A Flawed Chess Game Of Mine
Ok, just to give you an idea of how much I suck as a chess player after years of no practice whatsoever, here’s a recent 5-minute game of mine…provided with some annotations. I was playing as Black and although I won, this game revealed my deficiencies as a chess player.
1. d4 b6
Well, I’m not a big student of the opening phase of chess. This defense, referred to as the English Defense and sometimes the Owen’s Defense, is one that I know a bit about. I’ve played it exclusively as Black no matter what White plays a couple of years back.
2. f4 Bb7
I’m not sure if White’s second move is a good one…but my instincts are telling me that it isn’t. I’m sure this guy knew right from the onset that I’m going to fianchetto my Bishop. Yet he intentionally kept the diagonal – h1-a8 open. The e4-square is especially weak since it can no longer be controlled by a pawn.
After this move, I developed my pieces and pawns to take advantage of this hole.
3. e3 f5
Another pawn move from White, which I don’t think contributes anything positive to his position. Why not a simple developing move that at least exerts some influence on the whole at e4…perhaps 3.Nc3? My pawn move on the other hand makes sure that the e4-square belongs to me. At the back of my head, however, I think it’s too committal.
The opening of the g8-a2 diagonal is my source of problems later on.
4. Qh5+ g6
Another useless move from White. He even gave my f8-Bishop a good square to develop on. What move would I recommend? Well, why not c4? This helps him advance his pawn to d5…blocking the b7-Bishop. And he can work on getting in e3-e4.
Again, I’m no expert. I’m not sure if this is the right plan.
5. Qd1 Nf6
Now, I’m ahead in development. And my pieces – Nf6 and Bb7, along with my f5-pawn concentrate on the hole left at e4.
6. Nf3 d6
White’s move is just as good as anything else. But I would prefer Nc3 instead…lending some control on the e4-square. My move on the other hand prepares to shift the Knight on d7 – making a c5 or e5 break possible. Opening the position is in my favor since I’m better developed.
7. b3 Nbd7
Yet another pawn move from White. As for me, I just made the expected developing move for my b8-Knight.
8. Bb5 Bg7
White pins my Knight – this makes the e5-break impossible. However, I think better would’ve been Bc4, which helps keep my king in the center for some time. On my turn, I just prepared castling and developed my f8-Bishop to the only sensible square.
9. a4 O-O
Yet another pawn move which doesn’t help his position.
10. Bc4+?! Kh8?
Better would’ve been castling for White. As you’ll see later, he never got the chance to get his King to safety. My move loses material! Saying that this is a 5-minute game is not a good excuse…the right move would’ve been …d5.
11. Ng5 d5
It’s just now that I can see the threat of …Ne6. My move is a little too late. White nets material no matter what happens.
12. Bd3 Qc8
White goes for safety first. However, better would’ve been Ne6 right away. Now, I have a chance to prepare the opening of lines. He may net material but I’m still ahead in development. There’s gotta be a way I can make my advantage count.
13. h4 c5
I’m not sure what’s with h4. Well, there are threats of h4-h5…attempting to bring the Rook in h1 to life. He has some developed pieces pointing on the Kingside but I think I can defend. And let’s keep this rule in mind – only attack on the flanks when you have the center under control. I have 2 pawn breaks that can open the position…that’s what I’m counting on. I was thinking of …Ng4 preparing …e5.
But it’s a 5 minute game!
14. c3 e5!?
White maintains the tension, but of course, here comes my second pawn break. This sacs a pawn with the hopes that somehow, the position will break open, giving my 2 developed Bishops some targets. I think it makes sense since I’m ahead in development.
15. dxe5 Ng4 16. Ne6 Ndxe5!?
This is what I had in mind when I played e5. I don’t think this is correct, but at least, I have 2 imbalances favoring me although I’m down in material – I have the bishop pair and a lead in development which calls for an open position.
17. Nxf8 Nxd3+ 18. Qxd3 Qxf8 19. Rg1?
Another error I believe. I think he should’ve gone for h5…his previous plan of attacking on the Kingside.
19…Re8 20. Ra2
I think better would’ve been the immediate …d4. I was looking for a wide open position…why didn’t I do it? Well, tactical deficiency I guess. However, I think my move would do just as well. White, on his turn, prepares Re2.
