As far as results, I started both tournaments having White and perfectly alternated in both tournaments, and so both times I did have the advantage of having three Whites, but that turned out to be of little help as I scored a mere .500 record at the Kansas Open, scoring 2 1/2 out of 5, and at the Potomac Open, I played better than I did overall at the Kansas Open, but still I ended up scoring 3 1/2 out of 5 which included a perfect record with Black, and so I scored 3 points with each color in the form of 3 out of 6 with White and 3 out of 4 with Black.
Just to give you a heads up of what will be coming in the next two months and what you can be looking forward to, we will be seeing a King's Indian Defense, two Catalans, a Slav, and four Frenches. A word of note that the four French games will come in the form of the 11th thru 14th editions of The French Connection, and what you will see will be variations that have not been covered yet in the series, specific a King's Indian Attack against the French and a trio of McCutcheons. A number of ideas will crop up in these eight games, including lessons on opening ideas, strengths and weaknesses on one color complex versus the other, direct attacks on the King, including a King hunt in one case, along with a number of educational endgames.
One last word of note, these eight games will be published in the order in which they were played, and so you'll get a feel of the roller-coaster type momentum I experienced at these two tournaments.
With all of that said, let's take a look at the first round of the Kansas Open.
Kansas Open, Round 1
W: Patrick McCartney (2050)
B: Kaustubh Nimkar (1772)
King's Indian Defense
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4
So we have the King's Indian Defense, which usually comes from the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3. One of the advantages in this move order is that White can specifically avoid the Nimzo-Indian and the Grunfeld. In the case of the latter, you will notice that White played 4.e4 before 5.d4 and not the other way around as 4.d4 can be answered by 4...d5, which would be a Grunfeld. This line is fine for White, but playing 4.e4 first limits Black's options. If Black wants to play a Grunfeld, he has to play the pawn move a move sooner, but after 3...d5, white can play 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 and Black ends up in a very positional, symmetrical situation, something that Grunfeld players tend to loathe. Of course, there is a cost as well, and that is that White has to be willing to play some lines that he wouldn't have to play against 1.d4. For example, after 1.Nf3, Black can play 1...c5, which then 2.d4 is not best, and Black can already remove a central pawn, while the other options are to play a Symmetrical English (2.c4), Sicilian (2.e4), or possibly something non-committal like 2.g3 but that puts no pressure on Black. Against 1...d5, White can play a Reti (2.c4) or a Queen Pawn Opening (2.d4), but especially in the latter case, having committed to Nf3 already removes the Nge2 possibilities that in many lines can be viewed as stronger for White, particularly the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. So while both approaches allow the Classical King's Indian, how you choose to get there will determine which side lines you are willing to allow.
5...Nbd7
While there is nothing specifically wrong with this move, it is not often played as Black lacks flexibility. More common is 5...O-O, but Black will end up transposing to the 6...Nbd7 line anyway on the next move. However, if he castles first, he maintains the flexibility to play the 6...e5 line, which is the main line, 6...c5 line, 6...Na6 line, or the 6...Nbd7 line which is what this game becomes anyway.
6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O e5
8.dxe5
Often times, minor details completely alter the assessment of a move and whether a move is best or not. The diagram above sees an added move by White and Black compared to the main line of the King's Indian Defense, which is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5. The difference here is the added moves of O-O by White and Nbd7 by Black. Without these moves, White has the option of playing the Exchange Variation, which is 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bg5 where the main line leads to a space advantage for White after 9...Re8 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.cxd5 c6 12.Bc4 cxd5 13.Bxd5. The difference here is that Black can capture on e5 with the Knight, and with the extra trade of Knights, Black removes a set of Knights in a position where he is the one that lacks space, and so this is to Black's benefit.
After a few moves are committed by both sides, trading is fine, but for now, tension should be kept because it makes ...f5 by Black harder to achieve with the mobile pawns in the center, which is vastly different than the lines where White has already played d5, blocking the position, and making ...f5 into an obvious break for Black. Therefore, better is 8.Re1 c6 9.Rb1 a6 10.dxe5 (now that Black has spent time on pawn moves rather than piece development due to the Knight on d7 blocking Black's mobility) 10...Nxe5 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Be3 Be6 (12...Qxd1 13.Rexd1 and White is first to the open d-file) 13.Qc2! and now with the threat of a Rook going to d1, Black doesn't really have a good square for the Queen that doesn't simply get in his own way. White is slightly better.
White follows a similar idea, but the earlier release in the center gets the Black Knight out of his own way from development immediately and Black can make more effective moves than the pawn moves played after 8.Re1.
8...Nxe5 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Qc2 c6 11.Bg5 Qc7 12.Rad1 Be6 13.Rd2 Rad8 14.Rfd1 Rd4 15.Be3
Already we have a critical position.
15...Rfd8?
Correct is 15...Ng4! 16.Bxg4 (16.Bxd4? exd4 17.Bxg4 dxc3 18.Bxe6 cxd2 is advantageous for Black) Bxg4 17.Bxd4 Bxd1 18.Bxe5 Bxe5 19.Qxd1 Bxh2+ with equality.
