There's a first time for everything...

I've recently started studying the Sicilian Dragon. And I just got the first time to play against what is probably the most challenging line for black...

[Event "Rated game, 1m + 0s"]
[Site "Main Playing Hall"]
[Date "2006.10.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Verbal"]
[Black "CMSMaster"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B78"]
[WhiteElo "1485"]
[BlackElo "1323"]
[Annotator "Fritz 9 (3s)"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2006.10.28"]

{B78: Sicilian Dragon: Yugoslav Attack, 9 Bc4 Bd7 10 0-0-0 Rc8} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3
d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Be3 O-O 9. Qd2 Bd7
10. O-O-O Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. Kb1 Re8 13. h4 {last book move} h5 14. Bh6 Bxh6 (
14... Bh8 $5 $11) 15. Qxh6 $14 Rxc3 (15... Nc4 16. g4 Bxg4 17. Bxc4 Rxc4 18.
fxg4 Nxg4 19. Qd2 $18) 16. bxc3 $16 a5 (16... Qc8 $142 $16) 17. Rdg1 $4 {
simply marches past the door to victory} (17. f4 $142 {
a shame that White overlooked this excellent chance} Nfg4 18. Qg5 $18) 17... a4
$19 18. Bd5 Qb6+ 19. Kc1 a3 $4 {throwing away the advantage} (19... Qc5 20. Qe3
$19) 20. g4 $4 {letting the wind out of his own sails} (20. Bb3 $142 {
is the best option White has} Qc5 21. Qd2 $11) 20... Qb2+ 21. Kd2 $4 {
White falls apart} (21. Kd1 $142 hxg4 22. h5 Qxc3 23. Qd2 Nxd5 24. exd5 Qa1+
25. Ke2 Qxa2 26. f4 $19) 21... Rc8 22. Bb3 (22. Ke2 {is one last hope} hxg4 23.
Kf2 Nxd5 24. exd5 $19) 22... Qxc3+ 23. Kd1 (23. Ke2 {
doesn't get the bull off the ice} Qxd4 24. Qe3 Nxf3 25. Qxd4 Nxd4+ 26. Kd3 Nxb3
27. axb3 Nxg4 28. Rf1 $19) 23... Nxf3 (23... Qxd4+ $142 {seems even better} 24.
Qd2 Qxd2+ 25. Kxd2 Nxf3+ 26. Kd3 Nxg1 27. Rxg1 Nxg4 $19) 24. Ke2 $4 {
White crumbles in face of a dire situation} (24. Qxg6+ Kh8 25. Qh6+ Nh7 26. Ne2
Qa1+ 27. Qc1 Qxc1+ 28. Kxc1 Nxg1 29. Rxg1 Bxg4 30. Nd4 $19) 24... Qd2+ (24...
Nxd4+ 25. Kd1 Bxg4+ 26. Rxg4 Qf3+ 27. Kc1 Qxh1+ 28. Kd2 Qh2+ 29. Kc1 Rxc2+ 30.
Kb1 Qh1+ 31. Rg1 Qxg1+ 32. Qc1 Qxc1🙄 25. Kxf3 $4 {spoils everything} (25. Qxd2
$142 {with excellent chances for White} Nxd2 26. Kxd2 hxg4 27. Kd3 $18) 25...
Qxd4 (25... Rc3+ 26. Qe3 Rxe3+ 27. Kf4 Rxb3🙄 26. gxh5 (26. Qxg6+ {
otherwise it's curtains at once} Kh8 27. Qh6+ Nh7 28. Re1 Bxg4+ 29. Kg2 $19)
26... Qxe4+ (26... Rc3+ 27. Ke2 Bb5+ 28. Ke1 Re3+ 29. Qxe3 Qxe3+ 30. Kd1 Be2+
31. Ke1 Bxh5+ 32. Kf1 Qe2🙄 27. Kg3 Qg4+ (27... Rc3+ 28. Kf2 Rf3+ 29. Kg2 Qe2🙄
28. Kh2 (28. Kf2 Qf5+ 29. Ke1 Qe5+ 30. Kd1 Qa1+ 31. Ke2 Bb5+ 32. c4 Qe5+ 33.
Qe3 Bxc4+ 34. Bxc4 Qxh5+ 35. Qf3 Rxc4 36. Qxh5 Nxh5 37. Rc1 Re4+ 38. Kf2 $19)
28... Qe2+ (28... Qe2+ 29. Rg2 Ng4+ 30. Kg3 Rc3+ 31. Qe3 Qxe3🙄 (28... Qh3🙄
0-1


Without F9's Comments...

