1-0 Coll,Nathan (1104) - Karrys,Luke (1008)
American Chess Events: Game of the Month for March
Master Trek 08.03.2008 [C55] [Rensch, D.]
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ACE's Game of the Month award for March goes to two players from the 1000-1299 Section. Both players will receive ACE Free Entry vouchers for a future tournament of their choice. Played at the March 8th Master Trek, the following game was certainly an exciting one. Although their play was not perfect, the committee of one chose this game more for its instructional value for all players rated 1500 and lower. One thing I believe all players at this level are looking to improve is their ability to not only achieve the advantage, but then maintain it easily for the remainder of the game. Technique and discipline would be other words for it. A plan for "focus" on keeping your opponent's threats and tactics to a minimum would be the best way to improve in these areas. So in this game, we will try to exploit every time in which our featured players did, and sometimes did not, achieve the desired "focus" level needed for great winning technique.
1.e4
e5
2.Nf3
d6
The Philidor Defense. Not the most precise or aggressive opening for Black to employ, but by no means is it the worst choice either. One of the main issues with the opening being the blocked bishop on f8, which is now ensured the passive development of Be7. White will have the opportunity to gain control over the center early in the game because of Black's passive development.
3.Nc3
[3.Bc4!?
Nc6
4.Nc3
Bg4
5.h3
Bh5?
(5...Bxf3
is obviously much better.) 6.Nxe5!
Bxd1??
(6...Nxe5
7.Qxh5
Nxc4
8.Qb5+
c6
9.Qxc4
where white has achieved a large advantage with the extra pawn and better center control.) 7.Bxf7+
Ke7
8.Nd5#
Sorry I got a little carried away... But just in case some of you were not familiar with the famous Phildor's Mate Queen Sacrifce, you just saw it!; 3.d4
Nd7
4.Bc4
c6
5.0-0
Be7
6.dxe5
dxe5
7.Ng5
Bxg5
8.Qh5
Qe7
9.Bxg5
is theoretically considered to be the best variation for white. (9.Qxg5
is also good.) ]
3...Nf6
4.Bc4
Bg4
5.d3
Nc6
6.Bg5
h6
7.Bh4
g5
This is a move that might be considered a mistake if Black had already castled kingside, but with the plan of castling long in place, this move is not bad at all. [7...Nd4
was probably a little better. Black will criple white's pawn structure and therefore create some future difficulties for White in the task of finding king safety.]
8.Bg3
Qd7
9.Bd5
Generally, a loss of time like this should be avoided before the completion of development; however, White is struggling to find useful moves here. For example, if White castles short, Nd4 creates serious problems on f3. It would have taken some creativity to find the interesting pawn sacrifice after the 9.h3 variation below. With that being said, young Mr. Coll deserves some credit for this move (and the next 3 moves to follow) when you consider that his 4-move plan to win the queen succeeded! [9.h3
Bh5
10.Qd2
Bxf3
11.gxf3
Nd4
12.0-0-0
Nxf3
was probably the best plan for White despite the loss of the pawn. As you will see from the remaining moves of this variation, White is able to get some decent compensation based on the fact that the opening of the center will favor White's bishops. Also, the pawn push to g5 doesn't look great if Black is unable to find a safe place for his king. 13.Qe3
Nd4
14.Ne2
c5
15.c3
Nxe2+
16.Qxe2
followed by d4, with roughly equal chances.]
9...0-0-0
[9...Nd4
Deja Vu. Again, this was probably the best move.]
10.Bxc6
Qxc6
11.h3
Bh5
12.a4
d5
a good move that prepares to punish White for not castling his king. The opening of the center will definitely favor favor Black with White's king sitting on e1.
13.Nb5
[13.exd5
Nxd5
14.Nxe5
Qxc3+
15.bxc3
Bxd1
16.Kxd1
Nxc3+
17.Kc1
Re8!
(17...Ne2+
18.Kd2
(18.Kb2?
Nxg3
19.fxg3
Bg7
20.Rae1
Rhe8-+
) 18...Nxg3
(18...Bg7
19.Kxe2
Rhe8=
) 19.fxg3
Bg7
20.Nxf7
Bxa1
21.Rxa1
Rhf8
22.Nxd8
Kxd8
where a draw is the most likely result.) 18.Kb2
(18.Re1
Bb4-/+
) 18...Ne2
19.Rae1
Nxg3
20.fxg3
Rxe5
21.Rxe5
Bg7
22.Rhe1
Re8
23.d4
Bxe5
24.dxe5
f6=/+
Clearly this analysis seems a little comlplex for this level, but the main point remains that White should not be able to open the center with the king sitting on e1. ]
13...dxe4??
