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.

Annotated Game #356: Cramped to death in the endgame

This next tournament game features what should have been a comfortable draw as White in a King's Indian Defense (KID) by transposition - with some opportunities for advantage passed up along the way - but which devolved into a highly cramped loss. The key error, if not the final losing one, was exchanging queens on the c-file to reach a cramped minor piece ending. This was simply unnecessary and reflects a repeated tendency I have to worry excessively about an open file with an opponent's major piece (queen/rook) on it, even if I have all the penetration squares effectively under control. My opponent does an excellent job of demonstrating how squeezes can happen in endgames, although I had opportunities to relieve the pressure with an f-pawn break. Very instructive.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "E61"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "78"] [GameId "2323483478960775"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Be2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. c4 Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. Qc2 c6 9. b3 Re8 10. Re1 $6 $11 {this is simply an unnecessary precaution. White can do several other useful and more urgent things here.} (10. Ba3) (10. dxe5) (10. h3) 10... h6 11. Ba3 {now this is less effective.} (11. Bb2) (11. a4 $5) 11... Qc7 $6 {it looks perfectly reasonable to defend d6 in this way, but it gives White a freer hand in the center.} (11... e4 12. Nd2 Qe7 $11) 12. Rac1 (12. Rad1 {I also considered and the engine prefers. Instead of opposing the queen on the c-file, the rook's influence down the d-file can be felt more quickly.}) (12. h3 $5 {it's not a bad idea to get some luft for the king and take away the g4 square from Black.}) 12... a6 {now White has multiple strategic options available.} 13. d5 (13. dxe5 {there is often a tension between playing this and the text move in the KID setup. Here the engine prefers to exchange.} dxe5 (13... Nxe5 $6 14. Red1 $16) 14. c5 $14 {this is one pleasant possibility for White, constraining Black and controlling d6 and b6.}) 13... c5 $6 {this essentially justifies White's choice to advance, as now the d5 pawn is much stronger.} 14. Nd2 $14 {not a bad move, but} (14. e4 {is stronger. I've noticed a pattern in which I am reluctant to play e3-e4 when it is favorable.}) 14... Nh7 $6 {this is too passive.} 15. b4 {no pawn break, no plan. Although my edge is still small, I have the initiative on the queenside.} f5 $6 {consistent with how KID players normally want to advance on the kingside, but the action is currently on the queenside.} 16. bxc5 $16 Nxc5 17. Nb3 $6 {at the time, it seemed reasonable to bring the knight over to increase the pressure, but it is easily negated by Black's next move. I needed to strike immediately with} (17. Bxc5 Qxc5 (17... dxc5 18. e4 $16) 18. Na4 $1 $18 {with follow-up ideas like Qb3, Rb1 and c4-c5 to keep things rolling and dominate Black's backward queenside.}) 17... b6 $1 $11 18. Nxc5 {the point of bringing the knight over, but after} bxc5 {White's initiative on the queenside is gone and we are back to equality.} 19. Rb1 (19. e4 $5) 19... Bd7 20. Rb3 Rab8 21. Reb1 e4 22. Rxb8 {White has no prospect for obtaining an advantage, so I decided to head for a drawn endgame.} Rxb8 23. Rxb8+ Qxb8 24. Qb1 $6 {while not disastrous, this still gives Black more play than I should allow. I have made similar types of mistakes with heavy pieces on open files before, when my opponent stands better after the (unnecessary) exchange.} (24. Bc1 $11) 24... Qxb1+ 25. Nxb1 Ba4 {objectively Black is not really better, but certainly has the easier game, while I am cramped.} 26. Bc1 Ng5 27. Bd2 (27. f4 $5 $11 {this was probably a good time to make my position a little more flexible.} exf3 28. gxf3 $11) 27... Nf7 28. Ba5 (28. f4) 28... Kf8 29. Kf1 Ne5 30. Ke1 $6 {now my refusal to use the f-pawn lever is starting to make things worse.} (30. f3) 30... Bc2 $15 31. Nd2 $2 {unfortunately I am too cramped after Black's next, and he gains a winning advantage.} (31. Na3 $1 {this "only move" would leave the d2 square open for the king, after ...Nd3+}) 31... Nd3+ $1 $19 32. Bxd3 Bxd3 {the correct choice. Now I cannot do anything about the bishop on the d3 outpost and Black has a strategically won game.} 33. f3 Ke7 {good enough to maintain the advantage.} (33... exf3 $1 {my opponent probably thought that} 34. gxf3 Ke7 35. e4 {looked good for White, but now Black's kingside pawn majority will eventually win.}) 34. f4 g5 35. g3 gxf4 36. gxf4 Bf6 {unfortuantely, I have nothing left to do that can improve my position, while Black can further infiiltrate with his dark-square bishop. Eventually the c- or e-pawns will fall.} 37. Kd1 {this speeds up the loss a bit.} (37. Kf2 Bb2 $19 {and Black threatens to either exchange off the Ba4 and gain a 2v1 queenside majority, or exchange the Nd2 and then capture on c4.}) 37... Bh4 38. Bc3 Bf2 39. Nxe4 {pure desperation.} fxe4 0-1

Annotated Game #355: The Stonewall does its job

After an unfortunate loss in the first round of the tournament and barely escaping with a draw in the second, in this next game I was satisfied enough with a relatively easy and clean draw against a higher-rated player. I transposed into a Modern Stonewall as Black and achieved equality early on, which was the job of the opening to accomplish, but I missed a couple of chances to press for a clear strategic advantage. My opponent did well to disrupt my plans with 12. Qb3! and this lesson should help me keep a better eye on tactics along the g8-h2 diagonal in the future.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class A"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A90"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "43"] [GameId "2323483478960774"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 c6 3. c4 e6 {while the Triangle/Wedge pawn formation can be played as an independent line, I normally use it to head for a Slav Stonewall. Another option of course is to enter a Slav Defense with ...Nf6.} 4. Nc3 f5 5. g3 Nf6 6. Bg2 Bd6 {now Black has a full Modern Stonewall formation.} 7. O-O O-O 8. cxd5 exd5 {the rule with this pawn exchange is normally for Black to retake on d5 with the e-pawn, since it opens up the diagonal for the Bc8.} 9. Qc2 Ne4 {the most played move in the position, according to the database, but not the only option.} (9... Kh8 {is a common prophylactic move, preventing future tactical threats by White on the g8-a2 diagonal. This would avoid a problem that we will see shortly in the game.}) 10. Nxe4 fxe4 11. Ng5 $6 {White I expect intended this with the Qb3 follow-up, which unfortunately I did not consider.} Bf5 $6 {of course I thought about ...h6, but played this on the general principle that developing a piece would be more valuable than immediately kicking the knight. The bishop lines up on the Qc2 and threatens ...e3, with a discovered attack. However, White can immediately dodge this.} (11... h6 $1 {simplest and best.} 12. Nh3 {the knight only has one square, and now after} Bf5 $1 $17 {the e4 pawn is no longer tactically under threat, while Black has superior pieces and the initiative on the kingside.}) 12. Qb3 $1 {I only saw this after I moved. The queen is out of danger and attacking b7, while the d5 pawn is now pinned, meaning the e4 pawn is effectively hanging. An effective double attack.} Qb6 {the best response - immediately challenging the pinning Qb3, screening b7 and attacking d4.} 13. Qxb6 axb6 {the doubled pawns here are not a problem, plus the a-file is now opened for the Ra8.} 14. Rd1 $2 {this doesn't really do anything for White, as the d4 pawn is not threatened yet.} (14. f3 {would attack the spearhead of Black's pawn formation.}) 14... Nd7 $17 {again played on general developing principles. Good but not best.} (14... h6 $1 15. Nh3 $19 {and Black has no immediate breakthrough, but possesses a major strategic/positional advantage, with superior pieces and open lines for pressure.}) 15. Bh3 {a goodl decision to trade by my opponent, since the Bg2 was mostly buried. However, my light-square bishop was not so great either, so I was fine with the exchange.} Bxh3 16. Nxh3 Nf6 (16... b5 $5 {would restrict ideas of counterplay based on a2-a4.}) 17. Bf4 {evidently my opponent had a similar idea with this exchange.} Bxf4 (17... Ne8 {this move is preferred by the engine and occurred to me at the time, but I thought it looked a bit silly putting the knight back on the 8th rank. The point however is to reposition the knight on d6 after a bishop trade, either on d6 or f4.}) 18. Nxf4 Rae8 $6 $11 {not a bad move, but it essentially settles for equality. At this point, with reduced material and no obvious ways to break through, we are heading for a draw. Previous ideas might be used to fight a bit harder for a (small) advantage.} (18... Ne8) (18... b5) 19. e3 Rf7 (19... g5 {should be played first to rule out h2-h4.}) 20. Rd2 g5 21. Nh3 h6 22. Rc1 {here my opponent offered a draw and I accepted. I did not feel up to trying to grind a way to victory in a balanced double-rook endgame. One way to try for something more would be to move the rook back to a8, play ...b5 and reposition the knight to d6 for a small positional plus.} 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #354: Learning the Staunton Gambit the hard way

