Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Vortex, September 2013, Round 5 "Fairly solid play against a player 500 points higher rated"






Summary:
Vortex September 2013, Round 5: Marthi v Reed (1-0)
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.

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.
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...



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.
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...














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.
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.
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. 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!
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.
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...


















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. 
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.
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.
25.Rg7+!! which Black never saw coming, 25...Kxg7 26.Nf5+ and Black resigned.

Credits:
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Vortex, September 2013, Round 4 "A win! On time... but still..."






Summary:
Vortex September 2013, Round 4: Reed v Bird (1-0)
G/30, d5, win - Scotch Gambit, transpose to Two Knights

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.
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:
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.




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!

















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.
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.
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.
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. 
The remaining moves were spent by White chasing the Black King over to the Queenside, where it got mated, see the picture below. 
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.  Smile































 Credits:
  • Photo of final position. Personal photo taken by author immediately after the game at Vortex CC, Framingham MA.
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Vortex, September 2013, Round 3 "Lack of knowledge, followed by confusion, and blunders"






Summary:
Vortex September 2013, Round 3: Kaprielian v Reed (1-0)
G/30, d5, lose - Black with Bogo-Indian, 5.g3, just enough confusion to go astray

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.
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.
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.















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)
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:
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 he was not happy! However, in our next 2012 Vortex encounter he was careful to make sure he crushed me. 



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...
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.
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.




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.
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.
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. 
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:
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. 
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.
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.

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!
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.
The gravity of the situation really sinks in for Black.
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...
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 Nimzovitsch say about passed pawns? Blockade them! Especially with a Knight. Even if it takes a minor maneuver to enable a Knight to blocade, as shown here (second example in article).
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.
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.
The rest is mop up, 22.Red1 Nb6?? devastating blunder, 22...Rc7 is preferrable. Black was (erroneously) thinking he would be "tricky" (a.k.a. "hope chess" which is not the way to play "real chess") 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 Five Guys and Red Robin 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. 
26.Rxd4, and Black finally throws in the towel... 

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. 
Things took a turn for the better in Round 4.


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