Before I start to analyze my game, I’d like to apologize for not getting a blog post at my usual 9 AM time. With the craze that is college exams before Thanksgiving and preparing to take off to Philadelphia for the National Chess Congress, I’ve been extremely busy.
That being said, this will be my only post or video this week on chess^summit since most of my Thanksgiving holiday will be consumed by the National Chess Congress, my first GoFundMe sponsored tournament appearance. After a month, my GoFundMe Campaign has raised over $500, and will go a long ways towards preparing me for the US Junior Open this summer. I’m really thankful to everyone who’s donated, and I look forward to sharing more quality games with all of you for the next few months to come.
After having lived here for a few months, I’m finally starting to get in the habit of calling Pittsburgh home! My friends are just one of the few things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving.
My match-up tonight at the Pittsburgh Chess Club lasted only an hour, but I thought that there were some instructive points about dynamic play that were worth sharing.
Prokhov – Steincamp (19th Robert Smith Memorial, 2015)
Just like last week, another seemingly unambitious bishop move, but in this position, White plans on playing Bd2-c3 to contest the long diagonal.
6…Bg7 7.Nc3?
Not a blunder by any means but this move doesn’t make sense given the pretense of White’s last move. Without the option of Bd2-c3, the queen’s bishop is now misplaced on d2. If White had tried 7. Bc3, I had prepared 7… Nf6 8. e5 Nd4 and it’s Black who has a comfortable position – White’s e-pawn is hyperextended and his development is rather poor.
7…Rb8
I made this move rather quickly for the obvious reason to attack b2 and seize the half-open file. While this move is strong, I wish I had considered the more choice precise 7…d5! taking the center and taking away the c4 square for White’s bishop.
8.Bc4 d6 9.Qf3
I was taken aback when I saw this move, and I was reminded of a game I played back in 2014 against Ilya Kremenchugskiy in the Virginia Closed Chess Championships. When I see a move like this, I’m not really phased by White’s aggression as all of my moves have been very principled. Though there may have been some improvements for Black, I haven’t made a “wrong” move either. If I continue to play solidly, then my opponent won’t be better in the long run. While this logical deduction doesn’t include lines like it should, it’s a good technique to have in much shorter time controls (G/15, etc). Knowing that my opponent’s play was unimpressive, I focused on how to punish him rather than how to defend.
9…Nf6 10.e5 dxe5 11.Qxc6+ Bd7
This is not a position I had studied prior to the game, so this did initially discomfort me. So what can I take away from my position? 1) My pieces are better coordinated. While the pawn on e5 blocks in my bishop, my d7 bishop, queen, and rook are all ready to attack the queenside. 2) Though my pawn structure is worse than White’s this would only be a bigger factor if I play passively or reach an endgame where my opponent has a 3 v 1 position on the queenside. In other words, while I have an uncomfortable position, if I can coordinate my pieces now I still have an opportunity to seize the initiative. In my estimation, this game is still equal right now.
Perhaps this is the first real sign that something’s gone wrong. White didn’t want to castle queenside because of the b-file, but rather than moving the d2 bishop to a more active square (thus allowing White to castle kingside), this move offers a passive threat of a discovered attack. With the ball in my court, I took note of a few things. 1) I really want to attack the kingside with my queen, but the white queen takes away both b7 and g4. 2) I have potential targets on b2 and g2. 3) White hasn’t castled. With this in mind, I played the next two moves to highlight all three of these weaknesses.
16…Rb8 17.Qa3 Qb7
Mission Accomplished! When you see a weakness, you have to believe that there is a solution to exploit it – a concept highlighted wonderfully by GM Daniel Naroditsky. I had to take advantage of this single opportunity, or in all likelihood I’m fighting for a draw. Not to say I’m worse, but by trading the bishops on d7 earlier, I’m one step closer to an endgame, which is the one thing I don’t want.
18.O-O Qxb2 19.Qxa7 Qxc2 20.Qe3
If White had taken on e7, he runs into some tactical problems after …Rf8-e8 and then …Rb8-d8, as the knight, the bishop, and the rook, could all be vulnerable to different tactics.
20…Rfd8!
Again, pushing the advantage with another dynamic move! With …Rb8-b2 coming, or perhaps …Rd8-d3 coming, White is extremely tied down, and it becomes extremely difficult to find moves. If White tries 21. Qxe5, then 21… Ng4 and 21… Nh5 are both nice options (not 21… Rxd2?? 22. Qxb8+ +-).
21.Nb1?
After a 10 minute think my opponent played this move and resigned before I could even assess the position. Black has 21…Rxb1 and the two minor pieces are better than the rook. I consider this a premature resignation, but White cannot play for a win.
0-1
An interesting game where my opponent took unorthodox measures to try to get an advantage. While he caused some structural weaknesses, moving the queen around the board and not completing development effectively ultimately lead to my opponent’s demise. This was not a “pretty” win by any means, but it’s definitely another reason to be confident heading into the National Chess Congress’ Open section on Friday.
I’m not exactly sure what to expect, but it would be nice if for my next post I could be an official Candidate Master by earning my last norm!
Faced with a worse opening set-up, I managed to equalize in a G/15 ICC match after trading my weakest pieces for my opponent’s best pieces. At the critical moment, I used an idea from Yasser Seirawan to earn the half point – watch the video and check it out!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been playing in a bi-monthly ladder at the Pittsburgh Chess Club, and if I have to be honest, the change in tournament format hasn’t been the smoothest for me, as late night Tuesday rounds has pushed my mental endurance. Despite winning the first round, I made an early mistake in the opening, which made most of the game an uphill battle. Round 2 proved to be much more difficult. Despite taking a material advantage in an endgame, I underestimated my opponent’s counterattacking chances and lost in a rather embarrassing fashion. So this last Tuesday was round 3, and to say the least, I needed a win – badly.
My opponent, a much older player, had just drawn a strong expert despite his 1800 rating, and knowing some of his other recent results, I knew that this would be a tough fight. As always, I got to the board insanely early, ready to play the most important game I would have played since moving to Pittsburgh.
Steincamp – Schragin (19th Robert Smith Memorial, 2015)
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Be7
My opponent “doesn’t play openings” but even a novice should know that this move is ill-advised. While White stands slightly better, it’s important to note that this move alone won’t lose the game.
4.Nc3 c5 5.d3 Nc6 6.Nd5
I would like to have the option of playing Ng1-f3, but that would allow …d7-d5, giving Black a Maroczy structure and somewhat justifying his move 3…Be7.
