| In this game, white selects an innocuous opening
variation. Then a series of imprecise moves puts his position under pressure.
Finally, a tactical oversight turns a bad game into a lost one. |
| Daniel Schey (1653) |
|
| Jennifer M.Skidmore (1932) |
|
| Round 4 |
|
| [D35] Queen's Gambit |
|
|
Notes by Bob Ciaffone
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.cxd5
| White defines the pawn structure rather early, entering the calm cove
of the Queens Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation. |
| Since the knight has options, it is more accurate to play 6.e3. |
| Black tries to take advantage of the early Nf3 to develop her problem
piece, the queen-bishop. |
| It is a mistake to think white has in any way inflicted a wound on
the black pawn structure by this manuver.Black's center is strengthened
and the Ra8 has an open file. |
| I fail to see why white did not castle before making this committal
move. |
| White has more space, but there have been so many exchanges this is
not of much weight. |
| Black has won a pawn, although the white rook and king are more active
than their counterparts. |
| This dumps the exchange; white should have retreated the rook, as by
30.Rf2. |
| Black is up the exchange, and her active rook decides the game. |
| This game illustrates that an exchange that promotes a rook-pawn to
a knight-pawn is often not good, even though it brings about doubled pawns. |
|
| One of the most important chess concepts is the
role of pieces in supporting a pawn advance. Controlling space with pawns
properly supported with pieces is a positional advantage. Without piece
support, a pawn advance leads to a lost game, because squares behind the
pawns will be taken over by the enemy, with dire consequences. In this
game, white gains space, but falls behind in development. The result for
his position is horrific. |
| David Granik (1909) |
|
| Lawrence D.Buttler (1950) |
|
| Round 5 |
|
| [B00] Irregular King's Pawn |
|
|
Notes by Bob Ciaffone
1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.e5
| White crosses the central dividing line with a pawn at move three,
without gain of tempo.This is not yet a bad move, but it certainly sets
the tone for the game. |
| Black realizes the need for developing the bishop outside the pawn
chain, to insure its activity. |
| This time white gains space with tempo. |
| Black has two pieces developed to white's none, but white's pawns have
advanced, gaining space.The position looks about even. |
| White moves another pawn, this time to guard a point in his position
that was already adequately defended. He should have developed a piece. |
| Black immediately starts whittling away at the white center. |
| 7.e6? Qc8 8.Qe2 Nd8 9.f4 Bxb1! 10.Rxb1 Qxe6 As we see, white cannot
advance the e-pawn without losing it. |
| With two knights and one bishop still in the barracks, white gets his
queen into action; a basic chess error. |
| Disgusting. Just look at the white position, without paying attention
to black's. White has only two pieces off the back rank, but five pawns
advanced. This is a sure sign of a poor concept of the relationship between
pieces and pawns. |
| Black gets the bishop into the fight, preparing to occupy "for life"
f5. |
| At move thirteen white makes his first knight move. The knight is the
only piece that must get to the front line before it can attack enemy terrritory,
so the knight should move off the back rank early on. |
| White's position is absolutely dreadful. The dispersion of his pawns
have opened up numerous squares for enemy pieces. Despite the fact that
he has one pawn on the sixth rank and two pawns on the fifth rank, he has
no piece past the third rank. |
| White has advanced pawns even further, but not his pieces. |
| White surrenders. Even though he is down only one pawn at this moment,
the fight is over. Chess is a game based on war. This is an instructive
example for the necessity of supporting the infantry with tanks, planes,
and artillery, instead of sending them into the enemy. |
|
| In this game, white is given a golden opportunty
by his opponent's odd opening concept of advancing a pawn in the castled
king position. But instead of capitalizing on this, he goes about is business
as if nothing has happened, and is duly punished. A your opponent's error
can become a virtue unless you alter your plans and punish it. |
| Robert F.Moore (1600) |
|
| David Schey (1653) |
|
| Round 5 |
|
| [C78] Ruy Lopez |
|
|
Notes by Bob Ciaffone
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
| The Ruy Lopez, the top player's favorite against 1...e5 for the last
four centuries. |
| This line has been popular for black among the top grandmasters of
late. |
| Hardly the move to strive for a positional advantage.White should aim
for c3 and d4. |
| Looks aggressive, but what is the positional idea behind it? |
| Why anyone would want to take a bishop off an attacking diagonal that
goes to the heart of the enemy position and defend a pawn not under attack
is a mystery to me. |
| Do we now see the positional point for 8...h5 to be a preparation for
kingside castling? Give me a break. |
12.Nbd2??
| White totally ignores both tactics and obvious positional ideas. What
squares were weakened by the ridiculous move h5? Obviously, g6 and g5.
How can white take advantage of the error? The move 12.Bg5 screams to be
played, and black will quickly regret the unnecessary weakening of his
kingside by being fixed in an unbreakable pin. |
| Isn't white ever going to play Bg5 and exploit that h5 move? |
| This was his third chance to play Bg5; now his bishop can't even move. |
| I guess he forgot that he had just moved this piece to protect f2.He
should move the Bc2.Now the roof caves in on white. |
| The moral to this game is to pay attention to your opponent's moves
instead of getting wrapped up with your own plan. |
|
| In this game, white grinds out an advantage, first
of one pawn, then two. Then he sacrifices an exchange, underestimating
the power of a rook in the endgame, and black obtains a draw. |
| Stanley Jarosz (2056) |
|
| Jennifer M.Skidmore (1932) |
|
| Round 5 |
|
| [D45] Queen's Gambit |
|
|
Notes by Bob Ciaffone
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6
| Black selects the Semi-Slav Opening, characterized by the pawn triangle
c6-d5-e6. |
| White shows a willingness to enter the Meran variation of that opening. |
| An unusual move. Normal is 5...Nbd7. |
| Black properly waits for the Bf1 to move before taking on c4. |
| The immediate 9.e4 would have been more testing of black's idea. |
| White has emerged from the opening with a space advantage due to the
pawn one5, but black has a solid position. |
| 15.Bd2 planning Rac1 looks more accurate to me. |
| Is black simply winning a pawn? |
| This shot gets the pawn back and disrupts the black position.Taking
the bishop drops the Bb7. |
| The dust settles.Black has managed to maintain material equality, but
the white rooks are more active than their black counterparts. |
30...Bb6 31.Bxe5 Re8 32.Bd6+ Kg8
| White's manuvers have won a pawn. |
| I do not understand why black gave up the a-pawn here. |
| White was winning, and simply playing 50.a5 looks decisive. Now white
sacrifices an exchange, which looks like it ought to win also, but an interesting
endgame ensues, where white has three pawns for the exchange, but is unable
to get the full point. |
| A remarkable position. White does not have any way to make progress,
and the game ends in a draw. |
| This is a remarkable display of the power of a rook in the endgame. |
|
|
