Almost 3 in a row

Coming off back-back losses, I wanted to redeem myself in this game. So, what do I do – as black, I avoided any kind of blunder until the 3rd move!
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5?
(3… Nc6)

4. d4 Nc6 5. exd5 exd5 6. dxc5 d4 7. Ne4 Bxc5 8. Nxc5 Qa5+ 9. c3 Qxc5
I calculated the lines with 9… dxc3 10. b4 Qxb4 11. Be3 c2+ 12. Qd2 Qb1+ 13. Qc1 Qb4+ 14. Nd2 and thought that white was better. Furthermore, most of white’s moves in this variation are forced, so we were more than likely to reach this very position on the board.

10. Nxd4 Nf6 11. Bb5 O-O 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. O-O Rb8 14. Qf3 Nd5 15. Qg3 Rb7 16. Re1 f5 17. Re5 Rbf7 18. f4 Qb6 19. c4?
My opponent, trying to consolidate his advantage and neutralise my advantage, blunders a piece himself! The rest isn’t very hard, though the game carried on for quite a while.

19… Qxd4+ 20. Kh1 Qxc4 21. Bd2 Nf6 22. Qf3 Ne4 23. Be3 Qc2 24. Bd4 c5 25. Bc3 Bb7 26. Qf1 Rd8 27. Rc1 Qf2 28. a4 h6 29. Qxf2 Nxf2+ 30. Kg1 Ne4 31. Kf1 Rd5 32. g3 Rfd7 33. Ke1 Kf7 34. a5 Nxc3 35. Rxc3 Rxe5+ 36. fxe5 Rd5 37. b3 Rxe5+ 38. Kd2 Ke6 39. h3 Kd6 40. Rc4 Ba6 41. Rf4 Re2+ 42. Kc1 Ke5 43. Rf3 Bb7 44. Rc3 Kd4 45. Rc4+ Kd5 46. Rc3 Ba6 47. Rf3 g6 48. Kd1 Rh2 49. Re3 Rxh3 50. Re7 Rxg3 51. Rxa7 Bf1 52. Kc2 Kc6 53. Ra8 Kb7 54. Rf8 Bg2 55. Rf6 h5 56. Rb6+ Ka7 57. Rb5 h4 58. Rxc5 h3 59. b4 h2 60. b5 h1=Q 61. Rc7+ Kb8 62. b6 Be4+ 0-1

Back to blogging my games

I deviated early on from my previous games with the same opponent (it was getting boring, after all) and ended up with a different pawn structure. My position wasn’t too great, but it was equal until I went wrong with the idea of pushing for a win in a drawn position with 29…Bxc8. Replay.
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 d5 5. e5 Be7 6. Be2 Nh6 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 Nf5 9. Bd3 Re8 10. Bxf5 exf5 11. d4 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Bc5 13. Nce2 Qh4+ 14. g3 Qh3 15. Qd2 a5 16. Nb5 Qg2 17. O-O-O Rd8 18. Nec3 Qxd2+ 19. Kxd2 Be6 20. Na4 Bb4+ 21. c3 Bf8 22. Kc1 g6 23. Rd2 Na7 24. Nxa7 Rxa7 25. Rhd1 Ra6 26. c4 Rc8 27. Kb1 dxc4 28. Rd8 Rac6 29. Rxc8 Bxc8 30. Rd8 b5 31. Nc3 b4
One last chance to push for a draw was to admit my erroneous approach and go with 31… Be6 32. Nxb5 cxb3 33. axb3 Rc8. The rest is easy for white.
32. Nd5 Bb7 33. Ne7+ Kg7 34. Nxc6 Bxc6 35. bxc4 Bc5 36. Rc8 Be4+ 37. Kc1 Be7 38. Bd4 a4 39. c5 Bd5 40. Kb2 f6 41. exf6+ Bxf6 42. Rc7+ Bf7 43. Bxf6+ Kxf6 44. Rb7 b3 45. axb3 axb3 46. c6 Bd5 47. Rd7 Ke6 48. Rxd5 1-0

My last game before I head off for vacation

Played last week, at the start of the new league season. Previous games against the same opponent are here, here, and here. Last week’s game is here (I am black).

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 d5 4. e5 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nh6 6. Be2 Qb6 7. a3 Bd7 8. d3 Be7 9. Na4??
Completely misses my next move, loses a couple of pawns and gives me a monster passed a-pawn.

9… Qa5+ 10. Nc3 d4 11. b4 cxb4
11… Nxb4 12. Bd2 Nxd3+ 13. Bxd3 dxc3 14. Be3 was possibly even stronger!

