First OTB Foray

I joined the Markowski Open at the San Diego Chess Club in Round 4 of the clubs 7 round tournament. This is my first game played OTB in USCF sanctioned chess. I'll attempt to annotate it over the weekend. I also intend to add to this thread in the following rounds (Wednesday nights). Just a few quick notes for better digestion: Black ran into time trouble after 27... Rxc1 ..it was especially tight after 30...Qd8, and I played fast to add to the pressure.
I'm White.


-GIN

Good fun first OTB game. What a mess Black got into with his Queen's Rook
(moves 13 to 16) and yet here (Black to play)


I've never minded giving up my a8 Rook for Fianchettoed g2 Bishop.
So how about ignoring the hit on c6 and playing 14...Nh5 to cook things up.

This bit when the lad was in time trouble:

"..., and I played fast to add to the pressure. "

Don't so this. Sometimes experienced players in bad positions get themselves into
TT on purpose hoping their opponent will play fast and blunder. It has quite a good success rate.

Here (White has just played 31. e2-e4)



31..f.xe3 32.fxe3 Kh7 as you suggested. A player blitzing an opponent in TT
could easily play 33.Rxf5 and drop the exchange to 33...Nxe3.

----

Here is me giving up my a8 Rook for a fianchettoed Bishop.
(I give up my other Rook for his dark squared Bishop.)

E. Smith - G. Chandler Edinburgh League 1991

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Good fun first OTB game. What a mess Black got into with his Queen's Rook
(moves 13 to 16) and yet here (Black to play)

[fen]3q1rk1/pp1n1pp1/1brpbn1p/4p3/2P5/P1NP2PP/3BPPB1/R2QNRK1 b - - 0 14[/fen]
I've never minded giving up my a8 Rook for Fianchettoed g2 Bishop.
So how about ignoring the hit on c6 and playing 14...Nh5 to cook things up.

This ...[text shortened]... 21. f3
Qg3 22. Qf2 Qh3+ 23. Kg1 Nf4 24. Qh2 Bxd4+ 25. Rf2 Ne2+ 26. Kh1 Ng3+ 27. Kg1
Qf1[/pgn]

That's what can happen if you don't develop your pieces. 😀

Of course attacking with your king's pawns can hurt too sometimes.

Look at all his pawn moves.

10 of his first 16 moves were pawn moves.

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. d3 Bb4 4. g3 d6 5. Bd2 c6 6. Bg2 O-O
The English Kings. Lines for my level of play are similar against KID or this opening. My pawn breaks are b5 or f5. The dark squared bishop becomes evil on b4 or g5 after a pawn break has been played. The KN belongs on e2 (I ignore this sound advice)
7. a3 Bc5 8. b4
Bb6 9. h3 Be6 10. Nf3 h6 11. O-O Nbd7

Blacks development looks excellent. For me, e4 would complete my Botvinnik system with the triangle in the center. (Minus the N..we'll get to that). However I took some time to analyze this position and decided that the B on b6 is problematic - I don't like it there in a Botvinnik kingside push. I asked myself what can I do to punish this different placement. All I could come up with is a frozen b6 pawn. So I decided to go for a queenside push - b5.
12. b5 Rc8 13. bxc6 Rxc6 14. Ne1

Ne1. Have to talk about Ne1. Generally speaking the KN doesn't belong on f3 in Botvinnik systems. However, I delayed playing the Botvinnik and chose in the end not to play it at all. I was ready to transpose into a staunton - but my opponent did not oblige. Now after the b5 push (and a strange Rxc6 recapture..) I wanted to open up tactics on c6 and b7. Ne1 looks hidious but it is not all that terrible - Nc2 certainly gives the dark squares a lift, and bounces will on a queenside advance.
GP34 talked about a swap of the Rc6 and Bg2.. As white I generally accept this. I would certainly have accepted in this position, with intent to play h4, Ng2, an eventual Bg4, Qc2, Rfd1 and bounce the knight up a rook protected open file on the queenside. I would be playing with absolute intention of not allowing a release of central tension.
14... Rc7
15. Nb5 Rc8 16. Nxd6 Rb8 17. Bb4 Qc7 18. Nb5 Qd8 19. Bxf8

