An interesting Correspondence Game...

Post any puzzles you have or post your analysis of any games played on Net-Chess or anywhere else. Posts which do not contain game puzzles or analysis will be removed, such posts belong in the general forum. Commentary and discussion on openings is also welcome here.
Post Reply
saemisch
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2003 12:37 am

An interesting Correspondence Game...

Post by saemisch » Wed Jan 28, 2004 5:29 am

This game was from one of the tournaments I had posted awhile ago. My results here on SLOWCHESS.COM have been REALLY unpredictable. I remember one night, after having been at work all day and in the midst of an insomnia attack, I came home and I set down in front of the computer and logged in onto our favorite website. I began to scan my games...then, rather unfortunately for me, I began to make moves. I remember in one game where I just played a move, pressed enter and had a moment of clarity. I had just blundered a piece away! OUCH! I wouldn't even do that in an OTB tournament, but here I was playing REALLY bad Correspondence Chess.
A lot has happened to me in the last year and a half. The chess club I had founded, THE PIONEER VALLEY CHESS CLUB, was going good and was/is attracting new players to the game. However my girlfriend had just moved to the West Coast at the end of 2002 and there I was, back East. So I had a lot on my mind on that score and then there was the whole job issue. I wasn't too pleased with UMass, where I used to work. But after finally having made the trip out west my life seems to be on the improve. I am with the woman of my dreams, I have made new friends while staying in contact with most of my old ones and I now have some time to dedicate to my Correspondence chess.
Which brings me to one of my games from the end of 2003, a period when I was still torn between two coasts. Lets have a look, shall we?

The opening moves were: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Nf3 e5 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 exd4 9.Nxd4 Re8 10.f3 Nbd7 11.0-0 c6....


ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
View Board

This position actually sums up how I have performed here on Net-chess/Slowchess. The opening moves were:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6. We have a King's Indian Set-up here and there are many different variations that one can enter. If you want to learn more about the King's Indian, I highly recommend that you get ahold of a copy of the excellent book: "MASTERING THE KING'S INDIAN DEFENCE with The Read and Play Method" by Robert Bellin and Pietro Ponzetto. This book is about ideas, the overall strategy of the KID. Not an easy find these days, but if you do come across it and intend to play the KID you should grab it with not one, but both hands! I like the KID because, most of the time, the game becomes a knock down affair. Fighting chess. It is most unfortunate that Garry Kasparov has given up on the King's Indian, prefering to spend most of his study time on the Najdorf Sicilain. Another "Theory" heavy opening. He had to chose one and eliminate the other. Thankfully Radjabov still plays this opening!
5.Be2 0-0 6.Nf3 e5 7.Bg5 h6 Now this is rather one of those moments that I look back on and wonder "What was I thinking?" and the answer is sometimes that I wasn't. On move 6. I should have played d5 and just have gone into a Petrosian System. Very Positional. But instead I am just "making moves" and not very good ones at that. The Black squares are going to become weak and I end up allowing my opponent to win a pawn via a well known tactic.
I would also like to say right here and now that to all of the opponents that I have had here on Net-chess I would just like to beg your pardon for having left people waiting for an extremely long time between my moves. Part of my correspondence "defect of character issue" is that I play WAY TOO MANY games all at once. I not only play here, but I also play correspondence on the ICC, I was playing on www.itsyourturn.com and right now I am also on www.chessworld.net. Actually one should never play more than 12 to 20 games if one expects to get the full benefit out of each and every correspondence chess game. So that is another one of my excuses for the year 2003! Now I am just hoping to end as many of these games as soon as possible so I can concentrate on just a few and learn as much as I can from a small series of ongoing and active games. Well back to this game where I make some mistakes...
8.Bh4 exd4 Of course... 9.Nxd4 Rfe8 10.f3 Nbd7 11.0-0 c6 and here is our diagram number ONE:

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
View Board
My dark squares are awfully drafty. Now I blunder with the overly optimistic...12.Qd2?? Kh7 13.Rfe1 Nxe4 Of Course! I lose material now no matter what. So I take the path of "most" resistance hoping to, somehow, potentially draw this game a pawn down. While avoiding being mated...if I can. I know that this position is just lost, but here it is for all the world to see:
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
View Board

So now play continued...
14.Ncxe4 Qxh4 15.Rad1 d5 It is imperative that I centralize my pieces and try to fight back. But my opponent is trying to open up the position and get in a King-side attack. Well in this position he should probable start trying to trade of some pieces, after he activates all of his army.

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
View Board

Not a pretty picture...for me that is! However play did continue...
16.cxd5 cxd5 17.Nd6 Ref8 18.Ndb5 Ndb6 19.Nbc7 Rab8 20.Nde8 Be5 and lets take a look now....

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
View Board

I have activity, but it looks like I am toast here. The knights are in too deep. My opponent has the three required pieces aimed at my King-side to try and deliver mate. Two Bishops and a Queen will do the job nicely. I really don't have too many options and my opponents pieces can just swarm all over me and then I can resign. However I might have been playing a fellow who made a few moves too hasty himself. I do have to allow that it would be easy to become overconfident in a dream position like this, for the Defensive player. Play continued...

21.g3 Qd8?? 22.Bb5 f6?? 23.Rdc1 Bd7 24.Bxd7 Qxd7 25.f4 Be5d6 26.Nexd6 Qxd6 27.Ncb5 What on earth has happened here...

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
View Board

The roles have reversed. Instead of making the "best moves" my opponent played "natural" moves which were passive. This allowed me to play moves that lead to the final attack which produces an unusual looking position:
27.Ncb5 Qd8 28.Rc7+ Kh8 29.Re7 (Pigs on the seventh!) ...Rfe8 30.Reh7+ Kg8 31.Rcg7+ and here my opponent throws in the towel. The final position deserves a diagram:

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
View Board
The Queen check from the b4 square puts the Black king away. Sure he can block with the rook but that only delays the final stroke.

Now I would like to apologize to my opponent in this game. This game did not really show either of us to be playing at our best. However this game told me a lot about what was going wrong with my decision making at the chess board. 1.Too many games in progress 2.Just "playing" moves does not do much for one's game. 3.Too much stress was hurting my chess game...too many games, too little time, to much else to think about. 4. Need to put more thought into each and every game.

Well I hope you were at least entertained by the above. I welcome your comments so please do feel free to respond to this post. Thanks for your time and I wish you all the best on and off of the chess board.
-"Saemisch."

Yes, I know...spelling is an issue :shock:
For those of you who may or may not be interested, here are some websites from WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS:
www.PVChess.org
http://chess.quabnet.com
Enjoy -S.

Post Reply