GameKnot: annotated chess game

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ANNOTATED GAME:

Let's Play Chess
pascalbercker (1652) vs. yttrio (1634)
Annotated by: yttrio (1794)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B22), 2.c3, Heidenfeld variation

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	This game, though not full of wild and crazy tactics, was one of my best games on GameKnot. It was a relatively even game up until the end. It also was the first time (and currently the only time) I encountered the situation of bishops of opposite color in a GameKnot game. Most of the analysis is pretty straightforward, but it should be instructional.

1. e4	King pawn opening, very popular and solid.
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1... c5	The Sicilian defence, an opening I enjoy playing as black.
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2. c3	Alapin's variation. The pawn on c3 supports an eventual pawn on d4.
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2... Nf6	This move develops the knight with the tempo of attacking the e4 pawn.
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3. e5	Attacks the knight and removes the pawn from danger.
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3... Nd5	Removes the knight from danger and moves to a central location.
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4. d4	The pawn thrust that was supported by 2) c3.
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4... cxd4	Trading of central pawns to open up the c-file.
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5. cxd4	Completely opens the c-file. The battle for this file will come into play later on in the game.
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5... e6	I was still going off the database at this point. The top two options for black were d6 and e6. I prefered e6 because d6 seemed to temporarily lock in my black bishop. I had plans of developing my white bishop to b7, so I didn't view e6 as locking in my white bishop.
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6. Nf3	Standard developing move.
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6... b5	This was the point where the game left the database. As I mentioned before, the plan is to develop the bishop to b7 and take control of the long diagonal. The move b6 was also a possibility, but b5 was a nice little trap. If white plays spontaneously 7) Bxb5, he loses the bishop to 7) ... Qa5 , forking the king and bishop. The only way to defend both threats is 8) Nc3, after which black wins a piece with 8) ... Nxc3. This trap is a good one to watch out for. Besides setting a trap, b5 also takes up more space on the queenside after being eventually backed up by a pawn on a6. This is an example of a good trap: one that improves your position while giving your opponent an opportunity to make a blunder. The only potential downside to this move is that it weakens the c5 square, and this will come to show later in the game.
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7. a3	Of course, my opponent was too good to fall for the trap. Instead, he stops a possible bishop check at b4.
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7... Bb7	Developing the bishop. The other option was to immediately play a6 (which is the intended pawn set-up) and to play Bb7 next move, but I figured it would be better to leave the trap still in the air, just in case.
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8. Bd3	It's now clear that white is definitely not going to fall for the trap. Instead, he clears the way to castle kingside.
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8... a6	If white castles, the trap no longer exists. This move supports the b6 pawn and moves into the structure I had planned.
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9. O-O Nc6	Develops the knight and puts pressure on d4.
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10. b4	Solidifies the pawn structure and provides an excellent knight outpost at c5. This move also limits the mobility of my black bishop, whose only developing move is on e7. A good, solid move.
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10... Qb6	I was a bit torn between Qb6 and Nb6 at this point. Qb6 has the immediate threat of winning the d4 pawn, but Nd6 is a much more strategical move. Nd6 would prepare my knight to infiltrate at either c4 or a4 (probably c4), which would put it at a good outpost. Nd4 would also start to clear up the long diagonal for my white bishop. I ended up going with Qd6, which may have been a small mistake.
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11. Be3	Defends the pawn on e4 while developing the bishop.
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