From: ahanysz@spam.ua.oz (Alexander Hanysz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Re: Interesting game, I do not really understand (help) (LONG)
Date: 9 Nov 92 05:58:11 GMT
Organization: Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Adelaide

In article <1992Nov03.233101.25260@crash> uzun@crash.cts.com (Roger Uzun) writes:
>Here is a VERY interesting game I have been running at home
>between 2 computers.  It was the best game by far I have seen
>CheckMate play, but I am not a real good player and would
>really appreciate it if someone could comment on this game
>and explain to me where black went wrong.  It looked for quite
>a while to me, when I was watching the game that white was
>going down, as usual, but it really came back strong.
>I would really appreciate it if some more advanced player
>could lend me some insight into this game.

That's a fair summary.  White was indeed getting killed, and black
messed up.  I'm hardly an "advanced" player (rating 1218 ACF), but I
have a few thoughts on this game.

>Game History List
>
>White CheckMate on an Amiga 4000 (14M of RAM) 3 mins per move avg
>Black GrandMaster Chess on a 386sx/20 (4M of RAM) 40 moves in 2 hours
>
>    1. d4      d5
>    2. c4      dxc4 ; this setup e4 which causes much trouble later on
>    3. e4      e5 ; it is whites pawn at e4 that eventually advances
>                  ; and causes GM chess a LOT of problems, this was
>                  ; totally beyond me during the game  it appears
>                  ; e4 was a key to getting whites rook deep into
>                  ; blacks territory.

It's hardly fair to say white is winning at this early stage of the
game.  The set-up looks a little like an Albin counter-gambit, but black
is a pawn up instead of a pawn down.  I think Black's pawn at d4 should
be at least as significant as white's at e4.

>    4. Nf3     exd4 ; this move by black clears the way for e4 to move on
>    5. Bxc4    Nc6
>    6. O-O     Nf6
>    7. Bg5     h6

White could consider 7. e5, but I think black's knight would be quite
happy on d5.

>    8. Bxf6    Qxf6

No!  Wrong!  White is playing a gambit!  It can't afford to give away
tempi like this.

>    9. Bb5     Bc5

See comment to previous move.

I think at this point that white is definitely losing.  Black has the
extra pawn _and_ the better development.  White's queen's knight does
not have a home.

>   10. e5      Qg6
>   11. Qc1     Bb6
>   12. Bxc6    Qxc6 ; this turns into a good move, looks dumb to me
>                    ; why is white Bxc6 a good idea here??!!

I think Bxc6 is a very bad idea.  White is losing and therefore
shouldn't simplify like this.  The pawn weakness is some compensation,
but not enough.

>   13. Qxc6    bxc6 ; at this point it seems to me checkmate is a moron
>                    ; down a pawn and 2 knights to 2 bishops, I would
>                    ; play more conservatively

I second this.

>   14. Nbd2    Bb7

The bishop is better on e6, where it blockades the white pawn and also
guards c4 (black might want to play c5-c4 later).

>   15. a4      a6
>   16. a5      Ba7 ; nice job of pinning bishop could black have
>                   ; prevented this?
>   17. Rfe1    Rd8

This is where black starts to go wrong.  It's time to castle!

>   18. e6      fxe6 ; Advancing pawn to e6 leads to something here?
>   19. Rxe6    Kf7
>   20. Re5     Rhe8

Re5 looks a bit passive, but I don't see what else to do.  20. Rae1 Rhe8
leads to nothing.

>   21. Rae1    Rxe5
>   22. Nxe5    Kg8 ; now at this point is white really thinking about
>                   ; exchanging and causing havok with its Knights?
>                   ; is the fact that both black bishops are pinned
>                   ; a big factor here in allowing the knights
>                   ; to go nuts from this point on?

I still think black is winning.  The bishops aren't so badly off.  After
c5, the light squared bishop is alive, and c4 is always a threat.
Alternatively, Ba7-c5-b4 and _then_ c5 looks quite strong.

Why Kg8?  I can't see anything bad that happens after 22 ... Kf8.

>   23. Nd3     Rd5

Black's play starts to seem planless from here.  Try c5 followed by Bd5,
threatening c4.  The two ideas are to start black's 4-2 queenside pawn
majority rolling, and to bring those bishops to life.

>   24. Nc4     Kf7
>   25. Re4     c5
>   26. Nce5    Kg8 ; should the king have cut himself off here?
>                   ; is it a foregone conclusion at this point
>                   ; that black is in danger?

It starts to look bad.  The exchange sacrifice 26 ... Rxe5 27. Rxe5 (27
Nxe5?? Bxe4) c4 is worth considering.  Of course, black can't play
26 ... Kf6 because of 27. Rf4+ Kg5 28. h4+ Kh5 29. Rf5+ g5 (if 29 ...  Kxh4
then 30. g3+ Kh3 31. Rh5 mate) 30. Nf4+ Kxh4 31. Ng6 mate.  It's quite
pretty!

>   27. Re1     Kh7

More planless play...

>   28. f3      Kg8

... on both sides.

>   29. Kh1     c6

This last move of black's looks rather useless.

>   30. Ng6     Rd7 ; clearly white is on the agressive here but
>                   ; did black kind of ask for this with foolish
>                   ; play of its king?  Or did white force this
>                   ; position??

Black asked for it.  Six of its previous twelve moves have been king
moves, while white has been developing pieces.  Even so, it still
doesn't look totally lost.  I don't think white has a forced win, and
black's advantages (pawn majority, two bishops) are permanent, _if_ it
survives.

>                   ; now if I could only EVER play my knights like
>                   ; white does from here on, or even get into
>                   ; a position to do this, I would be ecstatic!
>   31. Ndf4    Kf7

This looks very simply like a blunder.  I don't see anything wrong with
31 ... c4.  Now black is lost.

>   32. Ne5     Ke8
>   33. Nxc6    Kf7 ; and the fun for white continues, is it clear
>                   ; all that the Rook (blacks) is still lost???
>                   ; I would be sorely tempted to play Nxd7
>                   ; does Kf8 lead to disaster here for black??
>                   ; I mean you lose the bishop at a7 and I guess
>                   ; later on you may lose the other at b7...but that
>                   ; is not clear to me and at least blk would have its
>                   ; rook.

No, it's not clear to me either.

>   34. Ne5     Ke8
>   35. Nxd7    Kxd7

Well, it's all downhill from here.

>   36. Ng6     Kd6
>   37. Ne7     g5

although 37 ... c4 could still give white a scare--the knight is awfully
far away, and I think black would be happy with 37 ... c4 38. Nf5+?! Kc5
38 Nxg7 d3.

>   38. Nf5     Kc6 ; now from here on its basically a case of too much
>                   ; force and material advantage for white, and black
>                   ; is basically hoping for a mistake.

Yes.

>   39. Re6     Kd5
>   40. Rxh6    Ke5
>   41. Rh7     Bc6
>   42. Rxa7    Kxf5
>   43. Rc7     Bd5
>   44. Rxc5    Ke5
>   45. Kg1     Kd6
>   46. b4      Ke6
>   47. Kf2     Ke5
>   48. Ke2     g4
>   49. fxg4    (Ke4) ; Black Resigns while considering this move

And about time too!

Summary: black got off to a very good start, but basically lost through
inactivity.

								Alex.

Newsgroups: rec.games.chess