drunknknite
He was winning,
but he didn't see it
and I escaped - as usual.

-Levon Aronian

Gafni-Garingo II

By drunknknite
So coincidentally I got paired with Garingo once again. I have never felt more comfortable playing a chess game. After last game I guess I have rid myself of the tension. I am confident in my moves and my ability and I am able to find very strong ideas and make them work (for both sides). I still have a smile on my face from this game...


(This game does not have annotations in Chess Publisher because I normally just annotate the game in ChessBase and then hit File>Send>Send Game...TXT, which brings up the game in text, then just Copy and Paste, but this time I did that and it didn't work at all, so I'm just going to post the annotations here and the game from Chess Publisher)



Because boxing has been a recent topic of discussion. And because I happened to catch the Mayweather-Hatton fight earlier tonight (another happy coincidence). And because I think boxing and chess have a lot in common (if you agree, tell me why you think so). I have decided to throw some boxing analogies in my annotation.

Gafni,Kevin (1956) - Garingo,Nathaniel (2105) [C18]
Return December (1), 06.12.2007

Round 1: Definition of Pawn Structure

1.e4 e6!? Last time he played the Dragon 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 This position is the Main Line of the French and dates back to the 30's
7...0-0!?

[7...Qc7 The famous "Poisoned Pawn" variation (the Najdorf isn't the only one) 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2 An interesting position; 7...Kf8 is the other main alternative to 0-0]

If Round 1 is any indication, this is going to be a lively fight.

Round 2: White's Kingside Play Against Black's Queenside Play

8.Bd3 Nbc6 [8...Qa5 is an alternative that has recently become popular]

9.h4?! Although this move becomes useful in the game, it is too slow

[9.Qh5!? is very strong here 9...Ng6 (9...h6? 10.Bxh6 gxh6 11.Qxh6 Nf5 12.Bxf5 exf5 13.0-0-0!) 10.Nf3;
9.Bg5!? Qa5 10.Ne2 cxd4 11.f4 dxc3 12.0-0 Ng6 13.Qh5 with attack; 9.Nf3 is the old move, but after 9...f5 Black can achieve equality in all known lines, this is the line Garingo had prepared]

9...Qa5 10.Bd2 f5

[Nathaniel suggested 10...Qa4 which pins the d4 pawn 11.Qh5 Ng6 (11...Nf5 12.g4 g6 13.Qg5 Nfxd4 14.Qf6! Nxc2+ 15.Kf1 winning on the spot) 12.Nf3 cxd4 13.Ng5 h6 14.Nxf7 Rxf7 15.Bxg6 with advantage]

11.Qg3 c4?? Black loses all counterplay with this move, this is a strategic error that makes itself felt over the course of the entire game [11...Qa4!? threatens the d4 pawn and 12.dxc5 leaves White with targets]

12.Be2 Bd7?! 13.Nh3 Qa4

14.Nf4! A light jab to leave myself looking open.

[14.Ra2!?+- Black's play has been brought to a complete stop, his pieces are in gridlock (the knight on c6 has nowhere to go while the knight on e7 and the bishop are headed to c6!! And Black's Queen after spending two moves hopping out, must turn back). I was aware of this idea in this variation and I saw the move during the game. But I got caught up in the moment and didn't realize how much time I had to let this position come together. 14...Kh8 (14...f4! I was explaining the merit of this move to Grant after the game, the Black knight needs f5 more than Black needs the f-pawn 15.Nxf4 Nf5 16.Qg4 b5 17.Nh5 Kh8 18.0-0 b4 19.Rb1 (19.cxb4?! Ncxd4) 19...b3 20.cxb3 cxb3 21.Rab2 Rab8 22.Bc1 Na5 This position is not easy to evaluate, it is very easy for either side to go wrong) 15.Nf4 h6 16.0-0 b5 One move late Black is deprived of all play...]

14...Kh8?

[14...Qxc2 15.Nh5 Ng6 16.Rc1 Qa4 17.Nxg7! f4 18.Qg5 At move 14 I saw this position and I saw my pieces are active and his are still doing nothing, I saw the beginning of his best line above and saw that he is having a much easier time finding moves, I like to hold the initiative for very long periods of time, and grind opponents down. This is why I chose this position over the one above. It is comforting to know that in both cases I found his strongest plan, even though he played a weaker move.]

15.h5! I land a right.(This move is dedicated to the Egg for calling me a n00b (sparfy recently said he feels like a n00b when he advances his h-pawn) )

15...Qxc2?! He tries to fight back, but I land a nasty hook.

16.Ng6+! Say hello to my little friend!

[16.Bc1!! Deep prophylaxis, Fritz finds this pretty move, rendering Black's queen not only harmless, but a serious liability, this is a very instructive move, it teaches me to pause the attack and look at the other moves. The Queen will have to move, Ng6 is still going to be there. An interesting lesson on chess time.]

