Kevin Damien

Round 3

 

1 e4 e6

2 d4 d5

3 Nc3 Nf6

4 e5 Nd7

5 f4 c5

6 Be3 Nc6

7 Nf3 f6

I wasn't sure if I'd bitten off more than I could chew at this stage but this line seems to have been played a lot. I had played the opening far too slowly and, if he played sensibly, Kevin should have got a comfortable middle game.

8 Bb5 Qb6

9 0-0

This seems risky for white who has castled into the vulnerable g1-a7 diagonal

 

 

 

 

9 ...cxd4

10 Nxd4 Bc5

11 Na4

 

 

 

 

 

(I confess I hadn't seen this. White couldn't play Na4 before because it left his b5 bishop en prise. In my fairly shaky defence, I'd say played 10..Bc5 to exploit the white king's vulnerability which, as it turns out, offers a comfortable tactical way out for black, exchanging the black queen for three minor pieces)

11 ...Bxd4

12 Nxb3 Bxe3+

13 Kh1 Bxb3

 

 

 

 

After the exchanges the position is roughly equal but white needs to play assertively. Fritz suggests 14 c4 or 14 Qg5 Kf7, utilising the queen. The text gives black a better position as it allows him to complete development and exert pressure down the f file on white's isolated pawn.

14 exf6 Nxf6

15 c3 0-0

16 Qe2

 

 

 

 

(It was at this point that I noted the Ne4 - Ng3 possibilities. I looked briefly at playing this as a sac. ie 17..Ne4 18 Bc2 Ng3+ 19 hxg Rf6 but after Rf2 white escapes

 

16... a6

17 Ba4 Bd7

18 Rad1 Ne4 (After 19 Bc2 Nf6 black I think black still has better chances as he can now utilise the bishop pair to target the white king and his c6 knight is free to be redeployed to the kingside via e7. In all honesty though I played Ne4 hoping Kevin would simply miss the final tactic)

19 c4 Rf6 (White can still hang on with Qe1 but his position is now very vulnerable to tactics)

20 cxd5 Ng3+!

 

 

 

 

0-1

(21 hxg Rh6+)

 

Luke adds: nice combination - White should be more fearful with a knight loitering on e4 like that - perhaps expected the knight to hop to f2? I bet Kevin was daydreaming about a bridge hand or something ;)

 

Did Fritz think the queen for 3 pieces fairly equal? Surprising that all other moves fail in fact, classic french tension around d4... Enjoyed reading through this, and well done!

 

thanks! was pretty chuffed with that myself. Fritz does analyse the position as equal after the Queen exchange and, at the time, I thought it looked reasonable for black. Maybe all the drama left white thinking he had a better position than he actually had. Kevin was certainly kicking himself afterward missing the final blow...