Annotated Game #83: Rocky Rook Revenge Match

Although the ill-fated Double My Egg Nog tourney was never finished - only a single serving - Rocky Rook was still able to play our second round game.  In the first round game linked, he had won an interesting struggle in the Colle System, featuring two key blunders from myself, so I was looking forward to evening the score with some better play.

In my previous Round Turkey game against Rocky as White (Annotated Game #73), he played a sort of Old Indian type setup as Black.  This time, he started off with 1...g6 and I expected him to go into a King's Indian Defense setup eventually.  Instead, he surprised me with an early 3...c5 and took the game into the Symmetrical English, which is relatively rare at the Class level.  I therefore don't have a lot of experience with it, but Rocky seemed to have even less, so I found that somewhat encouraging heading into the middlegame.

The middlegame opens up after Rocky's 13...b5, which although objectively fine (according to Houdini) I felt played into White's hands strategically.  Essentially Black is forced to drop a pawn as a result of the move, but could have gained full compensation after the variation 16...Rc8, which establishes a strong center and kicks White's pieces around.  In the game continuation, Black remains active, but White is able to consolidate on the queenside and activate the passed a-pawn after Black initiates an exchange of knights.  I was, however, forced to think hard and find "only" moves that would protect material and at the same time give my pieces their necessary activity.

The last phase of the game occurs after Black's 23...Rc2 dangerously unbalances the position.  While the rook is threatening-looking on the second rank, White's attack on Black's back rank comes first and White's minor pieces are able to combine with the queen on an effective attack on Black's king, while White's rook and king hold the defense together.  The most challenging part of the calculation was when I had to find 29. Bd4, breaking a pin on White's queen by force, in order to finish the attack.

Thanks to Rocky for another well-fought game.  The key difference this time was my lack of blundering (always helpful!) and more accurate calculation.  I realized early on in the game that a Symmetrical English would require patience from me in order to eventually make progress, so having that mindset was a useful assist to my play.

Hopefully Rocky and I can do a regular set of matches; it would be good to get a monthly game going, for example.  It makes a difference having someone available to regularly challenge you, since it's not as easy to hide your weaknesses from them as it is with random tournament opponents.

[Event "rated standard match"] [Site "Free Internet Chess Server"] [Date "2013.02.10"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "RockyRook"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A16"] [WhiteElo "1671"] [BlackElo "1701"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [TimeControl "3600+5"] {A16: English Opening: 1...Nf6 with ...d5} 1. c4 g6 {in my experience, this usually presages a KID type setup against the English.} 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. g3 c5 { this choice makes it likely that we'll eventually transpose into a line of the Symmetrical English or the Hedgehog.} 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. O-O d6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. d3 { instead d4 would transpose to a King's Indian Defense variation.} Bd7 {I didn't think it was a good idea for Black to choose to place the bishop this early. It weakens b7 and it's not clear what the best square for it is. However, it does position itself to go to c6 and helps keep some control of b5. The database shows White scoring 78 percent from this position.} (7... Nc6 { is the overwhelming choice here and scores only a little over 50 percent for White.}) 8. Rb1 a6 $146 {this lets White get in b4 immediately.} (8... a5 { would restrain b4;}) (8... Bc6 {seems like a logical continuation of the bishop development.}) 9. b4 cxb4 10. Rxb4 Bc6 11. Qc2 {this is where White has to think about his preferred middlegame setup and how to develop the queen and dark-square bishop. The hanging Nc3 usually means that the queen or bishop needs to cover it, or White risks tactics based on a discovered attack from the Bg7.} (11. Bd2 {is a logical alternative, as Bd2 is often played in the main line Symmetrical variations. I was hoping for a more active development of the piece.}) (11. e4 {is also playable, with a lock on the d5 square, and was something I considered. However, the drawback of cutting off the Bg2 made it less appetizing.}) 11... Nbd7 12. h3 {Secures g4, in anticipation of playing Be3.} Rb8 (12... Rc8 {looks like a better spot for the rook, opposite the Qc2.}) 13. Be3 b5 {here I thought that Black was playing White's game strategically, allowing White to concentrate everything on the queenside. White is normally better placed to establish at least a small advantage there, so perhaps more activity in the center was indicated. Tactically, this just seems to lose a pawn, although we'll see later that Black can obtain compensation.} 14. cxb5 axb5 {White now has the more active position and an obvious target in the Black b-pawn.} 15. Nd4 {this is more effective now that the pawn exchange has occurred on b5, as Black no longer has the possibility of capturing on c4.} Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qa5 (16... Rc8 {instead would allow Black to strike back with a series of threats against White's vulnerable piece positions.} 17. Rxb5 e5 18. Nb3 d5 19. Bc5 Nxc5 20. Rxc5 Rxc5 21. Nxc5 Qd6 22. N3a4 Rc8 $11 {and now play could continue} 23. Qd2 d4 (23... Rxc5 $6 24. Nxc5 Qxc5 25. Rc1 $16 {and Houdini evaluates the R+P as being advantageous against Black's B+N combination.})) 17. Rxb5 $14 {the extra tempo earned by the attack on the queen is very helpful to White.} Qa8+ 18. Kh2 Rxb5 19. Ndxb5 {White's queenside now hangs together well, with the knight supporting each other and the pawn on a2 protected twice. White should still be careful about Black's actions on the queenside, in order to avoid being caught with an overloaded piece or similar tactic.} Rc8 20. Qd2 (20. Qb3 {is Houdini's preference and was the other possibility I considered, since it would have maintained control of d5. However, it would then have allowed a pin of the b5 knight or a free tempo for black with ...Nc5.}) 20... Nd5 {superficially this looks like it generates some pressure for Black on the queenside. However, Black is still playing White's game strategically and the exchange of minor pieces helps make White's passed a-pawn that much more important.} (20... h5 {is an idea from Houdini, looking to stir up some counterplay or at least a distraction on the kingside.}) 21. Nxd5 {forced} Qxd5 22. a4 {clearly best, as it gets the passed pawn moving while also protecting the knight at its outpost square.} Qb3 { I had seen this far after Black's move 20, but had been unsure of how best to continue, so thought for while here.} 23. Qa5 {is the active choice to protect the pawn, as now (so I thought) Black could no longer play ...Rc2.} (23. Qd1 { is much too passive.}) 23... Rc2 {Black plays it anyway. This looks threatening but the rook is needed more on defense than on offense.} (23... Qe6 24. Qa7 h5 25. a5 $16) 24. Qd8+ (24. Qa8+ $5 {I admit I didn't even consider this possibility until after the move was played and it didn't seem like it would make a difference.} Nf8 25. Rc1 Rxc1 26. Bxc1 h5 $18 {White gives up some of his direct kingside attack, but now the a-pawn becomes a monster.}) 24... Nf8 $16 25. Qxe7 Qxa4 {Black's premature pawn-snatching is swiftly punished.} (25... Rxe2 $5 {is better here, although White is still in control.} 26. Rc1 {threatening to go to either c8 or c7 as necessary to support the attack.} Qxa4 27. Nxd6 Qa2 28. Kg1 $16) 26. Nxd6 $18 Qa2 27. Ne8 Rxe2 $2 { this no longer works, as White is a tempo up on the move 25 variation where ... Rxe2 is played immediately. White can now use that tempo to eliminate the Bg7.} (27... Ne6 {would be the way to fight on into the endgame, although it looks bad for Black.} 28. Nf6+ Bxf6 29. Qxf6 Qb2 (29... Rxe2 $2 {a poisoned pawn} 30. Ra1 $18) 30. Qxb2 Rxb2 $18 {and White should be able to convert the two extra pawns into a win.}) 28. Nxg7 Kxg7 29. Bd4+ {the point behind the capture on g7, as the pin on the bishop is now broken by force.} Kg8 30. Qf6 {mate is now inevitable.} Rxf2+ 31. Rxf2 {RockyRook resigns} 1-0

