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[Event "England Team tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "charleshiggie"] [Black "lambretta"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "999"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1936"] 1. e4 { This is a rather one-sided affair, but there is a nice finish! } 1... e5 { Out for blood, I opened e4 } 2. Nf3 d6 { perfectly playable, but Nc6is more common } 3. d4 exd4 { Giving up the centre is not recommended, butplayable } 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 { I thought he may play g6 here(or a move or two earlier) to transpose into a modern defence. } 6... Qe7 { Be7is better } 7. O-O { Of course he can't take on e4 because of Re1 } 7... Bg4 { Thisloses time } 8. f3 Bd7 9. Nd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 Ne5 11. Re1 { he is now losinga piece } 11... Qh4 12. f4 O-O-O 13. fxe5 Bg4 { But he has a bit of an attack forthe material lose } 14. Be2 h5 { Interesting! I was expecting him to exchangebishops, but this is probably stronger } 15. h3 Bxh3 { Bravo! I wasn't expectingthis, but it is clearly black's best hope } 16. gxh3 Qg3+ { Again, we played,much better to force the win of the h pawn with this check, rather thantake the h pawn immediately } 17. Kf1 Qxh3+ 18. Kf2 dxe5 { I was slightlyworried here. My king is exposed and he seems to have 4 connected passedpawns for two pieces. I could even be losing, if I gave him time to mobilisethem } 19. Rh1 Qd7 20. Nb5 Be7 21. Nxa7+ { One pawn back! } 21... Kb8 22. Be3 g5 23. Rxh5 { another pawn drops! } 23... Rhg8 24. c4 Qf5+ 25. Kg1 Rh8 { He is clearlylosing now, but I didn't expect the game to end so soon..... } 26. Bg4 Qe4 { OK, white to play and win!!! } 27. Nc6+ { A nice sac to round the game off.It is soon mate now, whatever black plays. } 27... bxc6 28. Qb3+ Ka8 29. Qa4+ Kb8 30. Qa7# 1-0

[Event "GameKnot Blitz, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.17"] [Round "-"] [White "coolistdude"] [Black "theofile"] [Result "1-0"] { Sometimes in a game you just feel the correct move to do. This is oneof those cases where I could not see the complete line of moves to do butI could feel the correct move to do in the situation. I'm recording thisgame due to an attack in the game that would have been smaller if not for'feeling the correct move.' Light annotations until the position. } 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Nf3 h6 { Avoiding Ng5. Not the most aggressive move. } 4. d4 d6 5. O-O Nf6 6. Nc3 { Pretty normal looking game so far. White has thelead in development. } 6... Be7 7. d5 Nd4 { ? loses a pawn. } 8. Nxd4 exd4 9. Qxd4 { White has a pawn to the good and seems to be ahead in development. } 9... O-O 10. Qd3 { Not sure why I did this move. It just felt right. } 10... a6 11. a4 c6 { Attempting to weaken the center for white. } 12. f4 cxd5 { Attempting todevelop to gain some initiative. } 13. Nxd5 Nh7 14. f5 Bf6 { I am eyeingblack's kingside as it may become cut off from the center if I can landmy pawn on f6 or cause other mayhem. } 15. Rb1 { ?! Wasn't sure what todo. This seemed like a non-stupid move to do. } 15... Bd7 16. Qg3 b5 17. axb5 Bxb5 { Forcing the trade of the bishops. } 18. Bxb5 axb5 19. Bxh6 { !? Winsa pawn. } 19... Re8 20. Rf4 { This is where things become interesting. } 20... Bg5 { Forcingthe trade of bishops. } 21. Bxg5 Qxg5 22. Rg4 Qh6 23. Rf1 { Need the rookto push f6. } 23... Nf6 { ? Not a good choice. Seems smart but leaves black openfor an attack. } 24. Rxg7+ { ! Now black is in trouble. } 24... Qxg7 { This may nothave been the best choice to refute the attack. } 25. Nxf6+ Kf8 26. Nd7+ Kg8 27. Nf6+ { ?! I wasn't sure what to do and needed a moment to think.So I repeated the moves to see if any other moves were possible. } 27... Kf8 28. Qxd6+ { ! This seems to be the correct line. } 28... Re7 { Forced. } 29. Nd7+ Ke8 30. f6 { Black is done. 30. ... Rxd7 31. Qe5+ Kf8 32. fxg7+ Kg8. Also. 30.... Rxd7 31. fxg7 Rxd6 32. g8=Q+ Ke7 33. Qxh8 is also winning. } 30... Qxf6 31. Nxf6+ Kf8 32. Nh7+ Kg7 33. Qxe7 Ra1 { Suicidal move. } 34. Qxf7+ { Blackproceeded to use the next 7 minutes of his time to timeout in true blitzfashion. } 1-0

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.27"] [Round "-"] [White "fr1ar"] [Black "harrypret"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1463"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1373"] 1. e4 { e4 opening } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 { 3 Knights Game. I have been playingthis quite a bit lately but i think I am ready to try more aggressive openings.Although I do like how center is covered and the bishops haven't been committedyet. } 3... Bc5 4. Bc4 { Here I could have played 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.e4 } 4... h6 5. O-O Nge7 6. d3 a6 7. a3 { I played 7.a3 to lead up to 8.d4 but I don't likethe way 8.d4 separates the pawns. I think 7.Be3 would have been better. } 7... O-O 8. b4 Ba7 9. Nd5 { I have a big space advantage right now, but can Ihold it? } 9... d6 10. c3 { am I entombing my pieces or supporting them? } 10... Kh8 11. Be3 f5 12. Bxa7 { bad move! black bishop sitting on a7 limited wherehis N could move to. Now black can move his N without wasting a move andopen up c6 so I can be driven back. } 12... Nxa7 13. Ng5 { brain freeze } 13... Nxd5 14. Bxd5 { I think 14.Nf7+ Rxf7 15.Bxd5 would have been better } 14... Qxg5 { againI helped him develop } 15. Qf3 { I wonder if 15.exf5 Rxf5 16. f3 would havebeen better? } 15... f4 16. g3 { I don't like this move but I'm not sure what elsewould have been better. Maybe Rfd1? } 16... Bh3 17. Bxb7 { I should have playedRfd1 here } 17... fxg3 18. Qxg3 Qxg3+ 19. hxg3 Rab8 20. Bxa6 Bxf1 21. Rxf1 Rf3 22. a4 { I should have played Kg2 or d4 } 22... g5 23. g4 { and again Kg2 } 23... Rbf8 24. Kg2 h5 25. Rh1 { if I had played d4 I would have the help of my bishopright now. I don't know what the best move is here, definitly not Rh1 butmaybe gxh5 } 25... Rxf2+ 26. Kg1 h4 27. d4 Nc6 28. d5 { ???? } 28... Ne7 29. Bd3 Ra2 30. a5 Rff2 31. b5 Rfd2 32. b6 Ra1+ 33. Bf1 Rdd1 34. Kf2 Ng6 35. c4 { why didn'tI move bxc7? } 35... cxb6 36. axb6 Rdb1 37. Bg2 { I didn't think throught thisone } 37... Rxh1 38. Bxh1 Rxh1 39. b7 Rb1 40. c5 dxc5 41. d6 Rxb7 42. Ke2 Rd7 { and I resigned } 0-1

[Event "(a smothred mate) just 13 moves!!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "16-Aug-06"] [Round "-"] [White "craig_osborne"] [Black "fenderbender2470"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1801"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 10d max"] [WhiteElo "1776"] 1. e4 { this was my second game against a well rated player, at the timehe was 1801. i show an example of a good looking smothered mate. he wasevidentlly a bit upset that he fell for an obvious move. this however doeshold some merit and has a good look to it so it would be good to analyse.itook the white pieces. e4 the move i will almost always open with } 1... c6 { my opponent had already played me and lost so i think in playing the caro-kahnhe was trying to throw me off gaurd in thinking perhaps i would not knowit. } 2. d4 { this is in standards of the opening book. when black followswith d5 white will keep a good center with a pawn advance to e5 } 2... d5 3. e5 Bf5 { this is another book move with a bishop attaking a later weak pawn.once white has developed this move may be a cause for concern. } 4. Nf3 { white is in no immediate threat so a continuation of development is thebest choice here.solidifying the center } 4... e6 { this is still a book move.black tries to compensate the center } 5. Be2 { this move primarily isdone for me to castle.blacks bishop is poised at the moment so i want togo kingside out of harms way } 5... Nd7 { the idea here is to advance a pawn toposition his knight in the center after the exchange } 6. O-O { logical.also i was wanting to see what black had in mind } 6... c5 { i saw this move withoutany worry } 7. Nc3 { thexchange looked good for black, this way i would havea better game if black takes the pawn } 7... c4 { looks powerfull for black butall his play is on the queenside } 8. Be3 { development } 8... a6 { stoping my knightmoving to b5, i feel this is too pasive and so i begin my attack } 9. Qd2 { this move is the first in my attacking idea, somtimes you have to makea passive move to attack } 9... Ne7 { now this is a mistake which i will takeadvantage of, better perhaps would have been bishop to b4 } 10. Nh4 { manyplayers would think this was illogical but it is ok for white. an attackon the kingside is forming } 10... Rc8 { trying to free some space by using a rooklift but all is too late at this point also cramping his king. note thereare no escape squares for the king } 11. Bg5 { now the knight cannot movei am setting up the mating move } 11... h6 { black fails to see what i have planned } 12. Nxf5 { this seems a great move black will have a hard time even if hechooses to take the knight. from here there are only a few moves that willavoid the checkmate } 12... hxg5 { this is not one of them. black gets too greedy. } 13. Nd6# { white doesnt mind giving up his dark bishop. a very nice smotheredmate. just 13 moves against such a higly rated player. hope you have enjoyed } 1-0

[Event "French Defense by Pilou"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.24"] [Round "-"] [White "concordborn"] [Black "peppedone"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1780"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1807"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 { The game was part of a thematic tournment on the French } 3. Nd2 { White chooses Tarrasch variation } 3... Nf6 4. Bd3 c5 5. e5 Nfd7 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4 { Quite typical French setup. By the way, I've juststarted playing the French. } 8... f6 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. O-O Bd6 11. Nf3 O-O 12. Bf4 Bxf4 13. Nxf4 { I hate when they trade my good Bishop. Now I remainwith the typical French problem of developing the light-squared Bishop. } 13... Ng4 { Attacking the knight and supporting a future ...e5 } 14. Qd2 Qd6 15. g3 Bd7 { GK GameDB suggests 15 .. e5 , but after 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5Nxe5 etc. I've got an isolated pawn and no piece attack, so I prefer towait and try to 'develop' the Bishop in another way. } 16. Rfe1 Rf6 { Doublingthe rooks and defending the weakling in e6. } 17. Rad1 Raf8 18. h3 { I don'tknow. This weakens White castling. I suppose the best plan for White isto go after e6. But I like my position right now, White has something toworry about. } 18... e5 { Looking for complications. } 19. dxe5 { I was worried about 19. hxg4 exf4 20. g5 and Black rook has to retreat, then maybe g6 andWhite has the initiative. } 19... Ngxe5 20. Nxe5 Nxe5 { So far, so good. I managedto perform e5 freeing the Bishop. } 21. Be2 { Nf3 with King and Queen forkwas threatened. } 21... Bc6 { What else? There was the threat Qxd5+ forcing Queenexchange, and I'm down a pawn. } 22. Nxd5 { ? This is bad. There's no needto rush after d5, which is a long term weakness. Strangely enough, I focusedmainly on this move too. Something more cautious was needed, maybe Rf1or even f3. Then for Black an exchange sac in f4 came into consideration(deeper analysis needed). } 22... Rxf2 23. Nf4 { I can't find anything good enoughfor White now. Qe3 drops a piece: 23. Qe3 Bxd5 24. Qxf2 Rxf2 25. Kxf2Qf6+ -+ On Kh1 Nf3 threatening Rh2# wins the queen. Other moves are repliedto as in the game. } 23... Nf3+ 0-1

[Event "ICC, Internet Chess Club"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.02.27"] [Round "-"] [White "loopy"] [Black "mrtoduvet"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1400"] [WhiteElo "1459"] 1. e4 d5 { This is going well, I haven't worked on my openings against 1.e4 (in fact I haven't done anything in openings whatever white's move). I hope the player won't attack me with a gambit blackmar-diemer. } 2. e5 c5 { Therefore, this is the end of my theory. I played 2.c5 because it reminded me of a part of the book Starting Out Modern by N. Davies. Moreover, I believe that Kronx played 2.c5 (if a +1950 elo FIDE player plays it, he must do so). } 3. Nf3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 { I am not lost after all and I love my position. As you can see, the modern is a very suitable opening which has given birth to many other openings. } 5. Qxd4 Nc6 6. Qd1 Bc5 7. Bb5 Qa5+ { This is the turning point of the game (at least the first one). However, I have misread the line and I will lose a pawn. It is urgent that I work hard to visualize this skill. } 8. Nc3 d4 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Bd2 { The big pawn that the whites don't play (it was the line that I had poorly visualized and thus expected to lose a pawn). } 10... dxc3 11. Bxc3 Qb6 12. O-O Ba6 { I think the game is about to start moving for the whites. } 13. b4 { I hope this time I have not made a mistake. Fb4 is not locked in fact thanks to Fe2, if the queen takes Fe2 I win the game. } 13... Bxb4 14. Bxb4 Bxf1 15. Rb1 Bb5 { j'avais vu aussicet alle retour } 16. Bd6 Rd8 17. a4 Be2 18. Qc1 Qa6 19. Qe3 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Ne7 21. Qg3 Nf5 22. Qg5 Qxa4 23. g4 h6 24. Qh5 Nxd6 25. exd6 Rxd6 26. Rb8+ Rd8 27. Rb7 Rd1+ 28. Kg2 Qe4+ 29. Kh3 Qf3+ 30. Kh4 g5+ 31. Qxg5 hxg5+ 32. Kxg5 Rg8+ 33. Kh6 Qh3# { [Game 608 (loopy vs. mrtoduvet) loopy checkmated } 0-1

[Event "Trapping the master ! (With scandinavian)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.11.28"] [Round "-"] [White "pawnlever"] [Black "31415"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1346"] [TimeControl "blitz"] [WhiteElo "1882"] 1. e4 { great 1882 elo's accept to play with poor 1346 ... it's an honorfor me, i will do my best to not be boring } 1... d5 { let's some agressive game,this is the most good chance we have in blitz playing aginst good players,there not too much time to analyze... } 2. exd5 { scnadinavian gambit accepted,follow Kf6 ...e6 variation } 2... Nf6 3. Nc3 { normaly peaople play c4 so thiswill be something new and interesting } 3... e6 { main line } 4. Bc4 { so i canotrecover my pawn for the moment, i will anoid the knight c3 protection anddevelop my DSB } 4... Bb4 5. Qf3 { ho, i dont like this dangeours queen, aftera few exchanges, it can make an irreversible threat. I have to be carefulland correctly calculate. First i exchange bishop with knight to anoid pressureon center } 5... Bxc3 6. dxc3 { ouf, feeling better... } 6... O-O { then secure the kingand preparing treath with rook on e colon, white is missing castle } 7. Bg5 { dangerous but i have a plan : for the moment i cant use the f knightto take back d5, but after exd5, i can move the queen in e8 + and thenafter i take back the white bishop...but i will have a better opportunity... } 7... exd5 { i suppose that Bc4 x d5 .... } 8. O-O-O { but no ! surprise !this treath on d colon is god, but it's a blunder however because of Bc8g4! } 8... Bg4 { then my great challenger resign and disconnect ... the game wasnot lost anyway } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.19"] [Round "-"] [White "kendal1a"] [Black "elipsky"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1351"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1277"] 1. e4 { Our ratings were even at the start of this game. I enjoyed it } 1... c5 { Not my usual play, but quite common obviously } 2. Bc4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bb5+ Nd7 5. exd5 exd5 6. O-O Bd6 7. Re1+ Ne7 { I feel cramped } 8. c4 Qb6 { Expanding my reach and indirectly defending d5 } 9. Nc3 d4 10. Nd5 Qa5 11. d3 Qd8 12. g3 O-O 13. Bd2 Nxd5 { Finally ridding myself of that loomingknight } 14. cxd5 Nf6 15. Bg5 Bh3 { Keeping that king in the corner and theknight vulnerable } 16. Kh1 Be7 17. Bc4 h6 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Rg1 { I dontunderstand this move giving up the e column and containing the king } 19... Qb6 { Threatening b2 and bringing out rook on a8 } 20. Qe2 Rae8 21. Qd2 Qb4 { lookingto trap white bishop eventually with b5 } 22. Qc2 a5 23. a3 Qb6 { I couldnot manage to do it } 24. g4 { threatening Rb3 (winning bishop) } 24... h5 { givingup the pawn to prevent it } 25. g5 { ? } 25... Be5 26. Nxe5 Rxe5 27. f4 Re3 { I wasconsidering Re6 instead ...dxe6... Qc6+ but he had too many pieces guardingg2. I thought of moving Re3 and then moving a pawn up in an attempt toinduce Qxa6 which would remove one of the pieces guarding g2 but then Irealized that would put his queen in a position take my queen on c6 shouldI play Qc6 (in fact this capture would be virtually required). } 28. Qf2 Rfe8 29. Rab1 f6 { This was an error. Not because it allows for the revealedcheck (this actually helped me) but because I didnt see that the g pawnwould be pinned after gxf6 which I think is the correct move for white. } 30. d6+ Kf8 { My earlier plan now falls into place with a mate in thepicture. I figured he would now play gxf6 or g6 but... } 31. d7 Qc6+ { Ifigure I have the game now and I set conditional moves to mate W: Rg2 Me:bxg2 W: Qxg2 Me: Re1+ W: Rxe1 Me: Rxe1# } 32. Rg2 Bxg2+ 33. Qxg2 Re1+ { Whiteresigned here and sent me a message saying that he couldn't deal with the'discourteous' conditional moves. I tried to send him a message politelyasking why conditional moves were rude but found that he had ignored me.If anyone has an explanation of this view of conditional moves I wouldlike to hear it. Thanks } 0-1

[Event "London vs. Dutch, lost in the endgame"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "bravura"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1658"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1661"] 1. d4 { Another two interesting tactical situation, one in the middle gameand another in a pretty uncommon ending, that I handled very, very badly. } 1... f5 { A good but not very frequently seen answer. I like it, since it makesmore difficult my favorite London attack. } 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. Nf3 g6 4. e3 { Ican advance inmediately this pawn because if Nh5, Be5. If Bg7, I exchangebishops and the game can go on. If Ng7, my bishop will be pushed away eventuallywith d6, but black development will also resent. Interesting but I thinkit is playable. If Rg8, I made him loose the castilng rights for the kingside. } 4... Bg7 5. h4 { Attacking inmediately. I've seen this move on DB and it isin the spirit of the London system. Probably is a bad one, tough... :-) } 5... d6 6. Be2 { Aiming to sacrifice the h pawn in order to disrupt black pawnchain, or at least to open the h column. Better would have been Bc4, Irealized later. But, in black's shoes, I would have played d5. He losesa tempo, but I will, also, so it is playable. I thought my Bc4 plan willgo nowhere unless I have much more attacking power. } 6... Nbd7 { Aiming to fiachettothe lsb on b7. } 7. Ng5 { It looked interesting. Now I regretted not tohave placed my bishop in c4, but I am also opening the white diagonal,aiming to h5. } 7... e5 { ...or he can lose his queen... :-) } 8. Ne6 { If I don'tplay this one, and retire the bishop, I lose the initiative. } 8... Qe7 { I thoughta lot about Nxc7 , Kd8, but after this... what? If NxRa8, e5xBf4 is dangerousfor me, and I am not sure I can hold the knight without major problemsagainst my king. Maybe o-o is enough to hold the position, but who wantsa king's castling with the pawn in h5? And, after f4xe3... I was very doubiousabout white's position. So I preferred the 'clean'... } 9. Nxg7+ Qxg7 { Thestrong bishop is gone. Now, the other can go to b7, and I have to makeroom for my own dsb. } 10. Bg3 O-O { Incredible... wasn't it better to tryto castle queenside in few moves, instead? b6 was the move! } 11. h5 { Ok,I'm risking something, but black's challenge should be met! } 11... g5 12. h6 Qe7 { It seems an useless pawn on h6, but it is not, as you will see...At this point, it was tempting Bh5, but... he wouldn't be so naive as toplay NxB, so... } 13. f3 { Making room for my dsb, etc. } 13... Nd5 { It looks asa strong move, but... } 14. Bc4 Nb6 15. Bb3 { Aha, now, what? I am threatheninge4, winning a piece. } 15... Kh8 16. Qd2 { Time to defend. Maybe Bf2 would havebe better, but I keep underdeveloped. I am planning to castle queenside,and either c4 or Nc3. } 16... f4 { I think he should have taken care of his developement,with Be6. But he was looking for 'something' about the e column and myking... and maybe he has. But... } 17. Bf2 { NOw I have to give back thedsb for a knight, but it's ok. } 17... Nf6 { Why this retirement? It 'saves' mefrom defending. After f4xe3, Bxe3, Nf4 would have put me in troubles. nowhe can play Bf5, placing it in a very good square... } 18. e4 { Ahhhh...I am not attacking anymore, but my king is protected. Now, can I take advantageof the h column in some way? } 18... g4 19. Bh4 { Almost forced, since otherwisemy bishop would be released to the sad g1 square! But it is very strong,there! } 19... Qe8 20. Nc3 { Now, if g4xf3, I take back the pawn and then, witho-o-o and the open g column, is good for me... all because he didn't playthe c8 bishop before! } 20... Bd7 { At last! But now it's my turn... } 21. O-O-O g3 { Now, I need to 'justify' my h6 pawn, but I cannot without having roomon the h column... note that my own bishop is on the only safe square...if I play it to g5, I would not be able to defend it, so... } 22. Bxf6+ { I found a way to have pieces on the h column, making my rook penetrate.Unfortunately, this means to exchange a bishop for a knight, but it givesme the h5 square for my rook. And I calculated I could defend my h6 pawn. } 22... Rxf6 23. Rh4 Qf8 { As foreseen, leaving h5 to my rook. } 24. Rdh1 a5 { Interesting,but not enough. } 25. a4 { Maybe I should have played d4xe5 inmediately,and then rook on h5. If a4, Ba2 and hold tight. Anyway... I choosed tobe prudent... } 25... Qe8 26. Rh5 { Setting a major future threath but lettinghim take the a4 pawn... I love to risk. Note that I am winning the d5 squaretoo. } 26... Nxa4 27. dxe5 dxe5 { I was aware I was opening for him the d column,but the queen should go to c3, after the knight exchange on a4. But...I saw something, and I took the risk. } 28. Nd5 { First tactical interestingsituation. It seems a mistake, because of Rd6. But, after Nxc7, RxQ, NxQ,BxN, Rg4! threatening mate in g8! He must move the bishop, and NxR, winninga quality. After Kxb2, Kc3 and the only way not to lose the knight is a4.NxN, a4xBb3, Nxb3 and he must defend the e4 pawn. If this is a winningposition for me, is to be decided, but I think yes. Of course, this isnot the only line here... } 28... Rd6 { Anyway, I must think about the other possiblemoves after Nxc7, like Qe7. I was not satisfied with Bd5, or Nd5, so Ithought that it was better to let c3 free for my queen. } 29. Bxa4 Bxa4 30. Qc3 Rc6 31. Rxe5 { Second minor interesting tactical position. I recovermy pawn, and it looks not a bad idea to have a free passed pawn in thecenter. But the black a pawn will prove to be very strong, too. } 31... Rxc3 32. Rxe8+ Bxe8 { The good part of this position is that the black's lsb hasvery few things to do here. Unfortunately, I have to take the rook backwith my knight, which allows... } 33. Nxc3 c6 { Now is my knight that ismisplaced. But he will lose a second pawn anyway, f4 is definitely dead.I didn't play Ne2 because I was 'smelling' something bad with the blackpawn's majority on the queenside, but I wasn't able to calculate such alarge number of variations. And I wanted to activate my rook. Anyway,a more deep look shows that the white position is not as good as it looks.I was unable to see it, and I got in serious troubles. } 34. Rh4 b5 { Aha.It looks darker and darker on the queenside. Anyway, my h6 pawn is startingto play right here. } 35. Rxf4 { threatening a very uncommon mate. } 35... Bd7 36. Rf7 { Probably Rf6 is better, preventing the bishop to run to the good diagonala2-g8. I wanted to access with my rook the darker pawns... } 36... Be6 37. Re7 { Again, Rc7 would have been better. } 37... Bg8 38. Rc7 Ra6 { I planned to playRc8 here, pinning the bishop, but I didn't see that with c5 he would havetaken my h6 pawn... with a mate threat if I move my knight. And with b5he makes me move it very easily... } 39. Rg7 { Now, to take g3 is not thegreat idea here, but to block black's rook after it takes the h6 pawn. } 39... a4 { Another VERY interesting tactical position. If I play Rxg3, b4,Nb1?, a3! and I am lost! Do you see it? If I play Nb1 at once, b4, andthen I cannot avoid to lose the knight for the a3 pawn, to say the less. If Rxg3, b4, Ne2 is slightly better, since I have room for my King togo to b1-a1 to stop the a pawn. But who wants to play with a pinned king?(Rxg3, b4, Ne2, a3, b2xa3, b4xa3, Kb1, a2, Ka1... ok, I can probably cameout of this one, but it looks weird). Ok, so look to Kb1. It looks good,since it gives the king a precious time to stop the a pawn. But: Kb1,c5!, now if I go Rxg3, Rxh6... threatening mate in 1! After Rh3, I canstop it, but does it look good? Ok, so let's take a look against the otherblack's attack line: Kb1, b4. Na2, and then apparently everything is undercontrol, except that black can play c5, I lose h6 AND I have a delicatesituation for the control of the 1 line and the weak g2 pawn. Interestingfor a greater mind than mine... :-D } 40. Rb7 { An ugly move, but necessary.I won the fool's medals for my way to move the rook in the last moves. } 40... Ra8 { In order to avoid any mate threat, then making the bishop free. The alternative was c5, Rxb5, Rxh6, Rxc5, but probably black had moremoves to play. For instance, Bc4 threats Bf1, winning the g2 pawn... Later,I realized he could play Bh3!, scarifiying the bishop to crown his g3 pawn!I completely missed the point, and that proves I completely misunderstoodthe position. Good lesson for me! } 41. Rb6 Rc8 42. Nb1 Be6 43. Kd1 Bh3 { 'I retired the knight to b1 in order to answer Nd2 to Bc4. I didn't seethis brilliant sacrifice. If I go direcly for the g3 pawn, with Nd2, youwill play c5, and I cannot take because of Bc4, winning a piece. Very nice.' } 44. Ke1 Bxg2 45. Nd2 Bh3 46. Rb7 Rg8 47. Rg7 Rxg7 48. hxg7+ Kxg7 49. f4 h5 50. Nf3 Bg2 0-1

[Event "ROOK & Queen attack"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.02.12"] [Round "-"] [White "yakko2"] [Black "ms82"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1552"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1430"] 1. d4 { One of my best play though i have made some few mistakes. } 1... Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4 4. f3 exf3 5. Qxf3 { My opponent starts to develop allhis pieces very quickly. } 5... h6 6. Nh3 Qxd4 7. Be3 Qb4 8. O-O-O c6 9. Rd4 Qa5 10. Bd2 Bg4 11. Rxg4 Nxg4 { Exchange two pieces for one rook... It mustbe.. } 12. Qxg4 Nd7 13. Qf4 e5 14. Qh4 f6 15. Qh5+ Ke7 16. Bc4 Kd8 17. Qf7 Qc7 18. Rd1 Nc5 19. Be3+ Bd6 { My best move here... } 20. Qg6 b6 21. Bf7 Rf8 22. Bxc5 bxc5 23. Be6 Qe7 24. Bc4 Kc7 25. Ne4 Rad8 26. a3 Rd7 27. c3 Rfd8 { Lining up the battery for strong attack. } 28. b4 cxb4 29. axb4 Bxb4 { Here i have started my attack. I have waited a long for this moment. Seemy opponents KING, he is exposed completely without any support. } 30. Rxd7+ Rxd7 31. cxb4 Qxb4 32. Be6 { I have expected this move. } 32... Qe1+ 33. Kc2 Qe2+ { From this move, i have applied the conditional moves followed by CHECKSin every moves. } 34. Kc3 Rd3+ 35. Kb4 Qb2+ 36. Kc4 Rd4+ 37. Kc5 Qb4# { CHECKMATE. } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-Jul-07"] [Round "-"] [White "danpc"] [Black "gazdvez"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1651"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1560"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 e6 4. Bg2 d5 { I try to play active with black- because I much higher then my opponent. } 5. cxd5 exd5 6. d4 cxd4 { I developthe knight with tempo. } 7. Qxd4 Nc6 8. Qd1 d4 { maybe the only way to defendmy pawn. After Be6 Bg5 makes problems. } 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12. Qxd2 Qe7 13. Bxc6+ { I have oversee this. Instead Qe7 a Be6 couldbe good enough. } 13... bxc6 { my pieces are active, I loose a pawn, but then Icastle and all my pieces can attack - anyway, white can be better afterQxd4 0-0 Nf3 } 14. Qxd4 O-O 15. Nf3 Rd8 16. Qc4 Bh3 { to prevent 0-0, soI get a quality - I give a bishop for the rook stay out of game... That'sgood for my pawn. If Qxc6 now, I play Qb4 if Nd2, Qxd2#, if Qc3 afterQxc3 bxc3 and Rd8, then Rg1 is a must for white and after Bg4 the kingmust go to f1 and black's position is good enough. } 17. Qh4 Qd7 { Rg1 Bg4and after the exchange Qd2 with winning the b2 and the a2 pawn, becausehe cannot defend the rook on a1. } 18. e3 { Rg1!!! } 18... Bg2 19. Ke2 Qd3+ { itis over... } 20. Ke1 { Bxf3 and the mate on e2 is unstoppable. } 0-1

[Event "Calculation: Tactics"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Opponent"] [Black "Me"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "2096"] [WhiteElo "2103"] { This was a training game played OTB. Although not competitive, the tacticsshow that when one uses the correct method of calculation, you can standa chance tactically against the stronger opponents. The ratings are officialones, not Gameknot. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bd3 Qc7 { Both white and black are performing their 3 openinggoals in these moves and the next, so everything is going fine. Black playsto prevent white's e5 thrust, which would disrupt black's game. } 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nxc6 { The correct idea when 2 pieces are in contact is to not take,but to keep up the pressure. This move releases the tension, and givesblack a solid game. However, it does not waste time. } 9... dxc6 10. Kh1 { White'sidea is to go with f4 and e5 and advance on the kingside.However, thismove should not be played, because it does not develop the queen or helpwith the opening goals in a position that could become open. To be mostactive, the white bishop can go to g5 and the rooks can be developed tothe open files. Black suffers no problems here, because he will be ableto play e5 and develop nicely as well. } 10... e5 { Now the bishop is opened. Castlingcan be delayed for one move. } 11. f4 { This move tries to take advantageof the white's slight edge in development. It is failing however, becauseit allows black to take the initiative, and develop with tempo. Beforeconducting an attack, the best preparation is always necessary. Developinganother piece would be the best move. } 11... Bg4 12. Qe1 Qd7 13. Qg3 { (?)Nowthis is a concrete tactical mistake, but takes some efforts to find why.This move creates tactical motifs that black can exploit. The d3 bishopis hanging by a thread, since the queen has difficulty holding on to it.The f4 pawn is also under attack after ...Nh4 hitting the queen. If youuse the right method of calculation here, I am sure you can find the bestmove and the reason why. Here, I used quite a lot of time, and calculatedthe game right out to the line that happened in the game. } 13... O-O-O 14. fxe5 { The correct challenging continuation for white, as other moves lose theinitiative and black starts getting the advantage. It is not tacticallysound however. } 14... Nh5 { (!)The correct first move in the sequence, whichwins the game by getting a decisive material advantage. Here, by usingthe right method of calculation, you will see that black wins nicely inthe most challenging line, with a nice trick at the end. Try to STOP anddo it now. If you remember especially to calculate the most forcing movesat each variation, the shocker to the opponent will not shock you verymuch. } 15. Qh4 Be7 16. Bg5 { This is absolutely forced. } 16... Bxg5 17. Qxg5 h6 18. e6 { (!)White plays in the most challenging way possible, althoughthis loses far more than other moves would. The winning move comes next.A shocking one, but can be spotted easily once you calculate the most forcingmoves first. As a note, 18.Qh4 g5 wins decisive material as well. In thecurrent position, 18...hxg5 19.exd7+ Rxd7 wins at least the exchange. Thisshould win the game as well, but is not nearly as good as the best move. } 18... Ng3+ { (!!)And the opponent resigned, since the queen is lost, while theblack queen escapes. The opponent here was rated 2100. It proves that youdon't need to be able to visualize 10 moves ahead. The right way of calcualtionwill help you play this way even if your absolute limit is 4 or 5 moves. } *

[Event ""] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White ""] [Black ""] [Result "*"] { Team match, gameboard#7664814 'gameguy8 vs. ferdyrojo' } 1. e4 { Team match,gameboard#7664814 'gameguy8 vs. ferdyrojo' } 1... c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 { White canface the caro-Kann defense via development instead of advancing his KP'e', like this: 1.e4 c6; 2.d4 d5; 3.Nd2 following 3. ... d5xc4; 4.Nxe4Bf5; 5.Ng3 Bg6; 6.Nf3 Nd7; 7.h4 h6; 8.h5 Bh7; 9.Bd3 Bxd3; 10.Qxd3 Qc7;11.Bd2 Ngf6; 12.O-O-O e6; 13.Qe2 O-O-O; 14.Ne5 Nb6; 15.c3 Bd6; 16.f4 (Whitehas a slight advantage). } 3... Bf5 4. Bd3 Bxd3 5. Qxd3 e6 6. a3 Nd7 7. Nf3 Ne7 8. Nc3 { 8.c4 dxc4; 9.Qxc4 Nf5; 10.O-O Nb6; 11.Qd3 Be7; 12.b4 O-O; 13.Nc3Qd7; 14.g4 Nh4; 15.Nxh4 Bxh4; 16.Ne3 Nd5; 17.Nxd5 Qxd5; 18.f3 ( = evenposition); 8.O-O is also a good move, c5; 9.dxc5 Nxc5; 10.Qe2 Nd7 ( =/ Black has a very slight advantage). } 8... c5 9. Ng5 { 9.Ng5?! (this move ofthe Kn aims to no target, so it is aimless. Best is 9.Be3, guarding thecentral QP). } 9... cxd4 10. Qxd4 Nc6 11. Qf4 Ndxe5 12. O-O Qf6 13. Qxf6 { 13.Qxf6?(this exchange of Queens opens up the G file, letting a potential attack.Best is 13.Qg3 following h6; 14.Nh3 Qg6; 15.Bf4 QxQg3; 16.Bxg3, White hasgot a sustainable position). } 13... gxf6 14. Nh3 Nd4 15. Bf4 Nxc2 16. Nb5 { 16.Nb5?(White has a poor development so best here is 16.Rac1 Nd4; 17.Rfd1 ...) } 16... Nxa1 17. Rxa1 Kd7 { Black has got a clear advantage! } 18. Be3 { At thisposition, Black has got a clear advantage. } 18... Rg8 19. Kf1 b6 20. Bd4 Bd6 21. Re1 Ng4 22. Nxd6 Kxd6 23. Kg1 { 23.Kg1?! (23.f3 is better, 23. ... Nxh2? 24.Kg1) } 23... Rac8 24. f3 Ne5 25. Bxe5+ fxe5 26. Re2 { 26.Re2? (26.Rf1 is thenatural defense, this blunder marks the fall of White's game) ... } 26... Rc1+ 27. Kf2 Rh1 28. f4 f6 29. fxe5+ fxe5 30. b4 Rxh2 31. Kf1 Rh1+ 32. Kf2 e4 33. Ke3 e5 34. Nf2 Rg3+ 35. Kd2 Ra1 36. Nd1 Rd3+ { White resigns! } *

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.09.27"] [Round "-"] [White "otakumadness"] [Black "pasty100"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1040"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1041"] 1. d4 Nc6 2. e4 e5 3. d5 Nd4 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. c3 Bc5 6. Bg5 f6 7. Be3 Nxf3+ 8. Qxf3 { Exchange of knights } 8... b6 9. Nd2 Nh6 10. Nc4 a5 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Bxh6 { Forcing an opening in front of the king } 12... gxh6 13. Ne3 a4 14. Qg3+ Kf7 15. Nf5 { Bringing my knight in to support the queen on g7. } 15... Rg8 { Thiskind of surprised me. When I was actually playing this game, I had no ideawhy Black had made this move, but now that I think about it, probably theRook had been moved in this manner because Black had predicted Qg7+ andwanted to threaten my queen in addition to protecting that row. } 16. Nxh6+ { Pinning the rook } 16... Kf8 17. Nxg8 a3 18. b3 Ba6 19. Bxa6 Rxa6 { Exchange ofbishops } 20. b4 Bd6 21. Nh6 { Preparing for mate. At this point, the bestmove for Black would have been Qe8, so that my potential mate would beblocked. (so that when I did Qg8+ followed by Qf7+, he could recapturemy queen with his queen, prompting me to take his queen with my knight,which would have then given him my knight and reduced my advantage. } 21... Ke8 { Black doesn't see the key move. Mate is inevitable. } 22. Qg8+ Ke7 23. Qf7# { Mate. Black's main mistake in this game was not utilizing all thepieces properly (the queen didn't even move in this game when it couldeasily have prevented this mate) as well as not predicting all possibleoutcomes. } 1-0

[Event "157th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.01.29"] [Round "-"] [White "colorman"] [Black "e4newman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1635"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1513"] 1. d4 { Opponent is Matus from SLO 34 yrs old. He scored 5.0 in Round #1.In this R2 game I was neck and neck with horsekis so these last 2 gamesvs colorman needed to be wins to take clear 1st place. } 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 Bg4 { Game note: 'Not 6...Nxe4 7.Qa4+(fork)' } 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nc3 Na6 { Game note: '8...Na6!? ooooh'. If I remembercorrectly I was going to re-position to c7. Didn't matter anyway becauseof his next move which surprised me. So bad move on my part. 10...Nd7might have helped but I sure wasn't thinking that way. } 9. Bxa6 bxa6 10. O-O Be7 11. Qa4+ Nd7 12. g4 Bg6 13. Qxa6 O-O 14. Bf4 Qb6 { Admitting I'mstuck. } 15. Qxb6 Nxb6 16. Rfe1 h6 { Computer starts calling for R to d-or b-files. I guess b-file would have been good. His next move forcesthe d-file. } 17. Nb5 Rfd8 18. Rad1 a6 19. Nxd6 { Game note: '19.Nxd6!? mayprove to be an interesting sacrifice to get his centre pawns moving. I'llneed to slow his pawn advance with ...f6 or something like that.' Computercalls it a mistake. 19.Nc3 perfectly fine. After the text, 20.e5 Bf821.d6 looks better. } 19... Bxd6 20. Bxd6 Rxd6 21. a3 { This move misses the point. } 21... a5 22. Rc1 Re8 { Game note: '22...Nc4 to threaten ...Rae8 attack on hise4 pawn. Also attacks his b2 pawn immediately but loses mobility. Resultis I control 2 centre squares vs 4.' } 23. Nd2 f6 { Game note: '23...f6. I control 7 centre squares vs 3' } 24. f4 { Game note: '24.f4 my B is keybut Rc8 (25.Nb3 perhaps) is almost forced. It's unclear to me if 24...Bf7'. Computer analysis shows text move and 24...Bf7 are not a priority butevaluate close to the same as the best computer move 24...Rdd8 -0.87. Also 24...a4 and ...c4. Seems a little over-confident to me because hehas Nb3. } 24... Rc8 25. Nb3 Na4 26. Re2 Ra6 { Game not: '...Ra6 if he moves awayI get his e-pawn. After 27...Rb6 she's about to open up. If 28.Nxc5 Nxc5(maybe Rxb2) if 28.Nxa5 Nxb2 (maybe Rxb2) if 28.Rxa4 Rxb3 29.Rxa5 Rxh3' Post computer analysis gets tricky here but I think I played not too bad. Could be a turning point here toward the endgame. } 27. Rc4 Rb6 28. Rxa4 Rxb3 29. Kg2 { Game note: '29.Kg2 so much for my planning. And what's hedoing BTW. He has to get behind his passed pawn. Anyway I just learnedI need 1 of 2 points from this 2 game match vs colorman in order to tiefor first in this 2nd round. So I'm gonna motor my pawn if he doesn't wantto move his... 29...c4 and I even have the resource ...Rxb2 because on...c3 he cannot play Rc2 or Rb1 on account of the fork ...Bxe4 so my c-pawnkeeps plowing!' } 29... c4 30. Rxa5 { Game note: '30.Rxa5 who cares, see my lastnote. A small price to pay... that's why they call them pawns.' } 30... Rxb2 31. Rxb2 { Game note: 'Doesn't he see the power of ...c3?' If 32.Rc2 then...Bxe4+ fork } 31... c3 32. Re2 c2 33. Rxc2 Bxe4+ 34. Kg3 Bxc2 { Computer suggestsI use my R to re-capture. Probably to get behind his pawn and allow forchecks etc... } 35. d6 Rd8 { Game note: '35...Rd8 then get the B down tog6-e7 or something like that' } 36. Ra6 Bg6 37. a4 Be8 38. Kf3 Kf7 39. f5 g6 40. Ke4 gxf5+ 41. gxf5 Ra8 { Game note: '41...Ra8 obvious fork if 42.Rxa8Bc6' } 42. Rxa8 Bc6+ 43. Kd4 Bxa8 44. Kc5 Ke8 45. a5 Kd7 46. h4 Be4 47. a6 Bxf5 48. a7 Be4 { Game note: '48...Be4 looking pretty stale.' } 49. Kd4 f5 50. Ke5 h5 51. a8=Q Bxa8 52. Kxf5 Kxd6 53. Kg5 Bf3 54. Kh6 { Game note:'54.Kh6?? allows me to get my K around to capture his last pawn. He'sfinished.' } 54... Ke5 55. Kg5 Bg4 56. Kg6 Kf4 57. Kf6 Kg3 58. Kg5 Kh3 59. Kf4 Kxh4 60. Ke3 Kg3 61. Kd2 h4 62. Ke1 Kg2 63. Kd2 h3 64. Ke3 h2 65. Kf4 h1=Q { Game note: '65...h1=Q just don't stalemate.' Took me 8 moves. Computersays 6 if he plays Kxg4 which he did. I wanted to pinch him off and keephim on the g- and h-files but computer says 66...Qf1. Even with so itshould have been mate in 7 and I got 8. Not bad. } 66. Kxg4 Qf1 67. Kh4 { 67.Kh4 makes my job easier. Computer says Kg5 best but still forced mate. } 67... Qf4+ { The best move is 67...Qb4, which forces 68.Kg4 Qe5 69.Kh4 Kf3. } 68. Kh5 Kg3 { 68...Qf669.Kg4 Qe5. I played pretty close to perfect endgame. Not difficult withsuch an advantage and no pressure except } 69. Kg6 Kg4 70. Kh7 Kg5 71. Kg7 Qf5 72. Kg8 Kg6 73. Kh8 Qf8# { Another lucky win. } 0-1

[Event "Ummagumma"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "24-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "jtokuda"] [Black "hernanisp"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1574"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1749"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { A Variante Najdorf of the Sicilian Defence is a sharp line that requires full attention from the players. } 6. f3 { Iniciando o Ataque Ioguslavo deixando claro o rumo da partida ondeha uma luta de roques opostos. } 6... Nc6 7. Be3 g6 { Escolhedo a variante Dragao... } 8. Qd2 Bg7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. Bc4 Bd7 11. Bh6 { A daring move too early! A mistake. They should exchange horses first to make the daring move of the game. } 11... Rc8 { Correto seria 11.... Nxd4 12. Bxg7 Nxf3 13. gxf3 Kxg7, com clara vantagem. } 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. g4 b5 14. Bb3 Qa5 { 14... Na5 era mais efetivo na posicao. } 15. h4 Ne5 { Correto era 15... b4, com certa iniciativa na partida. } 16. h5 b4 17. Nd5 { O lance que ganha a partida. } 17... Nxd5 18. Bxd5 { Correto era18. hxg6! abrindo a coluna h e liquidando a partida: a) 18... hxg6 19.Qh6 com mate a seguir; b) 18... fxg6 19. Nf5 !! Bxf5 20. Qh6 Kf6 21.Rxd5, com jogo facilmente ganho; c) 18... Nxg6 19. Qh6 Rf6 20. e5 !!Kxe5 21. Rhe1 com mate a seguir; d) 18... Kxg6?? 19. Qh6# e) 18... h519. gxf7 Nxf7 20. Bxd5 e6 21. Bxa8 Rxa8 22. Rxh5, ganhando } 18... Rh8 { Neutralizandoas ameacas imediatas, mas com jogo nitidamente inferior. E as brancas perderampor tempo. Uma continuacao simples e ganhadora era 19. h6+ K~8 20. Bxa8... } *

[Event "86th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.01.03"] [Round "-"] [White "number1thespian"] [Black "lixil"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1177"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1009"] 1. e4 { I was at a 975 rating when I beat this player. My first few moveswere from the game database, because I knew if I wanted to beat someonerated much higher than me, I needed as many resources as I could possiblyget. I typically start my moves when I'm white with my pawn moving uptwo spaces. } 1... Nf6 { Instead of my typical defense of the pawns, I decidedto start out aggressive. } 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 { While I'm being aggressive towardshis knight, I'm looking at the game database as well as making sure there'snothing else he can do with his pawns or other knight. } 3... Nf4 4. d4 { I movedthis piece out to start my defensive scheme I usually have. } 4... Ne6 5. d5 Nc5 6. b4 Nca6 7. b5 Nc5 8. Ba3 { I wanted to move my bishop to attack theknight on e3. I had a mental lapse. In the end, it still got the jobdone though. } 8... b6 { ??? } 9. Nf3 { I'm taking a HUGE risk with my knight becauseI have no idea if this will work. } 9... e6 10. Bc1 { I don't know why I did this. It was a wasted move in my opinion. } 10... d6 { I felt like he would attack mypawn, so my knight/queen checkmate might actually work after all. } 11. Ng5 Be7 { He blocks my move as I thought he might, but I decide that I mightbe able to take a pawn or two out at this point. } 12. f4 { This way I canblock the bishop attacking my knight...or at least take out his bishopin the process. } 12... dxe5 13. Qh5 { I knew I would be able to take a pawn outthe next move...what I wasn't expecting... } 13... O-O { Was for him to castlehimself in to check mate. } 14. Qxh7# { I think this was a mental lapse. His score doesn't show making an amatuer mistake like I would do. I thinkI won this game because I started it out aggressive. I usually play verydefensively, and lately my wins have been showing because of the offensivemoves. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from lillimax"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.11.20"] [Round "-"] [White "lillimax"] [Black "reachforgold"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "680"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1045"] 1. e4 { normal } 1... e5 { same } 2. Qh5 { queen moves } 2... g6 { pawn moves } 3. Qxe5+ { check } 3... Ne7 { safe } 4. Qxh8 { down 6 } 4... Nbc6 { builds minor pieces } 5. Bc4 { thisgame i feel lost } 5... Nd4 { moves kight } 6. Qxd4 { down 9 } 6... Nf5 { bad move } 7. Qd5 { queen moves } 7... Ne7 { check mate in one } 8. Qxf7# { I lost } 1-0

[Event "Team match, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.02.07"] [Round "-"] [White "zuperzingi"] [Black "wimbo420"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1308"] [WhiteElo "1414"] 1. e4 c5 2. Bc4 { White goes for an early checkmate. } 2... e6 { White is blockedby kings pawn. } 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qc3 Bb4 { An early blunder costswhite his queen } 6. Qxb4 Nxb4 7. Bb3 Qa5 8. Bd2 { White tries to pin blacksknight to its queen. } 8... Nd3+ 9. cxd3 Qh5 10. Bc3 { White goes for the pawnin order to trap the rook stuck on h8. } 10... Qg5 11. g3 Qc1+ 12. Bd1 b5 13. Bxg7 f6 { Black traps whites bishop In order to do the same to white. } 14. Nd2 { Another blunder for white costs him a rook but there's no problem. } 14... Qxa1 15. Bxh8 Qxb2 16. Bh5+ Ke7 17. Nh3 Qe5 18. Bf3 Ba6 19. Nf4 Nh6 20. Bg7 Ng8 21. Nh5 Qc3 22. g4 Qxd3 23. e5 Rc8 24. exf6+ Kf7 25. Nf4 Qd4 26. g5 Qxf4 27. Bh5# { White checkmates due to bad king positioning. Never giveup. } 1-0

