Annotated chess game: Team match

« TAP TO LOG IN

ANNOTATED GAME

Team match
moppa (1771) vs. haddibje (1777)
Annotated by: moppa (1200)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B98), Najdorf, Browne variation

Interactive

•

Show all comments

•

All annotated games

•

View chessboard as:

Pages:

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5

I'm kinda unsure what to play against the Najdorf. This is the move I have traditionally played in blitz games, but I have tested 6.Be3 as well.

6... e6 7. f4 Be7

The Poisoned Pawn variation goes 7...Qb6. According to chessgames.com, black actually wins more often than white in that variation. Maybe that would be a reason to start studying the English Attack.

8. Qf3 Nbd7

This is a somewhat unusual move order. Usually black plays 8...Qc7. In this game this is merely a transpose of moves, but white could have tried to take advantage out of this move with 9.Bc4. That move seems to have scored quite well in practice.

9. O-O-O Qc7 10. Bd3

10.g4 is more popular.

10... h6

I remember seeing a wonderful postal game that went 10...b5 11.Rhe1 Bb7 12.Qg3 b4 13.Nd5 exd5 14.e5!? and although black won that game, I was hoping to play along that line. The problem is that black can quickly force draw and there is very little that white can do about it. That is all theory, but at the time this game was played, I was unaware of that.

11. Bh4 g5

Interesting. Black is willing to weaken his kingside in order to land a knight on e5. While that is of course a great outpost for a black knight, there might be no safe haven for black king in the future. The move played can also amount in a pawn sacrifice, as the g5 pawn is going to be somewhat weak. But even if black loses a pawn, white would lose some tempi in the hunt so the game is quite balanced, IMO.

12. fxg5 Ne5 13. Qe2 Nfg4

I find this move slightly ugly, but I one might argue that 13...hxg5 14.Bxg5 just loses a pawn for not very much. I guess I've been brainwashed by all those nasty examples of tempi-is-everything-in-open-sicilians, but in my opinion, Nf6-g4-f6 accomplishes nothing but opens the h-file for a rook, a fact that is nullified by the next move.

14. h3

Simple chess. Black is forced to lose a tempo and white won't have to lose it back by defending the h-pawn. There is something beautiful in these kind of positional moves...

14... hxg5 15. Bg3 Nf6 16. Qe3

Not that much for attacking the g-pawn, but to drop the LSB to e2. That would increase the scope of the d1-rook and monitor a black knight that is likely to go to f4 via h5.

16... Bd7

...Nh5 is another option. Black is in no hurry to castle queenside.

17. Rhf1

17...Be2 might be objectively sounder, but there cannot be very much wrong with this move. White wants to see if black is to commit himself in some way or another.

17... O-O-O 18. Kb1

Setting a little trap. 18...Na5 is the obvious way to improve black position, but then 19.Nf5! would follow, f.e. 19...gxf5 20.Nd5 f4 (Black queen is kind of a short of squares...) 21.Qa7 and Nxe7 follows. So basically this is just slight improvement of the position, or maybe even a waiting move.

18... Kb8

Cutting queens access to a7 and so preparing ...Na5.

19. Be2

White has nothing against trading of his LSB, as it seems to lack constructive role in this position. Moreover, there is possibilities of Nf5 hanging in the air and an unprotected rook just might improve whites chances. If white is to aim blacks kingside, then it is easy to see that it is the dark squares that are easier to exploit.

19... Nh5 20. Bxh5

As planned.

20... Rxh5 21. Bf2

Here 21.Nf5 straight away is playable, but I just couldn't see a line that would have provided white more than simplification and "boring" equality. There is the thing that, when you're thinking of attacking, you might misjudge the results of simplification... I judged that whites e-pawn would have been an weakness and blacks bishop pair a strenght. Fritz, however, said that it was the right path to choose. I decided to renew the threat of Qa7 and prepare Nf5.

21... Nc4

Good spot for knight. Now it is the unprotected rook that makes white NOT to lose tempo.

22. Qe2 Rh7

It is natural to defend the f-pawn, given that the knight no longer helps it from e5.

23. Nf5

So here we go.

23... Bf6

Natural move, but it appears that the strongest continuation is 23...exf4 24.Nd5 Bb5!(!) denies any White advantage. I had, of course, missed this move as I believe my opponent did, too. I only considered queen moves, and given that it must guard the c4-knight, Nxe7 wins another tempo. 23...Bf8 was the move I was waiting, whereupon the unexpected 24.Rd4! (Ne5 Rb4!) seemed like a good idea.

Pages: