Annotated Game #327: A (mostly) clean finish

This final-round game was won primarily due to my opening preparation in the Colle, which gave me a strategically winning position as of move 10. There is a big difference between a "strategically won" game and an actually won game, however, so the finish did not come without significant effort. Among other things, I once again missed a great chance for an impactful e3-e4 break with my opponent's king in the center, so will be more careful to look for that in the future. The final mating sequence included a rook sacrifice as a deflection tactic, which aside from the pleasing aesthetics is also an indicator that I am becoming less wedded to purely materialistic thinking.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class C"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "67"] [GameId "2248621732107423"] {[%evp 0,14,25,13,20,26,19,9,12,21,12,-1,12,-8,-2,12,42]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bg4 {a relatively common choice against the Colle, as pinning the knight and developing the bishop always appears to be good.} 4. Nbd2 e6 5. h3 {now, however, White gets to chase the bishop around.} Bh5 6. g4 Bg6 7. Ne5 {one of the main points of this approach is to force the acquisition of the bishop pair, by threatening to trap the bishop.} Bd6 8. h4 h6 {preparing to retreat the bishop, but of course White carries out the planned piece exchange first.} (8... h5 $5) 9. Nxg6 fxg6 10. Bd3 $18 {I thought for a while here and found the strongest continuation, which also should be rather obvious - targeting the weakest pawn while developing. White is strategically winning.} Kf7 {protecting the pawn, but keeping the king in the center.} 11. c4 $6 {hopefully after this tournament I will have learned my lesson about playing the e4 break in the Colle. The text move is still decent, but not aggressive enough on the kingside.} (11. e4 $1 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 $18 {I thought the exchanges would reduce White's attacking chances, but there is still a winning advantage, according to the engine. White has too many threats (Bxb7, g4-g5, Qd3 with a Q+B battery) for Black to parry.}) 11... c6 $6 {a reasonable-looking defensive move, but what Black really needs is counterplay.} (11... c5 $5) 12. c5 {here I deliberated and chose to close the center with a space gain, relying on my structural advantages on the kingside. I also thought this would improve my king safety and further reduce chances of counterplay by Black.} (12. Qc2 {would be a more direct approach.} Nxg4 13. Bxg6+ Ke7 {I did not like this because of the weakness on f2, but the engine is fine with it after} 14. Rg1 h5 15. Ke2 Qf8 16. f3 $18) 12... Bc7 13. Qf3 $6 {it is clear I need to get my queen into the game, but this was less effective than Qc2 with the battery against g6. Again, I was leery of the sequence after ...Nxg4.} (13. Qc2 $1) 13... Qe8 $2 {now I can get back on track with the attack.} (13... g5 $5 $14 {would remove the pawn from the line of fire and help the defense. White is not in a position to exploit the opening of the h-file.}) 14. h5 gxh5 15. gxh5 {Black now has to lose a tempo dealing with the threat of Bg6+ winning the queen.} Ke7 16. Bg6 {still the best move, played after some thought. The bishop goes to a dominant outpost.} Qd8 17. Qg2 {done primarily to clear the f3 square and allow f2-f4.} Qf8 18. f4 $1 {the engine agrees that this is strongest. Black's Bc7 is cut off, there is no possibility of a future break with the e-pawn, and the way is now clear for Nf3-e5.} Kd8 {Black has no good options by this point, although ...Nbd7 seems logical for development.} 19. Rg1 {building up pressure (currently masked by the bishop) on the g-file; however, immediately conducting the knight maneuver may be better.} Rg8 20. Nf3 Ba5+ {I anticipated this and welcomed exchanging down in what should be a winning position. This also should help get the Ra1 into the action.} 21. Bd2 Bxd2+ 22. Kxd2 {the king is quite safe behind the central pawn wedge, especially without Black pieces able to move on the dark squares.} Nbd7 23. Ke2 {an unnecessary pause in the action, but also useful for me to see what my opponent would try next.} Kc7 $6 {here I miss an opportunity to exploit the king's new vulnerability on the h2-b8 diagonal.} 24. Ne5 (24. Qh2 $1) 24... Nxe5 $2 {although this removes the centralized knight, it is worse because it facilitates White's breakthrough. Now the end is essentially inevitable.} (24... Qe7 {is the best defensive try, but White is still winning after} 25. Raf1 $18) 25. fxe5 Nd7 26. Raf1 Qd8 27. Qh3 {getting the queen into the action by targeting the vulnerable square. Black does not have enough defensive resources to cover her weaknesses.} Rf8 28. Qxe6 Rxf1 29. Qd6+ $1 {this in-between move surprised my opponent, and now mate is coming.} Kc8 30. Rxf1 Qh4 {a last attempt at counterplay, but now mate is forced.} 31. Rf8+ {a final surprise.} Nxf8 32. Bf5+ Nd7 33. Qxd7+ Kb8 34. Qc8# 1-0

Bronstein plays the Colle

The Colle is far from a "system" opening, although that is often its reputation. Taken from an opening study example, here is a fabulous game from GM David Bronstein, worthy of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. In addition to the rare king march at the end, what struck me most was the harmony of the White pieces as they dominated Black's rooks.

