For RahimK

Originally posted by Wulebgr
Whew!

I survived my battle this evening with the Kid.

[Event "Winter Club Championship"]
[Site "River City"]
[Date "2006.02.09"]
[Round "4"]
[White "The Kid"]
[Black "Wulebgr"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C15"]
[WhiteElo "1652"]
[BlackElo "1600"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2006.01.19"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd3 Ne7 5. e5 c5 6. Nf3 Nbc ...[text shortened]... 7 22. Qd3 Qxc4 23. Qxd7 Bf6 24. Bxf6 Rxf6 25. Qe7 Qe2 26. Rf1 Qxf2+
0-1

Nice game. I love those games that are just so simple and natural you know what I mean. Like look at your game after the opening, it's so natural, some tactics here and there, like it flows. I love them.

One comment though.

11.Qb8 keeping the pressure on the e pawn. How will he defend it?

say 12.Re1 natural looking right?

12...a6 13.Nc3 Nd4 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 and it's equal here.

12.Bxg6 hxg6 is also possible, White's best move, giving you an open h-file to attack along, althought your king might be a problem here.

My fritzy don't like 11.Qd8. 0.5 point blunder.

Nice game, like the tactics in the ending.

Originally posted by welsharnie
Na5 from the diagrammed position?

Na5 for black. Thats the only piece i can see that can join the attack the fastest

Originally posted by Grandmouster
Na5 for black. Thats the only piece i can see that can join the attack the fastest

Na5 does what exactly?

Rf2 and what can call it a day. See the previous post I made along with others.

Originally posted by Grandmouster
Na5 for black. Thats the only piece i can see that can join the attack the fastest

The next morning, after accepting the draw, I turned on my computer, fired up Fritz, played Rf2!, and the machine was humbled in under two minutes. After Rf2, all white can do is delay, and the longest delay comes when the white queen immolates herself with a few spite checks.

Originally posted by RahimK
Nice game. I love those games that are just so simple and natural you know what I mean. Like look at your game after the opening, it's so natural, some tactics here and there, like it flows. I love them.

One comment though.

11.Qb8 keeping the pressure on the e pawn. How will he defend it?

say 12.Re1 natural looking right?

12...a6 13.Nc3 Nd4 14.Nx ...[text shortened]... fritzy don't like 11.Qd8. 0.5 point blunder.

Nice game, like the tactics in the ending.

10. ... Qc7 was an error, and 11. ... Qd8 may have compounded the error. I agree that Qb8 looks better there. From that point, white was in the driver's seat. Even after my combination that scored the rook on a1, 19.Bg5 seems to give white the upper hand.

I looked at 10. ... Nd4 and rejected it for reasons that become less clear the longer I let Fritz run on the position, as black gains a slight advantage from 10. ... Nd4 11.Nxd4 Bxd4.

I wasn't worried about an exchange on g6 before I castled, because with the center closed, the black king can find security on f8. Even more so if the h-file becomes the playground for a black rook.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
10. ... Qc7 was an error, and 11. ... Qd8 may have compounded the error. I agree that Qb8 looks better there. From that point, white was in the driver's seat. Even after my combination that scored the rook on a1, 19.Bg5 seems to give white the upper hand.

I looked at 10. ... Nd4 and rejected it for reasons that become less clear the longer I let Fritz run ...[text shortened]... g can find security on f8. Even more so if the h-file becomes the playground for a black rook.

Kf8 in the french still baffles me. Why bother moving him at all?

Kf8 does get him off the center file but f file could still be opened. I just don't like it cus the rooks aren't connected.

Originally posted by RahimK
Kf8 in the french still baffles me. Why bother moving him at all?

Kf8 does get him off the center file but f file could still be opened. I just don't like it cus the rooks aren't connected.

I anticipated that I might need to move my king if a knight came to d6 with check, a possibility if the game developed just a little differently.

If you need connected rooks, then don't take up the French. There are lines where you've gotta suck it up and live with such discomforts. On the other hand, in some variations of the Winawer, black castles queenside (putting the king on a half-open file), but then connecting the rooks where they can battle a passed white h-pawn.

The first time I played the French against The Kid was last April. I adopted the McCutcheon system in that game (not for the faint-hearted).

[Event "Taxing Quads"]
[Site "River City"]
[Date "2005.04.21"]
[Round "?"]
[White "The Kid"]
[Black "Wulebgr"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C12"]
[WhiteElo "1444"]
[BlackElo "1585"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2005.04.07"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 h6 7. exf6 hxg5 8.
fxg7 Rg8 9. Qh5 Qf6 10. h4 gxh4 11. Rxh4 Qxg7 12. Nf3 Nd7 13. Rf4 Rh8 14. Qg5
Rh7 15. O-O-O Qxg5 16. Nxg5 Rg7 17. Nf3 Ke7 18. g3 Nf6 19. Bd3 Rg4 20. Rxg4
Nxg4 21. Rf1 Bd7 22. Ne5 Rg8 23. Nxg4 Rxg4 24. Rh1 Rg7 25. Rh7 Rxh7 26. Bxh7
1/2-1/2