Gameroom Chess Tourney?

[Askthepizzaguy]

I'm just confused as to which one of them is next on my list. I see the group but I don't know who to play next. Is there a defined elimination structure or is this an "everyone plays everyone" tournament?

[woad&fangs]

I believe that it is like the World Cup where the top two of each group move onto the next stage(I don't know how the next stage works ).

Basically, make sure that you play 2 games against everyone in your group. I don't think the order you play them in matters a whole lot.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Cambovenzi, Xiahou, Pannonian, please accept your official challenges.

[Askthepizzaguy]

1st with Pannonian is over in 13 moves.

[Event "Online Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2008.12.07"]
[Round "1"]
[White "askthepizzaguy"]
[Black "pannonian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1765"]
[BlackElo "1407"]
[TimeControl "1 in 7 days"]

1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bg5 Nf6 5. Bd3 O-O 6. Nc3 c6 7. O-O Re8 8. e5 dxe5 9. dxe5 Ng4 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Rfe1 Nh6 12. Qd2 Ng4 13. Bf4 f6 1-0

The final position loses a bishop for black, and most of his pieces are undeveloped or passive. The pawn takes pawn, and the queen or the bishop hangs. The rook is also dangerously undefended.

If 14 exf6, e5, 15 fxg7 wins the bishop. If ... exf4, Rxe8+, then after the king takes the pawn, Rae1 doubles the Rooks and white has a dominant game.

Pannonian asked me to use this position to show what the dangers of a passive defense were. However, I feel that except for 13....f6?, black had a playable game, if perhaps weaker.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

If 13... Qb6, attacking a pawn, black's knight is in danger of 14. h3. But black wins two pawns in compensation for his knight with Nxf2, 15. Qxf2, Qxb2 Not an overwhelming margin, but the position favors white.

Game submitted for analysis.

Analysis finished:

1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bg5 Nf6 5. Bd3 O-O 6. Nc3 c6 7. O-O Re8 8. e5 dxe5 9. dxe5 Ng4 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Rfe1 Nh6 12. Qd2 Ng4 13. Bf4 f6?? (13... Nd7 14. e6 Nde5 15. exf7+ Kxf7 16. Nxe5+ Bxe5 17. Bxe5 Nxe5 18. Qg5) (13... f6 14. Bc4+ e6 15. exf6 Qd7 16. Qxd7 Bxd7 17. fxg7 Kxg7) (13... f6 14. Bc4+ e6 15. exf6 Qd7 16. Qxd7 Bxd7 17. fxg7 Kxg7)

The computer concluded, as I did, that neither side made any blunders until 13. ...f6
It only so happens that white made small positional grabs.

My analysis:

1. d4 queens pawn opening, followed by g6 with the bishop fianchetto, allows 2. e4, with the dreaded twin center pawn opening for white, grabbing the most space possible and two lines for the bishops, and extra squares for both knights. This opening is technically called the Robatsch Defense transposed, according to my opening book.

Black's compensation, the fianchettoed bishop, is powerful, but in my estimation covers only one color. White's game controls both colors more equally.

3. Nf3 a logical developing move, hitting the center and even countering black's claim to the dark squares. d6 continues challenging the dark squares and opens a line for the Queen bishop, also reasonable.

4. Bg5 is a pet move I came up with, out of the opening book. This move pins the king pawn to the queen, blocks the g6 pawn, and if h6, black's castled pawn structure is somewhat weakened and loses time. White retreats to safety, losing nothing.

Nf6 removes the pin, but blocks the fianchettoed bishop, black's main piece. The knight attacks white's undefended king pawn.

5. Bd3 defends the pawn and develops a piece. The bishop move allows castling kingside. 0-0 castles black.

White's bishops are more active than Black's. White's pawns are more centralized and advanced than Black's. The knights are equal in strength, and Black has castled while white has not committed himself to castling on either side, with no danger on the king yet.

