This game is by no means perfect, but there are some instructive moments.
1.e4
e5
2.Nf3
Nc6
3.Bb5
a6
4.Ba4
Nf6
5.0-0
Be7
6.Re1
b5
7.Bb3
d6
8.c3
0-0
All of this has been played millions of times before.
9.Bc2!?
But I had ne ver ever seen this! First instructive moment: Many IMs and GMs have special "pet" lines they know through and through for use against opponents lower rated than them. The idea is the lower rated player won't know what to do once he's out of his "book."
9...d5!?
I am not sure yet what Black's best answer is. Maybe this move is too bold. [I guessed that his intention was to meet 9...Bg4
with 10.d3
and then proc eed to win my light-squared bishop with some combination of Nb1-d2-f1-g3 and h3.]
10.d4
Funnily enough, I had overlooked this natural move. Now I have to be careful.
10...exd4
[No good was 10...dxe4
11.Nxe5
and my e-pawn would be weak.; 10...Nxe4
I can't remember now what I didn't like about this move, but Rybka thinks it is OK.; 10...Bg4
11.exd5!
would give White extra material in all lines. 11...Nxd5
(11...Qxd5
12.dxe5
Qxd1
(12...Bxf3
13.Qxf3
Nxe5
14.Qxd5
Nxd5
15.Rxe5
) 13.Bxd1!
) 12.dxe5
and Black would just be a pawn down.]
11.e5
Ne4
12.Nxd4
Nxd4?
A mistake. Instructive moment number two: My opponent was still moving quickly, and so I assumed he had 12...Nxe5 13.f3 winning a piece all worked out at home, so I didn't look any further than that. Wrong!! [12...Nxe5!
13.f3
c5!
and now Rybka gives this nice line which ends in a draw by perpetual: 14.Bf4
Bd6
15.Bxe5
Bxe5
16.Nc6
Bxh2+
17.Kxh2
Qh4+
18.Kg1
Qf2+
19.Kh2
Qh4+
]
13.cxd4
f5
Instructive moment number three: How to assess this position? It looks alot like an Open Ruy, which I have some experience in. Black should be OK with such a knight on e4, right? Nope. There is a vital difference here. In this game, White does not have a knight on f3, and so he can go ahead and kick my knight back to no man's land.
14.f3
Ng5
15.Nc3
I was beginning to realize my problems. Both my knight and bishop want the square e6, but only one can go there! Houston, we have a coordination problem.
15...Kh8?
This move was based on fear of ghosts. [I was needlessly afraid of 15...Ne6
16.Nxd5??
Qxd5
17.Bb3
Qb7
18.d5
Rd8
]
16.Bb3
White plays this part of the game extremely well.
16...Be6
My position gets worse by degrees, thanks to White's purposeful play. [16...c6
would be ugly. I'd also still have the problem with my bishop and knight fighting for e6.; After I made my move, I thought 16...Bb7
with ...Ne6 would have been best, despite my light-squared bishop getting into a staring match with the pawn on d5.]
17.Ne2!
A nice move with lots of ideas. It clears the c-file (White would like a rook on it to target the weak c-pawn), and goes to f4 where it will still keep an eye on the d5-pawn. In some cases, it will even exchange itself for the horrible bishop on e6 if it leads to the win of the d5-pawn.
17...Qd7
18.Be3
Another nice, straightforward yet powerful move. The c-file is cleared, and Black cannot hope to eliminate his weak c-pawn by pushing it to c5.
18...Nf7
I felt like an idiot playing this.
19.Nf4
Nd8
Diagram # Of course, White will not oblige with 20.Nxe6 Nxe6 when the knight would be an excellent blockader. Instructive moment number four: White has improved his position to the maximum. This means it's time to find a plan. How to continue?
20.a4!
White correctly opens up a second front. b5 will be weak in addition to c7 and d5.
20...Nc6
I figured my only way to cause problems for him was to threaten ...Nc6-a5-c4.
21.axb5
axb5
22.Qe2
White is positionally winning.
22...Bg5??
I had 13 minutes left to make the time control, and played this losing move.
23.Nd3?
Instructive moment number five: White knows he's totally winning, thinks his opponent is a dumbie (and from my moves, who wouldn't??) and believes he can win any way he wants to. What should White have played? [During the game, I realized I was dead lost if he played 23.Nxe6!
Exchanging his great knight for my horrible bishop seems bizzare andanti-positi onal, but it starts the process of cleaning up my pawns like a Hoover vacuum cleaner. 23...Bxe3+
Forced. 24.Qxe3
Qxe6
25.Qc3!
Black cannot get in Na5-c4, the white queen is coming to c5 and Black cannot hope to hold all of his pawns.]
23...Be7
I cannot let his knight into c5.