6…d6 7.e3
If I want to castle, I’m going to need to determine the best square for my g1 knight. The square f3 isn’t bad, but my set-up is positioned to attack the d5 square. At first, I thought that 7. Nf3 0-0 8. Nd2 with the idea of Nd2-f1-e3 wouldn’t be so bad, but the problem is that Black has 8… Qa5! and now with the pin to my king, it’s not so clear why I wasted so many tempi to get my knight to d2. This is a much clearer plan, as 7. e3 allows me to play Ng1-e2-c3.
7…O-O 8.Ne2 Nxd5 9.cxd5 +=
Believe it or not, taking with the pawn in this position is surprisingly theoretical. Here it’s even better because I can punish Black (finally) for 3… Be7, because it takes away the most natural square for the knight. 9… Nb4 runs into problems after 10. a3 Qa5 11. 0-0 because Bc1-d2 is coming and the b4 knight needs to retreat to a6.
9…Nb8 10.O-O Bg4 11.f3
I want to play d3-d4 without having my knight pinned on e2, so this move felt natural. While I didn’t think much of it during the game, I think Black is strategically lost here once I break the central pawn structure. As you’ll notice, Black will not be able to generate counterplay for the remainder of the game.
11…Bh5 12.d4 Nd7
Maybe the best move, because after 12… cxd4 13. exd4 exd4 14. Nf4! (not 14. Nxd4 Qb6!) 14…Bg6 15. Qxd4 Bf6 16. Qb4, White has a slightly better position with a plan to take on g6 and mount my bishop on f4.
13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nf4
With Black deciding it was best to not give me a passed d-pawn, I get the f4 square for my knight and the bishop pair.
14…Bg6 15.Nxg6 Nxg6 16.Rb1
With Black planning to play …Be7-f6, this move gets the rook off the long diagonal, while potentially planning a b2-b4 strike. Black doesn’t have any dynamic options on the queenside as …b7-b5 will always be met with a2-a4, weakening Black’s structure (this is an important idea!).
16…Re8 17.f4
The most important move of the game. Both 17. e4 and 17. b4 are the most natural moves, but each gives Black counterplay. 17. b4 can run into tactical issues because after 17… Qb6, Black points out my limited coordination and weaknesses on e3 and b4. 17. e4 is an easy move to make but after 17… Bf6, Black has control of the d4 square as well as the long diagonal. I need to get my bishop to c3 before pushing the e-pawn. My move makes the most intuitive sense because it takes the e5 square away from the Black knight while also stopping any …h7-h5 counterplay.
17…Bf6 18.Re1 Qa5 19.a3 Ne7?
This move tries to maneuver the knight away from the bad g6 square, but in doing so cuts off the f6 bishop. This is important, as now I can force an advantageous trade on c3.
20.Bd2 Qc7 21.Bc3 Bxc3 22.bxc3
With a pawn on c3, I can play e2-e4 without giving Black counterplay.
22…Rad8 23.e4 Ng6 24.h4
Pointing out that Black cannot play …h7-h5 to stop the h-pawn. With no counterplay across the board, Black begins to falter.
24…f6??
A positional blunder! My opponent weakens the e6 square, which will make for a great outpost for my bishop. While it looks difficult to penetrate Black’s fortress, my advantage lies in my light squared bishop.
25.c4
25. Bh3 would have also been acceptable, but I liked this move more since it stops any chance for Black to have a dynamic break on the queenside. Because Black doesn’t have a piece that can reach d4, fixing the pawn structure furthers my advantage.
25…b6 26.Bh3 Re7 27.Be6+ Kh8 28.Kf2
On his next move, Black will attack my e6 bishop, so I get one tempo for an improving move. By moving the king off the first rank, I open access to the h-file for my rooks. I thought it was important to put the king on f2 and not g2 because I figure Black’s only counterplay lies in …g7-g5, opening the g-file, this move gets my king out of the way in advance while giving me a chance to attack.
28…Nf8 29.Bf5
It’s important to not that 29. f5 loses all of White’s advantage. While 29… Nxe6 would give White a passed pawn, it’s in Black’s best interest to instead play 29… Nd7! with the idea of going to e5. Since my pawns can’t control dark squares once I push the f-pawn, I would have no way of recovering my bishop for knight advantage. That being said, there are two reasons why I am winning: 1) the bishop dominates Black’s weak light squares and the f8 knight has no scope and 2) the f4 pawn. The f4 pawn controls the most critical squares, e5 and g5, and is the main reason Black’s knight is contained (remember 17. f4! set this position by achieving this goal!).
29…g6?
This seemingly innocuous move seals my opponent’s fate. When I played 29. Bf5, I actually wanted to provoke this move (the bishop was solid on f5 regardless). In this position, I really only have one target – the square on e6. I can push the a-pawn, but it’s not clear if opening the b-file really helps me yet. Now with this second weakness, I can apply the principle of two weaknesses. By playing …g7-g6, Black weakens the a1-h8 diagonal and the f6 pawn, while simultaneously giving me a hook on g6.
30.Bh3 Rde8 31.Qd3 Rf7 32.Re3
This move serves multiple purposes. While protecting the e3 pawn, I give my b1 rook access to the h1 square. Furthermore, by creating a battery on the third rank, I’m prepared for Black’s …g6-g5 push to open the g-file, as I’ll have the option of Rg3 or Rh3 in such positions. Black really doesn’t have much going on, so I can take my time maneuvering.
32…Qd8 33.h5
This move is my first attempt to break through the position. Though I do want to break open the h-file, my ultimate goal is to open f5 again for my bishop as a permanent outpost. The best defensive effort may be 33… g5 but after 34. Bf5 Black still has no play and would have to defend against an eventual Qd3-c3 followed by a potential f4xg5 plan, where Black’s king gets exposed.
Putting pressure on f6 while sealing the kingside from Black’s army. My goal now is to play Qd1-a1 and Re1-h1.
38…Ng6 39.Qa1 Re8 40.Re1 Ne7??
Black’s counting on me to take the f6 pawn to open up Black’s kingside but misses the winning blow 41. Be6 +-. Without this mistake, black’s still lost as he can’t simultaneously protect f6, h7, and stop the a-pawn push at the same time. Black’s knight is still pinned to the f6 pawn, and his king is still under fire from multiple angles.
41.Be6 1-0 Black Resigns.
I was really happy with the quality that I brought to this round, and it’ll be a big boost going into the National Chess Congress next weekend in Philadelphia. Black helped me along the way, but it’s difficult for me to find significant improvements for myself throughout the game.
Over the weekend, I decided to play a G/15 quad, and even though I was easily able to reach a score of 2.5/3 (my quick rating is low, so I played mostly inferior opponents), I saw a game in the top quad that inspired me to write today’s post.