6. Nc3 develops a new piece and attacks the center again, before castling. c6 challenges the center, but occupies a critical square for the queen knight, blocking it in. The pawn does limit the movement of white's queen knight.

7. 0-0 castles whites king on the kingside, preparing to develop the rooks in the volatile center. Re8 challenges white's plans to control the center.

8. e5 forces black to commit himself to a structure. He either can take or move the knight, and neither is palatable. the pawns are exchanged, and the knight has to move.

Black chooses 9...Ng4 which looks aggressive, but is a hasty advance. It has no support and puts the knight on a square where advance isn't recommended and retreat is just as bad.

The computer cannot see this, but look at the squares the knight can move to; none of them look very good. All of them trade or lose the knight, which results in far more limited options for the piece. This move weakens the piece itself in this position, a less tangible weakness, as the position could change. But for now, the piece is less useful and vulnerable. Better is Nd5.

10 Qe2 develops the queen on the dangerous e-file and defends the pawn at e5. Qc7 removes the pin on the e-pawn and attacks white's e-pawn.
The queen has limited scope here. Note how few squares the queen commands. She is not on an active file, she is attacking a well defended pawn, she no longer defends the Rook on e8, is blocked in by her own pieces and pawns on several sides.

Black's structure is limiting his options. Note how the queen rook cannot move, the queen knight cannot move to an active square without blocking the queen, the bishop cannot move to a square that does not block in the queen, the e-pawn, or allows a bishop trade which weakens pawn structure. The knight on g4 is still barely engaged in the center and is hanging vulnerably to pawn attacks. The queen bishop is blocked in by its own lightsquare pawns, the queen isn't as dangerous on d8 or c7 as white's queen, developing the queen to the queenside takes her majesty far away from her royal consort and avoids the center. Due to white's queen, knight, bishops, and pawns, the queenside is also dangerous to Black's queen who would be posted out there by herself, with open lines of attack against her shortly. Black's pawn structure is fairly strong, but cramped. He commands less space than white.

11. Rfe1 doubles rook and queen on the e-file, forming a battering ram. Nh6 is far too passive.
12. Qd2 threatens to win the knight outright, it must retreat. Nf5 would be better, but it returns to g4, trying to be aggressive when it is not effective in that role here.

13. Bf4 defends the pawn again, and threatens a discovery against the queen next turn with a pawn move.

13...f6 loses to the tactical scenarios described above. Before the error, blacks' game was down by slightly more than two points, according to chess.com analysis (*2000 rated).

[Prince Cobra]

Wasp is already in death agony...

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11650316

Game finished.

I cut the throat of his King before his own army. :p

It's quite dangerous to move the "f" pawn without a good reason.

[Wasp]

Yes, I've been playing a few bad games in a row. Probably because I move when I get back from work, pretty much drunk..

Anyway, you deserved the victory twice, Stephen!

[Rhyfelwyr]

That makes it 10 wins out of 10 for Stephen. :eek:

[Prince Cobra]

Pizzaguy, my revenge is slow but inevitable!

[Askthepizzaguy]

My game with SeamusFermanagh has ended.
http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=10939485
--------------------------------------------------------------------
[Event "Online Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2008.11.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "SeamusFermanagh"]
[Black "askthepizzaguy"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "906"]
[BlackElo "1772"]
[TimeControl "1 in 3 days"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. c5 b6 4. cxb6 axb6 5. Nf3 Bb7 6. Nc3 Bxf3 7. gxf3 d5 8. f4 Nc6 9. h4 Bb4 10. a4 b5 11. Bd2 Nxd4 12. e3 Nf5 13. Bxb5+ Nd7 14. Rg1 Bxc3 15. Bxc3 Qxh4 16. Qf3 Rd8 17. O-O-O O-O 18. Bd3 d4 19. exd4 Nf6 20. Rh1 Qg4 21. Qe2 Qxf4+ 22. Qd2 Qf3 23. Be2 Qxf2 24. Rdf1 Qe3 25. Kd1 Qxd2+ 26. Kxd2 Ne4+ 27. Kd3 Neg3 28. Bb4 Rxd4+ 29. Kc3 Nxe2+ 30. Kb3 Rb8 31. Rh2 Rdxb4+ 32. Kc2 Nfd4+ 33. Kd1 Rxb2 34. Rfh1 R8b3 35. Rxh7 Nc3+ 0-1


This game really shows off the power of the knight, which is not usually my forte. I prefer bishops.

