Annotated chess game: Resurrecting the Alekine's Defense

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ANNOTATED GAME

Resurrecting the Alekine's Defense
elyhim (2302) vs. stalhandske (2090)
Annotated by: elyhim (1200)
Chess opening: Alekhine's defence (B04), modern, Larsen variation

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12. Be2

I do not think black is too serious about capturing on c3 since it helps support the d-pawn. Now 12. Bd3 is short sighted since after 12. ...Nf6 13. 0-0 Nd5 black is creating magic on c3. By playing 12. Be2 I earn the right to castle but more critically I keep the 3rd rank clear to defend c3 with my queen, rook and bishop.

2 comments

12... Nf6

Now black maybe thinking of capturing on c3 with the support of ...Nd5. When Stalhandske played 11. ...Bb4 this is what I thought he might be up to. However, I have already adequately made preparations for it well before he got up this morning!That is a joke a Stalhandske ;)

2 comments

13. O-O

Breaking the pin.

13... O-O

Now here I have to say that black is slightly better than white because of the weakness of the d-pawn. From here the game shifts into a quiet positional battle where each player seeks to slowly improve their pieces without creating any more weaknesses. My plan is to stack up my rooks on the e-file, place the LSB on c2 with the support of the queen on d3 to eye h7 and g6 and play g4-g5 or h4-h5 to rattle black's cage in hopes of spooking him. It is a long shot I know but hey it is the best I got.

14. Bd3

With the king castled I no longer fear the capture on c3 as it no longer benefits black in anyway. Though it is still quite playable for black

14... Re8

Stalhandske like myself is seeking to steadily improve is his prospects.

15. Rfe1

In order to stack my rooks I have to put a rook on e5 which has its risks since black still has his DSB.

15... Qd7

creating the possibility of long term threats on h3 and clearing the bank ranks to connect the rooks.

1 comment

16. Bg5

clearing the e-file but encouraging black to play Nd5 which is what he wants to do.

1 comment

16... Nd5 17. Bc2

defends c3 if black wants to go that route but also allows me to play Qd3 forcing black to play ...g6.

1 comment

17... h6

it is hard to slap Stalhandske's hands for this since there is no way he could foresee the long term consequences of conceding the g6 square to white. But it has to be said that this is where it starts to go south for black. This is considered as a "positional concession" and one like this one is not too bad but the problem is that it is like kicking a hornets nest, it causes more problems than it solves. In this game the hornets nest is the light square weakness on g6 and h7.

1 comment

18. Bd2

now that the bishops mission of provoking ...h6 weakening g6 is a success it goes back to the defense of c3.

18... Ba5

not a bad move but I think black is under estimating the weakness on b1-h7 diagonal. It is clear that black wants to keep his DSB. However, on a5 it is less active and short sighted. It ignores the possibility of an attack on the king side via h4-h5 or g4-g5. Perhaps the idea behind Stalhandske's logical is that he intends to play ...Bc7 controlling the critical b8-h2 diagonal. If Stalhandske was thinking long term he maybe had opted for the prophylactic 18. ...Bf8 anticipating the impeding attack.

3 comments

19. Qd3

Of the two players I must say that white has improved his position much more than black. This is a result of the contrasting approaches to the position. Black who has chosen to active piece development that have immediate short term prospects is running out of useful moves. Furthermore, his pieces are not as harmonious as their counterparts. Compared to white who has chosen to resist immediate attacking prospects for long term advantages. From here on out all of white's patient maneuvering begins to pay dividends as black now starts to scramble just to keep up with white.

1 comment

19... Nf6

Is this the forbearer of doom? As the knight feels obliged to abandon his active post on d5 in order to return to the defense of h7.

20. Bf4

Challenging black for control of all the open diagonals. This forces blacks hand as he can not allow white to control this diagonal. This is the germ seed of my ultimate plan of doubling my rooks on the e-file. I am envisioning a rook on e5 that ties black completely down. Yet, I still can not see a clear line for a win.

20... Bc7 21. Bxc7

With the Dark square bishops gone I have gained soul possession of the e5 outpost. It is now safe to put a rook there.

21... Qxc7 22. Ne4

Eliminating the primary defender of the light squares in front of the king is the next step of softening the defenses for h4-h5.

1 comment

22... Nxe4 23. Rxe4

While white's position is active black is still very solid and should easily draw. I would only say that white is slightly better.

1 comment

23... Qd7

Black has nothing useful to but sit and wait. This is one of the major drawbacks of the Alekine defense. It is a defensive juggernaut but it sorely lacks attacking resources.

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