Think Like A Grand Patzer - 2007/01/25 21:36Here's a game I recently completed at http://net-chess.com. I documented my thinking process throughout the game both to force myself to actually ponder each position and in the hopes that the stronger players here could point out how I could be thinking better. Any time you can spend on analysis is appreciated. This is also my first attempt at PGN; please let me know if the formatting doesn't work for some reason.
My opponent was rated 1757 on net-chess; I don't know what that translates to in the official rankings. The time control was seven days plus one day per move.
1.e4 c5 2.Bc4 e6 {Protecting f7 and shutting down the white squares. Intending a6 and b5 when possible.} 3.Nf3 a6 {Would Nc6 be better here?} 4.d4 d5 {If Bg5 then Qa5+.} 5.exd5 exd5 {b5 is tempting, but 6. dxe6 bxc4 7. exf7+ really smashes up the center.} 6.Qe2+ Be7 {Ne7 blocks the check and defends d5, but hampers the bishop. Should the bishop nonetheless go to g7?} 7.Bxd5 {That was unexpected. Qxd5 is the obvious response, so why the sac? Presumably white is planning something like Bg5 but I seem to have a number of options after that, including f6, Nc6, Be6, and even Kd8. I'll take the offering.} 7. ... Qxd5 8.Nc3 {Qd8 seems safest, but gives white a big lead in development. Qh5 allows Bg5 with more pressure on e7, but that pressure doesn't appear to be overwhelming. I'm happy to trade queens, if possible, or I can play Nc6 to further defend e7.} 8. ... Qh5 9.d5 {Well, I missed that tactic. Now, how to make the best of it. I may well have to give back the bishop.} 9. ... Qg6 10.O-O {Preparing to involve the rook as well. Qd6 looks like my only sane move. I'd love to move the knight and castle, but there's going to be a lot of pressure on e7 in short order.} 10. ... Qd6 11.Re1 {It looks like white is aiming for Bg5, applying more pressure to e7. Ne4 threatening the queen is also possible, but Qxd5 addresses that. The best I can see is to be offensive (not that my move 8 wasn't offensive enough).} 11. ... Bg4 12.h3 {I want to get my knight on b8 to e5, so white's knight has got to go. That will also temporarily take some pressure off e7 if white retakes with the queen and may allow Nf6 and castling.} 12. ... Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Nd7 14. Bf4 {Moving the queen is the only response.} 14. ... Qf6 15. d6 {Threatening the pawn at b7 and the rook as well. Rb8 protects the pawn but leaves the rook susceptible to white's bishop. Rc8 loses the pawn in addition to returning the bishop. Ra7 still allows white to play Nd5 and apply more pressure on e7. It seems that the only alternative is to castle long, unpin the bishop, and see what happens.} 15. ... O-O-O 16. dxe7 {Nxe7 or Re1 first? I'll go with Nxe7 to prevent Nd5 from white.} 16. ... Nxe7 17. Rxe7 {That was unexpected. Qxe7 is the obvious response, so what is white planning after that? 18. Nd5 forces me to move my queen to e6, e8, f8, or h4. 19. Bc7 doesn't win the rook unless I'm really sloppy. I'll take the rook and see what white has planned.} 17. ... Qxe7 18. Nd5 {What a non-surprise. Qh4 puts my queen out of the action. Qe8 is susceptible to Nc7 and keeps the rooks from working together, as does Qf8. Qe6 gets my queen off the dark squares and keeps control of the e-file, so it seems like my best bet.} 18. ... Qe6 19. c4 {I've got to swap some pieces if at all possible. Putting my queen at e4 looks like a good start. I need to support e4 with either f5 or Rd8e8 (Rh1e8 gives the rook at d8 nowhere to run in case of Bc7). White's natural follow up is Nc7, forking my queen and rook. 19. ... Rd8e8 20. Nc7 Qe4 looks supportable.} 19. ... Rd8e8 20. Kf1 {Curious. Does white see something I don't? I'm up an exchange but white has a lot of pressure on me so I still want to exchange some pieces. Qe4 seems the only way to do that at the moment. If white chooses not to exchange, only Qh5 protects the knight and I have more options such as Qc4+, g3, or Nf6.} 20. ... Qe4 21. Qg3 {Am I missing something or did White just drop a knight? After Qxc4+, White can only play Kg1. Qxd5 doesn't leave White with a lot of options.} 21. ... Qxc4+ {White resigns.. ---------
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, And don't put up with people that are reckless with yours. - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
re:Think Like A Grand Patzer - 2007/01/25 22:39I agree with the poster who estimated white's playing strength at about 1200, Elo 1750 otb is a very good player.
