Maybe this weekend I’ll post the game for round 4 of Back to School Swiss. I lost, but I had a win and didn’t find it. For now, though, my second effort vs. Mr Dan Callahan. The last time we played, about a year ago, we were both rated in the 1100’s and have each come a long way since then.
Blunderprone, you said you’d give me some suggestions vs the London…
Dan Callahan (1339) — Steve Wollkind (1533)
MCC Trick or Treat Swiss (2008) (1) Natick, MA
2007.10.02 0-1 D02m
1.
d4
d5
2.
Nf3
Nf6
3.
Bf4 (D)
- My second time facing the London, but apparently I didn’t learn anything after the first one (played roughly 6 weeks prior to this game). How to Beat 1. d4 by James Rizzitano suggests that black play c5 here. I thought about it, but prefered to get the light bishop outside the pawn chain and solidify with e6.
3.
…
Bf5
- ( 3…c5 )
| 4. | e3 | e6 |
| 5. | Nbd2 | c5 |
| 6. | c3 | c4 (D) |
- Exactly the kind of move I can never resist. It’s the f pawn with white and the c pawn with black, and I love to push it to the 5th (4th) rank if I can restrict a bishop by doing so. Perhaps it creates too static a formation, but I like having the space.
7.
Bxb8
- Questionable, in my mind. Giving up a developed bishop to kill my knight in its bed doesn’t make sense to me. Additionaly, this brings my rook to the B file, which helps prepare to push the b pawn to make a break.
7.
…
Rxb8
8.
Ne5
- I sensed that this move might be premature, but didn’t have a great way to combat it. At the same time, I felt that it wasn’t doing much for white. I think I was wrong. It brings a second attack on my c pawn and pins the b pawn down to the defense of the forking square c6.
8.
…
Be7
9.
b3 (D)
- A move I should have seen coming a mile away. By my count white can now win a pawn by force, with other dangerous moves in the air. With the c-pawn advanced, the Queen’s knight gone and the light squared bishop locked outside the pawn chain, checks on the a4-e8 diagonal are problematic. Even worse, the knight on e5 is now a serious problem since black can’t play Qd7 to block a check either. I considered just giving up a pawn to castle immediately, but decided against.
9.
…
Ne4
10.
Nxe4
Bxe4
11.
f3
f6 (D)
- A mistake. Luckily, white decided to save his knight, but if he had exchanged everything off black would have had some serious problems.
12.
Ng4
- ( 12.fxe4 fxe5 And things get ugly. Qh5 is probably quite strong here. )
| 12. | … | Bf5 |
| 13. | Nf2 (D) |
- Spending another move to prevent the loss of the knight, and finally there is time to protect the c pawn and end the threats of Qa4+.
13.
…
b5
14.
e4
Bg6
15.
Be2
O-O
- Finally whisking the king to safety. Someday I’ll learn to do that before sending my pawns rushing up the board.
16.
O-O
Qd6
17.
g3 (D)
- White obviously worried about later threats on the h pawn, but this move seems both premature (there is no tangible threat yet) and weakening.
17.
…
Bf7
18.
b4
e5
19.
a3
Bd8
20.
Ra2
- Looking ahead to needing some defense on h2 with the option to put double the rook with the queen on the d file.
20.
…
Bc7
- Completing the maneuver. The threat is not subtle, but I felt that white might have trouble getting his pieces out of one another’s way to defend it. During the game I wondered if my advantage was actually on the queenside, and whether I should have been pushing the a pawn at some point.
21.
Re1
h5 (D)
- My plan was to try and get at white’s king. The computer hates it and wants me to rip up the center.
22.
Bf1
h4
23.
g4
- A bad mistake, giving me exactly what I wanted: an attack on h2. White had many better defensive options including dxe5.
23.
…
exd4 (D)
-
Now the mate threat must be addressed.
