I am black again, another dodgy sacrifice by me on move 10. It didn't lead to a win this time, but I did end up with the better endgame position, I just didn't have the ability to convert it. I guess I'm very lucky that my opponents are human and not computer.
Does anybody disagree with my comments? I'm looking for advice on how to study my games.
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 O-O 5. h3 d6 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. c3 {I don't know if this is opening theory. Probably the London system or something like that, but it looks bad to me. It removes a natural developing square for the knight and with h3 having been played as well, I fail to see what it achieves in return for handing me a lead in development.} Re8 {I had seen the possibility of opening up the centre with e5, but chose first to prepare the ground with this rook move. The computer considers it a mistake. I consider it solid play.} 8. e4 $2 {Diagram [#] especially if white is going to keep forgoeing development in favour of slow pawn moves.} e5 {an attempt to open up the centre and attack the black king.} 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Nxe4 {A terrible (losing) move that throws away the piece, again showing impatience and lazy, faulty analysis. The one thing in its favour is that it muddies things, opens up the centre, attempts to take advantage of my lead in development and requires tidy play by my opponent. However, it is patently not the kind of move to make from an even or slightly better position. better was 10. ...dxe5} 11. Bxe4 Bxe5 12. Be3 {This is the move I had missed in my analysis. I am now a piece down and bust.} Bf4 13. Qf3 $2 {blundering back - lucky me.} Bxe3 14.Qxe3 d5 15. f3 Qh4+ 16. Qf2 Qxf2+ 17. Kxf2 dxe4 18. Re1 Bf5 19. g4 e3+ 20. Rxe3 Rxe3 21. Kxe3 Re8+ 22. Kd2 Rd8+ 23. Ke2 Re8+ 24. Kd2 Rd8+ {I knew I had the advantage, with the white knight and rook still in their beds, but I couldn'tsee anyway to exploit it. I chickened out and allowed a repetition.} 25. Ke2 Re8+ 26. Kd2 1/2-1/2
Just keep playing how you are playing. You will have to lose
some of these dodgy sacs to cure you!
You can squeeze some play from that ending. The h3 pawn gets you play.
FEN
3r2k1/ppp2p1p/6p1/5b2/6P1/2P2P1P/PP1K4/RN6 w - - 0 1
7.c3
"I don't know if this is opening theory. Probably the London system or something like that, but it looks bad to me. It removes a natural developing square for the knight and with h3 having been played as well, I fail to see what it achieves in return for handing me a lead in development".
I play the London system a lot.My knight always goes to D2 to stop the black knight advance and c3 also shores up the position against a queens side assault by black
Originally posted by PacMan I am black again, another dodgy sacrifice by me on move 10. It didn't lead to a win this time, but I did end up with the better endgame position, I just didn't have the ability to convert it. I guess I'm very lucky that my opponents are human and not computer.
Does anybody disagree with my comments? I'm looking for advice on how to study my games.
[pgn] ...[text shortened]... to exploit it. I chickened out and allowed a repetition.} 25. Ke2 Re8+ 26. Kd2 1/2-1/2
[/pgn]
I disagree with your assessments of white's seventh and eighth moves. 7. c3 is fine, it leaves your g7 bishop biting on granite and generally helps to stabilize the centre, the knight can go to d2. Personally I'd have castled instead of playing 8. e3-e4 but I don't think his move is as bad as you seemed to think. 8. ... e5 is clearly the right thing to do. He is probably wrong to play 9. dxe5 and should just move the bishop to g5, pinning the knight.
Your sacrifice wasn't sound, but your self-criticism is too strong. In a recent game (Game 10669692) I went for the Greek gift sacrifice, only I'd failed to spot a possible defence and so lost. I saw the defence shortly after committing myself to the sacrifice. If you look at the books after 8. Bxh7 Kxh7 9. Ng5 they point out that the better defence is often to move the king to g6 rather than g8. So I'd spent more time on looking at lines after 9. ... Kg6. I don't think this completely explains my missing the move, but my underestimation of 9. ... Kg8 created this cognitive bias in favour of a duff move.
In my opinion the London System does not work well against black defences involving d6 and e5. In particular the bishop on d3 and knight on f3 are prone to a pawn fork. I think White is better off playing an early Nc3 and turning it into some sort of "150 attack" or "Barry attack" type set-up.
Originally posted by Data Fly In my opinion the London System does not work well against black defences involving d6 and e5. In particular the bishop on d3 and knight on f3 are prone to a pawn fork. I think White is better off playing an early Nc3 and turning it into some sort of "150 attack" or "Barry attack" type set-up.
Can you expand on that? I never heard of either attack.
Originally posted by Data Fly In my opinion the London System does not work well against black defences involving d6 and e5. In particular the bishop on d3 and knight on f3 are prone to a pawn fork. I think White is better off playing an early Nc3 and turning it into some sort of "150 attack" or "Barry attack" type set-up.
Yes that fork is one I've fallen for before but I watch out for it now.
There's ways to combat it.
10 Sep '14 20:422 edits
Another game, another dodgy sacrifice.
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