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[Event "Game 3-Simultaneous Exhibition Match 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "7/6/18"] [Round "-"] [White "Joe"] [Black "Nathan"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "25 minutes"] { This was a different game against Nathan Resika, at an earlier time. This was either during the first or second week that this master joinedJack's club. Before this, he played against Carl at the pool, where theymet either. Carl told this opponent about chess club. And, he playedQ odds games against Carl at the pool where he lost. So, for a while,he only did R odds game, like with this game and didn't have a deal. So,it was the a8 R that was absent. And, as noted in my previous annotation,the idea was being able to castle short. But, later on, it was changedso that he would play a Q down, if you were black. That, however, tookseveral months, in the process. In the meantime, I was still countingon Jack too much and followed his advice which led to a blunder. Then,I made another oversight since one blunder leads to another and lost quickly. } 1. e4 { I start off with my usual. } 1... g6 { I wasn't sure what Nathan woulddo, but he opts for the Owen's Defense. I'm now used to it because ofION playing that defense against me followed by Ken, in our training game. That, of course, was during the midst of being overly critical of openingsand defenses from Jack since that's why Ken did that training game. } 2. d4 { Unless it's the Domiano's Defense, when black moves his or her pawnjust one square on the first move, this becomes my response. As I wantto claim that stake in the center which is also the main theme behind 2.d4 Speed also plays a very important role there. } 2... Bg7 { With his last move,I saw this coming due to that nice long diagonal. In fact, that's oftenwhy I fianchetto, at some point. } 3. Nf3 { Meanwhile, I continue with mydevelopment. My aim is to castle, ASAP. } 3... d6 { I'm not sure why Nathan playedthis. } 4. Bc4 { But, I decide to put pressure on his f7 pawn, and it wasfor a bad reason. It was, as noted on my profile, based on why Jack saidthat the Italian Opening was the main one. And, I'm about to err againon my next move, as a result since Nathan will play the standard 4...Nf6. This is actually worse then it appears because, in the long run, thiswould've cost me, at least, a pawn. To make matters it's right in thecenter. } 4... Nf6 5. Ng5 O-O { Having said that, I would've tried to punish whitewith 5...e5 which is usually good, but Nathan made the right decision. The reason being is that very similar to what Susan noted in Polgar ChessUniversity, white would, possibly, be able to take away black's right tocastle. But, it gets worse since it would involve liquidating Q's whilebehind. And, since Nathan is a R down to start, the thinking is why takea chance. So, after something like 5...e5, I would promptly play 6.dxe5forcing 6...dxe5 (for the obvious reason). And, I, definitely, would'veanswered with 7.Qxd1+, to do just that. } 6. O-O { Naturally, I do the samejust because I enjoy castling early. } 6... h6 { I'm about to make an actual mistakehere. And, it's also due to what Jack taught, as noted on my profile. It's the idea that exchanging as you saw there would be ok for the samereason. With that, I play 7.Bxf7+? which is going to hurt, in the longrun. If this were played against me now combined with knowing who Jackis, I'd now answer with 7.Nf3 My thinking now is that it doesn't hurtto go back to the first square where I developed my N, although I'm stilldown a pawn. But, it's better then exchanging my more mobile pieces forhis less mobile one. So, despite being down a R and liquidating, I believethat this will still leave black better, as his position is more mobile. } 7. Bxf7+ Rxf7 8. Nxf7 Kxf7 9. Nc3 { I continue developing. } 9... Na6 { As doeshe. But, I'm not sure why Nathan put his N on the rim. } 10. Re1 { Not seeingthe point to his last move, I centralize one of my R's, at once. } 10... Kg8 { Bringinghis monarch back to it's home square after castling. I think that thisis the right choice since it's still very early. In doing so, I believethat Nathan's K is safer now. } 11. e5 { I prepare to exchange as I was thinkingabout what my R could do. } 11... dxe5 12. Rxe5 { But, I believe that better would'vebeen 12.dxe5, where the N is attacked. By playing this, my R will be undersiege twice, instead. } 12... Ng4 13. Rd5 { But, that's why I go after Nathan'sQ, instead. } 13... Qf8 14. f3 { I then switch gears to his N. But, instead ofretreating, or even attacking with his attacked piece, Nathan will usehis e pawn, instead. } 14... c6 15. Ra5 Qd8 { Targeting d4 and I have a ready answersince 16.Ra4 was also the equivalent to a conditional move. } 16. Ra4 b5 { I thought that this was a blunder and really start going here. As I figuredthat Nathan left his Na6 en-prise but forgot that it was protected by hisBc8. But, he'll do some nasty things before taking my B, starting on hisnext move. In return, this will win more material. } 17. Rxa6 Bxd4+ 18. Kf1 Nxh2+ 19. Ke1 Bxa6 20. Bxh6 b4 { With that, I got panicked and thoughtthat my position was lost here. But, Nathan reminded me that I'm stilla little ahead since I started a R up, and that's true. } 21. Ne4 { Gettingout of the attack of course. But, 21.Ne2 also came into consideration. I didn't want to exchange Q's which would've been beneficial. More importantly,however, was my plan to threaten a N fork with 22.Ng4. But, what he playsnext stops me cold in my track. As now, material is almost level. Givinghim almost everything back, is almost guarantee for Nathan since he's amaster. And, that's based on what I learned with TA's Q sac, when hisopponent blunders and lets Joe equalize or come very near it. But, that'salso the consequence of getting reckless and just taking on h6 affiliatedwith the wrong thought process. } 21... Bxb2 22. Rb1 Qxd1+ { This also favorsNathan, as well, due to how much more active my Q was then his. } 23. Kxd1 Rd8+ 24. Ke1 Bc3+ 25. Nxc3 { I also could've played 25.Kf2 but didn't thinkabout it. At this point, I was in a hurry, and it was almost time to leave. So, I didn't give much thought other then the move played which wasn'tso good either. As I willingly, liquidate while behind, but this wouldn'thave happened, if I had more time. Actually, giving little thought, Iplayed that on my next move. I just had a plan to attack his Nh2 whichyou'll see my next move. But, Nathan will stop this on his final move. } 25... bxc3 26. Kf2 Nf1 { I could've played on a little longer, but being out oftime, I resigned right here. It was already noon, and I had to get readyfor work. Now, I could've just left it as an unfinished since it wouldnot have been continued, anyhow. That would've happened against someonenear my strength. But, dealing with a master, being behind, and allowingfurther liquidation, I decided to throw in the towel here. } 0-1

[Event "King's Knight Opening"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Iohannes7"] [Black "mobilemathguy"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "10 Min"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Bc5 3. c3 { With the idea of establising a pawn duo in thecentre } 3... Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. cxd4 Bb6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. h3 { Probably unnecessarywith Black's d7 pawn still on it's home square and so there is no immediatethreat of Bg4 to undermine White's centre. Perhaps a move like Bc4 oreven Be2 is better } 7... Ba5 { This pin is not able to be readily exploited byBlack and I'm fine with the exchange if Black so decides to capture } 8. Bc4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 { The exchange allows White to further strengthen hiscentral pawns } 9... Qe7 10. O-O { If 10. ...Nxe5 then 11. Re1 pinning the Knightfollowed by Nd2 for example winning a piece } 10... Kf8 { Surely a blunder } 11. Re1 d6 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 { In order to break the pin Black hashad to considerably weaken his kingside } 14... Na5 15. Qd3 Nxc4 16. Qxc4 Be6 17. Qd3 g4 18. hxg4 { Although White is a pawn up, Black seems to have goodchances of developing an attack on the kingside. White must be careful. } 18... h5 { Naturally I don't want Black's Rook on an open h-file but there seemsvery little to prevent this having played into this position } 19. Ng5 hxg4 { Opening the file but also allowing to exchange a piece thereby eliminatingone piece from the attack } 20. Nxe6+ Qxe6 21. e5 { Endeavouring to generatecounter-play in the centre } 21... Nd5 22. exd6 { With a discovered attack on theQueen and opening the e-file; active defense } 22... Qh6 { This is not quite asbad as it looks because the King can make it to the Queenside, but I'mstill unsure at this stage how White's position will stand after the dustsettles } 23. Kf1 Qh1+ 24. Ke2 Re8+ 25. Kd2 Qh6+ 26. Kc2 { I think this isan important cross-road for Black. He can recapture the pawn but only atthe expense of weakening his pawn structure. Is there a continuation ofhis attack? } 26... Nf4 { ? Losing a piece... } 27. Rxe8+ Kxe8 { Black reigned. A possible continuation could be 28. Qe4+ and if 28. ...Ne6 then 29. d5wins the Knight or 28. ...Qe6 then simply 29. Qxf4 also wins the Knight } 1-0

[Event "Jo's Welcome MT Part 3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.10"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "blitzkov"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1874"] [TimeControl "5d+5d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1759"] 1. d4 { A beautiful London. I hardly believed it. Specially after losinga game with easy19 in the same tournament, in which I played very, verybadly. With this game, I think I mantain the balance... blitzkov will haveanother chance to crush me, anyway :-) } 1... Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 { Whenblack plays e6, h3 is not really necessary anymore. I like h3 because itsupports g4-g5, a standard attack. } 4... Bd6 5. Ne5 { Once Nf6 is played, thisknight cannot be kicked anymore - or not that easily. } 5... O-O { A common responseis Nh5, to which I'll go Bg3, and if NxB, hxN, I get a free semiopen column. } 6. Nd2 { Better than Nc3, because I want to restrict black's dsb movements.If ever Bb4, c3. } 6... Nbd7 { Black can take the N, but only at the cost ofhis dsb. And now black cannot play Nh5 anymore. } 7. Qf3 { !? An antinaturalmove. Another chance is g4 at once. No advantage, but white is where itis supposed to be: attacking. } 7... Qe7 { It seems a normal move, but black'had' to play c5, in order to open his position and activate his pieces. } 8. Bd3 { Another gun over the black kingside. } 8... c6 { Dubious, I'd say.Black wants a solid position, but his lsb stays inactive. I'm already thinkingon sacrifices (it doesn't work for a win... still: 9.Qg3 (threateningBh6)Nh5 (a standard defence) 10.Bxh7+Kxh7 11.Qh3f6 (black cannotavoid white to recover the piece) 12.Qxh5+h7-g8 13.Ng6, winning. Or: 9.Qg3Nh5 10.Bxh7+Kxh7 11.Qh3Bxe5 (say) 12.Qxh5+Kg8 13.dxBe5e7-b4 14.o-o-oNc5 15.Nb3Ne4 16.Rd4Qb5 and white's attack vanishes. } 9. Qg3 Bb8 { Black guards his bishop on a safe square, foreseeing dangerfor his dsb. 10.f4-h6f6-h5 11.g3-g4d7-f6 12.h6-g5f6-g4 13.g5-e7g4-e5 14.d4-e5f8-e8 15.g2-g4e8-e7 16.g4-h5b8-e5 17.e1-c1c6-c5 18.c2-c3b7-b6 } 10. Bg5 { Much better than Bh6, IMO. Now black is cramped,since it cannot exchange without losing a piece. There are a lot of variations,but the main point is that Nf6 is pinned. } 10... Kh8 { Probably seeking for h6.I think black should have tried Qb4 at once. If I go NxN, NxN; Qh3, f5and my attack vanishes. (Not BxN because of Qh4, and black cannot defendthe king's position). } 11. O-O-O { After some calculation, I decided thatthere was no reason for hurry, since if I don't exchange pieces, blackis cramped. } 11... a5 { I feared c5. This is only a lost tempo, since my pressureagainst the kingside becomes now stronger, now. } 12. f4 { Again, I hadto be patient. This makes my e5 knight free to move. The point of all myattack is to avoid a black knight to be on f6, so I can attack h7. If blackexchanges now, in addition to the threat on the pinned knight, I can openthe f semicolumn. Anyway, Nh5, trying a queen's exchange, fails becausemy bishop, after BxQe7, Nh5xQg3, hxNg3, threats the black Rook. } 12... c5 { Atlast, but a move too late. } 13. Qh4 { Of course, if h6 at some point, Iwould have played h4, since hxB, hxg5+ was deadly for black. } 13... c4 { I expectedthis, but my attack is ready to spring. } 14. Bxh7 c3 { The last try. } 15. Nxd7 { The only correct move to win, IMO. I analyzed Nxf7+, too, butafter RxN, Bg6+, Kg8, I have to save two pieces and I have no mate. } 15... cxb2+ { Or cxNd2, it would have been the same. } 16. Kb1 { Of course I don't fallfor Kxb2. } 16... Bxd7 17. Bd3+ { Of course not BxN, QxB. } 17... Kg8 18. Bxf6 { An matethe next, whatever black does. I guess black has other defences, but howmuch should we go back to find it? } 18... Qxf6 19. Qh7# 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.10.18"] [Round "-"] [White "mrfox27"] [Black "gustert"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1363"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1321"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Qf6 6. Nf3 Ne7 7. Bc4 h6 8. Nb5 Na6 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 { Well here could I've captured the pawnat b2, but find the rooking more necessary } 10... O-O 11. Qd4 Qg6 { And changeQueen without getting piece winning did I found not good } 12. O-O { Herecould I've already moved Bh3, but waited and moved my king more secure } 12... Kh8 { well here } 13. h3 { And yes, the pawn at h-line gave that waiting mechance to capture } 13... Bxh3 14. Nh4 Qg5 15. Rf4 Ng6 16. e5 Nxh4 17. Bf1 Nxg2 18. Rf2 Nxe3+ 19. Kh2 Ng4+ { And by that move a good swap, a rook towardsa knight } 20. Kxh3 Nxf2+ 21. Qxf2 Qxe5 22. Nc3 f5 23. Re1 Qf6 24. Qh4 g5 25. Qa4 g4+ 26. Kg2 h5 27. Bxa6 bxa6 28. Nd5 Qxb2 29. Nf4 h4 { And withthis sacrificing of the rook instead of h-pawn so could I get the winning } 30. Ng6+ Kg7 31. Nxf8 h3+ 32. Kh2 Qc3 33. Ne6+ Kf6 34. Re2 g3+ 35. Kxh3 Rh8+ 36. Kg2 Rh2+ 37. Kf1 Qf3+ 38. Ke1 Qxe2# 0-1

[Event "Only a game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.01.22"] [Round "-"] [White "rueck"] [Black "sogtulakk"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1702"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1396"] { Hi everyone. This is my first annotation. I use to play here to practiceendgames and the English Opening with white. For black, I, commonly, use1 e4 e5 or KID. Moreover, I am learning a bit of English language. Patience,please. New ideas and corrections are welcome. Thanks for advance. } 1. e4 { In this game, my opponent plays very strong in the opening and madea blunder in a winning position. He (or she) initiates the game with theking pawn. } 1... e5 { I played 1 ... e5. My experience with the sicilian waslike a wave, with up and down moments. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { The italianopening! } 3... Nf6 { My favourite move, Entering in the 2 knight defence. } 4. Ng5 { This move gives a pawn up to white, but black takes the initiative.I feeling more fear to 4 d4 move, where white takes the initiative. Ofcourse, 4 d3 is the quiet variation } 4... d5 { This is not the only move, but4 ... Bc5 is so hard to play without study } 5. exd5 { The reasonable move.The variation 5 Bxd5 Nxd5 6 exd5 Qxg5 leads to black advantage } 5... Nd4 { Fritzvariation. I don't study very well this system. But in blitz games I havegood results. Black has alternatives. 5 ... Na5 is the traditional moveand 5 ... b5 is possible. 5 ... Nxd5 leads to Fegatello attack. } 6. c3 { Normal reaction. 6 d6 Qxd6 7 Bxf7+ (No 7 Nxf7 Qc6 8 Nxh8 Qxg2 9 Rf1 Qe4+and black wins) Ke7 gives a good game to black. My opponent and me playsanother game with this variation. } 6... b5 { Removes the unwished bishop of c4 } 7. cxd4 { My rival choices for the exchange... I expected 7 Bf1 Nxd5 witha messy position } 7... bxc4 8. dxe5 Nxd5 9. Ne4 { Ok, Now, black is a pawn dow.Now, I can play 9 ... Nb6 and consolidates the c4-pawn. But, I choice tocastle. } 9... Be7 10. Qa4+ Bd7 11. Qxc4 { Now, white is 2 pawn up. I don't worryabout that in this position. Black has a better development } 11... Nb6 12. Qc3 { Strange election for my rival. But I don't see the next move :). I expectedQe2 } 12... c5 { This a blunder. I play against d4 square. But, I must seize thewhite king position with Bb5!. I saw this move but discard it. } 13. e6 { A punch in the face! Ok, now, white is winning. In this line, I saw 13... Bxe6 14 Qxg7 Rf8 15 Qxh7 Qd3 looking the white king. For my luck, Ichanged the idea :) } 13... Bxe6 14. Qxg7 Rf8 15. Qxh7 Qd4 { If 15 ... Qd3 16 Nf6+:). Now, I threat the queen with Rh8 } 16. Ng3 { Well, white has 3 pawnsup. I need generates a attack. } 16... O-O-O { The last black piece enter in thegame. I can play 16 ... Bc4 but 17 Qe4 looks strong. So, I castle. Of course,the black king is not safe behind a pawn barrier. But white pieces aren'tavailable to attack right now } 17. O-O { Now, 17 Qe4 gives me 17 ... Qd7with Bd5 threat. White castles } 17... Rh8 { Seing the h2-pawn. } 18. Qe4 { Theonly move, Qh4 was a strong threat. } 18... Qf6 { Of course, Black can't exchangequeens. } 19. Nc3 { The second white knight enters in the game } 19... Rd4 { Thismove was directed to h4 square. But... white has another options } 20. Qc6+ Kb8 21. Nb5 { A nice threat, the rook must retreat and the light squarebishop is pinned. } 21... Rd7 { Black is tied! Now, I expected 22 d4 opening linesfor the bishop. } 22. Ne4 { This is a blunder. My opponent gives me thechance to unpinning the lsb and the queen is trapped. He (or she) playsa very good game at this point. } 22... Qh4 { A mating threat } 23. h3 { If 23 Re1Qxh2+ 24 Kf1 Bc4+ 25 d3 Bxd3+ 26 Re2 Qh1++. Else, 23 Rd1 Qxh2+ 24 Kf1 Qh1+25 Ke2 Bg4+ 26 f3 Qxg2+ 27 Nf2 Bh4 and black wins. Now, this move stopsthe mate threat but ... } 23... Bd5 { Queen is trapped. Ok, I don't see a betteroption 23 ... Bxh3 24 g3 (I think this move stop the thread) Qh5 with bigadvantage for black. Stockfish finds in miliseconds this sequence. } 24. Qxd7 { The best option. } 24... Nxd7 { In only a material evaluation, black has+1 point. But the activity of pieces is determining } 25. Ng3 { The attackedknight retreats. I hope 25 Nec3 Bxg2, but my rival choice is better. } 25... Bxg2 { A intuitive sacrifice. Stockfish agrees but I don't calculates anything. } 26. Kxg2 Qxh3+ 27. Kf3 f5 { Stockfish says than 27 ... Ne5+ was better.I want cover the squares near of the king } 28. Re1 Bg5 { Similar idea here.Qg4+ was better } 29. b3 { 29 Ke2 was the only option for delay the checkmate,says the engine. It's a hard position for white, the black game is in aroll. } 29... Qg4+ 30. Kg2 f4 { Pretty combination of mate, but esay to find } 31. Re4 f3+ 32. Kf1 Rh1+ 33. Nxh1 Qg2+ 34. Ke1 Qg1# { I hope I have writtenin an understandable and correct way. As I mentioned, the corrections toboth my play and my English will be welcome. } 0-1

[Event "Ruy Lopez (C70), Graz variation"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.10"] [Round "-"] [White "evilgm"] [Black "allanchessw"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1733"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1750"] 1. e4 { I am annotating this game for a few key learning elements. AlthoughI wound up winning the game both allanshessw and I made several mistakesthat warrant further investigation. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { Ruy Lopez (Spanishopening) } 3... a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 { All fairly standard Ruy Lopez so far. Blackhas several options here to move the game forward. The most common playhere is to bring the knight out at Nf6. } 5... d6 { Shoring up the e pawn andgiving his bishop more options for development, a solid move. } 6. O-O { Discretionbeing the better part of valor, I protect my king, to allow my rook toeventually get into the game on the e file. } 6... Be7 { This move is logicaland will give Black's bishop some good options. g6 as an alternative isnot very sound in my opinion. I would have played Nf6 in this positionmost likely, but no fault anywhere yet. } 7. d4 { In recent games I havetaken to attacking the center early and often. I like creating opportunitiesand you need to attack to do that. This move allows my dark-squared bishopentrance into the game and also attacks the center. Moves that can accomplishmore than one thing are always best. } 7... exd4 { An alternative could have seenBlack take with the knight (Nxd4) instead of this move. The logical conclusionto that series would be 8.Nxd4exd4 9.Bd5Rb8 10.Qxd4 By taking here,I now have an opportunity. There is now no longer a pawn in front of hisking. My main goal now is to get my own e pawn out of the way so I candirectly challenge his king. } 8. Bd5 { Now I move to bring my plan intoeffect. Black has two potential responses here, and only one of them isworth considering. } 8... Bb7 { This move is basically forced. Had black chosenBd7, Nxd4 will cause some problems. } 9. Nxd4 { The natural follow through. As I see it Black has a few options here. He can take my knight (Nxd4),Move the queen up to d7 (my favorite) or what he wound up doing. } 9... Na5 { Thismove I think is a mistake. It allows me to add some pressure onto himby my next move. It does appear to be a good move on the surface and gaveme some pause. If I take his bishop on b7 with my own, he can retake withhis knight, and while that puts his knight in a bad position, it doesn'tgive me a lot of attack options. I still need to see if I can get himto take my bishop so I can move my e pawn and get my rook into the game. } 10. Bd2 { Putting pressure on his knight and continuing my development. } 10... Bxd5 { Success so far, let's see where this takes us. } 11. exd5 { Retakingis imperative here, but it also allows me to bring my rook into the game. As his knight is still under attack, he has to either move it or defendit. The best move from this position, I think, is the one he made. } 11... Nc4 { Not only does this give his knight a good-looking post, it also simultaneouslyattacks my bishop and b pawn. } 12. Bc3 { To defend the b pawn and movemy bishop out of harm's way. So far we are even on exchanges, but I havea significant attack angle on his king, almost no matter what he does. } 12... Bf6 { This move surprised me a little bit, as I anticipated him bringinghis knight to the same square, to allow him to move closer to castlingand safety for his king. However, the post of his d pawn looks to be helpful. } 13. Re1+ { Building the pressure. } 13... Ne5 { Black's best move here is to movehis king to f8. It will complicate his position as he will have to findan alternative way to get his rook into the game, but this move opens himup to a nasty attack which I did not use because of tunnel vision. } 14. Nc6 { Time to wade in to dislodge the queen, give my knight a nice post,and also add additional pressure on the knight. } 14... Qd7 15. Nxe5 { This isa blunder on my part. I had tunnel vision and didn't analyze as well asI should have. I was thinking that he would try to castle kingside givingme significant advantage against his knight, which would come out to givehis king. The proper play here is to bring the f pawn into the fray withf4. 15.f4Ne7 16.fxe5dxe5 17.Bxe5O-O 18.Bxf6Nxc6 19.dxc6Qxd120.Rxd1gxf6 21.Rd7Rac8 22.Nd2Rfe8 23.Nf3 } 15... dxe5 16. Bxe5 Bxe5 { Thecomputer rates this move as an inaccuracy, saying it is better to castlequeenside. I don't know how I feel about a queenside castle here, as hispawn structure is wide open. } 17. Rxe5+ Ne7 { Giving a chance for a castleor other escape. } 18. Qe2 { Adding pressure to his knight. If he castlesthen I get his knight for free. Also, bringing the queen to the e2 squarewill allow me to bring my rook over for a triple battery if and when Ican my knight into the game. } 18... f6 { This is a great response from Black andI congratulated him in game. This move gives him the space to bring hisking up to f7 and relieve the pressure on his knight. } 19. Re3 { I toyedaround with the idea of Re6 for some time here, but ultimately decidedagainst it. I like the extra protection of the f pawn and once he bringshis king up, it could complicate matters for me down the road with protection. Better to avoid all of that and make a tactical retreat for the time being. } 19... Kf7 { Giving his knight a chance to get back into the game. } 20. c4 { Thismove lets me protect my d pawn a little longer, since it was unprotectedat this point. Bringing the knight out is no good, as b4 would dislodgeit. } 20... bxc4 { This move allows me two options. One is a retake with my queenor bringing my knight out first. } 21. Nc3 { This move finishes my piecedevelopment and allows me to get the rook into the game. It also providessome extra protection to my d pawn, which is in danger. } 21... Rhd8 { I am uncertainif this is the best rook to bring into the battery role for the d halffile, but will defer to allanchessw's analysis on the matter. } 22. Qxc4 { Regaining the 1 pawn advantage and threatening a discovered check on hisking. } 22... Nxd5 23. Nxd5 Qxd5 { I have a few options here, but ultimately decidedthat a queen trade was not as advantageous as a pawn grab with check wouldbe. } 24. Qxc7+ Rd7 { Natural response. } 25. Qc2 { I have two options andthis one is the better of the two in my opinion. I need to protect thed1 square since my king is subject to a back-rank mate if I do not. Movingto the c2 square is preferred since it allows my rook on the a1 squareto move more freely. } 25... Rad8 { I thought black might try Rc8, which wouldforce me to move Qe2, however he went for the triple battery. } 26. h3 { Forcedto allow my king an escape route. } 26... Qd2 { Offering a queen exchange. I'mnot ready for this route, especially since his h pawn is open. } 27. Qxh7 Qxb2 { The computer rates this as a blunder. I have no real option butto move my a rook to e1, and that creates a powerful combination to assaultblack's king. } 28. Rae1 Qxa2 { Now I am at a crossroads. Black's king isexposed and surrounded by powerful pieces. My mating radar was going offbig time and I knew there was a winning combination there. } 29. Re8 { Thismove is a blunder on my part. I thought long and hard about it and thoughtI had every possible response mapped, but I didn't count on one. LuckilyBlack did not see the ideal response either, as it would have negated mymove. I was actually really pumped about this sequence until I saw thecomputer analysis. Discounting Qd5, black is going down almost no matterwhat he plays here. The question becomes what pieces does he want leftat the end. The ideal sequence is 29.Qh5+g6 30.Re7+!!Rxe7 31.Qh7+Kf8 32.Qxe7+Kg8 33.Qxd8+Kg7 34.Re7+Qf7 35.Rxf7+Kxf7 36.Qd7+Kg8 37.Qe6+Kg7 38.Qe7+Kh6 39.Qxf6 } 29... Rxe8 { Discounting the Qd5 idealresponse, this is the only move on black's part that didn't end in eithermate or serious loss of points/pieces. } 30. Qh5+ g6 { Any other move ismate. } 31. Qh7+ Kf8 32. Qh8+ { And now black has to decide, do I block withthe queen and go down the path of 32.Qh8+Qg8 33.Rxe8+Kxe8 34.Qxg8+Ke7 35.Qxg6 or do I want to lose both of my rooks with 32.Qh8+Kf733.Qxe8+Kg7 34.Qxd7+ Here black resigned. I consider allanchesswa tremendous player and will look forward to future matches with him. } 1-0

[Event "The king in the centre"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Oodle"] [Black "Ffilarniet"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 { Good responce but black look's are in trouble } 3. Qh5 { Going for scholar's mate } 3... g6 { A very bad move, Nh6 was better butI still win the e5 pawn } 4. Qxe5+ { Yes, a fork } 4... Be7 { But not a very goodresponce } 5. Qxh8 { Whopee, six points up } 5... Kf8 { Fine } 6. d4 { You can seewhat I'm up to, or can you? } 6... d6 { That stops mate in 3 but it doesn't fitwell in development. White is winning anyway. } 7. Bh6+ { Even though theknight can take me, it's pinned to the king, so it can't. } 7... Ke8 { So nowyou know why I said d6/d5 foiled my plan. Now there's an escape squarefor the king. } 8. Qxg8+ { But who cares. } 8... Kd7 { Who want's an exchange ofqueens when white's this powerful. Of course not. So I end up.. } 9. Qxf7 { ...just taking the pawn. } 9... Nc6 { Fine } 10. Bg5 { The bishop is pinned twice.Once by the queen on f7, pinning it to its king, and the bishop and g5,pinning it to its queen. The world of pins arrive. And the king can't move. } 10... Nxd4 { Bad move as it loses protection on the bishop. } 11. Nc3 { Devolpingthere. } 11... b6 { Blunder. } 12. Nb5 { See, as I can scoop on the risk of Nxb5,Bxb5+ check and its not good. } 12... Nxc2+ { Oh, but my rook is'nt powerful yet. } 13. Kd1 Nxa1 { Good, the knight's gone away. } 14. Be6+ { Getting the kingout to the centre. } 14... Kc6 15. Nd4+ Kb7 16. Bd5+ { A funny skewer. } 16... Kb8 17. Bxe7 { Good, and fine. } 17... Qh8 18. Nc6+ { Now I check } 18... Kb7 19. Na5+ { A doublecheck } 19... Ka6 20. Bc4+ { Another one. } 20... Kxa5 21. Qd5+ { Another crafty fork. } 21... Kb4 { Out and about. } 22. a3+ { Mate in 2 } 22... Ka4 23. Qb5# { Checkmate. A veryfunny mate. } 1-0

[Event "Immortal!!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Johannes Hermann Zukertort "] [Black "Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen"] [Result "*"] { Hey guys, what's up? Today I gonna bring you an absolutely extraordinarygame, which was played by Johannes Hermann Zukertort and Karl Ernst AdolfAnderssen in Breslau in 1865. I just can't resist the temptation to annotatethis game, because it's just so mind blowing. Ok let's get started. } 1. e4 { Zukertort had white pieces and he started with e4. } 1... e5 { Anderssen respondedwith e5 } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { After Nf3, Nc6, Bb5 we have Ruy Lopez opening. } 3... Nge7 { Nge7 was played, and this is known as the Cozio defence. } 4. c3 { C3was played, the idea was simple, d4 is coming next. } 4... d6 { D6 was played,very natural looking move, so the lsb can be developed. } 5. d4 { D4, d5is coming next, to win the knight. } 5... Bd7 { exd4 is possible, but black playedBd7 breaks the pin. } 6. O-O { White simply castles king side. } 6... Ng6 { Ng6,seems black wants to play Be7 next and castle king side. } 7. Ng5 { Ng5 wasplayed, attacks f7 pawn. } 7... h6 { h6, looks logical, black wants to kick theknight away, however here comes the first shocking move. } 8. Nxf7 { Nxf7what a move! The knight is forking the queen and the rook. } 8... Kxf7 { Well,king must take. } 9. Bc4+ { It it's tempting to play Qf3+, but after kingback to e8, black would have better chance to survive the attack, so it'scritical to play the right move at this point. Bc4+ was played, the bishopis now dominating the a2 g8 diagonal, which restricts the king's position. } 9... Ke7 { Ke7 was played, why not just play Be6 blocks the bishop? Because d5would be disaster for black. However, I think ke8 would be a better move,because after white plays Qh5, black can play Qf6, also if white playsQf3 treats mate, Qf6 can still be played, right? What do you think? } 10. Qh5 { Qh5 attacks the knight } 10... Qe8 { Qe8 was played, and that's a blunder,if black played kf6 instead, he would survive much longer, although itlooks risky, however because this Qe8 move, black jumped into his doom. } 11. Qg5+ { Here comes the earth shuttering move, Qg5+! What a fascinatingmove! } 11... hxg5 { What else, hxg5 only move. } 12. Bxg5# { Goodbye Mr Anderssen,Bxg5#! What a immortal game! That's all guys, I hope you enjoy it, andsee you next time. } *

[Event "No queens or knights... how will you do? II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.02.12"] [Round "-"] [White "aspiemikey"] [Black "toutatrak"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1316"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1351"] 1. Nc3 Nc6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Ne5 Ne4 4. Nxc6 Nxc3 5. Nxd8 Nxd1 6. Kxd1 Kxd8 7. e4 e5 8. Bc4 f6 { My opponent is wise to me attacking his pawn } 9. c3 c6 10. d4 { I attack his e-pawn... } 10... d6 11. dxe5 fxe5 { ...and remove it inexchange for my d-pawn. } 12. Bg5+ { Now my bishop can attack the king. } 12... Be7 13. Bxe7+ Kxe7 { Now we exchange bishops, forcing his king out of hiscomfort zone. } 14. Rf1 b5 15. Bd3 { Time to retreat } 15... Ba6 16. f4 { I launchanother assault on a pawn... } 16... Raf8 17. fxe5 dxe5 { ...and again we exchange... } 18. Rxf8 Rxf8 { ...and likewise with the rooks. } 19. Kd2 { I decide to givemy remaining rook more room to manoeuvre... } 19... c5 20. Rf1 Rxf1 21. Bxf1 { ...whichis used in a like-for-like exchange. } 21... c4 22. b3 Ke6 23. bxc4 bxc4 { Theboard is getting emptier still... } 24. g4 Bb5 25. h4 { Coming at you! } 25... h6 26. Bh3 g6 27. g5+ { The exposes my opponent's h-pawn... } 27... Kf7 28. gxh6 { ...whichI remove, although there's no chance of saving mine. } 28... Kg8 29. Ke3 Kh7 30. Kf3 Kxh6 31. Kg4 Bc6 32. Bg2 { I cover my e-pawn... } 32... Bd7+ 33. Kg3 { ...andmy h-pawn, too. } 33... Kh5 34. Bf3+ Kh6 35. Bg4 Bxg4 36. Kxg4 { We exchange bishops,leaving another pawn ending. } 36... a6 37. a3 { We advance our a-pawns forward,to go for a draw } 37... Kg7 38. Kg5 { Now I have my opponent's g-pawn trapped. } 38... Kf7 39. h5 gxh5 40. Kxh5 { Now there are only three pawns left. } 40... Kf6 41. Kg4 a5 42. a4 { It looks set to end in a draw here... } 42... Ke6 { but my opponentmade a big mistake. What should he have done? } 43. Kg5 { Now I can attack } 43... Kd6 44. Kf5 Kc5 45. Kxe5 Kc6 46. Ke6 { My e-pawn will soon have a clearrun. } 46... Kc5 47. e5 Kc6 48. Ke7 Kc7 49. e6 1-0

[Event "I got a checkmate faster than I normally would"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.08.12"] [Round "-"] [White "goldmedal10"] [Black "jessie49"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "677"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "639"] 1. e4 { normal opening } 1... d5 { I think this is a gambit } 2. d3 { pawn wall } 2... c6 { other pawn wall } 3. Be2 { starts with the minor pieces } 3... e6 { Is it normalto have a double pawn wall like this? } 4. Nf3 { got all minor pieces outon the king side ready to castle } 4... Be7 { starts with the minor pieces } 5. Bf4 { bishop } 5... Nd7 { knight } 6. Nc3 { knight } 6... b5 { a lot if pawn movement } 7. b4 { blocks pawn } 7... Ba6 { gets bishop out } 8. Qd2 { it is better to castleking side or queen side here? } 8... Nb6 { knight } 9. O-O { castle } 9... Na4 { knight } 10. Nxa4 { knight } 10... bxa4 { pawn } 11. exd5 { pawn } 11... exd5 { pawn } 12. c4 { pawn } 12... dxc4 { pawn } 13. a3 { pawn } 13... cxd3 { pawn } 14. Bxd3 { bishop } 14... Qc8 { queen } 15. Rac1 { why did i do that } 15... Nf6 { got all minor pieces out } 16. Bxa6 { bishop } 16... Qxa6 { queen } 17. Ne5 { knight } 17... Ne4 { knight } 18. Rfe1 { opsss i should i movemy queen to a safe spot } 18... O-O { castle } 19. Qd4 { queen } 19... Bh4 { black has 3way attack queen f1 , bishop to f2 knight to f2 } 20. Qxe4 { queen } 20... Qb6 { queen } 21. Nd7 { knight } 21... Bxf2+ { check } 22. Kf1 { in this case did do theright thing or should i just moved the king form g1 to f2? } 22... Rfd8 { rook } 23. Be3 { bishop } 23... Bxe3 { bishop } 24. Nxb6 { knight } 24... Rd2 { rook } 25. Qxe3 { queen } 25... Ra2 { rook } 26. Nxa8 { rook } 26... Rxg2 { rook } 27. Qe8# { i won This is somethingthat happen to me that i lost a game because of queen sod many times. Ikind of pick it up over seeing so many time so I guess I learn somethingform have ng to happen so many time to me. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.07"] [Round "-"] [White "raziell"] [Black "blackbaron"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1443"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1465"] 1. e4 { 3rd Game between blackbaron and myself. I am down most of thisgame although only by a single pawn. I have chosen this game because itshows that an exchange offered is not always an exchange that should beaccepted. } 1... e6 2. Nf3 d5 { Trying to open the center. } 3. e5 { This shouldlet to a closed game. } 3... c5 4. Nc3 d4 5. Ne4 Nc6 6. Bc4 { 3 Minor pieces developedas opposed to blacks 1 piece. Although i am down behind in pawn developmentand my e pawn is weak. } 6... a6 7. d3 b5 { I didn't really mind this move, Ifeel that it weakens the queenside. } 8. Bb3 { if 8...c4 then i open up thequeenside. I was hoping for this but it was not to be. } 8... Nge7 9. Bg5 { Pinningthe knight for now. } 9... h6 { Not for long though. } 10. Bh4 Qa5+ { I feel thisis a little too early on blacks side. } 11. Nfd2 Nxe5 12. Nd6+ Kd7 { Justa spite check and easily dealt with, Main goal was to prevent castling. } 13. Ne4 Qb6 { Concession by black that Qa5 was incorrect. } 14. a3 Bb7 15. Qe2 N7g6 16. Bg3 Be7 17. O-O { Safety first :-) } 17... Bxe4 18. Bxe5 Nxe5 19. Qxe4 Bd6 20. Rab1 Qc6 21. Qe2 f5 22. Rfe1 Rae8 { Blacks king is rather openthere at the back. This was the main point of the spite check. Althoughi could't plan for this position I was rather happy to find his king hangingin limbo. } 23. c4 { Looking to break up the centre. } 23... bxc4 24. Bxc4 g5 25. b4 Nxc4 26. Nxc4 g4 { I pondered on this position for some time and thendecided the best move was to remove his bishop. His next move is forcedto save his queen. } 27. Ne5+ Bxe5 28. Qxe5 Qd6 { Black offers exchange. I was ok with this but i wanted to make up the pawn defecit first. } 29. bxc5 Qxe5 30. Rxe5 { All square. } 30... Rb8 31. Rb4 { Looking to link up a pawnchain. } 31... Rxb4 32. axb4 Rb8 { Not much i can do to save the pawn. I needto look at at least equal material. } 33. h3 h5 34. Kh2 Rxb4 35. Kg3 a5 36. c6+ { I wanted to hold on to this pawn but i saw there was no way tosafely guard it. } 36... Kxc6 37. Rxa5 Rb5 { I calculated at this point thatshould i accept the exchange that black would be able to recapture andget back in time to capture my d pawn and protect his d pawn all the wayto promotion. If this happens then i would lose. } 38. Ra8 { Exchangedeclined. } 38... Rb3 39. Ra6+ Rb6 { Exchange once again offered. } 40. Ra4 { Sameoutcome so exchange declined. } 40... e5 41. hxg4 hxg4 42. Kh4 Kd6 43. Kg5 { Lookingto undermine blacks pawns from behind. } 43... Ke6 44. Ra3 Rb2 45. Ra6+ { I amdown a pawn and i thought i would end up losing this game but anythingcan happen here. Neither of us are top players so it can still swing witha mistake. I played on. } 45... Kd5 46. Kxf5 Rxf2+ 47. Kxg4 Rxg2+ 48. Kf5 Rf2+ 49. Kg5 Rc2 50. Kf6 Rc3 51. Ra5+ { At this point i was in with a chance. Black has to deal with the check. He cant immediately capture my pawnand should he move his king i could capture the e5 pawn. I would happilyhave accepted a draw here but he played on and so did i. } 51... Rc5 { This sealedblacks fate. Offering the exchange. If I accept it would leave his kingtoo far away to protect his pawns. } 52. Rxc5+ { I accept and its all overfor black. } 52... Kxc5 53. Kxe5 Kc6 54. Kxd4 Kd6 { Now just to escort the pawnup for promotion. } 55. Ke4 Ke6 56. d4 Kd6 57. d5 Ke7 58. Ke5 Kd7 59. d6 Ke8 60. Ke6 Kd8 61. d7 Kc7 62. Ke7 { Black resigned. It was close for sometimeblackbaron. Thanks for the game mate. } 1-0

[Event "Scandinavian Defence (3. Nf3, 4.. Qd6 5. Be2)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.09"] [Round "-"] [White "mgcardoso"] [Black "longtail99"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1869"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1532"] 1. e4 { Part of my series of annotations explaining the Scandinavian Defence,1.e4 d5 } 1... d5 { This is a very interesting example of playing the Scandinavianfor black, and the typical strategies for white and black when white playsthe quiet 5. Be2 line. I noticed my opponent played against the Scandinavianwith great success in the gameknot mini-tournament on the same openinghttp://gameknot.com/mt.pl?id=41299 . His d3 system played in the tournament(and chosen for this game) is modest but solid, and I thought it wouldbe interesting to play against it. } 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Qd6 { Or ..Qa5. Here ..Qd6 is the more modern line } 5. Be2 { White looks to beplaying the same quiet d3 system (by transposition) } 5... c6 { Black's systemis modest. He plans (a)..c6, (b)..bishop c8 somewhere, (c)..e6, (d)..Nbd7,(e)..Qc7, (f)..Bd6, and (g) ..O-O-O. Then depending on white's moves, hecan either play ..Nd5, ..Ne5 or the freeing ..e5. Observe black's movesand you will see him singlemindedly following this development plan } 6. O-O Bf5 { Black wants to play against the d3 system this time (theory recommendsd3 neutralising the f5 bishop). The idea for black to encourage d3 is thatwhite generally plays d4 at some point to have an open game, at which pointthe bishop is active again. Other moves like ..Bg4 are also possible, butthe effectiveness of ..Bg4 is already lessened through white's Be2 (soall the interesting variations like h3 Bh5, g4 Bg6 are not so strong afterwhite plays d3). For an example of the ..Bg4 line against the Be2 Scandinavian,see http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=13108875 This is part (b)of his plan executed } 7. d3 Nbd7 { Thematic. Part (d) of his plan } 8. Be3 { Quiet. Black and white have lots of time in this 'piano' variation } 8... e6 { Or ..e5. But black is happy to play quietly. Part (c) of his developmentplan } 9. Qd2 Qc7 { Necessary to deal with white's threat of Bf4, which hecan now counter with ..Bd6. White can still execute his Bf4 plan supportedby g2-g3, but this idea is usually a distraction for white that does notlead to advantage (especially here with his kingside castling). Part (e)of his plan } 10. Rad1 { Preparing d4 } 10... Bd6 { Part (f) of his plan } 11. h3 O-O-O { Black has completed his development and has equality. If white doesnothing, black plans ..Rhe8, ..e5, ..Nd5. The ..e5 move in particular willindicate a change in the energy of the game. This can allow black to play..h6, retreat his light square bishop to ..e6, and after ..Nd5 he can evenstart a kingside attack with ..f5. The Scandinavian is very simple to playfor black and he has a clear strategy to follow. White must now choosea plan. White perhaps hoped black would play O-O, as the white piecesare setup for a kingside attack. But now he has to choose another plan.d4 is the most logical, but this suits black as it gives him a target forplaying his own freeing ..e5; and there can often be tactical opportunitiesinvolving black rooks on the d and e files, and discovered attacks on theopposing white queen on the d file. Part (g) of his plan has been executed,and his development plan has been successful } 12. a3 Nb6 { White may playb4, b5, so black delays ideas of ..e5 for now. If white's attack provesdangerous he can play ..Nd5 and remove the dangerous white bishop fromthe dark square diagonal } 13. b4 Kb8 14. Na2 Nbd5 { This is thematic butalso a clever move. Black observes a tactic involving ..Nxe3, Qxe3 Bc5followed by a kingside attack. If white instead plays ..Nxe3, fe then blackcan play ..g5! immediately with good chances. Note that the b-file knightis preferred for this move due to the tactical advantage of retaining theother knight on the kingside } 15. c4 Nxe3 16. fxe3 g5 17. c5 Bg3 18. Nxg5 { The alternative, Qb2, is not any better. After ..g4! , Qxf6 gh black willwin } 18... Rhg8 19. e4 Bh2+ { With a winning attack for black } 20. Kh1 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Bxe4 22. Bf3 Bxd3 23. Qxd3 Rxd3 { White's queen and pawn is exchangedfor R+B. But the position is lost due to black's central pawns. Black'splan is to first get his pawns to e4 and f4, then the move e3 or f3 willforce white to lose more material to protect the king or avoid a pawn promotion.In the meantime, white has some threats around b4-b5. If he can make useof N+B+R effectively he may be able to generate problems for black } 24. Rxd3 Be5 25. Rfd1 Kc8 26. Nc3 { Nf1 was necessary to avoid the exchange } 26... Bxc3 { Now black no longer has to worry about potential problems on theb-file and white's knight+bishop cooperation } 27. Rxc3 f5 28. Rcd3 e5 { Black'splan continues } 29. Rd6 Qg7 30. R1d2 e4 { Black first limits the influenceof white's bishop, then goes pawn grabbing } 31. Bd1 Qa1 32. Kh2 Qxa3 33. Bh5 e3 { . } 34. R2d3 Qb2 35. Bf3 Qe5+ 36. Kh1 e2 { Next move white needsto give up his bishop, and resigns } 0-1

[Event "Jo's Great Escape, Part 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26-Oct-07"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "antijogo"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1402"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1525"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone, some of you may have seen this game posted in the generalforums but not annotated on gameknot. Alas, posts do get deleted fromthe general forums after a while so I thought it was high time to annotateit here, especially as I have recently played another game which involveda player promoting a pawn two moves before me which I will annotate asJo's Great Escape Part 2. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 { 2. ............ d6 - this is thePhilidor Defence, it backs up e4 and gives black a solid but rather crampedgame. } 3. d4 exd4 { 3. ................ exd4 - this is the Exchange Variationof the Philidor } 4. Qxd4 { Ion stated here that he prefers 3.Nxd4 ratherthan the queen recapture, even if it does mean the knight being moved twice.After 3.Qxd4 Black could have developed with gain of tempo by a timely...Nc6 (though 3...Nc6 at once is met by 4.Bb5) } 4... Qf6 { Ion stated here -I would also criticise Black's 3...Qf6. You could have done better thanto exchange at once on f6 with almost any developing move. Clearly Blackwanted to exchange queens. Very well, your queen is protected, let himexchange in his time. E.g. 4.Nc3 (say) 4...Qxd4 5.Nxd4 and you have somethreats coming up against the c7-square. 4...Nc6 won't help him much after5.Bb5. } 5. Qxf6 Nxf6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Be2 Nc6 8. Bd2 { 8. Bd2 - over the lastfew moves we have been developing our pieces and both sides are now readyto castle. } 8... Bg4 9. O-O-O { 9. 0-0-0. Bad move, allows white pawns to bebroken up on the kingside. ID however says 'Be3 instead of 0-0-0 looksfine, covering the d4 square. I don't think, myself, that 0-0-0 was a badmove, but it seems likely the preparatory Be3 might be a better. Not easyto spot since it had already moved a couple of moves ago. ' } 9... Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nd4 { Ion stated here - After 10...Nd4 I rather liked White's anticipationof the opening of the g-file. But sometimes it's worth looking at odd-ballmoves. I would certainly look at 11.e5 here, with the idea 11...dxe5 12.Bxg7Rb8 13.Ba6... Yes, this trades a centre pawn for a flank pawn - not usuallya desirable bargain, but here, Black's Q-wing is broken up, and White keepsthe bishop-pair. Very hard to assess. Alternatively Black might play11...Nxf3 12.exf6 Nxd2 13.fxg7 Rg8 14.Rxd2 Rxg7 15.g3... Black has thebishop for knight, but there are plenty of pawns about, and White's formthe tidier set. Again, not easy to assess. But one might consider eitheroutcome at least as good as the game continuation... } 11. Rhg1 Nxf3 12. gxf3 g6 13. Bf4 { Ion stated here - A good alternative to Bf4 is 13.Nb5,which inhibits castling for the moment, and may induce Black to move hisK to the d-file. I haven't looked closely into the possibilities, but itlooks reasonably promising for White... } 13... O-O-O 14. Bg3 Nh5 15. Ne2 { Ionstated here - Instead of 15.Ne2, 15.Nd5 came into consideration } 15... f5 16. exf5 gxf5 { 16. ............... gxf5 - now black's pawns are split but Ithink black will make better use of the g file than I will. } 17. f4 Bf6 18. Nd4 Bxd4 19. Rxd4 Rhg8 20. Rd3 { 20. Rd3?? loses pawn. } 20... Nxf4 21. Re3 { 21. Re3 - Bxf4 loses the exchange to Rxg1 . } 21... Nd5 22. Ree1 Nf6 23. Bh4 { 23. Bh4 - this move triggers off a plethora of exchanges. } 23... Rxg1 24. Rxg1 Rg8 25. Rxg8+ Nxg8 26. f3 Kd7 27. Kd2 Ke6 28. Ke3 Nf6 { 28. ..............Nf6 - inviting me to exchange B for N - no way. Remember, if you are downa pawn, exchanging into a K & P ending is tantamount to suicide! } 29. c4 { 29. c4 - I think this may be called 'The Minority Attack' because thismay force an exchange of pawns on the queenside. } 29... c6 30. Kf4 { 30. Kf4 -keeping Henry, my king well centralised. } 30... h6 31. Be1 Nh5+ 32. Ke3 { 32.Ke3 - Henry is pushed back, now black forces an exchange of one pair ofpawns. } 32... d5 33. cxd5+ Kxd5 34. Bc3 { 34. Bc3 - the bishop gets on to a diagonalwhich will protect the b pawn so if the knight or king comes over to attackmy queenside pawns I can play a3 creating a fortress on the queenside. } 34... b5 35. b3 Ke6 36. Bd4 a6 37. Bc5 { 37. Bc5 - blockade. } 37... Nf6 38. Kd4 Nd5 39. b4 Nf4 40. Bf8 h5 41. Kc5 { 41. Kc5 - this king march will win backa pawn for me. } 41... Kd7 42. Kb6 Nd5+ 43. Kxa6 { 43. Kxa6 - mission accomplished- gets rid of black's remotest queenside pawn as well as winning my pawnback. } 43... Nc3 44. Kb6 Nxa2 { 44. ................ Nxa2 - this pawn could notbe saved as a3 would be met with Nb1. } 45. Kc5 Nc1 46. Kd4 Ke6 47. Kc5 Kd7 48. Kd4 Ne2+ 49. Ke5 f4 50. h4 { 50. h4 - Here Ion stated - At move50 or (possibly better) 51, it looks simpler to go for the h-pawn with50.Kf5 or 51.Kf5. 51.Bc4 (ordinarily a desirable move) rather spoils thingsbecause after 51...Nc1 White dare not take the f-pawn on account of theknight fork leaving Black a remote passed pawn on the b-file... F] ...but the ensuing pawn race is quite exciting, and White's drawing methoda queen down is very neat - worth studying and adding to one's own technique. } 50... Kc7 51. Bc5 Kd7 52. Kf5 Nc1 53. Kg5 Nd3 54. Bf8 { 54. Bf8 - Frere Lenoirmust not allow himself to be exchanged off - see my earlier note aboutK & P endings with a pawn minus. } 54... Ke6 55. Kxh5 { 55. Kxh5 - again Henrywins back a side pawn for me. This h pawn of mine is going to be a vitalpawn as you will see. } 55... Kf5 56. Kh6 Ne5 57. h5 Nxf3 { 57. ..................Nxf3 - but black goes in front again - sigh! } 58. Kg7 Ng5 59. Kg8 f3 60. Bc5 Kg4 61. h6 Kg3 62. Be3 f2 63. Bxg5 { 63. Bxg5 - here I decide to letthe black pawn crown as my pawn is only 2 squares away from queening andFrere Lenoir will help protect Henry and the h7 pawn which it will be onthe next turn. } 63... f1=Q 64. h7 Qc4+ { 64. .............. Qc4 - now comes aseries of checks. } 65. Kg7 Qd4+ { 65. Qd4 - after the game had finishedI asked Ion whether Black had winning chances in taking my b pawn and hereplied 'In my view 65...Qxb4 could have been a very good try for the win:65....Qxb4 66.h8=Q Qd4ch 67.Kg8 Qxh8ch 68.Kxh8 ... Now, the WK is a lomgway from those pawns, and it is Black to play. Try the unsubtle: 68...c569.Be7 c4 70.Bb4 Kf4 71.Kg7 Ke4 72.Kf6 Kd4 and I reckon White is busted:73.Ke6 c3 74.Kd6 (74.Ba3 won't do: 74...Kc4 75.Kd6 b4 76.bc1 b3 /-) 74...Kc475.Ba3 b4 /-. Probably White has to begin his K chase at once after 68...c569.Kg7 Kf3 70.Kf6 Ke4 71.Ke6 b4 72.Kd6 c4 73.Kc5 b3 74.Bf6 Kd3 75.Kb4 Kc276.Kxc4 =. Maybe Black can improve on this (try it and see!), but it'sclear White would have had work to do to save the game. Try a king moveinstead of 68...c5.' } 66. Bf6 Qd7+ 67. Kg8 Qe8+ 68. Kg7 Qd7+ 69. Kg8 Qe8+ 70. Kg7 Qd7+ { 70. .................. Qd7 - after this move Gameknot posteda message alerting me to the threefold repetition and asking me whetherI wished to draw the game. I clicked on the yes button without any adowhatsoever. Phew, what a nailbiter. I have another one in store for you,just you wait and see in Jo's Great Escape Part 2. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.11.30"] [Round "-"] [White "psycho422"] [Black "arturomarin"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1342"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1345"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 { Philidor's Defense. } 3. Bc4 { Steinitz Variation ofthe Philidor Defense. The classic response is d4 instead, but I like thismove. } 3... h6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. d3 Nf6 6. Be3 c6 7. d4 exd4 8. Bxd4 O-O 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. h4 Bg4 11. h5 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Re8 13. Qd4 Bxf3 { Black doubles twocolumns of white pawns with this trade. } 14. gxf3 d5 15. Rg1 f6 { Blackcounters Qxg7#. } 16. O-O-O Re5 17. f4 Rxh5 18. exd5 cxd5 { Oops. Whitekind of forks the cornered rook with this move. Black would have beenbetter off taking that pawn with the rook. } 19. Bxd5+ Kh8 20. Bxb7 Qxd4 21. Rxd4 Na6 { By threatening the center rook, Nc6 sacrifices the blackknight to preserve the rook. } 22. Bxa8 Nc7 23. Be4 1-0

