FC Chess Tournament 4

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Since I'm leaving, can someone notify me of later rounds by PM?

I can do that.  Do you want the pm-s to go through this site?  if not, please pm me a private email address where I can reach you.

on Atlas is fine. It'll show up in my email as well.

thanks.

[minionofmidas]

That's a good result for Anand in game 1 of the FIDE World Chess Championship.  He transposed into a Grünfeld and then equalized easily.

And then Carlson thought for twenty minutes and found and decided on a queen move that basically forced a draw (well, gave Anand the choice of taking an instant draw or losing materiel.) 

In other news, I've given up vs anvi.

[anvi]

Thanks, Lewis, for a very competitive game.  As I'll demonstrate below, Lewis chose a very active line against my Sicilian, and had a very promising position by move 10.  In fact, in too much of a hurry to expand in the center, I blundered and gave Midas superb chances.  I was merely lucky that he then overestimated a pawn advance and allowed me to recover.  Good game, my friend; you're playing very well in this tournament!

Minion of Midas (W) vs anvi (B)
Sicilian Defense, Dragon Variation (by transposition)

1.     e4      c5
2.   Nc3     Nc6
3.   Nf3      d6
4.     d4     cxd4
5.  Nxd4     g6
6.   Bc4      Bg7
7.   Nxc6

Though this capture is sometimes played against the Dragon, it is usually not very promising.  The standard "freeing" move for Black in the Sicilian is ...d5, as it allows him to complete an otherwise slow development quickly and equalize the position.  This "freeing move" can often be played all the more easily with a Black pawn on c6 to support it.  So, theoretically, this exchange does Black an unnecessary favor so long as the second player proceeds correctly.  7. Ne2 or 7. Nb3 are more in keeping with White's plan in this line, which is to advance his kingside pawns and pieces to quickly drum up an attack against the Black monarch.  But I get so obsessed with making the freeing ...d5 break above that I overlook a good tactical opportunity for White almost right away.

7.              bxc6
8.    Qf3     e6?

8...Nf6 is far more safe, as it enables Black to castle out of danger right away and complete his development.  White pounces on the error with perfect accuracy.

9.    O-O     d5?

I here completely overlook the seriousness of White's tactical threats coming up against my own center and King in my zeal to expand in the center.  In order to hold things together, I need to figure out a way to either castle or cook up a counterattack as quickly as possible.  9...Nf6, 9...Ne7 or even 9...Be5 followed by 10...Qf6 will accomplish this goal.  The text move gets me in exceedingly hot water.  Lewis could now win a pawn and get a huge positional advantage with 10. exd5 cxd5 11. Re1! and now I cannot play 11...dxc4 because the d-pawn is pinned against my defenseless Rook (12. Qxa8)!  But even more powerful for White, it turns out, is 10. Nxd5!, where again 10...exd5 11. Bxd5, threatening mate next move, allows White to pick up my a8 Rook with his Bishop.  The only reasonable defense to either 10. exd5 or 10. Nxd5 is 10...Bb7, but in both lines, White will have won at least a pawn and retain strong pressure against my King.  Yes, folks, anvi does blunder, and when he does, it's usually a bad one.  White instead selects a move that, while still very strong and still, I think, wins the d-pawn, does enable Black to sidestep the worst threats on the board.

10.   Rd1     Nf6
11.   e5?

And here White returns the favor and overestimates the power of this advance without his Queen's Bishop yet developed to the g5 square.  It looks to me like White still wins the d-pawn here by force with the dramatic variation 11. exd5 exd5 12. Bg5 O-O 13. Bxd5! cxd5 14. Nxd5 and, with a pinned King's Knight, the best Black can do is counterattack with 14...Bg4 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qxg4 Qxb2 and White comes out of it with a pawn to the good and, even more, good endgame chances with a passed c-pawn.  The text move allows me to win a pawn myself and barely save my skin.  