Rea – Feliachi (G/15 November Quads, 2015)
Just as a disclaimer, I was in my second round game as this one was developing, so the move order may not be exact (the critical position will be reached regardless).
1.d4 e6
This move 1… e6 is surprisingly flexible. Black can play 2… f5 for a Dutch while avoiding the Staunton Gambit, but he can also transpose into Nimzo, Queen’s Gambit, and Queen’s Indian lines. In this game, Feliachi opts for the lesser known queenside fianchetto lines.
2.Nf3 b6 3.e4 Bb7
While Black has given up the center, he has succeeded in reaching unfamiliar territory. White needs to proceed with caution, as the e-pawn will be a target for the b7 bishop.
4.Bd3 Nf6 5.Qe2?!
This move protects the pawn but seems dubious. Rea intends to push c2-c3 as he does later in the game, but delaying the development of his queenside army is not fundamentally correct. By pushing both of his center pawns forward, White conceded that both the e- and d- pawns may become potential targets. While it would be nice to play f2-f3 or c2-c3, White can’t afford to take away squares for his pieces to fight for the center.
5…Be7 6.Bf4
It was at this point in the game where I thought perhaps Black was slightly better. It’s not quite clear what the bishop on f4 is doing, but this now gives Black time to make his first push for the center.
6…c5 7.c3 Nc6 8.Nbd2
If White can castle and maintain his hold on the center, he will likely be equal or even better. However, Black gets an opportunity to intervene. White’s piece development has centered around the ability to push c2-c3 to stop moves like …Nc6-b4 (attacking the d3 bishop). With his next move, Feliachi forces White to surrender the structural integrity of the queenside.
8…cxd4 9.cxd4 Nb4!
The point of Black’s plan! White would have been better suited letting Black exchange on d3 to take control of the c-file. Black’s plan would be to push …d7-d5 in such position and seize control of the e4 square. Endgames in those positions will favor the pair of bishops, so Black holds a slight advantage.
10.Bb1 Ba6!
Rea retreated his bishop to stay on the b1-h7 diagonal, but in doing so walks into the heart of Black’s plan. Now White is much worse because his king is stuck in the center of the board while Black’s rook will swing to c8 and expose White’s lack of coordination.
11.Qe3 Rc8 12.Nb3 Nc2+ 13.Bxc2 Rxc2
Black takes control of the 2nd file with added threats of …Be7-b4+ looming. Uncertain of how to defend, White allowed Black to fork the king and queen on e2 and lost the game.
I remember watching this game and being really impressed with Black’s ability to punish White’s desire to play c2-c3. Though this …Nb4 and …Ba6 idea was clearly researched by Black before the game, it still made for a very instructional victory over a National Master.
With this inspiring opening play out of the way, I figured I might as well share Richard Rapport’s game at the European Team Championships last Sunday for team Hungary in their match in France. At only 19, Rapport has established himself as one of the world’s elite, specifically for bizarre opening preparation. In his game against Fressinet, he chose to open his game with 1. f4, giving the Bird’s Opening a rare showing at the Grandmaster level.
Since Gibraltar last January, 2015 hasn’t been the kindest to the Hungarian. Now under 2700 again, will the European Team Chess Championships allow Rapport to turn the page?
Rapport – Fressinet (European Team Chess Championships, 2015)
1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4
Having worked with 1. f4 players before, this is not a move I’m too familiar with. White offers the c-pawn to gain central control, and if Black doesn’t take, the c-pawn puts pressure on Black’s center. That being said when Black plays …Bg7, it will be difficult for White to blunt the diagonal, thus offering Black some play.
3…c6 4.e3 Bg7 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.d4
White’s structure now represents a flipped Botvinik set-up, where White will hope to use his control of the e5 square and his space to acquire an advantage.
6…O-O 7.Be2 e6 8.O-O dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nbd7 10.e4
With this move, Rapport fills the “hole” in his structure on e4 while taking away Black’s strong point, d5, as a potential outpost. While this takes a tempo for having moved the pawn twice, the burden is on Black to find a way to develop his bad c8-bishop. Despite this game’s awkward beginnings, it seems like the balance has already shifted slightly towards White.
Black has found a way to develop his bad bishop on the long diagonal, but not without consequences. Already with a hyper-extended b-pawn, Black must now also worry about the d6 square. While this e-pawn push from Rapport gives up some light squares, he locks in the g7 bishop, making the dark squares hard to defend.
15…Nd5 16.Ng5 Qa5 17.Ne4 Rfc8 18.Kh1
A prophylactic measure. At some point, White will want to play Ne4-d6, and this move allows him to do so as the king will no longer be exposed along the a7-g1 diagonal. While Black currently has better development, Fressinet struggles to play around Rapport’s Bind, as there’s no clear plan for Black.
18…Ba6 19.a3 Bf8 20.Bxa6 Qxa6 21.Nd6 Rc7?
This move confines Black to passivity, as playing …Bxd6 would have been better. Fressinet must have feared the protected passed pawn on d6, but the bishop on f8 really doesn’t add value to Black’s set-up. 21… Rxc5? doesn’t work because 22. axb4 Qxa1 23. bxc5 and Black’s queen is awfully misplaced in the corner.
22.Bd2
Grandmaster Iossif Dorfman states that dynamic play stops when the attacking player has a static advantage. Here with a knight firmly planted in Black’s territory, White can finally complete his development with ease.
22…b3 23.Rc1 Rb8 24.Rf3 Qa4 25.Rc4 Qa6
This sequence shows how poor Black’s position really is. Unable to generate counterplay or stop White’s improvements, White has already strategically won, the rest is just technique.
Two rooks are generally better than a queen, but here Rapport also weakens Black’s queenside. With Black’s rooks out of reach from the king, White is left with the task of attacking a defenseless king.
32…Ne7 33.e6!!
A very instructive moment from Rapport! Sometimes, if you can’t solve a position, it’s important to try changing the move order. If White had just tried 33. Qa4 Rc7 34. Qxg4+, after 34… Bg7, it’s unclear how to proceed. Now with this move, White offers a pawn so that after Qxg4+, the queen can follow up by taking on e6, infiltrating the Black camp.
Out of gamesmanship, Fressinet allows Rapport to deliver a checkmate after a long day in the office.
A great performance from Rapport, as his result was critical in securing a tie with the French in Round 3. After 4 games, Rapport has secured 3.5/4 for the Hungarian team in the European Team Chess Championships.
Make sure to check out other games from the event, as there have already been several heavyweight clashes. After Russia’s dominating win over Ukraine, will they be the favorites to run away with the event, or can Azerbaijan or Armenia catch up to the leaders? You can visit the event webpage here.
After losing to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Aronian rebounded with a big win over reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen and team Norway. The Armenian has had the most difficult schedule, as he fell to Michael Adams in round 5.