[Event "Walking the Walk"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.12.18"] [Round "-"] [White "a_random_guy"] [Black "gtrigity"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1508"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1966"] 1. e4 c5 { Sicilian opening. } 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 { Lookingat this attack, I thought that it would be enough to just block the bishopwith my pawn. Looking back now, I missed that I could have attacked hisqueen either offering to trade queen and bishop for queen and knight. Computeranalysis confirms that would have been the best move. } 5... e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Ngxe4 Nbd7 8. d3 a6 9. a4 Nb6 10. Bb3 O-O 11. Be3 Nbd5 12. Nxf6+ { Two waysto tackle this check, 12. ... Nxf6 or 12. ... Bxf6. I chose Nxf6 whichnot only recaptured, but took all the tension out of the middle of theboard. This would prove to be a bad idea as the N on c3 proved to be avery good attacker on d5 later in the game. Had I gone forward with Bxf6the exchange of knights on d5 might have given me a better position later. } 12... Nxf6 13. O-O b6 14. Qf3 Rb8 15. Rad1 Bb7 16. Qh3 Qc7 17. f5 { Up until here,this seemed like a fairly even game. Even amount of material gained/lost.Positions not overly out of balance. Computer analysis even shows the 'Score'as -0.00. Unfortunately, my next move started the downward (spiral isn'teven the right word) crash and burn. Even now, looking at this position,I'm not sure I would have exchanged pawns even though I do see the meritof it. Keeps the position even, doesn't really give away anything. } 17... Nd5 18. fxe6 { Another chance to remove some of the minor attackers off of theboard which would come to haunt me later. Instead, I focused on the majorpieces and allowed white's Q to infiltrate and cause my position to degradewildly. } 18... fxe6 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 20. Bxd5 { Looking at this position, I thoughtI could force the exchange on b7 by threatening the B on d5 with a rook.Turns out I didn't need to do this and I should have shielded my rook soI could remove the queen from the tight grip she had on my position andgain a little breathing room. } 20... Rbd8 21. Rxf8+ { With the forced exchange,not only could I no longer scare off the queen, I lost any hope of gettingsome breathing room and maybe some momentum for a counter attack. } 21... Rxf8 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Nd5 { Here is the N on d5 I mentioned earlier in the game.I couldn't get him off of this square even if I was so inclined. I madea comment during the game about how I should have thought about going aheadand removing the knight sometime during the next few moves. Here, I shouldhave cleared out the bishop so I had a better chance of defending the rookand a little more room to maneuver. } 23... Bd8 { Instead I clogged up my positioneven more. Bh4 was what the computer analysis recommended. } 24. Rf1 Rg8 { Save yourself! I need every piece I can hold onto, because . . . because. . . The computer analysis didn't call this a mistake, but clearly I shouldhave done something more. I'm not sure what would have been better though. } 25. Rf7 Qb8 { This move didn't serve the purpose I thought it would have.I was looking to save my queen at the expense of the game. I removed anytension there might have been against the knight. I moved to a8 on thenext turn, but it would have been much better to do that on this turn. } 26. Bf4 Qa8 { Forced. Exchange of the Queen for Bishop, while it soundswildly bad might have staved off mate for a few more moves. Instead I movedinto a forced mate in 5. } 27. Bh6 { Computer analysis calls this move bywhite a 'Blunder'. It allows for the exchange of queens on c5 if I hadplayed it correctly, but to do so would have required me to sacrifice mybishop on g5, my rook right where it is and offer my queen twice, the secondtime with check so that he had to take it. It would have extended the gameand maybe I could have called it a moral victory. } 27... Qxd5 { Instead I triedto disrupt his mate by taking it down from Mate in 5 to Mate in 3. } 28. Bxg7+ Rxg7 { Forced. Mate in 2. } 29. Rf8+ Rg8 { Forced. Mate in 1. } 30. Rxg8# 1-0

[Event "Destruction Streak #3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "-"] [Round "-"] [White "Destroyer333"] [Black "wireless23"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1117"] [TimeControl "5:00"] [WhiteElo "1200"] { Here's a game I was way behind because of a few tactical mistakes...okaymaybe more than a few...But my opponent allowed me a single error whichwon me the game. There's a moral in here somewhere. I was white by theway. Enjoy. } 1. e4 { I started with natural intentions to create a 4-movecheckmate. } 1... e5 { He opened commonly with a mirrored move. } 2. Bc4 { I continuedmy mating intentions. } 2... Nc6 { He hadn't quite seen through me yet. } 3. Qh5 { I gambled to go for the obvious one. } 3... g6 { Caught. } 4. Qf3 { I dropped back,still in position, hoping he wouldn't notice I was still a threat. } 4... Qf6 { A common defense at this point in the 4-move checkmate. } 5. d3 { I openedup to sacrifice a bishop for a mate. } 5... Nd4 { He planned a move that I sawcoming. } 6. Bg5 { I sacrificed... } 6... Qxf3 { Denied. Now I have to return thefavor. } 7. gxf3 { I took the trade. } 7... Nxc2+ { And now I couldn't defend it.Unstoppable at this point. } 8. Kd2 { I Tried to capture the knight for revengeafter he killed my rook. } 8... Nxa1 { He is now stuck in place. } 9. Nh3 { I movedout my knight, to catch the bishop's attention. That way, I could silentlyassassinate the enemy knight later. } 9... d5 { My plan was working so far. } 10. Bxd5 { I allowed for time. } 10... c6 { He ignored, still, my attention grabbingplan. } 11. Bc4 { I escaped and drew attention AWAY from where I was trying. } 11... Bxh3 { Finally. } 12. Rg1 { I was catching the other bishop now. } 12... Bc5 { Drawingto one side of the board helps when planning attacks on the other. Thisway, I can make the attack, and have the other side be congested enoughto not be able to stop me. Results may vary. } 13. Nc3 { I opened for attack. } 13... Bxf2 { I drew attention. } 14. Rxa1 { I killed. Veni Vidi Vici... Kind of. } 14... Bc5 { He drew out and I was making my way out of the hole. } 15. Na4 { I threatenedhis piece. } 15... Bb4+ { He moved away and setup a check. } 16. Nc3 { A once attackingpiece is now a crucial defense. } 16... h6 { He threatened me on a Counter-attack } 17. Be3 { I drew back. } 17... f5 { He sent a protected pawn to kill my e pawn } 18. Bxg8 { I made a trade for his unmoved knight. } 18... Rxg8 { Traded. } 19. exf5 { I attacked him to hold him on his own end. } 19... gxf5 { He hit back. } 20. Bxh6 { I took a pawn only going -5 now. } 20... O-O-O { He castled on the far side, however,It would have been best to not do that, now he is generally in a corner. } 21. a3 { I forced him to take action. } 21... Bxc3+ { He traded off. } 22. bxc3 { Anotherfair trade to simplify the game. } 22... f4 { A rather pointless move, other thanopening his white bishop to the left side. } 23. d4 { I moved out to stayon the attacking side. } 23... Rg6 { He threatened my bishop. } 24. Bxf4 { I wastrapped between his rooks. My best move there, would have been to takea piece and at least compensate for my loss. } 24... exf4 { He obviously took me. } 25. Re1 { I planned an attack, although I was way down. A rook and 2 pawns. } 25... Rg2+ { He +'d me. } 26. Kd3 { I avoided and continued my plan. This way, Ican hide my intentions. Also, In the Endgame, it is best to keep the kingaway from corners, this blocks movement. Hiding within your own piecescan sometimes even bring you to an end. Especially when your down. } 26... Rdg8 { He moved out- rather oddly. } 27. Ke4 { I moved forward, still hidden inwhat my future moves would be. To my opponent, I mean. } 27... R8g3 { He moveddown? It was considered a mistake, or even a blunder. Crucial Mistake. } 28. Ke5 { I moved up continuously. Intentions clear now. } 28... Rg5+ { He put mein check, however moving above me could constrict my movement towards theking. } 29. Kd6 { I created a wall between the king and the outside world. } 29... Rg6+ { He continued to try to check me. No use now. } 30. Re6 { I blockedand he should have sacrificed. It would have won him the game. } 30... R6g5 { Nodice. He escaped my 'attack' and lost the game. There is another big mistake. } 31. Re8# { Mate. Proving king's aren't as helpless as they look. However,they look pretty cool. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks, see you next time. Thankswireless, Good Game. } 1-0

[Event "A Painful Dragon"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "4-21-17"] [Round "-"] [White "Anon"] [Black "Jmd1952"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "Blitz"] [WhiteElo "1724"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 { The Accelerated is an openingI am trying to learn. There are a lot of variations ( like most openingsthat have been or are popular ), but this is one I fear the most. If youhave better ways to play this let me know please. } 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Qd4 { It seems that black must defend against major threats already. } 6... Nf6 7. e5 { So there is only one move. } 7... Nd5 8. e6 f6 { Forced. I suppose theonly other move is 7. ... Rg8 but 8. e6 x f7ch is too painful. } 9. c4 Qb6 { He can't take the knight because he will lose his queen and on 10.Qxb6, Nxb6 gets the knight out of trouble and after 11. e6xd7, Bxd7 givesblack a nominal lead in development. } 10. exd7+ Bxd7 11. c5 Qc7 { The checkis meaningless and helps him develop. I think black is OK here white hasways to get pressure still. } 12. Bc4 { White threatens to win a pawn andmake it difficult for black to castle. } 12... e5 13. Qh4 { It is time to drivethe queen out of the center, but he threatens the f6 pawn. So... } 13... Bg7 14. O-O O-O { The knight is pinned but it was time to get the king out ofthe center. } 15. Nc3 Be6 16. Bh6 Rab8 { Black's first threat! Its not muchof a threat the knight is pinned ( unless it goes to f4 ). } 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. b3 { 18. ..., Nxc3 19. Bxe6 doesn't look too good for black } 18... Qe7 19. Ne4 Nc7 { I think White's best move is 20. Nd6. I wasn't sureabout the best reply 20. ..., Nb5 was a possibility. But White is focusedon f6 so I think I was lucky. } 20. Bxe6 Qxe6 21. f4 Nd5 { Reinforcingthe f6 square and setting up to take on f4 perhaps. } 22. fxe5 Qxe5 23. Rae1 { Setting up a nice discovery, but ... } 23... Qd4+ 24. Kh1 f5 { The knighton e5 is pinned! 25. Qf2 would hold everything together but... } 25. Rxf5 { An unfortunate blunder. On 25. ..., g6xR there might be a little compensationbut } 25... Rxf5 { White resigns. } 0-1

[Event "34th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.01"] [Round "-"] [White "e4_lunatic"] [Black "teddy89"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1839"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1675"] 1. c4 { After a good opening - followed by a silly mistake which cost mea pawn - I continued to push my opponents pieces back until he had noroom for maneuver. The end game is very interesting - because our forcesare nearly equal and I barely managed to find a way to promote a pawn whilepreventing black from doing the same. This is still a flawed game- but is conducted in an interestingly aggressive way by white. } 1... e5 2. g3 Bc5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. Nf3 d6 6. h3 Be6 7. d3 e4 { Here's whereI make my mistake. D x E pawn is standard as part of this variation. Forsome reason, I forgot this. } 8. Ng5 { I'm advancing a piece before I'm readyand black takes complete advantage of it. } 8... exd3 9. Qxd3 Qd7 10. a3 Bf5 11. e4 Bg6 12. O-O O-O 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Qxe3 Re8 15. Rad1 h6 16. Nf3 Nxe4 { The only bad thing about black's attack is that the aim doesn't seem tohave been any more ambitious than the stealing of a pawn. It was at thispoint that I realised I still had the advantage of mobility (black's queenknight and queen castle are out of play). } 17. Rfe1 Nf6 { Literally - mystrategy here was PUSH! Get some space. } 18. Qd4 Rxe1+ 19. Nxe1 Ne8 20. b4 Na6 21. f4 Nac7 22. Nf3 Ne6 23. Qd2 Rd8 24. g4 Nf8 25. f5 Bh7 { Blackis using his knights to defend - they are completely useless as attackingpieces for the time being. } 26. Qd4 a6 27. Ne4 Qc7 28. h4 Kh8 29. Ng3 Nf6 30. g5 hxg5 31. hxg5 Ne8 32. Kf2 f6 33. g6 Bxg6 34. fxg6 Nxg6 { So now wehave an even score - although I have the advantage of a well positionedbishop. At this point, I tried to manipulate black into checkmate, butI failed to do so. Eventually I decided that I still had a very good chanceif I could forced black to trade pieces; most importantly - I wanted toget rid of his knights. } 35. Nh4 Qf7 36. Rh1 Kg8 37. Ngf5 Rd7 38. Qg4 Ne5 39. Nh6+ Kf8 40. Nxf7 Nxg4+ 41. Kf3 Ne5+ 42. Nxe5 dxe5 43. Ke3 g5 44. Nf5 Ng7 45. Rh8+ Kf7 46. Bh3 Nxf5+ 47. Bxf5 Re7 { I is a bad move because nowthe white bishop can take the vital B pawn. The plan is to stall the advanceof the E, F and G pawn with the king while using the bishop to help getthe white pawns past the black blockade. It turned out to be a very narrowthing. The bishop was essential. } 48. Rh7+ Ke8 49. Rxe7+ Kxe7 50. Bc8 b6 51. Bxa6 Kd7 52. Ke4 Kc7 53. Kf5 Kb8 { Obviously - if I'm not careful -I'll allow a black pawn to get too far ahead of my king - so I need toarrange it so that my bishop can escape to cover the D-H diagonal. } 54. a4 c5 55. bxc5 bxc5 56. Bb5 Kc7 57. a5 { This is to force the king not togo to the aid of his black pawns and to allow my bishop out. I also needto keep at least one white pawn or else the game will end in a draw. } 57... Kb7 58. Bd7 Ka6 59. Kxf6 e4 60. Kxg5 e3 61. Bg4 Kxa5 62. Be2 { Just about managedto save my pawn while blacking black's advance. There were many variationswhere the black king could have protected the E pawn, causing me a lotmore problems. } 62... Kb6 63. Kf4 Kc6 64. Kxe3 Kd6 65. Ke4 Ke6 66. Bg4+ Kd6 67. Kf5 Kc6 { It sometimes bothers me when players of a similar ranking refuseto give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm hardly going to allow stalemateat this point. } 68. Ke6 Kc7 69. Kd5 Kb6 70. Kd6 Kb7 71. Kxc5 Kc7 72. Kd5 Kb8 73. Kd6 1-0

[Event "Tournament, Berlin 1931"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Siegfried Nadel"] [Black "Isaak Margulis"] [Result "1-0"] { White wins a brilliant minature in snappy fashion -- a rarity from theQGD. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 { Releasing the central tension. } 5. a4 { To prevent ...P-QN4, supporting the advanced BP. } 5... Bf5 { Seizing agood diagonal. } 6. Ne5 { Initiating an attack. } 6... c5 { A wasted pawn move.6... QN-Q2, continuing to develop, is better. } 7. e4 { White seizes theinitiative at once with this powerful stroke. } 7... Nxe4 { If instead 7... PxP??Nadel has 8 PxB! PxN 9 QxQ ch KxQ 10 NxP ch, winning a Rook! } 8. Qf3 { Lookingfor the knockout. } 8... cxd4 { 8... NxN??? falls at once to 9 QxB!! P-B3 10 BxP!!PxN 11 B-B7 mate. } 9. Qxf5 { Threatening mate. } 9... Nd6 { To guard the KBP. } 10. Bxc4 { Adding force to the attack. If the Knight captures either pieceWhite mates on the move. } 10... e6 { To create a flight square. } 11. Bb5+ { Blackcan lose quickly or slowly. 11... N-Q2 12 BxN ch QxB 13 Q-B4 loses slowlyfor Black. White's advantage of a piece gives him a technically easy win. } 11... Ke7 { This move loses quickly. } 12. Ng6+ { Initiating checkmating sequence... } 12... hxg6 { The Knight must be taken. } 13. Nd5+ { Forcing Black's response... } 13... exd5 { ...which allows... } 14. Qe5# { ...this mate. } 1-0

[Event "104th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.04.01"] [Round "-"] [White "muhdarif13"] [Black "sanjinp"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1531"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1083"] 1. e3 { Van't Krujis opening. A little unusual, but I used to open thisway frequently in my youth. } 1... d5 { Not a conventional response. } 2. g3 e5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Ne2 Bd6 5. O-O O-O 6. b3 c5 7. Bb2 e4 8. d4 { Pe4xPd4 e.p.is also acceptable here. } 8... cxd4 9. Bxd4 Nc6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. c3 b5 12. Nd2 Bg4 13. f3 exf3 { This would have been a lovely fork, save for NxP. } 14. Bxf3 Bxf3 15. Rxf3 Qe6 16. Qc2 g6 { Ph7 is not in mortal danger. } 17. Raf1 a5 18. c4 d4 19. Nxd4 Nxd4 20. exd4 Qg4 21. d5 bxc4 22. Nxc4 Rac8 23. Rf4 { ? Bishop for rook? White would have been better off moving thequeen. Qd2 at least threatens black's a pawn. } 23... Bxf4 24. Rxf4 Qd7 25. Qd2 { Rc5 } 25... Qa7+ { I liked Rc5 better, as it both defended Pa5 while attackingPd5. But this is halfway decent too. } 26. Kg2 Qc5 27. a3 Rfe8 28. d6 Rcd8 29. Rd4 Qc6+ 30. Kh3 Qd7+ 31. g4 h5 32. Qd1 hxg4+ 33. Qxg4 Qxg4+ 34. Kxg4 Kg7 35. Nxa5 f6 36. Nc6 Rd7 37. h4 Re6 38. Nb8 Rdxd6 39. Rxd6 Rxd6 { Tradeswork to black's advantage. Especially RvN. } 40. b4 Rb6 41. Nd7 Ra6 42. b5 Rxa3 43. b6 Rb3 44. Kf4 Kf7 45. Nc5 Rxb6 46. Kg4 Rb4+ 47. Kg3 Ke7 48. Na6 Rc4 49. Nb8 Kd8 50. Kf3 { ? White cannot win without that pawn. Thebest white can hope for would be a draw. } 50... Kc8 { ? I don't think black canchase down the white horse, or should waste time trying. Though pushingit against the far right side of the board while the pawns are on the leftmay be a decent long term strategy. Black's king is better off shepherdingpawns, or gutting the king. Pg blocks any further movement of the h pawn. So Pf should be promoted. } 51. Na6 *

[Event "Getting Nervous"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.03.25"] [Round "-"] [White "1landshark"] [Black "mrc61"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "982"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1031"] { This was an interesting team game between Mario and Rick. In this particulargame, Mario had trouble because he got nervous in this game, and it tookaway concentration. This includes important details, such as mating threats. I understand this problem because it used to be one of weakest areas. However, that has changed, so I only get anxious once in a while. Inaddition, it is a minor, instead of major problem, so I am still able tostay in the game and pull a win, 90% of the time. However, that is becauseJack Stockel has told me, 'Don't get nervous', for almost every coachinggame. } 1. Nc3 { ? This is the Dunst Opening, but it is also a blunder. I understand the logic behind this move. Mark wants to develop his minorpieces, in the beginning. Jack Stockel has told me that it is importantto develop your minor pieces during the beginning game but not on yourfirst move. Otherwise, it destroys the center (prevents you from controllingthe center), so the Dunst Opening is not studied by masters and grandmasters. According to Mr. Stockel, you are supposed to play openings that are studiedby masters and grandmasters. However, Jack agrees with ION's assessmentabout the Nimovitz Defense. In Other Words, he says that it is ok to developon your first move, if you are playing the Nimovitz Defense. On the otherhand, this is not the Nimovitz Defense, so Mario has an advantage, in thisposition. } 1... e5 { One would think that this is the King's Pawn Game. Forthe King's Pawn Game, however, 1.e4,e5 must be played. Therefore, I donot know what this is called. } 2. e4 { In my opinion, the Dunst Openinghas transposed into the King's Pawn Game. } 2... Bd6 { ? You are generally supposedto develop your knight before your bishops, unless you have an immediatetactical advantage by developing your bishop before your knights. However,this does not give Mario an advantage, in this position. If I were black,I would want to play 2...Nc6 or 2...Nf6. I think that I would prefer 2...Nf6because it brings you one step closer to castling Kings Side. } 3. Bc4 { !This is solid because Rick developed his LSB, after his knight. } 3... Nf6 { !Mario made this move so that he could castle Kings Side. Therefore, thisis a good choice, in my opinion. I understand this position because Iusually try to castle Kingside, ASAP. } 4. Qf3 { ? This is a mistake. According to general opening principles, you are not supposed to developyour queen, so early. Therefore, white has skipped the basics, in my opinion. } 4... O-O { I am not sure, if this was a good move. As I had mentioned earlier,I usually want to castle Kingside, as soon as I can. However, I mightnot want to castle, in this circumstance. That is because Rick broughthis queen out, on move 4. I am not sure what other alternatives I wouldconsider, in this position. } 5. d3 { ! At first I did not why Rick chosethis candidate. However, I quickly figured out that Rick moved his d2pawn to pin Mario's g5 knight. That will give him a winning advantage,and I will explain that shortly. } 5... c5 { ?? I do not know why Mario made thismove, but 5...Qg3 would have been his best move as it would have preventeda pin. I believe, however, that Mario is starting to panic. } 6. Nb5 { Rick decided not to Fianchetto immediately because he wanted to chaseMario's DSB and force Mario to play 6...Be7, so it is ok. However, I believethat it would have been better if white pinned Mario's knight, on thismove, but Mark will play the pin shortly. } 6... Bc7 { ?? Eventhough, the gameis not lost for black, Mario is in serious trouble. Even, 6...Be7?? Onceagain, Qg3 would have been much better. At this point, Rick will pin Mario'spiece with 7.Bg5. In the meantime, Mario is getting more worried aboutthe position, and it is overwhelming his defenses. } 7. Bg5 a6 { ?? In myopinion, this was Mario's loosing blunder because Mark will be able tofind an inevitable mating solution, in this position. Therefore, 7...h6would have been Rick's best move, and if 8.Bh4, 8...g5. This would, however,lead to a King exposure, but ''There is always an exception to everything'',as chesskingdom64 would say. This was one of those exceptions. That isbecause 7...h6, 8...g5 breaks the pin. At this point, however, Mario isas nervous as you can get, and it has caused him to loose concentration. } 8. Nc3 { In this position, however, Rick is forced to retreat his knight,but the game is almost lost for black. I believe that Mario is less anxious,but, 'the damage has already been done', as it is said. } 8... d6 { I do not knowwhy Mario chose this candidate. } 9. Qg3 { !! Rick made this move to pinMario's g7 pawn. This brings Rick one step closer to a the mating pattern,that I had mentioned earlier. In my history of playing chess, I have notbeen able to find a mating solution, with a pin. } 9... h6 { ?? Mario chose thiscandidate because he thought that it would break the pin. At this point,he has regained his confidence, but it is still, 'too little, too late',as it is said. In most cases, this is a way to break a pin, but, 'notthis time', as they say. In addition, Rick will win a pawn with 10.Bxh6,with this pin. However, Mario will still be pinned. } 10. Bxh6 g6 { ?? Therefore,Mario makes this move, but is a serious blunder. I initially thought thatRick would win a free rook with 11.Bxf8, but it is far worse then that. In fact, the game is now officially lost for Mario because Rick now hasan official mating against black. Therefore, Rick will mate Mario in twomoves with 11.Qxg6, Kh8 (forced) 12.Qg7# } 11. Qxg6+ Kh8 12. Qg7# { Itis generally a bad idea to get in nervous in a chess game. When you becomeanxious, you do not concentrate. Therefore, you overlook immediate danger,including mating threats. However, you can overcome obstacles and preventstress by believing in yourself. If you believe in yourself, you can quicklysolve problems, in most cases. } 1-0

[Event "Annotation Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.06.20"] [Round "-"] [White "djburns"] [Black "charleshiggie"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2046"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2185"] 1. e4 { In this game I was holding DJ for most of the game. Then my greedgets the better of me, I take a poisoned pawn and it is quickly lost. } 1... c5 { So I play my usual Sicilian } 2. Nf3 { He plays the usual } 2... Nc6 { and Ifollow the main line } 3. Nc3 { What is this? is he intending a closed variationafter all? } 3... d6 { I wait and see } 4. d4 { He opts for the open variation } 4... cxd4 { I take } 5. Nxd4 { He takes back } 5... Nf6 { And we reach the usual position } 6. Bb5 { This is slightly unusual, Bg5, Bc4 and Be2 are more common } 6... Bd7 { I have to defend my knight } 7. h3 { This seems a little strange, I'm stillnot sure why he played it } 7... g6 { As he has avoided the sharpest variationssuch as the Yugoslav attack, I may as well fianchetto my bf8 } 8. Be3 { Hedevelops } 8... Bg7 { I develop } 9. O-O { He castles } 9... O-O { So do I } 10. Nf3 { Iam not sure why he played this either, he seems to be going backwards.This position has been reached before, but there is no games with Nf3 onthe Gameknot World Database, but there is on the database of Gameknot games. } 10... a6 { a6 is often a move played in the Open Sicilian. Here I can play itwith tempo. } 11. Bd3 { He retreats } 11... b5 { Qa5 was the move played in the onlyother game on the Gameknot opening databases (ojdol (2167) vs. janhalpha(2323) - drawn in 32 moves. This move seemed more thematic - pursuing aminority attack against the white queen side. } 12. a3 { He prevents b5-b4 } 12... Na5 { With the idea of coming in to c4 at some stage } 13. Qd2 { He doublesup on the diagonal } 13... Re8 { I move the rook, so Be3-h6 can be met with Bg7-h8 } 14. b4 { He hits my knight, but leaves his c pawn backwards on a semi-openfile. He does this before I can play Rc8 enabling me to recapture on c4with the rook } 14... Nc4 { So my knight comes in } 15. Bxc4 { He takes } 15... bxc4 { Itake back. Now his weak c2 pawn is shielded by my pawn, but I felt I wasdoing ok here } 16. Bh6 { His bishop flies in } 16... Bh8 { Mine retreats, as preparedby Rf8-e8 } 17. Rad1 { He mobilises a rook } 17... Bc6 { I put more pressure on thee pawn. } 18. Ng5 { He protects } 18... Qc7 { I plan to put my queen on b7 with morepressure on e4 } 19. Qf4 { His queen comes up } 19... Rab8 { I mobilise my Ra8 } 20. Rd2 { Again, I am not quite sure why he played this } 20... Rec8 { I improve thestanding of my other rook. Now if I can distract him on the centre and/orqueen side his Bh6 may proof to be misplaced. } 21. Nd5 { He throws in hisknight } 21... Bxd5 { So I take } 22. exd5 { He takes back } 22... c3 { I hit his rook } 23. Rd4 { Rook moves of course } 23... a5 { I try to do something on the queen side } 24. Re1 { He improves the position of his rook. My e pawn is now slightlyweak, open to attack down the semi-open e file and unable to move withoutbeing taken. Of course e7-e5 at any time will be met with dxe6 en passant. } 24... axb4 { So I take } 25. axb4 { He takes back } 25... Rb5 { I attack the d5 pawn again. } 26. Qf3 { He puts another protector on it. } 26... Qb7 { and I increase the pressureon d5 } 27. Rde4 { He gangs up on my e pawn. Of course I can't play Nf6xe4as he replies Qxf7 mate! } 27... Rc7 { So I protect e7 } 28. Rf4 { What is this?He is leaving the d pawn with only one defender and I have 3 pieces attackingit. Can't he see I can just take on d5? } 28... Qxd5 { So I take, but it is a massivemistake, I have missed a clever tactical point } 29. Rxf6 { Of course! Nowif e7xf6 then Re1-e8 is mate! If Bxf6, then Qxf6!! mates. See http://gameknot.com/chess-puzzle.pl?pz=105923 } 29... Qxf3 { So I take } 30. Rxf3 { But of course he takes back with the rook, andI am just knight for pawn down } 30... f5 { My f7 pawn was attacked by knight androok, so I had to move it to save it! } 31. g4 { At last I see the pointof h2-h3! } 31... Rxb4 { I take his pawn } 32. gxf5 { He takes - he is opening upmy king side. } 32... Rb8 { I guard my back rank } 33. Re6 { Rook comes in now } 33... gxf5 { I take } 34. Rxf5 { He takes back } 34... Bf6 { I prevent Rf5-f7 } 35. Re3 { His rookcomes back } 35... Rc5 { I offer an exchange of rooks. } 36. Rxc5 { He takes } 36... dxc5 { I take back } 37. Ne4 { Knight forks my pawns and bishop f6 } 37... Rb6 { My rookcomes up } 38. Nxf6+ { He takes } 38... Rxf6 { I recapture } 39. Bg5 { He hits my rook } 39... Rg6 { I pin his bishop } 40. Rg3 { He unpins } 40... Kf7 { I move my king } 41. Be3 { He hits my c pawn, and I have had enough. It is pretty hopeless for blacknow. Many thanks for reading this, please rate it on the start system,and leave a comment or two, so that I know how I am doing with my annotations. } 1-0

[Event "OTB Chess Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2/12/16"] [Round "-"] [White "Joe"] [Black "Loyd"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "About 90 min"] [WhiteElo "1355"] { After Nirmal left, as it presumed that she has become good enough to beather son due to training with Jack, we got a new member. His name is Loyd,and it's important to note that he might be joining this website becauseI told him about Gameknot. If that happens, this will be the first annotationthat I show him. Now, he was really good at this game 30 years ago, butnot having played for that long, it was, as though, he was a novice. He'splayed with Jack, but I wanted to do a training game with him. However,he is tougher then students that I have worked with. Therefore, I couldn'treally train Loyd. I did a small amount but only after he made the decisiveblunder that lost. But, I I shouldn't have won due to a mistake. I'mnot saying that he should've won, but the game ought to have ended in adraw with best from me. However, make no mistake as this opponent is tough,and he was able to defeat me in our most recent game because he remembered,just about, everything from 30 years back. } 1. e4 e5 { Not knowing him,I was wondering how Loyd would response. Usually, he answers with theFrench Defense, as that's what happened in our last two games which wasright after this. But, in our first game, he played this. Therefore,I'll stick to what I know the best, The Ruy Lopez. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 { As anticipated, he answers with the Berlin Defense. } 4. O-O { So, I castle. } 4... a6 { Staying in book. } 5. Ba4 Be7 { I anticipated 5...b5 and was, thus, preparedto answer with 6.Bb3. But, by playing this, I use that time to continuewith my development. } 6. Nc3 O-O { Like me, he castles. } 7. d4 { So, I attemptthe exchange variation. } 7... d6 { Which Loyd declines, as otherwise, he would'veplayed 7...exd4 } 8. d5 { I had a difficult time deciding how to answer. I almost played 8.dxe5 with the idea of getting into a line similar tothe exchange variation. Then, I gave it more thought and took into accountwhat GM Susan Polgar said about the French Defense which I saw from tactical-abyss. However, this happened before cplusplus11 told me not to do single moveattacks for the thrills of it. While most chess terms stay the same, thisis why I eliminated the tempo gain as that has also caused me to miss theentire story that the board was telling me. Therefore, what Susan saidin the French is that d5 is often played to attack black's Nc6, and whenit retreats, white is also left with a solid pawn chain. That's the ideaof attacking the Knight. Now that I've eliminated that, the next I gothrough a similar line that's not the French, I'll take on e5, instead. } 8... Nd4 { This is where the N often retreats. And, as you might guess an exchangeoften happens because, as usual, white will win a pawn. } 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Qxd4 c5 { Trying to stop my d5 from advancing, but this is a mistake dueto what I overlooked. This happened for an unusual reason which I findfrustrating because this has caused me to blunder in two other games. But, I missed the overall picture in one of them which directly led toa loss. } 11. Qd2 { ? Although not quite as bad since my GK games were postponed,I was still spending too much focusing on going away. As noted, I wasthinking on how to get enough sleep for Sunday so that I could study theSusan Polgar book and stay awake. Now, this game happened 2 days priorto me going away. However, as we see here, the distraction wasn't quiteas bad, as otherwise, I would've lost my Queen since the focus would'vebeen on developing my DSB. This means, that I would've likely played 11.Bg5??had the distraction been what it was in the other two games. But, bestwas the immediate 11.dxc6 e.p., winning a pawn. He can answer with 11...bxc6,but then I would've answered with 12.Bxc6 This time, overlooking thatis directly due to that distraction and be it note that things were gettingrough, already. That's because I still had a little packing to do. And,when I was done, I had to get ready for work the next night. And, aftercoming home at close to 10:30 pm, there was still a small amount more packing. Had to go to bed, and then wake up at 6:15 am on Sunday, Feb. 14, to catchmy flight. } 11... b5 { And, Loyd takes advantage of my mistake by attacking myBa4. However, this could've been done earlier, but my response will stillbe the same. Here's another thing, after the mistake, which I felt should'vecost me the win, I woke up and smell the coffee realizing what I had done. So, I stopped thinking about the vacation and went right back to the game. It was basically practice, as otherwise, I would've been distracted atwork, which is even worse. } 12. Bb3 Bd7 { Completing his development. } 13. a3 { So, I go for it by getting a semi open file for my Ra1. However, thiswas also played in anticipation of what Loyd winds up playing next. Iasked myself what would happen if he played this and could I defend myBb3. After remembering Jack's advice to, 'Start Thinking' which I've emphasizedto my students, I determined that this was only the way to prevent theloss of a piece. } 13... c4 14. Ba2 Qb6 { Mobilizing his Queen. But, I have ananswer to that. } 15. Qe2 { That's because I felt he had a threat, after15...Ng5 Therefore, if Loyd plays that, I'll answer with 16.Qf3. } 15... Rac8 { Putting pressure against my Nc3. } 16. Be3 { So, I respond by completingmy development, whilst, attacking his Queen. And, that's where I analyzedwhere the GM's do it, without overgeneralizing as now, as now, I'm notconcerned about anything he might be capable of doing. That's becausefrom here on in, I come up with plans to stop it, ahead of time. } 16... Qb7 17. b4 { By block his b pawn. Normally, I don't care about this because it'snot a passed pawn. But, the problem is his Bd7. I thought that if hecould push b5-b4, once I took, Loyd would answer with ...Ba4 which I wasdetermined to prevent. However, I forgot that my Nc3 stops that, anyhow. So, overlooking that was also due to that small distraction I had. It'snot that small, in reality, but I was comparing it to how bad it was inother two games, as this was way less. The good news, however, is that,it was my last game, until a few days, after coming back from Florida,which was on, I believe it was the 23rd of February. } 17... Ng4 { Trying to exchangemy Be3 for his N. So, I asked myself why and figured out that my Bishopis stronger. } 18. Bd4 { Therefore, I don't allow it. } 18... Bf6 { Yet, Loyd isstill determined to exchange. But, with his DSB stronger, I accept, thistime around. } 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Qd2 { Figuring that Loyd would play 20...Bg4,I stop it. However, I forgot that f3 is a possibility. But, unless it'sabsolutely needed, I don't want to open up my monarch. } 20... Qb6 { Trying tofigure the story that the board is telling me, as per bhidragon's advice. And, I saw a similar pattern to what happened in our most recent gamebecause his Bd7, Nf6, and Queen could all be nasty threats. I asked myselfwhat he was going for, in this position. I think his first instinct is21...Ng4 which could be nasty especially if his Bishop and Queen work withit. } 21. Rfe1 { So, I centralize a Rook. The idea being is that, if heplays 21...Ng4, I'll answer with 25.Re3, followed by 26.Rg3 to stop anythreat that he might have. } 21... Rce8 { However, Loyd centralizes his Rook. } 22. Re3 { So, I prepare to double up. } 22... Re5 { I think he might have a threathere but wasn't sure. So, I double up, at once. } 23. Rae1 Rg5 { As now,he's threatening 24...Ng4 } 24. R3e2 { Which, this time, I spot, whilst keepingboth Rooks on one file. And, I kept in mind this discovered attack, determinedto fix the mistake earlier being the en-pessant capture. } 24... Rg6 25. e5 { Asnow, I use that time to fork his d6 and Nf6. I also kept in mind thatit's not very effective, but that's almost irrelevant because everythingis planned, for once he retreats to g4, I'll exchange pawns. } 25... Ng4 26. exd6 Qxd6 27. g3 { But, what I did not count was the mate threat. Therefore,I had to open up. But, this game happened before the recent life changinggame with Jack, where I realized that a pompous attitude was no way tobecome a better a chess player. In other words, it's also how I figuredout that improvement meant that I needed to change my thought process,afterall. I wish it happened after that game because archduke_piccolotold me that f4 is preferred because this is right near the King. Therefore,it's the pawn that should not be advanced after castling, unless you mustdo so. Had this game happened, afterwards, I would've answered with 27.f4. } 27... Qf6 { So, Loyd tries to find another way as the threat is now 28...Qf5,followed by, 29...Qh5, as the entire story reveals that from there, 30...Qxh2+is possible which is a mate in two. 31.Kf1 (forced), Qh1#. } 28. Ne4 { Igenerally don't use that term, due to kenneth_fiore_3's advice. But, inthis context, knowing the threat, I play Hope Chess. I wasn't sure whatto do or how to counter the threat which caused a, 'Fight or Flight' syndrome,which chess is not supposed to be. Therefore, the idea was to counterthis threat by attacking his Queen. That's because, instead of attemptingcalculations on how to prevent the threat, I'm just hoping that he won'tplay 28...Qf5 But, the plan does not work. Keep in mind that, althoughnot distracted from vacation anymore, I was also trying to prevent historyfrom repeating due to what happened before. However, I missed it, butbest was 28.h3 to prevent the threat. As now, 28...Qf5?? no longer works. Therefore, it's safe to say that I was still not completely with it, andtherefore, somewhat, distracted. } 28... Qf5 29. Nc5 { As, otherwise, I would'veplayed 29.h3. } 29... Bc8 { But, I'm lucky here. A more experienced player would'veanswered with 29...Qh5. However, the answer is still there, but the differencebeing now is that black would've had ...Qxh3, followed by ...Rh6, and then,...Qh1# which is mate. That was something that should've been considered. I hope that I'm not in this situation again. Normally, going away andplanning for the next day doesn't get to me. The difference, in this case,was having to work late, the night before. And, if there were choiceson when the chess club takes place, I would've done it earlier. However,it's only held on Friday's. } 30. Re8 { Not seeing my weakness, I go rightfor his with the idea of keeping his Rf8 locked. I kept in mind that,in general, you don't want to tie down your pieces. By failing to mobilizehis Rook, this is what happened. } 30... Ne5 { ?? But, Loyd intercedes with hisKnight, and this is the only time where I had to coach him. So, I saidthat's a blunder because of... } 31. R1xe5 { this move. Now, he thoughtabout what else to do. But, not seeing anything else and being a piecedown, Loyd resigned. After this game, however, Jack went back in time. Seeing that he could've done something different, Mr. Stockel made uscontinue the game, as Homework. But, this time, it was like the game Icontinued with easy19 against Jack, himself. In that game, after losingto Mr. Stockel, which Fred deemed as early due to not following the SupplementalTalking the Talk Rules which is not resigning until mate can be forced,he continued. But, in this case, I played with Jack's pieces, and he playedas mine. So, we reversed colors, and I made a mistake that could've turnedthat win into a loss. A similar story is true here, but he took over. Therefore, I kept the same color, but Mr. Stockel played as black, andmade Loyd watch it. Now, he explained that best was to open up with 30...h6,so that his Rook Rf8 isn't tied up. From there, I played 30.Rxf8, andas anticipated, he answered with 30...Kxe8. But, later on, I made a mistakethat could've lost since Jack got got two passed pawns and used them toadvance. With this Homework, he was teaching us that it was a close game,so white also had to be careful. What was also being stressed is thatthe position would hold, if black could exchange Rooks as 30...h6 was theonly way to do so. So, one mistake, from either side could lose very quickly. Afterwards, Loyd told me that he considered playing h6 for the same reasonsthat he mentioned and that the idea was playing the way Jack showed. Afterwhich,I agree that he might have won, seeing the mistake I made against Jack. With that being said, the moral of this story is what the mentor toldLoyd. In it, Jack said, 'Once the Rooks are doubled up, try to break themup.' } 1-0

[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.08.16"] [Round "-"] [White "pawnraider"] [Black "sirhenry"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1389"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "2067"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 { Bird's Defense. creative, but not strongbut not bad. an interesting surprise weapon for weekend tourneys or speedchess, but in the online venue (with 3 day time control?) a very interestingchoice. } 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. O-O c6 6. Bc4 d6 7. d3 Nf6 { black assumes a standardformation. White has more space. the B on c4 can retreat to b3 and followinga3/c3 further retreat but still maintain an aggressive stance towards thecenter. Since Black has a defensive formation I would give White an edge,IMHO: Black should consider ...Be6 with the idea of ...O-O or heading hisking to ...O-O-O. both slow. } 8. Nd2 { This Knight heads to K-side. whitecan afford to invest time as Black's bishops have limited scope... } 8... Be7 9. Nf3 h6 { ...h6? drops an important clogging center pawn. ...Qb6 was calledfor here. which would also serve two purposes: 1) help get king towards...O-O-O; 2) make White think twice about moving the dark squared Bishop...development is more important. ...h6? does not help make the king moresecure AND does not support the center. } 10. Nxd4 { The Pawnraider stillraids pawns. This pawn grab is all plus for White. the center becomes imposingrather than simply strong. the N can threaten to go to f5 or b5 following...c5. the N is much more influential in the game. } 10... O-O { I would stillconsider ...Bd7, ...Qc7/Qb6, and ...O-O-O. } 11. Be3 { hoping for Qd2, f4,f5, Rf3, & Bxh6. I am not afraid of ...Ng4 as Qe2, ...Nxe3, Qxe3 leavesWhite developed for a K-side attack and all pieces can get there quickly.Black will not be able to defend easily... } 11... c5 12. Ne2 { The N is eyeingthe d5 square. } 12... Bg4 13. f3 Be6 14. Nf4 Bxc4 15. dxc4 Qc7 16. Qe2 b6 17. Bd2 { relocates to better diagonal. Black cannot get the B to f6 withoutpermitting White's N to stay on d5. } 17... Rfe8 18. Bc3 Nd7 { ...Bf8 permits Bxf6gxf6, destroying the King's safety. } 19. Nd5 Qd8 20. Rad1 Rc8 21. f4 Bf8 { ...Nf6 is called for... in which case, 18....Qd8 was much better than...Nd7. } 22. Rd3 Nf6 { OOPS in a difficult position. } 23. Nxf6+ gxf6 24. Rg3+ Bg7 25. Qg4 { ...Kf8, 26.Qxg7+ Ke7, 29.Bxf6+ and Black's queen drops.black resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Jo against The Titans Part 3 - Girl Power!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.11.30"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "brigadecommander"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2232"] [TimeControl "7d+3d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1948"] 1. c4 { Hi everyone! This is my return challenge against Janet the Brigadierwhich was a marginal improvement on my other game with her - I still lostthough, sigh and double sigh. We ended up in a queen ending but alas,Queen Janet, the Wicked Witch of the West outpowered Queen Glenda by along way! So, how did this happen? Well, here is the Gameknot Analysisversion: http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=18671614&rnd=0.48246097817512356. I start off with 1. c4 which is the English Opening and Janet respondsby pushing her pawn to f5. } 1... f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 { 3. Bg2 - this kingsidefianchetto is typical of the English Opening. } 3... e6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O { 5.0-0 after clearing the kingside decks, I tuck Henry away. Now for thequeenside. } 5... d5 6. d4 O-O 7. Nc3 c6 8. b3 { 8. b3 - after a bit more developmentI back up my pawn on c4. } 8... Ne4 9. Nxe4 fxe4 { 9. ...... fxe4 - knight trade. } 10. Ne5 Nd7 11. Nxd7 Bxd7 { 11. ...... Nxd7 - and another knight trade. } 12. Bf4 Bg5 13. Bxg5 Qxg5 { 13. ....... Qxg5 - and now the dark square bishopsget traded off. } 14. e3 Be8 { 14. .... Be8 - uh, oh, heading for h5 andthen a possible landing on f3 in an attempt to trade off the lsbs and toeffect a support mate with the Witch on g2 should I initiate the trade. If that happens then I must put Fou Leblanc on h1 so that if the bishopsare traded off it will take Janet longer to rustle up this mating attack. } 15. Qd2 Bh5 16. Qb4 { 16. Qb4 - thought I would try something on the queenside. } 16... Rf7 17. Rac1 Be2 18. Rfe1 Qh5 19. Qd6 { 19. Qd6 - attacking the weakie ate6. } 19... Raf8 20. Qxe6 Bg4 21. Qd6 { 21. Qd6? this could be the loser becauseJanet suggested that Qe5 drew! } 21... Rxf2 22. Rf1 { 22. Rf1 - this rook moveresults in a plethora of exchanges leading to that Q ending! } 22... Rxg2+ 23. Kxg2 Bh3+ 24. Kg1 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 26. Kxf1 Qf3+ { 26. ..... Qf3+ - voila! } 27. Kg1 Qxe3+ 28. Kf1 Qf3+ 29. Kg1 { 29. Kg1 - hoping for a draw by repetitionbut Janet is having none of it and creates a bolt-hole for her king. } 29... h5 30. Qe6+ Kh7 31. Qh3 e3 32. Qf1 Qe4 { 32. ....... Qe4 - Janet does not tradequeens at this juncture because Henry would have been in reach of thatnice juicy p(r)awn (would be delicious on top of Ryvita and Quark methinks!)and had it for supper! } 33. Qe2 Kg6 34. h3 { 34. h3 - scratching around. If Kf1?? then Qh1#! } 34... Qxd4 35. cxd5 Qd2 { 35. ..... Qd2 - now Janet triesto force an exchange of queens in more favourable circumstances. If QxQ??then the pawn crowns. I play Qf3?? which loses in a few more moves - Iwaved that white flag on what would have been my 39th move but Gameknotsaid that I should have put Henry on f1 and allowed Janet to initiate thequeen exchange. I think that the resulting K & P ending would have eventuallybeen a loser for white though - do you the Inquest Jury agree? Joanne } 36. Qf3 e2 37. Qe4+ Kh6 38. Qe6+ g6 0-1