Book completed - Practical Middlegame Techniques

Today I completed Practical Middlegame Techniques by IM Danny Kopec with FM Rudy Blumenfeld (Cadogan, 1997, First Edition).  There was a second edition released in 2012, with a considerably expanded page count (242 pages versus the original 128) that is referenced in the above link; all comments here pertain to the first edition.

I would liken the effects of working through this book to drinking a large cup of coffee and taking a multivitamin.  It's not going to improve your chess the same way as a full-course meal would, but it should give anyone Class B and below a relatively quick and permanent boost to their understanding and skills.  Although the book is slim, it is content-rich and took me a fairly long time to work through.  (This was in fact my third attempt to do it.)  I'll take the fact I completed it now as a positive sign of my commitment to training, rather than bemoaning my previous laziness.

The contents are divided into three chapters:

• Chapter 1: Essential Tactical Methods presents a series of common (and not-so-common) mating patterns and then some increasingly complex examples incorporating them.  The chapter moves on to define and illustrate different types of material gain combinations and then finishes with a series of more complex combinations incorporating different themes.
• Chapter 2: Pawn Structures and How To Use Them, as the authors acknowledge, draws heavily on Dr. Hans Kmoch's Pawn Power in Chess, but then again so do most other books on the topic.  The presentation of pawn structures and how to use different types of "levers" (perhaps best described as pawn advances with a specific purpose, usually challenging another pawn) is concisely done and dispenses with most of Kmoch's weird vocabulary.
• Chapter 3: The Conditions and Methods for Attacking the King focuses on attacking play and presents some typical maneuvers used, along with identifying the conditions under which they can be used.   

I fit the profile for the best target audience for the book, which would be an intermediate-level player who is self-taught and can benefit most from exposure to the structured concepts in each section.  Someone who has already done years worth of mating and combination study would not find anything new in Chapter 1, although the mating pattern list is probably the best single reference that I've seen on the topic.  I haven't had that kind of rigorous exposure to tactics training, so I significantly benefited from the explanation and examples of mating and other tactical themes.

Similarly, Chapter 2 may not surprise anyone who already has some exposure to the positional concepts of pawn play, but I found the discussion of pawn structures and their static and dynamic qualities to be well worth the time. The examples given, largely game fragments but also including some complete games, were all well-chosen.  For me, I found the illustrations of the "sweeper-sealer" lever (sacrificing a pawn to free its square for a piece), minority attack and techniques for shielding backward pawns to be the most valuable.

