I played this game on Sunday, regular G/90, against opponent rated 150 lower. I had a draw with him before. So I play French, second time. It looked like after the first few moves it was “terra incognita” for him, he was spending time finding the moves, I played pretty quickly.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nf3 a6 – second choice move to prevent Nc3-b5-d6 maneuver – I hate knight getting there. 6. Bd3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O Nc6 9. Re1 Be7 10. Bf4 O-O. Crafty evaluates position after move 10 as equal, time +10 minutes.
11. a3 Nc5 12. b4 Nxd3 13. cxd3 f6 14. d4 – I evaluated it as better for me, Crafty thinks the same – ~-0.50.
14. d4 fxe5 15. Bxe5 Ncxe5 16. Nxe5 Bd7 17. Rc1 Rc8 18. Qg4
Now I realize that I am in trouble – there is a threat 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Rxe6. I can play 19. … Rf6 – but I see right away that it’s not good – 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Nxd5 … ( and I found out later that I lose e6 pawn too) . Still I don’t think I have a choice and hope that my opponent wouldn’t see it. Advantage in time disappears. Of course, Crafty found here an excellent counterattacking move - Bf6, and also there is Rf5, in both cases I am OK. So, again, it’s not opening/endgame knowledge, not deep calculation – just seeing the right move. But that’s what masters are about – they see it, we don’t. Anyway, I play Rf6, luckily for me my opponent plays 19. Ne2. So, 19. … Bd6 20. f4 Bxe5 21. fxe5 Rg6 – better Rf7, 22. Qh3 Qg5? Crafty says another bad move – 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Rc1 Qd8 25. Qc3 Bd7 26. Qc7 Qxc7 27. Rxc7 Bc6 28. Nf4 Rh6 29. Re7 Kf8 30. Rxe6 – 1.46. But White plays 23. Rxc8 Bxc8 24. Rf1
24. Rf1 Bd7 25. Qf3 Qe7 26. Qc3 Bb5 27. Rf2 Bc4 28. Qc2 Rh6 29.
Qa4 Bxe2
30. Rxe2 Rh4 31. Qd1 Rf4 32. Rf2 Rxf2 33. Kxf2
Draw agreed. Looking on the bright side, I got out of the opening OK and with more time than my opponent. Still need more experience in playing these positions.
April 21, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Crafty found here an excellent counterattacking move – Bf6,
I saw that immediately, before even the pawn dropping on e6, and liked it anyway as his d-pawn goes in the trade. Opening knowledge instincts, I guess, but sometimes I do that in openings I don’t know as well also.
I also immmediately thought of Rf6, but you are playing into the other person’s hands a bit more with that, which ultimately lead nowhere.
Crafty’s 24. Qd8, I gotta think is bad, just play Bd7, at least your queen could make it to f5 as it stands.
I could be wrong but it looked like NxB instead of Bf6 first is what got you into that little bit of trouble. That’s the problem with losing the initiative like that, the rest of the game is about digging yourself out of the hole, even though it always looks like such smooth-sailing ahead of time.
April 21, 2009 at 10:26 pm
BTW, your Nc5 was an eye-opener for me as I would normally try b5 and maybe Nb6-c4, which may not be effective, but then again I think he should have responded with Be2, but you were probably right.
But playing d4 was not doing a lot for him in that position either, but he got the draw so it’s not exactly bad or anything.
April 21, 2009 at 11:14 pm
linuxguy – I thought too after the game, that 15. … Nxe5 allowed his knight to be on excellent position and was losing initiative.
April 22, 2009 at 7:39 am
I’ve done that so many times; especially when I got bored my opponents dull play and started thinking “everything’s a draw, what’s on TV/the News/etc” barely maintaining interest in the game.
Some people, it’s like they just want to draw me off the get-go. I may lose going for the win, but I can win by being more patient than them in those situations usually, because of the experience differential.
