Chess.com 2024, 3rd round, E02 - First win
7th of June
No new results in the group. I start the day by making a few moves in the slower games. Have a tough choice in one of them on whether to stick with the Italian game or do another Ng5 swindle. My opponent plays at 2000+ level, so eventually I decide to hold back and play it safe.
First proper think of the day will be on this game:
My plan was to expand on the queenside with b5, and potentially b4 or a5, move the knight to a6, and then to b4 (if white lets me) or c7. If white goes Nf4, I’ll play Bf7. So, with b7-b5 as the candidate move, let’s calculate:
I don’t like the looks of a2-a4 if I were to go b5, so a5 is my next best option. White can give a fair fight on the queenside while my plan is quite slow.
I was correct to discard b5, but a5 was also not the best choice. The eval goes down from +0.5 to +0.95. I underestimated white’s options on the kingside. Also, the best move here was still Na6, but I ignored it for the same reasons as before.
Next game is this one:
Here, I am the one who has sacrificed a pawn – usually people do it to me. My compensation is better piece coordination (the black knight on a5, and bishop on f8 seem problematic) and development. It can easily go away though if I don’t do something energetic. From far away, I was planning Bd2 to threaten winning the knight with b2-b4. The downside is that the bishop is not doing much there apart from chaperoning the knight on c3. Calculation time:
On reflection, I think that chaperoning is important enough. My goal is to keep the knight out of c4, get the rooks into play and attack. The first part is impossible if I can’t play b3, and I can’t play b3 as long as the knight is unprotected, as black will pile up with Rc8, Qc7 and wrestle the c4 square from my failing grasp.
The engine disagrees all the way. Firstly, he doesn’t like my Ba4+ choice altogether, evaluating the current position at -0.9. Essentially, he thinks that pawn compensation is a mirage. Secondly, he suggests foregoing dreams of attack and just developing normally with Be3, Nd2 and 0-0. My Bd2 choice dropped the eval further to -1.2.
The white Artem game has interesting complications:
After we bang out a few moves, this position appears:
Rf1 seems like a no-brainer. It threatens Nd7 and Rf6, finally bringing that slacking rook into the game.
I could also play Nd7 immediately, which would lead to simplification and exchange of rooks.
Black has some initiative, but I should be able to deal with it, especially after exchanging a pair of rooks. A couple of moves and one exchange later, we end up here:
I was planning Re3 here to get another pair of rooks off the board. The pawn swarm is becoming a bit concerning though. After the rooks’ swap, I have to get the c-pawn moving ASAP.
The eval is already +3.3, so the comp is not overly worried. Us humans tend to be more concerned of potential threats.
After a couple more rooks get off the board, I have the tempting option to remove another pawn.
Quick calculations show that I should be able to block his pawn avalanche.
A few moves later, in the diagram below I have a fork in the road. There are two ways to win here: keep my c-pawn with c3, or play Rxf5, and attempt to win with just the b-pawn. In the end, I decide to keep just the b-pawn, as it’s a simpler path:
The engine gives higher eval to the first path - +3.9 as opposed to +3.14 in the one I’ve chosen. However, all roads lead to Rome from here and simplicity trumps speed in conversions.
After another flurry of moves, I execute on the first part of my conversion plan – getting rid of black’s g-pawn:
Time to think of the next phase. I obviously want to get the king into the action. If I can get him to c6, it’s essentially game won.
It can go along these lines:
After another flurry of moves, I’m very close to my goal:
I can almost smell my first point in this round now.
Not very difficult, but still quite decent conversion so far. The eval is already at +5.
The next game I’d like to pay attention to is another one where I’m a piece up:
White played Rfb1 as expected. I just want to re-check my lines from yesterday before playing Bd6. Still seems to work so Bd6 it is.
The next interesting game is this one:
This looks like a fine, yet brave, move. In predecessor games, everyone took on g5 here. The only other option is Bd3. Feel a bit tired at this point, so will be taking that pawn. Hope there will be no regrets. After the obvious Nf5, there will be an interesting choice between Bd4 and Bf4. Choose your two favourite pawns out of three.
Black’s g5 happens to be the top computer line. I was a bit lucky there with making the right move despite running out of mental battery that day.
Another interesting game:
Black’s plan is clear: go Nb7 and then to c5 or d6. One interesting idea for white is Nh4-g6. I’ll try that.
Nh4 happens to be the best move, though the eval is still -1.1. One aspect is clear: white has to fight for the initiative, otherwise the engine’s eval will become evident to a human as well.