[Event "League division D2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "27-Dec-07"] [Round "-"] [White "mjpruzin"] [Black "lovechiefs"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1221"] 1. g3 Nf6 2. Bg2 g6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 O-O 5. d4 d6 6. e4 e5 { With this formation,I was going for the King's Indian } 7. Ne2 Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. f4 Nd7 10. g4 f5 11. g5 fxe4 12. Bxe4 Nf5 { Following the pawn exchanges, i am workingon taking control of the f file } 13. Ng3 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Nc5 15. Nd2 Bf5 16. Bxf5 Rxf5 17. Qf3 Qe7 18. g4 Rxf4 19. Qh3 Kf7 { Each of the moves isvery dangerous. White wants to mate me thanks to its control of the h file. My response to that was to attract the Queen and basically win the Queenon my back rank } 20. O-O-O Ke8 21. Qxh7 Kd7 22. Qxg6 Rxg4 { We are equalas far as material,however white has a positional advantage } 23. Qf5+ Ke8 { I didn't see the check fork } 24. Qxg4 e4 25. Bxg7 Qxg7 26. Nxe4 Qa1+ 27. Kd2 Qd4+ 28. Ke2 Qe5 29. Kf3 Kf7 30. g6+ { I resigned. In retrospect, Imaybe had a small chance to draw,but with minus a Rook, I didn't thinkI would succeed } 1-0

[Event "62nd GK tournament; Right Sacrafice Wrong Continuation!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.10.16"] [Round "-"] [White "concordborn"] [Black "njdevine"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1641"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1696"] { In this game my opponent and I play a less common English until one ofhis replies allows for a very strong sacrifice, an advantage I give backafter immediately contiuning the line incorrectly! Comments welcome, enjoy! } 1. c4 { I've long had a dislike for the English, enjoying tactics more thanpositional play I've found this opening to cater almost exclusively tothe latter. However lately, after much pressure from my friends, I've startedexamining and playing it, finding some interest in its dynamic positionsand large transpositional value. } 1... Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4 { Some of myfavorite lines for black in the English involve this move, which helpsto shape the game slightly more tactically. } 4. Qc2 b6 { We start to enterless common lines, black seeks to weaken White's control of white centralsquares by posting his bishop on b7. Only 126 games in GK's World Database. } 5. a3 { Looking for possible Queenside expansion while gaining tempo onthe Bishop, possibly preparing b4 to play Bb2. } 5... Be7 { !? A much less commonreply (only two moves in the database, while 76games have Bxc3). } 6. d4 { Grabbing more center. } 6... Bb7 { The logical follow up to b6, however allowswhite to build a very strong center. Challenging White with d5 or c5 isprobably better. } 7. e4 d6 { Preparing for Nbd7, we are still in the databasebut only barely. } 8. Bd3 { Continuing development and entrenching in thecenter. } 8... Nbd7 { Of course. Black seems to be postponing castling untilthey can determine White's motives and then can pick a wing accordingly. } 9. e5 { Now we're in a single game in the database, the other contained9. O-O c5 when Black castled short, produced lots of pressure after somelogical seeming moves by White and won in 41 moves. That being said, castlingis probably the stronger move, getting the king to safety and holding theadvantage in the center. But this game will probably be more fun :) } 9... dxe5 10. dxe5 Ng4 11. Be4 c6 { Not 11... Bxe4? 12. Qxe4 f5 13. exf6 Ngxf6 14.Qxe6 when Black isn't down much (just a pawn) but there is under considerablepressure. } 12. Bf4 { Adding protection to e5, reminiscent of lines in theBudapest Gambit. } 12... Qc7 { Contesting that protection. } 13. O-O-O { Protectingthe king as the game is about to open and controlling the file. More protectioncannot be added to e5 but this move helps that goal indirectly. After 13...Ndxe5either 14. Bg3 or 14. Kb1 removes the threat of Nd3+ getting out of thepin and winning the hanging bishop after which Black feels the power ofthe two bishops. 13...Nfxe5 fails faster to the strong sacrifice 14. Rxd7!Qxd7 15.Rd1 } 13... O-O-O { As played in the database game we've been following. } 14. h3 { Removing some protection of e5... } 14... Ngxe5 { ? This again allowsfor the rook sacrifice on d7, the database game went Nf6! when white doesnot wish to capture due to the discovered attack on his BSB. } 15. Rxd7 Rxd7 16. Nxe5 { ? The wrong way to take back! Much stronger for white is16. Bxe5 Bd6 17. Bxg7 Rg8 18. Bf6 Rxg2 19. Nd4 +- This move equalizes forblack, and possibly even pushes the edge in that direction! } 16... Bd6 { The correctwas to punish White. } 17. Nxd7 Bxf4+ 18. Kb1 Qxd7 19. Rd1 Qe7 20. Qa4 { White's position is certainly not lost, just has to deal with being downa pawn, the pressure of two bishops, and an already weakened castled position. } 20... Kb8 { Helps to return some edge for White. Stronger is 20...Qc5 21. Qxa7Bb8 22. Qa4 f5 23. Bf3 Rd8 =- } 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Qxc6 Rc8 23. Qe4 { Blackhas lost the bishop pair, pawns are equal again, and black's king is nowmore precariously placed than White's. =+ } 23... Bg5 { Not the strongest, whichallows for tactics with the king and a strong post for the knight. } 24. Qe5+ Kb7 { ?? Immediate blunder 24... Ka8 is better as this allows } 25. Ne4 { Threatening the fork at d6 while double attacking the bishop. } 25... Rc6 26. Qxg5 f6 { Black does not want to trade down now. } 27. Qd2 Rxc4 { Losingto the same fork... } 28. Nd6+ { Black resigns. An interesting game, thesacrifice is sound and very strong, but must be followed correctly :) } 1-0

[Event "the_special_cat's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.09.30"] [Round "-"] [White "citymark"] [Black "hiredgun112"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "827"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "966"] 1. e4 { Opponent opened with e4 } 1... e5 { I answer with e5 } 2. Qh5 { This movei believe was wasteful.Should develop more pieces before moving Queen } 2... Nf6 { NF6 to develope knight,put pressure on 'early' Queen. } 3. Qxe5+ { Againwasteful move. } 3... Be7 { Now i have develope king side in 3 moves opponentmoving Queen around wastefully } 4. Nh3 Nc6 { Nc6 putting pressure on earlyQueen } 5. Qg5 { Mre Queen movement } 5... d6 { Opening door for Queen and QueensideBishop } 6. Qxg7 { I cannot begin to speculate reason for this move } 6... Rf8 { Fortifying King a bit } 7. Nc3 { Finally brings out other knight } 7... Be6 { Ibring out Queen side preacher } 8. Nf4 { Bringing Knight to center } 8... d5 { Tryingto put pressure on center } 9. Nxe6 { I forseen this another wasted moveand piece } 9... fxe6 { More pressure on center and really what can his queendo? } 10. d3 d4 { I should have kept chain together } 11. Nb5 Nh5 { Pressureon wayward Queen } 12. Qxh7 { I figured that was coming } 12... Nf6 { I am tryingto learn to not lose my knights } 13. Qg6+ { Aggravating but not really effective } 13... Rf7 { Block check } 14. h4 Bf8 { Trying to open up backfield } 15. h5 Ne5 16. Qf5 exf5 { Thanks for Queen! } 17. exf5 { I will gladly trade pawn for Queen! } 17... Nxh5 { BLUNDER } 18. Rxh5 Qf6 19. g4 Nxg4 20. Bg2 Qe5+ 21. Kf1 Qxb5 { EARLYCHRISTMAS! } 22. a4 Qe5 23. Bxb7 { WASTE } 23... Rb8 24. Bc6+ Kd8 25. Bg5+ Kc8 26. Rb1 Rxf5 27. Rh7 Rxf2+ { CLOSING IN FOR KILL } 28. Kg1 Qg3+ { GARRIOT IS TIGHTENING } 29. Kh1 Rb6 30. Bd7+ { DESPARATION } 30... Kb7 31. a5 Rg6 { THE END IS NEAR! } 32. Bh4 { TO LITTLE TO LATE } 32... Qh2# { VICTORY!I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED MY ANNOTATIONAND LEARNED SOMETHING FROM MY GROWING CHESS PROWNESS.POSTIVE PRAISE ISACCEPTED NEGATIVE IS TOLERATED. } 0-1

[Event "The Big Bad Wolf blows down the little piggies' house"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23-Jan-09"] [Round "-"] [White "easy19"] [Black "rjacobs"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1515"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2239"] 1. e3 { Here's another thrashing! Freddy continues with his rope-a-dopestrategy. } 1... g6 { heading for a fianchetto and a probable King's Indian setup } 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. Be2 Nf6 4. O-O O-O { We're both playing at a distance here. I'm trying to keep it as tight as my opponent... } 5. Nc3 d6 6. d4 Nbd7 7. h3 e5 { At last I crack! Contact is made. } 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Qd3 Qe8 10. e4 c6 { ? Looks harmless enough but leaves a hole in the heart of Black'sposition. } 11. Qd6 { !! Completely unexpected and devastating to my position. How can I continue to develop normally? Neither N has a sensible move. My QB can't move and if I play my b-pawn, the c-pawn falls. In retrospect,perhaps 11...Nh5 is better than the move played. } 11... Qe6 12. Qxe6 { ! Saddlingme with doubled pawns that completely cramp my position. } 12... fxe6 13. Be3 Nh5 14. g3 Nb6 15. Kg2 Bd7 { I was starting to feel that I'd nearly sortedout my problems at this stage... WRONG! } 16. a4 Be8 { The N needed a decentsquare to retreat to. I couldn't oppose the a-pawn with mine because theN would have been left undefended. Perhaps Rad8 would have been betterhere. } 17. Bc5 { Now this R is doomed. Move it to f7 and White's N attacksit, to f6 and my e5-pawn falls (perhaps not such a bad thing) or 18. Be7! } 17... Rf7 { I play along anyway. } 18. Ng5 Rf6 19. Be7 Bf7 { My position is becomingquite comical, all huddled up like the pigs in their little house, hidingfrom the Big Bad Wolf! } 20. a5 Nd7 21. Rfd1 Nf8 { even more so! Note that,as my R can't go anywhere, White leaves it be, choosing instead to imposemore torture, till he's got nothing better to do. } 22. Rd6 Re8 { and evenmore little piggies huddle together! } 23. Bd8 h6 24. Bxh5 gxh5 25. a6 { nowa new threat: the a-pawn will promote if I don't stop it. I have a choice:swap or advance my b-pawn, which would probably be followed by 26. Rd7(or maybe 26. Bxf6 followed by 27. Rd7) } 25... bxa6 26. Bxf6 hxg5 27. Bxg5 Rc8 28. Rxa6 Rc7 29. Rdxc6 Rb7 { trying to avoid unnecessary swapping when materialdown, but it makes no difference } 30. b3 Nh7 31. Be3 Nf6 32. Rxa7 Rxa7 33. Bxa7 { Now what can I do? In the absence of anything more constructive,I try to 'do nothing' while centralising my K and hoping that an opportunityto mobilise my Bs may arise. } 33... Kf8 34. Bc5+ Ke8 35. Rc7 Ng8 36. Nb5 Nh6 { missing the threat. } 37. Be7 { announcing mate in 2 } 37... Nf5 38. exf5 exf5 39. Nd6# 1-0

[Event "Challenging a stronger player #1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2020.12.13"] [Round "-"] [White "larryphoen"] [Black "ciastekx"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1915"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2136"] { This game is annotated with my thoughts as I was deciding on each andevery move. Annotations are unedited notes I took along the way. All commentsare most welcome. } 1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { At this point my knowledge of theoryended. The only thing I know is that I am heading for the Leningrad variation(g6, Bg7, 0-0). Against 3.g5 I planned 3...e6 with the Stonewall variation. } 3. g3 g6 4. c4 Bg7 { Before playing 4...Bg7 I checked if 5.Ng5 0-0 6.Qb3is safe for me (e.g., 6...d6 7.c5+ and if 7...Kh8 then 8.Nf7+ is winningfor white), but saw I can play 6...Qe8 and then 7...h6. } 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Nc3 d6 { I spent a lot of time on this move. I stand a bit worse, becausewhite has more space and freedom for his pieces. I'd like to play ...e5,but to prepare that I need ...Qe8, which however leaves the pawn c7 undefended.So I'll need to play ...Na6, but what then? I will also need to play ...c6to make space for the knight at c7. So, I played 6...d6 to prepare ...e5,but with 7...c6 in mind and then either ...Qe8 or first ...Na6 and then...Qe8. The only thing I need to watch out for is for example 7.0-0 c68.d5 and after 9.dxc6 Nxc6 my pawn on d6 is weak, but I freed my pieces,can play ...e5, so I decided this is the price I pay for playing an openingthat gives me counterattacking possibilities. I also thought for a whileabout a plan involving ...c6, ...d5, and ...e6, but then Ne5 would be toostrong, and if I capture it, recapturing pawn at e5 will completely hemin my g7 bishop. } 7. O-O c6 { As planned last move; I want to avoid 7...Qe88.Nb5. After 8.d5 I can play 8...e5 9.dxe6 Bxe6. If 8.c5 I plan 8...dxc59.dxc5 Qc7 and I like the resulting position: bishop g2 is biting on granite,I took away squares from the c3 knight, I can play ...e5, and have a squarefor my rook (d8). } 8. Bg5 Na6 { I did not expect 8.Bg5 and it confused me.It seems white only has a slight space advantage, but I could not decideon a good plan. I did not know what to do here. I was tempted by 8...Ne4,but after 9.Nxe4 fxe4 10.Nd2 d5 (10...Bxd4 11.Nxe4 loses, because white'spieces are more active) 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.Nb3 I cannot prevent f3, whichwill destroy my center, and white is better developed. I thought about8...Qe8, but then 9.d5 and I cannot play 9...e5, because after 10.dxe6Bxe6 I am no longer defending the d6 pawn. So I decided I will continuedeveloping pieces (planning Nc7). I also thought about 8...Nbd7, becauseif 9.d5 e5 10.dxe6 Nc5 regaining the pawn with a nice game. But if not9.d5, the knight only blocks the bishop c8. So 8...Na6 planning ...Nc7,even though this does not help me achieve ...e5. } 9. Qb3 Rb8 { I had noclue what to do. I calculated 9...Ne4 10.Nxe4 (I thought that after 10.c5+d5 I stand very well with the knight at e4) fxe4 11.Nd2, but did not findanything good this position. 11...d5 does not work anymore, and after 11...Bxd412.c5+ looks bleak for me. I thought about 9...Nc7, but my problem is thatI cannot move the c8 bishop (e.g., to answer 10.d6 with 10...e5, and after10...cxd5 11.cxd5 the f3 knight has the e4 square). I thought about 9...Qc7,but did not choose it because of 10.d5 cxd5 and again white knight getsthe e4 square plus the queen looks bad at c7. After 9...Rb8 I calculated10.c5 d5 and then either ...b6 or preparing ...e5, and against 10.d5 Iplanned 10...e5 11.dxc6 (11.dxe6 Bxe6 looks good for me) Qc7 12.cxb7 Rxb7and I think my pressure on the queenside compensates for the lost pawn. } 10. c5+ Kh8 { I thought about 10...d5 (as planned last move), but rejectedit for two reasons: first, white knight gets an outpost at e5 that I cannotattack down the e-file (and also white can play 11.Ne5 Nd7 12.f4); second,after 11.Bf4 I need to either move my rook away or get into the pin. After10...Kh8 I calculated 11.cxd6 exd6 (11...Qxd6? 12.Bf4) 12.Bf4 (12.d5 Nxd513.Nxd5 Be6 or even 12.d5 c5 and then I'd push the pawns down the queensidewith the help from my g7 bishop) Nh5 and I like the resulting position:I can generate some counterplay (open e file, open diagonal for the g7bishop, ability play the pawns on the queenside). Still, white has theadvantage, mainly because of the space advantage. } 11. cxd6 exd6 { 11...Qxd6does not work, so 11...exd6 was forced. } 12. e4 Qc7 { 12.e4 was a surpriseand I have to admit it's a strong move. My pieces lose coordination (the'cluster' on the queenside looks really bad). I need to break the pin onthe f6 knight, but I cannot afford to open up the position: 12...fxe4 13.Nxe4Qc7 and I was not not happy with the prospect of Re1 (threatening 15.Nxf6Bxf6 16.Bxf6+ Rxf6 17.Re8+ Kg7 18.Qg8+ and I am lost). I thought about12...Qe8, but was again worried about Re1. So I decided to play 12...Qc7calculating 13.e5 dxe5 14.dxe5 Ng4 and 15.e6 does not work after 15...Nc5attacking both the queen and the e6 pawn; 13.exd5 Bxf5; 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.e5dxe5 15.dxe5 Bxe5 16.Nxe5 Qxe5 and I am a pawn up, bishop g2 is not thatstrong, and I thought this position looks good. Now I felt that 9...Rb8was a terrible waste of time and I am paying for it. } 13. Rae1 Nxe4 { Icannot afford to let white play 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5, when I cannot stopthe e pawn, so capturing is obligatory. The question is how. I feel likemy position is worse, so it does not make sense to look for a 'saving'combination. I decided to play 13...Nxe4, because after 14.Nxe4 fxe4 15.Nd2(15.Rxe4 Bf5 and my game is worse, but maybe I'll get a chance to playRbe8 and exchange rooks, which will ease the pressure on me) d5 (exchangesacrifice) 16.Bf4 Rxf4 17.gxf4 Qxf4 and I have compensation for the lostexchange (plus the pawn at d4 is hanging). And if 13...fxe4 then after14.Nd2 I cannot play 14...d5, because after 15.Bf4 there is no ...Rxf4. } 14. Nxe4 fxe4 15. Rxe4 Bf5 { It's getting very dangerous. White not onlythreatens 16.Re7, but also 16.Be7 Re8 (16...Rg8 17.Ng5 is bad for me) 17.Ng5threatening smothered mate. I need to disentangle my queenside pieces toget my knight over to c7 and let the rook b8 into the game. To be ableto do that, the queen must move, but I cannot allow 16.Re7 Qd8, becauseof the bishop on g5. I thought about 15...Bd7, but then 16.Be7. Now I force16.Re7 and then my plan is to play 16...Qc8 (making space for Na6-c7-d5,cutting white's queen off and attacking e7). } 16. Re7 Qc8 { Only move. 16...Qd8loses after 17.Rxg7 when I lose my bishop. Now I was expecting 17.Bf4,when it's difficult to protect the pinned d pawn. If possible, I'd liketo play Nc7. } 17. Rfe1 Nc7 { I had the feeling that either white is lettingme off the hook or I am missing something. I thought rooks have nothingto look for on the e file, I can play ...Nd5 and ...Bf6 and am on a goodpath to disentangle my position. At any rate, I did not see anything betternthan 17...Nc7 (e.g., 17...Bf6 18.Bxf6+ Rxf6 19.Re8+ Qxe8 20.Rxe8+ Rxe821.Qxb7 and I lose a pawn, need to protect the a6 knight, and I have nocounterattack in sight). After 17...Nc7 I am afraid of 18.Bf4, but thenI plan 18...Qd8 (19.Bg5 Qc8) and then ...Nd5. } 18. Nh4 Bxd4 { I did notcare about the pawn, but about the f2 square, especially in connectionwith perhaps Qxf5 later on. I calculated that 19.Rxc7 Qxc7 20.Nxf5 Rxf5is safe (21.Bf6+ Rxf6; 21.Re8+ Rxe8). Now I am mostly afraid about thea1-h8 diagonal, so my f8 rook is key, and it's good to keep the bishopon that diagonal, too. So, probably the worst move for me is 19.Bf4, againstwhich I planned 19...Bc5 (and if 20.Bg5 Bd4). I would also like to play...Nc7-b5-d4 (my planned ...Nd5 does not work because of Bxd5). If whitedoes not play 19.Bf4 then maybe I will find a 'chance' combination involvingf2 and discovered check attacking white's queen on b3. } 19. Nf3 Bg7 { NowI finally understood white's idea. If now 19...Bc5 then I lose after 20.Qc3+.My black squares are very weak and I will likely lose. The only defenceI came up with was (after 20.Bh6, which I am expecting) 20...Bxh6 21.Qc3+Kg8 22.Ng5 Ne8! 23.Rxh7 (23.Nxh7 Bg7 and then ...Kxh7) Bg7 and I hope thissaves my game (I also plan ...d5 to cut off the queen from the g8 square).If 19...Bg7 does not work, then nothing else works (and I also calculated19...Nb5 20.a4!; 19...Be6 20.R1xe6 Nxe6 21.Rxe6 and I have the same problemplus the pawn at d6 is hanging). Maybe I should have played 18...Nb5 lastmove intending to capture d4 with the knight (I could have supported itwith ...c5). } 20. Rxg7 { I missed that move completely. Now it's all over.My black squares are hopelessly weak and I am getting mated: 20...K:g721.Re7+ Kh8 (21...Rf7 22.Qxf7+ Kh8 23.Qh8#) 22.Qc3+ Kg8 (interpositionis useless) 23.Qg8#. } 1-0

[Event "bloody queen : modern defense"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.10.11"] [Round "-"] [White "namaste3"] [Black "31415"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1219"] 1. e4 g6 { modern defnse dev } 2. d4 Bg7 3. c3 { blocking develpment of hisb1 knight } 3... c5 { moderne defense ready ! now every think start from here... } 4. d5 { i like this, i will try to dev ...d3...e5, some times it turns intoa kind of dutch } 4... d6 { fisrt.... } 5. Bd3 e5 { second ! i hve the positiona wanted. if black take e5, i tae back whith c8 bishop so i develop andbreak the white central pawn structure } 6. Ne2 { preparing f4 attack } 6... Ne7 { so am i ! } 7. O-O O-O 8. f4 { here we go ! } 8... Bg4 { first a prepare a bishopsacrifice (h3 Bxh3) risky but funy ! } 9. Qd2 { a free tempo for me, i willbe abble to achieve preparing the bishop sacrifice whith qh8 } 9... Qc8 10. Ng3 { h3 is not coming, so i will pressure him some more whith f5 } 10... f5 { of courseyou will say that if now h3, i wont be abble to take back whith the queen,but firstable i will take f5xe4 so he will have the choice to take my bihopand lose his one or give me one more tempo to be abble to Qxh3 } 11. h3 fxe4 12. Bxe4 { now i can take h3 } 12... Bxh3 13. gxh3 Qxh3 { here is the poisonedqueen ! and i have some good thinks to play : Nf5, f colon whit rook, g7bishop, e5xf4... there are a lot of things, there must be some good combination! } 14. Kf2 { trying to escape to safe side } 14... exf4 { opening the f colon treat } 15. Ne2 Qh2+ { preparng f4-f5 if Be4 go to g2 } 16. Ke1 f3 { just trying touse the rookand searching a way to mate } 17. Bxf3 { i'm missing some helplets bring the other knight ! } 17... Nd7 18. Rf2 { thisis poor } 18... Qh4 { pined ! } 19. Qg5 { good...but not enought ! : i will play Bf6! if he take the queen,i take it back whith the bishop and then i win the f2 whte rook. He couldgo on resisting, but then white resigns. } 19... Bf6 { the was not done but itseems to be enought for white. What do u think : whould you go on playingor was the game finished for whites ? } 0-1

[Event "Have faith in the g-file attack"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.12.18"] [Round "-"] [White "bozzoh"] [Black "chuckbo"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1996"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1903"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 6. c3 { I'm notconvinced that move's valuable. Seems like he's better off developing pieces.Unless he was worried about Qa5+. } 6... Bf5 7. Bc4 e6 { These are all standardmoves so far. This move blocks his bishop from my vulnerable f7 pawn, itmakes it harder for his pawn to move up to d6, and it gives mt KB a wayout. } 8. Qf3 Nd7 9. Ne2 h5 10. O-O Nb6 11. Bb3 Bg4 { I imagine his knightwants to go to g3 (or maybe f4). From g3, it makes my bishop move again,so I might as well move it now and force his queen to run around a little,too. Plus, that bishop is usually a difficult piece to deal with in thisopening for Black, so he's eventually going to get traded for that knighton e2, I predict. } 12. Qe4 Bd6 13. h3 f5 14. Qe3 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 Qf6 16. d5 { Wow, that's a really good move that causes me trouble, no matter whatI do. If I capture with the knight, he's going to play Qb5+ and have astrong attack. So it looks like cxd5. I think that he'll play Be3, threateningto take the knight and also threatening Be5. } 16... cxd5 17. Qb5+ Kf8 18. Be3 Rg8 { I feel like I keep getting into positions like this when I play thisdefense. White invades on the queenside and makes things very difficultfor me, but I end up with an overwhelming attack down the g-file (and h-filesometimes) if I stick with it. } 19. Bxb6 Qe5 { Here's my chance to get thequeen to a better square. I expect f4 to block the threat, and then I'llplay Qe4 to threaten Qxg2#. After that, I'll play axb6 with threats ofBxf4 and Bc5. } 20. f4 Qe4 21. Rf2 axb6 { The conditional move I left forhim here is Qxb6 Bxf4; Qxb7 Rb8. } 22. Qxb6 Bxf4 23. Qc5+ Kg7 { So he didn'twant the pawn. That's fine, I already wanted to get my king off of theback row so my rooks can be connected and also get it to the h-file soI still have rook threats on his king. He has to be very careful. I'vegot threats with Be3, but if he uses Rf3 to stop that, he has to worryabout Rxg2+ (after I move the king to h7 or h6 or even h8) and then theother rook comes over with a check. } 24. Rf3 Kh7 25. Raf1 Rg5 { Rxg2+ doesn'tseem to do any good as a sacrifice. So let's double the rooks first, andthen I can go down and take that pawn. } 26. Qe7 { I think his best defensewas to retreat to Qf2. } 26... Rag8 27. Kh1 R8g7 28. Qxg5 { I think that move finisheshim off. } 28... Rxg5 29. a4 Be3 30. Re1 f4 31. Bd1 Qb1 32. h4 Rg3 33. Rff1 Qxb2 34. Re2 Qxc3 35. Kh2 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.24"] [Round "-"] [White "tom2751"] [Black "reachforgold"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1156"] 1. e4 { this is goldmedal20. my old account is gone because my email gothacked and my computer died on me. I might be rusty since have not playedmunch chess since the computer started acting up. I am black and tom iswhite } 1... e5 { king pawn opening. } 2. Nc3 { next couple of moves we both wasbuilding minor pieces . } 2... Nc6 { building up my knights } 3. Nd5 { leadingthe way with his knight. one thing someone told me not to move minor piecespast your pawn eraly in the game. am I right? } 3... Bc5 { building up my bishop } 4. d3 { trying to gain control of the middle } 4... Nh6 { bad move on my part.you should never pat the knight to the end row } 5. Nf3 { has both knightsout } 5... O-O { castle king side } 6. Bxh6 { lost knight. must be out of myselfsince i have not played for a while. } 6... gxh6 { took minor piece } 7. c3 { movespawns } 7... Kh8 { moves king to safe spot. no double pawning } 8. d4 { what isit called when a piece could have a choose on taking 2 pieces? } 8... Bb6 { Iknew i could only save one piece } 9. dxe5 { double pawning } 9... d6 { tradeoffin pawns } 10. exd6 { takes pawn } 10... cxd6 { takes pawn } 11. Nxb6 { attacking withhis knight } 11... Rb8 { moves my rook to a safe spot } 12. Nxc8 { takes bishop } 12... Qxc8 { takes knight } 13. Qxd6 { attacking with queen } 13... Ra8 { moves rook tosafe spot } 14. Bb5 { putting on the heat } 14... a6 { moves pawn } 15. Bxc6 { lostall minor pieces } 15... bxc6 { takes bishop } 16. Qxh6 { takes pawn } 16... Rb8 { gets readyto move my major pieces out } 17. Ng5 { i am going loose soon } 17... Rxb2 { gotof get pieces out fast } 18. Rd1 { moves rook } 18... Rxa2 { bad move } 19. Qxh7# { check mate } 1-0

[Event "Team match - Cornered!!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "01-Mar-08"] [Round "-"] [White "gabriel442"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1551"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1507"] 1. e4 d5 { Hi, it's jstevens1 here yet again with another game to annotate. I am a new member of the Sneaky Knights Connection and have completed12 games so far and scored 7 points. This is one of the most nailbitinggames I have ever played in, although it does not quite measure up to theone against Yakky In 'In Old Matey's Shadow, Part 2'. However, for a fewmoves, it did look as though I might cop Old Matey. I will now start withmy first move as black. This is the first time on gameknot that I haveplayed the Scandinavian Defence - I guess I took some inspiration fromChrisobee - he played that opening against me in the annotated game 'SlowKing' and beat me with it so it can't be a bad opening. 1...... d5 (theCentre Counter or Scandinavian - to prevent white from totally controllingthe centre) } 2. Nc3 { 2. Nc3 (an unusual response to d5, normally whitetakes on d5), this is to control the centre with a knight) } 2... dxe4 3. Nxe4 { 3. Nxe4 (I decide to exchange pawns). After the exchange the knight comesto e4 and is attacked by the bishop and the knight then retreats to c3. } 3... Bf5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 { 6. ....... Be7 (both of us have beenbusily developing pieces and are now ready to castle which we do on move8. } 7. h3 h6 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 Nbd7 10. a3 a6 11. d3 Bd6 12. Be3 { 12. Be3(our development is now almost complete and over the next two moves itwill be) } 12... Re8 13. Qd2 Bf8 14. g4 Bh7 { 14......... Bh7 - the bishop is drivento h7 where he remains right up until the last move of the game!) } 15. Kh1 { 15. Kh1 - white is planning a pawn storm here supported by the possibilityof rooks doubling up on the g file, must watch out for this - fortunatelyfor me this plan will backfire on him later } 15... c6 16. Rg1 Nd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Ba2 { 18. Ba2 (over the last few moves one pair of knights has beenexchanged and the white bishop is driven back to a2. This will give blackserious headaches on this diagonal later in the game) } 18... Ne5 19. Qe2 Nxf3 20. Qxf3 Re6 { 20. ........ Re6 - another pair of knights is exchanged andthe rook goes to e6 preparing to either exchange queens or move over tog6 to counter the white rooks. Three moves later something interestingis about to happen ...... } 21. Rad1 Qf6 22. Qg2 Qxb2 { 22.......... Qxb2!?- is this a sac or an oversight - I cannot make up my mind. One thingfor sure, white is piling up on that g file! } 23. Bb3 Qxa3 { 23. ........Qxa3 - another white pawn bites the dust, what is white up to? } 24. Ra1 Qd6 25. Rad1 Qc7 { 25. ....... Qc7 - the queen hides away on c7, but itis a potentially useful diagonal leading through to h2. Now follows anexchange of pawns. } 26. c4 dxc4 27. Bxc4 Ree8 { 27. ........ Ree8 - therook is forced back to e8 now the a2 to g8 diagonal is opened - the f pawnis pinned so after an exchange of pawns on the g file my king moves toh8 which becomes more of a prison cell rather than a refuge as the gamewears on. } 28. g5 hxg5 29. Qxg5 Kh8 30. Bd4 { 30. Bd4 - white instantlytakes advantage of the situation - I block the diagonal with f6 but unfortunatelyopen up the h2-g8 diagonal next to the king. The king has no flight squaresand my bishop on h7 runs the risk of being pinned. The air is becomingfetid in his cell, Old Matey is peering through the ceiling, breathingdown me poor ole 'enry's (pet name for my king) neck, just waiting to pounceon g7 or h7. As Bart Simpson would say - 'I'm in trouble, deep, deep trouble!' } 30... f6 31. Qh5 Qf4 { 31......... Qf4 - this move saves the day, I think, thewhite dsb is en prise and he moves to e6 - the queen backs off to f5 -she can do this because although the bishop is pinned the queen is defendedbecause if QXQ the pin is released. White does exchange queens but ina way which gains a tempo and puts the white rook on g4, preparing a deadlyline up. } 32. Be3 Qf5 33. Qg4 Qxg4 34. Rxg4 b5 { 34. .......... b5 - I amthinking of putting a rook on my second rank to defend my broken castledposition so I create a haven square by moving up my b pawn where the rookshould be shielded from white's lsb. It also falls in with a maxim - passedpawns should be pushed (if safe to do so) } 35. Ba2 Rad8 { 35. ....... Rad8- this move prepares to put a rook on the 7th rank but also attacks theIQP. White now pins the bishop. I try and break the pin with g5 on move36. } 36. Rh4 g5 37. Rh5 { 37. Rh5 ?? - falls into the honeytrap, whitehas overreached himself! I know his plan, he is trying to pile up on mypoor lsb, well, he is in for a shock! } 37... Kg7 { 37. ........ Kg7 - you wouldnever believe that this quiet king move would lead to a rook being trapped,would you? } 38. Rg1 Bg6 { 38. ...... Bg6 - but it does! The 'hapless' lsbmoves off h2 and hammers the final nail in the rook's and my opponent'scoffin. White is well and truly cornered and he waves the white flag. Wheew! Don't I get involved in some nailbiters! } 0-1

[Event "[Tournament] The Bishop's Opening (About greedy queens and powerful f-files)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23.01.2013"] [Round "-"] [White "Sebastian Falbesoner"] [Black "Roman Kutschker"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1797"] [TimeControl "2h/40moves + 30min"] [WhiteElo "1732"] 1. e4 { 'Best by test.' -- Bobby Fischer } 1... e5 2. Bc4 { The bishop's game,my new beloved opening against open games for almost a year now. Whilethere's not tons of theory to learn, it's perfectly solid and playable,though not seen in top level chess anymore. After the usual 2. Nf3, Blackstill can choose between a variety of openings (...Nc6, ...Nf6, ...d6)where White has to be prepared. The bishop's opening often transposes toKing's Bishop's gambit (1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4), a very fun openingbut one that is, directly played, too dangerous for me in tournament play.Also there is an affinity to the Vienna game (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3). } 2... Nf6 { Theusual response called 'Berlin Defense', developing and attacking the pawn. } 3. d3 { Solid, simple. Interesting to mention here is the existence of thesharp Urusov gambit 3. d4. } 3... h6 { ?! preventing Bg5, but losing tempo fordevelopment } 4. Nc3 { Continuing to develop; I prefer Nc3 over Nf3 in thisposition as it keeps open a possible f4 pawn thrust (in the spirit of King'sGambit and the Vienna game). } 4... Bc5 { Completing king's side development andpreparing to castle. } 5. Be3 { !? Offering a bishop exchange with the ideaof opening the f-file (my favourite file ;-)) and strengthening the centrewith another pawn. } 5... Bxe3 { Interestingly enough, Black accepts the offer.I would have expected ...Bb6, himself offering an exchange again for openingthe a-file. } 6. fxe3 { I was happy with this position, though being awarethat the pawn e3 is a potential weakness -- for having an open file, that'sokay. } 6... d6 { Freeing the light-squared bishop. } 7. Nf3 { Completes piece development } 7... c6 { I was wondering why Black, already behind in development, is wastingtime with another pawn move. Not thinking further about it, I quickly... } 8. O-O { ...castled and herewith occupied the open file with the rook. } 8... Qb6 { Damn, I overlooked this simple double attack tactics which obviouslytries to win a pawn and already exploits the backwards pawn weakness! AsI am far ahead in development, it isn't that bad, but still a decisionhas to be made: Save the pawns or sacrifice one and continue with the ownplans? } 9. Qd2 { I decided for not caring about a lost pawn, as Black losesonly more time with this and even opens me another file. It isn't healthyto go for pawn-eating with the queen in the early development stage, isan important rule in chess, why should the opponent be able to break thisrule? The rooks are already connected and development is completed, ittakes Black at least three more moves to achieve this! The other optionwould have been Qc1 which defends both pawns, but then ...Ng4 Re1 resultsin a cramped position. } 9... Qxb2 { A critical position, now White has to bequick in pushing his agenda to not being left with a pawn less in the end! } 10. d4 { As all pieces have already good positions, it's time to crack upthe center. Rab1 before would have also been possible, is maybe even moreprecise. } 10... exd4 11. exd4 { Obviously, White wants to continue with e5, drivingaway the knight in turn to exploit the weak f7 point. } 11... Qb4 { Attacks mybishop and pins the knight -- though the pin can't be directly exploitedin this case (not even after castling), as ...Nxe4 Nxe4 results in a positionwhere the queen is defended. } 12. Bb3 { This bishop has reached it's dreamspot and will not move anymore for the rest of the game ;-) Bxf7+ was verytempting at this point, following with e5 and using the open f-file, butI wasn't sure if it would really work out. } 12... O-O { Finally, Black gets hisking into safety. } 13. Rab1 { Occupying the file with tempo, as this threatensthe simple Bxf7+ following a queen loss for white. } 13... Qa5 14. e5 { That seemedto be the only move that makes sense in this position, further openingup the centre. I'm not sure whether White really is better in this position,I guess with precise play Black can defend and catch up in development?! } 14... dxe5 { Take with pawn or knight, that is the question now... } 15. dxe5 { Ifound this move to be more dynamic (opens d-file and drives away the knight),though it creates a pawn structure weakness in form of an isolated pawn. } 15... Ng4 { Somehow I have overlooked that with this move, the pawn is hanging...the rook has to come to help } 16. Rbe1 { At this point, only at move 16,we both have already consumed approx. 1 hour of our time! Obviously, Whitewants to continue with h3, winning a piece. } 16... Be6 { The second move whichsurprised me, I overlooked that Black can simply enforce an exchange ofbishops! Now Bxe6 fxe6, h3 was the first tactic which came to my mind,but this doesn't work out since ...Rd8 drives my queen away and allowsmy knight on c3 to be taken. Instead I tried to prevent the exchange with... } 17. Re4 { ...this interesting move! If Black takes my bishop, I can simplytake the knight with the following threat of Qxh6. The second importantpurpose of this move is to make space for the queen to leave the d-file,where she can still defend the knight on c3 (on e1). } 17... Rd8 18. Qe1 { White'sthreat is now Bishop exchange, following Rxg4. } 18... Qb6+ { A check in-between,unexpected but not having any unpleasing consequences. } 19. Kh1 Bf5 { ?Black should definitely have taken my bishop here to get rid of one ofmy best pieces, incessantly eyeing the weak f7 point. } 20. Na4 { Drivingthe queen away from the a7/g1 diagonal, for preparing Rf4 without letting...Ne3 happen. Bxf7+! would have probably been stronger, following withNa4 if the king takes. } 20... Qa6 { Okay, after Rf4, ...Ne3 is still possiblenow, since a following Qxe3 would result in ...Qxf1+. But anyway, why notgiving away the Exchange for an awesome position? } 21. Rf4 Ne3 22. Qxe3 { Happily giving away the back-rank rook, knowing that I will soon get anotherpiece for it. } 22... Qxf1+ 23. Ng1 { The queen has to leave again, and the bishopis eaten on the next move, with huge pressure on f7. } 23... Qb5 24. Rxf5 Rf8 { This rook is doomed to passivity now. } 25. Qf2 { Increasing the pressureon the f-file and defending the rook, enabling the covered queen attacke6. } 25... Na6 26. e6 { Again, poor queen has to move. } 26... Qb4 27. exf7+ { This pawnis like a rock (if Black is not able to catch the bishop with the knightor wants to give away material) and will prove to be VERY useful in therest of the game. } 27... Kh8 28. Nb2 { The knight needs to get back into the game. } 28... Qc3 29. Nd3 Rad8 30. h3 { Not sure if this was really necessary already(I was worrying the queen check on a1), either Qxa7 or the fork threateningNe5 would have been stronger probably. } 30... Rd6 31. Ne5 { This should have happenedone move earlier! } 31... b6 { Black is worried about losing pawns... } 32. Ne2 { Getting the other knight into the action as well. } 32... Qa1+ 33. Kh2 g6 { Iwas truly shocked and paralysed by this move -- another one which I havecompletely overlooked! It looks as like White is losing a piece by forcenow: The rook is obviously attacked by the pawn and has to move along thef-file, but then this leaves the knight on e5 undefended and the queencan happily eat it. Already thinking about to resign, I luckily found thesaving move. } 34. Qg3 { That's funny: Black can't open the g-file now asthis would immediately result in a mate in two, through a quick queen-sacrifice-and-rebirth(Qg8+ Rxg8 fxg8=D#). The bishop is proving to be extremely effective forWhite, Black would have better exchanged it! } 34... Kh7 { Protects the pawn ong6 which is attacked twice by White now. } 35. Nf4 { Thrice! Notice thateating the rook is still not possible for Black. } 35... g5 { Trying to keep thefiles closed. At this point of the game we both had only a few minutesleft (before the 40 moves boundary) and had to move rather quickly. } 36. Nh5 { The safe way to play it -- the rook sacrifice Rxg5! had clearly tobe considered, as it looks like after ...hxg5, Qxg5 there is no way toavoid mate anymore for Black, but being in time pressure I wasn't 100%sure if it really works out, so I decided to move the knight. } 36... Rd1 { Blackgets up hist last resources and threatens mate. } 37. Nf6+ { Just tryingto get quickly closer to the 40 moves boundary with a forcing move... } 37... Kh8 38. Qf2 { The good-looking fork Ng6+ would indeed lose a piece: ...Kg7and after White notices that the mating thread is still present and opensup space for the king, Black eats the knight ...Kxg6 } 38... Rh1+ 39. Kg3 { Phew,only one move left and the time pressure is over, finally. } 39... Qc3+ 40. Nd3 Rd1 { Setting up a small trap. } 41. Ne4 { if Nd7, then ...Rxd3+ cxd3, Qxd3+following Qxd7 gets two pieces and a pawn for a rook (though still notbad for White I guess, positionally speaking) } 41... Qg7 { I wasn't sure how tocontinue now to convert this obviously promising position into a quickwin. Attacking the rook and repositioning the queen for a possible Qg4/Qh5couldn't hurt. } 42. Qf3 Rh1 43. Rf6 { With the idea of following with Qh5and hitting on h6. Another plan that came to my mind was getting the rookon e8 with Re5, however this can be easily prevented by Black with Nc7. } 43... Nc5 { (?) Black exchanges this defending piece and loses a pawn. } 44. Ndxc5 bxc5 45. Nxc5 { This knight now has two winning places to go: e6 and d7. } 45... g4 { !? Another move which I wasn't prepared of, attacking my queen. Lookslike it has to move away and Black then has a discovered check ...gxh3+,but again, like before in move 34, the rook doesn't need defence, as thequeen-sac-and-rebirth trick is still going on on g7. So I can offer toexchange queens. } 46. Qxg4 Qxg4+ 47. Kxg4 { Having this clear advantagein material (2 pawns and 2 pieces for a rook), plus a passed pawn on the7th rank which can't be eliminated without further loss of material, Whiteswin is ensured. } 47... Kg7 48. Rxc6 { And Black resigned. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from erreve"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2022.03.03"] [Round "-"] [White "mousehound"] [Black "erreve"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1753"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1288"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 Nc6 4. e3 e6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. O-O O-O 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 Nh5 10. Bg3 Nxg3 11. fxg3 { Pawn's climbed twice } 11... f6 12. Bd3 e5 13. Qb1 e4 { Win one piece } 14. Nh4 exd3 15. cxd3 Ne7 16. Qd1 Qe8 { Focusing on a4 square } 17. Re1 g5 18. Qg4 { A free gift... } 18... Bxg4 19. Nf3 Qh5 20. h3 { Now just a matter of tramit } 20... Bxf3 21. gxf3 Qxh3 22. Kf2 Qh2+ { Job is done. } 0-1

[Event "35th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "31-Mar-07"] [Round "-"] [White "afonsoz"] [Black "noibody"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1264"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1206"] 1. e4 { Here's a game I played in the first round of the Casual sectionin the 35th Tournament. I already had four points, and my opponent hadtwo wins and no losses. So this game decided who passed to the next round,and it has a lot of pressure. I started with this common move. } 1... e6 { TheFrench Defense. It requires a long and precise defense... If Black doesn'tplay accurately, White will soon have the initiative. } 2. d4 { White triesto claim the center. } 2... a5 { ?? A bad move and an outright loss of tempo.Blunder. } 3. Nf3 h6 { ? A prophilactic move,since it prevents Ng5, but withno sense of opportunity. Black should develop his pieces first. } 4. Bc4 { (?) The ' Italian' development of the Bishop. I later realized this wasa bad square for the clerk. } 4... d5 { ! White necessarily loses tempo. Thisopening principle is valid in this situation : one should develop Knightsbefore Bishops. This move would have lost his power with Nc3. } 5. exd5 exd5 6. Bd3 f6 { ? A move that weakens Black's Kingside and stops ... 0-0. } 7. O-O { Natural. } 7... Nc6 8. Re1+ Nge7 { The Knight is now pinned. } 9. Bb5 { Another piece gets pinned. } 9... Qd6 { ? } 10. Nc3 h5 { ? } 11. h3 { White doesn'twant a minority attack on his rock. } 11... g6 12. Nh4 { Notice that this moveis possible because Black's Kingside is full of holes. } 12... Bg7 { ?? It wouldhave been better Rg8, to defend the g-pawn. } 13. Nxg6 { The multiple pinsstart to pay off, because Black can't capture with ... Nxg6. } 13... Rh7 14. Nxe7 { !! A grand move. The second pin pays dividends, because Black can't recapturethe Knight with his own Knight and won't trade his Queen for the Rook andthe Knight. } 14... Bd7 15. Nc8+ { !! the move that forces the Queen to be tradedfor one Rook. } 15... Qe6 16. Rxe6+ Bxe6 17. Qe2 Rxc8 18. Qxe6+ { !! } 18... Kd8 19. Nxd5 Bf8 { The other option was Bh8 } 20. Qxf6+ Kd7 21. Qf5+ { !! } 21... Kd8 22. Qxh7 Ke8 23. Nf6+ { And now, the coup de gr�ce. } 23... Kd8 24. Qd7# { Checkmate. } 1-0

[Event "Love to Run XV"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.25"] [Round "-"] [White "ahmadov"] [Black "chemist89"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1964"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1656"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. O-O g6 { A slow system for White. } 6. Bb5 { ?! Losing a tempo for a pin over Queenside Knight. } 6... Bg7 7. Re1 O-O 8. Bxc6 { Obviously, if White doesn't take now, it could have no otherpossibilities since now the Knight isn't pinned anymore. } 8... bxc6 9. e5 Nd5 10. exd6 exd6 11. Nxd5 cxd5 { Personally, I'd prefer Black here. He hasa better center and a stronger dark-squared Bishop, along with the Bishoppair. } 12. c3 Bg4 { Weakening White's control of the d4 square. } 13. d4 { Anyway! } 13... cxd4 14. cxd4 Qb6 { Threatening Bxf3 and Qxd4 or Bxd4. } 15. h3 { This move doesn't necessarily lose a pawn, but forces some exchanges thatstrenghten Black's fianchettoed Bishop. } 15... Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxd4 17. Rd1 Qe4 18. Qxe4 dxe4 19. Rxd6 Rfd8 20. Bf4 { ? Losing a pawn for no compensation. } 20... Rxd6 21. Bxd6 Bxb2 22. Rb1 Bf6 { With the plan Bf6-d8-b6. } 23. a4 Bd8 24. Kf1 Bb6 25. Ke2 Rd8 26. Bb4 { Threatening a5. } 26... Rd5 27. Rc1 f5 { Eliminatingany mating threats against my King. } 28. g3 Rd4 29. Rb1 Rc4 { With the Rc2threat, gaining decisive material. } 30. a5 Bd4 31. Bd2 { ? Allowing a self-pinthat is more dangerous than useful. } 31... Rc2 32. Rc1 Ra2 { !? Not allowing Whiteto simplify. } 33. Rc8+ Kg7 34. Rc7+ Kf6 35. Rxh7 { That pawn will turn outto place the Rook too far from the King, but other moves weren't so betterfor White. } 35... Bc3 36. Rd7 Ke6 37. Rd8 Bxa5 38. Rd4 Rxd2+ 39. Rxd2 Bxd2 40. Kxd2 { Simplifying into a won pawn endgame. } 40... f4 41. h4 fxg3 42. fxg3 Kf5 0-1