24.
e5
fxe5
25.
cxd4
exd4
- The mate threat returns. The knight has to get out of the way and the c and d pawns are going to become a serious problem for white.
| 26. | Nh3 | d3 |
| 27. | Bg2 (D) |
- Black resigned here, expecting Qxh2 and some ugliness to follow.
- ( 27…Qxh2+ 28.Kf1 And I am forced to admit that I don’t see the obvious winning plan here. Black must be winning, but it’s the sort of position where I would make it more of a grind than it needs to be. I was sort of surprised my opponent resigned after Bg2, but thankful… )
0-1
Diagrams generated using Steve Eddins’ Chess Imagerhttp://www.eddins.net/steve/chess/chessimager
very nice posts. i am NOW adding you to my links. actively i rearrange them, by a hierarchy that appears amorphous, but has reason, and will remind me to check back in over time, and will adjust as things unfold, as affinities disperse or aggregate/coalesce.
nice to see you around. much to learn; much to share. many incredible persons.
warm regards, and welcome aboard, david k in seattle, aka DK or transformation.
Steve,
I comment both about the London System in general and then the game specifically.
London Bridge is falling down:
The London system deliberately creates 2 major weaknesses in hopes for a flash in the pan rapid development and quick attack on the kingside. As soon as the Bishop goes to f4 the queen side is weakened ( Specifically a weak square is created on b2). The opening does tend to ignore the big gaping hole in the center at e4.
With the weaknesses of b2 and e4 in mind, Black can equalize rather quickly. Rizzatano’s suggestion of 3…c5 is accurate and in “How to win with the London” it also speaks of this variation as the strongest. The premise behind the c-pawn advance is to prepare for Qb6. Typically Qb6 and Nc6 go hand in hand. Don’t be too quick to pick up b2 though especially if White plays a move like Nc3 ( before playign teh pawn out). That knight has a strong counterattack on b5. Having your Knight deployed to c6 disspells most of that.
The Qb6 idea begins the Q_side attack and White really needs to respond with Qb3. Thus the need to respond to 3…c5 with 4. c3. Once the queens are in a face off you can push the c-pawn and put the question to the queen. If the exchange happens it to your favor since it will open up a rook file on the weak queen side.
Now, Bf5 then e6 are solid secondary plays once you get the Qb6 and Nc6 them working on the queen side. This creates pressure on e4. The rule of two weaknesses implies that you keep him busy with one, then the other and go back and forth.
So that’s it for the my general premise on the London. About your game: Deploying the bishop to f5 was a theme on one of the weak squares. Don’t worry about hemming it in. That Bishop is strong on b1-h7 diagonal as well as the a8-h1 diagonal if you were to develop it on b7.
With the above groundwork, do you see that 4…Qb6 or 5 … Qb6 could have been a much stronger move. You needn’t worry about deploying the f8 bishop at this point. Begin the Q-side attack and go after the two weaknesses agressively.
The Bxb8 is a little dubious. Gettign rid of that knight does soften your chances of doign a queenside attack as well as if Qb6 versus Qb3 and he excahnges on b6 the rook file is opened for nothing or loses a tempo rather.
8. Ne5 is the goal of the London. This is thematic to the beginning of what was once termed a Pilsbury Attack ( its worth looking it up in Chess base). The QGD complexes in the early days loved this position and H N Pillsbury wasa master of the attack. To the point it triggered the movement of teh hypermodern defenses with finachetto’d bishops etc. In the QGD, c4 has been played and keeps d5 in check. In the London, d5 is not in check at all and is merely playing on a wish and prayer that Black won’t catch up. At my level, Black was catching up all too often and my Pillsbury attack turned more into a pillsbury dough boy and flattened.
I could go on and on about your game but I will only touch on a couple more points. You see how keepign the pressure on e4 wasa good remedy? White had to dance around that and respond to your demands. Image now, if you were also going after b2?
Delaying castling until after the dust settle and a few more pices were off teh board was a good idea. Castling after white loses the intiative is a good rule of thumb.
Oveer all nice game. Note to self, don’t pull “my old freind” out of the hat when faced with Steve at a tournament.
-BP