Tiwakings f4 Birds Opening Thread

[Event "Challenge"] [Site "http://www.redhotpawn.com"] [Date "2010.12.06"] [EndDate "2010.12.27"] [Round "?"] [White "Tiwaking"] [Black "robbie carrobie"] [WhiteRating "1463"] [BlackRating "1775"] [WhiteELO "1463"] [BlackELO "1775"] [Result "1-0"] [GameId "7988416"] 1. f4 d5 2. Ng1f3 Ng8f6 3. e3 g6 4. Nb1c3 Bf8g7 5. d4 O-O 6. Bf1d3 c5 7. dxc5 Qd8a5 8. O-O Qa5xc5 9. Nc3a4 Qc5c7 10. Na4c3 Nb8c6 11. Bc1d2 e5 12. Nc3b5 Qc7b8 13. fxe5 Nf6g4 14. h3 Ng4xe5 15. Nf3g5 Ne5xd3 16. cxd3 a6 17. Nb5c3 Qb8g3 18. e4 Bg7d4 19. Kg1h1 Bd4e5 20. Ng5f3 Be5c7 21. Bd2e1 Qg3d6 22. Nc3xd5 Bc7b8 23. Be1c3 b5 1-0

[Event "Challenge"]
[Site "http://www.playtheimmortalgame.com"]
[Date "2010.12.06"]
[EndDate "2010.12.27"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tiwaking"]
[Black "robbie carrobie"]
[WhiteRating "1463"]
[BlackRating "1775"]
[WhiteELO "1463"]
[BlackELO "1775"]
[Result "1-0"]
[GameId "7988416"]

{This is a game between lowly rated me (1463) and robbie carrobie. Robbie wished to challenge a fanatical Birds Opening player and I accepted. Here goes nothing!} 1. f4 {1. f4! Greatest opening ever invented.} d5 {1. f4 d5 is the most common reply to the deadly birds opening.} 2. Ng1f3 {e3 can be played here but I do not trust it.} Ng8f6 {I quite like Nf6 here for black. Other possible replies are Bg4, Nc6, c6 or even g6/g5! There is also nothing wrong with d4! d4 can get quite annoying.} 3. e3 {This prevents d4 and invites the obvious Bg4 pin.} g6 {This is an interesting and effective move. This move made me think twice about the option to castle queenside and makes pawn storming the kingside slightly annoying.} 4. Nb1c3 {I have found c4 to be a massive mistake in this position. c3 is probably better. Normally I would play something like Bb5+, but I found that if I wait abit then my opponent will make a mistake.} Bf8g7 {The only downside I can see here is that castling kingside gives me a immediate target.} 5. d4 {Normally I would not do this and play the check straight away, but a stonewall type formation should do fine.} O-O {Now all I have to do is bash my way through the pawns, knight and bishop and the game is over!} 6. Bf1d3 {Robbie was expecting Be2 here. I was also considering Bd2 or even h3/h4. Probably premature with my king uncastled and all.} c5 {I messaged Robbie in game that I had considered this move and think it is a mistake. I dont know why I think it is a mistake, I just feel it is too early and has no justification other than moving the Queen pawn out of the way. Black is already on the way to equalising and another, more proactive move must be better than this one.} 7. dxc5 {Moving on automatic. Take pawn, Queen jumps out, castle, queen eats pawn.} Qd8a5 {The obvious reply. There is no point in me trying to hold that pawn however.} 8. O-O Qa5xc5 {Black recovers its pawn, but it is my move and the Queen is a tasty, tasty target.} 9. Nc3a4 {Move it or lose it.} Qc5c7 {Another option here was Qd6. I am not sure if Qd6 is better than Qc7, but it is always nice to have options.} 10. Na4c3 {Dont want to leave the knight in an exposed position.} Nb8c6 {Another option for black here was the simple and annoying: Qc5. If I was playing black, I would play Qc5 just to be annoying.} 11. Bc1d2 {Many options here, but this one seemed to be the most helpful with development, tempo, defence and all other nice things. It does leave the b pawn undefended though.} e5 {It is too early for these kinds of shennanigans. For starters: The queen is exposed for an easy poke by a knight. Secondly: I dont have to exchange pieces on e5 as my knight can just run away which I shall demonstrate.} 12. Nc3b5 {Move Queenie! Robbie chooses the best option here, retreat down the diagonal.