Skype coaching session, 21 September 2014. 

The following game was examined, the game 49 moves) is given with annotations and then again without annotations. 

Paul Benson. 

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Annotated game. 

White: V. Anand. 
Black: M. Adams. 
Event: Oakham 1986. 
Result: 1-0 in 49 moves. 
Opening: Caro-Kann Defence, Classical Variation, B19. 

| This game is early in the chess career of both players, my researches indicate the following progress in 1986. White is age 16 and will gain the Grand Master title in 2 years time. Black is age 14 and will become an International Master in a few months. || 

1. e4 c6 
2. d4 d5 
3. Nc3 dxe4 
4. Nxe4 Bf5 

| A relatively comfortable variation for both players. There are no tactics to be calculated for a good while. Each player just gets on with their own development before settling down to starting to think about the fight in the middlegame, around move 18 or so. Instead, 4. ... Nd7, is popular here. There is also the more aggressive, 4. ... Nf6, offering white the opportunity to double pawns with, 5. Nxf6+, when black intends to show the doubled pawns are not obviously weak and the pawn structure imbalance gives chances for active play. Black can capture with either pawn, some study of how to handle the 2 different captures will be necessary if, 4. Nf6, is to be placed in the repertoire. || 

5. Ng3 Bg6 

| The white g3 knight and the black g6 bishop, 2 squares apart on the same file, have entered into a formation of mutual restriction. Neither is actually better or worse, it is all the other units on the board which will determine who has an advantage. || 

6. h4 

| White intends to claim space on the kingside while keeping the centre under control. || 

6. ... h6 
7. Nf3 

| It is white in the Classical Variation, 4. ... Bf5, who has more flexibility of development. The game move is the most popular choice, but 7. Nh3, and, 7. N1e2, have their merits. || 

7. ... Nd7 

| Black keeps a white knight out of the e5 square, because 8. Ne5 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Qa5+, and black wins the white e5 pawn. || 

8. h5 Bh7 
9. Bd3 Bxd3 
10. Qxd3 Qc7 

| Black can also play, 10. ... e6, or, 10. ... Ngf6, here, when transposition into the game continuation is still possible. || 

11. Bd2 O-O-O 

| Again, black can vary the move order here with, 11. ... e6, or, 11. ... Ngf6. This black system offers the opportunity to vary the move order without serious problems. || 

12. O-O-O e6 
13. Ne4 

| Vacating the g3 square in order to fight for some dark square control. || 

13. ... Ngf6 
14. g3 Nxe4 

| Black can also try, 14. ... Nc5, taking advantage of the black d8 rook x-ray attack on the white queen. Play could continue, 15. Nxc5 Bxc5, but at some point the black bishop must retreat when the white queen moves off the d-file. The game move is simpler and easier to play. || 

15. Qxe4 Nf6 
16. Qe2 

| The white queen has found a more comfortable location on e2, which also sets up a potential protection of the advanced h5 pawn, giving the h1 rook freedom of movement. || 

16. ... Bd6 
17. Kb1 Kb8 

| Both kings shuffle away from the centre in anticipation of potential activity on the c-file should black choose to make a central challenge with, pawn c5. The black king has however placed itself on the same diagonal as his queen, and while the black d6 bishop is offering good protection for the moment, such protection must not be regarded as a permanent feature. Instead, 18. ... Rhe8, could be considered. || 

18. Ne5 Ka8 

| The black king avoids any potential dangers of staying on the h2-b8 diagonal. Instead, 18. ... Bxe5 19. dxe5 Nd5 20. c4 Ne7 21. Bc3 c5, freeing the c6 square for the e7 knight seems playable for black. || 

19. Nc4 

| The beginning of white shuffling his remaining minor pieces, designed to cramp the black heavy pieces. The black minor pieces are also going to shuffle around, but they are responding to the white plan rather having a plan of their own. || 

19. ... Be7 
20. Bf4 Qc8 
21. g4 

| Strengthening the h5 pawn and taking more kingside space. The extra space will offer white more flexibility with the heavy piece formation in anticipation of the kingside eventually being opened up. || 

21. ... Nd5 
22. Bd2 

| A good retreat. There is nothing to be gained by remaining on the h2-b8 diagonal. Again the formation of opposing knight and bishop on the same file separated by 2 squares has emerged, more mutual restriction. However, the black knight is not completely safe on the d5 square, so the formation is not favouring black here. Once the black knight is repulsed with pawn c4, the apparently cowering white bishop will have options again. || 