[Event "URS-ch24 Final"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1957.01.22"] [Round "2"] [White "Bronstein, David Ionovich"] [Black "Aronson, Lev Abramovich"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "1957.01.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "21"] [EventCountry "URS"] [SourceTitle "URS-ch"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. e3 Bg4 4. Bb5 e6 5. Nbd2 Bd6 6. c4 dxc4 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. Qa4 Ne7 9. Qxc4 O-O 10. O-O Rb8 11. a3 Bh5 12. b4 Rb5 13. e4 Bf4 14. a4 Rb6 15. Ba3 f5 16. Rfe1 Bf7 17. Rad1 e5 18. Qc5 Bxd2 19. Nxd2 Bh5 20. f3 Qxd4+ 21. Qxd4 exd4 22. b5 Re8 23. Nc4 Rbb8 24. Na5 fxe4 25. Bxe7 exf3 26. Nxc6 f2+ 27. Kxf2 Bxd1 28. Rxd1 Ra8 29. Rxd4 a6 30. Rd7 axb5 31. axb5 Ra2+ 32. Kf3 Rb2 33. Nd4 Rd2 34. Bc5 Rd3+ 35. Kf4 g5+ 36. Kf5 Rd2 37. Kf6 Rxg2 38. Nf5 Rxh2 39. Rg7+ Kh8 40. Kf7 1-0

Annotated Game #326: Going against principles, and a lesson at least partially learned

