[Skybird]

A word on Black 8... g5??

One learns from mistakes, and I think it is important that oyu get at least an idea what potential you gave away there, Lance.

the following are two computer-analysis, since that part of the match is over and nobody gains an advantage from seeing these computer results now. It gives you an idea, I hope, why I said that you are in the better position there. The first is by Hiarcs 10, which is the more modern engine of the two, the second by Fritz 8, two years older. Hiarcs is stronger in positional understanding and you see that he starts to rate the position better than Fritz from the beginning on. Fritz is older, and not so heavy in chess-knowledge. However, I let Hiarcs calculate into the future 20 moves, resulting in material advantage, and positional advantage. Fritz even made White resign before that number of moves.

Behind each move, you have two numbers, separated by a dash. The first gives the position evaluation in pawn-units, the theoretical value of one pawn is 1.0, positives are in favour of White, negatives in favour of Black. -2.3 means that the engines sees Black having an overall advantage worth 2.3 pawns. This evaluation takes into account much more than just material, but positional advantages as well. Since Hiarcs is stronger in that than Fritz, it rates the position more in Black's favour. - The second number simply displays how many half-moves the engine has calculated ahead before giving the actual move.

Maybe print the move list, for your convenience. But play both variations on your board, and see what could have been, and by that see what went wrong with 8...g5.


8.h2-h4



Hiarcs 10

8...d5xe4 -2.18/11
9.f2-f3 -2.05/12 f7-f5 -1.95/12
10.Qg3-e1 -2.09/13 e4xd3 -2.05/12
11.c2xd3 -2.09/14 Ng4-f6 -1.99/14
12.Qe1xe5 -1.93/13 c7-c5 -2.03/11
13.Nc3-e2 -2.11/13 Nd4-c6 -2.05/11
14.Qe5-c3 -2.13/12 Bc8-e6 -2.07/11
15.Ne2-f4 -2.05/11 Be6-f7 -2.06/11
16.Bc1–e3 -2.30/12 Be7-d6 -2.29/10
17.Ng1–e2 -2.19/11 Qd8-e7 -2.08/10
18.Be3-f2 -2.09/11 0–0 -2.11/10
19.Kd1–c1 -1.99/11 Nc6-d4 -2.13/10
20.Kc1–b1 -2.12/11 Rf8-e8 -2.19/10
21.Qc3-a5 -2.27/10 Bd6xf4 -2.38/10
22.Ne2xf4 -2.59/11 b7-b5 -2.46/11
23.Qa5-d2 -2.58/12 b5-b4 -2.65/12
24.Qd2-c1 -2.71/11 b4-b3 -2.59/11
25.h4-h5 -2.67/11 b3xa2+ -3.02/11
26.Ra1xa2 -3.05/12 Bf7xa2+ -3.29/11
27.Kb1xa2 -3.26/12 Ra8-b8 -3.34/11

Black leads by a Rook and a knight (8.3 points) versus two bishops (6.6 points). White'S king is naked, Black controls e-line with a double battery and fires on the b-line as well. White's bishops are in prison, so is his Rook h1. Blacks figure'S have better chances to act in harmony with each other, than White. White has no compnesation whatever for his losses.



Fritz 8

8...d5xe4 -1.97/9 3
9.f2-f3 -2.00/11 f7-f5 -1.75/11
10.h4-h5 -2.03/10 f5-f4 -2.00/10
11.Qg3-e1 -1.97/10 Be7-b4 -1.66/9
12.Bc1xf4 -1.41/9 Qd8-f6 -1.31/8
13.Ng1–h3 -1.53/8 e4xf3 -1.44/8
14.g2xf3 -2.34/10 0–0 -2.19/9
15.f3xg4 -2.72/10 Bc8xg4+ -2.41/10
16.Kd1–c1 -2.94/12 Bg4xh3 -2.31/9
17.Qe1xe5 -2.66/11 Ra8-e8 -2.59/10
18.Nc3-e4 -3.06/11 Qf6-f7 -3.13/10
19.Qe5-g5 -3.69/11 Nd4-e6 -3.38/10
20.Qg5-h4 -3.94/12 Bh3xf1 -3.88/10
21.Bf4-d2 -4.12/11 Bb4xd2+ -4.38/11
22.Ne4xd2 -4.59/12 Bf1–g2 -4.91/11
23.Rh1–d1 -5.09/11 Qf7-f4 -5.47/12
24. resign

Hopeless situation.


now check what yopu could have gotten into if White would have exploited your mistake correctly:



8...g5??

Hiarcs:
9.h4xg5 0.83/11 d5xe4 1.55/12
10.f2-f3 1.43/12 e4xd3 1.77/11
11.Bf1xd3 2.01/11 Nd4-f5 2.50/11
12.Qg3-e1 2.48/12 Nf5-d4 2.48/11
13.f3xg4 2.48/11 Bc8xg4+ 2.64/12
14.Ng1–f3 2.55/12 Qd8-d7 2.23/10
15.Qe1–g3 2.18/10 0–0–0 2.25/10
16.Kd1–e1 2.25/10 Bg4xf3 2.14/10
17.g2xf3 2.27/11 f7-f5 2.29/10
18.g5xf6 2.32/11 Be7xf6 2.31/10
19.Qg3-g4 2.31/11 h7-h5 2.39/10

See how the position evaluation immediately jumps to White's advantage by a huge increase, almost 3 pawn-units?

Black has lost a bishop for a pawn only, and the offensive potential of his position befor 8...g5 is gone. You were lucky with Letum's reply.