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ANNOTATED GAME
Die Hard: It's always too early to resign
ian_want (1452) vs. nathanman22 (1517)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo
(2332)
Chess opening: English opening (A20)
ian_want (1452) vs. nathanman22 (1517)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo
(2332)
Chess opening: English opening (A20)
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Annotated "on request", but a an exciting game in which black shows all his aggressive inclinations. Still within an English Opening, Black launches a premature attack that swiftly drops a piece. Thereafter he keeps returning to the fray, losing more material, always driven off, but never quite giving White the opportunity to consolidate a winning advantage. After a slip at move 25 (Nf5?) loses half his advantage, White holds on well for another 20 moves. But just as Black seems to be running out of resources, White makes another slip... Not what you'd call master chess, this, but great spectator sport. Watch. | ||||||
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1. c4 |
For many years my favorite: my stock opening move in OTB and CC. | |||||
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1... e5 |
A good response. It can lead to Reversed Sicilians, which is not especially desirable for White, but there are other possibilties... | |||||
| 4 comments | ||||||
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2. g3 |
The move order is flexible here. I used to play 2.Nc3 then 3.g3, but there's nothing wrong with White's choice. | |||||
| 1 comment | ||||||
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2... Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bc5 |
Possibly 4....Bb4 or 4...Be7 are better choices. Sooner or later, White will want to expand on the Q-wing, and the c5-square for the bishop will tend to accelerate that expansion. This indeed happens in the game, though not in the usual circumstances... | |||||
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5. d3 |
I used to like 5.e3 here, but the text is OK. | |||||
| 4 comments | ||||||
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5... Ng4 |
(?) Premature. The sequel indicates that Black had more in mind than a cheap kight-fork threat, but miscalculated badly... | |||||
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6. e3 |
Repulsing the attack at once. Black remains unconvinced. | |||||
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6... Qf6 |
(??) Simply having overlooked the discovered attack on the g4-knight! | |||||
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7. Qxg4 Nb4 |
(?!) A piece down, Black judges 2 tempi a reasonable price to induce White to recall the queen. It's hard to say he's wrong in the circumstances, but ...d6 was probably a better choice. | |||||
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8. Qd1 d6 9. a3 |
Presenting the bill. White gets a very quick expansion on the Q-side, altogether desirable from his point of view. | |||||
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9... Nc6 10. b4 |
See my note to Black's 4th. | |||||
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10... Bb6 11. Nd5 Qe6 |
(?!) Possibly 11...Qd8 is preferable, as that potential for a family check at c7 could become dangerous... | |||||
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12. Qc2 |
(?!) Worth considering was 12.a4 with the idea 12...a5 13.c5! | |||||
| 3 comments | ||||||
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12... O-O 13. Nxb6 |
(?!) White is starting to neglect his development. There was nio need to be in such a hurry to exchange a well posted knight for a moribund bishop, however desirable exchanges usually are when a piece ahead. Here, too, Black gets a useful file opened for his a-rook. More in keeping were developing moves like 13.Nf3 or 13.Ne2 or 13.Bb2. | |||||
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13... axb6 14. c5 |
(?) A mistake that Black also misses. | |||||
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14... Re8 |
(?!) Better is to exploit the half-pin on the a-file: 14...Nxb4! It's no more than a raid, but a pawn's a pawn for a' tha'. | |||||
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15. cxb6 |
15.b5! | |||||
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15... Nd4 |
(?) Ingenious. It seems almost a pity to give it a '?' but White can get away simply with taking the knight: 16.exd4 exd4ch 17.Ne2 etc. Instead, 15...Nxb4! still wins a pawn. | |||||
| 2 comments | ||||||
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16. Qxc7 |
(!?) This allows Black to save his d4-knight, though a piece and two pawns to the good ought to be enough to win! 16...Nb3 17.Rb1 Nxc1 18.Qxc1... | |||||
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16... Qb3 |
"Oh, sir, but I insist!" | |||||
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