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ANNOTATED GAME
Slow Ladder
c2j4 (1207) vs. lord_shiva (1876)
Annotated by: lord_shiva
(1898)
Chess opening: Ruy Lopez (C68), exchange, Alekhine variation
c2j4 (1207) vs. lord_shiva (1876)
Annotated by: lord_shiva
(1898)
Chess opening: Ruy Lopez (C68), exchange, Alekhine variation
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1. e4 |
This is a slow ladder game, my 16th completed and 265th for C2J4. C2 had worked up to 238 last year, and is still in the 250s. My strategy has been to challenge lower rated players as high above me on the ladder as I’m able to reach (10% of the number of rungs). Each win closes half the distance. Thus C2 remains 20 rungs above me. | ||||
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1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 |
Ruy Lopez, aka the Spanish Opening. The most common response is a6, but there are other decent choices. | ||||
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3... a6 4. Bxc6 |
Ba4 is more common, but I often choose doubling my opponent’s pawns. | ||||
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4... dxc6 |
Alekhine variation of Ruy Lopez exchange. Black generally does better if white takes the pawn, but I risk it. | ||||
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5. Nxe5 |
Oops, I forgot I am playing black. That is the challenger default—always black. Qd4 is the typical response, though not many games are in the last database update. Maybe 4? | ||||
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5... Qd4 |
White typically plays Nf3, which loses the pawn but protects from other mayhem. Ng4 also works, with Qxe4+ answered by interposing the bishop threatened knight, Ne6. This protects the g2 “poisoned” pawn. | ||||
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6. Ng4 |
White opts for the latter. | ||||
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6... Qxe4+ 7. Ne3 Bc5 8. d3 Qg6 |
My thought is I trade bishop for knight and the g2 pawn is at risk. | ||||
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9. g3 |
White protects the pawn. | ||||
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9... Bh3 |
I decide to block king side castling. | ||||
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10. Nc4 Qf6 |
White sees through the cheap School’s Mate scenario. | ||||
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11. Qe2+ Ne7 12. Nc3 |
Black can castle either side, but the black bishop is hanging out undefended. Black is also mesmerized by the king/queen lineup, which leads to a huge black blunder. | ||||
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12... O-O |
The queen side pawns were messy. | ||||
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13. Ne4 |
White forks the queen and undefended bishop. Black chooses a spot for the queen that covers the black bishop. | ||||
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13... Qf5 |
If white attacks the queen by knight, bishop/knight exchange follows. | ||||
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14. Bf4 |
While Nd5 protects the vulnerable c7 pawn, it robs the bishop of the queen’s umbrella. Black recognizes the pawn is lost as white has three power pieces focused on d6. A counter threat to the rook seems opportune. | ||||
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14... Bg2 15. Rg1 Bxe4 16. dxe4 Qh3 17. g4 |
This was an unanticipated good move. And here black blunders, forgetting white has a choice of interposing knight or bishop against a queen pin. | ||||
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17... Nd5 |
The idea was rook and knight are eight, but queen makes nine. However, here the knight sacrifice is pointless. | ||||
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18. exd5 cxd5 |
Realizing the blunder too late, black attacks the knight first. | ||||
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19. Ne5 |
There is just no way to get white’s black bishop off the e3 diagonal. | ||||
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