Chapter 3 I found to be worthwhile, but more uneven.  The first two parts were the most enlightening, including examinations of things like how to use a space advantages in the attack and particular cases of this advantage such as when White possesses an advanced pawn on e5.  Separate sections focusing on the rook lift maneuver and exchange sacrifice on the long diagonal also were especially useful.  The last part of the chapter ("Radical Approaches") introduces sections on the king hunt, major material sacrifices, and concentration of forces.  Here the examples given struck me as not being as clearly illustrative of the concepts as those in previous chapters.

The wide range of games and game fragments presented in the book is one of its strengths.  They include some classic examples from earlier 20th century play, examples from the authors' games, and selections from more modern and contemporary international tournament practice.  Kopec's annotations are concise and helpful, although there is a lot of "...and wins" type commentary when presenting variations.  It is primarily for this reason that I would say the book is best suited for intermediate players (Class B/C) who will be able to work out some of the tactics not explicitly given in the text.  Of course, this is the case whenever you work through annotated games, so the book is not unique in that respect.

As someone looking for the proverbial shot in the arm for their middlegame technique, I found the time put into the book to be worthwhile and will return to it for reference and to refresh my memory and understanding in the future.

Annotated Game #82: A good diagnosis

This recent game (part of the Chessmaster ladder series of training games) provided a good diagnosis of my current playing strengths and weaknesses.  The opening phase is strong, with my opponent following a move 8 sideline of the Caro-Kann Panov variation (officially classified as a Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Tarrasch, which is what it becomes via transposition).  White's strategic error on move 11 with the bishop exchange gives Black relatively easy equality, in contrast with the kingside pressure White normally achieves in this variation.

The early middlegame analysis (moves 12-14) shows some interesting alternative plans for Black.  This for me is often the most valuable part of these training exercises.  Knowing how to play the early middlegame positions, in other words having a good idea of what to do in a position after your opening lines are finished, is a crucial skill and is something that I have often failed to do well.  In this game, my chosen path was not bad, but being aware of the other opportunities in the position will give me an advantage the next time I play a similar middlegame.

The game becomes tactical on move 17 as White drops a pawn with a typical computer handicap move.  However, it was much more interesting than it appeared, as the chosen method of White's piece recapture would have allowed Black to eventually win White's queen with a back-rank pin or check.  This was not obvious, however, and I instead focused on winning the pawn.

By move 24 we have an endgame where Black could have achieved a significantly stronger position by exchanging pawns on f3, inflicting a weakened structure on White and maintaining a strongly supported d-pawn.  Black instead ends up with several weak, isolated pawns that he cannot defend adequately, but is able to capture White pawns in exchange for them.  Black is stopped during the final race on the kingside, where the 2-to-1 pawn advantage is not enough to win in the single minor piece (BvN) endgame.

Diagnosis summary:

• Solid opening preparation
• Early middlegame was OK but not optimal, but this is not surprising given my lack of experience with actually playing the position.
• Although I did not see the full possibilities of 18...Bf4! in terms of trapping the queen several moves later, I at least considered it as a candidate move, which I would not have done previously.
• Remaining middlegame play was good, including the decision to force an exchange of queens and transition to the endgame.
• I used my thinking process reasonably well and did not miss any significant threats from my opponent.
• First endgame strategic decision was incorrect (not exchanging on f3), leading to better chances for my opponent.
• Later on, my endgame advantage may not have been enough to win against best play, but I passed up several chances to improve my situation.
• I lack knowledge of correct strategies in BvN endgames.

