FT article: "How I used AI to become a chess grandmaster at 16"

Indian teenage GM Aarav Dengla just had a high-profile opinion article on chess preparation and AI for education published in the Financial Times - see the FT.com article here. Stripping away the opinion part of it, there is a succinct and useful description of how he has employed chess engines and databases to prepare for particular games and in his general chess education. In particular, comparing different engine types and their recommendations for strategic plans is an example of typical high-level use.

Unfortunately, as in much of the abundant but shallow "AI" public discourse, different types of "AI" are mixed and (mis)matched in comparing and making assertions about the benefits of different types of use cases, as well as the user population. In the chess world, modern engines have incorporated AIML (machine learning) since the debut of AlphaZero and LC0 and of course have surpassed human players in strength for significantly longer than that, once sufficient computing speed and memory became available. No serious competitive player does without engine and database tools for reference.

Of course, now everyone from GMs to amateurs can (and probably should) use a (free) engine and a large database of games to objectively check their analysis and help prepare for their next tournament. Links to computer resources are in this blog's sidebar for a reason, as I do the same - while keeping in mind the pitfalls of computer analysis. 

Even with excellent resources available to everyone with an internet connection, the overall mix of tool usage for chess training still varies widely in practice, with old school players extolling the value of studying classic games in books and using a physical board when possible, while some of the recent generation of professional players boast of having a 100% digital use profile. Having a spread of different study tools and techniques is very typical for any sufficiently large population, as different people will naturally absorb, integrate and (effectively) use material in different ways.

The cited article, however, takes a big leap from there as the author argues that his (and his similarly highly-educated friends') experience using "AI" with chess and language learning is a valid example of why generalizing usage of "AI" tools, to the broader population and for general educational assistance, should be supported as obviously having a positive impact on outcomes.

It is interesting that language learning was also included as an example that supposedly uniquely supports the case for general AI adoption, since - like chess - excellent computer tools have been available in that area since before the so-called AI boom. Major real-world issues involving the general population, such as widespread cheating on exams and AI-generated homework, are also ignored. This continues to be a major problem in the online chess world as well (and not just in the general population) - see the latest Chess.com "Fair Play update - while nowadays participating in OTB tournaments with large prizes sometimes feels like going through airport security (repeatedly).

Personally, I think people should "choose their own adventure" in life and bring to bear whatever tools are best suited for themselves, as long as others are not cheated in the process. Thankfully chess offers this possibility, with longer-format OTB tournaments still validated as the "gold standard" for competitive play. And, as pointed out by the author, AI cannot help you while at the board.

Annotated Game #368: Play it again, Colle

This next tournament game started out very similarly to the first-round Annotated Game #366. Although it is only an equal line in the Colle System, having just played the same opening successfully - and understanding where the previous middlegame went wrong - I felt confident and comfortable in it. My opponent by contrast was thinking on his own as early as move 3 and got into trouble coming out of the opening. By making moves that visually looked normal and good in an unfamiliar setup, he instead trapped his own queen and had to sacrifice a knight for a pawn to extricate it. After that the pressure was off for me, since I just had to follow a strategy of properly mobilizing my extra piece and simplifying down under favorable circumstances. I kept my focus, however, and found some optimal intermediate moves while never playing anything unsafe. A clean game from my end was certainly welcome.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [PlyCount "65"] [GameId "2351903693869100"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 {this was played after some thought; my opponent did not seem familiar with facing the Colle.} 4. dxc5 e6 5. a3 Bxc5 6. b4 Be7 7. Bb2 O-O $11 {the most played in the database, by far; my earlier round game featured ...a5.} 8. Be2 {I'll need to castle, so might as well do it sooner. Developing with Nbd2 is equivalent according to the engine, with the idea of playing c2-c4 prior to castling.} Bd7 {now out of the database. This seemed to me at the time a bit passive placement for the bishop, but it now could support b7-b5. Therefore I played} 9. c4 {before it could be stopped.} (9. O-O b5 10. Ne5 a6 11. Bd3 $11 {would be an alternate strategic way to play in the center/kingside.}) 9... Qc7 $6 {this commits the queen early on a file which will soon be opened.} 10. Nbd2 Rd8 $6 {taking away a retreat square for the queen.} 11. cxd5 (11. Be5 Bd6 {I rejected this line after seeing the bishop interposition, not wanting to exchange pieces, but did not consider} 12. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 13. cxd5 exd5 $16 {although I've given up my beautiful dark-square bishop - which I hadn't wanted to do originally - Black's multiple structural weaknesses would be well worth it in exchange.}) 11... Nxd5 $2 {the centralized knight looks good optically, but now the queen is out of squares.} (11... exd5 {was necessary to give the queen an escape square on e6.} 12. Rc1 Qb6 $14) 12. Rc1 $1 {I made sure this was safe before playing, although it was "obvious".} Nc6 {there is nothing better than having the knight sacrifice itself to protect the queen.} (12... Qb6 13. Bd4 Qd6 14. Bc5 $18) (12... Bc6 13. b5 Qb6 14. bxc6 Qxb2 15. Rb1 Qxa3 16. cxb7 $18) 13. b5 $18 Qb6 14. bxc6 Qxb2 15. Nc4 {I played this intermediate move after a good deal of thought; it is validated by the engine. The knight gets to a better square with tempo, while preserving the a-pawn.} (15. cxd7 {would cash in the material immediately and is also fine, in objective terms.} Qxa3 16. Ne5 $18 {While White has a big plus, I didn't like giving Black two connect passed pawns on the queenside for counterplay.}) 15... Qb5 16. cxd7 (16. Nd4 {I only saw after I played the text move. During the game I kicked myself mentally for not playing it instead, but the engine evaluates it as only slightly better.} Qc5 17. cxd7 Bf6 18. O-O $18) 16... Qxd7 17. O-O $18 {Now it is only a question of mobilizing my extra piece effectively. I am not afraid of Black's 2-1 majority on the queenside, which is his only positive imbalance.} b5 $6 {this is premature, driving the knight to a better square and making the b-pawn a target.} 18. Nce5 Qb7 19. Qb3 {the queen development consolidates nicely for White.} a6 20. Nc6 {forcing a piece exchange, which brings me closer to victory by simplification.} Rdc8 21. Nxe7+ Qxe7 22. Nd4 g6 {evidently played to avoid potential future back-rank problems.} 23. Bf3 {mobilizing the bishop on the long diagonal.} Rc5 24. Nc6 {I took my time here; this is the most forcing/pressing move.} Qd6 25. Nb4 {now the Nd5 is once more pinned and under additional pressure.} Rac8 26. Rxc5 {time for more simplification.} Rxc5 27. Nxd5 (27. Rd1 {immediately is even better, adding pressure and pinning again.}) 27... exd5 28. Rd1 Qc7 29. Bxd5 {I spent a lot of time here making sure this was safe, due to my own back rank. I was fatigued enough to make it slower than necessary, but I had the time.} a5 (29... Rc1 30. g3 $18) (29... Rc3 30. Qb2 Qe5 31. Rd4 $18) 30. g3 {no more back-rank problems.} Kf8 31. Kg2 {safety first} a4 32. Qb4 {the pin against the king is the final nail in the coffin.} f5 $2 {Black was lost anyway, this makes it immediate after} 33. Rc1 {and the rook is doomed.} 1-0

Annotated Game #367: For want of a (correct) square for the bishop

In this second-round tournament game, as Black in a Caro-Kann Exchange (very popular right now for White players), I enter a line that is (more or less) equal, but imbalancing and dynamic, if White exchanges bishops on f5 and changes the central pawn structure. However, I still have relatively little experience in it - White players often decline to change things up - and my lack of knowledge about a seemingly small thing, where to place the dark-square bishop (on e7 or d6), ends up being at the root of all my troubles. My opponent does a good job of consolidating his structural advantage, after which - like in the previous game (Annotated Game #366) - I lash out with an ineffective sacrifice in a desperate attempt for counterplay. The difference is that in this one I probably was lost in the long term anyway, but it is still not a good habit to get into.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B13"] [PlyCount "57"] [GameId "2351903693869099"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 g6 7. Nd2 Bf5 {I thought for a while here, also considering ...Nh5 to hit the Bf4.} 8. Bxf5 {White decides to go for the critical line.} gxf5 9. Ngf3 e6 {a necessary move to open the f8-a3 diagonal and reinforce the f5 and d5 pawns.} 10. Ne5 Rg8 {my first real think. I liked the idea of an early ...Rg8 to seize the file, then see what White did.} (10... Bd6 {is the more popular - and correct - move, developing the bishop first.}) 11. g3 {my opponent decides to shut down potential g-file action before doing anything else.} Be7 $6 {misplacing the bishop. It is much better to oppose the Bf4 and fight for the center, along with ...Qc7 forming a battery.} 12. Qe2 $14 {my opponent clearly signals he is thinking about castling queenside.} a6 $6 {played after a significant think; I was worried about Qb5 ideas from White, and did not want to trade on e5 yet.} (12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 Nd7 14. O-O-O Qb6 $14) 13. O-O-O {unsurprising, but I had another significant think here to try and come up with a useful plan. I ended up playing the next move to protect the Nc6, in anticipation of pushing the b-pawn, and to get some pressure down the c-file.} Rc8 {this is unfortunately more of a cheap one-move threat (...Nxd4 exploiting the pin on the c-file). With the White king on the queenside, the rook is also well-placed on its original square.} (13... Qb6 {with the plan of pushing the a-pawn is preferred by the engine.}) 14. Kb1 $16 {a normal move to get the king off the file with the Black rook, also avoiding the tactic of ...Nxd4.} b5 $6 {the engine assesses this is not a threat to White. The problem is that I have no effective plans to execute, with none of my pieces in good positions.} 15. Rhe1 {now I have to worry about Nxf7 ideas because of the weak e6 pawn, so after some thought I reluctantly exchange on e5, a decision validated by the engine.} Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nd7 {White's space and activity advantage is visually obvious, especially with the e5 pawn cramping me in the center.} 17. Qh5 Nf8 {at this point I am being purely defensive, but I didn't see how White could break through on the kingside.} 18. Nb3 b4 $6 {played after my longest think in this critical position. I felt I had to go for counterplay on the queenside, rather than accept a structurally worse, maybe losing position.} (18... Bg5 {is the (objectively better) alternative I considered.} 19. Bxg5 Qxg5 20. Qe2 $14 (20. Qxg5 $6 Rxg5 $11)) 19. Bd2 {I had not considered this backwards bishop move option for White.} bxc3 {I thought there was nothing better, and was probably right.} (19... Qb6 $5 20. f4 a5 21. cxb4 a4 $18) 20. Bxc3 {now I didn't see a way to make progress, so decided to go for a speculative exchange sac, as the most interesting move.} Rxc3 $6 21. bxc3 Rg4 {attempting to at least cut off the White queen from the action.} 22. Rd4 $18 {I was expecting f2-f4, but this is just as good for White.} Rxd4 23. cxd4 {with no material compensation for the exchange and a still slow-developing attack, I am simply lost now, but decided to keep fighting.} Qb6 (23... Ba3 24. Qe2 Qb6 25. Ka1 $18) 24. Rc1 Qb7 {I decided covering the c8 square was necessary to prevent immediate disaster from a rook check.} (24... a5 25. Rc8+ Bd8 26. Qg5 a4 27. Rxd8+ Qxd8 28. Qxd8+ Kxd8 29. Nc5 $18 {I calculated as a winning endgame for White.}) 25. Ka1 Ba3 26. Rc2 Nd7 {a last hurrah trying to get the knight into the action.} 27. Na5 Qb8 28. Qe2 Qb4 {I was trying for a desperation threat and missed the following, but I was lost anyway.} 29. Rc8+ {with mate to follow, thanks to the e5 pawn and Nc6+ coming.} 1-0

Annotated Game #366: Why not maintain the balance?

