Annotated chess game: Challenge from charleshiggie

ANNOTATED GAME

Challenge from charleshiggie
charleshiggie (1958) vs. renniemay (2281)
Annotated by: charleshiggie

(2140)
Chess opening: QGD (D53), 4.Bg5 Be7, 5.e3 O-O

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This interesting game asks for your opinions at vital points, and asks for you to find the mate in 6 moves at the end. All in just 24 moves! Enjoy!

1. d4	This was one of my first loses on Gameknot. At the time both of us had much lower grades - I was 1711 and she was 1774.



1... d5 2. c4	The standard queen's gambit. If black takes, white quickly recaptures the pawn.



2... e6	The queen's gambit declined.
	1 comment kv-ly (1200) on 01-Nov-09: I generally play the Declined, or the Slav Defence, with c6.


3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O	This is all pretty standard stuff



6. Qc2	This is slightly unusual however. At the time I was playing a line 6......h6 7. h4!? and if hxg5, 8 hxg5 and if the knight goes to anywhere other than e4 white has Qh7 mate! after Ne4 white captures twice on e4 and has two pawns and an attack for the bishop - I am not sure if it really sound, but it is an interesting line. Black here decides on another option.
	2 comments kv-ly (1200) on 01-Nov-09: It's not that unusual. Qc2 is a variation of the Declined, the Anti-Meran Variation. jotheblackqueen (1200) on 08-Nov-09: It certainly puts h7 under the hammer.


6... dxc4	This again is slightly unusual. Normally black waits until white has moves the Bf1 before taking here - thus saving a tempo.
	3 comments kv-ly (1200) on 01-Nov-09: Generally Bd3 and then dxc4. jotheblackqueen (1200) on 08-Nov-09: You mean Bd6? charleshiggie (2140) on 10-Nov-09: No, kv-ly is right, normally black waits until white commits the bishop to d3 before exchanging on c4


7. Bxc4 Nc6	And now with this move, black takes us out of the opening databases.
	2 comments archduke_piccolo (2352) on 01-Nov-09: Placing the knight in front of the c-pawn creates an odd impression... charleshiggie (2140) on 02-Nov-09: Yes, I think the combination of black's 6th and 7th moves led me to underestimate her.


8. Nf3 Nb4 9. Qd2 b6 10. e4	With the wonderful gift of hindsight, I think now that this is over-optimistic. Perhaps white should just play 10. 0-0 here, perhaps followed by Ne5 and f4. What do you think dear reader?



10... c5 11. d5	Again d5 seems too aggressive, especially with the king still in the centre. 0-0 seems best still, although it is hard to see any advantage for white. Any thoughts dear reader?
	1 comment damalfi (1200) on 02-Dec-10: Well, I am an aggressive player: o-o-o! a2 is protected, and this adds in one move (relative) king's safety and strenght on the d column. h4 is also a choice, solidifying white's half pin.


11... Nxe4	I hadn't seen this.
	1 comment jotheblackqueen (1200) on 08-Nov-09: Hmm, it looked as though you had got that e4 square covered. I wouldn't have seen it either.


12. Nxe4 exd5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Bxd5 Rd8	White position is poor. I thought now, if I have to return the piece, I may as well get a pawn for it, and played Bf7+, rather hoping for Kxf7, Qf4+ and then I can castle at last. My opponent finds an improvement however! Perhaps Bxa8 is best here - giving up the queen for two rooks? After 15. Bxa8 Rxd2, 16. Kxd2 perhaps white can still make a fight of it. What do you think dear reader?
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2352) on 01-Nov-09: Let's look at this line: 15.Bxa8 Rxd2 16.Kxd2 (clearly necessary) 16...Qd8ch! 17.Kc1 (neither square available on the e-file looks healthy) 17...Nd3+ 18.Kc2 Bf5 19.Bb7!? Nxf2 20.Rhd1! (Not 20.Rhe1 Qd3+ 21.Kc1 Nxe4) 20...Qe7 21.Rd2 Nxe4 22.Bxe4 Qxe4+ 23.Kd1 f6 and Black has much the more active game as well as a marginal material edge. I'm not sure White would have been all that much better off in this line than in the one he chose...


15. Bxf7+ Kh8	and Kh8 was the unexpected improvement. If now 16. Qf4 then Nc7 wins a whole rook, as 17. Ke2 is met by Ba6 mating, so white would have to play Kf1.
	2 comments ruachessnut2 (1200) on 01-Nov-09: If now 16. Qf4 then Nd3+ wins a whole queen. Since Nc7 is illegal I guess the annotator meant Nc2+. charleshiggie (2140) on 02-Nov-09: Yes I meant Nc2, and yes Nd3 would have been even better.


16. Qe2 Nd3+ 17. Kf1 Qxf7	So now black restores material equality, but the poor position of white's king, makes it very hard for white.



18. Neg5 Qd5 19. Ne5	I was rather hoping here for Nxe4, 20. Qxe4 Qxe4 21. Nf7+ Kg8 22. Nxe5 and white is not so bad, with the exchange of pieces, the poor king position is less of a handicap. Unfortunately she doesn't fall for those!
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2352) on 01-Nov-09: Maybe 19.Qe7 had to be tried. 19.Ne5 is the losing mistake...


19... Nf4 20. Qe4	Ok black to play and mate in 6!
	1 comment charleshiggie (2140) on 02-Nov-09: It is perhaps worth pointing out that if only it was white to move, there is a mate in one for white!


20... Qd1+	Did you find it? Of course, if I take the queen, she recaptures with the rook, giving mate, so my next move is forced.



21. Qe1 Ba6+	I guess actually a computer would suggest Nc4 or d3 now, as it delays mate by one move, but I am not a computer!
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2352) on 01-Nov-09: But it's that move that makes it mate in 6! As I played it through I thought for a moment I had found a mate in 5, but then noticed the bodyguard's desperate dive in front of the bullet...


22. Kg1 Ne2+ 23. Kf1 Nc1+	and now I throw in the sponge, before she plays 24. Kg1, Qxe1 mate!
	3 comments archduke_piccolo (2352) on 01-Nov-09: Nice mating combination. jotheblackqueen (1200) on 08-Nov-09: ....... and 'ware those long range bishops!! You did well to have such an exciting game because Maria is now a Master! damalfi (1200) on 02-Dec-10: Enjoyable game!