Annotated Game #298: No pawn lever, no plan (part 2)

This next tournament game is another excellent illustration of the saying "no pawn lever, no plan" - unfortunately not the first time; see the first part here. As White, I did in fact have several good pawn breaks available - including the thematic Colle/Stonewall e3-e4 in the center - but did not play any of them at the correct time. After that, my position deteriorated rapidly under pressure until I made a visualization blunder. That's pretty much the story.

 

[Event "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "0-1"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "D00"] [PlyCount "40"] [GameId "2108264990683174"] {[%evp 0,40,33,18,29,9,9,-7,13,-11,-12,-6,-9,-60,-35,-35,-21,-25,-29,-27,9,9,35,29,52,-18,1,-4,8,-7,-7,-66,-66,-70,-72,-73,9,-62,-69,-59,-4,-616,-597]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 d5 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nd2 {choosing to prevent an early ...Ne4.} c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. f4 {reaching the Stonewall formation.} c4 7. Bc2 b5 {a popular move in the database, as Black quickly expands on the queenside, a logical follow-up to the previous move. However, it should not pose White any problems.} 8. Ngf3 {simple development in response.} Be7 9. O-O (9. e4 {is the key idea, reacting with the e-pawn lever after Black closes the center; it is already possible to execute.} dxe4 10. Nxe4 $11) 9... Bd7 $6 {putting the bishop on the long diagonal seems more logical.} 10. Ne5 a5 {my opponent is nothing if not consistent with pursuing queenside expansion plans.} 11. Qf3 $16 {long thought about a plan here. This is a good move, but is not followed up properly.} g6 {guarding against the f4-f5 advance.} 12. Qh3 {not a bad move, but White has multiple pawn breaks available that would cause more problems for Black.} (12. e4 {proceeds with White's play in the center.}) (12. a4 $5 {disrupts Black's queenside plans.} b4 {now allows the tactic} 13. Ndxc4 $1 {as the Nc6 is under-protected after the recapture on c4.}) 12... b4 13. g4 {an indication that I do not understand the needs of the position.} (13. e4 $1) 13... a4 $11 {now the queenside pressure is more meaningful (and concerning).} 14. g5 {the wrong pawn advance. It simply drives the knight away - to a decent square - and does not help with breaking through Black's defenses.} (14. f5 $11) 14... Nh5 {the knight is well-placed here to interfere with White's kingside plans, and can redeploy via g7 when needed.} 15. e4 $2 {played too late and now tactically flawed.} (15. Ndf3 $15) 15... Nxe5 {now either recapture is bad for White.} 16. dxe5 (16. fxe5 O-O $19 {and Black's king is safe, while White's advanced pawn shield and/or the queenside is about to collapse under pressure, with loss of material. One sample continuation:} 17. Nf3 b3 18. Bd1 a3 19. axb3 axb2 20. Bxb2 Rxa1 21. Bxa1 cxb3 22. Bxb3 dxe4 23. Nd2 Bc6 24. Bc2 e3 25. Qxe3 Bxg5 26. Qe1 Bxd2 27. Qxd2 Qh4) 16... Qb6+ $19 17. Kh1 Ng7 18. Re1 {I spotted the possibility of the queen penetrating on f2, but failed to calculate the consequences correctly.} Bc6 19. Nf3 Qf2 {this is actually not critical, and I recognized that, but then screwed up the calculation under pressure.} (19... Bc5 $19) 20. Nd4 $4 {this was a failure of visualization; the knight was the only piece protecting the Re1 and I did not change that piece status mentally, only focusing on the Bc2 and the possibility of Be3 trapping the queen. This is also an example of mental assumptions, specifically that normally the rooks are connected and therefore protected on the back rank.} (20. Qg3 {and things are still bad, but Black's queen has nothing better to do than retreat, as an exchange would release most of the pressure.} Qxg3 $2 21. hxg3 $15) 20... Qxe1+ 0-1

Annotated Game #297: Opening evolution

The previous tournament I felt I had played rather poorly at the time, but I felt better about my performance at the board following the last series of games analysis; even the opening blunder in game 3 yielded something useful. I also scored reasonably well, and better than statistically expected. This next tournament saw more or less the reverse, although in this first-round game I do well to remember and apply some lessons from the previous Exchange Caro-Kann game, including following through with the ...Bf5 idea. In keeping with the recent post on pawn sacrifices, the 15...b5!? idea is worth highlighting.

[Event "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "B13"] [PlyCount "64"] [GameId "2108374627303490"] {[%evp 0,64,25,16,59,71,77,47,47,23,16,13,28,45,44,45,60,29,30,33,30,-18,12,-9,1,-16,-14,-14,10,-8,23,-22,6,-18,-10,-33,-31,-27,-26,-40,-33,-40,-50,-30,-41,-63,-56,-86,-92,-85,-70,-72,-57,-72,-54,-45,-45,-41,2,-5,-9,-6,-1,-8,0,0,0]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 {the Caro-Kann Exchange Variation.} Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 g6 7. Nd2 {although this is the third most-played move in the database, it is the first time I have seen it.} Bf5 {I saw no reason to not proceed with the main idea of the ...g6 variation.} (7... Nh5 {is the engine move, and a common idea in this structure, but has relatively few games in the database as tests.}) 8. Qe2 Bxd3 {White has passed up the chance to exchange and inflict some pawn structure damage on Black - which, however, would have some dynamic compensation. I therefore correctly exchange light-squared bishops. White's minor piece is still stronger and therefore a good target, while Black's is definitely "bad", constrained by the pawns on d5 and g6.} 9. Qxd3 Nh5 (9... e6 {it's also fine to develop straightforwardly, with the bishop potentially going to d6.}) 10. Ne2 Bg7 (10... Nxf4 {it's better to simply carry out the threat immediately. Black's unopposed dark-square bishop may be useful in the endgame.}) 11. Nf3 O-O 12. O-O Nxf4 {now I see nothing better and exchange anyway.} 13. Nxf4 e6 {a solid approach, solidifying control of d5 and removing the weakness on e7.} 14. Rfe1 Qc7 (14... Qd6 {is a better square for the queen, as the f8-a3 diagonal is more valuable.}) 15. Ne2 a6 {a waiting move, primarily.} (15... b5 $5 {is a useful idea in this and similar positions. The point being that} 16. Qxb5 Rab8 {and White's b-pawn cannot be defended, while the rook penetrates to the 2nd rank.} 17. Qa4 Rxb2 18. Rab1 Rfb8 19. Rxb2 Rxb2 $15) 16. Ng3 {actually a worse square for the knight.} Rac8 {activating the rook.} 17. a4 {preventing ...b5, but now the knight can leap into action.} Na5 18. Qc2 Nc4 19. Re2 (19. b3 $6 Nd6 $15 {with pressure down the c-file.}) 19... Nd6 {improving the knight and opening up the c-file for the heavy pieces.} (19... b5 {is also now possible.} 20. axb5 axb5 {with now ...Ra8 and ...b4 as follow-up ideas.}) 20. Ra3 b5 {now I actually do find the correct idea.} 21. axb5 axb5 {threatening ...b4} 22. Rb3 $17 {preventing the b-pawn advance but abandoning the a-file.} Ra8 23. h4 {a good idea, to start some counterplay with threats due to the h-pawn "can opener" idea.} Ra1+ {I saw nothing better and it is certainly an effective move.} 24. Re1 Rxe1+ {as usual, exchanging decreases the tension and favors the defending side.} (24... Rfa8 $1 $19 {also finally getting the other rook into play.}) 25. Nxe1 Rc8 {now the threats are lessened.} (25... Ra8) 26. Qd3 {pressuring the b5 pawn.} Qc4 $6 {again with the trading down.} (26... Rb8 {would be more effective, overprotecting the pawn and allowing a follow-up with ...Nc4.}) 27. Qxc4 bxc4 28. Rb6 $15 {now White's problems are largely solved, with a more active rook screening his weak b-pawn.} Nf5 {this simplifies down to a draw quickly.} (28... Bf8 $5) 29. Nxf5 gxf5 {forced, otherwise d5 becomes weak.} 30. f4 Bf6 31. g3 Kg7 32. Nf3 Rc7 {and we both recognize that no progress can be made.} 1/2-1/2

