[Event “Bodley 2013”]
[Site “Naomh Barrog Chess Club”]
[Date “2013.11.26”]
[Round “3”]
[White “Conor McDonald”]
[Black “Mark Dennehy”]
[Result “0-1”]
[WhiteElo “977”]
[ECO “A07”]
[EventDate “2013.11.26”]
1. Nf3
{+0.20
Oh poop. A reti opening. What’s he going for, e4, d4, c4?}
1. … c6
{+0.64
Betting on e4 and answering with a caro kann…}
2. g3
{+0.00}
2. … d5
{+0.00}
3. Bg2
{+0.16}
3. … Bf5
{+0.16}
4. O-O
{+0.28
I swear, if he plays d4, John is going to laugh his head off.}
4. … e6
{+0.16}
5. d3
{+0.20
Well, I wasn’t expecting that… Waitaminute….}
5. … Be7
{+0.12}
6. c4
{+0.16
Aha! Where have I seen that before? :D}
6. … Nf6
{+0.08
Well, I’m not going to capture away from the center so if he wants the pawn exchange, let him be the one to give away the g file. Also, development.}
7. h3
{-0.20
Eh? Okay, so g4 to kick the bishop? But I just retreat to g6, why would you break up your king’s defences so early like that? Is there a tactic I don’t know here?}
7. … O-O
{-0.12
In the absence of knowing what the heck to do, develop…}
8. g4
{-0.36
Hm. Okay, that seemed obvious, but what does he do after I retreat?}
8. … Bg6 $201
{-0.32}
9. h4 $2 $17
{-2.42 / -0.32
Okay, now he’s confusing me. That move doesn’t seem right at all. Is he making a mistake? Stockfish says it’s a blunder, and suggests Bf4 instead which seems better.}
( 9.Bf4 Nbd7 10.Nbd2 Qb6 11.Qb3 Qa6 12.Rfc1 Rac8 13.Bg3 h6 14.d4 Rfe8 15.Rd1 Ne4 16.Nxe4 Bxe4 17.Rac1 dxc4 18.Rxc4 Bd5 $10 )
9. … Nxg4
{-2.50
Why not? It’s a free pawn as far as I could see. Sure there’s a knight fork against N&B, but that just gives you NXN…}
10. Bg5 $201
{-2.86
Okay, didn’t see that coming, but I suppose he thought the pawn support better than the f4 square.}
10. … Bh5 $6 $17
{-1.81 / -2.86
I don’t want to swap off the dark bishop, but I want to reinforce the knight’s outpost before moving my queen, and I’d like that b8-h2 diagonal please. Also this stops a h5 push, which might get awkward. Bf5 also considered, but it seemed more expose and didn’t stop h5.}
( 10…f6 11.Bf4 e5 12.Bg3 dxc4 13.dxc4 Nd7 14.Nc3 Qc8 15.e4 Nb6 16.Nd2 Bf7 17.Bf3 Be6 18.Na4 Rd8 19.Nxb6 $17 )
11. Qb3
{-1.73
Going after b7 and the rook?}
11. … Qc7 $201
{-1.61
Defending B7 and the dark bishop. Qd7 would work as well but this gives me the diagonal I wanted earlier and now I’m thinking that Qh2 would be nasty if that knight wasn’t on f3.}
12. Rc1 $6 $17
{-2.86 / -1.61
Leading to cxd, exd, Qxd?}
( 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Nbd2 Na6 14.d4 Rad8 15.Rac1 Bg6 16.Rfe1 Bf5 17.Qc3 Qc7 18.Kf1 f6 19.e3 e5 20.cxd5 e4 21.dxc6 exf3 $17 )
12. … f6
{-2.78
Enough with the reacting to his moves. Kick the bishop back to d2. Then push for space with e5? Need some prep work first, maybe Na6, Nc5, Rad8?}
13. Be3
{-2.90
Eh? I didn’t think he’d do that, because now the exchange gives me the dark squared bishop and the bishop pair.}
13. … Nxe3
{-2.94}
14. fxe3
{-2.86}
14. … Nd7
{-2.86
Took way too long to finish development I think. That queenside knight always seems to be the last out of the starting gate when I play this opening. But right now I’m thinking Qg3 looks lovely but I need more pieces into the attack first, so move up the knight, maybe get a rook more into the game and coordinate the bishops better.}
15. cxd5 $201
{-2.94
Okay, so exd? Or push the knight and the attack? If he pushes the pawn, I can just take it, I can recapture if he takes the c pawn and if he takes the e pawn, he’s stuck in front of that bishop threatening nothing.}
15. … Ne5 $2 $201
{-0.56 / -2.94
Screw it. Sorry little pawn!}
( 15…Nc5 16.Rxc5 Bxc5 17.d4 Bb6 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.Nbd2 Bf7 20.Qc3 e5 21.dxe5 fxe5 22.Ng5 Rad8 23.Nxf7 Qxf7 24.Rf1 Qe6 25.Rxf8+ Rxf8 26.Nf3 Qh6 27.Kh1 e4 28.Qc4+ Rf7 29.Qxe4 Qxe3 $17 )
16. dxe6 $4 $19 $201
{-3.95 / -0.56}
( 16.Nxe5 Qxe5 17.d4 Qg3 18.dxc6 Bg4 19.e4 Qc7 20.Qxb7 Qf4 21.Nd2 Bd6 22.Nf1 Bxe2 23.Qb3 Bxf1 24.Rxf1 Qh2+ 25.Kf2 Rab8 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Rfb1 Qf4+ 28.Ke2 Rbe8 )