20…d4 21. cxd4 cxd4? 22. Re2 Nxe3?
On both occasions, I missed the simple win with …Be4! I was fixated with attacking and mating the King that I completely forgot to look for other options that would secure the victory far more easily.
23. Bxe3 dxe3 24. Rxe3 Rd8 25. Qe2 Bd4 26. Kf2? Re8 27. Kf1 Rxe3 28. Qd2 Ba6+ 0-1
It’s mate in 5 fellas! How? That’s up for you to find out.
How To Pick Your Chess Openings
Long before a chess player heads to the chessboard, he is faced with truckloads of problems and questions that he must successfully answer.
“How do I pick my chess openings? What opening strategy or moves should I adapt?” These questions about chess openings are some of the reasons why wood-pushers spend sleepless nights…whether professional or amateur.
If you’re at a loss at how you should go about picking and forming your chess opening repertoire, then you definitely want to read on! Just like you, I was facing the same set of questions back in my early days of chess-playing. Fortunately, I was able to settle down with a chess opening repertoire that has served me well for years now.
Let’s take a look at the questions I asked for forming and choosing my repertoire:
Know Thyself
Looking through games of club-level and non-master chess players, it’s easy to see that majority of them try to ape the openings of great masters like Kasparov, Anand, Karpov, etc.
The result?
Sadly, many of their games are decided not by their choice of opening moves but by simple forks, skewers, pins, and other tactical devices. And worse, these grandmaster-wannabes are on the receiving end of those tactical blows!
Why?
Mainly because they don’t have the understanding necessary to use these chess openings (Sicilian Defense, French Defense, Ruy Lopez, etc.) to their full potential. Much worse, many of these openings don’t suit their style!
Yes, your play-style matters a lot in picking opening moves! True, there are chess players who could play the Sicilian Defense just as well as they could play the Caro Kann Defense. But such players are rare and oftentimes, they’re at the master-level.
Here’s what you should do – take a look at the last 15-20 games you played. And ask the following questions:
What openings did you play as White and as Black?
Did you play 1.e4 or 1.d4 as White?
How did you defend against the King and Queen’s pawn opening as black?
And more importantly, how did you feel about the positions that came up after both sides have developed? Are you jumping for joy when the position is full of tactics? Or do you feel at ease with closed positions where wisely maneuvering your pieces are the main priority?
As for the games you won, how did you win them? Is it by ripping open the position and launching a blistering attack against the enemy king? Or is it by out-maneuvering your opponent and strangling him slowly?
On the other hand, how did you lose the rest of the games? Is it because the position is too open and you can’t cope up with the tactics on the board? Or is it because the position is so closed and you were smothered?
Answering these questions will help you determine what kind of player you are. Roughly, there are 2 types of chess-players. Those who thrive on tactics and those who prefer a more strategic and slow approach.
If you think you’re a tactical player, choosing 1.e4 as White (and perhaps incorporating gambits and sharp openings like King’s Gambit, Max Lange Attack, Goring Gambit, etc.) is in order. True, there are sharp openings that arise from 1.d4 but usually, they result to closed games which are strategic in general.
As for defenses as Black, picking something along the lines of Sicilian Defense, Schliemann Counter-Gambit (against the Ruy Lopez), French Defense, and other counter-attacking openings is the priority.
Here are some recommendations for strategic players who prefer a slow-paced chess game:
White:
- Queen’s Gambit
- King’s Indian Attack (primarily against the French Defense but also works well against the Sicilian, Caro Kann, etc.)
- Ruy Lopez (against 1…e5)
Black:
- Caro Kann (against 1.e4)
- King’s Indian Defense (against 1.d4)
- Ruy Lopez (against 1.e4)
And that’s just to name a few!
Personally, I prefer tactical openings and gambits like:
- King’s Gambit
- Smith-Morra Gambit and Wing Gambit against the Sicilian
- Caro Kann Fantasy Variation (where White would sac the e4-pawn)
- French Wing Gambit
- Sicilian Defense (I almost always go for the …c5, …Nc6, …g6, and …Bg7 setup)
- Scandinavian Defense (I usually follow up the e4xd5 capture with …Nf6 and …c6 sacrificing a pawn)
