MIDDLEGAMES
KCN Practice Chess Games 2000-2002
Game 25 White – Black, Columbia Grammar, February 15, 2002.
|
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Nf3 White moves his knight back to f3, aiming at e5. Black could prevent the following play with 6...Nc6, and only then move out his bishop. But his response spoils nothing yet. 6...Bg7 7.e5!? |
|
|
|
|
White provokes a crisis right in the opening. Ng4 Moving the knight allows white to "get away with" his risky advance. [ Black should eliminate the e pawn, and not fear the exchange of queens. One game went 7...dxe5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nxe5 Ke8 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bc4 e6 12.Bg5 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.f3 Ke7 with blacks advantage - his king is well placed for the endgame. Casas,M-Figueredo,J/Paysandu 2001] 8.exd6 Qxd6 9.Qxd6 exd6 White has the advantage, due to the weak d6 pawn. 10.h3 Ne5 [10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Nf6 12.Nd4 is clearly in white's favor, despite his weak c pawns. The dark squared bishop on c1 is especially powerful without an opponent.] 11.Nxe5 dxe5 capturing this way improves black's pawn structure. 12.Bc4 [ Even better is a direct 12.Nd5!? menacing the knight fork ...Kd7 13.Be3±] 12...0-0 [ Looking ahead, it is possible to advise black that defense is necessary. 12...Nc6 13.Be3 Nd4 14.0-0-0 Be6 is more prudent, opposing the strong white bishop without paying the penalty of doubled isolated pawns.] 13.Be3 Bf5 14.0-0-0 Rc8 15.Bb3 Nc6 16.g4 Be6 17.Bxe6 fxe6 Doubled e pawns makes black's task difficult. 18.Rd6 |
|
|
|
|
18...Re8 This is no way to use a rook, defending a pawn from a passive square. [18...Rd8! 19.Rhd1 (19.Rxe6 Kf7 snares the rook) Nd4 is much more challenging.] 19.Nb5 Rad8 20.Rxd8 [20.Bxa7 Nxa7 21.Rxd8 Rxd8 22.Nxa7 Rf8 is not better as white misses his bishop. For example 23.Rf1 Bh6+ 24.Kd1 Be3] 20...Rxd8 21.Nxa7 Nxa7 22.Bxa7 Bh6+ This quick check helps white secure his a2 pawn. [Black can skewer a pawn 22...Ra8 23.Be3 Rxa2 24.Kb1 with some advantage but no win for white.] 23.Kb1 [ White allows the black rook to intrude. Instead he could offer to exchange bishops: 23.Be3 Bxe3+ 24.fxe3 Rf8 25.Rd1] 23...Rd2 24.a3 Bg7 A very passive bishop move. [24...Bf4 is better though 25. Re1 still clearly favors white.] 25.Be3 Rd5 26.Kc1 Rb5 27.c3 [27.c4 is the shorter path, forcing the black rook out of play and beginning a queenside pawn advance 27...Ra5 28.Rd1+-] 27...Rd5 28.Rd1 e4 [28...Kf7 29.c4 Rxd1+ 30.Kxd1+-] 29.Rxd5 white helps blacks pawn structure. 29.Re1 targets the weak pawn on e4. 29...exd5 Now we have a bishop ending, with one extra white pawn. White needs to advance his king and pawns together, which he fails to do. 30.Kd2 Kf7 31.Bd4 Bh6+ 32.Kc2 Ke6 33.Kb3 Kd6 34.Kb4 Kc6 35.Ka5 White appears to blunder his pawn advantage. [35. a4 was better.] 35...Bc1 |
|
|
|
| White feels that he has blundered, and this promotes a lack of attention on the next move. White should notice that the black bishop stands near a corner, and try to trap it. 36.b4 [ 36.Kb4! Bxb2 37.Be3 and black must jettison a pawn to free his bishop: 37...d4 38.Bxd4 Bc1 the bishop is safe, but white keeps an extra pawn with some chances of victory. Still his queenside pawns are broken due to the mistake at move 35.] 36...Bxa3 37.b5+ Kc7 [37...Kc7 38.Be5+ Kc8 White's advantage is insufficient for victory.] |
|
1/2 - 1/2 |
|
|
|
