Chess – things twice

Another “Best game ever” — so far

I’ve been out playing chess again. This particular game appeals particularly to me, for various reasons: it was a win, against a much stronger player; it was a calm and steady win, not decided by some fluke error in either direction, just a steady pressure which gradually increased the positional advantage up to five pawns’ worth, while the material was still equal; and I managed to play through the whole middle game without throwing the whole thing on the floor, as I have a tendency to do.

As before, I present it here not as a demonstration of brilliance, but as an account of how a medium-class chess player thinks. The comments up to move 5 are mainly a synthesis of theory remarks, included mostly for my own sake.

So here we go: Faxe Chess Club Individual Tournament, round 4: White: yours truly, Black: Knud Hansen.

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4

Meet my new best friend: the London System.

Considered to be a dull, predictable opening, and hated by the likes of Kingscrusher for that reason. Or as a less judgemental friend said: it may be a comfortable opening for white, but it is quite comfortable for Black too.

Be that as it may, I like it for three reasons:

1. The piece development and play is very fluent; no minor pieces blocking each other in, and the central control is formidable.

2. Great attacking possibilities. Common lines involve an open h-file after …Bd6, Bg3 BxB, hxB or …Nf6-h5, Bg3 NxB, hxN; or a hack-attack-type of h-pawn advance; or the Queen-and-Bishop battery Qc2/Bd3, which together with the Bishop on f4 may cause great distress for the Black king. And

3. many of the things one usually fears, such as losing a bishop to a knight or getting double pawn, are nothing to fear here, since they are actually part of the advantage….

This is not to say that it’s a winning machine, but it’s comfortable — very comfortable!

…e6

By far the most common reply, at least judging from the games I’ve played with this opening. At club-level, 1.d4 d5 players are probably so accustomed to the QGD lines that they automatically (after some thought, usually) go into this.

It should be said that there’s nothing wrong with the 2…e6 response; the advantage for white is that, given the predominance of this response, one can narrow down the number of lines one has to study…

3.e3

This is considered to be the most precise move order. 3.Nf3 is an alternative, but it allows Bd6! after which there are several alternatives, all of which seem to, if not directly favour black, then at least be on Black’s premises: 4.Bxd6 cxd6 gives Black good control over e5, and 4.Bg3 loses a tempo, but is probably better, thanks to the opened h line should black take the bishop. 4.e3 is a good alternative, after which Bxf4 5.exf4 gives White a double pawn, but also excellent control of e5.

3. … Nf6 4.Nd2

This move order is better than c3 first; there is no need to defend the centre with c3 before it is actually attacked, and b6 and Ba6 can now be countered with c4 directly — one of the few instances where c4 and not c3 is correct in this opening.

In this line, with black’s light-square bishop blocked in, an eventual Qb6 can be comfortably met with Rb1, since there is no Bf5 to harrass the rook. Also delaying Nf3 to prevent any funny business with the f6 Knight.

…Nbd7

Again, 4. … Bd6 is the logical attempt at taking advantage of the delayed Nf3, since there is no knight that can block the bishop exchange with Ne5, owing to the delay of Nf3.

5.Ngf3 h6?

Too passive. g5 isn’t where white is heading anyway, so no need to cover it yet, and the Qc2/Bd3 battery is a distant future. If anything, the move creates a target for the dark-square bishop, or eventually — as we shall see — other tactics.

5. … Be7, 5. … c6, or c5 are all better

6.Bd3 Be7 7.c3

The London setup is complete. The double Bishop/Knight batteries are great, the Queen is ready to go to c2 or work along the d1-h5 diagonal, and the Knight on f3 — well… we’ll see.

…O-O 8.Ne5

This is a thematic Knight move in the London. If the knight is taken, white recaptures with the pawn, forcing away the Knight on f6 thus weakening the defense of the black king. If left alone — well, I personally never objected to a fairly secured knight on e5…

…Nxe5 9.dxe5 Nd7 10.Qg4

I wasn’t quite sure about this move, but the computer confirms that it’s correct. The immediate threat is Bxh6, so

…Bg5

is logical (and was played quickly)

11.h4

I thought for a long time about this one. I was considering Bg3, g3, and Nf3 too. The move I chose may not have been the objectively strongest, but at least it’s not losing (although the advantage diminishes strongly), and it’s consistent with my long-term strategy: queenside castling, pawn storm, and open lines on the kingside.

…Bxf4 12.exf4

12.Qxf4 was possible too, and the engine likes it better than what I played. It gets the queeen out of the way of the g pawn to advance more quickly than in the game, and it allows the queen to swing quickly to the queenside if needed, but it also leaves the e5 pawn slightly vulnerable, at least temporarily.

At least that’s what I thought during the game. On second thought (and with support from the engine), there is no danger of the queen ever being chased away from the defense of e5, and black really doesn’t have much more to attack that pawn with anyway.

12. … Qe8

I kinda liked this move, but the engine isn’t crazy about it. It does strengthen the defence of the king position, and the Queen is ready to swing to the queen-side after Nc5.

13.O-O-O

Given that Black has just signalled that he is ready to counter-attack on the queenside with his last move, this may seem more courageous than sound. I figured I have enough pieces left to defend the king, though, and as pawn storms go, I have a head start.

…Nc5

As expected.

14.Bc2

The bishop is going to stay here for the rest of the game. At the moment, it just controls the black Knight’s forward movement, but it is going to be a decisive player in the end.

Another nice thing about the London System: the light-square bishop.

…b5

This move seemed a bit over-ambitious, but potentially dangerous. I therefore decided to encourage simplification with

15.Nb3

15.Nf3 would probably have been better: the knight gets to d4 anyway, and a knight exchange doesn’t seem to benefit me, although I’m still half a pawn up after it, according to the engine.

