Welcome to my Sicilian Defense (ECO B33) game 2 with ThreeofSeven 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. This is my first loss in a correspondence game against ThreeofSeven, and my third game against him. My opponent's real name is Dave (He didn't give a last name.) and he is from Castle Rock, Colorado. I used to live not too far from there in Colorado Springs.

[Event "ICC correspondence 2007Quad.04.08"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.03.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "ThreeofSeven"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[Opening "Sicilian defense"]
[ECO "B33"]
[NIC "SI.34"]
[Time "20:54:28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. a3 d5 7. exd5 Nxd5
8. Nxd5 Qxd5 9. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 bxc6 11. b3 Bc5 12. f3 O-O 13. Bd3 Rd8
14. Ke2 Bd4 15. Rb1 c5 16. Be3 e5 17. Rhc1 Bxe3 18. Kxe3 f5 19. c3 Be6 20.
b4 c4 21. Be2 a6 22. Rd1 Kf8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Rd1 Rxd1 25. Bxd1 Ke7 26. g3
g5 27. f4 gxf4+ 28. gxf4 e4 29. Kd4 Kd6 30. Be2 h6 31. Bxc4 Bxc4 32. Kxc4
Kc6 33. a4 h5 34. Kd4 h4 35. h3 Kb6 36. c4 Kc6 37. c5 Kc7 38. b5 axb5 39.
axb5 Kb7 40. b6 Kc6 41. Kc4 Kb7 42. Kb5 e3 43. c6+ Kb8 44. Ka6 e2 45. c7+
Kc8 46. Ka7 e1=Q 47. b7+ Kxc7 48. b8=Q+ Kd7 49. Qb5+ Ke6 50. Qe8+
{Black resigns} 1-0

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

Although the move order may vary, this position starts the Sicilian Four Knights defense. White's next move is not in MCO 14 and stops what I was planning to do. As a result of this, I may vary my move order in the future. At this point I considered playing a6 and d6 as well as d5. Because I normally play d5 in these kind of positions I figured that playing it here was good too.

6. a3 d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5

I looked at this position and realized that after 9. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 bxc6 Black has isolated pawns on the a and c files and White cannot castle. Still, Black has no attack in the Center so the White King is safe there. I now believe that after 9. Nxc6 playing 9... Qxc6 is better for Black.

9. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 bxc6 11. b3 Bc5 12. f3 O-O 13. Bd3 Rd8 14. Ke2 Bd4 15. Rb1 c5

Black has a kingside majority versus White's queenside majority. Later in the game Black loses the isolated c pawn. White has a more solid pawn structure and thus is slightly better here.

16. Be3 e5 17. Rhc1 Bxe3 18. Kxe3 f5 19. c3 Be6

Both sides are contesting control of the Center. Black needs to bring his King and Queens Rook to better squares. After 20. b4 Black can play 20... cxb4 leaving White with connected a and b pawns versus Black's lone a pawn. I decided to play 20... c4 to block in White's Bishop and to close off the Queenside for a while. Now, I'm not sure that was my best strategy.

20. b4 c4 21. Be2 a6 22. Rd1 Kf8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Rd1 Rxd1 25. Bxd1 Ke7

With all of the major and most of the minor pieces off the board we have what now should be a simple endgame. Black now needs to prevent the White King from penetrating his position and also to get his King over to the Queenside in order to prevent White's pawn majority from queening.

26. g3 g5 27. f4 gxf4+ 28. gxf4

This is probably the most critical position in the game as far as my strategy went! I looked at playing 28... Kd6. If then 29. fxe5 Kxe5 and Black should be able to hold a draw here. When I analyzed the game after 28.... e4 I knew that I would eventually lose the c pawn but I also saw that I would queen my passed e pawn if White ever moved his King away from it. All of my analysis led me to believe that I would get at least a draw out of playing e4 here. It turns out that my opponent suddenly got much better in a matter of two weeks and found some moves that I missed! I beat him twice when I had White and now he suddenly got much better when he had White! I suspect that he got help from a computer or a stronger player at this point in the game!

e4 29. Kd4 Kd6 30. Be2 h6 31. Bxc4 Bxc4 32. Kxc4 Kc6

This is the position that I foresaw when I decided to play 28... e4. White surprised me was when White played 34. Kd4 and 36. c4. I had not looked at White playing his pawn to c4 prior to playing b5.

33. a4 h5 34. Kd4 h4 35. h3 Kb6 36. c4 Kc6

White will now get connected passed pawns on the Queenside versus my one passed pawn in the Center. I now saw that Black will get to queen first and that I can prevent White from queening his pawns. White found two more moves that I had missed in my analysis.

37. c5 Kc7 38. b5 axb5 39. axb5 Kb7

If White tries to win the Black pawn at f5 the Black e pawn will queen and then be able to mop up White's remaining pawns. White found a better strategy here.

40. b6 Kc6 41. Kc4 Kb7 42. Kb5 e3

Black now gets to advance his passed pawn because White cannot catch it now. Again, my analysis showed that Black can stop White from queening if White misplays this. I did not foresee 44. Ka6! when I first looked at this position!

43. c6+ Kb8 44. Ka6! e2 45. c7+ Kc8 46. Ka7 e1=Q

Although Black gets to queen first White queens with check and that made the critical difference in this game!

47. b7+ Kxc7 48. b8=Q+ Kd7 49. Qb5+!

When I looked at this position I saw several checks after I played 49... Ke6 and Black came out OK. However, I missed the check at e8 winning my Queen! Here Black is forced to play his King to some other square that e6 and let White capture his pawn at f5. I think that 49... Ke7 is best here so that Black has some chance of stopping White from queening that pawn if White forces the exchange of queens.

Ke6?? 50. Qe8+!! 1-0

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