I've included some annotations, and the game really ends at turn 22 anyway (careless blunder) so the rest is unimportant. The question is, if I hadn't blundered, would I even have won?
Can somebody tell me...
Sort:
I haven't looked super-carefully, but for me 13.exd would be a significant improvement for White. When his King is caught in the middle, open up the game, open up lines against the king. And pinning a piece is rarely a bad idea. After 13.exd for example if he answered 13...Bxd5? you might follow up with 14.Qh4! with threats of both Qxb5+ and Rxe6+
Thank you Paulgottlieb!
Na3... I didn't play Na3 for an unreasonable fear of doubling my pawns in case he capture with his bishop. In hindsight, that fear is unfounded, and I must have been under too much pressure to think straight. Indeed that could have solved everything at that point.
I've only been playing chess for about a month and a half now, and I've never faced something like this. I will definitely remember a4...!
wrong move u made
10 cxd4 never unsettle ur pawn structure if u opp. making attacking pawn move
17 b3why??
20 bxe7 trading with only ur attacking piece with unactive bad move
21 rcgnever throw u rook without opening ur knight bishop
and finally blunder
Skwerly wrote:
what was the time control here?
paulgottlieb has good advice. :)
I think it was probably 15+10 , why do you ask?
It seems like every once in awhile everyone encounters a bit of a patzer who does nothing but pawn moves at first in an attempt to rattle you and try to gain an advantage. It happens quite a bit to me. There is ALWAYS something wrong with it though. Generally, there is a way to get an attack started, and win the game from the start. When people are only pushing pawns, their pieces are undeveloped and they are far off from castling. It's important to try to take advantage of this fact. I'm not going to look over this game (The Badgers are playing...) but I'll post a game I played where my opponent did something very similar to this, but on the opposite side.
^ Thanks for that uttely pointless post in my thread.
After 3...Nd4, this game was Ruy Lopez: Bird Variation.
The chasing of the bishop was not a variation main line, but Black didn't get much advantage except for gaining queenside space while slowing down your development.
9...c5? is a bit strange, because it leads to doubled d pawns, a backward b pawn and a b4 hole for Black after 10.cxd4 cxd4, while not giving any significant advantage. 9...dxc3 is better. 9...dxc3 10.Nxc3 prevents a White's c4 push that attacks Black's pawn chain; 9...dxc3 10.bxc3 a3 gives Black control over the b2 hole and can meet c4 with ...b4, taking control of c3 too; 9...dxc3 10.dxc3 b4 (11.cxb4 bxb4; 11.a3? b3; 11.b3 axb3 12.bxb3 ba6 13.Re1 bxc3 14.Nxc3 Bb4) is also good for Black, exploiting his early queenside space control that was his advantage.
11.e5? is also not very good, because it denies the pawn protection from the d pawn until Black's d4 pawn is not captured, and also the e pawn's advance can't be supported by pieces yet. Black can force an exchange of his backward (and doubled) d pawn for White's e pawn. The e pawn is very important for White, because it gives him center control share, and if supported by the d and f pawns it can be later used for either a queening attempt or an attack against Black's f7. 10.Bd3 instead places White's light squared bishop at the d3 hole, where it can pressure Black's b5 pawn (that protects his a4 pawn), defend the e4 pawn, and can go to e2 to play along the d1-h5 diagonal. With 11...d6 and 12...Be6 Black exploited 11.e5 by blocking the e pawn and offering the exchange that favors him, and got a good position.
13...d5? has a purpose of preventing 14.Bxa8 or 14.Bc6+, but it is not the best answer to those threats. 13...Rc8 was better, and also gaining control over the open c file. 13...d5? also denies Black the possibility of ...dxe5 or exd6, ...Qxd6/Bxd6.
14.Bf3? disallows f4 (and a possible f5), blocking White's kingside counterplay and denying White's e pawn pawn protection, also makes the bishop inactive and blocks White's queen play along the d1-h5 diagonal. 14.bd3 was better, and then Qh5 or Qf3.
21.Rc6?! is not useful, because White can't pick Black's pawns or pieces with his rook alone, having in ming the blocked queenside. It would rather turn into a target (as it happened). The rook could have stayed at c1 to control the c file.
At the position after 20.Qxc7, there is an open c file, a semi-open e file (White has rooks on both of them), Black has a backward b pawn and doubled d pawns that compromise his queenside pawn majority and his center, White's center is weakened by the advancement of his e pawn, White has backward a and d pawns, a kingside pawn majority and a semi-passed e pawn. The backward pawns can hardly be exploited by either side because of their position (unless Black plays ...b4 that is double edged because it will make his b pawn and White's d pawn easier to attack). The queenside is blocked (except for the c file), so play should be organised at the kingside and/or center. White's plans can include: using his kingside pawn majority and his semi-passed e pawn by a f4-f5 pawn break (he should relocate his king's bishop first); a kingside pawn storm using his g and h pawns too (with Kg2 to allow his rooks and queen play along the 1st rank); or establishing kingside space control and attacking Black's doubled d pawns (by Bg4 (...Bxg4, Qxg4 favors White), f4 (f4-f5), Nf3, Ref1). Black has no obvious attacking opportunities and has to play to prevent White's plans and counterattack along the c file if appropriate. Black can play ...f6 to attack and exchange White's e pawn and open the f file for his rook, and then try to exploit the resulting White's isolated d pawn (...b5 slightly favors Black in this case); he should protect his d pawns to keep control over c3, c4, e3, e4.
The material loss after 22...Bxd6 23.exd6 Qxd6 decided the game. However, I think that the position after 20.Qxc7 is either a draw or it slightly favors White, depending on whether Black will be able to protect his center, so if White hadn't played 21.Rc6 but had tried to exploit his semi-passed e pawn and his kingside pawn majority instead, he would have had good chances not to lose.
It wasn't pointless. It's a good example of how to open lines for yourself after the initial restrictive pawn pushes.
Unicyclist wrote:
It wasn't pointless. It's a good example of how to open lines for yourself after the initial restrictive pawn pushes.
I enjoyed your game
... what this guy just did to me? I am honestly completely clueless as to what happened here, but it was ugly.
I really don't want this to happen to me again... and I"ve never had someone do this to me, ever.