[Event "Analyzed Games"] [Site "ChessDoctor.com"] [Date "?.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "W40"] [Black "B40"] [Result "?"] [ECO "?"] {00040.6.03 Analyzed by Expert Tim Smith} 1. d4 f5?! {The Dutch defense is becoming less and less used in masterplay due to evolving opening theory and refuting ideas. Much stronger is the classic King's Indian with 1...Nf6 or Queen's Pawn game with 1...d5.} 2. c4 Bb4+? {Unnecessarily restrictive. The simple 2...Nf6 was called for or setting up the stonewall formationwith 2...d5 with 3...c6 to follow. TheStonewall is well-known as an "Anti-computer" defense because the positionstend to be reliant on long term positional maneuvering and not quick tacticalflares.. This allows white a free handin the center to push to e4 and increase his spatial advantage and to openlines to use his superior development. The text is easily refuted with 3. Nc3 where any exchange on c3 can only benefit white.} 3. Bd2 (A playable alternative) Bxd2?! {Not the best continuation here either. Much more logical is 3...Qe7, when 4. g3 Nf65. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 and only now Bxd2 where black doesn't stand nearly as badly. The text relinquishes Black'scontrol of the center as well as speed in development.} 4. Nxd2 Nc6?! {Another dubious move. Better is 4...Nf6 5. e3 b6 6. Bd3 c5 7. 0-0 and then 7...Nc6 when Blackdoesn't stand as badly. Black isn'tgiving White much to think about.} 5. e4!? {A good decision. Tobe considered as stronger, however, is 5. g3 with a kingside fianchettogradually building up the position. Attempts to retain the initiative with 5. d5 Nce7 6. dxe6 dxe6 onlysucceed in helping black mobilize. Opening the position early like this without the development to back it up can lead to disaster.} 5...fxe4 6. Nxe4 d5? {The first blunder. The e-file was already white's avenue of attack as long as the blackking is in the center. Weakening thee-file for white even further does not help matters. Not only is the e-pawn weak, but the king is weak! Much better was the obvious 7...Nf6 with acastle kingside.} 7. Nc5?! {A questionable move. Certainly the knight cannot establish himself here. It would seem as though this warrior wouldlike to fight on black's weak side of the board, the kingside. 7. Ng3 would be begging to be played. Now, Black can solidify with 7...Nge7!} 7...b6?! {7...Nge7 kept things together in excellent order for blackwith the idea of 0-0 and Nf5 followed by Qd6 solidifying with chances. Also, eventual e5 advances would begin to become feasible. There's no reason to immediately chase the knight away from its post.} 8. Nb3 Bb7? {A blunder. Black may feel obligated to play that move because of b6, however it is imperative thathe castle as soon as possible. Therefore, 8...Nge7! with the idea of 0-0 Nf5 and Nce7 would be indicatedfor Black. Another possible move, evenmore aggressive perhaps, is 8...Qf6!? threatening Nge7 with even stronger forceas the ideas dxc4 followed by Nd5 are now possible. After the text white can pick which side of the board to play on(queenside, center, kingside) as he has prospects in each area.} 9. Qd2? {White could choose to play in the center which would revolvearound attacking the e-pawn and controlling the e-file most like starting withideas like 9. Qe2. White could chooseto play on the queenside (now that black played b6) because of the ideainvolved with 9. c5! (making the b7 bishop look pretty ridiculous) and Rc1, a strongidea, with invasion on the c-file. Lastly, the kingside where black's king remains open. Moves such as 9. Bd3 come to mind. D2 is a poor square for the queen as she is not involved inany real plan and she's exposed to attack on this square (Ng8-f6-e4) etc. Passivity resembles this move. Black still does have to deal with thesomewhat distant threat of Bd3 followed by Ng5 with a fork on the h and epawns. However, intending Ng5 so theknight can be protected from the queen at d2 is a poor reason to play themove. With correct play, Black could'vepounced on this.} 9...dxc4? {Allows white to develop with tempo with subsequent pressureon the new isolated e-pawn. It's toobig of a trade-off between all these cons and the one and only pro of morebishop activity. 9...Nf6! was the indicatedmove.} 10. Bxc4 {Here, it doesn't take a Garry Kasparov or Vishy Anand to seethat white is well ahead in position. Space advantage, more piece mobility, a lead in development, attackingchances, the list could go on and on. The main trump black holds is the long diagonal and the d-file. But use of these means doesn't leave as goodof impression as White's.} 10...Bc8? {In an inferior position, Black picks the worst way possibleto defend the pawn. 10...Qf6 would'vebeen indicated.} 11. Ng5! {I personally would've castled kingside first to increasepressure with Re1 as well, but one can hardly call the text an error.} 11...Na5?? {A game-losing blunder. If Black intended to sacrifice the isolated e-pawn, he should've done sowith 11...Nf6. Now the position becomeswide open and tactics loom left and right. Only the better developed, fully-mobilized side can profit from this.} 12. Nxa5! bxa5 13. Nxe6 Bxe6 14. Bxe6 Qe7 15. d5?! {Much superior to the text is of course, 15. 0-0.} 15...Nf6!? {Not bad at all. Thelong awaited Nf6! However, here thecapture on e6 would've been a stronger preparatory combination to the text.} 16. 0-0 {Of course, this can't be an error, however consider thestronger 16. 0-0-0! with the strong threat of d6!.} 16...a4?? {Another game-losing blunder. This has nothing to do with the position. Black needed to liquidate with 16...Bxe6 nodoubt about it. Now 17. Rae1! wins the game.} 17. Bb5+?! {White doesn't take the quickest win. 17. Rae1! creates winning threats out thewazoo.} 17...Bd7?? {Reinstating the previous possibility. After the forced 17...Kf7 18. Bxa4 and Blackcan once again liquidate with 18...Bxe6.} 18. Bxd7?! {Once again, missing the quick win, 18. Rae1.} 18...Qxd7 19. Rfe1 {Good, but 19. Qg5! is more to the point increasing the strengthof the text.} 19...Kf7 20. Ng5+ {More to the point is 20. Qg5 once again.} 20...Kg6?! {This just speeds up the inevitable loss} 21. Rad1 {Even stronger is 21. Nf3! with the idea of Qg5+.} 21...Rae8 22. Ne6 Qd6?? {22...Kf7 was forced in order for black to stay in thegame. This falls into the forced matingnet.} 23. Qg5+ Kf7 {Good game by both sides. Remember to keep your king safe by castling early. Also, remember to utilize your advantageswhile minimizing the drawbacks of your position.} 24. Qxg7 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "10-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "metalale"] [Black "warvetchaosone1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1461"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1423"] { This is my first annotated game. I find very useful read about the thoughtsof a chess player. And I think this is useful not only for the readers,but even for the player himself, especially if he's not very skilled andexperienced, just like me! :) So, this new experience will be good foreveryone, for you and for me. Let's enter my first annotated game... (ps: sorry for my poor English) } 1. e4 { 1.e4 Someone told that this isthe best opening move... :D } 1... c5 { 1... c5 The Sicilian... } 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 { 5. ...a6 The Najdorf variation... Lookat the board. Black seems to be behind in development, and maybe is true.But he's good and ...a6 is not a waste of time!! It prevents Ndb5 and prepares...b5, pushing queenside pawns. } 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 { 7. ...Be7 7. ...Be6is more popular, but this is not an IM or GM game! This is amateur game! } 8. Qd2 { 8.Qd2 I was looking for queenside castle, while developing theQueen in an optimum square. } 8... O-O 9. f3 { 9.f3 To prevent Knight infiltrations. } 9... Bd7 { 9. ...Bd7 Out of book. Well, 9 moves in the book. Not so bad foran amateur match. But someone can note that, with the Sicilian, it's easier.I agree. However, I think that d7 is more suitable for Knights than white-squaresBishop. } 10. O-O-O { 10.O-O-O And now my development is near to be completed. Look at the position. I have no real advantages, but the only piece Inot already moved is the white-squares Bishop, which however controls anopen side of the board. Moreover I control the d-file and I'm planninga kingside pawns ride. Black position is worse: the Queen-Knight is stillin b8, the e7-Bishop is blocked, the open c-file isn't useful yet... Iwas feeling good. } 10... h6 { 10. ...h6 Maybe is better to develop. Besides,this could led in future to a bishop sacrifice in h6 to expose the blackmonarch. } 11. g4 { 11.g4 Putting pressure at the King position. No realmenaces, but an annoying pawn march. } 11... Be6 { 11. ...Be6 Do you remember7. ...Be7? This move contradicts it. Now, I'm practically a move ahead. } 12. h4 { 12.h4 I gain other space. My pawns are uncomfortable for black. } 12... Bxb3 { 12. ...Bxb3 Why? Development isn't made yet and my b3-Knight didn'tthreaten anything. And besides, this is the third Bishop's move in thelast four moves. Again... good for me! I was feeling still very good. } 13. axb3 { 13.axb3 Obviously not 13.cxb3?! discovering the King in thec-open file. What about the weakness of my shield pawns? No problem, whatcan do black here? Nothing! On the contrary now I don't have to go to b1with my King to protect the a2 pawn! :) } 13... Nh7 { 13. ...Nh7 I think lookingat g5. In only a single move g5 is reached by the Bishop, the Queen, theh7-Knight and the h6 pawn. } 14. h5 { 14.h5 What else? Maybe 14.Bc4, butI didn't want to lose a pawn. Obviously not 14.Nd5 Bxh4 15.Bc4 (15.Nb6threatens nothing) Ng5 16.Bxg5?? Bxg5 and the Queen is pinned (and alsolost). } 14... Bg5 15. f4 { 15.f4 Why not just Bxg5? I want to liberate myselffrom the backward f-pawn. Besides, f4 is not covered by the black Queenand, from here, is still visible the weak d6-pawn. } 15... Bxf4 16. Bxf4 exf4 17. Qxf4 { 17.Qxf4 Exactly the position I was looking for. My Bishop isstill at home, but is the same for the black Queen-Knight. My Queen andmy d-Rook point towards d6 and the position of the black King is tremblingfor the my advanced pawns. } 17... Nc6 { 17. ...Nc6 Finally black develops hissecond Knight. But now is too late. } 18. Rxd6 { 18.Rxd6 Grab the pawn andattacking the Queen. When things go well in chess, it's easy to find prophylacticmoves. } 18... Qa5 { 18. ...Qa5 19.Qa1 could be check, but nothing else. If Imoved the bishop in a not g2 place and my Knight away from c3, 20.Qa1 would win the rook. So, no threat. } 19. Bc4 { 19.Bc4 X-raying black Kingand developing my last still-home piece. } 19... Nf6 { 19. ...Nf6 Running awayfrom the uncomfortable h7 square. But this permits my next move, a Rooksacrifice to suddenly open the King position. Better was 19. ...Ng5 andthen ...Ne6 to put the Knight on the court. } 20. Rxf6 { 20.Rxf6 Can I putan exclamation point next to a my move? :) 20.Rxf6! } 20... gxf6 21. Qxh6 { 21.Qxh6?! 21.Qxf6 was better. Now black can defend the f6 pawn. 21.Qxf6 Kh7 22.Bxf7Qxf7 regaining the exchange, three pawns and the bad position of the King.Not so bad... } 21... Qd8 { 21. ...Qd8? No, better was 21. ...Qg5, looking fora queening trade. Even 21. Qe5 is better. Now I can still push my g-pawn. } 22. g5 fxg5 { 22. ...fxg5 Mandatory. 23.gxf6, open the g-file, and also23.g6 were threating. } 23. Rg1 { 23.Rg1 My final preparation... } 23... Ne5 { 23. ...Ne5 What else? This position is totally lost for black. } 24. Rxg5+ { 24.Rxg5 And now black must lose the Queen or suffer checkmate. I hopeyou enjoy my annotations of the game. Don't hesitate to contact me formistakes, bad advises, etc... I could have made. Thanks to warvechaosone1for the game and hope this comments can be useful even for him. } 1-0

[Event "- Walking the Walk -"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.11.22"] [Round "-"] [White "urikhai"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2199"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1191"] 1. d4 a6 { right off the bat I did not recognize this opening } 2. e4 { mythought was to take control of the center } 2... c5 3. d5 d6 4. c4 { Im stillthinking im ok in establishing control of the center } 4... Nf6 { the comp analysisactually says im alittle ahead } 5. Bg5 { then of course my first blunder..compsays Nc3 is better } 5... Nxe4 6. Bh4 { I should have retreated to e3 } 6... g5 7. Bg3 { he is already dictating where I put my pieces } 7... Qa5+ 8. Ke2 { big mistakehere..i actually looked at Nc3 but I was concerned about blacks knighton e4.. } 8... Bg7 { now my concern is he will get my rook..black has me pinnedwith his Queen so my moves are few } 9. a3 h5 { according to analysis everymove black makes from here on in gains an advantage } 10. f3 Nxg3+ 11. hxg3 Bxb2 12. Ra2 Be5 13. Nd2 Bxg3 14. Ne4 Be5 15. Kf2 Bd4+ 16. Ke2 b5 17. Nd2 { so far even though he is gaining an advantage..comp analysis agrees withmy moves } 17... Bf5 18. Nb3 { big mistake here ..I was just trying to threatenblacks queen...from move 11 on I was moving where black wanted me to. hetold me at game end to play the board not the moves } 18... Qc3 19. cxb5 Qe3# { i wonder if black was cooking and doing his taxes while he played thisgame he certainly didn't need to think to much about my game lol...it wasamazing how smooth he played } 0-1

[Event "Near-Expert Draw - Part 1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "03-Nov-08"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "luke_nl"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1973"] [TimeControl "9d+1d, 10d max"] [WhiteElo "1705"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone, had a good week this week - managed two draws against1950 oppo. Here is the first of the two. Both games were Sicilians sogood results. Joanne } 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { 3. Bb5 - this move is thestart of the Nimzo-Rossolimo attack which had a similar start to my gamePawn Stab. My 1900 opponent plays the opening differently, however. } 3... g6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. O-O Bg7 6. Re1 Nh6 { 6. ........ Nh6 - this knight willgo to f7 on move 11. } 7. c3 O-O 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 { 9. c xd4 - white hasa pawn centre but can this be maintained? } 9... d6 10. Nc3 f6 11. b3 Nf7 12. Bb2 { 12. Bb2 - development nearly completed and it is when I play Qc2 nextmove. } 12... Ba6 13. Qc2 Qd7 14. Rad1 { 14. Rad1 - after black played Ba6 on his12th move I completed my development with my 13th and decided to centralisemy queen rook to support my pawn centre. } 14... e5 15. dxe5 fxe5 16. Ba3 { 16.Ba3 - after my pawn centre was busted a move ago I decide to pin and tryand pile up on the d pawn. } 16... Qe6 17. Bc1 { 17. Bc1 - bishop retreats to homesquare - I now try to force a knight exchange on g5 but black stops itwith h6 - weakening his castled position. I note this but at the momentcannot find anything to attack it with. } 17... h6 18. Bb2 Rac8 19. Qb1 { 19. Qb1- Glenda moves out of the way of the black rook on the c file and I prepareto put a rook on the c file to negate the black rook's control at a laterdate. } 19... g5 20. Nd2 { 20. Nd2 - this knight is making a tour to g3 hopingto come in on f5 or h5 to try and force an exchange of knight for dsb. } 20... Rfd8 21. Nf1 d5 22. exd5 cxd5 23. Ne2 Nd6 24. Nfg3 Qf7 { 24. ........ Qf7- the Wicked Witch of the West foils my plan, however. Black now has agood pawn centre and a passed d pawn and a strong lsb. Offset againstit is a black isolani on a7 - also, Glenda has a clear line from b1-h7- I would lurve Frere Leblanc to be on the board here but unfortunatelyhe ain't so I must think of another way. } 25. f3 { 25. f3 - this move allowsHenry to move to h1 if necessary. } 25... Bb7 { 25. .......... Bb7 - this moveallows me to contest the c file without worrying about my d2 knight beinglost should my g3 knight be driven away. } 26. Rc1 Re8 { 26. ........ Re8and DRAW OFFER!, or more pertinently for me, 6 rating points are on offer- I decide to run with the money! In a post match analysis Coach Ion hadthe following to say:- 'I don't know what you had planned for next move,but Ba3 looks OK with the view of coming in at c5, after which a2-a4 and/orb3-b4 suggest themselves.' So, this is all worth noting if I find myselfin a similar position later on. For now I am a very happy lady and now,get ready for Near-Expert Draw Part II. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.04.08"] [Round "-"] [White "shosanna"] [Black "jay222"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1245"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6 { Damiano's Defense. } 3. d4 { NxPe5 is surprisingly popularfor white, but the outcomes appear generally bleak for black. } 3... exd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Qg4 d6 6. Ne6 { Black can attack with Qe7. White could respondwith Bc4, but this isn't enough--black parries with Pb5 and white retreatsto Bb3... I guess that works out well for white. } 6... Bxe6 { Or black can simplytrade bishop for knight. } 7. Qxe6+ Qe7 8. Qc4 b5 9. Qb4 c6 { Black mighthave preferred not to move that pawn, but the knight there instead. Thiswould develop a better piece, and release the rook while pushing the whitequeen. } 10. Nc3 g6 11. g3 Bh6 12. f4 f5 13. Be2 Nf6 14. O-O fxe4 15. Rd1 O-O { Black leaves Pd6 to the white's rook wolf. } 16. f5 { This pawn sacrificeseems ill advised. Oh, never mind--BxBh6. Black might trade bishops instead,and net a free pawn. } 16... Bxc1 17. Raxc1 Rd8 18. Qb3+ Kg7 19. Rf1 gxf5 20. Rxf5 Re8 21. Rg5+ Kf8 22. Rf1 { Black should be aware of the threat of Rg8#. Nf6 no longer defends g8. Black is advised to play Qe6, or perhaps evenbetter--Pd5. } 22... Nd7 { That wasn't it. } 23. Rg8# 1-0

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "ajvs"] [Black "hselikin"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1383"] [WhiteElo "1854"] 1. c4 { I'm playing black here and i haven't noticed how high his gradeis yet. } 1... e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 d6 { Fairly normal opening up to here so idon't feel too bad yet. } 4. Qc2 Nc6 5. e3 Bg4 { Not much point because hewould just defend with bishop. I'm the kind of guy who doesn't want tomake the first moves. I like to counter attack and not start it. } 6. Be2 { As expected } 6... Qd7 { Just wasting moves. I know I know. for all you 'GREAT'chess players out there, it's not a wise thing to do. But oh well. } 7. d4 { At last the first proper attack. } 7... exd4 8. exd4 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Nxd4 { Afterthat exchange i am a pawn up!!! } 10. Qd3 Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 { Oh yeah, i alsolike killing pieces. } 11... Rb8 { Trying to defend pawn } 12. O-O Be7 { I wannacastle now. } 13. Re1 O-O 14. Bg5 { Go away } 14... h6 { Meh } 15. Bh4 Rfe8 16. Re3 { I'm not sure what that was supposed to do. If you have ideas leave a comment!!! } 16... Qg4 { I want to trade queens, please? } 17. Qxg4 Nxg4 { Thanks } 18. Rxe7 { Damn } 18... Rxe7 19. Bxe7 f6 { HAHAHAHAHA no escape for you now!!!! } 20. Re1 { Desperateattempt to save it. } 20... Re8 { DIE BISHOP!!! } 21. Nd5 Kf7 { HEH HEH HEH } 22. f4 { I guess that was supposed to stop my knight moving anywhere. But thatwon't stop me!!! } 22... c6 { DIE KNIGHT } 23. Bxd6 { Didn't see that } 23... Rxe1# { Buti'm sure he didn't see THAT. HAHAHAHA } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.07.14"] [Round "-"] [White "naagh"] [Black "harlekin92"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1285"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 { Normal opening... } 4. Nc3 Nxe4 { (5.Nxe4d5...) } 5. O-O Nd6 6. Qe2 { Whites bishop is very strong! Let's eliminatehim! } 6... Nxc4 7. Qxc4 Be7 8. Re1 d6 9. d3 O-O { Both players are made a goodopening,but... } 10. Be3 Be6 11. Qb5 Qd7 12. b3 a6 13. Qa4 b5 { Whites quinis in a very bad position } 14. Nxb5 { (14.Qa3 b4...and white lose horse) } 14... axb5 15. Qe4 { White think that his quin is in safe,but... } 15... f5 16. Nxe5 fxe4 17. Nxd7 Bxd7 { Black have two bishop and a horse,but white continueto play } 18. dxe4 Nb4 { White didn't saw... } 19. c3 Nc2 { and white resign. } 0-1

[Event "FSB Rijs vs Steenwijk 2 dd 29-4-2022"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "H. Beks"] [Black "R. Kreulen"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1663"] [WhiteElo "1742"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. c4 { Fischer often did this, but I still knew. } 6... Bc5 7. Be2 Qh4 { Honestly, I didn't expect that to happen! } 8. O-O Qxe4 9. Nc3 Qh4 10. g3 Qe7 11. Ne4 h6 { White moves the knight to h6, but it is too slow. Better was to move the pawn to e6 immediately. Black's move d5 is bad. } 12. Be3 { Na Lxe3 volgt eerst Pd6+, daarna fxe3 met aanval op f7 } 12... Bb6 13. Nd6+ Kd8 14. c5 Bc7 15. Bc4 Bxd6 16. cxd6 Qf6 17. f4 e4 18. Qe2 { Lang overnagedacht. Db3 of Ld4 had ook gekund. } 18... Qf5 19. Bd4 { After 6. Nf3, White plays 7. Lxf7, checkmate. After 5. e5, Black plays 6. Nc3, Da5, and then 7. Qe2+. } 19... f6 20. Qe3 Rb8 21. Bxa7 Rxb2 22. Bf7 { The King cannot move away. } 22... Qa5 23. Qxe4 Qxa7+ { Of course, but that doesn't look very nice. } 24. Kh1 { Black gives up. My conclusion: 6. c4 is very playable! } 1-0

[Event "My thanks to Alekine and Karpov"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.12.05"] [Round "-"] [White "elyhim"] [Black "drzemik"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2382"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2336"] { One of the most difficult advantages to convert is a space advantage.Mostly this is because a space advantage is not enough on it's own to win.One must build other advantages such as center dominance, material advantageand superior pieces just to name a few. Mastering this technique was somethingI had to master along time ago if I wanted to take my game to the nextlevel. So I poured over their games especially those of Karpov and Alekinefrom them I learned the keys of converting an advantage of space to a win. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 { This is most likely, black'smost snarly move this promises to be a very spirited affair. } 5. Nc3 { whenblack plays an early ...Nf6 I try to aim for the Keres attack with f3 andg4. } 5... a6 6. f3 { following my plan to play g4 so black should be activein order to avoid g4. } 6... Qb6 { The Sicilian Najdorf with ...Qb6. This isnot Black's most optimistic move. Far more testing is 6. ...e5 which takesadvantage white some what slow 6. f3. However, this line can not be allthat bad since } 7. g4 { Kasparov vs. Grischuk it when as follows 7... Nc68. Nb3 e6 9. Qe2 Qc7 10. Be3 b5 11. O-O-O Bb7 12. h4 Rc8 13. g5 Nd7 14.Qf2 Nce5 15. a3 Qd8 16. Bd4 Nc6 17. Be3 Nce5 18. Bd4 Nc6 19. Be3 Nce5 20.Bd4 1/2-1/2 } 7... Nc6 8. Nb3 e6 9. Qe2 { This is more flexible than 9. Be2 becausethe queen can float over to g2 to support g4-g5. It also threatens Be3gaining tempo against the black queen. } 9... d5 { !? this is dubious at bestbecause any center action at this point would highlight white's superiorpiece development. Best most likely is Kasparov's 9 ...Qc7 strengtheninghis grip on dark square control. } 10. exd5 { Here is the rub about 9....d5? because he does not control d5( I do) and now e6 is under seriouspressure. So I have the better of it for sure. However, like all greatdefenders Drzemik does not panic but calmly thinks it through. } 10... Nb4 { blackdoes not have anything else better. } 11. Bg5 { an attempt to win the exchangeon d5 if black is squeamish about exchanging on d5. } 11... Nfxd5 { forced } 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 { Black gets a very good knight but at the cost of d-file andthe forever, lingering threats on ...e6 } 13. O-O-O { Threatening Rxd5 winningthe knight } 13... h6 { black has not else good } 14. Bh4 Be7 { Black's best chancefor a draw is to simplify down to rooks and pawns. My goal is to simplifydown to king pawns. I am banking my winning ideas of my advantaged kingpawns. } 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16. Qe5 { White has emerged from the opening witha clear advantage of space. So here is what I have learned from Alekineand Karpov. 1) bind/limit- force your opponent into a never ending crampedposition. Forcing your opponent to make further weaknesses to create roomto move. 2) Bind some more- use your superior piece position to force youropponent to sacrifice material in order stay alive 3) open lines to thekings with pawn breaks. } 16... O-O { forced defending g7 } 17. Bd3 { I am predictingthat Drzemik wants to play ...Nc6. So Bd3 hits at the light square weaknessesaround the king. } 17... Nc6 { Maybe 17. ...Nd5 is better. The game move just encourageswhite to do what he wants to do anyway. } 18. Qe4 { threatening Qh7++ soblack is forced to make further weakness around his king position } 18... f5 { bestbecause 18. ...g6 is met with 19.h4 } 19. gxf5 exf5 20. Qf4 { again whenall else is equal play a move that limits your opponents options. For exampleI can not prevent black from playing Be6. However, with the queen on f4the Bishop has to stay on e6 and the f-rook has to stay at home. Plus Blackalso has to be very careful of any attacks on the g-file. } 20... Be6 21. Rhe1 { now the gameknot post game engine says this is equal but these types ofposition always fool engines. But I will make things clear } 21... Bxb3 22. axb3 Rad8 { White has added superior pawn structure and central dominance tohis space advantage. This is more than enough for the win. } 23. c3 { limitingblack's choices now both ...Qa5 and Nb4 can not aid in the defense of ..f5 } 23... Rf6 24. h4 { Here comes the h-pawn and nothing can stop it. } 24... a5 25. Bc4+ { Look at this Black is being parted like the Red sea and like the childrenof the Israel the white pieces will walk through on dry land. } 25... Kh7 26. Kb1 { black is so tied down that any move will let white walk right in thedoor. } 26... Rff8 27. h5 { entombing the black king in a chamber of light squares.Now for those who are reading this from our club I wrote a thread on successfulpawn breaks against the castled king. In that thread I posted a diagramof a basic position of where black had played the f-pawn. In this basicpattern the key to a successful attack is controlling the a2-g8 diagonal.And guess who controls it. } 27... Qc5 { Black last ditch chance is attackingthe b3 pawn. So... } 28. Qc7 { Black losses a pawn and is forced to play28. ...Rxd1+ because if white is allowed to play Rxd8 it is lights out } 28... Rxd1+ 29. Rxd1 a4 30. Qxb7 { black is forced to take on b3 in order tokeep up. } 30... axb3 { forced } 31. Bd5 Na5 { black tries to hold onto the materialbalance but I now have a past c-pawn so I go to exchange the queens } 32. Qb4 Rc8 33. Qxc5 Rxc5 34. Bf7 { threatening mate } 34... Rc8 { forced if 4. ...Rc635. Bg6+ and black has to give up the rook to avoid mate. } 35. Kc1 { Nowin Rook-Bishop-Pawn vs Rook-Knight-Pawn endings you need a one pawn advantageto win. So either f5 or b3 is gone but black can not defend both. So ina nutshell the game is over. } 35... Nc4 36. Re1 Kh8 37. Re7 Kh7 38. f4 Na5 39. Bg6+ Kg8 40. Bxf5 { for the win! } 40... Kf8 41. Ra7 Rc5 42. Bg6 Nc4 43. Rf7+ Kg8 44. Rb7 Kf8 45. Rxb3 Nd6 46. Rb8+ Ke7 47. Rg8 Kf6 { Now the b and c pawnswill steam roll over black } 48. Kc2 Rc7 49. b3 Nb5 50. Rf8+ Ke6 51. c4 Nd4+ 52. Kc3 Nb5+ 53. Kb4 Nd4 54. f5+ Ke5 55. Re8+ Kf6 56. c5 Rb7+ 57. Kc4 Nxb3 58. Re6+ Kg5 59. c6 Na5+ 60. Kc5 Rb3 61. c7 Rc3+ 62. Kb6 Rc1 63. Kxa5 { black gets the c-pawn but the white king with make is way unmolestedto feast on g7. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "29-Apr-07"] [Round "-"] [White "warn1584"] [Black "numh"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1556"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1542"] 1. e4 { FALKBEER COUNTER-GAMBIT White claims the center and opens linesfor the King's Bishop and Queen } 1... e5 { The most popular answer to the King'sopening, since this movement keep certain simmetry in the center, whichis possitive for the black side } 2. f4 { White response with a King's Gambit.It sacrificies his f pawn to launch a quick attack on the black king. Theproblem is that when his attack is over, his defence turns weak. } 2... d5 { FalkbeerCounter-Gambit: I love this response for blacks, because it allows to getout both bishops } 3. exd5 { White accepts the gambit pawn } 3... exf4 { Until thismove, things flow as usual } 4. Nf3 { Now, the game has turned into Abbaziadefence, modern variation, which (IMAO) it offers a wider range of oportunitiesfor the black side than for the white one } 4... Nf6 { Now, there is several waysto follow the gambit properly, I chose this variant to go on the attack,though perhaps the more logical way of doing it would be e4 or even c6 } 5. c4 { White likes to protect his doubled pawn. Besides, he opens a wayto get out his Queen and menace blacks' King } 5... c6 { Now black decides followwith Marshall/Nimzowitsch Counter-Gambi offering another pawn and coveringthe King from the Queen menace } 6. dxc6 { White break his doubled pawncolumn and opens a wide area in black pawns line } 6... Nxc6 { Of course thisis the most natural response, since if bxc6, black leaves a pawn withoutany effective defence } 7. d4 Bb4+ { The black attack begins... } 8. Bd2 { Bd2!White tried to defence. He could choose among this movement or Nc3. } 8... Qe7+ { Black's attack goes on } 9. Be2 Bg4 { Black's attack III } 10. O-O { 0-0!IMAO, This is the best way to get rid of annoying Black pieces. } 10... O-O { Okay,I had a doubt here, I wasn't sure if 0-0 or 0-0-0. I felt more weaknessin the other side, so I got the short one. It is true that this one, doesn'tallow me to be more agressive on attack... } 11. Bxb4 { Bxb4. Perhaps thewhite side should have continued with d5 } 11... Qxb4 { Now, the final attack isserved } 12. Qc2 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Nxd4 14. Qc1 { Qc1?? } 14... b5 { Ok, this movementis a tricky one, but wheather White realised or not, Black side still hashuge chances to punish the white defence } 15. Bxa8 { ... He didn't noticeanyway } 15... Ne2+ { Game over. Cute, isn't it? } 0-1

[Event "Only One Little Pawn, Just One Little Pawn"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.05.20"] [Round "-"] [White "jstevens1"] [Black "rjacobs"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1457"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1842"] 1. e4 { Hi everyone! I will set out the following lyrics to the tuneof Only Five Minutes More. My rendition goes as follows:- Only onelittle pawn, just one little pawn but that little pawn is gonna be amighty queen forever more and that queen, just that one mighty queen, she is gonna sooner or later to nail your king! } 1... c5 { 1. ...... c5 -well, that was how the game ended but we go back to the present with Bobplaying his trusty Sicilian Defense. } 2. b3 { 2. b3 - as the game is unratedI decided to try an unusual line here - this is intended to counter a possiblefianchetto of Bob's dsb on the a1-h8 diagonal. } 2... d6 3. Bb2 { 3. Bb2 - FouLenoir occupies that diagonal as planned. } 3... e6 4. Nf3 Nd7 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 { 6. Nxd4 - the traditional Scicilian pawn trade on d4 ensues. } 6... a6 7. c4 Ngf6 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. Bd3 { 9. Bd3 - steady development. } 9... Ne5 10. Bc2 Be7 11. Nf3 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 { 12. Qxf3 - knight trade. } 12... O-O 13. O-O b6 14. Qd3 { 14. Qd3 - Glenda eyes up the h7 square longingly. Unfortunately thereis a black knight. e5 will not do as I will simply drop the pawn to dxe5. } 14... Bb7 15. Rfe1 Rac8 16. Re3 Qc6 { 16. ....... Qc6?? - both players have beenplaying fairly faultlessly until now. I am planning a kingside attackand at the same time trying to prevent Henry copping Old Matey on the g2square - I see real danger in the line up of the Wicked Witch and her partnerin crime the lsb on that a8-h1 diagonal. Gameknot identified this moveas a blunder and this sparks off a series of blunders and mistakes on bothsides. Blunder: +3.13 » ... Qc6 16. Nd5 Bd8 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. e5 f5 19.exd6 Qc5 20. d7 Rc6 21. Rg3+ Kh8 22. Qc3+ f6 Best: -0.01 » ... Ng4 16. Rh3Ne5 17. Qe2 Bg5 18. Rd1 h6 19. a3 Bf4 20. Rh4 Bg5 21. Rh3 } 17. Rg3 { 17.Rg3?? Blunder: +0.37 » 17. Rg3 g6 18. Qf3 Nd7 19. Qe3 Nf6 20. Rd1 b5 21.e5 dxe5 22. cxb5 axb5 23. Qxe5 Rfd8 24. Rxd8+ Bxd8 Best: +4.15 » 17. Nd5Bd8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. e5 g6 20. Nxf6+ Kg7 21. Nh5+ Kh8 22. Nf4 Rfd8 23.exd6 Qxd6 24. Qxd6 Rxd6 25. Rd1 Rxd1+ 26. Bxd1 } 17... Rfd8 18. Re1 { 18. Re1 -Blunder: +0.27 » 18. Re1 Qc7 19. Qe2 h5 20. Rd1 h4 21. Rg5 g6 22. Qe3 e523. a4 Qc5 24. Qxc5 Rxc5 Best: +3.56 » 18. Nd5 Kf8 19. Rxg7 e5 20. Qe3Qc5 21. Qh6 Bxd5 22. exd5 Ke8 23. Bf5 Rb8 24. Bxh7 Nxh7 25. Qxh7 Hmm,I never considered 18. Nd5 as I thought I was just giving away a piecefor a pawn for nothing. I still need to brush up on my sacrificial techniques. } 18... Nh5 { 18. ...... Nh5 - now comes a mistake on Bob's part - he tries to harassmy rook but here is gameknot's take on this:- Mistake: +2.06 » ... Nh5 18.Nd5 Kf8 19. Bxg7+ Ke8 20. Nxe7 Kxe7 21. Rg5 Rg8 22. Bh6 Rxg5 23. Bxg5+f6 24. Be3 Rg8 Best: +0.27 » ... Qc7 18. Qe2 h5 19. Rd1 g6 20. a4 Ng4 21.h3 Nf6 22. Qe3 h4 23. Rg5 Bc6 } 19. Rf3 { 19. Rf3 - Gameknot seems reallykeen on that Nd5 move as you will see:- Mistake: +0.30 » 19. Rf3 Qc7 20.Rd1 Nf6 21. Qe2 h5 22. Rg3 Ng4 23. h3 Nf6 24. a4 h4 25. Rg5 g6 Best: +2.66» 19. Nd5 Kf8 20. Bxg7+ Nxg7 21. Nxe7 Kxe7 22. Rxg7 Rg8 23. Rxh7 Rh8 24.Rxh8 Rxh8 25. Qd4 e5 26. Qd5 Qxd5 27. cxd5 } 19... Nf6 { 19. ...... Nf6 - andthe computer seems to prefer Qc7 for black .... Mistake: +2.04 » ... Nf619. Nd5 Kf8 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nxf6 gxf6 22. Qc3 e5 23. Rxf6 Kg7 24. Qf3Qd7 Best: +0.30 » ... Qc7 19. Rd1 Nf6 20. Qe2 h5 21. Rg3 Ng4 22. h3 Nf623. a4 h4 24. Rg5 g6 } 20. Rh3 { 20. Rh3 - again Nd5 is the preferred move:-Mistake: +0.17 » 20. Rh3 Kf8 21. Qd2 Rc7 22. Bd3 Rdc8 23. a3 h5 24. Rg3Ng4 25. Ne2 Bf6 26. Bxf6 Nxf6 Best: +2.47 » 20. Nd5 Kf8 21. Bxf6 Bxf622. Nxf6 gxf6 23. Qe3 Ke8 24. Qh6 Qc5 25. Qxf6 Qh5 26. Rd1 Rc5 27. Qh8+Kd7 } 20... e5 { 20. ..... e5?! - this move does finally 'allow' the move Nd5 andgameknot classes this move as an inaccuracy as follows:- Inaccuracy: +0.97» ... e5 20. Nd5 Re8 21. Ba3 Rcd8 22. Qd2 Bc8 23. Rg3 Nxd5 24. exd5 Qb7 25.f4 Bf6 Best: +0.21 » ... Kf8 20. a3 Rc7 21. Qf1 Rdc8 22. Bd3 g5 23. e5 dxe524. Rxe5 g4 25. Rh6 Qd6 } 21. Nd5 { 21. Nd5 - and I play it and gameknotis happy with it! } 21... Rd7 22. Nxf6+ { 22. Nxf6+ - but here we are, back inboo boo land! Gameknot calls this move a mistake as follows:- Mistake:+0.67 » 22. Nxf6+ Bxf6 23. Qf3 Bg5 24. Bc1 Bxc1 25. Rxc1 h6 26. Qh5 b527. Rg3 Kh8 28. Bd3 Qc5 29. Rd1 Best: +1.72 » 22. Qf3 h6 23. Rg3 Kf8 24.Bc1 Nxd5 25. exd5 Qc7 26. Qg4 g5 27. Bf5 Rdd8 28. Bxc8 Rxc8 } 22... Bxf6 23. Ree3 { 23. Ree3?! - I try to carry on with my plan of a kingside matingattack but gameknot calls this move an inaccuracy! Inaccuracy: -0.03 »23. Ree3 Bg5 24. Re1 b5 25. Qg3 h6 26. Qg4 bxc4 27. Rc3 d5 28. exd5 Qxd529. Bf5 Qd2 30. Rxe5 Qxb2 31. Bxd7 Qxc3 32. Bxc8 Qxe5 33. Bxb7 Best: +0.70» 23. Qf3 Bg5 24. Qh5 h6 25. Bc1 Bxc1 26. Rxc1 Re7 27. Rd1 Re6 28. Rf3Rg6 29. a4 Qc5 30. Kh1 } 23... Re8 24. Reg3 Re6 { 24. ...... Re6 - and anotherinaccuracy:- Inaccuracy: +1.31 » ... Re6 24. Qf3 Qc5 25. a3 b5 26. Qf5 bxc427. Rxh7 Qa5 28. Rc3 cxb3 29. Qh3 Bh4 30. Qxh4 bxc2 31. Rxc2 Best: +0.37» ... g6 24. Qd2 Bg7 25. Bc3 Qc5 26. a4 a5 27. Rf3 f6 28. Qe2 Rc7 29. Rd3h6 30. Rd1 } 25. Bd1 { 25. Bd1? - tempting, sooo tempting to try and sneaka skewer on Bob on the h3-c8 diagonal here. Gameknot calls this move amistake however. Mistake: -0.15 » 25. Bd1 Qxe4 26. Bg4 Qe1+ 27. Qf1 Qxf1+28. Kxf1 Rd8 29. Bxe6 fxe6 30. Re3 Be7 31. a4 Rf8 32. Re2 e4 33. Bd4 Best:+1.27 » 25. Qf3 Qc5 26. a3 b5 27. Qf5 bxc4 28. Rxh7 Qa5 29. b4 Qc7 30.Ba4 Rde7 31. Bc3 g6 32. Rh6 } 25... Rd8 26. Bc2 b5 { 26. ...... b5 - Bob nowtries something with his queenside pawns. Gameknot calls this an inaccuracy:+0.60 » ... b5 26. cxb5 axb5 27. Qd2 Rc8 28. Bd3 Kh8 29. a3 Qc5 30. a4 b431. Bc4 Bxe4 32. Bxe6 fxe6 Best: -0.01 » ... Rd7 Strange, no furtherinfo beyond 26. ..... Rd7 from the computer. } 27. cxb5 axb5 28. Qe2 g6 29. Rc3 { 29. Rc3 - I do not like the presence of the Wicked Witch of theWest on the c column so I decided to force her off it! } 29... Qa6 30. Bb1 { 30.Bb1 - the pawn on a2 must be defended. } 30... b4 31. Qxa6 Bxa6 { 31. ..... Bxa6- a forced queen trade to avoid dropping the rook on c3. } 32. Rc6 { 32.Rc6?! - trying to attack myself down the queenside but this move is anInaccuracy: -1.54 » 32. Rc6 d5 33. Rxe6 dxe4 34. Re8+ Rxe8 35. Re3 Rd836. Re1 Bd3 37. Bxd3 Rxd3 38. f4 exf3 e.p. 39. Bxe5 Rd2 40. gxf3 Bxe5 41.Rxe5 Rxa2 Best: -0.80 » 32. Rc1 d5 33. exd5 Rxd5 34. Re1 Bg5 35. Be4 Ra536. Bb1 Rd6 37. Kh1 f6 38. Bc1 Bxc1 39. Rxc1 Rc5 40. Bc2 } 32... Bc8 { 32. ......Bc8? - and black responds with a mistake as he retreats the bishop to itshome square. Mistake: -0.01 » ... Bc8 32. Rf3 Kg7 33. Bd3 d5 34. exd5 Bb735. Rxe6 fxe6 36. Re3 Bxd5 37. Bxe5 Bxe5 38. Rxe5 Bxb3 39. axb3 Rxd3 Best:-1.93 » ... d5 32. Rxe6 dxe4 33. Re8+ Rxe8 34. Re3 Rd8 35. Re1 Bb7 36. Bc1Be7 37. Be3 f5 38. Rc1 Kf7 39. Bg5 h5 40. Bxe7 Kxe7 } 33. Rd3 { 33. Rd3?!- I respond with a mutual inacuracy - this is meant to put pressure ond6. Inaccuracy: -0.68 » 33. Rd3 Bb7 34. Rc4 Ba6 35. Rxb4 Bxd3 36. Bxd3d5 37. exd5 Rxd5 38. Bc2 Rc6 39. Rc4 Rxc4 40. bxc4 Best: -0.01 » 33. Rf3Kg7 34. Bd3 d5 35. exd5 Bb7 36. Rxe6 fxe6 37. Re3 Bxd5 38. Bxe5 Bxe5 39.Rxe5 Bxb3 40. axb3 Rxd3 } 33... Bb7 34. Rb6 Bxe4 { 34. ..... Bxe4 - oh dear,I am temporarily a pawn down, but I will get it back over the next fewmoves. } 35. Rd1 Bxb1 36. Rxb1 { 36. Rxb1 - bishop trade. } 36... Ra8 37. Ra1 d5 38. Rxb4 { 38. Rxb4 - my rook coralls the b4 pawn and now material equalityhas been restored but I feel here that black has a positional edge. } 38... d4 39. Rc4 { 39. Rc4 - I must try and prevent a rook occupying the c column. If that were to happen I dread to think what would happen if a black rooklanded on c2. Where on earth would Fou Lenoir go for starters? } 39... Rd6 40. Kf1 { 40. Kf1 - can Henry help contain this central pawn onslaught? Weshall see. } 40... e4 41. Ke1 Re8 42. Rac1 { 42. ..... Rac1? - I try and put pressureon the c column but gameknot calls this a Mistake: -1.13 » 42. Rac1 d343. Bc3 e3 44. fxe3 Rxe3+ 45. Kd1 Re2 46. Rc8+ Bd8 47. Bb4 Rd7 48. a4 Rxg249. Ba5 Rg1+ 50. Be1 Best: -0.12 » 42. b4 e3 43. fxe3 Rxe3+ 44. Kf2 Re845. Kf3 d3 46. Bxf6 Rxf6+ 47. Rf4 Rxf4+ 48. Kxf4 Re2 49. b5 Rxg2 50. Ke4 } 42... e3 { 42. ..... e3 - luckily Bob makes a mistake and I think that it ishere that Bob allows me yet again to land a knockout punch on the ropes!Mistake: -0.17 » ... e3 42. Rc8 Bd8 43. fxe3 dxe3 44. b4 f5 45. a4 f4 46.Rc8c2 Re4 47. Bc3 Bf6 48. Bxf6 Rxf6 Best: -1.19 » ... d3 42. Bc3 e3 43.Rd1 e2 44. Rd2 Bxc3 45. Rxc3 Red8 46. a4 Kg7 47. a5 Kf6 48. Rc7 Ra6 } 43. Rc8 Re6 { 43. .......Rde6 - this move triggers a rook trade and gameknothad this to say about it:- Inaccuracy: +0.56 » ... Rde6 43. Rxe8+ Rxe8 44.Rd1 exf2+ 45. Kxf2 Rc8 46. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 47. Rxd4 Rc2+ 48. Kg3 Rxa2 49. Kf3Rb2 50. b4 Kg7 Best: -0.03 » ... Bd8 43. fxe3 dxe3 44. a4 Ba5+ 45. Ke2 Rd2+46. Kf3 Rf2+ 47. Kg3 Bd8 48. Bd4 Rd2 49. Bc3 Rd7 50. Kf3 } 44. Rxe8+ Rxe8 45. fxe3 Rxe3+ { 45. ...... Rxe3+ - at least I have gotten rid of that centrepawn menace as only one of those monsters remains. } 46. Kf2 Re8 47. Ba1 Kg7 48. a4 d3 { 48. ....... d3?! - this pawn push is injudicious as thispawn is soon gonna drop off. Gameknot called it an Inaccuracy: +1.47 »... d3 48. Bxf6+ Kxf6 49. Rd1 Re2+ 50. Kf3 Ra2 51. Rxd3 h5 52. Rc3 g5 53.Rc6+ Ke7 54. Rh6 Rb2 55. Rxh5 Rxb3+ 56. Ke4 Best: +0.76 » ... Re3 48. Rb1Be5 49. a5 Rd3 50. Ke2 Re3+ 51. Kd2 f6 52. g3 Rf3 53. b4 Ra3 54. Rc1 h6 In the best line my queenside passers are stymied by black's rook. Although there are no more further mistakes, my advantage accumulates steadilyover the next 20 moves until it becomes a winning one. } 49. Bxf6+ Kxf6 { 49. ...... Kxf6 - both dark square bishops have been traded and my planis to round up that advanced d pawn. } 50. Rd1 Rd8 51. Ke3 Ke5 52. Rxd3 { 52. Rxd3 - mission accomplished. } 52... Rb8 53. Kd2 { 53. Kd2 - after Bob declinesa rook trade, wisely so as I am a pawn up, Henry goes to the queensideto try and support my connected passers and guide them to Glendadom. } 53... Rb7 54. Kc2 Ke4 55. Rc3 f5 56. Kb2 { 56. Kb2 - Hmm, I carried out my plan butI am getting a little worried about Bob's kingside pawn majority, I justhope he does not manage to squeeze out a passer there! } 56... g5 57. a5 { 57.a5 - passed pawns must be pushed. } 57... Rb5 58. a6 Ra5 { 58. ..... Ra5 - I anticipatedthis move. Now I did some calculating and worked out that the h2 pawn,looking so innocuous on that square would spell Checkmate for Bob. Thegist is - the rooks will be forced off the board. Bob's king would bediverted to the queenside to eat up my pawns, in the meantime Henry wouldgo over to the kingside and eat some nice tasty black p(r)awns and therewould remain the h pawn. Here we go ..... } 59. Rc4+ Kd5 60. Ra4 Rxa4 61. bxa4 { 61. bxa4 - remembering the K & P ending loss against Near-MasterDynamic Dave I did analyse this trade very carefully, but I do have reasonto feel happy with this kind of K & P ending! } 61... Kc6 62. g3 { 62. g3! - Ithought that this move was essential to prevent Bob from forming a pawnchain extending from h6 to f4 and getting a kingside passer should Henrygo for the h6 pawn. The computer gives my score here as +1.83 so at thevery least it is an OK move. } 62... Kb6 63. Kc3 Kxa6 64. Kd4 { 64. Kd4- onward goes Henry, towards those black footmen as planned. } 64... f4 65. gxf4 gxf4 66. Ke4 { 66. Ke4 - the f pawn is well and truly doomed. } 66... f3 67. Kxf3 { 67. Kxf3 - Bob tries to gain a tempo by luring Henry down the board. But alas for him, it will not wash! } 67... Ka5 68. h4 Kxa4 { 68. ..... Kxa4 -I was half-expecting h4 here but I think I can still win from there. } 69. Kg4 { 69. Kg4!! - I think this move is the killer. Henry will move ontothe h file and head straight for the pawn on h7 and eat it. He will thenhave enough time to step onto g7 and escort the h4 pawn safely to Glendadomwhere he will have a very tearful reunion with his wife before they roundup Bob's king. However, Henry was denied this reunion by Bob waving thewhite flag on move 71 (my positional score was +13.44 - resignation justified)so Henry had to be content with his footman to accompany him on his longvictory march home rather than Glenda - but at least he survives to fightanother battle - hope you have had a good read folks - bye for now - Joanne } 69... Kb5 70. Kh5 Kc6 71. Kh6 1-0