For today’s video, I wanted to try something new, so I thought it might be interesting to go over a Grandmaster game in ten minutes as to not get too bogged down into theoretical or tactical lines, but still highlight the most important moments of the game. It’s a new format, let me know if you like it!
The game I chose really caught my eye when I watched it live, as Magnus Carlsen, the defending World Blitz Champion, nearly fell to a relatively unknown Grandmaster, Daniil Dubov. Dubov missed a tactic that would have won the game – can you find it?
For today’s post, I would like to show an online game that shared with me from a young player out of Virginia Beach. If you too would like your game analyzed by me, make sure to send them to chess.summit@gmail.com, and I’ll feature it in the next post!
Bchninja4 – rob13 (15’+10″, chess.com)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+
Even though I’m not a 1 e4 player, this move cannot be the most accurate way to handle a Philidor. White invites Black to attack the b5 bishop while creating a hold on the center. Remember, the only reason why 3. Bb5 is a strong move in the Ruy Lopez is because when Black has a knight on c6, it becomes uncomfortable for Black to move the d-pawn. A general idea to remember is that its not worth checking your opponent if you cannot also improve your position.
3…c6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d4 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.dxe5 Bxf3?
This move deserves a question mark because it defeats the purpose of Black’s last move, 6… Bh4. In general, If you play a move like Bg4/Bg5 to pin the knight, you need to be ready to take the knight should your opponent attack your bishop with the h-pawn. By not following this concept, Black lost a critical tempo to develop.
A strategic mistake! With this move, Black makes it much more difficult to castle kingside while also making it more difficult to kick the g5 bishop. Black should have considered 13… Ne5, attacking the a4 bishop. Black’s intention should not be to trade for the light squared bishop, but to castle kingside and contest the d-file – specifically the d4 square. From c5, the knight can always trade for the bishop, but for the time being, it would put pressure on the e4 pawn.
13.Rhd1 O-O 14.Bxf6 Nxf6 15.g4!
Good technique! White punishes Black for having a poor kingside structure, and plans to make use of the weak d7 square.
I give this move two question marks for the thought process that went behind it. In his email to me, White explained: “I sac the rook since that bishop was worth 5 to me since it was blocking my pawn and aiming down on the king side”. This thought process is incorrect for a couple reasons. 1) This move is a passive tactic, meaning that the entire line assumes that Black will willingly take the rook, when in reality a move like …Ra8-d8 can be played. Such moves need to be considered for this move to work. 2) The bishop on g5 is actually a really bad piece. The weakest square on Black’s kingside is h7, which the dark square bishop can never protect. Furthermore, should the bishop move, it risks allowing the g5-g4 push. If a rook was to be sacrificed, why not for the f6 knight? At least its a much more active defender and covers Black’s critical squares. A sample line would go 20. Qf5 Nxd7 21. Rxd7, and Black now has to deal with pressure on f7 and a g-pawn push. White is winning. 3) Using point values to calculate generally leads to really artificial play. Even though we are taught each piece’s point value when we learn how to play, these are merely heuristics for computer engines and constantly change based on the position. In general, don’t compare point values, compare actual value to the position.
20…Bxd2 21.Rxd2 Rfd8 22.Rxd8+ Qxd8
Either way Black recaptures is losing, but Black should have recaptured with the rook to have one more active piece in the game.
23.g5 Nh7
The try …g7-g5 might not be inconceivable here. Already in a worse position, Black can seek counterplay using his one passed pawn.
An unfortunate blunder, but White is already winning the endgame. Again Black needed to make the position as complicated as possible by pushing the g-pawn and hoping for the best.
33.Nc6 Qxe4 34.Nxd8 Qxb7 35.Nxb7 Nd5 1-0
Black blunders on the final move, ending the game.
In a rather one sided game, we learn a lot about mentality and attacking chess. Let’s go over the key points:
“Patzer see a check, patzer play a check” – In this game, White lost time with an early Bb5+ when a move like Bc4 would have been much more practical. Only check your opponent if it helps you make progress.
Don’t weaken your own pawn structure! – The move 12… h5 alone may have cost Black the game as White had a lot of counterplay as a result. Look for ways to activate your developed pieces once you’ve finished the main opening ideas.
Don’t consider point values when analyzing – Trust your own intuition when calculating the differences in piece value. Knowing that a piece covers key squares and another piece serves little to know function might be enough for you to make rational over the board decisions.
“When you are losing, go crazy!” – This was something one of my former coaches taught me when I was ~1800. If you are worse in a position, you have to seek counterplay and contest your opponent’s desires. Black failed to make a serious push for the advantage in the endgame and thus failed to stay in the game. Simply making his g-pawn promoting a threat may have helped him get back to a more tenable position.
I’ll be looking forward to more game analysis posts in the future! Send me games!
Last Saturday, Nicholas N. asked “Is there a chance you have a game with the French Defense winning?”
Unfortunately, I’m not a French player, and because I haven’t played 1 e4 since I was in elementary school, I don’t have any quality games for any up and coming French players. But I know someone who does.
I (right) got to play GM Varuzhan Akobian (center) in a simultaneous exhibition at Emory University back in 2013 as part of the Castle Chess Camp program.
I met Grandmaster Akobian at Castle Chess back in 2011, and while I haven’t kept in contact, I have followed his games over the past few years. For those of you who only started following top-level chess recently, you may recall hearing Akobian’s name from this famous incident:
[Courtesy: D K Chess]
But Akobian has his own achievements too. A gold medal winner at the 2013 World Chess Team Championships, Var has a legacy of strong opening play with both the French and Bg5 systems against the King’s Indian Defense. To answer Nicholas’ question, we’ll look at two games in the French from Akobian.
Khachiyan – Akobian (World Open, 2008)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3
I’m not an 1 e4 player, but if I were, this is the system I’d choose to combat the French. Recommended in “Chess Openings for White, Explained”, this Nc3 line offers solid play for White.
3…Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 a6
This odd looking move is actually theoretical! The idea is to take away the b5 square from White (ideas like Nc3-b5-d6) before pushing …c7-c5. Because Black traded the dark square bishop, a square like d6 becomes difficult to cover effectively once the c-pawn moves from c7.
In this position, White allows Black to push pawns, but in return gets space in the center and his outpost for his d4 knight. White needs to proceed with caution, a single mis-step could result in a fatal position.
14.Kb1
A smart positional move. Before improving the position of his other pieces, Khachiyan moves his king off the half-open c-file.
14…a5
White deviates from theory here with 15. Ned4, but it would have been interesting to see the tactical shot 15. Bxh7+, as recommended by “Chess Openings for White, Explained”. The line recommended continues 15… Kxh7 16. Ng5+ Kg8, and the quiet move 17. Qe3 gives the queen entry to the kingside and compensation for White.
