Skype coaching session, 17 April 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 63 moves) is given with annotations
and then again without annotations. There is also a third section containing 5
reference games to white move 8.
Paul Benson.
* * *
Annotated game.
White: Paul Benson.
Black: Olivier Deville.
Event: FTP-Chess February-April 2016 on Skype.
Result: 1-0 in 63 moves.
Opening: Sicilian Defence, Anti-English Attack Variation, B56.
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 Nc6
6. Be3
| An inaccuracy which creates some interesting tactical possibilities for
black. Any of the following choices on move 6 for white should be preferred:
Bg5, Bc4, Be2, pawn f4, or, pawn f3. ||
6. ... Ng4
| Exploiting the inaccuracy. Black would like to remove the white e3 bishop if
possible, white would prefer to keep it. If the latter option is to be, then
the bishop must move again, but where? ||
7. Bc1
| In the vain hope that at some point white will drive the black g4 knight back
to the f6 square and so allow the dark square bishop to return to e3. This is
rather poor thinking and is suitably punished. ||
7. ... Qb6
| Ouch! Inflicting a dangerous x-ray attack on the white f2 pawn. My limited
database offers 5 games here, all wins for black. These examples can be found
in Section 3 of this posting and hopefully demonstrate what can happen when one
is caught unaware in the opening. ||
8. Bb5
| Played after 20 minutes thought. Black has a double attack on the singly
defended d4 knight. Clearly the disastrous, 8. Nb3 Qxf2+ mate, is not going to
happen. So, white must not only pin the annoying black c6 knight, but be
prepared to trade, Bxc6, to remove all threats to the d4 knight. ||
8. ... Bd7
| Instead attempting to exploit the threat on the white f2 pawn with 8. ... e5,
forces white to find the tactical complications of, 9. Nd5, attacking the black
queen. She has several moves available, but none of them seem particularly
promising for black.
(A): 9. ... Qd8 10. Bxc6+ bxc6 11. Nxc6, white has won a pawn and is better.
(B): 9. ... Qd8 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bxc6+ Bd7 12. Bxa8 Qxa8, white has won an
exchange and a pawn and is very much better.
(C): 9. ... Qxd4 10. Qxd4 exd4 11. Nc7+ Kd8 12. Nxa8, white has won an exchange
but the a8 knight is trapped and should probably play, Nb6, when eventually
threatened so as to leave black with doubled b-pawns. The material imbalance
would then be two white pieces for a black rook, but the black pawns are weak.
This is the most difficult variation to assess.
(D): 9. ... Qa5+ 10. b4, and the black queen must retreat with, 10. ... Qd8 and
white can win material as in variations, (A), or, (B), as above.
(E): 9. ... Qc5 10. b4 Qxd4 11. Qxd4 exd4 12. Bxc6+ bxc6 13. Nc7+, as in
variation, (C), above, but with white having traded bishop for knight on c6 and
having advanced the b-pawn. Again, not easy to assess, but once white kicks the
black g4 knight away with, pawn f3, there will be, Be3, aiming at the weak
black a7 pawn. If that pawn moves then the white a8 knight can escape on the b6
square.
The chosen game move of, 8. ... Bd7, cuts out complications and leaves black
with a mobile pawn centre as well as the bishop pair, black has the much more
easier game to play. ||
9. Bxc6 bxc6
| Black must capture with the b7 pawn. Instead, 9. ... Bxc6 10. Qxg4, costs
black a piece. ||
10. O-O
| White should avoid prodding black into tactics with, 10. h3 Nxf2 11. Kxf2 e5,
regaining the piece while disrupting the white king safety. ||
10. ... e5
| Instead, 10. ... g6, with a kingside fianchetto seems equally playable. ||
11. N4e2
| The knight will have no future on the b3 square. From e2 it can go to g3 and
probe the kingside, or support the only dynamic break white has, pawn f4. ||
11. ... Be7
12. Qd3 Be6
13. h3 Nf6
14. Be3 Qc7
| Instead, 14. Qxb2 15. Rab1 Qa3 16. Rb7, white has good play. Black must
avoid, 16. ... Bc8 17. Rxe7+ Kxe7 18. Nd5+ cxd5, 19. Qxa3, when white wins the
black queen for a rook. ||
15. f4
| White is finally getting some play. The inaccuracy on move 6 has however
taken a heavy toll on the clock, less than a minute a move now to reach the
time-control of move 30. ||
15. ... d5
| Entering into complications while the black king is in the centre requires
careful judgement. Black has good piece cover, but these could be traded off.