April 22, 2009 at 3:43 pm
linuxguy – I think if I would play Bf6 (as you suggested) instead of Nxe5, I would have better control of e5 square, and if finally after exchanges rock or d4 pawn gets there it’s no danger for me. I understand you, though I wasn’t bored, just screwed up positionally. But that’s maybe an advantage of playing French, to get my positional play better, these e4 e5 variants don’t teach me anything new anymore. I didn’t expect French to be so sharp, a bit like walking through the minefield, the difference is if you walk OK, your opponent blows up. But that makes it more interesting, as well as applying your theoretical/practical knowledge right away because almost everybody plays e4 against me.
On a different note – one of the games I lost in Petrov on chess.com ( where I was just crashed – I posted it in comments for “French vs. Petrov”, with Nxf7 ) was against the woman recently banned for cheating (i.e. using computer). And another game looked like a draw before I screwed up in the middlegame (like in this one), so score 0:4 for Black (after which I decided not to play it OTB) maybe doesn’t reflect the real situation.
April 23, 2009 at 6:35 am
Nice game.
I like 11…Nc5 the 12….Nxd3 getting rid of whites good white squared bishop.
what i still am not happy with the French, is if your opponet does not swop pieces, black can have a cramped position for a long time.
In my primary school chess clubone of the young players remarked,”i dont like this opening none of my pieces are in front of my king they are on the wrong side of the board”
I will show him your game to show how you can go from cramp to attack.
April 23, 2009 at 11:11 am
chessx – yeah, 12…. Nxd3 was good, too bad I didn’t capitalize on that. Here is an excellent example how you go from cramp to attack, same variation, renowned Geza Maroczy with Black:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1094330
I think I should memorize this game.
April 23, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Thanks i will use that game at the school chess club.
Show the children that all blacks pieces were used in the attack, but white had 2 rooks and a queen still on their start squares at the end of the game.
April 24, 2009 at 6:32 am
Chessx – If White doesn’t play 3.e5, then Black can play 3…dxe, and Black has a much easier game, like a Queen’s Gambit Accepted.
In any case, Black could simply play 3…Ne7 to treat it more like a proper advance variation. The Advance Variation is the true test of the French Def, IMO.
Against the Adv. Var., it may seem very limiting for Black, but at least it isn’t too horribly difficult. The Scotch as White seems much trickier to get right.
April 24, 2009 at 6:38 am
Which is to say that schoolkids should really want to, or be playing 1…e5 in response to 1.e4, if they are chiefly concerned with playing a “correct” game.
April 24, 2009 at 12:53 pm
They always want to play 1…e5 to 1.e4.
We end up with a type of Ruy Lopez or Italian game.
Children seem very reluctant to try something in their mind risky like the Frence or caro Kan.
April 24, 2009 at 1:30 pm
chessx, linuxguy – yeah, they just better understand ideas behind e5 (or they think so), risky because they don’t know what to do and sit in cramped position without f6, e5, etc. or castle kingside quickly ( as they were teached ) and get under strong attack or just get “greek gift”. More experienced tend to play Sicilian or more complicated lines of Ruy ( instead of Italian and something like Steinitz in Ruy).
linuxguy – I have 66% score in blitz with Black in advanced, the highest out of any other French variation.
April 25, 2009 at 2:26 am
Yes, a player tends to branch out more as they pick up experience.
I don’t even play Adv. Var. online as White anymore, it’s too easy to win for me. I actually play Ne2 because I want to learn how they handle it as Black. hehe.
90% under 1800 on FICS, just made that up, don’t know what the real statistic is, don’t know how to play the Advanced Var. properly, particularly the a3, Be2 way (not the Bd3 gambit). The 10% that do know, will advance on the queenside and kick the queen off b6 or at least threaten to. Last guy I beat at blitz, but he should have had me, he even moved Be2-d3 later, with Qc2 and won my h7 pawn. But even if I go g6 or h6, it’s horrendous for Black to defend an 0-0 position after that, you’ve really got to get dam* lucky.
Once, my knight was on f5 and didn’t take the B on e3. He played Nxd, which attacked my queen on b6, and if I take with exd, then my N on f5 falls to his queen. It’s full of holes. hehe. Have to play it right.
April 25, 2009 at 2:28 am
Against a strong player, I might now play Bd7 before Qb6, just to see if he plays a3 or Be2 variation.