12. Ne4 bxa3+ 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. O-O b5 15. c3 Qb6?!
Nothing wrong with my move, though the idea is flawed – my idea leads me to lose a piece though I still have good chances due to the strong, advanced connected passers. (15… dxc3 16. Nxc3 b4)

16. Kh1 Nf5?
(16… dxc3 17. Nxc3 b4)

17. cxd4 Nfxd4?
(17… O-O 18. g4 Nfxd4 19. Be3 Rad8 20. Rc1 b4 21. Rc4 Be8)

18. Be3 b4
(18… O-O)

19. Rc1 Rd8
(19… b3)

20. Rc4 O-O 21. Nxd4 Nxd4 22. Bxd4 Qa5 23. Bc5
(23. Nd6 Bxd6 24. exd6 Bb5 25. Rc1 Rxd6 26. Bc5 Rc6)

23… Bxc5 24. Rxc5
(24. Nxc5 Bb5)

24… Qb6 25. Qb3
25. d4! is very strong instead, activating the bishop. My pawns are not yet ready to go marching down.

25… Bc6 26. Rc4?
(26. Rfc1! Bd5)

26… Bd5 27. Qxb4
(27. Nd6 Qe3 28. Bf3 Bxc4 29. Qxc4 Rb8)

27… Bxc4 28. Qxc4
Now, I am definitely better and the a-pawn cannot be stopped. 28. Qxb6 axb6 29. dxc4 Rd4 was an option.

28… Qb2 29. Re1
(29. Bh5 a2)

29… Rc8 30. Qa4
( 30. Nc5 a2)

30… Qxe2
I fully expected my opponent to resign here. I was shocked when he played on for a few more moves!

31. Ra1 Rc2
(31… Qb2 32. Qd1 Rc2 33. Qf1 a2)

32. Rg1 Qxd3 33. Nd6 a2 34. Qxa7 Qb3 35. h3 Rb2 36. Ne4 Rb1 37. Nd2 Rxg1+ 38. Kxg1 Qd1+ 0-1

Second straight loss

Unlike in my three previous games, I went down without a fight in this one – I don’t think I created any threats at all.

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. f4 d5 4. Nf3 d4 5. Ne2 Nf6 6. Ng3 Nc6 7. Bc4 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. d3 Na5 10. Bb3 Nxb3 11. axb3 b6 12.  Ne5 Bb7 13. Bd2 a5 14. Qe2 Qc7 15. Nc4 Rfe8

Until now, the position has been about equal. White is ready to make his kingside push while I have some activity on the queenside. I didn’t want to play 15…g6 because I thought that would make his f5 push stronger. I also thought that in many variations it would be better to have my bishop or knight (via d7) on f8, hence the move.

16. f5 Bc8??

Now this gives white some good chances. I should have played 16…e5 to keep things under control but I was worried that I would be blocking the activity of my own pieces.

17. e5!

I completely underestimated how powerful this move was. I was more worried about 17. Bf4?!. It was only when I saw this move on the board did reality start to sink in.

17…Nd5 18. Qg4?

Now he lets me off the hook and gives me a fighting chance. Just pushing ahead with the pawns, 18. f6 gxf6 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. Nh5 is winning.

18…exf5  19. Nxf5 Bxf5 20. Rxf5 Ra7?

My next big mistake. I was trying to be cute and allow for my rook to come to the aid of the kingside via the 7th rank. Fritz suggests the following two variations as ok for black: 20…Qc8 21. Qe4 Qe6 or 20…b5 21. Qe4 Qd7 22. Raf1 Bf8, still holding everything together (barely!).

21. Raf1 Bf8??

I wasn’t to know how bad this move was until my opponent made his move. I was prepared to suffer further with 22. Rxf7 Qxf7 23. Rxf7 Kxf7 24. Nd6, after which I need a miracle to survive.

22. e6!!

Most masters, I’m sure, would have seen this from miles away. However it was a rude shock for me to see this at the board. The rest was plain sailing for white.

22…Ne3 23. Bxe3 dxe3 24. exf7+ Qxf7  25. Rxf7 Rxf7 26. Rxf7 e2 27. Rf1! 1-0

He didn’t fall for my last little trap, so I resigned.

In my more recent games, I have felt like I am always fighting an uphill battle, fighting for equality.

• My last 8 games have been with black! (excluding this abandoned game)
• In all, 14 out of my 19 completed games have been with black.
• I can’t wait for my next game with white (next week!)
• I can’t wait for the return of that winning feeling.
• After this game, I feel I need to come up with a better repertoire against the closed Sicilian.

My first serious game in two and a half years

You can replay the game in its entirety or walk through the game along with the analysis here.

