Welcome to my English Opening (ECO A23 English: Bremen system, Keres variation) game with richcavalier 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. This is one of my games played at Stan's Net Chess. My rating at this site became 2190 after this win. My opponent's rating dropped to 2358. The ratings listed below are for each player at the end of this game. During part of this game my opponent's rating was over 2400. The game starts off as an English Bremen and transposes into a Botvinnik system. Black actually got a slight positional advantage out of the opening but a series of second best moves by Black lead to White having a material advantage.

[Event "Game 425751"]
[Site "Stan's NetChess"]
[Date "2008.02.05"]
[Round "?"]
[White "mserovey"]
[Black "richcavalier"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 c6 4. e4 d6 5. Bg2 Be7 6. d3 O-O 7. Nge2 Bg4 8. f3 Be6
9. O-O d5 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. Be3 Nc6 14. a3 Bf6 15.
Nc3 Be6 16. Ne4 Be7 17. f4 exf4 18. Rxf4 Re8 19. Qd2 Ne5 20. Nf2 Ng6 21. Bxb7
Rb8 22. Bc6 Nxf4 23. Bxf4 Rb6 24. Bxe8 Qxe8 25. Be3 Rd6 26. Bxa7 Bf6 27. Ne4
Bd4+ 28. Bxd4 Rxd4 29. Nc5 Bh3 30. Re1 Qc6 31. b4 h6 32. Qe2 Rd8 33. Qe4 Qf6 34.
Qh4 Qxh4 35. gxh4 Rd6 36. Kf2 Rd4 37. b5 Rxh4 38. Re8+ Kh7 39. b6 Rh5 40. b7
Rxc5 41. b8=Q Rc2+ 42. Ke3 {Black resigned} 1-0

Correspondence Game
Stan's Net Chess
Game played 05 February 2008 to 17 March 2008
White: Mike Serovey (2190) Black: richcavalier (2358)

White's third move makes this a Bremen system and Black's third move makes it a Keres variation. White's next move transposes into the Botvinnik system. The main idea behind e4 at this point in the game was to discourage Black from playing d5.

4. e4 d6 5. Bg2 Be7 6. d3 O-O 7. Nge2 Bg4

Bg4 has caused problems for me in other games. If I play f3 then the diagonal of the light-squared Bishop is blocked if I should need to support something on d5. If I play h3 then Bh5 keeps the pin on the Knight at e2. Playing h3 and then g4 invites Black to sacrifice a piece on g4 in order to open up the White King's position. However, White hasn't castled yet and thus might be OK if Black sacrifices on g4.

8. f3 Be6 9. O-O d5

Black played d5 anyway but lost a tempo doing it. Black is now threatening to play d4 locking up the Center and kicking the White Knight at c3. White didn't see that he had any choice but to trade off on d5 and end up with the isolated d pawn. That is what lead to Black having a slight positional advantage.

10. cxd5 cxd5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5

If instead Black had played 12... Qxd5 then White might have played 13. Be3 followed by 14. f4 kicking the Black Queen and threatening the Black pawn on b7.

13. Be3 Nc6 14. a3 Bf6 15. Nc3 Be6 16. Ne4 Be7

White has moved his Knight 2 moves in a row and 17. Nc5 would have made 3 in a row.  17. Nc5 threatens the Black pawn at b7 and also to trade on e6 doubling Black's pawns. Black could defend against both moves by playing 17... Qb6. I played 17. f4 because it is more in keeping with my style and my preference to attack on the f file.

17. f4 exf4 18. Rxf4 Re8 19. Qd2 Ne5 20. Nf2 Ng6

Now the tide has turned and it is White who has the positional advantage and soon gets a material advantage too! My fist impulse was to move the Rook from f4 to d4 but then I realized that I could win a pawn with 21. Bxb7.

21. Bxb7 Rb8 (I was expecting 21... Nxf4, which I believe to be better for Black.) 22. Bc6 Nxf4 23. Bxf4!

White now has a Knight and a pawn for his Rook and is threatening both of Black's rooks. No matter which one Black saves White will capture the other one with a Bishop and thus be up a pawn on the Queenside. Later on Black blunders away the a pawn and ends up facing connected passed pawns on the Queenside.

Rb6 24. Bxe8 Qxe8 25. Be3

I honestly don't know why Black didn't play 25... Rb7 saving his pawn at a7. Even if he managed to win the isolated and passed d pawn he would still be facing connected passed pawns on the Queenside!

Rd6?? 26. Bxa7! Bf6 27. Ne4

Black's next move is forced because White is threatening to capture the Rook at d6 and the Bishop at f6 doubling Black's pawns and weakening the Black King's position.

Bd4+ 28. Bxd4 Rxd4 29. Nc5 Bh3

White is clearly winning here because he is up two pawns and has 3 passed pawns to Blacks zero. Black's last move was a attempt to get some counterplay by threatening a checkmate on g2. However, as long as the White Queen is on the second rank and the White Rook is on the first rank Black has no threats. White now plays Re1 in order to grab an open file and have some mate threats of his own.

30. Re1 Qc6 31. b4 h6

Black's last move was played in order to give his King an escape square if White ever gets Re8+ in. Playing f6 and g6 were also OK. White now plays Qe2 with the intent of playing Qe8+ forcing the exchange of queens. All of White's remaining Queen moves are played with the intention of trading queens which favors the side that is up material.

32. Qe2 Rd8 33. Qe4 Qf6 34. Qh4!!

White has forced the exchange of queens which favors the side that is up material. After the exchange on h4 White will have doubled pawns on the Kingside. This will give Black a passed pawn on the f file versus three passed pawns for White. Black cannot stop White from queening one of those three pawns.

Qxh4 35. gxh4 Rd6 36. Kf2 Rd4 37. b5!

I expected Black to take the pawn on h4 but believe that he would have been better off playing 37... Rd8. After capturing on h4 the Rook is out of position to stop the White b pawn from queening. Looking at the position now I'm not sure that 38. Re8+ was necessary. White still queens the b pawn.

Rxh4? 38. Re8+ Kh7 39. b6 Rh5

My first instinct was to protect the Knight with 40. d4. However, sacrificing the Knight lets me queen the b pawn sooner and leads to a faster win.

40. b7 Rxc5 41. b8=Q Rc2+ 42. Ke3 1-0

I think that Black should have resigned about ten moves ago. If 42... Ra2?? then 43. Rh8+!! Kg6 44. Qg3+ wining the Black Bishop.

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