April 27, 2009 at 10:18 am
linuxguy – I will definitely try Bd7 before Qb6. I realized that playing French requires serious experience/knowledge or deep calculation – better both. But it seems me it could pay off greatly. Just recently I played blitz, Tarrasch as White – 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 f6 – just a move later (after 7. … cxd4 8. cxd4) it would be good, not now – 8. Nf4! – just a move later this move scores 49% for White, here it won me a game.
April 29, 2009 at 8:16 am
You are right, the Nf4 line looks winning right there:
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 f6 8.
Nf4 Qe7 9. exf6 Qxf6 10. Nf3 cxd4 11. O-O dxc3 12. Nxe6 Bd6 13. Re1 cxb2
14. Bxb2 Qxb2 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. Nxa8 g6 17. Bc4 Nf6 18. Bxd5 Nxd5 19. Qxd5
Qf6 20. Rad1 Bg4 21. Qxd6+ Qxd6 22. Rxd6+ Kc8 23. Rb1 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Ne5 25.
f4 Nf3+ 26. Kh1 Kb8 27. Rd7 Kxa8 28. Rbxb7 Rf8 29. Rxa7+ Kb8 30. Rdb7+ Kc8
31. Rxh7 Kb8 32. Rab7+ Kc8 33. Rhc7+ Kd8 34. Ra7 Rh8 35. h3 Rxh3+ 36. Kg2
Rh2+ 37. Kxf3 Rh3+
*
But a move later it is actually a standard line …Nxd4, then Qh5 and Ng6+ to win the rook on h8. I thought this looked better for White at first, but Crafty gives Black -.8
That’s the sort of thing that happens a lot as Black, one second you find yourself in a vicious opening attack, the next moment you’ve beaten it back with a broom.
Amazing thing about the French is how it often comes down to move-order, getting it right. Same is probably true of any opening, once you learn and get good at it.
April 30, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I give up on chess. just renewed my membership for 3 years, but really shouldn’t have bothered. I just lost a slew of games on time, or resigned just before.
I can see the win or draw in all of these games, but I can’t play at 15 0 or 15 5. At 20 20, if I only played one or two games, I could reach 2000, but I can’t beat squat at quicker times, it’s useless. My strength is that I can turn time into victories, it’s always been that way for me. Without time, I can’t verify quickly enough.
Time = rating points for me, simple as that, hardly seems to matter who I play. I already have the talent and enough knowledge, so this simple equation seems so permanent. I keep trying to change it.
I should add and energy. I won’t spend the time analysing anyway, if I am tired.
That’s it, I am done for a maybe a year or more. It got to be too much of an addiction for me, but good luck in your and Chessx’s games.
April 30, 2009 at 1:45 pm
linuxguy – I didn’t quite understand. Where you stopped to play, on which site? Are you not playing OTB anymore? Please, explain.
April 30, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Rollingpawns – I just decided that I’m going to cut out on-line chess on FICS. I would play 20 games in a row, and have lapses of concentration, trying to make a quick tired move, and just drop a pawn or something.
That phase is done for now. OTB, and studying opening theory or games on a regular chess-board is still okay for me.
I don’t know why I played all those games anyway. hehe. It’s nice, when I do play at the local club, the long time controls. I’ve looked at other states such as Colorado, even the Marshall in NY, and it’s mostly all like G/60 at these places or G/90. I’ve definitely been spoiled.
April 30, 2009 at 2:33 pm
It’s a good idea. I almost quit it too, but then with this French trying, somehow I returned. Nothing good, just yesterday got tired, started to lose game after game and couldn’t stop. Recently my higher rated opponent got perfect Lucena with me and lost on time, can you imagine that? I am also finding to my surprise that correspondence games are not as useful as I thought. I am playing worse than OTB, don’t actually remember well the opening that I played, etc. But we can’t play OTB every day
. Studying opening theory, games is good. I am trying to force myself to study endgames without much success – just waiting until I lose silly in some endgame, then I’ll start. If you play less online, it should free more time for these things.
