Annotated chess game

3. c4 isn't the strongest continuation to the Philidor. 3. d4 or 3. Bc4 are to be preferred. In the above position now 4. Nc3 is better. Developing and keeping the option to move the d-pawn two squares in reserve.

The Philidor Defence is heralded by 2...d6. White's response doesn't apply the immediate pressure that 3.d4 or 3.Bc4 do, but it's not bad all the same. The game has entered new paths. At this point, as White, I might be thinking about developing Nc3, Be3 and deciding whether the Light Square Bishop (LSB) should stand on e2 or g2.

Weak retreat. 9. Nf4 is better. 9. Nxf6, O-O, f4 is also better than the text, gaining space and shepherd the king to safety.

White's game isn't too bad hereabouts, though he ought not to have played his Knight to d5 when he did. The problem with the knight's retreat in this direction, is that it will take a while to manoeuvre it to anywhere useful (f3). Instead, 9.Nxf6ch resolves the issue quickly, and gains time for a quick advance of the f-pawn (9...Qxf6 10.0-0 Be7 (say) 11.f4. The third possibility, 9.Nf4 Bd7 and then White might consider (for good or ill) playing 10.Nh3 with the idea 10...Bxh3 11.gxh3. Looks horrible, don't it? But the open file for the rook and the bishops' diagonals look very handy for an all-out assault on the K-side. The downside is that Black might castle on the other wing...

This was a very ill-advised decision by black. White's pawns are move advanced on the queenside to lead an attack. He can already whip out a pawn break ala 15. b4 and open the b-file to the enemy king. Black should have just played ...Be7 and ...O-O.

I didn't like 11.a4 very much, but now that it has advanced, castling long looks as though it might be 'castling into it' as they say. What is 'it'? A Q-side attack. On the other hand, Black isn't too badly placed for a K-side assault of his own. Clearly Black is gambling on getting his licks in first.

The center, basically, is white guarding white and black guarding black. I still did not know why in this game six pawns are immobile?!

White does have b4, either opening the b-file or generating the Q-side attack

Black having been thrown back somewhat, White could have done better than this pawn move. He wants to protect the bishop, but that might have waited. I prefer 17.b4, here, hoping to push it to b5 then to force open a file by bxa6. If 17.b4 f5 18.Bf3 (or Bh3) and then prepare for b4-b5 by bringing a rook (probably the King's) across to b1.

Smart? A piece is a piece, mate. Are you thinking of invading to black's second rank with the rook? After 18. (other move) fxg4 19. fxg4 Be8 simply covers everything.

I'm not sure I understand the note, as White does not allow 18...fxg4 to happen.

You guys are way better than me, but I'm getting more practice.

White has resources to probably hold especially since the play in this game is not terribly accurate. Besides which white should have played b4 ages ago to get his queenside attack moving first.

White has rather lost control of his bishops, and now Black is able to mobilise his K-side for attack. Still, White doesn't look too badly placed...

it was either this or g3 to save the bishop!

Now it's the pawns that slip from control. 25.b3 did nothing but waste a move; and 26.g3 merely weakened the K-side. True, the latter move gave the LSB a square (g2), but it also gave Black a target, which he at once let fly at. White's 27th is already looking a bit desperate. What to do instead? Well, the DSB having gone to e1 sooner would have helped, but it seems to me maybe there was still time for 25.Be1 followed by 26.Be2. The LSB is stuck on h3, but that square would have been quite safe, and that bishop would have retained some influence along the h3-c8 diagonal.

! Looks good!

That battle has been going on since move 17!

White is lost regardless of what he does. 36. Qe6ch Kg7 37. Qe5ch Rf6 38. Qe7ch Kg6 white's checks run out. The immediate threat of ...gxh2ch and snapping off the e1 rook and ...f3 (if white's queen is deflected from the h2-a8 diagonal) is also murderous in intent. But the aerated position of the black king does increase chances for a swindle.

Wrong rook! Black has been very careless: his King should have hidden itself away at a8 after 33.Qe6ch. Had White played 35.Re2ch! he would have won the Major Exchange: 35...Kf7 36.Rxf4ch Qxf4 37Qxf4ch, after which White has a likely mating attack. ####### Having said that, what about 26.Qe6ch? White's chances don't look all that bad: 26.Qe7ch Qxe7 27.Rxe7ch and now; [a] 27...Kf6 28.Rxb7 gxh2ch 29.Rxh2 Rxh2 30.Kxh2; [b] 27...Rf7 28.Rxf7ch Kxf7 29.hxg3 - these lines seem to indicate White still had life in him.

This is only my first annotated game. here are some symbols of what I use to calculate the moves. !=good move. !!=great move. ?!=dubious. !?=risky, but well considered. ?=weak move. ??=blunder.

!? <-- in other words, interesting move  

Which answers the case, of course. But White might have been better advised to centralise the Queen to d6 or e5, from whence she might yet have had an influence on the outcome.

Black could play f3, couldn't he?

f3! would be a great idea! It threatens the rook on g2, thus holding the Queen back. The only downside though is the 39. Rd2, but the Queen sacrifice, 39...Qxh2+!, does the game in as well.

Without using an analyze board, I see white missed the rather simple after (the text 41. Qd5ch Rf7) 42. Re8ch Kg8 43. Qe5ch Kg6 (...Kh7 44. Rh8ch winning the queen, though those pawns still carry bite on their own) 44. Rg8ch Kh6 (...Kh7 45. Qh8 mate!) Qe6ch 45. Rf6 Rh8ch. A better lesson for this game is whenever the winning side makes a move, scan the board for any possible checks the defending side has to swindle or trip you up, whether intermezzo ones or otherwise, because those are the usual suspects to throw a wrench into your operations.

What nosferatu has demonstrated is the remarkable resources that can sometimes be found in even the most hopeless of situations. White looks just about crushed, but the thing is not a gimme. After 42.Re8ch White would have completely turned the tables.