||
16. exd5 Nxd5
17. Nxd5 Bxd5
18. c4
| Instead, 18. fxe5 Qxe5 19. Bd4, seems a better plan as it keeps the dark
square bishops on the board. ||
18. ... Be6
19. fxe5 Qxe5
20. Bd4 Bc5
| An annoying pin of the dark square bishop to the white king. White did not
wish for any further piece exchanges. ||
21. Kh1
| Instead, 21. Bxc5 Qxc5+, and white loses the c4 pawn to the combined efforts
of the black queen and e6 bishop. ||
21. ... Bxd4
22. Nxd4 Rd8
| Very tempting but unfortunately inaccurate. Instead, 22. O-O, was safer.
White might try, 23. Nxc6 Qc5 24. Nd4, when black can choose between, 24. ...
Qxc4, or, 24. ... Bxc4, each leaving white with two pawns against one on the
queenside. This seems insufficient to win and a draw seems likely.
White had not planned the next game move, it is sheer luck that there is a way
to exploit the previous centralising and pinning black rook move. ||
23. Nxc6
| A triple purpose move. Winning a pawn while breaking the pin with a heavy
piece fork and a double attack on the black d8 rook. ||
23. ... Rxd3
| Forced. Black must now defend an ending a pawn down. ||
24. Nxe5 Rd2
25. b3 O-O
26. Nf3 Rd3
| Instead, 26. ... Rb2 27. Kg1 Bc8 28. Rf2, kicks out the annoying 7th rank
black rook. ||
27. Rad1 Rfd8
28. Rxd3 Rxd3
29. Kg1
| White must push the active black rook back. The king is a strong piece in the
endgame, use him liberally if you can. ||
29. ... a5
| Black must find a way to break up the white queenside pawn formation. ||
30. Kf2 a4
31. Ke2 Rd8
32. Rd1
| Inaccurate. Instead, 32. Nd2, supporting the b3 pawn and keeping the rook
available to assist the advance of the queenside pawns is a better plan. The
black rook will be a poor defender in such circumstances while the white rook
would be contributing to the plan of tying the black pieces down. ||
32. ... Rxd1
33. Kxd1 axb3
34. axb3 Kf8
35. Nd4
| Careless and rather wasteful of tempi. Instead immediately marching the king
to the d4 square is better followed by advancing the queenside passed pawns,
beginning with, 36. b4, and leave the knight on f3 where it can have some
influence on the kingside. ||
35. ... Bd7
36. Kd2 Ke7
37. Ke3 f6
38. Nf3 h5
39. Kd4 Kd6
40. h4
| The black kingside pawns will advance anyway, it is just a question on which
files they will be located. White will always need to take care if black has a
mobile kingside majority. The white king and queenside pawns
would very much like the assistance of the knight to force a win of material
on the queenside, but if black can create a kingside passed pawn then either
the white king or knight cannot support the queenside play and it will be a
draw. ||
40. ... Bc6
41. b4 g5
| Perhaps just sitting on the position and not making this pawn into a
potential target might be a better defence. ||
42. c5+
| A mistake. Instead the other pawn advance of, 45. b5, seems to be decisive in
favour of white. Black would then have to decide on which diagonal the bishop
would sit, or whether to trade bishop for knight on f3. There are four lines to
consider:
(A): If, 45. ... Ba8 46. c5+ Kc7 47. c6, the bishop is trapped and the knight
will win all the black kingside pawns.
(B): If, 45. ... Be8 46. hxg5 fxg5 47. Nxg5, white is now clearly winning.
(C): If, 45. ... Bxf3 46. gxf3 gxh4 47. Ke3, the white king retreats into the
kingside and wins all the black pawns.
