Blitz Game
Another Blitz game!
I seem to not be getting the time for the long thoughtful games at the moment but I am sure that soon I will have some to share with you!
In the following game I am playing black and the opening is a Queens Pawn opening. Generally I am used to playing against the Queens Gambit and I have not studied other Queens Pawn openings enough to be consistent, so my opening is most probably flawed and shows me I need to study some more openings! I do however gain an advantage along the way and take the win.
White – Yblok
Black – Matthew
1. Nc3 d5 2. d4 Bf5 3. Nf3 e6 4. h3 Bb4
Bb4 is not the greatest move as it loses a tempo as white develops his bishop to d2 and stops the pin. Better may have been c5 straight away or h6.
5. Bd2 c5
Breaking through with c5. Looking to open the c file.
6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. Nb5 a6
Pushing the knight away.
8. Nbd4 Qb6
The simple threat is Nxf5 leads to Bxf2 and Checkmate. White must therefore leave his knight at d4 and protect it further.
9. e3 Be4 10. Be2 Nf6 11. Nb3 Nbd7 12. O-O O-O
Both black and white castle king side and the game is now fairly equal. I want to start putting pressure on the c file and maintaining diagonals aimed at whites castled king.
13. Qe1 Qc7 14. Nxc5 Nxc5
White trades his Knight for my dark squared Bishop. Opening up the game a bit.
15. Bb4 b6s 16. a3 Nfd7 17. Ng5 Bg6 18. Qd1 h6 19. Nf3 a5
Looking to push the Bishop away. Tempting Bishop takes Knight.
20. Bxc5 bxc5
Bishop takes Knight then Pawn takes Knight. Redirecting my attack to the b file. I like this more then Knight takes as it allows you to push c4 later to either attack the weaknesses or block the centre and the c file.
21. Bd3 Ne5 22. Nh4 Nxd3
Swapping my Knight for the Bishop and leaving his Knight over on the side of the board where it lacks purpose and leaving my Bishop well placed on h7 with a large diagonal line to the Queen side.
23. cxd3 Bh7 24. Rc1 Rfb8
Attacking down the b file.
25. d4?…
Not a great move for white as it opens up the diagonal line of the Bishop and also allows black to bottle up the centre and place more pressure on the b file with c4.
…c4 26. Qd2 a4
Bottling up the b file even more and leaving the backward pawn on b2 even more vulnerable.
27. f4 Rb3 28. Rc3 Rab8 29. Rxb3 Rxb3
Trading Rooks doesn’t do too much here as the recapture leaves white with basically the same problems he already had. The Rook cant protect the pawn as the black Bishop controls the c2 and b1 squares.
30. Rc1 Qb8?
Not blacks best move as it allows the white Queen to get in. Qb6 seems to be stronger.
31. Qa5 Be4 32. Nf3 Rxe3
The attack switches to the centre of the board.
33. Rc3 Re2
Back to attacking that b pawn.
34. Qb4 Qxb4
Black could take the pawn straight away with the Rook but after Qxb8 then Rxb8 black would not win the extra pawn. So Qxb4 straight away is the stronger move.
35. axb4 Rxb2
Black has broken through on the b file and white cannot save their b pawn. Black now has two passed pawns that should give him the win.
36. b5 Rxb5
Now black just has to push his passed pawns to the end.
37. Nd2 f5 38. Ra3 Bc2 39. Nf3 Bb3 40. Nd2 c3 41. Nxb3 Rxb3 0-1
After Nxb3 the quickest way to finish the game is Rxb3 as if white then plays Rxa4 the response is c2 Ra1 Rb1+ forcing the exchange of Rooks and then black promotes when he recaptures.
The other alternative for white is Ra1 c2 Rc1 Rb1 and the white Rook is pinned to the King and black wins.
Hope you enjoyed the game! Will be on the look out for boards with notation to use in the future on the blog to make it easier to follow along.