[Event "33rd GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "22-Nov-06"] [Round "-"] [White "ethansiegel"] [Black "megarex"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1429"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1790"] { This is a nice example of the dangers in moving the same piece(s) toomany times in the opening. Black goes down on material early and losesthe game soon after. } 1. e4 { Standard white opening. } 1... c6 { Caro-Kann defense,where 2. d5 will challenge the strong white center. } 2. d4 Na6 { ? Thismove develops the knight to a bad square and ignores the center. I canunderstand that when playing someone rated higher than you, you want totake him into unfamiliar territory, but it has to be SOUND unfamiliar territory. } 3. Nf3 { Simple development. } 3... Nf6 { ?! This move looks like simple development,but without having moved either center pawn, white can chase the knightall day. } 4. e5 { ...and so I do. } 4... Nd5 { The most logical follow up. } 5. c4 { White now has a big pawn center, and black had to retreat the knightto either b6 or c7 to preserve material equality. } 5... Qa5+ { ? A bad movewhich loses a piece. Black clearly wants to play Nb4. He couldn't havedone that this move, because a3 wins a knight, but as you'll see... } 6. Bd2 { This forces Nd-b4 anyway (or else white just plays cxd5, a piece up),and white wins a piece nonetheless. } 6... Ndb4 7. a3 { You might think whitedoesn't win a piece, because axb4 is met by Qxa1, but the threat is toeither exchange the Na6 or force it to move, and then play Bxb4. } 7... e6 { Blackdefends the Nb4, but this is easily countered by... } 8. c5 { ! Cementingthe win of the knight, as white can play Bxa6, exchanging the knight, followedby Bxb4. Black is busted. } 8... Bxc5 { Lashing out in desperation? } 9. dxc5 { Happy to pick up a bishop for my troubles... } 9... Nd3+ { ? I expected blackto try to take on c5 here, to get some compensation, but this move is particularlybad. } 10. Bxd3 { Because... now I have some pieces in place for a kingsideattack, and black has no way to defend the kingside. } 10... Qxc5 { Why not graba pawn for your troubles? } 11. Nc3 { There could have been a faster wayto attack the kingside, but black helps me out by neglecting the threat. The more obvious threat is Ne4, hitting the queen. } 11... Qb6 { Looking to grabthe b2 pawn, perhaps? I'm going to play Ne4 anyway, though, as the queenisn't my objective here. } 12. Ne4 { Now Nd6 looks nasty, but I have no desireto exchange my beautiful knight for his beastly bishop. } 12... O-O { ?? If everthere was an example of castling into it... yeesh. } 13. O-O { ?! Not soefficient on my part. Although I wind up doing just fine, I should'vejust pressed ahead with the attack. Still, it can't be TOO bad to shoreup your own king's protection before pressing ahead with your attack? } 13... Nc7 { Too slow, but I'm not sure there is a good defense at this point. } 14. Nfg5 { ! Good move, forcing weaknesses in the black kingside. } 14... Nd5 { ? Missing the point. Black should've moved a kingside pawn to try todefend. White has a lot of threats now, like Qh5 threatening mate, butI wanted something more forcing. } 15. Nxh7 { ! Alright, maybe it doesn'tdeserve an exclam, but it sets up the beautiful 16th move for white. } 15... Kxh7 { ...with a little help from black. Black could've held out longer (slightly)by not taking. } 16. Nf6+ { !! Double check. Black has no choice but tomove the king back to h8, which is met by Qh5#. Interestingly enough,despite losing this game, megarex currently has the advantage against mein our other game! } 16... Kh8 17. Qh5# { 1-0. A nice lesson on the dangers ofneglecting your development -- minors before majors! } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.12.28"] [Round "-"] [White "skitter"] [Black "eforsyth"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1484"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1497"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Bc4 Nxf3+ 5. Qxf3 Nf6 6. d3 h6 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Bd2 d6 9. O-O Bg4 10. Qe3 Bc5 11. Qe1 Qd7 12. Be3 Bxe3 { Now, 13.fxe3seems to be strong. 1) Doubled pawns could be only a problem when someoneattack them (only in that situation are weak). 2) All the pawn's structurecould be 'compensated' with the enough activity of pieces. Doubled pawns,by definition, open columns, so rooks are a clear happy pieces then! 3)F column will be the only open column on the board. So, black's rooks arenot so actives, and pression on f7 pawn (Bc4 + Rf2-Rf1 -doubling-) is hard. 4) Otherwise, white's queen will have a nice mission, on g3 or h4 squares,putting even more pressure on Nf6. So, idea interesting --> fxe3, seewhere black castle and preparing a kingside or queenside attack, Qg3 (h4),Rf2 and Raf1. } 13. Qxe3 O-O { Ok, what make now? * Key in chess - thesoul - are pawns! So, finding rupture points - crashes - with pawns, opendiagonals and columns, improving activity of pieces. Nc3 and Bc4 are activeand centralised. But rooks are not so happy... :( So, f2-f4 advance willopen f column and, after this, Rf2, Raf1 and so on, will touch all thekingside. Black will be in danger, and probably will close Bc4 with a futured6-d5 (Be6, etc.) will be the best option. But then Rxf6, Qxh6, Rf3-g3appears... uff! :-) } 14. Ne2 { This maneuver is good - about all - withf-column open, increasing pression after Ng3-f5. } 14... b5 15. Bb3 d5 { Ok, thinkingabout this move, I wonder myself if take on d5 and after on e5 is possible...because after 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.Qxe5, black's Nd5 is touched. } 16. f3 Be6 { Maybe now 17.f4, trying to done play to Rf1, could achieve an interestingactivity. } 17. c3 a5 18. d4 { Sharp, provoking a little chaos. I think isgood, but maybe with an other idea... :) } 18... exd4 { Now 19.cxd4 is the idea,trying e4-e5. If black takes on e4 white continues with fxe4, even 'forgotting'Bb3 could be taken : 19.cxd4 dxe4 20.fxe4 Bxb3 21.axb3. Next moves areNg3-f5 (or Rxf6 directly, trying Qxh6 and Nf5) and white's initiative isthere... or I think so! } 19. Nxd4 { Knight will be not very stable here... } 19... a4 { Maybe first 20.exd5 is something better, I don't know } 20. Bc2 a3 { Now 21.e5 takes attention, so we must to make a 'tree' of possibilities... This type of pawns in the fifth row, 'cut' in two sides the board, andit's difficult to transfer the pieces if one attack is generated... I'mseeing it (Jorge) a lot of times in tournament games, so: 21.e5 axb2 andnow we must calculate a) 22.exf6 bxa1=Q 23.Rxa1 Black's castle pawns don'tbe touched - by Qd3! reply - but unfortunately something like 23... Rfe824.fxg7 Kxg7 25.Qd3 - trying Qh7+ is confronted by 25... f5! b) 22.Rab1is a simple solution, with an attack if, for example, game goes 22...c523.exf6 cxd4 24.cxd4 So, } 21. b3 c5 { A critical moment! To see all ourpossible moves is essential at these situations! So, we have: To savethe knight: 1) 22.Nxe6 and after Qxe6 23.e5 is possible 2) 22.Nf5, as inthe game 3) 22.Ne2, with some 'peace' in the board Create other menaces:4) 22.exd5 and if 22...cxd4 23.dxe6, and both queens have pawns to saythem hello :) 5) 22.e5 don't lose anything, because 22.. cxd4 23.Qd3! andNf6 must remain in his square, or Qh7 will be a terrific checkmate... All 1), 3), 4) or 5) seems to be correct, but it not easy to calculatethem... } 22. Nf5 { Black could now take on f5, I think: 22...Bxf5 23.exf5,and black pawns are fine after Rac8 or c5-c4, trying Rfe8. } 22... d4 { Reallya good move, too! If 23.cxd4 Bxf5 24.exf5 cxd4 25.Qd2 Rac8, and d4 pawnoffers a good support for black's knight on c3 and e3, after a future Nd5. Maybe 23.Nxh6+ gxh6 24.Qxh6 could give any chances... } 23. Qf2 d3 { 24.Rad1is best here, but 24... c4 is strong, securing d3 pawn. } 24. Bb1 { Now,24... Bxf5 is strong and 25.exf5 c4. After this Bb1 and Ra1 are out ofplay... so game is decided. } 24... c4 { 25.Nd4, trying Rd1 and Bxd3 will givedone any saving possibilities, maybe. } 25. Qg3 Bxf5 26. exf5 Qxf5 { Blackadvantage is decisive. } 27. Qc7 Nd5 28. Qc5 Qe5 29. Bxd3 cxd3 30. c4 bxc4 31. bxc4 Qe3+ 32. Qxe3 Nxe3 33. Rf2 Nxc4 34. h3 Rfe8 35. f4 d2 36. Rd1 Re1+ 37. Rf1 Rxd1 38. Rxd1 Rd8 39. Kf2 Nb2 0-1

[Event "Tutorial Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Aug-18"] [Round "-"] [White "goldmedal10"] [Black "boredqueen"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "908"] [TimeControl "7 days"] [WhiteElo "619"] { This was the latest (to date) game by the player of the White pieces. She is learning, and at present on a losing streak. Apart from stillhaving to shed the tendency to leave pieces and pawns hanging, I thoughtI would use this game to inquire more closely into the way she plays. In fact, with the occasional question mark, White is well in the game untilher 15th move. At that point she even had a deadly shot that might wellhave ended the game at once. Instead, it all went turnip-shaped within2 more moves. } 1. d3 { An unassuming beginning - almost shy - but it isalso non-committal and flexible. Nothing wrong with this. } 1... e6 { Equallycagey. Black frees diagonals for Q and B to develop. } 2. Nf3 { Good development. } 2... Bc5 { Brings the bishop to a 'natural' square, eyeing f2, Not that f2 isin any danger yet, but White could poke the bishop in the eye with 3.d4,forcing it to move again. White would not need to worry about 3...Bb4chas 4.c3 to block the check would be good and solid. } 3. e3 { Creating a'small centre'. Blocks the bishop's line to f2, and frees the King's bishopto develop to e2, if White so wishes. I prefer 3.d4, but this is fine. } 3... Qf6 { Suddenly Black shows ambition! She hasn't given up hope that an opportunitymight yet develop against f2, and there is also a chance that somethinginteresting might appear on b2. Ironically, Black was later to overlooka very real chance at f2, and the b2-square ought to have proved fatalfor her. You'll just have to wait and see... But seriously, Black wouldhave been better off (objectively speaking) developing a knight to f6 instead. } 4. Be2 { OK: consistent. } 4... d5 { Staking a bigger claim on the centre. Goodplay. Having set up the Q-B lines against f2, Black doesn't press thematter, but reverts to developing sensibly. Note that Black had plentyof good moves available: ...d5 was one of them. } 5. Bd2 { Now, I doubt Whitehad seen through the implications of this development; but if she did,it was very clever of her. Now the b2-pawn is left unprotected, and Blackmight well have said to herself: 'Ooo, yummy: free pawn!' and played 5...Qxb2,with the tasty prospect of winning the a1-rook. fen='rnb1k1nr/ppp2ppp/4p3/2bp4/8/3PPN2/PqPBBPPP/RN1QK2Rw KQkq -' But White would have had a counter-attack ready: 6.Bc3!! ...The bishop attacks the queen and THROUGH THE QUEEN protected the rook. After 6...Qb6, say, then comes 7.Bxg7 ... and 8.Bxh8 and it is White whowins a rook. In fact, Black would probably be better off exchanging Queenfor Rook and hope to save the game. To recap: 5...Qxb2?? 6.Bc3 Qxa1 7.Bxa1... and White is the major exchange ahead. Not for nothing is the b2-pawncalled the 'poisoned pawn'! } 5... d4 { Rightly passing up the b2-bait. But thismove isn't very good either. Although it has as many defenders (bishopand queen) as White has attackers against it (pawn and knight), that pawnis not safe at all. Black would have been much better advised to moveone of her undeveloped minor pieces. } 6. exd4 { Well played! White winsa pawn. Perfectly OK and safe would have been 6.e4, but in my view thiscapture is best. See next note. } 6... Bb6 { Quite rightly Black leaves the d-pawnstrictly alone. Had she recaptured, a bit of a melee might have developed:6...Bxd4 7.Nxd4 Qxd4 8.Bc3! ... (attacking the queen, and through the queen[this is called a skewer] attacks the g7-pawn [and the h8-rook behind it]as well. Black has but one good move to deal with this;) 8...Qd5! (Now,if White plays 9.Bxg7, Black goes 9...Qxg2! attacking White's rook andg7-bishop both. White COULD press on with this line, but would probablybe better to cut out here, BEFORE Black gets to play ...Qxg2:) 9.Bf3! Qg4(Guards g7) 10.h4 Qg6 with a fine game for White. fen='rnb1k1nr/ppp2ppp/4p1q1/8/7P/2BP1B2/PPP2PP1/RN1QK2Rw KQkq -' } 7. Nc3 { Developing the last minor piece. White is doing great,here: development almost complete, well centralised, solid position, apawn ahead. Could it be objected that Black could now snitch the d-pawn? Actually no: 7...Bxd4 8.Ne4! - By attacking the bishop's sole protector,the knight drives away the queen, leaving the bishop to be taken for nothing. Black's best option then would be to 'sell' the bishop for what it willfetch: 8...Bxf2ch 9.Kxf2 - and Black then has time to save the queen. } 7... e5 { Not a good move, as Black should lose a second pawn for nothing. PossiblyBlack is trying to open the lines against f2. } 8. dxe5 { The better capture,as after 8.Nxe5 Bxd4 9.Nf3 ... White remains just one pawn ahead. NowWhite is two pawns to the good, has a powerful centre, and Black is forcedto spend time attending to her queen. } 8... Qc6 9. Ng5 { This is where Whitestarts to go wrong, I think. It is understandable that with developmentcomplete, White wants to set up a plan. Did she have a trap in mind? 9...Qxg2(??)10.Bf3, winning the Queen? It doesn't work, for then comes 10...Qxf2 Checkmate! I think I would have preferred to castle or play 9.d4. Sothis knight move looks like a mistake. } 9... Qc5 { Threatens checkmate, but,much stronger would have been 9...Qxg2, attacking the rook on h1 and threateningmate on f2. White's only defence would have been 10.Rf1, saving the rookand defending f2. Fortunately the g5-knight is defended already. ButBlack would have equalised the game. } 10. Na4 { ?? I can see the idea here- and the motif (attacking Q and B lined up in this way) is a very familiarone. But White has overlooked something terminal - 10...Qxf2#! Much,much stronger would have been simply to castle, and if Black were to takethe e-pawn (10.0-0 Qxe5), White has a tremendous tactical shot: 11.Bg4!! It has to be admitted, this one's a bit more arcane, but leaving thataside, White would be well on top. The simpler 11.Re1 comes more easilyto mind, would be almost as strong, with nasty threats down the e-file. } 10... Qd5 { Having set up the checkmate - at such great risk, too - why did Blacknot play it? 10...Qxf2#. No further comment needed here! } 11. Bf3 { OK,but the simplest would have been to end all further threats against f2by 11.Nxb6. Castling was a very good alternative. } 11... Qxe5+ { This is veryannoying for White, not so much the loss of the pawn (that has compensationsin the open e-file), but the check is a real nuisance. It is hard to knowhow best to deal with it. Probably best is 11.Kf1, but who would thinkof that? Offering the exchange of queens is also unattractive in the circumstances,but is probably the second best move! Moving the bishop back to e2 hardlycomes into consideration, as it has just moved away from there. So weare left with interposing on e4. And THAT has problems of its own as wewill discover. } 12. Ne4 { Understandable, but this (and Be4 would have sufferedthe same) has a downside. The knight is left pinned, the bad part beingthat Black has ...f5, attacking the immobilised knight. This would befar from fatal, though, as White has such a lead in development, she couldprobably sustain the loss and still have an advantage. See next note. } 12... Qb5 { Disdaining to attack the pinned knight by 12...f5. What might havehappened, then? The knight would certainly have been lost, but not withoutcompensation: 12...f5 13.Bc3 ... (Counter-attacking the Queen, and eyeingg7, as well. Instead, castling [13.0-0] would have been pretty good aswell) 13...Qe7 (Keeps the pin on the knight, and protects g7 as well.)14.0-0 fxe4 (Well, there goes the knight, but 15.Re1! ... And now Whitepins the e-pawn against the Black royal family! Were Black to try anddefend by 15...Bf5, fen='rn2k1nr/ppp1q1pp/1b6/5b2/N3p3/2BP1B2/PPP2PPP/R2QR1K1w kq -', 16.Bxe4!! would be deadly (better than taking with the pawn, asWhite wants the e-file open for her rooks). } 13. Nac3 { Reasonable, again,but it does leave the b2-pawn open to capture. As it happens, this isOK, but only if you can figure WHY its OK. I might well have played 13.Nxb6here as the simplest idea. But there was a good alternative in 13.c4,attacking the queen, at the same time protecting the knight with White'sown queen. This is an easily overlooked motif to defend a knight on a4(or, in Black's case, a knight on a5). } 13... Qb4 { I have to admit, I can'tfigure what Black had in mind for this move. What might have happenedhad she taken the b-pawn? Well, White's simplest course would be to chasethe Queen out with Rb1 (13...Qxb2, 14.Rb1 Qa3 15.0-0), with a fine game. Instead, 14.Nd5 would leave Black in all sorts of strife, but it is awhole deal more complicated and harder to calculate. If you keep thingssimple and straight-forward you should be good. } 14. a3 { A nice wee trap- if it were a trap, but there were better moves, such as castling (recommended)or 14.Nd5. } 14... Qxb2 { As it turms out, this is a terrible mistake that shouldhave lost Black her queen. As I have mentioned before, not for nothingis the b2-pawn called 'the poisoned pawn'. I don't know how many are thevictims I have hauled in who were careless enough to snatch my b2-pawn! I've lost count. Sometimes the poison takes a few moves to take effect,but here it is a fast-acting agent... } 15. Nb1 { It is hard to figure outwhat White was thinking here, particularly when one looks ahead to herfollowing moves. This knight retreat is bad, not because it loses (itshould NOT lose, actually), but because the best move is so good: 15.Ra2! Where could the Queen have moved? Black would have had to cut her lossesby 15...Qxa2 16.Nxa2 and go down the major exchange, queen for rook. Butnow, White's rook is 'en prise'... } 15... Qxa1 { I did say White's last move wasn'tfatally losing, didn't I? That is true. In fact, just possibly Blackmight have been better off leaving the rook alone, and played 15...Qe5. Just... possibly. } 16. Qe2 { This really is a terrible move, when therewas so much left to play for. I think I can see the motivation for thismistake, though, as with it, White is threatening checkmate in two moves!(17.Nf6ch K-moves 18.Qe8#). But that overlooks the disaster to White'sback rank. Had White been castled already, this might have been a greatmove. But White did have something better, that would have retained asmall edge: 16.Bc3! Qa2 17.Bxg7 ... and White would have got her rook back! } 16... Qxb1+ 17. Bc1 { White played this move, then resigned. She realisedthat she would still have to interpose with her queen, and that would havebeen the end of her counter-play in the e-file. White had so much goingfor her in this game (apart from the overlooked checkmate at move 10):fine, quick development, solid, centralised position, more space, gainsin time here and there some good decisions - all spoilt by a miscalculatedcounter-attack at the close. } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Aug-07"] [Round "-"] [White "topazg"] [Black "bloedeter"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1531"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1531"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 { Always an interesting line! } 4... d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 { Normal here is 5... Na5 I think (6. Bb5 c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2),but this is fun and sharp, with a lot of potential traps for black to fallinto. } 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Qf6 8. Bxd5+ { Maybe Qxd5 is better? (8...Be6 Qd7 ) } 8... Be6 9. Bxe6+ Kxe6 10. Qxf6+ Kxf6 11. c3 { I actually prefer blackall of a sudden. One pawn in material and an isolated black pawn seemsto be little consolation for such advanced black development. c3 was toprevent Nb4 or Nd4 and the risk of a pawn fork. I could not see a strongmove here for white... } 11... Bc5 12. b4 { Primarily to allow bishop development,but it leaves the d pawn very weak if I move the bishop. } 12... Bb6 13. O-O Rhe8 14. d3 { I was panicking here -- I think a4 would have been better, as Ra2is then a possibility. } 14... Rad8 15. Rd1 e4 16. d4 Nxd4 { Cunning. 17.cxd4 leadsto Rxd4 18. Rxd4 Bxd4 losing the a1 rook -- not capturing the rook leavesthe mate threat. Perhaps 17.cxd4 Rxd4 18. Re1 would have worked? } 17. Nd2 Ne2+ 18. Kf1 { Very low on defence here, but after 18... Nxc1 19. Raxc1e3 20. fxe3 the knight has better chances of being released. } 18... Nf4 { A getout of jail free clause! I'm guessing black was relying on the threat of19... e3, thinking it was safe from Nxe4 due to the Rxd1# threat. However,the king on f6 makes it possible! } 19. Nxe4+ { I now have a pawn advantageand can start exchanging material. Black definitely had the upper handpositionally for quite some time in this game, and hopefully it is nowcloser to level. } 19... Kf5 20. Ng3+ Kg4 { Aside from the mate threat, I cannotunderstand this move... } 21. Bxf4 { This was following up my intent to swapmaterial and do something with the remaining extra pawn. However, I thinkthis is a blunder. 21.f3 Kg5 22. h4! seems to win the knight for a pawn...never mind! Now expecting 21... Kxf4 22. Nh5 winning the g7 pawn. } 21... Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Kxf4 23. Nh5+ Kg5 { Aha, cunning, looking at 24. Nxg7 there isclearly a trap being prepared with 24... Re7. Initially the pawn now lookssafe, but there is still 25. Rd5 to consider, giving the knight two safesquares to run to - Has to be worth a shot whilst e1 and e2 are safe fromthe black rook. } 24. Nxg7 Re7 25. Rd5+ Kg6 26. Nf5 Rf7 { Hmm, aiming forRxf2 I think. Need to keep the pawn defended whilst retaining the initiative. } 27. Nh4+ Kg7 28. f3 { The only choice I think to preserve the pawn. I don'tlike white's exposure to the bishop and rook, but with a two pawn advantagethings are looking quite good at this stage. } 28... c6 29. Rd2 { Rd8 is not possible,so holding onto the file whilst defending seemed logical -- very passivemove though. } 29... Rf4 { Cunning, can't move the knight, have to play a pawn-- pawn structure will be a shambles now. } 30. g3 Rc4 31. Rd3 { FortunatelyI can play this whilst remaining on the white squares, away from the highlyactive black bishop. } 31... c5 32. bxc5 Bxc5 { Helps the bishop maintain activity,and totally isolates the c3 pawn (on a black square unfortunately :( ) - it would be nice to get rid of the bishop, which is the only realcurrent thorn in white's gameplan now as it covers so much of the board. } 33. Nf5+ { Playing to reactivate the knight. I would like to play Nd6 toget the knight off the board. Sadly it will cost the c3 pawn though andthat's too big a sacrifice for me with a Rook-Rook ending, despite my passedf pawn. } 33... Kg6 { Ah, this is useful, now Nd6 works. } 34. Nd6 { After the bishopcaptures (forced because of loss of pawn or rook), Rxd6 is now check,allowing me to get back and defend my pawn. } 34... Bxd6 35. Rxd6+ Kg5 36. Rd3 { This seems much better for white now, I still need to make use of my king,but the passed pawn should prove very powerful. } 36... Ra4 37. Rd2 { Getting therook to C2 to defend both pawns. } 37... Ra3 38. Rc2 Kg6 39. Ke2 Kf5 40. Ke3 { Activatingmy king - now to try and take advantage of the two extra pawns. } 40... Ke5 41. h3 Kf5 42. h4 { 41. g4 Kg5 prevents 42. h4, so I play this first, as allthe squares are now inaccessible to the king. 42... h5 I can play Kd3 andaim for Re2 and force the king away. } 42... Kg6 43. g4 b5 44. Kf4 { Deciding toforce my way through with the King } 44... Ra4+ 45. Ke5 h6 46. Rd2 { Aiming toplay the check and keep the pawns running. } 46... Ra3 47. Rd6+ Kg7 48. Rd7+ Kg6 49. h5+ { Everything starts falling apart. This was such a poor move. Muchbetter was accepting the mistake of Rd7 , returning to Rd6 and push theg pawn. } 49... Kg5 50. Rg7+ Kh4 51. Rc7 { Now I return to defending, and havesome serious difficulties as the black a pawn is now passed. } 51... Rxa2 52. Kf5 { Again, I think Rc6 would have been much better - this is probablythe game losing move. } 52... Kg3 53. f4 Rf2 54. Rf7 Rxf4+ 55. Kg6 Rxf7 56. Kxf7 a5 { I misread this -- I thought I was a move ahead playing Kg6, Kxh6 andKg6 again, which is bizarre as I think the calculations were two movesout. Sometimes greed gets the better of me :) Top marks to bloedeterfor finishing the game so solidly. Game annotation for team benefit -- } *

[Event "A Close Shave"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.27"] [Round "-"] [White "rjacobs"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1771"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1559"] 1. d4 { Hi everyone! This was an interesting game with a material imbalancewhich Bob kicks off with 1. d4. Bob had a R + Piece + Pawn for Glenda. My opponent's material balance so nearly worked in his favour. At theend Bob's rook, two minor pieces and a pawn were swarming around Henry. It looked as though I was going to cop Old Matey, but wait, what aboutGlenda? Well ....... read on ..... } 1... b5 { 1....... b5 - I try the unusual. } 2. e4 Bb7 3. Bd3 a6 { 3...... a6 - all on the wing! } 4. Bg5 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 { 5. ....... Bg7 - double fianchetto. } 6. O-O c5 7. c3 Qb6 8. Nbd2 d6 9. d5 { 9. d5 - white has a spatial advantage with this move. He also hasa lead in development. I try to catch up. } 9... Nd7 10. Rb1 Ne5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 { 11. ...... Bxe5 - the knight exchange does not bring much relief, in factpassivitis sets in like gangrene. } 12. c4 Bg7 13. Re1 Nf6 { 13. .......Nf6 - development. } 14. e5 dxe5 15. Rxe5 { 15. Rxe5 - now Bob's rook dominatesthe e file and it will look as though I am about to lose a pawn. } 15... h6 16. Qe2 O-O { 16. ....... 0-0 - at last - but I think I may be about to losea pawn, or am I? } 17. Bh4 Rfe8 18. Rxe7 Rxe7 19. Qxe7 Re8 { 19.........Re8 - It does seem as though I will lose that pawn but the Wicked Witchof the West is trapped! However, Bob gets enough material for her worseluck! } 20. Bxf6 Rxe7 21. Bxe7 { 21. Bxe7 - an interesting material imbalanceand I think that the scales are in white's favour. } 21... Bc8 22. b3 f5 23. Re1 Bc3 24. Re2 Bd7 { 24. ....... Bd7 - I decide to block Bob's passer. } 25. Nf3 Bf6 26. h3 Bxe7 27. Rxe7 { 27. Rxe7 - one pair of bishops is exchangedbut Fou Leblanc is under castle fire. } 27... Qd6 28. Re1 Kg7 29. Ne5 Be8 30. Re3 b4 31. Bc2 a5 { 31. ....... a5 - I try to consolidate my queenside. } 32. Nd3 Bf7 33. f4 h5 { 33...... h5 - not much else to do. } 34. Rg3 Kh7 35. Ne5 Be8 36. Rg5 Kh6 { 36. ....... Kh6 - making moves which I hope donot worsen my position. Bob now opens me up. } 37. g4 hxg4 38. hxg4 fxg4 39. Rxg4 Kg7 { 39. ...... Kg7 - sidesteps a possible rook check on h4 butthe g pawn is lost and Henry now comes under a fearsome attack - rightnow I feel as though I am playing Freddy! } 40. Nxg6 Kf6 { 40....... Kf6- sidestepping a nasty discovery. } 41. Ne5 Ke7 42. Rg7+ Kf8 { 42. ......Kf8 - I feel as though I am stepping through a minefield. } 43. Ra7 Qh6 44. Ra8 Qh3 { 44. ....... Qh3 - suddenly Bob finds himself a close encounterwith Glenda! } 45. Bg6 { 45. Bg6 - nasty attack on the pinned Fou Leblancbut not to worry, Glenda indirectly protects Fou Leblanc and Henry by keepingBob's king in check! } 45... Qg3+ 46. Kh1 Qh3+ { 46. ........Qh3+ - the white kingis checked again. } 47. Kg1 Qg3+ { 47. ....... Qg3+ and draw offer - I didnot think that I had anything better than a perpetual here as Fou Leblancis doubly attacked and only once defended by Henry. I already have a 1point material deficit. Bob kindly accepts my offer. GAME DRAWN. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "ipsissimus's Evaluation Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.07.16"] [Round "-"] [White "ptitroque"] [Black "stealth-invader"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1415"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1868"] 1. e4 c5 2. b4 { Left wing gambit } 2... b6 3. bxc5 bxc5 4. Nc3 d6 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. d3 Nc6 7. Rb1 { To take the control of the open file } 7... Bg4 8. f3 Bh5 9. Nge2 Ne5 { Moving twice the same piece } 10. Bb5+ Ned7 11. O-O { Black has5 pieces out against 8 for white } 11... e5 12. Bg5 { 2 knights pinned } 12... Be7 13. Bxf6 { trading to get an outpost knight on d5 } 13... Bxf6 14. Nd5 O-O { White'splan is to trade the minor pieces in order to weaken black's pawn structureand attack the black king } 15. Bxd7 { forc,g the queen to live the h4 d8diagonal } 15... Qxd7 16. Nxf6+ { To weaken black's pawn structure and get ridof the DSB which could be annoying because the white king is on g1, onan open diagonal } 16... gxf6 { Forced move. } 17. Ng3 { forcing the LSB to leave } 17... Bg6 18. f4 h6 { Making a retreating place for the bishop... but weakeningthe king } 19. f5 { Black is in trouble } 19... Bh7 20. Qh5 Kg7 { To protect theh pawn } 21. Qh4 Qe7 { to protect the f pawn } 22. Nh5+ Kh8 23. Nxf6 { Theh pawn is doomed } 23... Rg8 24. Rf3 { Reinforcement is needed to the attack } 24... Rg7 { It protects the LSB but black is lost } 25. Qxh6 Qf8 26. Rh3 Rxg2+ { sacrifyinga rook } 27. Kxg2 Qxh6 28. Rxh6 Kg7 { White is one rook up. } 29. Rxh7+ Kxf6 30. Rb7 { The black king cannot move } 30... Rg8+ 31. Kf3 { To take the controlof f4 and g4 } 31... d5 { Blunder. There is a mate in 2. The only possible movewas 31.f6 } 32. Rbxf7+ Kg5 { forced } 33. h4# 1-0

[Event "checkmate horror "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "9-Aug-12,"] [Round "-"] [White "goldmedal20"] [Black "fongi"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "752"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "717"] 1. e4 { This was a easy game but when it got to the checkmate stage thatswhen the horror came about. this player knows how to get out checks andruining my checkmate plans. some how i pulled of a checkmate. I am whiteand fongi was black. king pawn opening } 1... b5 { Nimzovich-Larsen attack } 2. b4 { blocked b5 } 2... g5 { building up an attack } 3. Bb2 { saw a chance totake h8 before it could get deployed. } 3... h5 { devloping a king side attack. } 4. Bxh8 { Started my attack with aggressive move. } 4... Nf6 { building his attack } 5. Bxb5 { took a free pawn . keep on playing aggressive moves on himbefore he develops his defense. } 5... a6 { sees a chance to take my bishop. } 6. Bxd7+ { check } 6... Qxd7 { trying to break down my plan. } 7. Bxf6 { fought backand took his knight } 7... exf6 { made my plan fall to pieces . } 8. Ne2 { startsto deploy while I think of a plan b attack. } 8... Nc6 { tries to get somethinggoing. } 9. O-O { castle king side } 9... Bxb4 { gets ready to attack. } 10. c3 { blocks black and makes black come up with an other attak } 10... Qg4 { blackcomes with full force } 11. cxb4 { free bishop capture } 11... Qxe4 { planing anattack. } 12. Nbc3 { getting ready to capture or make the queen retreat by putting the heat on black. } 12... Nxb4 { bringing up back up. } 13. Nxe4 { Ido not think black knew I could take his queen } 13... Nd3 { hoping to checkme } 14. Nxf6+ { check } 14... Kf8 { gets out of harms } 15. Nh7+ { realizing i needto bring out more pieces out to get a check mate. } 15... Ke7 { got out of check. } 16. Qc2 { brings out queen to tkae d3 on next turn. } 16... Rb8 { brings out rookto protect the king of needed. } 17. Qxd3 { took d3 and gets ready to checkon my next turn. } 17... Bd7 { gets ready to go in to action as needed . } 18. Qe4+ { check. I need a couple more piece out to get a checkmate } 18... Be6 { blocksthe check } 19. Rac1 { moves rook as i get ready to checkmate in near future. } 19... f6 { protects king ever more. I just knew if i moved c 1 to c7 I could gethim in check. } 20. Rxc7+ { check } 20... Kd6 { feels the heat. } 21. Rfc1 { moves piece out as back up } 21... f5 { wants to take my queen. } 22. Qd4+ { check. I have a plan to have him in checkmate in 3 moves if things go my way. } 22... Bd5 { block the check } 23. Qb4+ { just knew in 2 more moves he wouldbe in checkmate. } 23... Ke5 { my plan fell though the cracks } 24. Re7+ { have tofind another way to checkmate him. } 24... Be6 { blocks my move } 25. Qc3+ { check } 25... Ke4 { gets away one more time } 26. Ng3+ { at least i am keeping him in check } 26... Kf4 { everyway he goes a check is waiting. } 27. Ne2+ { check } 27... Ke4 { knowshow to keep a game going } 28. Qc4+ { going have him in check mate in 3moves . I have set up Conditional moves that would lead him into the checkmatebecause he could only move 1 space for next couple of turns. He can notget out of check this time but he will walk into checkmate. } 28... Ke5 { tryingto stay in the game } 29. f4+ { sets up for my moves that leads to the checkmate. } 29... gxf4 { totally forgot about that pawn on g5 . g5 to f4. ruins my checkmateplan. } 30. Qc5+ { I came up with a third checkmate plan and hopefully Ican been successful this time around. } 30... Ke4 { my plan goes into action } 31. Rxe6+ { check } 31... Kd3 { try a couple of more times of geting out of check . } 32. Nxf4+ { knew my next move will be checkmate } 32... Kxd2 { no other place togo } 33. Rd6# { checkmate!!!!!!!!! } 1-0

[Event "Oregon Open Reserve"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "9.3.2011"] [Round "-"] [White "freeman"] [Black "G.J. Skoro"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "Round 1"] 1. d4 { d4 } 1... d5 2. Nf3 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. c4 e6 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Be7 7. g4 { g4!! The gambit! The Bishop is usually on d6 as opposed to e7. I playedthis game against a young pup so I decided to play a double edge swordgame. } 7... h6 8. Rg1 g5 { Black has effectively closed the position. That'smy opinion. I imagine he didn't like that Pawn spearheading his King-sideposition. } 9. Bd2 b6 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Bb7 13. Qe3 Qc7 14. Bc3 Bf6 15. Ne5 { I didn't want Black to play e5 as I thought it wouldgive him an advantage in terms of space and active pieces. } 15... Bxe5 16. dxe5 O-O-O { The pawn is now a wedge in his territory. } 17. O-O-O Nc5 18. Rd6 Rhf8 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. b3 Rd7 21. Be2 Qd8 22. h4 { I don't know if thiswas a mistake or not. As PxP I couln't take the pawn-h6 as it would giveblack a good move with Knight e4 } 22... Nd3+ 23. Kc2 Nf4 24. hxg5 hxg5 25. Rd1 c5 26. Rxd7 Qxd7 27. Bf3 Bxf3 28. Qxf3 Qb7 29. Qe3 Qg2 30. Qg3 Qxg3 31. fxg3 Ne2 32. Bd2 Nxg3 33. Bxg5 Ne4 34. Bh4 f6 35. exf6 Nd6 36. g5 Kd7 37. g6 Ke8 38. Kd3 Nf5 39. Bg5 a6 40. Ke4 b5 41. Ke5 { Black resigned. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from neutralrobotboy"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.15"] [Round "-"] [White "phingers"] [Black "neutralrobotboy"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1273"] 1. e3 d5 2. d4 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bd7 4. Bxc6 Bxc6 5. Ne2 e6 6. O-O Bd6 7. g3 Nf6 8. c3 h5 9. b4 { When attacked on the kingside, counter in the center orqueenside. That's the old saying, but here defensive moves start to becomea complete necessity. } 9... h4 10. a4 Ng4 11. a5 Nxh2 { Recapturing is a bigmistake... } 12. Kxh2 hxg3+ 13. Kg1 { Loses a tempo. } 13... Qh4 14. Kg2 Qh3+ { Oops! 14. ...Qd4+ 15. f3, Rh2+ 16. Kg1, Qh4 -- and nothing can prevent matein 2. Here I realized that I should be better anyway with the game continuation,but another big mistake is made almost immediately. } 15. Kf3 g2+ 16. Ng3 gxf1=Q { Silly! First Bxg3, THEN capture! Here I gave up the chance tobe a queen up... } 17. Qxf1 Qxf1 18. Nxf1 O-O-O 19. Bd2 f5 20. a6 b6 21. Ke2 { No chance of a draw from here on out. } 21... Bb5+ 22. Ke1 Rh1 23. Kd1 { Avoidingmate! } 23... Rxf1+ 24. Kc2 Rxf2 25. Na3 Bf1 26. Kb3 Rh8 27. Ra2 Rhh2 28. Nb1 Bc4+ 29. Ka3 Bxa2 30. Kxa2 Rxd2+ 31. Nxd2 Rxd2+ 32. Ka3 b5 33. c4 Rd3+ 34. Kb2 dxc4 35. Kc2 Bxb4 *

[Event "Challenge from cmatic"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "20-Oct-08"] [Round "-"] [White "elwoos"] [Black "cmatic"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1541"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1552"] 1. e4 { Although e4 is a common opening move I tend to prefer d4. This gamewas an experiment for me. We will see how it turns out } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 { Three knights game. Though I am unsure of the full implications ofthat } 3... Bc5 4. Bc4 { This seemed a good outpost for my lsb } 4... Nf6 5. d3 Ng4 { Possibly a little premature. } 6. O-O { Getting the king safe early whilethat knight is on the prowl } 6... Nxf2 7. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 8. Kxf2 { Standard exchangethough my development is now much better than blacks. I need to try totake advantage of this } 8... h6 { We are now out of the gameknot database. Thisis to cover g5 which is being pressed by my knight and my dsb } 9. Be3 { Thiswas to prevent Nd4 which could become annoying } 9... d6 { Opens the diagonalfor blacks dsb and still keeping his castling options open } 10. Nd5 { Thisseems a much better place for my knight, it's almost impossible to budgeat the moment and causes maximum inconvenience for black, his queen nowcan't move on the d8-h4 diagonal } 10... Ne7 { Trying to budge my knight, blackis clearly feeling the pressure here } 11. Qd2 { This seems a better locationfor the queen. } 11... Be6 { Pressuring my knight further but I dont want to moveit. if he wants it he will have to take it } 12. Rf1 { Occupying the partiallyopen row } 12... a6 13. Kg1 { Pushing the king into safer territory } 13... b5 { This isstill pressuring the knight on d5 At this point I was looking at Nf6 and the possibilities that might open } 14. Bb3 a5 15. a4 { I'm not sureif this is better than a3. If 15 ...,bxa3 16 Bxa3 then I have a nice diagonalfor my bishop, otherwise I am happy with it where it is } 15... c6 { At this timeI am still considering some sort of knight sacrifice with 16 Nf6#, gxf6.17 Bxh6 though I can see no clear way to force a win from there as theking still has an escape on the queen's side. } 16. Bb6 { The queen hasa number of options here, however I am looking at getting my knight toc7 which will lose black the right to castle and I think give a slightgain in material } 16... Qb8 17. Nc7+ Kd7 18. Bxe6+ { This is to put him undereven more pressure, he almost has to take with his pawn which will meandoubled pawns restricting the kings mobility. Moving my f3 knight thenclears the half open file towards his king } 18... fxe6 19. Nxa8 Qxa8 20. Bxa5 { Gives my queen a way to get around the back of all those black pawns } 20... bxa4 21. d4 { Looking to create a hole in the middle with something like21 ... exd4, 22 Qxd4 then looking at getting my knight to e5 } 21... Rb8 { tryingto gain a passed pawn } 22. dxe5 { ignoring the threat and making some ofmy own } 22... d5 23. exd5 exd5 24. Qd4 { I think this may be a mistake, thoughit does defend the b pawn. I was looking at pushing the king further backwith Qg4 and then bringing my knight and rook into the attack } 24... Qxa5 25. Qg4+ Ke8 26. Qxg7 { Looking at e6 which would trap the black king in } 26... Rxb2 { Black takes advantage of the slight lull in my attack and gains himselfa passed pawn } 27. e6 { threatens the black rook } 27... Qc5+ 28. Nd4 { I now haveRF8# } 28... Kd8 29. Rf8+ Kc7 30. Qe5+ { trying to tighten the noose on the blackking } 30... Qd6 31. Qxd6+ { This turns out to be a fatal mistake. I'm not surehere what I could have done better. My thinking was that Ra8 could preventblack promoting. Would I have been better with something like 31: Nb5, cxb5 32:qxb2 } 31... Kxd6 32. Rf6 { Another error on my part. Ra8 was surelybetter } 32... a3 33. Kf2 { The end is looking near and my options are limited. } 33... a2 34. Nb3 Rxb3 { At this point I'd had more than enough and resigned.This loss took my rating back below 1600. Only time will tell if I canraise it again } *

[Event "The Utah Gambit"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.12"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "tojje"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1586"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1977"] 1. e4 { A mini-tournament game, I'm playing white and begin with 1. e4 lookingfor a Ruy Lopez, if black will oblige. } 1... e6 2. d4 { Or the French. } 2... d5 3. c3 { I am naming this the Utah Gambit (so many openings are named afterthe home town or country of the person who popularized the move, so sincethis one is all mine, I'm choosing to name it after the state in whichI live). I don't know. Don't ask why. I think I was sleepy. I was brushingup on the French, reading about how white plays c3 in response to c5 fromblack. After I was done reading about the French, I came back and led offwith 3. c3 for no good reason other than I guess it was stuck in my head.So, since it's not in the ECO, and I can't find any reference to it, Iguess it's mine now, hence the Utah Gambit variation of the French Defense.At least I know I won't be leaning on the GK DB for this opening now...:) } 3... dxe4 4. Nd2 { Black accepted my clever gambit. I shall make him payfor overextending his pawn structure! } 4... Nf6 5. Qc2 { Mwu ha ha ha! } 5... Qd5 6. f3 { Oh well. } 6... exf3 7. Ngxf3 { At least white has a lead in developtment,and unrestricted piece movement (once that knight gets off of d2). Anda nice half-open f-file for a rook. I'm starting to like the Utah Gambit. } 7... c5 8. Bc4 { Developing with tempo. } 8... Qd8 9. Ne4 { Black retreated all theway to d8. Safe, but un-developing. White leads the development race 4to 1, so he can spare the tempo to uncork the DSB. } 9... Be7 10. Nxc5 { Blackcould have saved the c5 pawn by simply capturing on d4, maintining hispawn lead. Evidently, he felt getting his king off of the half-open centralfiles was a higher priority. } 10... O-O 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 { If black movesthe bishop from c8, he loses the b7 pawn. If he moves the knight from b8to d7, then Ba6 looks interesting for white. And lets not forget whiteis looking at h7 too. } 12... f5 13. Qe2 { Black chases the white queen, but atthe cost of a backward, pinned, and en prise pawn on e6. } 13... a6 14. O-O { Blackdidn't defend on e6, but it was unsafe to capture it anyway. After 14.Bxe6 Bxe6 15. Qxe6, black can respond with 15. ... Bh5+ and 16. ... Re8skewering the white queen to her king. Castling solves this problem. } 14... Qd6 15. Bf4 { Black defends the pawn on e6, so white attacks the defender. Thewhite bishop on f4 is free for the taking, but then the pawn on e6 falls,followed by the bishop on e7, and white ends up a pawn ahead. } 15... Qc6 16. Rae1 { Maybe white should have considered 16. Rfe1 (I did consider it, actually)but the notion of taking a rook off of the half-open f-file and leavingthe rook on a1 out of the action didn't appeal. } 16... b5 17. Bxe6+ { Black attackedthe white bishop, but now the time is right to pounce on e6 anyway, soall black accomplished was nudging the bishop to make the capture it wouldhave made anyway. } 17... Bxe6 18. Qxe6+ Qxe6 19. Rxe6 { White is now a pawn ahead,and is attacking the black bishop on e7. Note that white is attacking andhas a rook in the enemy's camp and three more pieces well placed to springinto action, and black still has two pieces sitting on their starting squares.No matter how the rest of the game turns out, I say this opening was awin for the Utah Gambit, now 1-0 in OTB opening play. } 19... Bf6 20. Bd6 Rd8 21. Be5 { Let's trade. } 21... Kf7 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Rfe1 { Oh, look at that pawnstructure. Doubled isolated pawns on a half-open file, and white alreadyhas a rook in place on that same file. Ripe for the picking. Or it was,before this move. I give 23. Rfe1?! the dubious notation for abandoningthe f-file, but it makes a strong move onto the fully open e-file, doublingrooks and supporting the strong white rook on e6. } 23... Ra7 24. Nh4 Rd5 25. a3 { Just trying to remind black that white is everywhere, not just in thecenter and kingside. } 25... a5 26. Rb6 Nd7 27. Rc6 Nf8 28. Rf1 { White wantedto play Ree6, but black denies, so back to f1 to get those isolanis. } 28... Ng6 29. Nxf5 { White isn't quite ready to trade rooks yet, so capturing withthe knight seems best. } 29... Rxf5 30. Rxf5 { I think 29. ... Rxf5? needs a questionmark. Black evidently had a plan of forking the white rooks, but it won'twork. Even if it did work, giving up the exchange in order to win the exchangesimply means making an even exchange of a black rook+piece for a whiterook+piece, and even exchanges of pieces do not favor black when he's downby two pawns. } 30... Ne7 31. Rcxf6+ { The rooks are forked, but since either onecan move with check, allowing the other to escape the fork, it's a failedfork. Further, white captures the remaining isolated f-pawn in the process. } 31... Kg7 32. Rf7+ { White makes a fork of his own. } 32... Kg6 33. R5f6+ { Chasing black'sking out of his safety and into the territory patroled by those not-so-distantwhite pawns. } 33... Kg5 34. h4+ { If black plays 34. ... Kxh4, white forces blackto give up his remaining rook with 35. Rg7 which threatens checkmate thatcan only be prevented by 35. ... Ng6 (or maybe 35. ... Nf5), allowing 36.Rxa7. } 34... Kg4 35. Rg7+ { Time for that knight move, and the accompanying lossof the black rook on a7. } 35... Kh5 36. g4+ Kxh4 37. Kg2 { Black squirms, butthere is no way out. Move the knight and lose the rook or checkmate isimminent. } 37... h5 38. Rh6 { And now it's mate in 1. Black resigned rather thangiving white the pleasure of making the checkmating move - his final defiantact. Score one for the Utah Gambit. } 1-0

[Event "Hot Potato!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.03.09"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "small_potato"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1677"] [TimeControl "5d+5d<10d"] [WhiteElo "1921"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! The Sicilian is not an opening for the faint hearted. Defense and passivitis will get you nowhere in the middlegame! Well,I can tell you that neither player showed much passivitis in the middlegame. However, unfortunately for my opponent, small-potato, a bigger concentrationof white pieces in his position at the right time ensured that it was notHenry that was to topple. In this game, much to black's chagrin, Glendasnapped out of her defensive role and became one hot potato! So, how didall this happen? Well, let's kick off with 1. e4 c4. This is the SicilianDefense and the word defense is a misnomer because both sides may end upbeing at each other's throats. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 { 3. d4 - some very standardmoves here. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 { 6. Nc3 - standard development. } 5... a6 { 6. .... a6 - this is a move I am becoming all too familiar with. Thismove characterises the Naijdorf which prepares b5. Now if the two sidescastle on the opposite side (white normally queenside), then I am awareof the fact that Henry can be subject to an almighty barrage down the a-ccolumns by major pieces and they can all line up neatly behind the pushedpawns. So somehow, I must counter-attack vigorously on the kingside andget my punch in first. } 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 { 8. f3 - preparing g4if black castles short. } 8... Be7 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. g4 { 10. g4 - I do it anywayand black castles short immediately afterwards and I castle long. Gameon! } 10... O-O 11. O-O-O b5 12. g5 b4 { 12. ..... b4 - the race and the heat ison! } 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 a4 { 15. ..... a4 - aha, a white knighton the queenside is en prise to a pawn and a black light square bishopis also en prise to a pawn. I wonder if black will play B x N here. } 16. fxe6 axb3 17. exf7+ Rxf7 { 17. ..... Rxf7 - thanks to the berserker effectof my f pawn which perished on f7 material is still even. I am eyeingup that black rook on f7 and I sincerely hope he leaves it there. I haveplans for Fou Leblanc! } 18. Kb1 bxa2+ 19. Ka1 { 19. Ka1 - Henry sheltersbehind an enemy pawn ensuring that for now, the heavy black artilliarywill be biting on granite. } 19... Qa5 20. Bh3 { 20. Bh3 - this seemingly innocuousbishop move is gonna net a material gain for me. Now which black pieceis en prise? } 20... Nc5 21. Bxc5 dxc5 { 21. ..... dxc5 - I trade off Fou Lenoirfor a reason. Removal of the Guard! } 22. Be6 { 22. Be6 - exchange winningmission accomplished! } 22... Nd6 23. Bxf7+ Kxf7 24. Qd5+ { 24. Qd5+ - Glenda getssome exercise on her broomstick! She arrives on d5 and fixes her glareon the BK on f7. } 24... Ke8 25. Qg8+ { 25. Qg8+ - now she flies to g8 and theBK feels the white heat. Pity that rook on a8 is defended by the WickedWitch of the West. } 25... Kd7 26. Qxg7 { 26. Qxg7 - I now snatch a pawn and ama full exchange up. However, I must beware because there are still twomajor pieces and three pawns swarming around Henry at the moment. I musttherefore at least ensure that the two black minor pieces are firmly pinneddown. As an exercise for the Inquest Jury, which two black pieces arepinned at the moment and what by? } 26... c4 27. Rd5 { 27. Rd5 - prepare to double..... } 27... Qa4 28. Rhd1 { 28. Rhd1 - and foment trouble! } 28... Ke8 29. Qg8+ Kd7 30. Qf7 { 30. Qf7 - moving ever closer to the BK. } 30... Ra6 31. Rxe5 { 31. Rxe5 -now a black pawn disappears off the board and Glenda is getting some assistance. } 31... Qxc2 { 31. ...... Qxc2 - a strong looking counter-threat on my d1 rook,but, alas, the dark squared bishop on e2 is twice attacked and only defendedby the BK. Now which piece should I take the bishop with? After considerablethought ..... Rook, I choose you! } 32. Rxe7+ { 32. Rxe7+ - I felt more comfortableabout this move because at least black can be checked along the secondrank and there is a possibility of a lawn-mower mate. Black now wavesthe white flag. Gameknot analysis showed that I had a forced mate in afew moves. After conceding that Low Draw in the Grob game, I was quiterelieved to get four of the ten points back and to do it in such an aggressivefashion after my usual diet of passivitis is really something. I willhave another annotation coming soon, so watch this space. Kind regards- Joanne } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from sinziana - the greater good"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.16"] [Round "-"] [White "sinziana"] [Black "aspiemikey"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1318"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1268"] 1. c4 e5 2. e4 c6 3. a3 d5 { I bring my queen's pawn forward to attack twopawns at once, to attempt to create some space... } 4. Nc3 { ...but my opponentdeclines to take it... } 4... dxe4 { ...so I take his king's pawn... } 5. Nxe4 { ...and lose my queen's pawn, keeping the bishop in its initial position. } 5... b5 { Now I pressure the first pawn he moved... } 6. c5 { ...but he pushesit. } 6... Na6 { Now I try another form of attack... } 7. b4 { ...but again he covershis pawn... } 7... Nc7 { ...so my knight retreats. } 8. h3 Qd4 { I bring forwardmy queen to place the knight and rook under attack... } 9. Nc3 { ...but heblocks the path to his rook with his knight... } 9... Nd5 { ...so I put mine onthe attack. } 10. Nge2 { Now my queen is under pressure... } 10... Nxc3 { ...so Ipressurise his, with my knight, taking his... } 11. Nxc3 { ...but end uplosing my knight... } 11... Qd7 { ...so the queen retreats. } 12. Be2 a5 { Now Ipressurise his b-pawn, in an attempt to create more space... } 13. Bg4 { ...buthis bishop attacks my queen... } 13... Qc7 { ...so I move her out of the way... } 14. Bxc8 Qxc8 { ...and we end up swapping bishops... } 15. bxa5 Rxa5 { ...butkeeping my rook in the corner allowed me to take his pawn, in exchangefor mine. } 16. Ne4 Nf6 { Now, I attack his remaining knight with mine... } 17. Nd6+ { ...but he splits my king and queen... } 17... Bxd6 { ...so I remove theknight with my bishop... } 18. cxd6 { ...but lose it to the pawn, which caneasily be lined up... } 18... Qd7 { ...here... } 19. d4 Qxd6 { ...and removed. } 20. Qd2 { Now he attacks my rook with his queen... } 20... Ra4 { ...so I push it upone rank, to prevent its twin from eventually being exposed. It was wiseof me not to capture the pawn there. } 21. dxe5 { Instead he captures mine... } 21... Qxe5+ { ...and I do likewise to his with my queen, simultaneously attackingthe king and rook, rather than removing the queen... } 22. Kf1 Qxa1 { ...andfinally, I remove the rook, with a net gain, as 21... Qxd2+ would havebeen met by either 22. Bxd2 or 22. Kxd2, with no gain (or loss). } 23. Qe3+ Ne4 { I decide to defend high up, with one of my rooks on the 5th rank... } 24. g3 O-O { ...and free my knight here. } 25. Kg2 Qc3 { I give the queenthe runaround here... } 26. Qf4 Qf6 { ...and here... } 27. Qe3 Qxf2+ { ...beforedeciding it's worth removing the pawn... } 28. Qxf2 Nxf2 { ...then exchangingqueens, as his move forced him to take mine with his... } 29. Kxf2 { ...atthe expense of my knight. Although my advantage has been reduced, I stillhave both my rooks against a rook and a bishop, plus two extra pawns. Ididn't really like this trade, but I did it for the greater good - to removeWhite's best piece. } 29... Re8 { I move the rook to give my king more room tomanoeuvre, and so the bishop cannot touch the rook... } 30. Rd1 b4 31. axb4 Rxb4 { ...and create more space by swapping pawns. } 32. Ba3 Rbe4 { I doubleup here... } 33. Rd6 Re2+ { ...and attack the king... } 34. Kf1 Rc2 { ...andnow I cover my pawn, keeping my rook on the 7th rank... } 35. Bb4 Rc8 { ...anduse its twin to cover from behind. } 36. Ba5 c5 37. Rd7 c4 { Now my pawnis in enemy territory, and is more of a threat, and most importantly, can'tbe touched by the bishop... } 38. Rd4 { ...so the rook must retreat... } 38... Ra8 { ...and I line up the bishop, and the far right-hand corner... } 39. h4 g6 { ...and give my king an escape route... } 40. Bb4 Ra1+ { ...allowing therook to move to the far corner, to attack. } 41. Be1 { My opponent has nooption but to block with his bishop, in a position that would not blockoff my king's escape route... } 41... Rcc1 { ...so it's double trouble, as I doublemy rooks on the top rank. } 42. Re4 { Although he covers the bishop... } 42... Rxe1+ { ...I deem it worth removing it... } 43. Rxe1 { ...in exchange for one ofmy rooks... } 43... Rxe1+ 44. Kxe1 { ...before exchanging our remaining rooks,as he only has two pawns left, on his far right-hand side, and my threeleft-most pawns are still intact, plus I have a stray pawn, on my thirdright-hand file, on the 5th rank (c4), which is the perfect distractionfor the king. } 44... Kg7 45. Kd2 Kf6 46. Kc3 Kf5 47. Kxc4 Kg4 { As there was noway of saving my stray pawn, I go for his... } 48. Kd4 Kxg3 49. Ke4 Kxh4 { ...and clear them. } 50. Kf4 g5+ { I push my pawn furthest forward... } 51. Kf3 g4+ { ...and again... } 52. Kg2 g3 { ...and again, as the king keeps movingbackwards. } 53. Kg1 { As his king is on his starting rank... } 53... Kh3 { ...Imove mine forwards to give my pawn an extra move. } 54. Kh1 { Now with theking in the corner... } 54... g2+ { ...I push the pawn again... } 55. Kg1 { ...andas the king has to move in front of it... } 55... f5 { ...I bring another one up,to avoid a stalemate... } 56. Kf2 { ...as the king has to come away... } 56... Kh2 { ...and mine can cover the pawn's target square... } 57. Kf3 g1=Q { ...allowingme to claim my queen, a reward for making sacrifices at the right time. } 0-1