In this second-round tournament game, as a relatively new player of the Dutch Defense, I faced my first Staunton Gambit. Although it is now considered somewhat theoretically deficient for White, it is still dangerous if Black is not fully prepared. This fact is well-illustrated below, as I confuse the necessary move 4 response with that for other lines in the gambit. White as a result gets exactly what he wanted out of the opening, including a clear pawn-up advantage. In the early middlegame at first I am barely hanging on, but after sorting out my pieces I am able to target my opponent's vulnerabilities and gain equality, after some interesting tactics (including a big missed one for White). I was happy to reach a fully drawn position and will certainly remember more of my prep for the next time I see the Staunton Gambit.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class D"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A83"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "45"] [GameId "2320325602521239"] 1. d4 f5 2. e4 {my opponent thought for several minutes before playing the Staunton Gambit. At first I thought it was because he was unfamiliar with the Dutch, but he must have been weighing the risk of it, because he rattled off the next few moves immediately.} fxe4 {there is no good way to decline the gambit.} 3. Nc3 Nf6 {always the first step, to protect e4 while developing the knight and covering h5.} 4. Bg5 {this is the modern way to play the gambit and is now far more popular than 4. f3. The text move threatens to exchange off the defending knight, which is relatively more valuable than the bishop, and also lays a trap in case Black responds reflexively with} d5 $2 {this is the correct follow-up to the old 4. f3, but not here, because the White queen's diagonal to h5 is not blocked. Black has two alternative major ways to equalize:} (4... g6) (4... Nc6) 5. Bxf6 {now I saw the problem with my previous move and thought for a while. There is no way to avoid damage, but it can be contained.} exf6 {the only move that keeps Black in the game, with the forcing sequence} 6. Qh5+ $1 $16 g6 7. Qxd5 {now White will be a clear pawn up, no matter what Black does, but I thought for a while about what was best, and decided to play} Qe7 {with the idea of White's knight ending up on e4 instead of d5 after exchanging queens.} 8. Qxe4 Qxe4+ {this is actually a bit rushed, Black in fact can play a useful developing move rather than immediately exchanging on e4.} (8... Nc6) (8... Bh6 $5 {is an engine suggestion, with no database examples yet.}) 9. Nxe4 f5 10. Nf6+ Kf7 $6 (10... Kd8 {this is better defensively, as Black's king will be needed to help contain White's pawn majority in the long run. At the time, I felt it over-exposed Black's king, but White does not have a way to get at it.}) 11. Nd5 Bd6 {necessary to defend c7 from the knight, which reaches d5 after all, but only has one target now.} 12. Bc4 Be6 $2 {this seemed like it was obviously good, blocking the diagonal, but White has a simple and effective rejoinder.} (12... Re8+ {would be good to play immediately.}) 13. Nf3 $1 $16 {I had not realized before this the strength of his Ng5+ ideas, which of course now fork the king and bishop.} Re8 14. O-O Kg7 {althought still under considerable pressure in the center, I felt good about getting the king out of immediate danger.} 15. Ng5 $6 {with no fork, this is no longer an effective forcing move, and my response surprised my opponent.} (15. Ne3 $5 {would be a simple and good way to continue, since simplifying exchanges will favor White.}) 15... Bg8 $1 $14 {this significantly improves my pieces' stability and coordination.} 16. Rfe1 $6 Nc6 $1 $15 {now my pieces are fully active and I can think about making some threats of my own, as the Nd5/Bc4 pair are somewhat vulnerable. The engine evaluation gives me more than full compensation for the pawn now.} 17. c3 Na5 18. b3 $1 {well done by my opponent in finding this defensive move; I did not see it, although it seems obvious.} Nxc4 {going for simplification and guaranteeing that I can hold the position.} (18... b5 {the engine prefers this imbalancing move.} 19. Nxc7 Bxc7 20. Bxb5 {and Black has a piece for three pawns with a slightly better engine eval than the text move, but I had no desire to play against the 4v1 connected pawns on the queenside.}) 19. bxc4 c6 $11 20. Ne3 {I felt the danger was over, but relaxed too soon.} Re7 $2 {a terrible idea, missing the forcing move by the c-pawn, which means the rook is now blocking the bishop's retreat and is also hanging. Anything else reasonable holds equality.} (20... f4) (20... Bf4) (20... b6) 21. c5 $1 Bf4 {forking the two knights, so the bishop cannot be trapped.} 22. Nf3 {a completely reasonable move, except that White had} (22. Nxf5+ $1 {which neither of us saw.}) 22... Rae8 {now the danger is truly gone.} 23. Nc2 {my opponent here made a draw offer, accepted after a long think. The engine validates the 0.00 evaluation and I had a lot less time on my clock, plus was tired enough from defending to mistrust my ability to try to press for a win with the two bishops.} 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #353: Striking the second-best blow is not enough

In this first-round tournament game, I achieve an ideal Colle-Zukertort attacking formation as White out of the opening and nearly put my opponent away after a couple of his inaccuracies. However, my initial attack failed to fully connect as I could not find the knockout blow. The second-best move (according to the engine) was enough to keep up the attack's momentum and give me a second chance, but again I failed to find the key idea, which was to shut down my opponent's queenside counterplay possibilities first, before returning to prying open the h-file. My opponent did not give me a third chance and recovered well, taking advantage of an open White backfield to first infiltrate his queen, then decisively with a rook. A valuable game to study for lessons in attacking dynamics and strategic prioritization.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "120"] [GameId "2320646267293337"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 Bd6 5. b3 {this commits White to the Colle-Zukertort setup, which is fine if that is what you want to play. Castling or playing Nbd2 are more flexible options.} O-O 6. Bb2 c6 {Black chooses to go with a Semi-Slav formation.} 7. Nbd2 Nbd7 8. O-O (8. Ne5 {is equivalent and also possible now.}) 8... Re8 {clearly signaling the plan of pushing the e-pawn.} 9. Ne5 $14 {this mechanically stops the advance of the e-pawn and centralizes the knight.} Qc7 {a reasonable-looking move, but White is perfectly happy to reinforce the knight with} 10. f4 $1 $16 {and now has an ideal Colle-Zukertort setup out of the opening, with a kingside attack in view.} Nf8 {my opponent goes into defensive mode, reinforcing h7.} 11. g4 {this was my first real think in the game, and the engine agrees this is best. The short-term point is to chase away the defending Nf6.} N6d7 {jumping back before being pushed.} 12. g5 {although the knight has already removed itself, the pawn still belongs on g5, where it can disrupt Black's defenses.} f6 {this is more of a weakening move than a counter-blow, although it appears that Black has no good options at this point.} 13. Qh5 $18 {bringing the queen into the attack, which hits the hanging Re8.} g6 {I expected this blocking move and had a long think (wrong think) about the possibilities of sacrificing on g6. I eventually calculated (wrongly) that it would not work.} 14. Qf3 {second best, according to the engine.} (14. Bxg6 $1 {I confess that I spent more time examining an initial knight sac here, so did not give this move the attention it deserved.} Nxg6 (14... hxg6 15. Nxg6 Nxg6 16. Qxg6+ Kf8 17. e4 $1 $18 {and the classic Colle e-pawn lever helps pry open the position for White. For example} dxe4 18. Nxe4 {and Black does not have time for} Bxf4 $2 19. gxf6 Bxh2+ 20. Kh1 Nxf6 21. Qxf6+ $18 {with mate to follow}) 15. Nxg6 $18 {during the game, I could not see what White was really threatening here. Indeed, there's nothing immediate that is forcing on the king.} Nf8 {visually looks like it holds, but} (15... f5 16. Nh4 $18 {and the attack continues with White a pawn to the good, with ideas of Kh1 and Rg1 as follow-up.}) 16. Ne5 $1 {with a discovered attack on the Re8} fxe5 17. fxe5 $18) (14. Nxg6 $2 hxg6 15. Bxg6 Re7 $17) 14... f5 $1 $16 {the best defense, attempting to lock up the kingside.} 15. h4 Nxe5 16. fxe5 (16. dxe5 {is also possible.}) 16... Be7 {now I had to think about how to best make progress.} 17. c4 {one of the top engine choices. I play to restrict ...b5 and give myself the option of play in the center and along the c-file.} (17. h5 $5 {would be more focused on following up on the h-pawn push.}) 17... Bb4 {expected, since now I cannot play c2-c3 to block the bishop.} 18. Rf2 {best and most active response, protecting the Nd2. This also mobilizes the rook for potential duty on the h-file.} Qe7 19. Qf4 {this misses the strategic mark, although I still have an edge. The idea was to protect h4 and restrain h7-h6 by Black.} (19. Nf1 {would be more on the mark, with the plan of Ng3 and targeting the h5 square.} h6 20. Ng3 hxg5 21. hxg5 Qxg5 $6 {visually looks good for Black, but} 22. Rg2 $1 {lines up the heavy piece on the vulnerable g-file, enabling threats like Nh5.}) 19... Bd7 20. Nf1 Rac8 {clearly looking to push ...c5, which I should have shut down, as this is Black's only means of real counterplay.} 21. Ng3 {persisting with kingside play first.} (21. c5 $1 $16 {this prophylactic move shuts Black down and strands the Bb4.}) 21... b5 $6 22. h5 $6 {the problem is that my kingside play, while good long-term, does not come quickly enough to maintain my advantage, when compared with the opposite side race to break through.} (22. c5 $16 {now would shut down Black even more fully.}) 22... bxc4 {now Black has a much freer game.} 23. bxc4 $14 Rb8 $6 {this allows me to finally play} 24. c5 $16 {although with the b-file now open, Black still has some counterplay ideas.} Ba5 25. Rh2 {resuming the plan of increased h-file pressure. Unfortunately I missed the next tactic, since I did not consider the possibility of a capture on b2.} (25. Raf1 $16) 25... Rxb2 $1 {while this (temporary) sacrifice does not get Black completely out of his positional hole, it forces an exchange of pieces which reduce my attacking chances.} 26. Rxb2 Bc3 {skewer tactic} 27. Rab1 Bxb2 28. Rxb2 Bc8 $2 {evidently my opponent was concerned about the potential Rb7 penetration. However, this move blocks his own rook from getting active on the b-file and gives me time to swing back to the kingside.} 29. Rh2 $16 (29. Qh4 {first is an improved version of the idea, as White's plan is to double the Q+R on the h-file; no reason to move the rook off the b-file first.}) 29... Qc7 30. Qh4 $1 $18 Re7 {a logical defensive move, and I fail to find the breakthrough.} 31. Ne2 $6 {second best attacking idea again.} (31. hxg6 $1 $18 Nxg6 32. Qh6 {and now the threat of Nh5-f6 is too much for Black to handle.}) 31... gxh5 32. Nf4 $6 {this was the original idea behind Ne2, but I should have reset my expectations of the position after it changed.} (32. Ng3 $1 {avoids the knight trade} Ng6 33. Qxh5 Rf7 34. Qe2 $18 {vacating h5, which the knight can now use for the attack.}) 32... Ng6 33. Qxh5 Nxf4 34. exf4 Qa5 $1 $11 {with reduced material and my queenside vulnerable, along with the possibility of ...Qe1+, Black has now effectively equalized.} 35. Qe2 $2 {pretty much anything else is even. I missed my opponent's next move, which attacks the vulnerable d4 square.} (35. Rg2 Qe1+ 36. Kh2 Qe3 37. Qh4 {is equal but would bait Black.} Qxd3 $4 38. g6 $1 {with a discovered attack on the Re7 and a double attack against h7, with mate to follow.}) (35. g6 Qe1+ 36. Kg2 Qd2+ 37. Kh1 Qxd3 38. Rg2 Kf8 $11) (35. Rb2 $11) 35... Qc3 $1 $17 {it seems incredible, but there is no good way to protect d4.} 36. Qe3 $6 Qa1+ $6 (36... Ba6 $1 $19 {I saw this pin only after I moved, it would have ended the game sooner.} 37. Rd2 Rb7 $19 {the rook will penetrate for a winning advantage and there's nothing White can do to stop it.}) 37. Bf1 $4 {unfortunately, low on time, there was nothing better that I could see. This of course allows the ...Ba6 pin motif again.} (37. Kg2 Qxa2+ 38. Qf2 $11 {I didn't like this during the game because I thought the ending was lost, but the engine calls it equal.}) 37... Ba6 $19 38. Rf2 Rb7 $1 {the winning idea, as noted above.} 39. Kg2 Bxf1+ 40. Rxf1 Rb2+ {now the game is effectively over, but I decide to play out the queen ending in hopes of a swindle.} 41. Rf2 Qxa2 42. Rxb2 Qxb2+ 43. Kf1 Qb1+ 44. Kf2 Qc2+ 45. Kg1 Qb1+ 46. Kh2 a5 $6 (46... Qf1 $19) 47. Qh3 $2 {after this Black has an easy time of it.} (47. Qe2 $17 {aiming for a6 and Black's backfield, while screening the king.}) 47... Qc2+ 48. Kg1 Qd1+ 49. Kh2 Qe2+ 50. Kh1 Qe4+ 51. Kg1 Qxd4+ 52. Kg2 Qe4+ 53. Kg1 Qe1+ 54. Kh2 Qe2+ 55. Kh1 Qd1+ 56. Kh2 Qd2+ 57. Kh1 Qc1+ 58. Kg2 Qxf4 59. Qh6 Qxe5 60. g6 Qg7 0-1

