Annotated Game #290: Winning is good enough

This second-round tournament game saw me employ the Stonewall as Black against my opponent's Colle-Zukertort setup. I don't the the matchup of structures is favorable to White, although some tactical ideas did pop up in the middlegame related to the idea of freeing the Bb2 and creating a Q+B battery on the long diagonal. My kingside pressure was too great, however, and once I found the winning idea on move 18, it was essentially over.

It is worth highlighting that there was a better winning idea on move 19, but I struggled to calculate that particular line. Once I realized that the other line also won, however, I did not waste further mental energy in trying to figure out which was the best winning move - it did not matter. This I think is a valuable practical choice in tournament games, often encountered more in the endgame; who cares if it takes an extra several moves to win, if there is a simple way to do so? Winning in the end is good enough.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D30"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "44"] [GameId "2069779515183161"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 c6 {actually the second most popular move in the database, after ...Nf6.} 3. e3 e6 (3... Bf5 {would interrupt the standard Colle System plan, although after c2-c4 we would end up in a Slow Slav.}) 4. Bd3 f5 {the Stonewall formation.} 5. O-O Nf6 6. b3 {leading to a Colle-Zukertort setup.} Bd6 7. Bb2 O-O (7... Qe7 {normally is a better preparatory move, dominating the f8-a3 diagonal. However, White has just played Bb2, so castling seems like a better investment of time.}) 8. Nbd2 Ne4 {since this is the best place for the knight, moving it is not premature, although it is not necessary.} (8... Bd7 {followed by ...Be8-h5 is another standard maneuver.}) 9. c4 Nd7 10. cxd5 exd5 $11 {following the normal Stonewall rule of capturing with the e-pawn following an exchange on d5. The Bc8 is given more scope as a result, while the c6 pawn blocks the semi-open file.} 11. Ne5 Qe7 {joining the fight for e5 and getting off the back rank.} 12. Ndf3 Rf6 {long think here to decide on a plan. In this position, a rook on h6 should be effectively placed.} (12... Ndf6 {I also considered; both options are validated by the engine.}) 13. a3 $6 {this idea is too slow.} Rh6 $15 14. b4 g5 {going for the direct approach, threatening to push away the Nf3.} 15. h3 Bxe5 $6 {the idea was to remove the defender of g4, but it would be much better to, in effect, add two minor piece attackers on the kingside with} (15... Ndf6 $1 {also unleashing the Bc8.}) 16. dxe5 g4 {this still creates threats that are difficult to address, however.} 17. Bxe4 (17. e6 $1 {my opponent found this surprising idea one move later, when it was too late.} Ndf6 18. Bxe4 fxe4 19. Ne5 {is the point, as the square is now available for the knight.} gxh3 20. g4 $1 {now holds things together after} Bxe6 21. Kh1 $11) 17... fxe4 $6 {taking with the wrong pawn.} (17... dxe4 {White cannot do anything with the d-file and there is now an extra advanced pawn on the attack.}) 18. e6 $2 (18. Nh2 {and White survives after} gxh3 19. f4 exf3 20. e6 {again a key idea, opening the long diagonal and allowing a Q+B battery to be formed.} (20. Rxf3 Nxe5 21. Qd4 Qg7 22. Rf2 Rh5 23. Raf1 Be6 $17)) 18... gxf3 $1 $19 {now White's fate is inevitable, as he does not have enough defenders available on the kingside.} 19. exd7 Qg5 {found after a careful think. The immediate mate threat on g2 means White does not have time to execute his own threats.} (19... Bxd7 {I rejected due to an inability to correctly visualize / calculate the sequence after Qd4. However, once I found the win with ...Qg5, this was not critical.} 20. Qd4 Qg5 21. Qh8+ Kf7 22. Qg7+ Qxg7 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 $19) 20. dxc8=Q+ (20. d8=Q+ Qxd8 21. Qd4 Qg5 22. Qh8+ Kf7 23. Qg7+ Qxg7 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 $19) 20... Rxc8 21. g3 Rxh3 22. Qd4 Rxg3+ 0-1