[Event "matthewupstairs's third mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "09-May-07"] [Round "-"] [White "beresford13861"] [Black "leiden_s_dad"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1421"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1426"] 1. d4 { its been a while and im not 'booked' so i try strange things tome all the time....queen pawn, lets see. } 1... d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 { two knights..lookslike blacks gona set his sniper on g7 } 3... Nf6 4. Bg5 Bg7 { there he does it,im not worried, centers preaty equal at this point. } 5. Bxf6 { perhaps abad move, but IMO the fiencheto without the knight there is not as strong...whatchathink? } 5... Bxf6 6. e4 { time to clean up the center, probly to early, but ilike it. } 6... dxe4 7. Nxe4 Bg7 { tempi back in my hands afer the 'un forced'knight i killed on f6 } 8. c4 { trying to get the center ALL to my self } 8... Nc6 { d4 is weak, i cant save it. } 9. c5 { not sure just looked good. } 9... Nxd4 { now d4 is dead } 10. Nxd4 Bxd4 11. Bb5+ c6 12. Bc4 Bf5 13. Qf3 Bxb2 14. Rd1 Qa5+ { ok here she comes... } 15. Nd2 Bc2 16. Qxf7+ { im about to dropso piece so im hoping for a mistake by my opointnet, as im almost lost,his queen side attack is strong..... } 16... Kd8 { oh course not to d7 } 17. O-O { rook is a goner anyways so at least try to clear my king } 17... Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Kc8 { clearing his king from the hidden check. } 19. Be6+ { no i attack! } 19... Kb8 20. Qxe7 Ba3 21. Qd6+ Qc7 22. Nc4 Bb4 { perhaps the loosing move. } 23. Qxc7+ Kxc7 24. Rd7+ Kc8 25. Nd6+ Kb8 26. Rxb7# 1-0

[Event "Three Black Queens on the Board (GameKnot Blitz)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.11.04"] [Round "-"] [White "marktad"] [Black "dsfei"] [Result "0-1"] 1. d4 d5 { A double queen-pawn opening } 2. Nc3 { Unusual second move } 2... c6 3. Bg5 { Very unusual third move } 3... Qb6 { Probably out of the opening bookalready } 4. Rb1 Bf5 5. f3 f6 6. Bh4 e5 7. e3 Bb4 8. Bd3 Ne7 9. g4 exd4 { ! } 10. Bxf5 dxc3 11. Kf2 Nxf5 12. gxf5 { Already, Black has a significantadvantage. } 12... Bc5 13. Qd3 cxb2 14. Ne2 O-O 15. Bg3 Re8 16. Bf4 Na6 17. c3 Re7 18. Qd2 Rae8 19. Nd4 Ba3 20. Ne6 { I should have sac-ed the exchangehere. } 20... Nc5 21. Nd4 Na4 22. Ne6 Rxe6 { This works also. } 23. fxe6 Rxe6 24. c4 dxc4 25. Qd7 Re7 26. Qc8+ { Bad move (Monkey sees check, Monkey givescheck) } 26... Kf7 27. Qg4 Nc3 28. Qh5+ { Here we go again ... } 28... Kg8 29. Rhg1 Nxb1 30. Rxb1 c3 31. Qf5 Qc5 32. Qc8+ { What's up with these impotent checks? } 32... Kf7 33. Rd1 Qc4 34. Rd8 Qe6 { Now the white Queen is cut off. } 35. Rf8+ Kg6 { Finally ... no more annoying checks. } 36. Qd8 b1=Q 37. e4 { In thisposition, I should have played Qh3! and it's all over for white. Duringthe game, I didn't realize that the rook on e7 was defended by the Bishopon a3. } 37... Qc2+ 38. Kg3 Qe2 39. h4 { Here, I should have played Qf1 and whitecan't prevent mate (either Qeh3# or Qfg1#). } 39... c2 { Instead, I go for 3 Queenson the board. } 40. e5 c1=Q 41. Rxf6+ { The rook sac is in vain. } 41... gxf6 42. Bxc1 Bxc1 { White ran out of time. He would have been mated shortly. } 0-1

[Event "charleshiggie's Christmas/New Year Tournament 2016"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.02.15"] [Round "-"] [White "teardrop34"] [Black "charleshiggie"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2071"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2166"] { This was a very interesting game between Jeremy and Charles. I believethat both played extremely well. But, in the end, Charles made one miscalculationthat I would've more then likely made myself. This, however, lost rightaway. So, how did it all go down? } 1. d4 { Jeremy starts off with his usual. } 1... Nf6 { I know Charles style of play. And, he enjoys playing the GrunfeldDefense. In fact, a lot of his annotations that I've studied involvesthat. } 2. Bg5 { So, Jeremy gets aggressive. The idea being is that, ingeneral, passive play does not work against a strong opponent. Although,Jeremy's rating is higher, I don't blame for not taking chances. And,that's due to the fact that Charles was able to outplay Janet in a gamethat I annotated about a month ago. } 2... Ne4 { So, Charles returns the favorby attacking Jeremy's Bishop. } 3. Bf4 c5 { As now, Charles intends to exchangepawns. At first, I wasn't sure why since Jeremy's pawn isn't in the center. However, the purpose is to leave black with doubled pawns. As two badpawns, in many cases, can be close to as bad as losing a pawn which issomething that GM Susan Polgar implied. As she said that pawn structuresare, in general, very important. } 4. Nf3 { Therefore, Jeremy refuses togive in by continuing with his development. } 4... d5 { And, Charles breaks throughin the center. } 5. e3 { As does Jeremy. } 5... Qb6 { And, Charles is now threateningwhite's b2 pawn, as well as, the Rook. } 6. Nc3 { And, Jeremy puts a stopto that. Even though it's not a London System, what I studied there fromSusan Polgar is very applicable here because with the move played, it wouldnow be a mistake for Charles to take on b2. As now, Jeremy would have7.Na4, and this would be followed by 8.Ra1 leaving the Queen virtuallytrapped. That is a very well known fact. Therefore, with that danger,Charles decides to exchange Knights. } 6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 e6 { And, Charles respondswith this pawn chain which is important with this position since they areright in the center. } 8. Rb1 { Meanwhile, Jeremy attacks the Queen, nonetheless. } 8... Qa5 { So, Charles counterattacks. } 9. Bb5+ { But, then comes this nasty checksince it is on the same file as Jeremy's Rb1. } 9... Nc6 { So, Charles blocksit temporarily by interposing with his Knight. } 10. Ne5 { And, Jeremy threatensto exchange. In my opinion, it would be the right choice to accept ithere because of what follows later. } 10... Qxc3+ { But, Charles has other ideassince he took the pawn, instead. It appeared to be a free pawn. However,I believe that this is the losing move because of what's to follow. And,I only say that because of the misfortune with Jack Stockel in my firstgame with Tom Walsh on Friday, during the tournament. So, it was the gamebefore my very last annotation, in which Jack Stockel yelled at Tom andI which had negative affects on our play during the second game. The mistakethat should've lost was taking a pawn. Sure, I was up a Queen for a minorpiece or two. But, then I took the doubled. The problem was my N beingpinned against my Queen with two of his Rooks. I was very lucky that Tomoverlooked it, but had he doubled up on one file, I would've lost the N,and would have to hand back my Queen to avoid mate. From then on, I wouldbe in a lost position. Well I believe that more or less could be saidhere since these two pawns are weak. And, is combined Jeremy's Ne5 andBb5 becoming the killers for this game. } 11. Kf1 { And, Jeremy does whatyou typically see with a more experienced player. And, it is somethingthat was noted in the KOH forum which I posted, even dating back to whenI was a beginner. It's called refusing to castle. As on the higher levels,there are times when not castling can win. With what else unfolds, itis safe to say that it is the case here. } 11... cxd4 { Not liking what Jeremyplayed, Charles responds by taking another pawn. } 12. Rb3 { However, Jeremyresponds by attacking the Queen. } 12... Qc5 13. exd4 { Which allows Jeremy towin back a pawn by attacking again. } 13... Qd6 14. Nxc6 { Although seemingly easyto deal with, this is where the position becomes impossible for Charlesto defend because of what's about to happen. And, that is why I believethat it would've been better to exchange Knights on move 10. As it turnsout, the same piece is launching a devastating attack. } 14... Qxf4 15. Ne5+ { And,that is due to this discovered check. With it, Charles resigned. At first,I was wondering why. But, it turns out that, black is going to lose apiece without compensation. At best, it'll be the Bishop. He also mightwind up losing the Rook. But, against a strong player, not always, butusually, after losing a piece, you don't stand a chance. Keeping thatin mind, Charles, just like any other strong player wouldn't want to dealwith that situation. } 1-0

[Event "I Challange all of you"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.18"] [Round "-"] [White "trebejus"] [Black "demadone"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1599"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1803"] 1. d4 { my standard way of beginning } 1... e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 b6 { I don't thinkthis is the best, it allows me full control of the center } 4. e4 Bb4 5. Bd3 O-O { After my 5o move I would have waited a little longer to castle! } 6. e5 Ne8 { The only possibility, which shows already some troubles! } 7. Qe2 { The threat is obvius (Qe4), but still, I have second thoughts onthis one } 7... Qh4 { F5 was the best option, along with Bb7, because this allows } 8. Nf3 Qh5 9. g4 { Ups! my anxiety is stronger! Qe4 looks better (g4 doesn'tlook bad either!) } 9... Qxg4 { Only one. Qh3 loses a pawn after Kg5 } 10. Rg1 Qh5 11. Rg5 Qh3 12. Bf4 Bb7 { F5 still better } 13. Ng1 Qh4 { I was very closeto do the same final combination, but I realized that after the queen takesthe bishop, it goes back to h6! } 14. Be3 Qxh2 { Again, f5 was necesary. } 15. Rh5 { Final destination, the king's castle! } 15... Qxg1+ 16. Kd2 { We are allin, Qf1 was out of the quetion. } 16... Qxa1 { Thans God he did it. His final chancewas to accept his mistakes with Qg6, and after Bxg6, take with the F pawn,and that would have given me some heavy work, but, I would still have theupper hand! } 17. Bxh7+ { Finally, let's take the king to dance! } 17... Kh8 18. Bg6+ Kg8 19. Rh8+ { Would you mind coming back to h8? } 19... Kxh8 20. Qh5+ Kg8 21. Qh7# { I really enjoyed this game, specially because fire works arenot my strength! Nevertheless, it all came possible thanks to my opponentgreed! I hpe you liked it as well! } 1-0

[Event "WHSCA Ind. Championship: (U1300) sec. rd. 5/5"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "January 30, 2010"] [Round "-"] [White "Robyn Lesh"] [Black "Travis Olson"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "878"] [TimeControl "90 min game w/5 sec. dly."] [WhiteElo "1193"] { The final round of the high school individual championship, 2010 was oneof my more interesting games. Although I had it won in the endgame, winningdidn't prove easy. We battled it out until the final three minutes of ourallotted times, and even though I was ahead on material I had to play extremelymeticulously or lose everything. Thankfully, my hard work and exhaustionpayed off. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nf3 { It isn'tusual to see the knight retreat. This was similar to the previous roundwhere my opponent took on c6. } 5... Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bc4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 O-O { I thought through this move long and hard. I could not take on e4 rightaway because of the threat of 9. Qd5! threatening checkmate while attackingthe knight. A move like 9. Ba3 would be detrimental to my position, andif I prevent that, there is also Bg5 to be cautious of, since I had lostmy dark-square bishop. } 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 d6 11. O-O g5 { Before playingthis move I was particularly worried about 12. Bxg5 or 12. Nxg5, followedby 12... axg5 and then another recapture on g5. The white queen would thenbe free to come to h5 and harass my king at some point. But given the knighton f6 as well as my remaining bishop, queen, and rook, I figured that mypieces would be able to defend from the attack. } 12. Bg3 Nxe4 { And thenI could finally grab the pawn on e4 while attacking the bishop. } 13. Qd3 Bf5 { White was in for a world of pain if she didn't move her queen. } 14. Qe3 Nxg3 15. fxg3 { Note the open a7-g1 diagonal. } 15... Qb6 { I simply used thisopportunity to get the queens off the table. } 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. Nxg5 { Abold move, winning the g pawn and attacking both the bishop and the pawnat f7. I had high hopes for taking on c2, but I guess those hopes weredashed, not that it would matter in the end anyway. } 17... Bg6 18. Rf6 { A blunder... } 18... Kg7 { ..now I essentially forked the knight and rook, simultaneouly freeingmy f7 pawn from the pin and making my king immune to an attack from herbishop. } 19. Rxg6+ Kxg6 { Note that if fxg6 the white knight would haveforked at e6, giving up my material advantage. } 20. Nh3 { Nf3 might havebeen better, since it wouldn't be on the edge. } 20... Ra3 21. Bb3 Na5 22. Nf2 Nxb3 { Ironic though it was that, in the opening, I gave my opponent attackingpotential while doubling up her pawns, I ended up fixing her pawn structurefor the sake of taking material off the board. This move also closed upthe b file and saved my doubled b pawns from a future rook attack, so itwas indeed necessary. } 23. cxb3 d5 24. Nd3 f6 25. Kf2 Rc8 { I attacked anindefensible pawn. If Rc1 then the a pawn would fall with check. If c4then dxc4 and white couldn't recapture with bxc4 since the knight wouldfall. } 26. Nb4 Rxc3 27. Ke2 Ra5 28. Kd2 d4 29. Nd3 e4 { My two passed pawnsbecome the focus of the board. } 30. Nf4+ Kf5 31. Ne2 Rd3+ 32. Ke1 Re3 33. Kd2 { Note the repetitions. I moved my rook from c3 to e3 without usinga turn. } 33... Ke5 34. Nf4 Rc5 35. Ne2 { Again with the repetitions. My king androok both moved as if a turn wasn't used. I guess White didn't have anythingbetter to do for a defense. } 35... Rd3+ 36. Ke1 { More repetitions! } 36... Rc2 37. Nf4 Rdc3 38. Kd1 d3 39. Ke1 { And yet more... } 39... d2+ 40. Kd1 Rc1+ 41. Kxd2 e3+ { I gave up the passed pawn for a rook. I probably could have played better,but I wouldn't be able to promote with the steadfast a1 rook guarding thefirst rank anyway. } 42. Ke2 Rxa1 43. Nd3+ Kd4 44. Nf4 Rxa2+ 45. Kf3 e2+ { I might as well have pawn-pushed since after 45...Rf2+ the king wouldescape to g4 anyway. } 46. Kf2 { My opponent's last-ditch effort to stoppromotion ends in a forced mate. Kg4 would be safe for not a bad periodof time (depending on what you would consider 'bad'). Also Nxe2 would havehelped. } 46... e1=Q+ { A noble queen sacrifice. My pawn at least gets a chanceto promote before the game is won. } 47. Kxe1 Rc1# { Winning this epic gamelanded me a 4th place finish out of 44 in the tournament. I could not haveasked for a better result, since, if I won in the 3rd round, I probablywould have lost the next two. My rating from this tournament went up 281points, more than anyone else who competed in the reserve section. In doingso well, I realized my true chess potential, and as a result I became moreactive within in my club and with chess in general. Final Score: 4-1 or4.0/5.0. Thanks for watching! } 0-1

[Event "joveyboy1's mini-tournament VII"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.11.21"] [Round "-"] [White "reubencpiplupyay"] [Black "sebalem"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1400"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1094"] { Hi! Today I'm showing you my game against sebalem. Enjoy! } 1. e4 { Typical. } 1... d6 { Pirc Defence. I've played against this before, but I'm not too familiarwith it. } 2. d4 e5 { Already out of openings book, but seems fine to me. } 3. dxe5 dxe5 4. Qxd8+ { Is this OK? I guess it throws black's castling opportunitiesaway. } 4... Kxd8 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 { Development. } 6... f6 { If I do Bxc6, Nxe5 afterwardsno longer wins material. Would Bd6 have been better though? } 7. Bxc6 bxc6 { Trying to trade against strong opponents. } 8. O-O { Castles. } 8... Bd6 9. Nc3 { Both knights out. } 9... Ne7 10. Be3 { Was this OK? } 10... c5 11. Rad1 { Pinned. } 11... Ba6 { Was black's move OK? } 12. Rfe1 Rb8 13. Bxc5 { Free pawn. } 13... Ke8 { Breaks pin. } 14. Bxd6 cxd6 15. Rxd6 { Gains material, but is this OK? } 15... Rb6 { Probablynot too good, as trading behind generally isn't a good idea. } 16. Rxb6 axb6 { End of the bloodshed. } 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 { More trading. } 18... Ke7 { Maybe he was hoping to kill pawn. } 19. Rd1 Rd8 { Putting pressure on d5,but the pawn is still safe. } 20. Nh4 { Hoping to do Nf5, forcing the blackking to move further away from the pawn. Were there better options? } 20... Bc4 { Pawns forked. } 21. d6+ { Check. Would this normally be OK? } 21... Rxd6 { ?? Losesa rook. } 22. Nf5+ { He resigned here. Feel free to comment and give constructivecriticism. } 1-0

[Event "Scholars Mate"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "???"] [Black "???"] [Result "*"] { hi today I will teach you the Scholars Mate. } 1. e4 { first you move yourkings pawn up 2 } 1... e5 { than your opponent will do something like this } 2. Qf3 { next you move your queen 2 f3 } 2... a5 { a move from your opponent } 3. Bc4 { next Bishop to c4 } 3... Ra6 { opponents move } 4. Qxf7# { Next queen to f7 forthe checkmate } *

[Event "Challenge from 7bees"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.05.17"] [Round "-"] [White "hexchess"] [Black "7bees"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1436"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1661"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nc6 { 'A questionable move. It is usually not a very goodidea to obstruct the c-pawn in a Queen's Pawn Game, because the c-pawnsare what you use to gain a better center by challenging opponent's d-pawn. } 3. d4 { 1.d4 is not a very good move on move 1, but now it is OK becauseopponent can no longer challenge it with c5! } 3... h6 { wasted time } 4. Bg2 { Iget bishop to best diagonal, typical of a Catalan } 4... e6 { bolstering d5 tryingto } 5. O-O { I have a lead in development } 5... Nf6 { two Knight's defense similarities } 6. c4 { Queen's Gambit similarities } 6... dxc4 { Queen's Gambit Accepted Similarities } 7. Qa4 { I think I have a winning position because I won a central pawnfor flank pawn. Black did not understand that obstructing c-pawn is badin a queen's pawn game. I exploited that principle quite nicely, yieldinga neat pawn center for myself, and Black's position is left in shambleswhere his pieces will hardly have anywhere to amble. } 7... Bd7 { challenges myqueen } 8. Qxc4 { but I get the center } 8... a6 { trying to challenge again withb5 } 9. Rd1 { I challenge Black queen my moving rook to d-file where it isscary } 9... b5 { trying to get queen away } 10. Qc2 { calm retreat } 10... Nb4 { the knightmoves to a bad square trying to chase the Q } 11. Qd2 { calm retreat } 11... Ne4 { the knight moves undefended trying to chase } 12. Qf4 { so queen attacksnot worried about c2 because two knights are stronger than rook in everysingle variation. } 12... Nf6 { so get out } 13. Nc3 { I develop more } 13... Nbd5 { theknight is extra } 14. Nxd5 { usually unprincipled to capture an extra piecebut I decided that it is OK to employ my center properly. } 14... Nxd5 { so knightattacks my queen, } 15. Qd2 { and queen batteries } 15... Bb4 { attacks again reallyhas a thing for her } 16. Qc2 { calm retreat again only for display not forcapturing } 16... Bd6 { so get out } 17. e4 { and i improve on my center controlof center most important thing in chess } 17... Nb4 { and downgrades his knightposition to get another look at the fine bikini clad queen } 18. Qe2 { calmretreats again } 18... O-O { castles } 19. Be3 { and develops another piece to controlthe center, ON TOP of that I also have prospects of bringing a knight toc5 and major pieces along the c-file to replace that knight and win thec7-pawn later } 19... Nc6 { knight retreats } 20. Rac1 { developing last piece tooptimal location. It is very bad that Black obstructed c-pawn in the opening.This is a good example of how to win against an opponent who does so. Iwill channel all pieces along the c-file and win the c7-pawn in the future. } 20... e5 { a blunder, Black allows me to exploit superior advantage in the center } 21. Rxc6 { I win 2 pieces for rook, a resignable advantage } 21... Bxc6 { takes } 22. dxe5 { winning pinned bishop along d-file } 22... Bxe4 { takes } 23. exd6 { takes } 23... cxd6 { takes } 24. Bc5 { attacking pinned pawn } 24... Re8 { x-ray to my queen } 25. Bxd6 { winning pawn } 25... Bxf3 { trade } 26. Qxf3 { take } 26... Rc8 { move } 27. Qd3 { battery } 27... Qf6 { intent } 28. Ba3 { retreat } 28... Rcd8 { attack } 29. Qf1 { retreat } 29... Rxd1 { exchange } 30. Qxd1 { ok } 30... Rd8 { attack } 31. Qf3 { ok calm } 31... Qxf3 { trade? not so good becausebishops become more valuable after a queen trade } 32. Bxf3 { bishops morevaluable now } 32... Rc8 { so he tries to win some pawns } 33. Kg2 { intent center } 33... a5 { tries to win a piece } 34. Bd6 { get out } 34... b4 { move } 35. a3 { threateningto win pawn } 35... Rd8 { allows } 36. Bc7 { skewer } 36... Rd2 { pig in the 2nd } 37. Bxa5 { takes } 37... Rxb2 { takes } 38. Bxb4 { Black cannot compete with the extreme complementarityof my pawn and bishops, so Black resigned. } 1-0

[Event "King's gambit accepted"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "-"] [White "vbogatov"] [Black "aisasky333"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1768"] [WhiteElo "1776"] { C34: King's Gambit Accepted: 3 Nf3: 3...Nf6 and 3...d6 } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 h6 { The King's Pawn - Recommended by both Capablanca and Kasparyan. This path enables Black to avoid the sharpest gambit of Muzio. } 4. Bc4 d6 5. d4 g5 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. g3 { The whites are trying to break through the lines as quickly as possible. } 7... Nc6 8. gxf4 { Another possibility was: 8. d5 Ne5 9. Bd3 Bg4 } 8... g4 { The situation worsened, black threatens to win the material. } 9. Rg1 Kf8 { What is so special about f3? } 10. Be3 { They still sacrifice a piece: it is thought that the sacrifice is compensated by the opponent's lack of development and their lack of sophistication. } 10... gxf3 11. Qxf3 Bxd4 12. O-O-O { It could have gone well : 12. Bxd4 Nxd4 13. Qg3 Qh4 (hoping to trap the knight with 13...Nxc2+ 14. Kd2 Qf6 15. Kxc2 +- and white has an order!!) 14. Qxh4 Nf3+ 15.Kf2 Nxh4-+ } 12... Bxe3+ { наверно лучше было: 12... Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qf6 -+ } 13. Qxe3 Nf6 14. e5 Ne8 15. Nd5 Qh4 16. Qc3 Rh7 { Despite the absence of a figure on the white side, their active position! } 17. Rg3 { альтернатива: 17. Bd3 Rg718. Rxg7 Nxg7 19. Nxc7 Qxf4+ 20. Rd2 не кажется лучшей } 17... Be6 18. Kb1 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Qxf4 20. Bxc6 { здесь можно было бы сыграть интересней: например:20. e6 Ne7 21. Qd3 f5 (но не 21... Nxd5?? - самоубийство 22. Qxh7 Ke7 23.exf7 +-) } 20... bxc6 21. Rdg1 Rb8 { Here, Black could have played: 21... Rd8 22. Rg8+ Kf7 23. Re1 -+ } 22. b3 { A interesting position arises after: 22. exd6 cxd6 (but not 22... Qxd6 23. Rg8+ Ke7 24. Re1+ Qe6 25. Qg3 +- and white wins) 23. Rg4 Qf2 24. Qxc6 Rh8 =+ (taking 24...Qxh2? worse poison 25. Rg8+ Ke7 26. Re1+ Qe5 27. Rxe5+ dxe5 28. Kc1 +- and white wins) } 22... Ke7 { думается слабее: 22... Rd8 23. Rg8+ Ke7 24.Re1 =+ } 23. exd6+ cxd6 24. Qxc6 f5 25. Re1+ { The struggle continues! } *

[Event "My Version of Grob"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.25"] [Round "-"] [White "strepsil999"] [Black "rajesh0315"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1494"] [WhiteElo "1419"] 1. b3 { Not the usual Grob, but this is my variation. } 1... g6 { I find this moverisky. } 2. Bb2 { Threatening the rook. } 2... f6 { Most of my opponents block withthe knight. } 3. g4 { Preparing g5. } 3... g5 { Blocked. } 4. f4 { I won't give up! } 4... gxf4 { Good. } 5. g5 { Now the pinned pawn is threatened. } 5... d5 { My opponentshould be trying to castle queenside, the kingside is too open. } 6. e3 { Wanting to play Qh5. } 6... fxe3 { Now I can check the king, almost checkmate. } 7. Qh5+ { The only move is Kd7. } 7... Kd7 { Uh-huh. } 8. Bh3+ { The king is in troubleand is forced to block or run. } 8... Kc6 { The king is becoming very open. } 9. Ne2 { Wanting to play Nd4. } 9... Bxh3 { Takes the bishop. A swap. } 10. Qxh3 { Itake back. } 10... exd2+ { The advanced pawn is finally swapped. } 11. Nxd2 { I takeback. } 11... h5 { ?? Should be giving the king extra protection. } 12. Nd4+ { Theking is now in big trouble. } 12... Kd6 { After the bishop checks the king theking is in the open and with not many escape squares. I didn't see checkmatein two. Qe6+ Kc5 Ba3#. } 13. Ba3+ { Should've played Qe6, but anyway. } 13... Ke5 { Only possible square. } 14. N2f3+ { The king is checked by the knight whoalso protects the knight on d4. } 14... Ke4 { Again, the only possible square. } 15. Qh4+ { After the king moves, its checkmate. } 15... Ke3 { The king moves. } 16. Bc1# { Checkmate. Apart from the fact that I could checkmated my opponenton move 14, it was a good game. } 1-0

[Event "Tournament in Wijk aan Zee (annotated by G. Kasparov)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1999.01.20"] [Round "-"] [White "Kasparov, G."] [Black "Topalov, V."] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2700"] [WhiteElo "2812"] { Annotated by GM Garry Kasparov (RUS). } 1. e4 { Nothing betokened a stormwhen I made this move. Topalov who is always eager to fight no matter ifhe has Black or White, if he plays me or any other adversary answered with } 1... d6 { I was sincerely surprised. Pirc-Ufimtsev Defense is not a usual onefor Topalov, and this opening is hardly worth using in the tournamentsof the highest category. White has too many opportunities for anybody'sliking: one can lead an acute or a positional game, one can vary differentways of developing the initiative. Nevertheless, Topalov obviously countedon surprise, as he thought that I would play worse in a situation I wasnot ready for, and besides, he hoped to avoid my opening preparation, whichhe had faced before. } 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 { That was when I began to think.I was actually engrossed in thoughts on the third move, I had often played3.f3 threatening with King's Indian Defense. However, this opening couldn'tscare Topalov off as he was used to it, moreover, that was what he reckonedon. That is why I decided to play at sight. I went for a position I hada definite idea about but never met in practice and, frankly speaking,had never seriously analyzed. } 4. Be3 Bg7 { Alternative variation: 4...c6 5. Qd2 b5 6. f3 Bg7 } 5. Qd2 c6 { As far as I know, Black usually playsc6 and b5 before the move Bg7, but I don't think that this shift changessomething seriously. } 6. f3 { Alternative variation: [It was also possibleto play] 6. Nf3 b5 7. Bd3 [ probably it was even better, but here I haveto repeat that in this opening both adversaries relied not on exact knowledgebut on common sense.] } 6... b5 7. Nge2 { A strange move. Alternative variation:[If White wanted to play] 7. Bh6 [he could do it at once, leaving the e2-squarefree for the other Knight and providing an opportunity to develop the otherBishop on d3. Theoretically this Knight could move to h3 one day.] Generallyspeaking, the move 7.Nge2 has no sense, its reason is purely psychological.I remembered that before the game, when we discussed the strategy with[GM] Yury Dokhoian [RUS], he said suddenly looking through Topalov's games:'You know, Garry, he does not like when the opponent makes the moves hecan not predict. This affects him strangely.' That is why I played 7.Nge2and surprised Topalov. This move does not contain any threats but continuesthe development. However, it seemed to me that he did not like the characterof the fight, as it did not correspond the ideas he had before the game. } 7... Nbd7 8. Bh6 { Better late than never. It is useful to exchange the Bishop. } 8... Bxh6 9. Qxh6 { White achieved some sort of success as Black can not castlein a shorter direction. However, this achievement is rather ephemeral becausethe King can hide on the Queen-side as well. White King will also castlethere as a result. Maneuverable fight is waiting ahead and White can notcount on significant gains. } 9... Bb7 { Alternative variation: [Actually, ifBlack shows activity] 9... Qa5 [then there is a move ] 10. Nc1 [and thenthe Knight moves to b3 with tempo. White will manage to stabilize the gameand he will devoid Black of the opportunity to use the diversion of thewhite Queen on h6.] } 10. a3 { I did not want to castle at once, becauseit was not clear how to defend the King after Qa5 from the b4 threat. Thatis why White makes a wait-and-see move that prepares a long castling andagain, on Qa5 there is a move Nc1 that repulses the b4 threat. Alternativevariation: 10. O-O-O Qa5 11. a3 (11. Qd2 b4 12. Nb1) 11... b4 12. axb4(12. Nb1) } 10... e5 { Topalov, after thinking for 11 minutes, decided to strengthenthe position in the center and to prepare to castle long. Black had alternativeplans, but this one looked most logical. } 11. O-O-O Qe7 12. Kb1 a6 { Itwas prob ably possible to castle at once, but Topalov defends his Kingfrom the potential threat of d5 just to be on the safe side. I doubt thatthis threat was that real, but Black found this move desirable. Alternativevariation: [White did not have a lot of opportunities either; he had tounravel the tangle of his pieces. That was why I decided to transfer theKnight to b3, taking advantage of the fact that now Black's attempt toplay actively with a7-a5 would be repulsed:] 12... a5 13. Nc1 b4 14. dxe5$1 dxe5 (14... Ng8 15. Qg7 Qxe5 16. Qxe5+ dxe5 17. Na4 $16) 15. Na4 bxa316. b3 $16 } 13. Nc1 O-O-O 14. Nb3 { The development of both sides is comingto its end. However, Black has to show some enterprise, as he is undersome pressure. If White develops with g3, Bh3, and Rhe1, then it won'tbe easy for Black. Black's King is slightly weakened and, of course, heshould have considered playing c6-c5, but then White would have a choice:close the position by playing d5, or even to exchange. It is probablymore promising to close the center. White's space advantage lets him pushfor an attack. Then I hoped to make use of Black's weaknesses on the Queen-side.It was possible to move the Queen from h6 to b6 or to a7. This was an absurdthought: it flashed across my mind and immediately disappeared, but subconsciouslyI formed the idea that the Queen on b6 together with the Knight on a5 couldmake a lot of trouble, especially if the white Bishop appears on h3. Thisdid affect the calculation of variations, but, the mere fact that suchan idea surfaced served as a prologue to a wonderful combination. } 14... exd4 { A very good decision: relief in the center. Taking advantage of the factthat White is a bit backward in development, Black does not hesitate toopen the game and relies on the possibility that active pieces will compensatefor the weakened position of the King. } 15. Rxd4 c5 16. Rd1 Nb6 { A goodmove. Black prepares d6-d5, and I had to think hard for 10 minutes. Now we already have dim contours of a combination. I still could not imaginehow it would look like but I realized that the moves g3 and Bh3 could notbe bad. } 17. g3 { Now the Bishop will move to h3, the Queen will returnto f4, the Knight will go to a5, and the blow will take place somewherein that area. At that moment, however, I did not know exactly what thisblow would be like. Nevertheless, the idea to dispose the pieces in sucha way already reigned over my mind. Alternative variation: [ What doesWhite do next? Let's say if] 17. a4 [ then Black gets a good position after]b4 18. a5 bxc3 19. axb6 Nd7 Alternative variation: [ And in case of] 17.Na5 d5 18. Nxb7 (18. g3 d4) 18... Kxb7 19. exd5 Nbxd5 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21.Bd3 f5 22. Rhe1 Qc7 23. Bf1 c4 [we have a complicated position with mutualchances. Of course, the black King is out in the open, but the white Bishopis hemmed in by the pawns. Black is sound in the center, and it is mostlikely that the position is in a state of dynamic balance.] } 17... Kb8 { Topalovthinks that he has some time and can calmly prepare for d6-d5. } 18. Na5 { Alternative variation: [It is important to say that if White had not playedthe Knight to a5 on the 18th move but immediately played] 18. Bh3 [ thenthe white Knight would not have reached the a5-square after Nb3.] } 18... Ba8 19. Bh3 d5 { So, both sides have fulfilled what was planned: White has finishedthe development and Black has played d6-d5. Though, generally speaking,there was such an opportunity and it was possible to play Rhe1, but thatwould have been another game. I tried to systematically fulfill the planthat I expected to end in a sacrifice. The move 24.Rxd4 was alreadyclear in my mind, though I had not yet realized the possibility of a drawby repetition of moves. I just saw the outline of an attack. } 20. Qf4+ Ka7 21. Rhe1 { That was when I saw the possibility of a draw. Moreover,I felt that there was a possibility to continue the game, to play withoutthe Rook, though I could not imagine what it would lead to. However, theimage of the black King on a5 comforted my heart and intuition given toevery man from birth, intuition of an 'attacker' (let's call it that way),told me that there would be decision and a mate net around the black Kingwould be spun in spite of the huge material advantage of the adversary. Besides, I was whipped up by curiosity of unexplored. Will there everbe another opportunity to lure out the black King into the center of myown camp!? In the long run, Lasker's ancient game [Lasker, Edward - SirThomas, George. London 1912.] with a sacrifice on h7 and King's move g8-g1was like a myth to us. Such a thing could happen only in those distanttimes, we assume. And suddenly, this opportunity! Topalov looked quiteconfident. He played } 21... d4 { Alternative variation: [Certainly, after] 21...dxe4 22. fxe4 [the game is open and now the threat 23.Nd5 gives Black alot of trouble: the black King is too weak.] } 22. Nd5 { Frankly speaking,this move is not the strongest but it serves as a prologue for a furthercombination. Alternative variation: [White, of course, could have played]22. Na2 [but after] Rhe8 [ or h7-h6 the game would have become very complicated.So naturally, my hand led the Knight to the center.] } 22... Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd6 { # It seemed to me that Topalov was a bit surprised, as he thought thatattacking resources had dried out. A check on c6 was senseless, the Knightwill be beaten, the King will go to b6, and there is hardly any opportunityfor White to move his Rooks toward the black King. The d4-pawn safely protectsthe d-rank, and there are no squares for intrusion on the e-rank. Actually,this was not quite right, and my next move, made without any hesitation,turned out to be an unpleasant surprise for Topalov. } 24. Rxd4 { When Imade this move, I saw only the repetition of the moves and the opportunityto continue the attack, though the whole picture of the combination wasnot yet clear. I already saw the idea 30.. .Rd6 31.Rb6, but I still couldnot get rid of the thought that all lines should be checked to the veryend. Maybe black will find some opportunity for defense. Topalov spentabout 15 minutes thinking. I walked around the hall - rather, I fled- and at these feverish moments it seemed to me that there were very fewparticipants and that most of the games had already been finished. My mindworked only in one direction, and one of these moments brought me the imageof the whole cluster of various lines. I saw the move 37. Rd7. I don'teven remember how this line was formed in my head, but I saw the wholeline up to the end. I saw the journey of the black King after 36.Bf1, 37.Rd7 and I could no longer suppress my excitement, because at that samemoment I realized that the move 24...Kb6 ruined the whole construction. The mere thought that I could spoil such a combination drove me crazy,and I only prayed that Topalov would capture on d4. I still was not surethat this would win, but the beauty of the combination I saw impressedme. I could not believe my own eyes when Veselin twitched abruptlyand grabbed the Rook. As he explained after the game, he was exhaustedby the tense fight and he thought that White would have to force a drawby the repetition of moves after the Rook was captured. He saw the mainidea of the combination, but it did not occur to him that White would playwithout the Rook, trying to make use of the King's forward position ona4. } 24... cxd4 { This move loses the game, but it is worth an exclamation mark,as great combinations cannot be created without partners. If Topalov hadnot taken the Rook, the game could have finished in a draw: Veselin wouldhave had half a point more, I - half a point less. He would have win alittle bit, I would have lost a little bit, but chess and chess amateurswould have lost a lot. However, Caissa was kind to me that day.. . I donot know what I was rewarded for, but the development of events becameforced after the capture on d4. Alternative variation: [Maybe, if Topalovhad played] 24... Kb6 [then I could have found the move] 25. Nb3 $1 [ whichagain makes it impossible to capture the Rook:] ([I was intending to play] 25. b4 [as I underestimated the fact that after] Qxf4 (25... Nxd5 26.Qxd6+ Rxd6 27. bxc5+ Kxc5 28. Nb3+ Kb6 29. Kb2 Rhd8 30. Red1 Bc6 31. f4Kc7 $11) 26. Rxf4 Nxd5 27. Rxf7 cxb4 28. axb4 Nxb4 29. Nb3 Rd6 [Black'sposition is better.] ) 25... Bxd5 $1 (25... cxd4 $2 26. Qxd4+ Kc7 27. Qa7+Bb7 28. Nc5 Rb8 29. Re7+ $18) (25... Nxd5 $2 26. Qxf7 Rhf8 27. Qg7 Rg828. Qh6 Qf8 29. Rh4 $16) 26. Qxd6+ Rxd6 27. Rd2 Rhd8 28. Red1 $11 [andWhite keeps equality, but not more.] Alternative variation: 24... Bxd525. Rxd5 Nxd5 26. Qxf7+ Nc7 27. Re6 Rd7 28. Rxd6 Rxf7 29. Nc6+ Ka8 30.f4 } 25. Re7+ { I made this move with lightening speed. And there was nothingto think about. The Rook was inviolable. Such moves are always made withpleasure, and all I have said before (that the d-rank is closed by thed4-pawn and that there are no squares for intrusion on the e-rank) turnedout to be ruined. Two white Rooks sacrifice themselves, and thus, the wayto the black camp is opened for White's pieces. The construction I dreamtof - Queen on b6, Knight on a5 - has suddenly come true, because of theBishop on h3. Alternative variation: [ I have to say that] 25. Qxd4+ [didnot achieve the goal because of] Qb6 26. Re7+ Nd7 [and White's attack fadesaway.] } 25... Kb6 { Alternative variation: [If Black moves] 25... Kb8 26. Qxd4$1 [then after] Nd7 27. Bxd7 Bxd5 28. c4 $1 Qxe7 29. Qb6+ Ka8 30. Qxa6+Kb8 31. Qb6+ Ka8 32. Bc6+ $1 Bxc6 33. Nxc6 [Black loses by force.] } 26. Qxd4+ Kxa5 { Alternative variation: [ Some of the participants, includingAnand, asserted that the move] 26... Qc5 [ saved the game. However, after]27. Qxf6+ Qd6 28. Be6 [White closed the rank but left the opportunity tovary threats and to force Black into a desperate position. For example]Bxd5 (28... Rhe8 29. b4 $1 $18) 29. b4 $1 Ba8 30. Qxf7 Qd1+ 31. Kb2 Qxf332. Bf5 [would be the simplest way, as all the lines are closed and matethreats become inevitable.] } 27. b4+ Ka4 28. Qc3 { I made the last movewithout hesitations. Frankly speaking, I could not make myself think asI strove for the end. I already saw it, and it seemed to me that it wasthe way to finish the game, that Black could not avoid it, and that therewere no other defenses. Veselin gave me time when he was thinking himself,but I could not make myself look for another opportunity. My hopes werein vain! However, it is difficult to judge. It seems to me that the beautyof this combination is not inferior to a side line. Though in order tobe objective from the point of view of chess truth, it would be strongerto play 28.Ra7! Alternative variation: 28. Ra7 [This move was found byLubomir Kavalek, probably with the help of a computer, as it is impossibleto look through all the lines independently. Nevertheless, the idea foundby Kavalek provided the opportunity to realize all problem motives in aclearer way, keeping Black from using new defensive resources. Such resourcescould appear in the game as played, though, frankly speaking, they werenot enough.] [ The strongest move, as in the game itself, is] Bb7 ([ So,after 28.Ra7! both captures on d5 lose quickly:] 28... Nxd5 29. Rxa6+ $3Qxa6 30. Qb2 Nc3+ 31. Qxc3 Bd5 32. Kb2 $18 [# and we approached the positionwhen there was no defense from the threat of Queen's self-sacrifice onb3. Black can not attract another piece to control the a2-g8 diagonal,as the white Bishop controls the e6-square.] (32. --)) ([ The Bishop'scapture on d5 also loses:] 28... Bxd5 29. Qc3 Rhe8 30. Kb2 Re2 [ Blacklinked the c2-pawn and defended from the Qb3 threat. And here the Queensuddenly changes its route-] 31. Qc7 $1 [ threatening with a mate froma5. And after] Qxc7 32. Rxa6+ [the King turns out to be mated by the whiteRook. A wonderful scheme of mating pieces!]) 29. Rxb7 [The continuationafter] Qxd5 ([After] 29... Nxd5 [ White finds a new mating construction]30. Bd7 $1 [threatening with Bxb5+ to expose the black King and to mateit again wi } 28... Qxd5 { Here, Topalov had less than half an hour, I had 32 minutes.Alternative variation: [ It would be even weaker to play] 28... Bxd5 [becauseof] 29. Kb2 [ with inevitable mate.] } 29. Ra7 Bb7 30. Rxb7 { Alternativevariation: [ White refuses the last opportunity to force a perpetual checkmateplaying] 30. Qc7 [I was sure that White would achieve more.] Qd1+ 31. Kb2Qd4+ 32. Kb1 $11 It is important that there is no checkmate on d1, becausethe white King suddenly goes to a2 and it turns out that the threat Qb3can be also supported by the King from the a2-square. That is why theblack Queen has to be on d5 (one has to understand this very importantmoment), in order to control the b3-square and to be able to play Qd4 ifthe white King is on b2. Therefore, the Rook should be on d8. It leavesenough opportunities for most various problem motives that are more vividin this particular line. Both adversaries saw the line and Topalov, havingspent some of his precious minutes, played } 30... Qc4 { This is the most naturaldefense, and I counted on it, too. Moreover, this is the defense that leadsto the most effective mating end that I had no rest from for the last 15-20minutes, ever since its image mysteriously arose in my mind. Actually,Black had two other defenses, and each of them could have ruined the delicateconception that I had in mind. Alternative variation: [ The first one was]30... Rhe8 [the move Topalov showed on the next day before the round started.Thus he drove me into a tight corner in my game with Reinderman, whereI was deep in thought calculating various lines after 30... Rhe8 and, notbeing able to find the way out. I was very careless in the opening, makingtwo slips and mixing everything up. Fortunately, I rethought quickly, gotrid of all these fixed ideas and nightmares and played a marvelous game.However, Topalov's idea was not likely to live a long life, because everyonewas interested in this game and the statement that the move Rhe8 couldrefute White's brilliant composition must have caused inward protest. So,at the end of the round, Ligterink proudly showed a brilliant victory forWhite.] [Thus, White plays] 31. Rb6 Ra8 32. Bf1 [Objecting to .. .Qc4,White creates a quiet threat Rd6, which is crucial in the case of Nd7.]( [It is important to note that the move] 32. Be6 [ which suggests itself,does not achieve the goal:] Rxe6 33. Rxe6 [And Black, course, can not capturethe rook on e6, as after Kb2 there is no defense from the mate, but plays]Qc4 [ This is the very counter-sacrifice that I told you about.] [ Whitehas to beat c4:] 34. Qxc4 bxc4 35. Rxf6 Kxa3 [and then] 36. Rxf7 Re8 [Black starts a counter-attack and, strange as it may seem, keeps good chancesto win the ending. White cannot allow such exchanges and, as we cansee, the c4-square is now crucial. Black could change the defense, playing30... Rhe8. In this case one Rook would defend the a6-pawn from a8, andthe move Kb2 faces Qe5. The Rook controls the } 31. Qxf6 Kxa3 { Topalovstill erred in thinking that White had nothing better than 32.Qxa6 Kxb4and 33.Bd7. Really, White has no other possibilities as the King is undermate himself. Alternative variation: [Black misses the best defense thatlet him continue the resistance in the ending playing] 31... Rd1+ [Andthen] 32. Kb2 Ra8 33. Qb6 $1 [threatening a mate from a5.] Qd4+ ([ At]33... a5 34. Bd7 [is decisive]) 34. Qxd4 Rxd4 35. Rxf7 [ Technically, itis the most complicated decision.] ([I planned to play 35.Bd7. Analysisshowed that this was also enough for the victory. White tries to dominate,to press the black pieces, and he prepares to move the King-side pawns,taking advantage of the fact that the Rook should be on a8. Black triesto defend himself from Bb5+ and not to let the Bishop go to b3. Nevertheless,he does not succeed. After] 35. Bd7 $5 Rd2 36. Bc6 f5 37. Rb6 Ra7 38.Be8 Rd4 39. f4 [Black is nearly stalemated.] Rc4 40. Bf7 Rxb4+ 41. axb4Rxf7 42. c3 [After] Ra7 [the only way is to play] 43. Re6 a5 44. Re1 [andwe come across a new mating construction. This time it is a front checkmatefrom a1; the Rook mates the black King on the a-rank.]) [Black must play]35... a5 36. Be6 axb4 37. Bb3+ Ka5 38. axb4+ [and it turns out that theRook can not capture on b4 because after c3 this Rook is trapped and theending is technically won. Then after] Kb6 (38... Rxb4 39. c3) 39. Rxh7Rc8 40. h4 [White has to win this position without much trouble. The Bishopand three pawns are much stronger than the Rook. White's disposition ismarvelous and his victory is a point of time. However, the continuation35.Bd7 was more effective, and I counted on it during the game because,frankly speaking, I did not see that after 38. axb4+ Rxb4 the move 39.c3trapped the Rook.] Nevertheless, Topalov took on a3 with the King, andthe line I dreamt of came true! Once again, tried to check the lines,and, afraid to believe my own eyes, I made sure that what I had thoughtof for so long } 32. Qxa6+ Kxb4 { # } 33. c3+ { Probably, that was when Topalovrealized everything. Of course, he saw the move 36...Rd2 and then, as itoften happens to chess players, he immediately saw 37.Rd7. Black has nochoice, he has to take with the King on c3. } 33... Kxc3 34. Qa1+ Kd2 { Alternativevariation: [There is no way back:] 34... Kb4 35. Qb2+ Ka5 36. Qa3+ Qa437. Ra7+ [winning the Queen.] } 35. Qb2+ Kd1 { The black King has made theway to his Calvary - from e8 to d1 - across the whole chessboard! And whenit seems that he has reached a quiet harbor (White has no more checkmates),the Bishop, which was on h3 and did nothing but shot in the emptiness anddefended the e6 square, made his move. Alternative variation: [Anotherchange of mating constructions! In fact, we should not forget another opportunity:in stead of 35...Kd1] 35... Ke3 [can be played, then the continuation wouldbe] 36. Re7+ Kxf3 37. Qg2# } 36. Bf1 { # White attacked the Queen whocan not escape: if he retreats along the c-rank the move 37.Qe2 and a checkmatewould follow, and retreat to e6 will cause a mate from c1. Alternativevariation: [ This is one more of the innumerable mating finals. Thus, after]36. Bf1 [ the Bishop is also inviolable, as after] Qxf1 37. Qc2+ Ke1 38.Re7+ [- I don't know who would like such a mate. This is a trifle in comparisonwith all we had before.] } 36... Rd2 { Black makes a counterblow and for anothersecond it seems that the worst is left behind, because White seems to haveno more resources. Alternative variation: 36... Qc5 37. Qe2# Alternativevariation: 36... Qe6 37. Qc1# With one more second to rest, Black willannounce checkmate to the white King himself. But this is where the whiteRook enters. } 37. Rd7 { # The weakness of the a1-h8 diagonal is themost important element of this combination. Usually everything dependson such trifles. If only the black Rook had been on g8, there would havebeen no combination at all... And after 37.Rd7 Black has nothing else tohope for. However, Topalov still continued the fight mechanically. Blackhas to take the Rook on d7. } 37... Rxd7 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Qxh8 Rd3 { This movesgives the illusion of activity. If Black suddenly takes on h7, then afterc3 he will queen the black pawn. But we did not play draughts, it was notobligatory to capture, and now the Queen could show her true strength. } 40. Qa8 { Moving closer to the battlefield. } 40... c3 41. Qa4+ Ke1 42. f4 { Andthus Black is deprived of the last hope to get a position of 'the Rookagainst the Queen' that demands a certain accuracy from the strongest side,if playing a computer. And still, as practice has proved, a weaker sidein the battle of two chess players is not able to resist, as it is nearlyimpossible to make a 'computer move' that would take the Rook away fromthe King. However, it is not necessary to know all these nuances. Whitekeeps a lot of pawns so that Black could hope to win them sometime. } 42... f5 43. Kc1 { Neutralizes any Black's hope connected with c-pawn. } 43... Rd2 44. Qa7 { The Queen starts attacking black pawns, and the h2-pawn is inviolablebecause of Qg1+. Topalov resigned and this wonderful game was over. } 1-0

