Annotated chess game: Alekhine Declined --- 2...d3 in Alekhine's defense

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ANNOTATED GAME

Alekhine Declined --- 2...d3 in Alekhine's defense
t-100imen (1385) vs. alisonhart (1226)
Annotated by: alisonhart (1111)
Chess opening: Alekhine's defence (B02), Maroczy variation

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1. e4 Nf6	I adore Alekhine's defense - this may be because it is an opening one is told repeatedly not to play, and its naysayers have a ver serious point. Unlike others of my pet openings (specifically Reti and the Dutch) - which are unpopular but still played at the grandmaster level - this one is specifically considered sub-standard, and many theoretical articles on the subject will say that Nf6 is not a serious reply to 1.e4. Nonetheless, I have found that it is, in fact, quite playable if you play it often and prepare well. The biggest problem with Alekhine's, in my opinion, is not the tempo loss from 2.e5 Nd5 but the sheer instability of the structure. Simply stated, you have to memorize variations - a lot of variations - because so many moves are playable for white and several of them lead to fundamentally different structures with a TON of tactical traps that either player can fall in to. The plus side to this memorization chore is that Alekhine is rare at all levels of play, and if you prepare, you will reach very sharp, very tactical positions which you know and your opponent does not - the result is that your opponent is busy calculating while you're still playing on book. This particular game is one I played against someone who usually plays more precisely than I do on the whole - he is consistently 100+ points higher rated, and a dedicated e4 player. The first time I used Alekhine's defense against him, he played 2.d3 and went on to win after squeezing out a middle game advantage (and I played a howling blunder at the end...oops). After that loss, I developed a refined system for 2.d3, and this game is, I think, a beautiful example of that preparation coming to fruition.



2. d3	? This variation is much better for black, I think - d3 cuts off the light square bishop whose job it is to hold up the squares weakened in the initial pawn advance. Nc3 is OK if you want to avoid some of the theory (though, on gameknot, the 'main line' of Alekhine - e4 Nf3, e5 Nd5, c5 Nb6, d4 d6, Nf3 Nc6 - is hardly ever played, so I have lines memorized for d3, f3, and Nc3 that I actually know better than what grandmasters consider the main line). In general, I think this move is typically played out of confusion - the opponent wants an e4 e5 position, so (s)he wastes a tempo pushing a pawn in order to encourage me to play e5 and transpose......however, I will never oblige - this is Sparta!!!



2... d5 3. exd5 Nxd5 4. c4 Nb6 5. Be3 Nc6 6. Bxb6	? My pawns will be doubled - this is true (and never resolved in this game), but one of the concessions made in the 2. d3 variation is that black will usually be able to get her hands on the d4 square and use it to stage an attack. If you're keeping score, the pawns have advanced (leaving weak squares behind them), the f1 bishop is controlling a pitiful ONE square, and the c1 bishop has been traded for a knight whose main job is to play decoy dummy. Once the dark square bishop is removed, I have two pieces pointing at that lovely d4 square - no pawns can protect it, and Nf3 is the only move that even pretends to keep it under control. This is going to be a difficult game for white....



6... axb6 7. a4 g6 8. b3 Bg7	! Look at that diagonal!! The bishop is controlling every square on it except the two occupied by my own pieces. Oh, and d4 is ripe for the taking!



9. Ra2 Nd4 10. h3	? I feel like Nf3 should have been played - pin be damned. This is a time to cut your losses, get d4 under control, and stop me from using the square as a base of operations.



10... c5	mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm - base of operations :)



11. Nc3 O-O 12. Nf3 Qd6 13. Ne4	? This attack serves no purpose as the tempo gain of forcing me to move the queen is totally offset by her ability to exploit the dark squares - she's only too happy to move deeper in to white's territory! The e4 square is great for knight if you can keep it there, but I also have an unused f pawn itching to jab from f5. All in all, this move, again, does not address the real problem: I'm fixed on d4, and, until you can kick me off of it, you'r'e going to have a difficult game



13... Qf4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. g3 Qe5 16. f4 Qe6 17. Qf3 f5	! As advertised - winning material by force



18. Re2 fxe4 19. Rxe4 Qc6 20. g4 Bf5	??? Just a dumb mistake - I failed to notice that the queen would have a check available (thus saving the rook from eminent death).............I'm just conceding a portion of my advantage for very little gain here.



21. gxf5 gxf5 22. Qg2+	! Winning material, taking back the initiative. So what if it didn't work out? I had a massive advantage out of the opening, and, in a closer game, this would have been the kind of tactic that immediately flips the advantage entirely in white's favor. Credit where due.



22... Kh8 23. Rxe7 Rae8 24. Rxe8	? Bad trade - the rook on h1 is doing NOTHING while the rook on e7 was truly a beast. This returns the initiative to my side of the table, and allows me to end the game with very little difficulty.



24... Rxe8+ 25. Kd1 Qe6 26. Be2 Qe3 27. Re1 Bc3	! This is actually the winning move - tiptoeing the attack one square to the right (which is the king's escape territory) If you notice, it's also the first time I've remotely conceded the d4 square since winning it in the opening - I <3 that square in the 2 d3 Alekhine (and if you play 2 d3, I WILL kill you by grabbing d4 if you're not careful)



28. Bh5 Qxd3+	Forced mate in every line



29. Kc1 Rxe1+ 30. Bd1 Rxd1#
	1 comment drmra4 (1349) on 09-Nov-15: Very interesting and exciting annotation, Alisonhart You describe each play so well it almost makes me want to be beaten by you--ahem...that is, concede to your advances--I mean...what can I say? I would most certainly not want to resign! I apologize, I just had to have a little fun there, considering the comment on your biographical page. In all sincerity, I am really not a student of the game. I have never read a book on the subject; I know only one grandmaster, Kasparov, is it? Oh, and Fisher... or is it Fischer? I haven't even memorized any openings or any move beyond the first three moves of white's primary attack, e4, as you describe here. And I can name probably one or two defenses: Ruy something or other, and the Sicilian defense. But I couldn't begin to tell you what moves they purport to describe. No, I just make it up as I go along, kind of follow my nose, if you will. I do okay, for as little as I have played, especially since I didn't begin playing regularly until i found Gameknot a few years ago -and I love this site. I played a few games as a kid and in junior high against some friends but didn't play again until I was 49 years old! Having said that, I loved reading the annotation you just described, and I have a certain admiration and respect for those who are well read on the subject and who DO know the names of the attacks and defenses as well as the moves and the strategies behind them. I have always thought that rather than being a mediocre to slightly below average player, I could possibly be above average or even better, if I took the time to study the game. Would you happen to know of a good reference online that I could access to learn some of the basic attacks and defenses? And would you be interested in a match? Best of three games is the winner, maybe...What do you say? " drmra4 "