A very interesting game with a beautiful finish.
It has lots of the great elements, a trap, a sacrifice and a powerful position seemingly detonating |
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1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Bg4
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Anticipating K3 and preparing the pin |
 
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3. e3
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One assumes that White is planning to break through the centre or financhetto his dark square bishop. |
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3... Nf6 4. h3 Bh5 5. Bd3
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Apparently the light square bishop is enough trouble to drive back one square but white does not feel he has time to persue with the Knight's pawn. Perhaps he was concerned about the pawns being pushed so far forward at such an early point in the game and developement took priority instead. |
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5... e6 6. O-O
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A well planned castle. It would seem that h3 was to provide his king with a breathing square whilst forcing black to waste a tempo retreating his bishop. Cunning. |
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6... Bd6
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Black does not advance his bishop further as it would become vulnerable to counter attacks and the diagonal it controls is an important one. |
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7. Nc3 Nc6 8. a3
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Providing a spring board for a pawn counter on the queen side and restricting Black's bishop's activity on that diagonal. However one wonders whether White would have done better to bring his dark square bishop to protect the knight.
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8... O-O 9. Re1 Re8
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The long range cannons form up ready for later action. |
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10. g4
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Now White decides the time is right to drive that bishop back to where it came from. |
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10... Bg6 11. Bxg6 fxg6
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Shepparding the Black bishop into the bishop exchange has now given Black doubled pawns on the g file and partially exposed his King. |
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12. e4
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White tries to keep the momentum going and strikes at the centre pawns, now they are weakened after loosing their f pawn defence. |
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12... dxe4 13. Nxe4
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White takes the centre with his knight and appears to have a strong position. Black must stop that knight from getting to close to the Black king. |
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13... h6 14. g5
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With the long range cover of the dark square bishop the g pawn threatens the black knight whilst also threatening to tear the king's shield of pawns away ... however White has missed something - something that Black did not miss. |
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14... Nxe4 15. Rxe4
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An innocent knight exchange. Black had few other options but the White rook now bears down on the e pawn |
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15... Rf8
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Black sacrifices the isolated e pawn |
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16. Rxe6
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White increases his material whilst increasing the pressure on the apparently unconcerned Black King |
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16... Rxf3 17. Qxf3
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Black sacrifices a rook for a knight but has a way to equalise. |
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17... Nxd4
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It took a lot of work to materialise but it looks like Black might finally do something other than have his pieces taken. |
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18. Qd5
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An understandable move (employing the threat of discovered check) but White stumbled into a nasty trap. |
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18... Bh2+
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The trap is sprung.
White is in serious danger of losing his rook along with his already slain Queen. |
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19. Kxh2 Qxd5
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Black was hoping for White (blinded by material) to play Rxg6 which would have cost the rook his life but the White King conceeded his position and resigned. |
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