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From	Message
brigadecommander 05-Jan-13, 15:28	Stonewall match #1 This will be the starting position between brigadecommander vs stalhandski, We will play two games with this starting position. In the next game stalhandske will take the White side. You are all encouraged to make comments.We also will comment from time to time. It is Whites move.
stalhandske 06-Jan-13, 01:22	for all students please, first have a look at and study brigadecommander's Stonewall thread in order to obtain the background to this position, at gameknot.com
stalhandske 06-Jan-13, 01:26	then the next step is to evaluate the current "starting position" according to principles very neatly summarized by elyhim on his mentoring page and copied here 1. Material relationship 2. Presence of direct threats 3. King position and their safety 4. Possession of open lines 5. Pawn structure, weak and strong points 6. The center and space 7. Development and the position of pieces
brigadecommander 06-Jan-13, 02:26	White plays 9.O-O it is Blacks move. . moves so far ;1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nd2 Be7 5. f4 c5 6. c3 O-O 7. Ngf3 c4 8. Bc2 Nc6. 9.0-0
brigadecommander 06-Jan-13, 03:03	White plays 10.Qe2 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nd2 Be7 5. f4 c5 6. c3 O-O 7. Ngf3 c4 8. Bc2 Nc6.9.0-0. Ng5.10.Qe2 In contrast to the example game where Black played 9....b4, Black plays the much better move of 9..Ng5. This attacks the pawn on e3 and more importantly would allow black if he chooses,to block the b1-h7 diagonal of whites Bishop on c2,by f5. Black has now equalized the Position.The contours of the game now are much different then in the example game. Closed positional Maneuverings now dictate the tenor of this game. Rather like the trench warfare of WW1.
stalhandske 06-Jan-13, 03:21	comment on 9...Ng5 brigadecommander is partially right about my reasons for this move. As background, I have to admit that my experience with Stonewall is almost non-existing whilst brigadecommander must be considered a specialist. One of the key threats against black in this opening system is the execution of a "Greek gift sacrifice" by Bxh7 (see example game). Therefore, 9...Ng5 may seem adventurous as Nf6 is a key protector of the h7 square. However, anticipating a white attack on the King side, Ng5 is a counter-attack that indeed (as Janet says) allows f5, which was my plan, blocking the path from white's LSB to h7. My "feeling for" f5, again, stems for my liking the Dutch defence (this might be illogical, but feeling is often important in chess), and its power for attack on the K-side. Before moving 10....f5, let me just add that in my opinion 9....b5 would have been a perfectly defendable move!
brigadecommander 06-Jan-13, 06:05	Black plays 10....f5 and White plays 11.b4 Each side pursues their respective strategies. White consolidates his left flank and Black prepares to play against Whites King side.
stalhandske 06-Jan-13, 06:34	9...Ng4 not Ng5! Thanks hogfysshe for the correction!
brigadecommander 06-Jan-13, 06:37	sorry guys and thanks for correcting. It ain't easy.
stalhandske 07-Jan-13, 00:21	changed strategies As implied by brigadecommander, black's advance on the kingside has completely changed the original Stonewall strategies. White now advances her queenside infantry. Black's knight at g4 has done its job (allowing the important 10....f5) and may now return to f7. Black's LSB should be developed, and one (very secret) plan is to move it via d7 and e8 to be active on the kingside. White may plan 12. b5, which may require preventive action. Black has already made his 11th move (Janet administers all moves). Can you guess what it is? If you do, please motivate.
brigadecommander 07-Jan-13, 03:10	Black plays 12....a6 and White moves 13.a4 White conducts a military demonstration on his left flank. This is done to 'ferret' out Blacks intentions. Also to develop his queen side and also just to gain Blacks attention. So in Essence a 'waiting move'.
brigadecommander 07-Jan-13, 03:48	this is the correct position and move order. 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nd2 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. f4 Be7 7. Ngf3 O-O 8. O-O c4 9. Bc2 Ng4 10. Qe2 f5 11. b4 a6 12. a4 .
stalhandske 07-Jan-13, 03:51	Deleted by stalhandske on 07-Jan-13, 03:52.