Annotated Game #289: A Stonewall Attack annoyance

This first-round tournament game demonstrated how it is best to have some flexibility with the Stonewall Attack, especially when faced with an annoying early ...Bg4 by Black. In this case, I would have benefited more by taking it into Slow Slav territory, with c2-c4 followed by Qb3, rather than continuing with the Stonewall approach. That allowed my opponent to easily equalize and break with an early ...e5 in the center, although after some careful thought I was able to neutralize his initiative.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D04"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "51"] [GameId "2099915250376804"] {[%evp 0,12,25,26,13,5,19,-7,43,29,30,23,36,-35,-31]} 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 c6 4. Nf3 {this allows the annoying follow-up pin, although the alternative may not be to everyone's liking.} (4. Nd2 Bg4 5. Ne2 $5 (5. f3 $5)) 4... Bg4 5. Nbd2 (5. c4 $5 {a typical reaction when the Bc8 moves early, allowing for Qb3 while pressuring the center.}) 5... Nbd7 6. O-O e5 {this pawn lever comes as no surprise. Exchanging the pawn is the best engine choice, although I also considered e3-e4 as an interesting alternative.} 7. dxe5 (7. e4 dxe4 (7... exd4 $6 8. Re1 $16) 8. Bxe4 exd4 9. Re1 Be7 10. Nb3 $11) 7... Nxe5 8. Be2 {a necessary concession.} Bxf3 {this is certainly good enough to assure equality, although not overly amibitious.} 9. Nxf3 Bd6 10. b3 {The Bc1 obviously belongs on b2.} O-O 11. Bb2 Qc7 {threatening the h2 pawn.} 12. h3 {here I spotted the tactical problem of the Nf3 being exchanged off and the h2 pawn hanging. However, the text move was not the only solution.} (12. Nd4 $5 {this is more active; Black's Ne5 does not have any good options for a discovered attack by the Q+B battery on h2.}) 12... Rae8 13. Rc1 (13. c4 {I considered, but didn't like because of} dxc4 14. bxc4 {splitting the pawns; however, Dragon 3.2 assesses there is dynamic compensation with the two bishops, plus at least temporary control of d5.}) (13. Nd4 {again is an excellent place for the knight, which has the f5 square available.}) 13... Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 Be5 {I missed this idea, although it is not dangerous.} 15. Ba3 $5 {I thought this was the only way to keep some potential play going in the position, with minimal risk. My opponent did not choose the critical continuation, validating the choice to give him opportunities to deviate.} (15. Bxe5 Qxe5 16. Qd2 $11) 15... Bd6 (15... c5 {is the most challenging, even if still just equal.}) 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 {the exchange leaves Black's queen on a worse square, and I finally get in c2-c4, without a pawn structure compromise.} 17. c4 Rd8 18. cxd5 {I thought for a while here; there is nothing better.} Nxd5 19. Qe2 {clearing the square for a rook while defending on the 2nd rank.} Qf6 20. Qc4 {preventing ...Nc3} h6 {evidently played to avoid future back rank tactics.} 21. Rfd1 {time to get the rook into play.} Nb6 22. Qc2 (22. Qb4 $5 $14 {and the more active queen still gives White a slight edge.}) 22... Rxd1+ {now the game is headed for full equality again.} 23. Rxd1 Rd8 24. Be4 {thought for a while here, found nothing better. I did not expect my opponent to fall into a back-rank mate, which is possible now that the h7 square is covered by my bishop, but I figured it was still worth playing.} Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 g6 {no more back-rank problem (again).} 26. Qc2 {here I offered a draw, as there is no prospect for making further progress. The engine agrees.} 1/2-1/2

Psychology Today article: "The Making of Mental Energy"

One of the keys to my progress in chess (or alternatively sub-par performance) has been the management of mental energy, as mentioned in The Long Journey to Class A. We often tend not to take into sufficient account the energy requirements of our brain during extended mental efforts, although it is a part of our body that needs it as much - actually much more - than our muscles during physical activity.

