1.a3 {(0:00)HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: This is my "waiting" move, to see how black defends. NFTM(1402) whispers: I am thinking of playing Nc6 because I am use to that opening, eventhough my opponent has played an unorthodox opening }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Black hasn't told me yet where he plans on putting his center pawns. But his last move has told me one thing: he will not be playing c5 any time soon. His best setup here should be e5 followed by d5, if possible. I am going to play c4, so that if he plays d5 --> cxd, Qxd, Nc3, I'll have developed a piece with a gain of time by attacking the queen. }NFTM(1402) whispers: I am not worried about my opponent attacking my Knight so I am thinking of playing e4 so I can control the center NFTM(1402) whispers: e5* }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Now that the center is clarified, it's time for me to develop. I'd like to start, naturally, with Nf3, but I must defend the e4 square first, so I have two possibilities: d3 and nc3. I am fine with either one, as my first a3 pawn move prevents any bishop pin on b4 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I'll play more actively with a piece development, rather than a pawn move. }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: nf6 hitting the e4 square again, it's best I defend that square once more before continuing with my development. }NFTM(1402) whispers: I played Nf6 because it will add more pressure in the center and prepare for Be7 NFTM(1402) whispers: I am thinking of castling kingside so I am going to play Be7 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: black's be7 move has not affected my position at all, so I can go forward as planned and develop my kingside. }NFTM(1402) whispers: I am castling kingside because it will keep my king safe }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: pawn to d5 should be coming next from black. I would like to develop my king bishop, and since I have 3 pawns on white squares, it's best for me to fianchetto it, so it develops on a more active diagonal. }NFTM(1402) whispers: I see my opponent is trying to fianchetto his bishop kingside so I am going to fortify my e5 pawn by playing d6 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: NFTM chose a more defensive posture here.. opting for a closed game rather than an open one. No affect on my position so far, so I continue as planned. }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: One "issue" with 6...d6 is it closes in black's dark-square bishop.. which is why most players would prefer pawn to d5, instead, for greater mobility. NFTM(1402) whispers: I am thinking of playing Nd4 because I can create an outpost for my knight }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I was not expecting this. I'm thinking of playing pawn to e3, to force the knight to exchange, or retreat. One problem with e3 is it closes in my dark square bishop. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: But I do not plan on developing my darksquare bishop along it's current diagonal yet, as the only active square is g5.. to which black can simply reply with ...h6, forcing me to exchange away my bishop for a knight, which I have no intention of doing. So e3 is fine for me.. it closes off a diagonal that I have no intention of using at the moment anyways. }NFTM(1402) whispers: I was expecting my opponent to play that, so I am going to play Nxf3 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Bishop recapture feels much more "natural", as an early queen development is always frowned upon. But I like to play adventurous, so I will retake with my queen, which, technically, develops a new piece. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: The threat of bishop to g4 is not a concern to me, as I can simply capture b7 pawn. }NFTM(1402) whispers: my rook is threatened so I am going to play Rb8 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: b7 defended, now bishop g4 is a renewed threat, so I'll defend against it. }NFTM(1402) whispers: my bishop is locked in so I need to give him some breathing room, so I am going to play Bcd7 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: threatening bishop to c6. Good move! At the moment, I am still deciding if I want to place my bishop at d7, or play pawn to e4 and develop it to e3 HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I'm also deciding on where to castle my king HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I will castle here, and allow black to play bishop c6, as that will "encourage" me to play pawn to e4, which, in turn, helps me solve the riddle of where to develop my queen bishop. Bishop c6 also blocks the black cpawn from advancing with c6-d5. }NFTM(1402) whispers: now my opponent has castled so I am going to prepare an attack on his kingside by playing Qc8 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Threatening my h3 pawn. I can push it, or defend it. Pushing it would be a mistake, because it currently guards the g4 square, so defending it is forced. }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Black has an interesting tactic here of playing Ng4check?!, sacrificing the knight in exchange for pxn, BxN, attempting to win my queen. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: But my queen can retreat to d5, a5, a4, and then to c2 NFTM(1402) whispers: I am thinking of sacrificing my knight to make a hole in his kingside but I am going to play it safe by moving my bishop to f5 and attack the pawn d3 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: This helps encourage me with my previous plan of pawn to e4, and bishop to e3 }NFTM(1402) whispers: I am thinking of retreating my bishop to d7 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: The threat of Ng4check is a real one now, as my queen cannot escape the white diagonal.. so bishop to e3 would be a blunder, trapping my queen and making me unable to capture the knight }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Here my queen has an escape square on e3 if black decides to try a knight sac. }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: c6 is a good move, as I was eyeing on placing my knight on d5 if the f6 knight ever moved. NFTM(1402) whispers: I am thinking of breaking through the center so I play c6 HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I would like to start attacking. My f4 pawn is calling me to get in on the action, so let's allow him to do so. }NFTM(1402) whispers: I am going to play a6 because I can prepare for b5 opening one of a,b or c files }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I don't like that move by black.. I think it is a waste of time HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: The queenside pawns are of no concern to me at this moment }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Now I am looking to begin my assault on the kingside. NFTM(1402) whispers: I am going to play Re8 to protect the soon to be open file HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: It's usually best for black to "strike back" in the center.. playing pawn to d5 is almost always a good mvoe if it is prepared well.. Here, black has not prepare it, as you can tell by white's control over d5.. (2 pawns, a knight, and a white bishop all control d5, while black only has 1 pawn and a knight controlling d5) }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Lacking the option of playing d5 has limited black to a purely defensive role }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: If pawn to d5 were possible, I wouldn't be playing this move.. but since d5 is locked down, I can push forward without worrying about a counterattack in the center. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I've also locked in black's light-square bishop and queen, which would take him a few moves to "untangle", giving me time to build more momentum on the kingise HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: *kingside NFTM(1402) whispers: now I am going to try and open one of the a,b or c files with b5 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: my c4 pawn is defended, and so is the b4 square, so I can comfortably ignore this move and push forward more }NFTM(1402) whispers: I am thinking of playing g5 because my opponent is trying to trap my knight NFTM(1402) whispers: but I decided to play it safe and play Kh8 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Onwards! NFTM(1402) whispers: just as I thought now I retreat the knight to g8 for safety and to protect the king }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Deciding how to finish this attack is difficult. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I generally look for the most forcing moves, first... in this case, pawn to g6 is the most forcing (it absolutely requires a response) HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Queen to h5 is not as forcing HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Thought, after g6, black can "lock down" the pawns and make it hard for me to break through HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I need to bring more into the attack somehow }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I do not want to help black defend himself, by making a mistake in my attack. Instead, i prefer to keep adding more and more pressure, until weaknesses present themselves to me NFTM(1402) whispers: I am not worried about his king side presence I am going to attack the queen side by bxc4 HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Soon I want to bring my rooks into the attack }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Does black have time to create counterplay on the queenside? Should I allow the rook to b2? }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I will allow it HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I feel my kingside attack is much too important to delay by worrying about a pawn HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I can always assign my a1 rook to battle with the b2 black rook if needed NFTM(1402) whispers: I am going to play Rxb2 because I can get a free pawn :) }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: let's chase the rook away before it becomes a nuisance NFTM(1402) whispers: I am going to retreat my rook to b3 so it's still in the enemy camp }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: It's official.. the rook has become a nuisance HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: lol HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I am deciding if I should swing over the queenside, or continue with my attack }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Let's deal with the annoyance, first HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I have a clever trap set if black decides to support the rook with the queen HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I can simply block the support HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: With bishop to b4! }NFTM(1402) whispers: retreating my rook back to base b8 because his queen is attacking it }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Back to my orinal attacking plan HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I want to open a file near the king. The closer, the better. }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Black can try for some counterplay with queen to b7, and then queen to b3 NFTM(1402) whispers: I think I see checkmate in about 10 moves :) depending on how he defends }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I'm not going to allow black to open things up. I want to keep things closed and restricted, as my king is wide out in the openg. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: *open NFTM(1402) whispers: I think I can attack the c5 pawn twice by placing my rook on b5 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: let's make use of my a1 rook. Though I probably should have placed it on b1, earlier, to stop all counterplay. I underestimated the disrupting abilities of allowing black to sieze the b file. }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: At least now I have nearly all of the b-file squares under control NFTM(1402) whispers: I am going to breakthrough the center by playing dxe4 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: My position is still the same here.. perhaps slightly better, with a more active bishop placement. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I am constantly eye'ing that kingside, trying to decide how to smash into the fortress. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Attacking incorrectly could give black the opportunity to lock the pawns and safeguard his king. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I don't want that. I want to blow things open NFTM(1402) whispers: going to play Bd8 to allow my rook to protect my pawn on e5 and make space for my knight }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Guarding against knight to b6, I assume? HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: The attack is close, I can feel it }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Let's go for it. Why not? }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I need to blow things open. Allowing black to lock the pawns is not an option. The only way to crash through is to smash ahead, full force. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I bet NFTM did not expect this move, did you buddy? :P NFTM(1402) whispers: I am going to take this pawn leaving his king open to attack, so I am going to play Nxh6 HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: continuing with my plan of blowing things open }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: Now both of are kings are exposed.. mine more so. I must be careful HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I have also sacrificed two pawns to maintain the initiative.. if my attack runs out of steam, I will be playing in a losing position. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: I very much regret not playing rook to b1 earlier in the game.. This attack of mine would have been much easier without having to worry about black's counterplay on the queenside HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: My knight, especially, is sitting uselessly at the edge of the board.. I would much rather have it involved in the kingside attack. Since it is stuck defending the bfile, that tels me that I played incorrectly NFTM(1402) whispers: now his king is open time to breakthrough his lines with Bg5 aiming at the rook }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: If I can maneuver my knight to d6, I will have a terrific position }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: My tactical insight kicked in there. I see I can buy time with checks if the bishop takes my rook.. and checks around black's king, in it's precarious position, are very threatening indeed. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: This, in my opinion, is a very exciting game. I am very proud of you, NFTM, for making it this far with such a complicated position. This is definately the most challenging game I've had with you so far. NFTM(1402) whispers: I am thinking of playing Re6 to attack the queen on d6 NFTM(1402) whispers: I realize that I will get checkmated by playing Re6 so I am going to play Be7 }HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: "Exploratory" checks HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: The mating net tightens around the king. HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: this is mate in 3 HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: 2, actually HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: only 2 possible moves here.. bishop to f6, or king to g8. NFTM(1402) whispers: I didn't see that but I was thinking of checking his king with Bf4 now I have lost with Kg8 HotBoxResident(1870) whispers: If checking the king had not been an option for me, I would have placed my rook at f7, and mate would have followed soon thereafter, as well }
Subscribe to the recent games feed
nftm (2010-03-18): You are right I didn't see that move that opened up my king. It was a fantastic game and I enjoyed it but I should have taken that h pawn.
nftm (2010-03-18): You are right I didn't see that move that opened up my king. It was a fantastic game and I enjoyed it but I should have taken that h pawn.