15. … Nb7

This is probably too passive. It supports various pawn advances (a5 and c5), but I wasn’t too afraid of them.

16.Qe2!

Clears the way for the g pawn, and takes part in the queen-side defense, even with some attacking possibilities (Nc4, for example).

After a deep thought, the engine agrees with me, to my delight (hence the “!”).

…c5

I reckoned that it would take several moves for Black to get a serious attack going, so I wasn’t too concerned: any further pawn advance would either have to be supported by pieces (which are not in position yet) or would allow me to halt the attack. Most specifically this goes for c4. My next few moves therefore involved considerations about how to force c5-c4.

17.g4

17.Qd3 was the other move I considered, and perhaps it is better. It would virtually have forced 17…g6 after which I intended to play Qe3, threatening c5, or Qg3.

My opponent thought for a long time about this one, and whenever I do that, I ususally come up with a bad move. The same thing happened here:

17…f5

I’m clearly ahead in the race, and it seems like a good idea to react on the kingside, but the engine actually prefers pawn advances on the queenside for black anyway. This move, while temporarily blocking my bishop’s view, allows me to break open some lines against the king, and gives me concrete targets after the exchange.

18.gxf5

18.exf6 was apparently better; I didn’t like the idea of opening the f file for the rook, but it seems that Rxf6 19.g5 Rxf4 20.gxh6 gxh6 21.Rhg1+ Kf8 22.Qe5 would have been crushing.

I chose to capture with the g pawn, because it gave a more clear position: the g file is semi-open, the black f pawn is under attack, and the black pieces are under control (i.e.: blocked in).

18. … exf5

We had reached a “stage” here, so time to sum up some factors:

I have an open g file against a hanging pawn and a shaky king’s position, I have a passed e-pawn, I have some pressure on the d pawn, and I have options against black’s f pawn.

Black in return has … uh … I guess some pawn pushes on the queenside. IF he ever gets to do them. Mwahahah.

19.Qe3!

I could have taken the d pawn here, but I was worried that there might be trouble with two exposed rooks on the long diagonal should the bishop get to b7 (I actually thought I saw a way for black to force that, but now I can’t find it. Just a ghost, probably).

Anyway, I was quite happy with this “quiet move”, actually. It attacks c5 (thus virtually forces the next black move, which gives my knight a wonderful spot on d4), and gets the queen ready to swing to the g file. I was quite happy with this position…

19.Rxd5 c4 20.Nd4

19. … c4 20.Nd4

“On a Knight like this…”, to quote Dylan.

Nd8

Seems a bit desperate, but the alternative still gives med a solid edge.

20. … Nc5 21.Rhg1 a5 22.Rg2 Rf7 23.Rdg1 b4 24.Nxf5 Bxf5 25.Qxc5 Bxc2 26.Qxd5 Kh8 27.Kxc2 Rxf4 28.Rxg7 Rxf2+ 29.Kc1

21.Rde1

Probably not the best move, but I’d make it again any day.

The reasoning was: “If I can advance the e pawn, I will win black’s f pawn. The only piece that can block that advance is the bishop (since 21. … Ne6 22.Nxf5 Rxf5 23.Bxf5 Qf7 24.Bxe6 Bxe6 25.Rhg1, and my lead is up to four pawns), and if the bishop goes to e6, I won’t have to fear anything along the long diagonal anymore. On e6 the Bishop is going to be staring up the asses of two pawns, and that’s the last we’re going to see of that bishop for a LOOONG time.

I also need some firepower on the g file. The ideal setup would be Rg6, Qg3 or g2, and Rg1. In any case, i don’t want the queen to be the avant guard in that trio; it would have to be rook.”

Which one? I wanted to advance the h pawn first. Qf3 would support that, AND attack the d pawn, but it also seemed kinda slow. So I decided to keep the h rook where it was and send the d-rook first into the fire, followed by Qg3 (possibly Qg2 from there, again attacking the d pawn).

And if it could send a bishop into oblivion on its way to the fireworks, I’d be all for it!

Be6

… and here it comes …

22.Reg1

… and here IT comes!

Rb8

Dual-purpose: might advance to the second rank, defending g7, but also supports a b-pawn advance.

23.h5

Inexact, since it allows…b4, which is still better for white, but gives black some counterplay.

Rb6

23. … b4 24.cxb4 Rxb4 25.Rg6 Rb7 26.Rhg1 Kh8

Rb7 would have been better as well. It’s the second rank that needs to be defended.

24.Rg6

Stage one completed.

Bc8 25.Rhg1

25.e6 Bxe6 26.Qe5 Qd7 27.Re1 would have been stronger, but it’s a tricky win to find, especially when there’s just twenty minutes left on the clock…

Another possibility was 25.Rxb6 axb6,

which would effectively have ended any hopes of serious counterplay on the queenside, but I was much more keen to increase the g file pressure, hence the game continuation.

25. … Rxg6 26.Rxg6

Interesting: Material is still equal, but my advantage is up to five pawns…

…Rf7 27.Qg3(?)

The move isn’t disastrous, but I actually “loose a pawn” in evaluation terms. In any case, it forces the king to move out of the way, and I get a second attacking shot for free. I learned that from Kingscrusher: look for forcing sequences. I learned it from William Ockam too: the easiest path is usually the best…

27.e6 would have been the quicker win, but I miscalculated the number of attackers and defenders… Fatigue.

Re7

27. … Rf6 28.Rxf6 gxf6 29.e7 Kf7

29. … Nc6 30.Nxc6

30.exd8=Q Qxd8 31.Nxb5 Qe7

28.Nxf5 Rc7 29.e7

27. … Kh8 28.Rd6! Nb7?

Here, my opponent offered a draw. I would have done the same in his shoes.

I declined, however — I was wearing my own.

