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 #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

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 #343: Stranger in a strange (Dutch) land

After my first outing with the 'pure' Dutch Defense in Annotated Game #342, I immediately and surprisingly got a chance to redeem myself as Black, thanks to the tournament director generously giving me two Blacks in a row, which also made it it 3 out of 4 Blacks for the tournament to that point. Naturally I had been mentally prepared to play as White, so it was not an auspicious start.

In contrast to the previous game, my opponent confidently played the 2. Bg5 sideline, although by move 8 I had fully equalized. The Dutch sidelines can generate some strange-looking positions, so I had very little to fall back on for guidelines and standard plans. As the analysis shows, wild-looking attacking play is what the Dutch sometimes demands - see the move 9 variations - although my more solid approach was going well enough until the blunder 10...Kf7? That opened the door for White to easily and quickly ramp up pressure against my king, and my opponent did a good job of mobilizing her pieces effectively and inviting them all to the party, taking advantage of further mistakes on my part.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class A"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A80"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "59"] [GameId "2280365257781312"] 1. d4 f5 2. Bg5 {one of the main Dutch sidelines, which can be annoying for Black to face.} g6 {most played in the database, and probably the most solid response.} 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e3 h6 {relatively little-played, but scores the best for Black.} 5. Bh4 Nf6 6. Bxf6 {White decides to exchange minor pieces and not worry about her bishop potentially being threatened by Black's advancing pawns.} Bxf6 {not the most natural place for the bishop, but development is about equal.} 7. Bc4 {now we're out of the database.} c6 {logically preparing ...d5} 8. g4 $5 {indicating that my opponent is in an aggressive mood.} d5 $11 {with White's bishop effectively losing a tempo, Black has now fully equalized.} 9. Bd3 e6 {this seemed the solid choice to me, given White's light-square pressure, establishing a Stonewall formation.} (9... e5 $5 {this more dynamic central pawn move I did not seriously consider, but the general Dutch Defense principle works here: if Black can play ...e5 without problems, it should be played. However, it requires some wild-looking play.} 10. dxe5 Bxe5 11. gxf5 Bxf5 $2 {as I had calculated did not work, though. Black has to find a more non-standard approach.} (11... Qf6 {is not obvious. But why sacrifice only one pawn, when you can sac two for the attack?} 12. fxg6 O-O 13. Qd2 Bg4 $11) (11... Qb6 {is similar to the below variation.}) 12. Bxf5 gxf5 13. Qh5+ $16) (9... Qb6 {would take advantage of the White dark-square bishop's absence by counterattacking b2, but again this is not a normal sequence.} 10. gxf5 Qxb2 11. Nge2 gxf5 12. a3 Qb6 13. Nf4 Qa5 $14) 10. Nge2 Kf7 $2 {it looks like the king is helping cover the weak g6 and e6 squares, but unfortunately this just causes more middlegame problems.} (10... Nd7 $11 {normal development is good.} 11. gxf5 exf5 {and now ...Nf8 is available for the defense.}) 11. gxf5 $16 exf5 12. Nf4 {I underestimated the strength of this follow-up. The knight goes to its ideal square and it is easy for White to generate more pressure.} Rg8 $6 {the defense is already difficult, this makes it more so.} (12... Bg5 $16 {would at least threaten to exchange off the attacking knight.}) (12... Nd7 $16 {brings another piece in.}) (12... g5 $2 {unfortunately kicking the knight, which I had wrongly assumed would be easy, fails to} 13. Qh5+ $18) 13. Rg1 (13. Qf3 $18 {is even better, getting the queen into the action and allowing for castling queenside.}) 13... Bg5 $6 {a good idea, played a move late. Now White has a tactical refutation.} (13... Nd7) 14. Qf3 {still very good to keep up the pressure, but missing} (14. Nxg6 $1 Rxg6 15. h4 Bxh4 16. Qh5 $1 $18) 14... Be6 $2 {just a terrible move, adding nothing to the defense and allowing an obvious capture to wreck my position. The intent was actually to play ...Nd7 next, without blocking the bishop's diagonal.} (14... Qf6 {was my other candidate move, which however does not solve Black's problems.}) (14... Bxf4 {for some reason I did not look at this move, partly because I was now fixated on getting my other pieces into the defense.} 15. Qxf4 g5) 15. Nxe6 $1 Kxe6 16. h4 $1 $18 {now the game is essentially over.} Bf6 (16... Bxh4 17. Rxg6+ Rxg6 18. Qxf5+ $18) 17. Rxg6 Nd7 {an attempt to confuse the situation for White.} 18. Qxf5+ Ke7 19. O-O-O {while there are quicker ways to win, this is a strong consolidating move, also bringing the second rook into the mix.} Qf8 20. Rdg1 Rxg6 21. Rxg6 Qh8 (21... Qf7 $5 $18) 22. Ne2 {White brings her last piece into the attack.} Rg8 23. Nf4 Nf8 24. h5 $1 {with this, the jaws of the attack clamp shut and the rest is just futile struggle.} Nxg6 25. Nxg6+ Rxg6 26. hxg6 {things look much better after the exchanges, but White's pieces are still fiercely dominant.} h5 27. Be2 h4 28. Bg4 Qe8 {losing more quickly.} (28... Qg8 29. Qd7+ {is probably the simplest way to proceed.} Kf8 30. Bh5 $18) 29. Qe6+ Kf8 30. Qxf6+ 1-0

Annotated Game #342: A first 'true' Dutch Defense as Black

This third-round game saw me bravely use the 'true' or 'pure' Dutch Defense (1.d4 f5) for the first time as Black. I've previously played the Dutch Stonewall by transposition, but decided to adopt the move one version so I can use the Leningrad Variation. My opponent was rather hesitant during the first few moves, which indicated to me that he was not familiar with the Dutch at all. That said, he played into the main fianchetto line for White with the rare 4. f4!? thrown in, apparently in an effort to play symmetrically and reduce the chances of any surprises. As a result I equalized rather easily, but then blew the middlegame with some poor choices, including misunderstanding the best way of contesting the a-file. That has happened before in my games, so I hope I've learned my lesson there. The Dutch performed well in the opening phase, however, so the loss was not its fault; I'll need to do better by it in the future.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A81"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "61"] [GameId "2280365257781311"] 1. d4 f5 {this is first time I am playing a "pure" Dutch Defense (as Black), with this move-order.} 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 {so far we are heading for the Leningrad Dutch main line, but now White deviates with the rare} 4. f4 $5 Bg7 {there is no reason Black should not continue with his development plan.} 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O d6 {Black has won all three database games I have from this position. With the text move, I continue to follow the main line Leningrad plan, contesting e5.} (6... e6 $5 {controls d5 but leaves Black's further development flexible.}) (6... d5 {is the engine's preference, establishing a symmetrical structure.}) 7. c4 c6 {continuing with the main line Leningrad idea of contesting the d5 square.} 8. Nc3 {by transposition, we have reached a somewhat more common position.} Na6 {is a common development idea for the knight, with ...Rb8, ...Nb4 and ..a5 as ideas for follow-up.} (8... Nbd7 {is more solid and scores better, fighting directly for the center.}) 9. a3 Bd7 (9... Nc7 {played immediately is probably better, as the knight now has no future on a6.}) 10. Qd3 Nc7 {both sides are equally developed and the position is dynamically balanced overall.} 11. Bd2 Rb8 (11... a5 $5 {would directly contest White's obvious plan of advancing his queensidde pawns.}) 12. b4 b5 $11 {Black is now fully equalized. With the rook off of the long diagonal and thus not a target for a discovered attack, this advance is possible.} 13. c5 {now there are multiple good options, but it was not clear to me what the best plan was.} Ncd5 {not bad, but perhaps not best.} (13... Be6 $5 {with the idea of occupying c4 as an outpost for the bishop.}) (13... a6) (13... Rc8) 14. Rae1 {it is a bit premature to commit the rook like this.} Nxc3 {the best move, according to the engine. My knight previously sitting on c7 exchanges itself for its better-placed counterpart, while leaving behind more space for my pieces to maneuver.} 15. Bxc3 Qc7 {connecting the rooks and influencing the center more with the queen's presence.} 16. Nd2 d5 $6 {I had a long think here about changing the nature of the position, in this case to a more closed one; however, the engine prefers not to lock things up.} (16... Be6 $11) 17. Ra1 $14 {correctly moving the rook back to the more dynamic queenside for White.} a6 18. a4 {White is now able to focus his resources on the a-pawn lever, without having to worry about his center being exchanged/dissolved.} Ra8 $6 {wrong idea - how about that a-file (again)? Black does not need to occupy the a-file to shut off White's use of it.} (18... Ne4 $14 {better to gain some minor piece activity.}) 19. Ra2 Ra7 {not realizing the looming difficulty on the a-file.} 20. Rfa1 Rfa8 21. Nf3 $16 {White is now clearly better, with his pieces more active and me having to worry about potential tactics down the a-file.} Ne4 22. Be1 {preserving the bishop, which is helping restrain any potential movement by my queenside forces.} Bf6 {played as a waiting move. Unfortunately I have little that I can do to improve my position.} 23. e3 Kg7 24. Nd2 Nxd2 $6 {I did not properly evaluate the consequences of the piece trade.} (24... a5 $5 {no pawn lever, no plan. With the knight temporarily obscuring the Be1, now was the time to try this.} 25. axb5 cxb5 $14 {now White has much less pressure and I have hopes of getting in a5-a4.}) 25. Bxd2 $16 {I thought I could hold a draw with a closed position and the knights off the board, although defending the a-file remained a nuisance. Unfortunately White still has all the pressure and winning potential.} h6 (25... e6 $5 {the engine rates as equivalent, but it would prevent the tactical trick for White that soon appears.}) 26. Qa3 bxa4 $6 {this opens things up to White's advantage.} 27. Qxa4 Bc8 {this is passive defense, but I have no good options anyway.} 28. Qa5 Qxa5 29. Rxa5 Kf7 $4 {I was starting to feel some time pressure here, but in any case missed White's next.} (29... e6 $16) 30. b5 $1 cxb5 31. Bxd5+ $1 $18 1-0