[Event "play chess 17"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "30-Apr-08"] [Round "-"] [White "anatoliy"] [Black "just_some_guy"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1321"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1380"] { enjoy. } 1. e3 { i think this is slow. } 1... e5 2. a3 { ?? i see no reason asof now } 2... Nf6 3. h3 { ?? once again no reason. } 3... d5 4. d4 exd4 { i decided toopen the center as i have more develope ment and i was in the mood forsome fun } 5. exd4 Qe7+ 6. Be3 Bf5 { still a decnt game for black and whiteis still developmently behind } 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. Nc3 O-O-O { hoping to put therook under the queen. } 9. Bb5 Ne4 { i should take care of b7 but i thoughti was better on the offensive } 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Ne5 { his knight findsa nice home } 11... Rd6 12. Na4 c5 13. c3 cxd4 { hoping to reopen the center. } 14. Bxd4 f6 { gotta boot the knight, plus reveal my discoverd check. heshould let the knight die } 15. Nf3 Nxc3+ { good-bye queen. } 16. Be3 Nxd1 { resignation is in order } 17. Rxd1 Re6 { further my pin } 18. O-O { doesn'tmatter. } 18... Rxe3 { a sacrifice to get in. } 19. fxe3 Qxe3+ 20. Kh1 Bd6 { startinga very fierce attack. } 21. Rfe1 Qf4 { threating bxh3 } 22. Nc3 { not stoppingme } 22... Bxh3 { another sacrifice. } 23. Rd4 { he decides not to take.? } 23... Bxg2+ { fine more fr me. } 24. Kxg2 Qg3+ 25. Kh1 Qxf3+ { resignation is definitlyin order. } 26. Kg1 Qg3+ 27. Kf1 Qh3+ { moving him around to win the rookas well. } 28. Kg1 Bh2+ 29. Kf2 Bg3+ 30. Ke2 Qe6+ { ahh there we go } 31. Kd3 Qxe1 { one won rook. } 32. Rxd5 Qd1+ 33. Kc4 { this ones too easy. } 33... Qg4+ 34. Kb3 Qe6 { its pinned now to trade off the knight } 35. Kc2 Be5 { attackingthe knight he has no way to gaurd the rook } 36. Kb1 Bxc3 { he now resigneda little late i think but it was still his best move } 0-1

[Event "A Barroom Brawl"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "23 May 2018"] [Round "-"] [White "archduke_piccolo"] [Black "janakaliyanaara"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1846"] [TimeControl "3d + 2d < 5d"] [WhiteElo "2122"] { This is the first of the three most interesting games of mine from CharlesHiggie's Commonwealth Games Mini-T for 2018. As of this moment, with nearlyall of the games completed, I am in line for a gold or silver medal... This game features castling on opposite wings, and a huge sacrificialattack to open lines and get at the Black King, But it doesn't quite goto plan. Not ... quite... } 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Bf5 { Already, somethingof a departure from 'normal lines' by Black. A knight development or ...e6seems more 'likely'. I figured that Black wanted to have his bishop outsidethe pawn chain with ...e6 to follow shortly. I was right about that... } 4. O-O { No reaon not to carry on as normal. } 4... e6 5. c4 { Issuing the firstchallenge against Black's centre. That White has allowed Black so farto build a big centre is in keeping with a general plan of counter-attackingand placing Black's centre under pressure. Let us see how that develops. } 5... d4 { Plausible and reasonable - releasing the tension between c4 and d5,and claiming an even bigger slice of the centre, and placing a very slightcrimp on White's Q-side. But there are downsides to this advance, Black'scentral position is apt to become fixed and rigid, having to be supportedfrom the rear. Black could equally well have played a knight move, tokeep the tension. A judgement call. } 6. Nh4 { This in my view was the majordownside of Black's previous move. Recalling that one should avoid movinga piece twice in the opening, and the knight on the rim is dim - here wehave more immediate considerations overtaking general principles. Whiteplans to exchange knight for bishop on f5, disrupting Black's pawn structure. Black can not respond to that plan on account of White's threat to playBxb7, winning a rook. At the end of the sequence, you will find that anytime White loses is trivial. } 6... Nc6 7. Nxf5 exf5 8. d3 { It might have beentempting to play Bxc6, now that I look at it, but it didn't really crossmy mind. I did think of 8.Qa4, though, with a similar idea in mind toeffect that exchange. The purpose of such a move would be to scramble Black'spawns, justified by the disappearance of Black's light-square bishop. 40-50 yeras ago, I probably would have played it. Today, I decided tokeep the bishop. } 8... Nf6 9. e4 { (!) Now White issues a more direct challengefor central control. The GK engine prefers 9.Qa4, but beg leave to disagree! } 9... fxe4 { Probably best, though Black did have an alternative in 9...dxe3 e.p.with these possibilities: [A] 10.Bxe3 Bd6 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Bxc6! bxc6 13.Qf3,with a fine game; or [B] 10.fxe3!? Qd7 11.Nc3, unclear. } 10. dxe4 { Black'scentral control - and even his control of the central and Q-side dark squares- are of little concern to White, as he has reason to expect somethingof his mobile K-side pawn majority. } 10... Be7 11. f4 Qd7 { I did think Blackwould have castled (K-side) instead. True, after 11...0-0, 12.e5 wouldhave been an inconvenience to Black, but so it will be anyway. But perhapsBlack was already apprehensive of a White K-side assault and was preparingto duck over to the other wing. But,,, check out which way White's pawnsare pointing! A harbinger? } 12. e5 Ng8 { Only move. } 13. Nd2 O-O-O { Atfirst sight, castling Q-side makes a lot of sense: White has more spaceon the K-side; the heavy pieces are lined up behind Black's central passedpawn. How much prospect is there for White to build up an attack? } 14. a3 { I thought that White's prospects on this wing weren't too bad at all! From this modest move, White prepares a major attack, directed at theBlack King. } 14... Nh6 { Remobilising the knight. It has reasonable prospectson f5 or g4... } 15. b4 { During this game I near as a toucher played 15.Bd5(...Qh3 16.Nf3 Ng4 17.b4 ... with an attack building). It is a very strongmove - endorsed by the Gameknot engine, which regards it as superior tothe move I actually chose. But this was one of those instances in which,having found a good move, I wasn't fully satisfied with it and looked aroundfor a better. Well, I didn't really 'look around' for it: this pawn thrustis what I really wanted to play. Finally I persuaded myself that objectivelyspeaking this pawn sacrifice to open lines was at least as effective asthe bishop move, and went for it. } 15... cxb4 16. axb4 { The GK engine suggested16.Qa4, but I wanted to open files first, even at the cost of a pawn. Qa4 is on the schedule, sure! And soon. } 16... Bxb4 { Of course, 16...Nxb4 17.Rxa7would have been unpleasant for Black. } 17. Qa4 { So quickly has White developeda menacing position. The immediate threat is to win a piece by 18.Bxc6... 19.Qxb4. Hence Black's reply. } 17... Bc3 { Counter-attacking the rook in thisway looks very plausible, as it saves the piece with an apparent gain oftime. But there was an alternative in 17...d3! This gave Black the bale-outafter 18.Bxc6 of 18...Bd4ch, saving the piece. But White could have improvedby 17...d3 18.Nb3! ... (Preventing ...Bc5ch) 18...a5 (adding protectionfor the bishop against Bxc6 Qxc6; Qxb4) 19.Be3 Nf5 20.Bb6 d2 fen='2kr3r/1p1q1ppp/1Bn5/p3Pn2/QbP2P2/1N4P1/3p2BP/R4RK1w' White has the edge in a highly complicated position, after 21.Rfd1. } 18. Ne4 { (!). Of course, 18.Rb1 was quite playable, and in fact was myoriginal intention. But having found this sacrificial continuation, justas strong, I couldn't resist. White is having most of the fun, here, but,complicated as the position is, Black is not completely bereft of resources. White has to go all out for attack. Interestingly, the GK engine callsthis a mistake. I don't think so. We'll come back to this. } 18... Bxa1 { Ofcourse. In effect Black is saying 'Show me.' Quite rightly. } 19. Nc5 Qe7 { (?) But this really is a mistake. I was expecting the correct move,19...Qc7, here, with this sort of continuation: 20.Nxb7! Qxb7 21.Bxc6Qb6ch 22.c5! or 20...Kxb7 21.Bd2 ... 22.Rb1ch. White would have obtainedthe edge anyway, but Black makes it easier. } 20. Ba3 { Lining up a 'maskedbattery' against the Black Queen, and discovering the rook's attack onthe bishop at a1. } 20... d3 { Although the GK engine calls this a mistake, itwas rather a clever move, as now 21.Bxc6 could have been met by ...Bd4ch. 20...Qc7, would not have been very much of an improvement after 21.Rb1! ======= Now, two or three moves ago, looking ahead to this position,I had intended the simple and good 21.Rxa1, with the best part of a winninggame. Once again I found a 'better' move. Only it turned out not to bea better move after all. } 21. Nxb7 { (??) A spectacular move, especiallyas White is already a rook down, but it compromises a huge advantage. The right move was indeed 21.Rxa1. So beguiled was I with this knightsacrifice in earlier lines, I thought is would be good here, too. ButI had made one small oversight - and an easy oversight it is to make, andall. } 21... Qxb7 22. Bxc6 Qb6+ { So far, per spec. Now, we just block the check... } 23. c5 { ... thusly, and we just have to endure a desperate counter-attack,then round up the Black King. But by now I had spotted what I had misseda move or so earlier. I waited, sweating and sitting on my thumbs, forthe retribution... } 23... Bd4+ { (??) Who says there isn't luck in chess? Thisis the move I had anticipated when I went into this line. It looks soobvious, doesn't it? Saves the 'en prise' bishop, and with check intothe bargain, so the Queen can also be rescued. Black gets to keep hisextra rook. How could there possibly be a better move? 23...Rd4!!, that'show. Maybe I could still have won the game afterwards, but I wasn't lookingforward to having to pick myself up and start again: 23...Rd4 24.cxb6 Rxa4 25.Bxa4 Bd4ch 26.Kg2 axb6 27.Bb5, threatening Bd6ch and a possible matingattack. } 24. Kg2 Bxc5 25. Bxc5 { A decoy sacrifice... } 25... Qb2+ { ...which Blackdared not accept on account of the two-move checkmate that would have followed. } 26. Rf2 Qb1 { The Queen has to stay on the b-file. No better would havebeen 26...d2. } 27. Qa6+ { Now comes the forcing process to finish. Blackonly seems to be the exchange ahead. A rook and the knight are out ofthe game, so Black is really playing two pieces down. } 27... Kc7 28. Be4 { Aquiet move in the middle of the attack, pinning the d-pawn, but, more importantly,freeing the queen from having to protect it, and making the c6-square availablefor the queen. } 28... Rb8 { Now White has a forced mate. But what else couldBlack have played? The threat was Qxa7ch Kc8; Bb6 and Black would havehad to give up the queen to prevent immediate mate. } 29. Qc6+ Kd8 30. Be7+ { A decoy sacrifice to finish. } 30... Kxe7 31. Qd6+ Ke8 32. Bc6# { In true sportingfashion, Black played the game out to checkmate. This game was a goodstart to the Mini-T, a fun game to play, but not without the odd stumble. } 1-0

[Event "Well played game ends abruptly "] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.04"] [Round "-"] [White "hendrikoldtimer"] [Black "yoshark"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1504"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1804"] 1. e4 { This is probably one of my better wins though White did throw itaway at the end. I had some fairly interesting plays this game. Letsstart with the typical opening. e4 } 1... c5 { My typical response to e4 afterI learned to play the Sicilian back 4 years ago. } 2. b4 { The wing gambitthe only gambit that I can recall of the top of my head for the Siciliandefense. I believe the idea is for white to try to keep his d-pawn. Whiteshould be able to almost always form the ideal pawn center with this opening. I see no reason to not accept this sacrifice. } 2... cxb4 3. a3 { white planson opening the file for his rook and allowing the development of the dsbto the a3-f8 diagonal where it plays influence on the development of thee pawn due to the somewhat undermining Bxf8 Kxf8. I decided that I don'tlike that plan so instead I decide to start my move on the center and developif axb4 with the move e6. } 3... e6 4. axb4 Bxb4 5. c3 { A decent reply whitegains the center for now with d4 next move and forces me to expend thetempo I gained from whites axb4. } 5... Be7 { I decided on this move because Iwanted to set a solid defense with a Scheveningen style structure for black. Whites central pawns will end up marching at some point via e5 or d5. So I plan on having my bishops in a defensive style for the moment andwhat for my chance to counter attack. } 6. d4 Nf6 { Attempting to get whiteto play e5 so d6 can come with a possible pawn exchange not to mentionif I can get my knight set up on d5 could be good for me. The downsideto this move order is white has the potential to increase the squeeze onblack. Example being e5 Nd5 c4 Nc7 where black plans d6 or d5 in orderto break things open. } 7. Bd3 d6 { Adopting my counterattacking structure.I feel fairly flexible with this set up. } 8. Nf3 O-O { I want to get myking away from potential checks along the e8-a4 diagonal though Bd7 wasalso possible I have the idea of possibly moving my bishop to b7 insteadto attack d5, and put pressure on e4. Keeping the flexibility alive. } 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Na3 a6 { Taking back control of the b5 square though I feelthat my pawns will be weak after my eventual b5. } 11. Re1 b5 { ? in hindsightI forgot about the pin on the a8 rook though I didn't have a whole lotof choice I could have played b6 first maybe. The point being I want toget my bishop into the action and fast. } 12. Nxb5 Bb7 { Now white must expenda tempo to keep the knight. I haven't lost my passed pawn as of yet. whichI would believe blacks advantage at the moment. } 13. Na3 Qc7 { Developmentand attack of the c3 pawn. Black is now ready to begin the attack on thecenter that I have been preparing for. } 14. c4 e5 { My idea was to exchangeon d4 or have the possibility of playing Nc5 to attack whites bishop onc3 and possible win the e4 pawn. If white decides to close down the centerwith d5 I can play Nc5 and eventually have the plan of f5 to bust openthe center. } 15. Bb2 Rab8 { I feel that having the potential to attack thebishop on b2 could be good for me. I also have the possible plan of unbalancingthe position which you will see in a few more moves. } 16. Qd2 { Protectingthe b2 bishop. } 16... exd4 { I want to get my d7 knight out. } 17. Nxd4 { I believethis is the better of the take backs the knight does well on d4 but thisis what I wanted from white. } 17... Nc5 { My knight finally comes to the c5 squarewhere it has a threat on the d3 bishop and the possible plan of Nxd3 Bxe4or Nxe4. } 18. f3 { White defends from this threat but now my plan I mentioneda few minutes ago comes into play. First thing is to remove the defenderof the b2 bishop. } 18... Nxd3 19. Qxd3 { Now that the b2 bishop is undefendedI can attack the b2 bishop. } 19... Bxe4 { !? here is the plan i mention a fewminutes ago. White won't take back with the rook or queen because I canjust play Nxe4. White now must deal with the reality of the lsb's attackon his/her queen. } 20. Qe2 { I think this is the best of what white canplay. But how does black continue now? } 20... Bd3 { Walking more into the firewhite must again deal with bishops attack on the queen he can try Qxe7Qxe7 Rxe7 Rxb2 and both sides have fairly dynamic position. I think Imay slightly favor white in that position. But I thought that white mayhave the better of it when I played Bxe4, but I couldn't resist. } 21. Qd2 { White's decision attempts to make everything work out well for him. If Bxc4 Nxc4 and I'm in big trouble. It keeps the defense of the dsband if white gets to many move he may find a way to defend everything. } 21... d5 { I plan on however supporting my bishop with dxc4 or Nxd5 after cxd5in order to add protection to my e7 bishop. } 22. Qxd3 { White finally decidesto exchange. } 22... Rxb2 23. Rab1 { Continues the exchange white is probably hopingfor Rxb1 Rxb1 dxc4 Nxc4. } 23... Bxa3 { The in between move. } 24. Qxa3 Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Qxc4 { and now for the moment black is up two pawns and everythingis defended. Whites counter play is his activity. } 26. Nf5 { I was seeingsparks from white here with the interesting combination attempt Ne7+ Kh8Ng6+ winning the rook on f8. I can't move my rook via e8 or c8 due to thenasty fork Nd6. } 26... g6 { ?! I don't like this move now my idea was that oncewhite plays Ne7 I could defend with Kg7. } 27. Qb2 { now things are startingto feel very uneasy. White seems to have formed an attack out of my passiveposition for the moment. } 27... d4 { I sac a pawn in the hopes of trading offqueens here. Thought there is another reason for this sacrifice. } 28. Nxd4 Qc5 { and here it is now white is at least pinned down for the momentand it gives me a few moves to try to come out of my passivity. } 29. Rc1 { Attempting to free himself. } 29... Qe5 { another pin. trying to give myselfsome time or hopefully some breathing room from a move from white. } 30. Qf2 { And here it is the pins are done but whites attack has been slightlyweakened black now has the opportunity to come out of the shell a little. } 30... Ra8 { I deiced on getting my rook where it belongs with the idea of pushingmy passed pawn and gain the initiative. } 31. Nc6 { White response by slowingdown my pawns advances. } 31... Qb5 { adding protection to my pawn. } 32. Qd4 Kg7 { yes my knight is now pinned but I couldn't come up with any other wayto deal with the problems I plan on trying to trade queens in order torelease the tension on my position. } 33. Ne7 { Stopping my plan of Qd5. } 33... Qd7 { now I believe I forced my trade of queens due to Qe5 Qe6 and I thinkI get my queen trade, or release of my knight from the pin. } 34. Qc3 { ??white blunders } 34... Qxe7 { White resigns. Would have been interesting to seethe rest of the game played out. If white hadn't blundered away the knight. } 0-1

[Event "King trap"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "dmaestro"] [Black "NN"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1560"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qe6 5. Nf3 { A speculative move, seekingto exploit superior development } 5... exf4+ 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O g5 { Black wantsmaterial compensation for retarded development } 8. Re1 Bd7 9. d4 Qg6 { Whitebegins the attack... } 10. Nd5 Kd8 11. Bd3 Qg7 12. Qe2 { Pile up on the e-file } 12... f6 { defending the pawn } 13. c4 { the start of a plan to open up the longdiagonal for the dsb. } 13... Nc6 14. b3 h5 15. Bb2 Bf8 { An attempt to spare thedsb but White eyes the long diagonal. } 16. Rad1 { Prepares for an attack } 16... Nh6 { 16 ...Nh6?? is a serious tactical miscalculation. Now Black is subjectedto a series of tactical blows. } 17. Nxf6 { 17. Nxf6! Exploits the long diagonalif the Knight is captured. } 17... Bb4 { An attempt to complicate } 18. Nxh5 { Usefulin between move } 18... Qe7 19. d5 { Logical followup. } 19... Qc5+ { Only chance for complications } 20. Kh1 Rg8 21. dxc6 { Exploits the virtual pin on the bishop } 21... bxc6 22. Nf6 { Still exploiting the virtual pin } 22... Bxe1 { Black takes the rook befoereit moves } 23. Nxg8 Nxg8 24. Qxe1 { White ends up a piece up and still exploitsthe virtual pin. } 24... Kc8 { Black tries to escape the pin. } 25. Bd4 { White drivesoff the Queen and prepares a possible queenside attack on the king. } 25... Qf8 26. Nxg5 Kb7 { Black's king is looking for safety, but... } 27. Qa5 { Whiteties up the rook and prepares to trap the king } 27... Nf6 28. c5 { Threatens totrap the king } 28... Nd5 { Not much better at this point, but now White startsthe final attack. } 29. Ba6+ { Sets up mate threats on the b file } 29... Kb8 { Nowonly the Knight defends the king against mate, so... } 30. Be5 { Threatensthe Knight and then mate at either b7 or c7. } 30... Qd8 { Defends c7 but... } 31. Rxd5 { Black resigns, once the Knight is gone, check on the b file leadsto mate } 1-0

[Event "Working of advantages"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "johnpbro"] [Black "joegrez"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1036"] [WhiteElo "1145"] { This game was a lot of fun and I just felt like analyzing. It was a realtactical fight and it was a good overall game of chess. } 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d6 { This is the French Defense going into what's called the Lengfellnersystem. White has something of an advantage here due to greater controlof the center - the battle here will come on the fifth rank rather thanbetween the fourth and fifth rank, which threatens Black much more. } 3. Nc3 c6 4. f4 Be7 { White has three pawns in the middle of the board in attackingposition, while Black is in a more reserved position, with his bishop weakerthan White's engaged knight. } 5. b3 Nf6 6. Bb2 { I have previously beenon the record as criticizing the fianchetto but have come around. White'sfianchetto is set up, while Black has likewise gotten better by gettinghis knight involved, though his bishop is pinned in. } 6... O-O 7. e5 { Whitecould do some more positioning but would rather attack the middle of theboard before it gets clogged with Black's pieces. } 7... dxe5 8. dxe5 Qxd1+ 9. Rxd1 Ng4 { White has eliminated both e-pawns, traded queens, and got hisrook involved far earlier than normal. Here it's a good thing. Blackis going to try to harass White with his knight. } 10. Rd3 Nd7 11. Be2 { White'sknight was moved to try and combat a fork he foresaw from the knight, andis now attacking the knight, while Black is trying to move his second knight. } 11... Nh6 12. Nf3 Nf5 { White has chased Black's knight back and gotten his ownknight involved, setting up to castle and get all pieces involved in theposition. } 13. O-O Bc5+ { A harmless check meant to keep White's king fromgetting too close, trying to pin it back in the corner. } 14. Kh1 Ne3 15. Rc1 Nd5 { Black's knight is trying to harass White's position and vaguelythreaten it. White has had enough and wants to free up his well-positionedbishop on b2. } 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. c4 { White does not like the vaguely threateningBlack pawn position and would like to throw a wrench into it. } 17... Nb6 18. cxd5 Nxd5 19. Rxc5 { Black has left his bishop en prise and White has alsomanaged to destroy Black's pawn position, though at a cost of leaving hisf-pawn undefended. } 19... Nxf4 20. Rd2 Ne6 { Black has retreated and althoughWhite's pawns are rather more scattered than Black's, his pieces are muchmore involved. } 21. Rc1 b5 22. Rxc6 Bb7 { Black figures he wants his fianchetto,and will get it at whatever cost, but foolishly wastes a pawn. } 23. Rc1 h6 24. Bxb5 Nc5 25. Rxc5 { More and more pieces just waiting to be pickedoff. } 25... Bxf3 26. gxf3 { This is one of the dumber moves Black has made. Blackshould, when already down so much, conserve whatever pieces he can. Entirelyunnecessary trade. } 26... Rab8 27. Bc4 g5 28. e6 { White's attack is coming. } 28... fxe6 29. Bxe6+ Kh7 30. Rc7+ { White's continual checks drive Black's kingtoward the middle of the board. } 30... Kg6 31. Bf7+ { A blunder, though Whitewill at least get a rook for his two pieces. } 31... Rxf7 32. Rxf7 Kxf7 33. Rd7+ Kg6 34. Rxa7 { Picking off Black's last pieces. } 34... Rf8 35. Ra6+ Kh5 36. Kg2 { Black's king dangerously pinned in. } 36... Rf4 37. Rd6 Rf8 38. Kg3 { White tryingnow to move in for the kill. Black's king has no moves. } 38... Re8 39. Bd4 Re2 40. a4 { White is missing the checkmate possibility and is just annoyinglykibitzing with Black. } 40... Ra2 41. Ra6 Rd2 42. Be5 Rd5 43. Bg7 { White FINALLYsees it. } 43... Rd3 44. Rxh6# { Notice how White got a small advantage (a piece,positioning) and exploited it, trading pieces to make the advantage moredramatic. } 1-0

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.20"] [Round "-"] [White "abdalmoneem"] [Black "rc1976"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1627"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1665"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { this is called Petrov defense. } 3. d4 { Petrov, modern (Steinitz) attack. } 3... exd4 4. e5 { this is themain line. } 4... Nd5 5. Qxd4 c6 6. c4 { c4?! } 6... Nb4 { Nb4! threateningNc2+ forking the white king, queen and rook. } 7. Qd1 d5 8. a3 N4a6 9. Nc3 { putting more pressure on d5. } 9... Be6 10. cxd5 Bxd5 11. Nxd5 cxd5 12. Qa4+ { Qa4!! } 12... Nd7 { if instead12....Qd7 then 13.Bb5 Nc6 14.Bxa6 bxa6 15.Qxa6. } 13. Bxa6 bxa6 14. Qxa6 Nc5 { 14....Nc5?? better was Be7 or Bc5 and castle. } 15. Qc6+ { 15.Qc6+!!! } 15... Nd7 { the best move as 15....Ke7? 16.Qxc5+ and if 15....Qd7?16.Qxa8+. } 16. Qxd5 h6 { still better Be7. } 17. O-O Be7 18. Qe4 O-O 19. Qg4 { threatening 20.Bxh6! } 19... Kh8 20. Rd1 { nowblack knight dies. } 20... Nxe5 { the best as if 20....Nf6 21.Qa4 Nd5 22.Qb3 andthere is no escape for black knight. } 21. Nxe5 Qa5 22. Nc6 Qc5 23. Nxe7 { white doesn't mind exchange pieces as he is upwith 4 pawns. } 23... Qxe7 24. Bd2 Qe5 25. Bc3 Qg5 { forcedto prevent 26.Qxg7# } 26. Qxg5 hxg5 27. Rd5 f6 28. h4 gxh4 29. Rh5+ Kg8 30. Rxh4 Rac8 { i think betterwas Rad8 or Re8. } 31. Rd1 Rf7 { waste of time. } 32. Rd3 { white isready to double his rooks on the H-file. } 32... g5 33. Rh6 Kg7 34. Rdh3 Rcc7 35. Rh7+ Kg6 { bad move and loses another pawn.Black should have played 35....Kg8 or Kf8. } 36. R3h6+ Kf5 37. Rxf6+ Rxf6 38. Rxc7 Rd6 { better was Ra6. } 39. Rxa7 Rd1+ 40. Kh2 g4 41. a4 Rf1 42. a5 Kg5 { ifinstead 42....Rxf2 then 43.Rf7+ and black rook dies. } 43. Kg3 Rh1 44. Rg7+ Kf5 45. Rxg4 Rh5 46. a6 Rh8 { hereblack resigned as white will play 47.Bxh8 leaving the king alone. Anyway,blackwould have lost this game. } 1-0

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "Don't know"] [Round "-"] [White "Roman"] [Black "I don't know"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "0000"] [TimeControl "Don't know"] [WhiteElo "0000"] { My first game. } 1. g4 b6 2. e4 d5 3. Bh3 e6 4. g5 { A free pawn. } 4... Qf6 { Whatthe F...! } 5. Bg4 { Man i sucked! } 5... Nd7 6. h4 Be7 7. Qf3 Ba6 { WOW! } 8. g6 { :( } 8... Qxb2 { HUH?!?!?!?!?! } 9. Bxe6 { BUMMER! } 9... Qxa1 10. gxf7+ Kf8 { HE STINKED! } 11. fxg8=Q# { I can't understand why i played so bad! } 1-0

[Event "Over Easy"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "04-Feb-09"] [Round "-"] [White "dmaestro"] [Black "easy19"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2232"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1624"] 1. e4 { Another loss to easy. Here I have a decent game up to my 17th move. At that point, I overestimate what the open lines will do for White andBlack respectively. Followed by some other blunders, after which Whiteresigns on move 29. } 1... e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. g3 { Designed to pressurethe center. } 4... dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bf6 6. Ne2 { It is not clear that taking the bishopoffers white anything in this type of position. I hoped to transpose tosome favorable Queens Gambit type position. } 6... Nd7 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O Ngf6 9. c4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 c5 { Black strikes back at the center. } 11. Bg2 { Be3developing was probably better. I wanted to avoid tactical shots at thebishop. } 11... O-O 12. Be3 e5 { Surprising, but forcing white to make a choiceabout the center. } 13. d5 { This (d5!?) was risky but I thought offeredmore winning chances. Normally, I would have played dxc5, trying to exploita 3-2 queenside pawn majority. I think that would have been better. } 13... Qb6 14. b3 f5 { As anticipated after d5. } 15. f4 { After f4!?, White's planwas to fix the Black's kingside pawns before Black is fully developed,hoping to gain an advantage. } 15... e4 16. g4 { The idea behind f4, g4! is notbad if properly executed. White would retain kingside possibilities andthe passed 4-3 pawn majority in an ending . } 16... Nf6 { ...Nf6! I did not expectthis move, I anticipated the more passive ...g6. } 17. gxf5 { Here is thereal blunder, 17 gxf5? I did not give this move enough thought, becauseI had expected ...g6 and thought White's pressure on the KP after Ng3 gaveWhite a good game. Instead, g5 offered kingside chances. } 17... Ng4 { Ng4! Ofcourse. Black does not need to worry about the f pawn. } 18. Bc1 { Bc1? Anotherblunder. Bd2 is necessary to contest the diagonal and free the QR afterBf6. } 18... Bf6 19. Rb1 Bxf5 { At this point, White's blunders give Black a realadvantage. An intended Ng3 fails to Bd4 ! } 20. h3 { White tries to getsomething for the exchange. } 20... e3 21. hxg4 Bxb1 22. Bxe3 Rae8 { Not thatfar behind materially. But now another unexpected move, Re8! White wouldlike to take the b1 Bishop, but losing the dark square bishop is too higha price. There isn't much choice anyway. } 23. Qxb1 Rxe3 24. Bf3 Qd6 25. Qc2 Be5 { 25...Be5?!! An unexpected, even shocking move. White should staycalm and even against a chessmaster make Black prove the sac is sound,if for no other reason than otherwise White simply loses. But White istoo frustrated with the rapid turn of events to remember this basic rule.After 26 PxB, QxP 27 Kg2 White may be able to draw. } 26. Be4 { Tantamoutto resigning . } 26... Bxf4 27. Bxh7+ Kh8 28. Nxf4 Rxf4 29. Bf5 { Far too late. } 29... Rg3+ { White resigns. } 0-1

[Event "Undone by a Vacation"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.04.13"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "splott"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1637"] [TimeControl "5d+2d<7d"] [WhiteElo "1903"] 1. e4 { A mini-tournament game, I'm white and begin with the Open Game. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { Ruy Lopez. I get to attack! } 3... d6 4. O-O { Black playedthe Old Steinitz defense, known for its cramped but solid positions. Ihave an old book, by Leonard Barden called The Ruy Lopez, Winning Chesswith 1P-K4. It's one of only two opening books I own. It offers only avery brief analysis in passing, but it says the Old Steinitz is passiveand fallen into disfavor, and 'it is most forcefully countered by white'smaintaining the option of castling on either wing' - well, I already blewthat, didn't I? The book says 4. d4 and 5. Nc3 are called for. Of course,much may have changed in 46 years, since the GK DB seems to believe themove as played is a strong choice. } 4... Nf6 5. d3 { Can't trap the LSB behindthe white pawns, so 5. d3 does an excellent job of defending e4. } 5... a6 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. d4 { Until this loss of tempo, that is. But 5. ... a6 changedeverything in the center, so it seems prudent to challenge that center.White ould love nothing more than to play dxe4 and isolate black's doubledpawns on the c-file, though I'm sure black won't allow that. And the pawnon e4 is safe enough with no defenders. } 7... exd4 8. Qxd4 { An active queen.I love that. Put her in the center and watch her work. It's nice when she'ssafe from attack, too. } 8... c5 9. Qd3 { Ok, now she's safe. } 9... Be7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Re1 Bg4 12. e5 { Not a good idea for black to take the pawn on e4, isolatinghis c-pawns. } 12... Nd7 13. exd6 { Now white's rook seizes an open file withouteven moving. Lazy rook. } 13... cxd6 14. Bf4 { two-on-one attacking the pawn ond6. } 14... Nf6 15. Ng5 { This move makes many threats. The obvious checkmate onh7, though that is currently defended. The threat of 16. Ne4 putting three-on-twoattacking d6. and it also allows for 16. Nd5 which forks black's knightand bishop. A triple threat. } 15... Bh5 16. Nd5 { White decides to start withthe fork. Of course, black cannot capture 16. ... Nxd5??? because thatknight is needed to defend h7. Black is actually in a world of hurt becauseof 15. ... Bh5?. His other bishop on e7 is attacked twice and needs a defender,but if 16. ... Re8, 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 (or gxf6) 18. Qxh7+ Kf8 19. Qh8#. Betteris 16. ... Bg3, threatening white's queen, but 17. Nxe7+ wins a piece forwhite. However, black postponed his games and took some vacation time,leaving me in suspense for many days while he was gone. } 16... Nxd5 17. Qxh7# { My guess is that black came back and had a whole long queue full of gamesawaiting his moves. This move, 16. Nxd5??? sure looks like it was rushed.In any case, it was the one move black couldn't make, but he did. I'llblame his vacation for distracting him. } 1-0

[Event "[Tournament] Experiences with the Reti Gambit, Part II"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "03.08.2011"] [Round "-"] [White "Sebastian Falbesoner"] [Black "Johann Flanitzer"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1745"] [TimeControl "2h/40moves + 30min"] [WhiteElo "1610"] { Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to present another tournament game thatshows the power of the Reti Gambit, a very cool and effective anti-Frenchopening! It took place about two months after the legendary 'Ratten Tournament2011', where I could try out the Reti for the first time in a tournamentgame with success (see the Part I of the annotation series: http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/tournament-experiences-with-the-reti-gambit-part-i?gm=40285).The tournament was called 'Auhof-Open' and this time, the opponent wasmuch stronger because I got a huge ELO increase of +195 in the meantime(official ELO ratings are only updated twice a year: 01.01 and 01.07) andtherefore played in a higher-rated tournament class. I could score quicklyright in round one and was of course very happy about it, also regardingthe 135 ELO difference to the opponent. So, let the fun begin... } 1. e4 { For a detailed description of the first three moves (and Whites fourthmove), see the annotation of Part I of this series! } 1... e6 2. b3 d5 3. Bb2 dxe4 4. Nc3 f5 { The standard theory move here is the logical 4... Nf6.I don't know if the pawn double-step (that obviously is primarily doneto keep the won pawn) here is sound, as it kind of contradicts elementaryopening rules, namely that you shouldn't make too many pawn moves but insteaddevelop your pieces quickly in the first stage of the game! This is especiallyessential when you accepted a gambit and therefore sacrificed developmentand initiative for material. Note that White already has two minor piecesdeveloped, one of them being a bishop sitting on a mighty long diagonal,while Blacks fellows are all lazy in the back-camp so far. So my guessis that 4... Nf6 is better, but I have to check out what the literature(Thomas Johansson - The Fascinating Reti Gambit) says about this line sometimesin future, I don't own this book yet. } 5. d3 { Challenging Blacks strongpawn centre, threatening to win the pawn back. } 5... exd3 { Black does me agreat favour and takes, and now I can develop another minor piece in thenext move. Note that the opponent only made pawn moves so far, in the firstfive moves! Maybe 5... Nf6 would have been better, leading to the possiblecontinuation (not computer-checked yet): 6. dxe4 Qxd1+ 7. Rxd1 fxe4 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10. Rd4 Bc5 11. Rc4 0-0 12. Nh3, with attackingchances for both sides. } 6. Bxd3 { Three pieces out versus zero. Blackstroops are still sleeping (or celebrating, because of the won pawn). } 6... Nc6 { Finally, Black starts to develop. } 7. Qe2 { A logical move, since it preparesto castle queen-side (which is done most of the time in the Reti gambit-- the rook has an excellent place on the open d-file, where the opponentsqueen is sitting) and it also threatens Bxf5, winning the pawn back andleaving Black with an ugly isolated pawn. } 7... Nd4 { I remember that I kindof overlooked this move that attacks my queen. But well, since the opponentmoved his horse twice (breaking another opening rule), it also doesn'thurt for me to move my lady another time, regarding development. } 8. Qd2 { 8. Qe3 would have been worth considering, probably. I'm not sure whatI was afraid of. } 8... Bb4 { Develops another piece and pins my knight. It looksquite dangerous, considering that queen and king are in the target lineof his evil bishop, but on the other hand, it isn't too easy to exploitthat. } 9. O-O-O { White has almost finished development now, only one pieceneeds to move to have nice position with connected rooks. Note that Blackstill needs at least four moves to accomplish the same. } 9... Nf6 { Black isready to castle king-side now and can place this knight on the strong squared5, where the pressure on my knight on c3 would increase. } 10. Nge2 { Thelast missing piece gets out and challenges Blacks horse in the centre!At the time playing I avoided 10. Nf3 because if Black decided to take,10... Nxf3 gxf3 would have corrupted my pawn structure. But now I realise,that the open g-file could have been very useful then, considering Blackprobably castled king-side so maybe it would have been worth it! Anyway,this way it was also not bad, as we will see soon. } 10... Nxe2+ { I guess it wouldhave been wiser for Black to get his king to a safe place, instead of helpingWhite by freeing the queen from the pin comfortably and remove clutterfrom the powerful d-file, empowering the rook. For example, 10... 0-0,11. Bxf5 exf5 (... Nxf5? Qxd8, Rxd8 Rxd8+, winning the Exchange), 12. Qxd4(or the more dangerous Nxd4), with an about equal position. } 11. Qxe2 { Stilla pawn down, White clearly enjoys the superior position now. The immediatethreat is Bxf5, winning the pawn back and simultaneously attacking thequeen. } 11... Qe7 { Blacks queen decides to go out of the firing line. } 12. Rhe1 { Increasing the pressure on the half-open e-file and renewing the threatBxf5. } 12... O-O { Finally, also Blacks king gets to a safe place -- at leastfor some time. Note that the idea of attacking the knight on c3 anothertime, thinking that it can't move because the rook on e1 is exposed thenand one could win the Exchange, fails and leads to the loss of a piece:12... Nd4 13. Nxd5 exd5 (the queen was attacked!) 14. Qxe7+ Bxe7 (now thebishop is back again, and pinned) 15. Ba3! and the bishop is history. } 13. Bxf5 { Yes, this still works, the bishop waited a long time for hismove! Material is even now again. } 13... Bxc3 { ? Weakens my queen-side but losesthe pair of bishops and throws away a piece that was quite active. } 14. Bxc3 Qa3+ { Okay, this is what he had in mind -- unpinning the pawn on e6with check, trying to punish the bishop on f5 for using a simple tacticaltrick before. Good idea (that I overlooked), but it doesn't work. } 15. Bb2 { Of course I have to keep the queen occupied. The at first sight morelogical 15. Kb1?? would lose a piece, 15... exf5. } 15... Qxa2 { Yes, it costsa pawn. The queen looks dangerous here on this square, so close to my king,but in fact she isn't doing any harm at all. } 16. Bxe6+ { I get the pawnback immediately in the centre. } 16... Kh8 { My guess is that 16... Bxe6, tradingthe undeveloped bishop against my very active one and connecting rooks,would have been stronger. } 17. Bc4 { This way I decide to keep my strongpiece. } 17... Bg4 { I was glad at that point that my f2-pawn still exists. } 18. f3 Bh5 19. Qe7 { All hail to the 7th rank! Threatens Rd7 (threatens mateon g7 in turn) the next move; if ... Nxd7??, then Qxg7#. Notice the hugeimpact the mighty bishop on b2 has in this position! } 19... Qa5 { ?? The finalblunder that loses the game. Looks good as it defends the c7 and triesto get the queen back into the game. However, it enables White to playa devastating... } 20. Re5 { ... double attack! Note that Rd7 was probablystill a playable option, though one has to be careful not to leave therook on e1 undefended that is eyed by Blacks queen now! However, this way,involving simple tactics, seemed to be more safe and simple (and, lustbut not least, fun!) to me. } 20... Rfe8 { A last straw, hoping that I apply thewrong move order. } 21. Qxe8+ { Of course, 21. Rxa5?? Rxe7 would not havewon anything. } 21... Nxe8 { I have no idea why he didn't take with the rook, whichseems to be much more natural to me, compared to take a step back to thefirst rank with the horse, leaving the bishop undefended. } 22. Rxa5 { Whiteis a whole rook ahead now in material. } 22... Nd6 { ... } 23. Rxh5 { Small gifts will best maintain friendship ('Kleine Geschenke erhalten die Freunschaft', as we say in German). Black wisely decided to resign at this point. This is another game which shows how powerful and fun to play the Reti gambit can be. I'm pretty sure my opponent has lots of experience with the French defence and has played hundreds of games with it with the standard theory (following the normal 2. d4 d5), and if I played the, let's say, advance variation (3. e5), like I did in earlier times, he probably would have played much stronger and killed me. However, with this nice anti-French gambit, I could nicely squeeze out an advantage right from the beginning and improve it more and more with quite simple moves. Feel free to comment! } 1-0

[Event "Blitz nº1 (proof)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "Thu Dec 02 10:10:35 PST 2010"] [Round "-"] [White "damalfi"] [Black "pastsia"] [Result "1-0"] [TimeControl "5/5"] { This is just a first try, in order to see how difficult and time-consumingcan be to report (manually) a game from yahoo. It is not a particularlygood game. } 1. d4 f5 { We had played some games previously, and our openingscheme was already set. He liked the dutch, I love the London attack. Sowe went for it. } 2. c3 { 'Too passive!' 'Self blocking move!'. Yes, butmy plan is to attack strongly on the kingside, so I need to have the queensidecompletely locked. Of course, all this holds in a blitz game where I moreor less know my opponent's way of playing. } 2... g6 { ...assuming the blockadeof the black diagonal. } 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Bf4 { The caracteristic move for white('my way'). Bg5 is a waste of time, since Nf6 unpins the e pawn for black. Moreover, now black can have either a N or a B in g5 at any moment. Hecan kick them out very easily (h6), but weakening the kingside, and youknow, a moment can be enough. } 4... Nf6 5. h4 { I don't care about a possibleNg4. I know that the Dutch 'must' be attacked soon and strongly. And thatif black has some weak point, it is the h column. The a2-g8 diag can beeasily covered with e6... } 5... b6 { Black takes it easily. The h4 move didn'ttell him what I am thinking... } 6. Qb3 { I'm not doing really anything,but I must make him defend. } 6... e6 7. e3 Bb7 8. Be2 Nc6 9. Nbd2 { All are normaland quiet developement moves. But black, in my view, must get to o-o-o,or to attack the queenside (far from it), but he seemed to think that heis all-right, so he castled kingside. } 9... O-O 10. h5 { I didn't even thinkabout it. The other rook is coming soon. If I o-o-o first, he can suspectsomething... and take some countermeasure. You know, this is blitz... } 10... Nxh5 11. Rxh5 { without thinking it twice. } 11... gxh5 12. O-O-O { Enough? I don'tknow, really, I like to play in an 'attack or die' fashion, when no seriousprize is on the table. } 12... a5 { At last black weakens up! But... } 13. a4 Ne7 { Just to allow BxNf3 and loosen a little the pressure. But it doesn't help. } 14. Rh1 Qe8 { This move just loeses a tempo in a position where correctdefence is badly needed. } 15. Ng5 { Ok, so after Ng6, it was unclear howI could have won, but it would have been another game. Of course, afterBxg2, Bxh5 then Rg1. } 15... Nd5 { Blocking the queen's action and threateningthe dsb. } 16. Bxh5 { Of course } 16... Qe7 { Of course. Now, the move that makesthe game interesting. Nothing special, but still... } 17. Nxh7 { Black doesn'thave to take the knight. NxBf4 is nice, and probably white loses. But,if he do takes it... } 17... Kxh7 18. Bf7+ { Yum yum! } 18... Bh6 19. Bxh6 { ...and thisis the second one. If Rxh6+, Kg7 and 'nothing happens'... except whiteloses a piece. But this way, if black takes f7 with the queen, Bxf8+, andprobably wins due to Qd1, coming into the action. The game followed somemore moves, but finally white won. } 1-0

