More ramblings on patience

In round five I had a second consecutive game as White, albeit against a 625-point higher-rated opponent than the previous afternoon. This was against a junior player, Qixiang Han (2263), and as on so many occasions down the years, I came to the board hoping to use some opening preparation to close the gap in strength.

This was the start of another opening odyssey, and the only worthwhile ground I have yet to tread as White: learning to play 1. d4 mainlines. In an ideal world this is going to preserve some of the order of the flank openings without giving up on theoretical knockouts a la 1. e4, but it is a weighty undertaking and I don't yet know what cold, hard reality will look like. For this game in particular I was equipped with a stopgap gambit idea, and up to a point it worked a treat - over the first 20-odd moves I laid the foundations for a powerful attack on the enemy king. But my play became a bit too cavalier, and in the end it all met with an unhappy fate:

[Event "Kingston Invitational Swiss"] [Site "?"] [Date "2025.08.14"] [Round "5.18"] [White "Young, Daniel J"] [Black "Han, Qixiang"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D15"] [WhiteElo "2045"] [BlackElo "2263"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.08.17"] {A double colour sequence meant I now had White for the morning round, and a chance to do some damage overnight. This seemed like a good opportunity to put some of the summer's work to use:} 1. d4 {(1:30) The final frontier! Playing the English and Reti has added another string to my bow, but at times I've missed the direct, classical play that 1. e4 brings. In adding this move to my armoury I was hoping to find a happy medium between the two, and making it even harder to prepare for me doesn't hurt. My original plan was to play 1. d4 in all my White games in this event, but the project was still a work in progress and I lacked the confidence to try it without preparation, so this was to be the move's only outing.} d5 {(1:27)} 2. c4 c6 {The Slav is Han's usual choice, but he had won with a QGA in the first round. I was ready for him to revert to form, as under the circumstances my first move may have appeared more targeted than it really was.} 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 {Though I prefer the more dynamic Semi-Slav (4... e6), the true Slav Defence has been in good standing ever since its thorough testing in the Alekhine-Euwe matches. Black wants to develop his light-squared bishop actively to f5, and he is willing to give up the centre to do it since the immediate 4... Bf5?! 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 gives him problems defending the queenside. Now the usual move is 5. a4, preparing to regain the pawn by preventing ...b5, but for this game I wanted to try a different idea.} 5. e4 $5 {This is the Geller Gambit, and perhaps a bit of a torpedo variation - to be fired once only. Staking out the whole centre is obviously the most ambitious way to play, but whether White gets enough for a pawn is unclear. That said, the gambit has been reinvented with some new ideas in recent years, and it seemed like a good surprise weapon.} b5 6. Be2 {The modern move - the lesson of some related gambits in the 5. Bg5 Semi-Slav is that pushing the central pawns just gives Black some valuable squares, and so they are kept where they are. Apparently this move leaves the e-pawn to its fate but, as we will see, things are not so simple.} (6. e5 $143 $6 {Old theory gives this move, but after} Nd5 7. a4 e6 8. axb5 Nxc3 9. bxc3 cxb5 10. Ng5 Bb7 $17 {White's compensation is insufficient, as the quick raid on Black's kingside goes nowhere:} 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qg4 Be7 13. Be2 Bd5 {(anchoring the bishop in the middle of the board and pre-empting any Nxe6 ideas)} 14. Bf3 h5 15. Qg3 Nc6 {White can establish his knight in the centre but after} 16. Ne4 h4 17. Qg4 Rh5 {(Sjodin-Khenkin, Rilton Cup 1996) it's not clear how White should proceed.