16...Kg8 Nathaniel gets back up but there is blood above his right eye.

[16...Nxg6?? 17.hxg6 h6 18.Rxh6+ gxh6 19.Qh4 I saw this position and stopped because everything except Fritz's desperate attempt is obviously mate 19...Qxd2+ (19...Kg7 20.Qxh6+ Kg8 21.Qh7#) 20.Kxd2 Kg7 21.Rh1 h5 22.Bxh5 Be8 23.Bf3 Bxg6 24.Bh5 Bxh5 25.Qxh5 Rg8 26.Qg5+ Kf7 27.Qf6+ Ke8 28.Rh7 still mating relatively quickly;
16...hxg6?? 17.hxg6+ Kg8 18.Rh8+ Kxh8 19.Qh4+ Kg8 20.Qh7# is fun]

17.Nxf8 Rxf8

I definitely got the better of him that round.

Round 3: Queen Play

18.Qf4 Qb2? awfully shallow

19.0-0 Na5 20.Rab1

[20.Rfb1! Qc2 21.Bd1! forces his queen to remain in enemy territory]

20...Qc2 21.Rfc1 Qe4 [21...Qa4!?] 22.Bd1

[22.Qxe4 dxe4 allows Black some breathing room]

Neither of us has been able to get anything going so far this round, and Black backs off but stays within reach.

22...Be8??

23.Qg5! His back is to the ropes

23...Nec6?! 24.f3!

[24.h6!! here I fail to find a knockout blow because I didn't think he would get through the round anyway, there is nothing wrong with just working that cut, but I had plenty of time and he was in the corner with his hands down. First things first, don't allow any counterblows, then throw the winning punch]

24...h6!

[Of course not 24...Qd3?? 25.Bc2 h6 too late 26.Qf4 Qe2 27.Re1 closed games take the punch out of the heavy pieces]

25.fxe4! I get the better of him in a violent exchange of blows to the face.

[25.Qg3? f4 the Queen escapes via f5]

25...hxg5 26.exd5 exd5 27.Bxg5

Now he could hardly see out of his left eye. I really don't know how they closed that cut up enough that he could continue to fight, but I got it open about 15 seconds into the next round...

Round 4: The d5 pawn

27...Bf7

28.Rb5! Note that the Bishop on g5 since recently becoming active now prevents Black from defending the d pawn with Ne7 or Rd8 (and it's the bad bishop...) this is the inspiration for the rest of the game, two attackers against one defender

28...b6?

[28...a6 29.Rb6 and Black must give his queenside pawns just to untangle his pieces]

29.Bf3 Kh7 30.Re1! Be6? 31.Bxd5 a6 32.Rxa5! The ref stopped the fight, there was blood all over the place. 1-0

This was a dominating performance. I feel like every game I play is better than my last. Garingo still beats me in blitz because I play "Romantic Era" chess when I play blitz, but I think that going 2-0 against him in consecutive weeks humbled him a little bit. (I don't think I'll have to see 1 e4 2 c5 3 Qh4 again...)

Many thanks to Lev Psakhis for his amazing work on the French. I have cited some lines (9 h4 is not analyzed anywhere and has only been played by masters twice in my database) from his 250 page text on 3 Nc3 Bb4 briefly (I cannot emphasize enough how briefly, the final chapter of his book is 24 pages dedicated to 7 Qg4 0-0).
 

15 comments so far.

  1. Anonymous December 9, 2007 at 10:21 AM
    16.Bc1 aesthetically looks wrong to me. With Fritz's help, the follow-up seems to be 16...Rae8?! (defying the necessity of a queen retreat) 17.Bd1 Qe4+ 18.Kd2!? (I would reject a line that required this move to trap a queen, but that's why I won't become master for a long time.) 18...Nxd4 19.Re1! Nb3+ 20.Bxb3 cxb3 21.Rxe4 fxe4. So here we are 12 half-plys from the position before 16.Bc1. I get discouraged by variations like these that are so inaccessible.
  2. Anonymous December 9, 2007 at 10:43 AM
    Quite impressive, Kevin. You know that your game is good when there aren't large inaccuracies. I am really interested in technique these days, winning the won game cleanly without allowing the swindle. Here 24.h6 gives you a little to be humble about, but again, quite impressive. I like the boxing dramatization a lot. You'll have fresh meat for the grinder next week, possibly our club champion.
  3. Anonymous December 9, 2007 at 10:45 PM
    Nice game!

    because I play "Romantic Era" chess when I play blitz

    I know what you're saying ;)

    TCOEM
  4. Anonymous December 9, 2007 at 10:47 PM
    I mean i know what you mean. I tend to play "Romantic Era" chess when I play blitz myself.

