Welcome to my Pirc Defense game (ECO B07 Pirc: Byrne variation) with Tom G. Schrade page!

On this page I have posted one my chess games in which I played the Black side of the Pirc Defense. The game includes analysis and diagrams. This game transposed into a Pirc from a Queen pawn opening. This is a USCF rated correspondence chess game. At the time the game started my opponent had a USCF OTB rating of 1866. This game brought my USCF correspondence chess rating down to 1903 and my opponent's rating up to 1756. Considering the number of mistakes that I made in this game I now feel lucky to have come out of it with a draw.

Correspondence Game "B"
Section 96CA283
4 November 1996 to ?
White: Tom G. Schrade (1756) Black: Mike Serovey (1903)

This begins the Byrne variation of the Pirc Defense. I don't know what opening theory considers to be best for Black in this variation so I was just winging it.

Bg7 5. f4 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 Bg4

I think that g4 is the best place for Black's light-squared Bishop because it would be blocked in by its own men if I put it anywhere else. Also, pinning the Knight on f3 makes e5 a little harder to play. But White plays e5 on the next move anyways.

9. e5 Bg7 10. Be4 c6 11. O-O d5 12. Bd3 e6

White has a slight lead in development but Black will catch up. Black has managed to lock the Center and will shortly begin to expand on the Queenside. White will expand on the Kingside.

13. Qe1 Bxf3 14. Rxf3 Nd7 15. g4 c5 16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Rd1 Qb6!

Black is now threatening to play Nxd3 with discovered check and an attack on the White Queen. White sees this and moves his King off the diagonal of the Queen. Black is also threatening to win the pawn on b2 but Rb1 wins it back. I don't know why I didn't capture White's Bishop on the next move.

18. Kg2 d4? 19. Ne4 Nxe4 20. Qxe4 f5?

Playing f5 here weakened the kingside pawn structure and left the e pawn a little weak because it is backward. Now is the time for the Black Queen to capture on b2!

21. exf6 Rxf6 22. g5 hxg5 23. fxg5 Rxf3 24. Kxf3 Rf8+

It only took Black 24 moves to get his Queen's Rook into this game! The material is even when Black could have been up a pawn or two on the Queenside.

25. Kg2 Rf5 26. h4 Qd6?

I have no idea why I played Qd6 leaving my b pawn unprotected! Now White should play 27. Qxb7! winning a pawn and attacking Black's Rook with his Bishop.

27. Rf1? Rxf1 28. Kxf1 Qf8+ 29. Kg2 Qf5

Playing the Black Queen to f5 does protect the e and g pawns but leaves the b pawn unprotected. Black offered the exchange of queens but White should have declined it. Instead of capturing the Black Queen White should have captured the Black pawn on b7 attacking Black's Queen with his Bishop! This game was a comedy of errors. I guess that he was afraid of 30... Qg4+ winning his h and g pawns.

30. Qxf5? 1/2-1/2

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