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ANNOTATED GAME
The Two Bishop Endgame
ethansiegel (1827) vs. nicolso (1793)
Annotated by: ethansiegel
(1986)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B43), Kan, 5.Nc3
ethansiegel (1827) vs. nicolso (1793)
Annotated by: ethansiegel
(1986)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B43), Kan, 5.Nc3
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Steve and I have played more than 50 games head-to-head over the years. This is our 53rd meeting. In a game *full* of inaccuracies, we wind up in a rarely-seen endgame. | ||||||||
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1. e4 |
I always open e4 unless I'm in a game with pre-set moves. | |||||||
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1... c5 |
And Steve and I have had many battles with the Sicilian, one of which was my favorite game of all time: http://gameknot.com/annotation.pl/nicolsos-isle-of-wight-open-2010?gm=37371 | |||||||
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2. Nf3 e6 |
He's made a habit of playing either the Dragon or the Najdorf against me. This variation -- the Paulsen -- is just as good, but has a different flavor. | |||||||
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3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qf6 |
The first surprise. I'd expected a knight to eventually go to f6; putting the queen there means a different setup is coming. | |||||||
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6. Be3 |
Designed to make Bc5 less attractive, this is the best square for the dark-squared bishop. | |||||||
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6... Bb4 |
Pinning the knight, now that the bishop has chosen e3 instead of d2. | |||||||
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7. Qd2 |
Bc4 was maybe a little more straightforward, making way for a kingside castle. This move makes way for O-O-O instead. | |||||||
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7... h6 |
Keeping the bishop off of g5; I would've preferred developing a piece, but this is fine. | |||||||
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8. f3 |
In hindsight, this wasn't the strongest move either. There's no pressure on e4, so no need to protect it just now. | |||||||
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8... Ne7 |
Consistent, and clears the way for a kingside castle. Playing the Sicilian and delaying queenside development pretty much commits black to castling kingside, though there are exceptions. | |||||||
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9. O-O-O O-O 10. g4 |
Castling on opposite sides of the board in an opening like this generally mean you're going to see a race to attack the kings: white will attack the kingside while black will counterattack on the queenside. This (overly?) aggressive move gets straight to the point, and helps justify the earlier f3. | |||||||
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10... Qe5 |
Greatly enhancing the queen's mobility, but beginning queenside development was maybe a superior strategy. | |||||||
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11. f4 |
h4 was maybe stronger, but chasing the queen out of the center isn't all bad. | |||||||
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11... Qa5 |
The pin on the Nc3 is now very strong. | |||||||
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12. Nb3 |
Again, chasing the queen. Black can respond Bxc3, but after 13. Nxa5 Bxd2+ 14. Rxd2, black is at a pretty severe positional disadvantage. | |||||||
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12... Qc7 |
Best, as this keeps up the pressure on the still-pinned Nc3. | |||||||
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13. Be2 |
It's small moves like this that get me into trouble. Yes, connecting the rooks is a smart move, yes, it keeps the g-file free for possible rook action, but what's black going to do with his light-squared bishop? Probably eventually eye the h1-a8 diagonal, and this just helps black out. | |||||||
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13... b5 |
Prepping for Bb7, attacking the e-pawn, which is unprotected thanks to the Bb4 pinning the knight. | |||||||
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14. h4 |
Pushing for an attack without paying any mind to defense. Yes, it's easier to attack than find the correct defense, but black's position is not easy to break through. | |||||||
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14... Bb7 |
Obvious and good. White has to address the threat to e4 now. | |||||||
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