In this tournament game I made a couple of key moves on general "principles" which in fact went against the actual principles inherent in this Advance Caro-Kann setup, most notably not exchanging off White's key knight on f3 when prompted. I also miss several saving/winning resources from my opponent, including the final march of the kingside pawns in the endgame. I will nonetheless give myself at least partial credit for the pawn sac on move 22 after castling (!) - should have done so earlier, naturally, but it was good to see the engine validate my choice to prioritize piece activity over material.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "97"] [GameId "2248621732107422"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. h3 $6 {while not completely losing, this has a relatively simple refutation, which I did not bother to calculate, just moving on general principles.} Bh5 $11 {Black is equal here, but no more.} (7... Bxf3 $1 {this is also correct based on the positional structure, in which Black pressures d4.} 8. Bxf3 $15 {and Black has a pleasant choice between ...Qb6 and ...cxd4 for a lasting edge.}) 8. Nbd2 Qb6 (8... cxd4 $5 {is a simpler approach.}) 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. O-O Qc7 {long think here. It is fine after the text move, but White missed a more pointed option.} (10... a5 {would restrain b2-b4.}) 11. g4 (11. b4 {now the minor pieces are pushed backwards or towards the rim.} Be7 12. b5 Na5 13. Qa4 b6 14. Bb2 $16) 11... Bg6 $11 12. Nb3 {this gets in the way of the b-pawn advance, so is helpful for me.} Bb6 13. Bf4 Nge7 (13... h5 {immediately is more impactful, also deferring the knight placement in the event another square is useful. For example after} 14. Nfd4 (14. g5 Nge7 $17) 14... hxg4 15. hxg4 Nxe5 {the knight may be able to go to f6.}) 14. Bg3 h5 $15 (14... O-O-O $5 $15 {is an interesting idea I also contemplated, giving more freedom to a kingside attack.}) 15. g5 $6 {avoiding the exchange on g4, which would open the h-file, but now my knight gets an excellent outpost.} Nf5 $17 16. Bh2 {unfortunately after the bishop retreat I ran out of good ideas.} h4 $6 {there is no target for the h-pawn, so this simply wastes time and makes it potentially more vulnerable. The general principle of advancing pawns towards your opponent's king as a threat does not apply here.} (16... O-O $19 {gets the king out of the center and activates the h8 rook. The engine evaluates Black as positionally winning, at this point.}) 17. a4 a6 {a prophylactic move, guarding against a potential future a-pawn advance.} (17... Rd8 {increasing piece activity is better, since the a-pawn cannot advance further at the moment.}) (17... a5 $5 {with a similar idea, but preventing further advance of the a-pawn, which becomes important shortly.}) 18. Nbd4 {White lacks any good moves to make progress, but this has a tactical flaw.} Qe7 $6 {choosing to pressure the g5 pawn, instead of exchanging off the knight.} (18... Bxd4 $1 19. Nxd4 (19. cxd4 Qb6 {is similar}) 19... Nfxd4 20. cxd4 Qb6 21. Bf4 Nxd4 22. Be3 Nxe2+ 23. Qxe2 d4 {I did not see this last move in calculating the sequence, which the engine evaluates as much better for Black.} 24. a5 Qc5 $19) 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Bf4 Qa7 $6 {this supposedly clever move, threatening ...Ng3 while establishing a Q+B battery, is neutralized by White's next (which I did not see.)} (20... a5 $17 {would secure the Bb6.}) (20... Ng3 {is better than the move played, but immediately also runs into} 21. a5 $1 Ba7 22. Bxa6 Nxf1 23. Bxf1 {with complicated play and partial compensation for the exchange.}) 21. a5 $1 $11 Bc7 {I debated between this and the d8 square, which would have been a little better.} 22. Qa4 O-O {a pawn sac approved by the engine. This was based on getting the rook in the fight, which was the right thing to do, albeit a bit late.} 23. Qxc6 Ng3 {I finally get this in.} 24. Bxg3 $6 {I had looked at this, but thought simply moving the rook away would be better.} (24. Rfe1 $11) 24... hxg3 25. Bxa6 {a somewhat tricky move, although Black has several good responses.} Qxa6 {the best one, although after} 26. Qxc7 Qe2 $6 {I place the queen on the wrong square. I debated between this and the correct one (d3), with the clock counting down contributing to the failure of visualization/calculation. Both moves target the hanging Nf3.} (26... Qd3 $1 27. fxg3 Be4 {with a double attack on the pinned knight, and now if for example} 28. Rad1 (28. Kg2 Qe2+ 29. Rf2 Bxf3+ $1 $19) 28... Qe3+ $1 {and the knight cannot be protected successfully.}) 27. fxg3 Qxb2 $11 {the correct bail-out decision in this line.} (27... Be4 $2 28. Rf2 $18 {and Black's attack is gone.}) 28. Qc5 Bd3 (28... Rfc8 $5 {immediately gets the rook in the game, with tempo.} 29. Qb4 Qe2 $11) 29. Rfe1 Rfc8 $6 (29... Be4 $5) (29... Rfb8 $11) 30. Qb4 {I saw this was the likely response, but I mis-evaluated the resulting endgame.} Qxc3 31. Qxc3 Rxc3 32. Re3 $1 $16 {I missed this idea, otherwise Black has it easy.} Rac8 33. Nd4 $6 (33. g6 {is the engine's idea, forcing a weakening of Black's pawn structure.} Bxg6 $4 {loses because the a-pawn advances after} 34. Rxc3 Rxc3 35. a6 Rc8 36. a7 Ra8 37. Nd4 {followed by Nb5-c7}) 33... Rc1+ {a correct decision made under more serious time pressure.} 34. Re1 Rxe1+ 35. Rxe1 Rc5 $2 {attacking the wrong piece, and the losing move.} (35... Rc4 {I saw this earlier in my calculations but instead focused more blindly on directly attacking the pawn.}) 36. Ra1 $18 Ba6 37. Kf2 $6 (37. g6 fxg6 38. Nxe6 $18) 37... Kf8 $2 {the wrong idea. The king is needed to cover white's pawn majority on the kingside, which is dangerous even if fractured.} (37... Rc4 $1 {again is the answer, forcing a concession from White, either moving away the knight and letting the active rook onto the 2nd rank, or} 38. Rd1 Kh7 $11 {with ...Ra4 to follow.}) 38. Ra3 (38. g6 {this undermining idea is still very effective.}) 38... Ke7 $2 $18 {now the king is too far from the future pawn action on the g/h files.} (38... Rc4 39. Ke3 g6 $14) 39. Ke3 Kd7 40. Kd2 Rc4 {too late with this idea, if my opponent plays correctly.} 41. Nf3 $2 (41. Nc2 $18) (41. Ke3 $18) 41... Kc6 $2 {after a long think, I still ignore potential kingside danger.} (41... g6 $11 {and the king can come back and defend as needed.}) 42. Rc3 $1 {now there is no return, with the rooks forced off.} Kb5 43. Rxc4 Kxc4 44. h4 {only now did I realize the real extent of the problem.} g6 45. g4 d4 46. h5 gxh5 47. gxh5 Bb7 48. h6 {the knight can be left to its fate.} Be4 49. a6 1-0