Content Module 002: Farewell 2008
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Chess and stuff: A look at how I move my pieces
and other ramblings.
Askthepizzaguy Versus Prince_StephenAssen 12/9/2008
[Event "Online Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2008.12.09"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Prince_StephenAssen"]
[Black "askthepizzaguy"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1655"]
[BlackElo "1807"]
[TimeControl "1 in 14 days"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qf3 Be7 8. Nge2 Qxf3 9. gxf3 a6 10. Rg1 O-O 11. f4 b5 12. Bb3 d6 13. O-O-O Bb7 14. f5 Na5 15. fxe6 Nxb3+ 16. axb3 fxe6 17. f4 d5 18. e5 Rac8 19. Rg6 Kf7 20. Rdg1 Rg8 21. d4 Bg5 22. R6xg5 hxg5 23. Rxg5 b4 24. Nd1 Rh8 25. Rg2 c4 26. bxc4 dxc4 27. Rf2 g6 28. Kd2 Rh3 29. Ng1 Rh5 30. Ne3 c3+ 31. bxc3 bxc3+ 32. Kd3 a5 33. Nd1 Ba6+ 34. Ke4 a4 35. Ne2 Rh3 36. d5 exd5+ 37. Kd4 Bxe2 38. Rxe2 a3 39. Ne3 a2 40. Re1 Rxh2
41. Kxd5 Ra8 42. Ra1 Rd2+ 43. Ke4 Ra4+ 44. Kf3 Ke6 45. Kg3 Re2 46. Kf3 Rh2 47. Kg3 Rh7 48. Kf2 0-1
1. e4 c5
2. Nc3 Nc6
White's plan is to control the light squares. Black's plan is to counterattack on the dark squares.
3. Bc4 Nf6
A bit premature for the white Bishop to be developed here. This is a square it can be harassed on, which wastes time in the opening. In a moment I will show you.
4. d3 e6
White locks his own Bishop outside his closed pawn structure, but severely limits it's movement and has nowhere to retreat. Black immediately begins closing off its movement. The bishop can only intrude one square further into black's side of the board without losing material immediately, and exerts little influence on the diagonal it occupies, a2-g8.
5. Bg5 h6
White develops his good bishop, but is batted away. Better might be Nf3, preparing the short castling maneuver. Instead, this move wastes time. The pawn on h6 is sound, as black no longer anticipates kingside intrusion on the light squares due to white's bad bishop.
6. Bxf6 Qxf6
The correct recapture. Instead of destroying black's pawn structure and weakening any possible short castle position, black correctly recaptures while developing the queen, immediately exerting pressure against the weak f2 square and pawn.
7. Qf3 Be7
White wants to trade queens, but that would allow him to recapture with the knight, developing a piece, and destroying black's finest attacker, which would limit my aggressive options. I decide to force him to waste time trading queens, as it would further develop a problem bishop for black to the more active f6 square, and further reinforcing my kingside pawns, without developing the knight for white on that turn.
8. Nge2 Qxf3
Nge2 is very bad for white. The knight is weak on e2, and it is passive. Notice how the movement of the white knights overlap onto one another, each taking away a potential flight square from the other. White is assisting black in blocking in his own pieces, and in a single move weakens not only both his knights but also his queen, which was only defended further by the g-pawn, which must recapture and devastate white's kingside pawns.
9. gxf3 a6
The forced recapture for white eliminates a possible square for the knight to reposition to, gives him doubled pawns, and opens a hole in his kingside. White is not without counterplay, but the situation is getting prickly. Pawn a6 further traps white's problem bishop and gives the piece only one viable legal move, which is the shameful retreat Bb3.
10. Rg1 O-O
In this position, white is correct to activate his rook to the half-open file. However, black is safe to castle right into the firing range of the rook, because the white pieces are not coordinated for attack.
11. f4 b5
White pushes his weak doubled pawn, hoping to trade it. A wise choice. But the reply b5 forces the issue against white's bishop.
12. Bb3 d6
At b3, the Bishop has no scope, and nowhere to hide. It is terrified of further pawn advances. Black continues with the quiet d6, which gives his light square bishop a little breathing room and more importantly grabs space in front of his pawns, and reinforcing the "staircase" structure.
13. O-O-O Bb7
White connects his rooks and encases his King safely on the Queenside, away from central danger and the kingside weaknesses. Black's reply exerts influence over the center and indirectly targets all the way down the weak a8-h1 diagonal, potentially hitting the battered kingside later.
14. f5 Na5
With f5 White attempts to break free from his doubled pawn weaknesses and mess up Black's structure, a solid idea. Black corners the trapped Bishop and forces the issue.
15. fxe6 Nxb3+
Black is happy to see his closed structure open up, but instead of allowing the white bishop to finally break free, black captures it with check, delaying the recapture on e6, and removing the pawn's defender.
16. axb3 fxe6
White has doubled pawns again, but more importantly black has blasted a hole into the white camp with his rook. The pawns on h2 and f2 will have trouble from now on. Black's pawn structure is solid.
Notice how white's knights cannot maneuver anywhere effectively? They either waste time repositioning themselves, or continue to be ineffective. I am happy with either choice.
17. f4 d5
White continues to attempt to convert kingside pawn weaknesses into relieving trades. In this case, I welcome a trade to give my pieces some room.