16.Bxd4 exd4 17.Rxd4 Rxd4 18.Rxd4 Ng4 19.Bxg4!
The alternative was 19.e5, but it leads to a smaller advantage for White than the game move based on line D below:
- 19...Nxe5? 20.Qd2 is winning for White.
- 19...Bxe5? 20.Rxg4 Bxg4 21.Bxg4 Bxh2+ 22.Kf1 and White is up a piece.
- The move I feared was 19...Nxh2, but after 20.f4! Ng4 21.Qd1, White wins.
- Correct would be 19...Qxe5 20.Rd8+ Bf8 21.g3 Qf6! 22.Bxg4 (22.Rxf8+ Kxf8 is completely equal) 22...Qxd8 23.Bxe6 fxe6 and the extra pawn island gives White a slight edge, but White is better off with the game move, maintaining being a pawn up.
19...Bxd4 20.Bxe6 fxe6 21.Ne2!
So White is now a pawn up and has one less pawn island than Black. White also has the better minor piece, especially with the Queens still on the board. The true test for White is a matter of patience. He needs to recognize that there is no way for Black to fix his pawn structure, and White should milk this issue for all it's worth!
21...Qd6 22.g3 e5 23.Nc1
The Knight is headed to d3 where it will continue to eye f4 for a timely f2-f4 push, but from d3, it will also eye c5, which it doesn't do from e2, along with plug up the d-file if Black were ever to try to retreat the Bishop and open up the Queen, and it guards both f2 and b2. Nothing spectacular, but White realizes that Black's weaknesses, including the pawn deficit, are all long term, and so White is going to take the time to relocate his pieces, including his King, before he proceeds to break through with his pawns, most notably the pawn breaks c5 and f4, both of which get played shortly.
23...Kg7
This introduces another item to be on the lookout for. The Black King has just moved in line with the isolated pawn, and that if Black ever moves the Bishop, which the most likely way for that to happen is if White can threaten to get the Knight to a strong square and make Black trade minor pieces, then potential pins along the long diagonal can become a problem for Black which would make the f4-break easier to execute.
24.Kg2
As mentioned already, White wants to get the King to a better location before trying to break through. Ultimately, White would like to get this to a King and Pawn endgame, but before he can do that, he must make sure that Black's King isn't located in such a spot that he can win back a pawn and also claim an actual advantage due to the superior King position. We recognized that White's potential breaks are c5, taking over the Queenside and limiting Black's available tempii, and breaking through the center with f4, either creating a passed e-pawn if Black takes on f4 or advancing to f5 and creating a Kingside majority. What breaks does Black have? None really. If he tries to get the a-pawn to a3 to disrupt White's Queenside, White can simply play a3 whenever the Black pawn gets to a4, and the h-pawn can maybe get to h4 and trade the h-pawns off, but there is little else that Black can do except sit and wait and make sure he doesn't locate his pieces on landmines that allow White to execute tactical breakthroughs.
It should also be noted that White must avoid cheap shots as well, and that moving the King to g2 also allows White to contest the d-file from virtually anywhere, and that while 24.Qd2 may be ok, 24.Qd3? would be a mistake as it allows 24...Qb4 with counterplay and equality and 24...Qd1?? would lose outright to 24...Bxf2+.
24...Qd7 25.Qd2 Qg4 26.f3
Here we see another reason for 24.Kg2. If the King were on g1, rejecting the Queen's entry in this manner wouldn't be possible.
26...Qe6 27.b3
Removing all pressure from the Black Bishop, and also Black's last move prevents the combination of Knight activity and a c5-push as the a2-pawn would hang if the Knight moves away and the diagonal opens up. Once again, Black has no way to improve his position, and so White is ever so slowly improving his own. The next phase for White is to relocate the Knight from the passive c1-square.
27...b6 28.Nd3 h6
Black's position has been bad for a while, and now he finally cracks. White has a defined role for the Knight. With this advancement of the h-pawn, White wants to get the Knight to e3. From there, he threatens to go to g4, and getting Black to advance one of the Kingside pawns. ...h5 would weaken the dark squares while ...g5 would invite White to retreat back to e3 and enter in on f5, at which point Black would be virtually forced to trade the minor pieces, and in a Queen endgame, Black will have a hard time fighting for the open file and covering his e5-weakness at the same time.
29.Nb4 g5
Accelerating White's idea. Now the Knight has a defined target square. f5!
30.Nc2 Qf6
Now the question must be asked. Is White ready to put his Knight on e3, virtually forcing the minor piece trade due to the threats of landing on f5?
31.a4
Not yet! White wants to immobilize the Queenside before doing this. White has ideas of either b4 or a5, and so it entices Black into his next move.
31...a5
This creates an added problem on b6. So now let's look. We have a weakness on b6. We have a weakness on e5. We have the f5 outpost for the Knight. Let's not also forget about the fact that the Black King still sits on the same diagonal as the e5-pawn, potentially creating tactical ideas of an f4-break. There is not much improvement that White can achieve and so therefore.
