Skype coaching session, 10 July 2016.
Recordings of some previous coaching sessions can be found at:
http://www.open-aurec.com/Skype/PaulBenson/PaulBenson.htm
The following game was examined, the game 33 moves) is given with annotations
and then again without annotations.
Paul Benson.
* * *
Annotated game.
Middlegame Study In The McCutcheon Variation (C12) Of The French Defence.
| Note: Both players are rated about Elo 2100. ||
1. d4 d5
2. Nc3 e6
3. e4 Nf6
4. Bg5 Bb4
| The McCutcheon Variation. Played occasionally by Grand Masters either for a
surprise or to evade a possible prepared line from the opponent. At club level
it is a good choice, offering an interesting test of strategic understanding
with an ever-present threat of tactics just around the corner. Instead, 4. ...
Be7, is less trickier for both players and, 4. ... dxe4, creates a semi-open
central pawn structure where minor piece activity will be of importance. ||
5. e5 h6
6. Be3
| An uncommon choice. Instead, 6. Bd2, is the main line and usually leads to a
couple of exchanges of minor pieces. There is also, 6. exf6 hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8,
when the advanced white g-pawn will soon fall. In both cases chances are
roughly equal with opportunities for both players to try and be creative with
the pawn structure imbalance. ||
6. ... Ne4
7. Qg4 Kf8
| The alternative, 7. ... g6, leads to a drastically different middlegame where
white seeks to break through on the kingside while black tries to undermine the
white central pawns. Again expect a good test of strategic understanding and
tactical abilities in that variation. With the game choice of, Kf8, black makes
the kingside less vulnerable but at the price of the h8 rook being blocked in
for a while. Win something, lose something. ||
8. a3 Bxc3+
9. bxc3 Nxc3
| The point of, 6. Be3, is revealed. White is letting a pawn go in order to
keep the dark square bishop on the board for the middlegame fight. Chances are
considered roughly equal. ||
10. Bd3 c5
11. dxc5
| Ouch, white has three pawn islands including doubled and isolated c-pawns and
an isolated a-pawn. This pawn structure might look horribly weak but this is
not the case. It is not easy for black to surround and win either the e5 or c5
pawns, and as long as this remains so, then white has a clamp on the black
position. ||
11. ... Nc6
12. Nf3 Qa5
| The black queen sets up an x-ray attack on the white king. The threat is, 13.
... Ne4+, followed by black winning the white c5 pawn. ||
13. O-O Qa4
| Black seeks a trade of queens to rule out any kingside attack from white.
This exchange of queens transforms the game into a middlegame of minor piece
and rook activity. It will be for white to try and keep black under-developed
for as long as possible. Any endgame will prove difficult for white to defend,
those queenside pawn "weaknesses" mentioned earlier will eventually be shown to
be very difficult to defend. ||
14. Qxa4 Nxa4
| White has a lead in development but there are no weaknesses in the black
position to attack. White must use piece activity to try to prevent black from
completing development and then attempt to find some play with the only dynamic
pawn break available. ||
15. Rab1
| Designed to prevent the black c8 bishop from developing with, Bd7. Instead,
15. Bb5 Nc3 16. Bxc6 bxc6, gains white nothing. The black bishop could then
develop with, Ba6, claiming some light squares and preparing a long term plan
of all rooks to eventually be traded on the b-file. With the pawn structure as
it stands at the moment, it is white who will suffer in an endgame. Strategic
hint: Some of any future endgame problems for white can be relieved if white
can somehow eliminate one of the doubled c-pawns. ||
15. ... Ke7
16. Rb3