11.                 Nd7
12.    Qf4?

After playing brilliantly so far, Lewis overlooks the fact that Black's 11th move not only attacked the e5 pawn, but also unpinned Black's d-pawn and thus renews the attack on the c4-Bishop.  Retreating this Bishop to e2 or b3 was obligatory at this point.  Opening and middlegame positions arising from the Dragon Sicilian are almost always very sharp and offer winning chances to both sides, and many of them are usually decided by the last player to make a misstep.  This game falls right into that pattern, and it could easily have gone either way!

12.                Bxe5
13.    Qg4?

Might as well try to get as much out of it as possible here with 13. Qf3 dxc4 14. Qxc6 Rb8 15. Qxc4 Qc7.  But either way, the White position can go nowhere but down from here, and the rest of the game requires little comment.

13.                dxd4
14.   Qxc4      Qc7
15.   Bg5?      Bxh2+
16.    Kf1       Be5
17.   Qb4?      c5
18.   Nb5?       cxb4
19.   Nxc7+   Bxc7
20.     c3       bxc3
21.   bxc3      Ba6+
22.   Kg1       Be5
23.   Rac1      Rc8
24.   Bd2       Nc5
25.    c4        Nd3
26.   Rc2      Rxc4
27.   Rxc4    Bxc4
28.    a4       Bb3
29.   Ra1?    Bxa1
30.   White Resigns

0-1

I come away with the point because of sheer luck.  Again, good game, Lewis.  Two rounds to go!

[anvi]

Daniel King analyzes game 2 of the World Chess Championship between defending champion Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlson.  Another draw after Carlson tries to beat Anand at his own game by playing one of Anand's own specialties with the Black pieces, the Caro-Kann.  Carlson offers an early Queen trade that leads pretty quickly to another draw.  Carlson has prepared himself well, but his strategic decisions so far have been a bit peculiar.  Match score 1-1 with ten games to go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pisCM_7V_q0

[anvi]

Another draw in the World Chess Championship today, but a much more interesting game.  Anand sidesteps Carlson's preparation and plays very solidly, actually giving himself some winning chances as Black.  But Carlson has enough counterplay for a draw.  Anand has White tomorrow, with the match score tied 1.5-1.5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4mRcBHdlfw

[anvi]

Spectacular 64-move draw in the fourth game of the World Chess Championship this morning.  The last two fighting games show that we have a real war on our hands now. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PASrwF_U4WE

[anvi]

Carlson beats Anand in game 5 after the latter makes a fatal endgame blunder.  Carlson, the challenger, is up 3-2 with seven games left in the match.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbrpQKJXXZs&feature=youtu.be

[minionofmidas]

Carlsen wins again, again in a complicated one-rook-and-many-pawns endgame. Guess it's the end of an era coming up.

[anvi]

Yep, Anand blows another theoretically drawn endgame and Carlson takes a 4-2 lead halfway through.  Anand's play has been quite disappointing and he has, as Kasparov predicted, shown "signs of decline."  Carlson's persistence, relative flawlessness and incredible capacity to complicate positions beyond his opponents' comprehension is really shining here.  I thought experience might take the day this time, but Carlson's skills are so stratospherically high, it seems not to matter.  With just six games remaining, it would take a miracle for Anand to retain his title.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQQbZ_UsmoE

[minionofmidas]

I feel for Anand. I lose these endgames too.

[anvi]

It must be horrible for Anand right now; he was really the primary author of his own defeats in game 5 and 6, and has now fallen almost impossibly behind only halfway through a match in which he is defending his world championship in his own hometown.  Anand generally thrives in complex middlegames, but Carlson is better at complex endings, and Carlson has so far been good at avoiding the former and steering the games toward the latter.  He is starting to really assert his own chess principles in the match, which is a big deal in a match this long.