[Event "Safe behind Pawns?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "oodle"] [Black "chesscrazy"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 { Hello everyone. This game gives you a debate of whether castlingis good or not. Are you safe behind your wall of Pawns? You might be. Troubleis, these Pawns might start rebelling! Don't get what I mean? Well, youwill later... } 1... c5 { Black is kicking off with the Sicilian Defence. } 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { This is not that common, unless playing the Ruy Lopez. Regular third moves for white are Nc3, Bc4, or maybe d3. Black shouldnow play 3.... Nb4! escaping the threat although a6 is common in most juniorgames. } 3... a6 { This move is debatable. It does chase the bishop away, butif 4. Bxc6 dxc6 Black results with doubled pawns. 4. ... bxc6 would stillbe the same, except the half-open file would be the b-file, not the d-file.Note that non of black's king-side pieces have been developed, making itdifficult to castle. } 4. Bxc6 { Retreating the bishop with 4. Ba4 is sillyas the bishop has to waste time running away, whilst back can catch upwith the development with 4. ... Nf6 or even attack the bishop a secondtime with 4 ... b5! } 4... dxc6 { Black is forced to reply, resulting with doubledpawns. Black has all his pieces in bed, and his only piece that had comeout was the knight, now taken, leaving white to move. } 5. O-O { White immediantlycastles into saftey. Another option would have been 5. Nc3. } 5... Nf6 { Blackdevelops his second knight. } 6. Nc3 { 6. Nc3 defends the e4 pawn. Notethat 6. d3 is also OK. } 6... Bg4 { This move pins the knight but white wouldnot have doubled pawns as 7 ... Bxf3 8. Qxf3 resulting an advantage forwhite. Also, this enables blacks DSB to come out after 7. ... e6 does notblock Black's LSB. 7 ... e5 is also another option as 8. Nxe5 would resultin 8. ... Bxd1 winning the Queen. } 7. d3 { Supporting the e4 pawn and allowingWhite's DSB to develop. } 7... e5 { In order to get Black's DSB out and get Black'sking into saftey. Again, 8. Nxe5 is not an option as Black would replywith 8. ... Bxd1, winning the queen. } 8. Bg5 { Developing the bishop andpinning the knight. Serves black right for pinning white's knight! } 8... Bd6 { Developing the bishop, preparing to castle. } 9. h3 { Chasing the bishopaway. Note that 9. ... Bxf3? removes the pin. } 9... Be6 { The bishop returnsto home and supports his friend, the other bishop, launching effectiveattacks. Note that black's LSB is much more mobile and active than Black'sDSB. } 10. Qe2 { White connects his rooks and gets the Queen into play. } 10... O-O { Black gets his king into saftey by castling, or is it really safe? } 11. Rad1 { White gets his Rook from the corner into the centre and intothe game. } 11... h6 { This move is also debatable. This messes up the kingside,but since white has done that too, so what's the problem? White shouldnow play Bh4!! keeping the pin on the knight. Retreating down the longdiagonal is a bad idea since the knight can now move into play withoutthe queen being taken. } 12. Bh4 { Keeps the pin steady and ready. You mightthink that 12. ... g5?! is disastrous for White. Actually, it's more disastrousfor Black than White, as you will soon find out... } 12... g5 { ?? This opens upBlack's kingside. Now white can do a quick trick involving getting White'squeen into the game and swapping a piece for two important pawns. } 13. Nxg5 { !! 13. Nxg5!! Absurd, or is it? Two pawns for a knight is a goodswap as Black's king is now vulnerable to attack. If 13. ... hxg5, Whitereplys with 14. Bxg5! And if 13. ... Nd7, then 14. Nxe6 is as good as ever.14. ... Qxh4 results with 15. Nxf8. } 13... hxg5 { An option that's not that good,but what's better? Completely ruins the King-side. Black's pawns are dyingfor White's pieces! } 14. Bxg5 { And will you look at this, it still keepsthe pin! Now when the knight has vanished, the White Queen can get intothe game. } 14... Be7 { Breaking the pin! Good move, though now Black's LSB iseven less mobile, with only one square to move to if attacked (d6). } 15. Bh6 { !! This move attacks the Rook and forces the Rook move onto the e8square. } 15... Re8 { This move is forced. } 16. Qe3 { White can now play 17. Qg5+or 17. Qg3+, both as good as ever, both leading up to Qg7#. There is onlyone reply. } 16... Nxe4 { Black sacrifices the knight in order to stop checkmate.Now both queen checks can be taken by the knight. Even when the knightis taken, black does not stop preventing mate. } 17. dxe4 { This also opensthe Rook to fearsome double-attack of mate and the capture of the queen! } 17... Bh4 { This move leaves the Queen under attack and capture, but it preventsmate. For a while, anyway. But what's more important, the game, or theQueen? } 18. Rxd8 { Better take the Queen anyway! Black has lost his mostprecious piece! } 18... Raxd8 { Black uses magic (only kidding) to get his rookinto the game. } 19. Qxc5 { Threatening 20. Qxe5 followed by 21. Qg7# } 19... Bd7 { Protects the pawn but does it protect the threat? } 20. Ne2 { White hopesto get the knight into the game. } 20... Re6 { Black attacks the bishop. Notethat after 21. ... Rxh6 22. Qxe5 does not lead to mate, as there is nobishop to help. } 21. Be3 { Returning to safety. } 21... b5 { ?! This move has nouse. Probably Black didn't think of anything else to do!! } 22. Ng3 { Gettingthe knight into the game, ignoring 22. ... Bxg3. } 22... Bxg3 { ?! Dubious move.White now replies with 23. fxg3. Doubled pawns do not matter, since theRook gets into the game. } 23. fxg3 { Prepare for the most magical phraseof all: THE ROOK IS IN THE GAME!!! } 23... Rg6 { Grabbing pawns at this time ofgame is absurd. Black needs to concentrate on the game. White is winningby six points at the moment. } 24. Qe7 { !! Creating a triple attack onthe d7 bishop, the d8 rook and the f7 pawn. } 24... Rf8 { The rook protects thef7 pawn. This is as 25. Qxf7+, is followed by 26. Qxg6. Sadly, the bishopwill be lost. } 25. Qxd7 { Say bye-bye to the bishop. Sorry, Black. } 25... Rxg3 { Again, grabbing pawns is absurd. I mean, now White is eight points ahead.Black has more things to worry about! } 26. Bc5 { Attacking the Rook withthe bishop, forcing the Rook to move, leaving the f7 pawn threatened. } 26... Rb8 { The Rook moves to one of the two only safe squares for it to go to.Notice how if Black had played 26. ... Rg7?? is followed by 27. Bxf8! winningthe rook as if 27. ... Kxf8 had been played, White would have followedwith 28. Qd8# mate. } 27. Qxf7+ { White is beginning to carry out a matingsequence. Has Black got a way to stop it? } 27... Kh8 { Forced move. } 28. Rf6 { Threatening a killer threat, 29. Rh6#. Black can not stop it with 28.... Rg6, as if 29. Rxg6 there is no escape, so this time Black moves... } 28... Rxg2+ { !! This is the only move delaying the mate by quite a bit. Noticeif 29. Kxg2 is followed by 29. ... Rg8+. I was a bit silly then, and Ionly found this out after the battle. The best move was actually 29. Kf1,as if 29. ... Rg1+, White can reply with 30. Bxg1 solving the problem. } 29. Kxg2 { As I said, I was very silly then and I didn't know that wouldhappen. } 29... Rg8+ { Nice move. Notice how 30. Qxg8?? is a big blunder, as thegame could end quickly is White doesn't sacrifice his queen. } 30. Kf3 Rg3+ { And Black sacrifices his second rook in order to delay mate. } 31. Kxg3 { Notice how if none of the queenside pawns were there, then this positionwould have been stalemate? Well, luckily, there are pawns that can move,so it serves Black right. Either the result would be 31. ... a5 or 31.... b4. } 31... b4 { Black feeds his pawn into the path of the bishop. Well, sadly,there is no time to greedily grab the pawn... } 32. Rh6# { And, unluckiliyfor Black, white wins. Well, I win. I'm 18 points up (and the game up,of course.) So, have you enjoyed my annotated game? And have you everthought about the negative side of castling? Have a think. and I shallreveal the answer in the next annotated game of mine. I hope you haveenjoyed my annotated game. Goodbye... @oodle } 1-0

[Event "League division D3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.04.08"] [Round "-"] [White "spglenn"] [Black "john70"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1347"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1229"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { I'm anotating this little minature becauseI was shocked by the way that black missed my obvious threats. Insteadfocusing on getting one peice to retreat ignoring the real attack thatwas being built up. It opens as a Sicilian Defence. } 3... g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 Nf6 { Still remarkably a by the book opening } 6. d3 { I move d3 to createa stronger centre and to allow development of my black bishop. } 6... O-O 7. Ng5 { Putting pressure on the h7 square that I don't expect to remain therefor long. In the end I'm proven wrong on that assumption } 7... a6 { Ok so thereis an option to force my advance bishop or knight to move. I was expectingh6 to be used first however. } 8. Bc4 { Moved to safety but at the same timedoubling the threat imposed by the knight on g5 as now there is dangeron both f7 and h7. } 8... e6 { That is the threat from the bishop and knight doubleteam on f7 dealt with } 9. Bf4 b5 10. Bb3 { Black still wanting the bishopon the Queen's side to move while ignoring the knight right in front ofthe King's defences. So I withdraw keeping up the threat that is imaginedby my opponent. } 10... d5 11. e5 { He advances another pawn on that diagonal whilstleaving the h file still relatively weak. That waekness is increased asI threaten the knight the only defender of the weak h7 square. } 11... Nd7 12. Qf3 { Knight is withdrawn to one of its two safe squares and my Queen isready to advance into the fray, threatening to get to h3, then the pounceon h7. } 12... c4 13. dxc4 Ndxe5 14. Qh3 { 12. ... h6 is yet again the best optionfor black, but again is overlooked for a vain attack on the white bishop,who yet again is able to flee. However the pawn capture is not an exchangeon c4 with a threat by the knight to capture the queen instead. Who willflee to where she was heading anyway h3. } 14... dxc4 { ?? Again the obsessionwith the bishop when h6 is required. } 15. Qxh7# { The failure to move h6at any point from the 6th move is the reason this miniture ended as itdid. Black was obsessed with white bishop down the Queen side, made fourpawn moves to threaten it and two to block its line to the king. } 1-0

[Event "The Claws are Out"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.12"] [Round "-"] [White "jelly939"] [Black "fatcat2"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1431"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1547"] 1. d4 { Revenge match, my Arch-Rival vs me. } 1... d5 { Last time I tried 1...Nf6,and he played an irritating and boring line (how can he manage both!?)which took all the fun out of my subsequent King's Indian Defence. So thistime, it's 1..d5 for me. } 2. c4 e6 { Classical Queen's Gambit Declined,aimed at maintaining a pawn in the centre and opening a line for Black'sdark-squared bishop. The oldest response to the Queen's Gambit, and 2ndmost common in GameKnot's database (after 2...c6, the Slav Defence). } 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 { Tartakower Variation, releasing the pin on Black'sknight. Otherwise, all main line QGD. } 5. e3 { Lasker Variation, openingup a line to develop White's other bishop. 2nd most common in GameKnotdatabase, after main line 5.Nf3. } 5... O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 { Adding some more backupon the f6-knight. Black's light-squared bishop will be fianchettoed. } 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Bd3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 b6 11. Be4 Rb8 12. Qc2 Nf6 { Black's position is solid, and ready for anything White might throw atit. White doesn't bother. } 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Be2 { He offered a draw. I accepted.Why? Well, it looked like an equal position to me, and the draw made myrating go +4.5 and his -30.5! What do you think, people? Is this positionequal? } 1/2-1/2

[Event "The Art of the Closed Position"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "07-Dec-08"] [Round "-"] [White "sykonot"] [Black "mybookrunsdeep"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2001"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1873"] 1. c4 { I chose to annotate this game because I think it is a good exampleof how a few passive moves by a player can lead to a positional advantagefor his opponent. } 1... c5 { I always choose the symmetrical variation of theEnglish as I know it well and the Botvinnik setup is not as effective. } 2. Nc3 { As usual, my annotations are for players who have more than a basicunderstanding of the game. If you dont understand the basic opening movesthat I leave unannotated, there are several good books out there. } 2... Nc6 3. Nf3 { If White were to continue to maintain flexibility with his king'sknight, by playing 3.g3, then I would continue the symmetrical motif. Here I decide to play a 'Botvinnik' setup myself, although it's technicallycalled the Wedberg variation when black adopts it, after Swedish GM TomasWedberg. } 3... e5 4. g3 { 4. e3 and 4. d3 are all main lines also. } 4... g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O Nge7 { The plan is to castle and play ...f5 or ...d5 at somepoint, depending on which setup White adopts. } 7. Rb1 { Play typically continueswith 7. d3, although we do transpose back to the main variation. HereWhite wants to play a3 followed by b4, to break apart the bind on the d4square. } 7... d6 8. a3 a5 { Sensibly preventing b4. } 9. d3 O-O 10. Bd2 { Not themost critical variation. Other moves are Bg5 and Ne1. } 10... Rb8 11. Re1 { Thisis what we in the chess world call 'weak sauce'. There are four alternativesthat are critical in the position, the most interesting in my opinion is11. Qa4 Be6; 12. Ng5 Bd7; 13. Nge4 Nd4; 14. Qd1 Bc6; 15. b4. } 11... h6 { Preparingto play ...Be6 without having to worry about Ng5. } 12. Qc1 { Here I hadanticipated 12. e4, when Black has the ...f5 break and the initiative. I would say it's probably dynamically equal or very slightly better forBlack. At any rate Black has won the opening battle and achieved easyequality. } 12... Kh7 13. Qc2 { 13. e3 is interesting here, although, black hasno problems after 13...Bf5. } 13... Be6 { I considered 13...Bg4, but decided thatI was going to play ...f5 and wanted to keep the Bishop behind the pawns,rather than swap it for the knight of f3. } 14. Rbd1 { I am kind of confusedat this move, maybe White was thinking he was going to play e3 and d4. Its possible to reroute the dark-squared bishop to b2 via c1 after b3also. White's play is slow and I decide to begin a kingside attack. } 14... f5 { Not possible is ...d5, when 15. cd Nxd5; 16. Nxd5 Bxd5; 17. Qxc5 justdrops a pawn for no compensation. } 15. Nb5 { Better is 15. e3. } 15... f4 { Now16. e3 gives Black a huge initiative after 16...fg; 17. fg Bg4; 18. Rf1e4!?; 19. de Ne5. } 16. e4 { The center is now closed and the White rooksare both made poor. White's position lacks any dynamic aspect and he willhave to sit while I crank up the pressure on the position. Admitting thepositional mistakes with 16. Rf1 seems to be better. White can at leasthold for the time being. } 16... Qd7 { finishing development and linking the rooks. I also had the idea of bringing a rook to the d-file as to relieve myqueen of the defense of the d-pawn. } 17. Bc3 { Get's out of the way of therooks, but White has no pawn breaks in the position. In this type of position,if you don't have any breaks, you dont have any play! } 17... g5 { With the situationin the center and the Queen's wing under control, I start to use my intiativeon the kingside. } 18. Nd2 { Gets out of the way of the ...g4 push and preparesto play f3 to mitigate the Black pawn storm. } 18... g4 { Pressing on! } 19. Qa4 { f3 or gf is better. This allows Black to completely seal the White position. } 19... f3 20. Bh1 { Bf1 is to be preferred, although it really doesnt matter atthis point. } 20... h5 { The plan now is to break through on the h-file. } 21. Nf1 { Routing the knight to e3 will give it some much needed activity. White'spieces are basically dying. } 21... b6 { Keeping everything solid, although thea-pawn was untouchable as after Bxa5, ...Ra8 wins. } 22. Ne3 Bh6 { not somuch threatening to trade minor pieces, but to control the f4-square asI had ...h4 planned. } 23. Qc2 Nd4 24. Bxd4 cxd4 25. Nf1 { 25. Nd5 is better,although after ...Nxd5, White still cant get anything going. } 25... Rbc8 { Threateningto win a piece with ...Qxb5. } 26. a4 h4 { Commencing the attack. } 27. gxh4 { Clearing g3 for the knight, but also clearing ...f4, which is much moreuseful...to me. } 27... Ng6 28. h5 Nf4 29. Ng3 Bg5 { Now begins a repositioningof forces which will mop up the h-pawn and threaten to break through onthe h-file. } 30. b3 Kh6 31. Qa2 Rcd8 { The idea behind 16th move comes tofruition. The queen will go to ...f7 and after ...Nxh5, the h-file invasionwill be decisive. } 32. Qc2 Qf7 33. Qb2 { Planning to play Qa3 to tap thed6-pawn. } 33... Rh8 { Getting ready to infiltrate. } 34. Qa3 Qd7 { simply defending. } 35. Qb2 Nxh5 36. Nxh5 Kxh5 { after the coming ....Kg6 White is mated. Asample variation could run: 37. Ra1 Kg6; 38. Rb1 Qh7, and no matter whatWhite does, his king cant get off the first rank in time due to my controlover e2 and d2!!! } 0-1

[Event "Blood N Guts"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.06.12"] [Round "-"] [White "blake84120"] [Black "amateurke"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "528"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1979"] 1. e4 { My first finished game in a full month. I've been slowing the pacedown a bit, feeling a bit overloaded with all the games and working onmy novels. This game began on Feb 09, 2009 and ended on Jun 12 2009, morethan 4 months for 31 moves, but despite my deliberate slowing down, weplayed the last dozen moves in the last month. Side note: my opponent andI were similarly rated 4 months ago, but since then my rating rose a fewhundred points and my opponent deliberately resigned scores of games, droppingalmost 1200 rating points below his 6 month peak. Cleaning house, he calledit. He did not resign this game because it was a team match - he playedout all his team matches. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { The Ruy Lopez, my favorite. } 3... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O { Ordinary stuff so far. The Morphy Defense. } 5... b5 6. Bb3 { Black opts for The Wing Attack. } 6... d6 7. c3 { I think 7. Re1 is mainlinehere, but the move as played has the best results in the GameKnot DB andgood results in the World DB so I gave it a try. This ends my book knowledgeof the Ruy. Heck, at least I got through 6 moves in my head, that's about4 more moves than I give most other openings... } 7... Bg4 8. d3 { According tothe world DB, 7. ... Bg4 has been tried only 3 times out of 65 games inthe DB, is the weakest response with the lowest rating of players who choseit and the highest win percentage for white. Feeling like I'm moving downa strong opening, I opt for 2nd best here, playing 8. d3 instead of theslightly more recommended 8. Re1. Either way, the white pawn at e4 needssome defense now that white's knight on f6 is pinned. I prefer defendingpawns with other pawns, not with rooks - though in this case white's rookon f1 has nothing better to do, so I can see why either is fine, but Istick with my preference. } 8... Be7 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. h3 { Still following theDB, 10. h3 only gets 5 out of 61 games, but is chosen by players fully100 rating points higher than 10. Re1 and has a better win percentage forwhite. As long as my opponent is following the DB, I'm happy to do thesame. I know my opening knowledge is very weak, way too weak to play OTBat my current almost-expert rating. I assume if he's following the DB he'splaying good moves, and if I try to wing it, I'm likely to die horriblyin the opening - I'd rather learn from the experts, play their moves, andget into a viable middlegame where both players are competing skill vs.skill. Opening knowledge will gradually sink in. I hope. As for me, I gothis route not only because the DB recommends it, but because it attacks.I'm like 'Old Blood N Guts' Patton, always attacking. Defense is for pansies(not panzers - don't confuse the two). } 10... Bh5 11. Re1 { I finally play therecommended Re1. Not much else to do. } 11... Na5 12. Bc2 { Keeping the bishoppair. } 12... c5 13. Nf1 { Who popularizd this? Was it Fischer? Ng3 by way of f1seems an excellent way to hunt the black bishop on h5. } 13... Nc6 14. Ng3 { We'restill following the DB at this point, but my opponent's 13. ... Nc6 wasthe strongest move for white that appears in the DB. I stay with the DBmyself. Besides, I like making that bishop uncormfortable. I plan to uncomfortit right off the board. } 14... Bg6 15. Nh4 Nd7 16. Nxg6 { The first move thatisn't in the DB. From here on, we have to actually play the game. I amglad to be rid of the bishop, and to gain the bishop-pair advantage. Blackgets a half-open f-file out of it. } 16... fxg6 17. a4 { Time to break up the wings.Also setting up the next few moves by enticing black's pawn to move fromb5 to b4. } 17... b4 18. Bb3+ { And now for some fun. Who said 'When in doubt,always check your opponent, it might just be checkmate?' Anyway, this checkis not the point. It's a move with tempo to set up the next move. } 18... Kh8 19. Bd5 { Pinning the knight. } 19... Rc8 20. Bc4 { Black saved his knght, but nowhis pawn is in danger. } 20... bxc3 21. bxc3 Bh4 22. Bxa6 { The pawn hangs, soI'll take it. This creates a white passed pawn on the a-file and it putsblack's rook on c8 en prise. I have no worries about black playing Bxg3,now (which would be bad for black) or later; I look forward to fully openingthe f-file. } 22... Ra8 23. Bb7 { 22. Ra8? loses the exchange for black. } 23... Bxg3 24. fxg3 Qf6 25. Bxc6 { Black didn't save his knight, so rather than winningthe exchange on a8, white gains a free knight on c6. } 25... Qf2+ 26. Kh2 { 25.... Qf2+ scared me a little. I had already discounted it as black not havingsuffient attacking material to gain an advantage here. I had worked outmany combos, and white comes out just fine through all of them. But myopponent played it, which made me wonder if I had overlooked something. } 26... Nf6 27. Bxa8 { 26. Nf6?? loses a lot more than just the exchange. Blackneeded to make some running room for his queen. But with the queen supportedby her rook on the f-file, white couldn't trap black's queen immediately.Now that file is blocked by the black knight and black's queen is trapped.White can simply play 27. Rf1? and win the black queen for a rook (howoften do I get to put a ? on winning a queen for a mere rook?). But, whitecan also play 27. Bxa8! and win that rook for free - if black recaptureson a8, 28. Rf1 still wins the queen. Black must save his queen, which willallow the white bishop to escape from a8 - or white can leave it therebecause black's queen is only safe on f2 white the black rook remains onf8. } 27... Nh5 28. Re3 { Black saved the queen, but white is working on trappingher again. If 28. ... Rxa8? white replies 29. Rf3 and black's queen islost. 28. Re3 also defends the pawn on g3. } 28... Nf4 29. gxf4 { Black tries adesperate swindle to rescue his game with a last-second checkmate. I supposewhite could have moved quickly, overlooked the weakness at g2, and continuedto play his intended 29. Rf3??? trying to trap the queen. Instead, whiteremoves the danger by capturing the knight and extending his overwhelmingmaterial advantage. } 29... Rxf4 30. Rf3 { The final straw. Black's queen is trappedwith only one valid move, 30. ... Qh4?, to which white would respond 31g3! forking rook and queen. The only alternative is trading off all theremaining black pieces on the board. } 30... Rxf3 31. Qxf3 { After the rook trade,white is going to checkmate in 1 move on f8. Black's only defense is tradingqueens. With even pawns, but a rook and two bishops to the good, not tomention a passed pawn on a4 that will be able to promote in 5 moves withno way for black to stop it, white's advantage is insurmountable and blackresigns. } 1-0

[Event "King's Gambit Accepted Training Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.10.12"] [Round "-"] [White "evilgm"] [Black "c1pe"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1660"] 1. e4 { This was a training match against c1pe and is being annotated forgeneral audiences as a way to learn/improve. c1pe had never played againstKing's Gambit before, so I thought I'd give him a run through the game. I promised him it would be lots of early, furious attacking. I believehe said something akin to , 'Bring it.' :) } 1... e5 2. f4 exf4 { All standardbook fare so far. } 3. Nf3 Nf6 { A decent progression, but off of book. Good intuitive play early for someone new to chess. } 4. e5 { a little aggravationto see how he handled the press. } 4... Ne4 { According to book play, Nh5 is thebest continuation move, but now he allows for some counterplay. } 5. d4 { It would have been better to play d3 here to force his knight away andgive me a tempo move. } 5... Nc6 6. Bd3 { now forcing a retreat, as any pawn comingforward can be captured via en passant. } 6... Ng5 7. Nxg5 { Forcing him to bringhis queen into play. } 7... Qxg5 8. O-O { Now I have king protection and leverageagainst the pawn, to allow me to equalize play soon. } 8... Nxd4 { Taking advantageof no defenders. For a new player, c1pe shows great promise with naturalattacking patterns. } 9. Rxf4 { Better than Bxf4, as I now threaten his knightand a discovered attack on his queen. } 9... Bc5 { I think moving his queen mayhave been better, but Bc5 is a good move to threaten discovered check onmy king, always a good play. } 10. Kh1 { Moving my king to safety. } 10... b6 { Thismove was a blunder. Far better to move his queen to safety, perhaps e7or d8. Now I get to take his knight. } 11. Rxd4 { going up a piece, effectively. } 11... Qxe5 { This move is the type you might make in a speed chess game or perhapswhen you are rushing moves. For all beginners, working through chess games,if there is an open rook file, never ever ever put your queen in frontof your king, because the opponent will get you every time. } 12. Re4 Bd6 { Although not a bad response, this move allows me to do some more bad things. When you are forced to make an exchange, make sure that the exchange isas much on your terms as you can allow it. Because of 10. ... b6, thenext move is possible. } 13. Bf4 { Some people might look at this move andcall it a mistake, but I think it's good play under the circumstances. We'll explore the possible options in a moment. } 13... Qxe4 14. Bxe4 { Now blackis left with some ugly choices. Save a rook and trade bishops, or tradea rook for a bishop. In retrospect, I think black made the right choice. If 14. ... Rb8, 15. Bxd6. If black retakes 15. ... cxd6, then 16. Qxc6leaves black in an ugly ugly place. } 14... Bxf4 15. Bxa8 O-O 16. Nc3 { An importantpoint in all development is to ensure your rooks can get into the game. I needed to get that knight out to free up the rook. } 16... Re8 17. Bf3 { Wantedto get my bishop back into play. } 17... Ba6 { The thought process of getting yourbishop into the game is sound, but not at the expense of going down morematerial. Much better to play Be5 and start some pawn pushing on the queenside. } 18. Qxd7 Rf8 19. Nd5 { I have eyes on his king, wanting to see if I canmake something happen, based upon black's responses. This move also threatenedhis bishop. An important point for all players. Once someone is ahead,the presumption of many early players is that it's to your advantage totrade, as the fewer pieces your opponent has, the harder it is to mounta comeback. However, the fewer pieces you have, the harder it is to checkmate. If you have an overwhelming material advantage, yes, trade away on eventerms. If you're only up by a knight, if you trade even the rest of thegame, it's a draw, as a king + knight can't checkmate squat. } 19... Bg5 20. Qg4 f6 { This move was a big mistake. I have two pieces that can threaten onwhite squares. If you must defend a bishop like this, use the h pawn instead. Far safer. } 21. Qe6+ { Now that Black's bishop is tied up and unableto come to the rescue, I wanted to see if I could induce a bad move. IfBlack makes the right move, I'll just use my knight to scarf c7 and threatensome new mate action. } 21... Rf7 { Better to go to the corner. For new players,an important point is that playing fast doesn't do you any good. Althoughit is highly unlikely Black will come back in this game, it's importantto work through the moves. Kh8 is the only move you can make here thatdoesn't give up a mate. } 22. Qe8+ Rf8 23. Ne7+ Kh8 24. Qxf8# { All in allan interesting game with a great start, but an early blunder cost him thegame. If you find yourself mistake prone, then odds are if you just slowdown and analyze a little better, you'll make better moves. I think thatwith a little patience and some games under his belt, c1pe will be a 1500player in no time. } 1-0

[Event "Simultaneous exhibition"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Grandmaster"] [Black "Amateur"] [Result "1-0"] { This game wasn't long, but it was hotly contested. The amateur playingBlack put up a strong fight. } 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 { Probably the world'soldest opening. } 3. Bc4 Be7 4. Nf3 Bh4+ { Black is not intimidated by playinga grandmaster. He fully intends to counterattack. } 5. g3 { White alao choosesan aggressive line, sacrificing more Pawns to open the lines on the King-side. } 5... fxg3 6. O-O gxh2+ 7. Kh1 { White's King is exposed, but his Rook and Bishopbear down ominously on KB7. } 7... Nh6 { A mistake by the amateur. According toanalysis by Philidor in *1749* (!), the best move is 7... B-B3. Philidor'sanalysis continued with 8 P-K5 P-Q4! 9 PxB NxP and Black is ahead in materialwith good chances to beat back the attack. } 8. d4 Qe7 { Black adds to hisdefenses of the weak KBP. } 9. Bxh6 gxh6 10. Ne5 { White must press the attack.Even if he wins 2 of Black's tripled KRP's, an endgame would be lost. Blackspassed KRP would be crushing. } 10... Bf6 11. Qh5 Rf8 { Black tries to consolidatehis defenses, but White has a brilliant attacking resource. } 12. Nxf7 { Ifnow 12...RxN, White has 13 BxRch! } 12... Qxe4+ 13. Kxh2 { White now threatensN-Q6 dbl ch, winning Black's Queen. } 13... Qxc2+ { Black is not about to go downwithout a fight. } 14. Kg3 { 14...R-N1ch can now be met with 15 N-N5 disch! } 14... Bh4+ { Black is still fighting on. But he overlooks White's move afterthe exchange of Bishops. } 15. Qxh4 Qxc4 16. Qd8# { A short, but hard-foughtwin. } 1-0

[Event "her0 VII"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.20"] [Round "-"] [White "dwardman"] [Black "dickes"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1817"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1987"] 1. d4 { I have been playing D4 for four months now after 20+ years of E4I don't know why I didn't try it earlier } 1... Nf6 { A typical response (infactI play this myself) } 2. Bf4 d5 3. Nf3 c5 { Black goes on the offensive } 4. c3 Nc6 5. e3 Qb6 { I debated offering the queen exchange here } 6. Qc1 Bf5 7. Nbd2 e6 8. Nh4 { I decide that I want the d3 square for my bishop } 8... Bg4 9. Bd3 { Mission accomplished } 9... Be7 10. h3 { Now to chase the bishop andgive my black squared bishop an escape square } 10... Bh5 11. O-O cxd4 { I wassurprised by this but it does open the c file for black } 12. exd4 O-O { Isuspect black is planninng rook to c8. I need to bring my knight back toa more active square } 13. Nhf3 Rac8 { Sure enough the Rook comes accross } 14. Qb1 Bxf3 { Black exchanges his bishop } 15. Nxf3 Rfe8 16. Re1 { All iseven at the moment but white has a little more pressure } 16... h6 17. a4 { Timeto switch focus to the queenside } 17... Qd8 18. Qd1 a6 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Nd7 21. Bf4 Nf6 22. a5 Bd6 23. Qf3 Bxf4 24. Qxf4 Qc7 25. Qe3 { I don't wantto exchange just yet } 25... Nh5 { I will deprive the knight of squares } 26. g3 Nf6 27. Kh2 Kh8 28. Kg2 { Should have moved there before } 28... Kg8 29. Ra3 Nd7 30. Raa1 e5 31. dxe5 Rxe5 32. Qd4 { Now we are moving towards an end gamewhich I believe will favour white because of the isolated Queens pawn } 32... Rce8 33. Rxe5 Rxe5 34. f4 Re7 35. Qxd5 { The pawn falls } 35... Nf6 36. Qc4 Qd8 37. Rd1 Nd5 38. Bh7+ Kxh7 39. Rxd5 { Ouch } 39... Qe8 40. Kf2 Kg8 41. Qd3 Qc6 42. Rd8+ Re8 43. Rxe8+ Qxe8 44. Qd5 { It is a matter of time, blacks best hopeis to avoid the exchange of queens and try to steal a pawn back } 44... Qe7 45. b4 Qc7 46. c4 Kf8 47. Kf3 { White is pressing forward } 47... Ke7 48. Qe5+ { Thequeens must come off and now it is a formality } 48... Qxe5 49. fxe5 Kd7 50. Ke4 Ke6 51. b5 Ke7 52. Kd5 Kd7 53. b6 h5 54. c5 g5 55. g4 h4 56. c6+ { Blackresigns. This was a hard fought game and I was very relieved to get thepoint. } 1-0

[Event "charleshiggie's mini-tournament IX"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.10.07"] [Round "-"] [White "charleshiggie"] [Black "jstevens1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1798"] [TimeControl "7d+1d<7d"] [WhiteElo "2094"] 1. d4 { When I ventured e4 against Joanne, I 'only' drew, so, playing fora win, I opened d4. } 1... d5 { She doesn't play the same openings every time,so it was no surprise that she deviated from Nf6 which she played, andlost, against me. } 2. c4 { So I played the Queen's Gambit, offering a temporarysacrifice of a pawn. } 2... dxc4 { Which is Cambrudge-based Candidate Expert accepted.It is quite sound to accept it - what is normally bad for Black is to acceptit and then try and hang on to the extra pawn. } 3. e4 { I pick a sharp variation,which scores well for white (40%) } 3... e5 { And she picks the most-played variation.If I now take on e5, she can exchange queens on d1 and then play Be6 protectingher pawn on c4. I think that would be good for Black, so I elect for anotheroption. } 4. Nf3 { This is the most played move, and scores quite highly(39%) } 4... exd4 { Again, taking on d4 is by far the most popular option, accordingto the Gameknot World opening database. } 5. Bxc4 { White recaptures oneof his pawns. Again, the most popular continuation. } 5... Bb4+ { Black againcontinues with the most popular move, but I was quite happy. In the databaseI was using, White scores 41% compared to 22% for Black and 36% draws. } 6. Nbd2 { So I continue with the tried and tested way. } 6... Nc6 { As does myopponent. } 7. O-O { I ignore the other option, a3, all the 3 games in thedatabase went to Black wins. } 7... Nf6 { This is the most common move again. } 8. Qb3 { This move was questioned by the after-game computer analysis, whichsuggested e5 as better. Certainly e5 is more commonly played at this point,but Qb3 has scored well in practice. } 8... Qe7 { This move is also questionedby the computer, but it is the only one in the opening database. Computersuggested O-O 8. e5 Ng4 9. Re1 Be7 10. e6 fxe6 11. Bxe6+ Kh8 12. Bxg4 Bxg413. Qxb7 Qd7 14. b3 Be6 as better, although I am not convinced! } 9. e5 { This advance scores well on the opening database - White wins both thegames on the world database, while the alternative, a3 only scores onedraw. } 9... Nd7 { Aha, a break from the databases! Ng4 is normally played, althoughWhite won both the games on the world database, on the Gameknot database,it is one win and one loss. So now I had a good think. Could I take advantageof the knight being on d7 rather than g4? 10. e6 fxe6 11. Bxe6 Nc5 wouldn'tbe so clever, white is losing material. But there must be something basedon e6. Hang on, what if I play Bxf7 first? } 10. Bxf7+ { So here we go. } 10... Qxf7 { Black is forced to take. } 11. e6 { White now forks knight and queen.Black's king is going to be stuck in the centre. Ideally Black would liketo exchange queens to reduce White's attacking force. However Qg8, withthe idea of exchanging on the b3-g8 diagonal doesn't work, as white takesthe knight on d7 with check, and then after black has dealt with the check,he can prevent the exchange of queens. Basically white has made the minorconcession of giving up a bishop for a knight in an open position, butin return has the balck king wandering round the centre of the board, andthere is the lovely open e file to use. Overall white has better prospects. } 11... Qg6 { So black moves her queen to a more active square than g8. From g6she may be able to muster up some sort of king side attack, with Bh3 threateningQxg2 mate. I have to be careful. } 12. exd7+ { So I recapture my sacrificedmaterial. } 12... Bxd7 { Black recaptures with the Bishop 'threatening' to castlequeen side. } 13. Re1+ { So I develop with gain of time. Black can sacrificea couple of pawns here to get the king to safety, - Be7 14. Qxb7 O-O 15.Qxc7 - in which case Black instead of having the disadvantage of havinga king wandering round the centre of the board, instead has the disadvantageof being a pawn down. } 13... Kd8 { So Black opts instead to keep wandering. } 14. a3 { White needs to complete his development, but I can't move my Bc1while I have a knight on d2 and I can't move my knight on d2 while theblack bishop has it pinned against my rook on e1. So the best solutionseems to attack the bishop. } 14... Bxd2 { Again, black had a choice. Instead ofgiving up the good bishop for a relatively inactive knight, she could haveretreated the bishop - but at the cost of losing the b7 pawn to Qxb7. Blackprefer to keep material equilibrium. } 15. Bxd2 { I was quite happy withthis position, although the computer afterwards only gave me +0.45 here. } 15... Kc8 { Black has to protect the b pawn, but maybe it would have been betterto play b6. In general the defending side should try and avoid pawn moveson the flank he or she is defending, but here there are opposite colouredbishops, and generally, all other things being equal, black needs to putpawns on black squares to enhance the scope of her bishop and limit thescope of white's. Also maybe black could put her king on b7 and allowher Ra8 to develop along the back rank. } 16. Bf4 { So white continues todevelop. Black is going to find it hard to develop the Ra8 to any meaningfulsquare. If she could exchange the positions of her king and Ra8 she wouldhave a fine position. } 16... Rf8 { Developing with gain of time. However I wonderif maybe Re8 was better, not allowing white uncontested control of thee file, and, in some variations, exchanging one of the powerful white rooks. } 17. Ne5 { White attacks the black queen. } 17... Nxe5 { So black exchanges knights. } 18. Bxe5 { White doesn't have to recapture with the bishop, even thoughit was attacked by the rook on f8, as 18. Rxe5 Rxf4 19. Qg8+ wins for white.However it was nice to attack the pawn on d4. } 18... Bc6 { Black threatens mateon g3. } 19. Bg3 { Which white easily parries and also opens up the e fileagain for the rook. } 19... d3 { Black hope to get play with her one big asset,her passed d pawn. Although the computer doesn't critiize this move, Ican't help thinking Re8 was better, rather than to allow white uncontestedcontrol of the e file. } 20. Re7 { So let's threaten the c pawn! } 20... Bd7 { Thecomputer criticizes this move, and suggests Kd8 20. Re3 Kd7 21. Rxd3+ Kc822. Rad1 a5 23. Qc3 Qf7 24. f3 Ba4 25. Bd6 Bxd1 26. Bxf8 Qxf8 27. Rxd1,although I can't really see why white has to retreat the rook on move 20,rather than just take the pawn on c7, or play something like Ra-e1. I thinkthere are other improvements too, and white doesn't seem to have much advantageat the end of this line! With the game continuation, black bishop looksa bit silly, moving back and forward between c6 and d7. } 21. Rc1 { Andnow white threatens c7 again, for another direction. } 21... c6 { This loses, itis mate in 5 now. Computer recommends Qb6 21. Rxc7+ Qxc7 22. Bxc7 Kxc723. Qc3+ Kd6 24. Qe5+ Kc6 25. b4 Rf5 26. b5+ Kb6 27. Qd4+ Ka5 28. Rxd7Rxb5 29. Qc3+ Kb6 30. Qxd3 although white is clearly winning here. } 22. Rxd7 { The winning sacrifice. White threatens Qxb7 mate. Other defences,such as Rb8, b6 or b5 also lead to mate just as quickly - see http://gameknot.com/chess-puzzle.pl?pz=30122 } 22... Kxd7 { So black may as well take. } 23. Qxb7+ { but now the black king isdreadfully exposed. } 23... Ke6 { Retreating doesn't help. If Ke8, Re1 or Kd8 Qc7.The game is up! } 24. Rxc6+ { You may be forgiven for thinking I was goingout to win her queen, but I had a bigger fish to fry! } 24... Kf5 { So the kingkeeps running. } 25. Qb5+ { And now it is mate next move. Black resigned.I hope you liked the game. Please leave a comment or two and please don'tforget to rate my annotation! } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from volkswagen"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.06.01"] [Round "-"] [White "volkswagen"] [Black "freefallife"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1265"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1215"] 1. e4 c5 2. d4 { I disagree with this move as White ends up losing a tempoafter Qxd4. There is the possibility of the Morra gambit. } 2... cxd4 3. Qxd4 { Giving black a tempo } 3... Nc6 { Developing with the attack on the queen } 4. Qd3 Nf6 5. Bg5 e5 { Pins the knight, but better than having doubled pawnson the king side } 6. a3 Bc5 7. Nf3 d6 8. b4 { Hmm, white is pushing pawnswhile not fully developed. } 8... Bb6 9. b5 Nd4 { I was hoping for 10. Nxd4 Bxd411. Ra2 Be6 and the rook is trapped } 10. Nc3 Bg4 11. Be2 Rc8 { Buildingup on the c3 knight } 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Nd5 Qd8 14. c3 { playing Rb1 wouldhave been better before this move, in my opinion, as it limits my knight'ssquares to run to. In any case, I was eyeing the c5 square as a nice outpostfor the knight } 14... Nb3 15. Rb1 Nc5 16. Qe3 O-O 17. Nxb6 Qxb6 18. h3 Bh5 19. c4 { A bit of an inacuracy...Qa5+ will now win me a pawn } 19... Bg6 20. Bd3 Qa5+ 21. Nd2 Qxa3 22. Bc2 { The decision to trade off the queens here is a badone for white. He ends up with doubled pawns on the e file. The choice,for me, was easy. } 22... Qxe3+ 23. fxe3 b6 24. O-O Nb7 { Not being able to finda way to get at the e4 pawn, I decided to try for c4 instead. } 25. Nf3 Na5 26. Nh4 { white gives up another pawn? } 26... Nxc4 27. Nxg6 hxg6 28. Rfe1 { Protecting e3, but I had better plans for the knight } 28... Na3 { Forking thebishop and rook. White's position is falling apart. } 29. Ra1 { Ra1?? White'sfatal mistake. Loses a bishop and a rook for a knight. } 29... Nxc2 { White resigns } 30. Rec1 Nxa1 0-1

[Event "Challenge from capa1"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.08.07"] [Round "-"] [White "capa1"] [Black "avecya"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1491"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1547"] 1. e4 c5 2. b4 cxb4 3. Bb2 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. d4 Bf5 6. Bb5 Qc7 7. Nf3 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 e6 10. O-O Be7 11. Nbd2 Nh6 12. Rc1 O-O { Black has wonthe opening. Black is a pawn ahead. White has played too passively. } 13. c3 bxc3 14. Rxc3 Qb6 15. Rc1 a5 16. a4 b4 { Black has got a winner in theb4 pawn if the pieces come off. } 17. Qe2 Bg6 18. h3 Nf5 { The c file alreadylooks tempting but black is not tempted. It reminds me of a game i sawat Scarborough a couple of years ago. The open file was available and arook could easily occupy the open file. This player would not do it. 5 to 10 moves later he had to resign. } 19. g4 Nfxd4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. Qe3 Bc5 22. Rxc5 { This took a long think and even when I played it I was notsure. The rooks may be more important because of the open c file. } 22... Qxc5 23. Rc1 Ne2+ { This is worth playing. It disrupts whites plans of bd4 etc. } 24. Qxe2 Qe7 25. Nf3 Be4 { Not a bad move but why not Ra or f to c8 first? } 26. Nd4 Qh4 { Not a bad move but why not occupy the open file first?This could be played afterwards. } 27. f3 Bg6 28. Kg2 f5 { The principlewas correct but this is tactically flawed. A rook occupying the openc file has been a good idea for some moves. } 29. Nxe6 Rf7 30. Bxd5 { Blackresigned. Black had a very good position but would not occupy the openfile. In some JR Capablanca games all he seems to do is occupy the openfile. The force of that open file is often enough to win. } 1-0

[Event "Southern Mississippi Open rd 4"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "6-23-07"] [Round "-"] [White "Thomas G."] [Black "Randall W."] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1326"] [TimeControl "G/60"] [WhiteElo "1440"] 1. d4 { Here is my favorite game from the Southern Mississippi Open. Everhad a game where your opponent makes the moves you hope he will? It happenedto me in this game, and I got the chance to go on a king hunt that wasreally exhilirating (at least for this class 'C' patzer:) My opponent getshis king stuck in the center and advancing, and I'm able to really makehim squirm. I hope you enjoy:) As usual, I play my favorite 1. d4. } 1... Nf6 { Along with 1...d5, the most popular response to 1. d4. } 2. Nf3 { I'm headingtowards Queen's Gambit territory (which I am very comfortable with). I'vegrown to like to play Nf3 first before c4 to protect my d pawn should thegambit c pawn be taken. } 2... e6 { Hmmm....perhaps my opponent is trying to steerinto some line of the QGD. } 3. c4 Bb4+ { Here is the first instance of blackplaying what I was hoping for. I block with bishop, he takes, I take withmy Nb1 and if he castles, I have the opportunity for a big center. } 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ { Black plays as I was hoping for:) } 5. Nbxd2 O-O { ? I was sohoping he would do that. I now have the chance to pounce in the centerbig time. Much better for black was 5...d5. } 6. e4 { As planned. Now ifblack plays d5 I can push e5 and put his Nf6 on a much more passive square. } 6... d5 { It's weird.....I think it and he does it. Sometimes the stars justalign, I guess. At this point, I feel that I will be able to establisha solid threat on his castled position after Qc2 and Bd3. } 7. e5 Nfd7 { Onceagain, black moves to the square I was hoping for. 7...Nh5 may have heldmore promise though. If I chase the knight by 8. g4, the knight can moveto f4 safely and I may have had defensive issues on my kingside. I'm notsure I would have played g4 in that case, but I certainly would have consideredit. As for the actual position, I'm feeling pretty good. I can now safelypush c5 and start turning the screws on preventing black's development. } 8. c5 f6 { Good idea - black sees the need to open things up and threatenscontrol of the f file. } 9. b4 { I liked this move, as it protects the cpawn which will be hanging after action on e5. } 9... c6 { ? I didn't like thismove for black. In post mortem, my opponent suggested that c6 was necessaryin furtherance of b6. I suggested that if it was his intent to play b6,he should have just gone ahead and played it immediately, as the text restrictshis Nb8 and just wastes time. It is interesting to note now that the readershould keep his eyes on black's Nb8. } 10. Qc2 { Ok, I'm still with my planto load up on the b1/h7 diagonal. I'm hoping for black to go ahead andopen up the f file (and not shutting down my diagonal). } 10... fxe5 { I'm thinkingat this moment that maybe I should be sending subliminal thoughts to myopponent about his pin number and credit card numbers:) I can safely retakethe e pawn and my diagonal is viable. } 11. dxe5 { I did spend a little timewith this one. I seriously considered 11. Nxe, but that would allow blackto untangle his pieces some after NxN. Plus, my Nf3 is contemplating amove to g5. } 11... b6 { Black proceeds with his idea of b6 to start chipping awayat my pawns, but it is a late attempt. I think Na6-c7, Ba6, or Qe8 or Qe7were better attempts to develop. } 12. Bd3 { White is right on schedule andthrowing a threat at h7. } 12... Ba6 { ? Once again, black shows up late for dinner.While belatedly developing a piece, black drops a pawn. } 13. Bxh7+ Kh8 { 13...Kf7 drops the g pawn after 14. Qg6 . } 14. Qg6 { !? And here is whereit gets interesting. Not happy with simply having the better position,my ego gets the better of me and I play a very aggressive move. My planis to now play Ng5 and start looking for mating threats. } 14... bxc5 { 14...Qe8and black can start successfully repelling the threat. } 15. Ng5 { Now I'vereached my desired position, but am faced with the problem of not losingmy bishop after Nf7 . I have my first real doubts as to the sanity of playingQg6 so blatently. I'm not worried about black snagging the e pawn - it'sblack playing Qe8 that has me worried. I continue to send telepathic signalsconvincing my opponent that Qe8 is a BAD move;) } 15... Nxe5 { Aggressively hittingmy queen while advancing. } 16. Qh5 { Ahhh....there it is. White threatensa discovered check that will cause black a great deal of pain. Qe8 no longerworries me as it can be blocked by Bg6. } 16... Rf6 { My opponent went into a deepthink here, and played what I consider to be the only sane move. He can'tprevent the check that is coming, so he starts creating an escape routefor his king. } 17. Bg6+ { Of course. I can now play some forcing moves thatwill gain material. } 17... Kg8 { Forced. } 18. Qh7+ Kf8 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Qxg7+ Kd6 21. bxc5+ Kxc5 22. Rc1+ { A nice six move combination I cooked up backat move 17. Black goes into another long think. } 22... Kd6 { ? This was probablythe critical losing move. 22...Kb6 would have probably bought black somedearly needed time. } 23. Nde4+ { ! My favorite move of the game, as it forcesa capture which will allow me to play Ne4 , forcing black to advance hisking or play Nd3 (which is easily sidestepped) or Bd3. After any of thosemoves, I play Rd1 and black is in a world of hurt. } 23... dxe4 { Forced. } 24. Nxe4+ { As planned. } 24... Kd5 { Probably the worst of three bad choices. } 25. Rd1+ { This is just medieval:) } 25... Nd3+ { I'll give my opponent credit - hevaliantly tries to save himself......however....... } 26. Ke2 { I can safelywalk into HIS pin because his knight is pinned itself! } 26... Rxf2+ { Black keepsswinging. This rook was hanging anyway, so he launches a last ditch attackhimself. } 27. Nxf2 { ! Oh, this is so nice:) My Bg6 now hits the pinnedknight! } 27... Qa5 { Black eyes grabbing my a pawn with check. } 28. Bxd3 { Killingthe knight while keeping the pin alive. } 28... Qxa2+ { Gee whiz! The number ofpins in this game is unreal! } 29. Rd2 { Blocking the check and preparingto bring the other rook into the game. } 29... Bxd3+ { Black won't go quietly intothat good night! He just keeps throwing every resource he has into theattack! } 30. Nxd3 { Yet again keeping my healthy pin alive. } 30... Qc4 { Blackpins me right back! The only problem with that, of course, is............ } 31. Qe5# { Freaking brutal! I congratulate my opponent on a game well played(especially after survivng my initial onslaught). I don't find fault withhis last move as he was in some serious time trouble (he had about 5 secondsleft). This is one of my favorite OTB games ever. The sheer number of pinsand their veracity was something I don't run across every day. It may seemlike a rather mundane game to a lot of you stronger players (I know bothsides made plenty of mistakes), but for patzers like me it sure was a beauty.Several of the players in this tournament hung around afterwards to comparegames, and this one was awarded the 'Freaking Brutal' award:) I hope youenjoyed it! - Thomas } 1-0

[Event "Team match, http://gameknot.com/"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2008.07.16"] [Round "-"] [White "sad1lad"] [Black "paja-crusher"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1744"] [TimeControl "?"] [WhiteElo "1724"] 1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. exd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nxd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. Bc4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 { B10: Caro-Kann, anti-anti-Caro-Kann defence } 8... Bf5 9. Ba3 e6 { Maybe 9 .. Qa5 was a better move, the castle is lost now } 10. Bxf8 Kxf8 11. Bd3 Qg5 12. g3 Bg4 13. Qd2 Qd5 14. f3 Bxf3 15. Nxf3 Qxf3 { This pawnwas too expensive. It should be different with castle } 16. Rf1 Qh5 17. Rb1 b6 18. Rb5 Qh3 19. Qf4 f6 20. Be4 e5 21. Qf3 Qe6 { A stupid mistake.I was under pressure. However, 21 .. exd4 maybe saves the situation } 22. d5 Qd6 23. dxc6 Qa3 24. c7 Rc8 25. Qd3 Ke7 26. Rd5 Rxc7 27. Rf3 g6 28. Qd2 Qa4 { Waiting for death } 29. Bd3 Rhc8 30. Bb5 Qg4 31. Rfd3 Kf7 32. Rd7+ Kg8 33. Rxc7 Rxc7 34. Rd8+ Kg7 35. Rd7+ Rxd7 36. Qxd7+ Qxd7 37. Bxd7 { Thistime, black is lost I mean :-). } 37... f5 38. Ke2 Kf6 39. Ke3 Ke7 40. Bb5 Kd6 { The the pawn sacrifice 41. f4 leads maybe to the victory. Only one strongpoint of black is the pawns constelation } 41. a4 Kd5 42. Kd3 g5 43. Bd7 e4+ 44. Ke3 Ke5 45. c4 f4+ 46. gxf4+ gxf4+ 47. Ke2 { This time the endgameis reduced to endgame 2 pawns against one bishop } 47... Kd4 48. Be6 h6 49. h4 Kc3 50. Bd5 Kd4 51. h5 f3+ 52. Kf2 e3+ 53. Ke1 f2+ 54. Ke2 Ke5 55. Bg2 Kf4 56. Bf1 Ke4 57. Bg2+ Kf4 58. Bh3 Ke4 59. Bg2+ Kf4 { I didn't see anyway to win and opponent too... This game has a several parts. I had doneone serious game mistake and several tactical mistakes like my opponent.I thing, that the game mistakes are not cleanable (we are humans), howevertactical mistakes are very instructive... } 1/2-1/2

