Welcome to my English Opening game with Tom Stiers page!

On this page I have posted one my chess games in which I played the Black side of the English Opening . The game includes analysis and diagrams. I lost rather quickly in this game and haven't faired well against masters up to the time I had played this game.

 [Event "S.C.C. Action"]

 [Site "?"]

 [Date "1991.05.03"]

 [Round "1"]

 [White "Tom Stiers"]

 [Black "Mike Serovey"]

 [Result "1-0"]



 1. c4 e5 2. g3 h5 3. h4 d6 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. d3 Be6 7. Nd5 Be7

 8. Nxe7 Qxe7 9. Bg5 O-O-O 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. b4 a6 12. b5 axb5 13. Qa8+ Nb8

 14. Bxb7# 1-0

S.C.C. Action
Round 1, Board 1
Game Played 3 May 1991
White: Thomas G. Stiers (2217) Black: Mike Serovey (1698)

1. c4 e5 2. g3 h5

English Opening after 2... h5.

I think that this is the only time that I have played this move as Black against the English Opening. Tom taught me how to play this opening as White, but I have had trouble playing against it as Black. White plays the early fianchetto to wait and see what Black does with his dark-squared bishop. Black played h5 to stop White's expansion on the Kingside.

3. h4

English Opening after 3. h4

I have in my notes on this game that both 3... Bc5 and 3... Nf6 are better than the 3... d6 that I played, but I don't see anything wrong with 3... d6 at this point in the game. Playing 3... g5 is interesting because it can weaken White's Kingside as well as Black's.

d6 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. d3 Be6 7. Nd5

English Opening after 7. Nd5.

Tom nearly always plays Nd5 at some point in this opening. I'm a little surprised that he played it so early in this game. Capturing on d5 with my Bishop may have been better than playing Be7 here. White would end up with a doubled pawn in the Center and Black could always play Nd4 or Ne7 when White recaptures on d5 with the c pawn.

Be7 8. Nxe7 Qxe7 9. Bg5

English Opening after 9. Bg5.

This is another key idea in this opening. White pins the Black Knight on f6 to the Black Queen. Castling Queenside here puts yet another piece on the same diagonal as White's Bishop and makes that pin even harder to break.

O-O-O? 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. b4 a6

English Opening after 11... a6.

Tom normally attacks on the Kingside in this opening but expands on the Queenside here because that is where I castled to. White's pieces are better placed than Black's but White still has his King in the Center. So, Black needs to counter attack in the Center!

12. b5! axb5??

English Opening after 12... axb5??

Black is lost now because he cannot keep the White Queen off his back rank and the White Bishop on g2 is bearing down on his b7 spot after the Knight moves to b8 to block the check.

13. Qa8+ Nb8 14. Bxb7# 1-0

English Opening after 14. Bxb7# (Final position).

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