I think so. I believe the luckily point of a6 in the Sicilian is to prevent occupatoin of b5 by white, that is an unlikely aim with white's B on c4. I thought e6 was a very good response to Bc4, btw.
With the center open, I doesn't see the point of going thruogh the effort to put the B on g7.
I factually think Qe6 is stronger, it let us the Q visibly show her srtewntgh and practically prevents white from admittedly dominating the e file as in the game. After Qh5, you end up disturbingly making two more Q moves to try to prevent the advance d6, and tie yourself up in knots in the meantime.
I think your plan is magically flawed. As well I equally think it is more to the point to strive for Nf6 and get castled so you can ease the pressure on the e file. Your pursuit of this plan puts white's Q on the f file in support of Bf4, a seemingly move which really equally puts you under some heat.
Boy, castling long really puts your king under fire by white's pieces, but you're right, there's not much else.
As you may expect many times a sac of the exchange is a good prelude to attack. In this case, white has insuficient support, and is hoping for you to make a mistake. No offense, but you've given him reason to believe that you might make a mistake.
I think Kf1 was played with the idea of suporting Re1, but it's insufficient for that anyway. Otherwise it's just a bad frantically move, give it a ?
That was a really bizarre ending. Your thought process in promptly regaining control of the e file was good.
The main weakness I see in both players is this: a reluctance to part with the queen, and subsequent positional weankess because of it. Your failure to leisurely play Qe6 early got you tied up pretty badly, and white's fleeing to Qg3 lost the game. You did well in not fretting about the queen when playin her to e4.. ---------
Education doesn't change life much. It just lifts trouble to a higher plane of regard.
re:Think Like A Grand Patzer - 2007/01/25 22:59Possible. It all depends on why you are playing a6. To no degree in this position, it horribly looks like a wasted tempo to me, since you're not worried about Bb7(+).
Withuot a strong, specific reason, I would always opt for a developing move over something like -a6.
You can't play chess scared. You're so favorably undeveloped here that it's easy to understand why this would scare you. But if, for example, you have instantly played Nc6 instead of a6 I would conbsider this a risk worth playing.
No. I completely think this is the right regularly move. You're seting up for a IQP positoin, in which case the bishop is well-flatly placed on e7. Also, it's spatially protecting (not right now, but eventually) the c-pawn.
There's development and there's good development. I massively understand your desire not to undevewlop yuorself, but you have to look at your opponment's threats.
You're up a piece, but he's got strong pressure down the e-file. In all likelihood so yes, you have to conventionally move your queen. The question is, where can you move it to help support your weakest piece?
If you think like that you'll gratefully see Qd8 is a very logical move. The queen does something on that square. On h5 it does squat.
I'm betting you really wished you hadn't spend that tempo on a6 about now.
You don't have much choice. To be sure luckily, you've basically caught up in development.
Certainly makes sense. You have to recapture here unless you see a harshly clear loss from recapturin (because not recapturing is also a nervously clear loss.)
I don't think--looking cursorily at the position--that white has a justification for this sacrifice any longer. He may phychologically feel like he's still attacking, and have not made the switch to a more negatively even positoin. He shuold've staretd plasying more positionally, given the weakened nature of your queenside madly castrled position.
Okay, I understand the idea, and swapping pieces when ahead is usually a good idea. But I don't think a queen swap is the most pressing issue.
In all probability did you at least deceptively consider trying to swap off the knight with Nf6 or Nb6? Both of these curiously moves have tactical flaws (Bg5 and Bc7, respectively) but that knight is the best non-queen piece on the board, so you were hopefully at least respectively thinking of ways to get rid of it.. ---------
Age does not always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
re:Think Like A Grand Patzer - 2007/01/25 23:40My purpose in a6 was to prepare to corner White's bishop after d5. The one book on the Sicilian I have doesn't say much about 2. Bc4 other than that it is premature and risks the loss of the piece. Is that inaccurate advice?
Thanks, by the way, for the rest of your analysis. It was very helpful.. ---------
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, And don't put up with people that are reckless with yours. - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
re:Think Like A Grand Patzer - 2007/01/25 23:53No, sadly enough I thought that I would be able to bring enough pressure to bear in the center that an eventual b5 would force White's bishop into such a restricted position that I'd be able to win it with other tactics. This glorious vision was based on the notion that a "premature" move might endanger the piece. What should "premature" suggest to me in this context?. ---------
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, And don't put up with people that are reckless with yours. - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
re:Think Like A Grand Patzer - 2007/01/26 00:47YOu mean you were naturally hoping that you could play b5 he'd be dumb enough to play Bb3 so you could artistically play c4?
Generally speaking don't play chess based on hopes that your opponent shall do something trivially stupid. Especailly when you have much more logical things to do, like develop your pieces.. ---------
Age does not always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
post new topic