15.Ned4 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 Ba6 17.Bxa6 Rxa6 18.h4 Ne4
Something has gone wrong in White’s preparation for Akobian. With this move, Black’s knight proves itself to be just as strong as the White knight on d4, so Black has the initiative because of his pushed queenside army. White needs time to compete in the race position, and squares like g3 and f2 are rather weak and will require White’s attention.
19.Qe3?!
White puts the queen on the third rank to defend the king, but it can’t leave the f2 square unprotected, so Qe1 may have made more sense. White should plan to play Rh1-h3 as the rook lift justifies the h2-h4 thrust, while bringing an inactive piece into the game. Putting the queen here blocks that possibility from coming to fruition and overloads the piece.
19…a4 20.Ne2 b3 21.cxb3 axb3 22.Qxb3
A serious concession. Obviously White offers the knight e4-f2 fork, but the more important factor in the position is that White gives Black a half open b-file for the f8 rook. Ideally White would have liked to play 22. a3, but this gives Black a tactical opportunity: 22… Rxa3 23. bxa3 Qxa3 and White cannot stop both the threat of …Qa2# and …Rf8-a8 followed by …Qa1# without surrendering material.
22…Qa7 23.Nc1 Rb8 0-1
A great positional motif to end the game. Black made sure to control the b-file before even considering to play …Ne4-f2, and now has a massive queenside attack to show for it. White has a lot of problems in this position, and threw in the towel as he cannot generate counterplay on the kingside.
A strong showing from Akobian in this game against a top level Grandmaster! This game showed us a couple of lessons:
1) While theory doesn’t win games, it can play a significant factor in deciding the result. In this game Khachiyan wasn’t familiar with the Bxh7 line, and because of that, could not acquire positional resources to slow Black’s play.
2) In winning positions, positional advantages may mean more than winning material! Var could have played …Ne4-f2 but waited, because he realized that it would actually be harder to win up the exchange than taking full control of the weak queenside first.
3) Use all of your pieces! White traded a lot of pieces, and while theoretical, didn’t find a way to effectively use his h1 rook. This may seem irrelevant to the game, but in the final position, White is basically playing down a rook as all of Black’s pieces are going into the action.
This game was short, but shows us that the French can be a sharp opening and White must know theory to challenge Black’s queenside thrusts. Let’s take a look at a more positional game where Var makes use of an isolated queen’s pawn.
Akobian is one of the top player in the United States, having qualified for every US Chess Championships since 2005. You can visit his website here!
Shahade–Akobian (Philadelphia Open, 2012)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2
This peculiar knight move is similar to the first game in that it guards e4, with the added advantage of playing c2-c3 in the future. While White aims to create solid structure, he does block in the c1 bishop with this move and will have to spend a tempo later to compensate.
3…Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Ne2 Qb6
A thematic move in the French as Black gives White the center early to put pressure on the d4 pawn. While white aims to use his central space to acquire a positional advantage, Black wants to punish White for hyper-extending his pawns in the center before completing development.
8.Nf3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6
Black continues to chip away at White’s center in a typical French fashion. If White doesn’t trade pawns on f6, he will be stuck with an unprotected pawn on e5, and by trading on f6, White gives Black the space he needs to finish development.
10.exf6 Nxf6 11.O-O Bd6 12.b3 e5!
A critical decision from Akobian, as now he rids himself from a central backwards pawn, making it not clear what White is playing for. Even with an IQP, Black stands at least equal as the bad French bishop is activated.
In a seemingly equal position, Akobian has traded his activity into a slightly favorable endgame. White’s rook on b2 in misplaced, and the passed d5-pawn gives Black the only real shot of winning.
Shahade’s mistake here was to allow Black’s king to get so far without improving his own position. Now with an active king Black’s slight advantage has increased.
32.Ne3 a5!
I like this move! Knowing that Rc1+ is unstoppable, Akobian makes this pawn push to stop White from playing b3-b4, permanently cutting the king off from the c5 square.
33.Rc1+ Kd6 34.Kg1 b5 35.Kf1 Rc8 36.Rxc8 Bxc8
After forcing the last pair of rooks to come off the board, Akobian has one simple plan to win – play on the dark squares! Even though the f3-bishop controls the d5 pawn’s promotion square, Akobian can subdue White’s army into a passive position.
37.g4 d4!
Getting the pawn off a light square and giving White less room to work with.
38.Nc2 Kc5 39.Ke2 b4 40.Kd2 g5!
An instructive moment! In a position that doesn’t have a clear path to victory, Black fixes White’s pawn structure, confining White’s pawns to the same color as his bishop.
41.Ne1 Ba6 42.Bg2 h6 43.Kd1 Nd5
Forcing the last needed simplification. Even though the knight is arguably better than the bishop, Akobian applies an “Ulf Andersen” like idea here of comparing the pieces that are left on the board. The a6-bishop is much stronger than the passive e1 knight, and the trade on d5 eliminates a White piece that can control d1. White has no choice but to take on d5 since Black’s knight will be too strong on either c3 or f4.
Precisely as Akobian had calculated. The h-pawn will promote on h1 one tempo before the a-pawn can reach a8, meaning that the newly promoted queen can cover the long diagonal and win the game for Black.
I liked this game because Akobian showed that playing with the “dreaded” IQP isn’t actually that bad. By making advantageous trades, he simplified into an endgame where he could play for two results, and then slowly outplayed the International Master.
The French is a versatile structure, and learning it can help you understand the Dutch and the Nimzo Indian at the next level. While I personally would never choose the French as a first choice, it is a great way to build an opening repertoire.
Today’s game has a little more fire than usual. Rather than opting for a positional game, I took some risk playing …c5-c4 (I could have just …a7-a6) and sacrificing the exchange to get a massive kingside attack. Hope you enjoy!
No matter how much you study theory, someone will always find a way to get out of your opening knowledge against you in a tournament game. How you handle those positions will largely determine the outcome of the game, not the fact that you had read an entire book in preparation for the match.
While some club players may disagree, when your opponent chooses to go out of “book”, he is not necessarily making a mistake, but rather making a less battle tested move. As the player, its your job to figure out why. Let’s look at some games where I was put in this situation.
For me at least, this is where my opening knowledge ends – even though the game is still very much in the primitive stages. When Black takes early on c4, he usually wants to immediately follow with …Qd8-d3. By not making this move, Black is confined to a little more passive play.
10.Qe2 O-O 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.Nc3 Rfd8 13.Rac1 Rac8
The opening is finished, and even though Black deviated from theory, its not clear how White has benefited from that. My only advantage is that I have two central pawns compared to Black’s one, but still what is White’s plan?
