Chess Match: Shady Bill vs. Skybird

[Shady Bill]

I am considering the following;

1) c4; though a soft move, it challenges d5 directly, allowing me to trade a side pawn for a center square pawn.

2) Nf4; put real pressure on d5...the choking kind of pressure.

3) Qd2; this extends my presence to h6. Things are starting to hit close to home for black. I can see a possible forced exchange there between the two bishops that could benefit me.

4) f4; keep extending my pawn front forward. More subtle, but interesting.

5) 0-0; What seemed like a necessity 2-3 moves ago, now becomes a subtlety. Considering the sharper response of 0-0-0.

I want to make sure f-file remains locked in place; e7/f7 have to remain black territory.


I will have my move before the night ends. The beauty of chess is that the moves are, as they are. I am not entirely sure we have any influence over them.

[Shady Bill]

3 hours in now. I have stared at the board you posted+our next move.

There are many options.

“Unlike other games in which lucre is the end and aim, [chess] recommends itself to the wise by the fact that its mimic battles are fought for no prize but honor. It is eminently and emphatically the philosopher’s game.”


Chess is life

[Shady Bill]

10. c4


pawn from c3 to c4

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Shady Bill

10. c4

Oh-oh. At first quick glance this looks nice for me and not for you. I check how to devour best from this.

I feared f4, or Nf4. Qd2 also was uncomfortable (exchanging bishops on h6).

[Shady Bill]

haha yea I think my last move was a bit of a miss as I analyze my position more carefully. Things will now break open, we will see how it goes


Edit: "bit" is understatement. That was a blunder lol...Chess is a cruel mistress indeed...


Now I have to play the recovery game again, but might be too late depending on your next move. I think there is a win in there for you now if you shovel enough manure

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Shady Bill

10. c4

pawn from c3 to c4

Well, this is a turning point in my favour, i think.

your move 10. c3-c4 my move 10. ... / d5xc4

First blood of the match. Difficult start for me, but I am the one to bite first.

Blutbad am Morgen: Kummer und Sorgen.
Gemetzel am Abend: erquickend und labend.



I had a luxury problem here, the choice between cd:, dc:, and even Qa5+. cd: and dc: are not that different, Qa5+ would lead to another variation still advantageous for me. In all three I secure material and positional advantage.

An unwanted mishap on your side, mixed up the moves in your variations, or a lack of patience to boil me in my own brew? I am perplexed by your move. I expected f4 or Nf4, which would have kept me in the anaconda's loving and slowly tightening embrace.

[mapuc]

It's like reading Arabic for me..Trying to interpreter this into plain English

"the choice between cd:, dc:, and even Qa5+. cd: and dc: are not that different, Qa5+ would lead to another variation still advantageous for me. In all three I secure material and positional advantage."

Markus

[Shady Bill]

Even the board and pieces look menacing now


Let me study this....surely I can recover?? I must recover!!

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by mapuc

It's like reading Arabic for me..Trying to interpreter this into plain English

"the choice between cd:, dc:, and even Qa5+. cd: and dc: are not that different, Qa5+ would lead to another variation still advantageous for me. In all three I secure material and positional advantage."

Markus

It means that Black had the choice between c5xd4 and d5xc4. An exchange of material on the centre squares would follow that in both variations would result in quite similar or comparable positions once the fog of war lifts again. Well, not excatly, but roughly. Only Qd8-a5+ would lead into a variation where Black still gets material and positional advantage, but of a different look and kind.

Why I opted against the queen? Well, every opening has certain inherent strategic motives it aims to realise. And I think cd4: is the one most loyal to the original motives of the Pirc Defence, from Black's point of view. A little excursion for those who watch here but are not that deep into chess: what is the Pirc Defense about?

1. e4/d6 2.d3/Nf6 3. Nc3/g6, this is the basis of the Pirc. Bill tried to avoid the aggressive options Black has by derailing the train early and pushing us both into uncharted territory, instead of 3.Nc3 he played f3. To move the f-pawn to f4 later on is a common motive for White against the Pirc, and probably the most agressive strain of variations for White. Another later motive is to move c2-c4, also known in theory, to take space advantage on the Queens side of the board and support the centre.

The Pirc is called a modern or sometimes hyper-modern opening, becauue it is absolutely asymmetrical in strategic goals and by that violates many traditional classical strategemes of the chess times before: move pawns rarely in the opening, develope king's side pieces first, move nights before bishops, castle early, and so on and forth. Black does differently here. He leaves space advantage and the centre to white, while letting himself fall back and develope his officer pieces on the flanks, doing fianchetti (bishops moving to b2, g2, b7, g7), and getting developement advantage over White that he later uses to attack White'S centre with superior force from the flanks. While I type this, it reminds me a bit of what the Ukrainians currently do to the Russians: Russia stormed forward and gained space, the Ukrainians fell back, prepared forces on the flanks, and then with material superiority attacked and roll up the Russian centre from the flanks. Maybe they call the Pirc Defence the Ukrainian Defence from now on...

Back to the stuff, Black also wants to gain advantage later on by claiming territory on the Queen'S side of the board. White wants to push his centre pawns.