In this first-round tournament game, as White I reach a very balanced and almost entirely symmetrical middlegame position where there is no obvious plan to make progress. There is nothing wrong with achieving that against a higher-rated opponent. However, instead of patiently maneuvering or making quiet, useful moves (h2-h3 etc.) that maintain the balance, I "sacrifice for activity" by pitching a pawn, but end up with no initiative, threats or other positional compensation. So, it was simply a hallucination born of frustration. After that, my opponent shows good technique in leveraging his queenside pawns and more active pieces to reach a won endgame.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Expert"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [PlyCount "125"] [GameId "2351903693844521"] {[%evp 0,125,10,38,18,14,20,14,9,-3,6,2,5,0,1,0,0,0,2,-1,7,7,4,0,0,29,3,8,-4,-22,2,0,-1,19,0,17,58,-4,12,-39,7,-60,-20,-60,-70,-122,-175,-168,-200,-146,-276,-178,-246,-172,-294,-195,-179,-181,-163,-346,-351,-368,-329,-354,-218,-358,-270,-301,-369,-373,-330,-329,-308,-311,-417,-391,-448,-431,-466,-418,-289,-437,-441,-338,-423,-429,-297,-414,-416,-420,-420,-418,-406,-392,-384,-370,-380,-394,-346,-387,-374,-401,-257,-393,-395,-395,-404,-400,-361,-362,-324,-375,-393,-467,-396,-420,-427,-630,-528,-652,-300,-527,-606,-797,-496,-564,-643,-687]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. dxc5 {a kind of reversed Queen's Gambit.} e6 5. a3 {a solid continuation, simply looking to develop.} Bxc5 6. b4 Be7 7. Bb2 a5 {this seems provocative at first glance, but White has nothing better than} 8. b5 b6 $11 {now out of the database. The engine shows this as equal.} 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Be2 {deliberately postponing c2-c4 until I've had a chance to castle.} O-O 11. O-O Nbd7 12. c4 {this pawn lever is necessary in all lines, otherwise Black has a strong, unchallenged center and White has a weak c-pawn on the half-open file.} Rc8 13. Rc1 {my first substantial think was here. It made sense to get the rook playing on the important c-file, although there is a trade-off because it removes a defender of a3.} Nc5 {the obvious best square for the knight.} 14. Nd4 {another long think here. White is fine, but there is no obvious plan.} (14. h3 {could be a useful waiting move, as Black has no immediate way to make significant progress either.}) (14. Qc2 {is good, but at the time I didn't like the idea of placing my queen opposite the Black rook. It does have the benefit of clearing d1 for the Rf1, however.}) 14... Qd7 15. cxd5 {it seemed necessary to exchange off Black's central pawn at some point, and I saw no reason to further postpone it.} Nxd5 16. Nc4 {after another long think here, I select the top engine choice - although it is still simply equal, with an almost entirely symmetrical position.} Bf6 17. Bf3 {still thinking reasonably long, and correctly. The bishop goes to the more active long diagonal. The obvious threat, which my opponent sees, is to exchange the Nd5 and then play Nxb6 with a fork of queen and rook.} Qc7 18. Nd2 {while not disastrous, this is a rather aimless and unnecessary move that reduces the scope of the knight. There were better ideas.} (18. Nb3 $11 {would be the better knight move to make, if I wanted to move one of the pair.}) (18. e4 $5 {would be the most pointed option, generating a bit of initiative.} Nf4 {and now} 19. e5 $14 {would drive back the Be7, thanks to the tactical point} Bxe5 $2 20. Nxe5 Qxe5 21. Bxb7 Nxb7 22. Nc6 {threatening a fork on e7} Qg5 23. g3 $16 {with excellent play for the sacrificed pawn.}) (18. Rc2) 18... Rfd8 19. Qe2 $6 {I was not sure about this, and this is not the best square for the queen.} (19. Qc2 $11) 19... Qd7 (19... Nf4 $5 {I saw as a possibility, but was not overly concerned.} 20. exf4 Bxd4 21. Bxd4 Rxd4 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Nf3 Rxf4 24. Ne5 {Black's misplaced rook and the availability of c6 as a knight outpost provide good compensation for the pawn. And if} Re4 25. Qf3 $11) 20. Rfd1 $6 {while principled in terms of getting a rook to an (eventually) better file, this is too slow and allows Black to seize the initiative and an advantage.} (20. Ne4 {is more challenging.} Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Nc3 {I rejected this line due to the hanging Be4, but White has an out after} 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Rxc3 {and if} Bxd4 24. Rxc8 $1 Rxc8 25. Qd3+ Kg8 26. Qxd4 Qxd4 27. Bxd4 $14 {the engine however only gives a small plus to White, due to the opposite-colored bishop endgame.}) 20... Na4 {I saw this as the most likely response, but underestimated its strength.} 21. Ne4 Be7 $15 {now I was at a loss for what to do and getting a bit fatigued, so sacrificed (incorrectly) for some perceived activity.} (21... Be5 $17 {gives Black a more dominant piece in the center.}) 22. Nc6 $2 {this gets White less than nothing, as I will end up down a crucial pawn with zero extra activity/threats.} (22. Rxc8 {is the more solid choice.} Rxc8 23. Qd2 {covering c3} Nxb2 24. Qxb2 $15) 22... Bxc6 $19 23. bxc6 Rxc6 24. Rxc6 Qxc6 25. Rc1 Qd7 {despite White having the two bishops and the c-file (temporarily), Black's pieces are well-placed and the 2-1 queenside majority will be enough for an endgame win.} 26. Qc2 Nxb2 27. Qxb2 Qa4 {Now I have to let the a-pawn go or have my rook passively defend, both losing choices.} 28. Ra1 Rc8 29. Rc1 {played in desperation, but hoping for at least some compensating activity.} Rxc1+ 30. Qxc1 Bxa3 31. Qc8+ Bf8 32. g3 {a necessary precaution to avoid back-rank problems.} Qa1+ 33. Kg2 Qb2 {...Nxe3 is now threatened due to the pinned f-pawn.} 34. Kg1 a4 {a reminder that if White does nothing, Black simply advances his passed pawns.} 35. Ng5 Qf6 36. Bxd5 (36. Nxh7 {is a nice idea that does not work.} Kxh7 37. Bxd5 (37. Be4+ Kg8) 37... exd5 38. Qxf8 d4 $19) 36... Qxg5 37. Ba2 b5 38. Bb1 g6 39. Qc2 Qd5 40. Ba2 Qa8 {like a rook, the queen also does well behind the passed pawns.} 41. h4 b4 42. Kf1 {I had hopes of putting up enough resistance in a mobile queen endgame to make it complicated.} b3 {forcing the issue.} 43. Bxb3 axb3 44. Qxb3 {with an extra bishop, of course Black should eventually win, but it still needs to be proven. All of my pawns are on the same color square, which blocks it from penetrating my position and easily combining with the Black queen.} Qa1+ 45. Ke2 h5 46. Qb8 Qa4 47. Kf3 Qg4+ 48. Kg2 Qe4+ 49. Kf1 Qf3 50. Ke1 Kg7 51. Qb2+ Kh7 52. Qb8 Bg7 53. Qc7 e5 {my opponent shows good technique by bringing up a pawn to help the queen.} 54. Qc5 Qh1+ 55. Ke2 e4 56. Qc4 Kg8 57. Qc8+ Bf8 58. Qe8 Qb1 59. Qd8 Qb5+ 60. Ke1 Qc4 61. Kd2 {so far I have been able to neutralize the extra bishop, but the same fundamental issue in all material-down queen endgames now looms large. If the side with the material advantage can force a queen trade, then it's pretty much over.} Kg7 {Now the Bf8 can be activated with ...Bb4, which I felt would be game-ending.} 62. Qd4+ Qxd4+ 63. exd4 {however seeing this on the board is really just as game-ending. I resigned.} 0-1

The importance of CCT: example #9 - 2026 U.S. Championship, Round 1

The 2026 U.S. Championships just started and in round 1 we already have another timely example (see move 30) in Liang - Neimann of the importance of CCT (checks, captures, threats) to your thinking process. Chess being a game of complex decisions, often there is more than one major thinking process factor at play in a player missing the best move, at all levels of play. Here the fundamental principle of "when you see a good move, look for a better one" was also not implemented by White. As noted in the above-linked official game commentary, GM Awonder Liang must have already seen a different (longer) winning idea, which provides an explanation for him missing the one-move queen trap threat. GM Hans Niemann of course missed it as well from the Black side on move 29, an illustration of the separate concept of needing to falsify your candidate moves prior to playing your preferred choice. Seeing top-level tournaments reflect these kinds of issues common to amateur play can make us (me, at least) feel better about chess.