[Event "C B winter tournament# 6."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2018.01.25"] [Round "-"] [White "gur-dial"] [Black "ronthetenth"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1801"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1567"] 1. e3 { Unless White is intentionally playing a Reversed French or a Nimzo-Larsen,several moves are stronger... } 1... d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 { 3.cxd is stronger. } 3... e6 4. h3 { Since the B is never coming to g4 and there are no realisticthreats based on ...Ng4, this is an unnecessary weakening of the normalk-safety place. } 4... Be7 5. Bd3 { 5.Nf3 or 5.Be2 are better. 5.d4, transposingto a standard Queen's Gambit is also very good. } 5... dxc4 { not best for Black. } 6. Bxc4 O-O 7. Nf3 b6 { ...c5 is better. } 8. Qe2 { 8.d5 is better. My guess:prevent ...Ba6 which would be to White's advantage after Bxa6 Nxa6. } 8... Bb7 { ...Nc6 to be considered. } 9. O-O c5 10. e4 { oops. 10.d4 is much better. } 10... Nc6 11. e5 Nd5 12. Ne4 { 12.d3 is must move. White missed ...Nf4 winning. } 12... Qc7 { ...Nf4, 13.Qe3 Ng6 and the e-button must drop. } 13. d3 { 13.Bxd5is must move. } 13... Nxe5 14. Bf4 { OOOPS! Many options to Not Drop The Bishop... } 14... f6 { white missed ...Nf3+, 15.Qxf3 Nf6 winning a piece. } 15. Bxd5 Bxd5 16. d4 { 16.Bxe5 avoids losing the piece. } 16... Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 e5 { 17....Qc6MUCH better, threat is ...f5 winning the N. } 18. dxe5 { ...e5??? 18.Nf6+!and 19 Qxd5+ and 20.B moves. } 18... fxe5 19. Qd3 { 19.Nf6+ is still better. } 19... Bxe4 20. Qc4+ Kh8 21. Bg3 Qb7 22. f3 Bd5 23. Qg4 Bf6 24. a3 Rf7 { 24...e5is much stronger. (opens bishop at b2 and breaks into white's King. } 25. b4 { 25.b4?? lets Black open up the king position or drops the exchangeto 25....e4! ,,, 25...e4 26.Rae1 exf3. } 25... cxb4 26. axb4 Bxf3 { again:e4!. this gives back the piece, though Black is still better with two extrapawns. } 27. gxf3 e4 28. Rad1 exf3 29. Rxf3 Bd4+ { NICE Move! } 30. Kg2 Rxf3 { 30...Raf8 is better, keeping the pin. then swapping all major pieces theextra pawn on each wins makes the win most likely. } 31. Qxf3 Qxf3+ 32. Kxf3 Bf6 33. Rd7 { 33.b5 better } 33... g6 34. Ke4 { 34.Rb7 better. } 34... a5 35. bxa5 bxa5 36. Kd5 a4 37. Bd6 a3 38. Bxa3 Rxa3 39. Ke6 Bh4 40. Rb7 h5 { 40....Rxh3better. } 41. Kf7 Rf3+ { 41....Kh7 much better } 42. Kxg6 Bd8 43. Rh7+ Kg8 { 43.Rh5 makes it all even. R vs R+B. } 44. Rg7+ Kf8 45. Rh7 Rxh3 46. Rxh5 { 46......RxR is an efficient end. game is drawn with care by white. } 46... Re3 47. Rh8+ Ke7 48. Kf5 Kd7 49. Rh7+ Kc8 50. Kf4 Rc3 51. Rh8 Rc4+ 52. Ke5 Rc7 53. Ke6 Rd7 54. Rh3 Re7+ 55. Kd5 Bc7 56. Rh6 Kd7 57. Rh5 Bd6 58. Kd4 Kc6 59. Ra5 Kb6 60. Rd5 Kc6 61. Ra5 Rd7 62. Kc4 Rc7 63. Kd4 Kb6 64. Rd5 Rd7 65. Kc4 Rc7+ 66. Kd4 Kc6 67. Rf5 Rd7 68. Rf6 Kc7 69. Kc4 Kc6 70. Rf5 Rb7 71. Kc3 Rc7 72. Kd4 Rd7 73. Kc4 Rc7 74. Kd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Simultaneous exhibition"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "Bobby Fischer"] [Black "cescheckmates"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1834"] [WhiteElo "2758"] { During December-January 1963-64, Bobby Fischer played in the US Championshipand won with a perfect score of 11-0. Shortly afterwards, he began a cross-countrytour giving simultaneous exhibitions. On April 15th 1964, he arrived inSacramento, CA to meet this annotator and travel to McClellan AFB for a50-Board Exhibition. He won 47 games, lost two, and gave up one draw. Thisis the only draw on that Wednesday evening. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 b6 { At thattime, this variation was known only as the Incze Attack, after a Masterfrom Alaska who played it. Today, it is better known as Queens Indianvariation to the Nimzowitch Opening. } 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bb7 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bd3 Bb4 7. Qg4 { We are now out of book and Bobby begins his attack againstthe Pawn on g7, a normal style of the Grandmaster. } 7... Qf6 { I also considered7.....Nf6 realizing the g pawn could not be taken, but with the Queen move,I also attacked his Knight. } 8. Be3 { Or 8. Ndb5; 9. Na6 } 8... h5 9. Qg3 Bxc3+ { Alternatively I might have also played 9.....Nc6; 10. Qc7...Na5 with advantageto White. As this was early in the exhibition, Bobby was taking about threeminutes to circle the room. } 10. bxc3 Qg6 { Here I considered 10. Nc6, butwas afraid of Nb5. } 11. Qc7 Bxe4 12. Nb5 { Here Bobby misses the win with12. Qc8+.....Ke7; 13. 0-0-0. Later he told me about his hectic scheduleplaying 50 board exhibitions every night the past seven days. He simplymissed the win. Even after his appearance that night, we sat up until 2AMeating pizza and drinking imported black beer. } 12... Bxd3 13. cxd3 Qxg2 14. O-O-O Na6 15. Qe5 { White has a clear lead in development. I kept waitingfor the other shoe to fall. } 15... f6 16. Qd4 { 16. Nd6+...Kf8; 17. Qe4....Qxe4;18. dxe4 with a slight advantage for Black. He had won several of his gamesby now, so he was getting to my board in about a minute. } 16... Qc6 17. c4 Ne7 18. Nd6+ Kf8 19. Rhg1 e5 { Also, 19.....Nc7; 20. Qf4....e5; 21. Qg3 witha slight + for Black, } 20. Qe4 Qxe4 { The Knight is immune. } 21. dxe4 Nb4 22. a3 Nbc6 23. c5 Nc8 24. Nxc8 Rxc8 25. Rxd7 { All of a sudden I saw twoRooks on the seventh rank and I felt totally lost. Bobby still had about15 games going and had already lost one. } 25... Rg8 { If 25...Rh7; 26 cxb6 etc. } 26. Kb2 b5 27. Rgxg7 Rxg7 28. Bh6 Ne7 29. Bxg7+ Kxg7 30. Rxe7+ Kg6 31. Rxa7 { I was hapy to see I was in a Rook+Pawn ending. } 31... Rxc5 32. h4 Rc4 33. f3 Rd4 34. Rc7 Rd3 35. Rc3 Rd2+ 36. Rc2 Rd3 { Is Bobby going to give mea draw by repetition? He was still playing five or six others. } 37. Rc3 Rd2+ 38. Kb3 { No way, jose. } 38... Rh2 39. Kb4 Rxh4 40. Kxb5 { So both of ushave outside passed pawns. Who will get there first? } 40... f5 { Or 40.....Rh1;41. a4....h4 } 41. exf5+ Kxf5 42. a4 Rh1 43. a5 h4 44. Rc4 { Fritz givesthis move a double (??) owing to 44. a6..... } 44... h3 45. Rh4 h2 46. Ka6 { Otherwise46...Rb1+ wins. } 46... Kg5 47. Rh3 Kf4 48. Ka7 e4 { At this point, my game wasthe last going and I was playing blitz with America's best chessplayer. } 49. fxe4 Kxe4 50. a6 Kd5 51. Ka8 Kc6 52. a7 Kc7 53. Rh8 { 53. Rxh2 isstalemate. } 53... Kd7 { Here Bobby shook my hand and said, I guess it's a draw. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Chess game 2"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.03.05"] [Round "-"] [White "logogalaxy"] [Black "cleanswide"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1371"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1400"] 1. e4 { HI guys, my fifth annotation here, this is me against logogalaxy.I did pretty bad on this one, because I am not used to this kind of chess,and I don't use my time wisely. Just letting you know. Let's figure outwhat happens. } 1... e6 { My standard opening } 2. Be2 { I guess to prepare forcastling and to somewhat develop a piece. } 2... b6 3. Bf3 { I believe he wantedto take chances of me not placing my bishop in time AND that I wouldn'tuse my knight or bishop to protect my rook.(kind of a big chance. } 3... Bb7 { Natural } 4. d3 { Protect e4 pawn and mobilize his black bishop. } 4... Nf6 { Notto take e4, but to get ready for castling. } 5. Bd2 { He expects me to checkwith bishop, which I would have, so good for him. } 5... Na6 { I didn't want myrook to be alone. } 6. Bg5 { An attempt for something. } 6... Be7 { Just makingan excuse to move my bishop. } 7. Bxf6 { Take } 7... Bxf6 { Natural } 8. Nc3 { toprotect his rook. } 8... O-O { What I planned on for long time. } 9. Nge2 { I believehe is getting ready for castling. } 9... h6 { For more protection of king. } 10. O-O { Expected. } 10... c5 { I don't know. comment please. } 11. Ng3 { Better positionfor both queen and knight } 11... Bh4 { In order to free the queen. } 12. Nge2 { Notsuch a good position, but okay. } 12... Qg5 { I am up to something.... I think. } 13. a3 { Time waste. } 13... e5 { I guess I am doing the same. } 14. Kh1 { Maybe thatposition looks better. } 14... Nc7 { For better position of knight. } 15. Ng1 { Thisis just for future planning on his part. } 15... Ne6 { This move came in handyafter a little. } 16. g3 { Almost dooming my bishop. } 16... Nf4 { But I decidedto doom my pretty worthless looking knight. } 17. gxf4 exf4 18. Nh3 { Attackon the queen. } 18... Qg6 { Natural } 19. Rg1 { Again? } 19... Qe6 { Glenda flees. } 20. Bg4 { And focourse, again. } 20... f5 { But not this time. I won't flee. Notice he cannottake with his pawn because of my white bishop. } 21. Bf3 { natural } 21... fxe4 { Now I am attacking both the bishop and the knight. If he takes with apawn, I would get a free knight.If he attacks with a knight, I still geta free knight. If his bishop tries to flee, I would simply push f pawnwhich would eventually lead to checkmate. If he takes with the bishop,I will take the bishop, He will take my bishop, and I will still get afree knight. I am perched here for now, but let's see what goes on as weproceed. } 22. Bg4 { I believe this is a fatal mistake for white.He souldhave taken the pawn with his pawn, for he has more number of units focusingon my e4 pawn. However, he played that move, obviously to treaten my queen. } 22... exd3+ { The thing is, logogalaxy, I can do this. } 23. f3 { Defending theking and supporting the bishop at the same time. } 23... Qe3 { Noticing that hewill check me with his bishop if I don't move my queen, I flee to e3. } 24. Qxd3 { Queen takes. } 24... h5 { Did not consider that the pawn wasn't supported. } 25. Bxh5 { Natural. } 25... Qxd3 { I couldn't figure out what to do, so I took thequeen. } 26. cxd3 { Natural. } 26... Rf5 { Attak on bishop. } 27. Bg4 { Natural. } 27... Rf7 { This way, he would not be able to take d7 pawn, and I can defend my bishopby pushing the pawn. } 28. Ne2 { trying to take the pawn on f4. } 28... Re8 { I didn'tknow his plan, so I just threatened his knight. } 29. Nc3 { I think he shouldhave took the pawn. } 29... Re3 { Threatening f3 pawn. } 30. Kg2 { Natural. } 30... Rxd3 { Trying to make up for my loss. } 31. Rgd1 { Not really sure about that.Comment please. } 31... Re3 { I am still in position to attack f3 when necessary. } 32. Nd5 { Um... Blah? } 32... Re2+ { I am wondering How he would counter back. } *

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.10.03"] [Round "-"] [White "ensayo"] [Black "hiredgun112"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "841"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1054"] 1. e4 { Hello everyone welcome to new annotation this is a short game.Buti hope it helps someone and possibly help me.Okay here we go.He opens withe4 } 1... e5 { Standard answer by me e5 } 2. Qh5 { WAY to early to bring out theQueen. } 2... Nf6 { Nf6 to put pressure on early queen and e4 } 3. Qxe5+ { Thismove does gain pawn and does put me in check but with so little developmentit is uneffectual } 3... Be7 { Block check } 4. Bc4 { I believe he trying to developand put pressure on kingside.Not sure?????? } 4... Nc6 { Pressure on Qe5 } 5. Qg3 { RETREAT } 5... O-O { Standard castle } 6. Bd3 { Negative move i believe continuingto stunt development } 6... Bc5 { More development } 7. Nf3 d6 { RELEASING Qd8 andBc8 } 8. e5 { Here i believe e5 is used as bait so i will lose N if i wentNxe6 therefore destroying my center .Because i believe he would have wentQxe5 thus forcing move of Nf6 so i just went d6xe5 } 8... dxe5 { take pawm } 9. Ng5 { Now i see his plan?I think now he is trying to move in on my kingside } 9... Be6 { Bliuding up kingside } 10. Qh4 { HERE WE GO } 10... Qd4 { Alittle dangerousbut thinking trade } 11. Bxh7+ { Iwas wrong about trade or he was focusingin on one part of board i unfornately have done this lost games as result } 11... Kh8 { He should have took queen next.h7 was cover by his knight and mine,buthe would have sacked his queen } 12. Bg6+ { This always happens when youforget about 'rifle' in longshot and you charge in without looking around } 12... Qxh4 { After this move opponent resigns i was about to take Bg6 or Ng5.Ihope you enjoyed.postive input taken negative tolerated GOOD CHESS GOODDAY!!! } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess (Alekhine's Defense)"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.11.15"] [Round "-"] [White "sandshands"] [Black "jmfpeaceable"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1448"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1538"] 1. e4 Nf6 { I play this primarily for practice: It's a defense I have notreally studied, but it appeals to me. } 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 g6 4. Nf3 Nc6 { HereBlack goes off-book. The idea is to speed development but the actual effectis to give White a tempo and an attack. } 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb5 Bg7 7. Bxc6 dxc6 { An oddly developed position. White has advanced pawns which largelynegate the fiancetto, and Black's remaining knight is poorly placed tocontest the center. } 8. Bf4 O-O 9. c3 Bf5 { Bg4 might be more effective. } 10. Nbd2 Nd5 11. Bg3 e6 { White's pawns must be blocked, but the white bishopis now cut off. For the remainder of the game Black is trying to get hisbishops into play and develop some sort of attack. } 12. O-O Qd7 13. Ng5 b6 14. f4 f6 15. Nge4 Bxe4 16. Nxe4 { The bishop is successfully tradedoff and Black begins to open his position. } 16... Qe7 17. Rf3 f5 { Neglectingthe obvious freeing fxe5 in favor of the vaporous attack on the knight. } 18. Ng5 Rad8 19. Bh4 Nf6 { A straight up terrible mistake. } 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Qe2 Rd6 22. Re1 Re8 23. g3 h6 24. Nh3 Bxh4 25. gxh4 { Trying to redeemthe position, but continuing to exchange was perhaps misguided. } 25... Qxh4 26. Rg3 Qf6 27. Qg2 Kg7 28. Nf2 Rg8 { In retrospect, I fail to understand thismove. } 29. Nd3 Kf8 30. Ne5 Ke8 31. Nxg6 Kd8 32. Ne5 Rxg3 33. Qxg3 Kc8 34. Nc4 Rd7 35. Qf3 Kb7 36. Ne5 { Black's idea is to try counter-play on theQueen-side, but White's Queen has superior control on the board. } 36... Rg7+ 37. Kh1 Kb8 38. Nxc6+ Ka8 39. Na5+ { Black resigns. Positional weaknesswas exacerbated by poor play. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from Club Fluax"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2015.05.01"] [Round "-"] [White "elyhim"] [Black "ipsissimus"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2398"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "2552"] { The most difficult choices in life are not between good and bad but betweengood and better. This game is too good to not be annotated, both blackand white are confronted with difficult middle game choices. All I cansay is that this game is a must see. } 1. e4 { I recommend to the club thatwe play 1. e4 due to the fact that Ispissimus is a very strong D-pawn player. } 1... g6 { This is a surprise as I and the club were expecting 1. ...c5 or 1....e5. This move says that Ipsissimus is wanting to take an indirect approachto the game. While at the same time keeping his over all plan close tothe chest. } 2. d4 { Naturally, white responds by staking a claim in thecentre. } 2... Bg7 3. Nf3 { Develops a Knight and defends the d4 pawn. Also theknight challenges the the black DSB for control of the central dark squares. } 3... d6 { Black adopts the pric defense which is not a recommended system intop play. In my opinion, it is way to passive and black ends up defendingthe whole game. } 4. Nc3 { White on the other hand continues to developnaturally. Plus now white has a slight advantage due to his better centre,lead in development and slight edge in tempo. } 4... c6 { Though black has wastedtwo tempo on pawn moves his structure is rock solid and should repel anyattack by white. Even though black has nothing offensively going on hisdefensive capabilities make up the difference. Such is the nature of thepirc defense, all defense and no offence. } 5. Bc4 { The alternative isBe2 but the club choose this move because it hits at f7 and put the bishopon the powerful a2-g8 diagonal. On this diagonal this bishop seriouslyhinders black ability to free himself. I suggest that you mark this moveand watch throughout the remainder of the game how this bishop continuesto grow more and more powerful as the game goes on. The fact that thisbishop is allowed to stay on this diagonal for so long is one of the reasonswhy white wins. } 5... Nf6 { Black has to start think about his developmentwhile at the same time keeping white's centre in check. The tactical pointof Nf6 is that now black threatens ...d5 gaining back a valuable tempofrom white's LSB. Which incidentally highlights the main drawback of playingbc4. That is, the White LSB can easily be attack via ...b7-b5 and ...d5. } 6. Bb3 { White simply side steps any business that may come with ...d5or ...b5. } 6... O-O 7. O-O { both sides take time out to take care of king safety.At this point white's main strategical plan is to play e4-e5 with a seriouswedge into the black camp. } 7... Bg4 { I believe black main alternative is 7...d5but that allows e4-e5 which gives white an long term advantage of space.With 7. ...Bg4 black directly deals with the threat of e4-e5 by eliminatingthe main catalyst of the e4-e5 push which is the F-Knight. However, blackgives white the long term strategic advantage of the bishop pair. Whichin the end is why white wins. } 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 { Black is quite contentto sit back behind his wall of pawns and taunt white to come and get him. } 10. Rd1 { with the prospect of e4-e5 gone for at least the short termwhite shifts their focus to opening up the d-file. } 10... Qc7 11. Bf4 { A strongsquare for the bishop that prevents black from freeing himself with ...e6-e5.While at the same time x-raying the black queen on c7. In the short termthe club's plan was to constrain black as much as possible to deny himthe ability to free himself. By denying black his ability to counterattackthis would force him to eventually take drastic measures to get somethinggoing. However, as long as black continues to hide behind his wall of pawnsthere is not much white can do in the end. So all white can hope for isthat black over extends or gets impatient. This is what makes systems likethe pirc so hard to play because no one likes the feeling of being squeezedto death. } 11... Nbd7 12. a4 { preventing black from freeing himself with ...b7-b5.Now the only counter play that black has is Nh5 attacking the bishop onf4. } 12... Nh5 { As expected } 13. Be3 { A good sided minority of our club preferredBh2 keeping the bishop on the diagonal. However, I vetoed that becausethe weakness on d4 must be taken seriously. Futhermore, I also foresawthat the bishop would return to the f4 diagonal with a vengeance in thenear future. I also feared that the bishop may end up blocked in at h2or worse still getting traded off the board, Be3 avoids this possible trade. } 13... a6 14. g4 { The first serious concession by white which signals that isit is time to get it on. White has done absolutely everything they couldto prepare and now is the time to push black off the board. } 14... Nhf6 15. a5 { preventing b7-b5 and forcing black into a pure passive position forthe rest of the game. The club from here on out, adopts a python like stylewhich means slowly squeezed black to death } 15... c5 { !? I have to be honestwhen I first say this move my heart skipped a beat. It is also the mainreason why I played Be3 instead of Bh2. Now with the bishop on e3 d4 issecurely defended. White can now make the principled response which isevery wing attack should be countered in the center. Mark this move asI think it is where black starts to go down hill fast. } 16. e5 { ! I haveto give this an exclamation mark because it does so many things like openthe centre which unleashes the bisho pair, plus open the d-file for therook on d1 which has been sitting there patiently since move 10. } 16... dxe5 17. d5 exd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Qxd5 Rad8 20. Qd6 Qc8 { After a flurry ofexchanges white comes out on top. Though down a pawn, white has flyingbishops, control of the d-file and active pieces. Black is reduced to defense. } 21. Ba4 Nb8 { forced } 22. Qxc5 { Regaining the pawn } 22... Nc6 23. c3 { preventing...Nd4 } 23... Qe6 { Myself personally would find this position very difficultto play as black as there is no real clear way to progress. The point of...Qe6 is to improve teh queen position and temporarily prevent the powerfulBb3. However, the main alternative 23...Kh8 trying to side step the nastypin on f7 fails to 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Bb3! } 24. Qb6 { Threatening to takethe b-pawn so Black has to move his queen back to the bad c8 square andallow white to play the powerful Bb3 } 24... Qc8 25. Bb3 Bf6 { Black is tryingto re-energize the DSB but I think I would have played ...h5 here to justsit on my hands is not my style so I would opt to put some pressure onwhite. When you put pressure on your opponent you never know what can happen. } 26. Kg2 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Rd8 28. Bd5 Kg7 { This I believe is the first realdifficult choice for white. As I believe the path toward progress in nottruly clear. 29. B4 may at first glance look like a good move but it hasthe nasty drawback of weakening c3 which if black can find find away toplay e4 is suddenly under attack. } 29. b4 h5 { A great move that rips whiteking position open like a can opener } 30. gxh5 e4 { This is the main drawbackof 29.b4. I feared that black would be able to gain much needed counterplay by attacking c3. } 31. Bb3 { A more defensive move than anything else.White's most pressing problem is un coordinated pieces. } 31... Qf5 { ?! ThisI believe is the final nail in the coffin. During the game I was a littleconcerned (most of the club did not share my concern) about 31....Rxd132. Bxd1 Bxc3! 33. hxg6 fxg6 34. Bc2 Bxb4 and I think after a hard longlook white can only manage a draw. The reason being is that most of white'strumps were in the queen side majority and bishop pair. Now after 35. Bxe4Bc3 black has mostly freed himself of most of his weaknesses and can easilydefend against attacks. However, what I do not like about 31. ...Qf5 isthat it allows white to retain the bishop pair and the queen pawn majority.The short falls of this move are eloquently highlighted in the rest ofthis game. } 32. Rxd8 Nxd8 33. hxg6 Qxg6+ { What makes this position winningfor white is the fact that the white king can seek shelter on the queenside and black does not have time to capture the critical c3-pawn. } 34. Kf1 Qf5 35. Qc7 { !! winning move. The club rightly assessed that blackonly has spite checks } 35... Qxh3+ 36. Ke2 Ne6 { Black defends valiantly by centralizinghis pieces. } 37. Qxb7 { The pawn advantage is retained and now it is impossiblefor black to hold back the upcoming pawn storm } 37... Qf3+ { black has a lastgasp attempt for a repetitive draw with the queen } 38. Kd2 { only movec3 has to be defended } 38... Bg5 39. Kc2 { Black is going to exchange bishopson e3 in the hopes of a white slip up } 39... Qe2+ 40. Kb1 Bxe3 41. fxe3 Qxe3 42. Bxe6 { Black goes down a full minor piece } 42... Qd3+ 43. Kb2 { White kingseeks refuge on the queen side. It is worth noting that had black playedthe 31...Rxd1 line white would not have had this possibility of hidingbehind the pawns. Also black would have retained his knight and bishopmaking it almost impossible for white to win. In conclusion, White managedto nurse a small but enduring space advantage for a win. Over the courseof the game white added the bishop pair and central dominance to forceblack to concede more time and space. The biggest take away for me is thatthe pirc defense is a solid defense but black is often left with no attackingresources. It is my opinion that black's final chance to draw the gamecame at move 31. where he should have played 31...Rxd1 leading to the capturingof the c3 and b4 pawns. This coupled with the retention of the Knight andBlack bishop would have been enough to secure the draw. } 1-0

[Event "Fierce Queen, instructing winning strategy..."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "28-Feb-18"] [Round "-"] [White "gromiko"] [Black "fiercequeen"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2059"] [TimeControl "3+10 blitz"] [WhiteElo "1487"] { Winnig a game of chess, is all about overplaying your opponent: this 3+10blitz game shows how... } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c3 Bg7 4. Bc4 e6 5. e5 Ne7 6. O-O O-O 7. d4 { finally d4: but it does not matter anymore... } 7... cxd4 8. cxd4 a6 { again: the Najdorf extension; it is a move, not a system... *note to jkarp * } 9. a4 Nbc6 10. Nc3 b6 { Black needs to prepare b5: firstBb7... } 11. d5 Na5 12. Ba2 Bb7 { mission accomplished... } 13. d6 Nec6 14. Bf4 h6 15. Bg3 h5 { preparing taking over the Kings' wing... } 16. Re1 f5 { exf6 ep is no problem... } 17. h4 Bh6 { just the spot Black needed... } 18. Nd4 Nb4 { avoiding the issue... } 19. Nb3 Nxa2 20. Rxa2 { never a good idea,taking a Rook off the bottom row: better Nxa2... } 20... Rc8 { take the c-file... } 21. Nxa5 bxa5 22. f4 Rc4 { Black is closing in... } 23. Ne2 Qb6+ { long overdue,since f2-f4... } 24. Kh1 Rfc8 { bringing in the heavy artillery... } 25. Ra1 Rc2 { at this point, White resigned: still having 1:41 on the clock; Blackhad 4:20 left... } 0-1

[Event "the_golfer vs concertino 23/5/09 - 23/5/09"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.05.23"] [Round "-"] [White "the_golfer"] [Black "concertino"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1415"] [TimeControl "7 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 { This is my third annotation. With help from blake84120, I have sortof gotten the hang of annotating. This game was played shortly after defeatingconcertino in an earlier match and is a great player and a person I havemade friends with. Firstly, I always open with the king's pawn going twospaces. } 1... e5 { He comes back with a very common opening for black. } 2. Nf3 { I open with a knight. I do this commonly, or otherwise I open with myqueen which isn't such a great decision. } 2... Qf6 { However! concertino's queencomes into play. } 3. Nc3 { I decide to defend my pawn, considering thereis not much else to do. } 3... Nc6 { So here comes concertino's knight to comedefend his pawn on e5. } 4. d4 { So I open up my bishop and queen by movingto d4. } 4... exd4 { Not unexpectedly, exd4 occurs, putting my knight on c3 underattack. } 5. Nd5 { I move my knight to go attack the queen, whilst beingprotected by my pawn. } 5... Qd6 { The queen moves to d6. } 6. Bf4 { My bishop movesto f4 as I try to get all my pieces into the middle of the board. } 6... Ne5 { concertino's knight moves to e5. } 7. Bxe5 { I take at e5. What was concertinothinking? } 7... Qe7 { Now here comes the questionable part of the game. Why didconcertino move Qe7 allowing me to take his queen? } 8. Nxe7 { Of course,I go for it. Sometimes, it can be a sacrificial checkmate, but I couldn'tsee anything, as most of his pieces were still at the back of the board. } 8... Bxe7 { concertino moves Bxe7 which is definitely not unexpected, unlesshe moved Kxe7. } 9. Bxg7 { The last move of the game resulted me taking thepawn at g7 with my bishop and trapping his rook to be taken, forcing concertinoto resign the match. Thank you to concertino for being such a great friendand opponent and to blake84120 for teaching me how to annotate! } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from jack46"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.04.06"] [Round "-"] [White "jack46"] [Black "maalot"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1383"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1661"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. O-O-O h6 { I expected 9...O-O, to which I intended 10.h4?!, trying to duplicate a famous Alekhine game that is really not thatsound, though it worked for him. } 10. Bh4 O-O 11. Kb1 { This should havelost me a pawn after 11...Nxe4!, 12. Bxe7, Nxc3+, 13. Qxc3, Qxe7, 14. Rhe1,Qd8, 15. Ne5?!, Be8! Better for white was 11. Rhe1. } 11... Nd7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Rhe1 f6 { Black seems to have no plan. His white squares are very weaknow, and they will be weaker after the following exchange. } 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 Qf7 16. Qg4 { Keeping an eye on the weak e6 square -- and on theKing! } 16... Nb6 { Black probably should have challenged the e-file with Rae8. } 17. Nd4 { Black will fall right into the trap. He sees that the knight isaimed at e6, so he eliminates one of the supports. } 17... Nxd5 { Maybe 17...f5was necessary. } 18. Nf5 { Ta-da! This knight will have quite an adventurein this game. The deadly threat, of course, is 19. Nxh6+, winning the queen. } 18... Kh7 19. Rxd5 { But, black overlooked this threat! He can't recapture becauseof mate at g7. } 19... Rae8 { Finally! } 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Rd1 g6 22. Ne3 f5 23. Qc4 { White now just wants to simplify and reach a favorable endgame. } 23... Qd7 24. Nd5 { Ouch! Now white threatens 25. Nf6+, netting the queen. Black shouldhave played 23....Qg7. } 24... Qf7 25. Qxc7 Qxc7 26. Nxc7 Re7 27. Nb5 a6 28. Nxd6 Rd7 29. Kc1 Re7 30. Nc4 b5 31. Ne3 f4 32. Nd5 Rf7 33. Re1 g5 34. Re7 Rxe7 35. Nxe7 a5 36. Nc6 a4 37. Kd2 Kg6 38. Kd3 Kf6 { He should play 38...Kf5,challenging white's King, which now marches to the center. } 39. Ke4 h5 40. Nd4 b4 41. h4 { As good a way as any to break up his only advantage,the K-side pawn majority. } 41... gxh4 42. Kxf4 h3 { It's hard to see the use ofthis move, unless it's to break up white's connected pawns. } 43. gxh3 Kg6 44. c4 { Now the Q-side majority springs into action. I expected 44...bxc4e.p.,45. bxc3, Kf6, which would gain black a tempo. } 44... Kf6 45. c5 Ke7 { A curiousposition. White's c-pawn is unreachable! Black would first have to tradeoff a Q-side pawn and march the King around to d7-c7-b7-a6-a5-b4, gettingbehind the white c-pawn, at which point it could safely outrun the blackKing anyway. } 46. Ke5 h4 { Black appears to be trying to lock the positionand going for stalemate, his only hope. } 47. c6 Kd8 48. Kd6 Kc8 49. c7 a3 50. bxa3 bxa3 51. f4 { Of course not 51. Kc6?, stalemate. } 51... Kb7 52. Kd7 Ka8 53. c8=Q+ Ka7 54. Qc7+ Ka6 { Or, 54...Ka8, 55. Qa5+, Kb7, 56. Nb5, Kb8,57. Qa7#. } 55. Qb8 Ka5 56. Qb5# 1-0

[Event "Challenge from chesslover1003"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.04.08"] [Round "-"] [White "pruathome"] [Black "chesslover1003"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "797"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "706"] { a weird game } 1. e4 { kings pawn } 1... e5 { kings pawn } 2. Be2 { ??????????????????????? } 2... Nf6 { attacking thee pawn } 3. d3 Nc6 4. a4 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. d4 exd4 7. f3 dxc3 8. bxc3 Be6 9. h4 O-O 10. f4 Nxe4 11. g3 Bf2+ 12. Kf1 Bxg3 13. Bd3 d5 14. Nf3 d4 15. Na3 dxc3 16. Bxe4 { ?????????????????????? } 16... Qxd1+ 17. Ne1 Qxe1+ 18. Kg2 Qf2# { and thats it } 0-1

[Event "Braveheart"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.07.09"] [Round "-"] [White "bwaa"] [Black "aramberber"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1725"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1719"] 1. c4 { Hey all! Seems like I post nothing but foolishly aggressive gamesthese days, but at the risk of being redundant, here's another! This gameopens quietly, but once both armies have taken their places on the battlefieldand the first shot fired, the fighting doesn't stop until both sides arebloodied and one is soundly beaten. This game is brought to you by thephrase 'no quarter.' Enjoy! } 1... e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. e3 d6 5. Ne2 Be6 6. b3 Be7 7. Nbc3 O-O 8. Bb2 { Fairly standard King's English. Black hasbuilt his fortress in the center; White will seek to tear it down. } 8... h6 { Presumably meant to stop an eventual Ne4-g5, as well as giving the N3Knight a place to go to allow ...f5. } 9. h3 Nbd7 10. O-O Nh7 11. Ne4 { ?As Black just set himself up to play ...f5, this move is utterly pointlessand wastes two tempi. } 11... f5 12. N4c3 Nc5 13. d4 { White declares his challenge. } 13... exd4 { This is probably better than retreating the Knight, though if Whitewants to be rid of it, he can. } 14. Nxd4 Qd7 15. Nxe6 { !? Trading off apowerfully centralized Knight for Black's relatively passive Bishop, inan attempt to ease the pressure on h3 and establish a dominant bishop-pair. } 15... Qxe6 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. Rae1 g6 { The reinforcements are brought up. Black'scastle will be quite exposed once White's Knight moves and unleashes thepowerful Bb2, but Black still retains some hold on the center squares. } 18. e4 { White declares that Black's grip on e4 is insufficient and throwsdown the second challenge, this time backed by his heavy pieces. The hornsblow, the armies rush at each other, and the war begins in earnest. There'sat least one capture or check every move for the rest of the game. } 18... Ncxe4 19. Nxe4 fxe4 20. Bxe4 { Daring Black to engage in a mating race againstthe powerful White Bishops. } 20... Qxh3 { ? Naturally, but I think incorrectly,Black accepts. He needs to gain enough tempo for ...Ng4 and ...Qh2#, whileat the same time, White needs only to arrive safely on h7 for his own decisivestrike. I think Black might hold with 20...Nxe4, and against White's superiormobility and awesome Bishops, a hold is what he should be looking for. } 21. Bxg6 { Now both players are all-in. } 21... Rf7 { If forced to defend, we'llsacrifice material to eliminate crucial enemy forces! Unfortunately 21...Rae8is not sufficient, as after 22.Bxe8, the Bishop cannot be taken, or matefollows: 22...Rxe8?? 23.Qg6+ Kf8 24.Bxf6, or 22...Nxe8?? 23.Qg6+ Ng7 Qxg7#.So, this particular Rook sacrifice is a necessary step before ...Ng4, preventingBh7+ and stopping the White Rook from rampaging down to e7... } 22. Rxe7 { ! Or not, as the case may be. White seems all too eager to throw materialat his problems, but his attack is looking more and more decisive. Willhe have enough energy to finish the job? } 22... Ng4 { 22...Rxe7 23.Bxf6 Rc7 24.Re1is unwinnable, so go for the gold and play to steal just one more tempo! } 23. Bh7+ Kf8 24. Rxf7+ Ke8 { 24...Kxf7 25.Qf5+ Ke7 26.Re1+ Kd8 27.Qf8+ Kc728.Re7+ Kb6 29.Bd4+ c5 30.Qxa8 is no better. } 25. Re1+ Kd8 26. Bf6+ { !White no longer needs a mating net--his enormous positional and materialadvantage will secure the win once Black's threat is off the table, andthis move forces the Knight to trade itself in, leaving Black without anattack. (If 26...Kc8?? 27.Re8#) } 26... Nxf6 27. Rxf6 { 1-0. Black's attack hasfizzled, and he sacrificed too much to be able to keep fighting. Many thanksto aramberber for this very fun tactical game, and thanks to you for reading! } 1-0

[Event "My game against roninreturns."] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.06.02"] [Round "-"] [White "roninreturns"] [Black "herbie53"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1269"] [WhiteElo "1355"] { Game 5 } 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. cxd5 { A large number of people play thismove. Alternative variation: 3. d4 [is best here, I think.] Alternativevariation: 3. g3 [playable.] Alternative variation: 3. b3 [also playablehere.] } 3... exd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. a3 { Alternative variation: 5. Nc3 [should beconsidered here.] } 5... Bd6 6. Nc3 c6 7. Bg5 O-O 8. e3 Bg4 { Getting the Bishopout before my Knight. I want to play Nbd7. } 9. Be2 Nbd7 10. O-O h6 11. Bh4 Re8 12. Re1 { Here I had a number things, or fantasy positions, I wantedto go for. I wanted to unpin my Knight , so a Queen move here is what Iwas looking at here. } 12... Qc7 { This was move I had chosen. Alternative variation:12... Qb6 [This is the move I looked at more than any other, I wonder whyI didn't play it.] 13. Qc2 g5 14. Bg3 Bxg3 15. hxg3 Bh5 [Heading to g6.] } 13. Bg3 Bxg3 14. hxg3 { Wow! I was planning to double the pawns, butmy opponent has done that for me. This is the only advantage I had in thegame for the next 15 or 20 moves. My pawns are better here, This is whatKarpov and Capablanca would call a long term strategic advantage. } 14... Ne4 15. Qc2 { Alternative variation: 15. Nxe4 Rxe4 [Followed by Nf6 or Rad8or Qb6 to attack the b pawn.] (15... dxe4 16. Nd2 Bxe2 17. Qxe2 Nf6) } 15... Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nf6 18. Rac1 Ne4 19. Bxe4 Rxe4 20. b4 Re6 { Now I don't to lose a tempo with f2-f3. } 21. b5 Rc8 22. a4 a6 { I don'tknow how if this was a good move or not. It just seems right to play, soI did. } 23. bxa6 { Alternative variation: 23. bxc6 Rxc6 (23... Qxc6 24.Qxc6 Rexc6 (24... bxc6 25. Rc3 Kf8 26. Rec1 (26. Rb1 a5 27. Rb6 c5 28.Rxe6 fxe6 29. dxc5 Rc6 [My opponent has two pawn island to my three, butI still think I have an advantage here.] ) ) 25. Rxc6 Rxc6 26. Rb1 Rc7(26... b6 [Not sure if this wolud be a good move or not. ] ) ) 24. Qb2Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Qd7 26. Rxc8+ (26. a5 Rxc1+ 27. Qxc1 Qb5 28. Qc8+ Kh7 29.Qc7 f6) 26... Qxc8 27. Qb3 Qc6 [Standoff.] } 23... bxa6 24. Rb1 c5 { I wasn'tplanning on this move, but when Rb1 was played, I wanted to strke for thesoon to be open c-file. I didn't plan on using the b-file at all, I justwanted to protect c6. } 25. Qxc5 Qxc5 26. dxc5 Rxc5 27. Rb4 a5 { Alternativevariation: 27... Re4 28. Rb6 (28. Rxe4 dxe4 29. Rd1 (29. Rb1 Rc4 30. Ra1a5) 29... a5 30. Rd4 Re5 31. f4 exf3 32. gxf3 Rxe3) 28... Rxa4 29. Rb8+Kh7 30. Reb1 } 28. Rd4 Re4 29. Red1 Rxd4 30. Rxd4 Rc4 { Alternative variation:30... Rc1+ 31. Kh2 Rc4 [This was also a thought.] } 31. Rxc4 { Alternativevariation: 31. Rxd5 Rxa4 [The only problem here is that the Rook is infront of the passed pawn and not behind it.] 32. Rd8+ Kh7 33. Rd7 ( 33.Ra8 Kg6 34. Ra6+ f6) 33... Kg6 34. Ra7 } 31... dxc4 32. Kf1 { Here I had to countto see if my King would get to the c pawn in time. } 32... Kf8 33. Ke2 Ke7 34. Kd2 Kd6 35. Kc3 Kc5 { Now that the passed pawn is protected, how can I putWhite into Zugzwang. } 36. f4 f5 { This move jump out at me like a lightingbolt, but not there yet. } 37. g4 g6 38. gxf5 { Alternative variation: 38.g3 h5 39. gxh5 (39. gxf5 gxf5) 39... gxh5 } 38... gxf5 39. g3 h5 { Zugzwang. } 40. e4 fxe4 41. f5 e3 42. f6 Kd6 43. Kc2 c3 { Alternative variation: 43...Ke6 [The winning move for me.] } 44. Kxc3 e2 45. Kd2 Ke6 46. f7 e1=Q+ 47. Kxe1 Kxf7 48. Kf2 Kf6 49. Kf3 Kf5 50. Ke2 Ke4 { Alternative variation:50... Kg4 51. Kf2 Kf5 52. Kf3 } 51. Kf2 Ke5 { Alternative variation: 51...Kd4 52. Kf3 Kc4 53. Kf4 Kb4 54. Kg5 Kxa4 55. Kxh5 Kb4 56. g4 a4 57. g5a3 58. g6 a2 59. g7 a1=Q 60. g8=Q Qh1+ 61. Kg6 Qg2+ 62. Kf7 Qd5+ 63. Kg7Qg5+ [Draw] Alternative variation: 51... Kf5 52. Kf3 Kg5 53. Kg2 Kg4 54.Kf2 Kg5 55. Kf3 Kf5 } 52. Ke3 Kd5 { Alternative variation: 52... Kf5 53.Kf3 } 53. Kf4 Kc4 54. Kg5 Kb4 55. Kxh5 Kxa4 56. g4 Kb3 { Alternative variation:56... Kb4 57. g5 a4 58. g6 a3 59. g7 a2 60. g8=Q [No check, as in the game.]60... a1=Q [Draw.] } 57. g5 a4 58. g6 a3 59. g7 a2 60. g8=Q+ Kb2 61. Qb8+ Ka3 { Alternative variation: 61... Ka1 } 62. Qa8+ { Alternative variation:62. Qe5 Kb3 [Winning move for my opponent, as pionted out in the chat byanother playerafter the game. Wow! Only I can turn a win into a lose. Ohwell, that's chess.] 63. Qh8 Kc2 64. Qa1 Kb3 65. Kg4 [Bringing the Kingover to help and the game will be over shortly.] } 62... Kb2 63. Qb7+ Kc1 { Alternativevariation: 63... Ka1 } 64. Qa6 Kb1 65. Qb5+ Kc2 { Alternative variation:65... Ka1 } 66. Qa4+ Kb2 67. Qb4+ Ka1 { Keeping the King in the corner asmuch as possible. } 68. Qa3 Kb1 69. Qb3+ Ka1 70. Qa3 Kb1 71. Qd3+ Kb2 72. Qd4+ Kb1 73. Qb4+ Ka1 74. Qa3 Kb1 75. Qxa2+ Kxa2 { Draw better than a lose.I let one get away...again. The truth is, we BOTH let that one get away,but I had the win first. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Mathematics Nerd's VI"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "18-Dec-06"] [Round "-"] [White "tekoahbaer"] [Black "pj0s3"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1645"] [TimeControl "3d+2d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1654"] 1. e4 { A game of interest, illustrating a risky variation of the Two-Cavalry Defence... } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 { Defesa dos Dois Cavalos } 4. Ng5 { Variante cl�ssica... } 4... d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 { This is the chess variant... In this moment, the blacks can opt to sacrifice a knight, in exchange for greater development and a possible attack. The classical variation predicts that the white bishop retreats to e2 instead of launching the dame of the whites... } 8... cxb5 9. Qxa8 Nb7 { Eis o segredo da variante, obloqueio da Dama Branca... } 10. Qxa7 Bc5 { Ganha um tempo... } 11. Qa6 O-O { Place the king in safety and the black tower in play... } 12. O-O Nd6 { Atacaa Dama, que fica praticamente sem casas... 13. Qa8 � arriscado, e meu advers�rioopta por 13. Qc6 ... } 13. Qc6 Nd7 { Defend the black bishop while attacking the white cavalry! Furthermore, prepare a trap for the white queen with Bb2! } 14. d3 Bb7 { A Dama branca est� perdida... } 15. Qxb7 Nxb7 16. c3 h6 17. Nf3 Nd6 18. Re1 Re8 19. Nbd2 b4 { Searching for a way to escape the isolation... } 20. h3 bxc3 21. bxc3 Qb6 { Ataca f2... } 22. Re2 { Defende... } 22... f6 { Defend the pawn on e5, releasing the black knight for the game... } 23. Nb3 Qa6 { Ataca d3... } 24. Ne1 { Defende d3... } 24... Nf5 { Centraliza o cavalo negro... } 25. Rb1 Ba7 { Protege o bispo, que continuar� atuando na agressiva diagonala7-f2, ao mesmo tempo permite que a torre negra possa ser jogada com tranquilidadeem b8... } 26. Reb2 Rc8 { Go for another weak point: c3... } 27. Bd2 { Defende c3... } 27... Nc5 { Ataca novamente d3... } 28. Nc1 { Defende d3... } 28... Rc7 { Defend the point b7 again... avoiding the risk of a white doubled attack... } 29. c4 { Erro que custa a partida, pois permitea entrada dos cavalos negros e do bispo negro em d4... } 29... Qc6 { Place the Queen on a more aggressive diagonal, since she was blocked in the previous move by c4... } 30. Nf3 { Defende d4... } 30... Ne6 { Ataca d4... } 31. Ne2 { Defende d4... } 31... Ned4 { Take d4, into the open, what leads to a profitable exchange of pieces for the blacks, who have a advantage of a Queen for the end of the game... } 32. Nfxd4 Nxd4 33. Nxd4 Bxd4 34. Rb3 Ra7 { Ataca a2... } 35. a3 { Defende... } 35... e4 { Procuradestruir o que sobrou dos pe�es brancos, isolando-os... } 36. dxe4 Qxe4 37. Re1 { The white towers stand alone from each other... } 37... Qc2 { The bishop and the knight attack the same time... } 38. Rb8+ Kh7 { Salvou a torre, mas o bispo... } 39. Bb4 { O erro definitivo... } 39... Qxf2+ { As brancas abandonam, pois poderiaseguir 40. Kh1 Rxa3, que colocaria as brancas em grande dificuldade.... } 0-1