28. … Rd7 is the best, but it still allows 29.Nxf5

29.Rxd5

The club player’s dilemma: I want that pawn, I even moved the rook to d6 to get it, but can I actually take it? What if the rook is trapped out there? And the clock is ticking.

The only piece that could attack it lethally would be the bishop, and that would have to be from b7, and if the bishop left the defence of f5, I would probably manage to crash through even at the price of sacrificing the exchange. Besides, black would more or less have to play a6 next, I thought – otherwise I’d win the b pawn (turns out the engine disagrees
with me — and with my opponent…)

So it seemed safe enough. But man is it tough to move the rook to a spot like that with little time on the clock, little sugar in the blood, way too much caffeine in the system, and a lot at stake in the tournament.

29. … Bd7 30.Qg6 Qg8 31.Qa6 Nd8 32.Rd6 Qe8 33.e6 Nxe6 34.Nxe6 Rf6

29. … Rc7 30.Nxb5 Rd7 31.Qg2 Re7 32.Qg6 Qg8 33.Qc6 Be6 34.Rd2 Qf7 35.Nd4 Nd8 36.Qa8 Re8 37.Nb5 Nb7 38.Qxa7 Bd5 39.Nd6 Nxd6 40.Qxf7 Bxf7

29. … Rf8 30.e6 Bxe6 31.Re5 Nd8 32.Bxf5 Rxf5 33.Nxf5 Qf7 34.Qg6 Qd7 35.Nxh6 a6 36.Nf5

30.Nf3?

Chicken. I know. But at least my rook has a safe retreat, should it become necessary.

…Qc6 31.Rd1 Be6?

Allows the knight to return to d4 with tempo and threats.

32.Nd4

32. … Qe8 33.Qg6!

This move is probably too obvious to merit an exclamation mark, but I don’t care. Now, the white bishop, which hasn’t really done much throughout the game, becomes a deadly threat: all the possible continuations involve threats of a mate on h7.

Nd8 34.Nxf5

and black resigned.

White threatens Nd6, Ne7 (if black moves the queen to g8), and the queen/bishop battery mate on h7 wherever the knight goes. Some possible continuations:

34. … Qf8 35.Ne7 Bf5 36.Bxf5 Rxf5 37.Nxf5 Ne6 38.Qxe6 b4 39.cxb4 c3 40.bxc3 a5 41.bxa5 Qa3+ 42.Kb1 Qf8 43.Ne7 Kh7 44.Qf5+ Qxf5+ 45.Nxf5 g5 46.hxg6+ Kxg6 47.Rd6+ Kxf5 48.Rxh6 Kxf4 49.a6 Kg5 50.a7 Kxh6 51.a8=Q Kg6 52.Kc2 Kf7

34. … Bxf5 35.Bxf5 Kg8 36.e6 Nxe6 37.Bxe6 Kh8 38.Qxf7 Qxf7 39.Bxf7 g6 40.hxg6 Kg7 41.f5 Kf6 42.Rd7 b4 43.Be6 bxc3 44.bxc3 Ke5 45.g7 Ke4 46.Rd4+ Kf3 47.g8=Q

34. … Qg8 35.Ne7 Bf5 36.Bxf5 Rxf5 37.Qxf5 Qe8 38.Qc8 Qxe7 39.Rxd8+ Qxd8 40.Qxd8+ Kh7 41.e6 b4 42.e7 bxc3 43.e8=Q cxb2+ 44.Kb1 a5

*

There it is. Not a flashy display of brilliance, but a slow crush.

I was quite happy to receive the praise from the big guns in the club afterwards. One of them said: “I would have loved to get a position like that!” The answer I should have given was “One doesn’t get a position like that — one creates it.” :)

Ooops, I did it again (… and I like it!)

Yes, I’m into chess these days.

Another game, another opponent supposedly stronger than me. Unlike last time, I had only seen a couple of his previous games, so the only thing I had to go by was that he seemed to be quite happy to get pieces off the board. It’s not that he was playing for draws. I saw the exchanges more as a way to avoid complications.

In other words: I was playing against myself. I tend to do that too: either close the centre, or get rid of some Queens and Knights, or both. Keep the options limited for both players, and hope for a mistake to punish, or a brilliant idea. Admittedly, it’s a passive strategy. Call me a chicken, but sometimes, a whole board filled with unpredictable pieces and moves can bee too much to keep track of. I hate surprises, especially when they involve unexpected knight storms.

Kjeldgård, Lennart — Østrem, Eyolf

Faxe EMT (4) Faxe

2011.04.27 0-1 B20

1.e4 c5

I went for a Sicilian, not because I’m particularly good at it, but at least I know some of the main lines well enough to avoid some of the pitfalls. Again, this is passive thinking. I should have said: “I know it well enough to be able to develop nicely and presumably present the opponent with some problems.

2.Bc4 (D)

This seems to be his specialty: he had played the same in one of the earlier games I had seen too. In that case it all transformed into a plain ol’ Fischer/Scheveningen kind of Sicilian eventually, so I didn’t put too much effort into the preparations of this particular line.

2…e6 3.Nf3 d6 (D)

I’m not sure if this is the “correct” way to deal with the early Bishop version, but since I expected d4 cxd, Nxd4 Nf6, Nc3 anyway, I saw no reason not to play the standard moves.

4.d4 cxd4 (D)

5.Qxd4 (D)

Surprise #1.

5…Nc6 6.Bb5 (D)

6…Bd7 7.Bxc6 (D)

Suspicion confirmed: he was keen on exchanges.

7…Bxc6 (D)

… and since this is a good spot for the Bishop anyway, I didn’t mind.

8.Nc3 Nf6 9.Bg5 (D)

Dejá-vu?

9…Be7 10.O-O-O (D)

I thought for a while here. First of all, I went through the line 11.BxN BxB, 12.Qxd6 QxQ, 13.RxQ, which might seem to win a pawn, but after 13…BxN, 14.bxB, Bxe4, black would be much better off, so that line was nothing to fear.

