johndavis_59 (1828) vs SenseiDanya (1907)

1900Episode 22 · 0-1

During the gameIn the review

  1. Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Variation, 7.f3 O-O 8.Qd2 d5
  2. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6
  3. 7. f3 Castle short against the Accelerated Dragon Opening Not the best, and it can lead into an opening trap he has shown before. In the review: f3 is an inaccuracy. In pure Accelerated Dragon fashion White plays the bishop to c4 instead, drops it back to b3 after Black castles, and castles short. A memory aid: castle long against the Dragon, short against the Accelerated Dragon. The trouble with f3 is that White does not have the time to castle queenside. The famous trap comes after the bishop to c4 and the queen to b6: if White castles, the knight takes e4 and hits the knight on c3. White can hold with the knight jump to d5, but it is hard to remember, and Black keeps a practical initiative.
  4. 7...O-O 8.Qd2
  5. 8... d5 ...d5 to free the Dragon bishop Opening The move that grows naturally out of Black's development: d5, opening the position so the bishop on g7 makes itself felt.
  6. 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.e5 Nd7
  7. 11. f4 Two central pawns against none Pawn structure For now the bishop is shut out. How could it be let back in later? The f-pawn push chips away at White's chain. Normally you hit the base of a chain, but here there is no such luxury; the point is only to open the bishop, and it can wait. Better still would be c5 followed by d4: those two pawns could wreak havoc, because White has no central pawns beyond the two on e5 and f4. The review calls e5 and f4 a sensible approach.
  8. 11... e6 Pawns on the bishop's colour: an overrated rule Pawn structure Cement the d5 pawn and prepare c5. c5 has another benefit: the bishop on c8 is out of the game and its only real square is b7, so moving the pawns clears the long diagonal for it. The f-pawn push can come later, at Black's convenience. Asked after the game about putting pawns on the squares of his own bishop: that rule, he says, is an overrated trope.
  9. 12. Na4 Positionally right, tactically wrong Strategy The review names this as the real mistake. White should have concentrated on developing the kingside. The knight move is positionally perfect, but it falls to a tactic. White could have let Black's pawns run up the board and then fought for the squares they leave behind, perhaps aiming a knight at d6 - getting the pieces out and castling would at least keep the king out of the crossfire.
  10. 12... Nxe5 A loose knight on the queen's diagonal Tactics Black's convenience turns out to be now, with a tactic. He spotted it by noticing that the knight on a4 is undefended: loose pieces drop off, and undefended pieces are among the biggest precursors of tactics. And since White has played f4, look for tactics along the diagonal it opened: a queen landing on h4 sees the knight. Taking with the knight rather than the bishop, because there is no reason to part with the strong bishop. Black has solved the bishop problem without needing f6, and won a central pawn. White castling long would be ill-advised, with the bishop now wide open.
  11. 13.fxe5 Qh4+ 14.g3 Qxa4
  12. 15. Bd3 A piece is a poor blocker Piece play White prioritises development, which may well be right. The review shows what would have happened after the bishop to d4: the queen x-rays the bishop on its way to e4. A piece is notoriously bad at intercepting - a pawn is best for that, because a piece can be dislodged by attacking it. c5 is devastating: if the bishop takes, the queen goes to e4 and wins the rook.
  13. 15... Bxe5 Diminishing returns on extra pawns Strategy The second pawn is taken. There is a curve of diminishing returns when winning material. The first pawns, or a first piece, are worth a lot; after that, each extra pawn is worth less, because only so much material is needed for a decisive advantage. Weigh it against the time it costs.
  14. 16.Bh6
  15. 16... Bxb2 Take the pawn the retreat passes anyway Strategy Best is to take on b2, hitting the rook, and drop the bishop back to g7 once the rook moves. This is the careful kind of greed: the bishop was going back to g7 anyway, so it may as well collect a pawn on the way. Taking on a2 instead would let White castle, protecting the rook, with Black's queen misplaced. The third pawn was worth taking; the fourth is not.
  16. 17.Rb1 Bg7
  17. 18. h4 Ask what the move gives up General White does everything he can to cause trouble. It is not easy to deal with. Ask what the move's drawbacks are - easy to miss, because its strengths are what catch the eye. It leaves a backward pawn on g3, the key to White's king, and taking it would come with check.
  18. 18... Qg4 One queen move, two jobs Piece play Combine that with the queen on a4, which has done its job on the queenside and is now out of place. The queen to g4 kills two birds: it attacks the pawn and brings the queen back towards Black's own king, where it can help defend. In the review: an important move that shuts down White's play.
  19. White resigned
End of episode 22 · 0-1 ← 21. vs Cyber-Allard (1714)All games at 190023. vs KarateBaby (2235) →