Sept. 5 games

First, the bad.

[Event "ICC"]

[Site "Internet Chess Club"]

[Date "2009.09.05"]

[White "KyleMayhugh"]

[Black "HEYNOWww"]

[Result "*"]

[TimeControl "1800+30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 a6 5. a3 Bd6

6. Nf3 c5 7. e3 Qb6

And now we're off the book and I promise myself to go through the thought process.

8. e4 cxd4

So far so good! My first instinct was to play Rb2 or Qc2 to protect the pawn. But the thought process tells me to check for potential forks, and there's a pawn-fork waiting to happen. The threat of it should keep my b-pawn safe, and even if it doesn't, there's nothing the queen can do down there that is too scary, every other piece is well-defended back there.

9. Ne2 Qxb2 10. e5 d3

I didn't quite consider the pawn-grab, but it only delays and I still win the piece for two pawns exchange. (eventually, he can't defend the deep pawn).

11. Nc3 Be7 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. Qc1 Qc2 14. Qxc2 dxc2 15. Rc1 Be7

16. a4 Nc6 17. Bd3 g6 18. O-O d5 19. Nxd5 exd5

I wish I could recall what I was thinking with 19. Nxd5. I think it was creating threats and opening the middle for my rooks.

20. Bc3 dxc4

21. Bxc4 O-O 22. Rxc2 Bf5 23. Re2 Bd6 24. Nh4 Bc8 25. Rfe1 Bg4

26. f3 Bc5+ 27. Kh1 Bh5 28. g4 Bd4 29. Bxd4 Nxd4 30. Rf2 Rac8

31. Bd5 Rc2 32. Rxc2 Nxc2 33. Rc1 Ne3 34. Bxb7 Rb8 35. Bxa6 Rb4

36. Bb5 Kh8 37. gxh5 Rxh4 38. hxg6 fxg6

Now we've reached a fairly even endgame in which, if I play right, the extra pawn should be decisive.

39. a5 Rf4 40. Be2 Ra4

41. a6 Nd5 42. Bc4 Ne3 43. Bb5 Ra5 44. Rc8+ Kg7 45. Rc7+ Kh6

46. a7 Ra1+

Uh-oh! Someone wasn't following his move process! And that someone was me. Back-rank weakness and mate missed. Bad bad bad.

47. Bf1 Rxf1#

Okay, happier times.

Here's an example of how I've gotten better. I'm in chess kindergarten instead of preschool at least.

[Event "ICC"]

[Site "Internet Chess Club"]

[Date "2009.09.05"]

[White "KyleMayhugh"]

[Black "HEYNOWww"]

[Result "*"]

[TimeControl "1800+30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 Ng4 5. Nf3 h5

6. h3 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 Nf6 8. e3 Na6 9. Bd3 d6 10. O-O O-O

Just developing away to this point. It's nice to be comfortable with an opening.

11. e4 Nb8

e4 isn't a move I would have considered in the past. I thought "good pawn structure" meant a massive pyramid of pawns in which no two were right next to each other.

12. Qe2 d5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. e5 Re8 15. Rae1 Kh8

16. Qd2 Nfd7 17. Ng5 Qe7 18. e6 fxe6 19. Nxe6 Nf6

Trying a nifty combination here, forcing the queen to let my night go and fork the two rooks while simultaneously discovering an attack on the queen.

Unfortunately, Nf6 complicates things a bit. But I'm still feeling good, because I've got a bunch of stuff pointing right as his king and a huge lead in development.

20. Nxg7 Qxg7

21. Rxe8+ Nxe8

Going to tell on myself here. I forgot about the knight and thought this combo would win me a rook and a bishop too. Instead, it left me down the exchange but still with strong attacking chances, so not too bad.

22. Re1 Bd7 23. Be4 dxe4

And here's a tactic I would never have even considered in the past, and it reminds me how far I've come and how far I have to go. The move thought process tells me that the queen is vulnerable to a pin by the dark-squared bishop, which is fortunately already in the right diagonal and protected, it just needs to get the pawn out of the way.

Once he takes the bishop, the game is more or less over, although he tries to stall. Hooray me!

24. d5 Nf6 25. Qf4 Bxh3

26. Bxf6 Bxg2 27. Bxg7+ Kxg7 28. Qg3+ Kh6 29. Qxg2 h4 30. Qxe4 Kh5

31. Qf5+ Kh6 32. Re6+ Kg7 33. Qg6+ Kf8 34. Re8#

*