Annotated chess game: Holding my own!

ANNOTATED GAME

Holding my own!
jstevens1 (1954) vs. sachy (2042)
Annotated by: jotheblackqueen (1200)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B56), Venice attack

Interactive

•

Show all comments

•

All annotated games

•

View chessboard as:


1. e4	Hi everyone! This game took place in GM Cyrano's Italian Coffee MT in which I played an Expert who had an optimum rating in the 2100s before succumbing to timeoutitis. I won this game on timeout but Gameknot Analysis gave me a score of -0.50 so I decided to record this game as an Expert Draw rather than an Expert Victory. As Gameknot Analysis shows below, there were no errors or inaccuracies in this game:-
	1 comment jotheblackqueen (1200) on 22-Dec-12: Gameknot Analysis is provided here: game


1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4	3. d4 - fairly standard Sicilian Defense.
	1 comment blitzkov (1200) on 22-Dec-12: I enjoy playing both sides of the Sicilian


3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Bb5+	6. Bb5+ - getting my pieces out quickly.



6... Nbd7 7. Nf5 a6 8. Bxd7+ Qxd7	8. ...... Qxd7 - bishop trade.



9. Bg5 Nxe4 10. Nxg7+ Bxg7 11. Nxe4 O-O 12. Qxd6	12. Qxd6 - I now win a pawn due to the fact that the weak pawn on d6 is attacked by both Glenda and my knight on e4 and only defended by the Wicked Witch of the West.



12... f6 13. Qxd7 Bxd7	13. ..... Bxd7 - after this queen trade I now extricate Fou Lenoir.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 22-Dec-12: For the cost of a pawn, Black gets to make the running for quite some time. The mobile e/f pawn-couplet together with the bishop pair make a handy little fighting formation. But is it enough?


14. Bd2 Bc6 15. f3 f5 16. Nc3	16. Nc3 - willy, nilly I am about to be struck down by passivitis. However, I somehow manage to evade my opponent's subtle or not so subtle threats over the next few moves.



16... Rf6 17. O-O-O	17. 0-0-0 - as the queens are off the board I feel that Henry is better placed towards the centre of the board than he would have been had I chosen the kingside. I have also brought a rook onto the open d file which might help a bit.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 22-Dec-12: There is enough on the board to continue to think seriously about the King's safety. This move compromises well the imperatives of King's safety and mobilization of the rooks. Good move.


17... Rg6 18. Rhg1	18. Rhg1 - my rook is now passive but I feel I need to preserve my extra pawn as long as possible.



18... Rd8 19. Be3 Rxd1+ 20. Nxd1	20. Nxd1 - I would have dearly have loved to have played Rxd1 here but that would have allowed Rxg2. As I still had Fou Lenoir on the board and as black had the bishop pair I preferred to keep Henry on a dark square so I did not play K x R. However, it does leave my knight rather passive. Still, I have my extra pawn and another pair of major pieces have been exchanged. If I can hold my position my extra pawn could still prove decisive.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 22-Dec-12: Solid.


20... f4 21. Bf2	21. Bf2 - now that black has blocked off the c1-h6 diagonal (at least for the foreseeable future as he cannot take his own pawn), I can keep Fou Lenoir on the g1-a7 diagonal, defending my rook on g1.



21... e4 22. fxe4 Bxe4	22. ..... Bxe4 - the blockade does not last long because black forces a trade of pawns. Still, it does keep black's kingside pawns split. I can now play my vulnerable g pawn up to g3 and free up my rook from defending it though!



23. g3 Bh6 24. Kb1	24. Kb1 - Henry evades a nasty discovered check on the c1-h6 diagonal.



24... f3 25. Ne3	25. Ne3 - this knight move blocks off the c1-h6 diagonal. If black exchanges B for N then although he has a passer on the f column, he will concede the bishop pair and make life a little easier for Henry and my rook. I still keep my extra pawn. Here my opponent times out on me and I am hoping that Gameknot Analysis will say that my advantage is over +1.00. Unfortunately it is -0.50 so that Expert Victory still eludes me and I had to be content with simply just about holding my own. I hope you have all had a good read - Kind regards - Joanne
	4 comments haile1996 (2273) on 22-Dec-12: Black's activity, the bishop pair, and his advanced passed pawn are more than enough compensation for the pawn. archduke_piccolo (2334) on 22-Dec-12: I am certainly not surprised that GK din't rate this as 1.00+ for White. It is plain that Black still has the running. But I would have thought that White's defensive resources would have been sufficient to give her some kind of plus. Would Black exchange on e3? I very much doubt it, as there would go the bishop pair, and the remaining bishops operating on opposite coloured squares looks very drawish to me. Having said that, a -0.50 - a half-pawn or maybe less - is far from a guarantee that Black has much in the way of winning chances. A draw is in my view a fair result, in the circumstances. It's a pity it didn't get played out. Now, what's with this time-outs becoming draws depending on the GK assessment? When did that happen? jotheblackqueen (1200) on 22-Dec-12: It is not official, Ion. I was awarded 12 points for the timeout victory by Gameknot. The +1.00 or more rule is my own personal criteria for determining an Expert Victory. Timeout in this case will be regarded as a form of resignation on the grounds of ruinous loss of material by yours truly. That is why I regard this game as drawn and not won by me. In other words I want to feel that I have really earned the victory - hope this helps! Joanne blitzkov (1200) on 22-Dec-12: Enjoyed the Annotation!