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This game was played in the second round of the 60th GK Expert Tournament. The game illustrates the dangers of aimless development compared to purposeful and planned moves. There is a point in any chessplayer's career where he starts to understand the game at a higher level and there are no more obscure moves. This also culminates with the realization of the importance that planning has in chess. I believe it was Botvinnick that once said "It's better to make a slightly weaker move that is in accordance to your plan than a stronger move you don't understant" |
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1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Bf4
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A peculiar looking move. Some players tend to go overboard when their opponent plays something out of the ordinary, trying to refute moves that they think are not in accordance to the position, to the point of ruining their own position on the process. I have to confess I am guilty of this sin and have lost many a game by over-pushing and trying to castigate strange moves. |
 
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3... Bg7
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Simple development, White isn't planning anything concrete with his last move, so there is no point to seek adventure in lines like 3...c5 4. d5 Qb6 5. Nc3 Qxb2 6. Be5 d6 7. Rb1 Qa3 8. Nb5 Qa5+ 9. Bc3 Qd8, after which Black's position might seem preferable but it offers White some compensation and justifies the development of the Bishop to f4. |
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4. e3
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White postpones again the development of his Knights and plays another strange move. Like I said before, experience has taught me that it's better not to over-react and play in accordance to your plans not your opponents. |
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4... d5
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Taking control of e4 and indirectly exploiting White's last two moves. The Bishop on f4 doesn't approve of capturing on d5 and if White will ever manage to push the pawn to e4, he would have lost an important tempo. |
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5. Nc3
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After this move, the position has transposed to the Bf4 lines in the Gruenfeld. My opponent seemed like a fish out of the water in what followed. |
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5... c5
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Hitting the center without delay, the most active replay. The pawn sacrifice starting with 5...0-0 is playable but I like hitting the center as early as possible. |
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6. Nf3
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Most of White's forcing lines start with 6. dxc5, where many attempts have been made to punish Black for playing so impetuously. |
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6... cxd4
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Releasing the center and a psychological bet. Taking with the Knight is objectively better, since White gets some activity but Black won't have much trouble in repulsing the early initiative. However, I was more than sure that my opponent will recapture with the pawn. |
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7. exd4
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A dream position for any Gruenfeld player. White's d-pawn is a very real target in many lines, where it is much better defended. I think the position will soon transpose, as White will waste a few tempos, to the Tarrasch defense. |
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7... O-O
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White's position seems very active but Black as adequate resources and is looking confidently to the endgame. |
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8. Be2
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The first waste of a tempo. In what follows, it's pretty hard to find a single move which is wrong by White, what is revealed by his moves, though, is the lack of a plan of action. It takes a very active player to hold the balance in a position with an IQP (isolated Queen's pawn). |
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8... dxc4
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Releasing the final tension in the center. I am now ready to lay siege to the IQP. |
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9. Bxc4 Bg4
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Making White lose another tempo, since sooner or later he will be forced to retreat the Bishop to e2, thus having lost two moves. The d-pawn is also under direct attack. |
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10. Be3
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White is starting to defend and pull back his actively placed Bishops. |
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10... Nc6
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Developing with tempo. 11. d5 leads to nothing good after either 11...Bxf3 or 11...Ne5. |
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11. Be2
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So White is now three tempos down. A simple count of tempos reveals that I am technically playing the White side of the Tarrasch. |
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11... Nd5
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Setting up the blockade on d5. White has a very good score in this line of the Tarrasch. |
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12. O-O Qd7
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The theoretical move was 12...Rc8. I wanted to begin mounting pressure on White's d-pawn instead. |
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13. h3
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Prompting me to exchange my Bishop, which would ease White's position. |
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13... Be6
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Slightly better than 13...Bf5, because I have no desire to push the e-pawn right now and from here the Bishop controls the very important square d5. |
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