(D): If, 45. ... Bxf3 46. gxf3 g4 47. fxg4 hxg4 48 Ke3, the white king holds
the black pawns but white now has the passed h-pawn as well as the queenside
pair, the black king cannot defend both sides of the board. ||
42. ... Kc7
| The opportunity to block out the black bishop or win a pawn on the kingside
has passed. So white searches desperately for some means to keep winning
chances alive. ||
43. Hxg5 fxg5
| Now comes that moment in a game we all recognise: "Inspiration born out of
the Mother of Desperation." ||
44. b5 Bxb5
45. Nxg5
| Black can no longer create a kingside passed pawn, but the price is the loss
of one of the connected queenside passed pawns. The idea for white is to
shuffle king and knight around the c-pawn and hope that black does not manage
to find the defensive blockade. This position should eventually be drawn, but
there is a large difference between what the endgame books pronounce as a draw
and what happens when players are confronted with having to find solutions over
the board.
White might have about 5 minutes to reach the time control of move 60. The,
"professional", method would be to simply manoeuvre the knight around the board
without making any commitment with either the c-pawn or king. This would then
give white the luxury of another hour on the clock to sift for a testing idea.
White knew this but yet again chose to forget this advice. Here is another
unquotable quote yet to reach the chess books: "Beware of the Adrenalin." ||
45. ... Bd7
46. g3
| The white g-pawn is now permanently safe from attack by the black bishop. Ah,
but hang on there. Black still has a king on the board and might, if permitted,
be able to advance into the white kingside and eliminate it, possibly with the
assistance of the h5 pawn, leading to a draw, though some careful technique
with the bishop on the queenside would be required. ||
46. ... Bg4
47. Nf7 Bd1
48. Ne5 Ba4
49. Nd3 Kd7
50. Nf4 Bd1
51. Nd5 Bf3
52. Nb4
| Phase one of complete. The white knight and c-pawn have constructed a shield
across the sixth rank, note squares, a6, b6, c6, and, d6 are under control. The
black king cannot advance and attack the c-pawn. Now the white king must probe
for an entry to assist further advance of the c-pawn. ||
52. ... Bd1
| We are approaching a critical position. It might prove beneficial to think
very carefully just where the black bishop should locate itself. To paraphrase
Animal Farm while producing another unquotable quote yet to enter chess books:
"All diagonals are equal, but some are more equal than others." ||
53. Ke5 Bg4
54. Kf4
| And another paraphrasing of Animal Farm: "All ranks are equal, but some are
less equal than others." This king retreat throws away all the hard work and
offers black a chance to demonstrate that white cannot make progress now. ||
54. ... Kc7
| The opportunity passes. Simply, 54. ... Ke6, which keeps the white king off
the fifth rank, holds the draw. Perhaps the general principle of blockading the
white c-pawn with the king was determining the strategy. Alertness to changing
circumstances can offer opportunities to make a defensive life easier.
Again, it is time to consider carefully on which diagonal the black bishop
should be located. ||
55. Ke5
| Critical position alert. It is all about the black bishop. ||
55. ... Kd7
| And a deserved draw drifts into a loss. Instead, 55. ... Bf3, taking control
of the a8 - h1 diagonal prevents white from making progress. Now white can
safely advance the c-pawn and depending on what black does with the king,
locate the white king on either the c5 or d6 square. This is only possible if
the white king can use the d5 square, an impossibility had the black bishop
been on that important a8 - h1 long diagonal.
It seems what the chess coaches tell us is true. Studying opening systems will
help you to arrive at the middlegame with a playable position, but unlikely to
give immediate victory. Studying the middlegame will help you mount your own
attack while hopefully deflecting that of your opponent, imagination and
creativity are given full opportunities to express themselves. Studying the
endgame will allow you to force whatever favourable conclusion is available to
you. The result of the game can at last become entirely under your own control.
||
56. c6+ Kc7
57. Kd5 Bc8
58. Kc5
| The c6 pawn is defended by the white king and the black king cannot advance.
This leaves the white knight free to manoeuvre to push the blockading black
king off the c7 square. ||
58. ... Kd8
| The beginning of the last try for black, run the king into the kingside and
try to eliminate the white g-pawn. The white king must be ready to drift
towards the kingside at the right time to prevent this threat from becoming a
reality. ||
59. Kd6 Ke8
60. Nd5 Kf7
61. Ke5
| The black king must not be allowed to reach the g4 square. ||
61. ... Ba6
62. c7 Kg6
63. Kf4
Black resigns, 1-0
| If, 63. ... Kf7 64. Nb6 Ke8 65. c8=Q Bxc8 66. Nxc8. White will easily win the
black h5 pawn and can successfully promote the g-pawn. The white knight can be
used to force the black king away from any attempted blockade. ||
* * *
## Unannotated game.
White: Paul Benson.