[Event "Rated game, 1m + 0s"]
[Site "Main Playing Hall"]
[Date "2006.10.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Verbal"]
[Black "CMSMaster"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B78"]
[WhiteElo "1485"]
[BlackElo "1323"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2006.10.28"]
[TimeControl "60"]

1. e4 {1} c5 {2} 2. Nf3 {1} d6 {0} 3. d4 {0} cxd4 {0} 4. Nxd4 {0} Nf6 {0} 5.
Nc3 {1} g6 {0} 6. Bc4 {1} Bg7 {0} 7. f3 {1} Nc6 {1} 8. Be3 {2} O-O {1} 9. Qd2 {
1} Bd7 {1} 10. O-O-O {1} Rc8 {1} 11. Bb3 {2} Ne5 {2} 12. Kb1 {7} Re8 {3} 13. h4
{2} h5 {2} 14. Bh6 {4} Bxh6 {2} 15. Qxh6 {2} Rxc3 {1} 16. bxc3 {3} a5 {2} 17.
Rdg1 {10} a4 {1} 18. Bd5 {6} Qb6+ {4} 19. Kc1 {3} a3 {1} 20. g4 {5} Qb2+ {1}
21. Kd2 {1} Rc8 {' 15} 22. Bb3 {0} Qxc3+ {3} 23. Kd1 {2} Nxf3 {4} 24. Ke2 {0}
Qd2+ {7} 25. Kxf3 {1} Qxd4 {1} 26. gxh5 {2} Qxe4+ {1} 27. Kg3 {2} Qg4+ {3} 28.
Kh2 {1} Qe2+ {Zeit (Lag: Av=0.23s, max=0.4s) . 3} 0-1


I knew the line up through 14...h5, because I simply haven't gotten to this chapter in PTSD. Obviously Bxh6? is the wrong move, but I didn't have time to analyze (1 min. Bullet game) and went with what I knew. I knew the 12.Bh6?! line where black plays 12...Bxh6! 13.Qxh6 Rxc3 14bxc3 a5 and so I tried it out here, and got pretty lucky. 😉 I've never seen so many ?? moves in one game, but want your opinions overall. Have you guys ever faced a similar situation where you do not know the mainline, but do know some basic ideas and play accordingly? I'm very annoyed with my 19th move, because had I thought for even one second longer I may have played 19...Qc5, then again...maybe not 😀. But was pleased with my play overall for having such a short time limit. I know it's not a spectacular game, but being the first time I've faced the challenging 12.Kb1 line I wanted to post it up here. 😀

BTW:A pretty good example of a player (White) seeming to know lots of opening theory, only to play an awful middlegame.

For a bullet game it's definitely not bad. Another move to look out for when you play these Rc3-a5-a4 ideas is to force White to play Bb7, which in this case just loses a piece. I might have missed something dumb, but 18..e6! wins a piece. I don't have to tell you the right move here (instead of Bxh6), I am sure you have already looked it up. 😀

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
For a bullet game it's definitely not bad. Another move to look out for when you play these Rc3-a5-a4 ideas is to force White to play Bb7, which in this case just loses a piece. I might have missed something dumb, but 18..e6! wins a piece. I don't have to tell you the right move here (instead of Bxh6), I am sure you have already looked it up. 😀

Yep, I looked it up immediately after the game! 😀 14...Nc4 from now on 😉. Did you notice how F9 gave the dubious idea of Bh8? 😀 I'll go check out 18...e6, I missed a lot - I mean 1 min. for 28 moves (Although some 15 were book). :/

Ok, yep, it does. But I had F9 play it out real fast and it refused to take it 😀, just leaves it sitting there under attack. 😀 I had the threshold at 40 though, so that may explain the absence of mentioning it.

BTW:I actually have to think in our game now! 😀

And you played the move I didn't want to see. 🙁

As a rule, Bxh6 is only good before the insertion of h4 h5, all other times it's left there and Nc4 is played. Fritz has a hard time with some Dragon position, maybe because it's kind of a trial and error opening. Sometimes it doesn't understand the long term play that Black gets for the exchange...etc...Glad to hear I am making you sweat!

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
As a rule, Bxh6 is only good before the insertion of h4 h5, all other times it's left there and Nc4 is played. Fritz has a hard time with some Dragon position, maybe because it's kind of a trial and error opening. Sometimes it doesn't understand the long term play that Black gets for the exchange...etc...Glad to hear I am making you sweat!

Oh wow, that's a rule worth remembering. I'll have to try not to forget that, because that really is useful. Yeah, I've heard Fritz simply can't handle the Dragon - it's just too sick. 😀

We should assume you'll beat me in every game judging based on skill. 😀

EDIT: Omitted the word "super" because I felt gay for typing it. 😀

Nah, you will definitely catch me one time or another when I get stupid and start making moves at 3 in the morning.