Annotated Game #339: How about that a-file

This final-round tournament game followed a common trajectory in the Colle, as I managed to seize on an inaccuracy in an otherwise equal position to put a lot of pressure on Black. I completely miss a Nxf7 sac possibility, pointed out by the engine, but establish a second-best winning positional advantage. Unfortunately I misplay things on the open a-file, giving Black perhaps even a small advantage. After that, a somewhat over-optimistic last shot at active play peters out into a legitimate draw. I was nonetheless pleased with the overall level of play and the result against a higher-rated player, capping a positive tournament result for the first time in a while.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "69"] [GameId "2268222679466048"] {[%evp 0,69,10,38,17,23,32,5,14,9,8,0,9,7,16,4,21,26,10,11,18,7,13,-1,-18,0,17,46,51,23,54,-16,3,117,42,186,41,5,172,124,195,84,153,25,86,182,212,196,12,78,71,7,-88,0,9,-63,-73,-70,4,-27,-30,-82,-64,87,-1,-28,54,-1,1,-26,-1,-51]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 {a safe choice.} (3. d5 {is the more principled reply, taking advantage of Black's pawn advance, and scores much better in the database than any other move.}) 3... e6 4. Bd3 d5 {now we are back in the main line Colle, via transposition.} 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bb2 a6 {this seems like one pawn move too many, as development is not advanced enough for Black.} 7. a4 $14 {prophylaxis, aimed at contesting any b-pawn advance.} g6 {this is inconsistent with the earlier e7-e6 advance, since the bishop does not need an extra tempo to develop. That said, if Black is more comfortable playing the position with a fianchettoed bishop, then it is not necessarily a bad choice.} 8. Nbd2 Bg7 9. O-O b6 {The light-square bishop needs to be developed somehow.} 10. Ne5 {not the only good choice of strategy here.} (10. a5 {looks to disrupt Black's queenside. Accepting the pawn leads to trouble after} bxa5 11. Ra2 {followed by Qa1 with pressure against Black's fractured structure.}) (10. e4 $5 {would be the classic Colle pawn lever}) 10... Qc7 11. f4 {now we have the classic Stonewall/Colle attack structure.} O-O 12. c3 {this commits fully to a Stonewall structure, which is safer but less dynamic. Developing the queen would be more flexible.} (12. Qe2) (12. Qe1) 12... Rb8 {removing a defender of the a6 pawn, making it easy to choose my next move.} 13. Qe2 {creating the Q+B battery and connecting the rooks.} Qb7 {it's common to try and justify one's previous less-than-optimal move, which my opponent does here by misplacing her queen to protect the a-pawn.} (13... Ra8 {simply returning the rook to its original square is a bit galling, but best.}) 14. Ndf3 {I thought for a while here. This is not bad, but does not press White's small advantage.} (14. g4 {would start up the standard Stonewall attack on the kingside, targeting the Nf6. I rejected it at the time, thinking it would be too stereotypical.}) (14. Ba3 $5 {would get the bishop off the b-file, where it could be a target, and on to a much more useful diagonal.}) 14... b5 15. Rfb1 {protecting the Bb2 again and opposing the rook to Black's queen.} c4 {Black now seizes some space while keeping the queenside structure intact, thereby equalizing.} 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. Bc2 $11 Nd5 {this was unexpected, for whatever reason, but both looks good and is good.} 18. Qd2 {overprotecting c3.} Qc7 $2 {a good idea to place the queen here, but executed prematurely.} (18... Nxe5 19. Nxe5 f6 20. Nf3 Qc7 $11 {here the e3-e4 pawn lever is not available, as the f4 pawn would hang.}) 19. e4 $1 {this was easy to find, since it seizes space with tempo.} N5f6 20. Ba3 $18 {I felt this resulted in a decisive advantage, which the engine verifies.} Rd8 21. axb5 (21. Nxf7 $1 {is even better, but this sacrifice was not even on my radar.} Kxf7 22. Ng5+ Kg8 23. Nxe6 Qb6 24. Nxd8 Qxd8 25. e5 $18) 21... axb5 22. Bb4 {positionally Black is lost on the queenside, without control of the a-file and with the backwards b-pawn a liability.} Qb7 23. Qe1 {a "small" move, but best. The idea is to redeploy the queen to the kingside and combine with the knight to attack.} Nxe5 24. Nxe5 $6 {this gives away most of the advantage, as I divert my knight from the best attacking square (g5) while also leaving Black's defending knight in place on f6. The Ne5's centralization looks good, but is not useful enough to compensate.} (24. fxe5 $18) 24... Bd7 $14 25. Nxd7 $6 {now we are back to equality. The knight was still superior to the bishop.} Qxd7 $11 26. Ra2 Ra8 27. Rba1 $6 {natural-looking but mistaken, as Black's potential activity on the a-file now outweighs White's.} (27. Rab2 $5 {doubling the potential pressure on the b-file, while not allowing Black to threaten to enter into my position on the a-file.}) 27... Rxa2 28. Rxa2 Nh5 (28... Bf8 {played immediately would activate the bishop to better effect.}) 29. Bc5 {played after a long think, and a little over-optimistic. My opponent in response thought for a while, then did not go for the critical line accepting the pawn sac.} (29. g3 {would be the simplest way to consolidate and maintain equality.}) 29... Bf8 (29... Nxf4 30. g3 Nd3 31. Bxd3 cxd3 32. Qe3 $11) 30. Ra7 $6 {the point of the previous move in my thinking. However, after the essentially forced bishop exchange, it has less of a point.} (30. Bxf8 $11) 30... Qe8 31. Bxf8 Kxf8 32. g3 {unfortunately none of the attacking moves (Qh4 etc.) do anything for White, so I end up consolidating the equal position.} Ra8 33. Qa1 Rxa7 34. Qxa7 Nf6 35. Qc5+ {we were both relatively low on time and recognized that the position was equal, with no progress likely, so a draw was agreed.} 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #333: When to trust an attack

This third-round tournament game highlights the attacking potential of the Colle / Stonewall Attack setup, with some spectacular tactics lurking if Black does not defend properly. Unfortunately I miss seizing my chances, first with a knight sacrifice on f7, then afterwards with a rook sac on the same square - which is in fact played, but one move too late to be decisive. My calculation and visualization challenges continue, leading to an eventual loss after sacrificing too much material, although I could have had a saving perpetual on Black's king.

Part of the problem was not trusting the initial attack enough to play into it. Even in a situation where you cannot calculate everything - which inevitably occurs at all levels - one can (and should) still evaluate the likely prospects for the attack. I am still relatively new to attacking play and therefore learning my way in such situations, which in this case called for more boldness. That said, I will also draw attention to the analysis, where after the sacrifices certain more patient prepatory moves would be necessary to seize the advantage. After not seeing immediate forcing sequences, however, I discarded the original attacking ideas. Patience in the attack is also something a lot of club players need to learn.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class D"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "58"] [GameId "2262411080920471"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 Bd6 {when an opponent mimics your setup, it typically means they do not have independent knowledge of the opening. Black decides to break the symmetry in the Colle on the next move, although it's really move 6 which makes things more original.} 5. Nbd2 {a reasonable and flexible developing move.} (5. b3 $5 {instead commits to the Colle-Zukertort setup, and scores slightly higher in the database.}) 5... O-O 6. O-O Re8 {the rook is well-placed on the e-file, but this allows my knight to hop into e5, so I do so.} 7. Ne5 (7. e4 $5 $14 {the engine favors this standard Colle e-pawn break, threatening e4-e5 and activating the Nd2 if there is an exchange on e4.}) 7... Nbd7 8. f4 $14 {I now have e5 firmly under control.} c5 9. c3 {reaching a Stonewall Attack formation.} b6 {White is a little ahead in development - most notably there is no Black bishop on b7 yet - so there are a few more options than normal.} 10. Qf3 $11 {played with the idea of maintaining control of e4 after ...Bb7.} (10. e4 $5 {this central pawn lever still works, without Black's bishop on the long diagonal.}) (10. g4 {played immediately would defer placing the queen.}) 10... Bb7 11. g4 g6 {my opponent thought for a while before deciding on this defensive move.} 12. Qh3 {it is often difficult to decide how exactly to proceed in the Stonewall Attack, either relying on piece play or a pawn storm.} (12. h4 $5 {is now a viable attacking move, with the h-pawn potentially able to target g6 after the defending Nf6 moves. The queen can also swing in behind on h3.} Ne4 {looks good, but} (12... Rc8 13. Qh3 $14) 13. Bb5 $14 {is now a productive use for the bishop.}) (12. b3 Rc8 13. Bb2 $14) 12... Ne4 $2 {this removes the lone minor piece defender of Black's kingside for a crucial tempo.} 13. Bxe4 $6 {taking on e4 with the wrong piece.} (13. Nxf7 $1 {I spent a good deal of time over the board considering this, but could not see how to make it work.} Kxf7 (13... Qe7 {declining the sacrifice is safter but still losing.} 14. Nh6+ Kh8 15. g5 $18 {White is a full pawn up and with a great attack.}) 14. Qxh7+ Kf8 {I did not see how White could further the attack from this point, so did not trust it. However, now taking with the bishop is correct:} 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Nc4 $1 $18 {the knight can now penetrate, and if exchanged on e5 then White will retake with the f-pawn and add the Rf1 to the attack.}) (13. Nxe4 {this is the way to go if White wants to take on e4.} dxe4 14. Nxf7 Kxf7 (14... Qe7 15. Nh6+ Kh8 16. Bb5 a6 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Be2 $18) 15. Qxh7+ Kf8 16. f5 $1) 13... dxe4 14. Ndc4 $14 {the number two move, according to the engine.} (14. Nxf7 $1 Qe7 15. Nh6+ Kg7 16. b3 $18) 14... Nxe5 15. fxe5 {correctly opening the file for the Rf1, but White still is only slightly better. However, after the reasonable-looking} Bf8 $2 16. Bd2 $6 {I thought for some time at the board, primarily trying to make the capture on f7 work again - this time with the rook - but did not see how. I played the text move on the principle of connecting the rooks and adding to the attack that may, but I missed Black's pinning response.} (16. Rxf7 $1 {wins immediately.} Kxf7 (16... h6 17. Rxb7 $18) 17. Qxh7+ Bg7 18. Bd2 $1 $18 {Now this move is decisive - sequencing matters, as both the Ra1 and Nc4 are threatening to give check and join the attack.}) 16... Ba6 $11 17. Rxf7 $1 {this should still draw. Unfortunately I did not see Black's h-pawn defense, which led to further discombobulation in my thinking.} h5 $6 (17... h6 $11) 18. Raf1 $2 $17 {"long think, wrong think" as the saying goes. Now the Nc4 goes, while I do not get enough compensation.} (18. Rf6 {I spotted the idea but then did not give it enough thought. This immediately targets the weakness on g6, which cannot be defended.} Bg7 19. Rxg6 Bxc4 20. Be1 $14 {with the idea of redeploying the bishop to h4 and seizing the key h4-d8 diagonal, while continuing to threaten the weak h-pawn.} hxg4 $2 {would lead to} 21. Qxg4 Qd7 22. Bh4 $18) (18. b3 $4 {trying to be safe does not work.} Kxf7 $19) 18... Bxc4 19. R1f6 {another long think, correctly this time.} Be2 $2 {neither my opponent nor I correctly calculate the tactics involved in the defense. At the time, it struck me as a clever way to get the bishop involved and threaten taking on g4.} (19... Re7) 20. Rxg6+ $6 {This still should draw, even though I miss another win.} (20. Rxf8+ $1 {I had examined capturing on f8 before, but concluded that it did not work, so did not re-examine it as a candidate move.} Rxf8 21. Rxg6+ Kf7 22. Qxh5 Qd7 {the Black king cannot try to run without being mated, so this provides another square. Now multiple moves win, for example} 23. Be1 (23. d5 exd5 (23... Bc4 24. d6 Ke8 25. Rf6+ $18) 24. e6+ $18) 23... Ke8 24. Rf6+ $18) 20... Kxf7 21. Qxh5 $1 {this should still be enough for a draw.} Bg7 {only move} 22. Qh7 $2 (22. Rf6+ $1 {I did not even consider, missing the fact that the discovery made the rook untakeable. I actually did see this (dimly) early on in the calculation process, but then somehow discounted it.} Kg8 23. Qf7+ Kh8 (23... Kh7 $4 24. Rh6+ Kxh6 25. Qh5#) 24. Qh5+ {with a draw by repetition coming.}) 22... Rg8 {now my opponent's defense is more than enough to emerge with a win, given the material disparity, although it remains slightly tricky.} 23. Be1 {a good idea, but too late.} Kf8 24. Bh4 Qd7 25. Bf6 Qf7 $1 {kills off any remaining chances for White.} 26. Bxg7+ Rxg7 27. Qh8+ Rg8 28. Qh6+ Ke7 {the king now has plenty of room to run.} 29. Qg5+ Kd7 0-1

