a spurt in b5? This move by itself does not cause any damage to Black. However, it is still a weak move (in this position) because it is not necessary (the b5 house is already controlled by the pawn c6). The main fault of this move is that it adds almost nothing to the game of Black (he is almost like standing still) while White has the opportunity to play more moves to create initiative and gain an advantage. In this case, it was better to play with the towers, for example with Re8, or with Rad8. Alternatively, looking carefully at the position of the White pieces (the white queen points towards h7, the white knight from f3 can move to g5 adding a further threat to h7), it was definitely important to prevent an attack with h6 (which makes it impossible for the white knight to move to g5). } 16. Ng5 { The woman is threatening the madman in h7. The warning bell... } 16... Nf4 { The black piece probably sees the threat of checkmate and tries to change the pieces. However, it was necessary to prevent the checkmate, for example with 16...Qg6. This descent of the white piece in g5 explains how sometimes preventive moves like h6 can be useful. When a piece (or a knight) is placed on the diagonal b1-h7 (or in inverted colors b8-h2) one must always be attentive to a possible threat of checkmate. } 17. Qxh7# 1-0

[Event "Vs. Newmuis"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "12-Dec-06"] [Round "-"] [White "ozydog"] [Black "newmuis"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1996"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1414"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 { My favorite defense againstE-pawn :-3) } 5. Qe2 Qe7 { This is the most drawish, slow variation. } 6. Nc3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 { Although this move supports the advance of the d-pawn. It creates potential problems. In the endgame, your A-pawn is poor andthe creation of these pawn islands isn't my first choice and puts yourposition in a potential bad way. Every exchange from here on out putsyou at a serious disadvantage. } 7... b6 8. d4 Bg4 { On b7, my bishop couldbe hemmed in with you playing d5 and c4. Good for me because you lightbishop would have a horrible life this game, potential inactivity. Itdidn't settle well with my gut. I couldn't expect you to make that moveand if you did, I'd have to reposition my own L-Bishop. So I had to thinkof which square I'd put it on and why. G4. A chance to ruin your pawnstructure. Should you exchange queens and play Be2, after d5 and Bishopexchanges, my knight can take up c4 and hem in your dark bishop. Theformer seemed to give me greater endgame prospects. } 9. h3 Bxf3 10. gxf3 { Four pawn islands, a dream come true for me. } 10... Nc6 { Thinking about c4 andprovoking the advance. Your pawns are weak, if you advance them even ifI can't take advantage now, it should be death soon. } 11. f4 { You've chosencentral play. But I don't know what you plan on doing with your bishops. Pawn moves are the enemies of proper piece placement. } 11... d5 12. Bg2 O-O-O 13. Qxe7 Bxe7 { Exchanges feel great for me, I thought you may try holdingon to your queen and keep chances for attack open. Now they're dimishing. } 14. Be3 { Trying to hit me with c4, but this doen't stop my plan, only inhibitsyour dark bishop. He has no future on this square. } 14... Na5 15. O-O Nc4 16. Rfe1 c6 { Basic support, only way to undermine my pawns is to push you isoa-pawn. But I have a solid hold on the queenside. Your counterplay isseriously limited. } 17. Rab1 Rhe8 { Looking for exchanges along the e-fileand heading into a won endgame. } 18. f5 Bh4 { Trying to utilize the pinto force exchanges. } 19. Bf4 Na3 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Rc1 Nb5 22. Bd2 h6 { Iwant to exchange bishops on g5. Two g-pawns isn't so bad here. H pawnstend to be drawish, and i still keep your h-pawn from dangerous advances.If you play f4 to block it, then your bishop is completely worthless. } 23. Bf1 Nd6 { Not ready to say goodbye to my favorite piece. The abilityto hit both light and dark squares in this semi-closed position means moreto me than one of the rooks! Maybe... } 24. Bd3 Kd7 25. Bf4 Bg5 { To savethe knight, but I wanted this exchange anyway. Now I have to make my knightsuperior to the bishop. Must battle the imbalances we have. } 26. Bxg5 hxg5 27. Kg2 c5 { Push the bishop back and claim e4 so I can hit c3. Thepossibilit y of having an adcanced d-pawn is suddenly real and must alwaysbe watched. } 28. dxc5 bxc5 29. Kg3 c4 30. Be2 { It still wasn't an easywin until this. } 30... Rxe2 31. f4 Ne4+ 32. Kf3 Rf2+ 33. Ke3 gxf4+ 34. Kd4 Kd6 { Mate can't be stopped, Ng3 and Nf5 mates, your rook can't stop anything. This was a good game. } 35. Rd1 Ng3 0-1

[Event "blucher's Ligny mini-tournament VIII"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.20"] [Round "-"] [White "serbi"] [Black "mciala"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1568"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1542"] 1. g3 { An unusual opening leading to a King's Indian attack set-up forWhite } 1... d5 { I have to confess using the database to find my way throughthe first few moves although taking control of the centre is the sensibleresponse } 2. Bg2 e5 3. b3 Nf6 4. Bb2 { Now White has fianchettoed both bishopswhich continues his unusual opening } 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 Re8 8. c4 d4 { This seems the best response although the ideal pawn centre earlyin the game would be pawns on d5 and e5 } 9. a3 a5 { To prevent b4 - obviouslyafter b4 and axb4 White's a-pawn is pinned } 10. a4 Nb4 11. Ba3 c5 12. Bxb4 axb4 13. Qd2 Bd7 14. Nh4 { After a few poor moves which have locked up theQueenside this move allows a bit of an attack on White's King } 14... Qc8 { Witha view to Bh3 } 15. e3 Bh3 { Hoping for Bxh3 Qxh3 then if possible Ng4 witha powerful and possibly mating attack } 16. Re1 { But White sensibly avoidsthe Bishop exchange } 16... e4 { So I try another combination to attack White'sQueen } 17. dxe4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Rxe4 19. exd4 Rxd4 { The point of e4 } 20. Qe3 { I had expected Qe2 but now another idea springs to mind } 20... Qg4 { Coversthe Rook } 21. Ng2 { This has to be a mistake as it now allows the tacticwhich will win me material and ultimately the game } 21... h6 { An intermediatemove to give my King an escape square from the attack on my back rank } 22. Nd2 { As expected - and wished for } 22... Bxg2 { Now - the point of this isnot to capture the Knight but to move the King } 23. Kxg2 Bf4 { Into a winningcombination which pins the g-pawn and skewers White's Queen and Knight } 24. Qe2 Qxe2 { Must capture the Queen first obviously, as the immediateBxd2 would lose to Qxg4 } 25. Rxe2 Bxd2 26. Re5 b6 27. Rd1 { Not what I hadexpected - Rd5 looks more interesting as Rxd5 cxd5 gives White two passedpawns - the a-pawn is also a threat of course } 27... Rad8 { Reinforcing the attackedBishop } 28. h4 { This seems like a move for the sake of moving } 28... Bc3 { I'dhad this in mind for a couple of moves } 29. Rxd4 cxd4 { Of the three possiblere-captures this looks best as it gives me the passed pawn covered by theRook and the discovered attack on Black's Rook next move. With this anda piece down White concedes } 0-1

[Event "Snap Mate - Part 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "16-Sep-08"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1603"] [TimeControl "9d+1d, 10d max"] [WhiteElo "1707"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone, I have the first of a set of 3 recent games where myopponents have fallen to a Snap Mate. Two were against the same opponent- in fact this match was in the Barmy Army Mini-Tournament and in the returnchallenge which will be part 2, this opponent met the same fate! The thirdgame was an unrated game against a 1500 player. Note the ratings. These2 players are intermediate players so this fate can befall anyone - usuallythis happens when you are so wrapped up in your own plans you overlookyour opponent's and you find yourself down a king, yikes! I hope you havea good read. Cheers - Joanne } 1... d5 { 1. .......... d5 - this is the ScandinavianDefense or Centre Counter - black decides to counter in the centre. Althoughit does bring out the queen a little early it is playable. } 2. exd5 Nf6 { 2. ......... Nf6 - black does not bring out the queen - he develops andmay recoup the doubleton later - in this game, however, he gambits thepawn for quick development and gets a strong middlegame attack, but itdoes not materialise. } 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. Bb5+ Nbd7 { 5. ......... Nbd7- eschews c6 as that will enable me to get rid of my doubled d pawn andbe a clear pawn up. } 6. c4 a6 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Ne2 O-O-O { 8. ............0-0-0 - black has an enormous lead in development for the pawn, I spendthe next two moves catching up. } 9. Nbc3 h6 10. Be3 g5 11. Ng3 Bg6 12. Nce4 Bg7 13. Nxf6 exf6 14. O-O { 14. 0-0 - As the e file has been openedafter the exchange of knights I must finally decide where to put my king. I castle short but have I castled into it? } 14... h5 15. Ne2 Rde8 16. Bf2 g4 17. fxg4 hxg4 18. Bg3 { 18. Bg3 - the h file has been opened, danger, danger,danger! My move Bg3 protects the h pawn against a possible doubling ofrooks on the h file. } 18... Re3 19. Nf4 { 19. Nf4 - this move is played to tryand blockade a pawn push down the f file trapping or driving off FrereLenoir from g3. } 19... Bf5 20. Re1 Re4 21. Rxe4 Bxe4 { 21. ........... Bxe4 -but the pressure came down the e file and black allowed an exchange ofa pair of rooks. This cuts down black's chances of a mating attack alongthe h file but I must still be careful. } 22. Qd2 { 22. Qd2 - Glenda clearsa path for my queen rook to come into play. } 22... f5 23. Rd1 c6 { 23. ........c6? - helps me get rid of doubleton and I am now a clear pawn up. } 24. dxc6 Qxc6 25. b3 Bh6 26. d5 { 26. d5 - queenside pawn structure now moresolid and the Wicked Witch of the West is now en prise. The passed d pawnalso cuts communication between the witch and light squared bishop. Thewitch moves away to d7. } 26... Qd7 27. Qd4 { 27. Qd4 - suddenly Glenda moves ontoa central square and hits out at the h8 rook. } 27... Rh7 28. Nh5 { 28. Nh5 - threatensknight fork on f6. } 28... Be3+ 29. Qxe3 Rxh5 30. Qf4 { 30. Qf4 - Glenda triesto camouflage herself between the black pieces and is backed up by FrereLenoir. Black must move his queen off d7 to prevent the mate threat onb8. } 30... f6 31. Qb8# { 31. Qb8# - but he misses it by playing his pawn up tof6, purpose of f6??? unknown, but there you are - warning, it can happento anyone, be vigilent because Old Matey can strike from an apparentlyclear sky! I got a 7 point rating haul from this venture. It was timefor round two ........... } 1-0

[Event "A possible refutation...."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.01.22"] [Round "-"] [White "fondrak"] [Black "bikerman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1963"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1832"] { This is my attempt to refute an opening position which is listed in allmy books as a loosing position but which I think is the opposite. The positionis one which I am sure many players have got themselves into, especiallyin their early chess life. Most, like me, learn that it is to be avoided,and we then play so that we don't get into the position. In this annotationI want to challenge that assumption and examine a possible line of playthat turns the whole thing on it's head - defining the position, not asa loosing one, but as a winning one. } 1. e4 { Solid & reliable opening. } 1... Nc6 { Leading with horsey rather than prawn :-) } 2. d4 { White follows usualrule - if centre space is available, grab it. } 2... d5 { I play a standard responsewith .. d5 } 3. e5 { Pawn pushes up rather than taking...still well withinnormal theory... } 3... f6 { Now I'm feigning to play wing-theory by getting thewhite e pawn out of the game. This is not my real plan however..... } 4. Bd3 { White plays an aggressive move to threaten the queen check (Qh5).I could play g6 to block it, but I am looking for white to play the checkso I play along with the terrible-looking pawn-grab instead. This allowswhite to develop the 'winning' position. } 4... Nxd4 { OK Knight takes pawn lookssuicidal and breaks all the rules, but bear with me.... } 5. Qh5+ { Whiteplays the book move and puts me in check with a nasty bishop threat tocome. } 5... g6 { I block with the pawn, well aware that white will now take thepawn. } 6. Bxg6+ { Sure enough white plays the obvious and apparently powerfulmove. Black would probably be advised to get the king out of there butI believe in my analysis and play the suicidal-looking move..... } 6... hxg6 { Allowing white to nab my rook.... } 7. Qxh8 { The situation for black nowlooks grim but I believe this is a potentially winning situation. I gostraight into counter-attack with..... } 7... Nxc2+ { Forking the rook. } 8. Kd1 { White plays the natural move. Black might be tempted to nab the rook butI think this would be a mistake, so I leave the knight hanging and playa strange-looking move instead. } 8... Qd7 { My plan here is to let the whiteking take my knight in order to bring it into range of my attack. Puttingmy queen on d2 allows me to develop quickly. } 9. Kxc2 { Sure enough whitetakes the knight. } 9... Qg4 { It might seem better to play Qf5+ but my analysisshows that this is non-optimum. Putting my queen on g4 serves two purposes- firstly she is now ready to swing into action in the attack and secondlyshe is watching the g6 pawn which, after white takes on g8, is a naturaltarget for the white queen. } 10. Qxg8 { Sure enough white takes, probablysensing no great danger at this point. Now it is time to bring my bishopinto the counter-attack... } 10... Bf5+ { White has several options but analysisindicates they all lead to a similar outcome. } 11. Kd2 { Kd2 is a reasonablechoice from the available options....certainly not the worst. } 11... O-O-O { Castlingmight seem to reduce attacking tempo but not so. Firstly it means I nolonger need to worry about the white queen and secondly it brings my rookinto the action. It also delivers the obvious threat on the white queenwhich demands an immediate response from white. } 12. Qh7 { White spots thethreat and moves his queen to safety. } 12... Qg5+ { I deliver this check to forcethe king to either come more into the open or retreat to d1. } 13. Kd1 { Whiteretreats which is the best response. } 13... Qxg2 { I now move my queen so thatwhite's rook is at my mercy. } 14. Ne2 { White plays a good response butthe rook is dead-meat. } 14... Qxh1+ { I take-off the rook } 15. Kd2 { White playsthe forced move. } 15... Qf1 { Not an obvious move but it has advantages. It threatensf2, keeps the threat on c1 & e2 and blocks the retreat of white king tothe 1 rank. } 16. Qh4 { White now brings his queen back into a position whereit can help in the defence. This is actually a mistake - much better tohave played Nc3 I think.... } 16... d4 { Now it is time to play my master-strategy.This pawn is the key to exploiting my position and turning the positioninto a decisive one. } 17. Qf4 { Not sure about this move from white - butit allows me to play a rather nice tactical sacrifice. } 17... Bh6 { White musttake or accept the loss of the queen. } 18. Qxh6 { So white takes as indicated... } 18... d3 { I push the passed pawn and the danger is now apparent. White shouldaccept the loss of the Knight and play Kc3 - but whatever white does atthis point I think black has a decisive advantage and should go on to winquite easily despite the material deficit. } 19. Ng3 { White plays the knightfork which looks OK but will lead to problems quickly.... } 19... Qxf2+ { Queenstarts the battery } 20. Kc3 { White plays the best available move I think..... } 20... Qc2+ { But that pesky pawn gives the Queen the chance to get up close andpersonal..... } 21. Kb4 { White is now up to the armpits in the brown stuff...... } 21... Rd4+ { Bringing the rook into the attack seems the thing to do at this point....Ican now smell mate. White has no game from here. Mate seems inevitable.At this point in the real game white resigned. There are several possiblecontinuations but my analysis shows white with no chance. Kb5 .. Qc6 Ka5 forced .. Ra4 mate Ka3 .. Ra4 mate Ka5 .. Qc5 mate } 22. Ka5 Qc5# 0-1

[Event "ChessCube Game, www.chesscube.com, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.10.15"] [Round "-"] [White "[email protected]"] [Black "[email protected]"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1564"] [TimeControl "30"] [WhiteElo "1480"] { E61: King's Indian: Early deviations for White, including Smyslov System } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Bf4 d6 5. e3 O-O { He has a very stronggrip on e5 which is a square that black intends for a pawn in the King'sIndian Defense. } 6. Nf3 Nc6 { This idea was speculative. If white allows,black will get to transfer the knight to the kingside with tempo; lastbook move } 7. d5 { White bites. I think black's idea is unsound, but withnear a 100 point difference between players (and in real strength thereis a good chance that I have more than a 100 points on him because I havebeen rated as high as 1730 on that site), I thought it was a good timeto try the idea.. White threatens to win material: d5xc6 } 7... e5 { Black'sidea is to allow white to open up the game as black does the same. Onceattacking lanes open up, the white king will be exposed in the center;Black threatens to win material: e5xf4 } 8. dxc6 { I actually think thataccepting the black idea can be done, but it offers black quite a bit.Probably safer is allowing the flipside to black's idea to come alive,the quick transfer of the c6-N to e7. (8. Bg5 seems to be the best optionWhite has: 8...Nb8 9. Be2 +/=) } 8... exf4 { -+ } 9. cxb7 { ? (9. exf4 bxc6 10.Qd2 Re8+ 11. Be2 -+) } 9... Bxb7 10. Qb3 { White protects the e pawn with thethreat against the bishop. (10. Qd2 fxe3 11. fxe3 Ng4 -+) } 10... Bxf3 { I normallyprefer retaining both bishops, but the prospect of defending the bishopseemed a real liability. Also white cannot hope to control the b file withthe queen, and castling kingside seems out of the question for white. (Fritz says: 10... Rb8 ends the debate with 11. Qa3 Re8 -+) } 11. gxf3 { This position allows white room to go wrong even though he seems fine. } 11... Re8 { This move is probably a mistake as it prevents white from exf4,but the exf4 idea has some bite if white can manage f5 while keeping hisking safe. It's a fair amount of caveats, but interesting enough to beworth a try once. (11... fxe3 12. fxe3 Qe7 13. Kd2 -+) } 12. e4 { -/+ Ornot. } 12... c6 { Black attempts to control d5, and makes the move that it alsoseems to control another candidate square for the white knight. } 13. O-O-O { I suppose I should have anticipated this as it makes it easier for whiteto control his rooks. I do not think this is good or bad. It is good asfar as the black plan is disrupted, but it may be bad, as the new blackplan can come rather quickly. } 13... Rb8 { There are really two candidate movesthat I considered, and I played them both. I am not certain about the preferedorder, or if order even matters here. } 14. Qc2 Re5 { This move reallyaccomplishes two things. It allows the quick transfer of the rook to thequeenside, and it keeps the center closed. } 15. b3 { He is shoring up defenses,but the move creates the possibility of a tactic. (15. h4 Rh5 -/+) } 15... Qc7 { The queen eventually wants to go to a5, but the rook needs to transferthere too. All of this might come to nothing if black cannot deal withthe white knight. (15... Rh5 16. Na4 -+) } 16. Qd2 { The white idea isthe dual threat against d6 and f4. When white captures on f4, the queenstill pressures d6. If white can lift his rook, he may be able to openthe center. } 16... Ne8 { The problem with white's plan is black is able to mounta defense of the square with Ne8 and Be5. } 17. Qxf4 { Of course, the ideathat black really wants to play are the tactics that follow. (17. h4 Rh518. Bg2-/+) } 17... Ra5 { Black is pressuring the a2 pawn. -+ } 18. Kc2 { ?? Whiteavoids the pin on c3 that Kb2 creates, but this move is inadequate. Whiteprobably assumes as usually is the case that a player who spends extramoves fianchettoing a bishop will not lightly exchange that bishop. Fritzsays, 'White has lost his nerve... understandable when you consider hisposition.' (18. Qe3 Bxc3 19. Qxc3 Rxa2 20. Bd3 -+) } 18... Bxc3 { If his assumptionis that black will not lightly exchange the bishop, then unfortunatelyhe is right. The a2 pawn is lost. The b3 pawn has become rather weak. Thequeen will get to move to a5. White faces some tough puzzles to solve,and his position seems to be worsening. } 19. Kxc3 Rxa2 20. Bh3 { If notfor Qa5 Bd3 would be best. } 20... Qa5+ { White resigns because there are manyforced mates: a1: 21. b4 Qxb4+ 22. Kd3 Qb3+ 23. Kd4 c5+ 24. Kd5 Qb7# a2: 21.Kd3 Rxb3+ 22.Kd4 Qc5# a3: 21.Kd4 Qc5+ 22.Kc3 Rxb3+! 23.Kxb3 Qa3# } 0-1

[Event "The lure of Square C2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.10.01"] [Round "-"] [White "novascotiarook"] [Black "harleyw"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1136"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1182"] 1. e4 { opening } 1... e5 { black opens. I would of chosen Sicilian defense butthat is just my preference } 2. Nc3 Nc6 { Knights Developed White- Nc3, Black-Nc6 } 3. Qf3 Nf6 { White Queen advances to F3, black counters with Nf6. Atthis stage and now that my Queen is out, square C2 is really appealingto black. } 4. Bc4 { I advance my 'bobby fisher bishop' :) to C4 } 4... Bc5 { blackcounters with his bishop to C5- he obviously did not see the C2 squareto fork my King and Rook. } 5. d3 { White responds with advancing a pondto D3. This does a couple of things. Supports my bishop and my other pawnwhich is hanging out on E4 but it also opens up a line for my bishop onC1. } 5... Nb4 { Black finally sees the C2 square and moves into position withNB4. } 6. Qd1 { Now this whole play looks like a wasted move on my part.But I want to force black to drag down his other Knight, so I not onlycan capture up but get my Queen in a more strategic place on blacks Kingside. } 6... Ng4 { Black takes the bait and advances to Kg4. Now at this pointwhite really has to be careful, otherwise there could be a lot valuablematerial lost very quickly. Not only is square F2 very challenged, blackcan attack it with either his bishop and checking the King or his Knightand forking my Queen and Rook, not to mention the forking that black cando my Queen side on C2. } 7. Qxg4 { White gets what it wanted - not onlydid white capture material he now has a more strategic position for Queenon blacks King side. Now, White is still going to loose material verysoon but its ok, Black does not see what white is setting up, the lureof capturing my pawn on C2 and then forking my King and Rook is too greatto pass up for Black. } 7... Nxc2+ 8. Kd1 { black forks my King and Rook by capturingthe pawn on C2. I move King to D1. } 8... Nxa1 { black captures material } 9. Qxg7 { Here is white's trap with C2 really begins to become noticed. Thegame is over at this point. White advances Qxg4 can captures pawn. Blackis really in a bad position right now. Not only is he at risk to loosinghis rook, he is unable to castle either not to mention that he has no supportfrom other pieces (One Knight is across the board and the other taken),the only piece not locked up behind other pieces is his bishop. He reallyonly has two options at this point and neither of them are good. The gameis essentially lost at this point. He can bring is bishop back to F8 tocreate a buffer for his King but sacrifice the rook or move his King toE7 (not a good square for a King) so that his Queen can support the rook } 9... Ke7 { black runs to Ke7. White could capture F7 (supported by bishop onC4) and put the black king in check but to get the checkmate done in fewermoves, white needs to capture the black Queen. } 10. Bg5+ { White advancesBishop to Bg5 and places black King in check. Black King can only go twoplaces, E8 or D6. } 10... Kd6 11. Bxd8 { Now that white captures the Queen it ischeckmate on Black King } 11... Rxd8 12. Qf6# 1-0

[Event "O&DL Cowley 4 v Didcot 2 Bd 4"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017-02-13"] [Round "-"] [White "Bob Samuels"] [Black "Bob Jacobs"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "132"] [TimeControl "All in 90 mins each"] [WhiteElo "121"] { A painful loss, this one. I completely missed a trick in the middle gameand subsequently succumbed to a strong mating attack. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 Be7 8. f4 { White adoptsan aggressive approach against the Najdorf. These initial moves were allknocked out very quickly. } 8... Qc7 9. Qf3 b5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Be3 { White's firstlong think of the game produced a fairly standard move. } 11... Nxd4 { I don'tthink I thought long enough about this. White's dark squared bishop becomesvery powerful on its new outpost. } 12. Bxd4 Bb7 13. O-O-O O-O-O { This wasa difficult decision. I eventually decided that the potential attack againsta king-side castled position would just be too powerful and that I couldgive as good as I got from the queenside position: perhaps somewhat naive! } 14. Rhe1 { White completes his development with this excellent centralisingmove, overdefending e4 and thus giving him flexibility of movement. } 14... Kb8 { To facilitate lining up major pieces on the c file and get them off thesame diagonal. } 15. Qf2 { White immediately responds with the threat ofthe skewer and the possible check on a7. } 15... Rc8 { As planned ... } 16. Kb1 { White takes time to respond to the battery... } 16... Rhe8 { ? Completely overlookingWhite's next move, which sets up threats on the e5-b8 diagonal. I thinkan immediate 16. ...Nd7 would have been better. } 17. e5 { ! } 17... Nd7 18. exd6 Bxd6 19. Bxg7 { At the time I thought this was just a pawn-grabbing wasteof time but it also increases White's control of the black diagonals. } 19... Nc5 { ? Completely missing White's response. } 20. Rxd6 { ! If I recaptureon d6, 21. Be5 wins immediately. } 20... Nd7 { I'd intended to swap on b3 but nowI felt that it was imperative to contest control of e5 again. } 21. Red1 { White increases the pressure again. } 21... Red8 22. Be5 Nxe5 { Glad to get ridof that bishop! } 23. fxe5 Rg8 { An attempt to counter-attack but I'm alreadydoomed. } 24. Rd7 Qc6 25. Qxf7 { Now the threats are of the mating kind. } 25... Qxg2 26. Bxe6 { and of the forking kind ... } 26... Rcf8 27. Qxh7 { and White ispicking up material so even if I survive the mating attack he'll win withhis extra pawns and knight. } 27... Bc8 28. Ra7 Bxe6 { ?? One blunder too many. I was covering b7 from g2 but not c7. } 29. Qc7# { I need to improve myrisk awareness in the middle game! Well played by my opponent. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.10.26"] [Round "-"] [White "nevhelp"] [Black "tomipal"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1110"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1056"] 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 { Patzer opening. It is generally advised to avoid gettingthe queen out early in the game, unless one is playing against lower ratedbeginners. } 2... d6 3. Bb5+ c6 4. Bc4 { Black must defend against QxPf7#. Thisis not difficult to manage, though. } 4... Nh6 { Pg6 also works, and forces thequeen to move. } 5. d3 { White eyes BxNh6. If black plays PxBh6, white wins. Black should be able to defend the knight with Pg6. } 5... b5 6. Bb3 a5 { Qc7might have been better. White essentially gets a free knight here. } 7. Bxh6 g6 { ...or maybe not. Pushing the queen--the bishop trade can wait. Black has h4 and h3 covered. } 8. Qf3 { Black should play Be6 here, or Pf6might be even better. } 8... Bxh6 { ...but not that. Quick game. } 9. Qxf7# 1-0

[Event "123rd GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.12.06"] [Round "-"] [White "utopia15"] [Black "celtic-tiger"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1819"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1924"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone, game part of the 123GK Tournament. I'm playing an experiencedplayer. King opening for utopia } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { Ruy Lopez } 3... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 { With this move white is preparing thesoldier push for City Centre } 7... d6 8. d4 { Here contact at City Centre } 8... Ba7 { I decide to retreat and keep the diagonal } 9. a4 { White is pushing forwardsoldiers on the queen side } 9... O-O { Better keep Renzo safe } 10. Na3 b4 { Blackpush b soldier in white territory to force le Chevalier blanc to decide } 11. Nc2 bxc3 { b soldier accomplish his mission by opening white soldierbackline } 12. bxc3 Nxe4 { Le chevalier noir jump in City centre to openfield space } 13. Qe1 { White Lady positioning i e file targeting le Chevaliernoir & control further movement at the City Centre upcoming collapse } 13... Nf6 14. dxe5 dxe5 15. Nxe5 Bb7 { Black development complete with 2 priest togethertargeting the white king } 16. Ba3 { white priest too aligned targeting myRenzo } 16... Nxe5 { Action starts by le Chevalier noir } 17. Bxf8 { White prefertaking rook } 17... Nd3 { Le chevalier noir jumping close to the white Lady andpreparing attack on f2 } 18. Qe2 Nxf2 19. Bb4 { the priest retreat - whiteprefer taking the risk than exchange pieces } 19... N6g4 { The second knight in white approaches the king. } 20. Bxf7+ { and white try to bring out theRenzo from his castle } 20... Kh8 { Renzo prefer staying in his Castle } 21. Rae1 { White big cannon on e file looking for a mate } 21... Ne4+ { Discover check andmate protection } 22. Kh1 Qh4 { The black queen reenters the game powerful and white resigns. } 0-1

[Event "The Annotation Project - A Tentative Mating Attack"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.10"] [Round "-"] [White "yodean"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1780"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1606"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! This is my third game in Master Freddy's mini-tournamentabout the Sicilian Grand Prix Attack. For me it was third time lucky inrespect of clocking up my first win (although the Low Draw with Yoshark- which he annotated, I was extremely lucky!). In response to 9. Bxg4I try a different response, g6 to see what happened there and it certainlyworked out well. Anyhow, on with the match. We pick up the action onmove 9. } 1... c5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Qxg4 Nxg4 7. Bxf7+ Kd7 8. Be6+ Kc6 9. Bxg4 g6 { 9. ....... g6 - prepares a bishop fianchettoto g7. } 10. Nf7 { 10. Nf7 - a nasty looking knight fork but Glenda is nowgonna take you all by surprise, she decides to venture into enemy territory. } 10... Qd4 { 10. ....... Qd4 - an aggressive placement for a Queen do you agree,she could be chased away but white decides to develop. } 11. Nc3 Bg7 12. Nxh8 Bxh8 { 12. .......... Bxh8 - that's gotten rid of that nasty horsieeven at the expense of one of my castles! } 13. Ne2 Qf6 { 13. ....... Qf6- Glenda is now chased away but she finds a fairly decent square. } 14. h4 Na6 { 14. ........ Na6 - development. } 15. g3 Nb4 { 15. ........ Nb4 -now my horsie gets in on the act - he is threatening Nc2+ } 16. Kd1 Rd8 { 16. ...... Rd8 - centralisation. } 17. c3 Nd3 { 17. ....... Nd3 - what'sthis? What's this? Aggressive stuff from Joanne the Kitten? Yup, it iscertainly that, for a starters the WK is pinned in the centre. } 18. Rf1 Qd6 { 18. ....... Qd6 - now Glenda lines up on the d file. } 19. Kc2 Nxc1 20. Raxc1 { 20. Raxc1 - a N for B trade. Now the d3 square is occupiedby ......... } 20... Qd3+ { 21. ........ Qd3+ ............. GLENDA!!!! } 21. Kb3 c4+ { 21. ...... c4+ - a king hunt begins in earnest. } 22. Ka3 Qd6+ { 22......... Qd6+ - white now waves the white flag as I am closing in on theWK. After the first two matches I see some light at the end of a verydark tunnel! } 0-1

[Event "narrow escape???"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "28th-06-16"] [Round "-"] [White "blackrook11"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1676"] [WhiteElo "1854"] { I would have lost this game if not for my opponent blunder towards theend. I had to give up my queen to avoid mate and still managed to reacha position where my opponent must also give up his queen to avoid matebut he erred. Enjoy! } 1. e4 e6 { The French Defence... } 2. d4 Qh4 { Verydubious... This isn't much of a threat as I can develop and protect thepawn nicely } 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 { I gain a tempo on blacks queen.. The queenmight end up trapped if black isn't careful } 4... Qh5 5. Bd3 Qg4 { ? Black needsto develop his other pieces instead of making cheap threats that couldbe easily parried. I considered playing 6. e5 Qxg2 7. Rg1 and white wouldlose a piece as he won't be able to save both knight and queen } 6. O-O c5 { Finally, blacks starts operation at the centre } 7. h3 Qh5 { The onlysquare for the queen. Qg6 runs into e5 where I win the knight } 8. Be3 b6 9. e5 Nd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 { Now I can get in c3 } 11. c3 Be7 12. Re1 { Not badbut perharps I should have tried Kh2 threatening g4 next move to win thequeen } 12... d6 13. Kh2 cxd4 14. g4 { ?? I saw the error in this move immediatelyI played it. Now I lose a piece by force } 14... Bxg4 { Definately the correctresponse. The h3 pawn is pinned so this bishop is immune } 15. Bxd4 Qxh3+ 16. Kg1 Bxf3 { Oh dear, white's king must be sweaty right now, I have nooption but to give up my queen in other to avoid mate on h1 } 17. Qxf3 Qxf3 18. Be2 { Retreating with tempo and covering the g4 square } 18... Qh3 19. exd6 { With this move I set a trap. If Bxd6 then I play Bg4+ capturing theblack queen } 19... Nd7 { Damn! He dosent fall for it } 20. dxe7 { Maybe, just maybehe would play Kxe7 } 20... Rc8 { Hmmm, he dosent still fall for it } 21. Rad1 h5 22. Rd3 { Blacks h-pawn might become dangerous if not watched carefully.Note that Bxg7 leads to Rg8 where I will lose the bishop due to the pin } 22... Qf5 23. Kf1 { Now the pawn on g7 is safe to capture } 23... f6 { ? This wasn'ta good way to protect the g7 pawn. Nf6 was probably best as it gets a piececloser to my weak king } 24. Rf3 Qc2 { ?? This move loses the white queenby force } 25. Bd3 { ! Now black must give up his queen to prevent mateon g6 but instead, the black queen goes pawn hunting } 25... Qxb2 26. Bg6# { Checkmate!!!A narrow escape for me i`d say } 1-0

[Event "Bekerwedstrijd de Donger - Rijs 19-11-2019"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Amir Nicolai"] [Black "Herman Beks"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1781"] [WhiteElo "2097"] { On Thursday 19th November 2019 we are playing for the cup in Dokkum. I first pick up Jelle in Oudemirdum, then we drive to Dokkum, five minutes in the dark. At board 1 with white I am excited to play a good game. But before cup matches one must toast to color. I choose black. Then it turns out my opponent Amir Nicolai is a well-known name for me. Yes, he plays also in Philidor in the First Class national. (If I later google him, I see an ELO above 2100.) But Chris says: 'nothing to take away', so I decide to sell my hide cheaply. In the end I lose after 43 moves, but it was still a great game. I accept the compliments from Amir Nicolai gratefully... } 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. g3 f5 5. d4 Bd7 6. d5 Nce7 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O h6 9. c5 g5 { ...niet bang voor ruil op d6 } 10. Qb3 Rb8 11. Rd1 Ng6 12. cxd6 Bxd6 13. Nb5 Bxb5 14. Qxb5+ Qd7 { I thought my position was strong, so I exchanged it, but it turned out to be a mistake. } 15. Qxd7+ Kxd7 16. Nd2 e4 { ...ik aas hier op d5 } 17. Nc4 Rhe8 18. b3 Ne7 { I am offering a draw here (a bit tactically). } 19. Nxd6 cxd6 { ... niet Kxd6, want dan La3 } 20. f3 Nexd5 { I wanted to keep the sight of the tower on e4, but perhaps Pfxd5 was better? Then I would be very strong. } 21. Bb2 Rbc8 22. fxe4 Rc2 { I can't get the horse out of the stable, but I can launch a counterattack. } 23. Bxf6 Nxf6 24. exf5 Rexe2 25. Bxb7 { I could have forced a draw with d5! (Lxd5, Pxd5, Txd5,Kc6 and shifting to the second line with the towers) The endgame does not look good, as it usually does. Fatigue plays a role, especially today. I will then sail the boat in. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "31-Jan-08"] [Round "-"] [White "xylon"] [Black "stillgar"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1922"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1470"] 1. e4 { This is my same old boring opening for white e4. } 1... c5 { Stillgar playsmy ideal response of c5. A very aggressive move challenging the middleof the board. } 2. Nf3 { I continue my boring opening attacking the middleof the board. } 2... Nc6 { Stillgar attacks right back continuing to be aggressive. } 3. d4 { This is my way of being exciting while still doing my boringopening. I keep saying my boring opening because I have not strayed fromit for years. I am challenging the middle of the board but really justoffering trades and to keep the offensive. } 3... cxd4 { In my mind by stillgartaking the d4 pawn he is excepting my trades. } 4. Nxd4 { Here I take thepawn thinking he is going to take my knight then I will bring my queenout. } 4... Qa5+ { Instead stillgar continues to be aggressive bringing out hisqueen on the 4th move putting me in check. In every book I have read(whichis not many) they all say not to bring the queen out to early. In myexperience this has been true because the queen gets bounced around whilethe other player brings more pieces out. That in mind, I have not playedtoo many high ranking players and stillgar probably sees something I don't. } 5. Nc3 { I try to not let this check and him bringing out his queen phaseme and continue my boring opening. } 5... Nxd4 { Stillgar continues to be veryaggressive. He decides to take the knight which is fine by me becauseI get to get out of my boring opening moves. } 6. Qxd4 { I of course takethe knight with my queen giving me the advantage for a brief moment. Icontinue to play safe waiting till I get more pieces out till I attack. } 6... e5 { Although I am forced to move my queen I am still alright. I have tobig pieces out and am challenging the middle of the board. I just haveto be careful of the knight and make sure to pick a good spot for my queen. } 7. Qd5 { I choose to make a move and be aggressive in order to keep theoffensive on my side challenging his queen. Also trading queens wouldhopefully help me not allowing stillgar to utilize such a crucial piece. This would also free up my knight for the moment if he takes my queen. } 7... Bb4 { Stillgar is smart and no doubt sees what i am doing so takes the offensiveback by threatening my knight while protecting his queen and now challengingmy queen. This doesn't allow me to sit and wait for him to take my queenadvancing my pawn. } 8. Qxa5 { I decide then to trade queens because thiswill keep me on the offensive for the moment. } 8... Bxa5 { At this point we aredeveloped equally so I decide to continue to develop. } 9. Bc4 { I bringout the Bc4 a aggressive move in my mind. Continuing to challenge themiddle of the board. } 9... Bxc3+ { This move I expected because stillgar hasbeen aggressive the whole game. Although I don't like doubling up my pawnsI do like it's rewards. } 10. bxc3 { My only move is to take the bishop withmy pawn which frees up the b row for an attack. } 10... Nf6 { Right away stillgarhas taken the offensive attacking the e4 pawn. } 11. f3 { My only move isto protect that pawn. } 11... O-O { Stillgar has given up the offensive for nowand decided to castle king side. In my mind this is great because I havealready placed the bishop in a great spot pinning the f7 pawn. } 12. Bg5 { I decide to make an aggressive move for better or worse. } 12... Rb8 { Stillgardecides to ignore it for now and threaten the b7 pawns advancement. } 13. h4 { I decide to ignore the b7 pawn and continue to be aggressive bringingup the h4 pawn. } 13... b5 { The b7 pawn is no longer an idea and is a threat andis pushing it's way while forcing me to protect my bishop. } 14. Be2 { Idecide to play it safe to not get my bishop trapped on the b file. } 14... Nh5 { Stillgar decides to get rid of the threat on the knight. } 15. g4 { Anticipatingthe fork of the bishop and knight I decide to push another pawn up forcingthe inevitable. } 15... Ng3 { I don't want my rook lost so I have to decide whereto place it. } 16. Rg1 { I decide to force the inevitable again. } 16... Nxe2 { Myonly option is to take the knight with the king. } 17. Kxe2 { I have lostthe offensive for the moment. On my notes at this point I tell my selfthat I am still in this game and to think 5 moves in advance. To watchout for the doubled pawns and the open b file. I also put in my notesto be aware of his rooks and bishop. I do this because it's 17 moves inthe game and I feel that I am still in this game and want to stay alerteven if that means writing down silly notes. When looking at the wholeboard I do see that he has a much better set up with his king very wellprotected. } 17... Bb7 { Stillgar decides to ignore the pawn push on the b fileand bring out the bishop attack. Since there is no immediate threat thisgives me a chance to go offensive. } 18. Be7 { While attacking the rook Iam able to get out of any traps and protect my double pawns. } 18... Rfe8 { Insteadof protecting the doubled pawn right away I notice a better move. } 19. Bd6 { Moving Bd6 allows me to pin one rook and attack other. This was probablynot a better move then just protecting the doubled pawns right away. } 19... Rbc8 { Stillgar decides to threaten the doubled pawns. } 20. Bb4 { My best moveis to protect the pawn with the bishop instead of the king . } 20... d5 { Stillgardecides to challenge the e5 pawn in hopes to open the d row or maybe evenpush the pawn further and attack the doubled pawns. } 21. exd5 { I decideto take the pawn to be on the offensive and not allow either scenario. } 21... Bxd5 { He takes the pawn with his bishop only threatening 2 pawns that arealready protected but opens up the d row. } 22. a4 { I decide to attack andtry and open up the a row for my rook. } 22... e4 { Stillgar pushes his pawn toe4 threatening to want to open up the e row and attack the king with hisrook. If he gets this done I will be in bad shape. } 23. f4 { In my mindthis is my only choice witch allows me to push the pawns attacking andstop the open e row. } 23... a6 { Stillgar moves up his pawn. I don't know whatplans he is conjuring up here but it's to tempting for me to take the pawnon b5 now. } 24. axb5 { I free up the a row witch is perfect for me. } 24... axb5 { He takes the pawn. Now I have to be weary of his pawn on the b row gettingacross. } 25. Ke3 { I decide to push my king forward stopping his pawn frommoving forward. } 25... f6 { Stillgar decides to start his pawns forward. } 26. Ra7 { I move my rook to the 7th row which traps his king on the 8th row. } 26... Kh8 { He moves his king to the corner perhaps to make room for his rook. } 27. h5 { I decide to keep my pawn attack going forcing him to respond. I have the control and hopefully I can keep it. } 27... h6 { He decides to bringhis h pawn forward giving him access to a spot on the 7th row. } 28. Rd7 { I decide to threaten his bishop to allow me to later bring my other rookon the d row allowing me to possibly get some trades going with the rooks. At this point in the game I feel I have better position and so gettingrid of those pieces would help. } 28... Bc6 { Stillgar is forcing me to move myrook. } 29. Rd6 { I decide to force him to move his bishop so I can bringin my other rook. } 29... Red8 { Stillgar challenges my rook enticing me to takeit. } 30. Rgd1 { Instead of taking his rook I decide to back-up my rook puttingme in a better spot if he takes my rook. } 30... Rxd6 { WOW! Stillgar took theexchange and now I will proceed to keep trading believing and hoping Ihave better position. } 31. Rxd6 { Now I have his bishop challenged androok frozen. I don't know what his next move will be. } 31... Kg8 { Sillgar isbringing out his king perhaps thinking of the end game. } 32. f5 { I pushup my pawn waiting to make my move. I'm in a tricky spot I have more piecesacross the middle but the tables could turn very easily. } 32... Ba8 { Stillgarmoves his bishop out of the way perhaps to relive his rook for movement. } 33. Ba5 { I decide to make my move and putting my bishop on the end I threatencheck and also allow for a trade with the rooks. I feel the more piecesI can get of the board the better position I have. } 33... Kf8 { Stillgar continuesto bring his king closer for the end game. } 34. Rd8+ { I decide to put himin check to trade rooks because I feel I have better position for the endgame. } 34... Rxd8 { He accepts. } 35. Bxd8 { Here we go. } 35... Ke8 { Stillgar is forcingme to move my bishop which is alright by me. } 36. Ba5 { I move my bishopback to protect my pawns and get away from his king. } 36... Bd5 { Stillgar ispushing his bishop up in hopes to possibly attack. } 37. Kd4 { I bring myking up to push him away so I can attack with my c pawn. } 37... Bb7 { Stillgarpushes back his bishop as expected. } 38. c4 { I make my move with c4 attackinghis b5 pawn. I have my king at a great spot. } 38... bxc4 { Stillgar takes thepawn. } 39. Kxc4 { I take his pawn with my king leaving his pawn free onthe e file. I am alright with that because I have my bishop protectingthe e1 spot. Now I can concentrate on bringing my pawn up on the c fileor attacking on the other side of the board. I must be careful becauseall my pawns are on white squares so they are at risk with stillgar's bishop. } 39... e3 { He brings up his pawn threatening an upgrade. } 40. Kd4 { I bring myking over to attack and advance. } 40... Bf3 { I was not prepared for that. } 41. Kxe3 { I take his pawn but feel the tides are turning. } 41... Bxg4 { He proceedsto take my pawn and threaten more. } 42. Kf4 { I bring my king up in hopesto protect pieces. } 42... Bxh5 { Just like that the game already feels over. I really felt over when he moved his bishop on f3. It was probably oversooner. } 43. c4 { I try to make a final attempt to put pressure on. } 43... Bf7 { Stilgar makes way for the pawn attack. } 44. c5 { The rest you can justwatch Stilgar at work. } 44... Kd7 45. Be1 Kc6 46. Bf2 Kd5 47. Be3 h5 48. Bf2 Be8 49. Be3 h4 50. Bg1 Bd7 51. Kg4 g5 52. Kh5 Bxf5 53. Kh6 g4 54. Kh5 h3 55. Kh4 Ke4 56. Kg3 Be6 57. Bf2 f5 58. c6 f4+ 59. Kh2 Kf3 60. Bg1 g3+ 61. Kh1 Bd5 62. Bb6 Ke2+ 63. Kg1 h2# 0-1