[Event "Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition Rated G"] [Site "?"] [Date "2013.02.09"] [Round "?"] [White "Josh - Age 8 (CM Class B)"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2012.??.??"] [TimeControl "3600+10"] {D41: Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch with cxd5} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 {a position common to the Semi-Tarrasch defense has now been reached.} 8. Bc4 {Bd3 is more usual here.} O-O 9. O-O Nc6 (9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 Qc7 {is an interesting-looking alternative.}) 10. Re1 a6 {end of my personal book. Black has a number of other possibilities here, including ...Bf6.} 11. Bxd5 {Black should be able to better exploit the advantage of the two bishops after this, although the symmetrical pawn structure gives the position a drawish characteristic.} ({ Here's a more classic example of play:} 11. Bd3 Ncb4 12. Bb1 b5 13. a3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Nd5 15. Qd3 Nf6 16. Bg5 g6 17. Ne5 Bb7 18. Qh3 Bd5 19. Ba2 Rc8 20. Bh6 Re8 21. Bxd5 Qxd5 22. Bg5 Nh5 23. Bd2 Nf6 24. a4 Ne4 25. Qd3 Nxd2 {Uhlmann,W (2555) -Pachman,L (2520) Manila 1976 1/2-1/2 (41)}) 11... exd5 {Black has the pair of bishops.} 12. Ne5 (12. Qb3 {appears the most threatening, but Black has} Bg4 { as an effective countermove.} 13. Qxd5 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Qxd4 15. Be3 Qh4 16. Nd5 Bd6 17. g3 Qh3 18. Rad1 Be5 19. b3 Rfe8 20. Bf4 Bxf4 21. Nxf4 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Qd7 23. Qd5 Qxd5 24. Nxd5 Kf8 25. Kg2 Re8 26. Rxe8+ Kxe8 27. Kf3 Kd7 28. Ke4 Kd6 {1/2-1/2 (28) Osnos,V-Krogius,N Budapest 1965}) (12. h3 {applies prophylaxis to the ...Bg4 idea, but then Black has time to shore up his position.} Be6 13. Bf4 Bf6 14. Qd2 b5 15. Rad1 Re8 16. Bg5 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxg5 18. Qd3 Qd7 19. b4 Be7 20. a3 Rac8 21. Nce2 Bf6 22. Nb3 Bf5 23. Qg3 Bc2 24. Rc1 Bxb3 25. Rxc8 Qxc8 26. Qxb3 Qc4 {Moliboga,V-Lyrberg,P (2425) Duisburg 1992 0-1 (32)}) 12... Bf6 {first major decision point. Also considered Re8 or exchanging on e5, which are Houdini's top two choices.} (12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 d4 14. Ne4 Bf5 {is the most active option.}) (12... Re8 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Bf4 Bf5 {is similar to the game continuation, but with some additional breathing room for Black.}) 13. Nxc6 bxc6 {this pawn structure didn't bother me too much, since I didn't think White could exploit the weakness of the c-pawn and it reinforces the d5 pawn well. The a-pawn is also weakened now, however.} 14. Bf4 {taking advantage of Black's 12th move, since the bishop cannot be easily challenged.} Re8 {played with the idea of exchanging rooks, to take advantage of the fact that the White queen is the next piece in line, so White cannot immediately seize the e-file.} (14... Qb6 {is the more active-looking choice, with threats to the d4 and b2 pawns. White would now be able to penetrate with the bishop on d6, however.} 15. Bd6 Rd8 16. Bc5) (14... a5 {is an interesting idea which I considered at various points, prmarily with the thought of developing with ...Ba6. Houdini likes it because ofthe possibility of developing with ...Ra7-e7.}) (14... Bg5 $6 15. Bxg5 Qxg5 16. Re5) 15. Rxe8+ Qxe8 16. Qd2 Bf5 {I decided getting the bishop out was most important at this point.} 17. Be5 {a typical computer handicap move.} (17. Re1 {is what I had expected.