Classical Game Recap: Busted by 1...Nc6
When the attack slips from your hands.
This was a side-game during a handicap blitz event. Since neither my opponent nor I were interested in that, we decided to have a mini-match instead. This is game one of that match.
Time Control: 60 minutes + 15 second increment per move
White: Me (1690 USCF)
Black: Joe Birt (1800 USCF)
1.e4 Nc6!?
My first time seeing the Nimzowitsch Defense over the board. Joe cooked up something special for me this round. Against this I have always thought 2.Nf3 was the best way to go, even if 2.d4! is the critical idea.
2.Nf3 d6
A move I have never seen before in any game I’ve played.
3.Bc4!?
This move cannot be wrong. But it’s worth considering 3.d4 now that Black would waste a tempo by playing 3…d5, and 3…e5 just leads to an inferior Semi-Italian after 4.Bc4 or to the Steinitz Variation of the Ruy Lopez after 4.Bb5, not to mention White has 4.d5! grabbing a lot of space and transposing to a great variation of the King’s Indian structure. Giri, Gajewski, and Silecki all recommend 3.d4, for what it’s worth.
3…Nf6 4.d3!?
This is the most popular move played by Masters in this position, but it leads to the kind of complications that Black is looking for, because of the impending trade on f3 followed by Ne5! Instead, I think 4.Nc3 was worth considering because it is more active and reserves the ability to play d4 later without the loss of tempo.
4…Bg4!
5.h3!?
I chose to resolve the pin early. I felt like the pawns on c4 and e4 would grant me compensating control of the center at the cost of the bishop pair. More solid, and probably a tad batter, was preparing h3 first with 5.Nbd2!
5…Bxf3! 6.Qxf3 Ne5 7.Qe2 Nxc4 8.dxc4
In my original analysis I wrote: “despite the damage to my structure I think White is comfortably better because of the control of the center, especially the d5-square.” In retrospect, this is overly optimistic. White is probably slightly better, but not in any significant way. The position is practically equal. White has a space advantage and the superior bishop. Black’s superior pawn structure doesn’t count for much yet. Alekhine often deliberately went into doubled c4+e4 pawn structures, as well as d4+doubled f4-pawn structures, and I had seen enough of these to think it was quite playable.
8…g6! 9.Nc3
I also looked at 9.Nd2, but felt this was too slow. Best was probably 9.b3 Bg7 10.Bb2, followed by Nc3 and O-O-O.
9…Bg7 10.Be3
10.Bd2 was more solid.
10…c5?!
I still do not understand the purpose of this move. I think that Black should possibly prepare d5 with 10…c6, or otherwise open the bishop right away and play 10…Nd7, where maybe in the future the knight has a home on c5.
11.O-O
Castling the other way was more ambitious, but I was annoyed at the possibilities behind moves like Qa5 and b5.
11…O-O 12.f4?!
This move feels natural, but because of the hole g3, Black can immediately get the initiative with his next move. Instead, 12.Rad1 was more principled: Centralize and eye the queen on the other side.
12.Nh5! 13.Qf3 b6?!
It seems counterintuitive to give up the strong bishop like this at first, but 13…Bxc3! 14.bxc3 would leave White with tripled pawns on the queenside and Black with a nagging initiative after 14…Qa5!
14.g4! Nf6 15.Rad1 Qc7!
16.h4?!
This is an amateurishly-impatient move. Instead, I should have taken a deeper look at 16.b3. For instance, 16…Nd7 17.Nd5! The bishop loses its bite and my space advantage reaches critical mass.
16…Qc8!
Highlighting the problem with my previous move. I had expected something like 16…h5 17.gxh5 Nxh5 18.f5 but this is by no means extremely clear.
17.f5
This is probably the best way to continue. 17.g5 didn’t look appealing after either 17…Nh5 or 17…Qg4+
17…Nd7?
17…Qb7 pressuring e4, seemed a bit stronger.
18.Nd5!
The position looks good. I’m not afraid to pitch the pawn on b2.
18…Qd8!?
18…Re8! was a better way to prevent the fork.
19.c3?
Remember when I wasn’t afraid to pitch the pawn on b2? Now I was — but I should have played something like 19.Rf2! and if 19…Ne5 then 20.Qh3!, otherwise the engine’s suggestion 19.Bg5 Nf6 (19…f6?! 20.Bd2) 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.Rde1, where Black’s position seems really stiff and uncomfortable to maneuver through.
19…Ne5!
Because of my wasted time, Black now has time to create some real threats.
20.Qe2
Another option I had considered but rejected, but is one of Stockfish’s best moves, was 20.Qh3!
20…e6!
Breaking up my pawns on the kingside should allow Black to equalize. Here I spent some time, thinking that I could not trade on e6.
21.Bg5??
My notes: “why did I choose this? A simpler trade on e6 was better”. 21.fxe6 fxe6 22.Bg5 Rxf1 23.Rxf1 Qd7 24.Nf6 Bxf6 25.Bxf6 would have been a reasonable series of trades and the resulting endgame would be theoretically equal. the e4-pawn is isolated, but White’s control of d5 persists.
The other move I had decided to reject was 21.f6?! which was also losing, still not as losing as the text. I rejected it due to: 21…exd5 22.fxg7 Kxg7 23.Bg5 f6 24.Bf4 dxc4 and White has no good continuation.
21.Bg5 complicates in my opponent’s favor and leaves me completely lost.
21…f6! 22.fxe6 fxg5 23.e7
This position, at the cost of the g5-Bishop, is what I thought was the best I had. And not only this, but I thought it was good for White. However, over time I became more nervous that it was bad for me, and my opponent played all the way down the main line I calculated up to this point before I realized that this pawn and my position is ultimately doomed.
23.Rxf1+ 24.Rxf1 Qd7!
I missed this simple move, and suddenly I realized I was lost.
25.hxg5 Re8 26.Rf4
I had also looked at 26.Nf6+ Bxf6 27.gxf6 Kf7, but realized the pawns would be perfectly blockaded.
26…Rxe7 27.Nf6+
27…Nxe7+ Qxe7 was also miserable.
This and everything after was desperation. The game ended:
27…Bxf6 28.gxf6 Rf7 29.Qh2 Nxg4 30.Qh4 h5 31.Qg5 Kh7 32.Rf5 Qe6 33.Qh4 gxf6 34. Qxh5+ Nh6 0-1
When I look back on this game, I don’t feel nearly as poorly about it as I did before. But the major error, 21.Bg5?? was equivalent to pressing the self-destruct button on the position. A nasty old habit, unnecessarily complicating the position, reared its head, because I had so quickly and unfairly rejected 21.fxe6. I think I lacked the correct evaluation of the position as equal, and was still thinking I had an attack.
This was a well-deserved win for my opponent.
Takeaways:
Never immediately reject a move, and always try to calculate just a bit further.
Be very sure about heavy sacrifices to obtain a passed pawn. This is a concept I most certainly could do with more practice for!
Learn when to recognize that immediate action is necessary. I’m talking about 19.c3?! where I should have turned up the heat and come up with a better response to the impending Ne5!, which, should be noted, prevents Bxb2 anyway. I stopped a move my opponent didn’t want to play anyway.
Learn when to recognize that you have no attack. This prevents silly blunders like 21.Bg5??