16. … Nxf3+ $2
{-1.37 / -3.95
And there goes another defender. Recapture with the pawn and the d file is looking weak, recapture with the bishop and the king is in for a chase.}
( 16…Bxf3 17.exf3 Nxf3+ 18.Kf2 Ne5 19.Nd2 Ng4+ 20.Kf3 f5 21.Nf1 Rad8 22.d4 h5 23.Bh3 f4 24.Bxg4 hxg4+ 25.Kg2 f3+ 26.Kf2 Rf5 27.Kg1 Rh5 28.Qc2 Rf8 29.Qh2 $19 )
17. exf3 $201
{-1.69}
17. … Rad8 $2 $10 $201
{+0.00 / -1.69
Let’s get the rooks into the game so they can earn their keep.}
( 17…Bxf3 18.Nd2 Bg4 19.d4 Rae8 20.Rc3 f5 21.Rf1 f4 22.Nf3 fxe3 23.Rxe3 Rd8 24.Kh1 Rf4 $17 )
18. Rc5 $4 $19
{-6.46 / +0.00
Hm. That rook’s active, his other one isn’t, I can cover the pawn with the queen and plug the gap to the king with the white bishop…}
( 18.Nd2 Qg3 19.Rc2 Qxh4 20.Qxb7 f5 21.f4 Rxd3 22.Nf1 c5 23.Bd5 Rd8 24.Rh2 Qg4+ 25.Rg2 Qh4 26.Bc4 R3d6 27.Rh2 Qg4+ 28.Rg2 Qh4 $10 )
18. … Bxc5
{-7.08}
19. e7+
{-13.05}
19. … Bf7
{-13.29
I have no idea why but in the game here my brain farted and I captured the pawn with the dark bishop. I mean, I’d seen the light bishop move earlier, I have no idea what my head was thinking. Anyway, transpose the bishop, doesn’t matter which rook he retakes, I either take with the other rook or with the king so as not to give up the d-file.}
20. exd8=Q
{-16.28}
20. … Rxd8
{-16.44}
21. Qd1
{-327.41
Not sure what threat he was looking at there, or if he was just thinking he needed more defence around the king. Doesn’t matter, his e pawn is still hanging. Stockfish thinks this move is game over actually, but I couldn’t see it.}
21. … Bxe3+
{-327.42}
22. Kf1 $201
{-327.42}
22. … Qg3 $19
{-10.46 / -327.42
And there we go, only took half the game… Stockfish thinks its a horrible blunder though – it’s saying Qh2 leads to mate in seven, but I didn’t see it. I did think Qh2, but I just thought it wasn’t direct enough and I didn’t see the looping round the bishop that stockfish is pointing out. Rats.}
( 22…Qh2 23.Qe1 Qg1+ 24.Ke2 Qxg2+ 25.Kxe3 Re8+ 26.Kd4 Qxb2+ 27.Kc5 Qb6+ 28.Kd6 c5+ 29.Kd7 Qc6# $19 )
23. Qe1 $201
{-10.91}
23. … Bf2 $4 $14
{+0.72 / -10.91
Didn’t want to swap off the queens, but why on earth I didn’t think the king could recapture on f2 after QxB, QxQ, I don’t know. And stockfish is very disappointed in me as well, though the alternative I thought of at the board was Qf4 not Qe5.}
( 23…Qe5 24.Nc3 Rxd3 25.Ne2 Bb6 26.b3 Qe3 27.Rc1 Bh5 28.Qg3 Rd2 29.Qb8+ Be8 $19 )
24. Qxf2
{+0.68
D’oh…}
24. … Qf4 $201
{+1.01
Qh2 looked useless and Qe5 looked like an invitation for f4 and a queen chase}
25. Qxa7 $4 $19
{-6.54 / +1.01
Wait, what? My queen’s up in your king’s grille and now you go chasing pawns off in the far corner?}
( 25.Nc3 Rxd3 26.Qxa7 Bc4 27.Kg1 h6 28.Re1 Rd2 29.Re8+ Kh7 30.Qe3 Qxe3+ 31.Rxe3 Rxb2 32.Bf1 Bxf1 33.Kxf1 Kg6 34.Re7 h5 35.Ne2 Rxa2 36.Rxb7 Ra4 37.f4 c5 38.Kf2 $14 )
25. … Qc1+
{-6.62
Okay, I’ll have your rook so.}
26. Kf2
{-6.82}
26. … Qxb2+
{-6.78}
27. Kg3
{-8.48
Didn’t expect that, figured he’d head back to the back rank, but no matter.}
27. … Qxa1
{-8.48}
28. Qb6
{-12.52}
28. … Qe5+
{-13.14
Escaping from the corner and defending the rook.}
29. Kf2 $201
{-12.92
That was a mistake I think – I was expecting f4 and planning Qe4 and a queen swap now that I’m up material.}
29. … Ra8 $19
{-9.69 / -12.92
Thinking Rxa2+ followed by Qb2, QxQ, RxQ. NOT thinking Qe4+ ironically enough, just didn’t see it. Not sure I’d have taken it though, I was trying to keep the queen on the board and push the attack at the time.}
( 29…Rxd3 30.Qb4 Bxa2 31.Qa4 Qb2+ 32.Kg3 Bxb1 33.Qc4+ Kh8 34.Bf1 Qe5+ 35.Qf4 $19 )
30. a3
{-11.19}
30. … Re8
{-11.39
Okay, if I can’t have the a pawn I’ll just threaten mate in one and force his queen back out of my side of the board.}
31. Qxb7
{-327.49
Oh. He missed the mate. Kinda sad really, I was enjoying this.}
31. … Qe1#
{-327.49
Fun game. Not my best game by a large margin, but fun.}
0-1[/pgn]