May 2, 2009 at 9:48 am
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Bd3 Qb6 7. O-O cxd4 8.
cxd4 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4 10. Nc3 Ne7 11. Nb5 Qxe5 12. Re1 Qb8 13. Qf3 Bxb5
14. Bxb5+ Nc6 15. Qxd5 Qc7 16. Bf4 Qd7 17. Qf3 Be7 18. Red1 Qc8 19. Rac1
O-O 20. Rxc6 bxc6 21. Bxc6 Rb8 22. Bxb8 Qxb8
*
I just put Crafty in analysis mode and created this game in < 5 minutes. It’s Ne7 in the Milner-Barry Gambit (Bd3) of the French Def. – looks like Black should be able to draw.
Look at Crafty’s evaluations “Oh, no don’t play _that_ move, you’ll kill yourself!” I don’t know why people still trust computers explicitly/fully. The other day a guy said he didn’t know endgames and said Crafty only gave his position +.4, and I had to tell him how he should have played it for a win, as I had botched it myself by trying something too aggressive but which I knew might lose (knight ending with passed pawn).
OTH, I just used Crafty to fix a hole in one of my Scotch lines. I find it much harder to play the Scotch or even the Sicilian, than the French where I am comfortable from other side.
I almost posted this one Fr. Adv game where I won as White against strong opponent. I botched the move order, played Nc3 instead of castling, then he played f6. Botched because I couldn’t defend d4 in time other than to play Na5, kicking the queen on b6. Went down a pawn but won the game, but had acheived positional equality with knight posted in front of the backward pawn hole.
Shoot, that’s not even a bad pawn loss. I am going to try learning the Scotch Gambit; tried it the other day, and I knew I was botching it, but got great pressure, tried to give the second pawn away but he wouldn’t take it. Black is supposed to play d5, but I know a lot of players are timid. I even screwed up again, but he flinched and reacted defensively. hehe. That is easy compared to the non-gambit Scotch.
Oh, the biggest problem with on-line chess is I have to look at the screen intently and it burns my eyes, they become red after hours and hours of chess and stay red. Since I already look at the computer anyway for what I do, it adds too much to eye-fatigue.
Of course other problems are losing, then playing to get rating points back when you start playing at anyone’s time controls, then you win a bunch of games you didn’t notice weren’t rated (what is up with these people requesting unrated standard and blitz? Be e a man! hehe)
I rarely come across players I feel are really strong online. Rule of thumb is more like players who are waiting for me to have a lapse of concentration, and when I am tired, sure enough I do. So I keep playing and keep dropping all kinds of stuff, it’s funny after a while, like my brain is back to the en-prise mode of when I first started playing chess, brain sort of loses it’s ability to look for the other guy’s one-mover threat.
I don’t know about seeing strong endgames online, it’s usually me doing those, if either of us do. When I am not tired I play well, but that only proves that I am not tired. hehe.
Yeah, the opening. If I could get my opponents to find my holes and then just agree to a draw or abort, that would be great. I’ve asked for more draws lately, but White will play on in an even position just because they are White, and that is when I just fry my eyes, staying alive, spending too much time going through the motions of an entire long game. I still learn from those games, but I will lose by rushing them as by then I am trying to look at code and type in some code and play chess at the same time, and so lose because I am not going to sit there online like it means that much to me. hehe.
May 3, 2009 at 4:02 am
I played another tournament on Saturday, OTB. Good luck on yours, RP, if you play tomorrow.
I’m a bit fried, not in the analytical sense, but in the needing to get my inspiration back sense. I should have won my second game, but burn-out hit me hard all of a sudden. I’m glad I escaped it with a draw, knowing how toasted/overcome I felt at the time. Instead, I just threw away all my initiative but held on.
May 4, 2009 at 12:57 pm
linuxgiy – “players who are waiting for me to have a lapse of concentration” – exactly! And then they challenge you – time after time. I would never challenge somebody if I will feel that he is playing worse than he can.