[Event "Blitz Q Sac"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1/4/18"] [Round "-"] [White "deeper_insight"] [Black "cvttracy"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1964"] [TimeControl "5 minutes"] [WhiteElo "2343"] { As we know, I really enjoy studying TA's blitz Q sacs. Overtime, I havelearned a lot from them. For example, I have used the main morals of thesesacs to teach not one but two of my students chess. The first one wassomeone who I met after he friended, probably, as a result of mentoringreachforgoals. And, the second student was wrytry when advancing the fpawn. Most of the time, I annotate his blitz Q sacs. But, Joe annotatedthis recent game in his private message. So, I'm copying and pasting thesenotes and turning them into annotative format, similar to when I bringannotations here that GM Susan Polgar copies and pastes. With that beingsaid, deeper_insight starts off with, 'This game is a classic piece returntrap game of mine I feel I invented a few decades ago.Its also a game ofpsychology where blocking my Bishop with blacks Bishop to avoid checkand exchange Bishops being a Q up for black,is a huge mistake and is theinitiator of blacks downfall and mating net.This game also proves WHYKing shuttling like black did in this game instead of retreating back tohis first rank,simply exposes blacks King to all kinds of danger(whichcould have been avoided).Discovered check to blacks King is just one dangerwhich forces blacks King even deeper into my territory priming him fora mating net.' } 1. e4 d6 2. Qh5 Nf6 3. Qxf7+ Kxf7 4. Nc3 e5 { while a normalcentral control move in a 'normal'game is a good move,it is actually aweaker move in theory for this specific game based upon blacks forced Kingsposition on his second rank.Black needed to retreat back to his first rankand/or move his f8 Bishop out,move his Rook & King to reposition for artificialcastling for better King safety.An almost 2000 rated player should understandthat losing some tempo is not a big deal as long as he is 'up' my Q booty.Butthis was overlooked by my opponent.Even my move # 5.Nf3 should have induceda prewarning that I can shuttle right up to g5 to check his King alongwith my wide open diagonal white Bishop on f1 that can advance to checkhis King on c4. } 5. Nf3 Nc6 { has a zero effect in development and/or defenseof blacks King. 5...Nc6 only allows me to check blacks King with my whiteBishop as just mentioned. I suppose blacks plan may have been to moveNd4,whereas my exchange capture with my Knight on f3,then blacks recapturewith his e5 pawn would have placed pressure on my c3 Knight....OR if Idid not capture,his plan may have been to capture my Knight on f3,therebydoubling my pawns on the f file with my recapture of blacks Knight,alongwith leaving an open g file which could conceivably expose my King to attackif I castle OR allow black to attack my King with his h8 Rook in a fewmoves. } 6. Bc4+ { is the foundation of whittling my opponent piece leaddown IF he falls into the trap....and he will as you will soon see. Thenext few moves by black from move } 6... Be6 { and beyond is what I deem as apsychological classic defensive response which seems to be programmed intomany players minds. 6....Be6 does protect blacks King by blocking his Kingcheck by my Bishop on c4,and under 'normal positional circumstances'thiswould be a fine move.However,my opponent forgets that his King is alreadyin a precarious spot....that f7 square which as I have explained in mypast club,is the weakest square on the chessboard for black.In addition,ifI were to capture blacks Bishop on e6(Bxe6),black must them recapture withhis King,which would place his King on the 6th rank,making his Kings positioneven more precarious. Then my classic trap with my f3 Knight with } 7. Ng5+ { that creates a surprise King attack: This will now regain 3 pointvalues as I respond with } 7... Kg6 8. Nxe6 { with an added bonus of threateninga black Q capture.The point all being that overconfidence in having mywhite Q as booty quite often creates a premature offensive posturing bymy opponent while he overlooks many of the open diagonals and momentarilyforgets that the probability of his King being attacked(especially on anf7 square)has increased in probability.Thus,playing defensively(like hismove 6...Be6)has a reverse effect if it is defending his King on an alreadyweak square(f7) because it permits white,more than not,to apply an effectiveoffense to an f7 square in which black should have removed his King awayfrom f7 right in the opening of the game. } 8... Qd7 9. f4 Re8 10. f5+ Kh5 11. Be2+ Kh6 12. d4+ g5 13. Bxg5# { From move # 7 to the end,you can easilywitness black NEGATIVELY tripling his King safety. So lets take a quicksnapshot analysis of the above diagram.What do you see? Where does BlackKing rest in only 13 moves?How,why?Totally unnecessary and never forcedto have Blacks King resting on square h6,which is at a horrible positionresting in front of his h7 pawn and what should have been an artificialcastled position or a King retreat back to his first rank.Also notice thatblacks Rook on h8 never moved and is basically useless.Take additionalnotes to blacks hemmed in Bishop on f8 compared to my fully open Bishoppair.And finally take note that white had the capability of castling bothK side and Q side to expand whites Rook(s) for additional offensive playagainst blacks King or many of his other pieces.All of this in only 13moves?????Think about it. Sure it is only a blitz game,but trust me,ifI look deep enough into this opponents past game record,I will find similarmoves that slightly mirror a game like this quick 5 minute game with exchangesthat are not well thought out,non existent castling or non existent artificialcastling that SHOULD have occurred,but did not,and/or Rooks that shouldhave been moved earlier and were not and hemmed in Bishops(which is a badtrend with many 1900+players) and should have been developed with betterpawn chain advancements.So blitz DOES tell a story sometimes(and many times)howan opponent will react in a long corresp game. This was a game of psychology.Iknew from massive experience that many players WILL place that Bishop infront of their King in blitz expecting me to capture it.And in theory,evenexchanges when up my Q booty(or just 3 to 5 piece points),is normally parfor the course with moves like...(BxB). But the risks outweigh the theoryin games like mine.Why?Because that 'theory'is fine if you look aroundFIRST,BEFORE trying to exchange and see where your King is located and/orwhere it will be positioned IF I do 'exchange' Bishops!So following normalchannels of even exchange theory when up 5 points or more has flaws init if you King is not properly placed in a good defensive spot first.Andof course,this game proves much of that. } 1-0

[Event "Bad Bishop."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "tommorow"] [Round "-"] [White "ME THE PERSON"] [Black "fredws11"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "563"] [TimeControl "1d"] [WhiteElo "1678"] { If I were you, I'd watch carefully. black looks like he's doing horrible,but he's just wrapping me up. } 1. b4 { Don't know where that came from. } 1... b5 { What's up with that? I thought. } 2. Bb2 { So, I brought out my bishop. } 2... g6 { His first sneaky plan, using the rook as bait. } 3. Bxh8 { I thought,WOOPIE!, but now I can see that was my biggest mistake. } 3... Bg7 { Bishop locksthe door to escape. I panicked!!!!! } 4. Bxg7 { BAM!!! I just murdered anotherbishop. I WAS NOT RELIGIOS ANYMORE!!!! } 4... e5 { Oh no! THe pawn is block theother exit. I only had one choice. } 5. Bxe5 { I'M A MURDERER!!! Black'splan was worknig. The police would soon be after me. His plan was EVIL!!! } 5... Qh4 { Black Police Queen was coming to arrest the murderer bishop. } 6. g3 { Pawn theatens to kill the police, a law breaking move, but it had tocome to pass. } 6... Qxb4 { Police fires a shot, say, 'I'll kill all ya if yathreaten me again!' } 7. Bc3 { But it was my only choice. } 7... Qxc3 { 'RARRRRRRR!!!!!'storted the police officer. } 8. dxc3 { BANG! An outlaw's got to do whatan outlaw's got to do. } 8... Kd8 { Black's headmaster is huddling in the cornerwith fear. } 9. e3 { Diddley pawn steps forward. } 9... Nc6 { HE HA!!! shouted black'sdonkey. } 10. Bxb5 { GIve me your money donkey or I'll shoot!!! } 10... Ne5 { HeHa, the donkey ran awy. } 11. Nh3 { HE HA!!! shouted my donkey. } 11... Bb7 { Hisbishop threatened the queen by calling hirl, 'SQUIRLY GIRL!!!' } 12. f4 { HE HA DONKEY SCEAMED. } 12... Ng4 { BYE BYE DONKEY> } 13. Qxd7# { WE WIN!!! } 1-0

[Event "50th World Open U1800 Round 4 '22"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "7.2.2022"] [Round "-"] [White "Gerard"] [Black "freeman-82"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1439"] [TimeControl "40/90 min +30 min SD +30s"] [WhiteElo "1600"] 1. e4 e5 { I decided to play 1e4...1e5 in the World Open tournament; I wantedto play more of the classical lines vs. any type of closed or semi-closedlines. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 { I enjoy endgames but not the Berlin lines } 4. Bxc6 { Ruy Lopez exchange } 4... dxc6 5. d3 { !? This move threw me off a bit } 5... Qf6 6. Be3 Bd7 { ?! Better is 6...Ne7 with Bg4 in mind. I played Bd7 inorder to castle queenside. } 7. O-O Ne7 8. Nbd2 { It was here I thoughtfor a long while. 8...0-0-0 runs into 9. Bg5 and the queen comes underattack if 9...Qd6 10. Nc4 11...Qe6. 8...Ng6 was my 2nd move on my mind. } 8... h6 { I settled on h6 for prophylaxis reasons. } 9. Ne1 { ?! I was anticipating9. Nc4 or 9. d4 to open the center. } 9... Ng6 10. Ndf3 { Time remaining 74/90minutes. } 10... O-O-O { Time remaining 63/90 minutes. } 11. Qd2 { So in my RuyLopez exchange preparations most lines I analyzed are lines are quicklyexchange. The queens are still on the board and I started to notice I havea cramped position. } 11... c5 { 11...Be7=. I thought I could create more spacefor black and play Bc6 in the future. } 12. Qc3 { ! } 12... Qd6 13. a4 { !? } 13... f6 14. b3 h5 { I start on for my own attack. This goes back to why I shouldhave played 9...Ng6 so I could play h7-h5 in one move and not 2! } 15. Nd2 { Time remaining 60/90 minutes. } 15... Nf4 { With the queen unable to move d2square I thought this move made sense vs. playing this on move 14. Timeremaining 33/90 minutes. } 16. Bxf4 exf4 17. Nef3 h4 18. h3 Rh5 { Gettingthe rook into the game. } 19. Rfe1 Re8 { ?! after reviewing this game Bc6or Be3 is better or even 19...g5 to get my own attack going on. } 20. Nc4 { Time remaining 52/90 minutes. This is why thought 19...Be6 should havebeen played as to prevent Nc4. } 20... Qc6 { Time remaining 20/90 minutes. } 21. Kh2 { !? Perhaps White was anticipating a potential bishop sacrificeon h3 if White were to ever play e4-e5. } 21... Bd6 22. Na5 Qb6 23. Nc4 { I wasready to draw if White repeated. } 23... Qc6 24. Nxd6+ Qxd6 25. Rad1 { ! Timeremaining 46/90 minutes. } 25... Qf8 { ?? In hindsight 25...Kb8 was needed toget my king to safety and possibly Bc8 Time remaining 15/90 minutes. } 26. d4 cxd4 { ?? } 27. Qxd4 Rd8 28. Qa7 { White is winning } 28... c5 29. Rxd7 Kxd7 { only move } 30. Qxb7+ { Time remaining 44/90 minutes. } 30... Ke6 { Time remaining13/90 minutes. } 31. Qxa6+ Kf7 32. Qc4+ Kg6 33. e5 fxe5 34. Nxe5+ Kh7 35. Nf3 Qf6 { ?? ...Rhd5 keeps Black alive } 36. Re6 Qf5 37. Re5 Qg6 38. Re6 Qf5 39. Re5 Qg6 { draw by three move repetition. 'Not by the hair of mychinny-chin-chin.' As the pigs would say to wolf. I was very lucky to geta draw and I knew this. If I were White I would march the a-pawn up theboard for promotion. We were one move away from reaching the additional30 minutes. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "FICS Standard (Giuoco Piano 5. Qb3)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.06.09"] [Round "-"] [White "probablydrunk"] [Black "Jonadan"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1459"] [TimeControl "1200+0"] [WhiteElo "1330"] 1. e4 { The Giuoco Piano is my current major subject of chess study. Ihave been playing on FICS recently and in games so far I have noticed thatmost players diverge (if White) after 4. ... Nf6 or (if Black) after 5.d4. The resulting games vary wildly. Here, I play Black. My opponent,after the initial moves, elects to exchange off as quickly as possible. My goal in the game is to use this to my own advantage by dictating thetimings and concentrating towards the center. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. Qb3 { White plays to pick up a pawn quickly. } 5... O-O { The normal5. ... d5 is out. On 6. exd5, 6. ... Nb5 7. Qa4 Nxc4 8. Qxc4 Bd6 has Blackinto full retreat with the loss of a pawn - and that's the best option. The text covers White's planned intrusion and develops the Rook. } 6. Ng5 { White persists in the attack. 6. O-O and development, or 6. d4 in thecenter would be preferable. The result is going to be poor largely becauseof the Queen's over-ambition. } 6... Qe7 7. Nxf7 Rxf7 8. Bxf7+ Qxf7 9. Qxf7+ Kxf7 { The exchange is a disaster for White, even though the count comeseven. Black is developed and controls the center: White is entirely not,and all his pieces are block in. My game plan from here is to controlthe center, gain a pawn majority as the position permits, and roll to victory. } 10. d3 Ne7 { An uncalled for retreat. The direct 10. ... d6 was in order. d5 is playable as well although the result is an isolated King's pawn. } 11. Be3 b6 { Retreat is not plausible, and the fiancetto'd Bishop will attacke4. } 12. d4 { If 12. Bxc5 bxc5 the Knights and pawns control the middlestill, and White loses his only developed piece - again. The text aimsto force a retreat but it's too early for White to resume his offensiveas he gives away a pawn. 12. Nd2 was in order. (Black follows with Bc7or possibly Ng4. If 12. ... Bxe3 13. fxe3 gives White a substantial centerwhich will frustrate Black's control and threaten the Knight and King withO-O later.) } 12... exd4 13. cxd4 Bb4+ 14. Bd2 Bxd2+ 15. Nxd2 Bb7 16. f3 { Fornow White has a substantial-looking center, and Black pays the price forover-caution earlier. } 16... d5 { And the direct assault does not help. Betterwas d6 or possibly even Nc6. } 17. e5 Nd7 18. O-O Ng6 19. g3 { White makesthe most of his King-side majority. } 19... Rf8 20. Kg2 Ke6 21. Rac1 c6 22. a4 Nb8 23. b4 a6 { This plays into White's attack and Rook advantage. 23.... Nd7 was better. Then if 24. b5 c5 and Black's position is better thanthe text. } 24. a5 { 24. b5 a5 was better, since it ties down Black's twopieces. } 24... b5 25. Nb3 Nd7 26. g4 h6 27. f4 Nxf4+ { Until this point White'sattack had done well enough but the pressure is off now and Black's Knightis home free. 27. Kg3 was better and might have won the game for White. Black is now looking to trade down. With the pawn line strongly heldthe advantage of an extra piece should force at least a draw - even witha poorly placed bishop and no rook. } 28. Kg3 { Gives away any remainingadvantage to the ensuing Knight fork. The correct move is Kh1. } 28... Ne2+ { Whiteresigns. } 0-1

[Event "Lincolnshire v Worcestershire, Board 9"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-3-12"] [Round "-"] [White "Ivan David"] [Black "Charles Higgie"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "BCF156"] [TimeControl "40in2hours,30min finish"] [WhiteElo "BCF172"] { This was an interesting County Match. Playing black against a higher-ratedplayer, I was delighted to get a draw. As you will see, comparing the openingwith the opening databases, I was the first one to deviate from establishedtheory. However I think my move is better than the usual moves in the position.I would very much like your views please dear reader. } 1. c4 { So he playsthe English against the England captain! } 1... Nf6 { I give him the chance togo back to more common lines with 2.d4, but he keeps it to an English. } 2. g3 { Against a weaker opponent I may have tried to play an Open SicilianReversed with e5 and d5, but I didn't fancy trying that against a strongerplayer. } 2... e5 { I stake a claim to some central control } 3. Bg2 { He continueslogically } 3... Nc6 { So I partly block his Bg2 } 4. Nc3 { He again develops logically } 4... d6 { Afterwards I found out that Bb4, Bc5 and g6 were all more popular movesand scored better. However I didn't really know those lines. } 5. e4 { Thiscame as a bit of a surprise. He leaves himself with a hole on d4 into whichmy knight could jump. On the other hand if he can get in d2-d4 he has astrong centre. } 5... g6 { So I thought by putting my bishop on g7 may put himoff playing d2-d4 } 6. Nge2 { So he threatens d2-d4. Now in this position,black has played Bg7 71 times and Be6 two times. Now what I played I thinkis better than Be6 immediately, because I entice him to play f3, whichpartially blocks his Bg2. } 6... Bg4 { So I play this. } 7. f3 { He blocks the pinon his knight. } 7... Be6 { and I retreat my bishop, hitting the Pc4 } 8. d3 { Whichhe protects, postponing d2-d4 } 8... Bg7 { So I develop } 9. Be3 { He develops } 9... O-O { I castle } 10. Qd2 { What is he doing? Is he really planning on 0-0-0and a king side attack. Ok lets prepare for that.... } 10... a6 { Now 0-0-0 ismet by b5 and my attack gets in first. } 11. O-O { So he goes the other way } 11... Nh5 { So I plan a sort of King's Indian Defence attack with f7-f5 } 12. Nd5 { He sticks his knight in an attacking position } 12... f5 { So I continue withmy plan } 13. exf5 { He takes } 13... gxf5 { I have to take with the pawn, if Bxf5or Rxf5 then 14. g4 wins a piece } 14. Bg5 { He hits my queen } 14... Qd7 { I movemy queen } 15. f4 { He blocks my f pawn } 15... Rae8 { I mobilise my R from a8 } 16. Rac1 { and one good rook move deserves another. } 16... Qf7 { I increase pressureon d5 } 17. b4 { He starts a queen side push } 17... Nf6 { I increase pressure ond5 again, threatening to win a pawn by taking three times on d5 } 18. Nxf6+ { So he takes } 18... Bxf6 { I take back } 19. Bxf6 { He takes } 19... Qxf6 { I take back } 20. b5 { and he continues with his queen side play. Now if I exchange onb5 I can't move my Nc6 without losing a pawn on c7 to his rook on c1. SoI have to move my knight immediately. I have only one move, otherwise hecan play Bg2xb7 } 20... Nd8 { So I have to retreat to this square. } 21. a4 { Sohe continues with his queen side play } 21... Re7 { So with perhaps either defensiveideas along the 7th rank, or maybe to aggressive duties from g7 } 22. bxa6 { So he takes } 22... bxa6 { I take back } 23. Qa5 { He hits a6 } 23... Bc8 { Which I protect } 24. Nc3 { He develops his knight, maybe with ideas of occupying d5 again } 24... c6 { So I stop that } 25. fxe5 { He takes } 25... dxe5 { I take back } 26. Ne4 { Hetakes advantage of a little pin on my f pawn. If fxe4? He has Rf1xQf6 } 26... Qg6 { So I had to move my queen } 27. Nc5 { His knight takes up a powerfulpost } 27... Nb7 { I attack his queen and knight, so he is forced to exchange. } 28. Nxb7 { Which he does } 28... Bxb7 { I take back } 29. Qc5 { He attack my rook } 29... Rfe8 { I defend } 30. Rce1 { He puts his rook into a more aggressive position } 30... Kg7 { Maybe king up for the ending at some stage. } 31. d4 { I have to becareful, if I take on d4 he can take my rook on e7 } 31... Qf6 { So I give moreback-up to my pawn } 32. Bh3 { He attacks f5 } 32... Bc8 { I protect } 33. dxe5 { Hetakes } 33... Rxe5 { I recapture } 34. Rxe5 { He takes } 34... Rxe5 { I take back } 35. Qd4 { ... and a draw was agreed. Many thanks for reading my annotation. Pleaserank it with the start system and leave a comment or too. Thanking youin anticipation! } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.01.02"] [Round "-"] [White "purplepony"] [Black "andy1000"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1406"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1598"] 1. a4 { i dont like to move pawns near king i like to keep king safe } 1... e5 { some think this is better but he weaken his king } 2. h4 { i dont understandwhy so many think it is bad move } 2... Bc5 3. Nc3 { developing a piece and notcreating a pawn weakness } 3... Qf6 { he goes for checkmate } 4. Ne4 { :D } 4... Qc6 { attacksmy knight } 5. Nxc5 { he lose a long attacking piece for my knight that doesnot move far } 5... Qxc5 { it says 0 but i think bishop stronger } 6. b4 { openingdeveloping for bishop } 6... Qxb4 { free pawn! } 7. Ba3 { attacking with bishophis queen has to move a lot } 7... Qxa4 { he takes another pawn! } 8. Bd6 { buthe has weak pawns also } 8... Qc4 { defends c7 } 9. e3 { !? opens my king but icomplete development } 9... Qc6 { 7 times!!!! } 10. Bxe5 { down 1 pawn but attacking1 } 10... f6 { not good to move pawns in front of king } 11. Bb2 { Bf4 other choice } 11... Nh6 { controls f7 } 12. Nf3 { pony pursues queen } 12... O-O { seems weak structureon black kingside } 13. Nd4 { hi } 13... Qb6 { 8 times!!!! } 14. Bc4+ { check tempogain } 14... Kh8 { i want something with dark bishop } 15. Rb1 { defend bishop } 15... Re8 { my king safe even with his rook there } 16. Qh5 { attacking his rook } 16... Re5 { attacking my queen } 17. Nf5 { blocking him and now attacking him with bishop } 17... Nxf5 { rook defends e8 so i take it } 18. Bxe5 { he can take my rook but hisqueen will be OUT of the game } 18... g6 { blocks my queen from checkmate but weakensf6 } 19. Rxb6 { he have to take my queen now } 19... gxh5 { up material now! } 20. Rxf6 { checkmate soon! } 20... Kg7 21. Rxf5+ Kg6 22. Rg5+ Kh6 23. Bg7# { this ismy first annotation i hope it was not 2 bad } 1-0

[Event "A bad line..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.26"] [Round "-"] [White "babetta"] [Black "nyctalop"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1960"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1884"] { This game features a subvariation of the Sveshnikov, where White choosesa passive Knight retreat. The line is much more common at junior level,at least from my experience, where theory is less important and everyonejust tries to play chess according to general principles. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 { If White wanted to avoid the Sveshnikov this was his chance,with either 3. Nc3 or the more respectable 3. Bb5. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nb3 { This is considered even worse than 6. Nf3, after which Black'sbest move is 6...h6, making sure White won't get an easy grip on d5. Butwhy is such a natural retreat frowned upon so severely? It's very commonin many other Sicilian lines, where White usually gets good play. The followingmoves by Black should shed some light on why this move is considered veryweak, probably worse is only 6. Nxc6, after which Black gets a very gamebecause he will play d5 in good conditions. } 6... Bb4 7. Bd3 d5 { There it is.Black has solved his opening problems. He has gotten rid of the d5 weakness,he's developed all the right pieces, he's attacked the center and he'screating threats. I think that's more than enough reasons to prove thatNb3 isn't problematic at all for Black. } 8. exd5 { Forced. } 8... Nxd5 9. Bd2 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Bd6 { White has some compensation for his mangled pawns butnot enough. If Black can defend successfully, the endgame will surely benefithim. } 11. Qh5 Qc7 12. O-O { White can force Black to postpone castling orcreate a weakness but that's just a temporary problem. If things go thedistance, his chances will start withering away. } 12... Be6 { For now, Black completesdevelopment. I didn't want to give White a target to attack yet. Thereis no point in ruining your position if you don't have to. Sometimes it'sbetter just to wait until your opponent plays his hand. } 13. a4 { A weirdmove. I guess White was concerned about my possibility of castling longand attempted to scare me out of it. The hidden cost of the move will berevealed later. } 13... h6 14. a5 { Again a weird move. Clearly, with h6, I wasintending to castle short. So why continue to push the a-pawn further weakeningit? } 14... O-O { My K-side looks bare as a bone, with the Bishop pair aimed atit and the Qh5 loitering around my King. But after the tempting 15. Bxh6gxh6 16. Qxh6 f6, White needs more pieces to attack and he hasn't any available. } 15. f3 { This looks like a straightforward mistake. I don't see any pointbehind this move, Black wasn't threatening ...e4, so why play f3? An interestingidea is to make use of the space on the Q-side and play 15. Ra4, when Blackhas to take precautions since 16. Bxh6 is more of a threat with the Rookeager for a full side-shift into battle. } 15... Bxb3 { Black has a small combinationthat shows the drawbacks of pushing pawns recklessly, namely the a andthe f-pawn. } 16. cxb3 Bc5+ 17. Kh1 Rfd8 { It's very important to play thisRook to d8, or else White can get a perpetual. } 18. Qf5 Qd6 { The end ofBlack's combination. Basically, I'm trading 2 pawns for a piece, but bydoing so I'm exposing my King. That means it should be a while before Ican begin to convert my slight material advantage into a full point. } 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Qh8+ Ke7 21. Qxg7 Qxd3 22. Bxh6 { A very important position.Black is better, but walking on a thin red line. } 22... Rd5 { Covering the threatof b4-b5, after which e5 would be left defenseless. } 23. Qg5+ Kd7 24. Qf6 { With the aid of a check, White has repositioned his Queen to the verydangerous f6 square. } 24... Nxa5 { It looks like asking for too much, but in realityit's safe, because White's first rank is very weak. } 25. c4 Rd4 26. Qxe5 { White won back a pawn but missed the better move, 25. Qxf7+, after whichI would have had a long hard struggle in front of me. } 26... Nxb3 { Again exploitingthe weak back rank. } 27. Rae1 Bd6 { Time to reorganize my pieces and whatbetter way than to kick the White Queen around for a bit? } 28. Qb5+ Kc7 { My king has reached relative safety and now it's time for the counter-attack. } 29. Rb1 Rh8 30. h3 { Trying to remove the pressure on h2. } 30... Rxh6 31. Rg1 { Hard to explain this move. The natural and best 31. Qxb3 is still hopelessafter 31...Qxb3 32. Rxb3 Rxc4 33. Rfb1 b6 and I'm a clear piece up. } 31... Rxh3+ { Now it's mate in 7. } 32. gxh3 Qxf3+ 33. Rg2 Rd1+ 34. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 35. Rg1 Qf3+ 36. Rg2 Qf1+ 37. Rg1 Qxh3# { I was quite lucky this was a forced sequenceor else I would have timed out a won game due to a crappy ISP. I had theinspiration of introducing the line as a conditional move just hours beforea weekend of hell when I had no internet and no one at my provider budgedto do anything about it. I guess luck is needed in chess sometimes, notjust pure knowledge. } 0-1

[Event "The Blitz Series Pt. 2 - Oversights, Everywhere"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "01/12/15"] [Round "-"] [White "Rickdaily12"] [Black "magyari"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1906"] [TimeControl "5 min + 15 sec"] [WhiteElo "1576"] { A shame this game wasn't in GameKnot time controls! This game probablylasted 8 minutes, at the very most. My opponent and I were fairly confidentin our first 10 or so moves, and then we both got sloppy very quickly,not really taking much time in our moves, blunders soon following after.Fortunately for me, I came out on top, and I'm left wondering how thismatch could have turned out at multiple points in the game... } 1. e4 { Igo for my usual. } 1... e5 { No Sicilian shenanigans for this match. } 2. Nf3 { Stillcommon for my White play. } 2... Nc6 { Looking good so far, this is what I'm usedto playing against. } 3. d4 { I try a Scotch opening for this match. It'sa been a long time since I've used this, but I find it a touch more aggressivefor White than the Four Knights approach. I was interested to see how amatch against a skilled player would go for me, as I didn't feel like playingas passive this time. } 3... exd4 { He exchanges, as per the main line. } 4. Nxd4 { This is usual for White to do. } 4... Nxd4 { For Black, not so much. I normallysee Black succeeding more with the Nf6 line, as the c6 knight can keepthe Queen at bay from exchanges, whereas now I might be able to get awaywith pulling her out. This is more aggressive than I'm used to. } 5. Qxd4 { So my queen takes the center. } 5... c5 { Black is still opting for more aggressivedevelopment. I had to think for a few seconds. } 6. Qc3 { Qd1 would wastemoves on my tempo. Qd5 could be chased by Nf6, and any 4th-rank squarecould allow Black to develop more pawns while I draw my queen away. Whilethis does block both the c-pawn and Nc3, I felt this was the most logicalmove on my part to allow for more development on my end. } 6... d6 { Black plansto stake a claim to the center with better central pawns than White canoffer. It works. } 7. Be3 { So I plan to fight back with back-rank piecedevelopment, starting with this bishop as this will give a possibly neededQd2 more freedom. I need not worry about Bb4 for the next bit of time. } 7... Nf6 { He hits my e-pawn and strengthens a possible d5 after his O-O. } 8. Bd3 { I don't want to do f3 just yet. I haven't fully figured out whichway I want to castle yet, and I don't want to indicate a forced directionby pushing the other six pawns too soon. } 8... Be7 { Black, however, clearlygets more out of castling short for this match. } 9. b4 { This means thata queenside pawn storm is inevitable if I don't deter it now. My king isnot in danger for the time being, and I want to give myself some sort ofedge on the board once we decide to put the kings away in a corner. Isthere another case I could make to do O-O-O instead? } 9... b6 { He decides todefend the attack. Even so, I feel as though 9 ...d5 would have been strongerhere. It would have centralized his pawns even further, and there wouldn'tbe much for me to do about it. } 10. O-O { With something going on in theboard now, I move to hide the kings. } 10... O-O { He obliges, probably wantingto see what I plan on doing. } 11. bxc5 { This was to make both b5 and d5weaker to play for Black. I had also planned to move my queen to an undeterminedsquare later on, so that I can plan c4 and stop any pawn storms from ruiningmy defenses. I'm not as sure anymore if this was the right idea to have,however. What do you think? } 11... bxc5 { Anyway, he chooses to keep the pawnscentralized. Definitely stronger than dxc5. } 12. f3 { I know e4 is aboutto be pressured, so I opt to give it more defenses right now. } 12... Bb7 { Hedevelops his LSB, and adds even more pressure to e4. } 13. Qb3 { This wasmy first mistake in the match. Better was Qd2, I think. I wanted my queenon the long diagonal because I believed I had the means to build threatson d5, e6, and f7, without hindering rooks on either d1 or e1. I'll getpunished for this in a second. } 13... Qc7 { Stopping Qxb7, an attack I wasn'teven intending to build. He sees a much better move next turn. } 14. c4 { Deterring ...d5, as I've always planned. } 14... Rab8 { I'm still not noticingthe danger my queen is in at the moment. Black is gaining a lot of tempoon me right now, and I'm still too focused on the pawns to see it. } 15. Nc3 { Another mistake on my part. This adds another defender to e4, andanother threat to d5, but I should have played Qc2 first, followed by this. } 15... Bxe4 { Now my queen must move, and I've lost a pawn for nothing, givinghim full control of the game at this point. Black is now the deciding forceof how pieces will be exchanged from here onward. } 16. Qc2 { I don't wantto restrict my queen to d1, so I defend my bishop like this. } 16... Bxd3 { Hetakes it anyway. } 17. Qxd3 { Now my queen goes here, still well in frontof my rooks. I know I need to develop my pieces a little more, but Blackis about to attack, yet again. } 17... Nd7 { -Or worse. Black probably realizedthat I wasn't comfortable with my situation, and wanted to adjust a littlemore for stronger points of attacks now that my central pawns and queenpawns are neutralized. } 18. Rfe1 { I cannot allow Black to seize the e-filewithout issue. } 18... Ne5 { And he targets the queen, probably hoping to developmore pieces in chasing her a little further. } 19. Qf1 { However, I'm prettyhappy with her right here for the time being. I don't have to fully retreatjust yet, and I have a certain idea in mind with the board like this. } 19... Bf6 { But my tempo is still a bit too far behind Black. This strengthensRfe8, and I didn't even notice what else this long diagonal offered Blackfor this game... } 20. Nd5 { I sensed the Bishop was a bit too strong, soI try to get rid of it by moving his queen. } 20... Qd8 { However, this is a fantasticsquare to reassure Black can keep control of the long dark diagonal. Iwas less confident about Nxf6+ now. } 21. f4 { I didn't want to take theBishop just yet, because my intention was always to use the last of mypawns to pressure Black while having enough maneveur room for my King.That would have been a little more risky had I decided to let the BlackQueen sit at f6, hoping for me to expose my king later. } 21... Nxc4 { However,he sets up another gambit, and I don't even realize how it's a gambit rightaway. What is White's best move, everyone? } 22. Qxc4 { At the time, I guessedthis. But I feel as though, right now, I should have done Nxf6+. If Nxf6,Black must do Qxf6, and now I can play Qxc4. In an actual GameKnot match,I might have had a true advantage having lost two pawns for his Dark Bishop. } 22... Bxa1 { Instead, I overlooked this move, and I feel as though the matchis lost at this point. } 23. Rxa1 { So I might as well exchange. } 23... Rb4 { Andout of nowhere, this appears. Had I done 22. Nxf6+, this would never havebeen a blunder. } 24. Nxb4 { My knight ended up saving the day, yet again.My opponent had a hard think, and clearly tried to figure out somethingto do about this degree of error... } 24... cxb4 { So they reluctantly capturethe knight... } 25. Bxa7 { and I see this move, secluding the two centerblack pawns, and possessing my Dark Bishop means that I can attack thekingside fairly easily, as we're 3v2 for back pieces against the BlackKing. My opponent resigns here, sure that I would know how to secure mywin with this advantage. I was thrilled I did well, although I wish bothour games were better handled at the midgame! Thanks for reading this annotation! } 1-0

[Event "58th GK tournament the_golfer vs flyfish283 1/6/09 - 12/6/09"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.12"] [Round "-"] [White "the_golfer"] [Black "flyfish283"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1367"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1241"] 1. e4 { This is my second annotation. This game was interesting and a gameI was happy to win. I always like to move my king's pawn two spaces. } 1... c5 { A response move I am not that familiar with, but I had to go on anyway. } 2. Bc4 { I stop the pawn moving by moving Bc4 and also attacking f7. } 2... Nc6 { flyfish283's knight comes into play. } 3. Qf3 { My queen could checkmateon the next move, by moving Qf3. } 3... Nf6 { The attack is blocked with Nf6.I wasn't expecting a win that easy anyway. Not many people win in fourmoves. } 4. Nh3 { So my knight opens the other way with Nh3. } 4... e5 { flyfish283'spawn advances two spaces to e5. } 5. Ng5 { My knight becomes more attacking,and if the opponent is not careful, they could be down ten points. } 5... Be7 { The bishop comes out, but that doesn't stop me from going Nxf7. } 6. Nxf7 { I am now attacking flyfish283's queen and rook and is being protectedby my bishop. flyfish283 obviously moves his queen out of the way allowingme to take the rook. } 6... Qa5 { The queen moves away to a5. } 7. Nxh8 { I took the rook. } 7... Nd4 { Nd4 opens an attack on my queen, so I move it quickly. } 8. Qd1 d5 { The queen's pawn comes down to attack my pawn and bishop. } 9. Bxd5 { I really should have taken it with my pawn, but this is more attacking. } 9... Nxd5 { I get taken, but I take his knight by exd5. } 10. exd5 { Seven pointsup in a tournament game gives me good self-esteem and motivation to keepgoing. } 10... Bf5 { Bf5 was a smart move. Why did I castle? } 11. O-O Nxc2 { Nxc2lost me my rook, so I needed to regain those lost points. } 12. Qh5+ { Iput the king in check. } 12... g6 { A good move, blocking the escape of my knight,attacking my queen and defending his bishop at the same time. It wasn'tunexpected. } 13. Qxh7 { This however left the pawn to be taken. } 13... O-O-O { CastlingI have to say wasn't the best option, but opened up the rook on a8. } 14. Qxe7 { I take the bishop on e7, but my knight is left open. } 14... Rxh8 { My knightis gone, but I am still seven points up. } 15. Qxe5 { I move Qxe5 as a responsemove and now also attacking his rook. } 15... Nxa1 { So he finally takes my rook.Why did he leave it so late? } 16. Qxh8+ { I take his rook and put flyfish283into check. } 16... Kd7 { The game is about to close with the king moving to d7. } 17. Nc3 { My knight comes up for no particular reason. } 17... Nc2 { So his knightcomes out too. } 18. a3 { Didn't see the end at this point. } 18... Nd4 { The knightcomes out to defend any attacks. } 19. Re1 { The game ends very soon withRe1. } 19... Nb5 { The knight moves away, which is a good thing for me. } 20. Qe8+ { I go for the attack. } 20... Kd6 { There was the mistake. If only flyfish283 hadmove to c7, the game might have lasted longer. } 21. Qe7# { A small subtlemovement cost a point on the tournament board. Thank you for watching thisannotation. The writing wasn't the best, but I promise it will get better! } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from eesther accepted"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.04.23"] [Round "-"] [White "eesther"] [Black "redfoxrising"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1823"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1945"] 1. e4 { Accepted challenge from eesther not aware that this player wasundefeated. Thanks for the game! At the end of this game, that clean sweepwas stopped. Red fox is Rising and shows why in our game. I am not goingto try to explain move by move as I have done in most of my past annotations.Please do this for me. This annotation was made by me to promote this gamewe all play. eesther has told me to annotate our game and will also addcomments. on with the game white opens e4. } 1... c5 { book } 2. Nf3 c4 { ? I'mnot sure what happened here, pawn is pushed and is hanging! Crazy likea fox I guess, If game continued this way it would of ended quickly. } 3. Bxc4 { Big surprise pawn was hanging!!! } 3... Qc7 { Well this is interesting,why not? Let's move my Queen early. I'm sure this will get the LSB to eithermove or get protected, The f7 pawn is in attack. } 4. Qe2 { Both Queens areout now! } 4... a6 { I'm playing like a new chess player, } 5. d4 { White is controllingthe center } 5... Nc6 { I develop my N } 6. Nc3 { both of his N's are now developed. } 6... b5 { Maybe this pawn push was planned with support from my wing pawn ona6? } 7. Bb3 { LSB retreats still targeted on the white diagonal keepinga eye on my K } 7... e6 { this pawn is now played exposing my DSB with a niceview of the black diagonal towards the side of the board. } 8. a3 { pawngoes up 1 was a4 better? It does stop my N going to b4 or pinning withmy DSB } 8... Bb7 { This is where my LSB is finally developed on the main diagonallooking at the many pieces. } 9. d5 { pawn attacks } 9... Na5 { N goes to the rimfor now attacking the LSB } 10. Ba2 { LSB retreats a 2nd time } 10... Nf6 { N isdeveloped } 11. O-O { castled short } 11... Rc8 { R aligned behind my Q } 12. Rd1 { Rook to d file } 12... Nc4 { N moved to a better position } 13. Rd3 { Rd3 was played } 13... Be7 { DSB completes my development ahead of white. } 14. Bb1 { LSB back torank 1 } 14... O-O { I castle short } 15. b3 { pawn attacks my well placed N } 15... Ne5 { N has to retreat } 16. Nxe5 { N takes N } 16... Qxe5 { I take back with my Q } 17. f4 { pawn attacks Q } 17... Qc7 { Q returns to c7 } 18. d6 { pawn attacks my DSB &Queen } 18... Bxd6 { B takes P } 19. e5 { pawn forks N and DSB } 19... Bc5+ { B checks + } 20. Kh1 { K moves out of check } 20... Nd5 { N moves from the attacking pawn } 21. Ne4 { N is well placed to the center of the board } 21... f6 { P attacks P } 22. c4 bxc4 { P takes P attacking R } 23. bxc4 { P takes P attacks N } 23... fxe5 { Ptakes P } 24. Nxc5 { N takes DSB } 24... Qxc5 { Q takes N } 25. Rh3 { Rh3 } 25... g6 { pawndefends pawn from LSB and R attack of h file. } 26. Rxh7 { R takes P } 26... Nxf4 { N takes P attacks Q it also protects P on g6 } 27. Bxf4 { B takes N } 27... Rxf4 { R takes B } 28. Bxg6 { B takes P } 28... Rf2 { R attacks Q } 29. Qh5 { Qh5 } 29... Bxg2+ { ! B takes P and checks + } 30. Kg1 { forced move } 30... Re2# { Re2# discoveredcheck mate wins the game. id=eesther first rated loss on GK This wasmy first undefeated player win. My closest game was a draw against anotherundefeated player. This game was very close and decided by one move } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Jul-08"] [Round "-"] [White "fish613"] [Black "leonardo_wl"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1073"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 { This was a standard game between two low-ranked players. I annotatedthis game simply to try and improve my own skills and understanding ofthe game. I opened with e4 - the only move I've had much experience with. } 1... c6 { Black plays the Caro-Kann defence. } 2. Nc3 b5 { The Goldman variationof the Caro-Kann plays d5 instead. I can't find this variation in the GameKnotdatabase. } 3. Nf3 e6 { Again, a less-than-common move, with a strong structureon white squares but very weak on black squares, a blocked white bishopand with no pieces developed. } 4. d4 { I tried to push paws forward to stopblack gaining too much pawn strength. } 4... Nf6 5. Bd3 Ng4 { A strange move forthe knight, with no support and no visible motive. Black is falling furtherand further behind on development. } 6. Bf4 { With hindsight, Bg5 might havealso been good. Black would have three options: move the queen, play f6in contrast to his previous pawn moves, or play Be7, the best option. Instead,I played the less-confrontational Bf4. } 6... Qf6 7. Ne2 { This move served twopurposes for me: I was able to defend the bishop and move the knight awayfrom black's oppressive pawns. } 7... Bb4+ { A waste of a move on black's part. } 8. Bd2 { c3 is also viable, with a view to pushing forward on the queen-side. } 8... Bd6 9. e5 { Pushes forward and forks the black queen and bishop. } 9... Bxe5 { Abadly considered move that loses the bishop and leaves a white pawn ina strong position. Allowing exd6 would probably have been better, as thepawn would have been left hanging and vulnerable. } 10. dxe5 Qe7 11. c4 { Pushes forward to try and break black's pawn structure and free the queenfor action. } 11... Na6 12. cxb5 { In keeping with the idea behind playing c4.The next few moves require little comment. } 12... Nc5 13. Qc2 Rb8 14. Be3 Nxd3+ 15. Qxd3 Rxb5 16. Qc3 Ba6 17. O-O Qb4 18. Bxa7 { For the next few moves,both sides start playing to capture lots of opposing pieces. However, Icame out marginally ahead. } 18... Qxb2 19. Qd4 Qxe2 20. Qxg4 Rxe5 21. Nxe5 Qxe5 { I had fewer and weaker pawns than black but was a rook up after the lastexchange. } 22. Rab1 { The threat is 23 Rb8 Ke7 24 Rxh8 } 22... Ke7 23. Rfe1 Qf5 24. Qb4+ c5 { A bad move. Throws away a passed pawn for nothing. } 25. Bxc5+ Kf6 26. Qd4+ Kg5 27. Re5 { Skewers the black queen. At this point, I tooka decisive lead. Again, the remaining moves are all fairly obvious. } 27... Bd3 28. Rxf5+ exf5 29. Qxg7+ Kf4 30. Qxh8 Bxb1 31. Qd4+ Be4 32. Qxd7 { At thispoint, black gave up, and Iwon by timeout. I clearly had a far superiorposition to black. It is hard to see how black could have won this game.Thank you for reading this. Comments are welcome. } *

