tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89774015428873422542024-03-13T12:52:32.058-04:00The Quest of the Chess NoviceAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-28230793706477824812015-07-18T16:29:00.000-04:002015-07-18T17:06:11.191-04:00An Object Lesson on Squares, AoW Intramural 4, Round 7<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 6px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a> </div>
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Folks, it's been a while since I am very busy at work. I still try to play a few games here and there on Chess.com, the occasional CCA OTB at Sturbridge MA, and the SW Florida CC in Estero in winter months. </div>
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This is an example game from a group in Chess.com called Art of War, affiliated with the Dan Heisman Learning Center Group (yes, our official sponsor is Dan Heisman). Recently we organized an Intramural Tournament #4, and this is the Round 7 game of Dexter v Harvey (1-0). Dexter is much stronger, so the result isn't the surprise or concern, it is the journey I took to get there...</div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=1219486549" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=1219486549</a></div>
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PGN: </div>
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[Event "Live Chess"]<br />
[Site "Chess.com"]<br />
[Date "2015.07.18"]<br />
[Round "?"]<br />
[White "dacster13"]<br />
[Black "hreedwork"]<br />
[Result "1-0"]<br />
[WhiteElo "2212"]<br />
[BlackElo "1381"]<br />
[PlyCount "45"]<br />
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]<br />
[TimeControl "45"]<br />
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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 5. Bb3 d6 6. c3 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3<br />
Qd7 9. d3 Nf6 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Nd2 O-O 12. Nf1 h6 13. Be3 Nh7 14. h4 Na5 15. g4<br />
Nxb3 16. axb3 f6 17. Ng3 c5 18. Nf5 Kf7 19. Kd2 Ke8 20. Nxg7+ Kd8 21. Bxh6 Rg8<br />
22. Nf5 Kc7 23. b4 {dacster13 won on time} 1-0</div>
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Dexter once again shows his patient positional prowess in this game against me. He patiently waited until I created a completely weak complex on white squares huge enough to drive his huge truck of chess pieces through...</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Look below, I quickly found my camera and took a picture of one of his big chess pieces passing by, completely unobstructed... crushing everything in its path...</span></div>
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<img alt="" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpS0kPyi.jpeg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 550px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;" /></div>
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I did the only rational thing, which was to "cut and run" with my King, of course I had to give up a couple of pawns for that privilege... then my King was safe, there was plenty of life in the position (although I could see storm clouds on the horizon), and then I pondered...</div>
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In reality I was getting very low on time. "Alarm bells" should have gone off, ha ha (pun intended)...</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpVLUxZg.png" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div>
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however, I didn't notice.</div>
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Yup, I was completely oblivious... you could say I had my "head in the sand" (more polite than other places where I could describe my head as residing, lol)...</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpLgluNh.jpeg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div>
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...And then my clock ran out and I lost on time... ARG!</div>
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I pulled a "Cris Angel"!! lol... </div>
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Dexter, next round I have another game with you.I will strive to stay alert and not lose on time! </div>
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... A bit more on the analysis angle...</div>
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I deliberately constructed an elaborate, paved, well lit network of light square roads, then watched as his heavy equipment rolled by, powerless to stop it, only option was to ditch two pawns and run with my King.</div>
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How inglorious! </div>
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Dex gave me two moves to analyze. The moves are when I played 15...Nxb3, and then 16...f6 right after. Creating the weak square complex on purpose! With the thought of making a strong point on g5 square. This is protected by two of my pawns, and my Knight on h7, and my Bishop on e7. But then, immediately(!) Dex can play 17.Ng3 and 18.Nf5, sealing my fate of playing in despair. Because my Knight is on h7, my King can't defend h6 and of course his Bishop is attacking h6.</div>
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So in addition to making the weak squares, practically begging his knight to come and stay for a while on f5, I have a huge problem defending my Kingside, especially h6. </div>
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So then you have to ask, why did I play 12...h6 in the first place?</div>
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Good question. Dex asked me the same question... It is because I wasn't patient enough... And Dex is patient. So he wins...</div>
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Its kind of like the movie "A Simple Plan". Painful to watch how a situation decends quickly in to an out of control mess...</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpsIsRyG.jpeg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div>
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When I watched the movie years ago, it was so... painful... Watching in the audience the little person in your head can say "don't do that!", but of course the movie continues down a path where the characters make one bad decision after another, all based on an initial "simple plan"...</div>
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This chess game is similar, seemingly innocuous moves based on a "simple plan" require increasingly dubious moves to justify the initial plan, until everything is coming apart at the seams, falling apart like a cheap suit, lol!</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpAUp0Qr.jpeg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div>
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Hope this blog helps novices like me improve step by step...</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-48326224494391504912014-10-05T12:20:00.000-04:002014-10-05T12:20:08.863-04:00Continental Open 2014, Round 3, Pressure, Tactics, Attack<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Continental Open 2014, Round 3, Li, Deyuan v Reed, Harvey (0-1)</strong></div>
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Summary blog for tournament is here: <a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary</a></div>
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If you are looking for a game where the players exhibited positional genius, keep looking. If you are looking for a very simple down and dirty mud wrestle... this game is for you. This is a game where Black simply applied pressure until his opponent (the brother of my Round 1 opponent) cracked, in the form of allowing tactics resulting in the loss of a pawn and a degree of uncoordination. This in turn layed the foundation for an attack, where Black could use most of his pieces, and White's only defence was his King and pawn shelter which was easily overwhelmed. </div>
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Link to alternate game viewer: <a href="http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2014/10/5/Game334528.html">http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2014/10/5/Game334528.html</a></div>
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Li, Deyuan vs. Reed, Harvey</div>
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Continental Open | Sturbridge MA | Round 3 | 9 Aug 2014 <span id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_EcoResult" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">| ECO: B88 | 0-1</span></div>
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border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 270px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 270px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 11;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_f2" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/wp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 225px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 270px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 11;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_e2" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/wp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 180px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 270px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 11;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_d2" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/wp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 135px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 270px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 11;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_c2" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/wp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 90px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 270px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 11;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_b2" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/wp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 45px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 270px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 11;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_a2" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/wp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 270px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 11;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_h7" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 315px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 45px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 6;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_g7" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 270px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 45px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 6;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_f7" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 225px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 45px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 6;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_e7" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 180px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 45px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 6;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_d7" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 135px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 45px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 6;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_c7" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 90px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 45px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 6;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_b7" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 45px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 45px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 6;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_a7" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bp.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 45px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 6;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_h8" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/br.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 315px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 5;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_g8" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bn.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 270px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 5;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_f8" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bb.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 225px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 5;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_e8" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bk.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 180px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 5;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_d8" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bq.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 135px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 5;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_c8" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bb.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 90px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 5;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_b8" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/bn.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 45px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 5;" /><img class="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_piece chess_com_piece" id="img_chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_ChessBoard_a8" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/chess-themes/pieces/classic/45/br.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 45px; left: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 45px; z-index: 5;" /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="boxes-container" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-color: rgb(243, 243, 243); border-right-style: solid; border-width: 0px 2px 0px 0px; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 360px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 194px;">
<div class="chessDiagram_MoveList" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList" style="border: 0px; bottom: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; left: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: auto; padding: 3px; position: absolute; right: 0px; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="notationHorizontal" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_1" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. e4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_2" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_2" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">c5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_3" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_3" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Nf3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_4" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_4" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">d6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_5" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_5" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3. d4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_6" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_6" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">cxd4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_7" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_7" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Nxd4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_8" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_8" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nf6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_9" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_9" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Nc3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_10" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_10" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nc6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListAlternateLine" style="border: none; color: #83817d; display: block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span class="moveListAlternateLineContent" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_1_gotomoveid_1_1" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">5... a6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Najdorf which is what I am trying to learn</span> </span><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span><span class="" id="moveList_11" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_11" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Bc4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now White is developing and applying pressure on Black at the same time. White has four ranks of space, while Black has two ranks of space. Ok for a few more moves, but Black needs to finish developing and find the right kind of pawn break to equalize.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_12" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_12" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6... e6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_13" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_13" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7. O-O</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_14" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_14" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Be7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_15" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_15" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8. Be3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_16" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_16" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">O-O</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Both sides castled. Black still behind in development. Still thinking about pawn breaks.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_17" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_17" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">9. Qe2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_18" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_18" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">a6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_19" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_19" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">10. Rad1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White's development is complete with tempo.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_20" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_20" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">10... Qc7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black prudently develops his Queen out of the path of the opponent's ROok.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_21" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_21" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">11. Bb3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm still not sure what this accomplishes for White. Black is thinking about exchanges to free up his position.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_22" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_22" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">11... Nxd4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_23" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_23" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">12. Rxd4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_24" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_24" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">b5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Blck is thinking about repositioning such that he has a Rook on c8, LS Bishop on b7, perhaps a pawn push to d5, then a battery with Queen on c7 and DS Bishop on d6.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_25" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_25" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">13. Qf3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Change of plans, the WHite pawn on e4 may be able to be pinned.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_26" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_26" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">13... e5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Block the e4 pawn with tempo pushing the White Rook away, which also removes a defender. Two good results from one pawn push.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_27" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_27" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">14. Rd2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Why not retreat all the way back to d1? THis leaves the White Rook en prise, which will come back in a few moves to allow a tactic winning a pawn.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_28" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_28" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">14... Bb7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White pawn on e4 is blocked, Rook defender pushed away, time for the relative pin on the White Queen by the Black LS Bishop.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_29" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_29" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">15. Bg5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White's DS Bishop move did not address the growing problem in the center, especially with his e4 pawn. This move allows a tactic to gain a pawn.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_30" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_30" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">15... Nxe4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">In many games, there is a build up of tension, which rarely gets resolved peacefully. One side or another gains, and it takes nerves to keep the tension up without losing material. Here White is not taking steps to meet or resolve the tension, but rather to develop his DS Bishop as another piece en prise. There are now two en prise White pieces, and the Black Knight is forking them, after taking a pawn on the way to the fork.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_31" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_31" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">16. Nxe4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_32" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_32" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bxg5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Allowing Black to capture White's DS Bishop, with tempo, because the Black Bishop is attacking the other White en prise piece. The White Knight wants to take the Black Bishop, but can't because it is pinned by the Black LS Bishop. The pin has lasted and been useful for several moves and with three pieces occupying e4, White pawn, Black Knight, White Knight. White's en prise Rook must move.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_33" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_33" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">17. Re2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_34" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_34" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kh8</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Still working the pin on e4! Black's King removes himself from the pin on f7 imposed by the White LS Bishop. THis frees up the f7 pawn to advance to f5 attacking the pinned White Knight, resulting in loss of material.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_35" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_35" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">18. Qh5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White's Queen removes herself from the pin with tempo.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_36" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_36" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">18... Bh6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black's DS Bishop was en prise and had to move toward protection. This gives White a "free move" coming next.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_37" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_37" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">19. c3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Protects the White c pawn, giving more mobility to the Black LS Bishop.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_38" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_38" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">19... f5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Still the Black f7-f5 pawn push is effective. This kicks the White Knight, opening the a8-h1 diagonal for a Black Queen-Bishop battery.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_39" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_39" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">20. Ng5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Move the White Knight from attack. But still the Black DS Bishop on h6 interposes between the White Queen on h5 and the Black h7 square, and no fast way to get rid of that Bishop.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_40" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_40" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">20... Qc6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black's Queen-Bishop battery is now in operation, and the g2 pawn is only protected by the White King.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_41" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_41" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">21. f3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White's f3 pawn defends against the mate threat, but at a cost of slightly weakening the White King's castled position.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_42" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_42" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">21... Bxg5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now is the time to capture and remove a latent threat.</span><br /><span class="moveListAlternateLine" style="border: none; color: #83817d; display: block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span class="moveListAlternateLineContent" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_2" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_2_gotomoveid_2_1" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">21... a5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Let's say Black did not address the latent threat of the 3-1 attack on the f7 square by White.</span> <span class="" id="moveList_2" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_2_gotomoveid_2_2" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">22. Nf7+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_3" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_2_gotomoveid_2_3" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rxf7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Forced to avoid a discovered attack, winning Black's Queen.</span> <span class="moveListAlternateLine" style="border: none; color: #cc0000; display: block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span class="moveListAlternateLineContent" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_3" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_3_gotomoveid_3_1" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">22... Kg8</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_2" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_3_gotomoveid_3_2" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">23. Nd8+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_3" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_3_gotomoveid_3_3" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kh8</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_4" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_3_gotomoveid_3_4" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">24. Nxc6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span></span><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span><span class="" id="moveList_4" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_2_gotomoveid_2_4" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">23. Bxf7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span></span><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span><span class="" id="moveList_43" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_43" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">22. Qxg5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_44" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_44" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">f4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Block out all defenders of WHite's King side, except for the White Queen who can be easily evicted.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_45" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_45" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">23. Qh4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Looking for an escape route.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_46" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_46" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">23... Rf6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black's Rook gets ready to evict the White Queen.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_47" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_47" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">24. Bc2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White makes an obvious mate-in-one threat, easily parried, but what else?</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_48" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_48" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">24... Rh6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Again, a Black piece interposes on a direct mate attack by White.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_49" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_49" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">25. Qe7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White's Queen is evicted, and where can she go?</span><br /><span class="moveListAlternateLine" style="border: none; color: #83817d; display: block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span class="moveListAlternateLineContent" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_4" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_4_gotomoveid_4_1" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">25. Qf2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Probablhy better for White.</span> </span><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span><span class="" id="moveList_50" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_50" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">25... Re8</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Keep chasing the White Queen.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_51" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_51" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">26. Qf7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_52" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_52" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bc8</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Swing the Black LS Bishop into action against the Black King's casted position.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_53" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_53" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">27. Be4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Empty threat, forcing the Black Queen to move, with tempo, into the position she has wanted to be in, ever since 22...f4.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_54" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_54" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">27... Qb6+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_55" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_55" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">28. Kh1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_56" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_56" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qd8</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now Black has positioned overwhelming force on the Kingside, ready to be positioned for attack.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_57" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_57" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">29. Rd1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White tries to muster some counterattack, but it is too little, too late.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_58" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_58" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">29... Rf8</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black has stronger threats than does White. THe White Queen must leave. Now.</span><br /><span class="moveListAlternateLine" style="border: none; color: #83817d; display: block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span class="moveListAlternateLineContent" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_5" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_5_gotomoveid_5_1" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">29... Be6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">More to the point of attacking the White Queen.</span> <span class="" id="moveList_2" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_5_gotomoveid_5_2" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">30. Qa7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_3" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_5_gotomoveid_5_3" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qh4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">A bit more straightforward.</span> </span><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span><span class="" id="moveList_59" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_59" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">30. Qd5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now there is a credible threat by White to take a Black pawn by force, but Black has a stronger reply. But worse, White could instead reposition his Queen to meet the obvious and growing attack on h2.</span><br /><span class="moveListAlternateLine" style="border: none; color: #83817d; display: block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span class="moveListAlternateLineContent" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_6" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_6_gotomoveid_6_1" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">30. Qa7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_2" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_6_gotomoveid_6_2" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qh4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_3" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_6_gotomoveid_6_3" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">31. Qg1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Better defense</span> </span><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span><span class="" id="moveList_60" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_60" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">30... Qh4</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black threatens mate-in-one.</span><br /><span class="" id="moveList_61" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_61" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">31. h3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListComment" style="border: none; color: rgb(50, 46, 43) !important; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">White could also move his King to g1. This path is quick to mate.