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1. e4
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Please forgive my lack of modesty for annotating one of my own wins! |
 
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1... e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6
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3...Bb4 is the very sharp Winawer Variation of the French. 3...Nf6 usually leads to a much calmer game. |
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4. e5
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4.Bg5 is an older way of playing, but is equally as good. |
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4... Nfd7 5. f4 c5
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As is usual in the French, Black looks to put pressure on the d4 pawn. |
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6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6
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Black can play 7...Qb6 right away, but does not want block the b-pawn (which will need to advance if he hopes to develope his light-squared bishop anytime soon!), so he looks to play this pawn forward first. 7...cxd4 is another way of playing, but this relieves the tension in the centre too soon in my opinion. |
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8. Qd2 b5 9. a3
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White does not panic, but simply prevents black from pushing too far forward (i.e 9.Bd3 b4 10.Nd1 c4 11.Be2 Nb6 and Black has an excellent game). Again, 9.dxc5 (an impulse move, though far fom bad) feels to me as though it takes much of the tension out of the game. |
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9... Qb6 10. Ne2
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! Kasparov's move. The knight is excellently placed on e2 (g3 and f4 or, as we shall see, d4 are all attractive squares) whilst playing the pawn to c3, to add support to d4, is also an option. |
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10... Bb7
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The famous game Kasparov-Radjabov 2003 continued 10...c4?!, and although Black won, this move is deemed to be wrong, as Blacks attack on the Queenside loses some momentum (his pieces can't get out from behind the pawns). |
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11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Ned4 O-O
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? Now Black has to give up his good Bishop, due to a possible discoverd attack on his Queen. 12...Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Qc7 is better. |
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13. b4 Bxd4
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13...Be7 14.Nxe6 wins. |
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14. Nxd4 Qc7 15. Bd3 Rac8 16. O-O Nb6
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? White now builds a strong attack using a sequence of threats. |
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17. Nxc6 Qxc6 18. Qf2
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Threatening the knight on b6, but the real target is Blacks King! |
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18... Nc4 19. Bc5
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Threatening the rook, but also giving the Bishop more scope to manoeuver. |
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19... Rfd8 20. Qh4
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Threatening Qxh7 checkmate, of course. |
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20... g6
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My intention after 20...h6 was to bring the Rook into the fun via f3. |
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21. Be7
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Black is now fatally weak on the dark squares, and with his pieces cut off on the Queenside, checkmate is almost inevitable. |
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21... Ne3 22. Bf6 Qb6 23. Kh1 h5 24. Qg5 Ng4
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The knight makes it across the board to aid the King, covering h6 from a White Queen invasion, but ... |
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25. Bxg6
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! |
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25... Nxf6 26. exf6
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Checkmate cannot be avoided. Black Resigns. |
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