[Event "2026 US Chess Championships Open"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2026.10.09"] [Round "1"] [White "Liang, Awonder"] [Black "Niemann, Hans Moke"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B31"] [WhiteElo "2685"] [BlackElo "2717"] [PlyCount "67"] [GameId "2363489194740679"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 O-O 7. d4 d5 8. e5 Ne4 9. Be3 Qb6 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Qc1 c4 12. Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Nxd2 Bf5 14. b3 Bd3 15. h4 f6 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. Bf4 c5 18. Nf3 cxd4 19. Nxd4 Rf7 20. Qa3 fxe5 21. Bxe5 Bf8 22. Qc1 Rd8 23. a4 Rd5 24. a5 Rxa5 25. Rxa5 Qxa5 26. Ne6 Qa2 27. Bd4 Qa6 28. Qb2 Qd6 29. Qb7 h5 $2 30. Qb5 (30. Bc5 $1 {immediately traps the queen}) 30... a6 31. Qe8 Bc2 32. Ng5 Rf6 33. Bxf6 Qxf6 34. Re6 1-0

Annotated Game #365: Saving the last round

Having lost in the first three rounds of this tournament, and at this point possessing an extended five-game losing streak including the previous tournament, it was about time to pull out a victory. Having a "must-win" mentality can be a positive or negative - generally I view it as a negative, since a self-generated spike in pressure/anxiety levels rarely benefits your mental state, including the ability to maintain objective assessments during a game. That said, if you are in an excellent tournament situation and have a "must-win" game for a prize, as long as it acts as a motivational force that gives you more energy and focus, then why not?

For this last-round game, I chose to view it as a chance for a reset and to remain calm while playing better chess, which I feel is the best path to actually achieving victory. I've noticed that I generally seem to have a better attitude towards the end of a Swiss-type tournament than my opponents when things haven't gone well. This has repeatedly helped me achieve a more positive and perhaps slightly redemptive result. While the below final-round game is not necessarily a masterpiece, I was able to keep posing enough problems to my opponent for him to finally go astray. This is in fact one of the key "tricks" to winning: always keeping in mind that your opponent has to make a significant error for you to win, so you should always give him more chances to do so, whenever possible.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D12"] [PlyCount "107"] [GameId "2345579122020422"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nh4 Bg6 5. Nxg6 hxg6 6. c4 e6 7. Nc3 {played in all of the (small) sample of database games. Logical development and postpones resolving the central tension until White sees what Black does.} (7. cxd5 $5 {alternatively, making this favorable pawn exchange can't be wrong, if White wants to do it immediately.}) 7... c6 $11 {a solid choice.} 8. cxd5 {this is a very equal continuation.} (8. Qb3 $5 {should always come into consideration when Black's light-square bishop is no longer on the board.}) 8... exd5 9. Bd2 {there is no better place for developing the bishop in this structure.} Bd6 {threatening the h2 pawn. The engine is not concerned about this at all, since the pawn is tactically defended, but I decide to eliminate the threat.} 10. g3 (10. Qb3 {and now if} Rxh2 $2 (10... b5 $11) 11. Rxh2 Bxh2 12. Qxb7 $1 Nbd7 13. Qxc6 $18) 10... O-O 11. Bg2 Re8 {my opponent has easy equality with normal-looking, natural moves.} 12. O-O Nbd7 13. a4 {in this very equal position, there is no obvious plan for White to follow. I eventually decided to simply gain space on the queenside and restrain my opponent's ...b5 idea.} (13. Qb3) (13. a3 {preparing b2-b4-b5 with Rb1 would be a standard plan.}) 13... Ne4 $6 {my opponent must also have found it difficult to find a particularly good plan. The knight jump to e4 seems logical, clearing f6 either for the Nd7 or to push f7-f5. However, I am able to make a positionally favorable exchange as well, given taht the Nc3 was doing very little.} 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. b4 $14 {a natural and good follow-up, gaining space and controlling c5.} Nb6 $6 {while it makes some sense for Black to dedicate more forces to the queenside, his play is more naturally on the kingside. The knight move does not slow down my advance, however, and the piece is now a target.} 16. Qb3 {It's obviously good for the queen to get into action, but it was not clear to me what the best square was.} (16. Qc2 {is evaluated as stronger by the engine.} Qe7 17. a5 Nd5 18. a6 $1 $16 {now undermines Black's queenside, for example} Bxb4 19. axb7 Rab8 20. Qxc6 $1 Qxb7 21. Qxb7 Rxb7 22. Bxb4 Nxb4 23. Rfb1 $16 {and after all the exchanges Black cannot solve all the problems of his multiple weaknesses - the pinned Nb4 and the pressured a- and e-pawns.}) 16... Nd5 17. Rfc1 {activating the rook on the important c-file. Now the b-pawn advance will carry a little more punch.} a6 18. Rab1 {too cautious. I did not calculate the consequences of b4-b5 properly.} (18. b5 {immediately works well.} axb5 19. axb5 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Nf6 21. Bb4 Bxb4 22. Qxb4 {and my pieces have much better play on the queenside, although it is not necessarily decisive.}) (18. Bf1 $5 {would be a better way to add power to the b5 push.}) 18... Bf8 19. Qc2 {played to add pressure to e4 and clear the b-file for the rook.} f5 {the natural reaction, solidifying e4.} 20. Bf1 {now it is clear the bishop has no future on g2 but can be useful on the f1-a6 diagonal.} Rc8 21. Qb3 {moving the queen off the c-file now that Black's rook is there, while also pinning the Nd5, a result of Black's f-pawn leaving its home.} Qd6 22. b5 {the only way to make progress, although White still has only a small advantage.} Rb8 $2 {my opponent now goes astray in the face of a more complex situation to resolve.} 23. Bc4 {a "good enough" move which should give White a winning advantage, although the path is not as clear as after} (23. bxa6 bxa6 24. Qc4 $1 $18 {and White will pick up a key queenside pawn.}) 23... Kh7 24. Qc2 $6 {while not losing, this gives up most of the pressure and advantage.} (24. bxa6 bxa6 25. Qd1 $18 {and although this is a retreat, Black's situation on the queenside is untenable with the weak a- and c-pawns.}) (24. Qa2 $5 {this was a much better queen retreat idea.} Qa3 {is what I was concerned about, but White is fine again after} 25. bxa6 $18) 24... axb5 25. axb5 Rec8 {Black continues to oppose rook and queen, prompting another inaccuracy from me.} 26. Bxd5 $6 (26. Ba2 {is a better bishop move. White would be happy to trade the queen for two rooks after ...cxb5.}) (26. Qb3 $5) 26... Qxd5 {while this is also equal, it gave me a bit of hope for winning chances, since there is still a pawn structure imbalance and potential tactics in play.} 27. bxc6 Ba3 $6 {apparently my opponent thought he would recover the c-pawn with advantage after this aggressive move.} (27... Rxc6 $11) 28. Qc4 {I was pleased to be able to find this intermediate move, taking advantage of Black's undefended queen to counterattack and give him more problems to solve.} (28. c7 {I also considered, but it is not as favorable to White after} Bxc1 29. cxb8=Q Rxc2 30. Rxc1 Rxc1+ (30... Rxd2 $2 {I thought would have been fine for Black, not calculating further, but} 31. Rc8 $1 g5 32. Rh8+ Kg6 33. h4 $1 $18 {gives White a won position.}) 31. Bxc1 Qb3 $11) 28... Qxc4 $2 (28... bxc6 {was likely rejected by my opponent because of} 29. Rxb8 Rxb8 30. Qxc6 $14 {with an extra passed d-pawn for White, but Black's pieces are very active and the engine only gives a slight advantage to White.}) 29. Rxc4 b6 $2 {this move however has several flaws, and I find the best exploitation of it with} 30. Bb4 $1 $18 {now Black's bishop must be exchanged, leaving him in a pawn-down endgame with my pieces dominating the queenside.} Bxb4 31. Rbxb4 Rc7 32. d5 {now that I have two connected advanced passed pawns backed by active rooks, the rest is "a matter of technique" but my opponent to his credit fights the full distance.} Rd8 {the problem of course is that the rook cannot protect the b-pawn and try to stop the central pawn roller at the same time.} (32... b5 33. Rc5 Rd8 34. Rbxb5 $18) 33. Rd4 Kg8 34. Rxb6 Rd6 35. Rb7 Rc8 {exchanging on b7 does not work, as the remaining Black rook would have to sacrifice itself for the advancing d-pawn.} 36. Kf1 {after some thought, I decided the easiest strategy to win would be to bring my king decisively into the queenside mix. Black cannot oppose its march and between the Rd4, pawns and centralized king, I can handle any attempt at counterplay on the kingside.} Kf8 37. Ke2 g5 38. Kd2 g6 39. Kc3 Ke8 40. Rh7 {again going for "easy mode" and looking to trade rooks.} Kd8 41. Rh8+ Kc7 42. Rxc8+ Kxc8 43. Kb4 Kc7 44. Kc5 g4 45. Rb4 {now the end appears in sight.} Rd8 46. Rb7+ Kc8 47. d6 Rh8 48. Ra7 (48. d7+ {is a forced mate, but I was tired and not looking to calculate more than I had to by this point.} Kd8 49. Kd6 {with mate in 1.}) 48... Kb8 49. Kb6 Rd8 50. c7+ Kc8 51. cxd8=Q+ Kxd8 {when one of my opponents decides to play the game out until mate, I used to become upset at the imagined affront to my chess skill. Nowadays I just enjoy the sensation of being completely winning and make moves guaranteed to reach a win without having to think too much.} 52. Kc6 Ke8 53. Ra8+ Kf7 54. d7 {now my opponent decided to call it a day and resigned.} 1-0

