Menu
Download PGN
Exit Game
Tips
Use the on-screen buttons or keyboard arrow keys to step through game.
Down arrow skips to end of game, up arrow to start of game.
The middle [ + ] button toggles auto-play mode.
Select the first move of a variation to step through the variation.
Select any move in the game or in a variation and the board will update to that position.
Select the bottom left square of the board to flip the board.
The bottom right square shows/hides the annotations.
Oswestry Chess Club
[Event "Oswestry B - Newport Junior A"] [Site "Newport"] [Date "2025.01.30"] [Round "Bd 4"] [White "Grocott-James, Al"] [Black "Spiers, Ellick"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.01.28"] [Annotator "Al Grocott-James"] [PlyCount "92"] [Variant "Standard"] [Termination "mate"] [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"] 1.e4 d5 {So my young opponent hits me with the Scandinavian.} 2.exd5 {Most natural move and best for White. Othermoves are possible . . .} ( 2.d4 {the Blackmar-Diemer gambit.} 2...dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 {White obtains a tempo and a half-open f-file in return for the pawn, } ) ( 2.e5 {gains space but at the cost of a tempo. After 2...c5 White needs a way to defend the advanced pawn.} ) ( 2.Nc3 d4 3.Nce2 e5 {cedes the centre to Black.} )2...Qxd5 ( 2...Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 {is the Portuguese Variation.} )3.Nc3 Qa5 {3...Qd6 is also played, as is 3...Qd8 which to me is a completewaste of time.} 4.Nf3 ( 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bf5 {is the main line.} )4...Bg4 5.Be2 ( 5.h3 {is stronger according to Stockfish 17.} )5...Bxf3 6.Bxf3 c6 7.O-O {All fine so far, with a small advantage to White.} 7...Nf6 8.d3 {The engine suggests} ( 8.d4 e6 9.Ne2 Be7 )8...e6 9.a3 Be7 10.Bd2 Nbd7 11.Ne4 ( 11.Nd5 {is much stronger at +1.08 as opposed to +0.38 for the text move.} 11...Qd8 12.Nxe7 Qxe7 {11.Nd4 also gives me the chance to swap off Black's remaining Bishop, leaving me with the two Bishops in a fairly open position.} )11...Qd8 12.Nc3 {A poor move giving up any initiative I might have had. and restricting the scope of my bishop.} ( 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.Rb1 {might be better.} )12...O-O 13.b4 {My small advantage is slipping away with the evaluationnow close to equal.} 13...Nb6 14.Qe2 Nfd5 15.Na2 {Again a retreatingdefensive move lacking in initiative. I want to keep Black's knight from the c3 square, but 15.Ne4 would serve the same purpose whilecentralising the knight.} ( 15.Nxd5 exd5 {doesn't seem to offer much.} )15...Bf6 {Black takes control of the a1-h8 diagonal and I have to shift my rook.} 16.Rad1 $2 {This move serves no purpose. The rook belongs on the more useful B or E files.} 16...Na4 17.Qe1 Nb2 {and the rook is harassed once again and has to shift.} 18.Rc1 Na4 19.c4 {gains space and drives Black's knight back -- a small victory.} 19...Nc7 20.Nc3 {The engine reccomends attacking the knight with 20.Bd1 . . .} ( 20.Bd1 Nb6 21.Nc3 {and White's position looks the better of the two. } )20...Nxc3 21.Bxc3 Qxd3 22.Bxf6 gxf6 {Black's king's defences have been breached with a consequent jump in the engine's assesment of White's position.} 23.Rc3 $2 {My intention is to barge the Black queen aside and then shift the rook over to the open g-file for a direct attack on the Black king. The engine disagrees with my simple(minded?) plan and tells me that this is a poor move. The digital monster opts instead for} ( 23.Be4 Qd6 24.Rd1 Qf4 25.g3 Qe5 26.Rd7 )23...Qd7 {As poor as my 23.Rc3 move was, the engine rates 23...Qd7 as evenworse, possibly because the Black queen's access to the kingside is now restricted.} 24.Qe3 {gives me a clear +1.6 advantage.} 24...Qe7 {+2.98} 25.Bh5 $4 {and we plunge back down to near equality. The engine's surprising choice is} ( 25.Bxc6 bxc6 26.Qh6 Qd6 27.Rg3+ Qxg3 28.fxg3 {and White is winning. Best move for Black after 25.Bxc6 is 26...f4 freeing the Black queen to come to the king's defence.} )25...Ne8 {defending the vulnerable g7 square.} 26.Rd3 {preparing to doublethe rooks.} 26...Ng7 {but I have to lose a tempo defending my Bishop.} 27.Qh3 $2 {-0.60 and my position is sinking slowly in the west.} 27...Rad8 28.Rg3 ( 28.Rfd1 {is marginally better.} )28...Kh8 29.Bg4 $2 {a useless move. The bishop will be forced to move after f5. 29.Be2 or Bd1 would save a tempo.} 29...f5 30.Bf3 $2 {hamperingmy pieces and dropping the evaluation down to -2.25.} 30...c5 $2 {a mistake by Black, allowing 31.Qh6 followed by 32.Rh3.} 31.Qh6 f6 32.Rh3 Ne8 33.Bh5 {aiming for 34.Bg6.} 33...Rg8 34.Re1 {The engine reccomends continuing with the Bg6 plan . . .} ( 34.Bg6 Rg7 35.Bxe8 Rxe8 36.bxc5 )34...e5 35.Qc1 {I am not making any headway on the kingside so decide to try shifting operations to the queenside.} 35...cxb4 36.c5 bxa3 {-1.04 and things arelooking bad again.} 37.Rxa3 b6 38.c6 {Push that passed pawn.} 38...a5 39.Bf3 $2 {Another poor move. It adds protection to the c6 pawn but the Bishop can be kicked by e4. The engine tells me that 39.Rc3 is better, targetting the c6 pawn.} 39...Qa7 40.Rc3 a4 {Pushing that passed pawn!} 41.Rd1 Rxd1+ 42.Bxd1 b5 {37...Nc7 blockading White's c6 pawn is better.} 43.c7 {Forward my little beauty! +1.71.} 43...Qb7 {Black is threating checkmate on g2.} 44.Bf3 {attacking the Black Queen, although 44.g3 is better, leaving my Bishop free to maraud elsewhere.} Qc8 {and here I begin to get excited. Deflect the Black queen and I can queen the pawn. Whoopee.} 45.Bb7 Qxb7 {Unfortunately, my memory span shrinks at this point to that of a goldfish with dementia and I completely forget about the mate threat on g2. With a song in my heart I triumphantly promote the pawn!} 46.c8=Q {I see a slight smile on my young opponent's face at this point and I think "He knows the game is up." How wrong can you be?} 46...Qxg2# {DOH!} 0-1
:
Annotated by