tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63936408986405610432024-03-04T23:18:49.039-05:00Path to Chess MasteryAn examination of training and practical concepts for the improving chessplayerChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.comBlogger710125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-25026665227960659472024-02-22T22:24:00.006-05:002024-02-22T22:37:41.822-05:00Video completed: The 4...Nf6 Caro-Kann by Nigel Davies<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7PcXf0GolcfSk76LKyIiQfFHth-dnSGKT5c9XKhYFuy4eDS7kklppUD8nH5mQZoUWx7LNc3LAbr-ZmvXjOvPdHCZlMC6t36-2RolGQxjjZmkc-uMyznQFh0uDh_Pc7n9zb-icaOWHJkyjj2h_WTS7FiIa7Yg_EgLzuxEMezJP0yyf1yChUcpQjQ9FPF8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="704" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7PcXf0GolcfSk76LKyIiQfFHth-dnSGKT5c9XKhYFuy4eDS7kklppUD8nH5mQZoUWx7LNc3LAbr-ZmvXjOvPdHCZlMC6t36-2RolGQxjjZmkc-uMyznQFh0uDh_Pc7n9zb-icaOWHJkyjj2h_WTS7FiIa7Yg_EgLzuxEMezJP0yyf1yChUcpQjQ9FPF8" width="169" /></a></div><p>I recently completed the FritzTrainer <a href="https://shop.chessbase.com/en/products/davies_the_4_nf6_caro_kann" target="_blank">The 4...Nf6 Caro-Kann by GM Nigel Davies</a>, which was published in 2016. It covers lines in both the Bronstein-Larsen (5...gxf6) and Tartakower (5...exf6) variations for Black, which is unusual, since Caro-Kann opening resources normally focus on one or the other, because of their major structural differences. The content description is copied below; there are also 16 quiz positions at the end, mostly from the Bronstein-Larsen side. In each of the lines, a full game is presented as the baseline, although certain sub-variations or ideas are demonstrated within it. There is also a separate, larger database of model games included in both variations.</p><p>As is reflected in my annotated games database attached to this blog, I've long played the Classical (4...Bf5) variation of the main line Caro-Kann. I have no intention of giving it up, but the 4...Nf6 variations are of interest both from a general improvement standpoint and for potentially expanding my personal repertoire. The position-types that result have some resemblance to familiar ones, but especially the Bronstein-Larsen requires a more dynamic, attacking approach from Black. The positional imbalances that result are also a useful way to deliberately (if more riskily) play for a win as Black, versus the normally more staid positions of the Classical variation.</p><p>Although this video set is one of the more comprehensive ones available on the topic, it still covers a lot of territory without much depth, particularly in the main line Bronstein-Larsen 6. c3, where Davies recommends ...h5 as Black's response, rather than the much more common ...Bf5. The database supports this choice, however, with ...h5 scoring significantly better. White has a large number of 6th move possibilities, as can be seen below, so this lack of depth is probably unavoidable.</p><p>I avoided the Tartakower variation when originally building my personal repertoire largely because of Korchnoi's defeat against Karpov in the world championship series while relying on it. That said, it's certainly solid and in fact underwent something of a renaissance several years after this video was published. I don't believe it's quite as trendy at the moment, but there are many current games with it and it scores significantly better than the Bronstein-Larsen, so it may be worth delving into further. If you are looking for an introduction to the modern (2017 and on) treatment of the Tartakower, this blog post by GM Max Illingworth on Chess.com may be of interest: <a href="https://www.chess.com/blog/Illingworth/the-modern-caro-kann-antidote-to-3-nc3" target="_blank">https://www.chess.com/blog/Illingworth/the-modern-caro-kann-antidote-to-3-nc3</a></p><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: __Merriweather_5; font-size: 14px; list-style-type: circle; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 13px;"><li class="heading" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The 4...Nf6 Caro-Kann: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">01: Introduction [06:28]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">02: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 Strategy 1 - Kavalek,L - Larsen,B [11:17]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">03: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 Strategy 2 - Victor Ciocaltea - Mikhail Botvinnik [10:09]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">04: 5.Nxf6 exf6 Strategy 1 - Rosino,A - Bilek,I [14:29]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">05: 5.Nxf6 exf6 Strategy 2 - Torre,E - Kortschnoj,V [12:00]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">06: 5.Nxf6 exf6 Strategy 3 - Tarrasch,S - Tartakower,S [07:56]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">07: 5.Nxf6 exf6 Strategy 4 - Perez - Alekhine,A [07:52]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">08: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.c3 Bf5 - John Fedorowicz - Nigel Rodney Davies [09:47]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">09: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.c3 h5 - Eggleston,D - Short,N [15:40]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">10: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 Qc7 8.Be3 - Tiviakov,S - Short,N [06:42]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">11: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 Qc7 8.0-0 - Lombaers,P - Jones,G [06:46]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">12: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.g3 h5 - Nakar,E - Paichadze,L [10:29]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">13: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Bc4 Bf5 7.Ne2 Nd7 8.Ng3 Bg6 9.0-0 - Aseev,K - Bronstein,D [05:17]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">14: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Bc4 Bf5 7.c3 e6 8.Ne2 - Pohla,H - Bronstein,D [06:09]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">15: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Bc4 Bf5 7.c3 e6 8.Qf3 - Ivanovic,B - Bronstein,D [08:58]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">16: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Bf4 - Davies,N - Groszpeter,A [04:45]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">17: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Be3 - Bakulin,N - Bronstein,D [08:53]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">18: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Ne2 - Kopaev,N - Bronstein,D [07:35]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">19: 5.Nxf6 gxf6 6.Qd3 - Barczay,L - Bronstein,D [05:32]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">20: 5.Nxf6 exf6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Qc2 Re8+ 9.Ne2 Kh8 White castles short - Tiviakov,S - Spraggett,K [10:37]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">21: 5.Nxf6 exf6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Ne2 Re8 9.Qc2 Kh8 White castles long - Fontaine,R - Asrian,K [07:19]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">22: 5.Nxf6 exf6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 Be6 - Arakhamia-Grant,K - Korchnoi,V [07:33]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">23: 5.Nxf6 exf6 6.Bc4 Qe7 7.Qe2 Be6 8.Bxe6 - Ivanovic,B - Miladinovic,I [09:03]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">24: 5.Nxf6 exf6 6.Bc4 Qe7 7.Qe2 Be6 8.Bb3 - Estevez,G - Lechtynsky,J [09:43]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">25: 5.Nxf6 exf6 6.Bc4 Qe7 7.Be2 - Karjakin,S - Jobava,B [11:19]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">26: 5.Nxf6 exf6 6.Bc4 Bd6 - Bednarski,J - Donner,J [11:38]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">27: 5.Ng3 g6 - Sax,G - Larsen,B [16:23]</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">28: 5.Ng3 h5 - Elezi,E - Akopian,V [09:21]</li></ul>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-23269484547856243922024-02-19T11:50:00.004-05:002024-02-19T11:56:57.554-05:00The learning cycle articulated<p>In <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2024/02/annotated-game-267-how-openings-are.html" target="_blank">Annotated Game #267</a> ("How openings are really learned") I highlighted the cycle for acquiring deeper understanding of openings and their early middlegame plans: play consistently, analyze your games, and you will inevitably expand your understanding of them step by step.<br /></p><p>Separate but closely related to that, I recently ran across what I thought was a well-articulated (and simple) version of the broader learning cycle at Chessmood:</p><p><a href="https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-get-better-at-chess" target="_blank">https://chessmood.com/blog/how-to-get-better-at-chess</a></p><p>The full article addresses other things like the importance of mindset, but below is how they present the cycle. It's worth clarifying that the "Practice" step, in the sense we are talking about, does not mean reviewing your stored opening repertoire (or other knowledge) by yourself; rather, it is about using your chess knowledge (opening, middlegame, endgame) under actual combat conditions. Improvement via <a href="http://pathtochessmastery.com/2012/12/analyzing-your-own-games-is-more-than.html" target="_blank">analyzing your own games</a> then becomes an iterative process that yields concrete results over time, even if temporary setbacks occur.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------</p><div class="insert-table-of-contents" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 16px;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c2838; font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 10px auto 18px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px;">The chess improvement formula</span></h2></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292d34; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.75; margin: 0px auto 18px;">It’s quite simple.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span face=""Segoe UI Bold", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Study -> Practice -> Fix -> (Repeat)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292d34; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.75; margin: 0px auto 18px;">You learn something first.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />You practice it; otherwise, you’ll forget it.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />You fix the mistakes you make.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Then you learn new things, and the cycle continues.</p>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-87628992582348859452024-02-19T10:29:00.003-05:002024-02-19T10:29:26.368-05:00Annotated Game #267: How openings are really learned<p>This final-round game illustrates several useful themes, including recent ones highlighted like <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2024/02/annotated-game-266-importance-of.html" target="_blank">the importance of playing an idea at the right time</a> and the power (and necessity) of simple development. The mutual "??" moment on move 32 shows how time trouble was affecting my game, as I had a chance to turn things around, and played the correct move one tempo too late. </p><p>This game is also a perfect example of a broader theme of how openings really get learned - namely, the hard way.</p><p>During the game it was clear that my opponent as White was out of his personal experience in the opening phase of a Panov variation of the Caro-Kann. This however did not stop him from finding the correct attacking setup and plan, which to be honest is not that hard for an experienced White player. In contrast, never having faced/studied the position starting on move 11, I struggled to adapt and ended up committing the sin of moving a piece multiple times in the opening to no good effect, which essentially handed my opponent the initiative and an excellent attack.</p><p>I did not feel too badly about missing the one tactic, since my opponent had simply outplayed me for most of the game, although it stung a bit. The main lesson for me was the need to keep playing consistently, analyze my games, and constantly expand my understanding of openings and early middlegame plans in that manner. Databases and references are great, but understanding comes from the actual fight on the board.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Class A"]
[Black "ChessAdmin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B14"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Stockfish 16"]
[PlyCount "73"]
1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 {the Panov variation, by transposition.} Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 {my opponent did not seem particularly familiar with the opening, or at least this variation, based on the amount of time he took at the board. However, he found a good path as White - perhaps not to difficult to do.} 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Nf6 11. Bg5 {I was only familiar with the a3 line, so now had to start thinking about the differences.} h6 {logical and objectively best.} (11... Nb4 {would be the direct way to take advantage of White's failure to guard the b4 square.} 12. Bb1 {the bishop is fine on this square, but the drawback for White is locking the rook on the a-file.}) 12. Bh4 a6 $6 {this turns out to be too slow.} (12... Nh5 {immediately trades off a minor piece, reducing White's attacking prospects.}) (12... Bd7 {simple development is also good, while clearing the c8 square for a rook.}) 13. Rc1 Nb4 $6 {this is now possible, but is only a distraction for Black, as the light-square bishop is just fine on b1. This would have made more sense played earlier, as shown on move 11.} 14. Bb1 Nbd5 $6 {compounding my loss of time in the opening. White will now get an attack rolling without my pieces being well-enough developed to counter it.} (14... Bd7 $16 {would be at least somewhat better, also allowing the bishop to go to e8 on defense.}) 15. Qc2 $16 Nb4 16. Qd2 Nbd5 17. Ne5 {I thought for a long time here and could not find a good response. I thought the text move would hold, but White is able to bring too many pieces into the attack.} Ne8 (17... Ne4 {is the engine's best try.} 18. Qc2 Bxh4 19. Qxe4 f5 20. Qf3 $16) 18. Nxd5 Bxh4 19. Qd3 f5 {this was basically as far as I originally saw in calculating the sequence on move 17.} 20. Nf4 $1 $18 {now, however, the knights are dominant.} Bg5 21. Neg6 Bxf4 22. Nxf4 Qd6 23. Qe3 Nc7 24. a3 {restricting the Black queen's activity by controlling b4.} Nd5 25. Nxd5 Qxd5 26. Rc5 {I missed this, which ends up giving White too much pressure on e6 by driving away the queen.} Qd8 27. Ba2 {the game is essentially over at this point, but I play on in hopes of a blunder from my opponent.} Kh8 28. Qe5 Bd7 {far too late for this basic developing move.} 29. Rc7 {well played by my opponent, as Black has no good response.} Rc8 30. Rxb7 Rf6 31. d5 Rg6 {setting up some desperation tactics involving the g-file. This was the correct practical choice, especially under mutual time pressure.} 32. dxe6 $4 (32. Qd6) 32... Qg5 $4 {the wrong choice of threat to make, in time pressure.} (32... Bc6 $1 {forking g2 and the Rb7 wins. I saw this earlier as a possibility, but somehow hallucinated that White had an effective comeback that negated the threat.} 33. g3 Bxb7 $19) 33. g3 $18 Bc6 {too late.} 34. Rb8 Rxb8 35. Qxb8+ Kh7 36. e7 Qh5 37. Qg8# {I had not seen this, with the Ba2 now covering g8.} 1-0
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-64015925290954084682024-02-18T11:27:00.002-05:002024-02-18T11:28:33.851-05:00Annotated Game #266: The importance of playing an idea at the right timeI happened to get two Whites in a row and I was not unhappy, given the previous result, that this game paralleled <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2024/02/annotated-game-265-importance-of-sense.html" target="_blank">Annotated Game #265's</a> Symmetrical English until move 8. Black's asymmetric reaction in the center with ...e5 created an imbalance in the position which I could have reacted to with the idea of Bg5, looking to trade the now "bad" bishop off. However, I pass up several early opportunities, only to play it at a much worse time later in the game, which nearly gets the bishop trapped. A similar theme applies to my light-square bishop's back-and-forth maneuvers.<div><br /></div><div>The game overall was more stressful than the previous one, with Black's space advantage and better piece activity keeping me on the ropes for much of the time, although I had a number of chances to equalize (and did so several times). Time trouble for both sides played a major role in the outcome, as well.</div><div><br /></div>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "ChessAdmin"]
[Black "Class A"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A37"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Stockfish 16"]
[PlyCount "99"]