Training quote of the day #66: Junta Ikeda

 From IM Junta Ikeda's Substack post "Deciding to play" on his mindset for tournaments:

Acknowledging that you’re going to make mistakes and potentially lose, even if you play your best, takes some pressure off whether you’re the top seed or bottom seed. It’s not necessarily a mechanism for defending yourself in advance from painful losses, ‘unlucky’ results or having excuses ready. It’s being objective and accepting that chess is a hard game and it takes a lot of time and tournaments over months and years to know more about yourself and your chess. And there will be many painful losses and tournaments, but you’ll keep learning and adjusting with each one.

Annotated Game #352: Simul vs. GM Ben Finegold

This simul game, played versus GM Ben Finegold at this year's National Open in Las Vegas, ended up in an exciting finish. As with other GM simuls I've played in, I was able to do well with my opening prep, studying published games and focusing on the most likely lines I would face. GM Finegold has publicly touted the Torre Attack setup versus the Dutch Defense, and we in fact enter that, following some other games in the database until around move 8. In the middlegame, I make some awkward, piece-restricting moves that GM Finegold takes advantage of positionally with easy, harmonious development, which is instructive to see. The end becomes wild as I boldly (finally!) emphasize piece activity for practical chances and could have drawn (or even won), but was not able to find the more subtle solutions, and White then wins with an aesthetic discovered checkmate.

[Event "National Open - Simul"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Finegold, Ben"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A80"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "73"] [GameId "2323483478960773"] 1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bg5 {a Torre Attack-style setup versus the Dutch Defense. I had expected this from my pre-game prep.} e6 {the usual antidote for Black, playing in more of a Classical Dutch style. This is relatively easy to remember and implement.} (3... Ne4 $5 {is an interesting, non-traditional approach.}) 4. Nbd2 {this looks a little strange at first glance, but is the main line. The knight is developed without blocking the c-pawn.} Be7 5. Bxf6 Bxf6 6. e4 O-O 7. exf5 (7. Bd3 {is usually played first, to develop the bishop.}) 7... exf5 8. Be2 {now out of my prep} Nc6 $11 {the engine validates this move as a good equalizing one. The knight is developed straightforwardly.} (8... d5 $5 {interestingly is played in all of the (handful of) database games. This would be less flexible and leave a hole on e5, but typical Stonewall plans can then be used.}) 9. c3 {a natural reaction to protect d4.} Re8 $6 {while the rook looks good lined up against the White king, it immediately castles away and afterwards it is not clear if the rook would be better off on the f-file (probably so).} (9... d6 {would control e5 and release the Bc8.}) (9... Kh8 $5 {is a standard precaution in the Dutch when the g8-a2 diagonal is open and White pieces (as is the case here) can take advantage of it.}) 10. O-O $14 d5 {here I go with what I know and aim for a Stonewall-like domination of the light squares.} 11. Re1 Be6 $6 {following the principle of getting the minor pieces out first, but the bishop is awkwardly and prematurely placed here.} (11... Qd6 12. Bb5 Bd7 $14) 12. Bd3 {safe but not particularly aggressive.} (12. Bb5 Qd6 {is now more awkward for Black than the above variation.} 13. Ne5 $16) 12... Qd7 $6 {wrong square for the queen and an over-reaction to pressure on f5.} 13. Qc2 $16 {White now enjoys harmonious development and easy pressure on my position.} g5 {I decided that it would be better to go for counterplay than play passively with ...g6} 14. Ne5 {I'm happy to exchange off the good White knight.} (14. Nb3 $5 {would preserve more of an edge for White, with his knights eyeing both c5 and e5.}) 14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Bh8 $2 {simply a blunder. I over-valued the pressure on the e5 pawn, when greater piece activity was better.} (15... Be7 $16 {White still has an edge, but the bishop is much more in the game, rather than having just two squares.}) 16. Nf3 $1 $18 {simple but effective. Without piece support, Black's advanced kingside pawns are now good targets, and combined with White's central pressure my position crumbles.} h6 17. Nd4 Rf8 18. Rad1 {bringing all the pieces to the party} c6 19. c4 a6 {preventing White from using b5 as a pivot for his minor pieces} 20. cxd5 cxd5 21. Qb3 b5 22. Be2 Rfe8 {it is interesting to see just how useless the Bh8 is.} (22... Bxe5 $2 23. Nxe6 Qxe6 24. Bf3 $18) 23. Nxe6 Qxe6 24. Rxd5 (24. Bf3 {would be even more devastating.}) 24... Kf8 {I am out of good moves, but at least wanted to get the king off the diagonal with White's queen.} 25. Bh5 {now the bishop joins the party.} Re7 26. h4 Kg7 {completing the entombment of the bishop.} 27. Qf3 Rf8 28. Rd6 Qc4 {objectively the engine assesses it is best to trade on d6, which tells you how badly off I am.} 29. hxg5 hxg5 30. Rg6+ Kh7 31. Qh3 Rxe5 {a last desperate shot, which is the best practical move.} 32. Rxe5 (32. Rd1 $1 $18 {and I have no follow-up.}) 32... Qc1+ {this was the point.} 33. Kh2 $6 {after this, things are still very tricky, but as the engine observes Black is now equal.} (33. Bd1+ $1 $18) 33... Bxe5+ $11 34. g3 Qxb2 $4 {I knew this was a critical move but could not find a way to make progress, so figured I should at least grab a pawn and threaten f2.} (34... Qd2 $11 {I did not consider this superior move, protecting g5 while still attacking f2 and therefore maintaining equality.}) 35. Kg2 $4 {a natural response, to protect f2, but one that should lose.} (35. Rxg5 $1 Qxf2+ 36. Kh1 Qe1+ 37. Kg2 {and Black is done, due to the threat of mate on move with the Bh5}) 35... Qxa2 $4 (35... Bd4 $1 $19 {I did not consider moving the bishop to threaten f2, against which White has no good reply.}) 36. Rxg5 $1 {White finds the solution. Now the bishop is mobile and the rook can no longer be taken, so mate is inevitable.} Qd5+ 37. Bf3# {a nice finish, with a discovered checkmate.} 1-0

Book completed - Chess Duels: My Games With The World Champions

 

I recently completed Chess Duels: My Games With The World Champions (Everyman Chess, 2010) by GM Yasser Seirawan. As part of my study/training process, on a daily basis at lunchtime I normally work through a book of annotated games, ideally written by a master-level player that showcases their internal thought process. There are of course a number of good "Best Games" type books out there - including ones I've previously completed - but I found this one to be uniquely valuable in several respects:

• Seirawan includes all his career games with the world champions he played against, not just the best ones, which immediately differentiates this collection from others. While in fact he has an excellent competitive record against them, some of the games (win, loss or draw) inevitably feature his blunders and bad decisions. This balance makes the book even more valuable for instructional purposes, since he can provide firsthand explanations of not just why moves (or evaluations) were incorrect, but the thought process behind the choices. It also serves to humanize and normalize even his bad play, which of course we can all relate to from our own experience, making us feel better about chess.
• The background stories he shares about himself and his opponents are similarly humanizing and provide interesting context to the games. I found the content overall to be appropriately balanced and largely focused on chess-relevant themes, rather than trying to be too biographical. He had particularly fascinating accounts of some of the behind-the-scenes activities of Fischer and Kasparov.
• While the events of international chess politics are of course historically dated (through 2010), this is still the best review and set of insights into those World Championship-level issues that I've seen. Personally one of the reasons I was turned off from an interest in tournament chess for a number of years after college was the interminable series of Kasparov-Karpov matches, which were followed by a fragmented, confusing and opaque world championship process. Seirawan provides an insider and largely objective viewpoint on all this, without letting it become too much of a rant.
• For those familiar with his live commentary style, Seirawan's authorial "voice" is similarly clear and well-organized, as well as being appropriately humorous (often self-deprecating) while still taking his subject matter seriously.
• Factors that were behind historical world championship controversies are still relevant to what we see in today's top-level chess scene, as evident in the following excerpt, where Seirawan comments on Garry Kasparov's retirement from competition in 2005:

Kasparov's retirement left the chess world in a sad state. It was denied the joy of seeing Kasparov play, and the World Championship title itself no longer seemed to have legitimacy. After all, the title only meant something if chess players around the world thought it did. With multiple and ever-changing Champions, and shorter and shorter matches, the chess world could really only look to the rating list to determine who was "number one."