22. ... Bf6 
23. Ne5 

| Now that the black queen has been pushed onto the black back rank, the weak f7 pawn needs protection from a rook. Black is having difficulty in achieving coordination. || 

23. ... Rhf8 
24. c4 Ne7 
25. Bb4 

| The culmination of the white minor piece shuffling arrives. The white knight is tying down a black rook to the protection of a pawn, and the b4 bishop is pinning the e7 knight to that rook. This is not a white stranglehold, but if black does not resolve the congestion soon then white will surely find a means to line up the heavy pieces for a decisive kingside pawn break. || 

25. ... Rde8 

| Another black rook is tied up, the remaining 2 white minor pieces have definitely earned their performance fee this game. || 

26. f4 Bxe5 

| Black finally eliminates the annoying white knight, which could have been traded off on move 18. || 

27. fxe5 

| White now has a semi-open f-file to play down, doubled rooks should win the black f7 pawn, black must have a satisfactory response against this simple white plan. Instead, 27. dxe5, would maintain a different form of kingside pressure, but allow black to eventually unravel the rooks to challenge for control of the fully open d-file. All rooks are likely to exchange and leave a queen and minor piece ending. The white game move ensures the middlegame will continue. || 

27. ... f5 

| Combining defence with attack. Without this resource black would be struggling. || 

28. Rhf1 Qd7 

| Lifting the queen off the back rank and offering white an opportunity to find an interesting idea. It might be worthwhile giving this position some careful thought. || 

29. Qf2 

| Surely walking into an x-ray attack with your queen must be inadvisable? || 

29. ... Rf7 

| There is method in the apparent white madness. If, 29. ... fxg4, white gets a very strong position with, 30. Qxf8 Rxf8 31. Rxf8+ Nc8, the black knight is immobilised and the black queen is somewhat precariously placed. If white can land the d1 rook on f7 then she will be lost. So perhaps, 32. Rdf1, but black can fight with, 32. ... g3 33. R1f7 g2 34. Rxd7, threatening to capture the knight and give mate, but, 34. ... g1=Q+, and white then has the laborious task of calculating if black can inflict a perpetual. White can do much better than this with, 29. ... fxg4 30. Qxf8 Rxf8 31. Rxf8+ Nc8 32. Rg1, intending to remove the dangerous black g4 pawn, and then return to the plan of landing the less active rook on f7, or doubly attack the helpless black g-pawn with, Rg8. In all of this black can not assist the pinned knight with, Kb8, as white replies, Bd6+, forcing the king back to the a8 square. Conclusion: Black, fxg4, is good for white. || 

30. Qh4 

| White does not have a means to break through, and so instead tries a few shuffling moves to give black a chance to do something about unravelling the position. || 

30. ... b6 
31. Qh1 Kb7 

| Very difficult to appreciate here, but the black king is not going to feel comfortable on the black 2nd rank. || 

32. Qg2 

| White has shuffled with the queen for 4 moves, and has arrived at a square which could have been reached in 1 move. Black is tempted to continue with the feeling that white can do nothing constructive and decides to play constructively himself. Sometimes one must play actively, sometimes one just sits there and try to tough it out. The temptation to show an opponent that it is possible to break out is not always easy to resist. || 

32. ... g5 

| Going down the activity road. Understandable as black has been put on the defensive since move 19, but perhaps black should have forced white to prove there is a decisive plan available without black complying. || 

33. hxg6 Nxg6 
34. gxf5 Nh4 

| Attacking the white queen, who must surely move, and then the black knight recaptures with, Nxf5, establishing itself on an outpost which white can only remove at the unlikely cost of an exchange. It seems as if black is about to unravel. || 

35. fxe6 

| Zwischenzug, a move placed in between an expected move. Both queens are now attacked, but that is not the real problem for black. || 

35. ... Qxe6 

| Forced. If, 35. ... Nxg2 36. Rxf7, is white's best as the black queen is doubly attacked and pinned to the king. If now, 36. ... Qxf7 37. exf7, and the white f-pawn will promote on f8 next move and cost black a rook. If instead, 36. ... Re7 37. exd7 Rxf7 38. d8=N+, forking black king and rook is rather cute. Now that the black queen is on e6 the white c4 pawn is a target. || 

36. Qe4 

| White establishes the formation of mutual restriction with the black knight, though this time the knight does have the f5 and g6 squares available. The queen is also supporting a potential pawn d5 push, but this needs preparation as the e5 pawn would be unprotected. || 

36. ... Nf5 
37. Rf3 a5 
38. Ba3 h5 

| Black must use this pawn to distract white from central action, and if white gets careless then the h-pawn might turn the game on it's head. || 

