Annotated chess game: Game 1

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ANNOTATED GAME

Game 1
uros23 (1606) vs. rici (1653)
Annotated by: uros23 (1872)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B32), Flohr variation

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1. e4	This was my first team game and as such I was really motivated. I played a promising queen sacrifice and was a bit lucky to outplay my opponent in the arising complications. Comments/criticism always welcome and thank you for going through the game.



1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7 5. Nc3 e6 6. Ndb5 Qb8 7. Be3 Nf6	After 7...a6 there's an interesting variation starting with 8.Bb6! axb5 9.Nxb5, where black can choose to give up his queen after 9...Bb4+ 10.c3 Ba5 11.Nc7+ Qxc7 12.Bxc7 Bxc7. I think 8.Bb6 was introduced in Ponomariov-Al Modiahki 1-0, Las Vegas 1999 (http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1009974), another example is Kurnosov-Ivanisevic 1-0, Istanbul 2003 (http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1263206) Black can of course choose 11...Kf8 in lieu of 11...Qxc7, like in Ponomariov-Ivanisevic 1-0, Batumi 1999 (http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1345209)
	1 comment dragon_checkmate (1877) on 01-Feb-10: After 12...Bxc7, the main line is 13.Qg4 where black has a couple of options.But overall I think Black stands better.


8. f4 d6 9. Qf3 Nb4	(?!) Sailing into uncharted waters. Intuitively, this should be a dubious move and a waste of time, since white is going to castle queenside anyway. Moves like 9...a6 or 9...Be7 would certainly have been preferable.



10. O-O-O e5 11. fxe5	Accepting the challenge, since 11...Bg4 was an obvious threat. But here I have already envisioned the queen sacrifice I followed up this move with. 11.f5 would have been an alternative, though there's an unforced line there, which is just as wild as in the game: 11...a6 12.Na3 b5 13.g4 h5! 14.g5 Ng4 15.Bg1 Be7 16.f6 gxf6 17.h3 fxg5 18.hxg4 Bxg4 19.Qxg4! hxg4 20.Rh8+ Bf8. Safer would be 13.Be2 Bb7 (threatening Nxa2+ and Bxe4 if 14.g4) 14.Rhg1, followed by 15.g4.
	1 comment rookie879 (1200) on 04-Jul-10: but who likes the safe option?


11... Bg4 12. exf6	(!?) Well, no sense in backing out now, right? Of course 12.Qf2 (threatening Bxa7, 12...Bxd1? 13.gxf6) was completely safe and probably better. As one might learn from my games I often fall for the temptation of such speculative sacrifices.
	1 comment rookie879 (1200) on 04-Jul-10: because if you win,you feel like Mikhail Tal


12... Bxf3	Black has to accept the sacrifice.



13. fxg7	Zwischenzug #1. White is in no hurry to recapture the bishop, but instead makes an in-between move that deflects the bishop from guarding the d6-pawn. Black's response is once again forced, since 13...Bxd1? 14.gxh8=Q is out of the question.



13... Bxg7 14. Nxd6+	Zwischenzug #2. Grabbing another pawn.



14... Ke7	(?) Black goes wrong here. 14...Kf8 was much better. After 15.gxf3 Bxc3! 16.bxc3 Nc6 17.Nf5 Rg8 18.Bc5+ Ke8 19.Nd6+ Kf8 20.Nxf7! Kxf7 21.Bc4+ Ke8 22.Bxg8 an interesting positon arises, where after 22...Qe5 black has a good chance of holding the position. If white tries 23.Rhg1, black has 23...Qxc5! 24.Rg8+ Ke7 25.Rxa8 Nd4! 26.Rxd4 Qxd4 where white can hardly avoid the perpetual check Qe1-b4.



15. Nf5+	After black's mistake in the previous move, white has another in-between move, attacking the bishop on g7 and freeing the a3-f8 diagonal for his own on e3.



15... Kf8 16. gxf3	I chose it was finally time to recapture. However, another in-between check, 16.Bc5+, was even better. After 16...Kg8 17.Ne7+ Kf8 and only now 18.gxf3 black is in even more trouble. White threatens a deadly discovered check and if 18...Ke8 19.Bb5+ finishes it off. 18...Nxa2+ (the piece is lost anyway, might as well give it up for as much as you can) 19.Nxa2 Qf4+ 20.Kb1 Qc7 21.Bb4 is also hopeless.
	1 comment black_cat_hamlet (1531) on 26-Oct-09: it''s interesting that after your queen sacrifice, you're only a pawn down at this point


16... Bxc3	(?) Another mistake. The threat of Bc5+ had to be dealt with, either with 16...Qc7 or 16...b6 and, although white is better, black can still hope. After the text move, black is lost.



17. Bc5+	Finally.



17... Ke8 18. bxc3	Because of the threat of 19.Ng7 mate black can't save the knight.



18... Qf4+ 19. Kb1 Rg8 20. cxb4	Threatening 21.Bb5 mate. Black has only one move.



20... a6 21. Bc4	Eyeing the f7-pawn in combination with a possible Nd6+ and connecting the rooks.



21... Rd8	Speeding up defeat in what was already a hopeless position.



22. Rxd8+ Kxd8 23. Rd1+ Kc8 24. Ne7+	And black resigns because of 24...Kb8 25.Bd6+ (the easiest). A really nice way to win my first team game.
	3 comments black_cat_hamlet (1531) on 26-Oct-09: nice combination here! nuntar (1702) on 13-Jan-10: Excellent play, and a very interesting game rookie879 (1200) on 04-Jul-10: What a way to win your first team game huh?