Annotated chess game: Technological Brilliance

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ANNOTATED GAME

Technological Brilliance
Rybka (Computer) (?) vs. Shredder (Computer) (?)
Annotated by: black_cat_hamlet (1531)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B97), Najdorf, Poisoned pawn variation

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This game was between two chess-playing computers - Rybka and Shredder. Computers like this have an advantage over their grandmaster counterparts based on the simple fact that they are computers - things like psychological warfare and fatigue just don't affect them, and their analytical skills can surpass almost all human minds. Before seeing any games by these chess computers, I would have assumed that their play was great and sound, but perhaps boring - by that I mean incapable of spectacular lines that is associated with players like Anderssen and Tal. Then, I found this game... At move 22, Rybka starts to dominate Shredder for the rest of the game, as she [she? why not - Rybka sounds like a great girl's name to me :P] severely punishes him [It ought to be more obvious as to why Shredder's a he :P] for his lag in development, going from -6 in material to a winning endgame

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6

The game goes into the Sicilian Najdorf variation

6. Bg5 e6 7. f4

All regular moves in the position - Rybka looks towards kingside activity with an early pawn push, whereas Shredder plays slow, but maintains a very solid position. Here, e5 is threatened, as it wins the pinned knight

7... Qb6

Shredder breaks the pin and targets the b2 pawn...

8. Qd2

!? This is known as the poisoned pawn variation, and is something that I've never experienced myself. Rybka is prepared to gambit a pawn in return for tempo attacks on Black's queen and a lead in development

8... Qxb2

Personally, I wouldn't do this, [8...Nc6] but it has to be playable. Shredder grabs at the opportunity to gain a material advantage.

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9. Rb1

The logical follow-up - Rybka chases away the enemy queen

9... Qa3

Forced

10. e5

Rybka plays aggressively - of course, the knight can escape safely without the pin... but this doesn't seem too beneficial for Rybka at first...

10... dxe5 11. fxe5 Nfd7

here's why - after Shredder exchanges pawns, Rybka is straddled with an isolated pawn on e5, and now if she wants to preserve her pawn she has to defend it with a piece. Either the dark square bishop or the queen can do this job just fine, but since the two pieces have already moved it seems a bit awkward. Had I not known the game continuation, I would have marked 10.e5 as ?! [dubious]...

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12. Ne4

However, it turns out that Rybka has something completely different in that small little chip that is her mind! She centralises her knight while leaving TWO pawns hanging - the pawn on e5 and the freshly undefended pawn on a2. In fact, you've probably noticed by now but Shredder can win both of these pawns!

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12... h6

zwischenzug first - Shredder deems it prudent to attack the bishop first [interestingly enough, this gives Rybka another chance to defend her e5 pawn with Bf4...]

13. Bh4

Rybka's still willing to let that pawn go, however.

13... Qxa2

As well as nabbing the a2 pawn. Shredder also gains a 'tempo' attack on the rook...

14. Rd1

...in other words, Shredder forces Rybka to centralise her rook - oh, the torturous horror of it all! How dare that Shredder should do such a thing! [I'd like to explain for the benefit of the two machines in this game that my last comment was filled with sarcasm :P]

14... Qd5

Shredder doesn't grab the pawn straight away, and instead centralises his queen. With two pieces attacking the e5 pawn, none defending and no pawn to defend it, there's no rush to grab it just yet...

15. Qe3

It's mildly surprising that Rybka chose this move over moving her bishop, but after a bit of further analysis, I realise that it was to make Shredder take the pawn with the queen. If, now, 15...Nxe5?! 16.Nf6+! gxf6 17.Bxf6+ Rg8 18.Bxe5 and the open position favours Rybka's developed position. Perhaps Shredder could have also tried 15...Nc6 but that, too, may be dubious; 16.Nb3 Qxe5 with a lot more tempo attacks on the queen to come [only unlike in the continuation, Shredder can't play Qa5+ - the queen is stuck on the kingside, which would lead Rybka with plenty of tactical tricks - e.g. 17.Bg3 Qf5 18.Nd6+ Bxd6 19.Bxd6]

15... Qxe5

At any rate, now Shredder is three pawns up (the equivalent of a piece) - is Rybka really the masterful chess engine that everyone consider her to be? Yes - yes she is! Readers have probably noticed by now that Shredder's pawn grabbing has left him severely lagging in development (especially on the queenside). This means that Rybka needs to act fast if she wants to take advantage of it. Also, look at the centre control from Rybka's two knights! [you know, being three pawns down can also happen to White in the Evans Gambit if his opponent goes pawn hunting. Most of the time, Black gets punished heavily for that :)]

16. Be2

All Rybka needs to do now is castle and she's essentially completed development; Shredder will need at least five moves to finish his, not including the a8 rook [dark square bishop move, castling, b7 pawn move, light square bishop move, b8 knight move]

16... Bc5

This would be logical in normal circumstances, as the knight on d4 is now under increased pressure, but I was confused as to why Bb4+ wasn't played here - it prevents Rybka from castling! as the e4 knight is pinned, it can't block the check and c3 is a waste of time for the same reason. Evidently Shredder must have calculated that getting rid of Rybka's central control was more important than preventing her from castling...

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17. Bg3

This is a mark of how much control Rybka actually has right now - the queen has no flight squares! That is easily remedied by Shredder's next (forced) move...

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