Bill perplexed me with f3, and followed immediately with not c4, but c3. I tried to follow the core ideas of the Pirc for Black, but his play blocked me from fully realising that. Experience shows that it is good for Black to keep his dark-fielded bishop and force White to trade his dark bishop for a night instead. Black'S bishop on g7 often is very dangerous, firing at the White centre from the hidden cave it is in, and making the king'S castle strongly defended at the same time. Thats why I always had moving h7-6 and Kg8-h7 on my radar screen, to defend h6, and g5. If Bill would have played not c4, but Qd2, the threat would have been his bishop moving to h6 next and enforcing the exchange with my bishop, because I have the Rook on f8 and thus cannot move the bishop away, White then would take my Rook. It woul have ended with his queen sitting way to close to my king, and the castel weakened. He would have had his further attack vector laid out before him.

Until here, I had not gotten the compensation Black is seeking in the Pirc. I needed to react to medium-term threats and had no tempo advantage as I hoped I would make count, or better, I had one tmepo more, or two, but wa sunable tio make them score heavier. I feared f4 most, followed by Nf4, because Black also wants to prevent White from pushing his centre pawns forward, and again I would have failed, probably, to prevent that. Thats why I considered f6 in that case, openign my kings position for the sake of creating a little chaos in his marching rows in the centre.

I meanwhilke think that my move d5 was not the best. I wnated ot play Rb8 with the idea of b7-b5, but he could eaisly spoil that with a2-a4, giving him even more space. e5 I also considered instead of d5. Well - complicated consequences. At this time I was not really happy with anythign there was available. I squirmed.

Until here, nothing has worked for me as I wanted it to. Now I win a pawn and positional advantage, I break open the tight space I was locked in, I gain opendiagonals for my bishops, and maybe can get the White king locked in the centre. I am extremely optimistic now. Yesterday evening my mood was muted. He said he wanted me to drag down in horse menure, and he did. The match was not decided, but I think his position had a visible offensive advantage, he stood better, while I was still strongly defended, but had no imminent options to start a counterattack, I only reacted, it would all have costed too much time once he started to push his attack. Then he made this mistake, c4. Bad luck.

What to expect from here on? Black will seek to turn his material advantage into a winning endgame and turning a pawn into a queen, or maybe, if possible, even will go for a checkmating attack. White will obviously try to prevent both. He will ty to keep the game complicated by avoiding exchanges, while Black will try to enforce right this: exchanging material and simplifying positions. The Pirc is known for keeping tight and crowded for long time, but we are out of opening now. The less material there is, the more one pawn more counts. Well, most often (thoug not always).

I rejoice - but this match is not yet over, and the victory is not yet secured. I still have work to do. So far I think Bill played better than I did, forced his will on me instead of the other way around.

[Shady Bill]

11.Bd3xc4



I am crippled with fear pretty much, staring at this position. It really shows that one bad move, can completely alter things almost instantly.
I have few options obviously and I am not seeing the intricacies of not capturing and instead running. I feel this might be better, but there are few places to go and I just don't see the move order.

I almost feel my move is forced. I also know Skybird has calculated this move to the nth degree. We are now playing on his terms, which is very bad. I lose on his terms.
I played the above move through to the end. I think it is bad, but not horrible. My center is gone. I am very worried I am not seeing it. Just not seeing the right move

This is the worse feeling for me, not losing, but being frozen in time, staring at the board for something you just can't see.

Here we go boys! Grab your shovels!!

[Shady Bill]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Bill perplexed me

Haha that is a recurring theme of the match This feeling you are experiencing is purely due to the fact that I play moves that are not the best moves, so for strong players and especially strong calculating players, it can be jarring to have to deal with unexpectedness.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Shady Bill

Haha that is a recurring theme of the match This feeling you are experiencing is purely due to the fact that I play moves that are not the best moves, so for strong players and especially strong calculating players, it can be jarring to have to deal with unexpectedness.

I must say when Skybird wrote "Bill Perplexed me" and your answer, Bill-Made me remember a game between Fischer and some Russian.

If I remember correctly.

Fischer was pressed in the defence when he suddenly offered his Queen-This made this Russian player so perplexed that he made some wrong moves and Fischer won the game.

Markus

[Shady Bill]

Originally Posted by mapuc

I must say when Skybird wrote "Bill Perplexed me" and your answer, Bill-Made me remember a game between Fischer and some Russian.

If I remember correctly.

Fischer was pressed in the defence when he suddenly offered his Queen-This made this Russian player so perplexed that he made some wrong moves and Fischer won the game.

Markus

Fischer's "mistakes" are never mistakes. My mistakes are just that, mistakes

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Shady Bill

11.Bd3xc4

your move 11. Bd3xc4 my move 11. ... / c5xd4

if your move is 12. Be3xd4 then my move 12. ... / Nd7xe5
if your move is 12. Ne2xd4 then my move 12. ... / Nd7xe5


After 12. ... /c5xd4

I almost feel my move is forced.
I also know Skybird has calculated this move to the nth degree.

Actually only 4-5 (full) moves, and much is more or less enforced, as you said.

[Skybird]

Fisher was a strange cosmological phenomenon, which should be treated less in chess books and more in physics books. In fact, I think he recognized a chess position with quite different eyes and cognitive perception patterns than the rest of us. After all, he ticked a little differently in other respects, too.