Here is a game played today on chessbase against player "Gnaggi". 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 d6 3 Nc3 g6
4 e4 Bg7 5 f3 0-0 6 Be3 Nc6 7 Qd2 e5 8 d5 Ne7 9 Bd3 The database overwhelmingly prefers
9 Nge2 here, but I prefer getting the king's bishop developed.
9...Ne8 10 Nge2 f5 11 ef Theory and practice indicates a move on the queen-side, either 0-0-0, b3, b4 or Rc1. I prefer to take the f-pawn,because it opens up lines on the king-side for attack. If black plays ...f4, as he usually does, then I have a great square on e4 for use by my minor pieces.
11...gf 12 h4 (or 12 Bg5) f4 13 Bf2 Nf5 14 Ne4 h6 15 h5 Nf6 16 g4 NxN? This is the first real bad move of the game. 16...fg maintains equality, while 16...NxN leaves black more than a point behind.
17 BxN Ne7 18 0-0-0 Bd7 19 Bb1 b5 20 Qc2 bc?? This loses the game for black. He had to stop for a defensive move, either 20...Kf7 or 20...Rf7.
21 Qh7+ Kf7 22 Bg6+ Kf6?? 23 Bh4# 1-0 22...NxB would have challenged white to find the continuation 23 hg+ Ke8 24 Bh4 Bf6 25 g7 Qe7 26 Qg6+ Qf7 27 gf(Q)+.
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Saturday, June 20, 2020
The Bronstein Variation of the Saemisch
Here we look at an interesting variation in the Saemisch King's Indian. Opening moves go 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3 0-0 6 Be3 e5 7 d5 Nh5 8 Qd2 Qh4+ 9 g3 Nxg3 10 Qf2 NxB 11 QxQ NxB 12 Ke2 Nxc4 13 Rc1 In this odd position, black has given up his queen for two bishops and two pawns! White need not worry about guarding his b-pawn, since 12 Rc1 Nxb2 13 Nb5 favors white.
13...Nb6 14 Nh3 c6 15 Rhg1 cd 16 Nxd5 NxN 17 ed Bf5 18 Rc7 Nd7 19 Ng5 h6? A better defense was 19...Nf6, avoiding the weakening of the king-side pawns.
20 Ne6! Here is the key move of white's system. Black's reply is forced.
20...fe 21 RxN Rf7? Best is 21...ed 22 Rxb7 Rad8, with white up a point and a half.
22 Rd8+ Best is 22 RxR KxR 23 Rc1 g5 24 Qb4.
22...RxR 23 QxR Bf8 24 de Re7 25 Qxd6 Rxe6 26 Qb8 e4 27 f4 Rb6 28 b3 a6 29 h4 h5 30 Qe5 Rb5 31 Qe8 Rc5 32 Kd2 Rd5+ 33 Ke2 Kg7 34 Qb8 Rd7 35 Qe8 Rd3 36 Qb8 Rh3 37 Qe5+ Kh7 38 Qc7+ Kh6 39 Qxb7 Rh2+ 40 Kd1 Bb4? 41 Qa8? (Apparently an odd double blunder) Bc3 42 Qxa6 Here the engine says I turned over the advantage to black. Engine says 42 Qf8+.
42...Rxh4 But here black returns the favor. Engine likes 42...e3.
43 Qc6 Bg7 44 a4 I could have simplified with 44 Rxg6+! BxR 45 f5.
44...Rxf4 45 a5 Rf2 46 a6 e3 47 Qc1? Rd2+ 48 Ke1 Bd3 Engine says 48...Bc2 draws.
49 a7 Be4 50 Qc8? (50 Rg3) Bf3 51 a8(Q)? Re2+ (Missing 51...Rd1#) 52 Kf1 Rf2+ 53 Ke1 Re2+ 54 Kd1 Rg2?? (Black should repeat moves) 55 QxB RxR+ 56 Ke2 Rb1 57 Qxe3+Kh7 58 Qd7 Rb2+ 59 Kf3 Rb1 60 Qc3 Black resigns 1-0
At the time this game was played, I was under the influence of the king-side attack with Nh3, Rg1, etc., with the queen infiltrating into the black camp. This may not be the best approach, though, as the queen-side pressure looks more promising.
13...Nb6 14 Nh3 c6 15 Rhg1 cd 16 Nxd5 NxN 17 ed Bf5 18 Rc7 Nd7 19 Ng5 h6? A better defense was 19...Nf6, avoiding the weakening of the king-side pawns.
20 Ne6! Here is the key move of white's system. Black's reply is forced.
20...fe 21 RxN Rf7? Best is 21...ed 22 Rxb7 Rad8, with white up a point and a half.
22 Rd8+ Best is 22 RxR KxR 23 Rc1 g5 24 Qb4.
22...RxR 23 QxR Bf8 24 de Re7 25 Qxd6 Rxe6 26 Qb8 e4 27 f4 Rb6 28 b3 a6 29 h4 h5 30 Qe5 Rb5 31 Qe8 Rc5 32 Kd2 Rd5+ 33 Ke2 Kg7 34 Qb8 Rd7 35 Qe8 Rd3 36 Qb8 Rh3 37 Qe5+ Kh7 38 Qc7+ Kh6 39 Qxb7 Rh2+ 40 Kd1 Bb4? 41 Qa8? (Apparently an odd double blunder) Bc3 42 Qxa6 Here the engine says I turned over the advantage to black. Engine says 42 Qf8+.