Annotated Game #330: A flexible Stonewall and a false fortress

In this last-round tournament game, I follow an independent line of the Colle and end up in a Stonewall formation with White, which I am normally comfortable playing. However, as has often happened in past games, I accept (and choose) too many cramping versus freeing alternatives, and end up in a worse position. This was no fault of the Stonewall, which can in fact be flexible; see moves 14-18 for some examples in the analysis. In the end, I was lucky that both myself and my opponent believed I had successfully closed the position to further progress, which was not in fact the case, although there was no immediate knockout.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "60"] [GameId "2254768247188867"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nh4 {an independent alternative.} (4. c4 {would transpose into the main line Slow Slav after ...c6}) 4... Bg4 5. f3 Bd7 {choosing to withdraw and preserve the bishop.} 6. Bd3 (6. f4 {may be a better move-order. The point is to nullify the threat of ...g5, trapping the Nh4.}) 6... e6 7. f4 c5 8. c3 {we now have a classic Stonewall structure.} Nc6 9. O-O (9. Nf3 $5 {the knight eventually has to be brought back anyway.}) 9... Qb6 10. Kh1 {the ideas was to get off the a7-g1 diagonal to avoid potential future tactics, although this is not necessary immediately.} (10. Nf3 $11) 10... Be7 11. Nf3 O-O-O {evidently done to avoid a Stonewall Attack on the kingside.} 12. Ne5 {better to develop something else first before moving the knight yet again.} (12. b3) (12. Nbd2) (12. Qe2) 12... Be8 13. Nd2 Nd7 $6 14. Ndf3 $6 {missing my chance to generate a central initiative.} (14. Nxd7 Bxd7 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. e4 {the standard Colle break, which also leaves Black's Q+B battery hitting nothing but air. I recall looking at the e3-e4 idea, but not liking the Rd8 lined up against my queen on the open file following the pawn exchange. However, after} dxe4 17. Nxe4 $16 {Black has no good way to exploit this, while Qe2 is coming as an excellent queen development.}) 14... f6 15. Nxc6 {wrong knight trade} (15. Nxd7 $14) 15... Qxc6 16. Bd2 $6 {while this gets the bishop (sort of) developed and vacates c1 for a heavy piece, it also cramps the Nf3.} (16. b3 $5 {would give the bishop an alternative outlet and prepare c3-c4.}) 16... Bh5 (16... c4 $5 {and Black's king position would benefit from the closed center.}) 17. Rc1 $6 {this would be a waste of time if Black chose to close the center.} e5 $6 (17... c4) 18. Be2 (18. fxe5 $1 {I confess I never even looked at this idea, being fixated on the threat of e5-e4.} fxe5 19. Nxe5 $1 {I simply assumed the Nf3 was pinned. Instead, this wins a pawn.} Nxe5 (19... Bxd1 20. Nxc6 bxc6 21. Rcxd1 $16) 20. Qxh5 Nxd3 21. Qf5+ Kb8 22. Qxd3 $16 {what an adventure!}) 18... e4 19. Ne1 $6 (19. Ne5 $1 $11 {with similar tactical ideas to the above variation, although no longer winning material}) 19... Bxe2 $17 20. Qxe2 {White is now quite cramped.} b5 $6 {this gives me a chance to break in the center, but I play slowly.} 21. Nc2 $6 {sequencing matters.} (21. c4 bxc4 22. Nc2 $11 {the knight would love to go to d4, and after b2-b3 White has full compensation for the pawn, with all the open lines near Black's king.}) 21... Kc7 $2 (21... c4 $17) 22. b3 $2 {still too slow.} (22. dxc5 $1 {is the other idea to break in the center, involving a pawn sacrifice.} Nxc5 23. Nd4 $16 {at the time, I didn't like the idea of allowing Black's knight to reach d3, but with the threat against the queen he does not have time for that. For example} Qd7 24. c4 dxc4 25. a4 (25. Ba5+ {might be the easier/more human approach} Kb8 26. Bxd8 $16) 25... Nxa4 26. b3 $18 {the Black king's shield is about to dissolve.} Nb6 27. bxc4 bxc4 28. Ra1) (22. c4 $16 {is also still good.}) 22... c4 $1 {my opponent finally plays the strategically correct move, although I can blunt its impact somewhat now.} 23. Qg4 {I recognized here that I was being stifled and hoped to drum up some more active play with the queen.} (23. f5 $5 $17 {was another idea I briefly considered, opening up the h2-b8 diagonal.}) 23... g6 24. Nb4 {nothing better} Bxb4 25. cxb4 f5 26. Qd1 {routing the queen back to the defense.} Nf6 $6 $15 {the knight would have more action on the queenside.} (26... Nb6 $17) 27. a4 {using my only available pawn lever.} (27. Be1 {and Bh4 would reactivate the bishop on the kingside.}) 27... a6 28. bxc4 $2 {"long think, wrong think" here. The idea was of course to set up a blockade after Black retakes on c4.} (28. Bc3 $15 {it's better to simply set up the blockade immediately with the bishop.}) 28... dxc4 $19 {the problem now is that Black has a gorgeous square open on d5 for his knight.} 29. Qc2 Kd6 (29... Nd5 $19) 30. a5 {another long think here. I decided to go with the full blockade rather than try to open the a-file, which I thought Black could exploit.} (30. axb5 axb5 31. d5 $17 {is the engine's pawn sacrifice to get the bishop to a better square after Bc3.}) 30... Kd5 $19 {my opponent now offered a draw, which I was glad to take, although I legitimately thought I could hold (unlike the engine assessment).} 1/2-1/2

Lessons completed: Every Pawn Structure Explained by GM Johan Hellsten

I recently completed the lessons series "Every Pawn Structure Explained" by GM Johan Hellsten at Chess.com, motivated by the "Back to Basics" approach. The format consisted of 30 pawn structures explained with video lectures (816 minutes total), along with 5 "challenges" for each, in which you choose a prompted best move in the position presented. This is truly an excellent resource for learning different structural fundamentals important to all game phases (opening, middlegame, endgame) and becoming exposed to typical plans for each side. All of the content was useful for building fundamental chess understanding, and I intend to periodically revisit the key ones most relevant to my games. For a full content list, see the top link above. 

Overall comments on the lessons:

• The initial video presentation of the pawn structures and key individual piece placement - without the full set of pieces on the board - was an effective method for introducing the core structural characteristics for both sides.
• Similarly, the highlighting by GM Hellsten of "dream positions" for both sides, including typical pawn/piece formations and breaks, as well as guidelines for piece maneuvers and exchanges, was very helpful for understanding middlegame planning and strategy.
• It might have been a bit more thematic to group together all the similar opening structures in the default order of the lessons' presentation, for example to have the Sicilian-related ones be sequential. However, one can do that manually by selecting "a la carte" from the full lessons list, as they don't have to be completed in the designated order.
• I found the "challenges" - basically "find the best move" quizzes typical - to have varying utility and comprehensibility. The initial prompts for the type of move to find in the position were sometimes a bit obtuse or misleading for me. For example "How do you win material?" was sometimes problematic, especially when the answer turned out to be an obvious capture with no additional material beyond that actually gained. The selection of GM-level games also meant that some of the tactical ideas were rather complex to visualize and discover - otherwise, of course, the losing GM opponent would have been able to see and avoid them in the first place.

Comments on the most personally relevant topics:

• The Isolated Queen Pawn (IQP) presentation kicks off the series, with a very lucid and thorough explanation of general principles, plans involving specific squares and pieces, and thematic tactical tricks involving the IQP. The explanation and illustrations of this common and imbalanced structure were the best that I have seen. In my games, I can reach it via either White or Black based on my openings, so it was also very relevant.
• The second video on hanging pawns was similarly enlightening for both using and combating them, again very relevant for the positions I can reach in the middlegame.
• Next came the Carlsbad structure, which despite playing multiple openings where it can result (as both White and Black), I had never really studied it in-depth before. Explanations of the typical plans are clear, although I'd have liked to have seen the typical queenside minority attack better illustrated with examples. As compensation, there is a brilliant illustrative sacrificial attacking game for White in the kingside attack scenario.
• Later on, the Hedgehog - which seems to be less popular nowadays - received an interesting treatment for both sides, although the typical White side setup normally reached via the English Opening with a fianchettoed light-square bishop was not presented.
• The Advanced French and Scandinavian structures were also very useful to see, since I will often get them via the Caro-Kann.
• GM Hellsten did a particularly good job of clearly explaining the central features of the Stonewall structure, probably the one I have the most practical and theoretical familiarity with. It was helpful to reinforce my understanding of those, plus draw attention to some attacking ideas like the f-pawn push.

Annotated Game #323: Shoulda, coulda, woulda...

The thematic title for this last-round game analysis ("shoulda, coulda, woulda...") refers to the slang expression for regretting missed opportunities ("Shoulda done this, coulda done that" etc.) This game followed directly the same day after the rather exhausting Annotated Game #322, so I'll ascribe my calculation fatigue to that circumstance. That said, after an exchange of somewhat complicated tactical blows it's a simple oversight (a backwards minor piece move by my opponent) that seals my fate. I do not go down without a fight, though, and make him work for the extended endgame win.