[Event "Complicated Endgame Study No. 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "2 knights"] [Black "pawn"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1"] [WhiteElo "6"] { Rather than annotating a game from the opening to the endgame, I've decidedto only focus on the endgame. Lately I've been getting a lot of complicatedendings in my games, so I decided to annotate an endgame only, please ignorethe huge un-annotated part of this study, as it is just a quick way ofskipping over the opening. Even if you never get this endgame in your life,it is still useful to study since it will improve your endgame, and youcan use some of the ideas in similar endings. } 1. e4 Nf6 2. Qh5 Nxh5 3. a4 Ng3 4. Ra3 Nxh1 5. Rg3 Nxg3 6. Be2 Nxe2 7. Nf3 Nxc1 8. Ne5 Ne2 9. Nxd7 Ng3 10. Nxb8 Nh1 11. Nc6 Nxf2 12. Nxd8 Nxe4 13. Nxf7 Nxd2 14. Nxh8 Nc4 15. Ng6 h5 16. Nxf8 Nxb2 17. Ne6 Nxa4 18. Nxc7+ Kf7 19. Nxa8 Ke6 20. Nb6 Nc3 21. Nxc8 Ne2 22. Nxa7 Nd4 23. Nc6 Nxc2+ 24. Kd2 Nb4 25. Nxb4 Kf5 26. Kc3 Kf4 27. Kc4 Ke3 28. Kb5 Kf2 29. Kb6 Kxg2 30. Kxb7 Kxh2 31. Kc7 Kg1 32. Nc3 h4 33. Nbd5 g5 34. Nxe7 g4 35. Nf5 h3 36. Kc6 Kf1 37. Nh6 Ke1 38. Nxg4 Kd2 39. Nd5 Kc2 40. Nh2 Kb2 { This is the starting position in thedesired endgame I would like to study and demonstrate to you. It is White'smove here, and there are loads of players who would just offer a draw hereas White. King and two knights vs. lone king is known to be a dead draw,so if you ever get close to reaching this two knights endgame, you shouldkeep one of your opponent's pawns on the board, because it is possibleto mate with two knights, if your opponent has remaining material, andyou have the technique to win (like I will show you). } 41. Kc5 { White hasa forced win (that will take many many moves). Black's pawn close to promotionon the h-file is a traitor, because without it, the position would be deaddrawn. Two knights can usually win against a king and pawn if the pawn'spromotion is blocked and sufficiently far from promotion (in this case2 squares is far enough, but it usually isn't) and the losing king isn'tclose to helping the pawn. } 41... Kb3 { Black is fighting for a draw, so it'slogical that he would want to try restricting the attacking king from comingin, but this just stalls White's win. It's up to Black to make it as hardas possible for White to win. } 42. Kb5 { White forces the enemy king backwith opposition, and with the help of the knight. The other knight is ablockade to prevent pawn promotion. That knight will move later and allowa pawn move so that the black king won't be stalemated when the knightsfocre checkmate. } 42... Kc2 { Black wants to get toward the pawn and attack theblockader. It is pretty much the only hope for a draw. } 43. Kc4 { It isimportant to have an agressive king in and endgame, especially when youropponent has minimal material. White's king is the most powerful pieceon the board, where it restricts Black's movement. White's three piecesmust cooperate accurately to win this. White has an offensive knight, anda defensive knight. The offensive knight helps the king to restrict theenemy king's breathing space, while the defensive knight simply blockadesthe pawn and then comes in later to complete the final mating maneuver. } 43... Kd2 44. Kd4 Ke2 45. Ne3 { This is a big decision for Black. Black can headtoward the kingside and White will play Nef1 and there is no hope of Black'sking breaking the blockade with both knights supporting each other. Blackcan stall the win longer by going to the queenside, where there is morefree space. } 45... Kd2 46. Nc4+ { If Black heads to the kingside toward the pawnwith Ke2, then Ke4 Kf2 Nd2 and White can set up the supporting knightsstrategy to continue the pawn blockade. } 46... Kc2 47. Na5 { Restricting the kingfrom b3. This time if Black keeps heading toward the queenside with Kb2,then Kd3 Ka3 Kc3 Ka4 Nb7 and the king will be pushed back toward White'sterritory, and then pushed to the kingside. The reason the king needs tobe pushed toward the pawn, is because White has a knight sacrifice tacticlater. where White mates with a lone knight. } 47... Kd2 48. Nb3+ Kc2 49. Kc4 Kb2 50. Nd4 { The king and knight alone are able to restrict the enemy kinguntil it is forced to get cornered on the kingside. The other knight comesin for the finish later. } 50... Ka2 51. Kc3 Ka3 52. Nb3 { The knight corneringmethod is complicated to master, but the ideas will come in handy in knightendgames, and especially in variants of this endgame. } 52... Ka4 53. Kc4 { Theonly winning move. Other moves allow the king to escape into a drawn position. } 53... Ka3 54. Nc5 Ka2 55. Kd3 Kb2 56. Kd2 { Cornering with a knight takes timeand practice to do effectively, and maneuvering must be precise. Oppositionis the main idea of pushing the enemy king back (being two horizontal orvertical squares away from the defending king is the strongest) } 56... Ka2 57. Kc2 Ka3 58. Kc3 { Once again the only winning move. There are other variantsof the last few previous positions that would've reached this positionquicker. Pay attention to how the king and knight maneuver to control wherethe Black king is forced to move. White's goal is to get the black kingtoward the pawn where White has the sacrifice tactic. } 58... Ka2 59. Nd3 { IfKa3 here, then White plays the restricting Nb2. Now that Black's king hasbeen effectively restricted in the corner, White must figure out how tozugswang the king into having to move toward the pawn. Don't worry if thewinning process seems complicated, if you just play logical restrictingmoves and calculate ahead, you should be able to manage a win. } 59... Kb1 60. Kb3 Ka1 61. Kc2 Ka2 62. Nb2 Ka1 63. Nc4 Ka2 64. Kc3 Kb1 65. Kd2 Ka1 66. Kc1 { Since kings and knights cannot waste moves, White needs to have agood grasp of triangulation and opposition knowledge. Triangulation iswhen you make a series of moves that reaches almost the same position asbefore, except that the other player has to move. If you learn this techniquethen you will have a better understanding of how to corner with a kingand knight. } 66... Ka2 67. Kc2 Ka1 68. Kb3 Kb1 69. Nd2+ { Finally White has madesome progress in cornering Black's king. Black cannot play Ka1 here becauseplay continues Nhf3 h2 Nd4 h1=Q Nc2# } 69... Kc1 70. Kc3 Kd1 71. Nb3 Ke2 72. Kd4 { This is a very important restricting move. Black can draw if he gets toe3 where it is impossible to corner him from the center. } 72... Kf2 73. Nc1 { Here,Ke1 is the move that stalls the win the longest, but I will show this variationsince most players would play this as Black, attempting to break the knightblockade while the knights are not supporting each other. So attackingthe knight by moving the king to the g-file seem to draw the game right? } 73... Kg3 { How can White win now since the blockade has been broken? } 74. Ke3 { White has this nice mating tactic where Black will lose quickly if hetakes the knight. After Kxh2, play continues Kf2 Kh1 Ne2 Kh2 (h2 Ng3#)Nc3 Kh1 Ne4 Kh2 (h2 Ng3#) Nd2 Kh1 Nf1 h2 Ng3# } 74... Kh4 { Kg2 also loses quicklybecause Ne2 maintains the sacrifice mating tactic (Ne2 Kxh2 Kf3 Kh1 Kf2transposes into the line discussed before) and Black's king is completelyrestricted to the corner. White uses restriction to force Black to acceptthe knight sacrifice, where White can use the brilliant 1-knight matingtactic, which was once just a composed puzzle, but now it serves a purposein this endgame. If Black's pawn wasn't a rook pawn, then it would haveto be farther from promotion in order for White to still win, since matingwith 1 knight can only be done if the king is trapped behind a rook-pawn } 75. Kf4 Kh5 76. Kf5 Kh6 { If Kh4, then Ne2 restricts the king to be pushedupward anyway } 77. Kf6 Kh7 78. Ne2 { White's powerful knights and Black'straitor pawn restrict the enemy king from crossing a barrier, Black's onlyhope of escaping is around the White king and back to the queenside. } 78... Kg8 79. Ke7 { Here we are nearing the 50-move rule. On most online chess servers,the 50-move rule is initiated, and White would have to sadly settle fora draw, but in competetive tournament play, the 50-move rule can be exemptedfor special cases that require more than 50 moves to win. Usually youropponent's defense won't be perfect, so there is still hope of winningin under 50 moves when playing online where the 50-move rule interfereswith your win. If you are in an OTB tournament and you ever get a winningending requiring more than 50 moves to win, I highly encourage you to causea scene if the tournament director won't allow you more than 50 moves towin. I think the 50-move rule is dumb, because there is a famous positionthat requires almost 600 moves to force a win! } 79... Kh7 { Kg7 allows White towin slightly quicker with Nf4, where White's opposition of the king allowsBlack to be cornered quicker. A lot of players would've played Kg7, cuttingoff time from White's winning sequence. A lot of inaccuracies by a humanplayer can take lots of moves of your winning sequence, and may allow youto finish in less than 50 moves in cases where extra time isn't allowed. } 80. Kf7 Kh6 81. Kf6 Kh7 { If Kh5, then White tightens the barrier with aNc3 Ne4 maneuver } 82. Nd4 Kh6 { The finishing moves of this ending are usuallythe hardest to find. The cornering part at the beginning just requiredlogical restricting moves. White now has to continue the restriction barrierinto the h8-corner where White's h2-knight has sufficient moves to mateBlack the same move the pawn promotes. Back when the king was corneredon a1, the knight wasn't close enough to force a mate, but the h2-knightserved a purpose when it restricted the a1-square with a mating threat. } 83. Nf5+ { If Kh7 here, then Kf7 corners the king more quickly. } 83... Kh5 84. Ne3 { There are two totally different winning sequences. If Black's planis to move toward the h8-corner, then White will win by stalemating theking on h8 the same move the h2-knight moves to give Black a legal pawnmove, then that knight will mate Black the same move the pawn promotes. If Black's plan is to move toward the h1-corner, then White will win byfiguring a way to get his king to g3 the same move Black plays Kh1, sothat White will have Nf2 h2 Nf2# } 84... Kh6 { This is Black's longest way of surviving,since the knights are further from the h8-corner, but regardless, the knightsare powerful enough to corner the king in either corner wherever Blackflees. } 85. Neg4+ Kh7 { If Kh5, then Kf5 Kh4 Kg6 and White forces the kingto h1 thanks to the powerful barrier restricting f3, f2, and f1. Whitewould then need to get the king to g3 the same move the king is forcedto h1, and then play Nf3 h2 Nf2# } 86. Kf7 Kh8 87. Nh6 Kh7 88. Nf5 Kh8 { Theking has been forcefully cornered, so now White must figure out the matingsequence. There are certain squares the knights need to be on in orderto complete the mating attack. } 89. Kg6 Kg8 90. Ng7 Kf8 { Kh8 loses quickerto Ne6 Kg8 Ng4!! where White has enough moves to mate Black on or beforethe move the pawn promotes } 91. Kf6 Kg8 92. Ne6 Kh7 { If Kh8, then Kg6 Kg8Ng4!! reaching the same position discussed a couple moves ago. } 93. Kg5 Kg8 94. Kg6 Kh8 95. Kf7 Kh7 { Now White has maneuvered the knight onto asquare where a forced checkmating sequence can begin with the movementof the blockading knight. } 96. Ng4 { It takes a lot of foresight and extremelyaccurate play to win an endgame like this, so hopefully these ideas willhelp you in your endgame. Even though this endgame took more than 50 movesto win, White still had a forced win, and most TD's will exempt the 50-moverule if you have the technique to win this. A lot of times the defenders'sdefense won't be well enough to make you take more than 50 moves, especiallyin lower rated games. } 96... h2 { Kh8 loses just as fast, after Nf6 h2 Nf4 h1=QNg6#. } 97. Ng5+ { Checking with this knight on g5 or f8 will win just asfast, since the knight will be guarding h7 in either case, the king willbe stalemated in either case, and the g4-knight can complete the same matingmaneuver in either case. } 97... Kh8 98. Ne5 { This is the final mating maneuver,Black has been successfully cornered into a stalemated position where forcedmate exists. } 98... h1=Q 99. Ng6# { This is a complicated endgame to study, andmastering it is a lot more complicated than mastering the knight-bishopcheckmate, or the 2 bishops vs. 1 knight checkmate. Even though endingslike this are rare, just the ideas and concepts will help you in similarendings, and using these tactical ideas will allow you to win logicallyin complicated endgames, rather than memorizing billions of possible endgamepiece placements and positions that are forced mate in over 100 moves.Extreme calculation and technique is the key to winning endgames, and winningthem will take time and effort, so it's best to study endgames rather thanopenings, since the simplicity of few pieces helps you better understandchess, and improve your overall chess. } 1-0

[Event "Najdorf Sicilian B96-B99"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.06.19"] [Round "-"] [White "dongoodman"] [Black "gnezz"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2182"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "2082"] 1. e4 c5 { This is Sicilian defence which is a popular response to White's1. e4 and one of the openings which has made the King pawn opening percentagewins slightly lower than that of 1. d4. Louis Paulsen, a German, was oneof the early practitioners of the Sicilian defence and was a defensiveplayer who said that brilliant attacks would fail against correct defence.Paulsen could draw one game against Paul Morphy and his ideas influencedWilhelm Steinitz who developed the art of defence in chess. Black's ideahere is to exchange his Bishop's pawn for White's central pawn on d5 andbuild a central pawn majority which will be pushed in the endgame for queeningone of the central pawns. An endgame is favourable for Black. So White'sstrategy is to play for a win in the middle game by attacking Black's kingwhether it is castled or not. The tactical battle in the middle game isa minefield and either player can win or lose suddenly as happened in thisgame. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { The Najdorf variationis named after Polish-Argentinian GM Miguel Najdorf. It is one of the mostdeeply studied openings and a favourite weapon of many World championslike Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov andViswanathan Anand. This is a thematic tournament. } 6. Bg5 { A sharp lineof attack similar to the Richter- Rauzer attack. } 6... e6 7. f4 { Attacking immediatelywith a pawn storm on the king side and threatening to win Black's knightwith e5 push. By the way this is the starting position of this thematictournament. } 7... Qc7 { Unpins the knight on f6. } 8. Bxf6 { White disrupts Black'skingside pawns. } 8... gxf6 { In Najdorf, the broken pawns on the king side aresurprisingly defendable. Black sets up a defensive pawn barricade in thecentre and is provoking White to try and attack his defensive centre. } 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. O-O-O Bd7 { Black plans to castle on the queen side as hisking side castle wall is broken. White's pawn storm on the king side canalso be avoided. How shall White play from here? } 11. Kb1 O-O-O 12. Bc4 { Attacks the e6 square and also defends the White castle against the imminentonslaught by Black on the queen side. White has completed development andis ready to attack. } 12... Rg8 { Black's rook occupies the half open g-file. } 13. Nxc6 { White starts to get rid of Black's defending pieces. The situationhere is that White has more pieces ready to attack the queen side thanBlack has in defence. The bishop on f8 is not available for defence inthis game. } 13... Bxc6 14. Bb3 Bh6 15. Rhf1 b5 { Black starts his attack on theWhite castled king. } 16. a3 { White stops an immediate b4 for the time beingand also creates a luft for his king. } 16... Kb8 17. g3 a5 18. Qe2 { A subtlemove to plant the c3 knight on b5 if Black pushes b5 to b4. } 18... Qb7 19. Rfe1 Bf8 { Black's dsb is trying desperately to get into the action. Time isan important factor in many Sicilians and Black's development problemshave to be exploited by White ASAP or else Black completes his developmentand tries to reach a favourable endgame. } 20. a4 { White tries to disruptBlack's advancing pawns and open up the queen side for attack. This moveis creating a base for the White knight on c3 which lands on b5 and crampsblack's movement on the queen side. } 20... b4 21. Nb5 { Black dislodges the knighton c3 and weakens White's central square e4. White's knight settles closeto the Black king's castle. The position is double edged and somethinghas to happen soon. } 21... f5 { Black attacks the e4 square and is trying to winan exchange. } 22. exf5 Bf3 { Black carries out his plan and hopes to winthe end game. } 23. Qe3 Bxd1 24. Rxd1 exf5 { Black is + 2 in material. } 25. Rd5 { White's rook threatens f5 and also plans to land on b5 or a5 and gobbleup Black's loose pawns. } 25... Rd7 26. Nd4 { Knight vacates the b5 square so thatthe Rook can come in with a devastating attack on the b-file. It also attacksthe pawn on f5. } 26... Kc8 { To avoid the threat of White rook arriving at b5. } 27. Qe8+ Rd8 28. Qe2 { White's queen occupies the White squares with tempoby giving a check and coming to e2. It is instructive to see how the weaknesseson White squares lead to the downfall of Black's game. Another point hereis that overall material plus is not sufficient. The material plus in thearea where the battle is taking place is more important. White has allhis pieces ready for attack on the queen side whereas Black's dsb and oneRook are on a vacation far away from the battle zone. } 28... Rd7 29. Rxa5 { White'sthreats are unstoppable and Black resigns. Likely continuations are A)29...Re7 30. Qd3 Kd8 31. Bd5 Qc8 32. Ra8 and Black loses his Queen. B)29...d5 30. Qe8+ Rd8 31. Qe5 Be7 32. Nxf5 Bf8 33. Bxd5 Qb6 34. Bxf7 Rg635. Ra8+ Kb7 36. Bd5+ Rc6 37. Rxd8 Qxd8 38. Nd4 leads to heavy materiallosses for Black. } 1-0

[Event "Wizard Chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "4/19/20"] [Round "-"] [White "Joe"] [Black "Computer"] [Result "1-0"] { It was initially meant to be a training game, after having had accomplishedmy goal. That was of educating and trying to help people using my chessskills, as noted in my profile. But, it was in a negative way due to whyI thought that chess helps one in life with sleep deprivation covered. And, this game was played a day prior to me wrapping up the sleep deprivationthread with 2 final sleep tips. But, playing chess will still help mein life since I'll be doing a chess exercise or two, or looking at an annotationfrom a stronger player, like Charles, for example. As, it will also helpme sleep better at night since it's a mental workout. On the other hand,I'm still doing it for the wrong reason, with High School, College, andWork is why I'm changing my username to thewrongreason which will takeeffect in 3 days. This way, I don't feel like a failure or that I justwaisted my time for nothing which is how I felt for a day or 2. That is,given what I learned about why chess really helps one succeed in life,combined with, easy19's departure. With that being said, this was an interestingcomputer game, at the easiest level which some will probably think is tooeasy. I used to do the hardest level, before TA recommended that I startoff super easy, and then, eventually go harder. But, even at this level,it wasn't so easy. And, it took me about 50 minutes to win this game. Additionally, it would've been very easy for me to make a blunder andperhaps lose which is how chess should really be about. In contrast, thefirst thing that I kept in mind is that chess is a good mental workout,similar to the sleep article that involves exercising during the day. I actually have a slight preference for exercising this way, over, justgoing to the gym since this workouts the brain which really tires me out,when all is said and done. Keeping in mind that Fred, and now GM SusanPolgar are reading this from cyberspace, combined, with my sunglasses thatI'll have to use for the same reason you'd generally wear blue ray glasses. That's due to having to vote tonight for American Idol (which I hope opensat the beginning so that I can have them finished by the end of the show). Unfortunately, it closes tomorrow morning (while at work), so I felt thattoday was the perfect time to annotate this game. } 1. e4 { So, I startedoff with my normal opening. } 1... Nf6 { Of course, I was not sure how the computerwould respond because it was, as noted, at the easiest level. Therefore,I wasn't sure if it was basic, intermediate, advanced, or even, expert. I just wasn't sure what to expect, but I evaluate this as intermediate. But, given where I actually stand, this might be at beginner level. That'sbecause I'd say that, without completely going by ELO, I'd say that I'mprobably a low end class D player with an equivalent to something like1400-1405 rating. That actual guess is based on the fact that I don'thave an assigned FIDE rating, as one would expect. As the computer putup one heck of a fight, by my books. } 2. e5 { I could've also played 2.Bd3but didn't want to block the center pawn which I've corrected Erika fordoing. I also could've answered with 2.Nc3 which is what I almost did. But, then I remembered a variation that Susan showed with the French Defense. And, I realized that this was the perfect place to attack the N whichwas for gain of tempo. } 2... Nd5 { I had expected 2...Ne4, with which, I'd consider3.Qe2 although it doesn't soundly develop. And, with that, I'd play 3.Nf3like I usually do. But, with this move, I go right after the N again andfor the same reason. } 3. Bc4 e6 { I had anticipated another retreat. But,the computer played this. I can relate to this developing, of course sinceit is a center pawn. As it opens up a line for the Bf8, but I consideredto be inaccurate, to say the least. } 4. Nf3 { That's why I decided to continuewith my development. } 4... Bc5 { As does black which gets me ready to castleat once. And, btw, nothing else came into consideration. For, I stillgo by what a GM said, 'castle early and often.' } 5. O-O Nb4 { I was a littlesurprised to see this move played and had no idea what to do. } 6. d4 { But,that's why I decided to go right on the attack. That is, keeping in mindthat I'm continuing with my development since it is the other center pawn. } 6... Nxa2 { ?? One would wonder why the opponent would play this. But, giventhat it was at the easiest level, it would be to give me the benefit ofthe doubt which I take full advantage of. } 7. Rxa2 O-O { ?? Still givingme the benefit of the doubt. And, the idea is taking advantage of blunderslike this. } 8. dxc5 Qe7 { Going right after my pawn, and I like the onlyoption that I've got since it continues developing. } 9. Be3 c6 { I don'tsee the point of this move. As black, I would've continued developingwith 9...Nc6 The first thing, however, that I'm keeping in mind is thatI'm ahead and with an advantage. In fact, I underestimated how much I'vegot since I won the exchange earlier. But, I also remember that I wona piece. But, I miscounted, I guess point value and thought that I wasup the equivalent to a piece+one pawn. When, in reality it was also 2pawns, which adds up to the equivalent of an entire R. } 10. Nc3 { Completingmy development which is why I played this. } 10... Rd8 { Centralizing their R. The first thing that I'm keeping in mind here is that unless black developsthe Nb8 on the rim, the pieces are locked in and undeveloped on the Q side. I'm planning to use that against the computer. } 11. Ng5 { Starting withthis move, and it's not as it appears to be. I thought about playing alater Qh5 with a mate threat that would appear difficult to drive off. Then, I discovered that this would be a cheapo tactic situation. That'sbecause one time, while mentoring Erika, I had the same threat and wantedto see how she'd respond. Instead of playing something like ...h6 whichwould've stopped the threat, she harrassed my Q with ...g6. So, I, ofcourse, mated her and taught her why it's not always a good idea to playsomething just to attack the Queen. Knowing how black would probably respond,I just left things like this, in an attempt from ...h6 being played. } 11... b6 { Finachettoing which also works. So, I try to delay further developmentwith my next move. And, I keep in mind that if black doesn't respond correctly,I'm up another pawn which is about to happen. } 12. cxb6 Re8 { ? Like now. So, now I go for more damage since taking gives me a passed pawn. And,what's more is that stopping a promotion means that the computer will haveto lose, at least a R. Most people that I know would resign here, butthe computer doesn't until it's mate. I know what it is because similarto what Susan said, 'it's not over til it's over'. This time, I'm quotingsomething else, and I'm not sure where I first heard this expression. But, it's applicable here, and since it's the computer this is training. And, that's what it's doing here since at the most difficult level, it'slike playing against an expert or master. I know because of where I wentwrong, combined with, how soon that happened against Ken during our secondtraining session. } 13. bxa7 { I would've expected 13...Rxa7, but the computerplays... } 13... Bb7 { This which allows me to promote. And, what I kept in mindis how I did this against angellis, after having had lost a piece earlyon. } 14. axb8=Q Rexb8 { I also expected him to take the other way, so with14...Raxb8 since I'm ready to further liquidate. } 15. Rxa8 Bxa8 16. Qd6 { I'm still continuing with exchanging while ahead, just in case, anyoneis wondering what liquidation means. I had also considered and almostplayed 16.Bc5?? here. But, I didn't want to hand back a piece. What'sbad about the whole thing is that I almost did this since I was so temptedto attack the Q, again. But, better was 16.Na4, first since I overlookedthat b2 was en-prise. It was about becoming a little overly confidentwhich is easy to do when you're this far ahead, given that it's the equivalentto the Q. } 16... Qxd6 17. exd6 Rxb2 18. Ra1 { But, I come up with another ideaof going after my the Ba8. It's, in part, due to the computer wantingmy c2 pawn. Now, if my N weren't placed on c3, I wouldn't do this. Asthen, the computer would be able to deliver a back rank mate, if the Rwere to leave the first rank. And, it's not just a simple attack, either. It's a long set of variations, where the B goes, I attack again. Then,it goes back to the 8th rank, where I can pin it which is what happenslater on. But, there was something that I didn't take into consideration,along the way. And, little did I realize this, but later on I wind upin a position where I come close allowing a draw by repetition. With awinning proposition, the last thing I'm going to allow is for black topull a swindle with a draw. It's, in part, due to what I studied withSusan. That's also why I think that they were right to not resign, asI once thought the same way in my first game with Fred. And, sure enoughhe made a lucky miscalculation which enabled me to pull a draw a rep. Now, it shouldn't have happened this way since he'd later play and winseveral games for the same thing that would then cause him to depart. But, I had to give that of an example, and we'll see a somewhat similarscenario sooner then later. } 18... Bb7 19. Bd3 { But, first, I need to protect. And, there were several ways, but I thought that this was the best sincethe only other alternative would be 19.Rc1 But, I still have ideas fortheir Bb7. } 19... f5 { I'm not surprised that black making air for the K, whichSusan calls, 'Opening up a window'. But, I anticipated black doing thiswith 19...f6, and I was prepared if they chose to do so. This, however,makes it easier, as I didn't want to be forced to retreat. It wouldn'thave mattered too much, but I would've seen it as an inconvenience. } 20. Ra7 { And, this is where I go back to my target. But, I'm going to havebe very careful in the near future, for the reason mentioned earlier. } 20... Rb4 21. Bc5 { Since I target the R, and was ready to go back and forth. } 21... Rb2 22. Ba3 Rb6 23. Bc5 Rb2 { But, this is where we start getting closeto a draw by rep, which I'm sure is what the computer wanted. Afterall,they were hoping that I'd attack again 24.Ba3 with 24...Rb6 as the equivalentto a conditional move. I almost made this mistake in the same way thatI did against one of Jack's young student's named Kavyah. And, I knowthat they would declare this since I once had a different kind of drawagainst the computer. That was also by a miscalculation on the middlelevel, where I was winning but miscalculated somewhere. So, the game endedin a stalemate very similar to what Jack showed in a different game. Ilooked at it and thought the same thing that Susan put it in a differentgame. That this cannot happen, so I decided to take them off guard withmy next move. It was really opening up, and I kept in mind that if theytake, I can recapture on h6. So, I'm trying to do what ION calls, 'themasked battery' which is a discovered attack with a sac. } 24. g4 h6 { But,the computer doesn't allow this. And, I almost gave this a query sinceI miscalculated as I thought and it looks like the computer will get anotherpawn. This is where I first realized, but something came to mind. So,I started thinking about N forks with examples because what I go by, mygut, told me that I had one. And, it's with the idea of listening to myselfbut in a different context, this time around. Then, I realized that Ihad one, with 26.Ne5 which stops black from getting what I call counterplay,even though that wasn't around. But, by that, I mean even the smallestshread, so that, they can't win another pawn back. } 25. Nf3 fxg4 26. Ne5 { That's with this move by remembering about forks since this is anexample of such. } 26... g3 27. Nxd7 { Which is when I take advantage of that opportunity. } 27... Bc8 { My guess is that the computer wants to intimidate me with this attack. But, it won't work, as my plan behind 18.Ra1 works right here. As I canand will directly pin their Bc8. } 28. Ra8 gxh2+ { The computer was readyto exchange. I'm fine since even though it's not pieces, exchanging pawnsstill leaves black to less with. And, I'm still thinking about the wholeidea of why you'd want to exchange when ahead. It doesn't always workout,but more often then not, it does. } 29. Kxh2 Rb8 { ?? But, I was surprisedto see black play this. Then again, the computer has no good moves left. I kept that right in mind which I took with R, as opposed to the N. Ofcourse, the idea being was to leave black in that pin. } 30. Rxb8 g6 { Notleaving air to breathe anymore. But, then, it's about what else. However,I'm still going to take with check on my next move was the reason behindthe way that I captured on my previous move. } 31. Rxc8+ Kf7 { I thoughtabout what to do here and almost played 32.Rxc6. As that's an obviouslooking move, and a lot of times I'll just play a good move. I don't thinktoo much about, 'when you see a good move, look for something better'. But, I did here for just one reason. And, it's because of where I wentwrong against anitam when I already made a mistake and had allowed a swindlewith a draw. But, then, instead of underpromoting to a N, I just did aregular promotion, and it was game over. The reason being was where theN was lined when you consider what happens during the check. Althoughit's really advanced, I'm thinking about what I learned with the N+B endgamecheckmate. And, with me not having much experience at all as Susan knows,if I had that situation, I would've, easily miscalculated and either alloweda draw by 50 move rule or by 3 fold repetition. However, from hangingout with the wrong person which got me in trouble, and then practicingon my own, I learned what went into it. For me, that's all that matteredsince I'd later use a different line of symmetry to help Erika severalyears back. And, using that math, I used the same method to deliver matehere. I would've missed the opportunity if I didn't. It was by confiningthe computers monarch to the corner where it can't get out, starting withmy next move. In fact, that's how I discovered that it's now mate in 4which I take full advantage of. } 32. Rf8+ Kg7 33. Bd4+ e5 34. Bxe5+ Kh7 35. Rh8# 1-0

[Event "League division D2 - a nice brevity"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.10"] [Round "-"] [White "rjacobs"] [Black "bplp"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1507"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1533"] 1. e4 { I've been on one of my downward trends recently, which includedsinking into D2, but here's a brief sign that things may be looking up. I had another nice win today in the Benoni Mini-Tournament too... } 1... c5 { The Sicilian - my favourite opening. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 { I prefer 2. d6 but thisis a very respectable and dangerous option too. } 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 { I'm not sure this is wise. Black should be paying attention to developmentrather than swapping off his one developed piece. On the other hand, itdraws White's Queen out into the middle where she can be attacked. } 5. Qxd4 a6 { A typical Sicilian move... } 6. Be2 { I think this is the most logicalmove in this position. White wants to castle quickly, so needs to developthe KB. Bb5 has been prevented. Bc4 can be easily met by ...e6. Bd3puts the B in the pawn chain and cuts off White's Q's retreat, so thatleaves Be2, unless White wants to fianchetto, which takes more time. } 6... e6 7. O-O d5 { Perhaps this is over-ambitious? ... It seemed unremarkable atthe time but Black doesn't often get to play ...d5 so early in the Sicilian. In this position, Black is relatively undeveloped, so opening up withthis is fraught with danger. White now looks to open lines before Blackcan castle. } 8. Nc3 { White develops and applies further pressure on thecentre. } 8... b5 { Black prepares to fianchetto his QB and possibly attack theNc3 } 9. exd5 { Now White opens up the position to devastating effect. } 9... exd5 10. Re1 Nf6 { ? 10...Be7 was called for. Can you see the mate? } 11. Bxb5# { Double check when the K is still partially surrounded by his pieces isa killer. This was one of those wins I only saw at the last minute, butI think my commentary has provided some insight into how the opportunityarose. I hope you readers enjoyed it! } 1-0

[Event "A typical Sicilian Dragon attack"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.10.24"] [Round "-"] [White "metalac"] [Black "l-d-j"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1430"] [TimeControl "9d+5d<15d"] [WhiteElo "1590"] { This is a game I played a few months ago in a mini-tournament. Althoughit's far from mistakeless, I think it shows very well how an attack inthe Sicilian dragon is played (as Black) and what White should be readyfor. This was part of the mini-tournament 'Drman's Sicilian XXI', justlike my previous annotated game ('The power of a queen'). } 1. e4 c5 { Thiswas the starting position. The Sicilian often makes for very great andexciting games. Usually White gets a lead in development and chances ofattack on the King's side while Black has counterplay on the queen's sideand on the open c-file. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { Open Sicilian. In this openingthe motifs I mentioned are shown very clearly. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 { After thisexchange, Black has an open c file and two central pawns (white only hasone), but White can develop faster and more easily. } 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 { Thefirst time I deviate from the most-played moves in the database. Usually5...a6 is played here, which is called the Najdorf. 5...g6, as played inthe game, is the Dragon variation. This is a very sharp opening with chancesfor both sides. Black is planning to play ...Bg7, ...O-O, ...Rc8, ...Qa5and push the pawns on the queenside (in this game we don't see Black pushinghis pawns) and his attack often involves a Rook sac on c3 after it hasmoved to c8. White has ideas of an attack on the position of the BlackKing (which will be on g8), for example with Be3, Bc4 (or Be2 as in thisgame), Qd2, O-O-O and push the pawns on the kingside. I like to play thisas both sides. } 6. Bg5 { !? A rare response from White, usually consideredquite harmless. 6.Be3 is the book move. } 6... Bg7 { This Bishop will become amonster later on. } 7. Qd2 Nc6 8. Be2 { ?! White misses something. } 8... O-O { ?!And so does Black. He could have played 8...Nxe4 9.Nxc6 Nxd2 10.Nxd8 Bxc311.bxc3, as pointed out by the GK analysis as well as Fritz on my computer.This gives him a slight advantage. } 9. h4 { White starts his attack on thekingside. } 9... Nxd4 { Black exchanges as he can later gain a tempo with a discoveredattack on the Queen. Moreover the Knight on d4 was strong. } 10. Qxd4 h6 { Chasing the Bishop away. } 11. Be3 { ?! Better was 11.Bd2 because Blackhas a way to gain the Bishop pair now. } 11... h5 { !? But Black wants to stopthe pawn march on the king's side first. However, the immediate 11.Ng4was better. White has to move the Queen (12.Qd3) and then Black can exchangeon e3 gaining the bishop pair in a fairly open position. } 12. O-O-O { ?!Obviously White doesn't care about the Bishop pair and continues his plan(as mentioned on move 5). } 12... Ng4 { But now Black does take advantage of that. } 13. Qd3 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 Be6 { The immediate 14...Qa5 was better as the Knighthas to remain on c3 to protect a2. Now it can jump to d5 with a slightadvantage for White according to Fritz. } 15. f3 { ?! However, White doesn'ttake advantage of that. } 15... Qa5 16. a3 { Freeing the Knight from the defenceof a2. } 16... Rac8 { Fritz likes 16...Bxc3 17.Qxc3 Qxc3 18.bxc3 but I didn't wantto exchange those strong pieces of mine. } 17. Nd5 Qa4 { ?! This is my onlyreal oversight of the game. I was planning to exchange on d5 and play ...Qa4and thought the move order didn't matter because ...Qa4 would threatenmate. However, I missed something important... } 18. Rd2 { ? Fortunatelyfor me, my opponent misses this too. With 18.Nxe7+ Kh7 19.Nxc8 Rxc8 hewould have won an exchange and a pawn. Black clearly has compensation,but will this be enough? The GK analysis gives White +1 while Fritz saysit's an equal position. } 18... Bxd5 19. exd5 Rc7 { Missing the beautiful 19...Bc3!!20.Rd1 (20.bxc3? Qxa3+ 21.Kb1 Rc5! and White has to sac his queen to avoidmate)... Didn't I say something about sacs on c3? } 20. g4 { ? The king hasto get off the c file! } 20... Rfc8 21. Bd1 { ? Again there's a sacrifice possibilityon c3... } 21... Qc4 { ? And again I miss it. 21...Rc3!! was winning because 22.bxc3?fails to 22...Qxa3+ 23.Kb1 Bxc3 and White has to sac his queen to avoidmate. } 22. gxh5 { ?? This was the last chance for White to stay in the game.He had to play 22.Kb1 to avoid Black's next move. } 22... Qa2 { ! I didn't evenconsier taking back on h5, and indeed that would have led to disaster:22...gxh5?? 23.Rg1 an Qh6 will follow with, suddenly, a crushig attackfor White! Now it's Black who strikes first, and finally the fianchettoBishop on g7 shows its strength. } 23. Rg2 { ? Now White loses the Rook byforce. 23.Rd4 was hite's 'best' option but that's just sacrificing an exchangeto try to stop Black's attack. 23.Rd3?? wouldn't help either: 23...Bxb2+!24.Kd2 Bc1+ wins the Queen. } 23... Qxb2+ 24. Kd2 Rxc2+ { ! The winning sac. } 25. Bxc2 { ? It's mate in 4 now, but declining wouldn't help either becauseWhite just wins the rook (and forces mate in 8 according to Fritz, butof course I didn't see that). } 25... Rxc2+ { I didn't see the forced mate in 4(25...Rxc2+ 26.Kd3 Qb3+ 27.Ke4 Qa4+ 28.Kd3 Qc4#) but what I did see wasthat I could reach a won ending with 25...Rxc2+ 26.Kd3 Qb3+ 27.Ke4 Qxe3+28.Kxe3 Rxg2 And I'm a piece and a pawn up. I don't know what Wite sawbut he resigned and I won the game. I was very proud of this win over ahigher rated opponent! } 0-1

[Event "The Knights Coaching Project"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.22"] [Round "-"] [White "richie513"] [Black "jbravo58d"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1577"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1231"] { My first annotation game for the Knights Coaching Project. I may havesaid a lot of silly things in this annotation as it is my first annotationand I welcome any feedback about it. } 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Qxg4 Nxg4 7. Nxf7 { After I made this move I seenhow I just threw the game away. The better move here would have been Bxf7to put the king into check and take away Blacks castling rights and preventdevelopment. By making the move Nxf7, I ignored all the principles. } 7... Qd4 { Expected. Now I can't castle because the Queen is attacking the g1square and also attacking my Bishop on c3. } 8. h3 { What was I thinkinghere? c3 probably would have been a better move here as now the black Queencan capture my Bishop and attack my Night on f7. } 8... Qxc4 { Expected. } 9. Nxh8 { Again I feel this might have been a bad move as blacks Night is stillsitting on g4 and dangerous. I feel that hxNg4 would have been a bettermove here and blacks Queen would have captured my Night on f7 giving mesome breathing room to develop. } 9... Nh6 { Expected. } 10. c3 { I really had noidea what to do in this situation so I made the move c3 to stop Qxc2 whereblacks queen would have been attacking my Bishop on c1. } 10... Nf5 { Black isbringing is Night back into the action. } 11. Na3 { Again probably anotherpointless move trying to chase the queen away. } 11... Qd3 { Expected. } 12. Nb5 { At this point I know the game is lost and start making pointless moves.Here I am trying to fork blacks King and Rook, but that plan never happened. } 12... Ng3 { Expected. } 13. Kf2 { Trying to escape. } 13... Nxh1+ { But it never worked. } 14. Kg1 { I moved my King here so I can capture blacks Night if blacks Queencaptures my Night on b5. } 14... Qxb5 { Yep, just as expected. } 15. Kxh1 { And nowI can capture blacks Night. } 15... Qf1+ { Expected. } 16. Kh2 { Trying to escapeagain. } 16... Qxf4+ { Expected and I don't succeed in escaping. } 17. Kg1 { Backto g1. } 17... Qf6 { Black is now chasing after my Night on h8. } 18. b3 { A pointlessmove I feel, maybe d3 would have been a better move to develop my Bishop. } 18... g5 { Expected. There is nothing I can do to save my Night. } 19. c4 { ahhh??I have no idea what I was thinking when I made that move and this is aclear example of not observing the board before each move. } 19... Qxa1 { Expectedand next will be my bishop. } 20. d3 { Pointless moves from here, the gameis just about over. } 20... Qxc1+ { Expected. } 21. Kf2 { probably not a good move,maybe h2 would have been better here. } 21... e3+ { Expected. } 22. Ke2 { I was probablybetter moving to f3. } 22... Qd2+ { Expected. } 23. Kf3 { Now I move to f3. } 23... e2 { Blackis advancing his pawn for promotion. } 24. Kf2 { That was a pointless move,probably better to move to e4. } 24... e1=Q+ { Black promotes his pawn. Two movesto mate. } 25. Kf3 { The only square I can move to. } 25... Qf4# { And that's game.Wow didn't I make a lot of blunders in this game and I certainly learnedfrom it. Ignoring all the principles and not observing the board beforeeach move is what lost the game for me. It has taught me to be more observantand take time on each move and even analise each move before making it. } 0-1

[Event "easy street"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "29-Jun-06"] [Round "-"] [White "icecreamwizard"] [Black "smcgre04"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1300"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1382"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Bc4 c6 5. Nxe5 d5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. Qf3 Be6 8. d4 b5 9. Bd3 a5 10. Bf5 O-O 11. Bd2 a4 12. a3 b4 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Qh3 g6 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Qg3 Bf6 17. O-O-O Ra7 18. Nxg6 fxg6 19. Bxg6 Ree7 20. Bd3+ Kf7 21. Qf4 Re6 22. Bxh7 Ke8 23. Bf5 Ree7 24. Qg3 bxa3 25. Qg6+ Bf7 26. Qxf6 Be6 27. Bxe6 Rxe6 28. Qxe6+ Re7 29. Qf6 a2 30. Kd2 Nd7 31. Qg6+ Rf7 32. Rhe1+ { The only option for Black is to trade queen and rookfor rook. Black is not willing so he resigns. Line... 32. ... Qe7 33.RxQe7 KxRe7 34. Rd1 Kd8 (forced except for losing knight) 35. QxRf7and black is down significantly and black's best hope is an error by whiteinto stalemate. } 1-0

[Event "[Tournament] Experiences with the Reti Gambit, Part I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "04.06.2011"] [Round "-"] [White "Sebastian Falbesoner"] [Black "Leopold Schein"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1282"] [TimeControl "2h/40moves + 30min"] [WhiteElo "1415"] { The following game is my first ever tournament game annotated here ongameknot, and the first of a series about the interesting Reti Gambit (1.e4 e6 2. b3). It took place in round 4 (of 5) of the 'Raiffeisen Schachopenin Ratten, D-Tournament' in June 2011. Have fun! } 1. e4 { 'Best by test.'-- Bobby Fischer I guess I'll stick to that simple and logical first movefor quite the rest of my life, though the Bird (1. f4) or even crazy openingslike the Orangutan (1. b4!?) or the Grob attack (1. g4!?) are pretty interestingtoo and could be great surprise weapons, at least in Blitz. } 1... e6 { The passivebut sound French defence, consisting of tons of theory. The usual continuationhere is the logical 2. d4 d5, when White has already at least four commonchoices to proceed (Main Line 3. Nc3, Advance Variation 3. e5, TarraschVariation 3. Nd2, Exchange Variation 3. exd5). Ignoring the logical centralpawn move, I was really looking forward to the rest of the game at thispoint, because it was the first time I could use a rare Anti-French openingweapon in tournament play. It's called the... } 2. b3 { ... Reti-Gambit!Well it's not a gambit at this point as there are still all pawns alive,but the usual continuation leads White to the possibility of sacrificinga pawn. } 2... d5 { Challenging the center, quite a logic move in regards of theprevious 1... e6. } 3. Bb2 { White ignores his attacked central pawn andjust proceeds with quick development. You can see that the bishop is quitestrong on this place here, already eyeing g7. } 3... dxe4 { Black accepts thegambit (a healthy decision, however like in all gambits, you have to becareful), now the fun begins! } 4. Nc3 { Another development move, whichimmediately attacks the lost pawn. } 4... Nf6 { Black gets his first minor pieceout and defends the won pawn. } 5. Qe2 { The fight against the e4 pawn continues.This move might look odd because it blocks the bishop, but a central ideain the Reti Gambit is queen-side castling, for occupying the d-file, andthe light-squared bishop can simply be developed via g2 or h3 afterwards. } 5... Bb4 { Black develops and obviously plans to kill one attacker of the e4square to hold the gambit pawn. } 6. O-O-O { In the spirit of the gambit,White just continues developing. It can never hurt to place a rook on thesame file than the opponent's queen ;-) Notice that winning back the pawnvia 6. Nxe4?? fails due to 6... Nxe4 7. Qxe4 Qxd2 mate. } 6... Bxc3 { ?! I wasvery surprised by this move and consider it as weak, because it allowsWhite to open up the d-file and gives away the pair of bishops. It's primarythe opponents greed about holding this won pawn which motivates this move,I guess. } 7. dxc3 { Doubled pawns and the temporary blocked dark-squaredbishop are the price for the mighty open d-file. } 7... Qe7 { Facing the rook,the queen has to move (or as an alternative, get pinned), of course. } 8. g4 { Occupying space on the king-side and preparing to develop the light-squaredbishop. A later advance to g5, attacking the knight, could also be useful.This was the reason I preferred g4 over g3. } 8... h6 { The opponent already seemsto fear the pawn advance, because it would leave the pawn on e4 undefended. } 9. Bg2 { So the second bishop is on the long diagonal as-well and the recapturingpossibility of the gambit pawn is again on (though it would give away thepair of bishops). } 9... e5 { Freeing the bishop, hoping for simple tactics 10...Bxg4! } 10. h3 { Maybe winning back the pawn with 10. Bxe4 Bxg4 11. Bf3 wouldeven have been a sound possibility, however I didn't want to corrupt mypawn structure and this way the mobility of Black's bishop is also limited. } 10... Bd7 { Develops, but also sets up a trap, in case White takes the pawn. 11.Bxe4?? fails due to 11... Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Bc6!, setting up an X-ray attack,winning the rook. } 11. f3 { 'The knight wants to be developed, so pleasetake me!' } 11... exf3 12. Nxf3 { I was quite satisfied with my position at thispoint, realizing that I'm ahead in development and Black probably won'thold the pawn. The power of the two bishops on the long diagonals willalso unfold soon! } 12... Nc6 { Logical, Black prepares to queen-side castle tooand wants to defend his pawn. } 13. c4 { Bringing the dark-squared bishopinto play again, increasing the pressure on e5. } 13... O-O-O { Black finally getshis king to a safe place. } 14. Rhe1 { Increasing the pressure on the half-opene-file. The poor pawn on e5 is attacked four times, but only defended twice. } 14... Rhe8 15. Nxe5 { It was time to win back the pawn and unfold the power ofthe bishops. At this point I already saw that I could probably later corruptBlack's king-side pawn structure by taking the knight on f6, heading foran endgame advantage. } 15... Nxe5 16. Qxe5 { Let's simplify the situation by tradingof some heavy pieces... } 16... Qxe5 17. Rxe5 Rxe5 18. Bxe5 { Due to the open position,Whites pair of bishops clearly have a huge advantage over Black's minorpieces. } 18... Re8 { ? One defender of the bishop is missing now, which enablessimple pawn-winning tactics. } 19. Bxf6 { ! Another defender of the bishopis killed now, and Black's pawn structure is corrupted, as it was alreadyplanned before. } 19... gxf6 20. Bxb7+ { The only tactical trick I used in thegame, winning a single pawn. However, in addition to the other advantageof the better pawn structure, it is enough for an easy win. } 20... Kxb7 21. Rxd7 { Now White's rook is on the powerful 7th rank too (I guess 20... Kd8 wouldhave lasted longer, for that reason), already attacking a pawn, Black isdead lost. } 21... Rf8 { While Black is in defending mode... } 22. Kd2 { ... Whitecan calmly bring his king into the action. } 22... Kc6 23. Rd5 { Being banishedfrom the 7th rank, the rook finds another nice place, where it also cutsoff the Black king from the action. } 23... Rg8 { Intending Rg5, hoping for a resolutionof the doubled pawns? } 24. Ke3 Kb6 { That move seemed random for me. } 25. Kf4 c6 26. Rd7 { Home, sweet home! } 26... Rg7 27. Kf5 { It doesn't need great skillsto attack that weak pawn structure. } 27... Rg5+ { Out of desperation... } 28. Kxf6 Rg6+ 29. Kxf7 Rg5 30. Kf6 a5 31. Rh7 Rc5 32. Rxh6 Kc7 33. g5 { Oh when thepawns go marchin' in... } 33... Kd7 34. g6 Ke8 35. g7 { And the opponent resigned,accepting that the pawn can't be stopped from queening. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.08.01"] [Round "-"] [White "mvemjsunp"] [Black "kingabsz"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1331"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1177"] 1. c4 { This is my next annotation (Told you they would come quite soonin the first annotation didn't I?) Again, a 1300, and again, he playedvery well. } 1... e5 2. Nc3 Be7 3. Nf3 Nf6 { ? Why? } 4. Nxe5 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. d4 Re8 7. g3 c6 8. Bg2 b6 { ?! not really sure about this move. But I don'treally like it because it weakens the c6 pawn. } 9. O-O a6 { ? This pawnformation doesn't for some reason feel right. } 10. Bf4 d5 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 { ? Why has he lined his Queen up with my bishop? } 13. Ne5 Qe6 14. d5 Qd6 { ?? This is costing him. There is actually a tactic to winan exchange here. It's really funny, because my older bro (he has won theBritish Title 3 times in a row!) didn't spot this whereas I did. Can youspot it? } 15. Nxc6 { ! The first move. } 15... Qg6 { Doesn't really matter wherethe queen goes. } 16. Nxe7+ { ! The next move. This forks the king and queenso he has to take. } 16... Rxe7 17. d6 { !! The winning move. While the pawn ond6 attacks the rook on e7, My lsb is attacking his rook on a8. } 17... Rea7 { Thebest move. He's lost an exchange anyway. } 18. Bxa8 Rxa8 19. Rc1 { ! Threateningthe weak back rank. } 19... Bd7 20. Qd5 { ! applying more pressure to the backrank. } 20... Ra7 21. Rc7 { !! This is now completely won for white because thepawn on d6 in unstoppable ( unless black sacrifices his queen, which wouldbe dumb. } 21... Rxc7 22. dxc7 Nc6 { ?? now he's making it easier. } 23. Qxd7 h5 { The only move } 24. c8=Q+ Kh7 25. Qde8 { and he resigned due to the doublethreat of Qh8# and taking on c6. } 1-0