Annotated Game #364: Always capture en passant

In this next tournament game, my positional troubles can be directly traced to passing up the chance for an en passant capture. While no chess decisionmaking rule is 100%, usually the burden of proof should be on not capturing en passant, whenever there is a chance for it. Here I over-estimated the worth of my advanced e-pawn and instead gave my opponent a nearly strategically won game, after what had been a rather unambitious approach by White in a Dutch Stonewall. Despite that, I perservered and achieved an equal position after sorting out my cramped pieces. My opponent, apparently disappointed in seeing her edge vanish, then decided on a somewhat speculative - but difficult to meet in practice - deflection sacrifice. At first I calculated the response well, but got tired/lazy at the end of the sequence and my opponent pounced on the mistake.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A84"] [PlyCount "45"] [GameId "2345579122020421"] 1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. c4 d5 {the Dutch Stonewall.} 5. Be2 c6 6. O-O Bd6 7. b3 Qe7 {the standard response to prevent White from exchanging the dark-square bishop after Ba3.} 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Nbd2 Ne4 (9... b6 $5 {allows Black to develop the light-square bishop, which has even fewer prospects than normal on the kingside, thanks to White's Be2.} 10. Ne5 Bb7 {and Black is very solid.}) 10. Nxe4 {an unambitious choice by White.} fxe4 11. Ne5 Nd7 $11 {Black should have a relatively easy game now, which however I took too much for granted.} 12. f4 Bxe5 $2 {I thought for a while here about what I considered the three main possible choices in response, and picked the worst by far.} (12... exf3 $1 {the engine shows as equal. I did not want to give up what I considered as my strong e4 pawn on (mistaken) principle.} 13. Nxf3 e5 $11 {and Black has an equally dynamic game as White in the center.}) (12... Nxe5 $6 13. dxe5 Bc5 14. Bd4 Ba3 $14) 13. fxe5 {now White's pawns are at least as strong as Black's, while the light-square bishop is better by far and the dark-square bishop can later be activated on the a3-f8 diagonal.} Rxf1+ {I recognized that my pieces were rather clogged up, so I thought exchanging would help.} 14. Qxf1 Nf8 15. Qf2 $16 {a "good enough" move by my opponent, to continue to increase the pressure on the f-file.} (15. a4 $1 $18 {with the idea of Ba3 would be strategically winning.}) 15... Bd7 $6 (15... b6 {I did consider as an alternative way of getting the bishop out. However the b-pawn's greatest utility would be in fighting for the c5 square, which becomes important later.}) 16. Rf1 $6 (16. a4 $1 {is still the way.}) 16... Ng6 $11 {now I should be fine, with my pieces untangled.} 17. Ba3 $6 {I saw this sacrificial idea (deflection tactic from f7) only after playing the previous move. It looked difficult to meet, and my opponent after much thought chose to play it.} Qxa3 {after much calculation, I decided (correctly) that this was best. All other moves in fact lose.} 18. Qf7+ Kh8 19. Qxd7 Qxa2 $15 {again the correct choice. I do not like grabbing pawns on principle, but the queen needs to stay active and make threats against the Be2 and the weak e3 pawn, and it is best to take a pawn as well. The engine evaluates this as a slight Black advantage.} 20. Qxb7 {now however I fail to grasp the needs of the position and lose. I was concerned about White's queen vacuuming up my pawns, but my own queen's activity in White's backfield would tactically defend.} Rf8 $4 (20... Rd8 $5 21. Bg4 Qd2) (20... Rg8 {was simplest to defend and the idea had occurred to me earlier, but for whatever reason I did not sufficiently consider it here.} 21. Bg4 Qd2 {White cannot defend e3 and as a result cannot bring additional forces to bear in the attack.} 22. Bxe6 Qxe3+ 23. Kh1 $11) 21. Rxf8+ Nxf8 22. Qf7 $1 {other queen moves work, but this is most forcing. I simply had not made the effort to calculate this far ahead, assuming that the lone queen could not be dangerous after the rook exchange.} Qa3 {a desperation defense, although I expected my opponent to play} 23. c5 {to block the diagonal and she did so, therefore I resigned.} 1-0

Annotated Game #363: Opening knowledge matters

As in the previous Annotated Game #362, my lack of familiarity with the opening - this time as Black in the Dutch vs. a London System - is a fundamental flaw in my play. As I continue to learn and absorb lessons in my new openings (Colle System as White, Dutch as Black), the dynamic of "learn by losing" is certainly evident. In this second-round tournament game we can see a lack of understanding over where best to place Black's pieces repeatedly undermining my position, along with a lack of awareness of potential opportunities early in the opening (6...g5!) While tightening up on my thinking process obviously would help - that is always the case - there has been a curious and notable difference between confidently knowing where my pieces should go and what structures are good in an opening, and flailing around in new territory where my assumptions about what "looks good" are not necessarily valid. This is why the process of analyzing your own games is so important, to make sure there is a feedback loop that is identified and then implemented for long-term learning.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A80"] [PlyCount "51"] [GameId "2345579122020420"] 1. d4 f5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 {a London System move-order that defers placing the knights.} e6 4. Bd3 b6 (4... Be7 {the text move seems fine, and is the most played, but developing the dark-square bishop first scores better in the database.}) 5. Ne2 {a rare move. This does not seem like the best square for the knight, with no good squares to move to next.} Bb7 $11 6. O-O Be7 $6 {this seems like a normal developing move, but is not active enough and gives White a pass for his relatively lackadaisical opening play.} (6... g5 $1 {this did not occur to me, for probably obvious reasons - sacrificing the g-pawn does not immediately look like a profitable idea. However, the engine has no such prejudice and identifies White as the one who would lose from the opening of the g-file. A characteristic of the position, given a Bb7 with a clear view of g2.} 7. Bxg5 (7. Be5 Nc6 $17) (7. Bg3 h5 8. h4 Ng4 $17) 7... Rg8 $19 {with a devastating pin.}) 7. Nd2 O-O {now the ...g5 idea does not have as much bite, with the Nd2 available for kingside support.} 8. h3 $14 {clearing h2 for a bishop retreat, if needed.} d6 {I had better options than this slow, stereotyped move.} (8... Bd6 $5 {looks strange, but after the exchange of bishops - White's is certainly better than Black's, so it makes sense - the doubled d-pawn would perform a useful function for Black. White has at most only a slight advantage.} 9. Bxd6 cxd6 $14 {followed by ...Nc6 and Black has a comfortable game.}) (8... c5 {would immediately challenge White in the center.}) 9. c4 Qe8 {a standard developing move for the queen, looking for a more useful diagonal (e8-h5).} (9... c5 $5 10. d5 exd5 11. Bxf5 dxc4 12. Nxc4 d5 13. Ne5 Qe8 $14) 10. Qc2 {while not an immediate problem, this move cuts off the Bd3's retreat and could cause problems if White is not careful.} Nbd7 $6 {"long think, wrong think" here. The knight does better on c6 in most cases.} (10... Nc6 {here it threatens to go to b4 and force an exchange of White's light-square bishop, as well as support e6-e5.} 11. a3 $2 e5 $1 $17 {with the threat to go to e4 and win the Bd3.}) (10... Qg6 $11 {would be a natural follow-up to the previous move, placing the queen on the g-file and controlling e4.}) 11. Nf3 h6 $6 {this ends up being weakening and missing several other good ideas.} (11... Kh8 {a common prophylactic move to get the king off the g8-a2 diagonal and clear g8 for a rook.} 12. Ng5 $6 {is not good because e6 is tactically protected.} e5 13. Ne6 $2 e4 $1) (11... Bxf3 {I considered, but did not want to give up my lovely-looking bishop. However, the structural damage inflicted would be worth it.} 12. gxf3 Kh8 $11 {renewing the idea of playing ...g5}) (11... Qg6) 12. Bh2 {smartly withdrawing the bishop in advance. This now leaves f4 open for the knight.} g5 $2 {too slow; piece activity is what is needed. White now takes advantage of my clogged center.} (12... Ne4 {and if} 13. Nf4 Qf7 $14) 13. d5 $1 $16 {I only appreciated the strength of this move after it was played, not having adequately considered it before, just vaguely assuming an exchange would be fine. Unfortunately I do not have enough pieces actively playing - a rook on c8 would be nice now, for example, to cover the c-file weakness.} Nc5 {it is best to counterattack, and I play accurately through the next sequence, but this is not enough for the defense.} 14. Nfd4 $1 {nicely using control of the center to further target my weaknesses, in this case e6.} e5 15. Bxf5 $1 {another strong follow-up; sacrificing the Nd4 had not occurred to me as a possibility. There is no immediate knockout tactically, but White has two pawns for the piece and should have a dominating attack.} (15. Nxf5 e4 $14) 15... exd4 16. exd4 {the lesser option, leaving the Ne2 out of the attack for longer.} (16. Nxd4 $1 $18) 16... Ncd7 17. Ng3 $6 (17. f4 $16 {gets on with the attack by exchanging on g5 and opening the f-file.}) 17... Kg7 $2 {wrong square. I was mistakenly fixated on trying to cover g6, but the king is too vulnerable here.} (17... Kh8 $1 $14 {solves most of Black's problems, tucking the king in the corner and making g8 available for a piece.}) 18. Rae1 {now White's attack largely plays itself.} Bc8 $6 {trying to oppose the Bf5, but unfortunately this is too slow.} (18... Ng8 {this is better immediately. I could not decide between this and the text move after a long think, so decided to play the text move to (sort of) activate the bishop.}) 19. f4 $18 {now White is fully in control.} Ng8 {best but still losing.} 20. fxg5 {good enough to continue the attack.} (20. Be6 $18) 20... hxg5 21. Qe2 $6 Ndf6 $2 {I was eager to play this - visually it looks like the knight is riding to the rescue while the Bc8 is activated - but now there is a winning forcing sequence after White's next move, which I did not sufficiently check, thinking it would be a great thing to eliminate the Bf5. Unfortunately, it is replaced by an even stronger knight on the square.} (21... Kh8 $1 $16 {this at first glance looks terrible, with all my pieces backed up in a jumble, but White has no knockout blows.}) 22. Bxc8 $1 $18 Rxc8 23. Nf5+ Kg6 $2 {all moves lose, this one does it faster.} (23... Kh8 24. Nxe7 Nxe7 25. Qxe7 Qxe7 26. Rxe7 $18 {and White has a winning endgame.}) 24. Qd3 Kf7 25. Nxd6+ cxd6 26. Qh7# 1-0

