GameKnot: annotated chess game - How to Make the Opponent Blunder

ANNOTATED GAME

How to Make the Opponent Blunder
Opponent (????) vs. Me (2096)
Annotated by: tiger_lilov (1200)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B34), accelerated fianchetto, exchange variation

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The game is all about how to make the opponent make tactical mistakes in practical chess games. It's a nice little trick I was taught by a chess coach, who always managed to crush those players who were only around 200 points below him. By the way, don't treat this like some novice trick when the opponent hangs pieces or loses to easy tactical tricks. I'm saying that even the club level players, class B USCF and lower really don't have a good thinking process-Modern club players are poorer in strategic understanding and don't do safety checks regularly. Although you can't force them to blunder, there are ways to play against these level of players to make the game a one sided tactical minefield, despite the objective evaluation of the position. Modern players are very strong on tactics and calculation, so when they "turn on" their tactical sight, it is hard for them to make blunders, even the club players. So the position should offer plenty of tactical chances, but also be very difficult strategically. For a player who struggles with strategy and does not apply safety, they will surely be in trouble. They will take all the time to think about strategy, which is not effective, then they can easily blunder, since they don't check moves. *All you have to do is regularly check move for safety, and that really gets rid of blunders totally.

1. e4	The key is to offer both sides plenty of positional troubles and goals to solve, while keeping tactics alive and well. That means there should be contact and tension between the forces, and the position needs some real imbalance to it positionally. If you turn it to a tactical melee, it is not really about safety check, but about calculation and tactical skills.



1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6	By the way, my opponent's USCF rating is close to 1800. Although this game was rather one sided, I had to make it that way.



3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Bc4	My opponent does not know the theory of this line, which is great for me.



5... Bg7 6. c3 Nf6 7. Nxc6	Generally, it is a mistake to play this kind of way, allowing my center to grow more powerful. However, white has a tactical idea in mind.
	1 comment cheapshotfail (1601) on 18-Jul-12: In this position, Nxc6 is actually the top move in the database surprisingly, although I do not like it either.


7... bxc6 8. e5	Now it seems that black is needing to make a tough choice, as 8...Ne4 9.Bxf7+ could lead to complications. However, black counter right back, getting the position type we discussed before.



8... Nd5	Now white pretty much has to take the d5 knight, because otherwise his idea is ruined.



9. Bxd5 cxd5 10. Qxd5 Ba6	Now white has a real problem to solve- his king. Also, the bishops are in contact with the white army, and could attack the weaknesses. White really has no tactic chances vs black. OK, black did have to sacrifice a pawn to do it, but so what? White cannot promote that extra pawn. The desciption fits the typical club player, who in this case is stronger than average. He likes material and highly values it, so subconsciously rejected ...Nd5 as being good for white, since he wins a pawn. He is willing to go through these troubles since he has the pawn. In my opinion, he is fighting a losing battle.
	2 comments elyhim (2357) on 15-Jul-12: white could ahve tried 9. 0-0 Qc7 10. Bxd5 cxd5 11. Bf4 makes e5 a bit harder for black to attack. Also now black does have to keep an eye on his weak d5 pawn. tiger_lilov (1200) on 16-Jul-12: 9.0-0 Nb6 and now white can try to gambit a pawn. But it provides really inadequete compensation.


11. Nd2 O-O 12. Nf3 Rb8	Black has already a completed development, while white still suffers trouble. These moves for me were made very fast, while the opponent is already half an hour used up.
	3 comments ionadowman (2080) on 16-Jul-12: The speed with which Black made these 'natural' moves would have helped. White ought to survive this, objectively, but time is more often than not a subjective consideration. White is having to find moves, not easy when you feel your opponent is stealing a march on you. tiger_lilov (1200) on 16-Jul-12: What do you mean? Do you want to know how fast it took to make the moves? Well, it took me about a minute a move, from move 10 to 14. Very simple. The opponent took much longer. By the way, objectively, white is actually very slightly better. However, human player will have great difficulty even getting an equality. cheapshotfail (1601) on 18-Jul-12: If white wanted to play c4 at some point, move 12 would have been optimal. After Nf3 it just becomes a total hassle to castle, and the knight's immediate development is not as important as king safety. If they had played c4, 0-0, and then Nf3 (or b3 first if necessary), then white would have had a better chance in my opinion. Of course, this is only if you didn't do something to directly stop one of those moves.


13. c4 Qc7	Attack the pawn. Now white played the move he had planned on the move before, without making the safety check- Not a good idea, since I had foreseen this move, and knew it had to be bad.
	2 comments elyhim (2357) on 15-Jul-12: It is very hard to imagine how white could do anything with this position but 13. c4? is definitely not it. ionadowman (2080) on 16-Jul-12: I thought 13.b3 might have kept White in the fight.


14. b3	(??) Now black is losing immediately. Is the white player weak? Some strong players may say so, but he is in the strong level if he were to play on the site, probably well in the 1900/2000 range if he takes his time, but it depends on how much time he uses, of course. The point is that white had to concentrate so hard on his positonal troubles, and failed to safety check the black ideas. This happens naturally to most club players. That is the reason for them to make these tactical blunders without being in a tactical position.
	1 comment ionadowman (2080) on 16-Jul-12: I think you mean White is losing immediately. I suspect White must have known he was in trouble (c4 was a mistake), and hoped this would get him out. This position presents as fine an example as you could find of an over-extended centre coming under attack from the flanks, whilst simultaneously subject ti undermining operations (the pressure doen the b- and c-files). That the White King is trapped in the centre just adds to White's woes. 14.Qd4 might have offered slender chances of survival; after the move played, he is lost.


14... Bb7	Now black is winning, and the rest of the game shows the technical plan, in which black consolidates material(not much of this, since black is still far more active) and then starts a decisive attack, winning more material.
	1 comment blitzkov (1865) on 16-Jul-12: nice move.


15. Qd4 Bxf3 16. Bf4 Bxg2	Really no need to consolidate, just keep attacking, since black's bishops rake the board.



17. Rg1 Qa5+ 18. b4 Qxb4+ 19. Bd2 Qb7 20. f4 d6	The white's king is in the center, so we should attack it by opening. This follows the idea of using ALL your advantages in a position.



21. Qf2 Qe4+ 22. Be3	Now black has a nice little combination to force the win through.



22... Rb2 23. Qg3 Bf3	White gave up, since he is losing another piece.
	1 comment ionadowman (2080) on 16-Jul-12: Can't say White's resistance was any great shakes, once things turned really bad, but he had set himself, after weakening the light Q-side squares and hence his hold on the centre, a tall and steep mountain to climb. The avalanche coming the other way would have swept him away regardless...

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