[Event "Endgame strategy"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.05.11"] [Round "-"] [White "mel-lo"] [Black "chesskingdom64"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1301"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1077"] { I missed out on possibly a few possibilities for checkmate here, but itall leads to a long endgame, where I was challenged by my own weaknesses.Enjoy, and if you see something that I don't see in this annotation, youare welcome to specify those. } 1. e4 { As Black, I decide to play a wellknown opening that I haven't played before. } 1... e6 { This is the French, wherethe main line continues as: 2.d4 d5. Most chess coaches I know play 3.e5,but threr are other possibilities. } 2. b3 { Is it just me, or is my opponentnot understanding the purpose of this opening. White is trying to developthe Queenside first by playing this move. } 2... Nc6 { I want to try for 3...d5. } 3. Bb5 { 3...d5 is not so great, but it's playable along with 3...Bc5. } 3... d5 4. Bxc6+ bxc6 { Black is slightly better, but might have to deal witha troublesome e-pawn. } 5. e5 { Well, I think White had better moves, whichinclude 5.Bb2. } 5... f6 { My goal is to help my Knight develop } 6. d4 { If thiskeeps up, 6...c5 is not a good suggestion. } 6... fxe5 { Looks like my positionis going to suffer from development lack. } 7. dxe5 { The best thing I cando is develop my DSB. } 7... Bc5 8. Bf4 { I seriously doubt that White will getanywhere with this move. } 8... Ne7 { Aiming for 9...Ng6. } 9. Ne2 { I start wonderingif both sides are experiencind development difficulties. } 9... O-O { Now, 10...Ng6looks good doesn't it? } 10. c3 { ? This limits options for the Knight'sdevelopment. } 10... Ng6 11. Qc1 { If White does this just for a dispositionedpawn, I will do this, just for a dispositioned pawn. } 11... Qh4 12. Bg3 Bxf2+ { Since I don't really know this game well, we'll see how this good opportunityvanishes in the end. } 13. Kd1 { Now, I'll win a free pawn. } 13... Bxg3 14. Nxg3 { Since there's no immediate threat, I should just play 14...Nxe5. } 14... Qg4+ { This doesn't look good on my agenda. } 15. Kc2 { Rook to f2 isn't bad either. } 15... Rf2+ 16. Nd2 { The problem is the King is safe unless I take the wimpy e5pawn and develop my Bishop. } 16... Nxe5 { What would I get done without this move? } 17. Qg1 { New plan: my Rook should be fine on f4. At least. } 17... Qg6+ { For goodor worse, I check White again. } 18. Kd1 { Maybe 18...Nd3 instead. } 18... Qg4+ { Worst place for White's King is back to e1, but otherwise, my advantageis all over. } 19. Nf3 { Why am I eyeing 19...Rb2? } 19... Rb2 { Probably becauseit is the most useless square for the Rook at this time. } 20. Qe3 { Thisproves my point. } 20... d4 { White's laughing at me now. } 21. cxd4 { Worse, myRook is probably going to be trapped. 22.Qc1 Rxg2 23.Rg1. The plan is openfor failure however. } 21... Rxg2 { This is okay, but I'm asking for more trouble. } 22. Rf1 { An exchange will lead us to the endgame. } 22... Nxf3 23. Qxf3 Qxf3+ 24. Rxf3 { Thanks for the extra pawn and a possible escape route, White. } 24... e5 { This isn't a free pawn. That is a free Rook. } 25. Re3 { Anyways, thanksfor another pawn (if I can get to it). } 25... Bg4+ 26. Ne2 exd4 27. Re4 { 27...Rxe228.Rxg4 e3. } 27... Rd8 { This works too. } 28. Ke1 { It's probably a good idea toadvance the d-pawn. } 28... d3 { Which is what happens. White is best moving theKnight. } 29. Nc3 { Can Black play 29...d2+ safely? } 29... Rg1+ { I could havealso taken the h2 pawn before the check. } 30. Kd2 { Another possible moveis 30.Kf2, attacking my Rook and preventing 30...Rf8+?? temporarily. } 30... Rxa1 { Take the Rook; lose the Bishop. Other options don't work too well. } 31. Rxg4 Rh1 32. Rh4 h6 { I would now want to get my King into the action. } 33. Ne4 { White is trying to take advantage of the space given during thoseexchanges. } 33... Ra1 { I don't necessarily like this move mainly because theKnight will return to this spot and I had better threats. } 34. Nc3 { Asexpected. } 34... g5 { I am guarenteed to lose the pawn afer 35.Rh3. } 35. Rxh6 { Or worse, win two pawns for free. } 35... Rd6 { Loses another pawn after 36.Rxd6cxd6 37.Kxd3 with no check any time soon. } 36. Rxd6 cxd6 37. Kxd3 { I needto activate my Rook again. } 37... Kf7 { Better is 37...Re1 } 38. Ne4 { Well, atleast my Rook has another option. } 38... Rd1+ { That, or the risky 38...Kg6. } 39. Ke2 Rd5 40. Nd2 Re5+ 41. Kf2 Kg6 { Maybe 40...Re5 wasn't such a goodmove. 40...Rf5 was probably better. } 42. h3 { 42...Kh5? } 42... Rf5+ 43. Kg3 Kh5 { I think that this is too late. } 44. Nf3 { Okay, never mind. I can play44.Rf4. } 44... Rc5 { In a word: wasted. In two words: somewhat wasteful. } 45. b4 Rc3 { This is why. My Rook isn't doing anything once again. } 46. Kf2 { The good news about 44...Rc5 is when this starts happening, and I canmake a safe exchange. } 46... g4 { Perhaps I can win an extra pawn. } 47. hxg4+ Kxg4 { I will win an extra pawn. } 48. Nd2 Rc2 { Maybe 48...Kf4 shouldhave been played before this move. } 49. Ke3 { I can take the pawn at myown risk. } 49... Rxa2 50. Ne4 { Now, 50...a5 creates chances to promote. } 50... Ra3+ { I wonder if all those checks were worthwhile because they didn't reallybenefit me too much so far. } 51. Kd2 { It's best to settle for a pawn exchangeI suppose. } 51... Rb3 52. Nxd6 Rxb4 53. Nf7 { The threat is the fork, winninga pawn. } 53... Rb3 { I don't know why I ignored it since 53...Kf4 was better. } 54. Ne5+ Kf4 55. Nxc6 a6 { I realize that if I lose the Rook, not only isit going to be a draw game, I will be two points down. } 56. Kc2 { I feelthe urge to chase the Knight just a little bit for now. } 56... Rh3 { I think Ihad better moves such as 56...Rb6. } 57. Nd4 Ke4 58. Nb3 { Although the Knightis very irritating, I have no reason for a draw. In other words, I won'ttake the Knight yet. } 58... Kd5 59. Na1 { I think my opponent took this a littlebit too hard. } 59... Kc4 { With the Knight having useless squares to go to, Idecide to try to take advantage of the situation and push the King to itsdoom. } 60. Kb2 a5 { Also playable are 60...Rc3 and 60...Kb4. } 61. Kc2 { Anidea is 61...Rh2+, forcing the King to a helpless row while the Knightisn't doing too much. } 61... a4 { I don't like this move particularly becauseit may lead to a draw. } 62. Kb2 a3+ 63. Ka2 { I realize that the pawn mightbe lost. Still, I have a good idea. } 63... Re3 { This move threatens a King andRook vs. King endgame, and that's the best I can do right now. } 64. Nc2 { I expected this move and sucessfully pin it to the King. } 64... Re2 { This iswhat I mean when I say that it threatens a King and Rook endgame. The pawnis hanging, but it is all part of the goal of eliminating the Knight. } 65. Kb1 { With this expected move, I have to be very careful as this isa fragile and expensive opportunity. If I play this wrong, it's a draw. } 65... a2+ { !? Risks a draw! } 66. Kxa2 { He could have gone to a1, but instead,he triggers a winning position for Black. } 66... Rxc2+ { I take his Knight, expecting66...Ka3. } 67. Kb1 { Forced mate in two now. } 67... Kb3 { This shoves White's Kingto a helpless square. } 68. Ka1 Rc1# { When you are up points, you have tohave sure that it is beneficial. Otherwise, a draw or even a losing positioncan occur. It is not best to judge a win by material and this is why. Thisgame is an example where I ignored some potentially dangerous threats.Be on the lookout for any immediate threats, tactics, etc. because whenperformed, they haunt you for the rest of the game. } 0-1

[Event "Otb team match."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "09/09"] [Round "-"] [White "daveyr18"] [Black "Anon"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "90 mins"] 1. e4 { Kp opening, nothing unusual here..... } 1... e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bc5 4. h3 d6 { With this move black leaves an opportunity to to exact an annoyingpin on g5 as the KB is now blocked from retreating back to e7...HoweverI needed to prepare my troops.... } 5. Nf3 { In prep for the d4 push.... } 5... Be6 { An interesting move, forcing me to react which is not where I wannabe, I wanna be the the 1 forcing the issue.... } 6. Bb3 { As I am planningto castle Kingside I don't mind doubling up some pawns in order to createa file for a rook to work on later, this has worked for me often in thepast, the open file can prove of more value than the doubled pawns hinder... } 6... a6 7. a3 { This move was pointless since I can't follow with an immediateb4 so this was the first mistake of the game I feel... } 7... Bxb3 { Fair enough... } 8. cxb3 Nc6 9. b4 { Making the best of those doubled pawns and opening aroute up for my queen to enter the fray if need be.... } 9... Bb6 10. O-O { Timeto get into relative safety.... } 10... O-O 11. d3 { Now my pieces are free toroam... } 11... h6 { Stopping that annoying pin which would have been nice as Idoubt my opponent would have been happy to open up the kings defenses withthe follow up g5, so time would have had to have been spent unpinning theQueen... } 12. Bd2 { Clearing my back ranks... } 12... Nd7 13. Ne2 { Trying to maneuvermy knights into an attacking position... } 13... Kh8 14. Ng3 Ne7 { coming to hisKings aide preempting the up coming strike... } 15. Nh4 { This move givemy queen a little more scope to enter all guns blazing.... } 15... Ng6 { I'm suremy opponent is thinking along the same lines as me now... } 16. Nhf5 { Thisis a nice outpost and will take a few moves to shift...... } 16... Nf4 { I hadthe option of exchange here..... } 17. h4 { I should have but i wanted tostop Qg5 which I saw as a threat not to be ignored... } 17... Nxd3 { Maybe I shouldhave exchanged when I had the chance, I did think about Bxh6 as a replybut.... } 18. Qg4 { I decided to threaten mate instead... } 18... Qf6 { Now I'm thinkingBxh6 would have been better but that time has passed so i plough on... } 19. Bc3 { Defending the b2 pawn... } 19... Nf4 20. Kh1 { This was dangerous in hindsightbut i wanted to free up the defence of e2 without the worry of a + so Itook the chance.. } 20... Rg8 21. Ne3 { I wanted to switch this Knight to d5... } 21... Nf8 22. Nd5 { job done.. } 22... Qd8 23. Nf5 { Now this knight gets to occupy thestill warm f5 outpost threatening the future of the Rook on g8... } 23... N4g6 { protecting it for a short time.... } 24. h5 Nd7 { Realizing his rook wasin peril my opponent thought it better to lose a piece rather than theexchange, I'm not sure this was the best move... } 25. hxg6 { So I obligeand take whats on offer... } 25... fxg6 26. Qxg6 { I've whittled the kings defencesdown and my position is strong, now i need to figure out how to deal thekilling blow... } 26... Nf6 27. Nde7 { I spent a while trying to figure out whichknight to secrete here, Nfe7 would have had the added bonus of coveringthe pawn on e4 with my queen but would relinquish the grip I held on theg7 and would allow the rook to escape so.... } 27... Qf8 { Protecting g7 afterthe rook is gone.... } 28. g4 { I should have just taken the rook here butI wanted the knight covered from the gaze of the black queen and any trickit may have been exposed to had it been left en prise.... } 28... Nxe4 { Had itaken the rook this capture may not have been given the chance to happen... } 29. Kg2 { Had to protect the pawn and the rook isn't going anywhere, safetyfirst! } 29... Qf6 { Forcing the issue.... } 30. Qxf6 { I decided to take the offeras I felt I would be able to take out blacks extra pawns with the extrarook and knight I would have after the exchange.. } 30... gxf6 31. Nxg8 { Had totake it this time round... } 31... Kxg8 { Surely Rxg8 is better...? } 32. Nxh6+ { But I'm not gonna let him off any hook outta compassion... } 32... Kg7 33. Nf5+ { Stopping any of blacks freedoms... } 33... Kf7 34. f3 { keeping hold of that pawn,I may be a piece and exchange up but should my opponent muster the hugepawn advantage I may not be able to halt the advance, At least not beforegiving up my extra piece... } 34... Nxc3 { Not sure this was best, I would tryto be taking advantage of the space for my pawns to move forward had Ibeen black, this just serves to close the gap a little...... } 35. bxc3 { From 3-2 passed pawns and the more pieces that are exchanged off the moreit suits me now... } 35... Re8 { I would have grabbed the h file... } 36. Rh1 { SoI do... } 36... Rg8 { A wasted move as the rook will be lost should it jump tothe aide of the king after Rh7+....Those pawns were the only hope of ablack win and he needs to concentrate on gettin em up the board... } 37. Rh7+ Ke6 { Maybe going to the 8th rank would have been wiser, now the kingis stuck in the center of the board with little cover and fewer allies... } 38. Rd1 { Hammering the final nail in the coffin..... } 38... d5 { Re8 was his onlyhope... } 39. Re7# { And there we have it, A nice little OTB win for my club....Thxfor reading and pls feel free to comment.... } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.26"] [Round "-"] [White "edwardnorton"] [Black "aspiemikey"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1380"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1254"] 1. d4 d5 { The Queen's pawn game. My second choice opening as black, asI can free up a bishop, and my queen has partial freedom. } 2. e3 { The Stonewallattack. His light-square bishop is now free, and his dark-square one nowhas restricted freedom... } 2... Nf6 { ...so I get ahead on development with myknight, keeping with the Stonewall attack. } 3. Nf3 { He now brings out hisown kingside knight to get level on development... } 3... Nc6 { ...so I bringout my other knight to get back ahead. } 4. Bd3 Nb4 { I advance my knightfurther to attack the bishop, limiting its options... } 5. a3 Nxd3+ 6. Qxd3 { ...and decide to trade the pieces, as the bishop has a wider range, althoughit did bring out the queen... } 6... e6 { ...so I free up my kingside bishop,limiting the queenside bishop's freedom... } 7. b3 { ...and he's now hopingto fianchetto his remaining bishop... } 7... c5 { ...and I decide to attack hisqueen's pawn to attempt to create some space... } 8. Bb2 { ...and he fianchettoshis bishop, as I anticipated... } 8... cxd4 9. exd4 { ...and we trade pawns. } 9... Qe7 10. Nbd2 a6 { I thought it was important to prevent a queen check onb5, so I move up my QRP to cover the square... } 11. O-O Bd7 { ...and I decideit's time to get a bishop out... } 12. Rac1 Bb5 { ...and to attack the queen... } 13. c4 { ...but he covers it with a pawn... } 13... dxc4 14. Nxc4 { ...so we tradepawns, and he uses his knight to protect his queen... } 14... Bxc4 15. Rxc4 { ...andwe trade the two pieces, but it allowed his rook onto the attack... } 15... Qd7 { ...so I move my queen and free my other bishop... } 16. Rfc1 { ...but I'mnot too worried about his rooks being connected, as my queen and one ofmy rooks guard the c8 square... } 16... Bd6 { ...so I free my remaining bishop... } 17. a4 O-O { ...and castle kingside. } 18. d5 { Why did he move his pawn... } 18... exd5 { ...when I could accept it with my pawn, which is now too well defended? } 19. Rh4 g6 { This was the fatal error. I didn't realise that my KNP wasthe only piece defending my knight: I was trying to give my king an escaperoute should a queen/rook land on his starting rank, although it is guardedby both rooks... } 20. Bxf6 { ...but not only does the bishop capture myexposed knight, it also blocks off the escape route. I'm suddenly in deeptrouble... } 20... Rac8 { ...so I contest the open file with one of my rooks. Imaybe moved the wrong one, as my king cannot move at all... } 21. Qd2 Rxc1+ 22. Qxc1 { ...and we end up exchanging the rooks. } 22... Rc8 { I move my remainingrook to attck his queen... } 23. Qh6 { ...but she moves down to close inon my king... } 23... Qc6 24. Qxh7+ { ...and I resign after this move, as I couldonly do Kf8, which would have resulted in mate on the next move: Qh8#.The moral of the story? One mistake can cost you a tight game, so be carefulwith your moves. } 1-0

[Event "New Year's Tournament '09"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Jan-09"] [Round "-"] [White "chesster614"] [Black "csl77"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1643"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1735"] { Mini Tournament } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 g6 { Starting position } 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5 Ng8 { ? The tournamentresults suggest Ng4 is the strongest continuation } 9. Qf3 Be6 { 9...d5??10.Nxd5! cxd5 11.Bxd5 /- (black must lose the rook) 11...Qa5 12.Bd2 OR 11...Bg4? 12.Bxf7 Kd7 13.Qxg4 OR 11...Rb8 12.Bxf7 Kd7 13.Qd5 Kc7 14.Qc5 Kb7 (14...Kd7 15.e6#) 15. Bd5 Ka6 16. Qc6 (Mate in 6!!)16...Qb6 (16...Rb6 17.Qa4#; 16...Ka5 17.Bd2 Rb4 18.Bxb4 Kxb4 19.c3 Ka520.b4#) 17.Bc4 Ka5 18.Bd2 Qb4 19.Qc5 Ka4(19...Rb5 20.Qxb5#) 20.Qxa7 Ba6 21.Qxa6 Qa5 22.Qxa5# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9...e6 10.Bb5!! } 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. Qxc6+ Kf7 12. Ne4 Qa5+ 13. Bd2 Qxe5 14. O-O-O { !! 14...Rb8 15.Ng5 Kf6 16.Bc3 Kxg5 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18. Qxe6 /- 14...Bg7 15.Ng5 Kf6 (Kf8 Qxa8#) 16.Bc3 Kxg5 17.Bxe5 /- } 14... Nf6 15. Ng5+ Kg8 16. Qxa8 { 1-0 } 16... h6 17. Rhe1 Qd5 18. Qxd5 exd5 19. Ne6 { Note the useof the knight to lock the black bishop and rook } 19... Kf7 20. Bc3 Bg7 21. Nxg7 Kxg7 22. Rxe7+ Kf8 23. Bxf6 Rg8 24. Rxa7 g5 25. Rxd5 Rg6 26. Rxd6 Rxf6 27. Rd8# 1-0

[Event "Challenge from somnathmukherjee, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.08.04"] [Round "-"] [White "purerwandb"] [Black "somnathmukherjee"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [WhiteElo "1497"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 { It immediately becomes clear that 3. e5 isnot a move aiming for fast development, for it can be said with only aslight amount of exaggeration that Black is now taking the initiative.He attacks d4 and has plenty of opportunity to become aggressive on thequeenside. In fact this is exactly why, from time to time, theory has consideredthe Advance Variation to be inferior. But the crucial question is: howdoes Black's short-term initiative compare to White's long-term prospects?This is where theory has changed its mind again and again in the past (andis likely to keep on doing so in the future). } 4. c3 Nc6 { Alternativevariation: [A major strategic motif characteristic of this type of closedposition comes to the fore if Black plays] 4... Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 [The ideais to exchange bishops with 6... Bb5, very desirable from a purely positionalor static point of view. White has two options. He can simply allow Blackto carry out his plan and make the best of it (after all, White does retainhis spatial advantage) or he can play the sharp] 6. Be2 Bb5 7. c4 [seekingto open the position. This variation is thought to be theoretically critical.][After] 7... Bxc4 8. Bxc4 dxc4 9. d5 [for instance, dynamic considerationssuddenly dominate the game, making static considerations like the exchangeof bishops less important.] } 5. Bb5 { Prematured. d3 or even e2 are bettersquares for the light colored bishop. Alternative variation: 5. Nf3 [Keepsan eye on both d4 and e5] 5... Qb6 [The classical approach. Black continuesto attack d4, while keeping b2 covered as well, making it difficult forWhite to develop his queen's bishop. Naturally, in the wave of popularitythat has swept the Advance Variation during the past two decades, a thoroughsearch has been made for possible alternatives at practically every turn.] } 5... Qb6 { Alternative variation: 5... Bd7 6. Nf3 (6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nf3 cxd48. cxd4 c5 9. O-O Qb6 (9... cxd4)) 6... Nxe5 7. Bxd7+ (7. Nxe5 Bxb5) 7...Nxd7 8. O-O Ngf6-+ } 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. Ne2 { Alternative variation: 7. Nf3Ba6 8. Nbd2 cxd4 9. cxd4 (9. Nxd4 Ne7) 9... Ne7 10. Nb3 (10. Qb3 Rb8) 10...Nf5 } 7... Ba6 8. b3 cxd4 9. cxd4 { Alternative variation: 9. Nxd4 c5 10. Nf3Ne7 } 9... Ne7 { Alternative variation: 9... Bxe2 10. Kxe2 (10. Qxe2?! Qxd4 11.Bb2 Bb4+ 12. Kf1 (12. Nd2?! Qxb2) 12... Qb6) 10... Ne7 11. Be3 Nf5 } 10. Nbc3 Nf5 11. O-O Bb4 12. Bb2 c5 13. Na4 { Gives Black the initiative alsofails tactically as happened in the game. } 13... Qb5 14. Nac3 Bxc3 15. Nxc3 { Alternative variation: 15. Bxc3 Qxe2 16. Re1 Qxd1 } 15... Qxf1+ 16. Qxf1 Bxf1 17. Rxf1 cxd4 { Alternative variation: [Or] 17... Nxd4 [in any case Blackis an exchange up and has excellent pawn structure with an extra passedpawn.] } 18. Nb5 Rb8 19. Nc7+ Kd7 20. Rc1 Rbc8 21. Na6 Rxc1+ 22. Bxc1 Rc8 23. Bb2 Rc2 24. Ba3 Rxa2 25. Nc5+ Kc6 26. g3 Rxa3 27. b4 d3 { White resigns } 0-1

[Event "A dubious sacrifice"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2021.12.05"] [Round "-"] [White "captain_shannon"] [Black "-mark-"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1736"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1786"] { Sometimes a sacrifice that ought to lose succeeds simply because of itsunexpectedness and the potential your opponent has to go wrong. Here'sone such, a game I really ought to have lost... } 1. e4 g6 { Oh dear. Blackis going for one of those fianchetto defenses I dislike so much. } 2. d4 { Obvious to play a second central pawn. } 2... Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 { Black does needat least a toe in the centre. } 4. Nc3 { I just carry on developing in classicalfashion. } 4... Nf6 5. Be2 { Not really anywhere else for this Bishop to go whenthe b1-h7 diagonal is blunted. } 5... O-O 6. Nd2 { Odd, yes, but my plan was tocastle Q-side and advance the K-side pawns. Black has played rather passivelyand given me time to do this. } 6... c6 { Not sure of the idea behind this. Itstops the Knight going to d5, but why would I do that? Preparing d5? Itjust let's the e-pawn advance. } 7. Nb3 { I continue with my plan, allowingthe dark squared Bishop to come out. } 7... b5 { Now I see the point of Black'sprevious move. He is now threatening to drive away my Knight and so puttingpressure on my e-pawm. But surely he needs to develop? } 8. a3 { Stoppingthe b-pawn's advance. } 8... a6 { Added support, but again I would have thoughtdevelopment is needed. All the same, those pawn advances have made me wonderabout the wisdom of Q-side castling. } 9. Bg5 { I get my Bishop out and keepmy options open. } 9... Nbd7 { Black starts to develop. } 10. Qd2 { Q-side castlungis still on. } 10... Bb7 { Black is ready for me now. } 11. Bh6 { A bit of a wastedtempo, I guess, but I want to remove defenders in preparation for my pawnadvance. } 11... c5 { Opening up an attack on my e-pawn. Those pawns have now dissuadedme from Q-side castling. } 12. Bxg7 { First I exchange } 12... Kxg7 13. Bf3 { Thenchallenge on the long diagonal and keep my castling options open. } 13... c4 { Nasty. } 14. Nc1 { Pretty awful place for my Knight to end up after four moves, butthere is no option. } 14... Rb8 { Black spots my threat of e5, which might causehim a few problems. } 15. d5 { I block off the diagonal, but really I neededto get my Knight off that awful square. } 15... Nc5 { Also, I have created a nicehole for his Knight. } 16. h4 { Finally I decide to advance my pawns. Castlingwill have to wait or I will forego it completely. } 16... h5 { Black really can'thave that g'pawm going any further. } 17. N1e2 { Finally, after five moves,my Knight is still not on a great square. } 17... Bc8 { Curiously, the Bishop goinghere later would have won the game later. Now it just allows me to hopin with a threat. } 18. Nd4 { But the Bishop needs to guard c6 against anasty fork. } 18... Bb7 { It goes back, giving me an unexpected tempo gain. Goingto d7 would have at least kept it on a better diagonal. } 19. Rh3 { I havea dubious sacrifice in mind, but decide to give myself the option of gettingmy Rook onto the g-file. } 19... e5 { 20.dxe6ep is good for me, but I am preoccupiedwith my sacrifice. Maybe I think I am Tal!?? } 20. Nf5+ { I knew this wasdubious when I played it, but I didn't know how dubious until after thegame. Clearly the King can't go onto the h-file because of 21.Qh6+. thequestion is whether he can afford to take the Knight and open up a fileagainst his King? } 20... gxf5 { Black decides the Knight can be safely taken.as indeed it can, and I am actually in trouble. } 21. Qg5+ { The obviousfollow-up. } 21... Kh7 { I rather expected 21...Kh8 so the Knight had the h7 squareto go to; this gives me a bonus check... } 22. Qxf5+ Kh8 { Now I thoughtabout 23.Rg3, but 23...Rg8 is a problem. } 23. Bxh5 { With the idea of 24.Bxf7in case of 23...Rg8. I know Black can't take the Bishop as there is a forcedmate. What I don't see is the horrible skewer 23...Bc8; that diagonal Blackclaimed too soon. } 23... Nxh5 { Luckily for me, Black not only misses the skewertoo, but hands me a win... } 24. Qxh5+ Kg7 25. Rg3+ Kf6 26. Qg5# { A verydubious sacrifice that only paid off due to faulty play by my opponent. } 1-0

[Event "League division D1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.21"] [Round "-"] [White "czechveck"] [Black "romarychkov"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1652"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1549"] { This was a game when i won, with a crushing advantage. } 1. e4 { Most commonplay. } 1... e5 { Taking control of the center } 2. Nf3 { Attacking the pawn. } 2... Nc6 { Defending. } 3. Bc4 { A move that i perfected long ago. } 3... Nf6 { Attackingthe pawn on e4. } 4. Ng5 { Most common response. } 4... d5 { Black tries to blockoff the attack. } 5. exd5 { Black lost a pawn. } 5... b5 { Surprise! A very affectivemove, most people played how my opponent played here. White is expectingyou to play Na5. } 6. Bxb5 { Most players respond like this. } 6... Qxd5 { Attackingthe g2 pawn and the bishop. } 7. Bxc6+ { Most common response. } 7... Qxc6 { Takingback. } 8. O-O { Castling, and defending the pawn. } 8... Bd6 { Getting development. } 9. d3 Bb7 { Threatning mate on g2. } 10. f3 { Blocking the way. } 10... h6 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. dxe4 { Probably better was fxe4 because that can lead to an attackon my king. } 12... Bc5+ { Found a way to win his rook. } 13. Kh1 Ba6 { Here it is. } 14. Bd2 { There is no reason to save the rook because you can't. } 14... Bxf1 15. Qxf1 Rb8 { Attacking the b2 pawn. } 16. b3 O-O 17. Qc4 { Pinning my queen,but it doesn't do much. } 17... Qd6 { Now i'm not letting him develop his knight. } 18. Qe2 { Trying to let the knight develop. } 18... Rbd8 { Stopping his plans. } 19. a3 { This move made him lose, better was Qc4. } 19... Qd4 { The winning move.Threatning the rook, and the mate on g1. } 20. Nc3 { The only way to survive,but had to give a bishop. } 20... Qxd2 21. Qxd2 Rxd2 { Perfect, i'm up a rook. } 22. Na4 { Not sure why he did this. } 22... Rxc2 { I'm up a whole rook! } 23. Nxc5 { The rest of the game was just plane easy. } 23... Rxc5 24. b4 Rc3 25. h4 Rd8 26. a4 Rd4 27. b5 Rcc4 28. a5 Rb4 29. b6 cxb6 30. axb6 axb6 31. Kg1 Rb2 32. g4 Rdd2 33. h5 Rg2+ 34. Kh1 Rh2+ 35. Kg1 Rbg2+ 36. Kf1 Rh1+ 37. Kxg2 Rxa1 { Definitely, winning! } 38. Kf2 b5 39. Ke3 Rd1 { Blocking off the king. } 40. Ke2 Rd6 41. Ke3 b4 42. f4 exf4+ 43. Kxf4 b3 44. g5 hxg5+ 45. Kxg5 b2 46. h6 b1=Q 47. h7+ Kxh7 48. e5 Rg6+ 49. Kf4 Qe1 50. Kf3 Qxe5 51. Kf2 Rf6+ { And now he resinged because there is mate in two. What a crushing game! } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from bhidragon"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2020.06.09"] [Round "-"] [White "bhidragon"] [Black "thewrongreason"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1330"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1649"] { Unlike Joe's second game with ION which I don't think needs to be annotated. The problem is that once you start thinking something, somethingelse happens,from time to time. But, as noted, I think I'll now be able to forget. My focus is on getting better, so I pretty told Joe the same thing that'son my profile, with what I discovered about Jack. I was also startingto realize that trying to become a better chess player, the way it shouldbe, is the main thing that will help me to get a good nights sleep forwork the next day. And, that's because of what Susan posted about chessbeing so difficult that Carlsen needs a nutrition coach. When all is saidand done, it'll be made public. And, I'll show it to ION again. But,this is different from other annotations because I'll posting each movethat is discussed. } 1. e4 { The comment below is a prequil to this. We'llnow do it like a game and start the chat. bhidragon: OK, let's start. Thinking about the Sicilian from Black's point of view, what is the purposeof the opening? In other words, what advantages does the Sicilian bringto Black? How should Black use these advantages in the game? Forget memorizingmoves, start understanding the dynamics of the opening. When you've answeredthe questions (nothing fancy, just the basics) we'll start a Najdorf andtake it from there. thewrongreason: I agree, so what I had to do was withthe practice board. And, the simple part was just the first 2 moves fromblack. When, I just those, after 2...d6, the Bc8 has a lot of mobility.In fact, I think about how many squares they cover because easy19 onceemphasized it. And, a lot of times, when the B is first developed, theycover some squares. I believe the most is 2, but when the Sicilian is played,the B covers 5 squares which gives it a ton of mobility. Mobility is animportant factor, and as far as, how to use it, I haven't done it before. So, now my thinking is coming on because there's something I really likewhich I, previously, did not even consider. It has to do with later pinningthe Nf3, with ...Bg4 Now, that way might be premature, but someonelse oncerightly noted not to tie down your own pieces. And, even in an indirectpin that's easy to break, the N would still be tied down to the B. I justdon't know how much merit that adds or if this way of thinking is prematuresince I've gone wrong that way. But, what I like the most is that whenthe Sicilian is first played, the LSB has a lot of options, more then Ionce realized. bhidragon: Let’s continue with a different approach. TheSicilian “works” well for a couple of reasons. First, Black can oftenprevent White from building a “big center” with pawns on e4 and d4. That’swhat 1 ... c5 is all about, to kill the possibility of White playing d4and keeping the pawn there. That can become a significant advantage inthe middle-game, since Black has an easier time keeping his e and d pawnsin play. Second, in many Sicilian systems Black has a half-open c-filewhich greatly speeds up his attack against White’s Queen-side, an attackwhich Black needs to get going pretty quick. Third, white usually gainsa space advantage in the early opening and Black needs to equalize by expanding,normally on the Queen-side. Fourth, and the background to all Siciliangames, is that this is a very non-symmetrical and dynamic family of openings.Speed is absolutely critical for both sides. Speed, speed, speed! Anythingcan happen, and every mistake is there waiting to be made. Was that helpful? I’m sending a challenge, you get to play the Black side of the Najdorf. } 1... c5 { thewrongreason: That definitely was. And, some of what went into thatpart was difficult, but to make it easier, I'll start an annotation thatjust won't be made public. When this entire game is finished, then it'llbe public and the complete annotation. As this is the kind of thing thatSusan wants to see. } 2. Nf3 { bhidragon: See, starting to understand thebasics of an opening is much, much more important than memorizing a listof moves. That was by no means the complete theory of the Sicilian ofcourse, just enough to get us going. } 2... d6 { thewrongreason: That definitelywas. And, some of what went into that part was difficult, but to make iteasier, I'll start an annotation that just won't be made public. When thisentire game is finished, then it'll be public and the complete annotation.As this is the kind of thing that Susan wants to see. } 3. d4 { bhidragon:So, why should Black play 3. ... cxd4 in our game position? thewrongreason:I wondered that to. But, the reason is because if white allows 3.dxc5,white either has to lose a pawn. Or, if black recaptures with 3...dxc5,white exchanges with 4.Qxd8+ and takes away blacks right to castle. bhidragon:True to some extent. But, think about the fundamental concepts behindthe Sicilian we talked about a couple of days ago. Remember? 1. PreventWhite from putting pawns on e4 and d4 (the big center) 2. Open attackinglines on the Queen-side 3. Aggression and Speed So then, Black MUST play3. ... cxd4. Absolutely must make that move. Why? It takes White’s d-pawnoff the board. Concept 1 instantly satisfied. It opens the c-file as anattacking line for Black’s a8 Rook. Concept 2 satisfied. You must alwayscome back to the first concepts of any opening system you play to helpguide your opening play. thewrongreason: That's something that I didn'trealize, but it makes sense. It's going back and reviewing where thatconcept applies. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { thewrongreason: What I nowhave here is what Jack made me memorize. But, he didn't mention anythingelse after this position from the first 6 moves. I guess I still base iton concepts, but I'm sure that there's a lot more to the Nadjorf then justthis. bhidragon: There is indeed much more to the Najdorf than this, lol. I’m going to try to develop a concept here that is simply something I’vecome to realize over the years, and it all boils down to this: How do yourationalize the move 5. ... a6 in the Sicilian Najdorf. Truth be told,my computer melted down two days ago (thanks for the crappy update Microsoft)and I’m having to type on my iPad, which I absolutely hate to do. So,if it’s OK with you I’m going to hold that discussion till my new desktopgets delivered. I’ll slow down the play of this game a bit (within the3-day time limit of course), so we don’t have to make too many “not discussed”moves. thewrongreason: That's fine. There is one question, when you askabout rationalizing, do you mean, why is it played? Or is it, about whatconcept goes into it? bhidragon: By rationalize I mean how can you arguethat this is a good move. So, I think both of your definitions are somewhataccurate thewrongreason: Makes perfect sense. What I like about 5...a6is that it prevents 6.Nb5 (which I wouldn't be too worried about) or 6.Bb5+.But, I would not want to be placed in check there, even if it's a merenuisance. And, the reason why is because even if I don't move my K whereI'd be able to castle, one of the pieces would be directly pinned. Evenif the pin isn't of concern, I don't enjoy having my pieces tied down likethat. 5...a6 puts a stop to that. bhidragon: Avoiding the pin is one ofthe major reasons for a6. Others are more subtle. } 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qe2 { thewrongreason:I'm not sure what to play against you here. I was thinking in terms of7...h6 to force your Bg5 back. But, that way of thinking isn't all thatmuch better then when I did unsound aggression a few years back, as youremember. My concern is that you would, instead, exchange one of my N foryour B. And, my thing is not exchanging, unless it's absolutely necessaryto do so. I'm also thinking in terms of fianchettoing one of my B's. But,if so, I'm not sure which one as I like nice long diagonals. And, I'd normallyjust fianchetto my DSB so that I could castle short. But, I'm worried thatmy K side might be crammed up. So, the other candidate is to do it Q side.As I'm thinking in terms of attacking your e4 pawn again, but it's welldefended by your Q. So, I'm just not sure where to go from here. The realquestion is what should I do? With how complex the game is, I just wantto be sure that I'm thinking along the right lines. That's especially sinceI just lost my last game and overlooked a very basic checkmate threat againstSimon by thinking along the wrong lines. bhidragon: Well, h6 is firstin the theory tree. Would White really trade Bishop for Knight withoutthe possibility of messing up Black's K-side pawn structure? That's thebeauty of Black's Knight on d7. If White plays Bxf6 then Black plays Nxf6and White gives up the boshop pair and Black keeps the pawns intact. Next,g6 is playable, but that turns into a Najdorf/Dragon hybrid which I'veplayed before but seems a little slow for a Sicilian. Maybe e6 or e5 wouldbe a better choice to free the DSB. And those two e-pawn moves also supportBlack's central superiority. A last thought is b5. Black will play thatanyway after White plays 0-0-0, which is typical for this position. Wouldthat convince White to play 0-0 instead? Black would be able to fianchettothe LSB whatever the case. Anyway, those are probably your best shots. thewrongreason: It is convincing. You mentioned about e6 or e5. I like...e5 and have played it before because it hits the N. And, I like theidea of freeing the DSB. So, this is what I will play, as there is somethingthat I still have to learn from it. I once played it against Charles, butthere was some line shortly after that where I went wrong. Of course, he'sgot more experience to. So, I'll have to see where it takes me after theN move and to which square, of course. } 7... e5 8. Nb3 { thewrongreason: I usuallyask myself what to do. And, unless it's a mistake, I'm thinking of 8...Be7so that I can castle soon after. My idea of a good time, which isn't alwaysso good, is to castle, ASAP. But, there is a thread of this KOH club, andI was once corrected by nuntar for doing it as he quoted a GM who postedabout where it's better to sometimes delay it. bhidragon: Castle earlyif the Queens are still on the board! With that in mind, move the Bishopas you suggested } 8... Be7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. h4 { thewrongreason: I'm not so usedto seeing the h pawn advance so soon. I'm thinking that you probably playedthis to get an open file for the R. But, there's a smaller thought processbased on our last game. As it's also possible that you might be tryingto surround and even attack the K side. I didn't want to play this, butI have a feeling that 10...h6 is necessary to prevent something like 11.h5.As my fear is white being able to play 12.h6, where I feel there wouldbe problems because of something similar that happened in our last gameafter our blunder. The idea being that the same B was sacked for a devastatingattack, and I'm looking into what variations would come in that could bedevastating here. bhidragon: If you remember back to our discussion ofthe fundamental concepts of the Sicilian, we mentioned speed. White isnow going to throw a bunch of stuff at the Black King to see if anythingsticks. } 10... h6 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. f3 { bhidragon: OK, so I want to get a littleesoteric here, and touch on a way of looking at the game of chess thatis new to me. Hang with me a little while I touch on the highlights ofthis way of thinking. Let's start by looking at the first moves of theSpanish and Italian games. 1. e4 e5 I'll make the claim that these movesare understandable to even novices. They grab a piece of the center andopen development lines for the bishops. 2. Nf3 Nc6 Attacks and defends,while putting more pressure on the center. This resulting position is understandable!We know what each piece is doing. You can play these moves comfortably,knowing that they make sense and form the basis of a good position. However,let’s take a look at the start of the Indian defenses. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4e6 I’ll claim that these moves are not as intuitively correct as the firstcouple of moves in the Spanish. To the untrained eye, they do not reallyanswer the fundamental requirements of a good opening position. So whyplay them? We play the first few moves of the Indian openings because weunderstand (have been taught or learned through experience) the pros andcons of the future, EVOLVING positions. Rather than looking at a specificposition at a specific point in time, we are looking at the POTENTIAL ofthe position to evolve along certain paths. Let’s look at our Najdorf position.White is setting up an attack on the King-side. How should Black THINKABOUT his response? First off, let’s not invent a checklist. Let’s justconsider things. What are the general objectives for Black in the Najdorf?Control of the center, and attacking chances against White’s Queen-sideespecially using the half-open c-file, and speed. So, your central pawnsare probably in good shape. The question you have to answer is who hasthe advantage in speed? Can White’s attack do real damage before Blackcan get a significant attack going. That should guide how you approachthe next few moves. thewrongreason: I like this new way. For me, therewas always something different that I just wasn't used to which would takeme off guard, and I now realize that it is because of how a position evolveswhich can be sudden. With that, there's a lot that I didn't realize righthere which shows how little I know. As far as, who has the advantage, it'svery hard for me to guess. I'm thinking that white has a very small edgebecause of how things evolved with the a pawn. That would've been easyfor me to overlook the attack, but before my last move, my thought processwas that if I didn't do something, you could sac your B and get that devastating.With that, I think that white can do quite a bit of damage before blackdevelops an attack. And, I'm thinking about the pawn chain that you nowhave with your last move. I'm just not quite sure what to do, as I don'thave a candidate move to consider yet, in this position. But, I'll reallyhave to give it thought. } 12... Qb6 13. g4 Be6 14. g5 { bhidragon: So, is White’sattack a real threat or not? thewrongreason: If I'm to only look at thesmall stuff, I'd say no. As I can take and exchange pawns. But, the overallpicture tells me that it is because you can get your Q ready for action.And, then if white takes, you have a similar attack against my monarch. The real issue is allowing Qg2, and I have no idea how to stop it, either. I'm now thinking that the only thing I can do about the threat you haveis to answer with 14...Ne7, and then if 15.Qg2, 15...hxg5 seems ok forblack. But, I think that anything else and black might very well be busted. bhidragon: I'm not sure I'd consider the question 'Is White's attack realor not?' to be 'small stuff'. I think it may be central to how you playthe next part of the game. Well, you do probably need to move the Knightsomewhere, so do so and let's see how the game progresses from there. } 14... Nd7 15. gxh6 { thewrongreason: I don't know if I have anything better thentaking on g6. I don't want the Q swarming in, but then, if I take my Kside is destroyed. By how it's playing out, I think that the position islooking very bad for black here. I meant on h6. I won't take since I'mstarting to see what happens afterwards, and your attack would be devastating.With that, I think ...g6 is required here. The reason I won't annotatefor a while after this is because I was specifically looking at what howto prevent Joe from landing his Q+R on the g file due to his h6 pawn. I was thinking about what all of that can do to my monarch based on theoverall picture with our last game, in mind. } 15... g6 16. Bh3 Bxh3 17. Rxh3 Qc6 18. Rg1 Kh7 19. Qe3 Rae8 20. f4 exf4 21. Qxf4 Nf6 22. h5 Nxh5 23. Rxh5 Rg8 { I didn't take now because if I had responded with 23...gxh5 Joe couldand probably would answer with 24.Rg7+ And, after 24...Kh8, instead of25.h7?? right away, he would play 25.Qg4. And, I was thinking 26.h7, whichI thought lost but there are ways out of it. In contrast, 26.Qg6 wouldbe curtains since Joe would mate, just similar to the last game. Withthis move, I thought that everything's fine since my Rg8 now protects mefrom a K side attack. That is, in contrast to the last game, but whatI didn't realize is that I'm not in the clear. } 24. Nd5 gxh5 { ?? Joe didn'tsay anything until now. But, after this move, he said, 'Welcome back',and I know from the last game with what it means since he said, 'HappyBirthday' there. So, all I said was thanks on my next move. That was,16 days after I had come back from vacation. I moved my R over and thoughtthat, now, I was protected from a K side attack and became. By takingnow, I didn't see any immediate danger since I was, in a different contextthinking about the big picture. As with our last game, however, I stillmissed it because of what's coming. But, as with before, I was, extremelyconfident with the move played, and I went overboard, at that. } 25. Qxf7+ Kxh6 26. Rxg8 Bg5+ 27. Rxg5 Kxg5 28. Qf6+ { It wasn't until now thatI made me realize that I'm really lost in all variations. As Joe willkeep checking, perpetually and not in way that'll end in a draw by rep. As the position are not going to repeat, so what I'm alluding is thatI have no shred of counterplay. } 28... Kg4 29. Ne3+ Kg3 30. Qg5+ Kf2 31. Qf4+ Ke2 { Now, the chats are over, so I had three spots to move the monarch. And, I was trying to figure out where. Other moves, I saw a quick mate,and I saw it here. But, for me this appeared a little easier to miss amate, so I was hoping that Joe wouldn't play his next move. My hope was32.Qf1+?? where it's not mate. But, only a second after this move, I realizedthat this won't happen since I overlooked that this would allow me to compensatewith 32...Kxe3 which is how I would've answered. So, his next move waswhat predicted since it wins quickly. } 32. Nd4+ { And, when he plays it,I resigned. This was in my resignation note, followed by a chess puzzlestarting with Joe's previous move. With that, 32...Ke1 is forced, andhe would've responded to that with 33.Qf1# which is mate. The problemis that I became, as Carlsen would call it a, 'greedy patzer' and knabbedhis R which is how I missed this overall picture. } 1-0

[Event "Playing on the whole board"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.26"] [Round "-"] [White "alcol1960"] [Black "nyctalop"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2081"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2180"] { In this game, my opponent plays a very natural move that fails tacticallyand is left down an exchange with hardly any compensation. After that it'sjust a mater of time until everything crashes and he's forced to resign.But enough with the description and on with the game! } 1. e4 c5 { Everytime I play this move against 1. e4 I imagine a boxer dodging a directjab and countering with a right hook, staggering his opponent. On a moreserious note, this move is probably responsible for the lower statisticalrating of 1. e4 as opposed to 1. d4. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 { So far I have a verygood rating with this line, the positions are much more dynamic than after2...d6 and the initiative can shift much quicker to Black. } 3. d4 { TheRossolimo line with 3. Bb5 scores better in databases and probably withgood reason. White can keep a pleasant initiative and can construct a stablepawn centre. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 { The only seriousalternative to 7. Bg5 } 7... Nxd5 { Forced, there was no way to defend c7 } 8. exd5 { Taking with the Queen is pointless as that would only ease Black'stask in pushing d5 and gaining the initiative. } 8... Nb8 { The best retreat.On e7, it would just tangle up pieces and it wouldn't have a good placeto go. } 9. c4 { White has several plans in this position. The one playedis the most popular, but the others are just as playable. Other alternativesinvolve playing with a4, going for piece play rather than pawn attacks,and in case Black plays a6, squeezing the Q-side with a5. Another planis with f4, stabilizing and blocking Black's central pawns. } 9... Be7 { The mostelastic move. Black's plan is to castle and play f5, usually in that order. } 10. Bd3 { This signals that White isn't going for the f4 plan, which wouldsimply lose a tempo since an e4 pawn push would hit the Bd3 and insteadwants to keep the lines open for his pieces and try to make use of theabsence of a Knight on the K-side and attack there. } 10... a6 { Black is well-advisedto wait with this move since playing it at a wrong time can just createentry points on the dark squares on the Q-side. Since White has playedsuch a brazen Bishop move, I was more relaxed about his intentions. } 11. Nc3 { There are some lines in which the Knight goes to a3, but that is connectedto an early c5 push, clearing c4 for the Knight, pressurizing the Q-side. } 11... O-O 12. O-O f5 { The best plan for Black in these structures. White usuallytries to go for a c5 push, creating a passed d-pawn. } 13. Qh5 { A ratheradventurous plan. The theoretical move is f3, trying to contain the mobileBlack pawn centre. } 13... e4 { The Bishop gets a blow to the head and is givena standing count by the referee. } 14. Be2 Nd7 { Now it's time to start developing. } 15. Bf4 { White develops his last piece and takes control of e5. } 15... Ne5 { Thetempting 15...Nf6 just gives White time to send the White Queen to greenerpastures via h3. } 16. Qh3 { White probably should have exchanged on e5 hereand his position would have been pretty good. } 16... Bf6 { Now the Knight is stabilizedand it's time to start play on the other side of the board. } 17. Rae1 { Whiteobviously still wants to get the attack going at all costs. } 17... Bd7 { Gettingthe last piece out and planning b5, opening lines on the Q-side. With White'spieces oriented on the K-side, it's pretty hard to start active operationsthere without allowing the White pieces to come to life. Instead, keepinga more flexible state of mind can make sure you don't misjudge the positionand can find the most adequate plan. } 18. b3 { This seems like a mistake.White secures the c4 pawn at the expense of weakening the long diagonal. } 18... b5 { Now b5 gains in force as it has a fiendish tactical coup that my opponentmissed. } 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Bxb5 { White gobbles up the pawn, thinking itwas a free lunch. } 20... Ng6 { The first part of the check. The Bf4 is lose andthe diagonal is cleared with tempo and suddenly the Nc3 is overcharged. } 21. Bc1 { White again miscalculated. Better was 21. Bxd7 and after 21...Nxf422. Be6+ (an important move to save the Bishop) Kh8 23. Qe3 Bxc3 24. Qxc3Rxa2, although I'm still better, it's not by much. } 21... Bxc3 { Now I win anexchange and get a very active Knight. } 22. Bxd7 Bxe1 23. Be6+ Kh8 24. Rxe1 Rxa2 { The forced moves are over White's Bishop pair is hardly working.The b-pawn is rather weak and pretty soon the White King will have problems.White tried to put up a good fight, but there wasn't anything that couldcause serious problems. } 25. Rf1 { White sees that once a Knight lands ond3, f2 will need protection and takes steps accordingly. He also wantsto take on f5 without fear of Qf6. } 25... Qf6 { Protecting f5 and taking controlof the long diagonal. } 26. b4 { A desperado advance but it's hard to suggestanything constructive for White. } 26... Ne5 { Eyeing the sweet d3 square. } 27. Qg3 { Intending to play Bg5 and try to put the Bishop pair to use. } 27... f4 { Notright now, thanks. I think I'll kick your Queen around some more. } 28. Qb3 Rfa8 { Connecting the Rooks. Every Black piece is active, I have a mobilepawn phalanx and I'm up an exchange. Life sure can be sweet sometimes. } 29. Qh3 { Trying to be consistent with 29. b5 doesn't promise anything after29...Nd3 30. b6 Nxc1 31. Rxc1 Ra1 32. Rd1 Qb2 33. b7 Qxb3 34. bxa8Q+ Rxa8and I'm up a Queen for Bishop. } 29... g6 { Getting rid of back rank mate threatsand limiting the Be6. } 30. Bd7 { With the idea of Qe6. My Queen is far moredangerous than White's, so it makes a lot of sense to try and swap them. } 30... Nd3 { An advanced Knight can be a very dangerous piece. This Knight hitsthe Bc1, the b4 and f2 pawns and it covers f2. } 31. Qe6 { Offering theintended Queen trade. } 31... Qd4 { Accepting the Queen exchange would have prolongedWhite's resistance. } 32. Bc8 { Intending Qe8+ with a hopeful perpetual. } 32... R2a7 { Covering the seventh rank. The Bc8 is now a goner. } 33. g3 { Attackingthe f4 pawn in order to develop the Bc1 and making a breather for the King.The downside is that now I can win the Bc8. } 33... Rc7 34. Bxf4 Nxf4 35. gxf4 Raxc8 { More material is exchanged but White's position hasn't got any easier. } 36. Qxd6 e3 { Dismantling the White castle. } 37. Qe6 Rc3 38. d6 { 38. fxe3loses to Rxe3! 39. Qxc8+ Re8+, winning back the Rook with a lot of interest. } 38... Qxf4 39. fxe3 Qg5+ 40. Kh1 Rc1 41. Qf7 Rxf1+ 42. Qxf1 Qxe3 { White didn'tbother playing anymore since after 43. d7 Qe4+ 44. Kg1 Qd4+ wins the d-pawnand after that it would be pointless to continue. } 0-1