When I chose

10…h6

over the presumably better 0-0 I did so in order to see if his willingness to exchange would go so far as to give me the advantage of two bishops vs. two knights.

11.Bxf6

Which it did! I wasn’t at all unhappy.

(11.Bh4 O-O 12.e5 dxe5

(12…Nd5 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Ne4 dxe5 15.Nxe5 Rfc8 where the analysis engine tells me I stand a little bit better, but I’m not so sure…

)

13.Nxe5

(13.Qxd8 Rfxd8 14.Nxe5 Bxg2 15.Rhg1 Rxd1+ 16.Kxd1 Bh3

)

13…Qc7

(13…Bxg2 14.Rhg1 Qxd4 15.Rxd4 Bc6

)

14.Nxc6

(14.Bg3 Nh5 15.Nxc6 Qxc6 16.Qg4

)

14…Qxc6 15.f3

)

11…Bxf6 (D)

12.Qxd6

And after this move, I reckoned I had practically won the game already. The line I had calculated seemed inevitable, so apparently he hadn’t seen the BxN two moves ahead. Or did he have something up his sleeve that I hadn’t seen?

12…Qxd6 13.Rxd6 (D)

13…Bxc3 (D)

Apparently not. He spent a very long time on this move, even though it seems simple enough. After the numerous exchanges already, there simply isn’t enough material left on the board to create complications; capturing the Bishop is the only option.

14.bxc3 Bxe4 (D)

Not only has he come out of this with an isolated double pawn ready to attack, he will also have to move his knight to avoid getting another one of the same kind. And behind the knight is an unprotected pawn…

15.Nd2

I decided not to take the “poisoned” g-pawn and invite the other white Rook in after Rg1 and Rxg7. Fair enough, the position would probably be even more promising for me, but I decided to focus on the queen’s side.

15…Bd5 (D)

I must admit that when I made this move, I didn’t primarily think of the consequences it had for the advanced white Rook; I was aiming for the a-pawn and for a blockade of the c pawns.

(15…Bxg2 16.Rg1 Bd5 17.Rxg7 Ke7 18.Rxd5 exd5

)

16.c4 (D)

Seems to deal with both threats, and proving my previous move to be wrong. But wait…:

16…Ke7 (D)

The Rook is trapped. I had plenty of time on the clock, so I decided to let him sweat over the decision while I had a cup of coffee in the lounge.

17.Rxd5

I was a bit surprised to see him give up the exchange so easily, but again: I didn’t complain.

(17.c5 Would have put up a fiercer fight 17…Rac8 18.Nb3 Bxg2

(18…Bxb3 19.axb3 Rxc5 20.Rhd1 Rhc8 21.Rd7+ Ke8 22.c4 R8c7 23.Rxc7 Rxc7 with a slight advantage, but not an obvious win

)

(18…b6 19.Rd1 Rxc5 20.Nxc5 Kxd6 21.Na6 Ke7 22.f3 Bxa2 23.Nb4 Bd5 24.Nxd5+ exd5 25.Rxd5 Rd8 26.Re5+ Kd6 27.f4 a5 seems ok.

)

19.Rg1 Bd5 20.Rxg7 Rhg8 21.Rg3 Rxg3 22.hxg3 b6 23.Kd2 Rxc5 24.Nxc5 Kxd6 25.Nb3 Bxb3 26.cxb3 (D)

seems fairly winnable

)

17…exd5 18.cxd5 (D)

Those pawns ought to be pickable. Rooks on c8 and d8, the King to d6, etc.

18…Rac8

Perhaps over-complicating things. Rhd8 or Kd6 right away are probably better moves, but as long as the King is left on the c-file, the d pawn is not offered any real protection because of the pin. I figured that the lonesome pawn wouldn’t go anywhere, so I concentrated on activating my Rooks and passivating white’s Knight first. Hence the following few moves.

19.Kb2

(19.c4 b5 would not be much better.

)

19…b5 (D)

I wanted to keep the c pawn back, and avoid having the white Knight entering the play in interesting ways.

(ok, 19…Rhd8 is better: 20.c4 b5 21.Rd1 bxc4 22.Ne4 f5 23.Nc3 Rb8+ 24.Kc2 Kd6 25.Rd4 Kc5 26.Rf4 Rf8

)

20.Ne4

Not interesting enough, though, since I figured that:

20…f5 (D)

would force it back to d2, which would be excellent since I could now do Kd6 without having to consider any Knight threats, or to c3, where it would bury the c pawn if not forever, then at least for as long as it would take me to capture the d pawn.

(20…Rc4 is probably better, though.

)

21.Nc3 Rc5 (D)

Now, all I needed was to double rooks in the c file, and the Knight would have to go to some far-away place, and the d pawn woud finally fall.

22.Re1+ Kd7 (D)

The King has been headed for d6 for a while, so I almost auto-piloted there, but then realized that after Re6+, the King would have to go to d7 anyway, so why lose that tempo?

Today’s lesson: Don’t ever, ever switch on the auto-pilot!

(22…Kd6 23.Re6+ Kd7

)

23.Re6 Rhc8 (D)

Only one thing for white to do:

24.Rc6 R8xc6

(24…R5xc6 25.dxc6+ Kxc6

)

25.dxc6+ Kxc6 (D)

26.Kb3 a5 (D)

(26…Re5 would have been better, restricting the Knight completely and getting out of the way for the King. When I didn’t play it, it was because I didn’t like the way the Knight covered a lot of my Rook’s useful spots, and because I didn’t want to let the white King out of his confinement over b4-a5. That probably wasn’t much of a threat to consider anyway, though, so next time I’ll be less cautious… 27.Kb4 Re1

(27…a6 28.Ka5 Rc5 29.Kb4 Rc4+ 30.Kb3 Rd4 31.Ne2 Rd2 32.Nf4 Rxf2 33.g3 Kd6

)

28.Nxb5

(28.h4 a6 29.g3 Rf1 30.f4 Rf3 31.Ne2 Kb6 32.Nd4

)

28…Rb1+

)

27.Ne2 Rc4 (D)

This does almost the same as Re5 would have done anyway

28.c3 (D)

another square taken away from the Knight.

