[Event "Casual game"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "1871.09.07"]
[White "Sich"]
[Black "W. Steinitz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C60"]
{ <sub><em>Click or tap on a move in the game text for a popout display board.</em></sub></br>[#]}
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {</br> 3. Bb5 is neither better nor worse
than 3. Bc4, though many players as Black find the indirect pressure on e5
bothersome, and if they chase the bishop with …a7-a6 and …b7-b5, then the
bishop lands on the more active diagonal anyway ( but on a more secure square,
while Black has weakened his queenside ) .</br>} 3... Nge7 {</br> 3…Nge7 is very
sensible, preparing to replace the knight on c6 in case of capture. In
practice, Black is sometimes hard-pressed to untangle his pieces. Among modern
grandmasters, only Dreev — a free thinker — made a habit of 3…Nge7.</br>} 4. Nc3
{ </br> 4. Nc3 is not a blunder, but it does too little to further White’s aims.
After 4. O-O, 5. c3, 6. d4, White will be at least equal in development, while
ahead in center control and king safety. White blocked the c-pawn, so c2-c3
plus d2-d4 are out of focus until he moves the knight again.</br>} 4... g6 5. d3 {</br>
If White wants to lend value to the pokey 4. Nc3, then he must suddenly go
very fast with 5. d4 exd4 6. Nd5 Bg7 7. Bg5.</br>} 5... Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. Ng5 ( {</br>
Capablanca handled a similar position in the same way: } 7. Bc4 Na5 8. Bb3 Nxb3
9. axb3 d5 10. h3 d4 11. Ne2 f5 {with slight advantage in Marin-Capablanca, Barcelona 1929.</br>} )7...
h6 { </br> Average players play P-R3 as a reflex. They can’t think of something to
do, P-R3. Opponents moved a piece to N5, P-R3. Steinitz was the best player in
the world, and if he played P-R3, he had a reason. The knight on g5 presents no
danger or problems, but clears the way for f2-f4.</br>} 8. Nf3 d6 9. h3 {</br> Like I
said about inexpert players playing P-R3 willy-nilly: White’s P-R3 is useless;
there’s no reason to fear …Bc8-g4, because then if White plays h2-h3, the
bishop can’t maintain the pin.</br>} 9... f5 10. exf5 Nxf5 { </br> Chess computers never
fail to amaze. Black has four different ways to recapture. I would’ve gone for
…Bc8xf5 to develop a new piece, or …g6xf5 to come toward the center and
form a mobile pawn pair. Stockfish most prefers …Rf8xf5, though that should
make the least sense to a human player. Rooks tend not to get involved so soon,
and how can this rook be better placed on f5 than f8?</br>} 11. Nd5 {</br> A peculiar
move, offering Black a choice of threatening moves.</br>} 11... Ncd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4
13. Bc4 Kh7 14. c3 Ne6 15. Ne3 Nf4 16. Ng4 h5 17. Nh2 {</br> No one could’ve
predicted at move 10 that at move 17, White would play a knight to h2, and it
wouldn’t be the f3-knight.</br>} 17... d5 {</br> Black has achieved this much, two pawns
up in the center. Along with more active pieces, those are small advantages
on which to build.</br>} 18. Bb3 c6 19. Bxf4 Rxf4 20. Qe2 Qd6 21. Nf3 Bd7 22.
Rae1 Re8 {</br> Black would’ve preferred 22…Raf8, but the e5-pawn needs help. It’s
because three black pieces are tied to the defense of e5 that Black cannot
easily find a plan, despite complete development, two pawns in the center,
and the bishop pair.</br>} 23. g3 $2 {[#]</br> In light of my last note — Black’s opening
is complete, and he must now find a middlegame plan — imagine White didn’t
weaken his king position, and instead did nothing. Let’s say White passes his
move, and leaves Black to find something to do. With all the time in the world,
Black might go for …Bg7-f6-d8-c7, …Rf4xf3, …e5-e4, …Qd6-h2#, but the
bishop ( and e8-rook and queen ) are stuck defending the e5-pawn. </br> It makes
sense, therefore, to relieve the pressure on e5 in order to mobilize Black’s
pieces. The only white piece that can be pestered is the f3-knight, so you look
first at 23…e5-e4, which could run into 24. dxe4 dxe4 25. Ng5+ plus 26. Nf7+.
And if Black tries for …g6-g5-g4, the first step is to help the pawn reach
g5, but if 23…Bf6 or 23…Qf6, 24. h4 shuts it off while making an outpost
for Nf3-g5+, and Black has to worry about the f4-rook getting trapped. You
might conclude there isn’t a practical plan on the kingside or in the center.</br>
Stockfish agrees, because it suggests opening a new battlefront
with …a7-a5 or …b7-b5, which brings me to why I started this project in the
first place: A book about pawn structure that says ‘here are good pawn
structures; go win with these’ isn’t useful for average players, but a book
that says ‘when the opponent has this pawn structure in front of his king, it
might suggest a plan’. Look at what happens now after 23. g3?. Black can let
the tactics guide him the rest of the way, but if White hadn’t touched the
g-pawn, and, say, did nothing at all, Black must perhaps look to the queenside
to stir things up.</br>} 23... Rxf3 $1 24.
Qxf3 Bxh3 {</br> If Black continues with 25…Bxf1, he has gained a pawn, but the
opposite-colored bishops make that a difficult game to win.</br>} 25. Kh2 Rf8 $1 {</br>
For removing the f3-knight, and deflecting the white queen, Black’s pieces are
freed from the guard of e5, and may again play actively.</br>} 26. Qe2 Qd7 27. Rg1
Bg4 {</br> The bishop was poorly placed on h3. Black had no way to effect …Qg2#,
and as long as the bishop was under pressure, the queen was bound to its
defense.</br>} 28. Qe3 ( {</br> None of the queen moves is appealing. Black has a
winning attack after } 28. Qd2 Bh6 29. Qc2 Qf5 30. Rgf1 h4 )( { The best White
can do is shore up the white squares with } 28. Qf1 Qf7 29. Bd1 Qxf2+ 30. Qxf2
Rxf2+ 31. Rg2 {.</br>}) 28... Rf3 29. Qxa7 {
<br />
}( 29. Qd2 Bh6 30. Qc2 Qf5 { with …h5-h4
next, is also crushing, so why not grab a pawn.</br>} )29... Rxd3 {</br> 29… Qf5 is
also good, but wiping out the d3-pawn means Black’s e-pawn and dark-squared
bishop can join in.</br>} 30. a4 {</br> White didn’t get the right defensive idea until
the next move.</br>} 30... Rd2 31. Bd1 { </br> White is ahead in material ( if you count
the units off the board ) , so he should be trying to trade the pieces to
reduce Black’s play. The bishop was only a spectator on b3, and trading the
light-squared bishops could make it more difficult for Black to exploit the
holes in the white king position.</br>} 31... d4 {</br> There’s the drawback to
snatching the a7-pawn: the queen can be cut off from the game.</br>} 32. Bxg4 Qxg4
33. Rg2 e4 $1 {</br> In an instant, Black switches his focus to the black squares.
In that e3-f2-g3-h3 structure we’re talking about, it’s f2 at the base. Whether
we break it down at f2, or cause the f2-pawn to capture forward to e3 or g3,
the entire king shelter weakens.</br>} 34. cxd4 h4 35. gxh4 Qxh4+ 36. Kg1 e3 $1 0-1 *
You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.
You must log in to post a comment.