The Master

The Master

There are many titles that can be won in chess. They often involve reaching a certain FIDE rating or for higher titles, earning norms. These chess players are the strongest in the world and are true masters when it comes to the game of chess. I've only been paired against titled players in bullet a few times, and I have only won once against a women candidate master, but recently, I was paired against my first titled player in rapid!

The Game

The game was a 10 minute game, and I was playing white against a WFM rated 1936 on chess.com.

I would begin the game with the English, c4. Black would play the symmetrical English, and she would continue symmetry for the first four moves. I would bring out my knight and fianchetto my light square bishop. However, when I played e3, she would break the symmetry with e5. Now the symmetrical English is annoying because it allows black to be completely fine in an opening that is supposed to be imbalancing. Additionally, e5 is difficult to play against because it completely controls the critical d4 square. 

The game continues with both of us developing our second knight and castling short. I decide to play f4, trying to flank her e pawn. But she just reinforces it with d6, and I trade pawns. However, the same problem persists of not being able to push d4. 

I would try to get more support to d4 by fianchettoing my dark squared bishop. But this would be a little slow and allow black to develop her pieces. However, I was able to get more defenders of d4 then black. But black would continue applying attacks by attacking my knight and pushing it to the side of the board.

But I thought I was clever because I played Nc2, and now I do have enough defenders to prepare for the critical d4. However, there is only one move that allows black to retain her advantage. Can you find it?

Did you find it? 

The point of b5 is to flank my c pawn and retain the momentum of the game by forcing counter play on the queen side while the center is under tension. 

Now, I am forced to take the b pawn, or else I lose material to the rook or black's pawn will take a second serving. But after that exchange, I am able to play d4 and black makes a mistake of pushing her c pawn, rather than engage in the center battle. I do blunder with h3, which is way too passive and would have allowed black to continue taking on the queenside. However, black blunders back with a slow move of Bd5. I take initiative by clearing black of her center pawns. 

We exchange bishops, which is somewhat bad for me because it is a powerful piece in the English. However, black makes a significant blunder with Nd3 because this allows me to quickly equalize. Can you find a way for black to keep the position equal and not blunder twice?

Black is able to find the only good moves to keep the position equal by giving my king a check before taking back the bishop. But black has traded off all her active pieces. 

But, unfortunately, instead of bringing out my queen and developing my knight to better squares, I played sooooo passively. Black is able to recover and quickly bring out her queen and knight to the game to aid the pawn attack on the queenside. The only thing I really had for me was bringing my rooks to open files. Black has an regained the advantage. Can you find the only move that keeps her advantage and doesn't make her lose the queen?

I trade queens. I also bring my rooks to the second rank, but I make the mistake of trading a rook off. I soon realize after trading that my position is way worse. Black's knight and pawns are going to begin plowing through, especially after she brings in her rook. My king is also horribly placed behind a wall of pawns and will easily be cut off. 

The game continues as I stated. The end begins with black completely obliterating my pawns and pushing my king to the side. I try to keep going, hoping black might mess something up, but she continues defending and attacking accurately.

I give black a few checks, but I end up having to trade away all the pieces, and all that is left is a losing pawn and king endgame, where black has a 3 on 1 pawn majority on the kingside. 

I try to push my a pawn to the end of the board and lure black's king away, giving me time to pick up black's c pawn, but black is able to walk her king back to take opposition after the queen pawns are cleared. I am still having to deal with a 3 v 1.

And the game basically ended with black absolutely doing an excellent job marching her pawns forward and promoting, making sure that there is no stalemate tricks. I resign on move 65 because black promoted and there really are no more tricks that I can pull off. 

But what are your thoughts on this game? What are some of your best games against titled players? Do you think you could become a titled player? Let me know!