24.Nf4
White realized he had made a mistake, and hoped I would go back with 24...Bg5.
24...Bb4!
But I don't! I am still totally busted, but now for the first time in the game, I have a plan of ...Ba5-b6 and pressurizing his d-pawn.
25.Red1
Rxa1
26.Rxa1
Rb8
The time situation was 7 minutes for me, and 26 for my opponent.
27.Ra6
Ba5
28.Bf2
Bb6?
Instructive moment number six: Can White take on b5?
29.Nxe6?
Maybe miffed that he hadn't taken this bishop earlier, he did so now. [29.Qxb5!
It is safe to do so. 29...Nxe5?
30.Qe2
would have won a piece.]
29...Qxe6
30.Qxb5??
Diagram #
30...Qh6?
I had only 3 minutes to make 10 moves, and missed my chance to turn the tables 180 degrees. [30...Nxd4!
31.Qxd5
(31.Bxd4
Bxd4+
32.Kf1
Rxb5
33.Rxe6
Kg8
and Black would be on top.) 31...Nxf3+!
This was the move I had not seen. 32.Qxf3
(Better would be 32.Kh1
Qxd5
33.Bxd5
Nxe5
though there's no doubt Black owns an advantage.) 32...Bxf2+
33.Kxf2
Qxa6
Would have won everything.]
31.Qf1?
I could tel l by his body language that he had missed 30...Qh6 (or maybe he had seen the combo I had missed?) and was now nervous. With 6 minutes left for him, and 3 for me, he had lost all control over the position and all three results were possible again.
31...Nxd4
Strangely, with almost no time left for both players, this is the part of the game where Rybka thinks we played the best!
32.Bxd5
Qd2
33.Bc4
Qxb2
34.Ra2
Qc3
35.e6
Re8
36.Bd5
Both players are under a minute now.
36...c6
[36...Nxe6
Rybka suggested I could take the pawn on e6 for free, but that kind of move is impossible to take seriously with seconds left on your clock. 37.Re2
Bxf2+
38.Qxf2
Rb8
39.Qa7
Qd4+
40.Qxd4
Nxd4
41.Re7
and Black is slightly better.]
37.Qc4
Instructiv e moment number seven: Black to play with under a minute to make 4 moves. What do you play?
37...Nxf3+!
[37...Qxc4
38.Bxc4
would have been a sure loss.; 37...Ne2+
Rybka notes this was possible as well.]
38.gxf3
[38.Bxf3
Qxc4
; 38.Kh1
Qxc4
39.Bxc4
Ne5
]
38...Qe1+
39.Kg2!
[39.Qf1?
Bxf2+
40.Rxf2
Qxf1+
41.Kxf1
cxd5
42.Rd2
Rxe6
43.Rxd5
with drawing chances. But with White's move in the game, he appeared to be winning.]
39...Bxf2
40.Bxc6!
with just 3 seconds on his clock, White avoided a mate. [40.Qxc6
Qg1+
41.Kh3
Qf1#
]
40...Qg1+
41.Kh3
Diagram # Instructive moment number eight: Black to play and draw. Don't play one move, look to see it's the right move and count yourself correct. Calculate as far as you can until you are certain it's a draw.
41...g5!!
White now thought for 33 minutes before taking the rook.
42.Bxe8
If the White queen moves off of the 4th rank, then ...g4 will mate. Other lines are: [42.Rxf2
would not have worked either. 42...Qxf2
43.Qc3+
(43.Bxe8??
would have even lost! 43...Qxf3#
) 43...Kg8
44.Bxe8
Qf1+
45.Kg3
Qg1+
46.Kh3
Qf1+
with a draw.; 42.Qc3+
Kg8
(42...Bd4!?
however, gives Black winning chances.) 43.Rxf2
transposes to the drawn poisition.]
42...g4+
Now a series of forced moves occurred.
43.fxg4
fxg4+
44.Qxg4
Qf1+
45.Qg2
Qd3+
46.Kg4
Qd4+!
The only move. The queen must stay in contact with the bishop. [46...Qc4+??
47.Kf3
White wins.]
47.Kf5
White offered a draw. Give yourself an A+ if you saw all the lines! Not the world's best played game, but many exciting twists and turns. I hope I've learned alot from it, and hope you have, too. [47.Kh3
Qh4#
; 47.Kh5
Qh4#
; 47.Kg5
Qg7+
48.Kf5
Qxg2
; 47.Kf3
Qe3+
48.Kg4
Qd4+
is simply a repetition.; 47.Kf5
Qc5+
48.Ke4
(48.Kg4
Qd4+
; 48.Kf6??
Bh4+
49.Kf7
Qe7#
) 48...Qd4+
] 1/2-1/2