Welcome to my English Opening (ECO B20) game with GrandPoobah069 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. In this game I used the Botvinnik System, Tom Stiers variation. My opponent overstepped the time control on move number 9 and I am sure that I filed a time complaint about it. However, there is no record of my opponent being warned then. I filed another time complaint around move 36 and tried to claim the win on time forfeit. I was told by the TD that my opponent was not warned around move # 9 and that there would be no win on time forfeit! I am angry that I had to settle for a draw in a game that I should have won on time! Why have time controls if you are not going to enforce them?! The ratings listed below are for each player at the conclusion of this game.

[Event "ICC correspondence 2007Quad.04.02"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.03.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Black "GrandPoobah069"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ICCResult "Game drawn by mutual agreement"]
[Opening "English: symmetrical, Botvinnik system"]
[ECO "B20"]
[NIC "EO.30"]
[Time "20:54:28"]

1. e4 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nge2 e6 7. d3 Nge7 8.
O-O O-O 9. Be3 Bd7 10. f4 f5 11. Rb1 Rb8 12. d4 b6 13. Nb5 Bc8 14. dxc5 dxc5
15. e5 Nxe5 16. fxe5 Bxe5 17. Nxa7 Bd7 18. a4 Qc7 19. Nb5 Bxb5 20. axb5 Rfd8
21. Qc2 Bg7 22. Nf4 Kf7 23. Rfd1 Bd4 24. Qe2 Rd6 25. b3 Rbd8 26. Bxd4 cxd4
27. Rxd4 Rxd4 28. Nxe6 Rd2 29. Qxd2 Kxe6 30. Re1+ Kf7 31. Qc3 Nd5 32. Qe5
Qxe5 33. Rxe5 Nf6 34. c5 bxc5 35. Rxc5 Rd1+ 36. Kf2 Rd2+ 37. Kg1 Rd1+ 38.
Kf2 {Game drawn by mutual agreement} 1/2-1/2

 

Online Chess Game
ICC
Game Played 7 March 2007 to 22 August 2007
White: Mike Serovey (1546) Black: GrandPoobah069 (1622)
 

1. e4 c5 2. c4 Nc6

I played this move order in order to avoid some of the reversed Sicilians that I often get when playing the English opening. At this point I had already decided to go for the Botvinnik system.

3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nge2 e6 7. d3 Nge7 8. O-O O-O

At this point in the game the position is nearly symmetrical and Black continues the symmetry for a while longer. My original idea was a kingside attack, but that got changed a little as the game went on.

9. Be3 Bd7 10. f4 f5 11. Rb1 Rb8 12. d4

I decided to end the symmetry by breaking open the Center. Note that White now has a broad pawn center. It is my intent to trade off the dark-squared bishops here.

b6 13. Nb5 Bc8 14. dxc5 dxc5 15. e5 Nxe5?!

Here is the first sacrifice in this game and I  believe it to be an unsound one. As it turned out Black only got one pawn for the Knight.

16. fxe5 Bxe5 17. Nxa7 Bd7

White is now up a Knight for a pawn. Trading queens when you are down material is generally not a good idea, so 17... Bd7 was probably a good idea here. White now has a queenside majority and Black has a kingside majority plus a passed pawn on the e file. It is that passed pawn that made me decide on a sacrifice of my own later on in this game.

18. a4 Qc7 19. Nb5 Bxb5 20. axb5 Rfd8 21. Qc2 Bg7

Black has managed to double White's pawns on the Queenside and thus negate the pawn majority there. Black's last move prepares to advance that passed e pawn. White's next move is to try to either win the pawn at e6 or fork the Queen and Rook on e6. I also looked at putting the Bishop on f4 but liked the Knight there better.

22. Nf4 Kf7 23. Rfd1 Bd4!

Capturing now on d4 would give Black connected passed pawns in the Center and leave my pawn at c4 weak. The only decent move now is to protect the Bishop with the Queen.

24. Qe2 Rd6 25. b3 Rbd8 26. Bxd4 cxd4

Black now has connected passed pawns in the Center. Stopping those passed pawns may require giving back my extra material. Here is where the second sacrifice of this game comes in. I had already decided on this Rook sacrifice when I captured the Bishop on d4. My sacrifice, however, does remove Black's two passed pawns.

27. Rxd4! Rxd4 28. Nxe6 Rd2

At this point in the game White has a Bishop and doubled pawn for the Rook. Here is where the third sacrifice comes in. After 29. Qxd2 if Rxd2 30. Nxc7 and White is up a Bishop and doubled pawn. Black saw this and played the correct move which was to capture the Knight at e6.

29. Qxd2 Kxe6 30. Re1+ Kf7 31. Qc3 Nd5

Black's last move is sort of clever. White cannot capture the Knight with the pawn because then he would lose his Queen and capturing with the Bishop leaves Black's Rook on a square where I don't want it. I realized that now was my opportunity to get rid of the Black Queen so I took it. White is up a doubled pawn and has the queenside pawn majority, so getting the queens off the board is good for White.

32. Qe5 Qxe5 33. Rxe5 Nf6 34. c5 bxc5 35. Rxc5 Rd1+

Black saw that he would have trouble stopping my passed pawns so he went for the perpetual check. When I realized that he was going for a draw by repetition of position I offered the draw and he accepted. At first I was going to play 36. Bf1 but I realized that after 36. Bf1 Ng4 37. h3?? Ne3!! wins my pinned Bishop. And if 37. Rc3 to keep the Knight off e3 then 37... Re1 and the Knight gets to e3 anyway.

36. Kf2 Rd2+ 37. Kg1 Rd1+ 38. Kf2 1/2-1/2

If Black wanted to try to win this instead of drawing he could try 38... Ng4+ in which case I would play 39. Ke2 attacking his Rook and giving me time to save my h pawn.

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