}) 6... b4 $6 {I expect that a lot of people would react like this when taken by surprise - not only can Black exchange the gambit pawn for the one on e4, he drives a knight to the edge of the board. But I was pleased to see it, for it told me that Han wasn't acquainted with this variation: Black risks a lot here because he falls behind in development. The more modest 6... e6 was to be preferred.} (6... e6 $142 7. O-O Bb7 {This position appears hundreds of times in the database, going as far back as 1948, but in the early days they usually played 8. e5 and White's score was unimpressive. The discovery that has revitalised the line is} 8. b3 $1 {, which was played for the first time only in 2012, and even then only seems to have been widely noticed after the game Dubov-Postny, EU Ch. 2018. White is ready for forcing measures to chew up Black's queenside, and whilst the loose knight on c3 may seem a liability the tactics turn out to favour White:} Bb4 (8... b4 {amounts to returning the pawn to complete development after the forcing sequence} 9. e5 Nd5 ({not} 9... bxc3 $143 $2 10. exf6 Qxf6 11. bxc4 h6 12. Qb3 $18 {, which also leads to material equality but with White having all the space and an overwhelming lead in development}) 10. Nxd5 cxd5 11. bxc4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Be7 13. Be3 O-O $11 {Both sides have their chances in this imbalanced position - White has more space and some attacking chances on the lightly-defended kingside, but Black has freed his light-squared bishop and the backward d-pawn may come back to haunt White.}) (8... cxb3 {is obviously critical, but White seems to get acceptable play for the pawn either with the normal 9. Qxb3 (which, however, scores terribly) or the little-played} 9. e5 Nd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 (10... b2 {deflects the bishop and keeps the a-file closed, though here too} 11. Bxb2 Qxd5 12. Nd2 {will gain time against the black queen.} Be7 13. Bf3 $146 Qd8 14. Nb3 O-O 15. Be4 $44 {White's pieces are pointing menacingly at the king, and with a bind on the queenside (how Black would love to get ...c5 in!) his compensation for the pawn is adequate at the very least.}) 11. axb3 Be7 12. Bg5 $44 {This move makes it surprisingly hard for Black to continue developing, since the simplistic} Bxg5 $2 {gives White a huge positional advantage after} 13. Nxg5 O-O 14. f4 h6 15. Bf3 Qd7 16. Ne4 $16 {: White's knight rules the board, and Black really misses his dark-squared bishop}) 9. e5 Bxc3 10. exf6 Qxf6 (10... Bxa1 $143 $2 {fails to} 11. fxg7 Rg8 12. Bg5 f6 13. Bh6 $16 {(Tan-Farkas, Budapest 2022) and Black is unable to defend himself even with an extra rook, for example} Bb2 14. Qc2 c3 15. Qxh7 Kd7 {, when the computer spits out} 16. Nh4 Kc8 17. Ng6 Nd7 {(18. Nf8 was threatened)} 18. Nf4 a5 19. Re1 Kb8 20. Nxe6 Qe8 21. Bh5 $1 {and wins. Black's extra rook on a8 is of no relevance at all.}) 11. Rb1 $44 {White will recoup one of his sacrificed pawns with Reti-esque play on the queenside, since} cxb3 $2 12. Rxb3 b4 13. Rxc3 $3 bxc3 14. Qb3 {(Mousavi-Mirzoev, Nakhchivan 2022) is fantastic for White despite his huge material deficit - besides the hanging bishop on b7, Black's king will be nightmarishly trapped in the centre by Ba3.}) 7. Na4 Nxe4 8. Bxc4 e6 9. O-O Be7 10. Re1 {(1:33)} Nf6 {(1:25)} 11. Bg5 $6 {It's funny that White has a noticeable lead in development despite moving a bishop and a knight (to a4!) twice in the first eight moves. But what's even more funny is that the best way to drive this home is to move another piece again! I transposed two moves in my preparation here.} (11. Ne5 $142 {The attack on c6 tethers the b8 knight to its starting square, and Black also has to be wary of Nxf7 sacrifices.