Annotated chess game: A good start to Team matches!

ANNOTATED GAME

A good start to Team matches!
fatcat2 (1383) vs. oj_sympson (1385)
Annotated by: fatcat2 (1200)
Chess opening: QGA (D20), 3.e4

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1. d4	Thus begins my FIRST EVER team match! My team, the Knights Who Say Ni!, are playing against Team Checkmate.



1... d5 2. c4	Queen's Gambit...my favourite opening.



2... dxc4 3. e4	3.Nf3 is the more flexible and quieter move; 3.e4 tends to be sharper.



3... Nf6 4. e5	The good thing about 3.e4: if Black develops a piece, White is often able to push his central pawns with tempo.
	2 comments cliang (1723) on 08-Feb-09: I think black response rather weakly with 3... Nf6; I like 3... e5 or c5, striking at white's center immediately. dmaestro (1647) on 08-Feb-09: That is why ...e5! instead has been preferred for a long time.


4... Nd5 5. Bxc4 e6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bd2 Nc6	Rapid development for both sides ensues; however I am not convinced that Black can shrug off the disadvantage that my powerful central pawns give him.



8. Nf3 Nxc3 9. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3	Feel free. A series of exchanges gives me my c-pawn again, and bolsters my central pawns.
	1 comment dmaestro (1647) on 08-Feb-09: Black needs to be careful, moves like ...Ne7 come to mind.


10... O-O 11. O-O a6 12. Bd3	The reason for this move? In GM Yasser Seirawan's "Winning Chess Combinations" I had just discovered a chapter on the brilliant "Classical Bishop Sacrifice" which you are about to see. This stylish attacking motif captured my imagination, and I resolved to use this attack as soon as possible. This is about to be my first attempt at using it.
	2 comments cyko (1200) on 09-Feb-09: I love this move, I do this move as well, usually backed up by my c1 bishop, but p-h4 works well too. I personally would've noticed what you were doing because I use this combo. With you not having a black square bishop I would've simply moved p-g6. fatcat2 (1200) on 09-Feb-09: Absolutely. The weakness you have cited means that the attack as played in this game only really worked because my opponent didn't really notice what I was up to.


12... b5 13. h4	The Classical Bishop Sacrifice attack runs Bxh7 Kxh7 Ng5 . 13.h4 prevents ...Qxg5. h4 also comes in to the attack after ...Kg6.



13... Bb7 14. Bxh7+	One!



14... Kxh7	As Seirawan so nicely puts it, it's a case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't". On the one hand, Black will be left a pawn down after 14.Kh8, and White retains a good attacking possibility...on the other, White's crushing attack starts after Kxh7.



15. Ng5+	Two!



15... Kg8 16. Qh5	Three! Isn't it amazing how quickly the attacking pieces leap into position with this attack! Suddenly, checkmate is forced - this is why ...Kg8 is considered inferior to ...Kg6. But then, Black is in big trouble anyway.
	2 comments cliang (1723) on 08-Feb-09: An almost instructional play of the "Greek Gift." The only problem is about using the h4-pawn instead of the c1-bishop to support the knight is that the h6-square is not as dangerous for the black king to flee to. After [15... Kh6 16. Qd2 Qd7 17. Nxe6+ Kh7 18. Nxf8+] an equal game appears -- although, I prefer black with two pieces to a rook and two pawns. fatcat2 (1200) on 08-Feb-09: Obviously I had no choice - as you can see, White's dark-squared bishop sadly no longer exists. You are right, though.


16... Re8	Escaping the checkmate in 1, but this allows a picturesque checkmate in 5.



17. Qxf7+ Kh8 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Qh8+ Ke7 21. Qxg7#	A very neat and stylish win. Remind me to use this attack more often :-).
	3 comments soultosqueeze (2207) on 08-Feb-09: Very nice mating combination indeed. cyko (1200) on 09-Feb-09: The problem is that the better the opponent the more trouble I end up in if this is blocked or cut short in progress. I find it to be a better attack when playing blitz. But I must admit, it's a thing of beauty when it works! zugswanger (1965) on 10-Feb-09: beautiful