Annotated chess game: Joanne Stevens

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ANNOTATED GAME

Joanne Stevens - get back to basics!!
ionadowman (2043) vs. jstevens1 (1757)
Annotated by: jotheblackqueen (1200)
Chess opening: Beefeater defence (A40)

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1. d4	You would think that 1750 players would be above missing or walking into basic tactics wouldn't you? But not jstevens1, oh no. In this game I played to the level of my OTB rating - 1200! In fact from some 1200 players I have seen better! So, Jo, time to get back to basics! The game starts off with Ion playing d4 and me trying to set up some flank action with the Modern Defence which is the response g6.



1... g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. e4 d6	3. ........ d6 - transposes into a Pirc/Robatsch Defence.
	2 comments archduke_piccolo (2334) on 24-Jan-09: Apparently not. I was going to play a Four Pawns Attack, but Joanne put a stop to that... blake78613 (1200) on 24-Jan-09: Position is a modern defense, ...Nf6 by Black would transpose to Kings Indian Defense. In the Kings Indian, Black is generally looking for his counter-play on the kingside of the board, while in the Pirc Black usually seeks his counter-play on the queenside. In the Kings Indian Black should rarely part with the g7 bishop, while in the Pirc he is more ready to trade it off to damage White's pawn structure. The Kings Indian is a very aggressive counter attack, while the Pirc is more like a slippery fish and it's often hard for Black to play for a win in the Pirc. Of course, White is calling the shots in both, but c4 is somewhat of a commitment to queenside play by White.


4. Nc3 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Nxd4	6. Nxd4 - I break up Ion's impressive pawn wall and now I concentrate on simple development.
	1 comment 32843 (1246) on 16-Nov-10: I think that c5 would be the next best move even if white moves Nde2, Ne7 and a trading of knights would produce a close to even match for black


6... Ne7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nbc6 9. Be2 f5	9. ......... f5 - a recommended db move, but I think this is the start of a recipie for disaster!
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 24-Jan-09: No: I think this is OK. I found it slightly annoying, so it must be OK -


10. O-O Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bxd4 12. Qxd4 Be6	12. ......... Be6 - so far, db but now Ion takes me out of it with this move. I now take back with the wrong unit I think. Jury, would you agree that Nxf5 attacking the Wicked Witch of the West have been a better recapture?
	4 comments darknessvisible (1867) on 24-Jan-09: Sure would. 13...Nxf5 forces white to move his queen and prepares 14...Qf6; maybe creating a kingside attack with the rook later. blake78613 (1200) on 24-Jan-09: The exchanges on d4 are bad for Black. Black spent a lot of tempi on getting the Black bishop to g6. After those exchanges Black has lost the bishop and all her pawn moves have left her very weak on the dark squares and the White has full position of the long diag. with a centralized queen. easy19 (1200) on 24-Jan-09: I would move 13.Nd5 That can result in a strong king side attack, and keep the game in balance dmaestro (1647) on 24-Jan-09: You need the bishop on the diagonal, so taking with the bishop loses a tempo and the N is better on f5 anyway. If you have a choice, pick the move that puts a piece in a better position.


13. exf5 Bxf5 14. Bf3 c5	14. ........ c5? this move is intended to drive away the Wicked Witch but jury, do you agree that c6 would have been a better move here? At least it would have blocked off that light squared bishop's diagonal.
	2 comments dmaestro (1647) on 24-Jan-09: This kind of move is ultimately fatal to the d6 pawn and opens more lines of attack. After exchanges on d5, the Q will be right back controlling the center anyway. archduke_piccolo (2334) on 25-Jan-09: Hard to say. Both c-pawn moves leave the d-pawn weak and backward, though the lesser advance might be less harmful in that respect. 14...Nc6 is another possibility. I think White has a slight edge, though.


15. Bd5+ Nxd5 16. Qxd5+ Rf7	16. .......... Rf7 - the only way to avoid losing material outright is to block the check on d5 with the rook - although the rook is pinned the Witch cannot take the b pawn as in moving the witch would release the rook from the pin and so the witch would be no more. No such luck!
	2 comments darknessvisible (1867) on 24-Jan-09: Let white take b7! 16...Kh8 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qd5 Rxb2. Or if white was greedy with 18. Qxa7 you have Bd3 and Qf6 ie positional compensation for the pawn. easy19 (1200) on 24-Jan-09: 15.Bd5+ I would have taken the lose and would have moves 15.Qd2 Consolidate the position and regroup


17. Rad1	17. Rad1 - the pressure mounts on my d6 pawn which becomes a new target.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 25-Jan-09: It turns out this was over-hasty. The right move was at once 17.Nb5! and the threat against d6 is unanswerable.


17... Qb6	17. ........... Qb6 - counterattack on the b2 pawn but it simply doesn't wash!
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 24-Jun-15: Very good would have been 17...Qh4! (I discovered this after the game). The move indirectly protects the d6-pawn by a counterattack against c4; and White has also to think about possible counter-actions against f2.


18. Nb5 Rd8 19. Nxd6 Rdd7	19. .......... Rdd7 - an amazing array of pins here! As an exercise, perhaps you the jury would like to tell me how many pins there are and what is pinned to what!
	3 comments nuntar (1702) on 24-Jan-09: Two. Not actually that amazing! ruachessnut2 (1200) on 24-Jan-09: World champ Steinitz had all his pieces en pris. But he won by giving checks until his opponent left the table & didn't return. That defines amazing! archduke_piccolo (2334) on 25-Jan-09: The situation here has become fiendishly complicated, though - more than you would think. Despite appearances, Black is still in this game, and this last move was the best available.


20. Rfe1 Qd8	20. ......... Qd8 - I sink further into deep ordure!
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 26-Jan-09: (??) This was the mistake. Counterattack by 20...Qxb2 was Black's best, however slender, chance. Yet it's not so slender at that! White has to be very careful not to try for too much. There are all sorts of pins, and threats of discovered attack, and Black has her fair share of them. Probably I would have had to settle for 21.Qxc5, or maybe 21.Rxe8+ Kg7 22.Qxc5. In many lines, it is all too easy for Black to exchange down into a major piece ending with just a single pawn minus - and excellent chances to draw.


21. Nxf7 Rxd5	21. ......... Rxd5 - I play the move but then decided to throw in the sponge because Glenda will fall next move and my rook will have to take on d1. The recapture will leave Ion an R & P up. I would resign against someone 300 points lower than me never mind higher with this kind of deficit. A sorry tale.
	2 comments easy19 (1200) on 24-Jan-09: 1 rook down but stil i find that far from lost.. archduke_piccolo (2334) on 24-Jan-09: After 22.Nxd8, Black has perforce to exchange her last rook, whereat the endgame will be straightforward for White.