Third time lucky

Following last year's Major Open, this was the second set-piece tournament in a row that I had begun with two unimpressive defeats. Consistently sacrificing nearly a quarter of the event just getting up to speed is far from ideal, and whereas in Leicester the pairings became gentler, in Kingston everyone would see me as a target. It was therefore essential to open my account before anxiety about a bad result turned into a self-fulfilling doom spiral.

In round 3 I had the black pieces against another junior, 2170-rated Rohan Pal. As my games from the Bristol Open had not been published, my switch to 1. e4 e5 remained a secret to the world (though not to readers of this blog!) and gave me a small psychological victory at the very start. I wonder if this had far-reaching consequences because the game turned out not to be very much of a game at all: after 13 moves of innocent shuffling, a chance tactical opportunity essentially decided the game there and then.

[Event "Kingston Invitational"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.08.13"] [Round "3.22"] [White "Pal, Rohan"] [Black "Young, Daniel J"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C27"] [WhiteElo "2170"] [BlackElo "2017"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.08.18"] 1. e4 {(1:30)} e5 {(1:30) Pal looked stunned by this unknown theoretical novelty. I like to have an opening surprise saved up for a big tournament; thankfully my Bristol games weren't in the database, and I'd carefully stuck to the Sicilian at the live-broadcast British Rapid.} 2. Bc4 {I was expecting a d3 Italian, so this was likely an attempt to dodge imagined preparation without changing the nature of the game. A good practical decision.} Nf6 3. d3 Bc5 {In my opinion this is the safest and most flexible move: it's not clear whether Black wants a pawn or a knight on c6, whereas a7-g1 is certainly the bishop's most active diagonal and I can now castle at will. The main alternatives are:} (3... Nc6 {invites transposition back to the Italian by 4. Nf3. White can keep the game in independent waters with} 4. Nc3 {, when Black has the new option of hunting down the light-squared bishop:} Na5 5. Nge2 {(5. Qf3!? seems to be trendy)} Nxc4 6. dxc4 Bc5 7. Qd3 d6 8. Be3 {Here Black can improve over the usual 8... Bxe3 with a move played only once,} Nd7 $11 {, when Black has a solid position. His two bishops compensate for White's grip on the d5 square.}) (3... c6 {A few years ago at a Major Open I explored the Bishop's Opening as an anti-Petrov line, but abandoned the idea when I couldn't find anything against this forcing attempt to equalise by seizing the centre immediately.} 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb3 Bd6 6. Nc3 {Black can simply play} O-O $1 {here, since the d5 pawn is indirectly defended.} 7. O-O (7. exd5 cxd5 8. Nxd5 $4 {loses to} Nxd5 9. Bxd5 Qa5+ $19) 7... dxe4 {Black is usually happy to clarify the centre and claim easy equality, though the more ambitious 7... Bc7!? could also be explored.} 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. dxe4 Na6 10. Be3 $11 {Black has no difficulty bringing his remaining pieces out, and therefore stands fine in a symmetrical structure.}) 4. Nc3 c6 {Interestingly this is only the fourth most-played move, but it scores better than any of the more popular alternatives (...d6, ...h6 or ...Nc6). Now that White has shown his queen's knight's hand, Black takes control of the d5 and b5 squares whilst also hinting at a later advance of his d-pawn.} 5. Nf3 (5. f4 {Some strong players have begun by launching the f-pawn. This is the most principled attempt to punish Black for a non-developing move, but then again the second player is poised for the central break ...d5 which so often frustrates White in the King's Gambit. Black's best is} exf4 6. Bxf4 (6. e5 {is likewise met by} d5 7. exf6 {and here the surprising} Qxf6 $1 {, since the threat of ...Qh4+ leaves White no time to rescue the hanging bishop.} 8. Qe2+ Kd8 9. Bxd5 (9. Bb3 $143 $4 {was of course unplayable on account of} Re8 $19) 9... cxd5 10. Qf3 Qe6+ 11. Kd1 g5 {Now it really is a King's Gambit! Black is a pawn up with both kings stuck in the centre, but can't defend d5 forever and will have his kingside pawn chain chewed up by} 12. h4 {, so the game can easily fizzle out; Stockfish gives as a sample line} Re8 13. Bd2 h6 14. hxg5 hxg5 15. Qxd5+ Qxd5 16. Nxd5 $11 {, when White is (again) active enough to compensate for the bishop pair, since g5 is potentially weak.}) 6... d5 7. exd5 cxd5 8. d4 {An important resource; White would stand markedly worse if he had to had to drop back to b3 and let the pawn advance to d4. Instead} Bb4 9. Bd3 {keeps the bishop on an active diagonal, and} O-O 10. Nge2 $11 {prepares an escape route for the king. The computer considers Black to be absolutely fine here, and indeed he can develop easily enough whilst boasting the safer king. I have to admit though that I'd pick White if forced to choose, since his structure is sounder (the IQP is hard to attack, but a queenside majority could tell in an ending) and for the moment he is a little more active.}) 5... d6 {Now we do after all have a d3 Italian... with colours reversed! I don't play this way as White, but there are enough similarities to slow Ruy Lopez lines that I was able to find my way around.} 6. O-O (6. Na4 {White isn't able to snipe the bishop, as after} Bb4+ 7. c3 Ba5 8. b4 Bc7 $15 {it finds safety whilst White has to waste further time attending to the threat of 9... b5.}) 6... Bb6 {Far more often Black prefers to castle, however I chose to sidestep the above exchanging operation. In a closed position where the armies are yet to come into contact, Black can afford to spend a tempo.} 7. a3 {Likewise, whilst I'm unconvinced this is necessary (Black isn't playing ...Na5 any time soon, and though ...d5 would gain a tempo on the bishop, it would be premature before completing my development) the same comment applies to White.} O-O 8. Ba2 {So, what is Black's plan in this position? In the medium term he wants to play ...d5 and claim control of the centre, but as mentioned above it would be wrong to open the position with my queenside pieces on their starting squares. The b8 knight will follow the normal Ruy Lopez route d7-f8, then either g6 (reinforcing e5) or e6 (controlling d4) with an eye to f4 in either case. Black's most active minor piece is his dark-squared bishop, and if challenged by Be3 he will retreat to c7 to preserve it. The f8 rook will go to the e-file, and then Black is ready to push his d-pawn.} Nbd7 9. Ne2 {White, for his part, adopts a similar plan.