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

Annotated Game #295: No need to panic

Panic in the opening is never good, as this next tournament game miniature shows. Because there is more to it than just a one-move blunder (although not much more), I think it is worth publishing, as it highlights a useful gambit for Stonewall players to know, along with the unnecessarily deleterious psychological effects of panic. The unexpectedness of receiving two Black pairings in a row I believe contributed to my discombobulation, although that is not an excuse.

[Event "?"] [White "Expert"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "D30"] [PlyCount "17"] [GameId "2099915250376808"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 e6 {The move-order for a Slav Stonewall, although Black is not committed necessarily to that.} 4. e3 Bd6 (4... f5 {allows the provocative} 5. g4 $5) 5. Qc2 f5 {now we have the Stonewall formation.} 6. b3 Qe7 {this move-order is not necessary to prevent Ba3, a common idea for White, due to tactics. However, the queen will probably go to e7 anyway.} (6... Nf6 7. Ba3 $2 (7. Bd3 O-O 8. cxd5 {and either recapture is fine} exd5 9. Bxf5 Bxf5 10. Qxf5 Ne4 11. Qe6+ Kh8 12. Nbd2 Rf6 $11 {and White's queen cannot stop getting kicked around by Black's pieces.}) 7... Bxa3 8. Nxa3 Qa5+ $19) 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. cxd5 {here I panicked over the loss of a pawn, not recognizing that this is actually a standard Dutch gambit; see also the above variation with Bd3.} cxd5 $4 {saves the pawn, but loses the bishop. An example of failing to consider tactics in the opening phase.} (8... exd5 $1 9. Bxf5 Bxf5 10. Qxf5 O-O $11 {follwed by ...Ne4; this is a completely legitimate gambit.}) 9. Qxc8+ 1-0

Annotated Game #294: What the Caro-Kann is good for

This second-round tournament game shows off what the Caro-Kann is traditionally good for - a solid, semi-open game for Black that allows you to punish an overly-aggressive White player. This is exactly what happens during the game, featuring the Exchange Variation, although I over-complicate the final phase and miss forcing the win.

[Event "?"] [White "Class A"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "B13"] [PlyCount "82"] [GameId "2085142363553942"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 (7... Bf5 {is the main idea behind the ...g6 variation, although it is not obligatory.}) 8. Qc2 {this is not a logical place for the queen in the long term, with the diagonal blocked, although it does prevent ...Bf5.} Nh5 $11 {another key idea in this variation, chasing the Bf4.} 9. Be3 Qc7 10. Qb3 Nf4 {although the knight has moved multiple times, each time White is also forced to lose a tempo retreating, and the knight is at a better square. At this point, it is now best for White to exchange off the advanced knight.} 11. Bxf4 Qxf4 12. Nbd2 {the knight would be best on c3, but of course that is occupied.} Qd6 {with d5 pressured, this simple retreat is best.} 13. O-O O-O {the game is now very even.} 14. Qc2 {not very productive, going back to the blocked diagonal.} Bd7 {solid development.} (14... Rb8 {followed by a minority attack would be a good plan.} 15. a3 b5 $15) 15. Rfe1 Rfc8 {activating the rook and choosing the queenside for making future efforts.} 16. Qb3 e6 {again, solid play.} (16... Rab8 $5) 17. a4 {clearly interested in preventing the advance of my queenside pawns.} a5 {this is too optimistic. Now that the White a-pawn is advanced, I will not be expanding successfully on the queenside. There are several other calm possibilities.} (17... Rc7) (17... a6) (17... Rab8) 18. Qd1 Qc7 (18... e5 $5 {is now a possibility, but I had no particular desire to play an IQP position.} 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. g3 h5 22. Bf1 $11) 19. Nf1 Re8 {more of a waiting move. Black has no real breakthroughs available, so playing neutrally is actually a good strategy.} 20. Ne3 Rab8 21. Ng4 Re7 22. Nge5 {White attempts to get something going on the kingside.} Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Bc6 24. Qf3 {White is slightly overpressing here, but I continued with the more solid option, after some thought.} Bxe5 (24... f6 $5 25. Ng4 Rf8 {shuts the center and kingside threats down thoroughly.}) 25. Rxe5 {the position is still completely even, but White can now think about attempting something on the h-file, combined with a bishop sac.} Kg7 26. Qg4 b5 {I thought for a while here and found the correct, active reaction.} 27. axb5 {White was very low on time here.} Bxb5 28. Bxb5 Rxb5 29. Qe2 $2 (29. Re2 $15) 29... Qb6 $19 {activity is again key, pressing against White's queenside weakness, while there is also a back rank problem for him.} (29... Qb8 {would be even better, allowing Black to triple up on the b-file with Alekhine's gun.}) 30. Ra2 Rb7 {Black is now winning.} 31. c4 {an active defense that allows me to make a bad choice.} dxc4 {played after some thought, with some time pressure on my side. This should still be enough to win.} (31... Rxb2 $1 {simplest is best.} 32. Rxb2 Qxb2 $19 {with a continuation likely such as} 33. h3 {needed luft for the king} (33. Qxb2 Rxb2 34. Kf1 a4 {and the outside passed pawn decides it.}) 33... Qxe2 34. Rxe2 dxc4) 32. Qxc4 Rb4 {still maintaining threats to the b- and d-pawns.} (32... Rc7 {I hallucinated that this would not work, although the line was admittedly difficult to visualize.} 33. Rc5 Rcxc5 34. dxc5 Rxc5 35. Qd4+ Kg8 36. Qd2 Qb4 $19) 33. Qc3 Rc7 $2 {played one move too late; I missed White's next, as well.} (33... Rxb2 $1 {simplest is again best.} 34. Rxb2 Qxb2 35. Qxb2 Rxb2 {and the back-rank mate threat allows Black to win.} 36. g3 a4 37. Ra5 Rb4 $19) 34. Rc5 $11 Rd7 35. h3 Rbxd4 36. Ra4 {now White eschews simplicity, but I miss the chance to complicate.} (36. Raxa5) 36... Qd6 (36... Qxc5 $5 37. Qxc5 Rxa4 38. Qe5+ Kf8 $17 {and Black has whatever winning chances are in the position.}) 37. Rxd4 Qxd4 38. Rxa5 Qxc3 39. bxc3 Rd1+ 40. Kh2 Rd2 41. Kg1 Rd1+ 1/2-1/2

FT article: Chess champion Magnus Carlsen leads gambit to capture ancient game

As part of the Financial Times' periodic coverage of chess, it recently published "Chess champion Magnus Carlsen leads gambit to capture ancient game". The subheading is "Norwegian fronts F1-inspired Freestyle Chess league that aims to exploit 'massive untapped potential'"

While other chess-oriented sites may provide more details, the FT.com article is actually pretty in-depth. Since the FT has no particular stake in the new chess league, it will probably have more balanced coverage in the future of the business aspects; currently, beyond the top chess stars announced, it's mostly hype. "Freestyle Chess" seems to be the latest attempt to sex up the variant Chess 960 aka Fischer Random.