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 d6 8. Rb1 e5 {first break in the symmetry. Black opts to seize territory in the center, at the cost of obstructing the Bg7.} 9. a3 {continuing with the plan of the b-pawn advance.} a5 10. Ne1 (10. Bg5 $5 {is an interesting idea, now that there is an obstructing pawn on e5. Normally the bishop is needed on d2 (or perhaps b2) to help counter the Bg7's pressure.} h6 11. Bxf6 {exchanging the "bad" bishop for Black's good knight.} Bxf6 12. Ne1) 10... Be6 11. Nc2 {it would be better to develop the bishop.} (11. Bg5 {fights for d5 indirectly as well.}) 11... d5 {now Black's central play equalizes.} 12. cxd5 {at the time, I thought there was no other real option. However, the Bg5 idea is still good.} Nxd5 13. Ne3 (13. Ne4 $5) 13... Nde7 14. Bd2 {finally developing the piece. Black has a space advantage by this point, so I have to look for ways to give my pieces greater scope.} Rb8 15. Nb5 {played after long thought. I felt this had better long-term prospects than alternatives such as Na4. I did not consider Ne4 here, having dismissed it earlier.} Qb6 {first move out of the database. I didn't think the queen was well-placed on b6. However, it does provoke my next move, which helps resolve the situation on the queenside for Black.} 16. a4 {this gives up the idea of the b4 break, but I didn't think it was happening anyway by this point in the game. I thought it was a solid option to maintain the knight outpost.} (16. Qa4 $5 {would be one way to develop the queen and free up space for other pieces. White can then chase away the black queen with Nc4.}) 16... Qd8 $15 17. Nc4 {pressuring a5 and controlling d6. Black according to the engine still has a small advantage, but at least I was now striking back in his territory.} b6 18. b3 (18. f4 $5 {is an interesting alternative, preferred by the engines. In the game, I considered it for a while and ultimately did not like due to the opening of the g1-a7 diagonal, which I thought would be better for Black.}) 18... Bd5 19. Bh3 $11 {choosing to preserve the bishop. My opponent seemed surprised by the maneuver. I was heartened by the seizure of the h3-c8 diagonal, which makes things more equal, and provokes Black's next move. Exchanging on d5 also would have been fine.} f5 20. Nc3 $6 {unfortunately at this point I had run out of ideas in the position. More active play would keep the balance.} (20. Bg5) (20. f4) 20... Bf7 $15 21. Nb5 Nd4 22. Nxd4 {effectively getting rid of the annoying outpost knight, as exchanging it is better than leaving the strong Nd4 in place.} Qxd4 23. Bg2 {bringing the bishop back into the game.} Nd5 24. Ne3 {another longer think without a good result. It's better to try to get the queen into the game, or at least more actively supporting the other pieces.} (24. Qe1) (24. Qc1) 24... Nxe3 (24... Nb4 $5 {would have maintained more pressure.}) 25. Bxe3 $6 {an example of stereotypical thinking, rejecting the idea of creating doubled pawns, which would actually give White a more dynamic position.} (25. fxe3 {I should have considered this more seriously, but was in significant time pressure by now.} Qd6 26. e4 $11) 25... Qd6 $17 {Black has a significant space advantage and better piece activity.} 26. Qc1 Rfe8 27. Rd1 Rbd8 28. Bg5 {this idea comes too late to be effective, as Black easily sidesteps with his rook.} Rd7 29. Bf1 $2 {a blunder, missing the danger the Bg5 is now in of being trapped.} Bd5 {luckily my opponent was also in similar time pressure and missed the refutation, giving me time to retreat it.} (29... f4 $1) 30. Bd2 Qc6 31. Bc3 (31. e4 {is actually possible and probably best here, due to the latent tactical possibility of a skewer on the a4-e8 diagonal.} fxe4 32. dxe4 Bxe4 33. Bb5 {and Black can only save himself by} Qf6 $11) 31... Qb7 32. f3 {playing it safe by blocking the diagonal, although the position is still very problematic for White.} e4 $6 {an attempt to force the situation in the center, which simply dissolves Black's pressure.} 33. Bxg7 Rxg7 34. dxe4 fxe4 35. f4 $11 e3 {after the last sequence, White should be equal now and out of the woods. I thought for a little while here, but was unsure of the best way to proceed.} 36. Qc3 Qc6 37. Rbc1 Rf7 38. Rd3 {this is a little slow.} (38. Qd3 $5) (38. Bh3 {reactivating the bishop.}) 38... Qe6 39. Rcd1 Rf5 40. Bh3 $2 {blunder at the time control. Another example of a good idea played too late, and in this case without considering my opponent's responses.} (40. Bg2 {was necessary.}) 40... Qe4 $1 {threatening mate on h1.} 41. Rxd5 {essentially forced.} Rxd5 42. Rxd5 Qxd5 $19 43. Bg2 Qd2 $6 {this allows White's next move, giving me a saving burst of activity against his king.} (43... Qd1+ 44. Bf1 Qd4 $19 {and the White pieces have nowhere to go.}) 44. Qc4+ $1 Kg7 45. h3 {giving the king an escape square, so the bishop would not have to go to f1 following a queen check.} (45. h4 $5) 45... Re7 46. Kh2 Qd4 47. Bd5 $2 {played in the (correct) expectation that Black would feel obliged to trade queens. However, the engine shows it would be better for White to keep the queens on.} (47. Qb5) 47... Qxc4 (47... b5 $1 48. axb5 Rd7 49. Be6 Qxc4 $19 {and now the endgame is winning for Black.}) 48. Bxc4 Kf6 49. g4 g5 50. Kg3 {low on time, my opponent offered a draw, believing I had a viable fortress. I thought it was not 100%, but it would have been difficult to break down. The engine considers Black the victor.} 1/2-1/2
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-11182451167753853462024-02-17T17:12:00.000-05:002024-02-17T17:12:03.329-05:00Annotated Game #265: The importance of a sense of danger<p>This second game from the tournament featured a Symmetrical English, which had a great deal of symmetry indeed, only varying on move 9. If one chooses to play as White in this way, then patience is the key to success, rather than an ability (or desire) to pursue an attacking, imbalanced game. It can be annoying when Black clearly has no experience with the opening, but can still get a good position simply by mimicking moves. However, sometimes the patient approach pays off, as in this game after Black gets impatient and presses too hard with his queen, at a time when a sense of danger was necessary.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "ChessAdmin"]
[Black "Class C"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A38"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "148"]
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Nc3 {the Symmetrical Four Knights} g6 {my opponent took some time in the opening and did not appear to be acquainted with the Symmetrical English, going for mimicing moves simply on principle.} 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O d6 7. d3 {I seriously considered breaking new ground by playing d4 here, since Black postponed castling by a move, but eventually decided to stick with a position and strategy with which I was more familiar.} O-O 8. Rb1 {this scores best in the database, although I'm not sure how much difference move order makes for the basic plan, threatening b2-b4.} Bd7 9. a3 a5 {restraining the b-pawn advance} 10. b3 {with b4 having been prevented for now, I switch to a plan with a goal of swapping off Black's Bg7 and keeping the pressure on the light squares and center.} (10. Bd2 {is most played here, keeping White's options open.}) 10... Qc8 {choosing the common plan of seeking to exchange the Bg2.} 11. Re1 {choosing to keep the light-square bishop on the board, by clearing the diagonal so the bishop can retreat to h1.} Bh3 12. Bh1 h6 {controlling g5, otherwise Ng5 could harass the bishop on h3.} 13. Bb2 {following up on the plan decided on move 10.} Re8 {I thought for a long time here about what would be best to do. I looked at Nd2 as the other main candidate move, which is a standard maneuver to unlock the light-square bishop on the long diagonal. In ultimately choosing the text move, I preferred to maintain more control over the center and the d4 square. However, I did not see my opponent's response.} 14. Nb5 (14. e3 $5 {is another idea, suggested by Dragon 3.2}) 14... Na7 {here I could lock up the queenside with a4 and gain a bit of space, but I saw that I could force through b4 after the exchange, and preferred to try to open lines.} 15. Nxa7 Rxa7 16. Nd2 {it was between this or the immediate b2-b4, either of which are fine.} Bd7 {a surprise, but the obvious idea being to reposition the bishop on the long diagonal.} 17. Ba1 {played more out of minor frustration at not having anything apparently better. Now b4 seemed easier and I felt I was keeping my options more open.} (17. Bg2 $5 {has some value as a waiting move. The engine likes the plan of gaining space and restraining ...b5 by playing a4 afterwards.}) 17... Bc6 18. b4 Bxh1 19. Kxh1 Ng4 {this was also a surprise, threatening a fork on f2.} (19... axb4 $5 20. axb4 cxb4 {is tricky and would have been a better try for Black, perhaps. The point is that} 21. Rxb4 $2 (21. Kg1 $11) 21... Ng4 $1 {wins, due to the double attack on the Ba1 and the threatened fork on f2.}) 20. Kg2 {the idea being I could then play h3 to kick the knight.} Bxa1 {my opponent saw he could win a pawn here and became obviously eager to do it. However, the doubled b-pawns will offset the material gained with their weakness.} 21. Rxa1 axb4 22. axb4 Rxa1 23. Qxa1 cxb4 {I thought for a while here again, because I spotted the tactical issues with the weakness on f2 and Black's Q+N combination making threats.} 24. Qb2 (24. Rb1 $5 {is simpler and better, as the rook is much better employed on the b-file.}) 24... Qc5 25. d4 {played after long thought.} (25. Ne4 {I also considered, but ultimately was a little unsure of the Ne4's ability to defend in all variations.}) 25... Qh5 {a bit of a crude threat. Now for some reason I didn't even consider h3 to defend, in part due to some time pressure.} 26. Nf3 $11 {this is still good for equality.} Qa5 27. Ra1 {Black is out of immediate threats and now I felt good about taking over the initiatlve, although I still need to be careful with Black's queen still threatening to penetrate on the 2nd and 1st ranks in some variations.} Qb6 28. Ra4 b3 29. Ra3 {ready to safely round up the pawn and restore material equality.} Qb4 30. Nd2 {my opponent evidently did not consider this, which protects the c4 pawn and allows me to capture on b3 with the rook.} (30. Qxb3 {is even simpler.}) 30... Rb8 31. Rxb3 Qa5 32. f3 {finally kicking the Ng4 and also closing the long diagonal.} Nf6 33. Rb5 {played after some thought. I felt it kept more pressure up on Black and that the 5th rank was also a good place for the rook, if nothing else.} Qa4 {Black again threatens to peentrate with Qd1.} 34. Kf2 {protecting the e-pawn.} Qd1 $6 {Black plays this anyway, evidently hoping to go to h1. However this is over-ambitious and the queen has very few squares left.} 35. Nf1 {I felt this was the safe choice, as I did not have time to calculate out the situation after ...Qh1.} Kf8 $4 {Black is unaware of the threat to the queen.} 36. Ra5 $1 {sealing the queen's fate.} b6 37. Ra1 Qxa1 38. Qxa1 {White now has an easy win, but Black plays on almost until mate, hoping for a stalemate. I stay patient and "go to sleep" in the endgame, per Dan Heisman's advice, pursuing an inevitable winning strategy while avoiding any chance of stalemate.} Rc8 39. Ne3 e6 40. Qa7 d5 41. cxd5 Nxd5 42. Nxd5 exd5 43. Qxb6 Re8 44. Qd6+ Kg7 45. Qxd5 Re6 46. Qc5 Kf6 47. d5 Re8 48. Qc6+ Ke7 49. Qc7+ Kf6 50. d6 h5 51. d7 h4 52. d8=Q+ Rxd8 53. Qxd8+ Kg7 54. Qxh4 Kg8 55. e4 Kg7 56. e5 Kg8 57. Qf6 g5 58. Qxg5+ Kf8 59. Qh6+ Kg8 60. Qd6 Kg7 61. h4 Kh7 62. f4 Kg7 63. f5 Kh7 64. e6 Kh6 65. g4 f6 66. g5+ Kh5 67. Qd1+ Kxh4 68. g6 Kg5 69. e7 Kh6 70. e8=Q Kg7 71. Qf7+ Kh6 72. Qh1+ Kg5 73. Qg2+ Kf4 74. Qg3+ Ke4 {and my opponent decided he had suffered enough.} 1-0
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-37333408455406761302024-02-03T11:41:00.003-05:002024-02-03T11:42:48.540-05:00Annotated Game #264: Lessons learned from an Exchange Caro-Kann<p>This next game started off my second "comeback" OTB tournament last year. My opponent was comparable in strength and we came out of the Exchange Caro-Kann opening in an equal but positionally dynamic situation. The variation I chose (6...g6) results in a structural imbalance, which in this case ended up with Black having an isolated queen pawn (IQP) position in favorable middlegame circumstances. That said, my planless and overly optimistic early middlegame play allowed White to gain a small advantage, but I hung close and eventually she was essentially forced into going for a three-time repetition to secure the draw.</p><p>It is always striking to me how analyzing your own games inevitably highlights significant lessons and insights into your play and how it can be improved. Even in cases like this, a relatively quiet, largely strategic and positional struggle, certain ideas can shine through clearly:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The strength of simple development and importance of optimal piece placement. I missed in various ways the effectiveness of just getting my bishop out with ...Bd7 and allowing the activation of the queen's rook; this did not happen until move 22. Another key positional idea was to retreat the dark-square bishop on move 14, which would have preserved the two bishops.</li><li>Immediately dissolving the tension on move 18, rather than searching for other improving moves. This urge to immediately swap pieces and resolve tension is a common feature (and drawback) of play at the Class level.</li><li>Missing good moves due to the calculation "horizon" effect - I stopped calculating too soon once I saw an "obvious" advantage for my opponent in a variation, without seeing additional tactical possibilities for myself.</li></ul><div>I was nonetheless reasonably satisfied with my level of play, including the ability to recover after handing my opponent some advantage, and it's not a bad start to draw a similar-strength opponent at the start of a tournament.</div><div><br /></div><p></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Class B"]
[Black "ChessAdmin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B13"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "68"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 g6 (6... Bg4 {is the more standard move.}) 7. h3 {this is the second-most played move in the database, but I had not seen it before.} Bg7 {the most played response.} 8. Ne2 {I thought this was an inferior square for the knight, relinquishing control over e5.} O-O 9. O-O Re8 {played as a useful waiting move. I was considering the ...e5 break, as well as the ...Bf5 idea.} 10. Nd2 Nh5 {increasing control over e5 prior to pushing the pawn.} (10... e5 {is playable immediately, although it results in an isolated queen pawn. The engine has no problem with this, however.} 11. dxe5 Nxe5 $11 {and Black's piece activity and scope compare favorably to White's, compensating for the isolated pawn.}) 11. Bh2 {Although not obligatory, I expected this was the main idea behind h2-h3 earlier.} e5 $11 {Black has fully equalized by this point.} 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Bxe5 {Black now has an IQP position but active pieces and control of central squares to compensate, as in the above variation.} 14. Nf3 {at this point I did not have a real plan and played what I thought was a useful waiting move, taking away b5 from the White bishop and potentially a future knight. The Be5 however should be retreated, preserving it.} a6 (14... Bd6 $5 {I did not see an antidote to} 15. Bb5 {during the game, but calculated poorly.} Re7 {did not even occur to me. The d5 pawn is tactically protected.} (15... Bd7 {was what I calcuated, but it still works after} 16. Qxd5 $2 Bxb5 17. Qxb5 {I stopped calculating here, assessing that White was simply a pawn up} a6 $1 {is found by the engine, the point being that the queen is tied to the defense of the Ne2 and can be forced off the diagonal, losing the knight.}) 16. Qxd5 $4 Bh2+ $1 $19) (14... Bg7 {is simple and good.}) 15. Re1 (15. Nxe5 {White should take the opportunity to rid Black of the two bishops.}) 15... Qb6 $6 {still planless and I also overlook that the Be5 will not be protected sufficiently after the Ne2 moves. My opponent goes for the straightforward capture, however.} 16. Nxe5 (16. Ned4 Qd6 {Black suffers an earlier wasted tempo by the queen.} 17. Nxe5 Rxe5 18. Rxe5 Qxe5 19. Qb3 $14) 16... Rxe5 17. Qd2 {connecting the rooks and getting the queen on a better diagonal, while also covering b2.} Qf6 {admitting that the previous queen move was erroneous and moving it to where tactical threats are possible against White's king position. This is perhaps overly optimistic.} (17... Bd7 {simple development is likely best.}) 18. Nd4 Rxe1+ {a bit hasty to exchange, bringing White's other rook into the action. One consistent flaw in Class players is an inability to maintain tension between pieces while looking for other moves that improve the position.} (18... Nf4 {immediately is more useful.}) 19. Rxe1 $14 {White's pieces are now better and more active than Black's, giving a positional plus.} Be6 $6 {the engine doesn't like this due to the potential exchange of pieces on e6, as White still has a rook to pressure the backward pawn on the e-file.} (19... Bd7) 20. Bc2 {White apparently liked his centralized knight and did not want to exchange it. The text move gets the bishop out of the way of the queen on the d-file and to a better (d1-a4) diagonal for other possibilities.} Nf4 {still dreaming of tactics against White's king.} 21. Qe3 {this brings the queen over to cover the bare king, but allows Black to get the rook in the game and catch up on development.} Re8 $11 22. Qg3 Bd7 {the engine applauds the bishop finally going to its best square, also allowing for neutralization of White's rook.} 23. Rxe8+ Bxe8 24. Kh2 Ne6 {now the exchange on e6 is fine, without the rooks on the board.} 25. Nxe6 fxe6 {here I was concerned about the isolated pawn having enough support, although recapturing with the queen would have been fine.} (25... Qxe6 $5 {would avoid some of the awkwardness on the back rank.} 26. Qb8 Kg7 {and if} 27. Qxb7 Qe5+ $11 {however I did not calculate past the pawn capture on b7, thinking that was sufficient for a negative evaluation.}) 26. Qb8 Qf7 $6 {unnecessarily awkward} (26... Kf8 27. Qxb7 $2 Qf4+ $1 $19 {and Black picks up the Bc2 with a subsequent queen fork.}) 27. Bb3 {an inaccuracy which helps me get out of the pin with little damage.} (27. Ba4 b5 28. Bb3 {the point is that the Black a-pawn is now vulnerable.} Kf8 29. Qd6+ Kg7 30. Kg1 Qf5 31. Qxa6 $14 {and now Black's queen is sufficiently active after ...Qb1+ to probably draw, but playing a pawn down is no fun.}) 27... Kg7 28. c4 Bc6 $11 {now I'm out of danger in all variations.} 29. cxd5 exd5 {White can easily draw with the queens on the board, but I thought she had to be a little careful here with the Black passed pawn.} 30. Kg3 Qf5 31. Qc7+ Qf7 32. Qb8 Qf5 33. Qc7+ Qf7 34. Qb8 Qf5 {as is mostly the case these days with scholastic players, they are taught to play out a game until the final result, in this case a three times repetition.} 1/2-1/2