[Event "XY Tourney Open Malta 2017 Round 3"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-5-2017"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles L Higgie"] [Black "Arne KAEHLER"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1983"] [TimeControl "40 mins + 30 secs"] [WhiteElo "1928"] 1. d4 { Having lost with black to a highly rated player from Malta in thesecond round, I rather expected an easier game with white in the next round.Well I was drawn with black, and instead of meeting the 4th seed, I waspaired against the 5th seed, Patrick Zerafa (2069), a Candidate Masterwith black! I started white's clock. The tournament organisers explainedthat he had a full-time job in Malta, and he would come straight from work.Normally the default time is 30 minutes, but I was told that as he hadindicated that he would be late, he had an hour to arrive. I waited andwaited... but he never showed up, and I was awarded the game by default. } 1... d5 { Then in round 3 I was paired against Arne, from Germany and at lastI was given white. } 2. c4 { I played the Queen's Gambit. } 2... e5 { He plays theAlbin counter-gambit. Although this opening was originally played by Cavallottiagainst Salvioli at the Milan tournament of 1881, it takes its name fromAdolf Albin, who played it against Lasker in New York 1893. Though notplayed frequently at the master level, Russian Grandmaster Alexander Morozevichhas recently made some successful use of it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albin_Countergambit } 3. dxe5 { The recommended reply for white. } 3... d4 { And the usual move byblack. In exchange for the gambit pawn, Black has a central wedge at d4and gets some chances for an attack. Often White will try to return thepawn at an opportune moment to gain a positional advantage. } 4. Nf3 { Attackingd4. The careless move 4.e3? can lead to the Lasker Trap. After 4...Bb4+5.Bd2 dxe3 6.Bxb4?? is a blunder—6...exf2+ 7.Ke2 fxg1=N+! and Black wins.The Lasker Trap is notable because it is rare to see an underpromotionin practical play. } 4... Nc6 { And protecting d4 again. 4...c5 allows 5.e3 becauseBlack no longer has the bishop check on b4. } 5. g3 { The usual way to continue,as 5. e3? still, fails to Bb4+! } 5... f6 { Turning it into a real gambit, ratherthan playing Ng8-e7 or developing the Bc8. } 6. exf6 { So I take. } 6... Be6 { Thisis unusual and unexpected and caused me to have a long think. I didn'tknow it at the time, but black has just left any opening database I haveaccess to. Recapturing on f6 with either knight or queen has been playedbefore. } 7. Ng5 { Fritz prefers f6xg7 but that seemed a bit greedy to me. } 7... Bxc4 { So he takes. } 8. f7+ { I throw in a check. Fritz prefers taking ong7 followed by e2-e4 with the threat of a queen check on h5. } 8... Bxf7 { Hetakes. } 9. Nxf7 { I take back. I was rather expecting Kxf7 when I can play10. Qb3+ and pick up the b pawn and weaken his queen-side. However.... } 9... Qd5 { He counter-attacks my rook. Fritz prefers 9....Bb4+ } 10. Nxh8 { SoI take. } 10... Qxh1 { He takes back. What would you play here dear reader? } 11. Bg5 { Played to stop 0-0-0. Fritz prefers 11. Qb3 } 11... Qd5 { His queen comesback. } 12. Qb3 { Fritz likes this move. } 12... Bb4+ { He throws in a check. } 13. Nd2 { Fritz actually prefers the bishop block. } 13... Qxg5 { And he is threateningmate, however... } 14. Qxg8+ { I take the knight with check. Again, althoughthis seems very natural, Fritz prefers the queen check on f7 followed byf2-h4. } 14... Ke7 { He has to avoid Kd7? 15. Bh3+ } 15. Qf7+ { My queen was attacked. } 15... Kd6 { So that his rook can take my knight. I now need to do something abouthis threat to take on d2 with mate. } 16. O-O-O { So I castle, removing theknight from the pin by the bishop, but walking into a pin from the queen.I can always get out of that pin with f2-f4 of course. } 16... Bxd2+ { He decidesto stop my knight from becoming active. } 17. Rxd2 { I take back. } 17... Rxh8 { Andhe takes my knight off. } 18. f4 { I couldn't see any other way of makingprogress. Maybe 18. Bh3 was better? } 18... Qf6 { His queen drops back. } 19. Qxf6+ { I take off queens. I was looking at 19. Qc4 but couldn't see anythingconcrete, but it may have been better. } 19... gxf6 { He takes back. } 20. e3 { Ithreaten to win his e pawn. } 20... Re8 { He find the best reply, now threateningto win my e pawn. } 21. exd4 { So I take. I offered a draw here, I couldsee the next few moves and felt the position to be very level. } 21... Re1+ { Hethrows in a check, forking my king and bishop. } 22. Rd1 { My only defence. } 22... Rxd1+ { He takes. } 23. Kxd1 { I take back. } 23... Nxd4 { He takes my pawn. I needto activate my king, but Kd2 runs into Nf3+ winning my h pawn, so I stopthat by.... } 24. Bg2 { Also attacking b7. I was rather expecting simplyc6 here, but he is playing for a win so... } 24... b5 { He plays this. } 25. Kd2 { I advance my king. } 25... c5 { He continues with his queen-side advances. } 26. Kd3 { I centralise my king more. } 26... a5 { He advances again. } 27. g4 { I startadvancing, my king-side majority. } 27... Ne6 { his knight drops back- } 28. Ke4 { My king advances. } 28... c4 { He advances again. } 29. h4 { And so do I. } 29... Nc5+ { He throws in a knight check. } 30. Kd4 { Although I was tempted to playKf5, I was concerned at his knight coming into d3, taking on b2 and hispawns becoming a problem. Now I expected him to check on e6 again, my kinggoes back to e4 and it it a draw. However.... } 30... Nd3 { He plays this, forkingmy pawns on f4 and b2. It looks good for him, but I have a strong reply.... } 31. Be4 { This! I am now threatening to take twice on d3 to win a pawn,and reach a won pawn ending. So his knight is rather forced to one of mypawns, but then I take his h7 pawn and my h pawn is really dangerous -an outside passed pawn, just what I need to win this. I think black's positionis lost now. } 31... Nxb2 { He takes this one. } 32. Bxh7 { I take that one. Hisproblem is that it is hard for him to advance his queen-side pawns quickly,while my king-side pawns are free to move. } 32... b4 { He tries this. } 33. h5 { I advance the outside pawn. } 33... a4 { He advances again. } 34. h6 { So do I. } 34... Ke7 { His king hurries back to defend. } 35. g5 { I advance again. } 35... b3 { Sodoes he. } 36. Bb1 { My bishop hurries back to stop his pawn. } 36... bxa2 { He takes. } 37. Bxa2 { I take back. } 37... Kf7 { His king comes across to stop my advances. } 38. Bxc4+ { Now if he exchanges on c4, he has a lost pawn ending, so... } 38... Kg6 { He tries this. } 39. Bd3+ { But this is very strong. Again the pawnending is lost if he exchanges on d3. } 39... Kf7 { This is more or less forced. } 40. g6+ { But now I have two protected passed pawns. } 40... Kg8 { His positionalis resignable. } 41. Bc4+ { The bishop's return to c4 is enough to forcehis resignation. Many thanks for reading. Please leave a comment or two,award the annotation on the star system, to let me know how I am doing.Until next time dear reader! } 1-0

[Event "Seafarer I - Charlotte Chess Club - Rd 4"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "06AUG08"] [Round "-"] [White "Charless Carerros"] [Black "Winfred Gatlin"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1284"] [TimeControl "G90"] [WhiteElo "1168 (P)"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. Nd5 Nf6 5. Bc4 { Here White deviates fromthe Three Knight's Game (C46). He is hoping for the knight exachnage sohe can place his WSB on d5 however this does hang the e4 pawn. } 5... Be6 { Blackbuilds his attack on the knight. His better move might have been to capturethe e4 pawn. } 6. d3 { The d4 move provides security to the e4 pawn andopens the option of moving the d5 knight. } 6... Nd4 7. c3 b5 { The number ofthreats in the center of the board is building to a breaking point. Seeingthis black applies presure to White's WSB to help reduce these threats. } 8. cxd4 { White determines that it is time to being trading down the piecesin the center. } 8... bxc4 9. dxe5 Nxd5 10. exd5 Bxd5 11. dxc4 { This is a greatmove for white. It creates a double attack on black's WSB and lays thetrap for the c pawn. If black takes then Qc4 will capture the bishop. If white would have taken d6 then he would find himself in a weaker position. } 11... Bxf3 12. Qxf3 { At this point White has the one pawn lead but more importantlyhe has the two three pawn sets and still has the ability to castle to asecure position. Black on the other hand has a restricted pawn structureand after a few moves he will lose his castling ability. } 12... Rb8 { This moveis questionable. It does pin the bishop to c1 for the time being howeverblack might have been better served by Qd7 (to prevent white's next checkmove). } 13. Qc6+ { Black has two options. Move the king and lose any opportunityat castling or block with the queen. } 13... Qd7 14. Qxd7+ { The queen trade worksin favor of white who has both the pawn advantage and still maintains theability to castle which puts his king a strong position and moves his hrook into the game. } 14... Kxd7 15. exd6 { White offers up the pawn trade to furtherweaken black by create to singular pawns on the queen side. } 15... Bxd6 16. O-O Rhe8 17. Rd1 { White's main goal now is to trade down all the major pieceswhile maintain his solid pawn lead. The rook move pins the bishop so blackcan either leave it there or move the king to free up his vital piece. } 17... Ke7 18. Re1+ { To continue with White's plan of trading down material,the check forces white to move the king and allows for the rook trade. } 18... Kf8 19. Rxe8+ Kxe8 20. b3 Be5 21. Rb1 c5 22. Bb2 { This move accomplishestwo goals for white. It attacks the BSB which can no longer be saved byblack (because white is still trying to trade down material) and it allowsthe rook full access to the rank. } 22... Bd4 23. Bxd4 cxd4 { Given the threadof this pawn and the possibly of black supporting it with Rd8 white attemptsto move his rook behind it. The next check move allows white the tempoto place his rook on e5. } 24. Re1+ Kf8 25. Re5 Rd8 { Blacks rook move tod8 is now weak. White, still with the plan of trading off all major piecessimple moves to d5. If black decides to allow the trade the white kingand cover the past pawn. If Black decides to push the pawn then Rxd8 wins both the rook and the pawn. If black moves the rook of D then hewill just give up on the pawn. All acceptable options to white. } 26. Rd5 Rxd5 27. cxd5 Ke7 28. Kf1 Kd6 29. Ke2 Kxd5 30. Kd3 { At this point,white has a strong end game option. White's first goal is to place apawn on both b4 and f4. Once all of the pawns have been fully advancedthese two pawns will then force the black king to retreat and allow whiteto both capture the d pawn and have opposition. The opposition can thenbe leveraged to a point where white will be able to capture the black pawnsand keep the black king a safe distance from his pawns. } 30... a5 31. a3 g6 32. f4 f5 33. g3 h6 34. b4 a4 35. h3 g5 36. h4 gxh4 37. gxh4 h5 { White hadhopped to reach this point on blacks move (having pushed f4 on move 32put off his move count). However, by sacking the b pawn he can still obtainthe necessary opposition and move to capture the f pawn. } 38. b5 Kc5 39. b6 Kxb6 40. Kxd4 { At this point, black has all but lost asuming that whitecounts his moves correcly. } 40... Kb5 41. Kd5 { This is the key move to the endgame. If white would have moved Ke5, he would have allowed white to drawthe game. However the Kd5 request the Black's Kd6 which provides whitethe extra move required to secure the queen promotion and the win. } 41... Kb6 42. Ke5 { I } 42... Kc5 43. Kxf5 Kc4 44. Kg5 Kb3 45. f5 Kxa3 46. f6 Kb3 47. f7 { Black Resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Sicilian Najdorf I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2016.04.03"] [Round "-"] [White "ipsissimus"] [Black "stalhandske"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "2216"] [TimeControl "3d+2d<5d"] [WhiteElo "2426"] 1. e4 { B97: Sicilian Najdorf: Poisoned Pawn } 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 dxe5 11. fxe5 Nfd7 12. Ne4 h6 { last book move } 13. Bf4 Qxa2 14. Rd1 Qd5 { Threatensthe isolated pawn and also threatens Qxe4. } 15. Qe3 Qa5+ 16. c3 { Blocksthe check but also prevents bb4. } 16... Nc5 17. Nd6+ Bxd6 18. exd6 { Gives whitethe Bishop pair. } 18... O-O { It is always good to Castle as this improves Kingsafety. } 19. Be2 Nbd7 { The night is stuck while blocking whites passedpawn. Blacks bishop on c8 cannot move else we might have this kind of sequence:19... e5 20. Bxe5 Re8 21. O-O. King safety. } 20. O-O { King safety. } 20... Nf6 21. Bxh6 { This move this serves an exclamation mark! The GK computer doesnot see it that way because engines are by their very nature materialistic. } 21... Nfe4 { Attacking the backward pawn on c3. Black does not see the dangerhe is in. } 22. Rf3 f5 23. Rh3 { Else 23. Rg3 Rf7 24. Bh5or 23 ... Rf6. } 23... Rf6 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Qf4 Qd8 26. Qh4 Qg8 27. Nb3 Nd7 28. Nd2 Nxd6 29. Nc4 Nf7 30. Rg3+ Rg6 31. Rxg6+ Kxg6 32. Rd3 { Black resigned possible continuationswould be 32. Rd3 Ng5 33. Bh5+ Kf6 34. Rg3. } 1-0

[Event "Offhand OTB/Online Game vs a box"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "Nov. 8, 2007"] [Round "-"] [White "ccmcacollister"] [Black "Thinking Machine 4"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "casual"] [WhiteElo "1855"] { After reading-up about my opponent, Mr. Machine; it appears that his billingas pertaining to Chessic abilities is quite honestly stated. Namely, thatthe average tournament player should make short work of 'Thinking', althoughhe might be able to produce convincing games vs the average 'street player'. Indeed, put to the test against a former Class-A thru Expert player, itwas only able to produce a miniature game; despite the rather hypnoticstrobing effects which could easily put its opponents quickly into Brain-Spinif they do not take care to maintain full uninterrupted concentration.But of course, the main attraction of playing Mr Machine comes from itsnovelty, celebrity and eccentric use of colorful expression. It seems tobe very Right-Brain dominant for Chess Computer~! A rare situation indeed. . . } 1. e4 { 'Best by test' RJF; but completely against standard anti-computermethod which suggests that more closed positions are enjoyed less by electronicplayers than a fully open and tactical game ... which 1.e4 can often andeasily lead to. Bonus Question~! ... Can you remember the Name of theRobot on Lost In Space? Answer on final page } 1... Nc6 { Ah, a Nimzovich Defense... which has a reputation of potential to become somewhat cramped, developinto something less than a fully open tactical melee'. } 2. d3 { Since myopponent was kind enough to enter a semi-closed defense, I will make theconcession of playing d3 instead of d4, to help him keep it from becomingsemi-open :) } 2... e5 { Bonus Question 2: Do you know the name (alpha-designation)of the computer on 2001 A Space Oddessy, the same as a player I once metfor Postal Chess in APCT, who i am told was a programmer of the first realcomputer ? } 3. f4 exf4 4. Bxf4 Bd6 { 4....Bd6? is rather unsightly afterthe Bishop trade-off but Black has no concern about it or else might havetried to correct the doubled-isolani situation or avoided allowing it inthe first place~! But this is all part of the freedom of expressionwhich the programmers wished to inculcate into their brainchild. As explainedin its paperwork, it does not use an opening book, but rather calculateseach move to its own tastes & satisfaction. } 5. Bxd6 cxd6 6. Nc3 { To helpBlack maintain his doubled-isolani situation as long possible, I try tohinder the pawn advance of ...d5. Also, according to Nimzovich (somewhatironically considering it IS being used vs His Defense) the d5 square isa natural for a Knight blockade, and almost begs to be occupied. Unfortunatelyfor Black, this game never really comes to a point where WT is going toconsider winning of blockaded pawns . . . } 6... Qa5 7. Qd2 h6 { How very Human~!Even to the point of making me wonder WHY such a move has been played .. . Pardon me please, I'll be right back as soon as I turn down the volumeon my Target-Acquisition-Sight. I'll be getting 'TONE' for the rest ofthe game now. Unfortunately, I'm sure that even a Chess Box would notdare to O-O into my line of fire there now . . . } 8. Nf3 Nf6 9. Be2 Ne5 { Now he does present me with the opportunity to help undouble his d-pawnsif I want to trade Knights on e5. But there is really no incentive to doso, since his Knight is very tame and well-mannered, with no where to goreally. } 10. O-O { Offering Black the b-pawn; commonly called the 'Poisoned-Pawn'in the Najdorf Sicilian. Will it prove as unpalatable here as in that opening?We'll see soon enough. } 10... Qb6+ 11. d4 { Rather than trying to tempt him into11.Kh1 Neg4, at which point his knight should realize that it has no placeleft to go after 12.d4, threatening to threaten a possible 13.h3, or even13.Nh4 is interesting. But actually I Want our mechanical friend to takethe b-pawn, where his Queen will be assured of becoming absolutely uselessin any capacity except being another target. One that ends-up yieldingseveral nice tempii later, before allowed to rest. } 11... Nxf3+ 12. Rxf3 Qxb2 { Now with the b-file open, the thought of playing ...b6 & O-O-O cannotbe very appealing to BL anymore. } 13. Rb1 { 13.Rb1 ! I consider thisquite a useful attack-in-passing, upon the BL Queen. Whilst underway towardits real outpost assignment, to double on the f-file, the Queen's Rooktakes a move to drive the WT Queen to the a3 square where it will be moreaccessible to future attacks upon it; perhaps by Nb5, Rb3 or some otherRook lift. And such does turn out to be the case . . . } 13... Qa3 { Note that13. ... Nxe4? would fail since the Knight could be immediately pinned toBL's King by 14.Re3 ; leaving the WT Queen safe, while the BL Queen mustrun from the attack upon it despite a Knight en-prise. } 14. Rbf1 { In aserious game, I would have made sure to review my Queen-side to be absolutelycertain that the BL Queen could not be trapped & captured there (Nb5 withthreats of Nc7+ and too Ra3 or Rb3, looks tough. The b2 square may giveflight to the Q tho.) But right now it is play by instinct and those areall pointing to King Hunt; a primal urge~! ]B-O ... calling for aululating Tarzan yell; to start The Hunt for The KingWithout A Castle. } 14... O-O { ? ?! !?! ???!!?? ??? ! ???? !! ????? ?!? ??!!?? ????????????????????????????? WHAT~!?/??? What is he DOING, tryingto hide behind my Targets ?!? } 15. Rxf6 gxf6 16. Nd5 { Striking out atboth the e7 and f6 squares with this powerful knight~! WT plays to finish-upthis game, without allowing any significant counter-play from now on. } 16... Kg7 17. Rf3 { Now comes the anticipated tempo-gain from WT Queen ...very conveniently timed for WT's purposes :) } 17... Qxa2 18. Rg3+ Kh7 19. Nxf6+ Kh8 20. Qxh6# { At this point my whirling, swirling opponent announced thatWhite Has Won. ... Then accused me of using Human-moves! ... of receivingthem from GM Kramnick, whilst he hid in the Rest Room dressed incognitoas an extra-large pawn for playing Lawn-Chess. OK, caught me on that one! (However, it was NOT the former WC; but rather George Michael Kramnick,known as the Singing Chessman of Happy Hollow, and ... Oh never mind, Icannot tell a lie. The stupid moves WERE mine ) ANSWER to Bonus Question:And I gave you a little hint in the Question, if you caught it ... Itsname was 'Robot' ! [NO, it was Not Robbie Robot. Robot actually had a fightwith Robbie Robot in one of the episodes, shooting sparks and such. Robothad the head that looked like a round fish bowl (and may Have Been, sinceBeach Balls were used as land mines) whereas Robbie had the head shapedlike an indoor mini-solarium (and may Have Been, since Robbie is even olderthan Robot; and a movie star btw) , rather parabolic. Robbie won the firstround and shut him down, but I think Robot got him in the end~!? In anycase, Robot lives] *** ANSWER to Bonus Question 2: Hal [ Okay, lay iton me if I'm wrong or missed some numbers :) ] } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from fedge"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.11.15"] [Round "-"] [White "rooiphil"] [Black "fedge"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1268"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1317"] 1. d4 { Queen's pawn. One of my favorite openings. It usually leads to expansiveand open games (which I tend to loose, but still enjoy) } 1... d5 { Nothing strange,he replies in kind. } 2. c4 { Queen's gambit. I love this opening, for ifhe accepts the gambit by playing dxe4, I'll reply with e5, immediatelyopting for control of the center squares and attacking his c-file isolatedpawn. } 2... Be6 { Then he plays a strange move. Mistake by my calculation. Thismove is also not in the GK database. This move protects the d-pawn butit impairs development. The e-file pawn cannot advance and the dark squarebishop (DSB) is blocked in. e6 would be better do decline the gambit. } 3. Nc3 { Developing the queen's side pieces, re-enforcing my control ofthe center while attacking d5. } 3... c6 { Protecting the d-pawn. Another mistake,as this reduces developing options for the knight on b8. } 4. Nf3 { Developing. } *

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.03.04"] [Round "-"] [White "morningside"] [Black "wemate"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1780"] [TimeControl "14 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1657"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 { I think the exchanges on move 3 lose initiativefor white } 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bd2 c5 { 6...an agressive move for black } 7. dxc5 Bxc5 { 7 black now has the initiative } 8. Qe2+ Be6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. O-O-O { I think 0-O-O is is a positional mistake for white because blackhas attack possibilities on Q side already in place via Qb6 or Qa5. } 10... Re8 { ...Re8 threatens the white Q on e2 with a discovered move by Be6 } 11. f3 Nc6 12. Kb1 Nb4 13. a3 Bd7 { Black is having a good time pushing theQ around } 14. Qf1 Nxd3 15. Qxd3 Qb6 { ...Qb6 launches blacks attack } 16. Ka1 d4 17. Nb1 { Nb1 seems too passive...White assumes a totally defensiveposture. } 17... Bb5 { ...Bb5 pushes around the Q again } 18. Qb3 { Not the bestsquare for the white Q retreat } 0-1

[Event "Challenge from bakerbaker"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "24-Aug-06"] [Round "-"] [White "miromcduck"] [Black "bakerbaker"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1574"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1569"] 1. e4 { A very common and logical first move. } 1... d5 { The Center Counter Defense. } 2. exd5 { Taking the pawn is practically forced, because defending with2.Nc3 gives me more central space by attacking the knight with 2...d4.And advancing the pawn with 2. e5 is also good for Black because I canplay 2...c5 with a strong centre. } 2... Nf6 { Instead of taking back with thequeen, I develop a piece and attack the pawn twice, reserving the optionof taking the pawn with my queen or my knight. } 3. c4 { White doesn't giveme that option, and instead decides to defend his attacked pawn, makingit impossible for me to get my pawn back. Although this is what I wantedWhite to do when I played Nf6. } 3... c6 { I'm not worried about being down apawn. This is a normal pawn sacrifice in this opening. } 4. dxc6 { His pawnis attacked three times and only defended once, so he must exchange it. } 4... Nxc6 { Although I am down a pawn, now I have two pieces developed, and myopponent has none. Also, my queen is powerful on the d-file, because itstops my opponent's d-pawn from advancing far. And my opponent's pawn onc4 is a weakness for him because it blocks part of his bishop's path, andthe squares d4 and d3 are severely weakened because the c-pawn can no longerdefend either of them. Even though I am down a pawn, I still believe thatmy positional superiority is more than enough compensation for it. } 5. h3 { A very bad move. This does nothing to control the center or aid inthe development of pieces. All it does is take away the g4 square for mypieces, which isn't really important right now. Making wasted moves likethis is exactly how my opponent lost this game. And the move h3 turns outto be a weakening move at the end of the game. } 5... e5 { I need to add to mylead in development as fast as possible. Otherwise, White might catch upin development and retain his extra pawn. } 6. a3 { What?? My opponent haswasted another move. Some players don't see the importance of developingyour pieces and controlling the center. This move does nothing to controlcenter, and my opponent has just made himself further behind in development. } 6... Bc5 { I have four active units attacking the center (especially d4) andgetting prepared for attack, while my opponent has only moved pawns. Myopponent's wasted moves and greediness for a pawn will soon lead to hisloss. } 7. d3 { I am threatening to play 7.Ne4, with a double attack on thef2-pawn, which cannot be defended comfortably, so this move is pretty muchforced. My move Bc5 gave me another developing tempo because White hadto take time to counter my threat of Ne4. } 7... Bxf2+ { The best way of exploitingmy lead in development. None of my opponent's pieces are developed, andI have so many active pieces and control of the center, which are muchmore important than losing a bishop. } 8. Kxf2 Ne4+ { My queen's dominationof the d-file and the fact that White's undeveloped pieces block the rookfrom protecting his queen are what make my move possible. } 9. Kf3 { Theking cannot go back to e1 because I will play Qh4 check, followed by mateon f2. White's h3 move turns out to be a weakness, because now the g3 squarecan no longer be defended by it. If White played Ke2, then I can forkthe king and rook with Ng3, and I'll be up the exchange. Again, White'sh3 move turns out to be a weakness. And if White plays Ke3, then I canplay Qd4, White would have to play Kf3, and then we'd have the exact sameposition here, except my queen would be powerfully placed in the center. So Kf3 is White's only chance for survival. } 9... Qf6+ { You may think I'm crazyfor sacrificing my e4 knight when I'm already down a bishop, but White'slast moves are pretty much forced, and his two extra pieces haven't evenmoved yet. } 10. Kxe4 Qf2 { Here I am cutting off the king's escape squaree3, and I am also threatening to play Bf5 with Qd4 mate to follow. } 11. Nf3 { This is White's only move that stops my checkmating threat, but heis only prolonging it. Whenever there's a centralized king on an open board,which is surrounded by enemy pieces, there is almost always a forced mate. } 11... f5+ { I have taken away another square from White's king, drawing himfurther into my territory. } 12. Kd5 Ne7+ { I sacrificed my pawn on e5 becauseI didn't want White to play c5 and retreat his king to c4 where it would'vebeen safe. } 13. Kxe5 { Kd6 was the only other move. } 13... O-O { All I need nowis another piece in play to finish off the exposed king. With my rook accessibleto the open centre files, White will soon be mated. } 14. Qe2 { I don't thinkWhite saw my mating threat, but I don't think there was any way he could'vedefended against it. The next few moves are forced. } 14... Ng6+ { Boom! } 15. Kd6 { Kd5 gets mated faster } 15... Rd8+ { Boom!! } 16. Kc7 Qb6# { BOOM!!!! } 0-1

[Event "Imbalances and Sound Sacrifices!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "13-Jul-08"] [Round "-"] [White "NN"] [Black "ionadowman"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "2036"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1736"] 1. c4 { Hi everyone! I have been watching a very interesting game playedby my mentor, Ionadowman against a strong 1700 player. Ion won this gameby creating an imbalance through a brilliant counter sacrifice on h4 whichcaused his advanced pawns to break through to queen. I really need todevelop this part of my game. The only time I have sacrificed materialon gameknot is when I am already heavily up in material and I have donethis to stamp out any remnants of counterplay by my opponent. This issomething altogether different. I hope I can learn something from this. } 1... e5 2. g3 d6 3. Bg2 f5 { 3. ...................... f5 - in response to TheEnglish Opening Ion decides to expand on the kingside. Maybe there arepossibilities of a kingside attack but black must be very watchful of actiondown The Fool's Mate Diagonal, particularly from the enemy queen in theopening. This formation is his favorite response to the English Opening.Having had some affinity with the Dutch Defence, this is a very aggressiveline. A good example of the way the game can develop is cormel vs ionadowman,played a couple of years ago. } 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 { 5. Nf3 - naturalsquare for the king knight. However it could be driven back by e4 whichwould put a cramping effect on white's game. However, Ion opts for clearingwood off the back rank first and preparing for castling with 5. ...............Be7. } 5... Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 c6 8. b4 { 8. b4 - white decides to expand onthe queenside and prepares a fianchetto on b2 hitting indirectly at theg7 square. Ion now develops his queen knight, temporarily blocking inhis lsb, but I do not think his opponent can take advantage of this. Isuppose if Ion plays Be6 before Nd7 then white can play his knight to g5and if the bishop goes to f7 it will be swapped off. Mind you, in closedpositions knights can be better than bishops. Ion stated that this isthe beginning of a strategic dichotomy: White bases his chances on Q-sideplay; Black aims directly at White's King. Both side have chances. AlthoughI like Black's game, I would have no objection to playing the White piecesin this sort of position. } 8... Nbd7 9. a4 { 9. a4 - impressive looking wallof pawns on the queenside. } 9... Qe8 10. Bb2 Qh5 { 10. ......... Qh5 - Ion goeson the aggressive, queen out to h5 to put some pressure on the white castledposition. A pawn storm will now follow. } 11. e3 g5 { 11. ......... g5 -here it comes! } 12. Nd2 Qg6 { 12. ......... Qg6 - the black queen retreatsgiving her other half some cover but bearing down on the g2 square. Ionhas an equally impressive wall of pawns on the kingside. } 13. h3 g4 14. h4 { 14. h4! - eschewing an exchange because white wants to lock up theposition and keep the h file closed especially to Ion's heavies. Ion nowtries to break through with f4. Some wood is about to be exchanged forthe first time in 15 moves! } 14... f4 15. Be4 Nxe4 16. Ndxe4 f3 { 16. .........f3 - hmm, puts a bit of a clamp on white's kingside position but then thatcould be a case of Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth as far as direct matingchances go. Ion's queen will need to take her own pawns to get throughhere and that is illegal!! Ion's king is looking just a little draughtybut his opponent will not be able to take advantage of this. } 17. d4 Qh6 { 17. .......... Qh6 - threatening to bust open white's position with adsb sacrifice on h4. Suddenly it is looking very nasty for white who wasjust adding to his impressive pawn formation on the queenside. Now whitetries to counter down the centre files by exchanging d pawn for e pawn. } 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. c5 d5 20. Nxd5 cxd5 21. Qxd5+ { 21. Qxd5 - here we haveit, a queen fork on d5, but black can get out of it by moving the knightout of the firing line and blocking the queen check. White is a piecefor two pawns to the bad but his queen is eyeing up Ion's open castledposition. Another thing. White has a well supported passer on e3. Onthe whole I would say that black has a slight advantage here. } 21... Nf7 22. Qd4 { 22. Qd4 - just a little deterrent here. Should Ion's queen strayaway from the protection of g7 then he cops Old Matey. Note that the knighton f7 is covering h8. This may sound an obvious thing to state but I havedelivered a couple of OTB mates with precisely this sort of line up! } 22... Rd8 23. Qc3 { 23. Qc3 - still staying trained on g7 and h8. } 23... Bf5 24. Nf6+ Bxf6 25. Qxf6 Qxf6 26. Bxf6 Re8 { 26. ............... Re8 - over the last fewmoves there has been a plethora of exchanges. Suddenly all thoughts ofdirect mating attacks have gone caput. The material balance remains thesame but white has a healthy pawn majority on both sides of the board. Remember, if the material count stays the same with nearly all the pawns,the major pieces and one set of minor pieces swapped off the game may wellbe drawn. Note - king and minor piece cannot mate lone king, 2 pawns are2 potential queens which can quite easily mate a bare king. } 27. Rfd1 Re6 28. Bd4 Be4 29. b5 { 29. b5 - onward Christian Soldiers! } 29... Rd8 30. Rd2 Nh6 31. Bc3 Rxd2 32. Bxd2 { 32. Bxd2 - one pair of rooks have been swapped off. Yes, I think white's plan is as per my earlier note. But Ion foils it. Let's see how. } 32... Nf5 33. Kf1 Kf7 34. Ke1 { 34. Ke1 - both kings centralisethemselves as this is now an endgame. Ion now has a big, big surpriseup his sleeve. He is about to serve up one of his specialities ..............wait for it ............... } 34... Nxh4 35. gxh4 Rh6 { 35. ................ Rh6........................ IMBALANCES!!! Yes, Ion has sacrificed his knightfor two pawns restoring the material count as the white h pawn cannot besaved. White plays 36. Bc3 to protect his rook against a threatened skewerwhen black takes off the h pawn. The black pawns on the kingside are nowgoing to be a menace. Ion stated that 'Black's 34th came as a surpriseeven to me - and I played it! Fact is, I was about to play something like34...Ke7 and happened, rather idly, to glance at 34...Nxg3. Of course thatmove is quickly seen as hopeless, but suddenly the alternate capture cameto mind, with the rook follow-up (as played). Clearly White's h-pawn cannotbe protected, Black establishes a mobile majority of his own on the K-flank,and White has a possible skewer (...Rh1) to attend to. Such were the consequencesof White's 34th move. The whole game is transformed. Good enough for me!' } 36. Bc3 Rxh4 37. Kd1 Rh1+ 38. Kd2 Rh2 39. Ke1 { 39. Ke1 - forced - thef pawn must be defended. } 39... g3 { 39 ..................... g3!!! This move,however, forces resignation on the grounds of ruinous loss of material. In fact if white takes the b pawn then Ion's rook on h2 will be an absolutebone in the throat! Next move Ion will play f2 followed by Bg2 then f1/Q. Not only will white be a whole queen down but Old Matey is not far away. Well played Ion! - Joanne Ion stated that 'Some more detailed annotationis called for in this sequence, which contains errors on both sides. *A*At the beginning of this sequence, 36.Bc3 is not a mistake exactly (themove protects the rook on a1), but White could have continued 36.Ba5 Rxh437.Rd1 Rh1 38.Kd2 Rh2 (38...Rxd1 is also possible) 39.Ke1 g3 40.fxg3Re2 41.Kf1 Bf5! 42.Kg1 Rg2 43.Kh1 Be4! wins for Black. *B* Instead of37.Kd1 White might have improved a little with 37.Rd1 Rh1 38.Kd2, butWhite does have this remarkable resource: 38...Rxd1 39.Kxd1 Bc2 !! IfWhite takes 40.Kxc2 g3! is curtains, but 40.Kd2 Bxa4 though it looks verygood for Black, keeps White in the game. *C* Black should have played (insteadof 37...Rh1 ?!) 37...g3! 38.fxg3 Rh1 39.Kd2 Bb1!! and the f-pawn can'tbe stopped even after 40.Rxb1 Rxb1. *D* Finally, White might have prolongedhis resistance by 39.Bd4 or Be5, though 39...Rxe2 40.Kc3 Re2 is also winningfor Black. ' } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "16-Sep-08"] [Round "-"] [White "yaronmr"] [Black "simsim314"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1645"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1663"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Bd7 9. g4 Nc6 10. O-O-O b5 11. Bxb5 Ne5 12. Be2 Rb8 13. h4 { h5 isthe theory move here } 13... Bxg4 14. fxg4 Nfxg4 { 15. Bxg4 Nxg4 16. Nc6 and whitehas big advantage } 15. Rdg1 { ?? Now black has good chances. } 15... Nxe3 16. Qxe3 Qb6 { ! this was the initial idea behind 11.Bxb5 (bad idea) } 17. Nd1 Nc4 18. Bxc4 Bxd4 19. Qg3 { 19...Bxg1 20. Rxg1 Rc8 21. Bb3 etc and whiteare better, black has no plan, and no attacking chances } 19... Bxb2+ 20. Nxb2 Qxb2+ 21. Kd2 Qb4+ { ? 21...Qd4 ! 22.Qd3 Qf2 with perpetual check (or 23.Kc1Qf4 24. Kd1 d5! and white are in trouble follows Rb4 or Rd1). It's passableto play 22.Bd3 with complication after Rfc1 } 22. Qc3 Rfc8 { 22...Qc5 isnot better after 23.Be2 black has nothing } 23. Qxb4 Rxb4 24. Bd3 h5 { tooslow Ra5 better but it won't save black. } 25. Rb1 Rcb8 26. Rb3 Kg7 27. Rhb1 { this is all lost now. } 27... Rxb3 28. Rxb3 Rb6 29. a4 Rxb3 30. cxb3 Kf6 31. b4 Ke5 32. Kc3 g5 33. hxg5 h4 34. a5 h3 35. Bf1 h2 36. Bg2 Kf4 37. b5 Kg3 38. Bh1 Kf2 39. e5 dxe5 40. b6 1-0

[Event "Shropshire 1 v Bradford B 4NCL"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "13-1-2019"] [Round "-"] [White "Charles Higgie"] [Black "Harold Baxter"] [Result "0-1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 O-O 9. O-O { This is a fairly standard - the Exchange Variationof the Grünfeld Defence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%BCnfeld_Defence#Exchange_Variation:_4.cxd5_Nxd5_5.e4White's move order though is slightly strange - I played 9. 0-0 insteadof 9. Be3 to avoid black exchanging pawns on d4 and then throwing in aqueen check on a5. Black's next is an attempt to take advantage of this. } 9... Qc7 { Although this move is the third most popular, according to the WorldDatabase on Gameknot, - after Nc6 and cxd4 - it also scores the best. Blacknow threatens to take on d4, discovering an attack on the Bc4. } 10. d5 { 10. Bf4 e5 11. Bxe5 Bxe5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Bd5 seems to be the best wayforward for white. } 10... Nd7 { The obvious way to continue. } 11. f4 { Keepingthe Nd7 out of e5. Bf4 or Rb1 has been played in this position previously. } 11... Nb6 { So the knight comes out this way instead. } 12. Bb3 { Bishop dropsback. } 12... Bg4 { Threat - 13...Bg7xc3 } 13. Bb2 { White protects. } 13... Rad8 { Blackdevelops } 14. h3 { White asks the question. } 14... Bxe2 { He takes. I was ratherexpecting him to retreat of c8, but this seems adequate. } 15. Qxe2 { I takeback. } 15... c4 { He hits the bishop. } 16. Bc2 { It drops back. } 16... Qc5+ { He throwsin a check. } 17. Kh1 { Considering what happens later, maybe Kh2 was better. } 17... Qa5 { he attacks c3. } 18. Qe3 { I protect. Now 18....Na4 is met with Ba3with complications. } 18... Rd7 { So now he is threatening Na4 } 19. a4 { Which Iprevent. } 19... Rfd8 { He doubles on the d file. } 20. Ra3 { this was probably amistake. By over-protecting c3, I release the Bb2 and/or the Qe3 for otherduties. } 20... e6 { He nibbles at my centre. } 21. dxe6 { I take. } 21... fxe6 { He takesback. } 22. e5 { I shut out his bishop. } 22... Rd2 { He advances } 23. Rf2 { I challenge } 23... Rxf2 { He takes } 24. Qxf2 { I take back. } 24... Bf8 { he attacks my rook. } 25. Ra1 { Rook drops back. } 25... Bc5 { He attacks my queen. } 26. Qg3 { I threaten 27. Bxg6with complications. } 26... Kg7 { Which he avoids. } 27. f5 { So I play this. } 27... exf5 { He takes } 28. Bxf5 { I take back. } 28... Rf8 { He attacks } 29. Rf1 { I defend. } 29... Qxa4 { He takes. he is now threatening Rxf5 and if I recapture, Qd1+ iswinning for him. } 30. Kh2 { So I move my king. } 30... Qc6 { Queen comes back toprotect his king-side } 31. Bc1 { So my bishop heads towards the new war-zone. } 31... Kh8 { By breaking the pin, black is now threatening to take on f5. } 32. Bh6 { But now if he takes, he gets mated. } 32... Rf7 { I now lay a trap which hefalls into. } 33. e6 { He sees the chance to take my queen. } 33... Bd6 { He fallsinto the trap. 33.....Rf6 is correct and good. } 34. exf7 { I take his rook. } 34... Bxg3+ { He takes my queen with check. } 35. Kxg3 { I take back. } 35... Qc7+ { Hehas to play this to stop my pawn queening. } 36. Rf4 { I block. } 36... Qxf7 { Hetakes. Right, white to play and win! } 37. Be4 { A blunder! 37. Bg4 was theonly way to win. } 37... Qc7 { Now the pin stops the mate on f8. } 38. Kf3 { Threateningmate again. } 38... Nd7 { But now there is no mate. } 39. Rf7 { A final blunder ina lost position. } 39... Ne5+ { Oops! White resigns. } 0-1

[Event "grey_panda's mini-tournament I"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2013.01.13"] [Round "-"] [White "wijzewillem"] [Black "grey_panda"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1459"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1382"] 1. e4 { The Turning Point. How I've never lost against this opponent bafflesme. He scares the heck out of me every time and did it again here. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { He goes for the Ruy Lopez, which I've always found Kg8-e7to be rather unsatisfactory, so I try the more adventurous approach.... } 3... Nd4 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. O-O c6 { Perhaps rather weak, should have started moredev rather than trying to push him back, but as I said, he scares me. } 6. Ba4 Bc5 7. d3 a5 { Preparing for g5 to take that bishop out. } 8. a3 b5 9. Bb3 Bd6 10. c4 dxc3 { Unless a dramatically better move is availableI always ep. It just tends to upset people. } 11. Nxc3 Qh4 { Optimism isa wonderful thing. } 12. g3 Qf6 13. Ne2 h5 { Still trying to create gaps/weaknesseson that kingside. } 14. Bf4 h4 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Nf4 hxg3 17. fxg3 Qd4+ { Now I'm reduced to my usual ploy, that of poking and prodding trying tofind a mistake rather than any cohesive planning..... } 18. Rf2 Nf6 19. Qf3 d6 { Clears the way for K-g4 } 20. Re1 Ng4 { Now that I thought was aneat little move, with the rook already pinned I could only see good thingsfrom this move..... } 21. Ne6 { Until I saw the reply which at first glancelooked naff, but the closer I looked the more worried I became. The sheervolume of threats is pretty overwhelming. Directly of course the queenis under threat, ignoring the pawn at g7, not to mention the mate in oneQxf2 or the fork opportunity at c7, the instinct was BxK, but then BxBand still all sorts of threats. That one move was responsible for about6 years off my life. } 21... Bxe6 { On reflection QxR might have worked as well,but at the time I was scurrying backwards not thinking of attacking. Whichis a measure for me of how much that white move terrified me. } 22. Bxe6 Qxf2+ { Now, having managed to return my heart rate to something approachingnormal, I resume being offensive. } 23. Qxf2 Nxf2 24. Kxf2 fxe6 { I end upa rook up, so a more technical analysis will probably show 21 Ke6... asa mistake. But its a tactic I often employ myself. When under the coshattack back, people get scared, people make mistakes. It doesn't alwayswork of course as in this case, but it really did make me think. When itworks it tends to totally throw the other player as their mind dwells onit and they weaken themselves. } 25. h4 Kd7 26. Re3 d5 27. e5 Raf8+ 28. Kg2 g5 29. d4 gxh4 30. gxh4 Rxh4 31. Rh3 { I felt the rook exchange therewasn't in white's best interests, which is why I grab it... } 31... Rxh3 32. Kxh3 Rf2 { And at that point my opponent decides its a lost cause. But havingbeen there and done it and had it done to me on more than one occasionthat 21st move was well worth it. It so nearly paid off and if it had,then kudos for the courage to make it. } 0-1

[Event "First Annotation, Keeping it short"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "deancollegechess"] [Black "presso"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1707"] [TimeControl "5min + 10sec per move"] [WhiteElo "1200"] 1. e4 { Actually I was hoping for the Sicilian, I've recently been attemptingto work the Smith Morra (attempting being the operative word). } 1... e5 2. f4 { Met with e5, I begin the lines for the King's Gambit; a line I've beenexperimenting with, primarily in Blitz games. The King's Gambit involvesthe initial sacrifice of the white f pawn. The concept behind it beingthat off centering black's e pawn will give white an advantage in the gamethrough center control and initiative. Black's best hope is to slow thepace of the game down and lock up the board as much as possible, so asto stave off the early offensive and retain the advantage in material. } 2... exf4 3. Nf3 { I develop my knight, the most common third move for whitein the King's Gambit lines. Trying to take immediate control of the centerso that strong opening offensive can give me a positional advantage greaterthan or equal to my sacrificed pawn. } 3... d6 { My opponent continues with development,my immediate guess is that his intention is Bg3, thus pinning my knightto my queen. } 4. d4 { I respond with d4, a nice move that I tend to favorgiven the opportunity. It takes a fairly dominating control of the centerwhile forcing the opponent to attend to his erstwhile soldier being threatenedby the now discovered dark squared bishop. } 4... g5 5. h4 { My opponent respondswith the common and quite effective g5. Here I make an interesting attemptto peal off that defense. Admittedly I do not know the theory behind thismove at all, it was simply a move I thought of and utilized. At this pointI am rather intent on securing my the pawn on f4, I have a significantadvantage in development and control of the center, if I could equalizethe material I should have the game fairly securely in my favor. My onlyconcern is g4, in which case I would have sacrificed my knight as opposedto moving it to either h2 or d2. I would have attempted to take advantageof the additional tempi and launch a whirlwind tactical assault upon theopponents center. For example Zimmer vs. Hans Mueller in 1918. In thatparticular case white sacrifices two pawns and a knight, similar to thisgame, in order to gain the initiative to win the game. } 5... f6 6. Bc4 Bd7 { Myopponent chooses to defend his defense, but in doing so exposes a fairlyhuge weakness on his kingside. He follows up with a weak Bd7, a move Icannot even hope to explain. The only other square he could have movedhis light squared bishop to was g4, pinning my knight to my queen (finally).Retrospectively the better of the two moves for the bishop. } 7. Nxg5 { Thatmove proves to be my opponents undoing, because the only two moves preventcheckmate, Qe7 and Nh6; Qe7 losing the rook after 8. Nf7. Even with thebest move, the material has been evened, and the position is strongly inmy favor. } 7... fxg5 8. Qh5+ { Unfortunately for black, he does not see the loomingcheckmate. He accepts the 'poison knight' and allows for Qh5+. My opponentthen resigns, seeing 8... Ke7 9.Qf7#. This is my first annotation, I chose(obviously) a short and tactical game for simplicities sake. This gameis an excellent example of the strength in the King's Gambit, especiallyagainst opponents not entirely familiar with the lines. Forcing your opponentinto a sharp, tactical game creates a very small margin for error, andthat can be capitalized on by a clever tactician, particularly in Blitzgames. Please comment and let me know what you think. } 8... Ke7 9. Qf7# 1-0

[Event "Epic and Stunning Finale!!!"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.06.28"] [Round "-"] [White "chesskingdom64"] [Black "kerenraveh"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1171"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1075"] { A true finishing touch that even I don't know how I got to that moment. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 { The Three Knights Game. } 3... d6 4. Bc4 { I alwaysdo this kind of opening to expect the Four Knights Game Italian Variation. } 4... Bg4 { This is exactly how I felt about this move: Really Black? Fine, Iwill let you take me. } 5. d3 { Sure enough, I ignore the Bishop and continuewith my plan. } 5... Nd4 6. Nd5 { I had to make sure I was watching out for possibletricks. } 6... c6 7. Nc3 b5 { I definetely bought my one-way ticket to the torturechamber when I didn't see this coming. } 8. Bb3 { Now I regret sending myBishop to c4. } 8... Nxb3 9. axb3 { This move weakened my position quite a bit. } 9... Nf6 10. h3 { Buzz off, Black Bishop. Why don't you help out YOUR poor pieces? } 10... Be6 { The answer: Black's Bishop bought a getaway-for-free ticket. I sofar played crummy moves and who knows what Black can do to my positiondisaster. } 11. O-O { The only move I could think about. Kingside castling. } 11... b4 { After this move, I decided to play a lot more cautiously. } 12. Na4 { I had no other choice. } 12... d5 13. c4 { Very chaotic so far } 13... d4 { Black wasrather wise to skip 13...exd4?. } 14. c5 { Not a very good move that I justplayed. } 14... Be7 { Besides Knight forks, my worst enemy in this game is twinBishops. } 15. Bd2 Qa5 { Good bye my misused pawn. } 16. Qe1 Bxc5 17. Nxe5 { I'm trying to wake up now, with a threat on c6! } 17... Bd6 { I guess Black thoughta double check was useful and I respond by taking his already bored (board)pawn. } 18. Nxc6 Qc7 19. Nxb4 { My Knight is probably happy, but his hapinessis already in a deadly storm. } 19... Bxb3 { The Bishop's Revenge. } 20. Ra3 { Dowe have any room for the Rook to move about? } 20... Be6 { Now is a good time formy Rook to go back to it's starting place: a1. } 21. b3 a5 22. Nb2 O-O { Blackdecides to castle while I am in pain. } 23. f4 Bxb4 24. Bxb4 axb4 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 { Maybe I should try to play 26.Nc4. } 26. e5 Nd5 27. Qe4 { What am Idoing? Now, Black can play 27...Qc3. } 27... Qc2 { Or this move is just as great. } 28. Qxd4 { I only took Black's d4 pawn to have my Queen quickly guard asmuch material as it can, preferably my Knight and my d3 pawn. } 28... Qxb3 29. Nc4 Ra2 30. Ra1 { My only move to save me! } 30... Nxf4 { Black destroys his gameentirely!!! } 31. Qd8# { A stunning mate came right into play thanks to Black'sweak back rank and the file that unfolds into an open rank. At first sight,it was hard for me to believe that it was really possible. } 1-0