} O-O 12. Bg5 $14 {Only now does White play this move. White's additional space and big lead in development outweigh the gambit pawn.} a5 {Now I like} (12... Nfd7 $143 $2 {is the most played move, trying to exchange pieces, but this loses by force to} 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nxf7 $1 {with a decisive break-in on the e-file, for instance} Rxf7 15. Rxe6 Qf8 16. Qe2 {threatening Re8, and if} Nf6 17. Re7 Nd5 18. Re8 {after all.}) 13. Rc1 $146 {and Black struggles to move because he can't allow Nxf7.} h6 14. Bh4 Nd5 {This is the best bet according to the engine, but} 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 (15... Qxe7 $2 16. Bxd5 $18 {with the threats of Nb6 or Ng6 depending on how Black recaptures}) 16. Qg4 $14 {intending 17. Nc5 with a bind sets Black problems - his queenside makes a sorry impression.}) 11... Nbd7 {This dissuades White from jumping in with Ne5 for a few moves, since he is only willing to recapture with the pawn and a queen trade is clearly of no interest to him. So Black can breathe a little more easily, but nevertheless White retains compensation - he still has more squares and he still has more pieces out!} 12. Qe2 Nd5 $146 {I think this move is simpler and better than past practice. Black takes up the typical outpost in front of the IQP and challenges White to either exchange or retreat his dark-squared bishop.} (12... Nb6 {was played in Roshka-Lenaerts, EU Ch. Online Qualifier 2020, but here I feel that} 13. Nxb6 $146 axb6 14. Ne5 {(the downside of ...Nb6)} Bd7 15. Rad1 O-O 16. Rd3 $44 {is at any rate more comfortable for White: the rook is heading for h3 with evil designs against the black king, and Black's doubled extra pawn will have no bearing for a long time yet.}) 13. h4 {Being stubborn, I of course did neither - now it would be wrong to take the bishop, since 13... Bxg5? 14. hxg5 leads to strong pressure down the h-file. It's true that he can press the point with} h6 {, but then} 14. Bd2 {and the little h-pawn move could be a weakness later on. Incidentally, the engine thinks that either 14. Bxe7 or 14. Bxd5 are equally good - that is to say, 0.00 - but I wanted to keep pieces on the board.} a5 (14... Bxh4 {White doesn't really fear this capture because he gains the bishop pair and Black spends yet more time. The most precise way to continue is the unexpected} 15. a3 $1 (15. Nxh4 $6 {at once was my preliminary idea, but in this version} Qxh4 {gives Black awkward pressure on d4.} 16. a3 {can now be met by} O-O {when White supposedly has nothing better than getting one of the pawns back by} 17. Bxd5 {(a trade I would be loathe to make)} cxd5 18. Bxb4 Re8 $15 {Black is catching up in development, he has strengthened his centre, and he keeps the IQP in his sights. I doubt that White's activity is sufficient in the face of all this.}) 15... bxa3 (15... O-O $143 $2 16. axb4 $16 {is fantastic for White, since Nc5 and Qe4/Bd3 follow, and Black has to spend time preparing ...Nf6 owing to the hanging bishop on h4.}) 16. Nxh4 Qxh4 17. Rxa3 {Once this rooks comes into play on the third rank White's difficulties should be behind him. One possible line that Stockfish offers to support its inevitable 0.00 evaluation is} O-O 18. Rh3 Qxd4 19. Rg3 {, threatening Bh6,} Qf6 20. Rf3 $11 {with a repetition of moves.}) 15. h5 {(1:23) A useful move whilst Black isn't threatening anything. Since he won't be able to put off castling forever, it ensures that the kingside structure will be fixed once the king moves into his new home. And besides, sooner or later Black would have been ready to take on h4 for real.} Bb7 {(1:14)} 16. Rad1 O-O 17. Ne5 $44 {White no longer fears the trade of this knight, since a pawn on e5 would be no less a thorn in Black's side. There is no lightning attack in this position, but White is happy to claim full play for the pawn on general positional grounds. Simply put, Black doesn't have enough squares for his pieces and can't easily get them all playing.