1…b6 Saves The Day!
I was playing against one of the local chess hustlers in our place. He was thrashing one player after another…unfortunately that includes me.
However, in one of our games (where I was playing Black) I got to whoop his ass IN STYLE with 1…b6 - known as the English or Owen’s Defense. I had some experience playing this obscure opening a couple of years back.
The game’s highlight was my queenside attack which often occurs in this opening. This was followed by establishing a strongly supported passed pawn on the b-file…snatching the exchange…and finally - A QUEEN SACRIFICE which made him resign.
Sadly, I wasn’t able to record that game. It was played at blitz. 
Nevertheless, I’m going to employ this opening again, I’ve challenged the guy to a match - g/60 this coming weekend.
I’ll stick to 1…b6 as black. May the goddess Caissa help me!
Chess Instruction Move By Move Part 1
So you don’t have much time to allot in your study of chess? Looking for ways or methods of chess instructions that will help you increase your playing strength while enjoying the process?
If so, then looking at master games and studying them is your best bet. You get to see how they handle the opening, middlegame, and if the game lasted long enough, you’ll witness their superb endgame technique – which I suck at big time!
Right here at Chessvip.com, I’ll be uploading my chosen master games to study along with my move by move annotations. Now there’s no guarantee that my annotations are of master level or quality. But I’m sure beginners and perhaps even stronger players can learn a thing or two from the games and the annotations.
Additionally, I think of it as a way to improve my overall chess-playing strength.
So without further adieu, let’s take a look at the game Sokolsky-Gutorev, which was played back in 1960 in Belorussia. For those who don’t know it, the player of the White pieces – Alexey Sokolsky is of international master strength and the originator of the Orangutan opening – 1.b4.
It’s one of the openings I ventured into after reading the small ChessBase ebook written by IM Andrew Martin about it. It’s one of those odd openings that have no direct or straightforward refutation.
Anyway, enough about the opening. Let’s take a look at the game. I hope you learn something from the notes.
Sokolsky – Gutorev
Belorussia, 1960
1. c4 Nf6
White starts with the English Opening. The move c2-c4 aims to control the d5-square which usually belongs to Black in other openings. He’ll support it by moving his Knight to c3 and going for a fiancheto with g3 and Bg2.
Black, on his turn, grabbed his share of the center with …Nf6 – controlling the d5 and e4 squares. Usually, games that begin with the English Opening take a more strategic direction…players maneuver their pieces to optimal positions before launching their offensives.
2. Nc3 g6
As expected, White adds more influence to the e4-d5 squares with Nc3. Black, on the other hand, chooses to fiancheto his dark-squared Bishop. He could also try …e6 and follow it up with …Bb4 – indirectly adding more control to the e4-d5 squares by threatening to snatch the Knight. White, however, can reply with e2-e3 followed by Nd2, making sure that his pawns are not doubled and that another Knight will jump back to c3.
3. e4 d6
Some of you may frown at White’s third move – 3.e4 as it leaves a whole in d4. However, in any opening, you have to take some plusses and leave something on the table. What did White have in return for the hole in d4?
- He gains more space in the center.
- He makes it harder for black to execute the liberating d5-pawn break.
As for Black, his move …d7-d6 prepares to shift the Knight from b8 to d7 – exerting more control at the e5 square. Looking at the configuration of the Black pieces and pawns, he’s planning to take control of the dark squares in the board -
- c7-d6 and eventually e7-e5 – all of his central pawns exert control on the dark squares.
- Knight jumping on the d7 square.
- Fianchetoing his Bishop to g7 in the future.
You see, he’s grabbing parts of the board that White left behind.
4. g3 Bg7
Seeing no good square for his Bishop to land on, White decides to fianchetto is where it controls the a8-h1 diagonal. Gutorev, on the other hand, makes the expected King’s Bishop fianchetto.
5. Bg2 e5
An expected and logical move from White. As for Black, he goes for the e7-e5 push taking control of the hole on d4.
6. Nge2 O-O
Another natural but good move by White – by moving his Knight to the e2-square, he –
- Prepares for castling.
- Leaves the long diagonal a8-h1 open.
- Exerts some control on the d4 and f4 squares. There’s also the possibility of going for the either f4 or d4-pawn break to liberate his pieces when the opportunity arises.
Black castles…passing the ball back to White. The other pieces don’t have any clear points to land on, so why not get the King to safety?
7. d3 Be6
White moves his d-pawn by a square, providing more control to the f4-square, thanks to the c1-Bishop. Black, on his turn, plans for a d5-break. He may prepare it with moves like …c6 and …Nbd7-b6.
8. O-O Qc8
White is just getting his King to safety and preparing an f4-break to dispute Black’s control over e5. Black’s move is preparing to exchange the g2-Bishop. But as we’ll see later, this is a faulty plan to follow!
