Annotated chess game: Missed Opportunity

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ANNOTATED GAME

Missed Opportunity - Part 2
rjacobs (1591) vs. jstevens1 (1739)
Annotated by: jotheblackqueen (1200)
Chess opening: Dutch (A80)

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1. d4	Hi everyone, I am now black against Bob - ding, ding, it is Round 6! Can I end this winless run against Bob? Well, read on and find out! Here I decide to go ........ Dutch.



1... f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7	4. .......... Bg7 - some standard Dutch manoeuverings here!
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: Black's fianchetto identifies this line as the Leningrad Dutch.


5. e3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. c4 c6 8. Nc3 e6	8. .......... e6 - both sides have now castled and I play e6 to keep my options open as to which of my pawns to advance at a later date. Next move I play my pawn up to b7 and by move 12 the decks have been cleared between Glenda and my rooks.
	1 comment dmaestro (1647) on 08-Nov-08: Black seems to have a fine position here.


9. Rb1 b6 10. b3 Bb7 11. Bb2 Nbd7 12. Qe2 a6 13. a4 e5	13. ........ e5 - it is the e pawn I choose to advance - this opens things up a little.



14. dxe5 dxe5 15. Rfd1 Qc7 16. Rd2 Rfd8 17. Rbd1 e4	17. ......... e4 - after white doubles rooks on the d file I seek more spatial control by playing e4.



18. Ng5 Nf8	18. ....... Nf8 - to prevent a knight fork on e6. A plethora of exchanges is about to take place.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: I quite like 19.c5 here, but though the threat of Qe2-c4+ is nasty, it is easily taken care of: 19...Rxd2 20.Rxd2 b5 etc. The move played is probably just as good...


19. f3 exf3 20. Bxf3 Rxd2 21. Rxd2 Rd8 22. Qg2 Rxd2 23. Qxd2 Qd7 24. Qg2	24. Qg2 - eschews queen swap and puts pressure on c6. A knight swap now follows.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: Here, 24...Bh6 might have been interesting, with a skewer on the e3-pawn. If 24...Bh6 25.h4 Ne6 26.Nxe6?! Bxe3+ picks up a pawn. But things can get very complicated after 24...Bh6 25.Nd1!!? (Bxg5 26.h4 - unclear!)


24... Ne6 25. Nxe6 Qxe6 26. e4 fxe4 27. Nxe4 Nxe4 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Bxe4 Qd6	29. .......... Qd6 - after a further plethora of exchanges I move Glenda to d6 to maintain protection of c6 - this move also prepares a move such as Qb4 where I may swap my c pawn for white's b pawn, splitting up the white pawns in the process.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: Black had a fine opportunity to pick up a big advantage at move 28. After 28...Ng5!! White would have found himself unable to save the g7-bishop: E.g. 29.Bc3 Qe3+ wins a piece. Black is also threatening 29...Qe1+. Both queen checks win the f3-bishop. White's oversight was 27.Nxe4? and 28.Bxg7 probably the best he could do in a situation suddenly gone bad. But now, the game is even.


30. Qc2 Bc8 31. Qg2	31. Qg2?! - tries to renew pressure on c6 but I now force a swap of c pawn for b pawn.
	2 comments dmaestro (1647) on 08-Nov-08: Black has defended well and White has no assured way of making progress. White may have been trying for assymetry and gambling for a mistake. archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: White is trying for too much in an endgame that is very nearly dead: The pawn structures are parallel, the bishops operate on the same colour squares, Black maybe has slightly the more active queen. A draw after either 30th move (Black's or White's) would have been quite reasonable.


31... Qd1+ 32. Kf2	32. Kf2?? - I think this is the losing move as white had to block the check to avoid dropping his c pawn as well as his b pawn. Whatever the jury decides here, white drops a pawn.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: No. 32.Kf2 was forced, because 32.Qf1?? Qd4+ wins a piece. White's biggy was 30.Qg2?


32... Qxb3 33. Bxc6 Qxc4 34. Be8 Qc2+ 35. Kg1 Qxg2+ 36. Kxg2	36. Kxg6 - after winning a pawn I force a queen swap to try and win the bishop ending a pawn up.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: I certainly would have been tempted into this line, whether or not it is objectively the best (34...Qc5 looks very dangerous for White).


36... Kf8 37. Bc6 Ke7 38. Kf3 Bd7 39. Bb7	39. Bb7 - eschews bishop swap - if you go into K & P ending a pawn down you go into a losing ending - must be avoided like the plague!
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: White had to drop a second pawn and hence the game. Well motivated the attempt to centralise the king at move 38, it failed tactically as Black has demonstrated (She has played this bishop ending very well - in fact her judgement in going for it has turned out to be impeccable). Instead 38.Bd5 had to be tried. It has to be admitted, though, that in the long run, the isolated a-pawn was never going to be saved: 38.Bd5 Be6 39.Be4 Bb3 40.Bd3 a5 41.Bb5 Kd6 42...Kc5 43...Kb4 44...Bxa4.


39... a5	39. ......... a5 - fixes a pawn on a light square - this pawn will drop off soon putting me two clear pawns up.



40. Bd5 Bxa4 41. Bg8 h6 42. Bc4 Bd7	42. ........ Bd7 - consolidation after winning my second pawn.



43. Ke3 b5 44. Bd3 g5 45. Be2 a4	45. ........... a4 - passed pawns must be pushed!
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: I was about to say this was the correct one, but either pawn move was equally good.


46. Bd1 a3 47. Bb3 Be6	47. .......... Be6 - after this move Bob waves the white flag. This technique is reminiscent of the technique I used against a 1753 player in one of Jo's Successful Endgames annotated a few months ago. Frere Leblanc controls the a2-g8 diagonal. Whether white trades bishops or moves the bishop away, there is no stopping Glenda from making a reappearance two moves down the line and cleaning up the last two white pawns and turning her attention to the white king. Hope you have had a good read! Bye for now. Joanne
	2 comments archduke_piccolo (2332) on 08-Nov-08: Well played bishop ending Joanne: an easily understood plan, consistently followed. There was a missed opportunity earlier in this game, but, given a second chance, you seized it, well and truly. rjacobs (1691) on 08-Nov-08: Yes - well played. I'd realised I was on a hiding to nothing for a while here but had to let you prove it.