Welcome to my Sicilian Defense (ECO B33) game with Donnell6909 page!

On this page I have posted one my chess games in the Four Knights variation of the Sicilian Defense. This is my first win against Donnell6909. The ratings show are what each player was after the game was over.

[Event "ICC 20 12"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.07.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Donnell6909"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "White checkmated"]
[WhiteElo "1516"]
[BlackElo "1535"]
[Opening "Sicilian defense"]
[ECO "B33"]
[NIC "SI.34"]
[Time "20:29:20"]
[TimeControl "1200+12"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be2 Bb4 7. Bg5 Qa5
8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 Qxc3 11. Nb3 Ke7 12. Rb1 b6 13. Bb5 Bb7
14. Bxc6 Bxc6 15. Nd4 Bxe4 16. Nb5 Qxc2 17. Qd6+ Kd8 18. Rbc1 Qd3 19. Qc7+
Ke7 20. Nxa7 Qd6 21. Qxd6+ Kxd6 22. Nb5+ Ke7 23. Nc3 Bc6 24. Rfe1 Rhg8 25.
g3 h5 26. h4 Rgc8 27. Kf1 Bb7 28. Ke2 d5 29. Ke3 Rc4 30. Nxd5+ Bxd5 31. Rxc4
Bxc4 32. Ra1 Rxa2 33. Rxa2 Bxa2 34. Kd4 Kd6 35. Kc3 Kc5 36. g4 hxg4 37. h5
Bb1 38. Kb2 Bh7 39. Kc3 b5 40. Kb3 b4 41. Kb2 Kc4 42. h6 b3 43. Kc1 Kc3 44.
Kd1 b2 45. Ke2 b1=Q 46. Ke3 Qe1+ 47. Kf4 Qxf2+ 48. Kxg4 Qf5+ 49. Kh4 Qg6 50.
Kh3 Kd3 51. Kh4 Ke3 52. Kh3 Kf3 53. Kh4 Qg4# {White checkmated} 0-1

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6

I have been playing the Four Knights Sicilian since about 1975, so I have seen this position many times. White's next two moves are ones that I rarely see in this opening.

6. Be2 Bb4 7. Bg5 Qa5

White is threatening to capture the Black Knight on f6, which isn't much of a threat because Black can recapture with the g pawn, but he does end up with doubled pawns and a weak Kingside. Black's threat is to capture on c3 winning a pawn with check. After 8. Bxf6 Bxc3+ is much stronger than gxf6 because White has to now deal with the check by either moving his King or recapturing with the pawn on c3. If 8. Bxf6 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qxc3+ NOT 10. Qd2 to block the check because of 10... Qxa1+ 11. Bd1 gxf6 and Black is up a Rook and pawn while threatening the White Knight on d4. If instead 10. Kf1 gxf6 and Black is up a doubled pawn. White can no longer castle because his King moved and Black has a weak Kingside making castling there risky.

8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 Qxc3

Black is now up a doubled pawn and is threatening to capture the White Knight on d4. White decided to retreat the Knight to b3 rather than to capture the Black Knight on c6. The White pawns at a2 and c2 are isolated and can become targets for Black to attack. Black decide to move his King to e7 on move 11 because he didn't want to castle into a weak Kingside. There are enough pawns around the King to keep it safe for a while.

11. Nb3 Ke7 12. Rb1 b6 13. Bb5 Bb7 14. Bxc6 Bxc6

Both sides have 3 pawn islands. I believe Black's pawn structure here is slightly better than White's, especially if Black can get the freeing pawn move d5 in. Instead of protecting the pawn on e4 White decided to attack the Black Bishop on c6 by playing his Knight to d4. I believe that 15. Nd4 was a blunder because that move lead to White being down 3 pawns.

15. Nd4? Bxe4 16. Nb5 Qxc2 17. Qd6+ Kd8 18. Rbc1 Qd3 19. Qc7+ Ke7

Black is now up 3 pawns, one of which is doubled. Black is also threatening to capture the White Knight on b5. White responded to all of this by capturing the pawn on a7 which takes the Knight out of danger and gets back one of his lost pawns. Black decided that he has had enough of the White Queen on c7 so he played his Queen to d6 to get rid of the White Queen there. Because Black is still up material trading queens now is good for him.

20. Nxa7 Qd6 21. Qxd6+ Kxd6 22. Nb5+ Ke7 23. Nc3 Bc6 24. Rfe1 Rhg8

Black is better here. He is up 2 pawns, one of which is doubled. He also has both of his rooks on half open files attacking White pawns. Although both White pawns are easily defended Black's rooks are more actively placed right now. Black also has a Bishop on the long diagonal that runs from a8 to h1. Black still needs to get d5 in and start that passed pawn marching to become a Queen.

25. g3 h5 26. h4 Rgc8 27. Kf1 Bb7

Black can't win the g pawn so he repositioned his King's Rook to the c file hoping to trade off rooks. Again, trading pieces is good for Black because he is up material.

28. Ke2 d5 29. Ke3 Rc4

Black is now threatening to play d4+ winning the Knight on c3. For some reason that I don't understand White, who is down 2 pawns, decided to sacrifice his Knight for a pawn here and then to trade off the rooks on the c file. If 30. K-any Black would probably play e5 here in order to support the advancement of the d pawn. Another option was to double the rooks on the c file trying to win the knight.

30. Nxd5+?? Bxd5 31. Rxc4 Bxc4 32. Ra1 Rxa2 33. Rxa2 Bxa2

White is now down a Bishop and 2 pawns. Both sides still have plenty of time on the clock. I don't understand why White didn't just resign here. Black has a passed pawn on the b file and can easily undouble the extra pawn on the Kingside. Winning now is just a matter of technique.

34. Kd4 Kd6 35. Kc3 Kc5 36. g4!? hxg4

White's sacrifice of a pawn in order to get a passed pawn on the h file was a brilliant idea, but it was not followed up correctly. Instead of 37. h5 White should have played 37. Kb2! attacking the Black Bishop and blockading the passed b pawn. If Black moves his Bishop to the wrong square he won't be able to get it on the diagonal that runs from b1 to h7 in order to stop White's passed h pawn from queening. If 37. Kb2! Bd5! 38. h5 Be4 and Black is OK because White can't queen the h pawn now.

37. h5 Bb1 38. Kb2 Bh7 39. Kc3 b5 40. Kb3 b4 41. Kb2 Kc4 42. h6 b3 43. Kc1 Kc3 44. Kd1 b2 45. Ke2 b1=Q

White is now down a Queen, Bishop and 2 pawns. Why is he making me play this out?

46. Ke3 Qe1+ 47. Kf4 Qxf2+ 48. Kxg4 Qf5+ 49. Kh4 Qg6 50. Kh3 Kd3 51. Kh4 Ke3 52. Kh3 Kf3 53. Kh4 Qg4# 0-1

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