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ANNOTATED GAME
Chess in the Sun Tournament - Group 2
eludens (2226) vs. pablodiscobar (1972)
Annotated by: pablodiscobar (2075)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B90), Najdorf, Lipnitzky attack
eludens (2226) vs. pablodiscobar (1972)
Annotated by: pablodiscobar (2075)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B90), Najdorf, Lipnitzky attack
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1. e4 c5 |
Instead of answering with a central pawn like e5 or d5, black plays c5 attacking the d square, preventing white to play d4 immediately. Off course playing 2.d4 is still possible but if I were white I would follow it up with a pawn sacrifice by playing c3. This ends up in: 1.e4-c5 2.d4-cxd4 3.c3. Black can now accept the sacrifice, but I never do, because white creates a lot more space on his queens side. It's not a disadvantage, but I prefer a more enclosed type of game and I'd rather not give away too much space from the start. As for 3.Qxd4, it's just a bad move. You do not want to expose your queen too early in the game and certainly not when the other player can develop while attacking it. | ||||
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2. Nf3 d6 |
My personal favourite, however 2....-Nc6 or e6 are possible as well. | ||||
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3. d4 |
The most played move by white resulting in the Open Sicilian. | ||||
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3... cxd4 |
You can off course decline taking the pawn and follow up with 3....-Nf6. But you'll end up capturing it in the next move anyway, so just capture it at this moment. | ||||
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4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 |
Najdorf variation. My personal favourite. The idea behind a6 is that black wants to play e5 eventually, to chase the white knight off the d4 square and gain position in the centre. However playing it right of the bat, without a6 is not a good idea. White can play: 5....-e5 6.Bb5-Nbd7 7. Nf5-a6 8.Bxd7-Qxd7. With 6....-Bb7 the outcome is the same. White has a much stronger position at this point. A lot of space first of all and pieces that develop easily. In fact white only needs to castle and develop Bc1. Whereas black still needs to make space to develop his bishops. Still it's being played and I believe it's even a variation, but I don't know the name. I wouldn't recommend it though. By playing 5...-a6 black prevents in fact any piece from taking position at b5. Which is positive because Sicilian often ends up in a race between white and black. White attacking the kings side. Black attacking the queens side. 5...-a6 prepares that attack for black | ||||
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6. Bc4 |
Number of choices for white here: 6.Be3 is usually followed by e5. This is the main line and the easiest for white since he only needs to get the queen out of the way to d2 to castle on the queens side. Off course he will first need to move the knight from d4 to a more passive square. The attack for white continues then by playing f3 followed by g4. I believe that when you don't play the Dragon Sicilian, you shouldn't be to afraid of the pawn storm by white on the kings side. 6. Bg5 or Bc4 is followed by e6. The only reason I can think of, is that both moves gain a certain control over d5. Bc4 directly, and Bg5 by pinning the knight. You don't want that square to be weak in the first opening moves. So you play e6 | ||||
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6... e6 7. Bb3 |
White feels b5 coming and moves his bishop out of the way. A common played move at this point. The bischop also remains it's aim at the kings side for a later attack. Trying to prevent b5 by playing a4 is not a good option, I'd say. It would result in: 7.a4-Nxe4 8.Nxe4-d5 9.bxd5-Qxd5. White has now 2 knights in the centre, but no pawns and those knights can be easily chased by playing f5 somewhere down the line. Black also has an incredible amount of space to move around. | ||||
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7... Nbd7 |
b5 is also possible at this point. But white is going to play f4 and Qf3. So you want to have played b5 and your knight to c5 by then. White's idea is to push the pawn on the f-line further up the board. You want to be ahead of him with your pawn on the b-line. Playing Nc5 also keeps pressure on whites pawn on e4. | ||||
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8. f4 |
Standard play. I wouldn't play f3 to be followed up by g4, because you're going to be late. Black will push more pieces out like Nc5 and also move up the pawn on the b-line. | ||||
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8... Nc5 9. Qf3 b5 10. f5 b4 |
Blacks pawn is obviously more threatening so the knight needs to get out of the way. | ||||
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11. Na4 |
By playing Na4, I'm obligated to capture the bishop on b3. However I was going to anyway, since I would like to play e5 further down the line and I'd rather be rid of this bishop aimed at my kings side and the unprotected d5 square. | ||||
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11... Nxb3 12. axb3 e5 |
Again moving my pawn in a better position while attacking one of his pieces. He looses a tempo while I gain one by developing a piece. Remember I'm far behind due to the pawn play in the beginning of the opening. Whites pawn on e4 also becomes weak and as for my weaker pawn on d6: it is not under any attack at the moment and can be easily defended. The f5 move has opened up an extra line for an attack on my kings side. So I decided to postpone going for the castle. | ||||
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13. Ne2 Bb7 |
Developing a piece and attacking the e4 square at the same time. Sometimes chess does not have to be difficult. Develop your pieces into a strong position and make your opponent loose tempos by keeping the pressure on his weaker points. If you don't see the attack immediately, position your pieces on easy defensible squares, and wait for your opponent to create the opening. Off course this is situation dependent. If you wait too long your opponent has an advantage in the end game | ||||
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14. Ng3 Qc7 |
again attacking an undefended point. According to the computer analysis, I should have played: 14.Ng3-Nxe4 if white accepts the sacrifice: 15. Nxe4-Qh4+ 16.Kf1-Qxe4 gaining a pawn. | ||||
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15. c3 d5 |
Prevents c5 and more importantly prevents cxb4. If played it will be followed up by Bxb4+ gaining another tempo | ||||
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16. exd5 Bxd5 17. Qe2 Bxb3 18. Bd2 |
White starts to think about defending rather than attacking. Usually a good sign. Although I think white could have played this stronger. Nevertheless. Black has a lot of advantages. Open c en d lines for the rooks. A bishop on the dark squares that can easily move around and attack the kings side. A pawn on the e line that isn't blocked by an opposing pawn. White doesn't immediately have an attack. | ||||
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18... Nd5 |
Moving my knight to a centre square and adding more pressure to the attack on c3, plus defending the pawn on b4 | ||||
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19. Ne4 |
Qe4 would have been better. | ||||
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19... Qc4 |
Should have played Qc6. But I was too excited about gaining the advantage that I might as well trade of the queens and head off into the mid game. | ||||
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20. Qxc4 Bxc4 21. Nac5 bxc3 22. bxc3 |
Bxc3 would have been better. White does loose the bishop in exchange for a knight, but with the pawn on c3, whites bishop no longer has a line to the right side of the board (from blacks perspective) Opens up the b-line as well for my rooks further down the line. | ||||
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