Another game that’s been out of the opening book:
White obviously doesn’t want me to play e5. I’m surprised he hasn’t played Bg6+ yet, but perhaps he just doesn’t see it? Bb5 is also an annoying possibility for white. One creative possibility is Nd7. It stifles my development but forces white to react. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to play something saner, such as Bc5. Ne4 is also an interesting option, as it steals Bg6+ from white and puts Bd6 back on the agenda. In fact, let me start with that:
The brain is a bit fried at this point, but this looks like a very decent option.
I didn’t get the main idea in the position, which is the fight for the e5 square. If I had internalized that, then Ng4 would’ve been on my radar. The pawn on h7 is not that important here. On the other hand, my move drops the eval from -1.2 to -0.3.
After a bit of a break, I have another game to look at:
He played a4, as expected. On a closer glance, as often happens, I’m having reservations with my b6, Na6 plan outlined earlier today. It looks too slow, and I’m especially concerned with the line below:
I didn’t see a beautiful tactical shot in this line with 15. Ne5, which the engine immediately highlights. So, while I was correct in discarding it, it was discarded for all the wrong reasons.
The intricacy here is that as soon as the white knight goes to f4, I can play Na6. So, should I pre-emptively play Bf7? This looks much better:
This was the right choice, though white still holds the advantage due to better placed pieces. +0.6
In this game, I’m facing a choice: which of the two pawns do I hang on to?
Is it Bf4 or Bd4? All the previous games (all three of them) went Bf4. I guess Qxg5 after Bd4 is a bit of a problem. Quick analysis shows this to be correct:
I’ll struggle to develop and hold on to d4 at the same time. The black-squared bishop is key to this position, so giving it away from Bd4 seems like a bad move: in all senses of the word. Bf4 it is.
Another interesting option was Bf2, though it’s not the kind of move a mediocre player such as yours truly would even think of. The idea is to sacrifice both e5 and g5 pawns, but gain activity after Nxe5, g4, Ng7, Nf3, Nxf3+, Qxf3, Qxg5. I’d only consider a move like that after opening computer prep, which is obviously way above the demands of a casual tournament. It could be a nice novelty though if by any freak chance I’ll get the same line again.
8th of June
No new results since last night. My first game is this one:
I wanted white to play c2-c3, and so he did. Na6 is an option now; I just need to watch for funky tricks with c3-c4 (I know, it’s very unlikely he’ll play that just after going c3). My overall plan is still Na6-c7, and then b7-b5, trying to create something on the queenside.
Yep, he is not going to play that.
What he did play though is Qc2, which I completely did not consider:
Looks like my first mistake of the round, though it’s not losing of course. Bg6 is one way not to lose a pawn, though I’m sure he’ll follow it up with Nf4. It’s unavoidable; I’ll have to hand him the bishop pair advantage. My eval is about +0.4 for white. Mental note on doing a better job in the French Exchange in the future.
I was a bit lucky there. Not sure how I missed such a natural move for white. My eval was close – the comp says +0.5.
In this game, I’m taken into a sideline in an unfamiliar opening. I wonder if my opponent did some prep, and actually took me there intentionally. At this level, all is possible:
I know next to nothing about the Catalan, so I’ll go for the safe option, which is c6; this should get him back to the straight and narrow.
Last game for this morning’s session is this one:
He played exactly the move I was expecting, and my plan there was Bb4. Nxd4 looks like an interesting tactical option for white. Otherwise, he can remove the tension with a3, or Ke2. I don’t see any other interesting responses for him. I’ll start calculations with Nxd4, as that can derail my entire idea.
White had a counter-intuitive option of c3 here, which allowed him to develop quickly and get decent compensation for that pawn. Barring that, a3 was worth consideration in order to take b4 away from black.
Actually, scratch that: Nxd4 loses immediately to Bxd2+. Let’s go back to a3 and Ke2. The moves are more or less equivalent, as they trigger a forced line:
The line above has a hole in it. 13…e5 traps the white bishop and immediately wins for black. I again went too fast too deep in that line, though granted this is not the easiest move to see. This is why white has to recapture with the bishop on d2.
