Annotated chess game: Tactics vs strategy

« TAP TO LOG IN

ANNOTATED GAME

Tactics vs strategy
laurelhill (2000) vs. nyctalop (2100)
Annotated by: nyctalop (2166)
Chess opening: Sicilian (B33), Sveshnikov variation

Interactive

•

Show all comments

•

All annotated games

•

View chessboard as:

Pages:

« Previous

21. Qc2

A very direct move. White wants to double on the c-file before pushing c5.

21... Nf4

Activating the Knight on a very dangerous square in the vicinity of the White King.

22. g3

A very hasty move that gives a lot of the advantage away. Better was 22. Rfd1 but even there I just my hold and it's precisely due to the Nf4 that I'm able to do so. Here is a sample line 22. Rfd1 Rb7 23. c5 (White looks won here but if chess was so simple...) a5! 24. b5 (the only move to play for a win) dxc5 25. b6 Qd6 26. Bb5 Rd8 27. Bc6 Rbb8 28. Qxc5 (it looks resignable here but Black has one good last trick) Qg6 29. g3 Nh3+ 30. Kg2 Qg4 and White can't make progress because his King is suddenly under attack.

22... Nxd5

I win the pawn back but White still has a good position. The plan with c5 is still very strong and I still need to be on my toes.

23. Qd2 Nf6

I had a very difficult choice about where to put the Knight. I looked at Ne7 and Nb6 but ultimately I felt this was the more fighting move.

24. c5

A rushed move. It was wiser to prepare a little more for this move or perhaps refrain from it altogether. White could try to play against my weak d-pawn now that the d-file is open. But it's very hard to shift from one plan to another, especially after you've just lost a pawn and you feel you have to recover fast.

24... dxc5

I looked at 24...d5, trying to create a mobile pawn phalanx of my own but it's just too slow to work. So I decided to just liquidate my weak pawn and try to find some other plan.

25. Nxc5

Another surprise. I was expecting 25. bxc5 and I still have to watch the passed pawn. White's idea was to bring the Knight to a more active square and win the pawn back. It's a decent idea but against correct play it doesn't yield anything.

25... Rbd8

Seizing the d-file and making sure that the Knight doesn't capture on a6 with a fork.

26. Qg5

Attacking the f5 pawn. Other moves are slower and I would have time to either play a5 or activate my pieces.

26... Qe5

26...a5 is an interesting possibility and after 27. Rfc1 Qe5 28. bxa5 h6 29. Qf4 Qxf4 30. gxf4 Rd2 31. Bc4 Ng4, I'm certainly not worse.

27. Nxa6

I didn't understand this move. Why not capture with the Bishop? The Knight was very active on its outpost and now it will have to waste another move to come back into play.

27... h6

Getting rid of the very active White Queen.

28. Qf4

White is willing to play the endgame now that he has two passed pawns on the Q-side.

28... Qxf4

But so am I since my pieces are a little more active and I hope to blockade the pawns on the dark squares thanks to my bishop.

29. gxf4 Nd5

A central Knight is an awesome piece. It's attacking two pawns, it's threatening to come to c3 and it also covers b6.

30. b5 Nxf4

Recovering the pawn and coming again to the active post near the White Knight. But without the Queens it's far less troublesome. However, the Knight is still the trickiest piece on the chessboard as my opponent was about to discover.

31. Bc4 Bd4

I'd say this is fairly balanced, perhaps I am slightly better but White definitely isn't in any danger here. At around this move I was more relaxed about the tournament since I had good positions in all the other games and could afford to draw this game.

32. b6

One cannot blame this move but I'd call it rather optimistic. My opponent must have thought he is almost won around here and it's just a matter of time before he queens a pawn on the Q-side.

32... Rac8

The only move! But it's good enough to hold. Here I was looking at the endgame resulting from 33. b7 Rxc4 34. b8Q Rxb8 35. Rxb8+ Kg7 and I was rather looking forward to it since I have a lot of piece play for the exchange and White's King is very weak. I knew I couldn't lose this position.

Pages:

« Previous