} N7f6 $6 {It's telling that this natural move - activating the knight, eyeing the h5 pawn and reinforcing the kingside - leads to difficulties. Black should play more humbly and return the pawn to free his light-squared bishop.} (17... c5 $142 $1 {Presumably my opponent didn't want to give the pawn back, but we should always be open to converting material advantages into positional ones. White can recover his investment with} 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Nxc5 {, but after} Bxc5 20. dxc5 Rad8 $11 {his initiative has dissolved. Admittedly he has the bishop pair to show for his efforts, but with a great diagonal for Black's bishop, a well entrenched knight on d5, and a sickly pawn to aim at on c5, the second player should be comfortable.}) 18. Bd3 Qc8 {Aiming to liberate the bishop in a different way: Black threatens to force exchanges with 19... Ba6. Naturally White prevents this.} 19. Bb1 $6 {With this move I envisaged forming a battery with Qd3, but nothing comes of this idea. As the game goes it makes little difference, but I should have avoided the trade by moving my queen instead - the point is to be better-placed for Black's ...c5 break.} (19. Qf3 $142 {White can wait for ...Ba6 before retreating his bishop. Now if Black does nothing then White will build up the pressure on both wings with Qg3, Rc1, Nc5 and so on, so the critical test is once again to return the pawn with} c5 {. However, White can take it and carry on after} 20. Qg3 Kh8 21. dxc5 $14 {, since} Bxc5 $4 {is unplayable on account of} 22. Rc1) 19... Bd6 $2 {Aiming to play around the White position from behind the lines, but every move gives White time to tighten the screw.} (19... c5 $142 {is still Black's priority - I thought that this wouldn't work whilst Black's queen was lined up on the c-file, but White's queen too is in the firing line.} 20. Nxc5 (20. dxc5 Qc7 21. Rc1 Rad8 $11 {compares poorly with the 19. Qf3 variation above, since the queen can't reach the kingside}) (20. Rc1 {was my intention, but Black can gain a tempo to push past with} Ba6 21. Qf3 c4 {, after which White is fortunate to have the simplifying combination} 22. Qg3 Kh8 23. Nxc4 Bxc4 24. b3 Qd7 25. Rxc4 $11 {, when White has regained the pawn, but lost the initiative.}) 20... Bxc5 21. dxc5 Qxc5 {Given what comes later it's worth saying that Stockfish thinks White can still sustain the pressure with} 22. g4 $44 {, but as we'll see later this is a double-edged way to play.}) 20. g4 $5 {(56) This move provoked a mixed reaction. I was inspired by Alekhine-Weenink, Prague Olympiad 1931, annotated in "My Best Games of Chess 1924-37" which I'd re-read just before the tournament. Suffice to say that it's been back to Capablanca and Karpov for me since I've returned from Kingston! White's argument is that with the centre closed he can indulge in this bayonet attack, targeting the weakness he provoked back on move 13. The question of course is whether the centre really does stay closed - I understood that it was risky to weaken the long light-squared diagonal considering it's a question of when and not if Black will break with ...c5, but for now I still thought it was impossible.} (20. Nc5 $142 $16 {Whatever the truth of my move, I have to admit that this would have been simpler and stronger. Now Black is completely denied the ...c5 thrust, and White can keep the charge of the g-pawn in reserve.}) (20. Bxh6 $5 {is another try which Susan Lalic mentioned to me afterwards - and it very nearly works. Black is scrambling for a defence, but it seems that with} gxh6 21. Rd3 Nh7 22. Rg3+ Ng5 {he is able to survive. White can regain the sacrificed piece with} 23. f4 $1 Nxf4 24. Qe4 f5 25. Qxf4 {, however} Qc7 26. Nc5 $44 {leaves White back where he started: play for a pawn but no more.