What Would You Have Done?

I'm new to this site and this was one of my first games--a tremendous challenge. I would appreciate more advanced players critiquing this most intriguing game with my new friend, Foreman. Yes, I won...but barely. I'm also not sure how to annotate the game as the "Read This Before Posting" post asks us to do. If someone could explain that, I'd appreciate it.

What I'd love to find out from folks here is do you typically exchange a knight for a knight or a bishop for a bishop, etc.? I know it depends on the situation, but I'm surprised at how often my opponents are doing this.

In this particular game, I realize I got myself in trouble by 13. when I let my knight get pinned. As I review the game, I see that I should have castled earlier and that would have helped.

At 38...Rf2+ I was positioning my rook to start knocking off his pawns, knowing they'd be the greatest threat to my king once we exchanged queens. And my decision to initiate the queen for a queen was due to my not feeling I had a good position with my bishop having to guard my king. I just couldn't figure out a way to threaten him with the alignment of his pawns and where he had his king.

My decision to swap queens, however, was what turned the game to my advantage. I wonder, however, if things would have turned out differently if he had not chosen to exchange our remaining bishops and rooks. How did I win when we were down to only our kings and pawns even though he had a material advantage? My king was positioned so that I could thwart his attempt to promote either of his pawns...by just one square!

I thoroughly enjoyed this game, but realize I definitely have lots of room for improvement. So, please, let me know...what would you have done? Would you have taken his queen (which resulted in a queen for a queen), or moved it and used some other strategy? Thanks for any and all suggestions, critiques, etc.

chesster_sharon, you seem to have the ability to ask pertinent questions.

Annotation is supplying post-game insight into the text of the game. This can be heavy - in great detail with accompanying lines and variations or light with a few words or alternate moves sprinkled throughout.

In looking over your game I saw what looks to me like some missed opportunities on both sides, though I haven't tried to examine all the possibilites that stem from different lines of play.  For example white played 9. Bxd7+. It seems to me 9. Nxe5 was indicated.  11. Nxe5 just fails after 11...Nxe5 wins a piece (12. Qe2 Qe6). 15. d4 could have been met with ...0-0-0, rather than by losing a center pawn. Better than 19.c3 seems to be 19. Be3, x-raying a7 and opening the file to introduce his Rook to your Queen. 21...h5 left me puzzled, a wasted move unless there was some reason I neglected to see.

I don't understand the trading of Queens. 38...Qf2+ looks possibly winning after 39. Kh3 Qf5+ 40. Kg2 e4. Or at the least, Black just seems better off than with the Queens gone.

Anyway, it was a good game- I hope one of the first of many. 

Thanks for your comments, Batgirl.  I'm just glad I wasn't playing you!  Sounds like you would have cleaned my plow based on all you suggested for foreman.  (I was going to let him know about my posting this game...but now maybe I won't! ) 

21...h5 was the beginning of my trying to move it up near foreman's king...to hopefully (somehow) manage to either take one of his pawns (so he couldn't hide his king behind it) or help in threatened his king.  I was hoping to find an opening so I could either use my bishop or queen to get him in check.  And yes, 38...Qf2+ would have done that (put him in check), but all he had to do to get out of it was use 39. Kh3 just like he did with the rook, and moving my pawn to e4 would not have had any affect due to that stinkin'...er, well-positioned pawn of his on g3.  And with the constant threat of his queen and rook, if I ever moved my queen such that he could take my bishop with his queen, the game would have been over.  THAT's why I did the queen-for-a-queen thing.

hey chesster_sharon good win, I agree with bat girl there was missed opportunities for both players. 3.d4 is a stronger move than 3.Bc4 and 3..h6 is not needed because your Queen guard g5

4...c6 said you are prepairng to advance d5, but you need to castle first before advancing 6...d5.

6...Be7 is better it cleared the way of castling, and once castle 7..Re8 guard e5, then 8...d5 or 8...Bg4 pinned the Knight. You must stick to opening principles. After move 10. your looking good, you have control of the center, but 10..Ng4 is bad White can play 11. h3 which drive you knight back to 12.Nf6 then 13.Nxe5. better is 10.Nc6 protect e5 and developed another piece toward the center. You was up a piece before you got your knight got pinned to the king, this what happen when you don't castle early. however white could had played 15...Qh5+ preventing you from castling and follow up with his own castle 15...0-0 taking control of the f-file. Sorry I have to go know I will analyze the rest later. I hope this help some.