Annotated Game #351: Completing a trilogy of ugly wins

This final-round game is another ugly win, making a trio for the tournament. I felt better about it than the others, however, since the middlegame was more interesting and I got into a losing position only after missing an excellent attacking continuation at a critical point (move 25). After that, I needlessly panicked as White got the initiative, then landed some hard blows against my position. My practical decision-making was good, however, in that I kept posing White problems, which eventually he failed to solve in the best way, thereby letting me back into the game. The denouement comes after a crucial bid for counterplay is allowed to succeed by White, then I force a transition into a winning queen endgame.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A80"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "108"] [GameId "2308393799384246"] 1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 Be7 4. h4 {played without hesitation, so it seemed like part of my opponent's normal prep. It takes the game into non-traditional Stonewall territory.} h6 (4... Nf6 {would in fact be close to a normal Stonewall idea and is preferred by the engine. In the game, I was not sure how to handle the advanced h-pawn, however, and decided to limit its scope on the h-file.}) 5. Bxe7 {otherwise the bishop loses a tempo retreating.} Qxe7 6. Ne5 {taking immediate advantage of the hole on g6 by threatening a fork. This is easily blocked by} Qf6 {that said, the early double knight move by White is still a good idea, since now the queen occupies the best square for the king's knight.} 7. e3 Ne7 $11 {Black has managed to equalize early, with no more immediate threats from White, although there are positional imbalances with differing minor piece placements and pawn structures.} 8. c4 {this made my decision about what to do in the center easier, since ...d5 now makes less sense.} d6 {kicking the knight and going into a Classical Dutch structure.} 9. Nd3 Nd7 {normally this is a no-brainer developing move, but here it would be better to avoid committing the knight.} (9... e5 $5 {one general rule in the Dutch is for Black to play ...e5 whenever it is possible to do it succeessfully.} 10. dxe5 dxe5 $11) (9... O-O {first is also good, as the king will certainly not be castling queenside and needs protection.}) 10. Nc3 {now ...Nb5 would threaten c7} c6 (10... a6 $5 {would avoid weakening d6 and further clogging the white squares in front of Black's undeveloped bishop.}) 11. h5 {not a terrible move, as it prevents ...Ng6, but I was nonetheless glad to see it on the board, since it took away the h5 square from the White queen.} e5 {castling first may have been slightly more prudent, but this is a good strategic idea, fighting for central control.} 12. d5 $6 {immediately ceding control. The advanced d-pawn does not do anything special for White in compensation.} O-O $15 {with the king tucked away and the Rf8 now in play, Black is in good shape to open the center and play more dynamically.} 13. Qd2 $6 {my opponent obviously wants to castle queenside, but this allows me to mobilize my Nd7 with tempo.} (13. Be2 $15 {would develop a piece and not put the queen in a vulnerable position on d2 after a future ...Nxc4.} Nb6 14. Qb3 $11) 13... Nb6 $17 {with a double attack on the now under-defended d5 pawn, as well as the hanging c4 pawn.} 14. Nb4 {the best try, but the knight is kicked away after} a5 15. Nc2 Bd7 $6 {it would be better to play this developing move after taking the pawn.} (15... cxd5 16. cxd5 Bd7 $17) 16. O-O-O $2 (16. e4 {is what we both missed, which would allow White to equalize after} cxd5 17. exd5 $11 {I still prefer Black, but White is in better shape regarding central control.}) 16... cxd5 $1 {this now gives me central dominance and an open c-file to exploit against White's king.} 17. cxd5 Rfc8 $17 18. Kb1 Rc5 {here I chose to exert more direct pressure on the c4 pawn, which prompted my opponent to find the best move.} (18... Nc4 {at the time, I did not do this because I felt the knight might have more attacking value if preserved. However, White' Bf1 does an excellent job covering key light squares and would be worth exchanging off.} 19. Bxc4 Rxc4 $17) (18... Na4 $17 {would also chip away at White's defenders and increase my activity.}) 19. e4 $1 $15 {this surprised me, although it seems a very logical response to protect d5. I think I had vaguely assumed I could just exchange it and then take on d5, but of course after Nxe4 there is a fork of the queen and rook.} Rac8 {still, I am making life increasingly difficult for my opponent.} 20. Bd3 $2 {a logical-looking move, connecting White's rooks and shoring up the b1-h7 diagonal. Black has multiple ways to take advantage of this, however.} (20. Rc1 $15) 20... Qf7 $6 {a rather timid follow-up, although it pressures d5 again. The knight moves to c4 and a4 are also still good and active.} (20... Rxc3 $1 {is a breakthrough exchange sacrifice that the engine finds.} 21. bxc3 fxe4 22. Bxe4 Na4 $19 {and the c-pawn falls, opening up White's king position.}) 21. f4 $2 {I recognized this move was too optimistic, but do not respond accurately.} (21. f3 $17) 21... Nc4 $6 $11 {this comes a move too late, as now White could take advantage of the advanced f-pawn to equalize with a central exchange, following the knight being traded.} (21... Rxc3 $1 {still works.}) 22. Qf2 $2 {now however I correctly calculate it is time to pull the trigger with a (temporary) queenside sacrifice, to open up the king position.} (22. Bxc4 $1 Rxc4 23. fxe5 dxe5 $11 {White's strong, supported passed d-pawn makes things even.}) 22... Nxb2 $1 {as well as destroying the pawn shield, this is also a "removal of the guard" tactic against the Nc3.} 23. Kxb2 Rxc3 $19 {the position is now similar to the exchange sac variation, except that I am up a pawn.} 24. fxe5 dxe5 {the second-best move, according to the engine.} (24... Ba4 {this is difficult to see because the knight appears adequately protected, but because the White queen is involved, the sequence after} 25. Rh3 {(for example)} (25. Rd2 {this fails to} Rxd3 26. Rxd3 Rxc2+ $19) 25... Rxc2+ 26. Bxc2 Rxc2+ 27. Qxc2 Bxc2 28. Kxc2 {leaves Black effectively a piece up.}) 25. d6 {a good practical try, creating a more difficult situation for me to look at.} Rxd3 $2 {I thought for a long time here, recognizing the critical nature of the position, but could not find an actual win. The winning tactics are in fact difficult to see. The text move unnecessarily gives away material.} (25... Bb5 {deflecting a defender of c2} 26. Bxb5 Rxc2+ 27. Qxc2 Rxc2+ 28. Kxc2 Qxa2+ $19 {and White has no time to capture the Ne7}) (25... Ba4 {is again a top engine choice, even with the Ne7 hanging.} 26. dxe7 Qxe7 27. Rh3 Rxc2+ $19) (25... Nc6 $5 {is the most obvious response, moving the attacked knight, but I thought the king could snatch the rook.} 26. Kxc3 Nb4+ 27. Kd2 Nxd3 $1 $19 {however fatally exposes the White king.}) 26. Rxd3 $11 {White has equalized again.} Qc4 $6 {this is too optimistic, as I no longer have an immediate attack.} (26... Nc6 $11) (26... fxe4 27. Qxf7+ Kxf7 28. Rf1+ Nf5 $11) 27. Rhh3 (27. Rb3 {would have been more pointed, targeting the b-pawn weakness while the Ne7 is still hanging.}) 27... Be6 $2 {I thought I was in trouble here and believed this aggressive move was my best shot.} (27... Nc6 {and White cannot make progress. Pawn snatching does nothing after} 28. exf5 Nb4 29. Rc3 Qxa2+ 30. Kc1 Rf8 31. g4 Ba4 32. Ra3 Qxc2+ 33. Qxc2 Bxc2 34. Rxa5 Be4 35. Rxe5 Bc6 $15) 28. Rc3 $18 {White correctly calls my bluff, but doing it this way limits his material gains.} (28. dxe7 $18) 28... Qxa2+ 29. Kc1 {unfortunately in previous calculations I had hallucinated that the knight would now be pinned and could be won, but that is now obviously incorrect, as it is adequately defended.} Rxc3 30. Rxc3 Nc6 31. exf5 Bd7 32. f6 $1 {my opponent correctly keeps coming with the punches.} Nd4 {another desperation attempt, hoping to lead my opponent astray.} 33. fxg7 $1 Nf5 34. Rc7 Qe6 35. Qa7 $6 {the first inaccuracy by my opponent in a while.} Nxd6 36. Qb8+ Bc8 {I judged this to be the best practical attempt at defense. White has no immediate breakthroughs and will need to maneuver a bit.} 37. Qa8 e4 {some much-needed counterplay, although White is still very much winning.} 38. Nd4 Qg4 {awkward, but I wanted to maintain the protection of the Bc8.} 39. Nb5 $2 {my opponent ignores my counterplay possibilities with the queen.} Qg5+ {played with a great sense of relief. Now it is White who can easily miss the right continuation.} 40. Kd1 $2 (40. Kc2 $11 {this is the only move that does not lose.}) 40... Qxh5+ 41. Ke1 Qxb5 $1 $19 {now c8 falls but after the dust settles, I have a won queen ending.} 42. Rxc8+ Nxc8 43. Qxc8+ Kxg7 44. Qc7+ {these endings are always tricky and I have managed to draw them myself when theoretically lost. The trick to win is normally to force an exchange of queens into a won K+P ending. This can take a lot of maneuvering, however, especially (as in this case) when both kings are open to checks from the opposing queen.} Kg6 45. Qd6+ Kf5 46. g4+ Kxg4 47. Qg6+ Qg5 48. Qxe4+ Kg3 49. Qd3+ Kh4 50. Qe4+ Qg4 51. Qh1+ Kg5 52. Qd5+ Qf5 53. Qg2+ Kf6 54. Qb2+ {here my opponent offered a draw, but of course I declined in favor of} (54. Qxb7 h5 $19) 54... Qe5+ 0-1

Annotated Game #350: Another ugly win ftw

The trajectory of this next tournament game could be viewed as a mashup of the previous several games analyzed - being an ugly come-from-behind win, in which I am able to grab the initiative in a very equal position and then make life difficult for my opponent, who goes wrong tactically in the end. The game itself was a useful learning experience for me as White in a King's Indian Defense, which the Colle can transpose to. I obtained a significant plus out of the opening (see moves 10-17) but then squandered it by allowing counterplay by Black on the queenside. The rest of the game becomes a back-and-forth roller coaster.

(I mention in the annotations not choosing a couple of "good enough" moves - see IM Junta Ikeda's related Substack post here: https://juntaikeda.substack.com/p/20-40-good-enough-moves)

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class C"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "E61"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "79"] [GameId "2308393172614308"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Be2 O-O 5. O-O d6 {we now have a King's Indian on the board.} 6. c4 c5 {this pawn thrust is played much less often than the central e7-e5 one. I did not recall actually facing it over the board before, but there had in fact been one OTB game over a year before (which I lost).} 7. Nc3 {what I reacted with previously as well.} Nbd7 {a common move, but normally more associated with the e7-e5 plan.} 8. Qc2 {this is a good developing move for the queen in general, controlling e4 while clearing d1 for a rook. I did not yet want to commit to a specific plan in the center.} b6 {the only way to get the bishop out, with the knight sitting on d7.} 9. d5 {now it seems clearly better to commit the pawn and blunt the long diagonal for Black. The engines agree.} Nb8 $6 {Black now undevelops the knight, losing a lot of time in the process.} 10. Bd2 $16 {it's good to develop the bishop, even modestly in this case, as I now have a significant lead in development overall. However, this was not the most vigorous option.} (10. e4 {is the most active choice, supporting d5 and opening up the c1-h6 diagonal for the bishop.}) (10. Re1 $5 {is prepatory and lines up the rook on the e-file for greater support.}) 10... Na6 11. a3 {Black had to expect this, preventing the knight from going to b4.} Nc7 {the knight has spent a number of moves to get to this not-very-useful square.} 12. Rab1 $6 $14 {now was the time to play more directly for activity, taking advantage of Black's relative backwardness. This would also allow Black to play a 'small tactic' to equalize.} (12. e4 {again is best.}) (12. b4) 12... Bd7 (12... b5 {both of us missed this idea, the point being} 13. cxb5 (13. Nxb5 Nxb5 14. cxb5 Nxd5 $11) 13... Ncxd5 $11) 13. b4 Rb8 {this is a bit passive.} (13... cxb4 14. axb4 b5 $14) 14. bxc5 dxc5 $6 {this gives White too much of a free hand in the center, an opportunity which I now move to seize.} 15. e4 $1 $16 a6 (15... e6 {I was expecting this immediate challenge in the center. White is still doing very well after something like} 16. h3 exd5 17. cxd5 {as White's central pawn majority is more advanced and controlling than Black's queenside pawns.}) 16. h3 {a good prophylactic move, but there was a better one.} (16. a4 {more directly restrains Black's counterplay.}) 16... b5 17. g4 $6 {This move was an example of over-calculation. I was overly concerned about Black playing ...Bf5 in some lines, after the e-pawn advanced.} (17. Bf4 {was a more obvious choice and is "good enough"}) (17. Rfe1 {would develop the rook to a useful file and not weaken White's king position.}) 17... b4 {naturally pressing ahead.} 18. Na2 $6 {this was especially ironic after my previous move, the whole point of which was to set up} (18. e5 $16 {but I did not calculate this well either.} bxc3 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. Bxc3) 18... a5 $2 {I get lucky with this move from my opponent, as I had spotted} (18... b3 $1 19. Rxb3 Rxb3 20. Qxb3 Nxe4 $11) 19. Nc1 {now the danger is past.} (19. e5 $5 {is still possible.}) 19... Na6 $6 {the knight continues to eat tempi for Black.} (19... e6 $5) 20. Bf4 {I finally play this, as the obviously best place for the bishop, and the move now comes with tempo.} Rb6 $6 {Black is on the back foot anyway, but should have done something else to try to combat my strong central pawn duo.} (20... e5 $5 $16) 21. e5 $1 $18 {now Black is in real trouble, with her pieces cramped and uncoordinated as I dominate more territory.} Ne8 22. Qd2 $18 {I liked finding this 'small move' which greatly improves the queen's activity on multiple diagonals and the d-file.} e6 23. dxe6 $6 {this was far too accommodating.} (23. axb4 $1 cxb4 24. Nb3 {this is the key move, not worrying about} a4 {because of} 25. c5 $18 {hitting the awkwardly-placed rook, with additional pawn advances to follow.}) 23... Rxe6 $14 {now the awkward-looking rook lift idea actually proves useful for Black.} 24. Rd1 {getting the rook into the fight and asking Black how she wants to defend the pinned Bd7.} Nb8 $2 {the wrong choice.} (24... Re7 $14) 25. Nb3 $18 {the knight hops back into the fray on an ideal square, hitting the undefended c5 pawn.} Qb6 26. Ng5 {Continuing to press forward with more threats. I was starting to feel some time pressure here, so didn't spot the more effective backward bishop move. The text move is 'good enough' however.} (26. Be3 $1 $18 {c5 must fall now, and that is worth sacrificing the e5 pawn if necessary, given the captive Rf8 will be doomed.} Bxe5 27. Bxc5 Bc3 28. Qh6 Bg7 29. Qh4 $18) 26... Re7 27. Ne4 $6 {this is a reasonable idea, evacuating the knight to a central square before it is kicked, but Black can now equalize. I knew this was a problem when I played Ng5 originally, but as mentioned previously did not see anything better.} (27. Be3 $1) 27... Bxe5 $1 28. Nbxc5 (28. Bg5 $5 {would have been a better practical try, forcing Black to find} Bh2+ 29. Kxh2 Rxe4 $11) 28... Bxf4 $11 29. Qxf4 f5 {essentially forcing} 30. Nxd7 Nxd7 31. gxf5 $2 {unfortunately I miss the strength of Black's response.} (31. c5 $1 {with an equalizing counterattack.} Nxc5 32. Nxc5 Qxc5 33. axb4 axb4 34. Qc4+ Qxc4 35. Bxc4+ Kg7 {and now} 36. gxf5 {is fine:} Rxf5 37. Rxb4 Rf4 38. Rdb1 Ree4 39. Rb7+ $11) 31... Rxf5 $17 {the queen is tied to the defense of the Ne4 and has no good squares left.} 32. Qg4 $4 {this should drop a piece.} (32. Qe3 {looks best, although miserable after} Nc5 33. f3 Nf6 $17) (32. Qh4 g5 33. Qg3 Rxe4 {should be winning for Black, even if I could have found (unlikely)} 34. Bg4 {after} Rxg4 35. hxg4 Rf7 $19) 32... Ne5 $2 {I again get lucky, as both my opponent and I are short on time by now.} (32... Ndf6 {and unfortunately capturing with check does not save White:} 33. Nxf6+ Nxf6 {and both the Qg4 and Be2 are hanging.}) 33. Qg2 $11 {equality never felt so good.} Nc6 34. c5 {finally, some counterattacking.} Qc7 35. Bc4+ {still completely equal, but now I have the initiative.} Kg7 36. Nd6 $2 {needlessly complex and with a tactical flaw, but the threat has its desired effect.} (36. Bb5 $11) (36. Ng3 $11) 36... Rf6 {retreating to safety.} (36... Rxc5 $1 {and once again I am losing a piece.}) 37. Qd5 {here I was moving pretty quickly, but my opponent was also low on time. The obvious threat is Qg8+, although the Black king has an escape square on h6.} (37. Bb5 $1 {is a great tactical shot the engine finds, with a double attack on c6. I actually had spotted the possibility earlier, but played a safe move instead.} Nxd6) 37... Rf8 $2 {defending g8.} 38. Re1 {The Ne8 is pressured via x-ray down the e-file, although the threat can be liquidated after} (38. Bb5 $1 {still would win easily.}) 38... Rxe1+ 39. Rxe1 {now Black has one move to avoid losing, but does not find it.} Ne7 $4 {here a draw offer was made by my opponent. I immediately saw the refutation, but took a couple of minutes - about half my remaining time - to be sure I was 100% winning.} (39... Nxd6 $11) 40. Qe5+ 1-0

Annotated Game #349: Equal is not the same as easy

This second-round tournament game had a different trajectory from the previous two. Instead of having to rally after being significantly worse (and then winning), in this game as White I pass up various opportunities to gain a small advantage, as well as miss spotting a good tactic, keeping things very equal for almost the entire game. I would say there was too much play by rote early on, then perhaps a lack of ambition after that.