    TCOEM
  5. drunknknite December 10, 2007 at 2:29 PM
    16.Bc1 looks aesthetically pleasing to me... I like these kinds of unconventional solutions to the game. The point is that even though it makes the Rook look funny, it protects the square b2, which basically turns the queen into a bishop, the only squares it can go to are e4 and a4, the knight on f4 protects d3 as well, so all the squares are covered, it's not so much the length of time it takes to make this happen, but the idea that there will be nowhere for the queen to go. Just like king safety, queen safety can be a positional theme. Especially in closed positions, I learned a lot about these closed positions from analyzing this game.
  6. drunknknite December 10, 2007 at 2:31 PM
    Edwin, I just like sacrificing material so much I don't really care if I win or lose.
  7. SamuraiPawn December 11, 2007 at 3:38 AM
    Great game and annotations! Learned a lot.
  8. SamuraiPawn December 11, 2007 at 4:19 AM
    Off topic: I have a vague recollection of you mentioning that you used to play the Vienna in your earlier chess years. So I thought I would ask you something about the Oxford variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.d3...) which I play. Some sources say that it is unsound since black can get a draw by repetition if he knows what he's doing while others say there are ways around it. Do you know anything about this?
  9. Liquid Egg Product December 11, 2007 at 6:10 AM
    This is very well done. Black's 11th move was really surprising; did you ever find out what he was thinking? This is not a mistake I'd expect from an expert.

    Perhaps HBO will pick up Gafni-Garingo III for PPV...

    Do you know about the sport of chess boxing, yes?

    There's also the movie Mystery of Chess Boxing, which isn't bad if you like that sort of thing.
  10. drunknknite December 11, 2007 at 10:41 AM
    Thank you all!

    LEP - Move 11 is one of those moves that doesn't look so bad until after the game, it's one of those cookie cutter plans that works in a lot of situations and then fails in some, like this. If chess matches were on HBO PPV I think I would have worked a lot harder at it as a kid. I came across this chess boxing a while ago, seems cool enough, maybe I'll check out that movie.
  11. Chessaholic December 11, 2007 at 4:34 PM
    Nice game and really instructive annotation. Just out of curiosity: how long does it take you to annotate a game like this? And how do you go about it? Do you set the game up on a board and play the moves over, or do you enter it into Fritz and go from there? I'm trying to improve on how I analyze my own games so any pointers would rock.
  12. Liquid Egg Product December 12, 2007 at 7:22 AM
    Ironically, move 11 is one of those moves that my lesser chess knowledge would have prevented!

    I haven't encountered the French much at all, but I'm aware that Black pressure on d4, undermining the center is one of the potential plans. So I have no clue what Black what trying to generate with c4, which simply looks to me like (uselessly) locking up the Queenside.

    Mystery of Chess Boxing is an 80's Chinese kung-fu flick, so you know what you're getting into.
  13. drunknknite December 12, 2007 at 1:16 PM
    Chessaholic - This game took between 6-8 hours to analyze like this. I first put the game in ChessBase with the variations I thought were particularly interesting, and I have a board next to my computer that I usually leave a position I am interested in on (in this case the position after 8 Bd3 sat on the board for 2 days (this also reminds me to continue my analysis if I get distracted)). At this point I have not used an engine. Then I go through the opening in whatever sources I have and try to find how I want to play in the future in this position. Then I put those lines in. Then I go from there with an engine and I note lines that I missed or lines that are particularly complicated where the evaluation is not clear for the first few moves. Usually I do not attempt to solve these positions immediately, I just note the move or the idea and keep going. By doing this I can identify the critical times of the game.

    (I would define a critical moment as a move or series of moves where the evaluation of the game changes)

    Then the real work begins. At each critical moment I try to answer the following questions (these are off the top of my head but still should be helpful): How did the position become critical, what makes it critical? What are the variations before and during this moment that lead to different types of positions and how do these positions differ from the game? Why did I choose this continuation? Why did he choose this continuation? What are the long-term plans? What are the short-term plans? What is the best move?

    Then I try to find ideas in the game that I take for granted but that the average club player would not and I add explanation of those concepts.

    Then I add a little color commentary.

    And Voila!
  14. drunknknite December 12, 2007 at 1:23 PM
    It feels a little funny answering your question however as I have very little experience annotating my own games (I would say more than half my work on this topic is posted on this blog).

    I wrote an earlier post called "I Work Harder for An Audience" because I probably wouldn't do such hard work if I didn't think anyone else was going to see it. But just knowing that you guys will read it, let along be interested in it, is enough to spend the 6+ hours analyzing this game. Thanks for the support.
  15. Chessaholic December 12, 2007 at 3:13 PM
    Thanks a bunch for your response, it's what I was hoping for and more. Very useful pointers! I find that one difference between me and higher rated players at my club is the way we approach analysis and annotation. I don't think I've ever spent 6-8 hours analyzing a game of mine, but clearly this would be very beneficial. Your post, and your answer here in the comments, has given me new motivation to do so. And now I have an improved idea of how to go about it. Much appreciated!

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