I recently ran across the Psychology Today article "The Making of Mental Energy" which reminded me of its importance. It also serves as a short and useful background to the topic, including how to manage your energy inputs. One excerpt from the introduction helps frame the situation:

It's only 2 percent of your body weight, but your brain consumes 20 to 25 percent of your metabolic energy. And that's just on idle, the energy cost to keep your 86 billion neurons and give-or-take 164 trillion synapses on standby.

Once the brain is activated, energy demands quickly multiply. Paying attention is an energy-guzzler requiring mental effort, the application of self-control. Decision-making, empathy, even meditation consume mental resources. Taking in information and processing it, conducting a quick inventory check against memory, maintaining focus and interest, to say nothing of suppressing distraction - whew, it's exhausting just thinking about it.

This of course describes chess-related mental tasks quite well, so the applicability of the topic should be obvious. Now I just need to do a better job of it myself...

Annotated Game #288: Losing by rote

In this final-round tournament game, it's my opponent who seemingly loses by rote. I'd seen him play the same setup as White previously, although I hadn't prepared anything specific for it. The Reti/fianchetto/English type opening was not challenging at all for Black, and I had fully equalized by move 7. After that, my opponent did not seem to have much of a plan and soon ended up down a pawn for no compensation. Some of my own games have certainly followed a similar trajectory, so it was good to feel sharp this time and hungrier to create something new, rather than drift planless out of the opening.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "5"] [White "Class A"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A11"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "82"] [GameId "2063048253468751"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. c4 Bg4 (4... dxc4 {scores much better in the database. White will need time to recover the pawn.}) 5. cxd5 (5. Ne5 $5 Bf5) 5... cxd5 (5... Bxf3 $5 {is the engines' choice, simplifying further and slightly misplacing White's bishop.}) 6. h3 {although the bishop is now chased away or eliminated, White spends another tempo to do so without gaining anything.} (6. Ne5 {is again an interesting idea, hitting the bishop with a little more initiative.}) 6... Bh5 7. g4 Bg6 $11 8. Nc3 e6 9. Ne5 $6 {now this does not come with tempo, so in fact hurts White's development.} Nc6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 $15 {White exchanges his central knight for my constrained light-square bishop, which I was fine with. The semi-open h-file is also of potential future use.} 11. d4 Bd6 {this seemed the most flexible choice for the bishop.} (11... Bb4 {I also considered.}) 12. Bg5 $6 {White already has problems finding decent moves to make. The pin on the knight does not have much point to it.} Qb6 {long think here, to make sure the idea worked. Both the b2 and d4 pawns are now hanging.} 13. Qb3 $2 {this allows forced simplification with a material advantage.} (13. O-O $15) 13... Qxb3 14. axb3 Nxd4 $17 {this is just a free pawn, and my developed pieces are also better-placed, while White's doubled b-pawns are quite weak.} 15. Ra4 $6 {an attempt at activity, but White's threats can be refuted.} (15. O-O-O $17) 15... Nxb3 {another long think here. Eventually I decided that at worst I'd be two pawns up, if my opponent chose to go for the two bishops, and I would be happy to play that out.} 16. Nb5 Kd7 {defending both the Bd6 and against the fork on c7.} 17. Nxd6 Kxd6 $19 {although White can now castle, there are not enough threats remaining against my centralized king to compensate for the material. I do have to be careful, however, about ideas of e2-e4 and attempting to open the center.} 18. O-O {I now had the longest think of the game here. There are multiple ways to play this out; I chose the third best according to the engine, which is still winning.} Nc5 {guarding b7 and forcing the Ra4 to make a choice.} (18... a5 {is the engine's choice, but riskier-looking.} 19. e4 Nxe4 20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. Rd1+ Kc6 22. Rxe4 Nc5 $19) (18... Nd7 {was the other good option, repositioning the knight.}) 19. Rf4 $2 {this attempt at making further threats results in closing off the Bg5's ability to retreat.} Nfe4 (19... Nh7 {is even more effective, but I did not even consider the knight retreat.}) 20. Bxe4 (20. b4 {this avoids greater material loss, but Black ends up with three extra pawns, including the two connected ones on the queenside, which should easily win.} Nxg5 21. bxc5+ Kxc5 22. Rc1+ Kd6 $19) 20... Nxe4 {an example of a "reloader" tactic, renewing the same threat to the bishop, which cannot be avoided.} 21. h4 f6 $19 22. Ra1 Nc5 {here I wanted to extract the knight, block the c-file and protect b7 again; I had the time, since the bishop cannot get away.} 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Rxf6 Rxh4 25. Rxg6 {perhaps my opponent thought the passed g-pawn would somewhat compensate for the material.} Rah8 {For once I avoid materialistic thinking and emphasize the rook activity, which generates a skewer threat against the Kg1 and Ra1. At this point the win is inevitable, unless I blunder. The Black rooks dominate White's separated ones, and my extra knight is also centralized and mobile.} 26. Kg2 {forced} Rh2+ 27. Kf3 Rf8+ $6 {I wasn't able to visualize the mate here and just concentrated on doubling my rooks on the 2nd rank and winning more material.} (27... R8h3+ 28. Kf4 Rxf2+ 29. Kg5 Ne4#) 28. Ke3 Rfxf2 29. Re1 {I had a long think here again and decided to mobilize the queenside pawns, which would also remove a potential target from a White rook on the 7th rank.} a5 30. Kd2 b5 31. Kd1 Rf4 {harassing the g-pawn and making the rook mobile on the 4th rank.} 32. Rg8 Rg2 33. g5 Rc4 {final long think, to make sure that the mating net would work.} 34. Kd2 Rg3 35. e3 Rg2+ 36. Re2 Nb3+ 37. Kd3 Nc1+ 38. Kd2 Rxe2+ 39. Kd1 Rcc2 40. g6 Nb3 41. g7 {perhaps hoping that I would blunder and miss the mate in one, but} (41. Rd8+ Ke5 {and mate is unstoppable.}) 41... Rcd2# 0-1