42...Rxh4 But here black returns the favor. Engine likes 42...e3.
43 Qc6 Bg7 44 a4 I could have simplified with 44 Rxg6+! BxR 45 f5.
44...Rxf4 45 a5 Rf2 46 a6 e3 47 Qc1? Rd2+ 48 Ke1 Bd3 Engine says 48...Bc2 draws.
49 a7 Be4 50 Qc8? (50 Rg3) Bf3 51 a8(Q)? Re2+ (Missing 51...Rd1#) 52 Kf1 Rf2+ 53 Ke1 Re2+ 54 Kd1 Rg2?? (Black should repeat moves) 55 QxB RxR+ 56 Ke2 Rb1 57 Qxe3+Kh7 58 Qd7 Rb2+ 59 Kf3 Rb1 60 Qc3 Black resigns 1-0
At the time this game was played, I was under the influence of the king-side attack with Nh3, Rg1, etc., with the queen infiltrating into the black camp. This may not be the best approach, though, as the queen-side pressure looks more promising.
Friday, June 19, 2020
The Saemisch King's Indian
I have played the Saemisch, characterized by White's 5 f3, for many years, and have seen no reason to switch to anything else. Here is a game played in 1996 against player "raizel", at a time when we both were rated in the high 1700s. It is an internet blitz game, played at 2, 10.
1 d4 d6 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 e4 Bg7 5 f3 Nc6 This is a legitimate system, although played only 3% of the time, compared to 83% for 5...0-0.
6 Be3 e5 7 d5 Ne7 8 Qd2 c6 9 Bd3 cd 10 cd a6 Black needs to play this, otherwise his pawn on a7 will be hanging whenever he moves his queen's rook.
11 Nge2 0-0 12 0-0 Ne8 This is a common move, which allows the push of black's f-pawn. However, look how cramped blacks position now is. He now has two minor pieces on his back rank, and the other two on his second rank. By contrast, white has three minor pieces on the third rank, and the other on his second. Plus, his queen is developed, so that white's rooks are now connected and ready to double on the c-file, while black's rooks are three moves away from being connected.
13 Rfc1 f5 14 Rc2 f4 15 Bf2 b5 16 Rac1 Proceeding according to plan. White is not worried about 16...b4, as the knight can effectively go to a4.
16...g4 17 b4 Rf7 18 a4 ba 19 Nxa4 Rb8 20 Ba7 Ra8 21 Bb6 Qd7 22 Nb2 Ng6 23 Bf2 Bf8 24 Nc4 Qd8 25 Nb6! This wins at least the exchange.
25...Bb7 26 NxR BxN 27 Rc8 And now I will go up a whole rook.
27...Qe7 28 RxB g4 With his position being hopeless on the queen-side, black's only hope is a desperation king-side attack.
29 Rcc8 I calmly respond by doubling rooks on his back rank, confident that my back rank pressure trumps his king-side pressure.
29...gf 30 gf Nh4 31 BxN QxB 32 RxN Rg7+ 33 Kh1 Qf2 34 RxB
This game illustrates typical Saemisch play. Black expects white to castle queen-side and mount an all-out king-side attack. In combatting this expected attack, black ignores his queen-side and allows white to build up strong queen-side pressure, characterized by doubling rooks on the c-file and making some well-timed pushes of the a- and b-pawns.
1 d4 d6 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 e4 Bg7 5 f3 Nc6 This is a legitimate system, although played only 3% of the time, compared to 83% for 5...0-0.
6 Be3 e5 7 d5 Ne7 8 Qd2 c6 9 Bd3 cd 10 cd a6 Black needs to play this, otherwise his pawn on a7 will be hanging whenever he moves his queen's rook.
11 Nge2 0-0 12 0-0 Ne8 This is a common move, which allows the push of black's f-pawn. However, look how cramped blacks position now is. He now has two minor pieces on his back rank, and the other two on his second rank. By contrast, white has three minor pieces on the third rank, and the other on his second. Plus, his queen is developed, so that white's rooks are now connected and ready to double on the c-file, while black's rooks are three moves away from being connected.
13 Rfc1 f5 14 Rc2 f4 15 Bf2 b5 16 Rac1 Proceeding according to plan. White is not worried about 16...b4, as the knight can effectively go to a4.
16...g4 17 b4 Rf7 18 a4 ba 19 Nxa4 Rb8 20 Ba7 Ra8 21 Bb6 Qd7 22 Nb2 Ng6 23 Bf2 Bf8 24 Nc4 Qd8 25 Nb6! This wins at least the exchange.
25...Bb7 26 NxR BxN 27 Rc8 And now I will go up a whole rook.
27...Qe7 28 RxB g4 With his position being hopeless on the queen-side, black's only hope is a desperation king-side attack.
29 Rcc8 I calmly respond by doubling rooks on his back rank, confident that my back rank pressure trumps his king-side pressure.
29...gf 30 gf Nh4 31 BxN QxB 32 RxN Rg7+ 33 Kh1 Qf2 34 RxB
This game illustrates typical Saemisch play. Black expects white to castle queen-side and mount an all-out king-side attack. In combatting this expected attack, black ignores his queen-side and allows white to build up strong queen-side pressure, characterized by doubling rooks on the c-file and making some well-timed pushes of the a- and b-pawns.
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