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...