The other main issue was taking too much time with largely meaningless calculations on each move, in that the evaluation was not significantly different after many of them, regardless of the choice. This meant that near the end of the game I was down to only a few minutes and was in the position of responding to my opponent's initiative for too many moves. It only takes one miscalcuation or bad idea to give away the game, and that's what happened here. Engine evaluations of "equal" is not the same thing as "easy" to play, which this game is an excellent example of. My opponent did well to try to create practical chances in the latter part of the game, which gave me the opportunity to go wrong.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class C"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "82"] [GameId "2309127055636957"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 Bd6 {extending the move symmetry / imitation.} 5. O-O {White's move order does not seem to matter much here, in terms of results.} (5. Nbd2 {is played a little more in the database, with the idea of guarding against ...Ne4. The trade-off is that the knight is committed to d2 early.}) 5... O-O 6. Nbd2 b6 {Black finally varies, although does not truly break the positional symmetry until the next move.} 7. b3 {continuing on autopilot with the original plan of going into the Colle-Zukertort, developing early with Bb2.} (7. e4 $1 {the engines agree that this is the only way to take advantage of this particular move-order. Black does not yet control e4, so the standard Colle e3-e4 break is a good one.} dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nbd7 9. Nxd6 cxd6 $14 {White now has the two bishops, and will have a pleasant middlegame with good prospects for all his pieces.}) 7... c5 8. Bb2 Ba6 {evidently with the idea of exchanging off White's pride bishop on d3. However, in response it is the right thing for White to exchange immediately, since Black's knight will be a little misplaced as a result.} 9. Qe2 (9. Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Qe2 Nb4 11. c4 {with an even but easy game for White.}) 9... Bxd3 10. Qxd3 $11 Nc6 11. a3 {preventing the awkward ...Nb4, but perhaps leaving Black with a little too much freedom in the center.} Nd7 {looking to push e6-e5, it seems, but I move to challenge first in the center.} (11... cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Qc7 14. h3 $11 {White is OK, but Black has the better center and the prospect of pressure down the c-file.}) 12. c4 dxc4 $6 {it is easy to not play optimally when there is complex central tension.} (12... Rc8 {Black can develop his rook into the fight.}) (12... cxd4 $5 {capturing toward the center would be better, if Black wanted to release the central tension.}) 13. Nxc4 (13. Qxc4 $5 {I rejected this as being awkward for the queen and a natural place for the knight instead. However, the queen is fine on the square, and the Nd2 can go to e4.}) 13... Be7 14. Rfd1 Bf6 $2 15. Rab1 $6 {another rather rote move, keeping things equal. The engine shows a positional plus after the forcing sequences involving capturing on c5.} (15. dxc5 {dissolving the center, but to the benefit of White's now more active pieces.} Nxc5 (15... Bxb2 16. Nxb2 Nxc5 17. Qc2 $16 {the queen projects power down the c-file and also the b1-h7 diagonal. Black now has to be careful not to lose his hanging Nc6.} Qe8 18. b4 Nb7 19. Ng5 $16 {White now has lasting pressure and the initiative.}) 16. Qc2 Qe7 17. b4 Nd7 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 {the Nd7 is defended tactically.} (18... Nxf6 19. Nd6 $16) 19. Qe4 $16 {with the initiative.} (19. Rxd7 $4 Qxa1+ $19)) 15... Qc7 16. d5 {I focused pretty much only on this idea, not on the dxc5 option, which is still best if not as good as before.} exd5 17. Qxd5 {superficially the queen looks active, but Black has no weaknesses here.} Rad8 18. Qf5 {I thought this was the only move.} (18. Qd6 $5 {offers a trade, with the idea of deploying back to the kingside if refused.}) 18... g6 $2 {this defensive move was unnecessary and left open a tactic, which I failed to spot.} 19. Qc2 $6 {again playing it safe, after not correctly calculating that the tactical option in fact works, although I had seen the basic idea.} (19. Rxd7 $1 {the sequence begins with a straightforward removal of the guard theme, although it becomes fairly complex.} gxf5 (19... Rxd7 {the straightforward continuation.} 20. Qxf6 $18 {and the mate threat on the long diagonal ensures White will win more material.}) (19... Bxb2 {tranposes to the main variation after} 20. Rxc7 gxf5 21. Rxc6 $18) 20. Rxc7 Bxb2 21. Rxc6 Bg7 $18) 19... Nde5 {the position is now very balanced, so I decide to simplify via exchanges.} 20. Nfxe5 Nxe5 21. Nxe5 Bxe5 22. g3 (22. Bxe5 {is more in keeping with the strategic decision to simplify.} Qxe5 {during the game, I didn't want to give my opponent such a nice-looking queen placement, but it is not significant in reality.} 23. g3 $11) 22... b5 23. Rbc1 {again, it was probably easier to further simplify, although the evaluation is not different. In any case, my opponent does it for me.} (23. Bxe5 Qxe5 24. a4 $11) 23... Bxb2 24. Qxb2 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Rd8 26. Rc1 {in fact the best, according to the engine. Pressure is increased on the c-file and I avoid exchanging into a queen endgame, which would be easier for Black to play with the 3-2 queenside majority.} Rd5 27. Qe2 {the move is fine, but I was starting to get tired of calculating and low on time. Just looking to blockade on the c-file may have been simpler.} Qd7 {protecting b5 and doubling on the d-file, which I now have to watch.} 28. Qf3 {pressuring d5 while keeping control of d1.} h5 29. a4 (29. h4 {I never thought of this idea, which would have helped later in blocking Black's pawn advance. This is a routine type of response in master-level games.}) 29... bxa4 30. bxa4 {while I continue to play correctly, from an evaluation standpoint, Black in effect has the initiative.} Rf5 31. Qd1 {of course I would be happy simplifying to a drawn rook endgame.} Qb7 32. Rb1 {another fine move, but still leaving me with a more complex situation to deal with.} (32. Rc4) (32. h4) 32... Qc7 33. Qb3 {I was down to only a few minutes on the clock now, unfortunately.} Kh7 34. Qc3 (34. Qc4 {blocking the c-pawn and controlling the 4th rank before Black could play ...h4 would have sealed the draw.}) 34... h4 {still completely equal, but creating threats that I now fail to parry.} 35. Qc4 (35. Rb4 $5 {would have been a nice resource, based on the pinned c-pawn.}) 35... hxg3 {now time pressure makes itself felt in my calculations.} 36. Qh4+ $2 {I thought this simplified, but it in fact loses.} (36. hxg3 Rh5 37. Kg2 $11) 36... Rh5 $1 $19 37. Qxg3 {Black of course does not have to trade queens, and can make more threats quicker than I can. The initial problem, which I spotted too late, was that with the open g-file my queen can be pinned against the Kg1.} Qe7 {threatening ...Rg5} 38. Kf1 Qe4 $1 {with a double threat against a4 and h1.} 39. Rb8 {a desperate bid for counterplay, which is too slow, due to my open king.} (39. Ra1 {would resist longer, but I felt Black would inevitably win.} Qh1+ 40. Qg1 Qc6 $19 {the passed c-pawn, combined with Black's excellent queen and rook, will decide things.}) 39... Qxa4 40. Qc7 Qd1+ 41. Kg2 Rg5+ 0-1

Annotated Game #348: A familiar trajectory

In this first-round tournament game, my opponent essays the Advance Variation against my Caro-Kann, which these days is considered the most challenging try for White. While I play the opening generally correctly, I over-correct for my normal materialistic bias by postponing capturing the e5 pawn for too long, giving my opponent a strong attack. The trajectory of the game is similar to that of Annotated Game #347, as White dissipates the attacking tension too soon and lets me back in the game, albeit having inflicted some positional damage in the process. I then find a move which flips the game narrative and suddenly my pieces come to life, with a winning advantage. There are some tactics involved and I was glad to be able to calculate correctly the sequence that sealed the victory, which included giving back a piece in exchange for a winning major piece attack.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "92"] [GameId "2307865431380026"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 {the Advance Variation is now the main try against the Caro-Kann for ambitious White players.} c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bg4 {pinning the knight and developing the bishop, which is the point of this variation for Black.} 6. dxc5 {this capture was a little delayed, giving White fewer move-order choices.} e6 {simply preparing to recapture. This line is a (temporary?) gambit for Black, as White can try to hang on to the extra pawn, however at some positional cost.} 7. Be3 {developing and defending c5.} Nge7 {standard knight development and the second most popular move in the database.} (7... a6 $5 {can be played if Black wishes to prevent Bb5 ideas.}) 8. Bd4 {the bishop now protects both c5 and e5, but is mostly limited to its role as a "big pawn"} Qc7 $6 {adding to the pressure on e5, but this leaves White with better options.} (8... Bxf3 {this draws the White queen a bit offside and removes a defender of e5. Combined with the following move, this makes Black's position quite solid.} 9. Qxf3 a6 $11) 9. Nbd2 $14 {now the exchange on f3 would just help White develop.} (9. Bb5 {is also good.}) 9... a6 {this is useful, but a bit late. I am lagging slightly in development and still a pawn down.} 10. Be2 Ng6 {further concentrating my forces against e5.} 11. O-O Be7 12. h3 Bxf3 {the rule in the Advance Caro-Kann is to exchange on f3 whenever there is a choice between that and retreating the bishop. This is both technically accurate and in practical terms helps reduce the amount of calculation required for decision-making.} 13. Nxf3 O-O $6 {this delays the pawn recapture unnecessarily. Black lacks defenders on the kingside, so castling is in fact premature.} (13... Ncxe5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. f4 {this is what dissuaded me from capturing on e5, as the g7 pawn is hanging after the knight retreats. However, the engine is not concerned about this after} Nd7 16. Bxg7 Bxc5+ {the key in-between move, regaining the pawn with check.} 17. Bd4 O-O-O {and White at best has a slight edge.}) 14. Re1 $6 {this looks sensible and eventually will help reinforce e5, but would still allow me to capture there now.} (14. Bd3 $1 {immediately gives White an attack after} Ncxe5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxh7+ Kxh7 17. Qh5+ Kg8 18. Bxe5 Qxc5 19. Qg4 $16) 14... Rae8 $2 {I recall during the game being pleased with my lack of materialism. However, now is the time to regain the pawn.} (14... Ncxe5 $11 {this also usefully covers the d3 square.}) 15. Bd3 $1 $18 {I did not properly understand how threatening this would be.} Nf4 16. Bc2 {preserving the bishop on the key attacking diagonal. Now I am simply a pawn down with no counterplay and White has a good attack brewing.} Na5 {heading for c4, but this will not disrupt White's plans.} 17. b4 Nc4 {the knight looks good, but is not in fact hitting any useful targets.} 18. Qc1 Ng6 {retreating to safety, although stil awkwardly placed.} 19. g3 {usefully controlling both h4 and f4.} f5 {by this point I could see trouble brewing on the kingside and decided (correctly) that an attempt at counterplay was necessary.} (19... f6 $5 {was also a consideration. I chose the text move because it blocked the diagonal, which tempted White into capturing en passant.}) 20. exf6 $6 {White is still a clear pawn up after this capture, but the attack dissipates.} Bxf6 $16 21. Bxg6 hxg6 {I correctly decided that even though the doubled pawns are ugly, they are worth the piece exchanges, as White no longer has an attack. However, my opponent does not recognize this and over-presses with} 22. Ng5 $2 e5 $1 $19 {suddenly Black is winning, with central pawn dominance and fully activated pieces.} 23. Be3 e4 {opening up diagonals for both the bishop and queen, while taking away the f3 square from White's knight.} 24. Qd1 {although my weakness on d5 is targeted, this also leaves the Ng5 under-protected, so I decided to go for winning material immediately.} Nxe3 (24... Qd7 {is a better version of the idea, defending d5 first. Although the Ng5 can be reinforced, which I saw, White has too many other weaknesses.} 25. h4 Bxc3 $1 $19) 25. Rxe3 Bxg5 26. Qxd5+ Qf7 $1 {the only move, as the Bg5 is hanging; I saw this sequence as part of the calculations for move 24. If White chooses to take the bishop, as he does in the game, I correctly calculated that Black has a winning attack afterwards due to the f2 weakness. I would also be happy entering an endgame after an exchange of queens on f7.} 27. Qxg5 {probably the correct practical decision, forcing me to prove things tactically.} Qxf2+ 28. Kh1 Qd2 {pinning the Re3 against the Qg5 and preparing to play ...Rf2.} (28... Rd8 {is even better, but the text move is winning.}) 29. Qxg6 {an unexpected way out of White' pin. Now I simply take the rook and follow a conservative strategy of trading down to a winning endgame while not blundering, rather than trying to win as quickly as possible.} Qxe3 30. h4 Qxc3 31. Rg1 Qf3+ 32. Rg2 Qf5 {essentially forcing the queen trade.} 33. Qxf5 Rxf5 34. Re2 e3 35. Kg2 Kf7 36. g4 Rf6 37. Kg3 b6 38. g5 Rc6 39. cxb6 Rxb6 40. a3 Rb5 41. Kf3 Rf5+ 42. Kg3 Kg6 43. a4 Kf7 {obliging White to do something further weakening on his move.} 44. b5 axb5 45. axb5 Rxb5 46. Kf4 Rb4+ {and my opponent sensibly resigns.} 0-1