It remains to be seen if the unprecedented level of chess content curently being demanded in video format, including event streaming, will translate well to the variant, which by definition will have a smaller interested audience to draw from. It's also worth noting that the Formula One circuit has largely been about prestige rather than profits, with wealthy sponsoring manufacturers also using it as a marketing mechanism for their non-F1 products. The same model won't really translate for this new league, although the perceived top-quality image for F1 is clearly what they are going for.

Annotated Game #293: Follow the needs of the position

This next first-round tournament game is instructive for how both sides fail to truly follow the needs of the position. As White, I fail to exchange off the Black knight on e4 early on in the best way, which leads to major cramping and a winning advantage for my opponent. However, later on he exchanges off his double rooks, which were dominating the position, and allows me to escape into an opposite-colored bishop endgame. Both were mis-evaluations of the position, ultimately, and what was required in it.

[Event "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Expert"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "D00"] [PlyCount "86"] [GameId "2099915250376807"] 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 e6 4. f4 {the Stonewall Attack.} (4. Nd2 {is possible, if White is worried about ...Ne4.}) 4... c5 5. c3 {the standard reaction to ...c5.} Bd6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O O-O 8. Ne5 {key occupation of the e5 outpost, also to clear the f3 square for other pieces.} Ne4 {with this, Black signals he will be going for a double Stonewall.} 9. Nd2 (9. Bxe4 $5 {exchanging immediately is another way to play, recognizing that the light-square bishop will no longer have its usual attacking purpose.} dxe4 10. Nd2 f5 11. Ndc4 $5 $11) 9... f5 10. Ndf3 $6 (10. Nxe4 {is more consistent with the needs of the position. White will need to trade on e4 at some point and if the bishop capture there is delayed, the knight capture then makes the most sense.} fxe4 11. Be2 $11) 10... Bd7 {developing rather than increasing central pressure.} 11. Bd2 $6 {this gives Black too much leeway in the center and is too slow.} (11. c4 $5 {looks messy, but is more active and leverages the presence of the Bd3.}) 11... Nxe5 $17 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Qb6 {after the central exchanges, White is left with less active pieces and Black can freely develop with additional pressure.} 14. Bxe4 {late in coming.} dxe4 15. Qb3 {naturally hoping for an exchange, to help ease the pressure on my position.} (15. c4 $5 {playing for activity, as otherwise the Bd2 is worthless. I recall considering the move, but did not look at it hard enough.} Qxb2 $2 {does not work due to} 16. Ba5 Qa3 17. Qxd7 Qxa5 18. Qxe6+ $16) 15... c4 {this is a good way of restricting c3-c4, but the queen exchange is still a net benefit for me.} 16. Qxb6 (16. Qxc4 $2 Bb5) 16... axb6 17. b3 $6 {Be1-h4 is a better idea for getting the bishop active.} Bb5 18. b4 $2 {the wrong pawn advance.} (18. a4 Bc6 19. Rfb1 $15) 18... Rfd8 $19 19. Rf2 {this finally gets the rook playing, although to a small degree.} Rd3 {Black has a straightforward plan, which is to exploit his space advantage and the open d-file and half-open a-file. His rooks are mobile, which is a large part of the advantage.} 20. Kf1 Ra3 {an unusual bind on the 3rd rank. While Black is still considerably winning, this starts to restrict his pieces as well, however.} 21. Re2 Ba4 {my opponent correctly deduces he needs to bring in the bishop as well.} 22. Be1 Be8 {evidently seeing less progress on the queenside for it, he prepares to shift the bishop to the kingside.} 23. Kf2 h6 {a correct waiting move, which also prepares ...g5. My passive defense cannot reasonably be improved upon, while Black can improve his position.} 24. Rc2 g5 25. g3 Ra8 $6 26. Rb2 $2 {still concentrating on more passive defense, although with the next move played in mind.} (26. a4 $1 {again, the idea of a freeing pawn sacrifice.} Bxa4 27. b5 $1 {Now the pin on the a-file makes things very awkward for Black.} Ra5 28. Rca2 Bxb5 29. Rxa5 bxa5 30. Rxa5 Bc6 $17 {Black is a pawn up, but White's chances are much better with the active rook.}) 26... Kf7 $6 {centralizing the king is a good idea, but this allows} 27. b5 {finally playing somewhat actively, in this case to restrict Black's bishop, although the pawn is exposed here.} Rd5 28. Rab1 Ra5 29. Kg1 $6 {this was more the result of hallucinatory threats on my 2nd rank.} (29. Rc2 Bxb5 30. Rb4 {is at least somewhat more active.}) 29... Raxb5 $6 {this allows me to exchange off a pair of rooks, which is normally better for the defender who is under pressure.} 30. Rxb5 Rxb5 $6 {and now we reach an opposite-colored bishop endgame, which is entirely drawable.} (30... Bxb5 $17) 31. Rb4 $6 {better to immediately exchange.} (31. Rxb5 Bxb5 $11) 31... Rxb4 {thankfully, my opponent continues down the same road.} (31... Ra5 32. Rxb6 Rxa2 (32... Ra7 33. Rb4 Bc6 34. Rb2 $17 {leaves Black in more active shape, although with the opposite-colored bishops it's probably still drawn.}) 33. Rxb7+ {was what we both saw, I believe, which is completely drawn.}) 32. cxb4 $11 Ke7 33. Kf2 Ba4 34. Ke2 Kf7 35. Kd2 Kg6 {my opponent apparently still thinks he has chances to break through on the kingside.} 36. h3 Kf7 (36... gxf4 37. gxf4 {and the Be1 covers the h4 square, preventing the Black king's entry.}) 37. Kc3 b5 {this essentially admits that the game is drawn.} 38. Kd2 gxf4 39. gxf4 Ke7 40. Bh4+ {still drawn, but now I get to have some more active fun with my piece first.} Kd7 41. Bf6 h5 42. h4 Kc6 43. Be7 Kd5 1/2-1/2

Training quote of the day #51: John Nunn

  

From John Nunn's Best Games 1985-1993, Batsford Chess Library, 1995:

It is curious that I have always played best when the result didn't really matter; if there is some additional stress, such as often occurs in the last round of an Olympiad, the result has usually been disastrous. I know some people who operate the reverse way, and achieve their best results when put under pressure. I think the difference is in the level of stress which a normal game of chess engenders in an individual. Some stress is essential for a good performance, and in my case I find a normal game creates just the right level of adrenalin for optimal play. When other factors are added, the balance shifts and my play deteriorates.

