Annotated Game

Sometimes it is difficult to decide, which ones of your games to analyze in-depth. There is the lure of looking only at one's magnificient victories, and passing by those bitter defeats with a scoff and a passing thought of "how did I miss that one?" before moving on to the next game.

But what I think is really useful is looking at complicated games where both players made errors which were not completely obvious. The next game is like that, and despite managing to score the point in the end I can't claim it was very good play at all.

N.N - Lassila, T. (B22 - Sicilian, Alapin)

1. e4 c5
2. c3 Nf6

In my opinion the best attempt to get play against the Alapin. The knight can be harassed with e5 and sent on an Alekhine's Defense -type trip (3. e5 Nd5 4. c4 Nb6 5. d4) but the difference is that White has wasted one tempo on the move c3 so logically thinking his advantage should be less than in the Alekhine.

3. e5 Nd5
4. d4 cxd4

More usual is 4. Nf3.

5. cxd4 d6
6. Nf3 Nc6
7. Bc4 Nb6

7...Nc7!? 8. O-O d5 9. Bd3 g6 (9...Bg4 10. Nbd2 +/=) with idea of re-routing the knight through Ne6.

8. Bb3 d5

The idea is to weaken the white center pawns and prepare to invade c4 with a knight. The effect is that White starts running out of steam.

9. O-O Bg4

Forcing the reply Be3.

10. Be3 e6
11. Nbd2 Be7
12. a3 O-O

White has lost the thread somewhat and the black knights are looming, ready to jump to c4. Instead he might have tried 12. Rc1 O-O 13. Bc2 Nb4 14. Bb1 or maybe 12. Qe2 O-O 13. Rfc1.

13. Ba2 Na5
14. b4?! Nac4

Playing straight into Black's hand. Now dislodging the knight from c4 will be tough. Instead 14. Rc1 Rc8 15. Qe2 and it's not clear what the knight is doing on a5.

15. Nxc4 Nxc4

Or 15. Bb3 Rc8 (15...f5!? 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Qe2 Nxd2 18. Qxd2 Nc4 19. Qd3 b5 gives White some positional compensation as the pawn on e6 is weak) 16. Qe2 Nxd2 17. Bxd2 Nc4 18. Rfc1 b5 and Black is better.

16. Bb1 b5
17. h3 Bh5

Position after 17...Bh5

18. Qe1?! Bxf3

Better is 18. Qc2 (18. Qe2 a5 19. Qc2 and transposes) Bg6 19. Qb3 a5 =/+. After 18. Qe1, the white queen is hampering the development of the f-rook.

19. gxf3 Bh4

Here my idea is to take away the bishop pair from White as 20. Bc1?! f5! 21. f4 a5 is very good for Black. But instead White can happily offer to give away the bishop and instead try to forge an attack down the g-file. We are approaching a critical stage of the game.

20. Kh2 Nxe3

Maybe better was to keep the strong knight with 20...f6 21. f4 fxe5 22. fxe5 Rf3 23. Qe2 Nxe3 24. fxe3 Rxf1 25. Qxf1 Qg5 with winning chances.

21. Qxe3 a6

There are some tricks already for Black. For example 21...a5 22. Rg1 when 22...axb4? fails to 23. Qh6! g6 24. Bxg6 fxg6 25. Rxg6+ hxg6 26. Qxg6+ Kh8 27. Qh6+ Kg8 28. Rg1+ Bg5 29. Rxg5+ Qxg5 30. Qxg5+ and the White kingside pawns will roll.

22. Rg1 f5

This pawn push had to be played at the right time to free the f7-square for the rook.

23. Ba2 Rc1?

Overlooking 24. Qh6! Rf7 (24...g6?? 25. Rxg6+ hxg6 26. Qxg6+ etc.) 25. Qxe6 Bxf2 26. Rg2! (26. Rgd1 Rc4! 27. Bxc4 dxc4 with near equality) Bxd4 27. Re1 Rc4 28. Bxc4 dxc4 29. Qxa6 +/-. It is difficult to go from having a good position and active play to being the defender. Lucky for me, it is equally difficult to start attacking from what at first glance appears to be an inferior position.

24. Rac1?! Qe7

Finally waking up to the threat of Qh6.

25. Rc5 Kh8

Still dreaming of putting a rook on the g-file and playing g5. At this point the correct plan was to also double on the c-file and try to simplify into an endgame of some kind of advantage.

26. Rgc1 Rxc5
27. Rxc5 g5

27. dxc5 g5 28. c6 g4 29. c7 Rc8 30. fxg4 fxg4 31. hxg4 Rxc7 32. Rxc7 Qxc7 33. Kh3 Be7 34. Qh6 Qxe5 35. Bb1 Qg7 36. Qxe6 and a draw is reached.

28. Qe2 Rg8

28. Rc6 Qd7 29. Rxa6?! Qc8 30. Rd6 Qc2 31. Bb3 Qb2 -/+.

29. Qc2 g4!

The c-file has been lost, but the white king is in perilous waters.

30. fxg4 fxg4

Position after 30...fxg4

31. Rc7? g3+

White doesn't appreciate the gravity of the situation. He should have played 31. Rc8 Qg7 32. Rxg8+ Qxg8 33. hxg4 Qxg4 34. Bb1 Qg8 35. Kh3 to diffuse the attack with equality.

32. fxg3 Bxg3+

I calculated 32. Kh1 gxf2 33. Rxe7 g1=Q+ 34. Kh2 Bg3#, but of course almost anything wins here.

33. Kh1 Qh4

Or 33. Kg1 Bxe5+ 34. Kf1 Bxc7 -+.

34. Qg2 Bf2

The simple 34...Bxe5 was enough to win cleanly since there is no satisfactory defense to both Qf1# and Qe4#.

35. Qf3 Qe4?

Repeating the threat with 35...Bg3 was still enough to win. Suddenly White wins a pawn and is even better.

36. Qxe4 dxe4
37. Bxe6 Rd8

This is the wrong way to try to stop the pawns. Much better was 37...Rg1+ 38. Kh2 Rg5 +/=.

38. d5 Bd4

38. Bf5 e3 39. Kg2 Rxd4 40. e6 e2 41. Rxh7+ Kg8 42. Kxf2 Rf4+ 43. Kxe2 Rxf5 is a winning rook endgame for White. Despite all the blunders I am still fighting for the draw.

39. Bf5 e3?

Another chance for White. 40. Rxh7+ Kg8 41. Rh4 Bxe5 42. Be6+ Kg7 43. Re4 Bd6 44. Rxe3 is winning. Instead 39...Rxd5 40. Bxe4 Rxe5 41. Rxh7+ Kg8 42. Rh4 Bb2 43. Bb7 Bxa3 44. Bxa6 and Black should hold.

40. e6?! e2
41. Rc1 Rxd5
42. e7?? Re5

If you've lost count of how many times the advantage has shifted back and forth, I can't blaim you. With both players playing on the edge, we get a marvellous demonstration of the old axiom that the game is won by the player to commit the penultimate blunder. The finish is short and sweet. Black wins! After 42. Bg4 Re5 43. Re1 Kg7 44. Rxe2 Rxe2 45. Bxe2 Kf6 the result would have been a draw.

43. Rc8+ Kg7

Too late does White realize that his planned 44. e8=Q fails as Black queens with check and mates.

44. e8=N+ Kh6
45. Rc6+ Kg5
46. h4+ Kf4 0-1

Having run out of checks White resigned. It is not clear whether Black deserved to win like this after all the mistakes he made, but alas chess, like life itself, is seldom fair.