Training quote of the day #65: Viswanathan Anand

    

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

Motivation, I believe, ebbs and flows to its own rhythms and might have nothing to do with the effort we put into feeling it or the control we attempt to exercise over it. I’ve found that I’ve played my most inspired games when my enthusiasm for the sport resurfaced, without the bindings of titles or wins or ratings tying me down, and I’ve just wanted to play a good game and have been excited about learning something new or applying something fresh. There’s no quick path to finding motivation, but the moment you surrender to your love for your sport – or your career or choice of activity, for that matter – is where the highest probability lies.

Annotated Game #347: First victory in the Dutch Defense

It took three tries, but this final-round tournament game was my first victory as a "pure" Dutch Defense player (after 1. d4 f5). The previous (second time) was in Annotated Game #343, when I faced the 2. Bg5 sideline. Here I face the other main sideline, with 2. Nc3 followed by 3. Bg5. The main difference is that the move-order allows Black to play 2...Nf6 first, which significantly changes the dynamics. Although I mis-remember the standard line afterwards (3...d5), I get a reasonable game; it is nice to know that even in the Dutch the moves are not necessarily on knife-edge all the time. One significant flaw was 8...Kf7?!, an idea that was repeated (if not quite as horribly) from the previous game, so that is something to remember.

After that, my opponent got some early pressure with an h-pawn advance, but then - as often occurs at the Class level - she prematurely dissipated the tension, so I was able to equalize without difficulty. By around move 18 the position is largely symmetrical and I felt was rather boring, so I tried to spice things up on the h-file, misjudging my strategic chances there and also having board vision problems with the blunder 21...Rh6? My opponent evidently was also bored with the position and tried to be aggressive with 22. c4?! which makes the situation complex and allowed me to go astray. There is a lot of tactical back-and-forth afterwards, which I'll leave to the game annotations, but basically I held on until I spotted a winning tactic and turned the tables on my opponent. Perhaps this was a fitting way to obtain a first win in the Dutch.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A80"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "88"] [GameId "2290996243980105"] {[%evp 0,88,10,38,40,25,34,23,48,74,29,16,17,38,37,14,4,2,22,39,53,89,60,37,39,60,14,1,35,39,39,16,-82,-54,-37,-9,-98,20,0,-41,-127,-57,-14,-40,32,-112,-28,-33,-54,-11,21,-51,-141,-140,147,109,172,85,134,-31,1,-149,-321,-404,-342,-397,-417,-404,-231,-426,-303,-327,-1,1,-20,1,-178,-203,-419,-824,-959,-994,-837,-943,-994,-999,-967,-1148,-1147,-1356,-1528]} 1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 {while the setup for White is the same (by transposition) as the 2.Bg5 variation played in the previous Dutch game, the move-order means that Black has the Nf6 developed instead of ...g6, which changes things.} g6 {preparing to play ...Bg7 and then eliminate White's chance for doubling the f-pawns. White's reaction is expected.} (3... d5 {is actually considered the standard move here.}) 4. Bxf6 exf6 {in exchange for the doubled pawns, Black contests the e5 square and has the two bishops.} 5. e3 d5 {obtaining a lock on the e4 square and preparing for a Stonewall-type setup on the light squares.} 6. Bd3 c6 {here the square may be better occupied by the knight.} (6... Nc6 $5 {with ...Be6 coming next, there is no need to protect d5 with the c-pawn.}) (6... Be6 {immediately also keeps things flexible, as the bishop should go here anyway.}) 7. Nge2 {clearly aiming at the f4 square.} Bd6 {clearly the best square for the bishop, while contesting f4.} 8. h4 $5 {my opponent is evidently in an aggressive mood.} Kf7 $6 {this is not as disastrous a move as in the previous Dutch game, but still not ideal.} (8... Qe7 {for example would develop the queen to its normal square in the Dutch and await developments.}) (8... h5 $5) 9. h5 $14 {the obvious and good choice, creating tension on g6.} b6 $6 {this is too slow an idea, to develop with ...Ba6, that also does not really work.} (9... a5 {gets things going on the queenside, with ...b5 or ...Na6 to follow.}) 10. hxg6+ $6 {I was fine with this reduction in tension, since White is not yet positioned to exploit the h-file.} hxg6 $11 11. Kd2 {this looks funny, but the king is safe enough and it is the quickest way to get out the queen and the Ra1.} Na6 $1 {the engine awards a "!" for developing the correct piece to a6, as other moves give White an advantage; I had concluded that my original idea of putting the bishop there would not be useful. Both sides are now developed to an equivalent degree, while both kings are a little awkwardly placed.} 12. Rxh8 Qxh8 13. Qh1 Bb7 {protecting the Qh8 and maintaining the tension on the h-file.} (13... Qxh1 {the engine prefers to simply exchange immediately,as White has no way to do anything with the h-file afterwards.} 14. Rxh1 Nb4 $11 {White could now check on h7, but then would have to go back with the rook after ...Kg8, with no progress made.} (14... Kg7 $11 {would even prevent that if Black felt cautious.})) 14. a3 Nc7 {the standard maneuver in the Dutch when the Na6 no longer has a potential future on b4.} 15. Nf4 Bxf4 {I judged this an even trade, since my bishop has little scope on the dark squares and White's knight is on a good square.} 16. exf4 {the pawn structure is now symmetrical, and I expected a draw as the likeliest outcome.} Ne6 17. Ne2 c5 18. c3 {around here I started becoming a little bored with the position and wanted to try to make something happen on the h-file. This was a bad idea in general, although causes no harm initially.} Qg7 {clearing the square for the rook.} (18... c4 {would further clamp down the position and leave less room for counterplay.}) 19. a4 Rh8 20. Qg1 a6 {this is OK, but leaves White the possibility of the a4-a5 advance.} (20... a5) (20... Qh6 {would be the logical continuation of the h-file idea and put pressue on the f4 pawn; however, neither goes anywhere after the obvious g2-g3 in response.}) 21. b3 Rh6 $2 {unfortunately now I hallucinate and think I can get something going on the h-file, with the rook leading a Q+R battery. This loses me time and misplaces my heavy pieces. Everything else reasonable is completely equal.} (21... Qh6 $11) (21... Qf8) (21... a5) (21... cxd4) 22. c4 $6 {this very much complicated the game and I thought and calcuated (poorly) for a long time here. It illustrates what would have been the practical value of playing ...c4 earlier, to shut down the possibility, even though the engine says Black is now better.} (22. a5 $1 $16 {this would force a breakthrough on the queenside, taking advantage of Black's rook and queen being too far from the action.} b5 {is what I would have played} 23. dxc5 Nxc5 24. Bc2 $18 {the problem is that f2-f3 is now coming, after which White's queen can penetrate on the g1-a7 diagonal.}) 22... Qh7 $6 {stubbornly continuing with the terrible h-file plan.} (22... cxd4 {taking the pawn on offer is of course the critical path.} 23. f3 Qf8 $1 {repositioning the queen to the center} 24. Nxd4 Nxf4 25. Qe3 Qd6 $17 {the queen successfully defends everything.} 26. g3 $2 {attempting to exploit the pin on the Nf4 fails to} Qb4+ $1 27. Kc2 {and now control of the h-file actually pays off after} Rh2+ $19) (22... Qf8 {would profitably keep the pawn tension while getting the queen back into the real action.} 23. f3 (23. dxc5 $2 Nxc5 24. Qb1 Qd6 $19) 23... Qd6 $17) (22... Qh8 $11 {at least would be much better than the text move, if I insisted on keeping it on the h-file, but somehow I thought the queen was better placed on the (blocked) 7th rank.}) 23. f3 {this allows various good defensive moves, none of which I find.} (23. cxd5 Bxd5 24. Bc4 Bxc4 25. bxc4 cxd4 26. Qb1 $16) 23... cxd4 $2 {only now do I take the pawn, after walling my queen off so it cannot get back to the center to assist. The explanation is that I hallucinated being able to play ...Rh1 at some point, which of course simply loses material.} (23... Qh8 $11 {is probably simplest.}) 24. cxd5 $16 {advantageous but not decisive.} (24. Nxd4 $1 {breaks through in the center.} Nxf4 25. Qe3 $18) 24... Bxd5 25. Bc4 $6 {this gives me an out.} (25. Nxd4 {again is best, although not as devastating after} Nc5 $16) 25... Bxc4 26. bxc4 Nc5 $6 {still refusing to see the value of redeploying the queen.} (26... Qh8 $15) 27. Rb1 $1 {I misjudged the strength of this, although could have mitigated White's threats with proper play.} Kg8 $2 {wrong square, although right idea to open up the 7th rank for the queen. It looked wrong to send my king to e8 and the open center.} (27... Ke8 28. Qxd4 {and now} Qd7 {is possible.} 29. Rxb6 Qxd4+ 30. Nxd4 Rh2 $11) 28. a5 $18 {things are looking bad for Black, although} (28. Qxd4 $1 $18 {is more decisive.}) 28... d3 {I decided counterattacking was my only hope, to try to pressure White into an error.} 29. Nc3 {good enough to maintain a winning advantage, but still not putting me away.} (29. axb6 $1 $18) 29... Rh2 {finally the rook actually does something, projecting power along the 2nd rank, and my opponent misses the potential threat. Time pressure started to be a factor around here.} 30. Rxb6 $4 {this looks good visually, with the rook breaking into my back ranks and king wide open, but I have (only) one good move to play.} (30. Qf2 $18) 30... Qh3 $1 $19 {now the situation is flipped and White is losing, thanks to her vulnerable king and the pin on the now indefensible g-pawn.} 31. Rb8+ Kg7 32. Ke3 Rxg2 {while we both were relatively low on time by this point, my opponent's clock situation was worse, and further deteriorated under pressure.} 33. Qb1 Qh2 {I thought for a while here. There are several possibilities for follow up with the queen, so I went with what I calculated should be a sure win, if not the fastest.} (33... Qg3 $5) 34. Kd4 Ne6+ {I decided to go with what I thought was more forcing checks with the knight, with little time to calculate everything.} (34... Nd7 $1 35. Kd5 Qxf4 $19) 35. Kd5 {my opponent is fighting hard and again there is a crossroads. Unfortunately I see the necessary idea (...Qxf4) but do not play it immediately, thinking the check is safer first.} Nc7+ $6 (35... Qxf4 $19 {sacrificing the knight is the way to go, with White's king too exposed in the center.} 36. Kxe6 Qxc4+ 37. Nd5 Qc6+ 38. Ke7 Re2+ {with mate to follow}) 36. Kc6 $1 $11 Qxf4 {now although my knight is preserved, there is no forced win, as the White king is closer to protection.} 37. Qb4 $2 {a reasonable-looking move, but not forcing enough.} (37. Rb7 {pins the knight, so after} Qxc4+ 38. Kb6 $11 {remarkably Black has nothing better than a draw.}) 37... Kh6 $1 $19 {now my king has time to escape and hide on g5.} 38. Qf8+ Kg5 39. Qd8 Qxc4+ {this is now decisive.} 40. Kb7 Rb2+ 41. Ka7 Rxb8 42. Kxb8 Qxc3 {the best move, ensuring a won K+P endgame if White captures on c7.} 43. Qd6 d2 {passed pawns must be pushed} 44. Qg3+ Kh6 {and now White flagged in a lost position.} 0-1