[Event "kentut"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "02-Jul-07"] [Round "-"] [White "rubacchus"] [Black "hamboba"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1593"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1575"] 1. e4 { Seeking a tactical game. } 1... e6 { Black does not commit to immediateexchanges in the center and can choose from a variety of openings. } 2. d4 { A classical pawn center, controlling the center from the center andholding more ground. } 2... d5 { Black selects the French opening and introducesa little tension in the center. The e4 square is the weakness for white- no protection, and e5 is weak for black and can be used to limit thedevelopment of the g8 knight by e4-e5 if the opportunity is taken immediately. } 3. Nd2 { This move introduces the French Tarrasch opening. An interestingalternative is 3.c4 dxe4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5. f3 Bb4 the Diemler Duhm gambitmain line. The text move leaves the d4 pawn without protection while protectingthe e4 pawn, and it blocks the influence of the queen and also blocks thebishop at c1. } 3... c5 { The French Tarrasch Open. Black contests the centerimmediately while neglecting both development and king safety. } 4. Ngf3 { White develops a second piece while protecting d4. } 4... Nc6 { Last book moveknown to me presently. Black applies pressure to the weak d4 square withthe threat of c5xd4 to follow. It is interesting to note that black whilestill underdeveloped, has a greater control of d4 because of the positionalweakness of white having a knight on d2. } 5. exd5 { White decides that theinevidible c5xd4 could only be countered by c2-c3 - because the d2 knightcan not move without dropping e4 - no queen protection for the pawn - sodecides to initiate an attack. White may be reserving the queenside forcastling, assuming that black will castle kingside, which means that attackingwith f2-g2-h2 will be beneficial. There will be a bit of a problem withthe pressure on d4 after Qd8xd5, but this may be resolved with some work.-1p } 5... Qxd5 { -1P,-1p } 6. Bc4 { White develops and chases the queen gainingtempo. } 6... Qd7 7. Nb3 { White regains control of d4. White stands a littlebetter because of having a ready 0-0 available and because no diagonalattacks can be applied against the king due to the position and becauseof better development. The only downside may be found after c5xd4 whereblack will have a little better pawn center - which may mean nothing morethan offering protection of f7 or supplying support at d5 for a knight. } 7... a6 { Black pursues a course of attack. The lack of development of the theking should warn against this move. White can castle to safety and thenbegin operations that will have increasingly better chances at attackingthe king that is still in the center at e8. The plan of b7-b5 to chasethe bishop does not accomplish enough. White can counter the text moveby simply playing d4-d5 where if e6xd5, then Bc4xd5 and white can playon with ease. } 8. Be3 { White still appears to be following a strategy involving0-0-0 and continues to develop pieces. White has 4 pieces controlling d4completely, and an assessment of the rest of the white pieces shows howwhite has domination in the center, while black has the drawback of limitedmobility due to underdeveloped pieces and limited space and almost nonexistantopen diagonals. Open diagonals are very import for bishops. White standsbetter positionally and is better developed. } 8... cxd4 { Black eliminates thelast center pawn to obtain a little advantage by the e6 pawn over the center.Black controls d5 because of the pawn vs pieces advantage, but white hascontrol of more central squares, with the exception of e4. Of course thereis the matter of removing the threat on d4 first that must be attended.-2P,-1p } 9. Nbxd4 { White obtains material equality. -2P,-2p } 9... Bd6 { Blackmakes plans for kingside castling. } 10. Nb3 { White obtains greater controlof the center with the knight on b3, but castling seems a better idea andeither Qd1-e2 with the option of Nf3-d2 for coverage, or 0-0 would be abetter choice. The move Qd1-d2 may obtain the annoying Bd6-b4 which wouldrequire c2-c3 blocking the attack but weakening the potential castle. } 10... b5 { Black decides to make the queenside unwelcome and pursues the bishop.This move really helps white to move the bishop to a better position. Bc4xe6offers nothing. Black can get away with the attack because there is nosafe and open white color diagonal for white to use for an attack. } 11. Bd3 { This move has good and bad merits. The future goal of Bxh7 or supportingQxh7 is good, but there is the matter of a possible future fork by e6-e5-e4.Perhaps Bc4-e2 is better by keeping away from a future tactic. } 11... Nf6 { Blackcatches up in development and is starting to obtain a better position bydeveloping pieces that control the center while clearing the back rank. } 12. Nc5 { White attempts to swindle a trade of B for N to obtain an advantage.Perhaps castling would be better now since black is very close to obtaininga lead in development. } 12... Qe7 { Black turns the tide. Fortunately for whitethere is no target on the other side of the Q-B attack line. } 13. Ne4 { Whitepursues a continued attack hoping to score on the a8 rook by tactics -but the opponent will probably see this. If now Ng6xe4, Bd3xe4, then Bc8-c7keeps both the rook and knight safe. } 13... Bb7 { Black takes preventative measuresagainst whites plan. } 14. Nxd6+ { White scores a bishop for knight, so maybethat was the real plan all along! -2P,-1b-2p } 14... Qxd6 { Maintains materialequality. -1N-2P,-1b-2p } 15. O-O { White is now properly prepared to beginan attack or push a strategy, which speaking of pushing - note the majorityof queenside pawns which can be pushed to advantage. White has an advantagedue to the pawn majority and 2 bishops. } 15... Ne5 { Black seeks to level theplaying field, hopeing to score a bishop. } 16. Be2 { Access denied. } 16... Qc7 { Black could force the loss of a bishop for white, but it would cost abishop in return. A better strategy would be to keep what strength thereis in having 1 bishop as opposed to none. } 17. a4 { White attempts to enticeb5xa4, Ra1xa4 with the plan of obtaining a passed pawn on the c file, orif possible 2 connected passers - which would require the dispensing ofat the least, the b7 bishop. } 17... O-O { Black obtains an almost equal position,but is still less than equal because of the pawn disadvantage queenside. } 18. Nxe5 { This move does not accomplish much. The knight offers positionalstrength at f3, but this strength is given away without recompense. -1N-2P,-1b-1n-2p } 18... Qxe5 { There is a threat of Qe5xb2 next move. -2N-2P,-1b-1n-2p } 19. Bd4 { White politely asks the queen to buzz off. } 19... Qf4 { Black hovers ominouslyaround the kingside, but does not appear to be quite positioned for a goodattack. } 20. f3 { ? In retrospect, this move is not good. Bd4-e3 is better.But most players would overlook the approaching pin that was played inthis game, including myself. It is a focus thing - looking at just onepart of the board. } 20... Rfd8 { ! A crushing pin is applied. The turning point. } 21. c3 { A temporary patch. } 21... e5 { ! } 22. Qc1 { A good try! Maybe Bd4xe5, evenso, Qxe5 and it is -2 pts instead of -3 pts and 1 bishop less - dagnabbit! } 22... Qxc1 { -1Q-2N-2P,-1b-1n-2p } 23. Rfxc1 { -1Q-2N-2P,-1q-1b-1n-2p } 23... exd4 { -1Q-1B-2N-2P,-1q-1b-1n-2p } 24. cxd4 { -1Q-1B-2N-2P,-1q-1b-1n-3p } 24... b4 { Rxd4 loses to a4xb5, a6xb5, Ra1xa8&#43,Bb7xa8, Rc1-c8&#43, Rd4-d8, Rc8xd8&#43, Nf6-e8, Rd8xe8# } 25. Rc7 Rab8 26. Bc4 Nd5 27. Re1 Nxc7 { -1Q-1R-1B-2N-2P,-1q-1b-1n-3p Game won, resignation,0-1. } 0-1

[Event "Pin, pin, pin..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.07.13"] [Round "-"] [White "mrmobil"] [Black "volandm"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1631"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1458"] { Hi, everyone. Here is my second annotated game. I decided to annotateit because I considered it a very interesting game from a tactical pointof view. There has been some pins, some skews, and a very quick and a powerfulattack that I really enjoyed. Enjoy it! } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 c6 { FinallyI came to a semi-slav. } 4. Nc3 e6 { Although the book recommend dxc, I don'tlike to loose tempo. } 5. Bg5 h6 { Forcing 6.Bxf6 Dxf6 and my Queen is creatingpression on the week f pawn. } 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 { The white is protectinghis c pawn. } 7... Nd7 8. cxd5 exd5 { Not 8. ... cxd5. Queen on a4 and Bishopon b5 can be very annoying. More than that, after 8. ... exd5 and king-sidecastling, my rook on e file can be very dangerous. } 9. Qc2 Be7 { Preparingfor castling on kingside. } 10. h4 { Loosing time. I think the best is 10.Bd30-0 11. 0-0. That was the biggest strategic mistake of the White. And you'llsee why. } 10... Nb6 { After 10. h4 the g4 square became very attractive for theblack LSB. And after Nb6 he is ready to jump. } 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Ne5 { TheWhite tries to defend g4 square. } 12... c5 13. g4 { I think here he pursue toget rid of the dangerous LSB with consecutive Bg5. } 13... cxd4 14. exd4 Qf4 { The Queen start the Black's attack. The pawn on d5 and g5 are in danger. } 15. Ne2 Bb4+ 16. Kd1 { This was a big mistake. It starts an avalanche ofpins and skews that led to a powerful attack. Now after 16. ... Bxg4 theNight is pinned and will be so till the end. } 16... Bxg4 17. Nxg4 Qxg4 18. a3 { I was afraid of 18. Bh7+ and 19.Qg5, but luckily for me the Black missedit. } 18... Qf3 19. Rg1 { Offering a pawn for free, but I had other plans. } 19... Rac8 20. Qb3 { And the king is in very big troubles. Now I had to prevent Bh7+loosing my Queen, and I did it with Bc3. } 20... Bc3 { Now the white Bishop isunprotected. If the White take on c3 I will regain material with tempowith Qxd3+. The only solution for White is to take away the white Bishopto b5, continuing to control d3. } 21. bxc3 { A definite blunder. What followwas a disaster. } 21... Qxd3+ 22. Ke1 Rfe8 { The white Knight is completely uselessand the pressure on c and e files is literally crushing White's pieces.He must defend the immediate Qxe2#. } 23. Ra2 Rxc3 { I was threatening Rc1#. } 24. Qb2 Nc4 { After the game I realized that I was able to play right away24. ... Rxe2+ 25. Qxe2 Rc1+ 26. Qd1 Rxd1# } 25. Qxb7 { Better 25. Qa1 prolongsthe agony, but not for too long. After 25. Qxb7 White is mated with Rc1.The white Knight didn't move from the opening, the Rook hasn't had eventhe time to move, and I think my victory was due to full exploitation ofthe pinned knight and blocked king. And it all started with an uselessmove in the opening, h4, instead of castling. It was an interesting game,with lots of tactical traps that I fully enjoyed. } 25... Rc1# 0-1

[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.05.12"] [Round "-"] [White "notfromearth"] [Black "eddeeagle"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1785"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1809"] { Since I always love to read annotated games, I decided to try an annotationtoo. My explanations might not be very professional, but I'm still quitea beginner (my actual rating is definitely too high, but I think it willgo down soon enough). However, this game was quite uncommon to me, as Idid my first queen sacrifice (which was not that good, but somehow it stillworked ;-) ). Comments are welcome and sorry for my bad English. } 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 a6 { Seems to be a pretty uncommonopening, but according to the gameknot-analyzer, it's still a book opening. } 6. g3 { last book-move, it seems. } 6... Bg4 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. O-O O-O-O { gameknot-analyzermeans: -0.27, so a minimal advantage for black at this point } 9. d5 Qc5 { uncommon move, it seems, this position has only been reached 4 times ingameknot database. } 10. Be3 { attacking the queen... } 10... Qa5 { now, here isthe central point of this game and the last move that exists in the database...3 games have reached this position so far, and 3 different moves have beenplayed: Qc1 (0-1), Qd3 (1-0), a3 (1-0)... Somehow, I didn't like anyof this move... and since I think that chess must be a fun game, I wastrying the following experiment: } 11. dxc6 { ?!... according to the analyzer,this is an inaccuracy that changes the rating to -0.99 (best would havebeen Qe1: -0.45)... From here on, everything until move 16 went exactelythe way as I planned it (with help of the board analyzer). I sacrificedmy queen to have a dangerous attack on his king. } 11... Rxd1 { ... of course } 12. cxb7+ { of course... if the king takes the pawn, my lsb faces him ifI move my knight on f3 away... if Kb8, the pawn could become really dangerous(but it still could be taken later)... -0.98 } 12... Kxb7 { expected } 13. Raxd1 { -0.72 } 13... Kc8 { ?! -0.33... analyzer suggests c6 with -0.93. (I didn't seethis move either though ;-) ) } 14. Ng5 { !?... -0.02, this quality sacrificewas also planned... } 14... Bxd1 15. Rxd1 { +0.98... I don't know why the analyzersuddenly saw such an advantage for me, the rating jumped from +0.13 to+0.98 just by doing this move... strange. } 15... e6 { ?! +2.25, analyzer suggestsg6 with +1.27... } 16. Nxf7 { until here, everything went exactely as I wanted...black can't save his rook, since after 16. ...Rg8 17. Rd8# } 16... Bc5 { ! seemsto be the best move for black... I felt very comfortable with my positionhere... so I played the next move too fast, in my opinion... } 17. Nxh8 { ?!... Analyzer doesn't critisize this move, but after some more thinking,I guess Bxc5 might have been the better choice... that way, blacks queencan become quite dangerous... furthermore, I would have kept my bishoppair and I didn't see any threath for my knight, so I think this move wasnot good. } 17... Bxe3 18. fxe3 { +1.13... not that much advantage anymore. } 18... Qc5 { ? +2.66 ... this move seems logical at first sight (and was exactelywhat I expected). Qh5 would have been much stronger though, as black couldhave won my knight: (... Qh5 19. Bf1 Qe8 20. Bxa6+ Kb8 21. h3 Qxh8 22. Bc4Qc8 23. Kh2 Qb7 24. Bxe6 Qb6 25. Rd8+ Kb7 26. Bb3 Qxe3... +1.13 accordingto the analyzer) } 19. Nf7 { here I had to decide... saving the knight(and threathening a mate) and give away e3 or to protect the pawn and losethe knight (by creating a double pawn for black). Like I said, chess shouldbe fun, so I tried the more risky way... ;-) } 19... Qxe3+ 20. Kf1 { ?! Even morerisky... I just wanted to avoid his queen coming to f2, black has no immediatechecks now. Still I think, this move was probably a little bit too risky. black can't play Ng4 now, since I still have an active mate-thread (Rd8#) } 20... Kb8 { ?!... I was expecting c5 or Nd7, Analyzer suggests c6 ;-). Now I havea number of checks } 21. Rd8+ Ka7 22. Ra8+ Kb6 23. Rb8+ { setting a trap... } 23... Kc5 { ?? the final blunder... to be honest, I didn't see the forced matein 6 moves, but I knew he would at least lose his queen. Then again,I was a little disappointed... I really wanted to keep this game goingon, with something like: 21. Rd8+ Ka7 22. Ra8+ Kb6 23. Rb8+ Ka7 24. Rb7+Ka8 25. Rxc7+ Kb8 26. Rb7+ Kc8 27. Nd6+ Kd8 28. Ne2 (all moves quite forced.from this point on, I was thinking about a lot of possible moves... butI think I would still have had an advantage) } 24. Na4+ Kc4 25. b3+ Kd4 { ...Qxb3 would have been the option to live a little longer... but blackwas lost anyway. } 26. Rb4# { isn't this a nice mate-picture? ;-) } 1-0

[Event "Schaakclub Rijs 27 maart 2009"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Herman Beks"] [Black "Douwe Tjerkstra"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d6 { passief, Pc6 of Lc5 is actiever } 4. f4 { The King's Gambit often gives up a lot of material. } 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 { Lg4 is a more aggressive move, allowing the possibility of Pd4 after a rook exchange on f3. } 6. a4 { Air gap for the knight, and prevented e5. a6 and b5 or P-5. } 6... Ne7 { Giving protection to e5 and blocking the dark-squared bishop. } 7. fxe5 Nxe4 8. O-O { White can strike immediately with Pe4, but black can counter with d5; however, if white plays c3, then black has a powerful rook pawn on d5, so white cannot prevent it. } 8... Qc8 { I didn't understand that completely, preventing any long checkmate. } 9. Nxe4 d5 10. Nf6+ { Strengthen the darkest square, take on f6 must. } 10... gxf6 11. exf6 dxc4 12. fxe7 Bxe7 13. Ne5 { (dezestelling was de bedoeling) } 13... Bc5+ 14. Kh1 O-O 15. d4 { It was possible to move the knight to f7: 15. Txf7, Txf7; 16. Pxf7, Kxf7; 17. Dh5+ and 18. Dxc5 – but I didn't see this combinati } 15... Re8 16. Qh5 Be6 17. Bh6 { This move prevents a possible checkmate behind the pawns, but it also allows for a possible breakthrough on f7, making it likely to be better. } 17... Bf8 18. Qg5+ Kh8 19. Qf6+ Kg8 20. Qg5+ { I thought I would win the game with a checkmate, but I had misread the situation, so I am going to return my queen with a knight. } 20... Kh8 21. Nxf7+ Bxf7 22. Rxf7 Qe6 23. Rxf8+ { Herman Beks moves his knight to the next square. } 1-0

[Event "zigi's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.16"] [Round "-"] [White "dwardman"] [Black "koro73"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1679"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1876"] 1. d4 { Trusted D4 } 1... Nf6 2. Bf4 d6 3. Nf3 g6 4. Nbd2 Bg7 5. c3 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 { Well this blocks the bishop but does give some support for e5 } 7. Bd3 c5 8. h3 b6 { The bishop will be released via b7 } 9. O-O Bb7 10. Re1 Qc7 11. e4 { Staking a claim for the centre } 11... e6 12. Nc4 Ne8 13. a4 { Giveblack something else to think about } 13... e5 14. Bg5 { The rook looks up forgrabs } 14... exd4 15. cxd4 cxd4 16. Be7 Nc5 17. Bxf8 Kxf8 18. b4 { charge } 18... Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Ba6 20. b5 Bb7 21. Rac1 { grab the file } 21... Qd7 22. Nxd4 { And thena pawn, black resigns } 1-0

[Event "96th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.08.19"] [Round "-"] [White "valenok37"] [Black "kingshunt"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1837"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2072"] { Here is one of my best game this time its against a strong chess player.This is the 1st time I annotate my games. My first encounter with thisopponent I'm handling white pieces and i'm lost. usually all my victoriescoming from black pieces..So guys all any comments or opinion, I'm openfor any criticism. } 1. d4 { White open d4, on my opinion he is a positionalplayer. which in contrast with me I'm attacking player, usually I'm playinge4. } 1... Nf6 { I usually refute d4 by Nf6, this is my psywar against white,he doesn't know what is my idea on my opening, because I can transposethis to any openings, unlike d5. } 2. c4 { white continue pushing his pawnto c4. } 2... g6 { Here is my idea like my idol Fischer likes the Kings IndianDefense, But I only bluff white, since I decide to play my opening repertoirethe Gruenfeld defense. } 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 { g3 added the pressure on d5 byfianchetto of his king bishop. which is a natural move } 4... O-O { usually allof my games I prefer early castling. } 5. Bg2 d5 { Here is the Gruenfelddefense. I provoking white to capture my pawn in which he did. } 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O c6 { I played c6 here to support my knight in d5 and as wellto prevent any possible attack by bishop on my rook } 8. Nc3 { Here whiteplayed Nc3 to challenge my knight in d5,with the idea of e4 } 8... Bg4 { I playedBg4 here to restrict the space dominated by white pieces in center } 9. h3 { very obvious move } 9... Bd7 { usually i'm not exchanging my bishop againstknight unless it was necessary. Bg4 only is a psychological move, I'm provokingwhite to push his h3 to add weakness on his kingside. } 10. Qd3 { white queenmaintaining his idea to dominate the center. } 10... Na6 { I played 10. Na6 followedby 11. Nc7, to prepare for white e4 } 11. e4 Nb6 { I played 11. Nb6 hereinstead of Nf6. My idea is to stop annoying white Bg5, as well I see theweakness of c4 square. And as well the benefit of Nb6 my bishop indirectlypin white rook in a1 } 12. Be3 { Finally white develop his 2nd bishop tosupport his d pawn } 12... Be6 { Followed by Bc4 to skewer the queen and rook. } 13. b3 f5 { I have a second thought for this move since it will create aweakness on my e6. But I don't want to let white to dominate the center,which is very vital in a strategy and planning. } 14. Ng5 { This is a prematuremove, white should played here 14. Rac1 followed by 15. Rfd1, he shouldconsolidate his position first. } 14... Bc8 15. Rad1 h6 { I'm starting to pushbackward the white pieces, particularly this annoying knight } 16. Nf3 fxe4 { This is my plan to eradicate the white e pawn } 17. Nxe4 Nd5 { I playedNd5 to centralize my knight. I can play Bf5, but it will eject only byg4. I'm still looking the possibilities to capture h3 pawn } 18. Nh4 Nab4 19. Qd2 { I thought white will play Qb1 to add pressure on g6 square, buthe's looking the h6 pawn. } 19... Kh7 { the natural move to defend my pawn ing6 } 20. a3 Na6 21. Qd3 { white return his queen to d3 to pin my pawn ing6 } 21... Qe8 { Instead of 21...Qe8 I can play here 21... Bf5, but I'm hesitatesince after white's 22.g4, my move is 22..Bxe4, followed by white move's23. Bxe4, and naturally my reply should be 23..Rf6.which gives me uncomfortableposition } 22. Nd2 { white move is very obvious here } 22... Bf5 { atlast I'm decideto exchange my bishop against white knight!! } 23. Nxf5 gxf5 { My idea of22... Bf5 is to break white pawn particularly the g pawn so I can put myrook's command in g file. This could be happen by pushing my pawn to f4 } 24. Nc4 { This is the plan of white to stationed his knight in beautifulsquare e5 } 24... Kh8 { Kh8 to unpin my king } 25. Ne5 Rd8 { followup by 26..Bxe5and move my knight since my rook indirectly pin the white queen } 26. Qd2 Kh7 { Kh7 is a psychological move, I can play here 26..Rf6, but I'm veryuncomfortable to limit the activity of my bishop, since I will prepareto rid the white's knight. } 27. Rfe1 { white is eyeing my weakness in efile } 27... c5 { I'm start to counter attack to remove his pawn in d4 } 28. f4 { white normal move to support his knight in e5 } 28... Qb5 { at last my queen isactive!! } 29. Bf2 cxd4 30. Bxd4 Qxb3 31. Kh2 { white can play 31. Qd3 buthe don't want to exchange his queen, my plan to move from middle game toendgame..Most of my victories is on endgame by simplifying the position.I'm study hard endgame than openings and middle game.. } 31... Ndc7 { to pin bishopand to stop to capture my pawn in a7 and just in any case for the escapeof my queen, since white can capture my b7 pawn by moving his rook in b1 } 32. Qe2 { White's idea to attack my king via h5 } 32... Nb5 33. Bxb7 Nxd4 34. Qxa6 Bxe5 { This is my plan to capture white's valuable knight and followup movemy rook in g8 to help my queen } 35. fxe5 Rg8 { this all part of my planto divert his king's defense. } 36. Rd3 { white can't move his queen sincehis bishop is en prise. The correct move is 36.. Rg1 followed by Bg2, 36.Rd3blocked his white queen tour to f1 for king's defense. } 36... Qc2+ { white probablyoverlook this move.. } 37. Bg2 Rg6 { white queen is overloaded: first onhis bishop then on his rook in d3 } 38. e6 { Correct move here is Rxd4, whiteshould capture the knight.. } 38... Rd6 39. Qxd6 { white doesn't have any goodmove here, if 39. Qxa7 Qxd3 40. Qxe7 Rg8, 41. Qxd6 Qxg3, followed by Qxg2mate. } 39... exd6 40. Rxd4 { white is helpless against the powerful queen } 40... Qf2 { fork two rooks and threat of mate in two moves } 41. Rd3 Qxe1 { I hope youall enjoy my simple annotations..Please free to any kind of feedback. } 0-1

[Event "League division F1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "lovechiefs"] [Black "rob1450"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1159"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1005"] 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb4+ 3. Bd2 Bxd2+ 4. Nxd2 Qf6 5. Ngf3 Ne7 6. e3 { Developing } 6... O-O 7. Be2 a5 8. O-O Nf5 9. Nb3 Nc6 10. d5 Nb4 11. Nfd4 Nh4 { Black knightis in a bad position. I would have instead exchanged knights } 12. g3 Qg6 13. a3 f5 14. axb4 f4 15. exf4 d6 16. Bd3 Nf5 { waste of tempo,but needed } 17. Nxf5 exf5 18. h3 Bd7 19. g4 a4 20. Nd4 fxg4 { error of the game.Givesthe queen } 21. Bxg6 Rxf4 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Kh2 c5 24. bxc5 dxc5 25. Ne2 Rf3 26. Ng3 Raf8 27. Qe2 Re8 28. Qc2+ Bf5 { I would have first played g6 } 29. Nxf5 Rxf5 30. Qxf5+ g6 31. Qf7+ Kh6 32. Qxe8 Kh5 33. d6 Kh4 34. Qh8+ Kg5 35. d7 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.07.29"] [Round "-"] [White "lost_in_chaos"] [Black "sanjinp"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1518"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1521"] 1. e4 b6 { Owen defense. } 2. Nf3 Bb7 3. Bc4 Bxe4 4. Bxf7+ Kxf7 5. Ng5+ Ke8 6. Nxe4 Nf6 7. Nxf6+ gxf6 { BLUNDER! 8. Qg3# makes for a very shortgame. Variation of the two move fool's mate. } 8. d4 { Uh, not quite right. } 8... d5 9. Be3 Qd6 10. Nc3 e5 11. Qh5+ Kd7 12. Qf7+ Qe7 { I like Bf7 better. } 13. Qxd5+ Qd6 14. Qxa8 Nc6 15. dxe5 fxe5 { Oh no! Your queen ends up pinnedto the king with Rd1. You can interpose the knight, but only by sacrificingPa7. } 16. Rd1 Nd4 17. Bxd4 exd4 18. O-O Bg7 19. Qxa7 Kc6 20. a3 Be5 21. g3 Rg8 22. Qa4+ Kb7 23. Nb5 Qc5 24. b4 Qc3 { Qc4 or Qe7 or Qf8... } 25. Nxc3 { If I play too early in the morning I make moves like these. Once in awhile you just have an off day, where things go terribly awry. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.01.20"] [Round "-"] [White "braavio"] [Black "pasha582"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1571"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1439"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 e5 4. Bxc4 exd4 5. Ne2 d3 6. Qxd3 Qxd3 7. Bxd3 Bb4+ 8. Bd2 Bxd2+ 9. Nxd2 Nc6 10. O-O Be6 11. a3 { Computer analysis claimsthis was a mistake. Black's preferred response was to castle queen side. Nf4 g5 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Ne4 Rxd3 15. Nxg5 Nf6 16. Rad1 Rb3 17. Rd2 Re818. Rfd1 Ne5 leaving black up two points. } 11... Nf6 { Computer analysis claimsNf6 Mistake: -0.14 » ... Nf6 12. Nf3 O-O-O 13. Ned4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bd5 15.Rfd1 Rhe8 16. Rac1 Kb8 17. b4 Be4 18. a4 Bxd3 19. Rxd3 Re5 Best: +2.55» ... O-O-O 12. Nf4 g5 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Ne4 Rxd3 15. Nxg5 Nf6 16. Nxe6 Rd617. Nc5 Rd2 18. b3 Rhd8 19. f4 Rc2 20. Rac1 'Best' leaves black up onepoint. } 12. Rac1 O-O-O 13. Nf4 { The only thing protecting the white bishopis the white knight. Threaten the knight and white will now have to decidewhich piece to sacrifice. Computer analysis claimed this was a mistake,but it is what I would have done. } 13... g5 { Computer analysis claimed this movewas a mistake, preferring Ne5. } 14. Rxc6 { This seems like a desperate move. Hey, knight for rook? Any day. White gets to save the bishop and d2Knight, however. } 14... bxc6 15. Ba6+ Kb8 16. Nxe6 Rxd2 { This knight has theadvantage of threatening white's b pawn, whereas taking the other knightwould split my pawns up and not yield as big an advantage. } 17. Nxg5 Rxb2 18. Nxf7 { White molests the black pawns, which were easy pickings. } 18... Re8 { Why not Rf8 to threaten the white knight? The knight can't move to d6because of the c7 pawn. Re8 is a much more open file. And this rook reallyneeds to come out to play. } 19. h3 Rb6 { Time for the white bishop to move. Black wants to be able to advance the a pawn. } 20. Bd3 Rb3 { Ha! White'sidle threat against the h pawn costs white it's a pawn. } 21. Rb1 { Trade? You bet! } 21... Rxb1+ 22. Bxb1 c5 23. Kf1 Re7 24. Ng5 h6 25. Nf3 Ne4 { Whiteis protected from a king bishop fork (Nd7) by his knight. But the protectionvanishes with Ke2-Nc3+. } 26. Ke2 { Computer analysis calls this a blunder,suggesting Bd3 instead. } 26... Nc3+ { White resigns. A knight and five pawnsagainst black's knight, rook and four tattered pawns is too much. } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.07.21"] [Round "-"] [White "willy_13"] [Black "knightmare2"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1956"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1938"] { This game shows what happens when a common passive move is played insteadof addressing the needs of the position. Though the computer says thatthe position was still relatively equal at the point I point out laterin the game. Please feel free to comment on whatever I've missed. } 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 { Slav defense } 4. Qc2 { Book would have been g6 } 4... e6 { transposed into a semi-slav type position } 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. a3 Be7 7. Nbd2 h6 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 { probably not the ideal capture but this temporarilymakes it impossible for the white knight to occupy e5. } 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 { hitting d & f6 } 10... O-O 11. Be2 b6 { making way for the bishop, the tensionson the center and queenside are building. } 12. Rd1 Qc7 { developing thequeen and removing it from the rook's file. } 13. b4 Bb7 14. c5 Rad8 { patientlywaiting for the right time to exchange pawns, exchanging now would givewhite a very strong, possibly even winning position, note white alreadyhas a strong position. } 15. O-O Be7 { preparing Nf6 to over protect d5 } 16. Bc4 Nf6 17. Ng3 Nd5 18. Rfe1 Bf6 19. Ne5 Rfe8 20. Bxd5 cxd5 { this moveseems terrible at first but black has the resource of rerouting the bishopto c5, which is exactly what was done. Another note of merit is that withproper play white can deprive black of this resource. } 21. Rc1 Bxe5 { preparingto reroute the LSB to c5. } 22. Rxe5 Ba6 { notice the queen eying the rook. } 23. h3 { I believe a5 was better, it would have allowed white to capitalizeon his plan of removing the bishop. } 23... Bc4 { now b/c black didn't play a5on his last move he does not have the resource of a supported b5 push whichwould have cut the black bishop off. Incidentally, had white played a5a move earlier black would not have played Bc5 and would have been cutout of all counter-play against white. } 24. Nf1 { rerouting the knight totake the bishop } 24... b5 { supporting the bishop } 25. Nd2 Re7 26. a4 a6 27. Nxc4 dxc4 { dxc5 to allow the doubling of rooks on the now weak d pawn and creatinga passed pawn for black as well. It's an interesting position as neithercolor can easily support his passers } 28. axb5 axb5 29. Qc3 Red7 { Thismove sets the trap of 30. Rd1, QxRe5 and play continues as in the game. } 30. Rd1 { Blunder } 30... Qxe5 31. dxe5 Rxd1+ 32. Kh2 R8d3 33. Qc2 { I think Qb2was more accurate, allowing white to exploit blacks vulnerable queensidewhich is conveniently locked away behind a wall of pawns. } 33... R1d2 34. Qc1 c3 35. c6 { this move fails, there just isn't enough time. } 35... c2 36. c7 Rc3 { White resigns in light of 37. QxR, c1=Q 38 Qd8+, Kh7 and whatever is playedblack is a healthy rook up in an end game. } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from thitho"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.16"] [Round "-"] [White "justnow"] [Black "thitho"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1703"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1798"] { this is a game i played against a stronger and calmer opponent. The endwas not convincing, but only because he played it with clear mind and Istarted to panic. But at first, I thought I could have 'something'. Maybeyou can tell me... } 1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. Bc4 c6 { 1.Nf3g6 2.e4Bg7 3.d4d6 4.Bc4c6 this is somethin i never played before, or justonce or twice. I decided to test with an opponent I supposed stronger thanme. } 5. c3 Nf6 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. e5 { competely unknown to me... I had to thinka lot. } 7... dxe5 8. Nxe5 Nbd7 9. Ndf3 { i clerly let him inside. But i did notfeel that uncomfortable. } 9... Nd5 10. Qe2 e6 { this sounded like 'ok let's playa draw.' } 11. Ng4 N7f6 12. Nh6+ { not from him. I expected some exchangehere. } 12... Kh8 13. h4 Nh5 14. Bg5 Qc7 15. Bxd5 exd5 { finally! } 16. O-O-O { Hm...i like that. I thought about counter-play from now. } 16... Be6 17. g4 { and hehelped me to centralize } 17... Nf6 18. Ne5 Ne4 { let us go on the other side. } 19. Nd3 Rae8 20. Rdg1 { who is going to arrive first? Seems to be him. } 20... f6 21. Bf4 Qa5 22. f3 { force me to sacrifice } 22... g5 { try to force him back.I saw many complications here. } 23. hxg5 Nxc3 { and this is one of them!I decided to sacrifice anyway } 24. bxc3 Qxc3+ 25. Qc2 Qxc2+ 26. Kxc2 fxg5 27. Be5 { i hoped him to take my pawn so i could take back his and doublethe rooks. } 27... Rxf3 28. Bxg7+ Kxg7 29. Ne5 Rf2+ { the calm white rooks arevery frigthening from the beginning. They look like elephants waiting toroll on the infantry. } 30. Kb3 c5 31. dxc5 d4+ 32. Nc4 { he let me nothing...I still hope to find a way to perpetual check } 32... Bd5 33. Rh5 { Hoooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,does the first elephant } 33... Kg6 34. Kb4 a5+ { if he takes, i can make perpetualcheck } 35. Kb5 { but he does not } 35... Rxa2 36. Nf5 Bxc4+ { hm... i think i hadno more option } 37. Kxc4 Rd8 38. Rh6+ { Of course not Nxd4 -> Ra4. } 38... Kf7 39. Rxh7+ { and this is the beginning of the end. } 39... Kf6 40. Rxb7 d3 41. Rb6+ Ke5 { trying to counter-play } 42. Kb3 Rf2 43. Nd6 Kd5 { have to avoid forks } 44. Nb7 Rdf8 45. Rd6+ Ke4 46. Rd1 R8f3 47. Nxa5 Rg2 48. c6 { all right,better to give up: i have nothing more. But i liked the game. Thank youjustnow. } 1-0

[Event "A great win against great defense!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Jul-07"] [Round "-"] [White "ethansiegel"] [Black "bleddy71"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1573"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1723"] { This is my favorite game from my ongoing mini-tournament on the Smith-Morragambit. It features a lot of interesting themes -- gambiting pawns fora lead in development, turning the developmental edge into an attack, andusing a speculative attack with lots of threats to culminate in a veryrare end -- a mate with just two knights! } 1. e4 { Here's the descriptionfrom my mini-tournament, which starts with the moves 1. e4 c5 2. d4!? Ken Smith played this opening a lot... 1. e4 c5 2. d4!?, which has a lotof interesting variations that aren't normally seen here on gameknot oranywhere, for that matter. One time Bent Larsen was annotating a game whereSmith's opponent played the French Defense, and the annotations went: 1.e4 e6? (Better is 1... c5!, which wins a pawn) } 1... c5 2. d4 cxd4 { The firstmove actually made in the game -- an obvious and natural one, too. Thisis a regular sicilian thus far, with just a different move order. } 3. Nf3 { White has the option of recapturing right away (3. Qxd4), developing with3. Nf3 and daring white to try to hold onto the pawn with 3. ...e5 (asin this game), or going into the Smith-Morra gambit proper (3. c3), whichlooks a lot like the danish gambit (for those familiar with 1. e4 e5 2.d4!? exd4 3. c3). } 3... Nc6 { Black decides against e5, and gives me the optionto turn this into a standard sicilian game with 4. Nxd4. } 4. c3 { ...buthow boring would that be? 4. c3!? isn't the soundest gambit, to be sure,since it appears white is offering a pawn for just one tempo, but if Ican develop quickly and efficiently, maybe I can turn this into an effectiveattack. (That's the goal, anyway!) } 4... dxc3 { I approve of this move, sinceallowing 5. cxd4 allows white to hit back in the center and regain hispawn -- this is black's best shot for an edge. } 5. Bc4 { !? Very speculative-- offering a second pawn for one more tempo. If black bites and playscxb2, the white bishops will be extremely powerful, but will they be worthtwo pawns? } 5... e6 { Black isn't biting, and in fact looks to be trying to reducethe influence of white's Bc4 with this move, which gives him a paulsen-likesetup. } 6. O-O { Castling seems like a normal developing move here. Now,I'm still willing to allow cxb2, because my bishop will become very powerfulon that long diagonal, especially if black plays Bc5 or the like, whiche6 seemed to prepare. } 6... a6 { I didn't understand this move initially, untilI realized that black was preparing to play b5, driving my bishop off ofc4. Well, if he's going to be pushing pawns... } 7. Nxc3 { Then I'm goingto keep developing pieces! My goal is to use my edge in development andslight space advantage to launch an attack down the open c- and half-opend-files. } 7... Bc5 { Of course, this is going to require a balance of defendingas well, as black is not without his own resources. } 8. a3 { Black may notlike the looks of my bishop on c4, and I don't like the looks of his onc5. This move prepares to knock the Bc5 into the corner. } 8... d6 { ?! Now,this move is perfectly fine, and even makes it into the gameknot game DB(with a win for white), but it is not a good move here. Why? First, itprevents the bishop from retreating to e7. Second, the new moves it allows,Bd7 and Qd7, are not moves black is going to make! Nge7 was my preferredmove here, as if I were black, I'd want to neutralize white's developmentaledge as soon as possible! } 9. b4 { Forcing the bishop to a7, as Bb6 wouldblock the b-pawn, hampering the light-squared bishop, and allow furtherharassment by either a5-a6 or Na5, or even a future Nd5. } 9... Ba7 { The bestmove, given the circumstances. } 10. Bg5 { Bf4 is probably going to be preferredby many of you reading this, but what I was thinking is that it was goingto be most beneficial to provoke weaknesses in black's kingside, sincethat's clearly where he's going to castle. } 10... Nge7 { This is probably thebest and safest move, as Nf6 would leave black exposed to a dangerous futuree5 thrust, and f6 weakens the light squares around black's king. } 11. Rc1 { Putting a rook on this open file can't be a bad idea, can it? As it turnsout, this move never does much, but I was happy to develop this piece toa good square for now. } 11... O-O { Totally consistent. Black is nearly caughtup in development, and I can see that after b5 and Bb7, he'll have hisdevelopment nearly completed, and all I'll have to show for my pawn isa space advantage. At this point, I realized I was going to have to turnup the pressure if I wanted to get a (hopefully winning) attack going! } 12. Qe2 { Preparing to give the black queen some uncomfortable oppositionwith Rfd1! } 12... b5 { Of course this was coming... } 13. Bb3 { And of course I'mgoing to keep the 2nd rank free for the heavy pieces to maneuver. } 13... Bb7 { ...and now black, although cramped, has a good, solid game, and it lookslike I don't have enough for the pawn. } 14. Rfd1 { Nonetheless, let's goahead and continue with loading up on the open and half-open files, andsee if an attack develops! } 14... Qb8 { Quite reasonably, black's queen isn'tgoing to stick around and find out what happens if the d-file gets opened! } 15. Rd3 { And this is where I come up with a plan on how to break through-- build an Alekhine's gun on the d-file! Get an Rd3, Rd2, and Qd1, andjust ram it down black's throat! Is this a good, sound plan? I'm notsure, even now. But I'm better developed and more maneuverable, and it'sbetter to have a speculative plan than no plan at all! } 15... Kh8 { Black's clearlythinking about f6, which is impossible at the moment, due to Bxe6 . } 16. Rcd1 { In hindsight, the Rc1 move earlier did keep the black queen off ofc7, so maybe it did serve a purpose. Still, had I known, I could've achievedthis configuration a move earlier. It's silly to harp on it now, but thereason I'm critical of it is that when you're ahead in development, youwant to make every move count! If black catches up in development, thenI've got nothing to show for the pawn. At least I have more space. } 16... Rd8 { ...I see he's not going to give me the pawn back so freely and easily. } 17. R1d2 { Of course, now he sees I'm planning Qd1, and does he have a goodway to defend the pawn a third time? } 17... Ng6 { I guess not. So, when I firstsaw this move, I said 'ooh, free rook!' And then I said, no, no, look,if you play 18. Bxd8, he plays Nf4, and then what? Well, it looks likethe complications favor white after 18. Bxd8 Nf4 19. Qd1 Nxd3 20. Rxd3,but I thought I could get a better position by reducing the effectivenessof a possible Nf4. } 18. Qd1 { And in hindsight, maybe Bxd8 was indeed better. But this isn't terrible, either. } 18... f6 { Of course, black's not going tolet me get a free rook out of it! } 19. Be3 { This is the best square I couldfind, although Bh5 may not have been awful either. Still, exchanging thedark-squared bishops aren't so important when I'm going to be able to getaway with Rxd6 shortly. } 19... Bxe3 { Of course. } 20. fxe3 { A tough move to find,but much better than Rxe3, which disrupts the gun and doesn't prevent Nf4like the text does. I'm not worried about the isolated, doubled pawns,because I'm counting on having a successful attack! So now the lines aredrawn; I'm going to try to blow open the center and win material, whileblack's going to defend and try to make it to a won endgame. } 20... Nge5 { There'sa lot to consider here, but this move forces the action. If I can't dosomething positive, I'm just going to wind up in an endgame down a pawn. } 21. Rxd6 { So let's go for it! } 21... Ng4 { An interesting try! This threatensNxe3, but also threatens the cheap Qxh2 if the Rd6 and Nf3 both move! } 22. Rxd8+ { Forcing black to recapture with the knight, giving me uncontestedownership of the d-file. } 22... Nxd8 { Of course Qxd8 loses the queen for insufficientcompensation. } 23. Rd3 { The best way to defend e3 and still maintain allof my influence down the d-file. } 23... Qc7 { Increasing the queen's scope andfreeing the rook, this maintains the threat on h2 if the knight on f3 moves. } 24. h3 { ...and I finally can't stand it any more, and I expel the knight. } 24... Nh6 { Black doesn't want me to make his pawn structure suffer the same fateas mine after 24. ...Ne5 25. Nxe5 fxe5, so he retreats to h6. Note thatin some variations, black can avoid a back-rank mate with Ng8 now. } 25. Rd7 { Forcing the queen to move. } 25... Qb6 { This square keeps her as active aspossible, and threatens Qxe3 } 26. Qd3 { Parries the threat while keepingthe battery on the d-file. } 26... Bc6 { This excellent move forces white to committo sacrificing the rook for knight and pawn at most. So, I decide to choosethe path which gives me the most activity for it! } 27. Rd6 { Basically forcingNhf7 (as any other move leaves me ok), which puts me down an exchange. } 27... Nhf7 { ...and of course he finds the proper defense. } 28. Bxe6 { This grabsme another pawn, and after Nxd6 Qxd6, I'll have a knight and pawn for myrook, plus a very threatening position. } 28... Nxd6 { ...as expected... } 29. Qxd6 { And this is as planned. Now, I was hoping for Qxe3 here, which looksgood for black, but after, say, 30. Kh1 Qxc3, 31. Qf8 is checkmate! So,there's a lot going on in this position, despite the exchange of some pieces. } 29... Nxe6 { Black chooses the safest route, which is to simplify by exchangingpieces towards a won endgame. } 30. Nd5 { This is a nice in-between move,as it forces the queen to move before I play Qxe6. } 30... Qb7 { Keeping the queenas active as possible. } 31. Qxe6 { I don't know whether to hope for Bxd5or not! While exchanges will help black in an endgame, I'm not sure hewants to grant me a passed pawn on d5, especially with his king all theway in the corner. } 31... Qd7 { Instead, he looks for an exchange on more favorableground. } 32. Nd4 { The sad reality here -- there's nothing I can do to forcethe queens to stay on the board. Absolutely nothing. The best I can dois put my pieces in a more aggressive position if he does exchange. } 32... Rc8 { ? Black doesn't want the exchange? I realize there are a lot of complicationshere, but after Qxe6 33. Nxe6, I don't really have a great feeling aboutmy endgame chances with two knights vs. rook and bishop. The c-file isa nice place for the rook to roost, but I see now that a knight on e7 wouldbe pretty for me! } 33. Qe7 { Will he let me put one there? } 33... Qe8 { Smart man...to say no to that. But now my position has become very threatening, andmy knights are getting closer and closer to his boxed in king! } 34. Nf5 { Now Qxe7 is met by Nfxe7, clearly worse for black. } 34... Qd7 { Black is justrepeating moves, and with good reason (Qxg7 was threatening mate)! I'mgoing to try and go in for the kill! } 35. Nd6 { Threatening the rook andNf7 , among other things. Additionally, if black plays Qxe7, Nxe7 is stillvery strong for white (maybe even stronger than before!) } 35... Qxe7 { ??? Whoa,after all of black's great defense, this move is suicide. } 36. Nxe7 { Verysmart. Forks the knight and bishop, but also threatens Nf7 checkmate! Black must play Rf8 to save the rook and avoid checkmate, hanging thebishop. Even so, the ensuing endgame of rook vs. two knights and an extrapawn doesn't leave black with much hope. } 36... Rc7 { ? But this allows a verypretty and very unusual mate... } 37. Nf7# { 1-0. Thanks to bleddy71 forone of the most fun games I've played in a long time. I realize the gamewasn't played perfectly by either of us, but it was a lot of fun and ithad an amazing ending for me! } 1-0