stalhandske 07-Jan-13, 03:54	Black has to pay attention! Black has to be very alert, especially important when playing against a stronger player. I think calling 12. a4 a "waiting move" is an understatement. White's infantry is conducting a full scale attack in order to dominate the Q side. Black will now follow his plan (see above comment) of moving back his knight to f6 and of re-deploying his "inactive" LSB (first to Bd7). The g4 knight has no function any longer. At f6 it eyes e4.
brigadecommander 07-Jan-13, 05:39	Black plays 12...Nf6,and White plays 13.Ne5 White 'sorties' one of his Helicopter Brigades on a reconnaissance mission.
stalhandske 07-Jan-13, 06:01	Stalhandske is not used to helicopters.... With my most recent war experience only from the 30 Years War in the 17th century I would call that cavallery, not heli...heli...well, whatever   Black continues to follow his plan (see earlier statements). To take that knight now with 13...Nxe5 would not benefit black the least, just bring a strong white pawn to e5.
elyhim 07-Jan-13, 06:59	7-point analysis at Stalhandske's request black to move 1. Material relationship There is material equality on the board. neither side has an advantage 2. Direct threats As of yet there are currently no direct threats on the board, Although white does possess a slight lead in initiative. 3. King position and their safety. Both have castled kingside which means that traditionally that play with be on the queenside. Both players have moved pawns in front of their king which has somewhat weakened the squares around the kings. 4. possession of open lines There are currently no open lines. Although, the half open f-file is currently being contested by both players. Each has a rook on the file. However, white possession greater potential because of the presence of the LSB controlling the half open b1-h7 diagonal which is not matched by black. Furthermore, the influence of the black rook on the f-file is hindered by the presence of the knight on f6. Although black's LSB does x-ray the f5 square which for the moment makes it impossible for white to open the f-file further. On the queenside black does seem to have the better of it because black's DSB's influence on the f8-a3 diagonal. Futhermore, there is potential to contest for control of the b-file with the support of the bishop+knight and rook. 5. pawn structure, weakness and strong points. Both white and black of central binds on e4 and e5. However, the presence of the white knight on e5 temporary ensures that white has a slight advantage in the centre. White possesses strong point on e5 and c5. Whereas black only possesses e4 which is adequately covered by white at this time. As for weak points, because of the identical king pawn structures both players possess weakness on g6 and g3. As well both players have backward pawns on e6 and e3. The only imbalance is that white has another backward pawn on c3. However, the f5 point is under considerable pressure and will need to be addressed by black 6. Centre and space Here it seems clear that the presence of the white knight on e5 gives white a clear advantage in the center and space. Furthermore the white queen pawns seem to limit black's current potential on the queenside. Black is clearly cramped and with need to exchange pieces without creating further structural weaknesses. 7. Development and piece placement Here it seems that white is clearly better because of the white knight on e5. The position of the white LSB on c2 and the rook on f1 work harmoniously to put pressure on f5. White's other knight can easily go to f3 entering the game. Where as black's pieces are less harmonious and not as active as their white counterparts. Giving white a strong temporary advantage. General conclusions: White's main task should to use his space and central advantage by rallying to attack to force black to open the f-file. Where as black should focus on resolving the problem LSB and attaining to the ...g6 weakness. White should avoid immediate piece exchanges and continue to build up on the kingside. Black however, should aim to cause distraction on the queenside with ...a5 to try and create open lines and diagonals on the b-file, or possibly the a-file. In the end though white does possess greater central dominance and slight initiative he can not currently do anything with it. This means black does have time to reorganize his defense and create opportunities on the queen side.
stalhandske 07-Jan-13, 07:08	many thanks to elyhim This analysis is very valuable to everyone watching this game. It will teach you how a really strong player thinks about a certain position. What to consider and how, and how to develop plans on the basis of such an analysis. I warmly recommend it!
stalhandske 07-Jan-13, 07:23	IS ANYONE WATCHING/STUDYING THIS? It would be important for the mentors to know whether or not this thread is useful. If no-one is interested it is a waste of time for us. So, please make comments, ask questions, etc. There are no dumb comments!
brigadecommander 07-Jan-13, 07:56	Black moves 13....Bd7 and White plays 14.Nxd7 And sets a conditional move in anticipation of 14....Qxd7. The immediate plan is to use the f3-nodal point to pivot Forces to the right flank if need warrants. At the same time the White Commander is watching events on Blacks right flank for any sign of an opportunity on that front.
