Chess Pundit

I've neglected my blog. Basically with the wedding, honeymoon, and Hurricane Rita, I haven't had much time to blog. Okay besides those excuses, I've also been wrapped up playing a computer game, Rise of Nations, and I've been playing Texas Hold'em on Mondays. I play chess every Wednesday though. There is a Wednesday tournament, where you play a game a week for a month, and that makes the tournament. It's full time control, 30 moves in 90 minutes and the G/60. For the past couple of months, I'd been idling. I'd beat people below me, and lose to people above me.

Finally I had a good comeback victory. For much of the game it looked like I was losing, then it looked drawish, and finally in the end I squeezed out a victory in an minor piece ending DOWN a pawn. So I am black versus a Russian guy nearly 200 points higher than me.

White: Anton (2038)
Black: Chris (1843)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 a6 9. e4 Bb7 Here 9...b4 would have been correct now my bishop gets blocked in. 10. e5 Nd5 11. Nxd5 cxd5 Trying exd5 looks risky with the ever possible e6 sac. 12. O-O Be7 13. Be3 O-O

14. Bd3 Re8 15. Nd2 b4 16. f4 f5 Well, f5 does certainly look weird, but f6 either last move or this move seemed sufficient. Allowing him to play f5 next move is bad. It become hard to defend f7 if I take. If i don't take, can proceed with f6. 17. g4 g6 18. gxf5 gxf5 19. Qh5 Kh8 20. Qf7 Rg8+ 21. Kh1 Rg6 I feel like I am out of the woods. I can force a trade of queens on the next move with Qf8, but wait...here comes a sacrifice.


22. Bxf5 exf5 23. Qxf5 Nf8 This was a good sac. I need to blockade the pawns on e6 and f5, but but my pieces are misplaced. I'm not sure if Nf8 was best 24. Qh5 Qe8 25. Qf3 Qf7 I've been looking at lots of moves and possibilities, but I couldn't find anything better. 26. f5 Rg8 27. Rg1 Rxg1+ 28. Rxg1 Rc8 I figure f6 is coming soon, but wanted to get my rook in a more active position. 29. Bh6 So what is Russian, for "oh crap". There are tons of threats. There is Bg7 followed by a discoverd check or Rg7. If I sac the queen for the knight and bishop, f6+ follows winning the dark bishop.



29....Ng6 I'm forced to give the piece back under unfavourable circumstances, but he must trade queens to do so. 30. fxg6 Qxf3+ 31. Nxf3 hxg6 32. Rc1 Kg8 He could have played 32. Rxg6 Rc2. There would have been a lot of pawns being grabbed. I wonder what Chessmaster says, but in hindsight it could have been a better try, but more risky. Often when you are up you want to trade and move on. 33. Kg2 a5 34. Rxc8+ Bxc8 I could wait until he takes me getting my bishop to a better diagonal. 35. Bg5 Bf8 No way am I trading the dark bishops. I will however trade dark for knight, leaving me with an opposite colored bishop ending (which normally draws.) 36. Kf2 a4 I am aiming to get my bishop to g1. He cannot play a3 himself.

37. Bc1 Bf5 38. a3 b3 He looked surprised by b3, but then realized I can play Bxa3 and the push b2. 39. Kg3 Be7 Here I offered a DRAW. I now honestly thought I could hold on to the draw, but he declined. 40. Ng1 Bd3 preventing his knight from getting to c3. 41. Nh3 Bf5 42. Nf2 Kf7 I should have played Bc2 in keeping with not wanting to let his bishop get to c3, but I missed his move. 43. Nd1 Bd7 44. Nc3 Ke6 4 5. Kg4 Kf7+ 46. Kf3 Ke6 He nonetheless is going to have trouble getting through 47. Kf4 Bd8 48. Kg3 Bb6 49. Be3 Ba5 The knight on c3 cannot stay. Taking on c3 has the same affect as taking on a3, but here I would get a knight. 50. Ne2 Kf5 51. Kf3 Be1 If he moved his knight, I would have taken it, again going into the drawish opposite colored bishop ending. 52. Bc1 g5 53. Be3 Up until move 53, I figure the game would draw & I would have accepted a draw proposal. However, here is where psychology in chess comes into play. When someone is near victory as he was after move 29, or worked so hard to win a pawn, it tough to step back and realize that not taking the draw will lead to a loss. I've been there once myself. 53..g4+ 54. Kg2 Ke4 Now my king has penetrated. The b2 pawn looks weak and difficult to defend.



55. Kf1 Ba5 Here I did look at trading bishops, but decided to keep it. Time has finally become a factor. We are both under 20 minutes. 56. Kf2 Kd3 57. Nf4+ Kc2 I've already calculated that I win the race handily. 58. Nxd5 Kxb2 59. Nf4 Kc2 0-1 The final touch for victory. The a3 pawn looks tempting, but Nd3 or Bf1 gives him some possibilities.

Next week I will be white against a 16 year old player rated 2110 to whom I have a 0-1-1 record. Now its time for me to study!!!!



If you want to plug it into a computer, here is the pgn:
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 a6 9. e4 Bb7 10. e5 Nd5 11. Nxd5 cxd5 12. O-O Be7 13. Be3 O-O 14. Bd3 Re8 15. Nd2 b4 16. f4 f5 17. g4 g6 18. gxf5 gxf5 19. Qh5 Kh8 20. Qf7 Rg8+ 21. Kh1 Rg6 22. Bxf5 exf5 23. Qxf5 Nf8 24. Qh5 Qe8 25. Qf3 Qf7 26. f5 Rg8 27. Rg1 Rxg1+ 28. Rxg1 Rc8 29. Bh6 Ng6 30. fxg6 Qxf3+ 31. Nxf3 hxg6 32. Rc1 Kg8 33. Kg2 a5 34. Rxc8+ Bxc8 35. Bg5 Bf8 36. Kf2 a4 37. Bc1 Bf5 38. a3 b3 39. Kg3 Be7 40. Ng1 Bd3 41. Nh3 Bf5 42. Nf2 Kf7 43. Nd1 Bd7 44. Nc3 Ke64 5. Kg4 Kf7+ 46. Kf3 Ke6 47. Kf4 Bd8 48. Kg3 Bb6 49. Be3 Ba5 50. Ne2 Kf5 51. Kf3 Be1 52. Bc1 g5 53. Be3 g4+ 54. Kg2 Ke4 55. Kf1 Ba5 56. Kf2 Kd3 57. Nf4+ Kc2 58. Nxd5 Kxb2 59. Nf4 Kc2