Annotated chess game: Team match

ANNOTATED GAME

Team match
psycho422 (1322) vs. kingjeroen (1279)
Annotated by: lord_shiva

(1900)
Chess opening: Scotch opening (C44)

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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4	Scotch opening. Usually pretty good start for white.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: Probably Black's best reply here is 3...exd4.


3... Bd6 4. d5 Nd4 5. c3 Nxf3+ 6. Qxf3 h6 7. Be3 a6 8. Nd2 Qf6 9. Qxf6 Nxf6 10. f4	Questionable.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: White already hasn't made quite the best of his chances, e.g. the win of a pawn at move 5 (viz: Nxd4 exd4; Qxd4). It seems here he overlooked that bishop on d6.


10... exf4 11. Bd4 Be7 12. g3 fxg3 13. hxg3 O-O	Black is not wise to castle, now that the queens are cleared from the board and white's h file is open. Especially not on the king's side.
	2 comments archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: White's position looks fairly imposing, but I rather think I prefer Black here: extra pawn, no real weaknesses, solid but flexible position. I do think I would have played 13...d3 instead of castling, though. lord_shiva (1900) on 20-Feb-18: You mean 13. ...d6, of course. Opening up black's white bishop.


14. Be5	Easily defended, coaxing black to move the pawn he wants to move anyway to let the bishop out.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: I thought White simply wanted to relocate the bishop to f4. But 14.Be3 would have been the better option, and even then it would have been preferable to wait until Black hit the bishop with ...d6. Instead, 14.Bd3 or Bc4 might have been better options, or even castling long.


14... d6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. O-O-O Bg4 17. Re1 Bg5 18. e5	White sheds another pawn.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: It is very difficult to discover the motivation behind this. White is trying - I suspect - to play actively, but it is hard to discern a plan behind it. It might have been an idea to break the pin by 18.Kc2, and then see what possibilities are offered by Black's reply.


18... Rae8 19. Bh3	Nice recovery! Looks like it had been part of the plan all along.



19... Bf3 20. Rhf1 Bxd5 21. Kc2	Kb1 would protect a2 while getting the king off black's black bishop diagonal. I assume Kc2 was to free Nd2 for movement.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: Although what Black plays seems best, so strongly is he placed, he could probably to go in for the rook end game: (a) 19...Bxd2ch 20.Kxd2 Bxh3 21.Rxh3 Rxe5 (22.Rxe5 dxe5) or (b) 19...Bxh3 20.Rxh3 Rxe5 etc. With 2 extra pawns, Black could fancy his winning chances.


21... Bxa2 22. Bd7 Re7 23. Bf5 dxe5 24. Nf3 Bc4 25. Rf2 a5 26. b3	Nxe5 can wait.



26... Bb5 27. c4	This helps advance white's pawns at the expense of black pushing the same piece again and again.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: Four pawns behind, though, leaves White with a big mountain to climb.


27... Bc6 28. Nxg5	White is ill advised to make even exchanges while down four points, even if this opens wide the black castle's back door.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: Though it is true in principle when you are behind that even exchanges, especially of pieces, are to be avoided, yet one does not always have a choice. The side ahead has the option to make threats that FORCE an exchange lest worse happens. Having said that, possibly a better way of exchanging might have been 28.Rxe5, at least getting one of the pawns back to sweeten the deal.


28... hxg5 29. Rh2 g6 30. Bd3 e4 31. Kc3	Nice. LET black take that bishop--I dare you!



31... b6 32. Reh1	If black takes the bishop, black loses Rf8. Black is wise not to rise to this bait.



32... f5 33. Be2 Kg7 34. g4 e3 35. Rg1	White acknowledges the exposed threat.



35... f4 36. Rf1 f3 37. Bxf3	Black has two pieces on Bf3, white only one.



37... Bxf3 38. Rh3 Bg2 39. Rxf8 Kxf8	BxRh3 was probably better, guaranteeing black Pg4 to boot.



40. Rg3 e2 41. Rxg2	Kd2 would probably have been better.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: 41.Kd2 would have had the virtue of shortening the game: 41...e1=Qch and now 42.Kc2 Re2ch 43.Kd3 Qd2# or 42.Kd3 Rd7ch 43.Kc2 Rd2ch 44.Kc3 Qc1#.


41... e1=Q+ 42. Kc2 Qe4+
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 13-Dec-17: A bit one sided, this game - helped by White's trying to play actively. But it seems to me a plan was lacking. Now, in my view you can't plan a whole game - not often anyhow. But you can plan sequences of moves, or even just one move. The planning in Black game is obvious: there was purpose in just about every move he played - even the mistakes (and there weren't many of those at all).