Welcome to my English Opening (ECO A20) game #2 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 early in this game and got off with yet another warning! This is the third consecutive game in which he has overstepped the time control and got off with a warning! This guy is a repeat offender and cheater in that they keep giving him warnings and don't give me the win on time forfeit when he oversteps the time control! Again I ask, why have a time control if you are not going to enforce it? The ratings listed below are for each player at the conclusion of this game.

[Event "ICC correspondence 2007Class.01.06"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.07.14"]
[Round "-"]
[White "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Black "GrandPoobah069"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ICCResult "Game drawn by mutual agreement"]
[Opening "English opening"]
[ECO "A20"]
[NIC "EO.18"]
[Time "19:40:17"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 d6 5. e4 Nc6 6. Nge2 Nge7 7. O-O O-O 8.
d3 Be6 9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 Qd7 11. Nd5 Kh7 12. Rb1 f5 13. f4 Rab8 14. b4 a6
15. a4 Bxd5 16. cxd5 Nd8 17. b5 axb5 18. axb5 Nf7 19. b6 c6 20. dxc6 Nxc6
21. d4 Rfd8 22. fxe5 dxe5 23. d5 Ne7 24. Nc3 Nd6 25. Qd3 Rbc8 26. Rfc1 fxe4
27. Nxe4 Nxe4 28. Bxe4 Rxc1+ 29. Rxc1 Nxd5 30. Rd1 Nf6 31. Qxd7 Rxd7 32.
Rxd7 Nxd7 33. Bxb7 Bf8 34. Be4 {Game drawn by mutual agreement} 1/2-1/2

 

Online Chess Game
ICC
Game Played 14 July 2007 to 9 November 2007
White: Mike Serovey (1562) Black: GrandPoobah069 (1675)
 

1. c4 e5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 d6 5. e4 Nc6 6. Nge2 Nge7 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 Be6

GrandPoobah069 has played Black against me before so he has some idea of what I am going to play here. This time he tried a different strategy against me with the same result, a draw. His overall strategy seems sound and is one I may play against the English myself. In this setup Black would normally attack on the Kingside but that is where I am going to attack.

9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 Qd7 11. Nd5 Kh7

I do not understand Black's last move. White's last move is typical of this system. If Black captures on d5 with his Knight the c pawn will recapture and fork his Knight at c6 and Bishop. If he captures on d5 with his Bishop then his Knight at c6 will have to move. Eventually he does take the Knight at d5 doubling my pawns. My next move is to protect my b pawn so that I can play f4 without losing my b pawn.

12. Rb1 f5 13. f4 Rab8

Because things have temporarily stalled out on the Kingside I decided to expand on the Queenside. The beauty of this system is that I can attack on either wing.

14. b4 a6 15. a4 Bxd5 16. cxd5 Nd8 17. b5 axb5 18. axb5 Nf7

Neither one of us wanted to break the tension in the Center just yet. White now has an isolated pawn on the b file and doubled pawns on the d file. To compensate for these weaknesses White has the bishop pair against a Knight and Bishop. White now tries to trade off his isolated pawn which would give Black an isolated but passed pawn. Black decided to leave my pawn on the b file and let me trade off one of my doubled pawns. Later on in the game that isolated b pawn ends up becoming a passed pawn.

19. b6 c6 20. dxc6 Nxc6

If White plays 21. fxe5 and Black responds with dxe5 White would end up with a backward d pawn that would be hard to defend. If White plays 21. exf5 then the d pawn becomes isolated. I played 21. d4 with the intention of playing it to d5 if Black didn't capture it on d4. I wanted Black to capture on e4 and f4 so that I could put my bishops on those two squares.

21. d4 Rfd8 22. fxe5 dxe5 23. d5 Ne7

White now has a passed pawn in the Center but he can't hang onto it. Black's Bishop is blocked in by his pawn at e5. I think that White has a slight advantage here but he needs to adequately protect his d and e pawns.

24. Nc3 Nd6 25. Qd3 Rbc8 26. Rfc1 fxe4

Black correctly calculated that this capture wins the d pawn. When I first looked at this I believed that I would win a Knight for that pawn. Later I saw that Black had one move that saved his Knight.

27. Nxe4 Nxe4 28. Bxe4

Black took my Rook on c1 with a check because he saw that 28... Nxd5 29. Rxc8 Rxc8? 30. Bxg6+! Kh8 31. Bf5 wins the Rook for a Bishop and 29... Qxc8 30. Bxd5 Qd7 31. Rd1 followed by 32. Qe4 and White is up a Bishop for a pawn and threatening to capture Black's pawn at b7.

Rxc1+ 29. Rxc1 Nxd5 30. Rd1 Nf6!

This is the only move that saves both the Knight and the Rook behind the Queen. If instead Black had played 30... Nxb6? then White would play 31. Bxb6! After 31... Qxd3 32. Rxd3 Rxd3 33. Bxd3 White has a Bishop for 2 pawns and can easily win Black's pawn at b7. If Black plays 30... Ne7? then 31. Qxd7 Rxd7 32. Rxd7 White is up a Rook for a pawn and will win the Black pawn at b7.

31. Qxd7 Rxd7 32. Rxd7 Nxd7 33. Bxb7 Bf8 34. Be4 1/2-1/2

I offered a draw here because when I first looked at this position I saw trading down to a bishop of opposite color endgame which tends to be drawish. When I looked again I saw that White could win, but only if Black made certain mistakes. I probably should have played it out a few more moves just to see if Black actually did make those mistakes. Play could have continued with 34... Bd6 35. b7 Bb8! (in order to prevent 36. Ba7!) 36. h3 Nf6 37. Bc6 and now if 37... e4?? White can play 38. Bf4!! and Black cannot prevent White from queening the b pawn.

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