Skype coaching session, 04 January 2015. The following games were examined, 18 and 28 moves. Paul Benson. * * * game 1. White: A. Simutowe, approx 2460. Black: B. Lalic, approx 2520. Event: KPMG Weekender 2001. Result: 0-1 in 18 moves. Opening: English Defence, Keres Variation, B00. | Brief summary. Note: Some sources will give this opening system the name, English Defence, Kangaroo Variation, which can arise by transposition with the move order: 1. d4 b6 2. c4 Bb7 3. Nc3 e6 4. e4 Bb4. Opening: Very sharp play from both sides. White offers material for a lead in development combined with disharmony in the black forces. Difficult problems quickly arise on both sides to solve, an ideal position for anyone wishing to play for a win from the start. Warning! Homework is needed for success in this system where material is offered for the attack. Very early middlegame: Black is able to push the white queen to a less aggressive location and immediately follows with an important central pawn advance which, despite the development imbalances in favour of white, seems to give black the better game. Early middlegame: White fails to find a means of taking advantage of the lead in development, the black queenside forces become mobilised. When the black kingside is about to unravel white is too much material down to make a fight. || 1. c4 b6 2. Nc3 Bb7 3. d4 e6 4. e4 Bb4 5. Bd3 f5 6. exf5 Bxg2 7. Qh5+ Kf8 8. Nge2 Bxh1 9. f3 Qe8 10. Qh3 e5 11. dxe5 Nc6 12. f6 Qxe5 13. Bf4 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 Qxf6 15. O-O-O Re8 16. Rxh1 Rxe2 17. Bxe2 Qxf4+ 18. Kc2 Nf6 White resigns, 0-1 * * * Game 2. White: L. Paulsen. Black: P. Morphy. Event: 1st American Championship, USA 1857. Result: 0-1 in 28 moves. Opening: Four Knights, Spanish Variation, C48. | Brief summary. Opening: Black willingly accepts a weakened queenside pawn structure to gain a slight lead in development. The early snatch of the pawn by white can never be retained. Very early middlegame: White commits a serious error by transferring the bishop to the f3 square 2 moves too early. Instead, 11. c3, 12. d4, and then, 13. Bf3, would have kept the black queen out of a fantastic blockading location and given white a comfortable game. Early middlegame. White finds a means to displace the black queen from the blockading location. Unfortunately by this time black had achieved harmonious development.. Tactics flow from a superior position. So, you might wish to take a long time over black's 17th move. Allegedly, it took Morphy 9 minutes to play his 17th move, a massive amount of time for the strongest player in the world of 1857, who usually replied with little clock time. Middlegame: White is defenceless against the black onslaught. The lack of defensive contribution from the queen's rook and bishop proved important, all a consequence of playing, Bf3, too early. || 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. O-O O-O 6. Nxe5 Re8 7. Nxc6 dxc6 8. Bc4 b5 9. Be2 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Rxe4 11. Bf3 Re6 12. c3 Qd3 13. b4 Bb6 14. a4 bxa4 15. Qxa4 Bd7 16. Ra2 Rae8 17. Qa6 Qxf3 18. gxf3 Rg6+ 19. Kh1 Bh3 20. Rd1 Bg2+ 21. Kg1 Bxf3+ 22. Kf1 Bg2+ 23. Kg1 Bh3+ 24. Kh1 Bxf2 25. Qf1 Bxf1 26. Rxf1 Re2 27. Ra1 Rh6 28. d4 Be3 White resigns, 0-1 * * *