elyhim 07-Jan-13, 08:10	Regarding 13. ...Bd7 14. Nxd7? I have a question why would white help black out by levitating black's cramped position? Wouldn't the 14. Nf3! make more sense?
elyhim 07-Jan-13, 08:12	1... Bd7 2. Nxd7 2... Qxd7 3. Nf3 Ne4 4. Bxe4 fxe4 5. Ne5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 b5 7. a5 Rf5 = black has solved all of his problems
brigadecommander 07-Jan-13, 08:24	True..but After 14.Ndf3 black plays Be8 with a slight advantage.At least in my mind. Also i have no intention of play 15.Nf3. Your analysis is correct if i was planning to do that. I have other intentions as i hinted at in my last post. My conditional move will clarify this.
bwaa 07-Jan-13, 08:51	Nxd7 My first thought was also that this gives Black an easier game, but ...Be8 is definitely strong and I feel it would definitely give White some problems. After 14.Nxd7 Qxd7 I'm wondering if White is thinking about bringing the Q or R up to f3, to build up the kingside attack (obviously problematic if Black were allowed to play ...Be8).
stalhandske 07-Jan-13, 11:13	GREAT! So far, we've caught the attention of bwaa, whose comments are excellent! Fortunately, we have strong support from elyhim, so now this really becomes interesting. Yet, WE NEED YOU GUYS OUT THERE!! Comments, criticism, whatever, but SPEAK UP!
brigadecommander 07-Jan-13, 11:38	Black plays 14...Qxd7 and White plays 15.Rf3 White now uses the f3 nodal nodal point (interior lines road network) to bring a Tank Division forward to the front lines. White retains the option of maneuvers on either side of the battlefield or both sides simultaneously. It was thought to be necessary to eliminate the Bishop on d7 so as to facilitate whites actions. Otherwise this Bishop would now be on h5 causing an obvious problem.
ptitroque 07-Jan-13, 13:19	A very interesting game. I'll answer Stalhanske. I watch this game (it appears on my messages) and read the analyses, it's brilliant and very interesting I read Elyhim analys as well, as brilliant as the game itself but I must confess that I didn't study it deep enough to be able to make comments and even to ask questions (all seems so clear with your comments). Yet it opens my mind. Even if it's hard to explain how. I've looked at some famous games (Fisher, Morphy, Petrossian, Tal, Carlsen etc.) but the annotations were scarce. Here, one can see how the players think. Don't stop it please. I promise I'm gonna think deeper about it and may be find something to say about it. Thanks again.
stalhandske 07-Jan-13, 23:14	@ptitroque, bwaa and others Thanks for commenting! I should stress that this thread is for EVERYBODY, and definitely not restricted to members of my or brigadecommander's mentoring groups. I'd also like to stress that in my opinion the different alternative moves/plans discussed so far differ relatively little in terms of "correctness" - up to now much is really a matter of taste (or plan!). For example, whilst I agree with elyhim on his general assessment of the position after 13. Ne5, I don't think white is significantly ahead at that point. The difference might relate to a difference in weighing the importance of white's knight at e5 or white's LSB. Then again, I agree with elyhim that taking black's LSB (14. Nxd7) may not have been white's best move, and I would also have preferred Ndf3. However, as I said, I think the differences in strength here btw these moves are very small. As brigadecommander points out, much (=everything!) really depends on the PLAN. bwaa clearly thinks like brigadecommander and had already anticipated 15. Rf3! Both consider the planned path of the black LSB to the kingside a too strong threat, leading to the preference of taking it out.
myevilluck 08-Jan-13, 00:15	I don't really see how white can think it's ahead after Nxd7. I mean white isn't behind in anyway really either, but I just don't see whites attack being strong enough to do anything right now. Black could comfortably play something like N-d8-f7-d6-Nfe4 with a Qe8 somewhere, and I still think white would barely have an attack while black took control of the center and has a Knight supporting b5, but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
stalhandske 08-Jan-13, 00:31	@myevilluck Thanks for commenting! I agree 100% with myevilluck's opinion. In fact, I am currently evaluating whether to develop Nc6 the way he proposes (to reach d6) via d8 and f7, or via N-a7-c8-d6. Qe8 is also an important move (approaching the kingside), as the black Q is currently wrongly positioned (after taking the attacking knight). However, the Qe8 might have to wait for a while. The alternative I am weighing this against is an advance on the Q side.
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