A matter of technique

Welcome, dear readers, to the second quarter of the 21st century. After the tournament that I'll begin covering in today's post, I switched off from chess for a few weeks over the Christmas break. But things are starting to get going again and I've been annotating in the background; my first games of 2025 have been played and it's now time for the first blog post of the year.

As a former employee of Chess in Schools and Communities, I was very glad to see the London Chess Classic finally return at full scale in December for the first time since the pandemic. Getting the thing off the ground will have dominated their time for months beforehand, but it was always a labour of love by all involved. I was keen to support the event by playing, but it took some compromises. I had to take a bye in the first round and go to the office on the rest day. London hotel prices turned out to be extortionate, so I preferred a 90-minute commute - that helped my preparation since I had access to all of my books, but over a week that travel time adds up. And finally, I had to play in the U-2000 section since the organisers rigidly enforced a FIDE rating floor in the Open. I had a nasty feeling that I was diving into a shark tank, but in the end I was able to surmount these obstacles and play a reasonably successful tournament.

Since I couldn't get the opening round off work, I started aiming simply to survive the double-round day in which my usual preparation advantage was neutralised. After some shaky play in the morning I beat a lower-rated player without too much trouble in the end, and then in the afternoon I drew quickly with Black against the top seed in a theoretical King's Indian. That was first base reached. Things really began from round 4, with white against 1876-rated Aivar Jefremov. Having a morning to prepare worked like a charm, and a tactical slip by my opponent let me win a pawn straight out of the opening. It all ran smoothly from there, since he never found any counterplay:

