Annotated chess game: Team match

ANNOTATED GAME

Team match - Cornered!!!
gabriel442 (1507) vs. jstevens1 (1551)
Annotated by: jotheblackqueen (1200)
Chess opening: Scandinavian (centre counter) defence (B01)

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1. e4 d5	Hi, it's jstevens1 here yet again with another game to annotate. I am a new member of the Sneaky Knights Connection and have completed 12 games so far and scored 7 points. This is one of the most nailbiting games I have ever played in, although it does not quite measure up to the one against Yakky In "In Old Matey's Shadow, Part 2". However, for a few moves, it did look as though I might cop Old Matey. I will now start with my first move as black. This is the first time on gameknot that I have played the Scandinavian Defence - I guess I took some inspiration from Chrisobee - he played that opening against me in the annotated game "Slow King" and beat me with it so it can't be a bad opening. 1...... d5 (the Centre Counter or Scandinavian - to prevent white from totally controlling the centre)



2. Nc3	2. Nc3 (an unusual response to d5, normally white takes on d5), this is to control the centre with a knight)
	1 comment neilskye (1200) on 10-Mar-08: IMO this fails to 2...d4 and 3...e5 -/+


2... dxe4 3. Nxe4	3. Nxe4 (I decide to exchange pawns). After the exchange the knight comes to e4 and is attacked by the bishop and the knight then retreats to c3.



3... Bf5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nf3 Be7	6. ....... Be7 (both of us have been busily developing pieces and are now ready to castle which we do on move 8.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2340) on 01-Mar-08: I rather like the more active posting of the bishop at d6.


7. h3 h6 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 Nbd7 10. a3 a6 11. d3 Bd6 12. Be3	12. Be3 (our development is now almost complete and over the next two moves it will be)
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2340) on 01-Mar-08: Both sides are being fairly non-committal so far...


12... Re8 13. Qd2 Bf8 14. g4 Bh7	14......... Bh7 - the bishop is driven to h7 where he remains right up until the last move of the game!)



15. Kh1	15. Kh1 - white is planning a pawn storm here supported by the possibility of rooks doubling up on the g file, must watch out for this - fortunately for me this plan will backfire on him later
	2 comments dmaestro (1646) on 01-Mar-08: White sees blacks more defensive approach and overrates the wing attack. White first needs to secure the center. archduke_piccolo (2340) on 01-Mar-08: It sure doesn't help White that Black began defending the K-side before White began to attack it!


15... c6 16. Reg1 Nd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Ba2	18. Ba2 (over the last few moves one pair of knights has been exchanged and the white bishop is driven back to a2. This will give black serious headaches on this diagonal later in the game)
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2340) on 01-Mar-08: The half-open e-file notwithstanding, I'd look seriously at 17...cxd5, giving White's LSB lots of granite to eat, but also having in mind a minority attack on the Q-side.


18... Ne5 19. Qe2 Nxf3 20. Qxf3 Re6	20. ........ Re6 - another pair of knights is exchanged and the rook goes to e6 preparing to either exchange queens or move over to g6 to counter the white rooks. Three moves later something interesting is about to happen ......



21. Rad1 Qf6 22. Qg2 Qxb2	22.......... Qxb2!? - is this a sac or an oversight - I cannot make up my mind. One thing for sure, white is piling up on that g file!
	1 comment dmaestro (1646) on 01-Mar-08: white again overestimates the attack, seeming to think that g5 wins.


23. Bb3 Qxa3	23. ........ Qxa3 - another white pawn bites the dust, what is white up to?



24. Rda1 Qd6 25. Rad1 Qc7	25. ....... Qc7 - the queen hides away on c7, but it is a potentially useful diagonal leading through to h2. Now follows an exchange of pawns.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2340) on 24-Feb-10: White lost a bit of time with his rook manoeuvre. Maybe 24.Bc1 was the go, with the idea 24...Qd6 25.f4 and a pawn storm.


