Annotated Game #329: A Caro-Kann gambit revalidated

This next tournament game saw me as Black equalize early, in one of the very few Caro-Kann gambit lines (Advance Variation with 3...c5). My Expert-level opponent was clearly unfamiliar with this line, which sacrifices a pawn but allows Black dynamic compensation or to regain the material. White, despite some reasonable-looking moves, lost the initiative early and then allowed a tactic which gave me a winning (but not won) position. There was plenty of play left, but the main inflection point was on move 20, where calculation exhaustion led to sub-par results for me in both the calculation and evaluation process. The trajectory of the game continued downwards after that, despite some other chances for me to regain a major advantage.

Despite the loss, the parts of the game where I did play well helped re-validate the opening choice and my knowledge of how to press an advantage. As often occurs in hindsight, playing more simply and with more clarity than complexity would have given me a better game.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Expert"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "63"] [GameId "2254663898369393"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. dxc5 {entering the gambit line.} e6 {solid, but does not take advantage of Black's move order with ...Nc6.} (5... Bg4 {however felt a little loose to me at the time.}) 6. Be3 {the natural move, keeping the pawn.} Nge7 {standard development of the knight.} (6... Nh6 $5 {is an alternate way to play. This takes advantage of the fact that White has already moved the bishop once, so in effect it is a gain of tempo if the bishop takes on h6.} 7. Bxh6 gxh6 8. Bb5 Bxc5 {Black regains the pawn, accepting a long-term kingside pawn weakness but a half-open g-file to play with.}) 7. c4 {played after some thought by my opponent, who was evidently not familiar with this line.} Nf5 $11 {this obvious move now immediately equalizes, with the positional threat of capturing on e3.} 8. Qd2 $6 {apparently the purpose was to allow White to recapture on e3 with the queen, but this still allows me to get the two bishops and the initiative.} (8. Bg5 Be7 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. cxd5 exd5 $11) 8... Nxe3 {I decided to go for the simplifying piece exchange, rather than play ...d4 and keep the bishop on the board. Black's (slight) advantage was clearer to me this way.} (8... d4 $5 9. Bf4 {is definitely messier, with the engine suggesting ...f6 as a follow-up.}) 9. Qxe3 d4 {played now, after a good deal of thought. Objectively, it does not give me an advantage, but it does provide full compensation for the pawn. This is more of an attacking move, also controlling c3 and e3.} (9... Qa5+ $5 {was my main alternative, looking to recapture on c5 with the double attack. Now White has to be careful, for example} 10. Nc3 $2 (10. Qd2 {is safest.} Qxd2+ (10... dxc4 $5 {would be a way to keep the queens on the board.} 11. Bxc4 Qxc5) 11. Nbxd2 Bxc5 12. cxd5 exd5 {during the game, I didn't like the idea of having an isolated queen pawn position here, although the engine gives Black (who has the two bishops in an open position) a slight edge.}) 10... Bxc5 {with the threat of d5-d4.}) 10. Qe4 Bxc5 {a logical move, restoring material equality, and I could find nothing better here, although the White queen's placement looked awkward to me.} (10... f5 $5 {is the engine recommendation.} 11. exf6 gxf6 {I actually did think about this briefly, but did not like how airy my king now looked. On the upside, Black now has a more dominant central pawn mass.} 12. Qh4 h5 {taking away the h5 square from the White queen} 13. Nbd2 e5 $15 {Black's central pawn chain provides an advantage, while the king is safe enough.}) 11. Nbd2 a5 {I had another significant think here, primarily about preventing a3/b4 ideas for White. This is a thinking process improvement, paying more attention to preventing my opponent's plans.} 12. O-O-O {I was glad to see this appear on the board, since it seemed to validate my queenside-oriented play. However, it is not in fact bad, and things are still equal.} a4 {the correct reaction, restraining White's b-pawn and preparing to advance further if not stopped.} 13. a3 Qe7 {forming a Q+B battery against a3, with potential sacrificial ideas.} 14. Qc2 {bringing the queen back for defense.} Bd7 {another long think here. There is no decisive tactical continuation, so getting the bishop developed seemed logical.} 15. Bd3 $2 {this is a blunder, allowing the tactical strike} (15. Kb1 $11) 15... Bxa3 $1 {this is a deflection tactic, although it takes another move to fully form.} 16. Ne4 {deciding to preserve the b-pawn.} (16. bxa3 Qxa3+ 17. Qb2 Qxd3 $19 {snapping up the hanging bishop.}) 16... Bc5 $19 {I debated for a while which retreat square, and picked the less good option, although I should still be winning. The text move seemed more solid, defending the d4 pawn again, and I would have been fine with a simplifying minor piece exchange.} (16... Bb4 $19 {would be superior for attacking purposes, however, for example} 17. Kb1 a3 18. b3 O-O $19) 17. Kb1 b6 {this move was the result of over-fancy and inaccurate calcuation involving a potential White capture on c5, although again Black should still be winning.} (17... Nb4 {was the most obviously good move.}) (17... a3 $5 18. b3 Nb4 $19) 18. Qd2 a3 {correctly pressing the advantage.} 19. b3 a2+ (19... Bb4 {I seriously considered, but again rejected placing the bishop on this excellent attacking square.}) 20. Ka1 Na5 $6 {this move was the real let-down, not being able to handle the calculations and evaluations after a prolonged stressful sequence. The threat to b3 is easily handled.} (20... Bb4 $1) (20... O-O {would have sufficed to maintain a strong advantage, but I did not like castling and appearing to place the king in the White pieces' sights.}) 21. Bc2 $1 $17 (21. Be2 $2 Nxb3+ $1) 21... Bc6 $6 {now king safety starts becoming more of an issue for me, as well as having the Rh8 out of play.} (21... O-O) 22. Qf4 $6 {my opponent keeps giving me chances to maintain an advantage, but at this point my understanding of the position has failed.} (22. Nd6+ $5 Bxd6 23. exd6 Qxd6 24. Nxd4 O-O $11) 22... Bxe4 $6 (22... Bb4 $1 {again is best, as the mate threat on c3 cannot be ignored.} 23. Rd3 Bxe4 24. Qxe4 O-O $19) 23. Qxe4 Qa7 $2 {wrong major piece on a7.} (23... Ra7 24. Nxd4 g6 {preparing ...O-O and with at least a small dynamic advantage for Black.}) 24. Nxd4 Bxd4+ {exchanging off a good minor piece, but now White dominates the d-file.} (24... Qb7 {essentially forcing the exchange would be the best defense, but I did not consider the possibility.}) 25. Rxd4 g6 $4 {right general idea, but wrong execution.} (25... Rc8 {and now} 26. b4 $2 {does not work due to} Nc6 $19) 26. b4 $1 {now White just rolls over my position.} Nb7 27. Qc6+ Kf8 28. Rd7 Qa3 29. Qf3 Qxf3 30. gxf3 {the queen trade is no relief, due to White's dominant pieces, especially the Rd7.} Ra7 31. Be4 Kg7 32. Rxb7 1-0