Although not perfect, Black's game up until this point was pretty good: He developed quickly, castled early, and opened the center with aggressive intentions... But a Blunder is a Blunder, and White wins the queen at the climax of Nathan's plan that was started on move 9. [13...Kb8
was needless to say, a much better move. You can see from the variation here, that with this logical move, White would quickly find himself struggling with an open king in the center, misplaced pieces (rooks and knight on b5), and possibly a material disadvantage as well. 14.Nxe5
Bxd1
15.Nxc6+
bxc6
16.Rxd1
cxb5-+
]
14.Nxa7+
And with the fall of the queen, our climax is reached right? Well...as we unfortunatelly see at this level from time to time, a large material advantage can come and go with the wind. A phase of "technique" and "trading pieces", combined with continued pressure against Black's open king, should have been White's plan here. However, the complications in the center are making that task difficult for the time being, and White needs to apply the great strategy of "Weathering the Storm" here to help matters. What I mean, simply put, is this: When you control the whole kingdom, don't bother with every piece of fruit! (Another crazy Danny metaphore)! In games like this, one should recognize that the material advantage is so great, any trade (even one that might lose a little up front) is a good trade! Focus on what matters: "I am winning, so eliminating simple tactics and threats is really all I need to do." Nate could have easily maximized his winning chances here by castling, taking on e5 to open the bishop, and continuing with the plan he tried to execute in the game of bringing the queen to b3 for the attack.
I am (and I would venture to say many IMs and GMs are too) as guilty as the next person in that I have blown many winning positions in my chess career. But, with that being said, every chess player must realize that chess is different than other sports in that it is a game of math. So, once a serious advantage is achieved, the game should be won, without exception, every time. And how do we do this with consistency? Our focus on "Weathering the Storm"! Our discipline in stopping our opponent's threats before getting really excitied about our own. And remember, when you are the one in the winning position, don't be in such a hurry... Enjoy it...
16.c4?!
I am not a huge fan of this move for the reasons listed in the notes to move 15. [16.Bxe5
was probably good too.; 16.0-0
exf3
17.gxf3
and white is still dealing with a Queen for Two Minor Pieces advantage.]
16...exd3
17.Qb3+
Kc8
18.a5?!
Another detour... White needed only to safeguard his king for the game to be over.
18...e4
19.Ne5??
[19.0-0
was still sufficient.; 19.a6
exf3
20.Qb7+
(20.a7
d2+
(20...fxg2
would be sweet if White wasn't queening with check.) 21.Kf1
fxg2+
22.Kxg2
was a little more risky way to get the king to safety. Again, all roads should lead to Rome, as long as White focuses on "Weathering the Storm"!) 20...Kd7
21.Qxc7+
Ke8
22.0-0
was pretty good too. If White was going to come this far for the attack, then he might as well have pushed the pawn one more square right?]
19...d2+
20.Kf1
20...d1Q+
21.Rxd1
Rxd1+
22.Qxd1
Bxd1
WOW! Just like that, the game is back on its heels. Everything we have said from White's point of view about "Weatering the Storm", should now be turned to Black's attention. In fairness, Black's advantage is not quite as big as White's was, and Nathan gets well deserved credit for his direct attacking approach and pushing the a-pawn with haste.
23.Ke1
Ba4
I like the idea of defending the c-pawn but putting the bishop in the direct line of the rook, I don't like so much. Bringing it back to h5 was better, followed by a quick relocation of the king to a8. Once the a-pawn "Storm is Weathered", Black can turn his attention to other things.
24.Ke2
Bc5
[24...Kb7
25.Ra1
Bc2
26.a6+
Ka8
27.Nxc6
Bd6
would have maintained the advantage for Black.]
25.Ra1
Bc2
26.a6
Kb8
27.Nxc6+
Ka8
28.b4
Bd3+
29.Kd2
Rc8
For some reason black is more concerned with protecting the c7-pawn than the bishop. Ironically, Black then misses a chance to protect both the bishop and the pawn at the same time with 29...Bd6. [29...Bd6
would have been more than sufficient to keep the advantage. Again we see a strange approach from both players in that neither one is focused on neutralizing their opponent's threats.]
30.bxc5
My how the tables have turned... Again!
30...Nd7
31.a7
Kb7?
Unnecessary. Usually in chess, an unnecessary move is a bad one, and this position is no exception. There was no reason to vacate the king from the queening square a8; furthermore, bringing the king into the complications of the minor piece tactics will only hurt Black's defensive chances.
A good lesson here through all the wild tactics would be [31...Nxc5
32.Kc3
and even though White is still better since the winning of the c5-bishop, Black stands ok as long as the a7-pawn is blockaded.]
32.Ne7!
Ra8
33.c6+
Kb6
34.cxd7
Kb7
35.c5
c6
36.Bb8
e3+
37.fxe3
Bf5
38.d8N#
In the end, it was young Mr. Coll with a great Under-Promotion for Checkmate! A nice finish to a very wild and exciting game. Despite a slow start, Nathan showed some great poise when the position became crazy. For a young player he certainly seemed to have a good handle on his plan through out the entire game. Congrats to both players on the Game of the Month award. 1-0