Here's a fun game. Seychelles v Lebanon rd3, board 2.
2. Pillay, Ragul 0-1 Sakr, Nassim
Black does seem to invite trouble throughout, especially with the final blunder, defiantly keeping the Rook on the g-file.
Proof also that the Bird is a fine opening.
Sorry, cant recall how to post with viewer.
its here too; http://ugra-chess.com/liveboard?gameid=1001030672
1. f4 d5
2. Nf3 Nf6
3. e3 Nc6
4. Be2 Bf5
5. d3 e6
6. O-O Bd6
7. b3 Qe7
8. Bb2 O-O-O
9. Nbd2 Rhe8
10. Ne5 Bxe5
11. fxe5 Nd7
12. Nf3 f6
13. exf6 gxf6
14. Nh4 Nb6
15. Qd2 d4
16. Rae1 dxe3
17. Qxe3 Nd5
18. Qf2 Qd7
19. a3 Rg8
20. b4 a6
21. Nxf5 exf5
22. c4 Nb6
23. Bxf6 Rdf8
24. Ba1 Rg6
25. d4 Nd8
26. d5 Qa4
27. Qf3 a5
28. c5 Nd7
29. Rb1 Rfg8
30. Rf2 Rg5
31. c6 Nb8
32. cxb7+ Nxb7
33. bxa5 Qc2
34. Bd3 Qc5
35. Bxf5+ Nd7
36. g3 Nd6
37. Be6 R8g6
38. Qf8+
1-0
Linda lost as Malawi crashed to Thailand 4-0.
You can practically trace the whole loss to one silly pawn move.
Here Linda (White to play).
She played 14.c3 and the backward d-pawn on the open file was a target for
Black who doubled Rooks on the d-file and eventually won it.
And that's it I'm afraid as I have just found Malawi have a bye in their last round.
(surely the organisers could have knocked together a 4 girl reserve team to
make the numbers even).
So Linda finishes P.10 W.3 D 4 L3 = 5pts 50% not bad and she did have those
two wins slipping through her fingers.
GP, I don't think 14.c3 was such a bad move... You'll have to forgive me for my barbarian thinking, but all other things being equal, I'd say the color with the central pawn has the advantage. White's opening betrayed her and she's trying to back-track to equality...
All she needed to do was play 17.Ra2 and her concept works:
The rook's going to swing over to d2 to support the d4 thrust. I couldn't believe it when she put the queen in FRONT. Seems like a beginners mistake to me. I thought the Ra2 to d2 maneuver was half the point of 15.b4...
After 18.Rd2 I don't think white would have anything to complain about. All her pieces would be reasonably placed and d6's not really an exploitable weakness. If she wanted something more from the opening she should have played a main line.
Originally posted by DivGradCurlI like your plan, but I think it merely somewhat mitigates white's 14th move rather than justify it. Even if white does manage to force through d4 and liquidate her weakness, she is probably facing the poorer side of a "bishop vs knight with pawns on both sides of the board" ending.
GP, I don't think 14.c3 was such a bad move... You'll have to forgive me for my barbarian thinking, but all other things being equal, I'd say the color with the central pawn has the advantage. White's opening betrayed her and she's trying to back-track to equality...
All she needed to do was play 17.Ra2 and her concept works:
[fen]r2r2k1/1pp1qppp/p ness. If she wanted something more from the opening she should have played a main line.
I think the assumption "other things being equal" is accurate, but does not apply here- black has a good bishop, no weaknesses, and a clear plan of attack in the form of the weak d-pawn.
And of course both sides each have one center pawn.
On balance, I think white's 14th move made her position worse, not better, and the fact that white would have to play several moves to mitigate it is not a good sign.
Edit: I think GP and I made the same error- if we think 14. c3 is inferior, we are obligated to indicate an improvement. My first considerations would be 14. Re1 and Qe1- the former move indirectly pressurizes the black e-pawn and x-rays the black queen, while the latter also eyeballs the e-pawn and allows a queenside deployment along the d1-a4 diagonal if the opportunity arises.
This is one of those positions where it is drawish unless one player creates a weakness that the other one can exploit. These games aren't won so much as they are lost, and the other guy (or gal) gets the point.
I think that white could incorporate a plan with c3 followed by d4, but usually the player lines everything else up, and plays c3 immediately before d4.
As I said in my note.
"This weakens the d-pawn on an open file but not deadly if followed with d4."
White just left the pawn on d3, Black ganged up on it and eventually won it.
There was no need to play c3, this just gave Black ideas and play revolved
the d3 pawn with White not handling the position she had given herself correctly.
The less responsibilty you give your pieces the move freedom they have.
Suddenly it was all hands on deck to hold the d3 pawn.
She did have a chance of some counter play with Rb6.
(I can see a bucket full of OTB traps here).
Black's move allowing the Knight to be pinned was surely wrong.
Originally posted by greenpawn34Whoops- just me, then!
As I said in my note.
"This weakens the d-pawn on an open file but not deadly if followed with d4."
White just left the pawn on d3, Black ganged up on it and eventually won it.
There was no need to play c3, this just gave Black ideas and play revolved
the d3 pawn with White not handling the position she had given herself correctly.
The less ...[text shortened]... ket full of OTB traps here).
Black's move allowing the Knight to be pinned was surely wrong.
