Round Two of the 960 Tourney - Casual Chess Next Monday

The Lady (Queen) is the most powerful chess piece on the board.

We had two tournament games played this week. Vince V and Luke S both won their games.

Next week in the make up games it is:

Board 1: Mike N (W) vs Paul M (B)

Board 2: Zack R (W) vs Ken T (B)

For everyone else it is casual chess night! Be here and have some fun!

 

Now, here is a beginners game for review with general strategy notes. Igor3000’s notes are in [  ].

     1.      e4                    c5

Why do beginners try to play the Sicilian Defense? Like a flashy sports car, it is a high – performance opening, with a tendency for it to spin out of control without a good driver. [Igor  suggests

      2.      Nc3                 d6

Why not Nc3? Too many people turn the Sicilian into a memory contest. With a ‘Closed’ variation, White steers the game into channels where better positional understanding is at least as important as memorized tactical sequences.

     3.      g3                    e5

     4.      Bg2                 Nf6

Not a bad move by Black but probably better is Ne7 and the other black knight on c6. Black can then play g6 and Bg7 for better development.

    5.      d3                    Be7

    6.      f4                     exf4

    7.      Bxf4                Nc6

    8.      Nf3                  b6?

A tactical error, though it is buried a little deep. Black leaves his knight on c6 without the protection of the b-pawn, and exposes the rook on a8 to attack along the h1-a8 diagonal. It is important to look thru intervening pieces and see that White’s bishop on g2 is threat to anything unguarded on that diagonal. [White is up positionally the equivalent of a pawn. (1.0)]

    9.      e5!                   dxe5

Outstanding play! White strives to use the diagonal immediately.

    10.  Nxe5               Bd7?

White to move after Black played 10. ....Bd7?

This second mistake is a fatal one. Black mis-counts the attacks on the c6 square and loses a full rook. It was necessary to try 10….Nxe5 11. Bxa8?, Bg4! 12. Qd2, Qxa8 and White has no time for 13. Bxe5 because of 13. ….Qxh1+ and Black gets both White rooks. [(+7.4)]

Of course White should be more modest and settle for 11. Bxe5, Bd7 12. Bxa8, Qxa8  and Black has only lost the exchange. Regrettable, but Black could still play on with more hope for a reversal of fortunes.

    11.  Nxc6               Bxc6

    12.  Bxc6+             Nd7

    13.  Bxa8                Qxa8

    14.  Rf1                  O-O

    15.  Qe2                 Re8

    16.  O-O-O             Bf6

    17.  Ne4                 h6

Good moves are hard to find for Black in such a bad position. White will exploit this weakening of the King-side.

[Perhaps 17. ...Bd4, hoping to be able to play 18. .....f5! winning the knight because if it moves, Black's rook can take White's queen!]

 

    18.  Qg4!                Qc6

White simultaneously strikes the knight on d7 and pins the g-pawn as you will see.

    19.  Bxh6               Kf8

[Of course the bishop cannot be captured because the Black King would be in check.]

 

Unfortunately for Black, 19. ….Bxb2+ 20. Kxb2, Qxh6 allows 21. Qxd7.

    

    20.  Nxf6                Nxf6

    21.  Bxg7+             Ke7

Now the king-side comes apart. The end is near.

    22.  Bxf6+              Kd6

    23.  D4                   Kc7

    24.  Dxc5               Qxc5

    25.  Qd7+               Kb8

    26.  Qxe8+             Kb7

    27.  Rd7+               Resigns

Very impressive tactical play by White.