Black has lost. Mr. Pawn was definitely better with his analysis on Rxc6, and leaving it there for the exchange of the bishop. Now white just has to keep a cool head (That wasn't easy in my first OTB rated USCF game).
20. Nc2 a6
21. Nc3 Bd4 22. Nxd4 exd4 23. Ne4

Ne4? Terrible mistake. Worse is following through with it. Bxe4 on recapture hangs h3. Trading off is good, getting stressed a bit and trying to play principled chess without paying attention to the tactics..is unforgivable.
19...Qxf8 23... Nxe4 24. Bxe4 f5 25. Bd5 Bxd5 26. cxd5
Rc8 27. Rc1 Rxc1 28. Qxc1 Nb6

After Rxc1 I was eyeing Qc7 as the best continuum. I didn't mind losing the pawn and I liked the scope and attack it presented. I liked the idea of Qxb7 and Rb1 putting the rook on a light square with a pawn blocking any long diagonal attack on it. I should have played exactly along this line of thinking...but after Nxd5 my eyes got big with a pin to the king. I should have stayed with my original analysis. Qc4 was a good, but lesser move.
29. Qc7 Nxd5 30. Qc4 Qd8

Now what? Its ugly. Qc7 was better.
e4 allows e.p and things get uglier - still winnable ending, but much more complicated without any reason at all.
No need to look any further.

-GIN

Round 5 of San Diego Chess clubs tournament concluded last night and so I want to update this thread with my latest game. My annotations are in the PGN. I may edit this into an easier format later- if there is open interest. For now the pgn is broken on Russ's pgn viewer..


-GIN

The above game stops after move 13 because this line was in there.

Be2 (13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Nb4 Bb7 (
{not ...Bxf1?? Nc6! Blacks light squared Bishop is locked to play Bb7 else the b8 rook is trapped!}

The '13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Nb4 Bb7 (' bit will not work in the PGN viewer. I took it all out.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
The above game stops after move 13 because this line was in there.

Be2 (13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Nb4 Bb7 (
{not ...Bxf1?? Nc6! Blacks light squared Bishop is locked to play Bb7 else the b8 rook is trapped!}

The '13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Nb4 Bb7 (' bit will not work in the PGN viewer. I took it all out.

[pgn]
1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 Nf6 5. a3 B ...[text shortened]... 2. Qxe4 Qxe4 23. Rxe4 Nxc5 24. Rc4 Ne6 25. Be3 Rd8 26. g3 Bd4 27. Bxd4 Rxd4 28. Rxd4 Nxd4 [/pgn]

Ah. No multiple lines allowed then hm? That's alright. I don't expect many will go through these game anyway. Thank you for your help GP34, I appreciate it. I also notice the comments from the secondary variations post to the promoted line; which certainly leaves you with some question marks during kibitzing.

-GIN

Originally posted by Nowakowski
Ah. No multiple lines allowed then hm? That's alright. I don't expect many will go through these game anyway. Thank you for your help GP34, I appreciate it. I also notice the comments from the secondary variations post to the promoted line; which certainly leaves you with some question marks during kibitzing.

-GIN

You might be surprised at how many look at games on here,particularly when they're annotated.
What's kibitzing?

Originally posted by venda
You might be surprised at how many look at games on here,particularly when they're annotated.
What's kibitzing?

Kibitzing is basicall watching a game. It definitely becomes a negative connotation when watching a game and providing commentary - which is what many associate the word with.

I'll go ahead and get it formatted more correctly.

-GIN

Was the event in Balboa Park?

Beautiful place San Diego. Since both sets of my grandparents have passed away, I doubt I will ever be back there unless I go deep sea fishing.

How long have you been playing chess?

Originally posted by Eladar
Was the event in Balboa Park?