[Event "It's a Trap!!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.12.18"] [Round "-"] [White "superlalulalu"] [Black "Anonymous"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "3+2"] { I would like to show you one of my miniature games, which was played onlichess org. My opponent was very greedy during the opening, and fell forthe infamous Blackburne Schilling trap. } 1. e4 { I had white pieces andstarted with e4. } 1... e5 2. Nc3 { After e5, I decided to play Nc3, going forVienna opening. } 2... Bc5 { Bc5, this is not the most accurate move in this position,better moves would be Nc6, Nf6 or Bb4. } 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nd5 { After Bc4, Nf6,Nd5 was played. This move sets up the trap - white is now challenging black'sknight on f6 and leaves the e pawn undefended, if black takes the e pawnthen he would be in trouble. } 4... Nxe4 { Black takes the bait with his knight,and threatens Nxf2 forking white's queen and rook. } 5. Qg4 { Qg4, forkingblack's knight and g pawn, leaving the f2 pawn hanging. } 5... Nxf2 { Black happilycaptured the f pawn, he is now two pawns up and his knight is now forkingmy queen and rook. } 6. Qxg7 { Qxg7, white queen is now attacking black'srook. } 6... Rf8 { Black thought that my rook on h1 is trapped, so there is norush to take it straight away, thus he defended his rook first with Rf8.However, he totally overlooked my next move. } 7. Qxe5+ { Qxe5+!, Black nowhas two options, he can block the check with either Qe7 or Be7, unfortunatelyeither move would lead to disaster. } 7... Be7 { Black decided to save his belovedqueen, and played Be7. He totally missed my next move. What did he miss?Can you find the next move for white? } 8. Nf6# { Kaboom! Nf6 checkmate!This trap perfectly demonstrated that you should never be greedy, especiallyduring the opening. I hope you enjoyed reading this annotation, pleasefeel free to leave your comments. I wish you good luck with your games,and see you next time. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.11.02"] [Round "-"] [White "cornishman"] [Black "thefiddler"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1853"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1764"] 1. e4 c5 2. c4 { Unusual second move by white. I do not know this variationof the Sicilian. } 2... Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 d6 6. h3 e6 7. g4 { Seemsto be transposing to something like the Grand Prix attack. } 7... Nge7 8. Bg2 Nd4 { Would 0-0 been better here? The text move is a little slow. } 9. Nxd4 Bxd4 10. Ne2 Bg7 11. O-O f5 { I figured it'd be better to get to f5 beforewhite can. } 12. exf5 gxf5 13. a4 O-O 14. Ra3 { Wasn't expecting this move. } 14... Qc7 15. Rg3 Bd7 16. b3 Bc6 17. d4 a6 18. Be3 b6 19. Nc3 { Trying to avoidopening things up too soon. I think white's pieces would be better setupto handle an open game. } 19... Rae8 20. d5 exd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. Bxd5+ Kh8 23. Bxc6 Qxc6 24. Kh2 Qe4 25. Qxd6 Qc2+ { I thought I would be able to get thebackward pawn back. But it appears that I have too many issues with kingsafety. } 26. Rf2 Qxb3 27. Bd4 Qxc4 28. Bxg7+ Kxg7 29. gxf5+ Kh8 30. Qxb6 Rxf5 31. Rg4 Qd4 32. Qb2 { Things are looking drawish, so long as neitherside missteps. } 32... h5 33. Rg5 Ref8 34. Kg3 Kh7 35. Rxf5 Rxf5 36. Qb7+ Kg6 37. Qxa6+ Rf6 38. Qc8 Qxa4 39. Qxc5 Qd1 40. f5+ Kf7 41. Qc7+ Kf8 42. Qf4 Qd6 { I'm hoping to get to a position without the queens that resemblesdiagram 352 in Basic Chess Endings by Fine. In that example, White R one6, pawns on f4 and h3 and K on h4. Black R on g8 and K on g7 ended ina draw. } 43. Qxd6+ Rxd6 44. Kh4 Kg7 45. Kxh5 Rh6+ 46. Kg4 Ra6 47. Kg5 Ra1 48. h4 Rg1+ 49. Kh5 Kf6 50. Kh6 Rg8 51. Kh7 Rg7+ 52. Kh6 Rg8 53. Kh5 Rg7 54. Rf4 Rg8 55. Rf1 Rg7 56. Rf4 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL Division 4 North"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "09-02-2020"] [Round "-"] [White "Aiden M Rawlinson"] [Black "Charles L Higgie"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "ECF168"] [TimeControl "40 in 120m plus 30 secs"] [WhiteElo "ECF196"] 1. d4 { This was a very interesting game. I held my highly rated opponentfor most of the game, but missed the best move after all the complicationsseemed to have passed and I lost quickly after that. } 1... Nf6 { My usual reply. } 2. c4 { The most common move. } 2... g6 { Heading towards Grünfeld Defence positions. } 3. g3 { I was half expecting him to play this at some point, as I had seenhe plays the Catalan against the Queen's Gambit Declined. } 3... Bg7 { So I justcontinue. } 4. Bg2 { He is now threatening e2-e4. I could just allow it andgo into King's Indian Defence structures, but I decide to stay true toThe Grünfeld Defence. } 4... d5 { Systems in which White delays the developmentof his queen's knight to c3 are known as the Neo-Grünfeld Defence, suchas this. } 5. cxd5 { He takes, as in the main line Systems in the GrünfeldDefence } 5... Nxd5 { I take back. I was expecting 6. e4 now. } 6. Nf3 { This isactually more common. } 6... c5 { I strike at his centre. } 7. e4 { And now he doesattack my knight. } 7... Nb4 { Rather than meekly retreat I decide to advance.We are already out of the books - retreats to b6 or c7 have been playedbefore. } 8. d5 { Fritz prefers a3. } 8... f5 { Striking at the white centre beforehe can consolidate. Fritz likes this move. } 9. a3 { He now hits my knight } 9... fxe4 { Once again, instead of retreating, I counter-attack. } 10. axb4 { Hetakes. } 10... exf3 { I take. } 11. Qxf3 { He takes back with his queen, preventingimmediate castling. } 11... cxb4 { I take the pawn. } 12. O-O { He castles. In returnfor the pawn he has better development and better pawn structure. Chancesare roughly level. } 12... Nd7 { With the options of going to f6 or e5. } 13. Re1 { The logical way of developing his rook. The pin on the e file could beuseful. } 13... Ne5 { I attack his queen. } 14. Qb3 { He threatens my pawn and d5-d6could be a powerful discovery at some stage. } 14... a5 { I protect the pawn onb4. Fritz prefers Bf5 with equality. } 15. Bf4 { He attacks my knight. } 15... Nf7 { The knight is heading for the fine blockading square on d6. } 16. Nd2 { Hedevelops his knight. } 16... O-O { I finally castle. } 17. Ne4 { His knight movesup the board. } 17... Nd6 { I blockade his isolated d pawn with my knight - thebest blockading piece. } 18. Rac1 { The logical square to put his a rook,along the open file. } 18... Bf5 { at last this bishop comes out. } 19. Nc5 { Theknight hops in. } 19... Rc8 { I did see some of the following complications. Idid see he could exchange on d6 and then win the b pawn, but I thoughthis knight was then trapped on b7. } 20. Bxd6 { He takes. } 20... exd6 { I take back. } 21. Ne6 { Indeed his knight is trapped if he takes on b7, but he comes inhere, forking queen and rook. } 21... Bxe6 { So I take. } 22. dxe6 { He takes back. } 22... Qe7 { and I block the advance of his e pawn. } 23. Bxb7 { and he gets hispawn back. Now of course, if I take the bishop he has e7+ winning rookfor pawn. } 23... Rxc1 { I take his rook. } 24. Rxc1 { He takes back. } 24... Bxb2 { andI follow suit! } 25. Rc7 { But he has this! } 25... Qxc7 { More or less forced! } 26. e7+ { Now the black king is forced onto a black square where the Bb2can be taken with check. } 26... Kg7 { as good as anywhere! } 27. Qxb2+ { Takes withcheck. If now Rf6? 28. pe8=N+! Now the best defence for black is Qc3 andI am still in the game. Now it is hopeless. } 27... Kf7 { Funny how such a simple,obvious move can be such a mistake. } 28. Bd5+ { Gaining a tempo. } 28... Kxe7 { SoI take the pawn. } 29. Qg7+ { A nasty check. I could have just retreatedthe king to d8. } 29... Rf7 { But I played this. I was looking at now 30. Bxf7threatening a discovery with his bishop and if 30...Kd8 then 31. Qf8 mates.However 30...Kd8 is not forced and he hasn't really got any wonderful discoveredchecks. } 30. Qxf7+ { so this is just as good. } 30... Kd8 { Forced! } 31. Qg8+ { anothercheck, two more pawns are going. } 31... Kd7 { Nothing better } 32. Qxh7+ { Firstpawn goes. } 32... Kc8 { King drops back. } 33. Qxg6 { Second pawn drops. I willjust add the final moves without further comment. } 33... Qc5 34. Qe8+ Kc7 35. Qe7+ Kc8 36. Qb7+ Kd8 37. h4 a4 38. Be6 Qc7 39. Qxc7+ Kxc7 40. h5 { andblack finally resigns. Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment ortwo and rate this annotation on the star system. Until next time dear reader! } 1-0

[Event "43rd GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "dmisra"] [Black "richie-rich"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1683"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1612"] { Destructive power of Kings gambit- DOUBLE BISHOP SACRIFICE- win on move22. Learnt this most unpredictable of all gambits in April 2008, workson players of rating <1600 usually. Quiz- what wud u do on move 10 and13?? See my 6 other annot games on KG- ALL EXCITING } 1. e4 { Destructivepower of Kings gambit- DOUBLE BISHOP SACRIFICE- win on move 22. Learntthis most unpredictable of all gambits in April 2008, works on playersof rating <1600 usually. Quiz- what wud u do on move 10 and 13?? See my6 other annot games on KG- ALL EXCITING } 1... e5 2. f4 { pawn offered } 2... exf4 { taken.now the fun begins } 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 { long term aim- destroy the f7 pawnand draw the king out, prevent castling } 4... Bg4 5. O-O Nd7 6. d4 { eye hisf4 pawn } 6... g5 { he protects it, BUT NOW HIS KINGSIDE DEFENCE IS WEAKENING,all because he wants to keep this f4 pawn. I have to prevent him from castlingnow on queenside } 7. e5 { disrupt his q pawns, dominate the center } 7... dxe5 8. dxe5 Bc5+ 9. Kh1 Bxf3 { what would you do here? Think. Then see whatI did (just like my other annotated games vs maten and others) } 10. Bxf7+ { surprised? bishop sacrifice } 10... Kxf7 11. Qxf3 Nxe5 { expected } 12. Qh5+ { fromnow kings gambit enters unpredictable territory. will try to keep checkinghim and win back some material. Note- I am 4 points down } 12... Kg7 { What wouldyou do AGAIN. Think } 13. Bxf4 { wham- second bishop sacrificed } 13... Qe8 { ifhe took my bishop g x dsb, then my queen would have taken his knight one5, and checked him while attacking his dsb. } 14. Qxg5+ { he is in bigtrouble now } 14... Ng6 15. Qxc5 Nxf4 16. Qxc7+ { cant take with my rook for Qe1can blunt my attack. double attack on his king and knight } 16... Kg6 17. Qxf4 Qe6 18. Qg3+ Kh5 19. Rf4 Qe7 20. Rf5+ Kh6 21. Qf4+ Kg6 22. Qg4+ { Hope youenjoyed. Kings gambit leads to short exciting games, chess for adrenalinejunkies. Pl comment and rate freely. Could he have saved his game aftermy first bishop sac?? Hope you enjoyed. } 1-0

[Event "The sniper shot"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "31-Aug-06"] [Round "-"] [White "TheCat"] [Black "stevetaylor"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] 1. e4 { I liked this game because it showed just how vulnerable a stonglooking king side can be if the opponent has just the right attack available. } 1... e5 { Bring about The Open Game } 2. Nf3 Nc6 { The King's Knight openning -black chosing to defend the pawn rather than make a threat on the Whitepawn with his King's Knight. } 3. Bc4 Bc5 { The Giucoc piano is revealed! } 4. h3 { An unual choice of move. White is looking to prevent potentialproblems involving the Knight being pinned to the Queen. However hismove achieves little more than blocking a potential threat which Blackcan easily shift to somewhere else. It would seem that White has losta tempo which Black can capitalise on. } 4... Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. a4 { Another unusualmove. White is preparing to pawn storm the Black minor pieces on the Queenside. However the attack will take so long to materialise that Black canprepare escape routes for both of the threatened pieces. White has lostanother temp which Black can use to continue developing. } 6... Bd7 7. c3 Bb6 { Bring the bishop a move out of harms way, now the Queen side pawn stormcan be negated by ...h7 and ... Kte7. This allows (helps?) the piecesthreaten the King side which is the side White is likely to castle beingas there will be no Queen side pawns to hide behind. } 8. b4 a6 9. b5 { Asuprising variation on the telegraphed attack. This allows Bb5 withoutthe threat of a6 forcing the bishop away. However the knight is well guardedand can move without losing material and the Black King can be quicklywhisked away from danger by castling. White's bishop would also be vulnerableto a sudden pawn surge as a4 will not be available to receive a retreat. } 9... axb5 10. Bxb5 O-O 11. O-O h6 { Matching Whites move to prevent a pin andgive the king breathing space. } 12. Re1 Ba5 { Now we can see the differencein positions coming to bear. Black has both knights and both bishops alongwith a rook with which pressure can applied. Only two of White's piecesare off the back rank, although they are well placed. } 13. Re2 Qc8 { Snipertakes aim... } 14. Bb2 { White's dark square bishop is relegated to performingas a pawn. } 14... Bxh3 { Sniper fires - BANG. h3 is dangerous when black answerwith Qxh3 and then ...Ktg4 Better is to give up on the lost pawn and blockWhite's more ambitious plan. } 15. g3 Bg4 { A very nasty pin. It will takewhite two moves to undo it and then care has to be taked over the defenceof the knight. } 16. Re1 Nd4 { The rook moves from frying pan to fire andBlack's developed pieces are keen to spring into action and gang up onthe knight. } 17. Nbd2 { A clever move. Defends the kight and break thepin, allowing the knight to be taken on the next move. Black has to eitherexchange knights or lose a tempo moving his knight away, at this stagea move could be all that White needs to relieve the pressure on his kingside. } 17... Nxf3+ 18. Nxf3 { Black's knight has achieved nothing other than allowingitself to be exchanged for a knight that was effectively already out ofthe game. A very good counter by white. } 18... Bh5 { Clearing the diagonalto receive re-enforments. Threatening mate with ...Qh3 and Ktg4 so Whitemust block that before it happens } 19. Kg2 Qg4 20. Rh1 { It looks as ifWhite has weathered the storm and survived the ambitious assault only losinga pawn. } 20... d5 { Black tries for e5 Ktxe5 in the hope of bringing his knightto somewhere more useful by white cannot be distracted from clearing hisborders. } 21. Rh4 { Now its white's turn to attack and drive back the intruders. } 21... Qxf3+ { The exchange is forced, any other queen move would lose black material. } 22. Qxf3 Bxf3+ 23. Kxf3 c6 { The unlucky bishop is trapped as a4 is unavailable- black gains a minor piece while White's dark square bishop is tied upprotecting a pawn. As soon as Black captures the bishop he will gain afile on which to place his linked rooks. After that the fragmentedpawn structure on White's Queen side will be targetted and White has littlechance of gaining access to Black's heavily fortified royalty. } 0-1

[Event "OTB training game..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23-may-18"] [Round "-"] [White "fiercequeen"] [Black "E. Wijnands"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "UR"] [WhiteElo "2059"] { Every once in a while, an apprentice comes by to learn more about thegame: this is a fairly long game, without time control... } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 { I seldom play this: Kings' Knight Gambit... } 2... exf4 { not the way to go:best is probably d6, or straightaway d5... } 3. Nf3 g6 4. d4 Bh6 { hangingon to the gambit pawn: never a good idea; best is just Bg7 and develop... } 5. g3 { of course... } 5... fxg3 6. Bxh6 Nxh6 7. hxg3 Ng4 8. Bh3 d6 9. O-O { verybold, but probably best... } 9... Ne3 10. Qe2 Bxh3 11. Qxe3 Bxf1 12. Kxf1 { thoughbehind in material, White has the better of the position and the play... } 12... Qd7 13. Kg2 Qb5 14. b3 O-O 15. Nc3 Qh5 { very careless: this is only helpingWhite, to whip up an attack... } 16. Rh1 Qg4 17. Qh6 { ough: on various levelsof pain... } 17... Re8 { not doing much, but forced... } 18. Qxh7+ Kf8 19. Rh4 Qe6 20. Ng5 Qf6 21. Rf4 { forcing the loss of the Black Queen at least... } 21... Qg7 22. Qxg7+ Kxg7 23. Rxf7+ Kh6 24. Nf3 { White has at least restored the materialbalance: and there is more to come... } 24... Nc6 25. a3 { preventing Nb4... } 25... Rf8 26. Rxc7 Na5 27. b4 { not paying attention: the Knight has to backtrack... } 27... Nc6 28. Rxb7 Rf6 29. Rc7 Raf8 { overestimating the power of this attack... } 30. Rxc6 Rxf3 31. Nd5 { finally, Nd5 comes into play: covering c2, and preparingto dislodge the Black rooks... } 31... Rf2+ 32. Kh3 Rf1 { after first Kh5, Nf4+:after Kg5, Rxd6; Black has no play against the White King, despite therook pair... } 33. Kg4 Re1 34. e5 Re4+ 35. Kh3 Rxd4 36. Rxd6 Rf5 37. Nf4 { preventing Rh5+, and breaking up the connection between Blacks' rooks... } 37... Re4 { after Rxd6, exd6, Black has a hard time keeping the White pawns undercontrol: c4 is in the air also... } 38. Rxg6+ Kh7 39. Re6 Re1 { Rxe5 mightwin a pawn, but Whites' free pawns are getting dangerous after c4... } 40. Kg4 Rf7 41. c4 Rg7+ 42. Kf3 Rg1 43. Nh5 { again, the Knight is breakingup the coordination of the rooks... } 43... Rf7+ 44. Kg4 Rd7 45. Rd6 Rc7 46. c5 Rc1 47. Nf6+ Kg7 48. Rd7+ Rxd7 49. Nxd7 { White is winning... } 49... Rc4+ 50. Kf5 Rc3 51. g4 Rxa3 { too greedy: now the pawns will run... } 52. c6 Rb3 { after Rc3, b5... } 53. c7 Rc3 { forced... } 54. Nc5 { forcing the issue... } 54... Rf3+ 55. Ke6 Rf8 56. Kd7 Rf7+ 57. Kc8 Rf8+ 58. Kb7 a5 { losing: best isRf7... } 59. bxa5 Rf7 60. e6 Re7 61. Nd7 { forcing promotion... } 61... Rxe6 62. c8=Q Re4 { White has many ways to win this... } 63. Qc3+ { another optionis Qf8+, Kg6 (what else? Kh7, Nf6+), Qf5+... } 63... Kf7 64. Ne5+ Ke6 65. Nf3 { setting up a little trap: the threat is of course Ng5... } 65... Rxg4 { takesthe bait... } 66. Qc8+ Kf6 67. Qxg4 { Black resigned... } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from okat"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Feb-07"] [Round "-"] [White "okat"] [Black "rjastrz"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1720"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1710"] { C42 Russian Game } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bc5 4. Bc4 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. h3 Be6 7. d3 Bxc4 { Black spoils white's pawn structure. } 8. dxc4 h6 { Prevents Bg5. } 9. Re1 c6 { Prevents Nd5. } 10. Na4 Nbd7 { After Nxc5 Nxc5the e4 pawn will be under attack. } 11. Nh4 { Prepares Nf5, which is a bigthreat for black. The e4 pawn must fall immediately. } 11... Nxe4 12. Rxe4 { Therook protects the knight, however, the f line is now open for the f7 pawn. } 12... f5 13. Nxf5 { Takes back the pawn. } 13... Rxf5 { The f2 pawn is under pressurefrom black, white decides to take the bishop. } 14. Nxc5 Nxc5 { Rook underpressure. } 15. Rg4 { Threatens Bxh6. } 15... Qf6 16. b4 { The knight is essentialin the attack on f2 pawn. However, the e4 square is guarded by white'srook. } 16... h5 { Let's remove the rook! } 17. Rg3 Ne4 { Heavy pressure on f2. } 18. Rf3 Rf8 { Increasing pressure. } 19. Rxf5 Qxf5 20. f3 { The only moveto prevent capture. This leads, however, to great knight positioning. } 20... Ng3 21. Qxd6 { Wins a pawn, looses a tempo. } 21... h4 { Critical move. The pawnguards the knitght which threatens the black king. } 22. Be3 e4 { Threatensto open the f line. White's rook cannot move to f1 because of the knightguard. } 23. f4 g5 { Black's pieces are placed strategically. White cannotcheck black's king, and makes a pawn capture... } 24. fxg5 Qf1+ { Qf1! Thef line opened and a mate in 2 is unleashed. } 25. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 26. Kh2 Rh1# { The h pawn protector turned out to be crucial here. Many thanks to okatfor the game! } 0-1

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.10.23"] [Round "-"] [White "der33"] [Black "matigaloe"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1597"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1579"] 1. Nf3 { Reti Opening. } 1... Nc6 2. e4 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. d5 Ne5 6. Be2 Nxf3+ 7. Bxf3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 h6 9. Be3 e5 { White could move Pxe6 e.p. } 10. dxe6 { ...and does. } 10... fxe6 11. O-O-O e5 12. Nd5 Be7 13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. Qh5+ Kd7 15. Qg4+ Ke7 16. h4 Qd7 17. Qf3 Rhf8 18. Qe2 { What would be a halfway cool move for black here would be Qa4, which attacks two differentundefended pawns (Pe4 & Pa2). White must choose which one to save. } 18... Rae8 { This move leaves Pa7 undefended from BxPa7. } 19. Bxa7 { ...like that. } 19... Qa4 { On the other hand, white cannot save both the bishop and Pa2. Qe3seems like a good idea. } 20. Qe3 Qxa2 21. g4 g5 22. hxg5 { Oh no, the whitequeen shares the same diagonal with the king. With this blunder blackcan pin the white queen with BxPg5. } 22... Bxg5 23. Qxg5+ hxg5 24. Rh7+ { Whitewould probably have been better off moving the bishop. This challengecan be defended by Rf7 in which case white is compelled to exchange, anddown 6 points every trade works to black's mathematical advantage. } 24... Rf7 25. Rh5 { Trading would have saved white from QxBa7. } 25... Qxa7 26. Rxg5 { Rh2or Rf1 here. (Rd2 just makes Qa1# even quicker). } 26... Rxf2 27. Rf5 Qa1# 0-1

[Event "Very Entertaining game. with a nice move on 27."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.05.25"] [Round "-"] [White "cucciolo"] [Black "trixstermtl"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1463"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1504"] 1. d4 c5 { i like starting with the modern nimzovitch usually vs e4 playersbut vs d4 i like opening a temporary pawn gambit is this a good opening?and ill usually concentrate on a queen side attack for this openining. } 2. dxc5 e6 { follow through to develop bishop and take middle since i underminedhis middle pawn } 3. b4 { i like players who reinforce like this makes for3 moves without any developped pieces and far advanced pawns on the sidei plan on attacking, } 3... Nc6 4. a3 Nf6 5. Bb2 d5 { is offering the En passanta good idea to develop my black bishop? and if he doesnt accept have astronger middle? (ive only got 4-10 games vs d4 players with c5 openingfrom me in my passed any advice is appreciated. } 6. cxd6 Bxd6 7. e3 O-O 8. Bb5 a5 { no that im adequately developped saving my WSB for later i startpushing my pawns queen side to go with what i wanted to do a queen sideattack and start undermining those early moved pawns and open up lanesfor rook on A file } 9. Bxc6 { i purposefully let him detach my pawns asi was planning on moving them on to clear the way anyway } 9... bxc6 10. Nf3 Ba6 { here i played just a tad fast trying to prevent his Castle, didntwatch where his knight could or would go } 11. Nd4 { i didnt want to movemy bishop from d6 cause i was planning on queen c7 bishop d5 or an assaulton his rook since his horse is still not developped so he forces me todefend with bishop. why i was saying i think my previous move wasa bit too hasty. i was forced to move same piece twice } 11... Bb7 12. Qf3 { ilike this move from the queen i have a blind attack waiting with my bishopand it compliments my Qc7 move later. i dont want to offer his b4 pawna change towards the middle, id rather he eat a file and i develop rook.or i eat him with my pawn when the timing comes. (anything wrong withthat thinking?) as for whats coming now i see hes planning a quick checkmate with Queen and bishop when i unveil my WSB to attack his queen buti got time to get ready for it } 12... axb4 { i do as planned. he didnt want toeat back and trade rooks. which i think wouldve been wiser for him longrun. } 13. Nxc6 { this allows my Qc7 move } 13... Qc7 14. Bxf6 { he tries to doublepawn me but im not gonna open up my king to an easy check/checkmate situation } 14... Bxc6 { gain time on queen but this i forsaw he would use to reposition hisqueen for the checkmate attack. since i had forseen his line and wasntworried cause g6 saves me since he doesnt have enough material developpedto attack } 15. Qg4 g6 { now hes forced to try and start developping morepieces. and my early planned attack for his rook is set and im going hardqueen side. } 16. O-O Be5 { trade off bishops and now i start controllingmomentum and hes forced to move defensively each time im happy with mygame so far even though i havent made up for the pawn gambit yet. but itsgivin me so much development itll be hard for him to catch up } 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. Nd2 { took a while for me to analyse what i wanted to do here soplan was to race the pawn up trading rooks } 18... Rxa3 19. Rxa3 bxa3 { very dangerouspawn alone on his lane 2 away from queening i got my WSB that i kept forlater to protect an eventual a2 and my queen is nicely placed to protecta1 } 20. Nb3 { i think he didnt have many moves at this time and wanted toopen up his lane for his rook } 20... Qb2 { bring my queen in. since his queenis on the other side of board } 21. Qc4 { here was a mistake by him letsme gain time by attacking his queen in retreat and covering my pieces andattacking his knight also } 21... Bd5 22. Qb4 Rc8 { this was my second favoritemove of the game i knew it would force his Rook to c1 and then i can justeat horse with bishop he cannot take with pawn or else rxc1 Checkmate } 23. Rc1 Bxb3 { bingo :D } 24. Rf1 { retreats rook hasnt had time to move apawn yet to make it safer for his king } 24... Bxc2 { start eating him up offera queen exchange to promote pawn with the covering bishop on white squarehis is in big trouble now } 25. Qe1 { decides to put all his pieces on defense } 25... a2 26. Qa1 { here i took a while to analyse and i came up with my favoritemove. ill just Trade queens and Seal his rook in the corner and throw thekey away lol } 26... Qxa1 27. Rxa1 Bb1 { from here on out the war on the queenside was won and i had an extra rook to help the king side Pawn assaultwas a slow walk up to a checkmate my oponent stay the whole way i likethose games hehe } 28. h3 h5 29. Kh2 Kg7 { my plan was just to wait for himat this stage and navigate my rook and king properly inbetween pawn moves } 30. g4 hxg4 31. hxg4 g5 32. Kg3 f6 33. f4 gxf4+ 34. Kxf4 Kg6 35. e4 { ilove when oponents put pawns in front of kings late game ehehe in 1 rookscenarios } 35... Rc4 36. Kf3 e5 37. Ke3 Rxe4+ 38. Kf3 Kg5 { ihis pawns are crumbling,its really spelling out the end now im still loving to look at the boardfrom his perspective and seeing 2 black pieces in the bottom left corner } 39. Kg3 Rxg4+ 40. Kf3 Rd4 41. Ke3 f5 42. Kf3 { once i had rook positionedon d4 he couldnt use king to help his rook anymore just have to watch outnot to give him a draw } 42... f4 43. Ke2 Kg4 44. Kf2 Rd3 45. Ke2 e4 46. Kf2 f3 47. Kf1 Kg3 { now he is mate in 2-4 depending on if he wants to waste 2turns exchanging his rook out. i hope people enjoyed the game and maybeoffer better moves in instances where i made mistakes so i can refer tosome of these lines in the future } 48. Ke1 e3 49. Kf1 Rd1# 0-1

[Event "The rocky road to peace"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "26/Jan/09"] [Round "-"] [White "demaqoq"] [Black "lapsekili"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1331"] [TimeControl "3 days"] [WhiteElo "1411"] { Annotated 'on request'. It has long been my view that books for earlychess players ought to feature games played at rather nearer the levelat which readers will have attained. Sure, the mistakes are more frequent,but you get good moves, too. More importantly, I think, the schemes andcounterschemes are more easily understood, and the games therefore easierto follow. Here is such a game - full of incident and accident, but afighting game to its peaceful concusion. } 1. c4 e5 { The 'Pawn to King Four'Defence against White's English Opening. For many years the English wasmy favoured opening as White, but as Black I liked to meet it with thisdefence - as aggressive as the Sicilian is against 1.e4. } 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 { So far, a standard development, but now Black departs from the usuallines of play... } 3... e4 { (?!) Playable, but rather a risky line. If Blackwants a tough fight on his hands, this is a good way to get one! } 4. Ng5 { The usual response, planning to take on e4 with this knight. Other optionsthat have been tries are 4.Nd4 and even 4.Ng1. There seems to be no reason,however, not to choose the move played. } 4... Bc5 { (!?) Oddly enough, the mostpopular response here seems to be 4...b5!? The idea is, presumably, todecoy if possible, White's c-pawn, or maybe the c3-knight. White can choosefrom 5.Nxb5 and 5.d3 - both being good responses. With the move played,Black definitely gambits a pawn, leaving both sides in uncharted territory. } 5. Ngxe4 Bb6 { (!?) } 6. g3 { (!?) Well worth considering were 6.Nxf6 and 6.c5. } 6... c6 { (?!) Very risky, as with 7.Nd6 Ke7 8.Nxc8 Qxc8 9.Bg2 Blackwould be unable to castle. True, that is not a huge handicap, as with...Re8 and ...Kf8 Black achieves adequate protection for the king, butit does lose time that White can use to complete his development and planan attack. } 7. d3 { (!?) Though 7.Nd6 was good, this seems a reasonablealternative. But now Black breaks out in the centre - a very good plan... } 7... Nxe4 8. Nxe4 d5 { (!) Well played. This break goes a long way to freeingup Black's Q-side and developing some counterplay. } 9. Nd2 Nd7 { (!?) 'Knightsbefore bishops' on any given side ot the board is a useful guideline, butthis is one of the exceptions, I feel. Preferable was 9...Be6 first, andthen develop the knight. However, Black had already planned to move theknight on to f6, so the bishop will soon be free to move... } 10. b3 { (??)A bad mistake that could have cost White the game. Better was 10.cxd5cxd5, leaving Black with an isolated d-pawn to worry about (11.Bg2 attacksit immediately). Now Black can win material... } 10... Nf6 { (?) According toa plan already laid, I suspect. But it's always worth re-evaluating anygiven position in the light of what your opponent actually plays. White'slast opened himself up to a deadly double-attack: 10...Qf6! To stop themate at f2, White would have to give up his rook at a1. } 11. Qc2 { (?!)This also has its downside, as Black shows next turn... } 11... Ng4 { (!) Good:attacking the vulnerable spot at f2. } 12. c5 { (?) The last couple of moveshave revivified the threat mentioned at move 10. Instead, 12.e3 seemsa better choice. } 12... Ba5 { (?) Again, 12...Qf6! would have been embarrassingfor White: 13.Bb2 Qxf2 14.Kd1 Ne3#. Note that 12...Bxc5 first would havebeen a mistake, as the WQ from c5 (13.Qxc5) would be protecting the f2-square. } 13. Bb2 { Now the opportunity is gone for good. } 13... Bxd2+ { (?) Not a well-motivatedexchange, in my view. This bishop was the more mobile of Black's pair(consider where the Black pawns are standing - the colour of the squares),and was worth a deal more than White's knight. The exchange also cedesWhite the bishop pair - an asset easily overrated, but an unnecessary concessionall the same. Better was 13...0-0 or 13...Nf6 to protect the g-pawn fromcapture. } 14. Qxd2 { Of course, it was too much to hope that White wouldretake with the king! } 14... O-O 15. Bg2 { A good moment to assess the overallsituation, since both sides are close to completing their development. White is a pawn ahead. That Black has nothing to show at least partiallyto offset this, indicates White has the advantage. Black will have toplay hard to close the gap! } 15... b6 { (!?) Mobilising his Q-side. With thismove, Black makes it clear he isn't going to lie down, even though hisplan does have its risks. Also possible were 15...Qe7 or 15...Re8, butit is by no means clear they are any better than the move played. } 16. Qc3 { (!) Not just a transparent, easily parried threat (17.Qxg7#). Whiteplans to make use of the c-file to bear down upon Black's backward c-pawnthat will soon appear in the file. } 16... Nf6 17. cxb6 Qxb6 { It was no good takingwith the pawn, of course! } 18. O-O Rd8 19. Rac1 Bb7 { As good a place forthe bishop as any. Black has now a 'hanging pawn couple' (Nimzovitch),the backward pawn of which at c6 is under heavy attack. Black has somehowto mobilise these pawns - a tall order! } 20. Rfe1 Rac8 21. Ba1 { (?!) Animaginative idea that says much about White's flexibility of thought togetherwith fixity of purpose. White wants to maintain the pressure on the longdiagonal, but to bring his rooks into the front line of the attack downthe c-file. But there is one small consideration that White has overlookedthat, had he seen it, would have made him wait a move. The right movewas 21.b4!, because... } 21... c5 { (!) ... a White pawn on b4 would have heldthe c-pawn backward and vulnerable. Black takes immediate advantage ofthe omission. } 22. Qb2 { (!?) The foregoing is not to say that Black wasout of the woods yet. With 22.d4, White could still have faced Black withthe problem of his vulnerable pawns, e.g. 22.d4 c4 23.bxc4 Rxc4 24.Qb2Rb4 Black would have lively play, and have masked the weakness of his d-pawn(having rid himself altogether of his backward c-pawn), yet White stillhas that niggling pawn surplus, and no real weakness for Black to attack. } 22... d4 { (!) Now, I rather like this move, though it is true Black has broughtback into existence a backward and vulnerable c-pawn. Against that, Blackhas closed down the long dark-square diagonal, for the time being at least. } 23. Bxb7 Qxb7 24. Rc4 Nd5 { Black has his beady eye on ...Nc3 - an attractive-lookingprospect. But it seems to me that Black's central pawn structure is toounstable for the knight to achieve much there. Apart from that, the rookscan offer no protection for the knight at c3 either. Maybe 24...Qd7, centralisingand overprotecting d4 would have been worth a look. } 25. e3 { (!?) Immediatelyattacking Black's shaky pawn centre. Yet there was a lot to be said forregrouping a bit first. 25.Qc1! added pressure against the c-pawn whilstcovering the c3 and e3 squares. Less effective would have been 25.Rec1(25...Qe7). } 25... Re8 { (?) Pinning the e-pawn (26.exd4?? Rxe1ch ). But themove is a mistake, although the reason is not at all easy to spot! Betterwas 25...Qe7, with the same idea of pinning the e-pawn. } 26. Rec1 { Obviousand good, but even better was this tactical shot: 26.Rxc5!! with the idea26...Rxc5? 27.Qxd4! with a double attack against the c5-rook and againstg7 (28.Qxg7#). This motif forms a curious pendant to the similar doubleattack opportunities Black had earlier in the game! } 26... Nc3 { As planned, andit looks good, but the knight can't stay there after, say, 27.Qd2. Maybe26...Nb4 might have given White more to think about...? } 27. R1xc3 { (?!) A very interesting decision. It is often worth considering trading down'at a loss', in order to bring about a more easily realised advantage,or in the interests of simpler planning. This can be especially usefulif the defender is otherwise finding plenty of counterplay. Possibly Whitewas impressed by the counterplay Black had recently conjured up, whichmakes the exchange offer understandable. At that, White may have beenfiguring on getting 2 pawns for the exchange, and hence preserving hismaterial edge. All the same, 27.Qd2 looks much the better option. } 27... dxc3 28. Qxc3 f6 { Black had to cover the mate threat at g7, whereat White nowpicks up the c-pawn... } 29. Rxc5 Rxc5 30. Qxc5 Rc8 { (!) } 31. Qa3 { (!)Just about White's only good move in this position. } 31... Qc6 { Playing to winmaybe? Black could have won a piece here by 31...Qf3! 32.Qb2 Qd1ch 33.Kg2Rc1, but then White can hold everything together by 34.Qd4 Rxa1 35.Qd8ch Kf7 36.Qd5ch ! with a perpetual check (Not 36.Qd7ch? Kg6 37.Qg4ch?? Qxg4).This would have been a nice exciting tactical finish to the game. But,whether or not Black considered this line, he's not compromising much bytrying other methods. } 32. Bb2 Qc5 { Possibly this offer ought to be avoidedhere, although it is true that the exchange comes later with no ill-effectsto Black... Ordinarily the defender (Black) does best to keep pieces on,and look to exchanging pawns. } 33. b4 { (!) Personally, I would have exchangedqueens, but this seems very good, decoying the BQ away from protectingthe a-pawn. } 33... Qc2 34. Bd4 { There seems to be no saving the a-pawn unlessBlack forces the queens off. } 34... Qc1+ 35. Qxc1 Rxc1+ 36. Kg2 a6 37. a4 { (!?)White has preserved a small material edge (B 3P ~ R), and this move looksthe logical one to create a second passed pawn on the Q-side. But it willcost the passer already in existence at d3. Could White have improvedhere with 37.Kf3 instead? E.g. 37.Kf3 Rc2 38.a4 Rd2 39.Ke4 Rxf2 40.b5axb5 41.axb5 or 37...Rd1 38.Ke2 are by no means definitive sample lines. The main idea is to steal a march on Black's King in the race for thecentre and subsequently the Q-side. } 37... Rd1 { From here on, play is straightforwardand easy to follow: White creates and tries to advance his remote passedpawn on the b-file; Black grabs the d-pawn then holds up the b-pawn's progress. } 38. b5 axb5 39. axb5 Rxd3 40. b6 Rb3 41. Kf3 Kf7 42. Ke4 Ke6 { At this pointthe players agreed the draw. Although White has the initiative, it seemsto me doubtful that he can make sufficient progress that will create winningchances for him. The friendly handshake seems a fair reflection of thegame: White having the advantage for most of it, but with Black contestingevery inch of the way. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "A short Blitz game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "nyctalop"] [Black "ivesp"] [Result "1-0"] { A short miniature proving the power of a centralized unopposed Queen.I didn't even have to use the Queen to force mate, I kept it in the centerand maintained constant threats against the Black King. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 { A strategic mistake. Black loses a tempo andallows the White Queen to come to the center very early making the K-sidedevelopment a little tricky. } 5. Qxd4 e6 6. Nc3 { I was thinking of playing6.c4 but for blitz games it's better to play actively. } 6... Nf6 { An interestingplan would have been 6...Ne7 followed by 7...Nc6 driving the Queen fromher lovely outpost. } 7. Bg5 { Putting immediate pressure on the Nf6 andpreparing to castle long. Due to Black's 4th I have a very easy plan ofdevelopment and the initiative. } 7... Be7 8. O-O-O O-O { Now that both sideshave castled it's time to start the attack. } 9. h4 { Tempting Black to play... } 9... h6 { Since the h4 square is no longer available to the Bishop, Blackthought he could either force White to exchange on f6 or break the annoyingpin. It's still very hard to suggest something good for Black. 9...d6 weakensthe d-pawn and apart from the looming threat of Bxf6, White could play10.e5 immediately. Trying to develop with 9...b6 still leaves the d-pawnweak and again 10.e5 is possible. } 10. e5 { Maybe not 100% correct but itcertainly makes it difficult for Black to keep the balance. If the Kingwas on b1, Black wouldn't have the Bg5+ resource to complicate matters.Still White gets a strong attack in case Black takes the piece. For example10...hxg5 11.hxg5 Nd5 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.f4 leaves Black paralyzed. In case11...Nh7 12.f4 opens the f2-h4 route for the Queen to come to the h-file.In both lines, Black is forced to counter sacrifice on g5 if he wants tostay alive, but then White still keeps the advantage. } 10... Nd5 { Refusing thepiece sacrifice, Black wants to exchange Bishops and/or Knights to reducesome of the pressure. } 11. Nxd5 { 11.Bxe7 allows Nxe7 and Black is stillalive. } 11... Bxg5+ { This loses by force. The safest reply was 11...exd5 butafter 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Qxd5, White is a solid pawn up and has a lot of pressureon the d-file. } 12. hxg5 Qxg5+ { Trying to keep the h-file closed at allcosts. } 13. f4 { Blocking the check with tempo and winning a piece. } 13... Qd8 { More safe would have been 13...Qg4 or Qg3. This loses outright to White'snext move. } 14. Nf6+ { Giving the piece back to obtain a huge attack. Whitealmost has a forced mate here. } 14... gxf6 15. exf6 { Black is hopelessly losthere. } 15... d5 16. Rxh6 { 16.Qc3 was even stronger but this move still wrapsthings up nicely for White. } 16... e5 { Trying to bring the Bishop into the defenseof the King. } 17. fxe5 { 17.Qxe5 was stronger but White is still matingafter this. } 17... Bf5 18. Bd3 { Now 18.Qh4 would have quickly mated but I wantedto attack with all my pieces. } 18... Bxd3 19. Rxd3 Qd7 20. Rg3+ { With mate onthe next move. Clearly White's best piece was his Queen which hasn't movedfrom White's 5th but nonetheless instilled terror into the Black monarchfrom the d4 square. } 1-0

[Event "Attacking the Sicilian "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.06.22"] [Round "-"] [White "purplelinkpl"] [Black "multiforme"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1439"] [WhiteElo "1292"] 1. e4 { This is one of my favorite games I've played because a lot of tacticsare used to chip away at black's defense. I hope you enjoy and give mesome feedback so I can improve. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 { standard } 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 { Putting my knight on an attacking square } 6... d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 { Forced to retreat } 8... Be7 9. Nc4 { but I put my knightright back into play } 9... b5 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 { gxf6 was probably better but thatdoubles his pawns and leaves the g file open } 11. Nxd6+ { winning the pawnAND forcing the king to move } 11... Kf8 12. Qd5 { Bringing my queen smack in themiddle of the board and pinning the knight to c6 } 12... Qd7 { Protecting the Knight } 13. Rd1 { Bringing my rook into play. I think that 0-0-0 would have beenbetter and have yielded the same result. } 13... Bb7 { Freeing the knight to move } 14. Nxf7 { I saw this move immediately and no matter what black plays hewill go down 2 pawns } 14... Qxf7 15. Qxf7+ Kxf7 16. Rd7+ { Winning the bishop! } 16... Ke8 17. Rxb7 Na5 { Attacking the rook, which will move 3 more times in arow } 18. Rc7 Kd8 19. Rc5 Nb7 20. Rd5+ { And I leave him on a nice spot ond5, giving me control of the d file. } 20... Ke7 21. Bd3 Rhd8 { forcing a rooktrade } 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. O-O { finishing my development a little late } 23... Kf8 24. f4 { using my pawn advantage to start something on the king side } 24... Kg8 { black is wasting his time with all these king moves } 25. Nd5 exf4 26. Nxf6+ { an in between move, taking the bishop before I grab the pawn } 26... gxf6 27. Rxf4 Kf7 28. g4 { I feel very good about this position. If only I coulddo something about those queen side pawns } 28... Nc5 { wanting to trade and winthe pawn } 29. Bf1 { I think my bishop is better in this position than hisknight } 29... Rd2 { wanting to win pawns } 30. Rf2 Rxf2 31. Kxf2 { black is happyto trade his rooks } 31... Nxe4+ { taking back a pawn } 32. Ke3 Nd6 33. b4 { startinga queen side attack } 33... Ke6 34. h4 Ke5 35. Bd3 h6 36. a3 Ne8 { Wanting to moveto g6 } 37. c4 bxc4 38. Bxc4 { the queenside looks like it's mine } 38... Nc7 39. h5 f5 40. gxf5 Kxf5 { but the king side is his now } 41. Kd4 Kg5 42. Be2 Ne6+ 43. Kc4 { I'm going to win that a6 pawn eventually } 43... Nf4 44. Bf3 Nxh5 45. Kc5 Nf4 { who will promote first, black or white } 46. Kb6 h5 47. Bxh5 { sacking the bishop, now the best black can hope for is a draw } 47... Nxh5 48. Kxa6 { but can black stop my pawns? } 48... Kf6 49. Kb6 Ke6 50. a4 Kd6 { Does hisknight have time to come over and grab these pawns? } 51. a5 Nf6 52. a6 Nd5+ 53. Kb7 { yes, but it's too late. he can't take on b4 or I'll promotemy pawn } 53... Nc7 54. a7 Kd7 55. b5 { blacks best move is to take that pawn,but white has secured a win } 55... Kd8 56. b6 Kd7 57. bxc7 Kd6 58. a8=Q { game } 58... Ke5 { set } 59. c8=Q { match. At this point my opponent resigned. I hope youguys enjoyed my game and please leave feedback } 1-0

[Event "The Grand Prix Attack (An offline chess game, so ratings are for offline)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Fabian (PCShark11)"] [Black "Steigerwald"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1489"] [TimeControl "30 minutes"] [WhiteElo "1124"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5 { So this is a standard beginingof the Grand Prix Attack. White has a strong center/kingside, but takestime to mess up Black's strong queenside before launching the true attack. } 5... Nd4 6. O-O { 'Let the Bishop fall!' } 6... Nxb5 7. Nxb5 d6 8. d3 Nf6 9. Nc3 { Truely,White must have something better! That is what many players think, andjust skip to Qe1, but this was the right move. } 9... O-O 10. Qe1 { People whohave not seen the Grand Prix must surely think that this move is a bitodd. } 10... Rb8 { Black supports his Queenside advantage. } 11. Qh4 b5 12. f5 b4 { This move helped White more than Black, it gives him a free move for hisKnight to enter the attack. } 13. Ne2 gxf5 14. Bh6 fxe4 { He took the poisonouspawn chain! } 15. Ng5 exd3 { Black has gotten too greedy, and shall be punishedwith the full force of the Grand Prix!!! } 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Rxf6 Kxf6 18. Nf4 dxc2 { It's too late for him not to take the pawn, he's lost. } 19. Nge6+ Ke5 20. Qg5+ Ke4 21. Re1# { And so ends the life of the Black King. } 1-0

