A cute little combination

It turns out that in Belgium, once the league games are done, there's another spring-time "league" organization, which is actually more like a swiss tournament between teams in the country. 

Back when I started playing in Israel, the minimum rating for everybody was 1450. Some years later I was here and there paired with people rated in the 1300s, in Israel and abroad...

However, in today's first round - I was suddenly paired with someone rated 1184. 

How would such a guy play?

He would certainly exude pieces left and right, not so?

But he played remarkably well actually - not hanging pieces and with a concept of harmony in the position between pieces and pawns. 

I found myself having a hard time against him - as you'll soon see in the annotations, once I post the game...

And finally, here's the game in question:

1184 is his Belgian rating. I now log on to FIDE and find out that there he is rated 1284...

Oh well..

A couple of comments on the opening:

4...e6 is the Taimanov, not the Paulsen. The Paulsen is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6. 

5.c4 is bad because black can respond with 5...Nxd4 6.Qxd4 Ne7, winning a tempo on the queen.

Thanks for the comments Robert!

I thought that the setup with ...e6 and ...a6 is called the Kan variation, not so? 

Or does it only become the Kan after the further 5. c4, Qc7?

Re. the win of tempo after 5. c4 - I'm really not convinced.

Black invests two good tempi in order to win that single tempo - and it isn't clear that the knight is actually better on c6 then it would be after the simple 5...Nf6. 

Meanwhile the white setup with c4 and e4 is every bit as strong as it was before - even with that "won" tempo... so I beg to differ. I will happily play this variation against you in our match tomorrow, if you like - just let me know :-)

The Kan is just the American name for the Paulsen. The Paulsen was first played by Wilfred Paulsen, the brother of Louis Paulsen, and it is likely that they studied the opening together.

A great practioner of the opening was Illya Kan in the mid-20th century. 

I would be happy to play the black side of that against you. I'm not very familiar with the positions, but I trust that with a bit of opening preparation I will not play the opening shamefully. 

Oh - so Paulsen and Kan are actually one and the same. I really had no idea :-)

Let me think about your proposal re. tomorrow's opening... I'll let you know at least five hours beforehand. 

I know. So confusing! 

Wait...were you white or black in the game?

The game says that you are black...but the annotations seem to give you as white...

Bb4!? was a bit dubious in my opinion. The bishop is a bit misplaced there, and black also moves a piece for the second time in the opening. When I saw that move, that made me doubt that you were black :D 

Oh no no no - my bad!

I was WHITE and WON this game (thank goodness)

And you see - ...Bb4 maybe wasn't the best - but I didn't find the antidote until actually annotating the game :-)

After 6...Ne7 White plays 7..Bg5 and then exchange his Bishop with Knight

And Solskytz, were you White or Black?

5.c4 is generally thought inadequate because of the immediate 5...Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 intending a quick ..d5 to muscle through White's intended "bind".  Personally, I like the alternative 5...Qh4!?

I was white. 

In your diagram, there's no need to go Bg5 where the bishop has nothing to do, can't exchange itself for the knight even according to your own example, and would have no reason to exchange for the knight even if it could. A move such as 7. Nc3 or 7. Be2 would be totally satisfactory. 

Then at move eight, 8...e5 would win a piece for black...

<GreenCastleBlock> Good point! Indeed, this ...Bb4 idea is the bane of white in this Paulsen Sicilian (or Taimanov, or whatever it's actually called). 

Oh sorry, *Bh4 instead of Bf4

Solskytz, click edit, then click on that "board-picture/graphic" in the comment and after that on the small board icon where you normally insert games etc. And you're able to edit.  Yeah... Otherwise it's confusing - I couldn't understand how such a brilliant game was possible from a 1200 FIDE rated player 

 Thank you, <MSC157> - I had no idea that I could edit a game once posted. So useful! :-)

And so counter-intuitive as to HOW to do it. 

But still, v2 rules!!!!

Yes you do win a tempo, but your knight is totally misplaced on c6. In a Maroczy or hedgehog black's pawn breaks are d5 or b5 and a knight on c6 does not help to achieve either one. You need your knight on f6.

In the game black lost two tempi by Bf8-e7-b4 and d7-d6-d5 so white must have some advantage.

10. a3 seems to be the best move, and after Bxd2 11. Qxd2 Ng4 is bad, because white plays 12. Nxc6 dxc6 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Bb6 Re8 15. f4 with big advantage, control of the d-file and how can Bc8 be developed?

Also in your variation after 14. ... f6 15. exf6 Rxf6 16. Bd4 Rg6 17. Kh2 c5 black is almost losing after both 18. exd5 cxd4 19. dxe6 or the positional approach with 18. Bf2 when white simply wins a pawn.

After 21. ... g6 22. Qc2 Nc5 23. e6 your evaluation is too pesimistic and too general. White still has an edge with accurate play after 23. ... Bd6 24. Bxd6 Qxd6 25. exf7+ Rxf7 26. Ng5 and both kings are weak but white's pieces are more active. My engine wants to play Rff8, but after 27. Rae1 white has a clear advantage.

Here I'm less convinced. How does white win a pawn in the event of 18. Bf2 Nf6?

I was mostly looking at 18. Bf2 Bb7 19. Nb3 when black's centre collapses.

After 18. Bf2 Nf6 both Nb3 and Nf3 look extremely promising for white.

So first to Nb3: 19.Nb3 Rb8 20.a3 Ba5 21.Nxa5 Qxa5 22.cxd5 exd5 23.Bxd5+ Nxd5 24.Qxd5+ Be6 25.Qe5 This is more or less forced and it seems like black must play Re8 when after Qxc5 white has 2 extra pawns with at least good winning chances, however with opposite colored bishops.

Well, Nf3 is hard to analyze as I don't really see a move for black. There are some simple variations like 19.Nf3 Ne4 20.Ne5 Nxf2 21.Rxf2 Rf6 22.cxd5 Bb7 23.d6. But if Ne4 doesn't work, what can black do? The threat is to go Ne5, the d-pawn is pinned black's rook ends up at h6. Besides all that after Ne5 a3 might win the c5-pawn.

Even 19.Nf3 Bb7 20.Ne5 Rh6 21.a3 looks so hopeless, c5 is lost and also g4 is a serious threat.