Hold the Door ... g4 is coming
With some time to pass at the Airport, I revist my much neglected Chess blog to document an instructive loss I had on the Black side of a Classical Caro Kann.
One can see the g4 is coming ... but how to deal with it? I faced critical moments just after the opening, which I still have not resolved as being good for Black.
Sacrifice with ... b5?
In the game I played 20. ... Rd7 which in post mortom I felt was far too slow in obtaining constructive counterplay. An idea that I wanted to explore was 20. ... b5, sacrificing a pawn to obtain lines against the White King, as well as the d5 square as an outpost for the Knight.
Elsewhere, 20. ... c5 has been played by Rodshstein as Black against Wei Y
The jury is still out for me whether this is good.
Reinforcing g4
Previously only 23. g4 had been played, but my opponent played the novelty in 23. f3. I like this move, for it prevents Black from Black ... Qe4 as well as preparing g4 with support.
Critical Position: How to Hold the Door
The critical position for me, in how to handle the onslaught that is g5. I chose to reinforce with ... Nh7, but strongly considered ... c5
How to Know this was the losing move?
With my Queen under attack, and White about to open the g-file, I played 28. ... Qf5 in order to bolster the Kingside. Little was I to know that this would be the losing move, for after 29. gh gh 30. Rg1+ Kh8 31. Qg2 f6 32. Rg4 and Black is busted. But yet if Black could have played 31. ... f5 to keep the White Rook from f5. Alas, the Queen is taking the very square the pawn is moving.
My Game Annotations and Analysis