Annotated chess game

Hi! jstevens1, I was mesmerized by the title, especially the stouche.(perhaps an unknown to me play such as skewer/royal fork/dbl check) Then like I was immersed in Merlins gifts, I was perhaps pica pica second away from executing the point/click, when it engulfed my mind...................click (bet jstevens just pulled my leg) and low and behold ---- the truth it was!!! lol and should have known! BUT DID!?!?!?? jstevens1 was a spell enchanting my eyes.

Stouche (alternate spelling: Stoush) n. Not found in the Concise Oxford Dictionary. Synonyms: Rumble, Fracas, Donnybrook, Affray, Melee, Mill, Combat, Fight, Brawl, Battle, and a Right Good Kickin'.

I played this unrated game against Joanne as a friendly one. We agreed to annotate it independently and to see each other's points of view. I think that this would be a very good way to learn more. It happens often that some positions are seen in very different ways even from master annotators. My annotation is at gameknot.com

Lemming Defence. Akin to the Durkin Opening (1. Na3) reversed. One of those cagey, purposefully inferior, "come and get me" moves, (1. ...a5, 1. ...g5, 1. ...h6 1. ...Nh6, 1. ...f6) belonging more to the realm of psychology than chess theory.

After this move, Black does open up a hole for his knight on c7

Talking of psychology... one thing to be aware of when essaying this opening is the possibility of the blunt reply 2. Bxa6. Some Black players may even be hoping for this line, while others may be hoping just as fervently to avoid it!

I'd find that exchange very tempting, though the open file for the rook is some compensation for the tear in the Q-side formation.

Thank you ion, I would have never guessed on my own(stouche!). Trading the alleged good bishop for the dislocated knight tends to trend toward early equalisation of the game. The end game, already in mind, with the doubled pawn structure is in keeping with a lasting temptation.

I've played similar Quasi-Philidor setups before (g6/d6/c6), except that QN is firmly on d7 rather than a6. Perhaps black's idea was to tempt white into playing Bxa6 throughout the entire opening, or to eventually redevelop the QN on c7 and cover the d5 square without eclipsing the QB. Actually this maneuver is a common one in the Benoni Defense, but only after the center is locked!

Interesting observation, nosferatu...

The usual way 99% of games are lost. Tactics. Pity they happened to be your opponent's! I have to say that instead of 7. Be2, I'd prefer to challenge black's ambitious ...b5 thrust right away with 7. a4 or 7. d5 (perhaps with a Nd4 or a4 followup), which I believe is better here than a move later, because black's KN is still on g8. The KB I think is more actively placed on d3 as well, so if 7. a4 or 7. d5 are not to white's liking, 7. Bd3, Qe2, O-O may be preferred before attacking black's queenside.

nosferatu's point is absolutely correct, it is very common for club players like us to assume that their (our) "sensible" development is enough to get them out of the opening with no problems, but in fact we are often falling into the trap of playing automatically, without a plan. None of White's moves here are bad in a vacuum, but there is no plan. Be2 seems like drifting to me – if White wants to play d5, why not play it now, and let the Bishop go directly to b5? If White doesn't want to play d5, then nosferatu's suggestion of Bd3 seems much more logical, then 0-0, and then one potential plan is to play for c4 and a big center, another one is to play for e5 and piece activity. The point is that the middle game is too late to be developing a plan – "development for development's sake" will risk leaving you with no play once your "sensible" moves have run out.

A sad thing to say, but it is completely true, jestey. I delayed the developement of the lsb until it has a real purpose. I had problems, of course, and I should have lost, probably, but the principles holds: avoid developement "just for developement's sake"  . This is why don't castle so quickly, too (in this game, not at all).

All good and useful advice, but is has to be said I think that White does stand well here. Black is playing very non-committally - give or take ...b5 - and White is doing the same, with the added advantage of securing a solid centre. Sooner or late black will have to develop, or else get squashed. White's seventh is OK, preparing to castle short, then maybe to play h3 followed by Nh2 and f4.

Yes, or 8. a4 is still a good option.

This was an aggressive move, and I sweated when I saw it, realizing the f3 knight could have easily reached c6, supported by the bishop, with the loss of b5. War was declared here  )) On the other side, this move opens the way to my bishop. Usually it is no dangerous, since it hits on b2 and c3 pawn chains, but in this particular position the b5 pawn stands as a threat to c3.

Even without the tactical tricks to come on c3, I think black is doing well with piece activity and completely breaking down the white center; black's KP and QP are still there, white's are gone.

A pity you didn't open comment on the previous moves. They were not at all free of thinking. I had to calculate a lot before daring to lose both pawns, expose to a discovered check potentially crushing, etc. In short, I think that Nd4-f6 plan (or Bf6) could have been a better way for white to take advantage from the position.

