Annotated chess game: Cyrano punisce pedina scippi

ANNOTATED GAME

Cyrano punisce pedina scippi
jstevens1 (1882) vs. cyrano (2627)
Annotated by: jotheblackqueen (1200)
Chess opening: Pirc defence (B07)

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1. e4	Hi everyone! In this game I have been guilty of pawn grabbing and GM Cyrano ensured that my second game against him ended in a rout - in his favour! I thought it was OK to grab a pawn because the queens were traded off prior to that so I did not have to worry about Henry copping Old Matey. Still, the rooks were on the board and Cyrano's pieces were better developed than my own and he took full advantage of this fact. Here is how the drama unfolded. http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=17572831&rnd=0.30321710962631215



1... d6 2. d4 g6	2. ..... g6 - this opening has become the Pirc/Robatsch Defense after both the d and g pawns have been advanced one square in response to my e4 and d5. Afro is gonna allow me to develop a strong pawn centre and then undermine it.
	2 comments l-d-j (1747) on 17-Jun-12: I thought he always played the Najdorf... archduke_piccolo (2334) on 20-Jun-12: Obviously playing something a little different. Rather a sporting choice of opening methinks...


3. Nc3 Bg7	3. .... Bg7 - a natural follow up to g6.



4. Be3 Nf6 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3	6. f3 - an OK move here but maybe I should have forced off that black fianchettoed bishop for Fou Lenoir and made him weak on the a1-h8 diagonal.
	3 comments dmaestro (1647) on 17-Jun-12: In the time it takes to do that black can develop. l-d-j (1747) on 17-Jun-12: Very courageous play from White to choose this variation against such a strong player! archduke_piccolo (2334) on 20-Jun-12: Is this an aggressive or a conservative line? The sequel seems to suggest what you had in mind here was a species of Yugoslav attack often found against the Sicilian Dragon and in the Saemisch King's Indian as well. Is it appropriate here? the centre is still in a state of flux...


6... b5 7. g4 h5 8. g5 Nfd7	8. ..... Nfd7 - his knight blocks in his bishop but this is only temporary.
	1 comment dmaestro (1647) on 17-Jun-12: Perhaps premature to push the g pawn,


9. f4 Nb6 10. Nf3 O-O 11. Nh4	11. Nh4 - this move puts pressure on g6 but it does leave my knight rather dim on the rim.
	2 comments archduke_piccolo (2334) on 20-Jun-12: If the knight is doing something useful out on the rim, maybe there's more glim than dim to him. You know; extra vim. damalfi (1200) on 19-Jul-12: !!! How I wish to know English well enough!


11... b4 12. Nd1	12. Nd1 - this knight stays on this square for the rest of the game.
	3 comments blitzkov (1200) on 16-Jun-12: whats wrong with, Ne2? elyhim (1200) on 17-Jun-12: I think Nd1 avoids most of the flames. But after 12. Ne2 I see 12. ...Nc4 and then white steps into a war zone with 13. Qd3 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 c5 15. cxd5 is very unclear. archduke_piccolo (2334) on 20-Jun-12: Possibly White wanted to keep the f1-Bishop's eye upon c4, obviating ...Nc4. On balance, Jo's choice is probably best. I think I would have chosen it as well.


12... c5 13. dxc5 dxc5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Bxc5	15. Bxc5?! - Gameknot Analysis marks this move as an innaccuracy and suggested f5 as an improvement.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 20-Jun-12: An interesting motif here. Black has sacrificed a pawn and exchanged queens (or allowed the exchange) with his army only half mobilized. But White is scarcely further ahead. Would Black have exchanged Queens after 14.Bxc5, or played something like 14...Na6 instead? As things now stand, Black looks to have the more solid position, and possibly looks the better going into an endgame. Although the c5-Bishop is attacking two loose Black pawns, it's not going to win either...


15... Bb7	15. .... Bb7 - Afro exploits the undefended e4 pawn. I defend it with Bg2 - maybe Bd3 was better because if black tried to exploit the pin with f5 then I could bolster my e pawn with Nf2 next move allowing Henry to castle queenside.
	1 comment damalfi (1200) on 19-Jul-12: Hard choice, but it looks very solid, Bd3. Besides, there the bishop looks to g6, just in case...


16. Bg2 Rc8 17. Bxb6 axb6 18. Kd2	18. Kd2 - I did not want to displace Henry but alas, he was the only piece that could defend my pawn on c2 and at the same time preventing a rook incursion on that square.
	2 comments elyhim (1200) on 17-Jun-12: 18. e5! is a very interesting way to defend c2 by forcing the exchange of LSB. for example 18. ...Bxg2 19. Nxg2 Rxc2? 20. Nge3! and white will have a very active position in exchange for the pawn. archduke_piccolo (2334) on 20-Jun-12: Would the return of the pawn as suggested by elyhim, have given White an even game? Possibly it was more promising, as it consolidated White's game somewhat, but Black remains in firm possession of the initiative: 18.e5 Bxg2 19.Nxg2 Rxc2 20.Nge3 Rc5 (switching his attack onto the a-file) 21.a3 bxa3 (21...Nc6 22.axb4! Rxa1 23.bxc5 bxc5 24.0-0) 22.Rxa3 Rxa3 23.bxa3 Ra5 24.Nc2 Ra4 25.Rf1. Even so, a win for Black looks hard to come by.


18... Rc4 19. Re1	19. Re1 - bolstering my e4 pawn.
	1 comment damalfi (1200) on 19-Jul-12: BxN was probably a mistake. This pawn in b4 looks much more annoying than it seemed before.


19... Nc6 20. c3 bxc3+ 21. bxc3 Nb4	21. Nb4 - this move, taking advantage of the pin on my c3 pawn doubly attacks my a2 pawn.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 20-Jun-12: The moment I saw 20.c3, I thought: 'This is it! White must behind after this.' Up until now, White was still in it: an uphill fight, but more or less keeping the balance. 20.Ne3 or maybe 20.Bf1 kept White in the struggle. Then, after 20...bxc3ch (I was expecting 20...Rd8ch, which is also good) 21.Nxb3 had to be played. Now Black's advantage should be decisive.


22. a3 Rd8+	22. ...... Rd8+!! - this rook move is a killer. Whichever square Henry chooses to go to it will allow a knight fork, either on c3 or d3. I realised that one move later and waved the white flag. It was just so amazing how quickly a seemingly OK position can fall apart in the space of a couple of moves! I thought I had a telling advantage being a pawn up but Afro made me have another think coming - although my rating is now just 5 points south of 1900 thanks to another Expert timing out on me I still have an awful lot to learn!
	1 comment blitzkov (1200) on 16-Jun-12: boy! all for a pawn!!


23. Ke3
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 20-Jun-12: An extraordinary game. You don't often see speculative pawn sacrifices that immediately allow Queens to come off. But it all turned turtle with White's 20th, 21st and 22nd moves, all three of which damaged her game. If she had tried 20.Ne3 or 20.Bf1, she might yet have been able to hang on for a draw. But when your opponent is calling the shots, playing confidently and with assurance, that 700 rating point difference makes it hard to match the necessary sang froid.