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ANNOTATED GAME
Czech Benoni Challenge
ionadowman (2042) vs. doctor_knight (1433)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo
(2334)
Chess opening: Czech Benoni (A56), King's Indian system
ionadowman (2042) vs. doctor_knight (1433)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo
(2334)
Chess opening: Czech Benoni (A56), King's Indian system
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This was a species of training game for my opponent, who wanted to try out the Czech Benoni as a possible addition to his opening repertoire... | |||||
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1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 |
A crazy-looking move to a beginner's eyes (well, it was to mine when I first saw it!), but the Benoni lines this move foreshadows are some of the most aggressive lines at Black's disposal. | ||||
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3. d5 |
White's most dynamic response. Moves like 3.Nf3 or 3.e3 are considered tame - if not downright pusillanimous. | ||||
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3... e5 |
This is the move that usually heralds the Czech Benoni, although from here the game could still transpose into King's Indian Defence lines... White doesn't usually advance the d-pawn here, attractive though the idea looks, as on d6 the pawn becomes isolated and lost. | ||||
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4. Nc3 d6 |
Preventing further advance of White's d-pawn... | ||||
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5. e4 Be7 |
It is this move that really identifies Black's opening as a Czech Benoni (named for the Czech masters who explored it - Hort, Jansa and Kavalek). Black has in mind to exchange this bishop for White's c1-bishop at g5, given the chance. The downside is that the thematic break, ...f5, will require considerable preparation to bring about. This preparation is likely to involve playing ...g6 so as to recapture on f5 with a pawn. Though Black's manoeuvres are often slow and tortuous, it transpires that it's not so easy for White to take advantage of this. This game turns out to be in its early stages a good demonstration of the respective strategies, but, later, also of what can happen if Black mistimes his thematic break. | ||||
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6. Bd3 |
White has a big choice here, and the move played is neither the most common, nor necessarily the best. Also playable were Nf2; Nge2; f3 or f4; or g3 or h3. Bill Hartston remarked that White's possible plans are numerous, and not easy to categorise. The bishop move is aimed specifically against Black's intended ...f5 break. | ||||
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6... O-O |
Also playable was 6...Nbd7 | ||||
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7. h3 |
It is more usual here to develop the g1-knight to f3 or e2. My plan in this game was to play as aggressively as I could on the K-side, just to test how good - or otherwise - Black's defensive prospects really were. This pawn advance is much less concerned with stopping ...Bg4 than to support the advance g2-g4, aiming at inhibiting the ...f5 break in the short term, and maybe foreshadowing a pawn storm further ahead, or at least the opening of lines for White's rooks. | ||||
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7... Ne8 |
One of the moves recommended by Hartston against White's set up (the other recommendation being the equally thematic 7...Nbd7). The idea is not only to free the f-pawn, but also, after ...g6, to bring this knight to g7 whence it will also support the f-pawn's advance to f5. | ||||
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8. Nf3 |
g2-g4 can wait... | ||||
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8... Nd7 9. g4 g6 |
An important decision, though its implications have already been discussed. True, it constitutes a weakening of Black's K-side - the dark squares around the King - but it also presents a target at g6 if ever White gets a pawn roller going. What are the prospects of that though? Such a pawn storm proves difficult to arrange, as you will see. | ||||
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10. Bh6 |
Developing with an apparent gain in tempo. But Black's response is to place a knight precisely where Black wants him. The pin is no real inconvenience to Black... | ||||
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10... Ng7 11. Qd2 |
(!?) Bolstering the bishop, and with the idea that the Q might eventually gain access to h6. The Q-move also enables the long castling, or at least bringing the a1-rook into play... | ||||
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11... Nf6 |
(!?) Solid defence. Possibly this was one occasion that Black might have contemplated some sort of Q-side action - 11...Qa5, say. But the move played is thematic, and has the potential (as the sequel will show) to force a decision upon the future of the h6-bishop. | ||||
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12. Ke2 |
(!?) The alternative was 12.0-0-0, which might actually be the better choice, as it happens. But I didn't want a "castling on opposite sides" game and in fact felt that the K was probably safer in the middle squares. | ||||
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12... Kh8 |
Preparing to drive out the intrusive bishop by 13...Ng8, perhaps? | ||||
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13. Rag1 |
Overt aggression - a.k.a. telegraphing ones punches. So far White is just heaping up his forces ready to attack, but has no clear plan of attack just yet... | ||||
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13... Nfe8 |
(!?) An unexpected decision. Did Black apprehend that White might take on g7? After [A] 13...Ng8 14.Bxg7+!? Kxg7 White might have launched into an all out assault: 15.h4 Nf6 16.h5 Bxg4 17.hxg6 Bxf3+! 18.Kxf3 fxg6 19.Qh6+ Kf7! and it's not easy to discover how White can reinforce his attack. The WK probably will have to get off the f-file soon (like, now) but after 20.Ke2 Qb6!, White has to think about defence. What if the h6-bishop retreats, then? [B] 13...Ng8 14.Be3 f5! - the sought-after pawn break! - 15.gxf5 gxf5 16.exf5 Nxf5 17.Bg5 Nd4+ 18.Nxd4 cxd4 19.Ne4 Bf5 20.h4 ... White doesn't seem to have made a whole lot of progress. Either way, Black seems to emerge with a roughly even game ... at least. OK, then, how about White's third alternative, to allow the bishop to be taken? Let's try a waiting move [C]: 13...Ng8 14.b3!? (there might be a better waiting move, but this will do for our purposes): 14...Nxh6!? 15.Qxh6 Bd7 (developing) 16.h4 f6! 17.Ng5!? fxg5 18.hxg5 Bxg4+! (18...Nh5?! 19.gxh5 does look strong for White) 19.Rxg4 Nh5 20.Rxh5 gxh5 21.Qxh5 Rg8 and although a terrific battle continues to rage on the K-side, Black seems to be holding his own. This, clearly, must be the crucial point of the game. | ||||
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14. Qc2 |
Anticipating ...f5... | ||||
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14... f5 |
(?!/?) ...which duly comes. During the game I was a little surprised, in view of my previous move, but still thought the move was pretty much OK. Now I think otherwise. I identified a couple of later moves that did seem to harm Black's position, but the moves I recommended turned out to be no better, which suggested (in retrospect) that in fact this pawn break had come at the wrong time. As there was no opportunity to play this earlier, then it had to wait. For what? I'm not sure I have a good answer to that question! | ||||
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