[Event "London Chess Classic U-2000"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.12.01"] [Round "4.12"] [White "Young, Daniel J"] [Black "Jefremov, Aivar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C10"] [WhiteElo "2063"] [BlackElo "1876"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] {It was now one game per day from here on out, so the real start of the tournament as far as I was concerned. From the few games I could find, it seemed that my opponent preferred simple positions and could be outplayed in a tactical struggle. Time control: 40 moves in 90 minutes + 30 minutes to completion + 30 seconds/move.} 1. e4 {(1:30)} e6 {(1:13) (Apparently he could be outplayed by London transport as well...)} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 {I chose this over the Advance as I'd found a game here, so could home in my preparation a little. Besides, the Hector Gambit is perhaps too double-edged when you have the white pieces against a significantly lower-rated opponent.} dxe4 {By comparison, the Rubinstein Variation is much quieter. Since Black liquidates White's e-pawn rather than provoking its advance, he tends to lack counterplay and this line is generally viewed as a drawing weapon. My impression is that White needs to play energetically to get anything from the opening, but with time to prepare I was willing to accept the challenge, and having him start grovelling for equality as early as move 3 felt like a small psychological victory.} 4. Nxe4 Nd7 {The main line, although 4... Bd7 (the so-called Fort Knox) is an important alternative. Black wants to play 5... Ngf6 without either spoiling his kingside pawns or exposing his queen.} 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3 Nxe4 {6... c5 is the battleground continuation. Black need not rush with this trade; White's bishop is strong on the long diagonal, and will have convenient retreats on either c2 (after c2-c3) to prepare a QB battery against h7, or f3 (after Nxd4) to hinder Black's queenside development.} 7. Bxe4 Nf6 8. Bg5 Be7 $6 {And here Black should certainly play 8... c5, followed by ...cxd4 with a transposition to what Negi deems a slightly inferior branch of the 6... c5 line. Now he starts to get into difficulties.} 9. Bxf6 $1 {Giving up the two bishops, but gaining time and the initiative whilst preserving the other bishop on its active post. The strength of this move has been known to theory for a long time, and strong players no longer go here as Black.} Bxf6 10. Qd3 {(1:33) This attack on h7 delays the Black king's exit from the centre, and prepares long castling followed by a kingside pawn storm. It is worth noting that, although White also threatens Bxb7 followed by Qb5+, this threat is rarely worth carrying out as it takes too much time - but read on!} g6 {(1:13) The most natural defence of h7, although it makes h4-h5 an even more compelling plan. That said, no good line for Black is apparent.} (10... Bd7 {was analysed by Negi. He gives} 11. Ne5 Bxe5 (11... Qe7 {is offered by Stockfish as Black's best response to 10. Qd3, however} 12. O-O c5 13. Bxb7 Rb8 14. Nc6 {allows White to preserve his b-pawn. The opposite-coloured bishops offer Black no solace with heavy pieces on the board.} Bxc6 15. Bxc6+ Kf8 16. d5 $1 {Very energetic play by the computer, opening the position whilst Black's pieces are slumbering.} g6 (16... Rxb2 $2 17. Rab1 g6 18. Rxb2 Bxb2 19. Rb1 $16 {and Black is too passive to resist}) 17. Rae1 Qd6 18. Qf3 exd5 19. Bxd5 $14 {White is more active, and even though the b8 rook is looking at an all-you-can-eat buffet of queenside pawns he can't restore material equality - taking with the bishop obviously allows mate in one, and if} Rxb2 $2 {White has the spectacular obstruction sacrifice} 20. Re6 $1) 12. dxe5 Bc6 13. O-O-O {(the obvious 13. Bxc6+ is just as good)} Qg5+ 14. Kb1 {Black can't castle on either side and is almost paralysed. Trying to simplify with} Bxe4 {merely leads to White dominating the open file after} 15. Qxe4 c6 16. f4 Qe7 17. Rd6 O-O 18. Rhd1 $16) (10... h6 {is another way, but then} 11. O-O-O O-O $6 {would be more than risky: Steinitz's admonition against moving pawns in front of a castled king is all too relevant when White's king is safe on the other flank.} 12. h4 c5 {Even against the classically correct response in the centre, White can just press on with} 13. g4 {, not fearing} Bxd4 14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. c3 Bxf2 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Rxd8+ Kxh7 18. Ne5 $16 {and though material is approximately level, Black's pieces are not playing.}) 11. h4 {Sticking to the plan.} (11. Bxb7 $143 $6 {As discussed above, White can win a pawn with this combination but it isn't worth his while. It solves Black's lack of development for him, and after} Bxb7 12. Qb5+ Qd7 13. Qxb7 O-O 14. O-O {(castling long is much too dangerous with the b-file opened and Black's bishop also looking at b2)} Rab8 15. Qxa7 Rxb2 $44 {Black has the better minor piece and open files for his heavy pieces, so should be able to hold his own without much trouble. It's a long time until the a-pawn will become a major factor.}) 11... Bg7 {To be honest, I totally overlooked the idea behind this move, and so after the automatic} 12. O-O-O $16 {,} f5 $2 {came as a shock. Most of the time you don't get away with missing the trapping of a piece, but the omission was no accident. Once I got over the first few seconds of panic I remembered that White's combination still works, and though it's usually best avoided, if Black wants to waste two moves and weaken his kingside to force me to play it, then that's another matter!} (12... c6 $142 {would have threatened to win the bishop for real, but White easily sidesteps this with} 13. Ne5 {. Then} Bd7 {(preparing to evacuate the king to the queenside)} 14. h5 Qe7 15. h6 Bf6 16. Qe3 O-O-O 17. f4 $16 {gives White a big strategic advantage. Black is cramped, his h-pawn is a fixed weakness, and sooner or later he will probably have to exchange pieces on e5 to save his dark-squared bishop. His remaining bishop will then be almost useless behind the light-squared pawn chain, and White will have a pleasant choice between occupying the d-file (dxe5) or pressuring the backward f-pawn (fxe5).}) 13. Bxb7 Bxb7 14. Qb5+ Qd7 15. Qxb7 {(1:31)} O-O {(1:10) This position can be instructively compared with the 11. Bxb7?! variation above. Here White has smoothly completed his development, and with my next move I'm able to retain the initiative. This, combined with the weakness of the e6 pawn, lets me divert Black from straightforwardly massing his pieces on the b-file. In short, Black has no real compensation for the lost pawn.} 16. Ne5 Qa4 {This is the computer's preferred move, but in practical terms I think Black is following the path of least resistance, since it leads only to simplification. It is a theme of this game that Black never really finds a way of distracting me from a patient technical exercise.} (16... Qd6 $144 {Black's only chances are connected with play on the b-file and long diagonal against my king, so I expected him to play this move and hope for counterplay. But White stays in control with} 17. Nc6 $1 {, keeping the long diagonal closed by preventing ...c5 and also depriving Black's rooks of the b8 square. If} Qf4+ 18. Kb1 Qxf2 19. h5 $18 {, with a crushing initiative since Black simply cannot do anything - of course not} Qxg2 $4 20. Ne7+ {winning the queen.}) 17. Qb3 Qxb3 {Maybe Black was hoping that the doubled pawns would devalue my material advantage, but White isn't bothered in the slightest. Trading queens snuffs out any play against my king, the half-open b-file is sealed and the a-file becomes available for play against the now-exposed a7 pawn. Having said all that, there doesn't seem to be anything better for Black: if 17... Qe8 18. Rhe1, the queen is passively placed and the weakness of e6 comes sharply into focus.} 18. axb3 Rfd8 {Perhaps Black could have considered 18... Bxe5!?, giving up his fine bishop but shielding the e-pawn from attack along the file and allowing him to contest the d-file. My next move was played to stop this, just in case.} 19. Rhe1 a5 $6 {If the queens were still on the board then this would be a very appropriate pawn lever, but as the stage begins to empty it becomes more of a hindrance than a help. This isolated pawn is simply advancing towards the hungry enemy pieces.} 20. c3 {(1:12) White overprotects the d-pawn in readiness for Nd3(-c5), creates a flight square for his king on c2 and prepares to shift his rooks to the a-file with a frontal attack on the a-pawn. What more can be asked of one move?} Bf6 {(58)} (20... a4 $144 {is no better, as there is no threat to White's king and he merely invites an undoubling of the b-pawns. Maybe} 21. b4 {is even better, for example} a3 22. Kc2 {- preparing Ra1 and so forcing the pace -} axb2 23. Kxb2 Ra6 24. Ra1 Rda8 25. Rxa6 Rxa6 26. f4 $18 {, and White remains a healthy pawn to the good with total control.}) 21. g3 Ra6 22. Nd3 {The e5 square was a good one, but the knight will stand even better on c5, keeping e6 under observation and decisively ruling out the further advance of the a-pawn.} Kf7 23. Kc2 Rc6 {Transparently threatening ...Bxd4, but again Black is very casual about simplification.} 24. Ne5+ {I was obviously happy to remove the bishop from play, not least because after} Bxe5 25. Rxe5 {(1:05), Black can hardly avoid also trading a pair of rooks.} Rd5 {(48)} (25... Ra8 $142 {is also hopeless following} 26. Ra1 Rca6 {- having both of your rooks reduced to passive defence is rarely a good sign, and White soon breaks through with} 27. Rc5 R8a7 (27... R6a7 {is met by} 28. Rc6 $18 {followed by Re1(-e5) winning a pawn}) 28. b4 a4 29. b5 Rb6 30. c4 $18 {and White's king joins the party via c3 and b4.}) 26. Rxd5 exd5 {It's true that Black has managed to rid himself of his backward pawn, and can look to the e-file as a highway into my position. However, this is close enough to my queenside that the king can cover everything on its own, leaving my rook free to round up the a-pawn.} 27. Ra1 Ra6 28. Ra4 Re6 29. Kd2 {This is what I mean about least resistance: White isn't being forced to find any difficult moves. There's no way in on the e-file, 29... Ra6 loses the a-pawn anyway to 30. b4, so what is left?} Rb6 (29... f4 $144 {was the only move that looked at all promising for Black, seeking a way into White's kingside, but after the resolute} 30. Rxa5 (30. gxf4 Re4 31. Rxa5 Rxf4 32. Rxd5 $18 {is still winning for White, but less clear-cut}) 30... f3 31. Rxd5 Re2+ 32. Kd3 Rxf2 33. Ke3 Rxb2 34. Kxf3 $18 {, the threat of 35. Rd7+ means that White remains two pawns up.}) 30. Rxa5 {(1:02)} Ke6 {(39) Preferring to retain the d-pawn.} (30... Rxb3 $144 {was what I expected, but the rook doesn't reach the second rank (see how the doubled pawns are useful!) so there is no hope for Black to be found here either.} 31. Kc2 Rb6 32. Rxd5 $18) 31. b4 {Now if Black sits still there could follow, after due preparation, b4-b5 and Ra6.} Rb8 32. Ra6+ Kd7 33. h5 {Opening a second front. Besides the two-pawn deficit, Black's passive rook is over-stretched, and the white king is now ready to lead the concluding stage of the battle in person.} Rg8 34. Ke3 Re8+ 35. Kf3 {(53) 35. Kf4 Re2 is not terribly threatening, but avoiding such things is a matter of hygiene. Now, frankly, I expected Black to resign, and I would definitely sooner have done that than play} Re6 {(20) which is tantamount to surrender anyway.} (35... Re1 {was the only half-chance I could see, but} 36. hxg6 hxg6 37. Rxg6 Rb1 38. Rf6 Rxb2 39. Rxf5 Kd6 40. Re5 $18 {and Black is too many pawns down.}) 36. Rxe6 Kxe6 37. hxg6 hxg6 38. b5 {Of course, the pawn ending is easily won for White. For now there is no way in for White's king, but the queenside pawns sweep away all obstacles.} g5 39. Ke3 Kd6 40. b3 {(51)} Ke6 {(21)} 41. Kd3 Kd6 42. c4 Kd7 43. cxd5 {Black resigned. I consider this my best game of the tournament, which might seem surprising as it's a very processional win in accordance with the almost 200-point rating difference. But that is the point: nothing happened. I often struggle with mundane technical exercises because of failing to keep counterplay under control, and yet Black didn't get a sniff here.} 1-0