28…a4+

(28…Re4 would have been better, with the prospect of 29.Nd4+ Kc5 30.a4

(30.Nxf5 and a pawn hunt is no good: 30…a4+ 31.Ka3 Re2 32.Nxg7 Kc4 33.Nf5 Kxc3 34.Nxh6 Kc4 35.g3 b4+ 36.Kxa4 Rxa2#

)

30…bxa4+ 31.Kxa4 Kc4 32.f3 Re1 33.Kxa5 Kxc3 34.Nc6 Re2 35.g3 f4 36.Nb4 Kc4 37.Nc6 etc.; the white pawns will fall

)

29.Kb2 (D)

29…g6 (D)

To avoid the possibility of losing the f pawn through a Knight fork on d4 if the Rook leaves the fourth rank

30.f3

Looks very much like a waiting move.

30…b4 31.cxb4 Rxb4+ (D)

32.Ka3 Rc4 (D)

Maybe Rh4 or Rb1 were better moves, but I wasn’t in a hurry, and as long as the Knight is locked up, I would basically be more or less the whole Rook ahead, materially. Threatens Rc2 as well, so:

33.Kb2 Kc5 (D)

The most exhausting thing about this kind of endgame vs. a Knight, is that one has to bee watching for possible forks all the time. My plan was to move my King to the pawns on the king’s side, but the direct route Kd5 would have allowed N3 with check. It would not have been dangerous after all, and the King could have walked safely down the board, but I was being cautious. Again.

(33…Kd5 34.Nc3+ Kd4 35.Nb5+ Kd3

(35…Ke3 would not be good, since 36.Nc3 Kf2 37.Nd1+ Kxg2 would loose the Rook to the fork 38.Ne3+ 35…Kd3 would prevent the Knight’s reentry on the stage.

)

34.g3 g5 (D)

Preventing Nf4

35.h3

Waiting…

35…Kb4 (D)

36.a3+

The best response, and also the reason why I went to b4: now, the white King is locked up forever.

(36.Nc1 was the alternative, but after 36…a3+ 37.Kb1 Kc3 38.Nb3 Rb4 white is neatly tied up! Plenty of Zugzwang opportunities to exploit here. Trying to escape from the knot/pin with 39.Kc1 does not work:

(39.g4 f4 40.h4 gxh4 41.Kc1 h3 42.Kd1 h2 43.Ke2 h1=Q is no better.

)

39…Rxb3 40.axb3 a2 41.Kd1 a1=Q+ 42.Ke2

)

36…Kc5 (D)

37.f4? (D)

Since this gives my King e4, it is probably a mistake. I was a bit concerned that white might move the King back and forth in is jail, thus keeping d4 and e4 protected and the king’s passage blocked. However, I would quite easily have managed to break through on the king’s side, e.g.:

(37.Kb1 h5 38.Kb2 Kd6 39.Kb1 Ke5 40.Kb2 h4 41.gxh4 Rxh4 42.Ng1 Kf4 43.Kc2 Ke3 44.Kc3 Kf2

)

37…Kd5

This time, it would have been quicker to avoid the knight check on c3. On the other hand, the knight is hardly dangerous anymore.

(37…Kd6 38.fxg5 hxg5 39.Nc1 f4 40.gxf4 gxf4 41.Nd3 f3 42.Nf2 Ke5 43.h4 Rxh4 44.Kc3 Rd4

)

38.Nc3+ Kd4 39.Nb5+ Ke3 40.Nd6 Rc5 (D)

41.fxg5 hxg5 42.Nf7 f4 (D)

43.gxf4

(43.h4 fxg3 44.Nxg5 Rxg5 45.hxg5 g2 46.Kc3 g1=Q

)

43…gxf4 44.Nh6 (D)

Again, the Rook blocks the (possibly) most useful fields for the Knight, and the pawn will inevitably queen, unless the Knight sacrifices himself (if he can find a way to do it, that is. Mwahaha).

44…Ke2 (D)

I’m doing anything to avoid knight checks… I may be overdoing it here, but I consider it a good exercise.

45.Ng4 f3 46.Nh2 f2 47.h4 Rh5 (D)

And he finally resigned.

0-1

The downside is that my next opponent will be one of the big shots, against whom I will have very slim chances… When I told my friend Jens who I was facing, he sat silent for a while, then grunted concernedly (“Hm….”), then said — I’m sure as an encouragement — “Well, you mustn’t give up in advance. Anyone can have a bad day.”

Possibly My Best Game of Chess

I’ve woved to stick to music, dylan, politics and computers, but allow me a digression into the wonderful world of chess.

I’m not a great player, but I’m not a bad player either. I’ve never played in a club — I just enjoy the occasional game of chess with my good friend Jens. I think our score is quite exactly equal.

He lured me into this local tournament, though, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. I especially enjoy — on Jens’ behalf, but also on my own, through self-indulgent hubris — the looks when I casually tell the other club members about our current standing (“Oh, you play equal with Jens — so you’re quite good, then.”).

Anyway. Today’s round was against someone way above my league: an elderly gentleman who looks nice and kind — the ideal grandfather — but who would probably be all over me to prove that looks are deceptive if I gave him the chance.

If ratings are to be trusted, I was going to fry. It turned out they’re not.