See all 5 of white's pieces get forked at the same time in a stunning position. White played very well, though, and gained the initiative in a series of strong moves!

[shlin28]

Beat Sereikhaan in Game 1

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11854032

I won in 4 moves! YAY!

[Quintus.JC]

Match against Glyphz ends in defeat.

[Rhyfelwyr]

This isn't really tournie related, but this guy really knows how to throw away a sure victory:

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11697451

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Yes, I've been playing a few bad games in a row. Probably because I move when I get back from work, pretty much drunk..

Anyway, you deserved the victory twice, Stephen!

You realize that everyone now wants YOUR job...

[Wasp]

You realize that everyone now wants YOUR job...

You should!

[Martok]

Beat Sereikhaan in Game 1

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11854032

I won in 4 moves! YAY!

Yikes. I wonder what happened there.

This isn't really tournie related, but this guy really knows how to throw away a sure victory:

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11697451

Holy crap! Way to come back, mate.

What happened with your opponent? Did he suddenly become timid after gaining the upper hand?

[Rhyfelwyr]

What happened with your opponent? Did he suddenly become timid after gaining the upper hand?

Yeah, I couldn't believe it! That's a lesson against complacency I suppose, checkmated by pawns!

[Askthepizzaguy]

Another EPIC battle between myself and Stephen.

Viewers welcome. http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=12003430


I'm developing a taste for the Sicilian defense.

[Prince Cobra]

Another EPIC battle between myself and Stephen.

Viewers welcome. http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=12003430


I'm developing a taste for the Sicilian defense.

Yeah, you've just failed my Blitzkrieg.

[Rhyfelwyr]

I am one sneaky , I just tricked this guy into giving me a stalemate when he was dominating the game. I'm getting into a habit of pulling victory out of the jaws of my opponents!:

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11697484

[Quintus.JC]

I am one sneaky , I just tricked this guy into giving me a stalemate when he was dominating the game. I'm getting into a habit of pulling victory out of the jaws of my opponents!:

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11697484

!!!!!!!?????????!!!????!!!

No offence to the person, but what a dingbat choice. That was a win-per-win situation, even I could of won that.

[Askthepizzaguy]

When you're ahead by such a wide margin, and you can trap someone's King, always remember to give the king two spaces to move back and forth in.

And when you queen or do anything that might affect the coverage of the board, be sure you are not taking squares away from the king.

Stalemate is easy to avoid. Just let your opponent breathe and he will choke himself to death.

[Prince Cobra]

Sweating over the game with Pizzaguy! Bishops vs. Knights game...

[Askthepizzaguy]

Sweating over the game with Pizzaguy! Bishops vs. Knights game...

The endgame will be challenging and possibly drawish if I don't handle this just right. I am trying to figure out how to mangle your pawn structure for good, and then trade down into the endgame.

[shlin28]

Not tourny related... but look at this!

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=12135376

3 queens versus 1 king I am so awsome!

[CountArach]

Why didn't your opponent resign before that?

[shlin28]

My friend is very very very stubborn

[glyphz]

I am one sneaky , I just tricked this guy into giving me a stalemate when he was dominating the game. I'm getting into a habit of pulling victory out of the jaws of my opponents!:

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11697484

Well Played, good sir!
Escaped the jaws of defeat twice!

[Rhyfelwyr]

I managed to come back against Caius after he tricked me into losing my Queen. We both offered each other draws at different stages in the came, however I trapped his Queen and won it in the end.

