|
|
|
1. f4
|
I am Black in this mini-tournament game |
 
|
| |
|
|
1... g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O
|
Both sides have completed kingside development almost symmetrically, the only difference is that White has advanced his f4-pawn early, signifying that he wants a space advantage on the kingside. I should look for a plan on the queenside. Here my idea was to place my pawns along the f8-a3 diagonal to strengthen my fianchettoed bishop and undermine White's b2 pawn. But that is a long-term plan, so I need to complete development and prepare to advance those pawns |
|
| |
|
|
5... d6 6. d3 c5
|
Here I thought White would play e4 and go for an attack on the kingside, but he delayed it for several moves, and I continued with my maneuvers on the queenside |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
7. c3
|
White also has the option of going into a stonewall setup with e3 and d4 to try and undermine my fianchettoed bishop, but that would make d3 a waste of tempo |
|
| |
|
|
7... Nc6 8. Qc2 a5
|
Since my plan is to place my pawns along the f8-a3 diagonal, I advance a queenside pawn. I also wanted to maneuver my rook to a6 to take it off the diagonal of the bishop. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
9. Nbd2 Ra6 10. Nb3
|
A dubious move, because I get a tempo with a4, so White has wasted time with that maneuver. I gain some time advancing my pawns on the queenside, so I get a slight initiative. White has delayed attacking on the kingside, so my attack comes first. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
10... a4 11. Nbd2 b5
|
Once I complete the pawn chain on the dark squares, White's pawns on the dark squares will be undermined, and my fianchettoed bishop will become active. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
12. e4 b4
|
Although I am giving White's knight the c4-square to help fight for an e5-boost, an e5-boost isn't very dangerous for me. If White plays a3 stopping me from completing my pawn chain, then it will take me a lot longer to make progress on the queenside. I will have to complete development with Bd7 and try maneuvering my kingside knight to the queenside with Ne8-c7-b5 |
|
| |
|
|
13. Nc4 a3
|
If bxa3, then I play bxc3 with a lot of pressure on the dark squares, and I still have the idea of maneuvering my f6 knight to b5. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
14. e5
|
I don't have to capture e5 immediately, I can slightly weaken the a-file and long diagonal with axb2, threatening to promote |
|
| |
|
|
14... axb2 15. Bxb2 dxe5 16. Ncxe5
|
If fxe5 then Ng4 and the e5-pawn is very weak. If White tries defending the pawn with d4, then I start a chain reaction with bxc3 followed by cxd4 where I have more attackers than White has defenders. |
|
| |
|
|
16... Nxe5
|
During the next sequence of moves, White used his b2-bishop like a pawn to defend the dark squares I weakened, so now I don't seem to have an advantage anymore. |
|
| |
|
|
17. Nxe5 Nd5 18. Qd2 bxc3 19. Bxc3 Nxc3 20. Qxc3 Qd4+ 21. Qxd4 cxd4 22. Nc6
|
White has a lot of advantages in this middlegame/endgame. He has a strong passed a-pawn, while I have a weak backward e-pawn. White's isolated d-pawn seems to have enough potential defenders. I should be lucky to draw this ending, but I swindled him at the end because of my superior endgame calculation. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
22... Re8 23. Rfe1 Be6
|
Here I should've played Kf8 instead of attacking White's pawn. My bishop doesn't need to be pinned to my e-pawn, when my bishop pair is one of my few advantages. I had to waste a tempo playing Kf8 and then moving my bishop again |
|
| |
|
|
24. a4 Kf8
|
I wanted to defend my e-pawn with my king so that my bishop doesn't have to stay on e6, I can play Bd7 and |
|
| |
|
|
25. a5 Bd7 26. Nb4 Ra7 27. a6
|
White is making a lot of progress on his passed pawn, and his fianchettoed bishop has gotten much stronger since the opening. My fianchettoed bishop has been weakened because of my badly placed d-pawn. My d-pawn would be stronger on d5 supported by e6, but unfortunately pawns cannot move backwards |
|
| |
|
|
27... e6 28. Bc6
|
White wants to trade bishops to get rid of my bishop pair and go into a simpler ending, I need to get my king in the action and stop the passed pawn. |
|
| |
|
|
28... Ke7 29. Rec1 Rc8 30. Bxd7 Rxc1+ 31. Rxc1 Kxd7
|
Exchanging pieces was not good for White. I have better drawing chances now, and because of White's faulty play, I got some hope to maybe win in this ending since I happen to play very well in most endgames. |
|
| |
|
|
32. Ra1 f6
|
I'm not sure why I made this move, but I should've made the Bf8-Bc5 maneuver I made on the next moves. f6 seems pointless |
|
| |
|
|
33. Kf2 Bf8 34. Nc2 Bc5 35. Kf3 f5
|
It is taking me 4 pawns to neutralize 3 pawns on the kingside, so it's like White is up a pawn, which is his passed a-pawn. It seems as if I am successfully containing the pawn, so I was sure that I could draw this, and maybe win if my opponent screws up |
|
| |
|
