a) 3...Be7 let's compare this game to the Tartakower variation of the QGD: 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 O-O 7.e3 b6 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bb7 The lines for Black that I see in these positions still struggle to control e4, and often feature the move ...Ne4. An important consequence of ...dxc4 is that the pawn no longer controls e4. In general in queen's pawn openings, black's play is based around preventing White from pushing a pawn to e4.
4.e3 b6 5.Nf3 Bb7 6.Bd3 dxc4 They say this gains a tempo. I play it because my coach always said to. I still don't really understand why it is all that good a move, giving up a central pawn for a side pawn, and giving him the opportunity to play e4 sooner. Fritz likes this move best, so I guess it's OK. Good example of best move that I don't really understand. If anyone has a good explanation please share with the group :)
1) 7...a6 8.b3 Bd6 9.Bb2 Rc8 10.Qe2 dxc4 11.bxc4 e5 12.dxe5 Bxf3 13.gxf3 Bxe5 14.Rad1 Qe7 15.f4 Bxc3 16.Bxc3 Nc5 17.Bf5 Ne6 18.Qb2 h5 19.Bb4 c5 20.Bc3 Ng4 21.Rd3 Rd8 22.Qxb6 ;
2) 7...Bd6
8.Bxc4 a6 9.a4 Bb4 10.d5 Bxc3 11.dxe6 Ne5 12.exf7+ Ke7 13.Qe2 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Bb4 15.e4 Qd4 16.Bd5 Qd3 17.Qxd3 Nxd3 18.Bxa8 Rxa8 19.Rd1 Nc5 20.Be3 Nfd7 21.Rd5 ;
b) 6...Bd6 7.O-O O-O 8.b3 Nbd7 9.Bb2
7.Bxc4 Bd6 In such QGD lines the threat of Ne5 hangs on my mind like a lead monkey. I think Be7 is book, but I'm not sure. I don't know anything about this opening really.
a) 7...a6 8.O-O b5 these types of positions are discussed by Sadler in his QGD book, Tartakower section (although what we have here is not a QGD tartakower). The ...dxc4 has coaxed the white bishop to a more vulnerable square, so Black's queenside pawn advance is more turbocharged. The advance is important because it gives the queen more development options (e.g. ...Qb6 after the c-pawn has been pushed).
a) 8.Qc2 c5 9.e4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Be5 11.Bb5+ Kf8 12.Nde2 a6 13.Bd3 Nc6 14.a3 Rc8 15.O-O Nd4 16.Nxd4 Bxd4 17.Bd2 Qd6 18.h3 Rd8 19.Bc4 Qc6 20.Bd3 Bxc3 21.Bxc3 Nxe4 22.Bxe4 Qxe4
8... Nbd7 Hoping to play c5 at some point, usually taken to be a critical pawn break in the QGD.
a) 8...Ne4 is thematic here, maintaining control of e4.
9.e4 in general, if Black allows White to play this in a 1.d4 opening it suggests that Black fumbled the ball. 9... Bb4 Did this to indiretly protect against the fork from his pawn on e4, and to take some of his pressure off e4, and potentially win a pawn. 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bd2 ? Giving me the e pawn and taking on an isolated d pawn.
11... Bxc3 12.Bxc3 Nxe4 13.Bb4 a6 Too passive. There is no real threat at b5. Again, I was so scared of Ne5 that I didn't want him pinning that Knight on d7. Good example of responding to a phantom threat. c5 right away is better. However, the a6-b5 sequence is thematic.
a) 13...c5 Fritz here and later suggests ...c5. It is not immediately obvous why...the d pawn is isolated and a target, so why allow the exchange. The bottom line is: it happens to work. 14.dxc5
1) 14.Ba3
14.a4 c5 15.dxc5 Nexc5 I was all proud of this move, as it kept my Q-side pawn structure intact, but Fritz gives me the smackdown, telling me I should have taken with the b pawn. I don't understand why, but it is about a 1.0 or so difference between my move and Fritz's choice of taking witht he b pawn. Is it because the b-pawn move creates a threat?
2) 16.Bd3 ;
16.Bc3 He has excellent piece activity, probably ample compensation for the pawn I'm up. I'm getting a little worried. O-O 17.b4 Ne4 ?!
18.Bb2 Qe7 I need to be careful of getting my Q and R skewered from his dark-squared Bishop. 19.Ba3 ?
a) 19.O-O
19... Qf6 ?! I'll just indicate that Fritz has a LOT of much better alternatives here, and it could be a good exercise to go through them all. 20.O-O ?! Nc3 ! 21.Qe3 Nxa4 I'm starting to feel quite good about my position. Up two pawns. His piece activity is now decreased because his Bishop is locked in on a3 for now. 22.Nd4 He is avoidi ng the tactic I had planned of Bxf3 Qxf3 (or gxf3, giving me attacking chances) Ne5, taking his Bishop pair. 22... b5 Now I'm feeling very good. His lead in activity is almost gone and I'm two pawns up. I want to exchange pieces! 23.Bb3 Nab6 He's got some pressure on e6 building. I don't think this redeployment is a priority. The N shielded a6, and it prevented Black from activating the a3 bishop by Bb2.
25.Ra2 Nd5 26.Qd2 Qg6 This was a bit cheap. I was hoping to move the d5 Knight for a double attack from the Knight to the a-Rook and threat of mate on g2. He came up with a wonderful defensive resource that I didn't predict. 27.Bc2 ! 27... f5 ? Weakening the squares around my King, taking away a defender of my e6 square. I was a bit too attached to that Knight discovered attack idea, and didn't pay sufficient attention to his plans. I should have thought longer on this move. 28.Rxe6 This is a pretty combination he sets up. I didn't see it at all. Consider all captures, especially on those squares near the King! Lucky for me, it is unsound. 28... Rxe6 29.Bxf5 Put this in your tactics database! good job. 29... Rae8 I was so happy to find this. Threatens mate on e1 if he takes my queen. If he takes my rook it turns into a Q/2K/B versus Q/R/B game, for which I should have a slight advantage. 30.Bxe6+ Rxe6 31.Nxe6 Qxe6 32.Ra1 N7b6 33.Re1 Qg6 White resigns. If I were white I would have kept fighting. Yes, I have a lot of tactical potential in this position, but at my patzer level you should fight it out a bit longer. 0-1
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.e4 Bc5 5.Nh3 d6 6.O-O Be6 7.Ng5 Bxc4 8.d3 Ba6 9.Nc3 h6 10.Nf3 Nbd7 11.a3 d5 12.b4 Bb6 13.exd5 e4 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Re1 Bxf2+ 17.Kf1 Bxe1 18.Qxe1 Bxd3+ 19.Kg1 O-O 20.Bb2 Re8 21.Qc1 Ndf6 22.Nh4 Qb6+ 23.Kh1 Nf2+ 24.Kg1 Nd1+ 25.Kh1 Nxb2 26.Qxb2 Ng4 27.Bf1 Nf2+ 28.Kg2 Be4+ 29.Nf3 Bxf3+ 30.Kxf3 Re3+ 31.Kg2 Nd3 32.Bxd3 Rxd3 33.Rf1 Rad8 34.Kh3 Qd4 35.Qa2 Qd7+ 36.Kh4 Rd4+ 37.Rf4 Rxf4+ 38.gxf4 Qe7+ 39.Kh5 Rd5+ 40.Kg4 Qe6+ White resigns 0-1