Annotated Game #362: Naivete in the King's Indian

In this first-round tournament game, my naivete as White about the King's Indian Defense (KID) is on display. While I am never worried about facing it, my relative lack of experience sometimes means that my opponents can get away with over-aggressive or incorrect ideas. Here I was not sure what to do in the center initially, then allowed myself to be overly concerned about essentially empty threats on the kingside. My opponent however did an excellent job of taking advantage of my awkward piece placement via a decisive knight move toward the center that set up the winning sequence.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "E61"] [PlyCount "45"] [GameId "2345579122020419"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Be2 O-O 5. O-O d6 {unsurprisingly going for a King's Indian setup.} 6. c4 Nbd7 7. Nc3 Re8 {Black overwhelmingly plays ...e5 here.} 8. Qc2 {normal queen development and the most played move here in the database. However, it does not attempt to take advantage of Black's move-order deviation.} (8. b4 $5 {might be a bit more challenging, grabbing more space on the queenside and clearing b2 for the bishop.} e5 9. Bb2 e4 10. Nd2 $14) (8. e4 {is recommended by the engines. The point being that after} e5 9. d5 $14 {is now possible. With the normal move-order, Black would have the option of exchanging on d4.}) 8... e5 9. dxe5 {as White, I still do not have a clear idea of what is best with regards to the central pawn structure in the KID. The d-pawn is faced with the options of exchanging, advancing, or doing nothing. The engine slightly favors maintaining the tension and playing a useful move.} (9. h3 $5) (9. Rd1) 9... Nxe5 10. Nxe5 (10. e4 $5 {to me seemed a bit loose, as my pieces would be tied to protecting the e-pawn.}) 10... Rxe5 $6 {I correctly felt this was an awkward place for the rook, but did not follow up strongly enough.} (10... dxe5 11. Rd1 $11) 11. b3 $11 (11. e4 $14 {I thought this would be good if the pawn had recaptured on e5, but for some reason did not consider it as much as a candidate move here. It can be supported as needed with f2-f3, controls d5 and f5, and the Bc1 can get out to a good square (e3/f4/g5).}) 11... Bf5 {this is always an annoying bishop development to deal with, but I was happy trading pieces equally.} 12. Bd3 Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Rh5 {this should not be a threat, but I over-thought things here.} 14. f3 $6 {the idea was to prevent ...Ng4 without allowing sacrificial ideas against the h-pawn.} (14. h3 {however would do the job just fine.}) (14. Bb2 {White can also simply ignore the rook and develop, protecting the Nc3 again and clearing the first rank for the Ra1.}) 14... Nd7 15. Rf2 {I am still OK here.} (15. Bd2 Qh4 16. h3 Nc5 17. Qc2 $11) (15. Bb2 Qh4 16. h3 Rg5 17. Kh1 $11) 15... Qh4 {after this very aggressive move I had a long think and played the second-best defensive option.} 16. h3 (16. g3 Ne5 {I saw this as a major threat, with the knight attempting to take tactical advantage of the queen's position and potential to take on f3.} (16... Nc5 17. Qc2 Qe7 18. Bd2 $11) 17. Qe2 {I was too worried about the hanging Nc3 and dismissed this prematurely. The advantage is that the queen reinforces f3 and the kingside better.} Qh3 {I failed to properly account for the fact that the queen would have to lose a tempo by moving first, giving time to protect or move the Nc3.} 18. Bb2 $16 (18. Nd5 $5)) 16... Be5 {now I simply fail to calcuate properly and ignore the possibility of ...Nc5, having been focused on ...Ne5 threats, which however were no longer possible.} 17. f4 $4 {I was too concerned about preventing ...Qg3, which gets Black nothing, in reality.} (17. Bb2 Qg3 18. f4 $1 {now defends, although White drops a pawn.} Nc5 19. Qd1 Bxc3 20. Bxc3 Qxe3 21. Bd4 Qd3 22. Qxd3 Nxd3 23. Rf3 Nb4 24. Bc3 a5 25. g4 Rc5 26. f5 $11 {White's excellent bishop is sufficient compensation for the material, along with Black's awkwardly placed pieces.}) 17... Nc5 $1 $19 {White is now lost, thanks to the new possibility of a Black knight fork.} 18. Qc2 Bxc3 19. Qxc3 Qxf2+ $1 {my opponent finds the best way to use the coming ...Ne4 fork. I resigned here, thinking I was simply down too much material. After the following sequence Black in fact would only be up an exchange, but White's position is shattered and lost anyway.} 20. Kxf2 Ne4+ 21. Kf3 Nxc3 22. Bb2 Na4 23. bxa4 $19 {and Black will easily pick up the a-pawn and proceed to win the endgame.} 0-1

Book completed - Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion's Life

      

I recently completed Mind Master: Winning Lessons From A Champion's Life (Hachette India, 2019) by GM Viswanathan Anand. Along with furnishing a number of highly appropriate "Training quotes of the day" the book provided unique insights into the former World Champion's mindset, training practices and toolkit for performing at the highest level. Here's a look at the table of contents:

The book itself is a mix of genres: personal memoir, professional/self-improvement advice, and chess history/politics from a first-person perspective. Despite the mashup format and being presented in a non-linear way, it actually works well and lives up to the title, mixing chess and life lessons in way accessible to the general (chess) public. It also relatably reflects Anand's personal voice - sometimes painfully, during candid descriptions of his low moments - although apparently it was professionally written from interviews with him.

The chess references are (thankfully) not dumbed down, although it is written with a non-chess professional audience in mind and is not really a "chess book" in the traditional sense of having a technical focus on the game. GM Yasser Seirawan's Chess Duels is perhaps the most similar to it in content, although Seriawan's focus is ultimately on the annotated games, while Anand's book contains only some key illustrative positions. 

Anand himself remains relevant in the chess world and this book is a rare, valuable and highly self-reflective treatment on what it takes to be a champion, including dealing with ugly personal and professional moments. This makes it a useful resource for serious aspiring chess improvers as well as an interesting inside look at world championship history. As is common with other top-level sports, the role of mindset and non-technical factors for a player is often decisive for performance, both on individual days and when striving long-term for increased levels of skill. These lessons are still very much applicable for those of use who are looking to achieve a level of chess mastery below that of World Champion.

Annotated Game #361: The Stonewall does its job, but I let it down

Often you will see players complaining about how their openings let them down, but I tend to have the reverse problem. The opening gives me the best result it can, but I let it down instead by not fulfilling its promise. The following last-round tournament game is a perfect illustration of this, as I could not have asked for anything more out of the Stonewall as Black, but was not able to press an overwhelming attack to its conclusion. However, it is precisely these kinds of specific failures that merit close analysis and study. For example, here a key idea was for me to play ...Ne4, the same blind spot recently highlighted with colors reversed in Annotated Game #360.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A85"] [PlyCount "69"] [GameId "2339533383637239"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 c6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 f5 {we now have a Slav Stonewall.} 5. e3 Nf6 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. Bd2 O-O 8. Qc2 Ne4 {correct Stonewall play. The knight hops into the e4 strong point and bottles up White's pieces, while projecting its influence into the enemy camp.} 9. cxd5 {I got the impression my opponent was expecting/hoping for a recapture with the c-pawn, which is in fact OK for Black. However, the superior recapture on d5 in the Stonewall formation is usually with the e-pawn, as it gives the Bc8 more scope while keeping the c-file from opening.} exd5 $15 10. Ne2 {White looks to transfer his knight to a more useful square, while keeping castling options open.} Nd7 {controlling e5, with the option to go to f6.} 11. Rf1 $2 {with the intent of protecting f2 prior to castling queenside. However, this is too slow.} (11. O-O $15 {the engine prefers kingside castling, although Black would have a comfortable, classic Stonewall kingside attack plan afterwards.}) 11... Ndf6 $17 {while this is a good move and increases the activity of both the knight and the Bc8, I should have better remembered the principle of forcing open the position when the opponent's king is in the center.} (11... c5 $5 {dissolving the Stonewall formation with the ...c5 break is an art, which I need more experience with. Here my pieces fully control c5 and White is in no position to exploit the c-file. I also immediately threaten ...c4 and pose my opponent more problems.} 12. dxc5 Ndxc5 $17 {with the simple but effective threat to follow of ...Bd7 followed by ...Rc8.}) 12. O-O-O Qe7 (12... Nxd2 {it is also an art knowing when to "cash in" the Ne4 with a piece exchange. Here the engine assesses eliminating White's dark-square bishop is worth it.} 13. Nxd2 Qe7 $17) 13. Be1 {this looks strange but the engine validates it as the best available move. White overprotects f2, thereby freeing up the rook; the bishop was doing nothing on the c1-h6 diagonal anyway.} Bd7 14. Kb1 a5 $6 {it would be better to "invite all the pieces to the party" before moving ahead with the pawn storm attack.} (14... Rfc8 $17) 15. Ng3 $2 {it is difficult for White to find something useful to do, but this was simply detrimental to my opponent's defense. Now the pawn storm gains significantly in strength, with one less piece available to defend the king.} b5 $1 $19 16. Nd2 a4 {the most straightforward continuation of the attack.} (16... Nxg3 17. hxg3 a4 $1 {is perhaps a better version of the idea, found by the engine. At the time I wanted to keep the f-pawn, but snatching it would be too materialistic, eliminating the defending light-square bishop in exchange and displacing White's queen for a tempo.} 18. Bxf5 Bxf5 19. Qxf5 a3 $1 20. b3 (20. Qc2 axb2 $19) 20... Ne4 $19) 17. Ndxe4 fxe4 {by this point I was (correctly) confident in the overwhelming strategic advantage I had, with White's pieces in disarray and his king in the crosshairs.} (17... dxe4 {might be even better, to open the g8-a2 diagonal for the attack.}) 18. Be2 b4 19. Qc1 Rfc8 {the strongest placement for the rook, creating threats opposite the queen.} 20. f3 c5 {correctly ignoring White's attempt at counterplay and driving forward with the pawn lever.} 21. fxe4 {I spend a good deal of time on the next few moves, knowing they were critical.} cxd4 {a "good enough" move.} (21... Bxg3 {is evaluated as even stronger by the engine. The dark-square bishop is not required to support the attack, and eliminating the defender of e4 would allow my knight into a strong central post.} 22. e5 Ne4 23. hxg3 cxd4 $19) 22. Qd2 b3 {still playing strong moves, this was the best follow-up.} 23. exd4 {I now had the longest think of the game and was beginning to tire of the calculations.} Rc2 {still "good enough" for an attacking continuation.} (23... a3 $1 {I rejected this during the game because I did not see the key follow-up after} 24. axb3 {as} Bxg3 $1 {again the idea of enabling ...Ne4} 25. hxg3 Nxe4 26. Qb4 Nf2 $1 (26... Nc3+ {also works.})) 24. Qe3 Ba3 $6 {not the best.} (24... Bxg3) (24... Ng4) 25. Bc3 {this surprised me and the resulting complicated calculations wore me out.} Rc8 {the correct reaction, with the Ba3 tactically protected.} 26. Rd2 Rxd2 $4 {I thought this was the "bail-out" line, but it has a fatal flaw. I should have gone for it with} (26... bxa2+ {which I decided against because} 27. Kxc2 {I thought ended all my attacking chances, but Black has} Qb4 $1 $19 {with unstoppable threats, due to the pin on the Bc3 and the lack of escape squares for White's king.}) 27. Qxd2 $18 {the problem I did not see until too late is that the Ba3 has no retreat square, due to a pawn fork on e5.} dxe4 {I decided on this as the best practical attempt at obtaining counterplay, but my opponent rises to the occasion and closes out the game with solid play.} 28. bxa3 $18 Qxa3 29. Bb4 $1 bxa2+ 30. Qxa2+ Qxa2+ 31. Kxa2 Nd5 32. Bc5 Rb8 33. Bc4 Be6 34. Ka3 e3 35. Nf5 1-0

