Annotated chess game: kingstuart

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ANNOTATED GAME

kingstuart
(103BCF) vs. unknown (100ish)
Annotated by: kingstuart (1200)
Chess opening: Bird's opening (A03)

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1. f4

this move characterises Birds opening and is alot better than it looks. whites usual plan is to control the central dark squares with moves such as e3, Nf3 and Bb2. it also has surprise value which, in over the board games such as this one, comes into play. i decided to play this against my young (14ish) opponent so to test his knowledge of the opening not just his opening theory which most rely on.

1... d5

the move most people play, seems most natural however it plays into whites plans of dark square control. c5 with a later more restrained d6 is a bigger test where white does best to swich plans to light square control following moves like g3, Bg2 and d3.

2. e3 Nf6 3. Nf3

b3 is slightly more accurate

3... e6

a bit passive but still fine. most people prefer to develop the bishop outside the pawn chain, although it is prehaps no stronger than the game it will give black a slightly less cramped position

4. b3

continuing the plan of dark square control

4... Bd6

not sure exactly what the bishop achieves here, e7 would be a more normal choice

5. Bb2 c5

grabing space on the queenside a logical plan after an early e6 as black has few prospects on the kingside

6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Bb5

the bishop creates an annoying pin while my queens knight heads over to the kingside, where im aiming to play.

7... Bd7 8. Ne2 Qa5

trying to chase the bishop away

9. c4

after Bd3 b5 blacks queenside pawns are rolling

9... dxc4 10. Bxc4 Rb8

not sure why this was played, an imediate b5 is better, then the rook can pick its best square later on instead of commiting itself to b8 so early

11. O-O b5 12. Bd3 Nb4 13. Bb1

preserving my bishop pair which quite nicely control the centre and pressure the black kingside

13... O-O 14. a3

kicking the knight back where it came from so i can use my queen to increase pressure on the black kingside

14... Nc6

Nd5 fails for tactical reasons involving the e pawn advancing e3-e4-e5. i wont bore you with the variations.

15. Ng5

stepping up the kingside pressure, an imediate Qc2 would have been stronger. i had planned to sac the knight if black had played h6 here with something like Ng3

15... e5

? adding tension the black position can't handle. lets take a quick look at the position here, the white bishops are very powerful, controlling the centre and pressuring the black kingside. compare to blacks bishops who arent very active at all. the black queen is horribly positioned on a5 with very little scope to get over to the kingside where she is needed. the white queen however can easily access any part of the board via c2 or to the kingside after the knight moves to g3. all this suggests that black should not be trying to add tension to the position, his pieces arent in a position to handle it.

16. Qc2

now blacks postion is under to much pressure, something must give. white is threatening fxe5 followed by Rxf6 and if the pawn on e5 moves then Bxf6 is powerful

16... g6

?? weakening the dark squares and losing a piece, but Black is struggling to find a move that doesn't lose here

17. fxe5 Bxe5 18. Rxf6

i'd rather keep my dark squared bishop, ive got a second rook that can be posted on the f file but i don't have another dark squared bishop to point at the holes in the black kingside. also if he chooses to exchange the bishops instead of capturing the rook my queen will be more actively placed and blacks knight not as good as after 18. Bxe5 Nxe5 19.Rxf6

18... Bxf6

black takes the materialistic view and captures the rook

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