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ANNOTATED GAME
a TINY LITTLE move
igd13 (1653) vs. bigjim (1758)
Annotated by: igd13 (1774)
Chess opening: QGD Slav (D15), Schlechter variation
igd13 (1653) vs. bigjim (1758)
Annotated by: igd13 (1774)
Chess opening: QGD Slav (D15), Schlechter variation
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1. d4 |
This game is a very clear demonstration of why the loss of a king's fianchettoed bishop can have such a weakening effect, and it also demonstrates the power of a very sudden change in direction of attack. | ||||
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1... d5 2. c4 c6 |
Slav defense to the Queen's gambit. With the gambit 2. c4 white attempts to remove the defending pawn at d5 by temping it with the gambit, in order to make way for the white e-file pawn's advancement that will secure the centre. With 2...c6, black prevents this, and keeps open the option of readily developing the white-squared bishop on the c8-h3 diagonal. | ||||
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3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 g6 |
Schlechter variation of this opening. The fianchettoed bishop in front of black's king in this variant has less effect than in some other openings, because white can often establish a strong line of pawns on the g1-a7 diagonal, which partially restricts the squares it could control. Black must endeavor to undermine the central white pawns. | ||||
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5. Bf4 Bg7 6. e3 |
Black can double white's pawns here by attacking the newly-developed bishop with the king-side knight and pawns, but it carries the risk of weakening the pawns in front of the black king, so black castles instead... | ||||
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6... O-O 7. h3 |
This move defends the f3 knight from being pinned by ...Bg4 and restricts movement of the black knight at f6, and also allows the retreat of white's black-squared bishop to h2, should it be attacked (by, say, Nh5). Playing white, I wanted to preserve this bishop as it has a nice row of pawns from f2 to d4 to slide along later in the game. However, the move 7. h3 is a bit slow and it risks a later bishop sacrifice (...Bxh3) attack from black. | ||||
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7... Bf5 8. Bd3 |
more common is 8. Qb3 - probably a sharper response to 7...Bf5 | ||||
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8... Bxd3 |
black feels compelled to take here because to move the Bishop backwards again would be a loss of tempo and there is no good alternative spot for the bishop anyway - it would restrict the movement of other pieces at e6 or d7. | ||||
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9. Qxd3 Nh5 |
Black is obviously niggled by the forward and aggressive looking bishop at f4, so tries to shift it. | ||||
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10. Bh2 |
The bishop retreats to a sneaky spot, leaving the knight in a very blocked location, but it does give the fianchettoed bishop at g7 the diagonal it likes to patrol. | ||||
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10... e6 11. c5 |
With 11. c5, white's black-squared bishop has plenty of backed-up movement for later in the game... | ||||
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11... b6 |
Black tries to spoil this | ||||
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12. b4 b5 13. O-O a5 |
now begins a tactical early mid-game where black spots an opening and goes for it down the a-file | ||||
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14. a3 Na6 15. Qd2 |
by 15. Qd2, white prevents his queen from being attacked by the knight after the pawn exchange and simultaneously defends the b4 pawn in a manner that might allow white to gain a strong passed-pawn in a few moves time... | ||||
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15... axb4 |
black has (temporary) power of the b4 square, so takes the pawn... | ||||
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16. axb4 Nxb4 17. Nxb5 |
White completes the exchange of pawns, and by doing it this way, white allows the possibility of gaining a strong passed pawn at c5, because if black now allows the knights to be exchanged by 17...cxb5 18. Qxb4, black will have trouble defending his isolated pawn at b5, and at the same time have to contend with the forward and defended passed white pawn at c5. | ||||
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17... Na6 |
so he goes back instead... | ||||
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18. Nd6 |
....giving white the tempo to move the knight to a very aggressive outpost (backed up by the handy bishop at h2) | ||||
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18... Nf6 |
Black's out-of-the-way knight has a long journey back to try to shift white's proud d6 knight... | ||||
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19. Rfc1 |
Here, white prepares to defend a later advance of a pawn down the c file, because the black pawn blocking the c file at c6 is "backward" and could be a point of weakness for black. | ||||
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19... Ne8 20. Nb7 |
White chooses to move the forward knight rather than allow the exchange, because it leaves the black pieces a bit cluttered and restricted on the back rank. | ||||
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