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-14676696308205741112024-01-31T18:27:00.009-05:002024-01-31T18:30:12.935-05:00Book completed: My Best Games by Victor Korchnoi (2011 edition)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TSEB42sKYMvz-mRptFWKBy753FVpJhpACrkA7rAitroS2Ghf1siTJ9LIbo-RTg7BFXZFiETQlUl7Bob3vKPDeo89kaLCltEG6StNORay-F0KJu5Kkw2Lwn6vQJUllHSnLMfzFsfbzda9wycmHtkC1H7YZTAqaQI7_67Was1r75uliu51yUKXKlzuZ-g/s430/Victor%20Korchnoi%20My%20Best%20Games%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TSEB42sKYMvz-mRptFWKBy753FVpJhpACrkA7rAitroS2Ghf1siTJ9LIbo-RTg7BFXZFiETQlUl7Bob3vKPDeo89kaLCltEG6StNORay-F0KJu5Kkw2Lwn6vQJUllHSnLMfzFsfbzda9wycmHtkC1H7YZTAqaQI7_67Was1r75uliu51yUKXKlzuZ-g/s320/Victor%20Korchnoi%20My%20Best%20Games%20cover.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><p></p><p>I recently completed <i>My Best Games </i>(2011 edition) by Victor Korchnoi, which I originally started in late 2022. It took that long for me to go through the 110 games (half as White, half as Black) at a fairly regular pace, with around 20-30 minutes to review each with a physical board. As part of my training process, I normally have an annotated games collection in the study mix, ideally one that includes a player's own comments and considerations, which provides special firsthand insight into the thinking process.</p><p>This collection did not disappoint in that regard, as Korchnoi offers a number of valuable insights into chess thinking and performance, beyond specific game considerations and variations; you can see some of them in several previously posted <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/search?q=korchnoi+my+best+games" target="_blank">training quotes of the day</a>. I particularly have enjoyed going through Korchnoi's games here and in other collections, such as the <i><a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/search?q=viktor+my+life+for+chess" target="_blank">My Life for Chess</a></i> ChessBase video volumes, for several main reasons:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Korchnoi was never a chess prodigy and is an example of someone reaching the highest levels (#2 in the world) through "normal" training and hard work. Of course his career and abilities were far beyond average, but the main point is that it did not come automatically to him as a childhood gift.</li><li>Perhaps for that reason, he has perhaps unique observations and insights into chess performance, principles, and practical considerations - and can articulate them well.</li><li>While Korchnoi was extremely competitive - being known as "Victor the Terrible" at the height of his career - he also was candid about his mistakes and failings in annotations. He offers up a number of examples of where he passed up draws or played objectively weaker moves or opening setups out of curiosity, fighting spirit, and/or a simple desire for variety. This makes for more interesting chess.</li><li>Associated with that approach to chess, Korchnoi had one of the widest repertoires and knew how to play a large number of position types.</li></ul><div>As with any games collection, when going over it a student needs to do work to understand it on a more personal level, and read it critically. Korchnoi is not particularly consistent in the level of his annotations, sometimes taking the time to give a short variation with a tactic as an explanation, other times simply noting a particular move would be tactically bad, meaning you have to figure out why for yourself. This of course is part of the learning process and why reviewing annotated games in an active way can be so helpful to advancing your chess, because you have to engage with the material and not just accept it.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are the usual typos or incorrect information present in a few of the game scores and annotations, but I would say no more than around a half-dozen in the entire volume, which isn't bad; all the large game collections I've been through have them due to editorial oversight.</div><p></p>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-70440231460978968642024-01-21T19:15:00.001-05:002024-01-21T19:15:03.796-05:00Annotated Game #263: A lucky draw<p>I'm not a big believer in luck in chess, although in practical terms it does apply in a sense to what your opponent decides to do, since that is out of your control. In this last-round game I was attempting to break the downward trend of this comeback tournament (win-draw-loss) and did well enough out of the opening, a Symmetrical English.</p><p>My opponent varied the symmetry on move 7 and I entered a line where after a number of exchanges the engine shows that it is a drawn game, which was a little disappointing for me. In addition, my opponent maintained a space advantage and some psychological pressure, which was compounded by my innacurate visualization and calculation of the transition into a rook endgame. I was simply lucky that my opponent did not spot the winning idea I allowed for her - but I will at least give myself credit for spotting it before she did and then shutting it down immediately when she missed her one chance to play for a win.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "ChessAdmin"]
[Black "Class B"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A38"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "87"]
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. d3 d5 {I give my opponent credit for being bold enough to break the symmetry here; ...d6 leads to a more sedate game.} 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. Be3 Qd6 {the first deviation from standard lines, although my opponent appeared to be thinking on her own from an early stage.} 11. Qc1 {after a lot of thought, I decided that other moves (Qd2, Rc1) had too many detractions. This pressures c5 and introduces the idea of Bh6.} (11. Rc1 {is more active, developing the rook. The queen flexibly can still go to d2 to form the Q+B battery, or develop to a4 or b3. And if} Bxb2 12. Rxc5 $16) 11... b6 {the obvious reaction, also preparing to fianchetto the bishop.} 12. Bf4 {played to push the queen back and control e5 tactically.} Qd7 13. Ne5 {resulting in multiple exchanges, which I thought were to White's benefit, but evidently not enough for more than equality.} Bxe5 14. Bxe5 Bb7 15. Bc3 (15. Bxc6 $5 {it seems counterintuitive to trade off the bishop on the long diagonal, but things are equal after} Qxc6 16. f3 $11 {similar to the structure reached in the game.}) 15... Nd4 {this was unwelcome, targeting the weak e2 square. I thought that eventually kicking the knight with e3 would cause more problems than it solved, although the lack of control over d4 would be a continuing problem after the exchange.} 16. Bxd4 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qxd4 {the position is still equal, although Black has a space advantage.} 18. Qc3 {this does nothing in particular for me.} (18. b3 $5 {would at least help control c4.}) 18... Qd5+ 19. f3 Rfd8 20. a4 {restraining b5, with the idea of a minority attack. This was over-optimistic, as White has no way of following it up properly.} Rac8 21. Rfc1 {my opponent rejected a draw offer here, which was useful for me to see how the rest played out.} a5 {I thought this locking of the pawn structure made the position more drawish, somewhat ironically.} 22. Qc4 $6 {the right idea, to get the queens traded, although Black does not have to oblige.} (22. b3 {is still a good idea.}) 22... Qxc4 (22... Qe5 $15 {and Black's centralized queen is better, with ideas of getting her rooks into event more play via c6-e6 or d4.}) 23. Rxc4 (23. dxc4 $2 Rd2 24. Kf2 Rxb2 $19 {with a won endgame.}) 23... Rd4 24. Rac1 {while the engine shows the position as drawn, White is still under pressure after} e5 {although it was psychological rather than real.} 25. Kf2 Rcd8 26. b3 f5 27. Rxd4 {this is fine, but I continued having trouble finding my way in the endgame.} Rxd4 28. Rc4 {of course it's a draw with the exchange of rooks.} Kf7 29. h4 {exchanging immediately might have been simpler here, as my king is closer to the pawn action in the center.} (29. Rxd4 cxd4 30. f4 $11) 29... h5 30. Rc3 {this just makes things more difficult. I was hallucinating potential breakthroughs for Black if I exchanged on d4, however.} (30. Rxd4 exd4 31. f4 $11) 30... Ke6 31. e4 {I continue making things more complicated for myself, although this works.} (31. Rc4) 31... f4 32. g4 {played after long thought and the only correct move. The outside 2v1 would be better for White than allowing Black to get a 3v2 on the kingside.} (32. gxf4 $2 exf4 $19 {and eventually Black can create a passed h-pawn after playing ...g5}) 32... Kd6 (32... hxg4 33. fxg4 Rd7 34. Kg2 $11) 33. gxh5 {here I should have just locked it up with g5, as the open g-file it turns out is riskier for White.} gxh5 34. Ke2 Rb4 {Black locks her rook in to pressure the b-pawn and the 4th rank.} 35. Kd2 Ke6 36. Kc2 Rd4 {now I noticed - which I should have done several moves earlier - that Black can make her rook more mobile and penetrate down the g-file.} 37. Kb2 $2 {I saw nothing better, failing to calculate properly. Unfortunately the White rook and king are awkwardly placed and interfere with each other in the confined space. Black can now lift her rook over to the kingside.} (37. Kd2 {holds after} Rd7 38. Rc1 Rg7 39. Rf1 Rg2+ 40. Kc3 $11 {since} Rh2 {winning the h-pawn is offset by the White king penetrating and winning the Black b-pawn.}) 37... Kf6 $19 {Black is now winning, if she finds the right idea.} 38. Kc2 Rb4 $2 {I was very thankful she missed the chance to redeploy the rook to the kingside, and moved immediately to lock it up.} 39. Rc4 $11 Rxc4+ 40. dxc4 {now it's a forced draw unless Black wants to lose a pawn with ...b5. My opponent still played it out until the three-move repetition.} Ke6 41. Kc3 Kd6 42. Kd3 Ke6 43. Kc3 Kd6 44. Kd3 1/2-1/2
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-79594173956121995792024-01-07T19:22:00.001-05:002024-01-07T19:22:25.941-05:00Annotated Game #262: An unhappy introduction to the Fantasy Variation<p>This next tournament game was an unhappy introduction for me to the Fantasy Variation of the Caro-Kann. I've had it in my repertoire for some time, but had never played it at the tournament level before, so was unable to solve the early problems at the board and went astray quickly. White chooses the most classical (and threatening) setup in response to 3...g6!? and while I correctly concluded 5...Qb6 was the correct response to White's bishop development, I was unwilling to go for the "poison pawn" on b2 as a follow-up - which is the only correct move, however. The rest of the game demonstrates the superiority of White's pieces in the face of solid-looking but erroneous play.</p><p>For chess improvers, this is a very pointed example of why regular tournament games, accompanied by analysis and refinement of your own play and repertoire, is a necessary and virtuous cycle. You are much more likely to recognize, remember and respond to situations on the board that are familiar firsthand as well as studied, rather than simply memorized. This is one of the reasons chessplayers typically lose more often with a new opening, but then accumulate experience and start winning more. I look forward to establishing a more effective battle rhythm.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Class B"]
[Black "ChessAdmin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B15"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "35"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 {this was the first time I had faced the Fantasy Variation in tournament play.} g6 {this is an alternative way of declining it that avoids standard book variations and leads to some strange-looking positions. Unfortunately this was about all I remembered about it.} 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Be3 Qb6 {I thought for some time on this and according to the database it's the best move. Black takes advantage of the missing bishop from the queenside and pressures d4.} 6. Qd2 {unfortunately I really had no idea what to do by this point. Taking on b2 is necessary, but I eventually went for the "safer" text move.} e6 $2 {unfortunately this move in fact puts Black in considerable jeopardy.} 7. O-O-O {White already has a near-winning advantage here, which at least makes me feel less bad about the subsequent blunder on move 9. The queen is doing nothing useful anymore on b6 and Black is behind in development, with king safety starting to become a problem.} Nd7 8. h4 {my opponent clearly understands how to play this type of position, while I do not. This is a natural attacking plan, now that the king is on the opposite wing. Now comes the blunder on move 9, after a futile queen move; however, the engine already gives White a +2 advantage.} (8. Qd3) 8... Qc7 9. h5 b5 $2 {the main thinking process lesson from this move was ignoring the ability of White to change the "static" central structure, as the Black c-pawn is now positionally overloaded. I also partly hallucinated that a White Nb5 would be unprotected - in fact the Bf1 does that.} 10. exd5 $1 cxd5 {the other recapture is slightly better according to the engine, but I couldn't bring myself to open the file to my uncastled king.} 11. Nxb5 {after this and the follow-up move the game is essentially over, although I had (very small) hopes of a swindle based on pinning the Qd2 against the king, or some sort of cheapo mate on b2.} Qb6 12. Bf4 g5 13. Nc7+ Ke7 14. Nxa8 Qb7 15. Bxg5+ f6 16. Bf4 Kf7 (16... Qxa8 {Black is still very lost here, but I didn't even realize I could take the knight, focused as I was on the cheapo mate possibilities.}) 17. Nc7 Ne7 18. Nb5 1-0
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-74275748459808922092024-01-06T11:35:00.001-05:002024-01-06T11:35:48.145-05:00Annotated Game #261: Let's be realistic<p>The next tournament game following <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2023/12/annotated-game-260-return-to-board.html" target="_blank">my return to OTB chess last year</a> had me faced with a completely new response by Black (to me) in the English Four Knights (4...g6). I responded reasonably well and found (a bit late) the key to the position, which was advancing d4-d5 before Black blocked it. By move 10 I have a pleasant positional plus as a result. However, by move 22 this is gone and the game is completely level, with Black having some initiative. </p><p>It's worth looking at how that happened in the analysis, but another main takeaway from this game is that I was properly realistic about the situation and did not foolishly try to recapture the lost advantage. Black pressed a bit at the end but had nowhere to go, so the game correctly ended in a draw. Sometimes it's easy to fool yourself into trying to win, when the position dictates otherwise. Psychologically this often happens, and we see a game trajectory where someone gets an advantage, spoils it, then either does not realize it or desperately tries to win regardless, which can easily lead instead to a loss. Accepting reality is the better way.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "ChessAdmin"]
[Black "Class B"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A28"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "53"]
