A personal REVIEW of www.Chessworld.net...
~A few words about CHESS WORLD... 1st. It isn't as nice as this site in my opinion. 2nd It is a pay per use site and has limited functionality for non-members. 3rd Rating inflation is rampent as here, but the quality of play is much lower in my opinion. 4th The people who run it, yes that is plural, are not as quick to react to submissions as our patron Saint Greg is. And he is only one man! Finally my fifth observation... I don't like the fact that double forfeits are awarded. You actually have to press a button to claim a win on time once your opponent has over stepped the limit. If you aren't in the know you are in for a nasty surprise! Also, as here, over at Chess World there is a huge drop out rate for first timers but this is a "systemic" problem... you will find this on every email correspondence webserver/ site. I have come to the conclusion that once I am done with the tournament and match that I am involved in on the Chess World site I will be sticking with the champ of email correspondence chess websites.... www.SLOWCHESS.COM!
Now lets take a look at a game I have played there recently...
[Event "www.ChessWorld.net Tournament number #7855"]
[Site "www.ChessWorld.net "]
[White "Saemisch"]
[Black "black baron"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. d2-d4 d7-d6 2. c2-c4 Bc8-g4 3. f2-f3 Bg4-d7 4. e2-e4 e7-e5 5. d4-d5 c7-c6 6. Bc1-e3 c6-c5 7. Nb1-c3 Bf8-e7 8. Qd1-d2 h7-h6 9. Bf1-d3 Ng8-f6 10. Ng1-e2 O-O 11. O-O-O Nb8-a6 12. g2-g4 Na6-b4 13. Bd3-b1 Qd8-a5 14. Ne2-g3 Kg8-h7 15. h2-h4 Nf6-g8 16. Rd1-g1 b7-b5 17. g4-g5 bxc4 18. gxh6 g7-g6 19. Ng3-f5 Bd7xf5 20. exf5 Nb4-d3 21. Bb1xd3 cxd3 22. Qd2xd3 e5-e4 23. Qd3xe4 gxf5 24. Qe4xf5 Kh7-h8 25. Rg1-g7 Ng8-f6 26. Nc3-e4 Rf8-g8 27. Ne4xf6 Rg8xg7 28. hxg7 Kh8xg7 29. Rh1-g1 Kg7-f8 30. Rg1-g8 1-0
The opening moves were...
1.d4 d6 2.c4 Bg4?? { A bad move because it allows me to build up the big center for free. White has the initiative at the beginning of the game. For the Defensive player to equalize he has to neutralize the "move up" that the Offense has... when Black has done this, it is in a general sense, a fact that Black has equalized. Here I am playing the white pieces so I am on the move, but with my opponent's second move he allows me to get in "free" moves that help me control the center...while he has to lose time moving a piece twice out of the opening. He has just lost a tempo with this move. } 3.f3 Bd7 4.e4 e5 {Black "attacks" my center...but here I thought to myself why not aim for a pawn structure from the King's Indian Saemisch variation. My opponent obliges me to play...} 5.d5 c6 {Black has to erode the white center or he will be strangled for lack of breathing space.} 6.Be3 c5?? {This is clearly wrong. Now White owns the center and Black's counter play will be a long time in coming...if ever. I might add that this has added two more tempi to the Offensive side. If c5 was the objective all along, then why waste time with the move ...c6? Looking on the bright side though it does blunt the Offensive player's dark-squared Bishop.}
View Board
7.Nc3 Be7 8.Qd2 h6 9.Bd3 Nf6 10.Ng1e2 0-0 11.0-0-0 Na6 12.g4 Nb4 13.Bb1 Qa5 14.Neg3 Kh7 15.h4 Ng8 16.Rdg1 b5 17.g5 bxc4 18.gxh6 g6 19.Nf5 Bxf5 20.exf5 Nd3+ 21.Bxd3 cxd3 22.Qxd3 e4 23.Qxe4 gxf5 24.Qxf5+ Kh8 25.Rg7 Nf6
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~A lot has happened since diagram one! Let us assess the position and then talk about how this position was derived and what were the errors commited...
~First off... The defensive player never got a solid attack going. He has one piece over by the "enemy" King and this piece is his Queen which blocks the a-pawn from advancing. What good is a semi-open b-file if you do not have a Rook or Rooks prepared to take advantage of the semi or open b-file? In positions of opposite sides castling the side that breaks through first is the one who wins. Black is about to be mated in this position... all that needs to happen here is for the White Knight on c3 to land on the e4 square thus attacking the sole defender of the h7 Square. If the f6-Knight moves then Queen to h7 is mate. If 26.Ne4 Qxa2 27.Nxf6 Qa1+ 28.Kc2 Qa4+ 29.Kb1 and Black will be mated.
~So the above position is already lost for Black. But how did we get here and where is "here" anyhow? Remember when I said I was aiming for a King's Indian Saemisch Variation pawn structure? That is precisely what we have here! This is like a dream position for the player of the Saemisch... The Defensive King-side pawn structure has been smashed, the g-file has been opened up and there are not enough defensive pieces around tha Black Monarch who can co-ordinate an effective defense. So the answer to the question of where is "here" is that we have a strategically and thus a tactically won Saemisch variation. But how did we get here? This is an important question as my opponent did not play a King's Indian Defense and yet here we are with a lost KID Saemisch position. One important thing to take away from this lesson is that what we learn in other openings can be used in completely different openings. Themes can occur in openings that are "typical" for some other opening or openings. If we know the general strategy of an opening and understand it, we can use this knowledge in other situations.
~We got here because Black played moves that wasted time... examples are everywhere of this. See moves two, three, five, six and eight for black that were little more than opening errors. After the opening phase of the game the defensive player even played moves that "invited" the Offensive pieces to attack him during the middlegame. An example of this is 14...Kh7. The Whte Bishop on the c2-square looks at this enemy king and thus allows sacrifices on f5. The Queen and the dark-squared Bishop aim at the enemy king as well. The Rooks on g1 and h1 put severe pressure upon the Defensive position after the move 16.Rd1g1 was played. The Knight on g3 is ready to hop on into the squares f5 and h5 at a moments notice. Also observe how the c3-Knight is ready to land on the e4 square should that property ever need a new occupant. All of this was achieved by move sixteen.
~The game concluded...
26.Ne4 Rfg8 27.Nxf6 Rxg7 28.hxg7+ Kxg7 29.Rg1+ Kf8 30.Rg8# (Or 30.Bh6#!) 1-0.
View Board
A picturesque mate and an instructive game.