</span><br /><span class="moveListAlternateLine" style="border: none; color: #83817d; display: block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span class="moveListAlternateLineContent" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_1" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">31. Kg1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_2" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_2" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qxh2+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_3" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_3" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">32. Kf1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_4" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_4" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bb7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="moveListAlternateLine" style="border: none; color: #cc0000; display: block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span class="moveListAlternateLineContent" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="" id="moveList_1" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_1" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">32... Qh1+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_2" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_2" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">33. Kf2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_3" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_3" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qh4+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_4" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_4" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">34. Kf1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_5" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_5" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qf6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_6" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_6" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">35. Ree1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_7" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_7" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rh1+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_8" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_8" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">36. Kf2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_9" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_9" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rxe1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_10" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_10" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">37. Rxe1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_11" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_11" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qh4+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_12" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_12" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">38. Ke2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_13" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_8_gotomoveid_8_13" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rf6</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span></span><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span><span class="" id="moveList_5" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_5" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">33. Qxb7</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_6" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_6" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qh1+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_7" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_7" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">34. Kf2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_8" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_8" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qxd1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_9" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_9" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">35. Qd5</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_10" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_10" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qa1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_11" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_11" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">36. Qd2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_12" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_12" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rh1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_13" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_13" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">37. Re1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_14" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_14" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rxe1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_15" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_15" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">38. Qxe1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_16" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_alternate_7_gotomoveid_7_16" style="border: 0px; color: inherit !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qxb2+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span></span><span class="moveListAlternateLineDelimiter" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span><span class="" id="moveList_62" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_62" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">31... Bxh3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_63" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_63" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">32. gxh3</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_64" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_64" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qxh3+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_65" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_65" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">33. Kg1</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_66" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_66" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Qh1+</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_67" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_67" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">34. Kf2</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span><span class="" id="moveList_68" style="border: none; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="gotomove" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_MoveList_gotomoveid_0_68" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rh2#</a></span><span class="moveListNodeSeparator" style="border: none; display: inline-block !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 0px;"></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-round-3-pressure-tactics-attack#" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_playPause" style="border: 0px; color: #8c8a88; display: block; float: left; font-family: Chess; font-size: 22px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 20px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 20px;">J</a><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-round-3-pressure-tactics-attack#" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_moveBegin" style="border: 0px; color: #8c8a88; display: block; float: left; font-family: Chess; font-size: 22px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 20px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 20px;">#</a><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-round-3-pressure-tactics-attack#" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_moveBackward" style="border: 0px; color: #8c8a88; display: block; float: left; font-family: Chess; font-size: 22px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 20px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 20px;">,</a><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-round-3-pressure-tactics-attack#" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_moveForward" style="border: 0px; color: #8c8a88; display: block; float: left; font-family: Chess; font-size: 22px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 20px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 20px;">.</a><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-round-3-pressure-tactics-attack#" id="chess_com_diagram_1_2229628_moveEnd" style="border: 0px; color: #8c8a88; display: block; float: left; font-family: Chess; font-size: 22px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: 20px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 7px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 20px;">@</a></div>
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Black starts the third round humbled by a devastating loss in Round 2, due primarily to a false sense of overconfidence. Black very much wants to go back to the formula for success in Round 1, which is to play solid, build pressure and wait for his opponent to make a mistake:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Do not rush...</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Do not assume you know the opening well...</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Do play to fully develop...</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Do play to keep and maintain pressure, especially in the center...</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Do try to remain flexible and open minded...</span></li>
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Black plays the Najdorf Sicilian, and actually makes it to move 5 before deviating from plan. The classic Najdorf includes the trademark 5...a6. But no, Black plays 5...Nc6. I can't explain it except to say that I have never learned how to learn an opening.</div>
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Nonetheless, Black muddles through to an ok opening, albeit with the requisite need to catch up and equalize. Black is confined to the first three ranks, as opposed to White's four ranks, until move 11. On move 11...Nxd4, Black starts to exchange pieces in order to lessen the cramped nature of his game.</div>
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12. Rxd4 b5, Black prepares to fianchetto his LS Bishop, and consider what pawn break is appropriate to equalize. </div>
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13. Qf3, and Black goes into a deep think. The LS Bishop on b7 looks even more attractive now because this pins the e4 pawn, making it a target. Black's plans change from general development to something more concrete. To be sure the concrete version of the plan still included fianchetto LS Bishop, but also now features blockading the e4 pawn so it can't move (now with tempo).</div>
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13...e5 14. Rd2. With this Rook retreat White is slowly getting a bit uncoordinated. Safer is 14. Rd1 when the Rooks communicate and can support each other. 14...Bb7, now the fianchetto and pin are in place. How should Black exploit this? Black decides it's best to wait and keep building pressure.</div>
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15. Bg5, well Black didn't have to wait too long. White's DS Bishop on g5 allows a tactic which gains a pawn. 15...Nxe4 16. Nxe4, and now the pinned pawn is replaced by the pinned Knight. 16...Bxg5, threatening the now en prise White Rook. 17. Re2 Kh8, moving the Black King out of a pin as well. This frees up the f7 pawn to move to f5 winning the White Knight. White's Queen needs to break the pin and moves away 18. Qh5 Bh6 19. c3 f5 20. Ng5 Qc6. White tries to attack Black's King and misses. In the meantime Black steps up the pressure with 20...Qc6, threatening mate next move. 21. f3 forced, which then allows 21...Bxg5 22. Qxg5 f4 and now we are in a very different part of the game. The center is locked creating two halves of the board along the long diagonal h1-a8.</div>
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The initial pin lasted for 4 moves with no less than 3 pieces occupying the pinned square, and then resulting exchanges for 4 more moves. Afterwards we have a game where Black can attack White's Kingside at will, with h2 as a focal point. White finds it difficult to defend. One chance to defend with the Queen is unheeded.</div>
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23. Qh4, the White Queen instinctively shows herself to the door. Retreating here is an honorable option, as long as the retreat positions the Queen and other pieces for a long defensive game. Which is what I was expecting. 23...Rf6, position the Rook for attacking. 24. Bc2. Instead of White focusing on defense, White tries to counterattack with only two pieces. The venerable NM John Curdo (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curdo" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curdo" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curdo</a>) once told me, "...don't forget you always need at least three pieces when you attack the King!" White was using only two pieces, with tenuous coordination, and easily blocked by Black's Rook.</div>
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24...Rh6, attacking the Queen. At this point a Queen retreat for defensive purposes is advised. However, White kept trying to counter-attack, now with only the Queen, and this activity is easirly parried, and with moves that help position Black's pieces for an attack on the White Kingside. 25. Qe7, leaving the White Queen vulnerable to continued attacks, with restricted freedom to retreat or hide.</div>
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25...Re8, Black continues to pressure the White Queen. 26. Qf7 Bc8, Black repositions his LS Bishop to join the Kingside attack against White's King. 27. Be4 forcing the Black Queen to move to where she wants to go anyway, with tempo besides. 27...Qb6+ 28. Kh1 Qd8, and the Black Queen is ready. </div>
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29. Rd1, White musters an illusion of counterplay. White may be better off swinging his Queen to a7 then g1 to defend against the inevitable. 29...Rf8, still time for Qf7 - a7 - g1. But White plays 30. Qd5 as if the weak Black pawn on d6 is important for counterplay. White needs to focus on thankless defense, not counterplay to get his pawn back.</div>
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30...Qh4 and the mate threat starts to build. 31. h3 to defend. Too little too late as the saying goes. White may try to delay by running, with 31. Kg1 (see notes in game viewer). Black has three pieces in the attack (Rh6, Qh4, Bc8), and the LS Bishop acts first to tear down the White King defense with 31...Bxh3, and mate in three moves.</div>
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White was a very gracious opponent and played the game to checkmate, similar to how I played my Round 2 loss to the end. For starters, if you are completely losing there is no harm in continuing to play, you might learn something. Second, every now and then an opponent who is winning may make a mistake and allow a stalemate, or worse!</div>
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You never know.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Credits:</strong></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Caution pic:<br /><a href="http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/01/vegetable-garden-seed-ordering-tips/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.safetysupplywarehouse.com/v/vspfiles/photos/10919-2.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.safetysupplywarehouse.com/v/vspfiles/photos/10919-2.jpg</a></li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reference:</strong></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DHLC, Dan Heisman Learning Center (Chess.com):<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">MetroWest Chess Club (Natick MA): <a href="http://metrowestchess.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://metrowestchess.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://metrowestchess.org/</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SouthWest Florida Chess Club (Estero FL): <a href="http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cape Coral Chess Club (Cape Coral FL): <a href="http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club</a></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-47204688077865643132014-09-22T18:54:00.001-04:002014-09-22T18:54:27.867-04:00Quick Confessional 001, "But almost every move seemed sort of ok (sob!)"<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></li>
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In the spirit of quick confessionals, here is a game with Gunners from the Dan Heisman Art of War Intramural 2. Yes I got "gunned down" as RandomJeff would say, but with seemingly innocent moves that simply left me helpless. I used this game in a study session with "HTRYC" group run by "chessmo" (Kevin), as an example of imbalance between knights (I had two awful knights), and Bishops (Gunners' bishops were great!).</div>
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Anyway, enjoy the game below. Don't mind the hashtags, I was being dramatic for the purposes of the study session. After we analyzed the game, it seems like the move 7.Qe2 is a significant offender. You decide:</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet ms, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><a href="http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2014/9/22/Game638886.html">http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2014/9/22/Game638886.html</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Funny anecdote. When I was in the study session using a "live" analysis board, Gunners was in live, saw me and challenged me to a 45/45. I wanted to play, but I was also in the midd</span><span style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">le of explaining this very game to them, lol!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-67052961395489275442014-09-21T22:49:00.000-04:002014-09-21T22:49:11.912-04:00Continental Open 2014, Round 2, Planting Bad Seed<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Continental Open 2014, Round 2, Reed, Harvey v Moshkevich, Elizabeth (0-1)</strong></div>
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Summary blog for tournament is here: <a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary</a></div>
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This is a game where White plants bad seeds early. And quite a collection of bad seeds it is! White is arrogant, thinking he knows the opening better than he actually does, despite not having played the opening in a very long time. This leads to quite an awkward situation, and a huge dose of humility when White harvests the crops from the seeds he has sown, leading to at least three "??" moves that I can find (probably more), as shown in the game below:</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet ms, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><a href="http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2014/9/21/Game46036519.html">http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2014/9/21/Game46036519.html </a></span></span></div>
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White starts the second round (Saturday morning) very confident from the Friday night first round. The Round 1 win wasn't won on the basis of better opening knowledge, although emotionally the first round game felt "comfortable" because similar games were placed recently. Rather the win was from being laser focused on squares, eliminating play and counterplay, and waiting for the opponent to crack, which he did.</div>
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In this game, White plays 1.e4 as per usual, right into the Caro-Kann. White hasn't played Caro in a very long time, however, based on faulty memory, and the over confidence from the Friday night win, White thinks he can sail through the opening, then dazzle in the middlegame like last time.</div>
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Sailing through the opening with a bad attitude sows many bad seeds. Not like the good seeds shown below:</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/php4GseAg.jpeg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nope, no good, tasty, nutritious seeds for me. Rather I planted many "bad" seeds:</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Over confident opening knowledge, with no basis for the confidence</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rushing through the opening, seeking to exchange my way to the middlegame </li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Look at pieces not squares</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Thinking I can cut it close with obvious tactics</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When calamity strikes, panic rather than calmly assess</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lackluster defense, not putting everything into it, missing opportunities</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Replaying what a bad player I am in my head, rather than cheerfully defending</li>
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Not a surprise that I ended up with a "bumper crop" of "??" moves. Three that I could find with post mortem with my opponent, self analysis, and double check with the help of Stockfish. Maybe an astute reader can find more.</div>
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My opening knowledge stopped at 6...Nf6, but I thought I knew more. I play 7.Bd3. Not the worst move, but starting to drift from the plot of Caro where 7.h4 is more typical. But the worse point is not that I didn't know particular moves, but rather that I was not following any plot, right or wrong. I was simply making moves. No excuse.</div>
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During the game I was also self conscious because my opponent was a favorite in the section, so "I had to prove something." Wrong, the only thing I need to do is to play chess. By 10.Bxg6 even I knew I was not playing right but couldn't figure out what is was. Lots of folks passing by the game, not quite understanding what opening I was trying to play. I was also wondering, but didn't realize how far I was straying.</div>
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12...Ne4. The shocker, and yet it wasn't. The move before, I calmly noted that this was a possibility, and cooly noted that all I had to do was move my Queen. Yet, when the move is played for real, something in my amygdala went crazy, and then I wasn't thinking, I was in reaction mode, with rational thinking dialed down to zero. So I take the Knight with 13.Nxe4?? rather than simply move my Queen. This unleashes the hounds of hell and I end up "sac'ing" my Queen for two Knights.</div>
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Smooth move. Now more and more people are swirling around the game, some even taking pictures (see tournament summary blog link at the top). At this point I intellectually know I should be cheerfully defending, which I do try to do. But I am also deeply embarrassed. Is this really the level of my talent? Or is this a bad day? Is this something deeply ingrained in my chess personality? I end up having a psycho therapy session with myself instead of cheerfully defending. If I was paying attention, I would have seen 24.Neg5, putting the game back in draw territory. She only allowed this one opportunity to save the game. Instead I miss it and play 24.Ned2??</div>
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No more chances. The attack down the h file grows stronger. <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I throw what I can at Black to slow her down, but she smells blood in the water and picks up the pace, opening up a line of attack down the f file, and also with a Black Rook on White's second rank. I am quite done now. A permanent large crowd is now around our game.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I decide to completely play it out to checkmate to at least let her savor the moment with her friends. She deserves that for great unwavoring play. 35...Qh2#</span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Credits:</strong></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Seed pic: <a href="http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/01/vegetable-garden-seed-ordering-tips/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/01/vegetable-garden-seed-ordering-tips/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/01/vegetable-garden-seed-ordering-tips/</a></li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reference:</strong></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DHLC, Dan Heisman Learning Center (Chess.com):<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">MetroWest Chess Club (Natick MA): <a href="http://metrowestchess.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://metrowestchess.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://metrowestchess.org/</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SouthWest Florida Chess Club (Estero FL): <a href="http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cape Coral Chess Club (Cape Coral FL): <a href="http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club</a></li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-77900113842972595742014-08-31T22:49:00.000-04:002014-09-01T16:19:50.873-04:00Continental Open 2014, Round 1, Attack and Defense<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Continental Open 2014, Round 1, Li, Depei v Reed, Harvey (0-1)</strong></div>
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Summary blog for tournament is here: <a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/continental-open-2014-summary</a></div>
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This is a game where the phases of building up tension, attack and defense are very clear. The buildup of tension proceeds where Black induces, and White allows a LS pawn fence to be constructed, thus constraining White's LS Bishop. At the peak of the tension, Black has a Knight optimally placed on f4, and is preparing to place a second Knight on c5 after 17...Nd7, as shown in the game PGN.</div>
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NOTE: I am not sure why the game viewer I usually use is broken in Blogger; I'm working with the provider to fix. In the meantime, the full game PGN is viewable via the link below. Please open in a separate window to play along. The game PGN is very heavily annotated.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.6;">GAME PGN</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: trebuchet ms, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><a href="http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2014/9/1/Game26589403.html">http://www.viewchess.com/cbreader/2014/9/1/Game26589403.html</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There is a locked pawn chain, and White cracks, allowing for a tactic, and an attack to start with material loss for White between moves 18-22. </span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This is where Black puts on his "attack hat", and is focused on material gain, throwing his opponent off balance and so on.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The attack hat is cool. Very cool.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black takes an exchange, plus a pawn in the process. Nice haul so to speak. As all attacks stretch resources, eventually comes a period where the attacker must consolidate and regroup. And at this precise moment must not allow significant counterplay. All chess is give and take, so some counterplay will be there, but if you can chose what counterplay and when, you can frequently steer the game in your favor.</span></div>
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In this game, Black overlooks a tactic and slips and doesn't contain counterplay. Here the two activities (avoid tactics and reduce counterplay) are related. The position demanded Black to consolidate and reinforce the position with 25...Rf8. Instead, Black went one attacking move too far with 25...f4. This allows an embarrasing tactic, and opens the door to considerable counterplay.</div>
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At this very moment White plays 26.Nxf4 taking a pawn for free. Huge embarrassment. Black has a choice (a) lash out and try to scare the opponent into caving (not likely because they are already thrilled and emboldened with the latest capture, or; (b) put the defense hat on, shut uo, be careful, and color inside the lines.</div>
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The defense hat is clearly not cool.</div>
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Other players walking by in the chess tournament will see you are under pressure. If you are prone to blushing, your opponent and everyone else will see you are feeling the pressure. That is ok. Defense is an honorable activity in a chess game. And as an extra bonus, Black was still an exchange up... if he can survive long enough to put it into use.</div>
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Defense happens.</div>
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In this case, Black needed to swallow his pride, do the consolidation which needed to happen earlier, except now constrained by White's pressure. However, chess is give and take, and when White is attacking, cramming a bunch of pieces into a small space, this actually gives Black room to defend, and in the process coordinate. All Black needs is some minor errors on White's part.</div>
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On 30.Bg4, such a minor error happened. White presumably is preparing a skewer of Black's Rook and King to get the exchange back. However this allows Black to offer an indirect exchange of Rooks with 30...Ne4. White tries to avoid the trade and keep the skewer possibility open by moving his Rook to attack the offending Knight. But the Knight is defended, and this gives Black just enough time to move his King to h8, and the skewer possibility is gone. So is the indirect Rook trade. But still this is ok for Black, becuase the "momentum" of White's attack is stalled becuase he is falling out of coordination. The focus of the attack was g7, but that is worth less as a focus now that the King is on h8. White moves the Rook to h3 to presumably get ready to attack down the h file, but he has too many of his own pieces in th way. In fact White is so tight on space that one of his Knights is trapped, and the only way out is to "sac" a Knight for a pawn on 38.Nxg5. After forcing more trades, by move 41.Rxh5+, White is now a full Rook down, and his lone Rook is not doing anything, despite a momentary check on that move.</div>
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White's last Rook is traded 44...Rxf5, and White's King is constrained in a 2x2 cell with 49...Rf3. Quuen the outside pawn and deliver mate with 57...Rh3#.</div>
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Moral of the story:</div>
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Attack is nice, but attacks don't go forever. At some point you need to consolidate. If your consolidation is difficult or poorly executed then you will be defending. Defending is ok too, it is all part of chess. Simply look for small errors, and work to uncoordinate the other side, and soon you will be reaching for the attack hat...</div>
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Happy chess!</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Credits:</strong></div>
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-- Attack hat pic: <a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT99thE6OLnpJgP44yQ08izgz9nzbsM5DI5C0fhe_nzVlayGgSK" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT99thE6OLnpJgP44yQ08izgz9nzbsM5DI5C0fhe_nzVlayGgSK" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT99thE6OLnpJgP44yQ08izgz9nzbsM5DI5C0fhe_nzVlayGgSK</a></div>
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-- Defense hat pic: <a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJfwruMtHCTYocXkrwTfOyTFmGV4Rynrl0rVYF-ty0ckW_pYm6" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJfwruMtHCTYocXkrwTfOyTFmGV4Rynrl0rVYF-ty0ckW_pYm6" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJfwruMtHCTYocXkrwTfOyTFmGV4Rynrl0rVYF-ty0ckW_pYm6</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reference:</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-- DHLC, Dan Heisman Learning Center (Chess.com): </span><a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center</a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-- MetroWest Chess Club (Natick MA): </span><a href="http://metrowestchess.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://metrowestchess.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://metrowestchess.org/</a><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-- SouthWest Florida Chess Club (Estero FL): </span><a href="http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-- Cape Coral Chess Club (Cape Coral FL): </span><a href="http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-3655739266411329972014-08-14T17:12:00.000-04:002014-08-14T17:12:20.326-04:00Continental Open 2014, Summary<ul data-mce-style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: #f68d1f;" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li data-mce-style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" data-mce-style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: #f68d1f;" href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" data-mce-src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" data-mce-style="margin: 8px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: text-bottom; float: left;" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></li>
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I played in the Continental Open this year, 8 Aug - 10 Aug 2014 in Sturbridge MA. Great turnout, fun games, and I even got Carissa Yip's autograph on my rollup board :-)</div>
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This blog is an overall summary. I will post a few additional blogs with deeper analysis and thoughts on each of the games in the coming days.<br />
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<strong>Crosstable</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.chesstournamentservices.com/cca/2014/08/continental-open-2014-standings-under-1500-section/" href="http://www.chesstournamentservices.com/cca/2014/08/continental-open-2014-standings-under-1500-section/">http://www.chesstournamentservices.com/cca/2014/08/continental-open-2014-standings-under-1500-section/</a></div>
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My attitude going in was reasonable considering recent life events, and I simply wanted to play chess. So often I arrive at a tournament carrying tons of books with the intent on combining play and intense analysis and study afterwards. Trying to do both leads to #FAIL for both. Not this time. I left all books at home. I brought my phone (had to be turned off in the playing hall) and left my tablet and laptop and all books at home. I simply wanted to focus on the experience of playing, not wallowing in regret over past games or lost in anticipation of the next game. Just play chess... just play the game in front of you... that is it. Error check my game score and capture the moves on the phone right after the game, but no "check what the engine says" business for me.</div>
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Lately I have reading the "Chess For Zebras" book by Rowson which emphasizes attitude as a key ingredient. Dan Heisman also emphasizes attitude, and combines that with clock management, and they are very related.</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Zebras-Jonathan-Rowson-ebook/dp/B007I6M9L2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407862900&sr=1-1&keywords=chess+for+zebras" href="http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Zebras-Jonathan-Rowson-ebook/dp/B007I6M9L2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407862900&sr=1-1&keywords=chess+for+zebras">http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Zebras-Jonathan-Rowson-ebook/dp/B007I6M9L2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407862900&sr=1-1&keywords=chess+for+zebras</a> </div>
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Dan Heisman has a group on Chess.com called the Dan Heisman Learning Center. The group is dedicated to learning, and simulate OTB experience with long time controls in live games.</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center">http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center</a></div>
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I went to the Continental Open tournament with the president of our local club, which saved on hotel room cost, and we had nice "chess philosophy" discussions at night to cap off a long day of games. The tournament is 6 rounds and we played the 3 day schedule, 2 long games per day, starting on Friday morning.<br />
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<strong>Performance Summary</strong></div>
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I played in the U1500 section. On round 4 my opponent forfeited. On round 6 I needed to withdraw to prepare for an early flight the next day. I played 4 games, and lost 5 USCF ELO rating points (1434-->1429). I came in 9th out of 28:</div>
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<li>Round 1, Black side of a Bogo, win</li>
<li>Round 2, White side of a Caro Kann, lose</li>
<li>Round 3, Black side of a Sicilian, win</li>
<li>Round 5, White side of a Colle, lose</li>
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I will post each game below with raw PGN, and notes in text regarding what I was thinking, but no deep analysis. I will post each game in subsequent blogs with deeper analysis.<br />
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<strong>Round 1</strong></div>
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First round of the tournament. About 4 months since the last OTB tournament (G/60 one day), and 6 months since the last weekend tournament (Foxwoods, 4 day). I was paired Black with a scholastic player Depei, and felt strangely calm. I wasn't anxious about whether the student had opening tricks up their sleeve, or a tactical genius. I figured we are both in U1500, so let's just play chess and see what happens.