Although I scored poorly in this tournament, I actually didn't feel terrible about my overall level of play. My opponents were all higher-rated and I managed to obtain what "shoulda" been winning positions in my last two games. It was therefore not a case of me thinking "I'm terrible at this game!" and wanting to quit after getting blown off the board repeatedly. So with some adjustments in my game, I'm looking forward to my next tournament, which I expect to be sometime in November.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D94"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "134"] [GameId "2217637991596088"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Be2 O-O 5. O-O d5 6. c4 {this is the generally recommended line for Colle/Stonewall Attack players against the KID, but not the Gruenfeld.} (6. b4 $5) 6... c6 7. Nc3 Bf5 {we now have a Slav structure hybrid on the board.} 8. cxd5 (8. Qb3 $5 {leaving the central tension in place is also a good option.}) 8... cxd5 9. Qb3 $14 {pressuring b7 and d5; White now has the more pleasant and active game.} b6 10. Bd2 {developing the bishop as best I can and connecting the rooks.} (10. Ne5 {immediately would be prophylaxis against Black's next move, and make getting out the Nb8 more difficult.} Be6 11. Bd2 Ne4 12. Rad1 Nd7 $14) 10... Nc6 11. Rfc1 {for once, it is the correct rook. White's play will be focused more on the queenside, so this deployment of the rooks is appropriate.} Rc8 $6 {mirroring White on the c-file, but I am able to identify the problem with it:} 12. Ba6 {White gains a tempo and is now dominant on the queenside.} Rb8 $6 (12... Na5 {is Black's only chance to play dynamically.} 13. Qa4 Rb8 {and there is no immediate direct threat to be made by White, although there is a menu of good options to select from.} 14. b3 {denying the knight the c4 square, for example.}) 13. Nb5 $16 {product of a long think, as I could tell this was a critical position. This improves the position, but misses a winning idea.} (13. Nxd5 $1 {I looked at this and calculated wrongly that it did not work} Qxd5 {and here I hallucinated that this covered everything, without taking into account the exchange on d5.} (13... Nxd5 {obviously fails to} 14. Rxc6 $18) 14. Qxd5 Nxd5 15. Rxc6 $18) 13... Qd7 {under pressure, my opponent again gives me an opportunity that I do not see.} (13... Bc8 $16) 14. Ne5 $2 {this would be a good idea, but it is played too early.} (14. Qc3 {simple chess, but I missed this idea, being unreasonably worried about a black rook appearing on the c-file, while forgetting the Ba6 is covering c8.} Na5 {and now} 15. Ne5 $1 $18 {after which White uses c7 to dominate the 7th rank.}) 14... Nxe5 $15 15. Rc7 $5 {my opponent was surprised by this tactical move, temporarily sacrificing the knight, but it is not decisive.} (15. dxe5 Ne4 16. Bc3 Nc5 17. Qa3 $15 {is awkward for White but not fatal.}) 15... Qe6 {this limits the squares available to Black's queen, which I understood at the time, and looked to exploit.} 16. dxe5 Ne4 {I missed this rather obvious idea, which appears to gain a tempo on the bishop. However, the engine finds another tactical resource for White.} 17. Bb4 $2 {aggressive but flawed.} (17. f4 $1 {is the non-obvious idea, apparently just hanging the bishop.} Nxd2 18. Qb4 {forking the Nd2 and the e7 square, which would force Black to give back material or see his queen get trapped after Rxe7.} Bxe5 19. fxe5 Ne4 20. Rxe7 Qc6 $11) 17... Bxe5 $6 {this justifies my previous play.} (17... Nc5 $1 $19 {physically blocks the threat and leaves Black with a winning game.}) 18. Rxe7 Qf6 19. Rxe5 {the key follow-up, with a discovered attack from the Bb4 which my opponent likely missed (and was my originaly idea for placing the bishop here).} Qxe5 20. Bxf8 Rxf8 $11 {The tactical dust has settled with an equal position, although I did not pay enough attention to the need to rearrange my awkward queenside pieces.} 21. Rc1 $4 {"Long think, wrong think." I simply missed the backwards knight move by Black.} (21. Rd1 {would avoid Black's threat, as White no longer loses a tempo at the end of the sequence} Nc5 22. Qa3 Nxa6 23. Qxa6 Qxb2 {and now} 24. Nd4 $1 {is best and active, rather than trying to immediately regain the pawn.} (24. Nxa7 Bg4 $15)) 21... Nc5 $19 22. Qa3 Nxa6 {long think for my opponent here, evidently making sure of the follow-up.} 23. Qxa6 Qxb2 24. Rd1 Rc8 25. Nd4 {this now comes a tempo too late to save me.} Rc1 26. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 27. Qf1 Qxf1+ 28. Kxf1 {this is still a win for Black, but not so simple in the minor piece endgame. However, he now does a good job of leveraging his queenside pawn majority and long-range bishop versus my centralized knight, which puts up a good fight.} Bd3+ 29. Ke1 Bc4 30. a3 Kf8 31. Kd2 a5 32. a4 $6 {this blocks Black from making progress via b5 for a while, but the pawn is also more exposed here in the long run.} (32. g4 $5) 32... Ke7 33. Kc3 {although my king makes it first to the battleground, there is nothing further for it to do.} Kd6 34. f4 Kc5 35. g4 b5 {now the pawn lever is possible.} 36. axb5 Bxb5 37. g5 Ba4 38. h4 Bd1 39. Kd2 {although Black has a winning position, there is still a lot of maneuvering to be done, so I keep resisting.} Bg4 40. Kc3 a4 41. Nc2 Bf5 42. Nb4 {part of the fatal problem set for White is that the knight must avoid getting exchanged, otherwise Black immediately has a won K+P endgame.} Be4 43. Na6+ Kb6 44. Nb4 Kb5 45. Na2 Bf5 46. Nb4 {my only real hope is for Black not figure out how to crack the knight hops and perhaps get a draw via repetition of moves.} Be6 47. Nc2 Kc5 48. Nb4 Kb6 49. Nc2 Kb5 50. Nb4 Kb6 (50... a3 $1 {is playable now, using the principle of two weaknesses. White must stop the a-pawn, but cannot do that and protect his e-pawn at the same time, While the Black king runs rampant in the center.} 51. Nc2 (51. Nd3 a2 52. Kb2 d4 53. exd4 Kc4 $19) 51... a2 52. Nd4+ Ka4 53. Kb2 Kb4 54. Kxa2 Kc3 $19 {and Black's king will gobble the White pawns.}) 51. Nc2 Kb5 52. Nb4 a3 {Black now figures out the idea from the above variation and goes for the decisive win.} 53. Nc2 Ka4 54. Na1 Bf5 55. Nb3 Bg4 56. Na1 Be2 57. Nc2 Bc4 58. e4 {still fighting} Ba2 59. exd5 Bxd5 60. Na1 Be6 61. Nc2 a2 62. Kb2 Kb5 {the winning idea, abandoning the a-pawn and heading for my soft underbelly with the king.} 63. Kc3 Kc5 64. Na1 Kd5 65. Kd3 Bf5+ 66. Ke3 Kc4 {threatening to return to the passed pawn} 67. Kd2 Kd4 {now it is inevitable.} 0-1

Annotated Game #312: Adventures in the endgame

In this next first-round tournament game, there are some adventures in the opening, where Black directly challenges my Stonewall Attack with 3...Bg4 and non-standard positions are a result. After analysis, I feel I better understand key ideas for White such as exchanging on d5 followed by Qb3, for more active play. However, most of the adventures occur in the endgame, which livens up what I assessed (correctly) should have been a straightforward draw. In addition to some of the winning ideas found, I also think simple ideas like the move 26 one of just keeping the rooks on the board for an easier draw, are valuable to understand for future play.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D00"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "161"] [GameId "2186845124288528"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 d5 3. Bd3 Bg4 {a critical and independent reply to the Stonewall Attack.} 4. f3 Bh5 5. c4 e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Nge2 {one main idea here is to chase the Bh5.} (7. cxd5 {is the engine's favorite idea.} exd5 8. Qb3 $14) 7... O-O 8. Nf4 Bg6 9. Nxg6 (9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bxg6 {now the engine considers the knight more valuable than the bishop.} hxg6 11. Qb3 $14 {White is more active and is pressuring both d5 and b7.}) 9... hxg6 $11 10. Bd2 $6 {I am still not picking up on the cxd5 idea and this also leaves my king in the center longer.} c5 $15 {an excellent move, I did not anticipate the break.} 11. Ne2 $6 {it would be better to resolve the central tension one way or another.} dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nc6 $17 {the ugliness of White's position and piece placement is obvious, compared to Black's more harmonious development.} 13. Bc3 cxd4 {this releases the tension and helps reduce the positional deficit for White.} (13... Rc8 $5) 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 {Black still has an advantage, but here I was feeling better about my position, with two active bishops.} Nd7 $6 {this is too slow and cedes the initiative.} (15... Qa5+ {would take advantage of the White king's placement.} 16. Kf2 $17 (16. Bc3 $6 {is worse after} Bb4 17. Qd2 Bxc3 18. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 19. bxc3 $17 {inflicting an isolated c-pawn on White.})) 16. Kf2 $11 Bf6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Qxd8 {with the queens off, this should be a draw.} Rfxd8 19. Rhd1 Rac8 20. Rxd8+ {here my draw offer was rejected, so I did not make another one.} Rxd8 21. Ke2 Kf8 22. h4 {prophylaxis against a Black g-pawn advance.} Ke7 23. Bb3 Nd7 24. Rc1 Nb6 25. Rc7+ {nothing better is available.} Rd7 {forced.} 26. Rxd7+ {transforming the endgame into BvN, which should still be drawn.} (26. Rc2 {simply retreating the rook and repeating the idea as needed was another option that I admit I did not consider.}) 26... Nxd7 27. Bc2 {while still an even draw, with the rooks off, the limits of White's bishop are more evident now.} Kd6 28. g4 {still completely drawn, although I might have kept this in reserve.} Nf6 29. Kd3 {centralizing the king.} Nd5 30. a3 {remembering that the way to combat the knight is to take away as many squares as possible.} Ke5 31. f4+ Kf6 $6 32. Kd4 $14 {all Black's maneuvering has done is improve my relative king position.} Ke7 $4 {a typical endgame blunder, where the punishment is not obvious.} 33. g5 $2 {the second-best move.} (33. Be4 $1 {is what I missed here, although I eventually recognized the pin the knight idea. The point is} Kd6 34. Bxd5 exd5 {and only now} 35. g5 $1 {leads to a won K+P endgame, due to Black's flawed pawn structure on the kingside and with the isolated d-pawn.}) 33... Kd6 34. Ba4 $6 $11 (34. Be4 {is still winning.}) 34... f6 $2 {another non-obvious error. It seems logical to un-double Black's pawns, but that makes clearing the way for the h-pawn more of a threat.} 35. Bb3 $11 {keeping the draw in hand.} (35. gxf6 $1 gxf6 (35... Nxf6 $2 36. Bc2 $18 {collecting the g6 pawn.}) 36. Be8 $1 Ne7 $18 {I calculated this far and did not see a benefit to White. However after} 37. e4 $1 $18 {the engine calculates White will eventually break through, with ideas like Bf7 a threat.}) 35... Ne7 36. e4 Nc6+ 37. Ke3 e5 38. Bd5 exf4+ 39. Kxf4 Ne5 40. Bxb7 {unfortunately Black can immediately regain the pawn.} Nd3+ 41. Ke3 Nxb2 42. Bd5 Nd1+ 43. Kf4 Ke7 44. e5 Nc3 45. Bc6 Ke6 46. exf6 gxf6 47. gxf6 Kxf6 48. Be8 Nd5+ 49. Kg4 {this starts a long maneuvering sequence. White cannot escape the knight's checks or trap it unless Black blunders.} Ne7 50. Bb5 Nf5 51. Bd3 Ng7 52. Bc2 Ne6 53. Bb1 Nd4 54. Bd3 Nc6 55. Bb5 Ne5+ 56. Kf4 Ke6 57. Ba4 Kf6 58. Bb3 Nd3+ 59. Kg4 Nc5 60. Bc4 Nd7 61. Kf4 {avoiding the fork on e5} Nc5 62. Ba2 Nd3+ 63. Kg4 Ne1 64. Bb3 Ng2 65. Kg3 Ne3 66. Kf4 Nf5 67. Kg4 Nd4 68. Bd1 {showing the long-range power of the bishop} Nb5 69. a4 Nc3 70. Bb3 a5 {this was unnecessary and allows me to threaten to trap the knight, although it's still drawn.} 71. Kf3 Ke5 72. Kg4 Ne4 73. Bc2 {now I find this pinning idea, which has only one defense.} Nc5 $4 {this should lose, but in time trouble I am unable to find the full winning sequence, after starting it correctly.} (73... Nd2 {is the only move that still works for Black.} 74. Bxg6 Kf6 75. Bc2 Nc4 $11) 74. Kg5 $1 Ke6 75. Kxg6 $18 Ke7 76. h5 Kf8 77. Kf6 Kg8 78. h6 $2 {normally it's a good idea to have a more advanced passed pawn, but in this case now it's a draw. The pawn is too close to the Black king, once the White one moves off to threaten the Black knight.} (78. Ke5 $1 Nxa4 {this trick no longer works.} 79. Bxa4 Kh7 80. Be8 {and the White king is in the square of the Black pawn, while the bishop and h-pawn can protect each other.} Kh6 81. Kd4 $18 {White eliminates the last Black pawn while maintaining his own.}) 78... Kh8 79. Ke7 Nxa4 80. Bxa4 Kh7 81. Kd6 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #309: Don't assume the move is good

