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My second game vs. omwatson in this round of GK #22. I deploy a Scandanavian vs. his 1.e4, which holds equal until a slip by my opponent on move 8. He dug in after that, and played a great game afterwards. It was a well fought game on both sides, and I applaud his efforts:) |
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1. e4 d5
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I choose the Scandanavian, which is a favorite of mine. I find that the resulting pawn chain and knight placement are positive for black, and I play it a lot vs. 1.e4 players. |
 
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2. exd5
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White accepts, with the usual thought of trying to maintain initiative and tempo. |
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2... Qxd5
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Maintaining material balance. |
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3. Nc3
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Developing, while chasing the queen. All pretty standard so far, and I've seen it a million times. |
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3... Qa5
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A very standard response. With the queen on a5, I plan on playing an eventual c6 to create an escape alley for her to retreat down, all the while bolstering the center. I envision playing Bg4 after white's Nf3, and I plan on knights posted on d7 and f6, and castling short. |
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4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2
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Interposing the pin, and preparing to castle. |
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5... Nf6 6. O-O e6 7. a3
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I was a little surprised here, as I would have expected d3 or even b3. My choices now are either developing my dark squared bishop, or ensuring my queen's long term safety. |
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7... c6
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c6 is usually a mandatory play during this variation of the Scandi. Now my queen will be around for a while if needed. |
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8. b4
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? A big mistake. Black can now grab a pawn while freely developing to a pretty good square. Obviously, white cannot grab the bishop for fear of losing a rook. |
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8... Bxb4 9. Bb2
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While now a pawn down, this is a good developing move as white is seeking control of this long diagonal and possibly even considering BxN which would damage a king's potentially castled position. |
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9... Be7
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Safely retreating while protecting the potential bishop for knight exchange I just mentioned. |
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10. h3
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Had this move been made earlier and I had not won a pawn already, I would have played BxN (a position I have been in numerous times). However, now up a pawn, I retreat and try to keep every advantage I have. |
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10... Bh5 11. g4
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White starts seriously slugging. While this move weakens his castled position, it is very aggressive and shows me that this guy is not scared of me at all. My compliments. |
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11... Bg6 12. d3 Nbd7 13. Nd4
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Seeking to expand further by an eventual f4. |
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13... O-O
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Black has now achieved every goal of the opening strived for. |
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14. Nb3
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As I was intending to play Qc7 or Qd8 anyway, this move didn't scare me. |
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14... Qc7 15. Rb1
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Getting a rook to a half open file, which is good. |
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15... Nd5
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Seeking to trade material. |
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16. Nxd5
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White obliges. |
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16... exd5
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Black now has a slightly better position. The king is safe, a stable pawn chain is in the works, rooks are connected, and the minor pieces are viable. |
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(1700)