Annotated Game #346: Passive materialism is bad

This second-round tournament game features an interesting Colle vs. Queen's Indian setup. Black is a little over-aggressive in the opening, but I am not able to keep the small advantage obtained as a result. My opponent then doubles down on the aggression with 16...f4? - I initially respond correctly, but then make a far too materialistic decision to play passively, instead of dynamically with a significant advantage. Black continues to actively press and his attack essentially plays itself, as a result. An object lesson in the superior dynamic value of pieces.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A47"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "86"] [GameId "2290193471588575"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 Bb7 5. Nbd2 {while this is normally considered a flexible move and covers e4, castling first scores much better in the database. White need not fear an early ...Ne4.} (5. O-O Ne4 6. Nbd2 f5 {is what I wanted to avoid.} 7. Ne5 $5 {looks good, however, as Black is a bit behind in development.} Qh4 8. f4 $14) 5... Nc6 $6 {this blocks the Bb7 unnecessarily.} 6. O-O (6. c3 $5 {the standard Colle setup would be a good option as well.}) (6. a3 $5 {would now allow for b2-b4 and Bb2, with more space, as there is no pawn on c5 to block White's queenside expansion.}) 6... d5 7. b3 {not the best suited to the needs of the position, because of Black's ability to play the annoying knight sortie to b4.} (7. c3) (7. a3) (7. c4 $5) 7... Nb4 $11 8. Be2 Ne4 $6 {overly aggressive.} 9. Nxe4 (9. Bb2 {covering the c3 square for some reason did not occur to me.}) 9... dxe4 10. Ne5 $14 {I've perhaps regained a bit of opening advantage, with Black's king still in the center.} f6 11. Nc4 (11. Bh5+ {unfortunately does not work, although I looked at it seriously.} g6 {and White will not have enough for the material.} 12. Nxg6 (12. Bxg6+ hxg6 13. Nxg6 Rh6 14. Nxf8 Qd6 15. h3 Qxf8 $19) 12... hxg6 13. Bxg6+ Kd7 $19 {White has no attack.}) 11... Be7 12. a3 {this is nothing special.} (12. c3 $5 {would reinforce d4 again and create a bit more room for the White pieces.} Nd5 13. Bd2) 12... Nd5 $11 {this surprised me, although it's rather obvious.} 13. Bb2 O-O 14. Nd2 {this is a useful retreat, as the knight is exposed to b6-b5 ideas on c4, but there is no pressure on Black.} (14. f3 $5 {now would be useful, giving White a tempo up for kingside play.} f5 (14... b5 15. fxe4 bxc4 16. exd5 Qxd5 17. Bf3 Qb5 $11) 15. fxe4 fxe4 16. Bg4 Qd7) 14... f5 15. c4 {the correct reaction, gaining queenside space and kicking the knight.} Nf6 16. f3 $6 {the timing is now wrong for this, as the Nf6 helps cover the kingside better, while White's prospects look better on the queenside now.} (16. b4) 16... f4 $2 {this immediately looked wrong - I had not considered the response - and it should lead to a clear advantage for White.} 17. exf4 $1 {after some thought, I correctly concluded taking the pawn on offer was best.} e3 {this was the natural expectation, but unfortunately I miscalculated the response.} 18. Nb1 $2 {this is terribly passive and materialistic, trying to simply hold onto the extra pawn. It removes the knight from the immediate fight, as well as locking the a1 rook away.} (18. Ne4 $1 {is critical.} Nxe4 (18... Bxe4 19. fxe4 Nxe4 20. Qd3 $18) 19. fxe4 Bxe4 {somehow I hallucinated and thought my f-pawn would fall at this point.} 20. Qc1 $16 {now the e3 pawn is doomed.}) 18... Nh5 {in contrast, Black now plays easily and dynamically.} 19. Qd3 {I initially thought this solved my problems.} (19. Bc1 $19 {another bad-looking retreat, but it would force Black to find} c5 $1 {to maintain the advantage.} 20. Bxe3 cxd4 21. Bxd4 (21. Qxd4 Bc5 $19) 21... Nxf4 $19 {with a strong attack once Black can get in ...Qg5, after playing ...Bc5/Bd6}) 19... Nxf4 20. Qxe3 Bd6 $19 (20... Bg5 $19 {is even more effective, lining up on the queen.}) 21. Nc3 $2 Qg5 $1 {I completely missed this, although Black was already winning. Now there are no good choices.} 22. Kf2 Qxg2+ 23. Ke1 Qxh2 24. Kd2 Rf6 25. Ne4 (25. Rh1 {unfortunately does not solve things.} Ng2 (25... Qg3 {is the engine line, which requires some deeper calculation to ensure regaining the material.} 26. Rag1 Nxe2 27. Rxg3 Nxg3 $19 {and now if} 28. Qe1 Nxh1 29. Qxh1 Bxf3 {Black is ahead on material count and has White's king exposed.}) 26. Qd3 Qf4+ 27. Kc2 Rg6 $19 {Black can now reorganize his pieces with ...Rf8, ...Qf7 and ...Nf4 and continue the winning attack.}) 25... Bxe4 {an excellent decision, trading off a key defender.} 26. Qxe4 Qxe2+ {my opponent now makes the good practical decision to go for the simplified winning endgame.} 27. Qxe2 Nxe2 28. Kxe2 Bf4 {now Black's pieces are all at least as well-laced as mine, plus he has the outside passed h-pawn which should decide the game. My only chance for a swindle at this point is to try to create some potential for Black to blunder tactically.} 29. Rad1 Re8 30. Kf2 Rh6 {usefully occupying the h-file and removing the rook from a discovered attack on the long diagonal.} 31. Rg1 Rh2+ {this essentially forces a rook trade and seals the game for Black.} 32. Rg2 Rxg2+ 33. Kxg2 Kf7 34. Re1 (34. Rh1 {looks active but is not a threat. For example} Rd8 35. Rxh7 $2 Bh6 {trapping the rook.}) 34... g5 35. Rh1 Kg6 36. Re1 h5 37. d5 Kf5 38. Kf2 e5 {bringing another piece into the attack and highlighting how I have no counterplay at all.} 39. Rh1 h4 {the h-pawn is now too strong, although there was nothing really to be done about it.} 40. Rd1 e4 41. b4 exf3 42. Kxf3 Re3+ 43. Kf2 Rb3 {with more material loss on the way and a hopeless position, now is a good time to resign.} 0-1