Welcome to my
English Opening
game (ECO A13) with Eric Lang page!
On this page I have posted one my chess games in which I played the
White side of the
English
Opening . The game includes analysis and diagrams. I missed a win in the
endgame and had to settle for a draw. Generally speaking, if I have a game
that goes more than 60 moves and it ends in a draw then I missed a win
somewhere.
Saint Pete Chess Club July Open
Round 4, Board 5
Game Played 30 July 2005
White: Mike Serovey (1500) Black: Eric Lang (1516)
1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7
This position can also arise from the Réti opening. It is
the move order that made me call this an English instead of a Réti. Instead
of 4... Be7 Black can also play 4... dxc4 and 4... c5. If White were to play
5. d4 then we would have a Catalan opening.
5. O-O O-O 6. b3 Nbd7 7. Bb2 c5 8. d3 b6 9. cxd5 exd5
10. Nbd2 Bb7
Both sides have completed development of their minor
pieces. White has a double fianchetto and no pieces or pawns beyond the
third rank. Black has established a strong pawn center that White will try
to undermine. White now tries to open up the Center and to trade off some
minor pieces.
11. Ne5 Qc7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. e4 dxe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15.
dxe4 Qe6 16. Qc2 Bf6
Black avoided trading queens earlier but now wants to
trade off dark-squared bishops. White has a kingside pawn majority versus
Black's queenside pawn majority. White accepts the trade of bishops and then
tries to strengthen his Center with f4.
17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. f4 Rfe8 19. e5 Qe7 20. Rfd1 Bxg2 21.
Qxg2 Rad8
Having traded off all of the minor pieces Black now wants
to trade rooks and weaken White's control of the d file. White now moves his
Queen back to c2 in order to strengthen his Rook at d1. Black now decided to
double up on the d file but it didn't work. White got control of the d file
and used it to penetrate Black's position.
22. Qc2 Rd7 23. Rxd7 Qxd7 24. Rd1 Qc7 25. Qd3 h6
Black is worried about a back rank checkmate and thus
plays h6 to give his King an escape square. Although there was no real mate
threat Black's move is OK because he doesn't have much else to play here.
26. Qd7 Qxd7 27. Rxd7 Ra8
White is slightly better here because he has a Rook on
Black's second rank while the Black Rook is tied down to defending the
queenside pawns. Now it is time for both sides to move their kings into the
Center.
28. Kf2 Kf8 29. Ke3 Ke8 30. Rc7 g6 31. g4 a5 32. Rb7
Ra6
I think that 33. a4 preventing 33... a4 was better than
33. Kd3. Once the Queenside is locked up White can then penetrate with his
King on b5. Black will then have to bring his Rook back to the d file in
order to get any counterplay.
33. Kd3 a4 34. f5 axb3 35. axb3 Ra2 36. fxg6 fxg6 37.
Rxb6 Kf7 38. h3 Rh2
White is now up a passed pawn in the Center and can easily
win Black's c pawn. White now maneuvers his Rook to f3 so that it can guard
the White pawns at h3 and b3.
39. Rf6+ Kg7 40. Rf3 Ra2 41. e6 Ra7
White traded rooks on f7, which cost his his passed e
pawn. However, White would still lose the pawn after 42. Kc4 Re7 43. Re3
Kf6. So, what White played here is probably best.
42. Rf7+ Rxf7 43. exf7 Kxf7 44. Kc4 Ke6 45. Kxc5 Kd7
46. b4 Kc7 47. b5 h5
Here is where White missed his last chance to win this
game! Playing the pawn to g5 was the winning idea because White is up a
passed pawn on the b file but does not have the opposition. By
playing 48. g5! White can then sacrifice the b pawn and win both of Black's
kingside pawns. With connected passed pawns on the Kingside White wins!
48. gxh5? gxh5 49. h4 Kb7 50. b6 Kb8 51. Kc6 Kc8 52.
Kd6 Kb7 53. Ke6 Kxb6 54. Kf6 Kc6 55. Kg6 Kd7 56. Kxh5 Ke7 57. Kg6 Kf8 58.
Kh7 Kf7 59. h5 Kf6 60. h6 Kf7 61. Kh8 Kf8 62. h7 Kf7 1/2-1/2
It is White's turn to move and he has no legal moves.
Thus, it is a stalemate. If it was Black's turn to move it would still be a
stalemate after Kf8.
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