|
Annotated 'on request' by the winner. She was justly proud of this: a fine win against a very strong opponent. |
|
|
1. e4 c6
|
Caro Kann: unpretentious and solid. Beware. |
  3 comments
|
| |
|
|
2. d4 d5
|
Challenging the centre. You will note that the French Defence has an analogous opening sequence: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5. |
|
| |
|
|
3. Nc3
|
A popular third move (as it is in the French, as well). Almost equally popular are 3.e5 (the Advance Variation) and 3.exd5. The latter has been something of a favourite of mine, leading to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack (3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4) with some similarities to a QP opening. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
3... dxe4
|
'Surrendering the centre' the wiseacres used to sneer when they saw this move. It does nothing of the kind, of course! |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
4. Nxe4 Bf5
|
A very popular development, forcing White to move the knight a third time. White COULD defend the knight by 5.Bd3 or 5.Qf3, but there is no compelling need to do so... |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
5. Ng3
|
... as this retreat attacks the bishop in turn. |
|
| |
|
|
5... Bg6
|
Normal, by a large margin. The bishop standing on the h7-b1 diagonal leaves White wondering what to do with his own light-square bishop (LSB). There is little attraction in defending the bishop where it stands. But there is an interesting try in the strange-looking 5...Nf6?! 6.Nxf5 Qa5ch 7.c3 (or Bd2) Qxf5 - unclear but maybe White gets more out of this line than Black does. For one thing White would still have his LSB. |
|
| |
|
|
6. h4
|
Marking the g6-bishop as a target. White hopes that this apparently crude thrust will lead later on to better things in the way of a K-side attack. Things don't quite go that way. |
|
| |
|
|
6... h6
|
The usual response, though ...h5 has been tried. Black wants to keep his bishop, even though it may be forced to make a third move. |
|
| |
|
|
7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5
|
'In your face!' Forced the bishop back to h7, but there the bishop is quite snug, its gaze firmly fixed down the h7-b1 diagonal. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
8... Bh7
|
Forced, but Black won't be unhappy about that. |
|
| |
|
|
9. Bd3
|
A very difficult decision, in my view. The Black LSB having moved three times already, is being invited to make a fourth move to exchange itself off for the White one, which has just made its first move. In effect White is offering a trade, with (four minus one equals) three tempi to sugar-coat the deal for herself. There isn't much Black can do about it, neither, but fall in with the trade. It turns out, though, that the absence of White's LSB subsequently tends to deprive White of a valuable attacking resource. Black therefore has something to throw onto the bottom line to offset the 'lost' three tempi. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
9... Bxd3
|
There really is no sensible alternative, here. The bishop is going anyway - might as well get that over and done with. There is nothing to be gained by 9...Ngf6 10.Bxh7 Nxh7 with even more loss of time for Black. |
|
| |
|
|
10. Qxd3
|
Of course, nothing good can come of 10.cxd3(?), with doubled and isolated pawns stuck on a file half-open for Black's rooks. |
|
| |
|
|
10... Ngf6
|
White has a very slight lead in development, but no real threats so far. Black is solidly placed - no real weaknesses - but perhaps feeling just a little constrained by White's greater control of the central regions. |
|
| |
|
|
11. Bf4
|
A good square and diagonal (h2-b8) for the dark-square bishop (DSB). Could this make Black think twice about castling Q-side? |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
11... Nd5
|
At once drives the bishop off the sensitive diagonal. Since the bishop was so easily thrown off f4, does that mean White was wrong to move it there? By no means. Black has been induced to place his knight on d5, where it will become a target for the White c-pawn. So of course... |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
12. Bd2
|
...White keeps the bishop on the board. The insignificant loss of time will be recovered.... eventually. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
12... Nd7f6
|
Possibly a risky development in the light of the exposure of the other knight to attack. More circumspect seems 12...e6. |
1 comment
|
| |
|
|
13. O-O-O
|
This seems logical enough: place the king onto safety, and bring a rook onto a central file, leaving the other - the e-file - for the other rook. But I feel sure I would have played 13.c4, here, and after 13...Nb6, castled long with the prospect of opening up the d-file for the activated rook. The move order can not be reversed... |
3 comments
|
| |
|
(2352)