This will likely be one of the dullest games ever published on this blog, certainly since it reincarnated as a collection of instructive games rather than a database. Still, I am quite fond of it. To become a strong player you need to be able to convert an extra pawn without adventures, and yet such things are vanishingly rare in my practice. I've argued before that "technique" is really just the ability to stifle counterplay, and on that basis my technique was good this time. In particular I would highlight 20. c3 (neutralising all threats down the a-file before Black could create them), 28. Ra4 (delaying b3-b4 until the a-pawn is blockade) and the guarded 29. Kd2 and 35. Kf3 (taking time to stop the rook invading) as prosaic but useful moves. Prophylaxis and patience are the watchwords here. More proactively, 33. h5 follows the principle of two weaknesses and decisively overloads Black's passive forces.

On the flip side, you can only succeed in the rough and tumble of tournament play when things go wrong by forcing your opponent to keep working (look out for a later round on exactly this theme). Jefremov's play after dropping a pawn was pretty much error-free, but arguably too correct since I didn't have to find any difficult moves. It's hard to offer any convincing improvements, but a stronger player would never just meekly trade into a lost ending and would instead snatch at any half-chance to complicate the play (16... Qd6 or 29... f4, for example). Objectively they might not be better moves, but there are more chances for White to go wrong.

The next round was something completely different, as I took a chance in the opening and found myself scrambling to survive against someone almost 400 points lower-rated...