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ANNOTATED GAME

Round 3 of Norwalk Championships
bakerbaker (1545) vs. R. Luchetta (1484)
Annotated by: bakerbaker (1200)
Chess opening: Alekhine's defence (B02), Scandinavian variation
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Pages: 123
1. e4
I played this game at the Norwalk Championships. It shows the dangers of castling on the wrong side of the board.

 
1... Nf6
The Alekhine Defense. Black wants to lure my pawns to attack his knight, causing me to overextend my position.

 
2. Nc3
Most people play 2. e5 here, but I didn't study the Alekhine back then, so I preferred the safer Nc3 over the sharper e5. A lot of times playing Nc3 will transpose into other openings less familiar to an Alekhine player.

 
2... d6
2...d5 is a more common move. Black can also play 2...e5 transposing into a double king-pawn position.

 
3. d4
But Black's d6 move has simply transposed into the Pirc Defense.

 
3... c6
This variation of the Pirc is somewhat passive. Black's sharpest plan is to play Nbd7 and e5, then fianchetto the king's bishop, transposing into a King's Indian Defense-type formation, but where I don't have a pawn on c4.

 
4. Bg5
I usually develop my bishop to e3 in this opening, but I would have to play f3 first to avoid Ng4.

 
4... Nbd7 5. f4
I am equalizing the control of e5.

 
5... h6
I thought it was okay for Black to play e5 here, because after 6. fxe5 dxe5 7. dxe5 Nxe5 8. Qxd8 Kxd8 9. O-O-O Kc7, Black's position is fine, and my isolated e-pawn may be a problem in the resulting endgame.

 
6. Bxf6
Bh4 still allows e5, and I did not want that. I want to play e5 before Black does.

 
6... Nxf6
Black lets me play e5, because gxf6 gives my queen the good h5 square where I can control the 5th rank along with my pawns. And exf6 brings the e-pawn to the f-file, where Black can no longer play e5, also f7 becomes vulnerable after Bc4.

 
7. e5
Although Black is no longer threatening e5, I must take dynamic action, because in the Pirc Defense, White needs to crush Black's passive position before Black finishes development and gets equality.

 
7... dxe5 8. fxe5 Nd5
Nd7 cramps Black's position.

 
9. Bc4
Not the best move, because usually you should only develop your bishop to c4 if Black's e-pawn is gone or has passed e6, because then you are pressuring f7.

 
9... Be6
I thought e6 was more solid, but Be6 is more agressive.

 
10. Bxd5
I don't like my misplaced bishop.

 
10... Bxd5 11. Nf3
After Bxf3 gxf3, both sides should castle queenside, resulting in an equal game where Black focuses on undermining my advanced central pawns, and I focus on attacking the newly opened g-file.

 
11... e6
Black missed his chance for equality, and gives me more chances to get an advantage.

 
12. O-O
I place my rook on the open f-file.

 
12... Be7
Black clears the way to castle kingside, which I believe is a mistake. I think Black's king is much safer on the queenside, because I don't have any open files there, and most of my pieces are active on the kingside.

 

Pages: 123