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 {my opponent appeared somewhat unfamiliar with the opening, given some pauses, and now played something I hadn't faced before.} g6 5. d4 {the usual reaction for White to a move that does not pose a challenge in the center.} exd4 {choosing to liquidate then play against the center} 6. exd4 {the normal choice for White to recapture, giving him a bigger center. Unlike in a normal KID setup, Black no longer has the e-pawn to challenge it.} Bg7 7. Be2 {played without thinking enough about the position, as a "standard" move.} (7. d5 {immediately is a better idea, to seize the central space and prevent Black from occupying the square.}) 7... O-O (7... d5 8. Bg5 Ne7 $11) 8. d5 {I was a little uncertain about playing this, but saw the prospect of perhaps having to play an unenticing IQP game as being worse, if Black gets in ...d5. The engines agree it is the correct idea.} Nb8 {this seems less useful than the alternative ...Ne7} 9. O-O (9. d6 $5 {is an interesting idea I considered, but I did not want to spend a lot of time on it in an unfamiliar position.}) 9... d6 10. Bg5 $14 {now all my minor pieces are developed, while Black's queenside is still at home.} Re8 {neglecting somewhat his own minor piece development, which is probably more urgent.} 11. Re1 {I thought for a while here and was hopeful I could dominate the e-file eventually. This turned out not to be the case.} (11. Qd2 {immediately is more to the point, looking to potentially exchange the Bg7.}) 11... Na6 {at first glance this move is a bit ugly, but the c5 and b4 squares would be good for the knight, and it definitely needs to get out.} 12. Qd2 {connecting the rooks and getting on a more useful diagonal, with the Q+B battery.} Bf5 $6 {getting another piece out while targeting c2 and controlling e4, but the bishop is vulnerable here.} (12... Nc5 {would be the logical follow-up.}) 13. Nd4 $16 {the second-best choice by the engine. I thought for a while here and decided the exchange would be good for me, plus the knight is well-placed.} (13. h3 $5 {would take away the g4 square first.}) 13... Qd7 14. Nxf5 {this gives Black too much play and justifies the queen move. Better was to patiently increase the pressure.} (14. f3 $5 {is ugly but effective, controlling the key e4 square. It looks wrong to block the Be2 in, but it was going nowhere useful on the d1-h5 diagonal anyway. Meanwhile, Black cannot take advantage of the a7-g1 diagonal's opening.}) 14... Qxf5 $14 15. Bd3 {Dragon 3.2 validates this choice, which was also the result of a long think. Basically the queen needs to be kicked out of the center before anything else can be accomplished.} Qg4 {this gives me the move h3 for free.} 16. h3 Qd7 {unfortunately, now I was unsuccessful in coming up with any meaningful plan, beyond vague notions of dominating the e-file. Patience and maneuvering are required, as there is no immediate breakthrough.} 17. Rxe8+ (17. Rac1 $5 {would be one useful waiting move.}) (17. Bc2 {would proactively remove the bishop from potential attack, anticipating ...Nc5.}) 17... Rxe8 18. Re1 Nc5 19. Bc2 {the engine validates this choice as well. The bishop covers critical squares on both wings.} h6 20. Be3 {I had to check the tactics here, unfortunately they work in Black's favor, thanks to the overloaded Qd2.} (20. Bf4 $5 {would prevent Black's next move in the game.}) 20... Nce4 {now there is nothing better than to trade.} 21. Nxe4 Nxe4 22. Bxe4 $11 {this trade however was unnecessary and now any vestige of an advantage is gone. White has various queen moves possible.} Rxe4 {Black now has actively placed pieces, while mine are somewhat passive. Luckily Black has no breakthrough opportunities.} 23. b3 h5 24. Kf1 Qf5 {I had missed this move, which by protecting the Re4 removes some potential tactical ideas for White. I looked at the Black queenside pawns, but decided there were too many downsides to attempted pawn snatching with either the Be3 or after Qa5. The engine agrees.} 25. Re2 {playing without a real plan, other than to continue covering squares and maybe rearrange the pieces a bit. Here, however, the lack of ambition is entirely correct.} Re5 26. Qe1 {not bad but it feels awkward.} (26. Qc2) 26... a6 {unnecessary, since the bishop would be trapped after taking on a7 by ...b6, but Black has nothing concrete either.} 27. Kg1 {it might have been better to continue shuffling major pieces, since this is a (very) little weaker according to the engine, but my opponent offered a draw anyway.} 1/2-1/2
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-53346930587451757812024-01-01T14:11:00.005-05:002024-01-01T14:13:59.738-05:00More pop culture chess imagery - imposter syndrome and getting ahead of 99% of people<p>I randomly ran across the below recently, which are some more good examples of <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2019/11/chess-imagery-in-popular-culture.html" target="_blank">pop culture chess imagery</a> - which is often wrong or misleading, so maybe not <i>good.</i></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQnhDZyEr20dgz5gkOOfEoUjb9HmlFwtWrhukpGG7239nOiYDOxiDtV1h9FDMw3xvVU3BWuf2N3wFXbf27eQf4_7K0K8BOacj1AhQD3auwuHUuFs9guRjfkAeGPC7NHqBmKiAAXwuM6pjVeAAmmfOIy3QCtxh9sFPo97P_ki6O_imNQDPMJitFkijCfc/s1153/Imposter%20syndrome.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1095" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQnhDZyEr20dgz5gkOOfEoUjb9HmlFwtWrhukpGG7239nOiYDOxiDtV1h9FDMw3xvVU3BWuf2N3wFXbf27eQf4_7K0K8BOacj1AhQD3auwuHUuFs9guRjfkAeGPC7NHqBmKiAAXwuM6pjVeAAmmfOIy3QCtxh9sFPo97P_ki6O_imNQDPMJitFkijCfc/s320/Imposter%20syndrome.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visual by Harsh Darji - artist's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/visual_minimalist/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This one I originally encountered in the article <a href="https://harsh-darji.medium.com/10-powerful-visuals-you-need-to-see-before-you-enter-2024-f7977ae4da4f" target="_blank">10 Powerful Visuals You Need To See Before You Enter 2024 on Medium.com</a>. It has a superficially valid chess metaphor: the queen looking at a mirror and seeing a pawn, as an illustration of "imposter syndrome" - but it seems to me that it doesn't really work. Visually there's the fact that it depicts a <i>White</i> queen is looking at a <i>Black</i> pawn, which doesn't make much sense in a chess context - switching sides is not an option for pawn promotion. There's also the overall squishiness about the <a href="https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-imposter-syndrome" target="_blank">imposter syndrome concept</a>, so its depiction isn't necessarily clear.<p></p><p>The next one is a stock photo used to head the Medium.com article by Alexandru Lazar entitled <a href="https://medium.com/illumination/ten-habits-that-will-get-you-ahead-of-99-of-people-cd14232a781c" target="_blank">Ten Habits that will get you ahead of 99% of people</a>. You can find it various places on the internet, but the imagery is clear: a White king on a bare board knocking over his counterpart, normally done when taking a piece. A powerful-looking visual intended to convey supremacy - but in fact an illegal move in a position that is a forced draw. Authors who use faulty chess imagery like this tend to lose credibility instantly, at least with chessplayers, so here's a plea for people to avoid doing that.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEtOaB1emK0tqqq2ICLbu8Y0oUQphpcCQTEY2sQbbZ0y6nhoBUG6Qfi3vlXhJzuBM0jC9t3uj_oqctte9XU3Hrh5XPPzQXjf7Kn89FzZwJrW1WhH0ioTKeFGUaHP1kTj7hChNrByL96n8jbe8nwgXs4zgkOiuBN7gUzoJ8TbHJwTLN16HC_JaUd4UITE/s320/king%20on%20king.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEtOaB1emK0tqqq2ICLbu8Y0oUQphpcCQTEY2sQbbZ0y6nhoBUG6Qfi3vlXhJzuBM0jC9t3uj_oqctte9XU3Hrh5XPPzQXjf7Kn89FzZwJrW1WhH0ioTKeFGUaHP1kTj7hChNrByL96n8jbe8nwgXs4zgkOiuBN7gUzoJ8TbHJwTLN16HC_JaUd4UITE/s1600/king%20on%20king.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-20850928089227280152023-12-24T15:06:00.002-05:002023-12-24T15:06:23.086-05:00Annotated Game #260: A Return to the Board<p>This was my first OTB tournament game in two years and it was nice to return to the board with a win. The play has a strong strategic flavor, as I consistently (if not always ideally) focused on combating White's isolated queen pawn (IQP). This proved to work in the end, although some key points of departure were revealed during analysis:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>My choices on move 12 and subsequently on move 23 - notably both queen-related - showed that I understood the position's demands well (a positive) but did not find the best candidate move (a negative). In the first case, I was too rigid with my thinking about queen placement, not even considering ...Qd6 which would have then allowed my knight to develop without any issues. In the second case, I should have kept things simple with ...Qe4 rather than enter into a worrying sequence with tactical threats to trap my queen.</li><li>Another failure to find the best candidate occurred on move 26, when I did not even consider moving the g-pawn to create an escape square for my queen.</li><li>On a positive note, the winning sequence starting on move 36 was both reasonably accurate and practical. I could have had a better version of it, but once you have figured out how to win, the number of moves it takes is normally not relevant - it's much better to do it safely, especially if pressed for time, rather than try to calculate out a "best" move sequence that also wins, just faster.</li></ul><div><br /></div><p></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Class B"]
[Black "ChessAdmin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D40"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2017.06.18"]
{[%mdl 12320][%evp 0,108,15,18,63,68,61,43,43,21,0,26,18,11,25,32,21,-3,22,9,-14,-5,-3,0,7,-9,49,64,42,41,25,6,14,12,-1,-13,20,-25,-37,-81,-79,-107,-89,-112,-104,-119,-88,-104,-76,-104,-76,-89,-70,-112,25,-45,-37,-37,-11,-48,-54,-66,-58,-55,-57,-64,-58,-56,-60,-92,-88,-87,-91,-144,-135,-104,-103,-106,-106,-118,-107,-90,-105,-211,-231,-242,-252,-254,-321,-350,-267,-715,-813,-849,-920,-891,-887,-1112,-840,-1142,-1610,-2182,-1169,-1201,-1870,-2301,-1682,-2324,-29754,-29969,-29972] D40: Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch with 5 e3} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 {my opponent thought for several minutes over this and the next few moves, apparently not familiar with the Caro-Kann.} d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 {the Panov variation.} e6 {the most traditional response, which leads to Semi-Tarrasch type QP opening positions.} 6. a3 {apparently this has been played a fair amount, according to the database, but it is the first time I have seen this move. The obvious point is to rule out ...Bb4, which may disrupt things if Black only has that move in their repertoire. How it developed in the game, it was a largely wasted tempo.} Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be2 (8. c5 {would be the most consistent continuation following the a3 push, with b4 coming.}) 8... dxc4 {my first serious think. I wanted to assure myself of reaching an IQP position.} 9. Bxc4 a6 {another serious think about preferred strategy here. Ideally I wanted to gain a tempo on the Bc4 with ...b5 and then develop with ...Bb7, which is what White allowed.} 10. O-O b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 {Reaching my ideal strategic position, with equal development and a blockade of the d5 square. (See Nimzovich's "blockade, attack, destroy" mantra).} 12. Be3 {the bishop is just acting as a big pawn here.} (12. Re1 Nbd7 13. Bg5 Nb6 14. Ne5 Nbd5 15. Rc1 Rc8 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Rxc8 Qxc8 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Qd2 Qf5 21. g3 h5 22. h4 Rc8 23. Re2 Qb1+ 24. Kg2 Rc1 25. Nf3 Rc8 26. Qf4 Qd3 {Ehlvest,J (2536)-Izoria,Z (2599) Chess.com INT 2018 0-1 (43)}) (12. Qd3 Nbd7 13. Bc2 Re8 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qxd3 16. Bxd3 Nd7 17. f4 Nc5 18. Bc2 Red8 19. Be3 Rac8 20. Rfd1 Nd7 21. Rd2 Nb6 22. Rxd8+ Bxd8 23. Bb3 Bc6 24. Rd1 Bc7 25. Bc5 Nc4 26. Bxc4 bxc4 {Morais,W (1843)-Fernandes,F Rio de Janeiro 2019 ½-½ (36)}) 12... Bd5 $146 {another significant think here. I wanted to maintain the blockade on d5, with which any developing moves with the Nb8 would interfere. However, there are other possibilities.} (12... Qd6 {this is the logical solution to the knight development issue, the idea being to allow ...Nbd7 without blocking the queen's power down the d-file.}) 13. Nxd5 $11 {The position is equal, but I was happy to see the minor piece trade, which fits in with combating the IQP.} Nxd5 14. Qd3 {a standard idea in this line is a Q+B battery on the b1-h7 diagonal, so I was able to anticipate my opponent's idea after this move.} Nc6 {I had to think for a while here, to make sure it was a safe move. The Nc6 is hanging and of course White has an interest in a kingside attack. However, I concluded my defensive resources were more than adequate.} 15. Bc2 g6 16. Bh6 Re8 17. Bb3 {my opponent seemed not to have a particular plan after the previous two-move forced sequence, just moving the bishop back. Which is in fact not bad, but underlines the equal nature of the position and lack of any concrete threats.} Na5 {I was happy to take advantage of the bishop placement and gain a tempo with the knight move, ideally heading for c4.} 18. Bxd5 $6 {this additional trade further assists the anti-IQP strategy.} (18. Ba2 $11) 18... Qxd5 $15 {now two pairs of minor pieces are off the board and I have a firm grip on d5.} 19. b4 $6 {this just helps the knight onto its best outpost square.} (19. h4 $5) (19. Rfe1) 19... Nc4 $17 20. Rfc1 Red8 {I rejected making any more committal moves at this point, in favor of getting the rook to a more productive file and increasing the pressure on the d-pawn. However, I missed a more immediate active option.} (20... e5 $1 $19 {taking advantage of the pin on the d-pawn against the Qd3 and threatening a pawn fork on e4.} 21. Nd2 Rac8) (20... Rad8 {the other rook would have been better for the same idea, as the e-file is important.}) 21. Be3 $6 {now the Ra8 actually could earn its keep, with Black's piece able to target White's queenside effectively.} Bf6 $17 {a logical move, increasing the pressure on the long diagonal. However, using the a-pawn as a lever gets Black more here.} ({Black should try} 21... a5 22. Qc3 axb4 23. axb4 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Ra8 $19 {and White will not be able to hold the b-pawn, while Black's pieces will dominate.}) 22. Qe2 {smartly getting out of the line of fire on the d-file.} Rac8 {similar to the previous rook move, I no longer saw much use for it on the a-file and moved it to a more active one.} (22... a5 $5 {is still a possibility.}) 23. Rd1 Qh5 {At the time, I assessed the benefits of this move outweighed the risk of the queen getting trapped, although White is later able to threaten this more than I anticipated. It frees d5 for a rook and forces White to consider his currently hanging queen, with a temporary pin on the Nf3. However, there are better squares for the Black queen.} (23... Qe4) 24. Ra2 {this protects the queen, but unconnects the rooks, which causes problems later.} Rd5 {physically blockading the d-pawn, possible due to the previous minor piece exchanges, and clearing d8 for the other rook. It also has the downside of limiting the squares for the Black queen.} 25. h3 {clearly intending to try and trap the Qh5.} Rcd8 {threatening to play ...e5.} 26. Kh2 {I missed this move, which of course is necessary to guard the h3 pawn prior to playing g4. Black is still OK, but at the board I only found one line that saved the queen, which made it a dangerous situation. The engine highlights other possibilities, however.} Nxe3 $6 {this keeps Black safe but allows White to equalize.} (26... g5 {is actually the simplest and most effective solution, clearing g6 for the queen. My thinking process was too rigid here, not considering the g-pawn advance. The pawn is more than adequately protected, however, and Black can follow up with ...h5 and further pawn advances.} 27. Kg1 Qg6 $17) 27. Qxe3 Bg5 28. Qe4 Qh6 {the point of the 26th move in this sequence was that h6 is now safe for the queen, in all variations.} 29. Nxg5 $6 {White appeared to decide he had nothing better, but of course further exchanges of minor pieces in an IQP position are strategically suspect.} (29. Rc2 $11) 29... Qxg5 $15 30. f4 {due to the IQP configuration, this actually does not help with control of e5. It does put the question to the queen, however, and prompts me to make a worse move.} ({Better is} 30. Rc2 $15) 30... Qf5 $6 {the exchange on f5 actually helps White here, as Black's queen is more dangerous. Most other queen moves preserve a greater advantage.} (30... Qf6 31. Rad2 Rc8 $17) 31. Qxf5 Rxf5 32. g3 Rfd5 $15 {at this point, we have the classic approach to the IQP on the board: maximum pressure down the file against it, with a pawn break coming. However, it's still not so easy to make progress, unless of course your opponent helps...} 33. Rad2 f6 {intending to play ...e5 next. However, this should not gain Black anything, unfortunately.} 34. Rc2 {My opponent evidently also thought the d-pawn was doomed, and was looking for some other rook activity to compensate.} (34. Kg2 {or a similar noncommital move and now Black gets the d-pawn, but White has immediate compensation. For example} e5 35. fxe5 fxe5 36. Rc2 exd4 37. Rc6 R5d6 38. Rxd6 Rxd6 39. Kf3 Kf7 40. Ke4 Re6+ 41. Kf4 {and the rook ending is equal.}) 34... e5 {the pawn break is still the best practical chance here, putting the pressure on White to respond accurately.} (34... Rxd4 35. Rxd4 Rxd4 36. Rc8+ Kf7 37. Rc7+ $11) 35. fxe5 fxe5 36. Rc5 $2 {I hadn't anticipated this, which however loses.} (36. Kg2 $1 $11 {as in the above variation, and White has nothing to worry about in the long run.}) 36... Rxd4 $19 {this seemed the simplest solution at the time and is good enough for the win.} (36... Rxc5 37. bxc5 exd4 $19 {leaves White with more weaknesses.}) 37. Rxd4 {I had thought this was essentially forced, but technically speaking it is not.} (37. Rdc1 Rd2+ 38. Kg1 R8d3 $19) 37... exd4 $19 {now White has to bring back the rook to defend, otherwise, the d-pawn will queen.} 38. Rc2 Kf7 {time to get the king in the game.} 39. Kg2 Ke6 40. Kf3 Ke5 {Strongly threatening ...d3. the centralized king is now a force.} 41. Rd2 Rf8+ {pushing the king back first. The point now is to win safely, rather than try and calculate the quickest route.} 42. Ke2 Ke4 {this position illustrates how a rook is a poor short-range piece, as the White one gets in the way of both itself and the king in trying to defend against the pawn.} 43. Rd1 Rf3 44. Rc1 {perhaps with ideas of getting behind the Black king, which is probably the best practical chance. However, White would not have time to do this successfully.} d3+ 45. Ke1 Ke3 {now if the Rc1 tries to get behind the Black king, the d-pawn queens after ...d2+} 46. Rc3 Rxg3 {with a won position on the board and not a lot of time on the clock remaining, I keep the win in hand by improving my position without risk.} 47. Kf1 Rxh3 48. a4 {I thought this was simply an attempt at a distraction, but may have been intended in the hope of eventually reaching a stalemate position.} Rh4 49. a5 Rc4 {I decided the easiest way to win would be to box in White's rook and force a trade.} 50. Rb3 Kd2 51. Rb2+ Kc1 52. Ra2 Rc2 53. Ra1+ Kb2 54. Rd1 Rc1 0-1
