Operation Roaring Lion (Studer method 05)
We still have internet, however, and that means I can still play chess; and today I played a Blitz game on Lichess that I feel merits analysis. Opponent was one Arariboia, rated 1613 out of Brazil. Our game was casual and featured multiple lead changes. I resigned after thirty-eight moves, but as late as move 34 the engine indicates I had a winning position.
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| Position 1: White to move |
Assigned the white pieces, I opened 1.d4 and Black replied 1...d5. After 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 we were in a standard Queen's Gambit Declined position, whereupon Black played the annoying 4...Nbd7 and the game continued 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 Be7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0. Black drew first blood with 8...dxc4, I chopped back with 9.Bxc4, and after 9...Nd5 inviting an exchange of bishes the game continued 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.Qc2 Nxc3 12.bxc3. Black pushed 12...e5, I targeted h7 with 13.Bd3, Black replied 13...h6, and after 14.Rfe1 Re8 15.e4 b5 we arrived at the position shown above. My next move, 16.a3, was the first in a sequence that dropped the eval bar from +1.0 to -1.7.
1. Why did I choose 16.a3?
16.a3 was a prophylactic against an ...a5 ...b4 advance.
2. Why is my move not ideal?
I think the reason is that 16.a3 wastes time, since after 16...a5 Black's queenside pawn majority becomes more of a force to be reckoned with. The pawns gain him space and he can more easily create a flank passer.
3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
The engine's top recommendation, 16.a4, also potentially leads to a passer for Black, but it undermines the integrity of his pawn majority. It forces the issue, as it were. Because Black's rooks aren't connected, he can't preempt 17.axb5 with 16...a6 since I'll win a pawn after 17...cxb5 18.Bxb5; and if 16...bxa4, Black is left with iso pawns on the a- and c-files.
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| Position 2: White to move |
Black continued rolling his queenside pawns forward with 16...a5, and after 17.d5 Bb7 I played the awful 18.dxc6, leaving myself with iso pawns on the a- and c-files. Black recaptured with 18...Bxc6, and finally I played 19.a4 -- but this was the wrong time since Black could capture with 19...bxa4, defended by his auspiciously-placed bish. However, rather than chop, Black advanced with 19...b4. This would have made sense were it not for my c-pawn, since the b4-pawn would have been a passer. Rather than chop with 20.cxb4, ridding myself of the iso c-pawn and exchanging it for Black's protected b-pawn, I offered an exchange of bishes with 20.Bb5. Declining my offer, Black replied 20...Nb8. The eval bar estimated my advantage at +0.6, but it flipped to -1.2 after my 21.c4.
1. Why did I choose 21.c4?
Given Black's decline of my offer to exchange bishes, I felt my move was advantageous for two reasons: If Black were to exchange on b5 my iso c-pawn would upgrade to a protected passer on the b-file, and if he didn't his knight on b8 would be silly and I could begin stacking heavy pieces on the open d-file.
2. Why is my move not ideal?
Black's best move after 21.c4 was 21...Rc8 with pressure on the c-file. Furthermore, whereas I still had to iso pawns on the a- and c-files, Black's a- and b-pawns were connected; and whereas my passer on the c-file was unprotected, Black's passer on the b-file was protected.
3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
21.cxb4, the engine's top recommendation, would prompt 22...axb4 from Black. We would each have a passed pawn, but both would be isoed and my superior piece activity would give me a slight edge.
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| Position 3: White to move |
After earlier declining the exchange, Black agreed to it with 21...Bxb5; and after recapturing with 22.cxb5 I felt my position was superior. Black improved his knight and connected rooks with 22...Nbd7, and I set up a battery on the c-file with 23.Rac1. Black exploited my queen's position at the head of the battery with 23...Rac8, prompting 24.Qb2 from me. After 24...Kh8 25.Red1 f6 and 26.Qd2, Black attacked my a-pawn with 26...Nb6. I initiated an exchange of rooks with 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 and continued 28.Ra1 to defend my a-pawn. Black attacked my queen with 28...Rd8, and I attacked Black's knight with 29.Qe3. Apparently, Black could have captured with 29...Nxa4 since 30.Rxa4 Rd1+ would have been a problem for me. Instead, he replied to my queen move with 29...d6. The game continued 30.h3 Nc4 31.Qe2, and Black's 31...Nd2 flattened the eval bar from -3.9 to 0.0. I initiated exchanges on d2 with 32.Nxd2 Qxd2 33.Qxd2 Rxd2, and after 34.Rc1 my advantage soared to +4.4 with Black's blunder of 34...b3. I continued 35.Kf1, and the eval bar flipped to -7.1. Black went on to promote his b-pawn, whereupon I resigned the game.
1. Why did I choose 35.Kf1?
My king on f1 guarded against 35...Re2 attacking the e4-pawn.
2. Why is my move not ideal?
Black's targets weren't my a- and e-pawns; his priority was to push 35...b2, and 35.Kf1 did nothing to stop that.
3. Why is the better move better than my chosen move?
Disconnecting Black's b-pawn from the pawn on a5 meant it could be targeted by my rook. 35.Rb1 would have confronted Black with an impossible choice: 35...Rd3 to defend the detached b3-pawn, or 35...Rd6 to block my b5-pawn from advancing. Black's rook cannot do both. If 35...Rd3 then 36.b6 en-route to promotion; and if 35...Rd6 then 36.Rxb3 Rd8 and Black is effectively playing down a rook.
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