[Event "emiliobg's mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.03"] [Round "-"] [White "dwardman"] [Black "riverriver"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1752"] [TimeControl "5d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1976"] 1. d4 { So it begins } 1... d5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bf4 Nf6 4. e3 Nh5 { So, decision time,I can put the bishop to g5 hoping to draw h6 and later g5 but I opt todevelop my knight and live with the double pawns } 5. Nbd2 Nxf4 6. exf4 Qd6 7. Bb5 { White offers the pawn and black greedily takes it } 7... Qxf4 8. Ne5 Bd7 9. Nxd7 Kxd7 10. Nf3 { despite being a pawn down White doesn't standtoo bad } 10... a6 11. Ne5+ { It is looking messy for black. } 11... Ke8 12. Bxc6+ bxc6 13. O-O { White puts the king aways safely the kight on e5 is really happyand black has few options } 13... c5 14. c4 { Charge } 14... c6 15. Qa4 { Black is introuble now } 15... Rc8 16. Nxc6 Qf5 17. cxd5 { Pawns make prizes and the } 17... Qd7 18. dxc5 { White has gone from a pawn down to two pawns up, and black isstruggling for moves } 18... Ra8 19. Rae1 h5 { Black tries to get something going } 20. Qe4 Qg4 21. f4 Qc8 22. d6 { The power of the pawn } 22... e6 23. f5 Kd7 { Itis all over for black } 24. fxe6+ fxe6 25. Rf7+ { White has so much spaceand the pieces are working well together } 25... Ke8 26. Qg6 { A killer move } 26... Qxc6 27. Rc7+ { Black resigns } 1-0

[Event "Why certain board lines are stronger than others!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.01"] [Round "-"] [White "(name_withheld)"] [Black "mistindantacles"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1419"] { As a matter of note, this is my first completed game on GameKnot. I'minterested in whatever community feedback is available. } 1. d4 e6 2. c4 g6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 { This move pins not only the R, but the B in front.The K-side fianchetto is very strong against this opening. } 4... c5 { Attackinga pinned P. White cannot take because, obviously 5.PxP BxB 6.Nd2 BxR 7.QxB...Black is up a R. } 5. e3 Ne7 6. Nf3 Nbc6 7. Ne5 O-O 8. f4 { Black cannotplay 8.... NxN, as white follows with 9.PfxP ... leaving black to initiatethe c5-d4 P exchange, allowing white to undouble his weakened pawn structure. } 8... d6 9. Nxc6 Nxc6 { Everything is focusing towards d4. } 10. g3 { better,I think, is 10.Be2 Qc7 11. 0-0 .... having opened up both the K- and Q-sidesof the board made castling nearly irrelevent. Even if black were to followthrough with 11....e5, the subsequent exchange would leave a more openboard, allowing white the opportunity to develop minor and major pieces. } 10... Qc7 { This is the only logical square for black's Q at this point, eventhough she is blocked by white's K-side pawn structure. Playing 10....Qe7to line up black's Q with white's K takes away one of the few moves black'sN has, and as the game hasn't decided which lines will be of import, allowingfor N support of d5 and f5 from e7 may yet be important. Also, ifwhite decides to castle Q-side, then he aligns directly the Q's path. } 11. Bg2 a6 12. Qd2 Rd8 13. a3 { at this point, I was just hoping to havethe opportunity to play Bh3, preventing a K-side castle, but to do so Imust lure that B from g2 } 13... cxd4 14. exd4 e5 15. Bxc6 { a-ha! 14....e5 wasthe needed bait to remove the B from the long diagonal, and even thougha controlling N was removed from the board, black's undeveloped B has theopportunity to plant itself deep in enemy territory. } 15... bxc6 { assumed 15....QxP leads to 16. d5 , attacking the Q and removing black's control ofthe long diagonal while suffering a past pawn. } 16. b4 { White has no 'bestmove' here, and must settle for the lesser of evils. Less evil, I think,is 16.a4 Bh3 (as was my original design) 17.Na3 .... 18. 0-00, with supportingpieces and a semi-P structure in front for defense. While the N on theedge is not ideal, it's 1 move away from the influential c2 square. If white tries to expedite the castling process with16.Nc3, then 16....PxPd ; or 16.Qd3 (with the intention of 17.Nd2 ....18.0-00....) reults in 16. ...Bf5 } 16... exd4 { from here I determined 17.BxP BxB 18.QxBc5 19.PxP Bh3 20.Nc3 Re8+ 21.Kf2 Qc6 22.Rg1 } 17. Bxd4 Bxd4 18. Qxd4 { Decidingto switch gears at this point, I determine to control the long diagonal.The best way to acomplish this is to force my opponent to respond to MYmoves, and plant my Q on c6. I plan to use the Q to control this diagonaldue to her flexibility. White's K-side pawn structure is the ideal environmentfor black's remaining B. } 18... c5 19. Qc3 { It seemed sound for white to removeits Q from the path of black's R. } 19... Qc6 { The Q is removed from the d-file,and black grabs the long diagonal. From here, I honestly figured 20.0-0Bh3 21.Rf2 Re8 22.Nd2.....which, of course, leads to a longer end game. } 20. Rf1 { I have the game at his point, I just didn't realize how soon,though. from here 21....Qg2 22.Rf2 Re8+ 23.Kd1 QxR .... and with significantadvantage, plus a mobile bishop and a second rook to add to the e-file,I figured I could easily turn this into a game of attrition which he wouldlose very quickly. However, better is 20. 0-0 Bh3 21.Rf2 Re8 22.Qd2Re7 23.Nc3 Rae8 24. Rad1 ... } 20... Qg2 { Allowing black's Q to penetrate so deepwith an open lane for black's R and good attacking angles for balck's wh-B. } 21. Qf3 { 21.Qf3?? .... White cannot recover from this mistake. } 21... Re8+ { The R acts as a crowbar, separating white's K from protection. } 22. Kd1 Bg4 { 22....Bg4! ....forcing a trade, effectively removing the Q from anypossible further meaningful interventions. } 23. Qxg4 Qxf1+ 24. Kd2 Qf2+ { White resigns. Any other interference would have resulted in a lossof his Q,P, and R, in that order. } 0-1

[Event "yahoo kibitz"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "isaac_tucker"] [Black "just some guy"] [Result "0-1"] 1. d4 { i have toying with this opening allot trying to find weaknessesin it, and finally someone plays it against me. } 1... d5 { the usaul answer ihave seen played against me and it seems to be a nice board set up } 2. Nd2 { Too slow. } 2... Nc6 { black has slight development lead } 3. Ngf3 Bg4 4. e3 { pins his own knight } 4... e5 { starts a pawn march that later gets extreme. } 5. Be2 Bxf3 { forces the exchange and for hime to move the same piece twicein a row in the opening sequence. } 6. Bxf3 e4 { now a 3rd time } 7. Bg4 Nf6 { how about a 4th time with that bishop, while i develope my knight. } 8. Bh3 h5 { ok now the other half of this pawn chain begins } 9. g3 { givingthe bishop a backdoor if needed. } 9... g5 { preparing to go to g4 an reall makethe white based bishop a terrible piece. } 10. O-O { he castles into thepawns?? i seriuosly think he should have prepared to castle long ways instead. } 10... g4 { move that bishop again please. } 11. Bg2 Qd7 { i have allot of powerhere and he cannot get any body over here this poor king is without anyhelp. } 12. Nb3 Bd6 { more power } 13. Re1 O-O { i had no reason to castlebu i wanted to get the e file open to bring the A8 rook into this. } 14. Re2 Nh7 { gotta reposition the knight } 15. a3 { no fuss here. } 15... Ng5 { nicesquare but i want the check. } 16. Rd2 Nf3+ { his chance to make that bishopfinally useful. } 17. Bxf3 gxf3 { those pawns are a force to reckon with. } 18. Qe1 Qh3 { mate threat. } 19. Qf1 { the only saving move. } 19... Qg4 { pin thepawn and promote h3 } 20. h3 { thankyou } 20... Qg7 { keeps the pin so i can advanceh4 } 21. Kh2 { does nothing at all, the pawn is still pinned but now by thebishop on D6. } 21... h4 { attacking the pin with another mate threat. } 22. Qg1 Rae8 { i wasted this move i should have went with the plan, but i had timeto spare, white can only make mistakes now. } 23. Kh1 hxg3 { here i come } 24. Qxg3 { i think he forgot the bishop. } 24... Bxg3 25. fxg3 Qxg3 { he rseignedhere. } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.01.13"] [Round "-"] [White "teacherman"] [Black "edge2"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1394"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1474"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { I like the Italian open. It seems to flow verywell. } 3... Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. O-O Bg4 { Right here I began to be excited. I wantedso badly to play this trap. I've played for years, known about this trapfor some time and always looked for a place to use it. } 6. Nc3 Nd4 { Atthis point I expected maybe a trade to destroy my castle structure. } 7. Kh1 { Expected to move my rook over, because his Knight on f3 was haltingmy attack. } 7... Nh5 { When I saw this move, I thought maybe I was dreaming!Opened the door for... } 8. Nxe5 Bxd1 9. Bxf7+ Ke7 10. Nd5# { I have neverenjoyed a mate more than this. Never. } 1-0

[Event "League division D2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Dec-07"] [Round "-"] [White "lovechiefs"] [Black "ranji"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1226"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e4 b5 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 { Didn'twant to double my pawns } 7... e6 8. a3 Qxd4 9. Be3 Qf6 10. Qxf6 Nxf6 11. e5 Nd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 { Black has a strong center } 13. Be2 Be7 14. O-O Nd7 15. f4 Bc5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. f5 O-O 18. g4 Ne4 19. a4 b4 20. f6 g6 { Black andwhite are attacking on opposite sides. Black looks well placed for a queensideattack, while I am preparing a kingside attack. } 21. h4 Ng3 22. Rf2 Nxe2+ 23. Rxe2 Rfe8 24. Kf2 d4 25. h5 a5 26. hxg6 hxg6 27. Re4 c5 28. Rae1 Rab8 { very strong black center and black is two pawns up } 29. e6 Rxe6 30. Rxe6 fxe6 31. Rxe6 Kf7 32. Rc6 d3 33. Rxc5 d2 34. Rd5 Kxf6 35. Rxd2 { Black hasstill a favorable position, being one pawn up } 35... c3 36. bxc3 bxc3 37. Rd6+ Kg5 38. Rd5+ Kxg4 39. Rd4+ Kf5 40. Rc4 Rb2+ 41. Ke3 c2 42. Kd2 Ra2 43. Rxc2 Rxa4 { Better was for black to play RxR. He would have been in goodposition to win the game with two pawns up } 44. Rc5+ Ke4 45. Rg5 Rd4+ 46. Kc3 a4 47. Rxg6 Rd3+ 48. Kb4 a3 49. Ra6 a2 50. Rxa2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Arizona Class Championship - Section III (Round 3)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "Dec 6, 1980"] [Round "-"] [White "Mark D. Davis"] [Black "P. L. Michael"] [Result "0-1"] { This was the fourth over the board tournament in which I competed. Itis also the last time I competed in OTB competition. (When I had the money,I never really had the time; now that I have the time I don't have themoney!! As the French say 'C'est la vive.') } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Nc6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Qxd6 Qb6 { Having lost a pawn already, I really didnot want to exchange Queens at this point. } 13. Kb1 { An oversight thatpermits me to regain my pawn; f3 was better. } 13... Qxf2 14. Bf3 Rd8 15. Qc5 { He seems intent on exchanging Queens. } 15... Rxd1+ 16. Rxd1 Qh4 17. h3 Qg3 18. Nd5 Bg5 19. Qd6 Bxh3 20. Qc7 { 20. gxh3 is answered by 20. -----, Qxf3. } 20... Rb8 21. Na5 { I believe that 21. Nc5, Bxg2; 22. Bxg2, Qxg2 23. Nxb7 offersWhite more. } 21... Rc8 22. Qb6 Nxa5 23. Qxa5 Bxg2 24. Bxg2 Qxg2 25. Nc3 Qf3 { Threateningto win a piece. } 26. Rd3 Qf4 27. a3 h5 28. Qd5 Rd8 29. Ne2 { 29. Qxd8 ch,Bxd8; 30. Rxd8 ch, Kh7 and I believe I have an endgame advantage. } 29... Qf1+ { White resigned. } 0-1

[Event "grayn8's mini-tournament, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.01"] [Round "-"] [White "bqwhite"] [Black "kron"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1351"] [WhiteElo "1252"] { Hi, this is my third annotated game. It's filled with big mistakes thatlead to a thrilling game. Have fun! :) } 1. e4 d5 { Usually I would haveplayed the standard e5, but I like to explore other options now to be ableto handle them when someone plays them against me. } 2. e5 c5 { I think I'stole' that from the game database. } 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. c4 a6 5. Qa4 { Whoah,he brings out the big guns. Nice how I can't take the bishop with my pawn. } 5... Qb6 { A bad move. I think I wanted to 'secure the area', but it didn't dome any good. Should have opened up the king's side instead. } 6. cxd5 Bxb5 { Ok, so at least I got a material advantage. } 7. Qf4 { Danger bells shouldbe ringing, two white pawns standing right in front of my door, and thequeen mom right behind. } 7... c4 { But no, I opted for opening a way for my queen,at the same time blocking my white bishop of course. Bad move ignoringthe dangers that waited for me. } 8. e6 f6 { Again bad. Should have takenit, even if it meant opening up for the queen. } 9. Nh3 a5 { Ok, I can' eventhink anymore what I wanted to do here. I think EVERY other move wouldhave been better. } 10. Ng5 { Now I'm pretty screwed. } 10... h6 { This move insteadof a5 before might have spared me some nasty stuff. } 11. Nf7 Rh7 { Whatelse could I do. } 12. Nc3 { Of course, he brings out more army. } 12... Na6 { Againwith the right side. Of course I was very much squeezed in by these damnedpawns, so I couldn't move at all with my Knight and bishop on the leftside. } 13. Qf5 { Ouch. I can't breathe! } 13... g6 { A desperate try to do SOMEthing. } 14. Qxg6 Rg7 { Ok, that looked nice, off with you, bad queen. And do I seea pawn for me on g2? } 15. Nd6+ { Check! No - Double Check! } 15... Kd8 16. Qf5 Rg5 { I wanted to make sure the queen goes far far away. But didn't I misssomething? } 17. Nf7+ { Riiiight. } 17... Kc7 18. Nxg5 { Bye rook, it was nice withyou. By now I already saw the game as lost. My only hope would be somemistake on my opponents side for a change. } 18... hxg5 { Ok, at least I have anice pawn wall built there. Too bad my king isn't behind it but behindthe enemy's pawns. } 19. Ne4 Nh6 20. Qh7 Qd4 { Ok, I got nothing to lose,so I took the initiative, since I didn't see a very immediate threat fromhis queen. My black bishop really held it together. } 21. Nxf6 Qxf6 { I don'tknow if he planned this to happen, but I don't think so. So there was themistake I hoped for. } 22. a4 Qe5+ { Let's roll. } 23. Kf1 c3+ { Ok, one moreto the left please? } 24. axb5 cxb2 { I didn't mind losing my white bishop,that pawn possibility looked too good. } 25. Qc2+ { That I didn't see coming. } 25... Kd6 { Ok, let's cuddle with my...erm, with his pawns. But hey, the offerthe same kind of protection my pawns used to do. } 26. Bxb2 { That was itwith my brave pawn. He almost made it. Again the game seemed to turn againstme. } 26... Qxd5 27. bxa6 { I think I overlooked the obvious. } 27... Rxa6 28. Qc8 { Ok,now I had to act, and quickly, because with the queen behind me, therewas nothing good coming for me. } 28... Qb5+ { I see a bishop for me. } 29. Ke1 Qxb2 { And I got it. Of course this was a chance for him to start attackingme. } 30. Ke2 { Luckily he went for protecting his rook. That was the lastchance I needed. (Ok, I say it like that now, knowing that it ended well,but I had to continue attacking him, or he would have attacked me.) } 30... Qe5+ { Interestingly, after this crazy game development, we were even on thematerial side, number wise at least. Going back behind is pawns would havecost him his rook. } 31. Kd3 { So he went out in the open, hoping that Iwouldn't be able to get a grip on him. At this point I saw the possibilityof checking him on the c line with my rook to get the queen. } 31... Qf5+ { SoI tried getting him there. } 32. Kd4 Bg7+ { This is why I love chess. Sometimesfigures that stand around all day seem to fit the game like a carefullyplaced puzzle piece. } 33. Ke3 Ng4+ { Once again, this wasn't really planned,especially since he had always more than one field to escape to, but Ihoped he would move like this to be able to activate all my figures. } 34. Ke2 Qe4+ { Here I had to decide between this and Qe5+ with the possibilityto get the rook again, but I wanted to force him to go to the first line. } 35. Kd1 { Best move he could make. For me. } 35... Nxf2+ { Yeah yeah yeah. } 36. Kc1 Rc6+ { By now it looked good for me, and of course I went for the grandprize. Second to grand maybe, the big one comes last. } 37. Qxc6+ Kxc6 38. Rxa5 { This was his last chance to do something. I tried making this intoa puzzle, and the automatic mover went to a2 with the rook. This wouldhave made things more difficult, indeed, but it would only have taken melonger to get to the win. } 38... Qc4+ { At this point he gave op, seeing the obviouscontinuation: 39. Kb1 Qb3+ 40. Kc1 Kd3++ Ok, thanks for watching, I hopeyou had a little fun, I sure did while playing this. It surely wasn't mybest game or anything, but my blunders led to an amazing ride. } 0-1

[Event "Unfathomable"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Rybka"] [Black "Deep Sjeng"] [Result "*"] { This game was played in May at the World Computer Chess Championship.It was also the decisive game, Rybka gaining first place after winningit and Deep Sjeng only second place. A regular chess player, I have tosay that this game startled me. It has a few moves that no human mightbe able to ever understand let alone play in a serious game. And despitethis, they are all sound and logical, but on a level that surpasses humanunderstanding. If computers keep playing chess like this, I'm afraid itwon't be much longer until chess will be 'solved', at least on an academiclevel. No human could ever memorize the final solution, if there is onethat is. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 { The Semi-Slav, one ofthe most popular lines in the QGD. Black threatens to simply win a pawnand thus is forcing White to either play e3 and close his dark square Bishopin, or to weaken b4 with a4, or to liquidate the center with cxd5. Oldpundits claimed that a6 was premature and that it weakened the dark squaresbut recent practice has shown that Black gets a good game. } 5. e3 b5 6. c5 { White closes the center early. The natural plan for Black would beto strive for the e5-breakthrough. } 6... g6 7. Bd3 Bg7 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Bg4 10. Nxf6+ Bxf6 11. a4 { Starting a visionary game plan. White sacrificeshis center pawns in order to obtain a passed a-pawn. } 11... Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Qxd4 13. axb5 { Exploiting the two pins on the Rook. This is the whole pointof White's sacrifice. The pawn will reach a6 and will need constant supervisionby Black. } 13... O-O 14. Be2 { A mysterious Bishop retreat. This quiet move hasa few points. It frees the Queen from defending it, it clears the d-fileand third rank(!) but that will only become apparent after a few more moves. } 14... Qb4+ { A disruptive check that had to be considered when playing Be2 insteadof castling. Now Bd2 isn't possible because of Qxb2 so that only leaves... } 15. Kf1 { Very few players would start considering depriving themselvesof the right to castle unless seriously forced to do so. Rybka seems tohave seen very deep in the position and isn't afraid of ghosts. } 15... Nd7 { Connectingthe Rooks and threatening cxb5 together with Nxc5. Very few players wouldconsider the position equal and almost none could find an advantage herefor White. } 16. bxa6 Nxc5 17. Qa3 { Proposing an exchange of Queens, tryingto reach the endgame where the passed pawn will be more menacing. } 17... Rfb8 { Black had the interesting resource 17...Qh4 and the Knight cannon be takenbecause of Bd4. } 18. Qxb4 Rxb4 19. Ra2 { Defending b2. Black has more activepieces to balance White's Bishop pair and a6 pawn. } 19... Bd4 { Denying Whitethe possibility of Be3 and taking aim at the f2 pawn. } 20. h4 { White activateshis second Rook in the only possible way. } 20... Ne4 { Black goes for the material.Rybka seems untroubled by this, he has seen that the a6 pawn is the onlypawn worth keeping. A basic rule in endgames is that you shouldn't be afraidto sacrifice material if you can queen a pawn. As a side note f3 isn'tpossible because of Ng3+. } 21. Rh3 { Maybe this is why Be2 had to be playedinstead of the immediate castle. } 21... Bxf2 { Now Black is material up, has 3active pieces and according to fundamental chess rules he should be ableto hold the position through dynamic balance. } 22. Bd3 Ba7 { The Bishophad to retreat on account of Bxe4. It still has an active diagonal on a7and frees the a8 Rook from the undeserving role of blockader. } 23. b3 { Thepawn cannon be taken at once, the Ne4 is hanging. But it will surely falllater. } 23... Nc3 24. Rc2 Bd4 25. Ke1 { White sure is relaxed about his material,maybe because 25...Rxb3 fails to 26.Bc4. But even an ending like 26...Rb527.Bxb5 cxb5 28.Rxc3 Bxc3 29.Rxc3 Rxa6 is very hard to win because of thevery little material left. Perhaps a human player would have played somethinglike this and managed to build a fortress and secure a draw. } 25... Bg7 { Puttingthe Bishop on a secure square and now the b3 pawn needs direct defense. } 26. Bc4 Nd5 27. Be3 e6 { Perhaps Nxe3 was better, getting rid of the Bishoppair and hoping to organize a strong blockade on the dark squares. Theposition after 28.Rxe3 Kf8 29.Rf3 Bf6 30.Ke2 Rxc4 31.Rxc4 Rxa6 certainlylooks tenable for Black. } 28. g4 Rbb8 29. Ra2 { The a-pawn is abominable. } 29... f5 { A strange move but it has some points. Black wants his f-pawn to startgetting freaky and he's also reducing material on the board. } 30. gxf5 gxf5 31. Kf1 { Now that e6 is weak, Nxe3 isn't so good anymore so the WhiteKing moves to hold the newly created passed pawns. } 31... Kf7 32. Bf2 Be5 33. Rd3 Bd6 34. a7 { A passes pawn on the seventh rank is worth as much as aQueen. That old chess adage seems to be confirmed by this game. White alsothreatens Ra6. } 34... Rc8 { Covering the weak pawn. } 35. b4 { Sacrificing the lastgood pawn in order to open the b-file. The pawn has to be taken or elseit might come to b5 and destroy Black's fortress. } 35... Bxb4 36. Ra4 { This isstronger than Rb2 because it doesn't allow c5. } 36... Be7 37. Rb3 Nc7 38. Rb7 Nd5 39. Kg2 { Another strange King move. If you didn't know that this gamewas played by two chess programs void of feelings, you could almost callthis a psychological move, a move to unnerve the opponent in a difficultposition and to make him slip in the precipice. The simpler explanationis that the King wants to reach f3 but Ke2 fails to Nc3 forking the Rook. } 39... Nc3 40. Ra5 { Preparing for the intended Nb5. } 40... Nb5 { In view of Rybka's lastmove, maybe Nd5 was preferable. } 41. Bxb5 cxb5 42. Raxb5 { White's strategyprevailed. He now has a winning advantage. } 42... Rc2 { Hoping for some tacticaltricks. } 43. Rc5 { This is a nice way to use pins to double the Rooks onthe 7th rank. } 43... Ra2 44. Rcc7 Re8 45. Rb8 e5 { Nothing Black can do stop thea-pawn now. } 46. Rxe8 Kxe8 47. Rc8+ Kf7 48. a8=Q Rxa8 49. Rxa8 { At thispoint the programmers stopped the game since the win is obvious even tous mortals. A daunting game where White played with a single idea, topromote a passed pawn. For this he sacrificed two pawns, one just to opena file for his second rook. Everything worked out great for Rybka and afterseeing a game like this, one has to wonder what chance could a human playeragainst such an unfathomable strategy? } *

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.01.06"] [Round "-"] [White "jabir6510"] [Black "purplepony"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1358"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1724"] 1. e4 { most people push the pawn in front of king at start, but i do notlike it } 1... h5 { opening on the flank } 2. d4 { white claims the center } 2... a5 { i claim the flanks! } 3. Nc3 { developing a knight and controlling the center } 3... Na6 { i develop my knight to the flank } 4. Be3 { white may have the center,but i have 2 flanks, and 2 is better than 1 } 4... Nf6 { i couldn't move thisknight to the flank because of Qxh5 } 5. f3 { controlling the center } 5... d6 { scared of him attacking my knight } 6. Qd2 { preparing to castle long } 6... c6 { preparing to launch an attack when he castles!! It was at this point whenI knew that I might win with an attack on the queenside.... which I did!!!and he was 1700!!!! } 7. O-O-O { he castles right into the attack!!! } 7... b5 { my pawns are getting dangerous } 8. Qf2 { he moved his queen twice } 8... d5 { imove my pawn twice but i don't like the idea of his pawn on d5 so i movethere myself } 9. Nge2 Be6 10. Nf4 { my bishop is not long-range here soi do not care if it is taken } 10... Qd7 11. Kb1 { the downside to castling queensideis you have to move king twice instead of once like with kingside castling } 11... Nc7 { I want control of d5 with as much pieces as possible } 12. h3 g6 { onlyplace to develop bishop } 13. Bd3 O-O-O { I decide it is worth it to castlequeenside even though i might move king again, the kingside looks f**kingdangerous } 14. g4 { see he has quick pawn storm on kingside } 14... hxg4 15. hxg4 Bg7 { glad i am not castled by that open h-file!! } 16. Nxe6 { i never reallycared about that bisgop } 16... Qxe6 17. g5 Nh5 { I decide to go to the flank,I control 2 flanks, he controls 1 center. 2 > 1 } 18. f4 { he pushes morepawn } 18... dxe4 { i break the center a little } 19. Bxe4 b4 { continuing the queensideattack i planned } 20. f5 { attacking my queen, now i can't take his bishopnext move } 20... Qd6 { I move my queen to safety } 21. Na4 Kb8 { would have to moveanyway } 22. Nb6 gxf5 { get rid of pressure } 23. Bxf5 Kb7 { he has to moveknight again } 24. Nc4 { i have to move queen again } 24... Qd5 { i move my queenand attack his knight } 25. b3 { he defends knight but creates a weaknessto his king } 25... Nb5 { threatening Nc3 } 26. Rd3 { WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! a 1700s playerjust loses a rook for nothing ????????????? } 26... Qxh1+ { I di } 27. Kb2 { I didn'tknow they did that } 27... Nc3 { setting up a checkmate } 28. Bg4 Qb1# { I had afeeling I would win with a queenside attack, I felt it even before he castledqueenside!!!! } 0-1

[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.08.10"] [Round "-"] [White "jndatl"] [Black "unohuim"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1353"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1484"] 1. e4 { great kings pawn. time for sicilian. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 { book } 2... d6 { book } 3. Bc4 Nf6 { dragon setup... he's higher ranked than i, i might best toset my defense up quickly. } 4. d3 b5 { sometimes i like to move to b5, justto take that bishop off. the temptation to steal material and check atonce is hard to resist. my bishop moves to d7, he takes it, and my knightgoes to d7, and it's his turn. in terms of development, it doesn't domuch for either side, but that b file is open for my rook. } 5. Bxb5+ Bd7 6. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 { tada.. another advantage here is that the white bishopis white's most powerful bishop. the black bishop, is black's most powerfulbishop. imo, bad exchange on white. } 7. O-O g6 { dragon continued.. } 8. Nc3 Bg7 { .. } 9. Re1 O-O { homework complete... let's go play outside. } 10. Rb1 Qb6 { i want to eye in on that f-file pawn. } 11. h3 { it's clear thati need to take this king from the h-file. hopefully, i can open it up. i'll make a sac play just to do it too } 11... Rab8 { i like this setup. rooksare connected, and i'm attacking the b-file. } 12. e5 { this is going tobe a fun exchange. } 12... dxe5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Rxe5 { ok, not bad. he ownsthat f-file, and i don't like it. i'm going to throw a weak curve-ballat him. see if he bites. } 14... Ng4 { i'm hoping takes the 'free' knight, allowingme to grab his rook with bishop. } 15. Rxe7 { nope. free pawn instead, asexpected. continue with operation rook-evacuation } 15... Qf6 { i like this becausethat king is in trouble as long as my knight remains there. } 16. Re2 { safemove } 16... Qh4 { is this stupid? it's a sac play, that i hinted at earlier. i want that a-file. } 17. hxg4 { finally. } 17... Bxc3 { i really like this move. i HOPE bxc3 happens. then rxb1 happens. } 18. Re3 Bd4 19. Rg3 Be5 20. Rh3 Qf6 21. Be3 { ok, this is exactly what i want to happen. i want my queenon d4, and eventually get one of my rooks to the a-file. that bishop oftheirs is going to be a pain. hopefully, he'll exchange. } 21... Rfe8 { my e-filerook will most likely be dead eventually, used to exchange with his h-filerook. my b-file rook will hopefully get to the a-file - with a monopoly. } 22. Bxc5 Bd4 23. Bxd4 { perfect. } 23... Qxd4 { huge opening in the middle. } 24. c3 Qf4 25. b4 Re7 { there's no way he'll let me get my b-file rook overand own the e-file, but if he does, i'll hammer him. if not...well, wecontinue with getting the b-file rook over to h. } 26. Rf3 Qxg4 { beautifulelimination of that pain } 27. Re3 { now, let's see if he takes my rook. i want this exchange because his other rook is on vacation in iceland...as long as his b-file pawn is in the way. } 27... Qh4 28. Rxe7 Qxe7 { sweet. heis in way more trouble than he thinks. } 29. Qe1 Qd6 { no thanks, i needher. } 30. d4 { if he moved his b-file pawn up one more, that would havecomplicated things for me. i think mate is close. } 30... Rb5 31. a4 Rh5 { operationa-file rook position completed. now i need to find a check. } 32. g3 { dumbmove } 32... Qd5 33. Kf1 { i have a few options here. firstly, i can easily exchangemy rook for his queen by moving the rook to h1! that is temping, but ineed to focus on mate, and not material. hard to avoid though. :) } 33... Qf3 { i like this move a lot. h1 is mate, provided that there is a piece one1. i expect the queen to check my king, and his rook to move over...but let's see. } 34. Qe8+ { i think his best move would have been q to e2...and take the exchange. } 34... Kg7 35. Re1 { game over. } 35... Rh1# { thanks for watching..please send feedback. } 0-1

[Event "72 evil disciples of Set"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.07.13"] [Round "-"] [White "garethcmurphy"] [Black "fergalcasey"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1037"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1512"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Qh4+ { Bad idea - you will lose time when the queen is pushedback by the pawn. } 3. g3 Qf6 { The knight would prefer to go here, but Isuspect this is still the best move. } 4. d3 Bc5 5. Ne2 Nh6 6. Bd2 O-O 7. fxe5 { In general, letting him liquidate your centre like this isn't good.Better to have shored it up with d6 earlier so you can recapture with apawn. } 7... Qxe5 { Qf2 and Bf2 were both checkmate. } 8. Bc3 Qe8 9. Nf4 b5 { Therewere better moves, e.g. d6 to get a little central control or Nc6 to developanother piece. } 10. Qh5 g6 { Hangs a piece. White's threat was e.g. 10...a611.Bxg7 Kxg7 12. Qg5+ Kh8 13.Qf6+ Kg8 14.Qxh6, winning a pawn and openingup your king. The simplest counter was probably 10...f6. } 11. Qxh6 f6 12. Nh3 b4 13. Bd2 a5 14. a3 Qe7 15. Bg2 Ra6 16. Bf4 d6 17. Nd2 Nc6 18. Nf2 Nd4 19. Rc1 Be6 { 19...bxa3 looks to win a pawn or two. } 20. O-O g5 21. Be3 bxa3 22. bxa3 Bxa3 23. Bxd4 { So you lost on time here? You win an exchangeback, but you're still worse materially. 2 knights and a bishop (3x3=9)are worth more than a rook and a pawn (5+1=6). Still, well played, barringthe knight you dropped on h6. } 1-0

[Event "Don't forget to develop."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.06"] [Round "-"] [White "ashishm"] [Black "dulcidi"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1313"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { More usual is here 3.Bc4. } 3... d6 4. Qe2 Be7 5. Qc4 { White are playing too much their Queen and loses time in developpement. } 5... Bd7 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. d4 Nf6 8. Nf3 Nxe4 { Opening the position, the blackpieces are more developped. } 9. Nxe4 d5 10. Qd3 dxe4 11. Qxe4 exd4 12. Qxd4 O-O 13. b3 { A blunder. White loses now on the spot. } 13... Bf6 14. Bg5 { If14.Ne5, then 14...Bxe5, 15.Qxe5 Re8 wins. } 14... Bxg5 15. Nxg5 Qxg5 16. Qxd7 Qe5+ { The check that White had forgotten. } 17. Kf1 Qxa1+ 0-1

[Event "League division C3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "31-Mar-07"] [Round "-"] [White "another_ken"] [Black "oldtimer"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1798"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1760"] { King's Indian: 4 Pawns Attack } 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. d4 d6 { ? c6 seemsa stronger reply, followed with d5 and asserting some control of the centre.Continuing from the text move, Black might be considering c5 or e5 shortly. } 4. e4 Bg7 { ? This seems out of step with Black's defence some how, bettermight be to continue c5, or e5 to prevent White's e5. } 5. f4 { Common isKnf3 instead, the text is playable but not favoured. } 5... Na6 { Non-standard,but seen in H Rob Evan der Plas vs Valery Vladimirovich Pankratov 1996ending in a draw. More usual is ..0-0. I find the text move too passive:it achieves some development, but apparently for its own sake. } 6. e5 { !Direct. } 6... dxe5 7. fxe5 Ng4 { ? Although it keeps Black's position open, thisknight is hanging and will draw attention from White's pieces. White gainstime in spades. Black might have considered instead Knh5 though best mightbe Knd7. } 8. Be2 h5 { White is being allowed to dictate the shape of Black'sdefence, making him play some unwelcome moves. Even Knh6 instead wouldprove uncomfortable in a few moves. } 9. h3 Nh6 { One of few options forthe knight, but again unwelcome -- he'll have to move again once Whitedevelops his black square bishop and his Queen to d2. Possibly worthyof consideration is the energetic ..Knxe5 instead. } 10. Bf4 Nf5 { Not abad place for Black's knight, but it has come at some cost in time -- 3of the last 4 moves by Black have involved this piece alone! In any caseWhite would otherwise follow with Qd2, threatening to win a piece. Black'sknight would have to move again or be supported, costing more time. } 11. d5 { Largely forced -- White's centre would crumble on the loss of thispawn, advancing finds safety and pressure. Note if Black had consideredsay c6 earlier, this move would not hold nearly the same strength. } 11... Nc5 { ? Again, this is a good square for a knight but it has come at some cost-- the text is fairly premature as it's not clear what this move achieves,Black could have done this later, and it does nothing about White's advance. Black's development is on the slow side. Better might be ..e6. } 12. g4 { ! White continues to cramp Black without hesitation. } 12... hxg4 13. Bxg4 e6 14. Qd2 { Develops while giving a good flight square to the White King.[Any exchange of pawns can wait.] } 14... Qh4+ { ? Even though White's King hasyet to castle in an open position, he is difficult to attack. After sidesteppingto d1 -- on the way to relative safety -- it remains a task for Black tofind a way in, while still leaving enough time to protect his own King.This move was anticipated by White's 14. Qd2. } 15. Kd1 Qxg4+ { ?! This cameas a surprise to White. The only impression I can make is that Black, inmaking this sacrifice, is going straight for White's King. However, I'malso of the opinion that this is a blunder by Black as the text will show-- he should note that, upon winning White's h-rook, the key square h2is covered by White's black square bishop and his Queen. Moreover, whenthe White King moves again, to c2, White's knight is no longer vulnerable.There seems no way for Black to make good his loss (in this open position,his Queen counts for a lot). Further, Black has neglected his own development,giving up his active Queen while a bishop and rook are stuck at home. Last,even in this open position, I cannot see how Black will have the time toprofit from the long h-file as the initiative stays with White. } 16. hxg4 Rxh1 17. Kc2 { ! Protects the Knight, avails the rook, avoids a check, andfinds safety. A fine move. Note, the key h2 square is very well protected,so White will retain the initiative unchecked, beginning with a fork onc7. That open h-file is not intimidating at all -- Black is not sufficientlydeveloped to exploit it. } 17... Ne7 { In view of Black's material deficit andlack of attacking options, this is forced and costs further time. } 18. Nb5 { ! Aiming right at c7. Black's position is such that there is no satisfactorydefence. It's at times like these, that one really needs that Queen. Whatfollows is just technique. } 18... Na6 { Somewhat forced, but still White is notprevented from playing Knxc7 immediately. The alternatives don't lookgreat either. Placing the King on the d-file is not on, and Kf8 offersonly temporary respite [White continues d5-d6, promising to place his Queenon d8 after any exchange]. } 19. Nxc7+ { ! White will open up the d-fileand prevent Black's king from finding safety, for a decisive endgame. } 19... Nxc7 20. d6 Ncd5 21. dxe7 { The correct choice -- Black cannot capture White'sbishop without conceding instant mate. } 21... Nxe7 22. Rd1 { Threatening mateon d8 once again. } 22... Nc6 23. Bg5 { ! Continuing to threaten mate, with Qd8next and mate in two. } 23... Bd7 24. Qxd7+ Kf8 25. Qxb7 { ! White is interestedin displacing Black's rook on a8 (this isn't a pawn grab), the only piecepreventing a back row mate. Beware of ..Rb8 too -- White will happily sacrificehis Queen, or else face perpetual check, but then is still guarranteedmate in two. } 25... Rh2+ { One of very few options left for Black. Teeing upthe threat of perpetual check is the best plan now, but it will need aparticular error by White to work. } 26. Kb1 Rb8 { Again, natural for Blackto set up a (classical) perpetual check. If White does anything otherthan trade his Queen here, he will draw. Upon sacrificing his Queen, itis mate in 2... } 27. Qxb8+ { To continue ..KnxQb8 Rd8#. } 1-0

[Event "messed opening (2)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.29"] [Round "-"] [White "wehnstein"] [Black "bvarkonyi"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1682"] [TimeControl "1/864000"] [WhiteElo "1788"] { A game played at GK. As I had lost a game playing against the same opponentand the same opening due to a silly mistake in the opening (see notes below)some time before, I was highly motivated to do it better this time. Inthis second game it was my opponent, who made a mistake in the opening. } 1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 { In the first game vs. bvarkonyi mentioned aboveI played 3.c4 and Black answered 3.../c5. I continued with 4.Be3(?) andafter 4.../Qb6 I was already losing a pawn. Black also has positional advantageand so I lost the game quite soon. Thats why I played the opening differentthis time. } 3. Be3 c5 4. c3 cxd4 5. cxd4 Nc6 6. Nf3 d5 7. e5 Bg4 8. Be2 f6 { An alternative for Black was to play 8.../e6 with developing the Ng8to e7. Now Black threatens to win a pawn, but if White plays 9.ef, Blackhas a comfortable game after 9.../Nxf6. When I was looking for an alternativeit became clear to me, that I could ignore this 'threat' because of a resourcein the 12. round. } 9. Nc3 fxe5 { An alternative for Black was 9.../Nh6 (10.Qd2/Nf7)but Black accepted the sacrifice. } 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe2 12. Qa4+ { This was the reason for I had ignored the pawn loss. After this move thedevelopment of the black pieces is disturbed for his king is stuck in thecenter. If Black plays 12.../Kf8 he loses a piece after 13.Qf4+. } 12... b5 13. Nxb5 Bxb5 { If Black plays 13.../Bxe5, he is losing material for after 14.Nc7+/Kf715.Nxa8/Bc4 16.Qxa7 the Na8 is protected. (16.../d4 17.Rd1 and then Nb6-- 16.../Bxb2 17.Rb1/Bc3+ 18.Bd2) } 14. Qxb5+ Kf8 15. Nd3 Rb8 16. Qa4 a5 17. Qf4+ Ke8 { If 17.../Bf6 or Nf6, White continues with Bd4 and Ne5. } 18. O-O Nf6 19. Rad1 Ne4 20. f3 Nd6 { If 20.../Rf8, White continues with Qh4and if the Knight returns to f6, 21.Ne5 can follow. } 21. Qa4+ Kf7 22. Qf4+ Ke8 23. Ne5 Bxe5 { If Black plays 23.../Rf8, White answers 24.Qa4+and then Rxd5 and if 23.../Qc7, 24.Rxd5 follows. } 24. Qxe5 Rf8 25. Qxd5 Rxb2 { If Black plays 25.../Rf5, White answers with Qg8+. } 26. Rfe1 { Nowall white pieces join the attack. } 26... Qc7 { If 26.../Rb5, White plays Qc6+and then Rxd6 winning a piece -- 26.../Rb8 27.Bh6 and White threatens toplay Qxd6 -- after 26.../Rf5 White continues with 27.Qe6 threatening Rxd6. } 27. Bh6 Qb6+ { Black wants to set up some counterplay, but White doesnot have to worry about this. The position of the black king is too weak. } 28. Kh1 Qf2 { There is no sufficient defense anymore: if 28.../Rf6, Whiteplays Qe5 -- if 28.../Nf5, White does not take the rook immediately, butplays 29.Qa8+/Qb8 30.Qc6+/Kf7 31.Qd5+/Ke8 first and now Bxf8 and Qxa5 settingup the next threat (Rd8+). After the game move Black is mated. } 29. Rxe7+ Kxe7 30. Qxd6+ Kf7 31. Qxf8+ Ke6 32. Rd6+ Ke5 33. Qf4# 1-0

[Event "It all went Pearshape!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.22"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2226"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1782"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! I try again to get piece activity, it lasts a whilebut alas I could not maintain it. A dubious pawn push on my part resultsin me getting tied up in knots yet again. Freddy wins 2 pawns and forcesliquidation into a lost K & P ending while maintaining his 2 pawn advantage. I start with e4 and Freddy springs another favourite response of his,the Alekhine's Defense. } 1... Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 Nb6 4. c4 { 4. c4 - standardpawn moves in the Alekhine. } 4... d6 5. exd6 exd6 { 5. ....... exd6 - pawn trade. } 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Bd3 { 7. Bd3 - development. } 7... Nc6 8. Nge2 O-O 9. O-O Bf6 10. Be3 { 10. Be3 - the back rank is almost clear. } 10... Nb4 11. b3 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 { 12. Qxd3 - piece trade. } 12... Re8 13. Rae1 c6 14. Ng3 d5 15. c5 { 15. c5 - sofar so good. } 15... Nd7 16. Bf4 Nf8 { 16. ........ Nf8 - taking me out of thedatabase. Freddy does not exchange rooks here as it will result in myrook controlling the e file. I decide against trading rooks because thatwould allow the Wicked Witch of the West to control the e file. If I contestthis then my d pawn will fall to the black dsb. } 17. Bd6 { 17. Bd6 - HereI decide to try and keep Fou Lenoir outside the pawn chain and to try andexert a cramp on Freddy. I thought of this game when I did it - http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/operation-joblock-success.pl?gm=23188- and thought it was worth trying out on Freddy. } 17... Ne6 { 17. ....... Ne6- putting pressure on d4. I am wondering whether, instead of my next move18. Nce2 whether Nf5 was a good follow up here. If g6 then Nh6+. Doesthis idea have any flaws? You the jury decide. } 18. Nce2 g6 19. f4 { 19.f4 - thoughts of g5 here, breaking open Freddy's castled position. Freddydiscourages this with Ng7. } 19... Ng7 20. Be5 { 20. Be5?! - Freddy had this tosay about this move and the next two moves. 'The pawn push was not sobad. I think 22. h3 was too early - it should have been something likeNc1 you force the trade on your terms and keep control of your position.Also something to consider was 21. f5 instead of 21. Bxf6, it sacrificesa pawn but your position becomes more active and the pawn can be takenback later.' } 20... h5 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. h3 Bd7 23. Nh1 { 23. Nh1 - now I becomecramped. } 23... Re7 24. Qd2 Rae8 { 24. ...... Rae8 - an ominous doubling on thee file putting pressure on e2. } 25. Nf2 Nf5 { 25. ....... Nf5 - puttingpressure on d4 now. } 26. Nd1 { 26. Nd1 - something has to give, somethinghas to give ...... } 26... Nxd4 { 26. ...... Nxd4 - ..... and give it does - apawn to Freddy for starters. } 27. Nxd4 Rxe1 28. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 29. Qxe1 Qxd4+ { 29. ....... Qxd4+ - after that plethora of exchanges Freddy is now setto win my c5 pawn. } 30. Kf1 Qxf4+ { 30. ..... Qxf4+ - but it is the f pawnthat falls. } 31. Qf2 Qc1 32. Qd4 { 32. Qd4 - I could play Qe1 but here Idecide to play a more aggressive defensive alternative, Qd4 - doesn't domuch good but at least it gets me into the habit of making Glenda a littleless passive. } 32... Bf5 33. Ke1 Bc2 { 33. ........ Bc2 - this move forces a piecetrade into a losing K & P ending for me. } 34. Qd2 Qxd2+ 35. Kxd2 Bxd1 36. Kxd1 Kg7 { 36. ..... Kg7 - Freddy now activates his king. I decide to playon a few moves until the zugzwang. } 37. Ke2 Kf6 38. Ke3 Kg5 39. g3 { 39.g3 - to stop the BK moving any further, but now Freddy rolls down his fpawn. } 39... f5 40. Kd4 { 40. Kd4 - maybe Kf3 was an improvement but then Freddyhas a d5 passer. } 40... f4 41. gxf4+ { 41. gxf4+ - here I decided to resign thegame on the grounds of ruinous loss of material. I could have played ona few more moves but I was about to go away on holiday and I could seethat the BK could take my h pawn and walk home his kingside pawns. Itwas therefore not worth postponing that game and stalling Freddy so I resigned. Well, I have just returned from my holiday in sunny Hastings and amslowly getting back into the groove so watch this space. } 0-1