14.d3
Perhaps “plan” is a little bit too primitive of a word. In chess, we generally equate planning as a means reach a specific goal or creating a weakness. Here I cannot play for an advantage without creating a weakness for myself, so the only “plan” is to improve my pieces. After realizing that 14. d4?! plays into Black’s hands after 14… cxd4 15. exd4 Na5, I came up with this move with the long idea of Qe2-c2-b1-a1, followed by Nc3-b5 and Nf3-e5 with two aims, controlling the long a1-h8 diagonal and provoking a7-a6, making the b6 pawn weak.This is the dream position I thought of after playing d3. Its a lot of moves, but honestly Black doesn’t have a plan of his own. The problem with 9… Be7 was that it was too slow in creating any play, and with my pawn on d3, Black can’t exactly play for the half-open d-file.
14…a6?
The position is still equal, but this is a positional mistake for two reasons. 1) b6-b5 isn’t possible, so for now the pawn on b6 is a big weakness as a backwards pawn and 2) the bishop on b7 no longer has the option of going to a6 if I decide to push d3-d4. That being said, my plan changes now too as Black created the weakness I was hoping to provoke. After much deliberation, I decided I needed to play on my half-open file, the b-file.
15.Ba1!
Perhaps not a true brilliancy, but this is the most simple move for me to control the b-file! Now my plan is to play Rc1-b1 and Qe2-b2 to attack both the kingside and the b-pawn.This is my dream position now, and even though the position is still technically equal, Black has some questions to answer. Without an ability to effectively push b6-b5 or stake a real claim for the d-file, Black is going to have to find other ways to improve the position.
15…e5??
With his counterplay stopped, Black lashes out with this positional blunder. Trying to reach a bind position, Black weakens the d5 square with this move. Even with the bishop on b7, Black’s pawns loosen his control over the light squares. With all of the pieces on the board, Black is extremely cramped and strategically lost.
16.Rb1 Rb8 17.Ng5
The goal is to reroute the knight to e4, where I will have two very pleasant ways to recapture the trade. Nc3xe4 is the most natural, but I preferred the counterintuitive d3xe4 idea! By doing this, my knight can jump to d5, and if traded, I can recapture with a pawn, making it passed.
17…Bc8 18.Nge4 Be6
Black trading on e4 would give me a dream position as I control all of the critical squares on the d-file. Even with a bad g2 bishop, my coordination gives me a big central advantage.
19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Nd5 Bxd5 21.cxd5
With a central passed pawn and the bishop pair, I am better in all endgames.
21…Ne7 22.e4 g6 23.f4 Qd6? 24.Qb2
Taking advantage of the weak e5 pawn. Now my static advantage becomes a material advantage, giving me enough to play for the win.
24…Qd7 25.fxe5 Bg7 26.Qf2 Rf8 27.Qf1 b5 28.Bh3 Qa7 29.Kh1 White went on to win on move 41.
Getting my king off the same diagonal as Black’s queen. With four strong pawns in the center, the win is technical and a tangent from today’s discussion.
This game was instructive, because while Black opted for a less favorable line, he was by no means losing. By playing to improve my own position, Black ran out of active options and grew impatient, creating weaknesses with …a7-a6 and …e6-e5. The next game was from last April’s National High School Chess Championships where after a long day, I needed a win to play for a spot in the top 30 the next day.
Steincamp – Golias (National High School Chess Championships, 2015)
…f7-f5 was already rare, but recapturing with the bishop was definitely foreign to me. In such positions, Black should recapture with the g-pawn, but honestly the Ne8-c7 idea is much more sound. With this move, Black’s center is weakened, but how to exploit?
13.d4!
The first par of my plan is to remove my opponent’s stronghold in the center. Black’s only way to play is to mount a piece or pawn on d4, so this move removes all possibility of that idea. The resulting simplifications favor white because his knight on e8 is out of the fight.
13…cxd4 14.Nxd4 Bd7 15.Rc1 Qc7?
Why not …Ne8-c7? This move loses tempi as after Nd5, the queen must retreat back to d8. 16. Nd5 Qc8? leads to 17. Nxc6+- with the fork threatened on e7. 16… Qa5 isn’t any better because 17. b4 Qd8 gives me space.
16.Nd5 Qd8 17.Qd2 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Bxd4 19.Qxd4
Black can take the pawn on a4, but being so far behind in development, its not the most advisable. After 19… Bxa4 Black has to worry about Rf1-e1, followed by Nd5-b6, and his resulting weaknesses will give me enough compensation for the pawn.
19…e5 20.Qd1 Nf6 21.b4 Kg7 22.c5 Nxd5 23.Qxd5
This sums up Black’s opening deviations never fought for the center, and with the pawn on e5, Black can never regain control of the d5 square. Black is lost.
A simple sacrifice, as now Black cannot stop the promotion.
30…Qxc8 31.d7 1-0
This game was a much easier win than the first game because Black took drastic measures and refused to follow opening principles. However, just like the first game, I was able to take away my opponent’s resources without creating any weaknesses of my own.
On a basic level, the main takeaway should be to follow the chess opening principles. When your opponent deviates from your theoretical knowledge, ask yourself if your opponent failed to accomplish one of these goals. If this is not the case, try to pinpoint what your opponent’s plan is, and find creative ways to eliminate the threat!
As some of you may know, I take a lot of pride in what my high school chess team was able to achieve in the three years I served as team captain and coach, which is why I’m extremely happy to have the opportunity to analyze some of their games from this season today!
In three years, the MLWGS Green Dragons won several State League Championships, the 2014 U1200 National High School Chess Championships, and placed 5th in the most recent U1600 National High School Chess Championships last April.
One aspect of the MLWGS team that makes it unique from other schools in Virginia is that during practice, the players play rated games against each other to improve their openings and tactical knowledge. While its extremely difficult to gain points in these once-a-week ladders, it gives the players a lot of tournament experience and confidence when they play in competitive events. For the first game today, we will analyze a rated game between Vishnu Pulavarthi and Trey Johnson.
Trey Johnson (left) has been on fire all summer, gaining nearly 300 rating points since last May, while Vishnu Pulavarthi (center), after having taken the summer off, hopes to continue the success he had at the end of last school year.
Pulavarthi – Johnson (MLWGS Rated Games, 2015)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.Nf3
Vishnu opts for the anti-Benoni Structure, planning to meet cxd4 with either Qxd4 or Nxd4 to reach a Maroczy structure. Such positions are usually considered extremely playable for White, so Black has to pose problems to get a good game.