Annotated Game #287: A failure of X-ray imagination

For this next tournament game, the notable lessons found in analysis were my failure to visualize X-ray tactics/patterns, the subject of the previous post, along with a general lack of imagination in understanding how I could regroup my forces to pursue a winning attack. An opening surprise did not help, as I adopted a mentality that was too defensive afterwards, although I will give myself credit for rallying after the material loss.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "54"] [GameId "2054698018771000"] 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 e6 4. f4 {heading for a Stonewall formation.} Nbd7 5. Nf3 c5 6. c3 b6 7. Nbd2 Bb7 8. O-O Bd6 9. Ne5 {the classic Stonewall setup. White has various choices for a plan to follow, depending on Black's next moves.} Qc7 {this is a more effective move than it appears to be at first glance, and I did not take into account the x-ray on c3 from the queen's new position.} 10. b3 $6 {I did not see that my opponent could penetrate with her queen on c3 until after I played this, being unfamiliar with the queen location and (breaking my throught process rules) not looking for my opponent's response; instead, I was focusing on how I would develop the Bc1.} (10. Qf3 {with play on the kingside is indicated here.}) 10... cxd4 $15 11. cxd4 Qc3 {this penetration and queen fork of the Ra1 and Bd3 looks very threatening, but Black also has to be careful of getting the queen trapped. I recognized that much, so did not despair completely. However, I did not play the critical continuation, which would have been to occupy c4 with a knight.} 12. Rb1 $6 (12. Ndc4 {I only briefly considered trying to trap the queen here and did not pay enough attention to the idea. The key is the threat to the hanging Bd6.} dxc4 (12... Bxe5 13. Bb2 Qxd3 14. Qxd3 dxc4 15. bxc4 $17 {Black has three pieces for queen and pawn and they will be well-positioned, but this is still not terrible for White. For example} Be4 16. Qb3 Bd6 17. Ba3 Bxa3 18. Qxa3 {and I would be happy playing this out, with Black's king stuck in the center.}) (12... Qxa1 $2 13. Nxd6+ Ke7 14. Qd2 $18) 13. Nxc4 Bf8 14. Bb2 Qb4 {And now White can trap the queen or go for an attack.} 15. Ba3 (15. f5 $5 {with an attack.}) 15... Qxa3 {the best, as the queen can be taken after retreating.} (15... Qb5 16. Nd6+ Bxd6 17. Bxb5 $16) 16. Nxa3 Bxa3 $11) 12... Bxe5 {correctly removing the protector of the Bd3 first.} 13. fxe5 Qxd3 14. exf6 {and now my opponent was too tempted by} Qxe3+ $2 (14... Nxf6 $17 {consolidates the advantage.}) 15. Kh1 {now the engine shows White with an advantage - the Black king in the center and under threat outweighs the material inadvertently sacrificed.} Qd3 (15... O-O) 16. Rf3 {played after a long think. This maximizes the chances for Black to go further wrong.