In this next tournament game, I make two bad assumptions about a move being good, and am punished for it. The first one is the e3-e4 break in the Stonewall Attack, which has to be more carefully prepared. The second one is the result of a hallucination and assuming that I could escape a pawn fork, which in fact I could not. For whatever reason I was more mentally tired than I should have been during the game, which led to the unfortunate short-circuiting of my thinking process.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [PlyCount "44"] [GameId "2173571441721411"] {[%evp 0,23,25,26,13,5,9,-8,9,-15,-22,-31,-33,-14,-12,-20,-22,-12,-24,-12,-4,-28,-8,-18,-25,-8]} 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 e6 4. f4 Be7 5. Nd2 b6 6. Ngf3 Bb7 7. O-O O-O 8. Ne5 c5 9. c3 Nbd7 10. Qf3 a6 11. g4 {pursuing the standard Stonewall Attack kingside expansion plan.} Nxe5 12. fxe5 Nd7 13. Qh3 g6 14. e4 $2 {this looks active, but unfortunately the e-pawn break idea is not supported sufficiently.} (14. Nf3 f6 15. exf6 (15. g5 $5 fxg5 16. Qxe6+ Kg7 17. Qg4 Bc8 18. Qg2 $11) 15... Nxf6 (15... Bxf6 16. g5 Bxg5 17. Qxe6+ $11) 16. Bd2 Ne4 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Ne5 $11) 14... Bg5 $6 {this should let White escape after exd5, but instead I play} (14... cxd4 15. cxd4 b5 {taking away the c4 square from White's minor pieces.} 16. exd5 Qb6 {White's center is not sufficiently defended.} 17. Nb3 Nxe5 $17) 15. Nf3 $4 {my "internal board sight" failed here - of course after the Bc1 is exchanged the knight cannot go to g5, which I hallucinated, because of the Qd8 covering the square. I was mentally tired and prematurely cut off my own thinking process, with plenty of time on the clock.} (15. exd5 Bxd5 16. Be4 $11) 15... Bxc1 16. Raxc1 dxe4 $19 {and now the game is effectively over, although I try for a swindle based on a desperate kingside attack.} 17. Qh6 exf3 18. Rce1 cxd4 19. Be4 Bxe4 20. Rxe4 f5 21. gxf5 Rxf5 22. Rh4 Qg5+ 0-1

Annotated Game #307: The Colle that wasn't (quite)

After an early opening blunder led to a rapid loss in the penultimate round of the tournament, the following final-round game was a welcome point of stability. Both sides dance around entering the Colle System, with Black never committing to playing ...d5, while as White I pass up some more interesting alternatives on moves 12-13 that would have led either to a small positional plus, or a more imbalanced structure with attacking chances on the kingside. I correctly avoid a tempting-looking tactic later, but in a passive and slightly cramped way. Not my best game, but the careful road to a draw was still a positive outcome after the poor showing in the previous round, guaranteeing me a plus score for the tournament.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "?"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A47"] [PlyCount "61"] [GameId "2153654822236272"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 c5 4. c3 (4. Nf3 {would preserve some flexibility, probably leading to a Colle System after ...d5. However White retains the option of playing b3 rather than c3.}) 4... Be7 5. Nf3 {now the typical approach would be to occupy the center with ...d5, after which we have a Colle System.} (5. f4 $5 {would put the game into Stonewall Attack territory.}) 5... O-O 6. O-O (6. e4 {the thematic Colle advance is preferred already by the engine.}) 6... cxd4 7. exd4 {This exchange clears the diagonal for the Bc1, so is preferable for White.} b6 8. Qe2 {centralizes the queen and also sets up a battery to prevent ...Ba6, exchanging the Bd3.} Bb7 9. Nbd2 d6 {as I expected, my opponent preferred to refrain from occupying the center, having deferred ...d5 for so long. This Hedgehog-like structure is a little passive, but very solid.} 10. Re1 {not yet committing myself to a specific plan, but getting the rook into play on its best file.} h6 11. Ne4 {this invites exchanges on e4, which would lead to a more sterile equality.} (11. Nc4 {preserves some tension and a slight space advantage.}) 11... Nbd7 12. Bf4 (12. Nxf6+ Nxf6 13. Bf4 {again with a bit more space and pressure in the center.}) 12... Qc7 13. Nfd2 {the engine's second choice. I spent some time here thinking about the permutations, but this was made easier by the fact the Nf3 has no good other squares.} (13. Nxf6+ Nxf6 14. Qd2 $14 {now White even has a slight plus due to the imbalanced queen placements, but this leads to an unconventional position after} Bxf3 15. gxf3 Qc6 16. Kg2 {which contains some attacking chances.}) 13... e5 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Be3 Be7 {the retreat looks a little funny, but the bishop is doing more on the f8-a3 diagonal and the e-pawn does not need its support.} 17. Qg4 {with the obvious threat of Bxh6, now that the g-pawn is pinned.} Nf6 {defense by counterattack, with tempo.} 18. Qg3 {maintaining the pin on the g-file and also temporarily pinning the e-pawn.} Qc6 {more defense by counterattack, although is is a little less solid. The point being that Bxh6 does not work due to the riposte ...Qxg2+, forcing the queen trade.} 19. f3 $6 {Playing it safe, after a long think, although f2-f3 is rarely the best move on principle. Blocking the diagonal with} (19. Nf3 {is better and this occurred to me as a possibility. However, I did not like the tactical complications after} e4 20. Nd4 $14 {and was a little too lazy to follow up with real calculations.}) (19. Bf1 $5 {my opponent suggested as another improvement. I did not even see this possibility, although I was looking for a way to break away the queen from having to protect g2; I was only considering forward bishop moves, not backwards.}) 19... Bc5 20. Qf2 {this is OK but a passive placement of the queen.} (20. Nb3 Nh5 21. Qg4 Nf6 22. Qg3 $11) 20... Bxe3 21. Rxe3 Rad8 22. Bc2 {from this point I was just looking to maintain equality, which I succeed at.} (22. Rae1 {is more active.}) 22... Rfe8 23. Rae1 Qc5 24. Ne4 {I decided it was easiest to go for th exchanges on e4.} (24. Nb3 $5 Qc7 25. Qe2 Rd5 26. f4 e4 27. Bxe4 Rxe4 28. Rxe4 Nxe4 29. Qxe4 Rd8 30. Qe3 Qc4 $11 {Black's active pieces compensatie for the pawn.}) 24... Nxe4 25. Bxe4 Bxe4 26. Rxe4 $11 {now a draw is assured.} Qxf2+ 27. Kxf2 Rd2+ 28. R1e2 Rxe2+ 29. Rxe2 f6 30. Rd2 Re7 31. Ke3 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #306: The Stonewall Attack formula