I played on Sunday – … still shaking my head. I played with 280 lower rated boy, being up a pawn went to K+Ps ending with protected passed pawn, was sure it’s a passport to win. Then made one move and thought that I missed a win. He offered a draw, I agreed and then he showed me that there was a forced win, 2 pawns sac – I didn’t see it. I was very upset, until today I found out that if I would continue as I planned (not playing that move) I would actually lose ( Crafty gives me ~-3). Can you believe it ? I am a bit ashamed of this game, maybe will still post it. Exactly as I said above – “just waiting until I lose silly in some endgame”. Also was late 10 minutes and the boy “put” it on the clock. It kind of ticked me off with that Botvinnik rule, I lost my concentration and didn’t restore it until end of the game.
May 4, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Rollingpawns – I’ll start off with a sidetrack. As for waiting until I am tired, the worst offenders I find are on FICS. 15 0 time controls, many times I’ve been played down for a clock loss, like they will spend less than 5 minutes for the game, and not give me a draw when I have queen vs. rook or opposite-colored bishops and try moving back and forth, not repeating the postion – last time I shot the moon and offered the draw at the right time to get 3-fold repetition. Oh, this player also simply created a solid, flexible yet passive position and was trying to win on the clock the whole way.
So in my last game, I played a 1900 player at 20 10. He took my knight on d4 with NxN on move 4, that is like taking Nxd4 in the Sicilian, it’s not really an opening. hehe. He had 21 minutes left and I had 20 when I had beaten him through a full game, endgame and all. So I don’t take FICS rating seriously anymore.
Okay, back to OTB. Yes, there are players with the same modus-operandi of “Come and get me!” chess. Luckily, Kurt, my opponent in round 2 was nice about it and let me have the draw.
In my 3rd round, I never even saw his rook sac in that particular situation, looking for the draw. He was at 12 or 13 minutes, then didn’t play it until about 2 or 3 minutes were left on his clock. So, it does take time and determination to find those moves, even when seemingly left with nothing to look for but desperate moves.
There was a 1650 player who accepted a draw from a 1900 player, then me and Kurt showed him a win. Kurt showed him the first move, but I pointed out how it was winning. I razzed the poor guy a bit after that, saying that was the A players best move of the game. hehe.
If there is one benefit of asking for a draw OTB, you feel compelled to answer it right way. The guy asked me for a draw in game 3, so I immediately said “I want to try something first, see if it leads to something” and made my move an instant later.
You’ll have to be wary of little boys offering you draws next time. haha. I am sorry, that was cruel of me. That totally bites, you work way too hard to let that fate befall your games. Well, we both did the same thing then, let a win slip away, which is probably a lot easier to allow psychologically than a loss.
Man, I’ve totally felt that way before too, giving the other player the benefit of the doubt as they plead for mercy. But I would evaluate it thoroughly, and if I thought it was in fact a draw I think I would give it to them, and not be a total sh*thead about it and make them prove it to me – unless perhaps it was the 3rd round where a big pot of gold was riding on the outcome.
The 10 minutes on the clock would not be a big deal in my games, but it would in your G/90 format (I get 30/90 SD 30). I made a joke about the Botvinnik rule myself the other day, we were talking about poor tournament conditions somewhere.
Please, post the game, I’m dying to know what you were planning on playing. You can’t say that you would have played it though, just as easily could have changed your mind – I do that quit a bit over moves OTB. For that matter, you could post all your games of the tournament.
May 5, 2009 at 12:09 am
I think the draw rule is more like Black is usually willing, but White isn’t. But I like it when someone shows some class as White. Kurt was classy for giving me the draw, as he was White, but it is rare to find someone as White who will not be a d*ck about it and press on ’til the bloody end.
May 5, 2009 at 12:50 am
I’ll try to post the game tomorrow. It should be a lesson for me, like with time management and somebody’s “pet” openings.
May 5, 2009 at 1:57 am
I should have used the word ‘jerk’ instead and not cussed, but you are right it’s a great lesson learned as no one really owes anyone anything at the board except to follow the written _rules_ of etiquette.
No rush, don’t waste your time unless you can spare it.
In general, not as many people seem willing to post draws or losses on their blogs, or they have a decided preference for posting wins.
I was laughing at a blog the other day, Chesstiger had replied that he wanted to see their games against stronger players. It looked to me like crappy analysis by the blogger (bad moves) against an opponent a few hundred points weaker, so naturally they won regardless. No response given to Chesstiger’s suggestion.