Annotated Game #292: Play like a Class player

This final-round tournament game has an all-too-familiar trajectory: emerging well from the opening - which I had learned from previous failure - and then beginning to make sub-optimal moves in the early middlegame, which lead to an increasingly difficult and eventually lost position. Here the common theme I spotted was play that is stereotypical of a Class player: waiting to activate the rooks, passive rather than active defense, and rushing to exchange pieces. On the positive side, after identifying these characteristics from recent live games, instead of being just words on a page the lessons will hopefully stick.

[Event "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "B15"] [PlyCount "85"] [GameId "2099915250376806"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 {the Fantasy variation, which seems to be more popular these days.} g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Be3 Qb6 6. Qd2 Qxb2 {this temporary pawn grab is key to the opening line, as is returning it at the right moment.} 7. Rb1 Qa3 8. Bd3 Nd7 {returning the pawn} 9. exd5 Ngf6 10. dxc6 bxc6 {although the c-pawn is isolated, it holds Black's position together by fighting for d5 and b5, while restricting White's Nc3.} 11. Nge2 O-O $11 12. Bh6 {this plan to exchange the Bg7 is not dangerous and Black can respond in various ways. As is often the case in similar fianchetto positions, the engine's first choice is to exchange immediately, although that leaves a positional hole. The point is that it cannot be exploited by White.} Ba6 {is also a solid choice, developing Black's last minor piece.} (12... Bxh6 13. Qxh6 {without a dark-square bishop or a knight able to pair with the queen, the dark-square weaknesses are not exploitable.} Ba6 14. Rb3 Qa5 15. Bxa6 Qxa6 $11) 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. Bxa6 {White's strategy seems to be focused just on exchanging pieces at this point. This gives the queen a good square.} Qxa6 $15 {the engine even evaluates Black as slightly better. The queen is on an effective diagonal and useful file. Meanwhile Black has no real weaknesses.} 15. O-O Nb6 $11 {The first sign of Class-level play creeps in, leaving the rooks still not playing; activating either of them would have been better. I was more concerned at the time about dominating d5.} (15... c5 $5 {is also an interesting idea. The point is that if} 16. dxc5 (16. d5 Nb6 {and now Black has the easier game, simply working to target the d-pawn.}) 16... Nxc5 {Black now has the d- and c-files for excellent play with his rooks.}) 16. Qg5 {a bit of a waste of time, although it does pin the Nf6 temporarily.} Rad8 {it's good to get the rook in the game.} (16... h6 {is the simplest method of countering White's last move.}) 17. Rfe1 {lining up against the e-pawn.} Qc4 {not a bad move, but it is unnecessarily commital, and it would be better to activate the other rook, which is not currently playing.} (17... Rfe8) (17... Nbd5 $5 {occupying the central post would also be useful.}) 18. Qa5 {my opponent does well to immediately take advantage of the hole left by my previous move on the queenside. Things are now more awkward for me, if still level.} Nbd5 (18... Nfd5 {might be a slightly better version of the idea. In both cases, the a-pawn cannot be snatched by the Qa5 due to the attack on c3.}) 19. Qa4 {forcing the exchange.} Qxa4 (19... Ne3 $5 {is another, slightly more creative way of handling it.}) 20. Nxa4 {now White's pieces appear more active, although this is partly illusory.} Rb8 {not a bad move, but unnecessarily complicated in terms of the needs of the position.} (20... Rfe8 {activates the other rook and supports the e-pawn.}) 21. Rb3 Rxb3 $6 {here's where I really start losing the thread of the game. Another Class player bad practice is to exchange pieces whenever possible, rather than looking to maintain the tension.} (21... Rb4 $11) 22. axb3 $14 {White now has two pawn islands to Black's three, and the a-pawn is vulnerable.} e6 $6 {here I was too worried about the e-pawn, and not enough about White's knight coming to a powerful outpost.} (22... Nd7 $14) 23. Nc5 $16 {from this point on, it is an uphill battle in the endgame.} Ra8 24. Ra1 Ne8 {with the idea of getting the knight more into play, but this is too passive.} (24... Ne3 25. c4 a5 {admitting the pawn is lost, but trying to improve things positionally somewhat.} 26. Nb7 a4 {hoping for bxa4 is probably the best chance.}) 25. c4 Ne7 $6 {again with the overly passive choice for defense.} (25... Nb4 $16) 26. Kf2 $18 {from here it really is "a matter of technique" for White, who has a major space and structural advantage, with no Black counterplay.} Nc7 27. g4 g5 28. Ng3 f6 29. Nce4 Ne8 30. Ke2 Kf7 31. Kd3 Rb8 32. Kc3 Rb7 33. Ra6 Rc7 34. Nc5 Nc8 35. Nge4 {it's instructive to see how White continues squeezing Black's weaknesses and does not need to rush things.} Ned6 36. Ra2 Nxe4+ 37. fxe4 Ne7 {the last major mistake, as now the half-open f-file spells Black's doom.} 38. Rf2 Rc8 39. Nd7 Ng8 40. Nxf6 Nxf6 41. e5 Re8 42. Rxf6+ Kg7 43. Kb4 1-0

Training quote of the day #50: John Nunn

 

From John Nunn's Best Games 1985-1993, Batsford Chess Library, 1995:

I decided that I had still not fully recovered from the overdose of chess at the end of 1988, and that the best cure would be a complete rest from the game. Thus, my 'preparation' for the Rotterdam World Cup was to not look at a chessboard for a month.

The playing conditions and organization at Rotterdam were excellent, and the tournament attracted a good turn-out of spectators.

As I arrived in Holland, I was extremely nervous about how my plan would turn out, but in fact it succeeded beyond my expectations. I felt enthusiastic about playing chess for the first time in many months and I had plenty of energy for the games. Fortunately, most of my opponents challenged me in openings with which I was very familiar, and after six games I had scored five draws and one win.

Annotated Game #291: Static thinking

This third-round tournament game saw an interesting "strategic dialog" between my opponent (Black) and myself in the opening and early middlegame. He chose a double fianchetto development and held off committing in the center until late, after which the position took on some King's Indian Defense characteristics. My decision on move 10 shaped the strategic nature of the middlegame, giving him more of a central presence but initially active pieces for myself. However, I was ignorant (or ignored) various dynamic possibilities in my thinking, including the pawn sac idea on move 15 (and others) which would have given me more activity and the initiative. In the end, I was only partially punished for it, so got lucky.