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.f4 d5

In the closed Sicilian, I have never come out satisfactorily out of the opening. Not wanting to open up the position before I’ve castled, I would normally play d6, Nf6, Be7, resulting in a passive position and my attempts at queenside play were almost always too slow. So I tried to play actively in the center hoping to avoid similar issues.

4.e5 d4 5.Ne4 Nh6

I was already in an unfamiliar position in the opening. Having decided to allow d5 early on and needing to prevent Nd6, this was the only square left for my knight. On the plus side, though the knight’s developed on the rim, it prevents g4 and f5, two key pawn pushes for white in the closed Sicilian. And with most of the play happening on the kingside, it turns out to be a useful square for the knight.

6.Nf3 Be7 7.Bc4

I don’t play the white side of the closed Sicilian, so I am not an authority on it. But the plan with g3 and Bg2 seems more potent to me.

7…O-O 8.O-O b6 9.d3 Bb7 10.Neg5!?

I don’t know if he saw my little trap here or intended to make this move all along. The trap being, if he made some other move here, say Qe2, I had the subtle 10…b5!, winning a piece.

10…Nc6 11.Bxe6??

I think this is a big mistake. Strictly on material count, he might be better, winning a rook and two pawns for a knight and bishop. But he no longer has an attack against my king, while I can start building pressure on his kingside. Additionally, his light squared weaknesses are even more brutally exposed with the loss of his bishop as its counterpart sits pretty on the long diagonal.

11…fxe6 12.Nxe6 Qd7 13.Nxf8 Rxf8 14.Qe2 Nd8 15.Bd2 Ne6 16.Ng5 Qc6 17.Nxe6 Qxe6 18.h3?!

Weakening even more squares around his kingside, though its hard to suggest more useful moves. Maybe his plan was to follow up with g4, preparing f5, but this also opens up his king to enemy attacks. A better plan might have been to play on the queenside, attacking black’s pawn structure.

18…Nf5 19.Kh2 Bh4 20.Qg4 Bg3+ 21.Kg1 Qd5 22.Rf3 Bh4 23.b3?!-+

Once again, a strange move. On his queenside, white needs to challenge the pawns on the dark squares, not give up total control. Anyway, this doesn’t hurt him because of black’s next few moves, where he throws away his big advantage and ends up losing.

23…Ne3??

I had been eyeing the e3 square for my knight for quite a while. With my direct attack not coming to fruition, I felt I should return two minor pieces for his rook and then use the passed e-pawn (after Bxe3 dxe3) to press for victory. But it was much better to keep the pieces on the board and build a much stronger attack with 23…Qf7 24.Rff1 h5 25.Qe2 [25.Qd1 Qg6 Qe2] Ng3 26.Qf2 Nxf1 27.Qxf1 Bg3, at the end of which I am totally winning, up a full piece and about to win the f4 pawn to boot.

[Analysis diagram after 27…Bg3]

24.Bxe3 dxe3 25.Qxh4 Qd4 26.Qe1 Bxf3 27.gxf3 e2+?

Qxf4 was much stronger.

28.Kg2 Rxf4?

Once again Qxf4 was much stronger, putting pressure on the f3 pawn. After this mistake, I have a thankless task while white can play on without fear.

29.e6 Qe3 30.Qf2 Qxe6 31.Re1 Rf6 32.Qxe2 Rg6+ 33.Kf2 Qxe2+ 34.Rxe2 Kf7 35.f4 Rh6 36.Kg3 Rg6+ 37.Kf3 Rh6 38.Rh2 Ke6 39.Ke4 Kd6 40.h4 Re6+ 41.Kf3 Kd5 42.c3 Re1 43.Re2 Rf1+ 44.Kg4 Rg1+ 45.Kf5 Rh1 46.Re7 Rxh4 47.Rd7+ Kc6 48.Rxg7 Rh3 49.Rxa7 Rxd3 50.Rxh7 Rxc3 51.Kf6 c4 52.Rh8 Kc7?

Kb7 was needed, preventing white’s rook from arriving at a8 and protecting the a2 pawn. b5 was also possible.

53.bxc4 Rxc4 54.f5 Rc2 55.Ra8 Kb7 56.Ra3 b5 57.Kf7 Rc7+?

A wasted rook maneuver. Better would have been 57…b4, forcing the trade of the queenside pawns. Of course, I was lost long before this, so this only hastens the end.

58.Kg6 Kc8?

The last big mistake. For the second time in the game, I allow the white rook to come to the a8 square!

59.f6 Rc2 60.f7 Rg2+ 61.Kh5 Rf2 62.Ra8+ 1-0