The first game of the season after the xmas break, and it’s a home game against Elm Mount chess club. This game was pretty uninspiring really; there wasn’t any clear plan from either side and no major breaks to go chasing after either and it ended in the one agreed draw of my season, and while that was a bit of a gift considering where my game was, it was more because of exhaustion with the game than any real reason. So not the high point of the season really. The analysis doesn’t quite get it across, it just shows fairly solid progression for a Bodley-level game, it doesn’t quite convey the sheer stodginess of things:
Here’s the game with annotation:
[pgn eo=t autoplayMode=none pieceFont=alpha ss=64 ps=64 h=800 commentsDisplay=newline][Event “Bodley 2014”]
[Site “St.Benildus”]
[Date “2014.01.29”]
[Round “6”]
[White “Alex Goss”]
[Black “Mark Dennehy”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[WhiteElo “906”]
[ECO “D10i”]
[EventDate “2014.01.29”]
[Annotator “Stockfish 210214 64”]
1.d4
{+0.14
Okay, Slav time!}
1…d5
{+0.19}
2.c4
{+0.12}
2…c6
{+0.48}
3.Nc3
{+0.23}
3…Bf5
{+0.85}
4.h3
{+0.29
Not sure what that’s about…}
4…e6
{+0.24}
5.Bf4
{+0.01}
5…Nf6
{+0.27}
6.e3
{+0.11}
6…Be7
{+0.18}
7.c5
{-0.01}
7…O-O
{+0.07
Well, it’s a fairly stodgy opening and I’ve lost some ground in the
center. Should have swiped that c4 pawn before c5…}
8.Bd3
{-0.41}
8…Nbd7
{+0.15}
9.Nf3
{-0.31}
9…Be4
{+0.38}
10.Qc2 D
{-0.31}
10…Re8?! =
{+0.44 / -0.31
Stockfish’s suggested variation here might have opened things up a bit
more allright.}
10…Bxd3 11.Qxd3 b6 12.cxb6 Qxb6 =
11.Nxe4
{+0.33}
11…dxe4
{+0.41}
12.Bxe4 D
{+0.40}
12…Qa5+?! += D
{+1.25 / +0.40
Yeah, I have no idea why I thought this would work; I think I just had
board blindness to the Nd2 move.}
12…Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Qa5+ 14.Kf1 Nf6 15.Qc2 b6 16.cxb6 axb6 17.Kg1 Rec8
18.Kh2 Qd5 19.Rhc1 Rxa2 20.Rxa2 Qxa2 21.Ne5 c5 22.b4 Qxc2 23.Rxc2 Ne4
24.bxc5 bxc5 25.f3 =
13.Nd2? =
{-0.28 / +1.25}
13.Qd2 Qxd2+ 14.Nxd2 Nxe4 15.Nxe4 e5 16.dxe5 Nxc5 17.Nxc5 Bxc5 18.Ke2
Rad8 19.Rad1 Bb4 20.f3 Rxd1 21.Rxd1 +=
13…Nxe4
{-0.28}
14.Qxe4 D
{-0.35}
14…Nf6?! +=
{+0.95 / -0.35
And throwing away the (very slim) advantage. Poop.}
14…e5 15.Bxe5 Bxc5 16.Qc2 Bb4 17.a3 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Bxd2+ 19.Qxd2 Qxe5
20.O-O Rad8 21.Qb4 Rd7 22.Rad1 Red8 23.Qb3 Qc5 24.Rxd7 Rxd7 25.Rd1 Qb5
=
15.Qd3
{+0.45}
15…Rad8 D
{+0.91
If you don’t have a plan, make your position stronger.}
16.a3?! = D
{+0.00 / +0.91}
16.Ke2 Nd5 17.Bd6 b6 18.Bxe7 Rxe7 19.Rhc1 e5 20.Nb3 Qb4 21.a3 Qa4 22.
Kf1 exd4 23.Nxd4 bxc5 24.b3 +=
16…e5? +/-
{+1.89 / +0.00
Dammit, I don’t mind missing the trick so much as missing the opening
up of the game!}
16…Qxc5 17.Qxh7+ Kxh7 18.dxc5 Bxc5 19.Ke2 e5 20.Bg3 Nd5 21.Rac1 Bb6
22.Rhd1 Bc7 23.Nc4 f5 24.Bh4 Rc8 25.g4 g6 26.gxf5 gxf5 =
17.Bxe5 D
{+1.20}
17…g6? +-
{+3.35 / +1.20
After a lot of going nowhere, that’s the first real Bodley-level break
the game’s seen and of course it goes against me. Why I even paniced
about h7 I don’t know.}
17…Qxc5 18.f4 Qb6 19.O-O Nd7 20.Nc4 Qa6 21.Rfc1 Nxe5 22.Nxe5 Qxd3
23.Nxd3 Bh4 24.Ne5 f6 +=
18.b4
{+3.32}
18…Qa6
{+3.89
Feck. I didn’t want a queen exchange, but I’ve no choice now.}
19.Qxa6
{+3.97}
19…bxa6
{+3.99
Yay. Doubled pawns on the a-file. Just… perfect.}
20.g4
{+3.81}
20…Nd5
{+3.96}
21.Nc4
{+3.99}
21…f6
{+4.21}
22.Bg3
{+4.23}
22…Bf8
{+4.26}
23.Na5
{+4.09}
23…Rc8
{+4.25}
24.Nb7
{+3.78}
24…Nc3
{+3.86}
25.Nd6
{+3.73}
25…Bxd6
{+3.54}
26.Bxd6
{+3.27}
26…Ne4
{+3.64
There’s no real plan going on here, the game is as stodgy as it gets,
and we’re about to hit a rook endgame where I’m two pawns down. In
hindsight, I should have gotten up, taken a breather and settled back
down to keep on going and try to grind out a win, but on the day I was
just exhaused by the thought of that and accepted the draw. Stockfish
(and the skittles room) think I was too slow accepting the draw and
that I should have taken his hand off while doing so!}
26…Ne4 { 14:+3.61} 27.Bf4 Kg7 28.Ke2 h6 29.Rac1 Ng5 30.Bxg5 hxg5
31.h4 gxh4 32.Rxh4 g5 33.Rh5 Re4 34.Rch1 Rxg4 35.Rh7+ Kg6 36.Rxa7
1/2-1/2
[/pgn]
The team report on the match is here on the Benildus website (and yes, that “My Arse!” comment was as funny at the time as it sounds, in both senses of the word!)
Tags: bodley