Annotated Game #360: Don't let that Black knight into e4

A systematic review of your own games inevitably turns up recurring themes in your losses. Ideally, you can then better understand and avoid them in the future, in the process advancing your practical chess knowledge and becoming stronger for it. This next tournament game produced several useful insights for me, including to keep looking for useful ways to play an e-pawn advance in the Colle, but the decisive one was witnessing how my opponent, as Black, obtained his final decisive edge by placing a strong knight on e4. I have lost too many times when this has happened - not just in the Colle - so it is obviously a threat I need to have on my radar. How Black's knights combine in the end to dominate my pieces, along with the queen, makes a strong impression.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin / Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [PlyCount "72"] [GameId "2340929602847893"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 c5 {a reverse Queen's Gambit.} 4. dxc5 e6 5. a3 Bxc5 6. b4 Be7 7. Bb2 a5 {Black chooses to immediately challenge the b-pawn. I had not seen this before.} 8. b5 {the correct decision, validated by the engine. Otherwise opening lines on the queenside, or alternatively supporting the pawn again with c2-c3 but shutting in the Bb2, would be better for Black..} Nbd7 9. Be2 $11 {deliberately holding back on c2-c4 for the moment, although now would be the first (and perhaps best?) opportunity to play the pawn break.} Qc7 {I thought that the intent of this move was to restrict c2-c4 - and it probably was - but the engine shows that it can be played anyway.} 10. Nbd2 (10. c4 $5 dxc4 11. O-O {White can afford to keep on with development and then round up the undefended Black c-pawn, with a small advantage. Pursuing materialism would be unhelpful for Black, for example} Nb6 $6 12. Be5 Qc5 13. Bd4 Qxb5 $6 14. Nc3 Qa6 15. Qb1 Nbd5 16. Nb5 Bd7 17. Bxc4 $14) 10... O-O 11. O-O Nb6 12. Be5 $6 {good enough for equality, but White has better.} (12. c4 {and again this is only a temporary pawn sacrifice.} dxc4 13. Rc1 Rd8 14. Qe1 $16 {White will have good play down the c-file and superior minor pieces.}) (12. a4) 12... Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. c4 a4 {controlling b3 and restricting the Nd2.} 15. Qc2 {developing the queen and connecting the rooks.} Bd7 {Black connects his in response.} 16. Qb2 {again, good enough to maintain the balance. The queen moves off the soon-to-be-opened c-file and occupies the long diagonal, once again controlling e5.} (16. e4 $5 $14 {this thematic Colle e-pawn break would give White's position more life.}) 16... Rfc8 17. Rfd1 {activating the rook and placing it on the d-file opposite the queen.} Qf8 18. Ne5 Be8 {this looks a little funny, but correctly preserves the bishop.} 19. Rac1 Rc5 {apparently intending to double rooks on the c-file, so I proceed with the central pawn exchange before that can happen.} 20. cxd5 Rxd5 $6 {an unnecessarily awkward placement of the rook, but I did not take advantage of it.} 21. Ndf3 $6 (21. e4 {is the most direct way, gaining the initiative.} Rc5 22. Rxc5 Qxc5 23. Rc1 Qe7 24. Nec4 Nxc4 25. Rxc4 $14) 21... Rad8 22. Rxd5 Rxd5 23. h3 {here I was cautious and wanted to eliminate potential back-rank mate threats.} (23. Rc7 $5 {does not promise much more.} Qd6 24. Rxb7 Rd1+ 25. Bf1 $11 {White is a pawn up but Black has full compensation with his greater piece activity; White has no remaining threats.}) 23... Qd6 {preventing the rook from getting to the 7th rank.} 24. Ng4 $2 {unfortunately I now run out of ideas and allow Black to establish a strong knight in the center as a result. I recognized it was best to move the knight, but this is the wrong square.} (24. Nc4 {this would at least exchange down further towards a draw.} Nxc4 25. Bxc4 Rc5 26. Bf1 Ne4 {now this is not as threatening.} 27. Rc2 $11) 24... Ne4 $1 $17 25. Nd4 $6 {the centralized knight looks good, but can also be a target.} (25. Nge5 $5 Rc5 $17 {with similar issues, but not as severe.}) 25... Rc5 {now Black does not have an immediate knockout blow, but I cannot cover all of my weaknesses in the medium term, including the back rank, a- and b-pawns, and squares in reach of the Ne4.} 26. Bf3 $2 {the wrong way of kicking the knight. The main defect is that Bf1 is no longer possible to defend on the 1st rank.} (26. Rxc5 {trading down does not work either.} Qxc5 27. Bf3 Nd6 28. Be2 e5 $19) 26... Rxc1+ $1 27. Qxc1 Nc5 $6 {this gives me some breathing room.} (27... Qc5 $1 28. Qxc5 Nxc5 29. Be2 Ne4 $19 {and the engine assesses the endgame is won for Black, due to the aforementioned queenside weaknesses.}) 28. Qc3 h5 {giving the Black king some luft, with tempo.} 29. Nh2 g6 30. g4 {a reasonably good try at activity, but Black has a good counter in the center.} (30. Qb4 $5 e5 31. Nc2 $15 {looks ugly, but at least my kingside is intact.}) 30... e5 $1 31. Nc2 h4 {my opponent played this confidently. At first I thought he had over-reached.} 32. Qb4 {the best practical way to pose problems for Black, as in the above variation. Indeed, my opponent immediately went astray.} Nd5 $6 {my opponent wants to break the pin by counterattacking, and succeeds at that, but my queen now goes to} 33. Qd2 $1 $11 {with an effective new pin on the d-file.} e4 34. Be2 $4 {this "obvious move" retreating the attacked bishop only loses.} (34. Nb4 $1 $11 {the idea here, which I did not seek out, is the tactical trade of pieces} exf3 35. Nxf3 Bxb5 36. Qxd5 $11) 34... Qe5 $17 (34... Nb3 $1 $19 {is even stronger.}) 35. Nf1 $4 {after this useless move, my opponent now finds the devastating} (35. Bf1 Nb3 36. Qd1 g5 $17 {and my position is miserable, but not yet dead.}) 35... Nb3 $1 $19 {as the two knights and queen combine in a highly effective manner.} 36. Qd1 Nc3 {the b-pawn will fall after the Be2 is forcibly exchanged, then Black will simply dominate.} 0-1

Annotated Game #359: Rook activity ftw

In this second-round game, my opponent as White plays an unusual knight retreat in the opening, a Caro-Kann Exchange, which gives me easy equality. I correctly do not try to punish the move - which is solid enough, if not theoretically valid - and instead play similarly solid waiting moves to see how the situation evolves. A certain lack of patience (or prudence) ends up costing my d-pawn, but that galvanized me to seek additional piece activity as compensation. It is instructive to see how much difference the level of rook activity makes in a short time span, as my superior heavy pieces quickly were able to achieve full compensation. 

After rejecting a draw offer in an objectively equal position, I leveraged the momentum and initiative for additional pressure, under which my opponent soon crumbled. Although this was not a clean game, I was pleased to see it result in a (flawed) win after correctly activating my pieces, a general area for improvement. (Naturally, it would be better to maximize piece activity before committing inaccuracies that give my opponent a strategically won game...)

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B13"] [PlyCount "68"] [GameId "2338400286845303"] {[%evp 0,68,10,35,34,32,31,12,14,8,23,18,21,19,18,22,34,-13,-41,-15,-6,4,8,5,12,-10,11,15,8,1,15,31,17,14,17,-33,11,19,39,0,146,32,107,98,110,96,80,85,116,172,136,79,82,60,55,-13,-107,-36,-3,-355,-409,-365,-390,-345,-404,-427,-421,-29987,-29988,-29995,-29996]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 g6 7. Nd2 {the second most popular choice in the database, after Nf3. A key difference is that with the text move, the Bd3 is now undefended.} Bf5 {this is the point behind playing ...g6, to support the bishop development on f5 and pose the question to White whether to exchange there.} 8. Nf1 $11 {now out of the database. My opponent decides not to exchange on f5 and protects the bishop in a very unusual way.} Bxd3 {the rule is normally to take the bishop on d3 if White does not exchange on f5.} 9. Qxd3 Rc8 {played after some thought. The primary idea is to tactically restrain White from castling queenside, for example with an annoying ...Nb4 follow-up.} (9... Bg7 {is perhaps more natural development.}) 10. Nf3 Bg7 {intentionally non-committal, playing something useful while waiting to see how White develops.} 11. Ng3 O-O (11... h5 $5 {I considered as a possibility, threatening to chase the Ng3, but rejected it as unnecessary.}) 12. O-O Re8 {another non-committal but useful move, placing the rook on a more active file and clearing f8 if it is needed in the future.} 13. Rfe1 {the first real think by my opponent, who ended up playing the obvious mirroring move with his rook.} Na5 {played after some thought. Black has few ways to make real progress, but it is still good to stay active on the queenside. The knight would like to go to c4, perhaps provoking a weakening advance of White's queenside pawns.} (13... e6 $5 {is a solid choice as well.}) 14. Nd2 Nc4 {this is not very patient, but I did not see other useful moves. The engine is more patient.} (14... e6 {locking down the e-file and protecting d5 with a pawn.}) (14... Qb6 {targeting the b2 pawn.}) (14... a6 {controlling b5 and supporting a potential b-pawn advance.}) 15. Nxc4 {this is White's best choice, exchanging off the comparatively better knight.} Rxc4 {the engine prefers capturing with the pawn, but I did not like the idea of giving up the e4 square.} 16. Nf1 {this is a useful redevelopment of the knight, but it does let me chase the bishop now.} Nh5 {the engine prefers to withdraw the rook to c6 or c8, getting it out of potential danger.} 17. Be5 f6 18. Bg3 Nxg3 19. Qxg3 Qc7 $2 {I thought this was clever and good to finally develop my queen on a useful digaonal, but I ignored the fact that the d5 pawn is now hanging.} (19... e5 $1 {is the best follow-up, since it is now possible. "No pawn break, no plan."} 20. dxe5 fxe5 21. Rad1 {during the game I did not like the prospect of having to defend the central pawn duo with pieces, but the engine considers it equal (and better than the game continuation). Black nicely controls the center and White has no real play.}) 20. Qh3 $6 (20. Qf3 $1 Qd7 21. Ne3 $18 {wins the d-pawn.}) 20... e5 $2 {if the d-pawn were not hanging, this would be pretty good, per the previous note. However...} (20... Rc6 $11) 21. Ne3 {this knight fork was an unfortunate surprise, but after the obvious rook retreat there is at least a bit of compensation for the pawn.} Rc6 22. Nxd5 $16 Qf7 23. Nb4 Rce6 (23... Rd6 $5 24. dxe5 fxe5 $14 {followed by doubling rooks on the d-file gives better compensation.}) 24. dxe5 $1 {my opponent correctly continues to exploit his advantage.} fxe5 {the engine prefers to recapture with the rook, but that would lead to a trade, diminishing my practical chances.} 25. Re4 $6 {my opponent's decision to split his rooks in the face of the enemy now gives me full compensation for the material, due to my superior major piece activity.} Rd8 {it wasn't clear to me which rook belonged first on the d-file.} (25... Rd6 $5) 26. Qe3 Red6 $11 27. h3 {evidently played to avoid back-rank issues.} a5 {settled on after some thought. Unfortunately I cannot quite trap the knight.} (27... Rd2 28. Qxa7 Rxb2 $11) 28. Nc2 {here my opponent offered a draw; the engine actually agrees with this, in the sense that the position is evaluated as complete equal. However, at the time I felt that I was better (incorrectly) and had the momentum (which was true).} Rd2 {again played after careful thought, although the idea of regaining the pawn is obvious.} 29. Qb6 $2 {going for a cheap trap, which however does not solve White's multiple problems. I got the feeling my opponent did not want to even temporarily go down material, which would have occurred with more solid play.} (29. Ne1 Rxb2 30. Nf3 Rxa2 $11) 29... R8d6 $1 $19 {this attack on the queen gains a tempo, so now White has two undefended pieces under simultaneous threat and cannot recover.} (29... Rxc2 $4 30. Qxd8+ $18) 30. Qc5 (30. Qb3 Qxb3 31. axb3 Rxc2 $19) 30... Rxc2 {I made sure to stay careful with my calculations. The Rd6 is tactically protected, due to my threat to take on f2 with the queen.} 31. Rf1 Rdd2 {by this point White is quite lost, although my opponent hurries the process.} 32. Qc8+ Bf8 33. Rxe5 Rxf2 34. Ree1 Rxg2+ 0-1

