|
|
|
1. c4
|
Hey all! This game is from a GK tournament a couple months ago (94th tournament, expert section, round two). I thought it was a very interesting game that shows the sheer power of an early space advantage. Enjoy! |
 
|
| |
|
|
1... c5
|
Symmetrical English, probably my least comfortable variation. |
|
| |
|
|
2. g3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e6 4. Bg2 Nf6
|
Both sides strongly contest d5. |
|
| |
|
|
5. Nf3
|
An alternative is 5.e4, cementing a bind on d5. I choose a more reserved approach, though. |
|
| |
|
|
5... Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. d4
|
d2-d3 is also possible, but I prefer to create a little tension to liven the game up. |
|
| |
|
|
7... cxd4
|
Not really necessary, I think. White wouldn't play dxc5 anytime soon, so this capture really just elevates the White Knight and lets the Bishop free on the long diagonal again. I think 7...d5 would have been interesting. |
|
| |
|
|
8. Nxd4 a6 9. b3
|
Reinforcing the c-pawn and preparing to fianchetto if need be. |
|
| |
|
|
9... h6
|
Practically forcing White's next move. |
|
| |
|
|
10. Bb2
|
This is now the best place for the Bishop, though possibilities of sacrificial tactics on h6 later on do exist. |
|
| |
|
|
10... Qc7
|
Likewise, this is probably the best place for the Queen in the long run, but now she can't support a d5 push, which I think should have happened by now to free up Black's game. |
|
| |
|
|
11. e4
|
White takes the moment to shut down d5 for the forseeable future. There's no clear way to break through, but White's space advantage is getting more pronounced. |
|
| |
|
|
11... Ne5
|
I think ...Nb4 is sassier, though the text does give Black the opportunity to transfer the Knight to the kingside if he chooses. |
|
| |
|
|
12. f4
|
?! This is pretty dangerous with the Black dark-square Bishop still in play, but White has completed his core development and now seeks to occupy space and restrict his opponent's play as much as possible. |
|
| |
|
|
12... Nc6
|
Black now has to prove that the weakness he induced in White's kingside was worth conceding the center. |
|
| |
|
|
13. Na4
|
White prevents ...Bc5, which could cause trouble by pinning the Knight, and sets his eye on the weak b6 square. |
|
| |
|
|
13... Nxd4
|
I'm not a big fan of this move. It eliminates White's central Knight, but Black's position is very cramped and he cannot replace the developed piece as easily as White can. |
|
| |
|
|
14. Bxd4 d6
|
Finally releasing the LSB, fourteen moves into the game. By playing this move rather than ...b5, Black also signals a change in direction: he will now break on e5 rather than d5, giving him some much-needed space. |
|
| |
|
|
15. Kh1
|
I strongly considered 15.e5! here, and I think it may well be stronger than the text. It creates a weakness on f5 and a potential one on d5, but it also further compresses the Black forces, especially the LSB. The main reasons I decided against it were the light-squared weaknesses it creates and the fact that it drives the Black Knight to d7, from which it can defend b6 (and indeed has little else to do). The text move has the advantage of completely forestalling any aggression against the White King for the foreseeable future. |
|
| |
|
|
15... e5
|
Black finally breaks, but I don't know that this is the right time. His d-pawn is now horribly backwards and an easy target for the White forces. Perhaps 15...Rb8 followed by ...b5 would have been stronger. |
|
| |
|
|
16. Bb6
|
Blocking the b7 pawn, getting the Bishop out of harm's way, and harassing the BQ. Any time you can respond to a threat at the same time as you create one of your own, it's a gain of tempo. |
|
| |
|
(1897)