GameKnot: annotated chess game

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ANNOTATED GAME:

Team match
starper277 (1820) vs. haddibje (1844)
Annotated by: arrakis08

(1815)
Chess opening: Reti opening (A05)

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1. Nf3	Here's an impressive fighting game between two class A players.
	1 comment harlekin92 (1919) on 23-Jul-09: Let's see -


1... Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d4 d5	Safer continuations are either 3...e6 or 3...dxc. The variations which arise after 3...d5?! are very sharp and favorable to White with best play for both sides. Analysis Line: fen="rnbqkb1r/pp2pppp/5n2/2pp4/2PP4/5N2/PP2PPPP/RNBQKB1R b" White can gain an advantage in this line by playing 4. cxd5 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nxd5 6. e4 Nb4 fen="rnbqkb1r/pp2pppp/8/8/1n1NP3/8/PP3PPP/RNBQKB1R b" Note that Black is threatening 7...QxN! Play continues with 7. Be3 N8c6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. Bxc6 Nxc6 fen="r2qkb1r/pp2pppp/2n5/8/4P3/4B3/PP3PPP/RN1QK2R b" Here the "book line" is 11. Nc3 giving White a slight edge because of his lead in development and the pawn at e4. However this entire line has practically been refuted at this point because instead of the move 11. Nc3 White has the immediate 11. Qb3! Black will have to play something ugly like 11...Qc7 or 11...Qc8 to defend the b-pawn. Then White will continue to build a slow positional crush with moves like Nc3, O-O and Rc1. Black will have a very bad game.
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4. dxc5 Qa5+	White chooses to play 4. dxc5 and Black responds with 4...Qa5 White plays the obvious looking move 5. Nc3. He could also have chosen another idea. Look at the position after 5. Bd2!? Qxc5 6. cxd5 e6 7. Nc3 exd5 8. Rc1 fen="rnb1kb1r/pp3ppp/5n2/2qp4/8/2N2N2/PP1BPPPP/2RQKB1R b" and Black has difficulties in this position because of two reasons: 1) He's behind in development 2) His queen is not well placed.
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5. Nc3 dxc4 6. e4	What!? Did White just blunder a pawn away? The more I looked at this position the more I came to realize that 6. e4! was a brilliant move! White is not only playing the board position, he's also playing against the player. To make sense out of what I'm saying think of it like this. Black has chosen risky variations because he's 'playing for the win'. Black wants complications and a tactical melee, but in doing so he has neglected development and committed his queen early. White's idea is to force Black into a confrontation before he can develop.
	1 comment starper277 (1884) on 16-Jan-09: Not sure if 6.e4 can be called brilliant, but thank you anyway. I usually would play 6.e3 but must've been feeling adventurous that day. -


6... Nxe4 7. Qd4 Nxc3 8. Bd2 Nc6 9. Qxc4 Be6 10. Qxc3	If Black exchanges queens how is he going to develop his K-bishop? And would White be threatening domination on the Q-side with b5-b6? Black has no play if the queens come off so he retrieves his queen.
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10... Qc7 11. Bb5 O-O-O 12. O-O f6 13. a4 Bd5 14. Bxc6 Qxc6 15. Nd4 Qa6 16. Nb5 e5 17. b4	Let's evaluate this position. Black has the center and the bishop pair, but his queen doesn't look very healthy at the moment and the pawn storm is coming on the Black king. I prefer White's position.
	1 comment starper277 (1884) on 16-Jan-09: Black will need to find a way to develop kingside pieces. Will he find the time required? -


17... Kb8 18. Nd6	If 18...BxN? then b5 and Black drops his queen!
	3 comments blake84120 (2161) on 15-Jan-09: Please help me understand why 19.Be3 is forced after 18. Nd6 Qe2? Seems to me white has other options, and if he keeps the third rank open, his queen prevents that draw, and hence black cannot force a draw. Am I missing something? If so, I'd like to know what it is. starper277 (1884) on 15-Jan-09: 18.Nd6 is a mistake since it allows black to improve his position: 18... Qe2 19.Be3 Bxg2! 20.Kxg2 Qg4+ 21. Kh1 Qf3+ with a draw by repetition. or: 18... Qe2 19.Rfe1 Qg4 20.f3 Qd7 21.Nb5 a6 22.Na3 Bc6 23.Be3 Qd3 and I don't think white can claim an advantage here. The Knight was very well placed on b5 so a more sensible continuation might be: 18.Be3 Qe6 19.f3 Rc8 20.Rfd1 Be7 21.Nxa7! Kxa7 22.c6+ Kb8 23.b5! Rf7 24.Qa5 bxc6 25.bxc6 Qxc6 26.Rxd5 Rd8 27.Rb5+ Kc8 28.Bb6(+-) white wins the exchange and has a winning endgame. ionadowman (2102) on 15-Jan-09: This is quite a remarkable position. At first sight, there appears to be considerable justification for White to feel optimistic, especially as this outpost knight is - for the moment at least - taboo. But starper277 makes a strong case that the knight move wasn't so good. A couple of other lines to look at (from the diagram position): [1] 18...Qe2! 19.Rfe1!? Qg4 20.f3 Qd7 21.Qd3? Bxd6 22.Qxd5 Bxc5+ and Black enters a major piece ending with a pawn extra; [2] 18...Qe2 19.Rae1 Qg4 20.f3 Qd7 21.f4! Bxd6 22.cxd6 Qxd6 23.fxe5 fxe5 24.Rxe5 (approx =). A possible continuation is 24...Bxg2?! 25.Bf4! Bxf1 26.Re4 Qxf4 27.Rxf4 and though material is nominally even, White probably would have an edge. ********* BUT WAIT; THERE'S MORE!! starper offers an interesting plausible alternative continuation. Possibly White could play the Nxa7 move sooner in that line? E.g. 18.Be3!? Qc6!? (This might not be Black's best, at that, but it is plausible enough) 19.Nxa7!!? ... Now Black dare not retake: 19...Kxa7? 20.b5 Qc8 21.Qa5+ Kb8 22.c6! threatening mate in 3 beginning 23.Ba7+. So, the queen has to move: 19...Qe6 20.c6 bxc6 21.b5 c5 22.Qa5! (22.Bxc5 leads to a favorable rook ending; no more) ...Rd7 23.Nc6+ Bxc6 24.bxc6 Qxc6 25.Rab1+ Kc8 26.Rfc1 and White's attack looks pretty strong. -