Hi Sharon,

"What I'd love to find out from folks here is do you typically exchange a knight for a knight or a bishop for a bishop, etc.? I know it depends on the situation, but I'm surprised at how often my opponents are doing this."

A strange truth is that bishops and knights are equal in value, but two bishops are better than two knights or a knight and a bishop. Seek trades that preserve your bishop pair and eliminate your opponent's bishop pair. Also remember that bishops like open positions and knights do best in closed positions.

3...h6 and 4...c6 are too passive. In the opening, control the center and develop your pieces before anything else. Eg, Nf6.

10...Bg4 - A premature attack. Develop your pieces before attacking. Eg, Nc6.

20...a6 - I think this is a bad pawn move, because you allow his knight to roost on b6. Only move the pawns that protect your king if forced to.

21...h5 - Perhaps instead of these pawn moves, you might have slid your rooks over to the f-file and fought for control of the open file.

35.g3?,  44.Rxc7?, 47.g5?, 49.h4?

A king & pawn vs king & pawns race! Only 47.Kh4! draws. The key to this position is that the White king must reach h7 before the Black king reaches g7 in order to force promote. Kh4 ensures that happens! After Kh4, White should spend all his moves pushing the g-pawn, and only push his king further along the h-file if you move your king closer to g7.

That was excellent for one of your first games!  :)

"to hopefully (somehow) manage to either take one of his pawns"

I think we all play chess to some degree with certain nebulous, almost inarticulable, ideas, or hopes. But plans in chess really do need to be clear, especially in games where we have the leisure to ponder. I'm guilty of this as much as anyone, but really, we should all make it a personal policy never to make a move unless we can explain it or justify it explicitly. If you (or I) make a certain move, say h5, thinking maybe something will come up it or hoping he'll do something silly, what move did we miss or waste the chance of making, that could have some concrete value such as shoring up our defense or improving our position, or getting our pieces more harmoniously placed or correcting some weakness in our position.  Instead of making a move with some vague notion, ask yourself, "If I were my opponent, what move would I most hate to see me make"  or "Which move increases my options and/or decreases his?"  "What can I threaten? What can I over-protect?"  But never, never, never (I beg you, Sharon), make a move just because it's your turn and you have to make a move. 

"And with the constant threat of his queen and rook, if I ever moved my queen such that he could take my bishop with his queen, the game would have been over.  THAT's why I did the queen-for-a-queen thing."

Could you demonstate that happening? I saw the worst case scenario as draw by repetition because his King really had nothing to hide behind. This isn't to say I never chickened out of playing a bold move in a dangerous situation, because I have. But sometimes winning takes  a certain amount of courage, even a certain amount of recklessness if the actual calculations are outside our abilities.  I think, however, in suffucient number of cases, if I can't find a losing line in my intended, though reckless, play, my opponent won't find it either, and sometimes going from defense to attack is enough to make your opponent passive.

34. ...Rxh4!

If 35.Qxh4, mate in two with Qd1+ (36.Qe1 Qxe1++)

umm...

34...Rxh4??

35. Qb7++

couldn't 34 be a mate for white with Qb7++? Lucky there?

"couldn't 34 be a mate for white with Qb7++? Lucky there?"

 no.

Move 33 was 33...Bb6+

so, move 34 couldn't be Qb7++ since white was required to move out of check.

After 34. Kh1, black has to protect the b7 square again, after which white's Bishop, which was tactically protected, is now fair game, but Black was also threatening mate if either the Queen or Bishop failed to cover e1. White chose to play the unpleasant, weakening move, g3 (after which Black might play 35.... Qd1+  36. Kg2 Qd2+ (after Kh3, the Bisop is pinned, Kf1, lets Black introduce the Rook with force, Kh1 is sort of pathetic) followed by  37...Qxd3.

It's a pretty interesting battlefield.

Wow, guys!  I'm blown away and so appreciative of all your input.  Thanks!  Talk about having quite a bit of homework!

I'll respond more after I've had a chance to walk through your suggestions.

Batgirl (or anyone who knows), can you explain how to do this?  Annotation is supplying post-game insight into the text of the game.

