1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 The Benko gambit . I haven't played many long games against this, but I tend to do poorly. Black gambits a pawn for open files on the queenside. 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 d6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.e4 Bxf1 8.Kxf1 I'm fairly certain this is a mainline. 8... g6 9.g3 Bg7 10.Nf3 Qb6 11.Kg2 O-O 12.a4 My idea here is that if I can secure the pawn on a4, I can keep a knight on b5 and blockade the play on the a and b files. I have to do something to allow the c1 bishop to stop babysitting b2. a4 also allows the rook some movement. 12... Nbd7 13.h4 This is probably not right. The idea is that my opponents play is more on the queenside, and with my king already on g2 maybe I can get play on the h-file. After the game, my opponent commented that many times h3 is played. This makes sense to keep the f6 knight from getting to e5. 13... h5 14.Qc2 Rfb8 15.Nb5 This was the plan, and I think it's ok. 15... Ng4 16.Ra2
a) 16.Bg5 This was my top alternative and it may put more pressure on black.
16... c4 17.Ra3 Perhaps aiming for Be3.
a) 17.Rf1 It may be better to safeguard against threats at f2.
1) 19.Rxa4 Rxa4 20.Qxa4 Bxd4 21.Nxd4 Qxd4 22.Qc2 Looks good for black.
19.Qxc4 Ndxf2 20.Rf1 Nxe4 21.Nc6 At this point I think I'm winning due to the dual threats against the rook on b8 and the knight on e4. 21... f5 22.Nxe7+ I think this is one of my typical mistakes. I've over estimated the attack against black's king. My plan, as followed in the game, is to give up the knight for 3 pawns and an exposing the black king. I could have simply taken on b8. 22... Kh7 23.Nxf5 gxf5 24.Rxf5 This was the position I envisioned at 22. Nxe7+, where I am threatening the knight on e4 and a fourth pawn on h5. I thought the black king with no pawn shelter would give me chances and my extra pawns means the possibility of going to an endgame where the outside connected passers are better than apiece. 24... Re8 25.Qc7 Maybe I should not have traded the queens. 25... Qxc7 26.Nxc7 Rf8 I didn't catch this when I played Qc7. 27.Raf3 This is a poor move where I simply overlook my weakness on the c-file. 27... Rxf5 28.Rxf5 Rc8 29.Ne6 I thought I could recoup my piece by Rf7 and taking the g7 bishop. This fails due to black's knights overwhelming the white king. 29... Rxc1 30.Rf7 Rc2+ 31.Kg1
a) 32.Rf3 Rg2+ 33.Kh1 Nxg3+ 34.Rxg3 Rxg3
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.a3 Ngxe5 8.Nxe5 This is as far as I know this opening 8... Nxe5 9.e3 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 O-O 11.Be2 d6 12.O-O b6 I kind of like my bishop pair at this point, but his knight is so well placed I probably don't have a minor piece advantage 13.b4 I wanted to do something like taking the knight and getting on the long diagonal, but nothing seemed to pan out. 13... Bb7 14.Rab1 I'm hoping to break up the queen side pawns and find some weak ones in his camp. 14... Rad8 15.Qc3 Qf6 16.Bxe5 dxe5 17.c5 h5 18.b5 At this point I've really underestimated my opponent's position. I'm worried about queenside pawn structure while he's trying to mate me. 18... bxc5 19.Qxc5 Qg6 20.f3 Rd2 My queenside plans have worked, black has 3 hanging pawns! Meanwhile, I'm letting him checkmate me. 21.Qc4 This was terrible and loses immediately to Bd5. Rbe1 could have held on. In any case, it doesn't bail me out of the lesson I should learn from this game. 21... e4 22.f4 Bd5 23.Qc5 Rxe2 24.g3 Be6 25.f5 Qg5 0-1
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 Silman suggests dxc6. Whoops. 5.O-O Bg7 6.c3 d5 7.exd5
a) 7.e5 d4 8.cxd4 cxd4 9.Qa4 Bb7 10.Nxd4 Bxe5 11.Nf3 Bg7
7... cxd5 8.d4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Nf6 10.Re1 O-O 11.Bg5
a) 11.Nc6 Qd6 12.Nxe7+ Kh8 13.Nxc8 Raxc8 +/-
a) 13.Nb5 Qd7 14.Nd2 Rb8 15.a4 a6 -+
13... Rb8 14.Qc2 Bf5 15.Qe2 Ne4 16.Be3 e5 Maybe a little too anxious, it's probably not necessary to let the a-pawn go.