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-7365259889601003052023-12-24T13:09:00.003-05:002023-12-24T13:09:50.790-05:00Article: "Can Adults Improve at Chess?" by NM Todd Bryant<p>The title of NM Todd Bryant's <a href="https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-adults-improve-at-chess" target="_blank">article at Chess.com</a> is somewhat misleading - of course adults <i>can</i> improve at chess, a more relevant question is <i>if</i> (and <i>how</i>) they do it. My <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2018/01/the-journey-from-class-b-to-class-a.html" target="_blank">long journey to Class A</a> pointed out what works for me: playing tournament chess on a monthly basis; seriously analyzing my own games; at least a brief period of chess skills study daily (including realistic tactical puzzles); and other dedicated study and practice on a weekly basis. As of this year I've been able to return to OTB tournament play, but it has been infrequent and I have not coupled that with sufficient dedicated chess study time to break through my current plateau. Here I'll start sharing analyzed tournament games again, as I process them, and we'll see what 2024 may bring.</p><p>In the above-linked article, NM Bryant does a good job of examining available data on ratings improvement by adult players (defined as over 25) in the U.S., which is really an analysis of the <i>what</i> of adult improvement - describing it as a statistical phenomenon, along with some specific examples of individual cases. Although the article by no means can be used as a "roadmap to improvement" or the like, it does set out the facts, including establishing the possibility and documenting the regular, if not necessarily frequent, phenomenon of significant strength gains in adulthood. He also captures some of the common qualitative characteristics of those who have in fact succeeded, which I'll quote below. None of them should be surprising, but they are a good reminder of how putting in the work and a strong mental attitude can in fact be rewarded over time.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>"Play A LOT. This is more important than studying, coaching, chess psychology, or anything else. Overwhelmingly, the improvers I found had jagged ratings graphs for decades, meaning that they were constantly playing.</blockquote><blockquote>Care about chess, not your rating. I’ve been fortunate to know many of the adult improvers on my list, and I looked up others on social media. Aside from playing all the time, these people are deeply invested in the quality of their chess. Many of them have told me they were too busy focusing on chess to worry about rating. They are curious. They like analyzing their games. They have chess blogs, book collections, particular areas of the game that they are experts in. These things, not rating obsession, occupy their time.</blockquote><blockquote>Never, ever, ever give up. All of the people above experienced setbacks, sometimes big ones. When this happens, it is easy to get frustrated, discouraged, or nervous that we are washed up and can no longer compete with the kids. These people did not do that. And this gave them a chance to catch a good run later."</blockquote><p></p>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-74541747074931207882023-11-29T12:02:00.003-05:002023-11-29T12:21:37.778-05:00Video completed: Guide to the Advance Caro-Kann<p>I recently completed the video by FM Aleksandar Randjelovic "Guide to the Advance Caro-Kann" which can be <a href="https://youtu.be/ZWbIieNky0M" target="_blank">found on YouTube</a> or with <a href="https://www.chess.com/blog/mizant/guide-to-advance-caro-kann-for-black-video" target="_blank">a companion article on Chess.com</a>. At 15 minutes, it packs a number of useful concepts into an introductory but also practical reference to the opening.</p><p>At first he discusses the fundamental ideas behind the 3...Bf5 line, and points out the main disadvantage - the bishop being "bad" and getting harrassed by White. He then turns to examine the 3...c5 line, while alluding to its related French Defense structures.</p><p>If White plays "normal" moves, Black can leverage the fact it is a Caro-Kann and not French by freeing the Bc8 and ideally placing it on g4. This also allows ideal placement of the knights on c6 and f5. If White takes on c5 immediately, FM Randjelovic judges 4...Nc6 as still playable, but ...e6 is considered better by theory, threatening to immediately recapture the pawn. </p><p>Halfway through, he says he prefers to focus on typical plans for Black, rather than particular variations/move-orders, given the unlikelihood of your opponent following exact variations. This is refreshing and appropriate for this type of opening setup, which is not extremely sharp. Ideas for Black include undermining White's queenside pawns with ...a5 and ...b6; where to place the Ng8 and why; and the surprising ...g5 idea, which can lead to a powerful pawn sacrifice if White gets greedy.</p><p>Some more general points are made about opening play, including the point that, when a player looks at choosing particular moves, they should pick the one they understand the best. This is because playing an "objectively best move" that lands you in an uncomfortable position is actually detrimental to your performance in the game.</p><p>The video and FM Randjelovic's take on the opening I found practical, valuable and refreshing. As I noted in the article's comments section, it is probably the best concise explanation of the ideas in the Caro-Kann I have seen, with a focus on 3...c5.</p>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-58798329328861221202023-11-25T13:40:00.006-05:002023-11-25T13:40:59.684-05:00Commentary: 2022 U.S. Women's Championship, Round 12 (Foisor - Lee)<p>This next commentary game from the penultimate round of the 2022 U.S. Women's Championship concludes my examination of the event. It features <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2023/10/commentary-2022-us-womens-championship_24.html" target="_blank">another Keymer Variation</a>, but White takes it in a very different direction, using a passive Hedgehog-like setup. This is a valid strategic choice, often used when a player wants to provoke their opponent into over-reaching; past international greats such as Petrosian, Ulf Andersson, and from time to time Viktor Korchnoi employed this strategy successfully.</p><p>However, in this game Black demonstrates the problem with this type of passive approach, by successfully occupying and controlling the center and then achieving what could have been a winning advantage on the queenside, with White's pieces relatively passive and bottled up. It appears that Lee may have misjudged the sequence starting on move 37, which actually requires Black to use a nice tactic just to stay even in the endgame. The strategic clash between the players and the particular importance of elements like recurring opportunities to exchange minor pieces made this game stand out for me.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.10.18"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Foisor, Sabina-Francesca"]
[Black "Lee, Alice"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A06"]
[WhiteElo "2203"]
[BlackElo "2263"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "146"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]
1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 {another "Keymer Variation"} Nf6 3. b3 Bf5 4. Bb2 {it now looks like a reverse Queen's Indian setup versus a reverse London.} e6 5. Be2 {keeping options open.} h6 6. d3 {this is now a commital move in the center. White will look to construct a rather passive Hedgehog-like structure, something she evidently was aiming for from the start.} Nbd7 {contesting e5 while not blocking the c-pawn.} 7. Nbd2 c6 8. O-O Be7 9. a3 {in keeping with the Hedgehog theme.} O-O 10. Re1 (10. c4 $5 {would strike back in the center and reduce White's level of passivity.}) 10... Qc7 {connecting the rooks, getting a nice diagonal for the queen and controlling e5.} 11. Bf1 {a logical idea, given White's previous move. Otherwise the Re1 is doing nothing.} Rad8 12. Qe2 {White seems determined to "turtle up" with all her pieces.} Rfe8 13. g3 {this move is not really in keeping with the idea of the original e3/Be2 development, but if White is not worried about things like tempi or challenging the center, then it is at least consistent with her strategic approach.} Bg4 {provoking White's next.} (13... e5 $5 {Black could also immediately seize more space with her well-supported central pawn.}) 14. h3 Bh5 15. Bg2 e5 $15 {Black has no weaknesses and a space advantage in the center.} 16. g4 Bg6 17. e4 {White now challenges for the first time in the center. Black then chooses to lock it, reducing her dynamic possibilities.} d4 {this makes the position simpler to play and certainly helps lock out the Bb2. However, Black could have done more with a mobile center and keeping the tension.} 18. Nf1 {with a closed center, White can return to leisurely maneuvering.} Nf8 19. Bc1 {the bishop currently has no future on the long diagonal. White can now think about further supporting a g4-g5 advance.} Ne6 20. Ng3 Nd7 {pre-emptively getting away from a pawn attack and opening up the Be7 on the diagonal.} 21. h4 {White's plan is very clear by now, to expand with all available pawns and pieces on the kingside.} c5 {not a bad move, but real counterplay on the queenside is far away, with all the action on the kingside.} (21... f6 $5 {would directly counter White's plan.}) 22. Bh3 Nf4 23. Qf1 {White at this point would be fine with a minor piece exchange on h3, thereby putting the queen on a more effective square.} (23. Bxf4 $5 {exchanging the bad bishop for good knight looks like a good deal for White.}) 23... b5 {continuing the idea of queenside counterplay through pawn advancement.} 24. Nf5 Bf8 (24... Nxh3+ 25. Qxh3 Bf8 {the engine evaluates as an improved version of the idea for Black.}) 25. g5 {this appears premature, as Black could lock things up and then proceed on the queenside.} h5 (25... Nxh3+ 26. Qxh3 h5) 26. Ng3 (26. Bxf4 $11 {is still best here, exchanging off the bad bishop.}) 26... Nxh3+ $1 {now Black goes for this idea, with admittedly more impact than it might have had before.} 27. Qxh3 c4 28. Qf1 cxb3 29. cxb3 Qc3 $17 30. Bd2 {otherwise Black comes in with ...Nc5.} Qxb3 31. Reb1 Qa4 {Black is now a full pawn up with no compensation for White. The 2-1 connected queenside majority is Black's potential winning formula.} 32. Ne1 {Other moves would have been more active, such as Bb4 or Qe2.} Nc5 $19 {Black has mobilized her pieces and looks ready to press forward on the queenside.} 33. Rb4 Qa6 34. Qe2 Rb8 {this overprotects the b-pawn, but allows White's next.} (34... Na4 $1 {is recommended by the engine, gaining a tempo on the Rb4 and offering up the h-pawn as a sacrifice with powerful compensation.} 35. Rb3 Rc8 {and now} 36. Nxh5 {is answered by the dynamic} Nc3 $19 {and White has no good choices:} 37. Qf3 (37. Bxc3 Bxh5 38. Qxh5 dxc3) 37... Bxh5 38. Qxh5 b4) 35. Nxh5 Qe6 (35... Bxh5 {why not exchange off the bad bishop?} 36. Qxh5 Qe6 $17) 36. Rab1 (36. Ng3 $5 {to preserve the knight / prevent the exchange.}) 36... Bxh5 37. Qxh5 Qh3 $6 {exchanging Black's b-pawn for White's d-pawn at first does not look like a bad idea...} (37... a6 $17 {is simple but effective.}) 38. Rxb5 Rxb5 39. Rxb5 Nxd3 40. Rb3 $11 {this now causes Black problems, however.} g6 41. Qe2 Nc1 {a creative solution to the pin, which is tactically broken.} 42. Rxh3 Nxe2+ 43. Kf1 Nf4 44. Rb3 {This is evaluated by the engine as equal, perhaps with a slight advantage to White. Clearly not what Black was looking for earlier. The protected passed d-pawn looks strong, but White has an effective blockade and her pieces will be active enough to fend off any threats.} Ne6 45. Nd3 Nc5 46. Nxc5 Bxc5 47. Ke2 (47. a4 $5 {becomes an idea, to free up White's rook and gain space.}) 47... Kg7 48. Kf3 (48. Kd3 {also looks solid.}) 48... Re6 49. Rb5 Rc6 (49... Bxa3 50. Ra5 {followed by Rxa7}) 50. Bb4 Bxb4 51. axb4 {this is now a drawn rook ending, although Black evidently still wants to try for a win.} Re6 52. Ke2 Re7 53. Rd5 Rb7 54. Rxe5 Rxb4 55. f4 Rb3 56. Kf2 Re3 57. Re7 Kf8 58. Rxa7 {eliminating the outside passed pawn and simplifying the draw.} Rxe4 59. Kf3 Re3+ 60. Kg4 {now White just needs to get her rook behind the d-pawn.} Re1 61. Rd7 Rd1 62. Kf3 d3 63. Ke3 Re1+ 64. Kf2 Re2+ 65. Kf3 Rd2 66. Ke3 Rh2 67. Kxd3 Rxh4 68. Ke4 {there's no point in continuing now, but the game is played out.} Rh1 69. Ra7 Re1+ 70. Kf3 Rf1+ 71. Ke4 Re1+ 72. Kf3 Rf1+ 73. Ke4 Re1+ 1/2-1/2
</div>
ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-72713231632533270212023-10-29T09:15:00.002-04:002023-10-29T09:25:28.793-04:00Article: "Bridging the Gaps of Competency"<p>"<a href="https://seanjkernan.medium.com/bridging-the-gaps-of-competency-0a7e1d8a5092" target="_blank">Bridging the Gaps of Competency</a>" is an insightful look at the mastery process over at Medium.com, by Sean Kernan. Some points and themes have been mentioned here before, including how plateauing works. It's a member-only story, but here are a couple of the most relevant quotes from the article, including a chess reference; the "spectrum" mentioned below is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence" target="_blank">four stages of competence</a>.</p><p><span face="source-serif-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif" style="color: #242424; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.06px;"></span></p><blockquote>I remind students that, regardless of if we are talking about art, coding, pottery, or any skill, change isn’t linear. It’s completely normal to be stuck at a certain level of competency, and then abruptly level up. <span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.06px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.06px;">It’s like that moment you suddenly realize how to solve a math problem. It all falls into place.</span></blockquote><blockquote><p>... </p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">A good teacher is effective at diagnosing where you are on this spectrum. They may not use these labels, but they can intuitively know and help specify where to make changes. They’ll also demonstrate unconscious competence. They’ll show you, in some tangible or visual way, what the skill should look like in its finished form. Don’t assume you need a grandmaster to teach you. In fact, your best bet might be someone who is a stage or two better.</span></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><p></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><span face="source-serif-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif" style="color: #242424; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.06px;"></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">For example, if you are stuck at stage 1 (unconscious incompetence), someone at stage 2 or 3 may have immediate memory of how they got to the next stage. In other words, don’t conflate ability with ability-to-teach. In chess, for example, a grandmaster may have an encyclopedic knowledge of openings and endgames but no patience for beginner mistakes...</span></p></blockquote><blockquote><p>...</p></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: source-serif-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.06px;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: source-serif-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.06px;">You show me someone with an open mind, a desire to learn, and a fighting spirit, and I’ll show you someone who is on the road to mastery.</span> </blockquote><p></p><p class="pw-post-body-paragraph nd ne ge nf b hh ng nh ni hk nj nk nl nm nn no np nq nr ns nt nu nv nw nx ny fx bj" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="bb6b" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #242424; font-family: source-serif-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 32px; margin: 2em 0px -0.46em; word-break: break-word;"></p>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-41109440592791537282023-10-28T16:39:00.007-04:002023-10-28T16:41:50.321-04:00Video completed: The Stonewall Attack in 60 Minutes<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9Gf9Oxk88LAvNifFnVo7JYkwdgAoW0d2j5QaZl3yWolIf8sNvBCmDmZT9ZA0FMCv6QnXBFsTfRHb-bpW3jHr1fQZgbp8Yq0brh76nHUT-6VCgWdxElIjftrQcDU4ryDDuN5ObGuXy8tctUc7-Ok3SebhnZuaKNRJbSCvlzYlAsvECtjfPz1j1XCCwT8/s264/Stonewall%20Attack%2060%20minutes%20-%20icon.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="191" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9Gf9Oxk88LAvNifFnVo7JYkwdgAoW0d2j5QaZl3yWolIf8sNvBCmDmZT9ZA0FMCv6QnXBFsTfRHb-bpW3jHr1fQZgbp8Yq0brh76nHUT-6VCgWdxElIjftrQcDU4ryDDuN5ObGuXy8tctUc7-Ok3SebhnZuaKNRJbSCvlzYlAsvECtjfPz1j1XCCwT8/s1600/Stonewall%20Attack%2060%20minutes%20-%20icon.jpeg" width="191" /></a></div><p>I recently completed the video "The Stonewall Attack in 60 Minutes" by IM Andrew Martin, part of the ChessBase series of 60-minute videos on openings. I would generally agree with the comment in the post on <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2020/05/book-completed-stonewall-attack.html" target="_blank">The Stonewall Attack</a>, in that the opening analysis is "frivolous" but the example games provided are all useful. Here's a screenshot of the table of contents:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwRpYyqedRZJh3RIPdtvwjvpilZYMTYxODaPe1xRDlzo015j44W-m38PdYIqN3EgNEsOsj4rYjbLdC86GgJvraOqLeRh4QGrwgzGboYvzZhZXlFv0HqP2sdgswktpOIz-4-EIxyZOP5ZMELYpn98y5PQDkCiatGhCCS2agcDstNo3g-wctN40uNHyV0E/s3836/Stonewall%20Attack%20in%2060%20Minutes%20-%20contents.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1754" data-original-width="3836" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwRpYyqedRZJh3RIPdtvwjvpilZYMTYxODaPe1xRDlzo015j44W-m38PdYIqN3EgNEsOsj4rYjbLdC86GgJvraOqLeRh4QGrwgzGboYvzZhZXlFv0HqP2sdgswktpOIz-4-EIxyZOP5ZMELYpn98y5PQDkCiatGhCCS2agcDstNo3g-wctN40uNHyV0E/w640-h292/Stonewall%20Attack%20in%2060%20Minutes%20-%20contents.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>As someone who has studied many (perhaps most) of the Stonewall Attack opening resources available, I would say that the video content could actually be a good starting point for study of the opening, just diving in with some familiarization on key setups and ideas. Personally I found it quite useful in also fleshing out my thinking about the different types of opening setups reached, since Martin provides clear (if brief) explanations about things like piece placement and certain opening ideas. Specifically:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Martin gives pride of place to what he calls the "kingside smash" that you can reach as a White player if Black tries standard "solid" moves, reaching a true Stonewall Attack formation. Seeing several examples of these, involving both higher and lower-rated players, helped reinforce typical plans, how to place your pieces effectively, and how to take advantage of normal-looking moves by Black that are actually quite weak.</li><li>The seminal game Rubinstein-Reti (1908) is a fine illustration of how White can keep going with an attack, even with the recommended defense for Black of 4...Nb4 and exchanging the light-square bishop.</li><li>Martin presents two games each in the King's Indian / Gruenfeld Defense setups by Black, which feature the idea of an early b2-b4 by White and rapid queenside expansion as the best plan.</li><li>I appreciated the inclusion of a game with Black playing ...Bg4, which in practical terms has given me the most trouble. White however still has a straightforward way of dealing with this after playing Qe1.</li></ul><div>The relatively short format of the video did not feel like a constraint and in fact helped encourage me to re-review the game presentations, since they ranged from around 5-9 minutes apiece. So I will count it as a worthy addition to my Stonewall Attack resources.</div><p></p>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-16964810386361945992023-10-24T20:42:00.003-04:002023-10-24T20:46:52.005-04:00Commentary: 2022 U.S. Women's Championship, Round 11 (Cervantes Landeiro - Eswaran)<p>This next interesting game features the recently-named Keymer Variation (1. Nf3 d5 2. e3) which like the <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2023/10/commentary-2022-us-womens-championship_22.html" target="_blank">previous commentary game's setup</a> has various transpositional possibilities, but also some unique characteristics. White ends up in a reversed Dutch position in which Black is doing fine and probably has a small advantage in the first part of the middlegame. White's masterful strategy of liquidating her center, freeing her pieces, then challenging Black's central control works very well, however, putting Black under strain and soon leading to a quick reversal of fortune.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.10.17"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Cervantes Landeiro, Thalia"]
[Black "Eswaran, Ashritha"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A06"]
[WhiteElo "2272"]
[BlackElo "2365"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]
1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 {this is now known as the Keymer Variation and flexibly can lead to various setups.} Nf6 3. b3 {getting into Nimzo-Larsen territory...sort of.} Bf5 {heading for a reverse London setup, although technically this way of development for Black was advocated by Lasker a long time before the London became popular.} 4. Bb2 e6 5. Be2 {White has nowhere else useful to put the bishop, so an easy choice.} h6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Ne5 {c4 is most commonly played here, but has a dismal result in the database (24 percent). The text move leads to an interesting reverse Dutch setup.} O-O 8. f4 Nbd7 9. d3 {White prudently first takes control of e4 in a reverse Classical Dutch arrangement.} Bh7 {getting the bishop out of the potential future line of fire, for example with e4 or g4 pawn advances.} 10. Nd2 Bc5 {targeting the weak e3 square, so White's next is logical.} 11. d4 Be7 12. Bd3 {now White has a position very similar to the Colle-Zukertort (without a pawn on a3) or the Stonewall (without a pawn on c3).} c5 13. Qf3 {e2 is normally a better square for the queen. On f3 it blocks both the knights and the Rf1 from potentially using the square.} Qa5 {hitting the now-undefended Nd2, another drawback of the previous move.} 14. Rad1 Bxd3 (14... Qxa2 {is possible but no more advantageous for Black.} 15. Bxh7+ Kxh7 16. Nd3 {protecting the Bb2 and now threatening to trap the queen.} Qa5 17. g4 $11 {and White has compensation in kingside space and pressure for the a-pawn.}) 15. Nxd3 Rac8 {of course ...Qxa2?? is no longer possible, due to Ra1 trapping the queen.} 16. dxc5 {White makes a good choice to liquidate her center, which also frees up the long diagonal for the Bb2.} Bxc5 17. Nxc5 (17. c4 $5 {immediately also looks good.}) 17... Rxc5 18. c4 {finally challenging Black directly in the center.} b5 {this feels a little artificial, and White is able to respond effectively.} (18... Qxa2 {is now possible again, with similar ideas as in the above variation.} 19. Bd4 Rc7 20. cxd5 exd5 21. g4 $11) 19. a3 {with the obvious threat of the b4 pawn fork.} Rc6 (19... b4 $6 {would physically prevent White from gaining more space, but White's structure is better after} 20. a4 $16 {and ideas of e4, g4 and Bd4 coming into play.}) 20. b4 Qa4 {although this sidelines Black's queen, it is surprisingly the only move which maintains equality.} 21. cxd5 exd5 {best, but now Black's central pawn is isolated.} (21... Nxd5 $6 22. e4 $1 $16 {and White now dominates the center, with strong prospects for a kingside attack.}) 22. e4 Qc2 {the point behind Black's 20th move, allowing the queen to strive for counterplay deep in White's position. Both the Bb2 and e4 are targeted.} 23. exd5 {liquidating the threat to the pawn with gain of tempo on the rook.} Rd6 {necessary to regain the pawn. The engine evaluation is equal, but it's clear that White has the easier game.} 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Nb3 {eyeing the c5 and d4 squares next.} Re8 $2 {too ambitious, given White's next move. A number of other moves were fine here, including ...Qe4 or doubling rooks on the d-file.} 26. Nd4 $1 {now this permanently wins White a pawn with the fork on b5, or after Black's next allows for even stronger posting of the knight.} Qc4 $6 27. Nf5 {forking the Rd6 and g7, which after Qg3 is a major problem for Black. Eswaran opts to lose the exchange instead.} Rxd5 28. Ne3 Rxe3 29. Qxe3 $18 {Black has no compensation for the lost material and White's pieces are placed excellently.} a6 30. Rxd5 {following the rule to simplify down when winning.} Qxd5 31. h3 {safety first, evidently White was thinking, creating another square for her king.} Ne4 32. f5 {clearing the f4 square and threatening to advance further once the knight leaves e4.} (32. Kh2 $5 {tucking the king away and guarding g3 again.}) 32... Nf6 {physically blocking the f-pawn, with nothing really better.} 33. Qf3 Qd4+ 34. Kh2 Ne4 {Black seems to be out of ideas, so White logically pins the knight against the queen.} 35. Qf4 Qd5 {breaking the pin, but lacking anything else to do.} 36. Rc1 (36. Re1 $5 {looking to go to the 7th rank is another good alternative.}) 36... Nd6 {Black's pieces are too exposed to the Q+R combo, but she refuses to give up just yet.} 37. Rc5 Qd3 38. f6 {with the assault on the king position on top of everything else, the position is now resignable for Black.} g5 39. Qe5 g4 40. hxg4 {winning with calmness.} Qe4 41. Qxd6 Kh7 42. Rc8 Qxg4 43. Qd3+ 1-0
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-18132274298195210452023-10-22T16:58:00.006-04:002023-10-24T19:58:22.491-04:00Commentary: 2022 U.S. Women's Championship, Round 9 (Tokhirjonova - Lee)<p>I was hoping to wrap up my examination of the 2022 U.S. Women's Championship before this year's finished, but have not been quick enough. I even went backwards with this game, looking at the round 9 win by Tokhirjonova over Megan Lee <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2023/10/commentary-2022-us-womens-championship.html" target="_blank">after analyzing a round 10 game,</a> because of the interesting opening structure. The formation of a fianchettoed kingside bishop plus Nf3 and d4 used to be more common for White in the opening, and appears to be making something of a comeback. This is one of those openings that can transpose easily to a Reti, Queen's Gambit or Catalan, but does not have to.</p><p>Here the game follows an independent course, with Black varying the symmetry early with 5...Ne4!? and White choosing to make a real gambit out of it. This provides an excellent lesson in that sometimes nebulous concept of "compensation" - White has an advantage in both structure and development/time, but fritters that away by move 20. Nevertheless, she still has an equal position despite being a pawn down, with her two bishops being very effective. She then correctly chooses to focus on a kingside attack, which Black mishandles and cannot recover. Tactics were key to this for White, especially 35. Bc6! which perhaps Black missed, and sealed the game for White.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.10.14"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim"]
[Black "Lee, Megan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2336"]
[BlackElo "2226"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]
{[%evp 0,111,19,29,23,-8,32,23,12,4,10,4,28,29,42,14,16,11,15,29,37,35,44,39,67,36,19,0,62,60,63,71,91,83,83,16,37,18,3,0,0,0,-32,-2,0,0,0,0,-36,-51,0,-23,-54,-56,-60,-39,10,20,-1,21,115,41,56,55,141,91,114,117,163,164,198,190,277,291,291,306,306,316,397,503,500,323,325,319,332,325,339,336,333,340,360,360,378,395,404,405,402,412,420,415,429,439,456,460,501,509,601,613,670,697,725,808,943,1016]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 {this now brings the opening out of the Reti realm.} Nf6 5. O-O {White has staked out a presence in the center with d4, but waits before committing further with c4.} Ne4 $5 {this is a very rare idea and seems premature. In a symmetrical opening setup, the Black player moving the same piece twice will by definition lose time, so needs to have a specific follow-up idea that makes it worthwhile. Here there do not seem to be enough threats generated by the move to compensate for the time loss.} 6. c4 {scored by Dragon 3.2 as best. White in this position can still use typical Queen's Gambit ideas to undermine Black's center.} c6 (6... dxc4 7. Qa4+ c6 8. Qxc4 $14) 7. Nc3 {There are various good options here, with b3 being played almost exclusively in the database games. Here White instead looks to exchange off the time-wasting Black knight and thereby increase her relative development.} Nxc3 (7... O-O 8. Qb3 $14) 8. bxc3 dxc4 {now White has a true gambit, however with more than sufficient compensation for the pawn in terms of development and structure, including better central control.} 9. e4 {White plays straightforwardly for the center.} (9. a4 {would be a more prophylactic move, restricting ...b5.}) 9... Bg4 $6 {here with h3 White could either force a trade of minor pieces, thereby winning the two bishops, or a bishop retreat, gaining additional time. White's next move instead maintains the tension in the center.} 10. Qe2 $14 {also threatening to take on c4, spurring Black's next.} b5 11. a4 {looking to disrupt the pawn formation.} O-O 12. axb5 {this was perhaps premature, with e5 and h3 being other ideas.} (12. e5 $5 {and now Qe4 is possible immediately after a pawn exchange on b5.}) 12... cxb5 13. e5 a5 $6 {this allows White's next.} (13... Nd7 {now the Ra8 is protected.} 14. Qe4 Bf5 $11) 14. Qe4 $1 {now the exchange on f3 is forced, due to the fork of rook and bishop.} Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Ra6 {Black is still a pawn up, but is behind in development and space and her pieces are not working together at all.} 16. Ba3 $16 {White's two bishops are now very well placed.} Nc6 17. Bc5 (17. Rfb1 {would more directly target Black's weaknesses, as the pawn cannot be effectively protected. The general rule with hanging pawns is to hit them with everything you have.} Qb8 (17... Qd7 {would indirectly protect the b-pawn, as the Nc6 could then move with a discovered attack on b5 by the queen, but this fails after} 18. Qd5 Qxd5 19. Bxd5 Rb8 20. Bxc6 Rxc6 21. Bxe7 $16) 18. Be2 $16 {threatening Bxc4 due to the pin on the b-file.}) 17... Qc7 {getting out of the way of the Rf8.} 18. Qe3 {recognizing the Q+B battery on the long diagonal is no longer effective and readjusting the queen's position, with more flexibility.} Rb8 19. Rfb1 {this poses no threat to the b-pawn now, as opposed to the position on on move 17.} Nd8 $11 {having stabilized the position, Black redeploys the knight to a better square.} 20. Bd5 {perhaps played with the idea of restraining the ...b4 advance. However, the bishop is a little awkwardly placed here and Black can continue with her knight maneuver.} Ne6 21. Ba3 {White's two bishops are still enough to compensate for the pawn deficit, by helping keep a space advantage and pressure on Black's position, but need to be preserved.} (21. Bxe6 $6 Rxe6 $17 {and now Black is essentially a pawn up for nothing.}) 21... Qd8 {targeting the hanging Bd5 while still covering e7.} 22. Be4 (22. Qf3 {immediately looks better, saving time on the bishop retreat and keeping it on a better diagonal. And if} Nc7 $4 23. Qxf7+ $18) 22... Nc7 {reinforcing b5 and protecting the Ra6, thereby giving the knight useful work to do. Now the b-pawn can advance.} 23. Bc5 {getting out of the way of the b-pawn and to a better diagonal again.} e6 {avoiding a repetition with ...Ne6.} 24. Qf3 Qc8 {Black apparently is now interested in mobilizing her queenside majority and overprotects the Ra6, so that the Nc7 is again mobile.} 25. h4 {White now plays on the kingside, where Black is weaker and White's two bishops and queen are well-positioned. An h-pawn advance against a fianchettoed bishop position is a standard theme, especially when there is no knight protecting it.} Bf8 {looking to exchange off one of the bishop pair.} 26. h5 {White persists with her idea of assaulting the kingside pawn shield.} Bxc5 27. dxc5 {White's queenside pawn structure is shattered, but the increased kingside attacking potential is sufficient compensation.} Ne8 $2 {the general idea of swinging the knight back to the defense is principled, but this avenue does not work.} (27... Nd5 $1 $11) 28. c6 $18 {White chooses to keep the pawn by advancing it into protection; despite being behind Black's lines, it cannot effectively be targeted.} (28. hxg6 {immediately was also possible.}) 28... Qc7 {pressuring the e5 pawn, without which White has no attack.} 29. Qf4 {consolidating the advantage by guarding the pawn and positioning the queen to penetrate on the dark squares. The rook lift threat Rb1-d1-d7 is now quite powerful, given the weakness of f7; meanwhile, Black still has to blockade the c-pawn.} Ng7 30. hxg6 (30. h6 $1 {is also possible as the knight is driven away, with White's pressure resulting in material gain. For example} Nh5 (30... Ne8 31. Rd1 Rd8 32. Qg5 $18) 31. Qg5 Ra7 32. Rd1 Qe7 33. Qxe7 Rxe7 34. Rxa5 $18) 30... fxg6 {this is marginally better than recapturing with the h-pawn, which would open the less defensible h-file.} 31. Rd1 {from this point on, Black desperately tries to fend off White's threats, but this is not possible.} Rd8 32. Qg5 Raa8 {exchanging rooks would simple give White ownership of the d-file.} 33. Rd7 {White's rook is still able to move decisively to the 7th rank, however.} Rxd7 34. cxd7 Rd8 35. Bc6 $1 {White had to find this tactical finesse, with a decoy / removal of the guard theme. Black cannot leave d8 unprotected.} Rxd7 {Black chooses to get rid of the advanced passed pawn and simplify into a (still-losing) rook vs. minor piece endgame. However her pawns are too weak and the knight is outmatched by White's rook.} 36. Bxd7 Qxd7 37. Rxa5 Qd1+ 38. Kh2 Qd5 39. Ra7 {again a rook on the 7th rank dominates.} Qf3 40. Qd8+ Qf8 41. Qxf8+ Kxf8 42. Rb7 Nf5 43. Rxb5 {this is now resignable for Black, but she plays on, perhaps in the hopes of White stumbling into a knight fork at some point.} Ne7 44. Rc5 Nd5 45. Rxc4 Ke7 46. Rc6 Kd7 47. Rd6+ Ke7 48. c4 Nc3 49. Ra6 Kd7 50. Ra7+ Kc6 51. Rxh7 {now all White has to do is snatch Black pawns and end up in a winning K+P endgame structure, exchanging the rook for knight when that happens.} Ne4 52. f4 g5 53. Re7 gxf4 54. gxf4 Kc5 55. Rxe6 Kxc4 56. Rd6 {now the e-pawn can just run in, as Black's king is cut off and the knight cannot take the rook without the pawn queening.} 1-0
