Annotated chess game: Let's play chess

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ANNOTATED GAME

Let's play chess
tactic101 (1200) vs. dktq (1200)
Annotated by: tactic101 (1200)
Chess opening: Queen's pawn game (D04)

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1. d4	This is my first try to annotate a game. So, if my analysis is bad, you can cop it up to little experience. But I'll try my best. ;)



1... d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c6 4. Bd3 g6	Not the most common line in this position, but not unheard of. Black chooses to play a Grunfeld like structure, but he's played d5 first. White has played the opening with several commitments. By playing a Colle like structure, he's blocked in his dark squared bishop. White likes to bring the bishop out to f4 or g5 BEFORE playing e3 when Black declares early intentions to play an Indian with Nf6 and g6.



5. Nbd2 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. c3	Perhaps too passive. It does strenthen the d4 pawn, but why not go for e4 right away?
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 04-Jun-07: White is quite candidly playing a standard Colle System...


7... Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3	Nxf3 was better. White intends to get his e4 break, the main idea of the Colle, but black has a refutation here that challenges this.



9... Nbd7 10. e4	It looks like white has quickly declared war and the open lines will be in his favour, but....



10... e5	Black gets his e5 break in! If white had played Nxf3 instead of Qxf3, such a problem would not be there.



11. Re1	White is likely to end up with an isolated pawn, so he tries to get the e-file. After exd4, cxd4, dxe4, Nxe4, Nxe4 and Rxe4, white has an isolated pawn, but he has plenty of open lines to use, plus the two bishops. After completing development with Bf4 and Rd1, white has good chances. The same position will arise after dxe4.



11... Re8 12. exd5 Nxd5	If after cxd5, white should probably continue with Nb3, defending his d pawn, leading to a similar position as seen in the game.



13. Nb3 exd4 14. Rxe8+ Qxe8 15. cxd4 Qe1+ 16. Bf1 Re8 17. Bd2 Qe7 18. Re1	White wishes to force black's queen away.



18... Qd8 19. Rxe8+	Only move. Anything else would surrender the e-file without a fight.



19... Qxe8 20. Qe2	Probably the only move. With the isolated pawn, endgames are almost always unfavourable for the side possessing one, but black's control of the e-file with his queen gives him good chances. White's pieces are controlling the penetration squares on the e-file, but they are unfortunately passive. Take a look at the f1 and d2 bishops! White is practically wasting his bishop pair.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 04-Jun-07: As a guiding principle, one ought to avoid exchanges if one is in possession of the "isolani" - the isolated d-pawn. Yet it is hard to suggest an alternative to Q-exchanges here. I agree with the annotator: the bishop pair is proving rather problematical "compensation" for the strategic weakness of the d-pawn; yet Black is offering no point of attack to the material White has available. All the same, it seems unlikely that the text move will improve White's prospects...


20... Qxe2 21. Bxe2 f5 22. Bf3 Nd5f6	Not the best. Why not N7f6? The two knights are working in harmony and are firmly blockading the d-pawn.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 04-Jun-07: Black ought to maintain the knight at d4 if he can: White to try and break the blockade. The problem with 22...Ndf6 is 23.Na5 and if 23...Ne4 24.Bxe4 fxe4 25.Be3 and White is still threatening to win a pawn on the Q-side. Black can save it probably with ...Nb4 but he ends up with a munted pawn structure. Preferable seems 22...Ndb6 especially as it doesn't interrupt the bishop's pressure on the d-pawn. If 23.a4, just snap off the pawn; else, 23.Ba5 Kf8 (to avoid check if White takes on d5). Possibly Black has more to fear from 23.Bc3, preparing to counterattack with 24.Na5, but Black can play 23...Nxc3 24.bxc3 Na4 25.c4 Nb6 26.d5 cxd5 27.cxd5 Nc4 with a view to blockading on d6. This is quite a complicated line: you might want to try various alternatives available to both sides and see how they pan out.


23. Nc5	Not the best move. Na5! would have decided things immediately since black can't defend his pawns.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 04-Jun-07: 23.Na5 would have been embarassing for Black! He won't even be able to save the pawn by 23...Ne4 24.Bxe4 fxe4 25.Be3 c5 26.dxc5 Nxc5 27.Bxc5 b6 28.Bxb6 axb6 29.Nc4 etc...


23... Nxc5 24. dxc5 Nd5 25. b3 Bd4 26. Bxd5+ cxd5 27. Be3 Bxe3 28. fxe3	Time to evaluate this endgame. It's quite complex, actually. Both sides have isolated pawns. The kings are preparing to advance to the center. Black has a pawn majority on the kingside, while white has one on the queenside. The queenside majority gives white dangerous chances, though. The majority has a lust to quickly expand with b4 and a4, with moves like b5 and then c6 coming in, probably creating a strong passed pawn. This may not happen, but it is a threat. It at least keeps the black king somewhat tied down to this area to prevent a passed pawn from becoming a deadly threat.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 04-Jun-07: Good assessment. I'm inclined to think that White has the better chances, but those isolated pawns in the centre complicates things. It would be very easy for a single inaccuracy to determine the game.


28... Kf7 29. Kf2 Ke6 30. Ke2	Kf3 looks better, but it is not. Kf3 leads to no better chances for white. He can't advance further after Ke5. Hence, Ke2, getting a more active position on the queenside with Kd3. This stops black from playing something like Ke5, with d4 and Kxd4, getting the king close on the queenside. White is pinning his chances to the queenside, so it is best to prevent black from getting to that side.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 04-Jun-07: (!) Very nice - and subtle too. After 30.Kf3 Ke5 White might already be lost: caught in a zugzwang. E,g, 31.b4 d4 32.exd4 Kxd4.


30... Ke5 31. Kd3 f4	A losing blunder. This takes the black king far too far away from the queenside.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2334) on 04-Jun-07: (??) This would work only if the Black K-side pawns were well advanced. So 31...g5 seems to be indicated. Black might be tempted to try and hold up the enemy pawns with 31...a5, but have usually found this sort of thing only helps the attacking side. Even after 31...g5 White seems to have the running: 32.b4 h5 33.a4 f4 34.exf4 gxf4 35.b5 h4 36.a5 d4 37.b6! (or 37.c6)


32. exf4+ Kxf4 33. Kd4	Now, the black king can't get to the queenside. His idea of Kg3, Kxg2, Kxh3 and then advancing his g-pawn is far too slow. White simply plays b4, along with b5 and c6, forcing a passed pawn. If black's g-pawn was more advanced, things might have been different.



33... Kg3 34. b4 a6 35. a4