Beautiful place San Diego. Since both sets of my grandparents have passed away, I doubt I will ever be back there unless I go deep sea fishing.

How long have you been playing chess?

I've been playing since I was young, but never gave chess the study it deserves. I've always been a patzer drudging along. When I was younger I played very aggressive attacking chess - in my late teens I came back to the game and fell in love with closed games and the QGD and French systems. Im not much of a theory expert at either of them, but I'm good enough to usually hold my own against good players.

The games are played on Murrieta, not far from Balboa park - the Chess Club in Balboa park is undergoing renovations and should reopen any day now.

I know I need to reformat the above game and will do so when I get more PC time.

I intend to post two OTB games from Saturdays Super Gambito tournament. I lost every game in the tournament to some very talented youngsters (many titled too...yikes)
However I had a shock to the core that I'll share with the forum when I get the proper time... In the blitz play that followed I had titled players crowding my board in anticipation - and that's never been anything I was in danger of having before.

GP34 will probably love it.

-GIN

Alright I promised a slightly better formatted version. The PGN in full is available above in the thread, this is GP34's version of the game. What follows are my annotations.

8.. Ba6
Black Equalizes. The Ba6 is a modern idea from the sicilian archangel and QID that I've come to love.

10.. Nbd7
Black abandons the last
protection of c6. Ne4 is playable, but leaves Ra8 stuck and ineffective.

...11. Nd3
White gives up e5, and control of blacks c6 weakness for his preference of
the knight.



11...Rb8
well mannered, but black must be careful of whites control of this file
via minor pieces - and blacks c6 weakness.


12. e3 Ne4 but before ...13. Be2


13... Bf6 14. O-O e5
13... Bf6 is a quiet riot-maker in the center
a proof through interesting illustration


15. Nxd5 exd4 16.N5b4 Rxb4
I liked the prospects here. But the silicon monster see's something else...

Bf6 insights yet another rebellion

From here on out the game has a few more annotations - but this mess of PGN's and FEN positions has gone on for too long. I give you one last variation - what the electron gun see's that I didn't.


-GIN

Originally posted by Nowakowski
Alright I promised a slightly better formatted version. The PGN in full is available above in the thread, this is GP34's version of the game. What follows are my annotations.
[pgn]1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 Nf6 5. a3 Be7 6. c5 b6 7. b4 bxc5 8. bxc5 Ba6 {equalizes.} 9. Nf3 O-O 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Nd3 11. .. Rb8
{well mannered, but black must be c ...[text shortened]... yes all over Bf6's squares. And this time Bf6 is a Molatov cocktail. Drink up } [/pgn]

-GIN

From your post:

The comment "and the rook's world falls out from under him." seems wrong to me, since after Rb7 all white seems able to do is either repeat or drive the rook to a8. So while the rook may be driven off the b-file, I don't think it's lost in that position - or have I missed something?

I felt white was trying to overcomplicate around move 15 and instead of getting a position a pawn down ended up a full piece down...

Originally posted by DeepThought
From your post:[pgn]
[FEN "1r1q1rk1/p1pnbppp/b3p3/2Pp4/3Pn3/P1NNP3/3B1PPP/R2QKB1R w KQ - 1 13 "]
1. Nxe4 dxe4 2. Nb4 Bxf1 { Blacks light squared Bishop is locked to play Bb7 else the b8 rook is trapped! } 3. Nc6 Qe8 4. Kxf1 { and the rooks world falls out from under him } 4.. Rb5 17. a4 Rb2 18. Bc3[/pgn]

The comment "and the rook's world falls out f ...[text shortened]... icate around move 15 and instead of getting a position a pawn down ended up a full piece down...

a8 works, I spose.
The c6 weakness shows up again -
The thing black has to run from is the displacement - or black gives up the other rook..

Nxe7 Qxe7 c6! and Bb4 has authority.

Ra8 or Rb7 the tactic is the same, I'll admit my language was probably a bit melodramatic. The b file trap seemed worth dodging.

-GIN