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-90988776130113431842023-10-01T17:25:00.002-04:002023-10-01T17:25:16.193-04:00Commentary: 2022 U.S. Women's Championship, Round 10 (Foisor - Yan)<p>I've been both pleased and intrigued to see the variety of openings played at the various U.S. Championships and examined on the blog. Here we have a noble try at a <a href="https://www.chess.com/article/view/quick-start-guide-to-the-colle-zukertort-an-opening-for-players-of-any-strength" target="_blank">Colle-Zukertort System</a>, courtesy of WGM Sabina Foisor, which is something of a cult favorite among club players. Her opponent FM Ruiyang Yan knows the main line for Black and ends up with a comfortable middlegame position, with White's attempt at an attacking setup banished. However, there are some tricky tactical possibilities that White passed up that are worth examining. The main conflict occurs after Black wins a pawn and then White sacrifices the exchange in an apparent attempt to avoid a tortured losing endgame. White's play is eventually justified, once again proving the "all rook endgames are drawn" chess saying.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.10.15"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Foisor, Sabina-Francesca"]
[Black "Yan, Ruiyang"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D05"]
[WhiteElo "2203"]
[BlackElo "2220"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "161"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 {the Colle-Zukertort system.} Nc6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Bb2 {the classic move. Interestingly, Bb5 is now much more popular.} O-O 8. a3 {keeping the Black knight out of b4. However, this is slow and scores worse in the database than Bb5 (again) or developing immediately with Nbd2.} b6 {Black has to prepare the development of her light-square bishop.} 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Ne5 {the classic idea, posting up the knight on e5 and then gaining space on the kingside for an attack. White would welcome an exchange on e5, gaining space and kicking the Nf6 away with an occupying pawn.} Ne7 {this move does multiple things, increasing Black's control of e4 by getting out of the way of the Bb7, and preparing to go to f5 later.} 11. f4 {we now have a very Stonewall-like structure for White, with the difference of a pawn on a3 instead of c3.} Ne4 {for similar reasons as above, Black would welcome an exchange of the knight on e4.} 12. Qe2 {normally the best place for the queen, protecting the weak e3 pawn, forming a battery on the f1-a6 diagonal, connecting the rooks, and giving the option later of perhaps moving along the 2nd rank.} Rc8 {Black now has a classically solid position, with an obvious plan of expanding on the queenside and down the c-file.} 13. dxc5 {this scores well practically, but only if Black does not take with the knight.} (13. Nec4 $5 {is a tactical trick that results in equality, which is probably not what White wants in the first place, however. The main point is} dxc4 14. Bxe4 Bxe4 15. Nxe4 $11) 13... Bxc5 {this lets White off the hook.} (13... Nxc5 $17 {followed by ...Nxd3 exchanges off a key attacking piece for White and leaves Black with the most play.}) 14. b4 $11 {this now gains White both some space and time, by kicking the bishop.} Bd6 15. Nb3 {it's unclear why White chose this, as the b3 square has no advantage to it.} (15. Ndf3 {would be more standard.} Nf5 (15... f6 $6 {here has a tactical drawback, which is} 16. Nd4 $1 $14) 16. g4 {would be the standard reaction.}) 15... Nf5 16. Nd4 (16. g4 {here is not as good, with ...Nh4 now possible, among other responses.}) 16... Nxd4 17. Bxd4 f6 {a standard resource when fighting a Stonewall, as the f-pawn advance cannot be taken advantage of now.} 18. Nf3 Qc7 19. Bb2 $11 {proactively withdrawing, so that the pawn advance ...e5 would not come with tempo. By this point, White's attempt at an attacking setup has been rebuffed, but Black is unable to target any weak points either.} a5 20. Nd4 {targeting the now-weak e6 square.} Qd7 {perhaps not the best square for the queen, as it can become a target here.} 21. Rf3 {this is over-ambitious and also misses an opportunity to complicate Black's life with an f-pawn advance.} (21. f5 $5 e5 (21... exf5 22. Nxf5 $16 {White's kingside attacking chances are now revived, plus White has the prospect of picking up the two bishops.}) 22. Ne6 {the knight does look a little precarious here, but it should be all right:} Rfe8 23. Rad1 {creating tactics against the queen along the d-file} axb4 24. axb4 Qe7 25. Bxe4 dxe4 26. g4 $11) 21... axb4 {Black seizes the opportunity to win a pawn, without White having full compensation.} 22. axb4 Bxb4 23. Bb5 Qf7 $17 {White now has a bit of initiative on the kingside, but not much else for the pawn.} 24. f5 {now this comes with Black in better shape on both the queenside and kingside, than on move 21.} exf5 25. Nxf5 Kh8 {not necessary, but prudent nonetheless to get off the a2-g8 diagonal.} 26. Rh3 (26. Bd3 $5 {would move the bishop back to a more significant diagonal, where it could assist in the center or the kingside. The text move looks aggressive but is not a threat.}) 26... Rc7 {this subtle move clears c8 for the bishop, which now sees the Nf5 and Rh3 lined up on the diagonal.} 27. Rf1 Bc8 28. Bd3 {again, a good idea applied late.} Bc3 $6 {this preserves Black's existing advantage, but is a good idea played too early.} (28... g6 $1 29. Nh6 Qe7 30. Rh4 Bc3 31. Bxc3 Rxc3 $19 {and Black has a dominating position in the center.}) 29. Bxc3 Rxc3 30. Rh4 Bxf5 31. Rxf5 g6 {in contrast with the above variation, Black's pieces are more constrained and the strong light-square bishop is gone.} 32. Rxd5 $6 {White chooses to sacrifice the exchange, perhaps seeing a dull endgame squeeze in her future.} (32. Bxe4 dxe4 33. Rf2 $17 {with a depressing endgame.}) 32... Qxd5 33. Bxe4 Qg5 34. Rh3 $19 {the two Black rooks should triumph here, given the wide-open board and two weak White pawns to target on open files.} f5 35. Qd2 Qf6 36. Bd3 Ra3 (36... Rfc8 $5 {would seem to be the natural follow-up to ...f5, as the f-pawn no longer needs the extra piece support.}) 37. Qb4 Ra1+ 38. Kf2 Ra5 39. Rf3 Rc5 {Black is exclusively moving this rook around, which can't be good. White starts to take advantage of this.} 40. g4 {using the pin on the Qf6.} Qd6 41. Qb2+ Kg8 42. gxf5 {while this is still bad for White, she is at least successfully opening lines against Black's king.} Qxh2+ 43. Kf1 Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qg2+ 45. Rf2 Qc6 46. Qa2+ Kg7 47. Qa1+ Qf6 48. Qa7+ Rf7 {putting an end to the queen harassment.} 49. Qb8 Rfc7 50. Kf1 {getting out of the way of the Rf2} g5 {this is still good for Black and prevents further opening of files, but will allow White some counterplay in the center.} 51. e4 Re7 52. Kg2 {correctly moving the king towards blocking Black's pawns.} Rce5 53. Rf1 Rxe4 {attempting to give back material and simplify into a more clearly won endgame.} (53... h5 $1 {is also a good idea, as passed pawns must be pushed! White has successfully established a static center based on the light-square pawn chain, but Black can mobilized her two connected passed pawns and still win.}) 54. Bxe4 Rxe4 {now we will get to see how the "all rook endings are drawn" saying applies in practice.} 55. Qb7+ Re7 56. Qf3 Rc7 {so far so good for Black.} 57. Qd3 Qc6+ {Black is still OK, but now the f-pawn is potentially mobile for White.} (57... Rc3 $1) 58. Kg1 Rd7 $6 {Black evidently missed White's f-pawn thrust.} 59. f6+ $1 $11 {the game is now a draw with best play, according to the engine. Black's king is too exposed and the advanced f-pawn too much of a threat for Black to make progress.} Kf8 60. Qg3 $2 (60. Qh3 $5 {this is more restrictive, threatening the Rd7 and to penetrate on the h-file.} Qc5+ 61. Kh1 $11) 60... Qc5+ {Black can now win again.} 61. Rf2 $2 {inviting Black's next.} Rd1+ 62. Kh2 Qd6 63. Qxd6+ Rxd6 {we now go back to the "all rook endings are drawn" line.} 64. f7 Rc6 65. Kg1 h5 {correctly mobilizing her passed pawn majority.} 66. Rf5 Rxc2 $2 {incorrectly allowing White's rook too much scope.} (66... Rc5 $1 $19 {it's much more important to preserve the two connected passed pawns.}) 67. Rxg5 Rc5 68. Rg6 {the only move. Now if the f- and b-pawns are exchanged off, the rook pawn cannot win for Black. This fact drives the next sequence.} b5 69. Rf6 b4 70. Rb6 Rc4 71. Rb7 Rf4 72. Kg2 {the draw is now apparent, with White's rook in a commanding position behind the b-pawn.} h4 73. Kh2 Kg7 74. Kg2 Rc4 75. Kh2 Rf4 76. Kg2 b3 77. Rxb3 Kxf7 78. Rf3 h3+ 79. Rxh3 Rf6 80. Rf3 Rxf3 81. Kxf3 1/2-1/2
</div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-41865216013821998612023-09-30T19:22:00.001-04:002023-09-30T19:22:01.512-04:00Training quote of the day #46: Victor Korchnoi<p> From the commentary to game 69 in <i>My Best Games</i> by Victor Korchnoi (2011 edition):</p><blockquote><p>I was always on excellent terms with David Bronstein...But as regards our individual meetings at the chess board, here he performed like a strict teacher. He liked to show and to demonstrate to me, that my understanding of chess was primitive and static, and that I underestimated the dynamics of the game...But in order to enjoy success at the chess board, an understanding of the game alone is not enough. You must have health, energy, and a balanced nervous system, in order to be confident, but at the same time to maintain your objectivity about what is happening on the board. </p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgResb36DzSC6iAbTSeEeLKPjK5ymo02TMc4aodTgxNC8LCrOz_W3YmPlngVRzKBrAE-ikX0iYVLRKbtEM7EJwk8aN5YUAqX9e5jw49w3khxhOr_pW6FZ3KFWn5L0DiZtBKPc0OTVs2d90PzSBFgujIQUQocHcgT7H5dymfznSWyvRnmCZmVtp_amGF/s430/Victor%20Korchnoi%20My%20Best%20Games%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgResb36DzSC6iAbTSeEeLKPjK5ymo02TMc4aodTgxNC8LCrOz_W3YmPlngVRzKBrAE-ikX0iYVLRKbtEM7EJwk8aN5YUAqX9e5jw49w3khxhOr_pW6FZ3KFWn5L0DiZtBKPc0OTVs2d90PzSBFgujIQUQocHcgT7H5dymfznSWyvRnmCZmVtp_amGF/s320/Victor%20Korchnoi%20My%20Best%20Games%20cover.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><div><br /></div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-63628488569457278482023-09-28T19:49:00.005-04:002023-09-28T19:50:09.156-04:00FT's "How To Spend It" - Master chess style in 23 moves<p>The Financial Times' HTSI ("How To Spend It") magazine just published a chess-themed style rundown, with the subheading of "<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/858c4d14-93a5-4d37-bb94-fa4632a57bea" target="_blank">Monochrome pieces to unlock your inner pawn star</a>". As you might guess, it's a presentation of black-and-white styles, where chessboard patterns may (or may not) be identifiable as a theme. My favorite item is probaby the Mother The Insider jeans, which at least have a legit motif. At least the article leads with a photo of Bob Dylan playing chess at Woodstock. For art's sake, here's another one from the same series, at what appears to be an earlier point in the game.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg51bzEt8arbgIQLG_sKfyuDI0PdCn593JyG2rkiOJr2Gii_kvaRhUWCmhJE2TncNlKtPhjPE-e8K6d7mtp87rvkDCbFH0X7omfe-mZrQQk2xyWIJiy-lkf-o8ktQL6pZUH4cGGxrZatmM9pRvo_RxbTz4Po9oTWKXT-pbvmChp6LIH9gKWXLo7ZsfxM/s3840/Bob%20Dylan%20at%20Woodstock.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1925" data-original-width="3840" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg51bzEt8arbgIQLG_sKfyuDI0PdCn593JyG2rkiOJr2Gii_kvaRhUWCmhJE2TncNlKtPhjPE-e8K6d7mtp87rvkDCbFH0X7omfe-mZrQQk2xyWIJiy-lkf-o8ktQL6pZUH4cGGxrZatmM9pRvo_RxbTz4Po9oTWKXT-pbvmChp6LIH9gKWXLo7ZsfxM/w640-h321/Bob%20Dylan%20at%20Woodstock.png" width="640" /></a></div>ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-63008849988295917822023-09-25T21:45:00.007-04:002023-10-01T17:15:54.456-04:00Commentary: 2022 U.S. Women's Championship, Round 9 (Eswaran - Yu)<p>This round 9 game features the <a href="https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/why-is-the-tartakower-variation-4-nf6-and-5-exf-of-the-caro-kann-so-popular-these-days" target="_blank">recently-rehabilitated Tartakower Variation of the Caro-Kann</a>, which is now considered a fully-valid and solid reply by Black to the main line (3. Nc3). FM Jennifer Yu as Black plays an unusual sideline (6...Bf5) which turns out well for her, however, as she gets a favorably imbalanced queenless middlegame. This one is proof that danger still exists without the queens on the board.</p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.10.14"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Eswaran, Ashritha"]
[Black "Yu, Jennifer"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2365"]
