Hi, everyone.
Sometimes, we’re going to see our opponents make offbeat moves that
might look better than they actually are. Often, they compromise a
castled or uncastled position and we need to pounce immediately or
undermine their efforts.
This game shows a way to handle the uncastled K and undermine an
unsound opening move.
white player: DavidRosenkoetter 1557 +5
black player: PetrusPaulus 1501 −4
Rated classical
Clock: 30 + 5
Moves
1 e4 d6
(This often leads to the Pirc or, by transposition, the Robich (ECO B06-09)
2 d4 Bd7
(Black makes an early substandard, passive move which is key for his
ongoing woes.)
3 Nc3, c6,
4 Nf3
(Normally, I like playing the Austrian attack against anything that
smells of Pirc or modern lines. But, playing this opponent frequently,
I’ve found the best way of handling him is to flood the center with
minors and push my d and e pawns to cramp his passivity.)
3…f5??
(Maybe, black wants to switch to Dutch lines and put pressure on e4.
The answer, though, is not to take back immediately because exchanging
pawns would draw his B to f5 and give credence to his plan. Instead…)
5 Bd3
(This gives me three developed minors to his activated one. If black
chooses to exchange on e4, Then I take back with my N and further
solidify control of the center. More than likely, he’s looking to pile
up pieces against e4. But as the text shows, he remains passive.)
5…h6
(Black wants to prevent any B or N penetration to the g5-square
prior to playing Nf6. In doing so, he discounts white’s pressure on
the f5-square.)
6O-O
(Black has allowed for white to gain early center control. Why not
exploit it? Castling brings the K into safety and allows for the
eventual Re1 which adds more center control.)
6…b5
(It’s an early thematic move in some lines of the Pirc, mostly to
crack open the queenside if white’s castled there. Here it appears
that black wants to undermine white’s N on c3. Nice try…but white
needs not worry about this fantom menace.)
7 exf5
(Now is the time to snap the f5-pawn since the K is tucked comfortably
away in his fortress. Black would be wasting his time were he to take
f5. So…)
7…Nf6
(Too little, too late. Black’s K remains in the center. He hopes that
with his steed on guard at f6 and a pawn at h6, he can ward off
white’s kingside campaign.)
8.Re1
(More punch to the center control. Now, the plan for my B to f4 looks great.)
8…g5??
(Black will have none of Bf4 . Yet, he overlooks every chess player’
secret weapon.)
9 fxg6!
(En passent extends my control of the b1-h7 diagonal and creates a
gaping hole on black’s kingside. With the e7-pawn pinned to the K , I
aim for smothering the black monarch right where he is after
undermining his pesky b5-pawn.)
9…b4?
(Black wants to dislodge the N? He can, but The one-way trip to c5 has
one lay-over on e4.)
10 Ne4
(Not 10.Na4. We all know the rule of not bringing your N to the edge
unless there’s the certainty of a better square on the next move.Black
would answer 10.Na4 with 10…c5. Better for white is to invite the N
exchange on e4 after which the white R will dominate the half-open
file. If black responds with Bf5, this will not turn out like he
thinks.)
10…Bf5,
11 Nxf6# 1-0.
