Annotated chess game: Challenge from jeich, http://gameknot.com/

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ANNOTATED GAME

Challenge from jeich, http://gameknot.com/
jeich (1780) vs. pcm1858 (1882)
Annotated by: jeich (1200)
Chess opening: French (C00), Wing gambit

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I hope this annotation will be helpful to our team members in the under 1400 rating category. Any advice from the higher rated players would be greatly appreciated.

1. e4

I like to open with 1. e4 as white. It stakes out central space and opens a line for my light squared bishop and queen to develop.

1... e6

The French defense is quite unfamiliar to me even though it is one I should know.

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2. Nf3

My first mistake already. I fail to recognize what needs to be done against the French defense. What is black up to? What should white be doing? White had an opportunity to build a large center (pawns on d4 and e4) and should have done so. I am so used to other openings where 2. Nf3 is appropriate that I honestly played it without really thinking the position through. What I should have considered is black's intention of attacking the e4 square. Watch my lack of options in the next moves.

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2... d5

This is the reason 2. Nf3 is not what I should have played. Now I can not play 3. d4 gaining central space since it drops the e-pawn. Defending the e-pawn with 3. d3 is very passive for white as it blocks in the light squared bishop....the logic behind 1. e4 is to open that diagonal so it is counterproductive to close it unless that is the only option. I didn't like 3. Nc3 to defend the e-pawn because of 3...d4 can remove the defender. As it turns out, I don't think 3. Nc3 is too bad here. If black does push the d-pawn with 3....d4 4. Nb5 gets the attacked knight to safety (for the moment) and attacks the d4 square a 2nd time (both knights hit the square) and is only defended by the queen. This pawn for black may prove to be overextended later in the game and the pressure on white's e4 pawn is gone.

3. exd5

I make a bad choice here (2 poor moves out of 3 already). Why is it so bad? Consider black's position after the recapture 3...exd5. Black has central space and open lines for both of its bishops to develop to. Before white captured on d5 with 3. exd5, black had a problem to solve....how to develop the light squared bishop? White just fixed that problem for black with 3. exd5.

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3... exd5

Black has already at least equalized.

4. d4

During the game I didn't realize how badly I played on moves 2 and 3. It's only now looking back that I see it. Good lesson for me. Remember, white should strive to build a large center and do everything possible to maintain it in the opening if black allows.

4... Bd6

Black fights for the e5 square and develops a piece (all thoughts on the center and development in the opening).

5. Bd3

White does the same. Develop and fight for the e4 square.

5... Nf6

Black develops, supports the d5 point, controls the e4 square a 2nd time, and makes room to castle short.

6. O-O O-O

Kings to safety and rooks closer to the center for both sides. In perfectly symmetric positions such as these, it is white that gets to strike first due to the privilege of the first move.

7. c4

I decided to push the c-pawn out two squares before developing my queenside pieces. If I play 7. Nc3 my c-pawn is immobilized and my opponent can pin my f3 knight with 7. Bg4. I feel like 7. c4 gives me flexibility in development.

7... dxc4 8. Bxc4

This keeps material even and pins the f7 pawn. My d-pawn is isolated (no friendly pawns on adjacent files) and on a half open file of my opponent. I will need to generate activity and avoid minor piece exchanges (this is what the owner of an isolated pawn should be thinking) or move 7. c4 will prove to be incorrect.

8... Nc6

Develops and hits the central dark squares e5 and d4.

9. Nc3

I considered 9. Bg5 pinning the f6 knight but did not want minor piece exchanges with an isolated pawn. 9....h6 puts the question to my bishop which I do not wish to part with so 9. Bg5 does not seem best here. 9. Nbd2 immobilizes my dark squared bishop so Nc3 seems like the way to go. Develop a minor piece and fight for the central light squares d5 and e4.

9... Re8

This proves to be too tempting for me during the game. I had a battle going on in my brain after my opponent made this move. My grounded fundamental chess mind said "finish development before going on any adventures" my fighting spirit said "the f7 square is exposed". Chess author Jeremy Silman calls it the mindless king hunter....that is what I became at this moment in the game.

10. Ng5

During the game, I loved this move. I felt my opponent would respond with 10...Be6 and I could exchange knight for bishop with 11. Nxe6...of course that gives black an isolated e-pawn because 11...fxe6 is the only possible recapture (11....Rxe6 12. d5! forks knight and rook).

10... Re7

I did not see this coming but I still thought I was in great shape. During the game my sense of danger about Bh2+ was constantly in the back of my mind. The black queen has an x-ray attack along the d-file....that is something I missed all the time when I was working my way up through the rating levels (especially with rooks). An x-ray attack (my understanding of it anyway) is when a linear piece's influence is being blocked by another piece (the linear piece sees right through the blocking piece, hence x-ray).....once that blocking piece moves, the linear piece's attack reigns down on the opponent position. This is especially dangerous when the blocking piece can deliver check on that move.

11. Re1

I thought 10....Re7 was a mistake due to 11. Re1. Black was still going to have to interpose the bishop to block my attack on the f7 square (so I thought).

11... Bg4

I missed this move!!! Why I missed it I have no idea. Maybe because I thought f3 would block the light squared bishop (and attack it at the same time forcing it to move). What I failed to consider was once it steps back to Bh5 it now protects the f7 square!!!

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