I openly admit I have two major drawbacks as a chess player: I usually come out of the opening second best, and I tend to venture on unsound, unprepared missions in the middle game, usually creating something of interest, but most often realising that “Nah, going to c6 probably wasn’t such a great idea after all”.

This time I decided things should be different.

As for the opening, I had had a look at some of my opponent’s previous games, and I had noticed two things: (1) He almost exclusively plays Caro-Cann as black, and (2) he sometimes gets himself into trouble, partly thanks to the opening; his black score is less than average, actually.

So I decided to deviate from my usual 1. d4 and play 1. e4 for a change, expecting to get 1…c6 back. It is potentially dangerous, of course, to step into the lion’s mouth like this and play my opponent’s favourite opening, but I decided to give it a try.

As for unwarranted experimental expeditions, I had pledged to avoid them, to the best of my ability. Last week, I was on the brink of expulsion thanks to one of them, against a player whom — again based on ratings — I ought to have beaten easily. No more of that. Cautious, solid play, waiting for the mistakes — that was my plan.

Østrem, Eyolf (1400) — Larsen, Paul M (1613)

Faxe EMT (3) Faxe

2011.04.13 1-0 B12s

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 (D)

I enjoy the advance variant in the French opening, so going for the equivalent in Caro-Cann was an easy choice. Since black usually does c6-c5 eventually, I consider it an advance French with an extra tempo. I decided to disregard the major difference: that black gets his white bishop out before e6.

Afterthought: Why is it that I enjoy the advance variation? Probably because it closes the centre, and with the centre closed, there is a little less to think about. If I look upon it like that, it sounds like an awfully defensive strategy for the white player. I’m sure there are more noble reasons to play this kind of opening, but I admit: I do it out of fear. I’ll have to do something about that. See a shrink? Hardly. Play only the King’s gambit for six months? Perhaps…

3…Bf5 4.Nf3 (D)

The Short variant: don’t try to fight the aggressor on f5 – just keep developing as if nothing had happened.

4…e6 5.Be2 c5 6.c3 cxd4

So far: everything according to plan. The usual line is for black to play Nc6 before the capture. When he didn’t wait, I got the chance to occupy the wonderful central square with my knight, which was to become the one piece and field around which the whole game evolved.

7.Nxd4 (D)

7…Bg6 8.Nd2

After this move, I groaned to myself: “Oh, no, I’ve lost from the start – again! Qg5 wins d5 or g2 no matter what I do! Damn!”

It turns out that any of the moves I had considered to continue with (Qb3, N2f3, Qa4+ and 0-0) would maintain the advantage.

( 8…Qg5 Here’s what Toga (a chess engine) has to say about the matter. “14:+1.20” means: “looking 14 half-moves forward, white is better by 1.20 pawns.”
( [Toga II 1.2.1] 14:+1.20 9.Qb3 Qe7 10.Qa4+ Nd7 11.O-O Qd8 12.c4 Ne7 13.N2f3 Qb6 14.Rd1 Qa6 15.Qxa6 bxa6 16.Bg5 Rb8 )
( [Toga II 1.2.1] 13:+1.21 9.N2f3 Qd8 10.O-O Ne7 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 Qd7 13.Bb5 Nbc6 14.Qa4 Be4 15.Rfd1 )
( [Toga II 1.2.1] 13:+1.09 9.Qa4+ Nd7 10.N2f3 Qd8 11.O-O Bc5 12.Nb5 Nh6 13.Bxh6 gxh6 14.Nd6+ Bxd6 15.exd6 Qb6 16.Qd4 O-O-O 17.Qxb6 Nxb6 )
( [Toga II 1.2.1] 13:+1.01 9.O-O Qxe5 10.N2f3 Qc7 11.Nb5 Qa5 12.Bf4 Na6 13.Nbd4 Be7 14.Bb5+ Kf8 15.Re1 Nc7 16.b4 ) 9…Qxg2 10.Bf3 Qg5 11.Qxb7 )

And the pawn on g2 is poisoned: if the queen touches it, she dies.

The question, though: would I have found the correct defense over the board? That’s the question I had vowed to avoid having to answer.

No more of that! No matter if the computer analysis says I would win. What good does that do me, if I can’t find the move?

8…Ne7 (D)

Sigh of relief. I didn’t have to deal with the queen.

9.O-O?

Maybe I should have done N2f3 right away, but I wanted to postpone the decision about how to defend the lonely, soon-to-be-attacked e5, Should I give it a solid pawn-support with f4 first, compromising the king’s safe nest, or should I regard the piece support I intended to give it (N2f3, Bf4, and Re1) as enough?

I don’t think the move is that bad, objectively speaking. But I consider it a mistake because it does what I tend to do: think that “OK, that Knight is blocking everything right now, but I’ll move it next time anyway, and then I will get out of this temporary cramp.”

That’s of course the moment when Jens usually strikes.

( [crafty] 17:+0.69 9.h4 h5 10.N2f3 Nbc6 11.O-O Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Nc6 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Qa4 Qb6 15.b4 Be7 16.Be3 Qc7 17.g3 )

9…Nec6 (D)

Defend or attack? N2f3 is the “correct” move here, but I didn’t care for the prospect of Nd7, when I would have to trade my Knight in shining armour for the upshoot at c6, and then defend e5 with Bf4 before I could reconquer d4 with my other knight.

Besides, what is now a safe post would then be easy prey for the new c-pawn. Hence:

10.Qa4 (D)

I had actually been considering something like this on some of the previous moves too, even before the black Knight arrived at c6. The plan was to provoke the Knight pin that had now been given me for free. I just couldn’t decide whether to play Bb5 or Qa4 first, so I did something else instead.

As for the quality of the move, at least it prevents Nd7. But my analysis engine tells me that whatever edge I had before, is all lost now.

