Chester 3 v Malpas & Oswestry 1
Colm Buckley (ECF178) vs. Charles L Higgie (ECF176)
Annotated by:
charleshiggie
(2194)
Chess opening:
Gruenfeld (D87), exchange, Spassky variation
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1. d4
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So my second match of the season, with black against a player with a slightly higher grading. |

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1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5
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I play a Grünfeld Defence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%BCnfeld_Defence |

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4. cxd5
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He plays the exchange variation. |

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4... Nxd5
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I take back. |

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5. e4
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He claims the centre. |

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5... Nxc3
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I take. |

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6. bxc3
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He takes back. |

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6... Bg7
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I complete the fianchetto. |

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7. Bc4
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He plays the old main line. An alternative, not necessarily better or worse, is the combination of Be2, Nf3 and Rb1. |
1 comment
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7... O-O
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I castle. |

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8. Ne2
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The usual follow-up to Bc4. White prevents the pin Bc8-g4, which can now be simply met with f3, which white couldn't do if the knight went to f3. |

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8... c5
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I hit his centre. |

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9. Be3
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The bishop needs to move to e3 to give greater support to d4, but it may have been better to play 0-0 first to avoid the simplification that now follows. |

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9... cxd4
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I take. |

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10. cxd4
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He takes back. |

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10... Qa5+
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This is why he maybe should have castled on move 9. |

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11. Qd2
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Queen blocks. |
2 comments
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11... Qxd2+
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I take. |

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12. Kxd2
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King takes back. In the endgame it is better to keep the king in the centre. |
2 comments
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12... Nc6
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Attacking d4 again. |

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