This is the kind of stuff I was looking at yesterday, and while it doesn’t lead to a win, I think black is at least equal if not better in some lines:
As I think about that move, Artem resigns in the white game, and I score my first point. “Only” 23 games to go:
Interesting that there was a timeout as well. Looks like I should speed up against andyh. Decent level of play too:
There’s not much to add to this game beyond the comments in the diary. The 4. Ng5 Fried Liver attack is not a good option at this level – in fact, it shouldn’t be played against any opposition above 1500. Yes, the engine believes white has a tiny edge, and no, that pawn isn’t worth it. I was lucky that black abstained from any meaningful counterplay and then gifted me that bishop. From there, it was a pleasant exercise in conversion.
After a quick mini-golf break, I’m starting at this game:
White’s last move was Nf3, which is a bit of an odd one, since the knight doesn’t have a lot to do there yet. Most people here played Nc6, but it seems like an opportunity wasted. I’m considering e5 and Na6.
Looking at the position itself, there’s not much in the way of imbalances. The pawns are grouped differently, white has slight development lead, and that’s it. That’s why Na6 seems tempting, since it gives at least a whiff of a threat to swap the bishop on d3. Bishop over knight in such an open position would give me solid advantage. Of course, white doesn’t have to yield to my intentions, so I’ll calculate lines where he keeps the bishop on the board.
The position is almost dead equal, which leads me to think that Burn variation makes sense only against 2000+ rating people. (Kind of the opposite of the observation in the previous game). I have arrived at a decent move, though the line above mysteriously neglects taking the pawn on b2.
Late afternoon, I get a few more moves. Eyeblinks slowed down quite a bit, eventually making a fairly timid move:
Playing 16. dxe5 was a far better option for white, though black was winning there too of course. White also had a nice zwischenzug 17. Rb8+, which I didn’t see. Black had a way around that too, but it would have at least caused me a couple of nervous moments.
Obviously, I want to go Nd7. The only option I see for him to mix things up is c2-c4. Otherwise, I’ll just castle and then go Rfb8. However, if I just ignore the pawn on c4 and castle, I don’t see what he achieves:
The game below had a very interesting development. His idea is obvious, but perhaps I should “fall” into his trap?
Probably not. I like the material imbalance, but my pieces are uncoordinated, and white is the one playing for a win.
The engine rates this as dead even as compared to the tiny advantage in the more conservative lines. If I were in a must win situation, I’d have taken the plunge. Otherwise, I stand by my decision here.
I should just stick with my original idea of removing Bd3:
This creates a much better imbalance for black, and I don’t see any special tricks for white here.
Not sure why I kept assuming white would play f4 here. Another mental note: don’t miss obvious responses of my opponents.
Next game is the Artem black one, where I’m doing much worse than in the white game:
Nc7 loses the knight on f5, which (very worryingly) I did not see on the last move. So, should I go Ne7 to disarm the c2-d3 battery? This looks mandatory. White clearly has the advantage here, and my counterplay is limited, but it’s not a disaster by any means. The move I’m worried about from white is c3-c4. I think it’s not going to be the end of the world as we know it.
I could put my diagram of calculations after c3-c4, but that would be an embarrassing waste of space, since white immediately loses to Nb4. Another case of chess blindness. I did choose the right move for the right reasons though.
After a bit of a socializing, back looking at chess games.
All the past three games here went Nf3, which is the natural and obvious move. Should I look for alternatives? While in all the abovementioned games black went Qb6, I’m concerned about d5-d4. After a closer look, it seems more in white’s favour:
I definitely wasn’t calculating well that day, but fortunately chose the right moves due to general reasons. At a later stage of the tournament, I wouldn’t have had such luck.
There are a couple more timeouts since last time I checked the table. Hotrik has 3 hours left in my games; I hope he won’t deviate from the charted course and will time out those as well:
The next game on my list is this one, where black played an unexpected strong move:
This move achieves multiple goals: vacates d8 for the king, puts Nc4 on the agenda, and protects e5. I’m doing a little virtual bang of my head against the wall for not even considering it.
Yep, that wasn’t a difficult move to find for black. Another case of not properly considering my opponent’s options. The eval is now -1.3. Black also had Qc8 which was even stronger.
It does leave Ra8 unprotected, so I should check for tactics.
d5-d6 tactics don’t seem to work, which brings me to quieter alternatives, such as b3, 0-0 or Rc1.
After a closer look, Rc1 is not quiet at all, as it opens up very interesting developments:
I think the right moves are Rc1, b3 and 0-0 – in that order:
Yes, I was completely misfiring that day. Black had Nc4 after my mistake here. While I got the right set of moves, b3 was mandatory to keep the knight away from that square.
Continued here: https://www.chess.com/blog/RomanKleiner/chess-com-2024-3rd-round-e03-receiving-presents