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ANNOTATED GAME
Eyes bigger than your stomach?
robertb3079 (1987) vs. ethansiegel (1745)
Annotated by: ethansiegel
(1986)
Chess opening: Ruy Lopez (C69), exchange variation, Alapin gambit
robertb3079 (1987) vs. ethansiegel (1745)
Annotated by: ethansiegel
(1986)
Chess opening: Ruy Lopez (C69), exchange variation, Alapin gambit
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Robert, briefly my teammate, holds the dubious distinction of being the highest rated player on GK I've ever beaten. This, however, is *not* that victory. He challenged me to a rematch, and I decided that my best bet was to play my aggressive style and open things up. I seem to get a good attack going, but he defends and my attack fizzles; I'm then faced between going to an inferior endgame or trying for a perpetual check -- which he sees through, and I'm done for after only 28 moves.
Let's see if I can learn anything from annotating this... | ||||||
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1. e4 |
I'm pretty familiar with this territory so far... | |||||
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1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 |
Aah, the Ruy Lopez. I'm familiar with many of the lines, but in a game against someone this much better than me, I decide to go with what I know best... | |||||
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3... a6 |
The Morphy defense. I'm a practicioner of the Marshall Gambit when white plays into that, which would continue 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. c3, and then instead of the usual 8. ...d6, black can play d5!, getting a good attack for the sacrificed pawn. | |||||
| 1 comment | ||||||
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4. Bxc6 |
But white doesn't allow this. The exchange variation is an interesting one, because it gives black doubled pawns but also gives him the bishop pair. What this means to me is that I need to develop quickly and make the most of my pieces on an open board -- if white can close the game or get to an endgame, my doubled pawns will put me at a disadvantage (as I learned in a couple of my losses to alabamaboy) | |||||
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4... dxc6 |
Otherwise, if 4. ...bxc6, 5. Nxe5 wins a pawn for white. In this case, Nxe5 will be met by Qd4!, winning back the pawn with advantage. | |||||
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5. O-O |
Now, Nxe5 is a real threat, and black's king is a long way from castled. | |||||
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5... Bg4 |
!? This is a move that I like, although there are other, safer ones. This, I feel, seeks to maximize the bishops. | |||||
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6. h3 |
Trying to drive the bishop away, or force an exchange. | |||||
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6... h5 |
!? This is the best try. The bishop shouldn't be taken, as a line like 7. hxg4 hxg4 8. Nxe5?? loses in gruesome fashion to Qh4!, where there is no good defense to Qh2# and Qh1#; after 9. f4, g3 leaves white without hope. However, 7. hxg4 hxg4 could be okay, *if* white is willing to jettison the knight to defend. Robert has a better move, though. | |||||
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7. d3 |
Opening up the diagonal for the bishop, which allows for both attack and defense. I know my best shot for victory here is on the kingside, so I go for... | |||||
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7... Qf6 |
Black's plan is obvious, but can I get enough going quickly enough to win here? And what is the best plan? Pawn storm? Can I get the knight into action quickly enough to be effective? Qf6 is not without danger, to be sure, but if white tries to drive the queen off now, with something like Bg5?, Bxf3 wins for black (8. Bg5 Bxf3 9. Bxf6 Bxd1 and black is up a piece for a pawn.) | |||||
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8. Nbd2 |
This move is necessary to allow the queen to move, but blocks in the dark-squared bishop. At this point, I thought of lots of options, including Rh6 (with the idea of Rg6, Bxh3, etc.), g5 (an all-out kingside storm), and 0-0-0 (getting my king to safety and getting the queen's rook into action). In hindsight, I'm not sure I made the right call. | |||||
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8... g5 |
0-0-0 looks better here to me, as the pawn storm is premature with the entire black kingside still at home, and the queen blocking the f6 square and the f7 pawn. At least I'm not on the defensive, for the time being. | |||||
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9. Rb1 |
? The only question mark I can give to Robert's play in this game, as I don't see what this accomplishes. I can understand the desire to play b3 followed by Bb2, but this doesn't seem like it helps anything. | |||||
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9... Be6 |
At this point, I decided that, while it was still a bad idea for white to play hxg3 (an open h-file could be murderous here), this was the only logical follow-up to g5. In hindsight, it's a good try, but a move like 0-0-0 or a developing move from a kingside piece might still be better. | |||||
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10. Nc4 |
...going after the e5 pawn. | |||||
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10... g4 |
Go ahead and take it, I say. After Nfxe5, gxh3 looks menacing for black. | |||||
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11. Ng5 |
Trying to exchange off a key attacking piece. I don't see anything particularly good here for black, even in hindsight. Perhaps Bd7 would be better, keeping the bishop on and leaving white's knight awkwardly placed. But I was in a rush here, trying to press the attack as hard as I could, and played... | |||||
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11... Bh6 |
?! Allowing the exchange. The rationale I had was that after Nxe6, I can play fxe6, and then if Bxh6, I have my pick of Rxh6 or Nxh6, giving me good kingside attacking chances. | |||||
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12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. d4 |
Oh! Didn't see this pawn sacrifice coming; this gets white's queen into the game and makes me curse myself for not playing 0-0-0 earlier. The major problem with attacking too early is that your opponent is forced to make good moves -- when you build up an attack, the moves that will defend against it are harder to find! | |||||
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