[Event "Chelyabinsk Variation'"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "rinaldi"] [Black "elwoos"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1557"] [TimeControl "9d+4d, 13d max"] [WhiteElo "1607"] 1. e4 { Another game from the Chelyabinsk Variation mini tournament. Thisis quite a long game and I made a number of mistakes. I would appreciateany comments about the end game, in particular anything I could perhapshave done better } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 { Tournamentstarting position } 6. Nf3 Bb4 { Possibly a little too aggressive, thoughI am now ready to castle } 7. Bd3 { protects the e4 pawn as the knight isnow pinned } 7... d5 { More pressure on the centre and the e pawn, the d pawnalso has one eye on d4 which will cramp whites position a little } 8. exd5 Nxd5 { Applies extra pressure to the knight and extra support for my dsb } 9. Bd2 Nxc3 { Trying to double whites pawns on c which will restrict hisqueens options } 10. bxc3 Bc5 { This move takes us out of the gameknot database. My idea here was that this looked like a good place for my bishop as whenhe castles his f pawn will be pinned } 11. O-O Ne7 { My first big mistake. } 12. Nxe5 O-O 13. Qf3 { All of a sudden he has some pressure on my f pawnbut with his queen there I also cannot move my lsb without losing anotherpawn } 13... Qc7 { Guards my dsb and allows me to move my lsb, completing developmentand linking my rooks } 14. Bf4 { Presumably this is to try to make me movemy queen again which means I lose tempo } 14... Bd6 { trying to turn the tables } 15. Rae1 { Did he move the right rook here? I think I would have been temptedto put my f rook there and then allow the other rook onto b or d } 15... f6 { Pressuringthe knight further. however this was perhaps unwise as it opens up a nicediagonal to my king for his lsb and his queen that is currently on a lightsquare. } 16. Qh5 { Further protecting the knight but also threatening matewith Qxh7 } 16... Bf5 { Loses material but seemed preferable to Ng6 or g6 } 17. Bxf5 Nxf5 18. Qxf5 fxe5 { Trying to nick his dsb } 19. Qe6+ { I completelyoverlooked this move which of course allows his dsb to escape } 19... Kh8 20. Bxe5 { and in fact gain a pawn } 20... Rfe8 { Still trying to pressure the dsb (andfailing as we will see) } 21. Bxd6 { However I again missed this move, thingsare looking bad now } 21... Qc6 22. Be7 Qxc3 { At this point I decided to try tograb as many pawns as I could } 23. Bb4 Rxe6 { Forced } 24. Bxc3 Rc6 { Stilltrying to gain a pawn } 25. Re3 Rac8 26. Ba1 Rxc2 { His bishop is pinningmy g pawn which could prove nasty } 27. Re7 R2c7 28. Rxc7 Rxc7 29. Bd4 a6 30. f4 b5 31. Be5 Rc2 32. Rd1 { threatening mate with Rd8 } 32... Kg8 33. Rd7 g6 { Trying to save my pawns... } 34. Rg7+ Kf8 35. Rxh7 { ... and failing } 35... Rxa2 { Though this seems reasonable compensation as I now have 2 passed linkedpawns } 36. Rg7 b4 37. Rxg6 b3 38. h4 { And he has three! } 38... a5 39. h5 b2 40. Bxb2 { Clearly game over by this point. I only carried on so that I couldlook at the game later to see if at this point I could have done any better.Any comments would be appreciated } 40... Rxb2 41. h6 Kf7 { Would a4 have beenbetter? } 42. Rg7+ Kf6 43. Kh2 a4 44. Ra7 Kg6 { The idea here was that ifhe took my pawn I could at least get his h pawn and possibly his f onetoo } 45. h7 Rb8 46. Kg3 a3 47. Kg4 a2 48. f5+ Kf6 49. g3 Rh8 50. Rxa2 Rxh7 { I'm trying to limit his kings movement a little which I hoped may giveme a chance for a draw } 51. Kf4 Rh5 52. Ra6+ Kg7 53. g4 Rh4 54. Kg5 Rh1 { giving me more options for my rook } 55. Ra7+ { forcing me back again } 55... Kf8 56. Kg6 Rh4 { This is an attempt to distract my opponent, in the hope thathe will push his f pawn forward and trap my king } 57. g5 Rc4 { Lookingto push his king away with c6 possibly gaining another pawn } 58. f6 { heis now threatening mate with Rh8 ... } 58... Ke8 59. Kg7 Rc5 60. g6 Rc6 61. f7+ { Thanks for reading } 1-0

[Event "London, typical attack (bad black defence)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "21-May-08"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "bram88"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1580"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1627"] 1. d4 { Per adesso, una bella trappola d'apertura. } 1... d5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bf4 Nf6 4. h3 Bf5 5. g4 Bg6 6. e3 h5 7. Nh4 Be4 8. f3 Bg6 { Mistake. In this opening, one cannot afford to let themselves become weakened by g6, for white's penetration of the white squares is terrible. } 9. g5 Nd7 10. Nxg6 fxg6 11. Qd3 { The only alternative, obviously, was to use the knight. Perhaps it was better, since afterward it could not be exchanged for the damsel. On the other hand, it did not threaten to take in g7 nor any other piece. } 11... Nb6 12. Qxg6+ Kd7 { Now. How to continue the attack? It is not so easy as it seems. 1) h4, to bring the knight to h3 and attack e6. This seems the most obvious move, but after...De8, the exchange of queens is inevitable, and my attack will smother. Then, let's think of 2) Ad3, so that the knight can then occupy g6. However, Black has two good jumps with his knight in b4 and c4, which must be taken into account... if I fail to castle queens, I must defend. There is also 3) Df7, and if...De8, I can continue my attack with my pawn in g6. After the exchange of queens, that pawn remains weak, but I am attacking c7, and eventully I can bring my knight to b5. Therefore, not seeing a clear way to continue directly, I made Cc3, thinking to develop the pieces first before continuing the attack. If...De8, Ad3, and if...Cb4, DxD and then Ag6. } 13. Nc3 e6 { Ha preferito sovradifendere.I temi qui rimangono quelli di prima. Tutto � molto ricco e complicato. 1) Df7 . 1a) Se si copre d'alfiere, prendo g7, e poi c'� una lotta perscacciare la donna e prendere g5, che per� vinco io, perch� la donna finiscecol prendere h5 e poi coprire il tutto con h4. Quindi, lui non la far�. 1b) Si copre di donna. Allora, l'unica coerente � g6, scambio di donne(e non � forzato, occhio), e rimane il mio pedone bianco in f7. Se Re7per prenderlo, io posso prendere in c7 direttamente, o usare il cavalloin b5. In entrambi i casi, non vedevo chiaro se mantenevo l'iniziativa(ci sono sempre i salti dei suoi cavalli da tenere in conto). 1c) Pu� ancherifugiare il re in c8, e qui non so proprio come andare avanti. Avrei soloun pedone in pi�, magra consolazione! 2) h4, con l'idea Ah3. Questa vienecontrarrestata come prima, da De8. 3) Cb5, con l'idea di minacciare c7,da dove poi si minaccia e6. Ma con Tc8 mi blocca. E poi, dato che pu� sempretagliarmi la ritirata (o l'appoggio, a seconda se mangio c7 di alfiereo di cavallo), pu� anche permettersi di offrire lo scambio di donne e lasciarein presa c7, poi con la torre mi guadagna due pezzi. O, dopo lo scambiodi donne, Ad6 e chi si � visto si � visto. 4) Ab5. Blocco il cavallo,ma a che pro? A parte che con a6 mi rimanda indietro. L'unico vantaggiopu� essere che se AxC, poi il mio alfiere nero � libero di occupare e5e attaccare g7, e poi avanzare il pedone in f fino al debole f5. Non pu�proteggere direttamente con la torre in g8, per Df7 , ma pu� portare ilcavallo in c4, minacciandomi due punti (e3 e b2), ma soprattutto minacciandodi scambiarmi l'alfiere. Posso fare direttamente Axg7, non gli rimane cheAxA, DxA , e adesso dopo D37 praticamente non mi rimane molto, solo loscambio e poi perdere a mia volta uno dei due pedoni minacciati dal cavallo.E nel finale, gli rimane un pedone di meno, e i due raddoppiati sulla colonnac, e quello isolato in a. Vantaggio sufficiente per } 14. e4 dxe4 15. fxe4 { Altra posizione da 2000 varianti. } 15... Bd6 16. Bxd6 cxd6 17. d5 exd5 18. O-O-O Qe7 { e4xd5 Kxd5 Rxd5 Qf5 Bb6 h4 ????????? } 19. Qf5+ Kc7 20. Rxd5 Rhf8 21. Qg6 Kd7 22. h4 Nxd5 23. Bh3+ Kd8 24. Nxd5 Qe5 25. Rd1 Ne7 26. Nxe7 Kxe7 27. Rd5 Qf4+ 28. Rd2 Qe5 29. Rd5 Qf4+ 30. Rd2 Qe5 31. c4 Rad8 32. Bf5 b6 33. Rd5 Qf4+ 34. Kc2 Qf2+ 35. Rd2 Rxf5 36. exf5 Qxh4 37. Qxg7+ Ke8 38. Re2+ Qe4+ 39. Rxe4# 1-0

[Event "Keeping the Attack 'Focus'"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.26"] [Round "-"] [White "potatosoftware"] [Black "bill32606"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1680"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1411"] 1. e4 { This was my first win, that I can acknowledge to myself. I didn'tplay my h3 or a3 rather a regular opening. It's the second game I commenthere, after the lost one (http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/lets-play-chess.pl?gm=23489) I am prompted to comment my games because I saw that some people commenton my analysis and give precious feedback of which I can draw much advisesand understanding. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. c3 { c3 opensthe files for Bf1 and Qd1. Moreover it secures d4. The only problem isthat it blocks Nc3 which is not very bad if I develop the bishop c1. } 5... Nf6 6. f3 d6 { I was expecting e6. } 7. Bb5 { I wanted to gain time and castlevery soon. The elo of my opponent indicated that he is a powerful playerand in such cases I always try to castle soon because of my lack of openingtheory. } 7... Bd7 8. O-O Bg7 9. Be3 { My position is good. } 9... Nxd4 10. Bxd7+ Nxd7 11. cxd4 { Some people have superior play when the position is somehow clearand not too much complex with the existence of major pieces. By cxd4 insteadof Bxd4 I was avoiding an exchange of pieces and avoiding the situationof playing a simplified position where I may fail to see how I can playwhile the other opponent (being an old, experiences player) may performwell in term of pawn structure etc. } 11... O-O 12. Nc3 { Moreover you can seethat my Knight is much more happy at c3. } 12... Qa5 { A typical move. Only addsto the proofs that my opponent is respectable. In this position I'd liketo examine things and try see yourself what you can play. Give yourselfa few seconds or even minutes. } 13. Qd2 { You may think that I played thisnaturally to give more freedom to my rooks in the a-rank. My queen is pinnedand if not because of the bishop this can be dangerous in the future. My idea instead to give possibility for Nd5 which attacks two pieces inone moment : the Queen at a5 and the pawn at f7. If QxQ, then Nxf7+ thenafter K moves I just take the queen and win a pawn. } 13... Rfe8 { I was hopingthat my opponent places one of his rooks at d8 so that when I go with myplan of Nd5 the queen no more can retreat at d8 to secure e7. After heplayed Re8 I noticed that my plan was bad from the start. In fact if Qa5takes my queen and Nxe7+, Kh8 and that I take the queen with my bishope3, d4 will be undefended : blacks will play Bxe4+ and after K escape,Bxb2 : Now blacks have an extra pawn when they were down a pawn. Note thatIf Rb1 then Bf6 forces me to retreat the Knight that took the pawn andf7 and hence I loose the time that I would have used to take b7 and balancethe material. Two choices were available to me : 1. Either correct theweaknesses in my position (for instances, employ the rooks to secure d4and b1) or attack so not to let my opponent find the time to strengthenhis position. } 14. f4 { This is the attack. future is f5, and my rookwill remain at f1. } 14... Nb6 { Blacks begun to develop and enter the battle withattack. } 15. b3 d5 { I was really expecting e5. } 16. e5 { I'm better now. } 16... e6 17. g4 { Continuing the pressure. } 17... Bf8 { If Bb4 then I will be in trouble.At least I will be losing time while my opponent will be bringing his dormantrook at a8,etc. } 18. Qd3 Rac8 { Now It's my time. If I play Rac1, then myking-side attack will be affected : Bb4, then Ne2 then Rx and finally Rf1xc1.Rather I liked to keep my powerful pieces ready and focused on the king-sideattack. } 19. Ne2 { So I consider this as the best move that I did in thewhole game. } 19... Ba3 20. f5 exf5 21. gxf5 Rc6 22. fxg6 Rxg6+ { I was well awaresince 22.fxg6 that Rxg6 will not reduce my attack possiblities. } 23. Kh1 Bb2 24. Qf5 Re7 { At this move I was studying the possiblity of the sacrificewith Nf4. In the end, I took my precautions and retreated my rook. } 25. Rab1 Qxa2 26. Nf4 Bc3 27. Nxg6 hxg6 28. Qf6 { My opponent resigned. Hisresignation was also another proof he was good. Personally I think I wonthis game by making strategic choices. } 1-0

[Event "Endgames."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.09.27"] [Round "-"] [White "blitzkov"] [Black "l-d-j"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1763"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1861"] { Hi all! This game was played by to annotators! l-d-j and I. I was winningin the midgame, but, made a couple of mistakes and l-d-j found a way topull out a draw! Good game l-d-j! } 1. d4 { My standard move. } 1... Nf6 { A standardresponse. } 2. c4 c5 { If I go d5 he can play the Benko Gambit, I fear it! } 3. Nf3 { Not a bad move. } 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 { Sort of Sicilian type setup, huh? } 4... e5 { Attacking my knight. } 5. Nc2 { Best place; if Nf3 d6 and he would havetempo on me. But when I go Nc2, I can focus on the queenside. } 5... Nc6 6. Nc3 { Aiming for the hole on d5. } 6... Bc5 { Developing. } 7. e3 { Stopping the threatof the Bc5 - f2. } 7... d6 8. Be2 { Planning to 0-0 } 8... O-O 9. O-O { I say it's aboutequal. You? } 9... Bf5 10. Bd3 { ?! Moving my bishop twice. Not a good idea. } 10... Qd7 11. Rb1 { Planning to advance on the queenside by b4. } 11... Be6 12. b4 { Myplan is a success! } 12... Bb6 13. Qe2 Rac8 { A invisible attack on my c4-pawn. } 14. Rd1 Ne8 15. a4 { Again, attacking on the queenside. } 15... f5 { Attacking inthe centre and on the kingside. } 16. f3 { Guarding against the threat ofe4. } 16... a5 17. b5 Ne7 { He got a nice place to put his knight: c5. } 18. Na3 d5 19. cxd5 Nxd5 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Nc4 { Alot of piece's exchanged. I believeI'm better. You? } 21... Bc5 { I win a pawn no matter what: If Bc7, b6 and winthe a5 or e5 pawn. } 22. Nxe5 Qe6 23. f4 { Nice place for my knight. } 23... Kh8 24. Bb2 Nf6 25. Kh1 { I don't know what to do. My bad! } 25... Rfe8 26. Rdc1 Bd6 27. h3 { So, I play positionally right now. } 27... Nd7 28. Nxd7 Qxd7 { We eachhave 2 strong bishops: Mine: B2 His: D5. } 29. Qf2 Re7 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Rc1 { I get the c-file. } 31... Qe6 32. Bd4 h6 33. Kg1 { positional play right now. } 33... Ba3 34. Ra1 Bd6 35. Qc2 Be4 36. Bxe4 { I exchange my weakest bishop forhis strongest. } 36... Qxe4 37. Qxe4 Rxe4 38. g3 Kg8 39. Rc1 g5 { I should takethe pawn. } 40. Rc8+ Kf7 41. Rc4 { ? But I don't too! } 41... Ke6 42. Kf2 Kd5 { !Winning back his lost pawn. } 43. Rc2 gxf4 44. gxf4 Bxf4 { ! If exf4? Rxf4+!then taking my d4 bishop and he has won a extra pawn! } 45. Rc5+ Ke6 46. b6 Be5 47. Bxe5 { ? Best was Rxa5 Bxd4 exd4 Rxd4 Ra7 and I have an edge. } 47... Rxe5 48. Rc7 Re4 49. Rxb7 Rxa4 50. Rh7 Rb4 51. Rxh6+ Ke5 { I'm up a pawn.But if he plays it right, he should draw. } 52. Rc6 a4 53. Rc5+ Ke4 54. Ra5 Rb2+ 55. Kg3 Rxb6 56. Rxa4+ Kxe3 { Now it's a draw. } 57. Ra3+ Ke4 58. Ra4+ { And we agreed to a draw. Hoped that you liked it? Please commentand rate it. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Beating an IM in a simul"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.07"] [Round "-"] [White "IM White Player"] [Black "l-d-j"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1332"] [TimeControl "Simultaneous exhibition"] [WhiteElo "2384"] { In this game I got, in my opinion, my biggest chess achievement ever.It was played yesterday at my local club. Instead of the normal competition,our club had organized some activities to try and get some new members.One of the activities was a simultaneous exhibition by the strongest playerat our club, an IM. Last year he had won on every single board (21 to 0),so we knew it would be a tough evening for us. However, this year he wasnot as unbeatable, and lost 3 out of 15 games. One of those was the gamethat follows. } 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 { I know the IM is an expert in this line,so I had prepared for this. Last year he also played this against me. However,he doesn't always play this: at the board besides mine, he played 1.b3,2.Bb2, 3.g3 and 4.Bg2. } 2... Nf6 3. d3 c6 { The Berlin defence. The idea is tostrike in the centre as soon as possible with ...d5. Last year I optedfor 3...Nc6 and after 4.Nf3 we had a quiet two knights. In that game hehad no advantage after the opening, however he managed to outplay me inthe middlegame and got an endgame with two extra pawns which he easilyconverted (I'm planning to annotate that game as well). } 4. Nf3 d5 { Sohere it is. Both sides have easy development, though White has good statsin this line so he should be slightly better. } 5. Bb3 Bd6 { I have to defendmy e5 pawn now that the bishop has saved itself. } 6. Nc3 dxe4 { AfterwardsI found a game with my opponent as White in which the less popular 6...d4was played. He managed to win that game after a long fight. However I continuewith the main line and I was still well within my preparation. } 7. Ng5 { White does not take back immediately. He'll still manage to win his pawnback, however, because he's threatening a fork on f7. My next is virtuallyforced. } 7... O-O 8. Ngxe4 { Normally 8.Ncxe4 is played, however it doesn't makeany difference as the two lines transpose. } 8... Nxe4 9. Nxe4 Be7 { ?! Here Iwas out of my preparation, and I immediately play a move that's not thebest, as the game continuation shows. Usually 9...Bf5 is played. Blackthen doesn't have to be afraid of losing the bishop pair (which was themain reason for my 9...Be7 because after 10.Nxd6 Qxd6 he has strong centrecontrol and easy development in return. I considered 9...Bc7 as well, butI didn't like the look of 10.Nc5 so I decided to keep his knight out ofc5 for now. } 10. O-O Bf5 11. Qf3 { Not bad, but 11.Qh5 (as played in onegame that I found on another website) was probably stronger. It seems asif I'm forced to give up the bishop pair anyway with 11...Bxe4 12.dxe4,because if I move my bishop the e5 pawn is hanging. After 11...Qd7 12.Ng3seems very strong (the bishop has to move anyway and then the pawn canbe taken), and 11...g6 creates huge weaknesses in the king's position. } 11... Bg6 12. Re1 Nd7 13. Ng3 { The plan is to move the knight to the nice f5square. White is slowly building his attack while Black is developing anddefending. It seems as if Black holds for the moment. } 13... Qc7 { 13...Bc5 maybe a bit more active, but I wanted to play it safe by defending e5 oncemore. } 14. Nf5 Bf6 { Played to preserve the bishop pair once more and toput some pressure on the long diagonal (...e4 may become a threat). } 15. a3 { !? This gives the bishop a flight square on a2. Possibly it's alsomeant to prepare b4 after further preparation (first the ...e4 threat mustbe dealt with) and thus take some space on the queenside as well. } 15... Nc5 { I couldn't help but feel I was getting back in the game, because I wasable to make some active moves of my own instead of defending against histhreats. } 16. Ba2 { Of course he couldn't let his strong bishop be exchangedfor the knight, which would also create a weakness on d3. } 16... Rad8 17. Be3 Na4 { It was at this move that I needed some time to think, so I asked himif he could pass by and move on to the next board (he had said that itwas possible to ask for some extra thinking time). I was pondering thismove and 17...Ne6, but I didn't like the fact that after 17...Ne6 he couldexchange with 18.Bxe6 fxe6, creating doubled isolated pawns on an openfile. The computer prefers 17...Ne6 slightly, but doesn't suggest the exchangeafter that (apparently the bishop is too strong to be exchanged for thatknight). But I also had a knight manoeuvre in mind which we'll see in amoment. } 18. Rab1 { Obviously 18.Bxa7?? fails to 18...b6 and the bishopis caught. } 18... Nb6 19. g3 { Maybe he wants to prevent my knight from comingto f4, and he's probably also planning to push his pawns forward (h4 etc.)to give his attack some new power. However, this also creates some weaknessesof his own. Maybe 19.Bc5 should be considered (as I expected and was alsosuggested by the computer). } 19... Nd5 { I like this knight placement very much.Everything is defended on the kingside now and moreover this knight controlssome key squares in the centre and blocks the White bishop's line to f7. } 20. Bd2 { Here we had a short break. Others were already getting into troubleand some had nearly resigned their games already. I was content with myposition though, and felt I had almost equalized after a difficult opening. } 20... Rfe8 { Now both sides are fully developed and the position should be aboutequal. } 21. h4 { ?! I don't really like this move, because of the game continuation.Probably the idea was h5, to force the exchange of my important defendingbishop for his knight. } 21... Qd7 { ! But now I have this strong move, forcinghim to do something with his knight. } 22. Nh6+ { ? I had somewhat half-expectedthis move, but thought I should be safe. Then I started calculating, andfound the game continuation including the winning move at move 24. So...Had the master really made a blunder? I checked and double-checked butcouldn't find a refutation. When he got back, I confidently took the knight.But if this sacrifice is incorrect, what is the right move here, then?22.Ne3 is strongly met with 22...Nxe3 23.Qxe3 e4! (I didn't spot that duringthe game), creating a lot of problems for White. 22.g4? obviously leavesthe h4 pawn hanging, so the only viable option is 22.Bxd5 Qxd5 23.Qxd5cxd5 and then 24.Ne3, but it's clear something has gone wrong for Whitealready. } 22... gxh6 23. Bxd5 { ? Objectively a mistake, but this was obviouslythe point of the sacrifice: the bishop on f6 is without defenders. } 23... Qxd5 { ! I suppose he had not considered this move and only looked at 23...cxd524.Qxf6 which can be followed by 24...Re6 25.Qf3 after which it's aboutequal. } 24. Qxf6 Re6 { ! But now this move wins the queen. The master saidhe'd play on for some moves, but it seemed as if he knew it wasn't goingto help. } 25. Qxd8+ { The computer comes up with the computer-like move25.Rxe5!? after which 25....Rxe5?? fails to 26.Bxh6 with inevitable mate.However after 25...Rxf6 26.Rxd5 cxd5 27.Bxh6, Black is a rook up for afew pawns and should win easily. } 25... Qxd8 26. Bxh6 Qf6 { I considered 26...Bxd3!?(with attack on the White bishop), but I wanted to keep things simple.Moreover, he returned quite soon so I didn't have the time to fully workout the consequences. } 27. Be3 b6 28. Rbd1 Bh5 { After this strong move,which prevents the doubling of his rooks on either the d or e file, heresigned. I'm completely in control of the game. Next up will be 29...Bf3,after which the plan is simple: Qf5-h3-g2#. Obviously white can preventthis by playing Kh2 at some point but it's clear Black can do what he wantsand almost anyone could play this out. I was congratulated by everyoneand was very happy and proud of this game. I hope you also enjoyed it andfeel free to leave some comments. } 0-1

[Event "Turned tables."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.06.02"] [Round "-"] [White "onekindfavor"] [Black "damalfi"] [Result "0-1"] { Short and fun game, where white gets an edge in the opning, but blackis able to find what seems to be the right moves to untangle himself. Whiteresigns too early, a pity. } 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. Nf3 e6 { I have moreand more doubts about the Icelandic Gambit. } 4. dxe6 Bxe6 5. h3 { Not asstrong as other moves, but still it will help white's position later. } 5... Bd6 { I have no other good square to get the bishop out. Both in c5 or b4it will be easily and usefully kicked away by white. } 6. Nc3 Qe7 { Insteadof protecting my bishop pair with a3 (avoiding Nb5), I go for the typical'Icelandic Threat'. } 7. d4 { White falls for it. Now black has to choosewhether if to go for the pawn with Bxh6+, taking advantage of the factthat if white shields with the bishop, apparently Bxg2 wins a piece, thatseemed good, but what after white shields with the dsb? I could leave himan useful semiopen column to his advantage in the future. } 7... Bc4+ { So I playedthis one. } 8. Be3 { Obviously. Here you can see why h3 wasn't such a badmove. } 8... Bxf1 { Well: there is a chance that he retakes with the rook - betterfor me, I thought - or with the king. } 9. Rxf1 { So I though this was betterfor me, because of... } 9... Bf4 { It looks promising, doesn't it? } 10. Qd2 { Ok,but in fact... what will happen? White will castle queenside, and I willhave nothing. This starts to look suspicious. I have to find an alternateplan, but where? } 10... O-O { At a loss, I castled. Instead of developing. Maybetrying to castle queenside would have been wiser. } 11. O-O-O Bd6 { I'lldreamed to redirect my forces against the enemy's king, but with no solidplan. It was a mistake, since white does have one. } 12. Bg5 { Correctly.Now I have to sweat to control Nd5, and I didn't. } 12... h6 { I couldn't calculateit accurately, but I hoped that if Nd5, I could have been doomed with theopening of my king's pawn's shield. Maybe better would have been c6. } 13. Bh4 { Tempting me to go g4, to sacrifice. I am not sure, but I preferrednot to risk too much. } 13... Nbd7 { This has the counter to leave the queen withfew squares to go after Rd1. But I hoped that with correct play I couldhave survived. Suddenly, I am in serious danger. } 14. Nd5 { Qe6 or Qe4were good to analyze, but not on a blitz, for me... } 14... Qd8 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 { That was a mistake on white's side. Now the situation is the same, butwhite doesn't have any knight to press f6. And black's pawns are stillin their place. } 16. Rde1 Be7 { This is the way I thought I could get outof here. After c4, Nd5 and... 'atomic bomb': changes will start, and Ithink we could end roughly 'even'... but for the 'residual advantages'I couldn't calculate... } 17. Ne5 Qd5 { Time to go to attack. Two pawns atthe same time. } 18. f4 { Strong move, I would say. I'm not sure if Qxa7is wise, after Qc3, my queen is doing little job up there, while white'sattack goes on undisturbed. } 18... Ne4 { So I threw in this 'atomic bomb': itforces a plethora of exchanges, whose tactic are fun and interesting toanalyze. I threat a queen, but white has BxB for free and then BxR. Onthe other side, the Knight has NxR on the next move, so it won't work forwhite. He has to move the queen, and in doing so he must threat the knightso to keep the balance after BxBh4. Now, I think that I would have playedc4, as white, as a way to create complications. It is then black that hasto consider BxB, cxQ, BxR, but it is a dead end. Otherwise, NxQ, cxQ, NxR,BxB, Re8, losing the exchange... very funny. } 19. Qd3 { White goes forthis one. } 19... Bxh4 { I like the dsb in this position, I'm glad to keep it. } 20. Rxe4 { Ok. I am -1, and I can't say my position is preferable to white's:he is occupying the center, threats c4, with a massive dominance... inother words: I'm not already lost, but surely is a line I won't like torepeat. What can I do now? Again, Qxa2 seems like desperate. b5 (to counterc4) could be considered. c5 too. Rd8... a lot of moves, and a blitz! } 20... Qxa2 { Sometimes it is whorthy to sacre the opponent :-) } 21. g3 { White has agood idea, but overlooks a tactical shot. } 21... Bxg3 { If QxB, I win the rookf1 after Qa1+. White's mistake can be depressing, but i think that it wasnot enough to resign. White still has an edge, here. After b3, the blackqueen is out of the defence of the king, and white has plenty of game atthe kingside, provided he is careful with his backrank (Kd2 can be a goodoption in the near future). So that's the lesson: don't resign just becausesomething went wrong, if not disastrous. Thank you for reading, I hopeyou enjoyed. } 0-1

[Event "Failed against Tartakower (4 p in c-d)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "haddibje"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1720"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1661"] 1. d4 { Una sconfitta ignominosa... ma interessante l'apertura. } 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. c4 { I wanted to vary my usual scheme, c6, but... } 4... O-O 5. Nc3 d5 6. e3 c5 { This is an opening I don't know yet, the Tartakower, if I'm not wrong... always difficult for me with the white pieces. } 7. Nb5 { I always go for the aggressive move. The database gave white's line as weaker, but I hadn't seen anyone playing it next to me, so I wanted to try it out. This is what happens when you don't have the books of openings. } 7... Na6 8. Qa4 Qb6 9. Ne5 { We are in the classic complicated position, with a thousand variations, that I can't analyze. } 9... Bf5 10. Bd3 Bxd3 11. Nxd3 dxc4 12. Qxc4 Rac8 13. a4 { This was necessary, to avoid having to withdraw the horse. I had seen c5xd4, of course, with all its implications. } 13... cxd4 { I take the knight, I lose b2. It would have been better to lose a piece... } 14. Qxd4 Qc6 { Mi minacciag2, gi� che ci siamo. } 15. O-O Rfd8 { I have lost a piece. I must use everything I can, but there is nothing to be done. The only move is Ce5, and for some reason I didn't see it... the game is over! However, even after Ce5, De6, there is no way out but to Dxa7, which at least is a better position. Better than the following... } 16. Nxa7 Qe6 17. Qe5 Ra8 18. Qxe6 fxe6 19. Rfd1 Rxa7 20. Ne5 Nd5 21. e4 Rf8 22. Nd7 Rxf4 23. exd5 exd5 24. Rxd5 Nb4 25. Rd2 Rd4 26. Rad1 Rxa4 27. g3 Rxd2 28. Rxd2 Ra2 29. Nc5 b6 30. Rd8+ Kf7 31. Nd7 Bd4 32. Rf8+ Ke6 33. Rf4 Nc6 34. Nf8+ Kd6 35. b3 Rb2 36. Nxh7 Rxb3 37. h4 Rxg3+ 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.11.13"] [Round "-"] [White "cmethan"] [Black "crnkjuice"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1074"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1111"] { This is a game between myself and crnkjuice, it's a short game that featuresthe importance of how white capitalized in the center using his bishopsto pin black's knights. Watch as that control of the center allows whiteto claim the e-file to create a beautiful mate using discovered attacksby his knight. } 1. e4 { Classic } 1... e5 { Black responds with a classical opening,I prefer a modern opening: The Sicilian Defense, but to each his own. } 2. Nf3 f6 { ?!?!?!?!?!?! A awful move that not only fails to protect thee5 pawn (See next move) but does not develop any pieces either. } 3. Nxe5 { ! A trick opening that leads to no disadvantages for White. If Blackrecaptures than White goes on a forceful attack ...fxe5? 4. Qh5+!, Ke7(...g6 leads to the capture of Black's Rook) 5. Qxe5+, Kf7 6. Bc4+, d5(...Kg6 leads to 7. Qf5+, Kh6 8. d4+, g5 9. h4, no move can save blacknow... 10. hxg5+, Kg7 11. Qf7#) back to the main line 7. Bxd5+, Kg6 8.Bxb7!, (Black cannot take back because it is protecting the f5 square andwhite wins blacks rook. That was a long-winded way of saying that 2 ...,f6?? is a terrible move and fxe5??????? is a worse one. } 3... d6 { A OK move,but now the dark square bishop is trapped } 4. Nf3 { 'Not aggressive butfundamentally sound' is what someone may say, but they're wrong. 4. Qh5+!leads to a rook capture. } 4... c6 { ? Black removes the best square for his knightand does not accomplish much } 5. d3 { A bad move by me for obvious reasons,5. d4 is better. } 5... d5 { Black has not moved a non-pawn piece, he will quicklyfall behind in development and center control. } 6. exd5 { The flaws of 5.d3 are becoming well known. } 6... cxd5 { Blacks knight has his square back } 7. Nc3 { White establishes better center control and a development lead. } 7... Nc6 { Black tries to catch up. } 8. d4 { This should have been played immediatelyat move 5. } 8... f5 { I don't get this move, it grabs little center and nothingelse. } 9. Bb5 { 3 to 1 in development, and Black's only developed pieceis pinned. } 9... Bb4 10. Bg5 { Threatens the Queen } 10... Nf6 { One in a bunch of possiblemoves } 11. Qe2+ { Claims the e-file } 11... Kd7 { ? Kf7 is so much better } 12. Ne5+ { Capitalizes on the center and development advantage } 12... Kd6 13. Bf4 { Whatterrible mockery of chess is this? A Queen, King, Rook fork is on the table!!! Nf7+ looks like the best move by far. But Black has no defense to Bf4. } 13... a6 { ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? The worst move of the game } 14. Nxc6+ { One would expect Nf7++ but Nxc6+ leads to mate } 14... Kd7 { No other move } 15. Nb8# { A beautiful mate. } 1-0

[Event "Training Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2017.12.26"] [Round "-"] [White "jkarp"] [Black "wrytry"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1191"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1326"] { This is the strongest player that I have coached. For those that arewondering, I started before many others would've started. To be exact,my rating was about 1150 when I started teaching chess. That player wasflatus77 as he requested coaching in the KOH club forum. As I got better,I coached and mentored more and more. Then, life got very busy, and Iwound up with less time. And, there are OTB tournaments in Jack Stockel'swhich is where, I'd, from time to time, coach one or two of Jack's students. After taking a break for a while, I started teaching chess again. Thereason being is that I have known wrytry for a long while. In fact, Ifirst got idea from coaching him during an unlucky when I had to deal withGAC. Before that, Simon had his first mentoring game from a former captainof his team named ladylinda. Later on, he got coaching from kenneth_fiore_3and archduke_piccolo. However, I still enjoy trying to help someone improvebecause it's about giving them the encouragement that I wish I once had. Simon played pretty well, in this particular game. But, he made a mistakethat first lost a pawn. Then, came the decisive mistake of moving hisweakest pawn which allowed me to pin his N with my B, followed by, bringingin my N to powerful where I had an overwhelming attack. That led to moremistakes which won more material, and then a mating sequence which forcedhim into resignation. It's is also worth noting that I used some of TA'slessons to teach Simon chess, and that even includes the morals of Joe'sblitz Q sac. So, how did it go down? } 1. e4 { After a while of figuringout when I'd have time to coach Simon, he challenged me to this game. I was given the white pieces and started off with the usual. Of course,I wasn't sure how black would respond. But, I was happy to see him answerwith the Sicilian since that's my main defense. Thus, I know how to playagainst it. } 1... c5 2. Nf3 { So, I turn it into the Open Variation, as my coach,Jack Stockel has taught me and made me remember. } 2... d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { It winds up being what I have the most experience with beingthe Sicilian Nadjorf. } 6. Bd3 { So, I continue development. Of course,the idea is to castle, ASAP. } 6... e5 { But, Simon asked what the best responseis. For him, it was the options of 6...e6?! or 6...e5 I told him that6...e6 is not a great move because it limits the mobility of his Bc1. The idea is developing and then finding good squares for it. That's especiallybecause of how many squares your B covers. 6...Be6 only covers one squarefor the B, but 6...e5 covers 5 squares, which is better. So, I said that6...e5 is a much better move because it gives the B more mobility. Plus,it gains tempo by attacking my N, and there is a nice pawn chain this earlyin the game. It's worth noting that this pawn chain is very similar towhat you see in a variation of the French defense, where you hit the Nwith the exact same move. It's known to give black a very slight edgeat this phase of the game. } 7. Nb3 { Instead of retreating back to it'soriginal square, I played this. The idea being is that 7.Nf3 might walkinto a pin since black could answer with 7...Bg4. I don't like being pinnedthat way at all and have been known to be too passive about breaking it. My thinking is why break the pin when it can be prevented? } 7... b5 { Thisgives black another pawn chain. The only issue is that it doesn't develop,but it's certainly not enough to make note of since it's not, by any means,a mistake or blunder. Meanwhile, I'm still determined to castle. } 8. O-O Nc6 { Continuing with his development. } 9. Bg5 { And, I complete mine bypinning his N. } 9... Be7 { Similarly, Simon continues developing by breakingthe pin. The only issue is that his DSB is now limited and doesn't covera lot of squares. By this, I'm saying that it's not as mobile as my B's. It doesn't make a huge difference in this game, but in general, that'ssomething to take note of. } 10. Qd2 { Not that I have castled and developed,I felt that it was time to get my Q in action. My original idea behindthis was to allow something like 11.Bh6?, as then after 11...gxh6 I wouldhave what appears to be a King side assault with 12.Qh6 and then 13.Qg7. So, I almost played 11.Bh6?, but I figured out that this won't work becauseblack would stop that with 12...Rg8. My initial thinking was that if hedid that, I'd play 13.Qxg8+?? I figured out that this doesn't work becauseof where black's N is located, as then, I'd be lost losing a and the Qfor a R which leaves me the equivalent of two pieces down. Thus, 11.Bh6?loses a pawn, outright. So, the secondary reason for playing this move,which works, is that it connects both of my R's which is also an importantpart of the game. } 10... O-O { Thinking that I might play 11.Bh6? Simon castles. Even though I won't, this is still a good move since K safety. } 11. h3 { Worried that Simon would exchange and then go for a K side attack with11...Ng4, I play this. The idea being is that after 11...Ng4, and then12.Bxe7, Qxe7, he might then try 13...Qh4 which threatens. And, this wouldbe forced. But, rather then wait until the moment has come, I decidedto prevent that threat because even if I took care of it later on, JackStockel has emphasized that N's are very dangerous once they surpass acertain point. In fact, we will see an example of that later on. } 11... d5 { ?I said, up until now, your play was flawless, Simon. But, this move isa mistake. I understand the intention, as the idea is pinning my Nc3. Asnow, your Be7 also covers more square. But, this is going to cost you apawn. Better was 11...Bb7 which completes your development and fianchettos. } 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. exd5 Nb4 { Given what has occurred, Simon is trying towin back a pawn. } 14. Be4 { But, I put a stop to that. } 14... Bg5 { I am not surprisedto see Simon trying to win my Q. But, I, as you'd expect, protect. } 15. Qd1 f5 { That's when he hits my B. Once I defend again... } 16. Bf3 e4 17. Be2 f4 { ? He plays this. This is a mistake that loses another pawn andwhere I used the lessons with the blitz Q sac for Simon. jkarp: ? Advancingthat loses another pawn. As the e4 pawn was protected before advancingthe f5 pawn. wrytry: Thank you I really appreciate your comments to helpme improve my game jkarp: You're welcome. My goal is to help you improvein any shape, way, or form. I later emphasized this when it was over,and I summed up what happened including this move. } 18. Nxe4 Nxd5 { ??This capture looks like Simon has gotten back a pawn. But, this is loses,as I am about to win a piece, instead. I didn't say anything else, atthis point because he was two pawns down. When you get that far behind,there's almost no good moves left as ION has illustrated. As archduke_piccolohas told me that you coach up until you're winning or have a clear advantage. But, then, it doesn't pay to coach anymore. Well, I felt that I had aclear advantage because of what's to happen. It starts off by exchanginghis good bishop. } 19. Nxg5 Qxg5 20. h4 { ?! Not spending enough time, Iattacked Simon's Queen to gain tempo. Not the best though because of Simon'snext move. } 20... Qe5 { As Simon is threatening 20...Qxb2. But, best was 20...Bb7to prevent what I'm about to do. As this is where I am going to win material. At best for black, a piece for pawn leaving me the equivalent to an entirepiece up without anything in return. This is also what I was alludingto when Simon played 17...f4 In other words, what I was also implyingis that if Simon tried to prevent losing another pawn, I'd get an entirepiece because I analyzed this entire line starting with the next move. } 21. Bf3 { As his N is now pinned. And, I have a plan for when he breaksit which will also win a piece. } 21... Bb7 { And, it starts with this move. } 22. Na5 { As my N comes up, and what it shows is where the N's can be dangerous. This is also something that I learned from TA which I used to teach Simon. As I was visualizing where the N can go which is N visualization counts. Of course the idea being is that his B is attacked. So, if Simon triesto defend the N, I'll take the B. That's only leaves black with the optionof moving the B back, but then, I will win his N. That is also what Ikept in mind when 17...f4? was played. } 22... Rad8 { So, Simon protects his N. But, in this position, that's what I would've let go. His B was moredangerous and posed more threats then his N. Despite having an edge, thisis where I feel that I now have a win. It might take a while, but winningthe material is gonna be too much for black to chew off. } 23. Nxb7 Rd7 { Doing what he can for counterplay, Simon attacks my N. } 24. Nc5 { Interestedin what Simon will do, I attack his R. } 24... Re7 { ?? This loses, yet, anotherpiece. Much better would've been 24...Rd6 to keep the N protected. Byplaying this move, I will get his N. It's an example of where one mistakeoften leads to another, but as noted, I wasn't going to say anything toSimon because of where we are. Just an extra piece and pawn is a knownwin. } 25. Bxd5+ Kh8 { Of course, this was the only way to get out of checkwithout losing more material right away. But, I have a different plan. Even if I don't win anything else, my idea is to liquidate. It's knownthat you want to exchange pieces while ahead. At the very least, I'm gonnaforce liquidation with my next move. } 26. Re1 Qc7 { Of course, 26...Qd6was best, as then, I'd exchange. But, I can hold off on that because ofthe upcoming fork which is going to win an additional R for N. } 27. Ne6 { With that being said, even when I did not resign with ruinous loss ofmaterial, I would've done it here. } 27... Qb8 28. Nxf8 Rd7 { A better try forblack would've been 28...Rxe1+, as after 29.Qxe1, Simon has 29...Qxf8. } 29. Nxd7 Qd6 { Trying to win back a piece. } 30. Re8+ { But, keeping in mindwhat happened with fiercequeens last annotation, combined with, Simon'sback rank being weak, I played this. As now, mate is unavoidable. Theonly move is 30...Qf8, and that's, of course, followed by 31.Rxf8# Seeingthe sequence, black resigned. When the game was over, I summed it up forSimon. Of course, when I gave the lecture I wasn't alluding to when hefirst developed the f pawn, but rather, when he advanced it with 17...f4. So, I said, You played better then you thought. The first mistake wasan oversight which lost a pawn. But, where you went wrong was advancingthe f pawn. As noted, that kept the structures weak. Surely, I didn't wina pawn immediately, but I initiated an exchange. As then, I could pin yourN with my B, with which other things were to come. From that point, I activatedmy N, with which, I was going to win a piece. That's because I either wasgoing to take one of them right away, or force it to move, with which,I'd get the other piece. From then on, there wasn't much else but someoversights with which I won more material, and had a mate. The importantmoral to this game is not to advance the f pawn early. That's the weakestpawn on the board. Once that's gone, then you wind up in trouble or haveto be very careful as the King starts to become exposed. And, you wantto be weary of the N because, even though B's are certainly worth more,once you get a lot of mobility with your Knight, it can become very dangerous,as TA showed in the N visualization count. And, I showed him the linkto that lecture to help for the future. } 1-0

[Event "King's Gambit - 5 pawn sacrifice!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "King Greco"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d6 3. Nc3 Qh4+ 4. g3 Qd8 5. Nf3 exf4 6. Bc4 fxg3 7. O-O gxh2+ 8. Kh1 Nf6 9. e5 dxe5 10. d4 exd4 { White has now sacrificed 5 pawns! } 11. Bg5 Be7 { If Black takes the knight with 11. ...dxc3, 12. Bxf7+ willlead to White winning the undefended queen. } 12. Nb5 O-O 13. Ne5 h6 14. Rxf6 { The key move, opening up the Black defence. } 14... gxf6 { If Black captureswith the bishop, 14. ...Bxf6, then after 15. Qh5 there is a triple attackon f7, and 15. ...Bxe5 does not work since the bishop is pinned to thequeen by the White bishop. } 15. Nxf7 { 15. Qh5 may also work, but thisis a bit more forcing. } 15... Rxf7 16. Qh5 { Now, the pin is decisive! } 16... Qf8 { Thethreat for White is 17. Qg6+, followed by Qxh6+, so Black defends... } 17. Bxh6 { Unfortunately for Black, though, he is now lost. } 17... Qe8 18. Qg6+ Kh8 { And now there is a pretty checkmate to finish things off. } 19. Bg7+ Rxg7 20. Qxe8+ Kh7 21. Qh5# { What a game! } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2020.11.21"] [Round "-"] [White "mtmulder"] [Black "sampotarmo"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1650"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1615"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 h6 { weak. permits7.Ne5 Qd6, 8.Nxg6 Qxg6, 9.Bd3 Qd6, giving White a development advantage.and initiative. } 7. Be3 { a good developing move. White is ahead on developmentand should be very confident in his/her position. } 7... Nf6 { again weak. Whitemisses, again, Ne5 gaining development and center control. 8.Nd7 is necessaryto capture the N. 8Nd7 also supports the Ngf6 which is coming, and is thematicin this position. } 8. h3 { White is not playing aggressively, as is requiredin the caro kann if one wants to win. } 8... Nbd7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. O-O { 11.0-0-0 would be expected. and is thematic in this opening. at thispoint neither is 'better.' but getting the Queen rook into the coming frayon the King side is always helpful when one is much better developed...now White's king is in his own way. } 11... Be7 { we have reached a main lineposition. GMs have been working this from both sides for YEARS... } 12. c4 O-O 13. a3 Qc7 14. b4 b5 { 14...Rfd8 to develop pressure in center or...a5 to weaken/attack white's pawn mass are to be considered. ...b6 isok too... but this gives away a pawn: 15.cxb cxb 16.Qxb5 with materialadvantage. } 15. c5 { some of my long ago mentors would call this a lemon.this gives Black the d5 square for his knights, leaves a backward pawnon an open file for Black to double rooks on for attack. Black can gethis Bishop to enter the attack on the weak pawn. White no longer has thebishop to attack Black's c button... Black also has two levers to openthe position: ...a4 and ...e5. a really bad choice in the light of theopen position with extra pawn and better development which would have resultedfrom 15.cxb. } 15... Nd5 { sometimes waiting before possessing the gifted squaresis a good thing, I would seriously consider ...a5. } 16. Rac1 { both sidesmiss 16....a5! then: 17. bxa Rxa5, black has initiative, a pawn to attackwith heavy pieces (and after ...Ra4, additional pressure on d4. } 16... N7f6 17. Ne5 a5 { 17....a5 is best move on the board. 18.ba5 Ra5 leads to previousposition with Black having initiative and slightly better position. } 18. Ra1 { ouch. } 18... axb4 19. Ng6 { 19.Ng6 must be given two ?? as it is just aloss of a piece. I am not sure I see any compensation at all. } 19... fxg6 20. Qxg6 Nxe3 { good move. prevents Bxh6. } 21. fxe3 bxa3 22. e4 Nd7 { 22....Qd7better. threatens ...Qxd4+ and protects e6. } 23. Nh5 { 23.Qxe6+ followedby 24.Nf5 is better. White is still losing but might find a draw with perpetualcheck on the Black King. } 23... Rxf1+ { the simple 23...Bf6 is best. the N &Q guard against e5. the g7 button is defended in all reasonable lines.and Black still has two distance passed pawns. } 24. Rxf1 { not bad in andof itself, but Black must be wary of the tactics by taking away a defenderof his own kingside. } 24... Bf6 25. e5 Nxe5 { oops. those same mentors from longago would call this a 'speed chess howler'... 25...Nf8 attacking the WhiteQueen, letting Black's Queen defend g7. was absolutely necessary. } 26. Nxf6+ { wins. } 1-0

[Event "cableguy's mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-Apr-06"] [Round "-"] [White "eldude"] [Black "bigwalkz"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "986"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "766"] 1. e3 { My old start out. } 1... e5 { Expected e6 but o well. } 2. Qh5 { Move queenout for 2 possible moves: 4-move-checkmate OR black g6 then take pond,check him, and take rook. } 2... Nh6 { Black doesnt do what I was hoping for. } 3. d3 Bd6 { Allows development and protects e5. } 4. e4 { Allows developmentand stops e5 pond from moving foward. } 4... Nc6 5. Bxh6 { Takes knight and doublesthe pond. } 5... gxh6 6. Qxh6 Bb4+ 7. c3 { A simple block but think I would havebeen better moving my knight to c3 or d2. } 7... Ba5 8. b4 { Pressuring a5. } 8... Bb6 9. b5 Na5 10. Nd2 { Somethings I froget what I was doing. } 10... c5 11. O-O-O { Queen side castle, although I think it would have been better to do kingside castle because its more protected. } 11... d6 12. Nc4 { Forking bishop andknight, } 12... Nxc4 13. dxc4 { Doubling my pawns and capturing the knight. I guessit wasnt such a brilliant idea. } 13... Bg4 { Threatning rd1 } 14. Qg7 { Forkingthe rook at h8 and bishop at g4. } 14... Rf8 { I would have took the rook withmy bishop but instead he messes up his king-side castling. } 15. Qxg4 f6 { Allowing small development of rf8 but blocking off the queen. } 16. Qe6+ Qe7 { Blocks check with queen but messing up all his castling as well. } 17. Qxe7+ Kxe7 18. h4 { Allows development... I think thats what I was doing... } 18... Ba5 { Threatning c3. } 19. Rh3 { Protects c3 aand the whole row. } 19... h5 { Randomthing. } 20. Rg3 { ����� } 20... b6 { Makes the game an even more of a closed game. } 21. Rg7+ { Pressuring the king. } 21... Ke6 { I would've moved it back into the8th row. He's just putting his king in more danger. } 22. g3 { Allows developmentof the bishop to check him. } 22... Bxc3 23. Be2 { I wonder why I didnt do it...It could mess up his pond defense system.... AS you see... Im NOT the mostbrilliant chess player. } 23... a5 24. g4 hxg4 25. Bxg4+ { Finally! I checked him. } 25... f5 { Blocks with pond. } 26. exf5+ { Forced to move to f6. } 26... Kf6 27. Rg6+ { Thatwasn't one of my better plays. } 27... Kf7 28. Rdxd6 { Finally! The other rookis now in play. } 28... a4 { Another random thing? } 29. Rde6 Rad8 { 4 rooks in playnow. } 30. Rxb6 Ba5 { Threatens my rook.... Could've done something better. } 31. Rb7+ { Oldfasion way. } 31... Ke8 { Forced to move. } 32. Re6# { And mate! Agame of many random,stupid, and some smart stuff. } 1-0