} (16. Nc4 {I thought about this idea for a long time, echoing the move 12 situation, but correctly concluded it did not work.} dxc4 {is the simple refutation, although I had a hard time visualizing this.}) (16. fxg7 {immediately is also good.} Rg8 17. Rf3 $16) 16... Qg6 (16... Qxd4 $16) 17. fxg7 {this seemed like the only option at the time.} (17. Ba3 $1 {is the much stronger follow-up.} Nxf6 18. Rc1 $18 {fixing the king in the center and continuing the attack should produce a win; however, I was too focused on the material balance.}) 17... Qxg7 18. Rg3 $18 {here I still have a great deal of pressure and nice attack, however.} Qf8 19. Nf3 {mobilizing the knight and the Bc1.} Nf6 20. Ne5 (20. Qf1 {would have created more threats with an x-ray on the Nf6, but occupying the e5 outpost immediately was too tempting.}) 20... Ne4 {threatening the fork on f2. I thought for a while here, eventually deciding the rook would be better placed on the f-file anyway.} 21. Rf3 {the safe move.} (21. Qe2 $1 {the idea of sacrificing an exchange did occur to me at various points, but not this early.} Nxg3+ 22. hxg3 {visually this just looks bad for White, with the weak doubled g-pawns, but White's remaining pieces all become more powerful now.} a6 23. Qh5 Rg8 24. Bh6 Qe7 25. Rf1 {now all the White pieces are in action against the king, while Black has a R+B on the queenside that are not effectively playing.} Rg6 {and now} 26. Kg1 $1 {is the engine line, avoiding potential future x-rays on the h-file. Black's g6 rook cannot escape, so White can improve the position at leisure, or strike immediately if Black attempts to force the issue. For example} f6 27. Nxg6 hxg6 28. Qxg6+ Qf7 29. Rxf6 $19) 21... f5 $2 {the wrong f-pawn move, leaving holes behind in its wake.} (21... f6 $11) 22. Qe1 {again thinking too defensively. The key is to further activate White's pieces on the attack. Ideas include} (22. b4 a6 23. Bf4 Rc8 24. b5 a5 25. Rc1 $18) (22. Bf4 Qb4 23. Rc1 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Bxc8 25. Qc1 $18) 22... Qe7 23. Bd2 (23. Bf4) 23... Rg8 24. g3 {continued unnecessarily cautious play leads to my attack possibilities evaporating, at least temporarily.} (24. Rc1) 24... Rc8 $14 {now Black's rook gets to the c-file first.} 25. Rc1 Rxc1 26. Qxc1 Qd6 $2 (26... Kd8 $14) 27. Bf4 {making several threats, but none decisive.} (27. Bh6 $1 {is found by the engine. At this point I did not see how to rearrange my pieces to continue the attack in his manner. One of the points is to allow for the maneuver Qf4-h4, as well as to prevent Black from using g7 and f8.}) 27... Qe7 $18 {and here my opponent offered a draw. I thought for several minutes, not seeing how I could make progress anymore down the c-file. The engine could have done it, however, in various ways starting with the maneuver Re3-e2, or Qc2 followed by Rf1 and Qe2.} (27... Rg7 $16) 1/2-1/2