} Qc7b8 13. fxe5 Nf6g4 {This is actually a fairly common tactical ploy. The thing is: I dont really want the e5 pawn and am trying to figure out an attack plan.} 14. h3 {I was also considering h4, but this is abit more forcing. It is not great move mind.} Ng4xe5 {Robbie pointed out that we would both have isolated pawns. HOWEVER: I refute this by refusing to exchange here. I do not know if my next move is a good move, but it is interesting and interesting is always fun!} 15. Nf3g5 Ne5xd3 {This exchange heals my pawn structure and, with the elimination of blacks queen pawn, gives me two passed centre pawns. A very very strong combination.} 16. cxd3 a6 {My knight gets kicked off his square. I do not know why Robbie didnt play the obvious BxP here, eating a delicious undefended pawn.} 17. Nb5c3 Qb8g3 {! A very sharp move. The two moves I considered to defend the knight were: h4 or e4. h4 looks very risky.} 18. e4 {I wrote down what happens after h4, but the may reason I did not choose h4 as a defence is because I need the h pawn to storm blacks position PLUS it is probably going to get gobbled up by a piece later on.} Bg7d4 {Comes the check and the instant checkmate threat.} 19. Kg1h1 Bd4e5 {Threatens checkmate on h2, only defence is...} 20. Ng5f3 {Defends h2 and attacks the bishop, which must run away.} Be5c7 {I think fully running away to b8 was the best option for the bishop here. Not only does it give it an extra escape square of a a7, it still guards the diagonal and keeps the bishop safe from harm.} 21. Bd2e1 {I was considering eating the d pawn straight away. Of course, the f3 knight CANNOT move. If I had pulled my board out of its box, I would have glued it down so I wouldnt be stupid enough to try and touch it. Be1 gains a move for me and, after I eat the d pawn, gives me free reign of the black squared a1 - h8 diagonal!} Qg3d6 {This is the only move available for Queen safety.} 22. Nc3xd5 {OM NOM NOM! Merry Christmas!} Bc7b8 {Like I said earlier, the complete retreat of the bishop was necessary. This is just the icing on the christmas pudding (which doesnt have raisins. Raisins are yuck).} 23. Be1c3 {Black is treading thin ice here. White has two passed centre pawns, control of the diagonal to blacks king and is threatening Nf6+ followed by a discovered check.} b5 {?? A blunder to end the game. The queen is lost after 24. Nf6+ Kh8 or Kg7. 25. Ne8+ wins the Queen. A very inconclusive game overall to show the strength of the Birds Opening.} 1-0

[Event "Challenge"] [Site "http://www.timeforchess.com"] [Date "2010.12.06"] [EndDate "2010.12.27"] [Round "?"] [White "Tiwaking"] [Black "robbie carrobie"] [WhiteRating "1463"] [BlackRating "1775"] [WhiteELO "1463"] [BlackELO "1775"] [Result "1-0"] [GameId "7988416"] 1. f4 {I asked Tiwaking to play this game so that i could test out my pawn theory, that being two adjacent pawns in the centre means an easy life. I consider 1.f4 to be a slightly inferior move simply because white cannot guarantee getting in e4 and thus having two adjacent pawns in the centre. } d5 {preventing an immediate e4, white has prevented ...e5, therefore according to my theory we shall play for ...c5 instead} 2. Ng1f3 {I expected Tiwaking to go for the Polar bear set up with g3, Bg2, 0-0, b3 and Bb2} Ng8f6 {I played this move after having researched some of Spasskys games, i think ...c5 is better, but i wanted to see what Tiwaking was going to do with his light squared Bishop first} 3. e3 {this struck me as really an unusual move, for certainly the e3 point is usually very vulnerable after white commits to f4, i expected 3.g3} g6 {in retrospect I dont like this move, for if white can close the centre and storm the kingside