28 May 2024

Annotated Game #280: When you are in a hole, stop digging

In this fifth-round tournament game as Black, having lost previously twice with that color, I managed to at least stop digging myself any further deeper into negative territory. This time I had the mental toughness to go ahead and play my somewhat risky repertoire line against the Two Knights in the Caro-Kann, unlike the previous time I had faced the variation, which ended in an embarassing loss (Annotated Game #271). While I slightly goofed in the opening, I still managed to equalize by around move 13, and sealed the draw by move 17 by achieving a structure that White could not break down. While I do not advocate playing for a draw from the start of the game, as that tends to have worse results in practice, I was fine achieving one here and breaking another losing streak as Black.


New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 unlike in the previous tournament, here I have my personal repertoire line prepared. 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6 now we are in Bronstein-Larsen territory, deliberately unbalancing the kingside pawn structure, unlike the more solid Tartakower variation with ...exf6. 6.d4 Bg4 7.Be2 e6 8.Be3 Bd6 perhaps a premature commitment of the bishop. 8...Nd7 9.Qd2 Qc7 10.h3 Bf5 11.Bd3 Bg6 this would be more useful if I had planned kingside castling. 11...Bxd3!? 12.0-0-0 Nd7 13.Bxg6 hxg6= by this point I have managed to equalize. There is a solid row of pawns on the 6th rank and White no longer has a developmental advantage. 14.c4 0-0-0 15.Kb1 Kb8 this gives White a bit more play than is necessary, although it is solid enough. 15...c5 played immediately is more assertive. 15...e5 is also possible to strike in the center. 16.d5 this allows the central tension to be resolved. 16.c5 Be7 17.Bf4 e5 Black would be cramped without this pawn lever, but it keeps things equal. 16...exd5 17.cxd5 c5 played after a long think here; I later learned that this is a common theme in this position-type. The point is that White's play is contained by the blockade of the d-pawn and Black's influential c-pawn. 17...Ne5 was my other main candidate move. 18.Qc2 b6 this solidly shores up the c-pawn further. 18...Nb6!? is a more active choice. 19.Nd2 Bf4 this exchange benefits Black, since clearly Black's dark-square bishop is doing very little, while White's would have more scope on the board. 20.Nc4 Bxe3 21.fxe3 either recapture is fine here. Now the d-pawn is not isolated, but the e-pawn is backward on an open file. Ne5 improving my worst piece, never a bad idea. 21...f5!? would be another way to play, fixing the e-pawn (or exchanging it off if advanced). 22.e4 Nxc4 this exchange ensures Black's central blockade will be successful. 23.Qxc4 Qe5 from this point on it is completely even, as neither side can make progress. 24.Rhe1 overprotecting the weak e-pawn. Kb7 mostly a waiting move. 24...Rh4!? would keep the pressure on, also with a transfer to f4 possible. 25.Qb5 Rd6 defending against the threatened penetration on c6. 26.Qc4 Re8 at this point I am just marking time and keeping White honest. 27.Qf1 Rh8 28.Rd3 a5 this is not necessary, but takes away some potential play on the a-file, for example after Ra3 eyeing the a6 square. 29.Rde3 Rc8 30.Qc4 Re8 31.Qb5 Rc8 32.Qc4 and with no ideas for progress left, a draw was agreed. ½–½
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResECORnd
Class A-ChessAdmin-½–½B16
Posted by ChessAdmin at 8:56 PM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Your comments and ideas on chess training and this site are welcomed.

Please note that moderation is turned on as an anti-spam measure; your comment will be published as soon as possible, if it is not spam.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)