My 3rd loss at chess.com
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Aug 4, 2007
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In my opinion, Black is probably lost after 16...Rxf4. I would have tried 16...Rf7. It's really lost after 18...Kh8. Black had to try to defend that e pawn with Kf7 or Nf8. Perhaps 17...Rc8 was not right. 17...Qf8 may help defend that backward e pawn later. Earlier, 12...b6 may be too slow in defending the kingside. Perhaps 12...f6 and exchange or 12...Nb6 and get your knights positioned a little better. I didn't like 6...Bh4+, then retreating. Loss of tempo. I would have tried 6...c5 or 6...O-O.
Hi Bill, I agree that 6...Bh4 was a waste of valuable time.
You may be right that 16...Rf7 is better than giving back the exchange. It may have been easier to fight off the passed pawn with a Rook than a Knight.
I agree with your analysis of move 17... to prepare to defend that pawn. I just didn't appreciate how bad my position was.
However, I think that defending the pawn with 18...Kf7 would have been bad in light of 19.Bd3 followed by 20.Rf1. I did not see how I could effetively deal with the discovered check. But at this time, the game was lost.
Many thanks for the comment.
This game deserves more commentary:
When I play through this game, I can't help but think that Black did not do enough to undermine the white center. I agree with the othes that Bh4 was a waste, but the game was certainly not lost from there...
Once white has his pawns on d4, e5 and f4, you have to give up everything for the sake of destroying those pawns. Your light squared bishop sucks, but it's hardly your first concern.
I would look at move 11...cxd4 first. Short of building more pressure on the base of the white pawn chain, d4, this exchange solidifies it (and white doesn't have to wonder about a c4 advance).
12...b6?
The danger is imminent. Here I would try 12...f6 to contest the center. Otherwise his f5 advance crushes you. Your plan to develop the light-squared bishop to a6 is good provided that the center will be stable for the next few moves. In this case, better to leave it guarding e6 for immediate counter attack!
Thanks, anazagoras! I will check your suggestions out when I get home tonight.
As stated in my Chess Diary, entry 1, I am posting my loss to StPerkele here for analysis. I have annotated it. This is the game that prompted the posting. I will give $5.00 to Charity even though this game does not necessarily qualify - as it preceded the "COMMITMENT TO CHESS EXCELLENCE". Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
For my 4th loss at chess.com, click here.
For my 1st loss at chess.com, click here.