Welcome to my English Opening (ECO A36 English: symmetrical variation) game with uncle-dummy  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 2155 after this win. My opponent started off this game with a rating over 2300 but dropped to 2240 after this loss. Although I don't know my opponent's real name, I do know that he lives in  Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

[Event "Game 402695"]
[Site "Stan's NetChess"]
[Date "2007.06.18"]
[Round "?"]
[White "mserovey"]
[Black "*uncle-dummy*"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 g6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Nge2 Ne5 7. d3 d6 8. O-O
O-O 9. f4 Nc6 10. h3 e5 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. cxd5 Ne7 13. fxe5 Bxe5 14. Rb1 f5 15.
Bf4 Bf6 16. b3 Kg7 17. Qd2 Ng8 18. h4 h6 19. Rf2 Kh7 20. Rbf1 Bg7 21. d4 cxd4
22. Nxd4 Qb6 23. Be3 Qd8 24. exf5 Bxf5 25. Nxf5 gxf5 26. Rxf5 Qe7 27. Rxf8 Rxf8
28. Rxf8 Qxf8 29. Bxa7 Qf6 30. Bf2 Ne7 31. a4 Kg8 32. Qe3 Nf5 33. Qe6+ Qxe6 34.
dxe6 Kf8 35. Bxb7 Bc3 36. g4 Ng7 37. Bd5 Ke7 38. Be3 Bb4 39. Bxh6 Ne8 40. Bg5+
Kf8 41. e7+ Kg7 42. Bc6 Kf7 43. Bxe8+ Kxe8 44. Kf2 d5 45. Ke3 Bc5+ 46. Kd3 Kf7
47. h5 Bb6 48. b4 Ba7 49. h6 Bb8 50. Kd4 Kg6 51. e8=Q+ Kxg5 52. h7 Ba7+ 53. Kxd5
Kxg4 54. h8=Q Kg5 55. Qf7 Kg4 56. Qhg8+ Kh4 57. Qfh7# 1-0

Correspondence Game
Stan's Net Chess
Game played 18 June 2007 to 28 September 2007
White: Mike Serovey (2155) Black: uncle-dummy (2240)

This started of as a symmetrical English opening but it is now going into the Botvinnik system.

6. Nge2 Ne5?

Black just violated an opening principle. You don't move a Knight twice until you have developed your other pieces. Black is trying to win the pawn at c4, or perhaps prevent d4. I was planning to move my pawns to d3 and f4 anyway, so Black Black just wasted a tempo.

7. d3 d6 8. O-O O-O 9. f4 Nc6 10. h3 e5

I believe that Black does not know the opening that I am playing and is still trying to keep things symmetrical. Black's last move allows me to put my Knight on d5 without any problems. I don't mind the doubled pawns if Black captures on d5. It was somewhere around here that I offered my opponent a draw. He declined stating that even though I had the advantage because of weaknesses in his position he wanted to play it out because it would make both of us better players. I'm not sure what he learned from this game but he probably wishes that he took my draw when offered.

11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. cxd5 Ne7 13. fxe5 Bxe5

If Black had captured with the d pawn he would have cut off the Bishop on the long diagonal and given me a passed pawn on the d file. Now, White needs to protect his pawn on b2 before he can move his Bishop at c1.

14. Rb1 f5 15. Bf4 Bf6 16. b3 Kg7 17. Qd2 Ng8

Black wanted to prevent Bh6+ winning the Rook for a Bishop. However, the Knight on the back rank does nothing else. Because Black has a Knight, Bishop and Rook all on their respective starting squares he is now lagging behind in development. White now wants to prevent g5 so that he can keep his Bishop on f4 where it keeps some pressure on d6.

18. h4 h6 19. Rf2 Kh7 20. Rbf1 Bg7 21. d4 cxd4 22. Nxd4 Qb6 23. Be3 Qd8

Black's last 3 moves have done next to nothing while White has prepared to attack on the f file. Attacking on the f file is key to the way that I play this opening. Note that Black still has a Bishop, Knight and Rook that are doing next to nothing. Because of Black's passive play White is now going to win a pawn.

24. exf5 Bxf5 25. Nxf5 gxf5 26. Rxf5 Qe7 27. Rxf8 Rxf8 28. Rxf8 Qxf8

Black is down a pawn and is about to lose a second one. Although Black's Bishop controls the long diagonal it attacks nothing. In fact all of Black's pieces are not doing much! This is the point where I would probably have resigned if I was Black. It is very difficult to hold an endgame down two pawns.

29. Bxa7 Qf6 30. Bf2 Ne7

I was expecting Black to play 30... Qa1+ instead of 30... Ne7. If Black had played the check I was planning to play 31. Be1 in order to prevent 31... Bc3. I was somewhat surprised and relieved that the Queen never went to a1.

31. a4 Kg8 32. Qe3 Nf5 33. Qe6+!

White is up 2 pawns and now has forced the exchange of the queens. Black's capture on e6 gave both players passed pawns, but White's is further advanced and thus better. I believe that moving his King and allowing White to capture on f6 was better for Black.

Qxe6 34. dxe6 Kf8 35. Bxb7 Bc3

White is now up three passed pawns! It is time for Black to resign. Black made me play this game out to checkmate, which irritated me. Black has temporarily stopped the advance of White's queenside pawns but he has to watch out for the White pawn on e6.

36. g4 Ng7 37. Bd5 Ke7 38. Be3 Bb4?

Black would have been better off playing 38... Nxe6 winning White's passed e pawn and unblocking Black's passed d pawn. However, Black would still have been lost after 40. Bxh6 because White would have connected passed pawns on both sides of the board. White can easily catch and stop Black's remaining passed pawn.

39. Bxh6 Ne8? (Take the e pawn!) 40. Bg5+ Kf8 41. e7+ Kg7 42. Bc6 Kf7 43. Bxe8+ Kxe8

White has 5 passed pawns to Blacks one! It is way past time for Black to resign! At this point in the game I was feeling insulted that Black was making me play this out! The Black King cannot move away from the pawn at e7 or I queen the pawn. White now moves his King to the Center in order to stop Black's only pawn.

44. Kf2 d5 45. Ke3 Bc5+ 46. Kd3 Kf7 47. h5 Bb6 48. b4 Ba7 49. h6 Bb8

Black wants to put his Bishop on e5 in order to prevent the h pawn from queening. White's next move takes e5 away from Black and threatens Black's last pawn.

50. Kd4 Kg6?? 51. e8=Q+ Kxg5

At first I was planning to capture Black's Bishop on b8 and then his last pawn. After that I would go after his King with my King and Queen. Then, I realized that I have a faster win if I ignore Black's Bishop and get a second Queen. I believe that it was at this point that I asked Black why he was making me play this out and he responded with, "Why not?".

52. h7!! Ba7+ 53. Kxd5 Kxg4 54. h8=Q Kg5 55. Qf7 Kg4 56. Qhg8+ Kh4 57. Qfh7# 1-0

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