} Qd7) 17... Bxe5 $15 18. Re1 $2 {at the time, I thought that this move pinning the bishop would amount to the same thing as the immediate recapture, with White losing a pawn.} (18. dxe5 Qxe5 19. Re1) 18... f6 { the other option for winning a pawn is ... Bxh2+. I chose this move instead because of the strong center and passed d-pawn that would result.} (18... Bf4 $1 {is the win seen by Houdini. I did actually look at this variation in my calculation of candidate moves, but not far enough.} 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 $19 { at this point I saw that the Bf4 could not be taken due to the back-rank mate threat, but otherwise thought that the material was roughly equal and would not bring Black an advantage. However, Black can keep challenging the White queen based on the back-rank mate and gain a winning advantage. For example} 20. Qd1 Bc2 21. Qf1 Bd2 {and White cannot avoid the back-rank threat to his queen.}) 19. dxe5 $15 fxe5 20. Qg5 (20. Qe2 Rd8 $15) 20... Qe6 21. Na4 { the obvious plan to take advantage of the c5 hole and also pressure the a-pawn. } e4 22. Nc5 Qg6 {essentially forces an exchange, since Black would threaten .. .Bh3 after a retreat off the g-file.} 23. Qxg6 Bxg6 24. f3 {this marks the beginning of the endgame phase. I should have exchanged on f3, with a superior structure as a result.} Re8 (24... exf3 25. gxf3 Kf7 26. Nd7 $15 Rc8) 25. fxe4 $11 (25. Nxa6 $2 {would be too greedy.} e3 26. Nc5 d4 $19) 25... dxe4 { compared to the line in the variation, Black now has three weak pawns in the center and queenside and White will be able to stop the isolated passed e-pawn. } 26. Nxa6 {I had anticipated this and thought it simply helped Black's cause by breaking up White's pawns on the queenside in return.} Ra8 27. Nb4 c5 28. Nc6 Rxa2 29. Rf1 {threatening a back-rank mate after Ne7+} h6 30. Ne5 Be8 31. b3 Rb2 {Black threatens to win material: Rb2xb3} 32. Nc4 (32. Re1 Rxb3 33. Rxe4 Bb5 $15) 32... Rxb3 $17 {the position at first glance looks great for Black, but he will inevitably lose one of the pawns.} 33. Re1 Bb5 34. Rxe4 Rb4 35. Nd6 Rxe4 36. Nxe4 c4 37. Kf2 Kf8 38. Ke3 Ke7 (38... Bc6 {I find this idea later, but it should have been played sooner.} 39. Kd4 $17) 39. Kd4 (39. g3 {is how White could avoid losing the g2 pawn.} Bc6 40. Nf2 Bd5 $11) 39... Bc6 $17 40. Nd2 Bxg2 41. Nxc4 Kf6 42. Nd6 g5 43. Nc4 g4 {a premature advance of the unsupported g-pawn.} (43... h5 $5) 44. Ne5 $6 (44. Ke3 $5 $11) 44... Kf5 $17 { I had been hoping for this after the g4 push.} 45. Nf7 h5 46. Ne5 $2 {Houdini immediately sees a huge advantage for Black now.} (46. Ke3 Bc6 $17) 46... Kf4 ( 46... h4 47. Nd3 Bf1 48. Ne5 $19 Kf4 49. Ng6+ Kg5 50. Ne5 Kf5 {White's king now cannot move back to help stop the Black pawns without abandoning the knight, while any knight move will allow Black to push ...g3.}) 47. Nd3+ $2 { this would allow Black to make progress with the king.} (47. Ng6+ Kg5 48. Ne7 h4 $17) 47... Kg5 {here I became too conservative.} (47... Kf3 {is clearly better.}) 48. Ke3 (48. Ke5 Bb7 $15) 48... Bf1 {this limits the bishop's mobility too much.} 49. Nc5 Kh4 {what I had intended after the 47th move, although it is obvious that White is now in a much better position to defend.} 50. Kf4 Kh3 {this is now a draw.} (50... Bc4 51. Ne4 $15) 51. Ne4 $11 {one of Black's pawns will now fall in exchange for the h2 pawn. White can then sacrifice the knight for the other pawn if required.} Be2 52. Ng3 Bf3 53. Nxh5 Kxh2 54. Nf6 g3 55. Kxf3 g2 56. Ng4+ Kh1 57. Nf2+ Kh2 58. Ng4+ Kh1 59. Nf2+ { Twofold repetition} Kh2 60. Ng4+ 1/2-1/2