Black: Olivier Deville.
Event: FTP-Chess February-April 2016 on Skype.
Result: 1-0 in 63 moves.
Opening: Sicilian Defence, Anti-English Attack Variation, B56.
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 Nc6
6. Be3 Ng4
7. Bc1 Qb6
8. Bb5 Bd7
9. Bxc6 bxc6
10. O-O e5
11. N4e2 Be7
12. Qd3 Be6
13. h3 Nf6
14. Be3 Qc7
15. f4 d5
16. exd5 Nxd5
17. Nxd5 Bxd5
18. c4 Be6
19. fxe5 Qxe5
20. Bd4 Bc5
21. Kh1 Bxd4
22. Nxd4 Rd8
23. Nxc6 Rxd3
24. Nxe5 Rd2
25. b3 O-O
26. Nf3 Rd3
27. Rad1 Rfd8
28. Rxd3 Rxd3
29. Kg1 a5
30. Kf2 a4
31. Ke2 Rd8
32. Rd1 Rxd1
33. Kxd1 axb3
34. axb3 Kf8
35. Nd4 Bd7
36. Kd2 Ke7
37. Ke3 f6
38. Nf3 h5
39. Kd4 Kd6
40. h4 Bc6
41. b4 g5
42. c5+ Kc7
43. Hxg5 fxg5
44. b5 Bxb5
45. Nxg5 Bd7
46. g3 Bg4
47. Nf7 Bd1
48. Ne5 Ba4
49. Nd3 Kd7
50. Nf4 Bd1
51. Nd5 Bf3
52. Nb4 Bd1
53. Ke5 Bg4
54. Kf4 Kc7
55. Ke5 Kd7
56. c6+ Kc7
57. Kd5 Bc8
58. Kc5 Kd8
59. Kd6 Ke8
60. Nd5 Kf7
61. Ke5 Ba6
62. c7 Kg6
63. Kf4
Black resigns, 1-0
* * *
## Reference games to white move 8.
Sicilian Defence, Anti-English Attack Variation, B56.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6
6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Qb6, 5 Games.
White wins 0.
Draws 0.
Black wins 5.
White plays, 8. Nd5, 1 game.
White plays, 8. Bb5, 4 games.
White: Hans Lambert.
Black: Ernst Rojahn.
Event: Helsinki Olympiad 1952.
Result: 0-1 in 37 moves.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 d6 5. Be3 Nf6
6. Nc3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Qb6 8. Nd5 Qxd4 9. Qxd4 Nxd4 10. Bd3 Kd8
11. c3 Nc6 12. h3 Nge5 13. Be2 e6 14. Ne3 Be7 15. O-O g5
16. b4 Bd7 17. a4 Ng6 18. Rd1 Bf6 19. Ra3 Kc7 20. Nc4 d5
21. exd5 exd5 22. Ne3 Nf4 23. Bf1 d4 24. cxd4 Nxb4 25. d5 Rac8
26. Bb5 Bxb5 27. axb5 Kb8 28. Bd2 Nc2 29. Nxc2 Rxc2 30. Be3 b6
31. Bxf4+ gxf4 32. d6 Rd8 33. Rd5 Rc5 34. Rad3 Be5 35. d7 f6
36. Kf1 Rxd5 37. Rxd5 Kc7 0-1
White: Konrad Jarowski.
Black: Peter Leko.
Event: Unknown 1991.
Result: 0-1 in 30 moves.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6
6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Qb6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. O-O Qxd4 10. Bxc6 Qxd1
11. Bxd7+ Kxd7 12. Rxd1 Rc8 13. Bf4 Rc5 14. f3 g5 15. Bd2 Ne5
16. Be3 Rc6 17. Bd4 Bg7 18. Bxa7 b6 19. Nd5 Nc4 20. Rab1 e6
21. Nb4 Rc7 22. b3 Na3 23. Bxb6 Rb7 24. Bc5 Nxb1 25. Rxd6+ Kc8
26. Na6 Rd8 27. Rc6+ Kd7 28. Rd6+ Ke8 29. Rc6 Nc3 30. Bb6 Rxb6 0-1
White: Robert Zelcic, 2500.