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Event "Continental Open"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Site "Sturbridge MA"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Date "2014.08.08"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Round "1"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[White "Li, Depei"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Black "Reed, Harvey"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Result "0-1"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[ECO "E11"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Plycount "114"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventdate "2014.08.08"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventtype "swiss"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventrounds "6"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Qe7 5.Bxb4 Qxb4+ 6.Qd2 Qxd2+ 7.Nbxd2 O-O 8.e3 Nc6 9.Bd3 d6 10.O-O Re8 11.Be2 e5 12.d5 Ne7 13.e4 Ng6 14.Rac1 Nf4 15.Rfe1 b6 16.b4 a5 17.b5 Nd7 18.Bd1 Nd3 19.Be2 Nxc1 20.Rxc1 Nc5 21.Rc3 h6 22.Nf1 Nxe4 23.Re3 Nc5 24.Ng3 f5 25.Nh5 f4 26.Nxf4 Bf5 27.Nh5 Rf8 28.Nh4 Bh7 29.Rg3 Rf7 30.Bg4 Ne4 31.Re3 Kh8 32.Rh3 Nxf2 33.Rg3 Nxg4 34.Rxg4 Raf8 35.h3 g5 36.Nf3 Bf5 37.Rg3 Bg6 38.Nxg5 Rf1+ 39.Kh2 hxg5 40.Rxg5 Bxh5 41.Rxh5+ Kg7 42.Rh4 R1f4 43.Rh5 R8f5 44.Rxf5 Rxf5 45.g4 Rf2+ 46.Kg3 Rxa2 47.h4 Ra3+ 48.Kh2 e4 49.Kg2 Rf3 50.g5 a4 51.g6 a3 52.h5 a2 53.h6+ Kxg6 54.h7 Kxh7 55.c5 a1=Q 56.Kh2 Qf1 57.c6 Rh3# </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0-1</span><br />
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The game opens as a Bogo. I'll get into opening analysis in a subsequent blog, but the summary is that I played a practice Bogo with the local club president just the day before (day of prep before tournament) and felt confident, but managed to keep my confidence in check. Spoiler alert, round 2 (see below) I did not keep my confidence in check.</div>
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The major feature of this first round is that I concentrated on maintaining tension, and minimizing counterplay. My opponent's decisions helped of course and I was happy to go along. By maintaining tension, and minimizing counterplay, eventually my opponent can't keep track of all the related tactics, and on White's 18th move drops the exchange and on White's 22nd move drops a pawn. However, one mistake deserves another, and I was next. I confused a move order and allowed a tactic on Black's 25th move, and White takes back a pawn, and gets in a lot of counterplay. The counterplay/attack on White's part goes strong until Black's 35th move when Black starts to uncoordinate White's pieces, resulting in material loss for White, and eventually White loses the game to checkmate on move 57. My opponent finished 24 out of 28.<br />
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<strong>Round 2</strong></div>
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I start round 2 (over) confident and playing another scholastic player, Elizabeth. Elizabeth finished 4th out of 28, and deserves it. She was poised, thoughtful, checked every move, and was very generous in going over the game after she ripped my head off in the game, lol. She also beat my round 5 opponent, after he re-entered the tournament, knocking him just one place out of prize money. Ouch.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Event "Continental Open"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Site "Sturbridge MA"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Date "2014.08.08"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Round "2"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[White "Reed, Harvey"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Black "Moshkevich, Elizabeth"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Result "0-1"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[ECO "B18"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Plycount "70"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventdate "2014.08.08"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventtype "swiss"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventrounds "6"]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.O-O e6 9.Bg5 Qc7 10.Bxg6 hxg6 11.Qd2 Bd6 12.c4 Ne4 13.Nxe4 Bxh2+ 14.Kh1 Bf4+ 15.Kg1 Bxd2 16.Bxd2 O-O-O 17.g3 Rh5 18.Bf4 e5 19.dxe5 Nf8 20.e6 Qe7 21.Rfe1 Nxe6 22.Be3 Kb8 23.a4 f5 24.Ned2 Qf8 25.Bxa7+ Kxa7 26.Rxe6 Qh8 27.Kg2 g5 28.Nf1 g4 29.Nh4 Qh7 30.Ne3 g5 31.Nexf5 gxh4 32.Nxh4 Qf7 33.Rae1 Rd2 34.b3 Qxf2+ 35.Kh1 Qh2# </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0-1</span></div>
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I am White, played my usual 1.e4 and Black responded with 1...c6. In my mind I am thinking "great!" because I have played Caro Kann before, but... several years ago, as Black not White, and worse, during an era where I kept trying different variations of Caro Kann, never settling on any variation. In short, I was dabbling.</div>
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But here I am several years later, as White thinking "I know what to do" (not), and started banging out moves (danger), and not thinking deeply about what is going on. Who owns what squares and that sort of thing... I was pretty sure I was in book through 7.Bd3 and after 7...Nbd7 (not capturing my d3 Bishop) I was thinking "at some point White is supposed to capture, but when? and what provokes it?" Clearly I should have kept that thought in my head as White kept playing moves other than capturing Black's Bishop. Unfortunately the alarm bells of danger were ringing deep under an ocean of hubris, and on move 10, White captures the Bishop instead of the other way around. Even then, White could probably recover if only he were alert to danger, but sadly that is not the case. By Black's 11th move, she already has a substantial Queen/Bishop battery pointing at my h2 square, and only now am I starting to sit up and pay attention. </div>
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At this exact moment, I am thinking I need to put my Rook on e1 in order to prevent ...Ne4. I thought I worked through all the variations, and calculated that I could meet ...Ne4 with Nxe4. My calculations were very wrong because I didn't factor in the Black Rook on h8, and after a nifty ...Bxh2, there is a discovered attack on my Queen with the Black Bishop. That is the move I did not see. In short I willfully allowed a massive attack, and did not calculate all the variations.</div>
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Result: I exchange my Queen for a Bishop, and her attack intensifies dramtically... I will post analysis in a subsequent blog.<span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;"> </span></div>
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<img alt="" data-mce-src="http://www.metrowestchess.org/Community/Pictures/Regional_Events/2014-08-10_Continental_Open_44th/slides/2014-08-09_P1100708.jpg" data-mce-style="float: left; margin: 8px;" src="http://www.metrowestchess.org/Community/Pictures/Regional_Events/2014-08-10_Continental_Open_44th/slides/2014-08-09_P1100708.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; float: left; margin: 8px;" /></div>
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Here is my opponent (see photo credit below) after White's 32nd move, with her Queen and Rook lined up on the h-file, and she can literally "see" the checkmate she will deliver in just a few moves.</div>
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This round reminds me that chess is a brutal game!<br />
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<strong>Round 3</strong></div>
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I start round 3 very humbled by the last game. I play the stronger brother of my round 1 opponent. Third scholastic opponent in a row. I have Black, and this time we are playing SIcilian. I am a little (but not much) more familiar with Sicilian than Bogo, however keenly aware not to be over confident as I was in round 2.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Event "Continental Open"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Site "Sturbridge MA"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Date "2014.08.09"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Round "3"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[White "Li, Deyuan"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Black "Reed, Harvey"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Result "0-1"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[ECO "B88"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Plycount "68"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventdate "2014.08.08"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventtype "swiss"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventrounds "6"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 e6 7.O-O Be7 8.Be3 O-O 9.Qe2 a6 10.Rad1 Qc7 11.Bb3 Nxd4 12.Rxd4 b5 13.Qf3 e5 14.Rd2 Bb7 15.Bg5 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 Bxg5 17.Re2 Kh8 18.Qh5 Bh6 19.c3 f5 20.Ng5 Qc6 21.f3 Bxg5 22.Qxg5 f4 23.Qh4 Rf6 24.Bc2 Rh6 25.Qe7 Re8 26.Qf7 Bc8 27.Be4 Qb6+ 28.Kh1 Qd8 29.Rd1 Rf8 30.Qd5 Qh4 31.h3 Bxh3 32.gxh3 Qxh3+ 33.Kg1 Qh1+ 34.Kf2 Rh2# </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0-1</span><br />
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The game progresses along familiar lines and ideas. After Whites 11th move, I see an opportunity to disrupt coordination of my opponent with an "anti-positional" move, but with a pawn formation that is common in Najdorf (Black pawns on e5 and d6, d6 being "backward"). I lure the White Rook to e4 with a Knight capture 11...Nxe4, then develop my light Bishop with 12...b5, kick the White Rook with 13...e5 and then not give White time to attack the backward pawn on e5.</div>
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This gives Black time to develop and equalize, and by 19...f5 White's Rooks are mostly out of play, the White Knight is getting kicked, revealing a Black Queen/Bishop battery on g2, and the excitement starts. The White Queen finds herself alone on the Kingside, with Black's Rooks starting to lift and attack on the Kingside as well. There is only so much room on the Kingside, and the Queen eventually has to leave. Instead of retreating the White Queen, White double downs and uses his Queen as a lone attacker deep in Black's well defended territory.</div>
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With 29...Rf8 White's Queen has to leave and Black's Queen joins Black's Rook in a Kingside attack, also aided by Black's Bishop, where there are no White defenders, save his pawn cover, which is easily shattered. Checkmate.<br />
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<strong>Round 4</strong></div>
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My opponent forfeits! Bummer, after waiting for an hour I can play some practice games...<br />
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<strong>Round 5</strong></div>
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I start this penultimate round in the morning, fairly decent rest and breakfast, and ready to duke it out in a great chess game. <span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;">I have a good attitude, but as we all know, we need to combine good attitude with skill and knowledge... and determination! As we were chit-chatting before the game, he told me he re-entered and was determined to get in the prize money!</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Event "Continental Open"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Site "Sturbridge MA"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Date "2014.08.10"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Round "5"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[White "Jacques, Louis"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Black "Reed, Harvey"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Result "1-0"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[ECO "D05"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Plycount "43"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventdate "2014.08.08"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventtype "swiss"]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[Eventrounds "6"]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.d4 Nf6 2.e3 e6 3.Bd3 d5 4.Nd2 Bd6 5.Ngf3 O-O 6.O-O b6 7.Ne5 c5 8.c3 Qe8 9.f4 Ba6 10.Qe2 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 c4 12.Qc2 Nc6 13.Rf3 Ne7 14.e4 b5 15.Rh3 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Qxe4 f5 18.Qf3 Bxe5 19.fxe5 Qg6 20.Bf4 Qg4 21.Qb7 Nd5 22.Rg3 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1-0</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;">Here is my opponent. Very friendly, very determined to win, which he did, lol! White opens 1.d4, and I'm thinking "hmm, maybe another Bogo?" Sadly he follows my 1...Nf6 with 2.e3. Then I am stumped. Bummer. But not to worry I play as though we simply went out of book early, but that was denial on my part because he actually had a plan, I didn't and afterwards he said my defense was ok, and typical but not sufficient. Again I will post an analysis in a subsequent blog.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;">Through White's move 6.O-O we are almost but not quite symmetrical. My plan was to maintain tension in the center for a while, and also exchange of White's light Bishop to prevent any Bxh7 sacs, thinking the White Queen would go to c2 and form a battery. With 11.Qxd3 the Bishops are exchanged. Then for some reason (will be discussed later in my analysis blog), I release tension. In hindsight, I think that is not a good decision, since it gives White a clear path for a Kingside attack, which is exactly what happened.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="http://www.metrowestchess.org/Community/Pictures/Regional_Events/2014-08-10_Continental_Open_44th/slides/P1100905.jpg" data-mce-style="float: left; margin: 8px;" src="http://www.metrowestchess.org/Community/Pictures/Regional_Events/2014-08-10_Continental_Open_44th/slides/P1100905.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; float: left; margin: 8px;" /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;">By move 19 Black is confused, trying to exchange Queens, allowing severe counterplay by White's Queen swinging around Black's back rank. However Black's danger alarms were severely damaged and Black didn't see that the White Queen on the back rank and White Rook on the g-file cooperate to deliver a fatal attack. Done.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;">Ironically my opponent in this round, was stopped by my round 2 opponent from getting into the money position... by just one place... Such is the game of chess!</span></div>
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<strong>Round 6</strong></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 1em;" style="font-size: 1em;">For this round I withdrew because I had an early flight the next morning. I thoroughly enjoyed the tournament, and special thanks to Mark Kaprielian for the photos, and lots of chess kibitzing <img alt="Smile" border="0" data-mce-src="http://www.chess.com/js/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-smile.gif" src="http://www.chess.com/js/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-smile.gif" style="border: 0px; cursor: default;" title="Smile" /></span></div>
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<strong>Photo Credits:</strong></div>
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Mark Kaprielian, President MetroWest Chess Club</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://metrowestchessclub.blogspot.com/2014/08/2014-08-12-photos-from-44th-continental.html" href="http://metrowestchessclub.blogspot.com/2014/08/2014-08-12-photos-from-44th-continental.html">http://metrowestchessclub.blogspot.com/2014/08/2014-08-12-photos-from-44th-continental.html</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-51403242117425326602014-01-02T00:55:00.000-05:002014-01-02T12:08:17.514-05:00DHLC Swiss 11, Round 2, "Wrong targets in a Grand Prix turns into draw”<ul data-mce-style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: #f68d1f;" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li><a data-mce-href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" data-mce-style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: #f68d1f;" href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" data-mce-src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" data-mce-style="margin: 8px; padding: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: text-bottom; float: left;" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></li>
</ul>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: large;" style="font-size: medium;"><strong><span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;">Ready, Fire!, Aim... oops...</span></strong></span></div>
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<img alt="" data-mce-src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpMQzvOZ.jpeg" data-mce-style="margin: 8px;" height="300" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpMQzvOZ.jpeg" style="border: 0px; margin: 8px;" width="400" /></div>
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<strong>Summary:</strong></div>
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<strong>DHLC Swiss 11, Round 2, hreedwork v kasparov57349 (1/2-1/2)</strong></div>
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This game illustrates important points in a chess game relating to targets, plans, pressure, tactics and attacks. Thanks to “dacster13” of Chess.com for help analyzing the game, and for his structured method to help me understand how to build pressure in a position.</div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="468" src="http://www.chess.com/emboard?id=1803424" width="620"></iframe>
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<strong>Analysis:</strong></div>
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1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.f4 Nc6 4.Bb5</div>
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<img alt="" data-mce-src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpv05AyY.png" data-mce-style="margin: 8px;" height="271" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpv05AyY.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 8px;" width="320" /></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">White’s light squared Bishop has two main options, Bc4 and Bb5. In past games I have tried Bc4 with tough games and Be2 with bad results. Bb5 seems to give a playable game for me. For more on the difference between Bc4 and Bb5 plus general plans, try these Chess.com videos:</span></div>
<ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<li><span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span data-mce-style="line-height: 22px;" style="line-height: 22px;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.chess.com/video/player/concepts-in-the-grand-prix-attack-1" href="http://www.chess.com/video/player/concepts-in-the-grand-prix-attack-1">http://www.chess.com/video/player/concepts-in-the-grand-prix-attack-1</a></span></span></li>
<li><span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.chess.com/video/player/concepts-in-the-grand-prix-attack-2" href="http://www.chess.com/video/player/concepts-in-the-grand-prix-attack-2">http://www.chess.com/video/player/concepts-in-the-grand-prix-attack-2</a></span></li>
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4…Bd7 5.Nf3 g6 6.0–0 Bg7 7.d3 Nf6</div>
