19 January 2013

Annotated Game #79: Happy just to finish the tournament

This was the last round of the tournament and was a fitting end to a rather poor series of games.  At least this time I secured a draw, rather than losing, although in the final position I accepted a draw after a poor move by my opponent.  Psychological factors often come into play in the timing of draw offers and acceptances; in this case, I had been forced to defend an inferior position for a significant amount of time and was happy to take the draw.

Some key points from analysis:
  • White's attempt to get Black out of book on move 3 was ill-advised; an inferior move like that offers no practical benefit in exchange for its weaknesses.
  • Black could have played the more challenging 6...Bg4 (and I probably will the next time I'm in a similar position).
  • Houdini validates the active 12...e5 for Black, striking in the center with White's king still there.
  • Unfortunately the bishop retreat soon after on move 15 invalidates this strategy and puts Black in a hole for the rest of the game.

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D02:1 d4 d5 2 Nf sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2...Nf6 3 Bf4 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nbd2?! apparently done to avoid any book knowledge by Black, more than anything. It blocks in the Bc1 and contributes little in compensation to White's development. Bf5 Black scores over 60 percent with this move. 4.e3 e6 5.a3 Bd6 6.Nh4 now out of the database, although it's a logical enough move, seeking to exchange the Bf5 and develop the other knight more usefully. Be4 6...Bg4 is a little more challenging. 7.Nxe4 Nxe4 the idea behind the previous move, to establish a strong central knight or force White to make concessions in his own position to remove it. 8.Nf3 8.Qg4 would be an aggressive way to protect the knight, but White doesn't have enough going on the kingside to make it a real threat. Qf6 would be a simple way to defuse the situation. 8...g5 would also work tactically: 9.Nf3? h5 and the queen is trapped. 8...Nd7 9.Nd2 Ndf6 10.Bd3 0-0 11.Qf3 Nxd2 12.Bxd2 e5 the correct decision, according to Houdini. Black strikes in the center while White still needs to take time to castle. 13.dxe5 Bxe5 14.0-0-0 c6 deciding to stay solid in the center, supporting d5. 15.Qf5 15.Kb1 would be more prudent, vacating the square and allowing the defensive move Bc1. 15...Bd6?! this one move hands White the initiative and puts Black in a positional hole, by abandoning the a1-h8 diagonal. 15...Re8 would develop the rook and maintain the bishop on the diagonal. 16.Bc3 Qd7?! 16...Re8!? 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Qxh7+ Kf8 would leave Black with at least some counterchances for the pawn. 17.Bxf6± Qxf5 18.Bxf5 gxf6 Black has material equality, but the shattered king position affords White long-term benefits and the initiative. Houdini assesses the position as the equivalent of Black being a pawn down. 19.Rd4 19.c4!? 19...h6 20.Kb1 20.c4 Be5 21.Rg4+ Kh8 22.cxd5 cxd5± 20...Be5 20...Rfe8 would at least get the rook into play, instead of leaving it dead on f8. 21.Rh4 Kg7 22.Rg4+ Kh8 23.f4?! this cuts the Rg4 off from the queenside, limiting its usefulness and helping reduce the threats to Black. Bd6 24.Rd1 Bc5 pointing out the other weakness of f4, leaving behind a weak e-pawn. 25.Rd3 Rg8 26.Rh4 Bf8?! a poor decision, limiting Black's piece activity. In a rook ending, activity is key. 26...Kg7 would be a better defensive move. 26...Rxg2 is the most active alternative. 27.Rxh6+ Kg7 28.Rh7+ Kf8 27.g4 27.e4 dxe4 28.Bxe4 Re8 29.Bf3 Re7 would leave Black in a more difficult position. 27...Re8 preventing further thoughts of e4. 28.Rb3 Kg7? 28...Re7 29.Bc8 b6 30.Bf5 29.Rh3?! 29.Bd7! and a combination of interference and pinning themes would allow White to win a pawn. Re7 29...Rb8 30.Bxc6 29...Re4 30.Rxb7 Rxe3 31.Rxa7 30.Rxb7 29...Bc5?! 30.Kc1 missing the tactical continuation. 30.Rxb7 Bxe3 31.Bd7 Re7 32.Bxc6 30...Re7= now Black protects against all of White's threats. 31.Kd2 Rge8 The pressure on the backward pawn e3 grows, notes Fritz. 32.g5?? among the various equal moves available, White picks a poor one and then offers a draw, which I unfortunately accepted. Capturing with the f-pawn would simply leave Black a pawn up after the exchange, with no real threats from White, which however I didn't see at the time. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResECORnd
Class B-ChessAdmin-½–½D04
Posted by Anonymous at 1:20 AM

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