[Event "Nice to re-meet you :-), http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.15"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "ab15"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1704"] [WhiteElo "1740"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. Nf3 c5 4. c3 { After black moves the c pawn, whitemust move his own in order to defend b2 with the queen after Qb6 by black.No matter if black goes c4. } 4... Qb6 5. Qc2 { This seems actually a mistake,since it seems possible for black to go Bf5 now, based on the weaknessof b2 (Qxb2 and the rook is lost). BUT for Qc1# by white. Black can'ttake the rook at once, but has white compensation for it? I'm sure theorysays a lot from this, but I don't read books, so I don't know. I appreciatesome help... } 5... cxd4 6. cxd4 { With an obvious threat, QxB#. It is possibleto take wiht the knight, and probably better, since the key of white'sgame is to shield the queenside... but it becomes pretty naked now. } 6... Nc6 7. e3 { It was profilactic a3, since the diagonal is weak. } 7... Nb4 { Here itcomes. Be calm. } 8. Qb3 { No advantage from Qa4+, it only helps him todevelop. } 8... Bf5 { Good, of course. Now the bishop and the knight are coordinated.I have to react. } 9. Na3 { Giving a plus to c2. } 9... Rc8 { Increasing the pressure.But here, probably a6 would have been better for black, since this allowsme to... } 10. Bb5+ Nc6 { This is another story... } 11. Rc1 { My turn to presshim. My rook is undefended, but also is his, and I'm taking it with check... } 11... e6 { Pawn's symmetry... it looks drawish. } 12. Ne5 { Trying to get somethingout from all this. } 12... Bxa3 { Gaining tempoes for castling, accepting to losethe bishop's pair. It's a fair exchange. Now it was possible 13. BxN+,and balck has to go bxc6. Then, QxBa3 and black can't castle. It lookssimple now, but during the game a lot of lines came up, with slight differences...and sometime, those little differences are THE differences. } 13. bxa3 O-O 14. O-O { It was interesting g4, sac a pawn in order to penetrate: g4,Nxg4, Nd7!, or g4, Bxg4, NxB, NxN, Bd6, Rmoves, Bc5, Qmoves, BxNc6, anythingtakes, Bxa7 or . A very tricky way to mix up the game, I should have triedit. But I dind't see it during the game. } 14... Nxe5 15. Bxe5 { The normal planit dxe5, but not now, I need solidity, no attack is going on on black'sking. } 15... Ne4 16. Bd7 { Let's see if this can compensate. } 16... Qxb3 { This settlesmy pawns back, a step more to draw. } 17. axb3 Rc3 { an interesting try.The truth is that black pieces can build some tricks... } 18. f3 { ...solet's try to mix up things a little. This is interesting, since opens thetactic again. Black can go RxR, or Rxe6, fxN, Bxe4, still threatening b3. } 18... Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Nf6 20. Rc7 { My turn. Now whitehas an edge, and due toa 'slight difference', I win a pawn... that can be the difference. Butin doing this, I give up my bishop pair, wihtout realizing the engame willbe from opposite bishops... and this calls for a drawn. } 20... Nxd7 21. Rxd7 f6 22. Bd6 Ra8 { Now the loss of a pawn materializes. } 23. Rxb7 a6 24. g4 Bd3 25. Re7 { All these manouvers trying to get something more concretefrom the position, but the truth is that black is playing very consistently,and doesn't 'fall' in tricks. } 25... Rc8 { If I take his pawn, his rook willrevenge on my pawns somehow. That was what I thought. } 26. Bc5 e5 27. Rd7 { This was the idea, since his bishop can't defend the pawn. Was this'the little small difference' I looked for? } 27... e4 28. Rxd5 { I'm sure thepawn in f3 would be mine... } 28... exf3 { Two central pawns, one passed, one more.This should be enough to win, so I messed it up somewhere, but I can'tsee where. } 29. g5 Rc6 30. h4 fxg5 { oh, yes, TWO free pawns... } 31. hxg5 Re6 { ...maybe, just maybe, his king is very uneasy to move... let's see.I'll take the f3 pawn with my rook. He will take the g5, but hey, my freepawns will came first. } 32. Rd8+ Kf7 33. Rf8+ Kg6 34. Rxf3 Kxg5 35. Rg3+ Kf6 36. Bf8 { Was this a good plan? Probably not. I looked hard for a trickymate, but I miss a tempo and the h pawn. } 36... g6 37. Rf3+ Bf5 { This is closingup, and I can't see it easy to win. I'm looking for something to alterthe equilibrium... maybe... } 38. d5 { The pawn can't be threatened and blockedat the same time. } 38... Re8 { But the bishop can. } 39. Bc5 Ke5 40. d6 { Thispawn is on the 6th, untouchable, as my bishop. And it is still not enoughto win? Come on... } 40... h5 { Here he goes... } 41. Rf4 Kd5 42. b4 Rh8 43. Rd4+ Kc6 { Maybe, here I can find the way to materialize.... } 44. e4 Be6 { I amrealizing that I am playing a fool, since it becomes clear that I cannotpush the pawn further. So I tried a last way to scramble the game: to sacit. } 45. d7 Bxd7 46. Rd6+ Kc7 { It was interesting Rxa6, Re8, e5 and blackcan't take it, but a player like my opponent won't fall for such a cheaptrick. } 47. Rxg6 Kb7 48. e5 { A step is a step. But I'm looking to b8... } 48... Re8 49. Rb6+ Kc8 50. Bd6 { Do you see why? Still, it is not enough to win. } 50... Bb5 { Now, probably, my worst mistake. Or not, I can't tell... } 51. Rb8+ Kd7 52. Rxe8 Kxe8 53. e6 { Preventing the king to go out, but is futile. } 53... Kd8 54. Kh2 Kc8 55. Kg3 Be8 56. Kf4 Kb7 57. Ke5 { Here, I saw the last trick,based on the sac of a3. } 57... Kc6 58. Bc5 Kb5 59. Kd4 Ka4 60. Kc3 Bb5 { Butblack, once again, 'sees' it. The game is over. } 61. Kb2 h4 62. e7 h3 63. Bd6 Be8 64. Kc3 Bb5 65. Kd4 Kxa3 66. Kd5 Ka4 67. Kc5 a5 { A great game...and maybe some day I will be able to learn what it is teaching me. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "C B winter tournament# 6."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.01.05"] [Round "-"] [White "danmandan"] [Black "gur-dial"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1553"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1522"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 { Other moves are more normal: ...Nf6, ...Nc6. } 3. d4 { Strong, Direct, & Agressive play by White. } 3... Bg4 { More normal are ...Nf6and ...c6. } 4. dxe5 c6 { not good. ...Nc6 is better. } 5. Nc3 a6 { 5....Bf3seems required. } 6. Bc4 { the alternative 6.Bf4 is very strong. } 6... h6 7. h3 Be6 8. Bxe6 fxe6 9. Be3 Qc7 10. Nd4 { 10.Nd4 is very strong. } 10... Qe7 11. exd6 Qxd6 12. Qh5+ Kd8 13. Bg5+ { 13.Qf7 is better, threatening Nxe6+ andQxb7 } 13... Be7 14. Bxe7+ Kxe7 15. O-O-O Qf4+ 16. Kb1 Nf6 17. Qf3 { 17.Qc5+! } 17... Qe5 18. Rhe1 Rd8 19. Nce2 { misses 19.Nf5+ } 19... Nxe4 20. Nb3 Nd7 { misses 20....Rxd1+21.Rxd1 Nf6 when Black is close to even. } 21. Nf4 Ndf6 { 21....Nf8 appearsbest. } 22. Ng6+ { fork. ooops. } 22... Ke8 23. Nxe5 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Ke7 25. g4 Rf8 26. Ng6+ { again. ooops. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.03.19"] [Round "-"] [White "ptitroque"] [Black "vesupria"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1752"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1780"] 1. e4 c5 2. b4 { Left wing gambit, alternative to the traditionnal siciliananswer. } 2... cxb4 { usual answer for black } 3. a3 { ... and for white as well } 3... d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Nf3 { developping } 5... e5 { Black counters strongly } 6. Bb2 { contesting the center } 6... Nc6 7. c4 Qe4+ { The black queen is exposed } 8. Be2 { 8. Qe2 was another option but white's plan is to get developpementadvance by chasing the black queen. } 8... Nf6 { developping } 9. O-O { The blackqueen is not dangerous for the moment, the chase can wait. } 9... bxa3 10. Nxa3 { A knight's move toward the edge is usually considered as bad but in thisprecise case, I thought it was ok, to protect the c pawn and enable a furtherNb5 } 10... Bc5 { Black opts for an agressive line } 11. d3 { Now the chase begins } 11... Qf4 { The black queen is still exposed } 12. Bc1 Qf5 13. Nh4 { White carrieson his plan } 13... Qe6 { Mistake. } 14. Nb5 { menacing a fork by 15. Nc7 } 14... Qd7 { Nowthe black queen is back home, black is still better on the center butwhite has a lot of field. } 15. Bg5 { To weaken the king's wing. } 15... Nd4 { Blackstill plays aggressively } 16. Bxf6 Nxe2+ { To eliminate the pair bishop,I suppose but queen on e2 is not bad for white : semi open file in frontof the black king, joining the rooks } 17. Qxe2 { ... and menacing the unprotectede pawn. } 17... gxf6 { Black strengthens his center but his king will be weak. } 18. Qf3 { Menacing f6 and enabling a further Nf5 } 18... Ke7 { Black probably thinksthat his king is better on the center now that both wings are unsafe. } 19. Rfe1 { rook on the semi open file } 19... Qg4 { Being one pawn up, black looksfor queens exchange } 20. Qd5 { Attacking the king by his weak side } 20... Bxf2+ { Black sees no proper place for his bishop and prefers to trade it to weakenthe white king. } 21. Kxf2 { No choice } 21... Qxh4+ 22. Kg1 { Back to his place.Now black is 2 pawns up but white has strong menaces available } 22... Kf8 { Toavoid the following nasty sequence : 23. Qd6+ Ke8 24. Nc7+mate } 23. Nc7 { I hesitated. Black has material advantage but his pieces are poorly developped.I do not have to make him gain tempos to unblck his pieces. } 23... Rb8 { obviousmove. } 24. Qd8+ { To send the black king on the open g file. } 24... Kg7 25. Ne8+ Kg6 { So that the black king is vulnerable to a rook attack } 26. Qe7 { Toput the queen is safe } 26... Bf5 { menacing the weak d pawn } 27. Nd6 { Menacing28. Qxf7+, very anoying for black for, if 28. ... Kh6 29. Nxf5+ and thequeen gets it, if 28. ... Kg8 29. Qxf6+ and black loses his bishop on the30th move. } 27... Rhf8 { To prevent 28. Qxf7 } 28. Re3 { menacing an attack towardking and/or queen } 28... Qd4 { pinning the e rook and menacing the a one } 29. Re1 { Obvious move } 29... Bxd3 { increasing the material advantage but nakingthe king } 30. Kh1 { To unpin the e rook } 30... Kg7 { Black sees the danger andplans to hide on h8 } 31. Rg3+ { Black submits here (if 31. ... Bg6 32. Nf5+and the black queen is lost. if 31. ... Kh8 32. Qxf6+mate } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from glmg"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.12.08"] [Round "-"] [White "tombulous"] [Black "glmg"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1771"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1898"] 1. e4 { I am annotating this game as much for my benefit as anyone else's.I got to play an opening I don't normally play that is normally quite agressivewith many attacking ideas for white. Instead it ended up being almost abind type structure where black ends up getting constricted with equalmaterial and white can slowly slowly improve his position. I hurried alittle too fast and blundered into a slightly better position that wasvery tactical and it finished with a nice forced variation. } 1... d6 2. f4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. d4 { The Pirc, Austrian attack. Normally 4.d4is played move 4 because 4 ..c5 allows black to transpose into some Sicilian-typelines. The opening scores reasonably well for white, but is not somethingget to play very often. I can also be arrived at from 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf63. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3. Both sides have chances but it gives whitemore attacking chances and black will be required to defend for most ofthe game and pick their spots. } 5... O-O { The other move here is c5. } 6. Bd3 { There are three main moves here. e5, Bd3 and Be3. Responses to them arevery different. I do not know enough about the opening to comment aboutthe major differences in the lines and I chose to play Bd3 to castle kingside.It is also the most common move in databases in this position. e5 is alwaysan idea here to break open the center and get an attack going. Be3 ideasnormally lead to queenside castling and h4 h5. e5 immediately leads totrades and a strong pawn center for white. } 6... c6 7. O-O b5 { At this pointgameknot's computer analysis program considers white to be about a pawnbetter even though no side has made any inaccuracies or done anything clever.This is due to whites extra space and the fact that white has many attackingchances. } 8. e5 { ! The idea of the setup from the start. Attack the knightand get an attack going, either on the queenside or kingside dependingon how black continues. } 8... dxe5 9. fxe5 { Taking with the d pawn is generallyworse because the rook on f1 will have pressure along the open file forthe forseeable future. Ideas with Ng5 become possible if the rook movesor Qe1-h4 with an attack against an under-guarded king also become considerations. } 9... Nd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Qe2 Be6 12. Be3 { Finishing development. c4 at somepoint here seems pretty good. } 12... Qd8 13. a4 { If ..bxa4 14. Rxa4 white hasall the options with rooks controlling two half open files, bishops wellplaced in the middle, and a better center. This has followed the game AlexeyIvanov vs Ivan Morev played in 2004 but just for a few more moves. } 13... b4 14. a5 { Constricting the knight's movement. I now has basically no goodsquares. Looking at this position the bishop on g7 looks quite poor staringat a pawn wall and now the knight on b8 has d7 and nothing else as it'sfuture. } 14... Nd7 15. c4 { The idea is to play c5 and continue to restrict black'sability to move and defend itself. The computer thinks this is not thebest move, preferring Bc4, trading light-squared bishops and apparentlywinning a pawn by force. I did not even consider this move more than justglancing at it. It is worth knowing that the computer's line with a pawnup is good but not clearly winning. This still seems fine to me. } 15... bxc3 { The first official novelty in the position that I can see. In the gamebetween Ivanov and Morev Bg4 was played but that position white can playc5 and pick up b4, pressure c6, play h3 to kill the white bishop and breakthrough in the center. This seems equally as bad, opening the b file totallyand they could never really contest it because white's threats are toostrong. } 16. bxc3 h6 17. c4 Qc7 18. Be4 { This prepares d5 where whitewould have a great pawn center and can just push down the middle and breakopen the position with a great idea. It is important that the bishop ison e6 so black can't play c5 trying to close the center down a little. } 18... Bg4 { ..c5 is now possible should white try d5. } 19. h3 { Forcing thecapture of the knight and white's light squared bishop now goes unopposedand is a massive factor in the game. The computer actually likes goingback to f5 and allowing white to get an attack in on the kingside, butit still thinks white is better there. } 19... Bxf3 20. Qxf3 { With a tempo againstthe c6 pawn, which is important in stopping black putting a rook on theb-file. } 20... Rac8 21. c5 e6 { And now look at the position. The queen and therook pressure f7. The queen and the bishop pressure c6. The black knighthas no squares in it's future. The bishop on g7 is trapped. All of black'spieces are locked together defending passively from very few squares andwhite has time and space to carry out whatever plan it would like to. } 22. a6 Nb8 23. Rfb1 { Threatening Rb7 picking up the a7 pawn, which wouldwin the game. } 23... Qd7 24. Rb7 Rc7 25. Rbb1 Qc8 26. Bd3 { Protecting the pawnon a6. I am not sure if this is the best move here, staying solid, makingblack move, slowly improving the position. The computer says it is finethough. Mostly I now I was having a bit of a hard time coming up with aplan on where to break through. } 26... Nd7 27. h4 { The idea in my mind was toplay g4 as well and try to break through on the kingside if nothing openedup on the queenside. } 27... Re8 { Leaving f7 somewhat undefended. This move showshow bad black is because they just cannot escape from their prison in anyreasonable way. } 28. Bd2 { With the threat of Ba5, trapping the rook. } 28... Nf8 29. Ba5 Rd7 { White's pieces continue to put a stranglehold on black'sposition. As long as white plays a reasonable move here to defend d4, whichis threatened and would give life to his bishop and open the position,everything should be fine. } 30. Be4 { ????? Oh No! Black's only good move,Rxd4, is basically forced. Here white has thrown away basically all ofthe advantage they had. doing some move to hold everthing together andnot give black counterchances is way. better. White is still better here,but not by as much. Not by a long shot. This will now lead into a muchmore tactical variation where both sides have plans to look out for. Rb4is probably the best move with Be4 possibly down the line or even doublingon the b-file and infiltrating with the rooks. } 30... Rxd4 31. Bxc6 Re7 32. Bc3 { Up to here was basically forced, and when I looked at it back on move30 I thought I was fine. The other move I considered was Rb7. This is anidea in many of the possible lines, with the idea that black was have toplay 32..Rxb7 33. cxb7 with Qb8 basically forced and with the queen sopassive white might still have something. My concern there was Nd7 reallyholds things together quite nicely and with the bishop threatening to takeon e5 and white's pawns looking like weaknesses instead of strenghts itwould be possible black would be able to be better in those lines. I thoughtthe best black had here might be to try to sac an exchange or something.Something like Bxe5 here with Ra3 to follow would keep some sort of materialequality with white still coming out ahead. } 32... Rc4 33. Rb7 { I though thiswas better than previously because now e5 is defended. } 33... Rxb7 { ?? A blunder.Nd7 is still the move here. This is where I thought an exchance sac wouldallow black some holding chances. 33..Nd7 34 Rd1 Rxc3 35 Qxc3 Nxe5 (..Qxc6seems to lead to a long forced line where white is a clear exchange andpassed pawn ahead but black has enough to force the perpetual check) 36.Be4 Rd7 and so on with trades and again white is the exhange up with apassed pawn. Probably winning but close. } 34. axb7 Qb8 { And black's queenis now doomed to guard b8 forever. } 35. Rf1 { This gives up the pawn forthe pawn on f7. Black should probably not accept this trade. } 35... Rxc5 { Andblack is now dead. They are technically up a pawn at this moment in time,but there is no way to hold this position. 35..Rxc3 36. Qxc3 Bxe5 is stillworse for black but not completely winning on the spot. } 36. Qxf7+ Kh8 37. Bb4 { Technically not as accurate as the best move (37. Qe8!, whichI missed completely for some reason) this is totally winning now. Blackhas no chances. } 37... Rxc6 38. Bxf8 Rc7 39. Bxg7+ Kh7 40. Bf8+ { !! Giving upthe queen (temporarily). I enjoyed this because if you don't see this moveyou might think white needs to back the queen out and give up quite a lotof advantage they have built. Something like 40. Qxe6 Qxb7. White is apiece up with a winning position, but at least at my level, I lose or drawpositions like that sometimes and white's king is not the safest. One poormove and a perpetual becomes possible. Instead white has just clearly finishedblack off. } 40... Rxf7 41. Rxf7+ Kg8 42. Bd6 { The reason this variation worksin the first place. Everything just about holds together for white. } 42... Qe8 43. Rf8+ { The evaluation goes to Mate in 12 moves. Exciting stuff. I hopethis was enjoyable to read and look at. I definitely enjoyed playing thegame and learned some things as well. When you have your opponent deadwith no way out of their position (see move 27), take your time and makesure they have no counter-play. I rushed it and let my opponent back intothe game. The final series of moves were more tactical than strategicalbut I didn't make any major blunders and capitalized on my opponent's mistakes.If you haven't tried it I recommend the Austrian attack as an opening thatgives white chances to attack with Qe1 to h4 in a similar vein to a whiteside Dutch or where you can use extra space given by a strong center toslowly choke the life out of your opponent and finish them off at yourpleasure. Just remember to hold everything together. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.05.23"] [Round "-"] [White "kvikas"] [Black "sanjinp"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1498"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1473"] 1. e4 b6 { Owen Defense of the King's pawn opening. } 2. Nf3 Bb7 3. Nc3 e6 4. d4 Bb4 { The typical response (according to the database) is Bd3, thoughI prefer Bd2--the second most common response. Bd3 is probably betteras black usually wins with Bd2. } 5. a3 { This was fourth on the databaselist--with black usually coming out ahead, apparently. } 5... Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 h6 { Bxe4 is preferred here. Otherwise white responds with Bd3 to protectthe undefended pawn. } 7. Bc4 { This move abandons the database. } 7... Bxe4 8. O-O d5 9. Bb5+ c6 10. Ba4 b5 11. Bb3 { White has now moved the same piecethree times in a row, allowing black to develop his pawn structure. } 11... Nf6 12. Re1 O-O 13. Bf4 Nh5 14. Be3 Nd7 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Qh4 17. f3 { Ilike this move--it was the first response I considered to black's defenseof the knight. But it does put the pawn in the way of QxN. } 17... Bg6 18. Bf2 Qe7 19. Qd2 Qg5 20. f4 { That seems questionable. Trading queens wouldnot have been bad--it would open up black's h file. } 20... Nxf4 21. Be3 Nh3+ 22. Kh1 Qg4 { This move looks foolhardy at first blush, but the knight sacrificeturns out to be ingenious. } 23. gxh3 { 23... Be4+, 24. Qg2 Qxg2#. I guessmost of my advice ended up being for white. Not my original intention. But if you do this, what is your opponent's best response? It is wiseto look at least one move ahead. Bc5 shows some promise. Black retainsthe knight, but white could follow with Qd4. White is down two pawns sotrading is best avoided. Maybe instead of Qd4, Pa4. Trading pawns letswhite attack black's c6 with rook and bishop. Black saves the knight,but the game lasts longer. } 23... Be4+ 0-1

[Event "GK 10 minute blitz."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "-"] [White "Vincerino"] [Black "Anonymous"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1716"] [WhiteElo "1715"] { A quick interesting game in which black doesn't play positionally andstuffs himself too full of material to win. } 1. f4 { Thought I'd try somethingdifferent. It seems interesting, controls the e5 square and allows theknight to be developed behind the pawn rather than in front. Sounds a bitlike the philidor rationale haha. } 1... d5 2. Nf3 g6 { I was a bit taken a backwith the fianchetto, I presumed black would rather play an open game versuswhite's future cramped position, but what do I know? } 3. e3 Bg7 4. Be2 c5 { That's more like it } 5. d4 { Contest the center immediately. I don'twant to be pushed back } 5... b6 { I was again confused with this move. I thoughtbetter would be 5. ... cxd4 6. exd4 Nc6 7. 0-0 } 6. dxc5 bxc5 7. Bb5+ { Arather confusing move for black to respond to, in blitz anyways. Goes againstintuition to not lose material if a few seconds are spent observing thesituation. } 7... Bd7 { And there's the mistake. 7. ... Kf8 is the move. } 8. Qxd5 Bxb5 9. Qxa8 { Comfortable game shall ensue. } 9... Qa5+ { Another poor move byblack, better is to play Qb6 to protect the knight and pawn. White cannow just deflect the queen with Nc3 and also attacking the b5 bishop } 10. Nc3 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Qxc3+ { Qb6 is still preferential here. Black does badto be greedy. I spent 30 seconds and decided to really bait black withthe next couple of moves } 12. Bd2 Qxa1+ { Black saw the couple of rooksfor grab, but forgets about his own horrendous defense. } 13. Kf2 Kf8 14. Qxb8+ Kg7 15. Rxa1 { Greed will get you, even 1700 players suffer from it. } *

[Event "Smyslov System mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.02.03"] [Round "-"] [White "last_archimedean"] [Black "lchppll"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1298"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1441"] { If a chess system is good enough to have the name of Vassili Smyslov attachedto it, it must be worth making a mini-tournament out of. So I did justthat. } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 { The games all start here. } 9. b4 { The Pawn structuredictates that my play will lie on the Q side. } 9... Nd7 10. Nd2 { Clearing thepath for the KBP, and also preparing to swing the Knight to the Q side. } 10... f5 11. c5 { Time to engage the enemy forces. } 11... dxc5 12. bxc5 { The exchange... } 12... Nxc5 13. Ba3 { ...leaves me a Pawn behind, but has opened up the board forme to attack. } 13... Nxe4 14. Ndxe4 { I'm not about to let Black establish hisKnight in the center. } 14... fxe4 15. Nxe4 { I complete the exchange. } 15... Re8 16. Bb5 { Cutting across another open line. } 16... Bd7 17. Bc4 { I don't want to exchangeany more pieces. It will weaken my attacking possibilities. } 17... Bf5 18. f3 { On the other hand, I also don't want Black to seize a good diagonal withhis B, so I guard the N rather than move it. } 18... Bxe4 19. fxe4 { I completethe exchange, opening a file for my Rook in the process. } 19... Kh8 20. Rb1 { I activate my QR. } 20... Rb8 21. Qg4 { And my Q. } 21... h5 22. Qg5 { No retreat now.I'm going all in for attack. } 22... Kh7 23. Rf7 { Threatening to win the Knight. } 23... Kg8 24. Bxe7 { I do so. } 24... Qd7 25. d6 { The new threat is R-B8 dbl ch. } 25... cxd6 26. Qxg6 { And Black resigns rather than be mated. } 1-0

[Event "Sic. Smiths Mora gambit (W)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.02.22"] [Round "-"] [White "ptitroque"] [Black "carlo19711130"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1714"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1699"] 1. e4 c5 2. d4 { In front of a sicilian, I always play this variation, probablynot the best one but I like the central game as well. } 2... cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 { White gets a good developpement advance } 4... e6 5. Nf3 { absolutlyclassical } 5... Bc5 6. Bf4 { Developping as quickly as possible. } 6... Qb6 { It doesn'tseem a good move to me because it has little effect and exposes the queen } 7. Qc2 { protecting both f2 and e4, not a bad place for the queen } 7... Nc6 { Blackis getting agressive } 8. a3 { To prevent knight, bishop or queen to comeon e4 } 8... Qa5 { I do not feel safe at all with those 3 pieces out and the kightpinned } 9. Bc4 { Permitting the castle } 9... a6 10. O-O { Casteling, I feel released.And I'll quickly counterattack, aiming at the queen } 10... Qd8 { No, I won't counterattackbut the black queen is away and I'm well in advance as for developpement. } 11. Rad1 { Now, the plan is to take control of d6 and d7 } 11... Nge7 12. b4 { Ithas nothing to do with my main plan but it's not bad to force the opponentspieces to drawback. furthermore, the dark saquared bishop will no longercontrol c2 } 12... Ba7 13. Rd3 { Back to the plan : attacking d7 } 13... O-O { I wroteon my notes at this point : carefull, my pieces are bad protected. } 14. Rfd1 { Still aiming at d7, too sure of my position, I didn't try to protectmy bishops, Be3 would have been better } 14... b5 { I did the same, it seems fair. } 15. Ba2 { I want the bishop to stay on this diagonal and to be able to comeon the b1h7 as well because I'm beginning to think to another plan : directlyattacking the king. My pieces are not badly placed for it. } 15... Ng6 { Blackhas to develop } 16. Be3 { the unprotected pieces (see anotation on 13thmove) are under attack. } 16... Bxe3 17. Rxe3 { One pawn late but still a goodposition } 17... Nce5 { White's knights are getting annoying } 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. f4 { Now white's plan is definitely to attack on the queen side with asmany pieces as possible. } 19... Qb6 { But... but... } 20. Re1 Ng4 { This knightis getting VERY annoying !!! } 21. Qd2 { I have no other choice as the rookis pinned } 21... Nxe3 22. Rxe3 { minus 3, the late in material is getting preoccupatingbut I still have a plan } 22... Bb7 23. Kh1 { First secure the king (one time isenough !) } 23... Rfd8 { That doesn't bother me a lot. As I'm about to attack thekingside, the rook on the center will facilitate it. Anyway, I won't tryto prevent black to play d5 } 24. Rg3 { First move of my attack, I need 3tempi to get dangerous for white. I hope my opponent won't find any quickerattack. } 24... Rac8 { OK, no immediate danger. d5 would have been a better move,in my opinion } 25. f5 { So I carry on my plan } 25... exf5 { One more pawn in latebut now I'm sure to have time enough to aim my attack. Of course, the blackqueen on b6 prevents the best move I have (26. Qh6) } 26. Qg5 { If 26. ...Qg6 27. Qe7 menacing 28. Bf7+ Just sad that my last knight is blocked (preventing27. Rc1 mate) } 26... g6 { It's forced move (see anotation 25th move) } 27. exf5 { logical and efficient } 27... Kg7 { Only way to prevent Qh6 or f6 but black shouldprobably have plaid 28.Rc5 to pin white's f pawn. } 28. Rh3 { aiming theattack at the h file. } 28... Qf6 { Mistake. It doesn't solve black's problem andthe attack on the c knight is too slow. Vlack sould have plaid Rh8. Withhis material advance, my opponent seems to underestimate the danger. } 29. Qh6+ Kg8 { Forced move (Kh8 means mate) } 30. Qxh7+ { black is doomed. I beginto see some mating sequences and I think there is nothing black can doto avoid the mate in a couple of moves. } 30... Kf8 { Forced move. } 31. Bxf7 { !Time to set the knight in action (and sacrified the poor guy) - mate menace1 one } 31... Qxf7 { forced move - The mate comes near } 32. Qh8+ Qg8 { Black cando that only once } 33. Qf6+ { From now on all black's moves are forced } 33... Ke8 { Two possibilities : wether to trade a rook against the black ladyor to carry on attacking the king for he his now on the ompen file. } 34. Re3+ Qe6 { forced move. } 35. fxe6 { Black submited here but I add the mate(all moves are forced) } 35... dxe6 36. Rxe6+ Kd7 37. Qe7# { I have the impressionthat both opponents made the same mistake : at one point of the game theyfelt too sure of themselves and underestimated the possibilities of theother side. That will be the lesson of the game. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "11-Jul-08"] [Round "-"] [White "theskandinavien"] [Black "sonmanc"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1594"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1721"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 { Sicilian, closed. This is my way of avoiding theory linesI don't know good enough. } 2... Nc6 3. g3 d6 4. Bg2 e5 { ?! The main line is:4.Bg2 g6 5.d3 Bg7 and now 6.Le3!? or f4. e5 tries to control the center,especially the f-pawn, but it also creates weaknesses on the white squareslike d5. } 5. Nge2 { Supporting the f4-push } 5... Nf6 { After 5... g6 6.d3 Bg7we would have reached the 'Botvinnik Variation'. } 6. O-O Be7 7. d3 h6 { ?!There is no threat provoking h6. 7... 0-0 8.f4 Rb8 with an equal game. } 8. f4 Bg4 9. h3 Bxe2 10. Qxe2 Nd4 { ?! I think finishing the developmentby 10... 0-0 would have been more precise. } 11. Qf2 exf4 12. Bxf4 a6 { Again0-0 would have been better. } 13. b4 { 13.e5!? would have been good, too. } 13... b6 { Better than 13... cxb4 14.Qxd4 bxc3 Rab1, but O-O was also ok. } 14. e5 dxe5 { Only move } 15. Bxe5 Ra7 16. Nd5 Nxc2 { ? First mistake. 16... Nxd5?is also bad: 17.Qxf7 Kd7 18.Bxd5 - Again 0-0!? would have been the bestmove. } 17. Nxe7 Qxe7 18. Qxc2 { Now it's just a matter of technique } 18... O-O { Taking the Bishop loses the Queen, but it wouldn't be much worse. } 19. Bxf6 { Now I start to break black's pawn structure to attack the king } 19... gxf6 20. bxc5 { Without Queens the white advantage rises. } 20... bxc5 { Right decision } 21. Rae1 { One attacker more at the king's side. } 21... Qc7 22. Rf4 Qd6 23. d4 cxd4 24. Qf5 d3 25. Rg4+ Kh8 26. Be4 { It's over } 26... h5 27. Qxh5# { Althoughthere was a Elo-difference of about 100 points, black didn't make manymistakes. You can see that it's very difficult to stop the white figureswhen the king side attack is already started. The aim of Black should beto stop White's attempts to attack or to build up a counterattack at thequeen side. I hope you enjoyed the game. Questions or comments are welcome. } 1-0

[Event "Game 1 against thedeezy"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.09.01"] [Round "-"] [White "thedeezy"] [Black "theancientbeast"] [Result "0-1"] { This is one of two games I played against thedeezy. He is an excellentplayer, and both of these games were both fun and tough! Thank you, deezy! } 1. e4 e5 { Both compete for center control. } 2. Nf3 { I was torn betweenNf6, Nc6, d6, and d5. d5 seemed good; I would equalize if he took eitherpawn. Nc6 seemed to defensive -- not my playing style, though I have playedit many times. d6 is perhaps the most passive at all, and blocks my Bishop.Nf6, however, seemed like it would be fun (it was a blitz game anyway :P)and aggressive...nice! } 2... Nf6 3. Bc4 { Targeting f7. } 3... d5 { Offense, offense,offense! } 4. exd5 Nxd5 { At the cost of a pawn. } 5. Nxe5 Be6 { But insteadof forcing his Knight away, I play Be6, because I did not like the possibilityof a fork on the f7 square. } 6. O-O { I think that white should be pushingpawns. } 6... Bd6 { Now I will force out his Knight! } 7. Nf3 { Defending h2. } 7... Nc6 { Last minor piece. } 8. d3 { Too slow. } 8... Qf6 9. Re1 { Pinning the Bishop. } 9... O-O-O { Look at the development: white is castled, has a Knight out, andis up a pawn. Black has all of his minor pieces out, his King is castled,but he is down a pawn. As we all know, especially in blitz games, a superiorlead in development often bests a slight material advantage. Now, whitewill scramble to catch up. } 10. c3 { Develop, white! } 10... Na5 { Going for undisputedcenter control. } 11. Bg5 { Did not see this! Now I will lose a Rook. } 11... Qg6 { But I pin the g2 pawn in hopes of mating eventually. } 12. Bxd8 Kxd8 13. Bxd5 { Trade when you're up. } 13... Bxd5 14. Nh4 Qh6 { Pinning the Knight. } 15. Qg4 { This is one of the two losing moves. } 15... Re8 { Take it, please! } 16. Rxe8+ { Yes! the final losing move. } 16... Kxe8 17. c4 { ?? I guess he didn't see themate in two. } 17... Qc1+ { And he resigns. Good game and thanks, deezy! } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.10.23"] [Round "-"] [White "goldmedal20"] [Black "ssweetie05"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "774"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "781"] 1. d4 { I am white and ssweetie05 is black. This game was really fun butblack resigns at very end. Queen pawn opeaning } 1... e6 { king pawn opeaning } 2. Nf3 { starts to build up my minor pieces } 2... Qf6 { let the queen lose } 3. Be3 { keep on building minor pieces } 3... d5 { meets white pawn } 4. Nc3 { doinga good job with building minor pieces } 4... Bb4 { building up pieces } 5. a3 { gainscontrol of middle of the board and a row } 5... Ba5 { moves back } 6. b4 { startsbuilding my attack } 6... Bb6 { black bishop has no where to go and it is trapped. } 7. a4 { I have a upper hand in this game } 7... Bd7 { building up her bishops } 8. a5 { moves pawn } 8... Bb5 { done with building her bishops } 9. axb6 { one away } 9... cxb6 { got pawn } 10. Nxb5 { wow } 10... a5 { pawn moves } 11. bxa5 { happy with myself } 11... Nc6 { building her knights now } 12. Nd6+ { check } 12... Ke7 { out of check } 13. Bg5 { getting more pieces out to help with my attack } 13... Kxd6 { has allmajor pieces still in play } 14. Bxf6 { got the queen out of the game. } 14... gxf6 { have a good protection for my major pieces. } 15. Nh4 { so far running theshow with minor pieces and pawns. } 15... b5 { Not sure what black is doing. } 16. a6 { pawn moves } 16... b6 { moves pawn } 17. a7 { never got a pawn this far ever } 17... Rxa7 { all that really matters is protecting the king and major pieces. } 18. Rxa7 { the game took a turn. major pieces are getting some work done.I am impress on how munch the minor pieces and pawns got done so far. } 18... Nb4 { leading off with her knight. } 19. Nf5+ { check } 19... exf5 { never seen thisbefore having 3 pawns in one row. } 20. c3 { moves pawn } 20... Nc6 { black movesback } 21. Qd2 { moves the queen out of home base } 21... Nb8 { black moves back. } 22. Rxf7 { need to get more pieces up there before I can check or checkmate. } 22... Nh6 { trying to get something going with her knight. } 23. Qf4+ { check } 23... Ke6 { safe } 24. e3 { free move } 24... Na6 { having both knights ready for battle } 25. Bd3 { moves bishop out of home base and ready for battle. } 25... Kxf7 { blacksmoves back } 26. Qxh6 { takes knight } 26... Nc7 { moves knight back for back up } 27. Bxf5 { free pawn } 27... Ne8 { moves back } 28. e4 { free move } 28... Nd6 { moves knightback up } 29. exd5 { 7 pieces 4 pawns i knight rook and king to 10 pieces 6 pawns rook king queen and a bishop } 29... Nc4 { leading the attack } 30. d6 { pawn up } 30... Nxd6 { taken } 31. O-O { castle } 31... Nc4 { moves knight up one more time } 32. d5 { pawn up } 32... Nb2 { knight deep on my side of the board } 33. d6 { up } 33... Nc4 { what is that knight doing? } 34. d7 { up } 34... Ne5 { moves knight } 35. Bxh7 { getting ready for check and mate. } 35... Nd3 { huh????????????? } 36. d8=Q { doublequeen power } 36... Nc5 { I am not sure what black is doing. } 37. Qxh8 { black resignsand i win. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from flashbulb"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.01"] [Round "-"] [White "joak"] [Black "flashbulb"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1465"] [TimeControl "4 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1159"] 1. c4 { I started with the English opening (A10). } 1... d5 2. e3 { HereI left the database. } 2... e5 3. cxd5 { Starting to take control of center. } 3... Nf6 { Trying to take the center. } 4. Bc4 { Defending the pawn while developingthe Bishop. } 4... Bc5 5. d4 { Forking the Bishop and pawn. } 5... exd4 { Thisis interesting. } 6. exd4 { Opening the e file. } 6... Bb4+ 7. Bd2 { Defendingthe King. } 7... Bxd2+ { he takes it. } 8. Qxd2 O-O 9. Nf3 { Developingthe Knight. } 9... Re8+ { I thought this was a nice move on his part. } 10. Ne5 Nxd5 { At last taking the d-5 pawn. } 11. Bxd5 Qxd5 12. Nc3 { Threatening the Queen. } 12... Qxg2 13. O-O-O { The best move I couldthink of. } 13... Bf5 14. Qf4 { Wanting to keep the black Queen off the f-3square. } 14... g6 15. Rhg1 { Beginning my attack. } 15... Qh3 { The only move tosave his Queen. } 16. Rg3 Qh5 17. Ne4 Re6 18. d5 Ra6 19. d6 Qe2 20. Qxf5 Nd7 21. Qxf7+ Kh8 22. Nxg6+ hxg6 23. Rh3+ Qh5 24. Rxh5+ gxh5 25. Ng5 Rc6+ 26. Kb1 Nf8 27. d7 Rd6 28. Rxd6 cxd6 29. Ne6 Nxe6 30. Qxe6 { Here he resigned, the only game I have won againstflashbulb, on Gameknot. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.04.04"] [Round "-"] [White "harpov"] [Black "dongoodman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2211"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2300"] 1. e4 c5 { Playing against a very strong player, I decided to use the Siciliandefense in which I lost a few games but this game went well for me. Myopponent suddenly lost many games on time and I too benefited. HoweverI learnt how to play against the English attack. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { Book moves of the Sicilian Najdorf until now. Thegame can branch off into many variations from here. } 6. Be3 { The Englishattack which has become popular. In the old days this move was consideredpremature as World champion Euwe suggested that 6. f3 should precede Be3otherwise Black can attack the bishop on e3 with Ng4. Gary Kasparov, VishyAnand played this variation which I used in this game. } 6... Ng4 { At first sightthis knight move looks like a novice attack but it is not so simple. } 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 { Black's position looks compromised on theking side with advanced pawns but this variation has stood the test ofGrandmaster play. Kasparov says he analyzed it and included in his repertoire.This aggressive play by Black have taken the game into new territory awayfrom well analyzed lines. White's bishop on g3 will remain passive forquite a while and stands in the way of the natural pawn storm on the kingside. } 10. h3 { White questions the Black knight. } 10... Ne5 11. Nf5 { White placeshis knight on f5 and attacks the black biship on g7. } 11... Bxf5 12. exf5 { NowWhite has the bishop pair and Black has to play carefully. } 12... Nbc6 13. Nd5 e6 14. fxe6 fxe6 15. Ne3 { A strange position. White's pieces are not ontheir usual squares and Black's king is in the center. } 15... O-O 16. Be2 d5 17. O-O Ng6 { Black is trying to advance his central pawns so early in themiddle game. White has castled on the king side so there is no prospectof a pawn storm on Black's castle. } 18. c3 { White tries to neutralize theBlack bishop on the long diagonal. } 18... Nf4 { Black places his knight on a strongsquare and wants to eliminate White's bishop pair. } 19. Bg4 Qf6 20. Bxf4 gxf4 { White's bishop pair is eliminated. Black's queen cannot capture onf4 as it has to protect the pawn on e6. } 21. Nc2 Rad8 { Black's audaciousopening play has resulted in a very active position for his pieces. } 22. Nd4 Rfe8 23. Nb3 Kh8 24. Nc5 Re7 { Black has placed all his major pieceson black squares so that they cannot be attacked by White's bishop. } 25. Qb3 Ne5 26. Rae1 Rc8 27. Qb4 Nxg4 { Black now has a bishop vs knight gamewith center control. White's attack has not started. } 28. Nd3 Rc4 { Thismove was played to protect the Black pawn on f4. } 29. Qd6 f3 { Black's attackhas reached the White's castle!!! } 30. g3 Qg5 31. hxg4 Rxg4 { White is apawn minus and a very aggressive attack to contend with. } 32. Re3 Rd7 { Aterrific Rook sac if accepted leads to mate in three moves. 33. Qxe7 Rxg3+34. fxg3 Qxg3+ 35. Kh1 Qg2 mate. My opponent is a very strong player sohe does not allow it. } 33. Qb8+ Rd8 34. Qc7 e5 35. Rxf3 Rg8 { Black's heavyartillery is getting into dangerous positions. } 36. Ne1 e4 { The centralpawn advance is another headache for White. } 37. Rf7 e3 38. Kg2 Qg6 39. Rf3 Qe4 40. Rh1 exf2 { Black attacks relentlessly. } 41. Kxf2 Re8 42. Kg2 Rf8 { Black attacks the pinned rook. } 43. Kf2 Rg6 44. Rh4 Rxf3+ 45. Nxf3 Qc2+ 46. Kf1 Kh7 47. Qe7 { White's queen is trying to come back to the defense. } 47... Qb1+ 48. Qe1 Qxb2 49. Rb4 Qxc3 { Black exchanges queens and hopes to winthe end game. } 50. Qxc3 Bxc3 51. Rxb7+ Rg7 52. Rb3 d4 53. Kf2 Rd7 { Whitedefended very well from here. } 54. g4 Kg7 55. Kg3 a5 56. a4 Rc7 57. Kf4 Rc4 58. Rb7+ Kf8 59. Ke4 Rxa4 { The pawn drops off and here my opponentlost on time as he probably did not feel like resigning. It was a satisfyingeffort by Black against a very strong opponent. Bishop vs knight endingwith 3 pawns against one. } 0-1

[Event "USCF Master Victory"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Me"] [Black "B. Liu"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2259 USCF"] [TimeControl "Game in 60 minutes"] [WhiteElo "1989 USCF"] { This is a rated chess event at Chess Club. I to catch mistake by opponentand he not see it. } 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 { I to play unusual style but it effectiveto get me to current rating. } 2... e5 3. Nc3 { My goal is protect e4 and attackcenter with piece instead no with pawn. It not usual teach method but Inot average player. } 3... Nc6 4. Bg2 Bb4 { Counter my plan to defend e4. Thistypical respond I see from this rated group. } 5. Nf3 { I to take risk herebut I think to push e4 not so good right now. } 5... O-O 6. O-O { Both side equaldevelop but my queen have more mobile. This important detail as game goon. } 6... Bxc3 { Black prepare to advance the pawn. So he to remove the knightthreat first. } 7. bxc3 Re8 { With no knight I have to find way to defendcenter or to suffer big lose. } 8. d3 e4 { This move is early I think butI expect it early in game. } 9. Nd4 exd3 { I no understand need for this.2 defender on the pawn and I no plan to take and weaken pawn structure. } 10. exd3 h6 11. Bf4 { My piece now all mobile thank to my opponent. Ithink I have a bit of edge here even though my pawn is double on queensside. } 11... Nxd4 12. cxd4 d5 { Black to open space and try to get other pieceinvolved before I begin to plan attack. } 13. Re1 Rxe1+ 14. Qxe1 dxc4 { Thismove I not understand. It win pawns in center but it set up trap that Ithought he see. I ask him after the game and he say he not see far enoughto calculate trap. But this move begin the end of game. } 15. dxc4 Qxd4 16. Rd1 Qxc4 { I sacrifice the center pawns } 17. Rd8+ Kh7 18. Qb1+ g6 19. Qa1 { To set a strong attack on the black king. } 19... Ng8 { This move set up along mate net. } 20. Rxg8 1-0