Training quote of the day #57: Mikhail Shereshevsky

 

From Associative Thinking: How to Connect Patterns and Creativity in Chess by Mikhail Shereshevsky
(Highlighted in IM John Watson's "Books and Beyond" column in the August 2025 Chess Life)

“How does one achieve a high level of play in all stages of a chess game? It seems that everything is simple: learn your openings, work on typical middlegame positions, practice calculating variations and improve your endgame technique. But as soon as you start working on any stage of a chess game, you will encounter the same problem — a huge load on the memory. … In any case, you will try to learn most of the information mechanically, which, of course, is boring and ineffective. What should you do? Stop rote learning, turn on your curiosity, come up with a vivid image for the technique being studied and remember it as an association. And most likely, at the right moment you will recognize it and understand how you need to act.”

Training quote of the day #56: Amishi P. Jha, PhD

  

From Peak Mind by Amishi P. Jha, PhD:

To Reclaim Your Whiteboard, Press Play  

I used to think mindfulness was about hitting the "pause" button, which to me always felt artificial or idealistic. Life has no pause button - why pretend it does? But when we're talking about stabilizing attention and developing a peak mind, what we're actually looking for is a play button. We need to stop holding down the rewind or fast-forward buttons and stay in play, to experience every note in the song of our lives, to hear and take in what's happening around us.

Annotated Game #328: What to do in the Colle?

This first-round tournament game highlights the dilemma of what to do in the early middlegame in the Colle. The critical point is around moves 9-11, where I decide to pursue a too-aggressive attacking posture on the kingside. My opponent correctly counters using his pressure down the c-file, but then prematurely throws away his advantage. However, I maintain my too-aggressive attitude and give him too much play on the 2nd rank, falling prey to a skewer tactic. I then made him work for the win, but he finishes off the game in a technically sound manner.

The main takeaways for me from the analysis are: 1) a better understanding of the dynamics around the e4 square in the Colle, 2) need for a more objective strategic mindset, and 3) the danger of ignoring CCT (checks, captures, and threats) when considering my opponent's options (see move 22).