At the risk of writing a "swan song" for Anand before the match is over, it's hard to overestimate what an extraordinary player he has been.  He won the world junior championship at 18, before Carlson was born.  He became famous for blitzing out wins over top grandmasters in regular time control; in the 90's, he would regularly use 15 minutes for his first 40 moves when his opponents would take the full allotment of two hours for the same number, and still Anand would whip them handily.  I saw Anand play for his first world chess championship in 95 in New York; the one game of that match I went to, after the first record-breaking 8 straight draws, featured Anand blowing away Garry Kasparov against the latter's favorite Najdorf Sicilian in less than 40 moves.  He has won and defended his current world title in something like three different formats of match play.  There have only been 16 world chess champions in history, but Anand fares, in my view, fairly well in final comparison to champions outside of the top 5.  He is a very pleasant guy, with practically no arrogance in him at all, and has held the world championship with great dignity. 

Carlson is just 22, and, should he win the match, I hope he grows into the role of world champion well, he is still very "unripe" as a person, but his chess talents are, there is no question, just extraordinary.

[anvi]

Carlson draws in a breeze with the Berlin Defense.  Match score 4.5-2.5.  With five games remaining, Anand would have to win three in classical time control to retain his title, and two, both as Black, to even make it to the rapid round.  "Katie, bar the door."  Magnus Carlson will be our new world chess champion very soon, and will tie Garry Kasparov's record for youngest-ever champion at 22 years of age.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW-dtAbgvOU

[anvi]

Anand heads straight for draw-land in game 8 with yet another Berlin Defense, and Carlson, spending less than fifteen minutes on the whole game, happily obliges.  Anand will get the White pieces on Thursday, but needs to play more fire-breakthing openings and middlegames from here on out to have even the remotest chances of retaining his title.  Carlson leads 5-3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGE9qcb0o10

[anvi]

Complete disaster befalls Anand in game 9. He builds up a formidable attack against Carlson's Nimzo-Indian, but when the attack stalls, Anand allows Carlson to queen a pawn and then the champion, under severe time pressure, blunders away the game for the third time in the match. Carlson leads 6-3, and needs only one draw in the last three games to become the new World Chess Champion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JotVgV-XeaQ
As a special treat, for those who like their analysis auf Deutsch: (Ich hätte gar keine Ahnung daß Daniel King auf Deutsch reden könnte!)
http://www.spiegel.de/video/schach-wm-2013-neunte-partie-carlsen-vs-anand-video-1310406.html

[anvi]

Anand and Carlson play an exciting 65-move marathon in the 10th game of the World Chess Championship. Middlegame inaccuracies from both players lead to a dynamic and difficult endgame. Both players queen pawns, after which Carlson decides to put an end to the complications and trade everything off. The resulting draw brings the final match score to 6.5-3.5, and Magnus Carlson is the new Chess Champion of the World.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w50O-kz1pCw

Final press conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx74Q0I0aBc

[anvi]

For those interested, this is an excellent Carlson-Anand match summery by GM Daniel King.  Beyond the straightforward demonstration of Carlson's superior technique and calculation to Anand's, King shows how it was Carlson's inclination to dig in when positions became double-edged, met with his opponent's inclination to play it safe, that made him world champion.  Good psychological chess lessons in here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdyGMsk5JZs&feature=youtu.be

[bore]

My game against cabbagestems has ended with me winning. It was very enjoyable

[anvi]

Some inaccuracies in the 3rd round game between Person and Bore make it a really fun one to watch--see especially my notes to Black's 21st and 26th moves for some most delicious variations!  But, missteps and pretty possible variations aside, I think the real "teaching moment" in this game has to do with the need to place one's Rooks on open files.  On move 14. White has a chance to place his Rook on an open e-file, but he allows Black to eventually control this file instead, to what ends up being a deadly effect.

A Person (W ) v. Senator Bore (B)
Pirc Defense

1.   e4      e5
2.  Nf3     d6
3.   d4     Nc6

Black leaves the book immediately.  Standard lines of this defense have Black either defending his e-pawn (Nbd7 or Bg4), counter-attacking against White's e4-pawn (Nf6) or simply taking White's pawn on d4.  This manner of defending the pawn, however, only spells trouble, as an immediate 4. d5 would allow White to further cramp an already cramped Black position.