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<img alt="" data-mce-src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpWSr7Pt.png" data-mce-style="margin: 8px;" height="273" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpWSr7Pt.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 8px;" width="320" /></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6;" style="line-height: 1.6;"> </span><span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Up to this point, we have typical development. I am still a low rated player so I will not pay too much attention to exact and subtle move orders. However I do try to follow a “plot”. And this is the moment in the game where my concept of the plot diverges from “typical”. In fact I was mixing systems.</span></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">A typical Grand Prix wants White to attack Black’s fianchetto with ideas like Qd1-Qe1-Qh4 coupled with Ng5, to put pressure on h7. However during the game my mind was thinking more traditional Closed Sicilian, where White uses a [Queen Qd2/Bishop Be3] battery to force an exchange of Black’s Bishop on g7. In that case, in order to restrain the Black Knight on f6 from Ng4, thus forcing an exchange with Be3, diffusing the attack, White typically plays h3. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">So I am pursuing the wrong plan and the wrong target. At least I’m headed for the right quadrant of the board, lol. And eventually I sort out what I need to do. But it takes longer, giving Black time to defend, and I never quite got the execution to where it needed to be.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">DRAW.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">8.h3 0–0 9.Be3 a6 10.Bxc6 Bxc6 11.Qd2 Bishop, Queen battery is complete, but again, this sidesteps the thematic Qe1, Qh4 part of the attack. 11…b5 12.f5 b4 I understand from regular Closed Sicilian and the Grand Prix attack videos I reviewed (see above), that Queenside attack is typical. I fully expected this advance, and prepared the next move for this moment. 13.Ne2 a5 14.Bh6 Here I achieve the exchange of the Bishops, but I am not attacking in Grand Prix style. This means my target identification is wrong, so my pursuit is wrong. Fortunately I am in the vicinity so to speak, so eventually I regroup to the point where I am making threats, but then my execution falls short.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">14...Qb6 15.Kh1 c4 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 Exchange complete, not on to an attack, but mostly accomplished with center pawns, and the f-file. 17.fxg6 Hanky panky before fully developing. I need to bring my QS Rook into play (perhaps Rae1), and/or bring the Queen into the attack (perhaps Qg5). Maybe even strengthening the position of my Knights. Reducing tension with a pawn exchange is probably not the way to go. 17...fxg6 Black should probably capture toward the center with ...hxg6. 18.Ng5. And here I start to collect my pieces around the Black King for an attack. In the meantime Black has been pursuing Queenside goals, but as slow as I am, that operation is even slower. So despite forcing some exchanges on that side of the board there isn’t too much going on, except needing to be mindful of the potential threat along the diagonals from Black’s Queen and Bishop toward the White King.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">18...cxd3 19.cxd3 Kg8 20.Rf3 This is ok, preparing to double Rooks, but that never happened. Probably better is to increase pressure with Knights and Queen, as in typical Grand Prix attack. 20...Rac8 This move told me Black wasn't sure about how to counteract the Kingside attack. This lets White recoup from the weak Rf3 move just played. 21.Ne6 Rf7 22.Qh6.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">Finally, White has both the Knight and Queen close to position. Ideally the Knight would be on g5, so there is a double attack on h7. But then h7 could simply move. However a White Bishop on h6 could restrain the h7 pawn until the right moment. But I exchanged that Bishop off a while ago, so now what? Despite the shortcomings, White for a while manages to build some pressure and keep Black occupied. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">22…Bd7 23.N2d4 Good intentions, but better is to reposition the Knight on e6 with tempo, then bring up the other Knight. 23...Bxe6 24.Nxe6 Qb5 Here I thought White was all done with the attack due to the Queen. But I think there are still possibilities. 25.Ng5 Rg7. Here White can bring another undeveloped piece into the attack with 26.Raf1. This could help intensify the pressure. Instead White relaxes the pressure somewhat with 26.Ne6 Rf7 but alas, I didn't see all the possibilities, and considered the position a draw, so I steered toward a draw. Preconceived notions limited my true possibilities. 27.Ng5 Rg7 28.Ne6 ½–½</span></div>
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<strong><span data-mce-style="font-size: small;" style="font-size: x-small;">Deep Dive, Cultivating a Target</span></strong></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">Part of where I need to focus and improve is my conception of targets, and how to cultivate them. Credit goes to “dacster13” of Chess.com for help in this area. Below is a short sequence of diagrams he developed to illustrate an organized way to think about cultivating targets.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;">Consider the diagram below which is a partial schematic of the Grand Prix attack. We see the target is the f7 pawn is the target (as part of an attack along the h-file). The dark squared Bishop is there to restrain the h7 pawn, and at the right moment exchange Bishops, and exposing the h7 pawn to attack. In this case we see the target, we see restraint on the target, and we see one attacker. Black has one defender (Black King), so White needs more.</span></div>
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Now let's add one more attacker so we have two attackers on h7, and still one defender, we get the diagram below. Note that this setup of pieces requires a coordination of opening moves to achieve this in as few moves as possible. The Bishop on h6 still restrains the h7 pawn, with attackers Queen on h4 and Night on g5.</div>
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Now, let's add a defender for h7, with a Black Knight on f6. This holds the position. but introduces an important concept. The Nf6 defender is now constrained to f6 in order to hold the position. This increases the options for attack, for example d4 followed by e5. More options for the attacker is good, and is increasingly hard for the defender to keep up. Eventually this method leads to too many immobile pieces and threats which cannot be met, and either a loss in position and/or material is the result, see below.</div>
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Last, let's consider bringing Rooks into play. One or more can be added to the attack, either through the obvious pressure along the f-file, or also effective by a Rook lift over to the h-file, adding to the attacking force on h7, as shown below. A key point is that the art of attack, which I am still learning is how long to build pressure and potential threats, before executing the threats, in this case by Bxg7, exposing the line of attack down the h-file.</div>
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I mostly write these blogs to help me organize my thoughts and help me learn. As a bonus, I also hope this blog post is helpful to some other players.</div>
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<strong><span data-mce-style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Credits:</span></strong></div>
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-- Pic: <a data-mce-href="http://trekannoyances.com/tos_enterprise_phasers/ent_phasers_blue.jpg" href="http://trekannoyances.com/tos_enterprise_phasers/ent_phasers_blue.jpg">http://trekannoyances.com/tos_enterprise_phasers/ent_phasers_blue.jpg</a></div>
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-- Special thanks to dacster13 of Chess.com</div>
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<strong><span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Reference:</span></span></strong></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">-- DHLC, Dan Heisman Learning Center (Chess.com): </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center">http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center</a></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">-- MetroWest Chess Club (Natick MA): </span><a data-mce-href="http://metrowestchess.org/" href="http://metrowestchess.org/">http://metrowestchess.org/</a><br />
<span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">-- SouthWest Florida Chess Club (Estero FL): </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/" href="http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/">http://www.swfloridachessclub.com/</a><span data-mce-style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">-- Cape Coral Chess Club (Cape Coral FL): </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club" href="http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club">http://www.chess.com/club/cape-coral-chess-club</a><span data-mce-style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-21102803633160900332013-10-16T00:02:00.000-04:002013-10-16T00:02:22.032-04:00Vortex, September 2013, Round 6 "Sicilian grudge match, fiery attack, but not enough"<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></div>
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Summary:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vortex September 2013, Round 6: Reed v Holmgren (0-1)</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">G/30, d5, lose - White with Sicilian Grand Prix Attack, exciting attack, but not enough oomph to get the point, and this was a grudge match from Vortex Round 1 in June</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-september-2013-round-5-quotfairly-solid-play-against-a-player-500-points-higher-raterquo" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Round 5 summary here.</span></a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Grudge match. Friendly grudge match, but serious chess nonetheless. Holmgren is a great guy, strong chess player, and out for chess blood! The reason is that this past summer, we played in an earlier Vortex event, and that was my first time back to OTB chess with that crew in a while. Maybe he had his guard down, not sure. In fact once my attack got going, he was a bit rattled, and made an illegal move, which I didn't catch either! I noted that "gee I didn't see that move coming", and afterwards I realized why. It wasn't a legal move.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In any case, somehow I managed to get a strong attack going, right down the e/f files, including sac'ing a piece. Fun for me but not for him. Here is a link to the blog where I wrote about it earlier. Note there are two game viewers because of the illegal move creating two game fragments...</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-june-2013-round-1" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-june-2013-round-1" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-june-2013-round-1</a></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As you can see in the picture below from that same event, it started as a Closed Sicilian. We are the board closest to the camera, and I am on the right wearing my MetroWest CC sweatshirt.<a href="http://metrowestchess.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MetroWest CC website is here.</a></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The result of this game from last June was mate on White's 42nd move, with Black's King in the center. Not pretty, and Holmgren does not want to repeat that scenario. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpacphGE.png" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you look at the game from last June, you will see that White slowly developed into a Grand Prix style attack. In the grudge match game from September, White is trying to better learn the Grand Prix SIcilian, and is developing with 3.f4 straight away.</span></div>
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1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.f4 Bg7 4.nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4 e6 6.O-O Nge7 7.e5 d5 8.exd6 Qxd6 9.d3 all book, although my knowledge of the Alberts' lines I'm trying to follow got mixed up as early as move 5, when White's recommended move is 5.Bb5. Later on move 11 I reposition the Bishop on b5 so perhaps this cost a move. The fact that we followed "book" till move 9 only means we were both finding "reasonable" moves, but does not indicate that I (at least) knew what the moves meant in terms of what is appropriate thereafter, typical plans, etc.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6;">In my head I wanted to drive the f pawn down the f file, but I kept thinking it was missing it's e pawn companion. However, in many Closed Sicilian games, the f pawn is missing it's e pawn companion, and sometimes is joined by the g pawn. In my head I usually do not think of advancing the g pawn, but </span><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">dacster13 (on chess.com) would say "Harvey, you are unnecessarily discounting moves before you critically analyze them!"</strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6;"> (paraphrase)... and he is right.</span></div>
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In any case, my head is a jumble! Which sequence of operations? Below is a depiction of all the possibilities I am considering... Also keep in mind I am trying my best for a repeat performance so I'm eating up clock time too...</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Back to the game... 9...b6 10.Ne4 Qd7 11.Bb5 (was 5.Bc4 a waste?) Bb7 12.Ne5 Qc7 13.Ng4, bringing forces closer, O-O 14.Ngf6+ Kh8 15.Rf3 Nd4 16.Rh3</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This is the "big buildup". This is how <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=52948" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Magnus Carlsen</a> wins. Actually Carlsen wins from almost any type of position <a href="http://www.chessbase.com/Home/TabId/211/PostId/4009441/anand-on-carlsen-the-greatest-talent-i-have-seen-110413.aspx" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">according to Anand</a>, lol.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Seriously, the buildup in the game has been increasing for a while, and we are at a "critica; position" where White could come crashing through, or Black could defend and White's attack is repelled... The lines of attack below look similar to what was anticipated earlier above. So far so good. Note that White has four pieces participating. His Queenside Bishop and Rook are not participating. This may be an issue as well.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">First, how will Black defend? Is White's attack a big bust? The most obvious move for Black is 16...h6 or 16...h5. If 16...h5, then White can consider a Rook sac with 17.Rxh5+ gxh5 18.Qxh5+ Bh6 19.Qxh6# and White is better, lol. With this mate threat looming over Black, it is easy to see that Black will want to defuse the situation and trade pieces with White, and he chose 16.Bxf6?? Houdini gives this two question marks. Why? Because after recapture with 17.Nxf6 as in the game, White has a very strong attack. Instead 16...h6, and Black can hold. Maybe Black is even better, considering how uncoordinated most of White's pieces are.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Then Black has another choice under duress, again. This time 17...h5 holds White attack back a little, but instead, Black wants to consider trading, and plays 17...Kg7?? Again Houdini gives this two question marks because this helps White's attack.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now it is White's turn. White knows there is a strong attack here, and White knows that this is the moment. White can choose to continue and strengthen the attack and win (then all those other uncoordinated pieces don't matter), or... White could pull back, play it safe and lose the game due to attrition.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What are White's candidate moves? </span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">18.Nxh7, as in the game, captures a pawn, maintains attack</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">18.Rxh7, captures a pawn lose the Knight</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">18.Qg4, bring up a strong piece, lose the Knight</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gee, what do I do with my Bishop which is en prise? What about my undeveloped Bishop? My undeveloped Rook?</span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The point is that White needs to go all out, or the "<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">positional debt</strong>" built up over the last few moves will take its toll. How do I decide which move to make? How should I make the decision? Based on accruing material? Or based on activity, threats, and mate? Well, let's see... if I focus on my en prise Bishop which isn't and can't in the near future do anything, that is materialistic, and clearly a wasted move to boot. Rejected. If I bring up the Queen with 18.Qg4, I lose a Knight before I have a chance to protect it. Rejected. If I play 18.Rxh7+ then the King takes the Knight, lose material. Rejected. That leaves 18.Nxh7 which I played, to make a safe move. I was thinking materially. But with 18.Nxh7 Rh8 White is busted due to simple tactics. Yes, we were both heading into a time scramble, but there is no excuse for missing such a simple tactic. And if I do nothing I lose the Bishop on b5 anyway, and the long attrition starts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What I missed is that 18.Rxh7 actually works, not due to material gain, but because it forces the Black King out into the open, as in 18.Rxh7+ Kxf6 19.Qg4, now the Queen move is more threatening Ne2+ trying for anything to slow down the attack. 20.Kh1 e5 perhaps 21.Qxe2 Ke6 22.Bd2, develop the Rook a6, make threats 23.Bc4+ Kd7 24.fxe4 and White continues to encroach and attack.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In stark contrast to the above, White played 18.Nxh7 Nxb5, also thinking materialistic, and then 19.f5 instead of 19.Nxf8 trying to get material back now that the attack is fizzling. The rest is attrition and time scramble, 19...Nxf5 20.Bg5 Rh8 21.Bf6+ Kg8 22.Bxh8 Kxh8 23.Nf6 Kg7 and mercfully time ran out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The big takeaway in this whole tournament that I need to try and fully understand the position I am in, and then not to artificially constrain choices that I allow myself. Why should I dismiss 18.Rxh7 immediately because it "loses a piece", when in reality it was the only move that "wins the game". Both can be true. Losing material might mean losing, might mean winning, you need to fully consider and evaluate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Maybe if I played chess on a giant chess board, I could learn to think big and out of the box?</span></div>
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Maybe if I learned from Magnus Carlsen, I could learn to think big and out of the box?</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Quote from Magnus Carlsen:</strong></div>
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"Self-confidence is very important. If you don’t think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should.</strong> I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them."</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Which is what dacster13 (chess.com) is always telling me (above)...</strong></div>
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Credits:</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Confused emoticon: <a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC5Pc3Ieq9B3HLbU1VEtLdZWBmy1xtO61-6-w3kLKpiFV5cFmW" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC5Pc3Ieq9B3HLbU1VEtLdZWBmy1xtO61-6-w3kLKpiFV5cFmW" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC5Pc3Ieq9B3HLbU1VEtLdZWBmy1xtO61-6-w3kLKpiFV5cFmW</a> </span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Giant chess set: <a href="http://www.giantchess.com/manufacturer/photo_gallery/24inch/big/24inch13.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.giantchess.com/manufacturer/photo_gallery/24inch/big/24inch13.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.giantchess.com/manufacturer/photo_gallery/24inch/big/24inch13.jpg</a> </span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Carlsen quote: <a href="http://www.chessquotes.com/player-carlsen" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chessquotes.com/player-carlsen" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chessquotes.com/player-carlsen</a></span></li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-49452216460839512112013-10-15T23:50:00.003-04:002013-10-15T23:50:53.487-04:00Vortex, September 2013, Round 5 "Fairly solid play against a player 500 points higher rated"<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></div>
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Summary:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vortex September 2013, Round 5: Marthi v Reed (1-0)</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">G/30, d5, lose - </span>Black with Sicilian, failed to steer to Najdorf, fairly solid, this was against the strongest player in the tournament and he said he thought my performance level in the game was ~1600-1700.</div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-september-2013-round-4-quota-win-on-time-but-stillquot" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Round 4 summary here.</span></a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Just finished an exciting win, albeit low on time, in the last round. I am now playing the strongest player in the tournament, and my goal is to play solid, and try to understand where I go wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1.e4 c5. Recently I am learning the Najodorf, so in my head I try to steer it that way, although equally bad will be to try and steer it that way when that is not appropriate...</span><br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="519" src="http://www.chess.com/emboard?id=1668642" width="574"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 (oops, not Najdorf) 5.Bb5 (doh) Bd7 6.Nc3 Nf6 (trying to get back on track) 7.O-O g6 (why am I mixing systems?) 8.Kh1 (now we are definitely out of book) Bg7. 9.Be3. Let's take a look, White is very active, and has a better center. 9...O-O 10.f4.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At this point, I am facing a player 500 rating points my senior, and who others in the tournament were betting would sweep the tournament, which he almost did. Six rounds, 4 wins, 2 draws, no loss. And what do I see? Can I win a pawn? Maybe...</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I see that 10...Nxd4 seems to work (within my calculation horizon), so I go for it, and indeed I nabbed a pawn! Even Houdini afterwards says Black has some advantage (less than half a pawn) which tells me there is some advantage, but White has other plusses in his favor, such as space and activity. Which honestly is more important than a pawn. Nonetheless, Marthi did tell be after the game that he did not see that tactic.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">11.Bxd4 Bxb5 12.Nxb5 Nxe4 13.Bxg7 Kxg7. Slight digression. Often in the Sicilian Black wants to develop his Knight on g4 to attack White's Bishop if developed on e3, which only works if White didn't play h3 or f3. In this game I could have played 9...Ng4 instead of 9...O-O but I was worried about King saftey playing such a high rated player. However I should play the board instead, lol. If I traded White's Bishop on e3, then perhaps I could have kept my fianchetto Bishop? On the other have maybe this whole tactic wouldn't have happened.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">14.Qd4+ Nf6 15.f5 Qb6, simply trying to exchange material, especially the Queens. 16.Qd3, keeping the Queens on the board 16...a6, still thinking about the pawn, and forcing my popponent to do what he wanted to do anyway which is centralizing his Knight. Instead I should push my own agenda as Silman would say, with 16...Rac8, and Black retains an advantage. </span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Psychologically I understand I nabbed a pawn against a higher rated player. That was due to "taking the chance", and "pushing my agenda", so why all of a suddent get defensive when I know that ...Rac8 is thematic? Such is how we slowly let advantage slip through our fingers!</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">17.Nd4 Nd7, again I need to use my Rooks to retain any advantage, or stay equal, for example 17...Rae8. 18.Qc3 (mate threat) Ne5 19.fxg6 hxg6, and miraculously Black is still ok. 20.Rae1 Rac8 21.Qe3? instead of 21.Qd2 and here is where the mistakes start piling on for both players, but most severe, by a lot, for Black.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For example I see b2 at risk, but I also see Rb1, deflecting the Black Queen and regaining the pawn, but I do not see that in the process, the deflected Black Queen can force an exchange with the White Queen, leaving a Black Rook on c3, threatening another pawn. And so it goes, more complications, and increasingly feeling on the defensive, respecting my opponent's rating too much, plus that pesky G/30,d5 clock, and running out of time...</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black must remain active! However, the emotional need for safety won out, and Black played 21...Kg8. Not the worst, but simply taking the b2 pawn would be better, then White would be down two pawns! And after forcing exchanges (which Black didn't calculate enough to see) would retain a small but important advantage. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">White responded with 22.Rf4, missing a change to neutralize with 22.b3. Black returned the favor with a bigger error 22...g5?? when again, 22...Qxb2 would leave Black with an advantage. Sure time is a factor in G/30, but Black really needs to do better with tactics in a game, real time.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">23.Rf4, encroaching, 23...f6 24.Rg4 and then the fatal 24...f7?? when 24...fxg5 might have salvaged an approximately even position. Again, tactics, what Black didn't see was that after ...fxg5, and Qxg5+, if the Black King stays on the g and h files, hard as it is to see, he can maintain roughly an even position. Again, Black needs to work on tactics.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">25.Rg7+!! which Black never saw coming, 25...Kxg7 26.Nf5+ and Black resigned.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Credits:</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">N/a</span></span></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-27708838147115615822013-10-15T23:47:00.000-04:002013-10-15T23:47:14.438-04:00Vortex, September 2013, Round 4 "A win! On time... but still..."<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></div>
