a reti game

WanderingKing

Only Chess

25 Jul 11

WanderingKing

Joined: 29 Oct 09
Moves: 1421

25 Jul 11

Is it OK if I ask for a game analysis here? I was playing black in this game today and I'm not sure where I went wrong. I think I was quite OK about the 20th move. Am I right?

torten

bedlam

Joined: 20 Feb 11
Moves: 6387

25 Jul 11

1

Originally posted by WanderingKing
Is it OK if I ask for a game analysis here? I was playing black in this game today and I'm not sure where I went wrong. I think I was quite OK about the 20th move. Am I right?

[pgn][Result "1-0"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 e5 6. Bg5 d4 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nbd2 Be7 9. Ne4 Qh6 10. c3 Bh3 11. Qb3 Rb8 12. cxd4 cxd4 13. Rac1 O-O 14. Nc5 B ...[text shortened]... 6 37. a5 Rc7 38. Qe2 Qa3 39. Qg4+ Kh8 40. Rf1 bxa5 41. f6 Rg8 42. Ra8 Rcc8 43. Rxc8 1-0[/pgn]

Yes,this is the place.Yes,you seemed fine untill 20....,Ne7 dropping a pawn.Can't see much wrong with the rest you played although I'm not a fan of 21....,g5

I have a simple rule of thumb for such situations.When a piece has infiltrated your position first see if you can trap and win it.If not,then look for a way to trade it.If neither of those are possible you resort to prayer.

In this case,with that rook on d7,you can't trap it so you trade it 20....,Red8 or 20....,Re7
The former has the benefit of adding a,very simple,trap 20....,Red8 21.Rb7? 22.Na5! winning the rook

WanderingKing

Joined: 29 Oct 09
Moves: 1421

25 Jul 11

Thanks, torten. This rook confused me. I thought it just had to be harmless, since it was alone. :-/ I actually believed I still had an advantage after dropping the pawn...

Paul Leggett

Chess Librarian

The Stacks

Joined: 21 Aug 09
Moves: 114064

26 Jul 11

1

Originally posted by WanderingKing
Is it OK if I ask for a game analysis here? I was playing black in this game today and I'm not sure where I went wrong. I think I was quite OK about the 20th move. Am I right?

[pgn][Result "1-0"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 e5 6. Bg5 d4 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nbd2 Be7 9. Ne4 Qh6 10. c3 Bh3 11. Qb3 Rb8 12. cxd4 cxd4 13. Rac1 O-O 14. Nc5 B ...[text shortened]... 6 37. a5 Rc7 38. Qe2 Qa3 39. Qg4+ Kh8 40. Rf1 bxa5 41. f6 Rg8 42. Ra8 Rcc8 43. Rxc8 1-0[/pgn]

I think of this as more of a King's Indian Attack more than a Reti, but it's really probably a Modern in reverse, so it's all in the family!

White's 6. Bg5 is somewhat inferior. The main move is 6. Nbd2, but white can also play Nc3, Na3, or even e4, as a queen trade is better for white than black with a hole on d5 if black were to play 6. ... dxe4 7. dxe4 Qxd1.

That said, 6. ... d4 is a positional mistake, creating weakening control over e4 and c4, and helping the g2 bishop.

At the risk of being simplistic, side-by-side pawns are strongest when they stay that way, unless there is a compelling reason to advance one. After that, I think white had the usual small nagging edge until the pawn disappears, after which things became more defined.

Black should have also castled earlier, as at move 12 white could have played 12. Bxh3 Qxh3 13. Qxf7+, with a following knight fork on g5 (the second knight sticks) and a pretty good white advantage.

The "Bxh3 Qxh3 followed by a knight on g5" is a theme of the KIA, and the g4/g5 squares are hot squares in general in KIA/KID structures, so you always have to look for tactics whenever either side has a knight in range-sort of a mental "red flag".

All that aside, this was a good and fun game to play through, with both side taking shots until one of them stuck!

WanderingKing

Joined: 29 Oct 09
Moves: 1421

27 Jul 11

Thank you very much, Paul. It's so great to have a good chess player comment on your game!

tomtom232

Joined: 15 Jun 06
Moves: 16334

27 Jul 11

1

Originally posted by WanderingKing
Is it OK if I ask for a game analysis here? I was playing black in this game today and I'm not sure where I went wrong. I think I was quite OK about the 20th move. Am I right?

[pgn][Result "1-0"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 e5 6. Bg5 d4 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nbd2 Be7 9. Ne4 Qh6 10. c3 Bh3 11. Qb3 Rb8 12. cxd4 cxd4 13. Rac1 O-O 14. Nc5 B ...[text shortened]... 6 37. a5 Rc7 38. Qe2 Qa3 39. Qg4+ Kh8 40. Rf1 bxa5 41. f6 Rg8 42. Ra8 Rcc8 43. Rxc8 1-0[/pgn]

lack of direction. What were you doing on each move? Tell us and we'll tell you why that was wrong. We won't be gentle. 🙂

Paul Leggett

Chess Librarian

The Stacks

Joined: 21 Aug 09
Moves: 114064

27 Jul 11

1

Originally posted by WanderingKing
Thank you very much, Paul. It's so great to have a good chess player comment on your game!

