Initiative the Simple Way

tomtom232

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13 Sep '11 04:58

tomtom232
Joined
15 Jun '06
Moves
16334
13 Sep '11 04:58
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1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 {The Dragon variation to the sicilian... eat dirt Najdorf fans} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Qc7 {I learned recently that 8...d5 is a good move here but I want to get out of theory my Idea is to get a rook onto d8 instead of e8} 9. O-O-O Rd8 {? this wasn't warranted yet because of whites next move... I had only considered Ncb5 for some reason} 10. Ndb5 {this captures the initiative because white has the threat of Nce5 which is why this move is better than Ncb5} Qa5 {trying to create some counter threats fighting for the initiative... can't really do anything else} 11. a3 Nc6 {Now Nce5 is still good but it isn't as clear as before and there are some pitfalls for white} 12. Qf2 {? I guess he doesn't see Nce5 and is trying to create threats elsewhere... this move gives me greate chances} e6 {! a pawn sac.... just watch the rest of the game and enjoy} 13. Rxd6 Rxd6 14. Nxd6 Ne5 15. Nc4 Nxc4 {this may seem to help his development but I have ideas} 16. Bxc4 Nd7 {heading for e5 its best for white to prevent this} 17. Bd4 {? trying to nab my long squared bishop and put pressure on the e5 square at the same time... but now my pieces just fly move around the board to optimum squares while generating threats the whole time} Ne5 {threatening to win a piece... obviously} 18. Bb3 Bh6+ {a nice intermezzo to get my knight out of the pin} 19. Kb1 Nc6 {threatening to get the advantage of the two bishops} 20. Bc5 b6 {obviously threatening the bishop but the point is to get the bishop to move so I can create more threats} 21. Be3 Bg7 {threatening to win a pawn} 22. Ne2 Qe5 {Threatening mate!} 23. c3 Qb5 {threatening the bishop} 24. Ka2 Na5 {threatening the bishop again} 25. Nc1 Nxb3 26. Nxb3 e5 {threatening to 27... Be4} 27. Qf1 {?? the final blunder but there wasn't much else} Qxf1 28. Rxf1 Be6 {This is a tactic that I like to call "The Unbreakable Pin"} 29. Rd1 b5 {! 29 ...a5 first is fine but not quite as good because of 30.a4 b5 31.Ka3 b4+ 32.Ka2 bxc3 33.bxc3 Rb8 34.Rb1 Bf8! and all of blacks pieces are tied down except his bishop}
Gambiteer
Mayberry NC
Joined
25 Jun '11
Moves
1120
13 Sep '11 08:45
Certainly a fighting game and full of determination, but it would have gone a lot differently if White had found 10. e5! winning at least a piece (possible variation: 10. .... dxe5 11. Ne6 Rxd2 12. Nxc7 etc), or if instead of falling for the pawn grab, he had played the simple 13. b4 Qa6 14. Nb1 etc.

White also keeps control of things if he finds the nice consolidating move 18. Be2, and probably still spoils the party if he finds the rather creative 20. Bf6 to hold things together.
~~robbie carrobie~~
Account suspended
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13 Sep '11 08:522 edits
Originally posted by tomtom232
[pgn]1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 {The Dragon variation to the sicilian... eat dirt Najdorf fans} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Qc7 {I learned recently that 8...d5 is a good move here but I want to get out of theory my Idea is to get a rook onto d8 instead of e8} 9. O-O-O Rd8 {? this wasn't warranted yet because of whites next move... 33.bxc3 Rb8 34.Rb1 Bf8! and all of blacks pieces are tied down except his bishop} [/pgn]
...Qc7 appears to me to be a dubious move, it allows moves like Nbd5, gaining a tempo
on the queen, where shall the queen then go? . . .Qa5, then comes e5 kicking the f6
knight and you are getting pushed around. But then again sometimes dubious moves
work well, i am planning on playing a dubious move against tortens French, hopefully
he will not read this though 😉
tomtom232
Joined
15 Jun '06
Moves
16334
13 Sep '11 18:49
Originally posted by Gambiteer
Certainly a fighting game and full of determination, but it would have gone a lot differently if White had found 10. e5! winning at least a piece (possible variation: 10. .... dxe5 11. Ne6 Rxd2 12. Nxc7 etc), or if instead of falling for the pawn grab, he had played the simple 13. b4 Qa6 14. Nb1 etc.

White also keeps control of things if he finds ...[text shortened]... robably still spoils the party if he finds the rather creative 20. Bf6 to hold things together.
Thanks for that... I hadn't found 10.e5! that is a grand move.
Gambiteer
Mayberry NC
Joined
25 Jun '11
Moves
1120
15 Sep '11 01:45
Originally posted by tomtom232
Thanks for that... I hadn't found 10.e5!
I confess that I wonder if I would have found that move over the board with the clock running....

Even so, the position is rather instructional, because if you look at it correctly, the pawn push almost suggests itself. In fact, I would be quite curious to set the position on a board and show it to some masters to see how long it takes them to find the move to e5.

Surely even a player of modest strength should notice the battery at d1 and d2, and the distant target at d8, and think about what would happen if the rest of the file could be cleared. That gets us as far as the first variation, 10. .... dxe5 11. Ne6, and the calculations are not difficult to work out that the line is undesirable for Black.

But if Black is not to drop a piece, the knight at f6 must go someplace, so maybe we try swinging it to d7 and have a look at that. Again, even a player of modest strength should be aware that the Black queen is already nearly trapped, and it only takes a couple of knight moves to do her in, and once again the calculations are not difficult.

Now we know we are on to something, we check other knight moves and they don't work either, and we quickly conclude that the little nudge to e5 lobs a pawn grenade right into the heart of the Black position.

And all of this comes about simply by looking at our chances and realizing that we just might have something cooking on the d-file. That's why I say this is an instructional position.
tomtom232
Joined
15 Jun '06
Moves
16334
15 Sep '11 03:13
Originally posted by Gambiteer
I confess that I wonder if I would have found that move over the board with the clock running....

Even so, the position is rather instructional, because if you look at it correctly, the pawn push almost suggests itself. In fact, I would be quite curious to set the position on a board and show it to some masters to see how long it takes them to find the ...[text shortened]... ight have something cooking on the d-file. That's why I say this is an instructional position.
Yes, I believe that Nce5 wins the exchange so I was preoccupied with that but I always have problem with seeing pawn pushes for my opponent and have problems timing them for myself. Its something I plan to work on.

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