Annotated chess game: Traxler Variation Tournament

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ANNOTATED GAME

Traxler Variation Tournament - II
claukonen (1831) vs. ionadowman (2131)
Annotated by: archduke_piccolo

(2340)
Chess opening: two knights defence (C57), Wilkes Barre (Traxler) variation

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My last game in the Traxler Variation tournament organised by id=easy19 for the Knights of Honour Club. Although White withdrew from the tournament half-way through, he carried on the fight in the games he had already begun. This one proved to be my last on the tournament, and the penultimate in the tournament as a whole.

1. e4

Beginning with Black's wildly speculative gambit line, the game remained hard-fought and even for much of its length. Even when, with a couple of sacrifices, Black developed pressure on the Q-side, the issue remained in the balance until a sudden collapse brought about an abrupt finish.

1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5

(!?) The signature move of the Traxler (or Wilkes-Barre) Variation of the Two Knights Defence. In effect, Black is defying White to do his worst at f7, figuring on making good use of the cost White incurs in time.

5. Bxf7+

The most popular response in this Tournament. The GK engine book ends here with this move, and assesses the position as +1.37 in favour of White. How accurate is this assessment? The alternatives, 5.Nxf7 and 5.d4 are considered more compromising for White, especially the N capture which provokes a vicious counter-attack by 5...Bxf2+! (NOTE: where I give GK evaluations, + will indicate a White edge; - (minus) a Black advantage).

3 comments

5... Ke7

Occasionally, 5...Kf8 was tried. I can't say I liked the move enough to give it a crack, myself... It keeps the Queen's diagonal open, but at the cost of shutting in the rook.

6. Bb3

The most circumspect retreat. Also playable was 6.Bd5. For some reason, no one plays 6.Bc4. There doesn't seem to be any special reason why not, unless White anticipates he would probably have to move the thing again. Incidentally, the GK engine assessed this position at +0.52 - a come-down from two moves ago. Why? Was there a better alternative? Or is the position so full of possibilities that a consistent assessment is hard to arrive at?

6... Rf8

To bring pressure against f2.

7. d3

A good alternative was 7.0-0. A matter of personal preference; objectively there is little to choose between the two moves.

7... d6

Also playable are 7...h6 and 7...Qe8. I have played the former with success OTB, but maybe the Queen move is to be preferred, bringing it quickly into the action.

8. Nf3

(!?) Interesting decision, to bring the knight back before it was attacked. But maybe White was anticipating that I would play 8...h6 now, transposing into the line 7...h6 8Nf3 d6. It was worth considering!

2 comments

8... Bg4

Threatening ...Nd4 and wrecking White's K-side.

9. Be3

I had expected 9.c3 here, to keep the Black N out of d4. Instead, White intends to exchange it off.

1 comment

9... Nd4

Playable was 9...Bxe3, I guess, but that seemed to me to strengthen White's centre. The doubled pawns wouldn't have devalued White's material edge very much.

1 comment

10. Bxd4 Bxd4

The pressure against f2 is easily enough contained, but the open a7-g1 diagonal is useful for Black.

11. c3 Bb6

At this point the GK engine gives the game +0.46 in White's favour - less than half a pawn.

12. Nbd2 Qe8

(!?) A mistake, according to the GK engine, anticipating Black's attack by 12...Qe8? 13.h3 Bh5 (Better might be 13...Bd7) 14.0-0 Kd8!? 15.Nc4 Bc5 16.d4, and White is building up an imposing centre as counter to Black's K-side pressure. Would I have followed this line? As it happened, White deviated at once from this recommneded line. Meanwhile, GK preferred 12...Nh5 13.Qe2!? Nf4 14.Qf1 Rf6 15.Bc4 Bxf3 16.Nxf3 Nh3! 17.d4 exd4 18.cxd4 Ba5+ 19.Kf1 Kf8 with close to an even game. I don't recall that at this point of the game I was giving ...Nh5 much thought at all.

13. Qc2

(!?) Incontrast to the +0.94 assessment awarded the 13.h3 line, GK assesses this position at +0.30, but without further comment. White is being cagey, here: keeping open which side upon which to castle, and preparing - it seemed to me - a counter-action in the centre.

1 comment

13... Qh5

(!?) Consistent, but GK misliked this move as well, again in favour of ...Nh5. The line it suggests goes 13...Nh5 14.h3 Bxf3 15.Nxf3 Nf4 16.Rh2 Qg6 (16...Qh5!?) 17.Kf1 Qh5 with K-side pressure. If then 18.d4 Nxg2 19.Rxg2 Qxf3 20.Rxg7+ Kd8. At this point, GK gives 21.Rxh7, but then Black would gain a big advantage by 21...Qh1+. Better seems 21.Be6.

14. h3

(!?) Instead of this, GK had suggested 14.d4, with the continuation 14...Bxf3 15.Nxf3 exd4 16.Nxd4 Ng4 17.f3 Ne3 18.Qf2 Qg5 19.Rg1 Ng4 20.h4! Nxf2 21.hxg5 Bxd4 22.cxd4 and the assessment +0.91. On the whole, that assessment seems reasonable, going into an ending a pawn ahead, for which Black has almost no compensation. But as GK assessed White position after the text move (14.h3) at only a little less (+0.88), it seems hardly objectionable.

2 comments

14... a5

A 'frightener': daring White to castle long. Whatever its objective value, I did have a long-term idea in mind to attack as quickly as possible on the Q-side if the White King should fetch up there. For the moment, the White h-pawn is pinned.

15. Rf1

Unpinning, but declining to castle 'into it' by 15.0-0. The fact is, Black's resources are still mainly trained upon the K-side, and the castled King would have received a thorough mauling: 15.0-0?? Bxh3! 16.gxh3 Qxh3 17.d4 Ng4, and with the rook about to enter the fray via f6, White would be hard put to survive.

1 comment

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