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "78"] [GameId "2252245588545674"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 c5 {the second most popular move in the database, after ...d5.} 4. Bd3 d5 {transposing to the main Colle line.} (4... cxd4 5. exd4 {and play continues, with White having the bishop freed on the c1-h6 diagonal.}) 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bb2 Be7 {one of the particular Black knight/bishop combination setups in the main line Colle that needs to be understood by the White player.} 7. O-O O-O 8. Nbd2 b6 {quickest development for the Bc8.} 9. Ne5 {threatening to play Nc6 if Black delays playing} Bb7 10. f4 {first major think here. White has several worthy ideas to pursue and it's not clear which sequence is best (or simply preferable at the time). The text move is the most aggressive.} (10. Qe2 {is a useful waiting move, connecting the rooks and placing the queen on the e-file.}) (10. Qf3 $5 {is an alternative, directly controlling e4.}) 10... Rc8 {logical rook development.} 11. g4 $6 {either of the previous developing queen moves is better. This is too committal, too early.} Ne4 {taking advantage of the fact Black still controls e4.} 12. Qe2 $6 {this allows a forcing sequence that leaves White worse. The main problem is Black's play down the c-file, which I have not been used to seeing in other openings.} (12. Nxe4 {it is best to exchange off the strong knight.} dxe4 13. Bb5 {forcing a decision for the Nd7.} Nf6 14. g5 $5 {now would be a consistent, aggressive follow-up} Nd5 15. Ng4 $11 {with a sample continuation of} f6 16. gxf6 Nxf6 17. Bc4 $14 {looking positive for White.}) 12... Nxd2 13. Qxd2 Nxe5 14. fxe5 c4 $1 15. Be2 {the only move.} c3 $6 {however, this premature lunge throws away the advantage.} (15... Qc7 $17 {sequencing matters. The queen move allows Black to back up the threat of the c-pawn's advance, and exchanging it still leaves White significantly worse off.} 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. Bc3 f6 $17 {this break now undermines White's center effectively, as White has no pieces left to target Black's resulting weaknesses, unlike in the move 12 variation.}) 16. Bxc3 Qc7 17. Bb4 {although it was not too difficult to find this equalizing move, it was still a relief to be able to do it under pressure.} Bxb4 18. Qxb4 Qxc2 {Black enters on the 2nd rank, but now there is only one piece to protect.} 19. Qe1 $11 {Here I correctly thought things were even, after a bit of a scare.} Qc3 20. Qg3 $6 {after long think I pick the most ambitious, and less sound, choice. I was still being too aggressive, when the position did not warrant it - White does not have enough for an attack on the kingside.} (20. Qc1 $11 {is probably the simplest approach.}) (20. Qxc3 $5 Rxc3 21. Rfc1 {White can rely on superior rook activity here. If} Rxe3 22. Kf2 Re4 (22... Rh3 23. Rc7 Rxh2+ 24. Ke3 Rh3+ 25. Kd2 Rb8 26. Rac1 $14) 23. Rc7 $11) 20... Qb2 $15 {compare the scope of each of the queens and it's evident that Black has an edge, if not yet a winning one.} 21. Bd3 $6 (21. Bb5 $5 {I dismissed due to} a6 {but now this actually works out well for White, since Black no longer can play his bishop to a6, a factor which becomes crucial shortly.} 22. Bd3 Rc3 23. Rad1 $11) (21. Qf3 {would best leverage the queen with additional pressure on the f-file.}) 21... Rc3 22. Rad1 $4 {played after a long think, as I recognized this as a crucial point in the game. Unfortunately there is a tactical flaw, which my opponent finds.} (22. Rab1 {was my second choice and top engine one. I rejected it because it did not lead to anything after} Qa3 $15) 22... Rxd3 {I did not seriously consider this as a possible option for my opponent, so did not calculate it.} 23. Rxd3 Ba6 $1 {the tactical point, a skewer on the a6-f1 diagonal.} 24. Rdd1 {the best of the bad options, but now Black has a won game.} Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Qxa2 $19 26. Rc1 {I decided the only possible chance would be to play actively with my remaining pieces and try to create chances for Black to go wrong, rather than simply let him power a passed pawn through on the queenside.} Qxb3 27. Qe1 Qd3 28. h3 {played prophylactically to protect the g-pawn, but now my opponent correctly initiates the winning plan of marching the unopposd a/b pawns down the board. I do my best to create counter-threats, however.} a5 29. Rc3 Qb5 30. Qc1 h6 {prudently creating luft and avoiding back-rank issues.} 31. Qc2 {essentially a waiting move, while slightly improving the queen.} a4 32. h4 {desperately trying to start something on the kingside.} Qb4 33. Qc1 Ra8 34. Rc7 a3 35. Qf1 Qf8 {the best defense. The problem for White is that Black's a-pawn is too powerful with the rook behind it, so the queen moving away temporarily from the action does not slow things.} 36. Rc3 a2 37. Qa1 Qb4 {now the end is near, with ...Qb1+ threatened.} 38. Rc1 Qd2 39. Rc3 Qxc3 {the simplest way to end things, forcing the new queen through.} 0-1

Pop culture chess: Jaguar TCS Racing and Anna Cramling

Screen Capture from I Taught Chess to Professional Formula E Drivers

Periodically I run across and highlight prominent chess references in popular culture. Thanks to the Chess.com article "Jaguar TCS Racing Teams Up With Anna Cramling For New Campaign" I became aware of the latest major sports-related marketing campaign, apparently the first one since "Magnus Carlsen vs. Muhammad Ali". As one might expect, the production values in the videos are slick and the chess-related message is generally on point and consistent with sporting parallels, if perhaps a little dramatically overwrought:

“In chess, every piece has a purpose. Every move, consequences. Precision over impulse. Silence over spectacle. You don’t win by reacting. You win by knowing what’s coming. Five moves ahead. Ten, until the board bends to your will.”- Anna Cramling

From what I saw the chess itself is legit, although as can be seen in the screen capture, the analog clock - something at this point can be considered an anachronism - is incorrectly set. The chess set is also an art one rather than functional, although it does appear that at least the pieces are set up correctly. Full video is linked above.