| Rather sneaky and proves that quiet looking positions can still contain some
venom. The black a4 knight is unprotected and has no flight squares. The white
threat is, 17. Bb5, when, 17. ... Na5 18. Bxa4 Nxb3 19. cxb3, and white would
have two knights for a rook while also cleaning up the queenside pawn structure
into the bargain. ||
16. ... a6
| Preventing the material winning threat of, 17. Bb5, but creating a weak b6
square for future exploitation. Of course at the moment black has the a4 knight
to cover a white piece entry on b6, but pieces cannot remain on one square for
ever. Instead, 16. ... Na5 17. Rb5 Nc6 18. Rb3 Na5, with a possible early draw
by three-fold repetition was an option. Wwhite might instead prefer to keep the
fight going with, 16. ... Na5 17. Rb4 Nc3 18. Bd2 Ne4, when there is a safe
pawn to be grabbed with, 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Rxe4, exposing an attack from the d2
bishop onto the black a5 knight but in the process white would lose much
control of the light squares. Play could continue with, 20. ... Nc6 21. Rb1,
and that theme of preventing the black c8 bishop from developing has
re-emerged. In the game it is white to play and attempt to eliminate a future
endgame weakness. ||
17. c4
| White is aiming to eliminate one of the doubled pawns before black can
complete development and steer the game into an ending where the white pawns
will be targets. ||
17. ... d4
| Black is fighting very hard for the initiative but this must be rather risky
when so far behind in development. Instead, 17. ... dxc4 18. Bxc4 Na5 19. Rb4
Nxc4 20. Rxc4 Bd7, would have been a much easier position for black to handle.
||
18. Nxd4
| Instead, 18. Bxd4 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Nxc5, forking white pieces after which, 20.
Rc3 Rd8, and black wins a piece as if the attacked white d4 knight moves then,
black has, 21. ... Rxd3. ||
18. ... Nxe5
19. Be2
| Creating the bishop versus knight stand off formation between the white e2
bishop and the black e5 knight. ||
19. ... Nxc5
| Risky. Instead, 19. ... Kd7, intending, Kc7, to protect the black b7 pawn
which allows the c8 bishop to develop might have been simpler. Now white has a
neat tactic which sets black a little test to answer. ||
20. Nf5+
| The white knight check has discovered an attack from the white e3 bishop onto
the black c5 knight. Black might have eliminated the restricting white c5 pawn,
but if it is replaced by a white bishop on the c5 square then no real gain has
been achieved. Perhaps the black attempt for the initiative on move 17 with the
advance, pawn d4, was misjudged? Black to play and play correctly here or the
difficulties will increase. ||
20. ... exf5
| This leads to problems which black never manages to solve. Instead, 20. ...
Kf6, was worth a try. After, 21. Bxc5 Kxf5, the black pawn structure is cleaner
but more importantly, the black king will not be exposed to an attack up the
central files. ||
21. Bxc5+
| Matters have deteriorated considerably since the exchange of queens back on
move 14. White has king safety, a lead in development of a piece and a rook,
but most importantly the previously blocked centre has just been blown wide
open exposing the black king. ||
21. ... Ke6
| Instead, 21. ... Kf6 22. Bd4 Rd8 23. Ba1 f4 24. g3 g5 25. Bf3, and white
threatens, 26. Re1, increasing the pressure on the pinned black e5 knight. ||
22. Re1 Rd8
| Preventing the white dark square bishop from pinning the black e5 knight
with, Bd4. ||
23. f4 Ng6
| Instead, 23. ... Nc6 24. Bf3+, and black is in serious trouble. If then, 24.
... Kf6 25. Bxc6 bxc6 26. Be7+, black loses the d8 rook. Or if, 24. ... Kd7 25.
Bb6, covering the c7 flight square so that after, 25. ... Rf8 26. Rd3+ Nd4 27.
