5.Nbd2. rybka goes for a3, a typical plan in this position. We had a more positional plan in mind, intending to control the d5 square, which scores just as well.
6.b3?! rybka takes space with the natural e4. This is the way this position is often played, but we wanted to follow a more positional plan from a 2600+ player, waiting for black to play e6 and then focusing our efforts on the backward d pawn.
7.Bb2. Best.
8.Qc2. rybka still wants to play e4. Our move is just as good.
9.e3!? rybka actually chooses this move to a depth of 10, before going back to e4. This is the start of a very interesting plan for white I think, leaving the light square diagonals open for use by their bishop. Black must play actively or be slowly crushed.
10.dxe6. best.
11.Be2. Just as good as Bd3. The game is completely equal.
12.O-O. best.
13.Rad1. Just as good as Bd3. Rybka doesn't see a lot of difference between moves in this positional game. The game is still dead equal.
14.Ne1?! rybka gives a small edge to black now, after ...a4 Nd3 Ne5. Instead, the computer looks at h3 first, then settles on Ng5 Bf5 Bd3 with equality.
15.Nd3. Black doesn't understand the need to push the a pawn and we have again equalized the game with the best move.
16.Bxf6. Removing a defender of the d5 square. Just as good as rybka's preferred move h3.
17.g4! White lashes out boldly and rybka agrees that we have found the best plan, seeing Nf4 and in our immediate future. Nice!
18.Nf4. best.
19.Ne4. rybka goes for the huge kingside expansion: Nxe6 fxe6 f4 Nf7 g5 Bg7 and now Ne4, scoring it +0.48@16. Our move is also advantage white, +0.35@15.
20.Nd5. no surprise that rybka likes Nxe6 fxe6 f4 and then Bf3 for white, scoring it a little better then our move. We still have a small advantage here though.
21.Rxd5. best.
22.gxf5. best.
23.f4. Black blunders and we pounce with the best move. +1.13@14
24.Rxf5. best.
25.Ng3. best.
26.Nxf5. best. Definitely better then Qxf5 Rxe3 Bd3, although this line is also very good for white.
27.Bh5! best again. Rybka loves our position, scoring it +2.33@16, despite no immediate tactics in the works. We are playing Kh1 and Rg1 with mating threats developing later in the line.
Although the computer scores a few of our moves as inaccuracies, I really like the way we played this game. We had a positional plan to control the d file and d5, and it left black with very little counterplay. We made the best move frequently, made no blunders, and had a solid positional plan that came together well. That's a well played game of chess in my book.
a post-mortem / computer analysis of the following game: http://www.chess.com/votechess/game.html?id=17707
5.Nbd2. rybka goes for a3, a typical plan in this position. We had a more positional plan in mind, intending to control the d5 square, which scores just as well.
6.b3?! rybka takes space with the natural e4. This is the way this position is often played, but we wanted to follow a more positional plan from a 2600+ player, waiting for black to play e6 and then focusing our efforts on the backward d pawn.
7.Bb2. Best.
8.Qc2. rybka still wants to play e4. Our move is just as good.
9.e3!? rybka actually chooses this move to a depth of 10, before going back to e4. This is the start of a very interesting plan for white I think, leaving the light square diagonals open for use by their bishop. Black must play actively or be slowly crushed.
10.dxe6. best.
11.Be2. Just as good as Bd3. The game is completely equal.
12.O-O. best.
13.Rad1. Just as good as Bd3. Rybka doesn't see a lot of difference between moves in this positional game. The game is still dead equal.
14.Ne1?! rybka gives a small edge to black now, after ...a4 Nd3 Ne5. Instead, the computer looks at h3 first, then settles on Ng5 Bf5 Bd3 with equality.
15.Nd3. Black doesn't understand the need to push the a pawn and we have again equalized the game with the best move.
16.Bxf6. Removing a defender of the d5 square. Just as good as rybka's preferred move h3.
17.g4! White lashes out boldly and rybka agrees that we have found the best plan, seeing Nf4 and in our immediate future. Nice!
18.Nf4. best.
19.Ne4. rybka goes for the huge kingside expansion: Nxe6 fxe6 f4 Nf7 g5 Bg7 and now Ne4, scoring it +0.48@16. Our move is also advantage white, +0.35@15.
20.Nd5. no surprise that rybka likes Nxe6 fxe6 f4 and then Bf3 for white, scoring it a little better then our move. We still have a small advantage here though.
21.Rxd5. best.
22.gxf5. best.
23.f4. Black blunders and we pounce with the best move. +1.13@14
24.Rxf5. best.
25.Ng3. best.
26.Nxf5. best. Definitely better then Qxf5 Rxe3 Bd3, although this line is also very good for white.
27.Bh5! best again. Rybka loves our position, scoring it +2.33@16, despite no immediate tactics in the works. We are playing Kh1 and Rg1 with mating threats developing later in the line.
Although the computer scores a few of our moves as inaccuracies, I really like the way we played this game. We had a positional plan to control the d file and d5, and it left black with very little counterplay. We made the best move frequently, made no blunders, and had a solid positional plan that came together well. That's a well played game of chess in my book.
Great job team!