[Event "Lesson in Endgame"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2012.09.11"] [Round "-"] [White "hamebr17"] [Black "kingshunt"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1936"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1867"] 1. e4 { Hi! this game only my recent victory against a tough opponent. Hegave me a lot of pressure before I managed to outplayed him. I'm playingblack so I'm preparing my fave Sicilian Defense once he opened e4. So letme hear all of your criticisms and suggestion, because my annotation wasbased on my logical perception and evaluations. My opponent played e4.. } 1... c5 { Most of the time I replied c5, It's very rare I used e5. But e5 isthe most logical and solid reply from black } 2. Nf3 { My opponent continuedhis development according to widely accepted opening theory. Nf6 controlthe e5 and influenced the d4 square, and as well the normal developmentof of one of his minor pieces for the purpose of king castle. } 2... d6 { I playedmy favorite Najdorf variation, the fave of Fischer and Kasparov. This movegives black queen bishop free development and to restrict white pawn advancein e5 square. } 3. d4 { d4 the most common reply from white. Danish GM BentLarsen heavily criticized the exchange of center pawn with the plank pawns.He developed and popularized one opening, the Larsen Opening which beginwith b3. } 3... cxd4 { the normal reply from black } 4. Bb5+ { white was too aggressivewith this move. } 4... Bd7 { I can play Nc6 which is the usual reply from black.But I want to try other possible variations. } 5. Bxd7+ { Maybe his firstobjective is to remove my queen bishop, since no one will pin his knightin f3 and as well his light square are much more defined and objectivethan my position. } 5... Nxd7 { I think 5..Nc6 are much good than this move, butI want to try other variations and the next couple of moves out of bookline. } 6. Qxd4 { centralizing his queen and also restrict the advance of my g pawn,most of the players agree 6. Nxd4 is the logical move } 6... Ngf6 7. Nc3 { Whiteother good continuation are: 7. 0-0 e5, 8. Qe3 Be7, 9. Nc3 0-0, 10. h3Qc7 11. Bd2 Qc6, and white has a small advantage } 7... g6 { I'm worry to play7..e6 here because white is still postponing his castling in kingside.I think he want a long castling, The purpose of this castling, his queenrook supporting his queen attacking my d6 pawn and as well preparing forkingside attack. atleast my pawn at this moment it is supported by e7 pawn,so I decided to fianchetto my bishop and then king castle. } 8. Be3 { Justwhat I feel... } 8... Bg7 { I'm looking the safety of my king before white breakthe center. } 9. O-O-O O-O 10. e5 { White start to break the center, whichin my opinion was to premature. I think the most accurate plan for whiteis start to advance his h pawn and preparing to exchange his bishop againstmy bishop in g7 or vice versa, and then shift his forces in kingside } 10... Nh5 { just intended to pin the pawn and the white queen, but with loss of mytwo minor pieces in exchange of a rook. If 10.. Ne8, white continue 11.Bf4 then 12. Rhe1. Either my move white still has slight edge 10.. Nh5I admit is too risky to exchange my two minor pieces against rook!! } 11. g4 { Before I played 10..Nf5, I already anticipate white will make thiscommittal move. } 11... Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 { Not 12.. dxe5? resulted to one piecedown. } 13. Qxe5 { So white decided to simplify and move to endgame, on theother hand this is my favorite part of the game. } 13... dxe5 14. Rxd8 Raxd8 15. gxh5 { So now at the first glance its much easy to handle the white position,his first objective is to exchange my other rook and then shift his twominor pieces to harass my two pawns in queenside which give him a two passedpawn. generally two minor pieces has an advantage against a rook. } 15... b6 { Itrestrict bishop's activity. } 16. a4 { Now he starting to advance his pawn.It's a very difficult task for me even to equalize here, but I have twopowerful rook atleast to compensate, he has an advantage his king is muchnear than my king. } 16... Kg7 { I'm starting to move my king to participate inbattle, before white overwhelm the queenside. } 17. a5 { with the intentionto create a pass pawn and threatening my a7 pawn } 17... bxa5 { Its take a timefor me before making this move. My plan is to remove all of pawns in queensideleaving only white c pawn and then shift the game in kingside becauseI have a couple of pawns. My queen rook watching the queenside and my otherrook supporting my plan in kingside by pushing all of my pawns with thehelp of my king. } 18. Bxa7 Rd7 { I want to stay my rook in d file, I don'twant to give his king a chance to move via d2 } 19. Bb6 Ra8 20. hxg6 { Ilet white to capture my pawn eversince he capture my knight. I want a connectingpawns rather than two double pawns even I'm pawn up. } 20... hxg6 { this is goodinstead of 20..fxg6 because it will isolated my double pawns in e filewhich is not good. } 21. Rd1 { white he want to remove my rook's commandin d file so he like to exchange. } 21... Rxd1+ { I accept to exchange the rook } 22. Kxd1 f5 { I'm starting to advance my pawn. I have a much solid phalanxof pawns against his two isolated pawns. } 23. Kd2 Kf7 24. Kd3 { White shouldmove his king in kingside, he overestimate the position. } 24... g5 { My plan.the start of racing of pawns for queening.. } 25. Kc4 { He totally committedhis king to support his two minor piece in queenside but neglecting thekingside. It's not too late, his move should move 25. Ke3. } 25... g4 { Asidefrom advancing my pawn it restrict the f and h pawn, these two pawns soonwill be the target of my rook. } 26. Kd5 Kf6 27. Nd1 { Aside for the intentionof 28. c4 it support his f2 pawn and move his knight in kingside. } 27... e6+ 28. Kc6 { I can play Rh8 but I' still wait his king to advance near my rookand also looking for the advance of my a pawn to exchange atleast withhis b pawn. } 28... Rc8+ { just only for tempo, to distract his bishop in diagonalg1-a7. } 29. Bc7 { the only move..If he move his king I will capture thec pawn. } 29... f4 { To create a passed pawn in g file and the harassing his knightto stay away from my g pawn. I let white to capture my pawn in a6 } 30. c4 { Obviously white don't want behind on the racing of pawns. } 30... Rh8 31. Bxa5 Rxh2 32. b4 { White has two connected passed pawn and supported bybishop and king, a very difficult game for me. } 32... g3 33. fxg3 fxg3 34. Ne3 { to stop my pawn advance in g2 } 34... Re2 { my logical reply. } 35. Bb6 { whitelogical reply } 35... Kg5 { to help my rook's battle against two minor pieces.. } 36. Kd7 { White intention is to capture my pawn as well giving way for hispawn advance in c file. } 36... Kf4 37. b5 e4 { The best move that I made. If weboth promote our pawns to queen, at least my king has a shield againstthe queen's check. } 38. Kxe6 Rxe3 39. Bxe3+ Kxe3 40. b6 g2 41. b7 g1=Q 42. b8=Q { white offered me a draw but I refused, because I have a slightadvantage. and as well if I agree for a draw it will reduced my rating.Because I have a much higher rating than him. } 42... Qg6+ 43. Kd5 { White shouldavoid the e5 and d6 square because it will skewer his queen after I checkedhis king. } 43... Qf5+ { I'm preparing my king move to f3 then push my e pawn,my queen cover the f file for white queen's check. And after f3 I can covermy king by pushing my pawn to e3. My queens check intention is to stayaway the white king. } 44. Qe5 { White decided to exchange our queens. } 44... Qxe5+ { I accept } 45. Kxe5 Kd3 { White think that after my pawn queening his pawnis already in 7th rank and hoping for a draw. But my king was so near.generally rook pawn and bishop pawn is draw. } 46. c5 e3 47. c6 e2 48. Kd6 e1=Q 49. Kd7 { giving a chance to advance his pawn in 7th rank } 49... Kc4 { Myking is ready for king hunting!! } 50. c7 Qd1+ { The strategy for the seriesof these checks, here is to pressure white to put his king in c8 then givinga chance for me to advance my king. } 51. Ke8 Qh5+ { White is already losthere. But still hoping for my mistake :-) } 52. Kd8 Qd5+ 53. Kc8 Kc5 54. Kb8 Qb3+ 55. Ka8 Kb6 56. Kb8 Kc6+ { White resigns. If 57. Ka8 then 57..Kb7mate. If 57. Kc8 then 57...Qg8 mate..It's a very big win for me, a verydifficult endgame, and I acknowledge white for this game, one of my best. } 0-1

[Event "sdr46's 20th mini-tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.03.11"] [Round "-"] [White "chaitanya_kch"] [Black "trachess"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1406"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1305"] 1. e4 c6 { This is my simlu game J. Shehade vs Floyd( trachess) } 2. d4 d5 { Of course this is the Ck-B12 } 3. exd5 cxd5 { So far text book moves } 4. c4 e6 5. Nc3 Nf6 { We are now in the Ck b13- Panov-Botvinnilk Attack. Sofar .so good } 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Bd3 { Good spot to post f1 bishop. } 7... Bb4 { Lettry a pin } 8. O-O a6 { This was a waste moved at this time of the game.dxc4 was much better. } 9. Bg5 { This pin was quite problematic for me. Lookingat the last move,I may have wanted to prevent the kn from going to b5 andreturn the Be7 } 9... O-O { Did I really nned to castle at this time? } 10. cxd5 Bxc3 { I thougth this was to regain my pawn. a way } 11. bxc3 exd5 { Thislast exchange made the problem of the pinned kn even worse. However I amok with my position at this time. } 12. Ne5 { This are starting to becomebad for black. } 12... Be6 { Only place to develop the bishop } 13. Qf3 { More pressureby JH } 13... Re8 { More development by Trachess } 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 16. Nxc6 bxc6 { Clearly superior position for JH } 17. Rab1 Rab8 { Reb6 was bettter-hanging the pawn back to the bad a6 move } 18. f3 { This move surprized mebut of course it provides a escape square for the k and prepares the kas a wepond as more and move pieces are remove from the bd. } 18... Rxb1 19. Rxb1 a5 { Trying to save the pawn } 20. Kf2 { King enters the battle as the gamemove to end game. } 20... Kg7 { let's enter another king into the battle } 21. Rb6 Rc8 22. Ra6 { that pawn again } 22... c5 { My thinking now is time to try someshut down draw- like chess } 23. Rxa5 c4 24. Be2 Rb8 { After the game wasover JH suggest I should have just help my positon even if I had to movethe King back and back again. From about move 25 up I was thinking f5 woulreally have lock dow my position. } 25. Ke3 { Of course the king's poweris being enhanced. } 25... Rb2 { Trying to freeze both the rook and the Bishop } 26. f4 f5 27. h3 Kg6 28. g4 h6 29. Bf3 fxg4 30. hxg4 Rc2 { trying to gainthat one pawn totally overlooked the f5+ } 31. f5+ Bxf5 { Looking back kf5was better 31....Kf5 32 fxe6 fxe6 better pawn structure same lost bishop rook in position to acapture the c3 pawn+ } 32. gxf5+ Kf6 { Why- I don'tknow-Only about 7 player left the thinking time is shorter and shorter and shemoving faster and faster trying take make the next train out of town. } 33. Bxd5 Rxc3+ { Finally- 1st ch move for me the entire game } 34. Ke4 h5 { What left a lucky promotion? } 35. Ra6+ Kg5 36. Bxf7 { Only 4 player left and she moving faster and faster between players } 36... Kg4 37. Rg6+ { resign } 0-1

[Event "Long game in the 210th GK tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2022.05.10"] [Round "-"] [White "pista1"] [Black "heater"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1328"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1353"] { After all my games in the 210th GK tournament finished, I would frequentlybrowse the still ongoing games to see if any were of particular interest.This one jumped out because of its length, and I wondered how and why thegame had lasted so long... as you will see, even after looking at the moves,some questions remain unanswered! } 1. c4 Nc6 { An unconventional responseto the English Opening. Since White usually plays c4 in d4 openings, transpositionbetween the two is easy; therefore Black tends to avoid ...Nc6 so as tokeep the c-pawn free. } 2. d4 h6 { (?) This is quite irrelevant to the actiontaking place in the centre. White is already threatening to claim spaceand gain tempo with the advance to d5. } 3. d5 Ne5 4. f4 { But now Whiteslips up, when 4. e4 would have consolidated the centre and indirectlydefended the c4 pawn. } 4... Nxc4 5. e4 b5 { Another inaccuracy: this allows 6.b3 Nb6 7. Bxb5, winning a pawn. } 6. Bxc4 bxc4 7. Nd2 { This is equally good,as Black has no way to keep the advanced pawn. } 7... Ba6 8. Qa4 c6 { (?) Either8... Qc8 or 8...Bb7 was necessary, although Black is in bad shape regardless;the pin on the d7 pawn makes it hard for Black to mobilise his pieces. } 9. Qxa6 e6 { This loses another pawn; Black should exchange on d5 first. } 10. dxc6 { Black cannot recapture: 10... dxc6? 11. Qxc6+ forces 11... Ke7,and Black's king is then an easy target. } 10... Bc5 11. cxd7+ Qxd7 12. Nxc4 Nf6 { Black tries to mobilise his remaining pieces, but White has now obtaineda material advantage that should be enough to win. However, there is stilla lot that can go wrong! For starters, Black is threatening 13... Nxe4,with dual threats of 14... Bb4+ and 14... Nf2. } 13. Ne5 { This is tempting,but it makes an unnecessary concession by allowing ...Bb4+. Instead, Whiteshould probably play 13. Be3, returning a pawn but matching Black's development. } 13... Bb4+ { And now White's king is obliged to move. } 14. Ke2 Qd6 { But Blackcannot immediately take advantage, and the queen has to find safety. Inaddition, Black cannot avoid a check along the diagonal, so the queen mustdefend the bishop. } 15. Qb5+ Kf8 16. Qd3 { White chooses to defend the e4pawn and threaten an exchange of queens, which Black will not want to take,being behind on material. } 16... Qb6 17. Nd7+ { White can now at least force theknights off. } 17... Nxd7 18. Qxd7 Rd8 { Black's pieces are, for the moment, moreactive; but there is no immediate danger and so White should have timeto consolidate. } 19. Qa4 a5 20. Be3 Qa6+ 21. Kf3 Rd3 { This pin will bethe focus of the action for the next few moves. } 22. a3 Bc5 23. Re1 g6 24. Nh3 Kg7 25. b4 { White takes advantage of the pin on the a5 pawn... } 25... Bd6 { ...but White's pawn is also pinned, provided the bishop retreats onthe a3-f8 diagonal. } 26. Nf2 Rc3 27. Rc1 { But now that Black's bishop isoff the a7-g1 diagonal, White can break out of the pin in this way. } 27... Rhc8 28. Qd1 { Threatening Qd4+. White could instead have played 28. Rxc3 Rxc329. Rc1 to permanently break the pin. } 28... Rxa3 { (?) It is tempting to clawa pawn back, but this allows 29. Rxc8 Rxc8 30. Qxd6. } 29. Rxc8 Qxc8 30. Qc1 { White's first big mistake, failing to grab the bishop. Maybe Whitewas frightened of 30. Qxd6 Qc3, but he could then play 31. Qc5 Qb3 32.bxa5 and everything is under control. } 30... Rc3 31. Qd2 Bxb4 { Black claws backanother pawn and is now only -2 (knight for pawn) and has the outside passedpawn. } 32. Nd1 Rb3 33. Qd4+ f6 34. Nb2 { White opens the way for the remainingrook to enter the battle. The pin on the bishop is still present, but Whitefeels he can afford to ignore it for a while. This proves to be mistaken.... } 34... Bc3 35. Qc4 { Necessary to avoid losing material. } 35... Qb7 { Now the knight mustmove... } 36. Na4 Bd2 { ...and Black is once more threatening the e3 bishop.What's more, White's rook cannot cover it from e1. } 37. Nc5 Rxe3+ { Blackis ahead on material for the first time in the game! } 38. Kf2 Qb6 { Threatening39... Rc3. In addition, White's knight, while not strictly pinned, is restrained,since an arbitrary move would allow Black a nasty discovered check. } 39. Nxe6+ { However, White can get a check in first... } 39... Kf7 { ...and Black doesn'tlike the look of ...Kg8 (or h8), allowing 41. Qc8+. The move chosen doesallow White a double check, but it's not clear exactly how dangerous thisis. } 40. Nc5+ { 40. Ng5++ Ke7 (not Kf8?? 41. Qf7#; ...Kg7?? 41. Qf7+ Kh842. Qh7#) 41. Qf7+ Kd8 42. Ne6+ Kc8 43. Qe8+ Kb7 and Black escapes. } 40... Kg7 41. Qd4 { White protects his king from a possible discovered check... } 41... Ra3 { ...and Black moves the rook anyway, leaving White's pieces half-pinned. } 42. Qd7+ { Now the fun starts! } 42... Kg8 43. Qe8+ { Of course, because the knightis pinned, White cannot play 43. Ne6 to threaten mate. } 43... Kh7 44. Qd7+ Kg8 45. Qe8+ Kh7 46. Qf7+ { Note that 46. Qd7+ would *not* allow Black to claima draw. For a valid claim of threefold repetition, the exact position mustrepeat; after 42. Qd7+ Black's king was on g7, not h7. } 46... Kh8 47. Qf8+ Kh7 48. Qf7+ { In fact, it's a good exercise for the reader: which is the firstmove in this sequence after which a draw could be claimed? } 48... Kh8 49. Qf8+ Kh7 50. Qf7+ { GK's annotation format certainly helps! You should be ableto see that this is the same as the position after 46. Qf7+ and 48. Qf7+.However, the game does not automatically end at this point; a game is onlydrawn by repetition if either side chooses to claim the draw. } 50... Kh8 51. Qf8+ Kh7 52. Qe7+ { Now White chooses to vary, so the draw could not beclaimed right now. But if the queen continues to check back and forth,this position too will be repeated three times, and both sides would beable to claim the draw at any time. However, neither does so. (It is worthpointing out that by this stage, it was already clear that neither playercould progress from the tournament group, even with a win; so that wasnot their motivation for prolonging the encounter.) } 52... Kg8 53. Qe8+ Kg7 54. Qe7+ Kh8 55. Qe8+ Kh7 56. Qf7+ Kh8 57. Qf8+ Kh7 58. Qf7+ Kh8 59. Qf8+ Kh7 60. Qf7+ Kh8 61. Qf8+ Kh7 62. Qf7+ Kh8 63. Qf8+ Kh7 64. Qf7+ Kh8 65. Qf8+ Kh7 66. Qf7+ Kh8 67. Qf8+ Kh7 68. Qf7+ Kh8 69. Qf8+ Kh7 70. Qe7+ Kg8 71. Qe8+ Kh7 72. Qf7+ Kh8 73. Qf8+ Kh7 74. Qf7+ Kh8 75. Qf8+ Kh7 76. Qf7+ Kh8 77. Qf8+ Kh7 78. Qe7+ { This position has indeed recurred for the thirdtime... } 78... Kh8 79. Qe8+ Kh7 80. Qe7+ Kg8 81. Qe8+ Kh7 82. Qf7+ Kh8 83. Qf8+ Kh7 84. Qf7+ Kh8 85. Qf8+ Kh7 86. Qf7+ Kh8 87. Qf8+ Kh7 88. Qf7+ Kh8 89. Qf8+ { ...and now, both sides have played 50 moves without a pawn move orcapture (the last capture being 39. Nxe6+), so from here on, unless oneside chooses to vary, a draw could be claimed by either side at any timefor two reasons! } 89... Kh7 90. Qf7+ Kh8 91. Qf8+ Kh7 92. Qf7+ Kh8 93. Qf8+ Kh7 94. Qf7+ Kh8 95. Qf8+ Kh7 96. Qf7+ Kh8 97. Qf8+ Kh7 98. Qf7+ Kh8 99. Qf8+ Kh7 100. Qf7+ { One hundred moves. It's clear that White has no plan forhow to win, and yet is not willing to declare the game drawn. Feel freeto make a guess as to how the game will end! } 100... Kh8 101. Qf8+ Kh7 102. Qf7+ Kh8 103. Qe8+ Kh7 104. Qe7+ Kg8 105. Qe8+ Kh7 106. Qf7+ Kh8 107. Qf8+ Kh7 108. Qf7+ Kh8 109. Qf8+ Kh7 110. Qf7+ Kh8 111. Qf8+ Kh7 112. Qf7+ Kh8 113. Qf8+ Kh7 114. Qf7+ Kh8 115. Qf8+ Kh7 116. Qf7+ Kh8 117. Qf8+ Kh7 118. Qf7+ Kh8 119. Qf8+ Kh7 120. Qf7+ Kh8 121. Qf8+ Kh7 122. Qf7+ Kh8 123. Qf8+ Kh7 124. Qf7+ Kh8 125. Qf8+ Kh7 126. Qf7+ Kh8 127. Qf8+ Kh7 128. Qf7+ Kh8 129. Qf8+ Kh7 130. Qf7+ Kh8 131. Qf8+ Kh7 132. Qf7+ Kh8 133. Qf8+ Kh7 134. Qf7+ Kh8 135. Qf8+ { Ninety-four consecutive checks. The queen is certainly gettingher exercise! } 135... Kh7 136. Ke2 { White finally chooses to vary. Black was,at any time if White stopped checking, threatening ...Be3+ winning theknight. So, White stops at a time when his queen is defending the knight,and also counterattacks Black's bishop. } 136... Bb4 { However, the very fact thatWhite's queen was defending the knight makes this counter-pin possible!White cannot escape by 137. Nd7, since Black can play 137... Qe3+ and thentake the queen. That said, even though the repetition has been broken,both sides have the option of claiming a 50-move draw at any time! } 137. Rd1 { White abandons the knight and threatens mate... } 137... Ra2+ 138. Kf1 Qb5+ { ...but White's king is also under siege. } 139. Nd3 { (??) White finallycracks, maybe exhausted after such a long game. The only available kingmove, 139. Kg1, allows 139... Bxc5+, forking king and queen. White couldhave tested Black with 139. Rd3; then after 139... Bxc5 140. Qf7+ Whitestill has a chance of getting a draw (which, if it had come off, wouldhave made this an extremely long game!). However, 139... Qxd3+ 140. Nxd3Bxf8 would leave Black a rook ahead. The problem with the move played... } 139... Bxf8 { ...is that after this capture, the 50-move draw is permanently offthe table! } 140. Kg1 Bc5+ 141. Nxc5 { It seems unwise for White to voluntarilyswap pieces, although of course he could not hope to hold out resistancefor long, a queen down. } 141... Qxc5+ 142. Kh1 h5 { Maybe Black was frightenedof another perpetual check with the rook! But there would be no problem,since the king can advance westward and take the rook if it checks again.In any case, Black had a much better move in 142... Qd4! and there is nodefence against 143... Ra1. } 143. f5 Qf2 { 143... Qd4 was still the bestmove. } 144. Rg1 Re2 145. fxg6+ Kxg6 146. h3 Rxe4 { Black's idea is to createa zugzwang, soon forcing White to move the g-pawn. However, 146... Re1was a quicker way to bring things to a conclusion. } 147. Kh2 h4 148. Kh1 Re1 149. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 150. Kh2 a4 { A fine move, not because of promotion,but because it creates the desired zugzwang. White must move the g-pawn,and it doesn't matter whether it moves one or two squares, thanks to theen passant rule. } 151. g3 Qxg3+ { Black misses 151... hxg3+ 152. Kg2 Qf2+153. Kh1 Qh2#. } 152. Kh1 a3 { And, after all that... a quiet stalemate.Black could have won with any move that lifted the stalemate, the fastestwin being 152... Qxh3+ 153. Kg1 Qf3! 154. Kh2 h3 155. Kg1 Qg2#. But a drawit is, and unlike the threefold repetition and 50-move draws that werepossible earlier, stalemate does end the game immediately whether the playerswanted to draw or not. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Challenge from mustafa_ogr"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "14-Nov-05"] [Round "-"] [White "rasmon30"] [Black "mustafa_ogr"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1442"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1698"] 1. e4 { I am mustafa_ogr... my opponent's raiting is much more than mine250 points... } 1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Ne7 7. Qd2 O-O 8. O-O-O b6 9. f3 c5 10. Ndb5 { Center is going to be rasmon's... } 10... a6 11. Nxd6 Be6 12. Kb1 Nc8 13. Bf4 Nc6 14. Qe3 Nd4 15. e5 { must eat tothat horse... it is at dangerous place. } 15... Nxd6 16. exd6 Re8 17. Ne4 Bf5 18. c3 Bxe4+ 19. fxe4 Nf5 20. Qh3 Rxe4 21. g3 Be5 22. Bg2 { Ops, bye byeto one of rook... } 22... Rxf4 23. gxf4 { Heey, i saw something.. It may be?? } 23... Bxd6 24. Bxa8 { Bingo... Let's watch to the show... } 24... Qxa8 25. Rhf1 { Canyou guess my winning in this position? } 25... Qe4+ 26. Ka1 Ne3 { did i forgetto bishop?? Noo i saw better than bishop.. ;) } 27. Rxd6 Nc2+ 28. Kb1 Na3+ { What is happening... } 29. Ka1 Qb1+ { OOOhhh!!! } 30. Rxb1 { a3-c2 :) Mate... } 0-1

[Event "Fast Ladder"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.01.03"] [Round "-"] [White "tomlib"] [Black "joak"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1168"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<3d"] [WhiteElo "1421"] 1. d4 { This is a strange game that vacillated between Queen's Pawn GambitDeclined and Accepted and ended up not really conforming to anything thatI can find. } 1... d5 2. c4 e6 { Looking like QPG Declined } 3. Nf3 { I go backand forth between this and Nc3 } 3... dxc4 { Now the Gambit is accepted and I'mflummoxed } 4. e4 { I like e4 when the Gambit is accepted by as far as Ican tell we are out of book at this point } 4... Bb4+ { Development with check } 5. Nc3 { I like my dark squared Bishop in the accepted gambit and this alsodevelops my Knight } 5... Bxc3+ { This surprised me. Black loses his one developedpiece and my control of the center is very strong now } 6. bxc3 b5 { I thinktrying to save the c pawn in the Gambit Accepted is usually a dangerousidea. } 7. a4 { I remember when I first learned about a4 in this situation(from books) and was very happy. } 7... c6 8. Ne5 { I decided on a second knightmove here because it puts pressure on the back c pawn and prevents devopmentof black's queen side knight. It does delay my development for a move and8. ... f6 is possible to drive me away although weakining the King side. } 8... Nf6 { Developing and attacking my e pawn } 9. Ba3 { I was eager to preventthe castle and completely overlooked my hanging e pawn. Ooops. } 9... Ba6 { Missedthe free pawn and continues to support the b pawn. I'm guessing my opponentis hoping for eventually opening of the diagonal but I think this putsthe Bishop in a poor position. } 10. Qc2 { I thought this was a better spotfor my Queen to cover the formerly hanging e pawn rather than 10. Qe2 becauseshe can develop if the e pawn ever moves forward } 10... Qb6 { I think hoping foreventually 11. ... Nbd7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 to get rid of my well placed knight } 11. Rb1 { Pinning the b pawn } 11... Nbd7 { Because of the pin I don't have to exchangeor retreat anymore } 12. Nxc4 Qc7 { Preventing 13. Nd6+. Also available was12. ... Qb8. Both 12. ... Qb7 and 12. Qc8 run into 13. Nd6+ Royal Fork } 13. Bd6 { I'm thinking eventually e5 makes that Bishop difficult to dislodge.It also continues to prevent the Kingside Castle and threatens the Queenpreventing black from 13. ... bxc4. I also thought about 13. e5 now butI'm still several moves from castling on my Kingside and I didn't wantthe knight heading in that direction } 13... Qc8 { The fork threat is now gonebecause my dark squared Bishop occupies the d6 square } 14. Ne5 { I was justthinking that moving forward and keeping the initiative is good here. } 14... bxa4 { I think anticipating 14. Bxa6 Qxa6 and winning a pawn } 15. Nxd7 { Thisis a crucial move. There are a lot of variations including 15. ... Nxd7and 15. ... Kxd7. I think 15. ... Nxd7 is the best because it keeps thelight squared Bishop covered by the Queen although allows 16. e5 and keepsthe king stuck in the center. Also possible for white after 15. ... Nxd7is 16. Bd3 Bxd3 17. Qxd3 Nf6. It is a bit too complex for me to fulllyanalyze. } 15... Qxd7 { I suppose thinking that the pawn gain is secure after16. Bxa6 Qxd6 but overlooking the eventually game continuation } 16. Bxa6 Qxd6 17. e5 { This is the move I think my opponent overlooked which gainsme a piece. Prior to this move I'm still down my Gambited pawn but havehad the intiative all game. } 17... Qa3 18. exf6 c5 { I guess forgetting aboutthe hanging g pawn } 19. fxg7 Rg8 20. O-O { Getting my king to safety andconnecting my rooks } 20... cxd4 { I'm not sure why not 20. ... Rxg7 here. If21. dxc5 my doubled pawns are both weak this move also allows me 21. Qxh7Ke7 22. cxd4. However, I choose a different line hoping for more. } 21. cxd4 Rxg7 { Either not seeing 22. Qc6+ Ke7 23. Qxa8 or hoping that gettingthe Queen to h3 will result in a mate before my material advantage comesinto play } 22. Qc6+ Ke7 23. Qxa8 Qh3 24. Qxa7+ { I pick up a loose pawnwith the check keeping a wary eye on the mate at Qxg2 } 24... Kf6 25. Bb7 { Mylight squared Bishop is going to be difficult to dislodge from this protectingdiagonal } 25... h5 { I thought 25. Kf6 Qxa4 26. f6 Be4 might be better hopingto continually push my Bishop around because it cannot leave the diagonal } 26. Qxa4 h4 { I guess thinking of lining up the rook and queen and gettingthe pawn to h3. } 27. Qb3 { This forces a queen trade. 27. ... Qf5 28. Qf3Qxf3 29. Bxf3 or 27. ... Qxb3 Rxb3, or the game continuation } 27... Qg4 28. Qf3+ { With the queen now off the board and a rook, bishop and pawn materiallead black has almost no hope of gaining a draw or mate and resigns. } 1-0

[Event "Chess game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date ""] [Round "-"] [White "porcho"] [Black "pxqmate"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1200"] [TimeControl "five minute +10 second"] [WhiteElo "1154"] { This was a blitz game I played against a 1200 player, so I don't knowhis real strength. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 { I always start with the queen's gambitin blitz games. } 2... dxc4 { He accepts it, usually it's declined } 3. e3 Bf5 4. Bxc4 { I win back my pawn and have a strong center } 4... e6 5. Nf3 a6 { Seemslike a wasted move } 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. a4 { I was a little worried about a bpawn push. } 7... Bb4 { Unfortunately, now I can't poke his bishop away. } 8. Qb3 Qc8 9. Bd2 { Breaking the pin and completing minor piece development. } 9... a5 10. O-O-O { I decided to castle queenside because all my pieces are pointedkingside. } 10... Nf6 11. h3 { Preparing a pawn storm } 11... O-O 12. g4 Bxc3 13. bxc3 { I prefer to capture with pawns when it brings it closer to the center.Unfortunately, however my DSB is the worst of bad bishops. } 13... Be4 14. Be2 { I reinforce my knight } 14... Nd5 { He starts to shift his pieces over to queenside. } 15. h4 b6 16. Rh3 { I decide to get my knight out of the pin } 16... Rb8 { I thinkhe's preparing for a attack queenside, however it never occurs. } 17. Rg1 Nce7 { Maybe getting ready to defend? } 18. g5 g6 19. h5 { My pawn storm startsto gather momentum } 19... Kg7 20. Ne5 { Adding another attacker to the g pawn. } 20... f6 { Hmm, any thoughts on this move? } 21. gxf6+ Nxf6 22. hxg6 Nxg6 23. Nxg6 Bxg6 { And his bishop is pinned I wonder if I can make use of that. } 24. Bd3 Kf7 { The king hops out of the pin } 25. Bxg6+ hxg6 { And I finally getmy open file to his king } 26. Qc2 Rg8 27. Rh6 { That g pawn is what keptme from winning this game. } 27... g5 28. e4 g4 29. e5 Nd5 30. Qh7+ Kf8 { The attackis going full on now } 31. f3 { I try in vain to get rid of that pawn } 31... g3 32. Be1 g2 { And now my rook is completely immobilized :( } 33. Bh4 { I bringmy DSB into the attack } 33... Qe8 34. c4 { That knight was driving my crazy, ifhe moves it then Rf6# is mate } 34... Qf7 { RRRRRRGH if the knight wasn't thereI could pin his queen to his king. } 35. cxd5 { I couldn't see anything better } 35... Qxh7 36. Rxh7 exd5 { Now I'm up by two points, but it's by no means over.That passer of blacks isn't going away any time soon } 37. Be7+ Ke8 38. Kd2 { I harbor vague ideas about getting rid of the g pawn } 38... c6 39. Ke2 { ????loses the bishop } 39... Rb7 { I looked for some time, but I couldn't find a wayof getting out of it. } 40. Kf2 Rxe7 41. Rxe7+ Kxe7 42. Rxg2 { At least Iget rid of that pawn. } 42... Rxg2+ 43. Kxg2 { It becomes a king and pawn game } 43... Ke6 44. f4 Kf5 { If he kills my f pawn, my e pawn marches on to glory } 45. Kf3 b5 46. axb5 cxb5 { Uh-oh, he has two connected passers } 47. Ke2 b4 48. Kd2 { I move my king over, but I don't think he can stop them. } 48... a4 49. Kc2 Ke6 { Too bad he didn't take my f pawn. } 50. Kb2 Kf5 { At this point I thinkthe game is a draw. Neither side can force a pawn to promotion } 51. Ka2 Ke6 52. Kb2 Kf5 53. Ka2 Ke6 54. Kb2 Kf5 { And I declare a draw by threefold repetition. Please drop a comment and rate on the star system. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2014.07.04"] [Round "-"] [White "paulr1212"] [Black "superandy"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "969"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "946"] 1. d4 d5 { paulr1212 starts with the queens pawn opening, and I respondwith d5. } 2. Nf3 { Was expecting a Queens Gambit, but I was wrong. } 2... Nf6 { Don't know why.... } 3. Bf4 { ? } 3... Bf5 4. e3 e6 { Opening stuff } 5. Be2 { Notexpected. I was expecting it farther.... like checking the king } 5... Bb4+ 6. c3 { Hmm... that was a waste by me } 6... Ba5 7. Bb5+ { Not expected. Was expectingb4 } 7... Nbd7 { Should have done c7 } 8. O-O O-O { Castle } 9. Qa4 { Bishop attacked! } 9... Bb6 10. Nbd2 { ? } 10... Ne4 { Knight trade? } 11. Rad1 { Protecting the knight } 11... Nxd2 { Like trading, so I take it } 12. Rxd2 { Expected } 12... Be4 13. Bxd7 { Just losta knight } 13... Bxf3 14. g3 { Not expected, but if he captured it it would havebeen a very bad defense for the king. } 14... Qf6 15. Qb5 { ? } 15... Qf5 { I was tryingto somehow get the queen to h3 to get checkmate. } 16. Re1 Qh5 { Qh3 is better. } 17. Be5 { ? } 17... Qh3 18. Qf1 { Just noticed that it was not a force checkmate. } 18... Bg4 { Protect queen. } 19. Qg2 { ? } 19... Rfd8 { Attack bishop } 20. Bb5 { Retreat } 20... a6 { Attack again } 21. Bd3 { Retreat again } 21... Bf5 { Bishop trade? } 22. Qf3 { Badmove. If he captured that bishop I would have retreated the queen for safetyand lose a bishop. } 22... Bxd3 23. Rxd3 { Trade } 23... c6 24. e4 Rdc8 { Don't know whyi did this.... } 25. exd5 cxd5 { Lots of trading now } 26. Qf4 Bc7 { Whoops.Lose a rook I think. } 27. Qg5 { Checkmate threat } 27... Bxe5 { Hehehe no checkmatefor you! } 28. dxe5 { Expected. } 28... Qf5 { Queen trade? } 29. Qe3 { No way! Whitesays } 29... Qe4 { Queen trade now? } 30. Qd2 { No way! } 30... Qg6 31. a3 { ? } 31... b5 32. Kg2 Rc4 { Don't know why I did that } 33. b3 Re4 { Rook trade? } 34. Rd1 { No way! } 34... Rg4 35. a4 { Pawn trade? } 35... bxa4 { Accepted } 36. Rd4 { Not expected } 36... axb3 37. Rb4 { Pawn attacked } 37... a5 38. Rxb3 { Expected } 38... a4 { Rook attacked. } 39. Ra3 { Pawn is safe. } 39... Qf5 40. Qe3 { ? } 40... Re4 { Queen attacked } 41. Qb6 { Retreat } 41... Qxe5 { Free pawn } 42. Qc5 Rc4 { Queen attacked } 43. Qb5 { Move away } 43... Qe4+ { Check } 44. Kf1 Qf3 { Rook attacked } 45. Qb7 { Checkmate threat! } 45... Qxd1+ { Freerook and check } 46. Kg2 { Only move } 46... Rcc8 { Protect the threat } 47. Qxf7+ { Bad move. Free queen! } 47... Kxf7 48. Kh3 { ? } 48... Qf1+ { Another check } 49. Kg4 Qxf2 { Free pawn } 50. Kh3 { ? } 50... Rc4 51. Ra1 { Protect the 1st rank } 51... Rxc3 { And anotherfree pawn } 52. Rb1 { ? } 52... Qf5+ { Check, forced mate } 53. Kg2 { 1 of its 2 movespaulr1212 can do } 53... Rc2+ 54. Kh1 Qe4+ { Check, mate next move } 55. Kg1 { Onlymove } 55... Qg2# { Checkmate } 0-1

[Event "Game Number 8 - White Misjudges The Exchange"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.05"] [Round "-"] [White "muginz"] [Black "freddz123"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1542"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1486"] { And we're back again for my 8th game on gameknot, and my 8th victory. This is another game where my opponent has timed out, which I've decidedis normal on gameknot which is a huge shame since up until now I had beenreally enjoying my matches here. I'm praying that as I move up the ratingsthe timeouts will become fewer and fewer, but this match makes it 3 timeoutsin 8 matches so its not looking good. } 1. e4 { My opponent opens with whatI consider to be the strongest opening move. The King's Pawn avoids manyof the slower manoeuvrings of other openings, allowing White to concentrateon fast attacking play. } 1... c5 { I respond with the Sicilian. It creates anunbalanced board, allowing Black to attempt to call some of the shots earlyon in the game. } 2. Nc3 { White preserves the option of an open or closedSicilian. Black must now be cautious. } 2... e6 3. Nf3 a6 { Black is lookingto counter White’s expected fianchetto with one of his own after 4.g3 b5. } 4. a3 { I think 4.g3 was the better move here, not really sure what theaim of White's was. I suspect it was a passive move, waiting to see whatBlack's intentions were. But I think this move tosses away the advantageWhite has by virtue of the colour of his pieces. } 4... d5 { Black responds withd5, showing a real willingness to contest over the central squares. } 5. exd5 exd5 { Pawn exchange. White is in danger of losing control of thematch. } 6. d3 Nc6 7. h3 Nf6 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O O-O { Both players castle. White is slightly cramped in his positioning. } 10. d4 Ne4 { Black threatensWhite's Knight, beginning to take the initiative away from White and assumingcontrol of the match. } 11. Nxe4 { White offers an exchange of Knights, whichBlack eagerly accepts. } 11... dxe4 12. d5 { !!! Oh dear. White was evidentlythinking of an exchange of Knights again, but overlooked the fact thatthe initiative was with Black allowing for 12...exf3 13.Bxf3 Nd4 whichgives Black a +2 material advantage. } 12... exf3 13. Bxf3 Nd4 14. Be4 f5 { Blackthreatens White's Bishop. } 15. Bf3 f4 16. c4 Bf5 { Black wins after White'stimeout. } 0-1

[Event "86th GK Tournament"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Oct-11"] [Round "-"] [White "papakosthegreat"] [Black "nahuta_10"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1402"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1143"] 1. f3 e5 2. g3 { g3 is an interesting second move here, conceding the middleof the board and giving the g1 Knight only one option of Nh3, but at leastit wasn't g4, which would lead to ... Qh4#. } 2... Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Be2 { Confusingat best, position is very confined and overprotective of the f3 pawn. } 4... Bc5 { Continuing to develop pieces and establish control of the middle ofthe board. } 5. c3 O-O 6. b4 { First aggressive move forcing the Bishop toretreat to d6 or e7. } 6... Bd6 7. a4 b6 { Preparation for almost obvious moveof a5. } 8. a5 e4 { I decide not to take the a5 pawn and instead attack theoverprotected f3 pawn to weaken his right side. } 9. axb6 { Trying to baita response of 9. ... axb6 10. Rxa8 } 9... cxb6 10. Nh3 a5 { I would rather heattack my pawn on e4 so I can move my Knight on f6 into a better position,preferrably to g5. } 11. fxe4 Nxe4 12. Bf3 { He attacks the e4 pawn and thenmoves his Bishop, and my Knight is now in position to move to the g5 squareprotected by my Queen and attack his isolated Knight on h3. } 12... Ng5 13. Nxg5 Qxg5 { We trade Knights and I develop my Queen. } 14. b5 { A solid move, heattacks my pinned Knight. } 14... Na7 { Forgetting the pin I mistakenly move toattack the pawn. } 15. Bxa8 Qxb5 16. Ba3 { Again, a pin onto the Rook, thistime with a Bishop pinned. I probably should have traded Bishops eventhough it would allow him to attack my Queen with his Knight, and forcehim to scatter his position too much. } 16... Be5 { Unfortunately... } 17. Bxf8 { I forgot the pin again. } 17... Kxf8 18. Qa4 { He attacks my Queen, leaving onlyeither a trade, Qd3, or Qa6. } 18... Qd3 { A trade is obviously not a good ideain this situation, and Qa6 leaves my Queen too confined, Qd3 moves my Queenback on to a move open field. } 19. Be4 { A continued assault on the Queenthat allows him to grab the h7 pawn. } 19... Qd6 20. Bxh7 Bb7 21. Be4 Bxe4 22. Qxe4 { With his Bishop finally off of the longest white diagonal, I decideto attack his h1 Rook. He moves his Bishop back to e4 and we swap. } 22... Nc6 23. d4 Bf6 24. Rf1 Ne7 { Since he now has control of the middle I need toto try and consolidate my position. Eventually I plan to move the Knightto take out either the c3 or e3 pawn to greatly weaken his extended pawnline. } 25. Na3 Qb8 { I cannot move my Queen into a proper position to counterNb3 as an attack on the d6 square, so I have to retreat it. } 26. Nc4 d5 { His mistake of Nc4 allows for the pawn fork of his Queen and Knight, andgives me a more open position where I only need to worry about linear movement. } 27. Qd3 dxc4 28. Qxc4 Qd6 29. Rb1 Kg8 { With my King on f8 pinned behindmy two pawns and Knight, I need to allow for an escape to h7 to preventa simple backline checkmate. } 30. Qa6 Qe6 31. Kd2 { With his Queen now verylimited in range of movement since it is behind both my a5 and b6 pawns,I can start attacking beginning with the e3 pawn, which he defends withKd2. } 31... Nd5 32. Qc4 { He defends with Qc4 to pin my Knight to my Queen, whichwould make a fork of Ne3 a bad idea costing me a Queen and Knight to hisQueen. However, Qd3 would've been a much better move, as now his Kingis very vulnerable to Qxe3 and so forth. Eventually, it's this move thatreally ends up costing him. While I would've responded to Qd3 with ...Bg5 putting further pressure on the e3 pawn, he could still be in a positionto defend the crucial e3 pawn with one of his rooks. } 32... Qxe3+ { So I beginmy attack. } 33. Kc2 { Note that Kd1 would result in a trade of his Queenfor my Knight with the following: 33. Kd1 Nxc3+ 34. Qxc3 Qxc3 } 33... Qe4+ 34. Kb3 Ne3 { Now I fork his Queen and Rook with the move I had already preparedtwo moves ago. } 35. Qc8+ Kh7 36. Rfe1 { He saves both his Queen and Rookby attacking my King forcing it to h7, but then makes the mistake of tryingto save his rook by pinning my Knight to my Queen. This mistake will eventuallycost him his Queen and one Rook to my Bishop and my Knight when I placehis King into check with three consecutive moves. A better move wouldhave been Rc1 to defend against Qc2+ even though it trades his Rook onf1 for my Knight. Rf2 would also defend the c2 square, but allow for meto play ... Qxb1+ taking his Rook without trading my Knight, as well ascontinue attacking his King. } 36... Qc2+ { The first check forces his King tomove to a3. } 37. Ka3 Be7+ { This second check forces him to block the checkwith either his Queen or his Rook. If he blocks with his Queen, I cantake it off with bxc6 and then if he takes my Knight with his Rook on e1,I can use cxd4+ to put his King in check again with my Bishop and forcemate in a few different varations, but nonetheless force Rb4 dxe3 takinghis Rook on e3 and leaving the other one pinned to his King, continuingon in something like mate in 5 as follows: 41. g4 Qxc3+ 42. Ka2 Bxb4(this move takes off his second rook) 43. g5 Ba3 44. g6+ fxg6 or g6+ Kxg645. Kb1 Qb2# } 38. Rb4 { So, instead of blocking with his Queen, he makesthe smarter move of blocking with his rook. } 38... Bxb4+ { And the third check. This forces cxb4 and results in Qxc8. } 39. cxb4 Qxc8 40. Rxe3 { So afterRxe3 the exchange is complete, he will be down to just the Rook and pawnsversus my Queen and pawns. } 40... axb4+ 41. Kxb4 Qc2 { Now I start to begin settingup forks with my Queen, trying to capture his Rook. } 42. d5 { This is aquestionable move, allowing me to fork his King, Rook, and d5 pawn by playing... Qd2+. } 42... Qd2+ 43. Rc3 { He effectively protects his Rook, but his d5 pawnis now gone and this game is virtually over. } 43... Qxd5 44. Rc4 Qd2+ 45. Rc3 { By playing Rc3 instead of something like Kb5, he allows me to take offhis h2 pawn and still be able to get back to protect my pawn on b6. } 45... Qxh2 46. Kb5 Qf2 47. g4 Qd4 48. Rc4 { A good move here as he protects his g4pawn and Rook at the same time after the move of ... Qd4. However, I mightnot have taken off the g4 pawn in exchange for my pawn at b6 since hispawn isn't really a threat, and I would rather keep three pawns on theboard instead of just two. } 48... Qd6 49. g5 { Not a very good move here. I cango Qd5+ and take his pawn with no consequence. } 49... Qd5+ { If he responds herewith anything other than Kb4, he loses his Rook. He has four other movesto make. 1. Rc5 would result in Qxc5+ 2. Ka4 would result in Qxc4+ 3.Kxb6 would result in Qxc4 4. Ka6 would result in Qxc4 Note that Kb4, beingthe only move that protects his Rook, also prevents him from taking mypawn on b6 when I play ... Qxg5. I could also have played this move oneturn earlier, although his pawn would not have been on g5. } 50. Kb4 Qxg5 51. Rc6 { I can still protect my pawn while keeping my Queen with one ofthree moves. Qe3 and Qe8 can accomplish this... } 51... Qa5+ { ... but Qa5+ ismuch better } 52. Kc4 f5 { I could've gone Qc5+ here and forced a trade thatwould've eliminated his rook. However, his King was close enough thatI couldn't just automatically move my pawn on g7 all the way down for aQueen. Therefore, there was no reason to trade my Queen just to eliminatehis last power piece. } 53. Kd4 Qb4+ 54. Rc4 Qd6+ 55. Kc3 b5 { Continuingto slowly move pawns forward into position while keeping them in a positionthat I can defend both at the same time with my Queen. } 56. Rb4 Qc6+ 57. Kb3 g5 { Preparing the third pawn for attack and defending versus Rh4+ atthe same time. } 58. Rxb5 { Most likely a resignation move here. } 58... Qxb5+ 59. Kc3 f4 { Since his King was close enough to catch either pawn before theyreached the end line I decided to just start moving my f column pawn andthen protect it with my Queen or eventually move the g column pawn if necessary. } 60. Kd2 f3 61. Ke1 Qe2# { It wasn't. } 0-1

