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solskytz
The following near-miniature, played here at 3 0 just a bit ago (minutes when this post is started, probably more by the time it's posted, my stomach richer by a spaghetti bolonaise which I now put on the electric plates...), is dedicated to users Doggy Style and DragonFlyHunter, as their attacking advices inspired my play.
Though it didn't come from the Sicilian defense, I'm sure you will both recognize your 'trademark' ideas of doubling on the c1-h6 diagonal, marching forward to open the h-file (although my take on that theme was different than what I saw in your games, as to move order and method of breaking through), and exploiting open lines with Q and R on the attack, after exchanging the dark squared bishops.
Black couldn't match this with an aggressive plan of his own and was soon reduced to reacting to my play, with nothing constructive coming from him - or as someone in this thread put it earlier, the guy tried to put up a presentable setup, but was just wiped up without ever being given a chance (or so it looks, at least...) now we'll let the moves (and generous annotations) speak -
I now see that I could probably win the game even faster, without attacking - just positionally - by the move 9. e5, anyway - as he didn't really answer my threat...
the point is, that I would get to play 10. Bxe7, and then 11. Bd6 - strangling him and remaining a solid pawn up - and still with the potential of conducting an attack as I'm better developed and get there faster.
Then on his move 14, probably ...Ne5 would be both more natural and more interesting - threats to d3, threats to defensively come to g6 and complicate things... at least give me a fight!
Another lovely win that I find now is 18. Rxh5+! Nxh5 (...Nh7 19. Qh6 mating) 19. Qh6+ Kg8 20. Ne7 mate,
And - on move 24, instead of the mundane Bg8+, 24. Bd3!, apart from mating next move, would be an original and refreshing 'rewind' of a well known tactic - the bishop running away from the attack on the king, to shield the enemy queen from attack by its own rook. An aptly humourous response to his last move.
DragonflyHunter
That's great! I love it! I never play this line against the pirc/modern. It would be a natural fit for me. Definitely trying this in the next blitz game. I always play the austrian attack. :P
blueemu
21. Rxg8+ Kxg8 22. Nxe7+ Kh8 23. e5 was also a win, yes?
BlueEmu I suppose so...
DragonflyHunter I do think it should fit you naturally :-) btw what is the Austrian attack?
It's great as I do get to learn something about the chess openings here. First the Yugoslav, now this..
For some reason the Austrian Attack game I entered didn't work... Trying again. This is Nakamura - Smirin 2005
On your question from move 7, yes, I do see why you like it :-) the common thread does run through.
The rest is lovely but a bit too complicated and risky for my taste. I speak about letting him capture on c3, and then going Kf1 - you need to be quite a player to play like that.
The winning move itself isn't at all easy to see, understand or even suspect that it's there from several moves before. Of course once it's played, the rest is "Austrian Airlines". Thanks for teaching me the variation!
Nakamura sacrifices two pieces for a rook and some king exposure. Then he has to play some quiet moves, counting on Black's retarded development that he won't catch up and defend. This takes great foresight, patience and understanding. The whole conduct of the game is very challenging. That's the difficulty with games by the masters - one just doesn't feel up to par...
And now, to some aggression in the Sicilian - for those who like the genre... (I do remember that some people like that used to grace this thread)
BTW I remember well that I didn't share my last game from the tourney - another draw against a master. I didn't only because of lack of demand... hint hint!!
This one was played in 3 0 at this site. I generally don't play the open Sicilian - but recently I do it more, especially against lower rated opposition, as it somehow feels more safe to experiment against them.
Comments on Theory, move orders, correct placement of pieces, strategical errors and strong moves, prospective endings and middlegames resulting from the opening, and more, will be welcome!! I'm totally clueless about this opening!! :-)
It is well worth playing over this game, as my traditionally generous annotations, which accompany it, are at least amusing, if not actually instructive for lower rated people (lower than me, that is).
Elubas
I dunno, .47 is a pretty nice advantage. Not losing, but not particularly pleasant to play against almost anyone.
I kind of like how you have all of these deep ideas in your 3 0 games. I literally just try not to hang pieces. If I somehow achieve that, I'm happy.
It's true, Elubas... quite a lot passes through my mind when I play - also in fast tempi... sometimes when I actually start writing it down it surprises me how much thought and ideas you can condense into a unit of time...
And very true about the .47 - although it depends on the position, and sometimes computers don't really understand what they're talking about with regards to these elusive positionally-numerical evaluations... by the way I didn't really check Houdini to see its evaluation at that point... just kind of tried to imagine what it would be...
gut feeling... probably my comment after his move 21 was right on - as now that I look at it, 22. Bc7+ would have probably won the game - 22...Kc8 would cost his queen after 23. Nb6, and on other answers, the combination of a knight on b6 and a queen on f2, with checks each time, looks lethal - and more specifically, would either win the Queen or lead to that Kramnik bitter end, described a bit further in the notes.
Qg3, a3 and obviously Qf2 (without check) utterly miss the point - and he manages finally to breathe a little through ...Bxd5.
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