Annotated chess game

Not quite--that would be a symmetrical QP game. Black can still turn this into a King's Indian Defense, Old Indian, or Benoni type opening.

I agree with disquiet. White hasn't offered any material yet.

Well, there *are* Queen's Gambit games in which White never offers any material, e.g. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5   But in this game, one of the defining moves, ...d5, hasn't been played.

Now it's a King's Indian Defense proper.

6. ...e5 is mainline. 6. ...Bg4 signals black will eventually trade his QB bishop, but I think he should wait until prompted by h3 first.

I don't think Black's exchange of his light-square bishop was very well motivated. I HAVE played something similar long ago, and have never been in an all-fired rush to repeat it. gameknot.com

I agree, but I see where Bill is coming from. Until not too long ago, I was even more into exchanges, and I went way overboard with that. Then, in my first training session with Ken, I learned why it's sometimes ill advised to exchange since he won by not exchanging. That's when I first realized that Coach Stockel isn't always correct as nuntar later pointed out. Since he was the one telling me that one should exchange whenever possible, and the truth is that it's ill advised to do so.

10. ...a6 is far too timid. Play 10. ...a5 if you going to play on the queenside, but I think black should think more about ...Ne8 and ...f5 ideas now.

In my view 11.b4 is quite in keeping with White's thematic Queen-side operations. the threat is c5, to open the c-file and create a weakness at d6.

As it transpires, maybe 12.a3 ought to have been preferred, to disarm the potential 12...a5. Black should probably now play 12...a5, with the idea 13.bxa5 Rxa5, disarming White's Q-side operations, and creating targets for himself.

And black's dark squares. Black may be thinking of ...Nh7, ...Qe8 type ideas but if the h-pawn was to be pushed I'd prefer ...h6 followed by ...Kh7, and maybe an eventual ...g5 push which are ideas in the KID. Black has been delaying moving his KN so he can essay an f-pawn lever, another KID idea. Black is a much lower-rated player so I imagine 12. ...h5 just appealed as "active" and "aggressive" superficially.

I never went by what any of the GM's said, since I have my style. It's not that I didn't listen, but I didn't really study them. The exception to that were both GM's Judit and Susan Polgar. Susan's the main one and her style of teaching also aligns with my style of learning. This is why when I was corrected for doing something by the master mater, easy19, about progress, I never took him seriously since we had different styles of doing so. And, I mean more different then anyonelse, but the game changer was with Susan in one of her quotes about not being sastisfied where you are and not trying to be just average.

This was played to prevent 14. Bh6 in my mind. It's not really a "threat" though, more a phantom, and black is not obliged to play 14. ...Bxh6.

14...a5 was still good.

And 15.a5 was still good...

It's easy to underestimate how bad. I was in that situation with Ken during our second training session. After being a piece down, I still thought that things were ok and was quite happy with my position. The only reason was because I had a threat against him, but in a couple of moves it was, easily, driven away. First, he did the immediate defense against since I was threatening mate, and I felt confident and had, in the long run, a similar threat. But, he stopped that a move later, and that's when I started to realize just how much trouble I was in.

Too late, and now too weakening with ...h5 having also been played.

Black could have maintained a rough equality, more than likely, by 15...exf4 16.Bxf4 a5 17.bxa5 Rxa5, when Black's resources look as useful as White's.

In this position I would favor 17. g4! after 17. ...hg 18. Bxg4 white has many devastating threats, like playing 19. f5 if the rook retreats, and rook-lift ideas Rf1-f3-h3.

17.g4 looks very strong; stronger still seems 17.Bd3! If the rook retreats, White can follow up with 18.f5! Otherwise 17...exf4 18.Bxf4, and if Black DOESN'T give up the exchange (18...Rxf4) there may come 18...Rf8 (say) 19.Rae1, after which White will have an attack to go with his exchange surplus.

What were you planning if instead of the inferior 17 ...Ndf6 black played 17. ...ef with a discovered attack on the QR? After 18. Bd4 Bxd4 19. Qxd4 Ne5 seems to ease black's position quite a bit.

17...exf4 looks to equalise! I don't think White should play 18.Bxd4, though. Instead, retaking on f4 seems to be indicated: 18.Bxf4 Bxa1 19.Rxa1 .... with the ideas of Ng5ch and Rf1, when White seems to have the resources for a promising K-side attack. Perhaps Black can disarm the Ng5ch notion by a timely ...Kh8, and hold on. Perhaps worth considering would be 18.Rxf4!? Bxa1 19.Rxf5 gxf5 20.Ng5ch Kg6 21.Qd1 Be5 22.Bxh5ch Kf6 23.Ne6 ... threatening the Q and 24.Bg5#. In this line, Black might have to let the bishop go on a1 in order to assemble an effective defence.

The same fork occurs if black moves the king to either square. 18. ...Rxg5 is forced.

Now, I'm more interested in what GM Lasker was teaching his students. I had something similar in a different training game. But, it was just about King Safety on if you can be checked, and if so how seriously. It also included if the Q could be captured. And, can you be mated. And, then came the Attacked Piece of what other piece is attacked, but that was it. This was before looking at the, overall picture, the entire board which I sometimes still have trouble doing.

What ptitroque is doing was (is) a recommendation from GM and World Champion Anatoly Karpov: enumerate according to the schedule listed here the features of the position. I used to do these exercises quite often in consultation/ coaching games on Gameknot. I did hope that others might take up the practice, but apart from one or two attempts, no one did. On the 'Safety of Kings' issue, I'd be looking at all those White pieces seemingly trained upon - focused upon - Black's King's position.

Hastens the end, but black is busted in any case. Black could try to get tricky with: 19. ...Ne4 20. Qd3 Nxg5 21. Bxh5? e4! turns the tables. In that line white is probably better off with the sedate 20. Qc1, bolstering that important g5 pawn, followed by 21. g4 to rip open the black king-side.

It is doubtful that Black had much choice: 19...Ne4 20.Qd1 ... (to maintain hold on g5) then follow with 21.Bd3. If 19...Nfd7, then 20.Rf7 looks pretty powerful.

I think that is going to happen.