} (9. h3 {The engine points out that White can play more directly for d3-d4 (this is a useful link in the chain, ruling out a later ...Bg4). On} h6 10. Be3 Bc7 {,} 11. d4 {is already possible. However, Black can give up his central strongpoint and get counterplay with his pieces, as in many lines of the King's Indian and Philidor:} exd4 12. Qxd4 Re8 13. Rad1 Nf8 {I was surprised to see that Stockfish wants to bail out here and liquidate with} 14. e5 (14. Rfe1 {seems the most natural to me; then} Ng6 15. Qd3 Qe7 16. Bd4 Be6 17. Bxe6 Qxe6 $11 {followed by ...Rad8 and ...Ne5, when the weak pawn on d6 is well defended and the exchange of minor pieces eases Black's lack of space.}) 14... dxe5 15. Qxd8 Rxd8 16. Rxd8 Bxd8 17. Nxe5 {White has no advantage here as} Be6 $11 {begins to neutralise his slightly more active pieces.}) 9... h6 {This move isn't strictly necessary, but since ...Re8 is part of my plans I wanted to avoid Ng5 raids. If I do get ...d5 in, Bg5 also has the potential to be awkward.} 10. Ng3 {(1:16)} Re8 $11 {(1:03)} 11. Nh4 $6 {I was a little put off when I first saw this, since he is going to reach f5 with his knights and after playing ...h6 I can no longer take control of that square with ...g6. However, as the course of the game shows, this is actually not a problem for Black because White loses influence over the centre.} (11. c3 $142 {White should instead continue the mirror strategy and play in the centre. The simplest approach here is for Black to get in first with} d5 (11... Nf8 12. d4 Bg4 {leads to more complicated play, though I think the excellent pawn sacrifice} 13. h3 $5 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 exd4 15. cxd4 Bxd4 16. Nf5 Be5 17. Qb3 $44 {, threatening f2-f4 as well as the f7 and b7 pawns, gives White the initiative}) 12. exd5 cxd5 {, but White can neutralise Black's imposing pawn centre with} 13. d4 e4 14. Nh4 Nf8 {and now} 15. f3 $11 {to remove Black's spearhead.}) 11... d5 {This thematic break is none the worse for being delayed. The bishop on a2 is now out of play, and Black can play around a knight on f5 whilst enjoying a central space advantage.} 12. Nhf5 Nf8 13. Qf3 $6 {Sowing the seeds of disaster. Though the buildup of white pieces on the kingside is starting to look imposing, the queen is not safe here.} (13. exd5 $142 cxd5 14. c4 {is offered up by the ever-resourceful computer, instructively focussing all its energy on bringing the wayward son on a2 back into the game. Black must play along with} Be6 (14... d4 $143 $6 {is not viable because of} 15. c5 $1 $14 {when the a2 bishop now looks great and Black can't accept the sacrifice -} Bxc5 16. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 $4 17. Nxh6+ Kg7 18. Qc1 {with a decisive attack.}) 15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. d4 {This liquidates the backward pawn and gives White his share of the chances after} Ng6 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Bd2 $11 {: now both sides have their minor pieces in the game.}) 13... Ng6 {I played this move with no inkling of the mischief it is about to cause, but then again when you put your pieces on good squares the tactics generally take care of themselves. At this moment, Pal made a double blunder: he played} 14. h4 $4 {and, after I'd been thinking for about a minute, offered a draw. Call me a cynic, but I knew that with White against the bottom seed he wasn't doing it out of charity. So it merely served to alert me that there was a shot in this position, after which I didn't take long to find it. Black to play and win...} (14. h3 $142 {is an important prophylactic move, though Black can improve the last variation with} Be6 {; Stockfish still wants to play} 15. c4 {however c4-c5 loses its force once the a2-g8 diagonal is contested, so Black can press on with} d4 16. Nh5 Nxh5 17. Qxh5 a5 $15 {when he enjoys a healthy advantage in territory and White must spend a lot of time to retrieve his light-squared bishop.}) 14... Nxh4 $1 {Hopefully I would have caught this even without a hint, but I can't say for sure. White loses a pawn since he can't recapture (15. Nxh4 Bg4 traps the queen) but that is not the worst thing. His queen now loses touch with f5, as a result of which the White centre is broken up and Black has a free hand to blast through whilst White's remaining forces are confined to the queenside.} 15. Qe2 {(46)} Nxf5 {(39)} 16. Nxf5 Bxf5 17. exf5 e4 $19 {In such cases it's important to keep your foot on the accelerator and give your opponent no time to regain their bearings. With White's queen still exposed and his king lacking defenders, I'm happy to give up my pawn front to open the centre and keep the initiative.} 18. dxe4 $6 {It's hard to offer any good advice, but letting the Black pieces flow in plays into my hands.} Nxe4 19. Be3 Ng3 $1 {Like I said, in a good position the tactics always seem to work. This should win the exchange, since 20. Bxb6 doesn't help (White's queen hangs with check) and opening the a7-g1 diagonal with 20. fxg3 Rxe3 is similarly out of the question. That leaves White with only one hope of confusing matters.} 20. Qg4 {(26)} Rxe3 $6 {(19) Though I'd foreseen my last move when playing 17... e4, I took a while before playing it deciding what to do here. This collects a second pawn and works well enough, but Black can in fact take the rook.} (20... Nxf1 $142 {I was a bit uncertain about} 21. Bxh6 Qf6 22. Bg5 {, and didn't want to risk obscure tactics in a winning position, but besides 22... Qd4 which I'd have played if I'd seen, Black also has the sneaky} Ne3 $1 23. fxe3 (23. Qg3 Nxf5 {and the queen is still attacked}) 23... Bxe3+ 24. Bxe3 Rxe3 $19 {with a decisive material advantage.}) 21. fxe3 Bxe3+ 22. Kh2 Nxf1+ 23. Rxf1 Qf6 {Black is dominating in any case: he has two extra pawns, and with heavy pieces on the opposite bishops only help him given the respective king positions. In the first instance White must urgently meet the threat of ...Re8-e4.} 24. c3 Re8 25. Bb1 {(24)} Bg5 {(12) This is the right idea, freeing the e-file for the rook, but retreating to b6 is more harmonious. From there my b-pawn is shielded from attack and my queen keeps an eye on the sensitive h4 square. My intention was to pass the f6 blockade over to the bishop, allowing my queen to roam, which I do in fact soon accomplish as White casts about for counterplay.} 26. Kh1 Re3 27. Qa4 a6 28. Qb4 Qe7 29. Qg4 {Trading on e7 would at least have lengthened the resistance. Now my bishop takes over from the queen as planned.} Bf6 30. Qf4 {(19)} Re2 {(8)} 31. g4 $2 {Tarrasch rightly said that in a bad position all moves are bad. Still, lashing out with his king in such a state can only end one way.} Be5 {I expected 32. f6, but understandably my opponent had now seen enough. My main feeling after this game was actually relief, since in such a tough field I couldn't be sure of scoring against anyone and the first two rounds had hardly inspired confidence. In this game I played more surely, and definitely with more tactical alertness, though the win owed more to being there to pick up the pieces than brilliance on my part.} 0-1