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Summary:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vortex September 2013, Round 4: Reed v Bird (1-0)</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">G/30, d5, win - Scotch Gambit, transpose to Two Knights</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-september-2013-round-3-quotlack-of-knowledge-followed-by-confusion-and-a-series-of-blun" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Round 3 summary here.</span></a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lunch is done. I am determined to do better. I have White against Bird. We have started playing online at chess.com, and where I am stronger online, he is stronger OTB, usually. So, this is closer to an even match.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I stick with 1.e4, Bird is a Two Knights players, so I take him to Two Knights via the Scotch Gambit. I need to study the opening a bit, not sure I'm exactly following the Alberts' book, but here it is:</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Nd7 7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.Nxd4 Nb8 9.O-O Be7. So far book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Now for late opening and middlegame positioning: 10.Re1 c5 11.Nf3 Bg4 12.h3 Bh5 13.Nc3 c6 14.Qd3 Bg6 (not sure my Queen move was a mistake or not...) 15. Qd1 Na6. Now, usually at this point, I don't have a pawn on e5. I am determined to make the most of it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Push! 16.e6. At this point I expected 16...fxe6, but then after 17.Rxe6, 18.Bg5, etc. Black's problems increase. The game continued 16...f6, Preventing the immediate rapid buildup, but giving White a passed pawn on e6. White knows he may not be able to hang on to the pawn and promote, but White will seek to trade for some other kind of advantage.</span></div>
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First job is to trade minor pieces, to make the passed pawn harder to handle: 17.Nh4 Qd6? (better to castle?) 18.Nxg6 hxg6 19.Qg4, ugh! Better to play simple chess with a double attack, 19.Qd3. Pressing on, 19...g5 20.f4 Rh4 21.Qf5 O-O-O 22.fxg5 fxg5 23.Bxg5 Rf8.</div>
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At this point, White can grab more material (two Rooks for Queen) with 24.Qxf8+ Bxf8 25.Bxh4. However, White (perhaps because both players were so low on time) played "safer", but allows Black to technically equalize a bit, however psychologically White still has a big initiative, if only because White has been calling the shots for so many moves.</div>
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24.Bxe7 Qxe7 and Black is equalizing 25. Rf1 Rxf1+ 27.Rxf1 Nxe6 however, Black is so eager to turn the game around, he gives White an opening to check the Black King and take the initiative, plus Black is exceedingly low on time, as is White. 27...Nxe6 28.Ne2 Re4 29.Qh5, and the rest of the score is lost. </div>
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The remaining moves were spent by White chasing the Black King over to the Queenside, where it got mated, see the picture below. </div>
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I'd like to say Black was mated due to superior play, but I think here that time was a big factor. Nonetheless I happily took the point. <img alt="Smile" border="0" src="http://www.chess.com/js/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-smile.gif" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" title="Smile" /></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Credits:</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Photo of final position. Personal photo taken by author immediately after the game at Vortex CC, Framingham MA.</span></span></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-77670992516489612382013-10-15T23:42:00.003-04:002013-10-15T23:42:36.037-04:00Vortex, September 2013, Round 3 "Lack of knowledge, followed by confusion, and blunders"<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></div>
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Summary:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vortex September 2013, Round 3: Kaprielian v Reed (1-0)</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">G/30, d5, lose - Black with Bogo-Indian, 5.g3, just enough confusion to go astray</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-september-2013-round-2-quotslow-drip-losing-and-the-panic-of-recovery-almostquot" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #222222; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Round 2 summary here.</span></a></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Settling in. I'm awake, just had a very exciting game in Round 2, only to realize I resigned too early. I had only 4 seconds left on the clock (delay not increment), but still. Ok, time to focus, and keep up determination. However due to logistics of round times, and eating times, lunch fell in the middle of this round, Chinese takeout, we ask for no MSG, but we know better... Not using that as an excuse just context. We all we under equal MSG duress, lol.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A bit of background on my opponent. Kaprielian is the President of the MetroWest CHess Club (largest in New England), and I am the Marketing Dir. He is a fastidious student of openings, and used to take lessons from Rizzitano, a player in our Club who also happens to be a renowned chess author, for example on Queen's Gambit Declined (shown below). Kaprielian organizes his study lines in Chessbase, and without getting into way too much detail, has a number of sample "games" in the database where he stores his repertoire so he can quickly review before a tournament game.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On the other hand my opening knowledge is sketchy (that is being kind), although lately I am trying to learn the Black side of Sicilan (esp. Najdorf), White side Closed Sicilian Grand Prix Attack, and White side Scotch Gambit a bit. Other than that it is a mixed bag.</span></div>
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Being in the same Club we have played each other but not a lot, because of our rating difference. Usually I lose. He is higher rated, prepared for his openings like few I've known (ok so I don't know that many upper rated folks...) and generally crushes me. However every know and then I surprise him, like in this chess.com online game (draw)</div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=55687532" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=55687532" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=55687532</a></div>
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However most of our our online games I end up caving at some point due to tactics I should have seen coming, like here where the tactics starting on move 32 take their toll:</div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=62984252" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=62984252" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=62984252</a></div>
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Nonetheless, he considers only OTB to be "real" chess, and there I have a mostly dismal record, with one exception. In summer of 2012 I got a draw with him at another Vortext event, as shown in the game below. That made an impression on him, and h<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">e was not happy! However, in our next 2012 Vortex encounter he was careful to make sure he crushed me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Here we are in 2013, and we are again paired. He is playing White, I know for a fact he will play 1.d4. Further, since I use the Lev Alburt "Chess Openings for Black, Explained", and we have played this online at chess.com, I was confident we would play: 1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4 4. Bd2 Qe7 which we did. Ok four moves out of the way without a major mishap! However, now confusion sets in...</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Then Kaprielian plays 5.g3, ok I know he is going to do that, but "what should my response be? Hmmm..." The Lev Alburt book, which I said I am trying to learn gives a line: 5...Nc6 6.Bg2 Bxd2+ 7.Nbxd2 O-O 8.O-O. Instead of 5...Nc6 above I play 5...O-O, thinking King safety, and the game continues 6.Bg2 d5 7.a3 Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2, see the game below.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Keep in mind up to the game 8.Nbxd2 its all considered book, so there is nothing bad. However, it sets the stage for confusion creep. Which is what happens next.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">So, even though we are "in book" it doesn't matter. If you don't know what your goals are, let alone the right move sequence, then you will be working against plans you didn't know you should have.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That is what happend. I play ...d5 instead of ...d6 then ...e5, "little" things like that, which add up to wrong plan, moves that don't make sense, and soon we are in trouble. But like I said, so far we are in book, but look how quickly the wheels come off, and the game takes a nose dive into a blunderiffic concolusion.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8...dxc4. Not even close. We are now officially going in several directions at once. Still not in major trouble, but the clouds are forming on the horizon. 9.Nxc4 Nc6 10.O-O, so except for the closed KID structure that was supposed to happen, everything is ok? Maybe not because that closed KID structure is what gives Black immunity from lack of development. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">And this is what cost the game. Well, not exactly, it was the blunders due to panicing over the lack of development from confusion that cost the game. After 10.O-O we have:</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Note that Black's Queenside is largely undeveloped. Here is what's wrong. The KID structure to slow White down is missing. Oops. So lack of development, which wasn't a huge issue, is now of paramount importance. Where should the LS Bishop go? This is an important question, since the development of the Rook hangs in the balance. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">10...Rb8, why? Because White decides to fianchetto instead of a simple Bd7. Fianchettoing takes more moves and weakens the QS pawn structure agtainst an opponent who is better developed. More trouble brewing. And take note that White doesn't do anything except to respond and take advantage of Black's misplaced moves. White never had to due a build "Carlson-like build-up" to overwhelm his opponent. White simply had to take all the advantages that were handed to him.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">11.Rc1, perhaps mechanically thinking Minority Attack, also thematic from KID structures. 11...Rd8 12.e3, nothing spectacular, just slowing improving his position. 12...b6, and the Big Weaknesses start. 13.Qc2, see below.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, the patterns repeat. Black creates self imposed weaknesses, hands them over to White, and White aims his guns at them. Truely "simple chess" for White, and exasperating for Black, who is slowly realizing what he is doing to himself. Move 13 and Black already wants to have a good cry. But no time for that, this is G/30 OTB!</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">13...Ba6 a bad plan executed well is often times beter than switching too many times. In this case Black realizes he has to evacuate the c-file in a hurry! However... in order to put up better resistance 13...Bb7 might be even better, as it protects the hapless Knight on c6. 14.Rfe1 Rbc8 15.Ncd2, the "big reveal" showing off the White Queen-Rook battery on the c-file, and making it a point to highlight Black's weaknesses.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The gravity of the situation really sinks in for Black.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">15...Nb8, no two ways about it, White's position is better. However White's Queen is in the lead, so he can't nab the c7 pawn just yet. What is Black going to do? 16.b4! Continue to expand on the Queenside, and increase pressure and that "cramped feeling" for Black. Remember, if you are uncoordinated, the last thing you want is to be so cramped you can't maneuver around to be able to exchange pieces and relieve the cramped position...</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">16...c5, what else?, 17.bxc5 bxc5 18.dxc5, and presto! White has a passed pawn, on the fifth rank. It is officially dangerous. Really. Black shouln't fool around. What does <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=10249" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nimzovitsch</a> say about passed pawns? Blockade them! Especially with a Knight. Even if it takes a minor maneuver to enable a Knight to blocade, <a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles402.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">as shown here (second example in article)</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So, with that background, which Black knew about, what did he do? Figure out a way to block with a Knight? No... Instead 18...Bb5? with the reasoning that the Bishop will make a great blockader. But it doesn't. The Knight is better in general because if threatened, the Knight can move anywhere, and still exert control over the target square. However if the Bishop is attacked, there is a problem of two diagonals. The Bishop has to either sit on the target square, or stay on a particular diagonal (the one with the target square on it) or else give up trying to blockade.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The weakness with the Bishop on b5 performing blockading duties is that a simple 19.Nd4 as in the game forces the Bishop off the board. 19...Bc6, sitting on the target blockade square. 20.Nxc6 Nxc6 21. Nb3 Nd7, of which 18...Nfd7 would have been preferrable to 18...Bb5.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The rest is mop up, 22.Red1 Nb6?? devastating blunder, 22...Rc7 is preferrable. Black was (erroneously) thinking he would be "tricky" <a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/real.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(a.k.a. "hope chess" which is not the way to play "real chess")</a> and if 23...cxb6, then a discovered attack on the Queen. However, 23.Rxd8+ and que the "sad trombones" (actually a simple 23.cxb6 might be better, but then again that is like trying to choose between <a href="http://www.fiveguys.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Five Guys</a> and <a href="http://www.redrobin.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Red Robin</a> for tasty burgers in the U.S. They both do the job nicely). Nonetheless, Black perseveres, 23...Qxd8?? but captures with the wrong piece, ouch! Better is 23...Nxd8 pinning the White Queen. 24.Rd1 Qe7 25. Rd6, pressure! 25...Nd4?? Black cracks, better is 25...Na5 and if NxNa5, then ...QxRd6 exploiting the pin. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">26.Rxd4, and Black finally throws in the towel... </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Remember, try to avoid MSG while playing chess. But it is not an excuse! My lack of opening knowledge, plus (and even more important) my insistence on creating weaknesses, then inviting White to pick on them is the reason for this loss. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Things took a turn for the better in Round 4.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Credits:</span></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazon, Rizzitano book:<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Explained-Queens-Gambit-Declined/dp/1904600808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381518552&sr=1-1&keywords=rizzitano" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Explained-Queens-Gambit-Declined/dp/1904600808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381518552&sr=1-1&keywords=rizzitano" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Explained-Queens-Gambit-Declined/dp/1904600808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381518552&sr=1-1&keywords=rizzitano" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Explained-Queens-Gambit-Declined/dp/1904600808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381518552&sr=1-1&keywords=rizzitano</a></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Confused emoticon: <a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC5Pc3Ieq9B3HLbU1VEtLdZWBmy1xtO61-6-w3kLKpiFV5cFmW" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC5Pc3Ieq9B3HLbU1VEtLdZWBmy1xtO61-6-w3kLKpiFV5cFmW" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC5Pc3Ieq9B3HLbU1VEtLdZWBmy1xtO61-6-w3kLKpiFV5cFmW</a> </span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">MSG cartoon: <a href="http://www.truthinlabeling.org/Cartoon.Stein.wsj033183+.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.truthinlabeling.org/Cartoon.Stein.wsj033183+.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.truthinlabeling.org/Cartoon.Stein.wsj033183+.jpg</a></span></li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-60758149752540108252013-10-15T23:34:00.001-04:002013-10-15T23:34:45.775-04:00Vortex, September 2013, Round 2 "Slow drip losing, and the panic of recovery, almost..."<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></div>
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Summary:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vortex September 2013, Round 2: Hori v Reed (1-0)</strong></div>
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G/30, d5, lose - Black with Sicilian Grand Prix Attack, with a very exciting finish, me with 4 seconds on the clock, and my opponent with 20 seconds</div>
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-september-2013-round-1-quotcmon-wake-upquot" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Round 1 summary here.</a></div>
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Coffee is waking me up, The full reality of playing the 2013 Class Champion of MetroWest Chess Club (largest in New England) is sinking in. I've played Calvin once before, he is an interesting opponent, very skilled obviously and with a few offbeat tools in his arsenal. </div>
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For example against 1.d4, as in our game from two years ago, he will play the <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=a51" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A51 Budapest Gambit</a>. That was before I switched to 1.e4 as White. I figure I should learn to play chess with 1.e4 before trying the fancy 1.d4 openings, lol. Here is the game. I didn't let the 500 point rating difference deter me. In the game below from a couple of years ago, I charged ahead, and not knowing the gambit managed to give back the gambit pawn on move 8 (reasonable), but then surprised him by nabbing a pawn on move 13 and holding on to it for a while. Obviously he wasn't expecting this, and doubled down. I held on to this extra material, until move 31, where I gave it back plus extra in a blunder. At least I made him squirm. That is a good goal!<br />