I think I would have been inclined to take the knight before taking on c6: 9.Bxc5 dxc5 10.dxc6. But the sequence played is fine for White. She's doing well, here. Black's 9...Nfxe4 might not have been the best choice.

I'd very much prefer to be White here, I admit...

Quite right. I think this capture is OK, and ought to have led to an advantage for White. But it's not a gimme. The position has become very complicated. An alternative, by the way, to 11.Bxb5 was 11.Qd5! The direct threat is against the e4-Knight, but there is a second, making this move a double attack: c6-c7! with a second double attack on Q and R. The sequel might have run: 11.Qd5 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bxc3ch 13.Bd2 Bxa1 14.c7 Qxc7 15.Bxb5ch Kf8 16.Qxa8 plus/minus.

I didn't calculated the power of Qd5, that makes my position really bad. As I said, I should have lost this game.

12. a4, which allows white to survive the coming sac on c3 and protexts the LSB, or a line I like (not playing through with a comp, just in my head), 12. Bd4 e5 (12. ...Nxc3 13. Qd2! Qxb4 14. Bxg7 Ne5 15. Qc2 and white is sitting pretty) 13. Qd3, covering both c3, b5, and threatening the black knight. 13. ...exd4 14. Qxe4ch Kf8 (14. ...Be6?? 15. c7ch and the a8 rook hangs) 15. Nxd4, which covers b4 and seems to win another pawn.

In fact, a lot of tactics everywhere, here!

Very, very complicated, but I agree with nosferatu: 12.a4 was the right move, pretty much ruling out of court any tactics aimed at c3 (e.g. 12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 Bxc3ch 14.Bd2 with a half pin on the c3-Bishop saving the rook on a1.

One's heart sinks when one's own king starts to walk the plank, at least it always has, for me. In this position, if queens were off the board, white would be winning, with queens on, white is crushed!

Glenda is a-gonna do what?   Oh, right, you mean she's a goner.

Nosferatu, probably black has and edge even exchanging queens first. Because black can force the white king to the first row (Ba6+ is coming), so the Bc3 can snap the rook on a1. Se my annotation for details.

In my view 15.Kf1 was correct - indeed, she probably ought to have played it the move previous. True, Black seemed to desire that retreat... After 15.Kf1 Qxa1ch 16.Ne1, Black is faced with an attack against the e4-Knight, and a fork is threatened at d4 (Bd4). What to play? Effective seems 16...Nf6, but then might come 17.c7ch Kf8 18.Bc6 Bf5! 19.g4!! (Not 19.Bxa8?? Bd3ch and mate next move.) 19...Bxg4 20.Bxa8 and White would have been doing fine. Better for Black seems 16...Qb2, with pressure on the Bishop at b5 and the f2-square. After 16...Qb2 17.c7ch Kf8 18.Bd4 Nc3 19.Bxc3 (pretty much essential) 18...Qxc3 Black keeps a slight material plus, and White's resources don't seem to amount to much: 19.Qe4 Qe5 20.Qxa8 Qxb5ch.

I would argue that 13. Kf1 should have been played. After that, what does black have? Knight checks can be responded to and the bishop is stuck defending black's queen. The most black wins is a pawn, by trading queens then attacking the QN pawn. And on any other move, white retains equality or more by trading queens and blunting the attack.

I think white has to play 16. Bd4, forking the enemy queen & rook whilst still covering f2 and giving his king the e3 flight square, and allow the coming double-check with ...Nxf2 or ...Nc5, and pray black would slip up.

I have to say mating with a pawn is always my favorite, so I might have played 19. Kf4 just out of perversity, even if the pawn-mate is my enemy's rather than my own!

I said in my annotation that Joanne is analyzing things from his style of playing, but opponents like me (specially in an unrated game) will go for wilderness, banzai attacks. the question is: from when white's position became unholdable? Note that if white were able to shield his king, the advantage would have been white. But white has to be careful about "crazy" moves from the opponent. I think that white just underestimated the danger of a sac in c3, because it was not "her" style of playing.

That is probably correct. But also there is inhibiting factor of the relative theoretical values of the pieces. Situations alter cases, and there are times you have to realise that in THIS or THAT position a queen is worth less than a pawn, or even is worth less than a move. Perhaps that is misleading. Sometimes a Queen's value lies in what induces the opponent to do, or what she can gain in time or space, even at the price of her own life. In the diagram position, White is probably already lost. But she has set up a slight possibility based on Black's back rank.At this point she might have considered letting her own Queen go for the sake of gaining time: 18.Bc6 Nc5chch 19.Ke3 Nxa4 20.Bxa8. Unfortunately, White's pieces are probably too scattered and her King to exposed to offer real chances, but she would still be in the fight.

Hard lines, Jo. It's all to easy to slip in complicated positions.

I was lucky!