4.   Bb5    Bd7
5.   Bg5

Not a good strategic decision.  The downside of playing the Pirc, 2...d6, is that it hems in Black's dark-squared Bishop behind his own pawns.  It's better to allow Black to simply suffer from the bad piece instead of allowing him to trade it off for White's comparatively good dark-squared Bishop.  White realizes this on the next move, but wasted a tempo prompting the development of the Black Bishop.

5.             Be7
6.   Be3    Nf6
7.   Nc3    exd4
8.  Nxd4   Nxd4
9.  Bxd4   Nxe4?

Black's positional instinct here is absolutely correct--when your position is cramped, forcing as many piece tradeoffs as possible helps to relieve the pressure.  But this particular choice is wrong.  Pretty much any other move on the board would be better.  White should now win a piece for a pawn with the simple 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Nxe4.

10. Nxe4?  Bxb5
11. Nc3?

Person could at least maintain material parity with 11. Bxg7 Rg8 12. Qd4 and now Black may not castle and White has a bind on the dark squares leading from h8 to a1.

11.             Bc6
12.  O-O     O-O
13.  Qg4     Bf6
14. Rad1?

One of the things that really hampers White in this game is not placing his Rooks on the e-file.  He is a pawn down, and must grab onto whatever strategic advantages he can.  Place your Rooks on open files, not on files obstructed by your opponent's pawns, like the d-file is.  This omission enables Black to eventually take control of the e-file instead, and at a critical moment in the game to boot.

14.              Bxd4
15.  Rxd4      b6
16.  Rd3       Bb7
17.  Rg3        g6
18.  Ne4??

In an attempt to drum up an attack against the Black King, White stumbles.  He is rewarded, however, by Black simply overlooking the fact that 18...f5 will win the zealous horse and prove decisive.

18.                Re8?
19.    f3         Bc8!

An extremely effective defensive maneuver and a good strategic idea.  Black breaks up the coordination of White's attacking pieces on the Kingside and also re-positions his Bishop on a good, open diagonal just as soon as White made the one it was just on worse by 19, f3. 

20  Qf4          Bb7?

And, just after making an excellent defensive move, Black gives White the advantage.  Now White could play 21. Nf6+ Kg7 22. Nxe8+ Qxe8 and White has regained a material advantage and even retains something of an attack.

21.   Ng5?      Bd5?

As pretty as this defense looks, it doesn't quite work.  Black is ahead in material and should easily be able to survive White's attacking lunges and reach an advantageous endgame from the present position after White's 21. Ng5.  White could now, utilizing in one line the tactical motifs of a temporary Queen sacrifice and a double-check, play the rather spectacular 22. c4 Be6 23. Qh4 h5 24. Qxh5!! gh 25. Nxe6++ Kh7 26. Nxd8 Raxd8 and, having won back the pawn he was in arrears, arrive an at equal endgame.  That is, of course, not an easy variation to spot, because who would even think of sacrificing a Queen for a pawn?  But sometimes, when certain soft spots in an opponent's position are underprotected and their King is not quite secure, such tactical shots become quite plausible, and you have to play the tape through all the way to the end in your calculations to see if they really work.  When they do work, they sure can be sights to see!

22.   Rd1       Bxa2?

Overambitious.  If Black plays 22...Qe7, the Bishop on d5 is immune from capture, for if 23. Rxd5?? 24. Qe1 mate!  Black still gets to exploit this tactic in what follows, but at a greater cost to him, as his cleric is now trapped for no good reason.

23.   b3           Qe7
24.   Rh3         h5
25.   g4?

This gives Black a more advantageous endgame.  I think first retreating the Knight to e4, stalling Black's coming Queen infiltration, followed by Nc3 winning the Bishop for a pawn, would give White slightly superior endgame chances to the ones he has on the board now.  The text move just allows Black to have immediately active Rooks.