[Event "A classical pawn's storm"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.11.28"] [Round "-"] [White "b2ornotb2"] [Black "damafi"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1398"] [TimeControl "300+5"] [WhiteElo "1517"] { After two very interesting losses, I had my win agains an interestingopp. } 1. c4 { Very rarely faced by me, the English is unknown territoryfor me. Actively, I mean. } 1... Nf6 { A neutral answer, a 'can't be bad' move.A more aggressive approach, like d5, istoo risky if not prepared. } 2. Nc3 e6 { Still uncompromising, and aiming for my favourite plan. } 3. e4 { Still farther from my known ground. I tried c6, so to stop Nce's jumps,but it blocked too much my own pieces. } 3... Nc6 { I'll have to live being carefulabout Nb5. I can live with it. } 4. d4 Bb4 { Now! I'm prepared to exchangethis B is needed. } 5. e5 Ne4 { A risky move, but the way to interrupt idealwhite's developement. } 6. Ne2 { The correct move. Now, white can't playf3 to kick my N or Qh4+, followed by Nxg3. } 6... d5 { This can only help me freeingmy pieces, and surely makes white think a lot. } 7. exd6 { Now it's myturn to think. I've already decided the move before this one. } 7... Qxd6 { Nxd4is threatened. I'm taking advance of white's slight delay in developementto press him as much as I can. On a blitz. An opponent stronger than me,who had defeated me several times before. I felt excited, and very scaredof making a fatal mistake. So the 'be wise and patient, and don't riskfoolishly' and the 'get the most from you edge, or you'll throw it away'were on their more conflictive moment... } 8. Be3 { Still unreleasing thepin! So I can go on, but how? I need power on the d column, since he isfar from castling. And Bd7 was just too passive and slow. } 8... O-O { Againstmy principles, but it's the shortest way to Rd8 and contest again the weakd4. } 9. a3 { I thought a lot about a sac on b4 (Ba5, b4, Nxb4...) but ona blitz it was too long to calculate, and it 'smelled' as a faliure. Icouldn't risk to be 'vulgar' and throw away a potentially nice game. } 9... Nxc3 { Sigh... needed. I can't reach the pawn c3 / Ne4 situation. } 10. Nxc3 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Rd8 { ...but now I have some pressure on the colum, and Ican start thinking in e5. } 12. Bd3 { ? Wonderful! My opponent just gaveme the chance to get rid of his very dangerous B pair! } 12... Ne5 { Do you thinkjust because I'm a patzer I'm not able to see combinations? :-) } 13. O-O Nxd3 14. Qxd3 e5 { Now my lsb is finally free to move. But I have to besure his movement makes a threat for white. } 15. Rfd1 c5 { Still takingadvantage from the pin (white underestimated the dangers of his Q's position),threatening to transform a strong mobile center in an isolated pawn or...a closed center. } 16. d5 { Ok. Of course, I have to be lifeling carefulabout a possible d pawn's push, but essentially white's position is notmuch better than mine. I'd like to play Bf5, but I won't be wise playingg6 to support it, since my dark square would be fatally weakened. } 16... f5 { ...but this makes the most of my position. By playing this, I'm temptinghim into his next move, sensing that it will come to my advantage, nothis. } 17. Bg5 Rf8 { Pressure on the d column is not needed anymore. MyQ is blocking the pawn, but the plan is to move it with a strong threaton white. } 18. f3 { Designed to prevent e4. But I'm not in a hurry. I wantto play Bf5 with a threat, and now my dream is near to be true. } 18... f4 { Hisdsb is now far from action, and the WQ can't penetrate the white squares.Can I say it was a good strategical play by me, and that the underdevelopementwas justified? } 19. Qb1 { Very clever attemp to make me fall for Bf5, Qxb7.I don't want to play b6 straight away, but I could: b6, Qb5, a6... andI can still move my lsb without weakesness, but... } 19... Rf7 { This was morein the spirit. A tempo for doubling rooks, later. } 20. Bh4 { White knewhe had to spend two moves to make his B active. The sac Be7, QxB, d6, Qd8,d7, Bxd7, Qxb7, Rf7 is a risky continuation for white. But my opponentwas not in a 'tallish mode'. } 20... Bf5 { My dream came true. } 21. Qb2 e4 { Thewhite central pawns are more an annoyance than an advantage for white...or is he just playing too bad? } 22. fxe4 Bxe4 23. Bf2 { ? Useless move,that gives me the chance I was waiting for: to take away my Q from d6 witha stronger threat. But I have to be wise, and be sure he is not temptingme into something. He can still play g3... well, not really! } 23... b6 { ? Toowise? But in fact: what can white do to prevent the threats? I can allowmyself to seal the position. } 24. Rd2 { He knows what's coming, and plansBe1. } 24... Qg6 { Ok. Actually, now I am seriously considering Bxg2 instead. Yousee this sort of things in Gm's games. But was it sound in this position?Hard to tell. 24... Bxg2, 25. KxB, but after f4+ or Qg4+, Kh1, and whitecan play Rg1. I well could have told about how I threw away the game forthis choice, just pretending to be a GM. I can't see how white can defend.But I see how to attack. } 25. Be1 Rf5 { Now I can choose the column I wantto pressure. Of course, not f3 or g3 will help white. } 26. Qb5 { The ideais Qc6, threatening the R and forcing the Q's exchange. But I 'forgot'about it during the game. Seriously. So I played.. the righ move! } 26... Rg5 { No time for Qc6, due to Rxg2+! } 27. g3 { Desperado move. } 27... fxg3 { White resignedin view of coutless threats everywhere... :-) I hope I did a fairily nicejob this time! :-) } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from phishbone6984"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "31-Dec-08"] [Round "-"] [White "phishbone6984"] [Black "fatcat2"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1391"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1378"] 1. e4 { The rematch between fatcat2 and phishbone6984. I am after revengeafter really messing up in my first game against phishbone. } 1... e6 { The FrenchDefence, a solid opening for Black. Black's position appears cramped andslow in many positions resulting from the French Defence, but it is tremendouslyhard to assault. } 2. d4 { The main line. If White can place two temporarilyunchallenged pawns in the centre, why not do so? } 2... d5 { The vast majorityof French Defence games end up here. Occasionally White might play 2.Nf3,but I think that this is a weak option. } 3. Nd2 { The Tarrasch Variationof the French Defence. The Winawer Variation 3.Nc3 Bb4 leads to the knightbeing pinned: the Tarrasch avoids this after 3.Nd2 Bb4 4.c3. Other possiblevariations from this point include the slow, blunt and often drawn ExchangeVariation 3.exd5 exd5, and the Advance Variation 3.e5, possibly slightlypremature but played very commonly. } 3... Nf6 4. e5 { The most usual move. Verysimilar to the Advance Variation, but played with tempo as Black's knighthas to move. } 4... Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 { A typical French Defence move for assaultingWhite's powerful extended pawn centre. } 6. c3 { The most common response.White is not going to allow his d-pawn to go, as the e-pawn will probablyfollow it. } 6... Nc6 7. Ngf3 Be7 8. O-O a5 { Another move common in such linesof the French Defence, restraining White's queenside pawns. } 9. a4 O-O 10. h3 { ?! This looks to me like a complete waste of a move. I can't seethat White gains anything from it, and it creates a weakness in his kingside. } 10... f6 { Trying to get White's cramping e-pawn off, and opening a file for myf-rook. } 11. exf6 Bxf6 12. dxc5 Nxc5 { As my opponent told me, he couldno longer defend the d-pawn enough. } 13. Bc2 e5 { Black has two pawns inthe centre, White has none. } 14. Nb3 Nxb3 15. Bxb3 Be6 16. Re1 e4 { Pushingmy central pawn advantage and using it to in turn cramp White's position. } 17. Nd4 Nxd4 18. cxd4 Qd6 { Aha! I have a cunning plan (to quote Baldrick)!I can manoeuvre my dark-squared bishop behind my queen and make use ofmy open f-file to...smash into White's kingside! } 19. Be3 Bd8 20. Rc1 Bc7 { Proceeding with my Cunning Plan. } 21. Kf1 Qh2 { Well, it rather spoilsthe fun if his king isn't there any more...but I still have an excellentattack going on. } 22. Rc5 Bf4 23. Bxf4 Qxf4 { I had a dim idea that capturingwith the rook would probably have been better...never mind, capturing withqueen is perfectly playable... } 24. Re2 Qh2 25. Rec2 { I'm not sure quitewhat White is playing at. Far from defending his kingside, he appears tobe preparing for an assault on the queenside!? Time to show him what'swhat. } 25... Qh1+ 26. Ke2 Rxf2+ { White resigned, as Ke3 or Kxf2 lose him thequeen...and probably a lot more. Very well played, phishbone6984; MerryChristmas, and a Happy New Year! The score is 1-1...it isn't over yet... } 0-1

[Event "The Battle of Borodino"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.11.02"] [Round "-"] [White "apolloalexander"] [Black "nieh"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1366"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1253"] 1. e4 { I have had problems in the past to move to a on sided attack ifthe middle is locked or semi locked. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 { Standard } 3. Bb5 d6 { I knew him taking would screw up my pawn structure.. } 4. Nc3 Bd7 { blocking } 5. d3 a6 { pushing away } 6. Bc4 h6 { blocking any future Bg5, also preparingto push if he castles kingside } 7. O-O Be6 { forcing the trade, this woulddouble the e pawns and open the f file if I castle kingside } 8. Bxe6 fxe6 { accepted } 9. Be3 Be7 { trying to get the bishop active } 10. Ne2 Qd7 { openingto castle queen side } 11. c3 O-O-O { rex to safety } 12. Qb3 g5 { startingto push, his queen side attack will take a while to get started so I startsome doubt by pushing } 13. h3 { he starts the defence } 13... Na5 { trying to getQa3, discovered attack by d5 } 14. Qa3 Nc6 { working } 15. Qb3 g4 { fell through,so sacing the g pawn to open up some lines } 16. hxg4 Nf6 { getting anotherpiece in } 17. Nh2 { deffending } 17... h5 { thsi one I could pull back faster } 18. gxh5 Rxh5 { done, still one down, looking at Rdh8 } 19. Ng3 Rh7 { expected } 20. Qd1 Rdh8 { now i have him in defence mode } 21. Ng4 Nh5 { I did not wantto trade on g4, wanted h1 undefended... any comment here? } 22. Nxh5 Rxh5 { accepted } 23. f3 Bh4 { Blocking his retreat throughf2 } 24. Bf2 Qe7 { Didnot want to trade here, wanted to build my attack and how better to tradeon my grounds - getting the queen in there if he know trades } 25. g3 Bg5 { Covering the h6-c1 square - this will be handy later. His bishop nowblocks his retreat } 26. Kg2 Qh7 { getting the battery on line, thinkingI might sac the rook on h2, Nx f2, qxf2 } 27. Bg1 Rh1 { He stoped rh3, buti still got a rook down there } 28. f4 Qh3+ { Getting the queen in there,I had calculated at least 5 moves ahead, up to the queen trade } 29. Kf3 exf4 { using his pinned pawn on g3, preparing Qxg3+ } 30. Bf2 Rf8 { this lookedstupid at 1st - but it was my best move - if 31. rfxh1 fxg3+ 32. Ke2 Qxg4+ 33. Ke1 Qxd1+, 34 Kxd1 RfxF2, This looked fairly even but I had a passedpawn which I fancied, with 2 pieces for a rook and pawn } 31. Ke2 Qxg4+ { Dont know if he calculated it to, but this suited me better, I was hopingfor this variasion } 32. Kd2 Qxd1+ { Queen trade, no 3 up } 33. Rfxd1 { HereI had to re calculate, trading would only lessen the pressure, but I stillhave my dominant bishop that would win me a piece } 33... fxg3+ { thought I hadhis bishop } 34. Be3 Rf2+ { I will have it soon enought though Forcd matein 2 -35. Kc1 Only move Bxe3+ 36 Kb1 (only move), Rxd1 } 35. Kc1 Bxe3+ 36. Kb1 Rxd1# { Though I did pretty well with the calculations, did I miss anyother moves? } *

[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.10.17"] [Round "-"] [White "rjacobs"] [Black "levigun"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1637"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1600"] 1. e4 { The Fast Ladder seems to invite an up and at 'em attitude, so it's1. e4 for me once more. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { The Spanish Torture. Isthis wise given my current difficulty in the mini-tournament of that name(P9 W4 L5) (and the other games aren't going too well..)? } 3... a6 4. Bxc6 { Idon't often play the Exchange but it makes a change to give it an outingnow and then. When Andrew Martin did a simul at Reading a few years ago,I bought his book on it, though I didn't consult it in this game. } 4... dxc6 { The correct way to recapture. White can't yet win the e-pawn becauseBlack has a strong counter. I can't remember what it is, I just know thatI mustn't take the pawn yet. } 5. O-O f6 6. Qe2 { This prepares Rd1 followedby the advance of the d-pawn. I think this is more dangerous than an immediated4. } 6... Bd6 7. Rd1 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. g4 Bf7 10. c3 Ne7 11. d4 exd4 12. cxd4 O-O 13. Nc3 Ng6 14. Be3 Nf4 15. Qd2 Nxh3+ { This proves double-edged asit opens up an line of attack for White } 16. Kg2 Ng5 17. Nxg5 { White takesthe opportunity to swap off the well placed knight. } 17... fxg5 18. Bxg5 { andattack the Black Queen } 18... Qd7 { which spots the loose g-pawn } 19. f3 { NowWhite's pawn structure looks a bit more solid. } 19... Bg6 { Black immediatelyexposes an attack on f3 and creates a threat against e4 and therefore g4. The threats aren't immediately effective but could soon become so. } 20. e5 { White uses his attacked pawns to counter-attack. This protected passedpawn is a monster! } 20... Bb4 21. a3 Ba5 22. b4 { For the second time, White launchesa wing attack, chasing away an unsupported, intrusive bishop. } 22... Bb6 { NowWhite improves his knight with tempo by threatening to swap it for Black'sBishop. } 23. Na4 Ba7 24. Nc5 Qd5 { Black in turn improves the position ofhis Queen and makes the threat to f3 a real one. } 25. Rf1 Bxc5 { FinallyBlack swaps off the Bishop for the Knight. } 26. bxc5 Rae8 { Threateningto take the e-pawn because its defender is pinned against White's Queen. } 27. Rad1 { Defending the Queen so that the e-pawn is now defended. } 27... h6 28. Be3 { It was tempting to take on h6 and follow up with Qxh6 but I couldn'tfind a convincing path to victory that way yet. } 28... Re7 { Preparing to double,presumably on the f-file. } 29. Kg3 { Preparing to advance the f-pawn aswell. } 29... Bh7 { Preparing ...g5 } 30. f4 b5 { Black seeks to sort out his Queensidepawns and create a threat of queening, thus distractign White from thedeveloping Kingside attack. } 31. f5 { White is not distracted. } 31... h5 32. Bg5 Ree8 { If the Rook had stayed on the second rank it would have been attackedby the e-pawn, with nowhere to go. } 33. Qe2 { Both supporting an advanceby the e-pawn and attacking the h-pawn } 33... a5 34. f6 g6 35. gxh5 gxh5 36. Qxh5 b4 37. axb4 axb4 38. Rh1 { Finally White exploits the open h-file,threatening mate. } 38... Rf7 39. Bh6 { to cut off the rook's defence of h7 by40. Bg7. } 39... b3 40. Qg5+ Kh8 41. Bg7+ Kg8 42. Rxh7 { forcing mate. Black resigned. } 1-0

[Event "Role Reversal"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.01.11"] [Round "-"] [White "hityerclock"] [Black "drnf"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1810"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2169"] { I play the Alekhine Defense a lot as black. It's my primary answer to1.e4. In this game, I get to play the Alekhine Defense, but from the whiteside. } 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 { The other option here is theModern Variation, 4.Nf3, which is equally good. } 4... Nb6 5. exd6 { The exchangevariation. I'm playing for a specific sub-variation that is known to giveblack trouble. } 5... cxd6 { 5....exd6 is also playable, and tends to give blacka solid position. } 6. Nc3 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. Rc1 { This is the variationI wanted to play - the so-called 'Voronezh Variation' White evacuatesthe a1-h8 diagonal in an attempt to eliminate much of black's counterplay. } 8... Nc6 { '?!' - this natural move is what the Voronezh was designed to counter.Black's best chance is to play 8...O-O then strike at the center rightaway with 9...e5. } 9. b3 O-O 10. d5 { The entire point of white's play.In the Alekhine, the thematic response to white's d-pawn advance is toplay ...Na5, putting pressure on the c4 square. But here, white has playedRc1 and b3, so ...Na5 only serves to misplace the black N. With ...Na5no longer an option, black will have a difficult time finding somethinguseful to do with this N. Black's most promising response to white's planis to delay developing the N to c6, and instead play an early ...e5, takingadvantage of the fact that white's other N is still sitting on g1, andnot on f3 where it can influence e5. } 10... Nb8 { More usual is ...Ne5, butin either case white will now have a permanent space advantage and blackwill struggle to find counterplay. } 11. Be2 N8d7 12. Nf3 Nf6 13. h3 { Preventinganother thematic Alekhine move sequence of ...Bg4 and ...Bxf3. Now blackmust solve the problem of what to do with his light-square bishop. 13...Bf5will be met with 14.Nd4. } 13... e5 { Right idea, but about 4 moves too late.A better plan at this point would be 10...Nbd7, trying to create counterplayon the Q-side after e.g. 11.O-O Nc5 followed by ...a5. } 14. dxe6 fxe6 15. O-O d5 16. Qc2 { White's plan is to put rooks on c1 & d1 and attackin the center. } 16... Nbd7 { '?' How will black complete development of his Q-sideafter this? Best is probably 16...Bd7, getting the other rook into thegame. Not 16...dxc4?! 17.bxc4 then White will play Rfd1 and Nb5, and thehole on d6 & isolated e-pawn are big problems for black. } 17. Rfd1 Qa5 { '?' This blunder loses by force. Black's best bet is to admit the ...Nd7was a mistake, and put the N back on b6. } 18. cxd5 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 exd5 20. Rxd5 Qb4 { Not 20...Qxd5 21.Bc4. } 21. Bc4 { Now black's King comes underdirect assault. } 21... Kh8 22. Ng5 { Threatening 23.Nxh7! Kxh7 24.Rh5+ } 22... Nb6 23. Bc5 Qa5 24. Bxf8 Nxd5 25. Bxg7+ { ?! Eliminating the black K's last remainingdefender, but after the game I found 25.Qe4! which leads to a much quickerwin (the GK game analysis computer agrees). } 25... Kxg7 26. b4 Nxb4 { ? Leadsto a forced mate. Black can put up stiffer resistance with 26...Qc7 27.Bxd5Qxc2 28.Rxc2, though white has more than enough extra material to securethe win. } 27. Qc3+ Kh6 { Or 27...Kf8 28.Qf6+ Ke8 29.Bf7+ Kd7 30.Qe6+ followedby 31.Qe8#. } 28. Nf7+ Kh5 29. Be2+ Kh4 30. Qg3# 1-0

[Event "Missing a checkmate "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2019.10.03"] [Round "-"] [White "erikreis"] [Black "mladeira"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1488"] [WhiteElo "1558"] 1. d4 { London system basic development move. } 1... Nf6 { He develops the knightavoiding e4. } 2. Bf4 { London system basic development move, raising thepressure on e5. } 2... d5 { The fight for the center goes on. } 3. e3 { London systembasic development move: now I make way to develop my light-squared bishoplater. } 3... Nc6 { Development move. } 4. Nf3 { London system basic developmentmove. } 4... g6 { He prepares to fianchetto: there will be no trade of bishopson g3 most like. } 5. Ne5 { I start to provoke some action on the center.I want to trade knights and gain that dark diagonal for my bishop. } 5... Nxe5 { He accepted. } 6. Bxe5 { There it goes. Now that knight suffers some sortof a pin. } 6... Bg7 { He defended. } 7. c4 { Time to attack d5 pawn: I might developmy light-squared bishop in case he trades, either way my queen gain anotherdiagonal and the knight can now move to c3 behind the pawn chain. } 7... c6 { He holds his center. } 8. Nc3 { I bring the other knight to the action. } 8... O-O { His king is well sheltered now. } 9. Be2 { I develop the last minorpiece and prepare to castle. } 9... Bf5 { He develops his light-squared bishopas well. } 10. O-O Qb6 { He tries to explore the weak pawn on b2 which isone of the drawbacks of London system due to the early advance of the queen'sBishop. } 11. Qb3 { Fire agaisnt fire: if he accepts the exchange, I grantmy Rook a semi-open file. } 11... Qxb3 { And he accepts. } 12. axb3 { There is myrook free to go and an extra protection for c4 pawn, that compensates forthe doubled pawns. } 12... a6 { He frees his Rook here since the a6 Pawn is nowprotected by b7. } 13. Bxf6 { Well, here is the turning point: too many pawnchains on the board slow the bishops and I thought the f6 Knight couldtrouble me if it landed on e4, so it seemed worth it to give up the bishoppair. } 13... Bxf6 14. Na4 { Now I'll try to make use of the mobility of my knightamong those pawn islands. } 14... b5 { A dangerous advance in my analysis, becausenow you have to defend an extra pawn. } 15. cxb5 axb5 { I'm not sure thiswas the best line, but above all I meant to keep the initiative and, witha little luck, maybe weaken his pawn formation and create an open-file. } 16. Nc5 { I'm planning to maneuver my knight to take that strong light-squaredbishop, at the same time I propose the exchange of rooks. } 16... e5 { He wantsa rupture in the center, and the dark-squared bishop makes him very strongin that diagonal. } 17. Nb7 { I want d6. } 17... exd4 18. exd4 Rfe8 19. Rxa8 { Idefended my bishop pinning the rook. } 19... Rxa8 20. Nd6 { After an almost forcedexchange of rooks, I finally land my knight on d6 as planned. } 20... Bxd4 { Igave up that isolated pawn in order to eliminate the powerful defenderof the king and to damage the pawn formation. } 21. Nxf5 gxf5 22. Rc1 { NowI offer a doubled pawn for a centralized, well placed pawn on d6. } 22... b4 { Isee no point in this move. } 23. Rxc6 Ra1+ 24. Bf1 Bxb2 25. g3 { Wanna freemy bishop. } 25... d4 26. Kg2 Kg7 27. Be2 { Now I wonder if Bd3 wouldn't havebeen better. } 27... f6 { Not sure what he wanted here too. } 28. Kf3 { Now I wantto put my king in the game: the intention is to block the enemy king andmaybe capture on f5. } 28... Kg6 29. Rc8 { Now I want to limit his king's space. } 29... Ra3 30. Rg8+ Kh6 31. Bc4 { The bishop now is the last man standing againstthose dangerous pawns, and since the king is cut off I can march on f5. } 31... Bc1 { He defends. } 32. Rd8 Bb2 33. Ke2 Ra1 34. Kd3 { Now I go for a differentidea: I leave my king as a bait on d3, inviting his rook to d1, this wayI would be able to double attack with king on c2. } 34... Kh5 35. Rh8 { He didn'tfall for it, so I keep the pressure on the king and threat h7 pawn. } 35... h6 36. Rg8 Re1 { And here I miss a checkmate with bf7. It was too late whenI saw it. } 37. Kc2 { Anyway, he would have to defend his bishop if he wantedto keep his position. } 37... Bc3 38. Bf7# { Done. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "21-Oct-07"] [Round "-"] [White "we3d"] [Black "chessmatt78"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1219"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1205"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. Nc3 c6 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 { mistake... } 6... f5 { but not seen ;] } 7. Ne5 g6 { ??? } 8. exd5 c5 9. dxc5 Qxe5+ 10. Qe2 Nd7 11. Bxf4 Qe7 12. c6 bxc6 13. dxc6 Nc5 14. Bb5 a6 15. Bc4 Nf6 16. Bg5 Bg7 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nd5 Qe5 { chase the queen =] } 19. c3 Rf8 20. Nc7+ Kd8 21. Nxa8 Qe4 22. O-O-O+ Ke8 23. Nc7+ Ke7 24. Rhe1 Be5 25. Nd5+ Kd6 26. Nf6+ Qd3 27. Bxd3 Bxf6 28. Bxa6+ Kxc6 29. Bxc8 { now this is a win oficialy;] } 29... Rxc8 30. b4 Na4 31. Qa6+ Kc7 32. Qxa4 Kb7 33. Rd7+ Rc7 34. Re6 f4 35. Qa6+ Kb8 36. Re8+ Rc8 37. Qxc8# 1-0

[Event "Boeblingen op, Boeblingen"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "1999.12.30"] [Round "-"] [White "Allwermann, Clemens"] [Black "Kalinitschew, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2505"] { B32: Sicilian: Löwenthal and Kalashnikov Variations } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Be7 7. Be2 a6 8. N5c3 Nf6 { Alternativevariation: 8... Bg5 9. Nd2 Nge7 10. O-O O-O 11. b3 Nd4 12. Bb2 Be6 13.Nf3 Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 Rc8 15. Qd3 Qc7 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Qe2 Nc6 18. Nd5 Bxd519. Rxd5 Rb8 20. Qe1 Bf6 21. Be2 Nd4 22. Bxd4 exd4 23. Bd3 [Rogers,I (2575)-IllescasCordoba,M (2640) Oropesa del Mar 1996 1/2-1/2 (116)] } 9. O-O Be6 10. Be3 O-O 11. Na3 { White has a very active position Alternative variation: 11.Nd2 Rc8 (11... Nd7 12. Nb3 Rc8 13. Nd5 f5 14. f3 f4 15. Bf2 Bh4 16. Qe1Bxf2+ 17. Qxf2 Bxd5 18. exd5 Ne7 19. Bd3 Rf6 20. Rfd1 Rh6 21. Rac1 b6 22.Nd2 Nc5 23. Bc2 a5 24. Ne4 Qe8 25. b3 Qh5 26. h3 [Kleindienst, T-Hirt,SHeidelberg 1989 1/2-1/2 (41)]) 12. Nd5 Nd7 13. a3 Bg5 14. b4 Bxe3 15. Nxe3Nd4 16. Nb3 Nxb3 17. Qxb3 b5 18. Qd1 bxc4 19. Qxd6 a5 20. Rfd1 axb4 21.axb4 Qc7 22. Bxc4 Bxc4 23. Qxd7 Qb6 24. Qd6 Qb7 25. Nf5 Rce8 [Panchanathan,M (2570)-Ni,V (2173) Arlington 2013 1-0] } 11... Nd7 { White has an active position } 12. Qd2 { White has a very active position } 12... Nc5 13. Nc2 f5 14. exf5 Bxf5 { Black has new hanging pawns: d6+e5 Alternative variation: [Insteadof] 14... Rxf5 15. b4 Nd7 16. Bg4 $16 } 15. Bf3 { White has an active position } 15... Kh8 { Wins material } 16. Bd5 { The bishop feels good on d5 } 16... Qe8 17. Rad1 Qg6 18. Na3 e4 { Alternative variation: 18... Rac8 19. Bxc5 dxc5 20. Bxc6Rxc6 21. f3 $15 } 19. f3 { Alternative variation: 19. Bxc5 dxc5 20. Qe3Rae8 $11 } 19... exf3 20. Bxf3 Ne5 21. Nd5 { White threatens to win material:Nd5xe7 } 21... Bh4 22. Nf4 Nxf3+ 23. Rxf3 { Black has the pair of bishops } 23... Qe8 24. Nd5 { 'the knight is the knight!' } 24... Ne6 { White has an active position } 25. Rdf1 Qg6 26. b3 Rf7 27. Nc2 Ng5 { Black has let it slip away Alternativevariation: 27... Raf8 $11 [would save the game] } 28. Bxg5 Bxg5 29. Qf2 Bxc2 30. Rxf7 Bf6 31. Qa7 { 0 Mate attack Alternative variation: 31. Nxf6[is the weaker alternative] Qxf7 32. Qxc2 gxf6 $16 Alternative variation:31. Rxf6 gxf6 32. Qxf6+ Qxf6 33. Rxf6 Rd8 $18 } 31... Rg8 { Alternative variation:31... Rxa7 32. Rf8# [Mate attack] Alternative variation: 31... -- 32. Qxa8+[Mate threat] } 32. Qxb7 { Alternative variation: 32. R7xf6 gxf6 33. g3Bd3 34. Rxf6 Qe4 $18 Alternative variation: 32. R1xf6 [is easily refuted]gxf6 33. Qf2 Qxf7 34. Qxc2 b5 $19 Alternative variation: 32. Nxf6 [is muchworse] gxf6 33. Qf2 Qxf7 34. Qxc2 Rg5 $14 Alternative variation: 32. Rxb7Bd3 33. Rb8 Bxf1 34. Rxg8+ Kxg8 35. Qb8+ Kf7 36. Qb7+ Kf8 37. Qc8+ Kf738. Qd7+ Kf8 39. Qxd6+ Kf7 40. Qd7+ Kg8 41. Qe6+ Kf8 42. Kxf1 Qb1+ 43.Qe1 Qxa2 $16 } 32... Be4 33. Nf4 Qf5 34. Qd7 Qe5 { Alternative variation: 34...Qc5+ 35. Kh1 $18 } 35. Kh1 g5 { Alternative variation: 35... Qd4 $18 } 36. Nh3 { Alternative variation: 36. Nd5 [might be the shorter path] Rd8 37.Qg4 Bxd5 38. R7xf6 Bg8 $18 } 36... g4 { Alternative variation: 36... Bd8 [doesn'timprove anything] 37. Nf2 Bg6 38. Ng4 $18 } 37. Nf2 { Alternative variation:37. R7xf6 [is a bad alternative] Bxg2+ 38. Kxg2 Qe4+ 39. Kf2 gxh3 40. Qxh3Qc2+ 41. Ke1 Qc1+ 42. Ke2 Qc2+ 43. Ke1 Qc1+ 44. Ke2 Qc2+ 45. Ke1 $11 } 37... Bf5 { Alternative variation: 37... Bg6 [a fruitless try to alter the courseof the game] 38. Nxg4 Qe2 39. R7xf6 $18 } 38. Nxg4 { 0 Mate attack } 38... Be4 { Alternative variation: 38... Bxg4 39. Rxh7# [Mate attack] Alternativevariation: 38... Rxg4 39. Rf8+ [Mate attack] Alternative variation: 38...-- 39. Nxf6 [Wins material] } 39. R7xf6 { Alternative variation: 39. Nxf6Bxg2+ 40. Kg1 Qe3+ 41. Rf2 Qc1+ 42. Rf1 Qxf1# } 39... Bxg2+ 40. Kxg2 Qe4+ 41. Kh3 { This is the position where Allwermann claimed he could see a forcedcheckmate in 8 moves. Can you see it??? } 1-0

[Event "nando_52's mini-tournament IV"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.02.25"] [Round "-"] [White "philip1234"] [Black "jestey1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1852"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1669"] 1. e4 { This game, played between the last two undefeated players of thismini-tournament, is an instructive example of how quickly things can gowrong in an open game. White made a slight inaccuracy in the opening and,though Black (me) did not find the most accurate continuation right away,I was able to pose some concrete problems that my opponent failed to meetactively and energetically enough. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 { The Scotch Game– though the idea of advancing the d-pawn right away is a simple one, theresulting positions tend to be complex and challenging to play for bothsides. } 3... exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 { The other common line is 4. ...Bc5, where Whitehas either 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 0-0 7. Bc4 with a tense position, or else 5.Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qd2 dxc6, with Black's activity compensating for the slightlydamaged pawn structure. Of course not Nxd4 5. Qxd4, when White's Queenradiates power over the entire board and cannot be easily challenged. Ichose 4. ...Nf6 because in my opinion it gives Black good chances to complicatethe game and outplay the opponent. } 5. Nc3 { Popular, but not as challengingas 5. Nxc6?! bxc6 6. e5!? Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. c4 Ba6! with extreme complicationsto come. After the less ambitious text move, Black can put the White centerunder a lot of pressure. } 5... Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 { ...dxc6 is sadly not an optiondue to Qxd8+. } 7. f3 { ?! An inaccurate move, misjudging the needs of theposition. White secures the center pawn, but what he really needs to donow is develop and get the King out of the center. To this end, Bd3 isthe normal move, while Qd4!? is also logical. 7. f3 seems to secure thecenter for good, but in fact the e-pawn is going to be gone in a few moves,after which White will be behind in development and having the pawn onf3 will just leave a weakness on the kingside. } 7... d5 { ! Striking back inthe center immediately. Black wants to eliminate the e-pawn and open lineswhile White is still two moves away from castling. I also considered somekind of Knight sacrifice to allow ...Qh4+, but I could not find anythingworthwhile after 7. ...Nxe4? (...Nd5? is similar) 8. fxe4 Qh5+ 9. g3 Qxe4+?10. Qe2! and the Queen is now pinned and must be traded off, ending theattack. } 8. exd5 { Ceding the center to Black, though 8. Bd3 dxe4 (...d4?!9. a3 gives Black very little) 9. fxe4 (Bxe4?! Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nxe4 12. fxe4 Bg4+ ∆...Rd8(+) and Black's pieces are more active) Bg410. Qd2 is hardly better. } 8... cxd5 { ? Here, being all too happy with my position,I made a careless natural move that should have let White off the hook.Much better was ...Bxc3+!, after which might follow 9. bxc3 cxd5 and now10. Qe2+ can be safely met with ...Be6 11. Bb5+ Nd7 with ideas of ...a6 and...Qh4+, or just ...0-0 and a gradual buildup in the center. Black has betterdevelopment and central control, while White has both Kingside and Queensideweaknesses and lacks a safe place to put the King. By failing to makethis exchange now, Black allows White a chance to get the King out of thecenter right away and avoid the grim fate described above. The pawn sacrificewith ...0-0!? was also interesting and deserved consideration. } 9. Bd2 { ?This moment is the critical point that decides the course of the entirerest of the game. White misses his last chance to safeguard the King andequalize. This is a very instructive psychological error. 9. Bd2 seemslike an entirely natural and logical move: it develops and breaks the pinon the Knight. The problem with this line of thinking is that it missesthe urgency of the situation: White's position is extremely perilous andrequires radical action. The White king is sitting on an open e-file andneeds either three moves to castle safely on the Queenside, or else twomoves to run to the dubious shelter of an airy (remember 7. f3?) Kingside.True, Black has no immediate threats against the King, but that does notmatter: if the White King does not make it out of the center safely, Blackcan take all the time he needs setting up threats against a sitting-ducktarget. Thus, urgent tactical means are necessary to get the King to safetyNOW: 9. Qe2+! Qe7 (forced: ...Be6? loses to 10. Qb5+!, winning the Bishop– this is why Black should have traded last move) 10. Bd2 and White cancastle safely next move. With the King castled and the Queenside pawnsintact, White is out of danger. After the text, Black is able to keep theWhite King in the center long enough to build up a crushing attack. Notrealizing the danger of the situation, White did not look for an antidote:as a lesson to all players, it is hard to find a solution to your problemsif you don't know that they're there! } 9... O-O 10. Be2 { White looks to be readyto castle and finish development, but now Black is ready to start makingthreats: } 10... d4 { ! Driving the Knight back. } 11. Nb1 { This fits in with Blacksplans a bit too easily. 11. Nb5? Bc5 ∆ ...c6 puts the Knight similarly outof play, but 11. Na4 Qe7 12. 0-0 Bd7 13. b3 Bxa4 14. bxa4 gives Black onlya small advantage. } 11... Bc5 { ! Exchanges with Bxd2+? would just ease White'straffic jam on thr first two ranks. The Bishop has served its purpose onthe Queenside and now reposts itself to control the Kingside dark squares.Castling is prevented by the threat of ...d3+. Already, White has very fewuseful moves. } 12. Bg5 { What else? The LSB must stay and block the e-file,the Queen and Rooks have nowhere to go, and the Knight has only a3 as asafe destination. } 12... Re8 { Continuing to tie White up and build pressure. } 13. Qd3 { ?! White thinks to blockade the d-pawn and allow castling, butthis plan has a tactical flaw – the blockade can be broken! White had nobetter than Kf1, thanks to the threat of ...Ba6. } 13... Qd6 { Unpinning the Knight,yes, but also preventing castling for yet another move thanks to a surprisingcombination that my opponent overlooked. } 14. O-O { ?? Losing on the spot,though White's game was already very difficult. Instead, Kf1 is the onlysafe way to break the debilitating pin on the e2-Bishop. Black could thenincrease the pressure either with ...a5 (∆ ...Ba6) or with the simple ...Nd5. } 14... Ba6 { !! White thought to prevent this move with Qd3, but Black can playit anyway! There is no way to avoid the loss of material. } 15. Bf4 { A creative,though insufficient, response that I had not expected. 15. Qxa6? dropsthe Queen to ...d3+!, while otherwise the threats of Bxd3, d3+, and R/Bxe2are decisive. } 15... Qxf4 16. Qxa6 d3+ 17. Kh1 dxe2 18. Re1 Bd6 { Black's advantageis overwhelming and any number of moves win here, but this one ends thingsquickly. Once you have an advantage, don't sit there waiting for the positionto win itself – that's when you get swindled. When you smell blood, gofor the throat! } 19. g3 Qxf3+ { 19. Kg2 Bc5# An instructive miniature! } 0-1

[Event "10 move mating sequence. comments appreciated"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.06.21"] [Round "-"] [White "trixstermtl"] [Black "swordfish2020"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1406"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1522"] { hey hey annotations sections followers. this game is from the serieswith my opponent swordfish2020. } 1. e4 { we are currently playing our 12thgame where my opponent broke the ice on our 10th game. with a nice checkmate,i have to say, i overlooked drastically in over confidence, after our trackrecord with each other. } 1... e5 { and after that win he was able to hold meback for 45 moves as white until it came down to 1 pawn being 1 squareahead of his king. the series continues. its already brought me 2 niceannotations. this is not our 11th game, this was about our 3rd game inthe series while we were still freshly met opponents } 2. Bc4 { early inour series, and usually against new opponents when i play as white, i tendto stick with what we all know i like and am comfortable with, the bishopsopening. } 2... d6 { i wasnt well accustomed to my opponents highly defensiveplay that he showed in our later games. Why im saving this game is it broughta nice ending sequence of a 10 move forced mate which i created a puzzlewith. and so i wanted to also save the game, before it fades away to wherei cannot see it anymore, in memory of what created the puzzle } 3. Nc3 { igo with my more aggressive nc3 line instead of d3 } 3... Nf6 { it was bound tobe one of the knights eventually after having blocked in the DSB } 4. h3 { and i decide to sneak this in to prevent the LSB exit } 4... c6 { preparing ab5 most likely or d5 } 5. d4 { and so i strike forward! } 5... Nbd7 { wow unanticpatedreply. i was expecting all kinds of exchanges in the middle. hmmm letsexplore something new too then! } 6. f4 { f4! i look at the position, andi dont know why but i love it for some reason. 3 pawns lined up in themiddle. lets see what my opponent chooses to do now lol } 6... b5 { attacks myLSB. i dont want a tempo war dancing my lsb around. ill trade for hisknight! } 7. fxe5 { chomp! also opens the file after i castle } 7... dxe5 { retakesbefore taking the LSB hmm curious! } 8. dxe5 { ill still go for the tradei wanted. LSB for knight. he can have some nice double pawns } 8... bxc4 { andhe accepts } 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Qxd8+ { time to swap out queens! i had lookedat a cruel line cause of my e pawn } 10... Kxd8 11. Bg5 { pin the knight forcebe7 or face a second double pawn. plus now it allows long castling fora check instead of going king side castle } 11... Be7 { anticipated } 12. O-O-O+ { check! } 12... Nd7 { hmm thought he would block with the LSB not the knight } 13. Nf3 { protect my DSB + develop last minor piece } 13... f6 { perfect what i washoping he would do. instead of swapping out the DSB's. hence why i saidmy E pawn was cruel! } 14. e5 { here it comes. i think you should take thepawn my friend. but all avenues are looking rough with the pin at the moment! } 14... fxg5 { takes the dsb! i was hoping he would just to explore this line andit looked enjoyable! } 15. e6 { onwards with the plan to equalise } 15... Bf6 { attacksmy night.i was wondering if he would send in his DSB after i take his knight } 16. exd7 Bxd7 { he decides to recapture, } 17. Ne4 { but this allows doublepressure on the g5 pawn and h6 looks like the natural reply. } 17... h6 18. Nc5 { but h6 loses the LSB... ouch } 18... Kc7 { i guess he atleast wants his rooksconnected and wants to hide his king behind his closest pawns } 19. Rxd7+ Kb6 { forces a knight retreat } 20. Ne4 { time to get that DSB off the board } 20... Raf8 { reinforces with the Rook i look and that was either a wasted tempoor a future protection of the f pawn } 21. Nxf6 gxf6 { if he took with therook i wouldve taken his g7 pawn } 22. Re1 { and so i take control of theother open file } 22... h5 { my opponent doesnt have many moves left } 23. Ree7 { i stack the rooks on a very high rank } 23... g4 { opponent comes down. } 24. hxg4 hxg4 25. Ne1 { and so i protect my g pawn block a check from his Rh8 andlook at the board. i can see a checkmate from here. all i got to do ismove his c4 pawn } 25... a5 { doesnt want to lose a hanging pawn } 26. b3 { my attemptat budging the c pawn } 26... c3 { hmm passes. ooo dangerous Rh1 is a potentiallights out for me. no miss steps from here! but its too late when thatc4 pawn move. my opponent only gets to play his king a maximum of 10 moves } 27. Rb7+ Kc5 28. Nd3+ { my opponent did not last the maximum ten moves } 1-0

[Event "Oswestry A v Ludlow A"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18/1/2018"] [Round "-"] [White "CharlesLHiggie"] [Black "Joe Watson"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "ECF170"] [TimeControl "95 minutes each"] [WhiteElo "ECF176"] 1. e4 { First game of mine that I have annotated for several months - thelast game of mine that I have annotated was played on 9th October lastyear. } 1... g6 { So it starts out as a so-called Modern Defence, although ithas been around for well over 100 years, for instance it features in WilliamSteinitz vs. Augustus Mongredien 1863 in which black was defeated in 22moves. https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-modern-defense-a-history } 2. d4 { So I take the centre. } 2... Bg7 { He completes the fianchetto } 3. Nc3 { I opt for the Modern proper, rather than invite a transposition to theKing's Indian Defence with 3. c4. } 3... d6 { The usual move in this position. } 4. Be3 { I am planning a Pseudo-Samisch attack if he continues with theusual moves - 4.....Nf6 5. f3 0-0 6. Qd2 planning 0-0-0 to launch a King's-sidePawn storm with moves like g2-g4 and h2-h4. Black must try to keep thisstorm under control while hitting back in the centre or on the Queen's-side.Called the Pseudo-Samisch attack, it is similiar to the Samisch set-upagainst the King's Indian Defence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Indian_Defence,_S%C3%A4misch_Variation } 4... a6 { But he deviates from the usual. At the time I thought this move rathera waste of time, and was surprised to find out afterwards that this isin fact the most commonly played move on a couple of the opening databaseI use. } 5. Bd3 { I played this, as on c4 the bishop will be hit with tempowith b7-b5. I discovered later that this is rather unusual, and 5. Qd2immediately was more popular. } 5... Nd7 { Black at last develops a knight! } 6. Qd2 { And I continue with my plan. } 6... h6 { This move very much surprised me,and at the time I considered it to be a weak move, as for instance, 7.0-0-0 Nf6 8. f3 and he can't castle immediately due to his h pawn beingunder attack. 6....b5 is the most common move, and scores well for black. } 7. O-O-O { I continue with my plan. } 7... b5 { and he immediately strikes on thequeen-side. } 8. f4 { I swtich from my idea of playing f3. I was thinkingthat he has made loads of pawn moves, and not developed his pieces verywell, not prepared to castle, so I need to be thinking in terms of preparingto open up the centre and get at his king, maybe play e4-e5 at some stage. } 8... c5 { Yet another pawn move! He needs to develop with Ng-f6. } 9. dxc5 { Itake. Now 9....Nxc5 is met with 10. Bxc5 dxc5 11. Bxb5+ and wins. } 9... dxc5 { So this is more or less forced. } 10. e5 { And I play the central thrust.Can you see what I am threatening? Stop and find it before reading on. } 10... e6 { Although this was played after 20 minute's thought, he still didn'tseem to see what I am threatening, and he lets me carry out my threat.At the time I was interested in the variation 10...Bb7 11. Nxb5 axb5 12.Bxb5 Bc8 13. Bxc5 Rxa2 and although I have only two pawns for the piece,black seems very tied up. I though 10.....Qa5 was black's best move. Fritzseems to think the best line for both sides is 10....Bb7 11. Be4 Bxe4 12.Nxe4 f5 13. e6 Nf8 14. Qe2 fxe4 15. Rxd8+ Rxd8 with plus 3 for white. } 11. Be4 { So I carry on with my plan } 11... Rb8 { The rook is forced to move. } 12. Bxc5 { And I take the pawn. But as well as winnng a pawn, black nowhas got some very weak dark squares. Again, stop and see what white isthreatening. } 12... Ne7 { Although this drops the exchange, Fritz give this asthe best move. } 13. Ba7 { And although Fritz doesn't give this as the bestmove, it wins the exchange. White has a dream position - materially upand better development. } 13... Qc7 { Rb7 is the best move for black accordingto Fritz, where, according to Fritz white should decline the exchange andplay 14. Bf2. 13....Rb7 is what I expected and I planed to play 14. Bxb7. } 14. Bxb8 { Interestingly, Fritz now agrees with taking the exchange. } 14... Qxb8 { And black recaptures. } 15. Qd6 { I attempt to exchange queens. Fritz preferssimple development with 15. Nf3 with white up 4.24. } 15... Qa7 { Fritz prefers15....Qxd6, although being material down, one can't blame black to notexchanging. } 16. Nf3 { I finally develop the knight. } 16... Qe3+ { He throws inthe check. Find white's best move. } 17. Qd2 { I panic about losing the fpawn. Better is 17. Rd2 and if Qxf4 then 18. Bc6 wins the knight. } 17... Qb6 { He retreats again. } 18. Qd4 { I offer the queen exchange again. } 18... Qa5 { andhe declines, threatening b5-b4. } 19. Nd2 { With the idea of meeting b5-b4with Nb3 or Nc4. } 19... f6 { This seems wrong. Black should take the opportunityto castle. } 20. Qd6 { Attacking e6. } 20... Kf7 { Protecting e6. } 21. Rhf1 { Developingmy last piece and enabling 21....fxe5 with fxe5+ } 21... Nf5 { Attacking my queen. } 22. Bxf5 { So I take. } 22... gxf5 { He takes back. OK find white's best move. } 23. Nd5 { Did you find it? Of course, if exd5 then e5-e6+ wins at leasta piece back. Fritz gives the best defence as 23....Ne5 24. fxe5 exd5 25.Qxd5+ with plus 5.14 to white. } 23... Bf8 { He counter attacks my queen. At thetime I thought, wrongly, that this was the best move. } 24. Qc6 { Virtuallythe only move! I am now attacking Bc8 so.... } 24... Bg7 { Fritz prefers Qd8 butit is pretty hopeless. } 25. Nb3 { Fritz likes this move, hoping to drawthe queen out of play with 25.....Qxa2?? 26. Nc3 and his queen has runout of squares. } 25... Nb8 { He tries to counter-attack my queen. Fritz givesthis as the best move, although black is now down 6.88 according to thesilicon monster, so it is becoming increasingly academic. } 26. Qc5 { I renewthreats to come in at e7. } 26... Qd8 { So his queen runs back. } 27. exf6 { Fritzprefers 27. Qa7+ but this is good enough. } 27... Bxf6 { He takes. } 28. Nxf6 { Itake back, discovering an attack on his queen. } 28... Qxf6 { He takes back. } 29. Qc7+ { I throw in a check. Black is parting with more material, so he resigned.Many thanks for reading, please leave a comment or two and rate it on thestar system to let me know how I am doing! Until next time dear reader! } 1-0

[Event "Breaching the wall..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.03.21"] [Round "-"] [White "lake-bay"] [Black "amg74scr"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1252"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1449"] { Don't evaluate me by this game. You should see me on my bad days... } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 { ? This is one of those useless move that wastesa vital tempo. Don't play them unless they are needed to stop a full scaleattack. } 4. d4 { Since he neglected to develop, I grab the center. } 4... f6 { ? } 5. dxe5 { Hoping for ...fxe5?, Nxe5! Nxe5??, Qh5+!! winning. } 5... d6 { ? Thisdoes nothing. Better Bc5. } 6. Qd5 { I go on the offensive... } 6... Qe7 7. Bf4 Nxe5 8. Bxe5 dxe5 9. Bb5+ { I switch my attack from f7 to the queen wing. } 9... Bd7 { ? Qd7 was much better. } 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Qxb7 { I breach the wall. } 11... Rd8 12. O-O { The threat of mate was kind of annoying. } 12... Bd6 { A passive move... } 13. Qxa7 Ne7 14. Nc3 Qc6 15. Nh4 { I threaten to breach another wall... } 15... O-O 16. Rad1 g5 17. Nf5 Bc5 { I started looking for a way to remove thebishop without moving blacks queen. I have a potential fork on e7. } 18. Qa5 Nxf5 { He exchanges... } 19. exf5 Bb6 20. Qa3 { I aim at the weak e7 square... } 20... Bc5 21. Qb3+ Kg7 22. Ne2 Bb6 23. Ng3 Kh7 { ? Wrong way to fend off the knight.This allows... } 24. Rxd8 { !! My queen penetrates! } 24... Rxd8 25. Qf7+ Kh8 26. Nh5 { I threaten mate... } 26... Rg8 27. Nxf6 { This wins the black queen! } 27... Rg7 28. Qf8+ { He saw mate was inevitable and resigned. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from tyrin"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "01-Mar-08"] [Round "-"] [White "zugzwangert"] [Black "tyrin"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1887"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1732"] 1. e4 { I have not computer with me so may be I have some bad analyses here. } 1... c6 { Karo - Kann again of course :) } 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 { Very sharp for my standarts } 5... Bg6 6. h4 { I am not so sure about this moveand it's purpose. My idea is that black can with 6...h5 to achieve a goodposition (which i did not do :)) For me most common is 6.Ne2 } 6... h6 { Ofcourse here is better 6...h5 and of course i should play this move earlierthan 11th move } 7. Bd3 { It should be 7.h5 Bh7 8.Bd3 } 7... Bxd3 8. Qxd3 { I seehere that you did not make c:d again :) } 8... Nd7 9. f4 Bb4 { I think here imade a mistake with time. I should first develop the knight and play h5and after it to place my bishop on e7 square. And c5 would be a good ideatoo } 10. Ne2 { Here and the moves after i would play a3 with using of thislosing time move made by black and after a3 Ba5, h5 to prevent the similarmove from the black } 10... Ne7 11. Bd2 h5 12. g5 { I believe here is better first12.a3 with putting the bishop out of the king side field. But i would notplay after it 13.b4, because for me it would be a weak move. it would weakenthe c4 square with already bad e4 one } 12... Nf5 { This move was not necessaryactually i was afraid from a3 } 13. Ng3 Nxg3 14. Qxg3 g6 15. Ne4 { A goodmove which leads to draw } 15... Be7 16. Nf6+ Nxf6 17. gxf6 Bf8 18. Qb3 { Herei think that the black stands better but not much. I evaluate this becauseall the white pawns are on black squares and this is the reason i wentto exchanges } 18... Qb6 19. Qxb6 axb6 20. Ke2 Bh6 21. a4 Kd7 22. b4 Rhc8 { Hereis better Ra7 } 23. Be3 Bf8 24. Rhb1 Ra7 25. a5 Rca8 26. Kd3 Bxb4 { 26...B:b4??it seems i did a huge mystake here. I evalueted everything like a draw,but as it happened i was wrong. My idea here was to put you in presureand without any chanses for losing to search and wait for your mystake. } 27. Rxb4 bxa5 28. Rb6 { 28.Rb6!! this move shows me that i made a mistake.Now the b-pawn could not be moved to the safe b5 square. } 28... Kc7 29. Rab1 Rb8 { 29.a4 is better } 30. Bc1 a4 31. Ba3 Kc8 32. Kc3 Rba8 33. R1b4 Kc7 34. Kb2 Rb8 35. Ka2 Rg8 36. Rb1 Rga8 37. Bd6+ Kc8 38. Ka3 Rb8 { It is interestinghere that position like this one, but with pawn on b5, not on b7, blackcan hold the draw even without a rook :) } 39. Rxc6+ { Congratulations tothe winner, now i am going to have an remark :) } 1-0