32.Ne3
The time has come!
32...Bxe3
Black of course doesn't allow the Knight to f5.
33.Qxe3
White now threatens the b6-pawn and to take over the only open file. Therefore, Black's next move is virtually forced.
33...Qd8
However, this removes the guard from the weak e5-pawn. First things first, White will not allow Black to solidify the Queenside with ...c5, and so what does he do?
34.c5!
He plays the move himself! If Black takes on c5, his pawn structure will be severely weakened, and so therefore...
34...b5
He advances the pawn.
35.Qc3
Now Black has that e5-pawn to deal with, and notice that the pawn is also pinned to the King, and for the King to get to the pawn the fastest, he has to remain in the pin by going to f6. All other routes to guarding the pawn take an extra move for Black.
35...Qc7
Played to guard e5 and try to keep White from winning on the Queenside, but this now abandons the open file. Black can't have everything!
36.f4
White uses that pin we have talked about multiple times to break through. Another possibility for White that also works is 36.axb5 cxb5 37.c6, using the idea that in Queen endgames, pawn quality matters far more than pawn quantity, and the player with the furthest advanced passed pawn is almost always the side that is winning, and that would be the case here. Here, White instead goes for a winning pawn endgame.
36...gxf4 37.gxf4 Kf6
Black has no way to stop either the loss of the e-pawn or else the trade of Queens, granted the choice of which is Black's, but both would very easily make White's life easier, whether that be going up two pawns instead of one or enter the Pawn endgame. The point being, White has no reason to rush to take on e5, and should improve the position of his King first.
38.Kf3 Qe7
Once again, White is still not forced to resolve the issue, but aside from possibly 39.axb5, there isn't much reason to wait at this point, and therefore...
39.Qxe5+ Qxe5 40.fxe5+ Kxe5 41.Ke3 h5
The fact that White's pawn is on h2 will always allow White to win the tempo game. If 41...bxa4, then 42.bxa4 h5 43.h3 and Black is in zugzwang. If 41...b4, then 42.h3! h5 43.h4 and Black is in zugzwang! With the move played, White makes his c-pawn into a passed pawn since the King is within range of the Black majority that results from it.
42.axb5 cxb5 43.Kd3
This is a pawn structure worth knowing. The two White passers guard each other two files apart. If Black ever takes on e4, the c-pawn promotes. If Black goes back with ...Ke6 and ...Kd7, then White advances the e-pawn to e5, and then whichever way the King goes, the other pawn advances. Therefore, if ...Kc6, then we play e6 and if ...Ke6, we play c6, and now you have the exact same scenario a file further up, and you just repeat this process until one of the pawns promotes. Of course, the way to force their advancement is to remove all other moves from Black, whether that be blocking the rest of the pawns or removing them. Black, on the other hand, has nothing that he can achieve with his majority as the White King is inside the box, and he doesn't have time to go running for White's h-pawn.
43...h4 44.Kc3 h3 45.Kd3
White is simply waiting and asking Black "now what?".
45...a4
Black makes White's task extremely easy. That said, if Black tries to create a Mexican Standoff by not advancing either pawn, the White King will get in to d5. Note that White can't advance his King beyond the 5th rank or else ...a4 then by Black will create an unstoppable passer. After 45...Ke6 46.Kd4 Kd7 47.Kd5 Ke7, White must be accurate. Now 48.c6?? would be a horrible blunder as Black can then draw with 48...a4! 49.bxa4 bxa4 50.Kc4 Kd6!, but the simple 48.e5! Kd7 and only now 49.c6+! and White can completely abandon the stopping of the Black pawns and instead mate the Black King in certain cases. If 49...Kd8, then White can simply play 49.Kc5 and grab the Black pawns, but if 49...Kc7, then instead of 50.Kc5, White should simply play 50...e6! with fatal threats of 51.e7, and if 50...Kd8, then 51.Kd6! and White will mate Black long before Black is able to Queen.
46.bxa4 bxa4 47.Kc4 a3 48.Kb3 1-0
Once again, the White Pawns guard each other and so there is no reason to play on, and so Black resigned!
The main thing to get out of this game is understanding the difference between long term and short term advantages, and that when your opponent's weaknesses are not repairable, and of the long term garden variety, the top priorities are to not give him counterplay, and to methodically set up all of your pieces into their ideal positions before trying to execute. If there is nothing that he can do other than watch anyway, why rush? You don't get anything extra by winning in 25 moves compared to 50 moves, and it's not like you are racking you brain with these extra moves. When your position is completely winning and the opponent has no counterplay, it's usually very simply, low stress ideas that you have to come up with, and simply ask the question constantly "Are my pieces ideally placed for the attack?". This is very different than sitting in a high-pressure situation where you may be winning, but one slight error could cost you the game. Here, outside of something egregious, even a small error might just simply mean a few extra moves you have to make if all your opponent can do is sit there and watch!
That concludes this article. Next time, we'll look at the second round of the Kansas Open which will come in the form of the 11th edition of The French Connection. Until then, good luck in your games.
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