}) 20... c5 $2 {(52) Though it's a shame to say that opening the long diagonal is wrong, it gives White a chance to solve his major positional problem, the offside knight on a4.} (20... Ba6 $142 21. Qf3 Nd7 {instead fights back in the centre. The big idea is that Black prepares ...f5 to disrupt White's kingside and block the b1-h7 diagonal.} 22. Qe4 (22. Nxd7 Qxd7 23. g5 {is consistent, but after} hxg5 24. Bxg5 Rae8 {Black's kingside is suddenly well defended and White's play starts to look very rash. If} 25. h6 {his attack is shut down by} f6 (25... g6 $4 {weakening the dark squares would be a terrible mistake:} 26. h7+ Kg7 27. Nb6 $1 $18 {is a lethal deflection of the d5 knight}) 26. Bh4 f5 $17) 22... f5 $1 23. Qg2 (23. gxf5 exf5 24. Qg2 Rf6 $15 {intends 25... Qe8, and just who is attacking is not quite clear...}) 23... Qc7 24. gxf5 exf5 {Interestingly, Stockfish decides not to regain the pawn here, but instead retain the initiative with} 25. Bxh6 (25. Nxd7 $143 $6 Qxd7 26. Bxh6 {restores material equality, however} Kh8 27. Bg5 Rae8 $15 {and just like in the 22. Nxd7 line, Black activates his last piece with good play: his bishops are strong, his knight is obviously better placed than its counterpart, and his his king is at least no weaker than White's.}) 25... Nxe5 26. dxe5 Bxe5 27. Nc5 Bc8 28. Bc1 $44 {Black's dominated bishop on c8 gives White good compensation for the pawn, and the lurking white bishops on b1 and c1 could yet have their say. With both kings rather airy, the extra pawn isn't so important.}) 21. Rc1 $2 {This was my idea, setting up a pin against Black's queen, but it rests on a miscalculation.} (21. Nxc5 $142 {Obviously I considered this too. It's easy to say that White should play this automatically because his knight is stranded uselessly on the edge of the board - and especially so when one sees what happens in a few moves' time. I was hoping to win a pawn outright whilst retaining my grip on the kingside, but I was overly optimistic about my position.} Bxe5 {Hoping to stem the bleeding by forcing White to recapture with his queen rather than the d-pawn, but the attack will rumble on.} (21... Bxc5 22. dxc5 Qxc5 {White has no reason to be dissatisfied here since his problem piece is gone and} 23. g5 hxg5 24. Bxg5 $16 {begins a dangerous attack on the kingside without Black having any of the diversionary counterplay he gets in the game. White's plan is Qd3 followed by h5-h6 (and if ...g6 then Nxg6) and it's not obvious what Black can do about it.}) 22. Qxe5 Nd7 23. Qe4 N7f6 24. Qf3 Bc6 25. Qg3 $16 {White retains his attack, his kingside is secure enough for the time being, and he has added the bishop pair to his trumps.}) 21... Bxe5 22. dxe5 {(22. Qxe5 could be considered if I'd seen what was coming, although Black has better chances than in the previous variation since ...c4 is in the air)} Qc6 {The critical position. Black hits the knight in the corner and also hints at mating threats on g2 or h1. Clearly it's a delicate position for White, but the same can be said for Black: his knight on f6 is attacked, and if it is forced to move then White will have threats of his own against h7. I thought I had everything under control and so played} 23. exf6 $4 {When I took this knight (after six minutes' thought) I foresaw 23... Nf4 24. Qe4, or 23.. Ne3 24. f3, and in both cases White defends everything with a winning position. But, alas, there is a third knight move!} (23. f3 $142 {would have kept the fight going. Taking the knight can now lead to a forced draw:} Qxa4 (23... Nd7 {may be stronger. White can continue as advertised with} 24. g5 $1 (24. Qe4 f5 25. exf6 Rxf6) 24... hxg5 25. Qe4 f5 26. exf6 N7xf6 {(the point of inserting 24. g5 before Qe4 is that after ...Rxf6 the rook can be dislodged by Bg5)} 27. Qxe6+ Qxe6 28. Rxe6 Nxh5 29. Be4 $44 {Even without queens, and two pawns down, White retains a strong initiative. He has two bishops and the enemy pawns on c5 and g5 are both weak.