Annotated chess game: Playing against weird openings

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ANNOTATED GAME

Playing against weird openings
Me vs. Opponent
Annotated by: tiger_lilov (1200)
Chess opening: Lengfellner system (C00)

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Heres a game I recently played OTB. I don't have too much time, but I should say the lesson of this game is that the opening is by far the least important part of chess, and that study of the openings should be the same way. Even studying no openings, you should be able to survive any reasonable opening to the middlegame without getting absolutely crushed. If you have the adequete playing strength, openings don't really matter. This was a case where I did not know the opening from move 2. My opponent is around 1700uscf, but his performance rating was more like in the 18-1900s for the overall event.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d6	Its a weird looking move. I don't know this line. We should just perform the opening tasks.



3. Nf3 Nd7 4. Be2 Be7 5. c4	Since black is not making the most active moves, this c4 move is certainly justified, since we are at greater activity than the opponent.
	2 comments l-d-j (1747) on 07-Aug-12: Why 4.Be2? I'd say 4.Nc3 or 4.c4 looks more natural. tiger_lilov (1200) on 07-Aug-12: 4.Be2 is the most flexible move. We don't know if we want to use the c pawn, but we know we need to castle. Keep the active LSB away from getting in the way, and put it on e2. Since black has played in an unnatural manner, white can and must do it as well. This is a pretty advanced idea. The basics are-If your opponent has violated principles or strategic ideas, then you can and MUST sometimes violate them yourself to punish him. If your opponent slightly violated the rules, you can too, and if he totally ignored them, you can do the same.


5... h6 6. Nc3 a6	Although the opening for black seems totally ridiculous, it is easy to understand his idea. Black wants to play on the flanks, and hold against any counters in the center. Thats why he set up e6 and d6. When the position is closed, then his lack of development means little. So it is clear white needs to blast the center and start attacking there.



7. O-O g5 8. Ne1	The move activates the Be2 and prepares to open up more lines near the center. Here black should be consistent with his idea, and play 8...e5 8.Be3. Now if black wants to force white to take, he will have to play ...c5. But then white still has a nice edge, since black has been forced to play in the center, and it has gotton opened up a bit. So black's strategy is incorrect, but if you don't understand it, then you will not be able to counter it.



8... c6 9. f4 e5	This move is rather poor in my opinion. It invites white to blast open the center and the f file.



10. fxe5 dxe5 11. Be3	We should keep the tension here.



11... Bf6	This move is not so great, since the bishop is blocking the other pieces.



12. d5	To neutralize the bishop and get passed pawn. Now it is clear white's strategy has prevailed. The center is clearly the place of action, and flank attack with g5 has failed.



12... Ne7 13. d6 Ng6 14. Bg4	Preventing Nf4, but black does it anways.



14... Nf4 15. g3 Ng6 16. Qf3	Now white is simply having a winning posiiton. You see that when we follow the correct strategic ideas, the winning position comes automatically.



16... Nf4	A good tricky idea to sacrifice the knight for play. It took a very long time to find the best response, but in the end I came up with something that would guarantee a clean advantage.



17. gxf4 exf4 18. Bxd7+	Getting rid of the knight. Now black should take back with the queen.



18... Bxd7 19. Bc5 Qa5	This is a poor move, since white now has a decisive way to end black's counterplay.



20. b4 Qa3 21. Nd5	Had the queen retreated, it simply would have been a waste of time. This tactic will end things immediately.



21... Bd4+ 22. Kh1 Qb2 23. Nd3	There were many ways to win here.



23... cxd5 24. Nxb2 Bxb2 25. exd5	White is still making sure he plays the best moves, to end the game quickly.



25... O-O-O 26. Rae1	After a few more moves, black resigned.
	1 comment l-d-j (1747) on 07-Aug-12: Interesting game, thanks.