Even though they're generally seen as less combative than the Sicilian, my experience in this game as well as many at faster time controls is that it's actually easier for Black to jump on opening missteps in the Open Games. I suppose that's logical, since Black aims to directly occupy the centre and develop his pieces in classical style (good habits which explain why every beginner is taught to play this way!) The contrast between my tactical blindness in the first two rounds with my sharper vision here (14... Nxh4! and 19... Ng3!) is striking, however tactics flow naturally from a better position and I got the basics right in this game.

My taste is usually for direct and forcing play, so one of my big concerns in taking up 1. e4 e5 was how I would cope with more soporific tries like the d3 Italians. As such it's pleasing that I looked comfortable in the early manoeuvring phase and was in the ascendancy even before White's unfortunate 14th move. The marauding knights on the kingside felt intimidating, and yet his loss of influence in the centre here and now turned out to be more important than the ghost of an attack yet to come. That loss of influence is why the combination on move 14 works, after all, but also allowing me to play ...d5 in comfort meant that White's light-squared bishop had nothing to do.

When casting a critical eye after the tournament, I'm not sure how much of the credit rightfully belongs to me, and how much is owed to my opponent simply having a bad day. At the time, of course, I didn't care about that at all and was just glad to get on the scoreboard. I've said in the past that I am a momentum player, so I was interested to see what I could do with a win under my belt. The next morning's game turned out to me my best of the week.