18. e5 Rac8
White avoids the trade and creates more permanent weaknesses in his pawn structure. The pawn on f4 is now backward and ineffective, and requires a babysitter to protect it from the rook. It takes another square away from white's knight. The knight on c3 is hopelessly passive. Black begins to prepare his mortars for blasting into white's fortress.
19. Rg6 Kf7
The hasty rook advance is easily deflected. The king is a strong piece; when it is safe you should use him.
20. Rdg1 Rg8
The white rook should have retreated, hat in hand, graciously, but instead he doubles down on a pair of tens. In blackjack terms, that's as good as suicide. Black misses the next move, but makes a sound one instead. Reinforcing the pawn is the knee-jerk reaction, after all. But a passive rook defending a pawn? It's a bad idea. More active counterplay is called for. The white rook cannot move anywhere safely but backward, so how about preventing it's retreat and removing the defender at the same time?
21. d4 Bg5
This highly irregular move sends White streaking back down to earth. The advanced rook has no defender, and either way he captures the bishop, he still loses the exchange by a pawn capture or a king capture.
22. R6xg5 hxg5
23. Rxg5 b4
With a material edge, and white's counteplay stopped, black resumes the crawling assault.
24. Nd1 Rh8
The knight retreat to d1 is a sad concession, because the knight has no attacking potential on one of the weakest knight squares on the board. In this position, it's one of the few sane choices. Any other move would have encased it behind a wall of pawns on the corner of the board, making it a ghost with no real influence on the game. That's as good as being down a knight.
Black responds by attacking the isolated h pawn, and moving his rook into activity.
25. Rg2 c4
When your rook is babysitting a weak and useless pawn on the edge of the board far from your own king, and it's movement becomes limited because of this pressure, it's almost like being down a rook, too. Now white has a rook that will not come crashing through black's roof like a bomb, which reduces it to the role of a passive defender. It might as well be a trapped bishop or a backward pawn, because it has just as much value so long as it has to guard the h-pawn.
The value of your pieces changes depending on where they are placed. Here, the rook is no threat and just another brick in white's weakening wall. Black responds by sending in the battering ram against the queenside fortress.
26. bxc4 dxc4
Now white will have difficulty containing black's advance. He has spearmen at the ready to cover the breach, but they will not protect their king for long.
27. Rf2 g6
The rook has even less scope here, but at least he might be able to shove that backward pawn down my throat. Black responds by saying "just try it".
28. Kd2 Rh3
White's monarch must be feeling the pressure, because he advances forward to assist the spearmen at the collapsing gatehouse. He will not go down without a fight. A brave decision, not one a coward would make. Black cannot play c3+, because it does nothing for him but lose valuable attacking pawns.
Black tosses a little more oil onto the flaming battering ram, hoping to burn the defenders away from the walls. The rook invasion is painful.
29. Ng1 Rh5
White is desperate to get rid of the vicious-looking rook, and this retreat forces one from black. Some temporary damage is done; a defender is removed to a passive square, at best allowing white to return to the previous position after black tries another tactic, at worst leaving his knight on a lousy square.
30. Ne3 c3+
The knight tries to hold the position, but nothing can stop black's advance.
31. bxc3 bxc3+
32. Kd3 a5
The King charges to the walls himself, and unsheaths his sword. Time to get down to bloody business.
Black threatens to quietly pop out a new queen, leaving white to scramble in a hasty defense.
33. Nd1 Ba6+
The knight retreat is necessary to stop the queen, but the King is forced to take a vacation away from the evil a-pawn.
34. Ke4 a4
35. Ne2 Rh3
Threatening to get a new defender against the queening threat, and attacking a pawn. The rook moves up to cramp white's style and defend all at the same time. This is active defense.
36. d5 exd5+
White refuses to be trapped in a straitjacket. But black has a vicious reply, and the move turns out to be bad.
37. Kd4 Bxe2
If the king had taken the pawn, the rook would deliver check and skewer the knight on d1. A terrible way to lose a knight. White is still holding on by a thread. Time to push the car over the cliff.
38. Rxe2 a3
White no longer has enough defenders. The pawn will queen.
39. Ne3 a2
The threat must be answered immediately, forcing the rook to abandon its post.
40. Re1 Rxh2
A pawn falls, and another one is eyed hungrily. Black allows white to have a slice of pawn cake.
41. Kxd5 Ra8
The final battering ram is in place, and white must demolish a whole tower in order to cover the breach in his defenses. Sadly, he will no longer be able to fight back against the dark horde.
42. Ra1 Rd2+
Backed up against a wall, white defends gallantly, and black wastes some time, too sure of his victory to think properly.
43. Ke4 Ra4+
44. Kf3 Ke6
45. Kg3 Re2
46. Kf3 Rh2
Black gained nothing from these series of moves. A new strategy is required.
47. Kg3 Rh7
The rook was just leaving anyway, but he will be back.
48. Kf2 0-1 White resigns.
White realizes the rook is on it's way to b1 care of b7 airlines. That means it's time to fall on his sword.
_________________________
More analysis to come. 7am now, no sleep all night. Bye byes.
Re: Pizzaguy's Corner
Originally Posted by Askthepizzaguy
#Hillary4prism
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