Is this inserted in the string of moves in the PGN?  If this is explained somewhere on the website already, please tell me where.  Thanks!

You can do it that way, if you want, by using the input boxes provided in the game board creator. Or, you can simply write text along side your game posting, citing what you consider the critical moves and expounding on your thinking at the time, as well as your post-game analysis, looking for improvements, blunders, alternate plans, etc.  There's no really set formula.

In the game editor, after you insert your pgn, you will have a move list. click on the move where you want to insert the text and in the boxes below:

(Comment before move: (Text is automatically saved)

Comment after move: (Text is automatically saved)

Comment after move: (Text is automatically saved)

Insert the text.

Mat, you said that 3.d4 is a stronger move than 3.Bc4...but why?  I would have followed that with 3...xd4.  (I hope I noted that correctly.  In other words, I would have immediately taken his pawn with mine on e5.)  Then, if he had done 4.Nxd4 and taken my pawn, I would have followed that with 4...c5 to threaten his knight.  Am I missing something here?

"...and h6 is not needed because your Queen guard g5" - you're right.  I see that.  I read (somewhere on this site) where it's best to leave the pawns on the ends in place and concentrate on the middle.  I'll be doing that from now on as best I can.  I agree that I need to stick to opening principles...and I will as soon as I learn what they are! 

 "but 10..Ng4 is bad White can play 11. h3 which drive you knight back to 12.Nf6 then 13.Nxe5. better is 10.Nc6 protect e5 and developed another piece toward the center."  Yep...see that.  Thanks, again, for all your help.

 So very right lol.

Batgirl, "In the game editor, after you insert your pgn, you will have a move list. click on the move where you want to insert the text."  Okay...I'll try that next time.  Thanks!

And thanks for taking the time to share all your insights.  They're great and much appreciated!  I really didn't know what to expect when I posted this game for analysis, but I'm so glad I did.  What a great way to learn to play chess!

"Mat, you said that 3.d4 is a stronger move than 3.Bc4...but why?  I would have followed that with 3...xd4.  (I hope I noted that correctly.  In other words, I would have immediately taken his pawn with mine on e5.)  Then, if he had done 4.Nxd4 and taken my pawn, I would have followed that with 4...c5 to threaten his knight.  Am I missing something here?"

I don't know as one is particularly stronger than the other, but 3.d4 is aggressive.

After 3.d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 (attacking the Queen), then 5. Bb5 (pinning the Knight) Bd7 (unpinning the Knight, threatening the Queen again) 6. Bxc6 (removing the threat) Bxc6 7. Bg5 (attacking Black's Queen) Nf6, etc....

To me, it's all in the type of game you want to play and one's not any better than the other, just different.

""...and h6 is not needed because your Queen guard g5" - you're right.  I see that.  I read (somewhere on this site) where it's best to leave the pawns on the ends in place and concentrate on the middle."

In the opening you're trying to dominate the center. In the Philidor (the opening you played (1.e4 e5  2.Nf3 d6) (member Billwall just posted something on the Philidor recently) people often move 3...f5 (offering a wing pawn to divert one of white's central pawns, part of a plan to undermine white's center), plus, since the Philidor leads to cramped quarters for Black, it's also a freeing move, but, then again, not a necessary one, just an option, but a superior one to h6.

 I was looking at a line that I had examined earlier:

"White chose to play the unpleasant, weakening move, g3 (after which Black might play 35.... Qd1+  36. Kg2 Qd2+ (after Kh3, the Bisop is pinned, Kf1, lets Black introduce the Rook with force, Kh1 is sort of pathetic) followed by  37...Qxd3."

And found a tactic I had missed.

After 35.g3 (a very bad move). Black wins the Rook for free.

35...Qf8!

This move threatens the Rook and mate (Qf1++).

White can't deal with both, so the Rook goes down.

35...Qf8!

This move threatens the Rook and mate (Qf1++).  White can't deal with both, so the Rook goes down."

You're absolutely right, Batgirl.  At that point in the game, I was trying to come up with a way to use my bishop to slide over, THEN come over with my queen and pin him.  I know I'm guilty of coming up with a strategy...and not seeing anything but that whereby I miss other more useful ones.  Thanks for pointing that out!