[Event "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Site "?"] [Round "?"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "????.??.??"] [ECO "A47"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "91"] [GameId "2099915250376805"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 b6 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. Nbd2 {a flexible move, waiting to see what Black will do.} (4. Bd3 {continuing with a Colle System setup is more popular here.}) 4... g6 {this type of double fianchetto is more often seen with colors reversed in the Reti.} 5. Be2 {a cautious/solid approach.} (5. Bd3 $5 {would fight for the e4 square.}) 5... Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. c4 {with Black not having committed to the center, I decided to fight for d5 and see what the response would be.} d6 {my opponent chooses to prepare a central ...e5 break.} 8. Qc2 {developing the queen to a better diagonal, eyeing the e4 square and projecting some power on the c-file.} Nbd7 9. b3 {providing an outlet for the Bc1's development.} (9. b4 {is the engines' choice, also grabbing some free extra space.}) 9... e5 {getting in the pawn break before I can add the bishop on b2 to the fight.} 10. dxe5 {I thought for some time here, as the decision will determine the strategic nature of the subsequent middlegame. In all cases the position is essentially equal, although the text move may give up a little more in the center to Black.} (10. d5 {I evaluted as a good choice, but more committal in fixing the center and resulting in more of a classic King's Indian type struggle, including striving for the ...f5 pawn break, with which I thought my opponent would be more comfortable.}) (10. Bb2 {simply developing and maintaining the central tension is also fine.}) 10... dxe5 11. Bb2 Re8 12. Rfd1 {getting the rook into play.} Qe7 13. Nf1 {I had a long think about an appropriate plan here. The idea of improving the Nd2 isn't a bad one, but perhaps could be executed better.} (13. Ng5 {anticipating Black's next} e4 14. Nf1 {is a somewhat improved version. The Ng5 is prepared to redeploy via h3 to f4.}) 13... Ne4 {not the most effective follow-up, as the square is better occupied by a pawn. My opponent's idea evidently is to clear the way for an f-pawn advance.} 14. Ng3 (14. N3d2 $5 {would challenge the Ne4 without allowing an exchange on g3, disturbing the pawn formation in front of the king.}) 14... f5 (14... Nxg3 15. hxg3 e4 $15) 15. Nd2 {again, a good idea in general, but would have been better on the previous move.} (15. c5 {this pawn sac idea is a recurring one, but I did not see it at the time. White in exchange gets much better activity for his pieces on the queenside, along with some initiative.} Ndxc5 16. b4 Nxg3 17. hxg3 Ne4 18. Rac1 $11 {with pressure down the c-file and good squares available for the light-square bishop now.}) 15... Nxg3 16. hxg3 Rad8 {activating the other rook to a central file} 17. Bf3 {another long think here, and another less than optimal plan, although not terrible.} (17. c5 {as an idea still would be useful. For example} Nxc5 18. Ba3 $11 {with the idea of Rac1 and piling up pressure.}) (17. e4 $5) 17... e4 18. Be2 {this was the idea, to provoke Black's pawn advance and lock the structure. Here I'm cramped on the kingside, but Black's position is much less dynamic.} h5 {the most aggressive-looking option.} 19. Rac1 $6 {here I simply miss the fact that Black's c-pawn is mobile.} (19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Qc3+ $11) 19... c5 $17 {now my pieces are also cramped on the queenside and Black can squeeze further at his leisure.} 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Nf1 {the knight is doing marginally more here, helping defend the kingside at least.} Ne5 {this allows me to exchange rooks and un-cramp some.} 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Rd1 $15 Kf7 {a bit of a tempo-waster, as I now un-cramp further.} 24. Rxd8 Qxd8 $11 25. Qd1 {here I decided I could hold with the queens off. I probably could have achieved a draw more easily with them on, but was also fairly mentally tired by this stage, so it seemed simpler.} Qxd1 26. Bxd1 Nd3 27. f4 $6 {an unnecessary weakening of the e3 and g3 squares.} (27. Nd2 $11) 27... Bc6 $15 {the idea is to make progress and open up the queenside using the b-pawn as a lever.} 28. a3 $6 {this takes away the b4 square from the knight, but weakens b3 and leaves the bishop doing nothing.} (28. Bc2 $5) 28... b5 $17 29. Nd2 Ke6 30. Kf1 $2 {both of us missed how strong it would be for Black to take on c4 after this.} (30. cxb5 Bxb5 31. Be2 $17) 30... Kd6 $6 (30... bxc4 31. bxc4 Be8 32. Bb3 Bf7 33. Ke2 Nb2 $19 {and White's pieces get in the way of each other, so that eventually Black can get to one of the White weaknesses (a- and c-pawns) with his much more mobile ones.}) 31. Bc2 $6 (31. Be2 {is superior, pinning the Nd3 at least temporarily}) 31... Nb2 32. Ke1 a6 33. Ke2 {there's not much to be done here.} Bd7 34. Ke1 Be6 35. cxb5 {now this is the least worst option.} axb5 $19 36. Nb1 Kc6 {Black still has an advantage, but now I can at least try to threaten to trap the Nb2.} (36... Nd3+ 37. Bxd3 exd3 $19) 37. Kd2 c4 $6 38. b4 $11 Nd3 39. Nc3 {now my blockade is set and the position equal.} Bf7 40. Ne2 Kb6 41. Nd4 (41. Nc3 {there's really no reason not to just repeat moves.}) 41... Be8 42. Bd1 Nf2 43. Ke1 Nd3+ 44. Kd2 Bf7 45. Bc2 Nf2 46. Bd1 $2 {with a draw agreed. My opponent and I only spotted ...c3+! after the game. I was making it too complicated and provided him with that opportunity for a deflection tactic.} (46. Ne2 Ng4 {and the knight escapes, but so what?}) 1/2-1/2

Training quote of the day #49: Siegbert Tarrasch

“It is not enough to be a good player... you must also play well”

― Siegbert Tarrasch, The Game of Chess 

(See also "Chess performance and chess skills: not the same thing")

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 believe 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

Article: "The Most Important Tactical Pattern in Chess" by GM Gregory Serper

While analyzing the next tournament game that will be published here, I recalled the relevance of GM Gregory Serper's Chess.com article "The Most Important Tactical Pattern in Chess". In it, he provides several useful illustrations of the x-ray tactic, which he described as:

 ...a situation where a long ranged piece (a queen, rook, or bishop) attacks an opponent's piece (usually a king or a queen), through a bunch of other pieces (both of your opponent's and your own). Or, how Chess.com's lesson puts it: "The X-ray brings to mind superman's ability to see through objects. A piece is able to mount an attack even if there is another piece in the way."

He also shares insights about how the x-ray pattern actually is the basis for other chess tactics, making it an excellent article for practical improvement understanding. As my next game will show, I lacked the perception to identify x-ray tactics, and could have done better on both defense and offense as a result.

FT article (from How To Spend It) - "Aarti and Sohum Lohia are changing chess, one move at a time"

The latest chess article from the FT in its "How To Spend It" weekend section is entitled "Aarti and Sohum Lohia are changing chess, one move at a time". They're not really changing chess, but it's still interesting to see how Sohum, the talented #2 junior player in the UK, expresses his views on chess and a description of his mother's crusading support of it.

