Annotated Game #292: Play like a Class player

This final-round tournament game has an all-too-familiar trajectory: emerging well from the opening - which I had learned from previous failure - and then beginning to make sub-optimal moves in the early middlegame, which lead to an increasingly difficult and eventually lost position. Here the common theme I spotted was play that is stereotypical of a Class player: waiting to activate the rooks, passive rather than active defense, and rushing to exchange pieces. On the positive side, after identifying these characteristics from recent live games, instead of being just words on a page the lessons will hopefully stick.

[Event "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "B15"] [PlyCount "85"] [GameId "2099915250376806"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 {the Fantasy variation, which seems to be more popular these days.} g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Be3 Qb6 6. Qd2 Qxb2 {this temporary pawn grab is key to the opening line, as is returning it at the right moment.} 7. Rb1 Qa3 8. Bd3 Nd7 {returning the pawn} 9. exd5 Ngf6 10. dxc6 bxc6 {although the c-pawn is isolated, it holds Black's position together by fighting for d5 and b5, while restricting White's Nc3.} 11. Nge2 O-O $11 12. Bh6 {this plan to exchange the Bg7 is not dangerous and Black can respond in various ways. As is often the case in similar fianchetto positions, the engine's first choice is to exchange immediately, although that leaves a positional hole. The point is that it cannot be exploited by White.} Ba6 {is also a solid choice, developing Black's last minor piece.} (12... Bxh6 13. Qxh6 {without a dark-square bishop or a knight able to pair with the queen, the dark-square weaknesses are not exploitable.} Ba6 14. Rb3 Qa5 15. Bxa6 Qxa6 $11) 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. Bxa6 {White's strategy seems to be focused just on exchanging pieces at this point. This gives the queen a good square.} Qxa6 $15 {the engine even evaluates Black as slightly better. The queen is on an effective diagonal and useful file. Meanwhile Black has no real weaknesses.} 15. O-O Nb6 $11 {The first sign of Class-level play creeps in, leaving the rooks still not playing; activating either of them would have been better. I was more concerned at the time about dominating d5.} (15... c5 $5 {is also an interesting idea. The point is that if} 16. dxc5 (16. d5 Nb6 {and now Black has the easier game, simply working to target the d-pawn.}) 16... Nxc5 {Black now has the d- and c-files for excellent play with his rooks.}) 16. Qg5 {a bit of a waste of time, although it does pin the Nf6 temporarily.} Rad8 {it's good to get the rook in the game.} (16... h6 {is the simplest method of countering White's last move.}) 17. Rfe1 {lining up against the e-pawn.} Qc4 {not a bad move, but it is unnecessarily commital, and it would be better to activate the other rook, which is not currently playing.} (17... Rfe8) (17... Nbd5 $5 {occupying the central post would also be useful.}) 18. Qa5 {my opponent does well to immediately take advantage of the hole left by my previous move on the queenside. Things are now more awkward for me, if still level.} Nbd5 (18... Nfd5 {might be a slightly better version of the idea. In both cases, the a-pawn cannot be snatched by the Qa5 due to the attack on c3.}) 19. Qa4 {forcing the exchange.} Qxa4 (19... Ne3 $5 {is another, slightly more creative way of handling it.}) 20. Nxa4 {now White's pieces appear more active, although this is partly illusory.} Rb8 {not a bad move, but unnecessarily complicated in terms of the needs of the position.} (20... Rfe8 {activates the other rook and supports the e-pawn.}) 21. Rb3 Rxb3 $6 {here's where I really start losing the thread of the game. Another Class player bad practice is to exchange pieces whenever possible, rather than looking to maintain the tension.} (21... Rb4 $11) 22. axb3 $14 {White now has two pawn islands to Black's three, and the a-pawn is vulnerable.} e6 $6 {here I was too worried about the e-pawn, and not enough about White's knight coming to a powerful outpost.} (22... Nd7 $14) 23. Nc5 $16 {from this point on, it is an uphill battle in the endgame.} Ra8 24. Ra1 Ne8 {with the idea of getting the knight more into play, but this is too passive.} (24... Ne3 25. c4 a5 {admitting the pawn is lost, but trying to improve things positionally somewhat.} 26. Nb7 a4 {hoping for bxa4 is probably the best chance.}) 25. c4 Ne7 $6 {again with the overly passive choice for defense.} (25... Nb4 $16) 26. Kf2 $18 {from here it really is "a matter of technique" for White, who has a major space and structural advantage, with no Black counterplay.} Nc7 27. g4 g5 28. Ng3 f6 29. Nce4 Ne8 30. Ke2 Kf7 31. Kd3 Rb8 32. Kc3 Rb7 33. Ra6 Rc7 34. Nc5 Nc8 35. Nge4 {it's instructive to see how White continues squeezing Black's weaknesses and does not need to rush things.} Ned6 36. Ra2 Nxe4+ 37. fxe4 Ne7 {the last major mistake, as now the half-open f-file spells Black's doom.} 38. Rf2 Rc8 39. Nd7 Ng8 40. Nxf6 Nxf6 41. e5 Re8 42. Rxf6+ Kg7 43. Kb4 1-0