25.                  Qe3+
26.   Kf1??

White forgets that his Queen has no defender and, even more importantly, his King is in great peril and he must trade now.  Best play is probably now 26. Qxe3 Rxe3 27. f4 (it would not be good to allow Black's Rooks sustained access to the heart of his position) Rxh3 28. Nxh3 hxg4 29. Nf2 f5 30. Ra1 Bxb3 31. cxb3 and now Black has seven pawns to White's three, with connected passers on the queenside or center, but White has an extra Knight.  Black is the only player with winning chances in this endgame--and in fact, with correct play, I believe Black will eventually win this endgame.  However, if White can somehow sacrifice his Knight for a couple of Black's pawns and reduce the game to Rook vs. Rook with pawns only on the kingside of the board, it could turn into a theoretical draw.  At least White would have chances to save this game, if he keeps his pieces active and Black does not handle the position correctly.  With the text move, however, the game is over.

26.                    Qxh4

I can't exactly give this move a question mark, since with it, Black will soon win.  But, lo and behold, if Black actually refuses the offer of a free Queen here, he has a forced mate in four!  This would make a great chess puzzle position!  Can you find the checkmate?  Stop reading here for a moment, look at the position on the board now, and give it a try...it's actually not very hard to see!  If you need a hint, remember what I said above about the importance of the e-file in this game.

If you found the moves, give yourself whatever is your equivalent of a pat on the back, a gold star or whatever, because the chances of declining a free Queen in order to nab the enemy King is a slightly rare occurrence in chess, but we have it here.  Immediately winning is 26...Qe2+ 27. Kg1 Qxd1+ 28. Kg2 Re2+ 29. Kg3 Qe1#.  I don't know about you, but as a longtime chess player, I find this mate downright beautiful.  But, no matter; with the text move, Black is up a whole Queen, so, as nice as the above looks, it's all basically moot as far as the result is concerned.         

27.   Ra1      Qxg5
28.   Rxa2

Now that the Rook has been tempted off the back rank by the wayward Black Bishop, a variation of the mating motif above still works. But Black doesn't quite spot it.

28.                 Qc1+
29.   Kf2        Qd2+
30.   Kg3       hxg4?

The quickest finish here was either 30...Qe1+ 31. Qf4 Qe5# or 30...Qe1+ 31. Kg2 Re2#.  But Black soon gets there anyway.

31.   Kxg4        f5+
32.   Kg3         Rg2
33.   Rh4        Qg5+
34.   Rg4         f4+
35.   Kh3        Qg5+
36.   Rh4       Qxf3#
0-1

Again, an entertaining game, where the importance of the open file took center stage.'

I will have the current standings and pairings for our fourth round up soon.

[anvi]

Standings

                                  R1   R2    R3     R4     R5     Total
1. anvi                         1     1       1                         3
2. Oakvale                    1     0       0                         1
3. Minion of Midas         1     1       0                         2
4. Senator Bore             0     1       1                         2
5. A Person                   0     0       0                         0
6. homelycooking          0     0       1                         1

Things have tightened up considerably among several players.  Let's see what happens.

Round 4 Pairings

homelycooking (W) vs. Person (B)
anvi (W) vs. Senator Bore (B)
Minion of Midas (W) vs. Oakvale (B)

Once again, White players, please send challenges to the players of the Black pieces.  Set your games to the time control of 2 days per move.  Please post links to your games here once they've begun so others can follow them.

[minionofmidas]

Now that the Rook has been tempted off the back rank by the wayward Black Bishop, a variation of the mating motif above still works. But Black doesn't quite spot it.

I did, at that point in the match's progress.

[anvi]

The 4th round game between Senator Bore and myself has started.

http://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=20594243&rnd=30664

[minionofmidas]

Me vs Oakvale to appear here shortly.

[Oakvale]

Me vs Oakvale to appear here shortly.

Accepted! I'll try not to time out in this one.

[minionofmidas]

Me vs Oakvale to appear here shortly.

Accepted! I'll try not to time out in this one.

Damn, there goes my best hope of victory.

[anvi]

And here is the link for the game between homelycooking and Person.

http://gameknot.com/chess.pl?bd=20594196&rnd=70454