Welcome to my Sicilian Defense (ECO B22) game with GrandPoobah069 page!

On this page I have posted one my chess games in the Sicilian Defense. I played the Black side of the Sicilian Defense. This game is one of my correspondence games played at ICC. The ratings listed below are after the game was completed. My opponent's rating dropped from 1691 to 1668 as a result of this game. I won on time forfeit when my opponent violated the time control for a second time. This is one of 3 games I have been paired against GrandPoobah069 and he has been warned in all 3 of them for overstepping the initial time control. In all 3 games he was given additional time to complete the games.

[Event "ICC correspondence 2007Quad.04.01"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.03.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "GrandPoobah069"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ICCResult "Black declared winner by adjudication"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Alapin's variation (2.c3)"]
[ECO "B22"]
[NIC "SI.46"]
[Time "20:54:28"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Nc6 8.
Be3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4 10. Nc3 Qd6 11. Nb5 Qd8 12. a3 Ba5 13. h3 Bh5 14. Qa4
O-O 15. Rfd1 a6 16. Nc3 b5 17. Qb3 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Ne7 19. a4 bxa4 20. Rxa4 a5
21. Rda1 Qc7 22. Qa3 Rfc8 23. c4 Nc6 24. Qa2 Ne4 25. Bd2 Nxd2 26. Qxd2 Nb4
27. g4 Bg6 28. Ne5 Be4 29. f3 Bb7 30. Kg2 Rd8 31. Qc3 f6 32. Nd3 Nc6 33. d5
exd5 34. cxd5 Rxd5 35. Nb4 Rd4 36. Bc4+ Kf8 37. Nd5 Qd8 38. Qa3+ Ne7
{Black declared winner by adjudication} 0-1

1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5

This is the only time that I have played 2... d5 against Alapin's variation (2. c3). I got the idea from MCO 14, but I'm not sure that I would play it again. I tried to follow the game on page 250 of MCO 14, column 5, but my opponent didn't follow the move order exactly and I had to vary from my plan around move 11.

3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O

Here is where my opponent varied from the book by not playing 7. h3. However, that didn't mess up my plans any at all.

Nc6 8. Be3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4 10. Nc3

He again varied from the book by not playing a3 here. That messed up my plan because my Bishop is on b4 instead of a5. I failed to notice that critical difference when I played my Queen to d6. Still, it worked out OK.

Qd6 11. Nb5 Qd8 12. a3 Ba5 13. h3 Bh5 14. Qa4 O-O 15. Rfd1 a6

It seems that both sides are attacking on the Queenside now. White has an isolated pawn on the d file, but Black cannot safely capture it. Isolated pawns can be a strength in the opening but a weakness in the endgame.

16. Nc3 b5 17. Qb3 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Ne7

It was my intention to put my knights on d5 and e4 and to put all kinds of pressure on White's backward pawn at c3. White messed up my plans by playing a4 here.

19. a4 bxa4 20. Rxa4 a5 21. Rda1 Qc7

Black's last move both protects his pawn at a5 and puts some pressure on White's pawn at c3. At this point both sides have a passed pawn, but Black's is more likely to be captured.

22. Qa3 Rfc8

If White captures the pawn on a5 now he will lose his pawn on c3. White forgoes the exchange of pawns and advances his c pawn to a safe square. Black now needs to defend his a pawn with another piece. Both side have now effectively blockaded the other side's passed pawn.

23. c4 Nc6 24. Qa2 Ne4 25. Bd2 Nxd2

I wanted to get one of White's bishops off the board and have now succeeded. This leaves the White pawn at d4 a little weaker.

26. Qxd2 Nb4 27. g4 Bg6 28. Ne5 Be4 29. f3 Bb7

Black has all of his pieces, except his King, on the Queenside. He would have trouble defending if White suddenly shifted his attack to the Kingside. Fortunately, White never did attack on the Kingside. White has weakened the pawn structure around his King and would also have some trouble defending against a Kingside attack. At this point in the game my concerns were to protect my passed a pawn and to win White's passed c pawn. Attacking on the Kingside never occurred to either one of us!

30. Kg2 Rd8 31. Qc3 f6 32. Nd3 Nc6!

Black's last move both defends a5 and attacks d4. Because White cannot adequately defend the pawn at d4 he decided to advance the pawn and to trade off some pawns at d5. This leaves White down a pawn, but he still has pressure on a5.

33. d5 exd5 34. cxd5 Rxd5 35. Nb4

Here is where I blundered. I saw that capturing the Knight with my pawn would lose material. For example, if 35... axb4?? 36. Rxa8+ Bxa8 37. Rxa8+ Kf7 38. Bc4 wins the Rook at d5 and 37... Rd8 38. Rxd8+ Qxd8 39. Qxc6 and White is up a Bishop for a pawn. Playing 35... Rdd8 would allow me to capture the White Knight with my a pawn. Playing 35... Rd7 would allow me to capture the Knight with my Knight. When I analyzed 35... Rd4 I saw 36. Bc4+ Kf8 and thought that I would be OK. I missed something that I will cover later. What I hoped for was 36. Nxc6 Rxa4 37. Rxa4 Qxc6 and Black is still up a pawn, but has a much simpler endgame.

Rd4?? 36. Bc4+ Kf8

What both sides missed is that 37. Nxc6!! leaves the Rook at d4 defenseless! Play would probably have continued 37... Rd6 38. Bb5 Bxc6 39. Bxc6 Rxc6 and Black is still up a pawn. Or 38. Nb4 axb4 39. Rxa8+ Bxa8 40. Rxa8+ Rd8 41. Rxd8+ Qxd8 42. Qxb4+ and White is up a Bishop. All things considered, I am glad that White played 37. Nd5 instead!

37. Nd5? Qd8 38. Qa3+ Ne7 0-1

It was at this point that White overstepped the time control for a second time and I claimed the win on time forfeit. Otherwise, the game may have continued with 39. Nxe7 Qxe7 40. Qxe7+ Kxe7 and Black is still up a passed pawn. White cannot now capture the pawn on a5 because that would leave his Bishop on c4 unprotected and the Rook at d4 would take it for free. The way that I see it, I got lucky in this game!

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