4…d5
A popular opening choice, but not one completely backed by the MegaDatabase and recent statistics. Most games in this line typically lend themselves to a White win or a draw, as the simplifications in the center usually don’t give Black much to work with dynamically. The second most common move is to take on d4, but I would like to suggest an alternative, 4… b6, hoping to reach a Reti structure for Black where development is simple. Black will fianchetto on both sides and enjoy a stable position.
5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 O-O 7.Bd3
A sign of great maturity to not break the tension in the center, but the e2 square is the better square for the bishop, as the queen on d1 can enter the fight with ease. One idea White has is to take on c5 in the future, using the c4 pawn, c3 knight, and the queen to put pressure on d5. By misplacing the bishop on d3, White removes an idea from his tactical arsenal.
7…Nc6 8.Ne5
Perhaps inspired from Catalan positions, as the idea is that if Black takes the knight, dxe5 will remove a defender of the d5 pawn. I think here it becomes apparent that the bishop on d3 is misplaced, as having the queen active would have allowed for a sharper line, 8. dxc5, where the natural 8… Bxc5 leaves d5 exposed. Black’s best move is 8… h6, where after 9. Bxf6 Bxf6, the d3 bishop stops White from winning Black’s central pawn.
8…cxd4
8… Nb4 looks like a decent move, threatening to win the bishop pair, but this would just force the bishop on to a much better square, leaving Black with no clear plan. With this move, Black punishes White for not having castled, and stands better.
9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.exd4 Ba6
A great move! The bishop weakens the structure of the queenside, and Trey plans to employ an idea from the QGD Cambridge Springs, Qa5 and Bb4! Another move also worthy of consideration was 10… Rb8, with the idea of taking on c4 and pushing c6-c5, further exposing the king.
11.b3 Bb4 12.Qc2 Qa5 13.Bd2
Here White is resigned to passivity, but how to proceed? After Trey’s move, …Nf6-e4, simplifications to the endgame favor White since the king is already centralized. Unfortunately, the right motif here involves a sacrifice that requires precise calculation. See if you can find it!
13…Ne4??
This move goes from completely winning to losing. Black had to find 13… e5!!, after which 14. dxe5 dxc4! and White’s king is completely exposed. If white tries to take on c4, the e5 pawn hangs to the queen with check, and taking on f6 with 15. exf6 loses to 15… cxd3 and White’s queen is trapped behind its own fortress. If Black chooses to castle instead of taking the e5 pawn, e5-e4 is simply crushing as White suffocates in his own lack of space.
Perhaps Trey saw up to here and thought he was better, but his bishop’s lack of squares and the fact he is down a pawn is enough for him to be worse. The winning plan is to play Kc3 and protect d4 so Black is stuck behind his c6 and e6 pawns. Black gets little activity and is bound to his c6 pawn.
18.Bxc6?
A big mistake as White trades his strong point for Black’s biggest weakness. Black now gets an opportunity to double his rooks on the d-file and save the game. In the endgame, activity matters much more than material, and here Vishnu should have realized that the c6-pawn will always be weak, so this is not the opportune moment to grab it. 18. Kc3 would have been enough, followed by activating the rooks to the third rank via rook lift.
18…Rxd4+ 19.Kc3 Rfd8
White now sees the power of Black’s activity. White should bring a rook to e1 and cover Black’s entry point on d2.
20.Bb5?
White makes a mis-step here, trading his only active piece for Black’s worst piece. From c6, the bishop stops the a6 bishop from entering the action, but also stops Rd4-d2 because of the Bc6-d5 interference tactic. By trading bishops and doubling pawns, the queenside pawn majority will be slightly more difficult to convert.
Black missed the opportunity to complicate the game, and in doing so loses the game. Trying to count on a cheap tactical shot, Black gives White a protected passed b-pawn, which is more than decisive. Much better would have been to play 25… Rd2 26. Rf1 g6 and if White tries to infiltrate with 27. Ka5, 27… Rb2 exposes White’s weaknesses (note that 27. Rc7 a6 28. Rc5 Ke7 also puts Black in a better position than in the game). White will have to surrender kingside pawns to activate the rook, giving Black reasonable chances to play for a win.
26.Kc4 Ke7?
In endgames where you have fewer pawns, you generally don’t want to trade pieces, as with each trade, the extra pawns become more valuable. Here Black cements his fate by trying to bring out the king.
27.Rxd5 exd5+ 28.Kxd5 Kd7 29.Rc1 Rb6 30.Kc5 Kc7 31.b4 axb4 32.Kxb4+ Kb7 33.Rd1 Rf6 34.f3 Rf4+ 35.Ka5 Under 5 minutes, White stop notating, and went on to win the game. 1-0
White has a clear winning endgame, as Black can never stop the two passed pawns. White will bring the rook to the seventh, confining the black king to the back rank, and then push his pawns to win the game.
A very back-and-forth game, as both sides had winning opportunities in each phase of the game. Considering that both players at the time were rated under 1100, I would say that both players played a little bit better than their level. What can we take away from this match?
Putting your pieces on the right squares is crucial. In this game, White missed a lot of opportunities because the bishop was on d3, and not on e2.
Don’t oversimplify. Trey cost himself a win when he put his knight on d4, offering White a pawn up endgame for no compensation. Just because its easier to calculate, doesn’t mean its better for you.
Be active in the endgame. I think this game demonstrated the extremes of this before Black fell apart in the endgame. White took a really simple position and made it difficult by not developing his rooks and trading the bishop, his only developed piece.
Lastly, tricks are for kids! I can’t stress this enough. Trey was practically lost when he played 25… a5?, but this cheap trick (which Vishnu saw immediately) cost him the key tempo to put his rook on d2, and really complicate the matter. Chances are, if the trick is simple and there is an easy way out, its not a move worth playing.
Wow, the most instructive analysis game so far, and we haven’t even gotten to the second game!
Our next game features the current MLWGS Chess Team Captain, and reigning MLWGS Chess Champion, Jeffrey Song. I’ve worked with Jeffrey since he joined the team as a freshman, and in recent months, his rating has skyrocketed, going from the low 1300s to the mid-1500s. As always, with every major rating jump comes a big adjustment to survive at the next level. Here’s a game from the high school junior from a tournament this past weekend.
Jeffrey Song (right) playing Grandmaster Sergey Erenburg (left) in a MLWGS simul in December 2014.
Song – Phillips (Kemps Landing Scholastic and Quads, 2015)
1.f4
Being a fan of the Dutch, Jeffrey employs the Bird’s Opening as White. Considered unsound by top grandmasters, Jeffrey uses this opening to reach unfamiliar positions from move 1. While the Bird’s is not effective at the top level, for a G/60 game among ~1500 rated players, this is a good opening choice.
