[Event "Knights | How to dominate your opponents!: NoseKnowsAll dominating the competition"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/kI8ikTU4/UEpmFHB3"]
[Date "2021.01.04"]
[Round "?"]
[White "NoseKnowsAll"]
[Black "NN"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/NoseKnowsAll"]
[ECO "B43"]
[Opening "Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation"]
[Termination "NoseKnowsAll won by checkmate"]
[TimeControl "1500+5"]
[UTCDate "2021.08.30"]
[UTCTime "16:50:19"]
[Variant "Standard"]

{ I don't usually do this, but I'm including annotations of one of my own games since it fits this study's theme so well. This game was an OTB rapid game against someone approximately 2000 USCF rated. The most relevant portion of the game will arise from moves 14-24. } 1. e4 { [%clk 0:25:04] } 1... c5 { [%clk 0:24:57] } 2. Nf3 { [%clk 0:25:04] } 2... e6 { [%clk 0:24:53] } 3. d4 { [%clk 0:25:05] } 3... cxd4 { [%clk 0:24:48] } 4. Nxd4 { [%clk 0:25:10] } 4... a6 { We enter the Sicilian Kan, a variation I myself also play as black. I proceed to play a setup that often leads to kingside pressure. [%clk 0:24:50] } 5. Nc3 { [%clk 0:25:01] } 5... Qc7 { [%clk 0:24:51] } 6. Bd3 { [%clk 0:24:58] } 6... Nf6 { [%clk 0:24:44] } 7. Qe2 { [%clk 0:24:49] } 7... d6 { [%clk 0:24:37] } 8. O-O { [%clk 0:24:35] } 8... Be7 { [%clk 0:24:38] } 9. f4 { [%clk 0:24:29] } 9... Nbd7 { Because my opponent is controlling e5 enough, he now has time to gain space on the queenside and develop his last remaining piece actively on the long diagonal. [%clk 0:24:39] } 10. a4 { At least I can prevent him from playing b5. [%clk 0:24:10] } 10... O-O { [%clk 0:24:38] } 11. Kh1 { [%clk 0:23:42] } 11... b6 { [%clk 0:24:33] } 12. Bd2 { [%clk 0:23:16] } 12... Bb7 { This was the end of my opening knowledge. While I know the engine finds this to be approximately equal, it feels much easier to play white here. [%clk 0:24:34] } 13. Rae1 { [%clk 0:23:00] } 13... Nc5 { [%clk 0:24:34] } 14. Qe3 { [%clk 0:17:17] } 14... Nxd3 $6 { An instructive mistake that my opponent surely regretted later. While it removes the strong d3 bishop from the attack, it clarifies the center into a structure that favors white's long term attacking prospects. [%clk 0:23:43] } ( 14... d5 $1 15. e5 Nfe4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 $1 17. Be2 Nxa4 18. b3 Nc5 $10 { I haven't burnt any bridges myself going for an all-out kingside attack, so this seems to have transitioned into a reasonable French. In fact, even though black up the a pawn, the engine says 0.0... } ) 15. cxd3 { The knight on f6 and bishop on b7 are now dominated by this central pawn mass! [%clk 0:17:10] } 15... Rfd8 { [%clk 0:23:31] } 16. Qh3 { [%clk 0:15:59] } 16... Bf8 { [%clk 0:23:07] } 17. Nf3 { [%clk 0:13:22] } ( 17. f5 $6 e5 18. Nf3 { The direct way to play, but black gets in d5 too quickly. } 18... d5 $1 $10 ) 17... Rac8 { [%clk 0:21:18] } 18. f5 $1 { [%clk 0:11:15] } 18... exf5 $2 { I honestly didn't even consider black would take this pawn. In fact it was an unwise move to make. [%clk 0:20:54] } ( 18... e5 $5 19. Bg5 $14 { This was the only line I was calculating. My center is stable and therefore I can continue building up a kingside attack. } ) 19. Qxf5 $2 { After 5 minutes, I gave up looking for a knockout blow and decided to accept a slightly better position. [%clk 0:08:33] } ( 19. Nd4 $1 g6 ( 19... fxe4 $2 20. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 21. Nf5 $18 ) 20. Bg5 Bg7 21. exf5 Re8 22. Ne6 $3 fxe6 23. fxg6 hxg6 24. Bxf6 $18 { The knockout blow that I missed. } ) 19... Re8 { [%clk 0:12:42] } ( 19... Qd7 20. Qg5 Qg4 21. h3 Qxg5 22. Bxg5 { [%cal Gf3d4,Gd4f5] } 22... Be7 23. Nd4 $14 { White has a slight pull in this endgame because the knight and b7 bishop are still dominated by my center. } ) 20. Bg5 { [%clk 0:06:54] } 20... Nd7 $6 { My opponent tries to reroute the knight to a better square (c5 or e5), but is immediately dominated again. [%clk 0:12:16] } 21. d4 $1 { Taking the entire center! I've now stopped Ne5 and prevented d5 (which would be met with e5). Real threats start to materialize on the f file. [%cal Bd4c5,Bd4e5] [%clk 0:05:24] } 21... g6 $6 { [%clk 0:10:44] } ( 21... d5 $6 22. e5 $16 ) 22. Qf4 { [%cal Gg5h6] [%clk 0:04:46] } 22... Bg7 { [%clk 0:09:14] } 23. Bh6 { Having weakened the dark squares, I was quick to trade off bishops in order to continue the attack on these weaknesses. [%clk 0:03:42] } 23... Nf8 $4 { [%clk 0:08:30] } ( 23... Nf6 { The natural move gets refuted nicely: } 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Ng5 Qe7 26. e5 $1 dxe5 27. dxe5 { [%cal Gf4f7] } 27... Nh5 28. Qxf7+ Kh8 ( 28... Qxf7 $4 29. Rxf7+ $18 { [%cal Gf7b7,Gf7g7] } ) 29. Qxe7 Rxe7 30. Nf7+ Kg8 31. Nd6 { [%cal Gd6c8,Gd6b7] } 31... Rd8 32. Nxb7 Rxb7 33. g4 $1 $18 { The engine continuation highlights yet another knight domination. The knight on the rim is forced to go back to g7, from which it has no future. [%csl Gh5] } ) 24. Bxg7 { [%clk 0:03:28] } 24... Ne6 $4 { [%clk 0:08:26] } ( 24... Kxg7 25. Ng5 { My opponent was clearly scared of this attack, but his cure was worse than the disease... } 25... Re7 { [%cal Gd4d5] } 26. d5 $1 $18 { Once again the center pushes on and restricts the b7 bishop and sad knight. } ) 25. Qh6 $1 { Protecting the bishop with the queen forces black to fianchetto his knight, immediately losing the game. [%clk 0:03:08] } 25... Nxg7 { [%clk 0:07:53] } 26. Ng5 { [%cal Rg5h7,Rh6h7,Rg5f7,Rf1f7] [%clk 0:03:09] } 26... Kf8 { [%clk 0:02:28] } 27. Rxf7+ { [%clk 0:02:29] } 27... Qxf7 { [%clk 0:02:29] } 28. Nxf7 { [%clk 0:02:32] } 28... Kxf7 { The game is completely over, but my opponent decided to play on until checkmate since I was low on time and there are potential back-rank checkmate ideas. The rest of the game is presented without comment. [%clk 0:02:33] } 29. Qxh7 { [%clk 0:01:55] } 29... Bxe4 { [%clk 0:02:25] } 30. Nxe4 { [%clk 0:01:26] } 30... Rxe4 { [%clk 0:02:16] } 31. Rf1+ { [%clk 0:01:27] } 31... Rf4 { [%clk 0:02:14] } 32. Rxf4+ { [%clk 0:01:29] } 32... Ke6 { [%clk 0:02:13] } 33. Qxg6+ { [%clk 0:01:29] } 33... Kd5 { [%clk 0:02:13] } 34. Qe4+ { [%clk 0:01:20] } 34... Kc4 { [%clk 0:02:10] } 35. Qc2+ { [%clk 0:01:14] } 35... Kb4 { [%clk 0:02:11] } ( 35... Kd5 36. Qxc8 $18 ) 36. d5+ { [%clk 0:01:04] } 36... Ka5 { [%clk 0:02:13] } 37. Qd2+ { [%clk 0:00:55] } ( 37. b4# $1 { I should have mated with the pawn! } ) 37... Rc3 { [%clk 0:02:13] } 38. Qxc3# { 1-0 White wins by checkmate. [%clk 0:00:59] } 1-0