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1. e4
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A Team Match. These are getting harder now that I'm getting closer to my true rating and facing opponents that are too. I open with the Open Game, as usual. |
 
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1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
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My favorite, the Ruy Lopez. |
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3... a6 4. Ba4
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The Morphy Defense, and white replies main line. |
3 comments
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4... Nf6 5. O-O
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Still mainline. Black attacked white's center pawn on e4, and white leaves it en prise because it's a "poison pawn" as they say. If black takes it, bad stuff will ensue for black. |
1 comment
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5... b5 6. Bb3
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Black plays the Arkhangelsk variation (5. ... b5) driving back the white bishop. |
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6... Nxe4 7. d4
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With black's 6th move we have transformed into the Open Lopez (more common is 5. ... Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 to reach this same position). Black has gained a pawn but his center is unstable and he cannot hold it. |
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7... exd4 8. Re1
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Now black has gained two unanswered pawns, but his knight is pinned on e5. |
3 comments
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8... f5 9. Nxd4
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Black defends the knight and white regains one of the pawns, at the same time freeing the f-pawn to push forward to f3 to win the pinned knight. |
1 comment
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9... Qh4 10. g3
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Black threatened to win the pawn on f2 (10. ... Qxf2+; the knight on e5 is still pinned). White could have simply pushed the pawn with 10. ... f3? to save it, but then black has 10. ... Nxd4 and white cannot recapture on with 11. Qxd4??? because 11. ... Qxe1# is instantly decisive. So first, the vulnerability is protected and the black queen is driven off. |
1 comment
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10... Qf6 11. Nxc6
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White is threatening some mayhem with the possibility of Qh5+. Black would like to keep his queen on the kingside to defend against this threat. This seems like the perfect time to play with black's pawn structure, open a file aimed at black's king, and clear away a black defender. Besides, white is about to be ahead in material, so exchanges of pieces now favor white. |
2 comments
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11... dxc6 12. f3
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And now the pinned knight must fall. |
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12... Bd7 13. fxe4 O-O-O 14. e5
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An interesting choice here. White could have played 14. exf5? which would be followed by 14. ... Bxf5 putting white's queen en prise. This is bad for multiple reasons. White is ahead by a piece for a pawn, but this is not a winning endgame advantage. White should try to exploit his material lead to expand that lead into a more decisive advantage before the endgame is reached. Hence, it's usually wise to avoid trading pawns when ahead by such a small margin. Further, the white pawn on e5 is now a passed pawn and will be a continuous thorn in black's side (or center) for the rest of the game. Finally, letting black get his bishop onto a strong square with tempo (the discovered attack against the white queen is also not a useful strategy. Hence 14. e5! is a very strong move and will play a pivotal role in this game. |
1 comment
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14... Bc5+ 15. Kg2
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Black develops with check. An excellent move. White's development is dismal, the price he paid to gain his small material edge. |
1 comment
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15... Qe7 16. Qh5 h6 17. Qf7
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Whit's queen assumes a strong post. The imminent threat is exchanging queens, which probably favors white more than black, though black may welcome the riddance of white's most formidable piece. There is also a threat against the pawn on g7 which, for now, forces black to keep his queen home to defend it. |
1 comment
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17... Kb8 18. Nc3
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I am not sure what black's intent was with 17. ... Kb8?!. It seems to serve no purpose, the king was not threatened on c8. More importantly, now the king is not defending the two black pieces on d7 and d8 which will soon come under fire. |
1 comment
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18... Rhe8 19. h4
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Restricting black's queen. |
1 comment
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19... a5 20. a3
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Bolt hole. |
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20... a4 21. Ba2 Qxf7 22. Bxf7
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After chasing white's bishop into the bolt hole, black then sets him free by playing the queen exchange. Perhaps what black is hoping for here is reducing the pieces on each side, going after that e5 pawn, and settling in for a lazy endgame where white is up by a knight vs. 2 pawns, a tricky endgame that might go either way. |
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22... Re7 23. Bh5 Be8 24. Bf3
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White's bishop is happier here on f3 than he was on b3 or on a2. Black's bishop is awkwardly placed. |
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24... Bd7 25. Bf4
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White finally, on move 25, develops his last minor piece. The bishop finds a very happy home on f4, defending white's precious advanced passed pawn and looking down the diagonal at black's king. |
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