My friend, you will need to raise your standard for "good player". I promise you, we are both on the floor looking up!

tomtom232

Joined: 15 Jun 06
Moves: 16334

27 Jul 11

Originally posted by Paul Leggett
My friend, you will need to raise your standard for "good player". I promise you, we are both on the floor looking up!

Yeah... I'm on the floor right next to the litter box while you're over on the plush carpet.

WanderingKing

Joined: 29 Oct 09
Moves: 1421

27 Jul 11

1 edit

Originally posted by tomtom232
lack of direction. What were you doing on each move? Tell us and we'll tell you why that was wrong. We won't be gentle. 🙂

I have added my notes to the pgn. It's what I remember thinking during the game. It was 20 minutes per game for each player.

[Result = "1-0"]  1. Nf3 d5 {Taking control over e4, letting the bishop out.} 2. g3 c5 {Fighting for d4.} 3. Bg2 Nc6 {Further centre control, preparing e5, developing.} 4. O-O Nf6 {Not sure, just something I always try to do. They say it's a good place for a knight, because it controls to central squares. I'm also always scared of the fianchettoed bishop, so I want to give my d5 pawn some protection.} 5. d3 e5 {I'm happy now, because I control the centre fully. Which means I don't know what to do next.} 6. Bg5 d4 {I don't want my d5 pawn to be left unprotected after white takes my knight, so I just move it to my strongest square on the board. In my opinion that is.} 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 {That's it, he done it.} 8. Nbd2 Be7 {Had to put it somewhere.} 9. Ne4 {I noticed he could do that after he did it.} Qh6 {My plan of Bh3 was born at this moment. I had to get rid of the frightening white bishop.} 10. c3 Bh3 11. Qb3 {I didn't see it.}  Rb8 {I don't remember what I thought here, but I did think for a longer while.} 12. cxd4 cxd4 13. Rac1 O-O 14. Nc5 Bxc5 {I think I had to take it because he forked d7 and b7.} 15. Rxc5 Rfe8 {Defending the pawn.} 16. Nh4 Bxg2 {Later would be too late.} 17. Kxg2 b6 {Because I didn't see anything better. I had no idea what next after Rd5.} 18. Rd5 Rbc8 {They say you've got to keep your rooks on the open files.} 19. Rd7 Qf6 {Defending the pawn with the piece that wasn't doing anything.} 20. e4 {This is where I first thought I might not have a very good position. Now he had d5 for his exculsive use. I'd been thinking dxe3 before, but it was now completely impossible.} Ne7 {To keep the white knight from f5. Didn't notice I was dropping the pawn.} 21. Rxa7 g5 {I didn't have very much time at this moment (which is a lame excuse). I wanted to hunt the knight out of the kingside.} 22. Nf3 g4 23. Nh4 Rc6 {Thought Ng6, but then again Nf4. Just no way I could get rid of the knight.} 24. f3 Rec8 25. fxg4 Rc2+ 26. Kg1 Rc1 27. Nf5 Nxf5 28. gxf5 R1c7 29. Ra6 Rb7 30. a4 Rcb8 {I felt lost after this, and this feeling was with me till the very end.} 31. Kg2 Qh6 32. Qc2 Qf8 33. h4 Qg7 34. b4 Qf8 35. b5 Qb4 36. Rb1 Qd6 37. a5 Rc7 38. Qe2 Qa3 39. Qg4+ Kh8 40. Rf1 bxa5 41. f6 Rg8 42. Ra8 Rcc8 43. Rxc8 1-0

WanderingKing

Joined: 29 Oct 09
Moves: 1421

27 Jul 11

Originally posted by Paul Leggett
My friend, you will need to raise your standard for "good player". I promise you, we are both on the floor looking up!

Yeah, but you're on the sixth floor, and I'm on the minus first.

tomtom232

Joined: 15 Jun 06
Moves: 16334

27 Jul 11

2 edits

1

Originally posted by WanderingKing
Is it OK if I ask for a game analysis here? I was playing black in this game today and I'm not sure where I went wrong. I think I was quite OK about the 20th move. Am I right?

[pgn][Result "1-0"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 e5 6. Bg5 d4 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nbd2 Be7 9. Ne4 Qh6 10. c3 Bh3 11. Qb3 Rb8 12. cxd4 cxd4 13. Rac1 O-O 14. Nc5 B ...[text shortened]... 6 37. a5 Rc7 38. Qe2 Qa3 39. Qg4+ Kh8 40. Rf1 bxa5 41. f6 Rg8 42. Ra8 Rcc8 43. Rxc8 1-0[/pgn]