[Event "A tribute to Morphy"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.12"] [Round "-"] [White "drchopper"] [Black "cchrchaz1234"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1383"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1573"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 { Here I'm playing white on a Philidor defense. } 3. d4 Bg4 { ? Bad move, forcing the lost of a pawn or the Bishop. Black enteringinto a risky game. } 4. dxe5 { If Black does 4.dxe5 then 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Nxe5and black lose a pawn. Blackburne played a gambit on this variation withgood results: 4.Nc6 5.exd6 Bxd6. Giving him some tempo for a lost of thepawn. } 4... Bxf3 { Black chose to lose his Bishop. Bishops are better than knightin most of the end games that's why Larsker said to play knights beforeto play bishops. } 5. Qxf3 dxe5 6. Bc4 { Well right now I play the same openingthat Morphy used in his well-known Opera game. The position of white ispretty nice, threatening Qf7, and is better developed than black. } 6... Qe7 { I think the best position for black is Qf6, asking for an exchange ofqueens. The queen is bad placed here because he blocks the way of his bishop;black will have to lose tempo if he wants to castle on the king side ordevelop his rook. It's quite obvious now that black gonna try to castleon his queen side. } 7. O-O { Well here I had a lot of choice. I didn't wantto go to Qb3 because white could have done Qb4+ and forcing the trade ofqueens. Nc3 would have been fine but it would have blocked the way formy queen if I wanted to attack on the queen side. Bg5 would have been tooslow, I think. My main concern right now was to block the castling of whiteon the queen side, that's why I have castled right now. If black does Nc6instead of Nd7, I would get a great advantage. } 7... Nf6 8. Bg5 { Pinning theknight and forcing the queen to stay at e7. } 8... Nbd7 { ! Well done. Now myrook can't take possession of the d line. } 9. Qb3 { If black castle, thenI can take the f pawn. Now my queen gonna be ready to enter in the battlefield. Computer analysis: Best: +1.58 » 9. Nc3 O-O-O 10. Rfd1 h6 11. Be3 Qb412. Qe2 Kb8 13. a3 Qe7 14. b4 Qe8 15. Nb5 c5 16. Bd3 } 9... b6 { This move wasalmost forced if Black doesn't wanted to lose a pawn or the d line. } 10. Nc3 { Now my position is pretty nice! } 10... a6 { ?? Huge lost of tempo. Blackwas probably thinking about to do b5 after that. } 11. Rfd1 { ?! I don'tremember why I have done this move loll. I think it was to have a moreaccurate attack and to force the queen to not go on the d line. Computeranalysis:Mistake: +1.84 » 11. Rfd1 c6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Na4 Rb8 14. Qh3Nc5 15. Nxb6 Bd6 16. Nc8 Nxe4 17. Bxf7+ Kxf7 18. Nxd6+ Nxd6 19. Qd7+ Qe720. Rxd6 Rxb2 21. Qxc6 Best: +3.71 » 11. Nd5 Qc5 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 13. Bxf7+Kd8 14. Rfd1 Bd6 15. Bh6 Kc8 16. Be6 Rd8 17. Bg8 a5 18. a4 Bf8 19. Bxf8Nxf8 } 11... Rd8 { Not sure if it was the best move here. } 12. Nd5 { Now I'm readyto enter the battlefield! Threatening both the queen and c7. } 12... Nc5 { ! Bestmove to do! If 12.Qc5 then 13.Nc7+ Qxc7 14.Bf7+ Ke7 15.Qe6#. } 13. Bb5+ { !! Qf3 and Qh3 could have been fine, but it would have given the optionto black to do Rxd5. My goal was to take the queen or the king! If blacktake the Bishop in his next move, it will mean the lost of his queen. Thesac is sound if white play accurately. } 13... axb5 { The best defense here was13.Rd7! then 14.Bxf6!, entering into wild variations, with advantage towhite. - Ex1:14.Bxf6 Nxb3 15.Nxc7+ Kd8 16.Bxe7+ Bxe7 17.Rxd7+ Kc8 18.axb3axb5 19.Rxe7 Kd8 20.Rxf7 then Ra8# - Ex2:14.Bxf6 axb5 15.Qa3! Qd6 16.Qa8Rd8 17.Nxc7+ Qxc7 18.Qxd8+ Qxd8 19.Rxd8# - Ex3:14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Bxd7+ Qxd716.Nxe6+ Ke7 17.Rxd7+ Nxd7 - Computer analysis:Best: +6.30 » ... Rd7 14.Bxf6 axb5 15. Qa3 gxf6 16. Nxe7 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Kxe7 18. Qa8 Bg7 19. Qc6Rd8 20. Qxc7+ Rd7 21. Rxd7+ Nxd7 22. Qc8 Kd6 } 14. Qxb5+ Qd7 15. Nxf6+ { Computer analysis: Best: +9.87 » 15. Nxc7+ Ke7 16. Rxd7+ Rxd7 17. Nd5+Rxd5 18. exd5 Ncd7 19. Bxf6+ Nxf6 20. Qb4+ Ke8 21. Qxb6 Nd7 22. Qc6 Ke723. Rd1 Ke8 24. Qc8+ Ke7 } 15... gxf6 { Black lose his queen. } 16. Rxd7 Rxd7 17. Bxf6 { Threathening the Rook and taking pawns. } 17... Rg8 18. Rd1 { Thinkingto do b4 on next move. } 18... Rg6 19. Bxe5 { If 19.b4 Rxf6 20.bxc5 c6 21.Qe2 andblack have a better position. 19.Rxd7 Nxd7 lead to nothing. } 19... c6 { ! Welldone. The queen must retreat. } 20. Qe2 Bd6 { Not sure if it was the bestmove here but anyway, I don't see how black find a win in this situation. } 21. Bxd6 Rgxd6 22. Rxd6 { No choice to take. } 22... Rxd6 23. e5 { ! Getting outof the reach of the knight and advancing. } 23... Rd7 { Maybe Re6 would have beenmore accurate, but the rook would have lost some mobility. } 24. f4 Ne6 25. g3 c5 26. c3 { Now I've got a nice pawn structure. Moved to c3 to protectit from the rook and to avoid Nd4. } 26... Ke7 { Thinking to do f6. } 27. Qb5 { 27.Rd1+28.Kg2 Rd2+ 29Kh3 would have only helped me to win faster! } 27... f6 { ? Badmove. Black can't take it back because I will take his rook. } 28. exf6+ Kd8 { ? Bad move again. Ke8 was the only good solution. } 29. Qxb6+ { Blackhave now the choice to lose his knight or to be mated. } 29... Nc7 30. Qb8# { Hedecide to be mated! :P Well it was a nice game. } 1-0

[Event "121st GK tournament part 1 the game of the win!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.12.08"] [Round "-"] [White "vickigrandma"] [Black "zgelman3"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1152"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1009"] 1. e4 { We start in a book position. Before I start, I would like to saya little background info on this game. It was the second round of the 121GK tournament in Casual. It was also one of the only 2 games I actuallycheckmated, the others I won on time. I will make one on the other gamewhen I finish it } 1... e5 { I continue in a book, I seem to do the kings pawna lot. } 2. Nf3 { It comes out } 2... Nc6 3. c4 { ouch. I hate when people do thatmove on me. It is very annoying. } 3... Nf6 4. Bd3 Bc5 { An attack like any other.Who would have known that that would give me the win? } 5. O-O { First error.Looks good though, it becomes an error when vickigrandma messes up. } 5... Ng4 { The start... } 6. h3 Nf6 { ...or not :'( } 7. a3 O-O 8. Ra2 { What? If youunderstand that move, tell me in the comments. } 8... Nd4 { The attack starts. } 9. Nxe5 { Or not. } 9... Re8 { Or does it? } 10. Ng4 { No... } 10... Nxe4 { Yes!!!! Well,more like an attempt to capture a piece. } 11. f3 { That becomes a mate in2!!!!! What a blunder! Here I put in a conditional move. } 11... Nxf3+ { And sadly... } 12. Kh1 { A } 12... Ng3# { Mate! In '121st GK tournament part 2 will vickigrandmacontinue', you will find my second game against Vickigrandma! } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from dpmcd"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "20-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "dpmcd"] [Black "posthuma"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 c6 { This possition pops up in 90% of my games, but theonly point I see in C6 or C5 is the narrow escape for your queen. } 3. Nf3 { I've became addicted to it though, and I do it in most of my games. } 3... Nf6 { Most people when they move out to f3, and the opponent's pawn is on E5,don't take advantage of the factor that the E5 pawn is unprotected. Theydo not take advantage of it and they respond with either Nc3 or D4. I,honestly, see that, yet I do not push and respond with one of those two.There is no point after you kill the pawn, they push you back, and theyare more well developed. } 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 a6 { Thatis very common, yet there is absolutely NO point in it. You might as welldo something usefull. } 8. Be3 Nbd7 9. O-O-O Qe7 10. g4 h6 11. a3 O-O-O 12. b4 b5 13. Bb3 Nh7 { That move was completelly unexpected. That is becauseI am a very ofensive player, and I see that as the LAST move I would havedone. } 14. h4 g5 15. h5 Kc7 { hmm } 16. Kd2 { hmm } 16... Ra8 17. Ra1 { R-a1 onthe 17th move looked especially suspicious. I don't exactly know for surewhy he did that, or what he's trying to do with that move, but it justmakes me to see that my queen side especially needs more work. } 17... c5 18. Bd5 Rc8 19. Bb3 { Knight fork. So common. But this ones tricky! My queenis so backed up, I don't need to back it up and lock it up any more. } 19... Kb7 20. Bxf7 { I say it's not worth it. You get 1 more pt, but you get it ina bad position } 20... Nhf6 { I try to break up the queen contact for the bishopto be protected. } 21. Bb3 Bg7 { that move, I regret. } 22. Rhc1 { that movewas even more suspicious } 22... c4 { protected twice, attacked twice, safe } 23. Ba2 Qe6 24. a4 bxa4 25. Nxa4 Nxg4 { I need to get in there } 26. Qh3 Ndf6 27. c3 Rce8 28. Bxc4 { he was still looking at that pawn } 28... Nxe4+ 29. Ke2 Nexf2 { I do not know why I am breaking in. I could have lost a knight,I would have gained a pawn. } 30. Qg2+ Kc7 31. Bxe6 { I was mad at myselfwhen I went online, and found out my queen was gone. I was mad, and I didn'thave a chance at this game. } 31... Rxe6 32. Bxf2 Nxf2 33. Qxf2 Rb8 34. Qf7+ Kc6 35. Qxe6 { I was useless. After looking awile, I found out it was mate in5. 1.D4, xD4, 2.xD4+, Kb7, 3.QD7+, Ka8, 4.Rc7, (OPTIONAL, BF6,) RA7++.I'm sorry, for the majurity of this game I have been annotating on thewrong side, but i still hope you like my annotations } 1-0

[Event "Nimzovich-Larsen Attack (1. b3)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.04.17"] [Round "-"] [White "ybrevo"] [Black "flatlander"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1857"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "2044"] 1. b3 { We have been playing this thematic opening for a while in a minitournament. It has some different names, but being a Dane, I know it asthe 'Baby Orangutang' - a joke from GM Larsen. Big players like Fischerhas also tried it out with big succes. } 1... c5 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. f4 { Black haschosen not to play e5 in this case, and then I always opt for the BirdOpening, which I have played for many years. The strategy is very simple:Fight for control of e5 and keep everything else flexible. The Bishop onb2 can really be a monster during a game like this. } 3... d5 { A natural response.Black tries to take control of the center with his pawns. } 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nf3 a6 { Avoiding the unpleasant 6. Bb5 and also building up on the Queenside. Then again: I have always been very confident with this kind of Birdpositions. } 6. g3 { White still controls e5, and the Bishop has to go to'fianchetto' to g2. } 6... e6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O { According to the new - andgreat! - computer analysis on GK, Black is a bit better here. I do notagree. White has a lot of options, and the Black Bishop on c8 looks likedead meat behind his own Pawns. } 9. Qe2 { Preparing the push of Pawn toe4. } 9... b5 { Blacks best chances are on the Q-side. } 10. d3 Bb7 11. Nbd2 { After11 moves, White reaches the typical Bird set up. Black has nothing to fearthough - but it is a matter who likes this kind of middle games best. Thenext move seemed a bit strange to me. } 11... Re8 12. Ne5 Qc7 13. c4 { White stillhas total control of e5, so it is time to challenge the nice placed BlackPawns. The risk is that d3 and e3 can become targets. } 13... dxc4 14. bxc4 b4 15. Ng4 Red8 { A very questionable move by Black. Now he will get a weakposition around his King, which will prove fatal for the game. After 15.- Nxg4 the game is still level. } 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Ne4 Qe7 19. f5 { Another move the computer did not like, but fortunately you areallowed to play your own game with the risk of making mistakes. Keep itthat way :) } 19... e5 20. Qg4+ Kh8 21. Qh4 Kg7 { Probably inviting for a perpetualafter 22. Qg4+, but White has good reasons to play on and a little tacticaltrick... } 22. Rad1 Rd7 23. Qg5+ fxg5 24. f6+ Kg6 25. fxe7 Nxe7 26. Rf6+ { Not the best move, but I always learned that a check to the King couldmake your opponent making mistakes. Simply 26. Nxc5 would give White aneasy endgame. } 26... Kh5 { The final blunder. After 26. - Kg7, White would stillhave the advantage, but Black has a good chance to save the game. Now itis mate in 4, and you are welcome to find it if you wish. The next moveleads directly to it. Hope you enjoyed it and play the Bird sometime. } 27. g4+ 1-0

[Event "Paris Opening"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.04.17"] [Round "-"] [White "tag1153"] [Black "dwardman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1661"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1585"] 1. Nh3 b6 { I have no idea about this opening } 2. d4 Bb7 3. d5 Nf6 4. c4 g6 5. b3 Bg7 6. Bb2 O-O 7. Nd2 e6 8. Nf4 exd5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxg7 Kxg7 11. Nd3 { black has the edge at the moment } 11... Qf6 12. Rc1 c5 13. Qc2 Nc6 14. e3 Rae8 15. Be2 { time for some fun school of chess, this is probably unsoundbut I liked the idea of at the time } 15... Rxe3 { white takes } 16. fxe3 Nxe3 17. Qc3 Nxg2+ { Black can force a draw here through repetition } 18. Kd1 Nd4 19. Rg1 Ne3+ { Restricting white's options } 20. Ke1 Kg8 { The two black Knightsare really strong } 21. Nf2 Re8 { All the threats are coming from black,I think n-e4 is best } 22. Rg3 Nec2+ 23. Kf1 Rxe2 { Game over, white resigns,the sac paid off... } 0-1

[Event "World Championship 28th, Reykjavik"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1972.07.23"] [Round "-"] [White "Fischer, Robert James"] [Black "Spassky, Boris V"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2660"] [WhiteElo "2785"] 1. c4 { Some of the comments are based on a video from agamator's chesschannel on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv52uwNfFZg } 1... e6 { Fischerhas played 1. c4 only twice before. } 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 { This is the firsttime that in his career Fischer played the Queen's Gambit Declined fromthe White pieces. The Russians prepared mostly for 1. e4. } 3... Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 { This is all standard theory of the QGD. } 5... O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 b6 { This is the Tartakower variation. Spassky claimed that he never lostwith this variation. } 8. cxd5 { White will eventually want to attack thebackward pawn on the C file. } 8... Nxd5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Rc1 { I have personally been in positions like this. This is a well known positionof the Tartakower variation. The small problem with 11... Bb7 is thatat some point Black will play c5, and after the pawns exchange on c5, Whitemight have a slight bit of pressure on b7 after Qb3. } 11... Be6 12. Qa4 { Agreat move because White is controlling many squares on the Queenside. } 12... c5 { This is a well known move. } 13. Qa3 { White pins the c5 pawn andthreatens to win it. } 13... Rc8 14. Bb5 { This is an interesting move becauseit controls the squares of Black's knight. The idea is that 14... Nd715. Bxd7 Qxd7 (15... Bxd7 16. O-O and the game is equal.) 16. dxc5 bxc517. Rxc5, but all this is a bluff since White is losing after 17... Rxc518. Qxc5 Rc8. Now Black would be slightly better after 14... Qb7. } 14... a6 { This is is not a threat immediately but will be later. } 15. dxc5 { If15... Rxc5 16. O-O. } 15... bxc5 16. O-O { Now Black is slightly better after16... Qa7. Also possible is 16... Qb7 17. Ba4 Qb6. } 16... Ra7 17. Be2 { Accordingto Stockfish, 17... Kf8 is nearly equal. 17... a5 is not different thanthe game. 18. Rc3 Nd7 19. Nd4 Qd8 20. Nxe6 fxe6. } 17... Nd7 18. Nd4 { Fischeractivates his knight. White has a tiny edge. } 18... Qf8 19. Nxe6 { Fischer simplifiesinto a better position. } 19... fxe6 { Now not 20. Bg4 Qe7 and Black is fine. } 20. e4 { Fischer does an excellent job of attacking the center. Black isokay after 20... Nf6, 20... a5, 20... dxe4 21. Rc4 Nf6 22. Rfc1, but mostlikely the best move is 20... c4 21. Qh3. Now Botvinnik mentions. 21...Qf7 (21... Nc5 is better.) 22. Bg4 (22. Bh5 Qe7 is no problem for Black.)22... Re8 ( 22... Rc6 is better.) 23. exd5 exd5 24. Rfe1 (24. Rce1 is betterfor tactical reasons. 24... Ne5 25. Bh5 g6 26. Qg3 Kh7 (26... Rae7 27.Rxe5 Rxe5 28. Bxg6) 27. Rxe5) 24... Rxe1+ ( but Black can play 24... Ne525. Bh5 g6 26. Qg3 Rae7 27. Red1 (27. Rxe5 Rxe5 with a mate threat.)) 25.Rxe1 Nf8(Not 25... Kf8?? 26. Qa3+ Kg8 27. Be6.) Botvinnik thinks thatBlack is okay here, but in fact White is winning. 26. Qc3 or 26. Qe3. } 20... d4 { This is where Spassky goes wrong. White suddenly has a winning advantagebecause Bc4 is coming. } 21. f4 { Fischer is amazingly accurate. He preventsNe5. } 21... Qe7 { Threatening to play e5. } 22. e5 { White locks the Black e6pawn down, and controls the squares that the knight can move to. 22. Qh3is stronger because of the pin aiming toward c8. If 22... e5 23. fxe5Qxe5 24. Bc4+ Kh7 25. Rf5 (Or 25. Rf7) 25... Qd6 26. Rcf1 or 26. Rf7 andWhite is winning. } 22... Rb8 23. Bc4 { If 23... Nf8 24. f5. Then if 24... Kh825. f6. } 23... Kh8 24. Qh3 { If 24... Rxb2 25. Bxe6 White will have a strongpassed pawn. } 24... Nf8 25. b3 a5 26. f5 { It is time to break through. } 26... exf5 27. Rxf5 Nh7 { Now 28. Rf7 loses to Ng5 29. Rxe7 Nxh3+ 30. gxh3 Rxe7. } 28. Rcf1 Qd8 { This creates the possibility of d3 later. 28... a4 isslightly better. } 29. Qg3 { Planning to go to e5 later. If 29... Ng5 30.h4 Nh7 31. Rf7 Rxf7 32. Rxf7 Qg8 33. Re7 (33. e6 (threatening Rxg7 andQxb8) 33... Ra8 34. e7 Re8 35. Rf1). } 29... Re7 { Spassky tries to activate hispieces. } 30. h4 { Very accurate. } 30... Rbb7 31. e6 { If 31... Nf6 32. Rxf6gxf6 33. Rxf6 Rh7 34. Qe5 Qg8 35. e7. } 31... Rbc7 { Protects c5. } 32. Qe5 { Thisis a wonderful centralizing move. If 32... d3 33. R5f3 (33. R1f3 d2 34.Rd3 fails to Qxd3) 33... d2 34. Rd3. } 32... Qe8 33. a4 { Fischer bides his time. Black has no good moves. Slightly better is 33. Qe4 Rc6 34. Bd3 Nf6 35.Rxf6 gxf6 36. Rxf6 Kg8 37. Bc4 Kh8 38. Rxh6+ Kg8 39. Qg4+ Rg7 40. e7+ Qf741. e8=Q#. } 33... Qd8 34. R1f2 Qe8 35. R2f3 Qd8 36. Bd3 { Because the queen iscoming to e4 aiming for h7. } 36... Qe8 37. Qe4 { Finally. Black has no good choices. } 37... Nf6 38. Rxf6 gxf6 39. Rxf6 Kg8 { Now many moves are winning. } 40. Bc4 { Themost accurate with the threat of Rf7. If 40... Ra7 41. Rf7 Rxf7 42. exf7+Qxf7 43. Qg6+. } 40... Kh8 41. Qf4 { Now nothing is left. Black resigns. If41... Rh7 42. Rf8+. If 41... Rc8 42. Rxh6+ Rh7 43. Qf6+ Kg8 44. e7+ Qf745. Rg6+ (45. Bxf7+ Rxf7 46. Rh8#) 45... Rg7 46. Qxg7#. Play might continue... } 41... Qg8 { White could try 42. Rxh6+ Rh7 43. Qf6+ Rcg7 44. e7 Rxh6 45.Qxh6+ Rh7 46. Qf6+ Rg7 47. Bxg8 Kxg8 48. e8=Q+ Kh7 49. Qh5+ (49. Qf5+)or he could play ... } 42. Rf8 Re8 43. Qf6+ Rg7 44. e7 Rc8 45. Bxg8 Rc6 46. Be6+ Kh7 47. Bf5+ Rg6 48. Bxg6# 1-0

[Event "2nd Belgrade open - ultrafast games"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27-Jan-08"] [Round "-"] [White "norjoa"] [Black "el-rancho"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1512"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1558"] 1. e4 { For a couple of years now I feel(no statistic/scientific observationor calculation regarding chose of openings) I have been kind of lackingaggressive play and have been too worried and concerned about doing thetheoretically basic right moves. With 1300 games played here at GK I shouldhave more than enough experience by now... but are still in lack of theoreticalknowledge due to low interest in theory(books etc), which I believe certainlywill improve my play. I have recently decided to start playing moreaggressive and intuitive and try to mix it with my experience and so hopefullythat will help me improve my rating. Anyway I think it will be funnierto play(started to be a bit bored with my play) :-) } 1... e6 { French defenseopening, which has a reputation for solidity and resilience, though itcan result in a somewhat cramped game for Black in the early stages. Blackoften gains counterattacking possibilities on the queen-side while Whitetends to concentrate on the kingside(wikipedia.com). } 2. d4 { White expandshis claim on the centre. } 2... Be7 { I have never met this 2nd move by black.To me it appears as a drawback considering fighting for control in thecentre. } 3. f4 { I had my doubts about this one, but on the other hand Ihave a liking for a half-open f-file because I feel I possibly quicklyget my rook into play after castling. } 3... b6 { fianchetto, pointing to my king-sideand than maybe I have weakened my it too much for king-side castle... } 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. Be3 Nc6 7. a3 { I don't like the idea of havingthe black squared bishop entering my queen-side now that I have doubtsabout castle king-side } 7... d6 8. h3 { Why? Now I'm getting the feeling I'mtoo cautious again and not part of my idea of starting to play chess moreaggressively and I'm quite sure I lost a tempo by doing that move. I thinkNf3 would have been better... } 8... h6 9. Nf3 Nd7 10. Qd2 { Except for castling,both players have now lined up there pieces, ready for middle game } 10... Bf6 11. O-O-O { queenside castle which often leads to a sharp game } 11... a6 { Blackmaking room for the knight and open up all the lines for a rapid forwardpawn assult on the white king. } 12. h4 { Black still has not made a castle,but for white there is no time to wait and see whether black castle tothe king- or queen-side. Funny to notice that at least the predictionsof a French opening is coming true - White attacking king-side and blackthe queen-side } 12... Na7 { And now it starts, Who's the fastest one } 13. g4 c5 14. h5 b5 { Black's line up appear much stronger to me. Black has a lotof possibilities now. c4 will directly attack my white sq. bishop and blockfrom effective defence of my king. Qb6 will put heavy pressure on d4 andhelp in controlling b-line for a possible attack on the king. I chose notto care and continue my attack } 15. g5 Be7 { b4 pressure is a bit lighternow, but really just moved to the a3 square. White on the other hand areabout to get a strong kingside attack and black is still blocking a queensidecastling by not moving the queen out of the last row } 16. Rdg1 Qc7 17. gxh6 gxh6 18. f5 { White is now opening the black kingside and black seemsa bit paralyzed and has apparently stopped attacking white. black h-pawnis lost if not black find a quick way to occupy white with something else.I was now expecting 18...c4, would I then pulled back my white sq. bishopor continued my attack, e.g. 19. fxe6 cxd3 20. exd7 } 18... exf5 19. Nd5 { theidea here was to exchange a knight for a bishop and then the f-pawn islost } 19... Qd8 20. Bxh6 Nf6 21. Bg7 { Bg7! And now there is a lot of tacticalchooses to make for black. Which is the best one for black? UnfortunatelyI have trouble finding any good ones. This is one suggested line; 21. Bg7fxe4 22. Bxh8 Bxd5 23. Bxf6 Qd7 24. Rg8 Bf8 25. Re1 } 21... Nxe4 22. Bxe4 fxe4 23. Bxh8 exf3 { As far as I can see the black queen is lost whetherblack did take the time to fetch a knight or not } 24. Rg8+ Bf8 25. Bg7 { And the rest of the game is just making the way to white victory, unlessI blunder along the way } 25... Bxd5 26. Rxf8+ Kd7 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. dxc5 Bc6 29. Qa5 Re8 30. Qxa6 { Taking that pawn is maybe a bit dubious... } 30... Nc8 31. Rd1 f2 { Now there is danger of black managing to promote the pawn in thee-file; Re1 Rxe1; fxe1=Q , so white need more pieces pointing at the e1square } 32. Qa5 Bg2 33. Qxb5+ Kc7 34. cxd6+ Nxd6 35. Qc5+ Bc6 36. Qxd6+ Kb7 37. Qb4+ Kc7 38. Qf4+ Kb7 { Thanks for the game and Im very happy forcomments! } 1-0

[Event "The power of a h semiopened column."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.01.19"] [Round "-"] [White "ziaghazni"] [Black "damafi"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1434"] [TimeControl "5|5"] [WhiteElo "1463"] { Crashing an openning. } 1. g3 d5 2. Bg2 Nf6 3. b3 e5 4. Bb2 Bd6 5. Nc3 c6 6. a3 Bf5 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. O-O Bg6 { The beginning of a plan. The ideais not to lose time after e5, Ng5. Luckily, white will exchange NxB, andI would play with the semi opened h column. } 9. d3 Qc7 10. Nh4 { Here hegoes! } 10... O-O-O 11. e3 { Smelling something. It was all too clear I welcomedNxB. } 11... Kb8 { A profylactic move to avoid pins with Bh3. } 12. Qd2 e4 { Thechosen moment for opening the game. } 13. dxe4 { d4 instead closed the game,but probably in my favour. } 13... Be5 { The key move. One of the pieces betweenmy R and his Q is gone. Nc3 is pinned. } 14. Nxg6 { He feared something one5. } 14... hxg6 { ...but gives me this! How to exploit it properly? } 15. f4 { Well,the price I had to pay. Only one answer: } 15... Bxc3 { Sadly. } 16. Qxc3 { Removingthe Q from the d column. Weak spot in white field: e3, the 'price' forf4. My strong move: Ng4. When it can take e3 afterward. g7 is weak, butI don't care. How would you take in e4? } 16... dxe4 { Nxe4 allowed BxN, and apawn would have landed on e4, guarding e3. } 17. Qc4 { Forking my f7 ande5 pawns. But forgetting e3. } 17... Qb6 { This is not a sound counterattack.He will play the B, I will block with the pawn, he will retire the B, andI have no Q attacking e3. I could be able to save both of my pawns, though. } 18. Bd4 c5 19. Bb2 Ng4 { Of course I don't care about pawns. Not in thisposition. If the WQ leaves, c4 threatens e3. h2 is en prise. } 20. Rae1 { ? e4 is en prise. } 20... Nxh2 { Bxe4, f5, but it doesn't favour black. I needtempoes to double R on h. } 21. Rf2 Ng4 22. Rd2 Ndf6 { Seizing an opportunity:to sac some pawn to have a Q in d, uncontested! } 23. Rxd8+ { Otherwise,RxR followed by Nxe3. } 23... Qxd8 24. Qxc5 { A blunder. White must cover d2. } 24... Qd2 { White has to defend with Rf1, but Nxe3 will seal its fate. } 25. Bc3 Qf2# 0-1

[Event "38th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "08-Oct-07"] [Round "-"] [White "m0rbuz"] [Black "fattouh"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1018"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1269"] 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e5 c5 4. d4 Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Nc3 Nge7 7. Ng5 { 7.Ng5 ?, a free pawn here, and may be more as we shall see } 7... cxd4 8. Qf3 { 8.Qf3? I cant stop thinking that the white underestimated the black sidehere, trying to finish the game so quickly while he is not prepared to... } 8... Nxe5 { 8. Nxe5 !, Nice and smooth, removing the threat, forcing thewhite queen to withdraw, and wining a free piece ! } 9. Qe2 dxc3 10. Bd3 Nxd3+ 11. Qxd3 Nc6 12. bxc3 Qf6 13. Bd2 Ne5 14. Qd4 b6 15. O-O Bc5 16. Qh4 h6 { 16. ... - h6!, a good move, seems like the black can't take theKnight at g5 because the pin at h6, but that pin was (virtual) as the blackcan solve this problem with Ng6! } 17. Rab1 { 17. Ra-b1 ?, White still inshock from loosing a piece earlier, and putting himself in a bad positionand facing the possibility of losing another piece ! } 17... Ng6 { 17. Ng6!, Brilliant... another surprise for the white, now the black has to choose betweenhis knight and his queen, moreover, the dangerous h file is now open foraction ! } 18. Qh3 hxg5 19. Qd3 Bd6 20. Rfe1 { 20. Rf-e1, trying to preventQe5, but the black has another idea. } 20... Bxh2+ 21. Kf1 { From this point, ihave put my eye on the position of the White's king and queen, a dangerousposition and i tried to make the most of it. } 21... a6 { The main idea is to getthe black bishop to b5. } 22. Rxb6 g4 { Ambitious, and distracting the blackat the same time } 23. Rxa6 Rb8 { Black doesn't care much about materialnow, getting where i want is the main thing here. } 24. c4 g3 25. f3 dxc4 26. Qxc4 Bb5 { Mission accomplished !, after this move, my adversary sentme a message to admire it. } 27. Qxb5+ Rxb5 28. c3 Qf5 29. Re3 { Preventingthe white form threatening the white king at d3, but every problem hasa solution. } 29... Qb1+ 30. Ke2 Nf4# 0-1

[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.13"] [Round "-"] [White "samuels"] [Black "zubinarora"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1794"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1805"] 1. e4 { This is one of the games where I think I played reasonably well.I began with 1. e4 instead of 1. d4 which I usually play. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { Sicialian Najdorf. I play this openingalso as Black. } 6. Be2 { I usually play this variation, because it feelsto me like the most natural place to put the bishop. } 6... e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3 { 8. O-O is the most common move, but I don't think it makes a big difference. } 8... Be6 9. O-O O-O 10. a4 { 10. Qd2 is another alternative. But I want to preventBlack from playing b5. } 10... Nbd7 11. f4 { This is an aggressive move. Again11. Qd2 is more often seen on the board. } 11... Rc8 { This is a natural responsethat puts the rook on the open file. } 12. Qe1 { This has not been seen ingrandmaster games. My plan is to transfer the queen to the king side. } 12... Ng4 { And Black reacts immediately by threatening the bishop. This was notpossible with the queen on d1. } 13. Bd2 { I want to keep my bishop. } 13... Qb6+ { And Black takes control of the weakened g1-a7 diagonal. Although the Qb6-Ng4setup looks dangerous, it is not enough to create serious troubles forthe king. Perhaps Black is little better here. } 14. Kh1 Ndf6 { Black bringsthe knight to a more active square. The drawback is that the retreat squareof the g4-knight is now occupied. I think this is a positional mistakethat allows me to make progress. } 15. a5 { The queen does not have any goodsquares on the g1-a7 diagonal. Either it has to give up the diagonal orgo to a7. } 15... Qa7 { And it goes to a7. This is probably the best alternative. } 16. Bd3 { I was thinking about 16. f5 which was probably objectively best,but for some reason I began to envision an attack where the bishop belongedto d3. } 16... d5 { And Black just allows me to make my dreams true. Black couldgive his knight a good square by 16...exf4 17. Bxf4 Ne5. } 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 { Another good move was 18. f5 with a complicated position. } 18... Bxd5 19. fxe5 { But I preferred to keep it simple and just take the pawn. } 19... Bxb3 { This makes Blacks position even worse. He exchanges a perfectly good andactive bishop for a knight that does not do much. Doubling the pawns isnot an issue here, because the activity of the bishop pair more than compensatesfor the stratural weakness. } 20. cxb3 Bc5 { Black continues to play on theg1-a7 diagonal. However, the threat of Nf2+ does not scare me as I canalways sacrifice an exchange and there are no more threats on the king. } 21. Qh4 { Or 21. Qe4. And Black resigns. Why? For example 21...Nf2+ 22.Rxf2! And Black cannot take back because of the checkmate on h7. Or 21...f522. exf6 e.p. Nxf6 (22...g6 23. Qxg4) 23. Rxf6! Rxf6 24. Qxh7+ with a decisiveattack. Or 21...g6 and simply 22. Qxg4. Or 21...Nh6 22. Bxh6 gxh6 23. Qg4+Kh8 24. Qf5 and 25. Qxh7#. There is no defence. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "03-May-08"] [Round "-"] [White "just_some_guy"] [Black "asifasif"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1299"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1302"] { another fun king's gambit. } 1. e4 { standard opening } 1... e5 2. f4 { settingthe gambit } 2... Nc6 3. Bc4 { conitnueing giving him anoth move to accept } 3... exf4 { he accepts. } 4. d3 { opening the gambit pawn taker. } 4... g5 { he attempts toguard } 5. Nc3 { continuing my development } 5... a6 { a little early } 6. Nf3 b5 { no i see why he did a3 but no matter } 7. Bb3 b4 { pushing my men to bettersquares. } 8. Nd5 Nh6 9. h4 { time to retrive my pawn. } 9... g4 { funny, but illjust go around } 10. Ng5 { 2 knights on the 5th rank cannot be making blackfeel good. } 10... Bd6 11. Bxf4 Bxf4 { trade off is ok with me } 12. Nxf4 d6 13. Rf1 { time to get a work on my open file. } 13... f6 14. Nge6 { offering anothertrade. } 14... Bxe6 15. Nxe6 { i took with knight cause i liked the bishop stayingback for the moment and offering support. } 15... Qe7 { guarding the paen and gettingher out of danger. } 16. Qd2 { attacking the other knight } 16... Ng8 17. O-O-O { i might need 2 rooks for this. } 17... Kd7 18. e5 { doesn't matter what pawn takesit'll open some lines up for me. } 18... fxe5 19. Rf7 { this is a very mean andforcing attack on his queen. this attack was brilliant in my idea. } 19... Qxf7 { he takes the bait } 20. Nc5+ { discoverd dead queen. } 20... dxc5 21. Bxf7 { itwas all worth it. } 21... Rf8 22. Bh5 { a new more provactive post for her. } 22... g3 23. Bg4+ Kd6 24. d4 exd4 { opening up more lines for me. } 25. Re1 Ne5 { blockadethe attack. } 26. Qe2 Re8 27. Qxa6+ { there is more than one way to skina cat. } 27... Kd5 28. Bf3+ { forcing the exchange } 28... Nxf3 29. Rxe8 { and there goall the guards. } 29... Ne5 30. Qe6+ { now to end this. } 30... Ke4 31. Qxe5# { done. } 1-0

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "nieh"] [Black "okayamapiper"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. d3 { Both heading for the same opening } 3... dxe4 4. dxe4 Qxd1+ { Echanges } 5. Kxd1 Nf6 { small advantage to black on getting me unableto castle } 6. Nc3 Bg4+ 7. Be2 { Here i started to get in trouble } 7... h5 8. Bxg4 { exchange bishops } 8... Nxg4 { broke the pin with an exchange } 9. Nh3 { tryingto stop the obvious Nf2 } 9... Nc6 10. b3 Nb4 11. a3 Rd8+ 12. Bd2 g6 { I thinkwe both forgot the hanging knight here } 13. Kc1 { Nb4 was hanging, but Isaw the trouble commingand wanted to unpin and get out of line } 13... Bh6 14. Rd1 { Setting up for a discovery } 14... e5 15. g3 Nxh2 16. Ng1 { trying to blockNf3, could not defend the bishop again } 16... g5 17. fxg5 Bf8 { note nb4 has beenhanging since move 11 } 18. axb4 cxb4 19. Nd5 { trying to block the pin,also eyeing f6 } 19... Ng4 { defending f6 } 20. Rxa7 Nf2 { here he leaves defenceof f6 and gets greedy... } 21. Nf6+ { at last, know to finnish, took me awhile to see this attack } 21... Ke7 22. Bxb4+ { driving the king away from Rd8,i like hanging pieces... could also play Rxb7, but i prevered the bishophanging to open the dfile, and after rook d8, i could not play rook d6,due to his rook on the file } 22... Ke6 23. Rxd8 Bg7 { I didnt calculate this,but I was not about to trade away a mate } 24. Rd6+ { Here my oponent showedthe white flag. Forced mate in 2. } 24... Ke7 25. Rxb7+ Kf8 26. Rd8# { Coupleof mistakes gave me the advantage, i think it always rattles players tolose a piece thats been hanging for a couple of moves } 1-0

[Event "Simultaneous exhibition with Tunç Hamarat at the Vienna Stadioncenter"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.07"] [Round "-"] [White "Tunç Hamarat"] [Black "Sebastian Falbesoner"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "~1500"] [TimeControl "none"] [WhiteElo "~2400"] { Today another great simultaneous exhibition organized by 'Der Schachfreund'Ferdinand Peitl (see www.derschachfreund.at) took place in the Vienna StadionCenter. Simul-giver was Tunç Hamarat, a Turkish correspondence chess expertthat became ICCF (International Correspondence Chess Federation) WorldChampion in 2004. To be honest I haven't ever heard of read this name beforetill today, but there's a wikipedia article about him, so he seems to bequite famous, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun%C3%A7_Hamarat - I alsorecommend to google for some interviews with him, he seems to be a veryinteresting person, e.g. he argues that he only needs four hours of sleepper night and that computers can't really help in correspondence chess(I strongly disagree in this point - with the appearance of more and morestrong chess engines like Rybka or Stockfish that have estimated ELO ratingsabove 3000 by now, correspondence chess is simply a joke and a battle betweencomputers, not between humans any more. It's even more shocking that inmany correspondence chess clubs the help of computers is officially allowed!).This time the play was without clocks; as usual in simultaneous exhibitions,a participant's move would only be done as soon as the master is in frontof the board and can see it. Before we start, the obligatory warning: Allthose annotations are done by an amateur and could be inexact or simplywrong, feel free to comment! } 1. d4 { This time my opponent opened withthe d-pawn, which frequently leads to closed games. } 1... d5 { I am not reallyfamiliar yet with the hypermodern defences that occur when playing theIndian Defence 1... Nf6, so I choose to simply control the center by maintainingsymmetry. It's quite interesting that only 25% of the games (accordingto the GameKnot 'World' database) in this opening are won by Black! Whitewins in 39% of all archived games and the other 34% are drawn. } 2. c4 { Offering the popular Queen's Gambit. } 2... e6 { I seldom accept gambits thatI haven't studied before, so I decline with the 'Orthodox Defence' of theQGD. Accepting (2... dxc4) is not considered to be risky and the 'gambit'isn't even a true material sacrifice at all, because Black won't retainhis pawn for long anyway, but nevertheless I prefer to decline. } 3. cxd5 exd5 { After this pawn exchange, the statistical White win, Black win anddraw chances are totally equal in the GameKnot 'World' database (33% each). } 4. Nc3 Nf6 { Just simple development moves for both sides. I'm planningto castle kingside. } 5. Nf3 Bb4 { First I wanted to play the passive 5...Be7, but then I thought, why not pin his knight? Of course, you have tobe careful about White's potential queen check on a4. } 6. Bd2 { Okay, thepin didn't last long. } 6... O-O 7. e3 { That white-squared bishop wants to getdeveloped. } 7... Bg4 { Let's try it on the other knight ;-) The reason I playedthis was because I didn't want his knight to have control over e5. } 8. Be2 { ... and another pin destroyed. Somehow I feel that my bishop 'ha-knight-you-are-pinned'moves are unsound and I should have placed them on other squares. On theother hand, I can't see anything bad in it - it's just a feeling. Any commentsor alternative development suggestions on that? } 8... Nbd7 { 8... Nc6 came tomy mind first but I thought advancing the c-pawn sooner or later - be itone step for creating a strong pawnchain on the queenside or two stepsfor opening up the center - could be useful, so I'd head for b6. } 9. O-O Nb6 { Protecting my center pawn once more and fancying the outpost on c4... } 10. b3 { ... which he avoids immediately. However, this move enables mybishop to go to a3 which will be very useful later :) } 10... Re8 { As all ofthe minor pieces have been developed, I was without plan. But I thoughtpossessing the e-file can't be wrong. } 11. Rc1 { Ah, he is interested inthe c-file. Time to strengthen my queenside... } 11... c6 { ... with a strongpawn-chain! This way he can't take advantage of the c-file. Also takesaway the b5 square from his knight. } 12. h3 { Forcing my bishop to makea difficult decision. Take it (the knight) or leave it? } 12... Bf5 { Leave it!Bxf3 was *very* tempting at first because it avoids his knight to go thefine center square e5 by simply killing it. But keeping the pair of bishopsand thus not throwing away the minor imbalances was eventually more importantto me, so I possessed the b1-h7 diagonal. } 13. Ne5 { 'No surprises' byRadiohead came into my mind when the opponent made this move. } 13... Nbd7 { Aftersome thinking what to do against his well-placed knight I reasoned thatmy knight on the queenside isn't of any use there anyway (since White'spawn move to b3 it got out of squares!), so I use to get rid of his intruder.Besides of that, the 'Silman pawn rule' (from 'The Amateur's Mind') cameinto my mind; my pawns point to the kingside, so I should concentrate ofthat side of the board! } 14. f4 Ba3 { ! I was very excited after findingthis move that forces the opponents rook to fall. It would have been possiblealready one move ago. } 15. g4 { Okay, I have to be somewhat careful thatI really win the rook for only one minor piece, not for two - my light-squaredbishop and my knight on f6 both run out of squares! } 15... Bxc1 { Now or never! } 16. Bxc1 { I guess taking with the queen would have been more reasonablebecause it defends the knight. I have won rook for minor piece by now,but my bishop is still attacked! } 16... Ne4 { Both 16... Be6 and 16... Bg6 wouldbe blunder, because of 17. f5! and the bishop falls. The sad thing is,even the right-looking 16... Be4 would be bad, because of 17. g5! and myknight runs out of squares. This move exploits the fact that the knighton c3 isn't defended! 16... Nxe5 would also have been a possibility, butI didn't want him to open up the f-file. } 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 { Okay, at thispoint I was really happy that the material winning trick worked withoutproblems. } 18. Bf3 { He wants to get rid of my bishop and places his queenon the f-file. } 18... Nf6 { I prefer to let him initiate the exchange and placemy knight on the beautiful e4 square then. } 19. Rf2 Bxf3 { After this rookmove I changed my mind, because the knight goes to e4 with tempo (it attackshis rook). } 20. Qxf3 Ne4 { The knight feels very comfortable there. Thatmove also enables my f-pawn to advance, to get rid of my opponent's knight. } 21. Rg2 f6 { Go away! } 22. Nd3 a5 { At this point I was a bit unsure whatto do again, so I decided to get my pawns on the queenside going. } 23. f5 { Again surprised, more expecting 23. g5. But then I saw, this pawn movesgives his knight a nice home on e6 which could get quite unpleasant forme. } 23... Ng5 { That move was the product of fear of his knight to come to e6_and_ the hope that his attacked queen would go to a place where it leavesthe pawn h3 undefended or even to f2 where a fork would be possible (yeah,I know, utopic...). } 24. Qg3 Qe7 { I thought about going to e4 again withthe knight which could possibly lead to a three-fold repetition (Blackknight goes back and forth between g5 and e4 and White queen between f3and g3), but then again... why have fear, when I'm ahead in material? Ican win this game! } 25. h4 { The g5 square for the knight is now history. } 25... Ne4 { This time I sweared to myself I wouldn't leave that e4 square withthe knight - there's no reason, that place is perfect. } 26. Qf3 a4 { Tryingto open the a-file. } 27. b4 { I wasn't happy about this - it's typicalfor me to overlook simple pawn advance moves. But the good thing is, thispawn is only defended by his knight. } 27... Kf7 { I felt uncomfortable on theg-file where White's rook is and planned to defend my king's fortress properly. } 28. Nf4 { Of course, White heads for e6. } 28... Rg8 29. Ne6 { Being on the sixthrank is usually the most powerful place for a knight, but fortunately hecan't do any harm there in this case. } 29... Qxb4 { Why not take a free pawn?My queen is ready to penetrate the opponents fortress. } 30. g5 Qe1+ { Forcingthe queen exchange which is good for me because I am ahead of material(his bishop hangs if he doesn't place his queen in-between). } 31. Qf1 Qxf1+ { Taking the pawn on h4 instead of the queen exchange was also tempting,but it looked like the opponent could trap me with endless rook attacksbetween the g- and h-file then, so I wanted to be on the safe side. } 32. Kxf1 fxg5 33. hxg5 g6 { Smashing that knights support point! h7-h6 wouldprobably also have been good. } 34. Rb2 { One last hope for my opponent... } 34... b5 { Fortunately those one-move threats are easy defend. } 35. Rc2 { Anothertry... } 35... Rac8 { Now White is lost, more loss of material is about to come. } 36. Ba3 Ng3+ 37. Kg2 { ? This creates the perfect knight fork on e3. } 37... Nxf5 { White can't avoid more loss of material. After this move Mr. Hamaratgave up and we shook hands. Victory! Another great simultaneous exhibitionin the Vienna Stadion Center. A great game where I could finally make someuse of the concepts presented in Jeremy Silmans book for chess amateurs.I will also analyze it with Fritz and add some comments to the positionswhere some tactical shots were possible that we haven't seen. At the riskof repeating myself: feel free to comment, I'm always happy to learn frombetter players! One final note: the ELO rating '~2400' is probably nottrue for 'real on the board' chess, but probably only for correspondencechess. } 0-1