If someone is to blame, other than me, it’s Gus Hansen, the Danish poker god. I just read his fascinating story of how he won a couple of million Australian dollars, hand by hand, and although I’ve barely played a single hand of poker, what I took from it was the insight that it’s not all about what you have up your sleeve, it’s just as much about what the other guy THINKS you have.

Secondly, the importance of the initiative: if you can tell the other guy where to look, he may not see the better move (which in this case was the quiet Be7).

( 10.N2f3 Nd7 )

10…Qa5?

I pondered for a while: do I want to remove the Queens and place his Knight awkwardly on the side, and advance the pawn to f4 — safer now that the most dangerous pieces are gone? Or do I want to keep my knight at d4 at any cost? Presented this way, it looks like an easy decision.

( [crafty] 16:+0.14 10…Be7 11.Bb5 O-O 12.N2f3 Qb6 13.Be3 Bc5 14.b3 a6 15.Be2 Nd7 16.Nxc6 bxc6 17.Bd4 f6 18.exf6 Nxf6 )

11.Bb5? (D)

I, of course, decided to do something else. Objectively speaking, this is a bad move. QxQ BxQ now releases any tension from the position, and black is equal.

My motivation (not that I needed any, since I wasn’t aware it was such a bad move): he has taken some pains to get his knight to c6. Certainly he wants to get it into action, and the continued pin would not seem attractive.

And sure enough:

( 11.Qxa5 Nxa5 12.Nb5 Kd7 13.a3 a6 14.Nd4 Be7 )

11…Qc7?

( [crafty] 19:-0.09 11…Qxa4 12.Bxa4 Be7 13.Nb5 ( 13.N2f3 O-O 14.Bb5 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 a6 16.Be2 Rc8 17.Bf4 Nc6 18.Rac1 Be4 19.Rfd1 Rc7 20.Bd3 Bxd3 21.Rxd3 Nxd4 22.Rxd4 ) 13…Na6 14.Nd4 Nb8 15.f4 O-O 16.N2f3 )

12.N2f3 Be7 (D)

Now what? He is surely going to castle next time, and the knight pin I had based my play on would be history.

13.c4! (D)

For once, the engine agrees with me, although his (or is it “its”?) reasons are probably more thought-through than mine. I thought along these lines: if he trades horses (… 0-0, cxd NxN, NxN exd), I’ll still have one of them on d4. What could be better than giving him an isolated pawn to attack (behind which I could hide my stallion)?

Should he capture the c pawn instead, I could take it back with my queen, who is no longer needed on the diagonal towards the king, since the king will be gone anyway.

It doesn’t come easy, to give one of my own moves an “!”, but I’ve done it: I found what’s probably the best move in the situation; it’s not an obvious move; and there was a clear idea behind it.

13…O-O 14.cxd5 exd5

With the black knight free to move, I have to defend the e pawn again. I know, the bishop is undefended, but there may be a future disclosed attack in there too, somewhere along the line. Somewhat vaguely, I was thinking, too, that there might be some combination in there, involving moving the knight, opening the defense line from the Queen. It wasn’t a clear idea — just something to keep in mind.

15.Bf4 (D)

This was beginning to look quite nice. The e-pawn is well-defended, and I was getting ready to pile up rooks against the loner on e5. But hey…!?:

15…a6 (D)

Long thought. The a-pawn is pinned, sortof: If it takes the bishop, I capture the rook.

But then the queen is trapped – for good: there is not a single escape field left on the a file. I may be able to recapture the black queen with Nxb5 or, if I go in-between with Rc1 now, some funky business with Rxc6, but we would still come out equal and all my initiative would be gone.

I got lost in the calculations after a while, but this is where my pledge kicked in. Instead of thinking: “Surely, there must be a way out – I’ll go for it and see where it ends!”, I decided to play it safe. As Gus might have said: if the pot-odds are against you, you shouldn’t feel ashamed to fold a bad hand.

16.Bxc6

( 16.Rac1 axb5 17.Qxa8 Na6 18.Rxc6 Rxa8 19.Rxc7 Nxc7 )

16…bxc6 17.Rac1 (D)

I actually enjoyed this position, even though I had given him a connected passed pawn instead of an isolated one.

I tend to think of myself as fairly good at obstructive defensive play: taking away the good fields from the opponent’s attack forces when I’m behind. This game I consider a fairly successful obstructive offensive play, which is a rather new experience: even though the upper left corner is where all the action is, the Rook and Knight who are right there, are completely immobilized.

( 17.b4 )

17…c5

He can’t take the knight, of course, since the Queen would fall, so I decide to up the ante:

18.b4 (D)

18…c4 (D)

… and my knight can stay a little while longer! The double passed pawns may become dangerous in the end game, but we’re not there yet!

19.a3

A bit on the cautious side, but that was after all today’s strategy: better safe than sorry.

19…Bd3 (D)

This move annoyed me quite a lot. After a short think, I concluded that it wasn’t really dangerous, but I had lulled myself into thinking that he didn’t have any moves, which clearly wasn’t the case. Was there more that I had overlooked? Had I neglected my obstructive defensive play in the pursuit of a possibly futile offensive?

20.Rfe1 (D)

Should I play Re1 or Rd1? Rd1 would either drive the intruding bishop away, since the pawn is pinned against the queen, or force the queen to another spot.

That other spot is not that easy to find: some defense of c6 seems neessary (Nc6 NxN, QxN, threatening a couple of pawns, at least), and if it leaves the diagonal, the bishop on f4 might come to life.

But rather than force my opponent to start thinking: “Now, where would the queen stand better?” I decided to postpone the attack on the bishop and concentrate on the e file, which looks nice indeed. Surely, that advanced pawn, left to his own devices for so long, must have potential?

( 20.Rfd1 Be4 )

20…Qd8 (D)

Up to this point, I had spent almost twice as much time as my opponent, but he thought about this move for more than half an hour — and came up with a bad move.