[BlackElo "2297"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin / Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 {the Tartakower variation, which has been rehabilitated in the last few years.} 6. c3 {by far the most played here. White shores up d4 before further development, but can afford the time to do so.} Bf5 {although this is the second most-played move in the database, it is far below ...Bd6 in popularity.} (6... Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 {is the line that is most responsible for reviving the variation.}) 7. Bc4 {this placement of the bishop, while aggressive-looking, is usually not a threat to Black in the Caro-Kann. In this variation, White does not have a knight developed yet and both g5 and e5 - normally good possibilities for an outpost - are covered by the doubled f-pawn, which therefore proves useful.} Bd6 8. Qe2+ {White signals a willingness to enter a queenless middlegame here, as Black's next move is clearly best.} Qe7 9. Nf3 Nd7 {Black is willing to maintain the tension and see where White takes things.} 10. Qxe7+ Kxe7 $5 {Black's intent is to "castle by hand", choosing to maintain the bishop on the move advantageous b8-h2 diagonal.} 11. O-O Rhe8 12. Nh4 Be6 {naturally an exchange on e6 would un-double Black's pawns, a good outcome.} 13. Bd3 g6 {Black now has a very solid pawn lineup on the 6th rank and White has no real weaknesses to target.} 14. Re1 Kf8 $11 15. c4 {gaining a bit of space and bringing up the future possibility of d4-d5. However, this goes against the original idea of playing c2-c3, which was to keep d4 from becoming a Black target. This is now exactly what happens.} Rad8 {Black does not have any major weaknesses to target either, but centralizing the rook and putting it opposite the currently undefended d-pawn is a good idea in general.} 16. Bd2 {while not bad, this development of the bishop is a little slow and without much point to it. Bringing the knight back from its exile on h4 might make more sense.} Be7 {clearing one piece from the d-file, in front of the Rd8.} 17. Ba5 Nb6 {now the knight is actually doing something useful, and of course an exchange on b6 would be both materially and positionally desirable for Black.} 18. Nf3 (18. Bxb6 axb6 19. Nf3 {and Black can choose between ...f5, ...Bc5 or ...Bg4 to win a pawn.}) 18... Rd7 {clearing d8 to double rooks, as well as getting out of the pin.} 19. b3 {c4 must be protected now that the Nb6 is "alive" again.} Bg4 {The correct positional idea. White's bishop is very limited, so exchange it for White's more flexible knight, which is also a key defender of d4.} 20. Bc3 {covering the d-pawn.} Bxf3 21. gxf3 $15 {White's kingside structure is now ugly enough to warrant giving Black a slight plus.} Red8 {doubling rooks, per the idea on move 18.} 22. b4 $2 {whoops! White loses patience and advances another pawn prematurely.} (22. Rad1 {would activate the other rook and prepare to reinforce the d-file.}) 22... Na4 {This would seem to be the obvious response, driving away the bishop from the defense of the d-pawn, after which Black can scoop it up.} 23. Rxe7 $2 (23. Bd2 Rxd4 24. Bh6+ Ke8 25. Bf1 {it's possible that Eswaran calcuated this out and just saw a torturous endgame loss in her future, so she decided to try and complicate things at the board.}) 23... Rxe7 24. Be1 Rxd4 $19 25. Bf1 {It's hard to see any hope for White here, as the two bishops simply cannot match up against the two rooks. White can however use the power of the two bishops to hold off her opponent for a while.} Kg7 {a safe move, defending the otherwise hanging f-pawn. This also helps prepare the withdrawal of the Na4, which is currently preventing Bc3.} 26. Rb1 Nb6 27. Rc1 Nd7 {it takes a while to reposition the knight, but White cannot do anything substantial in the meantime.} 28. Bc3 Rf4 29. Kg2 Ne5 30. Be2 g5 31. Bd2 Ng6 $1 {these kinds of moves help distinguish masters from other players, who might simply reflexively move the rook away. Here, Yu gets more from the position.} 32. Be3 (32. Bxf4 $2 Nxf4+ 33. Kf1 Rxe2) 32... Rh4 {Black could still ignore the capture on f4, but Yu has something different in mind, wanting to create pressure down the h-file.} 33. Bf1 {now Bxa7 is threatened, with the bishop no longer hanging.} b6 34. Rd1 Rh6 (34... Ne5 $5 {is a more normal-looking move that improves the knight's range, threatening c4 as well.}) 35. Kg3 Nh4 {a strong move that takes advantage of the White king's advance, cutting off its retreat to g2 while pressuring f3 and threatening ...Nf5.} 36. Bh3 {this allows the following tactic} Nxf3 {the Bh3 hangs if the king recaptures on f3.} 37. a4 Rh4 {the rook reactivates itself to great effect. It's unclear why White continues on at this point, although the idea of a queenside pawn advance supported by her bishops perhaps looked like a desperate possibility.} 38. c5 Ne5 (38... bxc5 {might be more straightforward, as after} 39. Bxc5 Re1 40. Rxe1 Nxe1 41. Bxa7 Rxb4 {and Black is winning.}) 39. Bd4 Re8 {this subtle move will allow the rook to go to the d-file in some variations.} 40. b5 {still hoping for a breakthrough.} cxb5 {this is certainly good enough to win.} (40... Rd8 $1 {is actually an excellent idea, pinning the bishop and a natural follow-up to the previous move.}) 41. axb5 bxc5 42. Bxc5 Rc4 43. Be3 Rb4 {White's queenside ambitions are no more, but the b-pawn still holds out a sliver of hope.} 44. Bf1 Rg4+ 45. Kh3 h5 (45... f5 {is also possible here, getting some more out of the extra f-pawn.}) 46. Be2 Rh4+ 47. Kg3 Ng4 {cleverly forcing an advantageous trade.} 48. Bxg4 Rxg4+ 49. Kf3 Re7 {a safe move - why rush things?} 50. Rd6 Re5 51. Bd4 Rf4+ 52. Kg2 Rxb5 {now the position is certainly resignable, but Eswaran plays on.} 53. Bxa7 Rg4+ 54. Kh3 Rb3+ 55. Be3 f5 {the extra f-pawn now decides things.} 56. f3 Rh4+ {winning the bishop and the game.} 0-1
</div>
ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-19318582895589824012023-08-26T17:55:00.002-04:002023-08-26T18:00:29.897-04:00Commentary: 2022 U.S. Women's Championship, Round 7 (Tokhirjonova - Abrahamyan)<p>In this round 7 game, we see a straight-up Advance French opening, with Abrahamyan defending. Several thematic ideas pop up, including White's early h2-h4 pawn thrust, Black having to decide when to exchange pawns on d4, the 11...f6 pawn break, and the attacking move 22. Ng6!</p><p>As can be seen with many games when examined closely, both sides have opportunities and setbacks that are characteristic of the dynamic attack (White) and defend/counterattack (Black) roles in the opening, although Black essentially cannot recover after the 17...Nb4 inaccuracy. That particular move is worth examining in the different variations shown, and is an example of what often occurs in practice - an idea for a move that is good in theory proves not to work, but could have in a different sequence.</p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.10.12"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim"]
[Black "Abrahamyan, Tatev"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2336"]
[BlackElo "2308"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 {the Advance variation.} c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 Nge7 7. Na3 {this looks funny, but is the most played in the database. The knight has to get in the game somehow.} Ng6 (7... cxd4 {immediately is more popular and scores slightly better in the database.}) 8. Nc2 (8. h4 $5 {is an attempt by White to take immediate advantage of the placement of the Ng6.} cxd4 9. cxd4 Be7 10. h5 Nh4 {and Black is all right, however.}) 8... Be7 9. g3 {the point of the move is to support the coming h-pawn thrust.} cxd4 10. cxd4 O-O 11. h4 f6 {a thematic French pawn break; the pawn chain is attacked at its head, the base having been shortened by the exchange on d4.} 12. h5 {the logical continuation of the h-pawn forward thrust.} Nh8 13. Bf4 {White maintains the strong point on e5, at least temporarily.} Nf7 14. Bd3 Rc8 {putting the rook where it belongs in the long-term.} (14... fxe5 $5 {immediately is perhaps better, if Black is going to play it anyway.}) 15. Qe2 {adding another piece to the e5 battle and developing the queen.} fxe5 {Black exchanges and releases the pent-up pressure, to her benefit.} 16. dxe5 Ng5 {reactivating the knight and looking to exchange, which will help further expand the scope of Black's pieces and un-cramp her position.} 17. Nh4 $6 {this goes too far in avoiding minor piece exchanges and puts the knight on the rim.} (17. Nd2 $11 Nb4 18. Nxb4 Bxb4 19. Kf1 {and now there are multiple roads to equality for Black, including ...h6 or exchanging on d2.}) 17... Nb4 $6 {an inaccurate response. The Nb4 idea appears in different variations, for example in the above one, but here White can take advantage of it.} (17... Ne4 $1 {immediately takes advantage of the Nh4's placement, while maintaining the Q+B battery against it.} 18. Nf3 (18. Bxe4 dxe4 19. Qxe4 {this looks like a simple win of material for White, but Black has a number of threats that can now be executed, for example after} Na5 $1 {Black has ...Rc4 and ...Bc6.}) 18... Bc5 19. O-O Rxf4 20. gxf4 Ng3 $17) 18. Nxb4 Bxb4+ 19. Kf1 Ne4 20. Kg2 $1 $16 {this solves White's problems and gives her a plus, as now she can bring over the Ra1 while keeping her other rook on the h-file for attacking purposes.} Bc5 $2 {Black evidently had ideas of targeting f2 similar to that in the above variation, but here the idea essentially loses.} (20... a6 $5 {unfortunately there is not much active that Black can do.}) 21. Raf1 {this simple move essentially seals Black's fate.} Be7 22. Ng6 $1 $18 {a thematic attacking move, as the knight cannot be taken safely.} Rf7 (22... hxg6 23. hxg6 Rf5 {defends the h5 square, but the White queen can still work her way to the h-file after} 24. Qg4 Bg5 25. Qh3 $18) 23. Qg4 {a little hasty - Nxe7 can be played immediately instead - as this leaves some space for counterplay after ...Qb6, although Black would still lose the exchange.} Nc5 (23... Qb6 24. h6 hxg6 25. Qxg6 Qxb2 26. h7+ Kh8 27. Qxf7 Qa3 $16) 24. Nxe7+ {an effective enough follow up.} (24. Bb1 $1 $18 {is pointed out by the engine, preserving the excellent attacking bishop.}) 24... Qxe7 25. Bg6 {the Rf7 must now be exchanged for the bishop.} Bc6 (25... hxg6 $4 26. hxg6 {and the queen then moves decisively to the open h-file.}) 26. Bxf7+ Qxf7 27. Rd1 {the rook is no longer needed to protect f2, so can get into the game via the d-file.} Rf8 {nothing is good for Black at this point, as White has no real weaknesses.} 28. Rd4 Kh8 29. f3 {this isn't necessary, but perhaps White wanted to have the pawn double-protected and block the a8-h1 diagonal her king is on.} Nd7 30. h6 {White gets rolling against the king position again.} g6 31. Re1 {as it is no longer of use on the closed h-file, White correctly redeploys the rook behind the e-pawn.} Qe8 32. Bd2 {now the bishop is free to move to a better diagonal.} Rf5 33. Rf4 {the threat to e5 can be safely ignored, thanks to the threat of a White pin on the long diagonal.} Rh5 (33... Nxe5 34. Rxe5 Rxe5 35. Bc3) (33... Rxe5 34. Rxe5 Nxe5 35. Bc3) 34. Rh1 {White would be happy to trade down, of course, with a material and space advantage and much stronger king position.} Nxe5 {in fact the best try, but everything loses at this point.} 35. Bc3 Kg8 36. Qxh5 {White was forced to find this to maintain her strong winning advantage, but now it's all over.} gxh5 37. Bxe5 1-0
</div>
ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-26158260020226281872023-08-11T19:34:00.001-04:002023-08-11T19:34:35.309-04:00Commentary: 2022 U.S. Women's Championship, Round 6 (Yu - Lee)<p>We resume our look at last year's U.S. Women's Championship with a seesaw battle between FM Jennifer Yu and FM Alice Lee. This round 6 game follows <a href="https://www.pathtochessmastery.com/2022/12/commentary-us-womens-championship-2022.html" target="_blank">Alice Lee's round 3 Slow Slav defense</a> until move 10, when Yu varies as White. While the opening has something of a drawish and balanced image, this game also demonstrates how imbalances between the sides can cause sometimes dramatic shifts in fortune, especially in the endgame.</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="cbreplay">
[Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.10.11"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Yu, Jennifer"]
[Black "Lee, Alice"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2297"]
[BlackElo "2263"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
[TimeControl "5400+30"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 {the Slow Slav.} Bf5 {for a while ...Bg4 was more popular here, but play seems to have reverted to the standard bishop placement on f5.} 5. Nc3 e6 {the basic point of the Slav Defense, to develop the bishop outside the pawn chain. White will almost always exchange it for the knight, however, figuring the two bishops can't be bad.} 6. Nh4 Be4 {opinions vary between this and the immediate ...Bg6 retreat. Korchnoi in his "best games" collection is of the opinion that f2-f3 is in fact useful for White. Black argues that it is not by playing the text move.} 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 Qc7 9. Bd2 Be7 10. g3 {now White varies from following the round 3 game of Lee, which featured queenside castling.} dxc4 {this is one of the top Dragon 3.2 engine choices, but is relatively little played and scores poorly (25 percent) in the database. Black prefers to dissolve the center and rely on her solid structure to deter White aggression. Meanwhile, White gets a space advantage.} 11. Bxc4 a6 {this seems a bit slow, but with a semi-closed position it does not seem to matter.} (11... b5 $5) 12. a4 Nbd7 {catching up in development.} 13. a5 {preventing ...Nb6.} Nh5 $6 {this forces the Nh4 to commit itself or be exchanged. However, as White would like to do this anyway - the Nh4 is not doing anything else on the rim - this instead appears to misplace Black's knight at the cost of a tempo.} (13... O-O {seems simple and good.}) 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. Ne4 {the knight was not doing much good on c3.} O-O-O {this seems both very committal by Black and unnecessary.} (15... Nhf6 $5) 16. O-O-O $16 {the engine now awards White a significant plus. Let's see if it materializes on the board...} Nhf6 17. Ng5 {hitting the vulnerable f7 square, which normally would be protected by both rook and king after ...O-O.} Rdf8 {one of the rooks has to protect it.} 18. Bxe6 $6 {hasty execution by White now allows Black to equalize. Other options would maintain White's spatial squeeze.} (18. Kb1) (18. e4) 18... fxe6 $11 19. Nxe6 Qd6 20. Nxf8 Rxf8 {using a standard "points" method of counting material, White is the equivalent of a pawn up. However, in the middlegame two minor pieces are normally better than a rook, and White no longer has a space advantage. Perhaps she was counting on the passed e-pawn for an advantage, but Black's pieces are all active now and White's king is more exposed.} 21. Rhf1 Qd5 22. Qc2 (22. Qxd5 cxd5 {would assist Black in containing the e-pawn, which is White's main threat.}) 22... Bd8 {pressuring the advanced a-pawn.} 23. Qxg6 Bxa5 {the exchange of the doubled g-pawn for the a-pawn would seem to favor Black, although perhaps not so much as to upset the balance.} 24. Kb1 Bxd2 25. Rxd2 Qa5 $15 {taking advantage of the cleared square.} 26. Qd3 Nd5 {centralizing the knight and heading for b4.} 27. e4 {White correctly gets the central pawn roller going. Black now has counterplay with her minor pieces, however.} Nb4 28. Qa3 Qb5 {preserving the queen, as exchanging into an endgame now would give White a winning advantage with her central pawns supported by the rooks. Instead, Black's queen can roam the board.} 29. Rc1 a5 30. Qc3 Qh5 {pressuring the f- and h-pawns.} 31. f4 Re8 32. d5 {forced, otherwise White's central pawns become effectively blockaded and the Black knights can run rampant.} Qg6 (32... Rxe4 $5 33. Qxg7 {Black was probably deterred by the prospect of White's three connected passed pawns appearing on the board, but the strategic logic is the same, with Black needing to rely on active counterplay anyway.} c5 34. Qg8+ Re8 {and White would have to find} 35. g4 (35. Qg7 Qf3 $19 {and the queen penetrates to good effect.}) 35... Rxg8 36. gxh5 Rh8 $15) 33. dxc6 {logically seeking to reduce the pawn shield in front of Black's king, seeking more dynamic play.} (33. f5 {would be a way to preserve the e-pawn, but Black again controls the blockading squares.} Qf7 34. Re2 Re5 $17) 33... Qxe4+ 34. Ka1 $6 (34. Qc2 $1 {is found by the engine but would be hard for a human to come up with over the board. Now if} Nxc2 35. cxd7+ Kd8 36. dxe8=Q+ Kxe8 37. Rcxc2 $11) 34... bxc6 {it looks precarious for Black on the c-file, but the Nb4 cannot be challenged without losting material and it does an excellent job of protecting c6.} 35. Rd4 Qe6 {not the most effective choice.} (35... Qe2 {would leave the squares on the e-file open for the rook, with both e3 and e6 being useful places to go. Dragon 3.2 in fact awards Black a winning advantage.}) 36. Qa3 Kb7 $6 {this lets White off the hook, although it must have been concerning for Black to have her king lined up against the Rc1.} (36... Qe3 {counterattacking the loose Rc1.} 37. Qxe3 Rxe3 {perhaps Black did not like the optics of this endgame, but the rook would be very effective on e2, making threats while the rest of Black's position is held together.}) 37. Qxa5 $11 Nd3 (37... Ra8 $2 38. Rxb4+ $18) 38. f5 (38. Rxd3 $2 {this loses now that} Ra8 {is possible, with no checks by White (b3 is protected by the Black queen).}) 38... Qf7 39. Rxd3 {the next sequence is forced.} Ra8 40. Qxa8+ Kxa8 41. Rxc6 {now a draw appears to be the best outcome for Black, who has to worry about being mated by the two rooks.} Qxf5 42. Rb3 Nc5 43. Rc3 Qf1+ 44. Ka2 Qf7+ 45. Ka3 Ne4 46. Rc1 (46. Rc8+ $5 {would force a drawn but unbalanced endgame.} Kb7 47. R8c7+ Qxc7 48. Rxc7+ Kxc7 49. Kb4 $11 {without the Black pawn on the board this would have been a risk-free try by White. As it stands, perhaps White did not want to risk blundering and losing.}) 46... Nd2 47. Kb4 Kb7 {offering to head into the knight-and-pawns endgame.} 48. R6c3 {White still avoids it, but instead this gives her a chance to go wrong with her exposed king.} Qe7+ 49. Ka4 Qd7+ 50. Ka3 $2 (50. Kb4 $11) 50... Qd6+ (50... Qd4 $1 $19 {White can no longer force the queen trade and her rooks are constrained, while she has to worried about being mated as well. For example} 51. Ka2 (51. h4 Kb6 {Black can bring the king up to assist the mating net and White will lose material.}) 51... Qa4+ 52. Ra3 Qb5 53. Rd1 Qd5+ 54. Ka1 Nb3+) 51. b4 Ne4 $6 {this gives White another opportunity to escape with Rc7+} (51... Qa6+ $1 {is the necessary idea, which will allow Black to temporarily pin the Rc3 before moving the knight.} 52. Kb2 Qf6 53. Ka2 Nf3 54. Rc7+ Kb6 {and now the endgame is no good for White after} 55. R7c6+ Qxc6 56. Rxc6+ Kxc6 57. h4 Nd4 $19) 52. Rc4 $2 Nf2 {Black however does not find the idea and the game ends in a draw, with both sides misplaying the endgame, perhaps in time trouble.} 53. Kb3 (53. R1c3) 53... Ng4 (53... Qe6) 54. Rc5 Kb6 (54... Qe6+) 55. Ra1 (55. Rc6+) 55... Nxh2 (55... Qe6+) 56. Raa5 {now the draw can be forced.} Qd1+ 57. Ka3 Qe2 58. Re5 Qc4 59. Rec5 Qe4 60. Rab5+ Ka6 61. Ra5+ Kb6 62. Rab5+ Ka6 63. Ra5+ Kb6 1/2-1/2
</div> ChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.com0