26. c4 dxc4 27. Bxc4 Ree8	27. ........ Ree8 - the rook is forced back to e8 now the a2 to g8 diagonal is opened - the f pawn is pinned so after an exchange of pawns on the g file my king moves to h8 which becomes more of a prison cell rather than a refuge as the game wears on.



28. g5 hxg5 29. Qxg5 Kh8 30. Bd4	30. Bd4 - white instantly takes advantage of the situation - I block the diagonal with f6 but unfortunately open up the h2-g8 diagonal next to the king. The king has no flight squares and my bishop on h7 runs the risk of being pinned. The air is becoming fetid in his cell, Old Matey is peering through the ceiling, breathing down me poor ole 'enry's (pet name for my king) neck, just waiting to pounce on g7 or h7. As Bart Simpson would say - "I'm in trouble, deep, deep trouble!"
	1 comment dmaestro (1646) on 01-Mar-08: after g5, white's attack isn't as dangerous as it looks, the problem is that white splits the pawns and white's pieces are disorganized. a true pawn storm involving f4 if white had prepared more earlier would have been deadly.


30... f6 31. Qh5 Qf4	31......... Qf4 - this move saves the day, I think, the white dsb is en prise and he moves to e6 - the queen backs off to f5 - she can do this because although the bishop is pinned the queen is defended because if QXQ the pin is released. White does exchange queens but in a way which gains a tempo and puts the white rook on g4, preparing a deadly line up.
	2 comments dmaestro (1646) on 01-Mar-08: the queen exchange takes the sting out of the attack archduke_piccolo (2340) on 01-Mar-08: Possibly White could have improved his attack with 31.Qh4, which claps a stopper over Black's Q capers, and places some pressure on f6... But even after 31.Qh5 Qf4 White retains some attack with 32.Bf7 (32...Qxd4 33.Bxe8) e.g. 32...Re7 33.Bg6 Qh6 34.Qxh6 gxh6 35.Bxf6+ winning the exchange. White still had some chances, it seems to me, until his next move.


32. Be3 Qf5 33. Qg4 Qxg4 34. Rxg4 b5	34. .......... b5 - I am thinking of putting a rook on my second rank to defend my broken castled position so I create a haven square by moving up my b pawn where the rook should be shielded from white's lsb. It also falls in with a maxim - passed pawns should be pushed (if safe to do so)
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2340) on 01-Mar-08: This is a very good move to combine defence and attack (on the Q-side). The LSB must declare itself - and it's not so easy to find a good square for it.


35. Ba2 Rad8	35. ....... Rad8 - this move prepares to put a rook on the 7th rank but also attacks the IQP. White now pins the bishop. I try and break the pin with g5 on move 36.



36. Rh4 g5 37. Rh5	37. Rh5 ?? - falls into the honeytrap, white has overreached himself! I know his plan, he is trying to pile up on my poor lsb, well, he is in for a shock!
	2 comments dmaestro (1646) on 01-Mar-08: nice trap, a fitting end to a premature attack. white's weak king side pawn structure traps the aggressive rook. archduke_piccolo (2340) on 01-Mar-08: The bad part - I mean, the really bad part - is that even with a better rook move, White had to lose another pawn, going three down, with no attack to show for it, or else get squashed by 37.Rd4 c5 38.Rxd8 Rxd8 39.d4 c4, with 3 connected passed pawns to deal with. Black has already contained White's attack, but the latter hasn't yet realised this.


37... Kg7	37. ........ Kg7 - you would never believe that this quiet king move would lead to a rook being trapped, would you?



38. Rg1 Bg6	38. ...... Bg6 - but it does! The "hapless" lsb moves off h2 and hammers the final nail in the rook's and my opponent's coffin. White is well and truly cornered and he waves the white flag. Wheew! Don't I get involved in some nailbiters!
	2 comments dmaestro (1646) on 01-Mar-08: Premature attacks do not work against sound defense. archduke_piccolo (2340) on 01-Mar-08: Even so, such attacks can be difficult to see off - the defender still has to find good moves. Possibly White could have tested Black's defence more in places, though it's likely Black always had sufficient resources to survive.