2012 RHP Championship - Report Two

1.e4 g5 2.d4 e6 3.e5 f5 4.Qh5+

1. d4 {The Assassin Pawn starts it off.}
1... g6 2. e4 b6 3. Bc4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Nge2 Bb4 6. O-O Bxc3 {Not a wise move. Perhaps hoping White will play 7.bxc3 Bxe4. It brings that e2 Knight into the game and look at the dark squares on the Black Kingside. That Knight on g8 is covering them all. But when that Knight on g8 moves....}
7. Nxc3 h6 {Black is plugging the leaks on the dark squares. This it stop Bg5 after the g8 Knight develops.}
8. Re1 Ne7 9. Qf3 {I like White's play. Simple development. He must have considered 9.d5 here which is OK but he does some more prodding. Hello f6}
9... Nf5 10. d5 {The Assassin Pawn breaks the pin on the e-pawn. This is what you call a team player.}
10... Nd6 11. Bb3 Na6 12. Bf4 Qe7 13. Be5 Rh7 14. Bf6 {So it's a Bishop that sits on f6. See the obvious note after move 6.}
14... Qf8 15. Rad1 {All pieces in action. This is what you aim for.}
15... g5 16. g4 {This cheeky little move is White saying you are all tied up. When you attempt to untangle I'll bounce you.}
16... Nc5 17. e5 {White has seen it, The Assassin Mate. Obviously a Blog Reader.}
17... Nxb3 18. axb3 Nc8 19. dxe6 {White has lost his Queen.}
19... Bxf3 20. exd7+ {Black has lost his King. The Assassin Pawn Mate.}

[FEN "4kb1r/R4ppp/3p4/2pb4/8/5NP1/4PP1P/4K2B w - - 0 25"]
26. Kf1 {White is rushing across to defend the Bishop so he can unpin the Knight.}
26... Be7 27. Bg2 Bd8 {This odd move has an explanation. Black moved his King earlier in the game. Black cannot castle. So Black is planning Bb6 which forces the Rook off the 7th rank so the Black King can go e7 then h8 Rook can take part in the game.}
28. Ng5 {A crazy move. Nd2 and although a pawn down Black's piece do not function too well together.}
28... Bxg2+ 29. Kxg2 {And now 4...Bxg5 0-1.}
29... c4 {Ahhh. He's thinking 4.Bxg5 5.Ra8+ missing the fact that the Bishop can go back to d8. What now happens is a disaster.}
30. Nxf7 {I'm wondering? Did Black forget he could not Castle and perhaps intended Castling here?}
30... Rg8 {5....Rf8 is met with 6.Nd6 mate.}
31. Nxd6+ Kf8 32. Rf7+ {You could not see that coming when you saw the original position.}

[FEN "r4r1k/p2pNpp1/b1p1n2p/bp2P3/3P4/7R/PPB2PPP/R1B3K1 w - - 0 25"]
1. Bxh6 {This has to be taken. 1...g6 2.Bxf8 mate.} 1... gxh6 2. Rxh6+ Kg7 3. Rh7+ {Good. I've seen them missed. Sometimes players don’t look for mates when the Queens are off. }

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.0-0 Qc7 8.Qe2 Ng4 9.h3 Nd4 {If 10.Nxd4 then 10...Qxh2 mate. If the Queen moves then 10...Nxf3+ and 11...Qxh2 mate.}

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Bd3 Bb4 {Here were are 6 moves into a Sicilian. One of the most popular replies to 1.e4 and we have escaped from opening theory. 6...Nf6 and 6...Nc6 being the accepted path.}
7. Bd2 {OK but do look at the next section where I show you White can let the pawn go.}
7... Nf6 8. Qe2 Nc6 9. Nf3 {9.Nxc6 and 10.0-0 is another way. This retreat possibly harbours ideas of Black castling and White playing e5 and Bxh7+ Ng5+.}
9... h5 {Not a random move. I've played the same idea when on the Black side of a Sicilian. The plan being you keep the King in the centre, the c8 Bishop develops on b7, then Rac8. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it failed.}
10. a3 Bc5 11. O-O {You get the feeling this is just what Black wanted White to do.}
11... Ng4 {Now we see the Siberian idea. The f3 Knight stops the mate on h2. White misses the Siberian Trick.}
12. h3 {12.Be3 stops the coming shot.}
12... Nd4 {Not attacking the Queen.....}
13. Qd1 Nxf3+ {....This is the pieces Black was after. It's Mate next move.}

[FEN "rnb1k1nr/1pqp1ppp/p3p3/8/1b1NP3/2NB4/PPP2PPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 0 7"]

8. O-O {And if Black carries out his threat.}
8... Bxc3 9. bxc3 Qxc3 10. Rb1 {It's the White army against the Black Queen.}
10... Qxd4 {If Black does not take the Knight then White’s huge lead in development is more than enough for the pawn.}
11. Bb2 {and Bxg7.}

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d5 {And why not? It looks Ok? The first question you must ask yourself is, if this OK then how come you do not see it all that often?}
5. Bd3 {This timid approach does not appear to offer White much. (see next game).}
5... Bc5 6. e5 Bxd4 {Black has won a piece!}
7. Bb5+ {No. White wins it back.}
7... Nc6 8. Qxd4 Qa5+ {The simple and no doubt expected reply 9.Nc3 is the move here.}
9. Bd2 {OOPS!}
9... Qxb5 {Black has won a piece and won the game.}

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d5 5. Bb5+ {Instead of 5.Bd3 as in the previous game. There is often a good reason why some moves are not in standard opening manuals. This looks a better try.}
5... Bd7 6. exd5 {If now something like 6...a6 then 7.exe6.}
6... Bxb5 7. Nxb5 {Now Black should play 7...a6 8.Nc3 and White should come out of the opening with a good game. Instead Black found...}
7... Qxd5 {And Black resigned before White could play 8.Nxc7+}