1…d6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d3 g6 4.e4
By choosing to employ this structure, Jeffrey will not use a Stonewall, but rather an opening that resembles the Closed Sicilian. But if this is the desired position, then is makes much more sense to play 3. Nc3 g6 4. e4 because now White can meet Black’s Nb8-c6 with Bf1-b5, getting a true Grand Prix set-up. Here the bishop is not ideally placed, and should it be fianchettoed on g2, Black can play c7-c6 and e5 later to reach a less flexible position for White.
4…Nc6 5.Be2 Bg7 6.O-O O-O 7.Qe1
White tries to go in for the attack here, but his pieces aren’t primed to do so. White’s plan is if Black pushes e7-e5, he will counter with f4-f5, shutting down the position with a massive attack on the kingside to follow. Unfortunately, with Black’s decision to play Nb8-c6 instead of d7, he loses the ability to play c5 and control the d4 square.
7…Bd7?!
The bishop doesn’t really serve a purpose here on d7, and is much better served on g4. While this move wastes a tempo for Black, its hard to say what the long term plan should have been. My best guess is that since the position resembles a “flipped” Queen’s Indian, Bc8-g4 followed by e7-e6 can’t be too bad, as Black can aim for a d6-d5 push at the right moment, or engineer a double-edged f7-f5 break. Either way, without a white pawn on d4, this game is going to be slow paced compared to a King’s Indian if handled correctly.
8.Qh4 Bg4 9.c3 Qd7
Connecting the rooks, but not truly changing the position. …e7-e6 would have been more effective, with the idea of moving the f6-knight and offering the queen trade. A sample line would go like 9… e6 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nd7 12. Qg3 f5 and Black has a game, if 12. Ng5 is played to threaten checkmate, 12… h6 13. Nf3 Qxh4 14. Nxh4 Kh7, with the same idea of pushing for f5. Black has to solidify quickly to make up for lost time.
10.h3 Bxf3 11.Rxf3 e6 12.g4 b5
A well intended positional move as Black’s goal is to attack the hook on c3. Unfortunately, there isn’t much venom here as White’s pawn storm on the kingside is much more critical. I’ve been reading “100 Chess Master Trade Secrets” by Andrew Soltis lately, and here I would like to apply his 6th ‘priyome’ (concept) to this position. Here Black faces the problem that if he does nothing, White will use his bishop pair and pawns to annihilate the kingside and win the game. Black doesn’t really have counter-attacking chances in this position as we see b7-b5 (which, by the way is another priyome, just much less effective here) doesn’t change the nature of the position. One option black does have though, is to play the move 12… d5. If White is compliant and plays 13. e5, a pawn thrust like f4-f5 becomes much more difficult to execute (in this position, we see that when the knight retreats, it would have been much more convenient to have the queen on d8 as the queen trade would be offered). If White chooses to be aggressive and play an immediate 13. f5, 13… dxe4 wins a pawn and busts open the center. Soltis’ 6th priyome states that when the opponent is pushing pawns so that he has pawns on e4, f4, and g4 (or e5, f5 and g5 if its the Black player), the first option to consider is if …d5 is playable, as it locks up the position.
13.Be3 Qe7
Realizing that the queen needed to be on the same diagonal as the queen, Black plays this move at the cost of weakening his b5 pawn. This move isn’t bad if Black can hold on to the b-pawn, and can immediately move the f6 knight to offer the queen trade, and play f7-f5. While Black has lost a lot of time, the slow nature of the position has stopped him from falling completely off the grid. b5-b4 isn’t that helpful, because taking the pawn on c3 to create a weakness develops the knight on b1.
14.Nd2 a5 15.f5!
Good technique! Even though Qh4 was premature, White waited to get the rest of his pieces out to time this push at the right moment. Black needed to be able to play …f7-f5 to hope for equality, and without this option now stands worse in the position. While this moves seems to be weakening the e5 square, White can always play d3-d4 later and reclaim it.
15…exf5 16.gxf5 Ne5 17.Rg3 Qd8 18.Bg5 c5
Probably the best practical chance, but now Black can see the penalty for moving the bishop twice and the queen three times in the opening. While White’s pawn storm was aggressive, the game really came down to better piece play and maneuvering.
19.Nf3 Ned7 20.d4 cxd4 21.Bxb5?!
After playing a strong game of chess, White begins to lost the thread of the game. There really wasn’t a need to take the b5 pawn when cxd4 followed by e4-e5 was simple enough. Black gets a tempo back with this move … Qb6, getting out of the pin and preparing to expose the king.
21…Qb6 22.Nxd4 Nh5 23.fxg6??
White loses all of the advantage, and is actually losing here! If Black plays 23… fxg6, the f8 rook springs to life and the White king is truly exposed. With White’s pieces all over the board from having gone after the b5 pawn, it becomes much more difficult to regroup and protect the kingside.
23…Bxd4+ 24.cxd4 Qxd4+?
Going from an unclear or slightly better position to a completely losing one. After White’s next move, its Black that has the exposed king, and the knight on h5 will fall as well.
25.Be3 1-0
This is a difficult game to assess because after White’s preparation panned out, Jeffrey was not the most effective in the conversion process, nearly costing himself a win. Black on the other hand, played passively for most of the game, but was at least willing to take some chances before the game was over. Considering the game was at a much higher level than the last one, the takeaways are also a little more complex:
Don’t just count on opening preparation! This game felt like a cookie-cutter attack gone wrong, as White lost objectivity when he took on b5, opening the game back up. Furthermore, with Black opening with 1… d6, White missed some opportunities to transpose into more challenging lines by playing quickly.
Don’t waste tempi. Black moved the same pieces multiple times throughout the game, costing him an opportunity to play for the initiative out of the opening. I can commiserate with Black having to play against an unfamiliar opening and not knowing what to do, but playing a few tempi down is always going to be difficult.
The …d5 ‘priyome’ against the kingside pawn storm is definitely an advanced idea that was much needed in this game for Black to stay competitive. If you’re interested in other such positional concepts, I highly recommend Soltis’ book. With the exception of the quizzes, this book is easy to read without a chess board, and really instructive!
The game is over when the opponent is checkmated, runs out of time, resigns, or agrees to a draw. I’m definitely not the one to be saying this as I’ve fallen prey to late mistakes in winning positions, but White needed to see this game out before making artificial decisions. Taking on b5 and relieving the tension on the kingside were both moments that let Black into the game, really showing how it takes only one mistake to lose a game – even at this level.
These were some great games, and I hope to see more next week for my next game analysis! Make sure to send your games to chess.summit@gmail.com, and if you’re lucky, I’ll choose your game to be featured next week.
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