Studying opening lines: how much is enough?

When creating and then evolving our opening repertoire, whether through use of a simple database or other system, we are faced with an issue that may at first seem simple, but is in fact complex: when to stop?  In other words, how much is "enough" to include, when we are compiling and studying individual opening lines?

Opinions vary greatly on whether opening study should be emphasized at all for players below the professional level, so getting into a philosophical debate over the question is probably not going to be of great use, nor would it resolve anything.  Rather, I'd like to offer some practical observations and guidelines that have helped me in making effective repertoire and study choices.  Regardless of the emphasis you may choose to place on opening study, everybody has to have something prepared for the opening phase of the game.

The primary objective for me out of the opening is to get a playable middlegame position, not to try to achieve a winning advantage.  This is not the most aggressive approach, but it's not a bad one in terms of results, either.  The goals of all my opening lines are therefore to: 1) avoid losing to forced tactics in the opening, and 2) reach a middlegame where I evaluate my chances are no worse than my opponent's.

Goal #1 (not to lose!) is of course the most important limiting factor.  Regardless of your opening choices, there will be at least a few (sometimes many) lines where the opponent can sacrifice material or undertake a provocative maneuver that gives them an early attack.  For example, if there is a tactical sideline with forcing threats that eventually ends up equal after 12 moves into the game, but you only know through move 7, your preparation is both incomplete and risky.  At the Class level, opponents are typically not "booked up" and will play interesting-looking or aggressive moves in the opening rather than "knowing" they ultimately do not work or end up in equality.  This forces us to be prepared not just for lines that theory considers best and popular, but for threatening sidelines.  Examples:

• Slav Defense, Geller Gambit.  This pawn sacrifice normally gives White an initiative until around move 16-17 and Black can easily misstep if he does not understand the line.  You can see my simul against GM Alex Yermolinsky (Annotated Game #4) for an illustration of how the opening can be prepared (and how the endgame should not be played) in this line.
• Budapest Gambit (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5).  This whole opening is designed to be aggressive and trappy and is not easily dealt with by White.  In my tournament career, I've more than once been seated at a board next to a game where this gambit had been played and personally observed Black obtaining a won game in less than 10 moves, while White was completely bewildered by what had happened.

Goal #2 (reach an at least roughly equal position) is more flexible but also requires more judgment and evaluation.  With non-tactical sidelines or offbeat openings where there is no immediate threat from your opponent, sometimes just a basic idea of how to proceed can be enough, or perhaps knowing a sequence of 5-6 moves will set you up well for the middlegame after some additional standard developing moves.  In more complex cases, especially in whatever the main line is considered to be, there is more danger of your opponent (especially when you are Black) being able to emerge from the opening with at least a slight advantage.  Greater depth of move knowledge - and knowledge of why the moves are being made - is more critical here.  Examples:

• 1. b4 (Sokolsky Opening).  The standard advice I've seen is simply to play a Queen's Indian Defense setup against it as Black.  This worked out well in the one game I've ever played against it.
• Colle System.  I used to stop at move 3 with my preparation, which simply involved playing 3...Bf5 and then exchanging off the light-squared bishop.  This seemed to take most of the potential sting out of the system.  Following my game analysis here, my preparation has been extended out to move 5, for example as in Annotated Game #80, following the recognition from Annotated Games #75 and #78 that Black had to watch the b7-pawn more closely early on.
• Caro-Kann, Advance Variation.  Most recently shown in Annotated Game #74, there are several early sidelines to know and the main line of the variation is considered the most challenging to Black.

The last big factor I take into account in determining "how much is enough?" is my ability to retain and understand opening lines - which, like everyone's, is limited.  This naturally affects overall repertoire choice, choice of lines and also how far we will study a line until it is considered "enough".  Take the Colle System example above: if I know it will be a more frequent choice of my opponents, then for practical purposes I will devote more time to looking at effective ideas for Black.  However, I am satisfied that I can reach an equal position with my current knowledge level.  So, in the absence of another motivating factor, I am able to safely concentrate on other openings.  I've also deliberately limited the amount of theory to know in the Caro-Kann Advance by choosing the 3...c5 sideline, but it is still a critical variation to know and understand, so requires more attention during opening preparation time.