Rxd4+, is mate. ||
24. Rb6+
| A strange twist has just taken place. When the central d-file and e-file
opened up it would have been reasonable to assume any mating nets would involve
the white rooks using those files. However with this white rook advance to the
b6 square the potential mating net is now with the white rooks using the 6th
and 7th ranks. ||
24. ... Kd7
25. Bh5
| White has a threat of mate in two moves. The idea is to remove the defender
of the e7 square with, 26. Bxg6, when, 26. ... fxg6 27. Re7+, will be mate. ||
25. ... Kc7
| So the immediate mating attack has not been successful. However white still
has a strong grip on the position and black is still two pieces behind in
development. Over the past year or so there have been many games examined where
the theme of: "Initiative Over Material" has been the mantra. This strongly
implies that material gain is a temptation to be resisted. Not always so.
Sometimes the initiative begins to dissipate as an opponent then begins to
unravel their position. In such circumstances it is perfectly acceptable to
gain some material. Think of it as a delayed reward for all the previous hard
work. ||
26. Bxg6 fxg6
27. Rxg6
| When the black king ran away to the c7 square it set itself up for a dark
square skewer with a potential, Bb6+. Black can avoid this and also save the
kingside pawns but this is the least of black's worries. It is the lack of
queenside development which now counts against black. ||
27. ... Rd7
| The opposite bishops dramatically favour white. Black has no means to
challenge on the dark squares other then by giving up an exchange, and even
this will prove to be inadequate to save the game. When there are only a pair
of rooks each with opposite colour bishops on the board, then whoever has the
attack is much better, that player is effectively a piece up. ||
28. Bb6+ Kb8
| The black king has been chased into a tomb from which it cannot escape. White
now only needs to bring the e1 rook into the attack and black will be reduced
to shuffling aimlessly. ||
29. Re8 a5
| Instead trying for a perpetual check fails, 29. ... Rd1+ 30. Kf2 Rd2+ 31. Kg3
Rd3+ 32. Kh4, and the white king is safe. Black must then find a means to
prevent the white plan of, Rc7, and, Rexc8+ mate. If black tries, 32. ... Rb3,
then, 33. c5, and the planned mate cannot be stopped. ||
30. c5 Ra6
| White now has several ways to convert to a win. The only possible escape for
black is to try to find a way to eliminate both the white b6 bishop and
supporting c5 pawn,which would allow the king to step onto the black 2nd rank.
White is never going to allow black this luxury. ||
31. Rge6
| White plans, 32. Rg8, which will be followed with, 33. Ree8, with the threat
of mate with, Rxc8+. This can only be prevented by black giving up an exchange
with, Rc7, before white has doubled on the 8th rank. White would take the rook
with, Bxc7+, and then the white rooks could take their time to wipe out most of
the black kingside pawns. ||
31. ... Rf7
32. Rd6
| Creating a neat tactical threat to bring about a quick conclusion to the
game. ||
32. ... Ra8
| Black had no sensible moves. ||
33. Rxc8+
Black resigns, 1-0
| If, 33. ... Kxc8 34. Rd8+, is mate. ||
* * *
## Unannotated game.
Middlegame Study In The McCutcheon Variation (C12) Of The French Defence.
| Note: Both players are rated about Elo 2100. ||
1. d4 d5
2. Nc3 e6
3. e4 Nf6
4. Bg5 Bb4
5. e5 h6
6. Be3 Ne4
7. Qg4 Kf8
8. a3 Bxc3+
9. bxc3 Nxc3
10. Bd3 c5
11. dxc5 Nc6
12. Nf3 Qa5
13. O-O Qa4
14. Qxa4 Nxa4
15. Rab1 Ke7
16. Rb3 a6
17. c4 d4
18. Nxd4 Nxe5
19. Be2 Nxc5
20. Nf5+ exf5
21. Bxc5+ Ke6
22. Re1 Rd8
23. f4 Ng6
24. Rb6+ Kd7
25. Bh5 Kc7
26. Bxg6 fxg6
27. Rxg6 Rd7
28. Bb6+ Kb8
29. Re8 a5
30. c5 Ra6
31. Rge6 Rf7
32. Rd6 Ra8
33. Rxc8+
Black resigns, 1-0
* * *