The Stonewall Attack has an undeserved reputation as a "system" opening, although perhaps some people do play the first several moves always by rote. As with its Dutch Stonewall counterpart as Black - see Annotated Game #305 - it is important to pay attention to move-order issues and not expect the same sequence to work every time against different setups from your opponent. However, in certain circumstances there is indeed a "formula" that usually works for White, which I am able to achieve in this next tournament game. Here I demonstrate that I finally have learned the lesson of the e-pawn lever in this position-type - after which, I have at worst a pleasant game, while giving my opponent a chance to mishandle the defense, which he does on move 15.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D00"] [PlyCount "63"] [GameId "2153324382056515"] {[%evp 0,14,19,31,14,5,12,-7,11,-30,-31,-48,-48,-47,-33,-45,-45]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 d5 3. Bd3 e6 4. f4 c5 {my opponent was evidently unfamiliar with the Stonewall Attack setup and took a fair amount of time in the opening.} 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nf3 c4 {this significantly changes the character of the position. The middlegame plan of e3-e4 should now take priority.} 7. Bc2 b5 8. O-O Be7 9. Nbd2 {the move-order for White does not matter a lot here.} O-O 10. Ne5 {while this is fine, the natural reaction by Black which follows simply helps him develop a bit. The immediate e3-e4 or preparatory Qe2 look slightly better.} Bb7 11. Qe2 {here I debated playing the immediate e3-e4 pawn lever, but decided that I wanted additional control over e4 first. I did not see how Black could exploit the extra tempo.} b4 12. e4 bxc3 $6 {this intermediate pawn exchange does not get Black much, and gives the Bc1 a potentially good square on a3.} 13. bxc3 dxe4 {this was actually the point of the pawn lever, to get a knight on e4.} (13... Nxe5 14. fxe5 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 dxe4 {is equal according to the engine, but is also a pleasant game for White.}) 14. Nxe4 $14 {now some tactical possibilities start to appear, based on the centralized pair of knights and the b1-h7 diagonal being open.} Nd5 $6 {while not immediately losing, the self-removal of the kingside defender on f6 makes things easier for White.} (14... Nxe4 {I had seen the following sequence, which gives a small advantage to White.} 15. Qxe4 {threatening mate on h7} f5 16. Nxc6 fxe4 17. Nxd8 Raxd8 18. Re1 $14) 15. Rf3 {I had a long think here and decided that the rook lift would be good to play regardless, also protecting the c3 pawn. However, there are tactical ideas in play involving d4 that make this not as desirable.} (15. Bd2 {is the engine recommendation, reinforcing c3 while connecting the rooks.}) 15... Nf6 $2 {this is the losing move, although I did not calculate the best follow-up. The defender, while back on f6, can be removed with tempo.} (15... f5 16. Ng5 {White no longer has a breakthrough opportunity, while Black has various equalizing moves, including the tactical sequence} Nxc3 17. Rxc3 Qxd4+ 18. Qe3 Bc5 19. Kf1 Nxe5 20. fxe5 Qd5 $11) 16. Rh3 $18 (16. Nxf6+ $1 Bxf6 17. Bxh7+ {I was not looking for this sacrificial idea at the time, as I was too focused on achieving a normal ("safe") capture on h7. However, the best tactical point of Rf3 is the rook lift threat, which comes into play in exactly these types of situations.} Kxh7 18. Rh3+ Bh4 {I had also seen a version of this blocking idea earlier, but now} (18... Kg8 19. Qh5 $18) 19. Qh5+ $1 Kg8 20. Rxh4 $18) 16... Nxe4 {this loses a piece, as the Nc6 is underprotected.} (16... g6 {is the best try and would have required much more effort to win.} 17. Rb1 Rb8 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Qe3 $18 {with threats on the dark squares (Qh6, Ba3), along with the current threat of Rxb7 getting two pieces for the rook.}) 17. Bxe4 {now the Nc6 is double attacked and h7 is also forked, so Black cannot parry both threats.} ({Not} 17. Qxe4 $2 f5 $11) (17. Qh5 {the engine validates this as the number 2 choice, but I could not make it work in my calculations, so chose the (superior) text move.} h6 18. Ng4 $1 {I missed this idea.} Nxd4 19. Nxh6+ gxh6 20. Qxh6 Bh4 21. Rxh4 Qxh4 22. Qxh4 Nxc2 23. Qg4+ Kh8 24. Rb1 $18) 17... f5 18. Bxc6 (18. Nxc6 {also works, but is more complicated and I was satisfied with the bishop capture leading to an easily winning position.}) 18... Bxc6 19. Nxc6 {played after first checking the immediate Qh5 possibilities, which are not decisive. I therefore left the queen on e2 as a superior square. Being a piece up and with no counterplay for Black, as long as I was careful, the win should be assured.} Qd6 20. Nxe7+ {no reason not to exchange down, while up material.} Qxe7 21. a4 {played to activate my extra piece.} Rab8 $2 {moving the wrong rook.} 22. Ba3 {it seems my opponent missed the long-distance bishop skewer. Now there is truly no doubt of the outcome, although I was still careful to avoid any back-rank threats.} Qb7 23. Bxf8 Kxf8 24. Qxe6 Re8 25. Qxf5+ Kg8 26. Qxh7+ Kf8 27. Rb1 {this activates my remaining passive piece, to good effect.} (27. Qg6 {leads to mate in 7 according to the engine, but I was not worried about the game outcome at this point, as just getting to the win worry-free was good enough.} Re4 28. Rh8+ Ke7 29. Qxg7+ Kd6 30. Qxb7 $18) 27... Qe7 {evidently hoping for a back-rank blunder on my part.} 28. Qh8+ Kf7 29. Qh5+ Kf8 30. Qc5 {the triangulation maneuver with the queen forces the trade, and was easiest on my brain.} Qxc5 31. dxc5 Rd8 32. Rh8+ 1-0

Annotated Game #305: An endgame escape

This first-round tournament game had two big lessons. First, it highlighted a hole in my repertoire involving the move-order used to reach a Dutch Stonewall; I'll have to fix that for the future. Second, it demonstrated why at the Class level one should always keep yourself alive with practical chances in an endgame. Here I reached a situation where my opponent was up the exchange and could have sacrificed it back to lock in a win, but instead I exploited the opening he gave me to threaten mate and collect most of his pieces, forcing a resignation. A good illustration of why materialism can lead to bad outcomes in all phases of the game.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D31"] [PlyCount "84"] [GameId "2156548021522499"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 e6 {the Triangle/Wedge formation.} 4. Nc3 Bd6 {I think I have to abandon this particular move-order to reach the Dutch Stonewall, since there are too many potential exploits by White to reach an easy and just better position.} (4... f5 {is the other route to the Stonewall, but again offers White better options such as 5. Bg5}) (4... Nf6 {is a Semi-Slav.}) (4... dxc4 {scores the best in the database.}) 5. Qc2 f5 6. Bg5 $16 {the engine now gives a significant plus to White. As we'll see, that does not immediately translate to a winning game in practical terms.} Nf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Bd3 h6 {so far a standard sequence and expected.} 9. Bf4 Ne4 (9... Bxf4 $5 10. exf4 Qd6 $14 {followed by ...dxc4 limits White's advantage, giving him an isolated d-pawn.}) 10. O-O {White is perfectly fine here, but I was pleased during the game that I could use a normal expansionary Stonewall strategy on the kingside now.} Be7 {played after long thought about my middlegame strategy.} (10... Bxf4 {is still the engine recommendation.} 11. exf4 Nd7) (10... a5 {was an idea I contemplated here and other times, but it seemed here like an unnecessary distraction from the kingside plan.}) (10... Nd7 {immediately is another choice.} 11. Bxd6 Nxd6 12. Ne2 Qf6 $16) 11. h3 {clearly aimed at preserving the bishop on the h2-b8 diagonal.} Nd7 {I wanted to get some more development in before advancing the g-pawn.} 12. Rac1 g5 13. Bh2 Qe8 {a standard idea in the Dutch, to move the queen to g6 or h5 for the attack. Also helps cover these otherwise weak squares, against penetration by White's pieces.} 14. Ne5 Nxe5 {no reason not to exchange.} 15. Bxe5 Bd7 {played to connect the rooks and get the bishop at least slightly more developed.} (15... Bf6 {immediately was my other option.}) 16. Qd1 {while this covers the h5 square and prevents my queen from going there, it seems a little slow.} Bf6 17. Bh2 {consistently preserving the bishop on the diagonal, also as a kingside defender with the possibility of reoccupying a central square.} Qg6 {Again a long think. I want to pursue pressure on the kingside. However, I underestimated White's next move in response.} (17... Nxc3 {it may now be time to liquidate the knights.} 18. Rxc3 Qe7 $16) 18. Ne2 Be7 {best according to the engine. The problem is that the Ne4 has no good retreat squares in response to f2-f3, now that it cannot exchange itself on c3.} 19. f3 Nf6 (19... dxc4 {this idea, played later in the game, may be a little more effective if executed now.}) 20. g4 {I found this unnecessarily provocative, although White still retains an edge. The point is that the f-pawn is pinned against the Qg6 and cannot capture on g4.} Rf7 $6 {played with the idea of dissolving the center and not having a bishop on c4 moving there with check in some variations, since the rook is blocking the diagonal. However, this ends up making the situation worse later, not better.} (20... dxc4 21. Bxc4 Nd5 22. Qd2 Rad8 $16) 21. Be5 dxc4 22. Bxc4 Nd5 {this move, threatening a fork on e3, appeared to be a surprise to my opponent, who nonetheless found the best response.} 23. Qd3 {protecting e3 while re-establishing the pin on the f-pawn.} Raf8 {getting the rook into play.} 24. Ng3 {I also underestimated the effectiveness of this move.} Qh7 $6 {played after a good deal of thought. This resolves the problem of the hanging queen, but allows White's next sequence.} (24... Kh7 $5 {may be simplest.}) (24... b5 {going after the bishop does not resolve the problem.} 25. Bb3 a5 26. a3 a4 27. Ba2 $18) 25. gxf5 $18 exf5 26. e4 {White's central pawn duo is now very strong, along with his centralized pieces.} f4 {Black is losing now, but this counterattack is still the best chance.} 27. exd5 Qxd3 28. Bxd3 fxg3 29. dxc6 Bxc6 30. Bc4 {and now the pin on the rook should win for White.} Kh7 31. Bxf7 Rxf7 {I'm now significant material down, with the only hope being to leverage the power of the two bishops.} 32. Kg2 h5 33. Kxg3 Kg6 (33... h4+ {I looked at this, which was objectively best according to the engine; however, I did not see any real practical benefit, since it fixed my pawns and reduced the potential threats they could make.} 34. Kh2 $18) 34. Kh2 (34. Rxc6+ {this exchange sacrifice, preferred by the engine, would give White a fully won endgame.} bxc6 35. Rc1) 34... Bxf3 35. Rc7 {my opponent played this as if it were crushing - and it mostly is - but I still can improve my position by} g4 {now things are stable on the kingside and the bishop on f3 also holds b7. White should still win, but there is no immediate knockout.} 36. hxg4 $6 {there is no reason to reduce the tension by the exchange, but my opponent evidently thought it would help simplify the situation.} hxg4 $14 {now the advanced passed g-pawn, coupled with the two bishops, gives me significantly more drawing chances. The newly opened h-file was ignored by my opponent, who tried to go for a knockout blow with} 37. d5 $2 {but after} Rh7+ {the king has only two squares, one of which loses:} 38. Kg1 $4 (38. Kg3 {this looks more risky, but White escapes at the end of the sequence.} Bh4+ 39. Kf4 Bg5+ 40. Kg3 Rh3+ 41. Kf2 Bh4+ (41... Bxd5 {may pose a few more problems for White but also draws.}) 42. Ke3 Bg2+ 43. Ke2 Bxf1+ 44. Kxf1 {with a draw.}) 38... Rh1+ $19 39. Kf2 Bh4+ 40. Ke3 Rxf1 41. d6 Re1+ 42. Kd2 Rxe5 {and my opponent resigned.} 0-1