I look for practical results from opening preparation more than anything else and this approach has worked well, to the point where I can (and should) concentrate on other aspects of my game.  It is also important to highlight that opening study methods can (and should) go far beyond identification and memorization of lines, if you want to truly improve your game.

Double My Egg Nog (single serving) results

I now present the results from the first (and only) round of the chess blogger Double My Egg Nog tourney, as Annotated Games 80 and 81.  The tournament unfortunately was cut short due to real-life issues faced by some of the players.  The first game against Rocky Rook you can also check out from his perspective.  Early on, I could have obtained a better opening by switching to a Stonewall structure, but essentially I was doing OK against Rocky's Colle System until the miscalculation with 19...Ne4 which forcibly loses a pawn.  (An eerily similar mistake was documented in Annotated Game #78).  A much more tactical game then results, as I try to gain compensation for the pawn; in fact, I miss a winning tactic with a deflection/back-rank theme on move 24.  After some ups and downs, I could have in the end held the draw a pawn down, but was over-optimistic about trapping White's rook, which threatens to wreak devastation on Black's pawns instead and I resign.

In the second game, Robert Pearson tries to avoid my known openings with 1. Nc3!? but nonetheless ends up in a structure very similar to a Caro-Kann, which I felt comfortable enough playing.  Some of the opening problems posed were different, however, and I was able to identify some key improvements for my play during analysis.  After both sides castle queenside, the fireworks start when Robert speculatively offers a pawn sacrifice on move 13, which I eventually end up taking on move 15.  White then had a possible sequence to get to an equal but unbalanced material situation (queen vs. two rooks) but opted to play more conventionally.  However, White's next moves essentially help Black shift his pieces into better positions and then launch his own attack on White's more exposed king.  The threatened rook sacrifice by White on the a-file would have led to mate, but he never had the chance to carry out the threat, as Black crashed through and chased the king into a mating net.  A fun and dynamic game.

Annotated Game #80

[Event "rated standard match"] [Site "Free Internet Chess Server"] [Date "2013.01.05"] [Round "?"] [White "RockyRook"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteElo "1662"] [BlackElo "1666"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] {D04: Colle System} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Bd3 Bxd3 5. Qxd3 c6 { avoiding the issues with Qb5+} 6. b3 e6 7. O-O Nbd7 8. c4 Be7 (8... Bd6 { is the most popular move.} 9. c5 Bc7) (8... Ne4 {is the "hottest" move according to the database and goes for a Stonewall setup, something I considered over the next couple of moves. Here's a high-level example:} 9. Nfd2 f5 10. f3 Nxd2 11. Nxd2 Bd6 12. e4 Qh4 13. g3 Bxg3 14. hxg3 Qxg3+ 15. Kh1 Qh3+ 16. Kg1 Qg3+ {1/2-1/2 (16) Aleksandrov,A (2601)-Caruana,F (2680) Rijeka 2010}) 9. c5 {This push gains space, notes Houdini via the Fritz interface, but I don't think it does White any favors. No games in the database have it.} (9. Nbd2 O-O $11) 9... O-O 10. Nc3 {puts an end to thoughts of ...Ne4.} a5 { played in order to restrain b4. The immediate ...b6 is perhaps better.} 11. a4 (11. Na4 {is a possibility here, but White instead wants to use his knight on the kingside.}) 11... b6 {Black decides to attack the head of the pawn chain and focus on queenside play.} 12. cxb6 Qxb6 13. Ba3 {evidently the idea behind the a4 push.} Bxa3 14. Rxa3 Qb4 {Black's idea is to take advantage of the holes on the queenside.} 15. Rfa1 {I was pleased to see both of White's rooks occupied doing nothing useful on the a-file.} (15. Raa1 {is Houdini's recommendation.} Qxb3 16. Rfb1 Qc4 17. Qxc4 dxc4 $11 {Black's extra pawn is only temporary.}) 15... Rfc8 16. Ne2 Rab8 17. Nd2 Rc7 {unnecessary and slow.} ( 17... c5 18. R3a2 $15 cxd4 19. Qxd4 Qxd4 20. Nxd4 Ne5 {looks good for Black. The backward b-pawn will be a constant weakness for White.}) 18. R3a2 $11 Rcb7 19. Rc2 Ne4 {my first miscalculation, as the back-rank threat is still covered afterwards by White.} (19... Rc8 20. Rac1 $11) 20. Nxe4 $14 dxe4 21. Qxe4 c5 { I decided to go for complications here, since I didn't see any prospects after taking the pawn, although according to Houdini it was objectively best.} (21... Qxb3 22. Qxc6 Rb6 {I did not see this move during calculation, which would have held things together and ejected the queen. Qxd7 is not possible since that would leave the Rc2 hanging.} 23. Qc3 $14) 22. Rc4 {lets Black off the hook.} (22. Rac1 $5 $16 {and if} Qxb3 23. dxc5 {gives White a dominating position, although he still has to watch for back-rank ideas.}) 22... Qxb3 $11 23. dxc5 Qb2 {at this point I was feeling rather desperate, with the White c-pawn threatening ot advance, but Houdini shows an equal evaluation.} 24. Re1 $4 {with this move White loses his initiative} (24. Rcc1 Nxc5 25. Qc4 $11 Rc7) 24... Qd2 $4 {instead of simply winning the game, comments Houdini. There is a reasonably simple deflection motif here, based on the back-rank threat. However, I failed to re-evaluate the calculation of ...Rb1+, which did not work before due to the possibility of White blocking with Rc1. With both the Ne2 gone and the rook on e2, the tactic would now work.} (24... Qxe2 $1 25. Rcc1 (25. Rxe2 Rb1+) 25... Qa6 $19 {and Black is winning, for example} 26. c6 $2 Nf6) 25. Kf1 $16 {after this White has a won game.} Nf6 (25... Rb4 26. c6 Nf6 27. Rxb4 Qxb4 28. Qd3 $16) 26. Qc2 (26. Qd4 Rd7 27. Qxd2 Rxd2 $16) 26... Rb2 {deciding to try for activity on the 2nd rank, but leaving Black's 8th rank defenses weak.} (26... Qxc2 27. Rxc2 Rc8 28. c6 $16 Rbc7 {looks like a better practical try.}) 27. Qxd2 Rxd2 28. c6 Nd5 $2 {a blunder in a bad position, says Houdini.} (28... Ne8 $16) 29. Nd4 (29. c7 {forces things more effectively.} Rc8 30. Rb1 $18 Nb4 (30... Nxc7 $2 31. Rxc7) 31. Nd4 Kf8 32. Nb5 Ke7 33. Rbc1 {and now nothing can stop Na7.}) 29... Rbb2 30. Ne2 Nc7 31. Rd4 $16 Kf8 32. Rxd2 Rxd2 33. Rb1 Ke7 (33... e5 {would take the d4 square away from the knight.}) 34. Ke1 (34. Nd4 e5 35. Nb5 Ne6 $16) 34... Rc2 35. Nd4 Rc4 36. Nb5 $6 {Black should be able to draw after this.} (36. Rb7 Kd8 {was what I was expecting.}) 36... Rxc6 37. Nxc7 Rxc7 38. Rb5 Kd6 {too aggressive. I incorrectly thought that the White rook could be controlled and the a4 pawn won in exchange.} (38... Ra7 {is a defense that should hold without a real problem.}) 39. Rxa5 Kc6 40. Ke2 Kb6 41. Rb5+ Ka6 42. f4 Rc2+ {the final miscalculation.} 43. Kf3 Ra2 $2 44. Rb8 $18 Ka7 {should have been played earlier.} (44... Rxa4 {was my original intention, but Black is now lost due to his undefended kingside pawns. For example} 45. Rf8 f6 46. Rf7 e5 47. Rxg7 exf4 48. exf4 h5 49. Rg6 {and Black's material losses will be fatal.}) 45. Rf8 1-0

