Annotated chess game: A Dignified Ending

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ANNOTATED GAME

A Dignified Ending
blake84120 (1338) vs. mossyface (1411)
Annotated by: blake84120 (1200)
Chess opening: Ruy Lopez (C64), classical defence, 4.c3

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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3	Ruy Lopez, Classical Defense (or Cordel Defense). 4.c3 is the recommended move, preparing for d4 and a strong pawn center.



4... Qf6 5. O-O	Black went a little off script here, so it's time to improvise. No reason not to follow some solid opening principles.



5... h5 6. d3	d4 is way too covered, but I want my bishop to gain some freedom, so d3 was the best 2nd choice, although I considered a fianchetto at b2 to add more threat on d4.
	1 comment nuntar (1702) on 08-Jan-09: 5... h5? is premature; Black is too underdeveloped to have any chance at a real attack this early, and all the move will achieve is weakening his king's refuge.


6... Qd6 7. Nbd2	I'm not really sure what 6. ... Qd6 was about. My pawn at d3 is twice defended and awkward for him to get even a 2nd attacker on it. Maybe he didn't want me to threaten his queen with 7. Bg5 but it seems to me he could easily play Qd6 when and if I play Bg5 - it didn't seem necessary to run away beforehand. As played, black seems to be losing a tempo for no real gain. Now there is little point to 7. Bg5, so I bring out my knight first, looking at c4 as a good home for a knight, maybe even gaining another tempo as I chase away the black queen that didn't need to move to d6 in the first place.



7... f6 8. Nc4 Qf8 9. d4	It looks like white has gained a lot of tempi here, having developed 4 pieces to black's 2 and with a much stronger center presence. Time to shake things up a bit.



9... exd4 10. cxd4 Bb6 11. Nxb6	No real reason for the exchange of a strong knight for a weak bishop, but I see the possibility of exposing a pin against black's knight at c6.
	1 comment nuntar (1702) on 08-Jan-09: Excellent move! See my next note.


11... axb6 12. Bf4 d6 13. d5	Ta da! I'm kind of expecting 13. ...Ra5 here, and planning a4 to defend the bishop.
	1 comment nuntar (1702) on 08-Jan-09: 12... d6 looks like a blunder, but letting White take the c7 pawn leaves Black's pawn structure in ruins. Was 11... cxb6 any better? It leaves the d-pawn isolated and difficult to advance, and thus condemns the bishop to a long night's babysit.


13... g5 14. Bd2	Black stalls, so I prevent Ra5.



14... Bg4 15. dxc6	And now black cannot play 15. ... Pxc6, because after 16. Bxc6 white forks the king and rook and will win the exchange.
	1 comment nuntar (1702) on 08-Jan-09: Black is panicking after making a mistake. As you point out, 13... Ra5 looked better (Black certainly doesn't need to weaken his pawns on both wings!) and 14... Bd7 was certainly better than 14... Bg4.


15... Ra5 16. cxb7+	Black's rook is en prise, and I can easily win the exchange, but white has a much better move - a zwischezug before capturing the rook. The move as played exposes a discovered check by white's bishop at B5, but black cannot afford to capture the undefended bishop because if 16. ... Rxb5??, then 17. Pb8=Q . Black must move his king to allow his queen to prevent the pawn's promotion.
	1 comment nuntar (1702) on 08-Jan-09: Another horrible mistake from Black, perfectly taken advantage of.


16... Ke7 17. Bxa5	And now the rook falls.



17... bxa5 18. Qb3	White has won a knight and pawn, and won the exchange, and the threat of Pb8=Q looms large. Black has only one developed piece. White needs to find a way to make big things happen while I'm so far in the lead, materially and positionally. The move as played seems like a good way to prepare to protect my advanced pawn while also putting pressure on the long diagonal from a2 to g8.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 08-Jan-09: Put succinctly, White is a rook and pawn ahead, for which Black can point to no compensating advantage.


18... Be6 19. Bc4	Black closes the diagonal, and now I prepare to exchange material.



19... Bxc4 20. Qxc4 c5 21. Nd4	A slick move, if I do say so myself. I am threatening 22. Qe6 which forces black onto his back rank, blocking his queen from defending b8, which allows my advanced pawn to promote without being instantly captured (and possibly with instant checkmate as an added bonus). If black accepts the sacrifice by 21. ... Pxd4, white responds with 22. Qc8 and wins the black queen.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 08-Jan-09: 22. Qc7+ would be a slight improvement on 22. Qc8, though of course the latter also wins easily. jalis999 (1200) on 11-Jan-09: after 22. Qc8 Nh6, it looks like he cant promote, but after the queen trade, black is a rook and an exchange down


21... Kd7 22. Qb5+	Black avoided both potential losses I described previously, but the move he chose is no better. He is now in check, and cannot move to the back rank which allows 23. b8=Q Ke8, 24. Q(b5)b7 . If he moves away from white's pawn with 22. Ke8, white simply plays b8=Q and wins with a crushing material advantage.



22... Kc7 23. Ne6+	Black chose to chase the advanced pawn so that both his king and queen could cover b8 and prevent the promotion, but now white has Mate in 3. The knight is forking the king and queen, and black only has one square to which his beleaguered king can run.



23... Kb8 24. Qa6	I could take the undefended queen, but why bother? In fact, 24. Nxf8? deserves a ? in this position. Not counting deliberate queen sacrifices, how often is capturing a free queen the inferior move? As played, white threatens 25. Qa8 and there's nothing black can do to stop it.
	1 comment nuntar (1702) on 08-Jan-09: A beautiful finish.


24... Qc8 25. Qa8#	A trooper to the end, black saves his queen from the knight and now threatens 25. ... Qxb7 to eliminate the advanced pawn. I guess he is hoping white won't play either of his two mating moves in this position. I could have chosen 25. Pxf8=Q , but that felt like rubbing salt in my opponent's wound, so I left him the dignity of retaining his queen so his king can fall with his lovely bride by his side.