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">However in Vortex September 2013 Round 2, I am Black, and for some reason I had a hunch he would play 1.e4 as White, and he didn't disappoint. I was eager to play Sicilian, especially since I've started trying to learn it for real after my <a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/dhlc-quotart-of-warquot-intramural-game-quotwoah-i-got-a-bunch-of-opening-variations-mixed-u" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">DHLC Art of War intramural game with JagdeepSingh</a>. Of course I am still very new to Sicilian, and wasn't sure what (if any) offbeat variation he would toss at me.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 (<a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=B23" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">B23, Closed Sicilian</a>) d6. I've learned to get d6 in early and often otherwise I seem to have trouble developing my King Knight to f6, due to e4-e5 pushes. 3.f4 Nc6 transposes into a Sicilian Grand Prix Attack. 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bb5, I have not seen this before, but figured the move can't be too bad (trust my opponent?) plus the pin is bothersome, real, and so I decide to immediately rid myself of the pin with 5...a6. I probably should have ignored it and focused on developing my Kingside, and castle.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6.Bxc6, and so starts the steady drip of weakening my position. </span></div>
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6...bxc6 7.O-O Nf6 8.d3 e6 9.Qe1 Be7, and I enter the zone of <a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman125.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Checks, Captures, and Threats"</a>. I see the e5 push coming. The position demands that he pushes e5. What will I as Black do? I have one move before the e5 push to get my affairs in order. Consider the diagram below. The red arrows show the e5 push, and my likely response (which I did play). Now when ever you move a piece, you leave behind a wake of disturbance in the form of removing protection and structure.<a href="http://chessbase-shop.com/en/products/the_secret_to_chess" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">GM Maurice Ashley has a great DVD "Secrets of Chess"</a> that delves into understanding the drawbacks to moves as well as the positive aspects that most authors and players concentrate on. </div>
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Here we can easily see that once e5 is played, and Black respondes with ...Nd7, the Black Bishop on g4 is undefended. This didn't seem important at the time, but later became the turning point of the game!</div>
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It is important for me to reflect on this so it can soak in. A simple <a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman08.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"removal of the guard" tactic</a> turned a slightly worse position into a bad, argueably losing position, down a pawn (we'll see why later). This isn't a complex four stage combination with a mind-blowing <a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman75.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">intermezzo which complicates "counting"</a>. No. This is removing (or really distracting) a guard of a piece, leaving the piece en prise. Then mischief can start. I had a full move to take care of the problem, perhaps with 9...Bxf3 instead, then I would be rid of the liability. Sure I give up two Bishops, but White did that himself long ago. No excuse.</div>
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10.e5 Nd7 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.fxe5 Be7, relatively straightforward and somewhat forced. White has tons more space, is better developed, and <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=A81JRXxikEYC&pg=PA162&lpg=PA162&dq=%22obligation+to+attack%22+chess&source=bl&ots=nFDtpS1soc&sig=a9g-SSxwcSOBUwHBvirmXBPj3e8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZHdXUu3IK47k4AOItICoDA&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22obligation%20to%20attack%22%20chess&f=false" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">has an obligation to attack</a>. Yes, an obligation. Why? Because if he waits, then Black can regroup and equalize. </div>
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14.Qg3, the attack. Actually the double attack. Actually the double attack which is the basis for forcing moves in chess, as described in detail by Averbakh in "Chess Tactics for Advanced Players". This book is a great breakdown of what tactics are and how to exploit them. If only I understood 10% of it... but that is a good topic for another blog.</div>
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With the White Queen on Qg3, it is performing an X-Ray attack on the pawn on g7. Black is obligated to make life as tough as possible on White, and to try and prevent the loss of a pawn. Chess.com has a good <a href="http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-tactics--definitions-and-examples" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">compendium of X-Ray Attack and other tactic definitions here.</a></div>
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Black can slow White down with 14...h5. The idea is to protect the Bishop with a pawn, blunting the attack with the Queen. And now the tactics get complicated. For example, 15.h3 trying to force the issue, 15...Bf5 16.Qxg7, so if White still gets the g7 pawn, why not just 14...Bf5 immediately as in the game? We will see shortly. After 15.Qxg7, Black has to evacuate the King, so fortunately, there is a tempo saving Queen move, 16...Qd4+ 17.Kh1 O-O-O and the King is safe, and the Rook on h8 is protected. But isn't the f7 pawn still loose? Not really because if 18.Qxf7 Rh7 and White loses material, and the position is better for Black. And this is the point of ...h5. Even though the Bishop can still get kicked with h3, the f7 pawn is implicitly protected. Plus now both Black Rooks are free to attack along the g-file, and the White Queen needs to be careful. 18.Rf4 attacks the Black Queen, 18...Rdg8 attacks the White Queen, and Black has some compensation for the lost pawn. 19.Rxd4 Rxg7 20.Rf4 c4, as the position is roughly equal despite Black being down a pawn.</div>
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Now, despite the fact it is theoretically possible to respond with amazing tactics above in a tight situation to try and compensate for material loss, consider the difference in level of difficulty between the above complex sequences and hidden resources, and Black's earlier opportunity to simply avoid having a piece en prise in the first place. </div>
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Back to the game:</div>
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14...Bf5 15.Qxg7+ Qd4+ 16.Kh1 Kd7?? The "??" is from Houdini. 16...O-O-O does the same thing and more, and keeps the King safe. But no, instead I need to follow the rule that one mistake (losing the pawn) deserves another (leaving my King exposed in the center). <a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman70.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">See here for a compendium of typical chess mistakes.</a></div>
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17.Rf4 Qxf4, what else, the Black King is blocking the Black Queen's escape! 18.Bxf4 Rhg8??, should be 18...Rag8. 19.Qh6 and White has a huge advantage.</div>
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Black is wounded, in a panic, has little to lose, and in short is now desperate and dangerous.</div>
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19...Rg4 looking to use the g-file. 20.Bd2 Rag8, threatening 21...Rxg2. 21.Rg1 Bg5 22. Bxg5 R8xg5 23.Ne4 Bxe4 24.dxe4 Rxe5 25.Rd1+ Ke7, the position is starting to stabilize. Pawn count is equal, but Blacks pawn structure is fractured, and then there is the not so small matter of White being up a Queen for a Rook. But then again a Rook has been known to draw against a QUeen, so all hope is not lost. <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">26.Rf1 Rgxe4 27.Qf6+ Kd7. Of course, now here White can finish Black off with 28.Qxf7+, but it takes a few moves, and I think White is very confident and is looking for safe and easy ways to finish Black off. 28.Rd1+ Kc7 29.Qf7+ Kb6.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now White has back rank weaknesses that force him to spend time creating an "air hole" with 30.h3.</span></div>
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30...Re1+ anyway. Simplify and push the pawn! 31.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 32.Kh2 e5. I should point out that by this time I have around 30 seconds on the clock, and my opponent has around 2 minutes. We are playing with 5 sec delay, so the simplification helps my time management strategy.</div>
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30.Qb3+ Kc7 34.Qg3 Re2 35.Qg7 kb6 36.Qxh7 e4! 37.Qh5 Rxc2 38.Qe5, White is taking the pawn seriously now. 38...Re2 39.Qc3 e3! 40.Qb3+ Kc7 41.Qc4 Rxb2 42.Qqf7+ Kb6 43.Qe6 e2! 44.Qe3 Rxa2 45.Qb3+ resign.</div>
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What? What?? What???</div>
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The Black Rook is immune from this double attack. Simply move the King, and if the White Queen takes, then ...e1=Q and the position is slightly in Blacks favor. Sure Black has only 20 sec left, but I should at least make him work for the point, rather than resign. Someone told me in blitz it takes around 20 seconds to mate, so even if you have a bare King against a Queen, you might be able to beat the clock. Now in this particular game, White is the Class Champion of the MetroWest CC, and he has 20 seconds to my <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4 seconds</strong>... but still... it is the principle!</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4 seconds, plenty of time!</span></div>
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Credits:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Faucet drip: <a href="http://appleplumbing.com/WP2/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/drip.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://appleplumbing.com/WP2/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/drip.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://appleplumbing.com/WP2/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/drip.jpg</a></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Emoticon, coffee: <a href="http://www.goldismoney2.com/attachment.php?s=9a110116a4c74859f75db772b2d918f3&attachmentid=31177&d=1358864061&thumb=1" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.goldismoney2.com/attachment.php?s=9a110116a4c74859f75db772b2d918f3&attachmentid=31177&d=1358864061&thumb=1" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.goldismoney2.com/attachment.php?s=9a110116a4c74859f75db772b2d918f3&attachmentid=31177&d=1358864061&thumb=1</a></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazon, Averbakh, "Chess Tactics": <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics-Advanced-Players-Averbakh/dp/4871875083/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381468481&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=aberbakh+tactics" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics-Advanced-Players-Averbakh/dp/4871875083/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381468481&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=aberbakh+tactics" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics-Advanced-Players-Averbakh/dp/4871875083/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381468481&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=aberbakh+tactics</a></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Deperation poster: <a href="http://cdn.motinetwork.net/demotivationalposters.org/image/demotivational-poster/0902/desperation-demotivational-poster-1234268205.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://cdn.motinetwork.net/demotivationalposters.org/image/demotivational-poster/0902/desperation-demotivational-poster-1234268205.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://cdn.motinetwork.net/demotivationalposters.org/image/demotivational-poster/0902/desperation-demotivational-poster-1234268205.jpg</a></span></li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-54629177066668033892013-10-15T23:25:00.002-04:002013-10-15T23:25:50.315-04:00Vortex, September 2013, Round 1 "C'mon wake up!"<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></div>
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Summary:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vortex September 2013, Round 1: Reed v Todhunter (0-1)</strong></div>
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G/30, d5, loss - White with Caro-Kann, 3.Nc3, lack luster play, capped off by a blunder at the end</div>
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<img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpiKzYX2.jpeg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></div>
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Long week, and this is OTB on a Saturday, bright and early in the morning. I was still getting my head wrapped around playing OTB at all, and focusing on this game. I don't think my play was too bad, and even Houdini said afterwards +/= for much of the game... but my play did lack verve and determination...</div>
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I drank coffee, but in a G/30, there just wasn't enough time for it to matter and wake me up. That would be the next round. I try not to let our 400 point rating difference affect my attitude, lol.</div>
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On to the game...<br />
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We open with Caro-Kann, and I play the <a href="http://www.chess.com/explorer/?id=9189&ply=8" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Caro-Kann Game Explorer">classic 3.Nc3 variation</a>. Lately I'm tired of obscure openings and variations, and have decided to play as mainstream as I can. If it is good enough for masters...</div>
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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3 e6 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8.Qxd3 Nf6. Here White is pleased with his development, and searching for a plan. Being a bit tired, White thinks to castle and pin the Nf6 Knight, a bit lightweight, but safe in this position.</div>
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9.O-O Bd6 10.Bg5 Nbd7 (counteract the pin). Play continues in a ho hum way... 11.Rfe1 O-O 12.Rad1 Qc7 13. Qe2 c5 14.c3 a6 15.Ne5 cxd4 16.cxd4. Keep the tension and Houdini thinks White's position is active. 16...Bb4.</div>
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17.Rc1 Qb6 18.Red1 Nxe5 19.dxe5 +/=</div>
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19...Nd5 20.Kh1 Rac8 21.a3 Be7 22.Bxe7 Nxe7 23.Rc2 Nd5 and the game wears on, and I'm still not waking up yet. Nonetheless, I figure if I can double my Rooks, and get some threats going, maybe I can hold out for a draw. 24.Rdc1 Rxc2 25.Qxc2, should I take with the Rook? 25...Qd4, by taking with the Queen, did I let his Queen in to easy? 26.Qe2, and since Black now "feels" like he is getting his way, I'm wondering if his 400 point rating difference is starting to show? 26...Nf4 27.Qe3 Qxe3 28.fxe3 Nd3, I'm starting to wake up but now I'm wondering if my play all along has been suspect (it hasn't), and what do I do about the fork, etc. I briefly considered Rc7, enhancing Rook activity, but then was thinking about saving the b2 pawn (wrong!), and forgot about the Rook.</div>
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29.b4?? Nxc1-+, Black is better, lol, duh.</div>
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Wake up!</div>
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Credits:</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Emoticon from <a href="http://jobspapa.com/huge-emo-smiley-face-kootation.html" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://jobspapa.com/huge-emo-smiley-face-kootation.html" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://jobspapa.com/huge-emo-smiley-face-kootation.html</a></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Coffe mug from DHLC merchandise site</span></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-1436192150288285312013-10-15T23:21:00.003-04:002013-10-15T23:21:55.620-04:00Vortex, September 2013, Summary<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #f68d1f; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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Last weekend I played in the Vortex CC monthly Round Robin in Framingham MA. As usual, my work travel and other commitments meant that I had little time for structured prep. However I have been studying the Sicilian Najdorf through the <a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/forumview/online-chess-league" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="DHLC LTO (Learn the Opening)">DHLC "Learn the Opening" online tournament</a>, and intermittently doing tactics. The format of the tournament is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round-robin_tournament" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Round Robin - Wikipedia">Round Robin</a> at G30 with 5 sec delay. The "seed" for the Round Robin is chosen at random, as part of the pairing process. Eight players, means each player has seven opponents. There are six rounds, so each player will play everyone but one player.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Crosstable:</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201309146622" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><a href="http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201309146622" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201309146622</a></li>
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Rounds:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rd 1 - G/30, d5, lose - White with Caro-Kann, 3.Nc3, lack luster play, capped off by a blunder at the end</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rd 2 - G/30, d5, lose - Black with Sicilian Grand Prix Attack, with a very exciting finish, me with 4 seconds on the clock, and my opponent with 20 seconds</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rd 3 - G/30, d5, lose - Black with Bogo-Indian, 5.g3, just enough confusion to go astray</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rd 4 - G/30, d5, win - White with Scotch, 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.e5 resulted in a passed pawn that made a difference</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rd 5 - G/30, d5, lose - Black with Sicilian, failed to steer to Najdorf, fairly solid, this was against the strongest player in the tournament and he said he thought my performance level in the game was ~1600-1700</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rd 6 - G/30, d5, lose - White with Sicilian Grand Prix Attack, exciting attack, but not enough oomph to get the point, and this was a grudge match from <a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/vortex-june-2013-round-1" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Vortex Round 1 in June 2013">Vortex Round 1 in June</a></span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It is worth pointing out that I am the "cannon fodder" for the group, meaning that I play when they need an even number of players. The bulk of the group is rated 200-500 points higher than me. Therefore even though I only won one game, my rating went up 10 points. Overall, I'm happy with my results. Of course I'd like to win more (who wouldn't?) but that will happen as I improve. I'm using the opportunity to blog about my games as part of my improvement strategy.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-57006970520780359912013-10-10T19:12:00.000-04:002013-10-10T19:12:14.300-04:00DHLC Swiss 8 Round 3 "Nothing to see here, just blundering from a good attack to a loss!"<br />
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<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></div>
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In my Art of War team game in Swiss 8 Round 3, I was paired with a very gracious opponent, romanic666. He won the game by being the most persistent and consistent. Despite the fact that I had a great attack going at one point, he persistently defended, and waited for the (almost) inevitable moment when I graciously give him the point. Well, actually I Blundered, actually blundered twice in a row. But I'm getting ahead of myself...</div>
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We can start with the Sicilian Grand Prix. I'm following the Lev Alburt book. Sort of. I need to devote more time to the openings, but my work schedule (especially through October) prevents me from any in depth study. Nonetheless, I can try and learn the opening somewhat, and apply myself.</div>
