Annotated chess game

In the Pirc defense you will play against d4,e4 together often as most players have been taught to grab the center. The idea behind a hypermodern defense is allow this and then go about disrupting the center pawns. A form of counterattack.

Also called the Classical Pirc Defense. Sometimes white thinks that e5 next is a good idea due to blacks pawn capture at e5 and then white recaptures at e5 which causes the black knight to move from its favorite square. This is flawed because of QxQ by black and KxQ losing white's castling privileges. Then Ne4 or Ng4 by black threatens a fork at f2.

6. Bb5 was an opening mistake. It breaks the rule that you do not move a piece twice unless absolutely necessary. Moving the bishop was not necessary. **** This is the Austrian Attack of the Pirc Defense. Black move of 5. Nc6 was not the best choice either, but it was decidedly better than 6. Bb5. Before 6. Bb5, White had a very small edge. The move threw that edge away for an almost absolutely equal position--that Black's first goal, not White's. **** What should have been White's 6th move? The natural Nf3 was by far the best move. It develops another piece, retains the opening first move advantage, allows a King-side castle, places more pressure on the all important e5 square in which white usually invades in this variation, and protects the threatened d4 pawn. **** As apastpawn pointed out, the trade benefited Black in many ways. He now has an extra pawn to help confront White's center pawn structure, Doubled pawns in this instance is not a weakness, but rather a significant strength. Doubled pawns are good for defense purposes. The trade also gives Black a half open file to eventually develop a rook. And Black now has an extra tempo, so that he no longer has the first move disadvantage. I would much rather be Black in the resulting position.

After Bb5, could of played Bd7 which keeps the pawn structure intact incase of BxN. Sometimes you choose to allow exchanges. Here I wished to eliminate the light colored bishop, a key defender of the white kingside. This also gave me an extra pawn towards the center, thinking that d5 by white would now be covered.

Here I saw that Ng4 exchanges the N for the Bishop as the Bishop has no place to go. Thus giving me 2 bishops vs 2 knights a good thing usually in a hypermodern scheme.

This is another reason why the trade forced by 6. Bb5 was not good. Now, apastpawn is about to manipulate the position so that he has a potentially favorable bishop pair. **** Looking back, I question the wisdom of Black' s 10. ... a5 move. 10. ... Rb8 taking the half open file seems much stronger. However, perhaps he wanted to reserve this spot for the f8 rook.

An opportunistic move. White has just shut off the bishop's retreat, so Black invests 2 tempi to effect an axchange White cannot prevent. As the position remains at least semi-open, Black's possession of the B-pair will be worth the time invested. Now, Qd2 looks like a fairly desirable move for White - it is thematic anyhow - so a preparatory 11.h3 might not have gone amiss here. More than prophylactic, it would have gone towards a possible future pawn storm on the K-side. Given Black's interest in exploiting his open file, though, perhaps even before h2-h3, White should do something to slow down events on the Q-side. with 11.b3 or 11.a4 followed by 12.b3, say.

There's still time for some preventative to be taken on the Q-side...

What I said was that after a4 the better move might have been b3. If I replied axb3, then cxb3 gives white an outside passed pawn. So, I would instead play a3 and all would be tied up.

Interesting comments. I don't think the pawn exchanges on b3 would have been at all undesirable for Black, even though I agree that capturing "away from the centre" with cxb3 would have the preferable choice for White. White would be left with a (more or less) hanging pawn couple sitting at the end of a pair of open files available to Black, and White's centre would have lost support on the Q-flank. White's position would have had to stand enormous pressure....

Since 19.c3? ceded Black's rook a fine outpost square at b3, White had to find some other defence. Maybe 19.e5 came into consideration, or 19.Nc3. Probably, though, I would take the fight to Black with 19.dxc5 dxc5!? 20.Red1 Qc6(say) 21.Nc3 with a reasonable looking game. More than likely, Black will prefer 19...Bxb2 20.e5 Qc6!? (unpinning the d-pawn) 21.cxd6 cxd6 22.N2d4 Qc5 (pinning the knight) 23.exd6 exd6 21.f5 and White is still giving Black something to think about.

After this move I had a long think. I debated the sac. at f3 and the in between move Rd3 first. By playing Rd3 it drives the queen somewhat from the defense of the king. Plus after Rd3 I still am able to play the sac if I wish.

White gets: Rook; Black gets: Knight, pawn and a somewhat naked white King. Sounds like a good deal.

I too thought moving the king to guard f3 was better. Believe in chat I said she didn't have time to take the c pawn as the queen was needed in defense. So the pawn was poisoned.

Here some would simple do the exchange BxR with a better endgame for black. But if you have a good move always look for a better one. Qg3 threatens mate if white does Kf1, so white has to move away from the rook (deflection) and the rook falls next.

White could delay the mate by playing Qd2, guarding the mating square at h3. But this is met by e2 thus blocking the queen. In chat I politely mentioned that it was Bobby who said: "First you sac. then check, check, mate."

28.Qd7 e6 29.Qxe6 fxe6 30.Rf1 Qh3#; or, slower but more forcing: 28.Qd7 Qxf3ch 29.Kh2 Bg3ch 30.Kh3 (30.Kg1 Qf2 31.Kh1 Qh2#) 30...Bxf4ch 31.Kh4 and Black can choose from 3 mates: 31...g5, 31...Bg5#, or 31...Qh5#. White showed willing to carry the fight to the opponent when things got difficult, but perhaps left it too late to offer effective resistance. (Just by the way - Fischer's remark was what he thought of White's prospects against the Sicilian Dragon...)