Opening calamities

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. d4 Bg4 5. Nc3 a6? 6. Ba4?? b5 7. d5 Nd4 8. Bb3 Qf6 9. Qd3 Bxf3 10. gxf3 Nxf3 11. Ke2 Nd4+ 12. Kf1 c5? 13. dxc6 Qf3 14. Qxf3 Nxf3 15. Nd5 Rc8 16. c3 a5 17. a4 b4 18. Ke2! Nh4 19. cxb4 axb4 20. a5 Ne7 21. Nb6 Rc7 22. a6 Nc8 23. Nd5 Kd8 24. Nxc7 Kxc7 25. a7 Nxa7 26. Rxa7+ Kc8 27. Bxf7 Ng6 28. Be6+ 1-0

This is a game I played recently, against a significantly higher rated player, over 100 points above me. I bring it up not because I eventually emerged victorious in a game I should have lost, but because I’d like to talk a little about chess openings. The opening has, for as long as I can remember, been my true achilles heel in chess. To state it plainly, I have played openings haphazardly and without thought, often just making it into an objectively lost middlegame. Thankfully I’ve always had atleast reasonable tactical and strategical abilities, so often I’ve managed to turn the tables in the middlegame, to come out with about equal chances in the endgame. At one point in my “chess career” I was terrified of enemy knights, and had to exchange them off as soon as they crossed the fifth rank, afraid of forks and whatnot. My friend always used to completely crush me with his knights, yelling (yes, truly, he was yelling) “FORK!!!” and slamming the blasted knight down in the middle of all my most valued pieces.

Now the year is 2005, and my game has improved. With it, I have started playing stronger opponents. These two things combined, a better game and stronger opponents, has forced me to start studying openings systematically. For instance, I have absolutely no chance in the Sicilian defense. It is so theory ridden that one wrong move can quickly cost you the entire game. And we’re not talking about some great big blunder like leaving a rook en prise – no, we’re talking about some subtle pawn advance on the ninth move that will prevent a crushing attack six moves later. It’s horrid. Just the other day I got completely crushed playing black in the Sicilian, ending up the exchange down, with absolutely no piece activity. It is quickly becoming evident that either I have to study the Sicilian extensively, or I have to choose a different defense to 1.e4. That, on the other hand, is hard, since I’ve been playing 1…c5 since the time I first heard the name “The Sicilian Defense” – it undoubtedly sounds fantastic, reminding you of the mafia and mister Tony Montana himself. I’ve been dabbling a bit in the Caro Kann, a defense that suits me nicely – it does not seem to demand an attacking masterpiece from move four. Instead it gives me a chance to develop and think things through a little bit better. I’ve also run into the Bird defense in the Ruy Lopez a couple of times, it seems worthy of further study.

What I’m trying to say, this far, is that my opening repertoire is shabby, at best. It is mainly based around natural moves, which for the most time actually work pretty well. Just the other day I unknowingly played some kind of defense 12 book moves deep, without ever having studied it. So, mostly, natural moves work out fine. But, without being a fortune teller, I feel that it is in the cards that I need to pick up my openings in the future, as I hope to grow even stronger as a player. Maybe the term “natural moves” is a good label for the game I’d like to look into. Let’s start, and see where we end up. I am playing white, the game is a Ruy Lopez, basically my favourite as white.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 – this move, 3…d6 takes us into the Steinitz Defense in the Ruy Lopez. It is a move I would never play. It feels too rigid, shutting in the f8-bishop and generally seeming very “set in stone”. The modern 3…a6 is more to my liking. – 4.d4 – a logical followup to the rigid d6, immediately disputing the centre. – 4…Bg4 5. Nc3 – Here I considered d5, but ended up thinking Nc3 is stronger. If 5…exd5 there follows 6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.Qxd4 – 5…a6? – this is a grave mistake. exd4 or perhaps Bxf3 is reasonable. White should immediately play Bxc6+, which threatens to win a pawn after bxc6 and dxe5.

The position after black's fifth move, 5...a6

Instead, white returns the favor in great style, affording black a great game with good winning chances already. – 6. Ba4?? – giving up a good position, in exchange for an extremely abysmal one. This is usually a natural move in the Ruy Lopez – on move 4! Now, in this position, it is a near suicide. This is where my “natural move”-approach fails – in situations that look like “natural move”-situations. I have played 4.Ba4 so many times it has nearly been worked into the wrist “…Bb5, yes there’s a6, okay, Ba4”. The funny thing is, I had worked out this variation beforehand, intent on taking on c6 the instant a6 reared it’s nasty head. And what do I do? I see a6, and without thinking flick my wrist and poof, the bishop is at a4. Two seconds later I realized what I had done and bent my head in shame.