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An early experience with the Grand Prix, just after I got the book is from the Eastern Class (CCA) tournament in Sturbridge MA, in Spring 2012. Note the complete lack of knowledge of what I was supposed to do. I ended up in a fight over some center squares (not inherently bad, but still), instead of a fiery Kingside attack.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6;">Later as I tried to understand the nature of the opening, I exhibited some signs of attacking. A good example is from the DHLC Medieval "Storm the Castle" competitions. I toss everything at Docterrific, trying to create some initiative for an attack. At times, my position was worse, much worse (due to sac'ing so much material), but by move 23.Rxf6 the position equalized, but it was hard for me to realize that. I just knew I needed to keep pressing. I was also short on time, and wanting to rush what shouldn't be rushed. 23...Reb8 24.Nxe7+ Kh8, and now simply 25.Ng6 is probably a good continuation, but no... I played 25.Rxb8+?? and the attack fizzled, and I ended up losing due to "</span><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">positional debt</strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6;">". In the process of attacking, I left many dangling unanswered threats that ended up materializing, because now the game will go long instead of me checkmating my opponent. In this case the positional debt is a pawn that I could have taken, but instead it gets away and promotes. The point is that I build up a big attack, burn most of my time down, then the attack fizzles. Much of the time suck beforehand is due to unfamiliar positions. On the otherhand, if I try to speed up my play in openings, I end up crashing and burning. I have other blogs that detail those confused adventures,</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6;"> </span><a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/dhlc-quotart-of-warquot-intramural-game-quotwoah-i-got-a-bunch-of-opening-variations-mixed-u" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Woah! I confused myself!">for example here</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6;"> And now for today's game. Similar pattern. I take enough time so that I make it through the opening in half way decent shape, and can then coordinate for an effective attack. but then the lack of time weighs the game down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6;">In this case but I had no time left, and had to use the water closet real bad... (true grit). Check out White's position after 24.Rxf7, not bad, actually pretty decent. I kept it up for a few moves, through Black's 26...Kh8. Then, I had less than 2 min, and needed the water closet in a serious way. What to do? My choice was to make a move that looked great for 1 sec. 27.Nxg6+??</span></div>
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Objectively speaking, the sac fails, however the position is still ok for White because there are other resources, such as 28.Rf7 and try to regroup. However, after realizing I couldn't just play 28.Qh5+ followed by mate (pesky g-pawn), I was bummed out, still focused on the h-file and played a beauty of a move 28.Qe4?? My good position couldn't take two (??) moves in a row and survive. I was toast soon after. On the bright side, I got to eventually use the water closet... Sometimes I think chess is a diuretic...</div>
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Next chess goal: Now that I can make it through an opening, and even into a middlegame in halfway decent shape, I need to learn how to keep an attack from fizzling! Part of that is learning the openings better (recoup time), part of that is analyzing the art of attack. Wait, isn't there a book by that name?...</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-28917408875065971702013-10-10T18:54:00.001-04:002013-10-11T14:04:43.826-04:00DHLC Swiss 8, Round 2, "Help! I've fallen into a cul de sac, and can't get out!"<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/dan-heisman-learning-center" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Dan Heisman Learning Center on Chess.com"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTEZPfM.png" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DHLC "Art of War" Swiss 8, Round 2 game MurkyLizard v hreedwork (1-0)</strong> and almost a miniature (26 moves) due to a game ending massive blunder by me. But the point of the game isn't really the blunder... I was trapped in a cul de sac and couldn't escape.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh no!</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I didn't have a lot of time to prepare (work, travel, end of year, blah blah blah), but I did have about 30 min to review MurkyLizard's past games as White, and quickly discovered he plays 1.d4, while all my energy studying for Black has been against 1.e4 (doh!) where I use the Sicilian Najdorf. Or at least I try, <a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/hreedwork/dhlc-quotart-of-warquot-intramural-game-quotwoah-i-got-a-bunch-of-opening-variations-mixed-u" style="border: 0px; color: #0a5689; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Amusing attempt at Najdorf">see this amusing attempt at Najdorf</a>, where I get everything mixed up with the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon, and hilarity ensues...</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Back to the "I need to quickly get my bearings before the game" bit. I whip out my handy Black repertoire manual and look at the Nimzo-Indian 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bc4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 b6 6.f3 Ba6 and we have an opening, and I at least understand the purpose of the ...b6 and ...Ba6 moves, to pick on the c4 pawn without a pawn defender. The book I use is the "Chess Openings for Black, Explained" by Lev Alburt.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In MurkyLizards games I notice that he doesn't quite follow that same line, but time is up, our game is about to start...</span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Show Time!</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As further mental prep, I remind myself to give full attention to the game, use all my time and so on. I think I did reasonably well on the "you must concentrate" aspect, and I certainly did use all my time, as did MurkyLizard. So neither of those aspects of the game was the problem. So what was the problem, what happened?</span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The game starts!</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2, hmmm... not what I had time to read about. The Alburt book recommends 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bd2 O-O, and we have a game. </span><br />
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Uncertain, I play 4...O-O. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">My logic was to wait until my DSB was attacked before capturing the Knight. I didn't have to wait long, 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3. Here I knew from other painful games with Black that I needed to make a freeing move. And it better be in the center, and I have to do it now, or maybe be shut out of that possibility for a long time. 6...d5.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">After making this move, I was releived. I thought I made it through the first big decision in a decent fashion. I knew for now my LSB was blocked in, and I needed to bias toward a closed position, to make best use of my two Knights. However I had bigger issues on my hands, namely what type of pawn structure is my goal? Am I fighting on the Kingside or Queenside? Inquirying minds want to know!</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7.e3, which (if I remember correctly from our post-mortem analysis) MurkyLizard thinks is a bit passive. Nonetheless, I am now confronted with the biggest decision of the game...</span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What now?</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yikes, I need to make another important decision, and it's only my seventh move. This really underscores the importance of knowing something about openings you play, a bit about typical structures, and the piece coordination and move order to get there. Gees, at this point, I would have been happy to know simply if I should focus on Queenside or Kingside... Below depicts what I considered, and didn't consider. Plan A contains two areas of interest. My Queenside pieces need to develop, and the center, which I knew was important. But couldn't decide if I needed the d5 pawn to be a "strongpoint", or if the d5 pawn should capture the c4 pawn, and one of my Knights take up post on d5.</span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">My brain is a jumble.</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But then I see something I can comprehend. A glimmer of hope. White's Queen is on c3 on the c-file. If there are pawn exchanges on the c file, then if I put a Rook there to threaten the Queen... and so it started. I worked out long tortuous routes for the QS Knight, was puzzling over how to activate the LS Bishop, all in the spirit of "threatening" MurkyLizard's Queen. It was all clear now. I had a purpose, and a goal. Life is good.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpGCl36T.png" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But deep down, I knew I was on shaky ground. Why am I threatening a piece so early, especially when she can simply move, or better yet close the file with a c4-c5 push? Why?...</span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The spirit of Valery Frenklakh...</strong></div>
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<img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpDSdibF.png" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I took some lessons from Valery back in the 90's (he is still an active coach in the Boston area) and among various things like admonishing me for being lazy and not calculating (true back then but lately I do tactics and calculate), said something amazing... "Chess is a Game of Squares not Pieces!" Well, amazing to me anyway. I used to spend so much time chasing and attacking pieces, only to have them move to an even much better position. Meanwhile I'm left holding the bag... full of piece uncoordination, multiple weaknesses, and so on. Then my opponent turns on me and I think to myself "what happened?" Sheesh!</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But, here I am in search of a plan, I latch on to threatening the Queen while opening a file, all good rationalization. Not necessarily a good plan, but rationaization nonetheless. Since I can make sense this plan (plan A) I take it. However, I did not even consider play on the Kingside (plan B). Not even a hint. Nada. However, I did try to at least make a few moves which are "flexible and not too commital.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7...c6 8.Nf3 Nbd7 9.Bd3</span></div>
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<img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpsc69od.png" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">White is getting ready to castle, I need to continue development, and I have to decide which side to play on and so forth. I stick with the original piece chasing plan. 9...Nc6.</span></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Analysis of Plan B</strong></div>
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However, consider if I decided even now to pursue a Kingside plan (plan B). The goal then is an e5 pawn push, which the Knight on d7 is already set up to support . If we take a different approach and add Rook and Queen support with 9...Re8 10. O-O Qc7 11.b4 e5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 Qxe5, we have a game, and can start middlegame operations.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh No! I have fallen into a cul de sac...</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">9.Nb6 signals the commital move to the plan around the c file and attacking the Queen. After 10.b3 Bd7 11.O-O Rc8 12.c5 Na8 13.Ne5 Nc7 14.a4, a sequence which I deliberately planned for and received, we arrive at the end of the cul de sac. Here is what it looks like:</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" src="http://d1lalstwiwz2br.cloudfront.net/images_users/tiny_mce/hreedwork/phpTRKxlk.png" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px; max-width: 550px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: text-bottom;" /></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">End of the road. I still need to develop. I still need my "freeing move" to remove the cramp and allow for piece movement, and subsequent coordination. Interestingly the only way out that I can find is 14...Ne4, thus playing on the Kingside which earlier I didn't even consider. I don't mean look at and then reject... I mean just plain old didn't consider. And now I am on my knees looking for a way to acheive some play on the Kingside. Better late than never, but I was never able to escape the cul de sac in one piece...</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">15.Qc2 forms the Q and B battery I was concerned about off and on through the whole opening. ANd as a bonus my Knight is not on f6 which protects the potential h7 attack by the Q and B battery. 15...f5 15.f3 Ng5 17.Bd2 Ne8 (looking to make use of this hapless Knight) 18.e4, and this is where my escape from the cul de sac starts to sideways a bit. 18...fxe4 19.fxe4 Nxe4 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 (drawing my KIng on to the open e file) 21.Bxe4 dxe4, and at a minimum my pawn structure is a big deficiency going into the endgame. 22.Qxe4 Kg8 23.Rf1 and I am becoming very concerned with all of the tactical possibilities.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">23...Nf6 24.Qf4 Qf8 25.Qg3 and I am mentally very tired due to trying to fight my way out of the cul de sac. However I didn't "see" the Queen pin of the g pawn against my King. 25...Qe8?? 26.Rxf6 (1-0)</span></div>
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Kudos to MurkyLizard for (a) knowing his openings and sticking to them; (b) very consistent pressure, at times during post-mortem he wanted a little more activity from some of his moves, but ultimately he simply didn't make any stinker moves, and; (c) using all of his time!</div>
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On to Round 3...</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-73197956806761300462013-08-24T17:35:00.000-04:002013-08-24T17:36:37.846-04:00Chess.com Intramural game JagdeepSingh v hreedwork (1-0)Chess.com Intramural game JagdeepSingh v hreedwork (1-0) and a miniature (less than 20 moves) due to a massive blunder by me. But the point of the game isn't the blunder... or maybe it is.<br />
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This game analysis is dedicated to Dr Cris at Chess.com :-)<br />
<br />
I decided to write a piece below that painstakingly goes through my thought process because I know we are all trying to help Dr get to the next level, plus the game is only 17 moves (so it won't be too long), and as a bonus it ends with a massive blunder on my part. I found that my thought processes really constrained my options to the point to where I was forcing myself into dubious moves. I hope this helps.<br />
<br />
The opening variation I was trying to play is: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 (Sicilian Najdorf). Of course White can play anything he wants, but this particular game is unrated and I told him I was interested in playing Black against 1.e4 sinceI am trying to (re)learn Sicilian.<br />
<br />
Why am I trying to (re)learn Sicilian? Because I am trying to learn Sicilian in general to confront all of my irrational fears of chess:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I can't learn an opening - its too much memorization </li>
<li>Open openings scare me </li>
<li>What if it is too tactical? </li>
</ul>
Blah blah blah. So, a while ago I started studying tactics (I am around 1450 on TT in Chess.com) and I don't usually drop pieces (except, see today's game!) and for some openings I was getting the hang of it via osmosis. About a year ago I thought I should get a "repertoire" and chose the series below (there is a book for White, and one for Black). [Lev Alburts, et al]<br />
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I start using the openings, and for Black against 1.e4, the Hyper Accelerated Dragon. I have about a 50% "non disaster" rate, maybe winning 30% (I do not have exact stats). The point is that I'm doing marginal, and can't quite make it to the middlegame without a lot of prior damage. If I could get to the middlegame in an ok (even slightly worse) position then I feel I can play chess and I'm happy.<br />
<br />
At the Continental Open in Sturbridge MA USA, earlier this month, I talked with a chess friend (candidate expert level) and he told me a few interesting things:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Learning openings is essential for my range (1400+) </li>
<li>I need to focus on understanding, not memorization (but how do I do that?!) </li>
<li>And I should stay away from sharp, dubious lines, such as the Hyper Accelerated Dragon. The reason (according to him) that the book series above used it, is because that is the favorite "pet" line of one of the authors, and it's ok, but... only if you exactly follow the lines. Well, with my work schedule the odds of me learning boat loads of exact lines is zero. </li>
<li>So what to do? He suggested two books for the Sicilian where they recommend mainline play like the Najdorf (I signed up for the Najdorf DHLC tournament BTW). Moreover the book gives good overview, and most important has representative annoted games so I can get an overall feel for the opening and don't have to stay so exactly on the precise line (esp. since their recommended lines have some buffer to them, not so razor sharp). </li>
</ol>
One of the recommended books is by Kiril Georgiev, and Atanas Kolev:<br />
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The recommended line is Najdorf (6...a6) if White plays mainline. Else my chess friend recommended:<br />
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So, if I get 1.e4 c5 2.b4, I'll have some sort of clue.<br />
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But let's go back to Najdorf, and the game. And keep in mind this is my first Najdorf game, switching from Hyper Accelerated Dragon...<br />
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The game followed Najdorf up to 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4. That's it. I, the one who is trying to learn and practice this new opening, couldn't muster remembering lines past move 4. Funny, sad, but reality. What I like about the Najdorf from reading about it and looking at some games is that since ...d6 is played early, it avoids the huge issues I have had with the Hyper Accelerated Dragon, namely when the heck do I push the d-pawn?? The sharp line in my old book said hold off, then at the right magic moment, play ...d5 all at once, but that assumes you make it to the magic moment without serious damage... I think that is what the guy was telling me about that line. Too sharp. I will hurt myself. Ok...<br />
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So I get to 4.Nxd4, and all of a sudden I remember, I am playing Najdorf, I didn't have time to review, have coffee (ha!) or anything, and I am already busted. I do not know the continuation... It is so true that we don't usually win at chess, somehow we just manage to lose slower than the opponent... In any case I do remember that I need to play ...Nf6, ...a6 and ...e6 at some point, and before that I needed to play ...Nc6.
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Well 2 out of 4 isn't bad. Unless you playing chess. Seriously. No ...e6, and certainly no ...Nc6. I am clearly remembering a bit of Accelerated and a bit of Najdorf and boogering the whole thing up. For example 4...Nc6 allows 5.c4 leading to a Maroczy Bind. I've encountered this from the Accelerated side, and it's a bear to handle (h/t to dax for pointing this out). Dax suggested that 6.Bc4 would be more active than 6.Be2 (Jagdeep confirmed he intended to castle Queenside when he made that move) although 6.Be2 prevents a later ...Ng4.<br />
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On to 8.Qd2. Here I am past the mixed up opening variations, and I am staring at a position that I am struggling to make sense of the position. During the game I considered these points:<br />
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<ul>
<li>White is indicating he will castle Queenside </li>
<li>Therefore there will most likely be pawn storms on both sides </li>
<li>Why isn't my Rook on c8? I thought that is where Black Rooks go in a Sicilian (isn't that the point of ...c5 and later ...cxd4??) </li>
<li>Neither one of us castled, and we should do so quickly! </li>
</ul>
My "need" for castling dominated so I played 8...Be7, we both castled, then Jagdeep played 10.f4. The reality is sinking in that (a) the opening is a mess; (b) I am not coordinated; (c) in fact my Knight is close to being trapped. What to do?<br />
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Well this is the art of defense, of which I am still at the primary school finger painting, and eating paper mache glue level. However I have played through a few Petrosian games, and know that subtle maneuvering can serve to recoordinate pieces, provide escape hatches and so on. So I am on the hunt for how to rearrange my position to discover my options for where to move my Knight when the inevitable comes. Again, I consider points, then I make a decision. Points are:<br />
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<ul>
<li>I need to act fast. The pawn storm has started, and there is no stopping it for now. The pawns will attack my Knight. </li>
<li>The only plausible squares for my Knight are d7, d5 (if e5 push), and e4 if I can somehow exchange my way to those squares </li>
<li>But d7 isn't available (make note of this assumption) because I need my Bishop to make way for my Rook to go to c8 (one of my earlier goals) </li>
<li>And BTW, I should exchange to relive pressure due to cramping, so Nxd4 is a strong consideration. </li>
</ul>
During this train of thought, I am unaware of a thematic Sicilian maneuver (h/t to dax) of ...Bd7, ...Nxd4, ...Bc6, improving piece coordination and clearing the c8 square for the Rook. The last move by the Bishop in this sequence opens the d7 square up again for the Knight, but during the game I don't realize the sequence is available, hence not considering the d7 square for the Knight. So for now, I am discounting d7.