Annotated Game #303: A strategically won game...is not an actually won game

The next tournament game illustrates how well one can be placed out of the opening, in this case a Stonewall Attack, and yet fail to convert a positional advantage. By move 13 my pieces were dominant and by move 18 I could effectively have been winning on both the queenside and kingside. Unfortunately a mishandled attack, which could at least have led to a perpetual check, failed and Black emerged with a winning material advantage.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D00"] [PlyCount "104"] [GameId "2133320567857269"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 d5 4. f4 {a standard Stonewall Attack opening position} c5 5. c3 b6 {unusual to see this early, but consistent with how Black will need to develop the light-square bishop.} 6. Nf3 cxd4 7. exd4 {the usual rule in the Stonewall is to recapture with the e-pawn, which points towards future kingside play, but recapturing with the c-pawn is fine as well.} Bb7 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nbd2 {developing and controlling e4.} Qc7 {a signal that my opponent may be looking to castle queenside. It also attacks the f4 pawn.} 10. Ne5 $14 {blocking the attack on the f-pawn and placing my knight on its best outpost. White has achieved a small plus out of the opening, due to the space advantage.} O-O-O {sensing danger on the kingside, the king is removed elsewhere. However, the Stonewall setup is flexible and I should be able to shift my attack.} 11. Qe2 $16 {played after some thought. The B+Q battery is useful and the rooks are closer to being connected.} Nxe5 $6 {my opponent wants to get rid of the advanced knight, but the advanced pawn on e5 and semi-open f-file are advantageous to White.} (11... Kb8 $5 {getting the king off the diagonal and adding a defender to a7.}) 12. fxe5 {the advanced e-pawn is now a major thorn in Black's side.} Ne8 $18 {at this point White has a strategically won game, with my pieces and pawns dominating the board; however, this is not the same thing as an actually won game. I recognized this and thought about my plan, starting off well enough.} 13. Nf3 {this best activates the knight, which may be able to profitably go to g5, as well as freeing the diagonal for the Bc1.} h6 14. a4 {I now correctly shift to a direct attack on the Black king position, which is vulnerable. The a-pawn in this case can be used much like the h-pawn would be against a normally castled king.} Qd7 15. a5 Nc7 16. axb6 {so far so good.} axb6 {another long think. Unfortunately I start to lose the thread here. I need to connect the rooks and move the bishop, but e3 or f4 would be much better squares.} 17. Bd2 {here it blocks the ability of the queen to move laterally to the a-file, and the e1-a5 diagonal is less promising if it opens up, unlike the g1-a7 or h2-b8 ones.} f5 18. Ra7 {not a bad move, but I was too afraid of opening the kingside to play the best one, per the engine.} (18. exf6 {the Stonewall, when most effective, allows play on both sides of the board.} gxf6 19. Nh4 $18 {and White is dominant on both the kingside and queenside, with Ng6 likely coming.}) 18... Kb8 19. Rfa1 {the obvious and effective follow-up.} g5 20. Ne1 {with the idea of repositioning the knight either to help the queenside attack, or if needed to defend the king.} (20. b4 g4 21. Ne1 {looks like a superior version of the same idea, with b4-b5 coming.}) 20... Be7 {connecting the rooks and giving the bishop some future prospects on the kingside.} 21. Nc2 (21. b4 $5 {the alternative idea of advancing the b-pawn, as mentioned earlier, may have been a more effective attack. For example} h5 22. b5 h4 23. Qd1 {with the idea of bringing the queen to a4, and if} Nxb5 {then} 24. R7a2 $18 {retreating is best, and now White has the half-open b-file to target Black's weak b-pawn and king position, for example with Qb3 and Rb2 to follow up.}) 21... f4 {my opponent is doing a good job of attempting counterplay, despite still being significantly under pressure. After another long think, I go astray with the attack.} 22. c4 $2 {I did not assess and calculate accurately here, simply going for the attack based on the open long diagonal after} (22. Nb4 {would be the logical continuation of the knight maneuver, but I did not see past the piece exchange and doubled pawns.} Bxb4 23. cxb4 {and White is doing well with the additional open lines, for example after} Rhf8 24. b5 Qf7 25. Bb4 f3 26. gxf3 $18) 22... dxc4 23. Rxb7+ $11 Kxb7 24. Be4+ Nd5 25. Qxc4 {is the best I could find at the board, but now the attack stalls. Grabbing the pawn is worth less than opening lines.} (25. b3 $1 {is the non-obvious move found by the engine. The point is that it threatens to take on c4 and win the pinned Nd5, and White keeps the initiative, moving with tempo after} cxb3 26. Qa6+ $11 {with a draw by perpetual check.}) 25... Rc8 $6 (25... Ra8 $1 $17 {cutting off control of a6.}) 26. Bxd5+ $2 {again sub-par calculation.} (26. Qa6+ {should maintain a dynamic balance.} Kc7 27. Nb4 {the knight sacrifice is only temporary, and other moves are fine too.} Nxb4 28. Qb7+ Kd8 29. Qxb6+ Ke8 30. Bxb4 Bxb4 31. Qxb4 $11) 26... Qxd5 $17 {now White does not have any compensation for the exchange.} 27. Qa6+ Kc7 {now the point of the placement of the Qd5 is the fact there is no check on b7, unlike in the above variation, and White does not have enough pieces near the Black king to threaten it.} 28. Rc1 {from this point, I simply try to make threats and hope for the best, knowing I'm losing.} Kd7 $19 29. Qxb6 {at this point I correctly assessed that I was essentially lost, but still hoped to swindle a draw based on Black's exposed king position and/or setting up a fortress.} Rb8 30. Qa7+ Qb7 31. Qa4+ Qb5 32. Qxb5+ {the best choice technically, although simplification of material also makes Black's job easier on the brain.} Rxb5 33. Bc3 {the engine validates this as the best choice, but Black is still winning.} Ra8 34. Kf2 Ke8 35. Kf3 Kf7 36. Rf1 Kg6 37. Ke4 h5 {at this point Black's kingside majority looks like it will cruise to victory.} 38. h3 Rbb8 39. Rf3 {using a rook as a physical blocker against pawns is rarely a good idea.} Rf8 40. Nb4 $2 {the idea of a fortress, although perhaps technically doomed, was much more likely to work in practical terms with the knight helping.} Bxb4 41. Bxb4 Rf7 42. Bc5 Ra1 43. Ra3 Re1+ {now it's essentially over.} 44. Kf3 Kf5 45. Kf2 Rc1 46. b4 g4 47. h4 g3+ 48. Kf3 Rf1+ 49. Ke2 Rf2+ 50. Ke1 Rxg2 51. Kf1 Rb2 52. Ra8 f3 0-1

Mastery Concept: Pawn sacrifices for piece activity

This is another in the periodic series of Mastery Concept posts, which highlight chess ideas at the Master level which are often ignored (or even unknown) at the Class player level. Typically these come from seeing a recurring theme in a recent series of game analysis, one which is echoed in other chess study materials that I'm using. Today's theme is the concept of choosing to sacrifice a pawn, in return for compensation in the form of piece activity.

One of my personal chess weaknesses has been an overly materialistic assessment of situations, which means I have inappropriately valued material over positional factors. This is a common phenomenon at the Class level. For example, players may hang onto a pawn for dear life, even if defending it cramps their position and gives their opponent a winning initiative, rather than deliberately jettisoning the pawn in return for freer and more active play for their pieces.

Another situation illustrated below is ignoring candidate moves that "lose" a pawn, without taking into consideration the benefits for the player's overall game. In some cases, these can even be very temporary sacrifices, or the pawn itself is "poisoned" due to a tactical response, which means ignoring the possibility - consciously or unconsciously - is a definite blind spot in the thinking process.

Finally, I'll make the observation that none of these pawn sacrifices lead to forced wins; these are not puzzles to be solved and the game is over. Rather, they are superior to other candidate moves, even if they only end up in a level position. This fact may also contribute to a Class player not considering them, if there is no obvious win or advantage that results.

Firstly from my own play, here are some clear examples. They are followed by a few master-level ones; if you go through any collections of annotated master games, you should be able to easily find more.

Annotated Game #296: The recurring idea of c4-c5, opening diagonals and the c4 square for pieces. I eventually play it, but under less favorable circumstances than I could have earlier in the game - this is also a recurring theme.

Annotated Game #295: The f-pawn sacrifice I should have played comes early enough to be considered a gambit, but the principle is the same - in return for the pawn, the rest of my pieces gain activity that provides full compensation.

Annotated Game #293: The move 15 possibility of playing c4 opens up activity for the dark-square bishop and queen, and works due to tactics (the hanging b-pawn is poisoned) that I should have further considered.

Annotated Game #291: Here's another freeing c4-c5 pawn sac idea on move 15.

Annotated Game #272: This shows the power of the e3-e4 pawn lever in Colle / Stonewall type positions, even when it is a (temporary) sacrifice.

A few Master-level examples, including from analysis:

Tarjan-Kosteniuk (2017) - 15. b4!?

From Bologan's Caro-Kann: A Modern Repertoire for Black (New In Chess, 2018) - analysis, King's Indian Attack; the d-pawn is given up by Black for piece activity, and it is also instructive to look at what happens if White tries to seize the d-pawn earlier.

[Event "?"] [White "Enter New Game"] [Black "?"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Result "*"] [Date "????.??.??"] [PlyCount "32"] [GameId "2128221663227972"] 1. e4 c6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 e5 4. Ngf3 Bd6 5. d4 exd4 6. exd5 Nf6 7. dxc6 Nxc6 8. Nb3 O-O 9. Be2 Qb6 10. Nbxd4 Bc5 11. c3 Bg4 12. O-O Rad8 13. Qb3 Bxd4 14. cxd4 Qxb3 15. axb3 Rfe8 16. Bd1 a6 *

From John Nunn's Best Games 1985-1993, Batsford Chess Library, 1995; games 20 (move 19) and 22 (sequence starting with move 21)

[Event "World Cup"] [White "Nunn, John DM"] [Black "Portisch, Lajos"] [Site "Reykjavik"] [Round "8"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "1988.10.??"] [ECO "C73"] [WhiteElo "2625"] [BlackElo "2635"] [PlyCount "65"] [Beauty "8179769202696"] [GameId "1166636377100288"] [EventDate "1988.10.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "17"] [EventCountry "ISL"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 010"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1989.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1989.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 Nf6 8. O-O Be7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Re1 Bg4 11. Qd3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Nd7 13. b3 Bf6 14. Bb2 Re8 15. Rad1 Re6 16. Qh3 Qe8 17. f4 Rd8 18. Qe3 Nb6 19. e5 dxe5 20. f5 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Re7 22. Ne4 Rd7 23. Nxf6+ gxf6 24. Re1 Qd8 25. Qe4 Nd5 26. Qg4+ Kh8 27. Bc1 Qf8 28. c4 Nb4 29. Qh4 Qd6 30. Qh6 Rd8 31. h3 c5 32. Re4 Rg8 33. Qxh7+ 1-0

[Event "Olympiad-28"] [White "Pinter, Jozsef"] [Black "Nunn, John DM"] [Site "Thessaloniki"] [Round "12"] [Result "0-1"] [Date "1988.11.26"] [ECO "E99"] [WhiteElo "2535"] [BlackElo "2435"] [PlyCount "92"] [Beauty "7220913783326"] [GameId "1166636396122112"] [EventDate "1988.11.13"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "GRE"] [SourceTitle "TD"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.03.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.03.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Hungary"] [BlackTeam "England"] [WhiteTeamCountry "HUN"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. f3 f5 11. g4 Kh8 12. Ng2 a5 13. h4 Nc5 14. Be3 Ng8 15. Rb1 Bd7 16. b3 b6 17. a3 a4 18. b4 Nb3 19. Nb5 Nf6 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Nc3 e4 22. g5 Nh5 23. fxe4 f4 24. Bd2 Nxd2 25. Qxd2 Qe8 26. Bf3 Ng3 27. Rfe1 Be5 28. Ne2 Nxe4 29. Bxe4 f3 30. Nef4 fxg2 31. Nxg2 Qh5 32. Qd3 Bg4 33. Re3 Qf7 34. Qd2 Qg7 35. Rd3 Rf7 36. Re1 Raf8 37. Ne3 Rf4 38. Ng2 R4f7 39. Ne3 Bh5 40. Rf1 Rxf1+ 41. Nxf1 Rf4 42. Qe1 Bd4+ 43. Kg2 Qe5 44. Ng3 Bg4 45. b5 Bf2 46. Qxf2 Bh3+ 0-1

From Journey to NM - Lightning Strikes Back blog, the round 4 game; technically this isn't master-level play, but it's close and White's sacrifice of the d-pawn for piece activity and an attack is an excellent example.

