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ANNOTATED GAME
fatcat2 vs Computers: Game 1
fatcat2 vs. Star Chess
Annotated by: fatcat2 (1200)
Chess opening: King's Indian (E70), 4.e4
fatcat2 vs. Star Chess
Annotated by: fatcat2 (1200)
Chess opening: King's Indian (E70), 4.e4
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I have always been fascinated with the principles of how computers or PC programs can be made to play chess. I have decided to do a sort of "Grand Tour" playing against as many chess programs as I can find, annotating the games and posting them on GameKnot. fatcat2 vs Computers! Who will win overall? | |||||
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1. d4 |
Deciding to "start off slowly" my first game against the Computers was against a battered old handheld chess device, called "Star Chess", which is still going strong after 28 years. I had decided to play ALL the chess computers/programs I could find, and I could certainly find this one, albeit at the back of an old cupboard covered in dust. Let's see how our veteran handheld chess computer fares. Will it prove a worthy representative of the Computers? | ||||
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1... Nf6 |
Star Chess plays the line which could go into many main line Queen Pawn openings, such as the Nimzo-Indian, the Gruenfeld or the King's Indian, or even transposing back into Classical Queen's Gambit Declined. | ||||
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2. c4 |
I choose the most common move in this situation. | ||||
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2... g6 |
This could go into either King's Indian Defence or Gruenfeld Defence. Anyway, White's main line third move is the same for both. | ||||
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3. Nc3 Bg7 |
Ah! Star Chess has opted for the King's Indian Defence! I am inexperienced with the lines of the King's Indian but I know how to play it in principle... | ||||
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4. e4 O-O 5. f4 |
I choose the Four Pawns Attack (I wonder how it got that name...). My c- d- e- and f-pawns have amazing control over the centre, backed up by the knight on c3. I hope to develop more pieces quickly to keep hold on my excellent pawn structure. | ||||
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5... Nc6 6. d5 |
Developing pieces can wait. As usual, I am anxious to push central pawns unchallenged into my opponent's territory. | ||||
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6... Nb4 7. e5 |
I am controlling more and more space, while Black is being pushed back and strangled out of space. Look at that immensely powerful pawn centre! Plus, I have excellent scope for shoving Black's queenside knight around. | ||||
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7... Nh5 8. g4 |
A blunder by Star Chess...I think. His kingside knight is now trapped. | ||||
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8... d6 |
Well, my brilliant pawn formation wasn't going to last forever. But I have already fulfilled the goal of getting a positional advantage - to convert it into a material advantage. | ||||
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9. gxh5 dxe5 10. hxg6 fxg6 11. Nge2 |
The best way I could see of defending my isolated f-pawn from my opponent's e-pawn and his rampaging rook on the half-open f-file. But I have some consolation for my now fragmented pawn structure. My opponent's e-pawns are doubled AND isolated. Maybe they can be picked off in the future... | ||||
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11... Bf5 |
Sneaky! Star Chess has created a tactical threat! ...Nc2 wins rook for knight, and the only defence I can see is: | ||||
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12. Kf2 |
This. Not an ideal occurrence, having to lose castling rights AND bring my king forward into the danger, but it would have been pointless castling on the exposed kingside anyway and I could only have castled on my queenside when the annoying enemy knight and enemy light-squared bishop had been beaten off. | ||||
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12... Bc2 13. Qd2 |
Nasty! If 13.Qe1, then 13...Nd3 forking my king and rook. | ||||
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13... Nd3+ |
Star Chess goes ahead with Nd3 anyway. | ||||
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14. Kf3 Nb4 15. a3 |
Aha! This should put a spoke in my opponent's wheel! How does Star Chess save both the bishop and the knight? A red light on the side of Star Chess started blinking madly. | ||||
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15... e4+ 16. Ke3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 |
In-between-moves, or zwischenzugn. Perhaps my silicon opponent thinks I will forget about my own threat in the space of two moves. Not likely. | ||||
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17... Nxd5+ 18. cxd5 Bd3 19. Qd4 |
Saving the d-pawn, which like so much of my pawn-structure has become isolated. But am ahead by knight and bishop to two pawns so this does not matter much to me. | ||||
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19... Qd6 20. b4 a5 21. Bb2 |
A checkmating threat, just to liven the game up. My queen and bishop drive an attack line deep into Black's king's position. The red light went into overdrive again. | ||||
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21... Qf6 22. Qxf6 exf6 |
OK then. An exchange suits me fine, being ahead on material. | ||||
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