18... Qe2 19. Be3 Qg4 20. f3 Qe6 21. Nb5 a6 22. Na3 Bb3	Black is going after pawns while still neglecting to develop his remaining pieces. Neither his K-bishop nor K-rook have ever moved during the entire game. How should White respond?
	2 comments ionadowman (2102) on 15-Jan-09: Black's game does seem to be teetering on the edge of the abyss... It seems risky to go after a pawn that once captured, will leave an open file against one's own king. More interesting would have been 22...Be7 or something. distrojah (1719) on 21-Jun-09: I think white could also have tried to trap the black queen on the move 19 with f3... -


23. b5 Bxa4 24. bxa6 Qb3	Black has relied on tactics to save his game, but now comes...
	1 comment ionadowman (2102) on 15-Jan-09: Now, isn't it a crying shame that Black's rook at d8 is not standing on c8?! Had it done so, this might have happened: 25.a7+ Ka8?! 26.Nc4!! Qxc3? 27.Nb6+ Kxa7 28.Rxa4+ Kb8 29.Ra8+ Kc7 30.Rxc8#. -


25. Qc1	A very strong reply. Black is crushed while his two pieces that were never allowed into the game can only look on in horror.
	2 comments starper277 (1884) on 15-Jan-09: White can also exchange queens here and still maintain a winning position : 25.Qxb3 Bxb3 26.Nb5 bxa6 27.Rxa6 Bc4 28.Rb6+ Kc8 29.Na7+ Kc7 30.Rfb1 Rd3 31.Rb7+ Kd8 32.c6 Ke8 (32... Rxe3 leads to mate in 2) 33.c7 and white is winning. ionadowman (2102) on 15-Jan-09: Also very strong for White is 25.a7+, when Black has to play 25...Ka8 26.Rfc1 Qxc3 27.Rxc3 Be7 (say) 28.Nc4 with a powerful attack. The king dare not take on a7, of course: 25.a7+ Kxa7?? 26.Qa5+ Kb8 27.Qxd8+ Ka7 ... The win of the rook ought to be convincing enough, but White's attack now rolls on greased rails: 28.Nb5+! Qxb5 29.c6+ Bc5 30.Rxa4+! Qxa4 31.Bxc5+ b6 32.Qc7+ Ka6 33.Qxb6#. So many great 25th moves to choose from. Makes you want this to be three games, not one! -


25... Rd3	Black's still counting on those tactics. This is a good example of a sharp class A player can lose to a person of Master understanding of the game.
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26. Rb1 Qxa3 27. Rxb7+ Ka8 28. Qb1	"Come on", you say, "White could've stopped mate with 28...Rb3!" More tactical thinking. Tactical thinking is good, but not a substitute for more important things such as development and king safety. After 28...Rb3 it's MATE in 14 moves beginning with 29. Qe4. And after 28...Qb3 and it's MATE in 16 moves. Congratulations starper277, you played an excellent game employing what most instructors have been teaching for years about priorities: 1) Development 2) King Safety. If someone thinks I have these turned around, I don't. With proper development the king is safe - otherwise chess would be 'busted'.
	2 comments starper277 (1884) on 14-Jan-09: if 28... Rb3 29. Qe4 and it's mate to follow shortly. ionadowman (2102) on 15-Jan-09: Let's go back to move 26, though. Could Black survive after 26...Rxe3+!? 27.Rxb3 Rxb3 28.axb7 Rxb7, do you reckon? ******** I agree with starper277 that after 28...Rb3 it's a quick finish: Mate in 5 in fact: 29.Qe4 f5 30.Qd5 Bd7 31.Rb4+ (Rxb3+ is just the same; I'm just showing off) 31...Bc6 32.Qxc6+ Ka7 33.Qb7#. Leading to a rather slower mate is 28...Qb3 29.Rxb3 Rxb3 30.Qe4+ Ka7, but who would want to carry on after 31.Qxa4, or (better) 31.c6+? -


28... Bxc5 29. Ra7+
	2 comments starper277 (1884) on 14-Jan-09: Cute finish. ionadowman (2102) on 15-Jan-09: Elegant. If Black saw this coming - and he might very well have done - then his 28th move shows how to lose with grace. Very gentlemanly. -