There followed, of course: 6…b5 7. d5 - better than Bb3, in my opinion. But it is entirely a matter of taste, I believe, as Bb3 is just as playable, maybe even objectively better. – 7…Nd4 8. Bb3 – with the vain hope that black will go for the chance to double some pawns and grab the white bishop. Of course, no such thing happens. – 8…Qf6 – increasing the pressure, and proving that a pawn will soon be lost, no matter what kind of antics white might come up with. - 9.Qd3 - what better is there?

The position after white's ninth move, 9. Qd3

9...Bxf3 – a small inaccuracy by my assailant. Better is Nxf3+ , with the bishop taking up f3 as a nice post, keeping the king at bay and also laying siege to the rook at h8. – 10.gxf3 Nxf3+ 11.Ke2 Nd4+ 12.Kf1 – the king moves out of check and onto e2 with the idea that the black knight should go to d4 with check, and the king back to f1. I feel safer when knights aren’t so close, as I’ve said. – 12…c5 – a serious mistake, at once giving away all of blacks accumulated advantage. I imagine it might be a case of simply forgetting about the en passant rule. If not it was a leap of great faith, hoping white would not seize the chance to free himself. Continuing development, or perhaps playing Qh4 would be much better. The game will later show that black’s lack of development will be decisive. – 13.dxc6

The position after white's 13th move, 13. dxc6

13...Qf3? – another mistake, to back up the first one. It is very easy to whirl downwards on a spiral of bad moves when you have first started making them. In this game black has by his own hand upset the balance in white’s favor, and gets over anxious and eager to rid the board of queens. Rc8, or just Nxc6 is a lot better, keeping the game just about equal, with perhaps a slight advantage to white. The text exchanges off queens, and decentralizes the knight again. This time the knight does not scare me so, since there is no queen to back it up: 14. Qxf3 Nxf3 15.Nd5 Rc8 16.c3 – protecting d4 from the unruly black knight, and preparing a4 to break up black’s queenside. – 16…a5?? – simply helps white in his plan to upset the queenside pawns. – 17.a4 b4 18. Ke2 – an absolutely vital move, that was very hard for me to think of actually. If cxb4 immediately, Nd4 is very powerful for black, regaining a lot of space and time in one move. The text evicts the black knight for good, onto a square from whence it will do absolutely no good for the rest of the game.

The position after white's 18th move, 18. Ke2

18…Nh4 19. cxb4 axb4 – Rxc6 would perhaps have been a better try. The c6-pawn is starting to become a real bone in black’s throat now. – 20. a5 – keeps the c-pawn safe, eg. Rxc6 Ba4! pinning the rook to the king. There are now two passed pawns, one on the fifth and one on the sixth rank, and black is virtually undeveloped. – 20…Ne7 21. Nb6 – an inaccuracy. An immediate a6 would be better, eg. 21.a6 Nxc6 22.Ba4 Be7 23.a7. Still, the move played is powerful. It is interesting to see how difficult black’s game is due to the threat of Ba4 at every turn. – 21…Rc7 22.a6

The position after white's 22nd move, 22. a6

This time a6 works out a lot better for white. This position reminds me of Nimzovitsch's seventh rank absolutes. Even though the pawns aren't that far advanced yet, it is impossible to stop them without giving up material, which usually loses the game even if it stops the pawns from advancing to their final destiny - knight promotions! (hah...) 22...Nc8 – seems to make things worse. Perhaps Nxc6 would be better, but then there would follow (of course) Ba4. – 23.Nd5 – the knight takes up its powerful post once again, and keeps an eye on e7, should chances arise there. – 23…Kd8 – black abandons the rook, as there are bigger things at stake. – 24.Nxc7 Kxc7 25.a7

The position after white's 25th move, 25. a7

25...Nxa7 – Nb6 is slightly stronger, escaping the check at a7. – 26. Rxa7+ Kc8 27. Bxf7 – better is probably Be3, but this gives the white bishop the e6 square, a very powerful one. – 27…Ng6 28. Be6+ and black resigned.

The position after white's 28th move, 28. Be6+

A good game for me, especially after I picked up my game and started giving it my fullest attention. My best games are usually the ones where I have done something exceedingly stupid, and have to spend all my resources trying to get back into the game. Once the initial disappointment and outrage passes, I have great fun with these games.

Let this game be a reminder to us, that we never play mechanically or by the “flick of the wrist.” Every position needs thorough study, and when you have studied it, remember what you decided upon! It’s not quite good enough to find a good move, and then play another while thinking of something other than chess.