with h4-h5 i am toast, but it struck me at the time that i had better keep at least a latent force against e5} 4. Nb1c3 Bf8g7 5. d4 {this move also surprised my, i had not considered the stonewall, now blacks strategic plans arise from executing the freeing moves ...c5 and ...e5} O-O 6. Bf1d3 {the bishop is beautifully placed on d3, in the game i had thought that Tiwaking might place it on e2 to support a pawn storm against the black king} c5 {finally we get to challenge the centre. Tiwaking said that he thought it was a mistake, but i knew that the pawn could not be held after ...Qa5} 7. dxc5 Qd8a5 8. O-O Qa5xc5 9. Nc3a4 {i really underestimated the force of this move, for the knight hassled me for some time to come} Qc5c7 {i chose c7 for the location of the queen because it eyes the all important e5 square, if I can diminish whites hold on e5 then i can nullify his outpost and eventually open the e file to expose the weak e3 point.} 10. Na4c3 Nb8c6 {the knight prepares ...e5} 11. Bc1d2 e5 {this was the point of my strategy, to nullify the e5 point and tio open the e file, alas, it needed more preparations, ...a6 was called for to stop any nonsense from the c3 knight, which as you will see, caused me no end of problems} 12. Nc3b5 {attacks the queen with tempo, although my plans were not yet in flames, it would be a little while before i was able to kick the knight, it was an inconvenience rather than a real sore point at this stage} Qc7b8 13. fxe5 {thankyou Tiwaking the e file is now about to be opened and that e3 point is looking rather vulnerable} Nf6g4 {i chose this move because it appeared to me to be the most aesthetically pleasing, i really liked the way all the pieces converged on the e5 point, whether it was objectively a better move than for example ...Nxe5 i don't know} 14. h3 Ng4xe5 15. Nf3g5 Ne5xd3 {i played this move in full recognition that it would give Tiwaking two excellent central connected pawns, but there were other consideration both tactical and positional, h3 had severely weakened white kings position the absence of the white squared bishop would emphasise this and the weak e3 point i felt could not be held} 16. cxd3 a6 {eventually kicking the knight, but he comes back to haunt me} 17. Nb5c3 Qb8g3 {this was a really sharp move for me, based on the idea of the absolute pin on the g pawn, for i am threatening knight on g5 and Bxh3} 18. e4 Bg7d4 { I really regretted this move for it kind of forces Tiwaking to break the pin and i overestimated the mating threat after the Bishop returns to e5 for a knight on f3 can just about prevent all of that, much better was ...dxe4 Ncxe4 ...Qxd3 and white pawn centre is no longer solvent} 19. Kg1h1 Bd4e5 20. Ng5f3 {this is a great defensive move by Tiwaking, suddenly all my threats are neutralised and what is more it was made with tempo} Be5c7 {in retrospect it was better for the bishop to go to b8 where it would not be subject to harassment } 21. Bd2e1 Qg3d6 22. Nc3xd5 Bc7b8 23. Be1c3 {again i really underestimated this move for once the knight comes to f6 with discovered possibilities its history for Robbies queen, really amazing how a position can deteriorate so quickly} b5 {all in all quite an enjoyable game despite losing , i really would like to thank Tiwaking for taking the time, lessons learned, prepare your operations thoroughly before undertaking them the prophylactic move ...a6 would have saved me no end of trouble, try not underestimate your opponents threats, nor overestimate your own no matter how strong they appear to be, if one can make insolvent an opponents centre, one should do so rather than try to execute non existent tactical threats. Have fun playing chess and exchanging ideas} 1-0