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And please note I am also discounting e8 which I did not even catch until I am writing this post. Retreat squares can be a big blindspot. No e8. Doesn't even exist - lol.<br />
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That leaves only d5 and e4 as plausible squares for the Knight. However I am getting even more concerned (why?) that my Rook isn't on c8. So I play 10...Bd7, which is usefull in other continuations, but right now is blocking a Knight retreat. This encourages Jagdeep to turn up the heat with 11.g4. Now the Knight is in trouble. Before, I could handle an e5 push with exchanges, but how do I handle 12.g5?<br />
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The hunt continues and intensifies for how to create an escape for the Knight on f6. And since I can't wait, and 11.g4 is much more likely than 11.e5 which I can handle, I try to force the situation. Note... "force the situation". Alarm bells are going off because I have learned in chess, you cannot "force the situation", you have to work with it...<br />
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Regardless, 11...d5, start exchanges. I didn't calculate to the end of all lines, however I did expect a pawn exchange likely and that is what happened. 12.exd5 exd5, then the inevitable 13.g5! Of course, the point. Remember I am blind to the e8 square, all I see is the intended 13...Ne4 attacking White's Queen and Bishop, forcing an exchange of Knights, 14.Nxe4 dxe4, which is the intended position. Remember I said I didn't calculate to the end, but I did calculate to here... which is a "quiescent" but as DH would say. However DH would also say, you need to look at one move beyond. I figured I could hold the pawn, or give it up. Maybe I could still hold the position. 15.Kb1. An opportunity to consolidate?<br />
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However, instead of trying to further consolidate, or exchange down to a manageable position (that was what I have been doing up to this point, yes?) I try to force the position even further (my alarm bells were ringing so loud the alarm broke and everything was quiet), and all of a sudden this seemed rational. It wasn't really quiet, but that is the point of this long post.<br />
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15....Nxd4 16.Qxd4, and then Black realizes he needs to put the darn alarm bells back together again! The Bishop on d7 is in trouble, and the lonely pawn on e4 is in big trouble. This is a double attack, usually very difficult to meet, especially when under pressure, especially when under pressure for many moves, constantly feeling under coordinated and confused...<br />
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The solution!<br />
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16...Bf5?? This protects the pawn (true) and the Queen is double protected, and can handle the impending exchanges (true), except that White doesn't have to exchange, and can generate an even more intense double attack with 17.Qe5! and Black resigns.<br />
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However, 16...Bc6! following the theme discussed earlier still protects the pawn and holds the position, although White is definitely better.<br />
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This is visceral proof I need to seriously study the Najdorf... keep my mind open (reduce my blindspots), and think coordination from early in the game, not just when I am in serious trouble...
@Dr, I hope this helps.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-12717880251730435132012-03-23T12:49:00.001-04:002012-03-23T12:50:55.456-04:00Test<iframe border="0" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" width="574" height="519" src="http://www.chess.com/emboard.html?id=840699"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-78858601104359913732012-03-12T01:22:00.000-04:002012-03-12T01:22:57.351-04:00Eastern Class 2012Last weekend I played in the Eastern Class 2012. Here are the Chess.com blog posts which describe the general tournament, as well as a blog post for each game played. I skipped the last round 5.<br />
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<ul><li>Eastern Class 2012: <a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/eastern-class-2012">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/eastern-class-2012</a></li>
<li>Round 1: <a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/reed-grossack----12-12----eastern-class-2012----round-1">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/reed-grossack----12-12----eastern-class-2012----round-1</a></li>
<li>Round 2: <a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/reed-taggert----1-0----estern-class-2012----round-2">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/reed-taggert----1-0----estern-class-2012----round-2</a></li>
<li>Round 3: <a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/elbieh-reed----1-0----eastern-class-2012----round-3">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/elbieh-reed----1-0----eastern-class-2012----round-3</a></li>
<li>Round 4: <a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/reed-olynik----1-0----eastern-class-2012----round-4">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/reed-olynik----1-0----eastern-class-2012----round-4</a></li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-74014089509270864502012-03-11T15:50:00.000-04:002012-03-11T15:50:21.865-04:00Winter 2011-12 training and gamesNOTE: I am using Chess.com for my primary blog entries, and am using this blog for occasional summary posts... I also use Chess.com for much of my training (tactics, videos, chess mentor classes, blitz to practice openings, and slow correspondence games).<br />
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I am slowly starting to use my new training regimen:<br />
<a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/my-new-opening-training-regiment">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/my-new-opening-training-regiment</a> <br />
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This winter I played one Tuesday night at the Cape Coral Chess Club (Cape Coral FL):<br />
<a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/cape-coral-chess-club---dec-2011">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/cape-coral-chess-club---dec-2011</a> <br />
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At Cape Coral Chess Club, I also learned about the SouthWest FL Chess Club (Naples FL):<br />
<a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/swflcc---southwest-fl-chess-club">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/swflcc---southwest-fl-chess-club</a> <br />
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I played at SWFLCC during the January 2012 Swiss tournament on Saturdays. I was traveling a lot, but managed to play on two Saturdays (one rated game each) for a total of two rated games, and a third Saturday for some casual games. Following are the two rated games played at SWFLCC. I used Chess.com to enter the games and annotation and post to a blog entry:<br />
Round 1: <a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/dunn-reed----1-0----swflcc----january-2012">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/dunn-reed----1-0----swflcc----january-2012</a><br />
Round 2: <a href="http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/reed-sidman----0-1----swflcc----january-2012">http://blog.chess.com/hreedwork/reed-sidman----0-1----swflcc----january-2012</a><br />
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Next post - Eastern Class 2012 in Sturbridge MA.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-25736005147942407892011-11-06T22:22:00.000-05:002011-11-06T22:22:42.724-05:00Boston University Open -- November 2011 -- Round 1-4<a href="http://blog.chess.com/view/reed-welling----1-0----bu-open----november-2011----round-1-4">http://blog.chess.com/view/reed-welling----1-0----bu-open----november-2011----round-1-4</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-39382955890939151592011-10-09T20:38:00.002-04:002011-10-09T20:38:49.726-04:00Moving to Chess.comI'm moving my ACIS activity to Chess.com at:<br />
<a href="http://www.chess.com/groups/home/acis">http://www.chess.com/groups/home/acis</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-33991479189269140822011-09-23T22:28:00.000-04:002011-09-23T22:28:22.792-04:00Thoughts on these chess exercises?<a href="http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-legendary-15-minute-drill">http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-legendary-15-minute-drill</a><br />
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I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have on this set of chess exercises...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-39544464791187430372011-06-19T14:33:00.000-04:002011-06-19T14:33:12.402-04:00ACIS Notes 008 -- MetroWest CC June 2011 -- Round 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm_QvQn9i48/TWHCl6bWF7I/AAAAAAAAAWs/HZH04dQ4eEc/s1600/praxis-hill.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm_QvQn9i48/TWHCl6bWF7I/AAAAAAAAAWs/HZH04dQ4eEc/s200/praxis-hill.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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After Eastern Class earlier this year, OTB chess took a backseat, while work ramped up. I still did my correspondence chess praxis as per usual.<br />
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<b>Correspondence Chess Praxis</b><br />
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Below are a couple of miniatures from a correspondence chess CCLA section played on the ICCF server. You can <a href="http://www.iccf-webchess.com/EventCrossTable.aspx?id=24559">view the section here</a>. I have one loss, four wins, and one game still in progress (I'm about to win an exchange). For the record, my loss was a great example of lazy, sloppy play on my part. I "woke up" in my other games.<br />
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The first example is a rout of the opponents King in the center:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="519" src="http://www.chess.com/emboard.html?id=618347" width="574"></iframe><br />
The second is opponent hesitation punished with a Queenside attack. I'm still analyzing this game. I have some comments from other players at MetroWest CC. If you have comments, please send them in:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="434" src="http://www.chess.com/emboard.html?id=670879" width="574"></iframe><br />
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<b>MetroWest CC June 2011 -- Round 2</b><br />
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The object of this post however is to get back in the saddle with my OTB play. I will be playing at the Continental Open in Sturbridge MA, and would like to have an even better performance than at Eastern Class earlier this year. Below is my June 2011 Round 2 game played at MetroWest CC:<br />
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Here is the un-annotated game, followed by:<br />
<ol><li>My thoughts during the game</li>
<li>My home analysis</li>
<li>What Fritz said...</li>
</ol><div>Please note that the game was "reconstructed" from approximately move 64 on. The major piece movements are there, but there is a mystery on 68.Rd7, why didn't the White King capture the pawn? </div><div><br />
</div><div><iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="434" src="http://www.chess.com/emboard.html?id=670972" width="574"></iframe></div><div><br />
</div><b>My Thoughts During The Game</b><br />
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Since I have been reading a ton of Silman, plus doing tactics when I can (skills and drills), I was in good spirits, a bit of good nervous energy, and looking forward to the game. I hadn't been to the MetroWest CC in a while (although still doing my volunteer activities in the background), and I looked forward to a good old fashioned chess battle! I found my opponent, Clark Ewer. We used to play each other a while ago, and during the late 90's we sometimes rode the commuter rail together. I'll highlight the points in the game where I thought I had to make a major decision. As opposed to the points where I really needed to make a decision - which are hopefully highlighted in my home analysis and with Fritz assistance below this section. As usual, your comments are welcome:<br />
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<ul><li>2.Nf3 - "Either (a) he does not know the French and is trying to throw me off, or; (b) he does know the French and this is some killer line". Of course this is all crap. I should just play what I think should be played to the best of my ability. I played 2...d5 seeking a French, knowing it'll likely go into an Exchange Variation.</li>
<li>5. Bd3 - "Hmmm... now we can break symmetry, and possibly I'll be a fraction of a tempo to the better", and played 5...Bg4 prompting 6. Be2. I get a tempo back.</li>
<li>10.Ne5 - "Gees, I mentally prepared for this, but why does a Knight on e5 feel so oppressive?". Of course more crap. Brush it off, and start exchanging to relieve the cramp.</li>
<li>15. Qd2 - "Feels quiescent. I think I've heard that word used before in chess books". The "pawn chain" indicates I should play on the King-side. I decided to try and induce a weakness with 15...Qc7.</li>
<li>19. g3 - "I'm conflicted. Am I in a better position (because of the pressure on e-file) or can he blockade, and maybe this is a draw?". You don't win by resigning, so I continued to put maximum pressure down the e-file with 19...Rae8.</li>
<li>23.Kh2 - "Hmmm, so I contradict myself (lose focus on the e-file pressure) and find out I'm making no progress with direct action against the King". I think here I'm losing the plot, and can't figure out how to assess the position and formulate a coherent plan. Then I follow-up with 23...f5 thinking "if my opponent exchanges, I get a passed pawn". This line of reasoning is faulty and violates Silman's guidelines. Never wish that your opponent will make a good move for you! Each move must be judged on it's merit for what it does for your position.</li>
<li>27.Rxe4 - "Wow, my opponent did exchange, and now I get a passed pawn! But... with which pawn should I capture?". DOH. I mentally debated between taking with the d-pawn (which I thought made me vulnerable to a d-pawn push), and the f-pawn which concedes a King-side pawn majority to my opponent. I decided to take with the f-pawn to reduce counter play with the d-pawn. 27...fxe4.</li>
<li>30.f5 - "Am I going to regret taking with the f-pawn and leaving White with a King-side pawn majority?". Such are decisions in the rear-view mirror. I decide to not mull on the past, but look ahead. 30...Rf6.</li>
<li>36.Rh1 - "Why am I still fooling around with direct action on the King, when I should be nursing my protected passed pawn?". Re-deploy. 36...Qe7.</li>
<li>42.Re3 - "I'm thoroughly blocked. I need to either go around (attack from behind) which is not practical, or open up another file to assist.". 42...Qg5. </li>
<li>46.Qe5 - "I now have an open file adjacent to the file my protected passed pawn is on. If I trade Queens am I in a superior endgame? Or is this yet another Rook/Pawn endgame that is drawn?". Without answering that basic question in detail, I played 46...Qf6.</li>
<li>49.Ke3 - "Hmmm... Should I super-activate my Rook with 49...Rf1?". Nah. Play on. 49...h6.</li>
<li>57.Rc3 - "Wow, I wish I activated my Rook earlier. I'm getting more passive each move". 57...Rc6.</li>
<li>63.Ke3 - "I need to try to activate my Rook, clear the King out a blockade position of my protected passed pawn". 63...Rc6.</li>
<li>67.Ke5 - "White's King blocks any attack by his Rook on my e-pawn. It's now or never...". 67...e3.</li>
<li>73.d5 - "One Rook vs. two pawns. No I need to work for a draw". 73...Rc3+</li>
<li>74.Kb7 - "Gift! Now I can get a draw". 74...Rc5</li>
</ul><div><b>My Home Analysis</b></div><div><br />
The game viewer below has my game analysis, with comments and variations in the viewer. Variations are in blue, and comments are displayed in the comment window, directly below the board, in the game viewer. In the comment viewer, you can see forward/backward VCR controls. Use those to quickly scan where I made comments. The current move is highlighted in yellow.<br />
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</div><div><iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="519" src="http://www.chess.com/emboard.html?id=671564" width="574"></iframe></div><div><br />
</div><div><b>What Fritz Said...</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>Fritz analysis highlights are in the list below, tactical comments in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">red</span>:<br />
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<ul><li>Game is even up to 10...Bxe2</li>
<li>Black has advantage starting at 16...Nf6</li>
<li>Black's advantage continues through 27.Rxe4</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">28.g4?? blunder, allowing 28...Bxf4</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">28...Qf5? Black still has advantage, but missed tactical opportunity</span></li>
<li>29.Bg3 Black still has advantage</li>
<li>42...Qg5 Black has slight advantage</li>
<li>46.Qe5 Black still has slight advantage. Instead of 46...Qf6 (game) Fritz suggests 46...Re8 keeping the Queens on the board, and maintaining a Black advantage</li>
<li>47.Qxf6, game is equal (same as home analysis)</li>
<li>51...Kg5, Black has advantage, due to 51.Re3</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">After 53.Re3, Black had an opportunity for 53...b5 for a major advantage</span></li>
<li>54.gxh5 Black still has slight advantage, dwindling to equal</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">65...Rc3?? Blunder. Fritz suggests 65...Rb6 as keeping equal game</span></li>
<li>66.Kf4 White has big advantage</li>
<li>68.Rd7 Black should capture pawn with King. I'm not sure if this is an error in reconstructing the game</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">68.Kg3, Fritz suggests 68...e2, Black with a big advantage</span></li>
<li>70...e2, Black has big advantage</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">71...e=Q?? equalizes. Blunder, Fritz suggests 71...Re3 preserving a small advantage</span></li>
<li>72.Rxe1 Equal</li>
</ul><div><b>Closing</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>My thoughts during the game, home analysis and Fritz all highlight gaps in my understanding, as well as momentary tactical lapses. My goal is to continue to use this as a praxis technique, and to show improvement over time. As usual comments and critiques are welcome!</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8977401542887342254.post-14559666855550111052011-03-27T20:37:00.000-04:002011-03-27T20:37:30.529-04:00ACIS Notes 007 -- Eastern Class Tournament 2011 -- Round 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm_QvQn9i48/TWHCl6bWF7I/AAAAAAAAAWs/HZH04dQ4eEc/s200/praxis-hill.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm_QvQn9i48/TWHCl6bWF7I/AAAAAAAAAWs/HZH04dQ4eEc/s200/praxis-hill.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<b>CCA Eastern Class 2011 Round 1</b><br />
This tournament is 5 rounds, starting Friday night for round 1. I took the day off so my roommate and I arrived with plenty of time, ate early,no stress and so on. I am re-energized this year to actually make progress in my chess, as opposed to "dithering around" as the media recently likes to describe such behavior.<br />
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<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
White opened 1.d4 as per usual. With Blacks reply 1...b5 I knew my opponent liked "off beat" openings, and mentally went on alert for traps. This preoccupation with traps held White back. It took a while to feel comfortable with the tensions enough to start asserting my plans. Key points in the game:<br />
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<ul><li>6...Be7 -- After this move White is searching for a plan, but gets overly concerned about the Black Bishop on b7. This restrains White from pursuing the Black King, who delayed castling until it was too late.</li>
<li>10...Qc7 -- White really needs to pursue the Black King by restraining the King from castling Queenside, then opening the center. Instead White tries to get a Kingside attack going. The issue is(a) that Black could simply castle Queenside then what?, and; (b) in order to coordinate the Knights, White goes through an awkward maneuvering and it isn't until much later that the Knights become useful. In the meantime, a Fritz analysis keeps telling White (six times!) that he needs to consider the simple d5 push...</li>
<li>14...Qf8? -- White clumsily pushed the Black Queen back to an unproductive square. Then, White finally realized that he needs to create some Queenside action in order to give Black multiple problems to solve, and plays 15.a4.</li>
<li>17...Bc8 -- White has spent a lot of effort to displace the Black light square Bishop from the long diagonal. Now White feels bold enough to try 18.d5 and open up the position to go after the Black King.</li>
<li>19...Bb7 -- Now White has to continue the plan of pursuing the Black King. Does he push 20.d6, or try to crack open the Black King defenses with 20.dxe6? Or some other move? 20.d6 will restrain the Black dark square Bishop (good). 20.dxe6 begins to chip away at the Black King defense, but is there something quicker? Fritz suggests 20.cxb4, but I'm not sure why this is good. The engine doesn't reveal an immediate tactic, so there is something positional that I do not understand.</li>
<li>29...Rxg6 -- After missed tactics on both sides, and a rushed exchange of Queens on White's part, we have a position where Black has a huge weakness on the d7 square, White has a Rook on the d-file, and two Knights trained on d6 in front of the d7-pawn. White initiates operations against the last defense of the Black King with 30.Ncd6.</li>
<li>33...cxb4 -- White can choose to maintain or increase the tension if he wishes. Fritz recommends 34.a5 to maintain tension, while Goldowsky ("ChessWriter") recommends 34.h4. White played 34.Nxe7 releasing the tension, likely lengthening the game.</li>
<li>35...a5 -- Allowing White to exchange Bishops with 36.Bb5, and the rest of the game is inevitable.</li>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" border="0" frameborder="0" height="519" src="http://www.chess.com/emboard.html?id=623027" width="574"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16159576367477007568noreply@blogger.com0