Saturday, April 16, 2011

Trying My Hand at ICC (Part 3)


My last game at ICC ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper... by my opponent. We played a line where "Nothing Happened", which shows up in The Database 60 times, and in which Black scores 31% .

AlonzoJerome - adroit
blitz 5 5, ICC, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+


4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5


6...g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+

Giving back the piece to break the attack, but going into a pawn-down Queenless middle game.

8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6+ Nxf6 10.Nc3 d6


Black's best "chance" now is that I'll let him escape into a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, like I allowed BEEB.

11.d3 Bd7 12.Bg5 Ng4+ 13.Ke2 h6 14.Rhf1+ Kg7 15.Bf4 g5 16.Bg3 h5 17.h3 h4 18.Be1 Ne5 19.d4 Ng6


Nothing "exciting" has happened since the last diagram: I have grabbed some space in the center and my opponent has advanced on the Kingside. I can afford to play "deliberately" as long as I don't overlook the details. A pawn is a pawn, after all.

20.Bd2 g4 21.hxg4 Bxg4+ 22.Kd3 Rhf8 23.Nd5

More exact was 23.Nb5, with the same threat to the pawn at c7, but prohibiting ...c7-c6.

23...c6 24.Ne3

A little more could have been squeezed out of the position with 24.Nf4.

24...Bd7

Time was getting short for my opponent, but I am sure that neither of us saw the line recommended by Rybka 3, which keeps a tiny edge for White: 24...Nf4+ 25.Kc3 Ne2+ 26.Kb4 a5+ 27.Kb3 Bd7 28.Rxf8 Rxf8 29.Bxa5 Re8 30.Re1 Nxd4+ 31.Kc4 c5 32.Bc3 Kg6 33.Bxd4 Rxe4 34.c3 cxd4 35.cxd4 Bc6 36.b3 b5+.




analysis diagram







25.Nf5+

More "business as usual," attacking the pawn at e6 and "suggesting" that Black exchange his Bishop for my Knight. Any kind of a win would be a long way off, as it would be after the stronger 25.Bb4.

Black resigned.

Perhaps he believed that I could continue to grind him down.

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