9. f4 Bh3
And there goes the f2-f4 break! However, Black continues with his plan to exchange the light-squared Bishop on g2. Why is this a faulty plan as mentioned?
Look at the White pawns, they’re all on light squares. Technically speaking, the g2-Bishop is a bad Bishop. It’s worse than it’s counterpart which can spring to life with an eventual d5 or f5.
10. f5 Bxg2
White also realized that Black adopted the wrong plan and forced him to go ahead with the exchange. Black can’t play …gxf5. In my opinion, I think it’s better to play …Bg4 and exchange the Bishop for the Knight. By doing so, Black makes sure that White is left with a tall pawn on g2. Although, that doesn’t take away the fact that the Bishop is exchanged for a not-so-active piece.
11. Kxg2 Nc6
White just restored the material balance while Black gets another piece out of the box – adding more control to the d4-square.
12. Nd5 Nxd5
White’s move threatens 13.Nxf6 Bxf6 14.fxg6 Bg7 15.gxh7+. Seeing that, Black exchanges the Knight on d5 for his f6-Knight. If Black opts for something like …Qd8, White can go for 13.Ne2-c3 – gaining an iron-like grip on the d5-square.
13. cxd5 Nb8
Black spends another move to un-develop his Knight. On the other hand, White has resolved the tension in the center. He’s now free to work on either flanks – and you can bet that he’s setting his sights on the Kingside since most of his pieces are closer to that side of the board.
14. f6 Bh8
White’s move plants a thorn into Black’s neck! The f6-pawn makes sure that Black’s dark-squared Bishop is excluded from the action. Black is practically a piece down.
15. Nc3 c5
Now that the Knight has done his duty on e2, he heads for greener pastures. Additionally, this makes way for the queen. In case of …Qd8, White can go Qf3. Black, on his turn, is trying to get something going on the Queenside. But without any targets, he is doomed to fail.
16. g4 a6
White is now just a move away from cementing the f6-pawn into its place…making sure that the dark-squared Bishop doesn’t see daylight. White is not afraid to move the pawns in front of his King since he has more space and more pieces on the Kingside.
In answer to that, Black makes another move to get some counterplay on the Queenside – he’s planning …b7-b5 and perhaps …b4 to kick the Knight on c3.
17. a4 Nd7
This move by White makes sure that Black doesn’t get any counterplay on the other side of the board. As Bobby Fischer said – “Chess is like boxing. You should know when to punch and when to duck.”
White’s decision to ‘duck’ for the moment to ensure that Black doesn’t get even a tiny bit of activity is perfectly justified.
Seeing that his Queenside efforts will amount to nothing, Black sets his sights on the f6-pawn. White’s next move, however, quickly nips Black’s efforts to eliminate the f6-pawn right in the bud.
18. g5 b6
I’m not so sure what Black is trying to do with his 18-th move. But I don’t have any good recommendations for him either!
19.h4 Ra7
Now that the center is locked, White now heads on to open the h-file with an eventual h4-h6 where he can easily transfer his Queen and Rooks. As for Black, I think he’s just shuffling wood…waiting for the axe to fall. Or maybe he’s anticipating an attack on his second rank and provides more protection with this move.
20.Be3 Rd8
Seeing that Black is helpless to the upcoming onslaught, he takes the time to develop his only minor piece that’s sitting on its starting position. Black, now sensing that White’s heavy pieces will soon be breathing down his King’s neck, makes way for his monarch.
21. Qf3 Nf8
Again, White is not rushing and simply connected his rooks. Black now lends more protection to the g6 and h7 pawn. In case White rushes in with h5 and hxg6, Black has h7 covered twice andhis
22. Nd1 h5
Seeing what Black had in mind, White holds the h-pawn push back and prepares to checkmate the King with Nh6. Black’s move is forced.
23. gxh6 ep Nh7
White now opens the h-file. Black now tries to give his Bishop a new lease on life…but to no avail. White quickly and easily defends it with his next move.
24. Bg5 Rdd7
Black just added more protection along the second rank.
25. Ne3 Qd8
White just connected his Rooks. Black, on the other hand, is still having dreams about snatching the f6-pawn.
26. Qg3 Bxf6
White threatens h5…ripping open the g-file with deadly effect.
“Now’s the time to snatch it!” That must’ve been Black’s thought concerning the f6-pawn.
27. Rxf6 Nxf6
A good move by White! This forces Black to set himself up for a pin. Black’s move is forced.
28. Qf3
And the Knight falls! Materially, the situation slightly favors White with 2 minor pieces for a Rook but Black will be mated shortly after White pushes his pawns up the h-file.
1-0
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)