}) 24. exf6 Nxf6 25. g5 Nxh5 26. gxh6 Qc6 {(not forced, but clearest)} 27. Be4 Qc7 28. Bxb7 Rad8 $1 29. hxg7 $1 {Now if 29... Rfe8 30. f4 would retain the extra piece, so Black has to consent to} (29. Be4 $4 {White can't preserve his piece because of} Qg3+ 30. Kh1 f5 31. Bc6 Qh3+ 32. Kg1 Rf6 $19 {with a decisive attack}) 29... Qg3+ 30. Kf1 Qh3+ 31. Kg1 Qg3+ $11) 23... Nc3 $19 {Up to here it had been an evenly-matched game on the board and the clock, but Han banged this move out and then blitzed the rest of game. Playing strong juniors feels like Jenga sometimes. In a battle of understanding I don't think I acquitted myself any worse than my opponent, but once it became about pure tactics I had no chance. And really, if one forces oneself to look for candidate moves, an advance that threatens mate in one, my queen and my knight should not have been too hard to spot.} 24. Bh7+ {If not for this move White would have to resign on the spot, but once the dust clears it only gives me time to say goodbye to the game.} Kxh7 25. Qd3+ {(39)} Kg8 {(41)} 26. f3 Nxa4 {An unkind commentator would doubtless say something about White getting his just desserts for leaving the knight offside for the entire middlegame.} 27. fxg7 Rfd8 28. Qe3 Qxf3 29. Qxf3 Bxf3 30. Bxh6 {(39)} Nxb2 {(41)} 31. Rf1 Nd3 32. Rxf3 {Merely for the token consolation of winning back two pieces for a rook.} Nxc1 33. Bxc1 Rd1+ 34. Rf1 Rxf1+ 35. Kxf1 {(36)} Kxg7 {(40) One for the lost brilliancies collection. It was a great shame not to be rewarded for some nice ideas in this game, but at the same time there were some positives: my opening idea landed effectively, and I outplayed a strong opponent in an unfamiliar middlegame. I fell short, however, both because of a bad tactical mistake and because at some point bravado crossed over into recklessness. I didn't need to loosen my control to the extent that I did.} 0-1

I've had a lot of courageous games against strong opponents, and of course most of them have ended in failure. Sometimes I get outplayed; other times, like here, I am the architect of my own demise. But at least the failures are often glorious ones. You are unlikely to get results against the odds if you don't put your opponents under pressure - that doesn't have to be an all-out blitzkrieg, and actually the part of this game which gradually moved in my direction was the part in which I turned the screw slowly and patiently. Snatching the e-pawn costs Black too much time, and his refusal to return the pawn with ...c5 sooner made it impossible for him to break his bonds.

Just like against Gajowniczek 24 hours earlier, I lost this game because my patience then snapped. Whilst I still admire the audacity of 20. g4!?, and believe that it is a sound positional idea, White doesn't need to burn his bridges until he has crossed them. Black has no counterplay so the idea is not going anywhere, and there is time to lock down the queenside with 20. Nc5 first. Essentially, I got nervous and rushed - I worried that I had to use my advantage there and then. My knight's ride into the valley of death on a4 is also worthy of note. Obviously I did not suddenly forget that knights are usually misplaced at the edge of the board, nor did I overlook that Black was bound to open the long diagonal with ...c5. There always seemed to be something more urgent to do than retrieve the wayward piece, and besides I thought that by keeping it on a4 I could work to stop Black's pawn break altogether. What seems like childish ignorance is often the product of miscalculation.

The afternoon round did not get any easier, as despite being on 2/5 I was inexplicably paired against IM Jack Rudd - when I resigned after about an hour, having misplayed the opening completely, he had more time on the clock than he'd started with. For the next day I was consigned to the bottom boards, and a change of approach was called for.