Bogus chess imagery: House of Staunton blog

Being on the House of Staunton chess store mailing list, I recently received a newsletter with links to two blog posts: "Master the Scotch Game" and "Chess Trolling: The Art of Playing Bad Openings to Tilt Your Opponent". They are curiously related, as I'll shortly demonstrate, by the included bogus chess imagery.

Here's the excerpted beginning of the Scotch Game post, with the accompanying image:

If I had to choose one chess opening for beginners, I might choose the Scotch Game. This confrontational opening not only embodies many classic opening principles, but also tends toward exciting tactics and strong middlegame plans that are fun and easy to understand.

But that isn’t to say the Scotch Game isn’t ideal for advanced chess players as well. Several lines boast some of the highest win rates of any opening on online platforms like lichess.org, and it has remained a strong offbeat choice among grandmasters for decades, too!

In this guide, you’ll learn the best way to play the main line, as well as some of the deadly gambits that lurk inside this ancient opening. 

Now, one might expect the (obviously AI-generated) accompanying pic to illustrate a Scotch Game position. But no! It's actually a Bongcloud opening, as can be seen by the White king located on e2. This seems intentional, given the companion "Chess Trolling" post, which includes a reference to the Bongcloud. The image creator also gets everything else visible about the board setup correct, which AI-generated images are notoriously bad about. Black in response has chosen an interesting f6-e5-d6 pawn wedge defense, so maybe both sides are trolling here (as well as the creator). In any case, it has nothing to do with the Scotch Game.

Terming the above a "bogus" chess image is perhaps a bit harsh, as the chessboard itself is legally set up. However, I still feel justified in using that term, since the AI-generated reflections on the glass table show both sides' pieces as black.

Annotated Game #358: A reverse Queen's Gambit

In this first-round tournament game, as White in a Colle System I face a common approach by Black, which is to go for a kind of reverse Queen's Gambit. A tempo down, it is not necessary challenging for White, but can be a little tricky. Here I opt for a quiet approach which is enough to get me equality with active pieces and a comfortable middlegame plan. While theoretically the Colle is not as challenging as the Queen's Gambit to face as Black, I have found that Black players can often go astray in seemingly harmless positions, which happens in this game after I am able to engineer the dominance of my dark-square bishop. Unfortunately I make some lesser follow-up choices and give away the advantage, although rise to the occasion in what turned out to be a more exciting major-piece endgame than I had expected.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Expert"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [PlyCount "95"] [GameId "2338422791188714"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. dxc5 Nc6 {with this move, Black indicates he is less concerned with recovering the pawn quickly, instead focusing on development in a reverse Queen's Gambit type position.} 5. a3 {controlling b4} (5. c3 $5 {is another way to do this.}) 5... e6 {I had expected ...e5, given my opponent's previous move, but he decided to play more solidly than dynamically in the center.} 6. Be2 {a quiet option, but White can press here.} (6. b4 a5 7. b5 Nb8 $14 {and White has a pleasant choice between the c4 break and Bb2.}) (6. c4 $5 dxc4 7. Qxd8+ Nxd8 8. Bxc4 Bxc5 9. b4 Be7 10. Bb2 $11 {with a comfortably equal position for White.}) 6... Bxc5 7. b4 Bd6 8. Bb2 O-O 9. O-O Bd7 $6 {this is a bit slow and clogs the d-file.} 10. Nbd2 (10. c4 {the text move is fine, but now would also be a good time for the c-pawn break, as ...dxc4 is impossible due to the hanging Bd6.} Qe7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nc3 $14 {with play against Black's isolated queen pawn.}) 10... Rc8 11. Rc1 Bb8 {this suprised me, but it does remove the bishop from the weak square. However, the c4 break is now clearly White's best option for making progress and challenging Black's center, so I play it.} 12. c4 Re8 13. Nb3 $1 $16 {I spent a lot of time here thinking about the middlegame plan. The knight's influence is maximized on b3.} Ne7 {opening the c-file for the rook and reinforcing the d5 strong point.} 14. Nc5 {a good deal of thought was spent here as well, validated by the engine.} (14. cxd5 $5 {is also possible.}) 14... b6 15. Na6 {another well-calculated decision. I could exchange off either bishop; here the point is to eliminate Black's dark-square bishop, so its White counterpart can dominate.} Bd6 16. c5 {the key follow up, continuing to chase the dark-square bishop.} bxc5 17. bxc5 Bb8 {my opponent spent a fair amount of time here. It is difficult to choose which retreat square to go to, but the engine considers c7 a better option.} 18. Nxb8 Rxb8 19. Be5 $1 $18 {completing the calculated sequence. The bishop is now a monster, its activity more than compensating for the c-pawn's isolation.} Ra8 20. Bd3 $6 {my first miscalculation. White's edge is considerably lessened now, as the initiative recedes. The light-square bishop needs to be activated, but there is a much better square.} (20. Ba6 {I looked at first, but it did not seem to work. The point would be to corral the black rook stuck in the corner.} Bc8 {I thought this essentially shut down the idea, but White does well after} 21. Bb5 {the two White bishops still dominate, in tandem with the advanced c-pawn.} Bd7 (21... Rf8 22. Nd4 $18) 22. c6 $1 {was the idea I missed. The tactical point being} Bc8 23. c7 $18 {trapping the queen.}) 20... Nc6 21. Bd6 $16 {some more significant thought here, to make sure this worked. White has to protect against the Bd6 being traded off.} e5 {now my opponent, although still worse off, generates some initiative with the central pawn duo. I need to move the Bd3 to avoid the pawn fork on e4, something I had missed initially.} 22. Bb1 {this is OK, but better options existed.} (22. Ba6) (22. Bb5) 22... Bg4 {activating the bishop. Now I thought that} 23. h3 {was simplest and best as a response - correct according to the engine. However I was not expecting the retreat} Bh5 $6 {and I did not calculate the critical variation correctly.} 24. Qa4 {second best, according to the engine. I thought that playing g2-g4 would lead to losing the Nf3 due to a pin, so searched for a tempo-gaining move with the queen. Hitting Black's hanging Nc6 fit the bill.} (24. g4 Nxg4 25. hxg4 Bxg4 {with the threat of ...e4, but now} 26. Qxd5 $1 $18 {and the queen breaks the pin and simultaneously protects the knight, backwards along the diagonal.}) 24... Qd7 {now I knew a piece should go to h4, but picked the wrong one.} 25. Qh4 $6 (25. Nh4 $1 {with the threat of Bf5, kicking the Black queen away from the defense of the Nc6. After} Bg6 26. Nxg6 hxg6 {I thought Black was fine, but the engine still shows a large plus for White after} 27. Bd3 $18 {renewing ideas of Ba6 or Bb5.}) 25... Bg6 26. Nd2 {here I played defensively, being most concerned about preventing ...Ne4 and an exchange on d6.} (26. Ba2 $1 {instead actively pressures the now-weak d5 pawn. If} Ne4 $2 (26... Rac8 27. Rfd1 $16) 27. Bxd5 Nxd6 28. cxd6 {and the pawn is tactically protected.} Rac8 (28... Qxd6 29. Bxc6 $18) 29. Rfd1 $18) 26... Bxb1 27. Rxb1 Ne7 $11 {somewhat ironically, now that my advantage has disappeared, I decide to "go for it" with} 28. g4 {clearly surprising my opponent. This is a bit too loosening of the kingside pawns, but the best alternative would be to exchange on e7 and reach sterile equality, which I was not interested in. The text move also prevents the threatened ...Nf5 fork.} Nc8 $6 (28... h6 $11) 29. g5 $1 {the other point of the g-pawn advance, as the Nf6 does not have any good squares left.} Ne4 30. Nxe4 dxe4 31. Rfd1 $1 {I thought for some time before choosing this more dynamic rook move (correctly) over the immediate capture on e4.} Nxd6 {unfortunately now I choose the wrong recapture on d6, with time pressure starting to be a factor.} 32. cxd6 $6 (32. Rxd6 {I erroneously thought that Black now would have time to concentrate his forces against the isolated c-pawn, but this is not the case.} Qc7 33. Rd5 Rac8 34. Qxe4 $18 {the Qc7 is awkwardly placed, preventing the c-pawn's capture.}) 32... Re6 $2 (32... Rad8 33. Rbc1 Qe6 34. Rc6 Qg6 $14) 33. Qg4 {this relied too much on a cheap tactic which I did not really think my opponent would fall into.} (33. Qxe4 $1 {now is the time to capture the pawn.} Rd8 (33... Rxd6 $4 34. Qxa8+) 34. Rb7 $1 $18) 33... Rd8 $11 {now the position is equal again.} (33... Rxd6 34. Qxd7 $18) 34. Qxe4 Rxd6 35. Rxd6 {forced} Qxd6 36. h4 {consolidating g5} h6 37. Kg2 {I felt I had to be careful to maintain the balance. This allows the rook to transfer to the g- or h-files in the future, to shore up my kingside or potentially threaten Black's king.} hxg5 38. hxg5 Qxa3 {snatching the pawn, which however lets me exploit the h-file with} 39. Rh1 Qd6 40. Qh7+ Kf8 41. Qh8+ Ke7 42. Qxg7 Qd5+ {now I had to make sure I kept safe from checks, so carefully calculated the next sequence.} 43. Kh2 Qf3 44. Qxe5+ {my opponent said he missed this, although other moves are equal as well. Now I can force a repetition in this drawn position.} Kd7 45. Qd4+ Ke7 46. Qe5+ Kf8 47. Qh8+ Ke7 48. Qe5+ 1/2-1/2

