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ANNOTATED GAME
A short fight against the classical pawn center
White player (2035) vs. marinvukusic (2144)
Annotated by: marinvukusic (2161)
Chess opening: QGD (D35), exchange, chameleon variation
White player (2035) vs. marinvukusic (2144)
Annotated by: marinvukusic (2161)
Chess opening: QGD (D35), exchange, chameleon variation
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17. Nce2 |
? A bad move, after which Black has the edge and the initiative. I only considered two options: 1) 17.Nh5, Bh5; 18.Be3, Rad8 with equality (but a complex fight ahead) and 2) 17.Nfe2 where I had prepared 17...Ne6! with active play (I noticed that 17...Nf6; 18.e5 gives White the advantage as previously noted). White most likely overestimated his position here (otherwise he would go for equality with 17.Nh5). | ||||
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17... Nxf4 18. Nxf4 Bg5 |
! At this point I felt that I have great practical chances to win the game. The position is obviously far from winning, but from this point on Black has the objective advantage and his game is much easier to play (a huge factor in an OTB game). Interesting fact: only 5 moves after its creation the mighty-looking pawn center has turned into a huge target. This is pretty typical and happens often if the side with the center does not quickly convert it into a more tangible advantage. | ||||
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19. Be3 |
?? Allows Black to destroy the pawn center and win a pawn, thereby gaining a huge advantage rather easily. The only good option here was 19.Ne2, when 19...Ne6; 20.Qc3, Red8 (or 20...Rad8) gives Black a lasting advantage but the fight is far from over. | ||||
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19... Ne6 |
Finally, the Knight enters the battle (better late than never!). | ||||
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20. d5 |
Only viable alternative is 20.Qc3, but after 20...Bf4; 21.Bf4, Nd4 it doesn't make much difference. | ||||
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20... Bxf4 |
Here I briefly considered 20...Nf4; 21.Bf4, cd5; 22.Bg5, hg5 but soon decided that there is no need to allow the doubling of the pawns. This way White does get a pair of Bishops but the Knight on e6 is extremely strong. | ||||
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21. Bxf4 cxd5 22. exd5 Qxd5 |
The game is still objectively not lost for White, but saving it requires a precise sequence of moves. Black has material advantage and a great tactical position (open lines for Rooks, vulnerable position of White Queen and both Bishops, open a7-g1 diagonal). That makes White's task really difficult. | ||||
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23. Be4 |
?? This move finally loses the game, but it is not easy to find the correct variation in the forest of tactical possibilities. Analysis reveals the best continuation: 23.Be3! (23.Bg3 is also playable) 23...Nd4! (23...Rac8; 24.Bh7!, Kh8; 25.Qe4, Qe4; 26.Be4 and White has good chances to draw); 24.Qf2, Nf3; 25.gf3, Qd3; 26.fg4, Qe3; 27.Qe3 and Rook ending should be drawable with best play. --- White's real mistake here was that he played 23.Be4 after only 12 minutes of thinking, with 33 minutes still left on the clock (!). With the bonus time increment of 30 seconds per move and in a position such as this, a player should really spend almost all of his time to find the correct plan. One bad move and time on the clock will become irrelevant in any case. | ||||
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23... Qd4+ |
Keeps the tempi in Black's hands, allowing for activation of the last inactive piece. Time remaining: 52 minutes | ||||
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24. Kh1 Rac8 25. Bh7+ |
? There was no salvation at this point, but more resilient option was 25.Qd3, Rcd8; 26.Bh7, Kh8; 27.Qg3!?, Nf4; 28.Qg4, Kh7 and Black pieces penetrate the 2nd rank. | ||||
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25... Kh8 26. Qe4 |
26.Qd3, Qb2; 27.Qg3, Nf4; 28.Qg4, Nd5 doesn't help either. | ||||
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26... Qxe4 |
I took some time here to check if there is a forced win in the position. The task is not objectively difficult (all White moves are forced), but nevertheless I think some less experienced players would be tempted to quickly play obvious but weaker 26...Qb2? or 26...Rc4?! | ||||
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27. Bxe4 Rc4 28. Rae1 Nxf4 29. Rxf4 Be2 |
Although several moves win here (due to pins on both Rooks), I think this one is the prettiest :) | ||||
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30. Bc6 |
The last try, with a slim hope of 30...bc6??; 31.Rc4. *** Time remaining: 20 minutes (too much leftover time that should have been spent finding the escape on move 23) | ||||
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30... Rxc6 |
White resigned. --- I hope you enjoyed the game. There are a few interesting practical learning points to be noted: 1. During an OTB game, if you suspect that you entered your opponent's preparation - try to find a SOLID plan/move that is not likely to be a mainline. (Even when you do not know every nuance of the variation you are playing, positional logic can help in finding a good plan during the game. Perfect plans can wait for the post-game analysis!) 2. Classical pawn center should be used dynamically and quickly converted into some other type of advantage (space, initiative, material). If that is not possible, the center very often becomes a target for pressure and turns out to be a liability which needs to be constantly defended. 3. When things get critical (the result of the game is in the balance), slow down and use your time wisely. Playing fast will spare you the time trouble but will often cost you positionally. --- Thank you for looking over this game, I can answer any questions on private. Regards, Marin Vukusic | ||||
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