Annotated chess game: Txingalarri taldea

ANNOTATED GAME

Txingalarri taldea - mini-tournament I
ybrevo (2076) vs. arichallan (1895)
Annotated by: ybrevo (1200)
Chess opening: Bogo-Indian defence, Gruenfeld variation (E11)

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1. d4	Sometimes in chess you just get hit by a steam engine without really knowing what happened. Where did you go wrong? Where could you do better? I am still puzzled by this game - and very impressed about the way my opponent played it.



1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+	The Bogo Indian instead of the "normal" Queens Indian. I never had much respect for it, but now I do have!
	1 comment -nosferatu- (1200) on 31-Dec-10: It's a good, low-maintenance opening for the black Nimzo-Indian player. If I didn't already play the Dutch and Chigorin Queen's Gambit Declined I could see myself adopting it.


4. Nbd2	Played to avoid the exchange of Bishops on d2. Black can even play his Bishop back to e7, and my Bishop looks a bit silly on d2.
	1 comment -nosferatu- (1200) on 31-Dec-10: But since both players have lost a tempo with that sequence, 4. Bd2 Be7!? (4. ...a5!? and 4. ...c5 are the more testing tries), you can redevelop your queen's bishop with 5. Bg5 or 5. Bf4, if you like.


4... b6 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2	Good or bad? Black will gain a tempo when he plays Ne4, but this is all well known theory, and White still has a good center and chances on the Q-side.



6... Bb7 7. e3 O-O	As Black I would never dream of Bxf3 to destroy the White pawn structure. The Bishop on b7 is too good for that.
	3 comments jestey1 (1756) on 31-Dec-10: Given that White is not afraid of ...Bxf3, why not contest e4 with Bd3 next move? Then Qc2 and even Nd2 and f3 could follow. It seems that Black's control of e4 was one of his major advantages throughout the game. -nosferatu- (1200) on 31-Dec-10: Yes, Jestey's moves are good ideas. White could even consider saccing the g-pawn after Bd3/Qc2/Nd2, since it will open a direct alley to the black king. If black declines to take, f3 and e4 to follow. If these moves aren't to white's taste then maybe 7. g3, 8. Bg2, and 9. O-O would have been safer. ybrevo (1200) on 02-Jan-11: I totally agree with you (sigh). Well, that is what can happen when you get confronted with an opening you seldom see.


8. Be2 d6 9. O-O Qe7 10. b4 Nbd7	Blacks position starts to look like a "Hedgehodge" without the Bishop on e7. A very solid choice.



11. Bb2 Ne4 12. Qc2 f5	And now we have something like a Dutch or Nimzo Indian. The Knight on e4 is very strong, but still I think the position is in dynamic balance.
	2 comments -nosferatu- (1200) on 31-Dec-10: As a Dutch player I'm very found of such a setup, because king-side attacks tend to flow organically from the position shown, with ...g5, ...Rf8-f6-g6, ...Nd7-g6, ...Ra8-f8, ...Qe7-g8. Of course white gets to move too, but black's plan is intuitive to follow. ybrevo (1200) on 02-Jan-11: I play the Dutch a lot myself - as Black or White - and the Bishop should be on g2, not e2.


13. b5 Ndf6 14. a4 a5	Very strong! My initiative on the Q-side is dead and gone - now Black can start to work on the K-side. Playing bxa6 would just create more weaknesses.
	2 comments jestey1 (1756) on 31-Dec-10: It seems as if bxa6 is necessary and good if White is to have any play. After 15. bxa6 Bxa6 (...Rxa6 c4 ^ cxb6 and White will have strong pressure on the b-file) 16. a5, White keeps lines open on the Queenside and has every hope of an attack there. I can't find the weaknesses ybrevo wrote about, since the isolated pawn on a4 can be traded off by force -- though of course I could very well have missed something. -nosferatu- (1200) on 31-Dec-10: White is now condemned to a thankless defensive position.


15. Ne1 Ng4 16. Bf3	Of course pawn f3 is not possible because of the fork after Nxe3.



16... Qh4 17. h3	Only move - but another weakness on Whites K-side.
	1 comment -nosferatu- (1200) on 31-Dec-10: Black didn't even have to retreat the prodded knight, 17. ...Rf6!, with ...Rh6 to follow, is very deadly.


17... Ngf6 18. Nd3 Rae8 19. Rad1 g5 20. d5 e5	I was about to resign around here. Just compare the Black Knight on e4 with the White Bishop on b2! Blacks Bishop on b7 can always get into play via c8 to comparison.



21. Nc1 g4 22. hxg4 Ng5 23. Be2 Nxg4	Computer analysis afterwards showed -4.40 for White in this position. My gut feeling told me to tip over the King and pay respect for the very good play by my opponent. White can just wait for something like Rf6-Rh6 mate or loose material with a depressing endgame.
	2 comments -nosferatu- (1200) on 31-Dec-10: An instructive game, and dignified of you to share and annotate as the loser. ybrevo (1200) on 02-Jan-11: Thanks -nosferatu-. Often we learn more from our losses than our wins.