Training quote of the day #69: Viswanathan Anand

      

From Mind Master: Winning Lessons From A Champion's Life by GM Viswanathan Anand:

As in any sport, and in life, in chess too learning must be constant – not just new material, but fresh methods of learning too. If I have to name a single virtue that’s carried me through my years of playing chess, it’s curiosity. There has to be a willingness to learn things you’re not good at or you thought you were not good at. The process will invariably involve a certain degree of unlearning, and the readiness to do that is extremely important. If your way of doing things isn’t working, clinging to your conclusions is only going to hold you back. You have to get to the root of a snag in order to make a breakthrough, because it’s possible that what you thought you knew is actually wrong. Unlearning is perhaps the hardest thing to do, but it must be done. Any knowledge, unless updated, becomes worthless.

Pop culture chess: Gentleman of Leisure (performed by Jimmy Buffett)

 

From "Gentleman of Leisure (Lyrics)" performed by Jimmy Buffett (YouTube)

Training quote of the day #68: Viswanathan Anand

     

From Mind Master: Winning Lessons From A Champion's Life by GM Viswanathan Anand:

Unquestionably, talent exists. It’s no myth or hokum. Your talent tells you that you’re cut out for something. It points you towards what you can do effortlessly and what your potential career could be. However, talent isn’t everything. Knowledge and growth don’t come easily. You have to be willing to put in the hours and the effort, sometimes even without visible progress, because one day, unexpectedly, the results will flower. But without that work, it’s unlikely to happen. Eventually, hard work is not just about plugging away at something. It’s thinking intelligently about what you want to achieve, the goals you’re setting yourself, how you’re improving and how you can incorporate all of this into the list of things that will help you scale that peak.

Pop culture chess imagery: Daggers Inn

 

The recently-released indie UK film 'Daggers Inn' - watched on Amazon Prime - has some well-placed chess imagery. In the main title sequence - above is a screen capture from that - a crystal chess set is depicted, along with a knife that is symbolic of later action in the film. The chess set itself repeatedly shows up as a centerpiece on the conference room table of the (evil) law firm at the hub of events in the English village.

Unlike in some other film examples, the chess set is set up correctly and the king is toppled in a later scene by one character in a parallel to the title sequence. The use of the chess board appears to reference the strategic play of the main character, who early on is alluded to be a witch, on a mission of revenge in the village. I gave the film a 4/5 and can recommend it for the proper use of chess imagery throughout.

Training quote of the day #67: Norbert Wiener

Below is excerpted from the Medium.com article by Alvaro Garcia "How to achieve in weeks what others don't achieve in years"

Norbert Wiener, the father of cybernetics, put forward this law in 1943:

“Every self-regulating system needs a feedback loop that translates the result of an action into a signal readable for the next decision cycle.” (Norbert Wiener, 1943)

What does this mean?

He explained it with a rocket. A rocket that does not receive continuous information about its deviation from its trajectory never reaches its destination, no matter how much fuel it carries. The same happens to you with your goals. It doesn’t matter the effort, the hours, the money, the willpower. It will all be wasted if you don’t have a signal that tells you, in time, how much you’ve deviated.

You need to study your own performance every day.

Annotated Game #357: The Leningrad Dutch is different

In this last-round tournament game, it is evident that I have little experience as Black in the Leningrad variation of the Dutch Defense. Analysis shows a series of mis-placed pieces and long-missed ideas (...Nh5) that would have given me a better game. This was based on lack of familiarity with positional characteristics and common ideas specific to the Leningrad (including not blocking the bishop on g7). My opponent shows a similar lack of familiarity with the opening, but manages to create a weakness to target, establishing a strong passed d-pawn and a strategically winning position. While my calculation was not very accurate in picking up my opponent's threats, I did at least show good judgment in some cases by deliberately complicating the situation, which (luckily) led to my opponent missing some winning opportunities. I was pleased enough to be able to legitimately clinch a draw at the end, after fighting to come back.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A85"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "55"] [GameId "2323483478960776"] 1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Bf4 d6 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 Nbd7 $6 {in other Dutch variations this is more normal, but here the knight belongs on c6, not blocking the Bc8.} (7... Nh5 $5 {is also an interesting idea, taking advantage of the Bf4's lack of squares.}) 8. O-O Qe8 {again, not a great idea in this particular position. The intent is to prepare an e-pawn push. However, the queen's absence now leaves c7 vulnerable to the idea of Nb5.} (8... Nh5) (8... e5 $5 {is actually playable here without preparation.} 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nxe5 Nh5 {is a pawn sac in exchange for piece activity, notably the Bg7.}) 9. d5 $6 {luckily my opponent also plays a standard idea that is not appropriate here, allowing me to immediately equalize.} (9. c5 $16) 9... Nc5 $11 10. Bc2 e5 11. dxe6 Bxe6 {Black has a comfortable game here, although I am not really familiar with the position.} 12. Qe2 h6 {this is too slow, and/or premature.} (12... Nh5 $1 $17 {pressures the Bf4 and unleashes the Bg7.}) 13. Nd4 Nfe4 {I thought for a while here. This move is unnecessarily fancy.} (13... Bf7 $11 {preserving the bishop. White has no particular follow-up.}) 14. Nxe4 {obvious and best} Nxe4 15. f3 Nf6 {it's probably better to simply return the knight to its previous square, rather than obstruct the Bg7.} (15... Nc5 $11) 16. Nxe6 Qxe6 17. Bb3 {with the obvious threat of c4-c5, pinning my queen and king.} Kh7 (17... Qe7 $5 {removing the queen first from the diagonal and placing it on a better one. This also prevents White from targeting d6.} 18. c5+ d5 $11) 18. c5 Qd7 {long think, correct think (for once!) - however, I spoil it with my next move.} 19. cxd6 c6 $2 {it is correct to do an intermediate move rather than immediately recapture, but unfortunately this is the wrong one.} (19... Nh5 $1 $11 20. dxc7 Nxf4 21. exf4 Qxc7 $11 {even if Black stays a pawn down - both f4 and b2 are threatened - the structure and piece activity are such that there is still equality.}) (19... cxd6 $2 $16 {I correctly evaluated as good for White, who can pile up on the d-pawn.}) 20. Rad1 $16 {unfortunately White can easily reinforce his advanced d-pawn.} Rae8 (20... Nh5 $16) 21. Bg3 $1 $18 {the bishop decides to retreat and preserve itself, which is best, although during the game I resolutely ignored the idea of trading it off. White will have two very good bishops and an advanced passed pawn, which is enough to be strategically winning.} Nh5 {this comes far too late in the game.} 22. Bf2 Be5 {played after a long think. I thought best for inducing complications in which my opponent might go wrong.} 23. e4 $6 {this both gives up the f4 square and allows me to exchange the f-pawn and open up the file. However, I do neither of these beneficial things.} Bxd6 $2 {and we're back to a strategic win for White with this desperate grab back at the d-pawn, which lands my pieces in trouble.} (23... fxe4 24. Bxa7 Bxd6 25. Qd2 b5 $1 $14 {taking advantage of the hanging Ba7.}) (23... Nf4 $5) 24. Qd3 Rf6 {after another long think, I decide this is my best chance.} 25. Bxa7 $6 (25. e5 {is what I was expecting and would have shortly lead to resignation.} Rxe5 26. Bd4 $18) 25... Qc7 $2 {a reasonable move, but Black would do better by counterattacking.} (25... Nf4) (25... b5) 26. Bf2 $6 {concerned about evacuating his bishop, again my opponent misses} (26. e5 $1 Rxe5 27. Bd4 $18) 26... Bxh2+ $11 27. Kh1 Rd6 28. Qc4 {we are now back to complete equality and with not a lot of time on my clock, I accept my opponent's draw offer.} 1/2-1/2

Welcome to Carlo Fortunati!

As I move into what I intend to be a more sustained and focused phase of chess improvement than has been possible in recent years, I've decided to update my chess-world alias to "Carlo Fortunati" - in truth, I do feel fortunate to be an amateur with more time and (hopefully) energy to devote to the cause in coming years. The original "ChessAdmin" alias was rather generic (boring?) but was created at a time (2011) that was in the last part of the golden years of independent chess blogging, when being your own "admin" meant something. It worked well enough as an internet identity, although once I did get yelled at by one site for registering there under that alias, since apparently some users confused me for an actual admin. I plan to continue to use it in the annotated games, for continuity as well as to avoid confusion with anyone actually named "Carlo Fortunati".

Currently there is an active and diverse chess blogging community, largely based on major global sites (Chess.com, lichess.org, Substack), which is a pleasure to see after some relatively lean years. Part of this content is of course related to marketing efforts by chess professionals, which is fine if not overdone, and there are a good number of sites/blogs with genuine substantive content that are enriching for the whole community. I will continue to link to selected chess improvement blogs in the sidebar and post snippets/comments on particular posts of interests as I run across them.

In the near term another change I may consider is opening up (moderated) comments to anonymous posters, at least as an experiment. When the blog was originally created, most people actually had Google accounts (for Gmail use if nothing else) and filtering permission by that status - the current setting - was not significantly exclusionary. This is no longer the case and the intermediate filter option of allowing OpenID verification for commenting is long gone as well. (I am limited to the options for the Blogger platform being used.) Past anonymous random comments largely consisted of advertising spam and were occasionally creepy (spam or not), so I did not enjoy the task of having to read and delete them all for content moderation purposes. I'm therefore not in a rush to open the gates again to anonymous posters, although I would welcome more engagement on ideas and topics that are posted. We will see how it goes. Naturally anyone with a Google account will still be able to comment, in any case.