Annotated Game #81

[Event "rated standard match"] [Site "Free Internet Chess Server"] [Date "2013.01.06"] [Round "?"] [White "RLP"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D01"] [WhiteElo "1701"] [BlackElo "1594"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] {D01: Veresov Opening} 1. Nc3 d5 {avoiding possible transpositions to double king pawn openings (...e5) or the Sicilian (after ...c5)} 2. d4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bg4 (4... Bf5 {would be more in the spirit of a Slav defense. For example} 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 e6 7. e4 dxe4 8. Bxe4 Bxe4 9. Nxe4 Qb6 10. Bxf6 Nxf6 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 12. O-O Qxb2 13. Rb1 Qxa2 14. Rxb7 Qd5 15. Qd3 Bh6 16. c4 Qd6 17. Re1 O-O 18. Re4 Rfb8 19. Rxb8+ {Gausel,E (2325)-Moen,O (2285) Gausdal 1985 0-1 (36)}) 5. Qd3 $146 {out of the database on move 5! Done in preparation for queenside castling.} (5. Ne5 $5 {is how the majority of the handful of games in the database went.}) 5... Nbd7 {the knight essentially has to be developed to d7 anyway, plus it protects f6 again.} 6. e4 dxe4 7. Nxe4 {the position now has a structure similar to a Caro-Kann.} h6 {not the best solution, as driving back the bishop will give it a protected base at g3.} (7... e6) 8. Bh4 (8. Bxf6 {is Houdini's preference.} exf6 {taking the e5 square away from White's knight is important, as it could otherwise hop in after ...Nxf6.} 9. Qe3 Qa5+ 10. Nc3+ Be7 $11) 8... Qb6 {targeting b2 and developing to the queenside, in anticipation of White's next move.} (8... g5 {was a consideration here as well, but I thought it would leave Black's position too loose.} 9. Nxf6+ Nxf6 10. Bg3 Bg7 {would produce a very different type of game.}) (8... e6 {is the solid option, again.}) 9. O-O-O {White has an active position} O-O-O {Black typically also castles queenside in analagous Caro-Kann positions, as White's pieces otherwise have a strong kingside attack.} 10. Nxf6 exf6 {I wanted to reserve the knight for possible support of c5 and also to prevent Whtie playing Ne5 in the future.} 11. h3 {this seems like a tempo loss, just helping Black redeploy his bishop to target the queenside.} (11. Bg3 Be6 $11) 11... Be6 12. c4 {White starts getting threats rolling on the queenside. Black now has to take into consideration threats of both d5 and c5 pawn advances.} Qa6 { I thought for a whille on the best position for the queen, a6 or a5. Houdini prefers a5.} (12... Qa5 13. Qb3 g5 14. Bg3 f5 15. Kb1 f4 16. Bh2 Bg7 {looks pretty good for Black.}) 13. Qc3 $2 {this pawn sacrifice turns out to be dubious, but this wasn't clear immediately.} (13. Kb1 Nb6 14. b3 Qa5 $11) 13... Kb8 $6 {here I didn't take the a2 pawn, worried about the initiative White might get if I went pawn snatching. However, Black should go ahead and take it. } (13... Qxa2 14. Bd3 {nothing better} Nb6 {and now} 15. d5 {doesn't work because of} ({nor does} 15. Kc2) 15... Na4 {which is a key move in a number of variations (that I did not see at the time).} 16. Bb1 (16. Qc2 Nxb2 17. Qxb2 Ba3) 16... Nxc3 17. Bxa2 Nxa2+) 14. Bg3+ Ka8 15. Bd3 {a sensible developing move, but White misses his chance to force the issue in the center.} (15. d5 Bf5 16. dxc6 bxc6 $14 (16... Qxc6 $2 17. Nd4 Qc5 18. Nxf5 Qxf5 19. Be2 $18)) 15... Qxa2 $11 {I finally decide the pawn is worth having, not seeing a forcing continuation for White leading to an advantage.} 16. Nd2 {if White intended to take the initiative for the pawn, he should have immediately threatened to trap the queen with a subsequent Ra1, which in any case would give White the a-file.} (16. Kd2 Nb6 17. Ra1 Nxc4+ 18. Bxc4 Qxc4 19. Rxa7+ { we will see this idea later in the actual game} Kxa7 20. Ra1+ Qa6 21. Rxa6+ bxa6 22. Qxc6 Bb4+ 23. Kd3 $11) 16... Nb6 $17 {increases the pressure on c4 and makes the knight more active.} 17. Bb1 (17. Bc7 $5 {was a possibility I had considered.} Qa1+ 18. Kc2 Qa4+ 19. Qb3 Qxb3+ 20. Nxb3 Rd7 $15) 17... Qa4 18. c5 {this appears to simply improve Black's position, but the c-pawn otherwise would be difficult to protect. White's forces are tangled up on the kingside and his king position has holes in it which the Black queen and light-square bishop can expoit.} Nd5 19. Qf3 $2 (19. Qb3 Qxb3 (19... Qxd4 $2 { doesn't work here, since the Black queen cannot escape along the 4th rank.} 20. Ne4) 20. Nxb3 b6 $17) 19... Nb4 $6 {Houdini prefers to go ahead and take on d4. I had thought White would gain some extra activity and it would not be worth it. However:} (19... Qxd4 $5 20. Nb3 Qc4+ 21. Qc3 $19 {and Black is two pawns up with no evident compensation for White.}) 20. Ne4 {White continues to pass up chances to play more defensively and exchange queens. An exchange would make sense because Black's queen is much more active and has mate threats, while White's queen threatens comparatively little. However, this would essentially doom White to a defensive struggle, which my opponent evidently was not interested in.} (20. Qa3 Qxa3 21. bxa3 Nd5 $17) 20... Na2+ (20... Bb3 { I had thought about this move, which Houdini prefers, but wasn't able to see a concrete way to make progress afterwards. It would make Black's subsequent threats more potent.} 21. Rd2 (21. Nc3 Qa1 $19) (21. Rde1 Bc2 22. Nc3 Qa1) 21... Na2+ 22. Bxa2 Qxa2) 21. Bxa2 $17 Qxa2 22. Nc3 (22. Qa3 $5 $17) 22... Qc4 23. Qe3 {not the ideal square, as we'll soon see.} (23. Qe4 {would cover f5 and keep the queen on the more valuable h1-a8 diagonal.} Be7 $17) 23... g5 { I knew at this point it was critical for Black to activate the dark-square bishop or at minimum get it out of the way of the rooks. This was played with the idea of an eventual ...f5, giving the bishop the long diagonal.} (23... Be7 $19 {was the simpler way to get the bishop out and connect the rooks.}) 24. Kc2 $2 {this loses by prematurely exposing the king. At the time I thought Robert must have missed the possibility of ...Bf5.} (24. h4 Rg8 $17) 24... Bg7 $17 { I was still fixated on getting the bishop out.} (24... Bf5+ {could have been played immediately.} 25. Kc1 Qa6 {with the threat of ...Qa1+}) 25. Ra1 $2 { Houdini gives this a question mark, but it is perhaps the best practical chance for White at this point, threatening mate with a rook sac on a7.} (25. Kc1 $5 $17) 25... Bf5+ $19 {Black spots the sac and doesn't give White the time to execute it.} 26. Kd2 (26. Kc1 Rxd4 27. Rd1 Rxd1+ 28. Kxd1 $19) 26... Rxd4+ {after this breakthrough, White's position is hopeless.} 27. Qxd4 Qxd4+ 28. Ke2 Re8+ (28... Qd3+ 29. Ke1 Re8+ 30. Be5 Rxe5+ 31. Ne4 Rxe4#) 29. Kf3 (29. Kf1 $19 {praying for a miracle}) 29... g4+ {I saw this mate and went for it.} ( 29... g4+ 30. hxg4 Bxg4#) (29... Qd3#) 0-1