The better alternatives – h6 and Rc8 – are not easy to find, though, especially when the chip leader (me) has dictated that the queen has to be involved in his move.

21.e6 (D)

Finally! My decisive advantage is back – not just according to my own over-the-board analysis, but also according to the engine.

Still, for an average player, it’s a nervous moment: a bridge has been burnt – it’s do or die.

But I felt confident: if the pawn is captured, the trusty knight forks the rook and the queen, and if not …

21…f6 22.Bxb8 (D)

… the knight makes its presence felt anyway. The rook can’t capture, since it would then fall to another knight fork, this time on c6.

I just loved that knight!

22…Qxb8

Now, Nc6 would fork the queen and the bishop, but first things first:

23.Qd7 Qd6

( 23…Ra7 won’t make things much better for black 24.Qxd5 )

24.Nc6 (D)

The knight moves in (All-in!) – at last!

24…Qxd7

( 24…Rfe8 25.Nfd4 Kf8 And the advantage is clear enough, but it’s not easy to find the right moves, for either side. )

25.exd7 Bd8 26.Re8? (D)

Two days ago, I played virtually the same position against Jens – but with me as the defender. As it happens, he failed to bring the attack to conclusion, and I should have taken the lesson: it would be decisive is black captures the rook (in this case, immediate mate), but if the white rook is left alone, it actually doesn’t do much harm. I can bring another rook into the puddle, but that’s about it.

With this move, I offer black a chance to get out of all his misery with Bf5. Much better than the fairly pointless Rook escapade would have been Nfd4, which prevents the bishop from attacking the pawn on d7. Besides, there just HAS to be a white knight on that spot — it’s fate!

But again: I tend to think that on our level, the fact that I’ve decided that “now it’s all about the eighth rank” was what made him play:

26…Bc7

( After 26…Bf5 27.Rxd8 Rfxd8 28.Ne7+ Kf7 29.Nxf5 Rxd7 the positioni is quite even, all of a sudden )

27.Rce1 Be4 (D)

28.Rxf8+

I’ve been looking for pins and forks like mad so far, but I missed the best continuation here:

( 28.Rc8 Rfxc8 29.Ne7+ Kf8 30.Nxc8 )

28…Kxf8 29.Nfd4 (D)

is not bad either, though. Covers f5, thus preventing any funny business from the light-squared bishop, and threatens a King-Bishop fork on e6. The dark-squared bishop has to move:

29…Bb6

I see the potential for nastiness along the diagnal towards the king, but I’m not too concerned: the bishop is soon going to die anyway.

30.Ne6+ Kf7 31.d8=Q (D)

31…Bxd8 32.Nexd8+ (D)

32…Ke8?

I reckon that I can safely trade the two knights for the black rook. My remaining rook against a single bishop ought to be enough. But hey, I’m still hungry:

( 32…Kf8 33.f3 Bf5 34.Rd1 Bd3 35.Ne6+ Kf7 36.Nc5 Rc8 37.Nd4 h5 38.Nxd3 cxd3 39.Rxd3 Rc1+ 40.Kf2 h4 41.h3 Ra1 42.Nf5 g5 43.Ne3 Ke6 44.Nxd5 Ra2+ 45.Kg1 Ra1+ 46.Kh2 Rc1 47.Rc3 Ra1 48.Nc7+ Ke5 49.Re3+ Kd4 50.Re4+ Kd3 51.Nxa6 Rxa3 52.b5 Ra5 53.Nc5+ Kc3 54.Na4+ Kb3 55.b6 Rb5 56.b7 )

33.f3 (D)

Another pin! I love it!

33…f5 34.fxe4 fxe4 (D)

At this point, I have won, of course. But it has to be said: he defended bravely, sticking to every chance of counter-play he could find. He now has three connected passed pawns, smack in the centre of the board, and although I’m rather confident I can keep them at bay, there is no room for mistakes either.

Rd1 would have been better than my:

35.Ne6

Heading for d4 again. Whatever fate decrees.

35…Kd7 36.Ncd4 Kd6 37.Nxg7 Ke5 (D)

38.Nge6

Again, Rd1 is better.

38…Rc8 39.Rc1

( 39.Rf1 c3 40.Rf5+ Kd6 41.Nc5 Rxc5 42.bxc5+ Kxc5 43.Nc2 is the best he has )

39…c3 40.Kf2 Rc4 41.Ke3 c2 (D)

Pesky little bugger of a pawn. We don’t want the rook onto the third rank either, so time to let the horses rest:

42.Kd2 Rxd4+ 43.Nxd4 Kxd4 44.Rxc2 (D)

The rest is routine.

44…e3+ 45.Ke2 Ke4 46.a4

( 46.Rc6 d4 47.Rxa6 d3+ 48.Kd1 d2 49.b5 )

46…d4 47.Rc4 Kd5 48.Kd3 e2 49.Rc1 (D)

( 49.Rc5+ is more elegant, but what the heck: )

1-0

Finally, my opponent decided there was nothing more he could do, and stretched out his hand.

He then said: “That was so nicely played!” It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me — at least at a chess board.

So, is it a good game? There are flaws, overlooked moves, and bad strategic decisions on both sides. For it to have been a great game, I would have had to have avoided errors like 26.Re8.

When I’m happy with it, it’s because I played according to a strategy, and the strategy worked. The themes I had considerations about during the opening moves — how to handle the e-pawn, and the exploitation of d4 for the Knights — turned out to become essential to the game, and the decisions I made turned out to be successful.

But most importantly I think I managed to strike a balance between sound play, initiative, and the occasional good move (13.c4 and 21.e6). “Initiative” means not primarily forcing the opponent to act in a particular way, but making him think he is forced. The chess equivalent to the bluff in poker, if you wish. If Re8 was a bluff, it worked.