Black: Vladimir Malakhov, 2613.
Event: Bled SLO 2001.
Result: 0-1 in 51 moves.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6
6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Qb6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. O-O Nxf2 10. Rxf2 Qxd4
11. Qf3 f6 12. Nd5 Rc8 13. c3 Qe5 14. Be3 Qe6 15. Nf4 Qf7
16. Ba4 e6 17. Bb3 Ne5 18. Qh3 Nc4 19. Nd3 e5 20. Ba4 a6
21. Bxd7+ Qxd7 22. Qh5+ Qf7 23. Qh3 Qd7 24. Qh5+ g6 25. Qe2 Bg7
26. Nb4 O-O 27. Nd5 Qe6 28. Rd1 Rf7 29. b3 Nxe3 30. Qxe3 f5
31. Qh3 Re8 32. c4 Qc8 33. Rdf1 Qc5 34. Kh1 f4 35. Qc3 Qc8
36. Qd3 g5 37. Rd1 g4 38. b4 Re6 39. Kg1 h5 40. Nb6 Qc7
41. Qd5 Rg6 42. Qa5 Bh6 43. Nd5 Qxc4 44. Qd8+ Bf8 45. Qe8 Kg7
46. Rdf1 h4 47. g3 hxg3 48. hxg3 Qd4 49. Rc1 Rh6 50. Nc7 Qxe4
51. Ne6+ Kh8 0-1
White: Kamutuua Tjatindi.
Black: Deborah Richards, 2024.
Event: Tromso Olympiad 2014.
Result: 0-1 in 33 moves.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6
6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Qb6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. Nd5 Qxd4 10. Qxd4 Nxd4
11. Bd3 Rc8 12. c3 Nc6 13. O-O e6 14. Nf4 Be7 15. Be2 Nf6
16. f3 O-O 17. Be3 a6 18. b4 Ne5 19. Bd4 Nc4 20. Bf2 b5
21. a3 Rfd8 22. Rfd1 Nb2 23. Rdc1 e5 24. Nd3 Nxd3 25. Bxd3 Be6
26. a4 d5 27. axb5 dxe4 28. Bxe4 Nxe4 29. fxe4 axb5 30. Be3 h6
31. Kf2 Rd3 32. Ra3 Rxe3 33. Kxe3 Bg5+ 0-1
White: Nikolay Puchko, 1885.
Black: Anastasia Travkina, 2208.
Event: Tseshkovsky Memorial Sochi 2014.
Result: 0-1 in 57 moves.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6
6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Qb6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. h3 Nxf2
11. Kxf2 e5 12. Be3 exd4 13. Qxd4 Qa5 14. Bd2 Qh5 15. Bf4 Rd8
16. Qxa7 Be7 17. Rad1 O-O 18. g4 Qg6 19. Qa5 f5 20. gxf5 Bxf5
21. Rhg1 Qe6 22. exf5 Rxf5 23. Qa4 Rdf8 24. Ne2 Re5 25. Rd2 Bh4+
26. Rg3 Qxh3 27. Qb3+ Kh8 28. Kg1 Bxg3 29. Qxg3 Qxg3+ 30. Bxg3 Rg5
31. Rxd6 h5 32. Kh2 Re8 33. Rd2 Rg4 34. Kh3 Re3 35. b3 c5
36. c3 Ree4 37. Ng1 h4 38. Rg2 Rxg3+ 39. Rxg3 hxg3 40. c4 Re1
41. Nf3 Ra1 42. Ne5 Rxa2 43. Nd3 g2 44. Kh2 Kh7 45. Nxc5 Rb2
46. Ne4 Rxb3 47. Kxg2 Re3 48. Nd6 Rc3 49. Kf2 Kg8 50. Ke2 Kf8
51. Kd2 Rh3 52. Ne4 Ke7 53. Nf2 Rf3 54. Ne4 Kd7 55. Ke2 Ra3
56. Kd2 Ke6 57. Nc3 g5 0-1
* * *