39. b3 Nh6 
40. Rxf7+ Nxf7 
41. Bb2 

| The white bishop gives the e5 pawn a defence for when the anticipated push of, pawn d5, is played. || 

41. ... Ng5 
42. Qd3 

| White remains on the b1-h7 diagonal, to prevent any annoying checks for black with, Qf5+. || 

42. ... h4 
43. d5 cxd5 

| If black does not capture then white will still have the option to have 2 central connected passed pawns, however there is a big difference in that the c-file will not be immediately open for the white rook to use. If black instead tries, 43. ... Qg4, attempting to assist the advance of the h-pawn, white can play, 44. dxc6+ Kxc6 45. Qd5+ Kc7 46. c5, and the position will either open up in front of the black king for the white queen rook and bishop, or white will have a passed c-pawn to advance. || 

44. cxd5 Qg4 
45. d6 

| It is not only the further advance of this passed pawn which creates problems for black, it is the newly-vacated d5 square which is now available for the white queen. On d5 she will be both attacking and also giving important defensive assistance backwards down the h1-a8 diagonal. Even though white has a strong grip on the centre the advanced black h-pawn should not be ignored. || 

45. ... h3 
46. Rc1 

| White can not push the e-pawn, the e6 square is guarded 3 times by black, so instead finds an invasion threat with the rook down the fully open c-file. Providing white can keep hitting with threats then the black h-pawn will not affect the result of the game. || 

46. ... h2 

| White must now be aware of tricks involving, Qg1, shielding the promotion square from the white rook. Providing white has the queen on the h1-a8 diagonal and the rook on the back rank then this threat will not work. || 

47. Qd5+ Kb8 

| If black tries to hide the king with, 47. ... Ka6, white should not attempt to force matters immediately but instead set up a mating net with, 48. a4. The idea is to play, Qb5+, and then the white rook can invade with check on the 7th rank next move, mate will quickly follow by force. If after, 47. ... Ka6 48. a4, black tries, 48. ... Qe2, white further infiltrates on the light squares with, 49. d7 Rd8 50. Qc6, threatening a strong check, Qc8+, which quickly leads to mate. Black almost gets out of jail with, 50. ... Rxd7 51. Qxd7 h1=Q, intending a fork with Qe4+ should the white rook capture the new black queen. However, white can cut across this with, 52. Qb5+ Qxb5 53 axb5+ Kxb5 54. Rxh1, white is a rook up and wins. || 

48. d7 Rd8 
49. Qd6+ 
Black resigns, 1-0 

| If, 49. ... Ka8 50. Qc6+, followed next move with, Qc7+, winning the black rook, and the d-pawn is still a monster. Instead, 49. ... Kb7 50. Rc7+ Ka6 51. Qd3+ b5 52. Qd6+ mate. || 

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## Unannotated game. 

White: V. Anand. 
Black: M. Adams. 
Event: Oakham 1986. 
Result: 1-0 in 49 moves. 
Opening: Caro-Kann Defence, Classical Variation, B19. 

1. e4 c6 
2. d4 d5 
3. Nc3 dxe4 
4. Nxe4 Bf5 
5. Ng3 Bg6 
6. h4 h6 
7. Nf3 Nd7 
8. h5 Bh7 
9. Bd3 Bxd3 
10. Qxd3 Qc7 
11. Bd2 O-O-O 

12. O-O-O e6 
13. Ne4 Ngf6 
14. g3 Nxe4 
15. Qxe4 Nf6 
16. Qe2 Bd6 
17. Kb1 Kb8 
18. Ne5 Ka8 
19. Nc4 Be7 
20. Bf4 Qc8 
21. g4 Nd5 
22. Bd2 Bf6 
23. Ne5 Rhf8 
24. c4 Ne7 
25. Bb4 Rde8 
26. f4 Bxe5 
27. fxe5 f5 
28. Rhf1 Qd7 
29. Qf2 Rf7 
30. Qh4 b6 
31. Qh1 Kb7 
32. Qg2 g5 
33. hxg6 Nxg6 
34. gxf5 Nh4 
35. fxe6 Qxe6 
36. Qe4 Nf5 
37. Rf3 a5 
38. Ba3 h5 
39. b3 Nh6 
40. Rxf7+ Nxf7 
41. Bb2 Ng5 
42. Qd3 h4 
43. d5 cxd5 
44. cxd5 Qg4 
45. d6 h3 
46. Rc1 h2 
47. Qd5+ Kb8 
48. d7 Rd8 
49. Qd6+ 
Black resigns, 1-0 

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