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=11567648

As things currently stand:

GROUP A:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Camboven   v   ATPG 
Andres   2 v 0 Xiahou
Woad     0 v 4 Panonian

Camboven 2 v 0 Xiahou
Andres   0 v 4 Panonian
Woad     0 v 4 ATPG 

Camboven 2 v 0 Panonian
Andres     v   Woad 
ATPG       v   Xiahou

Camboven 2 v 0 Andres 
Woad       v   Xiahou
ATPG     2 v 0 Panonian

Camboven 2 v 2 Woad
Andres   0 v 2 ATPG 
Xiahou     v   Panonian

GROUP B:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Martok   0 v 4 Rhy
Caius    0 v 4 Wasp
Beefy    0 v 4 Asen

Martok   0 v 4 Wasp
Caius    0 v 4 Asen
Beefy    0 v 2 Rhy

Martok   0 v 4 Asen
Caius      v   Beefy
Rhy      2 v 2 Wasp

Martok   3 v 1 Caius
Beefy      v   Wasp
Rhy      0 v 4 Asen

Martok     v   Beefy
Caius    0 v 4 Rhy
Wasp     0 v 4 Asen

GROUP C:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Arach    0 v 4 Ichigo
FacHeir  4 v 0 Khan
Shlin    0 v 4 Winter

Arach    4 v 0 Khan
FacHeir  4 v 0 Winter
Shlin    0 v 4 Ichigo

Arach    4 v 0 Winter
FacHeir  4 v 0 Shlin
Ichigo   4 v 0 Khan

Arach    2 v 2 FacHeir
Shlin    2 v 0 Khan
Ichigo     v   Winter

Arach    4 v 0 Shlin
FacHeir  4 v 0 Ichigo
Khan       v   Winter

GROUP D:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

QJC      4 v 0 Aries 
Glyphz   4 v 0 GH
Seamus   4 v 0 Pever

QJC        v   GH
Glyphz   4 v 0 Pever
Seamus     v   Aries 

QJC      2 v 0 Pever
Glyphz   4 v 0 Seamus 
Aries      v   GH

QJC     0 v 4 Glyphz 
Seamus     v   GH
Aries      v   Pever

QJC     2 v 0 Seamus
Glyphz     v   Aries 
GH         v   Pever

TABLES:

NAME          Pl W D L PTS
Askthepizzaguy 4 4 0 0   8
Pannonian      5 4 0 1   8
--------------------------
Cambovensi     5 4 0 1   8
Andres         5 1 0 4   2
Woad & Fangs   6 1 0 5   2
Xiahou         4 0 0 4   0

NAME          Pl W D L PTS
StephenAsen   1010 0 0  20
Rhyfelwyr      9 6 0 3  12
--------------------------
Wasp           8 5 0 3  10
Martok         8 1 1 6   3
Caius          8 0 1 7   1
Beefy          3 0 0 3   0

NAME           Pl W D L PTS
FactionHeir    10 9 0 1  18
Count Arach    10 7 0 3  14
---------------------------
Ichigo          8 6 0 2  12
Lord Winter     6 2 0 4   4
Shlin           9 1 0 8   2
SereiKhan       7 0 0 7   0

NAME           Pl W D L PTS
Glyphz          8 8 0 0  16
Quintus JC      6 4 0 2   8
---------------------------
SeamusFermanagh 5 2 0 3   4
Aries77777      2 0 0 2   0
G Hankerchief   2 0 0 2   0
Pevergreen      5 0 0 5   0

[Askthepizzaguy]

I'm afraid my other opponents have not accepted the duel.

[Prince Cobra]

I'm afraid my other opponents have not accepted the duel.

To the Pizzaguy opponents:

He is not strong but he beats us all because we give him the opportunity. Try to do better and stop hiding in the bushes like coward women!

:p

Lost another game with the reborn pizzaguy (look the link above).

Nice trap...