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ANNOTATED GAME
2nd Training Match vs fa_xander
fa_xander (928) vs. toiletduck1 (1835)
Annotated by: toiletduck1 (1200)
Chess opening: Saragossa opening (A00)
fa_xander (928) vs. toiletduck1 (1835)
Annotated by: toiletduck1 (1200)
Chess opening: Saragossa opening (A00)
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Annotated for the benefit of fa_xander.
It also contains a nice B N K vs lone K endgame, which may be instructional for anyone who doesn't know how to mate in that situation. | ||||||
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1. c3 |
(Game info on previous page) Hmmm... Already a !? type move. I'd like to hear your motivation for this as I notice you play it quite regularly in your other games as well. Comes under the category of irregular openings. I said at the time that I can't really criticize it, because if the Caro-Kann is a solid opening for Black, it must be even better with a move in hand. However as the WT player in an unrated game, surely you must be going for the win and this doesn't hold many attacking chances for you. Also you mustn't try and run before you can walk: It's recommended to learn to attack before you may consider adopting a more defensive/positional approach. Therefore I recommend sticking to e4 for now. it will help with all the basic opening principles: development, control of the centre etc.. and also it gives you a chance to practice tactics. It is recommended right up until expert level to devour as much tactics as you can (within a balanced approach of openings, endgames, and strategy) and the game won't be as tactically based using this type of opening. | |||||
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1... e5 2. e3 |
Already out of as much 'book' as there is for this opening, only 2 moves in. Perhaps over-preparing. That DSB will be entombed throughout the majority of the game and d4 straight away would have been better IMO (sticking to Caro Kann mainline, but of course with a degree more initiative). Your DSB will be locked in the pawn chain for some time, but after d4 you would have had the chance of soon Bf4 and then e3 can be played with the advantage of 2 'good' Bishops. | |||||
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2... d5 |
Sensible developing and space-gaining moves. Let's pause and compare the 2 positions: My Bishops are free to develop with lots of open lines and my pieces can come rushing out with ease. While your position is comparatively cramped and as proved in the game, developing will not be easy. On the upside, your pawn structure is solid and could be a potential endgame advantage. | |||||
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3. d4 |
Good. After the preparation, not playing it would be a mistake. | |||||
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3... Nc6 4. Nf3 e4 5. Nfd2 |
I would be getting a bit worried right now. This is getting serious! | |||||
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5... Nf6 |
Nice and simple, nothing fancy. Developing my pieces to their best squares. Your advantage of moving 1st has just about evaporated now. | |||||
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6. Be2 Bd6 7. b4 |
Not bad at all, trying to gain some space on the Q-Side. You should be thinking about ways of getting your DSB off the board, it's causing you nothing but trouble.. | |||||
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7... O-O 8. Bb5 |
?? Sorry, but that's definitely a double question mark move. This makes 6. Be2 a waste of time and also What does it threaten? To exchange your good Bishop for a Knight. Instead 8. b5! is noteworthy Na5 9. Ba3 and you have succeeded in getting that DSB traded for one of my 'good' Bishops. | |||||
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8... Ne7 |
I think reviewing this move I should have allowed the favorable exchange Bishop for Knight.. My motivation for this was that my Knight has a lot of potential on the strong outpost of f5, after careful consideration I decided perhaps wrongly to play it. | |||||
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9. Ba4 |
Anticipating a6 or c6? However it's best to wait for this to happen before retreating. More vital tempo is going down the drain. | |||||
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9... c6 |
Preparing a b5 advance to try and limit any counter-play on the Q-Side, stopping any ideas of b5 from you as 10. b5 cxb5 and your c-pawn is backward on a half-open file. And obviously releases my Queen. | |||||
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10. O-O |
?? Castling straight into the attack. However there is not much you can do to save the game anyway. | |||||
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10... Nf5 |
Preparing a classic Bishop sacrifice on h2: 11. Bxh2 12. Kxh2 Nxe3! 13. fxe3 Ng4 14. (a) Kg1 Qh4 15. Rf4 Qh2 16. Kf1 Nxe3 etc.. (b) Kh1 Qh4 15. Kg1 Qh2# (c) 14. Kg3 Qc7 15. Kh4 (15. Kh3 Qh2#) Qh2 16. Kg5 h6# (Qh6# works also) (d) Kh3 Nxe3 etc.. I had this all worked out, but actually I could have played it straight away!: 10. Bxh2 Kxh2 11. Ng4 etc.. and although I can't get the win with quite as much force, I can afford to take my time: that King's going nowhere and is just waiting to die. | |||||
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11. g3 |
Well spotted! That's vision from a player above your rating. However it does nothing to change the course of the game. This is an almost certain win from here and it weakens the light squares around your King, which probably can't be helped. (11. Kh1 Bxh2 12. g3 seems to trap my Bishop, but Bxg3 12. fxg3 Nxg3etc..) | |||||
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11... b5 |
My plan now is h7-h5-h4 and I can always maneuver my Rook to h8 if backup is needed. I want to squeeze everything out of the position however, so I'm taking time to try and shut down any last embers of a Q-Side counter-attack that are still there and trap both Bishops in the corner of the board and virtually out of play. Also note that it's move 11 and while my attack is building, your whole Q-Side still sits undeveloped! Another thing to note is that where there would normally be a defensive Knight on f3 covering h2, there is a hole. So it's desperation but maybe you would want to play Re1 and Nf1, although a downside is it cuts off your King's escape square and is giving in to passive defense. Not a lot else you can do however, but sit, wait and hope I slip up somewhere down the line. Another plan for me was Nh6 and my Bishop can come to g4 and then f4 or straight to h3 and completely undermine the K-Side light squares, also either Knight can take up a tasty and powerful square on g4: piling on the pressure. | |||||
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12. Bb3 Qc7 |
No rush to play h5, you are going nowhere. Qc7 makes its advance more powerful. | |||||
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13. a4 |
Good move. At least you are trying to create some sort of resistance. It comes to nothing though, the a-file half-opening is of no consequence to me. However there was nothing else in the position for you. | |||||
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13... Ba6 |
Still stalling h5. However I couldn't pass up the opportunity of likely putting my Bishop on the powerful f1-a6 diagonal cutting almost straight through the centre of the board and opening up a discovered attack on your Rook (although flawed as you will see in my comment on his next move). Although I didn't play it for the cheap trick of 14. bxa4 15. Bxa4(say) bxf1 that I didn't expect you to fall for. I also wanted to provoke you into the 'easy way out' of 14. a5 (I would have just moved my Bishop back to c8 and carried on my assault on your King's position) which I expected you to do and it was a good sign that you didn't: because when complications arise, most beginners resort to closing the position; probably because the calculation required in an open position they think is too hard for them and it seems to be easy on the brain to get into a 'safe' closed game (I'm not dissing a closed game, just many weak players like it for the wrong reasons). Here you realized correctly that you must try and create complications on the Q-Side and open it up at all costs. Unfortunately you blundered when you had a combination staring you in the face which does cause me a few complications.. Try to find it, you'll be kicking yourself!.. | |||||
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14. Na3 |
? Obviously basically loses the game on the spot. The correct combination to recover the situation somewhat was 14. axb5 Bxb5 15. c4- :) pretty obvious really I can't believe we both missed it dxc4 16. Bc2 Bxb4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 and although I'm technically a pawn up, my Q-Side pawn structure has been significantly weakened and my c4-pawn will surely soon fall as well. | |||||
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14... bxa4 |
Lucky me! | |||||
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