The article touches on some modern scientific points about chess and its calming effect on the mind, as well as the nature of it as a mental sport. Unfortunately it also help perpetuate some of the typical fallacies of chess imagery in popular culture - the first photo in the article shows a somewhat abstract chess board set up properly, while the following ones, showing an antique set, have the board rotated 90 degrees from where it should be (with wrong color squares for the pieces). This includes shots of Sohum playing on it. I expect that was just for show for the journalist (understandable) and perhaps he didn't notice - but then again, especially strong players should really be aware of these things when sitting down at a chessboard.

Annotated Game #286: Lessons in the Exchange Caro-Kann

With this next game, I revert to my tendency to lose as Black in the first round of a tournament. Under analysis, however, it reveals some useful lessons in the Exchange Caro-Kann, which I think is regaining popularity at the Class level. The trade-offs involved with 6. h3 I had never previously examined, and I think continuing with the response 6...g6 is fully justified, although breaking in the center with 6...e5!? is now a possibility. In the game, I was too shy of playing Bf5 and delayed developing, then find the wrong idea on move 17 for the middlegame and the trend from there is all downhill.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class A"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B13"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "67"] [GameId "2054700566052891"] {[%evp 0,67,19,38,60,60,55,55,51,34,30,24,23,-38,29,31,37,35,25,24,31,21,49,13,25,26,26,26,23,6,4,-1,9,-1,-12,-16,26,33,31,36,46,35,67,65,70,65,64,72,72,61,68,61,72,74,82,65,82,90,106,104,400,411,409,539,543,546,566,808,801,561]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. h3 {this is the first time I recall facing this line, which eliminates Black's possibility of playing ...Bg4. It's quite common nowadays, though still second to Bf4 in popularity.} g6 (6... e5 $5 {is the direct challenge to White's last move and demonstrates the drawback of not playing Bf4, as e5 is now controlled by Black. This leads to an imbalanced IQP position, however, so one has to be comfortable playing that.} 7. dxe5 Nxe5 8. Qe2 $5 Qe7 {with an awkward position for both sides.}) 7. Nf3 Bg7 {while all right in theory, this move has the worst practical results in the database; despite the open g7 square, a fianchetto may not be the best placement for the bishop.} (7... Bf5) (7... Qc7) 8. O-O O-O (8... Bf5 {this can still be played to Black's benefit here and on subsequent moves.}) 9. Re1 Qc7 {stopping the Bf4 development for White.} 10. Nbd2 Nh5 {this is a common idea, with the knight poised to go to f4.} 11. Nf1 {the knight had no future on d2, so my opponent quickly moves it on.} Nf4 $6 {there was no rush to occupy the f4 square, however, and moving the same piece three times while others (the Bc8) are undeveloped is not principled play.} (11... Bd7) 12. Bxf4 {this exchange validated my last move, however.} (12. Bb1 $16) 12... Qxf4 $11 {despite some missteps in the opening, the middlegame is now balanced.} 13. Ne3 Qd6 {after spending some time here, I correctly evaluated that retreating the queen to its best square was the best move.} 14. Qb3 {this is aimed at preventing my other bishop development, at least for the moment, by targeting b7 and d5 simultaneously.} e6 15. Ng4 a6 {a simple way to tactically protect the b-pawn after the bishop goes to d7, as the White queen would be trapped after taking it.} (15... Bd7 {is fine now, however.} 16. Qxb7 $6 Rfb8 17. Qa6 Rb6 18. Qa3 Qxa3 19. bxa3 Rc8 $17 {despite being a pawn down, Black's pieces are much better coordinated for pressure on the queenside, plus with the two bishops Black's structural and dynamic advantages overcome the material deficit.}) 16. Qd1 Bd7 17. Qd2 f5 $2 {almost the correct f-pawn idea, but this unfortunately forces White into an advantageous position.} (17... f6 $11 {I correctly calculated that the e-pawn would not be a true weakness, and with this move the f-pawn covers e5 and g5, preventing any White attacking ideas.}) 18. Nge5 $16 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Rxe5 {While superficially the position looks defensible, White has all the play in it, and can bring his forces to bear on the kingside. Meanwhile, I cannot get my counterplay on the queenside going effectively.} b5 21. a3 Rfe8 22. Rae1 Qf8 23. Qf4 Qf7 24. R1e3 Rad8 $6 {unnecessary and also causes problems later with defending against queenside penetration.} (24... Qf6 25. h4 Kh8 $16) 25. Rg3 Kg7 26. h4 h5 $2 $18 {again, one square too far, opening up a hole on g5.} (26... h6 $16) 27. Be2 Rh8 28. Rg5 Qf6 29. Re3 Qf7 $2 {this now loses.} (29... Be8 {was necessary. I was too concerned about the White queen penetrating on the dark squares.} 30. Qc7+ Bf7 $16) 30. Reg3 $18 {Bxh5 immediately is also good.} Be8 31. Bxh5 {and the position is cracked open.} Rxh5 32. Rxh5 Kf8 33. Rh8+ Ke7 34. Qh6 {between the advancing h-pawn and all of White's major pieces available to penetrate on Black's bank ranks, the cause is hopeless and I resign.} 1-0

Article: How Your Brain Detects Patterns Without Conscious Thought

While pattern recognition's role in chess ability is (or should be) well-known, I still think it's somewhat under-emphasized in actual improvement programs. Perhaps that is because it often operates at an unconscious level ("System 1 thinking" or what we can also call "intuition"), rather than as part of our conscious ("System 2") calcuation process. This recent Scientific American article further illustrates the point of how learning actually does take place on an unconscious level:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-your-brain-detects-patterns-without-conscious-thought/

This may also affect our perceptions of "plateauing" at chess (or any other skill), since the phenomenon described in the article implies that our conscious "library" of patterns will grow more slowly than the unconscious one.

Specific to the role of intuition in chess, I think Carlsen's quote on his thinking process in "How Carlsen Makes Us Feel Better About Chess" is still very relevant.

Book completed: Trouble Is My Business

 

From the story "Red Wind" in Trouble Is My Business by Raymond Chandler:

We were almost at my door. I jammed the key in and shook the lock around and heaved the door inward. I reached in far enough to switch lights on. She went in past me like a wave. Sandalwood floated on the air, very faint.

I shut the door, threw my hat into a chair and watched her stroll over to a card table on which I had a chess problem set out that I couldn’t solve. Once inside, with the door locked, her panic had left her.

“So you’re a chess player,” she said, in that guarded tone, as if she had come to look at my etchings. I wished she had.

Calculation is not enough

The following game was included in Attacking Strategies for Club Players by GM Michael Prusikin, which I'm currently working through during lunch hours at work (when I can take them, that is.) While calculation obviously played a large part in this tactical masterpiece, the final winning idea by Black (GM Eduard Gufeld) is something that I certainly never would even have begun to calculate when trying to generate candidate moves. This highlighted the insight that calculation is not enough - one has to first have the necessary ideas in mind, then recognize that the position in front of you may allow them to work. (The related training quote of the day #47 is relevant as well.)

In this case the sequence beginning on move 24, which uses the concepts of clearance and deflection sacrifices, is particularly striking. The necessary move of simply hanging your bishop (move 25) is highly unlikely to occur to anyone employing a "brute force" type of thought process. Understanding that this move will both clear the 8th rank for the queen and divert the protection of the c4 square are both necessary ideas. Clearance sacrifices in particular I think are a sign of mastery, and I expect will be a separate topic in the future.