Don't Just Memorize, Understand! Two Key Moves in the London System - the full video (from Dr. Can's Chess Clinic) is worth watching for its principles, also containing a great pawn sacrifice idea in the central variation presented against the London System, which has a concrete tactical reason behind it.

Annotated Game #296: Activity should win

One of the factors that distinguishes master-level play from typical Class-level is the value placed on piece activity, rather than static factors. This final-round tournament game is an excellent illustration of the superiority of this approach, including sacrificial ideas even when not leading to a forced win; this will also be the subject of an upcoming Mastery Concept post.

Here a common theme that I've identified, unnecessarily holding back the e4 pawn break in a Colle System-type position, also appears. At least I eventually play that, and the interesting recurring idea of a sacrificial c4-c5 pawn break, although later than I should have in both cases. And once again opposite-colored bishops are the deciding factor, in the end.

[Event "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "?"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "A47"] [PlyCount "129"] [GameId "2099915250376809"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 c5 4. c3 (4. Nf3 {This is the way to go to transpose to the Colle-Zukertort.} b6 5. O-O Bb7 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. b3) 4... b6 5. Nf3 {This is now a Colle System.} (5. f4 {would keep the Stonewall Attack going, although Black now has the option of trading bishops with ...Ba6!?}) 5... Bb7 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 {hesitating before committing to the center.} (8. e4 {is the critical idea in the Colle System.}) (8. Re1 $5 {would prepare the e-pawn advance further.}) 8... d6 {Given my opponent's opening setup, I had expected he would refrain from ...d5, but I had wanted to confirm his intentions before moving a central pawn.} 9. Bb2 $11 Nbd7 10. c4 {this is the second most played move in the position, according to the database, and is essentially a tempo loss by the c-pawn. This is not critical; however, it does mean that I can't recapture with a pawn on d4 after the later e4 push, which is important.} (10. e4 $14 {this remains the key idea in the Colle setup, followed by Qe2.}) 10... Re8 11. Qc2 {developing the queen to a useful square to clear the first rank and form a battery on the b1-h7 diagonal.} Qc7 12. Rfe1 h6 {removing the threat from the battery on the diagonal.} 13. e4 {a little late in coming, but still good to play.} cxd4 {best, as other moves give up more space to White.} 14. Nxd4 Nc5 15. Nb5 Qd7 {now I had a long think, since there was not an obvious plan to pursue.} 16. f3 $6 {solid but inflexible, and opening the a7-g1 diagonal is an additional weakness.} (16. Bf1 {this removes the bishop from the knight's attack and keeps it out of the way of the other pieces.}) (16. Rad1 {activating the rook would also be logical.}) 16... a6 $15 17. Nc3 (17. Nd4 $5 {I did not even consider, but it looks marginally more active.}) 17... Rac8 {Black has an easier time finding a middlegame plan, simply getting heavy pieces more centralized then pushing pawns.} 18. Nf1 {looking to improve my worst piece, although it's still better to retreat the bishop.} d5 19. exd5 exd5 $6 {not a terrible move in objective terms,, but now my light-square bishop has more life in it, and I am able to take the initiative.} (19... Nxd3 20. Qxd3 exd5 21. cxd5 $15) 20. Bf5 Ne6 $11 {I confess I missed the backwards knight move here, being too excited by the skewer on the diagonal.} 21. Rad1 {the logical follow-up, adding another pin against the queen.} Bc5+ 22. Kh1 d4 {I underestimated the strength of this move. The position is still equal, but the rest of the game revolves around the struggle over the d-pawn.} 23. Ng3 (23. Na4 $5 {I also considered, but eventually decided it was better to reactivate the other knight.}) (23. a3 $5 {is also a consideration, taking away the b4 square from the Bc5.}) 23... g6 24. Nce4 {while this offers up some chances for Black to go astray, it essentially simplifies the game. Some other possibilities involved exchanging on e6.} (24. Bxe6 Rxe6 25. Rxe6 Qxe6 26. Nce2 $14 {I had not calculated this far and did not see this would be an effective move.}) 24... Nxe4 25. Nxe4 Bxe4 26. Bxe4 Bb4 {illustrating how an earlier a2-a3 would have been useful; the bishop moves with tempo.} 27. Rf1 f5 28. Bd3 {not a bad square for the bishop, with some ideas of sacrificing on the kingside in the future.} Rcd8 29. a3 {played after a good deal of thought. The engine approves.} Bf8 30. Rfe1 {also played after some thought, but this is the "safe" follow-up.} (30. c5 {is the active idea I play later on. The pawn is temporarily sacrificed for piece activity, including access to the c4 square and the now-open a6-f1 diagonal.} bxc5 31. Bc1 {another key idea in the position, to contest f4, with the ideas of g2-g4, Qc4 or Bxa6 to follow up.} (31. Bxa6 {immediately is also possible.})) 30... Bg7 31. b4 {taking the c5 square away from the knight.} Nf4 32. g3 {played after a long think. In calculating the variations I was concerned about back-rank threats. It is also forcing in nature.} (32. Bc1 {looks like a more solid choice, leading to further exchanges.}) 32... Nh3 $6 {this was surprising and I thought must be bad, but unfortunately I did not find the best solution.} (32... Nxd3 33. Qxd3 Re6 34. Rxe6 Qxe6 $11) 33. Qg2 {good enough for equality, but there were better options.} (33. Kg2 Ng5 (33... f4 $2 {is what I was concerned about, as the Nh3 is protected and the king's pawn shield attacked, but} 34. Bxg6 fxg3 35. hxg3 Ng5 36. Qf5 $1 $18 {forces exchanges into what should be a winning endgame.}) 34. h4 Nf7 35. c5 $16) (33. c5 $5 {this idea works again.}) 33... Ng5 34. h4 Nf7 35. Qf2 {this just loses a tempo, since the queen has to go to f1 shortly.} (35. Qf1) (35. f4 $5 {I considered but didn't like giving up the e4 square.}) 35... Ne5 36. Kg2 $6 (36. Bf1 {and} d3 $2 {is a mistake due to} 37. Bxe5 Bxe5 38. Rxd3 $18) 36... Qc6 (36... Nxd3 {would seem to be a more consistent follow-up, taking away the best blockader of the d-pawn, but my opponent apparently is more interested in using the knight for a kingside attack.} 37. Rxd3 Rxe1 38. Qxe1 g5 $17) 37. Qf1 {defending c4 again} Ng4 {unexpected and safe due to the pin on the f3 pawn, but not actually threatening.} 38. Bc1 {played after some thought, the correct idea and essentially forced. The obvious threat is the fork on e3.} Ne3+ 39. Bxe3 dxe3 {now under pressure, I became too concerned about physically blockading the advanced pawn.} 40. Qe2 $6 {this unnecessarily cramps White.} (40. c5 $11 {here's this idea again. With more active pieces come compensation in the form of tactics. For example} bxc5 41. Rxe3 Rxe3 42. Bc4+ Kh7 43. Rxd8 $11 {and if} cxb4 $2 44. Bg8+ $1 $18) 40... Bc3 $1 $17 41. Rg1 Qf6 $6 (41... Bd2 $17) {My opponent clearly felt that he was squeezing me to death, but here I finally buckle down and play the freeing move} 42. c5 $1 $11 bxc5 43. bxc5 Bd2 44. Rb1 {now the active rook on the b-file makes a big difference, so I prioritize that over capturing the a6 pawn, although that also works.} Qc3 45. Bc4+ Kh8 {I was unsure of what was best in this open position and was in the sudden death time control, so just chose to capture material and try to hold onto my a-pawn afterwards. Continuing with active play is better.} 46. Bxa6 (46. c6 $5 {and if} Rc8 47. Bxa6 $14 {and the c-pawn is tactically defended, due to the skewer on the a4-e8 diagonal.}) (46. h5 $5 gxh5 $6 47. Rh1 $14) (46. Bf7) 46... Qxc5 47. a4 (47. Rb7 $5 {I felt was too risky, with the e-pawn so advanced, but the engine demonstrates that it's a draw, given mutually exposed kings. For example} Qxa3 48. Qc4 Re7 49. Rxe7 Qxe7 50. Rb1 $11 {the e-pawn will be captured if it advances, due to the reverse battery on the a6-f1 diagonal.}) 47... Bb4 48. Rgd1 {finally getting the rook back into play.} Rd2 49. Rxd2 Bxd2 {now time pressure really starts to be felt} 50. Rb7 f4 $2 {my opponent however by this point has even less time on the clock.} 51. g4 {I saw this would be safe.} (51. Qd3 $1 {this correct but risky move was beyond my ability to calculate at the time.} e2 52. Qxg6 $18 {wins, although it's scary.} Qf2+ 53. Kxf2 e1=Q+ 54. Kg2 Qxg3+ 55. Qxg3 fxg3 56. Kxg3 $18 {with a won endgame.}) 51... Bc1 {best guess here, due to time scramble handwriting} 52. Bb5 (52. Qa2 {the engine says is winning, but again risky and sacrificial.} e2 53. Rh7+ Kxh7 54. Qf7+ Kh8 55. Qxe8+ $18) 52... Rd8 53. Rd7 Rxd7 54. Bxd7 Qd4 {with the exchanges and opposite-colored bishops, now a draw seems inevitable.} 55. Bb5 Bd2 56. Bd3 g5 57. h5 Qxa4 {while I had missed in the time scramble that my opponent could pick up the pawn, as we'll soon see it does not matter, due to the blockade of e2 on the light squares.} 58. Bc4 Qc2 59. Bd3 Qc3 60. Bb5 Kg7 61. Qc4 {forcing the issue, as Black's king has no screening from checks.} Qxc4 62. Bxc4 Kf6 63. Kf1 Ke5 64. Ke2 Kd4 65. Ba6 {I offered a draw here and my opponent declined, although he had just seconds on his clock to my minute or so; there was a 5-second delay. After my bishop bounced back and forth on the diagonal several more times, I offered another draw and he accepted. This was all a bit strange for me, since the position was obviously blocked and he was the only one who could lose (on time).} 1/2-1/2