[Event "Rilke's mini-tournament 10"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "05-Sep-08"] [Round "-"] [White "novy"] [Black "druppel"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [BlackElo "1431"] [TimeControl "5d+2d, 7d max"] [WhiteElo "1366"] 1. e4 { Quite a recent game from a mini-tournament, as is clear from thetitle. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 { The Ruy Lopez, the most common king pawnopening at the GM level, and one of the oldest too! } 3... Bc5 { The Cordel Defence. } 4. O-O { The Zaitsev Variation. This is all main line. } 4... Nd4 5. Nxd4 Bxd4 6. c3 { 6.c3 supports the pawn move 7.d4. This is a common move in manyking pawn openings, and White was probably planning this. Here it has theadded bonus of attacking the bishop and preventing Black from trying toget any more control over d4. } 6... Bb6 7. d4 c6 { As Black, I might play 7...c5and put pressure on White's pawn on d4. That might lead to a closed Benoni-typeposition forming. But 7...c6 looks like a strong move, to White's light-squaredbishop away and then play 8...d5 to stake a claim equal to White's in thecentre. } 8. Bc4 d5 { A good opposition to White's strong centre. Since Blackis attacking both White's bishop and his e-pawn, White pretty well hasto play 9.exd5 to avoid the total collapse of his pawn centre. } 9. exd5 cxd5 10. Bb3 exd4 11. cxd4 { The centre has completely opened up, and tome it looks as though a race to get rooks onto the open c- and e-fileswill soon start. Since White has already castled, he may hold the advantagein such a race. } 11... Nf6 12. Bg5 { I would personally have preferred 12.Re1, getting a rook onto the open e-file. As he is giving check, White canthen play 13.Bg5. } 12... h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 Bg4 { Black is preventing Whitefrom having any free moves to get that rook on e1 by constantly keepingWhite on his toes with these little aggressive moves. } 15. Qd3 O-O { Blackhas caught up and in fact gained a slight lead (White's undeveloped knightis in the way of his queenside rook) in what I will call the 'Rook Race'.However, Black has payed a hefty price: his castled king is completelyexposed and White's queen has a nice diagonal leading straight into hisking's position. If White can chase away or eliminate Black's knight, saywith Be5, and then put his bishop behind his queen with Bc2, he has a powerfulattack. } 16. Be5 Re8 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Nc3 { I would definitely have played18.Bc2, which I think leaves White with a winning attack. White can atthe very least pick up an extra pawn after 18...Qg6 19.Qxg6 fxg6 20.Bxg6. } 18... Bxd4 { Instead, it is White who loses the pawn! But White can still go forthat attack... } 19. Bxd5 { Apparently not. White chooses to grab the pawnon d5 instead. } 19... Bxc3 20. bxc3 Rad8 { Black has now won the Rook Race, asWhite has not touched his rooks since castling. Now Black has rooks onboth the open centre files, on d8 and e8, one of which has a potentiallydevastating pin on White's bishop and the other of which could support21...Be2, forking White's queen and rook. By contrast, White's rooks areconveniently placed right behind pawns and nearer the edges, on a1 andf1. } 21. c4 Be2 { White could have both saved the bishop and prevented thefork with, say, 21.Qd4. Now he will lose material. } 22. Qg3 Bxf1 23. Rxf1 Re7 { Black is preparing to form a rook 'battery' - his rooks will be positionedon e7 and e8, radiating power down that open central e-file. } 24. a4 b6 25. h4 { A 'just in case' escape route for White's king is formed. } 25... Rde8 { And Black puts that rook in a powerful position behind the other, preventinganything of White's from going anywhere near the e-file for the moment. } 26. f4 Qd4+ 27. Kh2 Re3 { Black is coming in to the attack! } 28. Qg4 Re1 29. Qh5 { White puts his queen right out of the action, just when it ismost needed for Black's king's defence. } 29... Qf6 30. hxg5 hxg5 31. Rxe1 Rxe1 { The rooks are exchanged off, which does not immediately affect eitherside but consolidates Black's material advantage. } 32. Qg4 Qxf4+ 33. Qxf4 gxf4 { Another exchange. White should not be exchanging when Black is aheadon material: he should be COMPLICATING the board. } 34. Bf3 Kg7 35. g3 fxg3+ 36. Kxg3 f5 37. Kf4 Kf6 38. Bc6 Rf1+ 39. Ke3 Ke5 { Black is an exchangeup, AND has a passed pawn. Things are looking bleak for White. } 40. Bb5 f4+ 41. Kd2 Kd4 { Black's king is constantly opposing White's king, holdinghim back and pushing him back at every opportunity. } 42. c5 bxc5 43. Bxf1 a5 { Ooooooops. Black didn't (I think!) notice that discovered attack. Butall is nowhere near lost - he has two passed pawns to White's bishop. } 44. Bb5 c4 45. Bc6 c3+ 46. Kc2 Kc5 47. Be8 Kb4 48. Bc6 Kc5 49. Be8 f3 { Blackends this repetitive sequence with a decisive pawn move. That bishop ofWhite's is beginning to look slightly overworked. } 50. Bb5 Kb4 51. Kc1 f2 52. Kc2 { White's bishop is firmly locked in place, holding back Black'sf-pawn and defending White's a-pawn. } 52... f1=Q 53. Bxf1 Kxa4 54. Kxc3 { Gamedrawn. Well, not yet, but unless White does something really silly thegame has to be drawn. Black cannot get his king off the a-file. It is White'sturn to make use of the opposition between two kings! } 54... Ka3 55. Bb5 Ka2 56. Kc4 Kb2 57. Ba4 Ka3 58. Bb3 a4 59. Bxa4 { And the game is drawn. I thinkthis is a rather interesting game to look at overall. } 1/2-1/2

[Event "Team match"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "12-May-07"] [Round "-"] [White "flamerider"] [Black "speedyspeed"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1478"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1471"] 1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 g6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Bc4 { 5.Bc4? It�s better to getall the center with 5.c4 } 5... d5 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O e6 8. Nbd2 Nbd7 9. Bg5 c5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Nb3 b6 12. Nxc5 bxc5 13. c4 Bb7 14. cxd5 Qxd5 15. b3 Ne4 16. Bc4 Qxd1 17. Raxd1 { 17.Raxd1? (17.Bxe6 ) } 17... Nxg5 18. Nxg5 Rf6 19. Nxe6 Kh8 20. Ng5 { 20.Ng5? Better: 20.Nxg7 Kxg7 and 21.Rd7 define the game } 20... h6 21. Ne6 Ba6 22. Bxa6 Rxe6 23. Rd7 { 23.Rd7?? Sometimes we have a badday. Obviously 23.Bc4 again } 23... Rxa6 24. Rc7 Bf8 25. a4 Rd8 26. h4 Bd6 27. Rb7 Rb8 0-1

[Event "My First Tournament Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2007-07-17"] [Round "-"] [White "Dishni Tharika"] [Black "Chrishan Silva"] [Result "0-1"] [TimeControl "Fixed Time : 1 hour"] { This game was played when I was 16. It was my very first tournament game.The victory of it encouraged me to involve in chess... } 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. f3 e6 6. Ne2 Nd7 7. Bf4 Ndf6 { 7...Ngf6 wasalso a good choice. But according to my views on that time, I might thoughtthat both moves look like the same. } 8. N2g3 Nd5 { I simply declined mydecision to play 8...Nxe4 because it would proceed as 9.fxe4 Bg6 10.Be2would make my bishop useless and white might dominate a strong centre.So I had thought to attack the undefended bishop on f4. } 9. Bd2 h6 { HereI had wished to put 10...Ngf6 followed by Bd6 and O-O. I needed to preventthe annoying pin with Bg5. } 10. Qe2 { What a fantastic move to demolishmy intention to move the knight! If I did so, I would lose my bishop orthe KING!! Can you see how it happens with 10..Ngf6 11.Nxf4 exf4 12.Nf6#? } 10... Bg6 11. Be3 Qb6 12. c3 { Here is a glance of my victory by becoming apawn up at that moment. } 12... Nxe3 13. Qxe3 Qxb2 14. Qc1 { If the rook was moved,the a-pawn will be swapped off. But the instance was still brilliant tome. } 14... Ba3 15. Ne2 { As I think that was not the best possible defend forher. How about 15.Qb1 which would proceed as 15...Bxe4 16.Nxe4 f5 17.Nd2Qxb1 18.Rxb1 b6 which will remain a one pawn down situation? } 15... Qxc1+ 16. Nxc1 Bxe4 17. fxe4 Bb2 { Here comes my second pawn with a check!! } 18. Rb1 Bxc3+ 19. Ke2 O-O-O { I was making the rook arriving to the battlefieldwith 20.Rxd4 dominate the d-file after 20.Bxd4. } 20. Nb3 Bxd4 21. g3 Nf6 22. Bg2 Bb6 23. Rhf1 Rd7 { I wished to double my power on d-file and theknight make into action. } 24. Nd2 Rhd8 25. Rb2 Ng4 26. h3 Ne3 27. Rg1 { Accordingto my view, 27.Rf2 was better for her. In that case I would follow with27...Ng2 28.Rg2 and gain a slower victory than the actual. Anyway can youfind my next move? } 27... Nc4 { Which rook for me? She resigns. That was how myfirst tournament game ended!!! } 0-1

[Event "Let's play chess"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "25-Aug-07"] [Round "-"] [White "moppa"] [Black "grietje"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1715"] [TimeControl "3 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1708"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 { Petrov's Defence is sometimes considered somewhatdull; indeed it's strong drawing weapon in - for example - Kramik's hands. For lower-rated players, to whom draws are rarer it should offer chancesfor both sides though. As should any other opening. } 3. d4 { 3.Nxe5 d6 isconsidered mainline - maybe it is the pawn formation that arises after...Nxe4 (equal number of pawns for each wing) that has given the drawishreputation for the opening. } 3... exd4 { 3...Nxe4 is another option } 4. e5 Bb4+ { This is an interesting move but unfortunately bad, too. Black gets somepawn for the piece, but the compensation is inaquate as black will findit hard to complete his queenside developement. 4...Ne4 is the normal move,when white can play 5.Qxd4 or 5.Bb5!? } 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 Qe7 7. cxb4 Qxb4+ { Black could have castled and started normal developement with ...Nc6 and...d6. Objectively this is equally good, but then again, then black wouldsimply play piece down. At least this brings some chaos on the board. } 8. Nbd2 { I think this is the strongest. White is ready to haras the queenwith Rb1, controls e4 and gives queen bishop the possibility to take residenceat the long diagonal. } 8... Ng4 { The most active square for the knight } 9. Be2 { I thought this move for a long time, and my thoughts went something likethis: As the e5 pawn is likely to be removed and black is ready to castle,I didn't want to give black any free tempi by playing Rf8-e8 with a check.I considered 9.Bc4 with the threat of Ng4 but I wanted to answer ...Qc5with Ne4, but the bishop on c4 would then be en pris�. } 9... O-O { Black hadmany options here and as this move lands black in trouble, maybe should'veplayed e6 or Nc6. } 10. Rb1 { I was very fond of the idea of activatingpieces by harassing the queen rather than play safe with 0-0, when blackcould get his queenside developed. It is true that black will pick a pawnor two, but I had no intention of going into an endgame where queensidepawns mattered. After analysing some variations I deceided that white canbuild such an activity, that it just must be enough. } 10... Qc5 { threatens mateand attacks e5-pawn twice.... } 11. Ne4 { A lot more active than 11.0-0 andprobably better } 11... Qa5+ { It's pf course temting to pick another pawn, butmaybe black should start rounding the e-pawn with 11...Qe7. } 12. Bd2 { Thebishop is still aiming for the long diagonal, but this allows b2 rook tolift smoothly. The a-pawn is off little importance, as white will be ableto swift his forces towards the black king. } 12... Qxa2 13. h3 { Black's onlyactive piece gets now kicked away. This move contains a pawn sacrife asblack has a little tactical resource here } 13... Nxe5 { 13...Nh6 14.Bxh6 wouldbe extremely unpleasant. } 14. Nxe5 Qd5 { This piece of tactic regains thepiece but loses some time. } 15. Rb4 { ! This and the next move makes Nf6 sacrifice a terrible threat. } 15... Qxe5 { 15...c4 fails: 16.Ng5! with the pointthat 16...cxb4 17.Nf6 wins the queen. } 16. Bc3 { And now black will paythe price of moving his queen eight times of total 16 moves. It reallydoes not matter where the queen moves. } 16... Qa5 { This loses queen for knightand a rook, but white is threatening mate so... 16...Qe6 is slightly betterbut black still loses her majestety: 17.Nf6 gxf6 18.Rg4 Qxg4 (18...Kh819.Qd4! h5 20.Qxf6 Qxf6 21.Bxf6 Kh7 22.Bd3 Kh6 23.Bg7#is the point)and now black has an extra tempo compared to the game continuation. } 17. Nf6+ { ! } 17... gxf6 { Kh8 can be ansvered with Nxh7 } 18. Rg4+ Qg5 19. Bxf6 { Thebishop at this square is a monster and completely decides the game. Itshould be mentioned, that the simple 19.Rxg5 fxg5 can be followed with20.Qd4! f6 21.Bc4 Kh8? 22.Qxf6 Rxf6 23.Bxf6#. Instead allowing the queensac black should play 21...Kg7. I didn't bother calculating all those murkylines, as the black king has more moves. Besides, I had already found awinning method simple enough. } 19... Qxg4 20. hxg4 { Now black will find it impossibleto parry the threat of 21.Rxh7. } 20... Nc6 { It's quite the same what black moveshere. } 21. Rxh7 { Now white mates shortly } 21... Kxh7 22. Qd3+ Kh6 { 22...Kg8 23.Qh3and mate next move. } 23. g5# { This mate is prettier though! } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from doch"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2009.09.11"] [Round "-"] [White "doch"] [Black "kum1"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1714"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1673"] 1. e4 Nc6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. a3 Be7 5. Nf3 d6 6. b4 Bg4 7. Be2 a6 8. Bb2 h6 9. O-O O-O 10. d3 Nd7 11. Nd5 f5 12. h3 fxe4 13. dxe4 Be6 14. Nh2 Bf6 15. Bg4 Bxd5 16. Qxd5+ Kh8 17. Bf5 Rb8 18. Qd1 Ne7 19. Qh5 Nxf5 20. exf5 e4 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Ng4 Qxf5 23. Qxf5 Rxf5 24. Rae1 Re8 25. f3 h5 26. Ne3 Rf7 27. fxe4 Rxf1+ 28. Nxf1 Nb6 29. Nd2 Kg8 30. Kf2 Kf7 31. Ke3 Ke6 32. Kd4 Nd7 33. Nf3 c5+ 34. Kc3 Ne5 35. Rf1 b5 36. Nxe5 Kxe5 37. Rf7 g6 38. Ra7 Kxe4 39. Rxa6 cxb4+ 40. axb4 bxc4 41. Rxd6 g5 { 41. ... g5! } 42. Rd4+ { 42.Rd4+?? It is better 42.Kxc4. But on Kxc4 black still has littlechance: 42.Kxc4 Rc8+ 43.Kb5 (Kb3 Rc1) Rc2 } 42... Ke3 43. Rxc4 Kf2 44. Rc5 { 44.Rc5?- 44.g4 h4 45.Kb3 } 44... Rg8 { 44. ... Rg8! } 45. h4 g4 { 45. ... g4!! } 46. Rxh5 { 46.Rxh5?? On 46.Rg5? Rh8 } 46... g3 { 46. ... g3! } 47. b5 Kxg2 48. b6 Kh2 { 48.... Kh2! } 49. b7 g2 { 49. ... g2! } 50. Rg5 Rb8 { 50. ... Rb8! } 51. Rg7 g1=Q { 51. ... g1=Q! This is the end for white! } 52. Rxg1 0-1

[Event "Interesting positional OTB game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19.03.2007."] [Round "-"] [White "marinvukusic"] [Black "Black player"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1880"] [TimeControl "1:30 for game + 30 sec / move"] [WhiteElo "2118"] 1. e3 { This is a game I played recently OTB. The opponent is a young 2ndcategory player on the rise. I decided to put the game on Gameknotbecause it has some interesting moments and can be somewhat educational.I will focus on my thinking during the game and not necessarily on computeranalysis for 'absolutely best moves'. First move is actually transpositional,as I play e6 very often as Black. I wanted to see how he will react, hopefullywith 1...e5 so I can play the reversed Sicilian with extra move. } 1... d5 { Prettygood reply, straightforward occupation of centre. } 2. b3 { With this moveI am showing my intent to play 1.b3 system, where e3 is a natural partof White's development. } 2... b6 { Black decides to counter in the same manner.This is on the surface not entirely natural due to closed diagonal (d5is played), but it is hard to stop d5 from moving forward later with tacticalpossibilities. The only good way is with d4 by White, which means thatboth Bishops will be closed behind their pawns. } 3. Bb2 Bb7 4. f4 { Classicstrategy. White takes control of the black diagonal. } 4... c5 { Black improvescontrol of center and is not afraid of Bb5 due to sufficient defensiveforces. Game is equal. } 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bb5+ Nbd7 7. Ne5 a6 { This is necessarysooner or later. White will NOT take on d7 unless forced to do so. Beginnerssometimes make that capture unprovoked but it is a loss of tempi - it isbetter to wait until Black has spent a move forcing the exchange. } 8. Bxd7+ { 8.Bc6 is also possible, but I decided to play normally and just take theKnight. } 8... Nxd7 9. O-O { I decided that there is no need to waste a tempion Nd7. At this point I was just playing quickly and without much care,which almost backfired! } 9... Nxe5 { Black wants to simplify the position andis preparing a nice trap, which unfortunately does not entirely work. } 10. Bxe5 { I wanted to keep the diagonal open. 10.fe5 is safer and better. } 10... d4 { Very good shot! Now the Bishop is trapped and it looks like it willbe captured. } 11. f5 { Only move - White opens an escape route for the Be5. } 11... Qd5 { And here comes the main point. Double threat of Qe5 and Qg2# seemsunstoppable. } 12. Qf3 { The only move and a good counterpoint. Now bestis 12... Qf3; 13.gf3 with approximate equality (Black for preference though).12...0-0-0 is another good option. } 12... Qxe5 { ?! Unfortunately, Black didnot want to exchange Queens and captured the Bishop instead as he originallyintended. After this White is better, due to better development (alreadycastled). } 13. Qxb7 { Black threat of d:e3 is only optical, because Ra8is hanging. } 13... Rb8 { 13...Rd8 is probably better, but White has the upperhand in any case. } 14. Qc6+ { Depriving Black of castling rights. 13...Rd8would allow 14...Rd7 here so that's why it is likely a better move than13...Rb8. } 14... Kd8 15. Na3 { Very good move. Ra1 is now defended, and the Knightwill go to c4 and then either b6 or e5 (-> f3). } 15... Qc7 { Now it is too late.There is no way to force exchange of Queens, and Black has to be extremelycareful not to allow any opening of the position or he will be mated soon.15...de3; 16.de3,Qe3 ; 17.Kh1 is suicidal due to the opening of d file. } 16. Qd5+ { This check is not meant to really threaten the f7 pawn, but tokeep the action tempi in White hands. } 16... Ke8 17. Nc4 { Knight is enteringthe game. The pressure on Black position is now developing, slowly butsurely and safely. } 17... Rd8 { Black has to get rid of Qd5 before White can playNe5 with threats on f7. } 18. Qe4 { The best move. Queen is very powerfulhere, and can not be easily forced to move away. White keeps his positionaladvantage and forces Black to find a plan for development. } 18... g6 { Nice try.If 19.fg6, hg6 then Rh8 is suddenly an active piece with threats on h2!18...b5 is an option, when White will play 19.Ne5 and later maybe Nf3 toput pressure on d4. } 19. a4 { Excellent positional move, probably the bestmove of the game. The point is that sooner or later Black will probablyget fed up with Nc4 and play b5. In this case the a file will be of greatuse to White, whose Rooks are better positioned to take advantage fromit. From experience I knew that a file can be useful not only positionallybut also tactically (with Black King in the centre). } 19... gxf5 { Black wantsto open the g file, which is pretty much the only choice now that g6 isplayed. The f file is opening too though, so Black needs to keep an eyeon f7. If 19...Bg7? then 20.f6!, Bf8 (20...Bh6?, 21.Nb6); 21.fe7, Be7;22. Rf6! with advantage for White. } 20. Qxf5 e6 21. Qf6 { Keeping the actiontempi for just a little longer. } 21... Rg8 22. e4 { Another good move. Now allthreats with d:e3 and Bg7 are stopped and Black lacks obvious counterplay. } 22... Bg7 23. Qf3 { White has significant advantage now, but there is no clearpath to the win due to the closed nature of the position (only f file isopen). However, Black is lacking in active counterplay and has an unpleasantposition which needs to be defended with great care - a situation wherea lot of patience is needed. } 23... b5 { ? Black shows no patience :I he is usingup his only active positional resource - but this is the last straw andhis position will soon collapse. It is useful to remember a rule here:In passive position a player should not try to play active - it will onlyhelp his opponent. } 24. axb5 axb5 25. Na3 { Now there is no defence against26.Nb5 with threat of 27.Ra7 with great pressure on f7. } 25... Rb8 { ?? Blackmissed the next tactical shot. Relatively best is 25...Rf8; 26.Nb5, Qb8;27.Qg4 (threatens Bg7), Be5; 28.Ra7! with big advantage for White, forexample 28...Bh2 ?; 29.Kh1, Rd7; 30.Rff7!, Rf7; 31.Qg8 } 26. Nxb5 { Nowif Queen moves then 27.Ra7 wins easily. } 26... Rxb5 { It doesn't matter anyway,but this final mistake speeds things up greatly. } 27. Ra8+ { After thisBlack resigned. There is no hope left. What are (I hope) the learningpoints here? 1. White achieved nothing in the opening, which can beexpected from a quiet positional system like 1.b3 2. After short tacticalsequence, Black overstepped the risk limit when he allowed White to penetrateinto his position. 3. White secured a lasting advantage and kept it SAFELY,always trying to keep the 'action tempi' for himself. 4. Move 19.a4 isuseful but not only that - it is positionally and tactically far-sighted,and counts on the psychological factors. 5. Left without any active counterplay,Black self-destructed quickly. --- Thank you for looking over this game,I can answer any questions on private. Regards, Marin Vukusic } 1-0

[Event "C01: French, Exchange; Trouble on the kingside"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "19-Sep-06"] [Round "-"] [White "hypertroll"] [Black "radus"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1685"] [TimeControl "3d+1d, 5d max"] [WhiteElo "1583"] 1. e4 { Sometimes it's the minor things that set up the attack. In thisFrench Defense mini-tournament game white uses a rather passive move (7.h3)to block black's attack against his dark square bishop. Black later takesaim at exactly that square. Let's see where this leads. } 1... e6 2. d4 d5 { Lastmove of the initial position of the mini-tournament. } 3. exd5 { White decidesto go for the exchange. } 3... exd5 4. c3 Bd6 5. Bd3 { Both parties make preparationsfor a kingside castle. } 5... Nc6 { Waiting to see where white's dark square bishopgoes before moving the king's knight. } 6. Be3 Nf6 7. h3 { One of black'splans would be to eliminate the e3 bishop with Ng4. This move is in responseto that threat. However a direct 7.Nf3 is better. The line 7.Nf3 Ng4 8.0-0Nxe3 9.Re1 with recapture poses no problems for white. } 7... O-O 8. Nf3 Re8 9. O-O Bd7 { Putting a knight in the center with 9...Ne4 is probably betterfor black, but since he has a plan in mind... } 10. Nbd2 Qc8 { A short maneuverto target h3. } 11. Nh2 { ?; better is 11.Qc2 for a simmilar battery. } 11... Bxh3 { The whole point. } 12. gxh3 { White's best chance would be to count thepawn as a loss and concentrate elsewhere. This just opens up the kingsidefor black's pieces. } 12... Qxh3 13. Ndf3 { Nh-f3 is better but white still facesproblems. } 13... Ng4 { Going on with the plan. However a simpler win is availablewith the direct 13...Re4. [Fritz] } 14. Nxg4 Qxg4+ 15. Kh1 Qh3+ { Not wantingto give white a chance to bring his f-rook into play. Notice how passivewhite's rooks and queen are. } 16. Kg1 { How to continue now? White guardslots of squares on the g and h files and it seems like a rook lift won'thelp. } 16... Re6 { Still... } 17. b3 { Not helping with the situation, but thenagain, no move really could. } 17... Kh8 { !; Making room for the other black rook.Of course Fritz insists that 17...Rf6 is a better move. Heh, what doeshe know? } 18. Re1 Rh6 { The natural continuation of the plan. A rook sacrificesitself for its sister's glory. } 19. Bxh6 { Nothing better since black threatensmate at h1. } 19... gxh6 { Et voil�! What seemed impossible a couple of moves ago- getting a rook with check on the g-file - came to happen. } 20. Re3 { 20.Bxh7would have prevented the onslaught for a while but it would only have pleasedFritz. The point is black's. } 20... Rg8+ { Mate in 7. } 21. Ng5 { White foregoesthe useless 21.Bg6. } 21... Rxg5+ 22. Rg3 Bxg3 23. fxg3 Rxg3+ 24. Kf2 Rg2+ 25. Ke1 Qe3+ 26. Be2 Rg1# { The end. White's queen and queenside rook were literallyout of the game, while the light square bishop - moved once in the opening- only moved again before the final accord. } 0-1

[Event "Queenside vs. Kingside: the Wrong Attacking Side"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.12.26"] [Round "-"] [White "chesskingdom64"] [Black "hacker_1"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackElo "1120"] [TimeControl "3d+1d<5d"] [WhiteElo "1136"] { This game eventually resulted in a Queenside eruption, but in the end,a Kingside mate appeared. It makes me feel like there is no better wayto counterattack a Queenside attack than a Kingside mate. } 1. e4 e5 { Theusual King's Pawn Game. } 2. Nc3 Qf6 { It seems like Black is doing the reversedthe Scholar's Mate. It doesn't compare with developement, however. } 3. Nd5 { Inaccurate. Better was 3.Nf6. } 3... Qd8 { Oh well, at least he retreatedhis Queen, because I don't want to win in four moves. } 4. Nf3 c6 { Inaccurate.Better was 4...Nc6. However, I see the point of this move. } 5. Nc3 b5 { Amistake. Correct instead is 5...d6. } 6. Nxe5 Bd6 { There are three solutions.#1. 7.Nf3; #2. 7.d4; #3. 7.f4. } 7. Nf3 { Of course, I choose the firstsolution, but there could be other solutions besides those three. } 7... a5 { Isee what he's doing now, but it is too late. } 8. Nxb5 { I give up my advantagein points for developement. } 8... cxb5 9. Bxb5 Nf6 { I think Black should haveplayed this move before-hand. } 10. d3 h5 11. Nd4 Qb6 { There are only twosolutions to this problem. #1. 12.c3 and #2. 12.Be3 } 12. c3 { I preferred12.Be3 over this move } 12... a4 { 12...Ba6 looks better than this move. } 13. Bxa4 { Now I regained what advantage I lost. } 13... h4 { Black still tries to push hisrook pawns, but why? } 14. h3 { 14.g3 is probably better than what I justdid. } 14... Ba6 { I don't think this move has a purpose. } 15. Qb3 { I don't likethis move too much, but it works. } 15... Qc5 16. O-O Qe5 { If I were Black, I'dwatch out for White's first Kingside threat. } 17. Nf3 g5 { If Black thinksthat White will want an easy win for a pawn, guess again. } 18. Nxe5 { Actually,I win the pawn this way too. } 18... Bxe5 19. Bxg5 O-O { Black is going to losea minor piece. } 20. f4 Bc7 21. Bxf6 Bxd3 { I had an easy mate that startswith 22.Qd1 and goes like this: 22...Bxe4 (If not, than 23.Qg4+ wins) 23.Qg4+Bg6 (forced, otherwise 24.Qg7#) 24.Qxh4 Bh7 (forced, otherwise 25.Qh8#)25.Qh6 and there is no way to prevent mate. } 22. Rfe1 { I played this instead,and let go of the f-pawn in exchange. } 22... Bxf4 23. Bb5 Re8 { Did Black notjust see what I was threatening?! Big mistake. } 24. Bxd3 Bg3 25. Qd5 { Whitedoesn't mind trading rooks. } 25... Re6 26. Qxa8 Rxf6 { I wonder why he didn'ttake my Rook. } 27. Re3 Bf2+ { I lost it anyhow under one circumstance: givingup his Knight. } 28. Kh1 Bxe3 29. Qxb8+ Kg7 { Black's last bit of hope lieswithin his Kingside, and me making two blunders in a row (maybe three). } 30. Qd8 { 30.Qe5 is better. } 30... Rd6 31. Qxh4 Rxd3 { 32.Qg4 is a good idea here. } 32. Qg4+ { It's about time to bring out the unrepresented Rook. } 32... Kf8 33. Rf1 { That, or Rd1. } 33... Rd2 { 33.Ke8 is forced, but still, mate is impossibleto avoid. } 34. Qf3 { Black still had a chance to prevent this mate in oneby playing 34...Rf2. } 34... Bc5 { Instead, he let himself get mated. } 35. Qxf7# { Well, that's that. Through this game, Black's first critical blunder waswhere he gave up his Queen and he should be lucky that I did not find thatforced mate. Black also seemed to be focusing on my Queenside until heattacked my Kingside and messed himself up. } 1-0

[Event "Challenge from guy04"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "16-Oct-06"] [Round "-"] [White "yurigagarin"] [Black "guy04"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "1815"] [TimeControl "5 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1399"] 1. c4 { This game is a coaching game to the benefit of yurigagarin. Thecomments are primarely adressed to him, but I hope all can enjoy it too. For an Englishman, it is normal to play the English opening. } 1... e5 { Ido not like symmetrical openings. } 2. g3 { And now an italian fiachetto.This union will produce bilingual children } 2... c6 { It is a good idea to immediatelyremove some of the sting from the enemy fianchetto. } 3. Bg2 Bc5 4. Nf3 d6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Nf6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bf4 O-O 9. Nc3 a6 10. O-O Re8 { Notmuch to say so far. The basic principles of opening play were generallyrespected. Get the pieces out, get the king to safety. White naturallymaintains a slight advantage in development. } 11. e3 { But this is a blunder.Which brings me to my advice number 2 (I have prepared a list of advicesto throw in at the right moment). Advice no 2 : The great escape. One of the obvious things you can check before making the move you havechosen is : If you have a piece that is more advanced in the enemy%u2019sterritory, be sure that piece has an escape route, and that it can notbe trapped by the opponent%u2019s pieces (or pawns). This is especiallytrue if that piece is your queen. Of course, this advice can be reversed.You can check if you can trap an enemy piece. } 11... g5 12. Qd2 { Is this thebest move? We'll see later. } 12... gxf4 { I was tempted to play Bg4, since I don'thave to take the bishop right away. But it is a mistake. Why? } 13. exf4 { My opponent told me he was a bit worried about opening the e file ; isthis justified? would it be better to take with the g pawn? to be followed... } 13... Bxd4 { I consider this move a must. Even though black has won a piecefor a pawn, the black king can come under severe attack if black does nottake direct action. Reason number one for this move : when you are aheadin material, exchange pieces, as Confucius would have said if chess hadbeen invented in his epoch (or was it?). Here, this general principle appliesdoubly, as the white knight was dangerously placed. And, as a bonus, thewhite queen no longer threatens, even if inderectly, the weak h6 pawn.But black will still have to be very careful to get his pieces out andcome to the rescue of the king. } 14. Qxd4 Bf5 { Let's hurry getting mypieces to the rescue! } 15. Rad1 { Yes! I'm not out of trouble yet. } 15... Re6 { It actually took me a while to find this simple move. Sometimes tryingto analyse too deeply gets you in trouble, forgetting simple moves. } 16. Qd2 { White goes back to his original plan (target h6). } 16... Nbd7 { Like in anygood western, the cavalry comes in near the end. Anyway, it's the obviousmove. I can't leave the knight and rook in the corner while the othersare sweating like hell to protect the king. After all, this is war, andall soldiers must participate. } 17. g4 { White decides to take radical action.Is this the right way? } 17... Bxg4 { Safer would be taking with the knight. Butone must take chances in life. } 18. f5 { Consistent with the plan } 18... Bxf5 19. Qxh6 Qf8 { Here is the time to stop and check about white's plan. Theidea was to attack the weak h6 pawn while also opening the g file. Excellentplan. But here it falls short because the execution is faulty. It wouldhave been better to first play the king to h1, then put the rook on theg file, and then push the pawns. The problem with the present positionis that the queen is alone to try and attack the king, while the blackpieces are all relatively well placed to replace the missing pawns in frontof the king. But with the rook ready to come in, it would have been a differentstory. Of course, during all this preparation, black would have had timeto regroup. But at least, this leaves a chance for error on the black side,if he does not prepare well to meet white's plan. } 20. Qg5+ Bg6 21. Bh3 { I feel this bishop would have been better played at f3. See why later. } 21... Re5 { One could easily say : black is lucky to have this move now, and itis true I had not foreseen it. But then, this illustrates a common featureof open positions : if your pieces are soundly placed, such moves willreadily be available. What do I mean by pieces soundly placed? Let's checkhere : the two knights protect each other, the queen protects the weakd6 pawn, the bishop is protected by the pawn, the rook is protected bythe (weak but living) d6 pawn, the other rook, queen and king all offermutual protection. Pieces are soundly placed when they control a lot ofground, and they protect each other. } 22. Qf4 { Is Qd2 better? White wouldprobably win the weak d6 pawn (also justifying the bishop at h3) but thisis a price black is ready to play for the exchange of queens. So, I agreewith white's choice. } 22... Rae8 { Getting the last piece out. Principle # 126of the book of wisdom of chess : place rooks on open files. And speakingof soundness, the two rooks protect each other too. } 23. Rxd6 { A blunder.This type of error occurs when an enemy piece is sort of hidden, like black'squeen at f8, just standing there quietly, trying not to get noticed. Andwhite did not notice. A trick is to try and spot early these hidden piecesand always keep in them in the back of your mind. } 23... Qxd6 { Here a funny movewould be for white to play the rook to d1, apparently winning a knight.But black has an equally funny reply... Think about it. } 24. Qh6 Rh5 { Andwhite resigned. Two lessons to be gathered here : Muster up your piecesbefore attacking, and always check if your pieces protect each other: orif you must have an unprotected piece, check at every move if somethingbad could happen to it (like a mother checking for her 4-year old son neara pool). } *

[Event "Tutoring Game"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2011.07.01"] [Round "-"] [White "dani198324"] [Black "gsvc"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1916"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1543"] 1. e4 c5 { Sicilian Defense, one of my favourites } 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Nf3 e6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 a6 { d5 was possible, but I did not want to open the e-filewith my King in the centre } 6. a3 { I think a4 is better, controlling b5 } 6... Qc7 { The alternatives were b5 or d5 } 7. Qe2 b5 8. Ba2 Be7 9. g3 { A strangemove. I think this is not the best move. White should play somehting likec3, then Rd1 and try to play d4 } 9... d6 { During the game, I had the idea ofNd7 and Bf6, controlling the central dark squares } 10. Bd2 { Not the bestsquare for the bishop, if 10 Bf4 black plays Nd7 stopping e5. Again, betterwas c3 } 10... Bb7 11. Nc3 Nd7 12. h4 Nde5 13. Nh2 { Dubious move, allowing black'sknights to enter on e5 and d4. Better was 13 Nxe5 dxe5 14 Qg4 with someattack } 13... Nd4 14. Qd1 O-O 15. f4 Nec6 { White took the control of e5, butnow his king is weak } 16. Ng4 b4 { Black's advantage is in the queenside,so he opens the position in this side } 17. Ne2 bxa3 18. bxa3 Nxe2+ 19. Qxe2 Nd4 20. Qd1 d5 { Now, opening the centre, because white pieces arenot coordinated } 21. exd5 { If e5, black plays Nf5 and then d4. Better was21 c3 Nb5 22 exd5 exd5 23 a4 and black Knight has to retreat } 21... exd5 22. h5 h6 { Stopping the unpleasant treat of h6 } 23. Be3 { Now, if white playsc3, black follows with Nf5 and d4 } 23... Rfe8 { Taking the control of the file.The alternative was Nf5 } 24. Ne5 Bd6 { The knight is well placed, so blackforces it to retreat. Again, the alternative was Nf5 } 25. Bxd4 { if whitedoes not play this, black will play Nf5 and d4 } 25... cxd4 26. Nf3 Re3 27. Kg2 Bxa3 { Why not? I am winning a pawn } 28. Bxd5 { A bad move. It regains thepawn, but it opens the h1-a8 diagonal for the black bishop and allows aunpleasant pin on f3 } 28... Bxd5 29. Rxa3 Rae8 30. Rf2 { 30 Rxa6 Re2+ 31 Kg1 (31Kh1is the same thing; if 31 Kh3 Qc8+; if 31 Rf2 Bxf3+ 32 Kxf3 Qb7+) Bxf3 32Rxf3 Re1+ winning the queen } 30... Bxf3+ 31. Rxf3 Re1 { Winning the queen, becauseif 31 Qd2 black plays R8e2+ (as in the game) } 32. Qd2 R8e2+ 33. Rf2 Qc6+ { Better than eating the queen, now black forces mate } 34. Kh3 Rh1+ 35. Kg4 f5+ { And white resigned. if 36 Kxf5 Qe6# } 0-1

[Event "Anyone for tennis?"] [Site "http://gameknot.com/"] [Date "2010.07.10"] [Round "-"] [White "vladimir38"] [Black "nuntar"] [Result "0-1"] [BlackElo "1694"] [TimeControl "2 days per move"] [WhiteElo "1501"] 1. e4 { In my opinion, the hardest chess games to play, from the psychologicalstandpoint, are those where you've already missed a clear-cut chance towin the game. You feel that you must win now in order to expunge the earliermistake, but putting yourself under extra pressure only makes it easierto make further mistakes. I've chosen a tennis theme for this annotationbecause the 2010 Wimbledon Championships were played while the game wasin progress, and this made me reflect on how the game was not unlike atennis match, with 'break points' being missed by both sides. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 { I do vary my openings a little, but I'm most comfortable with goodold ...Nc6, and that's especially what I'm most likely to play when myopponent's rating is lower than mine, as here. } 3. Bb5 { So it's going tobe a Spanish Game. The next few moves are very well-known, so I won't commenton each one. In essence, it's a rally in which both sides are making surethe other never has the opportunity to grab the e-pawn, or at least, can'ttake much advantage by doing so. } 3... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O { The main line is 7... d6 8. c3 0-0, but playing the moves in theother order keeps White on his toes, as he doesn't know whether Black intendsto play the Marshall Gambit (8... d5). If White does think Black intendsthis, he may prefer to avoid this line with 8. a4 instead of c3. In thisgame, however, my opponent was not fooled by this little ruse, so we immediatelyreturn to normal lines. } 8. c3 d6 9. h3 { White plays this move to avoid...Bg4. This is still the main line. } 9... Bb7 { Zaitsev Variation. A logicallymotivated move, as the bishop is denied g4 and so seeks development onthe other diagonal, putting pressure on White's currently underdefendedpawn on e4. Of course, White can defend this pawn with d3, but usuallyhe does not play this as it would slow down the intended d4 break. } 10. d4 Re8 11. Be3 { This seems a little strange. More common is 11. Nbd2, defendingthe targeted e4 square; d4 is already overprotected and the bishop is cuttingthe rook's defence of e4. } 11... Bf8 { Since White's move doesn't seem to haveany particular threat, I go ahead with the 'book' move anyway. Though nowthat I come to analyse the game, perhaps 11... Na5 was a better responseto White's unorthodoxy? } 12. Ng5 { White catches me wrong-footed and makesa deep drive into the back of my court. Now, 11. Ng5 is known to the book,but the normal response of ...Rf8 has been made impossible. I found outafterwards that I should simply have responded with 12... Re7, but I didn'tthink of this at the time. } 12... d5 { Instead I borrow the idea of blocking theattack with ...d5 from the Two Knights Defence. This seems sound, as everythingremains defended, but it does block the bishop and it does allow Whiteto exchange off the whole centre if he chooses. } 13. Nd2 { White drops apoint here, since after 13... h6 14. Nf3 the e4 pawn is no longer adequatelydefended. Best seems to take the exchange, although... } 13... h6 14. Qf3 { ...maybeWhite had this sacrifice in mind all along? Black's court is certainlyabout to come under intense pressure. } 14... hxg5 15. Bxg5 Qd6 { Logical defensivestrategy: get into the centre! Unpinning the knight is not sufficient tosave the d5 pawn, but Black hopes to weather the storm and finish stilla piece for two pawns up. To achieve this, Black's pieces must be activated.Black could also be more daring and play 15... dxe4 to avoid losing thepawn, but since this helps White bring his knight into play, I wasn't keenon the idea. } 16. exd5 Nd8 17. Qg3 { Naturally... White wants to exploitthe potential pin on the g-pawn. } 17... exd4 { That will keep White's knight offe4 for the moment, though the downside is opening a file that I immediatelyhave to cede. It's a pity that my knight on d8 has no squares, since itkeeps the rook out of play as well. Anyhow, White certainly won't wantto exchange queens. } 18. Bf4 Rxe1+ 19. Rxe1 Qd7 20. Nf3 { White comes rightup to the net to press the attack; he's not interested in recapturing ond4 or in taking the c7 pawn. } 20... dxc3 { Let's make White prove that his attackis worth the material deficit.... } 21. bxc3 Bxd5 22. Ne5 { White volleys... } 22... Qf5 { ...and Black's queen comes up to the net and smashes the ball pastWhite. Translated into chess terms, I now felt confident I had seen offthe attack, since various exchanges are threatened and the d8 knight isnow free to come back into play. } 23. Bxd5 Nxd5 24. Bd2 { And White indeedretreats to avoid a further exchange... } 24... Bd6 { ...but this pin forces offanother pair of pieces. } 25. Qh4 { Looking at this now, I can't rememberwhy I didn't just play 25... Bxe5, winning a piece. } 25... Qh7 26. Qg4 Bxe5 27. Rxe5 { At least I still get the exchange... but White has a threat of Re8#. } 27... Nf6 { The threat is easily countered, but I still have to be careful... } 28. Bg5 { ...since 28... Nxg4?? would be answered by the same move, Re8#.This is the game's first 'break point'; do you see it? } 28... Qg6 { I didn't either,and believe me, I was kicking myself when, very soon after, I noticed whatI'd missed. After 28... Qb1+ there is no back rank mate and Black can takethe queen! } 29. Qf3 { White now sees this and GETS OUT FAST! } 29... Rb8 30. g4 { Still hoping for a kingside attack, perhaps? I was almost expecting Whiteto play 30. Bxf6 Qxf6 31. Re8+ to pin my knight and make it difficult forme to activate my pieces, but presumably White felt he couldn't affordany further exchanges. } 30... Ne6 { I naturally activate the knight and seal offthe e-file. (And this seems as good a point as any to clarify the situationsurrounding this game. After player 'gringo67' timed out all six of hisgames, the group winner would depend entirely on the results of the gamesbetween the other three players, always a tense situation. I lost one togreg_johnstone, meaning that by the time only my two games with vladimir38remained unfinished, I had to get 1.5 points from the two games to winthe group. In the other game, I thought I had winning chances for a while,but my opponent successfully defused them and got a passed pawn, whichI blockaded and then offered a draw on the grounds of opposite-colouredbishops. This was accepted, leaving this game as an absolute must-win.) } 31. Be3 Qd3 { I decide to make my queen more active and -- for now at least-- tie down White's bishop. } 32. g5 Nd7 33. Rd5 { White serves up a lovelyace that gets him right back in the match. Note that I can't save bothpieces by 33... Qb1+ because after 34. Rd1 both are still attacked. } 33... Qxc3 { So I choose to take c3 rather than a2, both because it's more centraland because I'm defending c7 (and g7, for that matter). } 34. Rxd7 Rf8 { Thispassive placement of the rook now seems necessary to defend f7; I certainlydon't want to move it and allow White to open up my king. } 35. h4 { Inevitable...White is still going for the attack, especially now that I have one fewerknight to defend with. } 35... c5 { Nevertheless, I still decide to make Whiteshow me what he can do, and meanwhile advance my passed pawn to give himsomething to think about if his attack doesn't come off! } 36. Qg4 { Whitegets the queen back in position, pinning my g-pawn so that a pawn gettingto h6 would be awkward... } 36... Qc4 { ...and I counter this with a volley frommy own queen... } 37. Qg3 Qxa2 { ...and drive the ball deep into the oppositecorner of White's court. Now it looks as though White must succeed in hisattack or else my pawns will give me an endgame win, but it's not as simpleas that, this match has some distance to go yet! } 38. h5 c4 { I calmly advancethe pawn; what else can I do? I want White to make the first move to thesixth rank so that I can block him... } 39. h6 g6 { ...which I do. The disadvantageis, of course, that my long diagonal is now open and could prove a seriousweakness. At least for now the knight covers the d4 square. } 40. Qe5 { White'sthinking about the long diagonal too... } 40... Qb1+ 41. Kg2 Qf5 { ...but I knewthat I had this means of getting back to defend, if White tried that. } 42. Qxf5 gxf5 { Now I felt I had excellent winning chances, with the queensoff... } 43. Bd2 { ...but White still isn't giving up! This move is clearlyaiming to get onto the long diagonal... } 43... Kh7 { ...and this hasty sidestepis necessary to prevent 44. g6! } 44. Ra7 Nc5 { I move to defend the threateneda-pawn, but this turns out to be another blunder... } 45. Bb4 { ...sincealthough this pin doesn't win material, it does force my rook away fromdefending the f-pawn. } 45... Rc8 46. f4 { Another break point missed! 46. Bxc5Rxc5 47. Rxf7+ Kg6 48. Rg7+ Kh5 49. h7 wins. } 46... Nd3 { Now I felt I had a fightingchance... White has actually helped me get my rook behind my furthest advancedpawn, and I'm willing to let the f7 pawn go. Overconfident, because ina few moves from now I'll allow White to play the exact same winning lineagain. } 47. Bd2 c3 { This move forces the issue... } 48. Rxf7+ Kg6 { ...andI had a very sleepless night after playing this move! I'd only considered49. Rg7+ Kh5 50. h7 cxd2 51. Rg8, when both sides promote and I keep theextra knight, but instead the simple decoy 49. Rg7+ Kh5 50. Bxc3!! winson the spot. } 49. Rf6+ { White misses it! } 49... Kh7 50. Rd6 { And, after neitherof us has succeeded in winning a break point, this good move forces theexchange of minor pieces (at least, I can't see that Black has much alternative)thus taking the match to a tie-break. } 50... cxd2 51. Rxd3 Rc4 { First point toBlack. This is a more promising move than the more obvious ...Rc2, sincethe d-pawn is dead anyway, and the tempo gained on White's f-pawn allowsBlack to advance the pawns and get the roo } 52. Kf3 b4 53. Rxd2 b3 { Nowmaterial is level, and I was expecting that the game would probably bedrawn. My outside passed pawn couple is nice, but my king can't get awayto help them. However, it turns out... } 54. Ke3 Rb4 55. Rb2 a5 { ...thatthe passed pawns are stronger than I realised! White can't move the kingacross to threaten them without letting the f-pawn go, but certainly ifthis pawn reaches a3 Black has won. } 56. Kd3 a4 57. Kc3 Rxf4 { Another pointto Black. White will have to come up with a good serve now... } 58. Rg2 { ...and this isn't it! Black was going to play Rg4 anyway, and this movedoesn't prevent it! } 58... Rg4 59. Rf2 Rxg5 60. Rf4 { This seems to be all Whitecan do; if 60. Rh2 then 60... f4 61. Kb4 f3 62. Kxa4 Rg2 wins. } 60... Kxh6 { Anotherpoint to Black. At first sight 60... Rg4 might seem superior as it keepsthe connected pawn pair, but in fact the far-apart pawns give Black a strongeradvantage. White's king can't easily keep both under control, and Black'sking is close to the f-pawn. } 61. Rxa4 Rg3+ { Black doesn't want to letthe b-pawn go if he can help it! } 62. Kb2 Kg5 { I wouldn't have thoughtit, but 62... Rd3 is actually the best move here, though the move playedis not far behind. At any rate the intention behind the move played isclear, to support the advance of the pawn. } 63. Ra3 { White commits a faultwith this move; there is no threat to win the b-pawn, since if he takes,Black exchanges rooks with an easy win. More enterprising is 63... Ra8. } 63... Rg2+ { Black capitalises (though it's unnecessarily flashy; 63... f4 winsfaster). White still can't take the b-pawn because of Rg3+. Match point. } 64. Kb1 b2 65. Rb3 f4 { A key move: Black advances the pawn before the king,so that if White exchanges on b2, the pawn is within range to promote unaided. } 66. Rxb2 { But White realises he now has no way to stop Black promotingone or other pawn, and gracefully makes a final exhibition shot, allowingBlack to smash home the winner. What an exciting game it was! } 66... Rxb2+ 0-1