[Event "URS-ch41 Semifinal"] [Site "Kirovabad"] [Date "1973.06.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Bagirov, Vladimir"] [Black "Gufeld, Eduard"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E84"] [PlyCount "64"] [GameId "270424022216"] [EventDate "1973.06.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "15"] [EventCountry "URS"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2009"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.11.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.11.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 Nf6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Nge2 Rb8 8. Qd2 a6 9. Bh6 b5 10. h4 e5 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. h5 Kh8 13. Nd5 bxc4 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. Qh6 Nh5 16. g4 Rxb2 17. gxh5 g5 18. Rg1 g4 19. O-O-O Rxa2 20. Nef4 exf4 21. Nxf4 Rxf4 22. Qxf4 c3 23. Bc4 Ra3 24. fxg4 Nb4 25. Kb1 Be6 26. Bxe6 Nd3 27. Qf7 Qb8+ 28. Bb3 Rxb3+ 29. Kc2 Nb4+ 30. Kxb3 Nd5+ 31. Kc2 Qb2+ 32. Kd3 Qb5+ 0-1

Book completed: The Colle System (12th edition) by George Koltanowski

 

I recently completed The Colle System (12th edition, 1990) by GM (honorary) George Koltanowski. As the quote from its first lesson may indicate, this is more of an old school book on openings than a modern treatment of theory. As such, it was more entertaining and also had some more general chess-related observations, which I found both useful and refreshing. The intended audience is specifically improving club players.

Here's a sample game included in the book, which also illustrates the standard Colle System setup by move 6.

[Event "Sitges"] [Site "Sitges"] [Date "1934.06.05"] [Round "13"] [White "Koltanowski, George"] [Black "Domenech, Rafael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D05"] [PlyCount "47"] [GameId "272191622851"] [EventDate "1934.??.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "EXT 1999"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.11.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.11.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. Qe2 O-O 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Bd7 12. O-O Rc8 13. Bf4 f5 14. Bc2 Qf6 15. Rad1 Rfd8 16. Bg5 Qf7 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. b4 Bb6 19. b5 Nb8 20. Ne5 Qf6 21. Bb3 Bc8 22. Rxd8+ Bxd8 23. Qc4 Qxe5 24. Qxc8 1-0

The content outline, as presented in the book:

Here are some summary observations. As a 90-page book, I think it's a good investment in chess learning, especially if you have any interest in the Colle System.

Positives:

• Koltanowski played the opening himself a great deal, against players of all strengths; annotated games of his are included from tournament play against top-level GMs like Paul Keres, from master tournaments, and from simultaneous exhibitions. This gives a better feel for the range of play in the opening structures and not just the theoretical best.
• Similarly, a range of other famous masters' games in the Colle are included, which may surprise modern readers who think of it as just for club players.
• As mentioned above, it's not just about opening play. Koltanowski on the second page of lesson one, before getting past move two, presents the ideal endgame pawn structure as one of the main goals of the opening. He also emphasizes the value of endgame training multiple times.
• Koltanowski does not over-promise success with the Colle, but shows how it can be used as a reasonably safe choice that also has a lot of attacking potential. Many examples bring this point home in the middlegame.
• The Colle is not in fact presented as a "system" opening, with Koltanowski advocating for varying from the basic setup in several instances, for example when Black brings his light-square bishop out early, or plays in King's Indian Defense style.

Negatives:

• The 12th edition (algebraic) appears to have been converted from descriptive notation by some sort of automatic process; otherwise, I have a hard time explaining the occasional game score errors where (for example) it's clearly meant Nf6 instead of Nf3 - the original must have been N-KB3. This happens several times, along with some other typos.
• The material is useful to see but not particularly well-organized, so trying to find (for example) the author's best recommendation for a particular line or position will be difficult.
• The level of annotations is uneven and is occasionally too brief, I would say, for the club player audience. That said, requiring active engagement with the material (after for example "and now White wins" without further explanation) is not in itself a bad thing for the learning process.
• One example of the Colle-Zukertort setup is given early on, but then is ignored. This is the reverse of the modern preference and practice of the setups (playing b3 in the Colle-Zukertort instead of c3). 

Training quote of the day #48: George Koltanowski

 From lesson one of The Colle System (12th edition) by GM (honorary) George Koltanowski:

Experience has proven that once you know one opening thoroughly in all its strong and weak points, all other openings become much easier to understand and play correctly. Thus when you once have a good understanding of the Colle, with practical experience in playing it, you will be able to switch to any other opening with success. In chess, as in any other game in which you wish to advance, it is practice that counts. Many will tell you that the Colle System is very tame and does not give White maximum chances. Well, they are right in a way. The Colle is tame . . . only at the same time it does not permit your opponent to spring any opening surprises. The Colle does not let your opponent make the slightest mistake without his getting a serious positional disadvantage. The Colle also gives you excellent end game chances, and this, together with a safe, sound opening, gives you more chances in general. Don't forget that, as an average player, you must also be able to gain an advantage over players of your own ability.