1) 17...Rxb2 18.Nxe4 Rxe2 19.Nxd6 Rxe1+ 20.Rxe1 exd6
17.Bxa7 Rb7 18.Be3 Rfb8 19.Bc1 d4 20.Rd1
20... Qc5 21.cxd4 exd4 22.Nbd2 d3 23.Qe1 Bxb2 There were so many variations to anazlye if Nxd2, but it may be better.
24... Rxb2 25.Nxe4 Bxe4 26.Nd2
26... Bc6 27.Nb3 Qd5 28.Qf1 Re2 29.f3 Rbe8 30.Re1 Qe5 31.Rxe2 dxe2 32.Qe1 Ba4 33.Rb1 Bxb3 34.axb3
34... Qc5+ 35.Kh1 Qc2 36.Ra1 Qb2 White resigned here. 37.Ra6
a) 37.h3 Qxa1 38.Qxa1 e1=Q+ 39.Qxe1 Rxe1+
37... Qc3 Brought to you by a backrank mate! 0-1
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.e3 c5 6.d5 Qc7 This move seems awkward. Nb5 should be good for white at the right time, though I struggle with the right way to play against this. 7.e4 d6 8.Bg5 Be7 9.dxe6
a) 9.e5 Leads to equality. dxe5 10.Nb5 Qc8 11.d6 Bd8 12.d7+ Qxd7 13.Nd6+
1) 13.Qxd7+ Kxd7 14.Nxe5+ Ke7 15.O-O-O =
1) 14.Nxe5 Qxd6 15.Qxd6+ Kxd6 16.Nxf7+ Ke7 17.Nxh8 Bc7 -/+
b) 9.Nb5 This may be the right way to play. 9... Qc8
9... fxe6 10.Bxf6 The idea here is that Bxf6 is met by Nb5 and Nxd6+; gxf6 leaves holes on the kingside, a potential Qh5+. 10... gxf6 But now I can't figure out how to get to the king. I thought about sacking on e5 and getting Qh5, but nothing happens in that line.
a) 10...Bxf6 11.Nb5 Qd7 12.Nxd6+ Kf8 13.e5 Be7
a) 11.e5 fxe5 12.Nxe5 dxe5 13.Qh5+ Kd8 14.O-O-O+ Kc8 -+
11... h6 12.O-O-O Nc6 13.Nb5 Winning the d6 pawn, but leaving black with all the activity. 13... Qd7 14.Nxd6+ Bxd6 15.Qxd6 Qxd6 16.Rxd6 Ke7 17.Rd2 White's pieces are bad, but I believe I can defend everything and slowly unravel my mess. 17... Rad8 18.Bd3 Nb4 19.Bb1 Rxd2 20.Kxd2 Rd8+ 21.Ke2 Fortunately, there will be no penetration on the d-file. 21... Ba6 22.b3 Bb7
a) 22...b5 23.cxb5 Bxb5+ 24.Ke3
23.Rd1 Rxd1 24.Kxd1 Kd6 25.Ke2 e5 26.Ke3 Nc6 27.Nh4 Nd4 28.g3 Bc8 29.Nf5+ Nxf5+
30.exf5 Bb7 31.Be4 Bxe4 32.Kxe4 Now it's just technique. 32... h5 33.f4 exf4 34.Kxf4 a6 35.h3 b5 36.g4 hxg4 37.hxg4 bxc4 38.bxc4 Ke7 39.g5 fxg5+ 40.Kxg5 Kf7 41.f6 a5 42.a4 Kg8 43.Kg6 Kf8 44.f7 1-0