Annotated Game #285: A failed Stonewall leads to a queenside crush

In this last-round tournament game, my opponent did well out of the opening, gaining central control and a significant developmental lead after exchanging my Stonewall pawn on d4. However, I patiently continued bringing out my pieces and developed reasonably well, with a breakthrough occurring due to a positional blunder on move 17. This is a notable example of how strategically important piece exchanges can be. In this case, it gave me full control of the outpost on c5 and allowed me to establish a crushing dominance on the queenside, which I eventually converted.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class C"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "87"] [GameId "497982781165"] 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 c5 4. c3 {establishing a partial Stonewall structure.} (4. Nf3 $5 {it seems has been played a lot in blitz, for example} Nc6 5. h3 e6 6. b3 cxd4 7. exd4 Bb4+ 8. c3 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Qc7 11. Bg5 Nh5 12. c4 Nf4 13. Bf1 h6 14. Bxf4 Bxf4 15. c5 e5 16. Nc3 exd4 17. Nxd5 Qb8 18. Nxd4 Be5 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Ne7+ Kh8 21. Nxc6 Bh2+ 22. Kh1 Qc7 23. Ne7 Be6 24. Rxe6 fxe6 25. Ng6+ Kg8 26. Nxf8 Rxf8 27. Qe2 Be5 28. Re1 Bc3 29. Qxe6+ Kh8 30. Rc1 Bd4 31. Bd3 Qf4 32. Re1 Bxc5 33. Qg6 Kg8 34. Qh7+ Kf7 35. Bc4+ {1-0 Nakamura,H (2775)-Holt,C (2540) Titled Tuesday intern op 09th May Late Chess.com INT blitz 2023 (3)}) 4... Nc6 5. Nd2 {still holding out for a Stonewall Attack formation, but Black's next spoils that.} (5. Nf3 {would transpose into a Colle System and may be the best option.}) (5. f4 Bg4 {scores very well for Black.}) 5... e5 $17 {unfortunately there's no good response to this. White taking either the c5 or e5 pawn gives Black a nice center along with good development, following the recapture, while Nf3 is no longer possible due to the pawn fork on e4.} 6. Bb5 {this is an idea I had seen in previous similar positions with engine analysis. Here it's not great, but does at least fight for the e5 square.} (6. Ne2 {is the engines' choice, admitting that there's no better square to develop to.}) 6... cxd4 7. cxd4 {this maintains the symmetry of the pawn formation and I felt more like solid play at this point.} (7. exd4 {the engines all prefer this recapture, which means ...e4 is less stifling for White.}) 7... e4 {now I do not have a pawn lever available against the d5 pawn.} 8. Ne2 Bd7 9. O-O Bd6 {Black at this point has a classically nice position with excellent development and a space advantage, thanks to the d5-e4 pawn chain. So it's time to start doing something about that.} 10. f3 {Dragon 3.2 agrees this is the best chance for White, playing analagous to a reversed French and attacking the head of the advanced pawn chain.} Qc7 11. f4 {the engine does not like this, but in practical terms it shuts down Black's ideas on the kingside for now and gains a bit of space for me, at the cost of leaving the e4 pawn in place.} (11. fxe4 {I admit I didn't even consider, since it looks like it just loses a pawn at first.} Bxh2+ 12. Kh1 dxe4 13. Rxf6 $5 {this exchange sacrifice, however, significantly changes the landscape.} gxf6 14. Nxe4 $11 {and now Black has to be careful. The f6 pawn is doomed, getting some material back for White, and the bishop on h2 is hanging by a thread.} O-O-O (14... Bd6 {a simple retreat loses.} 15. Nxf6+ {and now e3-e4 is coming as a central pawn roller. For example} Kd8 16. e4 a6 17. Bg5 $18 {with the threat of Nd5 with discovered check.}) 15. Nxf6 (15. g3 $2 {trying to trap the bishop does not work after} f5 16. Kxh2 fxe4 $19 {the White king will not have enough protection against the coming onslaught of the h-pawn and all of Black's pieces.}) 15... Be6 {White's strong central d-pawn provides compensation.}) (11. h3 $5 {is the solid alternative, although I didn't like the weak dark squares around the king.}) 11... O-O 12. h3 {the idea being to take the g4 square away from Black as a prophylactic measure. The engine prefers White exchanging first on c6.} a6 13. Bxc6 {the bishop has no future on the light squares, so gladly exchanges itself.} bxc6 $6 $15 {the backward pawn on the half-open file now gives me a weakness to play against.} 14. Nb3 {first step is to restrain the pawn's advance. I would be happy to exchange pawns after c6-c5, get Black's bishop off for my knight, and then have the backwards d-pawn to play against.} Rab8 15. Bd2 {simple development, also clearing c1 for the rook.} Qb7 16. Rc1 $11 {by this point my piece activity has significantly picked up and Black's backwards c-pawn offsets his advanced e-pawn structurally.} Rfc8 17. Rc2 {protecting b2 and also looking to potentially double on the c-file.} Bb4 $2 {a positional blunder. I expect my opponent had no idea about a plan, other than to exchange pieces. This was the wrong one to go with, however, since my knight now goes into a very strong outpost.} 18. Bxb4 Qxb4 19. Nc5 $16 Qb6 {the queen has to avoid being potentially trapped.} 20. Nc3 (20. g4 $5 {played now this may have a bit more impact than later, as there's no hurry to move the Ne2. Black will have to spend a tempo defending or moving the Bd7, as the threat is g4-g5 removing the Nf6 as a defender.}) 20... Qa7 21. Qe2 {pressuring a6 and opening the first rank for the Rf1.} a5 {logically dodging the pressure.} 22. N3a4 {this is what I was looking to do on move 20. Black can no longer evict a knight from c5, since exchanging there will now simply replace it.} Rb5 23. Rfc1 $18 {with the immediate positional threat of taking on d7 and removing a key defender of c6.} Be8 24. g4 {the engine validates this choice, which gains space on the kingside and threatens to start operations there, with the queen and rooks easily switched over. At the time, I felt it was a bit risky, but I did not see any way to make immediate progress on the queenside.} Nd7 {proactively fleeing the g-pawn advance, but this has a major tactical flaw that I did not spot.} 25. b3 $18 {I thought for a while here and came up with the second-best move, according to the engine. This consolidates a4 and c4 while making sure I don't have to worry about protecting the b-pawn.} (25. Nxd7 $1 {Black has a back-rank problem, which makes this possible. The knight is tactically defended, so Black simply loses a piece.} Bxd7 (25... Qxd7 {appears to solve things, but in fact the queen can get chased away.} 26. Qxb5 $1 cxb5 27. Rxc8 bxa4 28. R1c7 Qe6 29. f5 $1 $18) 26. Qxb5 $1 $18 {and the c6 pawn is pinned against the mate on c8.}) 25... Nb6 {exactly what b3 was intended to combat, this knight trying to get to c4. I could simply exchange it off, of course, but now the Rb5 is trapped after} 26. Nc3 Rxc5 27. dxc5 Nd7 {at this point I'm a full exchange up with no weaknesses, so should win. My opponent attempts to construct a blockade, though, with success in delaying things.} 28. Na4 (28. Qd2 {followed by Nc3-e2-d4 is a superior idea.}) 28... Rb8 29. Qd2 Rb5 30. Kh1 {this was basically a waiting move, also clearing g1 for a rook if I wanted to start kingside operations.} f6 {this clears a square for the king, which I presume was my opponent's primary intent, but also creates a weakness in the pawn shield, which becomes critical later.} 31. Qc3 Rb7 32. h4 {it's not clear to me how to make progress on the queenside, so I try the kingside first.} h5 {a good practical try, but I keep the advantage in hand with} 33. g5 f5 {with the kingside locked up, although with more space and a very nice open long diagonal for me, I turn my attention to the queenside again.} 34. a3 {I need to mobilize the pawns and open a file, but it takes some time.} (34. Nb6 {looks like it's pointless, but the engine spots a nice tactic after} Nxb6 35. Qe5 Re7 36. cxb6 $1 Qd7 37. Qd4 $18) 34... Qb8 35. Rb2 (35. b4 {immediately is possible.} axb4 36. axb4 Rxb4 37. Nb6 Rb5 38. Nxd7 Bxd7 39. Qa1 {followed by Ra2 achieves a winning breakthrough on the a-file.}) 35... Rb5 36. Qc2 {this just wastes time.} Qa7 37. Qc3 {admitting the queen is better placed here, eyeing the long diagonal.} Nb8 $2 {I debated whether immediately going Qe5 was best, eventually deciding on hopping the knight to its new outpost first. Both should win.} 38. Nb6 Na6 (38... Qc7 {covering e5 allows the breakthrough with b4.}) 39. b4 axb4 40. axb4 Qb7 41. Ra1 {now it's clear Black cannot stop the rooks penetrating on the a-file, causing destruction in the back ranks.} Nc7 42. Rba2 Bd7 43. Ra7 Qb8 44. Qe5 {now I finally pull the trigger on the e5 penetration with the queen.} 1-0